Category Archives: Positive Living

9 Tips for Raising a Healthy Dog

Update: Shortly after writing this article I was introduced to a great raw pet food source that I wanted to share: Raw Pet Food Delivery Market. They are located in Springfield, TN but can ship throughout the US. They have lots of educational material on their website if you want to learn more about raising your pet on raw meat products.

I am writing this article in memory of our dog Puck, who died after being hit by a car the day before Thanksgiving last year. Raising him was a labor of love. I wanted to share what I learned about raising a healthy dog based on my research, what I learned from friends, and our experience during the short time he was part of our family.

Both my parents grew up on a farm and dogs were considered working animals, not pets. So no dogs in our family growing up. Only gold fish, which we usually won at our church fair every summer. 🙂

So getting a dog as an adult for our family was a big deal. Our son wanted one for years, but it seemed overwhelming, never having had one before. Like many other families, the time finally came when the quarantine hit in 2020. We ended up getting a 6-week-old mini-schnauzer. He stole our hearts, including mine.

However, there was a big learning curve. Continue reading →

Alternative Food and Supplement Sources

We are all seeing changes in our local stores. Prices going up. More bare shelves. Favorite brands harder to find. And now, we are being told that more food shortages are coming.

You may no longer be able to depend on your local grocery store for all your needs. Instead, consider creating a backup plan so you set yourself up for success.

Below I will share some ideas so you have alternative food and supplement sources available to you. Not only will you be prepared should shortages become a more of a reality, it may help you to start eating healthier. Continue reading →

Informative Links for Optimal Health

I am back again, sharing information from some of my favorite holistic-minded practitioners and colleagues. As I have mentioned before, it is important to learn from a variety of people and sources so that you can better make your own informed decisions. Take what resonates with you and/or keep the information handy for when you need it.

A variety of informative links are included below: fertility, heart health, group healing and cancer biology. Each article or video gives you insight into some of the newest information on health; information that might not be easily found elsewhere. Continue reading →

Sharing Wisdom and Healing

I feel compelled once again to share wisdom and healing from others. Partly because so many things are being censored (and therefore harder to find on the internet), but also because right now we all could use additional help in so many areas of our lives. Just one monthly article from yours truly can’t cover it all.

There are some great resources and many gifted healers out there if you know where to look. Maybe you will be inspired by one or more of the people featured below.

We are all here on this great earth to learn and grow and improve ourselves. As each of us strives to become a better person, we automatically help and improve those around us.

Things may seem more challenging right now, but remember that great growth can come from our largest challenges. Personal growth. Family growth. Community growth. National growth. Global growth. Continue reading →

Gratitude and Inspiration

Can you feel the gratitude in your life? Being thankful for all the good in your life is important in your journey to optimal health. This is the season to stop and reflect. Even better, start a gratitude journal.

Studies have shown that repeating what you are thankful for can shift your biochemistry as well as your mental and emotional well-being, even if you don’t yet totally believe what you are saying.

Think about what you are grateful for every day – before you get out of bed in the morning, when taking a shower, when driving around, etc. Speak what you are grateful for during prayer or meditation. Write what you are grateful for in a journal each night before going to bed.

I am grateful for Continue reading →

Health Crisis as a Spiritual Awakening

If you are a client that works with me, we have most likely discussed that fact that when your body gets sick or has a trauma, it is often trying to send you a message. Your illness is a wake-up call – and if you really pay attention it is often a spiritual awakening. I recently listened to the interview between two women who had two very different experiences. Each was open to listening to their body and their inner voice, which in the end brought them to a better version of themselves. It was a very uplifting interview and I wanted to share it.

When you work with me we include emotional, mental and spiritual work. You can clear old traumas and energy blocks which will ultimately help your physical body to heal, leading to a better overall version of yourself.

This article was written by Sharon K. Harmon, PhD, founder of Life Design for Health. As a “Health Designer” she has a passion for helping people find their way back to optimum health by looking at the body from a unique perspective. Please contact her if you would like to know more. There is a great deal of health-related information in her blog articles and on her website, including a healing foods and pantry list and recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free and GMO-free. She is also passionate about EMF safety.

Digital Dementia: Do You or Your Child Have It?

Have you heard about digital dementia? What about “tech trance” or “computer coma?” These are real concerns that health practitioners are seeing around the world . . . and health problems that are starting to be backed up by science.

We are all spending more time on screens than ever before – smart phones, computers, tablets, smart watches, e-readers, etc. Even basic toddler toys now have screens in them.

All these screens are creating a new health crisis: digital dementia.

It is affecting our brain, causing problems for children and adults alike. We are literally losing brain function and, in some cases, brain size. This is a result of multiple factors that center around using screens: addiction, loss of one-on-one social interaction, exposure to EMFs and wireless radiation, and the effects of the blue light being emitted from these devices.

If you want to become less addicted, less anxious, less anti-social, and rebuild your brain, read on to find out more. As I explain the problems and the strategies for change, learn how you can make changes for yourself and your family.

SIGNS OF DIGITAL DEMENTIA

Like the name sounds, Continue reading →

Leaky Roofs, Alzheimer’s, and Healing Your Body

What does a leaky roof and your health have in common?

I was recently reminded of a concept that I first learned from Dr. Dale Bredesen in his book The End of Alzheimer’s. As he explains in detail in his book, Bredesen is having great success helping those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, helping them recover and return to leading full lives.

