Yoga Therapy In the US

Yoga Therapy In The US - a North Carolina Newspaper profiles Ginger on her grassroots movement to improve health care in the US.

Read the full story.

Giving Thanks In Valleys

I hope your Thanksgiving was full of gratitude, no matter how it was spent.

Ours began like any other. My husband and I were in the kitchen, cooking up something great. This year's sweet goody - Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Pumpkin Roulade. (note on the roulade: we put less cream and make a thinner, but longer and larger roll. divine.). If you have not made it, get it here. It is out of this world (and easy to make!) and made with fresh, organic ingredients (yea for Slow Food!).

Then we got the call.

Our youngest son (2 years old) was found outside, crying, his left arm hanging limply at his side. He had been playing with his older brother (3 years old). We initially thought nothing of the urgent call and the "he's not using his arm" concern my mother voiced (after all, we do have 2 rough and tumble boys. we are used to bumps and scrapes). But as soon as I saw him I knew he really was hurt.

After a trip to the orthopedist and one long arm cast (up to his armpit) later, he is feeling much better. However, "mother guilt" does not go away as quickly as a toddler heals (by the next day we had to stop him from jumping off the couch). I wish I could have been there to prevent him from getting hurt. I naturally, like any mother, want to keep him from pain and suffering.

However, I am still sending up "Thanks." A lesson, I think, we can all learn and "re"learn.
On Thanksgiving day, we were reminded to give thanks, whether on mountains or in valleys.

Here is what I learned on Thanksgiving day:

• I am thankful our little guy was hurt no worse. Wisdom in mothering brings the realization that our children will have to undergo adversity to realize their own strength. The worse thing I could do as a mother would be to try and shelter my sons from all conflict and suffering. As mothers, the most we can do is be attentive and stay close by to pick them up when they fall down. ~ "Adversity introduces a man to himself."
  
• I am thankful we had access to good health care. Plenty of Americans, some of my own family included, are uninsured or have little insurance. At our family gathering we had an orthopedic nurse and myself, both trained in emergency care. Now we'll be following up with a pediatric orthopedist this week, at one of the best children's hospitals in the country.
  
• I am thankful our family was able to all gather together. We had plenty of healthy food, a warm place to enjoy it, and lots of love to go 'round. There are many who have so much less than we do in America. This season, give to others who have less than you. One day in a soup kitchen, a donation to an organization like Heifer International, or making cookies or bread for a neighbor who is shut in, can make a world of difference.
  

I hope that on your Thanksgiving day, you had plenty of Thanks to offer up. In America, we enjoy many blessings. Gratitude should be the theme of our Holiday this Season.


*photo is our son, 1 day after the injury, enjoying his first Christmas tree "hunt."

The Thanks Game

A few blogs back I wrote about sending a note of encouragement to 5 people you care about.

Consider this blog a note of encouragement to all of you, my readers...thank you for breathing in this life with me!

I have a quick and easy way you can now go on to encourage and build up others this Thanksgiving. It's called the "Thanks Game." (don't worry it's not that kind of game. I don't like games either.)

Setting up the "Thanks Game"

1. Set the dinner table. Each person needs a place setting even if you have to use your kitchen counter top, a card table, a random ottoman, and a discarded coffee table.
2. Compile the list of guests who will attend Thanksgiving dinner.
3. On individual slips of paper or small cards, write one name on each slip of paper until every person has a card with their name on it.
4. Place the card under each place setting. Don't look at the names if you can help it (no cheating!).

Playing the "Thanks Game"

1. When everyone has taken their place at the table, tell them to look under their dinner plate and find a person's name on the card. It's very important that they NOT LET ANYONE ELSE SEE THEIR CARD! Do not share the identity on the card with anyone else.
   
2. During dinner, they are to think of 3 things they appreciate or are thankful for about the person on their card. (Okay, if 3 is too hard or you have a gazillion guests, then just have them think of 1 thing.)
3. At a time you designate as special, maybe at the close of the meal or during dessert or coffee time, everyone gets to share the 3 ways they are thankful for the person on their card. (hint: you may want to set out an extra box of tissues)

The years I have played the "Thanks Game" on Thanksgiving have by far been the most memorable and dearest to my heart. Try it, you just may find yourself (more than pleasantly) surprised, not to mention encouraged and loved.

