The Best Daily Journal Routine for Mental Health
Guest post by: Paige A. Mitchell
Struggling with mental health can be a tough mountain to climb. Living with anxiety, depression, bipolar, or even struggling with anger management can leave you feeling isolated and drowning in your feelings. It doesn’t need to be that way, however. With the right tools and support system, you can manage your mental health to live a happy and healthy life.
Journaling is a great way to start or end your day or even use as a mental release in the middle of the day. The key is to find a journaling routine that works well for you and your lifestyle. To get started, here are a few tips on how to find the best journal routine for your mental health.
Routines are Great for Mental Health
Creating a daily routine offers a wide variety of benefits. It helps boost productivity, helps keep you organized, and it great for maintaining mental health. Consider tying in a daily journaling session each day to help document your feelings, create affirmations for yourself, and help set future goals.
For example, if you’re a morning person, consider starting your day with daily affirmations or a daily devotional to have yourself placed on the right foot for the rest of the day. If you’re an evening person, you may want to document how your day went, the feelings you had paired with certain situations you were placed in, or even create a gratitude journalto help keep your life in perspective and allow you to rest easy each night.
Find a Quiet Place - Void of Any Distractions
Ensuring you are distracted when journaling each day is essential. No matter your location, be it the park, home, a quiet corner at work, or a peaceful coffee shop, make sure you don’t find yourself distracted by the movement around you.
If you are home, make sure you aren’t in a noisy place that could make you lose focus. Make sure the kids aren’t able to interrupt you and all your appliances have been fixed with your home warrantyso that the noise of a faulty washer or dryer doesn’t distract you. If you decide to journal during a break at work, make sure you don’t take any technology with you that would allow a coworker to ask you any work-related questions.
Create A Daily Tracker
For those struggling with depression, having a daily tracker could prove to be a very successful journaling style. While this is something that should be tracked throughout the day, be sure to still spend three minutes in a quiet place contemplating your feelings and why you’re feeling them. Then, at the end of the day, spend a little extra time reflecting on your daily tracker.
Why did you feel a certain way at a certain time? What caused these feelings? Were they unwarranted? Is there a pattern? This strategy could help put your feelings into perspective and also help pinpoint patterns and relationships between different circumstances and your feelings. Maybe there is a meeting each day that makes you anxious. Maybe there is a drink or food item that causes you to feel certain emotions. Evaluate your tracker and if you see an unhealthy pattern, consider adjusting accordingly.
Don’t Spend Too Much Time Each Day On It
Be sure to not spend too much time journaling each day. Carve out no more than an hour each day for journaling and reflection. Spending more than that could cause you to over-analyze your emotions and put too much focus on how you’re feeling, instead of living your life.
Consider this hour each day as a time to relax and focus on mental healing, instead of a chore. That way, your time will be spent purposefully and you will finish your journaling session feeling refreshed, instead of bogged down.
Explore What Journaling Style Works Best
There are a wide variety of journaling techniques that can be practiced. Daily devotionals are typically used in conjunction with scripture. Daily tracking is a journaling style that allows you to document your feelings throughout the day. You can create a gratitude journal that documents a number of items you are grateful for each day. You can also try a stream of consciousness journaling style that unleashing what you are feeling in that given moment.
Try exploring a number of journaling style to determine what works best for you.
Discover the Best Time to Journal
Not all of us are morning people, just like not all of us are night owls. Try and figure out a good time to dedicate to journaling each day, and make sure you journal at that time. Routine is keyhere. The most typical times to journal are right when you wake up or right before you go to sleep, to help avoid any distractions such as the kids being awake, having to take on daily tasks, or work.
Discover the best time to incorporate a journaling routine. Whether it is in the morning or at night, or even if you know you have an hour each day in the afternoon to dedicate to journaling. Carve out that time for a journaling routine to better your mental health.
Start Making Your Golden Years Your Best Years with These 6 Tips
Guest Post by: Jason Lewis
https://strongwell.org
As adults enter their golden years, fostering physical, mental and emotional health becomes increasingly important. From finding an exercise routine and getting quality sleep to keeping your mind engaged and staying social, there are many ways seniors can improve their overall health and well-being. If you’re a senior who wants their golden years to be their best years, here are six tips to get you started:
1. Be physically active
The importance of exercise cannot be overstated. Walking, swimming, restorative yoga, or any other kind of exercise you enjoy comes with a slew of health benefits. For instance, it improves strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, all of which reduce the likelihood of injury from falls. Regular exercise can also help prevent diseases (e.g., heart disease, diabetes). Furthermore, “feel-good chemicals” like endorphinsare released during physical activity, and a steady routine can improve your overall cognitive function.
2. Ensure you’re insured
No matter how many steps you take to improve your health, it’s essential to have good insurance. And many seniors — even though they have insurance — do not have the coverage they need for adequate healthcare. Revisit your policies and make sure you have what you truly need. For example, Medicare Advantage plans (often called Medicare Part C) cover some areas not covered under Original Medicare, such as dental and vision care. Plans like those offered by Aetna make it easy for you or a loved one to learn more about Medicare Advantage and to find coveragethat may be more beneficial
3. Get sleep
Along with exercise and diet, sleep is one of the most essential aspects of living healthy. While sleep deprivationis common among all age groups, it’s particularly alarming for older adults. When your body and mind aren’t able to recover from the day, it can lead to a host of issues, including:
● Mental fogginess
● Forgetfulness
● Greater anxiety
● More stress
● Higher risk of depression
● Weaker immune system
Many seniors struggle with falling and staying asleep. Coming up with a relaxing bedtime routine, removing distractions from the bedroom, limiting liquids at bedtime, avoiding heavy dinners, and exercise are all methods that can promote better sleep.
4. Engage your brain
It’s also important to regularly stimulate your mind. Puzzles, such as crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and games like bridge and chess are great for keeping your brain engaged. If you want to add a social element, start a weekly club where you invite people over for a night of card games.
5. Get out of the house
Some seniors stay cooped up in their home, which can easily lead to boredom and depression. If you are physically able, try to get outand do things every now and then. It could be volunteering for a local organization, going out of town to see grandchildren, checking off a bucket list item, or even trying a new type of cuisine. The important thing is that you experience a change of scenery and maybe get some sunshine.
6. Keep socializing
Finally, don’t give up your social life. It’s not uncommon for seniors to gradually withdraw as they age, but living in isolation is a quick way to end up lonely and depressed. Keep up with family, attending family gatherings as much you can. Reach out to old friends that you haven’t seen in a while. Stay open to meeting new people and forming new relationships.
You don’t have to just get by in your golden years; you can thrive. Find a solid exercise routine, make sure you have the insurance coverage you need, and prioritize quality sleep. Find games you enjoy that stimulate your mind, get out of the house every now and then, and maintain your social life. If you take your health and wellness seriously, you’ll be setting yourself up for your favorite years yet.
Mesothelioma & Veterans
© 2019 by Asbestos.com and The Mesothelioma Center
Veterans file nearly 30 percent of all mesothelioma lawsuits in the United States. All branches of the military relied on asbestos in the past, and builders overseas still do. As a result, veterans are more likely than others to develop asbestos-related diseases.
Veterans of the U.S. armed forces played an important role in building America into the great nation it is today. These brave men and women made incredible sacrifices to protect our country, and we owe them respect and gratitude.
Many servicemen and servicewomen gave their lives to defend our country. Others came home and died decades later from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to the mineral asbestos.
The armed forces used the mineral extensively from 1935 to 1975. The military certainly had the safety of service members in mind when it first embraced asbestos as a fireproofing material. But the use of the toxic mineral continued well after medical evidence first proved the harmful effects of inhaling it. Today, veterans account for nearly a third of all mesothelioma lawsuits in the U.S.
Veterans and Asbestos Exposure
Members of the armed forces who develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions after exposure to the mineral in the military qualify for special financial benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These include disability compensation, special monthly compensation and service-connected death benefits for surviving family members.
An approved mesothelioma VA claim provides much-needed help for servicepersons. You’ll get access to treatment at any facility in the VA network. Free travel is available for veterans who want to visit the Boston VA Healthcare System and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. These are two of the leading facilities offering the best mesothelioma treatments.
Overview of Asbestos in the Military
Asbestos was once highly regarded for its heat resistance and fireproofing capabilities. Nearly all branches of the military used the mineral from the 1900s to the mid-1970s. This put veterans who specialized in many military occupations at risk for mesothelioma.
All modes of military transportation contained products contaminated with asbestos. All aircraft, vehicles, tanks and naval ships contained asbestos. Common products included thermal insulation, electric wiring insulation, brake pads and clutch pads. Barracks and other buildings on military bases were constructed with asbestos cement pipes and a variety of other asbestos-containing materials.
