Being smitten with someone is an amazing thing, the world seems a much better place and you feel a lot more tolerable of things that usually sour your mood. However, those butterflies in your stomach can also wreak havoc on your appetite. Individuals explain how they feel content when they meet the person they are in love with, and they often have to be reminded that they need to eat (it is true!)

While you may think these are just new feelings, this isn't just about adjusting to new emotions, you will be surprised to know that there are complex hormones at play and here is how it can affect your appetite with many unexpected aspects of falling in love.

Is Butterflies In Your Stomach Just A Feeling?

Studies have shown that in the first few stages of your attraction to someone there is a part of your brain that is activated, and that part of your brain is responsible for you feeling hungry or thirsty. This connection suggests that powerful emotions that are associated with attraction to someone are very much connected to fundamental biological drives of the body. The brain releases a surge of chemicals, which includes dopamine, we all know that dopamine is responsible for the happy and excited emotion, not only that but it also influences the hypothalamus, the brain region responsible for appetite regulation basically when you are hungry and when you are not.

One thing you must remember is that you need water and food to survive, i.e. thirst and hunger. So, one can say that love is necessary for survival as it can trigger these chemicals that motivate you to get better and be at the top of your game. From this we understand that the feelings of attraction and hunger are two very interconnected feelings.

When you meet someone new, it is the excitement of getting to know the person and the thrill of being attracted to them, but it can also induce a state of stress. Studies have shown that your stress levels increase during the early stages of falling in love. But it is a normal response to your body feeling the intense emotional and the physiological changes occurring within the body. This stress response can lead to a decrease in the levels of another neurotransmitter that regulates your mood, which further makes the feelings of anxiety and unease worse. This internal turmoil can manifest physically, impacting digestion and often leading to a temporary loss of appetite.

How Do Your Priorities Shift?

The hormonal changes that are associated with attraction don't just involve stress hormones, they also include a flood of feel-good chemicals. Do you know the feeling of happiness and contentment when you see your partner after a long time? It is because of the chemicals that are released when you are feeling love or connected to someone. It can create a state of euphoria and intense focus. This heightened state of excitement and preoccupation with the person who is your focus of affection can temporarily overshadow other needs, including the need for food.

Basically, the need to eat can disappear because you are satisfied and very content with your partner. The brain's reward system becomes so engrossed in the pursuit of connection and the experience of pleasure that basic biological drives, like hunger, can take a backseat. It can feel similar to when you are engrossed in an activity that you love and only when you are finished with it, do you realize that you haven’t eaten. This shift in priorities is a natural consequence of the intense emotional experience of falling in love.

Having a crush can really throw your eating habits off, but you do not have to worry because it is normal. While it is something that many people don’t talk about, it is an experience that most have gone through. Think of it as part of the excitement of getting to know someone who you wish would stay in your life for a long time. The intense focus and the weird changes in your appetite will eventually even out as things progress. So, try not to worry too much if you're not as hungry as usual. Just enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions and know that your appetite will come back to normal levels eventually.

Can the flu shot make you sick? Do healthy people really need it? Is it possible to catch the flu from the vaccine itself? With so much misinformation circulating, it’s natural to have doubts. Getting vaccinated against the flu, however, remains one of the simplest ways to protect yourself from severe infection.

While it may not guarantee complete immunity, the flu shot significantly lowers your risk of serious illness. Here, we answer some of the most common questions about flu shots and share key things to remember once you’ve had yours.

What Is a Flu Shot and Why Should You Get It?

Influenza, or the flu, is an infection that affects the nose, throat, and lungs, all parts of the respiratory system. The illness is caused by a virus. Most people recover at home with rest, but in some cases, it can lead to serious health problems, especially among vulnerable groups.

The flu vaccine offers the best protection against the virus and its complications for nearly everyone. It reduces your risk of infection and can also prevent severe symptoms that might otherwise lead to hospitalization or death.

Each year, seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against the three strains of influenza that experts predict will circulate the most during that flu season.

When Is the Flu Vaccine Available?

In the United States, flu vaccines typically become available in September. The flu spreads most actively during specific times of the year in both hemispheres, known as flu seasons. In North America, these usually stretch from October through May.

