![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 16:28:57
Hi everyone,
I'm so depressed. My body feels heavy from depression and I feel slow. I don't know why this happened because I haven't been depressed much for several years. I don't know how to get better. I don't want medications. They are awful. They deteriorate my health and make me fat. I'm at a nice weight now, and I don't want to ruin that.
I worked hard to get healthier and I don't want the side effects of an AD to compromise what I've accomplished.
What am I going to do?
Lately I've also had more anxiety than usual, but the depression really didn't hit 'till today. I hope it's short lived.
I don't know what more to say. Things seem sort of futile right now.
Posted by Jai Narayan on November 15, 2004, at 20:53:21
In reply to Very depressed, posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 16:28:57
Oh Cass, I am so sorry to hear you are feeling depressed.
I can understand your struggle with meds.
What can I offer you?
You have been such a beam of light on our site in the past.
If there is anything I can say or do....Jai
Posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 21:17:26
In reply to Very depressed, posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 16:28:57
Have you tried full spectrum lighting? It helped me get my feet in the door - or out the door really. I hadn't been off my property in nearly a year. My weight and blood pressure were high and I was losing hope.
I ordered some full spectrum bulbs and tubes for an overhead fixture in my living room. That was in November 2003. I started walking, quit drinking for 6 months, and lost 25lbs. Looking back at my journal, it was the full spectrum lighting that really turned it around.
Months later I invested in a "light box" although I don't use it for therapy so much as for interior lighting. My house has a blue aura at night and I await the drug enforcement task force looking for pot plants and the pot I wish I were smoking.
Anyway, I noticed a big difference with just the florescent (there's a "u" in this word but I don't know where it goes) full spectrum tubes. I went with the highest quality out there - an offshoot of vitalites that went out of business. I think the name was Duro-Test. I did alot of research at the time and picked the one with the best specs.
Sometimes tweaking one's nutrition can be beneficial. Add something like niacinamide, a good B-complex, or try many of the supplements known to help with depression. I've had poor to mixed results with stuff like SAMe or 5HTP but I haven't given up trying to augment my diet of beer, low carb shakes, and pseudo bread with supplements.
I think I've wandered down one of the many goat trails that circles my life of isolation - I hope I haven't gone off on a tangent and given you too much information.
verne
Posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 21:51:35
In reply to Re: Very depressed » Cass, posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 21:17:26
Thanks for all the information, verne. I don't know much about full spectrum lighting. What's the idea behind it? How does it help depression?
I like natural alternatives, so I'd really appreciate the information. Thanks.As for diet, who knows, maybe I could tweak my diet a little, but it is very good as it is. My husband and I just got back from a week at a holistic health retreat, and we ate a lot of nutritionally supercharged whole foods. I eat very nutritional foods at home too.
Posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 21:52:42
In reply to Re: Very depressed, posted by Jai Narayan on November 15, 2004, at 20:53:21
Thanks, Jai. I appreciate your support. You are very sweet. Sometimes just knowing someone cares helps.
Posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 22:18:41
In reply to Re: Very depressed » verne, posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 21:51:35
Cass,
If you have low-grade depression, especially this time of year, I recommend the full spectrum lighting - you don't have to buy the expensive "light therapy box". A few tubes and bulbs throughout the house can make a huge difference. And it is so much easier to read you may have to give up reading glasses.
The light, contrast, and colors are magnified so reading is easier.
verne
Posted by gardenergirl on November 15, 2004, at 22:33:59
In reply to Re: Very depressed » Cass, posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 22:18:41
Cass,
My immediate thought was light therapy as well. I have been using it since September, and it is really making a difference. I can tell if I miss a day.You can get more information about light therapy at this site: http://www.apollohealth.com/
There are others out there as well. Plus you can search the archives here on Babble. That's how I decided how to buy one. I purchased my lamp from http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/?wcw=google
It wasn't all that expensive, although my insurance refused to cover it. :( Still, it's worth it for me.
Take care,
gg
Posted by octopusprime on November 15, 2004, at 23:15:05
In reply to Very depressed, posted by Cass on November 15, 2004, at 16:28:57
hi cass
i will evangelize on exercise again
how much exercise are you getting?
and are you exercizing outdoors in daylight if at all possible?
i am having some terrible days (you can see my other posts) but today i managed to ride my bike 10 km, walk 10 km, and not smoke a single cigarette (yay me!)of course i did eat a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate bar so maybe it is a hollow victory :-/
but exercize! in the daylight! riding my bike to work in the light really makes a huge difference.
Posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 0:45:38
In reply to Re: Very depressed » Cass, posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 21:17:26
Cass, I just read Verne's post and would like to add to I also have a full spectrum light, I use it for about 30 minutes every morning and it works wonders, absolute wonders as far as mood. Also, I take 3000 mg of Salmon Oil every day and that's been helping me stay optimistic and somewhat functioning without Prozac. Also, posting helps quite a lot.
Posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 0:46:57
In reply to Re: Very depressed » Cass, posted by verne on November 15, 2004, at 22:18:41
every day? It sounds like you use your full spectrum lights constantly, do you?
Posted by verne on November 16, 2004, at 11:57:07
In reply to Verne, how much time do you have your light on, posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 0:46:57
My living room and computer room are both lit with full spectrum lighting and on most of the time.
Posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 13:40:07
In reply to Re: Verne, how much time do you have your light on » Susan47, posted by verne on November 16, 2004, at 11:57:07
I thought that would be too much. How do you sleep, does it affect your sleep if you have a lot of full spectrum during the day?
Posted by Cass on November 16, 2004, at 15:47:01
In reply to Wow » verne, posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 13:40:07
I didn't know a lot about full spectrum lighting and it sounds great, but I live in a very sunny part of the country, so I'm not really effected by SAD. I still think there's a great need for me to be in the sun for at least 20 minutes a day. I can't go out when the sun is strong, but I try to go out late in the afternoon. I feel better when I do, and I think the idea of exercising outdoors is a really good idea. I'm going to do that today.
I feel a tiny bit better today, but I still feel very fragile. I wish I didn't feel this way. I have accompanying feelings of wanting to isolate, and feeling like people don't like me as is typically the case when I'm depressed.
I really appreciate all of your support.
Posted by verne on November 16, 2004, at 17:30:40
In reply to Wow » verne, posted by Susan47 on November 16, 2004, at 13:40:07
My overhead full-spectrum tubes and bulbs don't do near as much as the "light box" which I only turn on when I read, which is just about never lately.
I don't think you can get too much full spectrum lighting since the harmful UV rays are blocked. Although some light boxes allow some UV.
I read that some full spectrum lighting at a basketball game malfunctioned and everyone came away with sunburns. It is very popular in schools.
Anyway, I sleep fine. I log some pretty serious naps during the day too.
verne
Posted by Cass on November 17, 2004, at 16:27:58
In reply to Re: Very depressed, posted by Jai Narayan on November 15, 2004, at 20:53:21
I'm feeling a little better today. I took a walk with my dog. It's a pleasant, sunny day. I've done some tidying up around the house too. I'm juice fasting today. I've made a resolution to juice fast one day every week. I'll keep my weight in check and give my digestion a break. I find that it gives me mental clarity as well if I'm only doing it for a day.
I hope this upward swing in my mood keeps going up.How are all of you?
Posted by Susan47 on November 18, 2004, at 2:41:16
In reply to Re: Getting better, posted by Cass on November 17, 2004, at 16:27:58
I'm good. The light is good, but I'm forgetting to take my salmon oil and I haven't had a chance to grocery shop so my food supplies are dwindling a bit and that makes it harder to feel optimistic
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.