by Kirby Lindsay, posted 11 November 2013
On Thursday, November 14th, from 6p – 7:30p, at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, Amy Davis, PsyD, and Maeghan Culver, ND, will give tips on ‘Dealing With Depression Naturally.’ A mood disorder that can strike at any time, to anyone, depression can have many causes – and also many effective solutions.
“Not everything is going to work for everyone,” Dr. Davis acknowledged, “It’s really individualistic. We work hard to find what will work for each individual person.”
The Bastyr model of holistic healing takes into account the mind, body and spirit of each patient, as “it’s all together,” Dr. Davis explained. With the team care approach, each individual receives a broad base of potential solutions to their concerns. Dr. Davis, in addition to her work as clinical training advisor to students in the Bastyr Counseling Psychology Masters Program, offers counseling as a potential method to relieve, “suffering that doesn’t need to go on.”
With the ‘Dealing With Depression…’ talk, and all the services at Bastyr, “the important thing I want to stress,” Dr. Davis said, “there is a range of experiences we can help with, there is a lot that we can do. There is always hope.”
‘Normal For Me?’
With the holidays approaching, and the dark encroaching, people may feel quieter, less active, and more blue. At Bastyr, the hope is to help people identify the causes – and address them. In the talk on November 14th, Dr. Davis hopes to give people a guide on, “how to be able to tell, ‘is this something that is normal for me?’ And, ‘do I just have the blues, or is this something I should address?’”
Dr. Davis and Dr. Culver will address the range of depression – from feeling a little blue to the experience of a crippling, chronic problem. Dr. Davis acknowledged that this talk can help those suffering from depression find new solutions, as well as those with loved ones they want to help. “If someone is curious,” Dr. Davis said, “they may want to know, ‘how do I recognize it in my children? In my spouse?’”
Depression can be more apparent to those around the sufferer, particularly as they recognize drastic changes from the typical behaviors – sleep habits, eating, socializing, isolating, and other day-to-day activities. There are ways to help someone with depression, Dr. Davis acknowledged, as “most of us respond really well to being cared for.” She recommended an approach free of judgment, and advice. “We’re all really on safe ground if we express our care and concern for one another,” she explained, “Advice giving does not work.”
Find Natural Solutions
From her experience, and expertize, Dr. Davis wants to help attendees understand the signs of depression, and “help people to be able to tell the difference between clinical depression and anxiety, or lifestyle concerns.” As a naturopathic practitioner, Dr. Culver can give input, and tips, from the doctor side – nutrition, supplements, addressing underlying physical problems, etc.
Dr. Davis can talk to the research about cognitive behavior therapy (CBT,) anti-depressants and exercise in lifting depression. Dr. Culver can speak to the benefits of looking at alcohol, caffeine and sugar intake. Also, “good sleep is so incredibly important to good health,” Dr. Davis observed, and steps to take to create healthier sleep patterns. “There is a lot that we can offer,” Dr. Davis said.
‘Proactive and Helpful’
While not necessarily a mental health facility, Dr. Davis observed that, “we see a wide-range of concerns here.” They don’t expect, however, for patients to come in with specific, or easily identifiable, concerns. “When we look at counseling,” she said, “there doesn’t have to be anything wrong.” Dr. Davis wants to help people feel better, in mind, body and spirit.
“We mean the talk to be proactive and helpful,” Dr. Davis explained, about the ‘Dealing With Depression Naturally’ lecture on November 14th. That can be said of all of the free lectures in the ‘Living Naturally’ series. Given at the Bastyr Clinic on Stone Way, these presentations always share important information, and provided attendees with plenty of opportunities to ask questions, even on specific concerns.
To hear past ‘Living Naturally’ talks – on good sleep, eating seasonally, or a dozen other helpful topics – check out the Bastyr YouTube channel as well. Also, on December 7th from 10:30a – Noon, learn ‘How To Make Healthy Holiday Snacks,’ with Bastyr University students in the Masters Nutrition Program, under the supervision of Kelly Morrow, MS, RD, CD.
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.