Category Archives: Changing Behavior

Transforming Relationships with Easy to Learn, Proven Communication Skills

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By Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD- 

Changing BehaviorAll of us, from time to time, identify things about how we behave that we would like to change. Changing our behavior is very difficult because it is the result of the many learned responses we develop as soon as we come into the world. There is research today suggesting that conditioning that can begin even in the womb.

How we learn to adapt to our environment, what outside events or stimulation feel safe or threatening, how we view the world we live in, what our beliefs and values are, and so forth all play a role in how we learn to behave towards ourselves and others. These factors also influence how we learn to communicate.

The variations of how each of us learns to adapt in the world around us are most noticeable when we are in relationships with others. What behaviors each of us bring to a relationship determines how well, or not, we are able to work together, live together or love together.

An example of how our conditioning impacts our relationships is seen in how couples relate to each other and get along before and after having children together. It is often, after the children come along, that the couple begins to have conflicts that stem from how each of the individuals was raised, what values they have, or what they believe is best for raising a healthy or successful child.

While it is inevitable that we do have conflicts with others because we are uniquely different and uniquely conditioned individuals, there are easy-to-learn, proven communication skills that we can all apply to any of our relationships to make them more fulfilling and positive for both ourselves and others.

A basic and simple skill that we can all apply to our very next encounter to improve our communications with others is putting aside the ongoing conversation in our mind, our concerns of the moment, or what we want to say next, and focusing completely on the individual in front of us and what they are sharing with us. Being fully present to another person shows them that you value and respect them and that you are sincerely interested in what they are feeling, thinking, and communicating with you. This is the basis of the National Institute of Whole Health’s Behavioral Engagement with Pure Presence model.

We all want to be valued and in our fast-paced, electronic-communication world having another person look at us directly while we speak, respond to us with smiles, head nodding or other gestures that let us know they are listening, without their speaking or interrupting us is a wonderfully validating experience that uplifts both ourselves and the person who is generous enough to give such affirming attention.

If you would like more information on how to make your relationships more rewarding and successful through easy-to-learn, proven communication skills, you can download a free chapter from Changing Behavior: Immediately Transform Your Relationships with East to Learn, Proven Communication Skills by going to www.changingbehavior.org.

communication and behavioral engagementThis self-help book focuses on how to transform all types of relationships with hospital-tested, proven communication skills that enhance and improve all relationships, even those that are suffering and struggling. Donadio presents the research with an easy-to-read and understand style that allows the reader to walk away armed with new skills and tools to create a happier, healthier life through more fulfilling relationships.

The title is a #1 Top Rated Amazon Kindle bestseller, the recipient of the coveted 5 STARS from ForeWord Clarion. Changing Behavior has also received high recommendations and outstanding reviews from Kirkus Reviews, “the world’s toughest book critics”, and the popular Mid-West Book Reviews.

Kirkus says of Changing Behavior – “Recommended as a top-tier psychological self-help book… [a] strikingly original case for the transformative power of receptiveness.” Mid-West Book Review states – “Changing Behavior is a choice pick for community library and self-help collections.”

For more more information on whole health and changing your behavior, explore these resources:

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Losing Weight and Staying Trim

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Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD

With warmer weather returning and bathing suit shopping on our minds, many of us are making plans to improve our nutrition and shed a few pounds. What would a holistic approach to weight loss look like? It must consider each aspect of the whole person to create healthy habits for individual weight loss. This article will highlight strategies to both jumpstart and maintain that weight reduction.

What has become clear over the years is that a simple, common sense and consistent plan of action is the most successful and easiest to follow. Crash diets and other extreme approaches to changing the way you eat almost always fail. Here are some simple yet effective rules to making a big difference in your weight status but also, and more importantly, in your overall whole health and wellbeing.

