Articles By Pillar
Read the latest blog posts from lifestyle medicine experts at Stanford University covering health topics across our 7 pillars.
Reframing our Perception of Stress to Support Heart Health
By Erin Pettygrove, RDN If you’ve ever felt your chest tighten before a difficult conversation, noticed your heart race before a big presentation, or realized you’ve been holding your breath during a stressful moment, it’s not a coincidence. Stress directly affects our cardiovascular health, especially when the stress is chronic. The topic of stress is timely as more people report feeling overwhelmed by ongoing pressures they can’t easily eliminate. From political tensions to financial uncertainty, many of our stressors are...
The Best and Worst Beverages for Cardiovascular Health
By Yasaman Nourkhalaj, BS and Sharon Brock, MS, MEd When we think about heart-healthy nutrition, most of us think about the food we eat, such as increasing vegetables and whole grains and reducing red meat and other foods high in saturated fat. But even if your meals are optimized for heart health, if your beverages are filled with sugar and/or sodium, you may be hindering your cardiovascular health goals. “Beverages can contain heart-healthy or heart-harmful components just like food, often in...
How to Make New Friends in Midlife and Beyond
By Sharon Brock, MS, MEd Perhaps you’re an empty nester, newly retired, or you’ve moved to a new city—there are many reasons why you may want to build community in the later chapters of life. Making new friends is not just about improving your quality of life; research shows that strong social connections are associated with longevity and reduced risk of illness (such as anxiety, depression, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease). “We have evolved as a social species. In 95...
“Social Connection in America” Report Shows Grim Results
By M. Javad Ershad, MD A new survey, "Social Connection in America™," conducted by a team of researchers led by Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, and funded by the Barnes Family Foundation, provides a new nationwide picture of how Americans relate to one another. The “Social Connection in America™” survey was developed as a tool to provide insight and long-term direction regarding the country's social connections. It will run for 25 years and aligns with numerous federal data sources, providing policymakers with...
How to Use Technology to Strengthen Social Connections
By Sophie Burnet, BS and Sharon Brock, MS, MEd Whether it’s watching your children scroll for hours on their phones or your spouse glued to YouTube videos into the night, you might see technology as an obstacle for social connection. While we know that meaningful social engagement and warm connections are essential to our wellbeing, there also may be a fear that technology—particularly artificial intelligence (AI)—will cause further damage to our already fraying social fabric. “AI is powerful, and if...