Breathing Your Way Back to Balance

Lately, science has been catching up with something ancient cultures have known for thousands of years: the way we breathe affects nearly everything…stress levels, sleep, energy, focus, and even emotional balance.

A recent article in Discover Magazine called “All in Your Breath” explored how slow, controlled breathing may help regulate the nervous system and calm the body naturally. Researchers are finding that breathing slowly, especially around five to six breaths per minute, may help synchronize heart rhythms, lower anxiety, and improve resilience to stress.

The researchers also found that people have specific breathing patterns that are similar to fingerprints. They found that an individual can be identified with almost 100 percent accuracy by their breathing pattern.

Subtle differences in these patterns can provide important information about a person’s health status, as well as mood, cognition, and behavior. This means that down the road, our unique breathing pattern could be used to diagnose and treat certain diseases and conditions.

In addition, changing the breathing pattern might even lead to a better mental state.

What is fascinating is that these discoveries are not new at all.

Ancient yogic traditions have practiced breath control, or pranayama, for centuries. In yoga philosophy, breath is considered the bridge between the body and the mind. Slow breathing was believed to calm the nervous system, sharpen awareness, and restore internal balance long before modern science had equipment to measure these effects.

Today, studies are showing that yogic breathing techniques may:

• lower stress hormones
• improve heart rate variability
• support better sleep
• reduce anxiety
• improve focus and mental clarity

One of the simplest practices is alternate nostril breathing, known as Nadi Shodhana. This technique is believed to balance the body and quiet mental chatter. Another calming practice is Bhramari, or “bee breath,” which uses a humming exhale to relax the nervous system.

Even ancient Buddhist and Taoist traditions emphasized slow abdominal breathing during meditation. Zen monks often practiced long, steady exhalations to cultivate stillness and mental clarity. Taoist breathing practices focused on conserving energy and promoting longevity through calm, gentle respiration.

Modern researchers are now discovering that nasal breathing may also play an important role in health. Breathing through the nose helps filter air, regulate airflow, and increase nitric oxide production, which supports circulation and oxygen delivery.

What I find most interesting is how something so simple can have such a profound effect on the body. Breathing is automatic, yet it is also one of the few body functions we can consciously control. That means we have a built-in tool for calming the nervous system anytime we need it.

Here’s a simple breathing practice you can try:

• sit quietly
• breathe in slowly through the nose
• exhale gently and fully
• slow the breath without forcing it
• continue for 5 minutes

Sometimes, the oldest healing techniques still turn out to be the most powerful.

And science is finally beginning to explain why.

A Very Touchy Subject: What Happens to Women When They’re Denied an Abortion?

For years, abortion has been debated as a political issue, a moral issue, and a legal issue and with the latest court decisions around the pills, I feel I need to add my voice to the mix about the one thing that often gets ignored in the conversation which is what actually happens to the woman afterwards? I know this is a charged issue, but people need to know about this aspect and its importance.

This is not hypothetically. Not ideologically. I want to share with you what happens in real life.

Research has now followed women for years after they were denied abortions, and the findings are to put it mildly sobering. The effects go far beyond the pregnancy itself. Denying abortion access can impact a woman’s physical health, mental well-being, finances, safety, and future opportunities for years afterward, as well as, the wellness of the other children she may already have.

One of the largest and most widely cited studies on this issue is called the “Turnaway Study,” and was reported in 2013 by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Researchers followed nearly 1,000 women over five years. Some were able to receive abortions, while others were denied it because they were just past their state’s gestational limit. Keep in mind that this was before the Supreme Court gave states the right to ban abortions in 2022.

What they discovered in their research challenges many of the assumptions people have about abortion.

The Emotional Impact of Being Denied

One of the most repeated claims in abortion debates is that abortion harms women emotionally. But the research did not support that idea. Women who received abortions generally did not experience worse long-term mental health outcomes. In fact, more than 95% said years later that having an abortion was the right decision for them.

The women who received abortions did not experience worse long-term psychological outcomes than those denied abortions. The women who struggled the most emotionally were often the women who were denied abortions.

Researchers found that women denied abortions experienced significantly higher stress and anxiety immediately afterward. Many reported feeling trapped, overwhelmed, and fearful about the future.

