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Depression blog
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April 25, 2009
Blog: Alternative medicine treatments for depression
By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
Alternative medicine is a term that describes alternative approaches to medical issues.
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Over the next few weeks, we will cover several different types of alternative medicine depression treatments. This will not be an exhaustive review of alternative and complementary medicine, but is meant to be a primer on alternative medicine depression treatment. Most importantly, these therapies are not meant to substitute for the treatment plan (taking medications, talk therapy, etc.) you have established with your health care provider. I like the word complement when describing these therapies as they truly complement (or work together) with other depression treatments.
In summary, there is a role for alternative or complementary medicine in the treatment depression, but one should not rely only on alternative or complementary medicine as a depression treatment. There aren't any studies that demonstrate complementary medicine is superior to medications in effectively treating moderate to severe depression. As always, before you begin any new therapy, discuss in detail with your health care provider.
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