Fighting Depression Demon

Vitamins for the Treatment of Depression.

The common treatments for depression cannot help you deal with daily stress. Vitamins for depression can! There are lots of supplements and vitamins for natural depression treatment. Vitamin B has been found very effective to relieve depression symptoms. It is increase serotonin production, a hormone which is known to improve mood levels. Omega 3 is a good supplement for depression as well because it can keep the spirits high. But don't forget that some situations can set back the effective absorption of vitamins and minerals. For example, vitamin absorption decreases with age. During the depression treatment, ask your physician for advice on optimizing supplement consumption.

Can Vitamin Deficiencies Lead To Depression?

Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can trigger depression as well as depression decreasing the availability of vitamins and minerals essential for the maintaining our body's health. Most common vitamins and minerals for depression treatment include vitamin B-complex, folic acid, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, vitamin D and calcium. Supplementing our bodies with these vitamins and minerals can relieve and even prevent depression as well as greatly improving our health generally.

Latest studies have shown that of the adult depression sufferers many are low in folic acid. It is a fact that a person's mood is improved when folic acid levels are increased. Mood is also shown to be affected by Vitamin B-1, which is another name for thiamine. People who have long periods of depression and do not respond adequately to anti depression drugs are especially low in vitamin B. Even people who do not suffer from depression have experienced improved moods when taking this vitamin.

Vitamins to help depression naturally

Vitamin B for depression
Vitamin B1 is essential for nerve stimulation and for metabolism of carbohydrates to give brain and body energy. Deficiency symptoms include mood disorders, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness and night terror.

Vitamin B3 deficiency has been associated with depression and anxiety. It helps in irritability and other mental disturbances.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Symptoms of deficiency are fatigue, chronic stress, and depression. Vitamin B5 is needed for hormone formation and the uptake of amino acids and the brain chemical acetylcholine, which combine to prevent certain types of depression.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): This vitamin aids in the processing of amino acids, which are the building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. It is needed in the manufacture of serotonin, melatonin and dopamine. Vitamin B6 deficiencies, although very rare, cause impaired immunity, skin lesions, and mental confusion. A marginal deficiency sometimes occurs in alcoholics, people with kidney failure, and women using oral contraceptives. MAOIs, ironically, may also lead to a shortage of this vitamin. Many nutritionally oriented doctors believe that most diets do not provide optimal amounts of this vitamin.

Vitamin B12 levels can affect the mood, which is also affected by the natural process of menopause. A woman is likely to have only about half the amount of this vitamin in her system after she passes the age of fifty because it typically begins to diminish at this point in her life. The mental changes caused by deficiency of Vitamin B12 can vary from difficulty in concentrating or remembering, mental fatigue and low moods, to a severe depression and intense agitation.

Folic acid: This B vitamin is needed for DNA synthesis. It is also necessary for the production of SAM (S-adenosyl methionine). Poor dietary habits contribute to folic acid deficiencies, as do illness, alcoholism, and various drugs, including aspirin, birth control pills, barbiturates, and anticonvulsants. It is usually administered along with vitamin B12, since a B12 deficiency can mask a folic acid deficiency.

Vitamin supplements for depression

Magnesium: Deficiency can result in depressive symptoms, along with confusion, agitation, anxiety, and hallucinations, as well as a variety of physical problems. Most diets do not include enough magnesium, and stress also contributes to magnesium depletion.

Calcium: Depletion affects the central nervous system. Low levels of calcium cause nervousness, apprehension, irritability, and numbness.

Iron: Depression is often a symptom of chronic iron deficiency. Other symptoms include general weakness, listlessness, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and headaches.

Vitamin D deficiency is being linked with bone trouble, lower back pain, heart trouble and now depression. Vitamin D is produced in the body when skin is exposed to light. During winter, many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) because of lack of exposure to sunlight. It kind of makes sense that there would be a link between vitamin D deficiency and depression (though, researchers are not certain if vitamin D deficiency causes depression or is a result of depression).

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan), another of the natural remedies for depression, is a derivative of the amino acid called tryptophan. The body converts tryptophan into 5-HTP which is then converted into serotonin. When 5-HTP supplements are used as natural treatments for depression, they seem to help balance serotonin levels and enhance the mood. It is also used for weight loss, insomnia, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and stress.

Amino acids. Adding amino acids to our diets can go a long way in relieving depression and promoting general health. For example, SAMe (S-Adensoyl-L-Methionine) is an amino acid that can be found in all cells of our body. It is a natural antidepressant that has additional value of protecting the liver and cardiovascular system, synthesis of natural melatonin that assists sleeping well. Phenylalanine is another amino acid that makes the neurotransmitter, i.e. substance that conducts messages to and within the brain, norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is diminished in the brains of people who are depressed. The amino acid L-Theanine naturally reduces anxiety associated with depression and is not addictive or habit forming. Another amino acid that naturally relieves depression and stimulates alertness is L-Tyrosine.