hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic

Start to identify and corral damaging thoughts in order to shift the emotional, physical and behavioral responses they trigger.It's impossible for humans to capture each and every thought one has on a daily basis. However, you can start to identify and corral damaging thoughts in order to shift the emotional, physical and behavioral responses they trigger. This is the platform of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which Dana James, owner of Food Coach NYC, regularly uses in her practice. For example, you may know what you need to be eating, but your stress levels are out of control and you turn to unhealthy options. Certain situations can cause anxiety, such as going on a date with a new potential partner. Your thought may be, "What if he doesn't like me?" You become nervous, drink too much, are up late, and wake up tired and hungover. You skip your workout. Instead of making a good choice for breakfast, you grab a croissant.  Now, think of how that situation could be different by going in to it saying, "Of course he's going to like me!" The first steps in making this cognitive shift include recognizing that those thoughts are "automatic;" common thoughts that come through without invitation.  Also, look at your core beliefs. Identify where those beliefs came from. For example, your upbringing may have led you to believe that a woman's worth is based on her success or what she's able to achieve. Or, she is valued for her appearance.  Once you understand the basis for your thoughts, you can start to work to change your emotional, physical and behavioral responses to be healthier. In addition to CBT, Dana also uses functional medicine to address bio-chemical imbalances in her clients.  Listen in as Dana joins Dr. Taz to explain what CBT is and how you can use it to change your eating habits for the better.

In this frenzied, frantic world, we oftentimes let distractions and external forces take us away from leading our authentic lives.In this frenzied, frantic world, we oftentimes let distractions and external forces take us away from leading our authentic lives and listening to our internal voices. But, the gift of authenticity is within each of us. As a gifted Intuitive, medium and leader in meditation practice, Jill Willard's ease and grace have many coveting her golden rays of wisdom. Jill joins Dr. Taz to offer the following guidance: Pause and listen more, to your loved ones and to yourself. Hold in the quiet. Put your phone away and breathe for five minutes, at least once a day. Ego makes us human; it allows us to love for and connect to others and care for others. Rise up and clear out your ego. Don't run away from it; face it and embrace it. To calm yourself in any moment, hold something in each hand (any small object) and just sit for a minute or two to ground your energy. Or, tap your fingers to your thumbs while repeating "I am here now; I am present now." Try to be as fearless as possible. Discomfort in moving forward can eventually become empowerment.  Let go of old, unhealthy habits.  Practice gratitude for even the smallest things, such as the two legs that carry you throughout the day. Forgive and take ownership of past misdeeds. Listen in for even more wisdom from Jill and Dr. Taz.

Learn how you can use yoga, food and lifestyle changes to become your own intuitive healer and understand your body in a more holistic way.After being plagued for years by a sluggish thyroid and autoimmune symptoms such as skin issues and digestive problems, Fern Olivia became increasingly disheartened at the traditional medical community's recommendations. Fern would leave the doctor's office with yet another prescription, another request for lab work, but nothing helped.  Finally, she'd had enough.  Fern found answers through research on a multitude of alternative modalities, including specific yoga poses and breath exercises that activate and stimulate the hypothalamus and pituitary in a way that has a direct impact on the thyroid. Now, as founder of Thyroid Yoga™, she is sharing those techniques with the world. The specific sequence of poses also target the kidneys, liver, and spleen, and work to move energy that's "stuck" throughout the body. Even 15 minutes right away in the morning can make a huge difference. Aside from the yoga and meditative practices Fern teaches, she also advises that anyone experiencing unexplained symptoms should enlist the help of a doctor who understands how complex the thyroid can be. Instead of standard blood labs, make sure your doctor orders antibody panels as well. This can clear up whether your thyroid issues are autoimmune based or resulting from another cause. For example, your gut can play a role in thyroid conditions (i.e. leaky gut), and infection-related concerns are often found to be a culprit (i.e. Epstein-Barr). Listen in as Fern joins Dr. Taz to share how you can use yoga to become your own intuitive healer and understand your body in a more holistic way.

