Scoupie

I never started paying much attention to nutritional supplements or vitamins until my doctor told me that I could be prone to early-onset osteopenia (bone density that's lower than normal peak) after seeing my X-ray results for a fractured ankle a few years ago. Given my strong family history of osteoporosis, my aversion to dairy, and body frame size, I knew I had to do something to reverse the silent disease that, left untreated, could be more of an eventuality than a speculation. The ankle break was a misfortune but the resultant "wake-up" call was certainly welcome news to me.

Many medical professionals are skeptical of the benefits of herbs and supplements. And, perhaps rightly so, as we should all try to incorporate well-balanced diets into our lifestyles that ensure we get all the daily recommended nutrients and vitamins instead of relying on supplements to replenish the deficit.

But when you can't always have that lunch break or get all the leafy greens into your system every day, many Complementary Alternative Medicine Doctors and Practitioners recommend supplements to ward of disease and maintain health.

When you're consistently overworked, run-down, achy, and cramped all over, it's time for an intervention. These current, flurrying times can create mental and physical congestion in the best of us, so that's why, more than ever, routine "body tune-ups" are a necessity rather than a luxury. Just like your car needs periodic oil changes, your body requires a reprieve from constant, repetitive activity and hard-to-break bad habits.

I've listed three options of bodywork or massage modalities (techniques) that can help you fend off any further damage:

People love to complain about, or even hate, Los Angeles. I guess it's easy to whine about its incessant, unrelenting, guaranteed traffic at almost all times of the day -- save the wee morning hours of a Sunday. Or the searing and menacing hot days of summer that hang you dry and transform you into a prune. I get it, LA can be occasionally overwhelming and burdensome, but I'm not a hater of this city. I have learned a lot from it and taken advantage of and grown from all of its diversity.

This brings me to the topic of food. I love me some well-made, creative, thoughtful vittles. I'm the type of person who dreams of my next meal. Finding satisfying and delicious dining experiences in LA as a pescetarian is easy. So if you're in LA and happen to be vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian--or even carnivorous, check out this list (in no particular order) of fantastic eateries that serve up the best and freshest in healthy vegan and vegetarian fare: