HAPPY DAY! WE MADE IT. 2021 is upon us, and we all get a fresh, new start. It’s time to set goals, ponder dreams and send forth our intentions for this brand-new year. While we might like to erase much of last year, there are many things learned worth carrying forward. We’ve gained a greater… Read more »
I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to 2021 being a better year – because I choose to focus on self-care and to live in hope. Let me be clear: hope is not optimism or the belief that everything will turn out well, and hope doesn’t mean denying our realities. Hope means facing… Read more »
Last January, I was celebrating a new start after a year of cancer treatments. 2019 had been rough, but I made it through with a renewed appreciation for life and a strong sense of fearlessness. Life is short, and I can do anything. So, I decided to start riding horses again. I tried 10 years… Read more »
A while back, between stay-at-home orders, something happened that hadn’t happened in several months. We paid an in-person visit to my mother. She has dementia and is living in a small care facility 15 minutes from where we live. She receives excellent care and has been kept safe during the pandemic, where she is one… Read more »
How can there be a crisis of loneliness when there are more than 7 billion people in the world? Doesn’t that seem counter-intuitive? A few years ago, the UK created a Minister of Loneliness because loneliness in England was increasing at such an alarming rate. This crisis poses as grave a threat to global… Read more »
The American Nurses Association deemed 2020 “The Year of the Nurse,” and as the global pandemic continues, nurses and other medical responders continue to be at the forefront of this crisis. As a nurse working on the COVID floor at a local Coachella Valley hospital, my colleagues and I experience firsthand the drastic effects COVID… Read more »
Dementia, one of the most debilitating diseases of humankind, is increasing in global prevalence with over 50 million patients.1-3 Dementia is a general term that describes the loss of cognitive ability, social functioning, and memory. There are many disease states that cause dementia representing divergent pathophysiologies, which are complex, multifactorial, ever-changing and not fully characterized. … Read more »
I’ve been having a hard time finding the right words for this column because, like everyone else, I am struggling to understand life right now. Everything in my struggle tells me to tell you, “Keep holding on to faith. Faith over fear. Live in love. Watch your words because you can unknowingly hurt someone. Life… Read more »
The possibility of control and eradication of the current global pandemic of coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) is now a distinct reality because of two promising vaccines that have shown safe and effective performance in preventing 95 percent of infections in preliminary data of phase 3 trials. How will these vaccines work? Vaccination prepares the human immune system… Read more »
If you like to play golf, the Coachella Valley is the right place for you. With over 100 golf courses in the Coachella Valley area, it is considered a golfer’s paradise. Tennis also happens to be a popular sport in the region. What do players of these two sports have in common? They are both… Read more »
Americans drink a lot of caffeinated beverages. Every day, the majority of us consume at least one drink that contains caffeine. While many people need that kick to get them through the day, there are effects on oral health I’d like to present for consideration. Coffee is the second most popular caffeinated beverage in our… Read more »
With COVID-19 forcing schools into distance learning and the tremendous amount of additional social and emotional trauma in today’s world, teachers Jason Tate, FMCHC of Indio High School and Jodie Capper, CTE from Coachella Valley High School created an online program that helps educators help their students to cope and heal. The program, called Mindfully… Read more »
The fact that humans are multi-parted beings is nothing new or trendy; it is quite old, and yet, our disregard causes so much pain and disappointment. There is a positive movement in the western world towards treating illness in a more holistic way. But are we ready to accept and act upon the fact that… Read more »
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing unabated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people to postpone travel and stay home to protect themselves and others against COVID-19. If it is impossible to avoid travel, here are some suggestions regarding supplements that increase immunity and can be used to help prevent illness. Melatonin is… Read more »
This past year, we have collectively experienced profound physical, mental and emotional stressors that have pushed us all to the limits and disrupted our self-care routines. We fall back on our “comfort foods” and what’s easy. We tend to overindulge with sugar, carbs and alcohol, and our bodies feel the impact of the resulting added… Read more »
COVID-19 has forced us all to adjust to a new normal. Classes, meetings and happy hours are just a few of the former face-to-face interactions that are now done virtually – substantially increasing screen time. Initially, there was more optimism toward it. People were no longer burdened by their commutes, and their go-to pair of… Read more »
The body is an amazing and complex machine. It is comprised of several systems that all have to run in sync to operate at peak capacity. It is something we don’t give much thought or credit to unless there is a malfunction or breakdown that causes pain or incapacitates us in some manner. The lymphatic… Read more »
Happy New Year, my dear friends. I know on a collective level, most of us are glad to see the end of 2020. That in itself is a reason for celebration with the good, bad and the ugly behind us; we did it! I want to personally congratulate you on getting past the worst of… Read more »
In current culture, vitality is frequently associated only with youthful enthusiasm. In the field of naturopathic medicine, vitalism is the lifeforce, the spark within each of us. It was taught and passed down by our founders and is woven throughout our medical education. Unfortunately, the constraints of testing and diagnosing do not elaborate much on… Read more »
As I was walking through the forests of Big Sur during the holidays, taking a socially-isolated reprieve from work and daily life, I was struck by the magnificence of how light expresses itself in the forest. In some areas, sunlight illuminates the burnt orange leaves of Oak trees. Around another corner, it reveals itself in… Read more »