Blogs / Articles
Remembering and Forgetting: the How and the Why
It's often the case that we experience an event, later, to recall it only vaguely, or partially, or as a distortion of the facts. With the so-called illusory truth effect, what we assume we take in, or think we hear, may form in us false...
Harder to fall asleep, stay asleep: issues for older adults
As I've gotten older, I've found it harder and harder to fall and stay asleep. Why is that? Dr. Abhinav Singh, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center and a sleep professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, likes to answer...
Delving into the Science of Awe
Experts say wonder is an essential human emotion and a salve for a turbulent mind. Awe can mean ‘many things. ‘And while many of us know it when we feel it, awe is not easy to define. Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast...
Meditation Reduces the Feeling of Pain
Mindfulness meditation can help ease your pain. The technique can reduce pain intensity by as much as 32 percent, a new study has discovered—and even people who haven't meditated before can quickly achieve these benefits. The key is in not...
Mental Illness and Dementia
Why do psychiatric conditions multiply the risk of cognitive decline? Age is the single biggest risk factor for dementia, with the odds doubling about every five years after age 65. But many things influence those odds for a given individual....
The Gut-Brain Axis
Cynthia Thurlow likes to remind her patients that digestion begins in the brain, in the way people think about their food before they have even taken a bite. Conversely, 95 percent of the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin, which is...
Fight or Flight Concept Updated
The old concept of Fight or Flight was helpful in helping to explain the stress response. It's just not good enough anymore. Our nervous system is much more complex than that.Hans Selye gave us his theory on stress and Walter Cannon gave us his...
The Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation: Anxiety, Stress, Other Causes – and what to do about it
Prepared by Sigfried and Susan Othmer, ca 1990-1995How many of us lie awake at night, with ruminating thoughts, unable to fall asleep? Or we finally nod off, only to reawaken and cannot get back again. According to the American Academy of Sleep...
Risking: Good Idea, Bad Idea
Certain actions or activities carry risks, whether you are engaged in combat for your country, sky diving, investing in high-risk stocks, as a pioneer exploring unknown territory, or simply going beyond your established comfort zone. Clearly, there...
From Timid to Warrior: Boosting Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem can be described as lacking self-confidence, and self-worth, in one’s abilities. So, how to transcend it, not let it hold us back? My definition of a warrior is someone who acts in spite of fear. Fear is normal – even healthy when...