The average person takes about 20,000 breaths per day, yet not many people pay attention to how they’re breathing. The quality of your breathing can have a profound impact on your health, causing a wide range of physiological changes beyond the simple exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Many ancient cultures knew about the healing potential of breathing and developed entire traditions around this – such as yoga and qigong. You may have also heard of Wim Hof, the famous extreme athlete who uses breathing techniques to tolerate extreme temperatures.
Harnessing the power of the breath has some seemingly-miraculous benefits, even beyond tolerating a polar plunge. Optimizing your breath can be transformative to your immunity and overall health in ways that we’re just now beginning to understand. The best part is that your breath is free and accessible to you at all times, with no harmful side effects!
Read moreTo me, the most fascinating components of the human body are ones that have been least researched and discussed. Mainstream medicine has historically focused on individual cells and organ systems but has largely ignored the incredibly complex Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and fascial tissues, which really are the basis of the holistic connectivity and communication present within the body.
Renowned herbalist, Matthew Wood, provides thoughtful insight into the ECM and fascia in his recent book Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix: The Science of Healing at the Cellular Level.¹ In understanding these structures, there’s no way to ignore the innate holistic intelligence of the human body and the necessity of integrative treatment.
Read more“I haven’t been sick since 2019,” said a patient of mine recently.
No one likes getting sick, and you may think that this is something to celebrate. However, this is actually something I worry about hearing. I don’t believe that our immune system is healthy if we don’t get sick every once in a while. Getting sick is an innate part of being human, and our immune system has evolved to account for this. My patient’s statement has me thinking about the downstream consequences of avoiding illness.
An Epidemic of Absence by Moises Vasquez-Manoff provides an insightful exploration of the hygiene hypothesis: that the modern-day sanitization practices may be causing immune dysfunction underlying the current rise in allergies, asthma, and autoimmune conditions.¹ Considering that the immune system has tight links with the endocrine and nervous systems, this discussion also begs an even bigger question...
What exactly does illness do to us as humans – physically, mentally, and developmentally?
While there’s still so much we don’t yet understand about immunity, it’s worth exploring how extreme attempts to protect ourselves from pathogens may have big-picture consequences.
Read moreIn her recent memoir, “The Invisible Kingdom: Re-Imagining Chronic Illness”, Megan O’Rourke gives voice to this lonely and difficult journey of those struggling with chronic illness – a population that’s growing more rapidly than ever. She sheds groundbreaking light on our current attitudes in treating chronic illness, and the potential of long COVID to be the catalyst for massive shifts in mainstream medicine.
Read moreI am not an astrologer-I just play one on TV.
Being an armchair astrologer I decided to take the plunge and enroll in astrology school. Believe it or not, Portland, Oregon is home to an actual astrology school that has been around since the early 1900s!
https://portlandastrology.org/
Astrology is an in-depth look at the symbols that rule our family mythology, our generational mythology and on a personal level, it rules the psychology of how we think and feel about ourselves. I am excited to keep layering my understanding of this symbolic language to help myself and my patients understand different ways of viewing their pathology-sometimes just having another perspective is being able to visualize a different pathway to healing.
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