One of the biggest problems with medical drugs is that even when they “fix” a problem, they often create another one.
And what do you think the medical industry’s solution for that new problem is?
That’s right… another drug.
Just look at antidepressants…
A solid 10% of Americans take these drugs. So chances you or someone you know is on one…
What are the side effects of antidepressant drugs?
They’re supposed to make you happy. But instead of lifting your spirits, these drugs just make you feel numb to everything. They kill your sex drive and can make you fat, suicidal and violent.1
They can also leave you with broken bones.
The journal Bone published a study on almost 80,000 people. It found people who used SSRI anti-depressants like Prozac had almost twice the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures as those who didn’t use those drugs.
And even people who used non-SSRI antidepressants had around a 40% higher risk for a break.2
Prozac and other SSRIs cause bone loss by telling your brain to send out signals that increase bone breakdown and impair new bone formation.
So now, in addition to depression you also have osteoporosis.
But instead of finding an alternative, safe treatment for depression, the medical industry wants to prescribe beta blockers to deal with the side effects of SSRIs!
In a new mouse study from Columbia University Medical Center, researchers found that the beta-blocker drug propranolol helps stop the bone loss caused by depression drugs.3
The Side Effects of Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers are used to bring down high blood pressure. But they have their own side effects. They block the hormones that allow your heart to beat faster and harder. That decreases your cardiac output. As your heart slows down, it starts to pump less blood than it receives. Fluid backs up. Your heart swells up. Over time, beta-blockers turn your heart into a fat, lazy water balloon.
So now you have depression, osteoporosis, PLUS a de-conditioned heart.
Beta-blockers also cause other side effects like constant fatigue… shortness of breath… joint, leg and back pain… headaches… kidney damage… and ironically, depression.
I don’t prescribe SSRIs or beta-blockers. For more than two decades, I have used one single natural approach to treat and prevent depression, osteoporosis, and heart health all at once.
The Natural Approach to Good Health
I’m talking about my anti-aging exercise system. It’s called PACE, which stands for Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion. And it’s great for depression.
You see, physical exertion increases circulation to your brain. It gives you fresh blood and oxygen, and reinvigorates your mood. Exertion also releases serotonin — the “feel good hormone” — in your brain.
Exertion gives you another psychological boost, too: a release of endorphins. They’re the brain’s natural morphine-like pain relievers. They give you a sense of pleasure.
PACE also builds strong bones. You just have to make sure to choose weight-bearing exercises three to four days a week. Good old-fashioned bodyweight exercises like the ones you used to do back in gym class are the best kind. Try lunges, squats, squat thrusts, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and crunches.
And PACE builds up the strength and capacity of your heart. Like any muscle, the heart needs exercise to build strength. PACE is the best way to improve your heart’s capacity and increase its pumping power.
PACE is safe at any age. And it doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape. You can start out easy, at your own level. All it takes is 12 minutes a day.
You can try it right now by doing a few push-ups. Start face down on the floor, palms against the floor under shoulders, toes curled up against the floor. Push up with your arms, keeping a straight line from head through toes. Lower to within a few inches of the floor and repeat until you reach your desired intensity. Then rest and recover. Try doing three sets like that. And if you’re just beginning you can do push-ups from your knees.
If you want to learn some other good PACE exercises, go to my YouTube channel. I have more than 30 different exercises and a complete workout to help you get started.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Moore TJ, Glenmullen J, Furberg CD “Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others.” PLoS ONE 2010: 5(12): e15337. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015337
2.
Verdel, B.M., Souverein, P.C., Egberts, T.C., et al. “Use of antidepressant drugs and risk of osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic fractures,” Bone 2010;47(3):604-9.
3.
María José Ortuño, Samuel T Robinson, Prakash Subramanyam, et al. “Serotonin-reuptake inhibitors act centrally to cause bone loss in mice by counteracting a local anti-resorptive effect.” Nature Medicine (2016) doi:10.1038/nm.4166.