Help with VA Claims and Other Benefits for Veterans
Every member of the military discharged “under conditions other than dishonorable” has a right to VA benefits. These benefits include health care, monthly disability compensation and survivor benefits for their loved ones.
The Veterans Department at The Mesothelioma Center specializes in getting VA claims approved for veterans. U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Munz, director of the Veterans Department, is well versed in helping people navigate the complicated VA claims process. He has the knowledge and resources to guide you each step along the way.
The VA recognizes mesothelioma as a service-connected medical condition. We can help you gather evidence to prove your disease is asbestos-related. We can help you explore other potential avenues of compensation. We’ll also answer frequently asked questions you might have regarding claims and benefits.
For additional information please visit: https://www.asbestos.com/veterans/
Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
Submitted By:
Pinnacle Peak Recovery
866.954.0524
info@pinnaclepeakrecovery.com
8070 East Morgan Trail
Suite 200
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
https://www.pinnaclepeakrecovery.com/drug-alcohol-addiction-support-groups/
Support groups for all types of addictions allow people to join together with others who share similar experiences, backgrounds, and struggles. Drug and alcohol substance abuse groups are helpful whether you are interested in a support group as a first step in your journey to recovery from a drug or alcohol addiction or if you want to participate in a group to remain sober and help newer members.
There are hundreds of support groups full of compassionate members around the United States for you to consider. People who live in rural areas or prefer to not leave home to get help from peers have the option of joining many online communities that will be happy to welcome you as a member. There are general groups for any kind of addiction, for specific substance recoveries, for people who are religious or non-religious, and more, so no matter your circumstances and background, there is a community waiting to help you live a happy, healthy, sober life.
Use these menus to jump directly to the groups of interest to you:
National Substance Addiction Support Groups
Addiction Support Groups by Substance
Drug & Alcohol Addiction Hotlines
In the event of an immediate crisis, call 911 for emergency services.
Boys Town National Hotline
This hotline for young men and young women is available every minute of each year to help children and youth who are struggling with a variety of issues.
Crystal Meth Anonymous 24 Hour Helpline
If you are struggling with an addiction to crystal meth, this 24/7 hotline will help you or your loved one, connect you with resources, and more.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender National Hotline
While the GLBT hotline isn’t just for help with drug and alcohol addiction, they can offer resources in this regard tailored specifically for the LGBT community. This hotline is available Monday through Friday, 4pm – 12am EST (1pm – 9pm PST) and Saturday from 12pm – 5pm EST (9am – 2pm PST).
888-843-4564 | Website | Email
National Drug Helpline
The National Drug Helpline is available 24/7, 365 days a year to assist anyone who has a substance abuse problem find help and treatment information.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline (English & Spanish)
This hotline is available 24/7 every day of the year. Compassionate staff will help you find the resources you need to start your journey to recovery.
Your Life Your Voice Hotline
In addition to their main hoteline, Your Life Your Voice from Boys Town also offers text (available 12pm to 12am CST), chat (available Monday through Friday, 6pm to 12am CST), and email support (available anytime for responses within 48 hours) for pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults.
800-448-3000 | Text VOICE to 20121 | Chat | Website | Email Contact Form
Online Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
5th Dimension Online Alcoholics Anonymous Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous meeting specifically for teens and young people that meets Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Wednesday meetings are translated by an ASL interpreter. They also have a secret Facebook group where you can interact with other members.
Find an Online Meeting | Email
Al-Anon: Sharing Experience Strength & Hope Yahoo Group
An Al-Anon Yahoo Group for people who want to share their experiences with others who are in recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous Online Intergroup
An Alcoholics Anonymous directory that lists general online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as specialized meetings such as men only, women only, LGBT, veterans, atheists and agnostics, and more.
Alcohol Support Group at SupportGroups.com
An active online community for people who have struggled or are struggling with alcohol addiction.
Alcoholism Support Group at DailyStrength.org
A community of people who connect with each other online to provide support to others and get help for alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse.
Cocaine Anonymous Online
The online sector of Cocaine Anonymous, featuring email meetings and phone meetings via Skype.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Cocaine Support Group at DailyStrength.org
An online community for recovery from cocaine abuse where people can share their experiences, receive guidance, and help others on their path to sobriety.
Cocaine Support Group at SupportGroups.com
An online network for people with a cocaine addiction to communicate with each other about any issues, struggles, victories, and more.
The Daily Pledge
An online recovery community for people who have been affected personally by addiction or know someone who has been affected by substance abuse.
Drug/Alcohol Addiction Support Facebook Group
A Facebook group for people looking to become sober or maintain their recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.
Drug Support Group at SupportGroups.com
A general drug use community that allows members to give and receive help for many different substance abuse problems.
In The Rooms
An online social network for people who are struggling with addiction, in recovery, and their friends and family members who have been affected by a loved one’s substance dependence.
Lifering Secular Recovery
In addition to face-to-face meetings, Lifering has 24/7 online meetings and dedicated communities for people looking to connect with others in a secular environment.
Online Meetings | Email Group | Email | Phone
Marijuana Anonymous
The headquarters of Marijuana Anonymous, an organization that helps people struggling with marijuana use and their families find help.
Online Meetings | Phone Meetings | Contact | Phone
Marijuana Support Group at DailyStrength.org
For people struggling with marijuana addiction, this online community comprised of members with similar issues can be accessed from any internet connected device.
Men’s One Day At A Time Al-Anon Yahoo Group
An Alcoholics Anonymous online-only Yahoo Group just for men with a small community of very active members.
Meth Support Group at SupportGroups.com
SupportGroups.com offers this online community specifically for people who want to overcome or maintain sobriety from a meth addiction.
Methadone Support Group at SupportGroups.com
It can often be difficult to find in-person, local methadone help, but you can access this community of like-minded people who will support you during your journey no matter where you are located.
My Recovery
As an online support community, My Recovery offers a social recovery network, online journal, forums, and more. Online AA and NA dedicated meetings are scheduled regularly.
Prescription & Synthetic Drug Support Group at DailyStrength.org
A more general community for people who have abused prescription or synthetic drugs and are looking toward recovery.
Recoveries Anonymous
This network of smaller communities for people with any problem or troubling behavior is focused on “sanity recovery” instead of full abstinence.
Secular Alcoholics Anonymous
An AA community for people who wish to participate in the 12 steps without the religious belief component with meetings online and in person across the USA.
Find an Online Meeting | Contact
SMART Recovery Teen & Youth Support Program
The Teen & Youth SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training) Recovery program utilizes a 4-point program to help people with addictions to any substance or activity. Online meetings specifically for teens and youth are held regularly.
Find an Online Meeting | Contact
Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups with In-Person Meetings
All Addictions Anonymous
Similar to AA, this twelve step program is based on healing from all addictions, no matter the type.
Celebrate Recovery
The headquarters for Celebrate Recovery, a network with an annual rally and individual meetings in many locations throughout the country. Specific subsects for students, veterans, pastors, Native Americans, bikers, and more are also available.
Chemically Dependent Anonymous
CDA is a community for people who are or have been addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Find a Meeting | Contact | Phone
Learn to Cope
The national headquarters of Learn to Cope, a recovery network for people who are struggling with or in recovery from an addiction to opiates or other drugs.
Moderation Management
Created for problem drinkers, not necessarily people with alcohol addictions, Moderation Management (MM) focuses on limiting and controlling the amount of alcohol people consume instead of abstinence.
Recoveries Anonymous
This network of communities for people with any problem or troubling behavior is focused on “sanity recovery” instead of full abstinence.
SMART Recovery
SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training) Recovery utilizes a 4-point program to help people with addictions to any substance or activity. SMART places an emphasis on evidence-based and scientifically-backed recovery techniques.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Government resources for recovery from drug and alcohol addictions.
The Phoenix
The headquarters of The Phoenix, a national organization that encourages people to live a fulfilling life in sobriety.
Find a Meeting | Contact | Phone
Men’s Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
AAmen Online Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community for men from anywhere in the world that meets through email.
Men’s One Day At A Time Al-Anon Yahoo Group
An Alcoholics Anonymous online-only Yahoo group for men with a small community of very active members.
Men’s Online Serenity Alcoholics Anonymous Group
A weekly audio & video men’s only meeting that discusses an assigned reading each meeting.
Women’s Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous Serenity Online Group
An AA group just for women that meets through email and discusses the twelve steps, offers newcomer meetings, and more.
AAChatcorner@Topica.com Online Group
An online-only women’s AA group that applies traditional AA topics to women’s issues.
KISS Group Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
Keep It Simple Sisters (KISS) is an online email meeting for women only.
