“Natural Awakenings” Magazine, April 2012 issue

natural

awakenings

Magazine

Special Edition

GREEN LIVING Indoor Air Quality Rainwater Harvesting Unconventional Gardens April 2012 www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

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www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com April 2012

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Experience the Power of the Tao with

Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha World-Renowned Soul Healer, Inspired Teacher, Divine Channel

Dr. Sha is an important teacher and a wonderful healer with a valuable message about the power of the soul to influence and transform all life.

– Dr. Masaru Emoto The Hidden Messages in Water

Tao Year 1 Retreat

• Learn sacred Tao wisdom and practices to heal your soul, mind and body • Experience Tao rejuvenation practices to reach fan lao huan tong and attain the health and purity of a baby • Receive Tao blessings to accelerate your healing and rejuvenation

Saturday-Friday • April 28–May 4 •10am–10pm In person or via webcast $350 early registration. $750

Ramada Inn and Conference Center 3810 NW Blitchton Rd. • Ocala, FL 34484 New York Times Bestsellers!

Tao is the Way. Tao is the source of all universes.

Tao is the principles and laws of all universes.

– Master Zhi Gang Sha, Tao I

Soul Masters Film & Divine Healing Hands Blessings with Geho Gold Sunday, April 22, 1:00–5:30pm $10 by April 15, $15 thereafter

Soul Essentials, 805 E. Fort King St., Ocala, FL 34471 Register 386.341.6260

Divine Healing Hands Free Soul Healing Evening Friday, April 27, 7–10pm, Free In person or via webcast

• MD in China and certified doctor of TCM and acupuncturist in China and Canada.

Tao Soul Healing & Enlightenment Retreat

• Grandmaster of ancient arts including tai chi, qi gong, kung fu, I Ching and feng shui.

Saturday-Monday, April 28–30, 10am–10pm $200 • In person or via webcast

Ramada Inn and Conference Center 3810 NW Blitchton Rd., Ocala, FL 34482

• Honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission Award in 2006 for his humanitarian efforts.

Information: Geho Gold: 386.341.6260 • www.BeHealedWithin.com • Marsha Valutis: 321.749.1084 888.3396815 • www.DrSha.com • Institute of Soul Healing and Enlightenment™ • Facebook.com/ZhiGangSha

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School Of Transformative Coaching • Did you know that coaching is the fastest growing field in the world?

• Are you interested in a career that will serve others while allowing you to create your ideal lifestyle?

• Would you like to work from anywhere in the world?

• Are you interested in facilitating personal transformation for yourself and others?

Become A Life Coach -

Join us at the School of Transformative * excluding manicures/pedicures Coaching for a spiritually-oriented and communication-based life coach training program. Our programs are approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and conducted by David B. Wolf, Ph.D., founder and developer of Transformative Communication, and other leading experts in self-awareness facilitation, empathic listening and spiritual life coaching.

Principles & Practices Of Transformative Coaching An Accredited 72-Hour Coach Training Tele-Course Offered In A Flexible Format Course Start Date: September 2012 Contact Information: coachtraining@satvatove.com

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Natural Awakenings is your guide to nutrition, fitness, personal growth, sustainable and “green” living, organic food, Buy Local, the Slow Food and Slow Money movements, creative expression, wholistic health care, and products and services that support a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages.

Publisher Carolyn Rose Blakeslee, Ocala Managing Editor Clark Dougherty Editors Sharon Bruckman S. Alison Chabonais Linda Sechrist Design + Production Stephen Gray-Blancett Carolyn Rose Blakeslee Jessi Miller, www.LittleBlackMask.com Contact Us 352-629-4000 Fax 352-351-5474 GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com P.O. Box 1140, Anthony, FL 32617 www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com Subscriptions Mailed subscriptions are available for $36/ year. Digital is free. Pick up the printed version at your local health food stores, area Publix and Sweetbay stores, and other locations—that’s free, too.

Natural Awakenings Gainesville/Ocala/The Villages is published every month in full color.

20,000 copies are distributed to health food stores, public libraries, Publix and Sweetbay stores, medical offices, restaurants and cafes, and other locations throughout North Central Florida.

Natural Awakenings cannot be responsible for the products or services herein. To determine whether a particular product or service is appropriate for you, consult your family physician or licensed wholistic practitioner.

Copyright ©2012 Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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~ Features ~

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Green Living: Every Drop Counts

Reusing rainwater saves money and is better for plants

by Brita Belli

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EXTREME Water Conservation

When ALL of your water comes from rain

by Mary Alford

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Yin & Tonic: Birds of a Feather Phlox Together

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Home: What Does Home Mean to You?

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Deepak Chopra Explores Consciousness

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Unconventional Gardens

by Melody Murphy

by Nuris Lemire, MS, OTR/L, NC

by Linda Sechrist

No space? No problem.

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

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Breathe Easy at Home

Smart moves to reduce indoor pollution

by Cissy Trask

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Conscious Eating: Eat Plastic-Free

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Conquering Any Disease and Losing Weight

by Brita Belli

Part II, Interview with Jeff Primack, Qigong practitioner

by Diana E. Vargas, M.D.

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Inspiration: Deep Blue Connections Extraordinary encounters with dolphins

by Bill Van Arsdale

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Pulling the Weeds in the Garden of the Heart

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Duxelles Deux

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Whole Body Vibration: To Lose Fat, Shake It

by Kylie Devi

by Clark Dougherty

by Sue Morris

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~ Departments ~ NewsBriefs HealthBriefs GlobalBriefs CommunityResourceGuide CalendarofEvents NEW: Coupons/Special Offers

PublisherLetter

6 8 10 32 34 39

Advertising & Submissions ADVERTISING  To advertise with us or request a media kit, please call 352-629-4000 or email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.  Design services are available, FREE (limited time offer).  Advertisers are included online FREE and receive other significant benefits including FREE “Calendar of Events” listings (normally $15 each).  For information on our new Coupons/Special Offers page: Visit www.Shop.NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

EDITORIAL AND CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS  For article submission guidelines, please visit www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com/services.htm.  Calendar: visit www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com /news.htm.  Email all items to GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

MATERIALS DUE  Deadline for all materials is the 15th of the month (i.e.

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Read us online!  Free, easy, instant access  The same magazine as the print version with enhancements  Ads and story links are hot-linked

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Gentle Reader, We have learned that auto-insurance reform legislation was passed in Florida in mid-March that could have a negative effect on some of you.

According to the Florida Chiropractic Association (FCA), the legislation was fabricated behind closed doors and was not available for public view until just three hours before it was passed. The passage allegedly occurred a couple of days after a $100,000 contribution from an affiliate of United Auto Insurance landed in one of Gov. Rick Scott’s political committee accounts.

In a nutshell, most accident victims will see a 75% reduction in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits for the same mandatory PIP coverage they pay for. In addition, they will not be allowed to visit chiropractors, massage therapists, or acupuncture physicians for treatment.

We will have more information in the next issue.

Happy Spring!

Carolyn Buy into the

community

… Support our advertisers www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

April 2012

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NewsBriefs Florida Water StarSM

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lorida Water StarSM is a water conservation certification program for new and existing homes and commercial developments. Standards for water efficiency are included for indoor fixtures and appliances, landscape design, and irrigation systems.

If you want to apply for certification or just want to update your home or business, the program guidelines make it easy for anyone to save water.

The program provides standards for a broad range of homes—from a condominium with no yard to an older home on a half-acre lot with an aging irrigation system—and commercial properties and community developments.

The program is now offered statewide, bringing the economic and environmental benefits of water efficiency to homeowners in all of Florida’s 67 counties.

The St. Johns River, South Florida and Southwest Florida water management districts administer the program within their respective boundaries.

The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), a nonprofit corporation that promotes sustainability, administers the program in the Suwannee River and Northwest Florida water management districts.

“The water conservation standards for plumbing, appliances, landscapes and irrigation provide homeowners with the resources to save water and money,” says Malissa Dillon, director of Office of Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs for the St. Johns District. “The program also is creating opportunities for builders across Florida to distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace.”

Additionally, Florida Water StarSM

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is strengthening working partnerships among private entities committed to sustainable building practices, such as FGBC; the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, which administers the program’s professional training component; and the Florida Irrigation Society, which provides technical support on the program’s irrigation criteria.

With the start of springtime gardening just around the corner, the St. Johns District offers a water-wise plant database—a dynamic web-based search tool to help landscapers and do-it-yourselfers identify the right plants for their yards’ specific growing conditions.

Often, the biggest use of water is for lawn and landscape irrigation.

Using water wisely in landscapes is one way to find the necessary balance between the needs of nature and people. If a landscape’s sunlight and soil conditions are assessed correctly, well-chosen plants will need little to no supplemental irrigation once established.

The District’s water-wise landscaping web pages provide information on how to design a water-conserving landscape and how to group plants according to their needs, such as planting region, sunlight and soil conditions. For more information about water-wise landscaping or Florida Water StarSM, visit floridaswater.com.

Spiritual Connections Psychic Faire

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n Saturday, April 21, a Psychic Faire will be held from 11-5 in Gainesville.

Chair massage, ear candling and other modalities will be offered. Vendors will feature aura photography, vegetarian cuisine, jewelry, incense, rocks, readings, and books.

Admission is $3/person. The Faire will be held at the facility of the Unitarian church at 4225 NW 34th Street, Gainesville. Information: 352-3327153 or 222-3492.

Bhakti Vasudev Swami

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n Saturday, April 7th, from 4-6pm, His Holiness Bhakti Vasudev Swami will be giving a lecture entitled “Unity in Diversity” at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Avenue. A light buffet supper will follow his talk. Both are free and open to the public. Books will also be available for purchase.

Bhakti Vasudev Swami is a religious leader, a doctoral researcher of leadership and organizational change, and a scholar of the social sciences. A native of Nigeria, West Africa, Vasudev Swami now travels the world to educate and share his experiences and perspective with diverse audiences.

He obtained his Master’s degree in Philosophy and Education with a major in Critical and Creative Thinking (CACT) from AICCACOI, Enugu, affiliated with Montclair State University, NJ. He has accolades in counseling, African studies, and conflict resolution. As a scholar of international repute, Vasudev Swami has been invited to present papers at major international conferences worldwide and has been published widely in academic and secular journals.

Information: 352-373-1030.

Vitalize Nutrition Organic Food

O

cala’s Vitalize Nutrition store is now carrying a wide variety of locally grown organic fruits and vegetables alongside their extensive line-up of organic vitamins and supplements.

In a new partnership with Purple Carrot Farm, Vitalize Nutrition will offer Organic Buying Club members 15% off produce items every day.

For more information, visit www.

PurpleCarrotFarm.com or www.VitalizeNutrition.com, or call Cara at 352509-6839. The store is located next to the Panera restaurant in the Market Street at Heathbrook center, 3/4-mile west of I-75 on Highway 200.

Printed on recycled paper to protect the environment

The Wisdom of Dr. Sha

by Diana Gold Holland

H

ave you ever wondered about those images of “Immortals� in Chinese art—those venerable sages with long snowy beards and yet the smooth skin and sparkling eyes of toddlers? They are said to have discovered how to rejuvenate their soul, mind, and body daily in ways that kept them ever young.

What if there were some basis of truth to these legends?

And what if that wisdom were updated for modern times, and available now as powerful and effective practices that everyone, everywhere, can master? Would you want to know how to eat, sleep, and conduct your life in order to rejuvenate your organs, regain your vitality, and stave off or even reverse illness? Would you want to prolong your life by improving your health each day? And would you want to explore how you could then use this practical wisdom to help make the world a better place?

