Natural Awakenings North Central Florida Dec 2015

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feel good • live simply • laugh more

Awakening to SPIRIT Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

Recipe for a HAPPY

NEW YEAR Fail-Proof Ingredients for a Glorious

2016

Pint-Sized

GIVERS Teaching Kids how to Care and Share

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Onboard Yoga Stretches Ease Air Travel

December 2015 | North Central, FL Edition | GoNaturalAwakenings.com natural awakenings

December 2015

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Want to Feel Good Again? g If You’re Not Finding The Answers To Your Health Problems You Need to See Dr. Michael John Badanek Today!

Thyroid Conditions | Auto-Immune Diseases | Headaches/Migraines Allergies | Fatigue | Insomnia | Heartburn | Indigestion | Reflux Bowel Issues | Menopause | Andropause | Herniated (Slipped Disks)

Dr. Badanek Offers: • Thorough consultations to discuss your problems • Review of tests to help you understand the results • Nutritional evaluations to reveal hidden problems • Resources to help you understand your conditions • Detailed explanations on your treatment plan • Networking with highly skilled Health Care Providers • Utilizing the Latest and Best in Traditional and Functional Testing Procedures

Dr. Michael John Badanek BS, DC, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, MSGR./CHEV, CTTP 34 Years of Private Practice Promoting Functional / Alternative Medicine

Dr. Badanek, international speaker on health and nutrition, believes in spending time with his patients and getting to the root cause of their health problems He takes a whole-person approach to healthcare and involves patients in their own healing.

Feel Good Again!

AlternativeWholisticHealth.com

Licensed Chiropractic Physician; Board Certified Diplomate American Clinical Board of Nutrition; Board Certified Diplomate Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition; Certified in Acupuncture; Certified in Applied Kinesiology; Certified Nutritional Specialist from American College of Nutrition; Certified in Ecclesiastical Medicine

3391North East Silver GoNaturalAwakenings.com Springs Blvd., Suite B | Ocala, FL | 34470 | 352.622.1151 Central, FL

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Our providers: The first combined Anti-Aging, Holistic, and Family Practice Clinic in The Villages, Central Florida “We are committed to aid and promote the body’s innate mechanisms to heal and achieve homeostasis for optimum health by introducing and using natural approaches with innovative and cutting-edge technology.”

Services Offered: F Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy F Sequenced Amino Acid for treatment of autoimmune diseases F Lymphatic Drainage F Magnetic Wave Therapy for Incontinence F Massage Therapy F Laser therapy for pain F Chelation and IV Nutrient Therapy F Acupuncture F NAET (Allergy Elimination) F Colon Hydrotherapy F Nutritional Counseling F Bio Energy Balancing F Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hours and Location: Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM 1501 HWY 441, Suite 1700 The Villages, FL, 32159 Call to Schedule Your Appointment: 352-750-4333

Nelson Kraucak, MD

FAAFP-ABFP-ABCMT-IBALM-ABHM-MOCI Family Practice Alternative Medicine Dr. Nelson Kraucak has been practicing holistic medicine since 1995. Dr. Kraucak is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Family Practice. Dr. Kraucak has advanced certificates by the American Board of Holistic Medicine, International Board of Anti-Aging and Longevity Medicine, Heavy Metal Detoxification and Immuno Modulation. He is Associate Professor at FSU and UCF College of Medicine.

Aaron Perry, DOM

Acupuncture Physician, AP1813 Licensed Massage Therapist, MA25126, MM31501 Since 2003 Dr. Perry has been a practicing Acupuncture Physician, a Licensed Massage Therapist and a Certified Colon Hydrotherapist. He has a M.S. Degree in Oriental Medicine from the Florida College of Integrative Medicine. He also has an Associate of Science Degree in Natural Health from the Florida College of Natural Health.

Natalie Vincent, LMT

Licensed Massage Therapist, MA56651, MM31501 Ms. Vincent joined the practice in November 2012.

She is a Licensed Massage Therapist. She received her training at Community Tech Adult Education in Ocala, FL in 2008. She is a Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist. She received her LDT training at the Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

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December 2015

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newsbriefs

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giftguide

kudos healthbriefs globalbriefs ecotip business spotlight seniorspotlight naturalpet inspiration calendar classifieds resourceguide

Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

15 GENEROUS

Teaching Kids How to Care and Share

by Jennifer Jacobson

18 HEAVENLY SCENTS How to Make Your Own Natural Oil Fragrances

by Kathleen Barnes

20 GREEN CONGREGATIONS Faith Groups Join in Preserving All Creation

22 AWAKENING TO SPIRIT Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

by Richard Davenport

25 HEAVEN WITHIN

HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 352-629-4000 or email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month.

26 SHARON SALZBERG

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

Deadline for editorial: the 10th of the month.

28 SWEETLY VEGAN

REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

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by Avery Mack

advertising & submissions

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email Calendar Events to: GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month.

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PINT-SIZED GIVERS

by Wayne Dyer

ON MINDFULNESS

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Simple Ways to Be in the Present Moment

by April Thompson

No-Bake Holiday Treats Worth Celebrating

by Judith Fertig

35 CORRECTIVE CARE AND

WELLNESS IS THE FUTURE

by Dr. Michael Badanek, BS, DC, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, CTTP, MSGR/CHEV

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36 AIRPLANE YOGA Six Easy Stretches Ease the Journey

by Cynthia Bowman

37 RESTORE HEALTH

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

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by Dr. James E. Lemire, M.D., ABFP, IFMCP, ACAM, AAFP

natural awakenings

December 2015

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letterfrompublisher

Feel Good, Live Simply, Laugh More

contact us

We are pleased to introduce ourselves as the new publishers of

the North Central Florida edition of Natural Awakenings. We began our newest adventure together during many months of preparation

Publishers Cathy Culp Shannon Knight

prior to distribution of our initial issue last month and look forward to creating a new and improved magazine beyond the foundation

Editors Sharon Bruckman Julianne Hale Martin Miron Sara Peterson Linda Sechrist Design & Production Stephen Blancett Steven Hagewood Martin Friedman C. Michele Rose Chelsea Rose Distribution Del Culp, Director Dean Schmitt

that former publishers Carolyn Blakeslee and, before her, Wendy

Cathy Culp

Mullins established and built.

