Author Archives: Zuzanna Walter

The Connection Between Meal Timing and Weight Gain

May 28, 2019

With obesity rates on the rise, researchers continue to examine potential factors affecting body weight and BMI other than caloric intake and physical activity. Currently, there is a range of options for targeting obesity including surgery, medication, and even psychological interventions however, the majority are costly or invasive endeavors. The development and prevalence of wearable monitoring technologies has dramatically increased the data available to researchers and clinicians, providing an opportunity for improved personalized patient care, prevention strategies, and treatment methods dependent on individual lifestyle habits. Stemming from extensive personal monitoring, recent research implicates the power of small lifestyle changes such as sleeping habits and meal times and their effects on weight gain.

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Mental Health Awareness Month: Breathing Techniques for Relaxation

May 25, 2019

More people are struggling with anxiety and stress than ever before; anxiety disorders are currently the most common mental illness in the American population, affecting more than 40 million adults. Despite its prevalence, people suffering from anxiety and stress often lack the tools they need to alleviate their symptoms and only 36.9% of them receive treatment. Access to professional help, treatment opportunities, and management techniques may not be easily accessible for everyone looking to improve their mental health, but one crucial element is ubiquitously available – the breath.

Of the many stress coping techniques and lifestyle habits, deep mindful breathing is one of the most important. Breath control has been proven to help subdue the errant stress response – or fight or flight reaction – when it becomes unnecessarily activated by day-to-day events. As chronic stress has been linked to a variety of health conditions such as high blood pressure, suppressed immune system activity, anxiety, and depression, it is important to combat stress reactions with their therapeutic counterpart. A relaxation response, or the state of profound rest, can be elicited through meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and other soothing practices in combination with focused breathing.

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Adaptogens and Their Role in Optimizing Wellbeing

May 21, 2019

In the Eastern world, adaptogens have been used for centuries to treat an array of conditions ranging from the common cold to muscle soreness in fatigued soldiers. As the West continues to discover and adopt traditional practices in search of alternative medicinal compounds, the popularity and use of adaptogens have seen a marked increase in recent years. Derived from unique plants and herbs, these compounds offer widespread support in regulating hormonal systems; they help bring the imbalanced, stressed body back to equilibrium by allowing it to better adapt to biological and psychological stressors.

Throughout history, adaptogenic herbs have been used for their proven neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, anti-depressive, anxiolytic and CNS stimulating properties as well as their ability to adapt functions to an individual body’s specific needs. Their primary function is stress management through adrenal gland support, which helps manage hormonal responses to stress – the source of many chronic health conditions. However, each adaptogen carries additional therapeutic advantages, such as dopamine and serotonin-boosting properties, which contribute to beneficial effects on overall wellbeing.

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