“Natural Awakenings” Magazine, March 2012 issue

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FOOD

Changing the Way America Eats

March 2012 www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

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www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com March 2012

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

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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.

~ Features ~ 14

Publisher Carolyn Rose Blakeslee, Ocala

Is it what you’re eating, or is it eating you?

by Nuris Lemire, MS, OTR/L, NC

Managing Editor Clark Dougherty

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Editors Sharon Bruckman S. Alison Chabonais Linda Sechrist

Yin & Tonic: March Madness

by Melody Murphy

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Time for Change?

by Dr. Paula Koger, RN, MA, DOM, AP

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Traditional Medicine Today: Who’s in Charge?

by Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, BS, CNS

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Changing the Way America Eats

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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Food:

Nourishing the shift to farm-fresh foods

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

23

Spiritual Life Coaching

by Kylie Devi

24

Conscious Eating: Eating Well on a Budget

by Judith Fertig

26

Conquering Any Disease and Losing Weight Interview with Jeff Primack, Qigong practitioner

by Diana E. Vargas, M.D.

28

The March Garden

by David Goodman, UF/IFAS Master Gardener

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Brie Baked with Apricot

by Clark Dougherty

... and many 30 Animal Acupuncture more ...

TCM is not just for humans anymore

by Dr. Jenny Taylor

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CoverArtist

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Strawberry

by Jerry LoFaro

A

fter ruling out his initial career choices of paleontologist, zoologist, baseball player, and Good Humor ice cream man, Jerry LoFaro parlayed his lifetime interest in dinosaurs and other animals, fantasy, art history, and literature into a successful career as an illustrator.

His art—always striking and often humorous—has been featured on book covers for major publishers and in advertising and promotional campaigns for clients including Nike, Disney, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel and TIME magazine. Celestial Seasonings has commissioned LoFaro to create tea, coffee, and seasonings package designs, even entrusting him to update the company’s famous icon, Sleepytime Bear. Recently, he was honored with a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators.

“Superficially, I’d describe my work as realism,” says LoFaro. “However, much of what I’ve done in content is conceptual, with surreal flourishes.” Prior to 2002, he worked primarily with acrylics; now, he uses Photoshop to create digital art.

LoFaro treasures the rural beauty of his New Hampshire surroundings and confides, “My life revolves around walking out to my studio in the woods, listening to great music, and being creative.”

View the artist’s portfolio at JerryLoFaro.com.

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March 2012

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NewsBriefs Natural Awakenings Ad Designer Wins Eight Design Awards

T

he 2012 North Central Florida Advertising Federation ADDY Award presentations were held on Friday, February 17th. Natural Awakenings Magazine’s ad designer, Little Black Mask owned by Jessi Miller, Ocala, won eight awards including the top award of the night.

The top honor, the Judge’s Choice Award, went to Ms. Miller’s video in the Self Promotion/Interactive category. Her video, called “See!”, can be viewed on YouTube at http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=YJg1F9BXRm4.

The video also won a Gold ADDY.

She won three more Gold ADDY awards and a Silver for her work for the Ocala Symphony Orchestra (logo design, stationery, brochure, and multimedia campaign), and two additional Silvers for her work for Family Times Magazine (magazine cover, editorial spread).

We are proud of Jessi! Visit www.

LittleBlackMask.com.

Experience the Power of Soul Healing

M

aster Peter Hudoba, Worldwide Representative of Master Zhi Gang Sha, is a special guest invited by Geho Gold, Certified Divine Healing Hands Practitioner, to share powerful

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Soul Healing and Tao secrets, knowledge, wisdom and practical techniques with individuals and groups in Ocala and other locations in Florida.

Master Peter has traveled and studied extensively with Master Sha, author of The Power of Soul and several other New York Times bestsellers. “Heal the soul first; then healing of the mind and body will follow,” is one of Master Sha’s guiding principles.

Everything has a soul—you, your body, organs, relationships, health, finances, house, even every cell. Soul Healing brings divine love and light to those areas of life blocked by energy and spiritual blockages and helps to transform them.

During his visit to Florida, Master Peter will co-teach powerful, yet simple, Soul Healing and Tao techniques to self-heal and to help others. Everyone can learn and practice these techniques anytime, anywhere. This simplicity is a hallmark of Soul Healing and Tao.

Additionally, everyone attending Geho’s and Master Peter’s events in Florida during March will experience Soul Healing with Divine Healing Hands. Divine Healing Hands Practitioners receive a powerful transmission of Divine Soul Mind Body Transplants of Divine Healing Hands from Master Sha. They instantly receive Divine Healing power to help others to transform their health, relationships, finances, and other aspects of life.

Upcoming programs in Ocala include an Intro to Soul Healing and Diving Healing Hands, Saturday, March 24 from 1-5:30pm. Join Geho Gold for a powerful afternoon of Soul Healing with Divine Healing Hands. The participation fee is $15 ($10 before March 23). The event will be held at Soul Essentials, 805 E. Fort King St., Ocala.

A week-long Tao I Retreat will be held April 28-May 4 from 10am to 10pm each day. Participants will learn profound ancient secrets and powerful Tao techniques to reach the health and purity of a baby with world-renowned healer, Divine and Tao Channel, Master Zhi Gang Sha. The cost is $700/ person (early registration $350) and the retreat will be held at the Ramada

Inn and Conference Center, Ocala.

In addition to the two Ocala events, from March 30-April 1 the Divine Healing Hands Training Program will be offered from 10am-10pm at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. Master Sha and Master Peter will transmit Divine Healing Hands power enabling you to help others transform health, relationships and finances. The weekend workshop will cost $625.

Call Geho Gold for more information and to receive a free Divine Healing Hands Blessing, 386-341-6260. Visit www.BeHealedWithin.com for a list of events with Master Peter and Divine Healing Hands events (See ad, p.9).

Downtown Festival & Art Show News

G

ainesville’s Downtown Festival & Art Show continues to climb in the rankings among the best fine art shows in the country. In 2010, Sunshine Artist Magazine ranked the festival #16, and now Greg Lawler’s Art Fair SourceBook has recognized the 2011 Downtown Festival & Art Show as the twenty-seventh best fine art festival in the nation.

The Art Fair SourceBook provides critiques and sales-based ratings for 600 of the top selling art shows, festivals and craft shows in the U.S.

This year, the Downtown Festival & Art Show will celebrate 31 years of excellence in art and music expression on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4 from 10am to 5pm. Located in the heart of historic downtown Gainesville, the festival will showcase artwork from 250 of the nation’s top artists and feature a mixture of fine art, food, and entertainment that draws more than 100,000 visitors to downtown Gainesville each year.

For more information on the 31st annual celebration, visit www.gvlculturalaffairs.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DowntownFestivalandArtShow.

Artists’ applications are due May 10, 2012. Artists will compete for $18,000 in cash prizes and purchase awards.

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

Divine Healing Hands Training Program with Master Sha and Special Guest Master Peter March 30-April 1, 10 am-10 pm, $625

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March 2012

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HealthBriefs High Fiber Wins

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hen food shopping, concentrate on fiber content, rather than the amount of fat, suggests a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. New Michigan State University (MSU) research suggests that foods high in fiber—but not necessarily low in saturated fats or cholesterol— are tied to lowering the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes in teens; it’s a generation noted to be at high risk for developing chronic disease, due in part to the popularity of processed foods with this age group. The researchers found that due to low consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, the teens’ total dietary fiber intake was about 13 grams a day, well below the recommended 26 grams and 38 grams for female and male adolescents, respectively.

“Our study reinforced the current dietary recommendations for fiber intake by including a variety of plant-based foods,” says lead author Joseph Carlson, a registered dietician and associate professor at MSU. “It may be better to focus on including these foods than to focus, as is commonly done, on excluding foods high in saturated fat.”

Teens are not the only ones who benefit from a fiber-rich diet. A recent report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that adult women and men who eat at least 26 grams and 30 grams of fiber a day, respectively, had a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases.

Does Our Food Control Our Genes?

T

he old adage, “You are what you eat,” may be literally true. Based on findings from a groundbreaking study by researchers at Nanjing University, in China, the connection between our food’s biochemistry and our own may be more intimate than we imagined.

The researchers discovered that tiny RNAs (a mirror-image form of DNA), or microRNAs, usually found in plants, were circulating in human blood; one of the most common sources was rice, a staple of their native subjects’ diets. After conducting tests with mice, they found that microRNAs were capable of altering cell function and directly manipulating the expression of genes.

The study results, published in the journal Cell Research, suggest that the human body is a highly integrated ecosystem and suggest that genetic changes in one species may trigger alterations in another. Another reason to avoid genetically modified foods.

