DISEASE OR JUST VERY VERY SAD ?
DEPRESSION IS A DISEASE...AN INVISIBLE DISEASE, WHICH OFTEN GOES UN NOTICED. IT IS A SERIOUS DISEASE, YET, IT IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.IT IS SIMPLY A CHEMICLE IMBALANCE IN THE BRAIN.

IT IS MY INTENTION TO NOT ONLY SHARE MY STORY , BUT TO HOPEFULLY HELP THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE OR ARE SUFFERING WITH THE DISEASE ... FEEL A LITTLE LESS ALONE.....

DEPRESSION IS NOT IMAGINED.....IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE SUPPORT YOU NEED...TALK TO ME...

IT IS A SCIENTIFICALLY DOCUMENTED DISEASE , LIKE DIABETES , CANCER OR ATHRITIS.

I BELEIVE UNLESS YOU HAVE HAD IT YOU CANNOT IMAGINE IT.

I HAVE RESEARCHED THE DISEASE THOUROUGHLY, PRIMARILY AS IT RUNS THROUGH MY FAMILY..... BOTH MY MUM AND AUNT WERE BI POLAR, AKA MANIC DEPRESSIVE. I HAVE DISCOVERED WAYS TO MANAGE THE HORRID DEISEASE. ALLOWING ME TO EXPERIENCE LARGE PIECES OF TIME-LIFE WITHOUT THE DISEASE.THANK GOD.

SERIOUS LIFE STYLE CHANGES HAVE TO BE MADE, SUCH AS REGULAR HOME COOKED ORGANIC MEALS, FRESH SQUEEZED ORGANIC FRUIT JUICE OR VEGE JUICES , VITAMIN THERAPY , HERBS, MEDITATION AND YOGA including YOGA BREATHING, LOTS OF SLEEP...BUT NOT TOO MUCH.... AND LASTLY A GOOD PSYCHOTHERPIST, PSYCHOLGIST, OR PSYCHRIATRIST.
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A SERIOUS COMMITMANT TO YOUR LIFE STYLE MUST BE MADE OTHERWISE YOU WILL NOT HEAL....


ITS UP TO YOU , AND NO ONE ELSE TO MAKE A HUGE EFFORT TO CREATE CHANGE.
go to the "nutrition & diet" page for more good web sites on diet, vitamin and herbal therapy.

My experience with depression is over 30 yrs long. Historically it appears apporximately once a decade, and lingers for a few months to a year, depending on my immediate environment, relationships , finances and my commitmant to balance my brain chemistry through life style choices...... It usually occurs because something bad happens, maybe a relationship break down ...maybe financial stress...the fires....empty nest...illness....etc etc...........if you have inherited fragile brain chemistry...simply being unhappy for long periods can cause your brain chemistry to alter for the worse..thus DEPRESSION occurs.

The delicate brain chemistry can be altered slowly...but if nothing is done regarding life style choices the chemical imbalance will worsen....

I BELEIVE THE LONGER A PERSON IS DEPRESSED THE MORE DIFFICULT IT IS TO CURE THE DISEASE.....

The disease is not easy to live with....Mainly in my opinion , because it's invisible .
It isn't easy for any one living with someone who has the disease ....but let me assure you the people that suffer the most are the peole with the disease.....infact I cant imagine anything more horrendous.....For me, my will to live dissapears...quite litterally I have no wish to live. Can you imagine as a yoga teacher how devistating that is ....fortunately my research and knowledge helps me sustain a healthy perspective. Thus when im depressed, I dont start any new projects...I lay low until I feel more sane. Which usually takes a month or 2 of medication...once the medication settles in ...my mood is fabulous... i'm confident again....then I get on with healing my out of balance brain chemistry.

If we could control our environment , we could control depression...but that means living in a cave alone, with no interaction with any one ever......

WE MUST LEARN TO ADAPT TO THE PRESSURES OF LIFE, AND STAY SUPER HEALTHY.

At almost 50 yrs of age I am still terrified of the disease. It has come and gone depending on, my life style, emotional stressors and triggers. Even though overwhelming sadness is often the most obvious symptom , it is a mere slither of the collective of invisible symptoms that are often experienced. ....thus its difficult for our loved ones to understand....

