#DontMuteMyHealth Is Generating Noise About Food Insecurity In D.C.
After work on Monday, D.C. residents met at the African American Civil War Museum to talk about serotonin. The chemical released in brain cells is linked to mood and depression, and Dr. Linda Thompson wants residents to know about it and what too much serotonin could mean for the District's kids. Constantly overeating sugar-rich food activates serotonin pathways to a fault, says Thompson, an assistant professor in Howard University's Department of Nutritional Sciences.
“A diet high in sugar hinders learning and memory by literally slowing down the brain,” read one of the slides in Thompson’s presentation. “Sudden peaks and drops in blood sugar levels can cause you to experience symptoms like irritability, mood swings, brain fog, and fatigue.”
Thompson was one of several health and wellness educators invited to speak at the latest #DontMuteMyHealth event. More than a dozen people met to hear her speak, along with Jasmine Washington, who teaches yoga at a charter school in Southeast, and Dr. Theodore Watkins. Inspired by #DontMuteDC, the movement that formed around protecting the go-go tradition, residents started anew: #DontMuteMyHealth is an education campaign about reclaiming the city’s health from “outside influences and interests,” according to a flyer promoting the cause—with an emphasis on addressing food insecurity in Wards 5, 7, and 8.
“Some people think that their lot is what they are destined to be in, but it’s not. Their lot is the conditioning of things that have been impeded upon them,” says Stuart Anderson, who launched #DontMuteMyHealth in June. Anderson is an organizer who also works with the Anacostia Coordinating Council and Families and Friends of Incarcerated People.
Read more: https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/city-desk/article/21083321/dontmutemyhealth-a-movement-generating-noise-about-food-insecurity-in-dc
= new reply since forum marked as read