Our journey together began as 8-year-olds living five doors apart in a small Illinois town. Our 40-year friendship has always been well complemented by our differing personalities and diverse life paths. We believe that the same qualities that make our personal relationship strong are those that also make us perfect profes- Shannon Knight sional partners.

We will share more about ourselves in upcoming issues so that you can get to know us, as we get to know you dear readers. Until then, we are excited to let you know that we are expanding this edition to embrace the five counties of

Natural Awakenings North Central Florida P.O. Box 831038, Ocala, FL 34472 Phone: 352-629-4000 GoNaturalAwakenings.com GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com

Alachua, Bradford, Lake, Marion and Sumter. We expect circulation to continue

Follow us on: Facebook.com by searching: Natural Awakenings North Central Florida

content. We aim to be your unparalleled monthly go-to source for healthy living

to increase and have added more pages in order to bring you even more information relevant to your life. This will include fresh, high-quality, local editorial including articles, news briefs and calendar listings as well as additional national on a healthy planet!

Thank you for joining us on this exciting new journey,

Š2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

SUBSCRIPTIONS To sign up for a copy of our monthly digital magazine, email

Cathy Culp and Shannon Knight, Co-Publishers

N ever forget the three powerful resources

GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

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that are always available to you: love, prayer and forgiveness. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

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newsbriefs

kudos

Fall Natural Foods and Gift Gala in Citra

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he Crones’ Cradle Conserve Foundation will host its annual Fall Natural Foods and Gift Gala from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., December 12, at their farm in Citra. Farmer cooks will serve the food they have grown, and five chefs will prepare vegetables and herbs from the gardens, including Steve Grimes, of Crane Ramen, in Gainesville; Trina Spillman, of Health and Wellness Farms, in Fort McCoy; retired chef Alfie Cresentini, of Meals that Heal, in Port Orange; Gail Stern, of Sternderosa Catering, in Ocala; and Marge Erixson, of Virginia College.

Visitors can also shop for holiday gifts made from natural materials by local artists in the farm store. The event also features a silent auction and raffle.

“We look forward to visitors on December 12. We have folks who have joined us for our gala every year. We also look forward to introducing new friends to natural, local, nutritious food, prepared by chefs and cooks who serve amazing dishes using natural vegetables,” says Crones’ Cradle co-founder Jeri Baldwin.

Cost: $1 admission, $2 food sample ticket. Location: 6411 NE 217th Pl. For more information, call 352-595-3377 or visit CronesCradleConserve.org. See ad, page 39.

Gainesville Goes Medieval

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he city of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department will host the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., January 30 and 31; 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., February 5; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., February 6 and 7, in the enchanted forest of the Alachua County Fairgrounds.

Hoggetowne is home to more than 160 talented artisans from across the country selling and demonstrating their crafts, including weaving, blacksmithing, leatherworking, wood carving, glass blowing and medieval jewelry. The Faire’s eight stages feature the forgotten skill of full-flight falconry, gripping aerial acrobatics and Old World magic. Jugglers, knife throwers, gypsy dancers and jousting knights will be on hand and visitors can engage in traditional medieval games by shooting arrows, hurling battle axes at targets and navigating through a winding maze.

“Visitors should plan to spend the entire day enjoying Hoggetowne’s enticing blend of artwork, period music and medieval traditions,” says Faire Coordinator Linda Piper. The food court features freshly baked pastries, blooming onions, sweet potato fries, giant turkey legs and ribs.

Cost: $17 adults, $7 children 5-17, free children under 5; discounted admission on Feb. 5: $8 adults, $3.50 children. Location: 2900 NE 39th Ave. For more information or tickets, call 352-334-2787 or visit GvlCulturalAffairs.org.

News to share?

Submit information to GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com Submittal deadline is the 10th of the month.

Blissful Life Corporation, a small, nonprofit yoga and wellness center, launched its first major fundraiser, a yogathon event, at Ocala’s First Friday Art Walk in October, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To show their dedication and commitment to survivors, participants performed 100 Moon Salutations in the downtown square.

In addition to raising awareness, the center also raised more than $500 to benefit Ocala Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center and an equal amount toward their mission to provide yoga and wellness programs to survivors. “We are very proud and appreciative for all who participated and gave to this worthy cause. Awareness is the key to change,” says Jennifer McCracken, co-founder and lead instructor of Blissful Life Corporation.

Location: 1738 SE 58th Ave., Ocala.

For more information, call 352-6949642 or visit BlissOcala.com.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

natural awakenings

December 2015

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healthbriefs

People Double Up on Calories After the Holidays

SPIRITUALITY IS BENEFICIAL FOR CANCER PATIENTS

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espite the popularity of New Year’s resolutions, scientists have found that post-holiday food shopping decisions don’t necessarily reflect intentions to eat healthier or lose weight.

Scientists from Cornell University tracked resolutions and after-holiday food shopping habits of 207 families. They classified about 20,000 food products as either “healthy” or “less-healthy”.

Calories and dollars spent were also tracked.

Analysis of 37 weeks of activity that included the extended winter holiday period and into the new year found that additional food expenditures and calories began about a week prior to Thanksgiving and peaked during Christmas celebrations. Compared to the rest of the year, this increased shopping averaged just over $16 more a week, about $4 of which was spent on healthy foods.

Food expenditures then continued to increase after the holidays to about $25 more a week compared to the average—showing a 24 percent increase. However, $13 of this was spent on healthier foods.

Calorie levels also increased. “Total weekly per-serving calories increased by 440 during the holiday period relative to the baseline period, and nearly 91 percent of this increase was due to additional purchases of the more calorie-dense foods,” the researchers reported.

“Even more intriguing is that contrary to well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions, additional weekly per-serving calories purchased increased to 890 in the post-holiday period relative to the baseline, more than doubling the 440 calorie increase evident in the holiday season,” the researchers observed. Of this, 63 percent of the additional calories were from high-calorie foods.

