For most of us, work priorities fill our day and finding time to eat, drink and sleep can be quite a chore. It just seems easier to pull up into a fast food restaurant and grab something on the go, instead of taking the time to shop for the week and bring a healthier alternative… Read more »
March/April 2019
Because Death Valley is considered one of the hottest places on earth it never elicited a call to visit. After seeing the striking beauty in a friend’s recent pictures of this national park, I became intrigued and decided to lead a group of 25 hikers there. Little did I know that my experience of looking… Read more »
We know that what you eat can affect your heart health, and new research indicates that the same is true for your brain. The MIND diet – which stands for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay – takes foods from the Mediterranean and DASH diets that medical literature and data show to be good for… Read more »
“My back still hurts and I’ve done everything.” “I’m stressed and anxious and can’t sleep.” “My meds give me side effects and are so expensive.” Do these claims sound familiar? With so much technological advancement in medicine and a cornucopia of prescription drugs, it is not surprising that we have forgotten how much power is… Read more »
Dean Ornish and his wife Anne have a formula for achieving great health and avoiding or reversing heart disease and cancer, as well as the risk factors that lead to these. Ornish was the first to show coronary heart disease could be reversed by a very low fat diet (Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing… Read more »
Treatment of chronic disease is at the forefront of the health care crisis that threatens to bankrupt our government. One in two Americans now suffers from a chronic disease and one in four has multiple chronic diseases. Of the $3.8 trillion we spend on health care in the United States each year, 84 percent goes… Read more »
Recently, Jim Dethmer, the author of 15 Commitments of Conscious Leaders, in speaking to a group of health coaches stated, “All sustainable transformation begins with radical self-acceptance.” As a doctor, I have been called to support healing and transformation, but both in my patients and in myself, I find transformation to be an arduous process,… Read more »
A few years back I took on the challenge to hike and summit Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in California at 14, 505 feet. For weeks I hiked, ran, and did whatever I thought was necessary to physically prepare for the event–not to mention practicing carrying a 35-pound backpack with all the necessities. In reflecting… Read more »
In ancient India, thousands of years ago, temples and houses were often constructed using very specific building codes written in texts called Vaastu Shastras. This code was a combination of strict rules governing mathematics, proportion and geometry on how a structure must be built. When a building is designed using these rules it vibrates with… Read more »
Protein-packed garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are a very versatile legume whether cooked, canned, or used as flour. In many countries, they are used not only for food, but also in daily beauty regimes because of their many healing properties. Originating in the Middle East, garbanzos are the oldest consumed crop in the world.… Read more »
When Canada released their updated food guide in January 2019 there was a lot of attention directed towards a few big changes. This latest edition encourages people to eat a variety of unprocessed foods and does away with both serving sizes and food groups entirely. The change that has garnered the most discussion involves dairy,… Read more »
La Quinta High School is focusing more and more on offering healthier food choices as part of the La Quinta High School Culinary Arts Institute program. On March 20, the culinary institute will launch its latest venture: Healthy Tastings for Healthy Teachers, a pilot project including a pop-up restaurant on campus to provide lunch for… Read more »
With the hectic pace of a busy season, it seemed appropriate to gravitate toward the yin side of life and talk about solitude. For many of us local small business owners, the peak season is hectic, bringing a needed abundance to support us when it all slows down in the heat of the summer. Recently,… Read more »
The best part of being a couple? Wait for it… It’s the authentic relationship you have with yourself. ‘To thine own self be true’ and ‘Know thyself’ are but a few quotes that depict the importance of self-actualization. With greater awareness, the terms selfish and self-serving can evolve into a greater sense of self-worth and… Read more »
One of the greatest discoveries of our time is the knowledge that we each have the ability and power to create the experiences in our lives. It is now common knowledge that the thoughts and feelings we have are frequencies sent out into the universe which return to us in physical experiences that are vibrational… Read more »
The growing popularity of pickleball is unmistakable. The sport began as a backyard game in Washington state in 1965 and has become the fastest growing sport in our country, around the world, and definitely in the Coachella Valley. It’s something everyone should try. My friend George from Sun City Palm Desert told me there are… Read more »
As an avid reader of Desert Health, I have enjoyed many great articles on fitness, health and emotional wellbeing. As a ballroom dance instructor, I am proud to say that ballroom dancing addresses all of these! Many people believe that ballroom dancing is only the more formal partner dances such as the foxtrot, waltz, and… Read more »