One of the most exciting parts of the adoption process is determining which child will be referred to you, well, besides when the new child gets to join your family and home. Jillian Michaels is in the midst of that moment, announcing that she has accepted a referral for a little girl in Haiti. I wonder if this is behind her seemingly sudden departure from the Doctors, although there has been no confirmation of that. From what I am reading she is still pursuing an adoption in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but she was concerned about the viability of the pilot program with the agency she has chosen.

While Jillian is not working with MLJ Adoptions, Inc. where I am Director of Adoption Preparation and Support Services, we have an active program in DRC and have worked in Haiti in the past.

Following acceptance of a referral, several things must occur with some variation based on the country program and the agency who is facilitating an adoption. Jillian has stated that her adoption in Haiti could take a year before her new daughter is able to join her home. Historically, Haiti has had a wide time variance in the time that it takes to complete an adoption. Until Hague becomes a reality for Haiti that variance is likely to continue. Jillian can count on specific steps that must occur prior to the finalization of her adoption, even if she does not know exactly how long they will take.

There is a legal process in country, an application to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for a visa for the child, and the passport must be obtained. Many times there is also an investigation to ensure the child is an orphan and additional exit approvals that must be obtained. Those few basic milestones are very detailed and can require several appointments, signatures, and months for each.
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It is more than just how you look that can impact how you feel about yourself, your self-esteem. It can also be how you think that can determine how you assess your self-worth. I don’t mean whether or not you are a brainiac, though. Our thoughts powerfully influence our emotions. In fact, how we assess any given situation determines how we feel and often how we behave. Because thoughts are so important and powerful, psychologists have classified errors in thinking that can cause difficulty or distress for individuals. One of these errors is “all or nothing thinking.”

One example of all or nothing thinking is believing that because you are overweight you are not a valuable or lovable person. Not only does this belief lead to sadness and emotional distress, but it ignores all the other attributes that a person possesses. Beauty is fleeting, and generally not as important as intelligence, kindness, ambition, or humor. What characteristics do you most value in a friend, romantic partner, or family member? Do you recognizable those traits in yourself? Do you find yourself focusing on the single part of yourself with which you are not happy?

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Perhaps you resolved to be happier and healthier in 2012. If you feel overwhelmed or do not know where to start, a great book just came across my desk that could be exactly what you want. Brett Blumenthal has written 52 Small Changes: One year to a happier, healthier you, and it looks like an excellent program.

On the first page of the introduction, I was immediately impressed that not only is this research-based, but she has done her homework and cited her references. All of her theories seem to be right on, and it is all things we need to hear when trying to make a change, even if it seems basic. The approach is holistic, including change items in four sections: diet and nutrition, fitness and prevention, mental well-being, and green living. If you are suspicious that “green” is simply a marketing label, I would venture that these are truly healthy living habits that don’t quite fit into diet and nutrition or fitness and prevention. Each change is something that will lead to a physically and mentally healthier life, so even if you never complete the book, you can be healthier and happier.

While she is using the kaizen theory to create an entire lifestyle change in a year, I do think this is a lot of change very quickly. No single change will be cemented in a single week. You will still be practicing when you add in the next thing. After several weeks, there may be a lot to track. Brett states that you can use this book in any way that fits for you. That may mean mastering each change (which could take several weeks or months) before moving on to the next one. It may mean starting on January first. It may mean starting on Monday. It may mean starting on or a year before a milestone birthday. It may mean picking and choosing what is most applicable to you right now.

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I must say that I was a bit disappointed to read a press release this morning about a new dietary supplement to help college students manage procrastination. I cannot blame Genius Labs, LLC. for trying to make a buck, and they probably have a market, but it is disappointing that they can spell out that a healthier diet generally equals a higher GPA, yet many will see their supplement as the answer rather than improving diet.

I did find it interesting that they linked poor diet, along with the tendency for up to 95% of college students to procrastinate tasks, to the statistic of one in every four college students illegally using ADHD medications like Adderall. We know that a healthier diet for ADHD can help those diagnosed, why do we just accept that college students, in general, won’t eat well?

Genius Labs, LLC. describes themselves as “a Baltimore-based privately held dietary supplement company that focuses on developing proprietary supplement blends that maximize brain health and performance. Founded by an MBA student searching for a natural mental edge; the firm targets college students that often cram to complete school work and study for tests.” Their new product Cram It! is a blend of omega-3 and various herbs, vitamins, and minerals with little caffeine that they claim “supports memory and the ability to analyze complex ideas.”
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Have you ever wanted to look at all the different research studies about nutrition reviewed by DietsInReview in one place and see what can be deduced from all of the findings together? That is basically what psychologists call a literature review. If you are paying attention, the findings of a literature review probably will not be too surprising. I wasn’t too surprised by the Good Morning America (GMA) headline “Healthy Diet Best for ADHD Kids” based off a recent literature review by J. Gordon MIllichap, MD and Michelle M. Yee, CPNP titled “The Diet Factor in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” An “ADHD Diet” is something we have talked about before.

The authors, who work at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, seemed most impressed by a diet high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and low in fats. They also seem somewhat impressed by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements. The abstract also states that “sugar-restricted, additive/preservative-free, oligoantigenic/elimination, and fatty acid supplements” seem to reduce symptoms of ADHD. Unfortunately, the authors seem to be against recommending additive-free and oligoantigenic/elimination diets, such as the specific carb diet, because they are inconvenient for parents.
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