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Shown in chronological order |
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TO
SLEEP PERCHANCE
We spend a third of our lives in the land of Nod, and yet we rarely
think a thing about it. Nor do we value it; our measure of worth
as humans is what we do while we’re awake. Indeed, some
of us pride ourselves on our ability to function on very little
sleep, rather than cherishing the shut-eye we do get. But sleep
plays a crucial role in health, happiness and even longevity.
So what’s going on when we’re sawing logs. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
November/December 2009 |
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THE
ROYAL ME - How our society encourages narcissism, why it creates
suffering, and what you can do about it
We know the boy from Greek mythology as Narcissus, in versions
of the myth both folksy and urbane. Today, the tale has proven
valuable for those who want to succinctly describe a person who
is self-absorbed even more than the terrible teenager, a person
who displays a behavioral pattern of incomparable grandiosity,a
need for admiration, and an utter lack of empathy. It may manifest
in excessive self-love, the stereotypical prima donna behavior
flaunted by the Paris Hiltons of the world. Or it may exhibit
in dark horrors perpetrated by such monsters as Saddam Hussein,
Ted Bundy or Jim Jones. Read
more...
By Roz Brown
September/October 2009 |
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STUFF
- How we get it and get rid of it
Remember that sanctimonious old saw, “Use it up, wear it
out, make it do, or do without?” It may have been clever
in its day, but it’s got a certain killjoy ring to it.
Maybe until now. As an uncertain economic future looms ahead –
Social Security goes into the red in 2016, the budget deficit
ballooned past the $11 trillion mark this year, and we can’t
yet see the bottom of the recession-depression-making do doesn’t
seem so old school anymore. Frugality may be the new economics—and
the new environmentalism, too. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
July/August 2009 |
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DOING
GOOD ABROAD
Counting their blessings isn’t what motivates most travelers;
many Coloradans volunteer abroad from the sheer goodness of heart
and with a deep desire to make life better for those in true dire
straits. The University of Colorado is number two among institutions
providing Peace Corps volunteers for 2009, and sister city organizations
in Colorado now number three dozen—and that doesn’t
count sister schools, sister hospitals, and sister what-have-yous.
Even high schools are sending their students abroad to do good
works; Vail Mountain School’s program, “Ethically
Engaged Youth,” hopes to teach and inspire students
while they’re serving—and because EEY has pre- and
post-trip components, it offers depth of experience. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
May/June2009 |
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BODYWORK
Of course, “bodywork” is a bit hard to define.
It’s the Baskin-Robbins of the complementary and alternative
medicine world, and comes in at least as many flavors as
ice cream. How to tell the difference without endless sampling?
Here are five noteworthy approaches (some with several subsets)
that are getting to be common—or at least are no longer
obscure. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
March/April 2009 |
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SPECIAL
REPORT - Big Idea People
What’s The Big Idea? Colorado’s movers and shakers
have plenty.
It's a new year, with new leadership in Washington, and lots of
big ideas. Those forward-thinking plans don’t always originate
inside the Beltway. Most truly progressive plans come from creative
people all around the globe, those who can synthesize ideas, communicate
them effectively, and energize others. And the best plans come
not from those who think outside the box, but rather from thinkers
who recognize that there isn’t a box at all. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
January/February 2009 |
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ONLINE
LEARNING, A TO Z -
There are more options than ever before. But what’s right
for you? Earn Your Degree in Seven Days!” “Be An Ordained
Minister Now!” “Discreetly Earn Your Degree Based
on Your Experience. No Bad Press!” It's internet ads like
these that give non-traditional degrees a bad name. Nonetheless,
legitimate degrees based on work done outside of traditional classrooms
are everywhere. It's called “distance learning” or
“online learning,” and it's a growing sector of the
education market. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
November/December 2008 |
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THE
FORK IN THE ROAD - The local food craze
“The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” said Chicken
Little. “I must go tell the king.” Chicken Little
seems to have a lot of friends right now. With gas prices up $1.25
from a year ago, food prices six percent over last year's, global
climate change threatening to wreak havoc, and wars destroying
environments across the world, it doesn't take a pessimist to
believe something cataclysmic is heading our way. At least, so
say some weighty thinkers. Here is just one such prediction: “You.
