What About Wellness?: Recent Episodes

Kay Fontana, Ed.D.

Join Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, Dr. Kay, explore the many realms of optimal wellness, including healthy food choices, reducing toxins, movement, spiritual health, energy healing, and mindfulness. Listen to Dr. Kay every other Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time.

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Kay presents a brief overview of Natural Care & Cleaning Products. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Research on toxins in personal care and cleaning products
  2. 12 groups of harmful chemicals in personal care products and cosmetics
  3. Harmful products to avoid in cleaning products
  4. How to get non-toxic, safe, and clean products
  5. Environmental Work Group
  6. Challenge
  7. What’s next

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Kay presents a brief overview of How to Boost Your Immune System. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Your immune system
  2. Your gut, inflammation, and your immune system
  3. The unregulated immune system
  4. Balancing your immune system
  5. Removing toxins
  6. Sleep
  7. Healthy food choices
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Quick and Healthy Meal Planning. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Planning around your schedule
  2. Your favorite foods
  3. Protein, fat, and carbohydrates
  4. Create your meals
  5. Shortcuts to saving time
  6. Making your shopping list
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of How Stress Affects Our Body. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is stress?
  2. What causes stress?
  3. What are stress hormones?
  4. How does stress affect the body?
  5. How we react to stress.
  6. Ways to reduce stress.
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Essential Oils for Pain Relief. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Statistics on pain medication
  2. Types of pain
  3. History of the opioid epidemic
  4. Alternatives to opioids for pain
  5. Essential oils
  6. Safety and quality concerns when purchasing essential oils
  7. Specific essential oils for pain
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of G-BOMBS and Superfoods. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What are G-BOMBS and Superfoods?
  2. Greens
  3. Beans
  4. Onions
  5. Mushrooms
  6. Berries
  7. Seeds
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Fats: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Overview of fats
  2. Cooking oils
  3. Cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, and extra virgin
  4. Cooking sprays
  5. Food fat
  6. Shopping and reading labels
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Art of Being Happy. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Are you truly happy?
  2. The shiny new object syndrome
  3. Struggles and suffering
  4. The shame and blame game
  5. The COVID experience
  6. Self-love and gratitude
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of A Look at Fermented Foods. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The history of fermented food
  2. What is fermenting
  3. Three types of fermentation
  4. Fermented foods and their health benefits
  5. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Truth About Gluten. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is gluten and where is it found?
  2. Gluten and leaky gut syndrome
  3. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
  4. Problems and diagnoses associated with gluten
  5. Eating gluten-free
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Messages from the Divine. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Signs that we are getting messages from the Divine
  2. Our conscious mind
  3. Our subconscious mind
  4. The power of our subconscious mind
  5. How we receive messages from the Divine
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Taking Responsibility for Your Health. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What does your health look like now?
  2. Medication interactions
  3. Two scenarios – Bob and Betty
  4. The lifestyle challenges
  5. Taking responsibility
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Financial Wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is a Financial Wellness?
  2. Current feelings about money
  3. False beliefs
  4. The energy and vibration of money
  5. Negative input from others
  6. Giving and tithing
  7. Changing your thought patterns
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Creating a Spiritual Sanctuary. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is a Spiritual Sanctuary?
  2. Why should I create one?
  3. Do I need to be religious to have a spiritual sanctuary?
  4. What are the benefits?
  5. Where do I create a spiritual sanctuary?
  6. Decluttering your space
  7. What is included in a spiritual sanctuary?
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of a Wellness Assessment. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is a wellness assessment?
  2. What is the purpose of a wellness assessment?
  3. What should be included in a wellness assessment?
  4. Working with your physician
  5. Functional medicine doctors
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of how to Stand Up Straight. Today’s episode covers: 1. Posture related to chronic back pain 2. Desk jobs 3. Sitting 4. Your office chair 5. Your desk 6. Your computer screen 7. Standing 8. Carrying objects 9. Cell phone usage 10. Sleeping 11. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Visualizing Wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is wellness
  2. Areas of wellness
  3. Effects of the COVID pandemic on wellness
  4. Visualizing wellness
  5. Deepak Chopra
  6. John Assaraf
  7. Jon Gabriel
  8. The Law of Attraction
  9. An exercise in visualization
  10. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Cancer Prevention. Today’s episode covers: 1. What is cancer? 2. Statistics on cancer 3. Stopping the cycle of cancer 4. Foods to eliminate 5. Foods with anticancer properties 6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of ways to Stop the Inflammation. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is inflammation?
  2. What causes inflammation?
  3. Toxins
  4. Leaky Gut
  5. Stress
  6. Steps to stop inflammation
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Intermittent Fasting. Today’s episode covers: 1. What is intermittent fasting (IF) 2. Two main categories of fasting 3. About IF 4. Benefits of IF 5. Kay’s experience with IF 6. 5 Keys to IF 7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Your Soul Purpose. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is your soul’s purpose?
  2. What inspires you?
  3. Your true calling
  4. Your “why”
  5. Simon Sinek
  6. What is your “why?”
  7. Revisit your resolutions
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of SMART Goals for the New Year. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The New Year
  2. Resolutions
  3. Soul purpose
  4. New SMART Goals for 2022
  5. Self-love
  6. Meaning
  7. Acceptance
  8. Receptive
  9. Truth
  10. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Releasing the Old and Bringing in the New. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The New Year
  2. Challenges in life
  3. Releasing the past
  4. Experiencing loss
  5. Traditions
  6. Religious beliefs
  7. Kwanzaa
  8. Principles
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Sharing Your Gifts and Talents. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Challenges during the holiday season
  2. Sharing with others who are less fortunate
  3. Carol
  4. Make meals or desserts
  5. Make crafts
  6. Volunteer time
  7. Form a support group
  8. Adopt a family
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of the Power of a Positive Mindset. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Currently challenges in the world
  2. Changing your perception
  3. Stress hormones
  4. Ernest Holmes
  5. Gratitude
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Acts of Service. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is an Act of Service?
  2. Volunteering
  3. The need for volunteers
  4. Ways to serve others
  5. Volunteer opportunities
  6. Where to find opportunities
  7. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Myths About Pain Management. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Prescription pain medication
  2. Opioid epidemic
  3. Witness testimonies
  4. Pain Management
  5. The Myths
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Your Pet’s Health. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Alarming pet diseases
  2. Pet food is the primary source
  3. Pet food additives
  4. Glyphosate and AMPA
  5. Ethoxyquin
  6. BHA and BHT
  7. Grain-free food and dilated cardiomyopathy
  8. What to feed our pets?
  9. Human foods toxic to animals
  10. Sources for more information
  11. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Power of Prayer. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Kay’s experience with prayer
  2. Affirmative prayer and Spiritual Mind Treatment
  3. Five parts to a Spiritual Mind Treatment
  4. Sample Prayer
  5. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Crystal Magic. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What are crystals?
  2. Crystal energy and vibration
  3. Crystals for healing
  4. Chakra healing
  5. Other uses for crystals
  6. Crystal beads
  7. Cleansing crystals
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview and remedies for My Aching Back. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Kay’s story of back pain
  2. Reducing inflammation
  3. Reducing toxins
  4. Drinking Water
  5. Getting enough sleep
  6. Getting sunlight
  7. Exercising
  8. Reducing stress
  9. Herbal remedies and teas
  10. Essential oils and CBD
  11. Challenge

