[housewife]

This is a really great point. I have long believed that physical and mental health are so connected to one another. I actually have had this proven to me very recently in two instances. My mother in law has cancer, and she recently stopped responding to chemo, so she stopped the treatment. Now basically all she can do is fight with sheer will (which she has a LOT of luckily) and she's doing this vegan diet, which has been known to cure some people. The funny thing though, is that she was saying the other day she feels so much more able to fight it now that she's off chemo and not feeling sick all the time. She's feeling like a million bucks, I hope it stays that way... The other instance is myself; I am currently recovering from my second go with postpartum depression. I am ok now, I actually feel like dynamite too :) but I did have to go on meds for it. It's unreal how it affects you physically. I was sleeping like 16 hours a day for a few weeks, and still exhausted (and I was blessed with a baby that slept through the night at 5 weeks, so it wasn't due to actual sleep deprivation). And now I'm really feeling healthy. Anyone will tell you too, exercise and sleep and diet are some of the keys to keeping depression at bay.

I am fortunate that I live in Alberta, and don't have to go through the woes of the US health care system. I never take our free healthcare for granted. I am sorry for what your friend is going through...

Thanks for the post pasbesoin!