Guest blog by GBCC Member Dr. Gonzalo Laje

The surge in attention and acceptance of mental health issues has been helped by the courageous outspokenness of public figures like Olympians (and GOATs of their sport) Simone Biles and Michael Phelps. The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce is a proud contributor to this change, including its third annual Health & Wellness Expo on September 5th, 4:30-7:00 PM, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Understanding that physical and mental health are essential for raising awareness and encouraging treatment.
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Mental health and awareness are crucial in today’s fast-paced work environment. Employees who feel mentally supported are more engaged, productive, and innovative. Prioritizing mental well-being reduces absenteeism and fosters a workplace culture where individuals can thrive personally and professionally. By integrating mental health initiatives, companies can build a resilient workforce better equipped to handle challenges and contribute to long-term success.

The Body-Mind Connection
Our physical state can impact our mental well-being, just as our mental state can affect our physical health. This connection is evident in numerous ways:

1.  Exercise and Mental Health: Regular physical activity is one of the most powerful tools for enhancing mental health. Exercise releases endorphins, often called "feel-good" hormones, which help reduce stress and anxiety while improving mood. Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly are less likely to experience depression and anxiety.

2. Nutrition and Mental Clarity: Our foods are crucial to physical and mental health. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins provides the necessary nutrients for optimal brain function. Poor nutrition, such as diets high in processed foods and sugars, can contribute to feelings of lethargy, irritability, and even depression.

3. Sleep and Emotional Stability: Quality sleep is essential for physical recovery and mental clarity. Lack of sleep can lead to cognitive impairments, mood swings, and increased stress levels. Chronic sleep deprivation has also been linked to more severe mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety disorders.

4. Chronic Illness and Mental Health: Living with a chronic physical illness can take a significant toll on mental health. Feelings of sadness, frustration, and anxiety often accompany conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or chronic pain. These emotions can, in turn, exacerbate the physical symptoms of the illness, creating a vicious cycle.

Mental Health's Impact on Physical Well-being

Just as physical health affects mental well-being, the reverse is also true:

1. Stress and Physical Health: Chronic stress can have serious consequences for physical health, contributing to conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and weakened immune function. Stress often leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating or substance abuse, which further deteriorate physical health.

2. Depression and Physical Symptoms: Depression doesn't only manifest as emotional pain; it often includes physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and digestive problems. These symptoms can be debilitating, making it difficult for individuals to maintain their physical health through regular exercise and proper nutrition.

3. Anxiety and the Body: Anxiety can trigger the body's "fight or flight" response, leading to increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. Over time, these physiological responses can contribute to chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal issues.

Taking a Holistic Approach
Given the strong connection between physical and mental health, it's essential to take a holistic approach to well-being. Here are some strategies to support both aspects of health:

Prioritize Regular Exercise: Engage in activities you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, or dancing. The goal is to move your body regularly to boost your physical and mental health.

Adopt a Balanced Diet: Focus on whole foods that nourish your body and mind. Consider consulting with a nutritionist to develop a diet plan that supports your mental clarity and physical energy levels.

Practice Stress-Reduction Techniques: Incorporate stress-relief practices such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga into your daily routine. These activities can help calm the mind and reduce the physical impact of stress.

Seek Professional Support: If you're struggling with a chronic physical illness or mental health issue, don't hesitate to seek help from healthcare professionals. Therapists, counselors, and medical doctors can work together to create a comprehensive care plan that addresses your physical and mental health needs.

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is a multifaceted effort that requires attention to exercise, diet, and stress reduction. By consciously prioritizing these aspects, professionals can lead more fulfilling lives.

Washington Behavioral Medicine Associates is a proud member of the GBCC. We take the community's mental health needs seriously, and our integrated approach includes psychiatric and psychotherapeutic support. To learn more about our practice, visit our website or contact us today. 

Guest Blog by: ​Verelyn Gibbs Watson, GBCC Chair Elect
Owner, Nothing Bundt Cakes Bethesda

Did you know that August is National Black Business Month? The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce is proud to celebrate and honor the important contributions Black-Owned Businesses make nationally, and locally within our community.

While historically, Black entrepreneurship in America can be traced back centuries to the 1700’s, the origins of the official National Black Business Month designation came about in 2004. John William Templeton and Frederick E. Jordan, two Black entrepreneurs, wanted to help empower minority business owners, who face unique challenges when it comes to starting and growing their businesses. 

