Dr. Frank Lipman, The voice of sustainable wellness

For the last 12 years, I have been bringing out my favorite World Music tracks of the year and making cd’s to give as gifts. As a World Music fan, I wanted to turn people onto amazing artists they probably have never heard of. This year is the first year I am putting them out digitally as a blog as well as on cd. Hope you enjoy this beautiful music as much as I have all year and get turned onto new artists. To Happy Listening!!

Chill Out

1) Elhem-1 By Diaspora & Amina Annabi (4:11)

2) All the Same By Vieux Farka Touré (feat. Dave Matthews) (4:30)

3) Yer Mande Lek Sen (feat. Mehdi Haddab) (3:53)

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Originally Posted on January 12, 2010.

How can we adjust our psychic and body rhythm to suit the season? What happens within us is mirrored by the natural world around us. During the frost of winter, plants submerge their lifeblood into their roots, animals thicken their hides, and ponds harden into ice. This is a time of apparent quiescence and stasis, yet beneath the surface is the hidden activity of gestation and germination that will bring forth renewal in spring.

The Kidney is the organ system that shares the power of Winter. Just as the bear survives upon accumulated reserves, the Kidney harbors our Essence that feeds and renews our life force. It is the Kidney that supports the reproductive organs governing sexuality, as well as engendering the structural elements of the body that regulate growth and regeneration. This is dependent upon an adequate store of Essence, which gives rise to the marrow, which produces the brain, spinal cord, bones, teeth, blood, and hair. Whereas Kidney Yin controls the juicy Essence, Kidney Yang kindles metabolic process. All the other organs depend upon the Kidney for moistening and regeneration (Yin), and for animation and warmth (Yang).

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I recently did a workshop with one of my favorite peeps, Bob Thurman, at the beautiful Menla Mountain Retreat Center…..so I thought I would share some of his unlimited wisdom. Here is Bob talking about Peace and Nirvana at the Menla Mountain Retreat Center in October 2006. He explains how nirvana is the ultimate, real state of our existence and how we can develop a peace within ourselves that absorbs stress.

I notice that a lot of our patients struggle with snacking at night.  This is something I’ve struggled with too, so I’ve put together some of my favorite tips so you can get into a better rhythm.

1. Nourish yourself during the day.
If you’re running around and stressed all day, you may look to food (or alcohol) to calm you down at night. But if you’re taking good care of yourself during the day  – eating satisfying, balanced meals, practicing mindful breathing, laughing & loving, drinking water, getting some fresh air, breaking a sweat – you’ll feel more relaxed in the evening.

2. Eat a satisfying dinner.
Don’t eat a wimpy dinner and then wonder why you keep heading back to the fridge all night. Eat a satisfying dinner with protein, some healthy fats and veggies. Pay attention to how you feel after your meal — are you satisfied?  If you’re craving warm foods, have some soup with dinner. If you’re craving crunch, have a salad with crunchy veggies. If you’re craving sweets, have some roasted sweet potatoes, squash or carrots.

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For those who fly frequently, there’s nothing like flying with a bad cold or feeling one starting to settle in just after touching down. Fact of the matter is that flying is harder on the body than most of us realize, and avoiding “picking something up on the plane” takes a little effort. While keeping your immune system in fighting shape between flights tops the list, there are a few more steps you can take to keep bugs at bay without having to don a HAZMAT suit from JFK to LAX. Here’s how to make the skies friendlier to your health:

Pop some pills.
And by pills we mean healthy supplements! If you’re not supplementing already, then week before take off, give your immune system a boost with a few rounds of andrographis, probiotics, vitamin C and D. For prevention, I recommend 2-3 grams of andrographis a day (has anti-viral properties), plus a daily probiotic, preferably one with 10-20 billion organisms. If you don’t mind a little gurgling and stomach upset, higher-than-usual doses of vitamin C can help fend off more serious infections. Try taking 2 grams of vitamin C, 3-4 times a day. Top off your immunity tank with doses of essential vitamin D, because most of us are woefully deficient. To determine how much you need, have your doctor check your 25 hydroxy vitamin D level to determine the appropriate amount of D3 to take, or self-test your level with ZRT labs.

Take it easy.
A few days before your trip, strengthen your system by giving it a break – get a bit more rest than usual, go to bed a little earlier, eat more healthfully, lighten up the workout routine and make time to meditate. In short, try to minimize the pre-trip stress on your body so it’s less vulnerable to infection and can stand up to the rigors of life on the road.

