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Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Reduce Aggressive Behavior

by Mila McManus, MD

Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for cognitive function and emotional regulation, and a recent meta-analytic review confirms their effectiveness in reducing aggressive behavior. 

Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for cognitive function and emotional regulation, and a recent meta-analytic review confirms their effectiveness in reducing aggressive behavior.  Unfortunately, Omega-3s are grossly void in a standard Western diet. Ideal sources are found in SMASH fish—salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring. They are also harvested from the tiny plankton called krill. 100% grass-fed and finished beef is another source, though commercially raised beef has hardly any, relatively speaking. You might need good sources and intentional supplementation of Omega-3 fatty acids.

One large meta-analytic review (see link below for full report) of randomized controlled trials with over 3,918 participants further supported the evidence and effectiveness of Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in reducing aggressive behavior in children and adults. The study confirmed beneficial effects across age, gender, recruitment samples, diagnoses, treatment duration, and dosage. Omega-3 supplementation also reduced reactive and proactive forms of aggression, especially concerning self-reports. These findings provide sufficient evidence that omega-3 supplementation can be a cost-effective and safe way to reduce aggression in children and adults in the community, clinics, and criminal justice system.

Omega-3 supplementation can also do much more. It is useful to improve or treat leaky gut, fatty liver, dementia, bipolar disorder, diabetes, elevated triglycerides, obesity, general inflammation, infertility, hair loss, edema, eczema, joint pain, dry eyes, rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual cramps, and mitochondrial dysfunction.  It’s also a natural blood thinner, but would not itself replace a prescribed one.

Consult with your healthcare provider to see if Omega-3 fatty acids are right for you. Also, pass the information to families you know who struggle with aggressive behavior in children or adults.

Be Well.

References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178924000466

By |2025-01-16T06:24:11-05:00January 16th, 2025|Articles, General|

Counseling Services Available

by Mila McManus, MD

The Woodlands Institute for Health and Wellness is excited to announce that mental health counseling has been added to its wellness practice! 

The Woodlands Institute for Health and Wellness is excited to announce the addition of mental health counseling to our wellness practice!  We firmly believe that physical health and healing work optimally when addressing mental and emotional concerns, stresses, or traumas.  Mental health counseling provides support, promotes emotional well-being, and helps individuals develop coping skills to manage stress and life challenges. Adding counseling is a natural addition to our services, and our counselor is someone you may recognize.

Nancy Mehlert, MS, joined the team at The Woodlands Institute for Health and Wellness in 2006 as a Nutrition Consultant, bringing a wealth of expertise and a personal passion for health and wellness. Her journey into holistic nutrition began as a patient of the practice, where she experienced transformative results that inspired her to transition from a successful 20-year career in corporate Human Resources to pursue a career in nutrition and counseling. She has been our staff nutritionist for almost 19 years.

Nancy earned her Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition, graduating with High Honors in 2010. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Christian University, where she graduated Cum Laude and was honored as the Senior Scholar in Psychology.

We’re thrilled to announce that Nancy is expanding her services! Currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Counseling, Nancy will begin offering counseling sessions as part of her practicum training starting January 1, 2025.

These sessions will be available at a special introductory rate:

$40 per session

This affordable pricing provides an excellent opportunity to benefit from Nancy’s compassionate care while supporting her journey toward full licensure. Nancy’s counseling services will be a valuable addition to her ongoing nutrition consulting, allowing patients to benefit from a comprehensive approach to health and wellness. 

To sign up, follow this link or send an inquiry email to aplacetotalk@TWIHW.com.

Feel free to share the link and email address with anyone who may benefit from affordable counseling. You need not be an established patient to utilize our counseling services.

Be Well in Mind and Body.

By |2025-01-08T05:01:42-05:00January 9th, 2025|Articles, General|

3-3-3 Technique for Anxious Feelings

by Mila McManus, MD

The 3-3-3 technique stops your anxious thoughts, increasing your mindfulness, and bringing you back into the present moment.

