Health

Creativity, Confidence, and Time Travel: Why 826LA Emphasizes Writing

Cheryl KleinBy Cheryl Klein

Throughout the fall, volunteers worked one-on-one with elementary school students in the Tutoring program at 826LA, a nonprofit organization with writing centers in Mar Vista and Echo Park and at two Los Angeles high schools. The prompt: Write about your memories, both happy and difficult.

It all started with a birthday, the cake, the people, and ended with a gift. This birthday changed everything…the gift was a DOG! wrote Grace T.

My cat Mochi has black and white spots. He smells like cat food, soap, and fish mixed together. He makes a funny noise when he talks to birds, Nathalie C. described. (more…)

Valentine’s Day Cocktails

AmorMi Amor

  • 1 ½ oz. Inspiro Tequila
  • 2-3 strawberries, cut up
  • 2-3 dashes of chocolate bitters
  • Petal Sparkling Rose

Directions: Rim glass with strawberry and roll into coco powder. Add strawberries and chocolate bitters to the bottom of a shaker and muddle. Add Inspiro Tequila and ice to shaker and shake well. (more…)

PUL3E Fights Heart Failure with One Woman’s Crypto NFT Power

By Emilie Wright
The PUL3E NFT project just launched in support of my fiancé Andrew’s untimely diagnosis of severe heart failure earlier this year, 2021, at only 31. PUL3E is a collection of 7,676 beautifully-rendered 3D animated NFTs based on the human heart, showcasing a range of heart conditions and abnormalities, to raise money for the heart charities that have supported Andrew and many others during their journey. I have pledged to donate 5-10% of all proceeds raised from selling NFT art to heart charities.

A Perfectly Terrible Storm
PUL3E is the result of a perfectly terrible, unfortunate, and heartbreaking storm. Were it not for my lifetime of experience working in mental health services and advocating for social justice and equality and my passion for cryptocurrency and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) digital art project, I don’t know what I would have done when my partner Andrew and I discovered that his sudden shortness of breath and chronic fatigue and his generally extreme unwellness was the result of sudden heart failure. (more…)

4 C’s To Be Stress Free

By Michelle Valenzuela Wolf

When do you feel the most yourself? I’m talking about the four C’s totally carefree, confident, clear and content. These are the moments when we tap into the best version of ourselves. Perhaps you feel this when you’re at your job or when you’re laughing with your family. Whatever or whenever this is, we want to work towards tapping into the best version of yourself at all times. How can we unleash our fullest potential?

Something that comes along with being and feeling our best is taming the negative self-talk or nagging voice inside our head that says; Am I good enough? Particularly for women this statement is true! Oftentimes we find ourselves feeling inadequate and questioning our self-worth.

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Breastfeeding Tips

By Melody Moradi Ahadian, MS, RD

Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean, and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. What’s more, it has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat — everything a baby needs to grow.

Many medical experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, strongly recommend breastfeeding exclusively (no formula, juice, or water) for 6 months. After the introduction of other foods, it recommends continuing to breastfeed through the baby’s first year of life.

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Strategic Snacking and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

By Lauren Rashap

Lauren RashapYes, while the old school of nutrition taught us to eat every 3 hours and that breakfast “is the most important meal of the day”, new research proves to the contrary. We’ve all heard of Intermittent Fasting by now, but as I teach in my practice not one size fits all. Kids and athletes may benefit with some morning healthy carbs to start their engines. Moms may need to narrow their fasting windows depending on scheduling and stages of their hormonal cycles. Everybody is different.

And, while I fundamentally believe in 2 square, balanced, nutrient dense meal per day with no snacking in between…sometimes we need that 3 PM pick up if we haven’t slept the night before due to dogs, children, stress and snoring husbands!

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Empty Nester’s Reality

By Marni Battista, MAEd, CPC

There is the sound a door makes when it closes. To the ear it can be heard simply as one sound, a final beat of the drum, but what I hear in my mind is not so much that singular noise. When really listening, I hear the door closing in slow mo. If that is even a thing, hearing, in slow mo.

I can feel it too, of course, that final closure. I have known it was coming, after all. I may have heard it before it, possibly anticipating the weightiness, the sweeping dramatic finality, labeled and categorized as a phase of life: The Empty Nest. The motion of the door swinging shut leaves me with what feels like the breeze of the Maui wind coming in off the ocean on my salty skin just before sunset when the air has an imprint of heat on it. I hear, too, the series of staccato beats as it hits the frame, the metallic click, the sound it makes just before the air is pushed out as the door seals. An era over. Sealed. Shut. (more…)

I have been teaching private swimming lessons at people’s homes, training lifeguards around the world and certifying the general public in CPR and first aid for the last 18yrs.

By KatieHarker

At the beginning of every swim season, parents and prospective clients usually ask the same questions. When should children learn to swim? What are the pros and cons for group vs private lessons? What are different teaching methods depending on the age of the swimmer?
The answers to these questions are dependent on a child’s personality, the client’s budget and their access to a private pool vs a public pool. My goal is to provide clients with as much information as possible so they can make the best decision for them and feel confident with their choice.

Babies as young as 10 months can start taking mommy and me lessons.Babies have a natural epiglottal reaction to close their mouths underwater and lose that reaction by 12 months, so it’s a good idea to start teaching them as soon as possible. In addition,studies show that gentle movements engaged through swimming teaches babies to engage both sides of their body simultaneously. This bilateral movement not only helps develop and maintain muscle memory, it also increases brain development. Classes for babies last 15-20 min whether they are at a public pool or private pool. Find a friend who has a heated pool, bring in 4-6 parents and get a private instructor. This will lower the cost and be a fun little social event.

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What are Functional Ingredients?

How eating these foods can prevent disease.

By Dr. Adrienne YoudimAdrienneIf we have learned anything from 2020, it is that prevention matters! Prevention for coronavirus means wearing a mask, washing our hands and maintaining physical distance. But what about long term strategies to maintain good health? Long after this pandemic is over (and yes it will be over!) we can still make small changes that have a big impact on our health and wellbeing. As an internist and a physician nutrition specialist, I see every day how small changes in our diet and nutrition has a big impact on our health and wellbeing. I define diet broadly to include not only nutrition but also movement, nature, sleep and play. All of these factors play an important role in your health.

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Tips for Helping Kids Process Difficult Emotions

5 Practices to Help Kids Feel Happy, Centered, and Balanced During Rough Transitions

By Carly MentlikBy Carly Mentlik, Children’s Development Expert

This past year was full of big change for our kids: from stay-at-home orders, shifting to online learning and a lack of connection with friends. So, I put together some ideas to help your kids feel happy, centered and balanced during times of transition. (more…)