There is no podcast this week. In honor of last week’s new moon in Libra, I have been releasing old wounds that hold me back in my business and my relationships and prevent me from realizing my potential as a woman, a mother, and a healer.
As part of the healing process and at the suggestion of a friend and colleague who is a psychotherapist for the gifted, I burned a stack of about 20 poems that I had written in high school. Most of them were about unrequited love (sigh…), being the rejected ugly duckling, and how dreams couldn’t possibly come true. While each poem burned, I said thank you and good-bye to the words and their significance. I let go of the angst, the pain, the shame, and the fear. I made room for beauty, love, and gratitude. Then after I burned the poems, I realized there was much more within.
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In the last few days, I’ve spoken with several people who have debilitating anxiety combined with digestive upset. This week’s podcast is a little different than previous podcasts in that it’s a short, 4-minute riff on anxiety and the gut. You don’t want to miss it. (Trust me, you have the time.)
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We are nearing the end of a serious heat wave here in California, but the kids are back in school, and that means it’s the beginning of cold and flu season. In today’s podcast, I’ll show you 10 ways to boost your immune system naturally, especially if you’re feeling under the weather, coming down with something, or in the middle of a full fledged cold.
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Stress levels are amping up.
Kids are back in school, vacations are over, and traffic sucks. There's way less light in the morning. Getting out of bed is getting tough.
Join me in Podcast #2 as I walk you through eight (8) easy ways to reduce stress naturally -- right here, right now.
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How many of us, especially those of us living in the Silicon Valley, the most expensive housing market in the U.S., stress about finances on a weekly basis? On a daily basis? Do you worry about housing and taxes and groceries and college for the kids? Do you fantasize about what “financial freedom” might mean for you and your loved ones?
Money is complicated.
It’s also a potent healing force.
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It’s finally here! Our inaugural Oasis Wellness podcast has gone live. And you gotta listen. Join me as I speak with fellow myth buster Gerald Roliz, certified nutritional consultant and author of The Pharmaceutical Myth. In this podcast, we will:
- give you a sneak peak into pharmaceutical marketing practices;
- explore why pharmaceutical drugs can be harmful; and
- provide you with applicable tools to take control of your own health by feeding your body the nutrients it needs.
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I’m super excited to announce that the Oasis Wellness Podcast Series has been born. The first podcast will be going live on Thursday morning. Our guest for the inaugural podcast is none other than my colleague and mentor, Gerald Roliz, certified nutrition consultant and author of The Pharmaceutical Myth. You definitely want to hear this podcast.
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Today we introduce something new in our blog, called the Natural Tip of the Week. After all, getting healthy naturally should be fun and easy!
This week, I’ll introduce you to my local farmer’s market and teach you some savvy steps for picking out the best produce at the best prices.
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What do you do when it’s time for lunch, you desperately need to go grocery shopping (but don’t want to stop the work momentum), and all you have left in the fridge is a half can of coconut milk and a bag of kale? Plus, you only get to borrow your ex-husband’s Vitamix for one more day????
You make a coco-choco-chia-kale smoothie, of course.
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It used to be that food was considered medicine. Now, however, nutrition is scoffed at by many in mainstream medicine. The reality is, every day I read another study that indicates long-term usage of pharmaceutical drugs is bad medicine. These medications lead to “drug-induced diseases,” something my colleague Gerald Roliz discusses at length in his book The Pharmaceutical Myth. I see these drug-induced diseases every day in my practice. The good news is, there are always alternatives.
Hippocrates was onto something when he said to let food be your medicine. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know that certain foods make you feel good, while others make you tired, gassy, and grumpy.
And you don’t have to be Julia Childs to cook tasty, healthy foods, either! Read on below as I introduce to you another member of my POWER team, Joni Sare, who teaches people how to cook meals that are both healthy AND delicious, no matter what foods you want to incorporate or avoid. I’m excited to share her skills and knowledge with you.
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We all know someone whose life has been touched by depression in the forms of major depression disorder, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. Depression is the leading cause of disability both internationally and here in the U.S.
According to a 2011 article (http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624 ) from Harvard University, anti-depressant use in the United States QUADRUPLED between 1994 and 2008. 10% of Americans are now taking some type of anti-depressant medication, spending at least $11 BILLION per year.
And yet, even the American Psychological Association acknowledges that at least half of the people on anti-depressants don’t benefit from the drugs but rather the placebo effect. Many drugs have blackbox warnings because they cause suicide, one of the very outcomes they are supposed to prevent.