For those on Medication, there is no need to be ashamed. Medication can help, especially the right medication. Medication ( anti depressants ) create a small window of time with which you have the opportunity to do ALOT OF "WORK." IE: LIFSTYLE CHANGES..: diet;
excercise;
regular relaxation breathing;
regualr meditation.
gentle yoga
high cardio excercise
nature
fresh juices

please dont hesitate to email me for a confidential chat....
I can help u sort out your life style...I can help u create the changes you need to make...or I can help you accept what you cannot change......libbymitchell@bigpond.com.au

OFTEN SIDE EFFECTS of the drugs CAN BE DANGEROUS...PLEASE RESEARCH THE DRUGS YOU ARE GIVEN..there is an abundance of new scientific research available on line. Try to go to all of the web sites I offer on these pages...they will take you on a very educational and hopefully healing journey. DONT EXPECT YR DOCTOR TO KNOW ALL THAT HE/SHE NEEDS TO KNOW.Our GPs are over worked and often dont have the time to research all of the drugs and their side effects.

DEPRESSION & NUTRITION
http://elektralife.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=91

I believe vitamin therapy is a worthy pursuit. Keep on yr meds, though ..Never go cold turkey if you start feeling better....
For those of you who choose not to take meds, you must be very discplined. It can be done. I've done it. All of the info on this page is of great use to you.
The following web sites are sites I have discovered on my own journey with depression.I found them helpful and informative.I hope u do too.

http://www.apinchofhealth.com/forum/vbb/showthread.php?t=1344

http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/Omega-3.htm

http://www.doctoryourself.com/depression.html

http://www.depression-guide.com/depression-vitamin.htm

htmlhttp://www.iampanicked.com/anxiety-articles/vitamins-for-depression.htm

DEPRESSION & VIT C
Consequences of Deficiency

Vitamin C deficiency is not common. Populations subject to vitamin C deficiency are alcoholics, people who consume a diet devoid of fruits and vegetables, elderly individuals on a limited diet, severely ill individuals under chronic stress, and infants fed exclusively cow's milk.

Deficiency symptoms may appear the first month following deprivation, when the serum level has been reduced to 0.2 mg/dl. Scurvy is caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, with symptoms including: depression, anemia, weakness, poor appetite and growth, tenderness to touch, swollen and inflamed gums, loosened teeth, swollen wrist and ankle joints, and shortness of breath. Furthermore it may be observed that wounds fail to heal or previous wounds break down, and that infections develop easily in bleeding areas of the gum and skin. These effects are attributed to problems with collagen formation. It is also hypothesized that vitamin C is involved in the blood clotting mechanism.

Smoking acts as an antagonist to vitamin C. Less vitamin C is available in smokers for utilization and storage, and smokers need twice the amount of vitamin C as the nonsmoker to show a comparable blood level.

WHY DOES DEPRESSION HAPPEN, WHAT ARE MY TRIGGERS
The triggers for depression are different for every one. I usually become depressed because of something that happened to me ; mum dying, empty nest , financial stress,etc.
Our environment, our world around us encompasses a great deal...some of our environment we can control, like food and water and rest ...but, some aspects of our environment just happen to us....and you cannot change them...For example..being a parent is a huge challenge. My daughter is 17 now. I honestly dont know which age is toughest.... I just know its tough...Having said that she is the sparkle in my eye. I'm the proudest mum.
The 2 environmental factors , the changable and the fixed will effect us. The changable more often will effect us...the fires ..the recession...these are factors that are not fixed...we couldnt control them... bad stuff just happens to us...causing a range of emotions over a period of time... creating long term stress in the bodies delicate physiology,eventuating in a range of mood disorders or mental illness.
Depression ,Bi Polar 1 & Bi Polar 2 are just a few illnesses that I have studied on the web sites ive posted on this page.
When I feel a depression setting in tell the people around me...I make sure I take loads of vitamin C and many other suppliments. See link above. Read the nutrition page , and go to the web sites for a bit of research.
Sure you can go on Anti depressants..., and those that dont...make sure you are safe...if you hae suicidal thoughts U NEED MEDS....Meds or not we still must take responsibility and change our habits....go to 'STRESS' page and 'PRANAYAMA' page for techniques for changing negative thoughts.

COMING OFF ANTIDPRESSANTS SLOWLY AND SAFELY.
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