ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION: COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT
Depression, especially when severe, is potentially life-threatening. Suicides can and do occur- in fact they’re the largest cause of death in the teenage years. Don’t use any of these complementary therapies until you’ve consulted your own doctor and asked his advice. The following approaches are complementary, not alternative; they should he adding to what your doctor is doing, not replacing it.
Almost every single alternative practitioner will vouchsafe his cures, so it is best to proceed with caution and consult a registered and preferably recommended practitioner at all times.
Complementary practitioners generally bold the view that tranquillisers and anti-depressants are counter-productive, for in the long run they don’t cure the cause of anxiety, but simply mask its symptoms. Instead they may suggest herbs, for instance, that claim to treat the anxiety itself; these include balm, camomile, hops, motherwort, orange blossom, skullcap and vervain. The headaches of anxiety and depression are best treated by balm, camomile, Jamaican dogwood, lavender and white willow (aspirin in its natural form).
Clinical nutrition offers a Pandora’s box of possibilities. Licorice is thought to have anti-depressant properties; magnesium is said to play a useful role in the treatment of depression, for it is known to be involved in the synthesis of some of the brain’s neuro-transmilters. Vitamin B12 is the legendary doctor feelgood vitamin (used so excessively in the Sixties and Seventies). Vitamin B6 is also said to help in the treatment of depression/anxiety. In general, a consultation with a registered clinical nutritionist will ensure that no subclinical deficiencies are responsible for your anxiety or depression – which often can be biologically triggered.
Everyone’s depression is different, and an aromatherapist would select oils suitable for your changing needs. Some suggestions might be camomile, clary sage, lavender, sandalwood and ylang-ylang- which have both sedative and anti-depressant qualities and so may be helpful if you are suffering from early waking or acute anxiety. Bergamot, geranium, melissa and rose are uplifting and anti-depressant; neroli and jasmine are beneficial when suffering from some of the more debilitating effects of anxiety/depression, such as extreme inexplicable fatigue, headaches, emotional instability, digestive troubles and broken sleep. Massage is important because of the physical contact and baths and vapourisation are equally effective. Baths are often a cleansing experience, and it can be a psychological boost to have one at the end of each day, to effectively wash away that day’s troubles.
Osmotherapy, which is another form of scent therapy, based on slightly different principles to aromatherapy, has been used successfully in the treatment of anxiety/depression – even acknowledged and practised by some British hospitals. Certain scents may he as powerful as tranquillisers. In a hospital in Worcestershire in the UK, certain fragrances were used to reduce anxiety in patients, and a close correlation between the action of fragrance molecules and that of mood-altering drugs (like anti-depressants or tranquillisers) was discovered. A trained and recognised osmotherapisl will he able to treat your individual symptoms. This is particularly helpful for those patients who have been addicted to tranquillisers at any time.
Bach /lower remedies may be helpful in treating anxiety/depression, since they are claimed to affect the negative emotions, replacing them with a sense of calm. Try aspen for apprehension and foreboding, rock rose for extreme panic or terror, larch for despondency. Rescue remedy is a common standby for extreme anxiety or fear.
Acupuncture may also help with anxiety and depression.
Other complementary therapies include: acupressure, reflexology, counselling, the Alexander technique, T’ai chi, Transactional Analysis (TA), kinesiology and the relaxation therapies such as biofeedback,.
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