Interview with Homeopath Cathleen Springer
November 18, 2007 | 2 Comments
Long before she had ever tried alternative medicine, California resident Cathleen Springer suffered from debilitating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For four and a half painful and frustrating years, doctor after doctor offered her little to no relief–and then she visited a Homeopath. Her healing began instantly, and she eventually experienced a complete recovery. Now she practices Homeopathy herself–helping people overcome a variety of ills like autoimmune disorders, migraines, women’s hormonal imbalance issues, grief states, depression, and even ADHD.
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Wellness Visionary: The Man Who Laughed His Way To Health
November 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Norman Cousins, prominent political journalist, author, professor, and United Nations peace advocate is a man who laughed his way to health. In the mid-60’s, he developed a rare degenerative disease that caused the breakdown of collagen in his body. Paralyzed and given months to live, Cousins checked out of the hospital, moved into a hotel room, and took high doses of vitamin C and equally high doses of humor—under the care of an extremely open-minded physician.
Slowly, Cousins regained use of his limbs and his condition improved. He detailed his healing journey in the 1979 book, “Anatomy of an Illness.”
Norman Cousins is quoted as saying “It is reasonable to expect the doctor to recognize that science may not have all the answers to problems of health and healing.”
Read More about Norman Cousins.
Bill Maher: Big Pharma’s Enemy is Spinach
October 27, 2007 | 1 Comment
Recently, comedian and commentator Bill Maher ended his show with a hilarious and very astute rant about Big Pharma.
“If you believe you need all the pills and drugs the pharmaceutical industry says you do — then you’re already on drugs.”
How to Get Rid of Acne, Pimples, and Other Skin Problems
October 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment
“No matter what the condition or what the disease or health problem that you face, the root causes can really be traced back to the same underlying factors. The body is one whole integrated system–including the skin.”
-Dr. Mark Hyman, ultrawellness
www.ultrawellness.com
Talk and Touch Combat Illness: An Amazing, Accidental Study
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
With uncanny foresight, wisdom keepers throughout the ages seemed to have anticipated the health benefits of social nutrition (social interaction and healing touch) that were to be revealed by scientific discoveries made centuries later.
For instance, one groundbreaking study, conducted by Dr. R. M. Nerem at the University of Texas, suggests that rabbits who ate while being cared for and regarded (what I describe as “eating from the heart”) experienced some sort of mysterious alchemical change in the way in which they metabolized potentially artery-clogging food. Here’s what happened:
To learn about the effect diet has on the development of coronary artery disease (CAD), researchers fed rabbits high-cholesterol, artery-clogging rabbit chow. But when it came time to tally the results, they found that some rabbits’ arteries weren’t clogged with plaque–even though they’d all been fed the same high-cholesterol foods. In fact, this healthier group displayed 60 percent less plaque. Unable to explain why some rabbits showed less evidence of the beginning stages of heart disease than others, the researchers decided to trace each step of the study.
Upon inquiry, they found that the rabbits in the cages stacked in the middle fared better than those in the higher or lower cages. When they asked the research assistant about this, she said that when she fed the rabbits, she had taken out the rabbits in the middle cages so she could pet, cuddle, and talk to them each day as she fed them. Apparently, it was harder for her to reach the rabbits that had been placed in the lower or higher cages; as a result, these rabbits received normal laboratory animal care–minus being talked to and touched while fed. Finding it difficult to believe that contact from the caretaker could make such a difference in the condition of the rabbits’ arteries, the researchers replicated the study in a much more controlled fashion. Again, the results were the same: the arteries of the rabbits who were talked to and touched while eating exhibited less coronary artery disease.
Excerpted from The Healing Secrets of Food
Deborah Kesten
New World Library, 2001
Deborah Kesten has been a nutrition researcher, lecturer, and health journalist for more than fifteen years. In The Healing Secrets of Food, Deborah Kesten not only reveals ancient food wisdom from traditions ranging from yoga and Ayurveda to Judaism and Buddhism but also demystifies optimal eating from the perspective of Western nutritional science. Beginning with her own personal nutrition journey around the world, inspired by Americans’ ever increasing waistlines and other food-linked ailments such as high blood pressure, certain cancers, and heart disease, Kesten explains how anyone can enhance their health by not only what they eat, but also how they eat.
