I giggled my way through my first yoga class. I took one in college, alongside two of my girlfriends, and we just couldn’t keep a straight face, as the instructor talked us through our poses in one of the phoniest, most nasally voices we’d ever heard. (We’d all heard him talking on the phone before class: his actual voice sounded nothing like what we heard when the lights dimmed!) We laugh at ourselves now, years after, as all three of us have been (on and off over the years) enthusiastic practitioners of the highly touted, extremely popular workouts that originated…

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, (BPH), is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged and not cancerous.  BPH causes men to suffer with symptoms of frequent and urgent needs to urinate (especially at night!), a weak stream, dribbling or leaking and painful urination. These symptoms make it difficult for men to enjoy many activities of daily living, including getting a good night’s sleep. BPH is the most common prostate problem for men older than age 50. Treatment options for BPH include lifestyle changes, medications, surgery and minimally invasive procedures. For some doctors, the customary treatment is to prescribe…

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, (BPH), is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged and not cancerous.  BPH causes men to suffer with symptoms of frequent and urgent needs to urinate (especially at night!), a weak stream, dribbling or leaking and painful urination. These symptoms make it difficult for men to enjoy many activities of daily living, including getting a good night’s sleep. BPH is the most common prostate problem for men older than age 50. Treatment options for BPH include lifestyle changes, medications, surgery and minimally invasive procedures. For some doctors, the customary treatment is to prescribe…

Women’s Intimate Health and Wellness is Important The medical device and pharmaceutical industries have made tremendous advances in male sexual health, finally, there is a breakthrough in female sexual health! Childbirth and the natural aging process can cause changes which may affect feminine wellness. To address these issues, Dr. Fleming and her team now offer vaginal rejuvenation via a non-surgical, non-invasive in-office procedure with no discomfort and no downtime. “Controlled radiofrequency stimulates new collagen and elastin production, resulting in better tissue quality,” says Dr. Fleming. “This revitalized tissue translates to improvement in laxity, relief from post-menopausal dryness, and help with…

Sunday May 5th is International Pilates Day. Pilates Day is an annual, international community event, celebrated on the first Saturday of May every year. The Pilates Day mission is to foster the public’s appreciation, and awareness to the Pilates Method. Through a network of varied, innovative, and high quality grassroots Pilates events, that are taking place around the world and accessible and affordable for all. Align Pilates and Yoga is excited to be participating in this world-recognized event. To be part of this exciting day, it’s paramount for Align to explain what the hoopla with Pilates is all about. Pilates…

It takes a trained eye to note the subtle shading needed to contour a surfboard. To taper the rails just so. To send the airbrush lightly over the fin box and trace the shape perfectly, symmetrically, precisely. It takes a trained eye to paint the female form, to counter shadow and shape until a living woman appears on the page. It takes a trained eye to dive below what William Asbury called the “large-scale manifestations of classical biology” to the molecular plane below. For Kristy Fleming, MD, each of those became immediately necessary and tangential to another when she discovered…

Did you know that more than 8 million doctor’s office visits per year in the US are for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s)?  This common and treatable condition affects men and women of all ages; however, it is more commonly seen in women and the frequency of infections tends to increase with age. In fact, urinary incontinence is twice as common in women as it is in men and more than 50% of older women struggle with involuntary leakage of urine. If you have had a UTI, you know that it is an uncomfortable condition. The symptoms range from milder symptoms…

I do not trust advertisements on television. I am certainly not one of those people who sits up watching late night cable dialing in for the newest in skin care, workout equipment, or nutrition supplements. I trust my friends. My family. Folks who can offer me sound advice based on years of experience. (Call me old fashioned.) When I met Libby about a year ago, we chatted for a bit, asking each other the usual (where are you from, what do you do for a living?). I was curious when she referred to herself a “wellness resource.” I inquired further,…

To most the idea of doing an aerial yoga class sounds a little scary, but in all honesty, it’s for anyone that enjoys a fun workout, a good stretch, and a calming meditation. If you partake in a yoga practice already, then you can do aerial yoga. It doesn’t require you to be an acrobat and on the contrary, it can be easier than a traditional yoga class. Here is how it works— You sit on a soft, fabric hammock that looks kind of like a long scarf. The hammock is kept close to the ground, generally no higher then…

People of all ages get skin cancer. Checking your skin can help you find skin cancer early when it’s highly treatable. Skin cancer is actually one of the easiest cancers to find. That’s because skin cancer usually begins where you can see it. You can get skin cancer anywhere on your skin — from your scalp to the bottoms of your feet. Even if the area gets little sun, it’s possible for skin cancer to develop there. You can also get skin cancer in places that may surprise you. Skin cancer can begin under a toenail or fingernail, on your…

