Imagine a country where we no longer have to depend on medication to help manage depression, chronic pain, or insomnia. Lately, I’ve been seeing a trend of studies that are showing how mindfulness is just as effective as side-effect loaded medications. This latest study, conducted by Cynthia Gross, PhD and her colleagues from the College […]
Can Children Learn to Be Mindful?
There have been countless studies on mindfulness with adults, but what about children? Is mindfulness for young kids and adolescents? If so, how do we introduce it and what are some effective ways of teaching it? A literature review about using mindfulness with children, published in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry by Miles Thompson, DClinPsy […]
This Explains It: Answers to Mindfulness Questions
I know I said I would be reporting more on how REM sleep can help regulate emotions, but when I found this, I knew I had to share it with you. So here it is and we’ll get back to REM sleep a little later. Mindfulness. . .what is it? How does it work? What […]
Healing Trauma with Our Dreams
We’ve all heard of ‘restful’ sleep . . . but what about ‘healing’ sleep? Is it possible that dreaming could help reduce the pain of traumatic memories? Researchers at UC Berkeley have found that when dreams occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep, our stress responses shut down, and the neurochemicals responsible […]
An Outhouse and a Pump at the Sink. . .
Modern plumbing is such a blessing. I’ve never shared this, but the first parsonage I lived in (my father is a retired minister) was in a small rural community in Maine. We had a pump at the sink and an outhouse for a toilet. My parents had 3 children (I’m the second) all under the […]
Our two interns that stole the show
I find that there can be comfort in [some] traditions. Here in the office, we have our traditions, and one of my favorites is a new one that we just started last year. Each mid-December, the entire office gets together and chooses a charity for our end-of-the-year Holiday Special. Each staff member comes to this […]
Matt Damon, Bette Midler, NICABM…and you?
What do Matt Damon, Michael J. Fox, Andre Agassi, and Bette Midler have in common? They all have created charities. Matt Damon co-created Water.org, Michael J. Fox the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Andre Agassi has the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, and Bette Midler the New York Restoration Project. It reminds me […]
Thanksgiving Tips for a Happy and Healthy Holiday
Thanksgiving is almost here. It’s a time for celebration and thankfulness, but it’s also a time of year when people who are trying to be careful about their weight can feel quite vulnerable. In a recent conversation with John La Puma, MD, he shared some suggestions he gives to his patients around the holidays. It’s […]
The Best Excuse I Ever Heard . . . Revisited
Last week, we asked for the best (and most entertaining) excuses that you use when you’re putting off healthy eating . . . and we heard some great ones. Not only were they creative, there were more than a few that we could really relate to. We’ll get right to it. First, our runners up […]
The Best Excuse I Ever Heard
I’m sure you’ve neeeeeever used an excuse to go off an intended diet, but maybe you know of someone who has? (wink) There are so many reasons why people resolve to make a change, start a diet, and then completely blow it off. “It’s the holidays, why not indulge a little?” “But my aunt doesn’t […]