Category: antidepressant

St. John’s Wort: A Nonaddictive Wonder ‘Antidepressant’ With Fewer Side Effects

St. John’s wort begins to bloom around St. John’s Day on June 24, St. John the Baptist’s birthday, until August—hence its name. There is a myth that St. John’s wort sprouted at the site of the beheading of John the Baptist. It was believed that the plant’s healing and protective properties were so profound that the devil perforated its…


Study: Herb Dendrobium Has Antidepressant Effects

Depression is a health issue of global proportions, and in today’s social environment, the condition affects both young and old alike. Research in China has discovered that Dendrobium, used in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has significant antidepressant effects. A research team led by Dr. Li Xiaobo, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, published their research…


Antidepressants Rarely Outperform Sugar Pills

Do antidepressants really provide lasting relief? Here’s what the industry desperately doesn’t want you to know. STORY AT-A-GLANCE The serotonin hypothesis posits that low serotonin levels in your brain are responsible for symptoms of depression. However, there’s little to no evidence for this. A number of studies have debunked the serotonin hypothesis, which is the…


Study Reignites Debate on the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression

Based on a systematic review of 17 medical studies, a recently published paper has raised questions and sparked debate about the chemical imbalance theory of depression. Although the study did not perform additional research, after synthesizing and evaluating evidence in the principal relevant areas, the authors conclude the longstanding theory is unproven. Serotonin is a…


Exercise Is Powerful Medicine for Depression

By now, most people have heard that exercise is good for their health. A new review suggests it can it also make a difference in major depressive disorder. Researchers analyzed 15 existing studies with data on exercise and depression, finding an association between physical activity and depression risk. The investigators estimated that almost 12% of cases of…


4 Things to Check Before Taking an Antidepressant

What if I told you that the vast majority of the time, taking an antidepressant for depression is like taking a Tylenol for a shard of glass in your foot. Wouldn’t you rather just remove it? You might not even know that removal is an option if you believe that depression is an inherited disease…


Lighting Found to Help Battle Depression

An Australian study has found valuable information on how different lighting conditions can affect our mood, bolstering research and innovation in reducing mental health symptoms. Led by psychological scientist Elise McGlashan of Monash’s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, the team discovered that the presence of light changed our neurobiology in a way that…