Meet Doctor and Master Zhi Gang Sha, the New York Times best-selling author of Tao I and Tao ll, two new books on the key to transforming and prolonging life. With simplicity in Tao l and Tao ll, this extraordinary teacher and Tao Grandmaster shares the most profound wisdom in simple and brilliant words. Readers can learn to create a storehouse of permanent golden energy in the body to sustain and prolong life, as well as about normal and reverse creation, the secret of fan lao huan tong, which means “to transform old age to the health and purity of babyhood.� Readers can learn the keystone of the anti-aging protocol developed 5,000 years ago by the venerated sage Peng Zu, who lived to the age of 880 years according to official state records. Master Sha is one of his very rare direct lineage holders.

As Master Sha explains, Tao is The Way, the universal principles and laws at the source of all creation. Master its secrets and you can apply them to your health, your relationships, your finances, learn powerful ways to clear and advance spiritually, transform your consciousness, and help raise the frequency of the world in this difficult time.

A bonus CD is included with each book that allows people to listen to or chant the Tao Songs along with Master www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

Sha that are the core of these books. This is enjoyable and can significantly accelerate healing and rejuvenation. Many people play them all day to create a sacred healing environment in their homes.

One of the very best ways to deepen your knowledge of these exceptional teachings is to attend a Tao workshop or retreat with Master Sha in person. Participants report that it is truly a life-changing event. Join Master Sha on April 27, in person or via webcast for Divine Healing Hands Free Soul Healing Evening, 7-10pm, free of charge; April 28-30, 10am-10pm, Tao Soul Healing and Enlightenment Retreat, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 3810 NW Blitchton Road, Ocala, $200; and April 28-May 4, Tao Year I Retreat, 10am-10pm at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Ocala, $350 advance registration. You may also register to attend via webcast.

In advance of meeting Master Sha, all are invited to watch the documentary Soul Masters with Geho Gold, April 22, 1-5:30pm, at Soul Essentials, 805 E. Ft. King St., Ocala, $15. Information: Call Geho, 386-341-6260, or visit www.

BeHealedWithin.com.

Diana Gold Holland is a writer/editor based in Vancouver, Canada.

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April 2012

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Qigong: a Boon for Cancer Patients

HealthBriefs Are Cell Phones Safe?

Q

uestions about how cell phones might impact our health have sparked significant controversy. The World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has now classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use. Caution was also urged in an article about cell phone safety published this past October in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. It reported that cell phones that are switched on and carried in shirt or pants pockets can exceed U.S. Federal Communications Commission exposure guidelines, and also that adults and children absorb high levels of microwave radiation from the phones. According to the paper, children are at greater risk than adults, absorbing up to triple the amount of microwave radiation in their brain’s hypothalamus (which links the nervous and endocrine systems) and hippocampus (vital for memory and spatial navigation) compared to adults.

Absorption into their eyes was also greater, and as much as 10 times higher in their bone marrow than adults’.

The IARC concludes that these findings call for cell phone certification consistent with the “as low as reasonably achievable” approach taken in setting standards for using radiological devices. “It is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones,” says IARC Director Christopher Wild. “Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure [directly to the head], such as hands-free devices or texting.”

Additional resource: Epidemiologist Devra Davis, Ph.D., reports on this topic in Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation.

Manuka Honey Combats Infections

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oney’s use as a medicine was described on Sumerian clay tablets dating back 4,000 years, and ancient Egyptians made ointments of the sticky substance to treat wounds. Now, contemporary scientists have shown that manuka honey, which comes from New Zealand, could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Professor Rose Cooper, of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, in the UK, has investigated how manuka honey interacts with bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). She discovered that the honey interfered with their growth, blocking the formation of biofilms that can wall off such bacteria from antibiotic remedies.

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C

ancer patients who regularly practiced qigong, a 5,000-yearold combination of gentle exercise and meditation, for almost three months experienced significantly higher levels of well-being, improved cognitive functioning and less inflammation, compared to a control group.

Dr. Byeongsang Oh, a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Sydney Medical School, in Australia, who led the study, says the reduced inflammation in patients who practiced medical qigong, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was particularly significant.

The project involved 162 patients, aged 31 to 86; those assigned to the medical qigong group undertook a 10-week program of two supervised, 90-minute sessions per week. They were also asked to practice an additional 30 minutes at home each day.

When the study began, there were no significant differences in measurements of quality of life, fatigue, mood status and inflammation between the intervention and control groups.

However, “Patients who practiced medical qigong experienced significant improvements in quality of life, including greater physical, functional, social and emotional well-being, while the control group deteriorated in all of these areas,” reports Oh.

He remarks that the study is the first such trial to measure the impact of medical qigong in patients with cancer. “Several studies have indicated that chronic inflammation is associated with cancer incidence, progression and even survival,” Oh explains.

He presented the findings at a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology conference.

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April 2012

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GlobalBriefs Little Thumbs Gardening Helps Children Prosper

G

ardening provides many varieties of engagement for children: designing, planting, and maintaining a garden patch; harvesting, preparing, and sharing food; working cooperatively in groups; learning about science and nutrition; and creating art and stories inspired by their garden experiences.

When third, fourth, and fifth grade students participating in a one-year gardening program were surveyed for life skills, they showed significant increases in self-understanding, interpersonal relationship skills, and the ability to work in groups, compared with nonparticipating students.

Qualitative surveys of 52 second and third grade students working in a community garden classroom program in San Antonio, Texas, further revealed the children were likely to have more positive bonding experiences with their parents and other adults.

A study of children with learning disabilities who engaged in gardening measured increases in nonverbal communication skills, awareness levels of the advantages of order, understanding of how to participate in a cooperative effort, and the ability to form positive relationships with adults. Juvenile offenders who gardened showed improved self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and attitudes towards school.

Overall, gardening has been recognized by many studies as a therapeutic healing activity that can positively impact mental health and well-being.

Yoga Teacher Training at the Amrit Yoga Institute

June 8-17—Integrative Amrit Method Immersion Part I Sept 7-16— Full Certification: Realize the Dream Part II 200 Hr Certificate with completion of both sessions Discover the true essence of yoga beyond the mat.

Save $600 Register for full certification by April 15

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H

ealth wise, the air we breathe is just as important as the foods we eat, according to a recent report published in the journal Diabetes Care.

The report is based on one of the first large-scale, population-based studies linking diabetes prevalence with air pollution. According to researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston, a strong, consistent correlation exists between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution, an association that persists after adjustment for other risk factors such as obesity and ethnicity. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety limit.

Recycled Shelters

—Source: University of Colorado-Denver; Health Sciences Center

The Amrit Method™ combines a strong foundation of asana with inward focus and meditative awareness.

It creates powerful therapeutic impact, dissolves stress, the hidden cause of 85% of all physical, mental and emotional health problems. Changes your love life, family & professional life.

Diabetes Linked to Dirty Air

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itizens of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, can now live “inside” the plastic water bottles that previously littered their roads, canals, and gutters, thanks to a project initiated by the Kaduna-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) Developmental Association for Renewable Energies, with help from foreign experts from African Community Trust, a London-based NGO. The prototype 624-square-foot, twobedroom bungalow looks like an ordinary home, but it is made from capped, sand-filled plastic bottles. The bottles are stacked into layers and bonded together by mud and cement, with an intricate network of strings holding each bottle by its neck, providing extra support to the structure. Once approved, the country will start construction to alleviate a current deficit of 16 million housing units.

—Source: PhysOrg.com

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April 2012

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GreenLiving

EVERY DROP COUNTS Reusing Rainwater Saves Money and is Better for Plants

by Brita Belli

D

oug Pushard, an expert in rainwater catchment systems who shares his know-how at HarvestH2O. com, believes that homeowners capture rainfall for two reasons—either to make the most of a precious water resource in areas with low seasonal precipitation, or to control stormwater runoff in areas with high precipitation.

It’s also an easy way to make a dent in household water and sewer bills. Capturing and managing rainwater provides an environmentally sound alternative to wasting precious tap water pulled from diminishing underground reservoirs, and can replace some or all of a home’s water needs, depending on the system. Rainwater is also better for nourishing lawns, plants and gardens. “People want to use rainwater instead of city water in their yards because they understand that city water carries chlorine, which is not great for plants,” Pushard explains.

The amount of water used by residential irrigation is significant. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Sense Program, an American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day, including 30 percent of it outside.

More than half of that outdoor water is used for lawns and gardens, with the rest sprayed on cars, in swimming pools, and on sidewalks and driveways. Collectively, nationwide landscape irrigation totals more than 7 billion gallons per day.

Water Calculations

In its simplest form, rainwater harvesting involves little more than placing rain barrels—with capacities from 55 gallons to several hundred gallons—under a home’s downspouts. Popular models can be purchased from home

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improvement stores, or county extension classes teach how to make one from inexpensive parts. Online research shows the various styles available; most have a spigot at the base for attaching a hose or filling a watering can.

The larger capacity, more sophisticated systems use storage cisterns than can hold thousands of gallons of water below ground. These employ pumps that move the water to sprinkler systems or other points of use.

For these more complicated setups, Pushard recommends engaging professional help, adding that below-ground systems will capture excess water year-round, even in climates where temperatures drop. “In northern New Mexico, where I live, we get almost one-third of our precipitation in the winter,” he says. “If you have a below-ground system, you can capture that; with an above-ground one, you can’t, because the tank or fittings would freeze and burst.”

The formula for determining the maximum amount of water available to capture is related to roof size. Multiply the square footage of the roof times the local annual rainfall (found at Tinyurl.com/73enzjx), and then multiply the result by .623 gallons. That .623 factor is “how many gallons are in an area of one square foot by one inch deep of rainwater,” according to one of Pushard’s online tutorials.

Not all roof materials are created equal. On the high end, tile, metal, concrete, or asphalt roofs have a 95 percent runoff efficiency; gravel roofs, 70 percent; and grass roofs, 17 percent, so factor that in, too. Pushard recommends always going with a bigger tank, if possible, to avoid having to add more water storage later.

Think Big

Rainwater harvesting works as an effective irrigation device, but it needn’t be limited to outdoor use. One of the easiest—and most useful—places to direct captured rainwater is toilets. Citing bathrooms as a home’s biggest water user, the EPA notes that a single toilet can use 27 percent of household water. “It’s ludicrous that we use drinking water to flush toilets,” says Pushard. To use stored rainwater instead, run a new plumbing line to the rainwater storage tank and install a pump that activates when the toilet flushes.

Rainwater can supply sink faucets, as well, but counting on rainwater to be the sole source of all household water requires a substantial investment and a filtration, purification and UV light system to make the water drinkable. When capturing rain for potable uses, roofing material becomes more important: Unpainted metal and tile are preferred, because these will not leach chemicals into the water that are difficult to remove.

In terms of overall cost, the simplest rainwater collection systems will cost a few hundred dollars (less than $100 per barrel), while a whole-house system will cost considerably more. However, Pushard points out, rainwater harvesting can be a lifesaver with water shortages becoming the new norm in many areas.

Brita Belli is the editor of E-The Environmental Magazine and the author of The Autism Puzzle: Connecting the Dots Between Environmental Toxins and Rising Autism Rates.

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EXTREME Water Conservation

When All Your Water Comes from Rain

by Mary Alford

W

hen the Stanleys began planning their new green home, they knew they wanted solar panels to be affordably installed in order to transition to being “off the grid” one day. They even planned for an electric car charging station in their garage for a car like a Nissan Leaf. When asked about water conservation, they were interested in installing a rain barrel. However, as the planning continued, they realized they could utilize rain water for all of their water use—not just for watering the garden or flushing toilets, but for their washing machine, kitchen, showers, ice maker and drinking water.

(They did install a well as a back-up, but they have not needed to use it yet.)

Deciding to build their house walls and roof from structural insulated panels left lots of headroom in their garage. It was a perfect place to build an engineered platform, designed to hold three 1,500-gallon cisterns.

