My psychiatrist, who is very active in pursuing non-pharm treatments for depression, reports that more recent studies on St. John's Wort have been less positive. I cannot recommend his book highly enough: The Chemistry of Joy, by Dr. Henry Emmons.

5-HTP, on the other hand, is one of his major recommendations. BUT -- try to find a practicioner who can help you with it. Taking 5-HTP along with an SSRI can lead to seratonin syndrome. They *can* be combined, but it wouldn't be wise to do it on your own. (The book has great info on this an other supplements/herbs Lynn talks about, with more detail on what we know -- and don't know -- about brain function.)

Another note on SSRIs -- my understanding is that they don't boost the amount of seratonin in your system, but rather do things to make your brain think there is more seratonin by closing off some of the "uptake" sites. Fewer available sites for seratonin to connect makes it seem as though there is more seratonin competing for those sites.

The problem is that if you are not making enough seratonin to begin with, the SSRI can only do so much, and can actually backfire by discouraging increased seratonin production. (Why produce more if you seem to have plenty?) Thus the use of amino acids like 5-HTP, supplements like a B-Complex, careful attention to protein/carb intake (you need both -- why do you think extreme low-carbers are so grumpy?). To me this is a major missing piece of the puzzle that pharm-pushers don't consider.

Also -- and I think Lynn would agree on this -- those of us raised in a Western medicine mindset often turn to "alternatives" with that same way of thinking. I won't pop this pharm-pill, I'll pop a St. John's Wort instead. I don't want megadoses of SSRIs, so I'll take megadoses of vitamins instead. A big difference between traditional Western-style practice and alternative practice is that alternatives are often more holistic, focusing on prevention and maintenance and putting together a full wellness lifestyle (to coin a really goofy phrase).

I am *so* in favor of a holistic approach to treating depression. BUT I would stress, like Lynn does, that if you are in a severe depression, it's not the time to start experimenting on your own without also seeking medical help.

If your friend were having a heart attack, you would not help her by putting her on the treadmill and handing her a stalk of broccoli. You'd drive her to the hospital. And hopefully after the immediate crisis passed, her doctor/health support team would assist her in a full heart-health lifestyle.

Depression is just the same -- seek help to get yourself back to a place where you can function fairly normally, *then* begin to establish your brain/mood-healthy lifestyle.

Well, enough on that, hey?! Can you tell it's something that I give a lot of time and thought to?! Thanks, Lynn, for putting this out there.

Shaun
www.redseahomeschool.wordpress.com