Episodes
Wednesday May 11, 2016
Want to Launch A Skincare Brand? Confidence Tips from Melinda Coss
Wednesday May 11, 2016
Wednesday May 11, 2016
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
How to Use Astrology for Clearer Skin: Interview with Anne Nordhaus-Bike
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
Astrology is topic loaded with preconceived notions. Some people live their lives by it, others dabble in it for fun, others consider it too "woo woo" or "out there" to have any validity or practical uses in real life. Read more and comment at www.holisticallyhaute.com/astrology-for-clearer-skin/
In today's Spiritual Skincare Sundays offering, I encourage you to broaden your thinking about astrology--especially in terms of its uses for health and wellness, and specifically, your skin.
I'm going to start out with total honesty--when astrologer and artist, Anne Nordhaus-Bike, first expressed interest in talking to me about astrology's place in skin health, I was skeptical. I've always liked astrology, and have started utilizing it more for planning purposes, but much of it is still new to me. The idea of astrology as a mind-body-spirit healing system was completely new to me--but since I've had great experiences with other mind-body-spirit systems like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, I was very interested to learn more.
Astrology isn't just about horoscopes-it's about life.
Horoscope_imageIt's about our lives on this planet, at this time, and about our places in the Universe and in time. It's about how our individual bodies react and respond to Universal influences and nature as well, and though these concepts might seem deep, the practice of astrology itself is actually quite practical.
In today's interview, Anne Nordhaus-Bike talks to us about how each astrological sign under which we were born is attributed to a different element and season-much like the doshas in Ayurveda or elements of TCM. Different elements and seasons have different characteristics, as do skin conditions, and other ailments, and each element or season also has a balancing or pacifying counterpart. It also has a season or element that makes matter worse if imbalance exists. So in this way, astrology really can be interpreted as the mind-body-spirit healing system of Western Philosophy--which for many Westerners, might be more accessible and practical than TCM or Ayurveda.
About Anne:
Anne Nordhaus-Bike March 2016 eventAnne Nordhaus-Bike is an award-winning artist, astrologer, and journalist. She also has decades of corporate communication experience with clients including many Fortune 500 firms. She founded her own firm, ANB Communications, in 1993. Today, she blends her business savvy and spiritual smarts to provide a holistic, innovative approach in delivering communication and team building solutions for executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs. She is a frequent guest on WGN Radio in Chicago and serves on the board of the Gazette Chicago newspaper. She also served on the board for Democratic Leadership For The 21st Century- Chicago (DL21C) as recruitment chair and on the communications committee. The recipient of numerous communication awards throughout her career, she was honored by the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY, which added her to its "Wall Of Fame."
Learn more from Anne:
Get your astrological chart, and check out her art on her website, free Astrology and Art Toolkit, and newsletter www.annenordhausbike.com.
I'd love to hear from you--is astrology part of your life?
How do you work with it now? What was your biggest takeaway from my interview with Anne? Please share in the comments at www.holisticallyhaute.com/astrology-for-clearer-skin/
Wednesday Apr 13, 2016
Naturopathic Skincare with The Spa Dr. Trevor Cates
Wednesday Apr 13, 2016
Wednesday Apr 13, 2016
Wednesday Apr 06, 2016
How to Avoid Plastic Surgery: an Interview with Dr. Anthony Youn
Wednesday Apr 06, 2016
Wednesday Apr 06, 2016
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of invasive cosmetic procedures like injectables and plastic surgery--I've written several articles about some of the dangers of these procedures and have offered natural alternatives to Botox® and lasers like cosmetic acupuncture and LED light therapy. It's my belief that invasive procedures should be undergone with great care and consideration--if at all--and should be considered the last effort, not the first when seeking smoother, firmer skin. I'm not gonna lie--normally plastic surgeons and I don't have much to talk about, as our philosophies are usually quite opposite. However when I found out that a well known, board certified plastic surgeon--one who's talked about plastic surgery on TV shows like Dr. Oz, The Doctors, and The Rachael Ray show--wrote a book on how to avoid plastic surgery, my interest was certainly piqued!
Dr. Anthony Youn wrote a book about how to avoid plastic surgery with diet, lifestyle, and other holistic methods.
