Post by Admin on Aug 15, 2014 20:22:56 GMT -5
The Robin Williams tragedy has brought the topic of depression into the highlight this week.
I thought perhaps these excerpts on this topic from my book might help somebody out there that may be having some depression and anxiety issues .....
Mood Enhancement & Offsetting Depression
Over 19 million people in the United States and an estimated 121 million worldwide suffer some degree of constant anxiety or outright depression.
Traditionally the treatment for anxiety and depression has been a combination of psychological counseling and the use of various classes of antidepressant medications.
While there is no doubt a percentage of severe depression cases and anxiety that require extensive use of therapy and medications, an increasing number of recent studies indicate we are overprescribing patients when other treatments may be just as effective and possibly more desirable.
A number of university and clinical studies have shown a combination of exercise, dietary changes, and supplementation to be just as effective as drugs in a large number of patients suffering from depression.
Also of interest is the fact that the benefits in many cases appear to be longer lasting.
The Effect of Exercise on Depression Symptoms
Following a study that demonstrated 30 minutes of brisk exercise three times a week is just as effective as drug treatment in relieving the symptoms of major depression over the short term, Duke University researchers took their research further to show that continued exercise greatly reduces the chances of depression returning.
The original Duke study focused on 156 older patients diagnosed with major depression, who after 16 weeks of routine exercise showed statistically significant improvement relative to those who took anti-depression medications, or those who took the medication and exercised.
The newer study, which followed the same participants for an additional six months, found those patients who continued to exercise after completing the initial trial were less likely to see their depression symptoms return than the other patients.
Only 8 percent of patients in the exercise group had their depression return, while 38 percent of the drug-only group and 31 percent of the exercise-plus-drug group relapsed.
Duke psychologist James Blumenthal, who published the results of the study in the October 2000 issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine remarked … "The important conclusion is that the effectiveness of exercise seems to persist over time, and that patients who respond well to exercise and maintain their exercise have a much smaller risk of relapsing,"
Blumenthal goes on to explain …"We found that there was an inverse relationship between exercise and the risk of relapsing. The more one exercised, the less likely one would see their depressive symptoms return.
For each 50 minute increment of exercise, there was an associated 50 percent reduction in relapse.”
"Findings from these studies indicate that a modest exercise program is an effective and robust treatment for patients with major depression," he continued.
"And if these motivated patients continue with their exercise, they have a much better chance of not seeing their depression return."
One unexpected observation from the study was the fact that the group of patients who took the medication and exercised did not respond as well as those who only exercised.
Blumenthal comments …"We had assumed that exercise and medication together would have had an additive effect, but this turned out not to be the case".
"While we don't know the reasons for this, some of the participants were disappointed when they found out they were randomized to the exercise and medication group. To some extent, this 'anti-medication' sentiment may have played a role by making patients less excited or enthused about their combined exercise and medication program."
He theorized that exercise may be beneficial because patients are actually taking an active role in their own recovery.
"Simply taking a pill is very passive." he said.
"Patients who exercised may have felt a greater sense of mastery over their condition and gained a greater sense of accomplishment. They may have felt more self-confident and competent because they were able to do it themselves, and attributed their improvement to their ability to exercise."
“Once patients start feeling better, they tend to exercise more, which makes them feel even better.” Blumenthal said.
Researchers used the anti-depressant Zoloft. This is commonly prescribed anti-depressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
Blumenthal was careful to emphasize that the study did not include patients who were acutely suicidal or had been diagnosed with severe psychotic depression.
The subjects who participated in the study were people who desired to find a cure for their depression symptoms and were motivated to faithfully follow the regimens suggested by the research team.
While the Duke University studies are encouraging, the researchers seemed to be left with the impression that the benefits of exercise were largely psychological due to a feeling of self empowerment and control experienced by the patients.
Similar studies conducted at Hull University, the Mayo Clinic and by other independent researchers theorize that the relief of depression symptoms brought about by regular exercise is possibly the result of actual biological factors in addition to the self-efficacy observed by Duke Researchers.
