For centuries and centuries, yoga has been a way for people to find relaxation, meditation, spirituality, and serenity. In modern times, yoga is used for exercise and health related reasons, in addition to the ancient practices of yoga. Many gyms all across the United States and across the world offer yoga classes to their members, making yoga apart of their everyday life and fitness routine. In an era obsessed with staying fit and healthy, yoga is an extremely popular way for people to get everything they need- stress relief, exercise, relaxation, spirituality, and the list goes on.

September is National Yoga Month, which means yoga studios and different organizations are expressing the importance of yoga and encouraging people to get involved and try it. YogaHealthFoundation.org explains that the month of September is a national observance designated by the Department of Health and Human Services with the intentions of educating the public about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Several benefits of yoga include stress reduction, mood improvement, low risk of injury, boost in confidence, weight loss, an increase in flexibility, muscle tone and strength improvement, improvement in posture and breathing, as well as reducing the risk of developing chronic health conditions and diseases.

One of the reasons why yoga is so popular these days is that it costs little to no money. You can do yoga at home in your living room, when you travel, or in a gym or studio with fellow yogis. It’s not competitive and allows people to lose weight, get a cardio workout, and work several different muscle groups while relaxing and getting rid of stress.

YogaHealthFoundation.org offers interested individuals opportunities to try yoga, more information, education, and the chance to make a necessary lifestyle change that will benefit their health and overall well-being.

According to the American Cancer Society’s website, September is an awareness month for the following: Prostate Cancer, Childhood Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Gynecologic Cancer, Leukemia and Lymphoma, and Thyroid Cancer. Different organizations have launched campaigns supporting each of these causes, including fundraising events for cancer research, a wig drive, medical examinations, disease tests, donation collections, victim and family support groups, and much more.

On August 30, 2013, President Barak Obama released three Presidential Proclamations regarding one similar subject; cancer awareness. The President declared September 2013 to be National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. In each proclamation he explains statistics regarding survival and diagnosis rates, as well as the support of his administration to those affected by these three diseases.

Jeff Gordon’s Children’s Foundation launched its “Kick It for Children’s Cancer” campaign and stated that over 13,000 kids under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer each year. Other statistics include one in five kids diagnosed with cancer will die, one in 300 boys will develop cancer before the age of 20, and one in 333 girls will develop cancer before their 20^th birthday. The foundation explains how important it is to raise awareness and to take action against pediatric cancer.

Over 22,000 women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer each year and approximately 15,000 will die, according to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC). There is not a specific medical test that detects Ovarian Cancer, therefore most cases aren’t caught until the later stages, lowering the survival rate.

One in six men are affected by Prostate Cancer, making it the most common non-skin cancer in the US. The Prostate Cancer Foundation explains that this disease affects mostly older men. For example, one in 10,000 men under the age of 40 will be diagnosed with Prostate cancer but one in 38 men ages 40-59 will develop the disease and an astounding one in 14 over the age of 60 will be diagnosed.

The key to preventing not only cancer but most health issues in general, is to take good care of yourself and your loved ones. Eating healthy and exercising, getting enough sleep and most importantly, getting the proper medical exams, are all ways to ensure you’ll be at your healthiest.

So how can we make a difference? Volunteer at a children’s hospital, walk in a cancer fundraiser, take your kids and other family members for their annual check-up; for physicians, encourage your patients to do all of the above, donate what you can, join a support group, and help raise awareness.

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) offers a Fellowship in Integrative Cancer Therapies (ICT), directed by Mark Rosenberg, MD. The Fellowship allows any healthcare practitioner to enroll and learn improved cancer treatments and how to overall improve the quality of life for cancer patients. Topics included in the Fellowship are Cancer Prevention, The Biology of Cancer, Immunology of Cancer, Targeted Cancer Therapies, Case Histories, Integrative Cancer Therapies, Dietary Treatments of Cancer, Nutritional Integrative Cancer Therapies, Detoxification, and New Radiological Treatments and Stem Cell Therapies. For more information, visit http://www.a4m.com/fellowships.html

Hundreds of medical professionals from a variety of specialties, convened at the JW Marriott- LA Live last weekend, August 16^th and 17^th, to extend their medical education. The main objective of the course was to inform practitioners on the relationship between food and the manifestation of diseases into the body and how to better their patients’ overall well-being.

The two-day symposium featured several expert medical faculty who presented scientific research as well as a question and answer session to better relate to the attendees.

David Brady, ND, DC lectured on “Autoimmune Disease: Leaving the Era of Reaction and Entering the New Proactive Era of Prediction.” William Davis, MD covered the topic of his New York Times bestseller “Wheat: The Unhealthy Grain.” Tania Dempsey, MD presented “A Single Bite: Living with and Healing from Gluten Related Disorders.” Board certified neurologist, David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM, covered “The Leading Edge of Functional Neurology.” Alessio Fasano, MD presented “New Concepts of Celiac Disease Pathogenesis: From Innate Immunity to Autoimmunity.” Lastly, Joel Kahn, MD spoke about “The Role of Food Sensitivity and Bowel Disease.”

“This conference had excellent information all packing in a great little bundle! The conference was well organized and had plenty of healthy refreshments to help the time fly by! Great job, A4M!” offered physician Lauren Chavez, MD from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Each day wrapped up with a Q&A session conducted by the entire course faculty. Attendees experienced a hands-on learning opportunity allowing them to confidentially treat their patients and prevent diseases caused by food related issues.

For upcoming Gut, Brain, and Autoimmune Disorder events, please visit www.a4m.com