Tag Archives: Mental Health

Did Visalus Shakes Play a Role in the Jet Blue Pilot Outburst?

Last week the national news was littered with stories and even a cellphone video of Jet Blue pilot Clayton Osbon having an apparent psychiatric episode mid-flight and having to be detained by passengers while the plane made an emergency landing. As Osbon was formally charged by the courts this week, the mystery behind his actions still remains.

Clayton Frederick Osbon, 49, was charged in the U.S. District court yesterday. He’s charged with interfering with in-flight crew members. If convicted, Osbon could face a 20 year sentence and a $250,000 fine.

Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chief of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center, shared his thoughts about what may have taken place last week. Liberman felt Osbon either had a psychotic disorder, a neurological event, or was intoxicated by a substance. From information at the scene, Lieberman suggested that substance influence may have been the culprit.

Because Osbon is a direct marketer for health shakes sold by Visalus Sciences, Liberman made educated speculations from that fact. (more…)

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Lacy

Betty Draper’s Weight Gain Reflects Modern Weight Struggles [PHOTO]

Questions loomed last week during the two-hour premiere of Mad Men’s season five – where’s Betty? However, it didn’t take long for the sexiest blonde on the show to make her appearance in tonight’s second episode. Where was she? Likely in make-up putting on a body suit that has been likened on Twitter to that of Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal. However, this is not the same Betty we’ve come to know and love. We could say she was curvy, but really, Betty was just heavy. Christina Hendricks has curves!

Donning a body suit to make her appear much, much heavier than the model-esque woman who was married to Don Draper, January Jones’ character would likely be humiliated if she knew how Twitter was responding to her new figure.

At first, we thought it was just the over-sized pink robe the now Betty Francis was wearing. Then, admittedly having not watched season four, considered for a moment that she was pregnant with a fourth child. However, when her mother-in-law brazenly calls her out for her weight in not so many words, we had to face the truth that Betty had put on weight. After failing to squeeze herself in to an ill-fitting dress and canceling an attendance with her husband to a social event, Betty climbed in bed and felt sorry for herself. (more…)

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Natalie K

Intuitive Eating Shifts the Paradigm of Dieting

At any point in time, one in three women and one in five men in the United States are on some kind of diet. Most dieters opt for traditional programs that count nutrients or servings of food or actually specify which foods to eat. Those diets produce short-term weight loss, but two or three years later, 95 percent of traditional dieters regain the weight. But the diet industry manages to hold on because hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Research shows that starvation, whether from natural causes or intentional dieting, increases the risk of overeating and binge eating disorder (binge eating disorder is a distinct entity and not the same as overeating.) On-again, off-again dieters regain lost weight by over-eating in-between periods of restrictive dieting. The human body is simply programmed to respond to starvation by hoarding food when it becomes available.

On-again, off-again dieters develop a “dieting mindset.” They lose touch with their thresholds for taste and fullness. For example, when normal eaters eat sweets or a meal, they cross over a threshold and lose their desire for more sweets or food. Chronic dieters, on the other hand, learn to ignore those signals. They decide when, what, and how much to eat based on whether they are on or off a diet. That leaves them susceptible to eating in response to external cues, like TV commercials and food pushers, and to non-food cues such as boredom and unpleasant feelings. (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Natalie K

Oprah and Transcendental Meditation: How it will Help with Weight Loss

Sunday Night, Oprah‘s network aired her show, “Next Chapter.” The show went into depth covering Transcendental Meditation or TM. The Huffington Post says that Winfrey, while speaking with Dr. Oz last year, described having more of a spiritual than bodily fulfillment, and that the practice of Transcendental Mediation was part of her overall attempt to “connect with that which is God.” 

If you are not aware of TM, it is a simple form of meditation practiced 20 minutes twice a day. It is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India. It was created by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about 50 years ago.

It is not specific to a religion or lifestyle and many celebrities practice TM, including Oprah. There are more than five million people worldwide that practice this form of meditation, making it one of the more popular versions.

It is unique from other forms of meditation because unlike other styles that have you focus on your breathing or a single thought, it allows your mind to naturally transcend without forcing it to go somewhere in particular. (more…)

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Kristina

Hawaii has the Highest Well-being Ranking, West Virginia Last

The 2026 Gallup-Healthways Well-being results are out. There was very little difference in the results from 2026 to 2026. In terms of residents’ well-being, Hawaii grabbed the number one spot for the third year in a row. West Virgina residents reported the lowest well-being this year. The Well-being Index scores are calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, 100 being ideal well-being. The states are “graded” in six categories to create their total score. Hawaii scored 70.2 while West Virgina scored 62.3. The nation as a whole scored 66.2.

Throughout the country, the western states continue to have the highest scores, while the southern states score the lowest. The six categories that are measured include life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behavior, and healthy access.

(more…)

Posted on February 29, 2026 by Lacy

5 Simple Ways to Recharge and Have More Energy

We all feel tired, drained and lethargic from time to time. Whether it’s due to cabin fever, a slow day at work, or a lack of sleep, feeling low on energy is no fun. When you have energy, life just seems a bit more enjoyable.

If you need a boost, practice one or all of the following simple ideas to recharge your batteries without needing to spend money or exert much effort. Take a few moments and put the perk back in your presence. You will be surprised to learn that a little bit goes a long way.

