Are Doctors Getting Tired of Drugs?

I have been seeing my family doctor for quite some time now for treatment for chronic depression. This is more then just a sad feeling or a little of the "blues". Chronic clinical depression is related to chemicals in the brain… whether too much, too little, or just not getting where they need to get, it’s definitely a real problem, not a fabrication or just a "mood" one happens to be in today.

Well I’ve struggled for years on different medications and some of them do seem to work for a while but I always seem to be back in the doctor’s office after a few months or even a couple of years. So she referred me to a psychiatrist to see if he could sort me out, or offer some suggestions.

After taking a history he did recommend a regimen of rotating medications. It seems there are actually a sub-class of patients with chronic depressive illness whose brains seem to reset after being on a medication for a while so he recommends switching every few months to avoid this. And THAT is where the traditional advice stopped!

The unexpected non-doctor advice

Now he leaned back in his chair, made a steeple with his fingers and put them under his chin, crossed his ankle up on the knee of the other leg and changed his tone to conversational. He asked me if I was aware of the body of research on light therapy for depressive illness. Of course, I am aware of it, but didn’t have any kind of depth of knowledge. He proceeded to tell me about studies and clinical trials, gauging my response, and when he saw I was open, he actually took out a prescription pad and wrote a script for the "Day-Light" light therapy lamp pictured above!

OK so now I am pleasantly surprised but he’s not done! We then discuss the research on diet and depression… how consuming fatty fish several times a week for the Omegas 3 and 6 can have benefit, and how flax seed oil, olive oil and avacados would be good as well. He talked about how sweet, fat processed foods are craved by people with depression because they stimulate serotonin release (a feel good chemical) but that it quickly crashes, so no matter how intense the craving do not give in to it, as this kind of carb consumption makes things worse. He talked about how replacing the cravings with slow release carbs like fresh fruits and vegetables would be healthier for the body AND the mind.

Next we’re on to the topic of exercise and now I am really liking the guy. He talked about aerobic exercise and how it releases endorphins that elevate mood. He noted that the endorphin release has the ability to lift mood and help you feel better. 

So now I am really shocked. I have never had a doctor talk to me, with any kind of knowledge, about diet. I’ve never had a doctor recommend exercise as a treatment for depression, and I have certainly never had a doctor write out a prescription for an alternative therapy device. How wonderful. How refreshing. How absolutely delightful…. Maybe we’ll get there after all!

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Tags: depression, diet, doctor, endorphins, exercise, light therapy, psychiatrist