Learn True Health With Ashley James

Dr. Jenna Jorgensen, a licensed Naturopathic Physician, is back to share useful information about how to make a Natural First Aid kit and what holistic home remedies should we have in our home medicine cabinet.  She discusses goldenseal, bentonite clay, Kinesio tape, homeopathic remedies, essential oils and natural mosquito repellent! In the home, she stresses the importance of hydrotherapy, homeopathy and caster oil packs.Here’s What You’ll Discover:•    What to do when you feel like you are coming down with a cold or flu.•    What you can do to improve the health of your dog or cat!•    What are the most important items to keep in your medicine cabinet.•    What are some of the more important things to keep in your First Aid kit.•    All natural mosquito repellent!Health AH-HA Moment:Your life is medicine. Treat each activity and choice as though it's your medicine. Dr. Jenna asks us "Life is medicine, how do you want to live your life?"Your Challenge:    1) Get movement into each and every day! Walk, gym,

Roberta Fernandez is back on the show to share more about the power of our mind, using self-hypnosis for pain elimination and how our thoughts become things! Roberta is most famous for helping her clients overcome chronic pain and weight problems by teaching self-hypnosis. “There is NO pain processing center within our brain” Roberta shares. She elaborates in the interview how our nervous system processes pain and how we can easily use that when eliminating pain through self-hypnosis. Roberta knew she wanted to help others with hypnosis after she was able to eliminate her arthritis pain completely, and again when she was able to recover from a double knee replacement surgery, using only self-hypnosis to manage the pain. Roberta clears up the misconception that when in trance you are susceptible to taking in any suggestions, like robbing a bank. “I can’t make you rob a bank. The suggestions we take in are those that are in alignment with our morals, values, and ethics.”   Here’s What You’ll Discover: The diff

Ashley’s guest today is Dr. Jenna Jorgensen, a licensed Naturopathic Physician.  Today Dr. Jenna discusses how we can naturally:-    Eliminate Anxiety-    Lose Weight-    Decrease Inflammation-    Increase Healthy Hormones Dr. Jenna lives by the philosophy “Life is medicine. How do you want to live your life?” meaning every choice we make, the environment we chose to live in, our job, our relationships, our diet and every day-to-day activity all add up to either improving our health...or not.Dr. Jenna helps her patients learn and implement new choices that overall make a big difference in their health and vitality. She works to help them restore balance back to their body through physical medicine, diet, lifestyle and supplementation. Here’s What You’ll Discover: •    Why visceral manipulation and Craniosacral therapy (CST) are so effective.•    How to train your body to burn fat for fuel•    How to support your liver in eliminating toxins while losing weight•    Most people’s diets are lacking enough healthy

Ashley’s guest today is Roberta Fernandez, a certified hypnotist.  She uses hypnotherapy and NLP to help her clients overcome issues such as chronic pain, surgery recovery, smoking cessation and reducing hunger during dieting. Roberta knew she wanted to help others with hypnosis after she was able to eliminate her arthritis pain completely, and again when she was able to recover from a double knee replacement surgery, using only self-hypnosis to manage the pain. She calculated that with the help of self-hypnosis as her way of pain elimination she was able to avoid taking over 180 capsules of oxycodone and prevent pain medication addiction and side-effects!“There are NO side-effects with hypnosis!” Roberta shares. Here’s What You’ll Discover:•    A hypnotist helps you find your own answers and looks to empower you.•    Hypnosis or trance is a natural state of mind.•    Self-hypnosis is the tool you can use to enforce positive behaviors and results like weight loss and pain management. •    Hypnosis focuses on

Ashley’s guest today is Patti Davis, a licensed mental health counselor.  She uses adventure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical family systems, Gestalt and play therapy with people of all ages to help them overcome issues such as grief, low self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression and more. Patti is an expert in emotional health and the mind-body connection.  Her path to her current calling took years but she is grateful for the experiences she had before going to graduate school in counseling, because in her maturity and insight she is able to witness what people are going through with compassion.   Among older people therapy is still seen as shameful and a last resort, but to the younger generation, seeing a counselor is becoming more and more acceptable.  Patti likes to see therapy as preventive, a mental and emotional exercise to keep the mind and emotions healthy, just as physical exercise keeps the body healthy.  Everyone goes to the dentist, everyone goes to the optometrist, and everyon