These cisterns hold enough water for the Stanley household for more than three months, the longest period they have seen between significant rainfall.

When it rains, gutters capture 100% of the rain water in a system which is directed to a small underground collection cistern. The water is filtered and pumped up to three storage cisterns in the garage, where it can then be distributed by gravity feed through the house. Water is also treated by an ultraviolet water purification system (UV disinfection), a non-chemical method for destroying microorganisms. UV disinfection does not produce any known toxic byproducts, does not require storage of any hazardous chemicals, and yields a fresh-tasting, neutral water without the chlorine many of us www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

are accustomed to drinking.

Water is distributed to each fixture in the home through PEX tubing from a central manifold. Fixtures themselves are water-saving also—kitchen and bathroom fixtures use 1.5 gallons per minute of water, and each toilet flush requires less than a gallon of water.

The dishwasher and washing machines are extra efficient, using less water than the Energy Star standard of 6 gallons per load for the washing machine and 4.25 gallons per cycle for the dishwasher.

Outside the home, water savings are manifested in the Stanleys’ landscaping. Laurie Stanley, a master gardener, designed her yard with no conventional turf—instead, she installed a thick layer of peanut mulch and lots of native plants that will grow into a lush, easy-to-care-for garden. The only exception is her rose garden, which is irrigated with water from their cistern system. She also has an area to grow vegetables.

Initially the Stanleys were concerned that the cisterns may not supply all of their water needs, and they did install a back-up well. However, the water from this well was full of iron, which stains fixtures and clothing, and it had a funky sulphur taste. This water requires treatment with chlorine in order to use. They installed this system in case of prolonged drought, but they have not needed to use it.

Overall, the Stanleys are thrilled with the performance of their low-water-flow fixtures and appliances. Good design and new technology means that these fixtures and appliances often function better than older models that use more water. They are also very happy with the water treatment

Installation of one of three 1,500 gallon rain water cisterns on elevated platform in the Stanley home garage.

This water treatment system utilizes filters and UV light—and adds no chemicals to the water, resulting in healthy, great tasting water.

system; maintenance on this system is comparable to any home water treatment system. Finally, they are happy to enjoy a glass of great tasting water—water from the sky, without added chemicals, great tasting and healthy!

Mary C. Alford, P.E., LEED AP assisted the Stanleys through the design and construction of their home with the goal to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the highest level of green certification available from the US Green Building Council. The home was designed by Jennifer Langford, AIA, CNU, PA and was constructed by Ivan Solbach. Mary can be reached at The Sustainable Design Group, Gainesville, www.SustainableDesignGroup.com, 352-339-3899. See ad on p.23.

April 2012

13

Birds of a Feather Phlox Together

O

ne of my favorite college activities was the road trip. On fine spring mornings, my two best friends and I—we shall adapt old nicknames and call them Toad Sawyer and Puck Finn—would often jump in the car and take off for the day, purely on a whim.

I’m not saying if we ever skipped school for these excursions. It’s astounding the things our parents get upset about even when they find out all these years later. So for purposes of this story, all road trips were properly authorized and conducted only on weekends.

Spring brings out the road-trip impulses. The weather is beautiful, perfect for rolling down the windows and flying, I mean driving at safe and legal speeds, down country roads where you can smell orange blossoms in the warm air, and the wind whips your hair, and the sunshine tans your face and arms. The world is lit up in vibrant spring green, bright sky blue, the vivid fuchsia and hot pink of azaleas. Spring break beckons, and just beyond that is the siren lure of summer. You feel like you have Jolt cola bubbling in your bloodstream.

Everyone is young in springtime; when you are young in springtime, you might as well be immortal. And when it is a glorious spring morning and you are immortally young just as the whole wide world seems to be, how can your blood not itch to be free and roam?

It’s entrapment, really. Something cosmic is just begging you to drop everything and take off. You are a stronger person than I if you were ever young in springtime and could resist those impulses to jump in the nearest motor vehicle and take off on a jaunt. I would

14

have stolen a John Deere tractor if that were the only way to ride down a country road on the first beautiful spring day.

And so we surrendered to temptation, Sawyer and Finn and I. We rounded up the CDs and cassettes (yes, children of today, we are that old), swimsuits and towels and coconutscented suntan lotion (just in case a beach beckoned), put on our flip-flops and sunglasses, and took off.

We pooled our spare change for gas money. This was back when gas was cheap and a daylong road trip was an affordable expense, even for poor college students, and not an investment requiring the services of a licensed financial planner. We even had money left over to buy Combos, Mountain Dew (and Jolt, when we could get it) for Finn, who guzzled it like a Hummer does regular unleaded, and whatever vile pickled snack product Sawyer wished to procure at a gas station along the way. We were fond of convenience-store cuisine.

Off we went into the wild blue yonder of Wherever ... sometimes we knew where we were headed, and sometimes we didn’t. Sometimes it was about the destination, sometimes the journey. But it was always about open windows, music (always cranked up loud, always upbeat, never instrumental, always with words, and you had to sing along), sunshine, laughter, silliness ... and phlox.

A springtime road trip is not complete without phlox. Not only must phlox be spotted along the roadside, but you must scream out when you see them. I do not mean a polite, “Oh look, there are phlox blooming along this road.” I mean

by Melody Murphy you are to scream. This must interrupt all else, and there is no warning, no other word, only “PHLOX!!!”

You must not worry about scaring the driver. The driver has nerves of steel and is prepared for sudden loud noises. The driver also knows that she is to pull over at the quickest possible opportunity, at which point everyone tumbles out and runs to pick said phlox. (You didn’t think the phlox would be left to bloom pastorally along the roadside, did you?) The handfuls of phlox are stuck in water-filled Jolt bottles, and then you may go. That is all.

The phlox-stop is especially crucial when the rare and elusive red phlox is spotted. You don’t have to stop for every patch of purple phlox you see. But you do for red. Upon that sighting, you must specifically scream, “RED PHLOX!!!” and the same procedure is followed.

I regret a little that I do not now stop to pick phlox. I regret a lot more that life and adult responsibilities prevent Sawyer and Finn and me from running off on road trips the way we used to. But I still notice the phlox every spring, and I smile every time I spot them.

And, when we spot the first phlox of springtime, Sawyer and Finn and I immediately text each other. Just one word: “PHLOX!!!” Just like that.

But that says it all.

Melody Murphy reckons she must be the Jo Harper of this feminized modernday Twainiverse, but that’s all right by her—Becky Thatcher would be way less fun. Here’s to phlox forever and the endless adventures of Sawyer, Finn & Harper, winding our way away somewhere... whether on a country road or a big river.

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“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”~ George Eliot

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April 2012

15

Home

What Does Home Mean to You?

by Nuris Lemire, MS, OTR/L, NC

I

s “home” a physical place? Or is it in the mind? Have you heard: “Home is where the heart is”?

A home can be different for different people.

For now, let’s look at home as the physical place where you live and relax the mind, rest the body and nourish the spirit—your sanctuary, where you can be yourself without any judgments or expectations. You can relax, enjoy the company of family, friends, and above all enjoy your own company.

Standing in the center, looking around, what do you see?

Often the home is an external expression of your inner being. Do you look forward to coming home? Or is it cluttered, and not welcoming?

Eliminate the clutter. Simplify. Create space for new ideas.

Without spending a lot, any space can be re-created to become a nurturing, happy space to live in.

Let’s take a closer look at colors.

Different colors produce different energy in the environment. They have a bearing on your emotions, actions, and responses to people, things and ideas. The concepts of color symbolism, color psychology, and color therapy serve as proof of this. This is why, while decorating your house, you need to keep the influence and meaning of colors in mind.

Red has been known to stimulate mind and nervous system, and is regarded as a conversation stimulant. At the same time, it also arouses appetite.

These are the reasons red is suitable in the drawing room as well as the dining room. Red makes objects appear

16

smaller, so avoid it in rooms that are already small. Being a warm color, it should be used in association with green.

Orange, the combination of red and yellow, has all the traits those two colors have. It exudes warmth, acts as an appetite stimulant, and spreads ex-

uberance. Orange can be used in the dining room and should be balanced by blue. Since it gives an emotional uplift, those suffering from depression would benefit if surrounded by orange.

Yellow is a warm color that is associated with power and helps in creating a bright, happy, cheerful atmosphere. It is best used in rooms that do not get adequate sunlight. Yellow also makes a room appear smaller and can be balanced by using violet.

Green has a soothing effect on the mind; thus, it is associated with relaxation of the nervous system and lowering of blood pressure. Being a cold color, it should be always be balanced with red. Green is also considered to be the color of luck and makes a small room appear bigger.

Blue is said to be calming, relax-

ing, and refreshing. Like green, it is a cool color, and it also makes a room look bigger than it is. Blue is best used in bedrooms. Since it acts as an appetite suppressant, it should not be used in the dining room. As a cool color, it should always be balanced with warm colors such as yellow and orange.

Purple (violet) is the color of royalty and is also associated with spirituality. The color is said to promote creativity, but only if used in moderation.

It is a cool color and shouldn’t be used in excess; otherwise, it might lead to depression and moodiness. You can moderate the color’s effect by using it with yellow. Purple also helps in making small rooms appear larger.

Brown is an earthy color that is believed to create the feeling of intimacy. It also spreads calm and serenity and is good for those who suffer from anxiety or nervousness. However, since it is so subdued, it should always be used with bold colors such as green. You can also go for different tones in brown, such as beige and tan.

Black can convey a lot, depending on how it is used. Used sparingly, it can make a room look elegant, suave and chic, even dramatic. On the other hand, it can impart a depressed feeling to the room. Thus, it should not be used alone or in a wide area. It is best complemented with white.

White signifies purity, freshness, peace, and kindness. Rather than using white on the surface as a whole, white should be used as an accent or background color. The best combination of white is formed with black.

Nuris Lemire is certified in Neuromechanical Acupuncture, Lymphatic Drainage, Craniosacral and Heart Center Therapy; she is also a Reiki Master Practitioner, Wudang China External Qi Healer, and a practitioner of the Maya Abdominal Technique. For more information on these and other components of healthy living, she and Dr. James Lemire, M.D. can be reached at the Lemire Clinic, 352-291-9459, www.LemireClinic.com. For more information on home colors, visit http:// lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/colorswith-meaning-1244.html.

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WiseWords

What steps can we take to shift human consciousness?

Deepak Chopra Explores Consciousness

by Linda Sechrist

D

eepak Chopra, founder of the Chopra Foundation and the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, in Carlsbad, California, is a New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing. Regarded by Time Magazine as the “poetprophet of alternative medicine,” he also lectures around the world and hosts “Deepak Chopra Radio” on BlogTalkRadio.com.

While not defending God in religious terms, I maintain that God is a way of understanding some extremely crucial things: the source of existence, the reality beyond space-time, and the underlying consciousness and creativity of the universe.

When we are personally practicing the divine attitudes of loving kindness, joy, compassion and equanimity, we are moving out of our limited ego.

In War of the Worldviews: Science vs. Spirituality, you and physicist Leonard Mlodinow debate humanity’s most fundamental perennial questions. What is the crux of this contention?

Overall, my co-author suggests that the universe operates according to laws of physics, while acknowledging that science does not address why the laws exist or how they arise. I maintain that the laws of nature, as well as mathematics, share the same source as human consciousness.

He further observes that while science often casts doubt on spiritual beliefs and doctrines insofar as they make representations about the physical world, science does not—and cannot—conclude that God is an illusion. www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

What is your understanding of consciousness?

Consciousness is that which makes possible perception, cognition, emotions, personal relationships, biology, biological function, the environment and its relationship to us, as well as the universe and its relationship to us. Without consciousness, there would be none of this.

Do you feel consciousness and God are one and the same?

