Hi Sam.  Sorry I've taken so long to reply, but I've just finished a move and am
still mostly living out of boxes that still need to be unpacked.  My online time
has been erratic and I just picked up on the fact that this was a "serious
issue" thread.

First, I'm very glad to hear that you are doing a bit better than when the
thread began.

Over the past few years, I've done a good bit of research into this topic for
the sake of a long time friend who has had to deal with a similar situation.
Here's a brief summary of what I've learned.

The broad generalization that "Everyone on anti-depressants would be better off
if they just stopped taking them and switched to natural remedies", is false
and dangerously so.  This having been said, it is also true that many
antidepressant drugs, especially SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake
Inhibitors) are over marketed and over prescribed to levels that make me wonder
what kind of "medication" the medicators are on. (Just high on profits I guess.)

It may be a long and difficult search, but there ARE some doctors out there who
still actually care about their patients' well-being and who are willing to
work to find a total treatment approach where only the minimum necessary amount
of pharmaceutical intervention, if any, is used.  I would recommend trying again
and again as many times as necessary until you find one.

Also, I can't say enough good things about the "chicken soup" approach.  For
anyone who may not be familiar with the old joke, it goes like this:

    Doctor:  "I prescribe chicken soup."
    Patient: "Will it help?"
    Doctor:  "It couldn't hurt."

The point of this is that there are a number of basic things we can do to take
better care of ourselves generally that are known to often mitigate the
suffering associated with depression and anxiety.  Although it's very difficult
to predict which aspects of healthy nutrition, exercise and sleep practices will
do how much good for any specific individual, collectively these practices are
going do some good and no harm.  It's also not unheard of for the positive
results to be fairly dramatic.  The mind and body have many ways of healing
themselves that modern science is just beginning to understand.  Virtually all
of these processes work more efficiently if we don't allow ourselves to become
malnourished, exhausted, dehydrated or atrophied.

These simple things work:
(not as a replacement for medication, but as methods of supporting overall
well-being whatever one's medication status might be)

1.  Ample amounts of CLEAN water. If you think your tap water is the least bit
suspect, drink distilled or filtered water.

2.  Maintain a REGULAR sleep schedule.  (MUCH easier said than done, I know) A
regular circadian rhythm enhances numerous critical metabolic processes
enormously.

3.  Forget complicated fad diets and just adopt a strict "no junk food" policy.
(If you think it might be junk food, it IS.) If fatigue is an issue, drastically
reducing or eliminating red meat in favor of other protein sources can be a big
help. Replace "manufactured" food-like products with fresh produce to the
greatest extent practical.

4.  Unless some medical issue make this problematic, do the following about
twice per day: Spend about ten minutes building up to an accelerated heart rate
where you are breathing noticeably heavier than normal, but NOT gasping for
breath.  Remain active enough to maintain this heart rate for an additional
twenty to twenty-five minutes.  The best particular form of exercise is the one
you most enjoy so you will actually DO it.

5.  The results of serious studies on meditation are mixed. I'm pretty sure,
however, that it helps me and I proffer my personal unscientific recommendation
to give it a go if you're at all so inclined.

Given that my own "spiritual orientation" is that of a
"Thank-God-I'm-an-Atheist" Eclectic Ironicist (basically, we believe that "true
spirituality" - if there even *IS* such a thing - has much to do with treating
other people decently and nothing to do with preaching at them), I'm probably
profoundly unqualified to introduce this subject, BUT... statistically, many
people who report having done well in their struggle against depression and
anxiety credit support from a social group that shares their spiritual and/or
philosophical outlook as being largely responsible for their success.

Finally, I'm sure that you already know, despite our society's prejudices to the
contrary, that depression is a medical condition that does not detract from the
inherent worth of a sentient individual and more than does diabetes or asthma.
I'll bet, however, that it doesn't hurt to hear someone else say it once in a
while.

Please keep in touch.

Best Regards,
Mike C.

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