As of the writing of this book, the most prominent theories as to how physical activity dramatically reduces anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms are as follows…
Thermogenic Hypothesis
The thermogenic hypothesis contends that an increase in core body temperature following exercise causes a reduction in symptoms of depression. Increases in temperature of specific brain regions leads to a feeling of relaxation and reduction in muscular tension. This effect seems to be most powerful on anxiety as opposed to outright depression symptoms.
This phenomenon may also help explain the beneficial effects of warm baths and saunas on people’s emotional state.
Endorphin Hypothesis
This hypothesis focuses on the increased release of endorphins following exercise and their positive effect on depression symptoms. Endorphins are related to a positive mood and enhance an overall enhanced sense of well-being.
Monoamine Hypothesis
The monoamine hypothesis currently appears to be the most promising of the proposed biological mechanisms. This hypothesis states that exercise leads to an increase of brain neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals are normally lowered in patients suffering with depression. Animal studies indicate that exercise increases serotonin and norepinephrine in vital brain regions. Thus far, human studies have not been conducted due to the difficulty and dangers of performing these clinical tests on people.
The three preceding theories focus on the possible biological explanations for exercise’s effects on anxiety and depression symptoms.
The following two (2) theories indicate a psychological cause as noted by the Duke researchers in their studies.
Distraction Hypothesis
The distraction hypothesis suggests that physical activity serves as a distraction from worries and depressing thoughts. The use of distracting activities is a common treatment device in psychological practice today and has been shown to have better results on the management of depression symptoms when compared to more introspective activities like keeping diaries or journals.
Self-Efficacy Hypothesis
Self-efficacy refers to the belief that one possesses the needed skills to complete a task as well as the confidence the task can indeed be done with a high expectation of success.
Depressed people often feel helpless to bring about positive changes in their lives and thus have difficulty coping with the symptoms of their depression. This can lead to negative self esteem, prolonged introspections, and a vicious cycle of negative ruminations. These individuals often fall prey to over-analyzing and reliving bad experiences in their minds. This cycle usually ends up producing a warped perception and unrealistic style of thinking. It is now commonly believed exercise may provide an effective means through which a person can attain a more positive feeling of self mastery.
As can be seen, the effectiveness of regular physical activity on depression symptoms is not in question, even if the reasons for the observed benefits are not fully understood.
The important thing for us to keep in mind is that almost all recent research studies have been consistent in their observations and conclusions.
Routine rigorous exercise 3-4 times per week is as effective as medications for a large percentage of depression patients.
The Effect of Diet and Supplementation on Depression Symptoms
Regular physical activity and exercise is only one of the natural ways that have been demonstrated to have a positive effect in battling anxiety and depression.
Foods high in unhealthy fats as well as large amounts of sugars and caffeine have been shown to increase symptoms of anxiety.
Conversely, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, amino acids and antioxidants have been clinically shown to decrease anxiety and depression.
This may help explain why depression is 60 times more common in New Zealand for example than Japan.
Japanese tend to eat 4-10 times as much fish as many other developed countries around the world.
Interestingly enough, studies have shown an almost perfect correlation between the amounts of seafood consumed each year and depression symptoms.
Those countries with the highest fish consumption repeatedly demonstrate a lower incidence of depression in their society.
In addition to dietary factors, certain health supplements have been shown to offer relief from the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The most common and documented of these include St. Johns Wort, L-Theanine, Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules (for those not fond of eating fish), SAMe, Vitamin D and Evening Primrose Oil among others.
We will look more closely at these dietary factors and supplement suggestions in future chapters.
Both sample diets and guidelines for proper supplementation will be outlined in full detail.
The important fact to keep in mind at this stage is that many people suffering from anxiety and depression, MIGHT be among those who can benefit from lifestyle, diet, and supplementation changes.
These changes might be able to help them reduce or eliminate a total reliance on medications to deal with their symptoms and enjoy each day with more enthusiasm.
Depression and Anxiety
Almost 12% of Americans take some form of medication for depression.
Worldwide, the pharmaceutical sales of antidepressant medications now exceed $20 billion per year.
Most alarming, is a recent report that disclosed antidepressant use has skyrocketed 400% since the late 1980s.
What has changed over the past 30 years?
