Seventh Edition of the Holistic Health Reading List

Happy Friday, Happy MAY, and welcome to the seventh edition of the Holistic Health Reading List! 

Disclaimer: While I’m sharing these on my blog, it doesn’t mean I always agree with everything they say. I think it’s important to hear many view points and gather lots of information so we can come to our own conclusions about things. And as always, none of this is medical advice. Talk to your doctor before making any changes.

Autoimmunity, a Disorder of Our Time

Researchers largely assume that the cause of the rise can be pinpointed to changes in our environment, which in turn are causing changes in our bodies. Over the past 100 years, humanity has drastically altered the way we lived for the majority of existence. And while advancements in technology and living conditions lead us to believe we should be healthier than ever — after all, the majority of Western civilization now has access to better medicine, clean water, and abundant food — doctors are beginning to understand some of the unintended consequences of these changes. With better medicine, for instance, comes the overuse of antibiotics and the rise of superbugs; with industrialized farming comes the rise of chemicals and processed foods — all of which could have something to do with the onset of autoimmunity.

How To Get The Benefits of Walking

“Walking is the most studied form of exercise, and multiple studies have proven that it’s the best thing we can do to improve our overall health, and increase our longevity and functional years,” says Robert Sallis, M.D., a family physician and sports medicine doctor with Kaiser Permanente.

Art Therapy Helping Young People Deal With Eating Disorders

“One of the major functions of an eating disorder is that it gives someone a way to communicate about their experience and organize their experience in a way that makes sense to them. Art actually does the same thing, but in a way that other people can understand,” Sondra explains.

The Importance of Including Exercise in Eating Disorder Treatment

Simply put, we have a professional obligation to empower individuals with eating disorders with the tools necessary to navigate our risky environment that includes contrived ideals about the interaction of exercise, diet, health, and cultural conceptions of beauty.

GABA and L-Theanine Mixture Decreases Sleep Latency and Improves NREM Sleep

GABA/l-theanine mixture has a positive synergistic effect on sleep quality and duration as compared to the GABA or l-theanine alone. The increase in GABA receptor and GluN1 expression is attributed to the potential neuromodulatory properties of GABA/l-theanine combination, which seems to affect sleep behaviour.

World Health Organization Takes A Hard Line on Screen Time For Kids

“The more guidelines we give, it just seems like there’s going to be more of a mismatch between what experts say … and what it feels like to be a parent in the real world every day.”

Association Of Exposure To Infections In Childhood With Increased Risk of Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls

The findings suggest that prior exposure to infections and treatment with anti-infective agents are associated with the development of eating disorders, supporting an emerging immunologic hypothesis.

Understanding Body Signals Could Be Key Factor in Eating Disorders

Research has found that people with anorexia and bulimia find it difficult to perceive internal signals from their body. For example, they struggle to count their own heartbeats and struggle to perceive pain. They also report difficulties recognising signals from inside their body. Brain scans show that the brain areas used for interoception are different in people with eating disorders compared with those without eating disorders.

Everything You Can Do In your 20s To Maximize Your Fertility In Your 30s and Beyond

We’re not trying to freak you out. And no, we are absolutely not telling you to start having babies now either! That’s such a personal decision. But we are here to tell you that all this fertility stuff isn’t completely out of your hands. If you are thinking about having a baby down the road, the good news is that there are plenty of simple steps you can take now, in your 20s (or even early 30s), that will set you up to be maximally fertile down the road.

Intermittent Fasting May Be A Powerful Tool for Healthy Aging

In our development as a species, food sources were sometimes abundant and sometimes scarce. Periods of feast and periods of famine were probably the norm. Intermittent fasting may be a way to replicate this evolutionary pattern, and a growing body of evidence suggests it may ultimately offer some protection against many of the diseases associated with aging.