Ladies Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Online Group
The Ladies AA Meeting is an online support community just for women where they can discuss sobriety from alcohol and other issues as they pertain to women.
Sisters in Sobriety (SIS) Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A community just for women who meet virtually each week to discuss a pre-selected topic.
Sober She Devils Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A secular, women-only meeting for women around the world.
Women for Sobriety
In addition to face-to-face meetings, Lifering has 24/7 online meetings and dedicated groups for people looking to connect with others in a secular environment.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Women in the Solution (WITS) Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A community that meets via email each week to discuss two topics for women only.
Women’s Sober Living Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A telephone meeting for women who wish to share and hear about AA literature.
LGBT Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
A Safe Place Online Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
An AA meeting that provides a welcoming environment full of people who identify as LGBT.
AA4gaymen Online Group
An Alcoholics Anonymous online-only group for gay men to help each other through their recoveries from alcohol addiction.
Alcoholics Anonymous Lesbian 3 Online Group
A small group of alcoholic lesbians who discuss topics each week through email.
LGBTQ Friendly Open Discussion Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An exclusively online Alcoholics Anonymous group where LGBTQ people can reach out to each other.
Rainbow Serenity Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
Online group for LGBT members that discuss a select topic each week but sharing anything else is encouraged.
TG-AA Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous group for transgender people looking to connect and help other members through their recovery.
Teen Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
Most support groups meant specifically for teens and young people are area-specific, so please navigate to your state to see more detailed results.
5th Dimension Online Alcoholics Anonymous Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous meeting specifically for teens and young people that meets Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Wednesday meetings are translated by an ASL interpreter. They also have a secret Facebook group where you can interact with other members.
Find an Online Meeting | Email
SMART Recovery Teen & Youth Support Program
The Teen & Youth SMART (Self Management and Recovery Training) Recovery program utilizes a 4-point program to help people with addictions to any substance or activity. Online meetings specifically for teens and youth are held regularly.
Find an Online Meeting | Contact
Veteran Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous Online Intergroup
An Alcoholics Anonymous directory that lists general online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as specialized meetings such as men only, women only, LGBT, veterans, atheists and agnostics, and more.
Celebrate Recovery
The headquarters for Celebrate Recovery, a support network with an annual rally and individual meetings in many locations throughout the country. Specific meetings for students, veterans, pastors, Native Americans, bikers, and more are also available.
Religious Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
Alcoholics for Christ
A non-denominational Christian community with chapters across the nation for people with substance abuse problems, their family members, and their adult children.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Alcoholics Victorious
Alcoholics Victorious is a Christian faith recovery community that has local meetings in many states.
Buddhist Recovery Network
A network of communities that are guided by Buddhist principles. Meetings are open to people of any faith, background, and recovery path.
The Calix Society
The Calix Society provides help for Catholics who are already well along the path to recovery and are currently maintaining their sobriety from alcohol.
Indigenous Sobriety Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An online-only Alcoholics Anonymous community for Indigenous and Aboriginal people who want to interact with and help others through their sobriety.
Millati Islami
The main website for Millati Islami, a community for Muslims recovering from substance abuse.
re:generation
The main headquarters of a network of Christian faith recovery groups that are based on biblical principles.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
White Bison
A recovery community created for and by the Native Americans and Alaska Native communities.
Secular Drug & Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
A Spiritual Recovery Online Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
A Spiritual Recovery caters to people such as freethinkers, atheists, and agnostics who prefer an approach to sobriety that doesn’t contain more traditional religious aspects of AA.
Alcoholics Anonymous Atheists and Agnostics Online Meeting
An Alcoholics Anonymous online community where people are accepting of non-belief in God. Members can participate from anywhere in the world through Google Groups.
Alcoholics Anonymous Freethinkers Group Online Meeting
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community for freethinkers that meets through Yahoo groups.
Atheist-Alcoholics Anonymous Online Meeting
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community specifically for Atheists, who often struggle with some of the spiritual concepts of traditional AA, that meets through Google Groups.
Alcoholics Anonymous
With thousands of recovery support networks across the United States, AA can be easily accessed no matter your location.
Alcoholics Anonymous Online Intergroup
An Alcoholics Anonymous directory that lists general online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as specialized meetings such as men only, women only, LGBT, veterans, atheists and agnostics, and more.
Lifering Secular Recovery
Lifering offers meetings across the United States for people who prefer a non-religious approach to sobriety.
Secular Alcoholics Anonymous
An AA community for people who wish to participate in the 12 steps without the religious belief component with meetings online and in person across the USA.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (S.O.S)
The national head of SOS which offers general information and connections to local SOS meetings.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Alcohol Addiction Support Groups
5th Dimension Online Alcoholics Anonymous Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous meeting specifically for teens and young people that meets Monday and Wednesday evenings. The Wednesday meetings are translated by an ASL interpreter. They also have a secret Facebook group where you can interact with other members.
Find an Online Meeting | Email
Alcoholics Anonymous
With thousands of recovery support networks across the United States, AA can be easily accessed no matter your location.
Alcoholics Anonymous Online Intergroup
An Alcoholics Anonymous directory that lists general online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as specialized meetings such as men only, women only, LGBT, veterans, atheists and agnostics, and more.
Alcoholics for Christ
A non-denominational Christian support community with chapters across the nation for people with substance abuse problems, their family members, and their adult children.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Alcoholics Victorious
Alcoholics Victorious is a Christian faith recovery support community that has local meetings in many states.
A Spiritual Recovery Online Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
A Spiritual Recovery caters to people such as freethinkers, atheists, and agnostics who prefer an approach to sobriety that doesn’t contain more traditional religious aspects of AA.
Alcoholics Anonymous Atheists and Agnostics Online Meeting
An Alcoholics Anonymous online community where people are accepting of non-belief in God. Members can participate from anywhere in the world through Google Groups.
Alcoholics Anonymous Freethinkers Group Online Meeting
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community for freethinkers that meets through Yahoo Groups.
Atheist-Alcoholics Anonymous Online Meeting
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community specifically for Atheists, who often struggle with some of the spiritual concepts of traditional AA, that meets through Google Groups.
AAChatcorner@Topica.com Online Group
An online-only women’s AA community that applies traditional AA topics to women’s issues.
AAmen Online Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community for men from anywhere in the world that meets through email.
Al-Anon: Sharing Experience Strength & Hope Yahoo Group
A Yahoo group for people who want to share their experiences with others who are in recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous Online Intergroup
An Alcoholics Anonymous directory that lists general online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as specialized meetings such as men only, women only, LGBT, veterans, atheists and agnostics, and more.
A Safe Place Online Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
An AA meeting that provides a welcoming environment full of people who identify as LGBT.
AA4gaymen Online Group
An Alcoholics Anonymous online-only community for gay men to help each other through their recoveries from alcohol addiction.
Alcoholics Anonymous Lesbian 3 Online Group
A small community of alcoholic lesbians who discuss topics each week through email.
Alcoholics Anonymous Serenity Online Group
An AA community just for women that meets through email and discusses the twelve steps, offers newcomer meetings, and more.
Alcohol Support Group at SupportGroups.com
An active online community for people who have struggled with alcohol addiction.
Alcoholism Support Group at DailyStrength.org
A community of people who connect with each other online to provide support to others and get help for alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse.
Drug/Alcohol Addiction Support Facebook Group
A Facebook group for people looking to become sober or maintain their recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.
Indigenous Sobriety Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An online-only Alcoholics Anonymous community for Indigenous and Aboriginal people who want to interact with and help others through their sobriety.
KISS Group Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
Keep It Simple Sisters (KISS) is an online email group for women only.
Ladies Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Online Group
The Ladies AA Meeting is an online community just for women where they can discuss sobriety from alcohol and other issues as they pertain to women.
LGBTQ Friendly Open Discussion Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An exclusively online Alcoholics Anonymous community where LGBTQ people can help each other.
Men’s One Day At A Time Al-Anon Yahoo Group
An Alcoholics Anonymous online-only Yahoo community for men with a small community of very active members.
Men’s Online Serenity Alcoholics Anonymous Group
A weekly audio & video men’s only meeting that discusses an assigned reading each meeting.
Moderation Management
Created for problem drinkers, not necessarily people with alcohol addictions, Moderation Management (MM) focuses on limiting and controlling the amount of alcohol people consume instead of abstinence.
Rainbow Serenity Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
Online community for LGBT members that discuss a select topic each week but sharing anything else is encouraged.
Secular Alcoholics Anonymous
An AA community for people who wish to participate in the 12 steps without the religious belief component with meetings online and in person across the USA.
Find an Online Meeting | Contact
Sisters in Sobriety (SIS) Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A community just for women who meet virtually each week to discuss a pre-selected topic.
Sober She Devils Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A secular, women-only meeting for women around the world.
