January 27, 2014
As we continue our path at looking at different approaches to healing, we turn this week to a healing modality that is all about MOVING! Tai Chi, and specifically Taoist Tai Chi, is founded upon Taoist training that is intended to return both body and mind to their original nature…..the mind to stillness, clarity and wisdom, and the body to a balanced, relaxed state.
The Taoist Tai Chi Society® internal arts of health incorporate stretching and turning into a sequence of movements that improve the health of body, mind, and spirit. They reduce tension, improve circulation and balance, and increase strength and flexibility. Over time, these internal arts reach deep inside the body to benefit its entire physiology and restore the calmness and peace of mind often lost through the excessive desires and anxieties of daily life.
People of all ages can learn and benefit from the gentle turning and stretching movements of the Taoist Tai Chi™ internal arts of health, and the art can be adapted to match any level of ability.
Our Guest, John Hnilicka, has been a practicing member of the International Taoist Tai Chi Society® for the past 8 years. He became an accredited volunteer instructor for the Society in 2008. He currently lives in Racine and teaches Beginning and Continuing-level tai chi classes at the DeKoven Center.
He retired in 2008 from a long career in the field of drug and medical device manufacturing and distribution. John began his training at the Taoist Tai Chi Center in Chicago, IL. Since becoming accredited as an instructor, he’s taught Taoist tai chi classes in Chicago and Racine. To continue his training, he participates in classes and workshops, primarily in the Chicago metro-area and Toronto, Canada. John enjoys sharing the health benefits of tai chi.
You can find out more about John and his work at http://midwest.usa.taoist.org
January 22, 2014
This week our exploration of approaches to healing brings us to a look at Integrative Medicine. This medical approach is inclusive of traditional and complementary medicine, and begins with the premise to diagnose the level where disease manifests and to facilitate the healing of that level with interventions that can maximize the potential for cure. The principles of integrative medicine include a consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body.
This approach to health began in the 1990s when physicians began to seek to integrate alternative approaches into their practices. Schools began to develop curriculums including integrative medicine, and as recently as 2013, 56 medical schools offered such programs, including Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic.
Our Guest in this discussion will be Dr. Kalpana (Rose) Kumar who is board certified in internal medicine and has been practicing for 21 years. Her education in medicine took her to Stanford University, the University of California-San Francisco, and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Kumar is the Founder, and practices at, the Ommani Center for Integrative Medicine in Pewaukee, WI. (Ommani means “our answers lie within”.)
Dr. Kumar is the author of “Becoming Real: Harnessing the Power of Menopause for Health and Success” (2011), and the originator of the integrative medical model The Four Body System (TM).
You can find out more about Dr. Kumar, Integrative Medicine and The Ommani Center at www.ommanicenter.com.
January 15, 2014
Our exploration of healing modalities continues with a form of energy healing called Reiki. This topic has been near and dear to Host Chris Kann’s heart since her first training in Usui Reiki in February 2012. Chris is honored to welcome her teacher, Reiki Master Samantha Avenaim as our guest for this show.
The foundations of Reiki come from Japan and Dr. Mikao Usui in the 1800′s. His teaching was spread to the West mainly by Sensi Hawayo Takata who taught in Kauai, Hawaii and is responsible for initiating 22 Reiki Masters who have gone on to attune many more. (Usui Reiki Masters are able to trace their lineage directly to Dr. Usui himself.)
Reiki is universal life force energy, and by having a session, Reiki will flow through your body’s chakra centers and infuse this life force energy to your highest good. Reiki “feels” different for everyone as it spreads through your emotional, physical, spiritual and mental body. (bodies)
Our Guest, Reiki Master Samantha Avenaim, describes her path in becoming a healer not as a calling, but a hollering so loud there wasn’t a person, place or book she picked up that didn’t involve energy work in some way. She describes her first interaction attuning to these energies as “stepping into my SELF and experiencing the oneness to everyone and everything simultaneously with an indescribable peace that will now forever be with me…..”
