Effective Alternatives to Antidepressant Drugs:

Drawing on scientific studies (see sampling below) and 18 years
of clinical work in the field of nutritional psychology, author Julia Ross and her staff at the Recovery Systems Clinic in Mill Valley, California, have found that brain-targeted nutrient therapy strategies are the fastest acting and most effective alternatives.

Regarding the vital role of nutrition in recovery from depression, Ross states, "The human brain is perfectly capable of generating its own antidepressant chemistry. We've been doing it for millennia. But our rates of depression have escalated 100 times since 1900. Why have we become so incapable, in the 21st century, of cheering ourselves up? It's because we are no longer consuming a mood-protective diet."

"The brain can only make its natural antidepressant, serotonin, out of protein-rich foods. A high carbohydrate diet starves the brain of these critical nutrients. Yet the U.S. carb versus protein ratio has skyrocketed in the last 40 years. Fortunately, the specific proteins, or amino acids, such as 5-hydroxytryptophan, which the brain uses to produce serotonin, are available as supplements in all health stores and most pharmacies in the country and typically take effect within 24 hours."

Also well-researched are certain fats, particularly from fish, and the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables and fruits, such as soothing magnesium and antidepressant folic acid. A diet rich in "good mood foods," with the addition of amino acid, vitamin, mineral, and fish oil supplements, can quickly reverse the effects of years of brain malnutrition." Many studies show that exercise, bright light and psychotherapy are all potent adjuncts when the nutritional strategies alone are not completely effective.