TG-AA Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
An online Alcoholics Anonymous community for transgender people looking to connect and help other members through their recovery.
Women for Sobriety
In addition to face-to-face meetings, Lifering has 24/7 online meetings for people looking to connect with others in a secular environment.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Women in the Solution (WITS) Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A community that meets via email each week to discuss two topics for women only.
Women’s Sober Living Alcoholics Anonymous Online Group
A telephone meeting for women who wish to share and hear about AA literature.
Cocaine & Crack Addiction Support Groups
Cocaine Anonymous
World headquarters of Cocaine Anonymous with resources and links to local, in-person meetings.
Cocaine Anonymous Online
The online sector of Cocaine Anonymous, featuring email meetings and phone meetings via Skype.
Find a Meeting | Email | Phone
Cocaine Support Group at DailyStrength.org
An online community for recovery from cocaine abuse where people can share their experiences and help others on their path to sobriety.
Cocaine Support Group at SupportGroups.com
The Cocaine Support Group is an online network that helps people with a cocaine addiction.
Heroin & Opiates Addiction Support Groups
Narcotics Anonymous
The main headquarters of Narcotics Anonymous which provides resources and a list of local meetings.
Opiates Anonymous World Services
Find meetings around the entire country using the world services website of Opiates Anonymous.
Marijuana Addiction Support Groups
Marijuana Anonymous
The headquarters of Marijuana Anonymous, an organization that helps people struggling with marijuana use and their families find help.
Online Meetings | Phone Meetings | Contact| Phone
Marijuana Support Group at DailyStrength.org
For people struggling with marijuana addiction, this online community comprised of members with similar issues can be accessed from any internet connected device.
Leaves Subreddit
AAn online space with over 70,000 subscribers on Reddit for people who have, would like to, or are quitting the use of marijuana to discuss their journey anonymously.
Meth & Crystal Meth Addiction Support Groups
Crystal Meth Anonymous
The main website of Crystal Meth Anonymous, an organization that has literature, resources, and can connect people with local meetings.
Meth Support Group at SupportGroups.com
SupportGroups.com offers this online community specifically for people who want to overcome or maintain sobriety from a meth addiction.
Methadone Support Group at SupportGroups.com
It can often be difficult to find in-person, local methadone recovery help, but you can access this community of like-minded people who will help you during your journey no matter where you are located.
Prescription Drug Addiction Support Groups
Nar-Anon
The world services of Narcotics Anonymous which provides resources and a list of local meetings.
Find a Meeting | Contact | Phone
Pills Anonymous
Pills Anonymous offers support for people who are recovering from prescription medication addictions.
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Concussion treatment: Adolescent athletes 'prescribed' aerobic exercise recovered faster
Study is the first randomized clinical trial on treatment of acute concussion
Science Daily/February 4, 2019
University at Buffalo
Adolescent athletes who sustained concussions while playing a sport recovered more quickly when they underwent a supervised, aerobic exercise regimen.
The study, by University at Buffalo researchers and colleagues, is the first randomized clinical trial of a treatment in the acute phase after a sport-related concussion. The goal was to evaluate prescribed, progressive sub-symptom threshold exercise as a treatment within the first week of a concussion in adolescents after a few days of rest. Sub-symptom threshold exercise is physical activity that doesn't exacerbate symptoms.
The researchers followed 103 participants ages 13-18, with nearly the same number of males and females. All were seen within 10 days after sustaining a sport-related concussion at one of the UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine clinics in Western New York or at the Pan Am Clinic in Winnipeg.
Patients who followed the aerobic exercise program took on average 13 days to recover while those in the control group, who performed stretching exercises, took 17 days. In addition, fewer patients in the exercise program took longer than four weeks to recover than did patients in the control group.
"This research provides the strongest evidence yet that a prescribed, individualized aerobic exercise program that keeps the heart rate below the point where symptoms worsen is the best way to treat concussion in adolescents," said John J. Leddy, MD, first author, clinical professor of orthopaedics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, and director of the UB Concussion Management Clinic at UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.
The researchers plan to investigate if the treatment is also effective in adults with concussion.
No proven treatment
The researchers noted that there is no proven treatment for concussion, especially among adolescents, who typically take the longest to recover.
"Until now, nothing else has been proven in any way effective for treating concussion," said Barry S. Willer, PhD, senior author, director of research in the UB Concussion Management Clinic and professor of psychiatry in the Jacobs School. "This is the best evidence so far for a treatment that works."
The findings directly contradict the conventional approach to concussion, which often consists of nearly total rest, eliminating most physical and mental activities, including schoolwork.
"Telling a teenager to go home and basically do nothing is depressing," said Willer. "It can actually increase their physical and psychological symptoms, and we see that particularly among girls. But with our approach, you're saying, sure, you can return to school and you should start doing these exercises. Their chins are up, Mom and Dad are happy and so is the student."
The fact that all states have now passed laws requiring schools to make accommodations for students who have sustained concussions is also helpful, said Willer, so that the student can opt out of some activities during the school day, if necessary.
The proper 'dose' of exercise
To determine how much exercise each patient could sustain without exacerbating symptoms, the researchers had each one undergo the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test, developed by Leddy and Willer, to determine at what level their symptoms worsen. As the patient walks on a treadmill, the incline is gradually increased and the heart rate is recorded at the point where concussion symptoms intensify.
"We prescribed exercise at 80 percent of that threshold," Leddy explained, "so each patient's exercise 'dose' was individually tailored."
Patients were randomly assigned to the aerobic exercise group (52) or to a stretching group (51). Patients in both groups were sent home with a heart rate monitor so they could make sure they stayed below the threshold while exercising.
Both groups performed their assigned exercise for about 20 minutes each day and were required to report compliance and daily symptoms online. Those in the aerobic group either walked on a treadmill, rode a stationary bike, or walked either inside or out. Aside from the prescribed exercise, patients were advised to refrain from contact sports, gym class or team practice. They were given advice about getting schoolwork done and told to avoid excessive use of electronic devices, since that can also aggravate symptoms.
Each patient's condition was re-evaluated weekly and as symptoms improved, the "dose" of exercise or stretching was increased, according to the weekly treadmill test results.
Recovery was rigorously defined, requiring agreement among three independent criteria: the patient's reporting a normal (minimal) level of symptoms, a normal physical examination by a medical doctor, and the return of normal exercise tolerance on the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test. The physicians were blinded as to the group assignment of each participant.
One surprising finding was that only two participants out of 52 (4 percent) in the aerobic exercise group took longer than four weeks to recover compared to seven out of 51 (14 percent) in the stretching group. This did not reach statistical significance, but the scientific literature suggests, by contrast, that between 15 and 25 percent of adolescents who do not receive any treatment will be symptomatic past four weeks.
"Reducing the number of concussed adolescents who have delayed recovery has major implications," Willer said, noting that delayed recovery creates more difficulty with schoolwork, can lead to depression and puts additional demands on the health care system and its costs.
Expanding capacity for medically supervised exercise treatment
Michael J. Ellis, MD, co-author and medical director of the Pan Am Concussion Program in the Department of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Manitoba, said that for years, his clinic has been successfully using the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test and a medically supervised sub-symptom-threshold aerobic exercise program to treat professional, collegiate and elite adolescent athletes.
Expanding access to this treatment is now critical, he said.
"The results of this study suggest that we must build greater capacity within our health care systems to allow patients access to multidisciplinary concussion programs and clinics that have the medical expertise to carry out early targeted rehabilitation of acute concussion," he said.
Leddy and Willer are internationally known for their research into the best ways to diagnose and treat concussion, especially among adolescents, who are the most vulnerable age group for concussions and take the longest time to recover. They have led the emerging body of research findings that show that a patient's degree of exercise intolerance in the first week after injury, i.e., the lower the threshold of activity at which symptoms increase, is a key clinical indicator of how severe the concussion may be.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190204114615.htm
Yoga regimen reduces severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
New research supports adding yoga as an adjunctive therapy to treat this chronic inflammatory disease
February 5, 2019
Science Daily/IOS Press
According to a new study, eight weeks of intensive yoga practice significantly decreases the severity of physical and psychological symptoms in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a debilitating chronic auto-immune inflammatory disease. Marked improvements were seen in the levels of certain inflammatory biomarkers and assessments of functional status and disease activity in patients studied, demonstrating yoga's promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative potential for achieving optimal health.
"Our findings show measurable improvements for the patients in the test group, suggesting an immune-regulatory role of yoga practice in the treatment of RA. An intensive yoga regimen concurrent with routine drug therapy induced molecular remission and re-established immunological tolerance. In addition, it reduced the severity of depression by promoting neuroplasticity," explained lead investigator, Rima Dada, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. She noted that high disease activity and underlying depression are associated with increased disability, reduced quality of life, and minimized rates of clinical remission and treatment response.
