I would like to start off this article with a reference from Psychology Today by cardiologist and “Food Shaman” Michael S. Fenster MD,[1] who writes about his dog Freya. The title of his article is The Mindfulness of a Dog: An Attitude of Gratitude, and it is so...
The holidays are stressful and a time when many will over-use and abuse alcohol and other psychotropic chemicals. These times may present challenges for those of us who are committed to sobriety and they can be a risk for relapse. Understanding and applying the unique faculty of consciousness, mindfulness, may be extremely helpful during these celebratory times.
Mindfulness Practice has been studied and found to be a useful and therapeutic adjunct in weight loss.[1] As a functional medicine physician, one thing that mindfulness can do that I have found to be clinically very helpful is to direct it at eating itself. A lot of people eat by the “chomp and swallow” technique which causes indigestion and gut dysbiosis.
"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice.” ~Richard Bach - Illusions (1977) If I recall accurately – despite the handicap of a 70-year-old brain – when I read the book Illusions over 40 years ago, the...
This week I experienced deep grief with the passing of my dear colleague, Dr. Voss. Her passing, like any death, provides us with a moment to reflect on our lives and our purpose for being here in our temporary bodies. We must all face the ending of our physical body...
The first three articles in this series on mindfulness, applied as a clinical tool and based on peer-reviewed studies, showed that mindfulness meditation may have a significant effect in the prevention and treatment of the first three leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease, cancer and accidents.
In 2017,[1] heart disease was the leading cause of death killing 647,457 Americans a year, followed closely by cancer which killed 599,108 Americans a year. The previous two articles in this Mindfulness series have proven that mindfulness, applied as a clinical tool...
Quiet your mind and take refuge from the worries and emotional disturbances of the world We begin to use mindfulness for some practical healing and move to the topic of anger. The experience of anger is often felt physically as a tightness in the body, usually in the...
What is Mindfulness? Jon Kabat-Zinn[1] defines mindfulness as… “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Several decades ago I had noticed the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions that I taught to cancer patients and to others suffering from serious chronic disorders, and I was happy to see formal publications appear in […]
Mindfulness and Cancer This webinar event has ended. Please see below for the summary. Mindfulness-based therapies have been shown clinically to improve immunity and outcomes for various conditions such as cancer. At the very least, extricating the mind from a...
African Wisdom on Healing - Life Lessons East African wisdom on healing comes from the intrinsic link between life, community and healing. For the last 6 years I’ve lived in various countries throughout East Africa and learned a lot about the connections that...
Mindfulness during the holidays can help us remember what is important. We often feel pulled between our desire to be there for and with others, and our desire to rest and renew ourselves from the busyness of the holidays and the end of the year. Here are some...
Mindfulness-based approaches to psychotherapy in the last decade are revolutionizing psychology. Studies on the psychological benefits of mindfulness are exponentially doubling every few years. Mindfulness is a clinical entity, and should not be confused with...
A daily mindfulness practice can reduce stress and calm your brain and racing thoughts. Mindfulness is a separate faculty of consciousness totally distinct from cognition (thinking), emotion (feelings), intuition or sensory awareness (the 5 senses). Mindfulness is not...