Depression
affects millions of people and the disorder is lifelong. It is estimated that
anywhere from 1 in 10 people may develop depression at some point in their
lives. There are effective drugs
for treatment of depression but unfortunately, the medications do have unwanted
side effects. Moreover, over time, many medications appear to lose their
effectiveness.
Many patients with depression are continuously searching for
that illusive treatment that can cure or work for long periods. What is also of
importance is that almost every treatment for depression is exorbitantly
expensive- this applies to medications and psychotherapy- the financial burden
of depression is enormous.
While drugs and psychotherapy are commonly prescribed by
doctors for treatment of depression, exercise is rarely
recommended. Many healthcare professionals seem to believe that exercise is
only effective for organic disorders like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. The great thing about exercise is that it can be done by
everyone and incurs no financial cost. It is relatively easy to incorporate
exercise into a daily living program.
At the moment, it is not known how long the walking should
be performed on a daily basis, how fast, or whether there is a difference when
walking indoors or outdoors.
In the past, some studies showed that vigorous exercise
could help relieve symptoms of depression but the effects of less strenuous
exercise were not evaluated. For some unknown reason many people including
health professionals seem to think that only vigorous exercise is beneficial
for health.
Now several reports indicate that simple waking may help
many people fight the symptoms of depression.
According to the researchers, one does not have to run a marathon but a brisk
stroll is just as effective.
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