The study was a mind-body intervention (MBI) randomized trial (with parallel active and control groups) to analyze the effects of practicing 120 minutes of yoga, five days a week for eight weeks on 72 RA patients. Both the test and control groups were simultaneously undergoing routine drug therapies (DMARDs). The findings show significant improvement in systemic biomarkers of neuroplasticity, inflammation, immune-modulation, cellular health integrity, and aging in association with the positive clinical outcome of reduction in depression severity, disease activity, and disability quotient in RA patients following the intensive yoga based MBI.
Existing research has evaluated the role of yoga as an effective intervention to assist the management of RA with respect to clinical symptoms, quality of life, psychosocial outcomes, and functional ability. This study is one of the first to look at how yoga practice affects the systemic biomarkers of inflammation, cellular aging, and oxidative stress, especially in RA. "Our results provide evidence that yoga positively modifies the pathobiology of autoimmunity at cellular and molecular levels by targeting mind-body communications. Further research is needed for the exploration of possible mechanisms underlying the cumulative effect of yoga on multiple pathways at a cellular level," added Dr. Dada. "Yoga facilitates the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms mediated though a variety of downstream pathways and bring about natural immunological tolerance."
RA is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease that results from the interplay of genetic and environmental factors and causes extensive systemic inflammation, cartilage damage, and synovial hyperplasia that cause physical disability and psychiatric comorbidity. The co-existence of depression and RA in individuals poses a significant healthcare burden on the patients, their caregivers, healthcare systems, and society as a whole. Existing medical therapies have a limited scope and fail to cure the psychological component of the disease and have numerous side effects. Depression seems to decrease patients' compliance and adherence to medical treatment and results in worse health outcomes and increases disease severity. Improvement in psychological health and reductions in severity made the yoga group more compliant and able to perform more daily chores without much difficulty.
Dr. Dada concluded, "This study offers a new option. Pharmacological treatments can be supplemented with alternative and complementary interventions like yoga to alleviate the symptoms at both physical and psychosomatic levels." With yoga based MBI providing a holistic treatment dimension, reaching a state of remission is becoming a more achievable treatment goal. As a majority of diseases have a psychosomatic component, this approach may be widely applicable.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190205115301.htm
Mindfulness and sleep can reduce exhaustion in entrepreneurs
February 4, 2019
Science Daily/Oregon State University
When entrepreneurs are feeling exhausted but can't afford the time for adequate sleep, they may be able to replenish their energy with mindfulness exercises such as meditation.
"You can't replace sleep with mindfulness exercises, but they might help compensate and provide a degree of relief," said Charles Murnieks, an assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship in OSU's College of Business and the study's lead author. "As little as 70 minutes a week, or 10 minutes a day, of mindfulness practice may have the same benefits as an extra 44 minutes of sleep a night."
The findings were published recently in the Journal of Business Venturing. Co-authors include Jonathan Arthurs, Nusrat Farah and Jason Stornelli of OSU; Melissa Cardon of the University of Tennessee; and J. Michael Haynie of Syracuse University.
Entrepreneurs are generally defined as people involved in the discovery, evaluation and exploitation of new business opportunities, often with a stake in the ownership of new ventures. Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating, but it also can be difficult, stressful and tiring work. "You can only work so hard for so long," Murnieks said.
Generally, when people are feeling exhausted, their drive to achieve goals is lowered, they have less desire to complete work tasks and they may find it harder to rise to and address challenges, all of which are important processes of entrepreneurship.
Exhaustion is a pervasive problem for entrepreneurs working on new ventures, but there is little existing research exploring the levels of exhaustion experienced by this group or how they handle it. In their research, Murnieks and his co-authors sought to explore ways entrepreneurs deal with the exhaustion that comes with the work.
In a study of 105 entrepreneurs from around the U.S., the researchers asked participants about their exhaustion levels; whether they engaged in mindfulness practices and if so, how often and for how long; and how many hours they slept each night.
More than 40 percent of the participants reported working 50 hours per week or more, on average, and sleeping less than 6 hours a night. The researchers found that the entrepreneurs who slept more, or who engaged in the highest levels of mindfulness exercises, reported lower levels of exhaustion.
In a second study of 329 entrepreneurs, the researchers again asked about mindfulness practice, perceived exhaustion and sleep. The study confirmed the findings of the initial study, that mindfulness can combat feelings of exhaustion.
However, in both studies, Murnieks and his colleagues also found that mindfulness exercises are less helpful if you're getting adequate sleep but still feeling exhausted. When someone is experiencing perceived exhaustion, they are typically feeling a lack of energy at work and as though their resources are depleted.
"If you're feeling stressed and not sleeping, you can compensate with mindfulness exercises to a point," Murnieks said. "But when you're not low on sleep, mindfulness doesn't improve those feelings of exhaustion."
Mindfulness exercises and sleep are thought to work differently to reduce exhaustion. Mindfulness works to modify and reduce stressors before they lead to exhaustion, while sleep works to replenish energy and self-control after the depletion has occurred, but before exhaustion is felt.
More research is needed to better understand how mindfulness exercises may help weary entrepreneurs and the limits of those beneficial effects, Murnieks said, but there is indication mindfulness can provide a boost.
"There are times when you're launching a new venture that you're going to have to surge," he said. "Mindfulness exercises may be one way to provide some relief during those tough stretches."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190204172227.htm
Depression increases risk of early death in older adults
February 6, 2019
Science Daily/American Geriatrics Society
A research team designed a study to investigate the role depression symptoms play in an increased risk of death over time. The team also examined the role heart disease and stroke play in the link between depression symptoms and increased risk of death.
As we age, we become more likely to experience symptoms of depression. Research shows that depression's symptoms can be linked to a higher risk for death. Yet often, older adults' symptoms of depression may be missed by healthcare professionals.
What's more, symptoms of depression have been linked to heart disease and stroke in middle-aged and older adults. Researchers suggest that the depression-heart disease link could play a role in the increased risk of death among older adults who have symptoms of depression. There's also a known link between depression and deaths from cancer and falls in older adults. These connections might contribute to an increased risk of death for older adults, researchers suggest.
Since depression symptoms change over time, it's possible that studying those symptoms during an older adult's doctor visits could provide more information. To learn more, a research team designed a study to investigate the role depression symptoms play in an increased risk of death over time. The team also examined the role heart disease and stroke play in the link between depression symptoms and increased risk of death. Their study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The researchers used information from the Three-City Study, a French study that investigated dementia, heart disease, and stroke in people aged 65 and older during five healthcare visits the participants made over 10 years.
At the start of the study, 16 percent of 9,294 participants had a history of heart disease. Most participants were around 73 years old; 37 percent were men.
About 23 percent of participants had symptoms of depression when the study began (28 percent of women and 13 percent of men). Almost 7 percent were taking medication for their depression. At three follow-up visits, the participants were tested again for symptoms of depression.
When the participants were monitored for depression symptoms at several visits over time, symptoms of depression were linked to an increased risk for death, including death from heart disease and stroke. However, those diseases explained only a small percentage of the deaths associated with depression symptoms over time.
The researchers said their study suggested that, for older adults living with depression, preventing heart disease may not be the only factor that will help prevent or delay death. Interestingly, antidepressants were not associated with an increased risk of death in this study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206091423.htm
Sleep, mood affect how 'in control' older adults feel
January 29, 2019
Science Daily/North Carolina State University
Psychology researchers have found another reason that sleep, mood and stress are important: they affect the extent to which older adults feel they have control over their lives. The findings can inform efforts to improve an individual's sense of control, which has ramifications for physical, mental and emotional health.
"We found that sleep, mood and stress are all important factors in determining a sense of control and in whether older adults feel they can do the things they want to do," says Shevaun Neupert, a professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. "This finding is important because when older adults begin to lose their sense of autonomy, it can lead to changes in behavior that adversely affect their health and well-being."
For this study, researchers evaluated data on 205 people between the ages of 60 and 94. Study participants provided information on a wide range of psychological variables on eight days across a period of three weeks.
The researchers focused on determining which variables, if any, had an effect on two "control beliefs": perceived competence, or an individual's sense that her or she could do the things they wanted to do; and locus of control, or sense that they were in control of their own lives. The researchers found that several variables have a significant effect on both beliefs.
"We found that sleep efficacy -- or the belief that one can get a good night's sleep -- was associated with better control beliefs," Neupert says.
"We also found that positive affect was good for an individual's control beliefs, while negative affect was bad," says Shenghao Zhang, a Ph.D. student at NC State and first author of the paper. "In other words, being in a good mood made people feel better about their competence and control, while being in a bad mood made people feel worse about those things.
