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 Exercise can treat depression
“Exercise is the easiest and least expensive cure for depression,” offers noted psychotherapist and media personality Barton Goldsmith. “Just walking 30 minutes a day will help you.”
Some experts suggest exercise may improve mental health by helping the brain cope with stress, while others believe that it is the release of chemicals linked to the brain’s mood control center during exercise. Whichever way you look at it, the outcome is the same—improved mental health.
Jim Blumenthal of Duke University conducted a study on patients with major depressive disorder by placing them in one of three groups: medication, exercise or a combination of medication and exercise. After four months, patients in each of the three groups showed improvement.
Another study from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center at Dallas showed that 30 minutes of exercise three to five days a week cut down the incidence of depressive symptoms by nearly 50 percent. “The effect you find using aerobic exercise alone in treating clinical depression is similar to what you find with antidepressant medications,” said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, professor of psychiatry and director of the school’s Mood Disorders Research Program.
So the next time you’re feeling blue, try taking a walk. It’s a quick-acting, side-effect-free prescription for feeling better.
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