What Happened to East Valley Solar?

If you had a choice to buy your electricity generated by coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind or solar power and they all cost the same price, what would you choose? The overwhelming majority of Coachella Valley residents think solar power is not only the best choice, but also the future of energy. However, if you… Read more »

Managing Digestive Conditions

Colitis, acid reflux, diverticulitis, and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) are conditions with symptoms often managed through medication. While it is unlikely that medication will get to the root of the problem and fix the condition, you can often help your body heal all of these diseases simply by correcting your diet. Symptoms are like a… Read more »

Let Me See Your Tongue

One of the most commonly used methods of assessing a patient’s condition in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is tongue diagnosis.  I keep a chart showing different tongues in the lobby of our clinic and patients often ask why it is so important. In TCM, your tongue is a reflection of what is going on inside… Read more »

A New Perspective on Massage Therapy

There was a time when we would go to our local massage establishment, read through a menu of massage modalities and choose the one type of massage we thought was best for us. At the end of the massage, we would label our experience as exceptional, great, good, indifferent or just terrible. With a new… Read more »

Is Our Environment Making Us Fat?

Obesity is rising steadily around the world. More than one-third of American adults are obese. Of even more concern is that obesity quadrupled in teenagers in the last 30 years. The role of environmental chemicals in obesity, and obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, has garnered increased attention. Medical experts have… Read more »

A More Energized Coachella Valley

The highly intelligent, yet humorous, humble, and deeply spiritual psychologist and medical researcher Dr. Joan Borysenko recently spoke to an inspired audience at Michael’s House Outpatient Services as part of their Open Door Speakers Series. The subject on this magical, balmy Palm Springs evening was how to renew your vitality after becoming exhausted from giving… Read more »

Smart Fat

What do you get when you bring together a medical doctor and a Ph.D. in nutrition? You get a breakthrough diet based on the consumption of smart fats. That’s right, a diet based on eating fats that are actually good for you. Originally, Steven Masley, M.D., and Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. disagreed on the most beneficial… Read more »

Helping Your Hormones

Have you noticed that many products are now promoting “Hormone Free” on their packaging? How do these added hormones affect our body and what can we do to help our hormones stay balanced? Injecting hormones into cattle, chickens, and other animals that provide meat, dairy and eggs we consume has been common practice, but studies… Read more »

Is Mold Making You Sick?

There is a growing body of scientific evidence indicating that exposure to toxin- producing molds is a significant health risk to persons who have lived or worked in water damaged buildings. Often times, many of these people are unaware that they have been exposed to mold and mold toxins (mycotoxins). Chronic illness, especially chronic fatigue… Read more »

Step Outside (Or Throw Away!) the Box

Life is a delicate balance between routine experiences and new, unusual ones that provide unexpected surprise and “out of the box” change and growth. When traveling, one realizes how much of life is so predictable and mundane. Traveling away from our environment immediately exposes us to new adventures, often with unexpected outcomes. Then, as soon… Read more »

Being Your Authentic Self

Do you ever wonder why it’s so much work to just be you? Do you even know who you are? Some complex questions can perhaps take a lifetime to explore, yet be simple at the same time. Because of genetics and our environment, some of us have more trouble being comfortable in our own skin… Read more »

Treating Plantar Fasciitis

Sometimes, when you’ve been on your feet all day your “dogs” are barking. And sometimes they are barking so loudly you want to call animal control. You may have plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue that supports the arch and is the most common cause… Read more »

Time to Detox

In the cycle of traditional Chinese medicine, springtime is associated with the organ of the liver. And just as you might undertake spring cleaning in your home, this is a good time of year to consider a liver cleanse to remove stagnation that has built up from winter inactivity and holiday overindulgence. The liver is… Read more »

MHA Students Rise to the Occasion

La Quinta High School Medical Health Academy (MHA) students took part in the Clinton Foundation’s Day of Action in partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Students joined civic leaders and others from the community in planting a community garden to be used by the Culinary Institute at LQHS, pulling weeds, landscaping the front… Read more »

Our Sustainable Future

One thing we all have in common is the way we buy our electricity and how that electricity is delivered. Thank you, SoCal Edison, PG&E, SDG&E, ConEd, etc., for helping us to sleep a little better at night knowing that you are there. The utilities have built the energy foundation on which our country runs. … Read more »

Managing Inflammation

Unresolved inflammation is associated with several widely occurring chronic diseases including arthritis, autoimmune disease, cancer, obesity, dementia, periodontal disease, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. These chronic diseases affect 125 million Americans. The presence of inflammation is what makes most people aware that something is wrong in their body. Anyone who has had a rash, sore throat or… Read more »

Craniosacral Therapy

The craniosacral system is comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. This system extends from the skull or cranium down to the tailbone or sacrum. Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle hands-on technique that is used to loosen abnormal tensions in this system and surrounding tissues.… Read more »

Deep Tissue Massage Myths

When a client asks for a deep tissue massage, the first question I ask them is, “What does a deep tissue massage mean to you?” For many people, it means PAIN and PRESSURE, which technically is very far from the truth about deep tissue bodywork. In its most simple terms, there are two primary categories… Read more »