Yes, God is infinite consciousness that expresses itself as the universe.

We are little bubbles of consciousness in the ocean of consciousness. Outside of space-time, Infinite Consciousness expresses itself and gives birth to every form of individual consciousness—the individual observer and the internal process of observation, as well as the objects, which are also experienced within the observer.

No social transformation happens in the absence of personal transformation. Therefore, without worrying about other people, the questions to ask yourself are these: Can I be the change that I want to see in the world?

What kind of world do I want to live in and how can I become the agent to create that world for myself?

When we are personally practicing the divine attitudes of loving kindness, joy, compassion and equanimity, we are moving out of our limited ego. If we all do this and reach critical mass, it is possible to create a peaceful, just, sustainable and healthy world—but we each have to shift our self to get where we want to go. To make such a radical shift, we must explore the process of waking up, which centers on transcending the maelstrom of everyday thoughts to find the Source of the mind.

How do you define transcendence?

There are many levels of transcendence. The most profound is deep meditation, known to alter brain structure and lead to lasting transformation.

Transcendence can also happen through deep contemplation, mindfulness, music, poetry, art in any form, dance, falling in love, and selfless service.

Whenever you experience any quality of pure consciousness, however fleeting, you have transcended the mundane.

Pure consciousness, which is the unseen, infinite potential from which everything springs, is centered within itself; silent and peaceful, awake, selforganizing, spontaneous, dynamic, blissful, knowing, whole and encompassing. Despite the infinite diversity of the physical world, at a deeper level, only one process is occurring: Wholeness is moving like a single ocean that holds every wave. You experience this quality when your life makes sense and you feel a part of nature; you are at home simply by being alive.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.

April 2012

17

Rooftop Raised-Beds

GreenLiving

Urban farmers in the U.S. are now transforming an increasingly significant portion of the country’s millions of acres of flat rooftops. Launched in 2010, New York’s Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm operation (BrooklynGrangeFarm. com), totaling nearly an acre atop a mid-rise warehouse, is among the largest of its kind. Sometimes called “vertigo farming,” because the farmers overlook an urban skyline, these enterprises re-green the landscape, wisely manage rainwater and rebuild affordable local fresh food systems.

The Grange grows produce in seven-inch-deep beds using a growing medium made from compost and small, porous stones and annually produces 40 cultivars of organic tomatoes, salad greens, peppers, Swiss chard, beets and carrots. Food is sometimes transported to market via bicycles.

Window Gardens

Windowfarm co-founders Rebecca Bray and Britta Riley (Windowfarms.org/story) help homeowners grow some of their own food in window spaces year-round.

Their research-and-develop-it-yourself hydroponic system project facilitates plant cultivation without soil, using nutrient-infused water pumped through a series of growing containers. To date, more than 20,000 people have downloaded plans for their own Windowfarm.

UNCONVENTIONAL

Alleyway Wonders

In the East Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, flowers, ferns and ivy gardens have replaced concrete alleyways thanks to Podmajersky, a local real estate development firm. The lush gardens provide a sanctuary from city bustle and an aesthetically pleasing and inspiring surrounding for the Chicago Arts District, home to 1,500 artists and other creative entrepreneurs.

In Monroe, Wisconsin, one resident turned a humble downtown alley into a welcoming nature-scape. Taking advantage of the “heat-island effect” generated in paved urban areas from hard-surface buildings and a nearby parking lot, as well as a southern exposure, his Midwest gardens even include cacti.

GARDENS No Space? No Problem.

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

F

or everyone surrounded by a concrete jungle who feels relieved by a pocket park, green strip or landscaped median, the concept of finding a place to grow their own food may seem like a fantasy. Fortunately, backyard, rooftop and community gardens are good ideas that are coming on strong. Around the country, productive green spaces are replacing paved lots and lawns with edible perennials and seasonal crops that enable folks to eat better and fresher, while reducing the family food bill.

“Food plants can be grown anywhere, including on a highrise balcony,” says David Tracey, author of Urban Agriculture: Ideas and Designs for the New Food Revolution. “You just need to meet the plant’s basic requirements for sunlight, water, and a few nutrients. Cities are great places to grow specific kinds of food; they tend to have plenty of niche areas such as empty lots, rooftops, and the ends of streets that urban gardeners are using for growing fresh crops like salad greens and tomatoes.”

18

Go Fish

Aquaponics is a well-organized way to sustainably raise fish and fresh produce together. “It mimics natural recirculation of resources in wetlands in a constructed dual-use ecosystem; the only inputs are fish feed and a small amount of power,” explains Sylvia Bernstein, author of Aquaponic Gardening and founder of TheAquaponicSource.com.

“Because an aquaponic system can be set up anywhere, including warehouses, parking lots and exhausted fields, it is ideally suited to help localize food production and provide an alternative to clearing more land to feed our future.”

Patio Paradise

“When your space is limited, you start to think creatively about how to best use it,” notes Tracey. “Consider all three

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LocalHarvest.org lists some 2,500 community gardens in its database, as does the American Community Gardening Association (CommunityGarden.org). dimensions of a balcony or other narrow areas to maximize growing potential. Climbing vines such as grapes and berries, hanging pots with tomatoes and nasturtium, and fruit trees in half-barrels are great ways to grow more food in a small space. The crops don’t know they’re in a pot.” Herbs love containers too. Some plants, like tomatoes, can even be grown upside-down to more efficiently use limited space.

Vacant Lots

“Community gardens are an excellent solution for those with the garden itch and no land,” advises Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International (KitchenGardeners.org), a nonprofit community of 20,000 members who have been cultivating change since 2008.

Community gardens have taken over empty city lots, church lawns, and schoolyards; they are collectively farmed for food, relaxation or social camaraderie. Co-gardening a neighbor’s lot and sharing the harvest is another option.

Eating the Lawn

“There are no beauty contests in the plant world, but, if there were, a productive, ever-changing patch of diverse vegetables would beat out a monoculture of turf grass any time,” says Doiron, smiling. Put into food production, America’s 25 million acres of lawns could go a long way toward reducing the cost of transporting produce thousands of miles.

Americans growing their own food isn’t a pie-in-thesky fantasy. As University of California garden historian Rose Hayden-Smith confirms, “During the peak year for Victory Gardens, 1943, some government estimates indicated that up to 40 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed on the American home front were produced in school, home, community and workplace gardens.”

“One of the first steps in bringing healthy foods to the forefront of society is bringing them to the front and center of our living spaces,” concludes Doiron. “Growing food in small spaces is all about doing what you can with what you have.”

It does wonders for people’s connection to nature, too.

John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist are co-authors of Farmstead Chef (FarmsteadChef.com), ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance. Their award-winning Inn Serendipity B&B (InnSerendipity.com) operates completely on renewable energy. www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

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19

Breathe Easy

at Home Smart moves to reduce indoor pollution

by Crissy Trask

W

hile most people are aware of outdoor pollution, they may know little about harmful air pollutants inside their home.

That ignorance can have grave consequences.

Indoor pollutants can come from faulty combustion in appliances, trapped moisture, household products, and home furnishings. Even the mattress we sleep on could, through a process called off-gassing, be a source of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOC), making for much worse than a poor night’s sleep. The cumulative effects of exposure to indoor pollutants range from the sniffles to serious illness and death.

“Children are especially vulnerable to poor indoor air quality, due to their smaller and developing lungs,” says Bernadette V. Upton, owner of EcoDecor Inc. in North Palm Beach, Florida. “A child’s lungs continue to develop until they’re 18 years old.

That’s a long stretch of time for children to be exposed to toxic pollutants.”

It’s one of many reasons why Upton became an expert in green interiors. As a noted accredited professional with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the American Society of Interior Designers, she’s in the forefront of her industry.

“When it comes to decorating our homes,” she says, “we focus too much on how rooms look—such as the layout of the furniture and the pattern in the sofa (the visible)—forgetting to pay attention to what’s in products that can turn indoor air into a toxic soup (the invisible).”

Draw a Breath of Fresh Air

To begin, experts agree that every home and business should have proper ventilation to prevent the buildup of indoor pollutants. New buildings are made more airtight these days to keep

out drafts and hold in warm or cool air, even though this puts occupants at risk for health problems.

To ensure that an adequate amount of outdoor air enters a home, open windows as often as possible during good weather. Also ask an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) professional to see if the building could benefit from a mechanical system to remove pollutants. At a minimum, “Heating and cooling systems should have high-quality filters to capture fine particles and should be changed monthly,” says Glenn Fellman, executive director of the Indoor Air Quality Association. But filters alone won’t solve serious air problems.

“If you’re concerned about your air quality, a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) room air cleaner in your main living area or bedroom may protect you further,” says Fellman, “but the key is eliminating the contamination source.”

Most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors, putting us more at risk from indoor pollutants than from outdoor pollutants.

20

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Be Aware of Five Pollutants

1.

CARBON MONOXIDE

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and tasteless toxic gas that’s produced when fossil fuels burn incompletely. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes flu-like symptoms. At high levels, it can cause unconsciousness and even death.

Sources include natural-gas stoves, cooktops, ovens, water heaters and furnaces, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, kerosene space heaters, charcoal grills, and gasoline motors. These sources present a danger to indoor air quality when the CO they produce leaks within a building, instead of being vented outdoors.

Prevention and Remediation • Do not use kerosene and gas heaters without proper ventilation.

• Use an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors when operating a gas stove.

• Do not use a wood-burning fireplace if the smoke can be smelled indoors.

It could be back-drafting and need inspecting.

• Have a professional annually inspect combustion appliances for maintenance and cleanliness.

• Never let a car sit idling in an attached garage or outside near open windows.

It helps to install a detector that will sound an alarm if unsafe levels of CO are detected. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends units that meet the requirements of the current UL standard 2034 or the IAS 6-96 standard. Detectors, however, are no substitute for the proper use and maintenance of CO-producing appliances. www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

2.

RADON

Radon is a radioactive gas formed when naturally-occurring uranium decays in rock, soil and water. Odorless, colorless and tasteless, radon’s a proven carcinogen. The National Research Council estimates that indoor radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, responsible for 15,000 to 21,000 deaths each year.

Radon enters homes from the ground through cracks in the foundation, then works its way through gaps in walls, floors, and around pipes. The greatest exposure to the gas occurs in rooms that are below grade and in contact with the ground, but even second-story rooms can have elevated levels of radon.

Prevention and Remediation New structures can be built to resist radon infiltration.

• Build a sub-slab that creates a vacuum beneath the structure to hold soil gases, which are then piped outside.

• Use mechanical barriers to stop the gas from entering the building.

• Install an air exchange system that constantly replaces indoor air with fresh outdoor air.

Existing structures have a 1 in 15 chance of having elevated levels of radon, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates. A simple home test can reveal whether or not a building suffers from this problem.

Discount testing kits are available from the National Safety Council online at NSC.org/issues/radon/. Radon levels that exceed 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) are considered hazardous and call for remediation by a professional. The National Environmental Health Association maintains a directory of qualified radon professionals at NEHA-nrpp.org.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

The Hippodrome Theatre takes a shakespeare classic and brings it into the present day with a city spin. The Hipp’s production uses modern technology

by William Shakespeare (cell phones, social adapted by Cass Foster networking) to bring the networking directed by Lauren Caldwell story of star-crossed lovers and magical creatures to life for a new generation.

This fantastical and family-friendly re-imagining of this magical adventure will make it engaging and accessible for young people who may never have thought that Shakespeare could be this fun!

April 13 - May 13

Discount previews April 11 & 12

HIPPODROME THEATRE Tickets at thehipp.org | (352) 375.HIPP | 25 SE 2nd Pl | Downtown Gainesville

Find us on Facebook!