Will. Not. Be. Able. To. Get. Food. Need this be spelled out any
more plainly? It is time to consider that the stage has been set
for petroleum-induced famine.” Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
September/October 2008 |
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CHOOSING
TO DIE
Anyone can choose to die.
It’s not easy, but we can pull the plug on life at any time,
through any of a number of admittedly gruesome maneuvers: a sharp
blade to the wrist, a handful of pills, a pistol at the head.
These are sudden, violent and private occurrences, usually triggered
by dramatic events or undertaken by deeply troubled people. But
what of those who are very ill and living in constant pain, who
see death approaching, and wish to speed its progress—or
maybe those who, having lived and lived for a very long time,
are now ready to die? How might they hasten the inevitable, with
support from others, and without undertaking the violence of suicide?
Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
July/August 2008 |
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GOING
GODLESS
“Faith is believing what you know ain't so.” So said
Mark Twain's character, Pudd'nhead Wilson. Pudd'nhead ain't recognized
as one of the world's greatest philosophers, but he's got good
company among non-believers. Bertrand Russell, Aldous Huxley,
and Socrates were all atheists. More recently, Elton John has
made news as an atheist, and Philip Pullman, author of the young
adult trilogy, His Dark Materials, has raised the ire
of some religious organizations, especially after his first book,
The Golden Compass, was made into a smash-hit movie last
year. Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
May/June 2008 |
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THE
LONG EMERGENCY - THE END OF CHEAP OIL?
My father rode a camel, I drive a Rolls-Royce,
my son flies a jet airplane, and his son will ride a camel.”
That’s a possibly apocryphal modern Arab proverb
that encapsulates a much-debated but ominous concept--that of
peaking global oil production. “Peak oil” is the moment
when we humans can’t just increase the world’s oil
production any time we want to—either because too much of
it has been used up already, or because what’s left is too
darn hard to extract. When will this day come? Some say it’s
here now; others say we’ll hit the peak in the next dozen
years. Still others say we may have decades to go, especially
as new supplies are discovered, such as the 2006 discovery of
a mammoth oil field under the Gulf of Mexico. Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
March/April 2008 |
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INFLAMMATION:
A little-understood health risk
Scraped knees, bee stings, bruises, cuts and even the unsightly
pimple are all commonly associated with inflammation: some sort
of visible injury that is probably red and swollen. Yet inflammation
is more complicated than that. It is happening all the time inside
our bodies, a critical part of our immune response that fights
off infection and disease. Long-term, low-level chronic inflammation
from poor lifestyle, illness and other factors actually cause
disease. In this way, inflammation wields a double-edged sword
on our health, one essential, the other potentially disastrous.
Which makes it important for everyone to understand. Read
more...
by Chris O'Brien
January/February 2008 |
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HOW
TO BE A FAMILY
A family? What’s that? Is it the “traditional”
structure of pie-making mom, briefcase-toting dad, and scrubbed-and-smiling
kids, all surrounded by a white picket fence? Is it a lesbian
couple with an adopted baby from China? Who knows these days?
In the end, it may be a little like the late Justice Potter Stewart’s
assessment of pornography; it’s hard to define, but you’ll
know it when you see it. Read
more...
By Wendy Underhill
January/February 2008 |
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2012
prophesies: apocalypse now or never
Can you believe it? The end of the world is coming.
Again. At least, that’s what Louisville contractor Reese
Provosty believes; after 20 years of study, he even knows when
the end is coming: 2012. The end of the world as we know it–-TEOWAWKI–-is
presaged, he says, by today’s economic woes, wars and worries.
Provosty, a father of three, likens the coming times to a birth:
there is fear and pain, but “if you know it’s coming
you can have faith that it will turn out okay.” Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
November/December 2007 |
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Build
a Whole New Brain?
Someone you love wants you to change. And that someone gives plenty
of good reasons: the moods, perhaps; the worries; the words that
hurt more than you meant. And you agree, at least privately. You’ve
always wanted to live a calmer, more reasonable life. You could
take a pill, but you’re not feeling sad or bad enough for
that. Still, what if you could really change, become a whole new
you? You’re not ten years old anymore—can you still
do that? Read
more...
