As the days get shorter, many people find themselves dealing with depression more than usual. A new study has found that this phenomenon may be due to seasonal depression, which affects an estimated 5 – 10% percent of adults in the United States.

The good news is that there are ways to cope with the seasonal affective disorder (SAD), including light therapy. If you’re feeling down as the days grow shorter, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor about how to best deal with SAD.

The seasonal affective disorder is a condition that reflects a change in serotonin levels which has been linked to depression. According to the Mental Health America National Organization, SAD symptoms can be similar to depression, so it can be difficult to diagnose correctly. Because of this, a diagnosis of seasonal depression can only be made after two consecutive occurrences of depression that begin and end at the same time each year and come with no other symptoms during other times of the year.

As the days get shorter, you may be at risk for SAD. Winter blues are common for many people, but it could be a seasonal affective disorder for some. Symptoms of SAD include anxiety, depression, mood changes, disturbed sleep, lethargy, loss of libido, and changes in eating habits. Studies show that about 5% of the U.S. population experience SAD, but the numbers can be as high as 10% in the northern latitudes. Women seem to be more affected by SAD than men.

Over the past few years, people with SAD may have felt symptoms worsen because of stressors from the pandemic. Due to COVID, many people with SAD reported feeling more isolated or anxious.

“The beginning symptoms of SAD may exacerbate the preexisting stressors from COVID, making one less capable of dealing with issues than one might have been able to before,” said Jeannie Larson, a professor at the University of Minnesota.

Brain Health

The seasonal affective disorder can take a toll on mental health and brain function, affecting concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function.

The Smart Pill can help counteract these effects through nine ingredients that help support, nourish, and maximize brain health and cognitive function. These include ginkgo Biloba, huperzine A, bacopa extract, rosemary extract, and a B vitamin complex. This unique formula helps boost circulation, fight free radicals, and help to promote clear thinking.

Late-night eating has long been linked to a higher risk for obesity, which can pose all kinds of risks to your heart.

People who are overweight or obese tend to have higher blood pressure, worse circulation, and a higher risk for heart complications than people at a “normal” weight.

Researchers may have learned why meal timing could impact fat gain.

A recent study found that when meals are delayed by four hours – say eating at 10:30 PM rather than 6:30 – and keeping all other lifestyle factors the same, people burn fewer calories, have stronger cravings, and experience changes in fat tissue that promote weight gain, according to the study’s author.

The solution may be relatively simple: eat earlier in the day.

The study was rather small, featuring only 16 overweight or obese people. They each stuck to a strict early or late meal schedule for one day in a lab. In the weeks before, they maintained a regular sleep schedule and stuck to identical diets and meal times at home.

Each participant reported on their hunger and appetite, and provided blood samples, fat tissue, and other data.

Besides feeling hungrier, burning fewer calories, and showing changes in fat tissue, late eating also impacted the hunger-regulating hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the hormone that tells you when to eat, while leptin tells you when you’ve had enough.

The study found that leptin dropped by 16 percent when people delayed their meals.

Keeping your eating schedule in line with your body’s natural circadian rhythm makes sense. Eating more early in the day and less as it progresses may be the best strategy to minimize weight gain and reduce the risk for high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors.

Try eating a big breakfast, slightly smaller lunch, and small dinner with healthy snacks throughout the day. Remember, what you eat and how much is likely more important than when. So pay attention to portion sizes and what you’re eating.

It’s harder for your body’s immune system to protect you when you don’t get good sleep. Why? Because sleep deprivation is closely associated with higher levels of inflammation.

When you’re experiencing high levels of inflammation for extended periods, the risk for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and more increase.

Sleep deprivation is associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers. Your body’s molecules to fight intruders and protect tissue, like cytokines, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein, stay elevated when you don’t sleep well.

These molecules are great if you become infected with a cold or cut yourself open, but they can spell trouble when fired up beyond these temporary responses. This may help explain why people who struggle with sleep are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions.