April 2012

21

When we cross the threshold into our homes and work spaces, we want—and expect —to feel safe and secure in the environment we’ve created for ourselves. This desire and expectation, however, can be thwarted by the presence of indoor pollutants that we don’t even know are there.

3.

MOLD

Molds, part of the fungus family, thrive in wet environments. They reproduce via tiny spores that become loose and float around in the air. Both mold-allergic and non-allergic people can experience hay fever-like symptoms when inhaling mold or mold spores. In some cases, molds produce potentially toxic substances called mycotoxins.

“Wherever you have moisture, eliminate it immediately,” cautions Fellman.

“Otherwise, there’s a real possibility of having a mold issue develop within 72 hours.”

Prevention & Remediation Diligently find and eliminate moisture problems.

• Wipe water off wet surfaces promptly.

• Run bathroom exhaust fans, vented to the outside, during and following a shower, or open a window to help remove moisture quickly and completely.

• Fix leaky roofs and plumbing. Water from such leaks is often trapped inside building cavities and cabinets, inhibiting evaporation.

• Fix a leaky basement. Control roof water and surface drainage to divert water away from the foundation.

• Maintain a relative humidity of 30 to 50 percent indoors, using a humidity meter (available at hardware stores).

• Vent moisture-producing appliances to the outside (such as dryers and combustion appliances) and use dehumidifiers as necessary.

If you find mold, the EPA recommends using detergent and warm water to scrub it from nonporous, hard surfaces.

Mold growing on porous materials, such as wood, ceiling tiles, upholstery and carpet, may be difficult or impossible to remove completely, and the contaminated item may have to be removed and replaced.

Avoid touching or inhaling any mold. The EPA recommends wearing an N-95 respirator (available at many hardware and paint stores), with goggles and gloves, during cleanup and reminds us that the job is not complete until the water or moisture problem is fixed.

If the mold has spread to a large area or a difficult spot, such as inside ductwork, or if you suspect hidden mold, call in a professional mold specialist.

22

4.

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

VOCs are a class of gases that can cause eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation, dizziness, nausea and allergic reactions, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some are suspected or known human carcinogens.

VOCs are present in thousands of consumer products, including household cleaners, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, pesticides, paints, wood stains and sealers, solvents, drycleaned garments and stain-resistant carpets.

Prevention and Remediation • Look for low-and zero-VOC products, such as paints that carry the Green Seal label. Manufacturers say that these paints perform as well as conventional brands, while emitting far fewer toxic chemicals.

• Use only as much of a household product as recommended by the manufacturer, and increase ventilation when using VOC-emitting products.

• Store products far from living and work spaces. VOCs can escape from sealed containers.

5.

FORMALDEHYDE

Formaldehyde, a type of VOC, is primarily used in the production of resins. Formaldehyde can be released into the air from materials by off-gassing. Unlike air pollutants like radon and CO, formaldehyde has a strong smell. Negative health effects include eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, fatigue, rashes and allergic reactions.

This toxin causes cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins are used in pressed wood products such as particle board, plywood and fiberboard, often applied as subflooring and for shelving in cabinetry and furniture. Other sources include adhesives, UF foam insulation, fiberglass insulation and permanent press textiles.

Prevention and Remediation • Purchase pressed wood products that meet or exceed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s standard for formaldehyde emissions.

• Look for a high percentage of laminated or coated surfaces and edges when buying cabinets and furniture.

• Avoid foamed-in-place insulation containing formaldehyde. Choose blown-in, recycled cellulose, recycled cotton

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batting or formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation instead.

• Use exterior-grade pressed wood products containing PF resins, which emit formaldehyde at a lower rate than UF resins.

• Avoid medium density fiberboard (MDF) in construction projects. It contains the highest resin-to-wood ratio of any UF-pressed wood product.

When using PF- or UF-containing products, pick a solution that either slows formaldehyde release over time or accelerates its release prior to installation.

• In humid conditions, dehumidifiers can slow down off-gassing.

• Increase the flow of outdoor air indoors where these products are present. In new construction, ventilate the building with outside air for four weeks prior to occupancy.

• Set pressed wood products out in the sun for up to four weeks before installing, in order to bake off gases. Allow for ventilation between each board.

Creating a healthy indoor environment can prevent many health problems and discomforts from sneaking up on us, making home the safe refuge it was always meant to be.

Resources: EPA Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse: 800-438-4318. Indoor Air Quality Association: IAQA.org.

National Safety Council: 800-SOS-RADON. National Environmental Health Association: NEHA-nrpp.org. Green Seal: GreenSeal.org.

Crissy Trask is a green lifestyle consultant and the author of It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living.

Symptoms Related to Poor Air Quality • Headaches • Dizziness • Fatigue • Poor concentration • Nausea, vomiting • Scratchy throat • Coughing • Sneezing • Running nose • Irritated, itchy eyes • Skin irritation Source: EPA’s Office of Indoor Air Quality

The most frequent causes of unacceptable indoor air quality are: * Inadequate design and/or maintenance of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. * Shortage of fresh air. * Lack of humidity control.

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ConsciousEating

EAT PLASTICFREE Healthy, Practical Tips for People & the Planet

by Brita Belli

P

lastic is nearly impossible to avoid these days, but we should beware of its health impacts.

First, consider that the chemicals that form plastic compounds are let loose when plastic becomes worn, scratched or heated. When we use plastic containers for food and drinks and these chemicals are freed up, they can enter our food and contribute to a toxic buildup in our bodies. Exposure to such chemicals poses particular danger to pregnant women, babies and young children, whose hormone and brain development can be more easily affected by such toxic insults.

Next, consider that Americans annually send more than 29 million tons of plastic to landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once there, it deteriorates, yet never fully breaks down. Plastic is one of the least recycled forms of packaging, due to its myriad recycling codes and disposable convenience (consider how many of us return plastic grocery bags to the store).

Even worse, countless plastic bags, containers, six-pack rings, beverage straws and other plastic human detritus have found their way into our oceans. The United Nations Environ-

24

ment Programme estimates there are currently 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. Plastic garbage patches entangle, choke and kill turtles, dolphins and other sea life or, after the eroding effects of sun and saltwater, disintegrate into microscopic plastic pellets consumed by fish, which then wind up on our dinner plates.

Here are ubiquitous plastics of concern and practical ways to avoid them.

• Plastic food storage containers.

With plastic storage containers (particularly polycarbonate plastic, with a 7 recycling number or resin identification code), the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is of primary concern. BPA molecules are linked to form the plastic, but some molecules can escape and leach into food contents.

BPA is a known hormone disruptor that has been tied to miscarriage, prostate and breast cancer, obesity and in children, behavioral and cognitive problems. If the plastic is worn, scratched, repeatedly washed or heated, leaching is more likely.

Alternatives: Use stainless steel or glass containers that can be frozen and heated without worry.

• Plastic water and soda bottles.

Flimsy plastic beverage bottles (bearing a number 1 recycling symbol) are made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a petroleum-based plastic that can leach antimony, a metal linked to lung disease, heart problems and stomach ulcers at high concentrations; and phthalates, a common plasticizer associated with male genital deformities, low sperm counts, early puberty, susceptibility to allergens, and autism.

Hot conditions (such as the inside of a car) increase the leaching potential, as does reuse.

Alternative: Invest in a few stainless steel reusable water bottles.

• Plastic sandwich bags. Most plastic sandwich bags are made from lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE), indicated by resin code 4. Although not known to leach chemicals (it’s still wise to avoid microwaving them, however), they contribute to the massive quantity of plastic waste produced each year.

Alternatives: Many reusable cloth lunch bags plus glass, bamboo and stainless steel snack containers are available.

• Clear food packaging, plastic squeeze bottles and peanut butter containers. Many pre-wrapped items in the deli or produce section, as well as condiment squeeze bottles and peanut butter containers bearing a number 3 code, are made with polyvinyl chloride or PVC, one of the most dangerous plastics. During the production of PVC, harmful chemicals like lead, dioxins and vinyl chloride are released that have been tied to health outcomes ranging from learning and behavioral problems to cancer and birth defects. Fatty foods such as cheeses and meats wrapped in number 3 plastics are particularly prone to leaching phthalates.

Alternatives: Opt for food that isn’t wrapped in plastic, such as meat from a butcher or deli counter, rather than prepackaged in the refrigerated bin. Also consider switching to condiments and peanut butters packaged in glass. Better yet, make your own condiments, and reuse your old jars!

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• Styrofoam takeout containers.

Polystyrene foam is technically a number 6 plastic. It’s common in to-go containers and egg cartons, and the styrene that can leach out is tied to many health problems, including neurological damage and harm to the liver and kidneys. Further, styrene is known to build up in body fat, increasing its toxic potential over time.

Alternatives: Shop at natural grocery stores and places where customers can bring their own containers. With egg cartons, opt for cardboard, preferably made from recycled material.

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Conquering Any Disease and Losing Weight An Interview with Qigong Practitioner Jeff Primack (Part 2 of 2) (Continued from the March 2012 issue.) This interview was conducted by Diana E. Vargas, M.D. as a written transcript for her patients. She has practiced medicine for 31 years and was recently certified to teach FoodBased Healing. Jeff Primack is a Qigong teacher who has studied with many naturopathic healers worldwide and has taught more than 30,000 people.

Dr. Vargas: Medical weight loss with HCG is very popular.

People lose weight, but many contest it is a starvation diet.

What are your feelings?

Primack: HCG is a homeopathic formula for suppressing the appetite. Dozens of my students have lost very hardto-burn fat with HCG when high-phytochemical smoothies are the main part of the diet, but I disagree with the diet most people use with the HCG. This will make anyone lose weight, but it creates a very acidic condition for the body.

Drinking high-phytochemical smoothies automatically suppresses the appetite because the body is getting the nutrients it needs. High-phytochemical smoothies and a combination of thermogenic fat burning foods work better for weight loss than a crash diet.

Dr. Vargas: Why is it common for people eating healthy foods to have difficulty getting enough phytochemicals?

Primack: Most phytochemicals (active plant medicine) hide in the cellulose fibers of seeds, stems, skins and rinds of common foods. Many people eat the right foods, but throw away the parts with all the medicine! Smoothies from a 3-horsepower blender have helped many people to reverse cancer. We need to glean out or “micronize” phytochemicals from the seeds, stems, skins and rinds. Juicing fruits and vegetables is a waste of time. It throws fiber away that God intended us to eat! Most people simply don’t know where the phytochemicals are.

Dr. Vargas: It amazes me more doctors are not educated about food-healing, especially considering America has seen a five-fold increase in diabetes in 10 years. How can people naturally balance their blood sugar?

Primack: People often balance blood sugar after a few weeks on a high-phytochemical diet. It is very inexpensive and does not require much of anything outside of the produce department. Certain foods, such as the bitter melon, contain an “insulin-like substance” that, when eaten,

26

The white part of the grapefruit is phytochemical-rich and highly effective at fighting cancer. naturally lowers blood sugar. Many diabetics eat foods they think are healthy, but in reality are not. To begin with, nobody has told them that the disease is completely reversible.

Monitoring blood sugar proves food works. The first step is to increase the amount of phytochemicals eaten and the second is removing certain problem foods. Oddly enough, the foods I recommend avoiding are many of the same ones the diabetic community thinks are good to eat.

Dr. Vargas: Let’s talk about asthma and its connection to Vitamin C deficiency.

Primack: I became asthma-free 15 years ago using a Qigong breathing technique called “Breath Empowerment.”

We teach it on Day 1 of our Qi Revolution seminar along with food-based healing. People's wheezing and asthma symptoms often vanish in as little as a few days using breathing techniques and, of course, eating specific foods.

I've recommended kiwi for years because of its superior bioavailable Vitamin C. Tablets of Vitamin C will not reverse someone’s asthma; only food-based Vitamin C does this.

There are many foods that when eaten help to keep asthmatics out of the emergency room.

