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.

As a practitioner of mind-body medicine, I understand the importance of addressing this connection in all areas of our lives. All to often is exercise seen as a “burden” or “cumbersome” – a necessary evil in life. Rather, movement is the foundation of life, and should cultivate gratitude, positivity and spiritual growth along with physical changes. The Intensati Method does this, beautifully. Not only transforming our bodies, but also our thoughts. Contrary to yoga, which is another form of exercise I often recommend, Patricia’s routines provide additional cardio training without harsh impact (such as running), an important health aspect for many individuals.

Check the Intensati website for class times. If you are unable to attend a class with her personally, she has trained a whole team of inspiring instructors who offer Intensati classes across the United States. With the release of her new book (in stores now!) and work-out DVD’s, anyone can practice this revolutionary program anywhere.

If you are ready to change your relationship to exercise, to yourself and the world around you, check out the important tips from Patricia Moreno. Her knowledge, experience, and magnetism will inspire you to truly “live a life you love, in a body you love.”

]]> http://www.erinhessel.com/2010/01/the-intensati-method-a-great-way-to-feel-and-look-your-best/feed/ 0 http://www.erinhessel.com/2010/01/winter-blues/ http://www.erinhessel.com/2010/01/winter-blues/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:14:16 +0000 Erin http://www.erinhessel.com/?p=435 Depression affects the quality of life for many individuals year-round, but has a significant increase in the winter months.  As the sunlight reduces, the weather gets colder, and the sky gets gloomier – we, too, experience these changes in our bodies and state-of mind.  There are many natural things we can do to boost our moods and elevate seasonal depression (commonly known as “SAD,” or Seasonal Affective Disorder).  However, as those of you who have experienced even slight depression know, the motivation to implement such changes can be difficult, if non-existent once the blues have hit.

Choose Your Support

So, what to do?  First off, find the resources around you and seek help.  Consulting with a health care professional is an important catalyst in transforming your blues into bliss.  It can also help combat the isolation that often accompanies mood changes. It is my experience that with chronic or severe emotional distress, there is no “one” help and calling on a variety of resources yields stronger, more lasting results.  Here are some tools you may want to try:

• Implementing an appropriate exercise routine (which will vary for each individual)
• Tap into your creative expression (such as journal writing, art/music/dance therapy)
• Dietary and lifestyle changes (such as increasing essential fatty acid intake, vitamins and minerals and decreasing sugar and refined food)
• Consulting with a professional psychologist or psychiatrist
• Nourishing constitutional patterns and reducing stress with a holistic modality (acupuncture, herbal medicine, reiki)
• Reduce your stress (yoga, meditation, massage, acupuncture)

How Acupuncture Can Help

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), does not treat “depression” per say, but rather the person who is experiencing depression. Different individuals can experience the discomforts of depression from a variety of causes – or, as we call them, patterns. In treating depression, your acupuncturist first must find your unique pattern diagnosis and from there, begin to strengthen your system and ease discomfort. Acupuncture can help to greatly reduce emotional and physical stress and the somatic pain that often accompanies emotional upset. Best of all, it will not interfere negatively with any other therapy or prescriptions you may be receiving, but complement them by tapping into the root of your constitutional nature.

Herbal remedies may also be a good option for occasional slumps or mood swings.  Unlike acupuncture, which must be administered by a licensed professional and usually done only 1-2 times per week, an herbal formula can follow you home and become a daily treatment.  When prescribed by a licensed practitioner, herbal formulas are completely safe, and can help the body harmonize from the inside out.

For more information on how to incorporate the benefits of acupuncture into your emotional wellness plan, please contact us.

Joints in and of themselves simply refer to the space where two bones come together, suspended by tendons and ligaments and with some sort of membranous fluid.  Their strength lies in the muscles surrounding them, and therefore when joints hurt there is often a lot more areas of the body involved. Releasing tight muscles and strengthening weak ones can have an enormous impact on relieving joint pain and preventing future problems. This concept may not seem intuitive - that movement will actually reduce pain- but when the pain is a result of weak muscles that are unable to appropriately hold the joint bones in place, strengthening them is vitally important.  The best advice is to start slow. Moderate or light – but consistent – exercise will give lasting effects without further trauma.

**(note that it is important to check with your doctor first, to be sure the cause is weak muscles and not degenerative joint disease).

Bone spurs are bony projections that can grow off of bones and cause pain by rubbing against nerve endings in the area. They often form as the result of osteoarthritis, but can also occur purely from aging. They most commonly form on the heel or knee, but can affect any joint in the body. If appropriately placed near a joint and/or a nerve, they can cause a significant amount of discomfort. NSAID’s (like ibuprofen) or surgery are about the only options Western medicine can offer for these tiny protrusions. 

