psychological health Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Healing Childhood Trauma

The AHA! Team — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 09:46:39 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – In this podcast (episode #590) and blog, I talk about how adverse childhood experiences can make us focus on the negative, and how we can manage this and heal the mind, brain and body. This is a replay of a Neurolive webinar I did on my app. For the full webinar AD-free, please see Neurocycle.app look for Neurocycle on the App Store or Google Play. In the early 90s, researchers embarked on a landmark study of over 17,000 individuals and asked them about negative experiences in childhood and their current physical and mental health. They found was that when children are exposed to toxic stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, this can have a dramatic impact on their minds, brains and bodies. This study later became known as the Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACE study. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that children may be exposed to while growing up that include abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance misuse or mental illness. Long-term exposure to childhood trauma has been linked to everything from heart disease and diabetes to alcoholism, depression, and suicide. While there is no denying the reality and impact of adverse childhood experiences on our mental and physical health, just focusing just on the negative alone, or the bad that happened to us, may actually slow the process of our healing down. Research on the mind-brain-body network shows that an overly negative focus without balancing with the positive can distort our perceptions and potentially hamstring our ability to work through what we have gone through in a way that doesn’t keep us trapped in the past. Why? The mind-brain-body network is all about balance and restoring balance when it is upset. Focusing only on the negative will add to an already overloaded amount of toxic stress from the adverse experience. This is why it is important that while we do the work to find the root causes of our distress and process and reconceptualize what has happened to us, we also make sure we have some positive, balancing checkpoints in place on our healing journey or we risk the danger of getting stuck in a cycle of pain and victimhood. In fact, there is exciting research that shows that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can actually help buffer against the negative health effects caused by exposure to ACEs. PCEs can also promote healing and recovery through activating our resilience. This shows that all of a child’s experiences—positive and negative—matter, so we shouldn’t just be considering the bad of what has happened to us but also the good, and how all these experiences affect our mental health as adults. Some research even shows that people with some exposure to ACEs, if they reported 3 to 5 positive childhood experiences, had 50% lower odds of adulthood depression or poor mental health, and those who reported 6 to 7 PCE’s had a 72% lower chance of adult mental health challenges. These findings demonstrate that positive childhood experiences can have a cumulative effect on life-long mental health outcomes and play an important role in our healing. The 3:1 Ratio Although we definitely need to work on what we experienced growing up, at the same time we need to leave room for the positive, and a great way to do this is what I call the “3:1 thought ratio”. This is one technique I often use this to balance myself and find it extremely helpful when things seem overwhelming. All you have to do is to intentionally focus on the positive to balance out the negative in a 3:1 ratio. And this can be used for any negative situation, not just for ACEs. For every negative thought that comes to mind, along with its emotions, behaviors, and perspectives, counter it with three positive thoughts. This will help to maintain a balance in energy (quantum) waves in the brain so you can think clearly, build your resilience, and rewire healthy thought patterns! When you practice the 3:1 ratio, this means that each time you have a negative thought, you don’t suppress it, but rather use it as a prompt to think of three positive childhood experiences. This doesn’t mean you are ignoring what has happened to you; rather, you are maintaining the balance of your mind, brain and body so that you can heal what has happened to you rather than remaining trapped in the past. You are essentially using the negative thought as a habit loop trigger to help you recognize what to change WHILE “padding” or mitigating the effects this negative event has on your overall wellbeing. This is not swapping the negative for the positive. It is using the positive to help us face and overcome the negative. For more on managing the effect adverse childhood experiences have on your health and wellbeing, listen to my podcast (episode #590). Podcast Highlights 2:16 What ACEs are & how they impact our mental health 7:28 Our childhood experiences are not a life sentence! 11:55 Why we need to balance the negative with the positive 13:46 What PCEs are & how they can help us heal 20:07 How to use the positive to deal with the negative This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional. To read the original article click here.

