Fresh Living

Today is my 4th Cancer-free-aversary. When I was 31 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Went through being sick, biopsy surgery, chemo, hair loss, temporary early menopause, a year of fatigue, the works. So it is with great pleasure that I breathe today–even though I have a cold. It is with great pleasure that I work…

Wow, Valerie, wow!  I loved your entry about Tibetan singing bowls  because first of all, I’m glad you’re finally on the mend after that nasty bronchitis, and second of all, it turns out I have a singing bowl sitting in my dining room but had no idea what it was! My friend Mike brought it…

I’ve been sick. One of those loooong lingering flu/cold/cough things that you think is gone until, boom, it’s not. For like a month now. Last week I got an actual allopathic doctor diagnosis–so validating: Viral Bronchitis. When I put it into my Facebook status update, people started making dinosaur jokes. So, I had Viral Bronchisaurus…

It’s a citrus-y day here at Fresh Living, so I can’t help but suggest you check out the lemony freshness of this fantastic gallery we published: The 15 Hidden Health Secrets of Lemons Got acne? Anxiety? Stomach ache? The flu?  The answer is lemons! Check it out, and do share your healing lemon stories.

Do you put orange juice cartons in the recycle bin, thinking that they count as cardboard?  Ok, then, maybe I’m the only one….but it turns out that orange juice containers are made of an already-recycled material, and they in turn are only recyclable in certain states (and only in certain towns within those states….alas, not…

Deep into winter as we are, it’s time to get your Vitamin C on.  How to choose which kind of orange to stock up on?  Here’s a brief guide to the major types you’ll see at the store. NavelThe “navel” of these sweet, thick-skinned oranges is an inverted bump that remains on the blossom end…

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery today for pancreatic cancer, and I hope you’ll join me in prayers for her swift recovery.  She’s a heroine to me as a Jew, as a woman, and as a Jewish woman. Here’s what Justice Ginsburg said in 2001 after surviving a bout with colorectal cancer: “There…

Who can say where food aversions come from?  My worst one is turmeric, the element that gives yellow curry its, well, yellow-ness (confession: I’m shuddering just thinking about it).  There’s no good reason why I don’t care for the look, smell, or flavor of it.  I never had a bad experience at the homes of…

I’ve been making an effort not to reach for the 4 o’clock cookie. For a while there, I was either scrounging around the office for a sugary boost, or getting myself to a coffee shop for a sweetness injection. But lately I’ve been doing something revolutionary (for me). Actually having non-sugar snacks on hand so…

A study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that regular hypnosis reduced the frequency and intensity of hot flashes by 68 percent in a group of breast cancer survivors. The women also reported a lessening of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. This is great news for all women who are tortured by “power…

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about

Valerie Reiss

Valerie Reiss is Holistic Living Editor at Beliefnet. She was a founding editor at Breathe magazine, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Women's Health, Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Lime.com, Vegetarian Times, and ABCNEWS.com. A native New Yorker, Valerie holds an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from Beloit College in Creative Writing with a minor in Women's Studies. She also lived in Maui for a while where she drank green papaya juice and taught some creative writing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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