What is the best drug in the world? Well it is actually FREE and
readily available. It is...drum roll please....Exercise.
At his research clinic in Dallas, psychologist Jasper Smits is
working on an unorthodox treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, including
depression. It is not yet widely accepted, but his treatment is free and has no
side effects. Compare that with antidepressant drugs, which cost Americans $10
billion each year and have many common side effects: sleep disturbances,
nausea, tremors, changes in body weight.
This intriguing new treatment? It's nothing more than exercise.
That physical activity is crucial to good health — both mental and
physical — is nothing new. As early as the 1970s and '80s, observational
studies showed that Americans who exercised were not only less likely to be
depressed than those who did not but also less likely
to become depressed in the future.
In 1999, Duke University researchers demonstrated in a randomized
controlled trial that depressed adults who participated in an aerobic-exercise
plan improved as much as those treated with sertraline, the drug that, marketed
as Zoloft, was earning Pfizer more than $3 billion annually before its patent
expired in 2006.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1998021,00.html#ixzz1ofyNQwpR
Don't ignore or discount this
miracle cure. Among the many benefits of exercise are:
- Cardiovascular benefits - lowers total cholesterol,
lowers the bad LDL cholesterol, raises the good HDL cholesterol, decreases
blood pressure, decreases frequency of heart disease.
- Immune system benefits - decreases number and severity
of colds and flu, decreases rates of cancer.
- Digestive benefits - improves digestion, cures
constipation.
- Blood sugar benefits - helps normalize levels,
preventing or controlling hypoglycemia and adult diabetes.
- Obesity - increases use of calories at rest (with a carry-over
effect to the next day!), increases muscle-to-fat ratio, routine use over
years cures obesity.
- Mental health benefits - lowers stress, elevates mood,
enhances sense of well being, eases depression and grief.
- Sexuality benefits - enhances sexual enjoyment,
regular use enhances sexual attractiveness.
- Miscellaneous benefits - improves body odor, decreases
tendency to abuse damaging drugs, alcohol and tobacco, increases average
life span, improves quality of life (especially in later years).I'd
call exercise the ULTIMATE anti-aging "drug."
Philip Santiago, DC, DACBSP and a
member of the Academy of Anti-Aging noted recently that "People who are
physically fit, eat a healthy, balanced diet and take nutritional supplements
can measure out to be 10 to 20 years younger biologically than their
chronological age."
So why doesn't everyone use this
miracle "drug", especially since it's inexpensive and readily
available? The answer is that you can't just go out and buy a bottle. Everyone
has to put in time and effort to get their own personal supply.
It doesn't matter if you were
physically active in your younger years. If you're not currently engaged in a
physical-activity program on a regular basis (including dancing!), your body is
not receiving the innumerable health-related benefits of exercise.
Take another look at the list of
benefits. Start taking the steps now toward better health. Even little baby
steps like you took long before you learned to dance will pay tremendous
dividends long-term.
Dr. Rick Allen
is a chiropractor, massage therapist and dance student who splits his time
between Portland, Oregon and Trout Lake Washington. Dr. Rick welcomes your
questions and suggestions for future articles. However, he cannot make specific
diagnoses or treatment recommendations unless you visit him in person. He can
be reached by phone at 503-257-1324 in Portland, 509-395-0024 in Trout Lake, or
toll free at 1-888-247-3248, email or on
the World Wide Web: www.CascadeWellnessClinic.com
