Have I mentioned how much I love yoga? I recommend yoga so often to patients, I’m almost getting tired of hearing myself gush about it. But really, if you’re looking to improve your health–physical, mental, or emotional–it’s hard to go wrong with yoga. Here’s my roundup of all the beautiful ways yoga can help you: 1. Chronic Back Pain. Studies […]

I talk a lot about stress here on Savvy Health, but I recently started using the term Stress Ninja and I must say it’s kinda growing on me. Anyway, today I’m going to talk about a stress management strategy that is pretty key. Not the easiest thing to master, but one with powerful effect. And […]

Most of us have good intentions. Great intentions, even. And many of them are health-related. Usually to the tune of: I want to lose 10 lbs, exercise regularly, quit smoking, floss every day…dammit (while we’re on this: why is flossing such a hassle anyway? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this a […]

When I’m stressed, I fantasize about escaping to the spa for a nice long massage. Or getting centered at the yoga studio with a luxurious 90-minute class. Or crawling into bed for an afternoon nap. But there’s one problem: who’s got the time for all that? Trouble is, my stress is often there specifically because […]

When I was a kid, my mother refused to allow me or my sisters to chew gum. This was an incredible injustice in my eyes. Chewing gum was cool! But she stayed firm: she couldn’t stand seeing little girls chomping away on gum. To her, it looked cheap, stupid, and classless. As an adult, I […]

I just finished devouring a book called 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, by Laura Vanderkam. This is an incredible book, and one that just might change my life. How many of us say “I have no time.”? We all say that, as far as I can tell. We all feel like […]

A study was published last week with some intriguing results. The researchers looked at the effect of music therapy on patients with cancer. This was a review study, which meant they analyzed data from multiple studies–30 trials in this case–and drew conclusions from the collection of results. They found that music therapy (“music medicine”) improved mood, anxiety, and quality […]

It turns out being an optimist is good for your health. Harvard grads who were optimists at age 25 had better health outcomes for the next three decades. In broad sweeps, optimists have better cardiovascular health than pessimists. Their immune systems are more responsive, and they have more resilience to stress. The reason? Optimists have a […]

Pour yourself a mug of tea, sit & relax and check out some of the interesting things I’ve been reading this week: Salt, Not So Bad For You After All? Great food for thought, highlighting the recent research that shakes up the conventional thinking that salt is a no-no for us all. (from Huffington Post Health/AOL Healthy […]