The CBT Workbook for Mental Health – by Dr. Simon Rego & Sarah Fader
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We have often reviewed psychology books here with a note saying “and no, it’s not just a book of the standard CBT techniques that you probably already know”.
So today, this one’s for anyone who was ever thinking “but I don’t know the standard CBT techniques and I would like to know them!”.
The authors outline specific solutions to many common quantifiable problems, with simple exercises that are well-explained and easy to implement.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is not a panacea, but for the things it can be used for, it’s very effective and is a very good “first thing to reach for” to see if it works, because its success rate for a lot of problems is very high.
What kinds of things is this book most likely to help with? A lot of common forms of stress, anxiety, self-esteem issues, cravings, shame, and relationship issues. Other things too, but we can’t list everything and that list already covers a lot of very high-incidence stuff.
Bottom line: if CBT isn’t something already in your toolbox, this book will help you add all its best tips and tricks.
Click here to check out The CBT Workbook for Mental Health, and get tooled up!
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After The Recent Wave Of Food Recalls…
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The FDA is taking steps to ensure this won’t be a problem (on paper, at least):
Out of sight, out of mind?
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you may have noticed that since food safety testing standards have been lowered, there’s been a major food recall at least once every few weeks this year, due to contaminants that normally would have been noticed before they hit the shelves.
Now, however, the FDA has been compelled by funding cuts to completely suspend quality control testing, so fewer things will be flagged as dangerous.
This is not, of course, great for consumers:
Read in full: US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts
Related: Led by RFK Jr., Conservatives Embrace Raw Milk. Regulators Say It’s Dangerous.
Lettuce not worry about that
However, not all food poisoning outbreaks become a source of worry for consumers—because of some of them get a better clean-up job than our food. In this case, an E. coli outbreak was established, noted internally by the FDA, and not reported publicly until it was over, nor did they reveal, even after the fact, which companies or brands were affected:
❝The [E. coli] outbreak spread to 15 states and killed at least one person, though the case was not discussed in the FDA’s internal report. The county health department eventually confirmed 115 cases of E. coli, 13 of which sent people to the hospital.
Federal law does not require the FDA to disclose deadly food-based disease outbreaks, but the agency has customarily released data on all such cases.❞
On a practical level, this means: now’s a good time to practise extra careful food hygiene at home, washing things thoroughly, and being mindful of cross-contamination risks.
Read in full: Report suggests the FDA covered up E. coli outbreak that killed 1 person, spread to 15 states
Related: Frozen/Thawed/Refrozen Meat: How Much Is Safety, And How Much Is Taste?
A little bird tells us this is still dangerous
And by “a little bird”, we mean the American Journal of Public Health, whose report shows how public lack of awareness about bird flu, and/or apathy about same, is a big obstacle to containing the virus and avoiding a larger-scale public health crisis.
And, as for the general American public’s understanding of the risks and mitigation strategies, study results show that things could be worse, but they could definitely be a lot better too:
❝The results suggest many respondents were unaware of simple food safety practices that could reduce the risk of HPAI infection. Over half (53.7%) did not know that pasteurized milk is safer than raw milk, although almost three of four respondents (71.3%) did understand that cooking meat at high temperatures could eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses like H5N1.
Over a quarter (27%) of respondents said they were unwilling to modify their diet to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, and more than one in four respondents (28.7%) expressed reluctance to take a potential vaccine for H5N1, even if advised by the CDC to do so.❞
Read in full: Americans don’t think bird flu is a threat, study suggests
Related: Here’s the latest you need to know about bird flu
Take care!
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What is cannabis use disorder? And how do you know if you have a problem?
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Around 41% of Australians report they’ve used cannabis at some point in their life.
Research estimates that 22% of recreational cannabis consumers meet criteria for a cannabis use disorder. This condition can make it difficult to control how often or how much cannabis they use.
For medicinal cannabis, our research estimated the percentage of cannabis consumers who meet criteria for a cannabis use disorder was similar, around 25%.
These figures may come as a surprise, as the perceived risks associated with cannabis have been steadily declining in many countries.
So, how can you tell if your cannabis use is a problem?
What does cannabis use disorder look like?
A person might use cannabis to relax after a stressful day at work or to help them sleep. At first, they might do so every now and then. But over time, they might come to rely on using cannabis to stop feeling uncomfortable, stressed and sleepless.
They might begin to use cannabis daily to feel “normal”.
