Effective Strategies for High-Intensity Mental Training
Ours is a world wired for distraction. Online information and social media constantly compete for our attention, thwarting efforts to focus on a single goal. The results are scattered thoughts, shorter attention spans, and a rewiring of our brains, all of which prevent us from performing at our very best in whatever we do. For…
A Golden Gem For Brain Health
We are constantly stressed with deadlines and pressured to produce tasks faster and with more efficiency. In today’s workforce, our mental clarity plays a major role in delivering quality work. Practices to help think more clearly may include better sleep, control anxiety, and brain supplements. One such “brain supplement” with research bragging rights is curcumin,…
Vagus Nerve In Vogue
What happens in the vagus… Actually, what happens in the vagus nerve doesn’t stay in the vagus nerve. It leaves, taking information about the body’s organs to the brain via “afferent fibers”, and is considered the reason why we have a gut-brain connection. Much attention is being given to this key connector in treating gastrointestinal…
A Roller Coaster In The Bloodstream
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels can be complex and unyielding. In addition to food and beverages, our blood glucose levels fluctuate in response to a variety of other factors. Exercise, emotional stress, the previous night’s rest, and genetics all play a role in the body’s attempt to tightly regulate the levels of glucose circulating in…
New Study Shows Microbiome Influences Antibody Production
Because the microbiota is so complex, containing hundreds of different bacterial species, it was not known how the presence of microbes in the intestine shaped the antibodies that are present even before we are challenged by an infection. Researchers have now shown how beneficial microbes reprogram white blood B cells that produce antibodies and how…
Get Focused
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV, the presence of six or more of a list of symptoms, including inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity for at least six months (with onset prior to seven years of age), and with symptoms being more severe than that of peers at a similar developmental age, defines ADHD. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V broadened…
Ketogenic Diet Alters Microbiome
The high-fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diet is gaining popularity among the mainstream health enthusiasts, but has always been the go-to diet for children with epilepsy for its anti-seizure effects. A recent study by UCLA scientists published in the journal Cell, recently pinpointed a causal link between seizure susceptibility and gut bacteria. The theory proposed was that…
Better Diet Quality Linked To Larger Brain Volume
Can eating healthy make our brains bigger? In a recent study by Croll PH, et al., that evaluated the diets of participants from the Rotterdam Study, as well as their brain MRI scans, it was determined that a “better diet quality related to larger brain volume, gray matter volume, white matter volume, and hippocampal volume.”…
Traveling During the Holidays? Use These Tips to Save Money and Avoid Stress
AAA predicted that over one-third of the American population planned to travel during the holiday season in 2018, spending an average of $561 for a roundtrip flight. That’s a lot of people and a lot of money. Overspending can cause more stress, putting a damper on your holiday spirit. However, if you are getting away…
Give Yourself the Care You Deserve as a Caregiver
Caring is your job, so the importance of healthy living should come as no surprise because that’s what you encourage your patients to do. But do you follow your own advice? Sure, you likely add some vegetables to your plate and get in some physical activity when you can, but that may not be enough…
