As we mentioned in an earlier post, we have sponsored a streaming radio show called Holy Hormones Honey! One of the first guests was EMPowerplus researcher, Dr. Bonnie J. Kaplan.
Kaplan is a professor in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine. Originally from Ohio, she completed all her training in the U.S. in experimental and physiological psychology. Her interest in the biological basis of behaviour led to postdoctoral training and faculty research in neurophysiology at the West Haven (CT) VA Hospital Neuropsychology Laboratory, and Yale University Department of Neurology. She moved to Canada in 1979.
She has published widely on the biological basis of developmental disorders and mental health, particularly how nutrition contributes to brain development and brain function. Her nutrition-related studies have focused on broad spectrum micronutrient treatments for mental disorders and the effect of intrauterine nutrition on brain development and maternal mental health.
According to Kaplan, we are in a global mental illness epidemic. In an article released this summer, Reuters reported that the rising costs of mental illness is overwhelming. Estimated costs of brain disorders in Britain alone have surpassed $172 billion. Scientists say the same amount of funding is needed for research.
Kaplan joined host Leslie Carol Botha for a two-part series on “Understanding Your Mind, Mood, and Micronutrients.” In the first interview, Kaplan explained the social/historical context of how society got to this point. In the second interview, she focused on the empirical data that links mental illness to inadequate nutrient intake.