Health is Wealth

Happy New Years to everyone! Once again, today marks the beginning of another year in our lives - 2015 ! As always, I wish you and your loved ones a safe, successful, and blessed new year. I hope that this new year brings you laughter, memories, smiles, and joy. As the new year rolls in, many people are faced with the dreaded 'resolutions'. Simply put, a resolution is a promise to do something. Many find that the new year is the best time to make resolutions because it symbolizes that you are starting the new right 'fresh' with new goals. However, the new year is not the only time when you can make new goals...but it can be a good time to stop and reflect. I always take time at this point in the year to think about my last year - 2014 in this case. 2014 was full of events for me: my book got published, I have various presentations to organizations, I completed my nursing degree, etc. It was also my solid two-year recovery mark. Aside from that, I've gro...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year...." It's no secret that the holiday season is upon us. The snow is falling, my fingers are frozen from the cold weather, and Christmas songs are playing on the radio! This is one of my favourite times of the year! This time of the year allows us to spend time with those we love and count our blessings. Another important part about this season is the food. Yup, there's no shortage of Christmas sugar cookies, turkey, mashed potatoes, Yule logs, fruit cake, eggnog, stuffing, and more. Sounds delicious, right? It sure does to me! Food is an important part of our lives. It provides us with nourishment, energy, and pleasure. It also allows us to be social and enjoy shopping for it, preparing and serving, or eating it with others. But as great (and yummy) food is, it's equally important to consider our own attitudes about food during this season. For someone with an eating disorder, this time of the year can be ext...

Let me introduce you to BDNF: brain-derived neurotrphic factor (that is a mouthful to say!). BDNF promotes brain cell growth (neurons), but can be reduced by certain events. For example, stress decreases BDNF. In fact, depression is strongly related to levels of BDNF, with lower levels detected in depressed patients. Some have suggested that some of the symptoms associated with depression - such as low mood, sadness, stress, irritability, and frustration - are related to low BDNF levels . Now, studies show that patients with ED may also have low levels of BDNF. ( http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=67EDD887B3EFB3669B117B672214531D.journals?fromPage=online&aid=5556328 ) What does this mean? First, it may help us to understand why people who suffer with ED have periods of depression or sadness/stress . Depression is common in ED, although it might not even be clinically diagnosed. For example, I did not have CLINICAL depression in the sense that it ...