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Cooking Therapy Benefits for Stress + Mental Health

AHA Publisher — Sat, 11 Jul 2020 07:00:45 +0000

Jillian Levy, CHHC via Dr. Axe – You probably already know that cooking the majority of your meals at home, rather than relying on takeout and restaurants, offers a number of health advantages, including keeping your calorie intake in check and saving you money. That’s not all, however, as cooking therapy — how does cooking make you feel? — is also beneficial for mental health. Cooking therapy, also referred to as culinary therapy or kitchen therapy, is one way to simultaneously “nourish your mind and feed your soul,” as described by a Psychology Today article. What are some of the best things about cooking therapy as a form of self-care? Not only can it help relieve anxiety, but it’s also accessible to just about everybody, actually saves you money (unlike most hobbies!), and produces a finished product that can be shared or just enjoyed on your own. Ready to get cooking? Find out more below about how cooking and baking can support both your physical and mental health in a number of unique ways. What Is Cooking Therapy? Cooking therapy/culinary therapy has been defined by some experts as “the therapeutic technique that uses arts, cooking, gastronomy, and an individual’s personal, cultural, and familial relationship with food to address emotional and psychological problems.” Preparing food is activity is one that you can do at home, and that can be incorporated into treatment plans at mental health clinics and therapist offices. Cooking and baking as a form of a stress relief is now recommended for people dealing with a wide range of health conditions, including depression, anxiety, chronic stress, eating disorders, ADHD and addiction. How can cooking relieve stress? According to a 2018 review, some of the many ways in which cooking (and baking therapy too) can help to reduce anxiety symptoms and perk up your mood include by giving you a sense of control, accomplishment and providing (for yourself and for whomever else you cook), while having a positive influence on socialization, self-esteem and overall quality of life. Cooking and Mental Health Why is cooking good for mental health? According to recent research focused on culinary therapy, here are some of the ways that cooking therapy can improve your mood and general well-being: Requires concentration, so can act a healthy distraction that allows you to slow down and “get out of your head.” Can serve as a form of mindfulness. As one author put it, “Cooking is meditation with the promise of a good meal afterward.” Awakens your senses, requiring you to pay attention to the present moment. Can help you get into a “flow state,” since it’s both challenging and enjoyable at the same time. Encourages you to learn new skills and expand your knowledge base. Provides an “escape” and breaks up the monotony of your daily routine, since there are always new recipes to try. Can improve quality of life among people coping with addictions and serious illnesses, such as cancer. May help you feel less anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, since cooking gives you a feeling of accomplishment and can also provide pleasure. Additionally, it’s a way to practice gratitude for the food available to you and can give you a boost in self-esteem if you take the time to appreciate and enjoy what you’ve made. Is cooking creative? Definitely, which is why some researchers also refer to cooking as “culinary art.” Both baking and cooking give you outlets to express yourself and produce something tangible of substance. It’s an added bonus that you can eat and share your work of art! Other Benefits of Cooking What are other advantages of cooking? If you need a nudge to spend more time in your kitchen, here are some other benefits of cooking: Physical benefits of cooking — Compared to sedentary hobbies like reading, watching TV or working on the computer, cooking and baking require you to be up on your feet, fetching ingredients, mixing, chopping and cleaning up afterward. It might not be an intense workout, but a cooking session is one way to do something that’s both fun and relatively active at the same time. It’s even been shown to decrease the risk of disability, loss of independence and malnutrition among elderly adults, since it requires multiple physical and mental skills to be utilized simultaneously. Benefits of cooking together as a family/couple — You might normally think of meal planning, cooking and cleaning up the mess as a hassle, but research suggests that exploring recipes together with your family/partner, planning and then cooking the meals as a team can actually be a fun way to gather, bond and enjoy time together. Saving money — If you typically rely on takeout and convenience foods, cooking more meals at home is a great way to eat healthy on a budget and start saving money. Cooking with seasonal, local produce is another money-saving solution, since not only are the ingredients fresh and taste great, but they may be cheaper too. Another way to keep costs down is to take inventory of ingredients you already have and then come up with creative new ways to use them. Eating healthier — Many studies have found that when people cook for themselves at home they tend to consume less calories overall and eat better-quality foods. If you take the time to carefully prepare a meal, you’re also less likely to zone out while eating and more inclined to to practice mindful eating, take your time and pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. Supporting overall cognitive health — Studies