Movements XVI: Things are looking uP!

2 03 2009

It’s been a while since I really posted something up of substance. Now that the filler has been placed, it’s time for me to get off of my self-imposed vacation and get back to giving you the latest and greatest information that will enable you to see and be better health!

First, I hope you like the pic. Kyla Jolene is a great photographer and I have been watching her work from afar. I wanted to put her photos on my blog for sometime and I’m glad I finally am able to do so. If I don’t put up more of Kyla’s pics, it’s only because she asked me not to. I don’t know her personally but good work is good work and it can’t be denied.

I have updated one of my blogs. Please click here for the latest information on herbs that will help you in dealing with Uterine Fibroids. Please note that hops is a good herb to use for Breast Cancer as well.

My Yoga schedule is back in full swing! First up…I’m going to teach a 4 week course called the Fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. If you’re in NYC and would like to learn the basics of Hatha Yoga and an Integral Yoga Hatha I Beginner’s class, then this course is for you. For more information and to register, please click here.

I’m also going to teach a Hatha I Beginners Class every other Sunday at 6:15pm, starting March 15. If you click on the link above, you’ll also find more information on Integral Yoga.

That’s it for now. Please provide feedback by posting a comment or by emailing me at drea@dorightforyourself.org

One more thing, I have been doing this blog for a long time. What started out as a homework assignment for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition has become something much more. I need to stop acting like I’m not an accomplished Holistic Health and Nutritional Consultant and Yoga Instructor. Sooner than later, I’m going to put up links and give more information for my consultations and packages. Spring time is coming. I can provide you with the best in nutrition, fitness, and over all wellness. Now it’s really time to get it together. All of us.

Until next time…stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease! (and thank you so much for keeping up with me and your health and wellness)

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Random Thoughts XIII: Check this out

5 02 2009
Good Morning everyone!

I love to read articles on various topics. Some of them are not health related but most of them are. So today, I figure that I would share some of the sites that I go on with you and some of the articles I read that I think you would be interested in. Let me know what you think in a comment or in an email:

While you check those out, I’m going to continue drafting new posts and researching different topics. Thanks for reading and allowing me to help you holistically.

Stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Random Thoughts XII: What is Holistic Health?

4 02 2009
Recently, someone asked me “what is holistic health?” and “is it right for everyone?” Of course, I gave her a general answer but I feel it’s important for me to give an official and specific answer.

Let’s look up the word “holistic” in the dictionary:

holistic

Main Entry:

ho·lis·tic           Listen to the pronunciation of holistic
Pronunciation:
\hō-ˈlis-tik\
Function:
adjective
Date:
1926
1 : of or relating to holism
2 : relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts <holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body> <holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system>
— ho·lis·ti·cal·ly           Listen to the pronunciation of holistically \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

So “holistic health” would look at the complete system of the body rather than the analysis of the dissection of its parts. To holistically heal someone (or yourself), you will have to look at you ailment from the mental, physical and spiritual “systems” instead of just from one aspect (usually the physical).

Yoga is an example of a holistic way of healing. Yoga incorporates mental, physical, and spiritual health so that you can become a better human being by Self-Realization. Asana deals with the physical, meditation deals with the mental, and pranayama deals with the breath. When the breath is extended or controlled, the mind and the body are one. The mind is calm and the body is nourished with oxygen. This opens the door for spiritual healing.

You don’t have to do Yoga to have holistic health. Holistic health only maintains that you treat the complete systems – the mind, body, and soul – to achieve and maintain health. It doesn’t make sense that your dietary habits are on point but you’re stressed out and feel like you have no true purpose in the world. Stress is the underlying reason for 85% of all dis-eases we are faced with today.

There are numerous ways to heal the physical body and various ways to treat and eliminate mental dis-stress. People choose a number of faiths to connect with their soul and the Divine spirit within. The unfortunate thing is that most people don’t do these things at the same time. They may start to workout but because of that, it takes away time to go to church or spend time with family. They may eat right but neglect their mind by continuing to deal with negative energies and decisions that bring them down, mentally and spiritually.

Holistic health is a good choice for everyone. Wellness is being well. Completely and fully.

My job, as a health counselor and owner of this blog,  is to help you figure out which processes of healing is right for you. The end result is that you are bathing in the fountain of wellness.

It’s time to enjoy being Whole.

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Before I go, I’m going to mix up Matt Stokes’ Health Tips a little bit. I’m going to add #5 to the Health Sidebar and #4 to this one. When you read it, I think you’ll understand why :

#4
Primary Food

Food comes in two different forms.

Secondary Food is what we traditionally think of as food.

Primary Food is a combination of all of the other things that keep us going (healthy relationships, physical activity, desired career, spirituality, etc, etc,).

It is important to pay attention to both of these food groups. They are irrevocably linked.

If we are not balanced in one of them, we won’t be balanced in the other one. 
Next time you attempt to incorporate better eating habits, make sure you don’t forget to pay attention to the primary foods you are lacking as well.
 Courtesy of

Until next time…stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!





Health Sidebar I: Uterine Fibroids and Ovarian Cysts

26 01 2009
Greetings everyone!

I am writing this piece at the request of a friend of mine. A couple of women I know were diagnosed with fibroids and they were worried about surgery. I gave some of my advice and it was then requested that I put my information onto my blog. So I’ll call this my little health sidebar. I’ll probably post more of these as time goes on (yes, I’m still sticking to my schedule…I’ll make it, I’m telling ya! LOL). Please remember that the information is given from a holistic point of view. Much of it will be based on proven facts but there is a lot that will come from my own experience in dealing with several friends and family members that went through these dis-eases.

