Posted by Karen44 on August 6, 2006, at 13:16:17 [reposted on August 8, 2006, at 11:07:07 | original URL]
In reply to Re: Exercise and depression, posted by SFY on August 6, 2006, at 12:36:03
> Though I've exercised regularly for the past few years, I've never noticed anything specifically mood-elevating (i.e., an endorphin rush) from it. But I think it's one thing that helps raise the floor on my depression and keeps the lows manageable.
>
> Even a brisk walk can help as Dr. Ivan Goldberg points out in his tips on recovering from depression:
>
> http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.hints.htmlBefore there was such a thing as antidepressants, one of the things they noticed at Menninger's (and this goes back to the 20's even) is that exercise, working in a garden, going for walks helped patients who were depressed. When I was there in the early 1980's, I was profoundly depressed and did not want to get out of bed. I was on a variety of antidepressan medications until they found Parnate worked - dangerous as I was extremely suicidal at the time and tried to kill myself at times that I was not even aware of what I was doing. In any case, I was told that the best activities for me would be the volleyball activity (okay) and wood chopping - with a sledge hammer and wedge. I hated that activity, but it was so strenuous, it did work to some extent to get the endorphns going. I think in the long run it helped
poster:Karen44
thread:674827
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20060610/msgs/674845.html