I am entirely with you! Your argument is well structured and tells what I  
consider to be the truth. Bravo Mike!

Bruno



> Hi Sam.  Sorry I've taken so long to reply, but I've just finished a  
> move and am
> still mostly living out of boxes that still need to be unpacked.  My  
> online time
> has been erratic and I just picked up on the fact that this was a  
> "serious
> issue" thread.
>
> First, I'm very glad to hear that you are doing a bit better than when  
> the
> thread began.
>
> Over the past few years, I've done a good bit of research into this  
> topic for
> the sake of a long time friend who has had to deal with a similar  
> situation.
> Here's a brief summary of what I've learned.
>
> The broad generalization that "Everyone on anti-depressants would be  
> better off
> if they just stopped taking them and switched to natural remedies", is  
> false
> and dangerously so.  This having been said, it is also true that many
> antidepressant drugs, especially SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake
> Inhibitors) are over marketed and over prescribed to levels that make me  
> wonder
> what kind of "medication" the medicators are on. (Just high on profits I  
> guess.)
>
> It may be a long and difficult search, but there ARE some doctors out  
> there who
> still actually care about their patients' well-being and who are willing  
> to
> work to find a total treatment approach where only the minimum necessary  
> amount
> of pharmaceutical intervention, if any, is used.  I would recommend  
> trying again
> and again as many times as necessary until you find one.
>
> Also, I can't say enough good things about the "chicken soup" approach.   
> For
> anyone who may not be familiar with the old joke, it goes like this:
>
>     Doctor:  "I prescribe chicken soup."
>     Patient: "Will it help?"
>     Doctor:  "It couldn't hurt."
>
> The point of this is that there are a number of basic things we can do  
> to take
> better care of ourselves generally that are known to often mitigate the
> suffering associated with depression and anxiety.  Although it's very  
> difficult
> to predict which aspects of healthy nutrition, exercise and sleep  
> practices will
> do how much good for any specific individual, collectively these  
> practices are
> going do some good and no harm.  It's also not unheard of for the  
> positive
> results to be fairly dramatic.  The mind and body have many ways of  
> healing
> themselves that modern science is just beginning to understand.   
> Virtually all
> of these processes work more efficiently if we don't allow ourselves to  
> become
> malnourished, exhausted, dehydrated or atrophied.
>
> These simple things work:
> (not as a replacement for medication, but as methods of supporting  
> overall
> well-being whatever one's medication status might be)
>
> 1.  Ample amounts of CLEAN water. If you think your tap water is the  
> least bit
> suspect, drink distilled or filtered water.
>
> 2.  Maintain a REGULAR sleep schedule.  (MUCH easier said than done, I  
> know) A
> regular circadian rhythm enhances numerous critical metabolic processes
> enormously.
>
> 3.  Forget complicated fad diets and just adopt a strict "no junk food"  
> policy.
> (If you think it might be junk food, it IS.) If fatigue is an issue,  
> drastically
> reducing or eliminating red meat in favor of other protein sources can  
> be a big
> help. Replace "manufactured" food-like products with fresh produce to the
> greatest extent practical.
>
> 4.  Unless some medical issue make this problematic, do the following  
> about
> twice per day: Spend about ten minutes building up to an accelerated  
> heart rate
> where you are breathing noticeably heavier than normal, but NOT gasping  
> for
> breath.  Remain active enough to maintain this heart rate for an  
> additional
> twenty to twenty-five minutes.  The best particular form of exercise is  
> the one
> you most enjoy so you will actually DO it.
>
> 5.  The results of serious studies on meditation are mixed. I'm pretty  
> sure,
> however, that it helps me and I proffer my personal unscientific  
> recommendation
> to give it a go if you're at all so inclined.
>
> Given that my own "spiritual orientation" is that of a
> "Thank-God-I'm-an-Atheist" Eclectic Ironicist (basically, we believe  
> that "true
> spirituality" - if there even *IS* such a thing - has much to do with  
> treating
> other people decently and nothing to do with preaching at them), I'm  
> probably
> profoundly unqualified to introduce this subject, BUT... statistically,  
> many
> people who report having done well in their struggle against depression  
> and
> anxiety credit support from a social group that shares their spiritual  
> and/or
> philosophical outlook as being largely responsible for their success.
>
> Finally, I'm sure that you already know, despite our society's  
> prejudices to the
> contrary, that depression is a medical condition that does not detract  
> from the
> inherent worth of a sentient individual and more than does diabetes or  
> asthma.
> I'll bet, however, that it doesn't hurt to hear someone else say it once  
> in a
> while.
>
> Please keep in touch.
>
> Best Regards,
> Mike C.
>



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