The climate crisis is front and center, or should be front and center, of our national and international policy conversations. As we think about our personal health and wellness—our fitness, nutrition, longevity—we can draw a link between the state of our bodies and the environment itself.

It’s a concept you’ve probably heard stated before, but I would encourage you to consider it more deeply: the earth itself is a living organism. It operates according to rhythms and processes that intimately mirror our own biology.

Let’s look at some ways our lives and health directly parallel the life and health of the planet.

1. Biodiversity is Integral

Our modern lifestyle drastically impacts the conditions of both our continental ecosystems, and the ecosystems housed within our bodies. The creep of modern pollutants and global warming continues to endanger a variety of species and alter the larger biosphere.

We can see the impaired biodiversity in the natural world first hand. On the bodily level, nutrient deficiencies, chemical exposure, prescription drug use and over-reliance on processed foods causes a similar dearth of healthy gut bacterial and microbial diversity within our bodies. Increasing research points to how the gut acts like a second brain, influencing everything from digestion and nutrient delivery, to hormone regulation and immune response.

We need those essential microbial components that comprise a thriving microbiome. Just like the larger organisms that populate the world, depleting them alters our functionality, ecosystem, and lifespan.

2. Levels of Toxicity

It’s indisputable. There is a direct relationship between toxicity in the environment and toxicity in the body. More of one leads to more of the other. We should be particularly concerned about coal plants, both locally and in developing countries, whose emissions enter the air, circulate the globe, and make their way into our bodies.

Just as the planet’s land, water and air absorb an abundance of toxins, so do our own organs, blood, and breath. In the body of every human you’ll find increasing amounts of:

    • pesticides
    • heavy metals
    • environmental pollutants
    • plastics
    • prescription and recreational drugs
    • chemicals and more

All of this needs addressed at both the macro and micro level. Reducing exposures to toxins, opening up detoxification pathways and optimizing the body’s own innate cellular metabolism is essential to live a long, healthy, disease-free life.

3. Nutrient Deficiency

Nutrient deficiency grows more and more pronounced in our land and water. A lack of crop rotation and other poor farming practices result in diseased plants and rampantly depleted soil. Testing has shown how farm soil from the 30s held far richer mineral content than our current soil..

We humans subsequently exhibit our own deficiencies as we consume a range of foods and produce that lacks its intended nutrient value. Sustainable farms, personal gardens, homegrown herbs, and a push for organic production can make a big difference toward restoring this vital component.

Additionally, the lakes and glaciers in unspoiled regions of the earth contain pure essential mineral nutrients that become contaminated as the water flows into more stagnant and toxic collection points. We’re then required to get rid of these toxins through purification processes that take out the minerals altogether and often add a detrimental dose of substances like fluoride and chlorine.

If you’re interested in restoring your purified drinking water to the same state of mineralization found in nature, check out the Vitalizer Plus—a product that reintroduces these essential minerals and creates the optimized hexagonal structured water found in natural glacier water which perfectly enmeshes with the protein molecules of different cell structures.

4. Water Ratio and Hydration

Have you ever noticed how your body and the earth are each made of 60-70% water? This balance is essential for movement, energy conversion, temperature regulation—the harmony we need to fulfill every biological process. Think of how rivers and lakes operate exactly like your bloodstream, delivering nutrients throughout your body.

While the climate warms and ocean levels continue to rise, so many human activities cause corresponding inland trauma. We’ve noted a rise in desertification and deforestation, much like the dehydration we often inflict on our own bodies through a combination of overexertion and neglect.

Humanity as a whole is stymied when our land can’t hydrate itself to maintain crop growth and appropriate animal populations. We individual humans likewise harm ourselves by habituating an inadequate water intake—and dehydration sets in far more often than we realize. This state of dehydration prevents our bodies from producing optimal levels of energy and properly absorbing the nutrients we ingest. It also slows the flush of cellular waste which can ultimately lead to premature aging and organ dysfunction.

5. Ocean Acidification

As we’ve tested our ocean water in recent years, we’ve encountered a rising level of acidification. This is due to the runoff from farmland that’s been treated with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers; along with the seismic amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere—40 billion tons each year!

Like the planet, the human body is more disproportionately acidic than ever. Accumulated toxins, lack of oxygen (hypoxia), and an ingestion of excess carbohydrates, red meat and processed foods continually acidifies our cells and tissues. This causes inflammation and disrupts proper cellular function. When our bodily pH drops for an extended period of time, diseases are bound to follow, including diabetes, dementia, cardiovascular illness, and even cancer. The body requires an alkaline environment to perform healthy enzymatic function, maintain hydration, and to properly digest the foods we need for nutrient absorption.