I wouldn't have been surprised at all if the book had been written by a naturopathic doctor, or even an integrative dermatologist (yes they do exist!)--but a plastic surgeon? That surprised me. When I first spoke with Dr. Youn, I found that we actually share many common core beliefs surrounding skin health. We both believe that healthy skin comes from within with a balanced diet consisting of nutrient-dense, fresh, whole foods--and not from processed food diets filled with unhealthy fats and sugar. We both believe that certain lifestyle habits harm the skin, while others help the skin. And we both believe in the power of topical skincare and clever makeup application to help skin look its very best. And finally, we both do what we do, truly, to help people feel better about themselves even though we go about it in vastly different ways in our respective practices.Not only does Dr. Youn teach people how to avoid surgery, but he also advocates self-love.
I see a lot of people with low self-image who have a really tough time loving themselves in my practice. Many people believe that having clear, beautiful skin, will magically make their lives perfect and then they will finally be happy. Just like I tell my clients that happiness and self-love don't come in a bottle of moisturizer (although my moisturizer is pretty darn fabulous), Dr. Youn strongly believes that plastic surgery won't make someone happier either. In fact, he actually turns some people away if he feels they are only seeking surgery for that reason, or if he feels that they don't actually need the surgery. I found his approach very refreshing.About Dr. Anthony Youn:
Dr. Anthony Youn is the rare plastic surgeon who does everything he can to keep his patients out of the operating room. He's spent the past 16 years researching the secrets of plastic surgeons, dermatologists, makeup artists, and dietitians--and he knows what works, what doesn't, and what's overpriced. Now he's compiled solutions to every cosmetic aging problem in his new book, The Age Fix: A Leading Plastic Surgeon Reveals How to Really Look 10 Years Younger (written with Eve Anderson). The Age Fix is an insider's guide to looking younger without having surgery, and includes the Age Fix Diet, the Age Fix skincare routine, and solutions to virtually aging and beauty problem you can think of.If you purchase The Age Fix by April 11, 2016, you'll receive up to 9 bonus gifts! Click HERE.I'd love to know...
What was your favorite part of my interview with Dr. Youn? Tell me in the comments HERE. Download this podcast on iTunes and watch the video HERE--and remember to subscribe while you're there!Sunday Apr 03, 2016
Grounding Tree Guided Meditation
Sunday Apr 03, 2016
Sunday Apr 03, 2016
Two of the most common misconceptions about meditation and visualization are that:
- You have to do it for a really long time for it to be effective
- You have to be "that" kind of person--super zen, outwardly spiritual, surrounded by gemstones and crystals
Today's offering is a guided meditation to help you ground and connect.
It's brief--less than 6 minutes--and is designed for anyone at any spiritual level or belief system. This is a meditation I often share with my clients, anytime they're going through stressful times--especially for my busy moms or CEOs (who actually have a LOT in common!). During stressful times, it's easy to feel "all over the place" or chaotic. When you're working on something for someone else, whether it's caring for children or tending to tasks and projects (or both!), it's common to also feel unsupported and disconnected from who you really are and what your needs are personally.I also recommend this meditation for my clients who are at the beginning stages of healing from a skin condition, and also for those who may have healed their physical condition but still experience the emotional and spiritual remnants. There's a lot of fear, uncertainty, and insecurity associated with having a skin condition, and those same feelings of disconnect, lack of support, and chaos are common.Enjoy this grounding, connecting, guided meditation here:
If you'd like to own this guided meditation, you can download it FREE on iTunes--remember to subscribe while you're there!I'd love to know, did you find this brief guided meditation helpful?
Please share here in the comments, or come over to the private Spiritual Skincare Sundays group on Facebook and join our discussion there. May you always have the peace that comes with feeling grounded and supported.So it is.Friday Mar 11, 2016
How to Fix Your Monthly Cycle Naturally: Interview with Bridgit Danner
Friday Mar 11, 2016
Friday Mar 11, 2016
Women have the blessing, and sometimes the curse, of being governed by our monthly cycles for a large portion of our lives. What’s that, you ask? Blessing? Most women consider “Aunt Flow” a curse rather than a blessing. But like our skin and other organs and systems of the body, our monthly cycles can serve as a messenger that lets us know if something’s amiss within.Many women experience uncomfortable symptoms during their periods—cramps, bloating, fatigue, acne, migraines, mood swings—but did you know that those symptoms aren’t actually the norm? It’s true. Typical PMS or other uncomfortable period symptoms—or very irregular periods—are often the result of something else going on in the body. Food intolerances, hormone imbalances, malabsorption, micro-or macronutrient deficiencies can all affect your cycle, causing these typical symptoms. But there’s good news too—and that’s that it doesn’t have to be this way.
How do you know your cycle is normal—or not?
