Tag Archives: Whole Health

A Surprising Connection Between Foot Health And Overall Wellness

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We don’t often reflect on how important the foundation of our body – our feet – really is to our overall whole health. In the decades I have been practicing structural body care, one of the most common complaints that our patients report is the pain they suffer after walking and standing for any length of time. This is most commonly associated with wearing flat shoes.

Unfortunately, foot pain is becoming extremely common, with now about one in every two individuals experiencing some foot pain with prolonged standing or with activity. In order to take the steps to eliminate foot pain, we need to understand why feet can become sore and tender from standing and walking.

Feet are the weight bearing “shock absorbers” of our bodies. They do an extraordinary job keeping our body weight balanced and well distributed. This is one of the functions of our feet that allow us to walk, run and function at high levels of agility and coordination.

The bio-mechanics of our feet include muscles running along the outside and inside of our legs. These muscles and tendons also insert into our feet and have an impact on the integrity of our individual foot function. These same muscles are also, through the spinal cord, connected to various organs in our body.

The expression “feeling weak in the knees” comes from how stress is communicated through the body via nerves, organs and muscle function. The way stress regulation works in the body is through the adrenal glands. These are glands embedded in the kidneys. The same muscles that impact foot function are also connected to the adrenal glands through the spinal cord.

To see an example of this, the gait or foot health of a highly stressed person will most likely demonstrate that their shoes are either turning up, turning down or are considerably worn out.

At much earlier ages individuals are experiencing high levels of stress these days. This can impact the function of the legs muscles and consequently the foot function. This can lead to foot pronation, pain, corns, bunions and other foot malfunctions. Walking in shoes that do not support our foot function is in the long run harmful to our foot and overall holistic health.

By using custom made foot orthotics that are worn in supportive shoes is the easiest and least expensive approach to solving foot issues before they become a complicated and painful concern. You can see your chiropractor or podiatrist who can prescribe if necessary customized orthotics.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my hit radio show Living Above The Drama.

Food For Comfort And Health

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Food For comfort

The typical American diet exceeds the recommended levels of added sugars, refined grains, sodium and saturated fat, according to data collated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Unfortunately, many of our favorite comfort foods – if we follow traditional recipes – can tip us over the edge in these categories. With some carefully chosen tweaks and substitutions, however, it is possible to enjoy our favorites without costing our health, helping to cultivate a healthy relationship with food as we journey towards a holistic lifestyle.

Perfect Pasta

Mac and cheese ranks highly as a popular comfort food. Traditional recipes, featuring refined pasta and high levels of fat and sodium, are a problem for those of us following a healthy eating plan, but luckily, there are ways around this. Whole wheat macaroni is the first substitution to make, ensuring you avoid the blood sugar spikes associated with white pastas. Cooked and pureed butternut squash combined with vegetable stock can be mixed into a roux, providing the base for a healthier cheese sauce. You can use less cheese by maximizing flavor in other ways: adding roasted garlic, for example, or paprika. Yogurt could be used in a more traditional cheese sauce, and vegetables can be added to increase the nutritional value of the meal. Any pasta dish can be given a healthy twist by using whole wheat noodles and increasing the vegetable content. Use herbs and spices for low-sodium flavor, and minimize your use of processed meat products.

Fried Favorites

Some of our most-loved comfort foods tend to be fried, but banishing the fryer doesn’t mean we have to lose out. The way in which we heat up our food is heavily linked to its nutrition, but it’s absolutely possible to put a healthy spin on fried chicken without losing flavor: combine breading ingredients with paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and bake chicken pieces for a deliciously crispy – and healthy – meal. Fish can also be breaded and baked, which is much better for us (but no less tasty) than battering and frying it. Remember that many of the bases for unhealthy foods are actually natural whole foods: if we treat them correctly, they can be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle. Potatoes themselves aren’t bad for us… but what we do to them can be. Fresh potatoes in place of frozen fries can be tossed in olive oil and a small amount of salt to produce a healthier french fry alternative.

