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Here is a short chapter I scanned in from a book called "The Vitamin Bible" by Earl Mindell, about using vitamins for depression: " Chapter XV It's Not All in Your Mind How Vitamins and Minerals Affect Your Moods The first scientifically documented discovery to relate mental illness to diet occurred when it was found that pellagra [with its depression, diarrhoea, and dementia] could be cured with niacin. After that, it was shown that supplementation with the whole B complex produced greater benefits than niacin alone. Evidence of biochemical causes for mental disturbances con-tinues to mount. Experiments have shown that symptoms of mental illness can be switched off and on by altering vitamin levels in the body. Dr. R. Shulman, reporting in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that forty-eight out of fifty-nine psychiatric patients had folic-acid deficiencies. Other research has shown that the major-ity of the mentally and emotionally ill are deficient in one or more of the B-complex vitamins or vitamin C. And even normal, happy people have been found to become depressed and experi-ence other symptoms of emotional disturbance when made niacin or folic-acid deficient. At California's Stanford University, Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling conducted a series of tests to determine individual vitamin needs. As part of the series, he administered massive doses of vitamin C [as much as 40 g.] to schizophrenics and discovered that little or none of it was discarded in the urine. Since the body expels what is doesn't need of the water-soluble vitamins, the test clearly indicated that the mentally ill needed more vitamin C - more than one thousand times the RDA -than the rest of us. Vitamins and Minerals for Depression and Anxiety The following vitamins and minerals have in many cases been found to be effective in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Vitamin B, [thiamine] - large amounts appear to energise depressed people and tranquilise anxious ones Vitamin B6 [pyridoxine] - important for the function of the adrenal cortex Pantothenic acid - has a tension-relievine effect. Vitamin C [Ascorbic acid] - essential for combatting stress Vitamin E [alpha-tocopheroll - aids needed oxygen Zinc - oversees body processes and aids in brain function Magnesium - necessary for nerve functioning, known as the antistress mineral Calcium - makes you less jumpy, more relaxed. Other Drugs Can Add to Your Problems Alcohol is a nerve depressant. If you take tranquillisers and a drink, the combination of the two can cause a severe depression - or even death. If you take Darvon with a tranquilliser, you might find yourself experiencing tremors and mental confusion. The same thing can happen if you combine a sedative with an antihistamine [such as any found in over-the-counter cold preparations]. Oral contraceptives deplete the body of B6, B12, folic acid, and vitamin C. If you're on the pill and depressed, it is not surprising. Your need for B2, necessary for normal tryptophan metabolism, is fifty to a hundred times a non-pill-user's requirement. Drugs that you Might Not Think Would Cause Depression - But > Can: adrenocorticoids baclofen beta-blockers antihypertensives oestrogens anti-arthritis medicines potassium supplements procainamide propoxphene any sex hormones trimethobenzamide " In addition to this I know of a programme that was run in a large University near where I live that had a large group of people who were clinically depressed and who attended regular meetings for this programme where they would engage in activities such as crafts in a group setting with the aim of improving their depression. In the beginning these people were reluctant to try and believed themselves incapable of doing these activities but they agreed to give it a go and eventually their confidence grew when they saw themselves achieving things and by the end of the program their depression had greatly improved. When we are very depressed we need a greater quantity of vitamin C, because when you are stressed vitamin C goes out of your body quicker, but if you are doing activities that do the opposite of stress you then your requitement for this vitamin will reduce. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com