Middle Schoolers at Risk for Suicidal houghts

Health & Harmony

By Dr. Nancy Gahles

Middle Schoolers at Risk for Suicidal Thoughts

Middle schoolers are our future. Middle schoolers are our hope for creating a better world. Middle school comprises the 6th,7th and 8th grades where children are in the age group between 12-15. Supporting our teens through this time of emotional growth and development is crucial if our teens are going to actualize their potential and become self assured, powerful co-creators of their own lives.

Early adolescence is a time of tempestuous changes in physical, mental, emotional and social spheres. It is a time when peer pressure abounds. Peer pressure outwardly or inwardly generated to perform academically can challenge a developing sense of self worth.  Peer pressure to conform to the social modes of behavior as witnessed in the bullying phenomenon threatens to corrupt the moral values we, as parents, have worked so hard to instill in our children. Peer pressure to look a certain way can lead to eating disorders, self-harming and isolation patterns. Peer pressure is only one area of challenge during middle school. There are many other challenges that beset the growing adolescent and when left to their own devices the coping strategies they devise may be harmful.

The oft joked about adolescent who doesn’t want to engage with the family and is constantly in his/her room with the headphones on or glued to their devices is more often the norm than not.  It is a common response for parents to give their child space in order to foster independence or not to rock the boat and keep the peace.  Research, and common sense, shows that an adolescent who has healthy interaction with engaged parents and positive role models will develop healthier strategic thinking than those left to figure it out on their own. Although they may want to make decisions on their own, early adolescents still need guidance and support in their choices.

An elegant solution has emerged in response to a study co-funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

The pilot study involved 100 sixth graders. They were randomly assigned to an Asian history class with daily mindfulness practice or an African history class with a matched activity (control group) that involved constructing a life-sized model of a Pharaoh’s coffin.  During the study, the teacher in the meditation group led students in silent meditation at the beginning of the class.  The initial meditation periods lasted 3 minutes, and the final meditation periods lasted up to 12 minutes.  Participants learned breath awareness and breath counting, labeling of body sensations, labeling of thoughts and emotions, and body sweeps.  During the final 2 weeks, students could choose any of the various meditation techniques. After a 6 week study period the participants completed questionnaires. 

The results were powerful. The students who meditated during a 6 week classroom-based mindfulness meditation program were significantly less likely than non-meditators to develop suicidal thoughts or self-harming thoughts or behaviors. The study also found that mindfulness meditation showed improvements in internalizing problems, externalizing problems, attention problems and affect. 

(Reference: Britton WB, Lepp NE, Niles HF, et al.  A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth grade children. Journal of School Psychology.2014;52(3):263-278.

The take away here is that we can encourage our middle schoolers to develop in a way that enhances their emotional, psychological and spiritual development through simple, effective mindfulness mediation.  This will lead to mindful behavior and a mindful lifestyle that generates optimal productivity and peaceful co-existence with those other humans on this planet with whom you will necessarily have to relate to on the journey. 

Keep it simple, my friends.  When you assess your middle-schoolers performance at the Parent-Teacher Conference tuck this information into the back of your mind.  How much is the need for tutoring and how much is the need for meditation? When you assess their social behaviors and connectedness, how could meditation help? When you how they handle stressful situations think, how could meditation help?

Sometimes the simple solution is the elegant solution. The advent and prevalence of use of internet technology (IT) among the adolescent populations offers advantages for them to achieve independence in self care that is consistent with their growth and development and adds to the mindful strategic co-creating of their health. The disruptive innovator here is TeleHealth.  Consultation, information prescriptions and teaching/coaching of mindfulness meditation practices among other stress/anxiety management practices can be accessed via smartphones, Skype, FaceTime, Google hangouts and more.  In my practice, the use of TeleHealth for college students living away from home has been quite successful.

The promise of IT utilization in healthcare for non-emergency situations is the promise of accessible, cost effective healthcare and the empowerment of our adolescents and beyond. 

For more information on how mindfulness meditation can assist your middle-schooler, please contact me at askdrnancy@aol.com or 718-634-4577.