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Kay guides you through A Meditation for Pain. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The importance and benefits of meditation
  2. A Meditation for Pain
  3. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Importance of Good Oral Hygiene. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The importance of oral hygiene
  2. Gum disease and bacteria
  3. Immune system
  4. Signs of gum disease
  5. Fighting off bacteria
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Practice of Qigong. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is Qigong?
  2. Western vs. Eastern medicine
  3. The benefits of Qigong
  4. How to access learning Qigong
  5. Developing a practice of Qigong
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of What’s In Your Kitchen. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Cooking and preparing healthy meals
  2. Selecting healthier cookware
  3. Small appliances
  4. Alternatives for plastic containers and bottles
  5. Cooking utensils, measuring devices, and cutting boards
  6. Water
  7. What’s in your pantry?
  8. The salt debate
  9. Spices
  10. Environmental Work Group
  11. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is high blood pressure
  2. Blood pressures statistics
  3. Causes of high blood pressure
  4. Natural treatments or tools
  5. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Holistic Pain Management. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What does holistic mean?
  2. Personal story with pain
  3. Root causes of pain
    1. Toxins
    2. Stress
    3. Inflammation
  4. Pain reducers
    1. Sleep
    2. Sunlight
    3. Exercise
    4. Healthy food
    5. Essential oils and CBD
    6. Stress reduction
  5. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Building Resilience. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is resilience?
  2. Types of resilience
  3. Gregg Braden and Resilience from the Heart
  4. Jewel and her story or resilience
  5. Compassion fatigue
  6. Building resilience
  7. Coping strategies
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Creating Rituals for Wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What are rituals?
  2. Different types of rituals
  3. Wellness rituals
  4. Morning rituals
  5. Mealtime rituals
  6. Housework/yardwork rituals
  7. Evening/bedtime rituals
  8. Getting started
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of How to Declutter Your Life. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is clutter?
  2. Steps for success
  3. Take everything out
  4. Make a list
  5. Sort items
  6. Put into containers
  7. Donate
  8. Benefits of decluttering
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Managing Diabetes. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Benefits of indoor plants
  2. What types of plants to grow
  3. Plants for small spaces
  4. Pet friendly plants
  5. Toxic plants
  6. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Managing Diabetes. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is diabetes?
  2. Two main forms – Type I and Type II
  3. Statistics on diabetes
  4. Why is diabetes an epidemic?
  5. Diabetes and other health-related issues
  6. Kay’s story
  7. Steps to get blood sugar under control
  8. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Energy Healing. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What Energy Healing?
  2. The Body’s Energy
  3. Chakra healing
  4. Reiki
  5. Crystal Reiki
  6. Acupuncture & Acupressure
  7. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)/Tapping
  8. HeartMath
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Spiritual Tools for Wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What are spiritual tools?
  2. Meditation
  3. Affirmations, Prayer, and Affirmative Prayer
  4. Journaling
  5. Visioning
  6. Service
  7. Forgiveness
  8. Other spiritual tools
  9. Challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of Emergency Action Plan. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is an emergency action plan?
  2. When would you use or need one?
  3. What are some benefits of having a plan in place?
  4. What are some strategies you can include in your plan?
  5. What are some strategies that may not be helpful?

