Page 40 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

40 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

health, and a significant association was found between higher
fish consumption and better mental health (Silvers 2002).
Many healthy, simple meals can be prepared that help buffer
against mental illness or as a supplementary treatment. They
take some basic cooking skills and the desire to prepare healthy
food. Andrew Weil’s Eating Well for Optimum Health (2000) or Mark
Hyman’s The UltraMind Solution (2010) and The UltraSimple Diet
(2009) are good resources for further education about these
foods and both include some simple recipes.

Exercise: Free Mental Health Care
In the past twenty years, the critical role that physical exercise
plays in mental wellness has been demonstrated scientifically,
but this has failed to make the clinical connection in the
mainstream treatment of mental illness (Callaghan, 2004). The
growing body of evidence indicates that it is a powerful way to
treat and prevent mental health problems. It is especially critical
that exercise be included in the pantheon of treatment
modalities because so many forms of exercise are fun, free, and
accessible for people of all classes, cultures and income levels
(Paluska 2000).
Hassmen et al conducted a large-scale (N=3403) study
examining exercise habits and anxiety and depression levels and
found that a level of 2-3 times per week regularly was the rate
that predicted significantly less anxiety and depression. They
also found that moderate exercise over a long period was more
effective than intense, acute, intermittent exercise (Hassmen
2000). Paluska and Schwenk looked at the impact of exercise on
anxiety and found that people did best exercising in 40-minute
sessions for at least 10 weeks (frequency per week not noted)
(Paluska 2000). Overall, it seems that a commitment to moderate
exercise is sustainable and demonstrates the most meaningful
effects.
Exercise reduces anxiety, depression, and negative mood and
improves self-esteem and assists cognitive skills (Callaghan