Medical Directory 3.29.26 - Flipbook - Page 6
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| Sunday, March 29, 2026
school students and even adults. “If
you don’t get a good night’s sleep,
your mind just doesn’t function well
the next day,” Levy notes.
Mental and Physical Health,
continued from page 4
instance, both emphasized harmony between mental and physical health. They often incorporated
daily exercise, a balanced diet and
gymnastics into their lifestyle to
achieve this ideal state, according
to the Hippocratic philosophy noted
and published by the National Institutes of Health.
It starts with nutrition
The phrase “You are what you
eat” dates back to the early 1800s
when French lawyer and politician Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
mused about culinary topics. Originally, he reflected, “Tell me what you
eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
Today, more than two centuries
later, the mantra still rings true. And
what we eat impacts health, specifically both mental and physical
health. The overabundance of processed foods and the reliance on
fast food and grab-and-go meals
play a negative role in the development of the human brain, which
is not fully formed for women until
their late 20s and men their early
30s, Levy says. They also contribute
to a host of functional and medical
concerns, including cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, obesity, cancers
and mental health disorders like
anxiety and depression.
“It’s essential to eat a healthy
diet,” Levy explains. “With processed foods, if you’re having constant fluctuations in your blood sugar and constant cravings, you can
see how that might affect your mental health. You can’t separate good
mental development and mental
health from good physical health.”
A bowl of cereal, for instance, is
advertised as containing a plethora
of vitamins and minerals but is really just a convenience without health
value. “What we know about most of
the foods that come in a bag or box
or can is that they are highly processed,” Levy explains. “It’s not just
that they have oats, which may be
the first component, but they have
preservatives, flavor enhancers and
artificial colors, which have been
shown by scientific research to be
not just associated but causative of
obesity and food craving.”
There is no processed replacement for a well-balanced diet with
protein from meats and eggs, nutrients in vegetables and fruits, and
healthy grains.
“Nutrition is critical to fueling the
proper growth and development of
the body, and that includes everything from the neck up.”
Device usage
The incidence of obesity and
children being overweight has skyrocketed, and they have spiraled
into eating disorders, depression,
anxiety and chronic illnesses that
can continue into adulthood. There
is a connection as well to electronic
devices.
“By the early teens, almost every
kid has a cell phone, regardless of
their social status, and this has led
to an upswing in poor eating, poor
disordered body awareness, anxiety, depression, being overweight
and underweight,” Levy notes.
Levy calls today’s reliance on
electronics as the cause of an “epidemic of loneliness.”
“Kids are so engaged with their
electronic devices that they’ve created this artificial world for themselves that they have forgotten how
to relate to their peers and their
families,” he says.
Device usage and overprogramming are also to blame for the lack
of sleep for college students, high
Taking a stand
With all of these issues for children and teens today – poor nutrition, overuse of devices, lack of
sleep and a compromised mental
health status and an upswing in
chronic diseases, Levy is rolling up
his sleeves to tackle this head on.
He has opened a new consultative
practice in Pikesville, centered on
advocacy for his patients. He evaluates physical and mental health in
relation to nutrition, sleep, exercise,
device usage, family relationships
and child rearing, culture that play
a part in health, and formulates a
comprehensive sustainable plan of
treatment and self-care. The practice partners with families, schools
and community organizations to
promote healthy outcomes.
“I want to get to know families and I want to be in a position
to advocate for what they need to
make things work better for them to
lead healthier lives,” he says. “They
can be more peaceful, feed themselves and their kids better, learn
something about turning off the
machines, and have a good night’s
sleep,” he says.
He also aims to stress the value
of meaningful exercise, which was
recently highlighted in the Journal of the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as
structured, intense physical activity
designed to improve cardiovascular health, reduce metabolic risks,
boost self-esteem, improve sleep
and enhance cognitive functioning.
A study highlighted in the Journal in
February 2026 noted mixed exercise
modes and moderate-intensity exercise reduced depression and that
resistance training was connected
to alleviating anxiety symptoms.
