Depression is probably one of the most unpleasant experiences a person can go through. Usually it is much more difficult to endure than a physical illness, yet sufferers are often treated with impatience. They are told bluntly to ‘pull themselves together’. This is the worst possible advice because it is precisely what they are so desperately trying to do – without success.

What is often dismissed as ‘just depression’ is a serious illness which induces feelings of hopelessness leading to a total lack of interest in life and feelings of utter worthlessness.

There are various kinds of depression. The two main ones are endogenous and exogenous. The first results from hormonal and biochemical changes within the body; the second is influenced by outside factors.

It is very often difficult to differentiate between stress, anxiety and depression, because in all of these problems the emotions play a big part. There is no doubt though, that faulty diet – an imbalance of nutrients, vitamins, trace elements and enzymes – plays a major role in any depressive illness.

People with allergies, sensitivities to certain foods and hypoglycaemia, for example, are therefore more susceptible to depression, and it is a proven fact that there can be a quick change for the better in someone who is depressed if dietary supplements are taken and eating habits improved.

Indeed, the first step I usually take in the treatment of depression is to change the diet of the sufferer. The body is so often crying out for vitamins and supplements.

It is always advisable to seek professional help for the treatment of depression and it should always be remembered that it is dangerous to stop taking pills abruptly without the knowledge of the doctor who prescribed them.

I have tried over and over again to explain to people how important it is for them to rediscover a feeling of responsibility for their own bodies and, on this score, I have no doubt that every good doctor or specialist will be only too willing to help sufferers of depression to reduce their drug intake.

I remember the case of a man who, unbelievably, took 60 capsules of a well known drug every day as a treatment for depression. The amount of drugs he was taking shocked me and, after his blood tests were analysed, it was clear that his health, especially his liver, was already in great danger.

I immediately put him onto a special diet and gave him a good dose of vitamin B3. As well as this, I started him on Vogel’s fresh Hypericum extract (St John’s Wort). This enabled me to reduce his intake of drugs by ten capsules a day in the first fortnight of treatment. He was the type of person who was receptive to meditation and I encouraged him to practise this.

He followed my advice and began slowly to regain the confidence he had lost. When I saw him recently he told me he had fully recovered, was back at work and pulling more than his weight.