Medical Looking Into Alternative Medicine And Holistic Health

[Sally Fielding]

I've been looking into alternative medicine like Tai Chi and acupuncture to help me with my recurring depression. After a recent abusive relationship and a car crash, it's the depression and suicidal thoughts and the recurring dreams (leading to a severe lack of sleep) that are the worst bane in my life right now. I really don't want to have to take anti-depressants.

Lately I've lost confidence in the medical system - it seems so much to be just the sales department for pharmaceutical companies. Of course, there are many drugs that can help many disabilities and anti-depressants have certainly helped many people.

Recently I stumbled upon the book I Can Do It by Louise Hay. It's probably the most helpful resource I've found and it has encouraged me to change my diet to mostly organic vegetables and to start meditating.

But even so, I still need help with just getting around in daily life and doing chores. I've been looking into getting an assistance dog or at least an emotional support dog. I'm confident I can make it through this period without drugs, but I'm going to need some other help, and trained dogs can be better than medicine sometimes.

Has anyone had any experience with overcoming depression/ptsd/anxiety with alternative medicine like acupuncture, acupressure and support dogs. I'd love to hear your input.

 

[Poofycat]

I've been going to acupuncture for years now and I think it's really helped. It can help with mood, sleep, apatite, stress, and other things. I also take a number of supplements like vitamin D (huge for treating depression), fish oil, and magnesium. You can try taking up to 500 mg of magnesium before going to bed. It acts as a muscle relaxant and is very calming, but be aware that it's also a laxative.

Any form of exercise will help depression. Activities such as Tai Chi and yoga, which encourage you to pay attention to each part of your body, can be great. I really like climbing, specifically bouldering because then you don't have to be roped in, for the same reason but it also gives my mind a puzzle to work on.

One thing to be aware of is that these more natural remedies can take a lot of time before the effects become evident. If you're 'in the weeds' so to speak, then I encourage you to think about medication a little more. I'm on a low dose SSRI that keeps me functional. I wouldn't be able to keep up the more natural things without it. I also take Prazosin, which is a blood pressure medicine commonly used to treat PTSD related nightmares, so that I can actually get some sleep which also keeps me functional. You wouldn't need to stay on these types of things forever, but they can get you through a bad patch. Maybe find a good P doc that you feel you can trust to talk through options. They should also be able to recommend supplements that might help you as well.

 

[Eagle3]

I use only the holisic approach, with the exception of one anti-anxiety med. I have dogs (one retired Service Dog, the other an ESA), my therapist does regular accupressure and Traditional Chinese Medicine practices as well as hypnosis and meditation, and I've recently started practicing Aikido.

I also eat very healthy, take turmeric daily, have a supplement regimen, and try to exercise daily. Some days are great, others not so much, but I have more good days than bad, which is saying something considering my current circumstances.

Whichever approach you choose, good luck, and may you find wholeness in your journey.

 

[heyheyhey]

Hi Sally,

I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through, it sounds really hard.

I have chosen the non-med route personally. I decided to because I really didn't like the side effects (made me exhausted and exhaustion at the time would make me feel a little bit suicidal - no energy to carry on almost), I was worried that it would make me feel worse (as felt I was at rock bottom personally) and also I have read that meds can dull your joy and positive feelings as well as the negative - and I didn't want that. I was having a very hard time at this point and would keep a box in my draw just in case I decided I needed to.

I started acupuncture around the same time and started seeing a counsellor who specialised in PTSD. I also started eating properly (as was struggling to eat and think this was why it was so so bad, as low blood sugar and low calories can seriously f*ck with your mental health). This started with getting three meals a day and getting enough calories from relatively okay sources.

Next, I bought a juicer and cut out processed food and sugar. I have relapsed a bit - but this has seriously helped me SO MUCH. I also eat regularly: in order to have balanced blood sugar, and balanced, stable, happy moods - you need to eat regularly (every two-three hours), eat the right foods (high in nutrients and a balance of fat, protein and carbs) and make sure you get enough calories. I really, really feel that this is so important: if I don't eat regularly I veer into anxiety and depression, so I carry healthy snacks such as apples and almond butter, veggies and humus, or nut and date bars.

Sugar and processed foods are just going to make me feel depressed and anxious... i personally feel like i have to cut them out totally (i still have fun baking homemade pizza and cakes sweetened with a little fruit or honey) as they are not worth the depression and anxiety they cause, eating this way has really boosted my energy and wellbeing - I had an urge to skip along the path in the park today, I was feeling so good. Also, it can seem like deprivation but i actually get super excited about finding new recipes, cooking and baking. I still eat pizza - I can bake my own with a wholemeal base and sugar free pepperoni and I feel like I actually FEEL excited and energised by what I want to eat (rather than just a momentary 'blip' of happiness followed by a quick crash when I eat junk). Also giving myself the right nutrients - juicing really boosts my energy and wellbeing - I juice greens and fruit (green juice is a big mood boost) and I eat lots of veggies and low sugar fruit. This diet really helps me feel awesome - yes, I have up and down days - but I feel far happier, more at peace and just so much more stable. Whereas the junk food just causes an emotional PTSD rollercoaster. I guess for me food is my meds... and it's hard sometimes (probably impossible for some people) but I hope that I will be able to maintain it and that it will get easier to do once I get into the swing (still navigating social situations!) I also think some people are naturally a lot more negatively effected by sugar and processed junk food: I've always been a sugar fiend and a massive binger growing up. Sugar and processed stuff is so addictive to me and really f*cks with my food.