One theory about sleep’s contribution to inflammation revolves around blood vessels. Blood pressure drops, and blood vessels relax during sleep. When sleep is restricted, blood pressure doesn’t go down like it should, which could trigger cells in blood vessel walls to activate an inflammatory response.

Too little sleep may also activate the body’s stress response system, which could promote inflammation.

A shortage of sleep may also promote inflammation in the brain. Each night during sleep, a natural housecleaning system in the brain – called the glymphatic system – cleans out waste. Without a good night’s sleep, the process is not as thorough.

It works like this: During the day, your brain cells produce waste. That waste is beta amyloid and is removed during the deepest phases of sleep when cerebrospinal fluid moves through the brain to carry away the beta amyloid protein.

Beta-amyloid is linked to Alzheimer’s.

So, it’s likely that poor sleep may impact inflammation and immune response in a number of ways. Do your best to go to bed on time and create an environment that lets you stay asleep for 7-8 hours every night. You may notice yourself feeling a lot healthier.

If you practice yoga, meditation, or other mindfulness practices, you may be helping your body manage blood sugar. If you don’t, it might be worth starting!

New research has found these mindfulness activities may help people with type-2 diabetes lower their blood sugar. The effects may be substantial, too: the work showed that it worked almost as well as standard treatments like metformin.

It is important to note that these practices are best used in addition to standard diabetes treatment and not a replacement. In any event, mindfulness activities are worth a try.

More than 37 million people have diabetes, and the vast majority of people have type 2. It develops when the body loses its ability to process insulin, a hormone that carries sugar from food into body cells for energy.

When that happens, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, damaging blood vessels and nerves over time. Many people with diabetes also develop complications like heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage in the feet and legs, and potential blindness.

Controlling blood sugar can help minimize those risks.

Researchers looked at 28 published clinical trials that tested various practices. Most focused on yoga, which combines physical postures with breathing techniques and meditation. Other trials looed qigong, guided imagery, meditation, or mindfulness-based stress reduction.

They found that each practice helped people with type-2 diabetes lower their A1c – a measure of average blood sugar levels over the past three months.

In general, people with the disease should keep A1c below 7 percent. During the trials, on average, mind-body practices lowered participants A1c by just over 0.8 percent. That is very close to what metformin does, which cuts A1c by about a percent.

Mindfulness may help because it can reduce stress, making diabetes easier to manage. A dip in stress hormones may also help reduce systemic inflammation, which may help bring down blood sugar.

If you’re treating diabetes or are interested in blood sugar management, yoga, qigong, or other forms of meditation may help.

Walking is a great way to get exercise, but new research has found that those steps can also help reduce your risk of dementia. The study found that walking 10,000 steps each day can cut your risk of dementia by half. So, if you’re looking for a way to stay healthy, be sure to make time for a walk each day.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s and can affect memory, concentration, and thought processes. Previous research has shown that aerobic exercises can help to increase blood flow to the brain and improve memory function, so it’s no surprise that walking 10,000 steps a day potentially reduces the risk of dementia.

Many people don’t realize how going for a walk can greatly benefit physical and mental health. Previous studies have suggested that moderate exercise may reduce the risk of dementia by a third. However, this research proves that walking may be the best way to reduce your risk. Walking 10,000 steps each day not only reduces the risk of dementia but can also reduce other conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

For the study, researchers monitored the steps of 78,430 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 over seven years. It was found that 9,800 steps a day could reduce the risk of dementia by half. There was no added risk reduction if participants went over that number. However, walking fewer steps daily, such as taking 3,800 steps, was found to reduce the risk by 25%.

Researchers concluded the study by saying, “This study represents an important contribution to step count–based recommendations for dementia prevention,” the study’s authors concluded. “Step count–based recommendations have the advantage of being easy to communicate, interpret and measure, and may be particularly relevant for people who accumulate their physical activity in an unstructured manner.”

Help Reduce the Risk

While some degree of cognitive decline is nearly inevitable as you age, lifestyle behaviors can help reduce the risk. As this study shows, walking is a great way to help keep the brain healthy.

