AAHH: updates and questions answered

     Have you had some trouble sleeping?  Yes, I have had more of that in the past year than ever, I think. In addition to the whole precarious state of the world in 2020 and moving into 2021, our family has had some significant stressors in the past year.  There have been nights when troubled thoughts kept me awake for sure, but that's actually pretty uncommon for me.  I personally am really grateful for that, as many do not sleep that easily.        If you spend more than a rare night with sleep trouble, here are some suggestions, based on real-life interactions with patients in my practice.       First, it may be a good idea to mention it to your primary care doctor.  There are some medical conditions associated with poor sleep, such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or other painful conditions that awake you from sleep. Even if it is your sleep partner that snores loudly enough to keep ...

You know I love to talk about good food and good health.  Because if anything, I've learned over the past 20 years that what we eat has more bearing on our long term health, happiness, and well-being than just about anything.   So, I was super-excited this week to see an article come across my email feed, all about another reason to enjoy fish!  Specifically oily fish.  Let's define what that means.  Fish, across the board, is a healthy protein source, low in saturated fats.  Much better for you, in general, than a steady diet of beef for example.  But fish that are "oily" have even more reasons to start planning your menu. Most ocean dwelling whitefish, by contrast, live at or near the ocean floor; while most oily fish spend their time in the upper ocean water.  Salmon for example, obtain their high concentration of omega 3 oils by eating natural sources of omega 3 oils from the ocean, including krill, plankton, and small shellfish. This is ...

                                                                                                                                                                   Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels January 30, 2021 Do you remember feeling that alive? Energy that felt it would go on forever?  Sleep that was like floating on a cloud? Awaking hopeful and ready for the day? Among the many things we have lost in the last year, maybe you have lost some of those things.  Or maybe you had begun to los...

  It’s 2021! Exhausted already?   Do you remember a New Year’s Day some years ago that felt full of possibility, determination, resilience and hope that things just might be starting out right? That this just might be “your year!?” After the way this year has started, that sort of start to a year seems pretty remote. But I confess again that I am no fortune teller, my crystal ball is clouded, and the rest of this year is impossible to predict. Who knows? We could be in way better shape this time next year. Regardless o...

  Just yesterday I spent a couple more hours learning, reviewing and reading , and listening to expert presentations on this topic. I hope in just a few short paragraphs here to cut through some of the noise and bring a little clarity. Especially it seems that what people are looking for is clarity about actions they can take to be well in this time. Please take this as my attempt to bring you just that.  I credit my own institution (Augusta University Health), the CDC, and the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona for these thoughts.   What can you expect in the coming days and weeks?      You already know we are in for a rough time as a world, and likely in your community in the next few weeks. Current projections are that the disease will peak in the United States sometime next week, around April 15th. This varies from state to state however, the actions we take now will directly af...

  A Few Thoughts on the Power of Mindfulness   I  had the privilege of attending the University of Arizona's Integrative Mental Health Conference in April. At our AAHH dinner and book discussion later that month, I shared some of the topics that were presented there.  A common theme during the conference was the far reaching benefits of mindfulness.  What is that?  And what's it good for?  Measurable improvements in overall well-being can result from the application of skills training in mindfulness and meditation. Why? A few of the known reasons are that these evoke neuroplasticity (how brain cells talk to each other and rewire), epigenetic changes (which genes are turned on and off, changing body functions), and better functioning bidirectional communication between mind and body.  According to researcher Richard Davidson, human traits that we would all recognize as "goodness" are cultivated by such practices.   What pra...

    T he Buck Stops Where?  Today I was talking with a reporter about our work at the office.  When he asked how we would sum up our mission, it came down to ownership:  Encouraging ourselves and others to fully own life and health....