Because it takes roughly six months for vaccine production, distribution in the U.S. often begins in late summer.

After getting vaccinated, it takes about two weeks for your body to develop immunity. That’s why September or October is considered the best time to get the shot. However, if you miss that window, getting vaccinated later in the season can still offer valuable protection.

What to Avoid After a Flu Shot?

Getting your annual flu shot is a straightforward process, but a few simple choices before and after can make a difference in how you feel afterward. Medical professionals and nutrition experts suggest a few practical steps to help ensure your experience is smooth and comfortable.

Wear Something You Can Roll Up Easily

“Clothing that gives you easy access to the upper arm is ideal,” said Kenneth J. Perry, a South Carolina-based physician, in an interview with Fox News Digital. Because flu shots are given in the deltoid muscle, wearing a shirt with loose sleeves or layers you can remove easily helps avoid unnecessary discomfort.

Have a Light Snack Before You Go

“You don’t usually need to eat or drink beforehand unless it helps you feel more comfortable,” explained Dr. Michael A. Traub of Crystal Run Healthcare in New York. A small snack, however, can steady your blood sugar and prevent dizziness. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offering a beverage, snack, or reassurance before vaccination can reduce fainting. Something simple with protein and carbohydrates, such as a banana with peanut butter or yogurt with granola, can help you feel steady during and after your shot.

Stay Hydrated Before and After

There’s no need to drink excessive amounts of water, but staying hydrated supports comfort and recovery. Both the CDC and Immunize.org recommend drinking water before and after vaccination to maintain circulation and prevent fainting. A glass of water before your appointment and steady fluid intake afterward can help, particularly for people who tend to feel lightheaded during shots.

Know How to Ease Soreness

Mild soreness or fatigue after a flu shot is common. “Typical side effects include slight tiredness, headache, and body aches,” said Dr. Traub. Experts recommend gentle movement or light exercise to help reduce discomfort in the arm. Keeping the arm active encourages blood flow and can ease muscle stiffness.

Know What’s Normal and What’s Not

Minor aches or fatigue are expected side effects, but symptoms such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips or tongue, rash, severe nausea, vomiting, or chest pain require medical attention. If these occur, contact your doctor immediately.

Who Should Get the Flu Vaccine?

The CDC advises annual flu vaccination for everyone aged six months and older, unless there is a medical reason to avoid it.

Getting vaccinated each year lowers your risk of severe illness and death caused by influenza, especially for those in high-risk groups.

People at greater risk include:

• Adults aged 65 and older
• Residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities
• Young children, particularly those under one year old
• Individuals who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or recently postpartum during flu season

Pregnant women covid vaccine: Pregnant women hoping to get a COVID shot could face more difficulty accessing it this year. Although leading medical organizations still advise that pregnant women receive the vaccine to protect both themselves and their babies, recent moves by federal health authorities have caused uncertainty over whether the shots are essential during pregnancy.

For those unversed, in May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed its official recommendation for pregnant women to receive the vaccine. This week, the CDC rolled out new COVID-19 vaccine guidance, but it does not clearly spell out what pregnant women should do.

Dr. Neil Silverman, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, calls this episode another chapter in the ongoing "battle over public health." With respiratory virus season approaching, experts stress the need to reaffirm that COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and necessary during pregnancy. Here’s what you should know.

Should Pregnant Women Get a COVID-19 Vaccine?

Generally, yes, experts say. Current guidance from ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommends that patients receive a COVID-19 vaccine at some point while trying to conceive, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.

The vaccine is considered safe for pregnant women and can greatly reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 complications, according to the data. This is particularly important because pregnancy increases the risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization, pregnancy loss, and stillbirth.

Even a mild COVID infection can cause fever or discomfort, which may lead to complications, Brandt explains.

The recommendations also note that vaccination during pregnancy provides protection for newborns in the first few months of life, when they are too young to be vaccinated themselves.

What Does the CDC Say About the COVID Vaccine in Pregnancy?

Earlier, the CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy aligned with professional medical groups. That changed when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bypassed the standard review process and announced the CDC would no longer recommend routine COVID vaccination for "healthy pregnant women," NBC News reported.

