From the Ayurvedic point of view most depression is a kapha imbalance that is the culmination of vata and then pitta going out of balance. Initially the brain's electro¬chemistry has an erratic overreaction (vata imbalance), which triggers a loss of enzymatic activity in the metabolism (pitta imbalance). Kapha responds by trying to glue everything down, bringing about heaviness, darkness, and stagnation that the mind-body interprets as the negative message of hopelessness and depression. Sometimes depression is a pitta disorder.
Allergies and the breakdown in metabolic processes they lead to can also disturb brain chemistry. This can cause dramatic mood swings, with depression as one of the consequences.No one should go around feeling depressed just because they always have. Sometimes it goes away by itself, but why wait?
Depression is a disease that has effective treatments-whether through the natural approaches suggested here, or psychotherapy, or medication, or a combination- treatments-whether through the natural approaches suggested here, or psychotherapy, or medication, or a combination-which can make it go away sooner. Mild to moderate depression may respond to Ayurveda alone, or this approach may be used along with psychotherapy for optimum effectiveness.
Copyright © Dr.Helen Thomas 2007. All rights reserved.