Category Archives: Wellness

Some health benefits of yoga

30 Friday Oct 2026

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Yoga is considered a mind-body type of complementary and alternative medicine practice. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve peacefulness of body and mind, helping you relax and manage stress and anxiety. Traditional yoga philosophy requires that students adhere to this mission through behavior, diet and meditation. But if you’re just looking for better stress management — whether because of life’s daily hassles or a health problem you’re facing — and not an entire lifestyle change or way of life, yoga can still help.

Yoga has many styles, forms and intensities. Hatha yoga, in particular, may be a good choice for stress management. Hatha is one of the most common styles of yoga, and some beginners find it easier to practice because of its slower pace and easier movements. But most people can benefit from any style of yoga — it’s all about your personal preferences.

The core components of hatha yoga and most general yoga classes are:

  • Poses. Yoga poses, also called postures, are a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility. Poses range from lying on the floor while completely relaxed to difficult postures that may have you stretching your physical limits.
  • Breathing. Controlling your breathing is an important part of yoga. In yoga, breath signifies your vital energy. Yoga teaches that controlling your breathing can help you control your body and quiet your mind.

The potential health benefits of yoga are numerous and may include:

  • Stress reduction. With its quiet, precise movements, yoga draws your focus away from your busy, chaotic day and toward calm as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration.
  • Increased fitness. As you learn and refine new poses, you may enjoy improved balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength. And this means you’re less likely to injure yourself in other physical endeavors or in your daily activities.
  • Management of chronic health conditions. Yoga might help with a variety of health conditions, such as cancer, depression, pain, anxiety and insomnia, by helping with sleep problems, fatigue and mood. Yoga also can help reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Weight loss. If you’re overweight or have binge-eating disorder, yoga may help you make the healthy lifestyle changes necessary to gain control of your eating and drop those extra pounds.

While you shouldn’t expect yoga to cure you or offer 100 percent relief, it can help some health conditions when combined with standard treatment. And if you already enjoy good health, yoga can be an enjoyable supplement to your regular fitness routine.

Yoga is generally considered safe for people of all abilities, even if you use a wheelchair or you’re severely overweight. But there are some situations in which yoga might pose a risk. You may need to find an alternative to yoga or scale back your yoga poses.

See your health care provider before you begin yoga if you have any of the following conditions or situations, since complications can arise:

  • Balance problems
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Certain eye conditions, including glaucoma
  • Severe osteoporosis
  • Pregnancy
  • Artificial joints

You may be able to practice yoga in these situations if you take certain precautions, such as avoiding certain poses or stretches. Regardless of your health status, start slowly and gently. If you develop symptoms or concerns, see your doctor to make sure you’re getting benefit and not harm from yoga.

Finding a yoga class

If you’ve decided to try yoga, whether for stress management or other health benefits, look for classes in your area. Although you can learn yoga from books and videos, beginners usually find it helpful to learn with an instructor. Classes also offer camaraderie and friendship, which are also important to overall well-being.

When you find a class that sounds interesting, talk with the instructor so that you know what to expect. Questions to ask include:

  • What are the instructor’s qualifications? Where did he or she learn yoga, and how long has he or she been teaching?
  • Does the instructor have experience working with students with your needs or health concerns? If you have a sore knee or an aching shoulder, can the instructor help you find poses that won’t aggravate your condition?
  • Is the class suitable for beginners? Will it be easy enough to follow along if it’s your first time? Can you observe a class before signing up?
  • What is the focus of the class? Is it aimed at your needs, such as stress management or relaxation, or is it geared for people who want to reap other benefits?
  • What do you need to take along to class? Some classes require you to bring a mat or towel to sit or stand on while doing poses. Other classes will provide a mat.

Remember, regardless of which type of yoga you practice, you don’t have to do every pose your instructor demonstrates. If a pose is uncomfortable or you can’t hold it as long as the instructor requests, don’t do it. Good instructors will understand and encourage you not to exceed your personal limits. Spend time sitting quietly, breathing deeply until your instructor moves the class on to another pose that’s more comfortable for you.

At the end of a yoga session, you should feel invigorated, yet relaxed and calm. If this isn’t the case, talk to your instructor. He or she might have suggestions for you. Otherwise, there may be another yoga class better suited to your needs for stress management and relaxation.

  • Yoga for health: An introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm.
  • Smith C, et al. A randomized comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2007;15:77.
  • Massey PB. Prescribing movement therapies. In: Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.
  • DiStasio SA. Integrating yoga into cancer care. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2008;12:125.
  • McIver S, et al. Yoga as a treatment for binge eating disorder: A preliminary study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2009;17:196.
  • Javnbakht M, et al. Effects of yoga on depression and anxiety of women. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2009;15:102.
  • Bertisch SM, et al. Alternative mind-body therapies used by adults with medical conditions. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2009;66:511.
  • Bauer BA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 11, 2009.

