Depression is a very difficult condition to have and to treat. It’s hard to see in others, if you don’t know what to look for. Someone who looks like they have everything together could easily be hiding the pain, fear, and sadness of depression.
Some people mask their depression with alcohol and become dependent on it. Others can turn to cigarettes or coffee to make them feel better, but these are only provide temporary relief, and do not address the cause of their depression.
We have been programed to believe that when we are depressed, our serotonin levels are down. But the truth is, there are about 100 chemicals involved in keeping you happy. There are a number of things that can be tested to see what exactly is going on in your body.
The thyroid plays a crucial role in how you feel, and there are specific tests that can determine if your thyroid is healthy. The proper tests are free T3, total T3, reverse T3, and T4 levels. Your doctor may have tested your thyroid, but if the proper tests were not done, you could get results saying your thyroid is fine when, in fact, it’s not.
When you know what’s really going on, you can treat the problem accordingly. One of the things that can help is magnesium. It has been proven to enhance the mood and, as a nice side effect, it relieves muscle pain. It’s easy to be low in magnesium if you drink lots of coffee, and there are many medications and over-the-counter drugs and supplements that steal magnesium from you. This is not saying that magnesium is a cure for depression, but it can help ease the problem, and is safer than antidepressants. The type of magnesium you take is important. Magnesium oxide can cause diarrhea. “Chelated” magnesium, malate, or glycerinate are easier in the tummy.
Read the full article here: What Works Better Than Antidepressants? Suzy Cohen RPh
