Lifestyle

Symbolically, the new year is the annual opportunity to kick-start good new habits and get rid of old bad ones. The reality, however, is that many people fail to stick with these resolutions for even a new week, let alone the entire new year. Why do so many fall short of the goals they set? It’s all in your brain. h Sigmund Freud first introduced the pleasure-pain principle back in 1895 and it still holds true today. The human brain is wired to pay attention to formally tried and tested, pleasing stimuli. This means that when people see something associated with a past reward, their brain flushes itself with dopamine – a happy hormone. This is the reason why old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to establish.

You know what you need to do in order to become or stay healthy. But consistently making those smart choices – to exercise, skip dessert and get enough sleep – well, that can be tough. My commitment – some might say obsession – with living younger longer has made me acutely aware of how important it is to be able to stick to your resolutions and plans for healthier living.

Dear Doctors: I’ve been hearing about something called “personalized nutrition.” They’re saying it can help with all sorts of stuff, like depression, losing weight and even migraines. Apparently it starts with a poop sample? What’s this all about?

Some people think they have poison ivy because they have a vine growing on some trees or on the ground at home. There are two vines that look a bit similar and are often confused with poison ivy. Do you have either poison ivy or Virginia creeper growing on your property? During the growing season, these plants are easy to tell apart as Virginia Creeper has five-leaflets per leaf and Poison Ivy has three. However, during the winter, distinguishing between the two vines can be more difficult as the leaves have dropped. The reason it is important to be able to tell the difference is that Poison Ivy causes a rash in most people but Virginia Creeper does not. First, let’s cover some facts about Poison Ivy.

Dear Doctors: Is it true that we’re being told to eat even less salt than before? I’ve been hearing that there are new rules about that, but I don’t know what they are. How much salt is OK to eat? Why is it that this kind of advice keeps changing? Dear Reader: You are correct about the recent release of updated guidance regarding how much salt we should — or, more accurately, should not — be eating.