Banish depression by doing hot yoga and living with a cat companion

I have deliberately joined two ways to banish depression because I think together anybody who feels depressed or has been diagnosed with depression should wage a war on that mental condition and what better way to do that than owning a loving cat companion and participating in two hot yoga sessions per week?

Studies have confirmed that companion animals can alleviate depression particularly cats as it happens in one study. Another study recently published found that hot yoga can significantly reduce symptoms of severe depression. This is based upon a clinical trial.

Hot yoga

In nice to know that we have scientists stating that regular Bikram yoga classes, in which the participants pose in yoga positions in humid temperatures of 40°C, are an effective treatment option that can help to put depressed people into remission.

The clinical trial was led by Massachusetts Gen Hospital. They recruited 80 adults all of whom were suffering from moderate to severe depression. They were divided randomly into two groups.

The first group attended 90-minute hot yoga sessions twice a week while the others went on a waiting list.

After eight weeks, 44% of those who participated in Bikram saw big improvements in their depression symptoms to the point where they were no longer classed as depressed. This compared very favourably with only 6% of the control group who felt less depressed.

They assessed the depression using a standard assessment to call the Inventory of Depressive Symptomology Scale.

As mentioned, the participants attended two classes a week but even attending one class per week will help reduce depression, the scientists concluded.

The research is published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Maren Nyer, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the lead author of the trial said: "Yoga and heat-based interventions could potentially change the course of treatment for patients with depression by providing a non-medication-based approach. We are currently developing new studies with the goal of determining the specific contributions of each element, heat and yoga."

Cat companion

You will find many studies on the way that a cat companion can help alleviate depression in their caregiver. And you will find even more anecdotal stories which supports this conclusion. Many people find comfort in the companionship of domestic cats. They say that they have a positive impact on their mental well-being.

The effectiveness will depend upon the person. Obviously, you've got to like cats and you've got to be able to relate to your domestic cat companion because the closer the bond the more effective the "treatment" is.

Interacting with cats can provide emotional support. The caregiver receives unconditional companionship and love.

And the act of petting a cat has been shown to release endorphins. These are hormones which promote feelings of happiness, contentment and relaxation. 

The famous cat purr is a healer of bones and a panacea for the troubled mind.

And having a cat around the home can help instil rhythms and routines in both the cat and the caregiver which helps to stabilise home life.

And looking after a cat can instil a sense of purpose and responsibility in a person who needs structure in their lives. I'm referring here to retired people. They no longer have their work to help structure their lives. This can lead to a loss of purpose and depression.

Obviously, living with a domestic cat can help alleviate loneliness and loneliness can lead to depression.

But domestic cats are only one aspect of how to tackle depression albeit a major one as far as I'm concerned. There are no substitute for professional help if an individual feels they need it.

Drugs a last resort

But personally, I would regard drug treatments as a last resort. The preference would be to try both the above first because they are non-drug interventions which are far healthier.

All drugs are essentially poisons which means they have side effects. It is far better to deal with these problems, if one can, through non-chemical intervention. You don't want to alter your brain chemistry artificially if you can help it.

Bikram yoga

Bikram Yoga is a way to connect mind and body through breath, movement and sweat!

I would like to tell you what Abby McLachlan says about Bikram yoga. She is the founder of East of Eden, which is a yoga/Pilates and meditation studio in east London. Bikram Choudhury started the trend for hot yoga when he increased the heat of yoga studios in Japan in the 1970s to try to replicate Indian heat.

Abby states that: "Since the pandemic I've seen a rise in popularity for classes and work outs that people can easily replicate at home. Hot yoga very much falls into this category. We heat to 37°C, add high humidity through the use of humidifiers, and use aromatherapy scents to coloured lighting to enhance the experience. There are many benefits to practising yoga in a hot room. 

The heat increases the flexibility of your muscles, which can increase your range of motion and reduce the risk of injury. Your muscles also work harder, making standing postures and balances more challenging, but ultimately more beneficial. 