*photo taken with my firstborn during autumn of 2006 on a family hike at Grandfather Mountain, NC.

Do women in America fear birth?

Recently, a well known childbirth magazine published a question about birth in America and invited feedback from health care professionals and readers. The question: Why do women in America fear birth?

I immediately responded to this question because I believe we are in danger of losing the birth experience in America today.

Medical intervention during birth is at an all time high, with surgical birth rates (C-sections) at 33% (three times higher than recommended) and medicated births at over 80%. Despite medical intervention, still, America's infant mortality rate is the 2nd highest of all industrialized nations. The truth is medical intervention birth does not automatically mean a safer or better birth.

Here is my answer to Midwifery Today:

Fear of birth is common, if not universal, among pregnant women. I believe the main reason women fear birth in this country is because there are not enough natural birth examples to guide expectant mothers.

As a health care professional and mother, I try to lead by example. However, in my own childbirth experiences, both personal and professional, there are two few women helping women give birth. There are too few mothers who give birth with women by their side, nurturing them, caring for them, and respecting their choices. There are too few examples of supportive, loving partners who learn pain management techniques to help their mate. And, there are even fewer examples of health care professionals who create a compassionate environment for a natural birth experience.

The reason for a paucity of "leadership by example" is multi-faceted.

Many childbirth experts believe the loss of childbirth empowerment and experience began in the early 1900's with the introduction of medicalized birth. As medical intervention has increased, fewer examples exist of women who are giving birth with little medical intervention. Birth has now become a major medical event that provides hospitals with almost 60% of their profits. Birth has become a medical diagnosis that, more than 80% of the time, "requires" hospitalization.

Birth is fast losing its cultural importance as a rite of passage. In addition, fear arises because women have been taught to depend on medicine to birth their babies. As a result, women no longer know how to trust their bodies in birth. It is fear and distrust of the birth experience which will eventually cause us to completely lose the birth experience in America.

Women have historically given up, but now are fighting to regain, the basic human right of being allowed to birth and care for their child in the manner they see fit. In many states women are unable to have home births, professional midwives, or even use birthing balls or choose which way they lay down to give birth. I had to drive 2 hours (during labor, mind you!) in order to birth with a midwife in a facility that allowed me to use holistic methods. Because I am a part of the medical establishment and also a mother who has experienced the loss of rights during pregnancy and birth (before I found my wonderful midwife), I can strongly say it is time for women to finally return to giving birth on their own terms.

Women need to, arm in arm, help each other give birth. We must help dispel this fear based mentality & alarmist attitude surrounding pregnancy & birth. Only then can we reclaim birth as a rite of passage.

This blog and my future book on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum fitness will help women re-frame birth in a context of strength and courage. I believe every woman should have the chance to be fit and confident before, during, and after birth.

In the future I imagine a beautiful, blossoming, organic garden of new mothers and experienced mothers, together with their caring supporters, giving birth in all of its magnificence and mystery. This portrait, not the current one that has been hung far too long in the collective gallery of mother’s minds, is the portrait of birth that needs to be repainted in America.

*photo with my oldest son taken during my second pregnancy, a few days before I gave birth

New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

In case you are not familiar with the new breast cancer screenings the US government appointed task force has released, catch up with the story and comments before reading on.

Research is important, but “humane health care” must always be its girding foundation. Otherwise, recommendations like the ones the government just released will be adopted by insurance companies as a measure to save money – and ultimately neglect human lives.

The new recommendations have puzzled, if not outraged, many health care professionals. Frequent guest blogger and medical advisor, Dr. Satkirin Khalsa, and myself, felt we should likewise address this debate head on.

