Health
Mental health and stress issues in America get new attention from National Geographic
This month of May, National Geographic has been giving a nod to Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S. — with a new campaign unveiling a series of mental health check-ups in the form of articles, videos, photography and more.
The material includes downloadable phone backgrounds, ASMR nature YouTube videos, sense-soothing Spotify playlists and a “How Stressed Are You?” questionnaire first developed by psychologists in 1983.
The organization also released a series of think pieces about a culture of urgency in America that is apparently leading to burnout; the efficiency and effectiveness of meditation; and multiple takes on experiencing stress.
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“In our ‘always-on’ world, people are more stressed than ever, and the science is clear that chronic stress has a negative impact on our health,” National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said in a media release.
“We aim to help people better understand the effects of stress and encourage them to slow down and take the time to prioritize their mental health,” Lump also said.
He added that he hoped “these resources will encourage and facilitate that behavior.”
The initiative for NatGeo sprouted from a deep dive into how scientists have been attempting to solve stress for generations due to signs that stress can have life-altering consequences, from heart disease to a weakened immune system.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, NatGeo contributor Yudhijit Bhattacharjee shared details about his research — noting that “stress is all around us.”
“Stress permeates our lives,” he said. “Stress has some serious impacts on our health, our well-being, even how our brains function, how our immune systems function and so on.”
Since the coronavirus pandemic, Bhattacharjee, who’s based in Takoma Park, Maryland, said it’s become “clear” that social isolation is a “big contributor to stress.”
“When we’re significantly stressed, we’re more susceptible to viruses and germs.”
“In the last 10 to 15 years, there’s been a lot more research on precisely how stress affects us,” he said. “We didn’t know, for example, as clearly as we do now, that stress often plays havoc with our immune system.”
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“When we’re significantly stressed, we’re more susceptible to viruses and germs … and in this post-COVID world, this is definitely very relevant.”
Bhattacharjee’s research also examined how stress can affect adolescents and children.
Aniko Korosi, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, told NatGeo, “Chronic stress in early life has more serious and lasting effects, because that’s when a lot of connections are being laid down in the brain.”
Raising their triplets is challenging for Caitlin and Chris Nichols of Lawrenceville, Georgia. Born prematurely, the children have long-term health problems. Caregivers of chronically ill children face health difficulties themselves. Telomeres — protective caps at the ends of chromosomes — are shorter than expected, a possible sign of stress-related aging. (Brian Finke/National Geographic)
Experts have discovered, according to Bhattacharjee, that high stress can impede the development of a child’s brain.
“Not much attention has been paid to the impact of stress on babies,” he said. “The stress that parents experience in trying to earn a livelihood, keep a roof over their heads — all of that stress ends up kind of transmitting to their children.”
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“And while the adults can probably cope with the stress and their brains are already fully formed, it’s the children who are going to end up paying a price that lasts their entire lives.”
Bhattacharjee said NatGeo’s campaign is “drawing attention” to what stress is doing to our bodies and our children, as well as advocating for people to “try out their preferred ways of de-stressing.”
Teaching meditation to people at a young age could make a “big contribution” to society, said a National Geographic contributor (not pictured). (iStock)
Meditation — a well-known method of de-stressing — has been embraced more openly by the public and is even being introduced to children in schools, NatGeo reported.
Bhattacharjee assumed that programs like these could make a “big contribution” to society by changing “how humanity responds to day-to-day stress.”
“Scientists are learning exactly how meditation ends up helping to reduce stress and thereby helps to control some of the ill effects of stress,” he said.
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Bhattacharjee considered other activities to be “meditative” in their ability to control stress, such as playing a sport, singing karaoke, spending time with a pet or going for a walk.
“Meditation is kind of a catchall word for a number of contemplative practices and many of them focus on paying attention to one’s breath and one’s thoughts,” he said.
“I think we need to spend some time just with ourselves feeling bored in order to increase our well-being,” said one expert. (iStock)
The NatGeo contributor said many people today are living in a “frenetic social media environment” while surrounded by issues ranging from environmental to political — making it an opportune time to pay attention to our stress levels and learn how to calm them.
