There are 50 common signs and symptoms of stress some of which include frequent headaches, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, irritability, gastroenterological issues, social withdrawal, etc. According to the American Psychological Association, stress also profoundly affects the body. It’s known from research that prolonged chronic stress leads to memory loss, promotes spread of cancer through the lymphatic system, promotes premature aging, can lead to changes in personality, weight gain, increased risk for cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and in many other significant ways. … [Read more...] about What First Responders Teach Us about Cumulative Stress
Most effective lung cancer treatment
Psychobiotics: A Revolution in Psychiatry
What are psychobiotics? Despite their somewhat sinister-sounding name, psychobiotics are microbes that can lift your mood and decrease anxiety. The word was coined by Psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Ted Dinan and colleague John Cryan, Chair of Anatomy and Neuroscience at University College Cork, in Ireland. These prolific investigators have pioneered research into the gut-brain axis, along with other scientists from fields as disparate as microbiology, immunology, psychiatry, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology. Researching the gut-brain axis requires a surprising diversity of disciplines. … [Read more...] about Psychobiotics: A Revolution in Psychiatry
The Problem with Mindfulness
Mindfulness is also all over the news, magazines and now it's in many shows like Billions on Showtime. This is mostly good news; don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan. Mindfulness is a timely and valid public health revolution and can help many people as society at large live calmer and more connected lives. That said, it's time to acknowledge the impact of its constant repackaging, taking it further away from its true origins, like a game of "telephone." … [Read more...] about The Problem with Mindfulness
If Self-Help Starts Feeling Unhelpful Here’s Why
Love is the answer: Hate your hate. Kindness is the answer: Be unkind to your unkindness. Fearlessness is the answer: Fear your fear Generosity is the answer: Make yourself selfless. Mindfulness is the answer: Fill your mind with emptiness. Non-judgment is the answer: You should not be judgmental Non-negativity is the answer: Negativity is a no-no Integrity is the answer: Pretend you can square all your inner circles. Living in the moment is the answer: Commit to spending your future in the moment. This isn’t just wordplay. Nor is it a reason to cynically dismiss these truisms as nonsense. Rather it’s recognizing that these truths touted as whole truths are half-truths that only become true when in tension with their other half. It’s recognizing that you haven’t escaped life’s dilemmas after all. … [Read more...] about If Self-Help Starts Feeling Unhelpful Here’s Why
“Stop Pushing Me!”
In fact, a central function of an effective caregiver, according to John Bowlby, is to provide “a secure base from which to explore,” not one to cling to or hide behind. It is this confidence in a secure base — a felt sense of trust that someone “has their back” in times of trouble — that gives children the internal resources to grow into successful, autonomous adults.8 In a society that pressures children and adults alike toward hyper-independence, the idea that connection is the ground from which healthy independence can grow is both radical and powerfully transformative. … [Read more...] about “Stop Pushing Me!”