Are you feeling pressed?  Are anxious thoughts preventing you from making the most of the present moment? Does your mind easily wander off to worrying about things you can’t control?  Give this 3-3-3 technique a try to bring you back into the present and increase your mindfulness. It’s simple and useful for all ages, and repeatable until you feel calm and back in the present moment.

The Technique: Look, Listen, Move

When you feel pressed, agitated, or anxious:

  • Look for three things you can see. Observe their details, colors, shapes, and uniqueness.
  • Listen for three sounds you can hear. Listen for both obvious, louder sounds, such as the air conditioner, and more subtle ones like crickets or the sound of silence.
  • Move three parts of your body. For example, wiggle your toes, roll your shoulders, and take a deep breath, paying attention to each sensation.

How the Technique Works

The 3-3-3 technique interrupts the flow of anxious thoughts.  It also grounds you back into the present moment. We only have so much attention to give to any moment. If we divert that attention to what we can see, hear, and experience in our body, the anxious feelings are denied attention and will decrease.

Calming the autonomic nervous system’s fight or flight mode is mission-critical to good physical and mental health. The 3-3-3 technique engages the senses, promotes mindfulness, calms the stress response, turns off your triggers, and relieves muscle tension.  

Look, listen, and move. Be well.

Reference:

https://www.verywellmind.com/3-3-3-rule-for-anxiety-8660964

By |2024-09-19T06:49:18-05:00September 19th, 2024|Articles, General|

Herbicides and Adolescent Brains

by Mila McManus, MD

Herbicides are the most common class of chemicals. Exposures to (herbicides) are associated with worse brain function among adolescents...

More than 80,000 chemicals are registered for use today, and hundreds of chemicals are added every year. We do, indeed, live in a toxic world. Chemical exposure is pervasive.  Especially concerning is the impact this has on developing brains of children and adolescents. Herbicides, used predominantly in green spaces, homes, and industry are the most common class of chemicals. Exposures to glyphosate and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid [a.k.a. 2,4D] are associated with worse brain function among adolescents according to a study led by researchers at the Erbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California Sand Diego.

When 519 adolescents aged 11 to 17 were tested, glyphosate, a nonselective herbicide used in crops and for residential vegetation control, was detected in 98% of the participants. 2,4D, a broadleaf herbicide used on lawns, aquatic sites, and agriculture, was detected in 66% of the participants. Researchers assessed the participants in five neurobehavioral performance areas including attention, inhibitory control, memory and learning, language, visuospatial processing, and social perception.  The higher the amounts of 2.4D, the lower neurobehavioral performance in the domains of attention and inhibitory control, memory and learning, and language. Higher concentrations of glyphosate in participants was associated with lower scores in social perception.

Today, 20% of adolescents and 26% of young adults have diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, impulsivity, aggression or learning disorders. We encourage you to buy organic and to think twice about what you use in and around your homes to treat lawns and control insects.  There are many more natural, chemical free options than ever before and can be very effective.

Also, we offer a toxicant test that requires a simple urine collection.  And we have many options to help detoxify the body from toxins and toxicants. 

Be Wise, Be Well.

Ref:

MDLinx (October 11, 2023). Research finds commonly-used herbicide is harmful to adolescent brain function. https://www.mdlinx.com/news.

 

By |2024-01-01T12:31:15-05:00January 3rd, 2024|General|

You Can Think Your Way to Better Health

By Mila McManus MD and Nancy Mehlert, MS

 

Your subconscious mind has one goal.  From primitive times to this very day, it focuses on how to survive.  Staying alive directs your subconscious mind to exercise caution, err on the safe side, fear the unknown, and avoid danger.  All of that worked well when food was hard to find, dangerous wild animals were abundant, and we didn’t have roofs over our heads.  In today’s modern world, where we live in relative safety and comfort, our unconscious mind can drive negativity, pessimism and being overly sensitive and cautious.  When we allow this subconscious thought pattern to prosper, it can create unhappiness, increased anxiety and stress, and poor health.  The good news is that our conscious mind can exercise its “muscles” and re-route neurological pathways in the brain towards positive thinking.  The brain is very flexible (called neuro-plasticity), and given practice, we can become happier and more positive.  When we do this, we also become healthier. Here’s why:

