Funky Turkey?

Food Babe brings an important food health news story to our attention this festive season. She speaks out about harmful drugs used in the USA on turkeys called Topmax. This drug causes turkeys to increase muscle mass and appear larger for the perfect festive meal. Read about the health hazards and Food Babe’s ‘Breaking News’ addition at the end of her post about the legal actions being taken here!

Be conscious of who you want to be.

"Your thoughts become your words

                        Your words become your actions

                                                    Your actions become your habits

                                                                                 Your habits become your character"

It is important to consciously have healthy thoughts, behave respectfully to others and yourself and enforce good lifestyle habits for a balanced and healthy life. Life blogger, Carla discusses this in her blog post ‘The way you do 1 thing is the way you do everything'. For more scientific insight into this theory, check out Dr. Dispenza’s TED talk here!

Give your Ideas a Run

Marcus Samuelsson, the winner of the show Top Chef Master and best-selling author, speaks about his running and how it inspires ideas, renews his energy levels and refreshes his perspective. Learn why making time for healthy habits is so important from the chef himself here!

Pumpkin Spice, Our New Vice.

We all enjoy our Starbucks indulgences from time to time, but how much are we indulging? Food babe reminds us of the chemical harm a cup of seemingly innocent Starbucks can really cause. She focuses her breakdown on Starbucks’ popular Pumpkin Spice Latte to help us be conscious drinkers as well as eaters. Need to be convinced? Read about here!

An exercise for thought.

As we enjoy the last bit of summer by cycling in parks and running outside it is also important to exercise our minds. Social entrepreneur and life coach, Joshua Spodek, has written about a mind exercise on his blog that helps us understand our mood habits and become more self aware. Check out his simple tips and suggestions to live a more self aware and mentally balanced lifestyle here.

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Laugh your way Healthy

Dr. Cynthia Thaik outlines the importance of laughing and being happy for our overall health. Check out her useful tips on how to stay positive and happy in her article. The Center wishes you a happy summer and hopes you laugh your way through the entire sunny season!

Real Advice from Real Women for Real Results

A series of stories about real women and their ‘Real Food’ advice has been featured in the blog Running on Real Food by Deryn. Individuals such as Amy Sherman from The Little Honey Bee share with us techniques on how to live healthier and create bodies they love, but more importantly, learn to love their bodies. The Running on Real Food blog also provides fun recipes to take advantage of the seasonally available vegetables and fruits. Don’t miss out, click here!

MIND your Health.

The mind and body are one entity, so we should maintain a balanced lifestyle for optimal health. Christopher Bergland outlines 7 methods we can keep our minds and bodies active. So, stay away from the 7 deadly sins and read up on the 7 tips to keep your mental and physical health on track here!

Juice away to mend our health day by day.

As we re-introduce colors to our wardrobe for Spring, why not introduce some color to our diets? Michelle writes about how juicing fruits and vegetables can help us restore our bodies from bad health habits caused by addiction. Juice blends are quick, inexpensive and good on the go. Check out the benefits in juicing here

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Amanda Baten on the Dr. Oz Show!

Congratulations to co-founder, Dr. Amanda Baten, for her appearance as a guest expert on the Dr. Oz Show on February 11, 2014. Dr. Amanda Baten discusses the different dieting personalities and provides great suggestions on how we can all stick to our goals and stay healthy.

                                          Click here to watch part of her
                                     guest appearance!

Go Green and Feel Serene

Fingers crossed, we are soon coming out of the heart of winter and the record temperatures that have kept us indoors. Spring is (hopefully) around the corner and we can look forward to spending more time outdoors and in nature. Medical News Today posted an article on how green areas positively affect our mental health. Follow the link to read about case studies on people who move from cities into rural areas. Although we are missing our usual green leaved trees during the winter season, investing in a potted plant for the apartment may be a healthy new addition to the aesthetics of your home.

                                                                  Image from PICHOST

Revive your Resolution!

When mid January rolls around, its hard to stick to the goals we set ourselves on the 1st. But this article might give us that motivating push we need! Food Babe lists seven Do’s and Don’ts for your New Years Resolution. To check them out click on the link below! Stick with your resolution; stay healthy!

  "Only 8% of People Keep New Year’s Resolutions – Here’s What To Do Instead"
                                                          By Food Babe
                

National Massage Therapy Week!

Massage lovers and newbies alike are invited to celebrate National Massage Therapy Week with The Center for Integrative Practices! Find out the many therapeutic benefits of massage and manual therapy with our in-house massage therapist, Michael Grego. This week (October 22-25) we will be offering $20 off a massage or manual therapy with Michael Grego to celebrate.

