Mindful Medicine

Are you afraid of meditation? It may be able to help you.There is a gap between what we know and where we're making missteps with our health. For instance, when it comes to meditation, you don't have to clear your mind completely. It's really hard to clear your mind when you're told not to think about anything. Of course that gets your brain going! Sit down, ground yourself and breathe. Let the thoughts come and acknowledge them as they pass through your head. Listen in as Dr. Holly Lucille joins host Melanie Cole to discuss meditation and how you can turn missteps into realizations.

Learn to decode food labels so you know exactly what you're buying.You may think you're buying food that's all natural when you shop. But, labeling can be tricky. It's important to know exactly what you're getting. Cage-free refers to animals raised outside of cages but not necessarily outdoors. Free-range means the animals had outdoor access, even if it was scheduled and monitored. It's easy to get the two confused. Farm fish are raised in wire pens in bodies of water or in tanks. They aren't being fed things they would find in a natural environment. Wild-caught fish may have been spawned in a farm before being released into the wild and recaptured for food. Wild fish spent the entire life cycle in the wild. Grass-fed animals aren't fed a diet full of grain. Grain causes problems for many people, and the allergens in the grain may pass through to consumers via meat and dairy. Listen in as Dr. Holly explains what your meat and dairy labels mean. You can also find out more about meat and dairy labeling here.

The best rice choice isn't white or brown; it's black.You no longer have to hem and haw between white and brown rice. There's an option that's higher in antioxidants: black rice. Black rice has other benefits. It's higher in protein and fiber than other varieties of rice. It's better for those watching their blood sugar. It is also rich in vitamin B, iron and magnesium. Listen in as Dr. Holly shares all of these benefits and more. Find out where you can purchase black rice by visiting www.blackrice.com.

When you don't have insurance, your health-spending dollars are very precious. You may invest more in preventative care, such as supplements and other therapies. You want to avoid surgery for chronic conditions, if at all possible.Many Americans (those with and without insurance) seek chiropractic care. Acupuncture and massage are also popular alternative therapies. A great deal of people who visit these practitioners have some form of health insurance, but plenty of uninsured don't mind going out-of-pocket for treatment.Individuals want positive outcomes with good value from their office visits, and alternative medicine seems to provide both to its patients.Listen in as Dr. Holly Lucille discusses alternative medicine.

That piece of green that you might recognize more as garnish has made headlines for its popularity. Kale has moved from the edge of the plate to a prime position in meals across the nation. What's so great about kale?

It's full of vitamins. One cup of cooked kale contains 1000% vitamin K. It also contains 100% vitamin A and vitamin C. It contains 10% of your daily fiber needs. It also has 10% manganese, copper and vitamin B6.

One serving contains 20% of your daily Omega-3 needs.

It's great for heart health since it's high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6.

It can lower your cancer risk. It contains glucosinolates, which break down into isothiocyanates that have cancer inhibiting benefits.

It can lower cholesterol.

It's chock full of antioxidants.

Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RD, shares the joys of kale.

Saying you're sorry isn't always easy. You don't want to show weakness. You don't like confrontation. Maybe, you feel like you didn't do anything wrong in the first place.There is a technique to giving an appropriate and genuine apology. Empathizing with the other person and saying you're sorry goes a long way to repair a relationship. Apologizing only when you mean it and using sincerity also helps.Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RD, discusses how to apologize like an adult.

Self-esteem is established when you are young, and it can haunt you or help you as the years pass. A low self-esteem can get in the way of your success.Since confidence and goal achievement go hand-in-hand with self-esteem, it's important to find ways to raise your self-esteem. There are very simple, practical steps that can make an immediate difference.From an article by Katie Waldek on Care2.com, here are 10 tips:

Rate yourself to find out your current self-esteem.

Sit up straight.

Get to list-making of past accomplishments.

Get creative and enjoy creating.

Be a joiner and become more social.

Make your bed.

Add a little more exercise to your day.

Ask a friend for your positive qualities.

Start small and tackle little tasks.

Gossip positively about others.

Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RD, covers the 10 simple ways to boost your self-esteem.

It seems that everywhere you look, headlines are shouting at you the successful, fast, and easy way to lose weight. It makes sense to constantly see ads on TV, magazines, and online health stories about weight loss with the obesity epidemic in the U.S.However, with this "push" to lose weight, is it also creating another issue by pressuring people to look skinny?Instead of a harsh, self-conscious, and mindless approach to losing weight, what if there was a holistic approach on loving and accepting?According to an article on Psychology Today, here are 10 tips to reclaim a healthy body with love:

Practice radical self-love.

Make friends with the person in the mirror.

Do a body blessing.

Honor the spirit within you.

Make food an offering to your divine self.

Add green juice to your diet.

Only eat when you're hungry.

Be mindful about what you put in your mouth.

Avoid emotional eating.

Move your beautiful body.

Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RD, shares the 10 tips on how to reclaim a healthy body with love.

As life seems to get more chaotic by the day, one of the most important things you can do is to find a way to be congruent and stay congruent.Self-congruence is defined as having an increased consistency between the ideal self and the actual self. According to an article on The Quintessential Man, "Who you are from within, is defined by a set of beliefs, values, intentions, and behaviors. The extent to which you are attuned to those values and how your actions align to them, dictate your sense of congruence."How can you find and stay congruent throughout your life?Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RD, shares what congruence is and how you can stay congruent throughout your life.

If you're someone who's consumed with worrying or you constantly feel that something is going to go wrong, you might have been labeled a "worry wart." Many people might have told you to just learn to relax.Even though these days it can feel like there's always something to worry about, constantly thinking about worry can cause unwanted stress and other health issues.How can you finally let go of worry? According to an article in Bustle, here are six tips to help you stop worrying:

Write down what you're grateful for.

Practice mindfulness.

Exercise.

Plan "worry time."

Focus on others.

Get some sleep.

Listen in as Holly Lucille, ND, RN, shares the six effective tips to help you stop worrying.