Thinking…

Our unconscious and subconscious brain operates from the autonomic nervous system.  The autonomic nervous system takes care of the things we don’t have to think about or control, such as heart beat, digestion, breathing, blood sugar levels and blood pressure.  It has two parts (sympathetic and parasympathetic) and some functions occur in one part while other functions in the other.   So, think about a sport such as tennis where there are two players and only one ball.  Both players cannot have the ball at the same time.  The ball is in the court of only one player at a time.  It is impossible for both players to have the ball simultaneously.  Similarly, either the sympathetic or the parasympathetic is dominant at any given time.

One branch of this system handles emergencies.  It helps you when you need to hurry up, run from danger, protect yourself from being harmed, and fight for survival.

It helps you remember past bad experiences so you can avoid them in the future.  It makes you dwell on past pains, mistakes and live out of fear that they may recur. Pile onto that our hectic, fast paced lives, with very busy schedules flying from one thing to the next, unhealthy diets and poor sleep, and we can easily find ourselves in a constant state of fight or flight.

The other branch of this system, the parasympathetic, handles “rest and digest”.  It helps you to rest, calm down, sleep well, digest your food effectively, and heal from illness, pain and grief.  It is here that a meal tastes good and digests without upset, where sleep comes easily and deeply, where a sense of well-being and stamina are partners with happiness.

If only one system can fire the ball at a time, and we spend most of our time fleeing and fighting, how will we ever digest, heal and rest? When we live full of negativity, regret and fear, or have a schedule so full that we don’t rest, we are forcing the ball to stay in one player’s court.  This is who controls the game and wins the game. That means, unless you lead your mind and lifestyle to move to the other system, your body won’t successfully digest, rest, restore and heal.

How can you shift from the sympathetic system to the healing and restorative parasympathetic system?  Obviously, clearing your schedule, deep breathing, and healthier eating choices are helpful. In addition, our friend Melissa Templeton*, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, offered up some actions that you can take to achieve a greater sense of well-being and happiness. Here are her suggestions:

  • Force yourself to smile big for 20 seconds or more. This makes the body release serotonin, an uplifting neurotransmitter which calms the brain and increases happiness. Try it in the car while you are driving.  Just smile yourself silly all the way home.  You will be surprised to discover the tension in your shoulders has dropped and your spirits are lifted.
  • Put a few good mantras into your mind to use every day. Mantras are short, easy thoughts to repeat over and over that are positive.  Good examples include:
    • Today is going to be the best day ever.
    • There is nothing I can say or do to change another person.
    • I can change me and I’m worth it.
    • I am getting better and better every day.
    • I am worthy of love and respect.
  • Make a gratitude list. Write down as many things, big and small, as you can for which you are thankful. Charles Dickens once said, “Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some”.
  • Listen to your self-talk. Listen for negative words and sentences that include words such as ought to, should have, must do.  Look for areas where you have a very rigid rule or sentences such as “I can’t stand it when….” or “It drives me crazy when…”  Push these negative thoughts out and replace with your mantra.
  • We need physical touch 17+ times a day. Hold a hand, give a hug, rub a back, give a kiss, pet your dog, hug your cat – reach out and touch those you love or those who need some love.  Everyone needs it.
  • Perform a few rituals every day. For example, making your bed first thing every morning gives an immediate sense of accomplishment and order. Laying out clothing for the next day or preparing your to do list gives a sense of preparation and control for the day to come, which helps with sleep. Small accomplishments lead to greater accomplishments during the day.

You can see why it’s impossible to be angry and happy at the same time.  When you smile and practice thankfulness and positive thinking, you can force your brain to stop fleeing and fighting and, instead, get it to rest, digest and restore.

 

*Melissa Templeton, MA, LPC, LMFT practices Marriage and Family Therapy in Spring and Huntsville, Texas.  She can be reached at mtcycle@hotmail.com or by calling 936-661-3640.

By |2017-10-31T14:53:07-05:00October 29th, 2017|Articles, General|