Tulsi is one of our staff’s favorites, and is becoming better known. Make up some of this tasty ancient tea remedy to start your day – add honey or syrup to taste. A little goes a long way. Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum, syn. O. sanctum, Lamiaceae), also called holy basil, and East Indian basil (O. gratissimum) are aromatic…
Health Matters
Intermittent Fasting
By Kathy Abascal Intermittent fasting has been trendy for some time. On this type of fast, people eat freely for 8 hours and fast the remaining 16 hours of the day. While this fast can be very healthy if done properly, many have implemented it in a way that is not. For example, many skipped…
Health Matters
A Vashon Doctor Speaks Up
By An Island Doctor When COVID-19 started, I was stunned like everyone else. As the dust settled, I had more questions than answers from our major government institutions. I had colleagues with the same questions and uncertainty as myself, while others took the guidance from the CDC without question as a trustworthy source that needs…
Health Matters
Meeting Grief: Unmet Needs During the Pandemic Years
By Kara LC Jones (GriefAndCreativity.com) Though grief is as human an experience as joy or love, we often find we are not as skilled at dealing with loss and its aftermath as we might be if dealing with celebration. These pandemic years of human life have included a lot of adaptation, change, loss, and readjustment….
Health Matters
Ten Things to Know About American Healthcare That Industry Insiders Will Not Tell You, Part Two
Read part 1 of this story here. 6. We are 12+ years into ObamaCare and have collectively spent more than $24 trillion on chronic healthcare services, but the healthcare system has barely taken a step toward the transformative thinking necessary to operationalize meaningful change. There has been no decrease in chronic disease rates, and we spend…
Health Matters
It Is Reasonable To Be Skeptical
Have you heard about the “bivalent” and “monovalent” COVID vaccines? These are the old and new versions of the Pfizer and Moderna injections. The original injection is monovalent because it contains messenger RNA (mRNA) for only the Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2. The bivalent booster has mRNA from the Wuhan strain and the Omicron strain variants BA….
Health Matters
It’s More About the Fascia
By Sandi Silagi If you have back pain and instability, the connective tissue in your body, the fascia, is the most likely reason. Most people with back pain are told to improve their core strength. Most people with balance issues are told to practice standing on one leg. The strength of the muscles in core…
Health Matters
Home2Vashon 2022
By Rich Osbourne In late 2016, I was selling my “All Things Rich” spices and oil at the Saturday Farmers Market. My friend, Patty was crying. I asked, “What’s wrong?” She told me, “I can’t afford Garrett’s ferry home from his cancer treatment.” That Tuesday, at Vashon Community Care where I lead the Music Mends…
Health Matters
Health Disclaimer
Information found in The Vashon Loop is meant for educational purposes only.Any health-related content is the opinion of the author alone and should not be used to diagnose or treat medical conditions or to prescribe medicine. Your health is your personal responsibility, and your body and situation is unique. Please consult with an appropriate medical…
Health Matters
To Quiet Inflammation: Stress Helps To Make Us Fat
By Kathy Abascal Many of us gained weight during the pandemic and saw worsening in other health indicators (e.g., blood sugar and blood fat levels). Now that things seem to be calming down and we are less stressed, we should seize the opportunity to get back in shape. But we should not do this by…