Technically, the human microbiome refers to the genetics of all of the various microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi etc.) that live on or in the human body – there are literally hundreds of thousands of different species. These microbes are at least neutral if not helpful (taking up space and producing by-products so that ‘bad’ microbes […]
Theodore Melfi, director of Hidden Figures, got behind the camera for a FedEx advertisement and it’s a wonderfully accurate–only slightly exaggerated–depiction of how people compulsively engage in compulsions as an attempt to escape stress at work. No amount of salt lamps, acupuncture, inspirational posters, incense, inversion therapy, rock gardens or levitation lessons can help you with […]
Recent research from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, published in the American Journal of Physiology — Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, links early-life stress with increased norepinephrine in the upper gut, potentially leading to indigestion and anxiety problems later in life (in rats). Press release. Study (Full text PDF). Basically, what they showed is […]
But you can learn how to swim. When I say that mental illness is like drowning and building better mental health is like learning how to swim, I’m not suggesting that mental illnesses aren’t real biological experiences. Drowning is a very biological experience. If we took some guy that doesn’t know how to swim and […]
OCD doesn’t have to be chronic. It’s possible to recover and maintain recovery as you build better and better mental health. And just like improving and maintaining health anywhere else in your body, that takes work. I’ve been OCD-free for five years now and here are a couple of things that really help me: Approach mental […]
Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was developed in a clinical setting and has quickly gained in popularity as an evidence-based approach to incorporating mindfulness into medical treatment. Regardless of the issue you’re dealing with, this book is a useful guide to getting a meditation/mindfulness practice started. Read reviews here: http://www.amazon.ca/Full-Catastrophe-Living-Wisdom-Illness/dp/0385303122