Living Wellness with Jennifer

Appreciating the Golden Ratio of Nature

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 »

Beauty Sleep: Myth or Must?

Sleep is the foundation on which we build and maintain our health and is the best way of guarding against stress and age-related diseases. Is the concept of beauty sleep a myth or reality? Science tells us that a good night of sleep is essential for repairing, regenerating and restructuring the skin. Several studies suggest… Read more »

The Benefits of CBD Topicals

It’s important to focus proactively on health and wellness, such as eating better and exercising regularly; however, as we age we also pay the price for the activities in our younger years.  Aches and pains, whether from old injuries or new sports, exercise routines and illness, are challenges that can stop us from continuing on… Read more »

mentoring the future

Valley Teens Becoming Mindfully Resilient

As rates of stress, depression, and teen suicide have soared in the past decade, the Health and Nutritional Sciences (HANS) Academy at Indio High is piloting a new curriculum called Mindfully Resilient. Units in anger management, the science of stress, anxiety, depression, healthy relationships and more are taught to bring mental health awareness and education… Read more »

New Year’s Resolutions:

There’s no denying it—having cancer (or any other life-threatening disease) definitely changes the way one looks at the future. So it’s only natural that, after a diagnosis of cancer, the nature of patients’ New Year’s resolutions changes as well. I can say that from my own experience (diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2016, treated… Read more »

The Healing Sounds of Music

Music is wonderful. It is often referred to as the universal language. We may listen to music for sheer joy, to dance, to change our moods, to enhance fond memories and to exercise. Music therapy, however, is much more. As an allied health profession, music therapy is defined as the focused and intentional use of… Read more »

Self-Care for the New Year

Are you ready for a “new you” this year? It may be no surprise that the all-time leading resolution is to lose weight and get healthy. After indulging in festivities for the past four months, all those tasty, sugary treats and drinks have probably found their way to your waist line. We all tend to… Read more »

Assisting Our Internal River of Life

The lymphatic system is often referred to as the “river of life” as it flows with nutrients and substances that bathe our cells and flood the interstitial spaces under our skin. This vital system is key to sustaining homeostasis throughout our bodies, working silently and consistently to maintain fluid balance while serving as a main… Read more »

Lowering A1C Levels with Osteogenic Exercise

For many affected by high glucose levels, the A1C is a familiar blood test that measures the amount of glucose that attaches to or binds with hemoglobin found in red blood cells.  High glucose levels in the blood stream are often indicators of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes (T2D) and greatly impact a person’s overall… Read more »

Living Wellness with Jennifer

Lessons from the Amazon Jungle

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 »

Being “Good” At Yoga

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 »

Are Your Genes Speaking to You?

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 »

Come Home to Who You Are

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 »

The Invisible Power of Energy Healing

“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 »