by admin | Dec 27, 2022 | health |
I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the holidays! The holidays and the New Year are a time of celebrations but they also lead us to excess, usually with increased consumption of sugar, processed foods, and alcohol. It is important to add more healthful foods, especially those that contain flavonoids, to counteract the harmful effects of your seasonal diet! Flavonoids are a part of “Nature’s Pharmacy” and are compounds found mostly in plants such as tomatoes, lettuce, onions, peas, apples, broccoli, red grapes, watercress, kale, spinach, parsley, citrus fruits, and tea. (2) They are “bioactive” which means that they have positive effects on our minds and bodies.1 They nourish and support our health through their anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, cardio-protective, and anti-diabetic actions. (2,3,4,5) Two flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol, have been found to slow cognitive decline. A study in the journal Neurology indicated that older people who ate the equivalent of one cup of dark, leafy greens had the lowest decrease in their rate of cognitive decline. (6) So my advice to you: Eat your flavonoids!!! You don’t like veggies? Quercetin is available as a dietary supplement, but high doses may damage the kidneys, and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, and people with kidney diseases should not take quercetin. Quercetin may also interfere with certain drugs, so it is important to discuss supplementing with your physician. And it is unclear if Quercetin should be taken for long periods of time without breaks. (7) During this time of year, which can also be a time of stress for many, it is good to shore up other healthy habits...
by admin | Nov 23, 2022 | Newsletter |
At this time of year, we are especially thankful for our lives, family and friends. Living a life of thankfulness is a wonderful quality to have year round. To live with gratitude means continuously appreciating all we have. Things may not always turn out as we hope, but living with gratitude means looking on the positive side, appreciating what we do have and taking advantage of every moment and experience. “Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”(1) The importance of living life to the fullest was brought home to me recently when two people dear to me, a relative and a friend passed away suddenly. Life is precious and we need to live joyous, purposeful, and giving lives. Here are some steps to achieve these goals: 1. Acknowledge that we can choose how we live. We can prioritize what makes us happy. We can live life to the fullest! 2. Ask these questions: What really matters to me? How am I spending my time and does it make me feel fulfilled? Am I devoting time to self improvement and living a life of purpose? Can I find humor even during challenging times? Am I pursuing my passions and also contributing to the lives of others? Am I managing my health so that I have optimal mental, emotional, and physical vitality, resilience, and well-being? I hope these questions inspire you to make positive changes in your life and the lives of others. I wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving. And...
by admin | Aug 9, 2022 | Newsletter |
When I started to write this issue of the Newsletter, we had just witnessed the recent horrific loss of life and injuries in Buffalo. Then, we experienced the shooting of children and adults in Uvalde. This was on top of the Russia-Ukraine War and the effects of other wars, insurrections, terrorism, and national and international political events. The news of these negative events jolted my physiology. I experienced emotions of sorrow, anger, and fear often at the same time. I realize that exposure to violence has become a daily occurrence in our lives, in addition to the everyday personal stressors that we deal with. I am concerned about the health effects of these toxic events on myself, my family, friends, my patients, you, and the people of the world. Thinking about this led me to ask these two questions: 1. How do we METABOLIZE the effects of these stressors on our minds, bodies, and spirits so that we don’t get sick? 2. How does one CULTIVATE a Calm Mind in the face of massive distress and uncertainty? To answer these questions I believe we need to first focus on our own health and well-being. To help you do this, I recommend going back to basics and accessing the Don’t Mess with Stress™ framework described in my book, and summarized below. As I have stated in prior Newsletters, this Don’t Mess with Stress™ foundation helps us create physical, mental, and emotional strength and resilience, which lead to centeredness and calmness. Check Out these Don’t Mess with Stress™ “Core 4” Components: 1. Diet: Have an anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean Diet—mostly plants, fruits, seeds,...
by admin | Apr 18, 2022 | health |
This newsletter is about my current experience with Covid-19, and the lessons I learned that can possibly help you to prevent it and lessen your symptoms if you have it. ———————————– Wow! The rapid test was negative, but I still wasn’t feeling well. A half hour later, encouraged by a non-medical close friend with Covid whose rapid test was negative, and PCR was positive, I went to a booth on the street for the PCR test, which would take 24 hours, and one at a doctor’s office with a same day result. I needed to know as soon as possible if I had Covid. I was stunned when I got the call and the email a few hours later. You have Covid! The second PCR confirmed the diagnosis the next day. For two years I had managed to evade the virus. How and where did I contract it? There were a few opportunities where I didn’t wear a mask for prolonged time over the prior weekend and was possibly exposed. What were my symptoms? Headache, fatigue, fever, muscle aches, joint aches, sore throat, nasal congestion, decreased appetite, and a little later in the course, sensations in my fingers and toes. I immediately got into bed and began hydrating with hot clear fluids and started a supplement protocol. I ordered chicken soup from a local deli and “doctored” it up with fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh onion, turmeric powder, black pepper(activates turmeric), parsley, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.(6) (I call it Dr. Jill’s Magic Soup). I topped it off with fresh cilantro. I also ordered fresh squeezed orange juice. ...
by admin | Mar 15, 2022 | Newsletter |
I hope you are well during these challenging times. We have been through a lot lately—the Pandemic, and on top of that, the current war between Russia and Ukraine. It can be a challenge to maintain our stability and equanimity in witnessing the horrors of war and dealing with the stress of the Pandemic. We must create resilience in our minds, emotions, and bodies to deal with these stressors. To help increase your stability and physiologic reserve, I am devoting this issue of the Newsletter to Meditation, which is a core part of my Don’t Mess with Stress™ program. (1) I have written about meditation in a prior Newsletter. However, I feel it is an important linchpin in facilitating stress hardiness and reserve, the qualities that we need now more than ever. Meditation can help us cultivate a mindset of calmness and centeredness, to thoughtfully respond in our decisions and interactions. It gives us time to pause during our busy lives. I have been meditating for a long time, ideally twice per day but not always, and it has been an anchor in my life. In addition to having a daily meditation practice, I also recommend going back to the other three lifestyle basics as outlined in my book, Don’t Mess with Stress™: Diet, Walking(Exercise, Physical Activity, Dance, etc.), and adequate Sleep. Please go to Dr. Jill Baron Blog for articles about these 3 important behaviors, and check out my book, Don’t Mess with Stress™ for a more comprehensive discussion. ———————— How Meditation Helps Your Brain Function Better A lot of the research on meditation has been done on Mindfulness Meditation. The goal with Mindfulness Meditation is to have present moment awareness in a non-judgmental and non-reactive way, “with an orientation...
