The Aware Families Podcast takes a practical, science-based look at how to keep your family healthy using a Functional Medicine perspective. Episodes are hosted by a pediatric physician (Tom Flass MD) and a family nurse practitioner (Brittany Coburn NP-C) who are trained in both conventional and functional medicine. They are navigating the challenges of the modern world with their own families and patients and share what they have learned along the way. A range of topics that impact your family’s health are covered, including nutrition, sleep, stress and mental health, exercise and physical activity, connection and community and toxic exposures in our air, food and water. This podcast strives to deliver real-world actionable health information to other parents looking to improve their lives and the lives of their children.
In this episode, Brittany and Tom take a look at one of the Pillars of Health that seems to be crumbling in America right now: Stress Management and Mental Health.ย
Especially since COVID, we have been experiencing a mental health crisis in the US, with rising rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. This episode reviews the extent of the problem, and goes over some alarming statistics. Unfortunately our children are suffering the worst of this crisis, which underscores the importance of systemic action to try and reverse this trend.ย
This episode goes over the potential upstream causes and contributing factors to the decline in mental health, and looks at the relationship between mental health and every other pillar of health. How does nutrition impact mental health?ย What effect does poor sleep have on stress and depression? Can exercise alleviate some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety? How do connection and community help to improve resilience? Could toxic exposures in our food, water and environment be contributing to this decline? What effect does sunlight have on our brain and mood?ย
This episode is meant to get people thinking about stress and mental health from more of a Functional Medicine perspective.ย ย