WELCOME Dr. HABIB SADEGHI

Dr. Habib Sadeghi, D.O.

Dr. Habib Sadeghi D.O. is the co-founder of Be Hive of Healing, an integrative health center based in Los Angeles. He is a highly-respected physician and researcher in the fields of integrative, osteopathic, anthroposophical, environmental, family medicine, German new medicine, homeopathy and clinical pharmacology. He has served as an attending Physician and Clinical Facilitator at UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center, as well as a Clinical Instructor of Family Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. He is a member of the Physician’s Association for Anthroposophic Medicine and International Post-Graduate Medical Training for Anthroposophic Medicine. An active member of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation and American Holistic Medical Association, he is regularly sought after as an expert in the fields of nutritional therapy, dietary supplementation and detoxification for chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and auto immune diseases at venues around the world.

Having recovered from cancer decades ago through his unique combination of integrative medical protocols, his services are in great demand. His patients come from as far as Columbia, Mexico, Germany, Thailand, France, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, seeking his specialized combination of integrative therapies.

Dr. Sadeghi serves as an on-air health expert for FOX News and Geraldo at Large. He is co-author of the book, The Light, along with renowned spiritual teachers, Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements), Terry Tillman (Writings on the Wall), Barbara Marx Hubbard (Emergence: Shift From Ego to Essence), John-Roger (Living the Spiritual Principles of Health and Wellbeing) and Marci Shimoff (Co-author,Chicken Soup For the Soul series & Love For No Reason). He was also one of the first two osteopathic physicians ever to be included as a medical expert in the nationally televised cancer research fundraising telethon, Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow. He is also the publisher of Be Hive of Healing Medical Corporation’s monthly newsletter and the spiritual health magazine, MegaZEN.
Connect with Dr. Sadeghi at these sites:

Endorsements

“Dr. Sadeghi is the doctor who has changed my life. This book will change yours.”
– Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and author of It’s All Good: Delicious Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great and My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness

“Habib Sadeghi is an insightful, kind man who approaches healing in a fresh and uncomplicated way. If one is able to acknowledge that illness is created by an imbalance in the body, and that one’s state of mind and emotional wellbeing are integral to the overall health of the body, then Habib has practical suggestions on how to achieve a new realm of health and healing.”
– Tim Robbins, actor, director, producer

“Dr. Sadeghi has shown me how my outside often reflects my inside; how our minds and bodies mirror each other. He has helped me a great deal, and I hope that through this book more people can enjoy the benefit of his compassion.”
– Chris Martin, singer/songwriter, Coldplay

ABOUT THE BOOK

In his latest book, Dr. Habib Sadeghi provides a compassionately based, scientifically sound approach to the missing ingredient in the weight loss recipe: self-love. You’ll learn that real self-love is far more than an ethereal concept. It’s a tangible, evolutionary force that will create changes in your life that can only be described as miraculous.

You’ll discover the exciting, emerging science of epigenetics and that fat is not all in the family. You’ve never been doomed by your genes and have far more control over your weight than you ever realized. Most importantly, this program was created from compassion and experience by someone who has “been there”. So prepare yourself for a revelation that combines the latest science with spiritual nutrition for a quantum weight loss program that serves up a satisfying portion of real soul food. Take the journey to discover where the answers have been all along…within.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Premiere Digital Publishing
Publication date: January 1, 2014
Page Count: 300
ISBN: 9781624671807 (paperback)

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WELCOME PIERS ANTHONY

PIERS ANTHONY

Piers Anthony is one of the world’s most popular fantasy authors and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans. In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works.
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ABOUT THE BOOK

In this latest in the popular Xanth fantasy series, Board Stiff demonstrates why we’re always warned to be careful what you wish for. What happens to the smart, beautiful woman who would make any man an excellent wife can’t find the man interested in just that? She gets bored stiff. And unfortunately, that’s just what she wished for. When Irrelevant Kandy looks at her reflection in the water of a shallow well, sees her lush midnight black hair, breathtakingly slender waist, and piercing dark eyes in a lovely face – so close to absolute perfection. She was every man’s desire, and that was part of the problem. As she contemplates her life at the well, the beauty says out loud “So here is my wish: I’m board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance.” Her wish came true. She is literally transformed into a flat, stiff board with two knotholes for eyes.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Premier Digital Publishing
Publication date: Jan 6th, 2014
Number of pages: 250
ISBN:978-1624672248

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WELCOME GAIL MENCINI

Gail Mencini

Gail Mencini co-owned an accounting firm and practiced for 15 years in public accounting, specializing in tax law related to mergers and acquisitions and real estate. She also spent time in the higher education field, working as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado and Metro State College, as well as the University of Denver College of Law. She was a repeat speaker at national continuing education seminars and a featured presenter in a real estate conference in the Caribbean.