have shown that when adults focus on eating simple, anti-inflammatory foods like greens, berries, nuts, seeds and fish, they tend to experience benefits related to their general well-being, including: Reduced oxidative stress/free radical damage Lower inflammation Protection against dementia, cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome Improved blood sugar Lowered risk for obesity Improved mobility and quality of life Healthy Recipes for the Mind One way to take the benefits of kitchen therapy to the next level is by preparing healthy, nourishing recipes that you can feel good about eating and sharing. Nutrient-dense foods are also supportive of cognitive/mental health and can even lower your risk for issues like depression and dementia. What types of foods should you focus on in order to take care of your mind? Those that are emphasized on the MIND diet, a healthy eating plan that has the goal of lowering your risk for cognitive disorders, include: Vegetables, especially leafy greens like spinach, kale, etc. All other fresh vegetables are also included, such as cruciferous veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, green beans, etc. Fresh fruit, especially all types of berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, cranberries, etc. Nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, almonds, chia seeds and flaxseeds Beans and legumes, such as chickpeas, black beans, lentils, etc. Whole grains, such as oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, barley, farro, 100 percent whole-wheat breads, etc. Fish, particularly wild-caught, fatty fish like like salmon, sardines, halibut, trout, tuna and mackerel, which are the best sources of omega-3 fats Lean meats like poultry, ideally that are pasture-raised and not breaded or fried Olive oil, which is used as the “main cooking oil” and can also be drizzled over salad, veggies, etc. Need some more inspiration? If learning about new ingredients and exploring novel recipes make cooking more fun for you, try stocking your kitchen with some of these interesting, healthy ingredients: Bone broth (numerous ways to use this, including in soups, stews, marinades, omelets and even baked goods) Beetroot powder (great in smoothies, sauces, salad dressings and gravy) Cassava, tiger nut, banana and chickpea flours (try these gluten-free flours in baked goods, flat breads and more) Freekeh (an ancient grain that can sub in for buckwheat, quinoa or farro) Kombu (a type of seaweed used in soups, stews and salads) Natto (similar to miso, used in mostly Japanese dishes) Medicinal mushrooms (can be used to brew tea or make broths) Risks and Side Effects Are there any downsides to partaking in culinary therapy? Not really, as long as you don’t take it too seriously and put pressure on yourself. View it as a fun and creative activity, rather another chore or complicated task. Try easy recipes that you naturally feel drawn to, and don’t be hard on yourself if you improvise a recipe and wind up messing things up. Conclusion Cooking therapy, also called culinary or kitchen therapy, is a therapeutic technique that uses the art of cooking (or baking or gastronomy) to address emotional and psychological problems and improve mental health. What are the mental health benefits of cooking at home? Cooking can be relaxing, serves as a way of practicing mindfulness, improves concentration, can get you into a “flow state,” is a creative outlet and more. Other benefits of cooking include fostering connection with others, eating healthier overall, saving money, and supporting cognitive health in ways such as lowering inflammation and oxidative stress. A high-quality diet plays a major role in keeping your brain healthy. Therefore to get the most from cooking therapy, emphasize whole foods like greens, berries, nuts, seeds, whole grains and fish. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Practical & Powerful Tips to Ending Mental Illness from Renowned Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen

AHA Publisher — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:00:40 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – Mental health is a hot topic these days, especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the enforced social separation and isolation many of us have experienced over the past several months. Even though things are starting to open in many places, we all are facing a world which is dramatically different to the one we knew before the pandemic—so many things are uncertain, which only exacerbates our collective mental distress. Thankfully, as I discuss in this week’s blog and podcast with world-renowned psychiatrist, brain specialist and best-selling author Dr. Daniel Amen, there are ways we can take our mental and brain health into our own hands! The human brain is remarkably resilient: over time we can heal our minds and find freedom, purpose and renewal in an imperfect world. Indeed, Dr. Amen has spent his professional life witnessing this resiliency. As he describes in his excellent new book, The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More, the technological advances in the field of neuroscience have huge strides in our understanding of the brain and what mental distress looks like on a biological level. Rather than just look at someone’s symptoms and giving them a “pill for every ill”, when we take someone’s whole story into account and look at their brain using the latest technology, we can give them practical and powerful tips to find healing on both a mental and physical level. These advances have reshaped our understanding of what mental health actually means. Nobody