Home cooking is a great resource for getting back in touch with your body and understanding which foods nurture your body best.It's easy to get caught up in following one way of eating... vegan, Paleo, gluten-free are all popular fads. To add to the dilemma, book after book will tell you one way is the best way. But, far better for your health is to find a balance of what works for you and your body, regardless what the "experts" say. Home cooking is a great resource for getting back in touch with your body and understanding which foods nurture your body best. Unfortunately, our culture is not set up to honor taking time to go to the grocery store and choose healthy, nutritious foods.  Laura Lea, Certified Holistic Chef and founder of LL Balanced, offers a few key pieces of advice: Recognize home cooking is going to be difficult at first. But, it will get easier the more you do it. Set yourself up for success with a proper pantry and cooking utensils.  Go through recipes and gather 12-16 that you and your family members will enjoy, and ensure the staples you need to create those meals are constantly on hand. Listen in as Laura joins Dr. Taz to discuss how you can become more balanced in your nutritional regimen. She also shares some of her favorite recipes and offers a preview of her new cookbook, which will be released in Spring 2017.

Many health issues women (and men) face can be rooted in hormonal changes.Many health issues women (and men) face can be rooted in hormonal changes.  While often associated with perimenopause and menopause, these shifts can occur as early as your 30s.  Sleep disruption, weight gain, mood changes or feelings of depression can all be signs something is off.  Not every doctor recognizes these symptoms as being based in hormonal causes.  As a patient advocate, Liz Lyster, MD, believes there is no reason for her patients to not feel well, and she will investigate any solution to improve health and well-being. Typically, Dr. Lyster starts that investigation with a panel of blood work. She then interprets labs for not just what is considered a "normal range" but digs deeper to understand what an appropriate level is for YOU. Estrogen can be a confusing hormone to understand. Much of the bewilderment comes from scary headlines in the media. Studies have shown, however, that estrogen does not cause or increase the risk for cancer, breast cancer in particular.  According to Dr. Lyster, hormone therapy on a short-term basis is safe for anyone. Estrogen is best used topically (patch, gel). Oral use can result in undesirable side effects.  Progesterone (needed to balance estrogen intake) is critical to be taken in a bio-identical form (can be topical or oral). Progesterone calms the brain and helps you sleep.  Listen in as Dr. Lyster joins Dr. Taz to clear some of the confusion surrounding hormones and hormone therapy.

Feeling just "OK" isn't okay! Learn how to achieve and maintain your optimum level of health and well-being.Food is nourishment, but we often look at it as something to be feared. We count calories and punish ourselves when we eat too many and don't burn enough. The goal should be to count nutrients, not calories. When you eat nourishing food, the question becomes "am I getting enough?" not "am I eating too much?" Sakara Life is a Healthy Living company that helps its clients achieve and maintain their optimum level of health and well-being. Founded by Whitney Tingle and Danielle Duboise, the company support clients by revolutionizing the way they think about their food and health. Both Whitney and Danielle came to understand why healthy living is so essential after each experiencing negative health consequences relating to food and diet.  They now know that feeling just "OK" isn't okay! The first step to becoming your healthiest self is finding your "home base," that state in which you feel fantastic. Constipation can be a signal that you're tipping the wrong way, as well as skin breakouts, fatigue, and yeast infections. Symptoms can be subtle, but if you're in-tune with how your body reacts, you can pick up on them. If you do sway from home base, you can quickly get back with a few simple detox tips: eat plenty of leafy greens and take a probiotic and digestive enzymes on a regular basis.  The Sakara Life centers on the idea of making the right choices for your body because you want to, not because you have to. Sakara is not just about eating clean... it’s about living clean. It's important to be a conscious consumer in all areas of your life. Listen in as Whitney and Danielle join Dr. Taz to share their own health journeys, why they founded the company, and how you can started on becoming your healthiest you.

When you're constantly under stress, it becomes too much for your body (and mind) to handle it and negative consequences result.Stress can be good for your physical anatomy... your body is designed to encounter stress and deal with it. However, when you're constantly under stress, it becomes too much for your body (and mind) to handle it and negative consequences result. The younger you are, the more resilient you are. As you mature (both physically and mentally), stress becomes more of a problem. Your "ignorance is bliss" factor diminishes.  How do you know if you're overly stressed?  Look at your sleep patterns... are you tossing and turning? Do you experience blood pressure spikes throughout the day? Are you short of breath? Increasingly nervous or anxious? At any time you start to experience these symptoms, you can utilize this breathing technique: put the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth, close your eyes, and take a deep breath through your nose on the count of four. Hold for count of four, then exhale through the mouth to the count of eight. Repeat four or five times, all while holding your tongue behind your teeth. As far as daily treatment options, bio-identical hormones have a time and place. But, Dr. Svetlana Kogan prefers to incorporate holistic approaches such as proper nutrition, exercise, meditation, breathing, and auto-hypnosis. The idea is to empower women to understand the inner tools that can restore natural balance.  Listen in as Dr. Kogan joins Dr. Taz to explain why stress is such a problematic force in women's (and men's) lives, as well as ways you can mitigate your reaction to the stressors surrounding you.