With regular use, the body develops tolerance to the effects of cannabis. So the person needs to use more cannabis to get the same “high”.
People who consume cannabis might use more cannabis than they intended or might have problems performing at work because they’re high at the start of the work day, or they fail to do important things such as paying bills, and buy cannabis instead.
The person might keep using cannabis despite noticing their use is causing clouded thoughts, memory issues and anxiety.
Friends and family might notice problems with their cannabis use and recommend they stop or cut back. This can be difficult for people with cannabis use disorder because they may feel anxious, irritable and have difficulty sleeping if they suddenly stop using cannabis.
Some people who use cannabis can’t function like they used to. PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock These withdrawal symptoms can make it harder to quit or cut back. Withdrawal symptoms are quickly relieved by using cannabis, creating a cycle of relapse.
How is it diagnosed?
Health professionals use specific criteria to diagnose a cannabis use disorder.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a person may have a cannabis use disorder if they show at least two symptoms within one year. Symptoms can include:
- using larger amounts over longer periods than intended
- cravings for cannabis, where the person feels a strong urge or desire to use cannabis
- trying and failing to cut back on cannabis use
- continuing cannabis use despite worsening physical or psychological problems
- failing to fulfil major role obligations at work, school or home
- needing to use a greater amount for the same effect, known as tolerance
- experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as feeling anxious, irritable or having trouble sleeping.
According to the DSM, two to three symptoms indicate a mild cannabis use disorder and few problems. A moderate disorder involves four to five symptoms, while six-plus symptoms means a severe disorder.
Who is at greatest risk?
In both recreational and medicinal consumers, the risk of cannabis use disorder is higher for people who use cannabis:
- frequently, especially daily
- by smoking or vaping
- with higher levels of THC or in larger amounts.
Other risk factors are starting cannabis use at a younger age and using cannabis to relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression and chronic pain.
What’s the relationship with chronic pain?
People struggling to manage their pain may turn to cannabis hoping to find relief.
However, recent studies question the effectiveness of cannabis to manage pain.
People who use cannabis to relieve chronic pain often use it more frequently. AYO Production/Shutterstock So people may increase how often they use cannabis or use more potent cannabis products in an unsuccessful attempt to control their pain.
This can lead to a cannabis use disorder, making it more difficult to manage their pain and impairing their ability to cope with the demands of everyday life.
How to reduce your risk
Legal changes in many countries, including Australia, have allowed greater access to cannabis for medical reasons. People now often use cannabis for both recreational and medical reasons (dual-use).
If you use cannabis, reduce your risk of developing a cannabis use disorder by avoiding daily use and avoiding cannabis products with high THC.
If you’re concerned about your cannabis use, consult your medical practitioner or contact the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 for confidential advice.
Danielle Dawson, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology and National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland; Valentina Lorenzetti, Deputy Director, Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre Program Lead, Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Australian Catholic University, and Wayne Hall, Emeritus Professor, National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Artichoke vs Tomato – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing artichoke to tomato, we picked the artichoke.
Why?
Tomatoes are great, but artichokes are simply better in most ways:
In terms of macros, artichokes have more than 4x the fiber, more than 2x the carbs, and nearly 4x the protein, winning in this category.
In the category of vitamins, artichoke has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and K, while tomatoes have more of vitamins A, C, and E, giving artichokes an 8:3 win in this round.
Looking at minerals, artichoke has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while tomatoes are not higher in any minerals; a complete win for artichoke here.
In other considerations, artichokes have more polyphenols, while tomatoes are a famously good source of lycopene, so we’ll call this round a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for artichoke, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
Enjoy!
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Blood Glucose & Your Brain
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Two facts worth considering:
- Your brain runs on glucose, and if there’s not enough, it won’t work well
- Blood sugar levels are definitely something where it’s entirely possible to have too much of a good thing
This much is not too tricky to reconcile.
After all, your car might run on gasoline, but filling the tank to overflowing and dowsing your car in it will not improve its performance, to put it mildly.
So, when it comes to blood glucose and the brain, where does the danger zone lie? When does it stop being a “extra fuel” and start being “we dowsed it in fuel and now it’s a burning wreck”?
It’s about the big picture
Recently, researchers (Dr. Lina Jin et al.) analyzed neuroimaging, metabolomic, and genetic data from the UK Biobank and found that higher blood glucose levels were strongly associated with faster brain aging.
