While DEXA scans provide a rough idea of bone mineral density, they only offer a snapshot of bone mass without revealing any potential underlying causes of bone loss. When working with patients, I...
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Building Sustainable Healthy Habits. Part 1: Creating a Positive Mindset
Maintaining healthy habits can be challenging, especially when negative emotions drive us toward unhealthy choices. In this blog post, we'll explore how cultivating a positive mindset can be the key...
Building Sustainable Health Habits: Willpower is not enough
While having a health goal is undoubtedly important, it's equally crucial to establish a well-defined system that will guide you toward successfully reaching that goal. In this blog post, I'll...
Lab Tests for Bone Health
While DEXA scans are a commonly known tool for assessing bone health, there exists a range of other tests that can provide valuable insights into the condition of your bones. Simple blood work and...
Osteosarcopenia: The Importance of Bone-Muscle Crosstalk
Osteosarcopenia, a condition where osteoporosis and sarcopenia intersect, presents a double challenge involving the loss of bone mass and muscle strength. The connection between our bones and...
Your Bones and Your Body Clock
Our body's internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, does more than just govern our sleep patterns; it also wields influence over the genes responsible for maintaining healthy bone turnover. In...
Building Sustainable Health Habits: Starting Small
In our quest for enduring health and vitality, it's essential to recognize that the secret lies not in radical transformations, but in the gradual cultivation of sustainable habits. This blog...
Aspirin: Friend of Foe for your Heart and Bones?
Many individuals opt for low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. New research indicates that this practice might also be linked to improved bone mineral density. Nevertheless, you...
Building Sustainable Healthy Habits: The 5 Second Rule
It's not just about thinking; it's about taking action when it comes to making sound health decisions. Many of us possess the knowledge required to lead healthier lives, yet our own minds can...
Heart Disease and Osteoporosis: Are cholesterol levels the true link?
Osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease share many common risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, and in postmenopausal women, a decline in estrogen. However,...
Xenoestrogens: A risk to your bones and your health
Estrogen is what makes a woman uniquely female. It is a critical hormone for the proper function of so many organs in a women's body. Beyond our reproductive organs, estrogen is important to our...
Breast Thermography: A complimentary approach to prevention and early detection of breast cancer
Current statistics predict that 1 out of 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. When detected early, breast cancer is more likely to be treated successfully. This is why regular...
Building Sustainable Healthy Habits: The 5 Second Rule
Why is it so hard to discard "bad" habits and instill sustainable "healthy" ones? One reason is that most of us thrive on routine and consistency and shy away from change. The human brain...
Building Sustainable Healthy Habits: Creating a Positive Mindset
Building sustainable health habits is hard! We all know that we need to eat more vegetables, get regular exercise, sleep more, and incorporate a daily stress-reducing routine. But making, and...
The Curious Connection: Heart disease and osteoporosis
February is American Heart Month. A great time of the year to focus on caring for your heart. Did you know that caring for your heart may also help care for your bones? Interestingly, studies have...
My personal story and what it means to you.
I suffered from GI symptoms for years. I had ongoing stomach pain, heartburn, bloating, and excessive gas that left me feeling miserable, and my stomach distended day after day. When I sought...
Breast Cancer, Bones, and Broccoli
October is breast cancer awareness month when people all over the world show their support for women affected by this devastating disease. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer...
The Body Follows the Mind
When I started out on my integrative health and wellness journey 20 years ago, one of the first books that I read was The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton. In this book, Dr. Lipton, a cell...
Are you feeding or starving your stress?
When life is uncertain, it creates fear, anxiety, and internal unrest. Last week I talked about how using soothing essential oils can impact the emotional center of our brain and help get us out of...
Relieving Stress and Overwhelm Naturally
I have spoken to many people lately that are simply overwhelmed with life. Everyone from parents to teachers, those unemployed to business owners, millennials to seniors. For so many, this “new”...
No Butts About It!
If you are like me, you have been sitting more than ever these last 6 months. Long hours of sitting have been cited to increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and can...
Astronauts and Aging: What do they have in common?
In a historic mission, SpaceX has safely sent NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station (ISS) and safely returned them home again. This is the first time since...
Measuring Key Health Indicators at Home!
We are all seeking optimal health. We strive to eat right and exercise to keep ourselves looking sleek and healthy on the outside, but do you truly know what’s going on inside? Is your body battling...
Stop and take a deep breath: The art and science of breathing
If there was ever a time we needed to remind ourselves to stop and take a deep breath it is now. In addition to the heated issues facing our nation, we continue to be plagued by a virus threatening...
Protecting Your Skin – Sunscreen
If you are like me you are enjoying the summer sun more than ever this year. The warm vibrant rays are calling us outdoors after many months of being confined inside the home. Although I am an...