"Lastly, we found that stressful events on one day had an adverse effect on an individual's subsequent control beliefs," Zhang says. "These results suggest that the adverse effect of stressful events can last for more than a day. It would be interesting to conduct additional work to determine how long the effects of stress resonate in regard to control beliefs."
"We know there are things people can do to improve their mood and to improve their sleep," Neupert says. "And while sleep and mood are things most people think are important, this study highlights a very specific reason that they are important.
"When people think they have little or no control in their lives, they may stop doing some of the everyday things that are important for self-care -- because they believe those things don't matter," Neupert says. "By acting to improve mood and sleep, older adults may better retain their sense of control and better maintain their quality of life."
The paper, "Predicting Control Beliefs in Older Adults: A Micro-longitudinal Study," is published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. Corresponding author of the paper is Jason Allaire, an associate professor of psychology at NC State. The paper was co-authored by Alyssa Gamaldo, a former Ph.D. student at NC State who is now an assistant professor at Penn State University.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190129124919.htm
Working it out: Researchers find exercise may help fight depression in seniors
February 7, 2019
Science Daily/McMaster University
The benefits of exercise are widely known but kinesiologists have for the first time found that physical activity may help fight depression in seniors by stimulating muscle-generated mood boosters.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Cell Physiology, reveal that the underlying mechanisms which make us feel good when we exercise persist into old age and highlight the importance of staying active.
"A previous study demonstrated these mechanisms in healthy young adults, however, it was unknown whether the muscle deterioration which accompanies aging would preclude older adults from achieving similar exercise-induced benefits," explains David Allison, lead author on the study and a postdoctoral fellow in McMaster's Department of Kinesiology.
"This could have important implications concerning the use of exercise as a treatment or a preventative strategy for depression in seniors," he says.
Little is known about the relationship between skeletal muscle and mental health, or how exercise impacts this relationship.
Earlier research has shown that physical activity may help to 'turn on' genes within skeletal muscle which can then influence the key metabolic pathways that ultimately promote mood-enhancing chemicals, such as serotonin, within the brain.
Muscle loss is a common problem in the elderly which may restrict that pathway and therefore increase the risk for depression, says Allison.
For the study, a group of healthy men, aged 65 and over, followed a 12-week protocol of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a stationary bike once a week combined with bi-weekly strength training sessions.
Researchers analyzed blood samples and changes to muscle and determined that three months of exercise was enough to enhance gene expression within the skeletal muscle.
"Even individuals who are already metabolically healthy -- with good weight, good blood pressure and blood sugar levels -- need to prioritize regular physical activity to maintain or improve upon their mental health," says Allison. "We have shown such benefits are still achievable in old age and further emphasize the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle."
In the future, researchers hope to explore the relationship between mental health and exercise among the clinically depressed to see if similar biochemical changes can be achieved.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190207111309.htm
Exercise may improve thinking skills in people as young as 20
January 30, 2019
Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology
Regular aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling or climbing stairs may improve thinking skills not only in older people but in young people as well, according to a new study. The study also found that the positive effect of exercise on thinking skills may increase as people age.
The specific set of thinking skills that improved with exercise is called executive function. Executive function is a person's ability to regulate their own behavior, pay attention, organize and achieve goals.
"As people age, there can be a decline in thinking skills, however our study shows that getting regular exercise may help slow or even prevent such decline," said study author Yaakov Stern, PhD, of Columbia University in New York, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "We found that all participants who exercised not only showed improvements in executive function but also increased the thickness in an area of the outer layer of their brain."
The study involved 132 people between the ages of 20 and 67 who did not smoke or have dementia but who also did not exercise at the start of the study and were determined to have below average fitness levels. Participants were randomly assigned to six months of either aerobic exercise or stretching and toning four times a week. The two groups were equally balanced for age, sex, education as well as memory and thinking skills at the start of the study.
All participants either exercised or stretched and toned at a fitness center and checked in weekly with coaches monitoring their progress. They all wore heart rate monitors as well. Participants' thinking and memory skills were evaluated at the start of the study as well as at three months and at the end of the six-month study.
Participants in the exercise group chose from aerobic activities including walking on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike or using an elliptical machine. They ramped up their activity during the first month, then during the remainder of the six-month study they trained at 75 percent of their maximum heart rate. People in the stretching and toning group did exercises to promote flexibility and core strength.
Researchers measured participants' aerobic capacity using a cycling machine called an ergometer that estimates exercise intensity. Participants also had MRI brain scans at the start and end of the study.
Researchers found that aerobic exercise increased thinking skills. From the beginning of the study to the end, those who did aerobic exercise improved their overall scores on executive function tests by 0.50 points, which was a statistically significant difference from those who did stretching and toning, who improved by 0.25 points. At age 40, the improvement in thinking skills was 0.228 standard deviation units higher in those who exercised compared to those who did stretching and toning and at age 60, it was 0.596 standard deviation units higher.
"Since a difference of 0.5 standard deviations is equivalent to 20 years of age-related difference in performance on these tests, the people who exercised were testing as if they were about 10 years younger at age 40 and about 20 years younger at age 60," Stern said.
He added, "Since thinking skills at the start of the study were poorer for participants who were older, our findings suggest that aerobic exercise is more likely to improve age-related declines in thinking skills rather than improve performance in those without a decline."
Researchers also found an increase in the thickness of the outer layer of the brain in the left frontal area in all those who exercised, suggesting that aerobic exercise contributes to brain fitness at all ages.
"Our research confirms that exercise can be beneficial to adults of any age," said Stern.
Overall, researchers did not find a link between exercise and improved memory skills. However, those with the genetic marker for dementia, the APOE ?4 allele, showed less improvement in thinking skills.
A limitation of the study is the small number of participants. Larger studies over longer periods of time may allow researchers to see other effects in thinking and memory skills.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190130161638.htm
Sitting in front of the TV puts kids in the obesity hotseat
February 8, 2019
Science Daily/University of South Australia
The simple act of switching on the TV for some downtime could be making a bigger contribution to childhood obesity than we realize, according to new research.
The study investigated the impact of different sitting behaviours -- watching television, playing video games, playing computer, sitting down to eat, or travelling in a car -- and found that watching TV is more strongly associated with obesity in both boys and girls than any other type of sitting.
While childhood obesity is a global issue, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017-18 show that in Australia almost a quarter of children aged 5-17 years are considered overweight or obese.
UniSA researcher, Dr Margarita Tsiros says the study provides new insights about the impact of sedentary behaviours on children.
"It's no surprise that the more inactive a child is, the greater their risk of being overweight," Dr Tsiros says.
"But not all sedentary behaviours are created equal when it comes to children's weight. This research suggests that how long children spend sitting may be less important that what they do when they are sitting.
"For instance, some types of sitting are more strongly associated with body fat in children than others, and time spent watching TV seems to be the worst culprit."
The study assessed the sedentary behaviours of 234 Australian children aged 10-13 years who either were of a healthy weight (74 boys, 56 girls) or classified as obese (56 boys, 48 girls).
It found that, excluding sleep, children spent more than 50 per cent of their day sitting, with television dominating their time for 2.5 -- 3 hours each day.
Dr Tsiros says that the study also found differences between the sitting behaviours of boys and girls.
"Boys not only watched more TV than girls -- an extra 37 minutes per day -- but also spent significantly more time playing video games," Dr Tsiros says.
"Video gaming and computer use are popular past times, but our data suggests these activities may be linked with higher body fat in boys.
"Boys who are sitting for longer than 30 minutes may also have higher body fat, so it's important to monitor their screen and sitting time and ensure they take regular breaks."
Dr Tsiros says that setting children up on a path towards a healthy weight is extremely important to their health now and in the future.
"When we look at adult obesity, almost two thirds of Australians are overweight or obese, which is causing many serious health issues," Dr Tsiros says.
"An overweight child is more likely to grow up into an overweight adult, so the importance of tackling unhealthy behaviours in childhood is critical.
"Children who are obese have an increased risk of developing serious health disorders, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
"They may also experience reduced wellbeing, social and self-esteem issues, along with pain and difficulties with movement and activity.
"By understanding children's sedentary behaviours -- especially those that are placing our kids at risk -- we'll ensure they stay on a better path towards a healthier weight."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190208085857.htm
Fruit and vegetables may be important for mental as well as physical well-being
Consuming more fruit and vegetables can improve your mental well-being, according to a new study.
February 5, 2019
Science Daily/University of Leeds
Researchers have analyzed data from more than 40,000 people in the UK, and found that changes in fruit and vegetable consumption are correlated with changes in mental well-being.
