NxWellness

30/01/2025

Is stress having an adverse impact on your health? You're not alone. Chronic stress is on the rise, with some recent studies showing that up to 75% of adults say they've experienced both physical and mental health impacts due to stress in the past month.

One of the best ways to relieve stress (and bolster the body's ability to handle it) is going for regular walks. Walking just 10 min. per day on a regular basis has been shown to improve mood, increase physical fitness and reduce the risk of early death by 15%. The more often (and longer) you walk, the bigger the benefits, including improved heart health, bone and joint strength, digestive and immune function, weight management, sleep quality, and of course a big boost in mood and brain function.

If walking isn't an option for you, even just sitting in nature for 10 min. a day has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, with documented positive effects on physiological markers like blood pressure and heart rate. That's pretty amazing!

The many health benefits of walking combined with the calming effects of being in nature are hard to beat. Sharing a photo from one of my recent hikes in Garden of Gods. When I'm standing in this spot, immersed in nature and in awe of the view, stress just melts away. If it's been awhile since you went for a walk or spent time in nature, schedule a bit of "outdoor therapy" into your week and see what it can do for you! ❤️

03/07/2024

Trees and plants growing out of rocks always catch my eye. Like this tree I came across on one of my hikes.

To me, they symbolize resilience and strength. Proof that living things will find a way to endure and thrive against all odds.

We have that ability too. I love this quote by Dr. Bruce Lipton: "Your body's ability to heal is greater than anyone has permitted you to believe."

The human body is astonishingly good at healing itself when given the proper support. However, modern lifestyle factors such as chronic stress, sleep deprivation, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise inhibit the body's natural self-healing functions.

Some of the latest medical research is focused on harnessing the processes the human body uses to prevent and heal diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. That's exciting, and it underscores just how powerful our innate healing ability is.

But we don't need to wait for that research to benefit.

What does your body need most right now? 🌿

18/01/2024

Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal. With nourishing foods, ample water, adequate sleep, daily movement/exercise and time in nature, balance can be restored. 💚

01/09/2023

Another excellent video from Dr. Hyman covering four pervasive food myths that not only create weight-loss roadblocks, but can actually damage your health. The good news is that understanding how our bodies utilize the foods we eat can make it easier to achieve our health goals. If you feel like you've been doing everything right but you're not seeing the results you'd expect, take a few minutes to watch this video!

31/08/2023

Do you have chronic pain?

Diet may be a factor.

Our dietary choices can both exacerbate and alleviate pain.

How?

The short answer is inflammation.

Many chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, and back pain, are caused by inflammation.

Studies have found that certain foods can trigger an inflammatory response in the body and worsen pain symptoms.

Processed foods high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats are major drivers of inflammation.

To reduce inflammation and alleviate pain, an anti-inflammatory diet (emphasizing whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fish) can be very beneficial.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, chia seeds, and flaxseeds) are especially beneficial due to their potent anti-inflammatory properties.

Other fantastic anti-inflammatory foods and spices include berries, broccoli, avocados, bell and chili peppers, green tea, ginger, turmeric, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate and cocoa.

Experiment with adding more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet and see whether it makes a difference for you!

Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/

19/05/2023

Women are society’s “shock absorbers".

This is how Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician, addiction and trauma expert, and author described what is happening to women in a podcast I listened to recently.

Compared to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from depression and other mental health issues, represent 80% of autoimmune disease cases, and are much more susceptible to chronic illness and chronic pain.

What is driving this phenomenon?

According to Dr. Maté, it's the high degree of stress women experience in modern society, and the fact that women tend to absorb the stress of their partners and children on top of their own.

Recent research supports this explanation.

According to a review article published last month in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, stress is an important risk factor for modern chronic diseases and "compared to men, women appear to have greater susceptibility to chronic forms of psychosocial stress."

The article notes that "psychosocial stress dependent diseases include major depressive disorder (MDD), obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, osteoporosis, cancers and cardiovascular disease (CVD)."

This underscores the reality that for women, managing stress is critically important for overall health.

Fortunately, there are many ways we can improve our ability to handle stress and reduce stress-related health risks.

A nutrient-dense diet, exercise, meditation, journaling, time in nature and quality time with family and friends have all been shown to bolster our stress response and/or reduce the level of stress we experience.

