We’re fortunate enough to have a guest post today from Dr. George Drinka, child psychiatrist and author. Dr. Drinka’s upcoming book, When the Media Is the Parent, is posed to educate parents about the massive role media (think television, video games, and the Internet).

Today, he’s talking with us about the role media plays in childhood obesity, fast food advertising geared toward children, and how, in time, the media might even help promote healthier eating.

Happy Tuesday, beautiful readers!

We’ve survived Thanksgiving, but with Christmas just a week away and New Year’s just a week after that, it’s safe to say we’re still in the thick of the holiday season.

Which means, for some of us, there are still a lot of stress and anxiety triggers coming our way.

As such, the good people over at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) are hosting a Twitter chat on using complementary health practices like yoga, meditation, and tai chi to manage stress and anxiety – specifically, the safety and efficacy of these mind and body practices.

During the chat, you’ll get to meet John Glowa, Ph.D., the NCCAM expert who oversees the organization’s behavioral health research portfolio, and Daniel Pine, M.D. from the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Note that:

• The chat is today (Tuesday, December 18, 2012) at 3:30 p.m. EST. (Got a free minute between now and then? Check out highlights from a previous NIH NCCAM Twitter chat: 5 Resources for Depression and Complementary Health Practices)
• You should go ahead and follow the NIH NCCAM on Twitter at @NCCAM.
• The hashtag for the chat is #nccamchat.

Hope to see you there!

Image Credit

If you missed the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) Twitter chat last Friday, don’t worry: You don’t have to scroll through all the #nccamchat hashtags on Twitter to catch up!

The NCCAM has archived the chat so you can browse through the tweets at your leisure.

Kyczy Hawk, yoga instructor and author of "Yoga and the Twelve-Step Path"

Last week, I shared information about yoga and addiction recovery – specifically, five ways yoga can help addicts in recovery.

Fortunately, Kyczy Hawk stumbled across the piece.

Hawk, a San Jose-based yoga instructor who focuses on addiction recovery, is also the author of the recently published “Yoga and the Twelve-Step Path,” and agreed to a quick interview to provide Your Body, Your Mind readers with some firsthand insight about the different kinds of addiction, the dangers of feeling disconnected and separate, and how yoga can help people during the addiction recovery process.

Alicia Sparks: What led to your decision to start practicing and teaching yoga?

Kyczy Hawk: Many years ago yoga presented itself as a non “exercise” form of physical movement and health. Years later I again stepped onto the mat in both physical and psychic pain. I had plateaued in my recovery journey – I am a person in recovery – and I felt disconnected.

Mental health isn’t always the easiest topic to discuss. For some, it’s touchy. For others, it’s awkward. For many it’s private and for a few it’s offensive.

So, similar to any blog dealing with mental health, Your Body, Your Mind has had its fair share of positive and negative comments since its launch last month.

I’ve noticed a common theme among most of the negative comments, and that’s a theme of guilt. It seems some readers believe if they don’t work out or eat right, they should feel guilty; if they don’t feel any better after working out or adopting a healthier diet, they’ve failed.

I wish this weren’t the case.

What I want for Your Body, Your Mind readers is an understanding that for many, a positive focus on the physical – whether it be jogging five days a week or cutting sweets from a diet or getting rid of dangerous belly fat – can provide a positive outcome for the mental, too.

Neither Jessica nor I will ever post an article on this blog with the intention of making any reader feel guilty, pressured, or inadequate.

Before she became a personal trainer and self-proclaimed “fitness junkie,” Girlwithnoname (who actually does have a name: Jackie Burgmann) wasn’t happy. More than unhappy, she was depressed. Each area of her life – professional, personal, and even romantic – had taken a hit, and to top it all off, she gained weight after A) deciding she couldn’t deal with the anxiety she felt at the gym, and B) giving in to comfort eating.

Finally, Jackie decided to regain control of her life – and getting back in shape was a HUGE part of that. She knew heading back to the gym was out of the question, so she started researching at-home workout programs. After hanging on to what worked and tossing what didn’t, she developed a routine that not only worked for her, but also helped her kick the fear, anxiety, and depression she’d developed.

Now, Jackie’s a successful fitness coach with her own at-home workout program, the aptly-titled Hot at Home. The smokin’ 47-year-old has been an inspiration to me since we first met several years ago, and I hope that inspiration spreads now that she’s sharing her story with you.