Bill Gottlieb
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 Some professional care for depression consists of little more than a prescription for an antidepressant drug, Dr. Zuess says. While antidepressants can be very useful tools in some circumstances, he says, to really cure clinical depression, they should be used as part of a treatment program that emphasizes natural medicine and counseling. He recommends finding a naturally oriented medical doctor or naturopathic physician. depressed and sleeping better—increase the dosage to 200 milligrams, taking 100 milligrams when you wake up in the morning and 100 milligrams before bed. |
Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D.
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 Perhaps you've wondered what effect an antidepressant drug would have. You've read about it, you've talked about it with practitioners, and now you feel impatient. You just want to try it. So you take the medication. You feel calmer, more peaceful—maybe even complacent. You have a sense that everything is okay, though nothing has changed. Things that might have moved you to action, don't. Times when you might have stood up for what was important to you are allowed to slide by. It's as though Mother were there and approving, though she's not. |
Larry Dossey
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 Around the same time she was given an antidepressant drug, with further improvement. She regarded her own prayer and the physician's prescription as "simultaneous reflections in the mirrors of my body and soul." Perhaps it was a coming together of opposites—the spiritual and the physical—that made her healing possible. "Magic is present in those sacred spaces where opposites touch. . . . Miracles of healing can occur at these intersections, although they are not necessary or inevitable, but simply demonstrations of grace. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 In particular, psychotherapy in the form of biofeedback or short-term individual counseling (especially cognitive therapy, which is further discussed in the chapter Depression) have documented clinical efficacy37,38 One of the advantages of cognitive therapy in the treatment of PMS over antidepressant drug therapy is that learning techniques such as cognitive-behavioral coping skills can produce excellent results that will be maintained over time.
Depression, Low Serotonin Levels, and PMS
There are some important relationships between PMS and depression. |
| Johns wort extract (see Depression) largely because of a study in which a combination of 5-HTP and an antidepressant drug produced significantly better results than when either was used alone.2 Even in conventional circles, combined antidepressant agents—usually Prozac (fluoxetine) and Elavil (amitripty-line)—have been shown to produce much better results than using either drug alone.9
The magnesium comes into play because low magnesium levels are a common finding in patients with fibromyalgia (as well as in CFS). |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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 John's wort combination with the standard antidepressant drug amitriptylin in two randomized double-blind trials with neurotic, mildly depressed individuals. One study found the valerian/St. John's wort product comparable in efficacy to the antidepressant, while the other found it superior to standard treatment. The herbal therapy was associated with fewer side effects.4'5 In another study of 182 people, those who took an herbal combination product containing valerian experienced more significant relief from anxiety symptoms than the placebo group. |
Nicola Reavley
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 Low folate levels have been linked to poorer response to the antidepressant drug, Prozac. In a study published in 1997, researchers examined the relationships between levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine in 213 depressed patients taking Prozac. The results showed that people with low folate levels were more likely to have melancholic depression and were significantly less likely to respond to the drug.17
Lithium
Lithium therapy can cause low sodium levels by reducing re-absorption by the kidney. Lithium should be used with caution in patients following low salt diets. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 Porsolt swimming test.The whole extract was significantly more active than the equivalent amount of hypericin. Imipramine was about 10 times more active than the whole extract, reflecting the approximate dose relationship of both substances when used therapeutically in human patients (Butterweck etal.,1997).
"behavioral despair" in rats (Porsolt et al., 1991). These models have already been used in several studies to test the hypericum extracts. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| Clinical evaluation of 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan as an antidepressant drug. Folia Psychiatr Neurol Japan 1978; 32: 223-230
12. Kaneko M, Kumashiro H, Takahashi Y. L-5-HTP treatment and serum 5-HTP level after L-5-HTP loading on depressed patients. Neuropsychobioloby 1979; 5: 232-240
13. van Praag HM, Korf J, Dols LC. A pilot study of the predictive value of the probenecid test in application of 5-hydroxytryptophan as antidepressant. Psychopharmacologia 1972; 25: 14-21
14. van Praag HM. Management of depression with serotonin precursors. Bio] Psychiatry 1981; 16: 291-310
15. Robie TR, Flora A. |
Sydney Walker III, M.D.
