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Archive for January, 2009
Featured This Month at LightHearted Medicine - The Treasures Within CD
Posted by Dr. Bruce Roberts on January 31st, 2009
This month, we are featuring Dr. Molly’s CD, The Treasures Within. This is a guided imagery meditation, where you will go on a journey to explore your own inner world. This is a particularly powerful meditation, with beautiful languaging and imagery all geared toward helping you to tap into the deep wisdom that we all have available to us. Come explore The Treasures Within CD and feel the love and guidance that you have been yearning for to help you navigate the many paths of your life.
Testimonial of the Week - You Renewed My Flagging Hope and Lifted Up My Depression
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 28th, 2009
Dear Doctors Bruce and Molly, I want to say thank you from my body, mind and spirit for your help and guidance last week. You have been in my prayers that God would bless you both personally and also your ministry. You renewed my flagging hope and lifted up my depression. I hope to prayerfully move forward with your recommendations, and I will continue to pray for you and your work.
Holistic Second Opinion - The Health Benefits of Vitamin D
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 27th, 2009
Have you been wondering why Vitamin D is all over the news lately? Well, you would be amazed at what a lot of research has been conducted on this one tiny supplement! I thought you might be interested in the list of illnesses Vitamin D has been found to be helpful for. Before I give you the list, though, there are a few things to know about this supplement that may be helpful to you.
First of all, Vitamin D is not really a vitamin. It was misnamed all those years ago and is actually a prohormone. This is why it affects so many parts of your body.
The research is constantly going on, and it takes an interested doctor to keep up on the studies as well as the latest ideal Vitamin D level in our blood. It is important to get your Vitamin D level tested instead of just taking a supplement. Everyone absorbs Vitamin D differently, and so what would be a huge dose for one person is barely enough to make a dent in another person’s blood levels.
It is also important to keep an eye on your calcium levels while taking this supplement and to avoid Vitamin D with certain medications or if you have certain illnesses such as lymphoma, sarcoidosis or renal failure. These cautions are why it is important to get expert medical guidance if you want to start taking this supplement.
OK, so here’s the list! This is likely to grow and change as we learn more about Vitamin D, so this is just what we know so far. Of course, if you see yourself or a loved one in here, we encourage you to come talk with us about it.
Vitamin D has been found to be beneficial for the following illnesses:
Bone Density
Depression
Diabetes Type I
Diabetes Type II
Epilepsy
Migraine
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Cesarean Sections (decreases risk of)
Inflammation (lowers C-Reactive Protein levels)
Cancer
Hypertension (be careful taking this supplement with certain blood pressure lowering medications)
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Musculoskeletal Pain
Small Vessel Disease
Peripheral Artery Disease
Neuromuscular Coordination and Balance
Alzheimer’s
Quite a list, huh?! Give us a call to talk about this if you would like to start taking or are currently on Vitamin D. Your body is a dance of nutrients, chemicals, and biological processes, and Vitamin D is most likely a good dance partner for you as long as you know how not to step on its toes!
Dr. Molly
Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 26th, 2009
This is one of my all-time favorite parenting books! I got so much out of The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children, not only as a parent but as a human being on my own life path. I first read this when my kids were young. One of my favorite quotes from this is that “you can only focus on one thing at a time and you go toward what you focus on.” Check it out if you can find a copy - you won’t be disappointed.
LightHearted Musings - Only One of You is Allowed to Be Crazy At Any One Time
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 25th, 2009
A question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I or are the others crazy?
–Albert Einstein
Here is a relationship tidbit that Bruce and I have used as gospel in our marriage to good effect:
Only one of you is allowed to be crazy at any one time
and its correlate:
You are both encouraged to be crazy sometimes
Sanity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! Sometimes it takes you stepping out of your sane life in order to go outside the box and find your joy. If one of you can act as the lifeline while the other one steps off that proverbial cliff (and then change places with each other periodically) you may find that you both discover your wings.
Dr. Molly
Testimonial of the Week - You Taught Me How to Make It All Seem Simpler
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 21st, 2009
You have a beautiful smile - at once a child’s and a Buddha’s smile. You have your priorities very much in order and taught me how to make it all seem simpler. You are so warm that you radiate light!
Holistic Second Opinion - Some Thoughts on Children and Stress
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 20th, 2009
Welcome to the Holistic Second Opinion edition of our LightHearted Musings. Another ta-da moment!
Whereas the LightHearted Musings are more inspirational, philosophical and spiritual in nature, this section is meant to give you information about your mind, emotions and body. We honor all of these aspects of who you are, and we hope you enjoy the Holistic Second Opinion as much as you have our other offerings.
This first HSO (Holistic Second Opinion) is in response to Nick’s request after a “Drs. Bruce and Molly in the News” blog post about Dr. Molly’s interview with Univision. The topic was how to help your children deal with stressful family circumstances. The article was printed in Spanish, and Nick wrote in to ask for a translation of the article. Though we can’t provide that for copyright reasons, we can provide Molly’s comments on the subject.
