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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Dont Seek Anti-Depressant Drugs For Depression Help - Self Treat Naturally Instead

If youre taking anti-depressant medication, its quite possible you dont need it. If you want safe depression help, self treating using natural methods is the best option, especially where general depression exists.

Recent stats show that the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S. today are anti-depressants, more than high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headache medications. Often, its not necessary, except in certain extreme cases.

The Centre for Disease Control conducted the study which revealed that in 2005, 118 million prescriptions were for antidepressants. One reason for this is that doctors dont have the time to counsel people suffering from depression.

Its quicker to prescribe something to ease their suffering. In many cases, the patients simply ask for the lastest depression treatment they saw advertised, hoping for fast relief.

The problem is that there is a huge list of potential side effects related to anti-depressant drugs, depending on the specific drug. Heres the incredible list, taken from http://www.depression.realage.com:

  • dry mouth
  • drowsiness
  • dizziness
  • constipation
  • nervousness
  • increased perspiration
  • nausea
  • weakness
  • weight gain (Remeron)
  • weight loss/decreased appetite (Effexor and Effexor XR)
  • increased cholesterol
  • risk of seizure
  • withdrawal symptoms when drug stopped
  • fatigue
  • anxiety
  • sleep problems
  • vomiting
  • tremors
  • muscle twitching
  • confusion
  • memory problems
  • sexual dysfunction
  • dangerously high blood pressure
  • stroke
  • blurred vision
  • headache
  • heart palpitations
  • mood swings
  • nightmares
  • hair loss
  • gastrointestinal distress
  • diarrhea
  • thirst
  • restlessness
  • arrhythmia
  • possibility of toxic effects
Having taken antidepressant medications myself years ago, I recall being in a constant state of tiredness, lack of concentration, weakness and an overall listlessness. It was almost impossible to get my work done on my job. Today, Ive discovered other ways to deal with my intermittent depressive episodes, which arent nearly as bad as they were 25 years ago. Mostly, they include keeping busy, doing things I enjoy and that give me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, staying active by walking in the woods and in my neighborhood, and relaxing whenever stress gets too much.

To accommodate for dull days of winter and especially dreary days, Ive rearranged my living room so my chair is beside the huge picture window which allows the sun to pour into my house.

So rather than seeking the latest miracle drug, choose other options for depression help. Self treatment can include:

  • exercise
  • light therapy or phototherapy (for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) only)
  • massage therapy
  • relaxation
  • dietary improvements
  • increased B-Vitamin intake
Lets take two of these: Exercise and Relaxation. Exercise Exercise is a natural mood enhancer. It is very effective for depressed and non-depressed individuals. Evidence supports the fact that exercise might be equally as effective as medications as a depression treatment. Exercises such as walking, running, bike riding, swimming, weight training and stretching are proven to be equally effective as mood enhancers.

The effectiveness of exercise on mood is believed to be both biological and psychological. It stimulates the endorphins in the brain. These are hormones that reduce pain and trigger a sense of well-being. For someone with depression, this makes exercise and physical activity a great natural depression treatment.

The side-effect of this exercise and boost in endorphins is an increased sense of self-esteem, feelings of accomplishment, and a release from daily worries and negative thinking. As well, its a way to expel built-up hostility that can exist this is hostility from feelings of inadequacy, stress, and other causes. Relaxation The goal of relaxation is to decrease physical and mental tensions. Some exercises you can try include progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, biofeedback, yoga, guided imagery, meditation and other techniques that involve the body and the mind.

Also, consider seeking professionals for treating depression. These include massage therapists, shiatsu, therapeutic touch and hypnosis experts. My favorites are guided imagery, biofeedback and music relaxation.

Now, I havent seen music relaxation suggested anywhere. Its a technique I came across on my very own that proved to be the absolute best method to ease tensions and put me in that euphoric state that overtakes any depression. Heres how it works.

I happen to absolutely love Hawaiian music, especially the instrumentals. As a teen, I was listening to island music while my friends were ogling over Pat Boone and Elvis Presley.

When my depression hit in the 70s, I turned on my favorite album and lay on the floor in front of the hi-fi my head between the two speakers. Then I closed my eyes and added imagery.

I imagined myself dumping all my troubles into a huge urn on the beach, laying out my beautifully colored blanket and lying down in the warm sun. The sweet smelling breeze drifting over me. As the music played I envisioned birds flying in the blue sky overhead.

Suddenly, my blanket began to rise off the sand. Just off shore there was a tropical island, filled with birds of every color. My blanket circled the island, allowing me to enjoy the sounds of the forest, along with the music. The blanket then drifted back to shore and onto the sand.