In his book, Bredesen makes an analogy between someone with Alzheimer’s and a roof with holes, or what I like to call a leaky roof.

He determined a total of 36 health markers that can compromise the brain, causing it to degrade. These markers include those that can be measured, such as brain-related peptides, hormones, and neurotransmitters, as well as lifestyle factors like quality of sleep and stress levels. (See details below.) Continue reading →

Favorite (Non-Health-Related) Books in 2018

I read a lot. I read articles online, review research studies, listen to books and podcasts, etc. I read and listen to many things online, but to me nothing beats an old fashioned, printed book.

I admit that much of my reading is related to healing the body, mind and soul. There is so much information out there and the way to optimal health is getting more complex as our world gets more toxic and more complicated.

Every year, however, I try to get in at least a few non-health related books. I also have the opportunity to listen to audio books (or “books on tape” as I like to call them) with my son while we are driving around town. We always listen to stories on our family road trips too. There were some really good ones this year.

So for a fun end to 2018, below I want to share some of my favorite (non-health-related) books with you. . . And of course, I need to include my 11-year-old son’s new book in the list, as shown above. Continue reading →

How To Listen to Health Summits and Docu-Series

I am a big fan of self education, especially when it comes to your health. Whether you are working with a medical doctor or a more holistic practitioner, one person cannot possibly know everything. It is good to do your own homework.

As an active participant in your own health, the more you know allows you to ask intelligent questions as you work through your particular health issue. It empowers you and allows you to be a partner in the healing of your body.

There is so much great information on the Internet, especially when researching health issues. The problem, however, is that if you research long enough, you will notice conflicting information.

You need to look at the source. You have a wide variety of Continue reading →

For the Women in Your Life

Just in time for Mother’s Day, I wanted to share some of my favorite woman-inspired videos and tools.

Enjoy as you learn a wide variety of information that you can use and incorporate into your daily life.

The best of health to you and all the Moms out there!

Breast Health

Did you know that one of the best things you can do for breast health is to massage your lymph nodes? Unlike your vascular system which has the heart to pump your blood, your lymphatic system needs external stimulation like exercise to pump the lymph through your body. If you do not exercise enough, toxins can accumulate in your lymph nodes.

There are hundreds of lymph notes concentrated under your arm pits and around your breasts. You can vigorously massage under your arms and around your breasts on a daily basis to make sure toxins do not accumulate in those areas. Other concentrations of lymph nodes include down the sides of your neck, behind your knees, and your inner thighs. Take a moment during the day, especially if you have been sitting still for a while, to vigorously massage and stimulate these areas. Your body with thank you! Continue reading →

Stress Free and Centered During the Holidays and Throughout the Year

The holiday season can be a stressful time for many – more commitments, more shopping, more socializing, more cooking, etc. However, not all stress is bad. In fact, stress can be a good thing, because without it we can’t learn and grow as we move through life.

It is how you respond to the stress that will determine if the stress affects you in a negative way. (To learn more about the long-term affects of stress on your adrenal glands, click here.)

It is not so much about removing the stress, but rather how you decide to react to the stress you have. It is a matter of changing your mind-set. Easy to say, I know, but not always easy to put into place.

As you learn “let it go” and “go with the flow,” here are six tips for de-stressing and creating a routine of relaxation. Continue reading →

Digit Fidget: A Fun and Easy Way to Massage Your Whole Body

My family has been enjoying our new found device – “a digit fidget.” As you can see from the picture, it is a small woven wire ring that fits around your finger. As you role it slowly up and down each finger, the points from the wire gently massages your finger to relax and calm your whole body.

It is hard to believe, but it works amazingly well. We first discovered it this summer at a local store. The sales person told us that her boss uses it before presentations to help calm her nerves. Others use it to help relieve anxiety, ADHD, soreness, fatigue, the pain from arthritis, among other things.

From an energetic point of view, it really is massaging your entire body. We all have energy pathways running Continue reading →

Resolutions = One Page Miracle = Daily Motivation

Our family usually sits down at the start of each year to set our goals – our goals as individuals and as a family. We are just a little later than usual this year.

The tradition started 25 years ago, on our first New Year’s day as a married couple, when my husband presented me with nicely calligraphed sheets to list our goals for the year and beyond. He had the typical categories all set: relationships, family, health, career, finances, and spiritual.

I did not realize at the time that it would become an annual tradition and a great way for us to start off each year as a family. We fill in our goals individually and then share them with each other, sharing our hopes, dreams, and plans for the year. Our son started participating before he could write, when he was old enough to draw his goals.

Last year we added a new category to the top of our typical goal list: what we were thankful for in the previous year.

One Page Miracle

This year, we decided to do something a little different and improve upon the tradition. I am in the process of reading Dr. Daniel Amen’s new book, Brain Warrior’s Way, and he encourages people to create a “One Page Miracle” or OPM. Continue reading →

Get More Enjoyment Out of Life!

“I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health.“
― Voltaire

I wanted to share a wonderful book I recently discovered, called Enjoy Life: Healing with Happiness. Written by Dr. Lynn Johnson, it is based on scientific research and provides lots of examples of how to increase the happiness in your life. It is a short read and includes many practical exercises you can do on your own.

During this holiday season, my family has decided to do the “Appreciation Journal.” Continue reading →