BETTER MANAGEMENT OF DEPRESSION WITH AYURVEDA

What exactly is Depression?

Depression is characterized under mood disorder which may be described as feeling of sadness, anger, loss of interest that interfere with person’s day to day activities. With the growing day to day stress of everyday depression is becoming fairly common. It affects how a person think or behave can lead to various emotional and physical problems. Person may feel as life is not worth living. Depression is serious mental illness that may have negative effects on one’s life. Sometimes person may have suicidal thoughts. Emotional deprivation and adverse experience in early life also predispose to depression. There are many other reasons like loneliness, prolonged stress in workplace or in relationships, living in abusive relationship more likely to contribute towards depression.

What Ayurveda Say about Depression?

According to Ayurveda Human health is determined by doshas. Human Body consist of Sharirik doshas (body elements) and mansik Dosha (mind elements). Sharirik doshas are of three types- vata, pitta and Kapha. And Manshik Doshas are further classified into satva, raja and tama. Satva is considered to be pure soul while raja and tama are known as doshas. Mind and body humors are connected to one another for the hormony of the human body. There is significant shift in the levels of doshas in low emotional states. In majority there is imbalance between vata and kapha dosha.  Vitiation of vata dosha alter’s the biochemistry of the brain that futher leads to altering the enzymatic activity of the metabolic enzymes that vitiates pitta dosha . Kapha imbalance may leads to symptoms like darkness, heaviness, stress, anxiety, hopelessness and sadness.

समदोषः समाग्निश्च समधातुमलक्रियः।

प्रसन्नात्मेन्द्रियमनाः स्वस्थ इत्यभिधीयते॥

Above quoted shloka explains that a person is said to be swasthya or healthy that have physical and psychological elements are in balance, balanced Agni or digestive fire, proper formation of tissues(dhatu), with proper elimination of the waste products out of the body, a happy soul, a happy functioning mind, and proper functioning of all five senses.

 How a patient with Depression present?

• Feeling of sadness, loneliness, tearfulness etc
• Anger outburst
• Irritability or frustration
• Loss of interest in various activities
• Anxiety and restlessness
• Sleep disturbances such as sleeping too much or insomnia
• Feeling of guilt of worthlessness
• Trouble in thinking, concentrating, decision making etc
• Frequent suicidal thoughts or suicidal attempts
• Unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headaches
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Reduced appetite or increased cravings
• Tiredness or lack of energy
• Mood swings
• Loss of productivity
• Crying a lot
• Lack of sexual desires
• Digestive problems
• Indulge in excessive drinking and smoking.

What causes Depression?

• Family history play an important role
• Early childhood trauma
• Imbalance in the chemical levels in the brain that manage mood, thoughts, sleep, appetite
• Changes in female hormonal levels such as estrogen, progesterone during, menstruation, menopause, postpartum etc
• Abusive relationship
• Excessive work life stress
• Chronic physical or emotional pain
• Medical conditions like chronic illnesses, insomnia, parkinson’s disease, stroke, heart attack, cancer etc

Risk factors involves in Depression:

• Females are more prone than males
• Genetics
• Financial problem or economically low status
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Certain medications like B blockers, corticosteroids, birth control pill

Managing depression with Modern Medicines:

• Psychotherapy: Also known as talk therapy. A person suffering from depression speaks to trained therapist. Therapist helps the person to cope up with the situation contributing towards depression.

• Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT): In this a therapist will work with the depressive person to uncover the unhealthy patterns of thoughts and advises to practice replacing negative thoughts with the positive thoughts.

• Medications: Various anti-depressant medications like selective serotonin uptake inhibitor (citalopram, escitalopram), tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, imipramine), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (isocarboxazid, phenelzine), N-methyl D-aspartate (esketamine) etc. These antidepressant drugs may involve side effects like:
• Feeling being sick
• Loss of appetite
• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Digestion issues and abdominal pain
• Anxious
• dizziness

 Managing Depression with Ayurveda Naturally:

  Ayurveda manages the condition of depression by balancing the sharirik doshas (vata, pitta and Kapha) and manshik doshas (raja or tama) by the use of some herbs, medhya rasayna along  with the specific panchkarma therapies like Abhyanga (massaging body with medicated oils), Shirodhara ( pouring hot oil, liquids over forehead), Nasya Therapy ( pouring drops of oil is both nostrils such as anu tail, shadbindu tail etc). All these therapies reduces the level of stress hormones in the brain, reduces anxiety, improves intellect, memory, concentration and sleep patterns.