Exercise also helps a lot... I just started 15 minutes of yoga each morning, followed by a Somatic Experiencing grounding exercise (think the book is called 'Overcoming Trauma' by Peter Levine, where he teaches you a series of different SA techniques). I also love dancing. I read anything that grounds you in your body and the present is super helpful for trauma and both of these things make me feel safe and grounded, yet free in my own body (which I realise I really haven't felt since my traumas).

Also, acupuncture is very, very calming and grounding. I think it seems to help me process things and makes things feel lighter. I've really been trying to find the science behind this (I am skeptical about anything unless it's backed by science...) but for some reason this just really seems to work. And all the people there are just so lovely and chilled out: I always think a good way to assess how affective something is by seeing the mental and emotional states of the people who do that thing :). I've heard lots of good things about it for PTSD and anxiety and really think it helps me personally.

I also have found counselling helpful, my PTSD counsellor is really helpful and it helps a lot to talk to someone who actually gets it. I'm booked in for Rewind and CBT with them... so hoping it can only get better.

Other things: I make sure I manage my stress well, as obviously this is a big part of PTSD. Bad (and good stress) can 'overflow' your PTSD cup. So I work part time and take lots of me time and quiet time (I guess I am lucky that I am not in a super busy or stressful situation such as a hectic work or family life, but I hope I can factor this in when I do have those things). I make sure I have a relaxation inducing environment: I use headphones, earplugs, I listen a white noise soundtrack (rain water - I have a good app on my iPhone, it really calms me and I put it on to shut out annoying outside noises), I have a humidifier that I use essential oils with - lavender is the main one I use, it's soooooo calming and I read an interesting study that it reduces anxiety and sleep disturbances in people with PTSD (I also inhale some when I'm feeling anxious!). I also fill my room with plants - there are many studies on the calming effects of plants and their power to relax and drop blood pressure - I find sitting in a room full of plants very calming. I also do a 30 second cold water blast in the shower (I read a study which said it's helpful for depression) which really boosts my energy and mood... I also walk dogs part time, which is very calming and great companionship.

For sleep I take valerian and passion flower... they are both very. very helpful - I have been taking them at high doses and they knock me out but i worry about longterm safety so I am reading more about sleep hygiene and hoping to ease off of them.

I'm also trying to build a supportive friendship group, that doesn't revolve around partying, drinking, smoking and eating junk food... coz I don't really want to be doing any of that while I'm in recovery. So I hope to join a dance, kickboxing class and go to a meditation class regularly where I can meet supportive people. As I know that a strong social life is really important for good mental health and wellbeing.

So, this has been what I've been doing. I was in a very bad place before all this: couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, very bad, VERY hyper vigilant, depressed, ongoing panic/doomy feelings, feeling like I might be going crazy, feeling frightened and on edge, not sure what was happening and what would happen to my mind. Now I know most of that was just the anxiety caused by the PTSD, I still get it and still feel frightened sometimes and depressed occasionally, but just knowing what it is has helped so much... I think I can't overemphasise the value of having a counsellor who specialises in PTSD - it is VITAL. You need someone to tell you you are not crazy, that it's 'just' PTSD basically. This. And diet has been massive (I think that I was SO bad because I wasn't eating enough or healthily and this was leading me not to sleep and both of these led to me feeling out of control - physical health is so, so important). And the acupuncture has been a big help too. It's definitely very possible to manage your PTSD in a holistic way (but I can only speak from my own experience, some people may be worse than me, no matter how bad I felt - meds can be right :), but we just have to find what works for us).

 

[shimmerz]

Yes. I had lost faith in the medical people that I enlisted originally. I found one or two who were not holistic who helped.... but really it didn't take long for me to recognize that medical people were NOT happy if I was aware of my condition and wanted to be proactive in my healing. They would, in fact, humiliate me for it.

I wanted to be the driver in my health so I chose only those who supported me in my efforts to do so. Harder than it sounds. Society as a whole, if we rely on them (for instance disability, insurance etc) insist that we not believe in holistic options and just fill up on regular 10 min psychiatric sessions and take the SSRI's like good little adults.

Whatever. I did it my way. I am happy that I did but it was a painful process at times.

 

[Poofycat]

I wanted to be the driver in my health so I chose only those who supported me in my efforts to do so. Harder than it sounds.

This statement is so true unfortunately. General practitioners are generally not knowledgeable about psychiatric meds or even supplements. I stumbled upon my therapist, who does talk therapy but also prescribes because he's a nurse practitioner. He makes sure I'm exercising, eating well, SLEEPING, getting massages or going to acupuncture, etc. Tackling the problem from all sides. But when I go see my GP and explain the supplements and meds and holistic stuff they look at me like I'm crazy. I spend half of my appointment educating THEM!

What I'm getting at is that it's important for you to address the issue in the way that makes you the most comfortable but also produces results. And if you find a practitioner that you like, ask for a recommendation for something else that you're looking for. Like if you find an acupuncturist that you really like, ask if they can recommend someone who makes herbal remedies. I've found great people this way. It's also very, very important to find a talk therapist who is experienced in treating trauma and PTSD.