People with depression who want to avoid the side effects and expense of pharmaceutical antidepressants might look into treatment with supplements, exercise, bio-identical hormone replacement, and other natural strategies.

Herbs that address depression include valerian, St. John’s Wort, aswaganda, valerian, and SAMe. Some people have had success treating depression with astragalus, ginseng, and other adaptogenic herbs.

Dietary supplements known to help reduce symptoms of depression include Fish oil (from cold-water fresh fish or from Fish oil supplements). Fish oil contains Essential fatty acids that can help reverse depression for some people. Essential fatty acids also can be found in walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds.

Other supplements thought to help with depression include GABA and 5-HTP. Melatonin can help with the insomnia that often accompanies depression and also helps address anxiety.

stress-reducing exercise, such as qi gong and yoga, can help conquer both depression and anxiety if practiced daily for 20 to 40 minutes.  Any physical activity continued for 30 minutes daily will help burn off the stress hormone cortisol, which may relieve depression. Walking for 30 minutes at 4 mph has been proven to help improve mental and physical health.

Many depressed people find that swimming, or even soaking in a tub of water, helps relieve stress-related depression as does walking on the beach or near a body of water.

depression can be caused by hormonal imbalances. Bio-identical hormones and glandular supplements may help rebalance the body’s important hormones. Liquid bio-identical hormones like pregnenolone and progesterone may restore the body’s neurotransmitters to natural balance; imbalance of neurotransmitters is suspected to be a cause of depression in middle-aged people.

Listening to upbeat music may help some people resolve feelings of depression. Dancing to upbeat music helps engage the body and increase metabolism, making it doubly effective.

Source: Naples Daily News with contributions by AltMeds.com editorial staff.