  • Remove sugary drinks from your menu. Sodas that contain sugar are empty food calories that rob nutrients from your body and help to create fat-forming calories. If you have coffee or tea with sugar, this can also be a source of ongoing weight gain that you may not realize is accumulating day by day.
  • Beware of portion control. When it comes to portion control, it’s best to use common sense. The general rule around not changing your diet but changing your portion control is to start by not eating a third of the food on your plate. Then when you are ready, you work up to half the amount on your dish. If you would prefer not to limit what you eat but eat less, this is a brilliant and successful strategy.
  • Slow down when you eat. By eating more slowly you will not only enjoy your food more, and aid the digestion of what you have eaten, you will also know when you have eaten enough as you will experience a comfortable feeling of fullness without having to experience that bloated, extended belly feeling.
  • Drink water. There is no better way to eat less and feel satisfied than by drinking a glass of water before a meal. This is an old tried and true method and it works like a charm.
  • Write down what you eat. One recent article on a study that was done at a weight loss clinic stated that people who write down what they eat not only eat less but eat better. The reason is simple. When we actually see what we are eating it is usually different from what we THINK we are eating. Seeing it in writing creates a motivation to make more mindful choices to improve our health and weigh loss outcomes.
  • Move more often. The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn, resulting in weight loss. In order to be more physically active, you don’t need to join a gym. Though joining a yoga or cycling class can be quite enjoyable, something as simple as taking a walk after dinner, riding a bike to work, or taking the stairs instead if the elevator—all add up to more calories burned throughout the day.

These simple rules form the foundation of a whole person approach to weight loss. By following these guidelines, you will make a big difference in your overall health and bodyweight status, leading to improved confidence and self-esteem both on and away from the beach.

For more information on Whole Health Living, consider visiting: www.wholehealtheducation.com

Stress Reduction To Reduce Chronic Disease

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Beach - Leaf- Relaxing - Stress Relief

Understanding the connection between brain function, cranial nerves, digestion and immune functions illuminates how and why dysfunction and “dis-ease” occur in the body. Just as our machines need electricity to operate, so do our internal organs and cells require electrical impulses to function.

The degree to which a patient’s nervous system is balanced and well-functioning – or not – is the degree to which they are healthy and able to function at maximum capacity in the world. This illuminates how a whole health coach  can guide their patients in using stress reduction to avoid, or reduce the symptoms of, chronic disease.

Many healing arts, such as acupuncture, yoga postures, meditation, chiropractic, breathing techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, EMDR and others attempt to restore balance to the nervous system as the pathway to improving internal and external bodily function. These methods address the cause of the presenting condition, rather than just treating the pain or symptom of the bodily malfunction.

By looking more closely at the digestive system and its intimate relationship with the immune system and the nervous system, we can easily follow the pathway of how brain function and the nervous system can create a “whole body” systemic cascade of bodily reactions, which over time lead to chronic illness and disease. Our nervous systems are impacted by stressors; however, stress is not limited to just the emotional realm as many believe. The broader topic of stressors and adrenal function are explored throughout NIWH’s health coach and holistic nurse certification programs.

For now, keep in mind that when our stress or anxiety causes our limbic system to send biochemical messages to our cranial nerves, our digestive systems can be functionally affected. The anxiety and stress increases our adrenal function output, and this increase of adrenal hormones and steroids in turn decreases our digestive and immune system functions.

A written schematic would look like this:

Stressor = A limbic system response and/or increased adrenal cortisol secretion. = Decreased digestive function thru sympathetic cranial nerves (vagus nerve) and decreased immune (bone marrow) function.

The effect of a stressor on the body in the short term can be readily overcome by a healthy, adaptive nervous system. It is the longer stress–the chronic ongoing conditions and issues–that place wear and tear on our nervous systems and organs. It is this friction or wear and tear that leads to chronic illness.

By understanding the intimate dance of our body’s organs and systems and how to maintain a balanced, healthy nervous system we can help patients use stress reduction to avoid illness and chronic disease, and to live long, productive and disease free lives!

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful accredited health program information for holistic nurses and whole health coaches or advocates. 

Is a Healthy Immune System the New Focus of Travel Health?

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The face of travel health has changed exponentially in the face of the current pandemic. While traditional medicine is still utilized as a treatment for travel-related concerns, recent times have seen holistic and integrative preventative measures and treatments become increasingly popular. This shift in focus has been noted both among conventional health care practitioners as well as the general public. Greater value is also being assigned to a healthy immune system as travel health becomes more prevention-based. While the body typically does a good job of keeping your immune system functioning well, the added stress associated with travel can put added pressure on it. Thankfully, there are a number of whole health solutions that can help a modern-day traveler remain healthy while journeying across the globe.

