As we go deeply into the season of pumpkins and harvest moons, we want you we want to ask you to hold a mirror up to your general feeling of daily health and wellness. Take a look at your reflection in the mirror, and then please ask yourself a few important questions:

1. Are you haunted by fatigue?

2. Are you spooked by your own distractibility and irritability?

3. Do you find yourself possessed with unexplained back and joint pain?

4. Do you suffer ghostly insomnia?

5. Do monstrous digestive problems transform you into a shadow of yourself?

Dr. Frank Lipman tells us that this feeling “spent” is now an American epidemic, and there is no single cause of it or magic pill to cure it. Dr. Frank Lipman has termed this syndrome “Spent.” In his book, Revive, he explains that behind that “Spent,” feeling, “the body is doing everything it can to indicate that it is time to slow down, rest, detoxify, repair, replenish, and restore.”

Where does this modern exhaustion originate? Dr. Lipman’s book explains that explains this feeling comes from “eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sleep, over or under-exercising, being bombarded by environmental toxins, and emotional stress.”

In Revive, he has written a six-week program. He gives readers daily ideas for “restoring your body’s energy and vitality.”

He explains that every Spent body will respond differently to the program in the book: Some bodies might need dietary change. Some need more activity. Some need to heal mental stress first. Every case of feeling Spent can benefit from his Five Steps for healing: remove, nourish, move, relax and inspire. The book, Revive is “your very own wake-up call as well as a mentor for living well in the modern lifestyle.”

Perhaps you can put this textbook of twentieth century life skills in your own Halloween bag, as a healthy personal treat. Read it, and remember that the Clinic for Natural and Integrative Medicine is here for you when you decide to find a personalized program of Dr. Lipman’s words “remove, nourish, move, relax and inspire.”  Then you can stop tricking yourself into thinking that your “spent” reflection in the mirror is simply old age.

More Treats For The Season!

Just one look into Elana’s pantry on the web will convince you that you do not have to raid your grocer’s candy aisle to find great Halloween treats for your little ghosts and goblins. At her site, you can find healthy versions of gummy bears, chocolates, fruit wraps, and fabulous pumpkin bars!

Pumpkin Bars

Wet Ingredients:

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup agave nectar

2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cloves

1. In a food processor , combine pumpkin, agave and eggs and pulse for 2 minutes.

2. Pulse dry ingredients into wet for a full minute, until well combined.

3. Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish

4. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes

We hope you have not allowed the traditional orange and black of the holiday to distract you from wearing the beautiful pink ribbons of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Read about your daily risks for breast cancer in one of our previous blogs.

As always, we thank you for “dropping in” for our blog, and we wish you and your family a spectacular Halloween season!