Guide to Natural Healing

The key omega-3s, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), reduce the inflammation that contributes to heart and blood vessel disease. Omega-3s may enhance cognitive function, and they may also ease depression. The third omega-3—alpha-linolenic acid, from plants—has not been as widely tested for mood effects.

People with depression often have low levels of omega-3s. A Finnish study of more than 3,200 adults found that depressive symptoms were significantly higher among infrequent fish eaters.

"It's good to have fish in your diet," notes John C. Reed, an Arlington, Virginia, physician and Vice President of Medical Affairs for American WholeHealth, an integrative medicine provider. "But if you are subject to SAD, you should take fish-oil supplements, which don't pose the same risk of mercury exposure and other contaminants that eating too much fish can."

Food manufacturers are aware of the merits of omega-3s. Now you can find them in foods as varied as eggs and tortilla chips.

The bright yellow flowers of this shrublike perennial (Hypericum perforatum) contain several antidepressant compounds. An antibacterial and antiviral herb, it has long been used as a topical remedy to fight infections.

St. John's wort likely lifts mood by impacting neurotransmitters involved in depression; for example, it boosts serotonin levels, a brain chemical that plays a big part in emotions.

An analysis of 22 randomized trials found that St. John's wort controls mild-to-moderate depression just as well as antidepressants do (and with fewer side effects), and significantly better than a placebo does. For this reason, it is often used to combat seasonal affective disorder. Its power to ease severe depression is less clear.

"In the darker months, people tend to get blue and feel isolated," Rothfeld explains. "I have patients who use a moderate dose of St. John's wort from the end of September to March."

In Germany, where herbal remedies are widely tested and government-regulated, approximately 30 million prescriptions for St. John's wort are written annually.

Take an extract standardized to .3 percent hypericin or 2 to 4.5 percent hyperforin, 900 mg daily in three doses.

These are the body's defense system against unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals. Fruits and vegetables brim with antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, carotenoids and flavonoids.

Free radicals are constantly mopped up by antioxidants, which protect cells from the damage of renegade molecules.

Oxidative stress from free radicals likely plays a role in memory failure, cerebrovascular disease such as stroke and major dementias. A large German study recently found that people with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease had lower levels of many key antioxidants—vitamins C, E and A, carotenoids, lycopene and others—than healthy controls.

"Doctors practicing antiaging medicine believe you can slow down aging by taking antioxidants regularly," comments David Edelberg, assistant professor of medicine at Rush Medical College in Chicago. "Free radicals literally press the fast-forward button on aging. And the worst source of free radicals is cigarette smoke."

Never abandon fruits and vegetables. But when boosting antioxidant intake with supplements, opt for combination formulas; single high-dose antioxidants are not only less effective but dangerous because they can themselves become free radicals.

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Publication: Psychology Today Magazine
Publication Date: Nov/Dec 2004
Last Reviewed: 21 Dec 2006
(Document ID: 3583)

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