A new focus for healthcare…

March 16, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Change abounds in our modern world with recognition that so many systems we have come to rely upon may not entirely be the best.  In healthcare, many individuals are becoming frustrated by the approach of the western, allopathic model.  Whether it’s receiving an antibiotic prescription for a viral infection or giving an immune suppressant to an immune compromised individual, many of the pharmaceutical approaches to health and disease leave a lot to be desired.

Doctors are limited to the tools that are included in their education.  For most western allopathic MD’s, the tools include pharmaceutical drugs and surgery.  If it can’t be poisoned, or cut out, we’ll have to just wait for it to get worse in order to treat it!  While this is clearly an exaggeration, it may not be far from what many patients experience today.  To care for a patient’s health is the goal of any doctor.  However, when the tools available are primarily useful for crisis management, or serving as a crutch for long term dependence, the health of an individual will not likely improve overall.  Western medicine has incredible expertise at repairing severely damaged systems.  Heart attacks, automobile accidents, epidemic diseases, etc…  But when it comes to the overall improvement of health, chronic disease and long term wellness the world of natural therapeutics has a great deal to offer.

Meanwhile, the world wide web is offering countless cures and remedies, as well as support groups for every type of illness and various approaches to move beyond illness and into optimal health.  Without guidance, or regulation the products available could be anything from a high quality organic herb to grass clippings and industrial waste materials.  The effect of these products on each individual is going to be widely varied and in many ways unknown.  Adding to the complexity is the uniqueness of each individual and the combination of our own biochemistry, genetics, personality, organ function and energetic qualities.

Naturopathic and Classical Chinese medicine offer systematic ways to not only manage pain and treat disease, but ultimately to improve overall health by treating the underlying imbalance in an individuals state of health.  While a dozen people may present the same symptom, there may be a dozen different causes and thus, different prescriptions to bring the individuals back into a state of health.  Utilizing the broad spectrum of medicinal substances, practitioners of natural medicine are able to meet individuals wherever they are at and work as guides to navigate the healthcare options leading each person toward a greater state of health.

In a world of so much opportunity, choose the best for yourselves and those you love by putting your healthcare into the hands of experts in all systems of medicine.  In the Portland area, I have the great pleasure of working in 2 of the cities best clinics in holistic healthcare, Kwan Yin Healing Arts in northwest, and the Natural Health Center in southwest.  Naturopathic Doctors are the best practitioners for initial care of any system.  They can then make referrals to every other type of practitioner in the healthcare system and help to organize and integrate the care to ensure that all the bases are covered, providing the most effective use of all resources available.  If you are living outside of the Portland area you can utilize the licensing boards for each profession to ensure you are working with a qualified practitioner.

For Chinese medicine practitioners, visit:

http://www.nccaom.org/find/index.html

For Naturopathic Doctors, visit:

http://www.naturopathic.org/findannd.php 

Daily Detoxification Routine

August 25, 2009 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Supporting wellness in the modern world requires more than just healthy eating, staying hydrated and getting good sleep.  Although that in itself is a major feat for most of the population.  Our current ecological state causes us to be constantly inundated with countless substances that require extra energy in order to be processed and eliminated.  If the organs of the body are functioning in any way less than optimal, these additional substances can disrupt our precious state of health.  In the air we breath, the water we drink and most of the Earth we walk upon, the effect of modern industry on our lives and future now requires our attention in our daily, weekly and annual routine.

Whether you are dealing with a chemical dependency issue, have a known toxic exposure, multiple chemical sensitivity or other toxic state, or just searching to improve your health, detoxification therapies can offer a great deal.  For an in-depth assessment and personalized support, please schedule an appointment.  An intensive detox program can create shifts in many areas of life and is best undertaken with professional support.

Detoxification is something that can also be enhanced on a daily basis.  Fortunately, the adoption of a detoxification routine can be as simple as shifting the daily choices we already make.  Adding 5-10 minutes each day, a few days a month or a couple weeks each year of a detoxification routine can get you off to a great start.  Not only do regular detoxification routines assist our health and organ function, they can also improve the health of our planet.