May The Blessings Be!

Inner Health Through Homeopathy - A Variety of Shows Highlighting Homeopathy

Inner Health through Homeopathy Radio

CLICK HERE to Listen to the New Show about Using Homeopathy for Sleep Problems and Insomnia

Homeopathy: Prescription for Restful Sleep
May 7, 2010

If deep, refreshing sleep is occasionally or even
frequently elusive for you or someone you love, you are not alone.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, some 64
million Americans regularly have problems falling asleep, staying
asleep, or waking too early in the morning.  Poor sleeping patterns can
leave you drowsy during the day, unable to concentrate or effectively
carry out your daily responsibilities.

In this show host Jenny Hwozdek and guests Dr. Nancy Gahles, CCH, DC and Homeopath Bill Dyson explore the underlying 
causes of disordered sleep. These experts recommend safe, gentle and 
effective homeopathic remedies that can be used for short-term sleep 
problems. Homeopathy examines life stressors, as well as deeper 
long-term issues that are preventing deep restorative sleep. You will 
discover how homeopathic remedies provide a gentle method to rebalance 
your system, allowing your body to fall asleep and stay asleep 
naturally.

Guests:

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and
Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for
Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering
Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com.

Bill Dyson is a Classical Homeopath who has studied and practiced homeopathy for 25 years.  He specializes in
challenging health issues, with such cases as multiple sclerosis,
autism, Lyme disease, skin conditions, and arthritis. He is a Master
Homeopath for Inner Health, Inc. and you can make an appointment with
his team by calling 617-491-3374

You can click here and we'll let you know when the New Shows are Broadcasting!

HOMEOPATHY RADIO ARCHIVES

Homeopathy: The Safe Solution for Swine Flu, Influenza and past Pandemics

January 17, 2010

CLICK HERE to Listen to the New Show about Using Homeopathy for Swine Flu

Recent media predictions of flu pandemic coupled with the growing number of reported swine flu cases are the cause of a heightened concern of contacting this illness.  In this show, host Jenny Hwozdek, CCH with guest homeopaths Dr. Nancy Gahles, CCH, DC and president of the National Center for Homeopathy and Mary Aspinwall, world-renowned homeopath, educator and author, discuss the role of homeopathy in flu prevention and treatment. 

Looking back in history, Dr. Gahles recounts homeopathy's success in treating flu pandemic during the deadly Spanish Flu of 1918-21, which claimed an estimated 20 million lives.  Today, homeopathy can be equally effective if the presenting symptoms are matched with a "remedy picture". 

Mary provides a list of homeopathic remedies commonly used for flu along with a detailed description of symptoms you would expect to see when you need that remedy.  Included in this list are remedies successfully used for swine flu in Mexico City this past spring.

Then you'll hear the story of Rosemary, mother of two young children, who successfully overcame the flu this winter, using homeopathy.

For more information on using homeopathy remedies for flues get Miranda Castro's article from "Homeopathy Today"

For information about when to treat fevers get Linda B. White and Sunny Mavor's article from "Mothering Magazine"

Guests:

Mary Aspinwall is a Registered Homeopath who worked extensively in Europe from 1995 and is now based in Ventura, CA.  She is currently writing a book on clients' experiences of how homeopathy helped them overcome difficulties in conception, pregnancy, birth and post-partum.  If you would like to share your inspiring story with others or work with her on fertility or other issues, you can contact her at www.ojaihaven.com

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com.

Homeopathy for Infertility
October 15, 2009

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

Infertility is becoming a growing concern for couples as women are putting off starting families until their late thirties and early forties.  When faced with the often-painful interventions offered by traditional medicine to induce pregnancy, homeopathy can offer a safe, gentle and effective alternative.

Jenny's guests on this show are world-renowned homeopath and educator Mary Aspinwall and Gabrielle Traub, homeopathic practitioner, lecturer and the founder of World Homeopathy Awareness Organization (WHAO).   Mary discusses the most common causes of infertility and the role birth control pills, inadequate nutrition and stress play in the process.  Gabrielle compares in vitro fertilization (IVF), the most commonly used medical intervention, with the homeopathic method of the treating the whole person to enhance fertility and wellness.