You might also detoxify in hot yoga through sweating more, and improve your circulation through better blood flow. You also find that your heart works harder in the heat giving you an enhanced cardiovascular workout"

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Please forgive any typos. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

In the UK nearly 50% of older people say that television or pets are their main form of company

Image: MikeB

In the UK, nearly half of older people (49% of 65+ UK) say that television or pets are their main form of company. Today, on the radio, there was a discussion about loneliness in the UK and that startling piece of information came out in the discussion. It is a shocking statistic I would say. An indictment of the way the British relate to the elderly.

Elderly Japanese lady and her odd-eyed white cat who's probably deaf on the left side - the side of the blue eye. Image in the public domain.

And in the UK, over 1 million older people say that they always or often feel lonely. The information provided by Age UK in a document entitled: Evidence Review: Loneliness in Later Life, also tells us that loneliness can be as harmful for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Nearly half of people aged 75 and over live alone in the UK. I am one of those people (age: 74). And I have a pet cat, Gabby. And I like to watch television although for many years I was not that keen on it. But it keeps me company.

Fortunately, I have a couple of close friends who I walk with nearly every day. And I've just joined a Scrabble club! I am trying to ensure that I don't become too lonely. I know how it can affect health although I am very health-conscious.

Remarkably, 6% of older people leave their house once a week or less. My God. That means that almost 600,000 people in the UK are hermits or reclusive.

41% of people aged 65 and over in the UK feel out of touch with the pace of modern life. That does not apply to me. I feel fully integrated into modern life and I understand modern life. I can't say that I particularly like it, however.

Elderly man and his cat. Video screenshot.

Sometimes I am nostalgic about the old ways of living from the 1970s and even earlier. I was born in 1948. A different world.

The research does point, however, to the great importance that a companion animal can have in the life of a person aged 65 and over in the UK. They are lifeline.

I don't know what the percentage breakdown is between dogs and cats as owned by people aged 65 and over. I suspect that nearly all women in that age bracket live with a cat. And as women live longer than men, I suspect, too, that the predominant pet owned by people in this elderly age bracket is a cat.

They are, too, easier to look after as well because, for instance, you don't need to take them for a walk. A lot of people age 75 and over might have difficulty in walking for any distance. And there is an obesity epidemic in the UK which limits walking ability.

Elderly man and his loving cat. Image in the public domain.

So perhaps I can refine this article by saying that it is the domestic cat who is saving the lives of people and keeping them from being lonely. And it's amazing how close a relationship a person can form with their cat when they live alone with them and are indoors nearly all the time. It becomes a different kind of relationship to that which we are familiar with when we are young.

There is a great deal of symbiosis in such a relationship. The one depending upon the other. There is a great mutuality of benefit.

It's perhaps certain that of all the people who benefit from the presence of a domestic cat the most it is the elderly.

But often the presence of a cat is not "in your face" or obvious. They are just there. Their presence chips away at that loneliness which can haunt people. You don't feel alone; that's the point.

RELATED: Picture: elderly woman, Lidiia lives with her cat, Matilda, near the fighting in Eastern Ukraine.

Elderly man who rescued his cat from a house fire. Image in the public domain.

And when you are that close to a cat you learn better how to communicate with them and vice versa. There is a great integration of daily rhythms and habits. Elderly people are far more likely to have very deeply entrenched habits and routines. This pleases the domestic cat because life becomes more predictable. Domestic cats like predictability because it brings a feeling of security.

Domestic cats can tend to be a bit nervous because they live in a land of giants i.e. humans. To counteract that there is this beautiful rhythmical lifestyle of elderly people.

It is perhaps ironic that the domestic cat does not suffer from loneliness, not because they live with an elderly person or any other person for that matter, but because they are still, essentially, a solitary creature as inherited from their wild cat ancestor.

Infographics on cat behavioural changes linked to health and on osteoarthritis in elderly cats

The information in this infographic about osteoarthritis in elderly cats may surprise you. It is a major health issue about which cat owners should be aware as it affects cat caregiving. Looking after domestic cats entering old age demands a little bit more vigilance to spot changes in a range of activities and sounds etc..

Observant cat caregivers can see changes in their cat when they are ill. They might not be able to identify the illness but to observe changes in activities, vocalisations, gait, and general behavior can be a signpost to understanding an as yet unidentified illness. 

