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DRSladic.com
February 2023
LONELINESS IS MORE THAN A FEELING It Can Cause Disease
Does life matter? Another root cause of
This month, many people are focused on their feelings toward others: showering them with love and affection, going out of their way to pen a special message or go on a date. But what if you feel like you’re alone this month? What if you feel lonely? Loneliness is defined as feeling alone, so even someone who regularly meets with friends and family can still feel isolated. The affliction often has more to do with ourselves rather than others. And while we all may feel like we’re alone now and then, when this feeling becomes chronic, it can be more deadly than smoking, inactivity, and obesity to our bodies. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), individuals who report feeling lonely are more likely to suffer premature death and are at a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke. You may think, “Well, how can someone fix loneliness?” The answer is you can’t fix loneliness, but you can fix its roots. To find the cause of your loneliness, perform an inventory by asking the following questions. Do I matter? Ask yourself this question because the answer can pinpoint a cause of loneliness. People who report feeling alone often don’t believe they matter, which is why they
believe people don’t want to be around them. While it’s easy to try to put words in the mouths of others by saying, “I don’t matter to anyone,” the question is more meant to be directed inward, toward you . When you feel as if your life matters, and you bring something to every table in every room you walk into, you’re less likely to identify as feeling lonely. “While we all may feel like we’re alone now and then, when this feeling becomes chronic, it can be more deadly than smoking, inactivity, and obesity to our bodies.” Does what I do matter? Many people begin their spiral into loneliness when they feel that what they do in life has no meaning — specifically, their job or their hobbies. So, think about what you do both at and outside of work. Do you feel like you make a difference? Or, do you feel like what you do brings value to your life? If the answer is no, you know it’s time to target your occupation or hobbies as the root cause of your loneliness.
loneliness is the feeling that life doesn’t have meaning,
it isn’t fulfilling. Do you feel excited about what life has to offer or what life can bring your way? Have you tried anything new lately? When you don’t feel like life matters, you’re more likely to feel lonely — especially as others around you go out and enjoy life. These questions are important in identifying and targeting loneliness because they start with you, and once you know the answers to these questions, you are better equipped to help yourself — and your health. If you performed the personal inventory above and answered “no” to even one question, please schedule a FREE consultation with me by calling 1-877-861-5927. While you may feel lonely, you should never have to fight that feeling alone. I will help you come up with the best plan to target the root causes of your isolation and get you back on track to a more happy, and healthy, life.
–Dr. Tom Sladic
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” –Eckhart Tolle
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MIND OVER MATTER ISN’T ENOUGH!
USE THE MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION
your muscles as you use them. This is better because when your brain consciously focuses on your muscles and their contractions, it employs more muscle fibers to complete the task. You build strength in a more complete, well-rounded way. If you're not using a mind-muscle connection yet, don't worry! Here’s how you can start next time you’re ready to sweat. Turn off distractions. Remember the music or podcast we mentioned earlier? Turn it off! This also includes silencing your phone or turning off any nearby TVs. It may take some time to get used to working out in silence, but with nowhere else to wander, the brain has an easier time focusing on those muscle movements. Visualize the muscles you are using. Every time you move, whether using a stationary bike, taking a walk, or lifting weights in a gym, picture the muscles you’re using in
your head. Imagine the muscle fibers stretching and contracting with each movement.
Use cues to remind you of your working muscles. Sometimes, our minds drift off during a workout, and that’s normal. But if you find your head in the clouds more often than you’re thinking about your exercise, it might be time to use a few cues. A cue simply reminds you of what you’re physically doing. One way to incorporate a cue is to talk to yourself with each repetition. For example, if you’re performing a bench press, you can say “up” when you push the bar away and “down” when you lower it toward you. Utilize time under tension. The slower you perform your exercise, the more opportunity your brain has to talk to those muscles you’re using. Try holding each repetition for three seconds before moving on to the next, and as you hold, visualize those muscles for the entire three seconds.
Many assume working out is the muscle's job, pushing weights around as we enjoy a song or listen to a podcast. While this may be a fun way to pass the time, you're not doing your fitness any favors with your mind elsewhere. When you work out, you should use a "mind- muscle connection," or purposely think about the movement and contractions of
WHEN LONELINESS BECOMES MORE THAN A FEELING Take the Assessment to See if You May Be at Risk
Anyone can tell when they’re feeling lonely, but identifying just how lonely you feel or how severe that feeling is can be challenging if you don’t know what to look for. The feeling of social isolation is a silent affliction and can quietly permeate all areas of people’s lives. Left without intervention, it can also be a contributing factor in many different diseases. That’s why psychologists from UCLA created the “Loneliness Scale,” a three-question test that anyone can take to determine just how severe their feelings of loneliness are, so they can know when it’s time to take proactive measures to reduce their feelings of alienation. To continue bringing awareness to the issue of loneliness, we wanted to provide questions from the test here for anyone to use and give people the opportunity to take a personal inventory of their feelings so they can take steps toward a better life.
For each question, give yourself a score of 1 to 3, with 1 meaning “hardly ever,” 2 meaning “some of the time,” and 3 meaning “often.” Feel free to write your scores off to the side of each question in this newsletter.
left out every once in a while isn’t a problem, but feeling like that most of the time can contribute to illness or even death. If you scored over 6 on the questionnaire, call Dr. Sladic at 1-877-861-5927 to schedule a consultation today, so he can help you create a plan to work toward a less-isolated future.