Safer Sweets

If we want to stay on track, it’s important not to deny ourselves the occasional treat. However, there are things you can do to make those sweet treats healthier if you want to enjoy them more regularly. To cut down on refined sugars in cookies and cakes, consider substituting them with maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar. Replace half the white flour with wholemeal if you’re baking a fruit pie, and ask yourself if you really need to add sugar to the fruit. Again, desserts that are traditionally fried can be baked – a donut is still a donut when it’s hot from the oven. Even cheesecakes can be made healthier with some careful use of yogurt or coconut milk.

A whole health approach to eating isn’t simply about eating more vegetables. Food should bring us joy, and finding healthy takes on our favorite comfort foods is way to incorporate good nutrition into our diets without denying ourselves the pleasures of a treat.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

Author Credit: Allie Oliver

Natural and Delicious Cold Remedy

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chicken soupThis cold and flu season it is likely with the recall of so many over the counter cold remedies, that home-made cold remedies will make a comeback this winter. One of the best known and oldest home-made remedies for “the winter miseries” is chicken soup.

Moses Maimonides, the 12th century physician, prescribed chicken soup for those suffering with cold and asthma symptoms. Before pharmaceutical and over-the-counter medicines were prescribed, chicken soup was the natural remedy of choice for cold and flu symptoms. It was consumed in copious doses, until the sufferer was up and about and on their way to wellness.

Until fairly recently it was not scientifically known why chicken soup worked so well for the common cold. Chicken soup was certainly not taken seriously in the medical community as a legitimate cold remedy.  However, all speculation about chicken soup came to an end when research out of UCLA Medical School and the University of Nebraska was published on the benefits of the tasty broth.

When chicken is cooked it releases an amino acid called cysteine into the broth of the soup. This amino acid is similar to acetylcysteine, a drug commonly prescribed for bronchitis. Acyteine has the ability to breakdown mucous proteins found in the lungs.

In addition, chicken soup is also cooked with carrots, onions, often garlic, and celery with greens, it also contains quercetin, a powerful anti-oxidant from the onions and garlic, along with beta-carotene, vitamin A and potassium from the celery and carrots. In addition the bone content of calcium and other trace minerals also get released from the cooking.

Chicken soup is a great winter comfort food. Some folks find their favorite canned version while others make it from scratch.  Chicken soup is a healthy, comforting and simple food to make and a great substitute for over the counter medications that may do harm. Whether store bought or home made it is a natural and delicious cold remedy.

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What Is The New Integrative Medicine?

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integrative medicineThere is no doubt that today more and more people are turning to integrative medicine and alternative modalities for their health concerns and disease prevention. This popular movement, winning one out of every two Americans as converts, may seem to some like a new idea or a “health revolution”. In reality, it is in a return to period in time, over 400 years ago, when health was seen from a more whole person, integrated and even spiritual perspective.

Until the early 1600’s, the realm of human health was believed to represent a person’s spiritual state. If one was healthy that meant they bore not demons. If one was sick, that meant they needed to purge sickness, which was seen as “possession” or a spiritual incorrectness that had to be remedied. The prevailing church of the day, ruled by the Vatican, exerted a huge influence over the medical community and how people viewed the cause and cure of their disease.

In 1612, physician Anton Descartes, a powerful, influential physician and scientist, declared, “I think therefore I am” , stating that the mind and body were two separate, unrelated parts of a human being, and as such the study and treatment of the human being needed to be separated into the mind or spirit portion and the physical bodily portion.

Descartes lead the political movement to separate the body from the soul, a separation in which he and his peers literally brokered a deal with the Vatican, which was reluctant to give up control over its flock. However, the “scientific revolution” was gripping the culture and the church knew it was prudent to agree. Thus, the division of mind and body began and the practice of medicine started down the slippery slope to where we find ourselves today.

