Find the best depression cure for you: homeopathy can offer you relief from mild to severe depression. The key to success is finding the remedy that matches your emotional and physical needs

Homeopathic remedies can provide a fast, lasting cure for depression. Part of the reason these natural remedies are so effective is that they match your personality and individual symptoms. For example, the remedy Ignatia uplifts people who become depressed after the death of a loved one. (To see how Ignatia delivered relief to one woman who took part in our annual Reader Makeover, see Carol Meriano's story in "3 Readers, 3 Months, 3 Transformations," page 62.)

Although prescription drugs can also ameliorate depression, they have some shortcomings. Antidepressants do not cure you. In many cases, you're expected to use them for life and risk side effects like insomnia, headaches, and reduced sex drive. And some people taking antidepressants develop dependency and experience withdrawal if they stop taking them.

Homeopathy has none of these problems. Instead of suppressing symptoms, the remedies deliver minuscule amounts of natural substances that are thought to boost your body's healing powers. A person undergoing a bout of depression commonly takes only one to four doses of a homeopathic remedy before experiencing relief. The scores of practitioners I work with as a homeopathic educator have told me repeatedly that administering the correct homeopathic remedy can lift depression within hours and provide lasting relief for their patients.

Most of the evidence supporting the effectiveness of homeopathy for depression is anecdotal. But one groundbreaking study on this subject was published in Alternative Therapies in 1997. Researchers at the Duke Medical Center in Durham, N.C., followed 12 patients with depression or a social phobia who were experiencing mild to severe symptoms. They received homeopathic treatment for seven to 80 weeks. By the end of the study, seven patients, or 58 percent, had responded favorably.

Homeopathic remedies treat all types of depression, but severe depression demands the help of a homeopathic or conventional practitioner. (To find a homeopath, call the National Center for Homeopathy at 877-624-0613 or visit www.homeopathic.org.) Severe depression symptoms include having thoughts of suicide or being unable to experience pleasure most of the day for two weeks straight.

If the depression is not severe, you can treat yourself or a family member with the following homeopathic medicines.

Read the symptom profiles for each of the eight remedies below and put a check mark next to the symptoms that most closely match yours. (The symptoms aren't always directly related to depression. One profile, for example, asks if you crave salt.) Choose the remedy with the most check marks. If you find that several depression types seem to fit, pick the type whose symptoms you feel most strongly. For dosage, see "What to Take, What to Expect," at left.

Do You Sob Inconsolably? Try Natrum Muriaticum

If you can't be consoled when you feel depressed and you have many of the symptoms listed below, consider Natrum muriaticum.

* You try not to cry, but when you do, you sob. * You feel betrayed or disappointed by a person you trust. * You withdraw when you feel depressed. * You dwell on grievances or disagreeable situations from the past. * You have had inadequate bonding with your mother or father (or both) or feel a lack of nurturing from them. * You feel depressed prior to or during menstruation. * You crave salt. * You feel worse during hot weather.

Are You a Type A Personality? Try Aurum Metallicum

If you are an ambitious, competent person who becomes depressed when you begin to perform poorly, consider Aurum metallicum if you also have most of the symptoms listed below.

* You are serious, aloof, hard-driving, intimidating, and arrogant. * You have lost your creativity. O Everything in your life seems to be going downhill. * You feel worthless. * You've become despondent about everything. * You are easily offended and feel humiliated when criticized. * You are oversensitive to noise and light. * You have head pain that is worse at night. * You have high blood pressure and possible heart disease. * Your physical and emotional symptoms worsen at night. * In extreme cases, you think of suicide or have attempted it. (If this last symptom describes you, seek professional medical and mental health care immediately.)

Have You Been Humiliated? Try Staphysagria

If you became depressed because of an insult or loss of pride and have many of the symptoms listed below, consider Staphysagria.

* You try to maintain your dignity despite being beaten down by another (or others). * You try not to lose control of situations. * You are easily offended. * Your depression comes after a bout of anger. * You may tremble when you feel strong emotions. * You have strong sexual desires but try to keep them in control (which may lead you to think a lot about sex). * You pity yourself.

Do You Need to Be Hugged? Try Pulsatilla

If you crave being hugged when you're depressed (and people like to hug you), and you also have many of the symptoms below, consider Pulsatilla.