Tag: health

Will comfort eating put you in a happy & contented mood this winter? Nutritionist Rob Hobson explains how and why comfort food can boost our mood

There is plenty of evidence to show that what we eat is linked to how we feel, but the relationship is sometimes complex.

It has also been shown that many health conditions such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and PMS are affected by mood and that, in some cases addressing what you eat can help manage them.

Mood and food can also be thought of as a two-way street, as either your mood dictates what you eat or what you eat (or don’t eat) influences your mood, which may be due to an insufficient intake of certain nutrients.

What about comfort eating?

Comfort eating is common in the winter as a way of people trying to boost their mood. A recent survey by wellness brand

This year has brought so many exciting changes – from the launch of the Social Health Network to the inaugural Social Health Awards (previously the WEGO Health Awards).

While the name may have undergone a rebrand, our hope of recognizing and honoring the thousands of patients and caregivers supporting the online health community remains the same. Our patient leaders constantly amaze us through their unique advocacy efforts. Supporting fellow patients and caregivers with the tools they need to be the best version of themselves is worth celebrating!

We are thrilled to recognize so many incredible patient leaders over the years, but what’s even more special is to witness the growth that has taken place within the patient leader community over the past decade. The passion that the thousands of our patient leaders, warriors, survivors, advocates, and influencers have is immeasurable.

We encourage you to check out all of

The Social Health Awards honor and recognize the efforts of patients and caregivers within their communities and at the industry level.

Our patient leaders constantly amaze us through their unique advocacy efforts. Supporting fellow patients and caregivers with the tools they need to be the best version of themselves is worth celebrating!

Our judges had an incredibly difficult task narrowing down all of these tremendous nominees. To determine the finalists, members of the online health community volunteered their time to sort through nominations to just 60 finalists. From there, our industry judges provided weighted scores to ultimately uncover the Social Health Awards winners.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…

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Rookie of the Year

Winner: Jill King

Jill began experiencing chronic pain the month she graduated from high school. Her health continued to decline, and she became blind at 20 years old. Jill found the disabled community and, along

Robert, always Bob, DeMarco passed away recently – and we have all lost a true patient leader, a tireless advocate, researcher, and supporter for Alzheimer’s caregivers, a gifted author, and an inexhaustible speaker.

Bob never sought awards or recognition for his Alzheimer’s work, but his legions of followers made sure his dedication and far-reaching impact were noticed. He won multiple WEGO Health Awards with his Alzheimer’s Reading Room blog, Facebook page, and email group. Purely by word of mouth and the power of his remarkable content, he brought hope, light and a trove of practical advice to millions.

I am one of the luckiest of the millions – Bob lived in my hometown of Delray Beach, Florida. He moved to Delray Beach in 2003, leaving behind a powerhouse financial services career to become Alzheimer’s caregiver for his

The journey to begin advocacy can feel overwhelming. Many questions arise. How do I start? What do I say? Does anyone want to hear from me? We recently asked Social Health Network members to share their best first steps:

“Let’s talk advocacy. For many, taking the first step to openly talk about what they’re going through can be intimidating. What advice do you have for others who are looking to share their health story or become an advocate themselves?”

A few common themes emerged.

Tell your story

The way to begin a journey with advocacy is by telling your story. Start where it is comfortable. Talk to friends. Start a blog or vlog. Put words to the experiences you live with chronic illness. Your story will resonate with others facing similar challenges.

“Telling your story takes practice. Look on social media to see how others are doing it and start