Moving and improving

Last week we talked about some problems with antidepressants, and one pretty good natural solution. Today I want to tell you about another great -- and safe -- way to beat depression that does wonders for your whole body. You may have already guessed what the answer is: exercise.

Now, you already know that I recommend exercise to pretty much everybody as a good way to keep healthy and fit. But it can also treat depression, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Here's what the scientists found out: Doing some kind of aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, five days a week reduced depression just as well as drugs and psychotherapy did.

Of all the patients in the study, 46 percent of them improved substantially, and 42 percent were back to feeling like their old selves again from exercise alone. Plus, exercise doesn't come with negative side effects...it comes with good ones like better health and weight loss, and it's a lot easier on your bank account, too.

Some kinds of exercise may not do as much for depression as they do for treating other conditions. I can think of one exercise in particular that seems to be a very good way to improve the symptoms of a very common, painful condition. I'll tell you more about it below. Yoga improves fibromyalgia symptoms

One of my fallback treatments for almost every condition is exercise, but regular exercise can actually make things worse for some fibromyalgia patients. Except for yoga, that is.

Yoga offers a low-impact approach, mixed with some meditation, which can work very well for patients who can't tolerate regular exercise. An eight-week study of yoga and fibromyalgia showed some great benefits. The patients went to two 90-minute sessions each week, led by a qualified instructor, and followed those up with relaxation exercises. For the other days, the patients used a video to help them with the routines at home. The yoga and relaxation helped improve pain, fatigue, and sleep...but didn't do much for depression or disability. Fibromyalgia can be very tough to treat, though, and anything that relieves even some symptoms without making other ones worse scores points in my book.

Sometimes, though, treatments that work well for some symptoms do make others worse. Like one commonly used osteoporosis remedy that seems to help in the short term, but may cause even worse problems in the long run, as you'll see below.

Some bone drugs may do more harm than good

Lots of doctors prescribe drugs like Fosamax and Actonel for their patients with osteoporosis because they're supposed to benefit your bones. But a very surprising report suggests that the opposite may be true, and people should think twice before taking these kinds of drugs for a long time.

In a small study, researchers found out that people who took these bone drugs for more than five years seemed to end up with weaker bones and a higher risk for fractures. From doing bone biopsies, they learned that the drugs can interfere with your body's natural bone- repair system. That means your body can't form as much new bone as it needs to, which makes them weaker over time. This disturbing effect only seems to apply to some people. Others may not have to worry. Problem is, at this time we can't predict exactly who will be harmed and who will benefit.

If you already take, or are thinking about taking, these kinds of drugs to help your bones, talk to your doctor about the risk potential. And definitely consider taking them for less than five years.

Until next time,

Dr. Alan Inglis House Calls http://www.americascountrydoctor.com/housecalls/freecopy.html