4-29-04 - His patients call it a miracle cure, but an Ardmore doctor isn’t using drugs to treat victims of depression. Dr. Neil Nedley, an MD, uses diet and exercise as part of a homeopathic treatment to get depression sufferers off of anti-depressants and on to better lives.

From Wellbutron to Xanax and Prozac to Paxil, more and more Americans are being prescribed anti-depressants. In fact, since 1990, prescriptions for anti-depressants are up by 800 percent. Experts call it the fastest growing illness in the US that affects at least 1 in 10 Americans – totaling 14 million and counting. And the costs are skyrocketing, from insurance claims to over $44 billion annually in lost productivity.

But since the late 1990’s, Dr Nedley has found success treating hundreds of patients without drugs. He is neither a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist - but over the past year he’s become a rising star in the mental health field. He’s pioneered a revolutionary method of curing depression for focusing on a lifestyle change using diet and exercise. Dr. Nedley says "Our goal is within five to six months, take them off the medicine. If they follow the program we've outlined, there is a 90% chance they'll get off without relapse."

Dr. Nedley looks at everything from a patient's mental history to their genetic history. He factors in their lifestyle and nutrition, but usually develops a different treatment for each patient. Those treatments vary from a drastic change in diet to reading Bible scriptures from Proverbs to stimulate areas of the brain. “We're looking at the root cause, and not just treating symptoms. To me, taking a person with depression and putting them on anti-depressants is like taking a person with swollen feet and diagnosing them with swollen feet syndrome and prescribing a diuretic, without trying to find the cause of the swollen feet,” says Dr. Nedley.

But does it work? So far, hundreds of his patients would attest to the treatment. He's authored a book on the subject and even endorses a nutrition bar, designed to deliver essential nutrients for mental well-being. Specialist in the mental health field don't deny the results of Dr. Nedley's work but say his methods would likely be ineffective in cases of severe depression.

Dr. Nedley's clinic is also somewhat selective in patients. They take their patients on a case by case basis and won't accept a patient unless they are sure that individual is prepared to make some major lifestyle changes.

The doctor will be conducting a depression recovery seminar in Davis from August 15th to September 2nd. For more information, call 580-223-5980.

To learn more about his book, click here