News from Hope Naturopathic Clinic

We have recently developed two Healing Pathways:

Depression to Happiness

Anxiety to Calm

You can visit the website to see how we can help you or someone you care about recover. Because everyone is individual, we tailor these pathways to suit you. Here's some information and some things you might like to try. If you feel like you still need some support and guidance, we'd love to help you.

Here's Anna's experience:

Are the Blues Getting you Down?
· Have you been feeling sad or unhappy?
· Are you finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning?
· Do you feel like you just can't face another day?
· Do you burst into tears at the smallest thing?
· Have you noticed that lately, friends and family are avoiding
you or walking on egg shells around you?
Occasional Low Moods are Normal Whilst it is normal to feel like this occasionally, there are people
whose lives can become engulfed by a constant dark cloud of
negative feelings and low moods. These people may also find
that their mood can affect their appetite, sleeping patterns and
general health.
Many People Strugg le with Low Moods The heart breaking news is that, today, there are at least one
million people in Australia that have been diagnosed with a
mood disorder. The good news is that natural therapies may
provide some options for you if you are struggling with low
moods.
What Affects our Moods?
It seems that the world today is so much busier; many of us are
working longer hours and not spending enough time looking
after ourselves. Throw in financial problems and relationship
issues and it's easy to see how our emotions can become
affected. However, did you know that other things such as
our diet, being overweight, hormonal imbalances and even
chronic pain can contribute to the spiral of sadness? These
things can upset the delicate chemical balance within our
brains, so it is essential to address these factors if you have
mood problems. Fortunately, our clinic may bring you back
into balance with a range of well researched management
programs and nutritional and herbal medicines designed
to address mood disorders, and may help to resolve any
driving factors.
Lift ing the Dark Clouds
When it comes to helping people maintain their moods,
we believe quite strongly that one shoe doesn't fit all;
this is why we manage each person individually. We
use a number of well researched natural medicines
that may be very effective for helping people with low
moods. They can also help to correct imbalances in your neurotransmitters or 'brain chemicals'.
This may help to improve anxiety, irritability and that overwhelming
chocolate or sweet craving that you get when you are sad!
Some herbs may be particularly useful if you suffer digestive upsets associated with stress such as nausea, burping or pain. They may also be good if you have excessive mucous secretion associated with stress.
In fact, scientific studies have shown that it can help to regulate many of our 'feel good' neurotransmitters,such as serotonin and dopamine. In doing so, it may help improve mental health.
The Importance of Good Diet and Regular Exercise
As well as Natural Medicines, it is important that we look at your diet
and lifestyle. Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate the
effect that stress and low moods has on your body. At this clinic we
have a number of dietary and exercise plans that we can advise you
on to help you eat well and feel better, creating a lasting change and
true wellness.
Other Important Management Strategies
Other recommendations we could discuss to help you better manage
your moods include the following:
· Counselling: Counselling is offered by various types of mental
health professionals. Counselling and therapy have proven benefits
in reduction of mood symptoms and improvement in overall mental
health and attitude.
· Relaxation techniques: There are many ways to use structured
relaxation techniques to help control stress and improve physical
and mental wellbeing.
· Meditation: Meditation is one of the most popular techniques to
achieve physical and mental relaxation.
· Support systems: People with strong social support systems
experience fewer physical and emotional upsets than their lessconnected
counterparts. Loved ones, friends, business associates,
neighbours, and even pets may all be part of your support network.
Developing strong social support networks can help you cope with
sadness and low moods.
· Life goals: Having a firm purpose in life is associated with the
tendency to have less anxiety and a lower incidence of depression.
If you, or somebody you know, is feeling down, then it is a good idea
to make an appointment. This clinic may offer you real solutions to
help improve your mood and overall wellbeing.