Can endorphins help replace anti-depressants?

Though we don't know exactly how any antidepressant works, we think exercise combats depression by enhancing endorphins: natural chemicals that act like morphine and other painkillers. .... “It's evocative to see a commercial where your world could change from black and white to color,” she said. read more

“Antidepressants” the class of psychotropic drugs are not antidepressants, either. They only work as well as placebo, and have no mechanisms that specifically address the causes or experience of depression. read more

High-intensity exercise releases the body's feel-good chemicals called endorphins, resulting in the"runner's high" that joggers report. But for most of us, the real value is in low-intensity exercise sustained over time. read more

There is also a growing body of evidence that exercising can help improve the body’s use of serotonin, another body chemical that affects mood and depression. In fact, the most common type of antidepressant mimics this behavior: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). read more