Archive for March, 2012

Chester Goes To The American Club

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

by Mary Duggan

The talented team at Destination Kohler Waters Spa are very special friends to the Duggan Sisters: as well as tremendous champions of lifestinks® deodorant and our Don’t Be A Boob Campaign. When they invited us many months ago to speak at their Women’s Wellness Weekend it was an easy yes on our part. For months in advance, I pondered my talk and worked to deepen and expand on our message. I knew I wanted to introduce the concept that health is a space you claim for yourself. The larger the space you claim, the more vibrant the health you experience. This concept has become central to our ongoing message and, as is always the case, a personal struggle for the sisters as well. (Look for a blog entry soon outlining our “Claim a Space for Health©” formula.)

Chester, Mary’s Service Dog

As the wellness weekend drew near, and I was finalizing my talk, I realized my sisters had their own agenda for the weekend and their own input into our wellness message. They were determined that I would claim a bit more space for myself, actually lots more space, and they wanted me to do this within the famed and fancy and Oriental carpeted walls of the American Club. They wanted me to bring Chester, the six-year-old Keeshond/Pomeranian mix that has claimed our hearts as a family pet and my gratitude as a neurological bodyguard. It was time for me to come out of the closet about using a service dog. (more…)

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Go Green Without the Food Coloring This St. Patty’s

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

by Joseph Duggan Lyons

The Duggan Sisters brought green smoothies, a vital component of our wellness message, to Destination Kohler this March. Yes, as you may have noticed, your deodorant makers like to talk to you about your GI tract too. The Women’s Wellness Weekend participants are now among the thousands that the Sisters have urged to make the brain-gut connection by incorporating living foods into their diets, what we call the move from pharmacopia to cornucopia.

Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko

Equally important as our embrace of the living foods movement is our commitment to a judgment-free living foods lifestyle, which is why we find green smoothies to be the perfect addition to busy lifestyles. Several years ago as my aunts made the transition to be 100 percent raw, I was struck by the health transformations I saw in them. It seemed great – for them. Even though I knew how tasty living foods could be from my aunts’ wonderful raw creations, it didn’t seem practical as a young adult making plans with friends, ideally over tacos. Thus they encouraged me to give green smoothies a go, gifting me several Victoria Boutenko books for college graduation. (more…)

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Eight Good Years

Friday, March 9th, 2012

by Mary Duggan

If you read one book this spring, I strongly encourage you to make it Wheat Belly.  A New York Times Bestseller, written by Wisconsin cardiologist Dr. William Davis, it will forever change the way you look at pastries, pizzas, and all the superficial delights of the gluten world.

Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis

We had been a gluten-free family for many years, as it was part of getting Annie well. I went along for the ride but I was decidedly haphazard in my approach. It was Annie’s problem and she had the gastro intestinal turmoil to prove it. In solidarity I munched on gluten-free crackers and drizzled gluten-free pancakes with pure maple syrup and I had to agree – they were way more delicious than their gluten rich counterparts. But I was never averse to preceding a selection from the gluten-free menu in restaurants with a few buttered slices of the house baguette. Strictly gluten-free was Annie’s cursed state. I never fell victim to gluten’s deadly effects. Or so I thought! (more…)

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