A Gift Certificate to The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda MD. This gem on Elm Street has a wonderful balance of yoga, tai chi, NIA yoga dance, meditation and breathing classes to appeal to all ages and stages of ability as well as workshops, etc. They have a great deal for new clients of $49/mo for an almost unlimited number of classes. www.themindfulnesscenter.com

Carlson Labs Vitamin D3 drops 2000iu per drop available at Whole Foods and other apothecaries or from www.iherb.com code BOT164. This compact bottle is filled with liquid sunshine that has no taste and is one less pill you have to take.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This life changing book is a 12 week self guided course on awakening or reawakening your creative self. Initially developed for “blocked” artists, this book is a must do for all us left brained folks. www.theartistsway.com

Oil of Lavender – my “first aid kit” in a bottle. Antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral. Make sure it’s therapeutic pure Lavandula Augustifolia……with no alcohol or additives. There are many good brands. Mine is Young Living.  www.youngliving.com/744096 Lavender is the most versatile of all essential oils. Lavender has been clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. It may be used to cleanse cuts, bruises and skin irritations. The fragrance is calming, relaxing and balancing — physically and emotionally. See Articles for more information on the history and uses of Lavender.

Raindrop Technique Massage – a gentle massage using specific essential oils that are antiviral/antibacterial/antimicrobial. This technique is part of my cold/flu prevention strategy every fall and it feels great. The Raindrop Technique was developed in the 1980’s based on research with essential oils (thyme, basil, marjoram, peppermint, oregano, cypress and wintergreen) as antimicrobial agents. The oils are dripped like “rain drops” along the spine and back muscles and gently massaged. I go to Relaxing Alternatives in Gaithersburg www.relaxingalternatives.com but many massage therapists are trained in this technique. For a real treat, add a Hot Stone Massage.

More Self Care gifts and ideas to come…….

And they are all about Self Care.

Self Care is not selfish. It is treating yourself like a precious object. Nurturing your self is neither selfish nor frivolous. Give a gift of self care to your self or a loved one this holiday season. Feed your whole self – not just your physical self but also your emotional, spiritual and mental self – with some of the following ideas.

Soaps and Bath Salts from The Joyful Bath Co. Bethesda resident Rochel Roland made a career switch to create the most heavenly bath salts and soaps. All natural, no preservatives or artificial fragrances using mineral rich salts from the Mediterranean and Dead Seas  and other natural ingredients like coconut oil, ginger root, green tea. My favorites are Mellow Yellow and Oatsie Floatsie. www.joyfulbathco.com

True Love by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This little gem of a book will guide you in the art and benefit of meditation & love and learning to be fully present. A perfect stocking stuffer.

Reflexology/Accupressure at Nirvana Reflexology Spa in Rockville MD. This hour long treatment is so relaxing and pleasurable, you feel like you’re floating when you walk out so this is a great excuse to not rush. You don’t even have to take your clothes off or get your hair all greasy and the price is definitely right at $45 for the 60 minute Nirvana Signature. www.nirvanareflexologyspa.com

More Self Care gifts and ideas to come tomorrow…….

I do not have celiac disease but I am one of more than 30 million Americans who are sensitive or allergic to gluten (a protein in wheat, barley and rye). I danced and dated a gluten free diet several years ago and noticed I felt better and I lost a few lbs. easily. I got seriously committed to the relationship about six months ago and it’s been great. If I cheat I suffer the consequences almost immediately – almost like a hangover in the middle of the night. We Americans eat way too much wheat (read the labels, it’s everywhere) and American wheat is so hybridized that it has 3x the amount of gluten that European wheat has. It is not uncommon for Europeans moving here to develop digestive problems they never had before. Many experts on ADD and autism suggest getting off gluten immediately. The “glue” in gluten which makes your bread stick together and so yummy and chewy can make everything sticky and gummy inside you including your brain and your gut.
Being gluten free during the holidays isn’t easy but I survived Thanksgiving. I’m not sure I can skip my great grandmother Granny’s cookies and my cousin’s almond cream cheese danish this holiday season but I’m going to try. Check out Monica Corrado’s SimplyBeingWellwebsite at www.simplybeingwell.com for GF cooking classes in the DC area.