All the jokes my husband makes about potentially living under the same roof as his mother-in-law aside, my 84-year-old mother knows she can always move in with our family if or when the time arrives when she needs extra help in her daily life. I recently learned about Acti-Kare, thinking forward about what options were out there for those looking to take care of their elderly in-house: options to give you more dignity, comfort, and independence, not less. An industry leader in providing highly qualified, compassionate, and trustworthy caregivers, Acti-Kare is dedicated to in-home care, and Lori Renaud, R.N., is…

It’s no surprise that what you eat plays a major role in the health of your digestive system, but are you making sure to incorporate these gut-healing foods into your daily diet? Check out these whole foods built to promote and maintain optimal gut health. Vegetables Fiber plays a huge role in your body’s overall digestive health, especially when it comes to keeping things moving along. Whole food fiber feeds the good bacteria to keep the bad from taking over and causing systemic health issues. The average American only gets about half of the recommended 30 grams of daily fiber.…

February is national Heart Health Awareness month and at Align we are excited to participate. According to the American Hearth Association, someone dies from heart disease, stroke or another type of cardiovascular disease every 43 seconds in this country! Making heart disease the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. But the good news is, it’s one of the most preventable diseases. With a nutrient dense diet, exercise, and meditation a healthy heart is easy to achieve. Heart Disease is actually a generic term for variety of issues that take place within the Cardiovascular…

In a recent conversation with my mother, I discovered something. Something that was a cause for pause as I pondered all the possible ramifications. This thing I realized? My mother appears a bit more stubborn than she used to be. She laughed when I called it to her attention, but the more we thought about the fact that she was growing increasingly stubborn, it occurred to both of us that this trait could prove to be increasingly problematic as she got older. She shared that she had always imagined herself to be a strong elder - a grey haired grandmother…

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Scoliosis affects nearly six million people in the U.S. alone. Making it the most common spinal deformity in our society. Scoliosis is a generic term that refers to any imbalanced curvature in the spine due to a genetic predisposition, or habitual muscle patterning. Either way, exercising has shown to be extremely beneficial in addressing issues associated with Scoliosis. Especially, exercise modalities known to emphasis core strength like Pilates and yoga. Scoliosis in its simplest terms is a problem of asymmetry. Ideally the right and left sides of the body should be balanced…

Serving private residences/homesNursing homesCorporate buildingsVeterans’ communities There are countless things to worry about in our world: Large and small, tangible and intangible - hurricanes, supervolcanoes, bills, hidden gluten in our food. the dryer eating socks mysteriously. The list is long, and often feels like it’s getting longer. Most folks are already a little apprehensive when it comes to going to the dentist, but the worry of tooth decay, gum disease and plaque can pile upon all the other worries until the basic thought of leaving our homes becomes a little too much to handle. Dental care, for most of us,…

The holiday season has arrived! But what to do about that perfect gift? Well, if there’s a special someone in your life that loves mindful movement, why not give them the gift of yoga or pilates? It’s functional. It improves quality of life. It’s a pathway to healthy living. It’s perfect! Here are a few ideas from the folks at Align: A MAT Anyone who practices yoga or Pilates will need a mat, but with so many different types and price ranges on the market these days it’s hard to know what to get. And trust us, not all mats…

The word “lymphedema” means swelling (edema) that results from the pooling of too much lymph fluid in areas of the body. This swelling occurs most often in the arms and legs, but it can also affect the face, neck, abdomen, or genitals. It is estimated that 5 million Americans suffer from lymphedema – resulting from cancer treatment - or other risk factors, including genetics, being overweight or obese and other health problems like heart or circulation issues. Lymphedema can be complicated to treat, which is why you should see your medical professional for appropriate options as there are many variables,…

Depression does not discriminate based on your social standing, how much money you have in your bank account, your accomplishments. Even if there’s nothing but happy moments around you, why then do you still feel depressed? Research has found that the brain out of balance and lack of harmony between the lobes could possibly lead to disorders such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and more. Many people turn to prescription medications in an attempt to address their symptoms, but ironically these same medications can possibly cause or perpetuate the afflictions we are expecting them to treat. Brainwave Optimization is a unique…

When one contemplates the term “health crisis,” images from the 1995 medical disaster movie Outbreak come to mind. Hazmat suits and quarantined children in terrifying plastic rooms. But the term is so much more than just the Hollywood scare tactics that have been built up around it. Alycemates, a yearling business, is working on eradicating a different health crisis entirely: that of isolation. ALYCEMates began when Jessica Yum (co-founder of its parent company, ALYCECare) recognized early on that senior isolation and loneliness were reaching epidemic proportions, with increasing numbers living alone at home, instead of in a vibrant, thriving family…