“This constant seeking of stimulation, this addiction to stimulation, is contributing to the stress,” he said.
“[Scrolling is] probably not helping … even if you think that it will entertain you. Maybe that’s just adding to our stress load.”
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He added, “I think we need to spend some time just with ourselves feeling bored in order to increase our well-being.”
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Researchers have shed fresh light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice could be almost as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure.
Baduanjin is a form of exercise that’s been widely practiced in China for at least 800 years. It involves a series of eight slow movements, gentle breathing and meditation — and typically takes only about 10 minutes to complete.
In a clinical trial, researchers studied 216 adults age 40 and older with Stage 1 hypertension. Over the course of a year, participants performed either baduanjin, self-directed exercise or brisk walking.
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Researchers found that participants who practiced baduanjin five times per week experienced lower blood pressure within three months.
The results were “comparable to reductions seen with some first-line medications,” they wrote in their report published by the American College of Cardiology.
High blood pressure, if left untreated, can lead to heart attack and stroke. Now, researchers have shed new light on how a simple, centuries-old Chinese practice could be almost as effective as some medications in lowering blood pressure. (andreswd/Getty Images)
Baduanjin also showed “comparable results and safety profile to brisk walking at one year,” the researchers further reported.
“Given its simplicity, safety and ease at which one can maintain long-term adherence, baduanjin can be implemented as an effective, accessible and scalable lifestyle intervention for individuals trying to reduce their [blood pressure],” said the senior author of the study, Jing Li, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Matthew Saybolt, medical director of the Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s Structural Heart Disease Program, said he was surprised by an aspect of the study’s results.
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“I was biased and expected that higher intensity exercise like brisk walking would have resulted in greater improvement in blood pressure than baduanjin, but the effects were the same,” Saybolt told Fox News Digital. (He was not affiliated with the study.)
Dr. Antony Chu, clinical assistant professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine, was born and raised in the U.S. to immigrant parents — his mother is from Hong Kong and his father is from Taiwan.
Practitioners of baduanjin, such as those in this class, incorporate slow movements with mindful breathing. (Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
Having spent a lot of summers in Asia, Chu told Fox News he experienced “the best of both worlds” concerning Eastern and Western medicine, including exposure to the benefits of baduanjin.
“[These researchers] are taking a lot of things that have been commonplace for many, many centuries or millennia and then just applying mathematical modeling and statistical analysis to sort of give [them] some credibility,” Chu said.
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“Western medicine is reactionary,” Chu also said.
He compared the philosophies to a house on fire: Eastern medicine practitioners are more invested in preventing the fire, whereas Western medicine is more focused on “all those things that it would need to do to try to put that fire out,” he said, sharing his opinion.
A new study shows how people with high blood pressure can reduce it without medicine. (FG Trade/Getty Images)
Left untreated, high blood pressure has dangers that are “too numerous to count,” Saybolt said. The risks include increased risks of stroke, heart attack, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure.
Baduanjin, Chu said, is effective at reducing blood pressure, which he likened to “the water pressure and the pipes of your house,” by calming the nervous system and reducing stress.
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“People are totally stressed out,” Chu said. “And stress reduction is huge.”
Saybolt said the study offers hope for people with hypertension — “and that hope doesn’t immediately have to include pharmaceuticals.”
Baduanjin is easily incorporated into most lifestyles and can be done without equipment almost anywhere and at any time. (Getty Images)
Saybolt added that he’s always advocated for lifestyle modifications, including healthy diet and exercise, “as key therapies for treatment of diseases and to improve longevity.”
With the baduanjin data, Saybold said he is now “more optimistic than ever,” as “we have evidence that a very low impact exercise with mindfulness can yield a benefit.”
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Chu said that translating overwhelming medical guidelines is a big part of his job.
“It’s not to just tell somebody, ‘Hey, your blood pressure’s too high, pick a pill,” he said.
Baduanjin has been a preventative health practice the Chinese have been incorporating into their routines for centuries. (Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
“Lifestyle changes” can be daunting for many people, he added.