Are people less happy today -or- have we developed an overreliance on pills in our modern society?
Depression and anxiety can be very serious problems for those who suffer from these conditions.
It is far beyond the scope of this book to discuss this topic in any depth.
I do however wish to make the reader aware of research and case studies conducted by Doctor Stephen S. Ilardi, PhD.
In his book “The Depression Cure”, Dr. Ilardi outlines a 6-step program he has used in his own practice.
Among his study patients, the rate of favorable response has been substantially greater than that seen with people who only follow a traditional antidepressant medication treatment.
Briefly summarized, Dr. Ilardi’s treatment includes the following …
Omega-3 supplementation (1000mg EPA / 500mg DHA daily)
Vitamin D supplementation (2000 IU daily)
Multivitamin supplementation
Vitamin C (500 mg daily)
Evening Primrose Oil (500 mg weekly)
Sunlight Exposure
Vigorous Physical Exercise at least 3 days per week
Positive Socialization
Adequate Sleep
Learning to Break the Internal Mental Rumination Cycle
Engage in distracting activities that force mental concentration
In addition to the suggestions offered above, other supplements that have proven beneficial to many individuals dealing with mild depression, panic attacks and anxiety include …
St. Johns Wort
SAM-e
L-Theanine
I would never encourage a person suffering from depression and anxiety to avoid professional medical treatment.
I only make mention of this research and its promising results for those who may wish to further investigate possible options.
For the individual just experiencing their first minor waves of anxiety or depression, various lifestyle changes may prove helpful.
For people feeling medication alone is not helping them with their existing conditions, there might be some helpful information to be discovered by reading the works of doctors and researchers like Dr. Ilardi.
I would encourage the reader currently dealing with depression or anxiety issues to discuss these ideas with their own doctor to see if a synergistic approach might prove more effective.
There is one last consideration to keep in mind.
Supplements like St. Johns Wort can cause interactions with some prescription medications.
Likewise, St. Johns Wort is also known to increase sensitivity to sunlight.
For this reason, it is advisable to fully research any new supplement you may wish to include in your daily regimen.
Although a certain supplement may have a good track record for helping others, your own allergies and medical history could produce different results.
I thought perhaps these excerpts on this topic from my book might help somebody out there that may be having some depression and anxiety issues .....
Mood Enhancement & Offsetting Depression
Over 19 million people in the United States and an estimated 121 million worldwide suffer some degree of constant anxiety or outright depression.
Traditionally the treatment for anxiety and depression has been a combination of psychological counseling and the use of various classes of antidepressant medications.
While there is no doubt a percentage of severe depression cases and anxiety that require extensive use of therapy and medications, an increasing number of recent studies indicate we are overprescribing patients when other treatments may be just as effective and possibly more desirable.
A number of university and clinical studies have shown a combination of exercise, dietary changes, and supplementation to be just as effective as drugs in a large number of patients suffering from depression.
Also of interest is the fact that the benefits in many cases appear to be longer lasting.
The Effect of Exercise on Depression Symptoms
Following a study that demonstrated 30 minutes of brisk exercise three times a week is just as effective as drug treatment in relieving the symptoms of major depression over the short term, Duke University researchers took their research further to show that continued exercise greatly reduces the chances of depression returning.
The original Duke study focused on 156 older patients diagnosed with major depression, who after 16 weeks of routine exercise showed statistically significant improvement relative to those who took anti-depression medications, or those who took the medication and exercised.
The newer study, which followed the same participants for an additional six months, found those patients who continued to exercise after completing the initial trial were less likely to see their depression symptoms return than the other patients.
Only 8 percent of patients in the exercise group had their depression return, while 38 percent of the drug-only group and 31 percent of the exercise-plus-drug group relapsed.
Duke psychologist James Blumenthal, who published the results of the study in the October 2000 issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine remarked … "The important conclusion is that the effectiveness of exercise seems to persist over time, and that patients who respond well to exercise and maintain their exercise have a much smaller risk of relapsing,"
Blumenthal goes on to explain …"We found that there was an inverse relationship between exercise and the risk of relapsing. The more one exercised, the less likely one would see their depressive symptoms return.
