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| If something has anything to do with your well-being, we're down to talk about it. From pet parenting to sexual health, cooking, dating with disabilities, and the Holocaust, these are just some of the many topics we've already covered in our Friday Q&A series. (Shout out if you remember and read all of these interviews!) |
| Below, we're highlighting a few of our favorite quotes from the experts we've interviewed on these subject areas and more. |
| From our interview with Rachael Ray on 11/18 |
| Q: | What's the No. 1 piece of advice you have for home cooks? | |
| A: I appreciate there are people with special diets or health concerns, but in general, eat a lot of colors, and just go cook. I don't feel when you're cooking that you should measure. Add or subtract anything you want. It's your dish. |
| From our interview with The Unbiased Science Podcast hosts on 12/9 |
| Q: | What are some of your favorite facts related to health and wellness? | |
Andrea: - About half of you isn't human! Microorganism cells are estimated to be at least a 1:1 ratio (this is decreased from an estimate in the 1970s that stated a 10:1 ratio), but current estimates put 39 trillion microbe cells to 30 trillion human cells in an average person.
- Your poop is mostly bacteria. About 50%–80% of the mass of your feces (excluding water) is bacterial cells from your GI tract.
- Your skin is the largest organ in the body and helps to regulate body temperature through sweat glands. It's also part of your external immune system, serving as a physical barrier against disease and infection.
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Jess: - Our bodies naturally produce about 1.5 ounces (>42,000 milligrams) of formaldehyde a day as a normal part of our metabolism. (FYI: The amount of formaldehyde present in any vaccine is less than 0.1 milligrams. No need to fear it!)
- We're exposed to thousands upon thousands of germs and other antigens in the environment from the moment we're born. The amount of antigens we're exposed to from vaccines is a fraction of what we're exposed to just by eating and breathing. Vaccines can't overwhelm our immune system, even if given all at once!
- In as little as 1 day after quitting smoking, a person's blood pressure begins to drop (which decreases risk of heart disease), and oxygen levels improve, making it easier to exercise and be active. It's never too late to quit!
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| From our interview with Stacy London on 10/14 |
| Q: | What advice do you have to help people advocate for themselves when seeking menopause treatment? | |
A: As my friend Dr. Jen Gunter, author of The Menopause Manifesto, told me, make a list before your physician appointment of all the things that are going on with you: - How are you feeling physically? What is painful or irritating?
- How are you feeling emotionally?
- What are you feeling and do you know why?
- What's happening in your life?
- Are there problems with work? Money? Relationships?
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| Then put these concerns in order of priority. Because time with our doctors can be limited, start with the big things, and even if you only get to the first two, working on those two issues may help to resolve ones that are lower priorities on your list of concerns. |
| If you do have a longer appointment with your doctor, all that information gives your current life circumstances context which helps them heal YOU, the whole person, and not just the problem. |
| From our interview with Dr. Sara C. Flowers on 9/9 |
| Q: | What's your favorite little-known fun fact about intimacy? | |
| A: Sexual pleasure has lots of emotional and physical health benefits — whether you're with a partner or not. Orgasms can lift your mood, improve sleep, and help relieve stress, making you feel good, both physically and emotionally. If you're having sex with (a) partner(s), consistent, open communication can make the experience even more intimate! |
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| From our interview with Doug the Pug on 8/26 |
| Q: | It's clear from Doug's Instagram that living well is an art form. What are Doug's top tips for living a healthy life? | |
| A: Always try to get a good night's sleep. Rest when you need to. Be kind to everyone. Drink lots of good quality water. Spend time in nature. Do what makes you happy. |
| From our interview with Shane and Hannah Burcaw (aka Squirmy and Grubs) on 9/16 |
| Q: | Do you have tips or advice for other couples in interabled relationships who find themselves receiving [judgmental] comments? | |
| Hannah: Design your relationship how it best works for you. Don't worry about what society says you should be doing or what your partner should be doing. |
| Shane: If we learned one thing in our time as YouTubers, it's that people have a lot of opinions, and they don't matter. All that matters is that you and your partner are happy. |
| From our interview with Dr. Edith Eger on 12/23 |
| Q: | How do you feel forgiveness can play a role during the holiday season, especially as drama and conflict may arise or cause stress and tension between families? | |
| A: As I mentioned, forgiveness is not forgetting. This time of year may force you to confront people and places that caused you pain. |
| Instead of seeing this as a crisis, perhaps we can see this as an opportunity — a chance to see the experience for what it was to you, release anger, work through the feelings, and find a new peace and freedom. |
| If you know that you're going to see people that may judge you or with whom you may have had previous challenging experiences, think about what you want that relationship to be. Imagine the ideal version of your interaction with them over the holidays. And then move toward that in your heart, while accepting that you may not get it. |
| You cannot control how they act, but you can control your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Maybe you can commit to being calm, being patient, and finding some personal time away from others during the holidays to process the experiences as they come up, rather than letting them spill out. Remember, this is your life, you get to choose how you want to live it. |
| Now, over to you: Which was your favorite Wellness Wire story or Q&A this year? Who would you like us to interview in 2023? Let us know at wellnesswire@healthline.com. |
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