Ensuring you’re getting the proper vitamins and nutrients is also a great way to keep the brain healthy. The Smart Pill can help to enhance cognitive function and memory through 9 ingredients that help to support, nourish, and maximize brain health. These include ginkgo biloba, huperzine A, bacopa extract, rosemary extract, and a B vitamin complex. This unique formula helps to boost circulation, fight free radicals, and provide nutritional support to assist with brain function.

Allergy and asthma symptoms don’t just appear in spring and summer. The fall can bring on sneezing and trouble breathing, as can volatile weather patterns and other environmental factors tied to global warming.

Allergy sufferers can experience frequent symptoms as we move into and through October, even if they are mainly allergic to pollens in spring and summer.

Sometimes the symptoms are a result of a natural event. The Tonga volcano eruption in January, for example, sent particulates and aerosols into the atmosphere that can change global weather systems, potentially lengthening or shortening pollen seasons.

Seasons may be even longer this year in the northern hemisphere, where this year has seen much hotter and drier conditions than normal.

Hurricane season is in full swing, and these tropical storms can produce a lot of rain and destroy vegetation. This can lead to fungal “blooms” that increase mold spores in the area, which can make allergy or asthma symptoms worse for months.

Cold fronts that usher in thunderstorms can also stir up ragweed and pollens from earlier seasons that have travelled long distances.

People with mold-related asthma run the risk of symptoms getting dramatically worse, potentially posing a health threat. Stay indoors following thunderstorms, and if there has been any water damage, get it repaired as quickly as possible to avoid mold growth.

Try leaving your allergies outdoors. Showering after being outdoors and removing and washing any clothes worn outside can help limit the allergens that follow you indoors.

If you are experiencing symptoms, there are several treatment options ranging from OTC antihistamines, nasal rinses, and allergy shots, which are a form of immunotherapy. Speak to your doctor about the best options for you.

A number of factors can bring on more intense allergies and extend the season well into the fall. Be prepared so you can breathe easily.

Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause, but did you know that there is also an association between hot flashes and heart health? Recent studies have shown that experiencing hot flashes is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. If you’re going through menopause, it’s important to be aware of this link and take steps to protect your heart.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and previous research has shown that it accelerates in midlife during the menopause transition.

Approximately 70% of women experience hot flashes during the menopause transition, so more studies are needed to understand the full complexity of this transition in life. It has already been found that women with more frequent hot flashes have poorer cardiovascular risk factor profiles, including insulin resistance (or diabetes), elevated blood pressure (hypertension), dyslipidemia, and a greater risk of underlying atherosclerosis.

Persistent hot flashes have additionally been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease events such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Menopause has also been associated with mental health concerns.

Researchers will be presenting this week at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting, highlighting concerns linking hot flashes with heart health.

Dr. Rebecca Thurston from the University of Pittsburgh will lead the presentation and explore potential underlying physiologic mechanisms that could link vasomotor symptoms to cardiovascular risk.

“Hot flashes are regarded as symptoms with implications for quality of life but not necessarily physical health. Accumulating research has called this long-held clinical wisdom into question and underscores that frequent or severe hot flashes may signal women who are at increased cardiovascular disease risk at midlife and beyond,” says Dr. Thurston.

Maintaining Heart Health

Heart Rescue was designed to help support and promote cardiovascular health using a variety of ingredients, including omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10. The omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in cardiovascular function, while CoQ10 is involved in energy production at the cellular level. These two heart superstars are supported by five other ingredients that can help to promote and support cardiovascular function as you age. This formula’s health benefits can help strengthen the heart muscle, support circulation, and help reduce the risk of heart disease.

You may notice your skin getting a little dryer these days, but be on the lookout for eczema. Sometimes what may seem like some dryness may be a more serious condition.

Hand eczema can be a dry and painful condition that isn’t typically soothed by moisturizing. So if you’re regularly moisturizing to no avail, it could be eczema; without proper treatment and preventative measures, it can get worse.

Eczema can take several forms. It may look like patches of red, dark brown, purple, or grey irritated skin. It can be scaly, inflamed, or itchy. It can also feel like it’s burning or show up as itchy blisters, deep, painful cracks, and pus or bleeding skin.

