The Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI) is making significant progress, thanks to the united efforts of numerous Valley organizations and non-profit groups. One of the primary groups within the initiative is the Healthy Eating and Food Quality Workgroup whose goal is to enhance nutritional education and access to healthy food for all members of our… Read more »
When my little Bandito wouldn’t let me pick him up, I was worried. Seven years ago, he had life-saving back surgery and therefore, I feared the worse. The next day he was unable to walk, so I loaded him and his bed in the car and we headed to the vet. The diagnosis appeared to… Read more »
The word connoisseur comes from the 18th Century when the word was used for a person who had a great deal of knowledge about gastronomy, art or any other discipline that pleased the senses. Today, the word connoisseur sometimes comes across with an air of pretension, yet when it comes to our own personal health,… Read more »
Vertigo, from the Latin word for “a whirling or spinning movement,” is a type of dizziness where one experiences a feeling of motion, usually as if they or the room is spinning. While many of us have had the occasional dizzy spell, vertigo is different with its persistent sense of motion, a feeling of tilting,… Read more »
In April of this year, The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine announced the results of a new study that concludes moderate pressure massage therapy can decrease pain for rheumatoid arthritis patients. Additionally, the study found that rheumatoid arthritis patients experienced perceived greater grip strength and greater range of motion… Read more »
September is Yoga Awareness Month and we encourage you to give it a try. Although the popularity of yoga is newly on the rise in this country, it is one of the few practices which has sustained for thousands of years on multiple continents throughout the world. So there must be something to it, right?… Read more »
Whiplash describes a range of injuries as a result of a sudden distortion of the neck from hyperflexion and hyperextension.1 It is one of the most common non-fatal car crash injuries with approximately one million whiplash incidents on our roads each year, and many more which are unreported.2 It is also estimated that 6.2% of… Read more »
There are many ways that practitioners of yoga think about their practice. The term Hatha Yoga has been associated with physical training. Raja Yoga (also known as Royal Yoga) in contrast, has been associated with mental training by a variety of means. In practice, the two are inextricably bound. Anything one does is profoundly affected… Read more »
There is something special about Palm Desert resident JJ Virgin. She appears to be the girl next door all the boys adored (tall, blonde, athletic build); yet, the inquisitive tomboy who could play and explore with the best of them. In high school, she studied ballet while weight training with the football team. Virgin’s passion,… Read more »
Obesity rates in America are among the highest in the world. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are household conditions for most. The sedentary, under-slept, over-stressed, ever-indulgent lifestyle has become “The American Way.” And never before have we so needed a new relationship with exercise! Research now offers a new twist on an old favorite causing… Read more »
Everyone knows it’s healthy to eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily. But did you know that when you prepare fruits, vegetables, and other natural ingredients without cooking or processing, you preserve the maximum nutrition in these foods? This is the concept of consuming “raw foods”; simply put, eating natural food that is unprocessed, unrefined, and… Read more »
Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, is traditionally credited with introducing yoga to China in the 5th/6th century. He noted that the Shaolin monks were in poor physical health from sitting and meditating all day and needed to incorporate movement in their meditations for physical, as well as mental, well-being. Coming from the Indian subcontinent, he was… Read more »
We love local! So when our friends at The Body Deli announced that they were launching the Palm Springs Spa Collection, we had to help spread the word. Products like these, inspired by the Palm Springs lifestyle and made with local, organic ingredients like grapefruit and dates, promote the best our Valley has to offer… Read more »
Early in my yoga teaching career a student approached me after class with tears cascading down her face. My natural instinct was concern. She wrapped her arms around me and thanked me for a wonderful experience. With ambiguous feelings and trepidation, she shared her feelings as to why she was crying. We had performed several… Read more »
The painful and irritating condition we commonly call “sciatica” is also known as sciatic neuritis, sciatic neuralgia, or lumbar radiculopathy. It involves one of five spinal nerve roots of the sciatic nerve which is the longest and widest single nerve in the body. It begins in the lumbar spine (lower back) from the spinal nerves… Read more »
Lately I’ve noticed people turning up their nose at organic products and foods. Some seem downright annoyed. I overheard a woman at the drugstore plainly tell the clerk who was attempting to share the benefits of their new organic sunscreen, “I don’t need organic; I’m over it!” I found that incredibly interesting and had to… Read more »
You never want to be caught in a state of dehydration, especially here in the desert. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink water, you are already dehydrated. The dry valley air coupled with our oven-like heat enables dehydration which can sneak up quickly, and because most people don’t drink enough water, the… Read more »
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can resolve many health issues. Reflecting Chinese insight and ingenuity, it has been used effectively and without harmful side effects for thousands of years to cure ailments, support healing, increase energy and promote general well- being. TCM is based on the concept of Qi (pronounced ‘chea’), which literally means “breath” or… Read more »
People often ask me how I can teach them to be organized. You can learn to be organized, but to a great extent, you have to want to make changes in how you think about your life in an organized manner. Organizational changes don’t happen overnight, but it is possible to create systems that work… Read more »
Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine (CVVIM), the Valley’s only free medical clinic, just opened a $2.8 million state-of-the-art facility in Indio. They are projected to see over 7,000 patient visits this year, and that number could be 14,000 – the need is here, but they are lacking volunteer medical professionals. CVVIM saw their first patients… Read more »