The point of these observations isn’t to make us lose hope, it’s simply to point out how our personal health and environmental health are effectively one and the same. Your body is a microcosm of planet earth. It has a remarkable capacity for recovery and regeneration—and so does the planet. Now is the time for taking steps to improve them both!

Breast Health and Lymphatic Drainage with Dr. Friedman
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      Breast Health and Lymphatic Drainage

Dr. Loretta Friedman opened her Chiropractic practice in 1994, specializing as a Directional Non-Force Technique® practitioner, clinical nutritionist and as an expert in women’s health.  She is one of two Directional Non-Force Technique® Chiropractors in all of New York State, and patients come from all over for relief of pain, musculoskeletal swelling, inflammation problems, and disc issues. As a woman’s health expert, Dr. Friedman harnesses proprietary protocols for Anti-Aging, Metabolic Detoxification and Lymph-Biologics™, a unique form of lymphatic drainage.

Previously, she was an operating room nurse, specializing in cardiothoracic, open heart, vascular and kidney transplants at UCSF San Francisco. Additionally, she was formerly a faculty member at NYU School of Dentistry for Oral Facial Pain, TMJD.

https://synergyhealthassociates.com/

Holistic Births and Midwives with Dr. Fischbein
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      Holistic Births and Midwives

Dr. Stuart Fischbein, MD OB/GYN has been in private practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Southern California since 1986.  He graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1982. He has a long history of support for Midwives and the alternative to the medical model of birth they provide. This interest began during his Cedars-Sinai residency where he had extensive training in vaginal breech and twin delivery and was selected as administrative chief resident and awarded house officer of the year. His experience was enhanced while rotating through LA County-USC Medical Center, at that time the busiest obstetric unit in the country, where he had the good fortune to be exposed to the midwifery model of obstetrical care. After finishing residency Dr. Fischbein was Board Certified by the American Board of OB/Gyn (ABOG)in 1989 and has been a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG) since 1990. Early in his private practice career he was approached by several local “Licensed Midwives” to provide back-up support for women choosing alternatives to hospital based birthing. In 1995 he co-founded, The Woman’s Place, Inc., an innovative model of collaboration between Certified Nurse Midwives and Obstetricians, in Ventura County.  In 2004, he co-authored, Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom and Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife and a Mom, (Fair Winds Press, 2004, 2nd Edition 2010) with long time associate, Joyce Weckl, CNM; and writer, Victoria Clayton.  He has three times been awarded Physician of the Year by the Doulas Association of Southern California  and in 2008 received their first Lifetime Achievement Award.

A long time outspoken advocate of a woman’s’ right to informed consent and refusal and the exercise of her free will, Dr. Fischbein is honored to be on the advisory board of the “Santa Barbara Birth Center” and previously worked in collaboration with the wonderful licensed midwives at the Sanctuary Birth & Family Wellness Center.  He was also a contributor to “Your Best Birth”, a book published in 2009 and authored by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein. Since 2010, Dr. Fischbein continues to provide direct patient care and attend home and birth center births with his midwife colleagues. He has published two papers and one case report highlighting his experiences and continues to travel and lecture on reteaching breech birth.

Dr. Fischbein has made it his goal to teach, speak and write about the normalcy of birth choices, the ethics of respecting a woman’s autonomy in decision making and reasonable, evidence supported options of selected VBAC, breech and twin vaginal birth. Follow him at Dr. Stu’s Podcast and on his Blog.

http://www.birthinginstincts.com/

Optimizing Immune Health with Dr. Bens
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      Optimizing Your Immune System & Metabolic Health

Dr. Charles Bens has written 8 books including Healthy at Work: Health in Your Pocket: Your Pocket Guide to Good Health, which is purchased by employers to give to their employees.  Thousands of copies of this pocket guide have been purchased by public and private sector employers from coast-to-coast in the United States and Canada.  His latest book is entitled The Healthy Smoker: How To Quit Smoking By Becoming Healthier First. It is in hundreds of pharmacies and bookstores across the country.

Charles has spoken in over 200 cities in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, primarily on organizational change and improvement as well as on wellness and health improvement.  In both small and large group presentations Charles uses solid research and creative delivery techniques to challenge and inform his audiences.

https://www.drcharlesbens.com/

 

Harness the Healing of Nature with Sara Kranz
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      Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness

SARA SCHULTING KRANZ is a professional life and leadership coach, motivational speaker and certified wilderness guide. She specializes in helping those who have suffered hardship or trauma to find forgiveness and strength in their lives through guided wilderness retreats in locations such as the Grand Canyon and the Pacific Rim. Her upcoming book, Walk Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness, releases November 10,2020, and is available for preorders now. Learn more at SaraSchultingKranz.com.