First, Dr. Khalsa’s comments: “(I) have so many young breast cancer patients in my own clinic, I am skeptical (of the recommendations).” Studies have shown repeatedly that early detection is the reason that we have seen a decrease in overall mortality from breast cancer. We also have better treatments, but we catch cases in earlier stages of disease when screenings occurs at a younger age. For example, in Wisconsin between 1981-2000, early stage breast cancer detection rose from 1.5% to 12.8%. The percentage increased the most in women aged 45-49.

Second, yes, it is true the recommendation is to “scale back” on screening, based on data from the past few decades. However, research is connecting the important link between Vitamin D deficiency with 17 (yes, that is right) types of cancer (including breast and prostate). “Adequate replacement of vitamin D3 in all of us SHOULD decrease our cancer risk, but it may take another decade before we see how this adequate replacement affects our risks.” This finding underscores why I have been blogging about vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) for the past week, especially in light of the oncoming fall/winter season. It also underscores that with the vitamin D epidemic in this country, all women who are deficient will be at increased risk for breast cancer. Another reason that blanket recommendation should not be so readily adopted, possibly denying women their right to screening who may be at increased risk.

This women’s health issue affects the entire nation. Every woman diagnosed with breast cancer, whether under or over 50, is someone’s daughter, or mother, or loved one. Preventive care is, I believe, a basic human right, not a privilege. If only one woman's life is saved from early detection – would that not warrant the screening for all? What should scare everyone is that insurance companies may use these recommendations to deny screening and/or care to women under 50.

In the end, Dr. Khalsa adds, “I educate patients. They are free to make decisions about their own health.” Of course, they are only as “free” as the insurance companies will allow them to be. The medical “industry” is certainly an industry – it is big business. “Disease management vs. health care is the trend that I am seeing more and more.”

What is the take home message? Says Dr. Khalsa, “you must take responsibility and control of your own health, and not rely solely on doctors to tell you how you should or should not care for your self and your family. Many times, we (physicians) are wrong. Next week the evidence could change. But our intuition remains, and we cannot ignore it.”

As medical professionals we must rely on the evidence to guide our clinical decision making. However, intuition and patient/provider relationship is key. We must encourage women to still perform self breast exams, to be vigilant about the health of their mind, body, and soul, and to be active, not passive, in the health care process.

However, there is good news! Late afternoon on November 18th, the Health & Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebilius, had this to say about the recommendations. This morning, read about the Obama administration's new stance on the recommendations.

Can we breathe a sigh of relief? For the moment, it seems.

Is your "cold" heart causing depression?

In Chinese medicine, heart problems are associated with diminished "chi" (pronounced chee) or energy in the associated organ. In other words, heart problems can mean you have a "cold" heart.

I have personal experience with this as my eldest son was born with heart defects and developmental issues. I sought both western and eastern solutions to help his conditions. The Chinese medicine physician we consulted counseled that a "cold" heart goes hand in hand with diminished communication skills. In other words, heart disease tends to hamper communication. Without communicating well our relationships suffer - not just with others but also with our self. If we suffer in relationships, we are at increased risk for psychological, emotional, and social stress.

Now, not surprisingly, western medicine is affirming a long held truth from the ancient system of Chinese medicine. Depression rates are higher in heart patients.

However, there is a solution. The missing link is vitamin D levels. If you have low vitamin D levels and you have heart disease, then you may be more likely to suffer from depression or depressive symptoms.

Since heart disease is the number one killer in the United States (and winter is upon us, which makes it tougher to get the "sunshine vitamin" (vit. D), EVERY PERSON you know should read this article. Read the full article.

*Remember, the vitamin D you take must be D3, according to the latest research. Read my previous vitamin D blogs here:

Why Every Woman Needs Vitamin D

Are You Vitamin D Deficient?

Resources for Mothering In the 21st Century

As a mother who both works in and outside the home (don't all moms?), I am often faced with "multi-tasking" overload.

As a professional specializing in women's health, I am frequently asked for practical tools to help cope with balancing work and mothering.

As a result, I am always on the lookout for other great sites, books, and blogs to help women balance their responsibilities as parenting and professionals - with a measure of grace and peace (I know, it's a tall order).

