Scientifically Supported Alternative Treatments
"Read about the wealth of safe, scientifically supported alternative treatments for anxiety and depression that are available today.
This site provides information about alternative treatments that many sufferers of anxiety and depression may not have considered...
Many of these have multiple studies and clinical research behind them to prove they are as effective- if not more effective- than the medications most commonly prescribed for anxiety and depression.
Some treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, St. John's Wort, or even regular exercise, have been proven to help both anxiety and depression. In addition, many other alternatives have also been demonstrated to be both effective and safe.
Anxiety-Depression-Alternatives.com offers information to help sufferers develop their own unique alternative treatment programs by integrating available approaches. We believe that successfully dealing with anxiety and depression involves permanent lifestyle changes, and building an arsenal of powerful methods to conquer these problems."
28 February 2010
If you take an antidepressant, your chances of getting diabetes are much higher. A new study from the Diabetes Prevention Program, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, indicates that antidepressants dramatically increase the risk of developing type-2 (onset) diabetes, for those who are already at risk for the disease. This new [...]
Posted in General Anxiety- Depression0 Comments
28 February 2010
Bright artificial light and the antidepressant fluoxetine are both effective treatments for the winter form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A head-to-head comparison conducted in four Canadian cities over three winters is reported in an article in the May issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP), the official journal of [...]
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28 February 2010
MECHANISM BY WHICH LONG-TERM STRESS CAN LEAD TO MOOD DISORDERS CONFIRMED // // Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School and its affiliate McLean Hospital have shown that long-term exposure to stress hormone in mice directly results in the anxiety that often comes with depression. After years of circumstantial evidence linking stress and [...]
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28 February 2010
The Rising Toll of Depression Measured in Disability, Death and Dollars. A landmark mental health report from a patient advocacy group offers concrete measures to help America overcome devastating illness Depression drains more than $83 billion annually from the American economy, affects 19 million Americans, and results in thousands of preventable [...]
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28 February 2010
Many studies have shown that depression and anxiety often occur in patients who also have ailments that involve immune problems, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and asthma. New research demonstrates that SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) actually impact the immune system, affect the user’s immune system in ways that are not yet understood. Researchers from [...]
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28 February 2010
In the 21st Century, it is predicted that stress and stress related illnesses such as depression and anxiety will become the biggest killers. Despite significant advances in housing, standards of living, quality of food, and medical science, the pressures all of us have to face in today’s world are as demanding as any pressures experienced [...]
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28 February 2010
One question you might have when you read this title is, “Why I want to be an optimist?” Or, even, “How could I be optimistic with life the way it is?” or “Who could be an optimist in today’s world? And “today’s world” may mean to you that office you work in that’s so hopelessly understaffed [...]
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28 February 2010
I think we need to break Chinese medicine’s wisdom down into bite-sized, practical pieces. Though I think they are rather cliché and simplistic, the popular magazine style, “5 Tips to Make Your Life Perfect in 5 Minutes Without Lifting a Finger!” piques the curiosity, and gets in our heads. If we can pick up one [...]
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28 February 2010
Tetanus toxin may eventually be used as a therapy against psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Barcelona have discovered that part of the tetanus toxin molecule- the toxin that causes tetanus– may be useful in a number [...]
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28 February 2010
Dopamine has long been known to be linked to positive experiences such as eating and sex. But it’s now known to be released when you’re in pain, so you may want to try increasing your supply of it-—naturally. Dopamine levels tend to rise when something good happens that exceeds your expectations. The neurotransmitter gives you a [...]
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This site provides information about alternative treatments that many sufferers of anxiety and depression may not have considered...
Directly or indirectly, most people are affected by these problems at some point in their lives.
Worldwide, more people suffer from anxiety than any other health problem. At the same time, major depression has become the leading cause of disability around the globe.
Anxiety and depression often overlap, and are related genetically, neurologically and behaviorally. Studies have shown that human stress responses are overactive in patients with both anxiety and depression, causing damage to the brain.
More and more evidence is indicating that these are really two manifestations of one disorder. SPECT and fMRI imaging show some similarity in the brain scans of patients with some forms of both depression and anxiety.
Half of anxiety disorder sufferers also have symptoms of clinical depression. Well over 60 percent of major depressions are accompanied by varying levels and types of anxiety. In one study, 92 percent of depressed patients who had attempted suicide were also plagued by severe anxiety.
In developed countries, the number one treatments for both disorders- the medical first line of defense- are antidepressant drugs like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications sell in excess of $11.7 billion worldwide, and more of these drugs are in development.
Antidepressants have long been known to work only as well as placebos. In fact, antidepressants only work for 30% to 45% of depressed patients. Furthermore, they are dangerous, as any cursory reading of the manufacturer's warnings and documented side-effects will show.
Antidepressants with the exception of Prozac have been banned in Britain for children. SSRIs such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, have been shown to have serious risks, and are linked to suicide, violence, psychosis, abnormal bleeding and brain tumors. In one study Paxil was shown to be a higher cancer risk for women than smoking.
Yet over 90% of patients who complain of depression to their doctors- some 25 million a year in the U.S.- receive a prescription for an SSRI or other antidepressant medication. Adult use of antidepressants in the U.S. almost tripled between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000. Ten percent of women eighteen and older and four percent of men now take antidepressants. The United States has become the most medicated nation on earth. Britain, Australia and Canada are not far behind.
