Posted by annemarie (212.238.33.13) on October 11, 2000 at 06:17:24:
Depression is a thing of the mind - but also of the body.
Some of us clusterheads are very deeply depressed. I won't go into direct psychological versus direct physical causes here. I'll just go back to some old fashioned remedies.
They have been proven effective (years ago already)
through brain research, but the brain people don't have time to tell us and the doctors usually prefer to give you a pill.
Not only because it is easier for them, mind you. It is also because we, the patients, usually DEMAND something that works fast and is easy to take - like a pill.
Sweet tooth
You know those downputting remarks about: "all those elderly women, sitting around guzzling cakes". Guess what?
Sweet stuff is good for you if you are depressed, so those girls were really working on their own treatment.
If you're the beanpole type or don't mind a few extra pounds now and then - go for it.
Back to the sink, woman!
In the '20s, depressed women (perhaps men hadn't emancipated into depression yet???) were told to go scrub the sink.
I used to think that a pretty heartless reply, but, guess what? Strenuous exercise will lift that depression a few notches. Scrubbing the sink and sweeping the house and doing the grand wash on monday still were very strenuous excercises in those days.
So today, we can tear down wall paper, paint the side of the house, dig over a piece of garden, go jogging or windsurfing (yeah, Miguel).
For me, either sweets or excercise work nearly every time. The edge is taking off and life looks marginally more attractive.
Walk in beauty, annemarie