Exercise as Effective as Drugs for Depression Relief

Mind-Body-Spirit News:

Doctors may soon be able to recommend exercise as a viable alternative to drug therapy for patients with depression. According to a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine (2007; 69, 587–96), patients who exercised in a group program achieved reductions in depression comparable to those seen in patients taking a standard antidepressant medication. For patients who exercised on their own at home, the result was somewhat less strong than it was for either the supervised exercisers or those taking prescription drugs. Home-based exercisers, however, still improved more than control group members who took a placebo.

Investigators from Duke University Medical Center, Emory University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill divided 202 adults diagnosed with major depression into four groups (medication, group exercise, home exercise and placebo) and evaluated their depression for 16 weeks. After 4 months the following percentages of patients were free of depressive symptoms: 47% of those on medication; 45% in the group exercise cohort; 40% of home exercisers; and 31% in the placebo group. The researchers concluded that exercise had a positive impact on individuals with depression. Lead study author James Blumenthal, PhD, of Duke University Medical Center, noted that “placebo response rates were high, suggesting that a considerable portion of the therapeutic response is determined by patient expectations, ongoing symptom monitoring, attention and other nonspecific factors.” More research was recommended.

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Shirley Archer, JD, MA

IDEA Author/Presenter

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Shirley Archer, JD, MA, was the 2008 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and is IDEA’s mind-bo... moreShirley Archer, JD, MA, was the 2008 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year and is IDEA’s mind-body-spirit spokesperson. She is a certified yoga and Pilates teacher and an award-winning author based in Palm Beach, Florida, and Zurich, Switzerland. Two of her books, The Walking Deck and The Strength and Toning Deck, are now featured as iPhone apps. Contact her at www.shirleyarcher.com. less

IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 5, Number 2

February 2008

© 2008 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

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