What is depression?

Faye Axford

Depression is a serious medical illness; it's more than just feeling 'down in the dumps', although one category – Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) – is, as its name suggests, a winter depression typical of northern European countries.

People who suffer from depression will:

Be persistently sad, anxious, or feeling empty and bereft

Have feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

Have feelings of guilt, worthlessness and helplessness

Depression often coexists with other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and Parkinson's disease, because of the low carbohydrate content of the Atkins Diet there may be a knock on effect of low serotonin levels.

What can help?

Other items of interest

Some people turn to coffee, alcohol, chocolate, tobacco, anti-depressants or mood-enhancing drugs. In many cases, these only have a temporary effect and then the patient plummets again.

People seeking psychotherapy, self-help courses and meditation are going in the right direction. Prozac helps by stopping the body from breaking down serotonin, thus improving mood.

Patrick Holford says that many drugs have unpleasant side effects and the natural alternative is to eat your way to happiness by choosing foods from which the body makes serotonin. The sufferer manifests low levels of serotonin in many conditions. Serotonin is made from tryptophan, the very amino acid that was mistakenly banned 15 years ago. Researchers have clinically investigated 5-Hydroxyl L-Tryptophan (HTTP) in comparison to antidepressant drugs with excellent results. Patients showed significant reductions in depression scores with an improvement in mood. Supplementing with 5 HTTP has also been shown to have a positive effect on sleep patterns.

Essential aromatherapy oils that are used for anxiety and nervous tension are Bergamot, Cypress, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Melissa, Neroli, Rose, Sandalwood and Ylang-ylang. Lavender is the most common and forms the base of many relaxing blends.

The oils are believed to have an effect at both a psychological and physiological level. Depending on the mix and blend, this effect may be either to stimulate or relax. Advocates say that the scents from the oils activate the olfactory senses in the nose. This triggers the limbic system, which governs our emotions and involves the creation and retrieval of memories associated with smells. During massage, oils rubbed into the skin sink through the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous fat directly into the bloodstream.

To treat stress, sedative essential oils can be used to calm. These may include; Camomile, Lavender, Melissa, Lemon or Frankincense.

Oils known as 'nerviness’' may then be used to nourish and support the nervous system, and antispasmodics, such as sweet marjoram, to relax the muscles and allow the blood to circulate properly.

Finally, tonics are included to strengthen the systems of the body, including the immune system, which is one of the first to falter when someone is depressed, stressed and run down. Tonic oils include Cardamom, Bergamot, Tea tree, Lemon and Black pepper.