In this second, expanded edition of the best-selling The Brain Diet, Dr. Alan C. Logan incorporates the latest research on the connection between nutrition, mental health, and intelligence. Most people today know that good nutrition and good health are related and that poor nutrition frequently leads to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Unfortunately, few people realize that it also is an underlying factor in other medical conditions, such as depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, migraine headaches, ADHD, and much more. This is startling when one realizes that researchers have found that today more than 50 percent of the vegetables in most people’s diets consists of the trimmings on a hamburger a

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How true.  How many of us are really grateful for the people in our lives, for all the things they do, for all the ways they care for us and about us – and yet, we never let them know?  How many of us have a mental “closet” filled with carefully wrapped gifts that we have never given to those we care most about?

“Well, my loved ones KNOW I appreciate them,” is what many people say.  But is that really the case?  How can your loved ones possibly know for sure how you really feel unless you specifically tell them – unless you actually give them the gift of gratitude?

Make it a pledge that anytime you feel gratitude, you’ll express it right then and there.  You don’t have to make a big production about it.  Just a simple “thank you” will suffice.   This can include times like:

• Your spouse brings you a cup of coffee, or is just there for you when you’re feeling low.
• A co-worker holds the door or the elevator for you.
• A complete stranger lets you merge in front of them when they could have easily cut you off.
• You wake up feeling like it’s great to be alive.
• You see a rainbow or a beautiful sunset.

Or any one of a million things that can fill your entire being with a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness.  Go ahead and actually say the words, “thank you.”  Say it to the people around you, say it to the world, say it to God – just say it.  You’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel as well as how it will change your outlook on life.  You’ll also be amazed at how differently people perceive you.

It’s a simple fact that the more you express gratitude, the more things to be grateful about will naturally come into your life.  Give it try and see if I’m not right.

Meister Eckhart, a medieval German philosopher said that, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

Amen.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: spiritual, gratitude, thankfulness, philosophy, life, attitude, mental health, balance

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A Mold “Primer”

First, mold is everywhere and is a natural part of the environment. It’s job is to breakdown dead organic material and in the process, release nutrients into the soil where they become available for living plants. Although molds are everywhere, they only grow where there is a food source and moisture. This is the reason you usually find mold growing in damp areas due to plumbing, roofing, or other types of leaks.

Molds grow in colonies and there are thousands of different types. Once a colony finds a food source and becomes established, it defends it’s “territory” by spreading chemicals called mycotoxins in order to prevent other molds from moving in. The most familiar example of this is bread mold, which produces what we call penicillin in order to keep other molds away.

Mold Problems

Molds become a problem indoors for several reasons. The first is physical. According to the EPA’s “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings,” molds destroy the materials they are growing on. This can eventually lead to structural problems if the mold – and the underlying moisture problem – is not properly addressed.

Secondly, molds can create, or contribute to, health problems. Molds are microscopic and mold spores easily become airborne when disturbed. As a result, anyone living or working nearby can introduce them into their lungs through normal breathing. In many people, this can create allergic symptoms due to the mold spore itself, or chemical symptoms due to the mycotoxins.

The Link Between Mold and Depression

Although mold has been implicated as the probable cause for a number of health problems, solid proof has been difficult to come by, mainly because people can react to mold exposure in many different ways. This makes it very difficult to determine a cause-effect relationship. However, one study performed in late 2007 found a connection between mold (along with the damp conditions necessary for mold growth) and depression in the inhabitants of moldy buildings.

In an article titled “Dampness and Mold in the Home and Depression: An Examination of Mold-Related Illness and Perceived Control of One’s Home as Possible Depression Pathways” and published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers found “…a solid association between depression and living in a damp, moldy home.” Although the study does not prove that mold causes depression (a cause-effect relationship), it does show that there is a connection, or link, between the two.

The researchers think that there are two reasons for this link. The first is the effect that mold has on a person’s physical health. These can include the allergic symptoms already mentioned. When you’re not feeling well, it’s easy to get depressed. The second reason comes from a perceived lack of control over the housing environment, the feeling that you can’t afford to fix the mold problems or move altogether.

Edmond Shenassa, the research team leader, said, “Physical health, and perceptions of control, are linked with an elevated risk for depression, and that makes sense. If you are sick from mold, and feel you can’t get rid of it, it may affect your mental health.” Shenassa also stated that “What the study makes clear is the importance of housing as an indicator of health, including mental health.”

Healthy Homes Can Promote Healthy Lives

A final comment by Shenassa was that “Healthy homes can promote lives.” Amen to that. But how do you create and maintain a healthy home? Here are a couple of tips to prevent mold from growing indoors:

• Keep your home well maintained and in good repair. Immediately repair any water leaks or wet spots that may be caused by plumbing problems, roof leaks, condensation, or any other causes.
• Routinely check for damp or wet spots around all sinks, faucets, and plumbing fixtures as well as around windows and doors. Don’t forget to check dishwashers and ice makers, too.
• Clean up any liquid spills or water leaks immediately and make sure the surrounding area is thoroughly dry.
• Your HVAC regulates humidity in addition to temperature so make sure it’s working properly.
• Frequently inspect and dry areas around moisture sources such as potted plants, aquariums, pet drinking bowls, etc.
• Get professional help with repairs and/or clean up if you need it. See the EPA document referenced above for advice and tips.

