In this episode, Brittany and Tom take a look at one of the Pillars of Health that seems to be crumbling in America right now: Stress Management and Mental Health.

Especially since COVID, we have been experiencing a mental health crisis in the US, with rising rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. This episode reviews the extent of the problem, and goes over some alarming statistics. Unfortunately our children are suffering the worst of this crisis, which underscores the importance of systemic action to try and reverse this trend.

This episode goes over the potential upstream causes and contributing factors to the decline in mental health, and looks at the relationship between mental health and every other pillar of health. How does nutrition impact mental health? What effect does poor sleep have on stress and depression? Can exercise alleviate some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety? How do connection and community help to improve resilience? Could toxic exposures in our food, water and environment be contributing to this decline? What effect does sunlight have on our brain and mood?

This episode is meant to get people thinking about stress and mental health from more of a Functional Medicine perspective.

In this episode Brittany and Tom talk about the importance of exercise and activity for physical and mental health. They discuss what the current exercise recommendations are for kids and adults and how far off the mark we are in America, leading to physical and mental decline.

They differentiate between the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, zone 2 versus HIIT training, as well as the dangers of neglecting strength training especially for women. There is a brief discussion of HRV- Heart Rate Variability and the impact of exercise on vagal tone.

This is an overview of the topic rather than a deep dive into any of the specifics that we will cover in later episodes.

In this episode, Tom and Brittany discuss the importance of sleep as one of the foundational Six Pillars of Health for kids and adults.

They cover why sleep is important, how much we all need based on age, and the potential ramifications of under-sleeping for both adults and kids.

Also reviewed are some medications and supplements for sleep and which ones are not recommended because of health concerns with regular use.

In this episode, Tom and Brittany give their "10,000 foot view" on basic functional medicine nutrition principles. The touch on issues with population studies of nutrition versus personalized "N of 1" approach, and how there has been some bad science in the past that sent us down the wrong path from a health policy standpoint.

They discuss the importance of dietary protein for overall health and metabolism and taking both protein quantity and quality into account. The vital role of fiber in our health is also reviewed, as well as the damaging effects of excessive sugar.

They make the point that dietary fat is not the enemy, but it pays to be selective about your oils. The importance of adequate long chain omega-3 versus short chain omega-3 in the diet is also reviewed.

In this episode, you meet the hosts of the podcast and hear their stories and backgrounds and get an overview of the podcast and the topics we will cover.

We give our view on what Functional Medicine is and how it can apply to families and their goal of improving the health of the ones they love. We discuss upstream versus downstream medicine and how there is a shift occurring.

We touch on the six pillars of health and focusing on the fundamentals of nutrition, sleep, mental health, exercise, connection and environment.

We try to set the stage for upcoming episodes that will cover the six pillars and host of other health related topics.

This is a brief introduction to the Aware Families Podcast. Outlines the subject matter and gives a brief bio of your hosts, Brittany Coburn NP-C and Tom Flass MD.