You might be surprised to learn that lung cancer takes the lives of more men and women than any other cancer in this country each year. In fact, it’s been the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States since 1987, but you would hardly know it if you merely looked at the media attention, research and fundraising efforts earmarked for cancer awareness in women. However, the … [Read more...]
I am super jazzed to announce that I will be attending the Accessible Yoga Conference in NYC at the Integral Yoga Institute NYC on May 19-21 of this year! The aim of the Accessible Yoga Conference is to provide education, supportive resources and community for those who seek to increase the accessibility of yoga to meet the needs of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, seniors, and … [Read more...]
In a world where technology is advancing so rapidly that computing power doubles every two years and a new, more powerful iPhone is released every autumn, we have grown to expect our own personal transformation will occur just as swiftly. Wanna-be wellness entrepreneurs are promised that, with this or that expensive program, we can build a highly profitable health or life coaching business in just … [Read more...]
It would be an unequivocal understatement to say that the month of January has been a momentous one for me in my health journey. It was during the second week of January some 17 years ago, when I got into the bike-car accident that resulted in muscle tears, bone bruises and a vicious cycle of chronic pain, insomnia and stress that eventually triggered the full-blown manifestation of autoimmune, … [Read more...]
Rather than list a myriad of well-meaning resolutions and share a stream of optimistic goals for the upcoming year, I’ve decided to welcome the new year here in a more unconventional manner. One of the greatest endeavors I embarked upon during 2016 was working toward a true recovery of my creative expression. So perhaps it’s not too surprising that I felt inspired to commemorate my journey … [Read more...]
As winter-like weather made its way into the Northeast a few weeks ago, temperatures dropped and my immune system took a beating. I first developed the telltale scratchy throat and sore back of the mouth. Then, a runny nose transformed into a full-blown cold. A week or two later, I had a raging sinus infection with the barking threat of bronchitis. Determined to avoid antibiotics this time … [Read more...]
On this first day of the last year of my thirties, I have come to embrace certain truths about my self and my life. First, I know what I am not. I am not defined by the story I or others have told, do tell, or will tell about my life. I am not my illness. I am not my pain. I am not my body. I am not my achievements. I am not my failures. I am not my job. I am not my financial footing. I am not my … [Read more...]
Yesterday, like so many of you, I woke up in a state of shock and sadness. When I got out of bed, it was after hours of insomnia followed by restless sleep of nightmare after nightmare, from which I could not force myself to wake. When I did finally regain consciousness, I was covered in sweat, congested, driven crazy by neuropathic itching and muscle twitching, and feeling disoriented. That … [Read more...]
Those who’ve known me the longest and those who know me the best sometimes express surprise or amusement when I am described as shy or introverted. I don’t blame them for being befuddled really. When I was a little girl, everyone was a potential friend, and I wasn’t afraid to go up to strangers and talk a mile-a-minute in their ear, occasionally with a foreign accent. My mom, I think, is still … [Read more...]
During this past week’s Recovery 2.0 online conference, founder and addiction specialist Tommy Rosen interviewed Peter Przekop, D.O., Ph.D. about the growing chronic pain epidemic in the face of a medical establishment ill-equipped to manage long-term pain without the use of potent pharmaceuticals, like opioids. The doctor of osteopathy developed and directed the pain management program at the … [Read more...]