wants to be labelled as defective, and no one should be. Instead of talking about “mental illness”, we should talk about what Dr. Amen calls a “brain health issue”. When we focus on improving our brain health by looking at what is going on inside our heads and taking action, we improve our mind and life, and when we focus on improving our mind, that is what we think every day, we improve our brain health: we need to look at the whole picture, not just the alleviation of certain symptoms using medication. We can start doing this by recognizing that certain things affect the health of our brain, which include: Inflammation. This can occur from what we eat, how we live and how we think, which is why it is important that we pay attention to our lifestyle choices and strive to live a healthy life, including practicing good dental and physical hygiene, exercising regularly, eating well, taking care of the gut, practicing mind management, learning and so on, as I discuss in my blogs, books and podcast. Diet. Obesity and diet-related illnesses like diabetes can directly and indirectly impact our brain health, which is why we cannot afford not to eat well and move regularly. In fact, research has shown that the more our weight goes up, the more the size and function of our brain goes down! What we eat affects how we think and our physical health, just as what we think affects our digestion and ability to keep the brain and body healthy (I discuss this in detail in my book Think and Eat Yourself Smart). Immunity. A lot of infectious diseases affect our brain health, such as Lyme disease, which is why protecting and boosting the body’s immune system is so important. This includes getting enough vitamin D, which is essential for a healthy immune response! Neurohormones. As I discussed in a recent blog and podcast (episode #158), our hormones affect our brain health. This is especially the case as we age, which is why we should look at natural ways to improve our hormones, such as diet and bioidentical hormones (for more on this listen to my most recent podcast episode #162 and see the blog I published last week). Ironically, these are also the areas that affect our susceptibility to viruses like COVID-19. When we focus on improving our brain health, we also improve the health of our whole body, which can help us fight off infections and diseases! Thankfully, as Dr. Amen mentions in his book, there are things we can do to improve the health of our brain: 1. Focusing on our biological health. This is the physical functioning of the brain, which includes making healthy lifestyle choices like eating well and exercising regularly. If you are interested, Dr. Amen has clinics around the country where you can have your brain health examined. It is important to recognize that traumatic brain injuries (including mild injuries and concussions) can directly impact mental health, which we can only see on a brain scan. This is often overlooked in the current mental health system, which can lead to tragic outcomes for people who are suffering from brain trauma. This is particularly the case with children, whose brains are especially vulnerable as they are still developing. As parents and guardians, we should be protecting children’s brains, because if you don’t you can affect the quality of the rest of their lives. We need to rethink what we should allow our children to do! 2. Focusing on our psychological health. What we think and how we handle stress affects our brain health, which can have long term consequences for both our mental and physical health. As I always say, thoughts are real things that have real, physical consequences on the brain and body, so mind management is crucial. Mental hygiene is as important as washing your hands! We always need to pay attention to the physical and emotional warning signals our brain and body send us, and think about the impact our thinking is having on our wellbeing. My SWITCH app is a great tool for helping you learn how to do this, dealing with the roots of your stress and anxiety, and overcoming negative thought patterns and behaviors that impact your health (through the mental process of reconceptualization). It is now on sale less 50% for a 3-month subscription! It is also important to build the brain through deep thinking and learning, especially as we get older! This not only improves our brain health, but also helps prevent the onset of cognitive decline, as I spoke about in my blog and podcast (episode #87). As we age, the brain gets less and less active, but it doesn’t have to! For more on building the brain see my book Think, Learn, Succeed. 3. Focusing on our social health. Humans are social beings. We thrive when we are connected—we are happiest and healthiest when we have deep, meaningful relationships with others, as I recently spoke about on my podcast (episode #103) and in my blog. Getting your relationships right is one of the best antidepressants! 4. Focusing on our spiritual health. We all need purpose, a reason to care that we are alive and well. What gets you out of bed in the morning? What gives your life meaning? As I discussed on in my blog and podcast (episode #149) with Dan Buettner, author of the Blue Zones (areas of the world where people live the longest), knowing your sense of purpose helps you live longer! Never forget, your brain can get better, even if you have been bad to it! Get into the habit of asking yourself everyday if what you are doing is good for your brain, and you will start to love your brain and love your life! To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Leaf click here.

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