Greetings, Welcome and thanks for stopping in! 

   I finally decided to create a wellness site dedicated to promoting health tips, advice, beneficial lifestyle changes, recipes, articles, wellness coaching and products I use and believe in.  As some of you know, I'm a medical doctor, yes, but this site does not diagnose, give out medical advice or suggest treatment. We don't diagnose and we don't prescribe medication!  Instead, I'm working with a naturopathic doctor (ND), image consultant, herablist and more to promote what, we think, are practical, wise, lifestyle suggestions for cultivating long-term wellness. 
 
   I decided to do this, because as I went to and fro hospitals, I became increasingly aware of one thing that gnawed at my very core: The way we view healthcare needs to evolve and it needs to happen now.  Our vision must expand and each and everyone of us must take responsibility for our own health and be proactive about preserving it, because without it,  our lives drastically shift toward painful, complicated, unaffordable, uncomfortable existences.  If you're healthy now, be grateful and take steps to preserve it.  It's a blessing.  If you're not grateful, ask someone struggling with a chronic illness what it's like on a daily basis.  You'll get grateful fast. 

   Healthcare is so much more than visiting a doctor,  getting a diagnosis and being prescribed medication. It's so much more than pills, medical bills, hospital beds, IV bags, shots and operating rooms, and it starts with how you treat your body, mind and soul each day, every day, from when you wake up to when you go to sleep at night.  I used to joke that primary care shouldn't be going to your doctor's office.  That should be secondary care. Primary care should be how and what we eat, what we do for exercise, disease prevention, sleep hygiene, what we do for stress-relief, soul-nourishment, mood-boosting, intimacy and, in general, it should be how we live.  The reality is that's not a joke, and it's actually what I believe.  Primary care begins with each of us. With sky-rocketing healthcare costs and people being denied treatment for chronic illnessess that only worsen over time, it'd be darn right stupid not to invest in wellness and make choices to live healthier lives while we still can.  Genetics, bad luck, time and age aside, just think about how many painful diseases could be avoided, dollars saved and happier lives created if only people cared enough to take steps toward blooming wellness in their lives?  

    Then I got thinking: People can do that, but they need help.  They don't just need a doctor in their lives to fix what's broke.  They need something much more intensive that busy doctors, bogged down with mile-long patient lists, procedures and limited timeframes, can't provide.  They need the imminent presence of a coach to walk with them through their day, from AM to PM, dissecting it, evaluating their lifestyles and giving them concrete, realistic tools and ways to help them restore wellness in their lives and become their healthiest selves.  They need someone who's easily accessible to help show them, step by step, how to make healthier choices and build prevention right into their every day routine.  And thus my passion for wellness coaching, promoting prevention and giving people tools to build healthier lives was born.  

      One more thing:  I'm not a big "products or supplements" person, but I do believe in and use some. I'm skeptical with many supplement companies, just as I am with big pharma, because the motivation is the same: Everyone wants to make money.  That makes it difficult to know what is good science and who to trust.  That said, I'm absolutely a fan of certain, traditional medications and supplements, and every product advertised on this site is one I use myself or one recommended by a trusting colleague.  I believe in them, I use them and over the next couple of weeks, I'll write why and add supporting evidence.  For example, fish oil and Dr. Cannell's Vitamin D?   Not a day goes by that I don't take them.  In fact, I still can't believe there's people out there who don't take fish oil!!  I also wouldn't recommend spending money if I didn't think it worth it. ( Heck, this is coming from a doctor who created this site on a free website,  picks up a penny on the ground when I see it, shops at thrift stores and still cuts out coupons. ;) ) Speaking of money, since it's a tough economy out there for everyone, I try to give thrifty, healthy advice- things both rich and people struggling financially can do right at home.  For example, a great spa getaway is an awesome way to relax, but unfortunately not a lot of people can afford that today.  Now a personal, hydrotherapeutic bath with salts and specifically fragranced oils? That's something everyone can do.  ;)

      But more on that later..., right now I just wanted to welcome everyone to the site, explain the motivation behind it and invite you to follow along, contribute and share.  We're still in the process of "blooming," so stay patient!     
  
       Mirthfully Yours, 
        Dr. ErinKate   :)