DEPRESSION
A Natural Way to Approach Depression!
How would you assess a patient with Depression?
Assessing depression can be done predominantly through:
- Establishing a timeline in the patient’s life;
- Questions focusing on stressors, how you cope with stress, significant events in their life;
- An overall view of how their body is working helps to create a picture of their health status;
- Another good tool to use is the mood appraisal questionnaire, as it helps the practitioner to consider specific nutritional deficiencies as the underlying cause as well as helps the patient with clarity in their condition.
How can Naturopathy help a patient suffering with Depression?
Naturopathy can help bring the patient’s nervous system and overall mood back to optimal status by enhancing the natural pathways instead of altering them in the body like conventional medicine tends to do (with antidepressants/antianxiety/mood stabilizers). Improving and modulating the way the body responds to stress and correcting hormonal/nutritional imbalances for the patient is a key feature in naturopathy treatment. Correcting these imbalances can decrease and eliminate the need for medications.
What do you do for a patient suffering from Depression? What are the steps you would take?
- Regulate and Improve Mood.
- Regulate the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) as is altered in depression and stressful life events.
- Improve nutritional status.
- Modulate body’s response to stressors in life and improve their coping strategies.
- Improve quality of life and vital health.
- Referral to a councillor.
How often would someone have to visit you to see improvements from their condition?
For the first 3 weeks, once a week and then once every 3 weeks, thereafter. Most patients depending on their condition would see improvement within the first 2 weeks.
Do you have a case study for treating a patient with Depression?
CASE STUDY:
19 Year old female presenting with depression past 6 years.
Medications: Zoloft 150mg/day.
Diet – high in refined carbs and sugar and alcohol.
Mood extremely low, self-harming, suicidal thoughts from time to time.
Had attempted suicide 2 years ago through overdose, parents had found her and taken her to hospital – slight liver damage from it.
No energy, no motivation to carry out daily tasks or to get out of bed most days.
High anxiety in social situations.
ACTION:
- One on One counselling discussing current situations
- Improved diet by cutting out refined carbohydrates and refined sugar (slowly) and replacing them with good quality protein, lots of leafy greens and vegetables as well as complex carbohydrates and good fats (essentially a diet re-haul).
- Prescribed high dose fish oils as well as herbal mix to help with anxiety. Also suggested seeing a counsellor/psychologist to talk to.
RESULT:
In the 5th consult (once a week), the patient advised she wanted to go off her antidepressant (Zoloft). At this stage her mood had improved, no more self-harm and no suicidal thoughts – to me she seemed markedly more stable and enthused with life. Keeping in close contact with her psychiatrist, we began by lowering the dose incrementally and then once at 50mg, I put her on Remotiv (St John’s Wort) for a few months, which she was then able to go off altogether.
Meet Our Specialist Practitioner
Craig Baron – Chermside and Bulimba
Craig is dedicated to delivering a personalised, holistic, results-driven approach that also aims to empower and educate his patients. He integrates the principles of Naturopathic, Herbal, Nutritional and Mind-Body Medicine to promote wellness, balance and support in a range of health specialties
| Naturopath – Craig Baron | |
|---|---|
| Initial 60 minute appointment | $150.00 |
| Subsequent 45 minute appointment | $110.00 |
| Subsequent 30 minute appointment | $85.00 |