When I was going through some of the worst bouts of clinical depression I always seemed to be ill with something else; usually something to do with my liver or gall bladder or some blood condition. I almost always had some pain in my back, or my knee, or I had low-grade cold and flu symptoms.

It seemed that whenever I was ill depression quickly followed in the wake of the illness.

But I've read many medical reports since then that show me that it might have been the other way around – that the depression came first and then the aches and pains and illnesses came afterwards.

It turns out that doctors who treat chronic pain and depression have known for years just how closely the two conditions are linked. There's even some research that shows pain and depression share common pathways in the emotional part (the professionals call it the limbic region) of the brain. It's thought that this goes some way to explaining their association.

I came across this article on the WebMD.com site that talks about the link between pain and depression in detail.

“Physical pain is a common, but often ignored, symptom of depression; and pain severity is a strong predictor of the degree of depression and health-related quality of life, findings from a newly published study indicate.

Two-thirds of the depressed patients beginning antidepressant treatment in the study reported being in physical pain, with the most commonly cited symptoms being frequent headaches, back pain, joint pain, and abdominal pain.

Physical symptoms persisted longer than depression symptoms in more than a third of the patients, leading the researchers to conclude that pain may serve as a barometer for gauging the effectiveness of depression treatment. The findings are reported in the August issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

"It is important to recognize that physical symptoms like pain can be part of the picture of depression," researcher Kurt Kroenke, MD, tells WebMD. "Even though the physical symptoms may be related to or aggravated by the depression, they can linger longer than the emotional symptoms."
Source: WebMD.com

Here's a question for you - which do you treat first? The physical pain or the emotional and mental pain?

Well, in my case I ended up getting help for both – when I finally did get round to seeking help that is...

I ended up in hospital a couple of times with doctors leaning over me chatting casually about surgery. I remember being in such pain and wondering how I would be able to live my life if I had to put up with such discomfort for another 5 years. It made me feel even more hopeless and exacerbated the depression.

I thought to myself, if I have these difficulties, and I'm not emotionally strong, I simply won't be able to handle all these health issues as well, and I made a decision to seek counselling and coaching to help strengthen me so I could cope.

Well, I cannot diagnose anyone, including myself, but I do know that in the 18 months during which I worked on my emotional state, treating my depression through as many natural nutrition and talking therapies as I could afford, the physical illnesses and the aches and pains have melted away.

Not overnight you understand. But after 20 years of such troubles, to find that they lessened so much within a year and a half seemed – and still does seem – pretty miraculous to me.

I'd encourage you to have a little think about how your physical state and your depressive episodes might be linked. Don't ignore the one and treat the other.

Our bodies and minds and souls are linked – even doctors know that now... We have to treat ourselves holistically.

Wishing you health, wealth and true happiness.


Lorraine

 
 

Ok, so I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm a real believer in the importance of using 'talking therapies' and natural methods for overcoming depression.

This isn't because I'm some barefoot, Eastern-New-Age believing hippy type. No, it's because they worked for me. After fighting with increasingly debilitating bouts of depression for 22 years, I thought that finding emotional and mental health within the space of a year just through talking and changing my mindset, and though changing what I ate was amazing. Spectacularly successful.

So I thought I'd quickly chat about one of the most effective and well-established talking therapy available, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – or CTB.

CBT is based on the idea that the way we think, and what we think about creates, or at the very least alters, our mood.

Have you ever felt perfectly content and happy then thought about something sad that made you feel unhappy or disturbed? Well for someone who struggles with depression those unhappy thoughts can spiral out of control and drag them down from unhappiness into desperation.

On the other hand, have you ever felt a bit down, but then started concentrating on something pleasant fun, or remembered a fun event that made you smile and start to feel better?

Well there you can see already how much our thoughts – what's going on in our imaginations – can have a pretty profound influence on our moods.

The thing about CBT is that it doesn't only assist the depressed person through dealing with the feelings they have, such as feelings of hopelessness, sadness, grief or anger. It also works by helping the person find ways to actually change the way they think about life and what's happening to them. So they start to recognise the pessimistic thought patterns, unrealistic expectations, critical self-talk and so on that not only bring on depression, but often makes it worse and makes it stay around for longer.

CBT is all about helping a depressed person work out how to have a healthier way of thinking about the world and about themselves. For someone who's struggling with incredibly low self-esteem or chaotic thinking (as I did), this can be the key to getting out of the rut that depression keeps you in.

If you want to try CBT, make sure that you search for a qualified, certified and experienced therapist. If you're already under treatment from your doctor, he or she may be able to recommend someone to you.

Wishing you health, wealth and true happiness.


Lorraine

 
 

They say that we find everything the body needs within nature.  And it's true that there are many plants and herbs that help to lift our mood and help us to feel better.

I thought I'd write a short list of some of the herbs that the medical profession generally accept can help with mild depression and tell you some of my experiences with them. 