Asbestos Found in Crayons and Children’s Toys

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esearch from the Environmental Working Group’s Action Fund has determined that some popular children’s toys contain a chemical that previous research has linked to lung disease and lung cancers. The researchers tested 28 boxes of crayons and 21 crimethemed toys at the Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina. They found that four of the crayon brands and two of the crime-scene toys contained asbestos.

All of the asbestos-containing toys were manufactured in China. The products included the Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brands of crayons, the EduScience Deluxe Forensics Lab Kit and the Inside Intelligence Secret Spy Kit. The latter two brands contained asbestos within the fingerprint powders.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asbestos from all sources is responsible for up to 15,000 U.S. deaths each year.

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ccording to a new review of research published in the journal Cancer, a strong religious or spiritual belief system may improve a cancer patient’s prognosis physically, emotionally and mentally.

Researchers from Florida’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and North Carolina’s Wake Forest School of Medicine reviewed clinical studies that included more than 44,000 cancer patients. The first review focused on physical symptoms and found that patients with stronger religious and spiritual beliefs reported fewer cancer symptoms and better physical health.

They also showed enhanced capabilities in managing their daily lives.

“These relationships were particularly strong in patients that experienced greater emotional aspects of religion and spirituality, including a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as a connection to a source larger than oneself,” states Heather Jim, lead author of the first review.

The second review focused on mental health and found reductions in anxiety, depression and distress among those with greater spirituality. Lead author Dr. John Salsman comments, “Also, greater levels of spiritual distress and a sense of disconnectedness from God or a religious community were associated with greater psychological distress or poorer emotional well-being.”

In the third review, the researchers found that patients with a stronger spiritual well-being reported better social health, as well.

DIGITAL ‘BLUE LIGHT’ READING DISRUPTS SLEEP RHYTHM

Potatoes Don’t Pack on Pounds

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esearch from scientists at the University of California, Davis has mashed the notion that potatoes cause weight gain. The researchers tested 90 overweight people divided into three groups, with all of them eating five to seven servings of potatoes each week over a three-month period.

Two groups reduced their calorie intake by 500 calories per day, with one group eating low-glycemic index (GI) foods and the other group eating high-GI foods. The third group had no calorie restrictions. Despite the increased potato consumption during the study period, all three groups showed slight weight loss and reduced body mass index.

The researchers concluded, “Potato intake did not cause weight gain.”

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ecent findings from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, has determined that reading from a light-emitting tablet or computer before bedtime will disturb sleep and may change the circadian rhythms that govern the body’s clock.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, tested 12 people for two weeks. On five nights during one week, the subjects read ebooks on an iPad for four hours before bedtime. Another week, they read from printed books for the same duration.

During the five days of iPad reading, the participants fell asleep later and spent less time in rapid eye movement (REM)-stage sleep. The light-emitting tablet altered the circadian rhythm, changing the body’s natural sleeping pattern. The researchers also tested other blue-light emitting devices, including laptops, tablets, other eReaders, cell phones and LED monitors.

“We found the body’s natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from these electronic devices,” says neuroscientist Anne-Marie Chang, Ph.D., one of the study authors.

Dr. Charles Czeisler, Ph.D., a leading sleep researcher, remarks, “In the past 50 years, there has been a decline in average sleep duration and quality.

Since more people are choosing electronic devices for reading, communication and entertainment, particularly children and adolescents who already experience significant sleep loss, epidemiological research evaluating the longterm consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed.”

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Superfruit Antioxidants Found in Chilean Maqui Berry

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esearch from the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Center has confirmed that the South American superfruit maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) can aid the cardiovascular system and reduce blood sugar. Clinical trials found a group of antioxidants, called delphinidins, significantly reduced levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, which is linked to atherosclerosis and other heart diseases.

The clinical research found that the delphinidins contained in the maqui berry, known as the richest natural source of the antioxidant, aid the health of blood vessels by increasing nitric oxide and decreasing platelets linked with thrombosis, the clogging of arteries that can cause strokes. The researchers also found that the superfruit may help counteract skin aging from ultraviolet radiation-B (UVB) exposure.

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Meditation Linked to Telomere Integrity in Cancer Patients

Check our website for upcoming workshops and webinars.

November 2015

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aintaining telomere length has been directly linked to longer lifespan in a number of studies. A telomere is the structure at the end of a chromosome that protects it from deteriorating or fusing with other chromosomes. Its length is being used to measure the potential success of integrative therapy for recovering cancer patients; now University of Calgary research has found that mindfulness meditation helps.

The researchers tested 88 breast cancer survivors with a previous diagnosis of stage-one to stage-three breast cancer.

The patients’ telomere lengths were tested after either group-support therapy or mindfulness meditation training that included gentle hatha yoga exercises. Results showed that while the control group’s telomere lengths decreased over time, both the mindfulness group and the support therapy group were on average able to maintain their telomere length throughout the testing period.

New on-going monthly classes now forming in the British Style of Evidential Mediumship

Classes to be held at Unity of The Villages Check our complete program on the website. www.ifsk.org ~ 407-247-7823 10

North Central, FL

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November 2015

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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Hear Ye!

Dutch Court Upholds Climate Action as a Human Right Perhaps establishing a new global precedent for a state’s obligation to its citizens in the face of a growing climate crisis, a Dutch court has ruled that the government has a legal duty to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2020. The decision came in response to a 2013 lawsuit launched by the Amsterdam-based environmental nonprofit Urgenda Foundation and 600 Dutch citizens that argued the government was violating international human rights law by failing to take sufficient measures to combat rising greenhouse gas emissions.

A statement from the court reads, “The state must do more to avert the imminent danger caused by climate change, also in view of its duty to provide care to protect and improve the living environment.”

In the United States, the youth-led movement Our Children’s Trust (OurChildrens Trust.org) is suing state governments and what they dub “the ruling generation” as accountable for climate inaction. As 350.org co-founder and Communications Director Jamie Henn noted after the ruling, “If the Netherlands sets a precedent, it’s a whole new ball game.” Other countries are weighing the situation, as well.

