Water: A Natural Treatments For Depression?

December 20th, 2009 Posted in Depression

Relationship between depression and drinking water

“A state of depression is said to exist when the brain, in confronting a stressful emotional problem, finds it difficult to cope with other attention-demanding actions at the same time” . F Batmanghelidj M.D.

As we all know, millions of Americans suffer from some form of depression. The medications doctors use to help depression are far more harmful today then they were when they were first introduced into society.

In addition, we’ve all seen the ads for depression treatment and have listened to the possible side effects. The side effects can be anxiety, nausea, insomnia, restlessness, decreased sex drive, dizziness, headaches, weight gain or loss, tremors, sleepiness, fatigue, dry mouth, diarrhea, and constipation.

These are some pretty harsh side effects. Did you know that once you start taking these medications stopping can be even worse, sometimes dangerous and very difficult? Some people experience withdrawal symptoms making it difficult to stop taking the medication. The withdrawal symptoms can be anxiety or agitation, mood swings, flu-like symptoms, Irritability and aggression, insomnia, nightmares, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, loss of coordination, stomach cramping and pain, electric shock sensations, tremors, and muscle spasms.

All this just to correct the serotonin levels in the brain. Some people could not know is there are no tests to measure these levels, so how do doctors know if our levels are off in the first place or what levels of our serotonin needs to be?

The truth is that researchers know very little about how anti-depressants work. Melinda Smith M.A. and Jeanne Segal Ph.D. state, “While antidepressant drugs such as Prozac increase serotonin levels in the brain, this doesn’t mean that depression is caused by a serotonin shortage. After all, aspirin may cure a headache, but it doesn’t mean that headaches are caused by an aspirin deficiency.

” Also, antidepressants raise serotonin levels quickly. So if raising your serotonin levels helps depression, then why do they say it takes many weeks before the medication kicks in? This is because medical practitioners don’t truly know what the cause of depression, or if antidepressants are able to fcure it. Many studies have shown antidepressants to be only slightly more effective than placebos.

The true cause of depression may surprise many of you. Dehydration is the link to many adult on-set diseases, depression being one of them. The water requirement of your brain tissue is effected when you don’t get enough water for your brain to produce the electrical energy it uses to perform its many important functions.

Dehydration decreases the level of energy the brain generates causing the functions the brain controls to become inefficient. The result is what many call depression.

While doctors are not sure if their medications will truly help, we can be certain that there are many serious side effects. We also know that water is good for your health, and that keeping hydrated will prevent the onset of many problems including depression.