Spring Fever? Do you think human beings are made to mate at a certain time of year? Throughout nature, we see seasonal breeding as part of species survival. Most animals are forced to mate in the summer-fall, in order to give birth in the spring. Mating during late fall or winter would push birthing into
The Stress-Lymph Connection: Balance Cortisol with Ayurveda
Lymphatic Damage Caused by Stress In today’s society, many folks find themselves with a hectic, never-ending, highly stressful to-do list that never seems to get shorter. It is rare to find a person who considers themselves “stress-free.” If left unchecked, consistent stress can have a devastating effect on the adrenals, your digestive microbes, your brain,
Get The Energy You Need to Sleep with Ashwagandha
Do you have trouble sleeping? It seems logical to assume that difficulty falling asleep is caused by excess energy. Based on this logic, sedation would offer a remedy. While sedatives do sometimes work, they often leave you groggy and foggy in the morning, or they just stop working over time. In this article, I make the
Gut Immunity for Your Ayurvedic Body Type
Understanding Your Body According to Ayurveda, taking care of your digestion might just be the most important step you can take for your health. And not just your physical health, but your emotional and mental health, too! Strong evidence suggests psychological stress has a marked impact on gastrointestinal health and digestion. Stress is processed through the
Candida Diet by Ayurvedic Body Type
What is candida overgrowth and what are the symptoms? Candida is a naturally-occurring yeast or fungus that inhabits the mouth, gut, vagina, and other mucosal membranes of the body. Ordinarily, it is harmless, existing in balance with the trillions of other bacteria that make your body home. Concerns arise when that balance is disrupted. This
Foods + Thyroid: The Good, The Bad + The Ayurvedic Perspective (+ Recipes!)
Why do our thyroids need our support? The thyroid is perhaps the most sensitive organ in the body, especially when it comes to the environment. To make matters worse, in America, we are dumping some four billion environmental pollutants into the environment each year.1 Today, an estimated 20 million Americans suffer from thyroid conditions. A shocking
Reset Respiratory Immunity by Boosting Digestive Strength
Did you know that respiratory health starts in the gut? Read on to learn how that works and how you can troubleshoot any digestive issue from an Ayurvedic perspective. Ayurveda is famous for saying 85% of all disease starts from imbalances in digestion. This premise has been backed up by the discovery of the gut microbiome and the
Anxious Teens? Melatonin Balances the Circadian Clock
Melatonin Fights Rise of Occasional Teen Anxiety Do you think teenagers are becoming increasingly anxious? Teenagers between 13 and 18 have seen a sharp 20% rise in occasional anxiety between 2007 and 2012.12 The National Institutes of Health found one in three adolescents experience occasional anxiety.2 Today, adolescents are digital natives. They have grown up with screens, leading many researchers to believe the rise in stress level is linked to excessive screen time. In America,
Ayurvedic Approach to Fertility, Pregnancy + Post-Partum Care
When the Student is Ready . . . As the old saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Thankfully, the teacher, Heather Grzych, has appeared with her book: The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility. The students are ready, and the need is urgent. I’ve had many patients come to me for fertility, but one immediately comes
099: Ayurvedic Fertility with Heather Grzych
In this podcast, Dr. John interviews Heather Grzych, author of The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility and board-certified Ayurvedic practitioner. Learn how to prepare your body to bring new life!
Dr. John’s Probiotic Study: Colonizing Vs Transient
LifeSpa’s Microbiome Study Do you think traveling to Europe increases microbial diversity? Some of you may remember a series of articles I wrote last summer called Eat, Pray, Bugs. These articles were background research for a study we conducted here at LifeSpa, a small pilot study to see if the American microbiome would gain microbial
Self-Care for Your Body’s Immunity Protectors: Gut, Lung, Skin + Blood-Brain Barriers
Gut, Lung, Skin + Blood Brain Barriers How does our body protect us? There are four main defense systems—read on to learn what they are and how to use them to your advantage! Early studies from the University of San Diego, published in the prestigious journal Nature, evaluated over 18,000 microbial samples of 33 types