In 1990 when she married her husband, Mencini became an “instant mother” of three boys plus another son two years later, which opened the doors to becoming a full-time mother and igniting her long-time passion for creative arts, gourmet cooking and traveling.

She went on to become a contributing editor and photojournalist for Buzz in the ‘Burbs, writing monthly cooking columns featuring dinner themes, recipes and complementary wine suggestions. She also served as interim director of marketing for Wine Master Cellars as the company transitioned to new leadership. She has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers for nearly 20 years as well as the Pikes Peak Writers for over 10. She most recently joined Author U based in Aurora, Colo.

She writes and cooks in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and family who are always ready to critique her abundance of story ideas and recipes.
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Q&A with Gail Mencini

Is any part of “To Tuscany with Love” autobiographical?
The events and characters in “To Tuscany with Love” are products of my imagination and the places and people that are real are used fictitiously. I will, however, quote Garrison Keillor on this subject, “Bad things don’t happen to authors; it’s all material.” When a person travels, things happen that are not humorous at the time but later, in the recounting, are often hilarious. The novel is not autobiographical, but have I drawn from my experiences? Absolutely!

You use multiple points of view in the book. Was it difficult to keep the characters, and their voices, separate and distinct?
The characters have strong, unique personalities and I found they liked to grab the reins from their friends and tell their own story. To me, they are so different from each other that alternating voices was not a problem. Keeping track of the passage of time and age of the characters during each period seemed a more tedious, although essential, task. I enjoyed being able to view events from their different perspectives and plot how their friendship was the foundation for their growth as individual characters.

The characters in “To Tuscany with Love” are all interesting in their own way. How did you come up with their personalities?
For all my characters, their personalities are integrally related to their backgrounds and their families. Once I started fleshing out the characters’ names, careers, and what their homes were like growing up, their individual personalities flowed. I purposely plucked them from different regions in the country, with a variety of family dynamics.

I started with an Italian-American, Bella Rossini, which seemed a natural for a story set in Italy, and then my mind flew to two possible suitors with radically different backgrounds – a California athlete, Phillip, and a Southerner with a preacher for a father, Stillman. Rune, a man who grew up in Nebraska and escaped for a fast and loose life in Hollywood, presents an intriguing dichotomy and an element of humor. Having two sisters and a brother myself, I am interested in the dynamics and bonds between siblings, so including a set of twins fed that attraction. My husband is a physician and to show my respect for him, I wanted to include a physician character, although that is where the resemblance stops. Finally, I added Hope, a strong woman from Colorado who lives up to her name, as a tribute to my home state.

Breast cancer plays a part in the novel. Did you have a special reason for including this?
Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United States. In Colorado, where I live, it is one in seven. Among the women in my neighborhood book club, the ratio is an alarming one in five. I am a breast cancer survivor myself, having undergone a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction in 2009. Early detection is the key to survival. If in any way by writing about people with this disease I can spur someone to do a self-breast exam or get an annual screening mammogram, I will have achieved my goal of helping others fight breast cancer.

“To Tuscany with Love” touches on many themes including lost love, friendship, regret and entering adulthood. Can you tell us more about the message behind your book?
It’s never too late to take stock of one’s work, relationships, and life. What dreams of yours are unfulfilled, and why have they been pushed aside? Sometimes circumstances or economics are the unavoidable roadblock to achieving your dreams.

When things are outside of a person’s control, all one can do is to evaluate how best to deal with these obstacles, and then take action. That was my personal approach when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The best thing about my cancer was that I realized how many people cared about me and wanted to help. I am not very good at asking for help and, unfortunately, many people are the same. Family and friends are a grossly underrated asset, which is why I centered “To Tuscany with Love” on a group of friends who help each other save, and forgive, themselves.

A surprising occurrence is that sometimes we ourselves, like my characters, have become the obstruction to achieving our goals. Passionately investing in your relationships and dreams is the first step to molding yourself into the person you dream of being and in the process, achieving happiness and fulfillment.

Have you visited the Tuscan cities and hill towns you describe in the book? Do you have a favorite place?
I have been fortunate to visit these lovely locales. A large city such as Florence has advantages as a base for your travels: proximity to an airport, ease of public transportation, and an abundance of historical and cultural sites. I have to admit, though, the charming, friendly hill towns of Tuscany stole my heart. When you read “To Tuscany with Love,” I suspect you will figure out which one of these hill towns is my favorite.