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Grass-fed Benefits

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new, in-depth guide to the benefits of grass-fed beef is now available from Animal Welfare Approved, a national nonprofit organization that audits, certifies and supports farmers who raise their animals according to the highest welfare standards, and outdoors on pasture or range. The Grassfed Primer, available as a free download at AnimalWelfareApproved. org/consumers/food-labels, notes that grass-fed meat and dairy products offer health benefits via higher levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and vitamin E, and can reduce the risk of E. coli infection. Scientists now believe that CLA may be one of humanity’s most potent defenses against cancer.

The Heavy Secret of Fake Fats

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ood containing synthetic fats— which taste like natural fats, but with fewer calories—may sound enticing to dieters. However, fat substitutes used in low-calorie potato chips and other processed foods could instead backfire and contribute to weight gain and obesity. Findings by Purdue University scientists published online in the American Psychological Association’s journal, Behavioral Neuroscience, challenges marketing claims that foods made with fat substitutes help with weight loss. Apparently, the hitch is that synthetic fats can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate food intake, leading to inefficient use of calories and weight gain.

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March 2012

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HealthBriefs Science Confirms Benefits of Herbal Brews

E

njoy your next cup of herbal tea while toasting to better health. U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded researchers have confirmed the science-based health benefits of three of Americans’ favorite herbal teas.

Chamomile tea has long been said to soothe a troubled belly and restless mind. After reviewing scientific literature on the herb’s beneficial bioactivity, the study team published an article in Agricultural Research describing test-tube evidence that the beverage also offers moderate antimicrobial and significant anti-platelet-clumping action. They found that peppermint tea also shows significant antimicrobial, plus antiviral, antioxidant and antitumor actions, and even some antiallergenic potential. After reviewing human clinical trials, the researchers further reported that drinking hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure in a group of pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.

Calm Work Stress

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eeling psychologically strained or blue at work? A simple, daily B vitamin supplement may be an answer.

Australia’s Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, at Swinburne University of Technology, and the National Institute of Complementary Medicine recently partnered in a study assessing the personalities, work demands and mood, anxiety and strain experienced by 60 men and women. Half the group took a nutrient-herb-blend supplement with the full spectrum of B vitamins plus calcium, magnesium and vitamin C, nutrients known to help with the stress response; and passionflower and oats, which also soothe the nervous system. The other half received a placebo.

At the end of three months, controlling for differences in personality and work demands, the B-complex treatment group reported significantly lower personal strain. The supplement group also reported decreased feelings of depression/dejection, anger/hostility and tension/anxiety, as well as less fatigue. The placebo group noticed no such changes.

It’s wise to talk with a doctor or other health professional before beginning any supplementation program; bottled Bs may interact with certain medications and with each other. B vitamins occur naturally in meat and tuna; whole grains; leafy greens like collards, kale and Swiss chard; lentils and beans; broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage; and potatoes and oranges.

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Eat Breakfast to Shed Pounds

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es, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, says Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the University of Missouri’s department of nutrition and exercise physiology. “Everyone knows that eating breakfast is important, but many people still don’t make it a priority.”

Leidy’s research shows that a healthy breakfast, especially one high in protein, increases satiety and reduces hunger throughout the day, making it a valuable strategy to control appetite and regulate food intake. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, she discovered why. Eating a protein-rich breakfast works to reduce the brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.

Fasting Is Good for the Heart

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ew evidence from cardiac researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center, in Utah, suggests that routine, periodic fasting is good for our health and specifically, our heart, because it reduces weight and levels of sugar and triglycerides in the blood. The results expand upon a 2007 Intermountain Healthcare study showing a direct association between fasting and a reduced risk of coronary heart failure. The findings were presented at the 2011 annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology, in New Orleans.

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Food:

Is It What You’re Eating? or What’s Eating You?

by Nuris Lemire, MS, OTR/L, NC

E

ating healthy foods begins with the brain: You must keep your brain healthy. What is your motivation? Do you want to be around for your children? grandchildren? To be able to travel? Have energy and feel excited about life? Once you identify your motivation, no amount of ice cream, fast food, wheat, or dairy products are worth it.

Despite all the scientific research, our health is continuously declining.

Many nutritionists connect human health problems with nutritional deficiencies. We have lost our natural way of eating.

What is the human diet supposed to be? What was it originally?

The good news is, another species in this world closely resembles humans, and their eating habits can be of great help in this quest. Chimpanzees are similar to humans. Modern people and chimpanzees share an estimated 99.4% of our DNA sequence, making us more closely related to each other than either is to any other animal species. The major differences between humans and apes are not anatomical, but rather behavioral.

By necessity, chimpanzees consume about 50% fruit, followed by about 40% greens and blossoms, with a small percentage of pith bark and seeds as well as insects thrown in.

Humans, in contrast, consume about 60% sugar and starches (rice, potatoes, bread, pasta), 20% animal protein, 15% vegetables and fruits, with a small percentage of oils and greens. For most Americans, consumption of greens has shrunk to the two wilted iceberg lettuce leaves on a fast-food sandwich.

The bulk of the Standard American

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Diet (S.A.D.) is highly acidic, and disease producing.

What you’re eating might be killing you, and you probably don’t even know it! If you eat cheeseburgers or French fries all the time, or drink six sodas a day, you likely know you are shortening your life. But eating a nice dark, crunchy slice of whole wheat bread—how could that be bad for you? Well, bread contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats. It is hidden in pizza, pasta, bread, wraps, rolls, and most processed foods. Clearly, gluten is a staple of the American diet. What most people don’t know is that gluten can cause serious health complications for many. You may be at risk even if you don’t have full-sblown celiac disease.

A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and “latent” celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancer.

This study looked at almost 30,000 patients from 1969 to 2008 and examined deaths in three groups: Those with full-blown celiac disease, those with inflammation of their intestine but not full-blown celiac disease, and those with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy).

The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac dis-

ease. This is ground-breaking research that proves you don’t have to have full-blown celiac disease with a positive intestinal biopsy (which is what conventional thinking tells us) to have serious health problems and complications—even death—from eating gluten.

Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it. They ascribe their ill health or symptoms to something else, not gluten sensitivity, which is 100 percent curable.

And here’s some more shocking news. Another study comparing the blood of 10,000 people from 50 years ago to 10,000 people today found that the incidences of full-blown celiac disease increased by 400 percent (elevated TTG antibodies) during that time period. If we saw a 400 percent increase in heart disease or cancer, this would be headline news. But we hear almost nothing about this. I will explain why I think that increase has occurred in a moment. First, let’s explore the economic cost of this hidden epidemic.

The most serious form of allergy to gluten, celiac disease, affects one in 100 people, or three million Americans, most of whom don’t know they have it.

Undiagnosed gluten problems cost the American healthcare system oodles of money. Dr. Peter Green, Professor of Clinical Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, studied all 10,000,000 subscribers to CIGNA and found those who were correctly diagnosed with celiac disease used fewer medical services and reduced their healthcare costs by more than 30 percent.

The problem is that only one percent of those with the problem were actually diagnosed. That means 99 percent are walking around suffering without knowing it, costing the healthcare system millions of dollars.

Why haven’t you heard much about this?

Well, actually you have, but you just don’t realize it. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity masquerade as dozens and dozens of other diseases with

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different names.

A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. These include: osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases.

Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). It has also been linked to autism.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints, digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different “diseases.” To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause— which is often gluten sensitivity—not just the symptoms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that all cases of depression or autoimmune disease or any of these other problems are caused by gluten in everyone—but it is important to test for it if you have any chronic illness.

By failing to identify gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, we create needless suffering and death for millions of Americans. Health problems caused by gluten sensitivity cannot be treated with better medication. They can only be resolved by eliminating 100 percent of the gluten from your diet.

The question that remains is: Why are we so sensitive to this staple of our diet? There are many reasons, including our lack of genetic adaptation to grasses, and particularly gluten, in our diet. Wheat was introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages, and 30 percent of people of European descent carry the gene for celiac disease (HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8), which increases susceptibility to health problems from eating gluten.

American strains of wheat have a much higher gluten content (which is needed to make light, fluffy Wonder Bread and giant bagels) than those traditionally found in Europe. This supergluten was recently introduced into our agricultural food supply and now has “infected” nearly all wheat strains in America.

Visit www.celiac.com for a complete list of foods that contain gluten, as well as often surprising and hidden sources of gluten. Hidden sources include soup mixes, salad dressings, sauces, as well as lipstick, certain vitamins, medications, stamps and envelopes you have to lick, and even Play-Doh. To find out if you are one of the millions of people suffering from an unidentified gluten sensitivity, contact our office: Lemire Clinic, 352-291-9459, www.lemireclinic.com. Additional References: Dr Mark Hyman, http:// drhyman.com, My Life with the Chimpanzees, by Jane Goodall.

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March 2012

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March Madness

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e’ve had an early spring this year. Bizarrely early.

The Japanese magnolias started blooming before Christmas. The azaleas started in January; toward the end of the month I saw the first redbuds and robins. Dogwoods bloomed a full month early. Trees began putting out their new spring-green leaves much earlier than usual. And I don’t remember ever before seeing loquats in fruit in February.

