Posts:
By Susan Burke March Cuenca may seem like a city of almuerzos serving pollo, cerdo, y arroz, arroz, arroz, (chicken, pork, and rice, rice, rice!) so the opening of the charming Vegetable Bar on Paseo 3 de Noviembre signals a significant and positive change for the...
By Susan Burke March As AnimalPlanet.com reports, there are a number of proven health benefits associated with pet ownership, including physical, mental and emotional improvements, from enhancing social skills to decreasing a person’s risk for heart attack. According...
By Susan Burke March Ahhhhh, a facial. Finally! I’d been putting off my quarterly facial because my favorite “facialista” had to return to the States, leaving many of her regular clients feeling … well, at loose ends. However, before she left she recommended Bienestar...
A recent appeal for information in a favorite expat e-Newsletter got my attention. An unsuspecting reader posted a simple query: “Do we need proof of current yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations to enter Ecuador from Columbia?" (No). This simple question escalated...
By Susan Burke March Physical Therapy (PT) as we know it today, dates back to ancient times. Physicians like Hippocrates and later Galen are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques...
By Susan Burke March The holiday season is upon us, and this year you’re aiming to find some special gifts for some special loved ones. Gifts that show you care — that no one else will have, and one that is sure to remind the recipient of you. If you haven’t visited...
By Susan Burke March, MEd, RDN, LDN, CDE My “routine surgery” had turned into a nightmare. For three years prior to relocating to Cuenca in September 2014, I’d been plagued by a Morton’s neuroma in my right foot. Morton's neuroma is a condition characterized by the...
By Susan Burke March, MSEd, RDN, LDN, CDE It’s no wonder that the Apartamentos Otorongo’s occupancy rate averages 80 percent, where most other hotels in Cuenca average about 40 percent. Theirs is a home-away-from-home for travelers, and they host many repeat...
By Susan Burke March Nuts are healthy additions to your diet — as long as you stay clued in to how much you’re eating. Nuts are very high in fat, with some containing as much as 80% of their calories from fat, but the fat is considered “good fat,” the type of fat that...
By Susan Burke March Do you approach the holiday season with a feeling of dread, instead of delight? Is it because you fear you’ll throw caution to the wind and, by the time you have the courage to get on the scale in January, you’ll find you’re four or five pounds...
By Susan Burke March If you are a nature lover, there’s a special way to experience the unique and distinctive flora and fauna of Cuenca and Ecuador. Cuenca-based PassifloraCourses offers educational programs to help you fully appreciate the local nature, culture and...
By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LD/N, CDE Author's note: Please join me and my colleagues at the upcoming First Latin American Congress on Lifestyle and Health (El Congreso Internacional Hábitos de Vida Saludable) to be held at the Mall del Rio Conference Center,...
By Susan Burke March, MSEd, RDN, LDN, CDE Author's note: Please join me and my colleagues at the upcoming First Latin American Congress on Lifestyle and Health (El Congreso Internacional Hábitos de Vida Saludable) to be held at the Mall del Rio Conference Center,...
By Susan Burke March For the non-profit volunteer organization Ecuador Cares, no mission is more important than preparing the orphaned and abandoned children at Cuenca's Hogar Miguel Leon for a fulfilling life. Ecuador Cares has a big vision: to help Ecuador’s most...
By Susan Burke March, MSEd, RDN, LDN, CDE There’s a little blue pill for boys, and a pink one for girls. Both are marketed to adults suffering from sexual dysfunction, but they work in completely different ways. Men can choose from a variety of drugs to treat...
By Susan Burke March, MSEd, RDN, LDN, CDE A recent Forbes.com article caught my eye—researchers found that after the defeat of their favorite football team, people eat more, and what they choose to eat makes a major impact on their waistline. But, after their favorite...
By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE MYTH #1: EGGS ARE FATTENING Whereas the old Dietary Guidelines for Americans advised restricting dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams or less daily (just one large egg has about 186 mg. of cholesterol), the proposed...
By Susan Burke March Has it been too long since you’ve visited your dentist? Do you even have a dentist? If you don’t, or if it’s been more than a year since your last checkup, don’t put it off any longer. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation that absence of...
By Susan Burke March As obesity takes its toll on health globally, researchers are working on defining how we eat today compared to the eating habits of our grandparents and great grandparents. Predictably, we know we are eating much more processed and refined foods...
By Susan Burke March, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE Before starting to work with a new client, whether it is for weight loss, or to help manage a health condition such as high blood pressure or diabetes, I ask them to complete a fairly comprehensive medical and lifestyle (diet...