How much data is that, you ask?
The best-performing model was applied to 37,458 UK Biobank participants to calculate the brain age gap (BAG), which measures how much older or younger a person’s brain is (according to epigenetic clocks) compared with their chronological age:
❝Using 1,079 imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs) from 4,333 healthy participants, we trained and validated machine learning models for brain age prediction, with a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model achieving the best performance (mean absolute error = 3.26 years, R² = 0.68). Brain age gap (BAG) was then estimated in 37,458 participants. Association analyses in 21,780 individuals identified nine plasma metabolites significantly linked to BAG after Bonferroni correction, with glucose showing the strongest effect (β = 0.32, P = 9.90 × 10⁻¹²).❞
And as for how much this matters: the brain usually shrinks after your 30s or 40s, but accelerated brain aging is linked to earlier memory loss, cognitive decline, and a higher risk of neurological, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders.
In fewer words: higher blood glucose levels were associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety.
And in particular, higher glucose concentrations were linked to poorer cognitive performance, reduced movement function, and worse mental health outcomes.
Structurally, the study saw consistent results too: elevated blood glucose was associated with smaller brain volumes across 80 cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions, indicating widespread structural changes rather than effects confined to a few brain areas. That’s a lot, and there are not many worse things you can do in this regard (if you do want ideas for doing worse, though, options include Don’t Shrink Your Brain With This Habit and How Does Alcohol Cause Blackouts?).
The effects of chronically elevated blood sugar levels are thus also quite related to what we talked about in: The Surprising Place Fat Can Accumulate To Shrink Your Brain ← since that also pertained, ultimately, to metabolic mishaps.
As for what all this means in practical terms: all these findings strongly suggest (do not outright prove, because the study was associative, but it seems very clear) that glucose metabolism can be a modifiable pathway influencing brain aging, reinforcing the idea that maintaining healthy blood glucose levels can help preserve brain health and reduce the risk of age-related brain disorders.
If you’d like to read the paper in full for yourself, here it is: Metabolomic signatures of brain aging: A multimodal and genetic study
Want to learn more?
To learn more about how to most easily and effectively manage your blood sugar levels, do swing by these previous main features of ours:
- Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity!
- 10 Ways To Balance Blood Sugars
- Eating For Energy (In Ways That Actually Work)
- Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load vs Insulin Index
- Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?
And to learn much more deeply about this, check out this excellent book that we reviewed:
Why We Get Sick – by Dr. Benjamin Bikman ← this is about insulin resistance, and, importantly, the invisible insulin resistance that precedes blood sugar imbalances by many years (it goes unnoticed because the pancreas will dutifully keep cranking out more and more insulin to keep the blood sugars stable, until one day it just can’t keep up anymore, and then and only then does prediabetes get diagnosed).
Take care!
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Kettlebell Sport & Fitness Basics – by Audrey Burgio
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Professional athlete & coach Audrey Burgio covers how to get a full-body workout that will make you stronger and more flexible (there are stretches here too, and many exercises are about strength and suppleness), as well as building stability and balance. In short, more robust and with better mobility.
Which is one of the best things about kettlebell training—unlike dumbbells and barbells, a kettlebell requires the kind of strength that one has to use when doing many routine tasks, from carrying the groceries to moving a big pan in the kitchen.
Because it is otherwise absolutely possible to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the gym, and then still pull a muscle moving something at home because the angle was awkward or somesuch!
However, making one’s body so robust does require training safely, and the clear instructions in this book will help the reader avoid injuries that might otherwise be incurred by just picking up some kettlebells and guessing.
Bottom line: if you’d like to get strong and supple from the comfort of your own home, this book can definitely lead the way!
Click here to check out Kettlebell Sport & Fitness Basics, and see the difference in your body!
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What Your Skin Says About Your Health
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Dr. Siobhan Deshauer explains:
The largest organ of the body has a lot to say!
It’s not too surprising, as everything affects everything else and the skin surrounds all the other organs.
So, with that in mind, here’s your guide to what your skin says about your health:
- Dermatitis herpetiformis (celiac disease): small, fluid-filled blisters grouped together—often on elbows and knees—caused by an autoimmune reaction to gluten; antibodies attack enzymes in the small intestine and skin, linking gut and skin inflammation. Can be confirmed by biopsy showing fluorescent antibodies, and resolves (as you probably know) with a gluten-free diet.
