Orthomolecular Medicine : Natural Healing for Depression: Solutions from the World's Great Health Traditions and Practitioners

354 Pages·2022·42.715 MB·English

by  James Strohecker, Nancy Shaw Strohecker, David E. Bresler , Linus Pauling, Abram Hoffer

>
Mind/Body
• Therapies • Nutritional Therapies
Homeopathy • Qigong and Chinese Medicine • Ayu
•St. Johns Wort and Other Herbal Treatments
• Spiritual Psychology
Solutions from the World Great Health
s
Traditions and Practitioners
James Strohecker,
Edited by
executive editor of Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide
,
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SAN BRUNO
PUBLIC LIBRARY
701 Angus Avenge West
San Bruno, CA 94066
We
dedicate this book with love and gratitude to the memory
of Nancys mother Patricia Ann Shaw who left this world
; ,
during the final stages of writing this book.
—
To all ofthose who have suffered from depression sometimes
making
the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. This book has
been created to raise awareness of the abundance of natural
healing solutions from around the world in the effort to help
eliminate unnecessary
suffering.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2016
in
https://archive.org/details/naturalhealdepreOOjame
I am convinced that my life belongs to the whole
community; and as long as I live it is my privilege to
do for it whatever I can for the harder I work the
,
more own
I live. I rejoice in life for its sake. Life is no
brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch
which I got hold of for a moment and I want to
,
make it burn as brightly as possible before turning it
over to future generations.
—
George Bernard Shaw

Contents
Foreword
ix
Acknowledgments
xiii
Many Paths to Healing Depression
1 1
James Strohecker & Nancy Shaw Strohecker
2 Depression As Emotional Pain: A Mind/Body Approach 24
David E. Bresler, Ph.D., L.Ac.
3 Natural Medicine and Depression: A Naturopathic Approach 49
Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
4 Women’s Depression: An Integrated Approach 70
Hyla Cass, M.D.
A
5 Comprehensive Approach to Depression:
Nutritional Medicine and Biofeedback 92
Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D.
6 The Natural Pharmacy: Herbal Medicine for Depression 117
Janet Zand, O.M.D., L.Ac.
Contents
viii
7 Homeopathy and Depression 142
Jacquelyn Wilson, M.D.
J.
8 Ayurveda and Yoga for Depression and
Promoting Mental Health 166
Shri Kant Mishra, M.D., M.S., Doctor of Ayurveda
9 Qigong, Chinese Medicine, and Depression 193
Roger C. Hirsh, O.M.D., L.Ac, B.Ac. (UK), Dipl.Ac. (NCCA)
10 The Spiritual Dimension of Depression 222
Carlos Warter, M.D., Ph.D.
Where Do Go from Here? 253
1 1 I
Appendix A: Quick, Reference to Therapies in
Natural Healing for Depression 257
Appendix B: Resourcesfor Alternative and
Complementary Health Care 260
Appendix C: Recommended Reading 278
Appendix D: Internet Resources on Depression and
Alternative/Complementary Medicine 293
Appendix E: Diagnostic Laboratories 296
Appendix F: Compounding Pharmacies 302
Appendix G: Contributors’ Biographies 305
Notes 317
Index 327
Foreword
If you are reading this book because you or someone you care about suf-
fers from depression, please understand that you are not alone. The
symptoms of depression trouble more than 25 percent of Americans.
The frequency of depression is increasing and its debilitating symptoms
are striking people at younger and younger ages. If you were born after
World War II, you are four times more likely to experience severe
depression than your grandparents were. The increase in depression
parallels an increase in other epidemic diseases of modern society, all of
which have become frighteningly prominent during the twentieth cen-
tury: cancer, heart disease, asthma and allergic disorders, arthritis,
inflammatory bowel disease, attention deficit disorder, and childhood
autism. The response of conventional medical care to all these problems
has been to define new diagnostic standards, develop new drugs for
treatment, and search for the genes that “cause” the disease. Yet all our
modern diseases result from complex, interacting factors that include
stress, social and cultural changes, the effects of environmental toxicity
and nutritional imbalances.
Depression, because of its impact on all aspects of one’s life,
demands a holistic approach to its understanding and its treatment.
Depression always involves both mind and body, the individual person,
and the environment in which the person lives. Depression disrupts
may
social relationships. It destroy friendships and marriages or result
from the destruction of friendships and marriages. Depression alters the
Foreword
X
chemistry of the brain and may also result from abnormalities in the
chemistry of the brain. By affecting appetite it may alter nutrition.
Nutritional deficiency and excess on the other hand may cause depres-
sion. Depression may be the result of physical illness and may cause
physical illness. It is just as significant in causing death from heart dis-
ease as are smoking or high blood pressure; lifelong depression
increases the risk of cancer.
Because depression rarely has a single cause, complete recovery
from depression usually requires that many paths be taken. It s impor-
tant to know what factors in a person’s life trigger symptoms and how
the various components of life modulate moods and thoughts. Diet and
nutrition, the daily pattern of sleep and exercise, memories and expec-
tations, social interactions, the time of year, the weather, stage of the
menstrual cycle, the use of drugs and medication, exposure to toxins
—
chemical, psychological and spiritual must all be considered.
Although depression has increased dramatically in today’s world,
the problem of depression is ancient. We can therefore draw on the wis-
dom of many different healing traditions, modern and ancient, in our
quest to overcome the burden of depression and discover the vibrant
energy that each of us possesses.
This unique book brings together the expertise of doctors skilled in
common
different healing traditions. They all share a understanding:
that good health and vitality result from harmony and balance and that
illness or disease is the result of disharmony and imbalance. This under-
standing separates all systems of natural healing from conventional med-
icine, which is built around the theory of diseases. The key question for
the conventional physician is, What disease does this person have? The
treatment then is the treatment of the disease, in this case depression, not
an attempt to help the individual restore health by creating harmony and
balance. The distinction between the two approaches—natural healing
—
and conventional can be profound. The conventional approach to
depression has been increasingly based upon the use of drugs that alter
the chemistry of the brain. Alternative therapies focus on the person
with the goal to empower the individual to regain health, emotional and
physical, by restoring balance and harmony of function. These methods
may complement or substitute for conventional psychiatric care and are
often useful in helping people who resist or oppose the concepts that
underlie conventional psychiatric methods. They represent a wonderful
resource for people in the stressed/depressed modern world.