It can flare up from a variety of triggers, including cooler, drier temperatures, while it may impact some sufferers in the summer because of sweating. It can impact people differently.

Certain chemicals or compounds can cause it, too.

Eczema flare-ups may be prevented by using a gentle, hypoallergenic hand cleanser, not washing too frequently, and making sure to rinse hands well. Be sure to lightly pat them dry, and don’t rely on the air to dry them.

Applying thick moisturizers during the day or petroleum jelly at night may be helpful. Some also find a vinegar soak, also known as an acetic acid dressing solution, to be helpful.

To apply it, you would soak a washcloth in the solution, wring it out, and wrap it around your hand. Next, you would put a tube sock over it and leave it for several hours or during sleep.

Talking to your doctor can also help you find a solution.

Take the pain and inflammation of eczema by being on the lookout for it this season. The sooner it’s identified, the more you can do to prevent the condition from progressing.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of stress in your life? A new study has found that one way to reduce stress is to eat together as a family. The American Heart Association looked at data from a study of families and found that parents were less stressed when they ate regular meals with their children.

So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce stress in your life, try eating dinner with your family every night. You may be surprised at how much it helps!

A nationwide survey has found that the vast majority of people wish they could share a meal with loved ones more often. Parents were also found to report lower levels of stress when they regularly connect over a meal. Due to these findings, the American Heart Association will share budget-friendly and practical meal tips each Tuesday through December to make it easier for families to come together.

Co-author of the study, Michos, M.D, M.H.S, said, “Sharing meals with others is a great way to reduces stress, boost self-esteem and improve social connection, particularly for kids.”

“Chronic constant stress can also increase your lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke, so it is important for people to find ways to reduce and manage stress as much as possible, as soon as possible.”

This study found that 67% of people said that sharing a meal reminds them of the importance of connecting with other people, while 54% said it reminds them to slow down and take a break.

59% of participants surveyed also said that they were more likely to make healthier food choices when eating with other people. However, this same number of people noted difficulty aligning schedules with friends or family to do so. Overall, participants reported eating alone about half the time.

Previous studies have shown that chronic stress can increase the lifetime risk of stroke and heart disease. The majority of adults (65%) say they are at least somewhat stressed and more than a quarter (27%) are extremely or very stressed.

This study clearly shows that stress is a prevalent issue in American society, but a simple lifestyle change can help. If you are one of the many Americans suffering from stress, try taking time to enjoy a family dinner at least a few times a week!

How Stress Can Affect Brain Function

Stress can take a toll on the brain, affecting concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function. The Smart Pill can help counteract these effects through nine ingredients that help support, nourish, and maximize brain health and cognitive function. These include ginkgo biloba, huperzine A, bacopa extract, rosemary extract, and a B vitamin complex. This unique formula helps boost circulation, fight free radicals, and help to promote clear thinking.

Why do some people stay as sharp as knife into their 80s and beyond while so many others notice their memory slipping?

A new study suggests it could have something to do with size of their brain cells.

The work focused on “super agers” – a select group of elderly adults who have the memory skills of people decades younger.

Researchers found that in memory-related areas of the brain, super agers had larger neurons than elderly adults with average brain power; the same was true when compared to people 30 years younger.

They also found that these big brain cells were free of “tau tangles,” one of the key indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. In healthy brain cells tau proteins help stabilize the brain’s internal scaffolding. When they become abnormal, they cling to each other.

People with Alzheimer’s tend to have a large accumulation of tau tangles, as well as amyloid plaques, caused by another protein called amyloid.

What separates super agers, aside from the size of the brain cells, is the lac of tau protein buildup. Interestingly, the super ages had no less amyloid buildup than anybody else, suggesting that tau may play a more important role in memory loss and dementia than previously thought.

These results tend to reinforce the idea that dementia and Alzheimer’s are not inevitable.

Super agers are not fully understood. No one really knows how many there are, who they are, and why their brains seem to resist age-related decline. It is likely a mix of good genes and lifestyle factors.