You will also meet Annie, a client of Gabrielle's who attempted to conceive a child for four years. After starting homeopathic treatment, Annie successfully conceived and gave birth to her now 18 month-old daughter.  Her message?  "Don't wait another minute, try homeopathy!" 

Get Your Free Article "Looking for a Baby" by Mary Aspinwall about Using Homeopathy for Treating Infertility from "Homeopathy Today"

Guests:

Mary Aspinwall is a Registered Homeopath who worked extensively in Europe from 1995 and is now based in Ventura, CA.  She is currently writing a book on clients' experiences of how homeopathy helped them overcome difficulties in conception, pregnancy, birth and post-partum.  If you would like to share your inspiring story with others or work with her on fertility or other issues, you can contact her at www.ojaihaven.com

Gabrielle Traub, M. Tech (HOM), CCH, HD (Hon) is a classical homeopath. Due to her overwhelming success in helping women, Gabrielle was invited to join a traditional medical OB-GYN clinic, where she has been practicing alongside a traditional OB-GYN and endocrinologist for the last 8 years, specializes in women's health. Gabrielle has assisted a number of natural births including the natural delivery of twins. Gabrielle teaches homeopathic childbirth classes for expecting parents, midwives and doulas and is currently writing a book on homeopathic treatment for Infertility. Gabrielle graduated from 6 year homeopathic program in South Africa, which included training in hospitals and rural clinics. She dedicated a year to research, conducting double blind clinical trials on anxiety and difficulty concentrating, including ADD and ADHD. She is nationally certified by the Council for Homeopathic Certification.

Gabrielle produces and hosts the popular alternative medicine radio show "Vital Force" and is on the teaching faculty of four colleges. Gabrielle practices in San Diego, California and offers telephone consults for those living out of town and abroad. To make an appointment, visitwww.DiscoverHomeopathy.com or call 858-531-5279

Homeopathy for Travel
September 12, 2009

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

Travel can be fun and exciting, but may also be stressful to your health. On this show host Dr. Nancy Gahles and guest homeopaths Mercedes Christ Barnek and Tina Quirk show you how to prepare for the unexpected, detailing the top homeopathic remedies for travel-related issues.

The homeopathy radio show focuses on the most commonly experienced problems - motion sickness, insect bites and stings, strains, sprains and sunburn. The quickest and best results come from matching your exact symptoms with a homeopathic remedy. Barnek and Dr. Gahles provide simple guidelines on how to choose the most effective homeopathy remedy for you.

Long distance travel presents unique challenges, and expert homeopath and international traveler Tina Quirk shares her top remedies for fear of flying, jet lag and digestive or GI disturbances due to changes in diet. Exotic locales and temperature extremes may also present risks and Quirk suggests helpful homeopathic remedies for jellyfish stings, sea urchin spines, heat exhaustion, altitude sickness and frostbite. The radio show gives many examples of how homeopathy can effectively treat symptoms that persist long after an injury has occurred.

Guests:

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com. Please click HERE to receive a Free Brochure with many tips to help with pregnancy, birth and your newborn.

Tina Quirk, homeopathic practitioner and public educator, is a former advanced practice nurse.  She is a consultant on homeopathic research to the National Center for Homeopathy and project manager for a homeopathic clinic treating AIDS in Tanzania.  Tina currently is homeopathy coordinator for the website http://www.allthingshealing.com  She may be contacted through the website or email at tinqui@aol.com 

Mercedes Barnek, CCH, Certified Classical Homeopath, practices in Redbank, New Jersey. She may be contacted by email at mcbarnek@mcn.com 

Overcoming Stress and Anxiety with Homeopathy
May 21, 2009

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

When stress overwhelms and interrupts your life and daily routine, homeopathy offers a safe, gentle, and effective alternative that allows your body and emotions to heal from within. On this Homeopathy Radio show host Dr. Nancy Gahles, along with guests Miranda Castro and Dr. Kenneth Silvestri, highlight homeopathic remedies that can relieve symptoms brought on by everyday worries or performance concerns and explore the role homeopathy can play in healing deeper chronic stress from unresolved conflict.

