May 2022
Welcome to the monthly wellness newsletter for Tacori Enterprises!

This newsletter includes health, wellness, and plan updates for your review.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the theme is "You are not alone".

We are experiencing a shift in public perception of mental health. Resources are available and employees are encouraged to seek support. Anyone can have a mental illness just as they can have a physical illness. No one asks for either one.
May is a time to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and to help reduce the stigma so many experience. Stigma is a barrier to accessing mental healthcare. Not only does mental illness cause pain, distress, and loss, but it can trigger a social reaction — prejudice — which is as limiting as the condition itself. 

People with mental illness have said that stigma, how people judge them, is a barrier to a full life. Reducing stigma encourages people to seek the help they need for what we know are treatable conditions – and can result in significant improvements in individual and family lives. Some ways to reduce stigma:
  • Educate yourself and others.
  • Be conscious of language.
  • Get treatment.
  • Don’t isolate yourself.
  • Don’t let stigma create self-doubt and shame.
  • Join a support group.

Take a look at the following sections for resources available to you as an employee of Tacori Enterprises.
What is Headspace?
Think of Headspace as your mind’s best friend. We’re here for you whenever you need us, wherever you are, helping you get through tough times and find joy in every day.

What does Headspace do?
Through science-backed meditation and mindfulness tools, Headspace helps you create life-changing habits to support your mental health and find a healthier, happier you.

Why do they do it?
Headspace is proven to reduce stress by 14% in just 10 days. It can also help you relax your mind in minutes, improve focus, and get the best sleep ever.
Meditation is both a skill and an experience — a formal exercise to cultivate awareness and compassion. By sitting with the mind, we’re training it to be more open and at ease, and we consequently discover greater calm, clarity, contentment, and compassion. In doing so, we increasingly learn to have a direct experience of the present moment. Meditation Video

Mindfulness is the idea of learning how to be fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment. Mindfulness Video

Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life. Mindfulness training teaches you how to take a step back from both stress and anxiety, so you’re better prepared to respond to stressful thoughts and situations. Stress Video

You sleep every night, so you should be pretty good at it by now, right? Unfortunately, many of us don't get the quality sleep we need. Learn how to create the conditions for a more restful night’s sleep. Sleep Video
Get support from mental health professionals and licensed
doctors no matter where you are with Teladoc

As a Blue Shield member, you have access to Teladoc’s national network of U.S. board-certified physicians.

Whenever you need care, Teladoc medical doctors are available 24/7/365 by phone or video.

You can also speak to licensed therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health professionals who can help you manage addiction, depression, stress or anxiety, domestic abuse, grief, and more.

Mental health appointments are available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, seven days a week.
Teladoc doctors can treat many medical conditions including:

  • Cold and flu symptoms
  • Allergies
  • Respiratory infections
  • Sinus problems

Cost: HMO, PPO, Trio HMO, and Tandem PPO plans

General medical per visit: $0.00
Teladoc licensed professionals can help you manage mental health conditions including:

  • Depression
  • Addiction
  • Grief
  • Anxiety
  • and more

Teladoc Login - Confidential therapy when you need support

Cost: HMO, PPO, Trio HMO, and Tandem PPO plans

Mental Health per visit: $0.00

High-deductible health plans (HDHP) will pay the following consult fees fee until the deductible is met.

Psychiatrist (initial visit) $185.00
Psychiatrist (recurring visit) $85.00
Psychiatrist/therapist/counselor $75.00
Phone Number: 800-386-7055
Access Code: Matters

Login to access all of the resources including the following.

Your Blue Shield of California health plan provides coverage for
non-emergency inpatient and outpatient mental health and
substance use care through Blue Shield’s mental health service
administrator (MHSA).
Call the MHSA at (877) 263-9952 for
immediate assistance or help finding a network provider or go to

Blue Shield MHSA Login: https://www.blueshieldca.com/fad
Master’s-level clinicians have a master’s degree in social work, nursing, professional counseling,
marriage and family therapy, or education. In some cases, they may recommend you to a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner if
medication may be needed.