Although throughout our nation’s history, Black entrepreneurship has continued to grow, that growth has been fraught with obstacles along the way. Ironically, systemic racism and the segregation policies of the time, actually served as catalysts for the development and growth of Black owned businesses. Black entrepreneurs realized the need to create access to goods and services they were denied in mainstream marketplaces. Alas, this success was often met with tragic outcomes such as the 1921 massacre that erased the thriving Black business district known as Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Even the beginnings of Black American entrepreneurship were unnecessarily hampered by fear and concerns centered around Black freedom and financial independence. As an example, after enslaved people were emancipated, many grew and sold watermelon to earn a living and support their families. However, propaganda aimed at reducing demand for the fruit by creating negative connotations about Blacks and their “love” of watermelon, succeeded in creating a negative stigma about the fruit, which still exists today in some communities of color.

The obstacles that Black businesses face today may not be as overt, but make no mistake that hindrances such as lack of access to capital/ higher cost of capital or dealing with bias from vendors and/or customers do come into play and have an impact. Even those that get beyond the basic hurdles, may then have to navigate the “positioning” of their business in the marketplace to avoid confusion that may arise. (Just because the business owner is Black, does not mean the business is only for Black consumers.)

Anyone doubting the impact of these issues need look no further than the US Census Bureau whose data helps confirm these disparities. According to their 2021 report, even though Blacks make up approximately 14.2% of the US population – Black businesses are only 2.3% of US businesses.
National Black Business Month is a time to increase our awareness of these issues, but more importantly, to use that awareness to help celebrate and promote Black-Owned businesses that are succeeding, despite the odds.

So how can you help commemorate and celebrate National Black Business Month?  An easy way is to start by visiting or promoting local Bethesda businesses owned by Black entrepreneurs.
Here are a few Black-Owned GBCC member businesses to help you start the celebration!

• Fearless Chix
• ItsMcube
• J L Terrell Construction
• LeBonDay
• Liquid Intrusion Brewing Co
• Marble Title
• Made by Mo-nae
• M.C. Thomas & Associates, Inc.
• New American Restoration
• Nothing Bundt Cakes - Bethesda
• The Wine Concierge

For 80 years, Suburban Hospital has prioritized community building and promoted health equity. We continue to advance solutions to address unmet needs aiming to keep all individuals well, safe, and empowered to live, work, and play in Montgomery County. Health improvement is often obstructed by systematic structural barriers such as access to quality health care, economic stability, and social context. Our focus remains on developing new strategies to address emerging barriers. The month of June brings attention to a few key health topics. To kick the month off, we recognize CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week followed by Community Health Improvement (CHI) Week. Additionally, June is Men’s Health Month.

Community Health Improvement (CHI) Week
CHI Week 2024 runs from June 10th through June 14th and is a time to highlight partnerships and programs that aim to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities and advance health equity to build stronger communities. Additionally, it is an opportunity for each of us to reflect and conduct a self-evaluation to see if there are behavioral changes that we can make to improve our health. Conducting the best possible self-care allows us to support our community. Suburban Hospital is committed to community improvement and encourages you to take action to improving your personal health and support activities that improve community health as a whole. Two ways to make an impact are to participate in available training opportunities such as CPR and AED training or to attend the 20th Annual Men’s Health Symposium, both highlighted below.

CPR and AED Awareness
Every year, the first week of June highlights the importance of CPR and AED awareness by spotlighting how lives can be saved if more Americans are educated on CPR and use of an AED. During cardiac arrest, a person’s heart stops beating, stopping blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. Approximately 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home, making every second of response time count in the person’s survival. You can play an active role in potentially saving a life by getting CPR and AED trained. Suburban Hospital is conducting Heartsaver AED/CPR certification training on June 18th. Please see details here: https://heartsaver-aed-pr.events.suburbanhospital.org/. For a comprehensive list of all available Heartsaver courses offered by the American Heart Association, please click here: https://cpr.heart.org/en/cpr-courses-and-kits/heartsaver. Your emergency preparedness will make a lasting impact on our community.

Men’s Health Month
In comparison to women, men in the U.S. are less likely to use preventive health services. As a result, they experience multiple health disparities such as poorer cardiovascular health, higher incidence of cancer, and lower life-expectancy by six years (Wippold et al., 2024). However, there are ways that men can take an active role in safeguarding their personal health and lower the risk of chronic disease. A first step is to build a strong relationship with your physician. This can be accomplished by keeping all medical appointments, addressing key concerns, being honest, maintaining open communication, and adhering to your physician’s instructions. Another step to achieve this goal is through health screenings. Both blood pressure and skin cancer screenings are available in Montgomery County to the public for free. Additionally, you are encouraged to attend public health forums such as the 20th Annual Men’s Health Symposium “Empowering Your Cardiovascular Health” occurring virtually on June 11th from 1-2 p.m. This event is a candid and open discussion on the importance of taking care of one’s heart and health with guest speakers Anthony Keller, MD, a cardiologist from Johns Hopkins Heart Care, and Jonah Czerwinski, a heart attack survivor.

