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Breath, Mantra & Music: 3 Holistic Ways to Help Improve Your Sleep

May 02, 2016

The following is a special guest blog post by Maya Benattar, a music therapist and psychotherapist here in New York City. Her website is www.mayabenattar.com. Thanks, Maya!

 

There are a lot of reasons why people may have trouble sleeping- anxiety, stress, too much caffeine, hormonal shifts. We live in a fast-paced society where lack of sleep is often seen as a badge of honor.

If you’ve ever had a sleepless night (or many!), you probably know all too well the feelings that arise when you can’t get back to sleep and you really want to! Sometimes we can do everything “right”- no caffeine after 2pm, less screen time in the evenings, warm milk, lavender- and sleep can still be elusive. Read more

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Lend Me Your Ears: Auricular Acupuncture

April 07, 2016

Auricular Acupuncture (acupuncture performed on the ear) has an incredibly fascinating history, much of it coming not from China but from right here in New York! But first- you’re probably asking “Wait so ear acupuncture is a thing?” Yes. If you’re a patient of mine you’ve likely had a lot of it. So first, I’ll tell you a little about why I use ear acupuncture, and why you might want it. Read more

Treatment and Diagnosis of PCOS: New Updates

March 07, 2016

What is PCOS?

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Some experts believe it should be re-named as the “polycystic” part implies multiple cysts on the ovaries, which now are known not to be true cysts!

PCOS is an endocrine (hormonal) disorder characterized by infrequent or absent periods, multiple follicles on the ovaries and high levels of androgens (such as testosterone and DHEA-S), which for some people leads to excess facial and body hair, hair thinning or male pattern baldness and acne. Many PCOS patients have insulin resistance, which means that your body isn’t able to properly absorb and process sugars and other carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain and can result in a diabetes diagnosis. Other complications include depression, self-esteem challenges, type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and difficulty becoming pregnant. Read more

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Having A Healthy 4th Trimester: Q&A with Amber Star Merkens, Postpartum Doula

February 18, 2016

Before I met Amber Star Merkens, I had no idea postpartum doulas existed. I immediately had a ton of questions for her because I became so excited about the idea that there are professionals available to help new moms out- this is seriously something everyone needs to know about! If you think doulas are only helping during labor, think again, and read on!

 

What is a doula?

The term doula literally means a woman’s helper. Read more

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Cold And Flu Season: 5 Ways To Naturally Boost Your Immunity, Not Including Hand-Washing

January 07, 2016

Patients frequently ask me how they can increase their immunity this time of year. Everyone knows to wash their hands more frequently, so I won’t bore you with that lecture!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, our bodies have a type of Qi, or energy called “Wei Qi”. Wei Qi is our protective Qi and is located on the surface of the body. You can think of Wei Qi as the immune system- its job is to keep out invaders such as harmful viruses and bacteria. Here are a few things you can do that you may not have realized can improve your immune system…

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