Since this division set up a medical system that treated only physical health, it became considered, by the mass majority, that this form of medicine was the only legitimate form of health care. However, over the course of the past 50 years people have grown sicker and increasingly dissatisfied with the medical system.

This led to an increase in the use of “untried” remedies and treatments which offered success and often cures for varied ailments. These “alternatives” treatments attempt to address the whole person rather than just the physical body. Because of the success of alternative treatments, and their resultant popularity, we are currently experiencing a renaissance of the “whole-person” body, mind and spirit approach to healing.

Today, thanks to the Internet, we have more information about every aspect of health than ever before. Still, there exists confusion between alleopathic medicine and integrative medicine, how their treatment approaches differ and how one can discern what is right for their particular need or condition. By comparing and contrasting both approaches individuals can be empowered with information to make an educated decision about how they would like to address their personal health care and what forms of health care they would like to incorporate.

Often called modern medicine, conventional or traditional, allopathic medicine defines health as the absence of disease. The term comes from the Greek roots meaning “opposite” and “disease”, referring to a principle of curing a disease, disorder or problem by administering drugs or surgery that produce the opposite effect of the problem.

The main cause of illness is considered to be viruses or bacteria and scientific tests are used to diagnose before drugs or surgery are prescribed. Furthermore, the emphasis here is more on “attacking the problem”, seen as an invader or enemy outside the self rather than exploring the cause and effect of the problem and working to identifying what needs to be changed or altered to bring about the return of health.

Alternative, natural, complementary or holistic medicine practices approach the problem or condition from a focus of identifying what particular choices or behaviors the individual might be making that is leading to the expression of symptoms collectively called their “disease or diagnosis”.

In contrast, because integrative medicine bridges the gap between traditional and alternative medicine, an integrative physician or practitioner would evaluate not only the patient’s physical health, but also the other aspects of their life that may be influencing their health.
Scientific evidence and ancient teachings have proven that there are multiple components to health that make up a whole person, therefore, illness cannot be cured or wellness realized without taking multiple aspects into account.

For example, a traditional alleopathic approach to a sore throat could include a drug substance or over the counter aspirin and possibly a cough and sore throat medicine. The integrative medical practitioner, trained to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential, may well prescribe nutritional changes, herbs, aromatherapy, gargling with various natural extracts, vitamins, garlic, broths, vegetable or juice extracts, calcium sources or homeopathic remedies.

By looking at different patient situations we can see how traditional and integrative medicine differs in their approach. Patient A is a 35-year old male who is married with two children and works in a high stress job. He considers himself healthy however, despite working out fairly regularly and eating healthy, he is constantly tired and has trouble sleeping at night.

On the opposite end of the spectrum Patient B is a 50-year old single stay-at-home mom who is raising a young son. She has high cholesterol, is borderline diabetic and is generally not in good health.

Patient A: Conventional Analysis & Treatment Recommendation: This patient would most likely be given a blood test to check for anemia or pathology and then prescribed a sleeping pill to deal with the insomnia. If nothing showed up on the blood test, the practitioner would probably recommend addressing the stress with a pill to calm down to seeing a therapist to deal with his stress.

Patient A: Integrative Analysis & Treatment Recommendation: This practitioner would also probably order a blood test to check for anemia or pathology. After assessing that possibility, if the blood test came back “negative” (ironically, that’s positive!), the practitioner would then explore and discuss with the individual what they felt is contributing to their problem. Based on the patients’ self-awareness and the practitioners mindful listening and assessment of the patient, the practitioner might recommend a homeopathic remedy, a change in sleep venue or a new bed, meditation before retiring, an decrease in stimulating food such as caffeine and alcohol, and an increase in fruits and vegetables in t he diet. The multiple aspects of the individual’s life and their own innate awareness of their health would be considered.

Patient B: Conventional Analysis & Treatment Recommendation:This patient would be given a blood work-up to determine her levels of cholesterol and glucose or blood sugar. Depending upon the values found on the tests, the doctor would prescribe medications appropriate for lowering the levels of cholesterol and/or blood sugar. The doctor may also suggest the patient make an appointment with a dietician to go over dietary changes.