So just imagine today already knowing you are not financially, emotionally, physically, or mentally prepared for another child and then you’re stuck in a state where abortions are banned, and you have no ability to get to another state that permits abortions.

That kind of loss of control can affect every part of a woman’s life. Let’s talk a closer look at these aspects.

Poverty Increased for Women Denied Abortions

One of the clearest findings from the Turnaway Study was financial hardship.

Women denied abortions were:

• More likely to fall below the poverty line
• More likely to be unemployed
• More likely to rely on public assistance
• More likely to struggle paying for basic living expenses like food, transportation, and housing

And newer research found these financial effects lasted for years.

Researchers also connected study participants to actual credit report data over a ten-year period. Women denied abortions experienced:

• Increased debt
• More unpaid bills
• Higher rates of bankruptcy and eviction records
• Greater long-term financial distress

One of the most important details in that research was this: before the pregnancy, women in both groups had similar financial situations. The economic decline happened after the denial of an abortion. Researchers found these financial effects lasted for years.

This is important because many women seeking abortions are already mothers. Many are already trying to hold together jobs, rent, childcare, and rising costs of living. Adding an unplanned birth into an already unstable situation can create negative long-term economic consequences.

And those consequences don’t just affect the woman. They affect the children she already has too.

Physical Health Risks Were Higher

Pregnancy and childbirth are not medically risk-free.

Women denied abortions experienced more serious physical health complications than women who received abortions. Some reported chronic pain, hypertension, and other lasting health problems. Two women in the study died from childbirth complications.

That part often gets left out of public conversations about abortion.

People talk about abortion as though carrying a pregnancy is always the safer or easier option, but medically, childbirth carries significantly more risk than abortion procedures, especially in the United States where maternal mortality rates remain concerning.

Increased Risk of Staying in Abusive Relationships

One of the most heartbreaking findings was that women denied abortions were more likely to remain connected to abusive partners.

When a woman shares a child with someone abusive, it can become far harder to fully separate from that person emotionally, financially, and legally.

Access to reproductive healthcare is not just about pregnancy. Sometimes it is directly connected to safety and survival.

Existing Children Were Also Affected

Research found the effects of abortion denial did not stop with the mother.

Children already living in households where a woman was denied an abortion were more likely to experience economic instability and developmental hardship.

So, this is not only about one pregnancy. It can affect an entire family’s stability and future.

Life Goals Were Delayed or Lost

Researchers also found women who did receive abortions were more likely to achieve personal goals like:

• Finishing school
• Finding stable employment
• Leaving unhealthy relationships
• Becoming financially independent

Women denied abortions were less optimistic about their futures almost immediately after being turned away.

This means that underneath all the politics are real women trying to build lives for themselves. Some are trying to escape poverty. Some are trying to finish school. Some are trying to protect the children they already have. Some are simply trying to survive.

Research Continued After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned

Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, researchers have continued studying the effects of abortion restrictions nationwide.

New research examining online discussions after Dobbs found women frequently described:

• Fear
• Financial panic
• Delayed medical care
• Emotional distress
• Confusion about healthcare access  

Researchers are especially concerned about increasing maternal health risks and growing healthcare inequality in states with severe abortion restrictions.

Why This Conversation Matters

No matter where someone stands politically, I think we should at least be honest about the reality’s women face.

Research does not show that denying abortions magically improves women’s lives. In many cases, the evidence points in the opposite direction that having
the abortion keeps the woman’s life from deteriorating.

The women denied abortions in these studies experienced:

• More poverty
• More health complications
• More stress and anxiety
• More exposure to abusive relationships

It’s these real-life experiences that are often missing from the public debate. It’s easy to discuss abortion as an abstract issue or legal issue.

It’s much harder to look honestly at what happens to these women afterward and is I worth banning both abortions and the pills that will stop
a pregnancy.

The bottom line is that these women’s lives are not political talking points. They are human lives, with consequences that continue long after the headlines fade.

You Have a Super Highway in Your Body, and You May Not Know It

This superhighway that you may never have heard of is called the vagus nerve, and it may be one of the most important systems in the human body.

It’s a Super Highway because the nerve travels from the brainstem down through the neck and into the heart, lungs, stomach, liver, intestines and other organs. It’s like taking a trip to all the great National Parks in this country. This means it acts like a communication highway between the brain and the body.

