The current financial crisis has been very devastating to many people.  Most of us are seeking ways to tighten our budget even if we have not been directly effected by the current recession.  We are all planning for hard times.  This can be a cue to simplify our lifestyle, to get in touch with our spiritual center and to let go of attachment to material connections.  This, however, does not mean we cannot enjoy ourselves.  Reconnecting with life’s simple pleasures can be of greater re...

Like so many flowers and herbs that grow around us, this amazing plant has a powerful healing ability.  Arnica (Arnica Montana) is used and recommended widely by many professionals including Massage, Physical and Occupational Therapists.  Nurse Practitioners and Medical Doctors have also touted its benefits.  It is used for general muscle and joint pain to prevent and treat bruising and soreness.  So what is the “magical” healing power this plant possesses and how and when should...

One of the main reasons why so many people suffer from a tense or aching jaw is because the muscles of the jaw are innervated by the same nerve that innervates our flight or fight response when we are stressed.  The Temporalis, Masseter, and Pterygoid muscles are used to bite, chew, and swallow.  They are all innervated by the  nerve known as the Trigeminal nerve or fifth cranial nerve.  It has many functions but we are going to focus mainly on its connections to the Jaw and the Reticular Ac...

Nothing brings up more controversial feelings and debate in parenting than the topic of how we sleep with our baby.  As a friend of mine puts it, “it is the lightening rod topic.”  What I find so incredible about this subject and many things about parenting in general is how invasive people can be when discussing it.  Maybe it stems from some deep-seeded tribal wisdom or consciousness that we are not attached to anymore.  A way of protecting the young.   The amount of advice off...

Grief is a very personal and painful experience.  Whatever means we use to find solace is significant and should be valued.  I lost my mother to breast cancer at the age of sixteen.  It was, as one could imagine a great shock to us all.  A friend said to me in a strange consolation “I don’t know how I (meaning herself) would ever get through that.”  I said in a very stoic way I’m sure, “You just do.”  She then repeated my words which evidently struck her...

Joint pain in the postpartum period is a symptom that is rarely mentioned during pregnancy.  Although not all women suffer from this sensation, those who do experience aches and pains throughout different parts of their body that can feel difficult to understand.  This lack of warning can make you worry when it happens.   You might  feel that your bones have suffered a great deal of loss of density throughout the pregnancy, which is often not the case.  One mother I know in her early 30R...