Soybean Oil Linked to Brain Changes
Recent research from the University of California, Riverside, highlights potential dangers associated with soybean oil consumption, suggesting it may negatively affect brain health. The study, which followed earlier findings linking soybean oil to obesity and diabetes in mice, reveals that this commonly used oil can alter the hypothalamus—an area of the brain crucial for hormone […]
Birthing Experiences can Change Development
Razi Berry It is an experience we all share, as miraculous as it is mysterious. Birth. Today, roughly one in three births in the United States occurs via cesarean section or C-section. In some other countries across the globe, like Brazil and Turkey, this percentage is even higher. Yet little is known about how delivery […]
Jealousy can Protect or Destroy a Relationship
Razi Berry Jealousy is powerful Our bodies actually experience jealousy through physiological responses. The body has specific neural pathways and chemical responses that are elicited when a situation that triggers jealousy occurs. Most people value monogamous relationships. As a species, we value commitment to a single partner. Many people end up in long-term committed relationships. […]
Love at First Sight: It Only Takes One-Fifth of a Second to Fall in Love
Razi Berry I’d been hit! And then everything went silent; Love at first sight It’s 1988 and just past lunchtime on campus of my suburban high school. My jeans probably had zippers on the ankles and my bangs were probably curled under and fluffed. I was probably wearing puffy sleeves. The final bell began to […]
Love Makes Sex More Enjoyable for Women
Razi Berry Love certainly isn’t a prerequisite for sexual desire I’ll go ahead and assume that if you’re human, you’ve likely experienced an overwhelming sexual desire for someone you didn’t even know. Laying eyes on someone you’re attracted to can almost instantly evoke strong feelings of desire. Sometimes this attraction evolves into deeper feelings of […]
Anandamide: An Endocannabinoid and “bliss molecule”
Razi Berry Hemp and cannabis products such as CBD oil are becoming increasingly popular in the natural health market. The active components of cannabis and hemp are cannabinoids – THC and cannabidiol are the most prevalent and well known. But the human body actually produces its own cannabinoids, endocannabinoids. A neurotransmitter and the “bliss molecule” One […]
Can Oxytocin Help Strengthen Romantic Relationships in Times of Vulnerability?
Razi Berry Crack open your heart and let the love in If you’ve ever felt vulnerable in a relationship, you’re certainly not alone. It isn’t exactly the easiest thing to share our innermost selves with our partners. Opening up to someone else can be scary. What if someone finds out who we really are…and rejects […]
3 powerful ways to reduce stress, as approved by children
Dr Catherine Clinton, ND We know the impact stress can have on our body in the long term and we’re just beginning to understand what chronic stress or trauma can do to the health of a child over their lifetime. Emotional Freedom Technique, breath work, chanting, heart rate variability, visualizations and meditations are wonderful tools […]
Science Supports Loving-Kindness
Node Smith, ND It’s Positively Science It’s always great to read scientific research that is being done on positive emotions, treating people with kindness and compassion and other socially enhancing factors. A recent study1 has looked at the genetic differences of how people experience positive emotion based on oxytocin signaling in the body. As it […]
Oxytocin and Dopamine: The Rewards of Sociability
Node Smith, ND “With so much hatred and anger in the world, what could possibly be more important than understanding the mechanisms in the brain that make us want to be friendly with other people?” Robert Malenka, MD, PhD This quote came from an interview with Robert Malenka, MD, PhD, professor and associate chair of psychiatry […]