This is my magical self treatment for depression and just to relax and escape, without the stress of train, bus or plane travel.

Find your own magic and youll discover that you can eliminate your depression as I did.

Biofeedback is another method I highly recommend. It involves putting electrodes onto your fingers while you watch a video. The goal is to use your mind to control your tension relax your muscles and see the results on screen. The better you get at this, the more relaxed you'll be.

If you want to try biofeedback, Wild Divine is a computer program that is hosted by one of the meditation gurus of all time, Depak Chopra.

Read my review of Wild Divine

Sylvia Dickens is an award-winning journalist who has struggled and overcome depression, panic and anxiety. Stop Smoking, Natural Anxiety Relief, Dog Training, Music Instruction (piano, guitar) and Travel ideas are some of the topics covered on her site at http://www.book-titles.ca. Visit her Fat Loss and Fitness Blog for more information on fitness and health-related topics. Get coping tips from her Natural Anxiety Relief Blog.

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Home Insurance- Prepare For Flood Risk

According to a report released by the met office; the organisation who supply environmental and weather related services, there may be further localised flooding to come. After the brief interlude of the last week in which we finally received a touch of summer weather it is forecast that we will now see heavy precipitation for the rest of the week to come and indeed the remainder of august. This presents a risk of further flooding for those living in and around already inundated flood plains.

An estimated 3 billion worth in claims were received by house insurance companies following the earlier flooding. They will be keen to avoid further claims due to renewed flooding. With this in mind one high street bank, namely; Halifax has released a guide to help those at risk of further flooding to help ensure as little damage as possible.

Firstly and perhaps a matter of common sense, they suggest you place sandbags around entrances to your property to help hold back any ensuing barrage should a flood be deemed imminent. You should follow this with removing your electrical devices to the second floor of your home, or perhaps loft if you live in a bungalow. Please do not try to carry the freezer up the stairs single handedly as this could result in a different kind of claim. Joking aside, any precaution you can take to prevent possessions being damaged should be taken. Once this has been carried out, or perhaps first on reflection, switch off the mains supply if you can to prevent shortage or possible electrocution due to water ingress.

The company also suggest keeping home insurance documents close at hand especially in times of high risk so as to be able to respond as quickly as possible to a claim.

If you are thinking of purchasing a property it would be advisable to run a check before committing to purchase to find out flood plain status. If you find the property is built on a flood plain; as are 2.2 million homes in the UK, you should not see this as a major cause for concern as the weather we have received this summer is deemed a once in a century event. It is worth taking note of and checking if it will affect the cost of your home insurance premium however as some insurers have predicted increases. It has been speculated that some insurers may cease cover in these areas. Again this is only theory and should not be a cause for alarm.

The best advice I can give for those of you who may live in these areas is to keep yourself updated via the met office and look out for any flood warnings by checking local weather forecasts and listening to the radio where possible. Remember attack is the best form of defence in this case attack can be likened to preparation, with this is mind ensuring you are one step ahead and prepared for flooding you should greatly reduce your risks of damage to your possessions and home.

House insurance companies reportedly received over 3 billion worth of claims after the flooding of June/July.

Ensure your home insurance policy is up to date and close at hand in case of further flooding.

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Free T-Mobile Ringtones

T-Mobile is a multinational mobile service provider with a large presence in Europe and America. Its a subsidiary of the german company deutsche telecom. T-Mobile stands for telecom. It has more than 120 million subscribers and is the third largest telecom company in the world. Naturally, it provides various features and services for its subscribers.

One of the most popular services is the T-Mobile ringtone. Now, being the official mobile carrier for the World Cup football 2006, many new ringtones are now available for T-Mobile users. Most of the ringtones available for T-Mobile users are free and also compatible with most of the handsets. With newer and better handsets coming on the market, T-Mobile is always looking for newer and jazzier ringtones to be uploaded on their Web site so that the subscribers can download them.

Many times, the ringtone code numbers are sent to the subscribers via text messages. There are also ringtone offers that are part of the marketing for the latest events sponsored by T-Mobile, as it has various sports teams participating in events worldwide. With the increasing popularity of T-Mobile and the increasing number of subscribers, many freelance composers also compose lot of tones and make them available on various portals for free. This strategy is also used as an advertisement to promote other events, services or products. The most popular ringtones downloaded include latest hits, music videos, sports events, themes, and video ringtones. And with the growing number of subscribers and networks, the T-Mobile ringtone market is growing faster than it ever expected.

FreeRingtonesNow.net is a website that offers visitors the ability to find free ringtones and specific information on free t-mobile ringtones.

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