Today kicks off NaNoWriMo, my friends. I attempted NaNoWriMo last year, but pretty much hid my face until it was December was sidetracked by the third day in due to an unexpected but necessary move. This year, I really have no excuse not to participate. I even have a story this time. Sure, none of the characters have names and I have no idea why any of them even know each other, but hey, Harry Potter wasn’t written in a day.

As you read this, I’m probably curled up in the fetal position somewhere.

Anyway, on to the goods. There’s a lot of it. Probably because I’m procrastinating.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I shared some of the brain benefits of pomegranates (and have since been coached on the word’s correct pronunciation), mused about the effectiveness of Bath & Body Works’s new line of sleep-promoting products, and shared online resources for breast cancer patients and prescription medication education (say that five times fast). Ooh, I also got a little creepy with an article about the psychology of Halloween characters, but perhaps the most important post of all was the one about online resources for election education.

Regarding mental health advocacy,the DBSA has launched Find A Pro, a tool geared toward helping along peer recommendations for mental health professionals, and is even giving away cool DBSA-gear to the first 2,000 people who recommend a professional. And, I’ve met two new peeps. Fellow depression survivor and writer Anthony McCune is holding a blog carnival to celebrate the three-year blogiversary of his blog, The Lives and Times…. and mental health blogger Michele Rosenthal writes Parasites of the Mind, a blog about healing post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the world of mental health news, things aren’t as good. The suicide rate for middle-aged folks in America is rising, a new study suggests children with high IQs may be more likely to abuse alcohol as adults, propofol (a sedative used as an anti-seizure medication) may increase the risk of death, and smokers are more likely to have impulsive children (which totally explains my and my best friend’s childhood shenanigans). Oh, and while weight doesn’t seem to play a role in women’s sexual behavior, only 12 percent of women with sexual problems have those problems thanks to personal distress (that means it’s you, guys. That means it’s you).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, times are bittersweet. Several of our very talented and passionate bloggers have decided it’s time for their career paths to take them elsewhere, and they will be deeply missed. Take a moment to say goodbye and wish them well!

• Kendra James of A Hearty Life and Diabetes Notes.
• Kristen King of Lively Women.
• Karen Lynch of Pink Ribbon Review.
• Hope Wilbanks of Weighting Line. (Hope’s predecessor, Diane Penna, has already taken over. Go say hi!)

Please note that these are just the departing bloggers who’ve written goodbye posts or introduction posts. There are others, as you’ll notice when you start looking at the other blogs. Let’s wish them well, and make their replacements feel welcome!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Procrastination Benefits Everyone

Pomegranates – I still don’t think I can pronounce that word correctly. I remember when Bath & Body Works came out with pomegranate-scented stuff. I loved it, but went around pronouncing it like it was some kind of fancy-shmancy word. (For whatever reason, pomegranates were just not part of my life until that point. Probably because pomegranates primarily reign from other parts of the world.)

Then I started hearing other people pronounce the word, and realized, um…I was wrong.

Anyway, here in the Northern Hemisphere, pomegranates are usually in season from September to January, which is only one reason care2.com has labeled them a “Fall Superfood.”

The other?

Apparently, pomegranates are good for your brain – in addition to a whole host of other body parts and health ailments.

According to Top 10 Superfoods for Fall:

Pomegranates have very high antioxidant activity, offering brain and memory protection. And research shows that drinking pomegranate juice may help with lowering the risk for hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis.

Hmm…interesting.

I decided to do a bit more research regarding pomegranates and the brain, and discovered that regnant mothers who drink pomegranate juice may lower their babies’ risks of brain injury and even schizophrenia. And, One Neurobiology of Disease-published study showed mice who drank pomegranate juice were able to navigate mazes 35% faster than mice who didn’t drink the juice, suggesting the benefits of pomegranate regarding memory and learning.

Of course, it’s always best to get your information from a doctor if you’re planning on altering your diet to boost your brain health.

Want to know more about food and your brain? Check out these past Mental Health Notes posts:

• Top Brain Foods For Vegetarians
• Which Foods Are Good (And Bad!) For Your Mental Health?
• Tasty Foods To Boost Your Brain Health

Image: SXC and J.G.

Post from: Blisstree

Pomegranates: Good For Your Brain?