From the outside looking in, it’s easy to misinterpret the struggles and seeming unwillingness of someone with severe mental illness (SMI) to seek or accept help. In this month’s blog, we’re discussing a condition called “anosognosia” which prevents individuals with SMI from understanding their own diagnosis. 
Help in the Home has walked alongside family members in these situations through our Family Consultation services and our founders have advocated for Assisted Outpatient Treatment bills (AOT), to help those with SMI and anosognosia be able to access treatment. 
 
WHAT EXACTLY IS ANOSOGNOSIA?
Anosognosia is a “lack of insight” which removes the ability for an individual to comprehend and understand their own diagnosis. It is commonplace for people with schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder to be incapable of acknowledging their own SMI diagnosis because of the SMI itself.  
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According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, approximately half of those with schizophrenia and 40% of those with bipolar disorder have symptoms of anosognosia. This condition inhibits some from consciously realizing they have been diagnosed with a mental illness and it is the main reason why many people diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder refuse medications and other treatments. It is common to see this occur with Alzheimer’s disease and even stroke victims.
The good news is that when individuals with SMI start taking medication, insight into their illness can improve. The challenge is helping them access treatment.  That is where our passion to advocate for AOT laws comes into play.

CONSEQUENCES OF CURRENT LAWS
Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), which is a civil court order for outpatient treatment, was created to help individuals with SMI and anosognosia access treatment.  All but three states have laws like this in place to protect those with SMI, but unfortunately Maryland is not one of those states. Many of the laws that protect human rights can also prevent those with SMI from accessing treatment. When dealing with anosognosia, there’s an inability for the person to see the need for help and therefore, be able to make rational decisions to ensure their health and safety.

AOT protects the rights of a human being whose brain has been hijacked by their mental illness. When someone with anosognosia doesn’t have laws protecting them, then the mental illness is in charge. This can make providing services extremely difficult, and often impossible. While we do not provide involuntary services at Help in the Home, we do provide support to family members through our Family Consultation services. Family members find comfort and strength through working with our Family Specialists to confirm they’re doing all they can do and that they aren’t in it alone.
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INTERNAL ADVOCACY POLICY
Even before our doors opened in 2008, Help in the Home had been relentlessly and tirelessly advocating for the passing of AOT bills in Maryland. For the last 18 years, this very controversial bill has often been seen as a violation of human rights by the opposition. Many who oppose this bill fail to grasp the impact that anosognosia has on individuals with SMI and how it impacts their ability to make informed decisions for themselves.
In addition to providing oral and written testimony in support of AOT for the past 15 years, this year Help in the Home established an internal advocacy policy for our team.  We require our employees to participate in some form of mental health policy advocacy at least once per year.

Qualifying activities include:

• Provide testimony to support mental health bills which improve quality of life and access to care
• Writing letters to local legislators in support of specific policies
• Attending mental health advocacy events to speak with local legislators

This policy encourages accountability for everyone on our team to support our clients and their families in every way possible. Additionally, we have increased our communication efforts to ensure that opportunities for advocacy are shared across our network which includes staff, clients, families, alumni, and professionals. Together, we can leverage our collective voices, knowledge, and experiences to make our state, country, and ultimately the world, a better place for people with SMI and their families. 
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Want to learn more about how you can help?  Dig into these resources:

• Dr. David Pickar’s Film, “The Realities of Serious Mental Illness” 
• NAMI Anosognosia Blog 
• Treatment Advocacy Center’s Video on Anosognosia 
• Book Recommendation: I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! by Xavier Amador, Ph.D. ​

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Our friends at the historic community of Scotland, the first place that people of color owned land in Potomac, are deep in the midst of an $11 million capital campaign to restore and expand their 100-year-old church that was ruined by flood in 2019. With support from the Marriott Foundation, the Glenstone Foundation, Adventist Health Care and hundreds of other organizations, they just passed $8.1 million!

Participating in two upcoming events can help. On May 18, Scotland will host the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage featuring 10 amazing properties in Bethesda and Potomac from 10 a.. to 5 p.m. One of the gardens, Three Fox Pond, is extraordinary, as is the Glenstone Museum, a typically tough Saturday ticket that is open exclusively to Garden Tour Pilgrims on that date. Tickets for entry into all 10 properties are $40 in advance and $45 on the day of the event at www.mhgp.org. Not to be missed: The elders of the Scotland community are hosting a fried chicken luncheon at the Bette Thompson Community Center from 11:30-2:30 p.m. for $20 per meal.