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“They always make it sound like you have to live for seven years in Tibet on a mountain somewhere, and it’s really not that.”
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His simple translation for the baduanjin study is this: “Close the door in your office and just say, ‘I can’t be bothered for 10 minutes,’ and just focus on breathing slowly and moving your arms or legs around.”
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Gabe Poirot says he ‘met Jesus’ during an 18-day coma
Kayleigh McEnany interviews Gabe Poirot, who shares his extraordinary near-death experience during an 18-day coma in October 2021. Poirot describes leaving his body, encountering Jesus, and witnessing how heaven is a person rather than a place. He also discusses his book, ’18 Days in Heaven,’ detailing his spiritual journey and message of hope.
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Rudy Giuliani, 81, is recovering from a severe case of viral pneumonia that led him into a coma in early May.
The former New York City mayor returned to his online talk show “America’s Mayor Live!” on May 13 and opened up about his health status.
“I feel like I’ve recovered 100%,” he said. “I’ve been home a few days and doing really, really well.”
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Giuliani reflected on his time in the hospital, revealing that he had a “very significant spiritual experience” while he was in a “state of out of it.”
“I would equate it to a dream of being on line headed for — I can’t say headed for heaven — headed for a trial with St. Peter,” he described.
Rudy Giuliani attends the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City in September 2024. The former New York City mayor, 81, is recovering from a severe case of viral pneumonia that led him into a coma in early May. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“And there was a very, very significant intervention by my Peter. I have my own Peter, Peter Powers. Peter J. Powers, my friend of my lifetime.”
During this dream state, Peter said some “very significant words,” which Giuliani made sure to repeat and have others record when he woke up, he shared.
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“As soon as I could, I wrote it out so that I wouldn’t forget it, and it’s meant a lot to me, and I’ve been reflecting on it quite a bit,” he added.
Giuliani was able to discuss his experience with a priest — and plans to share more at a different time.
“I don’t want to embellish it,” he said. “I don’t want to deny what was there.”
Powers and Giuliani reportedly became friends in high school. Powers later served as Giuliani’s campaign manager and his first deputy mayor. He died in 2016 at 72 years old from complications with lung cancer, according to multiple news outlets.
Giuliani was hospitalized in critical but stable condition on Sunday, May 3, due to severe breathing issues.
Giuliani’s doctor, Maria Ryan, told Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl that the former mayor began feeling ill after returning from a trip to Paris, with his breathing deteriorating to the point that he was placed on a ventilator.
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Ryan said his condition turned critical, prompting a priest to be called to his bedside to perform last rites. But by Tuesday, Giuliani’s condition had improved enough for doctors to remove him from the ventilator.
According to political strategist Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s response and exposure to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks later led to a diagnosis of restrictive airway disease.
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani stands with Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and Emergency Management Director Richard Scheirer before dedicating a public viewing platform overlooking the World Trade Center attack site in New York on Dec. 29, 2001. (Kathy Willens/AP)
Although Giuliani and his doctors have not confirmed that he had a “near-death experience,” similar encounters are often reported by people emerging from critical medical situations.
In a 2023 review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, researchers analyzed more than four decades of reports of near-death experiences, involving more than 2,000 studies and nearly 500 individuals.
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Near-death events were categorized into four types of experiences: emotional, cognitive, spiritual/religious and supernatural.
The research identified common traits in these reports – especially having out-of-body experiences, passing through a tunnel, having heightened senses, seeing deceased people or religious figures, encountering a bright light and reviewing life events.
A detailed view of the 19th century statue of Saint Peter the Apostle holding a gold key, symbolizing the key to heaven, located in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Rome. (iStock)
Although these experiences can differ by interpretation, the researchers concluded that the heightened senses and improved consciousness indicate that “these experiences are neither dreams nor sleep, nor the disorders caused.”
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“This phenomenon is medically inexplicable,” they wrote, adding that the research points to a consistent pattern that “supports the clarity and authenticity of near-death experiences.”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed reporting.
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