Learn True Health is honored to present Jennifer Saltzman, popular Pilates instructor, for a second time. In this Episode Ashley and Jennifer discuss the importance of spiritual health. Think about community and realize we have so much to give. Rise to the occasion. Give to others, receive gratefully from others, and think about something other than “me.”  We are all one. The book Commitment to Love by Maureen Moss had a very positive effect on Jennifer’s life.  It is about the spirit, about perspective, laughter, challenges and trials.  When Jennifer was in her 20’s and had just finished her Pilates training, she became very ill.  She had pain in her gut, couldn’t walk, was bedridden and on welfare. She was in a spiritual vacuum. Listen to her agonizing description of her life at that time and be prepared for the uplifting moment that changed her life forever. Prayer defines Jennifer’s life. When she was in great pain she prayed “God, please do not let any of this suffering be in vain.  Let me be used to bri

Ashley’s guest today is Jennifer Saltzman who has been a Pilates instructor in the Seattle area for 21 years. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in modern dance in 1991.  After moving to Seattle she completed her certification as a Pilates instructor in 1995.  She ran her own Pilates studio for seven years and then was hired by the prestigious Bellevue Club, where she has been instructing individuals and groups for the past 14 years. Jennifer describes Pilates as a whole body workout, a series of exercises that can be tailored to the individual for maximum strength, flexibility and balance. It is a most efficient way of working the body’s core, a complex series of muscles extending beyond the abs. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health, as well the significance of having a sense of community in life. You will be fascinated by Jennifer’s personal journey from illness and fatigue to complete health through Pilates, d

Peggy Protz returns to Learn True Health to talk more about the Feldenkrais method with Ashley James. Peggy describes a patient in her 50’s with a frozen shoulder, where her shoulder movements are difficult and painful. When doctors worked with her arm and shoulder, the pain was just too much. Peggy worked with her back rather than her arm and in less than a year her arm became more integrated with her body and she had less pain and a better range of motion. Peggy also treats clients with hip and knee replacements. There’s a lot that can be done to integrate the new joint into the body so that the other hip or knee doesn’t break down. Peggy has always loved dancing and is creative with making movements. This enables her to design body meditation for individuals, making it easy for them to remember their routine, giving them the tools to solve the pain problem when it arises. She describes her Feldenkrais classes and how they differ from her private sessions. Her advice to those with joint pain is to stay in t

Ashley James interviews Peggy Protz, today’s guest on Learn True Health. Peggy is an expert in movement and how the quality of your movement directly affects your quality of life. She has been a professional dancer, a pilates instructor, and, since 2002, a Feldenkrais practitioner. Feldenkrais aims to reduce pain or limitations in movement. Feldenkrais is for those who have not had success with traditional physical therapy. Feldenkrais is designed to break up habitual patterns and introduce new ways of functioning so that you’re not tied to your habits. Interestingly it looks at the whole system—the area that hurts may have its source from another part of the body. Feldenkrais helps the body reprogram itself. Feldenkrais is also very effective with neurological challenges, such as Multiple sclerosis (MS) and recovering from strokes, anything that affects the way you move and the way your brain and muscles are connected to each other Peggy points out that Feldenkrais is not a conditioning approach, like yoga o

In this episode Dr. Megan Saunders returns to do some myth-busting. If you’re wondering just exactly what is going on with the ever-present cholesterol debate, tune in and find out the medical facts regarding cholesterol that you may not have heard before. She also talks about prescription pain medications, their side effects, and the herbal alternatives that you might consider. As a naturopath, Dr. Megan spends considerable time with each patient, learning about their diet and exercise habits, emotional state and family history. With this information she can target the underlying factors that are causing the symptoms and give her patients the appropriate treatment. Compare this with a doctor who spends 10 minutes with you before prescribing a drug. She likes to work with other health care providers, benefiting from their individual expertise, all in order to give her patients the best, most comprehensive care. Dr. Megan talks about the contents of her family’s natural first aid kit, a reason in itself to lis

In this Learn True Health Episode you will meet Dr. Brooke Weitz, a dedicated naturopathic physician who practices primary care medicine with a focus on pain management, gastrointestinal health, endocrine conditions and preventive care. She has always been interested in physical medicine and has spent the past 6 years in the physical medicine department at Bastyr University, teaching students how to feel comfortable touching the patients in a therapeutic way. Also an athlete in competitive sports, Dr. Brooke understands how the body works and how pain can affect every aspect of life. You will also learn the importance of journaling, keeping track of everything you eat and why you ate it. Are you eating something for a reason other than for its nutritive value? Dr. Brooke walks us through a day of her personal vegan diet which includes lots of clean water, protein sources and antioxidant-packed vegetables. It is important that all the foods we eat be organic. When asked what the three items from a supplements

