Education

Surviving a Life Threatening Illness

By Kavita Basi

Kavita BasiI was taken into the accident and emergency wing of the hospital on March 17, 2015, with a life-threatening subarachnoid hemorrhage. I was only thirty-eight years old and had always been a healthy person. I was successful, career-oriented, and travelled the world while working too many hours with no time to relax and think. Then, one night, I suddenly became extremely ill, and my whole world fell apart. I was in the hospital for nearly two months, and after four intense brain surgeries, I had difficulty understanding what was happening to me and why.

My memoir covers my journey to recovery and how my perspective has drastically changed, as I now see the important things in life, the materialistic things don’t matter to me and I want to focus on the true meaning of life. I had to relearn how to do the simplest tasks, like climbing stairs, retuning noises due to losing some sense of hearing, severe constant headaches as a result of watching any TV, leaning how to use my mobile devices without having motion sickness. My personality changed, and I was left with short term memory loss, intense mood swings, an emotional state of mind, being very direct when talking, having the black and white thinking and losing that middle ground of understanding. This new life also had a major effect on my relationships, family, and view of work. (more…)

Health, Health & Beauty

Free Yourself from Body Jail! 5 New Year Beauty Resolutions that Don’t Involve Dieting

By Fern Olivia
Fern OliviaOften times, the New Year brings forth an immense amount of pressure to shape up, perform, and “finally do things right.” We’re often really, really hard on ourselves when it comes to our resolutions. Let’s change that, babes. We’re doing the best we can!

Furthermore, there is immense pressure and expectation around the holidays, so although there is beautiful sacred symbolism embedded in the New Year celebration, it can be quite overwhelming, and often times, it’s the time we begin to be incredibly hard on ourselves and our bodies.

The truth is, it doesn’t take a whole year to create conscious and sustainable change, and it takes a lot less than a year to fall off the wagon and break the promises you made to yourself. Does that resonate with you? I’ve seen it happen time and time again with myself – and my clients. Through my desire to change this so we all can feel more empowered, I discovered a new way to approach resolutions, without the shame or expectation around the “perfect body” or “losing the 10 pounds you gained this year.” (more…)

Fitness, Health

Even Good cooking Oils Can Go Bad When Used at the Wrong Temperatures

Chef Gerard ViveritoBy Chef Gerard Viverito

Back in the 80s, the only cooking oil in home pantries was probably all-purpose vegetable oil (the exact vegetable a mystery). Today’s home cooks have many healthy cooking oil options, but it can be confusing trying to learn when to use them. If you’ve ever heated oil to the point where it starts to smoke, then you have exceeded its smoke point. Once it gets too hot, the oil just isn’t fit for consumption. Some oils can handle high heat better than others.

What’s the big deal about a little smoke? It’s not just the annoying high-pitched beep of your smoke detector going off. When an oil is heated beyond its smoke point, its molecular structure begins breaking down. It may even form trans fats. The oil may lose its nutritional value and give your food a bitter or burnt taste. The smoke from overheated oils isn’t even healthy to inhale. Once it starts smoking, the oil really shouldn’t be consumed. (more…)

Fitness

Thanksgiving Recipes

By Virginie Degryse

Butternut Squash-Apple SoupButternut Squash-Apple Soup
Time: 1 h
Serves: 6

Coming fall these are my favorite flavors… I think that the apples bring a sweetness to the soup that makes it delicious! Sprinkle some seeds, some

crispy quinoa, chopped apples to make it more fancy!

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 small apples, cored and chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2-3 tsp of olive oil
  • 2 tsp of turmeric
  • 1 tsp of ginger
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 4-5 cups of stock
  • Salt and pepper

(more…)

Health

The Cost of Cleaning Your Home

Lauren RashapBy Lauren Rashap

Having a clean home should never cost you something as valuable as your health, but that’s exactly what you’re putting at risk when you use household cleaners and laundry detergents filled with many of the hazardous chemicals on the market today.

The problem is, when the chemicals in these common household products hit your skin and lungs, they go directly into your bloodstream, bypassing your body’s natural defense system against toxins (the liver and kidneys).

This type of indoor pollution is particularly harmful to your health because just one application of a typical household cleaner can leave dangerous chemicals lingering in your indoor air for hours at a time. For people who spend a large amount of their day indoors, this can amount to a frequent chemical attacks on your lungs.

(more…)

Education

Finding Courage in Loss

Ruth MolinariBy Ruth Molinari

Why? I don’t know. The only way I’ll ever know is when I see him again… and I will!!
Emilio’s death shocked our communities to the core. A perfectly healthy boy dying in a flash scared the shit out of everybody and tested our faiths. We are good people… we’ve always done right in our lives… we’ve always prayed to God as a family and believed in spiritual law and karma. Nothing made sense as to why?

I don’t think God hates me. I don’t think God has forgotten about me or that I’m being punished. I don’t think God loves me less because another human being might be saved. I have always felt, and feel, that there is something beyond us all that is happening. Something higher, something greater.

(more…)

Lifestyle

Homemade Halloween Costumes

Shirin YadegarBy Shirin Yadegar

Fall is in the air with pumpkin spice chai lattes and misty mornings, and the kids are consumed with halloween decorations and costume ideas.

Actually, the entire family is excited about dressing up and trick or treating. The challenge is what’s everyone going to dress up as?

My teens are too “big” for conventional costumes and my elementary school kids just want to purchase everything they set their eyes on. So where’s the balance?

For several years, we have turned halloween into a fun family project where we brainstorm and create our own original costumes. That means you don’t have to be someone famous or popular. You can be whoever you want to be.

(more…)

Health

Is your medicine cabinet back-to-school ready?

Alternative health expert Bryce Wylde advises that you may want to change how you prepare for cold and cough season

Kids will bring home more than homework once they’re back in school. They also bring home plenty of germs. The common cold is a leading cause of missed days from school. Parents should brace themselves for cuts, bites, scrapes and other maladies “We buy pencils and backpacks, but what about your back-to-school health supply checklist,” asks alternative health expert Bryce Wylde. (more…)

Education

Ways to Prepare Your High Schooler for College

As it usually does, the time has flown by and your little baby is now going to high school. These next four years are not only crucial to determining what opportunities may be available to them after graduation but are also necessary to prepare your teen for college. Outside of making sure they have done their research, go on tours, talked with their counselors, written an essay, and taken all of their tests, you want to make sure that your teen has adopted the life skills necessary to survive the campus life.

As some of you may know, college is a lot different from grade school, middle school, or high school. It is a diverse educational environment that requires a great deal of effort, responsibility, and skill to master. By taking the time now to prepare your teen, they can transition into college life much easier. Below, are some suggestions on how to prepare your high schooler for life on campus. (more…)