The Impact of Emotions on Health

Let’s face it, we are all spiritual beings, and as we go through life we store emotions, worries, stress and trauma on a subconscious level. It is called our cellular memory, the very genetic blueprint that our consciousness draws on for “deep memories” which play a significant role in determining the state of our wellness.… Read more »

Living Your Passion Can Lead to Purpose

Passion is a “strong and barely controllable emotion.” It’s that which physically lifts your spirit, warms your heart, and brings butterflies to your belly. For some, it’s a source that drives them; for others, it’s a long lost hobby, lingering idea or curious thought yet to be embraced. Some are fortunate to live their passion… Read more »

Living Wellness with Jennifer

Grace Changes Everything

This past February I found great pleasure watching athletes compete in the winter Olympics. One overriding impression, regardless of the sport, was the great degree of grace exhibited by athletes while performing.  The expression of grace should not be underestimated.  It is the smooth, controlled, effortless, invisible force that allows competitors to display elegance and… Read more »

Five Pieces of Wisdom for Challenging Moments

Finding wisdom in the difficult moments can be challenging—especially when we are staring those moments square in the face. Sending your child off to kindergarten, being betrayed by a friend or making a painful decision about a family member’s health care—they all can hurt. There is no escaping it: The heart gets bruised, our trust… Read more »

Cleaning with Essential Oils

Did you know that you can effectively clean your home while supporting the health of both your family and pets? With essential oils, you can make products that cleanse, purify and smell exceptional while avoiding harmful chemical-based synthetic cleaners. Everyone is raving about the “new” way to clean your home with natural products. Many essential… Read more »

Organic Acids Testing

Organic acids tests (OAT) can be a great help in determining the root cause of many pathologies, particularly those for which the source can be challenging to identify. OAT provides an accurate metabolic snapshot of what’s going on in one’s body in a way that can be far more helpful than standard blood serum labs.… Read more »

The Ketogenic Diet: Pros and Cons

The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s to treat epilepsy. Physicians had long noted that there were fewer seizures when their patients fasted, so to mimic the fasting state, a diet high in fat and very low in carbohydrates was created. When carbohydrates are restricted, the body runs out of glucose quickly and must… Read more »

How Unhealthy is Alcohol?

Moderate alcohol consumption has been touted for its health benefits. It is often stated in the media that it is healthy to have a glass of wine for the resveratrol it offers the heart; however, you should consider that eating half a cup of red grapes offers more resveratrol for the heart with no side… Read more »

Shay’s Story: Yoga

Shay Moraga was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the beginning of 2016 and shares her journey with Desert Health® readers in an ongoing column… If a cancer diagnosis has changed your life like it has mine, then you have been immediately thrown into the world of doctors, treatments, surgeries, fears, and overwhelming opinions… Read more »

Holding Space: The What and The How

Recently, there was another school shooting. There was tragic loss of life and the unbearable grief that family members, friends, classmates and colleagues have had to endure. My mentor’s wife went to that high school and is now watching her high school classmates suffer imaginable loss. The grief and disbelief is palpable and left my… Read more »

Spring: Time to Find Balance

Does life ever feel as though you’re sitting on a giant swing? Flying through the air to hit a peak, rushing back toward the earth just to rise up into another peak? Does it ever feel like this giant swing represents all of the emotional ups and downs you experience? If you have had these… Read more »

Extracting Heavy Metal Toxicity

Heavy metal exposure is a growing health concern worldwide due to multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical and technological uses which have affected the worldwide environment. Their toxicity depends on several factors including the dose, route of exposure, length of exposure, as well as the age, gender, genetics and nutritional status of the exposed individuals. Because… Read more »

Living Wellness with Jennifer

The Power of a Pen Pal on Health and Wellbeing

Who could have predicted the power of the first letter written by Shelley Sachs from Central Washington in 1968? A pen-pal letter, written by Shelley in sixth grade, secured a connection, which has lasted fifty years, with Gloria Alvarez who resides in Indian Wells. The first letter written landed in an elementary school in Miami,… Read more »

The Wellness Room

There is a positive trend taking place across the country as more and more of us start to understand – and honor – the importance of preventive health. It’s the addition of wellness spaces conveniently located where people are most likely to use them – at home and work. Realizing that happy and healthy employees… Read more »

Understanding the Use of Marijuana

With the passing of Proposition 64 this past November, marijuana (aka cannabis) is now legal in California with some restrictions, depending on local and municipal guidelines. Marijuana is still considered illegal under Federal law. Despite records dating back 4,700 years documenting medicinal uses of marijuana, no one knew how it worked until 1964 when a… Read more »

New Nutritional Labels Aid Shoppers

In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally announced that the Nutrition Facts Label would have its first significant makeover in over 20 years. Originally, the compliance date was set for July 2018; yet the FDA recently stated that the deadline was extended with no new date offered. The new changes have been… Read more »