So, when the vagus nerve is working well, the body tends to function in a calmer and more balanced way. Your heart rate stabilizes, digestion improves, inflammation decreases, and stress becomes easier to manage.

However, when what is called your vagal tone is in poor condition, the body can remain stuck in a constant “fight or flight” state. Over time, that can affect nearly every organ in your body.

Researchers are now looking at vagus nerve stimulation for conditions ranging from chronic pain and inflammation to depression and stroke recovery. 

Since the vagus nerve sends signals back and forth between the brain and many major organs, it influences everything from mood to immune function.

What I find especially interesting is that ancient healing traditions have long recognized the importance of calming the nervous system. Now modern science is finally catching up.

The vagus nerve is also closely tied to what is called the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also called the “rest and digest” system. This is the opposite of the body’s stress response.

This means when the vagus nerve is activated in a good way, breathing slows, blood pressure can lower, digestion improves and the body shifts into repair mode.

Now think about what chronic stress does to people today: Digestive problems. Anxiety. Insomnia. High blood pressure. Fatigue. Inflammation. Sound familiar? It does to a lot of folks. 

Many researchers now believe that what they call low vagal tone may play a role in these issues.

There is now growing interest in what is called polyvagal theory, which explores how the nervous system responds to stress and trauma. 

One study explains how the nervous system constantly scans for danger, even at levels below conscious awareness, and this affects emotional and physical health.

So…what can you do to get this Super Highway working so you can cruise along at high speeds?

It turns out that many of the methods used to strengthen the vagus nerve are simple and natural.

Here are some of them (I’ve listed a bunch, so that you can find, at least one or two to do regularly).

1.   Deep, slow breathing is actually one of the best tools you can use. Breathing slowly from the diaphragm sends calming signals through the vagus nerve. Even five minutes a day can help shift the body out of stress mode.

A simple method is:
Inhale slowly through the nose into the diaphragm for a count of 4
Exhale slowly through the mouth for a count of 6

Keep in mind that deep belly breathing works better than shallow chest breathing because the diaphragm is closely connected to vagus nerve activity.

2.   Another technique is humming, singing, and chanting, which may also stimulate the vagus nerve because it connects to the vocal cords and throat muscles. This may explain why singing in choirs or listening to calming music can feel healing.

3.   Cold exposure is another technique many people swear by. It can be as simple as splashing cold water on your face or ending a shower with cold water (and no, you don’t have to do a plunge into ice water!)

4.   Meditation and prayer can also strengthen vagal tone. Many studies have shown that regular meditation helps regulate stress hormones and calm the nervous system.

5.   Exercise is important too, especially walking, yoga, and tai chi. Movement helps regulate the nervous system and improve circulation throughout the body.

6.   Gut health also matters because the vagus nerve is deeply connected to digestion. Eating whole foods, reducing ultra-processed foods, and supporting the microbiome may positively influence vagal function.

7.   Another often overlooked factor is our social connections. Positive relationships, laughter, and feelings of safety in our relationships all support the vagus nerve. Chronic isolation and emotional stress can do the opposite.

All of this highlights how interconnected the body truly is. The vagus nerve reminds us that mental health, digestion, inflammation, immunity, and heart health are not separate systems operating alone. They are constantly communicating!

Researchers are even studying medical vagus nerve stimulation devices for epilepsy, inflammatory diseases, and treatment-resistant depression. 

While some of these therapies are still evolving, they show how central this nerve is to overall health. The vagus nerve is not our Super Highway for Nothing!

So…anybody for breathing, humming, meditating, and taking a walk. And no…you don’t have to do them all at once. Just pick one or two to start on your drive along your Super Highway to Better Health!

The Overlooked Fat That Is Missing From Your Diet - C15:0

I’ll bet you never heard of C15:0 because I never did and I’m always reading in this area. This is actually one of those times where something shows up in the research that makes me stop and take a closer look.

Not because it’s flashy. Not because it’s being pushed everywhere but because it’s challenging what we’ve been told for years.

That’s exactly what’s happening right now with C15:0 also called pentadecanoic acid and C15:0 is much easier to say that pentadecanoic acid!

So, What Is C15:0?

C15:0 is a type of saturated fat. It’s what’s called an odd-chain fatty acid, and you’ll find small amounts of it in things like:

• Whole-fat dairy
• Butter
• Certain fish

Here’s the interesting part…for decades, all saturated fats got lumped into one big “bad” category. No nuance, no distinction. Saturated fats were just plain bad for you. Period!