Support for Detoxification

Every organ has a specific role in maintaining a healthy body.  Listed below are some things that you can incorporate into a cleanse, and into your daily life routine to aid the organ function of detoxification.  Please do not try to incorporate everything!  Please try everything once (as you are inclined).  Sustainability is a key to health on every level.  Try to find a few things that feel great and work well for you to incorporate into your daily or weekly routine.

Skin
• Dry skin brushing each morning or before bed can encourage elimination through the skin.  Utilizing a natural bristle brush, move the brush in a comfortable rhythm across the skin from the feet, to the heart and then from the arms toward the heart.  Ending with the back and then the chest.
• Sweating also optimizes the detox ability of the skin.  Saunas are a great way to encourage metabolism and open the pores.  Be cautious to not stay in the sauna too long, overheating depletes essential energy.  Always end with a cold shower to force the blood that has gone out to the periphery to move back into the internal organs.
• Exercise encourages the skin, lungs and intestines to eliminate optimally.  Brisk walks, yoga, bike rides, hiking, swimming, running, etc… all are beneficial for detoxification.
• Baths are a great way to improve the detoxifying ability of the skin.  Adding 2-3 cups of Epsom salts to the bath can encourage the process even more.  Essential oils can help calm the mind and ease body tension which plays a major role in overall health.
• Massage circulates the blood through the body and helps mobilize toxins stored in the muscle tissue, connective tissue and lymphatic fluid.

Lungs
• Deep breathing techniques aid the elimination through the lungs.  Inhale and draw the breath deep into the abdomen.  Notice the abdomen filling and then encourage the breath to fill up into the middle abdomen, then the chest and finally the sinus cavities, then release the breath in the same order.  Imaging the flow of the ocean waves through the body can assist this method of breathing.  10 deep conscious breaths before bed can help set a great rhythm for sleeping.
• Essential oils can benefit the lungs through the awareness of breath as well as the effect they have on mood and relaxation.  Explore scents to support your individual needs.  Overall appeal of a scent can relate much more than a particular description of the plants energy as there are so many thoughts and explanations on aromatherapy.  Also, smell is linked so closely with memories so finding a smell that appeals can deeply support emotional growth.
• Ending showers with cold may sound like a torturous experience, but it is incredibly invigorating!  As we stand in a hot shower, the blood moves to the surface of the body and away from the core.  If we leave a hot shower, the body heat evaporates through our skin and our core then needs to generate greater heat to accommodate.  Ending your showers with water as cold as you can handle it for as long as you can handle it is a great way to spare your body the extra chore by forcing the blood back into the core.  It also demands a great big deep breath!

Liver
• Castor oil is utilized across the abdomen with a hot water bottle compress to encourage the blood flow in the liver.  After resting for 15-60 minutes, massage the remaining oil into the abdomen in a clockwise direction.  Notice any tension within the muscle layers of the abdomen, hold the point of tension and take deep breaths to help it release.
• Tea blends of dandelion, milk thistle, and turmeric are all utilized to aid the detoxification process of the liver.  These herbs can be used throughout the cleanse.  Other tea blends containing any of these herbs and many others can also be helpful.
• Reflex points along the lower edge of the ribs can correlate to liver circulation.  Run your fingers along the lower rib edge starting at the center of the chest (xyphoid) and slowly down the right side of the rib edge.  You will likely find a tender spot or two in this region.  Massaging this point yourself can aid liver circulation.
• Stretching  is beneficial for the body as a whole but also plays a part in the activity of the liver from the energetic perspective.  The liver is represented by the element wood and just like a healthy tree, the ability to bend with the breeze will keep you vital and growing.

