Alzheimer’s disease is one of the largest public health concerns facing an aging American population. An estimated 5.2 million Americans have this progressive, neurological disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the most common form of dementia. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which gradually interferes with a person’s ability to … [Read more...]
Last month, romantic love was celebrated across the nation and in other parts of the world. Today, Mind-Body Shift takes time to honor the gift of unconditional love, the expression of caring for others without the expectation of reciprocation or reward. MBS especially celebrates the people who selflessly care for others living with debilitating chronic disease, particularly the caregivers of … [Read more...]
"Threading The Needle" by Renée Canada I thread the needle Through tight angles And strained filaments. I look out and through the space That grows and slows with breath And settles from stillness to peace. The battle to control the resistance Overcome by love and acceptance Of my limitations and imperfections. … [Read more...]
Additional spotlight has been cast on dystonia lately, thanks to one of this season’s MasterChef competitors speaking up about having the disorder. A Season 5 contestant of FOX’s cooking reality show, Jaimee Vitolo, who has successfully avoided elimination in the show thus far, explains her “voice issue and awkward movements” to viewers as symptoms of the movement disorder. On August 11, Vitoli … [Read more...]
Imagine what it would be like to be the middle of talking and discover you can’t shut your mouth for 10 minutes as your jaw muscles fight every effort to close it. Picture yourself standing in the shower when all the muscles in your lower body either suddenly weaken—or your limbs start jerking around like a puppet on a string—causing enough imbalance for you to collapse on your face in the wet … [Read more...]
There are people out there—and perhaps you’re one of them—who claim to genuinely hate vegetables. This genuinely makes me sad. Not only are vegetables packed with nutrients that our body needs to function optimally, they can also be extremely delicious. That’s why I love days like today—National Vegetable Day; I get to share why I love these colorful foods so much. Have you had a medley of … [Read more...]
Living in northeastern United States, summertime means warmer weather, less clothing and more time spent outdoors. Unfortunately, all the time spent walking, hiking and biking in the woodsy areas coincides with an increased presence of ticks. As a result, the months of June and July see the largest numbers of confirmed cases of Lyme disease by far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and … [Read more...]
This Saturday, The Parkinson Alliance will be hosting its annual fundraiser Unity Walk in Central Park, in New York City. One hundred percent of donations from this 1.4-mile walk go toward research on Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Princeton-based Parkinson Alliance is the umbrella organization responsible for Unity Walk, the largest single-day fundraising and awareness event for the disease. The … [Read more...]
Toward the end of 2013, I was looking for more tools to not only help me serve clients as a health coach, but to also become a part of my own healing regimen. I had studied and become certified as a holistic health coach, specializing in nutrition at IIN. I had studied as a women’s fitness specialist with NASM. I had even taking the first steps toward getting certified to teach various mind-body … [Read more...]
It turns out that today’s post is going to be a more personal one. Yesterday, the uncontrollable muscle movements returned after a pretty significant absence. Yes, it certainly is a pain in the neck (and face and legs). Yet I haven’t been as disheartened as frustrated. So many plans have been canned due to the greedy movement monster: Dystonia. Last night I couldn’t go to the book club I was … [Read more...]