Do you feel like your brain has checked out and gone on vacation while you’re stuck at home quarantining? Does your thinking seem foggy? Are you more forgetful? Having problems making decisions? Many people are complaining of a range of cognitive difficulties arising from the current situation caused by COVID-19. People are experiencing increased stress,… Read more »
Since Labor Day, inflatable Santas have been pestering us, signaling that the holidays are rapidly approaching. Trees, lights and decorations have been rushing the season back into summer. But now, it really is time to focus on them. For some, the holidays are a joyful and magical time of year. We decorate our homes, celebrate… Read more »
Grieving is a normal process of reacting to the loss of a loved one and affects you mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. While there is no real order to the grieving process, those affected may experience a range of feelings, including denial, disbelief, anger, confusion, shock, sadness, despair, guilt and anxiety. It can also cause… Read more »
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) estimates that more than 75 percent of doctor visits are related to stress while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Safety Council estimate this number to be closer to 90 percent.1, 2 Reasons for visits include, but are not limited to, insomnia, fatigue,… Read more »
Suicide has surpassed car accidents as the number one cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, especially for cancer patients and teens.1,2 What if we could change that? Integrative medicine expert Deepak Chopra, MD and a collaboration of mental health experts and activists have launched the Never Alone Summit to bring awareness and solutions… Read more »
st, we learn how much we’re able to handle – mentally, emotionally and physically. The coronavirus pandemic has caused nearly insurmountable amounts of stress for almost every human being on the planet. Knowing that, alone, is stressful, but it’s what we do in times like these that will define us forever. Normally, when we experience… Read more »
Now more than ever, we all need to protect our health. You have a powerful force within you that can support your wellness: your unconscious mind. Besides strengthening your immune system, your subconscious mind can fight off disease; it controls all the vital processes of your body and it knows how to heal you. In… Read more »
Overwhelmed. Anxious. Freaked out. Scared. Desperate. These are some of the words that seem to be describing our current global mood. Places have shut down everywhere, people are being told not to travel, to stay at home, to head back to their home countries, to work from home, to stay six feet away from one… Read more »
Over the past month, I have seen a surge of patients presenting with anxiety and/or depression in my practice. “I am so scared, scared to go out, scared to be home alone, scared of how I am going to pay my bills, and scared that my family members and friends could die in the next… Read more »
We men seldom talk about our health and are even more reluctant to seek medical assistance. In fact, studies show that 61 percent of men do not engage in regular health checkups, representing a missed opportunity for preventive health care discussions.1 Growing up on a dairy farm in Southeast Minnesota, for me, medical doctors were… Read more »
In these uncertain times, we are seeing a vast increase in the number of people who constantly feel depressed, anxious and out of balance. Major depressive disorder affects more than 16 million Americans and 40 million adults (1 in 5 people) regularly suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, with irregular heartbeat, shallow breathing, heart attack… Read more »
F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “I’m a slave to my emotions, to my likes, to my hatred of boredom, to most of my desires.” Have you ever felt like you were held emotionally hostage to your thoughts and feelings and then acted out with dysfunctional behaviors that ended with negative consequences? We all have. It’s part… Read more »
Let’s say you’ve been feeling really down lately and can’t seem to shake it. You go to your primary care physician and he recommends a prescription for an anti-depressant, or referral to a psychiatrist for further evaluation. It’s what you’d expect. Now imagine walking away with a prescription for an over-the-counter herb coupled with yoga… Read more »
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) affects approximately 1-2 percent of Americans. It’s a chronic disorder that can render those suffering with it helpless to do anything about unwanted and repetitive behaviors and thoughts that won’t go away. Symptoms, which can begin gradually in childhood, and vary in severity throughout one’s life, include an uncontrollable thought or… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a tool you could count on to instantly relax you and lift you up? A mantra is a sound tool that with repetition can shift the charge on your nervous system, and all you need is your own voice and a little guidance. What you hear has a… Read more »
So, you walk into your doctor’s office to find that it is filled with patients. They’re particularly busy, so you wonder if it’s a common cold or flu going around and whether you’re going to catch it. But the surprising truth is, the majority of patients seen in an outpatient clinic are coming in for… Read more »
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is the main calming neurotransmitter released to keep our brain relaxed and balanced when we need it. GABA controls the actions of the excitatory neurotransmitters, so understandably, a person with low GABA may have anxiety, racing thoughts, insomnia, addictions, or even weight gain. Deficiency of GABA levels can be genetic, but more… Read more »
“Music gives soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” –Plato Wow! Plato said this circa 500 BC, well before Mozart, Edith Piaf, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sam Cooke, Don Ho, The Beatles, Billie Holiday, Lady Gaga, Mp3 players, unlimited streaming…and… Read more »
Depression is a disease that has plagued humankind for centuries and which unfortunately remains prevalent today, affecting 1 out of 5 individuals at some point in their lives. Up to 50% of the population may be seasonally affected, experiencing a mild form of depression due to fewer daylight hours during the winter. Moderate to severe… Read more »
Have you experienced a “pregnant pause moment” lately? You know, when you’re talking with someone who makes a comment about the state of our country that you might not agree with, and you’re at a loss for how to respond. Or, if not the pregnant pause, maybe you’ve felt like a stranger in a strange… Read more »