Intestines
• Encouraging daily bowel movements is an important aspect of cleansing as it is the greatest eliminator for the bodies waste.  Abdominal massage in a clockwise direction can encourage the peristalsis that moves in waves through the intestines.  Do this each morning before getting out of bed to facilitate normal bowel function.
• Fiber supplementation may be necessary for encouraging bowel function during a cleanse.  Fiber helps to add bulk to the stool by absorbing water into the colon.  There are many forms of fiber available.  Psyllium seed powder is a mucilaginous substance that helps bulk the stools immensely.  Betonite clay binds toxins in the intestines in addition to bulking the stools.  Freshly ground flax seeds provide the fiber to bulk stools as well as omega 3 oils, which are essential for normal organ and hormone function.
• Colonic hydrotherapy is the use of water inserted into the colon at a pressure that causes the flow to reach as far as the iliocecal valve, or the junction of the small intestine and large intestine.  The value of this form of therapy is to stir up the residual waste in the intestinal wall.

Kidneys
• Drink clean water in sufficient amounts on a regular basis.  Clean is an important key here.  While tap water is cleaned of many bacteria and toxins, there are remaining organisms and other substances that can disturb our health.  Portland tap water is known to have measurable levels of pharmaceutical drugs due to the high use in our area and insufficient means of removal.  The best water filter that I know of is the Multi Pure system.  It is thoroughly tested in terms of what it is able to remove and is far cheaper than most other filtration and/or delivery systems.  Contact me for more information sararynhart@yahoo.com.

A rule of thumb for how much water to consume is to drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces.  This variably includes fluids consumed in food products or juice, depending upon the osmolarity.  For example, a tea will have more water in it than soup.  Some fluids require that you drink more water to accommodate for their dehydrating effects.  You must consume 2 cups worth of clean water to make up for 1 cup of coffee.

_____ wt.  /  .5   =  ______ ounces per day of clean water.

• Sleep well.  This is an aspect of detoxification that is also of great importance.  Generally 7-8 hours is restorative.  During healing processes, 9-10 hours is often necessary.  The most important time to be sleeping for detoxification is from 10pm to 2am.  This is the liver’s most active time for eliminating toxins.  Also, notice the time of day that your energy is the lowest and if possible, allow yourself to nap.  Every time of day correlates to a different organ and when a person is tired during a certain time, it may be that the associated organ is in distress.  Rest is often the best thing you can do in that case.
• Adrenal support is something you may be familiar with.  The adrenal glands are responsible for our circadian rhythm of energy in the body.  Fatigue, exhaustion or erratic energy can all be related to disharmony in the adrenal glands.  Working to balance the nervous system is a key element to supporting the adrenal glands.  Meditation is a wonderful way to get the body into parasympathetic (rest and digest) activity, which is when our body has a chance to restore itself.  A simple meditation to start with is to try to follow your breath with your mind’s eye.  Imagine your consciousness descending from your head down into your abdomen.  Imagine that any thoughts are clouds drifting by through the sky.  Notice the internal landscape of your body.  Is it a forest, a desert, a marsh, an ocean?  Try to explore the details of your internal landscape with a quiet mind.  Then, try to connect your internal landscape to what you can picture to be your favorite place in nature.

Whatever your method, supporting the bodies natural ability to eliminate and detoxify unnecessary elements from the body can provide greater health, a fresh start and an overall improvement in your vitality.  For optimal health, I encourage a yearly cleanse of some sort for every individual.  To create the best possible cleansing program for your personal needs and abilities, please contact me at sararynhart@yahoo.com.

Spring Cleaning

April 9, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

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Daffodils and crocus flowers mean more than just the addition of color to our landscape.  They’re here to alert us that spring has arrived!  Despite the gray skies and chilly weather, our days have lengthened enough to give the plant life of our region the signal that all systems are GO!

Meanwhile, many of us are likely feeling the pull to be outdoors more and break free of our winter hibernation.  Getting out the lighter clothing even though it might be a little early still feels exciting.  Perhaps it’s the longer days as well that allow us to take notice of the grime across the countertops or the refrigerator.  Spring cleaning is one of our great American traditions and is something perhaps worth looking into this year.

