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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LyndaK on April 4, 2002, at 23:56:31
I don't know if this is going to get redirected to the "Book Club", but it needs to start on this board. It's written by Robert J. Hedaya, M.D. It's pretty basic in what he has to say about nutrition and exercise, but he goes on to explain all the why's behind the recommendations. He also has a bunch of self-tests as a way of determining if you should have additional testing done for
thyroid function, adrenal function, liver function, digestive function, etc. explaining why it's important and how dysfunction may impact how your body is able to (or not able to) utilize the medication(s) you're on. I'm interested in feedback from anyone who has read the book.Lynda
Posted by JohnK on April 5, 2002, at 16:56:56
In reply to The Antidepressant Survival Program, posted by LyndaK on April 4, 2002, at 23:56:31
I started this program somewhat stepwise in the fall of 2000. The program consists of three main components: exercise, nutrition, and spirituality.
I was already exercising aerobically, which had made me better off regarding my depression, while I had been able to lower the dosage of the SSRI medication I was using.
As for the nutrition, it is similar to the diet recommended by "the Zone" (written by Barry Sears) and has you start thinking about the proportions of carbohydrates and proteins in your meals. It also asks you to quit (or at least drastically reduce) sugar, white flour, caffeine, and alcohol.
I followed the nutrition plan pretty seriously (except the caffeine part--I need it to counteract the somnolence I get from SSRIs). Without any kind of starvation, or increase in the amount of exercise I was doing, I lost 10 kgs (22 pounds) in three months. That way I reached my perfect weight (that is, the weight at which I like how my body looks) of 72 kgs, which is what I was weighing before joining the SSRI business.
I also got much more energetic, and I stopped having energy slumps for hours after lunch and other meals.Three months after I started the nutrition part, I joined a meditation class in a Buddhist center in my city. I started meditating at least 20 minutes almost every morning, and that has simply made me another person--much calmer, but also more productive.
I am so incredibly satisfied with my life these days that it's hard to believe it when I remember how I was doing 1.5 years ago.
I hope you will find the program helpful too.
/John
PS: I don't know the author of the book, I don't receive any commission on its sales, and I don't think this program is the only way to reach nirvana. ;-)
Posted by LyndaK on April 5, 2002, at 23:35:14
In reply to Results from The Antidepressant Survival Program » LyndaK, posted by JohnK on April 5, 2002, at 16:56:56
Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad it made a difference for you! Glad, also, to here that it helped you lose weight. I've just started taking Remeron and really scared by all the stories of gaining 20 or more pounds on it. I definitely notice increased appetite and carb. cravings, but trying really hard to not pig out (which really isn't a typical behavior for me anyways). I notice that making sure I'm eating lean forms of protein balanced with complex carbs. helps quell the cravings. I'm still trying to work up the exercise part.
Thanks again for sharing. I'm feeling a little more optomistic.
Lynda
This is the end of the thread.
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