The infographic below may help a cat caregiver in guiding them through these difficult times. This is a double cross-post from 2 other posts. They are overlapping topics concerning cats entering and during old age.

I hope you find them handy and if so please leave a comment and share your personal experiences to expand on the topic.

90-year-old couple take their elderly cat for a homemade cat stroller walk daily!

Cool. What makes it even cooler is the homemade cat stroller (re-purposed) used by an elderly couple to give their equally elderly cat, Angus, some mental stimulation. 

This is not the real thing but a neat substitute for an elderly cat who stays put. There's no roof on the 'stroller'. No problem. He has no intention of jumping out. They are a great elderly threesome, and I bet they catch the eye of pedestrians.

90-year-old man pushes a homemade cat stroller with elderly cat on a walk for himself, his cat and his wife who is the same age. Image: Screenshot.

It is their granddaughter who posted the video below on TikTok. They've got some attention there too as the video is heading towards 1 million views. Although TikTok fudges the viewing figures because they put the videos on a loop which probably doubles the true number.

Look, there is hardly anything better in the world of cat ownership and caregiving than seeing an elderly couple adopt an elderly cat (I presume from an animal shelter) and then use a cat stroller to provide some mental stimulation for their cat and some exercise and mental stimulation for themselves at the same time. Wise.

Self-discipline is the way to survive, even enjoy old age!

I am sorry but (1) this is not about cats although I mention them in passing and (2) you don't want to hear the dreaded word 'self-discipline'. But it is vital during all of one's life but particularly so in old age when every day is about maintaining oneself, the home, the garden, the car and the cat.

Self-discipline is the way to survive old age! Image: MikeB

And maintenance includes maintaining mental health which can only be achieved by exercising the mind while staying as much as possible in the present. Exercising the mind does force the mind to stay in the present in any case.

In old age (70+) you have to have purpose. Often there is no need to work. That immediately undermines purpose. You have to find some other way to create purpose. You might generate it artificially. You might give yourself projects. You need to place demands on your body physically and mentally. The body needs to be worked just like an old car. And all this requires self-discipline.

And when the mind is challenged it automatically stays in the present. This blocks out negative thoughts through looking back into the past and forward into the future.

Nowadays, it is very easy to generate negative thoughts because the future looks a little bit bleak in the UK because of a dysfunctional government plus the war in Ukraine and an economic crisis. And it is just post-Covid. And it is very easy for an old person to be nostalgic. Beware of nostalgia as it can become a depressive.

Another important aspect of life which requires self-discipline is structure. I believe it is vital that an old person lives their days with structure. This can mean doing similar things each day which sounds boring, but it injects a framework into the life of a person who might become a little bit distracted and whose mind might wonder distractedly which can lead to mental upset and depression.

There is another benefit to a structure in the life of an elderly person. If they have a cat which is quite likely, then the cat will also enjoy that structure. Almost above all else, domestic cats like to know what's going to happen. It provides them with reassurance. I believe that all domestic cats need reassurance, and it should be given freely.

But all these aspects of life when retired require self-discipline. For example, you need self-discipline not to eat too much. You need self-discipline to finish eating when you are still a little bit hungry and would love some more because it is food therapy. Enjoy eating but don't do food therapy. And the less you eat the less you feel you need. It controls appetite. The opposite: eat more and the stomach demands more.

You need self-discipline to eat the right foods in order to ensure that the body functions at least reasonably well at a time when it will start malfunctioning.

For example, I go for a walk twice a day. I think every retired individual should walk for at least 45 minutes per day, preferably one hour. And it should be reasonably vigorous walking ideally in nature. Nature - trees particularly - are healing. They pour balm over the troubled mind.

 Perhaps you might do something else while walking such as discussing topics with a companion or doing photography. Both of which stimulate the mind.

But there has to be some physicality in life in order to keep the body functioning. There's nothing worse than sitting down for two hours watching television which of itself is bad for the digestion and bad for health generally.

And when you get older the body requires maintenance in terms of medications which should be taken daily, religiously but minimised. This is a proactive step in order to keep oneself in reasonable condition and functioning.