But now researchers are starting to take a closer look and C15:0 is looking very different from other saturated fats.

Some researchers are even asking: Is this actually an essential fatty acid that we’re not getting enough of and to me the key word is essential!

What the Research Is Actually Showing

Let’s look at a couple of areas where multiple studies validating the impact of C15:0 have been conducted.

1. Better Metabolic and Heart Health

People with higher levels of C15:0 tend to have:

• Better cholesterol markers
• Lower triglycerides
• Improved insulin sensitivity

There are even strong links in multiple studies to people having a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

2. It Helps Calm Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is behind a lot of the health issues that people are dealing with today.

What’s interesting about C15:0 is that it affects inflammation by:

• Reducing inflammatory markers
• Supporting healthier cell function
• Protecting against oxidative stress

And unlike a lot of fats, it’s very stable, which means it doesn’t easily break down and cause other kinds of damage in the body.

3. It’s Tied to Longevity Pathways

This is where things get even more interesting.

C15:0 interacts with some of the same pathway’s researchers look at in longevity science, including these two areas:

• AMPK, which relates to energy regulation
• mTOR which affects cell growth and aging

These are the same pathways targeted by doing things like fasting or taking certain medications.

4. There Are Some Early Signals Around Liver Health and Aging

This part is still developing, but worth being aware of.

Lower levels of C15:0 have been linked to:

• Poorer liver health
• Fatty liver issues
• Higher overall mortality risk

There’s even some early lab research looking at anti-cancer effects.

Here’s the Part Most People Miss

C15:0 isn’t new. What’s new is how little of it people are getting now since we’ve moved away from the foods that naturally contain it because we’ve moving into eating less whole-fat dairy, more processed fats and more “low-fat everything.”

So…the outcome is we wound up removing something important from our diet.

So, Can You Get Enough From Food?

Technically, yes. Realistically… it’s harder than it sounds.

C15:0 shows up in small amounts in butter, cheese, and full-fat milk which has been reduced as a part of our diet.

This is why supplements have started getting attention.

If You’re Considering a Supplement, Here’s What You Need to Know

Not all options are created equal here, and quality matters.

There aren’t dozens of well-established C15:0 options out there (at least not yet). A handful of companies are leading the space right now, and they’re not all approaching it the same way.

So instead of just listing products, it makes more sense to understand who’s behind them and what they’re actually doing.

1. Seraphina Therapeutics (Fatty15)

This is the one you’re going to see the most, and for good reasons.

Seraphina Therapeutics is the company doing much of the actual research on C15:0, and their product, Fatty15, is a pure, patented form of pentadecanoic acid.

If you’re looking for the option that’s most aligned with the research, this is it. It’s also the most expensive, which isn’t surprising given the level of development behind it.

2. LipiLab (Lipi15)

LipiLab takes a different approach.

Instead of focusing on creating or patenting the ingredient itself, this company has focused on how it’s delivered, using a liposomal format that’s designed to improve absorption.

Now, does that make it better?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Liposomal delivery can be helpful in some cases, but it’s not automatically superior across the board. And there’s less direct research behind this specific version compared to Fatty15.

Still, it’s a reasonable alternative if you’re specifically interested in absorption-focused formulations.

Final Thought

A lot of health isn’t about adding more and more.

Sometimes it’s about putting back what’s been missing and C15:0 might be one of those things.

So…how about some organic, grass fed, unflavored whole milk yogurt anyone?
(Adapted from an article in January/February 2026 WDDTY)

The Gift Hidden Inside Stress: Why Life Needs a Little Pressure

While I’ve authored books on stress management, I want to talk about the good side of stress.

First of all, we live in a world that often treats stress like an enemy that it’s something to eliminate, suppress, or escape. Yet, when we look a little deeper, both nature and science quietly tell a different story: stress, when understood and managed wisely, is not only beneficial: it is essential.

So, as a Stress Management expert, let’s take a look at this other side of the equation.

The Lesson from the Trees

In a post by George Parker in The Trees of Biosphere 2: Growth Through Stress, he describes a fascinating discovery from the Biosphere 2 experiment. This was where they built a dome in Tucson, AZ, and locked a group of volunteers in a completely sealed and controlled environment as if they were on another planet.

