It is that time of year again, where we celebrate for all that life has been and look forward to that which we want to improve or create upon. We are truly grateful at ESEMA to be entering our 3rd year in business this Spring – and give thanks to you for helping us grow and flourish. It is our passion to help you on your journey to health an wellness and we sincerely thank each of you for the opportunity to do so.

As a thankful nod to those that have inspired me in many ways throughout this past year, and to spread the love to my loyal readers, this post is dedicated to my favorite pages on the web and local New York listings. Take a look if you have some time to browse, as these folks have got some interesting stuff going on! Find out my go-to spots for recipes, dietary guides, exercise, pampering, information and more.

Wishing you a year full of success, health, happiness and dreams coming true!

See my full list after the jump…

Yum – Favorite Foodies

Smitten Kitchen

-serving up awesome dishes inspired by green market ingredients, this New Yorker will show you how to make it happen in a city-sized apartment kitchen.

Nourished Kitchen

-focused on Real Food, Wholesome Fats and Raw Dairy, Jenny will teach you the ways to keep your body nourished, healthy, and your taste-buds happy. Rich in fat-soluble vitamins, this is a diet I often recommend to my fertility patients and women experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Move It

Expect to Be Fit

-Whether a mommy in training, a mommy to be, post partum or just plain in need of a tune up, Leah is the one to call. She will ship your body into perfect shape by coming to your home or office and teaching you the ways of a holistic tummy tuck.

PURE Yoga – East and West

-By far my favorite yoga studio in the city, with classes ranging from Hot to Jivamukti to Restorative. A culmination of love, peace and great yoga.

Pamper Yourself

Earth and Sky Bodywork

-Massage, Mayan Abdominal and Cranio-Sacral for the whole family. Katinka specializes in women and pediatrics and her hands will not only take you away to a blissful state but address chronic concerns from the root.

Dormer Medical Spa

-Dr. Dormer and her team know skin and what to do to keep it radiant and healthy – utilizing natural and medical means at their Upper East Side location. Need a facial? Book a visit with Ally, she is wonderful.

For the Walls

Borbay

-New York Post headlines covered in paint create truly unique masterpieces for any home or office. An artist that inspires me through and through, I look forward to marrying him next summer as well.

Unique Jewelry

Nydia Charles

-Stunning and unique, her designs are not only beautiful pieces but make an artistic statement.

Reproductive Health

Garden of Fertility and Taking Charge of Your Fertility

-Every woman’s go-to guide for achieving and preventing pregnancy through understanding her cycles.

Ina May Gaskin

-Spending days with this woman in her home in Tennessee changed me. She is a true gift to women everywhere!

Choices In Childbirth

-ESEMA is proud to have donated throughout the year to supporting this organizations efforts of increasing maternity care choices throughout New York City.

The Pregnant New Yorker

-Always a great local resource for women and professionals.

Health = Wealth

Daily Worth

-Get FREE daily emails with tips for managing money, investing, saving and other saavy topics to help you achieve or maintain the financial freedom you’ve always hoped for.

Coffee built the foundation for my work ethic and professional enthusiasm when I accepted my first job as a barista and coffee-roaster at Dunn Bros Coffee in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Yep, that’s right, I was a coffee-roaster. You may not see these around most coffee shops, but Dunn Bros prides themselves on the sacks of raw beans from over a dozen countries that surround the giant roaster at each location (and admittedly, I take pride in knowing firsthand the process from harvest to brewed beans). Perhaps it was from witnessing the smooth-beige colored Ethiopian bean turn to a silky-rich-brown color as it cooked and crackled that molded my perception of coffee as more a ritual than drug (similar to the way the Chinese and Japanese view Tea).   

Coffee, itself, has been around forever and can be considered a “natural product.” However, as the coffee industry has grown over the centuries, the plants have become more and more laden with pesticides and the farmers more and more abused. For that reason, I always recommend buying organic or fair trade coffee when available to support sustainable resources – so that coffee will be around (along with our planet) for years to come.

