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!

It is amazing, I feel stronger, lighter, and happier. If you read my post from yesterday, then you know that I finally conquered the exercise demon. I simply changed the way I viewed moving my body. Isn't it amazing what happens when you no longer give over the power, but take it back for yourself?

Today, my muscles feel sore. It's the good sore that comes from DOING something! I am walking with an energetic step. I am standing erect of posture. I feel strong, confident and healthy. IMAGINE all of that in just a day. Just one day that I've been building up for, and laying the foundation for this past month.

This afternoon for a while, and again this evening I browsed the internet, exploring fitness blogs. I have been browsing "loss weight" blogs for the past month, and it is interesting how the energy changes slightly with the keyword.

so while I was browsing tonight I came across a fascinating post from Dave at TheTruthAboutDiets.com. It seems that he has been saying for some time that exercise is not enough to lose weight, unless you make diet modifications as well.

Here is his post… Enjoy!

Exercise Alone Ain't Enough to Get It Done

Anyone who's read my stuff or followed any of my programs knows that when it comes to losing fat, I say that nutrition is more than half the battle.

Well, now there's some very good research that proves this point.

Basically this research took two groups of sedentary people, and gave one group a well-designed fitness program to follow for 12 weeks, while the other group remained sedentary.

They didn't change their eating patterns at all. The results might surprise you. You can read the details in a post from Dr. John Berardi, who was part of the research team.

Here's the link to the post.

I was surfing through some of the sites in the Be Naturally Well Community and thought I would share some of the articles I found. I think I will do this regularly. There are a lot of great author's out there!

From Robin Plan

How Super Sized Drinks Were Born

Do you know how supersized foods and drinks came about? Think it was McDonald's? You're not too far off but no it wasn't McDonald's or 7-11 with the Big Gulp.

The history of Supersizing:
In the 1960's a man named David Wallerstein worked for a chain of movie theaters, where he struggled to expand sales of soda and popcorn, the high-markup items that theaters depend on to make profits.

Wallerstein tried everything he could think of to boost sales, two-for-one deals, matinee specials, but found he couldn't get customers to buy more than one soda and one bag of popcorn. Why? Because going for seconds makes people feel like pigs.

Wallerstein discovered ……Read More

From Althea Hughes Wills:

For the love of Aaron and Paula

I love the Food Network. I love food, food, food…but raw vegan food because I know that is what's best for me. But…when I watch Food Network, I'm always thinking, "how can I vegan-ize that?" And since my husband and kids are still cooked vegans, anything that calls for chicken can easily become tofu. (And I was SO happy yesterday when they had an episode of Rescue Chef where Dan helped a sister named Zion in the kitchen. Everything was vegan.)

Today my whole family watched  Read More

From Tom Rooney:

We Are Eating Ourselves To Death

Have we finally reached the point where we “as a society” can’t control our weight?  The disturbing trends of overweight Americans is an epidemic now and there is no clear change in sight.  Today’s people have gotten to the point where things are too convenient.  Fast food, comfortable cars, video games, and remote controls have made our life so easy that we don’t do the things our parents and grand parents did in order to control weight gain. 

I blame the start of this all on McDonalds as Read More

From EJ Cooksey:

Exercising and You – How to Get Started

We all know it's necessary, but we don't want to get up early in the morning to do it.

What is this "it" I'm talking about?

It is exercise and it is essential for a long and healthy life. I'm not just saying that either. Ask anyone who has lived to be sixty, seventy, and over who move better than some people half their ages. They have used exercise to turn their life around.

Exercise is getting our bodies moving and burning calories. To lose one pound, it takes a deficit of 3,500 calories. I know what you're thinking – it might as well be a million calories. But, it is not as hard as you think. Exercise doesn't have to be organized at a gym for it to be legitimate and to "count."

The best thing about exercise is that it is cumulative. That means Read More

From Mark:

Fat How Much Are You Eating ?

We know as people that we all need to eat less fat but when you’re eating foods like take-away’s and eating food in restaurants there is no real way to tell how much you are exactly eating.

The only way to get a idea of the amount of fat you are eating is by reading  Read More

From Carb Queen:

Be the Turtle

My favorite leader, Karen, has been enamored of Uno, the beagle, since he won best in show at the Westminster Dog Show in February. She has talked about "being the beagle" off and on since then.

I'm about to celebrate a birthday — my double-nickel to be exact — and a very good friend of mine recognized my birthday by giving me a small turtle. It's heavy for its size, which makes it just perfect for dropping into a pocket to fiddle with or holding while on the phone with a computer user (I do tech support, among other things, for a living) who is having trouble with a Word document. When I opened this marvelous little package, my friend told me to "be the turtle."