Yoga may boost your brain power

23 Friday Oct 2026

Posted by in brain, emotions, Health, Meditation, mindfulness, Relaxation, Wellness, Yoga

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Yogis may be enjoying a surprising benefit when they unroll their mats and strike a pose. A new study finds that just 20 minutes of hatha yoga stimulates brain function.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign enlisted 30 subjects to take tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to focus, retain, and use new information, the researchers said.

Subjects who took a single, 20-minute yoga session were significantly faster and more accurate on their tests than subjects who walked or jogged on a treadmill for 20 minutes.
Participants on the treadmill exercised with the goal of maintaining 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate throughout the exercise session. “This range was chosen to replicate previous findings that have shown improved cognitive performance in response to this intensity,” the researchers said.

“Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation,” said study lead Neha Gothe. “The practice involves an active attentional or mindfulness component but its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored.”

Subjects who practiced yoga performed a 20-minute sequence of seated, standing, and supine yoga postures, with the class ending in a meditative posture and deep breathing.

“It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout,” Gothe said.

“The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath,” she said. “Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities.”

Findings, announced June 5, appear in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
A separate study published last month finds that twice-weekly yoga sessions can reduce high blood pressure. In the study, researchers led by Dr. Debbie Cohen of the University of Pennsylvania tracked 58 women and men, aged 38 to 62, for 24 weeks.

Another study published earlier this year in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found that the practice may soothe depression and help sleep problems.

Long-term melatonin use linked to 90% higher heart failure risk | ScienceDaily

02 Friday Oct 2026

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American Heart Association
Summary:
People with chronic insomnia who used melatonin long term had a roughly 90% higher risk of developing heart failure over five years, according to a large preliminary study. The findings do not prove melatonin causes heart problems, but they raise new questions about the safety of taking the popular sleep supplement for extended periods.

Long-term melatonin use linked to 90% higher heart failure risk | ScienceDaily

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260829035228.htm

Watch: The Patient Playbook: Preparing for Your Next Doctor’s Visit. UCLA Health

07 Friday Aug 2026

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Have you ever left a doctor’s appointment wishing you asked one more question or wondering exactly what to do next? In this episode, Dr. Eve Glazier is joined by Shaun Sekhon, chief cardiology fellow at UCLA Health, to share tips that can help patients feel more prepared, confident and engaged during medical appointments. Whether you’re seeing a primary care physician or a specialist, this patient playbook can help you build a stronger partnership with your health care team and get more out of every doctor’s visit.

Meditation Can Reshape Your Brain Activity, Study Reveals : ScienceAlert

31 Friday Jul 2026

Posted by in brain, Meditation, Wellness

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Meditation may calm the mind, but a recent study suggests it can also reshape brain activity by profoundly altering brain dynamics and increasing neural connections – somewhat similar to psychedelic substances.

As a result, meditation may help practitioners achieve a hypothesized state known as “brain criticality”, in which neural connections are neither too weak nor too strong, but at an optimal level for mental agility and function.

Read the full article at the link below: Meditation Can Reshape Your Brain Activity, Study Reveals : ScienceAlert https://www.sciencealert.com/meditation-can-reshape-your-brain-activity-study-reveals

Thought doesn’t just happen in the brain | Barbara Tversky

08 Friday May 2026

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About me: I have been fortunate to have engaged with body oriented practices. Hatha Yoga as a teen in the mid 70’s, Halprin Method starting in 1981, Tai Chi in the late ’80’s, Massage Therapy training in the mid 90’s, dance movement therapy in the 00’s, countless dance/movement performances, .. even contra and square dancing And they all changed me deeply, lovingly, sometimes aggressively. If you want to change how you are or aren’t engage with a body process.

“……thinking is fundamentally spatial and embodied.”

Majority of chronic pain patients found to discontinue medical cannabis within one year

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

Posted by in pain management, Uncategorized, Wellness

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Majority of chronic pain patients found to discontinue medical cannabis within one year.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-majority-chronic-pain-patients-discontinue.html

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0329897

Walpole, NH 2017

I remember that time …

24 Friday Oct 2025

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I remember that time I told my health care provider that since my strokes and cardiac surgery I sometimes practice putting on my clothes with one hand. She responded loudly with both postural and gestural expressions.
I’m just glad I didn’t tell her about the times I wore an eye mask so I could  spend the day at home without being able to see.
Practicing dressing myself with limited mobility proved to be a good idea.  …A few years later when the OT came into my hospital room post 2’nd brain surgery .. I already knew how to dress myself. Walking took a bit longer.