Acupuncture can help alleviate some of the inflammation, but herbal plasters combined with acupuncture treatments have the most effect on actually reducing the size of the bone spur. The 701 plaster is most well-known for doing this. In fact, a teacher of mine once used them on a race-horse who was diagnosed with bone spurs in its leg, and it took care of it completely.  The plasters are safe, effective, and relatively inexpensive. Most Chinatown pharmacies or acupuncture clinics will have them available. In addition to applying herbal plasters, you can try any of the following suggestions to alleviate many types of inflammatory joint pain.

1)  Exercise

Regular and moderate exercise is the best way to strengthen the muscles surrounding joints.  This can greatly help reduce pain and prevent future problems.  In addition to the direct effect on the musculo-skeletal system, exercise also has numerous system benefits like improving circulation, reducing weight, promoting heart health and increasing calcium absorption. Although joint pain caused by certain types of arthritis and bone spurs can sometimes make it difficult to move around, it is still important to try and commit to performing moderate exercise with low impact.  In the long run, this will help to break out of the vicious cycle of pain and immobility.

2)  Diet

Specifically when trying to reduce an inflammatory response, diet can play a huge role.  Inflammatory foods include spicy, greasy, refined flours/sugars and dairy. Reducing these and eating high-antioxidant and phyto-nutrient rich foods like colorful fruits and vegetables can help the body to clear toxins and soothe inflamed areas. Depending on the chronicity of the problem, going on a special diet as instructed by your healthcare providor to cleanse inflammation from the body may be a wise idea as well. 

3)  Acupuncture

Acupuncture is great for joint pain, muscle pain and inflammation.  It works by improving circulation, removing obstruction and balancing the body’s energy. Not only does it work at the affected area, but also can improve systemic functioning and clear any toxic load that may be the result or cause of joint inflammation. Sometimes acupuncture can provide the relief necessary to allow for routine exercise to begin again, and then together can help recovery happen quicker and prevent future recurrence.

Joints in and of themselves simply refer to the space where two bones come together, suspended by tendons and ligaments and with some sort of membranous fluid.  Their strength lies in the muscles surrounding them, and therefore when joints hurt there is often a lot more areas of the body involved. Releasing tight muscles and strengthening weak ones can have an enormous impact on relieving joint pain and preventing future problems. This concept may not seem intuitive - that movement will actually reduce pain- but when the pain is a result of weak muscles that are unable to appropriately hold the joint bones in place, strengthening them is vitally important.  The best advice is to start slow. Moderate or light – but consistent – exercise will give lasting effects without further trauma.

**(note that it is important to check with your doctor first, to be sure the cause is weak muscles and not degenerative joint disease).

Bone spurs are bony projections that can grow off of bones and cause pain by rubbing against nerve endings in the area. They often form as the result of osteoarthritis, but can also occur purely from aging. They most commonly form on the heel or knee, but can affect any joint in the body. If appropriately placed near a joint and/or a nerve, they can cause a significant amount of discomfort. NSAID’s (like ibuprofen) or surgery are about the only options Western medicine can offer for these tiny protrusions. 

Acupuncture can help alleviate some of the inflammation, but herbal plasters combined with acupuncture treatments have the most effect on actually reducing the size of the bone spur. The 701 plaster is most well-known for doing this. In fact, a teacher of mine once used them on a race-horse who was diagnosed with bone spurs in its leg, and it took care of it completely.  The plasters are safe, effective, and relatively inexpensive. Most Chinatown pharmacies or acupuncture clinics will have them available. In addition to applying herbal plasters, you can try any of the following suggestions to alleviate many types of inflammatory joint pain.

1)  Exercise

Regular and moderate exercise is the best way to strengthen the muscles surrounding joints.  This can greatly help reduce pain and prevent future problems.  In addition to the direct effect on the musculo-skeletal system, exercise also has numerous system benefits like improving circulation, reducing weight, promoting heart health and increasing calcium absorption. Although joint pain caused by certain types of arthritis and bone spurs can sometimes make it difficult to move around, it is still important to try and commit to performing moderate exercise with low impact.  In the long run, this will help to break out of the vicious cycle of pain and immobility.

2)  Diet

Specifically when trying to reduce an inflammatory response, diet can play a huge role.  Inflammatory foods include spicy, greasy, refined flours/sugars and dairy. Reducing these and eating high-antioxidant and phyto-nutrient rich foods like colorful fruits and vegetables can help the body to clear toxins and soothe inflamed areas. Depending on the chronicity of the problem, going on a special diet as instructed by your healthcare providor to cleanse inflammation from the body may be a wise idea as well. 

3)  Acupuncture

Acupuncture is great for joint pain, muscle pain and inflammation.  It works by improving circulation, removing obstruction and balancing the body’s energy. Not only does it work at the affected area, but also can improve systemic functioning and clear any toxic load that may be the result or cause of joint inflammation. Sometimes acupuncture can provide the relief necessary to allow for routine exercise to begin again, and then together can help recovery happen quicker and prevent future recurrence.