Unplug for Daily Digital Detox

Staring incessantly into a computer screen can be hard on your eyes and tiresome for the brain, so devote a few hours each day to backing away from the computer. Feeling compelled to answer every email or check every Facebook status update is also draining because it pulls us away from living joyfully in the present moment. Turn off your iPhone, shut down your computer, and notice your energy levels begin to rise. (more…)

Posted on February 29, 2026 by Jill

Five Foods to Help You Fight Stress from Joy Bauer

whole and sliced grapefruitsWhen we’re stressed out, the foods we typically think of reaching for are not the healthiest, from chips to ice cream. These foods made “feel good” as we eat them, but they’re probably not doing much for biological factors that make us feel stressed out. Instead, try these five foods from Today Show nutritionist Joy Bauer.

1. Grapefruit

We all know vitamin C is important for the immune system, but did you know it can help fight stress? Research has shown that this vitamin can help reduce the affects stress have on the body, such as raising blood pressure. Fresh grapefruit is one of the best ways to get a daily dose.

2. Steel Cut Oats

The carbohydrate in oatmeal stimulates the production of serotonin, which helps you relax and feel good. Steel-cut oats are best because they’re minimally processed, and cause a slow rise in blood sugar, not a spike.

(more…)

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Health Buzz

Practicing Yoga Offers Instant Gratification with Immediate Health Benefits

Instant gratification is attractive when it comes to fitness and weight loss. It is no surprise the diet and exercise equipment companies that flaunt quick results are the most successful at grabbing the attention and dollars of millions of consumers. There are people who don’t want to work very hard at getting fit or losing weight, and as a result they buy in to the latest pill or product that is going to make it easy, only to be let down and dissatisfied later.

However, I am a firm believer that with some things, a little bit can go a long way. In yoga for example, some benefits are felt instantly, and with little effort. While yoga is not necessarily the most efficient way to burn calories or increase cardiovascular stamina, it does indirectly improve overall health and wellbeing, and it doesn’t take much to notice results.

For those of you who are in need of some immediate benefits, you might be interested in learning about the following side effects you will notice instantly from practicing a little yoga. (more…)

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Jill

Winning Prescription for Breast Cancer Recovery: Keep it Simple, Stupid

When I first began my breast cancer journey, I couldn’t get enough input of what to expect and craved glimpses through the journey of others. I wanted to know what mine would be like. Now that I am finishing up the middle part—chemo—I have some room for reflection on my journey thus far.

Deciding to have the mastectomy was the easiest part of this journey, for me. I wanted to have the least possible chance of the breast cancer coming back and I figured it would be a great opportunity to sculpt my body. What woman wouldn’t want that? Dealing with the pain from the mastectomy and the reconstruction, now that was a whole other story of survival, whew! I have a high pain tolerance, but believe me; pills were in plenty of supply. The only thing that I had to worry about was taking too many or staying on them for too long, but my husband kept that in check.

Getting chemo was a HUGE stressor for me. I lost 10 pounds before the first treatment from stress and worry alone. Then I had the first one, gauged my body’s reaction, and moved on to the next and the next. Now, I’m at the end, the last one YEAH! (more…)

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Carol

Recovering from Post-Super Bowl Depression

You have heard of postpartum depression. You may have heard of post-nuptial depression. You might have even heard of post-adoption depression syndrome. Today, I am introducing the idea of a post-Super Bowl depression. There are hormonal changes involved with postpartum depression, but there are other contributing factors that all of these share, as well as factors unique to each. Below are six things you can do to help you recover from Super Bowl XLVI and avoid post-Super Bowl depression, whether you were cheering for the Giants or the Patriots.

Eat Healthy Food – Let’s face it you probably have not been eating the purest diet in the last couple of weeks. You have likely ended up eating a lot of snacks and food on the go. I saw a tweet from @EatThisNotThat that said Americans eat more on Super Bowl Sunday than they do on any other day, except Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, this probably includes low nutritional value items high in processed ingredients. The more nutritional your food is the more physical energy you will have and the more emotional energy you will have as well.

Find Something to Anticipate – After such an exciting week and intense game, getting back to the daily grind is likely to feel like a grind. Some may feel accomplished in being productive again, but others may be left thinking “now what?”. Investing so much energy into planning an event is one of the reasons that post-anything-depression exists. My secret to making it through the winter is to plan for and celebrate the next thing. I can find a holiday or special even every couple of weeks. Valentine’s Day may or not be something for you to anticipate, but Mardi Gras is coming up or the more creative may enjoy the lists of something to celebrate every day. (more…)

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Brooke Randolph

The Holistic Approach to a Healthy Heart

By Kelly Canull, an online soul and life coach at KellyCanull.com.

Every year, heart disease claims more and more lives. Countless people have had their journeys needlessly cut short. Even more people have been unable to receive the mindful and soulful benefits of having those people in their lives. Heart disease and other violent matters of the physical body are working against us, keeping us from fulfilling our destinies, and from touching the lives of those we know and love.

The Holistic Approach to a Healthy Heart

Your health is the most important tool you have in your pursuit of a higher purpose in life. And I’m not just talking about your body. Your mind, body, and spirit all require a healthy prognosis in order to reach their full potential.

The holistic student is one who understands that everything is connected. A symptom cannot be treated on its own in the holistic setting, because its mal-effects are able to travel across borders and infect every facet of your life, even if that doesn’t seem quite possible.

For instance, when you get a stomach bug, your physical body becomes worn down, which in turn darkens your mind, and even corrupts the light of your spirit. One cannot have the body treated and ignore the mind and spirit.

Your heart is a special place. Each of us is born with a guide, a Divine Guide, which helps conduct us through life in a purposeful manner and leads us ever on to the glories of inner peace. This Divine Guide lives in our soul, moves throughout our bodies, and uses our hearts as its voice. (more…)

Posted on February 5, 2026 by GuestBlogger