ScienceDaily: Fentanyl overdoses among older adults

15 Wednesday Oct 2025

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This free and open source article discusses poly-substance use and opioids.
In my groups I worked with a handful of seniors with substance use disorder: opioids. Most were also dealing with pain management issues as well.
As a senior, addict (cannabis), and in chronic pain I could never quite grasp (then or now) or considered the idea/use of poly-substances. And it didn’t matter, not understanding the complexities of behaviors didn’t prevent me from providing care to all.

Fentanyl overdoses among seniors surge 9,000% — A hidden crisis few saw coming.
Fentanyl-stimulant overdoses is claiming the lives of older adults at unprecedented rates. Link below.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251012054606.htm

Weight Loss and Meditation

01 Wednesday Oct 2025

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Before you commit to that detox or diet you’re considering, try the simple, cost-free strategy that could not only help you slim down but also lift stress and anxiety off your shoulders.

What is meditation?
Meditation is a daily practice of clearing your mind in order to return to a place of clear thinking and calm emotions. Some people practice for as little as five minutes a day, although most meditation experts suggest working up to 20 minutes daily.

How do you meditate?
Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult! If you’re just starting out, try taking five minutes as soon as you wake up to clear your mind before you face your busy day. Simply close your eyes and focus on the pattern of your breathing without trying to change it. Focus only on your breathing. If your mind wanders–and it probably will at first–simply guide your mind back to your breathing without judgement.
Although many suggests practicing for 10 minutes daily–five minutes in the morning and five at night but the amount of time is not as important as simply doing it regularly. It can be hard to form new habits, so if you start at just five minutes a day, that’s OK. Whatever amount of time you start with, it’s been shown that the best time to meditate is first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed at night. Feel free to sit or lie down, whatever feels most comfortable for you.

What’s the connection between meditation and weight loss?
Meditation can be an effective tool to help people lose weight by aligning the conscious and unconscious mind to agree on changes we want to apply to our behavior. Those changes could be a number of factors such as cravings for unhealthy food or control of eating behaviors. It’s important to get your unconscious mind involved because that’s where those bad habits that often cause us to pack on the pounds, like emotional eating, are ingrained. Meditation can help you be more aware of these and, with practice, override them and even replace them with slimming habits.


But there’s a more immediate payoff of meditating. Meditation can directly reduce the levels of stress hormones. Stress hormones, like cortisol, signal our bodies to store calories as fat. If you have a ton of cortisol pumping through your system, it’s going to be harder to lose weight even if you’re making healthy choices than if you clear all that stress out. We know that sounds hard; we’re all stressed, and it seems impossible to shake. But all it takes is 25 minutes of meditation three days in a row to significantly reduce stress, a study out of Carnegie Mellon University found. Hormones not only tell our bodies to store extra weight but also cause other physical problems that can lead to excess weight, like inflammation.
Participants in a 2016 study showed “increased attention, relaxation, calmness, body-mind awareness, and brain activity,” after just a couple short sessions according to Yi-Yuan Tang, the presidential endowed chair in neuroscience and a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Texas Tech University. Your self-control could also increase with daily practice, the study suggests. Researchers found that the parts of the brain most affected by meditation were those that help us control ourselves. That means a couple minutes of meditation daily could make it easier to pass on that second cookie or avoid the ice cream when you’re feeling down.

How can meditation help when diet and exercise don’t seem to be working?
In many cases stress is a primary trigger for excessive weight gain or the inability to effectively lose weight. So if you’ve been dieting and exercising, but constantly feel stressed, you might not be addressing the problem that’s keeping the weight around. Again, stress releases hormones that store extra fat–exactly what we don’t want! This can even fuel a cycle of stress. You can’t lose weight because you’re stressed, which makes you stress about not being able to lose weight. It’s an easy pattern to get stuck in, but you can break it–and meditation can help.
To better deal with stress or eliminate it, you need to first understand what causes it the most in your life. Some stressors are easy to identify, but others can be more subtle.

How can you make sure meditation works for you?
If you want to add meditation to your weight-loss arsenal, it’s important to not make it stressful. Meditation is supposed to help you ditch the stress, not be a source of it. Here are three easy ways to incorporate the calming practice into your daily life without feeling like it’s an extra obligation or chore. Of course, you’ll see the best results if you make meditation a habit and make time every day for even a couple minutes of practice.
Use a mantra that helps you lose weight. A mantra is a word or phrase that you repeat to yourself to focus your practice and bring you back to center when your mind wanders. A mantra can give you something to focus on while you meditate. Although many people find it helpful to their practice–especially since you pick something that resonates with you personally–it is absolutely not necessary. Don’t feel that you need to force yourself to use one if it doesn’t feel natural or helpful. If you choose to use one repeat it to yourself as you inhale and again as you exhale. Common choices include “I am loved,” “I am at peace,” and “Om.” If a mantra just doesn’t feel right for you simply focus on your breathing.


