“Physiologically, kindness can positively change your brain. Being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters in the brain that give you feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and cause the pleasure/reward centers in your brain to light up. Endorphins, which are your body’s natural pain killer, also can be released.  It is not just how you treat other people — it is how you extend those same behaviors and intentions to yourself as well.”

MAYO CLINIC

“Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels. People who give of themselves in a balanced way also tend to be healthier and live longer. Kindness can increase your sense of connectivity with others, which can directly impact loneliness, improve low mood and enhance relationships in general. It also can be contagious. Looking for ways to show kindness can give you a focus activity, especially if you tend to be anxious or stressed in some social situations.”

MAYO CLINIC
“

“Your liver is a large and complex organ. It is responsible for breaking down and eliminating naturally occurring toxins as well as many types of medications. It also acts as a chemical factory, producing bile (necessary for digestion), clotting factors, other proteins in the blood, as well as cholesterol and various forms of fats. The other major function of the liver is to store and release carbohydrates.  Since chronic liver disease cannot be cured, prevention is key. “.

Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital

“Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. Norovirus is also known as the winter vomiting bug. It is the commonest cause of gastroenteritis. The virus is usually transmitted via the fecal-oral route . You can get norovirus from:

“National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign in the United States founded in 2006 by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Initially held the first week in October, the event was expanded in 2010 to the entire month.  Celebrating 15 year (2006-2015) anniversary! ”

PACER (www.pacer.org)

“ADHD Awareness Month is celebrated every October,  the facts to know on ADHD

• Males are almost three times more likelyTrusted Source to be diagnosed with ADHD than females.
• During their lifetimes, 13 percent of menTrusted Source will be diagnosed with ADHD. Just 4.2 percent of women will be diagnosed.
• The average ageTrusted Source of ADHD diagnosis is 7 years old.
• Symptoms of ADHD typically first appear between the ages of 3 and 6Trusted Source.
• ADHD isn’t just a childhood disorder. About 4 percent of American adults over the age of 18 deal with ADHD on a daily basis.”

Healthline (www.healthline.com)

“Nearly every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the United States long ago concluded that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a real, brain-based medical disorder. These organizations also concluded that children and adults with ADHD benefit from appropriate treatment.”

ADHD Awareness (www.adhdawarenessmonth.org)

“If you haven’t taken a deep breath lately, take the time to take one now. Just notice the air flowing through your airway, feel it rest in your lungs as it’s exchanged for carbon dioxide, and then exhale as it flows back out into the world.

“The World Health Assembly recently declared that violence has become a major and growing public health problem internationally. Studies have shown that violence—an extreme expression of aggression toward others—and suicide—an extreme manifestation of aggression directed against the self, overlap to a certain extent. Researchers have long attempted to better understand why some individuals act out aggression toward themselves while others express their anger outwardly. Part of the answer appears to lie in identifying the negative thought processes experienced by those who are at high risk for either suicide or violence.”

Psychology Today (“Insight into the violent mind”) January 2019

“Domestic violence (also referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV), dating abuse, or relationship abuse) is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.  Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate. People of any race, age, gender, sexuality, religion, education level, or economic status can be a victim — or perpetrator — of domestic violence. That includes behaviors that physically harm, intimidate, manipulate or control a partner, or otherwise force them to behave in ways they don’t want to, including through physical violence, threats, emotional abuse, or financial control.  Multiple forms of abuse are usually present at the same time in abusive situations.”

National Domestic Violence Hotline  (www.thehotline.org)