The Next Steps

Understand that preventing mold from growing indoors is just one step towards creating a “healthy home.” Other steps can include reducing the amount of particulates in the indoor air, a topic I wrote about in “Indoor Air Quality and Heart Disease.” You should also address other potential hazards such as radon, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC) from glues, paints, or pesticides, as well as asbestos and possibly lead-based paints. You can find more information on these in the EPA’s “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.”

Conclusion

I can’t sum up the intent of this post any better than by quoting Edmond Shenassa: “Healthy homes can promote healthy lives.” Americans spend a significant portion of their day indoors. Doesn’t it make sense that your physical and mental health would be tied to, and affected by, your environment?

Hiram

The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: IAQ, depression, indoor air quality, health, healthy home, allergies, allergy, mycotoxin, balanced health, mental health, damp home, mold

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Ever wonder why just being by a waterfall instantly soothes your spirit and makes you feel relaxed and energized?

There are actually several reasons for this. The first is the rhythmic sight and sound of the rushing water as it gathers speed, spills over the falls, and crashes into a pool below. The motion of the water is almost hypnotic and the sound is like a lullaby that sings directly into your soul.

The crashing water of a waterfall also creates quite a bit of mist, increasing the humidity and cooling the surrounding area. A lot of mist in the air tends to create rainbows when the sun is at the right angle, another item that is pleasing to the eye and that helps to calm the spirit.

Waterfalls also create significant levels of negative ions. Negative ions not only clean the air (which is why the air around a waterfall always smells fresh and clean), they make you feel relaxed, refreshed, and energized.

Lastly, waterfalls are just plain cool. Who can watch water come crashing down from a high cliff and not be moved to amazement? Who can feel the cool mist on their face and not experience a deep connection with the Earth? Who can possibly come up with a better way to describe a waterfall than to just stare at it and say, “Cool!”?

Balanced health means more than just diet and exercise. Although diet and exercise take care of your physical body, you have to also balance your mind and spirit. Sitting near a waterfall is a great way to do that.

So whether you’re sitting near a waterfall as massive as Niagara Falls or one as small as a tabletop waterfall, take the time to really watch the water flow over the edge. Hear the water splashing on the rocks and hitting the pool below. Then take a slow, deep, cleansing breath, and say, “Cool!”

Hiram

The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: balanced health, waterfalls, negative ions, water, mental health, spirit, relaxation

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But how much is all this connectivity costing us in terms of health?

One effect of living in an Internet society that’s available and active 24/7 is a significant increase in the amount of caffeinated drinks the average American is drinking. Everything from Starbucks to Red Bull, Americans are now drinking significantly more caffeinated drinks than they did in before the Internet. In fact, caffeinated drinks like Red Bull are now the biggest sellers for their manufacturers and is the third largest source of beverage profits for convenience stores. There’s so much information to absorb and so little time that we’re using caffeine to try to stay alert just a little longer.

A second effect is an increase in Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD) like behavior in most Americans. We’re so bombarded with information on a daily basis that it’s become necessary for us to become very selective in what we pay attention to. We focus on what interests us at the moment and simply ignore all the rest before going on to the next item of interest. However, this behavior tends to create and re-enforces short attention spans. Unfortunately, this also means that we can miss important information from friends, coworkers, and family.

Third, Americans are also sleeping 25% less than the average American did 100 years ago. Since we can shop, surf, IM, or be on discussion boards 24 hours a day, it’s no wonder that many of us don’t make it to bed until the early hours of the morning (especially after downing several cups of coffee and/or caffeinated energy drinks). As a result, many of us are trying to balance our work, social, and family lives while suffering from constant sleep deprivation.

All of this creates a significant amount of stress, a feeling like you have to know what’s going on, you have to remain connected. Otherwise you feel lost, out of touch, like you’re falling behind. And still, you fight this constant fear that there’s more information than you have time to absorb – creating even more stress.

It’s ironic. The more we try to “connect” electronically – Internet, email, Blackberry, MySpace, and so on – the more we actually disconnect from friends and family that might be right in front of us.

So how do you stop this cycle? First, commit to taking some time to “unplug” from your electronic network and reconnect with those around you. Log off from your Internet account. Turn off your Blackberry. Turn on your full attention to your spouse, your kids, your friends.

Second, if you’re going to be there, then be there. Practice being in the moment. If you’re spending time with friends or family, don’t be planning what you’re going to do as soon as you log back into your email account. Give your friends and family your full attention.

Last, don’t worry about the information you’re missing. First of all, the Internet will not crash and the servers melt down just because you aren’t signed in. Second, most of the information you miss will not make that much difference anyway.

So give it try. The benefits you get from giving your friends and family your full attention are significant. Your stress level will go down as you rediscover the world – and the people – around you.

Hiram

The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: mental health, stress, balanced health

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