BANDOGGO: Making Dog Encounters Safer, One Bandana at a Time
In a world where nearly everything seems divided by politics, ideology, and opinion, there is one thing that still brings people together: our love of dogs. Dogs aren’t liberal or conservative. They aren’t Democrats or Republicans. They don’t care who you voted for, what neighborhood you live in, or what team you root for. They […]
The Missing Middle: Third Places
By any measurable standard, today’s young people are more connected than ever. With just a few taps on a screen, they can reach hundreds or thousands of peers through platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. They can share, comment, react, and communicate instantly. And yet, beneath this constant connectivity lies a quieter, more troubling reality: […]
Health by Design: Why Lifestyle Medicine Starts with Teens
Eat well. Move often. Get enough sleep. Manage stress. Stay connected. Avoid risky substances. These simple habits form the six pillars of lifestyle medicine, as outlined by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). At first glance, none of this sounds revolutionary, as most of us have heard these messages before. What is surprising is […]
What Killed The Cat Could Save Us All
Most of us grew up familiar with the cautionary saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” It was offered as a warning against meddling in things better left unknown. But what if the opposite were true? What if curiosity, far from being dangerous, is the very thing that could save us? In a time when polarization divides […]
Chatbots: Friend or Foe?
While walking my dog recently, I was listening to a podcast from the Vox Media Network called Today Explained. The episode was titled “Chat BFF” and explored humans and their growing relationships with chatbots. I was intrigued, fascinated, and a little horrified. As a “Generation Jones” person who narrowly missed the Gen X cutoff, I’m […]
A Race to the Bottom: The Complicity of Social Media Platforms and TheirDisregard for the Mental Health of Our Children
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, few realities are more unsettling than the silent epidemic unfolding among our youth. While mounting evidence links social media exposure to deteriorating mental health in adolescents, the major social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube—persist in policies and practices that allow, and even encourage, young children to engage […]
Transitional Age Youth: Preventing A Failure to Launch
The passage from high school to college, a career, and then to independent adulthood is a pivotal phase in the lives of 18- to 25-year-olds. This age group, often referred to as Transitional Age Youth (TAY), faces a myriad of challenges that can significantly influence their journey towards self-sufficiency. Over the past few years, I’ve […]
When It Comes To Nutrition, Know Your Source
Not all nutrition advice is created equal. If you want to be sure that the advice you are receiving is in accordance with scientific, evidence-based recommendations, then the Registered Dietician Nutritionist (RDN) is the gold standard. As of January 2024, you are required to have a minimum of a masters degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, Public […]
Wag More, Bark Less for Mental Health
Anyone who’s had a dog, or grown up with a dog, can probably rattle off a dozen ways they enrich our surroundings without even needing to stop and think. The joy they bring into our daily existence can perhaps be measured by the sadness and strong negative correlation we feel at the injustice of their […]
We Get More By What We Give: The Kindness Cure
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Ghandi It may seem paradoxical that one of the best ways to fill one’s spiritual well when feeling empty, is to give more away. And yet, I can easily say that the quickest way out of my own suffering […]