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 Instead, he prescribes psychotherapy, an antidepressant drug, and a seizure medication. None of these treatments is
Dr. Noah Fabricant
Petr Skrabanek, Ph.D., and James McCormick, M.D., in Follies and Fallacies in Medicine effective. Lithium reduces the woman's temper outbursts, but only temporarily. After eight months, she becomes discouraged and angry, and leaves treatment.
2. A 46-year-old housewife suffers from severe attacks of dizziness and nausea several nights each week. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1Michael T. Murray, ND
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| Exercise is almost as effective as antidepressant drug therapy in selected types of anxiety and depression.69
Although studies are controversial, the endorphin hypothesis has become widely accepted as a mechanism by which exercise improves mood.81 The controversy is largely due to the inability of some investigators to block exercise-induced mood elevation with naloxone.69 Perhaps the dosages were insufficient or other mechanisms are in action. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2Michael T. Murray, ND
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| This is one reason antidepressant drug therapy of PMS is gaining increased popularity, even though it does not address the underlying cause of the neurotransmitter dysfunction. It is interesting to note that the majority of the over 12 million patients on Prozac are women between the ages of 25 and 50 - the same population that has a high frequency of PMS.
Estrogen excess and endorphin levels
Estrogen excess during the luteal phase also negatively affects endorphin levels. |
| Negative coping styles in women with PMS
• Feelings of helplessness
• Overeating
• Too much television
• Emotional outbursts
• Overspending
• Excessive behavior
• Dependence on chemicals —drugs, legal and illicit —alcohol
—smoking of PMS has over antidepressant drug therapy is that learning techniques such as cognitive-behavioral coping skills can produce excellent results that will be maintained over time.
Depression and low serotonin
There are some important relationships between PMS and depression. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 Fluoxetine (Prozac), the popular antidepressant drug, works by helping the body hold onto its serotonin. are seriously depressed. In one study, German researchers gave St.-John's-wort to 105 people with moderate depression. Compared with a similar group not receiving the herb, they slept better and exhibited less sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, exhaustion and headache. They also reported no side effects.
While some researchers attribute the benefits of the herb to its MAO inhibitors, other studies downplay this activity. Jerry Cott, Ph.D. |
Robyn Landis
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 There is such an abundance of natural remedies available to deal with the causes and symptoms of PMS that it is also a shame to find pharmaceuticals being routinely prescribed in many cases of PMS. The antidepressant drug Prozac is often prescribed for PMS-related irritability and anxiety. Xanax, a tranquilizer, is also used to treat the emotional symptoms of PMS as well as some physical symptoms like headaches and insomnia.
Pharmaceutical drugs with side effects and the risk of dependency are usually completely unnecessary. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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 John's-wort internally if you are on an antidepressant drug.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
In studies, licorice inactivates the herpes simplex virus. It also has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. When an outbreak first occurs, you can take commercial products that contain licorice extract or apply a licorice compress or poultice several times per day. Typical dosage: 1 cup of tea per day (steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried, chopped root in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes),- or up to six 400- or 500-milligram capsules per day,- or 20 to 30 drops of tincture up to three times per day. |
Nicola Reavley
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| Low folate levels have also been linked to poorer response to the antidepressant drug, Prozac. In a study published in 1997, researchers examined the relationships between levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine in 213 depressed patients taking Prozac. The results showed that people with low folate levels were more likely to have melancholic depression and were significantly less likely to respond to the drug.6 Folic acid supplements may improve mood in depressed people, especially those who are taking drugs which interfere with folic acid metabolism. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| TERATOGENIC SUBSTANCES (continued)
Substance
Known or Suspected to Cause
Lithium carbonate (an antidepressant drug)
Mercury
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Phenytoin (an epilepsy drug)
Radiation
Retinoic acid (an antiacne drug)
Trimethadione (an anticonvulsant)
Thalidomide
Tetracycline Tobacco smoke Valproic acid considered. However, chelation is not recommended during pregnancy unless the woman is severely symptomatic and at risk of significant health impairment. |
Nicola Reavley
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| Low folate levels have also been linked to poorer response to the antidepressant drug Prozac. In a study published in 1997, researchers examined the relationships between levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine in 213 depressed patients taking Prozac. The results showed that people with low folate levels were more likely to have melancholic depression and were significantly less likely to respond to the drug.12
Gastrointestinal system
Symptoms of folic acid deficiency also include loss of appetite, inflamed tongue, gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 John's wort to be equivalent to the antidepressant drug amitryptiline, but without the side effects such as dry mouth and lethargy.
