Daily, the phrase “To human is hard” enters my thoughts. This reality becomes even weightier with Oxford Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year, “brain rot,” defined as a “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially from consuming too much trivial online content.” Just one more complexity to work to ward off as… Read more »
Natural Options
East Meets West in Treating Shingles
- By Diane Sheppard, PhD, LAc
- January/February 2025
Shingles is a brutally painful infection from the varicella-zoster virus known as chicken pox. As the acute infection from chicken pox fades, the virus remains dormant in the body, sleeping inside nerve cells. Later in life the virus can reactivate in the form of shingles. The condition is most likely to develop in people with… Read more »
A Healthy State of Mind
- By Candice Nicole
- January/February 2025
January seems to scream “time for healthier habits!” Everywhere you turn, you hear advice on the latest trend certain to whip you into shape: Go vegan. Cut out carbs. Try high intensity training. Fast. Take up pickleball. Is all of this advice truly motivating? How do you know what activity or diet is best for… Read more »
Craniosacral Therapy for Dementia
- By Shari Jainuddin, NMD, BCB
- January/February 2025
Craniosacral therapy uses a gentle, non-invasive technique for a multitude of conditions, including the prevention and treatment of dementia. This treatment focuses on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) and permeating the fascia. On its own, CSF is tightly regulated, released in a pulsing rhythm from ventricles… Read more »
Healthy Dreams of Snakes
- By Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos
- January/February 2025
How do dreams, snakes and medicine relate to the new year? Let’s take a look back as we move forward into 2025. On Jan. 29, we close the door to the Chinese Year of the Dragon and open the door to the Year of the Wood Snake, representing introspection, intuition and adaptability. The snake is… Read more »
Nourishment: Beyond the End of Your Fork
- By Alison Mullins, MS, CHHC, IAYT
- January/February 2025
When we think of nourishment, we tend to think of only food. What about nourishing the rest of ourselves? While we all try to eat healthy, make the right choices and stay balanced, we can falter from time to time and find ourselves trying to get back on track. Many of us set New Year’s… Read more »
Planting Seeds and Chasing Dreams
- By Judy Nemer Sklar
- January/February 2025
Another year. We made it! Every new year, we are hopeful that our most promising ideas await and our best lives are yet to come. We reflect on the past year’s joys, triumphs, heartbreaks and disappointments and look forward to the following chapters of our lives, hoping to gain more insight and experience as we… Read more »
Benefits of Infrared Sauna Therapy
- By Cristal Salcido, ND
- January/February 2025
The body is wise, and sometimes, all it needs is a little help to stimulate its natural ability to heal. Infrared saunas can offer that assistance as they use gentle, radiant heat that penetrates the skin and delivers a host of therapeutic benefits. Unlike traditional saunas that rely on heated air, infrared saunas use biogenetic… Read more »
Naturopathic Medicine
- By Sonja Fung, ND with Cristal Salcido, ND
- November/December 2024
Naturopathic medicine has grown significantly over the past few decades, but many still ask what we do. Thus, we thought we’d take a step back and review the basics. Naturopathic medicine is a gentle but effective form of whole-body medicine that focuses on the foundations of health to treat disease, including diet and digestion, movement,… Read more »
Simplicity to Spark Creativity and Balance
- By Judy Nemer Sklar
- November/December 2024
“Tea is an act complete in its simplicity. When I drink tea there is only me and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes…I drink the tea…I am informed by the tea, changed. This is the act of life.” These words taken… Read more »
Why Love and Kindness are Vital to Our Health
- By Candice Nicole
- November/December 2024
Love and kindness aren’t just nice words. They are actions we take daily, stemming from beliefs we hold — and they are essential to achieving health. But how exactly can love and kindness help our physical health and overall well-being? Every morning, many people walk out their doors with their game faces on, dressed for… Read more »
Medicinal Soups 101
- By Diane Sheppard, PhD, LAc
- November/December 2024
Herbal soups have been used in many cultures throughout generations to prevent and treat diseases. In China for example, many soups tend to be mild in nature and easily absorbed and digested. Around the world, families revere and swear by their traditional recipes, and pass them along through the ages. Popular soups include Tom Yum… Read more »
Yoga Wisdom for Holiday Serenity
- By Jennifer Yockey
- November/December 2024
As the holiday season approaches, many of us find ourselves caught in a whirlwind of activities, expectations and emotions. While this time of year can bring joy and connection, it can also bring stress and overwhelm. But what if we could approach the holidays with the same mindfulness and balance we cultivate on our yoga… Read more »
For most of us, emotions can feel like a rollercoaster — overwhelming at times, comforting at others, and often confusing. But what if our relationship with our emotions could change? What if instead of pushing them away or avoiding them, we could learn to embrace them as valuable guides? This approach might be the key… Read more »
Yoga: So Much More than the Mat
- By Alison Mullins, MS, IAYT, IHHC
- September/October 2024
Thoughts of yoga often invoke extreme flexibility, contorted limbs, yoga pants, messy buns and mala beads. The practice itself is much deeper, much richer, and can be a tool for living a more mindful life; a life where you never need to touch your toes but only the depth of your own heart. Yoga is… Read more »
Outdoor Medicine
- By Shari Jainuddin, NMD, BCB
- September/October 2024
Let’s zoom out for a moment, look down at Earth, and consider how we have survived and evolved to live on this incredible planet. The air we breathe and ground we walk upon are part of that equation. However, in recent history, we have insulated ourselves from these elements through our built environment and rubber-soled… Read more »
Nourishing Our Minds through Food
- By Bryan Paul Blackwell, CHHC
- September/October 2024
Understanding the phrase, “Our gut is our second brain,” empowers us to take control of our health. The food we eat directly influences our gut health, which in turn affects our brain function. Thus, a healthy gut leads to a healthy mind, while an unhealthy gut can contribute to mental and cognitive disorders.1 We know… Read more »
What Are You Masking?
- By Judy Nemer Sklar
- September/October 2024
There is a saying that you have three faces. The first face is the face you show to the world. The second is the face you show to your close friends and family. The third face is the face you do not show and is the most authentic reflection of who you are. Not everyone… Read more »
Quality Pillow Time
- By Candice Nicole
- September/October 2024
Many of us still are not getting enough sleep. Phones and other electronics, binge watching the latest streaming service series, or our never-ending work and family obligations can put quality pillow time on the back burner. Let this article be a friendly reminder of how crucial sleep is for maintaining health. Sleep, diet and exercise… Read more »
Harvest Strength and Peace
- By Jennifer Yockey
- September/October 2024
As the air begins to cool and sun’s intensity subsides, autumn invites us to shift our energy inward, reflecting the natural world’s preparation for the cooler months ahead. In our modern, fast-paced lives, it’s easy to miss these subtle cues for renewal and introspection. However, by embracing yogic principles and practices, we can align ourselves… Read more »