Fresh Living

I remember the moment I kicked the coffee. It was at our cheesily named college lounge, The Java Joint. I had been up writing some sort of paper, probably about the role of misogynistic archetypes in top 40 songs or something, and went down for a refill around 11 pm. Almost instantly my stomach cramped…

My blog sister Holly just wrote about her ban on male doctors. I can totally relate. Even though my pediatrician, Dr. Rappaport was a lovely man, many subsequent male doctors in my early life were condescending, dismissive, and down-right rude. (And let’s not even talk about the non-medical healers I’ve visited who complimented my aura…

I call them the Crazy Curls. The ones that shoot out of my bun/ponytail (bunnytail?) like electrified corkscrews. Nothing seems to tamp them short of professional help in the form of hairstylist, turbo heat, and a straightening iron built to flatten mountains. Nothing except, of course the usual array of probably toxic hair care products…

Therese writes often on Beyond Blue about the mental health benefits of exercise, Kathy Smith has shown us the myriad benefits of a walking regimen, and we all know that both our physical and emotional bodies benefit from even a moderate workout. A new study suggests yet another condition that can be improved by moving…

“Integrative medicine” is probably a term many Beliefnet readers are familiar with. It attracts people who aren’t about to give up the idea that their doctors should have MD degrees, but who want a more holistic approach to healthcare that “integrates” practices from chiropractic care to acupuncture to massage therapy to nutritional supplementation.  At a…

In my previous post, I alluded not-so-subtly to my preference for female doctors. Writing about it like that made me wonder if that’s something I should challenge a bit.  The first doctors I ever remember going to as a child were all men, smiling men with long Italian names and cheerful demeanors that weren’t even…

Most of us grew up thinking of the family doctor as a person you can count on to know you (and your body), be available to you, and to help you navigate the health care system. But in a world where only 2 percent of medical school graduates choose to go into internal medicine, the…

Is my chi flowing? Are my meridians open? Are my chakras balanced? Are my joints fluid? Is my weight normal? Is my hair lustrous? Are my gums pink? Do I feel well? From the big picture of how our bodies function to the most minute emotional and physical details of our lives, it seems to…

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,  And the mome raths outgrabe. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun  The frumious Bandersnatch!” He took his vorpal sword in hand:  Long time the manxome foe he sought —So rested he…

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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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