The biggest event on the Scotland calendar is the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, which runs from June 15-19 at various locations in Bethesda and Potomac. Events, including a Children’s Carnival, Health & Wellness Pavilion, Opening Gala, drew nearly 10,000 people last year. This year promises to be even bigger, kicking off June 15 with the legendary Chuck Brown Band at the Bethesda Theater, and capping off with a huge fireworks display at the Povich Field on June 19th at 9:30 p.m. Other events include a 5K run and family walk at 8 a.m. on the 19th, and a classic car show, also on the 19th, at 9 a.m.
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For information on sponsoring or attending, visit www.juneteenthscotland.org. Net proceeds from the festival benefit six African American non-profit organizations in Montgomery County. 

Guest Blog 

​Withum is a local firm with global reach. Its team is stacked with experts dedicated to giving clients their undivided attention, time and expertise to set them up for success. The firm offers traditional audit, tax and accounting services as well as industry-focused, transformative advisors who optimize organizations and propel them into the future.
Over the past 50 years, the Withum team has seen the rise and fall of disco, beepers, scrunchies, Y2K, Blackberry phones, moving to the cloud, the AI-craze and everything in between. During this time, the Firm has also developed a wide-reaching, progressive and solution-oriented advisory practice. Withum’s Advisory Services Team helps businesses evolve and meet the demands of their customers, empowering them to do more with less through automation, integration and collaboration.
 
Modernizing Work Environments with Technology
By utilizing Digital Workplace Solutions, organizations of any size can improve operations with Microsoft 365 solutions tailored specifically to you by your Withum team. Every organization is unique—no one solution will work for every problem. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Withum can assist with automation, workplace efficiency, employee experience, CRM and ERP.
You shouldn’t have to worry about how the logistics of selecting, implementing or optimizing new technology will impact your business. Withum will provide your team with the personalized consulting and training necessary to evaluate and take full advantage of your software solution.

Delivering Financial Transparency and Strategic Vision
Business financial health is just as much a priority as efficient and effective operations. Backed by 50 years of experience, Withum offers organizations financial accuracy and transparency through a variety of accounting and attest services. Withum can provide a full-scope road map of what long-term success looks like for your organization when integrating tax optimization strategies, risk management and strategic planning.

The team thrives on collaboration to understand your business as if it were their own. So, business owners and management can rest assured that each interaction and decision will be driven by integrity. Whether you need to prove financial stability to investors or your constituents, adhere to required financial reporting standards or security regulations, or build a succession plan, Withum will ensure you feel empowered to make decisions with confidence to grow your business and plan strategically for the future.

A Culture Unlike Any Other
Withum was started by four accountants who came together around a kitchen table and agreed that the key to success is putting people first. When you care for your people and put their needs first, they reciprocate those same actions for their clients and communities.
Withum team members don’t adhere to the professional norms that typically restrict creativity and authenticity. The Withum team does things differently – they went viral for flashmob culture videos and added Chuck Taylors to their wardrobes before sneakers with suits were a fashion trend. They connect with people through multiple lenses and build lasting relationships. Its professionals embrace innovation and entrepreneurism to always go the extra mile for their clients.
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Local in Reach
Withum’s roots in Bethesda stretch back over 17 years. As a top Washington, DC, CPA firm, the team is proud to collaborate with the high-energy, success-driven individuals who make up the local business community and help it flourish. See what Withum can do for you at Withum.com. 

 Guest Blog by: Peter Halbrook & Jonathan Rosner, TritonPoint Wealth

Guest Blog by Susan I. Wranik, Speech-Language Pathologist, ​SpeakSkill LLC

​How much do you know?  If you care for, care about, live with, or love someone with Parkinson’s Disease, here are
10 Things You Should Know

1. Parkinson’s Disease is a chemical deficiency:  loss of dopamine, a neurotransmitter and hormone which plays a vital role in movement, memory and pleasure.

It also has a role in controlling concentration,  mood, learning, sleep and other body functions.

1. Over 10 million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
2. Cause:  a combination of genetic and environmental triggers, such as exposure to toxins.
3. People with Parkinson’s Disease (PWPD) have both motor and non-motor symptoms. 

The non-motor symptoms can be even more challenging to live with (sleep issues, for example) than the motor symptoms.

1. No cure (yet),  though with medication management and life style changes, people can live successfully with PD.
2. PWPD should be followed by a neurologist specializing in movement disorders.

7.No two alike. If you’ve seen one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve seen one person.

1. Two biggest treatments:  EXERCISE brain, body, and voice and SOCIALIZE. 

Physical, Occupations and Speech Therapy can help.

1. People do not die from Parkinson’s.  They may die with it,  but not from it.
2. Most important:  Parkinson’s is what people have; it’s NOT who they are.

For more information, check out the Parkinson’s Rappers https://youtu.be/H-73J82Y1p0