# A Simple Solution for Depression? It Doesn't Exist



## David Baxter PhD (May 7, 2015)

*A Simple Solution for Depression? It Doesn't Exist*
by Therese Borchard, _Everyday Health_
April 8, 2015

T.S. Eliot wrote, ?We shall not cease from exploration, and the end  of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the  place for the first time.? I remembered those words as I strolled around the Holistic Health Fair in Annapolis the other day. Presented by the Maryland University of Integrative Health,  it occupied three floors of the Loews Hotel devoted to massage  therapists, acupuncture specialists, detox experts, yoga instructors,  and professionals from all kinds of local healing and wellness centers.

 Ironically, they were all the same professionals that I met 10 years  ago when, at the lowest point of my breakdown, I decided to drop modern  science like a boyfriend with bad breath and go the holistic route. I  was sure that someone had the *one and only solution*  that would heal me of my inner demons, the magic urn of ancient cat pee  that, with only three sniffs of prehistoric urine, could set my psyche  back in balance. So I asked everyone I knew: ?Where is the path to the  magic urn?? And they all pointed me in different directions.

I followed all the paths. To yoga instructors and acupuncture  specialists and massage therapists and recommended naturopaths. I took  Chinese herbs and banged magnesium packets against phone books because  that?s what the instructions said. I paid psychics to describe the color  of my aura, and to tell me what helpful and frightening things it had  to say about my inner life. I listened to tapes of mystic healers like Caroline Myss as I knelt in child pose in our bedroom closet with a candle lit.

I listened to friends and relatives who told me that my medication was toxic, so I weaned off almost all of my drugs.

I did not get better.

In fact, I got worse, and was hospitalized a second time.

Like most psychiatrists, mine tried a few combinations of drugs and recommended that I return to psychotherapy.

I got a little better, but the remission lasted only two years.

Ten years later, I know the hard truth: *There is no simple answer to depression.*

If someone tells you they have the cure ? whether it be Prozac  or Chinese herbs or an anti-stress oil for $30 or six amazing sessions  of therapy ? my guess is that they are more concerned about paying their  mortgage than being a companion with you along your health journey. No  one who has spent less than a year with you can *really*  know what you need to feel better. And if it doesn?t require hard work  on your part ? like getting up in the morning to exercise, or  eliminating sugar, alcohol, and processed foods from your diet, or  exploring some type of relaxation and meditation tool you will use daily  to de-stress ? it won?t last.

Unfortunately, *nothing worth having comes easy*, like the Sheffield band said.

As I walked around the room the other day, I felt older and wiser.  The gray hair framing my face and the crows feet around my eyes showed  the difference between who I was ten years ago and today. But more so I  noticed the newfound confidence I have in my own health philosophies  that don?t fit neatly into any category ? holistic or traditional. I  embrace both of them and more. Yes, the last 10 years have certainly  been an exploration like Lewis says: learning what works, what doesn?t,  and how to handle the stuff on which I?m mixed. That?s why I attended  the fair.

I knew that some of the services and items being sold at the booths  might very well help me manage my illness, but that none of them could  possibly claim to be *the answer* for me as some of their literature suggested because my situation is as unique as everyone else walking around the room. Acupuncture did not help me, but I have friends who have benefited from it; the ?detox bars? that can supposedly fix my depression had ingredients that would worsen my mood ? however, they might help someone with a sweet tooth who can?t stop eating Hershey bars at work.

Ten years ago, I would have listened to each person?s sales pitch and  believed their every word, adjusting my health vision yet again based  on some new information. Now I know that *I* am the expert on my health, not my psychiatrist, or my integrative doctor,  or my therapist, or my friends and relatives who are anti-medication. I  know what works because I have been dutifully logging the results of  things like diet, exercise, and stress-reduction tools in a journal for  the last ten years. I have my own reliable data!

Psychiatrists offer an important piece of the puzzle, but only a  piece. I have yet to find one who talks to patients about the  substantial effects of diet on mood,  or how getting your heart rate into the aerobic zone every day can fend  off suicidal thoughts. Most don?t talk much about meditation practices  or relaxation techniques either. It?s not totally their fault. If they  take insurance, they don?t have time to discuss anything other than  medication and recommendations for a psychotherapist.

