Category Archive

A growing number of children are being diagnosed and medicated at an early age for anxiety and depression. A few recommendations for raising resilient kids:

1. Spend as much time as you can with your kids while they are still living with you, while you have the opportunity to help them grow up.
2. Be nonjudgmental and have open communication.
3. Being present for your children isn’t about doing things for them excessively or helicopter parenting. It is about helping them learn to deal with experiences that are overwhelming for them.
4. Look at yourself and what you value. How do you define success in your child’s life? Shouldn’t it involve their being happy and mentally balanced?
5. There is a connection between mental health issues and parents who are distracted. Even adolescents need attention.
6. Social media can create anxiety and make children feel self-conscious.

Source: Weinhouse, B. Columbia Magazine, Winter 2023-2024, p. 50.

Foods that specifically boost your body’s sleep mechanisms are:

• tryptophan-rich protein sources like turkey, clams, and tofu
• foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon and chia seeds
• complex carbohydrates provided in oats and buckwheat
• and a variety of spices, like ginger and turmeric

It is appropriate to eat tryptophan foods throughout the day, not just before bed. Nutrients from food are not available immediately to your body. It takes hours for food to break down and move through the digestive tract, particularly proteins.

It is generally recommended to finish meals about three hours before bed. However, it is difficult to go to bed hungry, so a light snack of about 150 calories can be eaten at bedtime. What about alcohol? Alcohol is a sedative but can also cause you to wake up throughout the night. What about caffeine? Caffeine in foods like coffee, tea, and chocolate provide important nutrients. It takes between four and six hours to metabolize half of your intake of caffeine. For most people, it is a good rule to stick to decaffeinated options after lunchtime.

Source: St-Onge, M. P. “The Good-Sleep Diet”. Columbia, Spring/Summer, 2025.

Summer brings lovely weather BUT also biting bugs!!  Most are just itchy nuisances but a few carry distinct health risks and require attention.

MOSQUITOES are the standard summer itch and are active during warm humid months, especially dusk and dawn.
Bite causes mild irritation that heals in a few days. They can carry diseases (WEST NILE and DENGUE).
Appearance of red puffy bumps shortly after bite (usually ankles / arms / neck / legs).
Avoid scratching and breaking skin (this can cause secondary infection)
Apply cool compresses and anti-itch cream (hydrocortisone)

TICKS are small pests but bigger threats! Lurk in tall grasses, brush, wooded areas and latch on to warm usually
hidden spots (knee, groin, scalp). Their saliva contains a natural numbing agent so painless bite!
Symptoms can appear 3-30 days AFTER the bite, need to be attached to body 36-48 hours to infect.
DO DAILY TICK check after gardening, hikes or adventures in wooded areas.

Early signs: Bullseye rash, and flu like symptoms.
Late signs: Joint pain, fever, headaches, muscle weakness.

BEST TREATMENT is prevention!  Wear LIGHT colored clothes that cover up body parts. (Can SEE the tick)
Shower after coming in from suspected areas. DO BODY check.
REMOVE TICK (do not use petroleum jelly or burn off) Grasp tick with tweezers as close to body and pull straight up. Clean area well with soap and water and alcohol to disinfect.
TREATMENT:  Antibiotics are effective (14 days) and blood tests may be ordered if symptoms persist.

BEES / WASPS especially seen around flower beds, trash, and outside foods
Sharp pain followed by red swollen welts. The honeybee leaves a “white” spot in the center where stinger is.
The stinger should NOT be squeezed but SCRAPE with fingernail or credit card-type material.

FIRE ANTS aggressive and swarming unlike normal ants. They ATTACK if their mound is disturbed, and bite to anchor themselves on your body and repeatedly sting.
Results in pus-filled blisters in 24 hours.
Treatment consists of removing ants, washing with soap and water, applying cool compress and anti-itch cream.

CHIGGERS. INVISIBLE trekkers!! Microscopic mite larvae found in tall weeds and grasses, grassy fields.
Intense itch in affected areas, especially love warm feet and ankles . Wash well with hot soap and water!

SPIDERS . Pennsylvania hosts a variety of spiders most are harmless and actually beneficial for control of house and garden pests.
   House / Cellar spiders (daddy long legs) harmless and prefer dark, undisturbed corners.
   Orb Weavers, harmless and known for their beautiful wheel -shaped garden webs
Jumping Spiders, harmless and rarely bite
Treatments: Keep area of cellars and dark spots clean and clutter free. Wash bites with soap and water.

VENOMOUS Spiders: Require caution.
Black Widow:  Black with distinct red or orange hourglass shape on underside. Venom contains neurotoxin and  requires immediate attention.
Brown Recluse: Rare in Pa. but occasionally spotted. Light brown with violin shape on back. Seek medical attention.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!!!! Be safe and enjoy the summer!

New dietary guidelines were developed by the CDC in 2025 (find the new diagram on the United States Government’s “Real Food” website (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030). A brief summary of changes is as follows:

Avoid highly processed foods including sugar-sweetened beverages, salty or sweet packaged snacks, and ready-to-eat foods. No one meal should contain more than 10 grams of sugars. Priority foods are fiber-rich foods.

Protein intake increased from 13-56 grams per day to now 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. There are plenty of ways to get protein including animal sources like eggs, poultry, and seafood, or plant-based sources like beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy. Protein does add additional calories as compared to other nutrients such as vegetables.

There is contradictory guidance on healthy fats. Saturated fats should not exceed 10% of fat consumption, however, on the new pyramid steak, meat, cheese, and butter are prominent at the top.

Includes limiting alcohol consumption with no clear limits. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association have come out and recommended avoiding alcohol completely. It’s always going to be a personal choice, but it is a surprise that the dietary guidelines didn’t come down stronger on this.

The challenges facing our world today are exploding. Couple that with life’s “usual issues” and you have the formula for sadness and depressing thoughts.

Staying healthy mentally (along with physically and spiritually) involves a combination of factors!

Key strategies :
1. Stay socially connected! (see the March article for excellent ideas.)

2. Challenge the brain! “Use it or lose it” applies! The brain needs exercise to stimulate new neural pathways.
Learn a new language /instrument / exercise / puzzle. Ditch the repeated familiar routines.

3. Manage stress and mental health. Small acts of kindness make a huge impact. Volunteer!!!! Service is a powerful antidote to loneliness or feeling down. (Explore opportunities such as Meals on Wheels / school projects / neighbor help).
Gather around food, music, and/or sports to provide diversion, joy, and human connection.

4. Prioritize sleep: 7-9 hours for older adults is suggested to allow brain to process information and clear toxins.

5. Adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle and get regular checkups!

6. Take time for gratitude and meditations with your God, who loves you and died on the cross to save you.

We need to cultivate a positive outlook and find our purpose, perhaps even rebuilding our social fabric to adapt to the changes we experience with the years. Birth and death are not endings in the story of life, but a doorway to transition .
In-between lies the most important choice of WHO YOU CHOOSE TO BE!
If you feel like nothing good ever happens TO YOU, maybe YOU are the good that happens to others! Embrace the kindness of words and the safe place you offer.

Remember sadness, depression, and anxiety are not a normal part of aging. Practice some of the strategy suggested. Seek professional help if those feelings overwhelm you.