Initially, with the house cleaning we may find long lost treasures that are actually useful and prevent us from purchasing new items.  Perhaps they may even inspire some creativity, rearranging items to make something new again.  Secondly, donations to the local Goodwill can help keep things out of landfills and allow others to purchase perfectly functional items at a reduced cost.  And always, eliminating the excess from our homes can provide a refreshing feeling of accomplishment and renewal.

Now, it’s time to look inside our bodies and consider what may be accumulating there.  Arsenic, bisphenol A, perchlorate, flouride, lead, flame retardants, mercury, phthalates, and many other dirty words can adequately describe what we carry around with us in our daily travels.  These substances are all found to cause severe health effects; reproductive disorders, thyroid disorders, mental health imbalances, immune dysfunction, cancers and many other problems.  Unfortunately, most of these substances bioaccumulate and are not easily eliminated by the body.  Additionally, their presence is vast, extending far into regions where the benefits of the industrialized world have not yet reached.  

So what are we to do, living amongst the worlds richest in resources as well as toxic plastic junk?  Perhaps looking to our ancestors can assist us in our present quandry.  For many northern latitude people, springtime was a lean time of year.  The food stock of the previous year has come to an end and the earth is not yet providing much nourishment.  Thus, an ideal time to fast or go without as the body engages in its own deep cleaning.  Springtime has been a time to fast for various religious purposes as well.  Refraining from consumption for the acknowledgement of what those before us had to endure in order to connect us to their sacrifices and provide a new appreciation for what we are fortunate to have.

In the modern world, our bodies are exposed to more synthetic chemical substances than ever before. The liver is the primary organ of detoxification and has an amazing ability to adapt to the increasing demand.  However, the liver is also the organ that can be the most detrimentally affected when we are under stress, storing toxins in fatty tissue and muscles to be tended to at a later date, or never at all.  Toxins stored in the body create a “body burden” that, depending upon our overall health can result in a wide array of health imbalances over time.  Additionally, they readily travel through breast milk, passing along a toxic heritage to our next generation. 

This spring, allow your body an opportunity to clean house and consider utilizing cleansing methods for your internal health.  Cleanse programs are highly variable but in general, should work to increase your elimination and reduce your consumption.  Any product based cleanse system may just be adding more substances for the body to have to deal with.  However, ceasing consumption all together, as in a water-only fast can be too extreme for many individuals.  Finding the right balance to support yourself through the daily life that will likely continue while increasing elimination is the goal for a beneficial spring cleaning program.  

For more information and guidance through an individually designed spring cleaning, I am here to help!  I have been guiding individual and group cleanse programs for many seasons and greatly enjoy this opportunity to help people discover how routine changes can make a big impact in their health.  See the “Appointments” page for contact information.  Also, please visit the Environmental Working Group website (http://www.ewg.org/) for more information on toxicity in our world, homes and bodies and to learn about simple changes you can make to improve the health of future generations.

Open House

January 11, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Please join us on Sunday, January 25th for an open house at my NW office, Kwan Yin Healing Arts.  Together, with a collection of over a dozen practitioners of various modalities we strive to offer the greater Portland area a comprehensive approach to healthcare.  Call 503-701-8766 for more information.  The office is located at 2330 NW Flanders, Suite 101.  Hope to see you there!

Kwan Yin

Tis the Season for Restoration

November 26, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

the last leaves

 

 

 

the last leaves

     As the final leaves find their way to the ground, night comes early and rest is in store.  Connecting to the trends of the season, following the sun to rest early is the best we can do to prepare for the next year to come.  In primitive cultures people live very closely tied to the changes of the seasons.  The winter is a time for storage, not only in preparation of food supplies, but also to save up energy for the labors of spring.  Living in the modern world, we are still subject to these forces.  However, there is no longer a requirement to pay attention or change our routine accordingly.  Today, it requires consciously choosing to structure our lives more naturally, disengaging from the business of the world to restore ourselves in the winter.

