Once your partner has been given a diagnosis everything changes. The security is gone. You are aware, hyper-sensitive in fact, that the other shoe may drop at any time. This knowledge may leave you uneasy and on the defensive. This will be only one of many topics that will be discussed in the coming months, although the main focus will be around selfcare. So please be patient while I do some behind the scenes work to get everything in order.

Andrea

It made me realize how useful Laugher Yoga really is! The topic and act of laughter can really be used at most any event to bring people together; from children and adult birthday parties to holiday celebrations, and even weddings. (My partner and I thought about doing it at our wedding celebration, except that it was 100 degrees that day! HA! I think Laughter Yoga might be contraindicated in extreme heat. It is exercise after all.) I've already seen how great Laughter Yoga is as a corporate workshop, next I am excited to bring it in as a team building exercise. It could even be used as an ice-breaker or energizer for all day trainings and conferences. The possibilities are endless!

I have been busy writing and posting various health and wellness related articles on eHow.com. Please check out some of my work. I always appreciate feedback and comments!  Below are links to a few of the recent postings, but I am listed as HealthCoach100 if you would like to look at everything. Enjoy!

How to Gain Better Health in 12 Easy Steps

How to Create Positive Affirmations

The heartbreaking thing is that many of these chronic conditions, such as acid reflux, depression, asthma and high blood pressure can be treated or alleviated through diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, people are programmed to want a quick fix, like popping a pill, by our demanding consumerist, fast-paced lifestyles and the ongoing bombardment of pharmaceutical advertising. It becomes easier to simply ask the doctor about the purple pill Nexim than to wade through the overwhelming choices presented by the health and wellness industry. We want to still be able to stay up late, get up early, eat fat and sugar laden fast food, all-the-while drinking coffee, soda and energy drinks to stay alert, so we can participate in our go-go lives. Popping a pill allows us to think we are “fixing” a problem without actually taking the time to address our stress or lifestyle.

Regrettably, many of our doctors are now trained how to cover up or reduce symptoms versus discovering root causes or facilitating healing. The typical physician is no longer an expert on health and wellness, but experts of pharmacology; drug dealers in disguise, luring you in with “free” samples. The next time you have a symptom or a diagnosis and are handed a prescription without a discussion, don’t feel bad questioning your doctor. Ask what else you can do besides going on medication. There are still doctors that are thrilled when patients ask questions about lifestyle versus walking in demanding a medication they saw in an advertisement. If your doctor is resistant to a discussion and simply wants to push a pill, exercise your power as a consumer and find a new doctor.

As consumers and citizens we must learn to take responsibility for our personal wellness and make tough decisions if we ever expect health care in our country to change. The only way to fix our broken health care system is to change to a system that values and rewards prevention and healing over quick fixes. Popping pills for every ache, pain and discomfort will never lower health care costs or heal what ails. If you don’t believe me, consider why we spend more on health care than any other country in the world, but are only 37th in overall performance and 72nd in overall level of health according to the World Health Organization.

I am now starving to start my own Laughter Club here in Portland, OR ... to build a local community such as the community I experienced during training. I'm sure I will be posting more about my Laughter Club a time goes on. So stay tuned! Meanwhile watch a short video on Laughter Yoga!

For a little inspiration I am including a video of Obama and a few other famous people singing "Yes We Can". It's a good reminder of where we have come from and the possibility that exists in our future as a nation. No matter who you are voting for, it is something to be excited about!

I was struck by her eloquent, yet simple observation that most Americans don't know "what animals and vegetables thrive in one's immediate region and how to live well on those, with little else thrown into the mix beyond a bag of flour, a pinch of salt and a handful of coffee." Our ancestors skills are now either belittled or taken for granted. She goes on to ask "Isn't ignorance of our food sources causing problems as diverse as overdependence on petroleum and an epidemic of diet-related diseases?" I couldn't agree more!

