Posted by mtdewcmu on November 28, 2009, at 8:13:26
In reply to Re: I'm an exercise skept » mtdewcmu, posted by morganator on November 28, 2009, at 3:15:34
> Dude! How can you say it's a placebo? Whether it is a form of stress relief or you take time to try to be positive during your workouts or there are some actual changes taking place in your brain, exercise helps to alleviate anxiety and depression for many many people.
>If it is a form of psychological stress relief, or you engage in positive thinking during your workouts, that could be construed as placebo effect, depending on what kind of effect of exercise you were expecting to find. Researchers are saying that exercise somehow rewires your brain as if you were taking a drug. If that's the kind of effect you are looking for, then all other effects could be construed as placebo.
> I seriously doubt that the 60 percent of depressed patients stay better. They may feel better for the duration of the study, but I seriously doubt that even if they continued to take the placebo they would stay in remission.
>
> Are you sure it's 60 percent?
>I don't have a particular study in mind, but I could find one and get back to you.
> If you are on a medication that is relieving at least 65 to 70 percent of your symptoms, I challenge you to start doing cardiovascular exercise 4 to 5 days a week and stretching for 15 minutes. During both the exercise and stretch, breath and meditate, closing your eyes at times, especially when breathing in through your nose.
>
> I am just very surprised that you think the benefits of exercise are mere placebo for everyone that experiences them. It's almost like saying the same for medications, herbal remedies(SJW for example), and various forms of therapy. You are denying that exercise does not have a positive effect on the brain. Did you read the article posted in the thread below?
>
> Also, if you get in shape and feel good about yourself you are more likely to just feel good in general.I don't dispute that exercise may have psychological (not biological) effects in some people which cause their depression to improve. People might derive the same psychological benefit from, say, joining a group of people who play bridge regularly. That could produce a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie. However, since bridge doesn't directly affect the brain, whatever benefits it has could be considered placebo effect.
The reason people get better when taking a sugar pill during antidepressant trials is presumably because they believe they are doing something about their depression, being in a clinical study might make them feel important, the study doctors may be especially charismatic, etc. That's the sort of thing that is termed placebo effect, and it has been shown to be powerful.
poster:mtdewcmu
thread:926857
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091127/msgs/927259.html