What is the one thing you hope to have with you for life? Your children? Your spouse? Your sanity? Your mobility? When you think about it, the most treasured thing you could wish for yourself and your loved ones is good health. It can be the difference between happiness and heartbreak, comfort and pain, and… Read more »
Karen was a vivacious young woman living the dream. An avid tennis and softball player, she loved doing yoga, had a private psychotherapy practice, and spent time between Redondo Beach and Palm Springs with her husband and their labradoodle Dood. Her family lived in Texas but her beloved sister, Stephanie, a pediatric gastroenterologist, moved with… Read more »
Another season is upon us and I can tell it’s going to be an exciting and fun-filled adventure! With the fourth quarter dubbed “The Wellest Season,” it has already begun. As I write this, the World Series is in game 2, Wanderlust’s Wellspring comes to town this weekend, and our first gala is a week… Read more »
For many of us, selecting the health insurance option that best meets our – and our family’s – needs and pocketbook can be a daunting prospect. This is especially true since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the number of insurance options now being offered through the Covered California exchange to people… Read more »
Our eyes are the focus of our face. It is natural to want to appear our best – rested and bright eyed! But sometimes puffiness and bagginess make us look – and feel – tired. We may even be perceived to be ill or angry. Although a very small percentage of our skin’s total surface… Read more »
Did you know that many well-known film and television actors of have had to overcome speech or language challenges? That list includes Bruce Willis who struggled with stuttering; Eric Roberts who also grappled with stuttering, and his sister, Julia Roberts, who had to overcome her speech impairment. Bill Withers who wrote and sang, “When a… Read more »
Cathedral City High School students in the HEAL Academy came back from summer break to a brand new skills lab. The teachers worked during the summer to complete the lab, so it would be ready to go on the first day of school. The skills lab has a simulated doctor’s office, a hospital room, a… Read more »
A worldwide clinical study is underway for an innovative investigational vaccine that may help people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) reduce episodes of exacerbations, commonly known as flare-ups. Palmtree Clinical Research (PCR), a multi-specialty clinical research firm based in Palm Springs, was selected as a study site, and volunteers are currently being accepted with… Read more »
This past summer I found myself deep in the heartland of the Amazon jungle at night, with a flashlight and a naturalist guide. This experience was as far as I have ever been out of my comfort zone; yet, it drew me closer to understanding how everything in life ultimately works together to collectively sustain… Read more »
Over the years, I have heard Deepak Chopra speak and was recently treated to another one of his nuggets. He said that a key aim of our yoga practice is to be able to “observe ourselves, without judging ourselves.” When we can drop into that inner space of self-reflection and inquiry, we begin to release… Read more »
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you when you eat garlic, onions, eggs or cruciferous vegetables: gas, bloating, acid reflux, headaches, dry skin, muscle cramps, joint pain, anxiety, depression, chronic bronchitis, or fatigue? Personally, I had all of the above symptoms and suffered whenever I ate these or any other foods high in… Read more »
The hot summer days are finally behind us, and it is now the time of year when snowbirds make their way back to their desert homes, reminding us that we live in a culture of movement. We move from our childhood home to a place of our own. In time we find something larger with… Read more »
“In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyl, MD, Nobel Laureate in Medicine When most people think of methods for achieving physical healing, medication, surgery, and other concrete modern modalities designed to bring the body back to health come to mind. However, one of… Read more »
There is something fresh brewing at the JW Marriott Desert Springs. Not only are they underway with a multi-million dollar renovation, but wellness is now being served to their 1,200 employees, local visitors, and international guests. The team leading the charge includes internal nutritionist Regina Basterrechea and Executive Chef Peter Smith who have incorporated changes… Read more »
Have you experienced a “pregnant pause moment” lately? You know, when you’re talking with someone who makes a comment about the state of our country that you might not agree with, and you’re at a loss for how to respond. Or, if not the pregnant pause, maybe you’ve felt like a stranger in a strange… Read more »
Whether we want to admit it or not, with age comes declining function of every major bodily system we have. The World Health Organization defines the aging population as 60 and older, but symptoms may start to show decades earlier. Common aging concerns should be addressed early when they are typically more manageable – or… Read more »
Shay Moraga is a triple negative breast cancer survivor and shares her journey with Desert Health® readers in an ongoing column… It is the most wonderful time of year. Festive tunes on the radio, everyone you meet seems excited about upcoming vacations and family coming into town to celebrate the holidays. However, to a cancer… Read more »
I recently returned from the 9th annual Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Conference in Dallas, Texas. This conference offers health care providers from many different disciplines a holistic approach to successfully diagnose and treat underlying issues contributing to neurological, behavioral, and psychiatric disorders. Research has revealed that many conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety,… Read more »
Cancerous tumors, due to their fast metabolism, exist best in a ‘low oxygen’ environment. While chemotherapy is, by nature, dominantly an oxidative process, there are non-toxic oxidative therapies available in out-patient environments that are proving to be effective as a complement to chemotherapy and radiation or as stand-alone holistic treatment options. Both hyperbaric oxygen therapy… Read more »
It’s been interesting to note that my most requested talk this year has been about self-care. Whether I’m speaking to groups or with individual patients, we as a society seem to have a greater load of anxiety, depression and stress and I think it’s time to call BS. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe… Read more »