Beyond Blue: January 2008 Archives

I realize that I don't write enough about alternative therapies. That's because, as I mentioned in "My Holistic Approach to Depression" post I am overcoming some resentment issues with those Tom Cruise-ish persons in my life that preached alternative medicine to REPLACE traditional medicine. While that works well for some people, and I'm by no means against it if it works for you, it didn't work for me. HOWEVER, I do use several alternative therapies in my recovery program, in addition to my meds. I discuss some of them today.

As a recovering addict, I love any buzz I can get. Working out--any exercise that gets my heart rate over 160 beats per minute, into the cardiovascular zone, does the job. And in a safe way, so I don't have to cheat on my sobriety. I'm probably as addicted to exercise as I was to booze, but this is one mood-altering activity that doesn't deteriorate my marriage and my other relationships: with my kids, with myself, and with God.

According to a new study reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, regular exercise has a real and significant effect on depression. In fact, according to 16-week study, which included 202 depressed men and women age 40 and older, the findings demonstrate that those who went through group-based exercise therapy did as well as those treated by an antidepressant.

Researchers aren’t sure how, exactly, exercise relieves depression. Some say that exercise, like antidepressants, increase the activity of serotonin and/or norepinephrine; working out also releases endorphins and other hormones that reduce pain, induce euphoria, have a calming effect, and combat stress. Other added benefits include improved sleep patterns, exposure to natural daylight (which helps especially with seasonal affective disorder), weight loss or maintenance, and psychological aids (offering a healthy way to vent pent-up anger, and affording people a sense of self-mastery over their feelings).

And the gym is a kind of support group. These women, I’m guessing, are going after the endorphin buzz just like me because alcohol and recreational drugs don’t do the trick anymore. And I suspect that they also have great difficulty praying and meditating. Every time they close their eyes, they have visions of screaming kids, Chuck E. Cheese hell, and the crisis of no thank-you gifts for teachers. The only peace available to me and my soul sisters is acquired by getting our heart rates into the fat-burning or cardiovascular zone—running, cycling, or climbing the calories away to the Promised Land, where we will eat them up again.

My mouth/stomach and brain are in constant negotiation talks with each other because while one loves white bread, pasta, and chocolate, the other has a hissy fit whenever they enter my blood stream. My diet has always been an important part of my recovery from depression, but two years ago, in working with a naturopath, I realized how directly everything that I put in my mouth affects my mood.

Here are the bad boys: nicotine (although I was only a social or binge smoker, I had to give it up because smoking destroys practically every organ inside your body; however, if it’s your least harmful addiction, light her up); caffeine (it's a drug, which is why I'm addicted to it), alcohol (it made me crazy); white flour and processed food (what you live on when you have preschoolers who won't touch tofu and spinach); and sugar (oh man, I'm trying, but oh man).

Here are the good guys: protein (eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, chicken, seeds, nuts); complex starches (whole grains, beans, potatoes); vegetables (broccoli, spinach, squash); vitamins (vitamin B-complex, vitamins E and C, and a multivitamin); minerals (magnesium, calcium, and zinc); omega-3 fatty acids.
So every morning on top of my mood stabilizer and antidepressants, I take vitamin C, B-complex, vitamin E, a multi-vitamin, glucosamine-chondrotin, magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, and folic acid.

I’m religious about stocking a Noah’s Ark supply of Omega-3 capsules because leading physicians at Harvard Medical School confirmed the positive effects of this natural, anti-inflammatory molecule on emotional health. Because I feel as though I owe my brain as much help as I can give it, I fork over lots of cash ($60 a month) for the Mac Daddy of the Omege-3s. I order online from OmegaBrite, because their capsules contain 70 percent EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). One 500mg softgel capsule (and I take six of them … because if one is good, six is better!) gives you 350mg of EPA and 50mg of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), which meets the doctor-formulated 7:1 EPA to DHA ratio, needed to elevate and stabilize mood.

It takes me the same amount of time to swallow all my morning pills as it takes Eric to fry our breakfast eggs and set the table. But it's certainly worth the time. Because some of us (like me) really are what we eat.

My blogging buddy James Bishop over at Finding Optimism wrote a superb post on food allergies, and how they contribute to mood. My sister is finding the same with her special needs boy, and continues to hound me about possible intolerances in my diet, as well, like food coloring and preservatives. Here are the first three paragraphs of James's article. To read the whole thing, click here.

My son is allergic to green peas and his reactions are life threatening. He is intolerant to a lot of other foods as well, and as we’ve found out, so am I.

We changed our family diet some years ago now, for the sake of us all. I used to cheat, but I also kept track of my diet, and after a while my wife noticed that when I ate certain foods I would become very depressed 2 days later. (Almost to the hour.) Unfortunately chocolate was the worst! She mentioned this bizarre discovery to our allergy specialist who said “Yes, food does cause mood swings!”

Food allergies and intolerances are very different things. Food allergies trigger the immune system, and the sufferer’s body reacts, for example with swelling or hives. Food intolerance is about thresholds. You can eat the foods that you’re intolerant to, but you’ll have a reaction if you go over your threshold. Food intolerance is very common; much more than people seem to realize.

The reactions can be amazing. In me the intolerance causes depression. My wife feels bloated and lethargic. The kids get aggressive and irritable. Other people report anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, obsessive compulsive behaviour and even social phobias. Migraines and stomach aches are also common.

Also from James is this great post on massage. He explains how a massage can relieve some depressive symptoms. Poor James. He lives with a physical therapist who has good home/work boundaries. That sucks. Go to his original post by clicking here.

I’m married to a physical therapist, and she gives a great massage. The only problem is that she refuses to bring her work home.

Why do people love massage? Is it a physiological response or a psychological one? Is it both? Is it due to the fact that someone else is touching you? Absolutely. All of the above.

The literature shows that massage has a noticeable effect on the chemical balance in your body. It reduces the levels of stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. These stress hormones can trigger depression in some people. It also releases serotonin (our favorite neurotransmitter) and endorphins (our built-in pain relievers). The physical effects include reduced muscle tension, improved circulation, a slower heart rate and increased joint mobility and flexibility. Not to mention the warmth of another person’s hands indulging your body.

It has been shown that two sessions a week reduces the rate of depression for women who have just given birth. In light of the chemical benefits to the body, these results probably apply across the spectrum of mood disorders. The cost of sessions may be expensive, but if it can make a difference to your health then it could be worth trying. If you have a partner perhaps you can learn together.