Dr. Vargas: You blend parts of fruits and vegetables that most people throw away. Why do you do this specifically for reversing heart disease?

Primack: I realize most nutritionists are surprised to see me blend a delicious smoothie adding a whole avacado including the big seed. When a knowledgeable nutritionist hears that the avocado seed has tons of phytochemicals for detoxification and more soluble fiber for cleaning plaque out of arteries than any other food, we usually have their attention.

Some of what I say is controversial, but real people have tested my heart disease protocol. Reishi mushroom is clinically shown to help heart disease patients with chest pain and is backed by research from the University of Tokyo.

My grandfather had chest pains every day for years, and the same day he began supplementing Reishi into his diet, the chest pains stopped. Along with ingesting the high soluble fiber foods like avocado (and its big seed), my grandfather extended his life, astonishing the doctors with his lipid panel.

Cholesterol can be safely lowered with special foods and inexpensive mushrooms. We make a tea out of eggplant and other powerful foods that can significantly lower the LDL bad cholesterol. I combine several foods that have similar effects and add foods to balance the taste, making it delicious. Don’t assume that medicine has to come from a pill or inside a bottle.

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“Wild dolphins often enjoy interacting with boats, but most are not interested in being close to humans. As soon as you get into the water, they disappear,” McLeod explains. “The Atlantic spotted dolphin species near Bimini is unusual in that they are comfortable connecting with people, and seem to enjoy it as much as we do. Amazingly, they actually include us in their pod activities during these encounters.”

These spotted dolphins often swim very close to the boat, jumping up or turning to get a better view of folks on McLeod’s catamaran. Once overboard, swimmers revel in how the animals playfully move and twirl amongst them and often come within inches as they glide by slowly enough to make prolonged eye contact.

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People who swim so intimately with these dolphins depart feeling they have “met the master,” as McLeod puts it. Comments from guests returned via TripAdvisor.com (Tinyurl.com/7n8khqf) report how the experience puts them back in touch with who they really are and empowers them to make changes in their lives. “Connecting with these special dolphins somehow brings us into the ‘here and now’ in a profound way,” says McLeod. “We drop out of the mind and into the heart. There is this feeling of expansion, connection and being one with everything. When people return home, they often report that they have started to let go of things in their lives that no longer serve them, allowing them to become more true to themselves.”

For more information, visit WildQuest. com. Bill Van Arsdale is a contributing writer who recently swam with the dolphins near Bimini.

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Pulling the Weeds in the Garden of the Heart Interview with Dr. David Wolf

by Kylie Devi

KD: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Dr. Wolf. I am curious about a phrase I have heard: “pulling the weeds in the garden of the heart.” Can you tell me what it means?

DW: This refers to a metaphor I read about many years ago in a book called The Nectar of Devotion.

Essentially it means cultivating the flowers of spiritual devotion, of purity.

Just as in a garden, there are flowers growing, and there are weeds. As we cultivate our self-realization, our understanding of our true identity as spiritual beings, it is important to be

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conscious of our weeds, and pulling our weeds.

We may engage in some powerful spiritual meditation, which waters the flowers of spiritual growth and devotion.

At the same time, subtly, we develop a mentality of “I am so superior to those who just drink beer and go to the football game.” This arrogance gets in the way of our spiritual practice. Every moment of meditation waters the flowers, but it also waters the weed of arrogance. This strangles the flower of devotion.

KD: How does this concept relate to the principles of transformative communication that you teach?

DW: Communication is allpervasive, so there is communication with others, and there is communication with myself. And the quality of our communication is the quality of our life. Let’s say we develop the weed of resentment. This is very self-sabotaging; it pollutes our inner atmosphere. I might not be aware of this—I might think, I am resentful because this person acted this way and it wasn’t fair. But when I look a little deeper, I realize I have been holding onto this resentment for months, or even years, because I get to feel superior. Or maybe I am holding onto resentment to avoid the courage it would take to actually call that person and have a conversation about why I feel hurt, and to engage in empathic, assertive, considerate

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KD: What results have you seen in people’s relationships when they implement this principle of pulling the weeds in their communication processes?

DW: Profound relief, and freedom.

Sometimes, something that has caused bitterness and resentment for years, can be cleared in just a few minutes. A heavy burden or heavy baggage can be unloaded in a matter of minutes with the principles of deep listening, and high level communication. This process of transformative communication creates a sacred space between people and within ourselves, and in that space oftentimes people see themselves. So they get to live in authenticity, in joy, and enriched. I have seen this with myself and with thousands of others.

Kylie Devi is a writer, blogger, and founder of Recovering the Spirit. She can be reached at kyliedevi@gmail.com or on Facebook. For more information about Dr. David Wolf, visit www.

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Duxelles Deux

Resist the urge to finely chop or dice the onions and mushrooms.

Either slice or rough-cut these two ingredients; chunky is good in this recipe. For a wine pairing, use a bold red—perhaps Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Tempranillo. Enjoy!

(Mushroom/Onion Melange)

Ingredients (serves 6 to 8): 2 medium sweet onions 12 oz. mushrooms (baby bellas, button, white, shitake or a blend) 2 shallots 3 to 4 garlic cloves 4 tbsp. unsalted butter ½ c. red wine ½ c. heavy cream Salt and Pepper

by Clark Dougherty

S

ince this recipe is a hybrid of duxelles mushrooms found inside Beef Wellington and sautéed mushroom/onions served atop steaks, I’m just calling it Duxelles Deux.

Besides being a stand-alone side dish with beef, or spooned as a sauce over steaks, this versatile mixture can become duxelles bruschetta when cooked down to almost no liquid and baked inside a puff pastry, or put on top of toasted brioche, bagatelle or crispini. If you go that route, add fresh chopped basil over it for serving.

Directions: Slice, rough cut or julienne white onions and mushrooms. Thinly slice shallots and garlic (remove end eyes).

Place 2 tbsp. of the butter into a large skillet over medium heat. Add

onions, sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms, garlic and shallots. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn heat to medium high. Add red wine.

Stir mixture occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low. Add cream; continue stirring and simmering for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add final 2 tbsp. butter, stirring it into mixture along with (if desired) salt and pepper to taste.

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Whole Body Vibration To lose fat, shake it

by Sue Morris

I

t started with a conversation on an airplane 30 years ago, when I was seated next to a doctor and I held a new diet book on my lap. She was an MD on the staff of Harvard’s School of Public Health, and I was a reporter who wanted to lose 10 pounds from a recent Caribbean vacation. She saw the book. “I was part of the research team on that,” she said, introducing herself.

What luck, I thought! Here I am, sitting next to one of the top diet researchers from Harvard, and I am itching to ask her how to get rid of my fat.

I blurted out: “What’s the secret?”

“If you want to lose fat, shake it!” the doctor piped up, enthusiastically.

“Any way you can. Jog, dance, just get that fat moving!” Now, 30 years later, her words resonate with me as I research “whole body vibration,” an old idea that is new again, and popping up everywhere as clinics and exercise studios offer therapeutic and weight-loss sessions on “whole body” vibrating machines.

30

In the 1880s, Dr. Harvey Kellogg practiced in Battle Creek, Michigan, in his resort “sanitarium.” The doctor, known for his corn flakes, had a program for his resort guests that included vibrating chairs and other electrical appliances to stimulate the muscles.

The opinionated former U.S. Army doctor, a Seventh Day Adventist until his later years, wanted his guests to eat vegetables and whole grains, plus abstain from alcohol and sex. Married couples were given separate lodgings at The Battle Creek Sanitarium.

Dr. Kellogg followed his own wellness strategies, and lived into his 90s.

Next to pick up the idea of “whole body vibration” were the Soviet Union and East Germany. The communist Olympic athletes were picking up medals and surpassing traditional Olympic powerhouse teams from America, Great Britain and Western Europe. Along with the suspicion that drugs and hormones played a part, Westerners wondered what the Eastern bloc was doing mechanically to make their athletes seem more physically developed.

As it turns out, among the more suspect techniques, Russian and East German scientists studied electrostimulation of the muscles and applied their experiments to athletic training.

They noticed an increase in flexibility and strength. It paid off quickly, and soon tiny East Germany was racking up Olympic medals at a rate disproportionate to its small population. The Soviets were dominating the sports scene.

Russian scientists in the 1960s applied these techniques in training cosmonauts, applying stimulation directly to their muscles, and later, developed vibrating platforms for the cosmonauts to use during and after missions in space. Unlike NASA, the Russian space program devoted itself earlyon to studying lengthy stays in space.

American astronauts tackled short mis-

sions only, because the effect of zero gravity on the body reduced muscle and bone mass. Russian cosmonauts, on the other hand, stayed at the Mir Space Station for long hauls, and were using whole body vibration platforms on those early space stations.

NASA followed the Russians’ lead.

The Americans learned that the vibrations improved circulation, made muscles work harder, and staved off bone loss. And, of course, American athletes were using the same technology, to improve musculature, increase strength, and rehabilitate damaged tissue.

Today, whole body vibration machines are made by several companies for public use. Some of the models have received FDA approval as “class 1 medical devices.”

Here is the science behind shaking away the fat: When you stand on a vibration platform, you’re doing more than just shaking. The rapid expansion and contraction of the muscles increases blood flow and the circulation of the lymphatic system. Your body will be expelling waste and building muscle tissue.

If you begin using a vibrating platform, you might see changes right away, but many adherents say it will take two to six weeks for you to receive the full effects. Continued use improves the body’s ability to drain toxins and lymphatic waste. The lymphatic system has no equivalent to the way the heart circulates blood; it relies, instead, on steady movement by the muscles, and blood pressure. In that way, the body gets rid of the toxins we accumulate from stress, eating poorly, and drinking excess caffeine and alcohol. People who are using whole body vibration are encouraged to follow a sensible weightloss diet. Along with that, proponents of this type of exercise also urge clients to drink plenty of water to gently aid in the body’s natural elimination.

The results? A firmer, toned, leaner, healthier body. Dr. Kellogg, the Russians, NASA, Harvard, and the new fitness salons agree: if you want to lose fat, shake it!

Sue Morris has worked in TV and radio broadcasting, marketing, and public relations. Connect on Facebook at SueSkippyMorris.

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Studies: “Effect of 6-month whole body vibration training on hip density, muscle strength, and postural control in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled pilot study.” J Bone Miner Res. 2004 Mar;19(3):352-9. Epub 2003 Dec 22.

Verschueren SM, Roelants M, Delecluse C, Swinnen S, Vanderschueren D, Boonen S. CONCLUSION: WBV training may be a feasible and effective way to modify well-recognized risk factors for falls and fractures in older women [58-74] and support the need for further human studies. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/15040822 “Strength increase after whole-body vibration compared with resistance training.” Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Jun;35(6):1033-41. Delecluse C, Roelants M, Verschueren S. Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Laboratory, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Department of Kinesiology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

CONCLUSION: WBV, and the reflexive muscle contraction it provokes, has the potential to induce strength gain in knee extensors of previously untrained females to the same extent as resistance training at moderate intensity. It was clearly shown that strength increases after WBV training are not attributable to a placebo effect. The aim of this study was to investigate and to compare the effect of a 12-wk period of whole-body vibration training and resistance training on human knee-extensor strength. Sixtyseven untrained females [21.4 +/- 1.8 yr] participated in the study. www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pubmed/12783053 “Vibrations and their applications in sport. A review.” J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005 Sep;45(3):324-36. Issurin VB. Institute for Physical Education and Sport, Elite Sport Department of Israel at the Wingate, Israel. CONCLUSION: In comparison to VS (vibratory stimulation) exercises, WBV tasks generate more global neuromuscular, metabolic and hormonal responses. WBV training resulted in significant changes in several motor variables, with stretch-shortening cycle tests (such as countermovement jumps, serial high jumps, etc.) being the most sensitive to WBV treatment. www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16230984

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James E. Lemire, M.D., FAAFP Nuris Lemire, MS, OTR/L, NC The Lemire Clinic

Meditative PsychotherapyTM James R. Porter, Ph.D., LMHC Gainesville, Alachua 352-514-9810, www.WinningHarmony.com Consciousness, presence, awareness of your source. Dr. Porter provides a spiritual, omnicultural home for Western psychotherapeutic treatments.

