Depression, like any disease, has a root cause, and it’s not a lack of medication. To help you treat depression without medication, I’ve identified six common causes of depression. These categories are designed to simplify the process because I know you already have enough on your plate. While these causes aren’t ranked in any particular order, it’s important to note that many people suffering from depression may have more than one underlying cause. But don’t worry—each of these causes can be effectively addressed without relying on medication.
If getting to the cause of depression and treating depression without medication is something you’re interested in, then you’re in the right place.
1. Out of Balance Neurotransmitters
Out of balance neurotransmitters can cause depression. Neurotransmitters are amazing chemicals your body produces which relay information between nerve cells and other cells in the body. They include two inhibitors, serotonin and GABA, and also four excitors: dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and glutamate. An imbalance of any of these can cause depression. If you want to treat depression without medication you need to know which neurotransmitters are out of balance.
The inhibitory neurotransmitters: serotonin and GABA
Serotonin is a major player in regulation of sleep, appetite and aggression. Imbalance in serotonin is a common contributor to mood problems. When serotonin is out of balance depression, anxiety, worry, obsessive thoughts and behaviors, carbohydrate cravings, PMS, difficulty with pain control, and sleep cycle disturbances can result. One of the most common treatments for depression to prescribe drugs that increase the serotonin by slowing the rate at which serotonin is processed. This of course does nothing to fix the cause of the low serotonin. Furthermore, usually no testing has been done to determine if the depression is due to low serotonin.
GABA is the neurotransmitter that keeps saying, “Just chillax everything is ok.” Low GABA levels contribute to mood disorders and may be associated with anxiety, worry and poor impulse control. High levels of GABA contribute to sluggish energy, feelings of relaxation, and foggy thinking. Without the inhibiting function of GABA, impulsive behaviors are often poorly controlled, contributing to a range of anxious and/or reactive symptoms that extend from poor impulse control to seizure disorders. Alcohol and also benzodiazepine drugs act on GABA receptors and imitate the effects of GABA. Often people with GABA problems will turn to these drugs as a way to self medicate.
The four excitatory neurotransmitters: dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and glutamate
Dopamine
Without enough dopamine you just can’t get no satisfaction! Maybe that’s what was wrong with the Rolling Stones. Dopamine is largely responsible for regulating the pleasure/reward pathway, memory and motor control. Its function is to create both inhibitory and excitatory action depending on the tissue it is working on. Memory issues are common with both elevations and depressions in dopamine levels. Common symptoms associated with low dopamine levels include loss of motor control, cravings, compulsions, loss of satisfaction and addictive behaviors including: drug and alcohol use, smoking cigarettes, gambling, and overeating. These actions often result from an unconscious attempt to self-medicate, looking for the satisfaction that is not occurring naturally in the body. Elevated dopamine levels may contribute to hyperactivity or anxiety and have been observed in patients with schizophrenia. High dopamine may also be related to autism, mood swings, psychosis and attention disorders.
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is produced in both the brain and the adrenal glands. This neurotransmitter plays a crucial role when it’s time for action, influencing various functions such as attention, focus, and heart rate regulation. Additionally, norepinephrine affects blood flow and helps suppress inflammation. It prepares the body for a fight-or-flight response. Chronic high levels of norepinephrine are often linked to anxiety, stress, elevated blood pressure, and hyperactivity, whereas low levels are associated with lack of energy, focus, and motivation.
Epinephrine
Moreover, epinephrine, better known as adrenaline, is a lot like norepinephrine. It’s made in the brain and adrenal glands like norepinephrine. Elevated levels of epinephrine are often associated with hyperactivity, ADHD, anxiety, sleep issues, and low adrenal function. Generally, over time, chronic stress and stimulation can deplete epinephrine stores. Low epinephrine can lead to difficulty concentrating, fatigue, depression, insufficient cortisol production, chronic stress, poor recovery from illness, dizziness and more.
Glutamate
Lastly, Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Glutamate plays a key role in cognition, memory, and learning. High glutamate levels often link to panic attacks, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, OCD, and depression. Low glutamate levels, on the other hand, can cause agitation, memory loss, sleeplessness, low energy, and depression.
A person suffering with depression can have an imbalance of one or more of these neurotransmitters. In order to treat depression without medication, it is important to know which neurotransmitters are out of balance.
Testing is KEY to treating depression without medication successfully.
Above is a sample result of a test which measures the neurotransmitter levels present in the urine. Urine levels correlate well with whole body neurotransmitter levels. One of the strengths of this kind of testing is that it doesn’t just measure neurotransmitter levels in the brain. The intestines produce 90% of the body’s serotonin. The adrenal glands create almost all of the epinephrine and some of the norepinephrine. So while I’ve been describing the effects neurotransmitters have on the brain these chemicals also have many critical functions in the rest of the body. For example, outside the brain serotonin is important for the healthy intestine function. This testing makes it possible to correct neurotransmitter imbalances, and as a result help the problems that develop from their imbalances.