Optimal nutrition is vital

Many travelers fail to follow a healthy diet while traveling which leaves them at an increased risk of illness and injury.  The longer a trip is, the greater the impact of a diet lacking in vital nutrients will be.  Apart from affecting your immune system, a diet that lacks vitamins and minerals can also lead to lethargy, sporadic blood glucose levels, and compromised sleeping patterns.

Apart from following a diet that comprises of lean protein, ample amounts of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, travelers can also benefit from quality vitamin and mineral supplements. A good multivitamin can provide the body with a much-needed nutritional boost when it is increasingly difficult to follow a nutrient-dense diet. Travelers also need to steer clear of contaminated food and water at all costs to prevent traveler’s diarrhea from setting in. Stick to drinking bottled water and avoid buying food from outlets that appear to be less than hygienic.

Make an effort to exercise

Alongside nutrition and sleep, exercise is seen as one of the pillars of integrative medicine.  Physical activity is essential for travelers as it helps to reduce inflammation and regenerate your immune cells. It is also of immense benefit to long-haul travelers who are at a greater risk of contracting deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The World Health Organization recommends that a healthy adult engages in at least 75 minutes of rigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week.  Moving around during a long flight will help keep DVT at bay while partaking in a physical activity you enjoy, such as walking, cycling, or swimming, will give both your immune system and energy levels a very welcome boost.

Sleep and immunity are closely related

Many individuals battle to get sufficient sound sleep while traveling – to the great detriment to their immune systems. Poor quality sleep and inadequate sleep have both been linked to an increased risk of illness. When traveling, extra effort may be required to ensure that you get the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Apart from boosting your natural immunity, sufficient sleep can also help your immune system fight off illness when you do get sick. If you are unable to get enough sound sleep at night due to your travel schedule, try to have one or two shorter naps during the day. Investing in a quality sleep mask can be especially beneficial if you struggle to sleep on planes or in new surroundings that may be more brightly lit than to what you are generally accustomed to.

The face of travel health has changed exponentially in recent times. A whole health approach to a healthy immune system is not only beneficial to travelers but to anyone wanting to lead an increasingly healthy life.

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Warning! Being In Love Can Cause Weight Gain

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Love Is Fattening- Heart - Cocoa - Chocolate

Here’s a great article, written by Nicholas Bakalar, about a study that was published on the relationship between the weight gain of women who live with a mate in comparison to women who do not. Rather than excerpt material from the article, I would like to share it with you in its entirety. I hope this information is useful for you or someone you know.

Study Says Women With Mate Get Heavier
by Nicholas Bakalar

It is widely known that women tend to gain weight after giving birth, but now a large study has found evidence that even among childless women, those who live with a mate put on more pounds than those who live without one.

The differences, the scientists found, were stark.

After adjusting for other variables, the 10-year weight gain for an average 140-pound woman was 20 pounds if she had a baby and a partner, 15 if she had a partner but no baby, and only 11 pounds if she was childless with no partner. The number of women with a baby but no partner was too small to draw statistically significant conclusions.

There is no reason to believe that having a partner causes metabolic changes, so the weight gain among childless women with partners was almost surely caused by altered behavior. Moreover, there was a steady weight gain among all women over the 10 years of the study.

This does not explain the still larger weight gain in women who became pregnant. The lead author, Annette J. Dobson, a professor of bio-statistics at the University of Queensland in Australia, suggested that physiological changes might be at work.

“Women’s bodies may adjust to the increased weight associated with having a baby,” Dr. Dobson said. “There may be a metabolic adjustment that goes on when women are pregnant that is hard to reverse. This would be more consistent with our findings than any other explanation.”

The study covered more than 6,000 Australian women over a 10-year period ending in 2006.

At the start, the women ranged in age from 18 to 23. Each woman periodically completed a survey with more than 300 questions about weight and height, age, level of education, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, medications used, and a wide range of other health and health care issues.