Diet

Estrogens Dominance (i.e. an excess of Estrogens relative to Progesterone) may be a common cause of Uterine Fibroids.  references

In-Tele-Health © 2008  (from Hyperhealth Pro CD-ROM)

There are many foods that are high in estrogen or may increase the high levels of estrogen in your own body. I say this to women who already have fibroids but women who may not have fibroids in the uterus or something similar to uterine fibroids (like fibro-cystic-breasts). Dairy is high in estrogen. Soy contains phytoestrogens, plant estrogens that will bind to estrogen receptors and may cause a decrease or level of estrogen that is beneficial to the body. However, in some women (such as myself), too much soy can increase estrogen levels which can possibly lead to fibro-cystic breasts or uterus.

Maitake Mushrooms may alleviate Uterine Fibroids. However, you would need around 6000mg of powered Maitake Mushroom and take it for a long period of time. 

Herbs

Various herbs can help uterine fibroids in many different ways. Black Cohosh is said to be helpful in alleviating the symptoms of fibroids temporarily (painful menstruation, etc.). Vitex maybe helpful since this herb deals with the endocrine system and hormones, effectively decreasing estrogen levels and aiding in the healing process. 

Other Methods

Progesterone, a hormone created in the body, can be topically applied to the womb to alleviate symptoms of fibroids. This is because higher amounts of progesterone can balance the levels of estrogen in the body.

Other than the option given above, the only other option is surgery. I hear that it’s not that great. I’ll leave it there.

With fibroids and cysts, please check what you are eating, wearing and
putting on your skin. In the case of fibroids, you maybe wearing
something too tight and that can increase pain and discomfort.
Especially with cysts, what you put on your skin can affect it. Even if
you put lotion on every body part except for where the cyst is, it can
affect you. Certain foods may help  to increase the growth of a cyst or
fibroid.

I know this because I was talking to my cystic co-worker this morning. She is the first person I guided in doing the MC and she was able to get rid of two, grapefruit sized cysts in her womb by doing the MC and using Poke Root Oil. After this first time, she understood that she has a cystic body (she was told this by doctors but didn’t understand it). Everytime she did the MC, her cysts, etc. would go away and then it would come back after she would eat solid foods.

She became allergic to processed foods and was eating whole foods so I told her that it had to be related to something she is putting onto her body. At first, she didn’t believe me. She now has a cyst inside her kidney and came to me today explaining to me that this cyst first formed when she got some skin cleaner and “skin lightener” (cost about $300). She realized that the cleaner worked so well, that it opened up her pores and allowed the bleach to go deeper than her epidermis. I asked her where she was putting the lotion. She told me that she would put it on her arms, chest, and back and could not understand why she still has cysts in her lungs and kidneys. I told her that the kidneys are actually closer to the back than the front and the light bulb came up on her head.

This doesn’t mean that you’re in the same situation. It’s just something to think about and keep in mind as you do research. Body awareness is key here.

Cysts are pus filled sacs, which are usually beign but can become cancerous (if they grow into tumors). Some cysts in the ovaries can be filled with blood, as the case when dealing with endometriosis.  

So far, the general consensus is that you shouldn’t be too worried if you are diagnosed with fibroids or ovarian cysts. There is a high percentage of African-American women that get fibroids and trust me, the ones I know, worry.

It’s normal to worry. My suggestion would be to stay calm throughout this process and get second (and third and forth, if necessary) opinions. I’m reading a lot about the correlations between ovarian cysts and endometrosis so please make sure that you’re not taking in too much estrogen into the body (via food), you work out, and make time to relax.

This is the first time I’m doing this “Health Sidebar.” Let me know if it works for you. The next time I do this sidebar, I will talk about too much estrogen and how it affects the female body. I will also include foods that are highly estrogenic and herbs that help decrease estrogen levels in the body. I will also discuss phyto-estrogens and their effects on the body (like soy).

I’m going to reintroduce Matt Stokes’ Health Tips…it’s been too long and I need to catch up! You do too.

#5

Diet Books and Theories

Diet books and their theories need to be approached with caution. 

Most of them are full of invaluable information, but we need to be
aware of diet books that suggest blanket dietary theories and take no
account of the individual. They are formulated outside the idea of
bio-individuality. 

Bio-individuality is the idea that we are all different.  If I eat
an a piece of pizza and and you eat a piece of pizza, our bodies are
going to deal with that nutrition differently. In theory, Nutrition is
not a science for this reason.

Diet books can be good places to start, but the only healthy way
to incorporate a dietary theory is to educate yourself, be informed and
slowly change your diet to include those healthy ideas that work the
best for you.

 Courtesy of

Until next time…stay strong, stay healthy and fight dis-ease!





In Sickness, In Health II: An Addendum

29 01 2008

Hello all. Instead of bringing back the other blog, I decided to create this one. Although it seems natural for me to update the other blog again, I can’t do it. She is far too important…

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a very open person. Somethings, I do keep inside. Somethings, I do not talk about. Everything else is fair game. I cannot help but speak from my heart and my soul. I try to teach with my mind and keep things logical but most times, I have to acquiesce to the feelings I get but cannot explain. The inclinations to say this and move this way and eat this thing, without knowing why (but always understanding that it must be a good thing). Things need to change in the health care industry. I want to try my best to speak from my mind. I want to do my best to talk with logic and common sense. Unfortunately, I know myself too well. What you are about to read comes from an angry place.

I have been soooo happy that my grandma turned 100 earlier this month.
Truthfully speaking, I resolved within myself that even if my grandma were to die today or tomorrow, I would be content because she will be free. I wish it were that simple. Read the rest of this entry »








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