Blog

An Argument for a Plant-based Diet

There is an increasing debate between those who believe meat is essential to human diet and health, and those who do not. One side believes we should not eat meat because it’s bad for our health, and many…

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Uncovering The Truth behind Medical Myths

Popular myths, outdated or wrong information can keep people from knowing the truth. In the age of the internet its easy to be mislead and to have personal a bias confirmed. Accurate up-to-day information is essential to finding…

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Understanding Depression

Another tragic suicide of a celebrity, chief Anthony Bourdain, once again leaves many people perplexed about why someone with a successful career and exciting life would chose to end his life. How can depression lead someone to self-destruction…

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Yoga Myths and Facts

As Yoga’s popularity rapidly expands, it’s more important than ever to separate the facts from myths, so it’s real benefits are not obscured by misinformation. The myriad styles of yoga that have become popular are based on classical…

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The Globalization of Yoga

When I first began practicing yoga in the mid-1970s, it was considered an exotic practice from India, associated with Eastern religions and the ’60s counter-culture. It was just starting to find its way into mainstream Western cultures, with…

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A New Perspective on Cancer

The body is made up of trillions of cells, which consistently grow, divide and die. Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells do not die—they divide out of control, due to damaged DNA, and can spread throughout the body. Cancer…

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Critic of the Contemporary

Beyond East and West Changing your perspective on health, social and personal transformation Something is desperately wrong. People in Western countries spend billions dollars on healthcare, therapy and drugs. France and the U.S. have the highest rate of…

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Encountering Death

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering: what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? – Mary Oliver Death is a sleep where individuality is forgotten – Arthur Schopenhauer Death is…

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The Spectrum Of Bodywork

Most of us have heard of massage, physical therapy and chiropractors, but not other therapeutic methods such as others like Cranial-sacral, Structural therapy. Massage comes in many different styles, from well-known Swedish, Sports and Thai massage to lesser…

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To Supplement, or not to Supplement?

Yes, in some cases, but in many cases, no. There is no definitive answer, because each person is different with different needs. In general, clinical evidence shows that it’s best to get your nutritional needs from the food…

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Living Healthy — Interview with Keyvan Golestaneh

CHI: What is holistic natural medicine? Is it able to replace “conventional” medicine? Is it enough for our needs? Golestaneh: Natural medicine has a very long history; it isn’t new. There are some forms, such as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine,…

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A Guide to Understanding Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a natural medical system originating in China over 2,000 years ago. Although known in Europe as far back as the 1600’s. It started gaining acceptance in the West in the 1900’s. Over the last 20 years…

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The Case for Meditation

How do you make a case for something? Science, a method that looks at data and evidence systematically, is one way to do this. Another way is anecdotal evidence, less rigorous than science but it is nevertheless valid….

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What’s “Meditation” About?

If you had an amazingly useful tool or natural ability that you took for granted, wouldn’t you want to know more about it? Perhaps you would want to intentionally use it and cultivate your ability. Many people would…

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Healthy Heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Europe and the United States and according to the European Heart Journal (August 2014) is estimated to account for 29-30% of deaths worldwide. One study (J. Family Practice, July…
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Pain in the Back – The Inside Story

“Oh my back!” This can be a real pain, and many of us will experience it at some point in our life, especially those over 45. It’s easy to take our back for granted, until we’re hit by…
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Making a Healthy Brain

Besides the heart, the brain is the most important organ in the body. Many people don’t recognize that the brain needs to be routinely nurtured. Since nearly all of the body’s functions rely on this organ, it requires…
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Common Questions on Health and Environment

I get a lot of questions about nutritional supplements like vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. The health supplements industry is growing rapidly because of marketing and higher demand—the two are inseparable. Clearly it is preferable to get your…
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Transforming Habits and Addiction

It’s that time of year again when we think about making New Years resolutions. We mean to improve our lives – either by stopping what we “don’t like”, such as overeating, or by doing what we think will…
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Preventing Illness

Expatriates Magazine: You’ve spoken a lot about the importance of creating health and about “lifestyle medicine” as a way of treating and preventing illness and other health problems. Can you give us some suggestions on how to do…
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What is Natural and Holistic Medicine?

Natural medicine has a very long history and does not represent one unified discipline or modality. The most developed traditions, Chinese medicine (which includes acupuncture) and Ayurveda from India, go back thousands of years. Naturopathic medicine is a…
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Exercise and Lifestyle

In the last two articles I defined what cardiovascular disease (CVD) is, its causes and the key role that diet plays in prevention and treatment. Here we’ll look at the role exercise and lifestyle plays in heart health….

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10 Health and Medical Myths

A myth develops when an idea or ethos is assumed to be “natural” or the way things are. It’s a way of naturalizing something that is not. Society and culture are built on our ability to create myths….

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Your Eyes: Health Benefits of a Plant-based Diet

Several studies in the past few years have shown that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can help alleviate many of the vision problems associated with aging. Most recently, a study by researchers in the department of…

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