When I talk about natural cures for depression, I’m referring to lasting changes in the way you live day-to-day…not herbal supplements and the like.

This is not to say that prescription medications for depression (”Prozac,” for instance) should not be taken for short-term help.

Prescription Depression Medication Is Only A Partial Solution

Usually this will fix only a part of your problem.  It’s your lifelong commitment to your new way of living that will be your “cure.” Depression is a signal that your life is out of balance; it’s a wake-up call. Therefore curing your depression means taking the necessary steps to get your life back into balance.

These things include daily (or almost daily) cardiovascular exercise, eating healthy, quitting smoking, no excessive drinking, and NO illegal drugs whatsover.  Most of the time doing (or stopping) just these things alone will “cure” depression in most people.  “Extra credit” would be things like counseling or other cognitive therapies.

But when some people think about natural cures for depression, they think of herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort.  The hope is it’s going to be another ‘cure-in-a-pill.’  But this isn’t surprising.  Because we live in an age of ‘instant gratification.’  We’ve become conditioned to expect a quick and easy solution for nearly everything:

Instant Gratification

Need your oil changed?  Pull into Jiffy Lube.  Need cash at 10 pm?  The ATM.  No time to cook?  The drive-thru at McDonald’s…or complete meals from your freezer to microwave ready in minutes.  Need information on the DNA of Mammoth tusks for a paper due tomorrow?  A few keystrokes on the computer…need the paper written for you?  Have your credit card ready.  

…The same mindset applies to our medical needs:  Are you tired?  Drink a Rock Star or Red Bull or similar energy drink for a fast burst of energy…even the remotest service station carries them.  Feeling stressed out?  Take a Valium…You can get a steady supply if you really want to.  Want to avoid pregnancy?  You guessed it, a pill.  Got RLS–”Restless Leg Syndrome?”  Sure you do, and the pharmaceutical goliaths are more than happy to help prove you do–so they can “help” you get rid of it.

So we expect the pharmaceutical companies to have a cure for depression for us, too.  And, of course, they do have different drugs for us.  Oh, but if it were only that easy, though.

Unfortunately, Exercise And Eating Right Can’t Be Taken In A Pill

But while you may have to take a pill in order to get your brain’s chemicals ‘evened out,’ it’s only part of the cure–and by far the easiest part.  The hard part–which has been proven more effective (overall) than drugs in curing depression–is daily cardiovascular exercise and eating right, amongst other “free” things.  (I know you may be thinking that buying & preparing healthy food can be expensive–which can be true.)  But this is also the part that gets little or no press…the “grunt work.”  This is the part of curing depression that no one want to talk about or admit.

Because there’s no money in the cure for depression–only the treatment–for pharmaceutical companies, they have very little support and promotion of things like eating right and exercise.

The Cure Is Up To You

So it ends up being up to the depression sufferer to pull him or herself ‘up by the bootstraps’ and do these things (and stop doing things like drinking, drugs, smoking, and any other self-destructive behaviors).  And these life-changing things must be continued daily for life–along with, if necessary, anti-depression medications.

Accomplishing some of these natural cures for depression is easier said than done.  Because if it were easy, not many folks would be depressed and need prescription meds in the first place. Somehow, however, you are going to have to take action on an improvement plan for yourself.

Natural Cures For Depression Don’t Come Easy, But Are Worth It!

Having a plan of action to improve yourself is a great start.  But remember that there is no change without ACTION; knowing what to do is great, but you must take measurable action to get and stay well for the rest of your life. These natural cures for depression take some effort, but they’re the only way for a fulfilling and happy life.  Yes, you can do it.