Source: BBC

Greener Globe

World Powers Vow Cuts in Emissions This year’s G7 Summit of the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, plus the European Union, has agreed in principle that the global economy must be completely fossil fuel-free by the end of this century to curb destructive climate change. To that end, the nations agreed to work toward cutting emissions between 40 and 70 percent by 2050.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also announced that the G7 countries would raise $100 billion from public and private sources by 2020 to help poorer nations adapt. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace praised the action. In a statement, the Sierra Club called it “the first time that the leaders of the world have made clear with one voice that we must get off fossil fuels completely.”

Two hundred countries are expected to commit in writing to specific plans for greening their economies at the United Nations Climate Change Conference this month in Paris.

Source: TheHill.com

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

Interactive Government

White House Responds to Online Petitions President Obama has made it a priority to open a direct channel for people to be heard via online petitions. Jason Goldman, chief digital officer at the White House, says that his staff has responded to dozens of requests to take action on a variety of issues in recent months. “We want to make sure those responses aren’t the final page, but rather the start of an ongoing conversation,” he says.

Change.org has chosen to integrate with the We the People platform, meaning the future signatures of its 100 million users will count toward the threshold of 100,000 for getting an official response from the administration.

“The process of hearing from us about your petition is going to look a little different,” says Goldman. “We’ve assembled a team of people responsible for taking your questions and requests and bringing them to the right people, whether within the White House or in an agency within the administration that may be in a position to say something about your request.”

Visit Petitions.WhiteHouse.gov.

please recycle

~Maya Angelou natural awakenings

December 2015

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globalbriefs Fungus Among Us

Mushrooms Offer Pesticide-Free Insect Control Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading mycologists, invented a fungus (mushroom)-based pesticide in 2006.

An industry executive states, “This patent represents the most disruptive technology we have ever witnessed.” This “smart” pesticide provides a safe and nearly permanent solution for controlling more than 200,000 species of insects.

Entomopathogenic (insect-destroying) fungi are altered so they don’t produce spores. This actually attracts the insects, which then eat them and turn into fungi from the inside-out. The invention has the potential to revolutionize the way humans grow crops.

Source: Earth. We Are One. View the patent at Tinyurl.com/FungusPesticidePatent.

Uncommon Devotion Religion in America Shows Resilience

A new sustainability policy by the 3M Corporation, maker of Post-it notes, has drawn support for its goal of making a minimal impact on forests, wildlife and human rights.

3M paper-based products and packaging require pulp and paper from sources around the world. Working in collaboration with ForestEthics and Greenpeace, the company launched a comprehensive review of all of its pulp and paper procurement expectations to ensure the materials are produced from sustainably logged timber.

3M will now hold paper and pulp suppliers accountable to one of the highest standards in the industry for environmental protection and respect of human rights, including tracing origins and obtaining consent of indigenous peoples and local communities before logging operations occur. The company intends to publish semiannual updates of its progress online.

On any given Sabbath, four of 10 Americans travel to a place of worship, a number that hasn’t fluctuated dramatically in the past half-century. Gallup polls report that more than 81 percent say they identify with a specific religion or denomination; 78 percent say it’s an important part of their lives; and 57 percent believe that religion is able to solve today’s problems.

While recent attendance may be off, Americans are no less likely to attend services today than they were in the 1940s and early ’50s, just prior to the ultra-religious following decade. The reason, says Gallup’s Frank Newport, is that U.S. religious worship is cyclical.

Today’s practicing religious communities “tend to consist of the seriously committed, not just those swept along by obligation,” reports Christian Smith, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame and coprincipal investigator of the National Study of Youth and Religion.

Those that worship regularly are more likely to be older, female and Southern; they also are better educated and stronger financially than those that don’t, according to Newport. At the same time, Mitchell Marcus, a University of Pennsylvania professor, characterizes his Ph.D. students as religiously curious, often devout and eager to talk about their beliefs.

Source: ForestEthics.org

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Sentient Beings

New Zealand Enacts Bill Recognizing Animal Intelligence The New Zealand Animal Welfare Amendment Bill that passed into law this year states that animals, like humans, are sentient beings. Dr. Virginia Williams, chair of the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee, says this acknowledges, “Animals can experience both positive and negative emotions, including pain and distress.” The bill thus bans the use of animals for testing cosmetics.

Williams says the legal recognition of animal sentience provides a stronger underpinning of the requirements of the existing Animal Welfare Act. The bill also provides for penalties to enable low-to-medium-level offenders to be punished more effectively and gives animal welfare inspectors the power to issue compliance notices, among other measures.

Find a link to the legislation at Tinyurl.com/NewZealandSentienceBill.

Post-It Progress

3M Requires Paper Sources to Meet Sustainable Standards

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Good Tithings

Lend a Hand to Causes While You Shop This holiday season, every gift purchased through Good Search.com can earn a donation of up to 30 percent of its value for a favorite charity, along with moneysaving coupons for the customer.

More than 2,500 national retailers are participating in the program, including Apple, Target, Toys “R” Us, Ralph Lauren, Macy’s, 1-800-Flowers, PetSmart and Expedia.

Instead of limiting qualifying purchases to a particular product and charity, the campaign includes nearly every product in the store.

The donation goes to the charity or school of the shopper’s choice with the cooperation of the organization’s GoodShop, which has raised more than $9 million for charities ranging from The American Red Cross and ASPCA to local homeless shelters and schools.

Each Internet search through the website also earns the charity about a penny. With GoodDining, meals at more than 10,000 restaurants earn donations, with more than 100,000 charities and schools benefitting.

UNICEF has used money from GoodSearch and GoodShop to provide clean drinking water to more than 200,000 children.

ecotip Shipping News

Early Bird Gift Shipping Saves Stress, Money and Resources Last-minute online shopping can be costly in both dollars and pollution. Choosing next-day delivery puts purchased products on a plane that burns far more carbon-producing fossil fuel than ground transportation. But there’s a better way, and how we package gifts for shipping counts.