^ Digestive Problems
Valerian can be helpful for digestive conditions associated with stress, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
^ Hypertension
I like to add valerian to herbal hypertension formulas to help relax the nervous system. Stress and anxiety can play major roles in high blood pressure for some people.
^ Insomnia
I find that valerian works well for many people to help alleviate insomnia. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
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 In one double-blind trial, depressed people given 150 to 200 mg of DLPA experienced results comparable to that of an antidepressant drug.29
Phosphatidylserine (PS) (p. 321), a natural substance derived from the amino acid serine, affects neurotransmitter levels in the brain that affect mood. In a controlled trial, older women given 300 mg of PS had significantly less depression compared with placebo.30 After 45 days, the level of depression in the PS group was more than 60% lower than the level achieved with placebo.
Levels of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA [p. |
Jean Carper
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 In some persons, sugar acts as an antidepressant drug. Experts have found that people with less sugar-induced serotonin in the brain tend to be depressed and even to commit suicide. Dr. Norman Rosenthal at the National Institute of Mental Health has studied a particular group of people who suffer from a type of depression called SAD (seasonal affective disorder), apparently brought on by the decrease in daylight during winter months. Dr. Rosenthal thinks the light deprivation lowers serotonin levels in the brains of those susceptible to this disorder. |
H.J. Roberts, M.D.
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 Low doses of the antidepressant drug Tofranil® triggered "a near panic attack." within two weeks after discontinuing aspartame products, he was markedly improved.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Psychiatric and Behavioral Reactions
What begins as a trickle of a medical research finding grows as it takes on new ideas and is nourished by corroborative findings. Controversy swirls as the stream encounters boulders of academic dispute, which cloud the original idea. Soon the developing river of awareness takes on new adherents as doubters are enveloped in its flow. |
| She also experienced headache, fatigue, diarrhea, rashes, weakness, a loss of appetite and weight, and "flashes of darkness like I was going to pass out, and jerking in my insides." An antidepressant drug did not help. Aspartame products were stopped when a cousin told her about possible reactions to them. She reported:
"About 24 hours after I took my last diet drink, I suddenly felt better than I had in months. I have been fine ever since. I have continued to stay away from aspartame, and nobody will ever convince me that it was not the cause of all my problems. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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| John's wort to be equivalent to the antidepressant drug amftryptiline. . . ." Steger W, A randomized, double-blind study to compare the effectiveness of a plant based combination of metabolic substances to a synthetic antidepressant in depressive states. Zeitschrift Allg Med 1985; 61:914-918.
• "... and several clinical studies confirm that valerian is effective for insomnia." Donath F, Quispe S, Diefenbach K, Maurer A, Fietze I, Roots I, Critical evaluation of the effect of valerian extract on sleep structure and sleep quality. Pharmacopsychiatry 2000 Mar; 33(2):47-53.
• "... |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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| Do not take internally if you are on an antidepressant drug.
Mullein
Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida)
Another herb that inhibits herpes viruses, echinacea extracts also produce a numbing sensation that may offer relief from cold-sore pain. Try using echinacea tea in poultices and compresses. If an all-over ill feeling accompanies your cold sores, or a common cold triggered the lesions, take echinacea internally. Typical dosage-, up to nine 300- to 400-milligram capsules per day,- or 60 drops of tincture three times per day. |
Thomas J. Moore
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 By contrast, an antidepressant drug such as Prozac takes weeks to achieve its effect—and is a poor candidate for the instant gratification typical of recreational use.
If mood elevation is the carrot of a potentially addictive drug, the combination of tolerance and withdrawal are the stick. Because the body makes chemical adjustments in the brain and central nervous system to tolerate the continued intrusion of psychoactive drugs, withdrawal symptoms can occur when the drug is abruptly removed. |
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