Her husband, Steven L. Hopp, points out in an essay titled "Oily Food" that each food item travels an average of 1500 miles to get to our plates and if each citizen ate just one completely local meal each week we would reduce our oil consumption by more than 1.1 MILLION BARRELLS OF OIL A WEEK. That is amazing! Many of us are concerned about our diets and the environment, but feel overwhelmed and helpless to affect change. I encourage you to use this knowledge as you plan your New Year's resolutions. As Steven says, "Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast." 

I'd rather err on the side of caution. 

I still use Nalgene type bottles when I am hiking and camping (because I have so many of them), but I have switched my everyday water bottle to a metal Sigg. Made out of aluminum and lined with enamel. You can also get Kleen Kanteens made from stainless steel. For more on water, check out my August 2007 article. Just something to consider the next time you take a drink!

First of all, they are all men! (Sorry guys) They probably thought that they did clean up. I mean they did pull out a vacuum and pass it over a few things. But we are still finding insulation, dust and wood chips everywhere. That's not the worst of it. We had insulation done in the attic, crawl space and walls. I didn't ask enough questions about the impact putting insulation in the wall was going to have, so now the outside of my house looks horrible. They drill holes in the wall every few feet in order to blow in cellulose. Now it needs a new coat of paint to cover up the patches, but the chance that I'll have the opportunity to do that before the weather changes is near nil. So I and my neighbors have to look at my primer spotted house for the next nine months, as we all know that summer really doesn't start in the NW until July.

The bottom line is that this is my house and I have to live with it. I should have been more inquisitive about the process. I also should have been more clear about my expectations for this relationship. I expect any contractor coming into my house to leave everything the way they found it. I also expect the foreman to show me their work and get approval on a job well done before leaving. Now I know. And the next contractor that comes into my house will know too.

Whether it's a contractor, co-worker or new love interest we have all probably gotten ourselves into situations that could have been avoided with a little upfront communication. When we don't share our expectations then what we get is usually "The Golden Rule". People do unto us as they would like done unto them. However, since we all have unique views of the world we usually also have differing expectations. The best way to get the outcome you are hoping for is to share those expectations so that others can do unto you as you would like to be done unto.

Before I bought the neti pot is did a little research online to make sure it was okay to use it once you are already sick versus just as a daily maintenance tool. While searching on Google I came across a YouTube video from"Toothpaste for Dinner" about irrigating your nasal passages. "Cool!" I thought, "This will be a great 'how to' to share with clients." As I got a little further in the video I decided maybe not the greatest to share with clients that I am trying to persuade. You'll understand after watching the video! But I thought if this guy can do this and survive I can surely try just salt water. So run out and buy a neti pot I did.

To use a neti pot you simply need the pot, water and 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt. You will want to do this over the sink or in the shower for obvious reasons. There are several important factors to keep in mind while using a neti pot. The angle of your head, the temperature of the water and breathing. It is very important to breathe through your mouth the entire time you are pouring the water into your sinuses. This keeps the water from coming down your throat. The angle of your head also helps determine where the water will go. You want to tilt your head slightly so that the nostril that is draining is facing down and tilt your forehead forward just bit. It didn't take long for me to find the right position. You also want to make sure the water is warm. Not too hot and not to cold. On my second nostril the water was a little hotter than the first and I could tell. Water that is too hot can hurt and can dry out your sinuses. You may also wish to use filtered water or spring water to avoid the drying affects of the chlorine that is in most municipal tap water.Oh! And I forgot to mention once you are done gently blow out the remaining water and gently blow you nose. Blowing hard or plugging on nostril while blowing out th other will hurt your ears! Besides once you do this you will not need to blow very hard to get the mucus moving!

So now after using the neti twice I am hooked! I did it upon waking this morning right before my shower. It really helped clear out the extra morning stuffiness. Using a neti pot is easy and can be part of your normal daily routine. It helps banish mucus and with frequent use can even prevent or shorten illness and allergies. I can't wait to try it during a typical Oregon allergy season next year!