Health Cafe Journey

"You have cancer," is still the worst phrase a person can hear. It changes your life forever. Sadly, you become a member of a growing class of people who feel the grief and vulnerability of having a disease that not only kills, but the conventional treatment prescribed often harms and leads to death. I'm not going to make this post about my feelings toward the conventional approach cancer patients are subjected to. But I will be firm about what you should do. Remember you are ultimately in charge of your health. Not the doctor. Not your family or friends. YOU! You need to make the decision for YOU. Because you have to live with the disease. It's happening in your body. Not the doctor's. Not your spouse's. Not your friend's. YOU! 1. Don't Panic The doctor will insist you need to get treatment started right away. They will role out the conveyer belt in front of you and urge you to jump on. Enjoy the ride! Don't panic. It took many years for the tumor...

Probably the most enjoyed vacation we've taken lately was back in 2011 when we toured the Southwest National Parks and surrounding sights with friends. I thought you might like to revisit the trip or perhaps you're seeing the post for the first time. You may discover some places you'd like to visit with your family. Come on... let's go! Photo by Mike Eisenhard Places To Go ~ Things We Saw Starting with Zion National Park in Southwest Utah, the neat and upscale town of Springdale invites travelers to the entrance of this majestic, wow-factor, geologic wonder—my favorite park on the trip. A convenient shuttle runs through town and delivers you to the park entrance and visitor center. Boarding a double shuttle, we could disembark at any stop in the park. Our first morning, we chose to hike the Watchman Trail. We made our way up a short canyon passing colorful displays of wildflowers to an overlook with a panoramic view of the valley below and the Watchman Peak standing at ...

I'm of Irish heritage so when St. Patrick's Day comes around it's fun to sport something green and eat corned beef and cabbage. I never eat corned beef any more (never really cared much for it). Frankly, growing up in my Irish household (including schooling by Irish nuns), we learned it was only necessary to wear green to avoid getting pinched if you were NOT Irish. Anybody else get this message? Over the years St. Patrick's Day seems to have morphed into a day to eat green food, drink green beverages (especially the adult variety), and wear big green hats with the green-colored clothes. Everybody, whether Irish or not, participated. I don't drink, but I have gone to a local bar with my hubby to take in all the festive activities on St. Paddy's Day. On that day the whole world is Irish. I'd like to add another way to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Go Green! Here are 6 tips to G o Green starting this St. Patrick's Day: #1 Reuse Today recycling is easy. ...

Tip: Want to increase your efficiency? Add a live plant to your desk or work area. Plants in the work environment increase productivity by 15% study found.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Bright New Year! As I reflect on 2014 and look ahead to next year, first let me say I appreciate each of you. If you learned something and perhaps incorporated a few new things into your lifestyle that made you healthier, I am thankful. I will be signing off until next year, but it won't mean I'm not thinking about you. Work has begun to redesign and re-orgainze the website. Once completed, you should find it easier to access what you're looking for—whether it's older posts, recipes, a product I've talked about or you're new and want to achieve optimum wellness. You'll discover health tips, information and recipes for your healthy journey. I'll also be telling you about my children's books and how they fit in to my message for a healthy lifestyle. What? You didn't know I'm an author of children's books? My bad... I've needed to bring together my two identities (health coach/blogger and children's ...

Give a warm welcome to special guest poster, my friend, Nancy Hill—a fellow traveler on the journey of eating clean, traditional foods. She has two of the sweetest boys, which she adopted as wee ones knowing they needed special care. Enjoy reading about her latest diet journey and a blessing. ~Chris Well, lots of changes going on around here…dietarily speaking! After 6 years, we’re officially no longer vegetarian. We’re now eating Paleo-style (although I dislike the label “Paleo!"), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to be exact, recommended by our new functional-pediatrician doc to address Philip’s GI issues. It was not an easy decision, or transition, but based on weeks of research, we feel it’s the best move at this point to help heal Philip’s gut and resolve his dysbiosis / small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) , as well as malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies. Funny thing is, the more research I did, the more I came to realize that I needed this change as much...

Do you find yourself in a state of frenzy during the Christmas season, whether it's being bombarded by commercialization or feeling the stress of getting a gift for everyone on your list? Here are some tips for calming your heart and re-adjusting your  attitude  this season. #1 Approach the Season With a Sense of Gratitude Be grateful for what you have—friends and family who love you. They won't stop loving you if you don't get them a gift. The gift of  you  may be all that's needed. #2 Give a Gift With Meaning Make up a coupon to give something of yourself (babysitting for your girlfriend with small kids whose budget has no room for babysitting). The list is endless. #3 Take Time to Serve the Less Fortunate There are plenty who are homeless and hungry during the Christmas season. Take time to schedule several hours on a service project to help those in need. You'll never feel more blessed than when you serve others. #4 Keep Your Expectations In Check Don't assu...

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, we tend to look beyond ourselves and think about giving. Webster's Dictionary defines give : to make a present of... However, give is just a word with no feeling behind it. We add the emotion from something in our heart. A genuine attitude for giving might best be offered with gratitude : a feeling of appreciation or thanks. Attitude is one of my roots of health and one way to improve your attitude is to show gratitude. Volunteer your time to the less fortunate. Giving to others helps us forget ourselves and our troubles. It tends to reinforce a thankful feeling within. At this time of year one favorite family tradition has been to fill a shoebox with goodies and items for a child living in a third-world country who lives in dire circumstances and a seemingly hopeless situation. We accomplish this through  Operation Christmas Child , a project of Samaritan's Purse. What is Operation Christmas Child? Through a simple gift of a shoebox ...