Lifestyle Choices and Mental Health
A healthy lifestyle can promote mental health and reduce mental problems. A study of German and Chinese students published in 2018 evaluated a broad range of lifestyle choices to enhance mental well-being. In this and other studies, physical activity was a crucial lifestyle habit for positive mental health, while smoking was correlated to mental health problems.
One Size Does Not Fit All
People struggling with depression and anxiety commonly receive mental healthcare based on a traditional or allopathic medical model. This means everyone gets the same treatment; a psychiatric diagnosis, a prescription of psychotropic medications, and talk therapy. The medical-disease model of distress can result in frustration, alienation, and feelings of hopelessness among young adults.
Research shows young adults have a preference for alternative holistic options that are tailored to the individual. A drug-free mental healthcare study of mood-related distress in young adults was started in 2018. It includes education, peer support, nutrition and lifestyle counseling, and recreation-based social networking, and grew around the idea that what really matters for mental health includes self-care, feeling heard and validated, connection and support, self-exploration, activity, and empowerment.
Homeopathy for Mental Health
Homeopathy is a holistic approach that harnesses the body’s natural self-healing abilities. A review of studies on homeopathy for mental health which was published in 2019 showed promising results. Improved levels of mental health in cases of depression, anxiety and mood disorders, OCD and sleep disorders were found, with no harmful side-effects.
Another study on the effects of homeopathy in eating disorders conducted in 2016 showed a decrease in severity and frequency of binging, along with concurrent improvements in general health. Still another study on the effects of homeopathic medicine on anxiety and depression published in 2014 showed statistically significant reduction in anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
How we approach a case of mental suffering is a lifestyle choice. Educating people into how a healthy lifestyle can help them during times of stress is key to physical, emotional and mental well-being. Homeopathic medicine works as an adjunct to a healthy and holistic lifestyle.
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