The Health Controversy

The arguments against coffee are mostly due to its caffeine content, which is about three-times higher in an 8oz cup of coffee versus a shot of espresso, an 8oz cup of green or black tea or a 12oz soda. Even a cup of decaf-coffee can still contain up to 5mg of caffeine. The initial perils of coffee was the suspected link between caffeine and heart disease.  Current research has shown, however, that caffeine is not necessarily a direct contributor to heart diseaseand that coffee itself may have health benefits such as preventing Parkinson’s Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Liver Cancer. Sodas and energy drinks pose a larger threat to heart disease than coffee or tea, for example, due to their high sugar content that escalates the inflammatory response. Caffeine, however, has shown to increase stress hormones in certain people, which can then lead to cardiovascular disease or emotional disturbances such as anxiety. It is important to discuss with your health care provider what is the most appropriate approach for your health. In general, I find that patients trying to get pregnant, or who are suffering from anxiety, sleep disorders or breast issues often benefit from weaning themselves off coffee. 

The Chinese Medicine Viewpoint

As I have discussed in previous posts, Chinese Food Therapy utilizes the energetic functions of foods to “treat” conditions of the body. Coffee is no stranger to these findings. Energetically, coffee is very yang, or moving. It causes things to “get-going” in the body, which can sometimes begin to deplete the body of its natural ability to ignite it’s own engines, so to speak. We say this directly affects the kidney energy, which can be likened to adrenal function in Western medicine. Also, it can lead to an excess of heat in the body, causing insomnia, heart palpitations, digestive upset or irritability. Since the body’s energy is moving more, people who come in for acupuncture after their morning coffee often are more sensitive to the treatment as their qi is more on the surface. 

On the flip side, the benefit of coffee is said to tonify the heart qi – giving a feeling of joy and calm in certain constitutional types. It can also facilitate healthy respiration before a big workout by circulating the lung energy. In general, however, coffee does not have many real clinical implications in Chinese medicine – but it does give us a baseline to work with in helping people on their journey to optimum health. Just like anything else, portion control can make all the difference (such as consuming 60oz of coffee per day vs. 8oz). Personally, I tend to come from the school of thought: “everything in moderation,” and if I firmly believe deleting coffee from a patients diet will drastically improve their health – I can sympathize because I know how much comfort and benefit can come from our ritual coffee.

Coffee Enthusiasts

This post was inspired by my friend, Tony Black, who is a real coffee enthusiast – so much so that he has created a blog dedicated to images of people with their morning cup. It is a fun site, and a true testament to the ritual we have created around coffee way beyond the Starbucks phenomenon. Check it out and see Borbayand my-self’s featured photos in this week’s edition.  

(….and for the record, Borbay is a big fan of acupuncture!)

Press Release and Other Interesting Stuff

1.18.2010 | Huffington Post | Long Interview re: Art, Urbania, Life

1.19.2010 | TONY | Mention in “Own This City” – Slideshow of Work, launching 1.20.2010

1.18.2010 | Pieces Showcased | On my blog

1.16.2010 | Time Out New York | Print Mention on Page Four

12.18.2009 | Time Out New York | Voted Time Out New York’s Most Creative New Yorker

The view from our Upper East Side apartment, not a bad front-row seat for the annual event.  Too bad that Jason is out of town, as a former professional runner, I know he appreciates watching this event live.  This recap is dedicated to him!

I went down our painfully slow elevator to get a closer look at the scene.  So much energy and cheering for everyone running/biking by.  What a contagious and marvelous event.  I’ve never had one of those PowerBar Gels before, but apparently they are life-saving when running something as strenuous as a marathon.  Behind me, between 93rd & 94th street, were some huge speakers blaring the likes of any “workout i-tunes mix,” with the crowd around dancing and eating egg-sandwiches while cheering on the runners.  So very New York.  I love it.

A clearer image of the leading men- with the USA contestant, Meb Kefilzlgh, following the pack. He later took leaping strides and finished well before the rest of the men.  All this watching of people exercising made me and my friend Grace hungry!

So we washed down the excitement with coffee, sauteed blue-potatoes, a zucchini omelet and fresh cherry tomatoes.  So far, a very good start to the month of November.  And for those of you celebrating the Mexican tradition also taking place today,Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!