Order and ship early. Building in more lead time affords less costly shipping options. Eco-wise, if the shipper has some freedom in scheduling deliveries, it can choose to hold up a delivery truck until it’s full, rather than sending one out half-empty. Also, if a package doesn’t have to reach its destination by a particular day or time, the company can choose the most efficient local delivery routing.

A recent University of Washington study found that a community using grocery delivery services slashed carbon emissions when compared to individuals driving to the supermarket. Plus, they achieved their biggest gains—80 to 90 percent lower emissions—when they could plan deliveries around customer locations, rather than precise delivery windows, thus minimizing driving distance and time on the road.

Seek out available boxes. Many grocery and beverage stores don’t immediately break down incoming cardboard shipping boxes. Ask a store attendant if they have any available. Reusing saved paper bags from checkout (for those that don’t bring reusable bags) can serve to cushion gift-wrapped boxes. GreenAmerica. org suggests repurposing gently-used wrapping paper or old fabrics, newspapers, magazines or calendars for a creative look. Return any foam peanuts in received packages to a pack-n-ship shop for reuse.

Know the options. While U.S. Postal Service (usps.com) Priority Mail offers flat rates to any state regardless of weight (up to 70 pounds), package tracking and other year-round features, the cost of using other carriers varies by destination zip code, package size and weight. Verify price and timing options, making sure packages arrive in good time to be under the Christmas tree before December 25.

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December 2015

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businessspotlight

Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine

by Michelle Bense

T

he Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine, in Gainesville, provides a cost-effective approach for exploring the benefits of Oriental medicine through acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion, cupping and Tui Na at their student clinic. The college derived its name from Dr. Leon Hammer’s book, Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies, where the dragon is a symbol of force and power, used to define those who are excellent and outstanding.

Rainey Lund, a third-year student, will graduate this month with a master’s in Oriental Medicine. She and students like her have gained an understanding of the therapeutic relationship and how an

individual is shaped by lifestyle from the womb to the present.

The Dragon Rises master’s program recognizes that treatment is only one part of the individual’s health management regimen, and that genuine healing and long-term maintenance of good health are the results of an approach that incorporates the physical, mental and spiritual.

A significant aspect of Dragon Rises is their student clinic, where visitors can experience the benefits of Oriental medicine in a cost-effective manner. In the clinic, interns and licensed supervisors thoroughly discuss a patient’s history of medical concerns, then treat individuals with appropriate modalities

Rainey Lund, third-year student in the College’s raw-herb dispensary within Oriental medicine, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, lifestyle consultation and therapeutic massage.

Clinic visitors will enter a warm but professional atmosphere, be asked to fill out an in-depth questionnaire, then meet with one of the student practitioners, like Lund, who will go over the questionnaire before performing a pulse diagnosis. “Pulse diagnosis is a systematic process that provides data to guide the practitioner in treating the root condition, rather than just the symptoms,” explains Lund. “Students spend at least eight months on this skill alone.”

Once an instructor reevaluates the student’s findings, a treatment plan will be put into place, which may include an herbal treatment that they will prepare themselves from the school’s vast dispensary of raw ingredients.

The program gives students access to raw herbs, and encourages them to participate in making formulas, topical applications and poultices.

Graduates gain the confidence and skills to diagnose and treat at a deep level, enabling them to affect deep and significant changes in their patients’ health and lives.

Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine is located at 1000 NE 16th Ave., Bldg. F, in Gainesville. For more information, call 352-371-2833 or visit DragonRises.edu. See ad, page 34.

Michelle Bense is a freelance writer and editor for Natural Awakenings.

Connect with her at EditorMichelle Bense@gmail.com.

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healthykids

Generous Pint-Sized Givers Teaching Kids How to Care and Share

by Jennifer Jacobson

A

mong a parent’s greatest rewards is seeing their children grow up to be productive, contributing members of society, including knowing how to give back and enrich the communities in which they live. Children can start participating in the giving process as toddlers. Having them observe regular charitable acts can make a strong impression and catalyze later independent initiatives.

Learning how to give and developing the associated skill set is a lifelong journey. Giving becomes a way of life—of looking at the world and determining how to help the causes they feel passionate about. Here’s how to take those crucial first steps.

Ask kids how they’d like to help. If giving to a cause is new to the household, explain that the family has many opportunities. Then engage children in a conversation about the general areas they may feel strongly about supporting—perhaps individuals or families in need, animals or wildlife habitat—and start a list of those that the family is interested in.

Next, start researching related local organizations, facilities and institutions, and matching them to the topics on the list. Ideas may include food kitchens, pet shelters and animal

rescues, nature parks, senior citizens’ residences, camps for low-income or physically or mentally challenged children, zoos, museums, aquariums and local libraries.

Make a game plan. Get creative about how to actually help the selected causes. Talk it through together, map out activities—like visiting, donating funds or materials or participating in fundraising efforts—and post the results somewhere at home that is highly visible. “Gamify” it to some degree with tasks that turn into goals that turn into accomplishments that result in chits.

Quick tasks can make a big difference. Clear the clutter. Every six to 12 months, launch an all-family household closet cleaning day that includes the toy chest and maybe the garage. Add nonperishable healthy food items they’ve picked out while grocery shopping.

Make a “donate box” positioned where kids can add to it and deliver the donations often, even if it’s small.

Find ways to raise money for donations. Organize a family or neighborhood yard sale or organic bake sale that involves kids at all stages of the project, and give all or a portion of the proceeds to a selected charity.

Associate getting with giving. For birthdays and holidays, include a

handwritten “certificate of giving” that specifies the amount of money available for them to gift to their favorite charity. Take the child to the charity site to make the monetary donation in person, if possible. For non-local organizations, write a check and have the child include a letter with their thoughts and mail it.

Volunteer to do community service. Public gardens need weeding, historic buildings need painting and food banks need hands. Find goodwill tasks that are age-appropriate and engaging.

Grow the mindset. Tell real-life stories about kids or groups of kids that have found creative ways to give back. Encourage empathy by sharing appropriate stories of struggle. Ask kids, “How would you want people to help you in this situation?” Explain the action the family is taking and the resulting benefit to the recipient.