Train your Balance to Foil the Fall
Did you know that 1/3 of Americans over the age of 65 fall at least once a year? Taking a tumble might not seem like a big deal, but a simple fall can lead to bruises, broken bones, sprained joints,...
Is Your Body Polluted with Plastics?
I picked up Consumer Reports magazine this week and the headlines on the front cover reads: "HOW TO EAT LESS PLASTIC" The article highlights that, on...
Let’s Stay Healthy Together
When life is in chaos, your home is your safe haven. The stay at home orders have extended in most states way longer than most of us ever expected! Although some states are beginning to lift closure...
Lessons Learned from Home
When I started with my “Creating a Home Health Haven” blog back on March 23rd, my goal was to provide support and encouragement to my community during a time of turmoil. We were hurled into a...
Shielding Your Mind while Sheltering in Place
There is no doubt that being home bound poses many challenges to our health. Reduction in physical activity, social interaction and mental stimulation coupled with comfort foods creeping into our...
Hello Sunshine
Hard to believe that May is one week away! While being hunkered down in my home, I feel like April has passed right on by. Luckily May in the Mid-Atlantic states means the beginning of warm, sunny...
Your Body of Water
Yesterday, I took the opportunity to clean up and organize my office a bit. I ran across one of the very first books I read while starting out on my wellness journey back in the early '90's: Your...
Hope isn’t Cancelled
The weeks of being confined in my home have started to get to me! Up until now, I haven’t felt like my life has been severely impacted. Other than not being able to run out to my favorite store on...
Day 13: A message from Reverend Haffner
Monday morning in America. This traffic map should be lit up in RED! Instead, people are hunkered down in their homes protecting themselves and their families from this virus that has engulfed the...
Finding a New “Normal”
This week, President Trump extended the isolation period through the end of April. However, it is going to take many months before we truly get back to “normal.” We are being thrusted into a new...
How to Protect Yourself and Family from COVID-19
The current viral outbreak concerns us both as individuals and as a global community. Finding reliable information about how to protect yourself and your loved ones is challenging and ever-changing....
Day 7: Round table discussion
Sometimes, it seems like we are collectively watching a bizarre sci-fi movie. At least that was the consensus among the experts that participated with me in a recent Coronavirus Roundtable. I joined...
Home Health Haven – The Science
Ok…we all know that to stop the spread of the corona virus we need to be diligently washing our hands. But do you know the science behind hand washing and why it is so important to wash for a full...
Staying Socially Connected
Human beings are not meant to live in isolation. Although we vary in the degree to which we seek our social contact, humans are social creatures that need each other. There is no shortage of...
Creating your Home Health Haven
Wow, what a time we are living through. With the rapid spread of coronavirus throughout the US, it has become clear that self-quarantining in our homes is the best course of action for our own...
Curious Connection: Heart Disease & Osteoporosis
February is National Heart Month! The perfect time to highlight the curious connection between heart disease and osteoporosis. It seems strange that the weakening of hard, rigid bones could be...
Air Pollution and Your Bones
A new study out of India found an association between exposure to air pollution and bone loss. This doesn't surprise me! ANYTHING that causes oxidative stress and inflammation will lead to the break...
How Do I Nurture My Bones?
How do I protect and nurture my bones? • Take care of my gut• Get my daily fill of bone building nutrients• Eliminate toxins where I can• Manage my stress• Exercise daily• Strive for 8 hours of...
Wellness Empowered U
If you have been one of my followers or patients over the last few years, you know that I believe in taking a holistic approach to treating osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not a disease merely due to...
Aging is a Gift
When I say this many people look at me like I am crazy! They describe how they wake with aches and pains, need glasses to read a menu, experience forgetful moments. How is this a gift? It is because...
Healthy Aging Summit
I have been working really hard to bring you an awesome educational experience! The Healthy Aging Summit! I sought after and interviewed over 40 experts in the field of healthy aging...and you now...
Is Your Bone Health Plan Working?
How many of you out there are working hard and doing everything you can to keep your bones healthy? You’re eating a nutrient rich diet, exercising, controlling stress, getting enough sleep or even...
Mighty Mitochondria and Your Bone Health
I'm sorry you haven't heard from me for a while! I have been working hard on an exciting new project that I can't wait to share with you in the next few months! So stay tuned! In the...
Osteoporosis: East meets West
As the world grows smaller and my patient population more wonderfully diverse, I’ve been stretched to learn more about the traditional practices of Eastern Medicine. Although I take a...
Holistic Pain Relief: Laura Di Franco’s Ultimate Guide to Healing Therapies, Modalities and Practices
This week I would like to share with you an AWESOME blog post written by my friend and colleague Laura Di Franco. In Laura's Guide to Healing Therapies, Modalities and Practices you...
Round Up in Your Bones?