Once it’s known what’s going on with these neurotransmitters it’s possible to treat depression without medication. Your body has to make all these brain chemicals. There are specific nutrients that are required for the production of each neurotransmitter. Often a person is low in a particular nutrient and as a result the corresponding neurotransmitter levels are low. For example, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Iron and Vitamin B3 are all needed for the production of dopamine. If someone tests low for dopamine, the reason may be an insufficient supply of some or all of these nutrients.
2. Stinkin’ Thinkin’
If you want to treat depression without medication, you’ve got to get your thought life right.
Furthermore, he wrong kind of thinking, which I like to call stinkin’ thinkin’, can cause depression. Most of us have control over what we choose to think about, and what kind of thoughts we dwell on. Sometimes we can get into a rut of negative thinking, and then things spiral downward until we are hopeless. If you struggle with stinkin’ thinkin’, I wrote a whole article about it. Here’s the link if you would like to learn more:
How Toxic Emotions Are Making You Sick and How To Detox From Them
3. Intestinal Inflammation
Our brains and intestines are closely connected
In fact, many refer to the intestines as “the second brain” because they share similar tissue with the brain’s inner lining. Both the brain and the gut produce serotonin. Intestinal inflammation can actually cause depression. When the intestines are inflamed, the brain is inflamed. Chronic inflammation of the brain interferes with the ability of the brain cells to communicate, and can cause depression, brain fog, insomnia, ADD, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, autism or fatigue. “What are the signs of an inflamed gut?” you ask. Great question! Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, acid reflux, and cramps are signs of inflammation, but it’s also possible to have inflamed intestines without any of these symptoms. I explain the details of most common intestinal inflammation conditions in these articles:
What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Hiatal Hernia Causes and Nondrug, Non-Surgical Treatment
If someone is dealing with any kind of brain issue, including depression, the intestines must be ruled out as a potential source of the problem.
4. Thyroid Dysfunction
Low thyroid hormones are estimated to cause 10 to 15% of depression cases. Without a proper thyroid workup, it’s impossible to treat depression without medication. When the thyroid isn’t functioning properly, a person feels like their energy has vanished. Many hypothyroid cases go undiagnosed because doctors only check the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
To accurately assess the thyroid, perform the following tests:
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
- Free serum thyroxine (fT4)
- Free triiodothyronine (fT3)
- Reverse T3 (rT3)
- Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO)
- Anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG)
Furthermore, even folks who are taking Synthroid (a T4-only thyroid medication) for a low thyroid can still suffer from depression because the body has to turn the T4 into T3, the active form of thyroid hormone.
If your depression is caused by an underactive thyroid, it can be fixed without medication, but proper testing is critical.
5. Adrenal Problems
There is one adrenal gland located on top of each kidney. These glands make some really important hormones and neurotransmitters. I already explained the connection between adrenaline, and noradrenaline and the adrenal glands. In addition to adrenaline and noradrenaline the adrenal glands make cortisol, DHEA. During times of stress healthy adrenal glands make more cortisol and DHEA along with noradrenaline to prepare us to deal with the crisis.
The problem arises when our lives are filled with stress, causing our adrenal glands to constantly produce hormones in response. During periods of high stress, the adrenal response can become exaggerated, leading to the overproduction of cortisol, DHEA, and noradrenaline. This excessive response often leads to anxiety, insomnia, loss of libido and weight gain. If the stress continues the adrenal gland’s response will drop off and there will be insufficient cortisol, DHEA and noradrenaline. This insufficiency leads to depression, fatigue, lethargy, and indifference.
Often to treat depression without medication, fixing the adrenal glands is a necessity. You can get more information on fixing adrenal problems in this article:
Adrenal Fatigue can make you FAT, TIRED, LIBIDO-LESS, CONSTIPATED AND SICK.
6. Diet
If you want to fix depression without medication you MUST eat right. Generally, diets high in carbohydrates and low in fats are a recipe for depression! Here’s the deal, I think everyone would agree that eating processed, high in sugar junk food is not good for you and will lead to lots of health problems including depression. I think it would surprise a lot of people to find out that eating a “healthy” low fat high carbohydrate diet the government and medical experts have been promoting create the perfect biochemical foundation for depression.
There are several problems with eating this way. The first problem with a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrates is that blood sugar is going to up and down all day. Blood sugar that yo-yos all day not only makes a person feel depressed but contributes to weight gain, mental fog and fatigue to name a few problems. A poor diet will lead to deficiencies. When a body starts to run low on things like magnesium, zinc, vanadium, vitamin D, B12, folate and essential fatty acids it’s just a matter of time until a person will likely become depressed.
Fixing depression without medication will always require eating a nutrient dense diet high in healthy fats. Sometimes testing is needed to determine if there are dire nutrient needs.
Check Out My Video Below:
It is possible to fix and treat depression without medication!
Depression is not a drug deficiency problem. I hope this information offers hope if you suffer from depression and aren’t satisfied with pharmaceutical treatments.
Please share your comments and questions. If you’re ready to uncover the root of your depression, contact me, and let’s start finding answers.
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