Category Archives: Alternative Treatments

Sep 30 2016

Alzheimer’s Prevention Begins in Childhood

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Did you know that Alzheimer’s Prevention Begins in Childhood?

Alzheimer’s isn’t just a disease that begins later in life.  What happens to your child’s brain now seems to have a dramatic impact on his or her likelihood of Alzheimer’s decades later.

Gary Small, M.D., director of the UCLA Center on Aging, says the belief that Alzheimer’s is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the greatest misconception about the disease. In fact, you can even have significant Alzheimer’s pathology and no symptoms of dementia if you have a high cognitive reserve, but you’ve got to use it or you risk losing it. -w.p.

Lifestyle Habits: 

“Keep your child’s brain busy with a variety of activities and experiences to help them develop a cognitive reserve. Expose them to physical, mental, and social challenges as all of these things contribute to a stronger, higher functioning brain that can process data and memory retrieval faster and with more efficiency. This cognitive reserve is an accumulation of life experiences – education, marriage, socializing, a stimulating job, language skills, having a purpose in life, physical activity, and mentally demanding leisure activities – all make your brain better able to tolerate plaques and tangles.”  READ MORE at Parent.co

 

DIETARY GUIDELINES PER The Physicians Committee

7 guidelines to reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease

  1. Minimize your intake of saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fat is found primarily in dairy products, meats, and certain oils (coconut and palm oils). Trans fats are found in many snack pastries and fried foods and are listed on labels as “partially hydrogenated oils.”

  2. Eat plant-based foods. Vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), fruits, and whole grains should replace meats and dairy products as primary staples of the diet.

  3. Consume 15 milligrams of vitamin E, from foods, each day.Vitamin E should come from foods, rather than supplements. Healthful food sources of vitamin E include seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains. Note: The RDA for vitamin E is 15 milligrams per day.

  4. Take a B12 supplement. A reliable source of B12, such as fortified foods or a supplement providing at least the recommended daily allowance (2.4 micrograms per day for adults), should be part of your daily diet. Note: Have your blood levels of vitamin B12 checked regularly as many factors, including age, impair absorption.

  5. Avoid vitamins with iron and copper. If using multivitamins, choose those without iron and copper, and consume iron supplements only when directed by your physician.

  6. Choose aluminum-free products. While aluminum’s role in Alzheimer’s disease remains a matter of investigation, those who desire to minimize their exposure can avoid the use of cookware, antacids, baking powder, or other products that contain aluminum.

  7. Exercise for 120 minutes each week. Include aerobic exercise in your routine, equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking, three times per week.

Other preventive measures, such as getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night and participating in 30 to 40 minutes of mental activity most days of the week, such as completing crossword puzzles, reading the newspaper, or learning a new language, can only help boost brain health.  READ MORE at pcrm.org

Sep 28 2016
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Analog Life: How Gardening Can Positively Affect Your Mental Health

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Gardening is one of Mother Nature’s great equalizers.  It’s a satisfying and therapeutic activity that anyone–from a senior adult to a very young child – can tackle relatively independently. 

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Many can enjoy the gratification of creating something from virtually nothing.  What begin as tiny seeds germinating into something that’s living, thriving, and – potentially – bearing edibles is positively enchanting.  Planting vegetables, fruits, and flowers is an invigorating activity, regardless of one’s age.

Gardening allows us all to be nurturers.  Plants don’t discriminate or stigmatize.  For those with mental health problems to be able to contribute to such a transformative activity, gardening can really help boost self-esteem.

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 Additionally, we can deal with depression, worry and panic by getting our hands dirty and digging in the dirt.

Here are the essential reasons you’ll want to incorporate gardening into your and your family’s lifestyle:

Teaches/Provides a Sense of Responsibility

For kids: Garden caretakers will have to be conscientious in watering the plants regularly, checking to make sure they are looking healthy, and keeping them in direct sunlight (or shade) as directed.  They will take pride in their “green pets” and the fact that they are thriving thanks to their hard work and dedication.

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Provides a Tangible Source of Accomplishment & Pride

Gardening takes commitment and sustained effort but there’s a payoff! It helps us to be less insular, less self-absorbed.  We are forced to refocus our efforts on something external: there’s the diligence in watering the plants consistently, checking to make sure they are looking pruned back and healthy-looking, and getting enough sun (or shade), as the case may be.  You might be surprised at how much pride you take in your plants and the fact that they are thriving thanks to your hard work and dedication.