Some Thoughts on Children and Stress
1) It is important for you as a parent to be open and honest with your children when you are going through stressful times. Children always know when something is wrong, and their imagination will often assume worse scenarios than the actual situation may be. They will also tend to blame themselves for the stress if the real source of discomfort in the home environment isn’t discussed. They don’t necessarily need to know every detail, but giving them a general idea of the problem will help them to get a handle on the stress.
2) It is an unfair burden to ask a child to keep secrets from their friends and teachers. If there is something stressful happening in the family, that is when the child will most need the support of their community. If they have to keep it a secret, they will feel more guilt and shame no matter how they handle the situation, whether they keep the secret or tell somebody what they’re going through.
3) Handling problems as a family and as a community is a beautiful way to teach your child that they are never alone in their distress. Keeping the conversation going also opens up the possibility that someone will come up with a unique solution. Problem-solving skills are easiest to teach when an actual problem is going on, and this will help your child learn to be more resilient as they develop problems in their later life. If the child is the one to come up with the unique solution, all the better!
4) Consider having regular family meetings, preferably on a weekly basis. That way, the whole family can check in about how they are doing, can ask for help if needed, where problems can be discussed and solved, and where happy events can be appreciated. This is a great way to head off problems while they are still small and where the child can feel heard and acknowledged as an important member of the family.
5) During stressful times, it can be helpful to focus the attention outward for awhile. Find ways to have your child give to others who are struggling more than the child, and this will help to put the family’s troubles into some perspective. Helping others also gives the child a sense that they can do something positive to make the world a better place, and that can be very empowering.
6) One of the ways that both children and adults can get tripped up in life is to think that they always have to be perfect and happy. Nobody is happy all the time, and most definitely, nobody is perfect! If that is the criteria for a joyful and meaningful life, then we will all fail. Just knowing that everyone has their ups and downs, that there is a rhythm to life, can go a long way in taking out the panic and sense of failure that can happen when the child experiences problems.
7) If your own skills in handling stress are poor, then there is no time like the present to put the energy into learning these skills. Your child is paying attention to you whether you are aware of it or not, and so the best way to teach them how to handle stress is for you to learn first.
8) It is how we handle our problems and human failings that makes the real difference. We can be the hero, the victim or the villain of our own life story. The real challenge is not to be perfect but instead to learn how to step into the hero role during challenging times. Learning to show fortitude, perseverance, love, gentleness, humor and integrity during both good times and bad is a wonderful gift that parents can give their child.
Dr. Molly
Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - Close to the Bone
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 19th, 2009
Close to the Bone: Life Threatening Illness and the Search for Meaning is one of those books that sticks with you for years after you read it. Jean Shinoda Bolen uses ancient archetypes to help you discover your own search for meaning in the midst of serious illness. I first read this many years ago, and it is still one of my favorite books dealing with illness.
LightHearted Musings - We’re In the Same Boat Now
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on January 18th, 2009
We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.
–Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A long time ago in a land not so far away, a whole village found themselves at the bottom of a very deep well. Now, each of them had their own unique story for how they got down in that well. Some had been pushed by either seen or unseen forces to make this descent. Others had not noticed the well in their path and had simply fallen in. Some had been reckless, testing how close to falling they could get before taking the plunge themselves. The final group were simply pulled down with the crowd.
There were still some people at the top of the well, but not enough to make a concerted rescue effort. The well itself was too deep to climb out of, though there were plenty of individuals who tried with all their might to do so. Panic was setting in, as the well was quickly filling with water. Some were crying. Others were trying to climb the walls of the well without success, often falling on top of their fellow villagers when they lost their grip.
It was at the moment of greatest despair that one little girl kneeled down quietly. With her back bowed over as it was, the others thought she was either praying or crying. Some thought that she might be trying to hasten her own end, as the water was all the way up to her chin in this position.
With a calm, quiet voice that nevertheless retained the sweet tenor of her youth, she said to the person next to her, “Use my back as your footstool and reach up.” The others stopped and stared - maybe there was another way out of this mess.
This one little girl was not big enough to raise that person to their salvation, but she was big enough to start something. With her as their inspiration, the villagers worked together to create a human ladder, with one person on top of another and continuing upward. Each person gravitated to their natural position in the chain. Those with the strongest backs formed the foundation, those who were the most agile went toward the top, and everyone else found their place in between, until finally they reached their goal. Then the human ladder became a human rope so that those who had made it out could pull up the rest of their fellow villagers.
By offering herself in service, this little girl had shown the way. By heeding that call both to service and to action, by coming together as a community of individuals dedicated to a common goal, the villagers had found all that they needed to restore both their hope and their salvation.
Today, we as a world village are down in that well, with the water quickly rising. We are being called both to service and to action, and it is now our time to come together as a community of individuals dedicated to a common goal. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, we are all most definitely in the same boat now, and we each have a role we can play in our mutual survival. My father called this being “smart selfish, ” as our willingness to help each other is truly the only way we are each going to get ourselves out of this well. Find your place of service and then, most importantly, step up and take part in your own rescue.
Dr. Molly
Testimonial of the Week - You Make the Mountains Lay Flat and the Rough Places Smooth
Posted by Dr. Bruce Roberts on January 14th, 2009
Dear Dr. Molly, You make the mountains lay flat and the rough places smooth! You are a fantastic physician and I get the feeling that you won’t age another day!