Patient B: Integrative Analysis & Treatment Recommendation: This practitioner would also do a blood work-up to assess the patient’s various blood values. However, rather than prescribing a drug to lower or later levels, this practitioner may invite the individual into a discussion about what she felt she could do to bring these levels down to avoid the need for a medication.

The discussion would outline and recommend options for lowering cholesterol which would include natural supplements, dietary changes or adding more vegetables and whole sprouted grains instead of high fat foods, an exercise program that she would be able to follow, drinking more water, using homeopathic remedies to improve her overall health, discuss her social life and recreation. This practitioner would focus on changing the causes of her chronic condition rather than just medicate it.

The options we are offered today through Integrative Medicine invite us to become more pro-active and better informed as well as become better health care consumers. This empowers us to take greater control over our health outcomes and longevity. That’s a prescription for good health we can all live with.

For more information on integrative whole health and nutrition, Watch Two Hours of FREE Whole Health Course Excerpts from the National Institute of Whole Health.

Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolution With Mindful Eating

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Accomplish Your New Years Resolution With Mindful Eating

I love what Geneen Roth has to say about our relationship with food and how it reflects our relationship with ourselves.  In my over thirty years as a clinical nutritionist, I have observed, like Geneen, that we feed ourselves the same way we live our lives. The way of mindful eating is that our eating patterns and nutrition, like adaptation and survival, are critical components of our ability to live and thrive. Accomplish your New Year’s resolution, such as improving your health or losing weight, with mindful eating.

The Source Of The Challenge

In spite of the fact that the food we eat has such a significant impact on our whole being and quality of life, most of us are wildly confused about nutrition. This is especially true today because this basic necessity has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry, selling us foods and nutrition related goods our parents didn’t need or know about.

“In the old days”, food was produced more naturally with less processing, lifestyles were less complicated and decidedly less stressful.  Remember how we said we would never grow up to be like our parents? We may want to rethink that – they are the healthiest and wealthiest generation ever!  Nutrition has become a big health issue because of poor quality food, soaring stress levels and our lack of exercise.  “The balanced diet” –the tried and true standard for good nutrition has been pushed aside for every conceivable variation on what and how to eat.

Some of this new information is quite useful and lots of it appeals to our vanity or desire to avoid taking the long look at what Geneen Roth refers to as “being present to our food and our lives.” If we are present, we realize that moderation and balance (just like with stress!) is the way to go.  Our foods are chemicals and can affect our emotions as well as our bodies.

A Grainy Example

An example of this is excess grain consumption. Human beings do not produce enzymes to break down cellulose, the outer protective layer of grain.  Many animals like cows and horses can eat grain in its natural state without a problem. If we attempted that, we would injure our mouths and esophagus, so we alter the grain from its natural state to flour, in order to consume it.  We think we can eat whatever, so we get creative and bake, fry, boil, etc. this processed grain into “food.”

Unfortunately, the majority of us do not tolerate the protein gluten found in most grains.  Gluten can damage and weaken the lining of our gut, leading to all kinds of problems, which can include eating disorders, obesity and depression. Humans are also the only mammals that continue to consume milk after weaning, and it’s breast milk from another species at that.

When we are experiencing mindful eating, we become aware of our body’s responses to what we put into it.  That requires slowing down, which is what our nervous systems have to do for our digestion to work properly. Stress is “anti-nutritious” because during stress our ability to deal with the “emergency” at hand.  Stress also significantly increases the need for certain nutrients, which are critical for the stress response. Protein, Vitamins A, B, C, and E, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals need to be replenished.

Moving Forward Mindfully

How we can improve our nutrition and discern what is best for us? We can observe why and how we eat, what feedback our bodies give us and consider the always prudent common sense approach of balance and moderation.  We are living beings, we need to eat living food.  The good news is you can eat all the fruits, vegetables, salads, veggie soups and stews you want (barring allergies) and you can’t go wrong!