They only had what was in the Dome to survive. This experiment turned out to be a big failure. (I’ve actually toured Biosphere 2 and have the T-shirt to prove it!)

Let me give you an example of the failure by looking at the “tree effect.” Trees grown inside this controlled environment had everything they needed to flourish: water, nutrients, and sunlight. Yet they failed to thrive. While they grew quickly, they collapsed before reaching maturity.

Why, you might be asking? And here’s the unique answer: it was because they were never exposed to wind.

In the natural world, wind bends trees, shakes them, and challenges their structure. This stress forces roots to grow deeper and trunks to become stronger. Without it, the trees remain fragile, as they experienced in Biosphere 2, and couldn’t survive.

There is a powerful truth here: strength is not necessarily built through comfort; it needs a dash of resistance.

Stress Even Has a Biological Advantage

Modern research supports what nature has always demonstrated. Stress, in manageable doses (this is the key - the word manageable), activates adaptive processes in the body and mind.

This concept is called hormesis, which is the idea that low to moderate stress can improve resilience and performance. Here are some examples:

• Physical stress from exercise strengthens muscles and cardiovascular health.
• Cognitive stress enhances focus, memory, and problem-solving ability.
• Emotional challenges build psychological resilience and your coping capacity.

In other words, stress is not just something we endure. It’s something that trains us.

The Mental and Emotional Upside

When approached constructively, stress can:

• Increase motivation and sharpen attention
• Accelerate learning and skill development
• Build confidence through overcoming challenges
• Strengthen emotional endurance

Think back to moments in your life when you grew the most. My guess is that they were not the easiest times, but they were more demanding times.

Like those trees, you were being shaped by the “wind.”

But Let’s Be Clear: Not All Stress Is Equal

Now, here’s where wisdom comes in, and my expertise in Stress Management comes into play.

We need to look at the difference between constructive stress and excessive stress.

Too much stress, sustained over time without recovery, can wear down your body and mind. Research on environmental stressors shows that when pressures become extreme or prolonged, systems begin to break down rather than adapt.

So, the goal is not to eliminate stress, but to “balance it.”

What to Do When Stress Becomes Too Much

This is where you’re not fighting stress. Instead, it’s about redirecting your internal reaction.

These are some of the things you can do for yourself.

• Shift your physiology: breathing patterns, posture, and movement can quickly change how your brain processes stress
• Interrupt negative patterns: awareness is the first step to regaining control
• Use specific techniques like Brain Gyms to regain this control
• Create mental space: even brief moments of relaxation and meditation can reset your system
• Train your brain: consistent stress management practices help you respond rather than react

Let me give you an example that I experienced several months ago. I was driving on Interstate I-64 and was between Charlottesville and Richmond, VA. The day was sunny and I was driving a little over the speed limit, which was 70 mph, when a deer jumped out right in front of my car - oops. 

While I slammed on the brakes, I hit the deer. I was able to maintain steering control of the car, and I started hitting the brakes as I pulled over to the shoulder. I looked in the rear-view mirror, and to my surprise, there was no deer even in sight.

I immediately called my insurance agent because I wanted to know if I needed to report this to the State Police and stay until they arrived. My agent said no, and since the car was drivable, I drove to the next rest area, which was only 10 miles away.

At the rest stop, I called the Claims department of my Insurance Company and filed my claim, which was within around 15 minutes after the accident.

Later, I realized this about my stress response to the accident. It was that I had no stress response – I was able to keep control of the car, slow down, and pull over to the side of the road. My breathing never even changed, my mind stayed calm, and I didn’t have any body shakes. I was able to easily dial my cell phone and was totally calm talking to my agent and then the person in the Claims Department.

I realized from all the stress management techniques that I do personally, which include doing yoga daily and meditating twice a day, that my adrenaline stress response never kicked in.

This really confirms for me that you are not at the mercy of excess stress -  that you can learn to change your response to it.

So…the wind may blow, or the deer may jump in front of your car, but it doesn’t have to knock you over. The situation may be a growth experience, in disguise!

If you do want to learn how to meditate and other stress reduction techniques, that I teach, you can check out my e-book on Managing Your Stress in Difficult Times: Succeeding in Times of Change at my website at www.Teplitz.com. You’ll find it under the Products menu.