If you find yourself sitting in a dark room, rehearsing thoughts of worthlessness, self-reproach or feeling guilty about the state of the world these are some of the signs of depression. Others include recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, changes in appetite and corresponding weight, sleeping more or less than normal, having either a higher or lower level of activity, loss of pleasure from normally pleasurable activities, loss of energy, or having trouble thinking clearly. As you can see depression can manifest itself at either end of the spectrum in many areas of your life.

What are the causes of depression?

We all know that a traumatic event can cause someone to go into a depression, especially a loss such as a spouse, job or child. But there are also some preventable causes of depression. These can include exposure to toxins called halogens which come from fluorine and other pesticides. Depending on your exposure level from other sources even a fluoride containing toothpaste could tip you into a bout of depression. Another chemical cause of depression is aspartame; you know those blue packets of sweetener you find in restaurants. Again it depends on your level of exposure, but if you are depressed and a constant user of the stuff eliminating it sounds like a good idea. A third cause or contributor to depression could be a yeast infection. A side effect of having too much of this bacteria in your body can be depression.

Some temporary relief can be found in aromatherapy. This includes the aromas of such essential oils as clary sage, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary and lemon verbena. It seems like our ancestors may have been on to something with their lavender scented hankies.

Make sure you talk to someone about it. This is what doctors and hotlines are for. Until you get a handle on what you need to do to improve don’t try to handle it alone. Have someone (emotionally) walking by your side through this dark path. There are many good counselors out there that can help you unload some of the baggage that is weighing you down. One good method for this is called EFT. You can learn more about this process at www.emofree.com.

Look at your nutrition. Poor nutrition is definitely a contributing factor in depression. High carbohydrate diets are common in people suffering from depression. Cut out the sugars and processed foods as much as possible. People who are depressed are commonly found to be lacking in the B vitamins. This is an area that the Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus can be very helpful. Not only do they appropriate amounts of the B vitamins, but they also contain the enzymes and minerals your body needs in order to utilize those vitamins. The Enriching Gifts Compete Vitamins Plus also contain Vitamin C, which has been found to be helpful in combating depression. Increasing your intake of natural, unprocessed foods are a good idea as well. In order to ensure you are getting all the nutrition you can from them include the Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes with every meal.

Another thing you can do is exercise. Even as little as 20 minutes a day can make a huge difference. If you overdo and get sore muscles from your exercise try the Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace Max. These wonderful capsules contain as much of the active ingredient as a gallon of high quality Aloe juice. Sore muscles will soon be a thing of the past. Abundant Life is what we are all striving for. Put another way, I want to live fully until the day I die. I don’t want to die a little bit every day. If you are struggling with depression fight it on many different fronts, from eliminating things from your diet and environment to adding things to your diet and environment, just don’t try to do it alone. Let someone else know you are struggling, two are better than one.

(This information is not intended to serve as a prescription, or to diagnose, treat or replace the advice of your medical doctor. If you have any medical conditions or are taking prescription or non-prescription medications, consult your physician before altering or discounting the use of them.)