Healthy Gratitude

Hello everyone,

As we head toward Thanksgiving, we focus this week on gratitude, the difference it makes in our lives, in our health, and our gratitude to you for your partnership, collaboration, and for reading our (mostly) weekly newsletter. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

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Submitted by Melissa

Gratitude in Families Enhances Mental Health and Relationship Satisfaction

You've probably heard that cultivating gratitude can boost your happiness. But in marriage and families, it's not just about being more grateful for your loved ones -- it's also important to feel appreciated by them. In a new study, researchers show the benefits of perceived gratitude apply to parent-child relationships and can promote individuals' mental health. The study found that perceived gratitude from romantic partners resulted in better couple outcomes, but did not affect levels of parenting stress. In contrast, perceived gratitude from children resulted in lower parenting stress but had no impact on couple relationship satisfaction. ?

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Submitted by Noah

Foodservice Staffing Shortages in Medical Facilities

With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s worth checking in on foodservice workers in the healthcare field. After the onset of COVID-19, many hospitals were dealing with staffing shortages, including (but not limited to) foodservice workers. This was particularly evident at The University of Toledo Medical Center. According to Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Josh Krupinski, “During COVID, we had up to 50% of staff missing” and couldn’t deliver trays to rooms as-needed, forcing already-overworked nurses to pick up the slack. This healthcare foodservice staffing shortage issue across the US has not gone away since the height of the pandemic. In the 2024 State of Healthcare survey from FoodService, 61% of respondents said they’re experiencing staffing shortages. With more than half of respondents reporting continued staffing issues, it’s evident that the foodservice sector, specifically, could clearly benefit from a workforce injection. This isn’t a problem without potential solutions, as the unemployment rate for the foodservice industry was 6.2% in October 2024, meaning there are many potential candidates who’re out of work and looking for a new role. Unfortunately, expanding beyond foodservice, overall healthcare staffing shortages are not forecasted to improve in the near future, either, as there is a 34% predicted reduction in healthcare workforce shortage from 2020 to 2030. Given this information, it’s critical that hiring managers in healthcare take proactive steps to fill open positions with people looking for new, stable opportunities, which hospitals and medical centers can provide.

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Submitted by Peter

Walgreens Plans To Close Most Of Its Locations For Thanksgiving

The retail pharmacy giant plans to close most of its nearly 9,000 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico on Thanksgiving Day. Remaining open will be the 500 Walgreens stores that are open 24 hours, including the 300 pharmacies within those locations. Walgreens team members scheduled to work on Thanksgiving at 24-hour locations are essential in delivering care to their communities, especially during respiratory illness season, and serve as a critical destination for healthcare services, including prescription access, pharmacist advice and medication management. Walgreens noted this is the second year in a row it has chosen to close its doors on Thanksgiving to allow employees to spend more time with loved ones.

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Submitted by Megan

Families Sacrifice Time And Money Caring For Loved Ones. A New Caregiver Calculator Reveals The High Cost.

Across the U.S., family members caring for loved ones provide an estimated $600 billion in unpaid services each year, sacrificing time, money and often their well-being to care for aging loved ones, according to an AARP survey. As Congress considers a bill that would provide family caregivers a tax credit, quantifying how much that time is worth is proving to be difficult. Amy Goyer understands the challenge. Caring for her aging parents meant turning her life upside down. Her mother had a stroke in her late 60s and her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

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Submitted by Chris M.

Prioritize Your Mental Health and Nutrition This Thanksgiving With These Tips

The holidays can trigger hard feelings. Here's some important tips to manage stress, eat mindfully and get active for your overall wellness.

1. Avoid the uncomfortable food coma - Tryptophan, a large amino acid that is known to cause sleepiness, is indeed found in turkey, but this link is more complicated than it seems. Tryptophan's effect is multiplied when your insulin is higher. This means that foods with a high glycemic index such as starchy carbohydrates -- like potatoes, stuffing and sugary desserts -- are really the culprit.
2. Go easy on the alcohol - In one study, Americans admit they drink 27% more during the holidays than the rest of the year. Try to slip slowly and alternate servings of alcohol with at least one tall glass of water in between.
3. Eat mindfully - Mindful eating can help you stay present while eating, so you feel all the sensations of the food and notice when you begin to feel full. By remaining aware during the process of eating, you can enjoy delicious food until you're satisfied without feeling overly full or uncomfortable afterward.
4. Combat the stress - One tool that you can always pull out of your back pocket when faced with travel and family stress is the power of saying no. Put yourself first and don't be afraid to say no when you're at your limit. No, I can't attend three Thanksgiving parties in one evening. No, I can't drive two hours to pick up the in-laws from the airport. No, I don't want to share a room with my four cousins -- I'll stay at a hotel.
5. Move your body - Getting active for a few minutes each day is important for your holistic mental and physical health. If you can, aim for 30 minutes of activity before guests arrive or suggest the family go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Getting your heart rate up even for a few minutes has numerous benefits after you've had a rich Thanksgiving meal, including boosting your energy, aiding in digestion and balancing blood sugar levels.

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Submitted by Julie

What is “functional medicine”? We may think of it as a kindred spirit of physical or occupational therapy, as it carries with it the hope for reversibility of altered function.?

• Practitioners have likely pursed advanced training in nutrition, physiology, chiropractic, or even acupuncture.
• They may promote healthful recipes to help aspirants train their tastebuds to favor less processed, sweetened, or fatty foods, or to make simple switches (such as omega-3-rich butter from grass-fed cows vs standard butter’s omega-6s).
• They may endorse subtle exercises to counteract tendencies of our modern lifestyle, to improve or even restore range-of-motion, posture, balance, and more.

They may collaborate with PAs, NPs, and other professionals to shape a personalized plan to help boost one’s overall wellness profile.

More here (IFM), here (IMCJ, via NIH), and here (AFPA).

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Submitted by Pete

Writing A Thank-You Note Is More Powerful Than You Think

Not surprisingly, the letter writers felt more positive afterward. However, they overestimated how awkward the recipients would feel receiving their letter and underestimated how positive it would make them feel. This may explain why more people don't engage in expressions of gratitude, according to the researchers. They suggest that understanding the gesture's impact may help people do it more often. So take the time to write and send a well-deserved thank you note. It will be good for both of you.

Be Grateful For What You Have. It May Help You Live Longer

A?new study ?of nearly 50,000 older women found that the stronger their?feelings of gratitude , the lower their chances of dying over the next three years. People who score higher on measures of gratitude have been found to have better biomarkers for?cardiovascular function , immune system?inflammation ?and?cholesterol . They are more likely to?take their medications , get?regular exercise , have?healthy sleep habits ?and follow a balanced diet.

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The New Publix Thanksgiving Commercial Is Out. Could It Be The Ad We Need This Year?

Have a watch on YouTube

November 21, 2024 | 6.40