Of course you can’t really control the size of your brain cells. But you can do other things that are associated with slower rates of mental decline. Eating a healthful anti-inflammatory diet, staying active, socializing, and stimulating your brain can all help.

According to a new study from Brazil, adults who followed a vegetarian diet were twice as likely to experience depression than meat eaters. While the study’s authors say that their findings shouldn’t be cause for alarm for people who follow a vegetarian diet, they suggest that further research is needed to determine why this link exists.

Suppose you’re considering going vegetarian or you already follow a vegetarian diet. In that case, it’s important to be aware of this potential risk so that you can take steps to reduce your chances of experiencing depression.

Although a link was found between a vegetarian diet and depression, researchers suggest that this link exists independent of nutritional intake. The analysis published in the Journal of Affective Disorders took into account a wide range of nutritional factors, including total calorie intake, micronutrient intake, protein intake, and the level of food processing. This may suggest that the nutritional content of their diet might not cause higher rates of depression in those who eat a vegetarian diet.

Researchers used this new study to find what might explain the link between vegetarianism and depression. They set out to find if there is a non-nutritional mechanism that makes the connection or if the relationship is down to something else entirely.

During the study, researchers found that it was possible for people who were depressed to be more likely to become vegetarian rather than the other way around. Since symptoms of depression can include rumination of negative thoughts and feelings of guilt, they may be affected by the upsetting truth of slaughterhouses and factory farming. They may start to research the cruel treatment of animals in meat production and feel guilty for their part in the demand for cheap meat.

The study also suggests a lack of social involvement could cause the link between depression and a vegetarian diet. For example, vegetarians may find their relationships with others and their involvement in social activities change depending on how vegetarianism is viewed in their society. For example, Brazil is known for following a meat-heavy diet, and there are fewer vegetarians, whereas, in India or the U.K., vegetarianism is more of a social norm.

Addressing Mental Health

No matter the cause of depression, previous research has shown a link between depressive symptoms and cognitive decline. For this reason, it is vital to address depression and brain health.

Many factors can take a toll on the brain, affecting concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function. The Smart Pill can help counteract these effects through nine ingredients that help support, nourish, and maximize brain health and cognitive function. These include ginkgo biloba, huperzine A, bacopa extract, rosemary extract, and a B vitamin complex. This unique formula helps boost circulation, fight free radicals, and help to promote clear thinking.

When you get older, you lose muscle. That’s how your body works.

The thing is, if you’re not using the muscle you have you’re going to lose it even faster.

Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, can lead to weakness, poor balance, frailty, and a loss if independence. It can also boost the risk for falls.

You lose muscle slowly after the age of 40 – about 1 percent per year. But it can drip away faster the older you get. Injury and illness can play a role, but the most common cause of atrophy and sarcopenia is inactivity.

If you have been sick or had an injury that’s forced you to stay inactive, you can rebuild lost muscle. Even if you’ve always been inactive, you can start building and strengthening muscle to enjoy the benefits it provides. And the more muscle you started out with, the less quickly it should disappear.

A 2015 study found that older men who did 8 weeks of strength training lost about a quarter of their gains after they stopped exercising for two weeks.

But muscle can be built back with consistent effort. Muscle is expensive for the body to carry around, so when it’s not being regularly used and fed the body will naturally unload it.

What do you do to keep it around or build it back up? Exercise regularly. Lift weights to focus on all the major muscle groups at least twice per week, and be sure to stay active in other ways on the other days. Walking, dancing, or any kind of load-bearing activity is preferred.

Exercise is only half the story. The other thing muscle needs is nutrition. Eating protein throughout the day can help muscle build and get stronger. Exactly how much is debatable, aiming for about .5 – 1 gram per pound of bodyweight should do the trick.

Aside from protein, you’ll want to eat fruits and veggies loaded with micronutrients and carbs to help muscles energize and recover, as well as healthy fats to help muscle-building hormones circulate.