By Barry Burnett, MD
November/December 2007 |
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The
Joy of Eating
Let me push aside my buttered cinnamon toast and get to work on
today’s assignment, the Psychology of Eating. We aren’t
talking pathologies and disorders; nor are we talking about the
latest news flash about micronutrients. For now, we’re talking
about the Why of Eating, as opposed to the What. Read
more...
by Wendy Underhill
September/October 2007 |
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Socially
responsible investing: the balance between green and greed
There’s a tremendous focus these days on investing
your money, planning for retirement and creating passive income.
And with the internet explosion over the past decade, it’s
become easier than ever to start an IRA, throw some money in a
mutual fund or trade stocks online.
With this new era of choice comes the opportunity to be particular
about which companies you invest in. And if you’re inclined
towards socially responsible investing, it’s easier than
ever to choose funds or build a portfolio in line with your principles
and ethics. Read
more...
By Chris O'Brien
September/October 2007 |
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Reach
out and help the world: A guide to giving
As humans, we seem to be coded with compassion, a true desire
to help each other. But that benevolence often needs a profound
catalyst.We stood up and took action after 9/11 and Hurricane
Katrina. And most of us quickly speak out for the safety of children,
the homeless, school shootings. But with psychic bombardments
of daily deaths in Baghdad, wars across the globe and regular
natural disasters, it’s hard not to get a little numb, and
to leave the job of helping to someone else. More often than not,
we feel overwhelmed. We want to help, but aren’t sure how.
Between work, family, children, caring for aging parents, education
and recreation, few of us have time to join the Peace Corps or
become full-time activists. So, more often than not, we do nothing.
Read more...
by Chris O'Brien
July/Aug 2007 |
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ENERGIZE
YOUR LIFE
Tired of being tired? Quick-fix supplements
aren't the answer. Boosting energy requires lifestyle changes
that include eating right, sleeping well, exercising regularly
and incorporating some kind of restorative practice in your daily
routine. Here, six simple ways to recharge your life.
Read more...
By
Lisa Turner
January/February 2003 |
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UNDOING
SHAME
Shame
is what you experience when you feel you are not being loved,
when you feel people don't respect you, or admire you, or want
you around. Shame is feeling you are not worthy or, at the end
of the negative continuum, worthless. When you feel guilty, you
believe you have done something bad; when you feel shame, you
believe you are bad. When you feel shame, you believe that you
are not loved because you are not loveable. Read
more...
By
Robert Caldwell
September/October
2002 |
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FENG
SHUI KEYS TO A GOOD MARRIAGE
You
remember that old ditty, "First comes love, then comes marriage,
then comes baby in a baby carriage." But these days, that
little jingle often includes a second verse that talks about heartbreak,
lawyers and divorce court. The first verse sounds like a lot more
fun, but in our feng shui practice, we've seen people make
design choices that consistently program them for a break-up.
Not to worry: three simple feng shui strategies will encourage
love, passion and commitment for you and your partner. Read
more...
By
Ralph and Lahni DeAmicis
July/Aug20
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WALKING
A SACRED PATH
- Experiencing Boulder's Labyrinth
"Did you know the First United Methodist Church of Boulder has built
a labyrinth in its basement?" my friend Barbara asked me over tea
one day. As
a matter of fact I didn't know this, and furthermore I wasn't
very clear about what a labyrinth actually was. As far as I knew,
a labyrinth was a complex walking maze designed to baffle its
users, and the only labyrinth I had ever heard of housed a dangerous
Minotaur at its center. Read
more...
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THE
HEALING POWER OF TOUCH
- Our guide to bodywork techniques
For
several years now, I have resolved to fit more yoga into my schedule.
Possessing a pretty standard type-A personality, that means I
say to myself, "I'm going to take a yoga class four times each
week." Heaven forbid I'd get a clue and instead say, "I'm going
to take a yoga class this month." I also find plenty of excuses.
The classes aren't offered at a convenient time, or I forgot to
put my mat in the car, or the yoga studio isn't conducive to the
experience. Yadayadayada. Read
more...
By Roz Brown
March/April 2002 |
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LIVING
PEACE IN THE MIDST OF WAR
September
11. All we need do is hear the date, and a whole flood of images
and feelings arise. "Osama bin Laden," "Afghanistan," "the war
on terrorism"--these words and phrases also carry a load of associations.