Do you have any advice for people traveling to Tuscany for the first time?
A person should define their goals for any trip up front. What are your priorities? Some examples are: seeing as many (historical, religious, or cultural) attractions as possible, sampling the cuisine, relaxation, touring with an athletic focus (biking or hiking), successful traveling with children, or what I term “piazza sitting and watching the world go by.” Determining one’s goals and likes, dislikes, budget, and special needs makes planning a rewarding and enjoyable trip much easier. I like using public transit, especially for a first-time visitor, because you travel shoulder-to-shoulder with the native Italians and are immediately immersed into their everyday life.

Your professional background is mainly in accounting and tax planning. Did you always secretly want to be a writer?
The creative arts were always a passion for me, but once I started reading Mary Stewart novels set in Greece, I was hooked: I longed to write and travel. With my husband’s encouragement and belief in me, I was able to take the overwhelming, terrifying, and thrilling first step of tackling book-length fiction.

How did you learn how to cook gourmet Italian food?
Learning to cook was easy, as I apprenticed under two accomplished and adventurous cooks, my mother and grandmother. I developed my expertise in gourmet Italian cuisine in several ways: gathering tips from my many Italian relatives, wanting to recreate the foods I savored in Italy, and having a shameless love of cookbooks, especially those featuring Italian cuisine—my collection overflows the bookshelf!

Describe the most memorable meal you ate while in Italy.
Picking only one of the many memorable meals is a challenge! My husband and I were in Piedmont and Tuscany during the floods that devastated northern Italy in 2000. Following a turbulent flight from the U.S., we drove through the rain with double shots of espresso and the thought of a hot meal sustaining us. When we finally arrived at our destination, we happily parked our car, requested a recommendation for a ristorante that catered to locals, and walked through the rain to dinner. We greeted our waitress with our rustic Italian and the gracious woman took one look at our weary, jet-lagged faces and suggested she select our food for us. We trusted her, and it was comforting, simple, delicious, and perfect: tomato bruschetta, feather-light tortellini in chicken broth, melt-in-your-mouth papparadelle with a sauce of wild boar and porcini, a house salad of field greens dressed with a light vinaigrette and freshly shaved parmesan cheese, and finally, lemon sorbetto and amaretti cookies. Magnifico!

Are you working on another book? Will it take readers on another trip to Italy?
I have another book underway already and am having fun scheming up new dilemmas for my characters. My next book, the second in the Tuscany series, takes place primarily in and around a charming Tuscan hill town not visited in To Tuscany with Love, so my readers will have the pleasure of new Italian experiences in another small area of Tuscany. One thing I will reveal, though, is that the delightful Tuscan cuisine and wine are certain to play a memorable role in this book!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can one college semester abroad change the course of your life?

Bella Rossini, a vivacious college junior, lands in jail overnight with acquaintances whom she mistakes for friends. Shipped off to Tuscany by her mother, Bella is suddenly thrust into living with seven strangers during one life-altering summer.

Meet Hope, the sturdy and practical girl, steadfast in her loyalty to her boyfriend; Meghan and Karen, identical twins with an eye for fashion and beauty to match; Stillman, haunted by his hard past, and Phillip, an athlete, both fueled by competition; Lee, by family mandate in pre-med; and Rune, the Hollywood-bound wild child. All add sizzling chemistry and rebellious humor to the mix.

In one whirlwind summer, while uncovering the charms of Italy, they discover both friendship and love.

After their summer together, life – and loss – happens.

Returning to Tuscany 30 years later, their dreams, anger, secrets and disappointments create an emotional kaleidoscope. Their reunion sends them on a startling collision course that none of them could have predicted.

Set against the allure of Tuscany, with an irresistible fusion of heartbreak and humor, this debut novel, “To Tuscany with Love,” explores the fear of letting the past determine the future and the power of friendship.

BOOK DETAILS:

Series: Tuscany (Book 1)
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Capriole Group
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
ISBN-10: 193859200X
ISBN-13: 978-1938592003

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WELCOME

Dr. Nick Nicholson, a renowned bariatric surgeon, and B. A. Blackwood, an author, retired trial lawyer, and marathon runner, teamed up to write Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny, a guide for people who are considering or have already undergone bariatric surgery. Nicholson was voted one of D Magazine’s top bariatric doctors six years in a row, and Blackwood has completed more than 20 marathons. Together they share a passion for encouraging people to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles. They know that anyone who chooses to undergo bariatric surgery will experience bumps in the road to maintaining their weight loss. One size does not fit all—everyone’s body is unique and everyone faces a unique set of challenges.
Connect with Dr. Nicholson at these sites:

B. A. Blackwood is a trial lawyer, a marathon runner, and the author of the young adult fantasy fiction Siren Song trilogy. She splits her time between Dallas, Texas, and Bozeman, Montana, where she lives with her husband and their three pugs, Waldo, Jonesy, and Lottie.
Connect with Ms. Blackwood at these sites:

GUEST POST

Five Facts About Bariatric Surgery You Need to Know

By B.A. Blackwood

I’m a trial lawyer turned young adult fantasy fiction writer. When my friend, surgeon Nick Nicholson, approached me about co-authoring a book on the emotional consequences of weight loss surgery, I was intrigued, but skeptical. How could I – someone who’d never had the surgery – write a compelling book about it?