Psychologists generally have doctoral degrees in educational, child, clinical, or counseling
psychology. Psychologists
provide a variety of services, including assessments, psychological testing, and therapy. Often,
a master’s-level clinician or psychiatrist will refer you to a psychologist for testing,
if needed.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors (MDs) specializing in psychiatry. They provide psychiatric
evaluations, therapy, and other psychotherapeutic interventions, and they can prescribe
medications. Some psychiatrists specialize in child psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, addiction, or geriatrics. If you are interested in a psychiatrist who evaluates and treats children, ask whether he or she is trained in child psychiatry.
Find a clinician online

2. Select Mental Health and enter your
location and plan to be directed to
the MHSA network.

3. Search by city, ZIP code, or clinician
name. You can click Filter & Sort to
further narrow your search.

4. On the results page, you can see
detailed profiles for each clinician.

Call at (877) 263-9952 to speak with an
MHSA representative who will help you find a clinician that meets your needs. It is important that you call to get preauthorization before treatment to
make sure your services are covered.

Some behavioral healthcare services
require prior authorization or approval
from the MHSA, including:
• Inpatient services
• Residential Treatment Center (RTC)
• Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
• Psychological testing
• Neuropsychological testing
• Transcranial Magnetic

Stimulation (TMS)
Prior authorization is not required for outpatient services, in-person or virtually.

If you have questions about prior
authorization, call the MHSA at
(877) 263-9952.
Go to blueshieldca.com/fad and click on Mental Health to find a provider
10 Recipes for Better Mental Health