The weather’s been weird, too. March made an early entrance, coming in like a lion with wind and rain in late February. Except for a few cold spells, the weather’s been unseasonably warm— and it’s not even officially spring yet.

If I’ve discovered one thing from all this botanical and meteorological weirdness, it’s that an early spring is an excellent barometer of personality.

If you want to separate the optimists from the pessimists in one fell swoop, walk into a room in early February and announce, “It’s 76 degrees outside and I just saw a dogwood in full bloom.”

The positive spirits are going to brighten and say, “How lovely!” and jump up to see the blooming dogwood. Then they will suggest we all go on a picnic.

The negative souls are going to dourly shake their heads and say, “Don’t get your hopes up. It won’t last. We’ll have another cold spell. You mark my words.”

Then they will tell a long cautionary tale about the winter of ‘77, how the heat went out and the well froze up and they had to walk uphill both ways in the snow to fetch water and all the flowers died and a little boy cried wolf and

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died too from thinking spring had come when of course it hadn’t. Of course, they will be telling this story only to each other, as the optimists have already skipped off into the sunshine to picnic under the flowering dogwood.

Let me share something with you, O ye who are incapable of taking the slightest enjoyment in a little extra springtime: Worrying about the weather will not change it one iota.

It’s true. Not even the meteorologists at the Weather Channel, which is like the Emerald City of great and powerful weather-wizards, know what the weather will be a month from now.

There isn’t a crystal-ball conjurer on earth who can divine that.

I believe most people in their right minds would view an extra six weeks of springlike conditions as a gift.

The weather is beautiful, flowers are blooming: What’s not to love?

Instead, there’s a certain personality type that seems compelled to view these conditions warily, with suspicion, much as they would regard a ticking time-bomb. They are distrustful of pleasant weather and flowers blooming out of season (most disobedient of the flora, I’m sure—a flagrant flouting of the rules), and they Do Not Approve. All they can focus on is that this isn’t how things usually are.

Therefore, such conditions are not to be trusted. Either they will not last, or they are a sinister sign, a harbinger of something dire. (Especially in an election year.) Global warming. An active tornado season. The end times.

Someone must be blamed, and we must not let our guard down and enjoy, but

by Melody Murphy instead fret and make preparations for the catastrophe which is surely coming.

You get the feeling that these people are actually offended by out-of-season occurrences, that they’re one untimely blossom away from chopping down their aberrantly fruit-bearing loquat and burning it like a medieval witch at the stake on a pile of Farmer’s Almanacs—because surely there is something wrong with it.

I’m tired of this negative attitude. If one more person sighs and says glumly, “It’s gonna come a hard freeze again,” I’m going to lock them in a room and make them watch Pollyanna until they agree to go sit in the sunshine and shut up and purely enjoy it.

Listen: We very well might have another cold spell. That’s quite likely. But you can’t do a thing about it, no matter how much you worry or try to predict it.

All you can do is be prepared, like a good scout. Don’t put away the blankets and sweaters too soon. Watch the forecast; keep the old sheets handy and cover up the well and the azaleas if need be. Lay in one last stock of firewood and fixings for soup and hot chocolate. And if it gets cold again, well, enjoy that too.

And when springtime returns – which it will – welcome it back and be happy. Just be in the moment and enjoy whatever each season brings.

You have no control over it, so you might as well enjoy the ride.

Spring really shouldn’t hang you up the most. Even if it comes early.

Melody Murphy can be reached at yinandtonic12@yahoo.com.

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Time for Change?

by Dr. Paula Koger, RN, MA, DOM to hear it, because the brain or unmet needs override it.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”—Albert Einstein

A

s a small girl, I fell though a vent on the second floor and landed in the living room. My neck was wickedly traumatized. My mother did a most unconventional thing that shaped me toward having an open mind: She took me to a chiropractor and refused to give me drugs to mask the problem.

I recovered easily with the adjustments and the doctor’s kindness and attention to the details of my needs. When we are sick or injured, we are most sensitive to what is done to us, and every word that is said can be damaging or beneficial.

That is also true when we are well.

We are living in a time when we are bombarded with information. We have to take responsibility for our choices in every area of our lives, including our beliefs.

We can change attitudes, beliefs, traumas, foods, habits, and treatments when they block our body’s natural healing intelligence. Our life depends on it.

Example: A man was suffering greatly from the “blows of a failing economy.” His healing involved releasing the disbelief in himself. Now he can feed himself a more favorable economic forecast. Negative beliefs/programs, just like sugar and drugs, shut down our energy flow.

We can also support the body’s healing mechanisms with a focus on what enhances it. We cannot take what is told us at “face value”—we must listen to symptoms, as they are signals telling us our needs. We must learn to follow the voice within us. It is often difficult

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Qualities of Safe Treatments/Choices 1. Treatments and choices that work without causing other problems. Many treatments kill infection but destroy something else such as an organ or our energy. There are natural anti-infective herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture points, and foods that have worked for millennia while enhancing all body systems.

Patients can learn to assess whether what they are doing adds or subtracts from their energy flow. Recently a patient came in so medicated he could hardly speak, and his pain was still present.

The problem is toxins cause pain. Many natural remedies work with the energy system and reestablish the balance that allows the body to heal itself and be pain-free. They can also address viruses, fungus, spirochetes and other pathogens that are less commonly treatable.

2. Not adding more toxins, and removing existing toxins. Avoid loading the body with more toxins such as processed foods. Our diseases are being caused by toxins we ingest daily, think daily, believe daily, and have stored from numerous sources of contaminations (heavy metals, chemicals, environmental stress). Toxin removal as part of the treatment protocol is essential for full recovery; so, the less you put in, the less you have to remove.

3. Energetically compatible, and focused on the needs and sensitivities of the patient. We need to assess carefully whether the treatment or choices we are making are compatible with our body. Over-treatment, like overeating, can do more harm than good. I have found people who are taking a bag full of supplements or drugs which were too much for them to tolerate energetically.

The body can be overwhelmed and shut down. Each person has a different constitutional makeup; individual needs vary greatly. Many people are walking around in a zombie state with greatly reduced health because of treatments and choices that were harmful for them and their energetic system. If the treatment

kills even the spirit of the patient, then it is time to change. There are now many organically grown herbs and homeopathy to achieve powerful healing impacts on otherwise unresponsive conditions.

Computer programs and kinesiology can be useful in assessing what choices are best for each person.

4. Should involve the patient’s compliance and understanding. You need to be empowered to care for yourself with awareness of your needs and the impact of your choices. You can do this.

If you don’t know how, ask for help.

5. Treatment that addresses unconscious blocks to healing. Often the unconscious needs that are not addressed show up as another disease or a deeper disease. Attitude is everything. The underlying factors cause our illness, keep us ill, and cause us to make the choices that allow our dis-ease to flourish.

Example: A woman called to ask if I could relieve her neck pain. She said, “My friends say I need surgery.” I said, “Well, since you think your friends know best, maybe that is what you should do.” She chose to come for a session, and she dealt with burdens causing her to become exhausted and have pain in the neck and shoulders. She left with 60% less pain after one treatment. The unconscious block was her need for approval of her friends and partner.

Does it seem possible that such a burden pattern could contribute to deterioration of the cervical vertebrae of the neck and cause great pain? The proof is in the results. Deal with the issue, the pain goes away. You have the power to choose what you believe and think. It is the road to self empowerment and brilliant living.

Disease does not just happen; it is the product of toxic choices and beliefs.

Dr. Paula Koger has been enhancing health and guiding people towards natural health solutions for more than 25 years.

She was chosen by patient survey as one of the top five Doctors in the Tampa Bay area in 2007. Based in Dunnellon, she can be reached at 941-539-4232, www. wealthofhealthcenter.com.

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Traditional Medicine Today

by Dr. Michael J. Badanek, DC, BS, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, DM(P)

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s a physician treating patients with similar complaints and unanswered questions about their health, I’ve noticed a growing trust issue with the American consumer. The consensus is that we Americans are paying more and receiving far less in quality health care in mainstream medicine. The cost of health care in America today ranks third in Gross National Product, yet we rank very low in standings worldwide in general overall health.

How can a country spend more money than the rest of the world combined, yet have such poor collective health?

We are going to examine some of the many causes in this article. Please keep an open mind and, of course, check the references for your own personal edification; the references can help dispel the big lie propagated by the medical-pharmaceutical industrial complex and the media.

More than half of all allopathic treatments are never scientifically validated.

The general public has been led to believe that prescription drugs and surgical procedures, which are the primary tools of allopathic medicine, undergo rigorous scientific testing. In the words on one respected doctor on the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School, “Nothing could be further from the truth.” (J. Abramson, Overdosed America, 2004, page 241.)

In a study published in the prestigious British medical journal LANCET, researchers discovered that more than 50 percent of all medical treatments (drugs and surgery)—and as much as 85 percent—have never been validated by scientific clinical trials. (M. Millenson, Pacific Sun: February 24-March 2, 1999, page 12.)

