As we age and mature, what are the thoughts that concern you the most?  For some it is a fear of falling, others realize they are beginning to forget details, or they can’t do what they use to do, or want to do.  How often do you speak about what you use to be able to do instead of focusing on how to do more of what you really want?  We make excuses that attempt to sooth our discouraged spirit, lick our wounds so to speak.  Do you often find that you are talking about yourself as what you used to be able to do?  What are you not learning here?

We now know that our brains are constantly developing new neurons, the building blocks of life.  Many decades ago this was refuted although there have been many great thinkers and leaders of this work that were establishing this thread as far back as the 1940’s.  Dr Moshe Feldenkrais was writing his “Mature Body and Behavior” then, following up with “The Potent Self”, all engaging in this process of learning.  Today there are programs that explain all about Neuroplasticity.   What does this mean?

Our brains have the capacity to continue to develop new neural pathways.  We know and continue to see that those who continue to engage in new acts, functions, learning new things, are curious, are the ones that stave off modern day illnesses that take away our vitality: Dementia, Alzheimer’s, even Parkinson’s Disease, or maybe it’s the aches and pains of Arthritis or a full recovery from surgeries.  When we stop learning, using ourselves as we did with interest as we did when younger, we lose what we don’t use.

You want to know how to stay feeling younger, more vital and vibrant?  Do new and interesting things!  It is a mind set of You Get to Do this, instead of the “have to”, should, or if only I could mindset.  What is it you really would love to do that you make excuses for not doing because of some trauma or ache or pain?  What’s your excuse?

Find the things that engage you that instead of saying, “if only I could” or “I use to be able to do that”, if it’s something you would love to do or simply have an interest, give it a go!  It’s not about being cavalier, rather listening and figuring out how would I make this possible?  We did this as infants, figuring out how to do something we desired, it’s called survival!  We used ourselves, efficiently, with all of our sensory organs (telereceptors in our head: 2 eyes; to ears; 2 nostrils, our mouth and also the end of the alimentary system, the other end, and then all of our kinesthetic sensory touch abilities).

Engage in life again, being curious, doing new things that interest you.  Notice the language you use, does it serve you well or does it derail you to stay stuck in your known.  From our known there is comfort at first but too quickly it turns into complacency and stagnation.

Move into life, do things that give you joy and open your horizons again.  Since you are reading this it means something intrigued you to read on.  How many varieties of activities and new interests do you open yourself up to?  Do you find yourself only doing what you know how to do, never engaging in new things to give it a try.  Do you only try something once, poo pooing it and then take a pass or do you become curious as to why some really LOVE it, what are you missing out on?  What do they see that you don’t? 

Find where to begin and begin at the beginning, learning how to learn, not thinking about if you are good enough, learn how to “make the impossible possible, the possible easy, the easy pleasant and the pleasant elegant!”  It’s your birthright, don’t give up, it’s your life, I hope you live it to the fullest!

There’s been much talk of late about the neuroplasticity of our brains ability to remap territory.  If someone loses the use of a limb as many of our returning soldiers do, or goes blind or deaf, how is it that they can relearn through using other parts in their brain that were designated for the lost function. Dr.  Moshe Feldenkrais was exploring this back in the 40’s, how do we learn.  Now modern science is playing catch up.

Even with all our technological advancements in the allopathic western medical arena there is still so much that eludes us.  When medicine and science are not able to answer or fix the problems, here is how we can continue to persevere, grown, learn and reap all the joy life has to offer.

This is an amazing story of one family who against all odds keeps a belief and spirit of how to learn.  It is a tribute to how we develop, learn, how we can employee so much of our brain power that we don’t use, and how to continue to improve and make life pretty amazing.

To learn more about the boy who sees without eyes, click here!

There are so many ways to take care of yourself, especially in this hot summer heat wave but what if you are injured, paralyzed or dealing with a serious health challenge, can water therapy help? The answer is yes! While in the water we are more buoyant and able to maneuver without the added weight of gravity pressing down on us. Especially when there is the need to rehabilitate, water or hydrotherapy is a reliable way to do the work in awakening our brains, nervous and musculoskeletal systems, in fact, all of our 11 systems that make up the human bodily functioning but that’s not just for us!

Many years ago I took my beloved Shembala, an English Black Lab for hydrotherapy to aid and improve her elbow dysplasia.  By the time we became aware of this condition it was too late to attempt surgery.  That is often done when the dysplasia is in the hip but elbows are another story all together and if a surgical intervention is to be considered it needs to be while they are still pups.  The results were impressive.  Shembala regained much mobility and although we could never get rid of this condition, we improved her ability to function and live life to her fullest while we had her in our lives.  And now here’s another story of a 6 year old cat named Nazzaning.  To learn more about this wonderful success story of Nazzaning who after an accident suffered with a paralyzed front paw and quickly rehabilitated the use of his arm and paw/fingers with hydrotherapy. To learn more, click here.

One of my main focuses is how can we best support and help ourselves. What can we do to better insure health and wellbeing? This doesn’t mean that we never get sick but have you noticed that there are some people who are less prone to illnesses, and when they do come down with something they are faster to restore good health. We run to doctors as the be all end all to fix us, when what we need to do better is to learn how to listen internally and take care of ourselves. What has Mother Nature given us that we are not paying attention to?