I knew immediately what she meant:  Read More

From Cynthia:

The good, bad and the ugly

Monday could've gone better for me…

The good part is simple, a one pound loss!

The bad, well, I went too hard in the pool, aggravated upper right arm and shoulder again. Had no idea until this morning when I could barely move it. Gack! New goal… go a little easier for a bit. I do not HAVE to do my water aerobics like I'm on speed! Though that will take some of the fun out of it!

But then there's the UGLY. Apparently, my body was just raving for calories and when I Read More

That's just a few excerpts from the bloggers in our community this last week or two. To visit more bloggers from the Be Naturally Well community you can click <===  there, or up above where it says  Health Links.

OOPS Mexican Restaurant Food on Friday night!

Ok well I never said I was going to be perfect, especially in the beginning. As I mentioned on day one, I believe that when you are changing lifelong habits you need to make baby steps. So if I eat very well all week long and then eat fried foods on Friday night (along with a double strawberry marguerita) don’t say I didn’t say so at the beginning! Unless we are planning to become a raw food purist, then we still need to live our LIFE. Living life to me means "when in Rome…. enjoy yourself).

So I did the whole salads and good raw healthy foods yesterday all day.and even though I was tired I did my exercises. I didn’t feel like I had energy for weights yesterday, so I got on the exercise bike. I rode for 20 minutes with resistance, and then one of my business partners phoned me, so I popped into the office and grabbed my headset and went back to the bike and rode without resistance while we spoke on the phone. That was another half an hour! WOW It felt good, and I wasn’t ‘tired’ when I was finished but I still didn’t feel like doing weights so I just didn’t.

So breakfast, just toast, and a glass of orange juice. Lunch was a great big salad, and I had 2 apples in the afternoon, plus lots of water. I know that’s not very much, so when Jim called and asked if I wanted to go for supper I only hesitated for a moment! We went to El Burrito Loco… a great little Mexican Restaurant downtown, and we had a tortilla soup (which is VERY good!) and split the El Grande platter which is a little of a lot of different mexican dishes… a taco, a flautus, a burrito, a handful of nachos. half a quesadilla, some beans and rice and likely a couple of other things that I ate and forgot. When we left, we were both stuffed. ooooooo I don’t like that feeling! I was uncomfortable all evening! But it was nice to get out!

A word on getting out:

I’ve been embarrassed by all of the extra weight.

When Jim first called and said "Let’s go out for supper" my first instinct was to say "no". I don’t want anyone to see me this way. Then I realized that my car hasn’t moved since I got my nails done a week and a half ago. Literally I haven’t left the house in 10 days. That is SO not good for me. I am such a social creature! Is it possible that my lack of interaction with real human beings face to face is contributing to my depression, which in turn contributes to my weight loss? It isn’t just possible, but I belief it is probable. So I took care with my appearance…. makeup, hair, nice clothes… before we went out. I felt good about myself, and didn’t allow those bad feelings to creep in.

Well today I feel ‘dry’ and yet fluid retentive. SO it will be lot’s of water today, and more good food and exercise.

I also want to let you know that I did wrtie that promised article on Chocolate! Not just once but TWICE! Twice written after a full day of research, only to have my browser freeze before I saved it. Talk about frustrating! Well I will re-write it today. That will only happen a few times before I remember to hit the save button every once in a while! LOL

Have a wonderful day!

Many Blessings,

Shelley

Well here we are. The second day of our  ‘walk’  together. I’ve been through this before, so I know that I should still be feeling motivated and excited. The drudgery of the day to day routine hasn’t kicked in yet. I am also somewhat obsessed (as I think many people are) with my weight, and body image, especially since I have started so publicly on my program. I go to sleep thinking about my fat, and wake up thinking about my fat. I am going to try to shift my thinking a bit. If I HAVE to think about it, I should go to bed thinking about my muscle! (more on that later!) I got a bit more of the website done yesterday and meant to get back to post what I did yesterday but didn’t get a chance. (TOO many things to do!) So I’ll just give you a run-down on how my first day went.