So here you are - and listen up! Even if you are not a mother, you have a mother and no doubt have many friends who are mothers. Make sure they read this blog. Let's continue to build a strong community of women and mothers who support one another in being Fit & Fearless!

Links
Remodeling Motherhood
Remodeling Motherhood Blog
National Association of Mothers' Centers
Mothers' Book Bag
Mom's Rising
The Mothers Movement
Women's E News
Women's Media Center
Your Woman In Washington
Equally Shared Parenting

Books
If You've Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything
Opting In: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself
The Price Of Motherhood
How To Avoid The Mommy Trap
Parenting Partners: Encouraging Dads to Participate in the Daily Lives of Their Kids
Mothers on the Fast Track: How a Generation Can Balance Family & Careers
Other recommended reading

Get Glad! (it only takes 4 steps)

In order to be transformed, I must know what I believe.

Last spring I jotted this thought down on the inside cover of my well worn notepad. I carry it in my bag or briefcase wherever I go. I replace my small notepad every January. All during the year, it is my "Get Glad Notepad" (GGN).

My "GGN" is not my calendar or a personal journal or a to-do list (or Blackberry), although sometimes I do jot down that I need to pick up milk at the grocery in it. For me, it is where I write down what I believe.

I don't want to suggest that you stop using your blackberry to log & order your life; however, I want to encourage a limited return to old fashioned hand writing. There is therapeutic value & transformative power in hand writing. Hand writing is a slow process. It fosters meditative silence. It requires deliberate thought. It nurtures self reflection.

Here's how you can Get Glad today (in only 4 short steps):

Go out to your nearest drugstore and buy a small, ring bound, notepad. They are sold with the school supplies. Pick a color that reflects peace and joy for you.

In your "GGN":

1. Document every day joys. Every time you hear something inspirational or your child or family member does something you want to remember in detail, scribble it down. My last entry was on November 1, 2009 - my 3 year old son looked at his younger brother and spontaneously and for the first time said, "I yuv you Wiyum." (translated means "I love you William.") I return to these handwritten entries often, and periodically consolidate them onto our "family calendar", where I (yes, hand write) all our family memories. If the note is longer, I put it in a memory/keepsake box I have for each child.
   
2. Start a Gratitude Journal. We tend to get mired down in "cup half empty" platitudes and latitudes. Every so often, make it weekly (or if you need it - daily!) make a list of 5 ways your cup is "half full." Either tear it out of your pad and post it where you'll see it daily OR keep it in your notepad and carry it around in your briefcase or handbag. Either way, revisit your list when you find your "cup is half empty."
3. Manifest your Blessings & Prayers

• Jot down your needs, hopes, prayers, or dreams.
  
• Date them.
  
• Revisit your list often.
• When your need or prayer has been met, date it.
• Revisit your list again, to be reminded of answered blessings and prayers.
  
• Re-evaluate your "needs" (are they needs or wants?) often, so they match your priorities.

Separate from your "GGN", add the 4th step:

4. Send a note of encouragement to 5 people. Get out a pen, some paper, envelopes, and yes, buy some stamps. Through the power of the hand written word, lift up someone you care about or know that may be struggling. i.e. I have saved every hand written note my
grandmothers ever penned to me. Seeing their handwriting and words of encouragement bring me immeasurable comfort and encouragement.

Start today. Write down what you believe is True. Only then, can we be transformed.

Why Every Woman Needs Vitamin D (psst - it's a hormone!)

Just how damaging can a vitamin D deficiency be for your health (and the health of your children)?

Just ask Dr. Satkirin Khalsa, a board certified family physician, yoga expert, and advocate for women's health. I continued my interview with Dr. Khalsa last week, and am sharing it with all of you today.

Read what every woman and mother should know about vitamin D.

Don't miss Dr. Khalsa's extended interview.

Read Dr. Khalsa's original interview.

*light therapy for my firstborn, 1 week old.

Choosing The Right Mattress For You

A good night's rest is of utmost importance for our short and long term health and well being. Without sleep, our body and mind suffers tremendously.

