Most people live with depression. Some seek counseling, while others just suffer through the symptoms. Many learn to live with the symptoms until life is only a shell of what it used to be. But this is not how to handle depression. Even treatment, with a psychiatrist and medication, may not always help the ways that one may expect.

Some of the basic signs of depression include:

1. Feeling helpless and hopeless
2. No interest in usual daily activities
3. Weight loss or gain
4. Changes in sleep patterns
5. Restlessness or irritability
6. No energy
7. Lack of concentration
8. Unexplained aches or pains

Just like there is no switch to turn depression on, there is also no switch to turn depression off. There are pills, but they are not magic.

A recent article published in the Huffington Post, talks about how some of these drugs that are often prescribed for depression, don’t actually even work. Read the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/depression-medication-why_b_550098.html.

Drug companies published several articles recently stating the benefits of some of these medications, only to get caught lying. The truth is that some of these drugs were actually ineffective but the companies chose never to publish those reports. In the end, it was shown that about 80 percent of people showed no improvement on these medications.

What does it mean to you?  It means that may be you should not rely on drugs alone.

Depression is always a serious matter.  This is the way your body tells you that something is very wrong.  It was shown repeatedly that depression is associated with heart disease and cancer survival.  What is means is: depression is not only in you brain, it is everywhere.  It affects whole your body.

Depression usually is a neurotransmitter problem: serotonin or dopamine or both.  To solve the problem you need to find out the root case ad treat it if possible.  Seeing a physician is a must.  You should not make any decisions about your health care without consulting physician.  Remember: depression is a deadly disease.

The seven ways you can help to make your life better:

1. Fix your gut first.  Serotonin, responsible for depression, is produced in the gut.  What antidepressants do? Raise serotonin level.  But instead of taking Prozac may be you should take care of your gut first?  There is no such thing as Prozac deficiency.  Also you need to make sure that your gut is working properly so that if you are taking vitamins or supplements and they are not being absorbed, you may not be getting the treatment that you need.
2. Sun exposure but in moderation.
3. Get enough sleep: when you sleep you synthesize neurotransmitters.
4. Make sure, that you are checked for heavy metal toxicity: mercury blocks SAMe which is necessary for cathecholamine O Methyl transferase which degrades adrenaline.
5. Make sure that your partners are not toxic and that they don’t suck life out of you, but rather bring you more and better life
6. More love making (intimacy) can help with depression.
7. Diet: what you eat can make you feel physically and emotionally sick. Make sure that you stick to a diet of lean meats and green vegetables, as well as fruits. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, dairy, wheat.  Carbs in moderation actually can help with depression.   Want to help a depressed friend?  Give him something sweet.  Or potato. See more on my website about the caveman diet.

What about you?

• Are you suffering from depression?
• Did you lose interest in your life?
• Did you lose your sex drive?
• Are you fatigued all the time?

If you feel like you are suffering from depression and want to seek a natural and effective solution, call Dr. Kalitenko at 718-382-9200 to make an appointment.

Doesn’t it seem like your allergies get worse and worse every year? Some of us who never experienced them before suddenly find ourselves suffering.

Chronic stress may result in adrenal fatigue with low cortisol level. The result – constant allergies, because cortisol is needed to suppress inflammation. No enough cortisol and allergies flare up.

One way to deal with it is to check your cortisol levels and get them corrected if necessary.

Adrenal fatigue may be the reason why it is so difficult to get our energy back in the morning.

Adrenal fatigue is caused when the adrenal glands are exhausted and unable to produce the right amount of hormones.

Checking your cortisol level is very helpful. Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone.  Cortisol levels will determine your response to stress and anxiety.

Everybody who experiences morning fatigue should have their hormone levels checked because, in our stressful lives, adrenals can be exhausted easily.

Fatigue and daytime sleepiness can be caused by sleep apnea syndrome, which is common in obese people.

Sleep apnea syndrome, which is airway obstruction during sleep resulting in ineffective sleep and frequent awakening, is a lifelong and complicated condition. The most common way of treating it is the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which keeps the airway open during sleep by means of a flow of pressurized air into the throat.

Because of the sleep deprivation associated with the illness, such people are tired since morning and need an afternoon nap. The solution is to lose weight, with the right diet and right natural treatments for a longer and healthier life.

It is easier to look and feel younger than the average person thinks. Changes in your diet, in your vitamins, and being aware of the causes of your illnesses, rather than just the medications to keep them at bay, are important. Know your body, and take care of it.