The first part of the show focuses on coping with transient stressors...job interviews, public speaking, first day of school, moving and more, that can be safely treated at home using homeopathy.   Classical homeopath Miranda Castro simplifies the selection process through discussion of remedy pictures and provides a downloadable chart of homeopathic remedies you can use to match your symptoms for anxiety and stress. Get your Free Homeopathy for Anxiety & Stress Chart HERE!

Dr. Kenneth Silvestri looks at stress caused by long term unresolved conflict and how it can deplete the immune system and undermine your health. Homeopathic remedies can open a window for healing to occur.  Dr. Silvestri examines the role of forgiveness and shares his top "forgiveness remedies", which allow people to achieve peace within and lead happy and healthy lives using homeopathy.

Guests:

Miranda Castro, FSHom, CCH is a British homeopath and a Fellow of the Society of Homeopaths (UK) who has been practicing homeopathy since 1983.  She is the author of the best-selling books,The Complete Homeopathy Handbook; Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth and Your Baby's First Years, and A Homeopathic Guide to Stress, and has been a popular speaker of homeopathy on both sides of the Atlantic for twenty years.   She lives in Gainesville, Florida where she practices homeopathy, writes, and teaches seminars in addition to developing an office management program for homeopaths and healing creams for everyone!  You can reach her through her websitewww.mirandacastro.com

Get your Free Homeopathy for Anxiety & Stress Chart by Miranda Castro HERE!

Dr. Kenneth Silvestri has a practice in Psychotherapy and Homeopathy in Green Village (Chatham Township) and Montclair, New Jersey.  He is a certified classical homeopath (CCH) and has his doctorate in anthropology and psychology from Columbia University.  He studied with homeopaths Luc De Schepper, David Little, and Jane Cicchetti. He is an active black belt student of Aikido, a martial art dedicated to peace and harmony.   You can contact him at: email: Ksilvestri@nac.net or his website: www.drkennethsilvestri.com

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com. Please click HERE to receive a Free Brochure with many tips to help with pregnancy, birth and your newborn.

Tina Quirk, homeopathic practitioner and public educator, is a former advanced practice nurse.  She is a consultant on homeopathic research to the National Center for Homeopathy and project manager for a homeopathic clinic treating AIDS in Tanzania.  Tina currently is homeopathy coordinator for the website http://www.allthingshealing.com  She may be contacted through the website or email at tinqui@aol.com

Pregnancy: Homeopathic Essentials for Moms-To-Be

March 17, 2009

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

Join our experts with host Jenny Hwozdek as they pass on their knowledge of simple remedies for pregnancy and childbirth with personal stories that will amaze and inspire you.

In this radio show you will discover safe, gentle and effective homeopathic remedies that can relieve and avert common complaints experienced during pregnancy, benefiting both mother and baby before, during and after childbirth.

Homeopaths Dr. Nancy Gahles, Tina Quirk, M.J. Hanafin, and Susie Overmyer will share their insights on how to use common homeopathic remedies for different phases of pregnancy: morning sickness to more complex issues that can arise during pregnancy. You'll find out how an experienced homeopathic practitioner and a well-chosen remedy can restore health and harmony easily and inexpensively.

Remedies can also be very helpful during labor, ensuring a wonderful delivery and speedy recovery from the birthing process.

Guests:

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com. Please click HERE to receive a Free Brochure with many tips to help with pregnancy, birth and your newborn.

Tina Quirk, homeopathic practitioner and public educator, is a former advanced practice nurse.  She is a consultant on homeopathic research to the National Center for Homeopathy and project manager for a homeopathic clinic treating AIDS in Tanzania.  Tina currently is homeopathy coordinator for the website http://www.allthingshealing.com  She may be contacted through the website or email at tinqui@aol.com

M.J. Hanafin, RN, CNM, NP, DHom, a nurse-midwife for 40 years, has delivered more than 7000 babies from Nepal to New Mexico. She is Past-President of the Pacific Academy of Homeopathy and has taught at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Now retired as a midwife, she dedicates her time educating midwives, doulas, nurses and ob-gyn physicians in the art of using homeopathy for labor and delivery.

