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Natural Compounds That Help Alleviate Depression

Depression affects more than 15% of the American population according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That is approximately 45 million people! Of these, 80% do not seek treatment probably due to the fact a great many people believe that depression is some form of personal weakness or a character flaw. It is, in fact, often the end result of imbalanced or out-of-kilter biochemistry in the brain. There is more than a modicum of evidence that the predisposition for depression is inherited.

Not surprisingly, depressed people general have a diminished quality of life and reduced or impaired work performance. Sadly, fifteen (15) percent commit suicide annually.

Typical symptoms of mild to moderate depression include a “blue mood”, lack of energy, sleep problems, anxiety, appetite disturbances, difficulty focusing or concentrating or handling stress, and sometimes a tendency to burst out in tears when frustrated (Some folks experience unusually strong sad feelings when complimented or exposed to emotion-laden photos or movies, which in some cases is linked to depression).

More serious or severe depression typically is manifest by symptoms such as slowed speech or physical responses, pronounced memory and concentration difficulties, excessive (or conversely, reduced) sleep, notable weight gain or loss, suicidal thoughts (typically preceded by intense feelings of worthlessness and guilt), and a general “ho hum” attitude towards pleasurable activities and pursuits.

Most natural treatments for depression including those mentioned below are intended to help with mild to moderate but not severe forms.

· S-adenosylmethionine

S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe or SAM-e) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of depression in a number of double-blind, placebo-controlled. In addition, several studies comparing SAM-e to tricyclic antidepressant drugs found SAM-e to be as beneficial if not more so than the pharmaceuticals tested. It should be noted that the aforementioned studies involved injected SAM-e. However, a 6-week, double-blind trial of SAM-e vs. imipramine involving nearly 300 people with mild depression revealed that SAM-e was virtually as effective as the drug.

Numerous other studies have been carried out in which intravenous and oral SAM-e was compared to various tricyclic antidepressants with the results mirroring that of the study cited in the preceding paragraph: Namely SAM-e and the tricylic antidepressants produced comparable results.

One problem with testing and using SAM-e is that not all forms on the market and in clinical use contain biologically active forms of SAM-e. Among those that do: SAM-e Plus and SAM-e Sleep

· Folic acid/Folate

The vitamin folic or folate works synergistically with SAM-e. A number of informal studies have indicated that people in the throes of depression have below normal folate levels. Also, people on antidepressants do not appear to benefit from them if their folate level is low. Not surprisingly, folate supplements appear to relieve depression according to many experts.

At least one rigorous study has been carried out in which folate was evaluated with regard to its ability to bolster patient response to the antidepressant drug Prozac. The 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 127 people with severe major depression who were given 500 microgram (mcgs) of folate daily. When the study ended it was found that female participants who received the folate supplement experienced significantly improved responses to Prozac. The improvements in male participants was not deemed significant, though blood tests made during the study indicated they had lower than normal levels of folate and would thus likely benefit in other ways from a higher intake of the vitamin.

It is probably prudent for consumers struggling with depression to use better forms of folate that are slowly released in the gut. One very popular source that offers folate in this form along with a wealth of other B-vitamins is Nutracene.

· Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that we all obtain from foods we eat every day. What is interesting is that when phenylalanine reaches high levels in the blood – something associated with supplementation – it appears to help relieve symptoms of depression.

Phenylalanine naturally occurs in 2 forms: A right-hand form or isomer called D-phenylalanine and a left-hand version called L-phenylalanine. A handful of studies have been done involving the D form alone, while others have been carried out in which a mixture of the D- and L- forms was used. The results indicate that both pure D and mixed D & L provide a modicum of relief for those experiencing symptoms of depression.

In one double-blind study, twenty-seven people were divided up into two groups, with one receiving DL-phenylalanine and the other imipramine (150 mg to 200 mg daily). Both groups had improved equally after 30 days on this regimen.

And in another study, D-phenylalanine was compared to the antidepressant drug imipramine (100 mg daily). Sixty people were accepted into the 30 day study and then randomly assigned to either one of two groups. Those who received D-phenylalanine experienced a turnaround in symptoms during the first fifteen (15) days. At the conclusion of the trial, it was found that the D-phenylalanine and imipramine were equally effective.

Another double-blind study followed 27 people, half of whom received DL-phenylalanine and the other half imipramine in higher doses of 150 mg to 200 mg daily. When the participants were reevaluated after 30 days, the two groups had improved by the same amount.

One source of pure D-phenylalanine (in combination with other health fortifying compounds) is Neptol.

References

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