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Posted by Michael Finkelstein | December 3rd, 2015

Slow Medicine for Depression

What Is Depression?
If you struggle with depression, chances are that you suffer from any or all of the following: difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, insufficient energy to function, profound sadness, self-isolating tendencies, lack of motivation, loss of appetite, suffocating feelings of doom and gloom, and suicidal thoughts. Your life may in turn be adversely impacted by a profound struggle to care of yourself – including the basics of eating, bathing, and grooming, as well as working, socializing, and engaging in physical activity. Even sleeping habits may be affected by depression. You can relax your body and mind if you have enough sleep. See here for how you can achieve a comfortable sleep. You may end up feeling extreme loneliness, isolation, and hopelessness, to the extent that it is a challenge to even think about reaching out for help. Each of these challenges are likely to feed into each other, exacerbating your struggles. They even may create a chain reaction of events that send you spiraling downward, perhaps endangering your very survival. If you know someone whose depression led to alcoholism, you may help them seek treatment. Alcohol rehab in Los Angeles at Method Center provides premier care. Their luxury alcohol rehab program focuses on holistic, effective treatment.

What is the Conventional Medical Response?
Conventional medicine views depression as a neurological disorder – both a result of various neurochemicals failing to cross synapses in the brain or be absorbed (taken up) normally by adjacent cells, and as a result of deficiencies of these molecules and other cellular nutrients, like vitamin B-12. Conventional doctors prescribe anti-depression medications, which are designed to compensate for whatever is lacking or functioning sub-optimally. They also may prescribe psychiatric or psychological counseling or consider dramatic treatments such as electroshock therapy. Counseling attempts to understand and treat the bio-psycho-social contributors to depression and resolve them via talk therapy. Electro-shock, though rarely used anymore because of its association with torture, actually seeks to destroy brain tissue – in turn forcing the brain to reorganize the way neurons communicate with each other.

What are the Pros and Cons of the Conventional Response?
With the right drug and dose, pharmaceuticals have the power to quickly and effectively alter the brain in ways that enable someone with debilitating depression to function, as well as feel significantly better. In this way, pharmaceuticals can bring people back from “the edge of the cliff” and save lives. On the flip side, it often takes a lot of experimenting to get the drug and dose right, and the process can be highly distressing and get worse before it gets better – leaving one in disconcerting mental and emotional states, during the interim. In addition, pharmaceuticals can leave one feeling “flat” or numb and can cause a litany of side effects – including nausea, double vision, headaches, and other ailments that may intensify the depression. Some anti-depressants even have the “side effect” of increasing suicidal tendency, making the point clear that this approach is far from perfect.

Through talk therapy, psychiatric and psychological counseling can identify emotional factors contributing to depression, which in turn can be ameliorated through cognitive behavioral techniques and lifestyle management. In addition, psychiatric counseling may incorporate pharmaceutical interventions. With the right practitioner, this approach is more “care-ful,” as it facilitates and maintains a close personal bridge between the practitioner and the person in distress. That said, this approach is entirely practitioner-dependent. People have also explored the use of magic mushrooms as a potential way to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. If you’re interested, you can get mushroom delivery same day at houseofshrooms.co.

What Is the Slow Medicine Approach to Depression?
Slow Medicine not only pays attention to the symptoms and physiological causes of depression, but also addresses the whole life and whole being of the person who is suffering. This approach recognizes depression not as a generic set of symptoms, but rather, as a constellation of symptoms that are unique to each individual. To this end, Slow Medicine refrains from the catch-all diagnostic word “depression” and instead sensitively focuses on the particulars of each individual’s life – including physical, environmental, psycho-social, and relational circumstances that may be contributing to the symptoms one is experiencing.

In this regard, people are recognized to be unique, even though many of their symptoms are similar. For those with severe symptoms, it might be advisable to utilize a pharmaceutical intervention (at least initially), complemented by Slow Medicine – which is likely to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals necessary over time. For those with mild or moderate symptoms, it is more often effective to begin with Slow Medicine.

Here’s how the Slow Medicine approach works:

Through a gentle, step-by-step process, Slow Medicine guides you on identifying and incorporating into your life everything that activates your body’s healing response mechanism and returns your body to balance. Slow Medicine optimizes the food you eat, the amount and quality of time you spend in nature, the outlets you have for creative self-expression, the fun physical activities you do, the environment inside and outside your home, your daily spiritual practice, your engagement in healthy relationships and communities, the pursuit of your life’s purpose, and more. While identifying and incorporating these lifestyle pieces may seem like a tall order, you get to do it slowly, on a timeline that works for you – whether over the course of a year or a decade.

Slow Medicine is what you might call the “long game” for treating depression.

When you design and live a life you truly love and in which you fully rejoice, your body will have all the building blocks it needs for optimal health – inducing the release a bio-chemical cascade of wellness throughout your body. Your body furthermore will be free from stimuli that compromise its ability to function and heal, in general, and that contribute to the symptoms you are experiencing, in particular. A very simple example is reducing or eliminating your intake of sugar, which has been proven to both stimulate and exacerbate the symptoms of depression. You can visit the happy hippos web page if you want to consider the use of KRATOM that can also help you treat your depression.

How Can I Start Utilizing Slow Medicine to Heal from Depression?
Here are three steps that are a good starting place for healing:

  1. Find people who can help.
    Reach out to a friend, family member, community member, spiritual leader, and/or support group where you can find a caring heart and listening ear – someone who can help you function and get professional help, as well as make sure you are safe, when you are really struggling. Let this person know what is going on with you, and ask for help, even if it scares you. Remember that if your first attempt at outreach does not go as you had hoped, you can keep trying with different people and circles, until you find someone who is capable of offering support. If you are facing severe and life-threatening symptoms, or if you do not know where to go for help, you can call a local or national suicide prevention hotline, which you can find through doing a search online or calling the telephone directory. Not only can you talk about your struggles with the counselor who answers, but you can ask for guidance about where to go for ongoing help in your area. Lastly, look for an integrative medicine doctor and therapist who will give you the time that is necessary to comprehensively address your condition and who have in their “toolbox” both conventional and holistic options for helping you heal.
  1. Eat wholesome food.
    As much as possible, eliminate processed foods, artificial foods, and sugary foods. Conventional supermarkets now carry fresh, wholesome foods that are ready to go – such as pre-washed vegetables for salads and stews, fruit cups with no additives or sugars, and hearty frozen meals that just need to be heated up. You do not need to be a good cook or put a lot of effort into making nutrient-dense meals. Feed your body the nutrition it needs, to activate its innate healing process. While it’s best to get your vitamins and minerals from eating a well-balanced diet, buoyhealth supplements can give your body a boost.
  1. Move your body outdoors.
    The body needs movement and natural light, in order to function well. For this reason, any outdoor activity during the daytime – such as a slow walk around the block – can improve how you feel, cope, and sleep. Even if you have the sensation that you are dragging your body behind you, commit to engaging in this healthy and helpful activity. It is a fundamental step to getting better.

Where Can I Get More Help?
On [DATE], at [TIME], I am offering a free 30 minute consultation on the Slow Medicine approach to depression. Call (641) 715-3580, and enter access code 949875, to speak with me directly, and I will answer any questions you have about your symptoms and struggles in particular, or the Slow Medicine approach to depression in general. I care, and I look forward to speaking with you and helping you. Until then, may you be blessed on your path, and remember this:

Yes you can heal yourself.

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