Article Archive

Flower Essences

Bouquets of Emotional and Life Path Support

The harmonizing and healing properties of flowers have been acknowledged and utilized throughout history. The ancient Egyptians as well as the Australian Aboriginals made use of flowers to heal the emotions. In the 16th century, Paracelsus described collecting dew from flowering plants, diluting it and using this essence to treat various disorders. Now, in the West, flower remedies have been used with great success for more than 65 years thanks to Dr. Edward Bach’s rediscovery and formulation of them.

Acupuncture and Addiction

Conquering Self-Destructive Habits

Millions of people have suffered from their own or someone else’s addiction. I’m not talking about craving a few brownies. I’m talking about gambling, cocaine, the Internet, heroin, alcohol, nicotine, crack cocaine, marijuana, caffeine, pornography, food, sugar and prescription drug addiction. Addiction takes a huge emotional toll on everyone, has profound financial and legal consequences, and dashes the hopes and dreams of families everywhere.

Breathing for Life

Are We Suffocating Ourselves?

I didn’t breathe during most of my 20s — or at least I didn’t breathe fully.

I had no idea my chronically tight shoulders, constricted intestines, insomnia and unyielding jaw tension were so closely related to my limited breath. To regain my health, I had to relearn how to breathe. And, though I still have to remind myself to do this from time to time, I understand how healthy breathing supports the body’s ability to heal itself.

Cultivating Wellness

How Does Your Garden Grow?

When I go into my garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health, that I discover I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. — Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1849

It’s difficult to find a gardener who doesn’t agree with Emerson. The reward, avid gardeners say, of cultivating the earth is nothing short of sublime. So what exactly is going on in the backyard plot that has captivated more than 85 million Americans? Well, in a word, healing.

Mind, Body and Spirit

The Spiritual Consciousness of Massage and Bodywork

In massage and bodywork, there is an elephant on your tables and chairs, in your spa rooms, and, in fact, everywhere you take the profession. Not the trunk and peanuts kind. No, this animal is metaphorical in nature, yet an animal, nonetheless. Strangely paradoxical, this elephant is the backbone of many modalities and to many of our lives, yet is often avoided in the name of privacy, sacredness, and because we just don’t know how to talk about it. The subject of which I speak is none other than spirituality.

Common Exercise Myths

Or The Excuses We Can’t Use Anymore

Although old fitness fictions like “no pain, no gain” are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions still exist. Following are some of the most common myths, as well as not-so-common facts based on current exercise research.

Myth: If You’re Not Going To Work Out Hard and Often, Exercise Is a Waste of Time.

Eating Disorders Explored

Ask a Therapist

Q. My therapist told me that massage and bodywork can be helpful for eating disorders. How can this be?

A. The truth is, millions of American men and women suffer from some sort of eating disorder. Bodywork, however, can help lessen the chasm between body and mind that helps “feed” these disorders. According to author Merrill DeVito, who went on her first diet in the fifth grade, the self-loathing that accompanies eating disorders gets trapped in the entire body, but bodywork helps release it.

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