Biologic Dentistry Dr. Cornelius A. Link, DDS 352-732-8544 / Ocala / www.drlinkdds.com There must be a biologic balance in the mouth as part of total body health. This means being concerned about infections in the teeth and gums, the relationship of the teeth to the jaws, the teeth to each other, saliva pH and metal toxicity. As a member of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, we follow a recommended safety protocol for removal of amalgam fillings, if necessary. Dental materials compatibility testing available.

Colonics Gentle Waters Healing Center 352-374-0600, Gainesville info@gentlewatershealing.com The therapists at Gentle Waters Healing Center will assist each individual with detoxing using colon hydrotherapy, Far Infrared Sauna, and/or Aqua Chi Lymphatic Drainage. We also carry probiotics, digestive enzymes, and other products for overall health. Proud sponsors of Barley Life Nutritional Products. Call Dawn Brower for more information or visit www.gentlewatershealing.com. MA41024, MM15426.

Fitness Hip Moves Fitness Studio Rona Bennett, BS, CPT Holistic Health, Personal Fitness Coaching 708 N.W. 23rd Ave., Gainesville www.hipmoves.com / 352-692-0132 An intimate fitness studio focusing on creativity and holistic health. Classes and private lessons in Belly Dance, Yoga, Pilates, and Personal Training.

Rental space available.

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11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Suite 600 Ocala, FL 34481 / 352-291-9459 www.LemireClinic.com Dr. Lemire has been in practice for 32 years. He follows a Functional Medicine approach, utilizing up-todate techniques such as: Chelation, Detoxification, natural hormone replacement, nutrition, Prolo/Biopuncture, acupuncture, anti-aging, among others. Dr. Lemire along with his staff are dedicated to a joint partnership with their patients—a partnership that seeks to maximize the God-given life potential of each individual. We believe that true wellness for the whole person includes a healthy body (physical self), a healthy mind (emotions and intellect), and a spiritual peace. For this life-changing goal, Lemire Clinic commits their energy, their compassion and their skills.

Hanoch Talmor, M.D. Gainesville Holistic Center 352-377-0015 www.betterw.com We support all health challenges and the unlimited healing potential of God’s miracle: your body.

Chelation, Nutrition, Cleansing, Homeopathy, Natural Energy Healing, Detoxification, Wellness Education and more.

Michael J. Badanek, BS,DC,CNS,DACBN,DCBCN 3391 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Suite #B Ocala, FL 34470 / 352-622-1151 www.alternativewholistichealth.com 30+ years in clinical practice with alternative wholistic complementary health services. Treating the body to support all health challenges with Wholistic Integrative Medicine. Treatments include Autoimmune disorders, Lyme disease, Autism, ADD/ ADHD, Musculoskeletal conditions, Heavy metal toxicity, Cardiovascular and endocrine conditions, Nutritional deficiencies/testing.

Hypnotherapy Christine Green CHt Hypnotherapy Gainesville Hypnotherapy 1212 NW 12th Ave., Suite C-3 Gainesville FL 32601 / 352-339-6078 www.OneStepDeeper.com Invite amazing changes into your life through Hypnosis.

The powerful process of Hypnotherapy guides you naturally and easily to the life you truly deserve. Free consultation: www.onestepdeeper.com and 352-339-6078.

Life Coaches Cynthia Christianson, M.A., CCC ThetaHealing™ Advanced Practitioner 352-374-7982 or 352-284-1107 www.thetahealingworks.net ThetaHealing™ coaching is using the Belief and Feeling Work to empower people with the ability to remove and replace negative emotions, feelings and thoughts with positive, beneficial ones. Change your negative beliefs and you will heal on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels thus really seeing this relief show up in your life.

Larry Veatch, M.S., M.B.A. Board Certified Life Coach Licensed Mental Health Counselor Member, National Board of Certified Counselors.

352-359-0071, larryv8@cox.net Larry has 33 years’ experience helping others via individual and group sessions. He helps others achieve self assessment, establish values, and construct well-developed goals. See the Calendar of Events for information on a free workshop Wednesday, April 11.

Printed on recycled paper to protect the environment

Massage Tiara L. Catey, LMT Center for Balance 1705 N.W. 6th St., Gainesville 352-642-4545 / www.tiaracatey.com Relieve pain, manage stress and cultivate joyful relaxation and balance by including massage as an essential part of your self-care practices. Therapeutic massage, relaxation massage and lomilomi. Includes aromatherapy. Holistic approach. Some insurance accepted. Visa/MC. See www.tiaracatey.com for details. MA41831.

Clark Dougherty Therapeutic Massage Clinic 850 N.E. 36th Terr., Ocala 352-694-7255 / www.ClarkDougherty.com Offering a variety of therapeutic massage techniques for pain relief, improved flexibility, and other wonderful benefits. PIP and WorkComp always accepted, also group/private insurance in some instances. All credit cards accepted. Gift certificates are available now for Mother’s Day and birthdays with 25% discount on a second session. MA27082, MM9718.

Rolfing

Meryl Lowell, LMT The Health and Healing Center of Ocala 2206 SE 3rd Avenue, Ocala 352-622-9339 or 352-427-8525 www.backinbalancemassagetherapy.com MA#55987, MM#23420.

Therapeutic massage and Reiki for pain relief and relaxation.

Carol L. Short / Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Craniosacral Therapist, Gainesville and North Central FL / 352-318-0509 RolfingŽ is a system of body restructuring through systematic manipulation of muscle and fascial tissues. It promotes the release and realignment of long standing patterns of tension and dysfunction, bringing the body to greater balance, mobility, vitality, and ease.

A holistic approach to mobility, vitality and balance. MA16337/MM18921.

Piano Services Hendrix Piano Service 352-895-5412, Serving north central Florida Tuning, repairs, cleaning, fine custom maintenance of your acoustic piano.

Pianist: accompaniment, weddings, other church services, concerts. Experience: churches, cabarets, Marion Chorale, Duelling Divas, much more. Fine used pianos available.

Veterinary Care Medicine Wheel Veterinary Services Shauna Cantwell DVM, Ocala, FL www.shaunacantwell.com / 352-538-3021 Holistic veterinary medicine for small animals and horses.

Preventative health, arthritis, neurologic and hormonal dysfunction, skin, allergies, cancer, pain, immune and chronic disease, more. Certified Veterinary Acupuncture, certified cAVCA animal chiropractic, herbal therapy, tui na medical massage, functional neurology, postural rehabilitation, ozone therapy, homotoxicology, nutrition. Available for workshops.

Mosswood Farm Store 703 NE Cholokka Blvd Micanopy, FL 32667 (352) 466-5002 www.MosswoodFarmStore.com Organic coffee and pastries, sustainable living books and earth friendly supplies, crafts, soaps, homemade bread, much more. Open every day 10-6.

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CalendarofEvents Listings are free for our sponsors and just $15 each for others. Visit the Web page at www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com/news. htm, email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail. com, or call 352-629-4000.

Thursday, March 29 Green Smoothies Seminar. FREE, 6pm.

Nuris Lemire, The Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Suite 600, Ocala, 352-2919459, www.LemireClinic.com.

March 30-April 1 (Must attend all three days) Alternatives to Violence Training for Youth ages 11-17, facilitated by James R. Porter, Ph.D., LMHC. Friday, 9-3; Saturday, 9-5; Sunday, 9-12. Loga Springs Academy Human Enrichment Center , 931 NE 16th, Avenue Gainesville. $50, registration required. 352337-0686, www.LogaSprings.com.

Stansted-in-Florida 2012 4-Day Psychic-Medium Spiritual Development Course July 12-15, 2012 in St. Johns, FL Similar to courses taught at the Arthur Findlay College, Stansted, England Check our complete program on the website.

“Like” our Natural Awakenings Facebook page for breaking news about health, the earth, and upcoming events.

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

Monday, April 2 FREE screening of documentary film “The Interrupters,” Q&A with Ameena Matthews (one of the featured “violence interrupters” in the film) afterward. 6:30-9 pm. PK Yonge Performing Arts Center, 1080 SW 11th St., Gainesville, 352-234-6595, www.CenterForPeaceBuilding.org.

Meet the Doctor Open House. FREE, 6pm. The Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Suite 600, Ocala, 352-291-9459, www.

LemireClinic.com.

Saturday, April 7 Chakra Balancing and Alignment with Sharron Britton. 12-5pm, $20 or FREE with purchase of $25 or more. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-4548657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

His Holiness Bhakti Vasudev Swami event, 4-6pm. FREE. “Unity in Diversity” lecture at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Avenue followed by light buffet. 352-373-1030.

April 7-14 Panchakarma at Amrit Yoga Institute. An 8-day panchakarma and yoga program based on specific protocols tailored to the individual’s constitution. Only eight participants are accepted per session. Information: www.amrityoga.org, info@amrityoga.org, 352-685-3001.

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Sunday, April 8 “Relationships That Work.” Improve all your relationships with better communication. FREE with online registration at www. satvatove.com/register.

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Keywords: Natural Awakenings Gainesville, Ocala, The Villages Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

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Wednesday, April 11th “Making the Most of Your Retirement” Life Coaching workshop in Newberry, 9-11am. FREE to retirees and those near retirement. Larry Veatch, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and National Certified Counselor, 352-359-0071, larryv8@cox.net.

Saturday, April 14 Building a Salt Lodge Meeting with Tad DeGroat. 1-3pm, FREE. High Springs Empo-

rium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs.

386-454-8657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

Healthy Foods Class: How to cook using tofu. 11-3:00 pm, $10. Presenter: Diane King. Held at the Community House, 2 Cedar Crse., Ocala, 352-687-2113.

Psychic/Medium Spiritual Development Class. $25, 2-4:30pm. Includes meditation, lesson, practice. Held at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, www.ifsk.org, 407673-9776.

The 4th Annual Rose Lover’s Gathering. Speakers Peggy Martin and Ruth Knofp.

11am-6pm, $5-10 donation. Angel Gardens, 14228 NW 222 Pl., Alachua.

April 14-15 Reiki Level II with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233), in Ocala, Sat. 10am-5:30pm, Sun. 1-4:30pm, 352-239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

Sunday, April 15 Will Tuttle at 10am service. Piano concert, 7-8:30pm. FREE. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd., Ocala 352-687-2113.

Monday, April 16 Will Tuttle World Peace Diet Workshop.

FREE (love offering). Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd., Ocala 352-687-2113.

Tuesday, April 17 Good Health: What Is It Really? with Lin Bliek. 1:30-2:30pm, FREE. Defining good health and how it affects our daily living. Diamond Star Center (DSC), 3341 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages 32162. RSVP 352-350-1205.

April 19-22 Reawakening the Goddess. Program for women only. Connecting self, creativity, and the ultimate source within. Dance, painting, meditation, yoga. $495 includes accommodations and meals. Information: www.amrityoga. org, info@amrityoga.org, 352-685-3001.

Saturday, April 21 Energy Blessing Day, 9:30-3. Reiki, massage, Bio-mat, Quantum Touch, etc.; love offering. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd., Ocala, 352-687-2113; call to secure an spot.

Healing the Earth with Crystal Grids and Thanksgiving, an Earth Day workshop with Sharron Britton. 2-4pm, $20. Call to sign up.

High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657, www. highspringsemporium.net.