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In fact, an earlier Congressional study found that only 10 to 20 percent of all procedures currently used in medical practice have been shown to be efficacious by controlled trials. (U. S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Washington D.C.: USGPO, 1978, 7.)

This surprising lack of scientific protocol in conventional medicine was further evidenced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) evaluation of more than 31,000 clinical trials conducted in the single discipline of gastroenterology.

In this lengthy review, it was found that only 1 percent of these gastrointestinal studies were properly randomized—and, even more astounding, absolutely none satisfied requirements needed for objective research. (NIH: “National Institutes of Health” 25 (1979): pages 630-631.)

Pharmaceutical companies have nearly limitless influence.

In her 2004 book, Marcia Angell, M.D., the former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a current Harvard professor, reveals how drug companies routinely rig clinical trials to make their products look more effective than they actually are and have “nearly limitless influence over medical research, education, and how doctors do their jobs.”

(M. Angell, The Truth about Drug Companies, New York: Random House 2004.)

The world of drug companies s a vastly profitable world—and Dr. Angell points out that the pharmaceutical industry has been the “most profitable” of all business in the U.S. for more than two decades. So, it is understandable how scientific objectivity is often overshadowed by bottomline profits. This lack of corporate integrity particularly flourishes in the capitalismat-any-cost climate currently predominant in America. Unfortunately, it falls into the arena of maximum consumer harm; that is, in the most serious category of all: that of actually causing illness and death.

Traditional medicine (allopathy) is currently the third-leading cause of death.

One can plainly see the significant harm that prescription drugs can do. This

sheds light on the rather unbelievable statistic cited that combined effects of medical errors, adverse reactions to prescription drugs, and hospital infections are currently at least the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. today. (B. Starfield, “Is U.S. Health Really the Best in the World?” Journal of the American Medical Association, No. 4 (July 26, 2000): 483-484.) In light of this appalling statistic, no amount of explanation can legitimize, or excuse, the high levels of morbidity and mortality that allopathic medical practices continue to generate.

Conclusion I ask the gentle readers one simple question: Who really is in charge of healthcare today? The literature is astounding, and with the Internet, people have more information than they could ever imagine.

The decision is up to you, the American consumer. The majority of medication has two basic functions: blocking receptor sites, and stopping/poisoning an enzymatic reaction. These two actions by no means go to the root cause of the disease or condition. It’s just treating and masking symptoms. This is the reason why people have a dim view of doctors today. Each one of us has personal experience with the current medical state of affairs with friends, family, or even ourselves. I strongly suggest it is in the reader’s best interest to pursue his or her knowledge and seek out the services of qualified and experienced health care providers in alternative holistic medicine to prevent being another statistic.

Dr. Michael Badanek has been serving the Central Florida (Ocala) area for more than 32 years in active clinical practice. Dr. Badanek is a licensed Chiropractic Physician with extensive training in Alternative Complementary Medicine including Clinical Nutrition, applied Kinesiology, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Chiropractic Medicine, Functional and Traditional Medicine and electrodermal screening. Dr. Badanek has four board certifications in Clinical Nutrition, and Homeopathy. Dr. Badanek’s website is www. alternativewholistichealth.com. For a courtesy consultation, please call 352-622-1151.

March 2012

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Changing the Way America Eats Nourishing the Shift to Farm-Fresh Foods

nutrient contents.” In other words, each variety promises a unique mix of health-protecting compounds.

Supermarkets must rely on crops and animal products that can withstand long-distance travel and also meet uniform appearance standards.

Small farmers serving local markets, on the other hand, can better preserve the legacy of biologically diverse heirloom crops because of the shorter distances between field and plate.

An heirloom tomato picked ripe at peak flavor can’t survive a lengthy commute, but nothing tastes better when it’s plucked fresh from the vine and is still warm from the sun.

Planting diverse, region-specific crops also reduces the burden of weeds, pests, and plant diseases—and any related chemical use—and helps provide safe nourishment for pollinators and wildlife, as well. No wonder the Organic Farming Research Foundation characterizes farmers as the largest group of ecosystem managers on Earth. Everyone can support a cause that feeds us well and tastes good while caring for the planet.

Farmers’ Job Market

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

K

entucky farmer and writer Wendell Berry states that in order for people to care about their food, “They have to taste it.”

Tasting the difference between fresh, local, organic foods and those that travel hundreds or thousands of miles before touching our taste buds is causing a healthy change across America. Consider the growth in patronage of farmers’ markets alone: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports the number of markets has soared, from 1,755 in 1994 to 7,175 in 2011.

What’s driving the surge? Incentives include our appreciation of scrumptious seasonal flavor, a comforting sense of community, and the reassurance of

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knowing exactly where our food comes from and who—often on a first-name basis—grew or produced it. Good, healthy food germinates in genuine relationships—between growers and consumers, and farmers and the Earth.

Local markets boost hometown economies, too; the USDA predicts a record $7 billion in such food sales this year, delivering a greater proportion of food dollars directly to farmers.

Regional food systems also support the biological diversity that is vital to sustainability. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, “different varieties of the same species” have “statistically different

With 57 being the current average age of American farmers, and more than a quarter 65 or older, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition recognizes the desperate need for more young farmers. When the National Young Farmer’s Coalition recently surveyed 1,000 beginning farmers, it found that access to capital, land, and health insurance presented the biggest hurdles to entering farming as a career. The Women, Food and Agriculture Network has identified access to health care as the main challenge facing females who want to farm.

While city dwellers tend to idealize farming as a romantic occupation in a bucolic setting, it is actually a risky, physically demanding job. De-

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spite the challenges, farmers say they love their work because they enjoy being outside, working with their hands, producing high-quality food, and being their own boss. It helps to be healthy, smart, and an optimist at heart.

Sticker Price versus Hidden Costs

To consumers coping in a down economy, the cheapest price can sometimes seem like the best choice. John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri, notes that “Americans, on average, are spending only half as much of their disposable income for food today as they were in the 1960s.” However, at the same time, “The percentage spent on health care has doubled.”

Scores of studies show that many of today’s chronic diseases are related to poor diet. Factor in medical costs associated with food-borne illnesses, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and pesticide- and hormone-contaminated food and water, and it’s easy to understand why Michael Carolan, author of The Real Cost of Cheap Food, declares, “Cheap food ... is actually quite expensive.”

One way for families to save money on food costs is to reduce waste.

Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, says Americans waste more than 40 percent of the food we produce for consumption, throwing away $100 billion-plus in food a year. Most of it ends up in landfills.

Instead of providing incentives to agribusinesses to produce less expensive food, smarter national farm and food policies could prioritize producing higher quality food and wasting less of it. Kathy Bero, board president of NuGenesis Farm, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, advocates shifting commodity payments to organic farmers. Her nonprofit educational farm promotes “food as medicine,” along with cost-saving, health-boosting consumer strategies such as learning how to garden and cook to maximize nutritional value.

Inspiring Trends

Stephanie Coughlin, a farmer in San Diego, California, says: “If you www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

don’t have local farms, you don’t have local security.” Across the country, communities are proving how a few conscious buyers can improve everyone’s access to high-quality local foods.

FARM TO HOSPITAL: As director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen Health Care, in Burlington, Vermont, Registered Dietitian Diane Imrie has the power to influence the economic security and sustainability of her community and surrounding region. Imrie sources approximately 40 percent of the food served at her hospital from farms located within a day’s drive. In her work, she helps keep farmers on their land while providing higher quality food to patients and staff.

The facility also supports onsite gardens, which yielded $2,000 worth of produce in 2011, despite Vermont’s short growing season. The hospital food is so popular that its café serves downtown businesspeople, further bolstering profitability and community benefits.

For local maple sugar producer Bernie Comeau, Imrie’s consistent purchases provide an income he can count on every month. Imrie is glad to note that for farmers, selling their food to the hospital is “like a stamp of approval.”

Marydale DeBor, who founded and led the “plow to plate” comprehensive food and disease-prevention initiative associated with Connecticut’s New Milford Hospital, says, “Institutional leadership is critical.” She says that thanks to a supportive CEO who believed in bringing farm-fresh foods to hospital food services, their retail café more than doubled its revenue within two years.

DeBor believes that hospital food should set an example for public health. “We need to support beginning

farmers, and more food hubs and new distribution systems to facilitate access,” she says. “Consumers need to let their hospitals know they should focus on good food and nutrition.”

FARM TO RESTAURANT: Leigh Lockhart, owner of Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café and Juice Bar, in Columbia, Missouri, buys supplies directly from local organic farmers and never quibbles about price. She composts any food waste in her garden, where she grows some of the produce used in her restaurant. Rather than large plates of cheap food, Lockhart serves portions within U.S. Dietary Guidelines, comprising higher quality, more satisfying meals.