Stress may be inevitable, but adverse health impacts from stress are not. ❤️

References:
"Dr. Gabor Maté on The Mental Health Crisis", Feel Better Live More podcast, May 17 2023, https://drchatterjee.com/dr-gabor-mate-on-the-mental-health-crisis-the-real-causes-and-why-prince-harry-is-no-different-to-the-rest-of-us/

"The sex-dependent response to psychosocial stress and ischaemic heart disease.", Front. Cardiovasc. Med., April 21 2023 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1072042/full

18/04/2023

So true. It’s all connected.

Thank you, Dr. Melissa Sell

13/04/2023

All kidding aside, diets are problematic.

While some popular diets do have research to back them up, most tend to focus on "quick fixes" which don't produce lasting results.

According to experts, as many as 80-95% of dieters gain back the weight they've worked so hard to lose.

Since excess weight has been linked to an increase in the risk of many diseases and health issues, this is a very sad reality with long-term health impacts.

One of the biggest reasons diets fail is because they are too restrictive and require patterns of eating that aren't sustainable.

Because of this, they generally don't lead to lasting changes in the way we eat.

Once people return to their regular way of eating, more often than not they gain the weight back.

If diets don't work, what does?

Creating healthy, sustainable eating habits.

Think about what you typically eat (better yet, keep a food journal for a few days!) and look for small, sustainable ways to improve your nutrition.

Find healthier versions of your "go to" foods that you actually like (that's important!).

Add some veggies to each meal.

Keep healthy snacks available for when cravings hit.

Replace sugary drinks with water, mineral water, or herbal tea.

Ditch dieting and adopt the mindset of "I am going to take care of myself by eating healthy foods". ❤️

01/04/2023

❤️

31/03/2023

It's estimated that 20% of US adults live with some type of chronic pain.

Conventional treatment typically involves pain medication along with other therapies, but the role of diet is (more often than not) overlooked.

Of course, since chronic pain often stems from inflammation, it's not surprising that potent anti-inflammatory foods can help.

There's a long list of foods that have been shown to fight inflammation, but in addition to the foods in the graphic, turmeric, ginger, bone broth, and salmon deserve a special mention.

Since inflammation is one of the primary drivers of disease in general, incorporating a few of these foods into daily meals is a smart choice from a preventative standpoint as well.

Chronic pain is something that can make daily living extremely difficult, but luckily there are incredible foods at our fingertips that can help.

Chronic pain often stems from inflammation in the body and even overactive immune responses. Here are 5 foods with powerful anti-inflammatory abilities.

✅ Spinach
✅ Chile Peppers
✅ Blueberries
✅ Green Tea
✅ Oranges

Learn more about foods for fighting disease by downloading my Grandslammer Foods List at the link below!

https://mailchi.mp/drwilliamli/grandslammer-download

29/03/2023

Replace FOMO with JOMO (the joy of missing out) ❤️

it's not just about what you feed your body. what are you serving your head and your heart? learn the science and art of JOMO (joy of missing out).  
  
link in bio for Gut Feelings, my new book, my protocol to regulate the nervous system, strengthen the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic, calm stress hormones and gut stress.   
  

28/03/2023

Nutritional support can make a big difference for kids (and adults!) on the autism spectrum!

A recent scientific review looked at the evidence for using vitamins, minerals, and cofactors in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In this review, researchers found that individuals on the autism spectrum often have inadequate nutrient intake (due to food/sensory sensitivities and other feeding issues), lower blood levels of vitamins and other micronutrients, higher rates of micronutrient deficiencies, and reduced levels of vitamins in the brain.

The use of nutritional therapies (i.e. dietary modifications and supplements) in ASD can help improve gut, brain, and overall health, which in turn enhances the effectiveness of other therapeutic interventions.

There are many micronutrient imbalances that play a role in autism (i.e., Vitamins A, C, D, E, the B vitamins, as well as zinc, magnesium, and other minerals and cofactors), and the research shows that correcting these imbalances can lead to significant improvements in cognitive, social/emotional and behavioral functioning.

One of the key findings of the review was the importance of personalizing vitamin, mineral, and cofactor supplementation to the needs of the individual.

On a personal note, my autistic son has benefited tremendously from nutritional interventions targeted to his specific needs, as have my ASD clients.

You can read the full review here: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/2/252

If you are the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, or an autistic adult, and you have questions about nutritional support, I’d love to connect with you. Contact me and let me know how I can help!

References:
"The Rationale for Vitamin, Mineral, and Cofactor Treatment in the Precision Medical Care of Autism Spectrum Disorder", Journal of Personalized Medicine, January 2023 - https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/13/2/252

Photo by Peter Burdon on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/