As medical practitioners, physicians are typically the first clinical professionals to evaluate a child. In addition, physicians are one of the few clinicians who maintain an ongoing, consistent relationship with children and their parents. In contrast, pediatric neuropsychologists typically serve as consultants who work with children for a brief, circumscribed period of time. The purpose of the present article is to provide an overview of pediatric neuropsychological assessment and outline the ways in which pediatric neuropsychology contributes to the practice of primary care physicians and the care of children.

In my practice I frequently use relaxation techniques, mindfulness skills or hypnosis. A majority of people are familiar with meditation or relaxation. Unfortunately, there are misconceptions about hypnosis and how it works. A frequently asked question is: what is the difference between meditation and hypnosis?

I’m sure most of you have heard or said yourself, something about needing a good cry. That is actually a very interesting statement. Our tear ducts are part of our lacrimal gland, which sits between our eyeball and our eyelid. This gland is connected to our limbic system. Our limbic system is the part of our brain that is responsible for emotions.

As a psychologist, I talk to a lot of people about the benefits of exercise. I also frequently make the suggestion to my patients to go outside. I encourage them to sit and absorb the sights, sounds, smells and feeling of the natural world around them.

Here we are in the middle of the holiday season. As Charles Dickens famously said, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” We all have expectations for the holidays. We tend to think of all the things we hope for such as taking time off, being with our families or with our friends. We have fantasies of how the holidays will be. Many of us start to think about what we are going to do differently in the New Year.

I found this article years ago. I don’t remember where and do not have an authors name. These are all simple things each of us can do. The author stated spenting a year testing out the various theories of current scientific studies on happiness, and came up with seven points. Each of them can help lift your mood and give you a sense of accomplishment.

Eating disorders are complex and involve a variety of behaviors. The most common eating disorders are binge eating disorder, followed by bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Symptoms commonly associated with eating disorders are food restriction, binging, purging, low self-esteem, poor body image, drive for thinness, a history of trauma, anxiety and depression.

Weightism or weight based discrimination is prejudice based on a person’s body size. It has its greatest negative impacts on those who are overweight, although there are many stereotypes based on thinness as well. The stigma related to weight bias can lead to false stereotyping (i.e. someone who is overweight is lazy, lacks will power or is of low intelligence), discrimination and being devalued by society (such as not being consider for jobs, difficulties getting adequate health care) and personal shame (including low self-esteem).