Health

For most of our life, we’ve been bombarded by our parents, the media and food manufacturers about what to eat, how to eat and when to eat. Let’s expose some of the ‘food rules’ that we’ve formed (consciously or unconsciously) and actively decide which ones are worth breaking!

Breakfast: Many of you might gawk at me in a lecture when I suggest you try eating veggies for breakfast. I, myself, this morning had spinach

Meditation exploded onto the scene in 2017 and became more than a niche trend in the United States. Now it’s time to gain more clarity about what meditation is, what makes it valuable and why people from all walks of life would be savvy to incorporate it into their daily routine.
First, let’s get to the basics, it’s all about tuning in and waking up, NOT tuning out and turning off.

Dreams are a powerful natural resource containing incredible wisdom, support and guidance. In order to tap into this rich reservoir of our dreams, it helps to be able to recall them.

What keeps us from remembering our dreams?

Is it that some people are just naturally graced with excellent dream recall and others are destined to live a life cut off from the dream realm? We are all given the gift of dreams and we can all find ways to remember them.

I’ve received a lot of questions over the past several weeks about whether or not a vasectomy affects a man’s sexual functioning or desire. There seems to be a bit of confusion about what exactly occurs during a vasectomy procedure, and how it may or may not impact one’s sex life.

Alternative cancer treatments can't cure your cancer, but they may provide some relief from signs and symptoms.

Many people with cancer are interested in trying anything that may help them, including complementary and alternative cancer treatments. If cancer makes you feel as if you have little control over your health, alternative cancer treatments may offer some feeling of control. But many alternative cancer treatments are unproved and some may even be dangerous.

I hope you are having a life experience that pleases you most of the time. If you are, mind training will definitely enhance your enjoyment. If you’re not, mind training will definitely enhance your enjoyment.

Survival, Relief and Foundation
Increasing my own daily meditation practice 20-30% these past five months has gradually improved my inner state amidst a confluence of tumultuous life challenges.

The term detox is nothing new.  Over the last few years the term has skyrocketed in popularity and the detox definition barely makes sense any more. Everyone has a detox answer and a method

On the evening of Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I sat down with my family to watch television after a typical day at work. I’d performed ultrasounds and examined mammograms that day, as Director of Breast Imaging at Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, and reviewed some of my research into 3-D mammography.

How much of your hard-earned cash is dished out for take-out or eat-in lunch each year? Never considered it? The total is about $3000 if you buy it Monday through Friday, 50 weeks out of the year. Besides the perceived convenience, what do you really get for those 3000 bucks? In other words, what’s the cost to your waistline,

• Students, anxious about final exams, seem less stressed and more focused

• Elderly residents in assisted living facilities are less solitary, more engaged and active …

• Alzheimer’s patients find comfort and feel calmer…

• Children, struggling with reading, become more relaxed and receptive…

What’s the common denominator? All of these individuals are benefiting from a visit with a PAWS for People pet therapy team.

PAWS for People is a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides one-on-one animal-assisted therapy to children and adults with physical, social and emotional challenges.

We are taught to strive for balance. How many times have you sworn that you’ll do better, be better, and “get more balance” in your life?  Google “living a balanced life” and you’ll find over 8 million results in only .92 seconds so I’d say it’s something people are really interested in. If that weren’t true there wouldn’t be books, blogs, coaching events, and Facebook posts galore about “ how to achieve balance.” This isn’t another one of those articles.  This article isn’t a “5 steps to a completely balanced, perfect, unobtainable life.” It’s designed to ask a few questions, maybe raise a few more and spark a healthy conversation about what we are all looking for. 

Sarah – she’s feral, the boys love her, and she’s fertile. For several years, she has blessed my backyard with litters of kittens birthed somewhere in the city and presented to me for feeding.
Nine lives go quickly here, but Sarah has beaten all odds, outliving her own broods that have died in traffic or that have simply disappeared. Sarah has been around for a while.

A recent study found that pet dogs provide valuable social support for kids when they’re stressed, according to a study by researchers from the University of Florida, who were among the first to document stress-buffering effects of pets for children.

Parenthood…it’s one of the most difficult jobs any of us can hold. The people who choose to take on this monumental task are committing decades of their lives, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year—to being parents. Regardless of all of the other roles and responsibilities in their lives, being a parent becomes a large part of their identity. Through all of the trials and tribulations that come with raising children, their parent’s lives become less focused on their marriage and more focused on the lives of their children.

Summer and warm (hot) weather are upon us shortly. This means a few extra precautions for our furry friends.

SUN PROTECTION:
We protect ourselves from the harmful rays of the sun and should do the same for our pets. Animals can get sunburn, too! Apply small amount of pediatric SPF 30 to pale nose tips and bridges of noses, and ear tips. White animals, especially, are prone to melanomas on their ear (pinna tips) and eyelids when exposed to harsh summer sun for long periods of time. Animals that are coated and are shaved for the summer may need sun protection on their backs until their fur grows back, for at least a month or so.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), outdoor air pollution may be the 9th leading cause of death and disability in the world. Hearing that around 3 million people die from contaminated air worldwide each year makes me want to gasp (or actually avoid gasping). Science clearly links air pollution to many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, and liver disease. It even has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes. Since avoiding air is not an option for more than a minute or so, how can you help yourself remain healthy in a polluted world?

As recently as a few years ago, that was the default. But now pretty much everyone agrees it’s a bad idea, because some of the more than $230 billion worth of prescription drugs used by Americans every year will make it through the sewage treatment process and into the waterways. (The FDA still recommends flushing OxyContin, Percocet, morphine, and a couple of dozen other drugs so kids and pets can’t fish them out of the trash.

What is not as commonly known are the cognitive benefits of exercise, especially for those with ADHD. In fact, studies have shown that aerobic activity has provided some with ADHD the same benefits as stimulant medications. Many have been able to work with their physician to adjust their medication when following a consistent fitness routine.

“Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize,” writes Bill Bryson in his introduction to A Short History of Nearly Everything (Random House, NY, 2003).


Trillions of Uncomplaining Atoms

“To Begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny ‘particles’ will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally underappreciated state known as existence.”

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism review of research studies from at least 20 countries around the world demonstrate a 20- to 40-percent lower coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence among drinkers compared to nondrinkers. It asserts that "The totality of evidence on moderate alcohol and CHD supports a judgment of a cause-effect relationship... There are cardioprotective benefits associated with responsible, moderate alcohol intake."