Fish Oil and Depression - Can Fish Oil Cure Depression?

There have been numerous studies conducted to prove the relationship between fish oil and depression, and so far the results have been quite encouraging. Depression is nothing new; it is in fact a normal occurrence in one's life, an expected reaction when unfortunate circumstances happen. There are indeed periods in your life when you would get depressed. Even the most mundane things can get you depressed, and that's still pretty okay as long as the reasons are deemed justifiable, but when your depressed state persists for a long time and when it already affects your state of mind and general well being, like when you are having one sleepless night to another, panic attacks, losing weight, and so on, you could already be suffering from manic depression. In such a case, medical attention may be required.

Lithium is the drug of choice for manic depression. Unfortunately, while it has been found effective, it does not come without annoying reactions such as tremors and weight gain. So scientists and health experts are looking into other alternative means so as to reduce one's dependence on drugs, and it looks like fish oil can be a possible treatment for this kind of problem. The oil from fish contains essential fatty acids, you see, which are believed to boost brain health, and stabilize the actions of the nerve cells, working in almost the same way as the anticonvulsant lithium.

These essential fatty acids in fish come in the form of Omega-3. Omega 3, as you know, is related to heart health as well, which makes its inclusion in the diet not just important but required. The thing is, it's not recommended that you eat fish every day, because of the presence of toxins in many varieties of fish. Besides, not every person glory in the thought of eating fish. So bank on other rich sources of Omega-3 such as flaxseed oil, olive oil, as well as green and leafy vegetables and yellow vegetables; make sure you get a good amount of these in your diet. Also, taking dietary supplements may be worth considering.

Word about the possible relationship between fish oil and depression gets around pretty quickly, encouraging manufactures to formulate products containing fish oil in the form of supplements. This supplement have already been processed so you can be assured that these are no longer contaminated with toxins. It has to be emphasized, however, that you should not take the supplements on your own, more so if you are already into some other anti-depression therapy. You cannot simply stop taking your current medications and replace them with fish oil supplements.

The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor about fish oil and the role of Omega-3. Manic depression is a condition that should not be taken lightly, and self-medication is never advisable in such a circumstance. Your doctor knows how much dosage of fish supplement you need to take.

Stocking up on the essential knowledge about fish oil and depression can help you on your way to recovery.