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

How to Have a Stress Free Holiday Season

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stress free holidayBy Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC – The holidays are a special time to pause, give thanks for the richness and blessings of our lives, and enjoy time with friends and family. Shopping, party planning, gift wrapping, visiting friends and family can also be hectic, stressful and expensive.

One of the ways from to ensure a more stress free holiday is to decide what you would like from this year’s experience. There are a number of ways to approach the festivities that will carry you into the New Year renewed, refreshed and fulfilled rather than stressed-out, exhausted and in debt.

Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself or anticipating a particular outcome from others is a common pitfall. Another common problem is feeling the need to create a perfect celebration, buying the perfect gifts and being sure that you don’t forget anyone on the gift list.

We can avoid many of these stressors by identifying the most important outcomes we want and also what outcomes we wish to avoid. Before committing to attend celebrations that could potentially create time stress, or require presents that would create money stress, choose to limit the number of activities and set a very specific budget for gift giving. This alone can really shift your holiday experience from stressful to joyful.

One great way to experience more cheer for yourself and bring joy to others is by being creative with your gift giving. You can personalize the holidays and avoid spending far more than you might intend by baking, cooking, knitting, crafting, and scrapbooking for friends and family. These are all creative, meaningful and personal ways to let others know how special they are to you. Nothing says love like handmade gifts.

It is also important to keep up with your whole health self-care routine which may include exercise, relaxation, vitamins or whatever activity you do to take care of yourself. This is a great way to keep your body producting anti-stress hormones.  These wonderful hormones can assist you to feel healthy, happy and filled with cheer, even during the busiest time of the holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

Secrets About Our Wonderous Immune System

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Integrative Nutrition Immune BoostTruly one of the most amazing examples of inter-cooperative, biochemical engineering imaginable! The immune system – our own personal National Guard and Marine Corps, rolled into one. It is always vigilant – 24/7 to keep us from harm and invasion by foreign enemies – microbes that want to grow and flourish in our internal environment.

One of the fun things about teaching this course for the past 30 years is watching the reactions of learners as they “get” what their immune system really is – that great
“ah-ha!” moment when the dots get connected and it all makes sense. This is when we start to have a different relationship with our body and a new respect for how awesome, amazing, and comprehensive the immune system is!

When most of us think “immune system” we think of tonsils, spleen, lymph nodes (glands in our armpits, throat, and groin), and of course our white blood cells. These body parts certainly are members of the immune elite. If you check with the encyclopedia or on Google, you are likely to find these wonderful entities under the definition of the immune system.

However, when we look at this amazing system from a Whole Person Health perspective, this shortlist of parts becomes a much longer one, indeed. There are dozens of white blood cells and related specialized immune cells that do a phenomenal job of playing “Pac-Man” with the unwanted microbes in our bloodstream, tissues, and organs. Every organ in our body has an immunological role to play from the liver, which detoxifies, to the stomach which contains hydrochloric acid to kill bacteria and microbes coming in through the mouth, up to and including our nostril hairs that trap unwanted foreign particles before they can irritate our airways.

In fact, there is no part of our body that isn’t part of our immune system. The largest “part” of our immune system is our skin which is responsible for protecting our insides from outside entities and vice versa. As the skin is the number one rated beauty or sexual attraction in both men and women around the world, (anthropological research by Margaret Mead and others) we can easily see that to have beautiful skin is a reflection of a healthy immune system and a strong indicator of a healthy and productive system. Beautiful skin and a healthy immune system, always start from the inside out.

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Do Spiritual Communities Foster Improved Wellness For Baby Boomers?

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Do Spiritual Communities Foster Improved Wellness For Baby Boomers?

Stuff happens — especially as we age. Our lives and health generally change. The usual causes include children leaving the nest, divorce, the loss of a spouse or partner, changing financial circumstances or any one of a dozen other events. Often the outcome of these changes can lead to sadness, loneliness, depression and decreased immune function, with the resultant lowered health indicators. Our immune system is an essential key to our longevity and as we age it becomes more important to preserve its function and integrity, especially for those of us over 55 years old. One common question I have encountered is whether spiritual communities foster improved wellness for the baby boomer generation.