I have some overweight friends, but their weight is a sensitive issue we skirt around. I knew of one person who’d had the surgery twice and still has to buy two airplane seats, but he’s very tight-lipped about the whole experience. I’d never understood the reasons for why the surgery didn’t “cure” him, and, based on little snippets of conversations with his parents, they didn’t either.

In other words, I was pretty ignorant.

But the more Dr. Nick filled me in on all of the issues that can arise after weight loss surgery, the more I wanted to know. So, I agreed, and began interviewing patients.

Boy, did I learn a lot.

First, most bariatric patients are champion dieters, but, with the amount of weight they’re trying to lose, their own physiology makes it virtually impossible to lose enough weight and keep it off permanently. That is why the success rate of diets for morbidly obese people is only two percent.

Yes, you read that right. Two percent.

Second, eating isn’t really the issue. It’s just the coping mechanism of choice. Everyone has a coping mechanism or two, and, if we’re honest, almost everyone uses food to some extent as a coping mechanism. In the case of the morbidly obese person, it’s the primary coping mechanism.

Third, most people don’t get to the point of health-threatening obesity by binging. They did it by eating just 10 to 100 calories a day beyond their daily needs over a period of years.

Fourth, weight loss surgery isn’t a magic cure. It’s a highly effective tool, but it requires every bit as much effort, and maybe more, than a traditional diet. It works because most types of the surgery trick the body’s physiology long enough to lose the necessary weight.

Fifth, whether the surgery is successful depends on how the person deals with the emotional issues surrounding their obesity and the subsequent loss of their excess weight.

That’s where the book comes in. It’s about emotions the weight loss will provoke not only in the patient, but in their family, friends and co-workers.

Good marriages tend to get better; bad marriages tend to get worse. The spouse who’d never had to worry about other men being attracted to his wife may have a hard time handling the attention she now receives. The overweight sister who’d initially been supportive may turn hyper-critical of her now slimmer sibling. The bariatric patient who gets a promotion after losing fifty pounds may feel furious rather than ecstatic.

Preparing for what may happen, understanding the emotions underlying the reactions and facing them, and learning healthier ways to deal with those emotions are critical to maintaining the weight loss.

Even though I didn’t know  much about bariatric surgery when I began writing, it turns out that the surgery is really about striving to get better, dealing with life’s problems head on, and having the will, optimism and strength to craft a better life for yourself  – something all of us can relate to. I finished the book inspired by the stories patients had shared with me and glad I’d taken the plunge with Dr. Nick to co-author the book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Is it possible to lose weight fast and keep it off long-term? Whether it’s a new diet, an exercise regimen, or surgery, people are always looking for the shortest path to their ideal weight. Bariatric surgery can help you get ahead of your weight issues, but it’s not a one-and-done remedy; it gives you a head start, but lasting weight loss requires maintenance.

Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny tells you the truth. Bariatric surgery can be an excellent way to quickly lose weight, but it’s not a permanent fix. It can change your body, but it doesn’t change your mind or your relationship with food. As Dr. Nick Nicholson and B. A. Blackwood explain, “overeating has little to do with physical need and everything to do with emotional need.” Surgery will get you started, but patients must also be willing to adopt a healthier way of living.

While the authors do describe the benefits of bariatric surgery and discuss how to select your surgeon, much of this book addresses the issues connected to weight management that precede and follow surgery, with chapters that tackle questions like “How Did I End up in this Mess and Why Can’t I Get Out of It?” and “I’m Doing Everything Right, So Why Doesn’t My Weight Show It?”

Other chapters address some of the unexpected consequences of dramatic weight loss. You may have already known that weight gain could adversely affect your relationships…but weight loss? Like any major life change, losing weight can upset the balance in your relationships. Weight Loss Surgery: The Real Skinny honestly acknowledges the effect that bariatric surgery can have on a patient and that patient’s family and friends. The authors offer insight into how to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the shift, highlighting the importance of open communication throughout the process.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 116 pages
Publisher: Obesity Resources Publishing
Publication Date: November 13, 2013
ISBN-10: 0615887392
ISBN-13: 978-0615887395

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…….of Times They Were A-Changing by Linda Joy Myers, Kate Farrell and Amber Lea Starfire

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