    Circadian rhythms are our bodies connection to the cycle of day and night.  This rhythm sets the stage for much of the overall rhythm of our health, metabolism, energy levels and mood.  The complex cascade of hormones is intricately tied to the rhythm of the day and night, or sleep and wake cycles, leading either toward health or dis~ease.  

     Exploring the links to many serious illnesses, researchers are finding substances directly tied to the light and dark cycle such as melatonin, serotonin, vitamin D and cortisol play significant roles in a person’s health.  Monitoring hormone cycles can reveal or predict a great deal about a person’s overall health.  

     Melatonin is the hormone created primarily in complete darkness.  Living in the modern world where we can have illumination at any hour, our bodies ability to construct melatonin can be disrupted.  Melatonin is found to be low in individuals who develop breast cancer and several other forms of cancer.  It acts in the body as a regulator of the circadian rhythm, as well as being a potent antioxidant, support for the immune system and is correlated to the ability to dream.  

     Serotonin is manufactured during the day in opposition to melatonin and is converted to melatonin in the night.  Serotonin has become a common name in many household’s due to its powerful relationship to regulating moods and providing a sense of happiness.  Both hormones are made from tryptophan, an essential amino acid that we get from our diet.  Poor diet and digestive habits may attribute to lower serotonin levels in the body overall. 

     Vitamin D is a vitamin that also has an effect as a hormone.  It is considered the sunshine hormone as it is activated by exposure to sunshine.  Getting enough light to maintain adequate blood levels can be a challenge in many climates.  Maintaining our connection to the rhythms of nature and restoring in the winter helps insure we have substantial energy to make the most of the sunny days in the future.  Low levels of Vit. D are related to poor immune function and development of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis to name a few.  

     Cortisol is a hormone in the body that maintains our energy levels and has a natural fluctuation through the day, rising in the morning and diminishing when we go to sleep.  Routine activity and sleep habits have a direct effect on maintaining the healthy rhythm of cortisol in the body.  Cortisol directly affects blood sugar metabolism, blood pressure, immune function and inflammatory response.  Disrupted cortisol rhythms play a big role in an individuals ability to not only have enough energy to get through a day, but also to have enough energy to maintain normal physiologic function. 

     Sleep is the opportunity the body has to unwind from all the days stressors.  It is the ultimate opportunity for the parasympathetic, or rest and digest aspect of the nervous system to restore the body. The liver is most active when we sleep, processing and organizing what we have consumed throughout the day as well as detoxifying what has been stored in the tissues over time.  Upon waking, we have the chance to begin a new day refreshed and to determine how to invest our energy for each day.  If the entire year were condensed down into one 24 hour cycle, winter would be the night and we should all be going to bed.  Following nature’s example, it’s time to get some rest!

Change

November 8, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Anything is possible!  Lest we not forget.

40 years from segregation to national leadership is the story of the season and has sent ripples of inspiration around the world.  Catch these waves and allow yourself to be carried to new heights.  

President Obama

Reconnect to your idealism:  

If there were no limits, what would you do?  Who would you be?  Recognize whether the limitations you feel are true or flexible and how you could reallocate your time or resources to reach those dreams.  Perhaps it is a matter of momentary awareness, an inner experience of struggle or freedom.  

Only those who dream are truly free!

Expanding Services

November 8, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I am pleased to offer the expansion of my services to you and yours in need of support and guidance in the journey of health.

As a healthcare practitioner, I have had over 10 years of experience in home health and institutional care.  As an apprentice, I have had 5 years of study in herbal medicine and Native American healing traditions.  As a medical student, I survived 7 years of intense study of modern sciences as well as ancient traditions.  Additionally, I was able to serve as an intern for 5 years of clinical experience.  