Relationships with chefs are important to farmers, advises Carol Ann Sayle, owner of Boggy Creek Organic Farm, in Austin, Texas. Farmers can rely on a sure buyer; chefs appreciate dependable and high quality food; and customers return because of the great taste.

FARM TO SCHOOL: Organic farmer Don Bustos, program director for the American Friends Service Committee of New Mexico, trains beginning farmers and ranchers in ways to provide food to the Albuquerque Public School District and beyond. For example, farmers grow crops during the winter in solar-powered greenhouses, and aggregate their products to meet school needs.

Mobile meat processing and

How to Grow and Find Local Food Find a farmers’ market ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets In season in the region; local harvest calendars and markets FieldToPlate.com/guide.php Locate sustainably grown food nearby LocalHarvest.org Food gardening tips KitchenGardeners.org

March 2012

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distribution networks also create jobs while keeping small farmers economically and environmentally viable, explains Bustos. Local agriculture fuels strong communities and fresh local foods help children thrive.

In the Pacific Northwest, AmeriCorps volunteer Emma Brewster works with the Real Food Challenge, a national youth-based program that encourages colleges and universities to shift 20 percent of their food budgets to farm-fresh, locally sourced foods.

Brewster works with Lucy Norris, project manager for the Puget Sound Food Network, which creates opportunities beyond farmers’ markets for local area farmers to connect with regional processors, distributors and end users, including Seattle Public Schools.

Hands in the Dirt

Regardless of occupation, many people feel a natural urge to work with the soil and witness the miracle of seeds sprouting new life.

Rose Hayden-Smith, Ph.D., a garden historian and a designated leader in sustainable food systems at the University of CaliforniaDavis, points out that home, school, community and workplace victory gardens established during World War II succeeded in producing about 40 percent of our nation’s vegetables.

In both World Wars, she says, our national leadership “recognized that food and health were vital national security issues.”

They still are today.

Melinda Hemmelgarn, a.k.a. the Food Sleuth (FoodSleuth@gmail.com), is a registered dietitian and award-winning writer and radio host, based in Columbia, Missouri. She co-created F.A.R.M.: Food, Art, Revolution Media – a Focus on Photography to Re-vitalize Agriculture and Strengthen Democracy to increase advocacy for organic farmers (Enduring-Image.blogspot.com). Learn more at Food Sleuth Radio at kopn. org.

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2012 Farm Bill Update

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

T

he single piece of legislation known as the Farm Bill currently contains $90 billion in taxpayer funding and significantly affects farming, conservation, energy, and the quality and price of the food on our plates. When the bill comes up for renewal every five years, the public has a chance to voice support for a greener, healthier, more sustainable food and farming system. Sign up for Farm Bill updates and action alerts from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (website below), and talk with members of Congress about concerns.

Marydale DeBor, who works to improve food quality in Connecticut, recommends that citizens align with farm advocacy organizations. “Advocacy is the single most important need now, around the Farm Bill and state policies,” she says.

Did you know? n Most Farm Bill dollars support food assistance programs, namely food stamps or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s largest safety net against hunger. In 2012, SNAP is projected to consume 75 percent of the total Farm Bill budget. n Most SNAP benefits are spent in supermarkets and convenience stores. SNAP can be used at farmers’ markets, but only by those that accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards. In 2011, SNAP’s $11 million of the program’s total $71 billion benefits were redeemed at farmers’ markets nationwide, directly benefiting local farmers. n Crop insurance is the second-largest Farm Bill budget item. n The majority of subsidy payments go to large farms producing corn, cotton, wheat, rice and soybeans, which helps explain why soda is cheaper than 100 percent fruit juice, and corn-fed feedlot beef costs less than organic, grass-fed beef. n An improved Farm Bill would provide participation incentives for conservation, beginning farmers, local food economies and organic agriculture, and better align agriculture with public health.

Learn more about the 2012 Farm Bill at: n Environmental Working Group and EWG Action Fund ewg.org n Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill,

by Daniel Imhoff WatershedMedia.org/foodfight_overview.html n Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy iatp.org n National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition SustainableAgriculture.net

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Spiritual Life Coaching

by Kylie Devi

W

hat exactly is life coaching, besides the fastest growing field on the planet? And why would somebody want to hire another person to “coach” them on how to live their own life?

Further still, what would be the benefits of experiencing “spirituallybased” life coaching rather than other types that may be available?

One general definition of life coaching is that it helps clients establish goals, and achieve them.

Goals can be related to personal life, business and career, relationships, family, parenting, health, spirituality, and more. I have heard the Satvatove Institute’s Dr. David Wolf say many times that “In the game of tennis, if I am committed to mediocrity, then I do not need a coach. The top players all have coaches, because they are committed to excellence.” Life coaching is the process of committing to excellence in any or all areas of our lives by creating a structure of support and accountability, and an atmosphere of challenge and guidance. Coaches assist their clients in determining what they want to create with their life energy, and then actualize it.

It is often said in modern spiritual conversation that “we have all of our own answers.” I am not discounting www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

this, and at the same time, if we honestly assess our lives and where we’re at, are we living one-hundred percent on purpose? Do we have the relationships that we want, the communication that feels empowering?

Are we creating the income that we desire, doing what we love?

Inside of us, we often know what we need to do to create value in our lives, yet human tendency can lead to procrastination, fear-based thinking, and devaluing of ourselves or of our dreams. When we make the choice to work with a life coach, we are making the choice to actualize that inner knowing, to leave no room to hide, or to play small. A good coach will know if we are playing the self-defeating games most of us play and will assist us to stay on track until we create what we want. And when we create what we want, then there becomes a whole new level of excellence to achieve.

We raise the bar.

In a sense, I went to personal life coaching because I had goals in many of the life areas I mentioned above.

And for me, part of my process was also to realize that there were times when achieving things on the material platform was not nearly as satisfying as I had thought it would be. When life coaching is spiritually based, then it will direct the client towards more eternal or transcendental goals, which many of us are aware that we have.

In this context, our relationships with work, with our families, with our partners becomes properly situated. These areas of our life begin to improve and increase in the service of our larger goal of spiritual awakening and self-discovery, and not simply as ends in themselves. When this occurs, it creates a much more profound consciousness about work, relationships, and all other areas of life.

Kylie Devi is a writer, blogger, and founder of Recovering the Spirit. She has enthusiastically participated in the Satvatove Foundational and Advanced Course, as well as Satvatove III and Coaching. She can be reached at kyliedevi@gmail.com or on Facebook.

The Frugal Wine Snob

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March 2012

23

ConsciousEats

“Having a realistic weekly budget is helpful, because you can’t go too far over budget before you realize you are in trouble,” advises Lisa Leake. To make it even easier to stay on track, she makes it a habit to shop near home and uses cash instead of credit.

Seasonal Shopping

EATING WELL ON A BUDGET

by Judith Fertig

In tough economic times, many families include food in their spending cuts. How can we tighten our budget and yet still eat well?

S

ix months ago, Josh Viertel threw down the “value meal” gauntlet in a major way. The Slow Food USA president challenged cooks around the country to create a family-friendly feast for less than $5. Many responded, sharing their tips and tricks at SlowFoodUSA. org/5Challenge. Here are some favorites.

Setting a Budget

Five dollars per meal for 21 meals per week, plus snacks, neatly totals the $125 weekly food budget set by the Leake family, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Lisa and Jason Leake, parents of two young daughters, first explored what it would be like to eliminate processed food from their diet, which they describe in their blog at 100DaysofRealFood.com.

Their success led to the additional challenge of eating real food on a budget.

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“If we shop for seasonal produce and freeze or can surplus from our local farmers’ market, we can eat well all year and still eat frugally,” advises Rebecca Miller, a macrobiotic and healing foods caterer from Overland Park, Kansas. “When fresh blueberries are $3/cup at the grocery store during the off-season, for example, we can still enjoy canned organic berries in recipes or thawed from the freezer on our morning oatmeal.”

Eating Down the Fridge

Seattle-based Kim O’Donnel, author of The Meatlover’s Meatless Cookbook, blogs about family meals for USA Today. “I regularly emphasize what I call ‘eating down the fridge,’” she says. “That means making use of what we’ve got on hand, like generations before us that also went through food shortages. We’re just out of practice.”

One way to help ourselves learn, says O’Donnel, is to stock a “smarter” pantry. Staples include different varieties of dried beans; lentils; quick-cooking grains such as quinoa, bulgur, and purple barley; garbanzo beans; brown and black rice; and a few BPA-free canned goods like tomatoes, black beans and chickpeas.

“If we take our time and watch for good deals, we can build a pantry at a low cost,” she says, because such ingredients are basically “blank slates.” As just one example of a low-cost, pantrybased meal, O’Donnel might start with cooked red lentils, then add fresh ginger and garlic, sautéed onion with cumin,

and fresh spinach and tomatoes, and then serve it with whole-wheat pita bread.

Ingredient-First Cooking

Jane Zieha, a Certified Public Accountant, knows that feeding people and watching the bottom line can go together. She owns the acclaimed Blue Bird Bistro, in Kansas City, Missouri.

