Therapy Blog | New Life Chatter

5 spoons alternating, each with supplements in them and a word bubble over the images reading "dietary supplements...what's to know?"

Dietary Supplements | What’s to know

By Linda Wilcox / September 25, 2023

There are all kinds of dietary supplements on the market today for just about anything. Not all supplements are created equal, and there is little quality standardization of these products. Unlike prescription and over-the-  counter medication, the Food and Drug Administration does not establish standards for the contents of dietary supplements. With so many products on the market to choose from, an independent third-party certification program can help guide you in deciding what supplements to choose.

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Purple background with two hands holding out a paper cutout of a family holding hands, and the text "It runs in the family" above.

A New Take On Life

By Jessica Pottorff / September 25, 2023

National Recovery Month:

Promote and support an understanding of mental health and substance use disorders. The official color for National Recovery Month is purple. The theme for 2023’s Recovery Month is: Hope is Real. Recovery is Real. Please visit www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month to find out ways that you can join in the celebration of healing and freedom from addiction!

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Orange dining plate in the top right corner, with a napkin that reads "Go with your gut feeling"

A New Take On Life

By Jessica Pottorff / August 18, 2023

Substance Use Disorders are characterized by chronic dependence on a substance, despite having mental, physical, and social consequences. They also include socioeconomic, biochemical, genetic (more on this in upcoming months), and increasingly, Smicrobiological underpinnings. It is well known that addiction is a brain disorder and affects the wiring in our brain, but there are new and emerging studies showing the link between the gut microbiome and drug addiction.

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Pink, yellow, and teal colors with the word "Summer" over it, and a lemon in along the right side for fun encouragement to break the cycle of addiction.

A New Take On Life

By Jessica Pottorff / June 14, 2023

For anyone going through the recovery process, whether it be substances, alcohol, or any form of mental health issues, it is important to not only pay attention to healing your mind, but to also give focus and effort to your physical and spiritual health.You cannot take care of one and ignore the others.

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Above view of a family sharing a meal at a dinner table with the words "mediterranean diet" over it.

Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle for Health and Wellness

By Linda Wilcox / June 14, 2023

The Mediterranean Diet really isn’t a diet in the sense that it is full of rules and restrictions but finds its roots in the traditional eating habits of people that live in the surrounding region of the Mediterranean Sea like Italy, Greece, and Liberia. There is not a single definition of the Mediterranean Diet because it focuses on overall eating patterns and healthy lifestyle factors across many different Mediterranean countries. Without strict formulas and calculations, the Mediterranean diet is flexible and can be customized to your individual needs.

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Feet standing on a scale, with words over the image that read: "Let's talk about Ozempic, Wellness Connections, by Linda Wilcox"

Let’s Talk About Ozempic

By Linda Wilcox / May 10, 2023

May 2023 | Wellness Connections By Linda Wilcox Ozempic has become popularized in the media and is the new hot celebrity trend for weight loss transformation. As Ozempic is being prescribed to more and more people, it might be a good idea to talk about it and understand what it is, how it works, and how…

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Potted plant with a taped piece of paper above it which says "hello, my name is (blank), and I'm a narcaholic."

A NEW TAKE ON LIFE

By Jessica Pottorff / May 10, 2023

We are born with social attachment points through how our parents try and mold us in childhood. Seeking a hit of certain neurotransmitters, children look for approval from their parents & will try to correlate their actions with positive responses. As adolescents, we replace parents with peers – oxytocin is released as a result of social belonging or validation.

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Rocks balancing on other rocks in front of the ocean

Financial Wellness

By Linda Wilcox / April 18, 2023

Money may be a little more on everyone’s minds this month with Tax Day right in the middle of April. Just like the need to eat and sleep, money is a piece of our everyday lives that plays a role in our overall wellness. Wellness is more than just physical health – it is multi-dimensional including physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, social, occupational, and financial health. Each area is interdependent and influenced by the others. When one area is out of balance or not working well, the other areas are affected, and all are vital for optimal health and well-being.

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Field of colorful, spring flowers with a circle in the center of the image to help highlight the word "mindfulness".

A New Take on Life | April Showers Bring May Flowers

By Jessica Pottorff / April 18, 2023

Mindfulness: I keep hearing this word both from my clients and on social media posts. When I think about mindfulness, I am reminded that within the span of a few minutes our human brains can have a dozen different thoughts which will cause all sorts of different emotions all at once. Depending on the type of thought, if we do not take them captive (2 Cor. 10:5) they can quickly spiral out of control and take us down paths that are not productive or healthy. Mindfulness means that we can maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, body sensations and surroundings, through a gentle nurturing lens.

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“Let thy food be thy medicine.” (Hippocrates)

By Linda Wilcox / March 20, 2023

National Nutrition Month is celebrated this month to bring awareness to the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. In our everyday world we are overrun by messages surrounding diet, weight loss, and ideals of how our bodies should or shouldn’t look, which foods are good/bad/or even super, and what our relationship with food should be. All these complicated messages can leave us feeling confused, guilty, and ashamed of ourselves, our will power, and our bodies. Food and our relationship to it doesn’t have to be this complicated. Discovering all of the ways food can and does fuel and nourish our bodies can lead to a healthier perspective and relationship with food and fuel our future healthy selves.

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