“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”
– Kevyn Aucoin
Depression – Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Options
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric condition that affects an estimated 350 million adults worldwide. In the US, the lifetime prevalence for MDD is estimated at 16.5% with the 12-month prevalence estimated at 6.7%. Approximately 70% of MDD cases are classified as mild to moderate in severity.
Depression – Complimentary and Alternative Medication (CAM) Management
Diet
Diet, the food we eat, plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy mood and preventing or reducing depression. There are numerous dietary supplements that have been shown to benefit depression including amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
See Depression Diet
Nutraceutical Supplements for Managing Depression
Despite numerous antidepressants available, it is estimated that >40-60% of patients with mild to moderate depression treated with conventional prescription antidepressants (including the three major classes: SSRI, SNRI and tricyclics) do not achieve adequate response or do not tolerate the medications due to side effects. Furthermore, all current antidepressants require at least 2–3 weeks to significantly improve mood. This demonstrates the need for novel antidepressants with different mechanism of actions that will be effective and better tolerated..
Over the last three decades, the use of herbal and alternative remedies has become widespread with recent reports that 42.1% of the population have used some type of alternative treatment, most commonly for anxiety and depression. Botanical medicines, massage, vitamins, support and self- help groups, folk remedies, energy healing, and homeopathy were the primary alternative therapies reported with the greatest frequency.
However, the lack of pharmacological and clinical data on the majority of herbal medicinal products is a major barrier to the integration of herbal medicines into conventional medical practices. Many challenges exist when evaluating the effectiveness and safety of herbal products using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard research tool. For example, many herbal products have multiple ingredients with varying concentrations of the therapeutic compounds between products, making quality control and the selection of dosage regimens difficult.
The following nutraceuticals have definitive evidence is support of their usefullness in depression:
CAM Depression – Acetyl-l-Carnitine
CAM Depression – CoQ-10
CAM Depression – Inositol
CAM Depression – NRF2 Activators
CAM Depression – Rhodiola Rosea
CAM Depression – SAMe
CAM Depression – 5-HTP & Tryptophan
CAM Depression – St John’s Wort
CAM Depression – Zinc
References:
CAM, Depression – Overview
- Depression – Diet & CAM Summary
- Complementary and Alternative Medical Treatment for Depression, Biology of Depression – 2005
- An Overview of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies for Anxiety and Depressive Disorders Veterans Health Admin – 2011
- Second-tier natural antidepressants – Review and critique – 2010
- CAM Therapies to Promote Healthy Moods – 2007
- Vitamin D and Depression – Where is all the Sunshine? – 2010
CAM, Depression – Diet
- Depression – Diet & CAM Summary
- Food-derived serotonergic modulators – effects on mood and cognition – 2013
- Vitamin D and Depression – Where is all the Sunshine? – 2010
- Dietary tips for mental health
- Mood Components in Cocoa and Chocolate – The Mood Pyramid – 2018
CAM, Depression – Individual Supplements
CAM Depression – Acetyl-l-Carnitine
CAM Depression – CoQ-10
CAM Depression – Inositol
CAM Depression – NRF2 Activators
CAM Depression – Rhodiola Rosea
CAM Depression – SAMe
CAM Depression – 5-HTP & Tryptophan
CAM Depression – St John’s Wort
CAM Depression – Zinc
Emphasis on Education
Accurate Clinic promotes patient education as the foundation of it’s medical care. In Dr. Ehlenberger’s integrative approach to patient care, including conventional and complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments, he may encourage or provide advice about the use of supplements. However, the specifics of choice of supplement, dosing and duration of treatment should be individualized through discussion with Dr. Ehlenberger. The following information and reference articles are presented to provide the reader with some of the latest research to facilitate evidence-based, informed decisions regarding the use of conventional as well as CAM treatments.
For medical-legal reasons, access to these links is limited to patients enrolled in an Accurate Clinic medical program.
Should you wish more information regarding any of the subjects listed – or not listed – here, please contact Dr. Ehlenberger. He has literally thousands of published articles to share on hundreds of topics associated with pain management, weight loss, nutrition, addiction recovery and emergency medicine. It would take years for you to read them, as it did him.
For more information, please contact Accurate Clinic.
Supplements recommended by Dr. Ehlenberger may be purchased commercially online or at Accurate Clinic.
Please read about our statement regarding the sale of products recommended by Dr. Ehlenberger.
Accurate Supplement Prices
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