Understanding the Lymphatic System The lymphatic system is one of those parts of the body that works quietly in the background until something draws our attention to it. I think of it as part of the body’s cleanup and defense network, although its job is more complicated than simply removing waste. It moves a clear
When Your Body Feels More Balanced, the Benefits Can Ripple Outward Read More »
The Chair Can Become Too Comfortable The older I get, the more I understand that the body was made to move, even when life gives us plenty of reasons to sit still. We sit while watching television, using the computer, reading, driving, eating, talking, and sometimes simply because getting comfortable feels good. There is nothing
When Sitting Too Long Starts Talking Back to the Body Read More »
When Belief Became Physical I came across a remarkable medical story about a man who believed he had taken enough antidepressant medication to seriously harm himself. Not long afterward, his blood pressure dropped dangerously low, his heart began racing, and his body showed signs of severe distress. He was sweating, trembling, breathing rapidly, and frightening
The Stories We Tell Ourselves Can Reach the Body Read More »
When the Research Became Personal I came across the story of neuroscientist James Fallon, and what caught my attention was how quickly a scientific investigation became a personal one. Fallon was a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studied brain imaging and became interested in patterns associated with serious antisocial and violent behavior.
The Brain Scan That Made a Scientist Look at Himself Read More »
Stretching Is More Than Touching Your Toes Most of us learned stretching in a pretty simple way. We reached for our toes, pulled an arm across our chest, held the position for a few seconds, and moved on. There is nothing wrong with that kind of stretching, and it can still be useful. But our
Moving in Every Direction: Staying Strong, Flexible, and Independent Read More »
When Another Tragedy Appears on the Screen There may come a time when something terrible appears on your phone and, instead of stopping to take it in, you simply scroll past it. It may be another death, another war, another family torn apart, or another injustice that would have once stayed on your mind for
When the Heart Becomes Too Full to Feel Read More »
The Quiet Struggle With Sleep So many of us know what it is like to go to bed tired and discover that sleep has no intention of cooperating. The body may be worn out, but the mind is still carrying on like somebody forgot to tell it the day was over. Thoughts about family, work,
When the Body Forgets How to Rest Read More »
Burnout Does Not Always Look Like a Breakdown When people hear the word burnout, they often picture somebody reaching a dramatic breaking point where one morning they simply cannot keep going. Real burnout can be much quieter than that and may develop while a person still appears to be handling everything just fine. They keep
When Being Tired Becomes Something Deeper: Recognizing and Recovering From Burnout Read More »
More Than the Body’s Detox Organ The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the human body, and its responsibilities go far beyond what we commonly call detoxification. It processes nutrients from food and helps determine how those nutrients are stored or used for energy. It also helps regulate blood sugar, produces bile for
The Liver’s Quiet Role in Midlife Health Read More »
Introduction Every person carries a story. Some chapters are filled with love, joy, success, and moments we wish could last forever. Other chapters are marked by pain, loss, betrayal, disappointment, and hardships we never asked to face. Those experiences can leave deep emotional, psychological, and even physical scars that shape the way we see ourselves
Trauma Is a Chapter, Not the Title of Your Life Read More »