An avowed all-natural, organic, sustainable, and local foods passionista, Zieha has stayed true to the principles of her Pennsylvania upbringing.

“I didn’t eat like anybody else growing up,” she says. “We never ate packaged food. We ate what was fresh. When I was old enough to go to a friend’s house for dinner, I was surprised at how they ate.” Today, both at home and at work, Zieha continues to select the best that local farmers can provide. “I don’t start with a recipe and then find the food, as most chefs and restaurants do,” she explains. “I find the ingredients and then go from there.”

Meat as a Condiment

More expensive ingredients, such as heritage turkey, can bring more flavor and texture to an entrée as an ingredient instead of a standalone part of a meal, advises Zieha. She might feature heritage turkey in an enchilada filling, pasta, or savory bread pudding, so that a little goes a long way.

It also makes sense to shop for varieties of fish or cuts of meat that aren’t widely popular or that take longer to cook. Slow Food’s Viertel, who shops near Brooklyn, New York, remarks: “I buy ‘trash fish’—sea robin, squid, mackerel, sardines—because they are cheaper and, I believe, taste best. The same is true of the other meats I buy. I never cook pork chops or filet mignon; I cook oxtail and short ribs.”

Then, O’Donnel adds, the frugal cook turns bones of roasted poultry or trimmings from a whole fish into a delicious stock. Any homemade broth can be just the frozen asset we need for yet another tasty “value” meal.

Cookbook author Judith Fertig writes at AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot.com.

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Conquering ANY Disease & Losing Weight An Interview with Qigong Practitioner Jeff Primack 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 Food-Based Healing. Jeff Primack is a Qigong teacher who has studied with many naturopathic healers from all over the world and has taught more than 30,000 people.

Dr. Vargas: Medical weight loss is big business. Why are some people successful at burning fat while others gain it back?

Primack: The secret weapon for accelerated weight loss is a high-phytochemical diet. One must take in high vibration nutrition while losing weight or the diet will poison the body. Yes, starches like rice and pasta should be avoided when trying to lose weight; however, a high protein diet will make the body’s pH overly acidic.

When the pH becomes overly acidic, it creates a more cancer-friendly environment. People age much faster when dieting on high-protein, low phytochemical foods, which is the method employed by the vast majority of weight loss systems.

Healthy weight loss is possible when we detoxify poisons from our body. People lose 20 pounds a month and have two-foot bowel movements every morning on my protocol! This improved detoxification leads to healthier skin, eyes and overall radiant appearance. Often times a large waistline has formed as the body’s storage house for fecal matter. Food

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prepackaged in powders, boxes, microwavable or filled with pesticides is not an acceptable approach to weight loss on my program. A high phytochemical diet and healthy fat intake are crucial for success and good health. I also use Qigong to add real firepower to the program. Special Qigong breathing practices give a fullbody vibration and noticeably boost metabolic rate.

Dr. Vargas: At the Qi Revolution seminar you say the “fountain of youth” is getting high levels of oxygen into the blood. How does this help weight loss?

Primack: Breathing techniques feed oxygen into your bloodstream, which accelerates cellular metabolism.

Mitochondria in cells are responsible for metabolism. They feed directly on oxygen and their activity level will be reduced when oxygen is low. Live blood cell analysis before and after doing our 9-Breath Method for just 45 seconds shows the profound impact breathing has on blood circulation and cellular metabolism. Most people have sticky blood from low oxygen levels.

When special breathing methods are

used, it leads to a stronger “pulsation” of blood in the arms and legs. This is all working to increase metabolism.

So, I do believe breathing techniques hold a special place for weight loss.

However, if you eat the wrong fats, even the 9-Breath Method will not be strong enough to burn stubborn fat.

The bottom line is people are eating the wrong oils.

Dr. Vargas: How can eating certain oils actually burn stubborn body fat?

Primack: Let me start by saying that canola and soybean oil are the big culprits causing the American obesity epidemic. These Omega-6 fatty acids cause inflammation and are not easily burned. Most farmers give feed to their livestock containing these oils to help them gain weight, hence increasing their profits. What most people don’t know is that farmers tried this with coconut oil. Turns out livestock animals lost weight when given high calorie coconut oil! Why? Because 62% of coconut oil’s fatty acids are medium chain triglycerides (MCT). These are smaller fats that digest super easily. They give them to people in hospitals because they are the easiest fats on Earth to digest. In fact, MCTs are burned like carbohydrates and increase metabolism better than any other oil.

Dr. Vargas: Coconut is also beneficial for Cancer, Lyme’s Disease and HIV. How does coconut help people facing these diseases?

Primack: Studies show the high “lauric acid” of coconut oil dissolves the lipid layer surrounding viruses, bacteria and other pathogens, effectively destroying them. At the University of Philippines, studies have been done on patients suffering from HIV and results are astounding! More than 70% show a vastly reduced viral load. We have a powerful anti-viral food protocol and it includes healthy servings of coconut. There is more to the protocol, of course, but I saw one Qigong student remove all traces of Hepatitis-C from her blood after having the virus for 30 years!

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Dr. Vargas: For immune diseases such as cancer, how can phytochemicals from live food activate the immune system?

Primack: Asparagus is one of the timehonored foods that help reverse cancer and keep the immune system functioning properly. It is rich in Glutathione, a master detoxification enzyme produced by your liver.

Eating asparagus raises the body’s level of Glutathione and increases the liver’s capacity to detoxify. Asparagus is a very important vegetable in this regard. There are many foods, herbs, and mushrooms that can help reverse cancer.

Medicinal mushrooms like Agaricus are rich in Beta-Glucans, which are phytochemicals clinically shown to stimulate bone marrow and increase production of natural killer cells by 200-500%.

Yet, no mushroom has ever “healed” anyone—the body heals itself when given the right food. We all have an immune system created by God and imbued with nature’s wisdom.

Eating a high-phytochemical diet is the primary key to activating your immune system potential. When natural killer cells do their job, cancer cells cannot multiply.

Furthermore, when you cut their sugary food source off, cancer cells do not thrive. Medicinal mushrooms and live-food smoothies are time-tested tools in the war on cancer. I’ve seen more than 100 people reverse it using my protocol. Some choose to do only the easier aspects of my cancer protocol along with chemotherapy.

Consider this: there is no cure for cancer. Only your immune system can eradicate cancer forever.

Jeff Primack and 200 instructors will teach four days of Food Healing and Qigong for at the Orlando Convention Center April 28-May 1. To reserve tickets ($99/person for all four days) or for more information, call 800-298-8970 or visit www.Qigong.com.

When microbes and bacteria proliferate in the body, they weaken the immune system in the long term.

Our t-cells and natural killer cells are busy fighting them instead of removing excessive cancer cells.

The Pacific Islanders who have not been “westernized” to use inflammation-causing vegetable oils have virtually no cancer or heart disease. They eat abundant coconut and cook with its oil exclusively.

Countless studies prove saturated fat in coconut does not raise cholesterol or contribute to heart disease.

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The March Garden

by David Y. Goodman UF/IFAS Marion County Master Gardener

T

he spring drives me on like a shot of espresso and a cattle prod. Everywhere there are things that need doing. Grass to cut, trees to feed, seeds to plant, beds to dig, weeds to pull, mulch to drop, and watering to do.

And speaking of watering, this is when things get tough. The warm weather tells your plants “grow!” and at the same time, our lack of rainfall says “stop!” I’ve lost some good plants by letting them dry out in spring while I was out of town or caught up in work.

Mulch, rain barrels, and shade are your friends. Bare ground loses water rapidly. The answer to protecting a tree from drought stress might be as easy as planting some good groundcover around its base and applying a good layer of mulch.

If you’re trying to maintain a lawn, now is the time to fertilize. Organic amendments are available, though expensive. There are alternatives to grass,

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however. I once saw a lovely driveway island planted with variegated sweet potato vines. No mowing—and you could eat plenty of roots in the fall.

Be sure to feed your trees this month, particularly your fruit trees.

Proper nutrition lowers drought stress and improves yields. My favorite amendments include compost, cow and chicken manure, and weed teas.

To make a “weed tea,” simply fill a bucket or barrel with some water and drop in your soft weeds and trimmings.

The weeds rot away into liquid compost, providing a good-bacteria- and nutrient-rich broth that is an effective, not-too-strong organic fertilizer. Be sure to use weeds that have not yet seeded.

In the forefront of many minds right now is the vegetable garden.

Time is running out. Last month was the month for peas, broccoli, cabbages, and other cool-weather veggies— this month it’s time for watermelons, beans, squash, corn, cucumbers, and okra, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

One interesting crop for this area is cassava. Known as “yuca” in Hispanic cuisine—and more familiarly to others as the source of the desert “tapioca,” Cassava (Manihot esculenta) thrives in our hot summers and requires little care. A root vegetable, it grows from stem cuttings placed in the ground in

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March. They rapidly shoot to the sky, reaching as high as 12’ before frosts knock them out. In fall, you simply chop down the tall, spreading canes with a machete and dig up the base of the plant to uncover the roots, which can then be peeled and boiled or fried.