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Kay presents a brief overview of Plant-Based Eating. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Vegan, vegetarian, plant-based: what’s the difference?
  2. Where to get protein on a plant-based diet.
  3. Food combining for complete proteins.
  4. Why go plant-based?
    • Health
    • Protecting animals
    • Protecting the environment and saving the planet
    • Saving money

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Kay presents a brief overview of how to Get Moving. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Different types of movement exercises
  2. The benefits of movement
  3. How to build movement exercises into your daily routine
  4. Movement challenge

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Kay presents a brief overview of New Year Success Tips for Wellness. Today’s episode covers the following tips:

  1. Decide what you want.
  2. Take one baby step one day at a time.
  3. Make goals and habits realistic.
  4. Visualize your goal and make it visible.
  5. Acknowledge your achievements.
  6. Get support.
  7. Think positively.

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Kay presents a brief overview of Beating Holiday Blues. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The holidays in 2020.
  2. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges
    1. Endings
    2. The Neutral Zone
    3. A New Beginning
  3. The holidays in full circle
  4. Preparing for the New Year

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Kay presents a brief overview of Getting Quality Sleep. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Why is sleep so important?
  2. Our Circadian Rhythm
  3. What happens when we don’t get enough sleep?
  4. How much sleep do we need?
  5. Tips for getting quality sleep

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Kay presents a brief overview of how to Design a Healthy Lifestyle to Reduce Pain. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Create a plan for optimal wellness
  2. Understand your cravings
  3. Create an Emergency Action Plan
  4. Visualize optimal wellness
  5. Listen to your body
  6. Balance heart, mind, body, and soul

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Kay presents a brief overview of Healthy Habits to Reduce Pain. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Eliminating toxins from your body
  2. Drinking plenty of water
  3. Getting plenty of sleep
  4. Enjoying sunlight
  5. Exercising daily
  6. Using food as medicine
  7. Using herbal remedies, supplements and teas
  8. Using essential oils and CBD
  9. Reducing stress

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Kay presents a brief overview of The Truth About Chronic Pain. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is pain?
  2. Types of pain
  3. Common misconceptions about pain
  4. Causes of pain
    1. Toxins
    2. Leaky Gut Syndrome
    3. Inflammation
    4. Stress

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Kay presents a brief overview of the Healing Benefits of Water. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Key points from Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj
  2. Our body’s water makeup
  3. Our thirst sensation as we age
  4. Dehydration and the link to:
    1. Alzheimer’s
    2. Pain
    3. Stress and depression
    4. High blood pressure
    5. Other ailments in the body
  5. The need for salt and exercise

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Kay presents a brief overview of Herbal Remedies. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is an herb?
  2. A very brief history of herbs
  3. Herbs on the market
  4. Caution when using herbs
  5. Herbal teas
  6. Herbs in smoothies
  7. Herbs for cooking
  8. An invitation to use more herbs

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Kay presents a brief overview of Laughter as Medicine Today’s episode covers:

  1. What causes laughter.
  2. Laughter in the media.
  3. The science behind laughter.
  4. Happy hormones.
  5. Stress hormones
  6. Benefits from laughing.
  7. How to start laughing.

