Mindfully Healing

Study tests if western diet contributes to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Poor diet and inactivity probably account for around one-quarter of cases of Alzheimer’s disease, recent research finds. Now, a new study suggests that a ‘western diet’ may well be a contributing factor to Alzheimer’s. The study’s authors describe the typical western diet: “A western diet tends to include highly processed, less expensive fast food, that has a high fat content and simple carbohydrates while lacking essential nutrients from complex grains, fruits and vegetables.” Scientists at Tufts University

Thomas was proud of his young son “Roger’s” remarkable knowledge of birds. Roger’s grandmother, an avid bird watcher, had shared birding books and toy bird replicas with the boy when he was young, and he had shown such great enthusiasm for the topic that at age 3, Roger could identify more than 50 types of birds. But when the boy was diagnosed with autism, a therapist took a more guarded view of Roger’s intense interest. The therapist described the boy’s constant chatter about birds as “stimming”—short for self-stimulating behavior. Suddenly,

A walk around the park will work, but this could be more fun! A form of rock climbing called ‘bouldering’ is an effective treatment for depression symptoms, new research finds. Bouldering involves climbing walls or rocks to a moderate height with no ropes or harnesses. The study was inspired by German hospitals, some of which have started using climbing as a treatment for depression. People in the study — most of whom were new to rock climbing — were split into two groups. Those in the rock climbing group did