Feeling Blue? You're Not Alone
01 March 2009 at 10:08
You’re not alone!
How often do you hear someone say that they are depressed or ‘feeling down’ after the buzz of Christmas and New Year has gone? After the festive high has fizzled out then we sometimes experience the low of coming back down to earth with a bump. Getting fed up with life and the way we feel about things is something we all go through every now and then. Most of the time we manage to pull ourselves out of these periods of feeling ‘low’. Occasionally though and through no fault of our own we find ourselves stuck in depression. Try as we might to ‘pull ourselves together’ we just can’t seem to break free; the gloom has set in and we can’t shift it. This is when depression becomes more than just a phase and it becomes an illness. The medical profession normally diagnose depression after considering the severity of the symptoms and length of time you have suffered from them.
One in Five
Almost anyone can develop the illness but some people are more susceptible than others. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being depressed is a sign of being weak or having given in, especially in a world where we have to keep up appearances and stretch ourselves to the limit. This is simply not the case and depression is more common than you might imagine. Over the course of your life you have a one in five chance of experiencing depression, and up to 10 per cent of the population suffer from depression at any one time. So if you think you are suffering from depression you are not alone.
Symptoms
We probably all know the feeling of being down in the dumps and unhappy for a while. However, when the illness of depression does set in it feels like we’re permanently under a black cloud and the sun will never shine again. If you think you may be depressed at the moment or know someone who is, then the following symptoms may sound familiar:
• feeling constantly miserable and sad
• feeling physically and mentally exhausted
• feeling overly anxious about small things
• feeling alienated from friends or society
• finding it difficult to think clearly and concentrate
• feeling like a failure and/or feeling guilty a lot of the time
• feeling you are a burden to others
• feeling that life isn’t worth living
• losing interest in sex and food
• feeling more irritable or angry than usual
• experiencing a lack of confidence or feeling inadequate
• experiencing a disruption to your normal sleep pattern
• having physical aches and pains for no apparent reason
• feeling indecisive and at a loss as to what to do
Getting treatment
Sooner or later when we go through a difficult patch in our lives we come to recognise that we need help. Sometimes it’s enough to talk to a friend or someone in the family. However, if you are suffering from depression this may not be enough and you might consider seeking professional help. Conventional medicine finds it hard to treat depression other than with a routine prescription of anti-depressants, the effectiveness of which has long been debated. That’s why many people with mental health concerns turn to holistic medicine for help. All holistic therapies are based on the understanding that there is a dynamic interconnection between the mind, emotions and body. Within the context of holistic medicine symptoms are seen as the external manifestation of an internal imbalance. If we look at indications common to depression such as sleeplessness, anxiety, loss of libido, sadness, anguish and poor concentration, we see they are an expression of a disharmony within the whole person. So it naturally follows that we need to treat the person as a whole and not just a part of the disease in isolation. Dr Stephen Gascoigne has written a good booklet entitled ‘Natural Alternatives for Depression’ priced just £2.50 from The School of Health (www.schoolofhealth.com).
Homeopathy – safe, natural and effective
Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine that has been in existence for over 200 years. It’s philosophy rests on the tried and tested principle of ‘like cures like’. A homeopath prescribes remedies that treat your symptoms with a medicine made from a substance that in a healthy person would produce similar symptoms. Through prescribing a micro-dose of this substance the immune system is stirred into initiating a healing response. When our organisms are in disorder it’s as if the immune system has fallen asleep bringing about an internal imbalance. It needs waking up again so it can do its job properly. A little prompt in the form of a homeopathic remedy calls the immune system back into action and increases the organism’s natural capacity to self-heal. The healing always comes from within but is activated by the homeopathic remedy. In effect this activation simply reminds the immune system of what it has forgotten: how to restore and maintain a dynamic equilibrium in the whole person.
In contrast to antidepressants, homeopathic medicines do not carry the risk of toxicity and are non-addictive and non-suppressive. If you are looking for an alternative way of treating depression that is safe and effective then homeopathy has a proven track record. In Europe it is estimated over thirty million people have already benefited from homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy aims to help you feel more in tune with yourself and the world, putting you on the road to health and well-being. It is energy medicine for the whole person, helping you to chase away the blues naturally – helping you to shine again. If you interested in consulting a homeopathy then speak to the Society of Homeopaths, if you want to know more about homeopathy then contact the School of Homeopathy
Posted in Homeopathy