The Health Benefits of Having a Purpose in Life

This is a between-seasons bonus episode in which I share two major insights I've had in the past few months while on maternity leave. Topics include how much sleep we really need, sleep tracking, the relationship between sleep deprivation and mental health and immune system strength, as well as the impact of our homo sapien roots and being part of a community on motivation and habit change and formation. Any new updates will be in my newsletter and on Instagram during maternity leave so make sure you're on the list! xx Adrienne https://getwellbe.com/subscribe/

I'm currently 9 weeks postpartum and I recorded a between-seasons bonus episode detailing my labor, delivery, and postpartum experience. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm active on my newsletter and Instagram during maternity leave so keep up with me there! xx Adrienne https://getwellbe.com/subscribe/

In the wellness sphere, it’s common to hear people talk about ways to lower your cortisol levels. That’s all well and good, but we have a few follow-up questions: first of all, do those cortisol-lowering strategies actually work, and are they backed by research? And second, how are you supposed to know if your cortisol levels need lowering? In our latest investigative guide, we answer those questions and many more. Listen to learn more about cortisol (aka the “stress hormone”) in your body, telltale signs that your cortisol is high, common causes of high cortisol, and how to lower your cortisol naturally. Join the conversation at the written version of the interview here: https://getwellbe.com/symptoms-of-high-cortisol-levels/    

One of the most exciting (and controversial) areas of study in the realm of mental health involves psychedelics. There’s a lot of promising research about how psychedelic compounds like LSD and psilocybin could potentially transform our minds for the better, but it’s a confusing topic with lots of open questions. Dr. Fred Barrett, cognitive neuroscientist and researcher at Johns Hopkins University, sat down with Adrienne to answer some of those questions and discuss the latest in psychedelic research. Listen to learn how psychedelics work, the benefits of LSD, psilocybin, and other psychedelic compounds for treating mental health issues like PTSD and depression, the potential limitations of psychedelics, and much more. Join the conversation at the written version of the interview here: https://getwellbe.com/psychedelic-treatment-dr-fred-barrett 

I recently celebrated my birthday, and to mark the occasion I revisited an exercise I first did in 2018 that’s focused on defining my purpose in life. Having a clear purpose not only feels good, but it’s also been shown to have health benefits: it can make you live longer and make you more resistant to chronic disease! Listen to this episode to learn more about why it’s so important to have a life purpose, a simple exercise to help you define your purpose, and how I define my own purpose this year. Join the conversation at the written version of this piece, here: https://getwellbe.com/inspiration/10-ways-define-life-purpose/

It’s summer, which means it’s sunscreen season. We’ve all universally been told and mostly accepted the fact that it’s important to wear sunscreen every day to protect our skin from damage and skin cancer — but more and more, we’re learning about the dangers of sunscreen itself. So what’s the deal? What should you and you loved ones do to ensue you’re protecting your skin but not damaging your health? Listen to learn everything you need to know about sunscreen and your health, including what sunscreen ingredients to avoid, the best non-toxic sunscreens, natural sunscreen alternatives, and much more. Join the conversation at the written version of the article here: https://getwellbe.com/safer-sunscreen-guide/

It's that time again! We're here with our second health & wellness news wrap-up of 2023, and it's full of important and impactful news stories, research breakthroughs, and other tidbits that have an impact on your short- and long-term health. Listen to learn about why you definitely want to invest in a water filter no matter where you live, which supplement has been shown to reduce cancer risk by 12% when taken daily, what people who live over 100 all have in common, the best age to give kids their first smartphone in terms of mental health repercussions, and much more. Join the conversation at the written version of the article here: https://getwellbe.com/health-research-wellness-news-april-may-june-2023

There are few things worse than not being able to sleep at night. When you’re tossing and turning in bed for hours, it can be tempting to reach for anything that will just let you fall asleep — but what impact do those sleep aids have on your health? There are a wide range of different sleep aids, from prescription to OTC to natural supplements, and in this episode we’re looking at the health effects of all of them. Listen to learn the short- and long-term side effects of the most common pharmaceutical sleep aids, whether or not natural sleep aids like melatonin are okay for your health, what you can do besides taking a sleep aid to help you get better rest, and more. Join the conversation at the written version of the article here: https://getwellbe.com/natural-sleep-aids/   

Do you breathe through your mouth at night, or know someone who does? If so, it's a bigger problem for your health than you might think. In this fascinating interview, Adrienne talks with dental hygienist and Faceology founder Sarah Hornsby about the emerging field of orofacial myofunctional therapy, and how it helps people correct problems in their breathing (and all the downstream health problems that stem from that). Listen to learn what causes mouth breathing, what health issues are linked to mouth breathing (from autoimmune issues to ADHD and more), how tongue ties relate to it all, and much more. Join the conversation at the written version of the article here: https://getwellbe.com/mouth-breathing-at-night-sarah-hornsby/

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and so this week Adrienne is sharing her own story of recovery from chronic Lyme. After years of symptoms like fatigue and brain fog, she was finally diagnosed, but the recommended course of antibiotics didn't help. Spearheaded by her mother, she set off on a years-long journey of experimenting with alternative and integrative medicine approaches until, finally, she was able to eliminate her symptoms and her body fully beat the disease. Listen to hear her (sometimes wild!) story, or join the conversation at the written version, here: https://getwellbe.com/adrienne-lyme-disease/