Personally, I stopped drinking alcohol about seven or eight years ago. Alcohol is calorie rich, and it is not a great food. You can put on weight very easily drinking alcohol and of course it makes you feel better for a while until the downside clicks in and you feel worse. There is always a price for artificial highs.

The problem is you put on weight, number one, and secondly you can more easily become depressed drinking alcohol because it is a depressive drug.

In addition, alcohol makes it harder to function normally both during drinking and afterwards. I would recommend employing self-discipline to entirely eliminate alcohol, but it can't be eliminated it should be minimised right down to the barest minimum.

The right foods need to be eaten and you can look that up on the Internet. It requires self-discipline to do all these things. I completely changed my diet about six years ago in order to shed some weight because the extra weight had increased my blood pressure to the point where medication was considered. 

I avoided medication because I lost weight almost immediately with a radical diet. I have modified that diet over many years and maintained it. It was hard.

Perhaps the greatest task for an elderly person is to keep their weight down and to achieve a good BMI. Excess weight brings many health problems. It is not the fat that you see but the fat that is around the organs inside the body which prevents them working such as the pancreas (creating insulin) where the damage is done. 

Incidentally, pancreatitis can be caused by an excess of alcohol which can cause temporary type 2 diabetes.

"Fatty pancreas is associated with abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, T2DM, dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension and metabolic syndrome" - National Library of Medicine USA

It took me about eight years to completely and radically change my diet to where it is now and where my weight is stable with a good or very good BMI level and my blood pressure is below 120/75. Like I said it took a lot of time and a lot of self-discipline to achieve that and it is an ongoing and never-ending challenge. Every day has the same challenge and every day that challenge must be met and surmounted.

Here is a bit more about Type II diabetes. I would expect that you have read about it. What is so shocking is that it is nearly always caused by excess weight and therefore a person suffering from type II diabetes due to obesity can self-cure themselves by losing weight, but it seems to me that very few people do this. It appears that they are addicted to food and food therapy.

My immediate neighbours are both obese and they both suffer from type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is a slow killer. You end up losing feeling in your feet because it kills the nerve endings at the extremities of the body which can lead to ulcers in the legs, which can lead to amputation. 

It damages the kidneys and liver. It damages the retina of the eyes. It can cause blindness. It is a slow insidious death and yet people can't stop eating to cure themselves. I find it astonishing, and I have to say it demonstrates a complete lack of self-discipline which is the point of this article.

Read this if you are old and you might die and have full-time indoor cats

There is a story emerging from Spain which is a bit of troubling because I can see other households suffering the same outcome. In this instance an elderly Colombian lady, Clara Ines Tobon, who had lived in the northern Madrid neighbourhood of Fuencarral since 1996, died. She had some pet cats. We don't know how many. It is believed that she died three months ago. 

Some think that she died of Covid-19. The cause of death is unimportant. The important aspect of the story is that nobody knew about her death and she had some pet cats who appear to have been full-time indoor cats with no way of exiting her property. That is the way I have interpreted the story which I think is reasonable because the cats ate her in order to survive.

For illustration purposes only. Photo: Pixabay (modified)

The upper part of her body was partially eaten by her pet cats. They say that there were two surviving cats that were taken to an animal rescue centre. That statement implies that some of the cats did not survive but detail is missing in the story with respect to her domestic cats which is the part that interests me.

She obviously lived alone and appears to have done so for a very long time. So, under these circumstances it seems to me that a cat owner needs to have at least one friend who should be given instructions to come into the property if they do not receive a response to their phone call on a daily basis. Or perhaps it might be every couple of days. But there needs to be some method to notify a next-of-kin or friend that a cat owner has died in their home. And if not died, is injured and cannot move and therefore cannot feed the cats.

We don't know how commonplace this sort of story is but I would expect it to happen not to infrequently and it is a genuine risk because there are an increasing number of full-time indoor cats who don't necessarily have access to the outside. They are basically prisoners in their owner's home and therefore they rely upon the owner to be in a position to look after them. That is a position of responsibility and therefore they have a responsibility to think through what would happen if they should die. It takes proactive action.