Telly Talk Memorial : What's wrong with you today?

[Snarky Oracle!]

10 minutes two or three times a week shouldn't negatively impact your beauty.

I, too, was ridiculously young-looking (at least until three or four years, when I stopped looking in a mirror).

 

[Crimson]

Winter depression is the most common version but summer depression is also considered a serious condition (including hot weather in spring, which is actually even worse).

I always expect seasonal depression to hit in the winter, but it sneaks up on me in the spring. I think it's because I expect spring to be sunny and full of bursting flowers ... and instead I get 3 dreary months of clouds and rain.

I got essentially the same advice from a licensed therapist and a New Age-y yoga instructor: just accept and embrace it. Humans have different seasonal rhythms. In years past, I tried to fight it by being more active and more social. That just left me drained. This year, I just sort of hibernated. And now, heading into my favorite season, I feel rejuvenated rather than starting the season mentally exhausted.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I interpret that as permission to deal with the issue the way I see fit.
Which is what I'm already doing, which is exactly why it's becoming a problem.
Your therapist phrases it nicely, like a piece of needlepoint to hang on the wall, but it doesn't offer me any new insights or alternative approach.

 

[Frank Underwood]

If we get 10 minutes of sunlight to the face two or three times a week, it helps with depression -- and a boatload of other health issues.

Then there's a Vitamin D-3 supplement, at large doses. 20,000 IUs daily is handled well by the system. (Although I've heard some places in Europe can't sell it OTC).

Wow, that high? My vitamin D-3 level was 11.8 about a year ago, which is extremely low. The normal range is between 30-100.

I had to take 50,000 IU once a week for about a month, but after that, my doctor only prescribed me 1,000 IU daily. It brought my level up, but I'm still deficient at 25.5.

The other takeaway from this is that I need to get out in the sun more, but I've become such a homebody as I've gotten older. It's funny because I was the exact opposite when I was younger. You couldn't keep me indoors. But now I've gotten to where I can't tolerate heat or cold very well. I used to love summer, but when I lived with my mom, we always set up a pool in the yard to swim in. I loved going swimming, but now I live in a duplex and pools aren't allowed. Instead, the backyard is usually filled with obnoxious, bratty kids that I try to avoid like the plague. So I'm much more comfortable indoors where I can control the climate and can find a program or a song to drown out the heathens outside.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Wow, that high? My vitamin D-3 level was 11.8 about a year ago, which is extremely low. The normal range is between 30-100.

I had to take 50,000 IU once a week for about a month, but after that, my doctor only prescribed me 1,000 IU daily. It brought my level up, but I'm still deficient at 25.5.

The other takeaway from this is that I need to get out in the sun more, but I've become such a homebody as I've gotten older. It's funny because I was the exact opposite when I was younger. You couldn't keep me indoors. But now I've gotten to where I can't tolerate heat or cold very well. I used to love summer, but when I lived with my mom, we always set up a pool in the yard to swim in. I loved going swimming, but now I live in a duplex and pools aren't allowed. Instead, the backyard is usually filled with obnoxious, bratty kids that I try to avoid like the plague. So I'm much more comfortable indoors where I can control the climate and can find a program or a song to drown out the heathens outside.

The RDA for Vitamin D-3 is, like, maybe 800 IUs -- which is a joke. It's like taking nothing. And 1000 IUs isn't much better -- the recommendations for Vitamin D-3 are laughably low.

You can take as much as 40,000 IUs daily if need be. And 20,000 is no problem at all. (Taking 50,000 once a week is perfectly reasonable).

Remember, IUs are so tiny that 40,000 sounds like a lot. But in miligrams, 40,000 IUs only equates to one milligram. (Hence, 1000 IUs equals a mere 1/40 th of a milligram, which is virtually useless. But doctors don't know about that sort of stuff; they're not trained in it).

 

[Crimson]

If we get 10 minutes of sunlight to the face two or three times a week, it helps with depression -- and a boatload of other health issues.

Exercise helps measurably, but I've slacked-off lately myself.

Funny how so much expert advice throughout our lives has been proven wrong or, at least, heavily misconstrued. The paranoia about sun exposure -- possibly a capitalist conspiracy from Big Sunscreen -- is surely a big factor on why something like two-thirds of Americans are vitamin-D deficient. Wanting to avoid skin cancer or preserve youthful skin is all well and good, but not at the expense of the physiological effects of vitamin-D deficiency. I've never been inclined to use sunscreen unless I expect prolonged exposure, like on a beach day.

And, yes, a lot of people suffering from mundane depression (as opposed to diagnosed Depression) would be helped with regular exercise, sunshine and consistent sleep.