Reinforces Healthy Eating Habits

Practically nothing beats fresh produce, and definitely not artificial, pre-packaged foods full of preservatives.  It can be easy to eat unhealthily when fresh food isn’t readily available, but what if it were right outside your front door?  A successful garden project gives you an opportunity to get excited about eating the right foods in the most organic, fresh, and eco-friendly way possible, which could ultimately contribute to a self-esteem boost.

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Working (Out) in Nature Releases the “Happy” Hormones

When we exercise, levels of serotonin and dopamine (hormones that make us feel good) rise and the level of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress) is lowered. According to the National Institute of Health, the Benefits of regular exercise include improved sleep, stress relief, and improved mood. I can personally vouch for the workout that gardening offers: as a former long-distance runner, I now rely on gardening as my main source of exercise – and each session leaves me dead on my feet – it can get rid of excess energy so I sleep better and ultimately feel renewed inside.  No treadmill or free weights required.

Promotes Self-Esteem, Positive Personal Identity and Internal Locus of Control

According to MetroParent, “Gardening engages both mind and body, and can help kids improve motor skills, boost self-esteem and stimulate the senses. Parents who teach their children how to nurture a garden soon discover that the garden nurtures the child as well.”

The exercise that gardening provides can yield a self-esteem revolution.  It promotes positive personal identity: one rooted in hard work, strength, and perseverance.

Specifically for Kids: Children learn better when they understand the context of their activity. They’ll have fun gardening, but beyond the fact that gardening is associated with “playtime”  they are contributing to the overall family well-being. Besides planting and nurturing their garden beds, be sure they alone do the harvesting and preparation of their crop for the table, no matter how modest the offering.

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For Adults: Gardening yields a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for us all, especially when there’s suddenly head-high sunflowers or that first tomato ready for picking.  It’s a great feeling and you’ll know we’ve worked hard for it! Continue reading »

Sep 27 2016
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How Adding Probiotics To Your Diet Could Impact Your Mood

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According to recent research, both probiotics and prebiotics are important for Gastrointestinal Health.

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria (live cultures) naturally occurring in the stomach. These active cultures help balance gut flora by reproducing more good bacteria. A good balance helps boost immunity and overall health, particularly the aforementioned Gastrointestinal Health. Probiotics can be used to treat stomach issues like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), food allergies and lactose intolerance.

Prebiotics are the foods that help the Probiotics along. They are good bacteria “promoters”. Prebiotics and Probiotics work together to achieve Gastrointestinal Health.

Gastrointestinal Health is important for more than just happy tummies. More and more scientific research is pointing towards intestinal bacteria playing an influential role in managing mental disorder symptoms.

According to an article from Nature International Weekly Journal of Science, “there is hard evidence linking conditions such as Autism and Depression to the gut’s microbial residents, known as the microbiome”.

Another states: “In humans, there is some very early evidence of a link between gut bacteria and mental health. A new study from England found that supplements that boost “good” bacteria in the gut (called “prebiotics”) may alter the way people process emotional information, suggesting that changes in gut bacteria may have anti-anxiety effects”.

Gut bacteria plays a role in our sanity.

Incredible.

So how does one get those probiotics and prebiotics into their gut?

For probiotics, consume:

  • Fermented dairy foods including yogurt, kefir products, and aged cheeses, which contain live cultures (for example, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli).
  • Fermented non-dairy foods containing beneficial cultures, including kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage), sauerkraut, miso, soy beverages and kombucha (fermented tea).

For prebiotics, consume:

  • Foods/supplements containing fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), such as inulin and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS).
  • Foods such as bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat foods.
Sep 23 2016

Run Happy, Run Smart!

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I just knew I was on to something when I declared that the practice of
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 ought to be packaged and marketed as a glorious idea producing machine!

According to an article on Medical Xpress, a study was just completed by the Psychology and Biology Departments at the University of Jyväskylä which reported,  

“It may be possible to increase the neuron reserve of the hippocampus – and thus improve preconditions for learning – by promoting neurogenesis via sustained aerobic exercise such as running.

Aerobic exercise, such as running, has positive effects on brain structure and function, for example, the generation of neurons (neurogenesis) in the hippocampus, a brain structure important in learning.”

The article goes on to detail how the results of the study were collected and to explain that the findings are significant because,

Continue reading »

Aug 31 2016
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Can Caffeine Offer Mild Treatment For Depressive & ADHD Symptoms?

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Read this entire article on InsightBulletin

Can Caffeine Offer Mild Treatment For Depressive and ADHD Symptoms?

