Health

In this edition, I hope to educate and inform about medicinal mushrooms, specifically about lion’s mane mushrooms. Lion’s mane mushrooms, also known as Hericium erinaceus, hou tou gu or yamabushitake, have both culinary and medicinal uses in Asian countries like China, India, Japan, and Korea. They have been used for centuries as medicine.  Lion’s mane mushrooms are large, white, shaggy mushrooms that resemble a lion’s mane as they grow. They contain bioactive substances that have many beneficial effects on the body, especially the brain, heart, and gut. Consuming lion’s mane mushrooms could protect against dementia. The brain’s ability to grow and form new connections typically declines with age, which may explain why mental functioning worsens in many older adults. Scientific studies have found that lion’s mane mushrooms contain two special compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells: hericenones and erinacine. Additionally, animal studies have found that lion’s mane may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disease that causes progressive memory loss. In fact, lion’s mane mushroom and its extracts have been shown to reduce symptoms of memory loss in mice, as well as prevent neuronal damage caused by amyloid-beta plaques, which accumulate in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease. A 2020 study of people with mild Alzheimer’s disease found that supplementation with 1 gram of lion’s mane mushroom daily for 49 weeks significantly improved cognitive test scores compared to a placebo. The ability of lion’s mane mushroom to promote nerve growth and protect the brain from Alzheimer-related damage may explain some of its beneficial effects on brain health. However, it’s important to note that most of the research has been conducted on animals or in test tubes.  Lion’s mane mushrooms contain compounds that stimulate brain cell growth and protect them from damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease. However, more research involving humans is needed. Other scientific studies suggest that lion’s mane mushrooms may help relieve mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. Other animal studies have found that lion’s mane extract can also help regenerate brain cells and improve the functioning of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that processes memories and emotional responses. Rat studies have found that lion’s mane extract can speed up recovery from nervous system injuries. Further, lion’s mane extract has been shown to protect against stomach and intestinal ulcers in rodents.  Animal and test-tube studies suggest that lion’s mane extract can reduce the risk of heart disease in several ways.  In addition, these mushrooms contain powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that may help reduce the impact of chronic illness. Research shows that lion’s mane mushroom can boost immunity by increasing the activity of the intestinal immune system, which protects the body from pathogens that enter the gut through the mouth or nose.  The immune-boosting effects of lion’s mane mushrooms are very promising, but this research area is still developing.  Lion’s mane mushroom can help lower blood sugar and reduce diabetic nerve pain. Some research suggests that the lion’s mane mushroom has cancer-fighting abilities thanks to several of its unique compounds. Also, more research is needed on humans to better understand the above correlations. While the use of lion’s mane mushrooms may reap many benefits if you include them in your diet, one should never embark on a medicinal adventure without consulting a physician.  Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS October 4, 2023/No Comments Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Read More… Read More CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 1, 2023/No CommentsRead More UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA June 5, 2023/No Comments In contemporary society, we hear the term PTSD for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder very often. This is the new buzzword or… Read More Load More End of Content.

In contemporary society, we hear the term PTSD for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder very often. This is the new buzzword or flavor of the month in mental illness.  Unfortunately, the term is often misused.  PTSD is a mental health disorder that develops following a traumatic event and affects an estimated 7.1% of adults nationwide. One can also struggle with PTSD from an indirect experience where one isn’t the primary victim. For example, you can develop PTSD after learning about the death of a close loved one or witnessing a hostage situation play out on the news. Many people who undergo a traumatic episode have temporary difficulty adjusting. With time and good self-care, however, they typically get better.   There appear to be 3 areas of the brain that are different in patients with PTSD. They are the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the medial frontal cortex.  Research in 2022 has shown that PTSD can affect memory in two primary ways. First, it can affect a person’s memory of traumatic events, such as causing vivid flashbacks or making it difficult to recall. Second, it can affect a person’s available memory, causing increased forgetfulness. Previous studies have shown the hippocampus is smaller in people with PTSD.  The good news is that the effects of trauma on the brain are reversible, often with the guidance and support of a trauma-informed therapist. The five types of PTSD are Normal Stress Response, Acute Stress Response, Uncomplicated PTSD, Complex PTSD, and Comorbid PTSD. Normal Stress Response is what occurs before PTSD begins. It does not always lead up to a full-blown disorder. Acute Stress Disorder can occur in people exposed to what is or feels like a life-threatening event. Uncomplicated PTSD is linked to one major traumatic event versus multiple events. Complex PTSD is caused by multiple traumatic events. Complex PTSD is common in abuse or domestic violence cases, repeated exposure to war or community violence, or sudden loss. Comorbid PTSD is a blanket term for co-occurring disorders. Originally, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was thought to be something only military service members and veterans faced. Now, we understand that this stress disorder can happen to anyone, especially those who experience an intense, often life-threatening, event. PTSD differs from acute stress disorder in that the experiences are more long-term and will usually disturb daily life. PTSD does not have to be a life sentence, as the damage to the brain can be reversed with treatment. I hope that you found this series informative and beneficial. Next month I will offer another topic concerning Investing in Ourselves.   PTSD is not necessarily permanent. If you have it, it can improve. Whether you seek professional help is up to you but know that it can and often does get better. And, importantly, you can help that process along. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 5, 2023/No CommentsRead More UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA June 5, 2023/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More INVESTING IN OURSELVES: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA May 2, 2023/No Comments INVESTING IN OURSELVES: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA Depression & anxiety are common problems that can develop after trauma.  Depression ignites feelings of Read More Load More End of Content.