April 21-22 Initiation Healing® Therapeutics Level I with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233), in Ocala, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 10-6pm, $100, 352-2399272, www.initiationhealing.com.

Spring Expo. Indoor/outdoor event featuring vendors and mini-workshops about

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4 Arrows Ranch ORGANIC Meats  Grassfed Angus Beef  Heritage Pork  Free-Range Heirloom Turkey  No antibiotics, hormones, or animal byproducts fed  Pickup available in Marion County / We also ship

4 Arrows Ranch / Citra, FL 352-595-8387 / grassfedgourmet@aol.com www.thegrassfedgourmet.com

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April 2012

35

gardening, home improvement, more. Appleton Museum grounds, 4331 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, www.MainStreetChamberMarion.org.

Sunday, April 22

Earth Day.

“Soul Masters: Dr Sha & Dr Guo” film screening, discussion, and Divine Healing Hands Blessings after movie with Geho Gold.

1-5:30pm. $10 by April 15; $15 after. Soul Essentials, Ocala. Geho, 386-341-6260, www. behealedwithin.com.

Friday, April 27

Divine Healing Hands Soul Healing Evening with Master Sha. FREE, 7-10 pm. Join Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha, world-renowned Soul Healer, Inspired Teacher and Divine Channel. Be in the presence of a great living master. Receive powerful healings and teachings directly from him! FREE. Ramada Inn and Confreence Center, Ocala. Geho, 386-3416260, www.behealedwithin.com.

April 27-29

ThetaHealingWorks Basic DNA. Cynthia Christianson, Certified ThetaHealing Practitioner/Instructor and Certified Life Coach, www. thetahealingworks.net, 352-374-7982.

Saturday, April 28

African Shell Divinations with Omialadora Ajamu, Priestess of Yemonja the Great African Mother Goddess. 12-5 PM, $60/hour.

Call to sign up. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386 4548657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

From the Myth to the Mat: a Joyful Yoga workshop. Presenter: Katie Campione, RN, CYT. 2-4:30pm, $30, The Wellness-Spa, 340 NW 1st Ave, High Springs. Advanced registration required. 386-454-4540, hathaexperience@yahoo.com.

April 28–30

Tao Soul Healing and Enlightenment Retreat. 10am-10pm. With Master Zhi Gang Sha (Dr. Sha), world-renowned healer, Taoist lineage holder, Divine Channel. $200 in person or via webcast. Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Ocala. Geho, 386-341-6260, www. behealedwithin.com.

April 28-May 4

Tao Year I Retreat 10am-10pm. Master Zhi Gang Sha, world-renowned healer, NYT bestselling author of Tao I and Tao II, shares profound and sacred ancient wisdom, practical Tao techniques to accelerate your healing and spiritual journey. $625. Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Ocala. In person or webcast. Geho, 386-341-6260, www.behealedwithin.com.

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Monday, April 30

Contemplative Spirituality and Mental Health Workshop with James Porter, Ph.D., LMHC. 6-7pm, $5. Held at Loga Springs Academy Human Enrichment Center, 931 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville. Registration required; 352-514-9810 or www.WinningHarmony. com.

April 30-May 2

Advanced DNA. Cynthia Christianson, Certified ThetaHealing Practitioner/Instructor and Certified Life Coach, www.thetahealingworks.net, 352-374-7982

Saturday, May 19

Introduction to Initiation Healing® with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233) in Ocala, Sat. 12-4pm, $40 (4CEs), 352-239-9272, www. initiationhealing.com.

May 18-May 20

Transformative Communication and SelfEmpowerment Seminar facilitated by Dr. David Wolf, author of Relationships That Work, and Marie Glasheen, professional transformative coach. For more information and to register call Marie, 386-462-1438 or go to www. satvatove.com.

Saturday, June 2

Qigong Level I Healing Form & Breathwork with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233), in Ocala, Sat. 9am-12 pm, $40, 352-239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

June 2-8

Satvatove Advanced Seminar Experience; 7 days of courageous introspection and selfempowerment, facilitated by Dr. David Wolf and Marie Glasheen. For more information and to register call Marie, 386-462-1438 or go to www.satvatove.com.

June 9-10

Reiki Level I with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233), in Ocala, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 12-6 pm, $125 (12 CEs), 352-239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

June 23-24

Initiation Healing® Breath & Meditation I with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233), in Ocala, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 10am-6pm, $75, 352239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

September: Semester begins

Satvatove Institute School of Transformative Coaching offers Principles and Practices of Transformative Coaching. This course is approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The next semester begins in September, 2012. For the course syllabus visit http://satvatove.com/syllabus.pdf. Information: 386-418-8840, http://www.satvatove.com/ life-coaching-courses/life-coach-training/

ONGOING Sundays

Farmers Market, 12-4. Mosswood Farm Store, 703 NE Cholokka Blvd, Micanopy, 352-466-5002, www.mosswoodfarmstore. com.

Meditation and Spiritual Lesson, 10am.

Unity of Ocala, Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd., Ocala, 352-687-2113, www.unityocala. org.

Science of Mind and Spirit Meditation 9:45am, Celebration /Message 10:30am, Youth and Children’s Celebration 10:30am. Love offering. OakBrook Center for Spiritual Living, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala, FL 352-629-3897, www.oakbrookcsl.org.

Sunday services, 11am. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville, 352373-1030, www.UnityOfGainesville.org.

Monday-Friday

Organic Food Pickups. Monday, Ocala; Tuesday, Eustis and Mt. Dora; Wednesday, Ocala and Gainesville; Friday, Oxford/The Villages. Homegrown Organics by Doreen, 352-598-4184, http://www.homegrownorganics.vpweb.com. Recipes: http://homegrowngainesville.wordpress.com/

Therapeutic Bodywork, Reiki, Energy Balancing and Energy Healing Attunements with Ojela Frank, LMT (MA60233). Offices in Ocala and Summerfield. 352-239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

Tuesdays

Healing Yoga with Marque Kolack.

1-2pm, $25/4 sessions, Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd., Ocala, 352-867-9660.

Yoga with Jenny Kastelic, 8:30-10am, FREE. Held at Loga Springs Academy Human Enrichment Center, 931 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville; call 352-337-0686 to reserve a spot.

Saturdays

Farmstead Saturdays. Free, 9-3pm.

Crones Cradle, 6411 NE 217 Pl, Citra. 352595-3377, www.cronescradleconserve.com.

Seven days/week

Abraham, yoga, breathwork, reiki, much more—something every day. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave., 352-373-1030, www.unityofgainesvillefl.org.

Bellydancing, fitness, yoga classes, personal training as early as 5:30am, as late as 7:30pm. Hip Moves, 708 NW 23rd Ave, Gainesville, 352-692-0132, www.hipmoves. com.

Yoga classes as early as 5:30am, as late as 8:30pm, beginners (including “Stiff Guys”) to experienced Hot Yoga. Big Ron’s Yoga College, Gainesville, 352-367-8434, www.bigronsyoga.com.

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QI REVOLUTION 2012

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PER HAVE EXGEST ENERGY OAFR * Cloud Hands: Beautiful practice for strengthening Lungs and opening chest.

SEMIN E STRON * Earth Hands: Strengthens the hips, legs, & the reproductive center of the body. TH IR LIVES AT THIS E TH A * Around the World: Rotate at waist, spheres of qi are created to boost energy. * Push Hands: Energy is projected outside body. Qi gently “pushes” to assist movements. * Natural Walking Qigong: Generate Healing Qi by walking naturally in your neighborhood.

ADVANCED BREATHING APPLICATIONS LEVEL2 & 3 MONDAY & TUESDAY

* Tumo Breathing: Build Warmth & Qi-Power in your Navel. Pulsation of Blood & Qi flows down arms & legs. * Wuji Style Qigong: Explore 7 Wuji Movements. Create your own Qigong form. “MAGNETIC DANCE” of Qi. 9-B * 9-Breath Method: ULTIMATE Breathing practice. Blissful waterfall of Qi removes stress & negativity! * Advanced 9-Breath: Ignite Energy to deepest possible levels. We become PURE SPIRITUAL VIBRATION. * Healing Others w/9-Breath Method: Capable of True Miracles. Recipients experience “Flush of Energy”.

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Increase your Qi-Healing Potential with Legendary Teachers.

Honorary Guests include: Mystery School Master Almine Barton, 5 Element Master Professor Tanya Storch, and Dr. Roger Jahnke, O.M.D. “I’ve been a practitioner of Reiki since 1983. I love Reiki and find your Qigong helps my practice tremendously.

I FEEL the energy more powerfully now than I ever thought possible! - Rev. Ojela Frank, Author, Reiki Master “This is definitely the most powerful workshop I have ever attended. The meditation and Qigong experiences were at a level that few things In life can compare to. Everybody was glowing.” - George Munoz M.D. “I have 30 Years Experience in Yoga, Tai Chi & Qigong and I have never felt energy like this before. This system combines Qigong with Advanced Breathing Exercises that are PHENOMENALLY ENERGETIC.” - Rick Agel M.D.

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352-685-3001 / www.AmritYoga.org Experience The Power To Heal PEMF (pulse electric magnetic field) therapy 1 session @$40 5 @$175 plus 1 FREE 10 @$300 plus 1 FREE 11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Suite 600, Ocala 352-291-9459 / www.LemireClinic.com

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Special: Book 1 and receive 10% off Book 2 and receive 15% off

Farmers’ Market every Sunday 703 NE Cholokka Blvd Micanopy, FL 32667 352-466-5002

Pre-Purchase of 4 or More Sessions Patricia Sutton, LMT, NMT, CRT, MA22645 Neuromuscular Massage

By Design / 352-694-4503

Courtesy consultation



20% discount on pre-purchase of 5 or more massage sessions

Classes

Farm Stead Saturday, 9-3 every week. Fun for the whole family.

FREE! 6411 NE 217th Pl., Citra 352-595-3377

EXP. NOTICE:

These Special Offers are good for this month only, unless otherwise stated.

www.MosswoodFarmStore.com

FREE water analysis

352-401-1818

Call for appointment

Marion County

352-751-0362

Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, Ocala 352-622-1151 www.AlternativeWholistic.com

Lake/Sumter

352-373-5600 Alachua County

11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Suite 600, Ocala 352-291-9459 / www.LemireClinic.com

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April 2012 Save Money on a Healthy Lifestyle!

www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

39

Restore energy

with

natural

detoxification For decades, Americans have increasingly turned to “alternative” forms of medicine and natural treatments.

They have sought help for all kinds of diseases and conditions that were not helped by traditional Western medicine, which is often characterized by surgery and narcotics.

Lemire Clinic focuses on “functional natural medicine,” which does not rely only on invasive procedures or drugs. It combines modern science with ancient healing wisdom from different parts of the world, including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

At Lemire Clinic, we combine various natural therapies with safe, proven medical treatment to help remove stress, reduce pain and anxiety, manage symptoms and promote well-being. Using these non-traditional pain management techniques and detoxification therapies, we can cleanse the body of chemical, heavy-metal and environmental toxins. We have successfully reduced pain and symptoms and improved the overall condition for many patients.

Amazing Facials!

Season Special:

10% off 15% off

Book 1 and Receive Book 2 and Receive

• Physician Assisted Heavy Metal Detoxification • Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy • Ionic Foot Bath Detoxification Therapy

• Electrical Dermal Screening • Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy • Prolotherapy • PEMF Therapy • Live Blood Analysis • Occupational Therapy

• Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy • Colon Hydrotherapy • Microdermabrasion Patient Information • Voice Mapping/Emotional Clearing Technique

Call for your free consultation today 1-352-291-9459 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Suite 600, Ocala, Florida 34481

www.lemireclinic.com 40

Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 8 – 5 Tuesday 9-6 Closed everyday from 12-1

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