Exercise Instead of Prozac

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, which reviewed both unpublished and published studies submitted to the FDA, found that, when the unpublished trials were included, antidepressants were not nearly as effective as they've been thought to be. A second study that appeared in February in PLoS Medicine, the online journal, reviewed similar data and found that antidepressants were no better than placebos for mild to moderate depression and only slightly more effective for severe depression. Psychiatrist James Gordon, founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., says there's a better way to treat depression‚ through diet, exercise and meditation.

Research suggests that it may take at least 30 minutes of exercise a day for at least three to five days a week to significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of activity‚  as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time‚ can improve mood in the short term.

You can read more here and here.

Subscribe to The Family Anatomy Podcast by clicking here.

Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.