The conversation might be, “We don’t need to store all this stuff when someone else could really use it.” Or, “I bet there is a kid out there who would really like playing with this toy.

I know you used to love it, but how about if you pass it along to someone else so they can enjoy it as much as you have?” Keep the focus on the people in need and your child’s ability to share an experience through an item.

Establishing an impermanent connection to material things can help kids understand the importance of nurturing relationships over acquiring goods.

Develop a language of giving in the household by creating opportunities to incorporate it into regular conversation. Appropriate comments could share concepts such as seeing ourselves as stewards of the planet and the things we think we own; it’s our duty to help those in need when we have abundance; and if there is ever a time when we are without, we hope that others will think of us and help us.

Teaching children how their thoughts, words and actions impact those around them is a lesson that bears repeating.

Jennifer Jacobson lives in Seattle and has served on the boards of several influential nonprofits and other organizations focused on conservation, education and community.

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Local Gift-Giving Ideas Nature’s Way Organic Salon & Spa offers its Wintertime pedicure special during January, February and March. The Sweet Cocount Java is served in coconut shells and will soften and feed dry feet and legs after the holidays.

Cost: $45. Location: 4620 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ste. 502, Ocala. Call 352-236-5353 or visit NaturesWayOrganicSalon.com.

Down the Canal – The Game of Birth is a board game created

by Betsy Schwartz, a certified postpartum doula. Pregnant moms and dads, childbirth educators, health educators, high school classes, doulas, nursing students and anyone interested in birth will enjoy this game.

Cost: $29.99. Call 352-228-1022 or visit DownTheCanal.com.

The One-Stack Recirculated Patio Unit Vertical Garden by Verti-Gro fits in the smallest sunny spaces, indoors or outdoors.

The automatic watering garden is a great tool for hydroponic or organic gardening.

Cost: $259.95. Location: 15000 SE Hwy. 441, Summerfield. Call 352-347-9888 or visit VertiGro.com.

Donna Henderson, an acupuncturist in Keystone Heights, self-published a children’s book for qigong, a slow movement exercise that involves deep breathing with simple movements and imagination. Let the Rain Fall Down comes alive for children ages 2 through 9, with the original song and accompanying video.

Cost: $10.99. Visit DonnaHenderson.net.

Mount Dora Olive Oil Company has received their shipment of over 10,000 pounds of empty bottles to get ready for holiday orders. They have a free tasting bar with 65 varieties of Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White and Dark Balsamic and Specialty Oils and Vinegars from which to choose.

Cost: $11-$16. Location: 351B N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora. Call 352-7358481 or visit MountDoraOliveOil.com.

Color-Changing Himalayan Salt Lamps are available at Herbal Advantage.

The five-inch lamps are powered by battery or USB cord, making them portable and perfect for the office.

Cost: $27.95. Location: 535 NE 36th Ave., Ste. 3, Ocala. Call 352-629-1110 or visit HerbalAdvantage.com.

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Grain-Free Buddy Biscuits for your fourlegged best buddy are available at Piglet’s Pantry.

Treats are glutenfree, made with no corn, wheat, soy or eggs and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The five-ounce bags come in four flavors: beef, cheese, chicken and peanut butter.

Cost: $8.25. Location: 400 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora. Call 352-735-9779 or visit PigletsPantry.com.

Aromatherapy Wrap & Alpha Capsule at A Touch of Heaven Spa and Salon. Forty indulging minutes of body brushing and custom-blended aromatic essential oils saturate fresh linens and cocoon the body. Choose to cleanse, relax or energize.

Cost: $65. Location: 7733 W. Newberry Rd., Ste. B-1, Gainesville. Call 352-3325005 or visit TouchOfHeaven-Fl.com.

Custom Eminence Organic 60-Minute Facial for both women and men at Synergy Salon and Spa. Choose from fruit, vegetable and herbal skincare products by Eminence Organic Skin Care Of Hungary.

Cost: $90. Gift certificates available.

Location: 301 N. Baker St., Ste. 1, Mount Dora. Call 352-383-2900 or visit SynergySalonSpaMtDora.com

Local Charities seniorspotlight for Gift Donations Natural Therapies

for Seniors at AIRS Global Inc.

by Michelle Bense

Kindred Spirits Sanctuary is a nonprofit home for abused, abandoned, neglected and disabled farm animals located in Ocala since 2003.

Location: 12600 N. U.S. Hwy. 27, Ocala. To donate, call 352-362-6518 or visit KindredSpiritsSanctuary.org.

Food Pantry in Mount Dora since 2009 offers food, personal items, counseling, legal advice, yoga and understanding while instilling self-sufficiency and maintaining clients’ dignity.

Location: 2001 W. Old Hwy. 441, Ste. 1, Mount Dora. To donate, call 352383-0100 or visit LakeCares.org.

AIRS Global Inc., a natural therapy center in Ocala, provides a new and natural approach for seniors while they are facing growing medical concerns and daily challenges, like environmental toxicities, medications and stresses. AIRS values their clients by spending quality time with each one, empowering them to overcome health challenges by regaining and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

The health practitioners at AIRS provide help to patients dealing with fatigue, asthma and allergies, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, skin disorders, digestive disorders, bladder or kidney problems, constipation, joint pain or stiffness, weight gain and more. They specialize in acute and chronic disease management, for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular, pain management, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, thyroid diseases and hormonal imbalances.

“AIRS Global empowers others to reach an ideal and harmonic state in overcoming health challenges to enjoy a vital, exuberant, fulfilled lifestyle,” says Garfield Waugh, CST, EFT, BCS. “We help others to live a healthy, happy, passionate and purposeful life.

Through our non-traditional approach, we hydrate and molecularly reprogram the cells in the body to live free, as they were originally designed.”

Using holistic, less invasive approaches without the side effects of chemicals, AIRS Global offers services

such as wellness assessments, topical perception reframing, BioMat infrared therapy, craniosacral therapy, cold laser therapy, Bio-cleanse detox therapy and more.