For parents who say they don’t want to administer drugs or chemicals to their child for their ADHD symptoms, a cup of coffee brewed from organically grown coffee beans might be the more attractive alternative. When considering our rising healthcare costs, its ubiquity, affordability, and ease of use are what make caffeine an intriguing option for an adult or child with ADHD. All of those factors make this consideration difficult to pass up.

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For a lot of people, too much caffeine can have a negative emotional effect: it can contribute to anxiety, jitteriness, irritability, impulsivity, and insomnia. A moderate amount of caffeine does the opposite for me.

Because many people experience jitteriness and increased anxiety when they consume too much caffeine, my personal experience may seem counterintuitive, but I’m not an anomaly.  According to a 2005 study of rats with hyperactivity, impulsivity, poor attention and deficits in learning and memory, a significant improvement was reported in test results when caffeine was administered to the rats beforehand. And in a 10-year study, spanning from 1996 to 2006, researchers found that depression risk in human females decreases with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption. The study included 50,739 women and the clinical depression was “defined as self-reported physician-diagnosed depression and antidepressant use.”

Accordingly, moderate caffeine intake (< 6 cups/day) has been associated with less depressive symptoms, fewer cognitive failures, and lower risk of suicide…READ MORE

 

 

 

Aug 24 2016

Thursday Thoughts: New Insights Into How The Body Influences The Mind

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This post contains affiliate links.

There’s strong evidence that the mind/body connection is positively correlated, meaning the more balanced your physical health, the more balanced your  mental health ought to be.

Food/Environment:

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Spraying chemicals on the lawns your children and grandchildren play in or in the gardens where you grow your produce that winds up on your dinner table…how can you be surprised with these results? Wake up people! Think about what you are doing. The FDA and government regulations aren’t protecting you–they are protecting their profits. Why do you think Autism rates have climbed so dramatically? One theory is liberal use of pesticides. Maybe you don’t believe that theory, but you can’t tell me you are in “support” of the copious use of poison on our food that IS linked to other defects? Go organic now. Stop using pesticides, herbicides and go organic.

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You can be weed-free and grow successfully without poison. Promise. Continue reading »

Aug 15 2016
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Illuminate Your Life With Aurorae Yoga

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The following is an affiliate post and contains affiliate links:

My package arrived over the weekend.  😀

I’ve been saying that I need to reduce high-impact exercise and focus on doing anxiety-reducing, strengthening yoga.  

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time or if you know me personally you know that 1.) I am a perpetually anxious person and 2.) I am perpetually injured person from overtraining via high-impact cardio.  

I was inspired to try out the ,  luxurious microfiber towel, cute women’s slim flip flops, and slip-free rosin bag-which, by the way, is genius.

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Continue reading »

Aug 1 2016

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night So I Can, So I can…Sleep

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It’s no secret that I have a sleep cycle that’s perpetually in flux.  Days with no sleep aren’t uncommon, but neither are days comprised of sleep and only sleep.  My bipolar disorder is the conductor of its rhythm and, although I try to maintain a traditional schedule, my neurological pathways beg to differ.

I blog about the challenges of finding balance often.  I know that the disruption of natural biological rhythm contributes towards aggravating my bipolar symptoms.  Insomnia reinforces or creates states of hypomania, mania, or a mixed episode.  Oversleeping and depression are correlated.  I know this.  And it’s not just how many or how few hours I spend sleeping.  It’s when I’m sleeping.  And for the better part of the last year, when I did sleep, my body has desperately wanted to sleep through the day and be awake during the night, all night.  I’ve been totally mixed up.

Let’s say I began with a state of something akin to alert wakefulness somewhere in the afternoon hour.  I’d exercise, do chores around my house, get a ton of writing done, eat meals around the times that a person would if the p.m. were actually a.m. and vice versa.  I’d get so much done, in fact, that I’d keep working and keep working through to the next day.  But instead of going to sleep during what was “my nighttime”, I’d still be awake because, of course, the sun was out now.  So by the next day, a little bit of hypomania kicks in, but I’ve got no idea, because, you see, I’m getting so much done!  

At this point in my sleep-wake cycle, I’m not paying any attention whatsoever, because (according to what I think at the time) I’m producing the most articulate and comprehensible delight for which any editor in their right mind would be champing at the bit!   Only, I’m not in my right mind, just my write mind.

Fortunately, because of my medication-mainly the mood stabilizer and antipsychotic medication-I’m prevented from escalating into full-blown mania, or worse, a mixed episode.  I don’t know how many days pass like this.  Not many because I’m Ultradian Rapid Cycling.

And then.

Continue reading »