Efficacy of treatment is enhanced with the practicing yoga, pranayama ( breathing exercises) and meditation. Yoga asana for depression are

• balasana (child pose)
• halasna (plow pose)
• sethu bandth asana (bridge pose)
• adho much savasana (downward facing dog)
• savasana (corpe pose)

Some medhya rasayana or herbs for the depression:

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
• Jatamansi ( Nardostachy jatamansi)
• Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)
• Mandukkaparni (centalla asiatica)
• Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pleuricaulis)
• Tagar (Valeriana wallichii)

Managing Depression naturally with Chandigarh Ayurved Centre:

1. Brodley Syrup:

This syrup maintains the overall activity of the brain. As the herbs used for the preparation of this syrup are Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis), Dhania (Coriandrum sativum), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Saunf (Foeniculum vulgare), etc. These all acts as a mind relaxant. The use of this syrup provides good results to the dementia patient. This syrup has the best memory boosting power and helps in increasing the blood flow to the brain. It is used as an antioxidant that increases retention power
Recommended Dosage: Take 2 teaspoonful twice daily.

2. Mann Mitra tablet:

Mann Mitra tablet is herbal and purely ayurvedic medicine. It is used in Ayurvedic treatment for psychiatric conditions and help to balance all the three doshas of body i.e vata, pitta, kapha. CAC Mann Mitra tablet improves intelligence and speech problems. It is helpful for making the nervous system strong and nerves as well. It contains various herbs like Bala, Vacha, Shankhpushpi, Nagkeshar etc that help you fight insomnia, anxiety, and stress. It works as a antioxidant, anti depressant, immuno booster, anti epileptic and as neuro protective drug.
Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice a day with normal water.

3. Rasayan Vati:

Rasayan vati is herbo-mineral Ayurvedic formulation which contains various herbs such as Aswagandha, Shilajeet, Amla, Musali, Shatavar, Brahmi, Abhrak Bhasam, Mukta pisti, Praval pisti, , Kaunch Beej, Saunth, Mirch, Brahmi, etc. These ingredients show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, immune-modulator properties. These tablets provides good results in General debility, Psychological disorders, and improves immunity.
Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice daily.

4. Calm Sleep tablet:

calm sleep tablet is an amazing combination of natural herbs like bhang, Brahmi, Tagar, jatamansi. It helps to relieve stressful conditions. They help to pacify the nervous system and also helps to calm minds and make your body relax and light. In Ayurveda when there is an imbalance of three energies i.e. vata, pitta and Kapha, it leads to disease. Vata has a sub dosha named prana doshas which regulates the sensory perception, brain, and mind. calm sleep tablets is effective in depression, anxiety, insomnia, amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and hypertension.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice a daily.

5. Brain relaxant churna:

This churna is a pure Ayurvedic preparation which contains Amla (Emlica officinalis), Sonth (Zingiber officinale), Pippali (Piper longum), Marich (Piper nigrum), Haldi (Curcuma longa), Bala (Sida cordifolia), Suddha gandhak, Lauha bhasma, etc. It is mainly used for the treatment of psychiatric conditions, speech problems, to improve the intelligence and also beneficial in sleep disturbances, panic attacks, phobia, and relieves stress.
Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablespoonful twice daily.

6. Stress care tablet:

Stress care tablets are pure herbal formulation prepared from ingredients like Sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentine), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Jatamansi (Nardostacys jatamansi).The herbs used for formulation of these tablets show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-depressant, & immune-modulator properties. These herbal tablets gives good result in Stress, Depression, Anxiety, All neurological disorders, Increases intelligence, and Improves memory.
Recommended Dosage: Take 1 tablet twice daily.