Something very powerful happened to us as a global community on
September 11, 2001. How we make sense of the sad and difficult
things we are experiencing will determine how we act, and how
we act now will shape our lives for decades to come. Read
more...
January/February 2002 |
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WHEN
A PET DIES - Helping a child grieve
It's hard enough for adults
to deal with death, but how can we help a child understand what
death means and to cope
with the complex emotions that arise? In the following
article, Nan McGinnis, psychotherapist and general manager of
Nexus, offers some thoughts on the subject. Read
more...
By Nan McGinnis, MSW
September/October
2001 |
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FINDING
A PATH OUT OF PAIN
So much of our lives are focused
on physical health. We spend hours in the gym, count fat grams
and get regular checkups. Meanwhile, our minds and emotions may
not be getting the same level of attention. But mental health
is at least as important as physical health: We can't be healthy
physically if we're not healthy mentally, since many psychological
problems manifest in physiological symptoms. Even so, many people
still don't seek psychotherapy or psychological counseling, often
because therapy still carries a stigma. And that's a shame, when
so many treatment modalities are available today.
Read more...
By Kathleen Wells, PhD
September/October 2001 |
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IN
FULL BLOOM
- Alternative gardens
Whether
it's little larger than a patio or as ordinary as a suburban lot,
your garden is more than a collection of soil and roots. Ideally,
it's a mini-center for transformation and healing, a secluded
hideaway fashioned from water, rocks and native plants. But it
doesn't have to be an elaborate and time-consuming affair. If
your summer plans include lots of travel, or if you've not yet
set out a single petunia, don't despair. Mid-summer still isn't
too late to create your own natural retreat.
Read more...
By Robin R. Rathbun
July/August 2000
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HEALTHY
HOMES-
Ideas for making your home a healthier place You
eat organic foods and filter your tap water. You exercise and
rest your body, and you've developed some enriching spiritual
practices. But have you paid much attention to your living quarters?
Ideally, your home should be a place that encourages pleasure,
promotes serenity and supports health, while reflecting esthetics
and ethics as you define them. Sounds like a tall order ~ but
you don't necessarily need a complete overhaul. Quick, health-boosting
home improvements can be as simple as moving furniture around,
adding tranquility-producing paint colors and replacing your old
cleaning products. We've rounded up a cornucopia of ideas to make
your living quarters healthier, from grand schemes to little details.
Check out these ways to make your home sweet. Read more...
July/August 2000
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CARING
FOR OUR OWN DEATH
A final gift of love
Four years ago, seven-year-old Alison Sanders and her father and
two brothers were involved in a low-impact automobile collision.
Although no one else was injured, Alison was left brain-dead when
the passenger-side air bag deployed in her face. Alison’s
mother, Beth, and a few close friends, lovingly washed and dressed
her body. In accordance with the hospital’s regulations,
Beth hired a mortuary to transport Alison’s body to her home,
where she rested Alison on her bed among her toys, stuffed animals,
silk and flowers. Then, Beth welcomed hundreds of friends and
relatives—including children—to say good-bye to Alison.
Read more...
By Barbra Cohn
November/December
1999 |
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ECOPSYCHOLOGY
Seeing our place in the circle of life
Remember learning
to ride a bicycle? After a few wobbly starts and unexpected tumbles,
it worked. Exhilarating!
That "I did
it" is experiential learning, the heart of discovery. When
we finally figure it out for ourselves, we really Get It, and
we don't forget it.
This concept is
the core of ecopsychology, a multi-disciplinary perspective that
entered the academic arena in the last five years. Since the 1970s
a similar-sounding field, environmental psychology, studied people’s
living spaces and how people felt and thought in those spaces.
But there's a big difference between the two disciplines, ecopsyschology
and environmental psychology. Read
more...
By Robin R. Rathbun
September/October 1999 |
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MARTIAL
ARTS Where Eastern spirituality meets fitness
Many people are learning martial arts to exercise
their muscles, to calm their tensions, to feel more secure on
the streets, and to explore their spiritual natures. Read
more...
