Bewilderment – a novel by the author of The Overstory
Life is as vast and endless and ultimately unknowable as the universe, or the human brain and body with its cells and microbiome and unfathomable consciousness. It is embodied by a many-acre ancient forest, one huge millennials-old redwood, or one father trying to raise his brilliant, troubled son. Richard Powers became well-known in recent years…
Understanding Your Risk for Breast Cancer
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and understanding your own breast cancer risk is a crucial step to being proactive about your health. Women are aware that screening for breast cancer with an annual mammogram is important, and most women check the annual mammogram off their to-do list and forget about their risk of…
The Magic of Hormones
I believe the only true essential oil out there is vaginal estrogen. I bet you haven’t heard that one before. In fact, I think at age 45 every woman should go to her doctor and get at the very least 3 prescriptions. Colonoscopy Mammogram A lifetime prescription for local vaginal estrogen. Now let me…
Dealing with Post-Covid Weight Gain: Think Brain, Body and Behavior
The last 18+ months have been emotionally and physically draining. We have been pushed to our limits in almost every regard. Responding to an unpredictable threat like the COVID-19 pandemic evokes the stress response – which has many serious physical and mental health consequences. The American Psychological Association published a survey way back in March…
Butternut Squash Soup – Afghan Style
We had a virtual blast preparing this soup as part of KindSoups efforts to deliver food to those in need. Each week for the past year, we’ve been cooking together via Zoom, making enough soup for our own family’s dinner, plus enough to freeze and deliver meals for friends who may be hitting a rough patch and…
The Human Microbiome – part three
Welcome back! This is part 3 of our series on the human microbiome. In brief, in parts one and two, we learned about prebiotics and probiotics being fiber and fermented foods, respectively. Now we’ll go on to what postbiotics are, and assess our current knowledge base and where this may lead going forward and how…
Allergy Season? The EYES Have It!
It’s Allergy Season! Spring is here! The sun is out, the days are longer, the grass is growing and the flowers are blooming. There is a sense of renewal, rebirth, hope. For some though, spring brings misery as the trees, grasses and weeds release pollen into the air and cause those pesky allergy symptoms. …
Boost Yourself and Others By Staying Connected
As first published this month in Psychology Today. Covid-19 recommendations over the last year have called for social distancing measures. Masks, six feet of distance, and avoiding gatherings have all helped to reduce spread; however, they have also impacted connections with others. Warm and cozy hugs, in-person meetings, and joyful gathering rituals such as graduations…