Tag Archives: holistic

Losing Weight and Staying Trim

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Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD

With warmer weather returning and bathing suit shopping on our minds, many of us are making plans to improve our nutrition and shed a few pounds. What would a holistic approach to weight loss look like? It must consider each aspect of the whole person to create healthy habits for individual weight loss. This article will highlight strategies to both jumpstart and maintain that weight reduction.

What has become clear over the years is that a simple, common sense and consistent plan of action is the most successful and easiest to follow. Crash diets and other extreme approaches to changing the way you eat almost always fail. Here are some simple yet effective rules to making a big difference in your weight status but also, and more importantly, in your overall whole health and wellbeing.

  • Remove sugary drinks from your menu. Sodas that contain sugar are empty food calories that rob nutrients from your body and help to create fat-forming calories. If you have coffee or tea with sugar, this can also be a source of ongoing weight gain that you may not realize is accumulating day by day.
  • Beware of portion control. When it comes to portion control, it’s best to use common sense. The general rule around not changing your diet but changing your portion control is to start by not eating a third of the food on your plate. Then when you are ready, you work up to half the amount on your dish. If you would prefer not to limit what you eat but eat less, this is a brilliant and successful strategy.
  • Slow down when you eat. By eating more slowly you will not only enjoy your food more, and aid the digestion of what you have eaten, you will also know when you have eaten enough as you will experience a comfortable feeling of fullness without having to experience that bloated, extended belly feeling.
  • Drink water. There is no better way to eat less and feel satisfied than by drinking a glass of water before a meal. This is an old tried and true method and it works like a charm.
  • Write down what you eat. One recent article on a study that was done at a weight loss clinic stated that people who write down what they eat not only eat less but eat better. The reason is simple. When we actually see what we are eating it is usually different from what we THINK we are eating. Seeing it in writing creates a motivation to make more mindful choices to improve our health and weigh loss outcomes.
  • Move more often. The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn, resulting in weight loss. In order to be more physically active, you don’t need to join a gym. Though joining a yoga or cycling class can be quite enjoyable, something as simple as taking a walk after dinner, riding a bike to work, or taking the stairs instead if the elevator—all add up to more calories burned throughout the day.

These simple rules form the foundation of a whole person approach to weight loss. By following these guidelines, you will make a big difference in your overall health and bodyweight status, leading to improved confidence and self-esteem both on and away from the beach.

For more information on Whole Health Living, consider visiting: www.wholehealtheducation.com

The Life-Enriching Benefits Of Becoming A Holistic Nurse

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Graduating as a Whole Health nurse opens up a world of fulfilling work opportunities in the realm of healthcare, which combines conventional treatments with effective alternative methods. Whichever area of nursing you choose to enter, training as a Whole Health nurse is bound to benefit you, your colleagues, and patients alike.

There’s never been a better time to enter holistic nursing — it’s a profession that’s expected to experience the same growth as conventional registered nurses and expand in number by 16% by 2024, which is a faster rate than many other occupations, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals. As a Whole Health nurse, you’ll focus on recognizing each individual patient as a whole —  mind, body, and spirit — to help patients and families of all ages to live healthier lifestyles. Whichever area you specialize in, it’s a rewarding profession that helps both patients and nurses thrive.

Plenty of options

After graduating from a Whole Health nursing program, you’ll find there’s a number of different exciting fields you have the opportunity to enter afterwards and hone your knowledge. Reading the thoughts and experiences of people currently working in medicine can help you get a feel for the different areas and decide which one is the best fit for you. In particular, a family nurse practitioner is trained to provide health care services to people of all ages. Typical duties include diagnosing and treating illness, conducting physical exams, and prescribing treatment.

Alternatively, graduates interested in helping patients improve their mental and emotional health should consider becoming a mental health nurse. This role involves diagnosing and treating psychological disorders, as well as providing counseling services to help address the root of the problem. Whole Health graduates also have the opportunity to work in various institutions, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, private practices, hospices, universities, and holistic health centers. Additionally, some Whole Health nurses may choose to become health and wellness coaches to help clients set, achieve, and maintain individual health goals.

Deliver better patient care

Whole Health nurses are qualified to deliver superior patient care, which in turns creates greater job satisfaction. This is essentially because patients are provided with personalized care tailored to their unique conditions, which is carefully designed to lower the risk of injury or illness developing and increase the chances of positive health outcomes. As a Whole Health nurse, you’ll also be informed on each patient’s individual struggles and strengths, which enables you to better support patient progress and recovery.