By Barbara Darling
May/June 1999 |
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LONG
HAUL PARENTING When our children grow up, and our parents
need our help
During
the first year of a child’s life, most parents are overwhelmed
by the physical demands and the sheer beauty of watching an infant
develop day-by-day. By the time the terrible twos roll around,
many parents develop a confidence which continues to build and
even carry them through the emotional storms of their child’s
adolescence. And all throughout these years, parents rely on friends,
family, professionals, books and magazines to help them sort things
out, to become the best parents they can be. Read
more...
by Barbra Cohn
September/October 1998 |
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BUILDING
BRIDGES Reconciling
spirit and science
Can
spirit and science be reconciled? Are the workings of the heart
too immaterial to be defined? Can medicine reach beyond anatomy
and learn to treat the soul? Those are just some of the questions
tackled by the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energy
and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) at their annual meeting in Boulder
earlier this summer. Big questions, echoing out over the crowd
of doctors, academics and hands-on practitioners of various stripes
(from grey flannel to tie-dyed, in fact), questions that yearned
to bridge the gaps, though they were seldom answered—like
the subtle energy they were searching to identify—an unseen
force that seems to link and heal us.
Read more...
By Barry Burnett, MD
September/October 1998 |
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HOLISTIC
CLINIC Local
MDs turn to alternatives
Dissatisfied
with conventional medical care, 42 percent of Americans tried
a non-conventional treatment during 1997. According to The Landmark
Report on Public Perceptions of Alternative Care, the most common
treatments of that 42 percent were herbal therapy (17 percent),
chiropractic (16 percent), massage therapy (14 percent) and vitamin
therapy (13 percent). The study found that 74 percent of the Americans
queried use alternative care along with traditional care.
Read more...
By Barbara Darling
July/August
1998
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NUTRITION
INFO ONLINE
Fifty years
ago, few books or magazines related reliable nutrition information.
The 1960s saw a large growth in book sales and variety as we became
more aware of health issues, and the 1980s exploded with the printed
word on alternative eating habits. By the early '90s, the Internet
trickle began adding to that boom. By now, the floodgates have
opened. Read
more...
By Mark Fearer
May/June 1998
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BE
KIND TO YOUR THYMUS: SUPPORTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM HOLISTICALLY
In
these waning, stress-filled days of the ‘90s, the immune
system has become a hot health topic. We rush from home to work,
from health club to school play, from the airport to dinner, trying
to make it all run smoothly. Digging ourselves deeper into the
pit of long-term busyness, we then ask our doctors for a quick
fix when our body breaks down. Seeking the Magic Pill, patients
instead are confronted with a serious lifestyle imbalance. Read
more...
By Luana Collins Rubin
January/February 1998
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AGING
INTO THE MILLENNIUM
- Add life to your years holistically
As aging baby-boomers
seek more alternative healthcare choices, holistic geriatrics
is looking like the wave of the future. Although it is difficult
to find alternative practitioners who specialize in treating the
elderly, plenty of holistic doctors work with seniors on a regular
basis. Read
more...
By Luana Collins Rubin
January/February 1998 |
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LEGISLATORS,
INSURANCE RESPOND TO CONSUMER PRESSURE Whether
you want acupuncture, biofeedback, Chelation therapy, Rolfing
or zone therapy, shouldn’t you be allowed to experience the
treatment of your choice? Certainly, and you can, especially if
you have deep pockets and can afford to pay for it yourself. However,
if you want your employer’s health maintenance organization
(HMO) or your own insurance to contribute to the cost of the treatment,
you may be disappointed. Read
more...
By Barbara Darling
January/February1998 |
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IS
RECYCLING A WASTE?
"Recycling
may be the most wasteful activity in modern America," trumpets
an influential New York Times Magazine article Recyclers
say it's riddled with misinformation. What's the truth?
Read
more...
By Mark Fearer
July/August 1997 |
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THE
SEARCH FOR SOULFUL WORK
Ever notice
how little depth there is to this common ice-breaking question?
"I'm an accountant." "I'm a massage therapist."
"I'm a software designer." "I'm a student."
Is that how you define yourself? Perhaps a better, deeper conversation
would revolve around why you do what you do.
by Robin R. Rathbun
March/April 1997 |
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