In September, the CDC’s advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), voted on updated COVID vaccine guidelines. However, the panel chose not to make a specific recommendation for pregnancy, leaving the decision to CDC officials.

Most recently, the CDC approved ACIP’s decisions, which require anyone receiving a COVID vaccine to engage in “shared clinical decision-making” with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist beforehand. The agency still has not issued explicit guidance specifically for pregnant women.

Still, federal health officials highlighted that, under the new recommendations, "the risk-benefit of vaccination in individuals under age 65 is most favorable for those who are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19," which includes pregnant people, according to the CDC’s list of high-risk conditions.

Experts recommend that the first step for pregnant women considering a COVID vaccine is to speak with their OB-GYN. They should also ask if their doctor knows of local sites offering vaccinations specifically for pregnant patients. Common places to receive the vaccine include pharmacies, medical offices, and outpatient clinics.

As the world observes World Mental Health Day, conversations around burnouts, work culture, whether toxic or healthy, and mental health has become more so urgent than ever. While some are learning to set boundaries through quiet quitting- a process when an employee mentally and emotionally checks out from their job, doing only the bare minimum required by their role without going "above and beyond"; others are also trying to explore neuroscience tools that could revolutionize the way we understand and treat mental health issues.

Quiet Quitting Is the Subtle Cry Against Burnout

Dr. Madhusudan Singh Solanki, Senior Psychiatrist and Head of the Department of Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences at Max Smart Superspeciality Hospital, says that quiet quitting, doing only what one’s job requires, can often be a manifestation of silent burnout.

“When burnout sets in due to high stress, overwork, or a toxic work culture, employees lose their drive and energy. They do the bare minimum to hold on to their jobs, which we now popularly call quiet quitting,” explains Dr. Solanki.

He adds that while setting limits at work can sometimes be healthy, a prolonged state of disengagement could be a red flag. “If emotional withdrawal continues for too long, it may point to dissatisfaction or mental health struggles. That’s when it begins to hurt relationships, productivity, and self-worth,” he notes.

Is Overworking A Badge of Honor?

Research has shown that working beyond 50 to 55 hours a week has damaging effects. It can cause anxiety, sleep disturbances, and burnout to an extent that it can lead to physical illness including heart diseases or chronic illness like diabetes.

“Long working hours don’t translate into better output,” says Dr. Solanki. “In fact, they reduce productivity and can lead to strained personal lives and poor mental health.”

He emphasizes that organizations play a crucial role in preventing burnout. “Employees are human beings with lives beyond work. When organizations create healthy work policies—like fixed hours, breaks, fair compensation, and mental health support—it not only protects employees but boosts loyalty and productivity in the long run.”

Quiet quitting, he says, can sometimes be a temporary act of self-preservation if used to reset work-life balance. But left unchecked, it risks turning into chronic disengagement and even depression.

The Science Of Healing

While one part of the world is learning to cope with burnout, another is working to decode the brain itself. According to Dr. Anant Jain, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at CHINTA, TCG-CREST, technological breakthroughs are opening up new frontiers in understanding how mental illnesses develop, and how they might be treated in the future.

“The brain is extraordinarily complex, and mental health disorders often stem from very fine molecular and circuit-level disruptions,” he explains. “By observing how neurons communicate and adapt during learning or stress, we can start identifying what goes wrong in disorders like depression, autism, or Alzheimer’s.”

Scientists have now developed genetically encoded biosensors that allow them to watch cellular processes in real time—like how energy (ATP) is produced in neurons during learning or how protein activity changes during memory formation. “These ultra-sensitive tools can help detect dysfunctions early, before symptoms even appear,” says Dr. Jain. “That means future therapies could be more targeted and preventive rather than reactive.”

Using two-photon imaging and optogenetics, researchers can now visualize and even manipulate specific neural pathways in animal models. This precision could pave the way for treatments that restore normal brain function without the broad, side-effect-laden impact of current drugs.

By linking brain activity directly to mental states, these innovations promise to transform mental health care from a trial-and-error approach into one driven by data and individual biology. “We’re moving toward precision medicine, where treatments are tailored to each person’s neural patterns,” Dr. Jain says.