Remedy #113 Supplementing Zinc to Treat Depression and Anxiety

Did you know low Zinc levels have been frequently linked to depression? As many people already know, Zinc is important in keeping the immune system and memory strong, but it also plays a crucial role in maintaining and developing neurological networks, which directly affects your mood. Zinc helps the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a growth factor that helps support the survival and differentiation of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system. This is why supplementing zinc enhances the effects of antidepressant medications in many people. There's been many studies to support this. For further reading on this, click the link below.

Source: http://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-o-z/psyche-some-a-spirit/1287-depression-think-zinc

Here's the most popular Zinc supplement on Amazon. 

Remedy #112 Join Volunteer Services to Treat Social Anxiety Disorder

Besides the fact that it may work wonders for your social phobia, volunteering can also be very rewarding in other ways. For instance, you may meet a friend or two; it helps you stay active; there's a pleasure to knowing you're doing good things for other people; keeps your mind distracted from anxiety, etc.

Here's a few ways you can volunteer locally...

- Volunteer for an animal shelter. There's hundreds of dogs and cats yearning for care at shelters everywhere. All of them are always in need of volunteers.

- Taking care of elderly at a nursing home. 

- Do computer work for churches and other non profit organizations.

- Help out a drug rehab center.

- Volunteer at soup kitchens.

For more ideas, visit this website:  http://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/services/

Want an excellent excuse to travel the world and learn other cultures? Volunteer globally. Here's an informative book on how you can. 

Remedy #111 5 MTHF, a Natural Treatment for Anxiety and Depression

Some people who have depression and anxiety have a genetic defect in which they have difficulty metabolizing folate and folic acid into their active forms. In these cases, 5 MTHF (5 Methlytetrahydrofolate) can be a very effective treatment since it's a biologically active form of folic acid and folate. 

Folate is a water-soluble form of vitamin B9 that the body needs to digest and process for cell growth and reproduction. It can be found in leafy vegetables, nuts, fruits and more. Unfortunately, 70 percent of people with depression have the genetic defect, resulting in their inability to to process folate into 5 MTHF.  So if you've had symptoms of depression and anxiety for a long time, for unexplained reasons, definitely give this a try. It may be all you need to cure yourself. In fact, a blood test at your local lab can determine if you have this genetic defect. Then you can get 5 MTHF over the counter as a supplement or on Amazon.

Source: http://www.cdapress.com/news/healthy_community/article_3465bdf7-923e-5acb-9ce6-681727264348.html

Remedy #110 Creative Art therapy to Treat Anxiety and Depression

Researchers found that creative art therapy helps people suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression. The use of this type of therapy is especially becoming popular for cancer patients.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses how researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the ArtReach Foundation in Atlanta, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a analysis of 27 clinical trials involving 1,576 participating cancer patients. The researchers looked at therapy involving visual art, dance, drama, music, writing and more, and measured how they affected the patients' anxiety, depression, pain, quality of life, etc. Click the link below to read about the hopeful results.

Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/15475/20130513/art-therapy-effective-psychological-symptoms-cancer-patients.htm

Remedy #109 Get a Dog or Cat to Treat Depression

It's amazing how a kitten or a puppy can help treat depression.

"Pets offer an unconditional love that can be very helpful to people with depression," says Ian Cook, MD, a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program at UCLA.

Pet owners tend to live happier and longer for many reasons. Having a pet gives depression sufferers company. In addition, by having a pet that relies on you for food and other important things, it gives you a sense of purpose that depression sufferers sorely need when they feel worthless. Lastly, by getting your pet from a shelter, you may actually be saving its life!

In the link below, you can read an article which explores in detail how taking care of animals can greatly reduce your symptoms of depression.  In addition, here's a link to a great read related to the topic.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/pets-depression

Remedy #108 Emotional Regulation Strategy Called "Reappraisal" to Treat Anxiety

This isn't all that surprising, but definitely worth posting about since many of our readers do not even think about this kind of 'self-treatment'. New research appearing in the journal Emotion suggests that actually 'regulating' your emotions can help with your symptoms of social anxiety. 

In the study, researchers asked 179 healthy participants how they managed their emotions through anxiety-inducing situations. The team then studied the results. They concluded that those participants who engaged in emotional regulation strategy called Reappraisal, tended to also have less social phobia than those who ignored their emotions entirely. Reappraisal involves looking at anxiety-inducing situations in a new way, something we've touched upon in previous posts. Read more at the link below.

Source: http://www.sciencecodex.com/to_suppress_or_to_explore_emotional_strategy_may_influence_anxiety-112023

Remedy #107 Treat Depression and Anxiety by Avoiding Foods You're Allergic to!

As in the previous post, we're taking a look at how foods we are intolerant to can cause depression and anxiety. This time, we're expanding into all foods, including dairy. In the article linked at the very bottom, there is an intriguing piece in which it is discussed how humanity has had a relatively short time to adapt to the milk we consume from other species.  Our frequent difficulty with these recent foods, like gluten and dairy may have a very direct correlation with depression and anxiety. I mean, we've only been consuming cow milk and bread for thousands of years, while our ancestors had been eating meat and vegetables for millions of years.

Watch the youtube video below in which a naturopathic doctor discusses how to identify symptoms for food allergies. Also, here's a great book on the topic.

Source: http://depression.about.com/cs/diet/a/foodallergies_2.htm