Depression and Why You Need Herbs

I read an extremely interesting article about anti-depressants at http://www.healthreformwatch.com/2011/07/14/auditing-studies-of-anti-depressants/. There were a number of opinions stated by the author that were powerful. They included:

- “. . . . much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong.” - “. . . . research that indicates that placebos can often be nearly as effective as drugs for conditions like depression. “ - “. . . . in some studies, 40 percent of subjects not receiving medication get better.”
From a natural medicine perspective, depression is typically an end result from one of the following:
Low blood levelsr
Hormonal irregularity and imbalancer
Adrenal insufficiency or exhaustionr
Heart Qi (energy) deficiencyr
Kidney Qi Deficiency (In standard medicine terms, this would be a nutritional imbalance associated with the brain and central nervous system)
Grief and other emotions, based on life circumstances (loss of work, death in family etc.)
Based upon the person, their chemistry, history and a multitude of other factors, a personalized treatment would be outlined. It may include anything from EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or “Tapping”) to Qi Gong to Hgh Plus to acupuncture. What it almost always involves is the use of herbs and herbal medicine. Why? Many reasons but at the top of the list is the fact that IF USED PROPERLY (meaning the correct dosage, timing, species, combination and a host of other details well known to Master Herbalists), herbs will not only work on the physical level but also the emotional level.
Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, electrolytes and other do not. (The only other substances that work on the emotional level[s] are homeopathic remedies and Bach Flower Remedies.) For example, the herb Ren Shen or Chinese Ginseng is a well known substance. Research has shown it to be useful for a variety of issues such as improving endurance, enhancing immunity and increasing libido. A little known fact is that Ren Shen is also a strong tonic for grief and depression. Of course, the aforementioned factors — patient’s history, chemistry, specific circumstances etc. — will dictate whether or not to use this, but more often than not, it can be a life changer.

I have used high quality Ren Shen with many patients for emotionally based challenged. In fact, I ended up befriending a psychologist who was so impress by the results. Aside from a friendship, he was a tremendous referral source. Keeping in mind my principle treatment philosophy — Treat people. Not disease. — knowing the specifics, timing and other details are THE keys to use.

This is just one of many examples of the use of herbs and herbal medicine for overall health improvement. In natural medicine, we view the individual as a complete whole consisting of mind, body and spirit and with the proper use, a given herb will favorably affect each level and mainly, the whole person.

What a world of difference from pharmacological medicine.