What It's Like Getting a Preventive Mastectomy to Stop Breast Cancer Before It Starts: Living with BRCA

Elizabeth “Brianne” Lovin underwent a double mastectomy with breast reconstruction, a hysterectomy and a removal of both of her ovaries and fallopian tubes at age forty-one, not because she had cancer, but in order to prevent cancer. She is one of the approximately 0.25% of the population that carries a BRCA gene, a hereditary gene mutation that prevents normal tumor suppression…

Read More
How to Advocate for Yourself when You Feel Unheard: The Truth about Medical Gaslighting

You trust your healthcare provider to help with your medical concerns. You rely on their experience and expertise to manage your symptoms. And you expect them to offer answers to your questions. But what happens when your questions go unanswered? Or worse, your provider dismisses your symptoms or tells you that you are fine — but you know something is wrong…

Read More
The Effects of Aging on Bone Health

We all notice small changes as we age. Smile lines, crow’s feet, maybe a few (or many) gray hairs. Marks of wisdom, I like to say! Another aspect of physical aging you might notice is changes in bone and joint health. These changes can be minor—like experiencing less mobility or less flexibility in your elbows and knees. Maybe you experience more pain and inflammation after a particularly rigorous hike….

Read More
5 Ways to Boost Circulation (That You’ll Actually Enjoy!)

Improving your circulation may not be at the top of your health goals this year, but it’s integral to your well-being, and I say it deserves a spot!

You may know that blood circulation is vital for optimal blood pressure. But did you know it also plays a starring role in detoxification, energy levels, and even your body’s ability to fight off disease? It’s true….

Read More
A Journey of Healing, Nourishing Ourselves and Nurturing Our World

I have always been conscious of my own healing journey, dealing with severe health challenges in childhood, mainly affecting the lungs. As a sick child left largely to her own devices, I was able to master the ability to drop into deep meditative states and eventually, instead of struggling for breath, become quiet and peaceful. Not being able to join in with many games and sports, particularly in the cold, English winters, gave me the opportunity to sit on the sidelines and observe, which is something that I attribute now to my ability to meditate and ask big-picture questions…

Read More
The MOTHER of All Holiday Triggers: It's OK Not to Feel Celebratory on Mother's Day

“As long as I can remember I have never liked Mother’s Day,” says Alison Hunsicker, a full-time homemaker and caregiver to her disabled husband, with four children, ages seventeen to thirty-two. “Even when I communicate my expectations to my partner and our children, the day falls short. The worst year resulted in me yelling, “I hate this f’ing family!“ and leaving in my car to be by myself for hours. I wonder why it is so difficult to just acknowledge the huge contribution I make as a wife and mother?”…

Read More
How to Order Healthily at Restaurants

Contrary to what some of my clients might assume, I love going out to eat at restaurants! I love the atmosphere, the wide variety of foods on the menu, the memories made with loved ones, and the convenience of not having to cook at home. But as we all know, restaurant meals are often significantly less healthy than those prepared in your own kitchen. Restaurant foods typically have more salt, oil, saturated fat, sugar, and calories than homemade versions of the same foods. And it’s not only the nutrient content of restaurant food that’s a concern. Most restaurants serve genetically modified foods among other not-so-ideal factors…

Read More
Our Kids Deserve Better Sex Education Than We Got

Most of us who hit puberty in America in the 1990s and early 2000s never got a real sex talk. If we did, it was threatening and scary, focusing on purity and infections. We were told not to have sex because it could result in pregnancy. We were not taught about sexuality as a crucial part of being human or about how to navigate sexual relationships, including consent and how to control if/when we got pregnant…

Read More
Why Your Micros are Just as Important as Your Macros

Many of my clients ask me questions about macronutrients. How much protein to eat, what sources of fat are best, or the most popular: “How should I calculate my macro ratio?” All good questions! My answer? It depends—but the first thing to remember is this: micronutrients are an equally (or arguably more) important part of your health equation. And they’re often forgotten….

Read More
The Talk Part II: Thriving Through Menopause

Menopause expert, Dr. Amy Heeringa, wishes it were common practice to have a second version of “The Talk” when women hit their forties. We all know “The Talk” we get around fifth grade: blood, body hair, and birth control. But what about those changes later in life? Ideally all women would have a second “Talk” around the age of forty, says Heeringa. A candid seminar, if you will, on lube, libido, and love in later life….

Read More
“We don’t need ANOTHER diet:” 10 Techniques to Help You Eat Healthy in the New Year

Many of us plan to eat healthy in the New Year, but what does eating healthy really mean? Is it consuming specific foods in specific quantities? Eating only at certain times of day or in accordance with specific rules? Does it involve pleasure? Is the goal of healthy eating a healthy body? Healthy mind? What does that look like….

Read More