Hormone expert Bridgit Danner, L.Ac, FDNP joins us today, to shed light on what a ‘normal’ monthly cycle should look like, what it could mean if your cycle doesn’t meet those criteria, and she also gives great advice on what you can do to get things back on track.About Bridgit Danner:
Remember Bridgit and I mentioned her amazing free program, Hormones: A Women’s Wellness Summit?
Click here to get free access to all this great info, starting April 11.
I’d love to know…
What did you find most helpful from Bridgit’s interview? Please share in the comments at http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2016/03/know-your-cycle.htmlThursday Mar 03, 2016
When Probiotics are a BAD Idea: Interview with Dr. Anh Nguyen
Thursday Mar 03, 2016
Thursday Mar 03, 2016
I'm not gonna lie. I love probiotics and recommend them for almost every client I work with at some point in our work together. Skin health and a gut health are so closely related, and I know for me personally, I had a lot of issues with candida overgrowth and gut dysbiosis (when the 'bad' bacteria and microflora overtake the 'good'), which probiotics really helped to remedy. But was the gut dysbiosis and candida overgrowth the cause of my seemingly never-ending acne, or was it another symptom of a different cause?It's hard to tell, in my case specifically, but it is true that while many consider candida overgrowth and gut dysbiosis the cause of skin issues and other health conditions, these too have their own root causes. WHY is the balance of good/bad bacteria and microflora out of whack? WHY has the candida been allowed to take over? What happened FIRST for those two other events to be possible?
Are probiotics a cure or just another band-aid fix?
Today I share with you an interview with Dr Anh Nguyen, PharmD, BCACP, a board-certified pharmacist, certified health coach, avid foodie, and functional medicine practitioner who finds and fixes the root cause of chronic conditions, specializing in gut health. I wanted the scoop about why the link between skin health and gut health is so significant (because if you think about, it's not really a connection you'd hear of and just 'get it' right away!), and of course the conversation quickly moved to the topic of probiotics.What Dr. Anh explained, which I thought was really fascinating, is that probiotics alone can't be everyone's solution. Re-populating the gut with beneficial microbes might help make people more regular or reduce common discomfort and even visible skin conditions for a time, but if the cause of the imbalance isn't identified and addressed, the problems will return if the person discontinues the probiotic.The mentality of "I'm fine with x food as long as I have my probiotic" is in fact, an allopathic mentality--not necessarily a holistic or functional one. It's the same as people who eat lots of spicy foods and then follow them with antacids, or who overindulge in junk food and then spend hours at the gym to 'undo' the damage.Does Dr. Anh recommend that people DON'T take probiotics?
Well, in some cases, yes! Which might be shocking, since so many health professionals tout probiotics as a panacea (another allopathic thought process). There are some health conditions where the introduction of probiotics at the wrong time--while the allergen or irritant (the cause) is still present--can do more harm than good. There are also some chronic conditions that exist where a certain amount of healing has to be done before introducing a probiotic is safe or effective. I found this really fascinating.Dr. Anh also talks a lot about another cause of health issues facing Americans today--the source of our food-particularly how soil quality affects our health. This is something I learned a lot about whilst teaching at the Rodale Institute, and I'm really glad Dr. Anh brought it up because it's a topic that often gets ignored.Near the end of the interview, I decided to call out the white elephant in the room, and address how while functional and integrative medicine offers amazing benefits to people--many practitioners and preventative tests are very expensive and aren't covered by insurance. Dr. Anh and I discuss what people can do about that in the interview too.Here's how to learn more from Dr. Anh:
- Go to www.dranh.com to get “The Clean Eating Rules: How to Eat to Lose Weight, Improve Your Biometrics, and Get More Energy”
- Listen to Dr. Anh's #1-ranked iTunes podcast, Food as Medicine podcast at www.DrAnh.com/iTunes
- Book a consultation with Dr. Anh at www.DrAnh.com/work to get help with optimizing your nutrition, addressing food sensitivities, and healing your gut.
Do you take probiotics?
What's been your experience? Have they helped you? What do you think about what Dr. Anh said on the subject? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts!By the way, the Holistically Haute with Rachael Pontillo podcast is now on iTunes!
Click HERE to download episodes and subscribe.Wednesday Feb 24, 2016
Fourth Trimester Skincare and Self-Care: an Interview with Dr. Jolene Brighten
Wednesday Feb 24, 2016
Wednesday Feb 24, 2016
The Fourth Trimester was the hardest thing I ever experienced.