Follow your breath to reduce stress. Try using four counts on your inhale and eight counts on your exhale. But meditation is all about reducing stress, so if these counts feel strained or unnatural it’s OK to deviate from them. Try to increase your counts every time you meditate.
Try a guided meditation. Feeling a little lost on your own? No problem! There are plenty of recordings, podcasts, websites, and phone apps that connect you with experts who can guide you through meditation exercises until you feel comfortable going it alone.

UCTV: Intermittent Fasting: A Strategy To Prevent Cardiometabolic Diseases

29 Friday Aug 2025

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Michael J. Wilkinson, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.N.L.A., explores the science and clinical evidence behind intermittent fasting and its role in promoting cardiometabolic health. He explains how aligning eating patterns with the body’s natural circadian rhythms can improve weight, blood pressure, glucose regulation, and other risk factors, especially in individuals with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. Wilkinson highlights promising results from time-restricted eating studies conducted in collaboration with UC San Diego and the Salk Institute, where narrowing the daily eating window led to improved metabolic markers and potential benefits beyond weight loss. He also outlines practical tips for safely adopting this lifestyle approach and stresses the importance of ongoing research. [

Grounding

18 Friday Jul 2025

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Grounding Techniques are activities you use when you feel overwhelmed by feelings, thoughts, sensations. These techniques help a person move their focus away from what is overwhelming them to something else. That something else is preferable healthy and supportive to their wellbeing. Below is a list that clients and patients have mentioned over the years of things they do that help them ground.

  • Get ice or ice water
  • Breathe – slow and deep, like blowing up a balloon.
  • Take your shoes off and rub your feet on the ground.
  • Open your eyes and look around. See yourself in a different place than.
  • Move around. Feel your body. Stretch out your arms, hands, fingers.
  • Peel an orange or a lemon. Notice the smell. Take a bite. Focus on the taste.
  • Pet your cat, dog or rabbit.
  • Spray yourself with favorite perfume.
  • Eat ice cream! Or any favorite food. Pay attention to the taste.
  • Call a friend.
  • Take a shower.
  • Take a bath.
  • Go for a walk. Feel the sunshine (or rain, or snow!)
  • Count nice things.
  • Dig in the dirt in your garden.
  • Turn lights on.
  • Play your favorite music.
  • Hug a tree!
  • Touch things around you.
  • Frozen Orange – put your nails into it – the cold and the smell can bring you back
  • Pull up the daily newspaper on your browser. Notice the date and read a current article.
  • Stomp your feet to remind yourself where you are. Press your feet firmly into the ground.
  • Try to notice where you are, your surroundings including people, sounds like the t.v. or radio.
  • Concentrate on your breathing. Take a deep cleansing breath from your diaphragm. Count the breaths as you exhale. Make sure you breath slowly so you don’t hyperventilate.
  • Cross your legs and arms. Feel the sensations of you controlling your body.
  • Call a friend and ask them to talk with you about something you have recently done together.
  • Take a warm relaxing bubble bath or a warm shower. Feel the water touching your body.
  • Mentally remind yourself that the memory was then, and it is over. Give yourself permission to not think about it right now.
  • Realize that no matter how small you feel, you are an adult.
  • Go outside and sit against a tree. Feel the bark pressing against your body. Smell the outside aromas like the grass and the leaves. Run your fingers through the grass.
  • If you are sitting, stand. If you are standing sit. Pay attention to the movement change. Reminding yourself — you are in control.
  • Rub your palms, clap your hands. Listen to the sounds. Feel the sensation.
  • Speak out loud. Say your name or significant others name.
  • Hold something that you find comforting, for some it may be a stuffed animal or a blanket. Notice how it feels in your hands. Is it hard or soft?
  • Eat something. How does it taste, sweet or sour? Is it warm or cold?
  • If you have a pet use that moment to touch them. Feel their fur and speak the animals name out loud.
  • Visualize a bright red STOP sign to help you stop the flashback and/or memory
  • Step outside. If it’s warm, feel the sun shining down on your face. If it’s cold, feel the breeze. How does it make your body feel?
  • Take a walk outside and notice your neighborhood. Pay attention to houses and count them.
  • Listen to familiar music and sing along to it. Dance to it.
  • Write in your journal. Pay attention to yourself holding the pencil. Write about what you are remembering and visualize the memory traveling out of you into the pencil and onto the paper. Tear the paper up or seal it in an envelope. Give it to your therapist for safekeeping.
  • Go online and talk with an online friend. Write an email.
  • Imagine yourself in a safe place. Feel the safety and know it.
  • Watch a favorite t.v. program or video. Play a video game.
  • If you have a garden, work in it. Feel your hands running through the dirt.
  • Wash dishes or clean your house.
  • Meditate if you are comfortable with it.
  • Exercise. Ride a bike, stationary or otherwise. Lift weights. Do jumping jacks.