As an intern with the National College of Natural Medicine clinics, I had a number of incredible experiences. A few that stand out include working with individuals enduring chemical detoxification from drug detox to environmental exposure detox.  We were able to not only provide symptomatic support for the physical challenges but also to help redirect patients total health and correct some of the deeper underlying vulnerabilities that predisposed their struggle.  Many patients come to a Naturopath because western medicine has nothing more to offer.  There are many conditions that just don’t seem to fit into the normal paradigm of medical diagnosis’ and therefore, there are no drug therapies to match the collection of symptoms.  Natural medicine in many forms has been very useful in these cases, providing new hope and direction to patient care.  My final year as an intern was spent with a focus on cancer patients and the integration of Naturopathic, Chinese and allopathic medicine to offer the best possible solution to very challenging conditions.  

I look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience as well as the amazing hope and inspiration I have been able to witness with a combined therapeutic approach into your lives.  For more information on any of the above subjects, please contact me or visit the National College of Natural Medicine at www.ncnm.edu.

I am now available 4 days a week for complete health intakes and treatment plan development incorporating acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, bodywork, hydrotherapy and counseling services as well as collaboration with your other medical professionals.  Additionally, I offer home or institutional visits on a regular basis.  For scheduling information, please visit my “contact” page or call 503-422-3032.

Fall Cleanse Programs

September 15, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reconnect to your vital self with a
Fall Cleanse Program:

Support your body through the change of seasons with a fall cleanse.  Seasonal cleansing offers health benefits by enhancing the eliminatory functions of the body.  Ideal for:

~Supporting overall health
~Improving chronic disease and inflammation
~Strengthening the immune system for winter
~Preparing for pregnancy

2008 Programs Available:
INDIVIDUAL:  Includes information on how to ease through a detoxification program, support elimination, and create a recipe for success.

• Available anytime, September through November.
• Program includes individual consultation, 1 hydrotherapy treatment,
• 1 steam and 1 massage treatment.  Cost= $120.

GROUP:  Join together in community to support one another in a journey of healing.  One week of a simplified diet program with 3 days of modified fasting.

• November 8th through the 16th
• Program includes 3 group meetings, 2 hydrotherapy treatments with optional massage therapy, limited to 10 participants.  Cost=$150.

Go beyond the limitations of your self
and find that what you have been looking for
has been with you all along.

For more information or to register, please contact
Sara Hart, LMT at 503-422-3032 or sararynhart@yahoo.com
www.harthealingarts.com

Hydrotherapy for Cancer Treatment Support

September 9, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Integrative treatment models in health care offer a great deal of synergy by treating the whole person, both in the immediate and long term.  Regarding cancer treatment, there are many tools that can come together in countless ways to help the journey to healing.

Modern cancer treatment includes a wide array of drug therapies that work toward destruction of the cancer cells.  Despite relative success, this treatment strategy offers nothing in support of the patients organ systems that allowed for a cancer to grow in the first place.  Incorporating hydrotherapy into cancer treatment may well provide the much needed support for a multitude of reasons.

Hydrotherapy is a treatment modality used around the world to varying degrees.  From the morning shower, to a steam room followed by a roll in the snow, it is something we are all familiar with.  The therapeutic application is something far greater than most consider.  Using water with varying temperatures causes effects throughout the body.  Targeting specific organs of the body and shifting the temperature creates a cascade of effects that can improve health overall by supporting circulation and detoxification.

Hyperthermia is a modality that is gaining popularity in the treatment of cancer patients for its ability to aid in tumor reduction and increase patient tolerance to chemotherapy and radiation.  Some physicians are finding that they are able to use much lower doses of drug therapies when used in combination with hyperthermia.  Hyperthermia works through heating the body in a variety of ways for a set period of time, stimulating a fever response.  The understanding for its effectiveness is through the simple physiology of increasing circulation and oxygenation of the tissues.  As with any fever the immune system is activated, particularly the heat shock proteins, which help facilitate cellular function and destruction.  The effect on cancer cells is the stimulation of their elimination.

Research in immunology has identified multiple triggers for increasing heat shock protein transcription and activation.  These compounds are found throughout the plant and animal kingdoms and have been studied extensively in agriculture.  In addition to heat; cold, light and other stressors also activate HSPs.  It has been suggested that the traditional hydrotherapy technique of alternating hot and cold applications to the body may activate HSPs better than heat alone.