Since, Samantha has studied many modalities in healing and feels whatever method you are drawn to instinctually is the right one. “The intention of all healing is the same: to bring your body back to its natural state, one of complete wholeness and balance.”
To learn more about Reiki and about Reiki Master Samantha Avenaim, go to www.youarelight.net.
January 14, 2014
Ayurvedic medicine (also called Ayurveda) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and remains one of India’s traditional health care systems. Ayurveda assists the body in journeying back to optimal health by balancing the five elements in the body and mind through the use of herbs, diet, colors, aromas, lifestyle changes, yoga, and meditation along with other five sense therapies. Many of the specific therapies used help nourish our bodies while calming our minds from the stresses of modern daily life. The term “Ayurveda” combines the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge).
Key concepts of Ayurvedic medicine include universal interconnectedness (among people, their health, and the universe), the body’s constitution (prakriti), and life forces (dosha), which are often compared to the biologic humors of the ancient Greek system. Using these concepts, Ayurvedic physicians prescribe individualized treatments, including compounds of herbs or proprietary ingredients, and diet, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations.
Ayurveda is considered the healing side of Yoga. Likewise, Yoga is the spiritual side of Ayurveda. Both Ayurveda and Yoga strive to help a person re-connect to their true nature through direct experience. Together, they encompass a complete approach to the well being of the body, the mind, and the spirit.
Our guest in this discussion will be 
Cheryl Silberman, CAS, HTP. Cheryl is the Center Director at Kanyakumari, an Ayurvedic and Wellness Center in the Milwaukee, WI area. Cheryl has practiced Ayurveda in private practice and in clinical setting as a Certified Ayurvedic Specialist graduating from the California College of Ayurveda, specializing in Clinical Ayurveda, Vibrational Ayurveda, Panchakarma, Marma Chikitsa, Healing Touch therapy, Ayurvedic Herbology & Ayurvedic Nutrition. She has completed multiple internships with Ayurvedic Vaidyas in India and the U.S., including advanced training in the above areas as well as Siddha Vaidya medicine and Kaya Rejuvenative therapies. Cheryl has continued her studies with Vaidya R.K. Mishra and is a certified practitioner of Shaka Vansya Ayurveda – Dr. Mishra’s important work with Vibrational Ayurveda.
Since being a true steward of the land is Cheryl’s dream, Beekeeping and BioDynamic farming are her current passionate areas of study.
You can find out more about Cheryl and Ayurvedic Medicine on the Kanyakumari Center website: http://www.kanyakumari.us
January 1, 2014
Many people have heard of chiropractic medicine, or maybe even had an occasional or regular adjustment. But do you know the origins of chiropractic medicine, and the role it can play in keeping everything in your body in alignment? Join us as we speak with our guest, Dr. Scott Sheriff about how he works with his clients to incorporate chiropractic medicine, along with deep tissue massage and physical therapy techniques to achieve sustainable overall wellness.
Dr. Sheriff studied biology and chemistry at UW-Parkside, graduating with a Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology in 1998. He then worked at UCLA studying prostate cancer and at the Medical College of Wisconsin studying the herpes virus.
In 2003, Dr. Sheriff witnessed the profound effect that chiropractic care had on the healing of a close friend following an automobile accident. He realized that the time was now or never to follow his dream and enrolled in the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL. He earned his Doctorate of Chiropractic in 2007. Since that time, he has pursued further education in nutrition, functional rehabilitation, and biomechanics of the foot.
On sunny afternoons, you might find Dr. Sheriff walking the paths along Lake Michigan, running with his dog, Moses. Dr. Sheriff is an active member of his community. He volunteers weekly at the HOPES Center where he provides chiropractic care for those in need. He is also on the Board of Directors for the HOPES Center.
For more information on Dr. Scott Sheriff, please to go www.drscottsheriff.com.
Our Guest, John Hnilicka, has been a practicing member of the International Taoist Tai Chi Society® for the past 8 years. He became an accredited volunteer instructor for the Society in 2008. He currently lives in Racine and teaches Beginning and Continuing-level tai chi classes at the DeKoven Center.
