Homeopathy and Depression

Living in the 21st century makes us all prone to depression, but when we use the tools we have to manage our mental health, we begin to see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty.

Some homeopathic remedies used to ease depression are:

¥ Natrum mur - for feelings of depression, irritability and wanting to be alone and cry

¥ Ignatia - for grief and/or mood disorders

¥ Phosphoricum acidum - for mental exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed. It is also helpful when experiencing difference to loved ones

¥ Argentum nitrate - Feeling of Isolation

¥ Pulsatilla - Feelings of isolation

(Sachs, 2000)

As stated in Sachs (2000) “Take the homeopathic remedy that most closely matches your symptoms until one level of your problem seems to ease; then switch remedies to deal with any new levels.”

The 2004-2005 Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey for the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that 1,052,600 Australians reported depression as a long-term health condition. These numbers well exceed heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes as in the survey for the same year 2004-2005 (Medhurst, 2008).

Turning to natural therapies helps prevent dependence and side effects for pharmacological medications few Medications or herbs have as much to offer depressive people as homoeopathy does. In all cases, homeopathic medicines are best prescribed on the basis the person's entire symptom picture (Medhurst, 2008).

However, where it's not possible it may be worth looking at a group of remedies that notable authors have identified as useful in the management of depression. Arsenicum alum, Aurum metallicum , Graphites, Ignatia, Lycopodium, Natrum Mur, Nux vomica, Phosphoricum acid, Phosphorous, Platina, Pulsatill and Sepia are of the common remedies historically used for management of depressive patients when the constitutional is unknown (Medhurst, 2008a).

Researchers at the Federal University of Sao Paolo in Brazil enrolled 91 people who had been diagnosed with depression, using the DSM-IV criteria. Using a randomized, double placebo-controlled design, in the study and randomly assigned them to receive either individualized homeopathy, fluoxetine (Prozac) or a placebo version of both. At the end of the fourth and eighth weeks, all participants were re-assessed for depression. Analysis found that both interventions were equally successful, with outcome scores for homeopathy slightly ahead of those for fluoxetine, and homeopathy adverse reaction rate assessed at less than half of that for fluoxetine (Medhurst, 2008b).

References

Medhurst, R. (2008a). Homeopathy for depression. Journal of the       

            Australian Traditional- Medicine Society 14 (4), 225-226.

Medhurst, R. (2008b). More research on Homeopathy. Journal of the 

            Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 16(3), 157-159.

Sachs, J. (2000). Health in balance. Natural strategies to ease depression.

             Better Nutrition, 62(2), 72.