Month: January 2014

I’ve lost 85 lbs…and I continue to get healthier and healthier… #foodie friday

I lost 85 lbs the way Chris Kresser describes below. To be clear my body’s needs have changed – I no longer eat strictly paleo, but paleo has taught me so much about my body…and I never made weight loss the motivator…it was always about getting healthy and learning to listen to my body/mind… Chris Kresser has, for a long time, been a wonderful part of teaching me how to do this. Of note: I was bedridden and extremely ill, this journey was about healing for me, not weight loss. The weight loss was a secondary pleasant thing that came about. For me learning what my body needs and how I eat has been a continuing evolution. One that is not over. I am not married to any one system, but I can speak to the fact that Chris Kresser and other sources of paleo information was a critical piece for me to becoming healthy again. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Butternut squash pasta #foodie friday grain free, vegan, tomato free (oh my)

So I julienned a butternut squash. Julienne peelers are pretty awesome. I use them with zucchini and sweet potatoes too. I intend to experiment further with other veggies as well. This is actually the one I have. I borrowed the picture to the right from google because I failed to take a photo. The picture of... Continue Reading →

Spanking is linked to serious child behavior problems (STOP IT)

Two new studies show that providing parents with information that spanking can lead to short- and long-term child behavior problems may help to change parents’ opinion on this form of discipline. Parents who spank their children often believe it’s an effective form of punishment. Research has found that parents who spank believe spanking can make children behave or respect them. That belief drives parental behavior, more so than their level of anger, the seriousness of the child’s misbehavior or the parent’s perceived intent of the child’s misbehavior. However, decades of research studies have found that spanking is linked to short- and long-term child behavior problems. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Releasing Fear with Yoga

Whether we realize it or not, fear is often a large part of life. The fear of disappointing others, fear of taking career risks, or fear of not accomplishing goals can affect our mental and physical states of health over time. Someone who constantly lives with feelings of fear and anxiety can develop high blood pressure, sleeplessness, depression or even a heart condition. A complete yoga session that includes pranayama, meditation and stretching can help release fears and teach people to live a more mindful, grateful life. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Many paths (as many as there are beings)

I often talk about how what works for me may not be appropriate for anyone else when I talk about healing. Well this extends out to our entire lives as well as our spiritual pursuits. I've also written about how important it is to respect where people fall on the spectrum of psychiatric drug use. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Spending time in solitude through meditation makes room for new experiences

"You quickly learn that distractions are not just phone calls and emails. Our own mind and our longings, our cravings and our fantasies are also major distractions," Chödrön says. "The best in that spiritual instruction is when you wake up in the morning and you say 'I wonder what's going to happen today?' and then carry that kind of curiosity through your life," Chödrön says. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

Ten Myths about Depression and Psycho-Pharmacology

Myth 1: Your disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain Myth 2: It’s no problem to stop treatment with antidepressants Myth 3: Psychotropic Drugs for Mental Illness are like Insulin for Diabetes Myth 4: Psychotropic drugs reduce the number of chronically ill patients Myth 5: Happy pills do not cause suicide in children and adolescents … [click on title for the rest of the post]

“Alternative” treatments can be valid even if not well understood

Just because something hasn’t been understood by science at this point doesn’t mean it’s not real…any honest scientist understands this…there is much in the natural world we simply do not yet know how to measure… Many of us who’ve learned to care for ourselves are very much scientific in learning to apply that which works for us…unfortunately we do not have the funds of pharma to see if it’s repeatable for others…and frankly it doesn’t always matter…we’re individual enough that finding what works for us through experimentation and the scientific method is just fine by me. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

3rd leading cause of death: WESTERN MEDICINE

And in these statistics lie the many thousands of folks suffering from disabilities brought on by psych meds. The denial continues nonetheless... From NEW SCIENTIST and article from a few days ago: WHAT is the third leading cause of death in the developed world? Given that cancer and heart disease top the list, you might hazard a guess at diabetes, stroke or car accidents. You'd be wrong. The answer is "iatrogenic" deaths – those caused by medical errors, adverse drug reactions or hospital-acquired infections. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

The Icarus Project: creating a new language and culture around healing mental distress

Occasionally Beyond Meds will post a call for support or give readers a heads up about something that’s happening in the radical mental health and alternatives movement. The Icarus Project, publisher of the Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs, is in the running for a $25,000 grant to continue their good work. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

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