Where The Holistic Rubber Meets The Scientific Road

Shut down depression before it shuts down your immune system

Here’s a good piece by our friend Lee Euler. It’s actually part of a longer piece about fighting cancer you’ll find at alternative-doctor.com (now a blog too!)

Depression can be overcome. The following 11 tips are meant to help. However, for long-term or severe bouts of depression, you should seek professional help.

1. Myrrh. It’s been around since biblical times and is said to chase the blues away. Put ½ teaspoon of powdered myrrh (available at health food stores) in a cup of boiling water. Let it cool… drink a cup twice per day.

2. Move it! On your feet! Exercise has been found to be more effective than antidepressant drugs — without any of the side effects. Exercise stimulates endorphins that create a sense of well-being. Exercise can almost immediately make you feel better about yourself and life in general. You don’t have to do much. Walking several times a week is fine. Rule one is: doing something is better than nothing. ANY exercise is better than NO exercise. At least park in the space farthest from the store and walk to the door.

3. When the days are short, as in spring and fall, take a walk at high noon. It’s the brightest (cheeriest) time of day, and will maximize your vitamin D intake as well as lift your spirits. During the summer you can get the same benefit from walking almost any time between 10 AM and 4 PM — and you should actually avoid midday so you don’t get burned. When the days are shorter, you want to time your walk to take place close to noon, if you seek to maximize the vitamin D benefit.

4. After a loss… Native Americans used borage to help comfort the bereaved “when the heart weeps with sorrow”. Prepare a tea by placing 1 heaping teaspoon of borage (from health food stores) in a cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, then strain and drink. Expect a cucumber taste. Drink 3 cups throughout the day to help ease emotional pain and grief.

5. After a loss or any other major trauma… If you don’t seek professional help, do your own therapy by keeping an “emotional diary”. At least once per day, write your innermost feelings. No censoring allowed… the purging of your thoughts and emotions can speed the healing process… When you complete the process and feel better, you may find the process valuable enough to continue.

6. Grow some plants… whether indoors or out. According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, the therapeutic benefits of peaceful garden environments have been understood since ancient times. Growing plants and seeing flowers bloom can give you a new appreciation for life and a chance to exchange your unhappiness for joy.

7. Repeat personal affirmations out loud with great gusto first thing every morning and last thing every night. Plus any time you catch yourself thinking negatively… At first, you may have to ‘force’ yourself to say them enthusiastically, but in time it will become easier to ‘say them honestly’.

Here are some examples other people have used. You can create your own too, using things that are going WELL in your life, phrasing them always in a positive manner using the present tense.

  1. Every day, in every way, I’m getting better, better, better.
  2. I love you, (insert your name)…
  3. you’re a truly magnificent soul!I am reaching my dreams with great ease.
  4. I’m lucky and abundant in all the things I wish for.
  5. There is an endless stream of wonderful experiences coming to me every single moment.
  6. I am happy to be alive.
  7. I am a precious child of God who deserves to be loved and taken care of.
  8. I am putting myself back on my priority list.
  9. I’m getting healthier every day.I am happy this very moment.
  10. I am always keeping the child alive within me.
  11. I am unique in the entire world.
  12. Nothing can defeat me.
  13. I am loved by God.

8. Carol Parks, one of our newsletter contributors, suggested something unusual: leaf laughing. Ever feel like you’re super-sensitive to everything and anything? She urges you to try a sensitive plant you’ll grow to love — the TickleMe Plant (Mimosa pudica).
Tickle this sensitive plant and it moves — really! Its leaves close up and branches dip down. You naturally smile when you see this amazing plant at work. Get more information at www.ticklemeplant.com. Make it part of #4 above.

9. Include a high-quality omega-3 oil supplement in your diet, and get direct sunshine or take a vitamin D3 supplement to optimize your vitamin D levels. Depleted levels in both can lead to imbalances associated with depression.

10. Watch comedies. Sing. Dance. Play with your favorite 4-legged friend. A pet is a great idea.

11. Be proactive. At a minimum, see your quality of life and positive attitude improve. Even better, the life you save with this turn to the positive may be your own.

So take these 11 steps today to brighten your life, and watch the difference it makes — no matter what your current state of health.

Kindest regards,
Lee Euler,Publisher

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