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Among the many problems an average Indian has to navigate through the course of his/her life, depression is one that has steadily widened its net over the years. Clinical depression and anxiety are elements of a major health epidemic, and according to WHO, roughly 36% Indians are depressed. Depression is essentially a mood disorder characterised by ongoing sadness, anger, sense of loss or frustration that could last up to years. It interferes with one’s ability to work and perform daily life functions.
Western medicine has not yet been able to attribute a precise cause for depression, and medical researchers are currently exploring theories linking clinical depression to genetics, as well as to abnormalities in brain biochemistry. Depression can be triggered by factors such as long-term sleep disturbance, long-term use of drugs, patterns of drug and alcohol abuse, and diseases of the thyroid. It can also be triggered by traumatic events.
While allopathic medicine uses pharmaceutical antidepressants to treat depression, the most common of which work by affecting the uptake of serotonin in the brain, Ayurveda has a very different approach to depression, stemming from a radically different understanding of mind.
By providing a different approach towards the human mind and health, as well as a holistic methodology of healing and transforming consciousness, Ayurveda and other natural wellness methods offer many other ways to understand and treat depression.
What are the remedies?
Ayurveda advises that simple lifestyle changes like opting for healthier food options and introducing physical and mental discipline can help cope with depression. This helps to deal with symptoms like anxiety and low self-esteem. In addition, basic changes in daily routine such as getting up early and going to sleep early can also help enhance the emotional well-being.
Ayurveda advises daily abhyanga (self-massage) as it is very effective in treating depression. It calms the mind, strengthens the body and eases the mood. Abhyanga also releases toxins trapped in the muscles and helps the body to eject them.
Ayurveda also advises the use of several herbal formulations to treat depression. The herbs commonly used are brahmi, garlic, shatavari and vacha. Brahmi improves memory, and vacha enhances lucidity of the mind. Garlic and shatavari have mood-elevating benefits. Ashwagandha and basil are also very effective in helping to cope with mental stress. Basic kitchen ingredients such as turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, rose petals, celery seeds, licorice, nutmeg and gooseberry act as powerful tonics for the brain and nerves.
Ayurveda’s treatment of depression is holistic, and its integration with more clinical research and methodologies can benefit patients immensely.
(The author is CEO, Allayurveda.com.)