If you aren’t a football person, Albert Haynesworth is the over paid, underperforming defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins who was suspended this week (and hopefully permanently) without pay for the remainder of the season. He is the epitome of “conduct detrimental to the team”. Consider your body/your life your “team”. What is on your team right now that isn’t serving some aspect of your life? What is detrimental to your “team”? Take this time before New Year’s to think about what you want/need to get rid of, that is no longer serving you. My guess is your team will play better with out it. Personally, getting rid of the clutter on my desk will make my team perform better and cutting back on caffeine will enable me to manage my occasional headaches better. What about you?

If you had a choice, would you eat Genetically Modified Organisms? Well the FDA and Monsanto don’t think you need that option. Jeffrey Smith author of Seeds of Deception was on Dr. Oz this week and since you already know how I feel about soy I wanted more up to date info. Did you know that 80% of all packaged foods contain GMO. The FDA does not require GMO labeling and requires no safety testing. GMO sounds so 21st century: bigger, better, cheaper but is it safe? Nobody really knows yet. Do you want to be their guinea pig? 85% of all U.S. corn, soy, canola and sugar beet crops are GMO and guess what almost 100% of the GMO seeds are produced by Monsanto who also product Roundup, a toxic pesticide. The GMO crops are engineered (by taking genetic material from virus’ and bacteria and inserting them in the soy or whatever) so they don’t die when sprayed with Roundup. Interesting that 6 European nations have banned GMOs. The scientists and consumers who are concerned about GMO’s worry about the side effects: endocrine disruptors, organ damage, < fertility, > allergies. Sounds like pretty good reasons to me to avoid soy all together, only buy organic, look for Non-GMO labeling and get the Non-GMO shopping guide at www.nongmoshoppingguide.com

I know of 7 (young) women ranging in age from 17 to 40 who’ve been recently “diagnosed” with thyroid issues. Thyroid problems are a common topic when women gather. What is the deal here? Although there are many possible reasons I can’t help but think that the pervasiveness of soy in our foods might have something to do with it. Soy is a phyto-estrogen. Soy is an endocrine disruptor and processed soy is everywhere, in almost every packaged food. I cringe when I hear young women say they are vegetarians because when I ask where they get there protein from, it’s inevitably a form of soy and to make matters worse, its all heavily processed and genetically modified to boot (approximately 90% of the US soybean production is GM).

Many experts believe that the health claims about soy are unwarranted. Quite simply, soy protein is not a health food, is not a panacea, and has not even been proven safe. Hundreds of studies link soy protein consumption to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown and even heart disease and cancer. I believe that the risks far outweigh any benefits. Please take the time to read food labels and check out http://blog.wholesoystory.com/ or http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/04/soy-dangers-summarized.aspx

In my opinion, both are just perfect the way they are and don’t need fixing but of course someone figured they could improve on them. If you haven’t read and seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, definitely make the time. But of course Hollywood is going to make a huge budget English version. And then there’s the little 3000 year old Ayurvedic Neti Pot which some mistake for Aladdin’s Lamp or a gravy boat. There is something much more appealing about a Neti Pot than that plastic Nasal Irrigator and plastic saline packets at CVS that is if you can call pouring warm salt water in one nostril as it runs out the other appealing. Kidding aside, our Neti Pot is in frequent use. Whether you have allergies, post nasal drip, sinus headaches, sinusitis or the beginning of a cold the Neti Pot could be your best friend. According to the CDC, sinus and nasal problems are the 5th leading reason doctors prescribe antibiotics and lead to over 15 million office and emergency room visits each year. If you don’t have one, a Neti Pot would be a wonderful holiday gift this season.

We are all limited by our own personal experience so as I write here I’m looking at things from my perspective, maybe yours too, maybe not. I once had business cards that said Watch Me Now as my work as it was evolving at that time was focusing on new things and not staying in a rut but then I found out it was a porn site (do not go there!). Then I thought Changing Health Perspectives was a good description of where I was going but the name was a mouthful and too many didn’t have a clue what it meant. So after setting lots of intentions over the years about what I wanted, especially a great one for getting a good night sleep (email me if you want to know what it is), I realized that good health and wellness are as much about intention, your intention to be well, as it is about what pill you take or what exotic fruit you drink. So Intentional Health it is.