I felt very prepared going into both my pregnancies and the actual birth itself, but I have to admit it that what I experienced after the fact made me feel the least prepared I'd ever felt about anything in my entire life. Sure, I was taught to expect a crying baby, feeling sore, sleep deprivation, and all that stuff--but all that is the tiniest tip of the very large iceberg that is the Fourth Trimester. It was the hardest physical and emotional time of my life, and not just the first time. The second time around I got all cocky during my pregnancy. I felt like an old pro. Toddler and newborn? No biggie. I was wrong. Though certain aspects of my second Fourth Trimester were familiar, other issues appeared that I'd never experienced before like weight gain, hypothyroidism, and even postpartum depression.At first I was really upset because I thought I was the only one who experienced this, but the more moms and grandmothers I talked to, the more I learned that I was not alone in feeling this way. Many, many moms of all ages have gone through their own version of the Fourth Trimester.Why is the Fourth Trimester such a surprise?
Because it's not planned to the most minute detail the way conception (for many), the first three trimesters, and the actual birth itself are. It's not talked about enough among women anymore, and I don't know why that is. Maybe women are afraid of admitting that they're not supermom, like we're all expected to be these days. Maybe they're afraid they ARE the only person feeling that way since all the other moms at the baby gym and music classes seem to have.it.together.all.the.time. In my own case, when I asked my mother why she didn't tell me about her own Fourth Trimester experiences (though she had no problem sharing every detail about her births), she told me she didn't want to scare me. So many women enter into pregnancy without knowing anything at all about the fact that the Fourth Trimester isn't just about new life--it's also about death. Death of the old self to make room for the birth of the new self that is Mother. The death of the Maiden and the birth of the Mother. And it's hard. And scary. And it's not talked about enough.That changes now.
Connect with Dr. Brighten:
Website: www.drbrighten.comI want to hear from you.
What was your Fourth Trimester like? How did you cope? What advice can you give to expectant moms about to experience this type of "gang initiation?" Please share in the comments at http://www.holisticallyhaute.com/2016/02/fourth-trimester-skincare-and-self-care-an-interview-with-dr-jolene-brighten.htmlFriday Jan 29, 2016
Friday Jan 29, 2016
Thursday Jan 21, 2016
Thursday Jan 21, 2016
Get the scoop on when microneedling and facial acupuncture are safe--and when they're not in part 1 of my interview with Sarica Cernohous.
Read more, watch the video, and leave a comment HERE.
I first learned about the cosmetic benefits of facial acupuncture and first saw microneedling (also referred to as "derma-rolling) demonstrated live on stage at a trade show years ago. I was intrigued, but I'm not gonna lie--I had safety concerns. There are microneedling devices intended for home use and ones intended for professional or medical use only.
Unfortunately though all of them are available everywhere, without proof of licensure or proper training on usage and safety.
Once I realized that, anytime anyone asked me my thoughts on microneedling, I quickly responded that I don't think it's safe and that I don't recommend it for anyone.
Imagine my surprise years later when I saw an acupuncturist use microneedling as part of a facial rejuvenating demonstration!
I've always considered acupuncture to be a safe and effective mind-body-spirit healing modality. After all, it's part of the ancient tradition of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which dates back thousands of years and is still used successfully today. So when a highly regarded acupuncturist not only used a microneedling device on a model--but gave it to her to use at home--during a demonstrating at a holistic skincare event, I was again, concerned. I was less concerned this time though, because the acupuncturist gave the model a device that was .25mm and also instructed her how and when to use it.
Today I bring you part one of my interview with the lovely and wonderful Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., MSTOM, BSBA; a nationally-certified practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine, who practices Japanese-style acupuncture, including cosmetic acupuncture. Sarica is also an instructor on traditional food preparation methods, through her program, "Fresh, Fun and Flavorful in The Funky Kitchen", and is the author of The Funky Kitchen: One Soccer Mom's Favorite Traditional Food Techniques and Recipes. She is also a coach for Metabolic Balance of Germany, a chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. She resides in northern Arizona with her husband and two children.
So of course I had to ask Sarica her thoughts about the safety of microneedling and facial acupuncture. Some of what she said surprised me! Did you know that acupuncture itself isn't even safe for everyone? Listen or watch the video and get the scoop.
Don't miss part 2 of my interview with Sarica!
Be sure you get my email updates so I can let you know as soon as part 2 goes live. You'll also get my best holistic skincare advice and my own personal musings that I only share with my email community. Click here to sign up for updates