Anxiety Depression Stress Epigenetics • Mental Health August 16, 2021 By Sara Martin 0 Comments

Epigenetics and Mental Health [Exclusive Case Study]

It May Not Be All In Your Mind

How are Epigenetics and Mental Health linked? Most people would have a fair understanding of genes and what they do, and maybe you know about the changes occurring at all levels of medicine since the mapping of the human genome was completed in 2003, and the great results arising from the subsequent research (think breast cancer).

Explaining Epigenetics

But in case you have not heard about epigenetics, let’s start with some basics. The prefix ‘epi’ means ‘on top of or added to’ and applies to an addition of some extra molecules to a gene, often called a tag or an SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism). These SNPs change the way that gene works or expresses itself. Since there are 3 billion genes in an individual and more than one tag can attach to a gene the number of different expressions is huge.

Anxiety Mindfulness Self-improvement/Identity Mental Health August 16, 2021 By Sara Martin 1 Comment

Growing Scientific Evidence for Mindfulness [Exclusive Tips]

Mindfulness can relax you and regulate your emotions in the short term, but it can also change your brain permanently if you approach it as a form of mental exercise.

What is the Scientific Evidence for Mindfulness?

Studies show that when we intentionally turn our focus onto mindfulness our brain changes activation and with repetition can change brain structure. This is neuroplasticity, or how the brain can change in response to our experiences, both positive and negative (Mindful.org, Sept, 2019).

Neuroscience research shows that the brain continues to grow and change over our lifespan (neuroplasticity) and we are not ‘hard wired’. When we experience repeated experiences, the brain neural pathways thicken which changes brain chemistry and anatomy.