a message from the director In a world filled with constant stress, sleep deprivation, lack of exercise, and nutrition label ingredients you can hardly pronounce, making healthy decisions can seem downright impossible. How much control do we even have over our health? After all, aren’t our traits (like whether we’re slim or overweight, or if we’re at risk for heart disease or diabetes) governed largely by our genes? Although genetics play a role in our health, our day-to-day choices can have a great impact on our wellbeing. In fact, an emerging field called epigenetics (literally meaning above the genome) indicates that factors like our diets and lifestyles can impact the expression of our genes, and thus, our personal decisions can be extremely influential in determining our overall health outcomes. Yet, navigating all the information out there to discern what practices are healthy can be extremely complicated. That’s why making healthy living simple has always been a goal of Total Wellness, and for this issue, we’re going back to the basics in hopes of providing you with the fundamentals for better health.
Feel like you’re too busy to fit in time for health in your hectic schedule? Be sure to read our cover story Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow for tricks to squeeze in healthy practices into your everyday routine as well as how to improve your sleep quality, nutrition, and mental wellness, and avoid today’s major health threats (page 36). We hope that by going back to the basics, we’ve provided you with the resources to make informed decisions on how to promote your wellness and convinced you that you can take charge of your own health. As always, we love to hear from our readers. In fact, some of the article topics in this issue stemmed from readers like you! So, if you have ideas or if you just want to share your thoughts about our previous publications, please contact us at totalwellnessatucla@gmail.com. Cheers to your health,
Shannon Wongvibulsin Director and Editor-in-Chief
total wellness ▪ spring 2014
As always, we’ve dug through the scientific literature and worked with UCLA healthcare professionals to break down complex topics into comprehensible and useful information, but this issue is unique from our others in that we’ve featured articles on the bare essentials necessary to navigate the complexities associated with establishing a healthy lifestyle. Going along with our theme of back to the basics, we’ve compiled the ABCs of health into a simple, concise list, starting from A for antioxidants to Z for zzz’s (aka sleep). Check out the article on pages 56 to 59 to learn about the Total Wellness alphabet to better health. In this issue, you’ll also find guides on various topics ranging from breathing exercises (page 13) to tips for produce shopping (page 26) and decoding the nutrition label (page 60). Additionally, we’ve got you covered on how to care for your hair (page 19), deal with hangover symptoms (page 7), and make your own home remedies (page 8).
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Total Wellness is a division of the Student Wellness Commission that is dedicated to spreading awareness of and sharing knowledge on issues of student health and health care. By providing an understanding of health and lifestyle issues, elucidating health concepts, providing recommendations for physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and making visible and accessible various health resources, programs, and events occurring at UCLA, Total Wellness seeks to empower students with up-to-date and accurate knowledge on the appropriate management of their health.