There are many studies which demonstrate that exercise improves depression.
Norwegian researchers published a study in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry in 2008 which demonstrated significant improvement in depression with regular exercise.
They conclude that physical exercise can have great potential in prevention and treatment of depression. There is growing evidence that physically active people are at a reduced risk of developing depression, and that exercise is associated with significant benefits for patients with mild to moderate forms of depression as well as in reducing anxiety. These findings have led to the proposal that exercise may serve as an alternative or a supplement to traditional forms of therapy. The Journal of Neural Transmission August 23, 2008 also reports that physical activity and exercise have positive effects on mood and anxiety and a great number of studies describe an association of physical activity and general well-being, mood and anxiety. In line, intervention studies describe an anxiety-reducing and ant depressive activity of exercise in healthy subjects and patients. The article reviewed the currently available research with respect to (1) the association of physical activity, exercise and the prevalence and incidence of depression and anxiety disorders and (2) the potential therapeutic activity of exercise training in patients with depression or anxiety disorders. Although the association of physical activity and the prevalence of mental disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders have been repeatedly described, only few studies examined the association of physical activity and mental disorders prospectively. Reduced incidence rates of depression and (some) anxiety disorders in exercising subjects raise the question whether exercise may be used in the prevention of some mental disorders. Besides case series and small uncontrolled studies, recent well controlled studies suggest that exercise training may be clinically effective, at least in major depression and panic disorder. Although, the evidence for positive effects of exercise and exercise training on depression and anxiety is growing, the clinical use, at least as an addition to established treatment approaches like psychotherapy or medication is still at the beginning. Further studies on the clinical effects of exercise, interaction with standard treatment approaches and details on the optimal type, intensity, frequency and duration may further support the clinical administration in patients. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge on how to best deal with depression and anxiety related symptoms which hinder patients to participate and benefit from exercise training.Depressed patients are best starting with small amounts of exercise eg 5min per day, and building up by 5 minutes per week until they reach a MINIMUM of 30minutes daily, preferably more. Outdoor exercise id also preferred as sunlight has also been shown to aid in the treatment of depression.References1. J Neural Transmission. 2008 Aug 23.
Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders.
Ströhle A.Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany, .
Rule Number One – Lowering cholesterol is not just cutting down cholesterol in diet, but cutting down on fats in the diet. This includes
Dairy:-Reducing yellow cheese and other high fat dairy products. In the dairy department choose reduced fat milk or skim milk, low fat cottage cheese or low fat ricotta, low fat yoghurts. Try to avoid butter, yellow cheese and cream.
Meat- only lean meats. Trim all fat off the meat which you can manage to get a knife around. Choose veal, beef, chicken over pork, lamb or mutton. Avoid hamburger or mince unless extremely lean. Be careful how you cook the meat, if cooked in oil or fat the lean meat becomes a high fat dish. Try to grill or bake over frying. Use a spray oil to lessen the amount of fat which is used in cooking.
Chicken- Chicken is a good reduced fat source of protein, just remember to remove the skin and cook it without fats or oils.
Fish- These are the areas where you can splurge. All fish are your friends, even fatty fish such as salmon. Again take care how they are cooked. Batters are definitely forbidden. If you must pan-fry, then use a spray oil or no oil.
Other seafood- Minimise shellfish. Lobster and crayfish are unfortunately on the use sparingly list, which probably would be dictated by budget in any case. As lobster generally comes with lashings of butter, a grilled trout would be a better choice
.
Fruit and vegetables- Anything which comes out of the ground is on the free choice list, just be wary of how you cook it. Potatoes are allowed, just not the sour cream or butter which goes on top. Jacket potatoes with a sprinkle of low sodium salt are a nice way to eat potatoes, and microwaved or steamed vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are all a low fat dish. Tomatoes are low fat and allowed in any quantity, it is the pizza crust and mozzarella which are not. Even avocadoes, which are known to be on the fatty list are allowed in moderation.
Pasta- Pasta in itself is not a high fat food, but rather the sauce which comes with it. Research the ingredients in the sauce. Tomatoes on pasta with some herbs is a low fat dish. Lean minced beef can be added for protein.
Breads- Wholemeal or wholegrain breads are permitted. No butter. Very sparing polyunsaturated or cholesterol-friendly margarines. A smidge of low-fat ricotta, but not peanut butter.
No white or bread, no matter what the advertising says.
Beverages- coffee or tea with low-fat milk, no cream. Black tea orcoffee. Herb teas are allowed. Most juices, but take care not to overload on sugar or kilojoules. Fresh juice made yourself is always better, but busy lives don’t often permit this. Only low kilojoule soft drinks if you must have soft drinks, but personally I believe them to be a form of poison. Filtered water is a better source of fluid.
Nuts are a fatty food, but a few are allowed in a balanced diet.
Rule Number Two- Exercise improves your cholesterol profile. Exercise is known to increase HDL-cholesterol ie good cholesterol.
