This might be obvious but not too obvious.
There are lots of links online about this. Here's an excerpt from an article.
James Blumenthal is a neuroscientist at Duke University who specializes in depression. In one of his most famous experiements, published in the Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, Blumenthal gathered 156 adults who had mild or moderate cases of depression.
The patients were split into three groups.
Group 1 was treated with sertraline, an antidepressant drug.
Group 2 used a combination of exercise and medication. They were prescribed the same dosage of sertraline as Group 1. Additionally, Group 2 exercised three times each week for 45 minutes.
Group 3 used an exercise only treatment. Three times per week, they performed 45 minutes of exercise. This included 10 minutes of warm up, 30 minutes of walking or jogging at a pace that would maintain a heart rate that was 80% to 90% of their maximum, and then 5 minutes of cool down.
Here’s what happened…
Each patient received treatment for 16 weeks (4 months) under the supervision of the researchers and professional staff. At the end of the treatment period, the researchers were surprised to find that all three treatments delivered essentially equal results.
Treating depression with exercise was just as effective as medication, and vice versa. Furthermore, combining the two treatments yielded the same success rate as doing either one individually.
But then the researchers decided to track the long–term progress of each patient and this is where the study gets really interesting…
Exercise and Depression: The Long–Term Impact
After 16 weeks of treatment, there were 83 patients (spread evenly across all three groups) that were declared in remission and free from depression.
The researchers decided to let these patients spend the next six months without receiving any treatment from professionals. The patients were welcome to continue their treatment on their own or to try something new entirely.
When the researchers followed up with the patients six months later, here’s what they found…
What the researchers surmised from this was that exercising helps to create a positive identity by the achieving of goals.
Another interesting point from the article goes like this,
As the researchers sorted through the data, they discovered that for every 50 minutes of exercise added each week, the rate of depression fell by half. In other words, if you’re not exercising right now, then adding just 1–hour of walking per week will cut your risk of depression by 50%.
So I hope this encourages you to know that depression can be beaten and you can get through this!
Take care of your body, as your mind heals. Eat well, sleep right, drink lots of water, get some Vitamin D and exercise.
Also keep praying and stay close to God. He is our refuge and shelter!
Take care.
Article sourced from :-
Exercise and Depression: The Truth About Natural Depression Remedies
There are lots of links online about this. Here's an excerpt from an article.
James Blumenthal is a neuroscientist at Duke University who specializes in depression. In one of his most famous experiements, published in the Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, Blumenthal gathered 156 adults who had mild or moderate cases of depression.
The patients were split into three groups.
Group 1 was treated with sertraline, an antidepressant drug.
Group 2 used a combination of exercise and medication. They were prescribed the same dosage of sertraline as Group 1. Additionally, Group 2 exercised three times each week for 45 minutes.
Group 3 used an exercise only treatment. Three times per week, they performed 45 minutes of exercise. This included 10 minutes of warm up, 30 minutes of walking or jogging at a pace that would maintain a heart rate that was 80% to 90% of their maximum, and then 5 minutes of cool down.
Here’s what happened…
Each patient received treatment for 16 weeks (4 months) under the supervision of the researchers and professional staff. At the end of the treatment period, the researchers were surprised to find that all three treatments delivered essentially equal results.
Treating depression with exercise was just as effective as medication, and vice versa. Furthermore, combining the two treatments yielded the same success rate as doing either one individually.
But then the researchers decided to track the long–term progress of each patient and this is where the study gets really interesting…
Exercise and Depression: The Long–Term Impact
After 16 weeks of treatment, there were 83 patients (spread evenly across all three groups) that were declared in remission and free from depression.
The researchers decided to let these patients spend the next six months without receiving any treatment from professionals. The patients were welcome to continue their treatment on their own or to try something new entirely.
When the researchers followed up with the patients six months later, here’s what they found…
- In the medication only group, 38% of patients relapsed into depression.
- In the exercise and medication group, 31% of patients relapsed into depression.
- In the exercise only group, only 8% of patients relapsed into depression.
What the researchers surmised from this was that exercising helps to create a positive identity by the achieving of goals.
Another interesting point from the article goes like this,
As the researchers sorted through the data, they discovered that for every 50 minutes of exercise added each week, the rate of depression fell by half. In other words, if you’re not exercising right now, then adding just 1–hour of walking per week will cut your risk of depression by 50%.
So I hope this encourages you to know that depression can be beaten and you can get through this!
Take care of your body, as your mind heals. Eat well, sleep right, drink lots of water, get some Vitamin D and exercise.
Also keep praying and stay close to God. He is our refuge and shelter!
Take care.
Article sourced from :-
Exercise and Depression: The Truth About Natural Depression Remedies
