Got a case of "The Blues?"

One of the reasons I got so involved in Natural Medicine was my youngest daughter. After her father died, we all went into a state of depression - she didn't bounce back like her sister did. When I found I couldn't reach her I took her to a psychologist who promptly said she needed drugs.... yes, on the first visit... and yes, within the first ten minutes. I had done my research and knew the statistics. "The FDA has determined that antidepressant medications increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children wand adolescent with depression and other psychiatric disorders..." http://www.medicinenet.com/teen_depression/page2.htm so why would I make this choice for my daughter?

I refused and the doctor was very adamant that my daughter would not get better without these drugs and that the side effects I was talking about were "rare." I told her to give me three weeks. If she didn't see an improvement between my efforts and hers in that time, I would give her way a shot. She agreed. I spent the next several days researching. I found several places where a change of diet, exercise, and addition of specific herbs helped. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsatod/a/depression1.htm PLEASE NOTE - not all of these are a good solution for teens. You MUST read up on every one to determine the best solution for your family.

I took away all processed foods (frozen dinners / fast food / canned meals / packaged meals), all refined white sugar and white flour, and replaced with as many fresh fruits and vegetables of varying colors as I could. I already cooked meals from scratch, so she was used to that already. No sodas, no sweets, and no junk food. We started her on a multi-vitamin for teens (I am not usually an advocate of multi-vitamins), omega 3-6-9 capsule, and 60mg of ginkgo daily. And then some type of sustained exercise (even if it was just walking) for 30 minutes daily.

Understand that this change took several trials and errors - but once we had it set, there was a noticeable difference right away. Within three days you could tell she was on the right track - and if she missed days, it only took three for me to know it. The psychologist was AMAZED. She couldn't believe the difference and asked what we were doing.

Please remember, that this is what worked best for my daughter. Every person is different. Our experiments took about three weeks to perfect for her. This isn't a short term fix. I am happy to report that my daughter is now 21 and a happy vibrant girl. She still takes her omegas and ginkgo every day and is very careful with her diet.