Anxiety is now being called the modern plague of the mental health world. “Everyone talks about a mental health crisis,” says Dr. Loretta Breuning, author of Tame Your Anxiety. “But is this being manufactured? Anxiety is a part of life, and managing it is a skill – no medication required.” In her upcoming book, she blames the “disease-ification” of anxiety, prompting many Americans to turn to prescription drugs, cannabis, and other chemicals to medicate for the condition. Dr. Breuning details natural ways to combat feelings of anxiety, and to strengthen our brains to handle what triggers these feelings in the first place. In the text, she advises the reader to stop playing the blame game. Stop blaming the world for your feelings – but don’t blame yourself; rather, practice self-acceptance. Examining how we react to anxiety in all forms from relationships and parenting to health, careers can help us re-train how we react to certain situations. By recognizing what triggers your anxiety, you can create healthy ways to combat it when it rears its ugly head in your life, giving you improved courage and less of the uncomfortable and sometimes paralyzing effects of anxiety in our lives. To learn more about how Dr. Breuning compares our actions and brains to that of animals, visit innermammalinstitute.com.
Do you need a measles booster? The measles outbreak in our country is reaching an all-time high with over 700 cases reported in the year 2019 alone. The largest group of people contracting the disease have never been vaccinated for it. For those of us close to areas that are having outbreaks, it begs the question: Should we as adults get the vaccination to protect ourselves? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that adults who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with an early version of the vaccine should be revaccinated with at least one dose of MMR. The same advice applies to people born between 1957 and the early 1960s who may not have been vaccinated against measles at all. “There is no downside to getting a dose of measles vaccine,” says William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University and an infectious disease and vaccine expert. “If you’re already protected, it won’t help much, but it won’t harm you. And if you happen to be susceptible, it will give you over 90 percent protection.” If you don’t know your vaccination history, you can get a blood test to determine your immunity, but that generally requires multiple doctor visits and might cost more than just getting the vaccine on its own. Talk to your doctor and determine what the best plan is for your own health.
Vitamin D Wishful Thinking Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to many life-threatening diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and depression. The research on this is inconclusive, but that hasn’t stopped the supplement industry from marketing vitamin D as the next life-saving pill you should pop on the regular. In the past 15 years, our population went from fewer than one percent of adults in the U.S. taking vitamin D to nearly one in five adults taking it. The best way to get a dose of this stuff, which promises healing benefits, is to get it naturally from fatty fish, vitamin D fortified foods and the most concentrated source of all—the sun. Experts recommend getting out in the sun two to three times a day for about 10-15 minutes at a time. After the initial period, put on sunscreen to protect your skin. There are a few studies that did find a link between vitamin D supplements and a 13 percent lower risk of dying of cancer. Also, as we age our skin produces less and less vitamin D. Your doctor can test your vitamin D levels to see if supplementing is right for you. Dose reasonably, as too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting and fatigue.