Lady LUX

While I have always admired Donna Karan for her artistic brilliance and ability to continually create beauty and empower women in the realm of fashion, I am now in love with her heart. DK just announced a project with Beth Israel Hospital in NYC that blends eastern practices with western medicine. This is revolutionary because finally we are acknowledging that treating symptoms is not the solution to improving our health, which is the founding principle of America’s health care system.

Tears ran down my face as I read about this development. Physical health has always been a major focus of my life, and about a decade ago, I began to realize that wellness actually involves more than just exercise and diet. A person’s health is a reflection of both internal and external factors and this incorporates the union of mind, body and spirit.

I have been studying and practicing yoga for nearly ten years and teaching for six. A continual quest for knowledge and a yearning to deepen my practice has sent me many places in order to study under well-known instructors. On a recent year long sabbatical, I found myself living in India studying asana, meditation and Ayurveda, gaining insight into multiple realms of the science. Upon leaving India, I was able to teach in numerous foreign countries while strengthening my own personal practice. What began as physical exercise has become so much more. Yoga is actually a philosophy and the benefits go way beyond sculpting the body. It is through the physical postures the practitioner is able to calm the mind, take stock of what is going on in the body, and connect with their emotional life; yoga is a moving meditation that encompasses an entire way of being.

Since the beginning of time I have been frustrated by western medicine because the philosophy is all about symptomatic treatment (usually resulting in the prescribing of a drug) and not about preventative care. The process always seems to go as follows: you get sick. you go to the doctor. doctor runs tests. doctor is clueless about sickness. you leave doctor’s office with prescription to try to “treat” the illness. What is lacking in this process is the consideration of what a patient may be experiencing emotionally and/or mentally. The mind holds extraordinary powers, and by controlling it, we are actually able to improve our overall state of existence. Whatever we are not dealing with emotionally will manifest physically. Good physical health starts with positive mental and emotional health.

We live in an environment in which we are conditioned to move through the world unconsciously. The vast majority of our population spends most of their time in their head unaware of what is going on around them. We value work, career and achievement over relationships—both with ourselves and with others. Very little time or space is left to care for ourselves. We have also managed to create a fear driven society; fear is thrown at us from every angle and has become the place from which we operate. Our mental health is dark and gloomy and pessimistic, and this state of mind has a direct affect on our physical health. Operating on fear based principles, combined with our ability to stay on the hampster wheel upstairs, causes an enormous amount of stress on the body. This stress then leads to anxiety, depression and obesity, and many times much more serious physical conditions.

The fact is this: STRESS KILLS. If we were to look at the statistics, there is a direct correlation between the increase in fear, stress and external complications of life and the increase in all types of cancer. The number of deaths from cancer has raised dramatically over the past few decades as we have imploded our lives with commitments, obligations and fear driven messages and beliefs. We have exhausted our time and energy to the point that there is nothing left to take care of ourselves.

Western medicine relies exclusively on treating symptoms and prescribing medication to deal with any and all difficulties. Instead of operating on this principle, we need to start at the root of the problem and learn to take care of ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically. It is important we make time to shut out the outside chaos and quiet the inside voices, creating space for internal peace and stillness. We need to stop and breathe and check in with what is happening within ourselves on an emotional level. THE TIME IS NOW! Let’s take responsibility for ourselves! The process is as simple as dealing with our feelings and emotions when they arise rather than shoving them aside in a box and creating a positive state of mind. Adding meditation or yoga or personal time, all crucial aspects of eastern medicine and philosophy, will help improve EVERY aspect of our lives!

Bring this all back full circle, lets get back to one of LadyLUX favorite designers and her inspiring actions. As a result of her husband Stephen’s experiences during cancer treatment, Donna Karan is now collaborating with Beth Israel Hospital to bring an entire floor of cancer patients eastern practices while simultaneously receiving western medical attention.

When Karan’s husband was diagnosed with cancer, she grew frustrated by the limits of traditional medicine and decided to incorporated alternative therapies into his treatment such as acupuncture, yoga and meditation. In an interview with WCBS-TV Karan says, “It became very apparent that we can’t just treat the disease. The patient and the patient’s loved ones needed to be treated as well.” Combining both philosophies and practices relaxed Stephen’s mind AND eased his physical pain.

With this new collaboration, patients at Beth Israel Hospital will undergo conventional cancer treatment while working with yoga instructors and nurses schooled in the various alternative healing arts. An additional research component will determine if alternative therapies help reduce health care costs. Thank you Donna. It is inspiring to see an accomplished woman with a global influence making a difference in the world. Click here for the full story and to view an awesome interview with CBS.

We here at LadyLUX believe in a holistic lifestyle and aim to create balance in our world. We recognize the importance of emotional, intellectual and physical health and we support each other in whatever ways possible to live in alignment with these principles. We would love to hear your tips and strategies in how you maintain ideal health.

Tagged in: meditation, yoga, donna karan, acupuncture, mental health, western medicine, beth israel hospital, health care, emotional health, eastern practices, symptomatic treatment,

Lifestyle / Wellness