Rule Number Three- Reduce total calorie/kilojoule intake to reduce weight
Rule Number Four- Be happy, don’t strangle yourself in an effort to modify your life. Learn to do activities and exercises you enjoy, and eat foods you enjoy. If you prefer golf for exercise, then do golf!
One of the first rules in epilepsy is DON’T let anyone persuade you to stop your ant-epileptic medication without the support or supervision of your neurologist.
There are other things which can be done to improve seizures on a daily basis which are outlined below; most of which are well-known and advocated by most doctors. The first 3 on the list all relate to each other
1. Don’t become sleep deprived
2. Get 8 hours sleep a night
3. Develop a regular sleeping pattern
Late nights and abnormally early mornings are known triggers for seizures, so the development of a regular sleep pattern is paramount.
4. Eat regularly and don’t skip meals
Skipping meals can trigger seizures, so having 3 meals a day with a small healthy in-between meal snack is important.For young ladies, pressure to maintain an ideal figure and bodyweight are immense, but it is better to have 3 small healthy meals than skipping meals….which could land you back in the Emergency Room being given more pills which have the side effect of making you eat all of your food and everyone else’s. So eat regularly, healthily and control the size of the portions. Work with a dietitian if necessary. Consider the Ketogenic Diet (see below) although it is not for weight loss and not for everyone.
6. Alcohol is your poison
Take alcohol very sparingly if going out with friends. Some people with epilepsy can tolerate alcohol, others have trouble. Drinking on an empty stomach is worse than drinking after a meal, so try to have some food first and minimize the number of drinks you have, and don’t stay out too late. (Always better to kiss and run and keep them wanting more, it makes a generally bad impression to be carted off to the Emergency Room at 4 am after half a dozen drinks and an E tablet and a highly embarrassing seizure putting you literally under the table thrashing at everyone’s shoes and crotches.)
For those who drink alcohol regularly, alcohol withdrawal also causes seizures.
7.”Other” medication should be taken with care. Other than your prescribed medication, be very careful what medication goes in your mouth. Some medication is known to increase the potential to have a seizure. Examples of these include the pain-reliever tramadol, antidepressants of the SSRI class, anti-smoking drug Zyban, combinations of tramadol and tricyclic antidepressants, weight loss drugs bupropion, and duromine. Hence the commencement of extra medication needs serious discussion with your doctor.
Street drugs should NEVER be taken. (Unless you want that 5am visit to the Emergency Room) Most illegal drugs, especially stimulants such as E, crystal meth, ice, cocaine, crack, PCP, amphetamines or and speed, cause seizures. Some of the impurities or additives to illegal drugs cause seizures, and illegal drugs may have unpredictable or dangerous interactions with prescription medicines. A definite prescription for Emergency Room visit.
8. Women have extra problems with hormonal fluctuations. Some women can experience an increase in seizure frequency before their monthly menstrual periods. Likewise some contraceptives cause problems in some women and not others. Some women are best avoiding the contraceptive pill altogether.
9. Ask about an implanted vagus nerve stimulator as these are an available non-pharmacological treatment which can effectively reduce seizure frequency in many people.
Look into the Ketogenic Diet.There is research supporting the use of the Ketogenic Diet for seizure reduction, but more controlled studies are needed. It appears to reduce seizure frequency even in refractory epilepsy if followed correctly. There is a high drop–out rate in studies testing the ketogenic diet because diets of any description are difficult to adhere to and require motivation. The ketogenic diet in its classic form of treatment gets 80 percent of its calories from fat. The rest comes from carbohydrates and protein. Each meal has about four times as much fat as protein or carbohydrate. The amounts of food and liquid at each meal have to be carefully worked out and weighed for each person. Studies have been conducted during whichdaily seizure diaries were kept and measurements of the urinary ketenes were recorded. Blood studies were done monthly and resting energy expenditure (REE), substrate utilization; body composition and quality of life (QOL) were measured before and after intervention.
It is not known precisely why a diet that mimics starvation by burning fat for energy should prevent seizures, although this is being studied. Nor do they know why the same diet works for some and not for others.About a third of patients who try the ketogenic diet become seizure free, or almost seizure free. Another third improve but still have some seizures. The rest either do not respond at all or find it too hard to continue with the diet, either because of side effects or because they can't tolerate the food.A side benefit of the diet is that many parents report that their children are more alert and make more progress when on the diet, even if seizures continue. If the diet seems to be helping, doctors will usually prescribe it for about two years. Then, they may suggest that regular food is slowly introduced into the diet to see if the seizures can still be controlled, even with a normal diet..The diet lacks several important vitamins which have to be added through supplements. Sometimes high levels of fat build up in the blood, especially if a child has an inborn defect in his ability to process fat. This possibility can lead to serious effects, which is another reason for careful monitoring.10. Manganese deficiency should be corrected if the level is low on hair mineral analysis (blood levels are not always reliable) as Mn deficiency is associate with seizures. The same applies to other known biochemical imbalances which trigger epilepsy including elevated calcium, low sodium and low glucose.REFERENCES
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