Are Your Hands Safely Clean?

It happens throughout the day in all sorts of settings. Hand sanitizer is squirted and spread on the hands, creating a cooling sensation and the feeling of clean.

You have no doubt found this product convenient when you did not have running water available, but have you ever wondered what long-term effect it would have on your body? Given that the majority of chemicals used in the vast number of personal care products have not been tested for safety in humans, it would benefit you to explore what you are using and its potential side-effects. Read more

ZZZ’s Are So Very Important

It is reported that 70 million Americans have trouble sleeping. Are you one of them?

Sleep troubles come in many varieties. Do you have trouble shutting down the day’s activities, or actually falling asleep? Do you go to sleep easily but wake often during the night? Does your significant other snore? If you find it hard to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, you are likely not sleeping well, and it is decreasing your brain function and affecting your body. Read more

Have You Explored the Roots?

What is the normal pattern of your visits to the doctor? You notice symptoms and make an appointment. Once the doctor joins you in the exam room, he or she asks what your major complaint is, perhaps asking a few clarifying questions, and then offers a prescription to ease the symptoms.

If you were to equate the process with care of a tree, what part of the tree have you addressed? Read more

Get a Move On!

Do you shudder when you hear the word “exercise”? You aren’t alone if you do. What is behind your response – a dislike of sweat, an injury, a busy schedule?

There are many reasons why we may avoid exercise, yet it is critical for improving our overall health. What happens when you leave a tool with moving parts unused for a long time? It doesn’t move as well. And it’s the same for your body. Read more

Dealing With Stones?

CitrusDo you know someone – friend, family member, or yourself – who has had their gallbladder removed? This procedure is increasingly common, and gallbladder disease is unfortunately on the rise among younger people, even teens.

The gallbladder is not a extra organ that you can easily do without. It is an important part of your digestive system, storing bile that is made by your liver until it is needed in your small intestine to emulsify fats. While you can survive without it, there are some important considerations to keep in mind. Read more

Discover the Components of Sustainable Weight Loss

Butt in Jeans
Two weeks into 2017 … how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Did your resolutions – like so many others’ – include an intention to lose weight? I’m going to go out on a limb and guessing that you aren’t having a great deal of success.

Now, I don’t doubt your intention or your efforts. Yet I do know something about how our bodies work. We women tend to focus on body size, or more specifically, on the number on our scale.

How long have you been fighting the battle? How many different plans have you followed – counting calories, skipping meals, depriving yourself, feeling hungry, and counting more calories? Yes, calories matter. But hormones matter more. Read more

Simple Truths for Wellness

Keep It SimpleAs January comes to a close, how would you evaluate this first month of 2017? Were you, like so many others, working to improve your health by losing weight and changing your food habits? How is that going? Don’t beat yourself up. Let’s regroup and simplify.

I have written frequently about food choices and I’m not going to rehash that subject here. What I do want to emphasize is what I call eating hygiene – as simple as HOW you eat. Read more

Get A Positive Start Daily

Good ThingsA new year has begun and 2016 is behind us. If you are like me, you have a new calendar and turning to January you see a fresh page before you … full of possibilities and potential.

Do you view each New Year’s Day as an opportunity to begin again? Why not consider each day that way? Each morning that you awake lays before you the opportunity to shift and grow.

You aren’t bound by your past. It doesn’t define your potential. You are a living being who has the potential to grow each and every day. Ask any parent with a baby who is just learning to walk. They will tell you their baby stumbles, plops down or rolls onto the floor, but they get right back up and try again. You did, too, when you were little! Read more

Strategies for a Healthful Holiday

holiday-partyAs you look over this month’s calendar are your weekends filling up with social events which will involve the gathering of friends and family, not to mention a variety of tasty morsels and assorted bubbly or creamy drinks.

Have past holiday seasons left you with extra pounds displayed on your scale, a pesky foggy brain, lagging energy, and a nagging sense of “oops, I’ve done it again”?

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Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude

gratitudeWhat is your focus in these last few days before Thanksgiving? Are your thoughts dominated with a grocery list for the food you will prepare, the arrangements that must be made for guests, the seating arrangements or perhaps the calorie overload that comes with the traditional feast? Or perhaps your primary thought is where you will settle for your post-turkey nap?

All of these demands on your attention are significantly contributing to your stress level, which hinders your digestion, affects your cardiovascular and respiratory function, and makes you susceptible to viral illness.

There is a fairly simple practice that can improve your health, your relationships, your emotions, and your career … all in only 5 minutes a day. Curious?
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