In this episode Learn True Health is honored to feature Dr. Molly Niedermeyer, Naturopath and Midwife. She has practiced in the Seattle area for 31 years. She served as Dean of Naturopathic Medicine and Chair of the Midwifery Department at Bastyr University. She continues to teach as a guest instructor at Bastyr and gives lectures and writes articles as well.   Dr. Molly is dedicated to teaching her patients how to take better care of themselves and has developed a Five Point Health Plan.   In order of importance, these points are: 1. The Need for Water 2. Good and Healthy Diet 3. Sleep 4. Exercise 5. Supplement Regime Water is number one for a reason. When you have finished listening to this podcast you will understand just how important adequate water intake is to the support and health of your body. Diet, sleep, exercise and supplements can’t fully benefit the body if it isn’t fully hydrated.   Here’s What You’ll Discover: What prevents you from being in optimal health? If you don’t sweat during vigorous e

Dr. Megan Saunders returns to Learn True Health to discuss a very important part of our health: Sleep. “Sleep is not a luxury, it is a requirement.” The four foundations of health are good nutrition, a healthy emotional state (feeling fulfilled), exercising the body, and getting good sleep. Sometimes stress gets the better of you and keeps you awake. Dr. Megan says you need to process the stress of anger or depression in a way that’s appropriate. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get angry about something, but if it’s an emotion that you are unable to process and it’s keeping you up at night, then that should be addressed. It’s understandable that parents who also have careers, for instance, stay up late because they want personal time to themselves to watch TV or read a book. But if we do that consistently we are stealing sleep time from ourselves. Dr. Megan describes the processes performed by the body while we’re asleep, all of which are crucial to our health when we are awake. People who have difficulty

This Learn True Health episode features Dr. Heidi Semanie, who, after the following experience, obtained her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. She also has a B.S. in Biological Science with minor degrees in English and Anthropology. No level of education, no number of degrees could have prepared her for her extremely challenging three months as a paramedic in the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She describes the magnitude of work, of need, of the devastation she saw. It was like a war zone with looting and police escorts. Imagine seeing a bathtub in a tree, houses piled on top of each other, dead bodies that you must remove from the raging river. Before this experience Dr. Semanie had wanted to become a trauma surgeon, but having seen what she saw, having been so intimately involved, “I just thought that I didn’t want to be the person somebody saw once a year to check in. I wanted to be somebody who could be on the ground, helping, hands-on.” Dr. Semanie describes her student

In this episode of the Learn True Health podcast Dr. Megan Saunders joins us to discuss holistic thinking and how it can affect us as individuals and as businesses. Dr. Megan has a unique perspective as a physician because before she went to medical school she specialized in international business and entrepreneurship. Before she became a physician, Megan, as a business student, saw the long-term consequences that would harm businesses if they didn’t think holistically in the short term. Businesses that would penny pinch around their choices in materials and healthcare for their employees, for example, would see fewer repeat customers and higher employee turnaround. Likewise, businesses that would invest in the healthcare and wellbeing of their employees, quality building materials, and the environment, saw long term growth and sustainability with less employee turnaround. “…That has been my experience as a physician, looking at the long-term consequences of our actions. Having all of your actions being in al

Hello, True Health Seekers and welcome to Episode Zero of The Learn True Health Podcast! I am honored to have you listening to our show. Episode 0 is my opportunity to introduce myself, tell you a little bit about the show, and set the stage for what you can expect in upcoming episodes of Learn True Health.   If you don’t know me, I’m a huge supporter and believer in holistic health. I have spent many years in what some call the “alternative” health arena. At age 6 I saw my first Naturopathic Doctor and through my whole youth, my family and I were gluten and dairy free, long before it was cool, or easy. I grew up on gross tasting supplements and herbal concoctions, eating fruit instead of fruit loops and carob instead of chocolate. In our household, we drank filtered water, not soda pop. And if a cold was going around we never caught it. I was so healthy following my naturopath's advice as a child, but I took that for granted because I didn’t know any better. While my friends ate Nutella sandwiches on white W