"Sleep at the Interface of health"

Part II of a two part discussion on Death with the author Ivan Obolensky, The Anatomy of Death- A Montage Is there already at least some overlap with Death in our materially focussed lives? When we die, does consciousness finally get shod of the 'training wheels?

Part I of a two part discussion on Death with the author Ivan Obolensky. A much needed discussion on an even more greatly avoided subject, our inevitable departure from Life. As the title suggests, a synthetic (rather than analytic) approach was adopted, using an array of approaches and disciplines, employing paradox and sometimes even anachronism to assemble snippets that shed light on the complexity and scope of this slippery chimera. But are we even looking in the right direction? Do we already have more than a foothold?

Dr. Karl Zarse, a double Board certified anesthestist and regenerative medicine specialist, returns to speak about one of the most prevalent problems in medicine, namely back pain. He addresses episodic, recurrent and chronic pain, highlighting the problems, myths, treatment solutions as well as insights into health daily practices and behaviors to maximize outcomes, functionality and quality of life. In back pain, self-care remains a staple of treatment, and includes back specific as well as general lifestyle changes such as weight loss, that can be a game-changer. Learn what you can do to ensure a superior outcome. Evidence- based, accessible and effective direction, clearly presented with a good deal of common sense. Simply, a winner!

Dr. Pawa provides a lucid overview of mind-body treatment approaches, offering compelling insights and examples. All along the way her incisive intelligence, compassion and obvious love for her calling shine through. Most of all, she makes the discipline accessible and easy to implement by providing exactly what is needed whenever there is dis-ease that is usually accompanied by fatigue, low energy and anxiety. Her over-arching message is simple and clear; it is one of hope and possibility, but it is also a crystal clear call to action. Dr. Bal is a rare and outstanding teacher with the hallmark approach of a true healer.

Hear Dr. Raouf Gharbo, Director of Cardiac and Wellness Integration at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), discuss breathing techniques, biofeedback and heart rate variability (HRV), and the value that these activities can add to your mental and physical flexibility, general health and recovery potential from chronic diseases, including chronic pain, anxiety and trauma. Simple to perform and highly accessible, this will help you control your brain-body connections, reduce your fatigue and hypervigilance, allowing for greater mental and emotional flexibility. A fascinating and lucid guide through the importance of the heart brain dynamic, the central role of the diaphragm and the understated but formidable power of authenticity and letting go. Vitally important, timely and value packed information seamlessly presented.

Dr. Karl Zarse, a double Board certified anaesthetist and regenerative medicine specialist, shares his experience and insights on how to maximize your situation post-injury or when in chronic pain. The owner of Idaho Spine and Pain Management, he outlines tips to enhance flexibility, strength, sleep and nutrition, helping you to outmaneuver ageing and to flip the chronic injury script. Learn how to benefit from the potentially massive accumulation of seemingly modest, daily advantages. In chronic pain, most of the daily changes that need to occur, and the lion share of what has to be done, must be made by the individual personally. Simply mandatory listening, in my opinion.

Alzheimer's disease is a neuro-degenerative and relentlessly progressive disease causing cognitive, memory and behavioral impairment. It disproportionately affects women and can be of early onset. More typically, it afflicts the elderly, most often having a long pre-clinical period. It is also incurable, and the sixth largest cause of death in the United States. This challenge only inflates as life expectancy in developed countries increases, heralding yet another burgeoning health crisis. Hear the enlightening and deeply moving story of Carlen Maddux and his family's courageous and epic odyssey after his wife Martha was diagnosed at age 50. Sobering, memorable and inspirational.

Have we reached a point of 'crisis overload,' both at the societal and global level? We seem to trip through the caveats while the larger challenges seem intractable. We are already well aware that unbridled stress increases the risk of or worsens most physical and mental disease. But this time it's different. In previous decades, our guiding light was a credible media that mostly portrayed a journalistic 'best efforts' approach, in which many could have confidence. Not long ago, news became commodified, veracity taking a back seat to ratings, agendas and groupthink. A casual approach to the truth made truth itself the first casualty. In the age of the Everything Crisis,' more than ever, trust and lucidity alone can save the day.

A fascinating revelation of how our hearts and brains communicate by Dr. Rollin McCraty, Director of Research at the Heartmath Institute. Learn how this is reflected in our heart rate variability (HRV) and why this metric is so vitally important. It turns out that the heart has a nervous system of its own, a 'heart brain,' that sends nine times more the information to our intracranial brains than it receives from it, in this bi-directional flow. HRV reflects the functioning of our nervous system and can be used as feedback, enabling us to reach a state of coherence, that is, a more optimal state of mental, emotional, and creative functionality, even improving our equilibrium and intuition. In this mode of enhanced self-regulation there are also numerous health, behavioral and cognitive benefits. Backed by hundreds of studies, the phenomenon operates not only at a personal level but also at a societal one, even having a global reach. Given the punishing, unrelenting global stress levels of the last two years, this much needed, vitally important information could hardly be more timely.

Listen to Dr. Taryl Felhaber describe the suboptimal way that menopausal issues are currently dealt with in family practice. Poor physician undergraduate education and a paucity of continuing medical education offerings in the field for practicing physicians are but part of the problem. Too many family physicians under treat the often debilitating and life intrusive symptoms on the basis that hormones are 'unsafe,' some citing a twenty year old study purely on preliminary data. It needs to be remembered that with increasing life expectancies, especially among women, some may live a third to almost a half their lives in this situation. Discover other interesting facts and insights in this informative, timely and much needed interview.