NxWellness

Trees and plants growing out of rocks always catch my eye. Like this tree I came across on one of my hikes.

To me, they symbolize resilience and strength. Proof that living things will find a way to endure and thrive against all odds.

We have that ability too. I love this quote by Dr. Bruce Lipton: "Your body's ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe."

The human body is astonishingly good at healing itself when given the proper support. However, modern lifestyle factors such as chronic stress, sleep deprivation, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise inhibit the body's natural self-healing functions.

Some of the latest medical research is focused on harnessing the processes the human body uses to prevent and heal diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. That's exciting, and it underscores just how powerful our innate healing ability is.

But we don't need to wait for that research to benefit.

What does your body need most right now? 🌿

Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal. With nourishing foods, ample water, adequate sleep, daily movement/exercise and time in nature, balance can be restored. 💚

Do you have chronic pain?

Diet may be a factor.

Our dietary choices can both exacerbate and alleviate pain.

How?

The short answer is inflammation.

Many chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and back pain, are caused by inflammation.

Studies have found that certain foods can trigger an inflammatory response in the body and worsen pain symptoms.

Processed foods high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats are major drivers of inflammation.

To reduce inflammation and alleviate pain, an anti-inflammatory diet (emphasizing whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish) can be very beneficial.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, chia seeds, and flaxseeds) are especially beneficial due to their potent anti-inflammatory properties.

Other fantastic anti-inflammatory foods and spices include berries, broccoli, avocados, bell and chili peppers, green tea, ginger, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate and cocoa.

Experiment with adding more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet and see whether it makes a difference for you!

Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/

Women are society’s “shock absorbers".

This is how Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician, addiction and trauma expert, and author described what is happening to women in a podcast I listened to recently.

Compared to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from depression and other mental health issues, represent 80% of autoimmune disease cases, and are much more susceptible to chronic illness and chronic pain.

What is driving this phenomenon?

According to Dr. Maté, it's the high degree of stress women experience in modern society, and the fact that women tend to absorb the stress of their partners and children on top of their own.

Recent research supports this explanation.

According to a review article published last month in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, stress is an important risk factor for modern chronic diseases and "compared to men, women appear to have greater susceptibility to chronic forms of psychosocial stress."

The article notes that "psychosocial stress dependent diseases include major depressive disorder (MDD), obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, osteoporosis, cancers and cardiovascular disease (CVD)."

This underscores the reality that for women, managing stress is critically important for overall health.

Fortunately, there are many ways we can improve our ability to handle stress and reduce stress-related health risks.

A nutrient-dense diet, exercise, meditation, journaling, time in nature and quality time with family and friends have all been shown to bolster our stress response and/or reduce the level of stress we experience.

Stress may be inevitable, but adverse health impacts from stress are not. ❤️

References:
"Dr. Gabor Maté on The Mental Health Crisis", Feel Better Live More podcast, May 17 2023, https://drchatterjee.com/dr-gabor-mate-on-the-mental-health-crisis-the-real-causes-and-why-prince-harry-is-no-different-to-the-rest-of-us/

"The sex-dependent response to psychosocial stress and ischaemic heart disease.", Front. Cardiovasc. Med., April 21 2023 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1072042/full

So true. It’s all connected.

Thank you, Dr. Melissa Sell

All kidding aside, diets are problematic.

While some popular diets do have research to back them up, most tend to focus on "quick fixes" which don't produce lasting results.

According to experts, as many as 80-95% of dieters gain back the weight they've worked so hard to lose.

Since excess weight has been linked to an increase in the risk of many diseases and health issues, this is a very sad reality with long-term health impacts.

One of the biggest reasons diets fail is because they are too restrictive and require patterns of eating that aren't sustainable.

Because of this, they generally don't lead to lasting changes in the way we eat.

Once people return to their regular way of eating, more often than not they gain the weight back.

If diets don't work, what does?

Creating healthy, sustainable eating habits.

Think about what you typically eat (better yet, keep a food journal for a few days!) and look for small, sustainable ways to improve your nutrition.

Find healthier versions of your "go to" foods that you actually like (that's important!).

Add some veggies to each meal.

Keep healthy snacks available for when cravings hit.

Replace sugary drinks with water, mineral water, or herbal tea.

