Search the Community

I have had the good fortune to confer with some of the top brain researchers in the world this past 4 years. Michael M. Merzenich who has had several PBS brain specials, Robert Sapolsky at Stanford, Daniel Amen (also many PBS brain specials) Malcom Lader in the UK and many others. Off the subject of exercise but Dr. Merzenich is considered the father of neuroplasticity research and he told me to study primates brain ability to heal they give them SSRI's then stop them. OK Exercise - none of these experts had a clue on how to heal a drug damaged brain. The one common theme was aerobic exercise. There is a great book out on this called SPARK on this. There is also the work of the Cooper Center on the benefits of aerobic exercise for anxiety and depression being better than medications. For the first 3 years I could not do any more than walk - any strenuous activity made me critically ill. I still walk a lot and more if I am in a wave (which seems to be continual) but now I have been able to do some 10 mile bike rides. Has anyone else found benefit/determent to exercise??

Is anyone else over sensitive to stimulus, such as noise, movement and light? Things that used to normally not bother me seems overwhelming on my senses. Any suggestions of what to do? I'm thinking of getting some really nice earplugs for work....

I'm finding it more difficult to exercise especially since my dizziness has gotten worse. Any Suggestions?

About a month ago I took the Pfizer second dose vaccine. About 3 days later I made a 7.5% drop. Since I already had Covid this would be sort of like a booster for me in terms of expected reaction. Since then have had extreme fatigue, in bed most days - initially it went for about 10 days and got more or less better with fatigue coming on after active days - walking 5K+ steps (note that before that I was able to do 10K+ steps quite regularly). The fatigue is accompanied by pins and needles in the legs and feet, small muscle twitches in the legs, serious muscle aches bottom of feet and calves and thighs. Sometimes there is also brain fog accompanying the fatigue but not always. This seems like a vaccine reaction to me but it could also be withdrawal so I am not sure what to make of it. Had blood tests that came out OK except for vit D insufficiency which is not unusual for me. Mood and energy are generally OK (I do want to go for walks and do things so not really lethargic most of the time) and other withdrawal symptoms are minimal. Anyone else had this kind of reaction to the vaccine or similar symptoms from withdrawal.

Being sedentary causes a lot of health problems. Here's another study in that vein, this time showing exercise helps build resistance to panic and anxiety attacks. As usual, so as not to step on psychiatry's toes, the study allows medication may also be used -- but why start with medication when you can start with something that improves overall health? High Levels Of Regular Physical Activity May Be A Useful Intervention To Prevent Panic And Related Disorders 13 Jul 2011 Regular exercise may be a useful strategy for helping prevent the development of panic and related disorders, a new study suggests. People with an intense fear of the nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath that accompany panic - known as "high anxiety sensitivity" - reacted with less anxiety to a panic-inducing stressor if they had been engaging in high levels of physical activity, said researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the University of Vermont in Burlington. "Anxiety sensitivity is an established risk factor for the development of panic and related disorders," said SMU psychologist Jasper Smits, lead author on the research. "This study suggests that this risk factor may be less influential among persons who routinely engage in high levels of physical activity." Regular exercise as an alternative or complementary strategy to drugs and psychotherapy There is already good evidence that exercise can be of help to people who suffer from depression and anxiety problems, say the researchers. "We're not suggesting, 'Exercise instead of pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy,'" Smits said. "Exercise is a useful alternative, particularly for those without access to traditional treatments. Primary care physicians already prescribe exercise for general health, so exercise may have the advantage of helping reach more people in need of treatment for depression and anxiety." Smits reported the findings in "The Interplay Between Physical Activity and Anxiety Sensitivity in Fearful Responding to Carbon Dioxide Challenge," an article that has published online and is in press with the scientific journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Co-authors include SMU psychology researchers Candyce Tart and David Rosenfield, and University of Vermont psychologist Michael Zvolensky. New study adds to earlier research finding exercise reduces anxiety The study builds on findings of earlier research, outlined in "Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven strategies for overcoming depression and enhancing well-being" (Oxford University Press, 2011) by psychologists Michael Otto and Jasper Smits. That research indicates exercise improves mood and reduces anxiety, working like "an antidepressant drug." Also, a 2008 study by Smits, director of the SMU Anxiety Research & Treatment Program and associate professor in the SMU Psychology Department, and Otto, a professor in Boston University's Psychology Department, indicated that exercise can also reduce anxiety sensitivity. That research, combined with the new findings, indicates that exercise may be an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders. "Exercise can be a powerful addition to the range of treatments for depression, anxiety and general stress," said Otto. "And when people exercise to feel good, they are also taking the exact steps they need to benefit their general health." Those with high anxiety sensitivity have greater risk of an attack Anxiety sensitivity is the extent to which individuals fear they will be harmed by anxiety-related bodily sensations such as a racing heart, dizziness and shortness of breath, say the authors. Research shows that the higher a person's anxiety sensitivity, the greater their risk for developing panic attacks and related psychological disorders. "For people who have high anxiety sensitivity, the symptoms of anxiety tend to signal threat," said Smits. "They worry, 'I'll have a panic attack,' 'I'll die,' 'I'll go crazy,' 'I'll lose control' or 'I'll make a fool of myself.' That's been widely studied as one of the risk factors for development of anxiety disorders, mostly panic. And it's a robust risk factor in that it's been replicated in several studies." For the latest study, the researchers measured anxiety reactivity to a panic-related stressor, namely the inhalation of carbon dioxide-enriched air. Study participants were 145 adult volunteers who had no history of panic attacks. After completing questionnaires measuring their physical activity and anxiety sensitivity, the participants inhaled a mixture of room air enriched with carbon dioxide, a benign procedure that typically induces a number of bodily sensations, including nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath. After inhalation, participants indicated their level of anxiety in reaction to the sensations. The results showed that anxiety reactivity to the stressor was dampened among individuals who have been regularly engaging in high levels of physical activity. Source: Margaret Allen Southern Methodist University Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/231014.php

. Research done nearly 50 years ago showed that although drugs get out of the bloodstream quickly, they leave traces behind in the fatty tissues. These drug residues can stay in the fat cells for years and are released little by little into the rest of the body – even though the person stopped taking the drugs. As the drug residues are released, they create physical and mental cravings for the drugs and can even cause full-blown symptoms to come back. With LSD, these are known as ‘flashbacks.’. It also causes the person to be in a continual state of stress.

original post http://wp.me/p5nnb-acQ What Rich and Gary are talking about here is in keeping with the article I wrote for Mad in America: Everything Matters: a Memoir From Before, During and After Psychiatric Drugs This is great. Yes, there are physiological bumps on this journey with this body/mind. Especially if we're healing from psychiatric drug iatrogenesis. Tend to your body! And yeah, it does keep getting better and better. The trajectory toward wellness keeps on going... More from Gary and Rich on Beyond Meds: DIY NonDual Awakening (SRIN is free, readily available and totally accurate) Attachment and suffering The difference between pain and suffering Spiritual practice with partners and family as Zen masters original post http://wp.me/p5nnb-acQ