By Sara Altshul
I’m not big on making resolutions; I know myself too well. Usually the promises I make to myself New Years Eve I’ve broken weeks before Valentine’s Day rolls around, so why bother with list-making when there are movies to watch and leftovers to eat? Read More
“We Three Kings” is, hands down, my favorite Christmas carol. The image of the noble men on camels following a star through the desert, the mournful melody, and the mystery of myrrh and frankincense fascinate me. I always wondered why the wise men considered the stuff as precious as gold, so I did some digging. Read More
In December, I avoid the mall like the plague. That is, until I’m due at a party where gifts will be exchanged—and I realize I forgot to shop early (again), and I’m still empty-handed.
Rather than subjecting myself to a hectic, last-minute shopping blitz again this year, I took myself to an old-fashioned health-food store last Saturday. By old-fashioned, I mean the kind of shop that’s been in business for years and is the go-to place in the community for all things natural and organic. Read More
I love walking into people’s homes in December, when the smell of freshly cut Christmas trees hangs in the air and fills me with seasonal joy. When it comes time to buy my favorite Scotch pine, Douglas fir, or Norway spruce, I use my nose to guide me. I want the freshest, most fragrant tree I can get my hands on: I need that aroma to jump-start my holiday spirit. If my apartment were big enough, I might even consider getting two trees this year! Read More
At one time in the not too distant past, asking a doctor about an herb or an acupuncture treatment for your child’s health problem would probably get you a patronizing glance, if not an outright sneer and a reputation as an irresponsible parent.
But that attitude is changing. One day soon, your pediatrician may suggest some decidedly non-white-coat treatments for your child, especially if he or she has a chronic health condition. Here’s why: This week’s issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, published a guide for doctors who want to learn more about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for kids. Read More
Last week, I wrote about the secret to a great massage: to focus in and fight the temptation to drift off into nothingness. This week, I’m shifting gears slightly, to discuss two slightly-under-the-radar techniques that I think are light years more evolved than the traditional Swedish massage. What’s surprising about these therapies is how gentle they are; the therapist’s hands work your body so lightly that it’s hard to believe you’ll get much benefit. But trust me, you do. Read More
I was always shy about massage. I worried about handing my naked body over to a stranger and I was embarrassed about feeling fat. Getting touched intimately by hired hands intimidated me. And just where would those hands be? I wondered. What if it felt too good? When it came to massage, I was George from Seinfeld: way too uptight to enjoy the experience.
All that changed one day when I had to research massage for the book New Choices in Natural Healing for Women. Read More
I don’t know about you, but I’ve reached my worry threshold. The world around me seems like a giant, roiling mess—what with my plummeting 401(k); my fears that finances will worsen before they improve; and my college loans, credit cards, and mortgages getting harder to come by. And don’t even get me started on the election. Yikes! Please, enough already! (And this is coming from a woman who can beat Pollyanna at optimism with eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back.) Read More
By Sara AltshulI’ve been reporting on the wild world of alternative medicine since the mid-nineties. I’ve gone to herbal seminars held in rustic, remote lodges. I’ve attended lectures at Columbia and Harvard about acupuncture, qigong, Reiki, aromatherapy, healing touch, and even the power of prayer. I’ve ventured to Cuba, Italy, Costa Rica, and Germany to discover that in countries other than ours, doctors who use “natural” medicine are more the rule than the exception. Read More
Sara Altshul has been writing about alternative medicine for more than a decade. She says she inherited her interest in natural healing from her Irish grandmother, Helen “Nonnie” Murray, whose bizarre collection of home remedies included the bacon cough cure (don’t ask), mustard plasters, pine tar soap, apple cider vinegar, and brandy.
Sara co-authored New Choices in Natural Healing for Women and A Woman’s Book of Healing Herbs and was Prevention magazine’s alternative medicine editor for six years. During her time there, she was invited to testify as an expert before the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and won a National Health Information Award for her story, “Nothing Left to Lose,” about alternative cancer treatments.
Her freelance articles have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Prevention, More, and Health magazines. She lived in Rome and Orvieto, Italy for three years before moving back home to New York City in 2007. Currently, she’s senior editor for Better Health & Living magazine, where she writes frequently about alternative medicine.
Read Sara’s recent posts.
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