Health
Healthy On-the-Go Meals and Snacks
By Andrea Donsky
As a registered holistic nutritionist, I routinely hear parents’ battle cries for help feeding their kids healthy foods. It’s not easy to work full time, hustle kids to and from after-school activities, and prepare nutritious meals.
While we have abundant opportunities to eat real food, it often seems easier to choose junky processed food. Unfortunately, these unhealthy choices make it harder for our kids to focus in school, keep their energy up, and get a good night’s sleep.
Here are some simple meal and snack ideas to help parents tackle these dilemmas. I’ve also included a few smart supplement suggestions. (more…)
Coping with Back to School Bathroom Anxiety
By William “Dr. Bill” Sears, M.D.
We’ve encountered and survived many back-to-school health issues in my over 50 years as a pediatrician, 52 years as a parent of eight children, and now 15 grandchildren. Now, I’m sharing some of my family’s best tips for three of the most common issues your children are likely to face this time of year.
• Bathroom anxiety and belly aches. Parents are sometimes surprised when their children won’t use a school bathroom, and they’re often just as perplexed about how to solve the problem. (more…)
The Celery Juice Craze
Is it the Cure-All that it’s Cracked up to Be?
By Lauren Rashap C.N.
With over a million followers on Facebook and Instagram, Kim K and Pharrell won’t leave home without it; it’s official, celery juice has gone global.
As a clinical nutritionist and a bit of a research geek, there simply is zero science to support what Anthony William’s a.k.a The Medical Medium claims is the “cure-all” for everything from acne to autoimmune conditions.
Had I not witnessed several years ago, Mr. Williams channelling his healing “Spirit” into the DNA of desperate health seekers, (myself included), I most likely would not have traded in my AM raw apple cider shot for a bitter tasting 16 oz celery juice. (more…)
Calming Allergies without Harsh Chemicals
By Bill Sears, MD, America’s Pediatrician
For some children, even the thought of spring makes their eyes burn, itch and water. Their noses and throats also get itchy and uncomfortable. If your child’s symptoms are mild and do not seem to interfere with his life very much, then you really do not need to give any prescription medication.
The immune system plays an important role in the body’s reaction to allergens. Here are some natural, alternative approaches to supporting the immune system and relieving itch-causing symptoms. (more…)
Do Sauna Pods Really Work?
Natural Ways to Prepare for Spring Cold Season
By Bill Sears, MD
There’s never a convenient time for your child to get sick. While missed school (and work!) days are going to happen, there are steps you can take to minimize them. As a pediatrician and a parent, I’m eager to share strategies to support their immune system so they’ll be less likely to get sick in the first place. I’m also including simple ways to address your child’s cough and cold symptoms that don’t involve medication.
The best prevention strategy is simple regular exercise, sufficient sleep and good nutrition. Help your family maintain a healthy diet, packed with vitamins and nutrients including immune-boosting foods such as fish, citrus fruits and leafy vegetables, to help prevent the onset of illness. And stock up on items such as tissues, vitamin C, throat lozenges, hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray. Keep them in one handy place to make illness prevention even easier. (more…)
The Mystery Around Perimenopause
By Dr. Sherry Ross
By the age of 45 or so, there’s a good chance you already considered how perimenopause would affect you. There’s no accident that this period of hormonal disruption has been referring to for years as “the change.” You’ve most likely wondered: how will “the change” change me?
It’s different for everyone, but the constant questions I hear are: Will I have crazy uncontrollable bleeding for weeks on end? Will drenching sweats come on when least expected? Will sex become painful and sexual intimacy a thing of the past? To you all I say hold on there. First let’s talk about what exactly happens in perimenopause.
Perimenopause happens when your ovaries cease to function consistently, thereby upsetting your normal hormonal rhythm. This hormonal change usually happens within a couple years of menopause, but for some it can happen much earlier. The erratic and disruptive symptoms of perimenopause tend, however, to mark the beginning of menopause. Every decade brings about some emotional and physical change, but for women, the decade of one’s forties may pack the biggest punches of all. Between the typical 40-something anxieties of shifting relationships (divorce and dealings with hormonal or college-bound teens), self-esteem issues, job challenges and other midlife stresses, one’s 40s are challenging enough without the hormonal upheaval. In your forties, it’s not just life’s stresses that are affecting you emotionally and physically, it’s “the change,” the symptoms of which include, unfortunately: (more…)
The 3 Steps of Coaching Through a Successful Life Transition
By Carolyn Mahboubi
Life transitions are inherently painstaking. The human brain does not like change and will do whatever it takes to resist it, often in ways we ourselves don’t consciously recognize.
But the sooner we understand that change needs to happen, whether we feel ready for it or not, the easier it becomes to navigate transitions to a successful conclusion.
My passion around mastering the art and science of change was borne from my own life experiences. I learned the challenge of navigating change at a young age, when my family fled Iran for the United States when I was just 11 years old. My learning continued as a 16 year old who had to quickly find my footing as an entrepreneur amongst adults, then as a young adult who felt professional success but struggled to create satisfying intimate relationships. I also confronted challenges as a full time working single parent who struggled to balance my life, and as a physically active woman who developed chronic pain and was unable to move forward both physically and psychologically in the way that I wanted. Through these various phases of my life, I learned to make friends with change, even though sometimes it felt more like an uneasy alliance than a fulfilling relationship! (more…)
8 WOW Tips to get back on track for the New Year
By Lauren Haas
Studies show 80% of people that make New Year’s resolutions fail by February.
Instead of making unrealistic resolutions like, loose 20 pounds, exercise everyday, only eat organic or take on an extreme way of eating, use my Simple WOW Tips to achieve a life full of health, happiness and balance.
1. Eat real food from the earth not a factory: That means loading your plate up with vegetables, fruits, organic meat, wild fish, nuts, seeds, gluten free grains, beans and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil and organic ghee. (more…)