Aromatherapy Essential Oils : How to Use Aromatherapy for Depression
Alternative modes of treatments
Are there any other alternative treatments that help depression? What about reflexology and aromatherapy?
Reflexology and aromatherapy are extraordinary parts of complementary medicine. We cannot explain how they could work, but depressed people can feel better in various ways after this sort of treatment. All sorts of claims are made about them but there is no firm research evidence yet.
Many sorts of physical therapy can give you a feeling of wellbeing. Looking after yourself, pampering yourself, reminding yourself how special you are, is always good news, especially important if you are feeling low and your self-esteem is down. A foot massage and a soothing bath with some perfumed candles will help you relax physically, and when your body relaxes your mind can too.
One special thing about complementary practitioners is that they do have time to spend with you. Having another person payyou close attention for half an hour or more can be a real change from worrying about other parts of your life and other people. A word of caution: alternative medicine is now big business. Many of these therapies are not cheap, and can be a drain on your finances.
How about acupuncture?
This is a pretty potent sort of therapy, developed in China and used for (probably) several thousand years. It consists of having very thin sharp needles put surprisingly deeply into various trigger points (called meridians) around the body. It probably works by interrupting pain pathways, and releasing endorphins (naturally occurring opiate compounds) within the area stimulated by the needles, which are left in place for a few minutes.
Besides being carried out by traditional practitioners for a variety of symptoms, it is a well recognised part of mainstream NHS treatment for a number of chronically painful medical conditions in hospital Pain Clinics.
Most Western-trained doctors wouldn’t try to treat depression with acupuncture – we mainly use it for pain and stiffness problems. There is some evidence, not yet very clear cut, that it may help mood problems in conjunction with medication. There is also some evidence that ear acupuncture helps people withdrawing from an addiction, possibly by releasing those endorphins. Some drug treatment centres are starting to offer this as an alternative treatment.
Traditional practitioners of acupuncture may well try to improve general well-being with their treatment. There is no evidence that this would be an effective treatment for depression on its own, but it is safe to use with conventional treatments. Laboratory research does suggest that acupuncture is far less effective if the subject has depleted levels of the 5-HT neurotransmitters. This suggests that it cannot work nearly so well on depressed subjects. Antidepressant treatment corrects this chemical imbalance and should enable the needles to work.
Does hypnotherapy work?
It is a very effective treatment for anxiety and tension. It can induce deep states of relaxation, although some people seem to be surprisingly resistant to its effects. Others are very suggestible and can be put into a hypnotised state very easily. You can learn to use self-hypnosis as a way of inducing a relaxed state of mind at times of stress and tension, or just to wind down after a busy day. It does not treat depression though, nor should anyone claim it would.