Remember though, if you are having suicidal thoughts, or are feeling totally overwhelmed by sad and difficult thoughts, you should speak with your doctor or health professional; everything on this list is really for mild rather than deep clinical depression.

St. John's Wort and Kava Kava

Many doctors, particularly in European countries, believe that this herb can prove as effective as some of the milder anti-depressives.  When I used it  found that it helped to 'lift' the way I was feeling as long as I wasn't in a really deep depression.  It worked to lift me when I was kind of 'on my way down' as it were. Have a chat with your doctor though before you start taking these supplements.  I believe that St. John's Wort, though harmless in itself, helps to 'thin' the blood and can therefore cause problems if a person taking it has an operation.  Just something to think about...

CoQ10, Ginko Biloba and Ginseng

This is a herb which helps to boost energy. I remember using it at a time where I was really struggling with low energy levels. I was helping to take care of my elderly mother who was so ill she was essentially disabled, and working in a really demanding job. My slide into depression was accompanied by the most incredible fatigue. At the weekends I would struggle to get out of bed when there was office to go to. I can't vouch for what might happen for you, but my experience with CoQ10 was that it made the difference between lying under the covers for 18 hours a day living off crackers and hunks of cheese, and actually getting up and getting on with my day and getting some quality out of my life.

B Vitamins, Iron and Fish Oils

Ok, ok, I know they're not herbs. But since we're in the groove of talking about natural supplements I have to mention these. We all know now that proper (or improper) nutrition has a huge effect on our physical bodies, and science is now catching up with the fact that nutrition also greatly affects our emotional health. Eating decent greens and vegetables, or at the very least taking a quality supplement to make sure I got the right B Vitamins, Iron and Pantothenic Acid etc. made a heck of a difference to my depression. When I'm down I comfort eat and end up with a real deficit in decent nutrition, so my personal experience was that the effects kicked in within a day or two.

There you go, my short list of the natural supplements that helped me on my climb back out of depression. There are many more herbal supplements that other people recommend highly; I'm just sharing the are just the ones that helped me.

Here again is that list:

1. St John's Wort

2. Kava Kava

3. CoQ10

4. Ginko Biloba

5. Ginseng

6. B Vitamins

7. Iron

8. Quality Fish Oils



Wishing you health, wealth and true happiness.

Lorraine

 
 

I always used to feel 'weak' for experiencing depression.  I felt I should have been 'strong enough' to cope with all the difficulties life had thrown at me. Yes, yes, I know - that's ridiculous. But there was always such pressure to carry on within a short space of time, as though nothing had happened. It all left me feelin so weary...

How many people do you know who are expected by their bosses to return to work within 3 days after burying a loved one, or after returning home from hospital?

In our society today many people still feel that anyone over the age of 12 should be able to 'pull themselves together' in a pretty short space of time, even in the face of the dire life circumstances. But many times that's simply not possible to do.  We can never know in advance how or why depression strikes a person.

Or can we? 

This great article that I found at John McManamy's excellent site talks about Nature or Nurture - Outside Depression Causes  and looks at some of the many reasons why depression occurs.  The article's a bit elderly - it was written way back in 2004 - but as far as I'm concerned every word still rings true.

"We know that depression is a physical phenomenon. Thanks to modern imaging, we can see it actually taking place, like a tiny squid secreting dark ink in the left prefrontal regions of the brain. We also know that genes are a factor in both depression and bipolar disorder, that in twins there is a co-occurrence that cannot be explained away by chance, and that these conditions often have interlocking family histories spanning several generations.

But life, let alone depression and bipolar disorder, is never that simple.

According to the Surgeon General, stressful life events loom large in depression. Thirty to 40 percent of those undergoing divorce report a significant increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety. Single mothers face twice the risk of depression as do married mothers. Victims of domestic violence must often bear their considerable emotional burdens while battling incapacitating depression. At least 10 to 20 percent of widows and widowers develop clinical depression during the first year of bereavement. In the words of the Surgeon General: "The compelling impact of past parental neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and other forms of maltreatment on both adult emotional well-being and brain function is now firmly established for depression."

In other words, stress incidence in life can often bring on depression, as much as the chemical imbalances that doctors are forever attempting to drug out of existence.

If you're going through a rough patch in life, and I know many of you are, do these three things.  I understand that you feel you don't have much energy - I get that completely, believe me.  But this list is only 3 items long...  not some great and grand action plan.

1. Do what you have to to take care of your body; sleep more, comfort eat less, exercise more.

2. Ask for help; from your mum, your dad, your brother, your close friend,  a sympathetic doctor or some other health professional.  When I finally got round to doing this (after years of struggling on my own mind), things came together in my life within a matter of months...

3. Be gentle with yourself; remember, modern living takes its toll on the human body and the human mind. 

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness.

Lorraine