Depression & anxiety are common problems that can develop after trauma.  Depression ignites feelings of sadness and low mood. These feelings are longer lasting than 2 weeks and can impair daily functioning. Those experiencing anxiety and depression should always seek professional help. However, practicing the experience of gratitude can be a game-changer for many people. The practice of gratitude helps train your brain to notice and appreciate the things in life and, in doing so, shifts your life experience tremendously. Gratitude can increase your happiness and well-being, life satisfaction, and even overall health while decreasing the stuff we all want less of like anxiety, depression, and anger. It can be a powerful practice to cultivate, especially if you struggle with anxiety or depression. While anxiety and depressive disorders come in different forms and flavors, they share some commonalities. All are associated with underlying negative thinking patterns. These patterns include both what we think and how we think. In other words, both the content and the process of thinking impact anxiety and depression. The content of anxious and depressive thinking is often negative in nature. These thoughts may overly focus on the negative or problem areas, discount the positive (“yeah but” -ing away any positive aspect or occurrence), and catastrophize or jump to the worst-case scenario. The process of anxious and depressive thinking is characterized by mental time travel – dwelling on the past or focusing on the future. This mental time travel, known as rumination, pulls us out of the present moment and can add to feelings of depression and anxiety. Psychological research shows that the more present we are, the happier we tend to be, even when the present moment isn’t pleasant or enjoyable. Rumination is a sneaky mental habit that zaps joy away. This is where gratitude can be particularly helpful. Rumination, worry, complaining, and negativity are mental habits with adverse consequences. These mental habits involve stewing on negative thoughts, indulging them in a repeating and amplifying loop with the effect of dragging down your mood and pulling you out of the present moment.  It can be helpful to use gratitude as a competing response to these mental habits. It is difficult to tap into gratitude and get stuck in negativity. When you find yourself getting wrapped up in those negative thoughts or starting down a spiral, challenge your mind to find something at that very moment to be grateful for. In doing so, you are combating the negative content of your thoughts AND bringing your mind into the present. Just be sure you don’t go through the motions.  You must try to really get in touch with a sense of appreciation, gratitude, or beauty in the here and now.  In other words, experiencing gratitude is key! The goal is to truly activate grateful feelings to help buoy you against negativity and to help keep you grounded in the present moment. Research shows gratitude isn’t just a pleasant feeling. Being grateful can also support greater health, happiness, and wisdom in ourselves and our communities. In the past two decades, a growing body of evidence in the field of social science has found that gratitude has measurable benefits for just about every area of our lives. Gratitude appears to contribute substantially to individual well-being and physical health. So much so that the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley—a leader in research on the science of social and emotional well-being describes gratitude as the “social glue” key to building and nurturing strong relationships. Gratitude offers us a way of embracing all that makes our lives what they are. More than just a happy feeling for the parts of our lives currently going our way, gratitude encompasses the willingness to expand our attention so that we perceive more of the goodness we are always receiving. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 5, 2023/No CommentsRead More UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA June 5, 2023/No Comments In contemporary society, we hear the term PTSD for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder very often. This is the new buzzword or Read More INVESTING IN OURSELVES: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA May 2, 2023/No Comments Depression & anxiety are common problems that can develop after trauma.  Depression ignites feelings of sadness and low mood. These Read More Load More End of Content.