Here are the questions to ask yourself:
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How often do you feel that you lack companionship? How often do you feel left out? How often do you feel isolated from others?
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Once you’ve given each question a score from 1–3, add them all together. The result should be somewhere from 3–9. Researchers from UCLA have found that people who score in the range of 3–5 are considered “not lonely,” and people who score in the range of 6–9 are considered “lonely.” This is because feeling isolated or
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ONE-POT HEALTHY ORZO
YOU DESERVE TO FEEL CONNECTED 4 Things You Can Do When You Feel Lonely
So, you’ve identified that you’re feeling lonely — what now?
Many people think the feeling of loneliness is a dead end, with no real solutions they can control themselves. Fortunately, they’d be wrong! According to The University of Chicago’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, there are many things anyone can do to help themselves feel less lonely. And being lonely isn’t always about being surrounded by people either; sometimes, it’s because you may not be satisfied with yourself or the things you have in your life. So, here are four things you can do to feel less lonely and find more meaning in the person who matters most: you! Start by writing down positive memories. If you feel like your life is missing meaning, try writing down memories that are special and filled with joy and purpose. You don’t have to fill the book with all your memories in a single day, but begin writing for just 15 minutes to get in the habit of remembering you’re not alone. Think of what you’re grateful for. When people feel lonely, they tend to focus on the ways their lives are lacking. To counteract these thoughts, think of at least three things you’re thankful for daily. These things can be as small as the tasty cookie you had last night or as grand as your relationships with the people in your church. Just quickly listing three things in your life that are meaningful to you can shift your thoughts. Give your time. Maybe you’re feeling lonely because you don’t think you have many friends, or perhaps you don’t think your life has any impact on the world around you. An excellent solution to these feelings is to volunteer! Giving your time is a great way to be around other people, have opportunities to make more friends, and also receive a clear view of just how much of an impact your life has on others. Join a club or class. If you have things you’re passionate about, it’s likely there are many other people in your area who share the same interests. Look for clubs or free classes held at your local church or community center, as these places are hubs for interesting groups with topics like pottery, Bible study, knitting, and many more!
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 cup diced yellow onion • 1 tbsp minced garlic • 2 cups cherry tomatoes • 1 cup diced zucchini • 1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas
• 16 oz orzo • 2 cups spinach • 1 cup peas • 1 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder • Parmesan cheese
1. In a large pot on medium heat, place olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, and chickpeas. Sauté for a few minutes. 2. Add orzo and 4 cups of water. Stir until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. 3. Stir in spinach, peas, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 4. Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy! Directions
Blood Testing and Lab Options: • We are now affiliated with Quest Labs, which is especially helpful for anyone who lives in a state where Labcorp is not convenient. • New York is a state with many Quest Locations, which will really help the people we have there. • In Ohio, you can now bring a blood test kit to Pomerene Hospital. Many were using Charm, which charges $75. Pomerene's fee is only $25 for the draw. We still use Labcorp, but we're just adding options for your convenience.
The key to each of these steps is surrounding yourself with all the incredible ways you matter.
To order a blood test, call 248-912-2962.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. The Feeling More Deadly Than Smoking or Obesity
2. Improve Your Workouts With the Mind- Muscle Connection
The Loneliness Scale
3. One-Pot Healthy Orzo
What to Do When You're Feeling Lonely
4. Prebiotics to the Rescue!
BRING ON THE BUGS! Foods That Help — and Harm — Our Microbiome
Inside all of us is a bustling community of bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses. But don't worry! These microbiota work hard to keep our bodies balanced and healthy. They are so crucial to our health that they’ve been labeled a supporting organ because of what they do to keep our systems running smoothly. And what we eat can have a significant impact on the well-being of our microbiota. So, here are foods we can eat to help these tiny residents keep our health in check as well as foods to avoid so we don't sabotage the benefits they provide. Foods That Help Our Microbiome The key to helping our little microbiota is by creating a lower pH level in our colons. To do this, we need to consume foods high in healthy fiber. The microbiota in our bodies break down these fibers using enzymes and, as a result, ferment the fiber inside our gut. This fermentation releases short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs, essential to lowering our pH.
SCFAs make our colons more acidic and, by doing so, stop the growth of harmful bacteria that cannot survive in a low- pH environment. Foods that support increased SCFAs are indigestible carbohydrates and fibers. Our stomachs don’t break these down, so they arrive whole to our intestines, ready for our tiny microbiota to eat. These carbohydrates and fibers are called prebiotics, and while we can take many drugstore prebiotics as supplements, it’s always better to feed our little friends from natural food sources.
To get the most out of these prebiotic-packed foods, eat them as close to raw as possible!
Foods That Hurt Our Microbiome Just like foods can help give
our microbiome a major power- up, many foods can harm it. Even worse, some foods encourage harmful gut bacteria to thrive and make us sick. Here are the top foods to stay away from:
• Artificial sweeteners (like stevia, aspartame, and sucralose) • Fried foods
The following foods contain the highest amounts of natural prebiotics:
• Red meat • Soft drinks
• Garlic • Onions • Leeks • Asparagus • Bananas
• Seaweed • Wheat • Oats • Barley
These foods help grow harmful bacteria and actively disrupt the environment of our microbiota, so it’s best not to include these so our little helpers stay healthy!
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