Article Archive

Expanding Little Minds

Craniosacral Therapy Helps Youngsters Thrive

The beautiful, 18-month-old child named Emma stood in front of me. Her piercing blue eyes held mine in an unblinking stare as she took my hands and placed them on her head. She was telling me to treat her.

Following her wishes, I gently cradled the sides of her head, felt the movement of the bones, and followed their lead. As her cranial bones reorganized themselves, Emma stood and held my gaze. When her skull balanced, she took a deep breath, grinned, and stepped over and hugged her mom, Kristen, who was sitting on the floor with me.

Sound Sleep

A Prescription for Health and Happiness

For the most part, we are a sleep-deprived nation. We rush through weekdays, operating on too little sleep and crash on weekends in an attempt to recover. And even for those of us clocking the requisite hours, sleep may be interrupted for a variety of reasons. According to Ralph Pascualy, M.D., medical director of the Swedish Sleep Medicine Institute (SSMI) in Seattle, Wash., both the quantity and quality of our sleep directly affect our health.

Mud Treatments

Ask a Therapist

Q. I’m intrigued about the health benefits of mud, mud masks, and mud bathing. My spa/practitioner offers these services, but what should I know before I receive these treatments? Are there risks involved?

Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains, Oh My!

News Note

New dietary guidelines recently put forth by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture suggest Americans should eat more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Published every five years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 acknowledges that most Americans are overweight, but that obesity can be curbed by the consumption of 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and at least three servings of grains (whole wheat, oats, or brown rice).

While You Were Sleeping

News Note

Even though you burn less calories sleeping, a recent study found that those who sleep less than seven hours a night had an increased risk of obesity. Researchers from Columbia University discovered that sleep deprivation lowers a protein that suppresses hunger and increases another that boosts the desire to eat. The study, which included 18,000 people, concluded that the group at greatest risk was those individuals receiving less than four hours of shuteye per night.

Acupuncture and Arthritis

News Note

A new study by the National Institutes of Health shows significant improvements in the pain management of degenerative osteoarthritis through the use of acupuncture, the ancient Asian medical practice of inserting fine needles at key energetic points along the body. The study included 570 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were either taking anti-inflammatory drugs or other pain relievers.

Fewer Senior Surfers

News Note

When it comes to the abundance of health information on the Internet and the number of elderly readily accessing this information, a “digital divide” exists, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Only 30 percent of adults 65 and older have ever gone online, and, of those, only 21 percent has specifically searched for advice on health-related topics.

Living in the ’Burbs

News Note

Who would have thought that living the suburban life might be killing you? According to a study published in Public Health, suburban sprawl (specifically the air pollution caused by automobiles and a more sedentary lifestyle) may be more hazardous to your health than metropolitan living. The study compared such dichotomous areas of the United States as Riverside-San Bernadino, Calif., with Manhattan and found that living in the least-sprawled areas added as much as four years to your life.

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