Childhood is filled with milestones. From the day their children are born, parents look forward to their first smile, their first steps, and their first words. Each of these experiences comes with its emotional dynamic. The first day of school, however, brings a unique pressure all its own. Parents often experience an intense sense of…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Putting decorations on Christmas trees, driving through neighborhoods full of carefully curated light displays, warm mugs of spiced beverages, long talks in front of fireplaces, Christmas concerts put on by kindergarteners, and time well spent with people we love. There is a kind of magic in the…

By: Patrick K. Porter, PhD On September 14, 2018, from my brother’s home in Alabama, I watched the television in horror as Hurricane Florence dismantled my hometown of New Bern, North Carolina—the town I had grown to love. Once the storm had passed, and I saw the aftermath on the news, I wondered how we…

By: Patrick K. Porter, Ph.D. Are you one of those people who loves to crawl under a blanket in the middle of the day for a quick refresher? I’m not. In fact, I have difficulty napping during the day. My daughter, on the other hand, loves to nap. Give her 20 minutes and nothing else…

By: Dr. Ed Kropf Sewickley, PA I wanted to share with you an experience I had with BrainTap. I was scheduled for a complete shoulder replacement on a Friday, I had no idea what I was in for except that it would be a long rehab. The Sunday preceding, as I prepared for this, I…

We’ve all heard the mantra that we need to eat more fiber. It’s good for your heart. It’s good for your digestive system. But did you know that new research now shows how fiber can also benefit your brain? Our dietary choices are more and more important in maintaining a healthy body and mind and…

On average, a person at rest takes about 16 breaths a minute for a total of 23,040 breaths per day, and it all happens automatically, without conscious thought. Unless we’re out of breath from exercise or having an asthma attack, we don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about how we breathe or how our breathing affects…

Are you frequently cranky and emotional or just feel off kilter?  Do you feel lonely and isolated from your friends and family? The answer may not be what you think. Many people suffer from a lack of good, quality sleep, and according to new research out of UC Berkley, lack of sleep makes you feel…