Ditch dieting and adopt the mindset of "I am going to take care of myself by eating healthy foods". ❤️

❤️

It's estimated that 20% of US adults live with some type of chronic pain.

Conventional treatment typically involves pain medication along with other therapies, but the role of diet is (more often than not) overlooked.

Of course, since chronic pain often stems from inflammation, it's not surprising that potent anti-inflammatory foods can help.

There's a long list of foods that have been shown to fight inflammation, but in addition to the foods in the graphic, turmeric, ginger, bone broth, and salmon deserve a special mention.

Since inflammation is one of the primary drivers of disease in general, incorporating a few of these foods into daily meals is a smart choice from a preventative standpoint as well.

Chronic pain is something that can make daily living extremely difficult, but luckily there are incredible foods at our fingertips that can help.

Chronic pain often stems from inflammation in the body and even overactive immune responses. Here are 5 foods with powerful anti-inflammatory abilities.

✅ Spinach
✅ Chile Peppers
✅ Blueberries
✅ Green Tea
✅ Oranges

Learn more about foods for fighting disease by downloading my Grandslammer Foods List at the link below!

https://mailchi.mp/drwilliamli/grandslammer-download

Replace FOMO with JOMO (the joy of missing out) ❤️

it's not just about what you feed your body. what are you serving your head and your heart? learn the science and art of JOMO (joy of missing out).  
  
link in bio for Gut Feelings, my new book, my protocol to regulate the nervous system, strengthen the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic, calm stress hormones and gut stress.   
  

Nutritional support can make a big difference for kids (and adults!) on the autism spectrum!

A recent scientific review looked at the evidence for using vitamins, minerals, and cofactors in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In this review, researchers found that individuals on the autism spectrum often have inadequate nutrient intake (due to food/sensory sensitivities and other feeding issues), lower blood levels of vitamins and other micronutrients, higher rates of micronutrient deficiencies, and reduced levels of vitamins in the brain.

The use of nutritional therapies (i.e. dietary modifications and supplements) in ASD can help improve gut, brain, and overall health, which in turn enhances the effectiveness of other therapeutic interventions.

There are many micronutrient imbalances that play a role in autism (i.e., Vitamins A, C, D, E, the B vitamins, as well as zinc, magnesium, and other minerals and cofactors), and the research shows that correcting these imbalances can lead to significant improvements in cognitive, social/emotional and behavioral functioning.

One of the key findings of the review was the importance of personalizing vitamin, mineral, and cofactor supplementation to the needs of the individual.

On a personal note, my autistic son has benefited tremendously from nutritional interventions targeted to his specific needs, as have my ASD clients.

You can read the full review here: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/2/252

If you are the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, or an autistic adult, and you have questions about nutritional support, I’d love to connect with you. Contact me and let me know how I can help!

References:
"The Rationale for Vitamin, Mineral, and Cofactor Treatment in the Precision Medical Care of Autism Spectrum Disorder", Journal of Personalized Medicine, January 2023 - https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/2/252

Photo by Peter Burdon on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/

Good advice. Start small. ❤️

Over time, you can explore a lot of different things as you slowly work each change into your life. As you do this, you're going to help support and enhance your health and wellbeing and help you have a long, active, vibrant life.

This can be sleeping an extra 30 minutes, going for a short walk, adding a side of veggies to your meal, or taking some deep breaths throughout the day.

All of these things will help you build up to doing more. And they’re what lead you to a happy, long, and healthy life. To learn more check out my new book, YoungForever. YoungForeverBook.com

My friend Noémi at Timberline Nutrition is offering a free 7-day whole food challenge!

If you read yesterday’s post here on the page about chronic inflammation, this is a perfect follow-on to that. One of the best ways to reduce inflammation and improve overall health is to swap out processed foods in favor of whole foods.

If you’ve been thinking about incorporating more whole foods into your diet, go check it out! 😊

Join me for a free 7-day whole food challenge! You'll learn how to add more wholesome and nutritious foods into your daily diet and reduce your intake of processed foods.

According to some, we are living in the "age of inflammation".

We now know that inflammation is a common underlying cause of the most debilitating, deadly diseases of our time.

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders are all inflammatory in nature.

Chronic inflammation also affects mental health.

Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and dementia have all been linked to chronic inflammation as well.

