Do you desire to make important diet or lifestyle changes but are having difficulty starting or sticking with a plan? Practicing this...

Interesting outcomes appear in clinical trials involving subjects with hard to measure symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety, fatigue...

It’s Spring! And, I am a big proponent of the benefits of getting outside. Did you know that the health promoting effects of nature are...

What is alternative and complementary medicine versus integrative medicine? Alternative medicine- any of a number of medical modalities...

The Holiday Season is upon us, and this means a wonderful time for some and a difficult time for many. We are living through times of uncertainty and ambiguity which can be overwhelming. Some are grieving over the loss of loved ones. This year has been unprecedented and the way we shape our holiday will be unprecedented as well. Here are some suggestions from board certified health coach Maria D. Zepeda on how to better cope with the challenges we face during the 2020 holiday

The benefits of maintaining muscle mass at any age cannot be underestimated. Here’s why: Muscle is involved in brain function in a big way. Muscle directly communicates with the brain through chemicals and messengers such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These chemicals are released every time we exercise. So exercise not only makes your muscles bigger, it makes your brain bigger and improves cognitive performance, too.(1) The loss of muscle mass that occurs with

Probiotics and prebiotics have become buzz words, but it is important to understand what they actually do and how to get them in your diet. The digestive tract is home to more than 500 species of bacteria, comprising about 100 trillion bugs altogether. Collectively, they are tremendously important for overall health. We give these bugs a home; in exchange, they do a variety of things for us. First of all, what are probiotics? They are the beneficial gut bacteria. What is so

Lack of energy, fatigue and brain fog may be symptoms of accumulated toxins in the body and is one of the primary reasons people seek to make changes to their lifestyle. Toxic symptoms may occur when we reach our personal limit of accumulated toxins and are not able to clear them efficiently enough. There is mounting evidence that a growing number of medical conditions are related to the buildup of toxins, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, fatigu

While some people may have a difficult time accepting and adjusting to abrupt changes, others can not only adapt but, in fact, thrive. Resilient people are able to see what are perceived as “adverse” events as an opportunity to grow and branch out in new directions. How do you respond to change? If you are interested in embracing change and growth, then consider these strategies for helping you to build resilience. 1. Practice Gratitude and Optimism Our brains naturally want

When my patients ask me what they can do to naturally optimize their immune health, this is what I tell them: 1. Eat the Rainbow Eat 9-12 servings of plant foods daily of all colors (purple, red, green, yellow, white, and ORANGE!) The phytonutrients/vitamins and minerals in these colors are each essential to your immune health. Particularly important for immune health are the orange colored vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, whole oranges (not juice as it has too much s

In a world full of stress and uncertainty, rest is one of the most important factors for creating wellness. Restorative activities can include mental, physical, and/or emotional activities that help to promote resilience. Particularly if you are under chronic stress, restful activities can break the cycle of stress and assist you on the path to health Get Unstuck Knowing that the brain is not static, but instead has plasticity, underlines one of the key reasons to practice r

Ayurveda, a 5000-year-old healing system from India, is the practice of balancing one’s constitution by using diet, lifestyle and herbal preparations. It is based on the concept that health and wellness depend upon a balance between mind, body and spirit. It relies heavily on living in accordance with the season. Here is what Cheryl McSherry, a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, has to say about staying balanced during the winter season: In Ayurvedic medicine, winter is known

Fill in the blank. What word would you use to describe this time of year? Wonderful, stressful, joyful? The 2019 Holiday Season is upon us. This means that it’s a wonderful time for some and a stressful time for others. What can you do to avoid getting caught up in the stress of the holiday season? Or even better, how do you go from feeling stressed out to actually enjoying it? Here are some suggestions from health coach Maria Zepeda at healthyheartcoaching.com. Recognize you

Nature cues our brain to shift from a depleting to a restoring state. According to recent scientific evidence, exposure to natural environments reduces the stress response, improves our health and elevates our mood at any age. It just makes sense. The majority of us live in urban areas and spend the vast majority of our time, nearly 90% of the time, indoors! And, indoor air quality may not be the best for our health. More green space has been associated with many benefici

In many traditional cultures the utilization of induced sweating for relaxation, health and spiritual purification is older than recorded time. The ancient peoples intuited what modern science is beginning to understand. The health benefits, including the neurological health benefits of sauna are real. Large epidemiological studies have shown that sauna bathing, specifically Finnish type saunas which are typically dry with a temperature between 80-100°C, is associated with

Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, has an emphasis on mental peace, spiritual well-being, respect for nature, and dietary and lifestyle interventions that vary with the seasons. It is a holistic medicine practice that values disease prevention through self-care. Massaging the body with oil (Abhyanga) is a central feature of daily Ayurvedic self-care. The Sanskrit term, Sneha, means both oil and love. The therapeutic practice of applying oil to the body is said to softe

If you are finding it difficult to get in your 7-9 hours of nightly sleep that are required for you to function at your best, try a nap. A brief 10-20-minute nap may not only reduce sleepiness, it may improve alertness, energy and cognitive performance (1, 2) Follow these tips: 1. Choose a dark, quiet, comfortable place where you can relax without interruption. 2. Make sure the temperature is comfortable. 3. Establish a routine by napping at the same time each day. A quick

Breath, well-being and energy are intrinsically connected. Mindful breathing can be performed anywhere and anytime. It’s all about bringing yourself to the present moment and focusing on a slower deeper belly breath. Relax and soften your belly. A tight abdomen tends to lead to chest breathing which is excitatory to the nervous system. Here we are looking for a calming effect (see blog Breathe for an explanation). The following are a couple of formal breathing exercises

Our breath sustains us. It not only supplies our cells with life-giving oxygen, the mechanical act of breathing itself is intimately connected to our body’s basic physiology. With every breath in our heart rate increases and with every breath out it slows. The modulation of respirations, heart rate, blood pressure and digestion are interconnected through the primitive part of the brain called the brainstem and primitive nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. Mo

Viparita Karani - Legs up the Wall Pose (Dr. Rowin's personal favorite for stress reduction and immune system balance) We all hear about the links between stress and disease. This technique practically guarantees a calm nervous system within 10-15 minutes. Let your own body’s built in reflex responses aid you into relaxation. This traditional yoga posture is known to flip the switch from the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) to the parasympathetic nervous system (