By request of students and patients, today's post is an exclusive article about choosing the right mattress for you.

Choosing the Right Mattress For You

A good night’s sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to your mental and physical health. Getting a full 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night will help you feel more alert and energized.

Unfortunately for many, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. Our lives are busy, so oftentimes we only catch shut eye when we can. A quality mattress goes a long way to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Whether you need more adequate support for your joints or help with you or your partner’s snoring problem; a firm, high quality mattress could be the answer you dream about.

Mattresses come in different styles with varying levels of support. Choosing the right mattress can mean the difference between a tossing and turning all night and a solid night’s rest. Traditional mattresses tend to be the standard choice for most Americans which are priced in by the level of firmness that they provide. However a quality innerspring mattress will feature more coils, giving the mattress a firmer feel and more support for your spine, like Simmons Beauty Rest, for instance.

Still yet, a new type of mattress is making its way into bedrooms. Organic mattresses! An organic mattress is a great option that provides both adequate support and is better for the environment and your health.

While available in many sizes, most organic mattresses are found in the nursery and children’s bedrooms. An organic crib mattress provides your child with comfort, support, and maintains a natural, chemical free nursery. Everything a mother desires for their child’s best health.

The makeup of each organic mattress differs slightly, but most follow the same basic “ingredients”.

An organic mattress can be broken down into 3 different components.

1. The coir is made of natural materials such as coconut husks. These materials are woven tightly together to create the necessary support.

2. The next layer of most these items is a lamb’s wool wrap. This chemical free wrap has is designed to give the mattress breathability and is treated with solutions such as lemon, lavender and eucalyptus in order to render the mattress non-allergenic.

3. The last layer consists of a cotton lining designed to create a cool feel that prevents overheating. Organic cotton is naturally hypoallergenic and super soft to the touch. Additionally, a certain amount of moisture is absorbed by organic cotton so you get a dryer night’s sleep. Certified organic cotton comes from a grower/processor that has met certain organic standards and uses natural & non-chemical agricultural methods set out by various nationally recognized certifying organizations.

You no longer have to sacrifice comfort in favor of being more environmentally conscious. I hope this brief helps you find the right bedding fit for you and your family.

Download the entire article, which includes tips for sleep positioning.

*photo is my youngest at just a few hours old. Of course, he is sleeping like a baby.

Film Review: Where The Wild Things Are...tales from the parenting darkside?

An Interview with Merianne Grigoriciuc, human development and family expert, psychologist, early childhood educator, mother, and stepmother...

Reviews have ranged from praise to blistering blasts of protest, but hear what one mother, psychologist, and expert in early childhood education, Merianne Grigoriciuc, has to say about Where The Wild Things Are.

I must confess I have not yet seen the film Where The Wild Things Are, but it is raising plenty of buzz in the parenting world. So don't miss Merianne's review. It sure has my attention. I'll be seeing the movie soon.

Are You Vitamin D Deficient?

Make sure you and your children are getting enough vitamin D this winter.

Interview with Dr. Satkirin Khalsa, physician, yoga expert, educator, and women's health advocate discusses vitamin D deficiency in the United States and how it negatively impacts the health of every woman and child.

Side effects of vitamin D deficiency can prevent our bodies from absorbing calcium, putting women and children at high risk. In addition, deficiency in children can cause high blood sugar which could lead to diabetes, and also high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.
As a woman or mother, you cannot afford to skip today's interview. Read it today and protect you and your child's health.

*last spring, FL, on mother's day
**Dr. Khalsa

Mothers' Organization Interviews Ginger

Breaking News

Ginger is interviewed by An Initiative of National Association of Mothers' Centers, Mothers Ought To Have Equal Rights, in Washington D.C.

Read the entire story below...

October 29, 2009: Three Minute Interview with Ginger Garner: This Mother, Educator, Author, Blogger, Physical Therapist, and Yoga Practitioner Talks About Childbirth in America, and Why It Needs to Change.

NAMC Interview: Read Ginger's Interview