Think Pink Live Green Column

Think Pink, Clean Green

Spring has sprung in my neighborhood, and I see a lot of people doing their spring cleaning routines: washing the outsides of the windows, deep cleaning rugs and carpeting, and decluttering and degriming the garage.

While there’s not a lot of research on cleaning product exposure, we do know that many are made from petroleum byproducts or contain chemicals that are considered hormone disruptors. Hormone…

Grilling Wisely

If you’re like me, grilling is a big part of what makes summer fun. To make your cookout as healthy as possible, try to follow these steps.

Start with unprocessed meats. Researchers are beginning to tease out the differences between eating processed versus unprocessed meat. Processed meat includes hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and lunch meats. Many scientists now think that some of the risks…

How Green Is Your Garden?

Because neither of my thumbs is green, my husband does almost all the gardening and lawn care at our house. Since my diagnosis, we’ve been talking about how to make our green space truly green – a healthy yard and garden with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

I always thought that using a chemical spray was the easy way to kill weeds and insect pests…

Have Fun in the Sun, But Protect Your Skin

The snow is melted and the sun is out (at least in my part of the world). I’m excited to spend more time outside enjoying the garden and visiting my friends. A sunny day gives me much more energy and puts me in a great mood. Over the last few months of winter, many of my patients have been feeling the blues of scarce winter…

Fish: Landing the Healthiest Choices

Are you hearing mixed messages about fish? One article says that fish is good for you and another talks about the risks of eating fish. It’s enough to confuse anyone. On one hand, eating fish can help reduce the risk of heart disease and promote brain development, and there’s some research that suggests certain types of fish may even help reduce the risk of breast…

Sleep Well: Turn In, Tune Out, and Unplug

March 7-13 is National Sleep Awareness week, which is a perfect time for me to offer some suggestions about habits that can help you sleep well.

The National Sleep Foundation reports that women are more likely than men to have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night, but polls have found that many women…

Valentine’s Day: Tough & Sweet Love

Now that the blizzard of New Year’s resolutions has turned into flurries, we’re back to our regular lives and our own realities. Despite our best intentions, bad habits can block our progress and resistance to change can slow us down.

It’s time to let go of goals that may overreach our abilities and stick to reasonable resolutions that can actually make a meaningful difference in…