She instructs the reader on how to harness the power of food to heal and include it in their daily routine through the six healing secrets she discovered: community, feelings, mindfulness, appreciation, connection (love), and optimal foods. These are the basic “nutrients” of integrative nutrition that can be practiced in the supermarket and while cooking and eating, even when cleaning up afterward. After mastering the basics of the six healing secrets of food, the reader then learns the art of creating a meal ritual and discovers how to use the six secrets to imbue each meal with meaning and healthfulness.
A Guide to Culinary Seaweed
October 8, 2007 | 11 Comments
Courtesy of Kristina Turner
The Self-Healing Cookbook:
Whole Foods to Balance Body, Mind, and Moods
Earthtones Press: 15th Anniversary Edition
Agar-Agar: The Jello Maker
A natural gelatin, these white flakes have no taste or aroma, and simply need to be heated until they dissolve to make fruit jellos, puddings, or vegetable aspics. Agar agar provides good bulk for regulating the intestines, and is also beneficial for losing weight, as it contains no calories.
Arame: The Artist’s Choice
Delicate brown strands with a mild, semi-sweet flavor and firm, pleasing texture. High in both calcium and iron. Surprisingly artful when combined with other foods–try adding 1/4 c. to a batch of cornmeal muffin batter, or a pot of split pea soup. Also delicious and attractive cooked together with buckwheat and onions as a pilaf. Where else could you use it? Use your imagination!
Hijiki: The Strong One
Striking black strands, with a firm texture and uniquely strong flavor. Richest of all the seaweeds in calcium and iron–a good choice when you need to be able to stand up under pressure. Known in Japan as “the bearer of wealth and beauty”, hijiki is traditionally used to strengthen the bones, revitalize skin and hair. Also builds strong intestines.
Kombu: The Great Enhancer
Mellow flavored, broad green frond, expands greatly when soaked. Contains glutamic acid–a food tenderizier and flavor-enhancer. Softens beans and makes them more digestable. Sweetens root vegetables in stews, so they melt in your mouth. For “al dente” kombu, cook 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, then slice into bite size pieces or julienne strips. Or, cook it for 11/2 hours in a pot of beans, stir the pot and the kombu will dissolve and dissappear.
Nori: The Sushi Wrapper
Paper-thin sheets of pressed seaweed with a mild, distinct ocean flavor. Crispy when lightly toasted. Good source of protein and Vitamin A. Most often used as a wrapper for sushi–a picnic or party hors d’oeuvre filled with brown rice and vegetables. (Sushi in Japanese means any food artfully rolled up and served with a tangy seasoning).
Sea Palm: The California Native
Savory tasting, small green fronds, native to California. Delicious and crunchy when roasted and ground as a condiment (almost everybody likes this!). It has a softening effect, similar to kombu, when added to stews and soups. For an unusual snack, try munching on it raw–it’s kind of like beef jerky.
Wakame: The Woman’s Seaweed
Graceful, green fronds with a subtly sweet flavor and slippery texture. Expands quite a bit, so cut it in small pieces. High in calcium, thiamine, niacin, and Vit B12. Traditionally used in Traditional Chinese Medicine medicine to purify the blood, strengthen intestines, skin, and hair. Beneficial for the reproductive organs, and to help regulate women’s cycles
Wild Nori: The Crinkly One
Crinkly, delicately flavored, native California Nori–in loose, leafy form. A good source of protein and Vitamin A. Low in sodium. Crispy when fresh roasted, it turns firm and chewy when it gets moist again.
Kristina Turner is part of a small group of rurally-based cooks who’ve been guided to bring all of us back to a deep appreciation of the art and joy of wholesome home cooking and the sharing of simple food as a unifying ritual in our lives.
