How to Communicate as a Healthcare Provider: 3 Patients Weigh In

For those who have received a diagnosis of cancer, or were present when someone else has, the memory of that moment sticks in strangely specific ways. We might recall the color of the wallpaper or the music on the radio, what we’d eaten that morning, or the smell of the hand sanitizer. And it’s common for the overwhelm of emotions in that moment to make it difficult to retain important information….

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Finding Balance with Nutritionist Elissa Goodman

Like many of us, Elissa Goodman began her career working long hours at a stressful job fueled by an excess of caffeine. Then her world was turned upside down. She felt a lump, and, after several specialists visits, a doctor diagnosed Elissa with early-stage Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was only 32. As a component of her long path of healing, Elissa turned to holistic nutrition and nourishment in concert with medical treatment. That was more than twenty years ago…

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The Role Stress Plays in Aging

Stress is a normal part of life that we all deal with – and can even be a good thing. Stress can lead to true transformation, motivating us to make change. Short-term stress, that is. Long-term, chronic stress, however, is the kind of stress we need to watch out for and manage – because it is chronic, long-term stress that affects us mentally and physically – especially in accelerating the aging process, both inwardly and outwardly….

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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…

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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…

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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….

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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….

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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…

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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?”…

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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…

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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…

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