By now you have heard that the weed killer Roundup is showing up in dozens of popular breakfast cereals and snack bars. According to independent testing commissioned by the...
Get a Grip on your Bones
Upon rising with the sun barely peeking up over the horizon, I cautiously (because I don’t want to trip over my dog!) make my way to the bedroom door. I grip the doorknob, rotate it, and open the...
Breast Cancer and Your Bones
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. It is estimated that 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer in their lifetime. This year a projected 40,000 women...
7 Lifestyle Habits for Better Bone Health
Did you know that women around the world are developing osteoporosis at younger and younger ages? Once observed primarily in postmenopausal women, an increasing number of younger women are...
Chew your way to Healthier Bones
Drink your solids, chew your liquids is a common principle encouraged by many holistic and integrative practitioners. But what does that mean and how is that possible? Through chewing! Slowing...
Forest Bathing for Better Bones
We are more than just physical beings reliant on food and water to survive. Inside each of us there is a life force that we call the soul. You can’t see, touch or test the soul, yet it is critical...
Don’t Delay! Osteoporosis screening critical to prevention.
Benjamin Franklin said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Yet when it comes to medicine, it seems like we are still focused on a cure instead of averting the condition. The US...
The Curious Link Between Osteoporosis and Heart Disease
February is American Heart month, and as it comes to a close, I want to highlight the curious connection between heart disease and osteoporosis. It seems strange that the weakening of hard, rigid...
5 Reasons to Maintain Lean Body Mass as you Age
Striving to keep our body healthy as we age can be a challenge! One of the toughest challenges is maintaining a healthy body composition, or the percentages of lean tissue and fat mass. Starting in...
New Year, New Ways to Build Healthy Bones
Happy New Year! Although many people start the New Year thinking about losing those extra pounds gained over the holiday season or getting back in “shape”, let’s not forget about them...
Celebrating Women!
This month I am celebrating women and all we do to everyday, not only for ourselves but for everyone else! If we want to keep up with the challenges of a busy lifestyle, we need to stay...
Beyond Bones: 7 benefits of boron for healthy aging
There is nothing boring about boron! Boron is a trace mineral that is often overlooked as an essential part of bone health as well as for its ability to help us maintain good health and keep us...
Good Vibrations for Your Bones
Since the early 1960’s, space programs have been using vibration to help astronauts overcome the damaging effects that the weightless environment in space has on the skeletal system. Among these...
Center Yourself Around Your Bones
This week, Lisa Jackson, a friend and colleague, provides insight into the power of yoga for bone health. Yoga provides a framework for healthy living. Western yoga studios and gyms often focus...
Getting to the Core of Bone Health
If you're like me, you remember having to participate in the yearly Presidential Physical Fitness Test back in your youth, which tested students in sit-ups as well as other exercises that tested...
“C” how to Build Stronger Bones
Although the decline in estrogen that occurs during menopause is the most influential factor for the development of osteoporosis, there are several other mechanisms that contribute to bone loss as...
Natural Awakening Spotlight Post!
A Spotlight on Susan Brady of Nurtured Bones Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease affecting 54 million Americans. It is characterized by deterioration of bone tissue leading to loss of...
Live Long and Strong
My Grandmother's 100th Birthday! Celebrations with family and friends are such an important part of life, not only because they mark important religious and social rituals but also because they play...
Bone Broth for Bone Health
What could be more nutritious for your bones, than a broth made from BONES? Why bones? Because they are rich in collagen and minerals! Bones are made up of a flexible collagen matrix which is then...
Hello Sunshine!
Hello Sunshine! I am enjoying hanging out in Florida this week celebrating a momentous birthday with my mother-in-law and soaking up the rays of the sun! We all know that sunshine is one of the...
Natural vs. Pharmaceutical Approach to treating and preventing Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease affecting many aging women and men in the US and around the world. Currently in the United States over 54 million people are stricken with osteoporosis. Defined as a...
New Year: New Bones
If you are like many, you started out your New Year with the resolution to improve your health. If you suffer from bone loss, that means making changes that will strengthen your bones and prevent...
Building Your Bone Bank
Even though bone loss occurs mainly in women over the age of 50, young women can reduce their risk for bone loss later in life by building up their “bone bank” when they are young. The more bone...
Men are at Risk for Osteoporosis, too!
If you think that just because you are a man you’re not at risk for osteoporosis, think again! The National Osteoporosis Foundation sites the following facts and statistics in regards to men: • Up...
Skeletons don’t have to be Scary
October is the month of ghosts, goblins and skeletons lurking around every corner. The image of skeletons and skulls are everywhere to be seen and what is scarier than someone dressed as human bones...
Free webinar
Is your gut holding your bones hostage?
Join this webinar to discover how your digestive system and gut microbiome can impact your bone health. Learn how enhancing the health of your "Gut System" can lead to improvements in your bone health.