A key feature of this work is that the study was able to follow the same individuals over time.
The study also controlled for alternative factors that may affect mental well-being, such as age, education, income, marital status, employment status, lifestyle and health, as well as consumption of other foods such as bread or dairy products.
The research showed a positive association between the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed and people's self-reported mental well-being.
Specifically, the findings indicate that eating just one extra portion of fruits and vegetables a day could have an equivalent effect on mental well-being as around 8 extra days of walking a month (for at least 10 minutes at a time).
Dr Neel Ocean of the University of Leeds, who authored the study with Dr Peter Howley (University of Leeds) and Dr Jonathan Ensor (University of York), said: "It's well-established that eating fruit and vegetables can benefit physical health.
"Recently, newer studies have suggested that it may also benefit psychological well-being. Our research builds on previous work in Australia and New Zealand by verifying this relationship using a much bigger UK sample.
"While further work is needed to demonstrate cause and effect, the results are clear: people who do eat more fruit and vegetables report a higher level of mental well-being and life satisfaction than those who eat less."
Dr Howley said: "There appears to be accumulating evidence for the psychological benefits of fruits and vegetables. Despite this, the data show that the vast majority of people in the UK still consume less than their five-a-day.
"Encouraging better dietary habits may not just be beneficial to physical health in the long run but may also improve mental well-being in the shorter term."
Dr Ensor added: "This work is part of a broader project between our universities known as "IKnowFood". As well as investigating consumer behaviour and wellbeing, IKnowFood is exploring how farmers in the UK, and businesses across the global food supply chain, can become more resilient in the face of growing uncertainty in markets, regulation and the natural environment."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190205144450.htm
Persistent low body weight in young kids increases risk for anorexia nervosa later
January 31, 2019
Science Daily/University of North Carolina Health Care
A new study has found that a persistent low body mass index (BMI) in children, starting as young as age 2 for boys and 4 for girls, may be a risk factor for the development of anorexia nervosa in adolescence.
In addition, the study, published in the February 2019 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that a persistent high BMI in childhood may be a risk factor for later development of bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and purging disorder. This large population study is based on analysis of data from 1,502 individuals who participated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in the UK.
"Until now, we have had very little guidance on how to identify children who might be at increased risk for developing eating disorders later in adolescence," said Zeynep Yilmaz, PhD, study first author and an assistant professor of psychiatry and genetics at the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "By looking at growth records of thousands of children across time, we saw early warning profiles that could signal children at risk."
Co-author Cynthia Bulik, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders also from UNC highlights, "Clinically, this means that pediatricians should be alert for children who fall off and stay below the growth curve throughout childhood. This could be an early warning sign of risk for anorexia nervosa. The same holds for children who exceed and remain above the growth curve -- only their risk is increased for the other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder."
Yilmaz said that although eating disorders are psychiatric in nature, the study highlights the need to also consider metabolic risk factors alongside psychological, sociocultural, and environmental components. "The differences in childhood body weight of adolescents who later developed eating disorders started to emerge at a very early age -- way too early to be caused by social pressures to be thin or dieting. A more likely explanation is that underlying metabolic factors that are driven by genetics, could predispose these individuals to weight dysregulation. This aligns with our other genetic work that has highlighted a metabolic component to anorexia nervosa."
Corresponding author of the study is Nadia Micali, MD, MRCPsych PhD, Full Professor at University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine and Head of Geneva University Hospitals' Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
"Our results also highlight the multi-factorial composition of eating disorders, as well as the need to develop early detection tools that could be used as part of routine checks by all pediatricians. Indeed, the earlier the problem is identified, the better it can be managed, especially if support is provided to the family as a whole, rather than just the individual," Micali said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190131143436.htm
Want healthier eating habits? Start with a workout
January 30, 2019
Science Daily/University of Texas at Austin
Researchers have found that formerly sedentary young adults who were instructed to exercise regularly for several weeks started choosing healthier foods without being asked to.
In the latest evidence that it's worth sticking to your health-focused New Year's resolutions, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have found that exercising regularly is linked to better eating habits.
The new study, published this week in the International Journal of Obesity, looked at 2,680 young adults who were not exercising regularly or dieting. Scientists found that after exercising for several weeks, formerly sedentary study participants were more likely to choose foods like lean meats, fruits and vegetables, while preferences for fried foods, sodas and other unhealthy options decreased.
Participants were instructed not to change their diets in any significant way, but it happened anyway. Although this study did not examine the mechanism at work behind the changes, previous research has found that moderate exercise can reduce a preference for high-fat foods in animals through changes in dopamine levels. Several studies also have shown a relationship between the intensity of exercise and the amount of appetite-regulating hormones in the body.
"The process of becoming physically active can influence dietary behavior," said Molly Bray, corresponding author of the paper and chair of the Nutritional Sciences department at UT Austin and a pediatrics faculty member at Dell Medical School. "One of the reasons that we need to promote exercise is for the healthy habits it can create in other areas. That combination is very powerful."
Bray says what drives food-preference changes when people exercise would probably be consistent across a wide span of ages. The study examined people between the ages of 18 and 35, a period of young adulthood critical for forming healthy habits. Previous studies have found that considerable weight gain occurs during the college years and that being mildly to moderately overweight at age 20-22 increases the risk of obesity later in life.
"Many people in the study didn't know they had this active, healthy person inside them," Bray said. "Some of them thought their size was inevitable. For many of these young people, they are choosing what to eat and when to exercise for the first time in their lives."
The participants in the study were students at the University of Houston and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Participants who said they exercised less than 30 minutes a week at the beginning of the study started 30-minute aerobic workouts three times a week for 15 weeks, with instructions not to change their diet in any significant way. The exercise sessions consisted of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at 65-85 percent of the person's age- and gender-specific maximum heart rate, along with a 5-minute warmup and a 5-minute cool down. Participants wore heart-rate monitors and could choose from a variety of exercise types, such as on stationary bikes, treadmills or elliptical machines.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190130112728.htm
Positive thinking during pregnancy may help children's ability in math and science
February 8, 2019
Science Daily/University of Bristol
Your attitude during pregnancy could have an effect on your child's ability in math and science, according to a new study.
Using data from Bristol's Children of the 90s study the research is one of a series from the University of Bristol, that examines a parental personality attribute known as the 'locus of control'. This is a psychological measure of how much someone believes that they have control over the outcome of events in their life or whether external forces beyond their control dictates how life turns out.
Those with an external locus of control would believe there is little point in making an effort as what happens to them is due to luck and circumstances, in contrast with internally controlled people who are motivated into action because they feel they can influence what is going to happen.
Researchers examined the 'locus of control' by using responses from questionnaires completed by over 1600 pregnant women who took part in the Children of the 90s study. They then looked at the mathematical and scientific reasoning and problem-solving skills of their offspring at the ages of 8, 11 and 13 assessed in school using specially designed tests. This study is among the first to link the prenatal locus of control of parents to the maths and science abilities of their offspring years later.
Findings reveal that mothers with an internal locus of control before their child was born (those who believe in the connection between their actions and what happens to them) were more likely to have a child who is good at maths and science. Compared to their externally controlled peers, internally focussed mothers also were more likely to provide their children with diets that assist brain development, to more frequently read stories to them and to show an interest in their child's homework and academic progress.
Lead author and founder of the Children of the 90s study Professor Jean Golding OBE said:
"It is widely known that the locus of control of a child is strongly associated with their academic achievements but until now we didn't know if mothers' locus of control orientation during pregnancy had a role to play in early childhood. Thanks to the longitudinal data from Children of the 90s study we can now make these associations.
"If our findings, that mothers' attitudes and behaviours can have an effect on their child's academic abilities, can be replicated it would suggest that more efforts should be made to increase the opportunities for mothers to feel that their behaviours will have a positive outcome for themselves and their children. It would help future generations raise healthy, confident and independent children.
"The next steps for this area of psychology will be for researchers to look at this at an international level to see if the findings are replicated. Other factors that will be important will be to undertake an intervention study to assess whether encouraging women to become more internal will improve the academic development of their children."
Candler Professor of Psychology Stephen Nowicki at Emory University, Atlanta, a co-author, and expert on locus of control added:
"Internal parents believe that they have behavioural choices in life. This and other findings from our child development work with the University of Bristol with expectant parents show that when they expect life outcomes to be linked to what they do their children eat better, sleep better and are better able to control their emotions. Such children later in childhood are also more likely to have greater academic achievements, fewer school related personal and social difficulties and less likelihood of being obese.