Anything you put on your skin can have a direct impact on your internal health.Your skin is your biggest organ, and oftentimes no less important than your heart or brain. Anything you put on your skin can impact your internal health as well. And, your skin responds to emotional stress, which can manifest in physical ailments (hives, dermatitis). Jessa Blades is a Holistic Skin Coach who takes a very natural approach to skin care and make-up. Some of her clients are completely open to do anything and everything to heal their skin, such as change diet, totally detox personal care products, and try herbal remedies.  Others aren't quite ready for that overhaul, so Jessa slowly introduces healthier options.  Jessa's advice to begin your own transition to natural products is to look at the products you use every single day. Those are the ones you should start to replace to a more natural version in order to reduce the cumulative toxic load. Makeup Top 3 Mascara Lipstick or Lip Gloss (can also double as a cheek stain) Foundation/Concealer Skin Care Top 3 Face Cleanser Face Oil Deodorant The shelf life is shorter for these kinds of products, but the benefits are worth it. Why is it so important for you to take things into your own hands? The main reason is that regulations in the beauty industry are very lax in the U.S. The European Union, on the other hand, bans hundreds of ingredients which they consider as toxins or even carcinogens. The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) is a wonderful resource for avoiding dangerous products. Jessa also has an online store that features natural products which she has intensely vetted. Listen in as Jessa joins Dr. Taz to share how she became involved in holistic beauty, as well as which product categories she recommends to start replacing as soon as possible.

In times of darkness, when you may feel anxious, angry or beaten down, you are still provided the opportunity to go within yourself and find the light.In times of darkness, when you feel anxious, angry or beaten down, you are still provided the opportunity to go within yourself and find the light. It's all of our personal responsibilities to be the brightest versions of ourselves. In your corner of the world, you can be the lamp post by living life with a sense of purpose and passion. Equally as important is to continue engaging in self-care activities and present a positive example for the things you want to see in the world. Try to avoid pop news, click-bait articles, or going down the social media rabbit hole in those dark times. This keeps you in the driver's seat, instead of falling prey to becoming the victim.  Meditation can be highly helpful to get you through those times when you feel out of control.  Once a skeptic, Light Watkins has now embraced the practice of meditation and has personally taught over a thousand people to meditate, having yet to meet someone he couldn’t teach. Light’s students have used meditation to whip PTSD, hypertension, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, and even cancer. Light joins Dr. Taz do share his journey from becoming a non-believer to a master of meditation, as well as the varying ways you can meditate in the seemingly most inopportune moments.  He also shares his work with The Shine Movement, which curates alcohol-free, conscious events in Los Angeles that involve meditation, uplifting talks, films, music, food and art.

Learn about next level health therapies such as infared, as well as how tuning in to your own body can bring you incredible results.No matter what your diet and fitness goals are, it's easy to succumb to a place of conformity. The typical "standards" to which women (and men) try to live up to are simply not feasible for every single person.  Every individual is unique, which is the basis for the concept of bio-hacking... understanding your own personal chemistry; how you interact with certain foods, exercise, sleep, etc. As difficult as it is to come to terms with, internal acceptance and motivation is so much more empowering than achieving a certain size or weight. Again, this can be challenging, especially when walking into the typical gym/boot camp or joining a structured diet group. To combat the pressure to conform, Lauren Berlingeri, Certified Holistic Nutritionist, advises to identify exactly why you're working toward a certain goal. Are you dead-set on fitting into a size 2? Or, are you trying to gain energy to be a better person/mom/friend? Once you focus on the basis for your goals, they will be much more achievable.  This type of mindset is one that Lauren and her business partner Katie Kaps implement in their company, HigherDOSE. The company believes the key to the “high life” is found through next level health therapies (like infrared) that up your DOSE: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins (your main "happy chemicals"). Infared is gaining popularity among the general population and has been shown to be beneficial for individuals with debilitating health conditions like Lyme disease, chronic pain, and heavy metal poisoning. Other benefits include:  Detoxification Calorie Burn Anti Aging & Skin Purification Relaxation Pain Relief Cell Health & Improved Circulation Listen in to learn more about next level health therapies such as infared, as well as how tuning in to your own body can bring you incredible results. The Superwoman Factor What qualities does Lauren think a superwoman should have? Find what really fuels you in life; discover your passion and live it.