Emotional contagion is the tendency for two individuals to emotionally converge. One view developed by Elaine Hatfield et al. is that this can be done through automatic mimicry and synchronization of one’s expressions, vocalizations, postures and movements with those of another person.[1] When people unconsciously mimic their companions’ expressions of emotion, they come to feel reflections of those companions’ emotions.[1] Emotions can be shared across individuals in many different ways both implicitly or explicitly. For instance, conscious reasoning, analysis and imagination have all been found to contribute to the phenomenon.[1] Emotional contagion is important to personal relationships because it fosters emotional synchrony between individuals. A broader definition of the phenomenon was suggested by Schoenewolf: “a process in which a person or group influences the emotions or behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotion states and behavioral attitudes”.
Month: May 2015
allostatic load
The allostatic load is “the wear and tear on the body” which grows over time when the individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress.[1] It represents the physiological consequences of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine response that results from repeated or chronic stress.[2] The term was coined by McEwen and Stellar in 1993.[3]
It is used to explain how frequent activation of the body’s stress response, essential for managing acute threats, can in fact damage the body in the long run. Allostatic load is generally measured through a composite index of indicators of cumulative strain on several organs and tissues, but especially on the cardiovascular system.
Hormone Imbalance
Hormone Imbalance,Thyroid Regulation & Bipolar Disorder
October 23, 2012 by
Leslie Carol Botha: Very fascinating research and writing on a little known connection between bipolar disorder and thyroid functioning.
Thyroid and Bipolar Disorder
PsychEducation.org
(Reviewed and minor revisions 12/2011)
detoxifying your liver and kidneys
Your liver and kidneys are vital organs that help process and filter out food, medications, alcohol and other substances that enter your body. What you take into your body can pollute your liver and kidneys, make it hard for them to function properly. This can lead to innumerable kinds of complications, including renal failure, kidney stones, liver cirrhosis and hepatitis.
Exercising and eating the right kinds of foods are key to effectively detoxifying your liver and kidneys.
Step 1
Acidity helps detoxify the liver while helping it break down fats. It also helps prevent kidney stones from forming.
Step 2
Tannin works by helping your liver remove cholesterol out of your blood while flushing out bacteria and toxins from your kidneys.
Step 3
Add one serving of artichokes to your daily diet. Artichokes contain cynarin and chlorogenic acid that help protect and strengthen the liver while helping the kidneys filter out toxins from the blood and excrete them in urine.
Step 4
Exercise at least 30 minutes daily to strengthen your cardiovascular system. This will help improve blood flow and oxygen to your liver and kidneys while helping them process out toxins fast. Make sure to consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.
How to Use a Pressure Cooker – MOTHER EARTH NEWS
Agvocates
From cotton, wheat and forestry to cattle, pigs and poultry; Farmers and Ranchers all across the country are becoming more and more transparent while taking active roles in social media, through blogs, facebook and twitter.
Meat MythCrushers
The Campaign for Food Justice Now
Prominent food researcher Patricia Allen finds promise in the movement, but also raises concerns about the effects of alternative economic strategies that are found in community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers market models
and the possibility that these types of “designer” food production schemes may create a two-tiered food system built upon class differences.
She also critiques the movement’s view that using food assistance programs is “dependence,” pointing out that in antihunger perspectives food is viewed as a right to be fulfilled by the state if the market, or for us the self-reliant community, fails.
Published on Mar 4, 2013
LaDonna Redmond is the founder and executive director of The Campaign for Food Justice Now. Previously, she was part of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in 2011 as the Senior Program Associate in Food and Justice. A long-time community activist, she has successfully worked to get Chicago Public Schools to evaluate junk food, launched urban agriculture projects, started a community grocery store, and worked on federal farm policy to expand access to healthy food in low-income communities. In 2009, she was one of 25 citizen and business leaders named a Responsibility Pioneer by Time Magazine. In 2007, she was awarded a Green For All Fellowship. LaDonna was also a 2003-2005 IATP Food and Society Fellow. Redmond is a frequently invited speaker, and currently hosts the weekly Monday evening radio program “It’s Your Health” on 89.9 KMOJ, The People’s Station. LaDonna attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Accessing healthy food is a challenge for many Americans—particularly those living in low-income neighborhoods, communities of color, and rural areas.
A 2009 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 23.5 million people lack access to a supermarket within a mile of their home.
A recent multistate study found that low-income census tracts had half as many supermarkets as wealthy tracts. Another multistate study found that eight percent of African Americans live in a tract with a supermarket, compared to 31 percent of whites. And a nationwide analysis found there are 418 rural “food desert” counties where all residents live more than 10 miles from a supermarket or supercenter— this is 20 percent of rural counties.
Researchers find that residents who live near supermarkets or in areas where food markets selling fresh produce (supermarkets, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, etc.) outnumber food stores that generally do not (such as corner stores) have lower rates of diet-related diseases than their counterparts in neighborhoods lacking food access.
2015 Dietary Guidelines
Dietary Guidelines
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages individuals to eat a healthful diet — one that focuses on foods and beverages that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent chronic disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jointly publish the Dietary Guidelines every 5 years. Learn more:
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) submitted the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (Advisory Report) to the Secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in February 2015. The purpose of the Advisory Report is to inform the Federal government of current scientific evidence on topics related to diet, nutrition, and health. It provides the Federal government with a foundation for developing national nutrition policy. However, the Advisory Report is not the Dietary Guidelines for Americans policy or a draft of the policy. The Federal government will determine how it will use the information in the Advisory Report as the government develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. HHS and USDA will jointly release the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 later this year.
Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
Each section of the Advisory Report below links to text for that section. A printable PDF is also provided. The PDF provides page and line numbers that the public can use when submitting written comments.
Letter to the Secretaries – [Download as a PDF – 422KB]
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Membership – [Download as a PDF – 114KB]
Part A: Executive Summary – [Download as a PDF – 283KB]
Part B: Setting the Stage and Integrating the Evidence
- Chapter 1: Introduction – [Download as a PDF – 505KB]
- Chapter 2: 2015 DGAC Themes and Recommendations: Integrating the Evidence – [Download as a PDF – 89KB]
Part C: Methodology – [Download as a PDF – 143KB]
Part D: Science Base
- Chapter 1: Food and Nutrient Intakes, and Health: Current Status and Trends – [Download as a PDF – 5.6MB]
- Chapter 2: Dietary Patterns, Foods and Nutrients, and Health Outcomes – [Download as a PDF – 952KB]
- Chapter 3: Individual Diet and Physical Activity Behavior Change – [Download as a PDF – 276KB]
- Chapter 4: Food Environment and Settings – [Download as a PDF – 607KB]
- Chapter 5: Food Sustainability and Safety – [Download as a PDF – 837KB]
- Chapter 6: Cross-Cutting Topics of Public Health Importance – [Download as a PDF – 305KB]
Population with Diagnosed Diabetes
Age-Adjusted Rate per 100 of Civilian, Noninstitutionalized
The data show that blacks are disproportionately affected by diabetes. From 1980 through 2011, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased among all sex-race groups examined. From 1980 through 2011, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was higher among blacks than whites, and highest in general among black females. During this time period, the age-adjusted prevalence increased 160% (from 2.5% to 6.5%) among white males, 108% (from 2.6% to 5.4%) among white females, 148% (from 4.0% to 9.9%) among black males, and 84% (from 4.9% to 9.0%) among black females. Among Asians, from 1997 through 2011, the age-adjusted prevalence increased 81% (from 4.3% to 7.8%) among males and 49% (from 3.7% to 5.5%) among females.