SIGH

[Fog]

ASDF, Several people have said what about exercise? Do you do any? Exercise was one of the things that helped me pull through the bad year after the end of my marriage. I was 42 and had been with my wife for 21 years. What I did was start cycling with a club every Sunday. It was great I got out in the countryside and forgot about things. So apart from the health benefits, I lost weight there was the endorphin rush that would take me half way through the week. I enjoyed it so much I started on the 25 mile round trip to work and saved myself a fortune in train fares. And the other thing that was good about it was the company. That indirectly led me to playing the fiddle for a ladies morris team.....that's another story, and goodbye to my fitness. St. John's wort is a herb and is supposed to help with depression. I took it for a while, but the one side effect is photosensitivity. If you've got very pale skin like me it makes you more likely to burn. You can get pills or tea. The tea tastes disgusting.

[Heelfan]

Hi Fogborkenvv! If you pause to read ASDF's other postings here and there, you'll find he's from the US and has hardly got a pale skin! Still, I'm sure he'll not take offence at you're well-meaning posting! While we're at it ASDF, hope things start looking brighter for you! Cheers, Heelfan

[Firefox]

Sport and exercise are great for you. They give you a natural high and boost the right chemicals and stuff like that in your brain, so I'd say go for it. Especially sport. I used to play football and rugby. Now I play Tennis, golf, volleyball, and any racket sport I can get an opportunity to play.

[JeffM]

I like what RPM and FF have said.

RPM’s

People write their experience in words. Your world responds to the words you use. No one knows you're feeling blue until you mention it. So, start writing a brighter picture for yourself and you'll get encouraged by the brighter feedback from everyone else.could have been taken right from Paul McKenna’s book.

Take an every day example. Some one approaches you and tells how rotten the weather is and how he is having a lousy day. Do you want to stay and talk to him?

Or the same guy says how great the weather is and what a great day he is having. Do you want to stay and talk to him? Most people would much prefer to talk with the second guy and not the first.

As for sport a healthy body makes for a healthy mind.

On the subject of veg have you tried stir fried veg with meat and sauces?

Jeff

[genebujold]

What is St John's Wort ?

It's a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, as is Prozac (a common-proscribed antidepressant).

The difference between how they work, however, is significant. For starters, St. John's Wort is nothing more than a freeze-dried residue made from crushed flowers. Furthermore, while Prozac and most other antidepressants have a very narrow range of dosage between what's effective, and what's too much (and can lead to psychotic behaviors), St. John's Wort has a very wide range. Another difference is that Prozac's half-life with respect to its effectiveness is measured in hours while St. John's Wort's half-life is measured in days.

What all of this means is that it's a far more stable solution.

In fact, several properly conducted double-blind tests have shown that St. John's Wort is as effective as any of the top five most commonly proscribed antidepressants for mild to moderate depression (trust me - yours isn't severe or you wouldn't be writing like you are!).

Finally, it's been in use for at least 1,400 years of recorded history with no serious adverse side effects. In fact, several studies have shown it slightly boosts your immune system, probably as a result of making the synapse more efficient.

If you're interested, it's worth a try, but start at 300mg per day for at least two weeks before taking more, and never go beyond 900mg per day without input from a trained psychologist or psychiatrist. If you do feel like you need to change your dosage, always give your current dosage at least two weeks, preferrably three, as it has a long ramp-up/down time, and changing dosage more often than that is merely averaged out in the body, accomplishing nothing.

Proper nutitrition, supplemental vitamins (100% RDA), a B-vitamin complex, routine exercise, even if it's just walking for 20 minutes three times a week, and getting some sun, are all components of sound mind and body, and will go much further for your overall well-being than will anti-depressants themselves, prescribed or natural.

Good luck!

[asdf174]

Thank you so much everyone. Its great to know that there are people on here that care. I have received some real good advice from everybody and now I guess its just up to me to put it to use. I exercise from time to time. It’s hard for me to really get into it. I will work out for about a month then I'll get lazy and stop. I need to work out more though. I use to play tennis in high school. I'm really bad at it now though. Still I think it would be fun to get back into it. I haven't tried stir fried veggies with meat and sauces yet. I've had a chance to eat them before but I'm usually too afraid to try it. Is it good? Can you taste the veggies at all? St. Johns Wort seems to be an interesting alternative to the antidepressants I'm taking right now. Right now I'm suppose to be taking Lexapro. But I don't like it too much.

[Fog]

Asdf, Try cabbage stir fried. Even my teenage kids liked it when they were at home. Get a clove of garlic, chop or crush it and leave it in a little bowl of olive oil, the longer you leave it the more garlicy the oil will get. Shred the cabbage, warm the oil and garlic, and stir fry the cabbage for five minutes. You can add some finely chopped bacon before the cabbage. It's delicious. You can do the same with broccoli, but use ginger and sessame oil, but you have to tip a little water in after the initial stir. Carots work well with olive oil, but carrots and parsnips work well roasted in the oven. Sorry to be bombarding you with advice, I don't want to sound like your mum. Sorry about my reference to pale skin, I hope you're not offended. With the sport thing you've got to find something that you like so you'll want to do it. Jeff's so right - the words you speak are the world you make for yourself.

[JeffM]

Thanks Fogvorkenvv, but I was quoting RPM, so the credit should go to him. Jeff