The initial theory behind hydrotherapy relates to the traditional understanding that stagnation encourages disease processes.  A stagnant pond will support vastly different life than a flowing stream.  Stasis in the body changes the overall mileu as well.  Cellular activities all require adequate oxygenation to maintain their healthy balance.  Areas of poor circulation are more likely to store metabolic wastes and environmental toxins that the body encounters constantly in the modern world.

Hydrotherapy treatments have known effects in increasing circulation to stagnant tissues.  This in itself may be curative to many disease processes.  Laboratory analysis has shown increased production of white blood cells’s and reduced cortisol after a treatment.  Suspected benefits include activation of heat shock proteins.  Together, the effects have great potential in supporting health.

For a list of references and for more information, email sararynhart@yahoo.com.

Seeds…

September 4, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

As the peak of our summer drifts away, the endless afternoons are coming to an end.  Beginning the gentle turn inward is happening around us as the flowers turn to seed and drop onto the ground with endurance for the long winter ahead, and the promise of another summer.  Planting the seeds for our future hopes and dreams is appopriate throughout the year in different ways.  The fall seeds are long lasting, determined and likely will not sprout for many months, if they are to survive.  Considering this, enjoy the slowly lengthening night as a time to develop your seeds for how you will utilize your energy next summer!  While you may not know quite what they are or how they will develop, the intention and deliberation will surely sprout when the time is right.

Wholistic Healthcare

August 15, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wholistic healthcare addresses the struggles of the physical body, the challenges and patterns of the mental/emotional body as well as encouraging the connection of the individual to a healthy spiritual path.  This process is centered around deeply listening to the patient’s story and being receptive to what is presented in order to best facilitate their healing.

Skilled wholistic practitioners utilize simple tools such as breathwork and the focus of the mind in addition to various tools that incorporate the dynamic triad of the human experience.  This can include medicinal substances such as herbs, minerals, and even pharmaceutical drugs, physical modalities such as hydrotherapy, chiropractic adjustments, craniosacral and other forms of bodywork as well as energetic medicines such as homeopathy, acupuncture and hands on healing.

The goal of wholistic medicine is to not only improve the presenting troubles of a patient, but ultimately to educate and share tools that can empower a person to be their best self.

Why detoxify?

August 15, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Detoxification is often considered a tool necessary for drug addicts and alcoholics.  While there is an intense an overt physical reaction to stopping these substances, the essence of detoxing reaches far beyond this population.  To detoxify is simply the process that occurs in the liver constantly, when substances are broken down and built up in order to be eliminated from the body.  The toxin may be a normal byproduct of metabolism, a intermediary step in a pathway of something non-toxic, or something overtly damaging to the body from start to finish.  Whatever the method of origin, a toxin in the body disrupts normal organ function and causes cellular damage.  Fortunately we are well equipped for this process, when we are in an optimal state of health and when our exposure is reasonable.  However, our modern world is filled with substances that require nearly constant work to address.  Driving down the road, drinking tap water, taking a shower, cooking a meal: all of these simple daily activities can overwhelm our system with toxic substances over time, depending on our choices.

The outcome of toxic exposures in the body are many.  Cellular damage leads to poor organ function which can lead to poor metabolism, fatigue, body aches, obesity, hormonal disturbances, abnormal cell formation, cancer, and the myriad of unexplained symptomatic patterns.  Toxic accumulation can play a role in every type of disease.  Generally, the symptoms develop slowly, over time and may be considered normal aging at first.

Encouraging normal detoxification in the body is something that can be achieved through numerous simple, daily life activities.  Depending upon the personal experience and individual imbalance, a combination of tools can make a world of difference.  In general, detoxification practices should involve taking fewer substances into the body and encouraging the normal elimination pathways.  However, occasionally assisting detoxification with medicinal substances is necessary.  For more information on detoxification, stay tuned for the publication of my book, The Daily Detox Lifestyle…  Meanwhile, you can contact me at the locations listed in “Contact”.

