Ayurveda is an ancient practice of healing which views health and disease from a unique perspective. Originating in India, Ayurveda considers four main qualities of health. The first is healthy relationships, which means positive supportive relationships with yourself and your community. The second is a means of prosperity, more specifically, a way in which you… Read more »
It was once thought that the term “post-traumatic stress” (PTS) was reserved exclusively for military personnel and veterans. More and more often, however, we are hearing the term used for many others— from women and children, to our friends and acquaintances. PTS not only occurs on the battlefield, but also in our communities and homes.… Read more »
If your thoughts about the holiday season elicit emotions other than pure joy, you are not alone. Stress increases during the holidays and relationships can suffer. Pack your Holiday Toolkit with some new tools this year. Have realistic expectations and talk about them. The discrepancy between what you expect and what you get causes disappointment.… Read more »
Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body. An integral part of the musculoskeletal system, fascia forms a whole-body, continuous, 3D matrix of structural support that also penetrates and surrounds all of the body’s vital organs, providing an ongoing physiological support for the body’s metabolically active systems.… Read more »
With her New York best-seller, The Virgin Diet, Rancho Mirage resident JJ Virgin, CNS, CHFS helped focus the national spotlight on food intolerance as the secret culprit to stubborn weight loss and impaired health. By identifying the seven most common foods to which our bodies negatively react with symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, foggy brain… Read more »
Bell’s Palsy is a condition resulting from damage to the 7th cranial (facial) nerve, usually affecting only one side of the face. Onset is rapid, with a mild weakness to total paralysis, which can cause the face to seem to “droop,” making smiling and other facial expressions difficult, and often impairing the ability to… Read more »
Dr. David Perlmutter’s 2013 book Grain Brain has a lot of people questioning previously held beliefs regarding low-fat diets, grains and cholesterol. Much of what Perlmutter has to say about these subjects is completely opposite from what most Americans have been taught for the past 40 years. Regardless of what you may have been told… Read more »
Researchers have been saying it for years: engaging outdoor activity improves both mental and physical health. You probably recognize some widely recorded benefits of being in the great outdoors. Have you ever felt better – less stressed or overwhelmed – after taking a quiet walk? Have you ever stepped outside and appreciated the feeling of… Read more »
As we start a new school year in the Coachella Valley, many parents are seeking ways to help their children cope with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to a National Survey of Children’s Health conducted in 2011-2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11% of school-aged children in the U.S. have… Read more »
Being of Indian descent, Ayurveda (which follows a lineage of basic philosophies and principles) has been a practice and lifestyle throughout my upbringing. As with any practice, I believe that many Ayurvedic health theories have some truth to them, and others don’t. Ay-ur-veda, which consists of two Sanskrit words, Ayur meaning ‘Life’ and Veda meaning… Read more »
This summer I had the opportunity to travel to France for the first time. When asked what the most impressionable aspect of my trip was I always mentioned the food, or what I like to call “haute cuisine.” Food in France is taken seriously. The way the French eat reflects their heritage, and most foods… Read more »
The Paleo Diet has attracted a lot of followers since the book by Dr. Loren Cordain was first printed back in 2002. Paleo refers to the ‘Old Stone Age’ which was about 333 generations ago. Dr. Cordain states that he didn’t discover the diet; rather, he and other researchers merely uncovered what was already there. … Read more »
While the Coachella Valley has a higher than average population of people living with HIV, perhaps more revealing is that within that group, approximately 70% are between the ages of 49 and 65 – bell curve baby boomers. And the kicker is that we’re still here at all. During the worst of this 33-years-and-counting epidemic,… Read more »
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been around for over 5,000 years. Ever since its introduction into the West, many have sought to correlate its teachings with Western biological paradigms. The first theory of TCM’s fundamental concepts is that Qi, or vital energy, travels along defined pathways throughout the body. It is on these… Read more »
Our military is well trained for the rigors of combat, but many veterans find themselves unprepared for the debilitating post traumatic stress many experience when they return home to their families. Coping with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and flashbacks of war experiences can be overwhelming. In January, Time magazine revealed that the number of male veterans… Read more »
Today, less than 10% of visually impaired people can read braille. One might therefore question the purpose of the Braille Institute which was established in 1919. However, when you consider that macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among people ages 50+1 and our growing baby boomer population, you clearly see the need… Read more »
Sports massage is a form of massage that utilizes specific protocols and techniques to help athletes obtain maximum performance and physical conditioning by increasing power, endurance and mobility. It is a vital tool for keeping athletes primed for top performance, and in the game for as long as possible. It is particularly beneficial when an… Read more »
Last November I had the privilege of working on Homeward Bound, a national fundraising telethon presented by Haven from the Storm Foundation that supports military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury. Programs and organizations like these are vital, as the incidence of PTSD among our military veterans is truly alarming. Recent… Read more »
May is here and many of our local residents have left, or will be going back to their main homes all over the country and Canada. I actually get a little sad saying “good-bye until next season,” although I realize there are more year-rounder’s than ever here in the Coachella Valley. And many of us… Read more »
Last Spring, I had a neighborhood garden with some friends at a friend’s house. Although just 10 minutes away, once planted, I didn’t visit it very often. My husband and I wanted to plant more than herbs in our backyard garden, so last November we looked at the area around our pool. The soil was… Read more »