Susie Overmyer, CHom, is a grandmother and certified homeopath.  In addition to this show, she may also be heard on the December 2008 IH radio show discussing her use of homeopathic remedies for her children and grandchildren.

Pets: Homeopathy for our Animal Companions

February 2, 2009

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

When your pet becomes ill, do you wish you could find a healing method that not only is safe, effective and gentle, but could also prevent future health problems that may develop? In this "Animal Hour" host Jenny Hwozdek, CCH, RsHom(NA) explores how homeopathy can assist your pet's body to heal itself and become more resistant to disease.

Our special guest on this show is classical homeopathic veterinarian Dr. Jeff Levy, who specializes in using homeopathy for long standing diseases and minor ailments in animals. Other guests include two of Dr. Levy's patients who achieved remarkable results using homeopathy for their pets.

In the final segment, Jenny and Dr. Levy discuss the role of vaccinations on the long-term health of our companion animals. Adverse reaction to repeated rabies vaccinations is discussed along with homeopathic remedies that can be used to prevent or diminish vaccination reactions.

Guests:

Dr. Jeff Levy is a licensed veterinarian who has been practicing classical homeopathy for the past 23 years. He has studied extensively with master homeopaths Vega Rosenberg and Jeremy Sherr, authored numerous articles and taught courses in advanced veterinary homeopathy. In addition to offering full veterinary services in his Williamsburg, Massachusetts office, Dr. Levy also does homeopathic veterinary consultations by telephone. You can learn more about Dr. Jeff Levy at www.homeovet.com

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com

Ode to the Winter Season: Homeopathy for Flu, Colds and Coughs
December 18, 2008

Please Click Here To Listen To The One Hour Radio Program

http://www.innerhealth.us/for-clients/homeopathy-radio.html

In November 2008 the FDA voted in favor of a proposal that children under the age of six should not be given cold and cough medicines, because they have not been proven to be safe or effective. Medical experts agree.

Are there homeopathy remedies for flu, colds and coughs that are safe, gentle and effective? How do you choose the best one? Host Jenny Hwozdek poses these questions to two homeopathic experts and two grandmothers to find answers and practical advice that will help guide you through the process of choosing remedies on your own.

Guests:

Dr. Nancy Gahles, Certified Classical Homeopath and Chiropractor, is the Executive Director of Health and Harmony Wellness Education and is President of the National Center for Homeopathy. She is also a frequent contributing writer for Mothering Magazine, Homeopathy Today and Natural Medicine.com

Mary Aspinwall is a Registered Homeopath and author of "A Basic Guide to Homeopathy" as well as a frequent contributor to Homeopathy Today magazine. She is recognized internationally for her tireless efforts to educate the public on how to effectively use Homeopathy for first aid emergencies and acute illness. She also designed numerous best selling homeopathy kits available at www.HomeopathyWorld.com.

Pat Regensburger and Susie Overmeyer are grandmothers who regularly use homeopathic remedies on their family members.

http://www.innerhealth.us/for-clients/homeopathy-radio.html

Community Health Centers May Be the Disruptive Innovator in Integrative Healthcare

The ACA, in Sec. 5101, provides for a new national healthcare workforce to enter the mainstream healthcare delivery system.  They are identified as licensed complementary and alternative medicine providers (CAM) and integrative health practitioners. One of the areas where this workforce is included to practice is Community Health Centers.

The intent of the law was to level the playing field. The big idea is to incorporate those integrative therapeutic disciplines that are safe, cost effective and therapeutically efficacious into mainstream healthcare delivery so as to engage the people in substantive self-efficacy to increase health promotion and prevention. This is the order of the day in the European Union.  The US lags behind in implementation, however, recent studies quoted by Bill Reddy, L.Ac., of the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium, note that in the US, all CAM use by adults was estimated to be 36% in 2002 and 38% in 2007. Other sources suggest CAM use between 34-42% of the US population.