Additionally, holistic nurses have the unique opportunity to combine modern Western medicine and holistic nursing; knowledge of illness and disease is paired with an understanding of the physical, emotional, and spiritual ramifications a condition has on a patient. Whole Health nurses therefore have a greater ability to provide personalized care and the best treatment possible for every patient. 

Emphasis on self-care

Although patient care is a top priority for holistic nurses, it’s equally important to take proper care of your own mental, physical, and spiritual health. Nursing is a demanding role, which can be both physically and mentally draining. If you’re not in good health, you won’t be able to support your patients. Fortunately, holistic nursing places an emphasis on good health for nurses, which includes the importance of self-care, spirituality, self-responsibility, and personal reflection. This focus on self-care provides holistic nurses with greater support and encouragement to maintain awareness of their own needs while working. You’ll be better able to stay in holistic health and thrive in your job.

Graduating as a Whole Health nurse opens up a world of fulfilling work opportunities in the realm of healthcare, which combines conventional treatments with effective alternative methods. Whichever area of nursing you choose to enter, training as a Whole Health nurse is bound to benefit you, your colleagues, and patients alike. 

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful accredited health program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.

A Holistic Approach To Fibromyalgia

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A Holistic Approach To Treating Fibromyalgia Patients By Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD

Fibromyalgia is a condition that millions of Americans suffer from. Translating from the Latin and Greek roots, it means “pain in the fibrous muscle and connective tissues.” The major identifying symptom is intense, chronic pain in the muscles tissues, which are highly sensitive to pressure. The sensitivity is often located throughout the body and can move and shift without any apparent rhyme or reason. Let’s explore whole health approaches to bring relief.

It has been observed that fibromyalgia is often accompanied with a host of other symptoms such as joint pain and difficulty with movement, fatigue and exhaustion, difficulty sleeping or getting restful sleep, as well as headaches and other symptoms.

What can be frustrating for sufferers is that even after many decades of clinical research on fibromyalgia, medical experts refer to this condition as a “medically unexplained syndrome.” As learned in health coach certification, we know the condition is clinically defined as a history of widespread pain in the connective tissues that persist for over 12 weeks and which affects both sides of the body, including regions both above and below the waist.

The prevailing medical course of treatment offered includes muscle relaxants, anti-depressants, and even anti-seizure medication. The onjective of prescribing these drugs is to affect the nervous system function and thereby reduce pain. Unfortunately, one of the side affects of these medications is that they can also produce lethargy and fatigue, creating a “dog chasing tail scenario” for the sufferer.

Holistic treatment plans have been shown to be very effective in alleviating both the pain and other related fibromyalgia symptoms. The available holistic and alternative medicine approaches from health coach certification incorporate medication, patient education, aerobic exercise, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Here is how connective tissue and muscle fibers function in normal conditions as well as in fibromyalgia state: Energy is produced in each muscle cell, which in turn allows the muscle fiber bundles to move. When energy is produced through the Krebs Cycle inside each cell, crystal-like acids are produced. Lactic and pyruvic acids can build up in the spaces between the muscle fibers if there is a lack of proper blood flow or if the muscles are so tensed that these by-products cannot be removed with normal circulatory function.

The more tense the muscle, the more diminished the circulation, and the greater the tissue build up of these highly irritating acids. Over time, the surrounding tissues become highly inflamed and a chronic, painful syndrome is established.

This means that Fibromyalgia is a stress-fueled condition. As a result, it has been found that any options related to reducing stress and muscle tension, along with increasing circulation and relaxation, can be highly effective.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my hit radio show Living Above The Drama.

 

Can One Drink A Day Prevent Dementia?

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dementia and alcohol consumption, dr. georgianna donadio

Research reveals that one drink per day may reduce the onset of dementia in elderly people. Having one drink per day may impede the progress of cognitive impairment for seniors. A study at the University of Bari, Italy, involving 1,445 people between the ages of 65 through 85, suggests that those who routinely consume one alcoholic beverage per day developed dementia and Alzheimer's disease at a slower rate than those who didn't.

Of those in the drinking group, only 121 had developed mild cognitive impairment, which included mild memory or mental problems. The trend was revealed while tracking participants in the the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging who were followed for three and a half years. It is still unclear how small alcohol consumption protects against dementia but researchers believe that it is possible that alcohol is good for circulation and may slow the hardening of arteries that supply the brain.

Despite this discovery, many experts believe that alcohol use alone won't stop the onset of dementia and that adopting a whole health lifestyle is  the best way of protecting yourself. This would include a healthy diet, exercise, and social stimulation. Other health studies have already shown that wine contains natural compounds that have an antioxidant effect, which is good for circulation.