Of course, acute (short-term) inflammation is an important part of our body’s natural immune response, but when the inflammatory response continues beyond infection or injury, this can trigger disease.

Diet is one of the biggest drivers of chronic inflammation, along with lifestyle factors such as physical activity, stress, sleep, and toxin exposure.

The good news is that moving away from the overly processed, nutritionally imbalanced Standard American Diet (SAD) towards an anti-inflammatory way of eating can go a long way in reducing inflammation.

What is an “anti-inflammatory way of eating”?

- Eat mostly whole foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables, eggs, poultry, grass-fed beef, fish, beans, nuts, and seeds)

- Limit processed foods (i.e., sweets, snack foods, processed meats and cheeses, sugary beverages, etc. - includes most boxed foods and foods with long ingredient lists)

- Consume lots of anti-inflammatory foods (including but not limited to olive oil, blueberries, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, wild-caught fatty fish such as salmon, bone broth, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon)

As you make diet and lifestyle changes to reduce inflammation, it’s important to remember that chronic inflammation doesn't develop overnight, and reducing inflammation will take time as well.

However, you should start to notice results (in the form of inflammation-related symptom reduction, improved sense of wellbeing, etc.) within a few weeks and continued improvement over time!

References:
"Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span", Nature, December 2019 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0675-0

"Inflammation-related biomarkers in major psychiatric disorders: a cross-disorder assessment of reproducibility and specificity in 43 meta-analyses", Translational Psychiatry, September 2019 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0570-y

Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/

Is one of your resolutions this year to eat healthier?

While it's a commendable resolution, "eat healthier" can feel both overwhelming and vague, and that combination generally does not produce the best results.

To increase your odds of success, identify small specific changes you can make to your diet and nutrition to improve your health.

And while it may be tempting to make these changes all at once, implement them gradually for better (and more sustainable) results.

Why small and gradual change?

One of the keys to successful habit change (in any area of life) is being mindful of our innate resistance to change.

Our subconscious mind is always striving to maintain the status quo, even when we know that our current habits are not good for us.

The way to overcome this resistance and successfully create new habits is to make changes that are so small and gradual that they are "non-threatening" to our subconscious and give our body and mind time to adapt.

For ideas/inspiration, check out this list of 25 simple changes you can make to your diet and nutrition (on a personal note, I've been experimenting with #6 this month and am seeing great results!). 😊

25 Simple Tips to Make Your Diet Healthier Making some improvements to your diet doesn't have to be hard. Use these 25 simple tips to make your regular diet a little bit healthier.

Nutrition for mental health is my passion. It's a topic I've been studying (both personally and professionally) for the past 12 years. So I get excited when I come across "new to me" information and research - and of course I want to share it! 😊

If you'd like to further your understanding of the connection between diet and mental health, I encourage you to listen to this conversation between Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Chris Palmer. Dr. Huberman is a neuroscientist and assistant professor of Neurobiology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Palmer is a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Their conversation goes deep into the important connection between nutrition, metabolism, and mental health and how dietary modifications can be used to successfully treat patients with various mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia. What's especially interesting about Dr. Palmer's research in this space is his focus on the role of mitochondria in mental health, and how certain conditions likely arise from mitochondrial dysfunction.

This podcast is a bit long (3 hours) but it's fascinating, enlightening, and full of actionable information about how to optimize nutrition to support mental health.

Dr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health My guest this episode is Chris Palmer, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday! ❤️

Do you enjoy your meals?

If yes, that’s good!

When it comes to nutrition, how much we enjoy our meals may be just as important as what we’re eating.

Research has shown that eating for pleasure positively affects both nutrient absorption as well as metabolism.

When we allow ourselves to enjoy and savor our meals in a relaxed and mindful way, our nutrient absorption is enhanced and we have better control of our appetite.

On the other hand, when we don’t eat for pleasure (i.e., we choose foods we don’t really like but feel like we “should” be eating), nutrient absorption goes down and we often end up snacking later to make up for it.

Additionally, when we rush through our meals (especially ones we aren’t enjoying), it can trigger our body's stress response which actually slows down metabolism.

Of course, eating cake all day (no matter how much we might enjoy it) isn’t going to meet our nutritional needs.

The goal is to listen to your body and allow yourself to have the foods you enjoy (and crave!) in reasonable amounts, while working towards a diet that is both nourishing and satisfying.

