Thursday, July 22, 2010

Depression-This will be a continuing blog

I've been doing a lot of reading about nutrition and the affects of not balancing the right diet and it's astounding how much our diet really affects us without even realizing it. It's a no brainer that 'food is fuel' and our body needs proper nutrition in order to sustain itself. We've all been taught that since we were young and it is drilled into our heads daily, but then why are there still so many health problems in America? We know that diet and exercise controls every function in our daily life, even in our sleep, so then why do we run to doctors when our health begins to worsen? A study done in June 2010 revealed that 100,000 people died from taking prescription drugs, and that is with the patient taking the medicine as directed without error to dosage or pharmaceutical errors. Considering that 100,000 people die from medicine each year, just imagine how many people are surviving but are simply living a lesser quality of life as a result of medication.


One thing that I keep stumbling on is depression, and it's been reoccurring so often lately that I just saw that as a sign to do more research on the matter. I've listened to the advertisements and I've seen the ads for antidepressants, but I'm not buying the hype. I read one article that read that 14 million people in America reported having serious depressive episodes in the last year and 35 million people reported having those same episodes throughout their lifetime so far. 14 million! Wake up people! There is no way that 14 million people in America [that are so absolutely miserable with their lives that they actually are drawn to thoughts of suicide] are leading natural and healthy lifestyles. What the study should've further investigated is how many of those 14 and 35 million people ate whole, natural foods and how many of them exercised regularly, how many of them were on any prescription drugs, how many of them just maybe needed a companion instead of a prescription. There are so many different factors to depression that need to be understood and researched prior to running to a therapist for help. You are led to believe that you 'need' the pill in order to live, but in reality that pill is killing you. In 2000, over $10 billion was spent on antidepressants in that year alone. I've been doing additional reading on the side-effects of prescription drugs and they are often much worse then the disease itself. I randomly chose a popular antidepressant to learn more about the side effects.

Xanax- changes in appetite, loss of sexual desire, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness, trouble concentrating, unsteadiness, and weight gain.

This is only some of the common side-effects, and depression might actually be another side-effect as well. It is not just a side effect of the medication, though. Of course you're going to be depressed when you gain 15 pounds, can't have sex with your partner, are falling behind at work because you can't concentrate, can't play with your kids because you're too tired, and you're pissed off because your tank is backed up but you still can't use the bathroom. Is this a fair trade for 'happiness'?

This is going to be a blog that is going to be forever continuing because it is now something that I've taken personally because I see this as an unnecessary burden on everyone. I called it a disease earlier, but it's only a disease if you allow it to become one. The doctors use that word as a scare tactic to manipulate you into thinking that this is out of your control and that is what made them $10 billion dollars richer in 2000 alone. Just imagine how much they make now by your misfortune...a fortune.

Here are a few tips to beat the blues:

Get plenty of rest.
*Turn off the TV and computer about 2 hours prior to going to sleep so that your mind has the ability to slow itself down.
*Read a good book or magazine to settle your nerves before you lay down.
*Do not eat just before bedtime because your body uses your relaxing time to repair your body's cells and tissues and your metabolism slows to allow for this to occur.

Exercise
*Engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise each day as this will help to create endorphins which will enhance your mood.
*Taking a brisk walk through nature (or any exercise that you do outdoors) has proven to be more uplifting than working out in a gym.
*Find an activity that you enjoy that requires you to be physically active (i.e. sports). Doing something that you enjoy will make it more about fun rather than a workout.

Diet
*Omega 3-rich foods such as walnuts, salmon, and flaxseed are great for preventing and combating depression.

*This list will continue as a separate blog to come later this week along with great recipes that will help to fight depression and other limiting moods.

To be continued....