Alzheimer's organizations continue to investigate the possible benefits of fruit juice, red wine, and oily fish in efforts to determine ways to help offset the expected numbers of people who may develop dementia in the coming years.

Moderate alcohol consumption (one or two glasses of wine, or other alcoholic drinks, per day) has shown a long and consistent association with a reduced risk of morbidity and mortality from a number of common chronic diseases. In addition to antioxidants in wine, stress reduction by alcohol, may be the common denominator behind these benefits.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

Feel Your Best With Holistic Healing

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fell better with holistic healing approach

 

This week, we are taking a closer look at holistic healing. What is it? And how can it benefit you long term? At the core of holistic healing, or whole health, is the idea that body, mind, spirit, and emotions all effect your state of being. Good health relies on balance and wellness in all of these areas, which are intimately linked. Therefore, holistic healing is fostered by a whole health approach that encompasses all of these field.  In order to look and feel your best, in addition to reducing your risk of cancer or heart disease, you should start by considering each of these facets.

Eat Well

Many of us fall into the trap of eating the same foods the majority of the time. So, it’s easy to slip into eating habits you aren’t even aware of. There are basic rules that we should live by. We should aim to drink an eight-ounce glass of water first thing in the morning, which helps to rehydrate and make us more alert.  Throughout the say we should drink a total of at least 64 ounces of water daily to hydrate our body and skin.

At every meal, we should sit down — and eat slowly. Not only do we enjoy the food more this way, but we consume less. Breakfast is still the most important mean of the day. It should be the biggest meal of the day, filled with whole foods and whole grains. For example, half a grapefruit, one slice of whole-grain toast with butter and two scrambled eggs. A balanced lunch might include turkey or chicken with a complex carbohydrate, such as sweet potatoes, and veggies or half a tuna sandwich on whole-grain bread. Dinner should be light for easy digestion before bedtime. A healthy dinner example is salmon, tomatoes and vegetables. This should be consumed no later than7 pm. Snacking throughout the day should be limited to fruit, especially apples, or protein drinks made with whey. Going too long between meals or snacks will cause us to get hungry. That’s when we overeat.

Opt for natural carbohydrates, the ones that come from the ground, such as rice, yams, sweet potatoes and beans… and whole-grain breads and cereals in moderation. And when eating carbohydrates, add some fat or protein. When you eat a carbohydrate by itself, you get a bloated-belly feeling.

Move Often

Think of working out as the secret weapon that provides the stamina for everything else we want to do in life. Try to include a 30- to 45-minute routine every day. A nice balance would include 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical trainer, or walking outdoors, followed by 15 minutes of weights for the shoulders, biceps and upper body.

To find an exercise regimen that works for you: Do something you like enough to stick with. Try daily power-walking, join a class at your gym, play tennis, do Pilates. Or go back to what was fun when you were a kid, such as bicycling and/or swimming.

 

Sleep More

Try to get at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Sleep is how your body repairs itself from the day’s activity. Our bodies are a chemistry lab, not a bank account. When you shortchange your sleep patterns, you’re not only tired the next day — you’ve also lost out on critical healing.

Good Communication

Look people in the eyes and smile when you talk to them. When you greet someone, focus on sending out positive energy, and this energy will translate through your own eyes. People will experience you as radiating warmth — and, yes, youth.

Positive Attitude

Think positively all the time. According to the National Science Foundation, we have more than 65,000 thoughts per day, nearly 95% of which are the same thoughts we had the day before. We have the ability to create and shape our life experiences through our thoughts. This is essential for older people because it’s downright rejuvenating to believe that there is still plenty of time left to create positive experiences in life.

As you go through your daily exercise routine, practice turning every negative or fearful thought you have into a positive one.

In Summary

These basic guidelines affect your body, mind, emotions, and spirit to elicit holistic healing. Everything you do daily affects your health, and how you look and feel overall. From the foods you eat, to the thoughts you think, everything encompasses the realm of whole health.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

Yoga Is More Than A Trendy Form Of Exercise

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Yoga Is More Than A Trendy Form Of Exercise

Somehow our Western world has managed to transform yoga into a trendy form of exercise, while bypassing the wisdom and spiritual enhancement that yoga has to offer. True yogis know that this ancient and sacred method of self-care and self-discipline is not just an exercise, but rather a system that promotes wellness of body, mind, and spirit.