Holistic doctors and naturopaths offer another valuable perspective,  but, again, only a piece of the puzzle. The herbs and essential oils and  relaxation CDs they sell are the easy stuff. What?s hard is living your  life in a holistic way ? which involves daily exercise, and lots of  trips to the grocery store, and taking time to cook. Wanting a bottle of  special herbs to bring peace of mind is natural, but it?s not going to  bring long-term, substantial results.

Nope, nothing worth having comes easy.

And that includes a solution for depression.


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## forgetmenot (May 10, 2015)

Have you heard about medical benefits of certain parts of the plant  marijuana.
 It is suppose to help depression along with other illnesses like chronic pain  and epilepsy  and more   trial basis is going on in States it is not the street stuff     It is suppose to help people with PTSD  like army people who have seen horrific things in war  
Just it is  interesting   maybe one day  there will be more hope for people with chronic depression  and other diseases with this plant


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## David Baxter PhD (May 10, 2015)

No. But I can tell you that regular marijuana, whether bought or homegrown, definitely makes depression, anxiety disorders, and other mental health conditions progressively worse over time in chronic users. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## forgetmenot (May 10, 2015)

You are so correct in saying regular plant  can and will cause more problems  it is a street version  not one grown in a lab for the purpose of healing.


But i saw a program  they are using different parts of the plant  they are making  progress with separating  the parts that can cause harm  they are taking that away  
  In time perhaps  this plant that has such a negative cog-notation will change  and will benefit so many 
  I am not willing to chance  it because it is a drug just like the others drugs  i will not chance it  but  it shows so much promise     In its trial time it has saved many army personal from committing suicide  they are producing different strains of the plant  that  target different illnesses
     For someone that has so many in their family with schizophrenia  i am too afraid to try it  but i am assured that part of the plant is removed that would affect that part of my brain

Anyways  in the future  perhaps after more studies  in the future not my time it will be a plant  like others that will heal  not harm but heal


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## GDPR (May 11, 2015)

I think it is a good thing and is already helping many people and I am glad that there's so many states that allow it for medicinal use.

I think there's a big difference in people using it just to get high and people who use it medicinally.I used to use it just to get high and now that I no longer do,I realize it really did make everything worse for me.

But I am interested in trying the oil for my anxiety,the oil that is helping so many kids with seizures.If I could be helped,without the high,I would like that.

I also think it could be used to help addicts get off heavy drugs,like heroin.Even my own kids have said they believe they could stay away from other drugs if they could use marijuana legally.Although it is a drug also,I think it would be less harmful than sticking a needle in their arms.

I am all for medical marijuana.It may not be for everyone but I do believe it helps many.Soon it will be legal for recreational use where I live,I am not sure I like that idea,but for medical reasons,yes.


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## GDPR (May 11, 2015)

Cannabidiol oil,that's what it's called,what I would like to try for my anxiety.I have been reading many good things about it,it sounds promising.

Cannabidiol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

5 Must-Know Facts About Cannabidiol (CBD)

What is CBD? ? Project CBD


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## jamesmatthews873 (Feb 21, 2020)

GDPR said:


> Cannabidiol oil,that's what it's called,what I would like to try for my anxiety.I have been reading many good things about it,it sounds promising.
> 
> Cannabidiol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> ...



Yeah, I have also found that cannabidiol oil helps a ton! I have struggled with anxiety for years, specifically panic attacks. I used to take Paxil, and then wellbutrin..but nothing really changed and when I decided to discontinue using the withdrawal effects were awful. So after about 6 years of just suffering, I decided to try giving CBD oil a chance. I found out a lot of info about it from Project CBD and CBD For Anxiety: Can it really help?. I purchased my first bottle of CBD and honestly didn't really notice a mental change. What has happened after a year of use is my panic attacks and heart palpitations just stopped. Like I don't really think or act any different the physical stuff just ended without me even trying..just being consistent in use. I take about 100mg of CBD a day divided into a morning and night dose. I hope this personal story may be comforting to you..all I can do is just say try it and continue to use it consistently for a few months and see what happens. Talk to your Doc too if needed before use..but give it s shot I was a huge skeptic too so I understand that side of it. I use this brand, give it a shot Cannabidiol Life


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