Make sure you cook them well, though, since they contain cyanide that needs to be cooked out before consumption.

The leaves are high in protein and can be cooked like collards, though I think they taste even better.

Keep an eye on your ornamentals and edibles in March since the bugs are on their way back. One way to avoid getting too pestered by insects is to interplant different varieties rather than going for mass plantings.

A wide range of plants growing together is less attractive to pests than a monoculture—this phenomenon is something we should already observe from nature. Just stop by the side of a weedy gully and start counting the species—you’ll be amazed by the diversity. Planning your landscape and garden the same way will create a web of species with different pests, different nutritional needs and different benefits … you’re bound to have success in one area even if you fail in another … and no matter where you look, you’ll find lots of green.

God bless—and happy gardening!

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Remove chilled brie round from wrapper and place in small baking dish. Immediately score the chilled brie into either small pie-shaped wedges or lattice-work. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.

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Ingredients: 1 round of brie cheese (7 to 9 oz.)

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In 1974, The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society was founded to help educate and direct veterinarians in integrating TCM and acupuncture into their practices. The society has since become the premier governing and licensing body for veterinary acupuncturists, with more than 500 licensed practitioners in the United States alone.

It’s vital to note that because most states classify acupuncture as a surgical procedure, it can only be legally practiced by a licensed veterinarian certified in acupuncture. These same states often similarly restrict the practice of acupressure (applying pressure to acupuncture points, instead of placing needles, to move energy around in the body). This is important to understand, because if

NaturalPet

ANIMAL ACUPUNCTURE TCM Is Not Just for Humans Anymore

by Dr. Jenny Taylor

V

eterinarians that practice a holistic approach appreciate that traditional Western schooling equips them to use antibiotics and other drugs to lessen troubling symptoms, but they also ask: “Do drugs vanquish the root of the problem? Why do so many patients return with new symptoms that suggest the need for more drugs? Are permanent health and healing possible?”

Traditional Eastern Practices

While Western medicine has traditionally focused on fixing the parts of the animal that are not functioning normally, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses on systematically restoring what is out of balance and affecting the quality of an animal’s life as a whole.

This ancient method of treating illness uses acupuncture alongside other modalities such as acupressure,

30

massage, nutrition, herbs, exercise and meditation. TCM practitioners believe that health can be defined as a state of harmony; if the body moves out of harmony with itself and the external environment, dis-ease and energy stagnation occur. TCM aims to unblock this stagnation and return the body to harmony and health.

Although acupuncture has been used to treat humans for some 5,000 years, the first recorded application to an animal was about 3,500 years ago, when an elephant was treated for stomach bloat. Treatment of farm animals in rural China and Korea soon followed, but written evidence of its use on household pets has been documented only from the 20th century. From the Latin acus, meaning “needle,” and pungere, meaning “to pierce,” practitioners place tiny, thin, sterile needles under the skin at precise points, with the intention of moving chi (pronounced CHEE) around the body to prevent or treat disease.

a pet owner engages an unlicensed, non-certified practitioner, he or she will not be able to file a complaint with the state veterinary medical board if a mistake is made that harms the animal.

When to Consider Acupuncture

Veterinary acupuncture is used to treat conditions ranging from muscle injuries and paralysis to arthritis and neurologic, gastrointestinal and reproductive disorders. It is also frequently used as a maintenance procedure for healthy, athletic animals that participate in performance competitions.

Many thoroughbred racehorses, for example, receive regular treatments.

Veterinary acupuncturists develop and implement treatment plans based upon each animal’s needs, including the recommended frequency of treatment, plus the anatomical points that must be stimulated for successful outcomes. Dealing with acute problems usually involves more frequent treatments in initial stages that then taper off within a few weeks.

While any illness or health prob-

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lem can be treated using acupuncture alone, if a pet experiences a chronic, recurring health issue, it will likely benefit from a TCM program that also includes complementary, customized, nutritional and behavioral modifications. Veterinary acupuncturists often recommend herbs and nutritional supplements to help improve overall health. The focus is always on achieving long-term balance and harmony and preventing future illness, while treating current ailments.

Depending on their specialized training, vets may introduce homotoxicology (combining homeopathy and acupuncture that injects sterile, homeopathic liquids into acupuncture points). Some vets surgically insert gold bead implants into acupuncture points to provide continuous stimulation of the needed healing energy force; this works well for dogs with congenital defects like hip dysplasia, that often require a lifetime of acupuncture treatments.

HELPFUL RESOURCES Books

National Organizations

Acu-Cat, A Guide to Feline Acupressure

by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis

American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture aava.org

The Well-Connected Dog, A Guide to Canine Acupressure

by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis

American Holistic Veterinary Medicine ahvma.org

Four Paws Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs

by Dr. Cheryl Schwartz, veterinarian Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine

by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, licensed acupuncturists

Chi Institute-Dr. Huisheng Xie and Acupuncture Institute tcvm.com International Veterinary Acupuncture Society ivas.org Video of acupuncture on a dog Tinyurl.com/7ahksfv

Find a Qualified Practitioner

The family veterinarian may have acupuncture certification or be able to recommend a qualified colleague in the area. Some leading national veterinary and acupuncture organization websites provide directories to find qualified practitioners by city and state. Acupuncture is now taught at most U.S. veterinary colleges, and some experts predict that board certification for TCM is fast approaching.

Dr. Jenny Taylor is trained in veterinary acupuncture, herbology, Traditional Chinese Medicine and veterinary homeopathy. Her Creature Comfort Holistic Veterinary Center, in Oakland, California, is an award-winning regional pioneer. She lectures worldwide and donates acupuncture and homeopathy treatment for the Oakland Zoo’s wild animals. Connect at CreatureComfort. com and Facebook.com/creature comfort.holisticvet.

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March 2012

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CommunityResourceGuide Acupuncture

Holistic Medicine

Holistic Psychotherapy

Dr. Paula Koger, DOM, BS Nursing, MA Counseling 941-539-4232 / Dunnellon and Sarasota www.WealthOfHealthCenter.com Dr. Koger has a long history of success with people who are receptive to multiple ancient and high-tech healing techniques. 20 years’ experience including Professor and school health nurse; more than 17 years in Alternative healing practices with training from experts worldwide.

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

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.

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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Massage

Piano Services

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.

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.

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.

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.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness. ~Dalai Lama

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

Rolfing Carol L. Short / Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Craniosacral Therapist, Gainesville and North Central FL / 352-318-0509 Rolfing® 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.

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.

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

Grow Your Business Naturally with Natural Awakenings.

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Massage Homeopathy Acupuncture

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352-486-1838 • 295 South Court Street • Bronson • www.themakersmarket.net *Raw milk/farm eggs sold for animal consumption per FL law

www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

FL License #MM27383

March 2012

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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.

British Medium Janette Marshall Returns to Gainesville March 15-18, 2012 Events held at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave. Private readings available.

Check our complete program on the website.

Saturday, April 21 11 am to 5 pm Admission: $3.00 Vegetarian & Regular Cuisine Drawings of Your Spirit Meet your Guides and Angels Aqua-Chi Chair Massage Aura Photography Tarot, Psychic, and Astrological Readings Healing Sessions For information: Ear Candling 352-332-7153 or Merchants 352-222-3492 Past Life Regression Handmade Jewelry Incense Rocks From Around the World Candles & MUCH, MUCH MORE WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER PSYCHIC GATHERINGS

Held at the facility of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 4225 NW 34th St., Gainesville, FL

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Thursday, March 1

HGC weight loss: safe homeopathic solution. Detox coaching and support. FREE consultation; call for appointment. Reesers Nutrition Center, 3243 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352-732-0718, 351-1298, www.ReesersNutritionCenter.com.

March 2-3

Rummage sale. Friday 7am-2pm, Saturday 7am-12noon. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala, www. unityocala.org, 352-687-2113.

March 2-4

The Heart of Devotion Retreat with Krishna Das. $150 tuition includes kirtans, workshops, hatha yoga, chantying. Hindu Temple of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Dr., Casselberry. 321-439-8353, www.

KrishnaDas.com.

Saturday, March 3

Building a Sweat Lodge with Tad DeGroat. Ongoing group culminating in the creation of a sweat lodge. 1-3pm, free. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657, www. highspringsemporium.net.

Sunday, March 4

“Relationships That Work.”

Improve all your relationships with better communication. FREE with online registration at www.satvatove. com/register.

Monday, March 5

Meet the Doctor Open House.

Free, 6-7pm. Limited seating; call to reserve. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., #600, Ocala, 352-291-9459, www.LemireClinic.com.

Wednesday, March 7

Metabolic balance. All natural weight loss. FREE consultation; call for appointment. Reesers Nutrition Center, 3243 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352-732-0718, 351-1298, www.

