Alternative Treatment for Depression
There are many different treatments for depression that work differently. One treatment is antidepressants, which don’t exactly get rid of the feelings of pain you go through every day when you’re depressed and have trouble doing your daily life routines. How about a natural alternative?
If you read this article, find out unconventional ways to treat the symptoms of depression using your mental health and spiritual center. What might make you feel better than going through a depressed period? Getting an A in school or even making at least one close friend. But what happens when the sparkle in your day gets diminished?
Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet for Depression
A ketogenic diet can make a big difference in the severity of your depression. It effectively improves both memory and mood; if you’re struggling with depression or want to improve your health, time for you to try this diet. According to the study done by King’s College London, a ketogenic diet was shown to affect major depressive disorder positively.
The ketogenic diet might help those with depression in many ways, such as reducing symptoms, improving the body’s response to antidepressants, and lowering the likelihood of relapse. They also found that weight loss appears to ease mood complaints since one of the primary causes of depression is boredom, lack of motivation, and feeling like they cannot control their lives.
Ketones can help prevent or reverse depressive symptoms and diversify an antidepressant regimen to penetrate the brain better. However, this is controversial because not all studies show favorable results, and many experts are quick to point out that it should not replace antidepressant treatment.
Science and Evidence Behind How Ketogenic Diets Work
The process of ketosis is fascinating. Ketones effectively “burn” the body’s fat stores to fuel the cells, which helps relieve many symptoms linked with mental health problems. Doctors typically administer antidepressants, which have proven effective in alleviating symptoms of a range of mental disorders such as brain fog and existential despair.
Doctors also prescribe medications such as anti-anxiety medication called lorazepam and benzodiazepines like diazepam. Still, despite their lack of side effects and their effectiveness at mitigating the impact of depression, they can have dangerous withdrawal effects when stopped suddenly.
Ketogenic dieting is an alternative treatment for depression that has been popping up more and more globally. In “Ketogenic Diet: Science and Evidence Behind How Ketogenic Diets Work,” Margarita Montori shares the science behind how carbohydrates are stored as carbs;
ketones and triglycerides are used to make energy, not stored fat; your memory, senses, concentration, and mood will be enhanced with a decreased amount of glucose; and this diet can also help with added benefits like reducing seizures or epilepsy.
Ketogenic Diet Side Effects and Safety
Side effects of ketogenic therapy include but are not limited to increased appetite and weight loss, which may lead to reduced bone mineral density and a weakened immune system. With that being said, though many people are successful at using a low-carb diet for treating depression, this option can come with some minor unwanted side effects.
The liquid form of ketosis can lead to life-threatening side effects such as high- or low doses of electrolyte imbalances. However, the risk of these side effects is common in most cases. The ketogenic diet has been used in clinical practice since the 1920s. It has shown a wide variety of benefits, with 100% of participants reversing their depression in as few as four weeks. It is a safe, healthy, and natural treatment option for depression.
Troubleshooting a Ketogenic Diet
Dieting is not easy and can be problematic in the beginning. It all starts with figuring out what your body needs to eat. Many people have experienced success with a ketogenic diet, even in severe depression or other mental diseases. If you’re trying to manage high-stress levels with food as your battle armor, try experimenting with this low-carb diet that uses fats instead.
It isn’t easy to maintain ketosis for most people, taking time. One of the biggest mistakes one can make is canceling the diet because they said they were physically tired from the lack of carbs. This leads to an insulin spike that is very damaging to muscle gains and leads to the body refusing to leave the ketogenic state.
Remember: Ketosis is an adaptation process! Ketogenic diets work on a unique ingredient that is essential to the function of your “brain in a jar” — which is the fuel source your body uses to survive. If you have insufficient energy and are battling depression, it’s time for you to try out the ketogenic diet or reap some benefits of this incredible life change. Using our advice, you can create an action plan to optimize depression as with most traditional treatments and minimize side effects.
Alternative/Keto Treatments: Acupuncture, meditation, exercise, etc.
Another therapy that has become popular in the last few years is the ketogenic diet. These diets are all over the headlines because they’ve been proven to be effective in treating and controlling Type 2 Diabetes. The ketogenic diet or the keto diet are dietary plans that cause the body to rely primarily on fat for fuel, which can reduce persistent feelings of tiredness and drowsiness associated with major depressive episodes.
With the vast amount of studies supporting the ketogenic diet as a more effective and tolerable method for treating depression, traditional doctors frequently choose to base their treatment plans on this well-tested solution. However, other alternative forms of treatment such as meditation, exercise, and acupuncture have been shown to improve mood without the side effects of drugs.