As part of the AIRS wellness program, they offer Bio-cleanse detox therapy, which helps purge the body of harmful toxins, heavy metals and other harmful foreign matter. Senior adults, who have often accumulated many stored toxins and may not be able to get rid of them efficiently, can especially see improvements from the detox. It is also worth noting that the therapy is valuable for those who take many medications, as the Bio-cleanse detox therapy does not eliminate beneficial medications from the body.

“We assist you in regaining and maintaining a healthier lifestyle without the adverse side effects,” enthuses Waugh.

“Awaken your mind and your senses to adjust, manage and overcome stresses and their effects on the body. Discover your miraculous body, mind and spirit.”

AIRS Global Inc. is located at 1005 S.W. 10th St., Ste. 103, in Ocala. For more information, call 352-512-0222 or visit AirsGlobalInc.com. See ad, back cover.

Michelle Bense is a freelance writer and editor for Natural Awakenings.

Connect with her at EditorMichelle Bense@gmail.com.

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healingways

against Candida-type fungi resistant to prescription drugs, according to Brazilian research from Universidade Federal. A groundbreaking study from the Slovak University of Technology, in Slovakia, even suggests that rosemary oil can kill cancer cells.

These are all scents that can be the foundations of do-it-yourself perfumes.

Customized Blends

HEAVENLY SCENTS How to Make Your Own Natural Oil Fragrances

by Kathleen Barnes

A

whiff of sweetness can communicate a personal signature of tranquility, alertness or romance, or it can cause a bout of miserable sneezing, wheezing or nausea for those in the vicinity and even the unwitting wearer.

Commercial Chemicals

“When you see ‘fragrance’ on a personal care product label, read it as ‘hidden chemicals,’” warns the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit watchdog Environmental Working Group (EWG). “A major loophole in the [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration’s federal law lets manufacturers of products like shampoo, lotion and body wash include nearly any ingredient under the term fragrance without actually listing the chemical.”

Companies that manufacture personal care products are required by law to list the ingredients they use, but fragrances and trade-secret formulas are exempt.

What’s known as a dirty little secret in the fragrance industry is the unlabeled presence of toxic chemicals not only in perfumes, but in any personal care product that includes a scent. Lab tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by the EWG confirm the presence of parabens that interfere with hormone production, 18

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cancer-causing phthalates, and synthetic musks that have been linked to hormone disruption, among many other ills.

Naturally Safe Scents

“Opting for natural scents from organic essential oils not only offers a toxin-free alternative, the oils’ aromatherapy benefits have time-proven therapeutic value,” suggests Dorene Petersen, president and founder of the American College of Healthcare Sciences, in Portland, Oregon.

Recent research from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica, in Brazil, confirms that lavender oil has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and pain-relieving properties similar to those of a mild-dose narcotic. Plus, it smells heavenly, says botanical perfumer Roxana Villa, of Woodland Hills, a California-based spokesperson for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy.

“Considering the part of the plant used will give you an idea of its therapeutic value,” says Villa. “A root base will be good for grounding. Since bark is like skin, oils such as birch will benefit skin and muscles. Oils from flowers are excellent for anything related to the head and mind.”

Oregano and cinnamon oils have powerful antifungal properties, even

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“It’s fun to experiment with organic essential oils and create that unique blend that becomes a personal signature,” says Charlynn Avery, an aromatherapist with Aura Cacia, in Norway, Iowa. She explains that essential oils have three basic “notes” and blending them correctly will result in a fragrance suited to last throughout the day.

“The base note is heavier and lasts the longest. Patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, cedarwood and jasmine hang around longer in the atmosphere and on the wearer,” she explains. Blending the base with a slightly lighter middle note like lavender, rosemary or clary sage and a light and short-lasting top note like orange, lime or peppermint will create a complex and pleasing blend.

“That’s the beauty of the art of it,” says Avery. “You can create synergistic blends that harmonize and complement the attributes of each to such an extent that you may not be able to detect the scents of the individual oils.”

There are no hard and fast rules, but our experts offer a few guidelines for creating our own unique blends that will be well-received as holiday gifts.

Use a base of oil like jojoba or sweet almond to create a perfumed oil.

Note that oils undiluted by a carrier can burn the skin.

For oil-based blends, use a ratio of 50 drops of bottom note oil, 30 drops of a middle note and 20 drops of a top note in two ounces of carrier oil.

Another option is to use an alcohol base of either isopropyl rubbing alcohol or 85-proof vodka to make a spray perfume; the alcohol will evaporate quickly.

Alcohol-based blends generally last longer, especially with fragile citrus oils.

A usual ratio is 10 to 20 drops of essential oil per ounce of alcoholbased carrier.

Oil-based blends are ready to use

almost immediately. Alcohol-based blends should age a week or two at least and will become more strongly scented in time.

Store fragrances in bottles in a dark, cool place. Bottles with tiny rollon caps are commercially available.

“It’s very much trial and error to arrive at a preferred scent, so be creative and keep careful notes of experiments

and improve on them as you gain experience,” counsels Avery. “If you crinkle your nose at patchouli, you probably won’t like an oil blend with it, either.

Choose scents you like.”

Kathleen Barnes is author of numerous natural health books including Food Is Medicine. Connect at Kathleen Barnes.com.

The 1-2-3s of Blending Oils Base Notes sandalwood jasmine myrrh vetiver patchouli cedarwood

Middle Notes lavender bergamot geranium rosemary tea tree clary sage

Top Notes orange lemon grapefruit eucalyptus lime peppermint

A general ratio of 50 percent base note oils to 30 percent middle notes and 20 percent top notes is recommended.

Source: courtesy of AuraCacia.com

GIFT BLEND FOR MEN Western cultures value “manly” Earth scents like sandalwood and cedarwood, while in other cultures, flowery scents are acceptable for men.

An appealing woodsy blend for an American male blends cedarwood, clary sage and lime.

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greenliving

photo courtesy of View Dynamic Glass

The film Renewal documents this grassroots movement at RenewalProject.net.