"It is possible for a parent to change their outlook; we've demonstrated in the past that parents who become more internal (i.e. learn to see the connections between what they do and what happens to their children) improved their parenting skills which would have a positive effect on their children's personal, social and academic lives."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190208082158.htm
Effects of teenage motherhood may last multiple generations
February 6, 2019
Science Daily/PLOS
The grandchildren of adolescent mothers have lower school readiness scores than their peers, according to a new study.
Previous studies have established that children born to adolescent mothers are less ready for school and have poorer educational outcomes than children born to older mothers. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain this association, including maternal education levels, social support and monetary resources.
To determine whether this effect extends to multiple generations, the authors used data from the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository to identify 11,326 children born in Manitoba, Canada, in 2000 through 2006 whose mothers were born in 1979 through 1997. Children born in these years took the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a 103 item questionnaire administered by kindergarten teachers to assess five areas of development. The researchers were able to link information from the data repository, EDI scores, and Canadian Census data. Results were adjusted to account for differences in birth year and location, income quintile, and child's health at birth.
A greater percentage (36%) of children whose grandmothers had been adolescent mothers were not ready for school than children whose grandmothers were 20 or older at the birth of their first child (31%). The relationship persisted even when a child's own mother was not an adolescent mother. Compared with children whose mothers and grandmothers were both at least 20 at the birth of their first child, those with grandmothers who were adolescent mothers but older mothers had 39% greater odds of not being ready for school (95%CI: 1.22-1.60). These children lagged behind in physical well-being, social competence, language and cognitive development.
The educational attainment and marital status of mothers and grandmothers was not available in the data, nor was individual income. The mechanisms underlying this multigenerational effect are unclear but the results have policy implications for school readiness interventions as well as calculating the costs and consequences of adolescent motherhood. Interventions to improve outcomes of children born to adolescent mothers should also extend to grandchildren of adolescent mothers, the authors say.
The authors add: "Adolescent childbearing has significant implications for early childhood development -- not just for the child of that mother, but also for the grandchild of that mother."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206144523.htm
Climate change poses greater risk of mental health challenges for children born to depressed mothers
The findings suggest a need for prenatal interventions in an era of growing environmental disasters
February 6, 2019
Science Daily/The Graduate Center, CUNY
Climate change poses an exponentially greater risk for mental health problems in children born to mothers with prenatal depression who also experience natural disaster-related stress. That is the message of a new study of infants born to New York City mothers shortly after Superstorm Sandy.
The study, appearing in today's issue of Infant Mental Health, builds on previous findings that disaster-related prenatal stress can have negative effects on an infant's temperament. In their new work, researchers also found that in the case of mothers who were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy and who were predisposed to depression, the effects on their babies were many times worse.
"Prenatal depression increases the risk for infants to have a difficult temperament, but when we factored in the stress of experiencing an environmental catastrophe, one plus one was not two: It was ten," said the study's lead author Yoko Nomura, a psychology professor with The Graduate Center of The City University of New York and Queens College. Nomura published her study while a faculty fellow at the Advanced Science Research Center at The Graduate Center. "Our research found that, compared to other babies, infants born to women who were prenatally depressed and pregnant during Superstorm Sandy had higher rates of distress and lower rates of pleasure-seeking activities."
The study considered 310 pairs of mothers and children, recruited from clinics that serve patients from around the boroughs of New York City. The researchers assessed the mothers' depression symptoms, and mothers reported their infants' temperament via a questionnaire six months after birth.
Infants of depressed mothers displayed greater distress and fear, less smiling and laughter, and lower soothability and cuddliness compared to infants of mothers with lower scores for depression. The infants of depressed mothers who were pregnant during Sandy displayed even worse temperament.
In a 2018 study by several of the same authors, researchers concluded that a mother's stress impacts her child's temperament during the early years of childhood, and they demonstrated that this was true for children born during or close to the time of Superstorm Sandy.
The researchers posited that epigenetic responses to external stressors may be the cause of the increased incidents and intensity of mental health challenges for these infants.
"The combination of environmental stressors and biology may compromise gene expression and cause an excessive amount of cortisol to be passed from the mother to the fetus, resulting in infants having poorer emotional regulation, shyness and fearfulness," said co-author Jessica Buthmann, a Graduate Center doctoral student (Psychology) and Queens College adjunct professor.
Nomura's team recommends monitoring and screening for at-risk mothers during future environmental events as the rising incidents of environmental disasters are likely to put more mothers and infants at risk for climate change-related mental health problems.
"The take-home point is that we should be mindful to look out for the high-risk mothers, because the long-term consequences for the mental health of their offspring could be eased with proper intervention," Nomura said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206131943.htm
Maternal depression and natural disaster-related stress may affect infants' temperament
February 6, 2019
Science Daily/Wiley
A new study demonstrates that prenatal maternal depression has important consequences for infant temperament. Furthermore, the negative impact of prenatal maternal depression appeared to be magnified when pregnant women lived through Superstorm Sandy.
The study analyzed data on 310 mother-child dyads, with 64 percent of women being pregnant prior to Sandy and 36 percent being pregnant during Sandy. Compared with other infants, infants born to women with prenatal depression were more likely to experience greater distress, greater fear, lower smiling and laughter, lower high- and low-pleasure seeking, lower soothability, slower falling reactivity, lower cuddliness, and greater sadness at six months of age. These effects were amplified when women were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy.
"The fetal period is one of the most critical periods for neurodevelopment. Prenatal stress, especially during this critical period of fetal development, may render the developing brain more vulnerable to additional stressors such as maternal depression," said lead author Dr. Yoko Nomura, of Queens College, the Advanced Research Science Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Natural disasters may increase in frequency and magnitude, but we can attempt to alleviate the negative impacts on offspring if we identify high risk pregnant mothers with depression and offer them interventions to make them more resilient."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206091409.htm
Women's brains appear three years younger than men's
May explain why women more likely to stay mentally sharp in later years
February 4, 2019
Science Daily/Washington University School of Medicine
Women's brains appear to be three years younger than men's of the same age, according to a new study on brain metabolism. The findings could explain why women maintain their cognitive skills longer than men.
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis finds that women's brains appear to be about three years younger than men's of the same chronological age, metabolically speaking. The findings, available online the week of Feb. 4 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be one clue to why women tend to stay mentally sharp longer than men.
"We're just starting to understand how various sex-related factors might affect the trajectory of brain aging and how that might influence the vulnerability of the brain to neurodegenerative diseases," said senior author Manu Goyal, MD, an assistant professor of radiology at the university's Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology. "Brain metabolism might help us understand some of the differences we see between men and women as they age."
The brain runs on sugar, but how the brain uses sugar changes as people grow and age. Babies and children use some of their brain fuel in a process called aerobic glycolysis that sustains brain development and maturation. The rest of the sugar is burned to power the day-to-day tasks of thinking and doing. In adolescents and young adults, a considerable portion of brain sugar also is devoted to aerobic glycolysis, but the fraction drops steadily with age, leveling off at very low amounts by the time people are in their 60s.
But researchers have understood little about how brain metabolism differs between men and women. So Goyal and colleagues, including Marcus Raichle, MD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine and a professor of radiology, and Andrei Vlassenko, MD, PhD, an associate professor of radiology, studied 205 people to figure out how their brains use sugar.
The study participants -- 121 women and 84 men, ranging in age from 20 to 82 years -- underwent PET scans to measure the flow of oxygen and glucose in their brains. For each person, the researchers determined the fraction of sugar committed to aerobic glycolysis in various regions of the brain. They trained a machine-learning algorithm to find a relationship between age and brain metabolism by feeding it the men's ages and brain metabolism data. Then, the researchers entered women's brain metabolism data into the algorithm and directed the program to calculate each woman's brain age from its metabolism. The algorithm yielded brain ages an average of 3.8 years younger than the women's chronological ages.
The researchers also performed the analysis in reverse: They trained the algorithm on women's data and applied it to men's. This time, the algorithm reported that men's brains were 2.4 years older than their true ages.
"The average difference in calculated brain age between men and women is significant and reproducible, but it is only a fraction of the difference between any two individuals," Goyal said. "It is stronger than many sex differences that have been reported, but it's nowhere near as big a difference as some sex differences, such as height."
The relative youthfulness of women's brains was detectable even among the youngest participants, who were in their 20s.
"It's not that men's brains age faster -- they start adulthood about three years older than women, and that persists throughout life," said Goyal, who is also an assistant professor of neurology and of neuroscience. "What we don't know is what it means. I think this could mean that the reason women don't experience as much cognitive decline in later years is because their brains are effectively younger, and we're currently working on a study to confirm that."
Older women tend to score better than men of the same age on tests of reason, memory and problem solving. Goyal, Raichle, Vlassenko and colleagues are now following a cohort of adults over time to see whether people with younger-looking brains are less likely to develop cognitive problems.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190204172217.htm