Healthy body, healthy mind

We've all heard the phrase healthy body, healthy mind. Regular exercise and choosing well sourced natural products to put in and on your body #iswise.

So many factors associated with how we take care of our bodies have a huge impact on mental health. 

The first is exercise, movement, physical activity. Indeed, studies have shown time and time again that daily aerobic work can significantly reduce depression and anxiety. The main causes of this therapeutic benefit are thought to be the optimized blood flow to the brain and influence on the HPA axis, or hypothalamic-pituary-adrenal axis. In short, the optimized interaction of the HPA axis with certain key parts of the brain responsible for motivation/mood, fear/stress and memory/learning (respectively the limbic system, amygdala and hippocampus), helps regulate our physiologic responses to stress. Better response to stress equals better mental health, in general. 

Other mental health benefits of sport are associated to socialisation and boost of self-worth that come with many of these practices. 

The second is nutrition, food, grub. We know that good fuel helps the body and brain work better, and poor fuel does the opposite. Refined sugars for example are responsible for a boost in inflammation and oxidative stress. Studies have shown a strong bond between high sugar diets and disrupted brain function, resulting in worsening states like depression.

Part of this is also due to serotonin production, which happens in the gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Your gastro-intestinal system has what is called a microbiome, a literal community of millions of beneficial bacteria that helps you digest and process foods, as well as maintain a healthy gut in general. So put quite simply, healthy food = healthier mind. 

Did you know that your skin is your largest organ and the first line of defence of your immune system? Or that certain natural chemical compounds like terpenes present in essential oils can affect your mood? Although the impact of hair and skin care on mental health can be considered secondary to other influences, the relationship is still present. 

For example, mood and skin health are intimately related. Stress and intense emotional states have been shown to trigger or worsen skin conditions, which in turn cause negative emotions and self consciousness. Personal care routines (like skin or hair care) thus help alleviate some of this negativity through the act of caring for oneself. On the topic of essential oils, although further study is necessary and again their use are to be considered secondary to other therapy, many studies have shown their beneficial effects on people suffering from depression and anxiety. 

This is why Wise chooses star Canadian ingredients and high quality essential oils in the development of our products. For the health of your skin and hair, and for an enjoyable experience that reminds you that you deserve it.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

https://practicaldermatology.com/articles/2019-feb/perspective-mental-health-is-skin-health#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20mental%20health,somatoform%20disorders%2C%20and%20delusional%20disorders.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-beauty/5-reasons-maintaining-a-skin-care-routine-is-good-for-your-mental-health/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21309711/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32304038/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19216657/