Routine is key, and whatever your particular brand of "regular" is, it's important to keep it. There are six basic things that can help you from getting too bunged up: breathing, fiber, water, flora, exercise, and poo-sition.
At one point or another, most patients struggling with insomnia have tried melatonin. I usually hear one of two things: "I think it's working, but I'm not sure" or a simple "didn't work." Melatonin can be a phenomenal help – when taken correctly, that is. The magic lies within the timing, the dose, and your great-great-grandmother's bedtime routine.
The summer list is here in full force: long days, BBQ's, weddings, beer gardens, fire works, bonfires, sun burns, summer love, and an expansion of the heart! Here's a few tricks of the Acupuncture trade to keep you balanced.
There can be something intimidating about meditation that stops many of us before we even start.
While living in Japan the first time around, I was invited to meditate at a few Buddhist temples in Kyoto as part of my studies. Though many would jump at the chance, I was dreading it. The idea of sitting and doing nothing seemed like a waste of time. Was I really expected to sit there and focus on "nothing"?
What is health? A quick search of the internet for the definition as it relates to humans provides a litany of answers with the running theme being "the general condition of the body; freedom of physical disease or pain."
One can be living in the absence of disease and still feel "unhealthy" though we may not necessarily employ that label. Our health extends beyond the borders of our bodies; it encompasses emotional, mental, spiritual, social, environmental, financial, AND physical. It includes anything that could compromise our sense of agency in the world.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions; it starts with "just one drink" and a commitment to be home by 10pm. The middle part is the stuff of legend, but the ending is awful. We've all been there, but the awful didn't learn us - and we keep going back as our curfews are blown.
When I tell patients to curb the sauce, unless we're in a "do or die" situation, I fully acknowledge the nods are little more than polite. It's my responsibility to see you safe, regardless of the situation - and a recurrent conversation I often have after "stop drinking" is "how to handle a hangover".