For each 50 minute increment of exercise, there was an associated 50 percent reduction in relapse.”
"Findings from these studies indicate that a modest exercise program is an effective and robust treatment for patients with major depression," he continued.
"And if these motivated patients continue with their exercise, they have a much better chance of not seeing their depression return."
One unexpected observation from the study was the fact that the group of patients who took the medication and exercised did not respond as well as those who only exercised.
Blumenthal comments …"We had assumed that exercise and medication together would have had an additive effect, but this turned out not to be the case".
"While we don't know the reasons for this, some of the participants were disappointed when they found out they were randomized to the exercise and medication group. To some extent, this 'anti-medication' sentiment may have played a role by making patients less excited or enthused about their combined exercise and medication program."
He theorized that exercise may be beneficial because patients are actually taking an active role in their own recovery.
"Simply taking a pill is very passive." he said.
"Patients who exercised may have felt a greater sense of mastery over their condition and gained a greater sense of accomplishment. They may have felt more self-confident and competent because they were able to do it themselves, and attributed their improvement to their ability to exercise."
“Once patients start feeling better, they tend to exercise more, which makes them feel even better.” Blumenthal said.
Researchers used the anti-depressant Zoloft. This is commonly prescribed anti-depressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
Blumenthal was careful to emphasize that the study did not include patients who were acutely suicidal or had been diagnosed with severe psychotic depression.
The subjects who participated in the study were people who desired to find a cure for their depression symptoms and were motivated to faithfully follow the regimens suggested by the research team.
While the Duke University studies are encouraging, the researchers seemed to be left with the impression that the benefits of exercise were largely psychological due to a feeling of self empowerment and control experienced by the patients.
Similar studies conducted at Hull University, the Mayo Clinic and by other independent researchers theorize that the relief of depression symptoms brought about by regular exercise is possibly the result of actual biological factors in addition to the self-efficacy observed by Duke Researchers.
As of the writing of this book, the most prominent theories as to how physical activity dramatically reduces anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms are as follows…
Thermogenic Hypothesis
The thermogenic hypothesis contends that an increase in core body temperature following exercise causes a reduction in symptoms of depression. Increases in temperature of specific brain regions leads to a feeling of relaxation and reduction in muscular tension. This effect seems to be most powerful on anxiety as opposed to outright depression symptoms.
This phenomenon may also help explain the beneficial effects of warm baths and saunas on people’s emotional state.
Endorphin Hypothesis
This hypothesis focuses on the increased release of endorphins following exercise and their positive effect on depression symptoms. Endorphins are related to a positive mood and enhance an overall enhanced sense of well-being.
Monoamine Hypothesis
The monoamine hypothesis currently appears to be the most promising of the proposed biological mechanisms. This hypothesis states that exercise leads to an increase of brain neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals are normally lowered in patients suffering with depression. Animal studies indicate that exercise increases serotonin and norepinephrine in vital brain regions. Thus far, human studies have not been conducted due to the difficulty and dangers of performing these clinical tests on people.
The three preceding theories focus on the possible biological explanations for exercise’s effects on anxiety and depression symptoms.
The following two (2) theories indicate a psychological cause as noted by the Duke researchers in their studies.
Distraction Hypothesis
The distraction hypothesis suggests that physical activity serves as a distraction from worries and depressing thoughts. The use of distracting activities is a common treatment device in psychological practice today and has been shown to have better results on the management of depression symptoms when compared to more introspective activities like keeping diaries or journals.
Self-Efficacy Hypothesis
Self-efficacy refers to the belief that one possesses the needed skills to complete a task as well as the confidence the task can indeed be done with a high expectation of success.
Depressed people often feel helpless to bring about positive changes in their lives and thus have difficulty coping with the symptoms of their depression. This can lead to negative self esteem, prolonged introspections, and a vicious cycle of negative ruminations. These individuals often fall prey to over-analyzing and reliving bad experiences in their minds. This cycle usually ends up producing a warped perception and unrealistic style of thinking. It is now commonly believed exercise may provide an effective means through which a person can attain a more positive feeling of self mastery.