With the holidays approaching, this is the perfect time to explore and experiment with this concept.

Rather than stressing about your diet this holiday season, see holiday meals as an opportunity to become better attuned to your body’s wants and needs.

And please, enjoy the process. ❤️

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/

As I write this, a cold front is moving into Colorado. There’s a winter weather advisory and temps are projected to dip into the teens tonight.

While our instinct is often to stay inside on cold snowy days, did you know that cold exposure (when done safely) has a number of health benefits?

Being out in the cold boosts metabolism, as our bodies have to work harder to maintain core temperature.

Colder temps help us think more clearly. The effect of cold exposure on cognitive performance is well documented.

Cold exposure can lower inflammation in our joints. Interestingly, cold air seems to act like a natural ice pack to decrease inflammation.

Getting out in cold weather has been shown to activate the immune system, which enhances our ability to stay healthy during cold and flu season.

Recreating and exercising in the cold also boosts heart health, as the heart has to pump more oxygenated blood to maintain body temperature.

One of the most fascinating effects of cold exposure is that it increases brown fat, which is a special type of body fat that breaks down glucose and fat molecules to create heat and maintain body temperature. Brown fat has been linked to a reduced risk of cardiometabolic diseases and other health benefits.

And finally, spending time outdoors on cold winter days is beneficial for mental health. Just a few minutes a day has been proven to lead to reduced stress and improved mood, especially for people prone to the type of depression associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

On a personal note, I’ve noticed significant improvements in both my physical health and mood since I started hiking year round. Getting out for a hike once or twice a week throughout the winter has made a tremendous difference for me. This photo is from one of my favorite winter hikes in Garden of the Gods. It’s especially beautiful after a fresh snow.

People usually say "stay warm!" on days like today. But if you want to boost your mental and physical health, spend at least a few minutes today outside enjoying the cold! ❄️❄️❄️

This past week, a panel of medical experts recommended for the first time that primary care doctors screen all children ages 8 to 18 for anxiety.

The panel also recommended that all adolescents ages 12 to 18 be screened for depression.

This new guidance is just the latest evidence of the ongoing mental health crisis among our youth.

In theory, the recommendation of earlier screening is a promising step in the right direction.

Earlier identification of anxiety or depression can lead to preventative measures that address problems before they become more severe with age.

But this begs the question: what kind of preventative treatment will our healthcare system incentivize along with earlier screening?

Will doctors encourage kids to make more time for meaningful connections with family and friends, get more exercise, or spend more time in nature?

Will they talk about the role of diet and nutrition in anxiety and depression?

Or will earlier screening inevitably lead to an increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions?

It’s encouraging that the issue of children’s mental health is finally starting to get more attention.

Children’s nutrition has also been getting more attention, and recent studies have found that more than half of American kids are eating low quality diets high in processed foods.

Diet is a huge factor in both anxiety and depression, and there’s now plenty of research-backed evidence showing that dietary modifications can significantly reduce mental health symptoms.

It’s no coincidence that mental health is declining along with the quality of the standard American diet.

Good mental health - at any age - requires a holistic approach that takes diet and other lifestyle factors into account.

Health Panel Recommends Screening All Kids 8 and Up for Anxiety To address the mental health crisis facing American youth, experts also said adolescents should be screened for depression.

A fascinating study was published this summer in the journal Human Psychopharmacology that may be of special interest to parents of kids on the autism spectrum and autistic adults.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of 100mg of Vitamin B6 daily on anxiety, depression, and other outcome measures.

Among the 478 young adults participating in the study, Vitamin B6 supplementation reduced self-reported anxiety and depression.

Quite a bit of research has confirmed this effect, but what makes this study different is that it also investigated the role of Vitamin B6 in strengthening visual surround suppression - and researchers found that B6 supplementation can improve visual processing.

This increase in visual surround suppression is especially interesting, as this directly relates to the visual processing issues that individuals on the autism spectrum frequently experience.

Several studies have shown that reduced visual surround suppression is associated with autism, and contributes to the global processing deficits often seen in individuals with ASD.

Anxiety, depression and visual processing issues are fairly common diagnoses for those on the spectrum, and it’s not unusual for a person to experience all three.