Stem Cell Therapy with Dr. Meraglia

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Tami Meraglia, M.D. is a physician with a passion: to help women take charge of their own hormone health and happiness. Her unique voice is sorely needed today as women face hormone imbalances and deficiencies before, during, and after menopause. These conditions, which can assault quality of life, are nothing new.  hat is new is that they are appearing earlier than ever before, and at a time when women are already stretched to the limit. And women are often misdiagnosed by the medical establishment.

As a busy mom of 2 daughters, a doctor with a thriving practice, and a best-selling author and speaker; Dr. Tami knows that you often have to make choices over things like cleaning the juicer or getting your kids out the door in the morning (she also knows which one you’ll choose!). Life is hectic and busy, but that doesn’t mean that you have to come last in the equation.

Effortless weight loss, abundant energy, optimal brain functioning, and peaceful rejuvenating sleep are not unattainable goals; you simply need someone to guide and show you the way.

https://drtami.com/

 

A conversation with Alan Arkin
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Alan Arkin has starred on Broadway, television, over 60 films, and has won almost every acting award in North America. In this, his 9th published book, with his characteristic wry humor, he digs into his long time search for meaning, past the seductive glamour of show business.

By the time he was in his early 30’s, his career was in full bloom and he had achieved everything he’d ever wanted, only to find that it was not what he had hoped for. Something was missing: himself.

In Out of My Mind, Arkin speaks openly about the existential crisis which brought him from analysis to the serious study of Eastern philosophy and several teachers who helped him revise his views on almost everything.

In this sort of memoir, the 86 year old actor tells of the adventures, which, as a direct result of decades of meditation, shook his conception of reality and brought him to a new, exciting, and expanded view of what is out there, and the endless mind-boggling adventure into what is possible – not just for himself but for all the rest of us.

Cannabis and Holistic Health with Dr Tishler

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      Cannabis & Holistic Health

Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard-trained cannabis specialist and founder of inhale MD, is a leading expert in the field of Medical Cannabis Therapeutics, an accomplished author, teacher, and a nationally sought-after speaker. He is CEO/CMO of inhaleMD, a Boston-based patient focused clinical practice and sits on the boards of several medical Cannabis related businesses and has also practiced for the Boston Veterans’ Administration for 15 years. With an emphasis on education, Tishler assesses his patients’ needs, develops a specific treatment plan, and follows his patients closely.

Dr. Tishler is also the President/CEO of the Association of Cannabis Specialists, former Treasurer of Doctors For Cannabis Regulation, Advisor to Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and a widely sought after author /expert, most recently published in the book, Disjointed/Navigating the Diagnosis and Management of hypermobile Ehlers- Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders.

https://inhalemd.com/

How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Disease with Dr. Rao

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      Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Disease

Dr. Jyothi Rao, MD, ABAAHP, FAARFM, has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She received her Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed her internship and residency at the prestigious New England Medical Center (Tufts) in Boston. Before opening Shakthi Health & Wellness Center, Dr. Rao practiced medicine in New York and Maryland.

A strong proponent of holistic medicine, Dr. Rao is certified in Medical Acupuncture from UCLA. She is also certified in Cardiopulmonary Stress Testing, which is a personalized assessment of cardiac and pulmonary disease, and certified in anti-aging and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Rao is the coauthor with Dr. Monica Aggarwal of BODY on FIRE: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It (2020), an updated revision of their self-published book Finding Balance (2016). For more information visit her website raowellness.com.

Real Talk with Kids with Dr Lea Lis

 

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      Real Talk With Your Kids About Sex, Self-Confidence and Healthy Relationships

Dr. Lea Lis is the Shameless Psychiatrist because she is passionate about reducing shame.  Dr. Lis is a medical doctor who is a double board-certified Adult and Child Psychiatrist. She has been working with families since the beginning of her psychiatric career.

She is uniquely positioned to help parents and children face many mental health challenges and live healthy lives. During her training and residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York and New York University, and her private psychiatric practice (Mindful Kid), she has developed expertise in working with modern families of all types.

Psychiatry and medicine are Dr. Lis’ calling since age 15, when she started working at Hillside Psychiatric Hospital. She has a thriving clinical practice where she sees adults and children with all types of mental health issues in Southampton, New York. She has a well-received column on Psychology Today and Thrive Global and has appeared as an expert on parenting in programming by ABC, CBS and NBC. She has been featured in numerous media outlets such as The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and in niche publications like Good Housekeeping, Purist, and Psychiatric News. She has been interviewed as an expert on multiple podcasts.

Dr. Lis is active in the American Psychiatric Association, having served as a member of their National Ethics Committee and on the Board of Trustees. She served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York University Medical Center and has presented numerous symposia and workshops at the annual APA meetings and at the meetings of the Institute of Psychiatric Services. Her academic publications have appeared in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice and the Journal of Academic Psychiatry.

https://www.drlealis.com/