It may be that the challenge in our multi-talking, fast-paced Western society is teaching or learning about holistic health, or mind/body/spirit science, in a way that invites an organic understanding, especially in a hectic culture where everyone seems to be running on limited time and seeking immediate results. Most Western yoga teacher training programs do a good job teaching the asanas, but fall short in providing critical, science-based information about how they affect the body systems.

Kathy Farrell, a 32-year-old Hatha Yoga teacher who runs the Boston Public Health Commission’s fitness center specifically felt that the anatomy and physiology elements were lacking in her yoga certification program. She is quoted as stating that the “broader picture and the evidence of how the mind, body and spirit work together was knowledge I was missing.”

Some programs also seem to be lacking in teaching how to develop mindful, meaningful relationships with students. One of the main reasons people do not continue with alternative modalities, such as yoga, is due to a lack of understanding of the enormous emotional, nutritional, and spiritual benefits as well as physical benefits from continuing such a practice. A remarkable, integrated model of health education, Whole Health Education ® ,  has emerged over the past two decades, providing the teacher and student alike a larger “whole picture of health” that can facilitate how yoga is taught, and very importantly, how yoga is understood by a Western evidence-seeking audience.

Through this whole health, relationship-centered approach, a yoga teacher can possess and share with students a scientific and spiritual understanding of body, mind and spirit health. Farrell agrees: “Whole Health Education ® is essential training for all yoga teachers and anyone in the health arena. Professionally, I am now a better teacher because I have the evidence of interconnectedness and can help my students delve deeper. For example, in the case of a blocked chakra, I can identify the organs that are connected to that particular chakra. I am not just a better teacher but also a better person all around because it has helped me to graduate to a deeper level of happiness. I no longer want to take the band-aid approach but rather, it has made me more aware of looking at all aspects of my health, the ability to identify imbalances, and the knowledge to make the necessary changes.”

In addition, in learning how to develop mindful, invitational relationships with students, yoga teachers can attract more students and provide the additional quality of life benefits they are seeking from their yoga practice. An organic understanding of yoga enhances this experience. This model of teaching and learning also helps to integrate current medial research with the wisdom of various ancient spiritual teachings and a natural outlook on healing, all centered on integrity and compassion. In addition, it demystifies anatomy, physiology, nutrition, environment, spirituality/psychology, and integrates these sciences to give yoga teachers and students an integrated understanding of the “big picture of health.”

In addition to being an outstanding and unique method of teaching and learning, this education model can uncover what the real cause and effect of our diseases are or how we can heal what ails us. The Whole Health Education ® model invites individuals to discern what they know about their health, what choices they can make to eliminate or control their health problems, and what kind of care they choose to utilize. This invites an experience of holistic health through our own filters, and in a way that is compatible with our authentic self and personal beliefs. In this model, individuals become the empowered center of their own health and healing process.

 

 

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

 

 

Learn The Surprising Way That Food Affects Your Mood

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Learn The Surprising Way That Food Affects Your Mood

Did you know that what you eat affects your mood? It's interesting that the emphasis is usually on how things from the outside of us affect our insides. In reality so much of what is going on inside of us affects our outsides. That’s right, our mood and our food are intimately connected.

This is really evident in terms of weight loss and weight gain. The way we feel about ourselves, work, life, if we are fulfilled or dissatisfied, has more to do with what or how much we choose to eat than how eating a food has to do with how it "makes us feel." Our food decisions are often linked to our level of emotional wellness.

One of the reasons diets don't work is because the "work" is being done on the outside of the problem instead of the inside. I have been a nutritionist for over 30 years and have seen tens of thousands of patients who want to change the way they look or the way they eat.

When we start to "work" on the goal, within a relatively short period of time, they become aware that there are underlying feelings and emotions associated with not eating foods that help them to "medicate" or mask their feelings.

They often become discouraged because the feelings are uncomfortable and sometimes painful. It is our human nature to avoid pain and move towards pleasure. It takes courage to truly tackle and confront the underlying issues of "food and mood," rather than focusing on the outside of the problem, to focus on the inside instead.

Here is an exercise you may find to be of value. If you are dealing with mood or food issues, keep a journal for 10 days. Write down everything you eat and how you feel when you don’t eat what you want, as well as how you feel when you DO eat what you want.

Just becoming more aware of what you are putting in your mouth and how it translates to how you feel after you eat a particular food, can be the start of a healthier and happier relationship with food and your mood. Before you take your next bite, consider whether you are feeding your stomach, your mood, or both.