In addition to its impressive effects on anxiety, depression, and visual processing, Vitamin B6 has a number of other health benefits as well.

Many of these health benefits are magnified when B6 is taken together with magnesium, as B6 and magnesium work synergistically.

While the study referenced here investigated the effects of B6 supplements, increasing dietary intake of B6 is of course beneficial as well!

References:
"High-dose Vitamin B6 supplementation reduces anxiety and strengthens visual surround suppression", Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, July 2022 - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hup.2852

"Orientation-specific surround suppression in the primary visual cortex varies as a function of autistic tendency", Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, January 2015 - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.01017/full

Yes! Food isn't just like medicine - food *is* medicine.

If you have 15 min., listen to Dr. Hyman's Health Bites episode linked in the original post below. He lays out the principles of optimal nutrition in a very accessible, actionable way. 🍏

It’s information, and it’s the most powerful drug on the planet. It influences your capacity to live a rich, energetic, connected, soulful life.

In a recent episode of a new series called Health Bites, I discussed how to use food as medicine. I shared the principles of eating an optimal diet, a list of the foods we should avoid, my number-one food philosophy, and more.

Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3xkgvgR

What’s the story you tell yourself about health and nutrition?

We all have stories that we tell ourselves about various aspects of our lives.

These stories are narratives (often subconscious) shaped by our experiences and our interpretation of the facts as we see them.

They’re the foundation of our self-talk and they drive our responses and behavior.

Some stories are helpful and support us in achieving our goals, while others can cause us to become stuck, or (even worse) give up.

For example, if your health or nutrition story is a negative narrative about lack of self-control, restriction, and the need to have a “perfect diet", then you might not make much progress towards your health goals.

This story will constantly sabotage your efforts.

On the other hand, if your health or nutrition story is positive, realistic, and affirming (“I don’t need to be perfect - I just need to make small improvements every day”), change will become easier.

When we become aware of our stories (especially the parts that aren’t serving us), we can reframe them so they work for us rather than against us.

Maybe it’s time for a new story. ❤️

Recent research confirms that people with ADHD have a different composition of gut bacteria than their neurotypical peers.

As this research continues to accumulate, it may lead to new treatments for ADHD that alter, eliminate, or prevent the development of certain microbes in the gut.

While we're not quite there yet, based on what we know today it's safe to say that focusing on gut health is an important part of managing ADHD symptoms.

Many factors influence gut health, but proper nutrition (i.e., eating a varied, plant-rich, whole foods diet with adequate healthy fiber and prebiotic/probiotic foods) is the most important.

This article provides a great overview of recent research on this topic and tips on how to improve gut health for better physical and mental health!

What Does Your Gut Have to Do With ADHD? Exciting research suggests that certain bacteria in the gut have a direct effect on how you think and feel, creating new possibilities for treating ADHD.

When people say “we are what we eat”, they’re usually talking about physical health - but this is true from a mental health perspective as well.

Our diet significantly impacts our mental heath, and research continues to confirm this critical relationship.

Last month, a comprehensive review of the current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health was published in the journal Frontiers.

From a pool of 3,473 studies on the topic of nutrition and mental health, researchers narrowed down their review to 110 high quality, rigorous scientific studies.

Here are some of their findings:

While average calorie intake is increasing, most people are not getting the recommended intake of micro- and macronutrients for proper functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Factors that are critical for brain functioning (such as the antioxidant system and brain-derived neurotrophic factor aka BDNF) depend on optimal intake of key nutrients.

Deficiencies in zinc, B vitamins, and Vitamin D have been linked to depression and mood disorders, and supplementation of these nutrients has been shown to significantly improve symptoms.

Probiotics and prebiotics have a beneficial effect on brain function by modifying the composition of gut bacteria, reducing inflammation, and producing key neurotransmitters.

Mental illness is associated with metabolic disorders in the brain and frequently co-occurs with other metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and CVD (all of which are strongly linked to diet).

Healthy eating patterns are linked to a reduction in the incidence of psychiatric disorders, depression, and su***de.

The Mediterranean Diet and the MIND diet provide the most significant cognitive and mental health benefits.

While mental health is incredibly complex, the bottom line is that nutrition is one of the most important modifiable risk factors.

Eat well to feel better! 💛

References: "Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health", Frontiers in Nutrition, August 2022 - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.943998/full

Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/