There is something very wrong here.
The reality is, depression is not a Prozac (or Zoloft or Lexapro) deficiency. New research is coming out every day that mental health disorders almost always take their root from some type of nutritional deficiency and/or inflammatory condition, whether in the brain itself, in the digestive system, or elsewhere in the body.
But don’t take my word for it. In a new series called the Depression Sessions, my friend and esteemed colleague, Sean Croxton at Underground Wellness, has put together 22 interviews of some of the leading experts in depression, nutrition and mental health. These FREE sessions are not to be missed.
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As you can imagine, while I love sports (Go Warriors! Go Giants!), I am not a fan of commercial “sports drinks,” which consist mostly of chemically laden tap water, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors and colors. There’s nothing nourishing about them.
So how does an athlete — or any active soul — stay hydrated when running around and sweating in the sun?
Easy! There are 3 simple steps you can take to stay hydrated naturally.
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I’ve been operating at half tilt for the last couple of weeks. Sick kids home from school, long nights with the 8th grade musical (it was amazing!), and cold, gray, foggy weather all threw me off balance. My energy was waning, I felt unmotivated to work out, and my brain was on slo-mo.
I understand my needs well enough now to know what to do to restart my system: get out into nature! It’s just like what always happens when you reach out to tech support with an equipment malfunction. They tell you to reboot the machine first, right? Don’t even bother calling them until you turn your phone/ tablet/ computer/ printer off, wait 10 seconds, and then reboot.
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Today, I’m going to give you some strategies to overcome the #1 obstacle that people face in getting healthy: TIME.
Time is the #1 obstacle.
“I don’t have time to exercise.”
“I don’t have time to get enough sleep.”
“I don’t have time to go grocery shopping for healthy food.”
“I don’t have time to cook healthy food.”
You get the idea.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret, a secret that truly changed my life. It’s a paradox, but once you understand it, you’ll realize that this dastardly obstacle called not-enough-time is really a myth.
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The sense of deprivation can be powerful when we’re giving up foods and habits that might be contributing to health issues. I often initially face resistance from clients when I suggest that they eliminate a favorite food or beverage, even if just for the short-term. For most people, the deprivation is more emotional and psychological than it is physical.
Most of the time, however, once they understand the logic behind them, and what the healthier alternatives are, they are able to find a wellspring of courage and will power to make the changes I’ve recommended, such as eliminating coffee or wheat products.
That’s when the magic happens.
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By now, everyone has heard about the water crisis here in California, how we are in the 4th year of one of the worst droughts in our state’s history. We now face water rationing and a steep hike in water prices. This means I have had to rethink my bath-as-self-care strategy. And I think I’ve found the answer!
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I am blessed to have a huge toolbox of Earth-based Medicine available for my clients. Another aspect of my toolbox includes what I call my POWER Team. These are people who offer a service or a skill that complements my own toolbox and knowledge, people with whom I can collaborate, and, if necessary, refer my clients to so that they can achieve optimal wellness at the deepest levels, in all areas of their lives.
Over the next several months I’ll be presenting the different members of my POWER team in my blog and newsletter in a section called Collaborators' Corner. I can’t wait to share them all with you! Their collective wisdom validates my belief that everything can be healed. Below I introduce to you Patricia Reber, DO, the first of many healers and givers to be featured here.
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In my previous blog, I talked about the healing benefits of the ocean, and why everyone deserves a Hawaiian vacation.
Unlike the ocean, however, most swimming pools do not contain salty, beneficial minerals. Instead, swimming pools usually contain chlorine, which is “appreciated” for its ability to kill bacteria in water. Unfortunately, chlorine is also one of the most toxic chemicals in our environment.
Fortunately, just as there are for other environment threats to our health, so are there natural methods to heal from the damage it may have already caused.
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If a trip to a tropic paradise isn’t in your current budget, or if you live far from the coast, don’t despair. There are natural ways to nourish your body through foods, whole food supplements, and skin care.
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Heavy metals can wreak havoc on the body, from the nervous system to our joints to our gut and have been linked to such diseases as Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune diseases, and multiple sclerosis. They are found across the consumer spectrum in such products as anti-perspirants, all vaccines, amalgam fillings, batteries, jewely, airplane exhaust, cosmetics, light bulbs, factory emissions, some fish, chocolate, rice, medications, baked goods, ceramics, fungicides, cigarettes, and more.
In addition to clean living and eating, there are certain foods and supplements that can help with pulling heavy metals from the body slowly and gently and protect it from their toxic effects.
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