Holiday Greetings from The Center for Optimal Health. This time of year brings both joy and challenges for many people. We hope that you will find our articles informative and helpful in making this season a good one for you and your loved ones. The theme this month is "The Gift of Health." Best wishes!

MEDICAL NEWS
The Gift of Health

In this holiday season, we are busily selecting gifts for our loved ones. Let’s talk about giving a different kind of gift – the precious gift of health and wellness. There are several essential aspects of this gift, including knowing your family health history and encouraging loved ones to take care of themselves.

Learn ways to give yourself and loved ones the gift of health...

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEWS
The Gift of Emotional Well-being

At holiday time, it is very easy to get so caught up in festivities that you may not have time for reflection. In our extroverted Western culture, we are supposed to be out and about with friends and family during bad weather (even in OC!), but in Eastern culture, winter is a time to gather inward. What would it look like to put aside a gift to yourself this holiday season?

Here are some ideas that you may not have thought of...

EXERCISE NEWS
Exercise — Good as Meds for Depression?

A recent edition of the Harvard Mental Health Newsletter reports that a meta analysis of 30 studies on depression and exercise suggests that exercise can lift depression and ease anxiety as well as antidepressant medications and / or cognitive therapy. Of course, there may be a catch: Folks who volunteer to be part of a study on exercise and depression probably are a bit atypical of people who complain of depression. For people who are depressed, it is possible that a genetic predisposition or personality factor often makes it hard to get going and initiate an exercise program. However, there is good news: Virtually any form of exercise — housework, gardening, or even stretching — can bring improvement.

Find out more about the mood benefits of exercise...

NUTRITIONAL NEWS
Nutrition and the Gift of Life

I couldn’t help but think of the recent reality show, “The Biggest Loser” when I sat down to write this article. This reality show shares the struggles of weight loss and made it apparent how hard it is to lose weight without surgery or medication (most of the participants weighed 250-400 pounds). I watched as the sweat dripped off the faces of the participants and saw the desire for sweets in their eyes. It was a struggle; weight management really does take an enormous amount work. But the payoff is great, a true gift of health.

Find out how to give yourself this gift...

SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS
Mistletoe and More

Holiday time can be as romantic as a fire roaring in the fireplace, or as barren as the scrubby brown California hills in winter. If you are part of a couple, conflicting ideas about the holidays and too many activities squeezed into too few hours can make this time of year stressful. If you are single, you may feel pressure from yourself or from family and friends to be part of a couple. Healthy sexuality is more than having great sex. It is indulging in the pleasures of emotional intimacy and physical, sensual experiences.

Learn more about how to give yourself the gift of holiday pleasure...

OTHER NEWS

Powerful Biofeedback Comes to the Center

Biofeedback is not new, and for that reason it sometimes gets put on the back burner as a complementary or alternative treatment for pain, migraines and headaches, muscle tension, stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. The beauty of biofeedback is that it is completely non-invasive and puts you in charge of your own body.

Biofeedback basically uses technology to help you see a display of what is going on with various systems in your body. We currently have Freez- Framer, which displays your heart rate and which, once learned, can be purchased for home use. We also have Biograph Infiniti, which uses very expensive equipment for helping people with specific muscle problems, such as TMJ, or neck or shoulder pain. Please do not hesitate to ask psychotherapists Dr. Stephanie or Lynn Gaylord. Simply call and we will be happy to take the time to explain how it works.

Optimal Health 2005 Syllabus Available

We received glowing reviews from Optimal Health 2005 attendees and will definitely be repeating the event in 2006. If you were unable to attend the conference, you can still benefit by purchasing a conference syllabus. The syllabus is available at The Center for $15, or you can order it online and have it mailed at a small extra cost of $3.95 S&H. The payment will be processed through PayPal.

Order the Optimal Health 2005 syllabus now...

Aromatherapy Gifts

We have some great gift ideas at The Center in our Tranquility Lounge. We are especially proud of our expanding line of aromatherapy oils. How about treating yourself or someone you love to a special blend such as "Peaceful Night" or "Positive Thinking"? Or a tin or "Dream Balm"? Aromatherapy is very popular in Europe and our goal is to educate and introduce our clients to this remarkable and effective intervention for many common physical and emotional ills.