One of the most popular treatments for depression, SSRI antidepressants, is risky, expensive, and not very effective. This has prompted scientists to look for alternatives, and it appears that they have found a good solution: magnesium!
More than 350 million people on our planet suffer from depression, and it affects not only these individuals but also their loved ones. Scientists at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont found promising results after conducting a clinical study on the use of magnesium tablets in patients with depression. Magnesium is important for many of our bodily functions, including our blood pressure, heart rhythm, and bone strength. This over-the-counter mineral also helps combat inflammation in the body and now appears to help with depression as well.
Promising results
In a randomized crossover study involving 126 outpatients receiving primary care, participants with mild to moderate depression were studied for 12 weeks. Some participants received 248 milligrams of magnesium per day for a period of six weeks, followed by six weeks without magnesium. Others received no treatment for six weeks, followed by six weeks of magnesium.
All participants underwent assessments of their depressive symptoms every two weeks. Those who took magnesium noticed clinically significant improvements in anxiety symptoms and the severity of their depression. Participants also scored considerably lower on the depression classification of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 during the period in which they took magnesium. Best of all, they experienced these improvements after just two weeks of magnesium supplementation. Patients of all ages and with varying degrees of depression tolerated the supplements well and experienced similar levels of effectiveness.
Association between magnesium and depression established previously
These results appear to support another study conducted in a Croatian psychiatric hospital. It found that many patients who had died by suicide had suffered from dangerously low magnesium levels. In addition to muscle cramps, tinnitus, migraine, kidney stones, and abnormal heart function, depression is also recognized as one of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
Further research needed
Additional research will need to determine whether a larger and more diverse population produces the same results. It is hoped that magnesium and other safe alternatives may eventually completely replace antidepressants, given their dangerous side effects. Depression is a serious condition, and it is entirely understandable that patients and those around them want to find a way to manage it, but preferably with a natural solution without extremely dangerous risks, right?
Source: NaturalNews.com, ScienceDaily.com