My Depression ExperienceFrom Joy to Sorrow in a Matter of MomentsI’m a scientist by training. Back in 1977, I was doing work I loved at a national laboratory. Specifically, I was determining which algae lived in a freshwater lake and how many there were of each type. This involved looking through the microscope and identifying single-celled organisms, counting them, and then figuring out how to display the results in an interesting and meaningful way. This may not be everyone’s ideal job, but I just loved doing it. So there I was, both eyes glued to the two eyepieces of the microscope, consciously saying to myself “Everything is working out so well. I am doing work I really love, the kids are healthy & happy and so is my husband.” And then I noticed I was crying – tears were blurring my vision and running down my face. The strangest part was they weren’t tears of joy. I had gone from knowing everything was great to deep sadness in the space of a few minutes. What was going on here? And why was I crying? 
Depression Connected to Other Health IssuesWell, that was the first hint that depression was in my future. Soon after that incident, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, to which I attributed the depression. The two are known to sometimes occur together. I solved the hypoglycemia by changing the way I ate: by cutting out sugar and most grains and having a protein-containing snack between meals. I got the hypoglycemia under control, but the depression came back all by itself.Twenty Years of DepressionIt was not a permanent feature of my life but would come and go, sometimes lasting weeks or even months. It took the joy out of life. I could feel it drag me down, so that the things that used to give me a little glow just didn’t anymore. Nothing seemed worth the effort, so although I kept doing my job and taking care of my family, it was only a bare bones effort. I didn’t do anything extra when I was depressed. This on-again, off-again depression went on for almost 20 years.A Chemical Imbalance?As I mentioned, I’m a scientist by training, a biologist, and so I wonder continually about cause and effect. If depression comes, where does it come from? If it disappears, why did it go? What was so noticeable to me was the lack of a reason for the depression. It just appeared, having nothing to do with what was going on in my life, although often I could find things that I was unhappy about. If I hadn’t had that crying jag at the microscope that day, I probably would have attributed the depression to troubles in my life. However, since I knew depression could appear without apparent cause, the only explanation I could find was a chemical imbalance. What could cause that?I know that the human body is very good at maintaining the status quo as long as it has the raw materials to work with. This made me wonder if perhaps I wasn’t providing the right raw materials in the form of food. What other raw materials does the body get besides food, air, and water? This had been the source with hypoglycemia, why not depression also? The Need for ResolutionI realized the depression was getting worse when I noticed one evening that I was planning, in a very practical way, how I would kill myself when the time came. Once I noticed what I was thinking, I was appalled! I called the mental health professional I’d seen a couple of times earlier and said “Don’t let me stop seeing you until we solve this!” I was scared!Twice this happened, and the first time I found that by eliminating coffee, the depression went away. The second time, some serious reading led me to take the amino acid l-tyrosine which is part of all proteins. That also stopped the depression. This told me that food could really influence it, but I felt that I hadn’t found the final answer. Depression was still an on-again, off-again presence in my life. Natural Help for DepressionThen in May, 1995 I started taking a supplement that did away with the depression altogether. It’s been fifteen years since then and the depression has only come back once – and that was the only time that I stopped taking this supplement. It took one and a half months to reappear, but as soon as I started taking the supplement again, the depression disappeared.The supplement that helped me so much turned out to be algae – a species of algae that grows wild and is fairly easily harvested, freeze-dried, and put into capsules. I was thrilled! The organisms I already loved were the solution to this problem! I wanted – and still want – to tell the world about it! To Order or Learn MoreI welcome your contacting me about this very special form of algae that specifically feeds the brain and nervous system. I'll be happy to coach you as you start to use the products and feel their effects.Return from My Story to Home page.
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