As can be seen, the effectiveness of regular physical activity on depression symptoms is not in question, even if the reasons for the observed benefits are not fully understood.
The important thing for us to keep in mind is that almost all recent research studies have been consistent in their observations and conclusions.
Routine rigorous exercise 3-4 times per week is as effective as medications for a large percentage of depression patients.
The Effect of Diet and Supplementation on Depression Symptoms
Regular physical activity and exercise is only one of the natural ways that have been demonstrated to have a positive effect in battling anxiety and depression.
Foods high in unhealthy fats as well as large amounts of sugars and caffeine have been shown to increase symptoms of anxiety.
Conversely, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, amino acids and antioxidants have been clinically shown to decrease anxiety and depression.
This may help explain why depression is 60 times more common in New Zealand for example than Japan.
Japanese tend to eat 4-10 times as much fish as many other developed countries around the world.
Interestingly enough, studies have shown an almost perfect correlation between the amounts of seafood consumed each year and depression symptoms.
Those countries with the highest fish consumption repeatedly demonstrate a lower incidence of depression in their society.
In addition to dietary factors, certain health supplements have been shown to offer relief from the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The most common and documented of these include St. Johns Wort, L-Theanine, Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules (for those not fond of eating fish), SAMe, Vitamin D and Evening Primrose Oil among others.
We will look more closely at these dietary factors and supplement suggestions in future chapters.
Both sample diets and guidelines for proper supplementation will be outlined in full detail.
The important fact to keep in mind at this stage is that many people suffering from anxiety and depression, MIGHT be among those who can benefit from lifestyle, diet, and supplementation changes.
These changes might be able to help them reduce or eliminate a total reliance on medications to deal with their symptoms and enjoy each day with more enthusiasm.
Depression and Anxiety
Almost 12% of Americans take some form of medication for depression.
Worldwide, the pharmaceutical sales of antidepressant medications now exceed $20 billion per year.
Most alarming, is a recent report that disclosed antidepressant use has skyrocketed 400% since the late 1980s.
What has changed over the past 30 years?
Are people less happy today -or- have we developed an overreliance on pills in our modern society?
Depression and anxiety can be very serious problems for those who suffer from these conditions.
It is far beyond the scope of this book to discuss this topic in any depth.
I do however wish to make the reader aware of research and case studies conducted by Doctor Stephen S. Ilardi, PhD.
In his book “The Depression Cure”, Dr. Ilardi outlines a 6-step program he has used in his own practice.
Among his study patients, the rate of favorable response has been substantially greater than that seen with people who only follow a traditional antidepressant medication treatment.
Briefly summarized, Dr. Ilardi’s treatment includes the following …
Omega-3 supplementation (1000mg EPA / 500mg DHA daily)
Vitamin D supplementation (2000 IU daily)
Multivitamin supplementation
Vitamin C (500 mg daily)
Evening Primrose Oil (500 mg weekly)
Sunlight Exposure
Vigorous Physical Exercise at least 3 days per week
Positive Socialization
Adequate Sleep
Learning to Break the Internal Mental Rumination Cycle
Engage in distracting activities that force mental concentration
In addition to the suggestions offered above, other supplements that have proven beneficial to many individuals dealing with mild depression, panic attacks and anxiety include …
St. Johns Wort
SAM-e
L-Theanine
I would never encourage a person suffering from depression and anxiety to avoid professional medical treatment.
I only make mention of this research and its promising results for those who may wish to further investigate possible options.
For the individual just experiencing their first minor waves of anxiety or depression, various lifestyle changes may prove helpful.
For people feeling medication alone is not helping them with their existing conditions, there might be some helpful information to be discovered by reading the works of doctors and researchers like Dr. Ilardi.
I would encourage the reader currently dealing with depression or anxiety issues to discuss these ideas with their own doctor to see if a synergistic approach might prove more effective.
There is one last consideration to keep in mind.
Supplements like St. Johns Wort can cause interactions with some prescription medications.
Likewise, St. Johns Wort is also known to increase sensitivity to sunlight.
For this reason, it is advisable to fully research any new supplement you may wish to include in your daily regimen.
Although a certain supplement may have a good track record for helping others, your own allergies and medical history could produce different results.