                                             Photo Courtesy of ABMP

Check out The Center's Website for more information and to make an appointment today!

It's All in the Eyes

The New York Times recently featured a quiz to test how well people can read ... people! Check out this article and take the quiz to see if you can read emotions or if you need a few lessons from the pros. The New York Times also posted an article that features studies saying that reading certain types of fiction can improve your emotion-reading IQ.

For more health and psychology news and the latest on The Center, keep checking back here!

Fresh for Fall

Happy first day of fall! While summer still looms in the air, now is a great time to get together your fall beauty routine before the new season fully hits. In honor of the new harvest, why not try some fall inspired beauty products with some DIY recipes?  A DIY Pumpkin Facial mask rich in vitamin A and C is easy to make and can brighten up your skin after all of the sun damage from the summer. Other DIY recipes include this list of Thanksgiving inspired beauty products which features a butternut squash enzyme mask. Craving apples? Apple cider vinegar can be used in some beauty product recipes listed here.

Enjoy the new season and keep visiting The Center for more news and updates.

Reducing Allergies using Holistic Techniques

Post-labor day begins everyone's least favorite time of the year. No, it's not back to school. September brings with it the sneezing and coughing of allergy season due to the increases in airborne pollen. With that, CNN special correspondent Dr. Robert Reinhardt shared that combined with the allergens children are exposed to from returning to school, September has the highest incidents of hospitalization due to allergen-induced asthma attacks. Besides avoiding allergens and taking antihistamines, allergies can be treated through more holistic techniques. Maria of Maria's Farm Country Kitchen  suggests treating the inflammation caused by allergies through a healthy diet and by reducing external stress. The Mother Nature Network blog also suggests changing your external environment to lower susceptibility to allergens. Some of these suggestions include removing shoes before you walk into your house or apartment and showering before bed. Women's Day magazine contributes that acupuncture and homeopathic treatments such as those provided at The Center can help alleviate allergy symptoms. 

For more information and helpful tips from The Center for Integrative Practices, check out our website and facebook page. 

Relabeling Our Food

Do you find food labels obtuse?  The New York Times recently wrote an article that shared a project by UC Berkley School of Journalism where students are trying to redesign the way you process nutrition facts. Changing fonts, colors and titles, students are flipping food labels on their heads to make nutrition facts more transparent. A cool way to make nutrition easier to understand. Check out the full article here to see examples of the potential future of the back of your cereal box.

For all the latest news about The Center, keep checking our website.

Welcome Allegra Parks to The Center!

The Center of Integrative Practices would like to welcome our newest practitioner, Allegra Parks! Allegra is a state licensed psychotherapist who received Masters Degrees in both social work and early adolescent education. In her practice, Allegra focuses on helping adults and adolescents deal with trauma, health issues, anxiety, conflict and other related issues. For more information, check out Allegra Parks on The Center's website. Keep checking back with us for more updates and upcoming events!

Staying Cool this 4th of July

It may be a rainy couple of days in New York City, but the humidity and heat can make any 4th of July BBQ a little unbearable. The Mother Nature Network posted an article a couple years ago about unusual ways to stay cool and healthy during the summer. Some surprising methods they found were eating light foods, eating spicy food (spice makes you sweat without raising your body temperature!), and running cool water over your pulse points. All these great ways to stay cool and more can be seen here. The city can trap you in a dense heat often, especially if you are taking the subway or have to walk to get around town. Here are some ways to cool yourself off while stuck without air-conditioning in the city:

1) Map out the free Museums in the city. Always air conditioned, you know you can seek respite here, if only for a few minutes.

2) Use the water ways! On a breezy day, walking along the East River or Hudson is a great way to get from point A to point B and will provide you with a little relief from the dense heat you would feel walking along Lexington or Madison Ave.

3) Seek shade! Central Park is a perfect place to seek shelter in the summer with paths dotted with trees.

4) Public pools are open for the season, a sure way to cool you down on even the hottest days. For a full list of pools, click here.

5) Enjoy smoothie season to it's fullest! Here's a fun July 4th recipe.

Stay happy, stay healthy, and stay tuned for more news from The Center.

Style and Psychology: A Delicious Blend

Welcome back to The Center for Integrative Practices blog! It's been a while and we are excited to share some exciting news with you. It isn't often style and psychology are mixed, but the New York Times style section featured our very own Dr. Amanda Baten this past week! The article discusses beauty products that are created out of food and the possibility of wearing these food-scented products as a dietary technique.  If you didn't have a chance to read this article yet and see what Dr. Amanda Baten has to say on the subject, check out the online article here! For more information on The Center for Integrative Practices, follow our blog or follow us on Facebook. We'll see you back here soon!