Patanjali: Little Known Yoga Father and Mystic
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Patanjali
(circa second century BC)
There is little historical information available on Patanjali, who is credited with developing yoga, one of the six systems of Hindu philosophy. Several scholars suggest several persons may have developed yoga under the pseudonym of Patanjali. In any case, Patanjali existed around 150 B.C. in India. He developed yoga based on a loose set of doctrines and practices from the Upanishads, themselves a set of mystical writings. The Upanishads are part of the Aranyakas, philosophical concepts that are part of the Veda, the most ancient body of literature of Hinduism. Patanjali gave these combined philosophical and esoteric writings a common foundation in his Yoga Sutra , a set of 196 concise aphorisms (wise sayings) that form the principles of yoga. He also drew upon Samkhya, the oldest classic system of Hindu philosophy. Patanjali’s yoga accepted Samkhya metaphysics and the concept of a supreme soul. He established an eight-stage discipline of self-control and meditation. The individual sutras (verses) lay out the entire tradition of meditation. They also describe the moral and physical disciplines needed for the soul to attain absolute freedom from the body and self.
The Yoga Sutra is considered the fundamental text on the system of yoga, and yet you won’t find the description of a single posture or asana in it. This is a guide for living the right life. Essentially, Patanjali says, you can’t practice asanas in yoga class, feel the stretch, and then go home to play with your kids, cook a meal, yell at your employees, and cheat on your taxes. There is more to yoga.
A Buyer’s Guide to Pet Products: Expert Guidance from Holistic Vets
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
A major part of caring for your pet is providing the best possible nutrition–food and supplements. But how do you go about doing what’s best for your pet when you are bombarded with confusing marketing claims from a bewildering multitude of products?
Our Holistic Vets to the rescue–we’ve consulted some of the nation’s leading holistic veterinarians, all experts on diet and supplements. Here are their recommendations. Read more
Dr. Christopher Maloney: I Went Looking for a Doctor and Became a Naturopath
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
When I was ill, I went looking for a doctor.
I could not find anyone who did what I wanted.
So I have worked to become the doctor I wanted to find.
I wanted the impossible, at least in modern medicine:
I want someone who looks like a doctor and knows as much as a doctor, but who treats me like a doctor treats his close friends or family.
I want someone with a sense of humor, who treats me as an equal, as someone who matters. I want a quiet, focused visit, not a bunch of nurses running around or beepers going off.
I want a homey place, a doctor who spends my time with me, not with me waiting. If I go to the doctor I want to be treated with respect. What about a doctor without a waiting room? Why should I need to wait?
I want someone who goes beyond my specific ailment and treats me like a person. I’m not a hand or a foot or a kidney, I’m a person! I want someone who cares, and who doesn’t rush me out of the office with a prescription.
Yes, I’m stressed about my illness but no, that doesn’t mean “it’s all in my head.” I want someone who takes a long range view (I’m not going to take some drug for the rest of my life), who tries to solve the cause of my problem so I won’t have it in the future.
I want someone who is honest and fair, and who is not afraid to say “I don’t know.” But I want someone who will tell me he will find out, who will work with me as a partner in my health. Then I want my doctor to find out, so that every time I go to the doctor I get something out of it, new information or new ideas. I don’t need to keep checking in with a doctor who has nothing more to offer me.
It would help if we could discuss the spiritual side of my illness as well, because I think that affects how I feel on a given day. Oh, and I want my doctor to give me bodywork or massage or maybe a foot rub when I need it. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
Not if you come to me.
Dr. Christopher Maloney , ND
Augusta, ME
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/maloney
www.maloneymedical.com
The Ancient Art of Healing Massage: Touchstone Bodyworks
October 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Massage is an instinct that exists on a very primitive level. From man’s earliest days, we’ve known that it helps to rub a sore body part and that touch is beneficial. Paintings found on Egyptian tombs show people being massaged. In the East, a Chinese book dating back to 2700 B.C. recommends “… massage of skin and flesh” as appropriate treatment for fever and chills. Greek and Roman physicians understood the pain-relieving qualities of massage and used them daily to treat Caesar’s neuralgia, while Hippocrates wrote that physicians of the day needed to be “… experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing, for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”
Today, massage and bodywork in their varying forms continue to be some of the most diverse, effective, yet minimally invasive medical therapies available. The benefits of massage and bodywork are far-reaching, positively affecting recipients physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Tammy McGrath
Touchstone Bodyworks
Gray, ME
www.holisticwellness.com/profiles/TouchstoneBodyworks