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I’m glad to see the mainstream media finally giving some attention to the question of whether all these pink ribbons are actually helping the breast cancer cause. The New York Times gave serious ink space to the issue, although largely missed the point, with “The Pinking of America” by Natasha Singer last month. And Friday, Forbes posted this comprehensive piece by Amy Westervelt, “The Pinkwashing Debate: Empty Criticism or Serious Liability?”

Serious liability, I say! (and thanks to Amy for quoting me in the story). As I wrote in the comments, I was dismayed to read that Elizabeth Thompson, president of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, thinks environmental links to cancer are based not on evidence but on “beliefs and emotion.” Ms. Thompson should take a look at the 2007 study commissioned by her own organization with the Silent Spring Institute, which identified 216 chemicals that cause breast cancer in animals that are widely detected in human tissues and in environments, like the home, where women spend time.

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Michael Beckwith tells us that even enlightened beings burn their bagels on occaision.  Rumi tells us that there is no worse pretense than the pretense of perfection.  Maslow tells us that there are in fact no perfect human beings.  I often consult their wisdom when I find myself all up in their stuff because I just did something silly or when I’m struggling with something that was so clear just the other day.

Are we intelligent enough to handle our Smartphones? Keeping up with all the latest technology may have a downside. Besides for missing out on what is actually happening around us in real time, how does the repetitive use of these devices affect our bodies?

There are various ways in which we can injure ourselves due to our Smartphones, almost all due to repetitive use.  These injuries are commonly known as “blackberry thumb”.

Some of the more common injuries that are associated with blackberry thumb are; Neck pain, hand pain, shoulder, pain, forearm pain, and thumb pain, golfers and tennis elbow.

These injuries can occur as a direct result of repetitive stress due to overuse on the muscles of the upper extremities while using hand held devices.

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If you’re into living a healthy lifestyle, chances are you’ve probably heard some buzz about interval training. Does it warrant the hype? I’d say absolutely yes – and the time to start is now! Though the technique has been around for years, ‘til recently it was primarily used by elite athletes to help them increase fitness, while at the same time reduce overtraining and injury. As the practice has evolved, exercise physiologists have come to the conclusion that one doesn’t have to be a competitive athlete to reap the benefits of interval training – just about anyone can – which is great news for those of us who are short on time. So, if you’re interested in more fitness in less time, read on…

What is interval training?
It’s a way to more efficiently increase fitness by alternating short bursts of exercise with slower, recovery segments, versus spending hours plodding along on a treadmill or bike.

What’s in it for me?
The benefits are pretty impressive, starting with more increased aerobic and anaerobic fitness, faster fat loss, shorter workouts, fewer overuse injuries and a lot less boredom. Sounds good, eh?

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Biofield therapy refers to a group of therapies that effect change in people’s health and well-being by interacting with their biofield.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) defines biofields as “energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body”[i].

As was explained in my previous article, Is Energy Medicine a Part of Your Healthcare?, there is increasingly convincing evidence that each human being is comprised of an energetic system that is highly integrated with the physical body, emotional systems and spiritual being of the individual.  This will not necessarily be news to anyone with a spiritual practice.  There are many ways to tap into this energetic system in a therapeutic manner in order to enhance both physical and emotional wellness.  More commonly known therapies include acupuncture and homeopathy, but there is a rapidly developing group of therapies that can collectively be called biofield therapies.

The more common biofield therapies would be reiki, healing touch, craniosacral and qi gong although there are many others as well.  These therapies all involve modification of the patient’s biofield using external energies or vibrations, usually brought though the therapist’s hands or by the introduction of colour or sound.  In some therapies like reiki the therapist is thought to be bringing in a benevolent and healing “universal” energy via their hands.  In sound healing, sounds are used to find and clear blockages in the energy field and to promote health by increasing the flow of vital energies through and around the physical body.  The Surrender Method of craniosacral therapy is based on the understanding that there is a primary respiratory movement (PRM) taking place within the spinal fluid that circulates around the brain and along the spinal column.  Amplifying the fluidity of the PRM activates the body’s innate intelligence and circulates energetic nourishment.  Surrender Method practitioners enhance the auto-healing response within the patient thereby contributing to their overall well-being, both emotionally and physically.

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