Posts Tagged "physical health"
Serious mental illness and cancer: Treatment outside the box
“On average, Americans with major mental illness die 14 to 32 years earlier than the general population.”
Every time I hear it, I’m alarmed. Contrary to popular belief, most people with serious mental illness do not die from suicide or violence. They die from the same conditions as those without serious mental illness – cancer, heart disease, diabetes.
Recovery Principles for Repeal, Replace, Repair
The room was packed at the Primary Care Development Corporation’s (PCDC)* Primary Care Innovation Circle.
More than 200 health care executives, providers, community-based agency leaders and practitioners assembled to listen to panelists address the most audacious of tasks: the fate of health care in the United States.
Nurturing Healthy Relationships: Well Worth the Effort
This year, as my wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary, I could not help but reflect on how fortunate I am that our relationship has thrived despite both the normal stressors of life as well as the unexpected and more challenging curveballs one can’t anticipate in life.
We often naively believe that our partner relationships will always remain the same. Unfortunately, they don’t.
Reduce Stigma and Improve Your Well-Being: It’s Just Like Riding a Bike
I started running when I was 8. This was right around the time that my parents divorced and my world changed in numerous ways.
I was having anxiety attacks and battling depression. I was having trouble concentrating at school. When I started running, I couldn’t tell you why I was doing it, I just felt compelled. When an anxiety attack surfaced, I put on my shoes and headed out the door.
It’s the Journey That Matters
In August 2014, I got my first road bike.
It took several attempts to feel confident about “clipping in” and managing all the gears. I was advised that you aren’t a real cyclist until you’ve fallen off at least 10 times. This hurt. However, once I got the hang of it – eventually – I loved being out on my bike.
What the Doctor Ordered: Friendships
We all know that there are several lifestyle and environmental risk factors for early mortality, including obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and smoking. However, we often forget a far less researched and talked about risk factor for mortality: loneliness and social isolation. Often that loneliness and social isolation are heightened during the holidays, which, ironically, is a time meant to be enjoyed with family and friends. However, for many it is a time that can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and a desire to withdraw. The holidays, therefore, present an excellent time to discuss the role we can all play in reinforcing connections in a world that, on the surface at least, is more connected than it has ever been due to…
To Run or Not to Run: That Is NOT the Question
Exercise benefits both our mind and our body. I have been a runner for 20 years, running in everything from 5Ks to marathons. I have run in races all over the world. It is common for the uninitiated to ask a simple question. Why? What is it that motivates me to get out of bed at “0-dark thirty” – as one of my running partners calls it – to put on my running shoes and propel my body? What evidence could be compelling enough to convince even the most sedentary among us to give exercise a try? Exercise’s health benefits are well documented, particularly regarding cardiovascular health. What is less well known, however, are the cognitive benefits, especially as we…