You’ve heard me speak of the benefits of a more natural vegetable, plant based diet and all the better when it’s local and sustainable. Whether you’ve been following my thread speaking of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, then there’s Dr. Dean Ornish and so many others who are investing their lives, studying how to reverse our modern day illnesses we are barraged with, what can you do to help yourself?

Want to learn more about how you can insure your good health? What if you could eat to stop the growth of cancers before they become a danger? Have you heard of Antiangiogenic Therapy? To learn more about Dr. William Li and this impressive work, how to starve cancer and illnesses that feed off of our blood and oxygen supply, click here!

Are you one of us that are endlessly bitten by these itching devils, mosquitoes and their like? Have you ever been out and about feeling the itching sting and swelling even though you have applied endless amounts of bug spray, and still they are bitting YOU! There’s a reason and not simply because we’re so sweet. The truth is something we are exuding from our sebaceous glands is attracting these little pests and there are scientific studies now looking at what this is.

The female mosquito is looking for a host to lay her eggs. It’s all about survival and now the scientific world is recognizing that there are less stress hormones being released from those of us that are sweet meat for mosquitoes. This doesn’t mean that we are less stressed but something in how our bodies process and release hormones is more inviting, indicating to these itching pests that we are a healthy host to propagate their larvae - yikes!

To learn more, click here!

I’ve been following the focus and thoughts of Dr. Joel Fuhrman for several years now. I too have difficulty always being as focused and diligent in my eating regime yet I realize that I can continue to renew my focus.  I notice the things I tell myself, becoming more mindful and returning when I fall of the wagon so to speak to a more balanced, enjoyable and delicious diet that enables me to live life to the fullest!

We all know people who are seriously charging to an early sick bed or worst. And we know how “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink!” And you can, non- judgmentally present them with information that when they are ready they can make better choices and turn things around. You know, if you’re alive, your hearts still beating and your brain still alive, there’s time.

Give yourself the time to read more about this amazing turn around story that all thought beyond hope. This is a real life story, person and a life now living to the fullest. Learn more about Dr. Joel Fuhrman by clicking here.

How many times have you heard someone tell you what the have to do or they should but you can tell by their expression and body language that their heart really isn’t in to it. Maybe it’s about working out to improve their health or lose weight, it could be any thing that we resist doing. Now what if you could connect the effects of enjoyable exercise and laughter, that’s a thought! You know what it’s like when you’re watching a show with someone or at an outing and someone tells a joke or something funny happens and you begin to laugh and laugh and before you know it you and others are laughing uncontrollably until one of you is grabbing at your gut begging with tears of laughter to stop so you can catch your breath! You know how you feel, rejuvenated, alive, you feel great! When you feel good you don’t feel bad, now that’s a thought! What are the things you are telling yourself, are they good things, insults, what you should be doing, self defeating language or beneficial things?  What if you thought of the things that make you laugh, I mean really give you a chuckle, how many times a day do you do that! We all have experiences, things that we reflect on in our lives that fuel us. Do you fill yourself up with negative thoughts and actions or positive, and how often do you laugh and then laugh out loud.? It’s contagious, laughing and those who catch the bug of laughter don’t always have to know what’s so funny because the excitement and joy of laughter is too much fun to challenge.

So think about the things that make you smile, make you happy and then take it to the next step and reflect on the things that make you laugh even if you are laughing at yourself with humor and love and go take a walk, hike, garden, play with your kids or pets, go to the gym and enjoy the things that you get to do.

To learn more about a study on the benefits of laughter in reducing stress, appetite, weight loss and improving your health, click here.

This was sent to me by a dear friend and colleague. Now, this is true, the differences between the brain of a woman and a man. The Corpus callosum is denser and thicker in a man’s brain then a womans and therefore the lack of information transferring as quickly or the remembering factor that plagues all men and women relationships. We woman distinctly remember the events, all the details, the men tells us, “never happened” and we’re not crazy but this, you just gotta love. Sometimes you simply need to have a good laugh and here’s one. To have your laugh, click here.

Here is information according to peer reviewed literature 

found in the American Journal of Cardiology that will save 

your life. It is learning how to be heart attack proof. 

Interested in something that is non invasive and tastes good?  

Watch this video of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr.  To learn more 

about his complete presentation about reversing cardiac disease, 

click here!

“That’s the worst sentence I’ve ever heard said!” Jon Stewart exclaims during an interview with author Michael Pollan. “Suddenly the health insurers will have an interest in your health, which right now they don’t?!?!”  What are we to do about this?  How we eat, what we eat and how we are manipulated by the food industries to market their goods that poison us is sheer brain washing.  We get upset when told that our insurance companies won’t cover us or a claim because of pre-existing conditions and heaven forbid we change what we are doing that is creating the condition we are rejected for.  But if a doctor says, take Lipitor or a medication to reduce cholesterol or BP we don’t hesitate and follow without thinking of the precautions and many dangerous side effects.

We are eating ourselves to death! Creating modern day illnesses that insurance companies justify eliminating many from their health coverage because they’re too risky to cover. Want to know more about how to change this dynamic and get healthy once again? To learn more click here!