Depression
There are various kinds of depression and I will try to cover a few of
them here.
The Chinese consider depression a liver disorder - the liver is the seat
of anger and depression is considered anger turned inward. If I determine there is
liver problem (very common) I will prescribe liver remedies:
Xiao Yao Wan - the most popular Chinese formula used in America - 8
pills, 3 times a day
exercise is a good energy mover
qigong exercises
Then I will pursue the cause of the liver problem - likely causes are:
medications - the liver's job is to clean out poisons from the body and
medications are poisons
digestive problems - if you cannot digest your food properly, partially
digested foods can enter the blood stream and will be seen as toxins by the liver - see
digestive system and leaky gut syndrome
In the West we consider depression a seretonin problem. My standard
prescription for that is:
Hypericum - 1 capsule, three times a day
5-HTP - 100 mg, twice a day
Besides exercises, light therapy is useful for those not living in Hawaii:
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