Laughter and Connection

Remember “Esperanto”? No worries, nobody else does either. This was supposed to be a universal 2nd language for planet Earth, created to tie us all together. How do you say “face-plant” in Esperanto? Fortunately for us, we already have a universal form of communication that extends across all languages,...

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with a Twist

You’ll Need 4 medium orange sweet potatoes (or yams), peeled, and cut into 2-inch chunks 4 Tablespoons butter 4 Tablespoons milk (or a bit more depending on consistency you are going for) 3 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar (or less) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg Salt Directions...

The connection between your immune system and laughter is not humerus (that’s your arm bone), it’s humorous (that’s funny). But — just to be anatomically correct — a humorous humerus is simply your funny bone. Aaaaand moving on. You know that laughter and good humor create the neurochemical daiquiri...

The #1 Way To Spritz Yourself With Happy Brain Chemicals

In my former life as a neuroscientist, I would stimulate specific areas of the brain to map the behaviors stored within its neuronal networks. Others have more extensively explored regions that control all aspects of behavior: movement, speech (speaking it, and understanding it), feelings, memories, even religious spirituality (link:...

Laughter. It’s No Laughing Matter.

Funnily enough, scientists study laughter now. A lot. And one of the key findings is that laughter has a buffering effect on mental and emotional struggles like Burnout and even PTSD! In other words, laughter helps you to distance yourself emotionally from the stressful event(s) that just happened. When...

How Laughter Supports Wellbeing

Growing up in small town, Alabama, the Readers Digest used to be standard literature for one specific room in our house, when you had just a couple minutes on your hands. During these times, you could find classic articles under “Quotable Quotes”, “Life in These United States”, but my...

Spicy Collard Greens

Collards are a super food, and are a great source of vitamins A, and C, calcium and cholesterol. This recipe is easy to make and is super flavorful! You’ll Need   1 pound collard greens 2 cups vegetable stock ½ teaspoon dried basil 2 teaspoons olive oil ¾ cup onion,...

Downtime Benefits More Than Just Stress Management

Being more creative may not come down to what you do, or some top 10 punch-list of things you got on Chat-GPT that gets you to be more creative. According to this research, it may be more about getting out of your own way not adding things, but letting...

What If Docs Prescribed The Mediterranean Approach?

Can you imagine? “Take 2 tomatoes, an avocado, a glass of wine and call me in the morning.” Or … “Here’s the food for a Mediterranean approach for the next month … that’ll be a $20 co-pay and insurance pays the rest.” If these imaginary conversations existed in a...

Pumpkin Muffins (Free of Eggs and Dairy)

  You’ll Need 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 1/3 teaspoons ground cinnamon* 1/3 teaspoon ground ginger* ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg* ¾ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar 15 ounces plain pumpkin puree (from can or fresh) ½ cup apple...

Veggie Couscous

You’ll Need: 1 ¼ cups water or chicken broth 2 Tablespoons butter 1 cup couscous Salt Pepper 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans 2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced Directions Bring the water or broth to a boil Add the butter, couscous, salt and pepper, garbanzo beans and zucchini. Stir and...

Mental Wellbeing Gift That Keeps On Giving

Pet the cat. Or even think about petting the cat. When you do here’s what happens inside your brain. Neurobiological processes contribute to positive emotions and bonding, creating a sense of well-being and attachment. But here’s the key point: It’s not about the cat. It’s about caring for something else...