A recent study has found that people with schizophrenia are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia than those without mental illness. While the correlation between the two conditions has long been known, researchers are still trying to determine the exact cause. The study’s authors say that more research is needed to better understand the link between schizophrenia and dementia and to explore possible ways to prevent or delay the onset of dementia in those with schizophrenia.

However, researchers believe this new study’s outcome may help protect mental health throughout life, which could help prevent dementia. The study highlighted the direct correlation between psychotic disorders and dementia over other mental disorders such as depression or anxiety. It was the first high-quality study to look at a range of psychotic disorders and their associations with dementia risk.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that is characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and social withdrawal. It is a complex disorder that is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Many people also experience impairments in cognitive and functional skills. Schizophrenia can devastate individual and their families, but there is hope for recovery. With treatment, many people with schizophrenia can lead fulfilling and productive lives.

Researchers pulled together evidence from 11 studies from nine countries on four continents for the study. It included close to 13 million participants in total. They found that across multiple different psychotic disorders, there was 2.5 times higher risk of dementia later in life. The study included those diagnosed with psychotic disorders as young adults and those diagnosed later in life. It was found that those diagnosed with psychotic disorders at a younger age were much more likely to be diagnosed with dementia while still in their 60s.

Researchers were able to make these associations, but it is still unclear if it is because of the mental illness itself or because psychotic disorders increase the likelihood of conditions that may increase the risk of dementia.

Dr. Orgeta said: “People with psychotic disorders are more likely to have other health conditions such as cardiovascular disease or obesity, which can increase the risk of dementia, while they are also more likely to have a poor diet, smoke or use drugs, which may harm their health in ways that could increase their likelihood of developing dementia.”

Enhancing Cognitive Function

While some degree of cognitive decline is nearly inevitable as we age, this study shows how those with certain psychotic disorders may be at a higher risk of brain health problems. This can affect memory, concentration, and overall brain function.

The Smart Pill can help to enhance cognitive function and memory through 9 ingredients that help to support, nourish, and maximize brain health. These include ginkgo biloba, huperzine A, bacopa extract, rosemary extract, and a B vitamin complex. The formulation of these ingredients is an excellent way to help fight free radicals, boost circulation, and provide nutritional support to assist with cognitive skills.

You may not have realized it, but your prostate has probably been growing since you were 25. It’s possible you’re feeling no symptoms, and it’s business as usual. But it might make your life miserable, or at the very least, give you anxiety about the future.

The natural growth of the prostate gland is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the most common form of prostate enlargement.

As the name suggests, BPH is a benign condition that does not lead to greater problems; however, other prostate health conditions can exist alongside it.

Fifty to 60 percent of men will never develop symptoms of BPH, but it can be a struggle for some of those who do. Symptoms include:

• A weak/hesitant urine stream that may be interrupted
• A strong urgency to urinate. Leaking and dribbling are also possible
• Feeling like the bladder is not emptying following urination
• More frequent need to urinate, particularly at night

To cope with these symptoms, many men look for treatment. There are a host of prescription drugs available, so if one doesn’t work, another will be possible.

Of course, you might not want to take drugs to treat the condition and are looking for other options. In some cases, you may be more concerned about preventing symptomatic BPH and looking for tips.

Well, we’ve got you covered.

Some men who are anxious, nervous, or tense often tend to urinate more frequently. Stress reduction activities like meditation, mindfulness, and other relaxation techniques may help.

Exercise, like lifting weights and/or cardiovascular activities like walking, swimming, cycling, etc., can also be relaxing. Physical activity is also associated with fewer BPH symptoms.

When you go to the bathroom, focus on emptying your bladder. If it takes a little extra time to get everything out, take it. It may reduce the need for more follow-up trips.

Talk to your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter medication you might be taking – not for your prostate, but for anything. Some drugs may be contributing to the problem, and your doctor may be able to recommend alternatives, adjust dosages, or change the schedule you’re taking them.

Eating an anti-inflammatory diet high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and healthy fats and low in processed foods may also have an impact. Avoiding fluids in the evening may also help prevent, or at least reduce, nighttime trips to the bathroom.