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Kay presents a brief overview of Sound Healing. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Sound and vibrations
  2. Frequencies of human emotion
  3. Music frequencies
  4. Chanting
  5. Mantras
  6. Healing instruments and their sounds
  7. Adding healing sounds to daily practice

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Kay presents a brief overview of the importance of detoxing the mind and body. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Why is detoxing the mind and body is so important?
  2. How to detox the body.
  3. Cleansing with food, water, and sleep.
  4. Detoxing our organs to support optimal health.
  5. Detoxing the mind from mental and physical clutter.

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Kay presents a brief overview of mindfulness and meditation and a variety of mindfulness and meditation practices and processes. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is mindfulness?
  2. What meditation?
  3. The goal and benefits of meditation.
  4. Different types of meditation.
  5. The Relaxation Response
  6. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
  7. Ways of meditating
  8. Tools used in meditation
  9. Setting up a meditation space
  10. The breath

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Kay presents a brief overview of alternative medicine and how they are used for health and wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is alternative medicine?
  2. Different forms of alternative medicine
  3. Focus of alternative medicine
  4. Purpose of a few alternative therapies
    1. Aromatherapy and essential oils
    2. Herbal medicine
    3. Energy healing
    4. Spiritual healing
    5. Body movements
  5. Benefits to alternative medicine
  6. Downsides to alternative medicine
  7. Using alternative medicine as a complement to conventional western medicine

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Kay presents a brief overview of the benefits of essential oils and the many uses for health and wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. What is an essential oil?
  2. How are essential oils commonly used?
    1. Aromatic
    2. Topical
    3. Internal
    4. Cooking
    5. Cleaning
  3. What makes essential oils “essential?”
  4. What ways can essential oils be used?
  5. How do you mix essential oils?
    1. Aromatherapy
    2. Flavoring water, tea, and food
    3. Massage or body oil
    4. Compress
    5. Foot or hand bath
    6. Hand cupping
  6. A few of the recommended “essential” essential oils.

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Kay presents a brief overview of the functions of the heart, mind, body, and soul and how to restore optimal wellness by connecting all four. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The heart
    1. The heart’s functions
    2. Caring for the heart
  2. The brain
    1. The brain’s functions
    2. Caring for the brain
  3. The body
    1. The body’s systems
    2. Caring for the body
  4. The soul
    1. What is the soul?
    2. Mindfulness
    3. Meditation
  5. Making the connection

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Kay presents a brief overview of brain health and strategies to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and other dementias. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Functions of the brain
  2. The impact of stress on the brain.
  3. The role of nutrition and effects of sugar and flour.
  4. The need for sleep and strategies to get more of it.
  5. The importance of exercise.
  6. Cigarette smoking and the effects on brain health.
  7. The correlation between hearing loss and dementia.

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Kay presents a brief overview of the pandemic crisis, and how to focus on wellness in the midst of change. Today’s episode covers:

  1. The changes in the world today
  2. Life changes and experiences as a result of the pandemic crisis
  3. Our responsibility to care for ourselves during this time
  4. Our feelings and emotions about change
  5. Our outside work and virtually connecting with others
  6. Our inside work and caring for ourselves through the use of:
    1. Prayer and meditation
    2. Gratitude
    3. Journaling
    4. Reading
    5. Maintaining Optimal Health

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Kay presents a brief overview of the digestive process and how digestion is important to overall wellness. Today’s episode covers:

  1. Digestive health – the key to a healthy body
  2. Digestion – the mechanical and chemical processes
  3. Transit time of food
  4. Increased transit time that may lead to illness
  5. The Standard American Diet (SAD) as related to chronic health issues
  6. Leaky Gut Syndrome
  7. Secrets to healthy digestion

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Using the concept of Food as Medicine, Kay takes a historical look at daily food recommendations and what we can do now to reduce the risk of chronic illness. Today's episode covers:

  1. History of the Food Pyramid
  2. Example of deceiving labels
  3. Bioengineered food ingredients
  4. Inflammation
  5. Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine
  6. Current health issues
  7. Anti-inflammatory foods