Exploring The Existing Research

An interesting study at Duke University Medical Center found that older people who attended religious services at least once a week were about half as likely as those who do not attend services weekly to have elevated levels of an immune protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), which serves as an indicator of how well the immune system is functioning.

IL-6 indicates the presence of inflammation in the body. Inflammation has been implicated in most major chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. This decreased level of IL-6 translates into a healthier immune system enjoyed by those with regular attendance at their religious community.

The Duke researchers, Dr. Harold Koenig and Dr. Harvey Cohen, studied 1,718 older adults in North Carolina, factoring into the outcomes the health conditions experienced by the study subjects. These included depression, chronic illness, and negative life events — all of which the researchers identified as likely to affect immune status. Even with these conditions, the improvement to the immune system in those who attended weekly services was evidenced.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and first reported in the October 1997 issue of the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, updated in 2004. These findings identified and suggest that religion or participation in a spiritual life community may affect immune function through better coping skills, psychosocial factors and the mechanisms by which organized religion promotes positive thoughts and behaviors.

However, there may be other factors at play as well. Feelings of belonging to a community, shared values, as well as the togetherness of a shared meaningful activity, such as worshiping with others, may be at the cause and effect of these findings.

Dr. Koenig, the lead author of the study, states:

 “Perhaps religious participation enhances immune functioning by yet unknown mechanisms, such as through feelings of belonging, togetherness, even perhaps the experience of worship and adoration… Such positive feelings may counteract stress and convey health effects that go far beyond simply the prevention of depression or other negative emotions.”

This study also raises the theory that there may be a factor in participating in such a weekly ritual that derails the experience of loneliness, experienced by older Americans to a larger extend than younger populations, and that this factor may be part of the healing effect of the weekly spiritual community attendance.

Establishing Validity In Subjective Study

While Koenig had found similar outcomes in a different study a year before this study, those outcomes were based on personal interviews as markers for wellbeing and health status. In the latest study, blood samples were measured for the body’s chemicals such as alpha, beta and gamma globulins, fibrin d-dimers, lymphocytes, and neutrophils, which regulate immune and inflammatory responses, providing a more accurate and scientific measurement to the findings and in calculating how healthy a person actually is.

“There is so much subjectivity when people say they feel better that you can’t rely on self reports alone to truly reflect health status,” said Dr. Harvey Cohen, professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke. “By measuring blood levels of IL- 6, we were trying to put rigorous scientific parameters on the positive health effects of religion,” he said.

Dr. Cohen explains that the team selected IL-6 as it has been identified as contributing to a wide spectrum of various age-related diseases. Cohen’s own research identified a relationship between high levels of IL-6 and a “poor functioning ability, which is a term that is used for tasks of daily living such as dressing, cooking, bathing and so forth.

Physical And Physchological Benefits

Other studies have also shown IL-6 levels are elevated with diseases such as cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure in older adults. It seems that as we age our bodies decrease the ability to overcome the many challenges to our immune system and this leads to a decrease in its function and a greater vulnerability to all forms of illness.

The Women’s Health Initiative follow-up survey based on 92,529 post-menopausal women, at 50 years or older, identified that attending religious services increased life expectancy. This survey was taken with a diverse group of women who varied ethnically, religiously and socioeconomically. The study was funded by the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute; National Institutes of Health; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The report was published in the Journal of Religion and Health in November 2011. The report states that “those who attend services frequently were 56 percent more likely to have an optimistic life outlook than those who don’t — and were 27 percent less likely to be depressed. Those who attended weekly were less likely to be characterized by cynical hostility, compared with those who did not report any religious service attendance.”