ReesersNutritionCenter.com.

Saturday, March 10

Fire and Water Readings with Omialadora Ajamu, Yemoja. 12-5pm, $60. Call to sign up. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657, www. highspringsemporium.net.

March 10-11

Master Gardeners Weekend, UF/ IFAS Marion County Extension Service, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala. 80 vendors: plants, garden supplies, more. $1/person (free for children 12 and younger). www.marioncountyfl.org/ springfestival.htm or 352-671-8400.

Wednesday, March 14

Cleanse your body of toxic buildup, repair G.I. tract, support immune system, weight loss, antiaging nutrition, protocol for radiation detoxification. FREE consultation; call for appointment. Reesers Nutrition Center, 3243 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352-732-0718, 351-1298, www.ReesersNutritionCenter.com.

“Energetic Medicine in the evaluation and treatment of diseases and chronic conditions” with Dr. Michael Badanek, DC. Free, 3-6pm, Belleview Public Library, Hwy. 484, Belleview. RSVP to 352-622-1151.

March 15-18

Advanced SRT (Spiritual Response Therapy) Class, facilitated by Janice Puta, certified SRT instructor. Advance registration required. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala, www. unityocala.org, 352-687-2113.

Friday, March 16

Psychic art demonstration by British Medium Janette Marshall (www.janettemarshall.com), 7:309pm. $25. Held at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, 407-673-9776, www.ifsk.org.

Saturday, March 17

“The Stones of Tucson: 2012 Power Tools” Workshop with Sharron

Printed on recycled paper to protect the environment

Britton. 2-4pm, $20. Call to sign up. High. Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-4548657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

Workshop, “A Mediumistic and Intuitive Lifestyle” by British Medium Janette Marshall (www.janettemarshall. com). 10-4. $110. Held at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, 407-673-9776, www.ifsk.org.

Sunday, March 18 Guest speaker: Denise DeSimone, cancer survivor.

10am. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala, www. unityocala.org, 352-687-2113.

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.

Wednesday, March 21

Wellness Consultation on Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

FREE consultation; call for appointment. Reesers Nutrition Center, 3243 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352-732-0718, www.ReesersNutritionCenter.com.

Friday, March 23

Wisdom Circle: Detachment, Fear and the New World, with Marque G. Kolack. $20 (no one turned away for lack of funds). Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala, www. unityocala.org, 352-687-2113.

Saturday, March 24

Crystal Chakra Balancing and Alignment Sessions for the 2012 Equinox with Sharron Britton. 1-5pm, $20. Call to sign up. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

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

Introduction to Soul Healing and Divine Healing Hands, with Geho Gold, Master Teacher and Healer.

1-5:30pm, $15 ($10 before March 23). Soul Essentials, 805 E. Fort King St., Ocala, FL 34471. 386-341-6260, www.

BeHealedWithin.com.

Sunday, March 25

2012: A Reading for The Earth, Part 2. Workshop with Deb Daziel and Fran Oppenheimer, RN, LMT. 1-3pm, $20. Call to sign up. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657, www. highspringsemporium.net.

“Relationships That Work.” Improve all your relationships with better communication. FREE with online registration at www.satvatove.com/register Wednesday, March 28

Signs and Symptoms Analysis. Any time any of the organs/systems of the body are out of balance, there are signs and symptoms. FREE. Call for appointment. Reesers Nutrition Center, 3243 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352732-0718, www.ReesersNutritionCenter.com. www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

March 2012

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March 28 – April 4

8-day Panchakarma at Amrit Yoga Institute. Only eight participants accepted to ensure individualized attention. Personal physician consultations with Dr. Vijay Jain.

Information: www.amrityoga.org, 352685-3001.

March 29-April 6

“Squabbles,” comedy, Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, 352-236-2274, www.

OcalaCivicTheatre.com.

March 30-April 1

Divine Healing Hands Training Program. Divine Channels, Master Sha and special guest Master Peter will transmit Divine Healing Hands power enabling you to help others transform health, relationships and finances. 10am-10pm each day, $625.

Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. 386-341-6260, www.

BeHealedWithin.com.

Saturday, March 31

“Make a Joyful Noise: Healing the Earth and Each Other with Crystal Singing Bowls” Workshop with Sharron Britton. Bring your own bowl or try one of ours. 2-4pm, $15. Call to sign up. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-4548657, www.highspringsemporium.net.

March 31-April 1

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

Sunday, April 8

“Relationships That Work.”

Improve all your relationships with better communication. FREE with online registration at www.satvatove. com/register Saturday, April 14

Destination 352, Paddock Mall, 125. Information: Vitalize Nutrition, 352509-6839, www.Destination352.com.

Psychic/Medium Spiritual Development Class, 2-4:30pm.

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Includes meditation, lesson, practice. $25. Held at Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, 407-673-9776, www.ifsk.org.

Sacred Earth Bazaar: Spiritual and Earth Happy Festival. Vendors, readers, healing practitioners, used books, more. 10-4, Sacred Earth Center Chapel and Healing Center, 3131 NW 13th St. (in Liberty Center), Gainesville. 352-275-8537, www. sacredearthcenter.org.

April 14-15

Reiki Level II with Ojela Frank, LMT, in Ocala. Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-4pm.

352-239-9272, www.initiationhealing. com April 21-22

Initiation Healing® Therapeutics Level I with Ojela Frank, LMT, in Ocala. Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-6, $100. 352239-9272, www.initiationhealing.com.

April 28-May 4

Tao I Retreat with Divine and Tao Channel, Master Zhi Gang Sha. Learn profound ancient secrets and powerful Tao techniques to reach health and purity. 10am-10pm each day, $700 (early registration $350), Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Ocala. 386341-6260, www.BeHealedWithin.com.

May 18-20

Transformative Communication and Self-Empowerment Seminar facilitated by Dr. David Wolf, author of Relationships That Work, and Marie Glasheen, professional transformative coach. For more information and to register call Peter Sessler, 352-4255622, or visit www.satvatove.com.

May 19

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

June 2-8

Satvatove Advanced Seminar Experience; 7 days of courageous introspection and self-empowerment,

facilitated by Dr. David Wolf and Marie Glasheen. For more information and to register call Peter Sessler, 352-4255622, or visit www.satvatove.com.

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, 352-373-1030, www.

UnityOfGainesville.org.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays

Massage Therapy specializing in Cranial Sacral, Reflexology, acupressure & Shiatsu. Refuge Transitions Wellness Center, 352-6240366.

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, $40/8, $7/

Printed on recycled paper to protect the environment

drop-in. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala, 352-6879660.

Wednesdays

1pm radio show: 30 minutes of Powerful Transformative Radio: Satvatove Relationships That Work Show, online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/satvatoveinstitute.

Thursdays

Amrit Yoga w/Veda, 5:30-6:30pm every Thursday.

Downtown Public Library, 401 E. University Ave, Gainesville. Free. Dress warmly, bring light blanket. vedalewis@aol.com.

Saturdays

Farmstead Saturdays. Free, 9-3pm. Crones Cradle, 6411 NE 217 Pl, Citra. 352-595-3377, 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.

Dates vary

Coaching consultations, 20 minutes. Marie Glasheen, Satvatove Institute, 386-418-8840, 386-462-1438, www.

Satvatove.com.

Specialized Community Groups: ACOA, women’s group, men’s group, eating disorders group, relapse prevention group held weekly at Refuge Transitions Wellness Center, 352-624-0366. Community groups are facilitated by licensed therapists.

The Frugal Wine Snob The blog about wines that taste like a million bucks, but cost less than $20.

www.TheFrugalWineSnob.com

www.GoNaturalAwakenings.com

March 2012

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

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Become A Life Coach -

Join us at the School of Transformative 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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Amy Reynolds, Licensed Midwife, CPM 352-286-7681 / Amy@apeacefulbeginning.com www.apeacefulbeginning.com 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

Change your thinking, change your life with The Work of Byron Katie Call Celia, 352-505-5651 www.celiachapman.com

Sweet Deals!

$5.00 off $30 Vitamins/Skin Care and FREE GIFT and $2 off 20-oz. Protein Smoothie Exp. 3/31/12 106 SW 17th St., Ocala, 352-622-1814, francks.com

Amazing Facials!

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

20% discount on pre-purchase of 5 or more massage sessions Clark Dougherty Therapeutic Massage Clinic / MM 9718 MA 27082 / 352-694-7255

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

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

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20% off first session

Yoga, vegetarian cooking classes, musical performances, trips (India in April, Costa Rica in May), yoga teacher certification, much more. Retreats and health services 365 days/year. 352-870-7645, www.ayurvedahealthretreat.com/

Free consultation!

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.

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FREE water analysis

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352-751-0362

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352-373-5600 Alachua County

$15/class 20-46% off

pre-purchased classes, minimum 5.

Big Ron’s Yoga College Gainesville / 352-875-1976

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