Depression Alternative Treatment

Treating Depression Without Medicine

There are many potential alternative or complimentary approaches to treating mental disorders. Here are just a few:

Yoga and Meditation - More and more studies are supporting the benefits of yoga and meditation. By reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and easing respiration, yoga and meditation give people a perpetual calming effect.

Aromatherapy - Essential oils and similar aromatic compounds from plants are used to improve mood, cognitive function, or overall health. The consensus among most medical professionals is that there is some evidence that aromatherapy works, but more studies are needed.

• Lavender aromatherapy is traditionally believed to help treat anxiety.
• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) may reduce agitation in people with severe dementia when applied to the face and arms twice daily. Steam inhalation of lavender aromatherapy may have similar effects.

Light therapy - Exposure to the bright light from a light therapy box is believed to alter the patient’s circadian rhythms and suppress the body's natural product of melatonin. Together, these cause biochemical changes in your brain that help reduce or control symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and other conditions.

Hypnosis - When hypnosis is used for mental health purposes, it's referred to as hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapists often use exercises that bring about deep relaxation and an altered state of consciousness, also known as a trance. In fact, hypnosis can teach people how to master their own states of awareness, which in turn can affect their own psychological responses.

Acupuncture - Research suggests that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for depression. One study conducted by psychologist John Allen of University of Arizona suggests that acupuncture may be as effective in treating depression as psychotherapy or drug therapy.

Massage - While studies are lacking in support of massage therapy for mental health issues such as depression, there have been reports by people who claim that their symptoms were lessened as a result of massage.