Another study, published in the Winter 2001 Annals of Behavioral Medicine reported that “weekly religious attendants in 1965 were more likely to both improve poor health behaviors and maintain good ones by 1994 than were those whose attendance was less or none. Weekly attendance was also associated with improving and maintaining good mental health, increased social relationships, and marital stability.” So in that sense, yes, baby boomers who belong to a spiritual community may foster improved wellness.

While further studies to explore and more fully understand this data is warranted, for us longevity-focused boomers, a return to a spiritual or worship community could represent an opportunity for renewed connection with others in a shared environment, as well as potential discernment and insight into the importance of belonging.

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How Stress Affects Male and Female Brains Differently

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How Stress Affects Male and Female Brains DifferentlyAn article appearing in the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience  journal (SCAN) on the research study being done at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discusses the difference in how the male and female brain responds differently when dealing with stress.

The researchers and Dr.J.J.Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Neurology and lead author of the study, claim to have found different areas of the brain which activate and function in different ways for men and women when they are dealing with specifically performance-related stress.

The findings suggest the stress responses are a fundamentally different function in men and women. The male being referred to as “fight-or-flight” and “tend-and-befriend” in women. As a result of evolution, over time, males generally confronted stress by either dealing with it head on or fleeing from the situation.

Female, generally, may have instead responded by utilizing a nurturing approach and aligning themselves with social groups as a coping mechanism during times of adversity.

In Dr. Wang’s study, 32 healthy subjects (16 men and 16 women) were given MRI brain scans at different intervals of a challenging mathematical task that was performed under stressful circumstances.

The researchers escalated the stress in this experiment by frequently prompting participants to go faster and faster and would ask them to restart the task if their response was not correct.

The researcher also created a low stress control condition, where they asked the study subjects to count backwards, but applied no stress or pressure to the task.

The researchers found through the MRI tests that for the males the stress resulted in increased cerebral blood flow in the right pre-frontal cortex and reduced blood flow in the left orbito-frontal cortex.

In the females, under stress the limbic system was stimulated and activated. The limbic system is located in the mid-brain and is the first part of the evolutionary human brain where emotions formed. One very interesting observation in the study is that while both men and women’s brain activation lasted beyond the stress task, the activation lasted longer in females.

Dr. J.J. Wang claims, “Knowing that women respond to stress by increasing activity in brain regions involved with emotion, and these changes last longer than in men, may help us begin to explain the gender differences in the incidence of mood disorders.”

This study can help all of us to understand the HE/SHE difference a bit better and hopefully help us to create better communication with the opposite sex.

The study report can be found at:  http://ts-si.org/neuroscience/2729-using-brain-imaging-to-demonstrate-male–female-differences

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What Is The Role Of A Health Coach?

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By Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhDwhat is the role of a health coach?

Everywhere you look these days you see references to “health coach certification.” What exactly IS a health coach and what can they do for your health? The word coach means “to bring out the best effort or aspect.”  A health coach is someone who facilitates your identifying lifestyle behaviors that bring out your very best health outcomes.

Coaching enhances your health and wellness by facilitating your focus and awareness on what you want to do and how you want to do it. The health coach certification process focuses on where are you now and where you want to go. Your intentions are viewed as the main motivating factor in the choices you make and the behaviors you exhibit.

Because this is a young specialty, it is important to be sure to work with a well-trained and experienced professional. There are many programs that now offer health coach certification, but unless you are working with a health professional who is licensed or certified in their medical or health specialty and also trained by an accredited health coaching program, you could find yourself very dissatisfied with the services you receive.

If you want to utilize a health coach to assist you with your weight loss for instance, you may want to find a nutritionist or a weight loss specialist or counselor who is also trained as a health or wellness coach. The health coach’s role is to assist you in identifying your goals – goals that are realistic and sustainable for you to achieve your desired health outcomes and maintain them.

Health coaching is an exciting addition to the many health and wellness services out there today. As with all health related care, be sure and explore the credentials and reputation of the individuals you work with. It is your time, money and health that’s depending on you working with the right person.

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