• Food -I made a decision NOT to diet! Been there, got the T-shirt (it’s too small now I might add). So I am trying to make a conscious effort to change my food habits and also my eating habits. See I work in my office pretty much all day long. Often when I get hungry I grab something quick, and take it back to my office. I eat while I am working on the computer, talking on the phone or whatever. Meal times have no real meaning to me at all.  So I’ve made a decision to eat ONLY at the kitchen table when I am home. I’ve also made a decision to try to make healthier food choices.
• Exercise - OK, well as I mentioned I spend all day in my office. I am a total workaholic. I love pattering away at the computer, I love my office, and I do not have any idea what to do when the power goes out! So sedentary is a mild word for what my life has become. I have to MOVE every day. I am going to work up to 3 planned exercise periods a day. It sounds like a lot right now since I barely move all day, but I think it is reasonable. I am starting with baby steps.
• Motivation – I need to do something to keep myself motivated daily, and I don’t want this to be as dry as a caesar salad  crouton for those of you who are reading, so each day 4 or 5 days a week I am going to try to do some research on a method, product, exercise, or anything else that would be helpful, funny, or interesting and we’ll collect them here as well. If you have suggestions as to what you would like to learn more about, let me know here.
• Support – I am very fortunate… I have a supportive spouse, and teenagers who don’t spend a lot of time at home, so there is no huge obstacle at home. Not everyone has that, so I am going to encourage you to join a support group, enlist the help of a friend, find an online forum or whatever you have to do to find a buddy to encourage you when you are down. I will have a forum here on the site eventually as our community grows.

So what exactly did my day look like yesterday?

Food- I didn’t do too badly. As I mentioned I am not dieting. I am just trying to make better choices overall, and become aware of the amount of calories I take in. I am going to be moving towards a mostly raw, live food diet, but right now I am about as "average North American" as I can get, so I think ‘slow’ is the key. One of my biggest problems in the past has been that I tend to go full steam 100% and then crash because I can’t keep up the pace. The real secret is to gradually make changes and let them become a habit. All of the research I’ve done on diet indicates that we should be consuming an 80% raw diet made of mostly fruits and vegetables, so that is what my ultimate goal will be. The biggest problem I have now with that is that my blood sugar tends to crash if I eat just fruits and/or vegetables without protein. I suspect that by gradually introducing the new way of eating my body’s insulin response will adjust. Right now, it’s used to refined carbs (white sugar, white flour etc). I am going to be switching to protein shakes and I have ordered them. (I am not really into raw meat and eggs! haha)  I’ll tell you which company I chose for the shakes and why in another article. So on to what I ate:

I started the day with a glass of water, then my coffee! Give up coffee??? HA no way! I don’t put sugar in my coffee, just a bit of 2% milk. Breakfast was an orange, 2 whole wheat toast with real butter and an egg (poached yummy!). I had a big fresh salad for lunch, and some hard cheddar cheese. Supper was another huge fresh salad and a small fresh cut of pork grilled on the barbecue. I also had a granny smith apple, 2 tangerines, and a chocolate frozen treat on a stick (like a fudge-sicle only the no name kind. hehe) Then I had a bowl of cheerios in the evening with milk.  I am pretty fortunate that I mostly drink water all day anyway, and not a lot of anything else except my coffee (3 or 4 cups) in the morning. I am going to try to add green and herbal teas for health benefits, but summer in Canada is not a good time generally to want to drink hot beverages any time of the day besides morning.

Exercise – Man I am in SUCH bad shape. Just coming up one flight of stairs from the lower level of my house with a basket of laundry leaves me short of breath. I can hardly believe that I’ve allowed myself to get to this condition. This might be the time to confess that I quit smoking 4 months ago after smoking since my first cigarette at 12 years of age! So imagine my totally inert lifestyle, coupled with over 30 years of cigarettes and just imagine the shape of my body! I know I need to get moving, but again (for me anyway) the key is going to be slowly adding things that I can continue to do every day. I also don’t want to over-do it and pull a muscle or be so sore that I need 4 days to recover.

As soon as I got out of bed, and flipped on the coffee pot, I went to the livingroom and just did some body stretching. WOW I can’t believe how good that felt. After I felt ‘stretched’ I did some simple marching in place while I moved my arms ‘jumping jack’ style. I did that for about 10 minutes. Then I did some stomach crunches with feet flat on floor. (I didn’t count how many… just did as many as I could…. a little less than 2 minutes) then I place ankle on knee of other leg and crunched across my body, then changed legs and did the other side. I then stretched out on my side, head propped, and did some lateral leg raises both sides.   Later in the day I did 20 minutes on my exercise bike. I have a recumbent stationary bike from Sears a couple of years ago. I paid around $400 for it so it isn’t ‘top of the line’ but it works great. I also have some hand held weights in a variety of sizes for strengthening. You can pick them up quite readily just about anywhere.

So that was my day yesterday, and I feel pretty good about it. I am going to try to weigh myself just once a week or so. I may not even remember to weigh myself regularly, and I am not going to focus on it. An acquaintance of mine says (wisely I might add) that we should not be concerned with weight loss, rather our focus should be ‘fat loss’. This is a reminder that our goal is to gain muscle, which helps increase our metabolism and in turn burns even more fat. Muscle weighs more than fat , and it looks nicer too. You can see why we have dimples on our rear ends from this piture! HEHE

Now I am going to go do my exercises for today. I am also going to write my first article on "WATER" so watch for that later today!

Many Blessings,

Shelley