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Whole30 and Your Gut Flora

Someone in your office is doing “Whole30” this January, and they’re likely telling everyone about it.

And if you haven’t heard anyone talking about it… then it might be you.

If you haven’t heard of it (and you weren’t listening while your coworker explained it), “Whole30” is a month-long exclusionary diet. For

Can Changing The Way You Brush Your Teeth Rid You Of Chronic Disease?

When you brush your teeth, are you spitting red?

Probably.

About 90% of the population admits to it. 

Bleeding gums, as we know, is generally a sign that your gums are inflamed. And if there’s anything we know about inflammation, it’s that it’s bad news when any body part is inflamed. It’s a

Hungry Ghosts and the Attention Economy

What disaster do you remember the best from 2020?  Maybe you can’t even remember some of the earlier ones – like the time we all thought World War Three was rumbling in the distance back in February.  For you, the last six months of limited mobility and rising Coronavirus rates might

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Diet and Nutrition

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Wellness

The Mission: Promoting a Diverse Gut Profile in Kids

One of the toughest parts about raising kids is learning how to interpret their natural forms of speech and discourse before they find the words to express themselves that adults understand.

“I’m tired” can mean a million things – from “I’m sleepy because I had nightmares last night” to “Someone hurt my

Why Healers Have Always Trusted Moxa

Moxa is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that has been used for centuries by healers to treat various ailments. The technique involves burning dried mugwort leaves and using the smoke to stimulate specific acupuncture points on the body. But what makes moxa so special that healers have been using it

Does Your Gut Prefer Raw Food Over Cooked?

When man discovered fire 0.2 million years ago, everything changed.

Including the composition of our gut’s microbiome. 

You probably know that the shape of our teeth has changed since then as well, because we aren’t gnawing on raw meat anymore. So it stands to reason that other areas of our internal operating

Take Mise-en-Place Out of the Kitchen

Individualized healthcare is finally receiving the attention it deserves from the Western medical institution – and for good reason. No two people experience life the same way…  Not if they live on the same side of town, or have the same parents, or studied the same major. Commonalities of personality and

Is Clutter Truly Bad for the Soul?

“This does not spark joy” – the anthem of 2018 should sound familiar. With the sweeping trends of Scandivanian hygge (cozy and tactilely pleasing aesthetic) and minimalism (austere and bare, but carefully chosen possessions) pressing forward into our consciousness, it was easy to get swept up.

Plenty of people went on

Cracking the Apple Cider Vinegar Code: 4 Distinct Benefits

Apple cider vinegar had its moment in the sun during the Pinterest craze of the early 2000s. Though it’s experiencing a resurgence now, the public’s undulating focus on the sweet and tart miracle elixir is nothing new.

Since at least 2,500 years ago, when the nomadic Aryan tribe soured their apple

Could Bringing Back Victory Gardens Pull Your Family Through Covid-19?
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Gardening

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Gut Health​

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Fitness

Physical Signs You’re Emotionally Overwhelmed

The health industry in the Western world is one of the strongest profit machines ever invented. Thanks to Nixon’s 1973 Health Maintenance Organization act, doctors, health insurance companies, clinics, and hospitals could begin to function for profit… And the diagnosis game was never the same.  Privatizing pharmaceuticals meant that emphasis

How to Manage Your Musculoskeletal Health

80% of all adults in the U.S. experience, or report, lower back pain.

Compare that to 12% of the population who has sought the services of a chiropractor, or a doctor specializing in musculoskeletal health. That’s quite a disconnect.

Your body is your armor, your vessel, your best weapon, your biggest asset,

Physical Fitness to Get Your Gut Health in Gear

A lot can happen in 42 days.

Habits form, people fall in love, zucchinis grow. 

And according to recent research, the bacteria in the gut microbiome changes after only 42 days — or six weeks — of exercise. That’s without changing your diet, medication, or anything else. 

A burgeoning field of study, the

The Secret Chemicals in Fast Food and What They’re Doing To You

You don’t need a scientist to tell you that fast food is not a healthy choice. Empty calories? Check.  Heavy in trans fat, light in nutrition? Check.  The exact opposite of mindful and grateful eating? Check. But it’s important to understand that not only is fast food not good for

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Mental health

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Sleep

How Can We Increase our Heart Rate Variability?

And why do we want to? In the West, we worry about heart disease. But in ancient belief systems – like Taoism and the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine – they worry about the heart in a different context. In Taoism,  equilibrium is achieved by nurturing the heart-mind – the balance between educating

The Four Different Kinds of Rest

From the very beginning of our consciousness, rest is a catch-all palliative for any number of maladies. Cranky? Take a nap. Can’t think straight? Close your eyes. Have a headache? Have a lie down.  And there’s plenty to be said for that simple advice – rest should be restorative and a

Struggling to Sleep Without Western Aids? Hear from the East

If you’re worried and you can’t sleep…  Have a nightcap to unwind! Take some cough medicine. Eat a second helping. Pace the hallway. Squeeze your eyes shut. Give your social media one final scroll. Right? For a need that all humanity has in common, there are some pretty common misconceptions

Ignoring Your Budget: Worse for your Mental Health than Sleep Loss

Have you ever wondered why it feels so good to cross something off of your list?  There’s a psychological principle, known as the “Zeigarnik effect,” named for its discoveress Bluma Zeigarnik, that comes close to addressing why. You see, we tend to remember things we need to do better than

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Relationships​

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Finance

Conscious Capitalism: Snack Edition

What do a teenage girl with IBS and a world-renowned animal welfare expert have in common?

Apparently, beef-sticks.

You see, when Autumn and Chas Smith got married and were dealing with Autumn’s lifelong digestive issues, they discovered

Compartmentalizing Growth: You and the 100 Day Year

Ask most entrepreneurs the secret to their success, and before they say generational wealth, they’ll likely say “compartmentalization.”

What that means simply is the ability to break down information and tasks into discrete parts. 

For example, “writing

Dr. Pedram Shojai

NY Times Best Selling author and film maker. Taoist Abbot and Qigong master. Husband and dad. I’m here to help you find your way and be healthy and happy. I don’t want to be your guru…just someone who’ll help point the way. If you’re looking for a real person who’s done the work, I’m your guy. I can light the path and walk along it with you but can’t walk for you.