Good morning! I hope this post finds you well and feeling optimistic about your life!

I want to tell you about a few things that have been helpful to me, speaking of feeling optimistic. If you have experienced times when it feels like the difficulty level of everything in your world seems to go up dramatically, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

First though, you realize that I am not a doctor and am not giving a prescription. The decisions you make for your health are your responsibility and yours alone.

So a word today about depression.

The risk factors as given by the American Psychiatric Association are:

• Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.
• Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
• Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
• Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to depression.

A holistic approach to dealing with depression then would be dealing with and improving as many of these risk factors as possible for the best possible, long-term solution.

Many of these issues can be life-long challenges that require a lot of determination to overcome. But even small changes toward greater health in these areas can make a massive difference!

It also means that they are difficult if not impossible to pull apart! Nature and nurture are working ’round the clock influencing each other! At every decision point, your genetics and your environment (and what you have learned to do to survive in that environment) are interacting and creating reality as you know it.

Much of what is published here at Lioness is about doing our best with these factors as they play into our daily family life. Declarations for instance, are a tool used to retrain our beliefs about ourselves and our situations. Working to care for ourselves so that we can care for our families makes all the difference in the world when it comes to abuse, neglect and poverty (of mind, heart and home).

I’ll also add that chemically speaking, there are things you can do to improve and balance that risk factor. Don’t try any supplementation while using prescription drugs . If you consult with the doctor that is prescribing them, who knows about the side-effects and behavior of those chemicals, then together you might add something else to get the effects you desire. But always use common sense and caution when you are learning to help yourself.

Here are a few things that have helped me that I have wanted to share with you in case you might find them helpful too. {I am grateful to the friends and practitioners who told me about their success with alternative approaches to the imbalance I have experienced at times. So grateful!}

First, 5-HTP.

Wikipedia says it this way:

“5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediatein the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin.”

and this,

“5-HTP is sold over the counter in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as a dietary supplement for use as an antidepressant, appetite suppressant, and sleep aid. It is also marketed in many European countries for the indication of major depression under the trade names Cincofarm, Levothym, Levotonine, Oxyfan, Telesol, Tript-OH, and Triptum.^[1]

A 2002 review concluded that although the data evaluated suggests that 5-HTP is more effective than placebo in the treatment of depression, the evidence was insufficient to be conclusive due to a severe lack of high quality research.^[2] More and larger studies are needed to determine if 5-HTP is truly effective in treating depression.”

Continue to read about this supplement and see what you think. For me, it has been very helpful in helping me maintain greater balance, better sleep and generally feel more at ease.

Second, SAM-e.

This from the Mayo Clinic:

“-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is a compound found naturally in the body. SAMe helps produce and regulate hormones and maintain cell membranes.

A synthetic version of SAMe is available as a dietary supplement in the U.S. In Europe, SAMe is a prescription drug.

SAMe can be taken orally, intravenously or through a muscular injection. People generally use SAMe to treat osteoarthritis, liver disease and depression. However, SAMe can also interact with antidepressant medications.”

Certainly read further if this sounds like something you want to pursue. For me, I have felt greater balance, less anxiety and generally expending less energy trying to coach, comfort or pursuade myself to be calm and relax. Like I said earlier, the difficulty of every day life has gone down and what a lovely thing that is.

Another supplement that is a big player for many of us moms is magnesium.

I’ve tried many different brands and have found that the one most effective for me is Source Naturals magnesium malate in capsules.

Taken twice a day, I feel calmer, sleep better and digestion functions better too. Magnesium has also made a big difference in my body’s ability to produce energy. Cells require magnesium to produce energy, so if you are deficient, magnesium may be a help to you.

Combined with your best efforts to regulate the every day stresses in your life, doing your best to eat a healthful diet, remaining active and doing things that you enjoy doing, supplements can be a game-changer too.

I hope you are well my friend.

Please take good care of yourself today!

Love,

Jacque