Empowered Patient Blog
Medical Reformation
We live in a time where the medical-industrial complex and related regulatory agencies are providing medical indulgences to citizens of the Western world. Rather than lead with education and invest in prevention as a first line of intervention, high-priced drugs and procedures cram the coffers of corporate medicine. If you think this analogy is pure hyperbole, what follows is a small sample of “theses” widely espoused by providers in the integrative and holistic medical community.
Breathing in Spirit: How to Recognize and Cultivate Inspiration
Being connected to a universal stream of consciousness may sound as unattainable as it is mystical, but to do so is an inherent feature of a broader spiritual reality we all share. From pre-civilized shamanic peoples to modern spiritual traditions, the same theme has echoed across millennia—we are not human beings having spiritual experiences but spiritual beings having human experiences.
The Rain Man Effect: How to Recognize and Hone Intuition
What is intuition and how do we experience it? This is a question I’ve thought a lot about as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Though my work is based on the science of herbal prescribing and acupuncture point indications, there is also a subtle art to the medicine that draws heavily on intuition.
Godspeed Healing a Parkour Knee Injury
It was an epic fail. The full force of an impact that should have been displaced by two hips, thighs, and legs, was instead taken by only the right lower limb. Limping away, I knew I was out for the night with the full extent of the injury looming as pain radiated from the knee joint.
Why do I always wake around 3AM?
There is a frustrating and all too common phenomenon that plagues many a sleeper. It goes something like this: Falling asleep is no problem, but in the early morning hours, one wakes agitated and restless. This can last up to an hour or two before finally falling back asleep. Upon rising is the feeling of being unrested, what we call “non-restorative sleep” in integrative medicine.
The Future of Cancer Therapy: Personalized Medicine
Aside from the respiratory symptoms and mild fatigue, she felt fine. She didn’t hear much else after her doctor suggested a tentative diagnosis of non-small-cell lung carcinoma.
Symphonic Health
Each person is a unique album of divinely inspired music. Sometimes deep scratches of trauma disturb the quality of the sound, but unlike a fixed vinyl album, the human brain and heart can change, can heal, and once again play the sublime chords of the soul.
The Future of Cancer Therapy: Naturopathic Oncology
For the first time since she heard the word “cancer” she was not feeling overwhelmed. Suddenly, healing seemed possible with a roadmap of consulting with a healthcare model that was as invested in her health as her disease.
Beginner’s Mindset
Healing takes time, and it takes the right trajectory. A healing mindset maps the course ahead, providing guidance on treatment options and lifestyle changes that will most effectively help you arrive at your destination of optimal health. Awareness of the obstacles clears that path so you don’t waste time, energy, and money on medical red herrings.
Making Structured, Living Water
I’ve become increasingly interested in the nature of water after reading Dr. Tom Cowan’s book Cancer and the New Biology of Water. There is a lot more to water than two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. Water is a living, breathing element and there is a substantial difference between stagnant, denatured water and vibrant, nourishing water.
Hypnosis for Stress
Hypnosis is a state of consciousness marked by increased awareness and suggestibility. Despite being a favored technique of magicians, illusionists, and mentalists, hypnosis isn’t all that mysterious. A captivating book or movie drives attention to the exclusion of other outside stimuli, and the reader/viewer may experience emotions associated with the characters. That is suggestibility we allow into our experience as an observer.
Digital Detox for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Rejuvenation
Are you feeling burnt out on social media or suffering from screen fatigue after a week of online meetings? Do your hands feel cold after hours of typing or get brain fog when working next to a wifi router? If so, it may be time to give your body a break from technology.
COVID vs. Cancer: Reflecting on 2020
History teaches that neither side of any extreme is the sole arbiter of truth. No single political party, religion, or economic model can provide all the answers to all people. Thus, we are left with the uncomfortable yet necessary task of practicing tolerance at a minimum, but ideally putting forth effort to expand one’s intellectual and emotional horizons with informed nuance.
Light, Heat, Sweat, and Heal
It’s the coldest and darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. We celebrate and make merry with the holidays, but the passing of the winter solstice near the end of December reminds us we have a lot of dark winter ahead. Combined with the post-holiday slump, this can be a depressing start of the year for some folks.
The Cure for the Common Cold?
Cold and flu season is here. Add a pandemic into the mix, and the slightest cough or sniffle results in the sick individual spending several days at home. As this blog has repeatedly pointed out, building resilience in the form of immunity is the ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure in missing work or school.
Yet the coronavirus known as the common cold has eluded a cure for as long as we have been suffering with it. Or has it?