Integrative healthcare treatment is associated with significant increases in quality of life, cost savings and increased patient compliance. One study from a Dutch healthcare insurer demonstrated that patients of GP's with additional CAM training (anthroposophic medicine, homeopathy or acupuncture), had up to 30% lower healthcare costs than those without CAM training.

Given the directive of the law of the land to deploy these integrative health providers, Community Health Centers seem the perfect place to begin.

According to The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation recently released 2012 Profile on Community Health Centers, "as health insurance coverage expands under the ACA and the demand for primary care increases, the role of health centers is likely to increase, and the ACA's large investment in the health center program provides new resources to help meet growing needs."

Medicaid now accounts for close to 40% of health center revenues.  With the trend of telemedicine parity bills sweeping the country, Medicaid will cover telehealth visits without requiring an in-office encounter.  This is, indeed, the perfect opportunity for choice and access to integrative healthcare through Community Health Centers.   Ease of access to their doctor for those people with transportation challenges, movement disorders, complex chronic conditions and financial challenges can now provide early intervention, patient education and information prescriptions that will facilitate the goal of patient-centric, collaborative care set forth in the ACA. Integrative health practitioners have the diversity of disciplines necessary to meet these objectives.

Community Health Centers are poised to be the disruptive innovator in integrative healthcare. We must mobilize the integrative healthcare workforce. Policy implementation is an imperative of the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium.  Please visit IHPC.org to view their initiative and progress and to DONATE to this cause.

- Purposeful Life Might Be a Longer Life

healthfinder.gov - Purposeful Life Might Be a Longer Life



It may come as no surprise that those who care about themselves usually care about others. The random acts of kindness that flow from caring lead to purposeful activities and generally do involve others. People with a purpose have a reason to wake up in the morning and greet a new day with some degree of enthusiasm. They tend to have direction. People with purpose plan a day to fulfill that purpose. It can be simple. It can be self-directed. A walk, a supermarket shop for a healthy meal, an exercise class, a telephone call to a friend. Purpose breeds performance. Performing at our personal best yields satisfaction. Satisfaction yields a good night sleep, at peace with yourself and your world.

Even if it is not a longer life, it is a good life! 😍

Stress Really CAN Make You Sick

Kendall Power makes a good case for the ubiquitous "stress" that lowers immunity causing "more pro-inflammatory cytokines to be produced with the flu virus.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/can-stress-really-make-us-sick/2014/05/05/a1af9dd2-d074-11e3-937f-d3026234b51c_story.html

Erwin Gelfand, an immunology expert, cited in this article, pooh-poohs the research of Kiecolt-Glaser,( http://faculty.psy.ohio-state.edu/1/kiecolt-glaser/ )which says, "chronic stress makes it more likely you become infected and that infections will last longer and be nastier." Yep, that's been my observation. But, Dr. Gelfand thinks differently.

Dr. Gelfand thinks that our immune systems manage our stress effectively. "Otherwise, he reasons, most Americans would be sick in bed most of the time."

Memo to Dr. Gelfand....a majority of Americans ARE sick in bed most of the time. And if they are not in bed with physical ailments, they are sick in the workplace and in their relationships with anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. These are documented leading causes of disability in America.

An entire specialty within medicine called Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) (https://www.pnirs.org/ ) attests to the fact that stress and negative emotions make us sick.

The recent popularity of Positive Emotion Psychology pioneered by people including Martin Seligman and the studies of Barbara Fredrickson (www.positivityratio.com) , points to the evidence base that is building to support this concept.

My 33 years as an integrative healthcare practitioner has abundantly demonstrated both the etiology of stress induced pain and disability as well as efficacious treatment protocols.

Startlingly effective is the NEW collaborative care model of Classical Homeopathy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Positive Emotions. This integrative practice has yielded positive solutions to the ubiquitous "stress" that manifests as anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD).
The case studies that my colleague and I have presented at several conferences this year met with much enthusiasm and hope for healing.