Modern Mis-fortune

August 12, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Supersized, oversized, overstimulated, overcaffeinated and overdosed.

This is our modern misfortune.

No longer does the majority of our population need to concern themselves with how to have enough, but today the challenge is in not taking too much.  The necessity to store enough food through the winter, or to endure a flood, draught or infestation of our food supply has become something limited to the relatively few people who still subsist on a small patch of earth.  While these things still happen, our global, industrialized agriculture and food system provides us with a seemingly endless supply of food, or food-like items.

Blessing and curse.

Our bodies are still wired for a time when anything sweet or fatty meant the treasure of additional calories to keep us going strong all winter long.  Our taste buds would ensure we would desire the most calorie rich items in order to get the biggest bang for our digestive buck.  Today, the supermarkets are just as loaded with sugary, fat-filled items in February as they are in June.  Seasonal changes in food supply had an intrinsically beneficial effect for the local inhabitants.  In the northern climate of Portland, Oregon, the abundance of leafy green vegetables in early spring correlate beautifully to the liver’s high activity level for the year.  The immense abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in mid-summer correlates to the peak of our digestive activity while the explosion of rich squashes and tubers in the late summer and fall made for easily stored and digestible foods for the winter months.  Additionally, traditional means of food preservation ensured adequate nourishment of healthy microbes in the digestive system which kept the overall immune system strong through the winter.

Today, we must choose beyond our taste buds in order to have a healthy diet.  However, enjoyment need not be compromised!  When considering the overall effect of a meal, a choice of fresh, local, whole food items that result in feeling energized and strong versus preserved, packaged, processed foods resulting in a bloated, heavy feeling, the choice is easy.

Choose locally grown, organic foods for a healthy diet!

Choose locally grown, organic foods for a healthy diet!

For more information, check out these books:

Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford and Staying Healthy with the Seasons, by EM Haas.

Summer Group Cleanse

June 23, 2008 in Specials | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rejuvenate yourself with a summer group cleanse!

Experience nature cure at its finest and the deep sense of renewal from taking a break from daily routines.
Re-establish healthy habits and make a new commitment to your personal path of optimal living.
Share the support of a 3-week journey exploring diet, habits and routine self-care.

July 23rd 6:30 pm : Natural Health Center, 2220 SW First Avenue

This program includes:

  • One week of modified fasting-individually designed
  • Two weeks of dietary and detoxification support
  • Three collective meetings
  • Three personalized hydrotherapy treatments
  • Massage therapy optional

Cost: $200. Limited to 10 participants.

Brought to you by Sara Hart, LMT (June ’08 ND, MSOM!!!)
To register contact Sara at

503-552-1551 xt. 5326 or email sararynhart@yahoo.com

Dietary cleansing or fasting has been a traditional way to support health for centuries.  The focus of this program will be to encourage the inner wisdom to awaken by giving the routine habits a rest.  We will meet for 3 weeks on wednesday evenings at the Natural Health Center.  I will be providing resources on diet, health and detoxification at each meeting as well as information for the week.  Together, we will share a journey of commitment and support, being witness to the struggles and triumphs with one another.  By the end, you will have established what is optimal as well as reasonable for your ongoing routine of wellness!

Gifting Wellness

June 11, 2008 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate birthdays, graduations, and other holidays by gifting wellness!Wondering how to best show someone you love them? Support their health with a massage therapy gift certificate. In the age of mass consumerism, who needs another tie? With carbon footprint as a factor in every purchase we make, therapeutic services are a great choice. Not only to help someone relax and have a great start to their day, or evening but also to encourage them to reconnect to their own path of wellness.

Give the gift of wellness with massage therapy from Sara Hart and get a treatment for yourself at half price! Altruism benefits everyone.

Contact Sara Hart at sararynhart@yahoo.com to arrange your gift package today! Redeemable at both locations, Kwan Yin Healing Arts in NW Portland and the Natural Health Center in SW Portland. In home treatments available for an additional charge.