Gut health may not be top of mind right now with all the concerns over coronavirus, however considering that 70% of our immune system is located in our gut, we should all be looking at strategies to promote a healthy belly.

Our digestive tract is home to trillions of bacteria. The friendly bacteria, known as probiotic bacteria, make up your microbiome and these bacteria play a vital role in supporting good health. Probiotic bacteria aid the digestion and the absorption of nutrients from the intestine, they help ease gas and bloating and can alleviate both constipation and diarrhea. And new research suggests they also offer benefits for the heart, brain, gums, skin and even our mood.

Something people need to understand is maternity leave is not a vacation. Motherhood is a MASSIVE, UNDERESTIMATED job within itself and a lot of companies do not offer paid leave, or leave in general.

I had six weeks paid maternity leave, but I took an additional four weeks off unpaid as I didn’t feel ready to come back to work yet. I did miss work, as it felt good to be needed or important to something outside of being a mom. When I did go back to work though, I felt like my life was chaos.

My husband and I have this beautiful baby boy, who despite all the challenges, we could not imagine our lives without. But, our relationship, the two of us, was challenged in a new and complex way. 

Having a baby with Chris made me love him on another level, but honestly the first year of Benny’s life was probably the worst year for our marriage. This isn’t uncommon.

My life after giving birth was shifting, and it was altering in ways I never would have expected.

Not only did I move and said goodbye to my carefree fun city life, I was also saying goodbye to my friends. I was the only one married, and now the only one with a baby in my group. I figured I wouldn’t see them as much but I didn’t expect to feel so different from them. 

They can’t relate to what I was (am) going through, and even though they listen at times to news about the baby, it’s like we’re speaking two different languages.

I was told my life was going to change, but I didn’t know exactly how it would change.

The months following the birth of my son Benny was the toughest period in my life. It’s a time that no one really talks about -- that fourth trimester. 

Yes, I heard a few stories about a few common challenges, the lack of sleep being the biggest one, but it was always laughed off like it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Let me be the one to tell you, it is.

It’s 3 a.m. and I can feel my eyes burn from exhaustion. 

I’ve already been up four times — feeding, burping, changing diapers. 

My son, Benjamin Allen, born five weeks early, is finally at home. We’re slowly adjusting to our new roles. 

His, new to the world. 

Me, a new mom.

I was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy—a genetic disease that affects nerve cells in the spinal cord that control the body’s muscles—at nine months of age and was given nine years to live. Now, at 24 years old, I find myself grappling with a variety of mental illnesses. My education in psychology has provided me with the language necessary to describe my experiences, particularly my relationship with grief.

For me, mental health revolves around the concept of “ambiguous loss,” or loss without closure or understanding. Similar to a quadriplegic, my body is present, but there is still a sense of emotional disconnect, an inability to merge to the fullest extent with my physical self. My disability prevents me from participating in the normal flow of life.

Living life is hectic -- especially as we head into the "holiday" seasons.

Between traveling with family and balancing responsibilities at home and work, our active schedules can challenge our immune system. Visiting new locations, and eating local food can expose us to different bacteria, putting you at risk for traveler’s diarrhea or getting sick. 

That’s why taking probiotics is an essential step in your daily routine.

For nearly a decade, I’ve been working with my healthcare team to find an effective management strategy for my rheumatoid arthritis (RA). My team includes a rheumatologist, a pain management specialist and, soon, a pain doctor specially licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, which recently became legal in Pennsylvania where I live.

Medical marijuana (and CBD products, which I’ve also tried) hasn’t been studied for the treatment of arthritis or other chronic conditions because it is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a Schedule 1 drug. It can’t legally be studied with the same rigor as is required of FDA approved medications, which take years to come to market as they are studied in carefully designed studies to test their safety and effectiveness to treat specific symptoms or cure a disease. 

However, that hasn’t stopped many people in the arthritis community, including me, from trying medical marijuana.

The road to banishing drug addiction from your life or the life of your loved one starts by acknowledging the problem. 

If you are reading this, then you understand that a problem exists, that it is negatively affecting your life or the life of someone you care for deeply, and that you need to do whatever it takes to make a change in the positive direction.

When neurodivergent children experience distress due to triggering colors and sounds in their environment, we want to help. 

How can we support children so that they do not experience pain and are able to explore their environments with our guidance? Neurodivergent children who are overwhelmed by specific sounds and color have several therapeutic and options, though conditions like misophonia are still often under-diagnosed and misunderstood.

Being in cancer remission is the opportunity you need to improve your life. You have a chance to enjoy better health by making lifestyle changes. 

Commit to take care of yourself by staying healthy and having a positive mindset.