Love Is Fattening- Surprise Weight GainBy the end of the study, published in the January issue of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, more than half the women had college degrees, about three-quarters had partners and half had had at least one baby. Almost all of the weight gain happened with the first baby; subsequent births had little effect.

Also by the end of the study period, there were fewer smokers and risky drinkers than at the beginning, more women who exercised less, and a larger proportion without paid employment.

But even after adjusting for all of these factors and more, the differences in weight gain among women with and without babies, and among women with and without partners, remained.

Despite the study’s limitations — weight was self-reported, for example, and the sample size diminished over time because people dropped out — other experts found the results valuable.

“It’s interesting and brings out some important points,” said Maureen A. Murtaugh, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Utah who has published widely on weight gain in women. Perhaps, she suggested, a more active social life may help explain why women with partners gain more weight.

“Think of going to a restaurant,” Dr. Murtaugh said. “They serve a 6-foot man the same amount as they serve me, even though I’m 5 feet 5 inches and 60 pounds lighter.”

The study included only women, but the researchers cited one earlier study that showed an increase in obesity among men who had children, adding further evidence that social and behavioral factors are part of the explanation.

Dr. Dobson said the finding of weight gain among all the women, with families or without, was troubling.

“This is a general health concern,” she said. “Getting married or moving in with a partner and having a baby are events that trigger even further weight gain.

“From a prevention point of view, one can look at these as particular times when women need to be especially careful.”

Article Originally Published by the Herald Tribune.

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful accredited health program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.

Listen to Whole Health discussions on my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

Is Social Media Damaging Your Work Environment?

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When most of us think of an unhealthy work environment, we visualize “sick building syndrome,” difficult staff members, or the classic “boss from hell.”

After attending a conference populated by a number of staffing agency directors, I recently received an insight into the latest unhealthy work issue that is getting the attention of a lot of organizations: obsessive social media use while on the clock.

Resulting Social Issues

It is becoming such a concern that more and more companies are having their computer networks re-tooled to block Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites on office computers.

How much of a problem is it that a significant number of younger-generation workers, who were raised on personal electronics, cannot stop checking their Facebook and text messages while they are on the job and being paid to spend their time attending to the tasks at hand?

That employees are noticing and becoming concerned that this trend is affecting their productivity and even their bottom line. This says something important about the current immediate communication impulse and what is being called “the narcissistic tendency” we are developing as a culture.

Staying Focused On The Job

The focus and integrity to attend to the job we are expected to be doing and the ability or willingness to not pay attention to ourselves when we are getting paid to be working seems to be lacking today more than ever before.

Cellphones, emails, text messages, social networking and other electronic forms of communication have begun to hold our attention prisoner–even when we are on the job. Not only is this unfair to the individual or organization paying our salary, but it also sends up a red flag. We are growing more and more self-absorbed.

Can someone be healthy when overly concerned about the moment-to-moment activities of life? There are (most commonly in humor columns) reported Facebook posts by individuals who record practically every minor act and event of their day, posting them publicly for all their friends and fans to read.

Infalated Narcissism

Is it true that we are becoming a narcissistic society, so unable to pull ourselves away from the details of our lives that we no longer put in an honest day’s work?

Health is made up of many things. Being productive, making a contribution, working hard and enjoying what you do are all part of a healthy lifestyle. If social networking and electronic communication are pulling you further away from a balanced and healthy work life, it may be time to unplug and unlink.

Finding fulfillment and feeling commited to what we do in our work as well as how we do the work are important parts of being a productive, contributory, healthy, happy individual. Not only is excessive electronic communication often overly self-centered, but it can also distract from other essential aspects of a balanced life. That’s something to consider.

For a free download of the bestselling, award-winning book Changing Behavior, visit changingbehavior.org.

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful health coach certification information for holistic nurses and health advocates.

Acting Courageously To Inspire Others Now

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It is my pleasure to offer a Guest Post by Mr. Michael Harris, author of “Falling Down and Getting Up”. Check out Michael’s organization, The Getting Up Project at www.thegettingupproject.com

ACTION – Acting Courageously To Inspire Others Now

This acronym seems to say it all. There can be such tremendous joy when a personal action can help others feel inspired. This is one of the most valuable skills learned through health coach certification. But you don’t need to complete a program to help others. It could be inspiring your children to enjoy school and create a wonderful life. Perhaps it is speaking on the stage and inspiring the audience to fully live life. There is also another way to describe the action with greater intensity

“To exert a force with sufficient conviction and bravery to arouse greater efforts in another person at the present moment.”

