Pick Yoga Over Drugs for Treating Depression

By Sean Davids

Research has established that some manner of antidepressant medicines are dispensed to over 20 million people in America every year. However what ought to be the principal cause for concern are the many adverse reactions frequently experienced by persons who take these anti-depression medications. Effective as they may be for a while, it's been demonstrated that these anti-depression drugs cause many side effects which can include queasiness, exhaustion, difficulty sleeping and libido concerns. That's why a lot of folks are trying to find a way of managing depression without medication.

If you would like to experiment with addressing your depression difficulties in a more natural approach to escape these serious adverse reactions, you may want to think about performing yoga. Yoga and its soothing motions and poses tend to considerably raise the brain's alpha waves (linked to relaxation) and theta waves (unconscious memory, dreams and emotions). This conclusion is founded on a study that measured brain waves in advance of a yoga class continuing for two hours, and once more following it.

As a result of the increased activity of these alpha and theta waves, people are inclined to be more in touch with with their subliminal thoughts and emotions. Additionally, subsequent to a yoga class, alpha wave activity improves in the right temporal area of the brain. Research has established that people with depressive disorder tend to have higher levels of alpha activity in the left frontal-temporal area, whereas positive, extroverted people have more alpha activity on the right side.

Furthermore, when yoga is performed, a substantial decrease in the hormone known as cortisol happens, in addition to an increase in the hormone prolactin. This is believed by a number of researchers to be the main factor in producing the anti-depressant result of electroshock therapy.

If this all appears a little too high-tech, perhaps a less difficult illustration of how yoga is effective for treating depression may be that it exercises the motor centers of the brain. This triggers the blood to flow away from the center of emotional activity; consequently you become more open to optimistic thoughts.

Yoga poses alone will not be adequate to manage your depression. You also will need to include breathing exercises (known as pranayama), meditation, (which can be rooted in your religious practices) and a well balanced eating plan. These are all principal facets of the yoga philosophy that will make a difference in your mental well being.

So the next time depression strikes, you may do well to check out a new prescription for depression treatment: yoga. It won't hurt you, and it could possibly help you enormously. - 29881

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