I was at a dinner party recently and one of the gentleman there made a comment about his depression. He says that if he feels an onset of depression, he'll eat a lot of spicey foods for a few days and the depression usually goes away. Has anyone else heard of this?

I checked online and appararently they're saying Saffron is good for this purpose.
http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=44943

Anyone?

Hey mis jes!

Yep..heard of that..in fact around my home our saying is: FOOD IS LIFE!

We all do beleive that you have to learn to listen to your body...and to a certain extent ...you will crave things you need. For example....we will crave super hot foods for a while....usually when we are starting to get sick....and then come to find out that the chiles we use are packed with 3x the vitamin C of oranges, plus antioxidants!! Do I even have to get started on Garlic?

yes,...What you eat DOES very much affect your mental as well as physical health.

Read or watch "Like Water for Choocolate" LOL

Well I know that food has a huge role with our mental well being but I didn't realize spicey foods in particular can help depressive symptoms.

I also know that often, the foods we crave are the foods are bodies are actually sensitive towards .. but I guess in what you're saying, it works sporadic. (ie: suddenly craving oranges when we're coming down with a cold)

I knew about the chilies and vitamin C. I love hot peppers so it's actually a treat to load up on vitamin C when needed, or even not needed.

Interesting read about the foods/spices and helping depression. Something I will look more into since I'm dealing with it in my daughter in a big way. Actually some know that I've been going through it for a couple years now and thought everything was getting better. Last year it got to the point that we went to 8 months of counseling twice a week, and about a month after being off anti-depressants that lasted 6 months of prozac, then weened off half dose for another month she fell hard again. About a week in the hospital this time on a psych hold, partly implemented by me and partly the doctor. Just part of the he!! going on around here recently and why I've been so scarce. She's doing much better again now, back on meds, me wishing that it didn't take medicating to accomplish that....but yeah, it beats what it turned into after being off of them.
Thanks MJ for the post

Plenty more going on all at the same time, but I'll be alright....eventually

Sorry Don, I didn't see your reply post until now

Come to think of it, that man I was referring to DID mention about the chili peppers .. he loads them up when he's feeling down and it works well for him. I'll have to remember that.

There's nothing wrong in using medicine if it works well. Who's to say it has to be a permanent thing anyway? It seems as if you've tried other options as well so there's no need to feel guilty for doing exactly what you feel is best for your daughter right now. I'm not exactly FOR meds but if I maximized all other options first and my son's safety was at risk, you BET I'd medicate him as well. Don't be hard on yourself!