Dealing with depression

Depression is the result of living your life in a way that we are simply not designed to live it, there are a number of ways that the body can be put under both physical and psychological stress. Eventually – and this is the key to understanding depression – stress prevents us from meeting certain physical and emotional needs that are essential for a mentally healthy and fulfilling life. We now know that a person becomes depressed when certain essential physical and emotional needs are not being met.

“Knowing this provides you with a possible way out from depression...”

These physical needs include the need for a body to be relatively free from bloodsugar imbalances, toxicity, and adrenal, thyroid sex hormone imbalances, sub-optimum vitamin/mineral and omega-3 essential fatty acid levels, lack of exercise, lack of sunshine, co-existing illnesses, infections, medical conditions, sleep problems, biochemical imbalances and food intolerances.

The emotional needs are as, if not even more important, and include the need for safety and security, the need for intimacy and connection, the need for respect, privacy and love, the need for a wider social connection and a sense of belonging, the need to take charge of your own life, the need for meaning and purpose, the need for stimulation and challenge and the need for attention and appreciation.

To what degree are these needs being met fully in your life right now?

Knowing this provides you with a possible way out from depression and indeed, anxiety, addictions, stress and even psychosis. The key to mental and emotional health is to get your unique physical and emotional needs met!

The holistic solution

My own experience with having worked with hundred’s of patients with depression is that the considerable majority do not need antidepressants and most will respond, sometimes within just a few weeks, to a holistic approach, one which is specifically designed to identify and meet the specific physical and emotional needs of that individual. The approach I take is divided into two levels.

Level One – Physical Eating a healthy diet

The key is to reduce or preferably cut out all caffeine and sugar products, avoid foods that you are intolerant to (wheat, sugar and cow’s dairy produce are the top culprits!), eat three main meals and two snacks every day, eat a protein source such as seeds, nuts, fish, egg, read more