A woman reading Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual. ~Gloria Steinem
If love is a four-letter word, feminism is rooted in hell – just check in with an unfortunately large number of this society, any society, really. But how do they relate? Love and sex, sex and womanhood, womanhood and love. Or, step back. Love is sex, sex is womanhood, and womanhood is love. So why am I struggling so to codify my feminist belief system with my desire to be found sexy? It’s messy, messy, ugly when, on paper, it sure shouldn’t be. As a feminist, I should feel complete and utter power in my sexuality. Isn’t that part of what we’ve been fighting for? But sometimes it feels limited, as in “I’m not supposed to feel my sexuality in any way that is based on patriarchal ideals, or a male perception of what is considered beautiful vs. not, or anything that can later be used against me.”

Seems there are many different outfits popping up to help people with the big problems in life, including being stuck on dating sites that mainly consist of ugly people, and advice about soft drinks and health coming directly from, you guessed it, Coke. I thought we should take a moment to think about how lucky we are to be living in the greatest of times. But, this, without a doubt, is the greatest of the great: Gay conversion therapy.

Uncertainty is all around us. Many people are out of work, wondering where the next paycheck will come from; some have no health insurance or inadequate coverage. Even folks with a stable job might feel the desire to change careers or face unexpected expenses. Then there is the uncertainty on a much larger scale; the economy, global politics, and the environment are just a few areas we might focus our attention and feel the uncertainty of the times we live in. Personally, there’s some uncertainty in my life right now. I am nearly one-month into a two-month housesitting situation, with no idea where I will go at the end of it.

Alright, even in the holistic health world, we tend to like our gadgets. You go to yoga class, and the soft, calming music is coming from a never-skipping iPod. Everyone checks their iPhone or Blackberry right before and minutes after class. Don’t forget to take it hiking in places like Mt. Tamalpais, CA, whether or not you get a signal (my friend always has his). Ah, yes, blissful living through technology. Well, we also must live in the real world. So we need some real time applications, too, damnit. Lo and behold, it’s the 20 iPhone Apps That Contribute to Our Health and Wellness! Now you too can be healthy with just the flick of a button!

Yep, those Freakonomics guys are at it again. This time, they say that prostitution is the thing to do (especially if your white, “fall into it,” and love men and sex). See my reaction here. And it seems nowhere in the world can a women’s worth surpass her body; in Mauritania, the women are force-fed to be fat in order to attract a husband. Wonder what the Freakonomics guys would have to say about that?

Is it runny nose season yet? In our house it sure is. Kula Baby came down with a cold yesterday. In between battling to wipe his nose and hauling the fuss monkey around all day, I managed to come up with a wellness plan to get him feeling better. Rest, fluids, and TLC are always good places to start when you have a little one sick at home, but believe it or not, there are a few additional principles that will send your child on the road to recovery even faster.

In the alternative health field, there are never-ending possibilities of methods to try. The other day, I walked by a health center and was perusing the list of available treatments taped to the door. I knew the first one – Energy Healing – and had no idea what any of the (I’m not kidding) other 30 options were. And I have a Masters in Holistic Health Education, jeez. So I could hardly name all of the different types of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or energetic approaches to healing available out there. But I just want to give a quick overview of some approaches for those who are interested in taking their health to the next level–or feel as if what they have tried thus far isn’t working.