An "invest in yourself" strategy pulls the person-centered piece of integrative healthcare together. What makes you tick and what makes you sick is the disruptive innovator in person-centered healthcare.  Watch this TEDxTalk for illumination, inspiration and "how to"! www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6bZBwl636s.

What makes you tick?

and

What makes you sick?

By Dr. Nancy Gahles, DC, CCH, RSHom(NA)

Allergy season is upon us. So the pundits say. But, is there really a season for allergies?

Allergies represent a broad class of symptoms specific to individual sensitivities. 

Oversensitivities exist to dust, insects, trees, plants, animals, all manner of nature in its developmental phases be it budding, blooming, dying, dormant. Allergies to the sun and the cold are common. 

The observance of physical symptoms in the presence of one or more of these triggers leads to a diagnosis of allergy. Avoidance is one treatment. Antihistamines to quell the cascade response of runny nose, watery eyes and itchiness is another.

We can be oversensitive to people, situations and environmental stimuli. Irritability, mood changes, joint and muscle aches along with sleep disorders and fatigue are symptomatic of this type of allergy. Indeed, any thing or anybody who causes you to react in a way that produces symptoms, mental, emotional or physical can be considered an allergen to you.

The key to understanding what determines your sensitivity is in knowing your Self.  What makes you tick? How are you comfortable in your own skin? What situations, places, people or things make you feel out of your comfort zone?  What brings your energy down?

These are the “allergens” to be considered. These are called “stressors”.  Stressors present a challenge to your system. Your body responds by prompting the adrenal glands to produce a hormone called cortisol in response to fight, flight or freeze signals. 

Often, cortisol levels remain high for long periods of time in the presence of ongoing stressors.  Adrenal fatigue is the result and it is one cause of symptoms of allergies or oversensitivities. The impact of stress is a spectrum that requires thorough analysis to determine what makes you sick. You are as individual as a snowflake and so are your unique sensitivities. 

What makes you tick, and what makes you sick are two sides of the same coin. 

Introspection, conscious awareness and a proactive lifestyle will provide you with strategies to increase your immunity.  Building resilience is a factor in attaining immunity to allergens and stressors of all types. 

Creating a Health Investment Portfolio that is diversified in asset classes that include natural healthcare practices and products along with conventional medicine is simply common sense. Investing in positive emotions can undo the effects of negative emotions and is a novel intervention. Homeopathy, the second largest system of medicine in the world, has a strong body of evidence-based research showing its efficacy for allergies. An integrative, collaborative model of care in this way produces a restoration of equilibrium, a return to health and a quality of happiness to one’s life. 

Well being. The anti-allergen! As I am fond of saying: “Happy=Healthy”.

Start investing in your self now!

The Light Comes

'The darkest hour is just before dawn ", as the adage goes.  The collective "we", in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, feel as though we may not see the light for many months to come.  The emotional and physical gutting of our homes is mostly complete.  That was the darkest hour. Rebuilding is the next phase. It is a project for all and more daunting for some than others. The Light shines through the studs in the bare walls of every home in Rockaway.  The Light comes onto the faces of neighbors as we greet those returning to their homes for the holidays.  The Light twinkles in our eyes as we laugh together and shop at the Red Cross tent and recall days gone by when we would have shuddered at the idea.  The notion of "stuff" , more stuff to give this year is somehow distasteful to me.  I witnessed all the "stuff' that we had stored and hoarded in our basements piled high on our streets. Soggy, moldy remnants of our past. How much of that did we really need? How often did we use any of that which we felt was too precious to dispose of? I am wont to accumulate more of what I will end up storing.  In fact, if it needs to be stored, I do not buy it. The Light, for me, will be in Lightening up.  Lightening my load. Lightening my step. Lightening my attitude. Lightening the burden of someone else. Lightening the path forward.  And forward I will go.  The Light comes to those who see it. It is always shining brightly for all to see. It simply depends on whether or not you are looking for it. Tomorrow, the Winter Solstice, will be the shortest day and the longest night of the year. We celebrate the fact that the darkest hour is just before dawn.  From that day forward, the Light comes. it promises to get stronger and warmer along the way.  This we know for sure. The Light comes.