Try incorporating these brain boosters into your diet
At one time, healthy eating for mind and body simply meant limiting or eliminating unhealthy ingredients, like sugar and fat 1,2 from an otherwise balanced diet. But now we know it’s also important to incorporate some very specific types of foods and ingredients into your diet on a regular basis in order to protect your mental and physical health. 
To be as healthy as possible, it helps to include lots of so-called “power foods” in your diet. “Most of the evidence for brain health suggests a Mediterranean Diet,” Elkrief points out. That means a wide array of deeply-colored fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, seafoods and fermented foods, all super sources of vitamins, minerals, fibers, healthy carbs and fats, beneficial bacteria, and plant proteins. A high-quality diet rich in these types of foods helps keep you physically and mentally sound by providing protection against symptoms of chronic conditions like heart disease, depression and anxiety.
Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish, nuts, and seeds help reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. 3,4,5 Spices like turmeric may also reduce symptoms of depression by reducing brain inflammation.6 Yogurt, fresh sauerkraut, kefir, and kimchi are fermented foods containing “good bacteria” that add balance to the naturally occurring bacteria in your gut known as the microbiome. The microbiome plays a role in brain development, behavior, and mood. 7,8 A diet rich in fruits and veggies is associated with higher levels of happiness. 9 And if you need a treat after all that healthy eating, dark chocolate has been found to reduce symptoms of stress.
Kimchi is a spicy Korean side dish made with fermented cabbage, green onions, radishes, and assorted seasonings like ginger and chili flakes, Look for fresh kimchi in the refrigerator sections of supermarkets, health food stores, and Asian food markets. Use it like sauerkraut to top veggie burgers and veggie dogs, or serve as a spicy condiment alongside fried rice, seafood, omelets, and other egg dishes. But don’t count on probiotic benefits from kimchi (or sauerkraut) that has been cooked or heat-processed before packaging. Heat kills the bacteria and destroys the probiotic effects. If you want to add Kimchi to hot soups or stews, wait until they cool slightly.
Fish highest in omega-3 fatty acids are the oily types, including wild and farmed salmon, Atlantic mackerel, trout, herring, oysters, mussels, sardines, and anchovies, both fresh and canned. For the most benefits, try to include oily fish dishes in your diet at least twice a week. Build a better chef’s salad with leftover cooked salmon instead of cold cuts, and drizzle with Garlicky Lemon Anchovy Vinaigrette (recipe on last slide). Use that same vinaigrette as a marinade or dressing for plain roasted, broiled, steamed or grilled seafood dishes.
Walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds are also good sources of healthful omega-3 fatty acids if you consume them regularly. Sprinkle chopped nuts and ground seeds on everything from hot or cold breakfast cereals to fruit and vegetable salads to stir-fries. Add them to the blender when making smoothies. Stir them into pancake, waffle, and muffin batters. Soak 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in 3 tablespoons of water until thickened, and use as an egg substitute in baked goods. You can also use ground walnuts and chia seeds alone or combined with bread crumbs as a coating or topping for baked seafood or chicken.
An easy way to spice up your life with more turmeric is to buy herbal teabag blends with turmeric as a main ingredient, and use them year-round to make hot and iced teas. Ground turmeric is often used in curry dishes but you can also stir it into hummus, add to lentil soup, rice and grain dishes, or fruit smoothies (especially good if you make your smoothie with plain yogurt and coconut milk). The flavor of turmeric can be intense, so start with just a pinch, then add more to taste. “Try adding black pepper whenever you use turmeric,” adds Elkrief. “It tastes good and helps your body better absorb curcumin the active ingredient in turmeric.”
The more colorful mixture of veggies on your plate, the more likely you are to reap a variety of nutritional benefits, so pile them on! For maximum benefit, choose very colorful vegetables like dark leafy greens, peppers, carrots, and butternut squash. If you think you don’t like a particular healthy vegetable, try different preparation methods. Instead of baking sweet potatoes, grate them into a potato pancake. If you don’t like cooked kale or spinach, buy tender baby leaves and serve as a bed of greens under a portion of seafood or chicken. And if you don’t love broccoli or cauliflower steamed, you may love it roasted.
All fresh fruit—but especially apples, grapes, blueberries and strawberries—are packed with antioxidant vitamins and other plant substances known to protect your brain from diseases, enhance cognition, and potentially improve your mood, behavior and overall brain function. 9, 11 Like veggies, each type of fruit provides slightly different benefits, so your best bet is to toss up a fresh fruit salad that combines a variety of different fruits and berries. Fruit salad doesn’t need a dressing, but you can dress it up with chopped fresh or dried mint, or sweet spices like ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, along with chopped nuts.
Surprise, surprise! Chocolate is not just for dessert. An ounce or two of grated dark chocolate is the secret ingredient in many of the best chili dishes. On the sweeter side, add grated dark chocolate to fruit smoothies, or to banana or zucchini bread batters. Melt dark chocolate to use as a sweet drizzle or dip for fresh fruit. “Dark chocolate-covered almonds are one of our favorite snacks at the Brain Food Clinic,” says Elkrief. “You get the double benefit of brain-boosting vitamin E from the almonds, along with some magnesium from the chocolate, which also helps stimulate brain growth.”
It’s better to use anchovy fillets in a vinaigrette, but anchovy paste will do in a pinch. In a blender, combine 4 to 6 drained anchovy fillets (2 to 3 teaspoons anchovy paste), 1 large clove garlic, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup) and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
On low speed, gradually add 1/3 cup olive oil, just until incorporated. Alternatively, you can mash the anchovies and garlic by hand with the side of a chef’s knife, then finely chop and whisk together with remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Taste dressing and adjust seasonings, if necessary, before serving. Makes about 3/4 cup of dressing. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can use this vinaigrette to dress vegetable or green salads or as a sauce or marinade for baked, broiled or grilled fish. Double the recipe if you need a larger batch.


Why Puzzles are Awesome for Mental Health
It’s been a hectic day, and it’s left you mentally drained and exhausted. As much as you’re pushing yourself to do your best, too much stress is never good for the body and mental health. Even when you’re finally home and ready for bed, it may take a lot of winding down before you’re calm enough to drift off to sleep.

Here’s a method of winding down that encompasses several benefits on mental health: solving puzzles

We know what you’re thinking. “Wouldn’t that get me worked up again?” Not exactly. Puzzles such as word searches, crosswords and Sudoku are highly recommended by doctors to keep your stress levels at bay, thereby improving your mental health. One key reason is that it allows you to focus on only one thing. While multi-tasking puts the frontal lobe of your brain under stress, single-tasking through good and engaging puzzles eliminates that stress. Additionally, if you find puzzles fun, here’s the science behind it:

That’s right. Feeling in control when you’re “worrying for two” is indeed a remarkable feat, so why not give it a go! We’ve actually prepared a word search for you to have some fun with. Below are 17 keywords related to mental wellness. Can you find them?
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