Our daily behaviors change our health. What we eat, how much stress we have, our mindset, and the exercises we make – or not – can strongly influence our immune system and our overall health.

Sometimes, taking care of all of these aspects in our day to day life can be overwhelming, but the amazing people at Open Source Wellness have the strong belief that the behaviors that may feel like chores in other realms become fun, rewarding, and accessible when the community is involved.

In today’s episode, I invited Ben to talk about the innovative way in which he helps other people maximize their functioning from a physical and mental standpoint. The participants in his program are seeing striking improvements in health, including an average of 21% decreases in systolic blood pressure, 57% decreases in depression severity, and a 77% decrease in emergency room utilization. How? Hit play, to find out!

Ben Emmert-Aronson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, researcher, and advocate. He is the Founder and Director of Open Source Wellness – a non-profit in the business of building health and wellbeing in partnership with low-income folks with chronic disease. Open Source Wellness utilizes person-centered design to build health and wellbeing events where participants actively engage in movement, mindfulness, plant-based meals, and health coaching.

So, listen to Episode 37 of Rejuvenaging to learn how you can be part of Open Source Wellness programs, and the essential steps for improving your overall wellbeing.

Questions I ask:

• Can you tell us, what is the meaning behind the term “behavioral pharmacy” and just in general what is Open Source Wellness? (03:37)
• What services do you provide? (07:09)
• Do you find that people are motivated to do it online? (12:40)
• Can you share with us a little bit about how you got into the psychology realm and how you wound up in the wellness area? (21:47)
• Are you optimistic about how our branch of psychology is going and whether it will move to take on an even bigger part of consciousness? (24:17)
• I noticed that Open Source Wellness got the Scattergood Award. What is that and why did you win? (30:33)

In this episode, you will learn:

• How low-income people can afford to access Open Source Wellness. (09:14)
• How Coronavirus changed the way Ben and his team work with people. (11:11)
• The measurements that Ben did, to prove the effect his program has on the overall health of people. (14:18)
• How he answers to the skepticism of the people who think only a pill will solve their problems. (17:42)
• The shift that is happening toward the area of lifestyle medicine. (19:58)
• Ben’s suggestions in terms of strengthening the immune system. (26:37)
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Connect with Ben:

• LinkedIn
• Open Source Wellness Website
• Email: ben@opensourcewellness.org 

Useful Rejuvenaging Resources:

• Website: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/
• Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser - Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with Enthusiasm
• Email: ron.kaiser@thementalhealthgym.com 
• TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place

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