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- How We Successfully Treat Depression
Major depression, a clinical diagnosis marked by extreme emotional pain and an inability to function, is a serious disorder that merits serious intervention. However, many people who feel sad, blue, or down in the dumps are simply reacting to the challenges, losses, and occasionally unpleasant events of life. It's normal to experience these feelings when you're going through trying circumstances—but that doesn't mean you have a disease that necessitates treatment with powerful, side effect-riddled drugs.
Conventional doctors, however, are quick to treat most any degree of emotional distress with antidepressants, most commonly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as Prozac). These drugs have been shown in clinical trials to be no more effective than placebo for the vast majority of those taking them. Even worse, they have a long list of side effects, including weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and increased risk of suicide and violent behavior. SSRI antidepressants have been linked to thousands of murders and suicides, and the risk is greatest in young people.
Thankfully, you do have safer options. At Whitaker Wellness, we help our patients address mild-to-moderate depression with safe, proven solutions.
- Our Unique Therapies
Supplements, Not Drugs
The first thing your Whitaker Wellness physician will do is try to get to the root of your problem. Depression can have many underlying causes, including medications such as beta blockers, steroids, and tranquilizers, which list depression as a side effect. Your physician will look at your current drug regimen and help wean you off problematic medications. He or she will also prescribe an individualized supplement program designed to increase your energy and fight depression. We use several safe, natural mood enhancers that are backed by solid research, such as St. John's wort, S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe), fish oil, and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP).
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Mood disturbances are a hallmark of hormonal imbalances. At the Whitaker
Wellness Institute, we test our patients' levels of thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, and other hormones, and if they're low, prescribe bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that enables patients to change patterns
in the brain in order to enhance health and well-being. Neurofeedback has been shown in hundreds of clinical studies to be an effective therapy for depression, anxiety, and many other cognitive, emotional, and neurological conditions.
Dilantin
Dilantin is one of the few prescription drugs that Dr. Whitaker wholeheartedly endorses—but not for the same reason most doctors use it. This old, inexpensive medication, which is used primarily to control seizures, is a remarkable therapy for anxiety, depression, and other conditions. By normalizing the electrical activity in the brain, it calms you down, pushes negative thoughts into the background, and provides a heightened sense of well-being. Few physicians are aware of this off-label use of Dilantin, but we consider it to be one our most effective therapies for depression at the Whitaker Wellness Institute.
- Personalized Lifestyle Program
Diet has a tremendous influence on mood. Deficiencies in essential fatty acids and other important nutrients, as well as excesses of refined carbohydrates have been linked to depression. During our Back to Health Program, we'll help you make positive changes to your diet that will promote emotional as well as physical health. You'll also receive guidance in how to prepare healthy foods and make them part of your daily routine once you return home.
Exercise Elevates Mood
Exercise is an exceptionally effective mood elevator. It increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and boosts endorphins, brain chemicals that create a sense of well-being. In fact, many researchers feel that lack of physical exercise may be one of the major reasons for the increasing amount of depression in our society today.
During your Back to Health Program, our exercise physiologist will instruct you in an exercise program tailored to your health concerns. We will also provide you with tools to help you stick with your exercise program once you return home.
- Our Patient Success Stories
Click the links below to read about how people suffering with depression were successfully treated at the Whitaker Wellness Institute.
- Additional Articles on Depression
Click the links below to read more about the Whitaker Wellness Institute's natural approach to depression.
You owe it to yourself to explore how the unique, drug-free therapies offered at the Whitaker Wellness Institute can turn your health around. Call us at (800) 488-1500 to speak with a Patient Services Representative. We can customize a treatment program that fits both your budget and your health goals.
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