Will psychiatrists soon start recommending exercise for patients instead of antidepressants? There are many indications that it is possible.
Thirty minutes of brisk walking five times a week or thirty minutes of vigorous aerobics three times a week. Such recommendations – instead of prozac or relanium – may soon appear on prescriptions issued to people suffering from depression or anxiety. Recent research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in March this year indicates that exercise is as, and sometimes even more effective than, psychotropic drugs in treating depression.
By what miracle? It turns out that regular exercise affects our brain in a very similar way to the aforementioned pharmaceuticals. And it doesn’t cause any side effects – very common with antidepressants. On the contrary, in addition to improving your mood, it provides other benefits: it lowers blood pressure, stabilizes weight and improves the functioning of the circulatory system.
Gymnastics versus medications
It has long been known about the beneficial effects of gymnastics on well-being. Modern scientists today come to the same conclusions as the ancient Romans, who, as it turns out, rightly said that a healthy body has a healthy mind. Psychologists Jasper Smits and Michael Otto in their book “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety” are straightforward: there is no doubt today that one of the main factors influencing well-being is exercise. To confirm this thesis, they describe dozens of studies on the relationship between the body and the mind carried out in the 70s and 80s. In one of them, scientists from Canada and the United States monitored the mood of almost 60 people for several years. They concluded that in the group of regularly exercising, the percentage of people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders was many times lower than in the group of those who were reluctant to exercise. There were many such reports and observations.
Source: radioklinika.pl
Until recently, however, the problem was that, as is often the case with various experiments in the field of psychology, scientists were not entirely sure what was the cause and what was the effect. It could be that it was not so much physical exercise that improved the mood, but rather people who were naturally cheerful and energetic, were more willing to take up regular sports activities. The breakthrough was published in 1999 by psychologists from the American Duke University, the results of the first methodological research that met all the methodological requirements, which compared the antidepressant effects of a popular drug called zoloft and exercise. It turned out that a simple exercise program is as effective as the treatment with the above-mentioned preparation. And most of all, it is definitely cheaper. The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which introduced zoloft to the market in 1991, made over three billion dollars a year on it. – Daily gymnastics is undoubtedly cheaper, healthier and more enjoyable than expensive treatments with psychotropic drugs – emphasizes Jasper Smits.
The 1999 experiment was repeated eight years later by scientists from Duke University. The results were the same. About 45 percent. People with depression completely resolved with exercise alone – compared with 47%. among people taking drugs and 31 percent. in the placebo group.
How to convince doctors?
So why has gymnastics not yet become a treatment for depression recognized by the medical community? The main problem is the huge disproportion between thousands of studies and a sea of literature on drug effectiveness and a relatively small number of experiments proving the effectiveness of exercise. Prof. James Blumenthal of Duke University, one of the chief architects of the landmark 1999 experiment, emphasized in an interview with Time magazine two years ago that while the evidence for the effectiveness of the exercise is absolutely convincing, few research centers are interested in working on the problem further. Reason? There is no chance for research grants. After all, gymnastics costs nothing.
However, it is comforting – emphasized prof. Blumenthal – that after all, more and more researchers are starting to see the enormous potential of this cheapest and most natural method of treating depression. One of the most persistent supporters of the advantage of sport over pharmaceutical treatment is prof. Madhukar Trivedi of the Medical University of Texas. In March, in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, he presented the results of another study, which showed that also among people already taking psychotropic drugs, but still experiencing symptoms of depression, physical activity can work wonders. Research by prof. Madhukar Trivedi has re-triggered the discussion about the potential change of the modern – primarily pharmacotherapy-oriented – approach to the treatment of mood disorders.
Made to move
Extremely important in this discussion is the voice of neuroscientists, i.e. representatives of the dynamically developing interdisciplinary field of research on the biochemistry, anatomy and functioning of the brain and their relationship with behavior and well-being. One of its representatives, prof. Philip Holmes from the University of Georgia claims that the main antidepressant mechanism by which exercise affects the brain is the regulation of serotonin and norepinephrine levels – they are responsible for our mood.
Most of the antidepressants on the market are substances that increase the level of serotonin in the body. Noradrenalina, on the other hand – as emphasized by prof. Holmes – is a key substance responsible for the level of stress and our reactions to external events beyond our control.
Regular exercise significantly increases the levels of both substances in the body, so they perform the same function as antidepressants. Serotonin has a positive effect on the mood, and norepinephrine increases resistance to stress, which also plays an important role in the development of depression or anxiety disorders. Systematic exercise therefore not only makes us feel better, but also makes us much more endurance.
According to many neuroscientists, including prof. Holmes – depression and other mood disorders can be the price we pay for the development of civilization. This conclusion is confirmed by epidemiological data. The highest percentage of depression (even up to approx. 17% of the population) occurs in the most developed countries, incl. in United States. Meanwhile, as neuroscientists argue, our brains have been evolutionarily shaped to live in constant motion. A sedentary lifestyle is a phenomenon characteristic of the present day.
Fortunately, thanks to the development of modern science, we can successfully return to our roots. 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics three times a week is enough. Nothing difficult, just a pleasure.
Check: A new theory on the basis of depression