What would happen to your life (and others) if you created ongoing action? If you are in a place where you are stuck, it just might move you in a way to get unstuck – especially if you are sitting on the couch too much! Maybe today is not a day you are taking action or doing something that can inspire others. Perhaps next time someone asks “how are you?” Instead of the standard “ok”, you say “I am grateful for today.” When you do that you may find the other person smiling – and inspired.

It can become a positive habit and a self-healing experience to ask yourself each day how are you “Acting Courageously To Inspire Others Now?”

Michael Harris is a popular yoga teacher, successful businessman, and business coach. He is the author of a soon to be published book, “Falling Down, Getting Up”, and inspiring journey of his personal process and ultimate success with standing back up again after falling down from health and personal struggles that forced him to develop skills and great wisdom on the subject of “falling down and getting up” again. He is the founder of The Getting UP Project, a growing movement that offers ideas and inspiration to live life with greater action and abundance. To find out more, visit www.thegettingupproject.com.

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful health coach certification information for holistic nurses and health advocates.

Jackie Kai Ellis Shares A Powerful Passion For Food, Travel and Finding Oneself

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The National Institute of Whole Health’s Program Director Dr. Georgianna Donadio recently interviewed Jackie Kai Ellis on her hit radio show, Living Above The Drama. Shared with you below is an introduction to this passionate woman and her journey followed by complete audio of the live-recorded episode for your listening pleasure.

JKE-credit-flytographer_Jackie_0139My guest is a woman who has journeyed through the darkness of a painful childhood and empty marriage, to discover her true self, her beauty and her passion through the world of food– Food, apart from its actual function, can also be a metaphor for the nourishment we all need in life. A successful designer with her own studio, Jackie Kai Ellis, had accomplished what everyone told her she needed to be happy and fulfilled, yet each morning she would wake up dreading the day ahead. She had “the perfect life” – yet she was struggling to solve the problems within her marriage and looking to escape the ongoing depression which hung like a cloud over her days. Jackie’s love of cooking and baking led her to the only place where she found peace and comfort, in her kitchen.

Jackie writes in her memoir: The Measure of My Powers: Food, Misery and Paris of the journey she takes to find herself, from France to Italy, then to the Congo and back again. Along the way, she goes to pastry school in Paris, eats the most perfect apricots over the Tuscan hills, watches a family of gorillas grazing deep in the Congolese brush, and has her heart broken one last time on a bridge in Lyon. Ultimately, she finds her unique path to joy and fulfillment.

In her soon to be released book, Jackie has shared her vulnerability, sadness, suffering, struggles and finally her wholeness and joy for life. We are all the better for being able to look behind the curtain of another’s life, especially a life that is believed to be “perfect”.

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The Measure of my Powers:
Am Memoir of Food, Misery, and Paris
by Jackie Kai Ellis

Contact: jackiekaiellis.com

Three Things You Can Do Right Now To Change Your Life

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The most important relationship we have is with ourselves. The way we think, eat, behave and use our resources define the quality of life we live. We all want to thrive and enjoy a healthy fulfilling life. Yet, in our over scheduled, frenzied personal environments and ever encroaching culture, the simple, basic, no-cost things we can to do to have an excellent relationship with ourselves and a happy, healthy life are often overlooked.

Here is a list of 3 simple immediate actions any of us can do immediately to improve and restore our well-being and enhance our health.

1. Buy with Cash –

Over the last 5 years, most of us have had a reality check regarding the corrosive nature of debt. It can cause stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, robbing us of our well-being and causing us to lose control over our relationship with money.

One of the fastest and easiest ways of “turning the ship around” when it comes to debt is to commit to using only cash for purchases and cutting up the credit cards. While we can have an emergency card or line of credit squirreled away for a real emergency, by reining in our spending habits and eliminating debt we can do more for our sense of well-being and health than following the latest health trends and starting an exercise program.

