Viva Portugal

As I gaze out of my tour bus window I am met with majestic meadows, mammoth mountaintops and an affectionate orange sun that insists on spreading its warm rays across the lush landscape. It is the third day of my first trip to Portugal and I’ve already lost count of the astonishing sights I’ve seen. When I was invited by Julie Brito of Victours International to join her and a small group on a week-long tour of one of Europe’s most distinguished countries, I had little idea just how privileged I was.

We are traveling up a meandering mountain road decorated by fresh foliage perfectly fit for photo-ops. Olive trees and grape vines lead the way to our next destination – Quinta da Pacheca Estate and Hotel, a famous family run company that’s recognized for its historic port wine and, most recently, for its elaborate hotel renovations. Read more

The Bowen Technique: You Don’t Have to Bend Over Backwards to Relieve Pain

Amber Korobkina was a successful computer software trainer in her 20s, when a debilitating back injury altered her life. “I had lifted something that weighed way too much and I blew the discs in my lower back. I sat down because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but then I realized that I couldn’t stand up again,” says Korobkina, whose kids were two and five at the time.

After trying almost everything, medical professionals told Korobkina that her only other option was spinal surgery. “I was awaiting the surgery when a friend told me to try the Bowen Technique, which at the time was something I had never heard of. I figured I had nothing to lose,” says Korobkina, who felt immediate results after just one Bowen session. She was even able to dance the night away at a Christmas party – something she never thought would be possible. “I started going for more treatments and Bowen Read more

Parental Alienation: The Innocent Eyes of a Custody Storm

Stories of parental alienation in child custody disputes that leave one parent in the dark and an innocent child with irreversible repercussions may sound like faraway scenarios from shows like 20/20 and Dateline, but according to renowned psychologist Amy J. L. Baker, these tragic tales hold real-life truths. “When I interviewed 40 adults who gave up one parent in order to please the other, they talked about very profound negative effects,” says the author of Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Breaking the Ties that Bind. “It’s a form of emotional abuse to manipulate a child to reject a parent who does not deserve to be rejected,” says Baker. There’s no question in my mind,” she adds.

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) was coined in the 1980s by psychiatrist Richard A. Gardner, and is now under consideration for the next revision of The Diagnostic Statistical Read more

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