Adults and kids buck depression, anxiety and hyperactivity with exercise

Sunday, February 20, 2011 by: Monica G. Young
Tags: exercise, depression, health news

(NewsTarget) Antidepressants, ADHD drugs and other psychoactive medications are not only damaging to one's health, they can also be life-threatening. Yet evidence abounds in support of exercise and other healthy remedies.

Various research studies over the past decade indicate that regular exercise has more long-term effectiveness than antidepressants. One such study, performed by Duke University, divided 156 depressed patients into three treatment groups: 1) exercise only, 2) exercise plus antidepressant and 3) antidepressant drug only. Six months later the exercise-only group had the best and most stable recovery rate.

Harvard Medical School reports that clinical trials have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression. "Almost any type of exercise will help," states their publication. "Many people find that using large muscle groups in a rhythmic, repetitive fashion works best...Walking and jogging are prime examples. Even a simple 20-minute stroll can clear the mind and reduce stress."

For kids labeled with ADHD, exercise can be a life saver. One doctor reports great success in turning kids onto sports, instead of simply resorting to medications.

A teenager in California, Kit Karzen, recently announced his story to the press. At the age of 8 he was diagnosed with ADHD. After years of prescription drugs and side-effects, he had enough and opted out of the medication program. Later his dad introduced him to bike racing. He became hooked, turned his life around and went on to win 15 national and state titles.

To help other kids, Kit started the Kit Karzen Foundation to promote cycling as an alternative to psych meds. "Cycling worked for me and I think it's a great outlet for kids to focus their energy on," he states. "The goal is simple, we're opening the doors for kids and parents who are looking for alternatives to ADHD medication." [Note: sudden withdrawal is not advised, and any withdrawal should be done in coordination with a doctor.]

While all this may seem obvious, drug advocates like to claim non-drug remedies are unproven. Yet their chemical imbalance theory has never been substantiated scientifically. No blood tests or brain-imaging scans are used to verify mental disorder diagnoses. But what has been proven is psychiatric drugs have serious adverse effects and can even kill people.

Despite the fact that the number of Americans taking antidepressants has more than doubled since 1995, various psychiatric websites report increasing numbers of depressed Americans annually. It's now the leading cause of disability in the United States for individuals aged 15 to 44. Yet if these drugs really worked, wouldn't these statistics be decreasing?

Despite the explosion of ADHD prescriptions since the '90s, the number of children diagnosed with ADHD keeps escalating. And reportedly 30 to 50 percent of those diagnosed in childhood continue to have symptoms into adulthood. If these drugs truly worked, wouldn't those statistics be improving?

Could it be that drug "therapy" pushers reap their vast profits not by curing but by directing people onto a life of prescription drug dependency? To many of us, this too is obvious.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Ha...
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food...
http://www.nottheexaminer.com/cycling-fitnes...
http://www.cchrint.org/2010/11/18/ablechild%...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-peter-bregg...

About the author

Monica G. Young is a lifelong advocate for human rights. She is an educational researcher and writer with a purpose to expose the truth about the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industries. She encourages non-drug alternative approaches based on healthy lifestyles and human decency.