- Xanthoma (high cholesterol): fatty plaques under the skin that can indicate dangerously high lipid levels, diabetes, or liver disease. Their placement can reveal the lipid type involved—eruptive xanthomas on shoulders, arms, or buttocks signal high triglycerides, while tendon xanthomas (such as on the Achilles tendon) suggest familial hypercholesterolemia and high LDL cholesterol.
- Gouty tophi (uric acid buildup): hard, lumpy deposits on your joints, fingers, toes, or ears formed by uric acid crystals. These are associated with gout, a painful arthritis once known as the “disease of kings” due to meaty diets. Untreated, the crystals can damage kidneys and cause stones; now treatable with uric acid–lowering medication, but obviously, prevention is better than cure, so easing up the meat is a good idea.
- Skin tags (diabetes warning): small, soft growths on areas of friction—neck, eyelids, or armpits—often harmless but potentially linked to insulin resistance or diabetes, especially when numerous. Screening with a hemoglobin A1c blood test is advised.
- Seborrheic keratosis (age spots): waxy, raised brown growths nicknamed “barnacles of ageing.” Usually benign, but a sudden widespread eruption (the Leser–Trélat sign) can indicate an internal cancer and requires medical evaluation.
- Jaundice (yellow skin): yellowing of skin or eyes from bilirubin buildup, a sign of liver malfunction, bile duct blockage, or excessive red blood cell breakdown. Requires immediate attention. A harmless exception is Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic condition where mild jaundice appears during stress or illness, sometimes linked to reduced heart disease and cancer risk due to bilirubin’s antioxidant effects.
- Itchy skin (pruritus): can result from dryness, allergies, or irritation, but widespread itching without a rash may signal liver disease, kidney failure, or certain cancers. In pregnancy, bile acid buildup can cause severe itching and risk to the baby, often prompting early delivery. Persistent itch beyond a few weeks warrants a medical check.
- Spider nevi (spider angioma): small, red, web-like blood vessel clusters that blanch when pressed. Having one or two is normal, but multiple lesions may suggest liver cirrhosis or (extremely) high estrogen levels. They also appear commonly in pregnancy and usually fade afterwards.
- Malar rash vs. rosacea: lupus malar rash forms a butterfly pattern over cheeks and bridge of nose but typically spares the nasolabial folds; rosacea often includes the folds, flares with heat, alcohol, spicy foods, and affects appearance rather than internal organs.
- Quick “glass test” for vasculitis: press a clear glass on the rash—if it blanches, blood is inside vessels (less concerning); if it doesn’t blanch, blood has leaked outside vessels, raising concern for vasculitis, low platelets, or serious infection (including, famously, meningitis).
- Eczema vs. psoriasis: eczema favors flexor surfaces (inner elbows, wrists, behind knees), is intensely itchy, and clusters with hay fever and asthma; psoriasis favours extensor surfaces (elbows, knees), has thick silvery scale, and carries higher risks of arthritis and heart disease due to systemic inflammation.
- Acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa: sudden growth of fine, downy hair can be a paraneoplastic sign—often linked to internal malignancy—so it warrants urgent cancer screening.
- Acanthosis nigricans: velvety, darker skin in body folds (neck, armpits) is commonly tied to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or PCOS; improving insulin sensitivity can make it fade.
- Adult-onset or suddenly worse acne: new, persistent acne in adults may reflect hormonal disorders such as PCOS, Cushing’s syndrome, or androgen-secreting tumours—evaluate if other signs (weight change, hirsutism, purple striae) are present.
- Livedo reticularis: a purplish, net-like pattern—often benign with cold exposure, especially in infants—but can signal vasculitis or antiphospholipid syndrome in adults if persistent or symptomatic.
- Dermatomyositis: look for heliotrope rash (eyelids), Gottron’s papules (knuckles), V sign (chest), and Shawl sign (back/shoulders) plus proximal muscle weakness; in older adults, screen for cancer (notably lung or stomach).
- Hives (urticaria) red flags: typical wheals come and go within hours; lesions lasting >24 hours, leaving bruising, or feeling painful/burning rather than itchy suggest urticarial vasculitis—seek assessment.
- Tripe palms: thick, ridged, velvety palms/soles strongly associate with internal cancers—most often gastric—so prompt investigation is essential.
For more on each of these plus visual illustrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Are Age Spots Inevitable? And What Do They Mean For Skin Health?
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
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