When I tell abuse victims that one powerful tool for them to begin to heal is to say affirmations—positive statements about themselves to themselves—they either roll their eyeballs at me or they’re too polite to do that but they want to. As one person aptly put it, "Maybe you’re…

Last week’s article discussed the initiative of the fruits and vegetables "five-a-day" program and portion sizes. One of the main points is that children should not eat the same portions as adults and a good start for each portion is ½ cup. The main challenge is how to…

After having conversations with many mothers, I have realized that there is a common concern which is how to get children to eat fruits and vegetables. We all know that eating fruits and vegetables makes us healthier. Even the World Health Organization has gotten involved by initiating the…

Acupuncture physician, Ahuva Gamliel, recently moved her practice from Los Angeles to Miami in hopes of bringing her unique approach of integrating Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine with the wisdom of Judaism’s healing traditions in giving her patients better health. She specializes in pain management, smoking cessation, stress management,…

Last week’s article discussed healthy and unhealthy fats while the main focus was on trans fats and the negative health effects from hydrogenated vegetable oil. All products with this ingredient should be eliminated from everyone’s diet. Listed below are some ways to avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils and the…

With all the news of Anna Nicole Smith, most people missed that fats were in the media’s spot light this week. Newspapers and news stations reported that New York has put a ban on trans fats products and provided a list of food establishments which no longer serve…

It’s 9 p.m., the kids are finally in bed and you’re about to sit and relax from a long day. The phone rings and its your mother asking if you can take her to her doctor’s appointment in the morning. You are still trying to get over the…

In case you haven’t noticed all the pink ribbons and bracelets, the pink chocolates and pens and purses for sale lately—October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So now be aware of this: one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. For Ashkenazi…

Adi’s story could have been of death rather than life, loss rather than gain. The fact that it isn’t is due to two remarkable women: a skilled and compassionate physician named Tamar Peretz, and Adi herself, a strong and buoyant former kibbutznik.

…

Summertime has arrived and so has the relief of having less structure and routine. 

Unfortunately, that sometimes also applies to healthy eating and exercise habits.  With camps and vacations,  most parents think it's difficult to have their children eat healthy during the summer.   But summer is an excellent…

We've all heard it before, "stress kills".   The June 6, 1983, Time Magazine cover story called stress "The Epidemic of the 80's".  This is before cell phones, blackberries, voice mail, cable news networks and  internet technology!!   Since then, stress has worsened and has become the leading health problem.  The…

Once upon a time, sugar was found only in cookies, cakes and candy.  Unfortunately, this fairytale doesn't have a happy ending.   That's because sugar has found its way into most of the foods we buy at the grocery store.  It is in bread, pasta sauce, yogurt and salad dressing. …

There has been a lot of talk about certain foods that can ward off disease.  These foods have been labeled "Power Foods" because of their antioxidant benefits.  Antioxidants are believed to prevent many diseases including cancer.  According to Dr. Andrew Weil, there are several cancer fighting foods that have…

Dr. Freedman answers parents’ questions on puberty.

Q. What is the average age for puberty in males and fe1ales?

A. Presently the average age for girls to start puberty is 10 years and to start initial menses, or menarche, by 12 years. In boys, the average starting age is…

A conversation with a friend motivated me to tackle this much debated issue. At a luncheon she attended, the guest speaker, a cancer researcher, dismissed organic food as bogus because he does not believe that the organic food sold in local supermarkets is truly organic. Besides this researcher, there…

Pesach is over and I'm sure we have had our fair share of matza balls, chocolate covered matza, marshmallows, cookies, cakes and an extra dose of chocolate covered matza.   All our holidays revolve around food since it is when we get together with family and friends to celebrate.  But…

It's that time of the year again, the holiday season.  Perhaps nothing is more challenging than getting through Pesach with your health and weight intact.  As daunting and challenging as this may seem, a few little tricks and just a little self-discipline can get you through virtually unscathed.

There…

When a new study comes out that flies in the face of what has become conventional wisdom, we in the health care business are looked at us as though everything we've been preaching for years is now invalid. 

Such was the case a few weeks ago when the…

We live in a world of extremes. For those who follow the Rambam’s sensible way of living, the middle path in terms of diet and exercise seems almost elusive.

In the last few years, we have been treated to Low Carbs, High Protein, Low Fat, Low Sugar,…

Maimonides writes: "Because for the body to be healthy and wholesome is among the ways of God… therefore a person must distance himself from those things that cause his body damage… And they stated another rule relating to the health of the body: As long as a person engages…