 

FREE Whole Health Consultations available.
888-354-4325 Take charge of your health

 

 

Your Relationship With Yourself Is The Foundation Of Everything

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Your Relationship With Yourself Is The Foundation Of Everything

Susannah Conway, author of This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart, said it best when she wrote, “Your relationship with yourself is the foundation of everything.” But what does a healthy relationship with ourselves look like? And how can we develop a good relationship with ourselves if we are unsure of what that is or what that looks like?

A good relationship with ourselves would look the same way a good relationship with anyone looks. It entails respect, kindness, awareness, fulfillment, having needs met, friendship and creating stress-free memories.Here are some ways that we can cultivate a good relationship with ourselves that will influence the relationships we have with others.

Start With Self-Care
We need to look after our physical, emotional, nutritional, environmental and spiritual needs to nourish ourselves on many level. Focusing on caring for ourselves in this most basic way establishes self-respect and healthy habits. It also sends a message of self-love to ourselves, which is the most important component of caring for oneself.

Make Time For What Is Important To You
If you feel good taking time for your first cup of coffee or browsing the bookstore to find a perfect book that uplifts or entertains you, be sure to take the time on a regular basis to give this gift to yourself and brighten your day. Whatever your favorite soothing activity is, be sure to carve out space in your schedule to allow such experiences.

Identify And Set Boundaries
The boundaries we establish for ourselves will have a great impact on the boundaries we set in our relationships. By not allowing ourselves to work too hard, play too little and spend too much, we will be looking out for ourselves as well as identifying appropriate ways to interact with others. Moderation in how we live and avoiding extremes is an ideal way to be centered and stay in that healthy zone.

Be Your Best Friend
Because a relationship with ourselves is the only relationship we can depend on having every single day of our lives, it is most important that we are our own best friends. By developing a positive, nurturing and loving relationship with the most important aspect of our lives (that is, ourselves), we build a strong foundation for all other relationships that follow.

It is often said that we continually repeat the relationship we develop with ourselves with all the other relationships we have in our lives, so it is essential that it is a caring, respectful and nourishing one.

For more information about this topic, you can access a free excerpt from the bestselling book Changing Behavior: Immediately Transform Your Relationships with Easy to Learn Proven Communication Skills by visiting www.changingbehavior.org.

 

FREE Whole Health Consultations available.
888-354-4325 Take charge of your health!

 

Decoding Body Language: The Messages We Send And Receive

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What is also understood is that there are “tells,” or neurological expressions of these withheld, nonverbal communications happening inside our brains. Even though we may not consciously or intentionally express verbally or physically how we feel, our brain/body connection does express these thoughts and feelings in nonverbal ways. These nonverbal ways are the “tells” that police and other professionals use to decide if someone is withholding information. This skill usually relies on instinct, but it might be wise to include such a information in today’s health coach certification programs to assist nurses in treating their patient's ailments holistically and effectively.

Relationship Impact

Many studies have been done on the subject of body language and nonverbal communication. Most of these findings agree that it is important for all of us to become aware of how our physical and verbal or nonverbal behavior impacts others, especially those who spend the most time in our environment.

Nonverbal communication can often cause one individual in a relationship to become upset if he feels he is seeing or interpreting nonverbal actions by his partner as rejection or disinterest. Often, before a relationship ends, one partner suspects the relationship is in trouble because of a lack of eye contact or verbal communication or because of hostile body language, such as the crossing of arms or legs in response to communication attempts.

Thoughts, Feelings, and Your Body

There is a science to nonverbal communication interpretation, as well as a science to understanding the best way to express our feelings. The way we do that can result in a positive or negative outcome. The science is directly related to neurological and neurotransmitter connections between thoughts and feelings in the brain and their communication to the muscles and nerves in the rest of our body.

Healthy Applications

Body language communications are both sent and received. We should become more mindful of the cues others are sharing and learn to read them more effectively because the information can be surprisingly vital. In my consulting practice, I see this all the time. A patient’s body language often conveys information they are leaving out, whether due to timidness, embarrassment, or lack of conscious. Nonetheless, nonverbal communication can alert to a need to press further for more clues about the presenting complaint.

Interpreting a patient’s or loved one’s body language can require close observation, something worth practicing whether you are a practicing nurse, an individual pursing a health coach certification, or simply a person hoping to improve your communication skills and your relationships.

In closing, we should all make an effort to monitor the nonverbal communication we are sharing in both our professional and personal lives. These cues can also offer hints to the real struggles lying beneath the surface.

FREE Whole Health Consultations available.
888-354-4325 Take charge of your health!