Yes, it’s true – reducing and eliminating the crushing stress of debt accumulation is the number one act of self-care we all need to commit to. Studies show that chronic stress and worry will make us sicker and even cause life threatening events such as stroke and heart attack more so than any other lifestyle behavior. Also, by paying in cash you are more aware of what you are actually spending and have the opportunity to ask yourself – “Do I really need to make this purchase?”

2. Clean out Your Closets

In our consumer drive environment we are invited daily to buy, buy, buy and can find ourselves living with closet, attics and basements overflowing with “stuff”. Much of this stuff we do not even use and may not even remember we have.

One of the most satisfying experiences is to clean out closets, drawers, basements, attics, garages, storage areas, etc., and thin out all the excess material possessions we have and do not need or use. Giving things away to the local “swap shop” or donating these unnecessary belongings to Goodwill or the Salvation Army will not only free up room and space in our homes but will also provide a greater sense of control over your living space as well as provide a sense of orderliness and cleanliness – all good things for our health and happiness.
3. Post Your Life Goals and Affirmations

We all have goals and dreams we want to realize. One of the fastest, proven ways to achieve those goals and manifest our dreams is to write them down and post them throughout our whole working and living environments. Take the most urgent and important goal you have at this time and focus on it daily using post-its or other reminders of what you want to manifest.

This no cost, proven method for creating the things we want in our lives can become an excellent life-long habit. When one goal is realized or achieved we can identify the next important goal and work on that specifically, using our desire and unconscious mind to manifest our dreams. After all, thoughts really are “things” and by repeatedly thinking on something, we can create it into reality. Everything was a thought before it became a reality – the chair you are sitting on was a thought in someone’s mind before it was created. We can and do create our lives with our thoughts – so post away and realize your goals.

Health Caution: Travel at Your Own Risk

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travel risks airport girl

Summer is one of the most heavily vacation trafficked periods of the year, when millions of people, “take to the skies and roads.”  Unfortunately, for 3-5% (yes, that is 3-5%) of the people who get off of airplanes, buses, trains, or auto transport will develop blood clots, often not detected until many weeks after their trip.

As American health care consumers, we know in today’s environment we must be pro-active and take control of our health through health information and prevention. Staying healthy while traveling is one very important preventative situation that we can all be more aware of to circumvent an unwanted health crisis.

Three years ago, the World Health Organization published the WRIGHT report (WHO Research Into Global Hazards of Travel) which identified the extent of the problem and who was at risk. The report identified the population most at risk are females, over 40 years of age, with a prior history of deep vein thrombosis.

Others identified  to be at risk include older travelers, obese travelers, pregnant women, anyone with varicose veins or a prior history of venous thrombosis, women taking birth control pills or estrogen, travelers with a history of a major operation, cancer, heart failure, highly trained athletes, and those with recent surgery or injury.

In spite of the evidence, however, there are still airlines in denial over the problem as many fear increased litigation. One major US airline has a published statement on its websites as a response to concerned travels that reads: “There is no epidemiological evidence that air travel causes blood clots.”

However, published experts would re-word that statement to read: “It would be more accurate to say, “Every credible scientific study of the subject has found that air travel [and other forms of confined travel] cause blood clots, including all of the most recent large sophisticated studies.”

What can you do to prevent blood clots?

1) Do not be immobile for more than 1 hour when traveling by air or in confined transportation

2) Dress in loose-fitting clothes and shoes. No socks or garments should have banded constriction.

3) Stay well hydrated, but avoid alcohol.

4) Exercise your legs and feet every chance you can (e.g. every 20 minutes).

5) Consider fitted, compression stockings – compression of 20 mm. Hg or more is best.

6) It is not a guarantee that taking aspirin to avoid thrombosis will work but as it prevents platelet clumping which causes clots, if you are at risk, it seems reasonable to take aspirin daily, starting a day before departure and continuing for a day after the flight terminates.

7) Sit in an aisle seat – you will have more room and it is easier to stand up and move around the plane, bus or train.

Hope this helps. For more information search for “blood clots and travel”. There is an enormous amount of information on the subject and if you are getting ready for that big trip, having this information should be part of your “packing”.

Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful health advocacy program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.