Green Congregations Faith Groups Join in Preserving All Creation

by Avery Mack

T

he simple act of switching on a bulb can light a room; preaching that humans are caretakers of the Earth can enlighten a community.

“How are we faithful to God’s creation?” asks Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., author of Grounded: Finding God in the World—A Spiritual Revolution, in Alexandria, Virginia. “The connection between the natural world and the world we live in helps us understand the remarkable responsibility we have to the planet.”

Along with an emotional bottom line, many people pose a greater question: What is the cost to our spiritual life if we act selfishly? “We need to know what is sacred and what matters

for generations to come,” says Bass.

“This is an exciting time for communities of faith to work together.” Churches, synagogues, mosques and other faith groups are sending a message to their congregations and communities: We need to care for what the Creator has given us.

Showing the Way

“We wanted to reduce reliance on foreign oil, support local businesses, buy American-made and be cost-effective,” says Rabbi David Freelund, of the Cape Cod Synagogue, in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

“Going solar made sense. We leased panels, joined a renewable energy

Practical Christianity for Positive Spiritual Living Our spiritual community offers practical, spiritual teachings to inspire abundant and meaningful living.

We warmly welcome you!

11 am Sundays—Sanctuary Service

Sunday School & Nursery Care Reverend Jennifer L. Sacks, Senior Minister

Gwen Lindsley, Youth Ministry Dir. & Cathy DeWitt, Music Dir. 8801 NW 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606 352-373-1030 — unitygvl@gmail.com 10 am–3 pm Mon-Thurs & 9:30 am-1 pm Sun www.unitygainesville.org FB: Unity of Gainesville, Florida

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credit program and now generate 90 percent of our energy.”

The synagogue also upgrades equipment to more efficient levels when it’s time for replacement, composts waste, maintains a garden to supply a local food pantry, switched to LED lights, zoned their facility’s heating and cooling and follows a single-stream recycling program.

“We seek to lead by example. Members ask, ‘What else can we do?’

As Jews, our mission is not fulfilled unless we lift up others toward the divine,” says Freelund.

Windows often make up a large portion of a building of worship, but can be the least energy-efficient components. Members of Colorado’s Steamboat Christian Center, in Steamboat Springs, used to wear sunglasses or change seats during services to escape the sun’s glare and heat. After installing smart glass windows, everyone can now fully concentrate on the sermon.

“The glass tints like transition sunglasses, based on available light or preprogrammed preferences,” explains Brandon Tinianov, a senior director with View Dynamic Glass, the company that supplied the new windows. “It also reduces heating and cooling costs.”

Laying Down Burdens

“Clutter represents postponed deci-

sions,” says Barbara Hemphill, author of Less Clutter, More Life, in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Lack of time, interest and energy keep us from passing along what we no longer want or need. For most of us, 80 percent of what we keep, we never use.”

That includes paperwork, another specialty of her Productive Environment Institute. When the United Methodist North Carolina Conference Center’s new building was ready, there was plenty to sort through before moving.

“We estimate seven tons of items were recycled. It became an example for individual churches,” says Hemphill.

Her own church, Mount Zion Methodist, in nearby Garner, has cleared out two storage rooms. Items were reclaimed, auctioned or donated to a shelter. “We gained Sunday school rooms in return,” she says.

Practice Makes Perfect

Awareness of the environment and eco-friendly living is a concept religions agree on. At the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, in Sterling, Virginia,

We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. ~Pope Francis an education program encourages community members to recycle, plant trees and lower water and energy usage. Including their Sunday School, they reduced their overall carbon footprint by 13 percent and energy consumption by 21 percent. Interfaith Power & Light is active in most states and can help implement such userand eco-friendly changes.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the director of outreach for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, in Falls Church, Virginia, suggests thinking larger

and encourages members to ask for changes in public policies by lobbying their representatives. In 2016, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago will promote a Green Ramadan. During Ramadan, members re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance.

Greener than most, The Garden Church, in San Pedro, California, has no building. “People tell me, ‘The outdoors is my church;’ I take them at their word,” says founding Pastor Anna Woofenden. “We have a central table surrounded by gardens. About 90 percent of what we grow is vegetables, the rest is flowers. This church is a living sanctuary, a place to belong, a place of community. God’s love is made visible as people are fed in body, mind and spirit.”

“Eco-friendly teaching represents a new spiritual imagination of how to live well in the world,” observes Bass.

“Faith makes a difference.”

Connect with the freelance writer via AveryMack@mindspring.com.

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AWAKENING TO SPIRIT Prayer and Meditation Heal and Free Us

by Richard Davenport

By its intimate connection with divine love, Spirit infuses human experience with qualities of amazing grace—unexpected clarity, vision, wisdom, peace, compassion, emotional release, inspirational epiphanies, deep understanding and comprehensive healing of mind, body and soul.

W

hile society abounds with scientific research, products and practices that promise to enhance our mind or body and the mind-body connection, without Spirit in the mix, neither rises to its full potential. A heart open to a higher power exponentially multiplies the effects of this crucial connection.

“Just as a candle spreads light in a darkened room, people who are living in-Spirit give off a higher energy that can bring light to our hearts and minds.

In other words, we can be inspired just by being in their presence,” according to renowned bestselling author Wayne Dyer, Ph.D.

Experiential, non-verbal and lifechanging encounters with the unbounded power and presence of Spirit in prayer and meditation are difficult to analyze in the same way as mind-body 22

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science. However, Dyer points to the works and outcomes of Spirit as visible evidence of how it lifts us up.

We see individuals with rapturous hearts sending out signals that they love the world and everyone in it. Those that live in Spirit tend to see the world as a friendly place, are at peace with themselves, appear to be open and accepting rather than judgmental and harsh, and often report being healed of all sorts of diseases, relationship challenges, career fluctuations and questions of purpose and direction. They attest to how Spirit shines a triumphant light in the midst of dark nights of the soul, redefining the essence of life itself and declaring us worthy in our innermost reaches.

Personal Healing

When a 19-year-old woman entered basic military training at Lackland Air

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Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, and was undergoing initial medical and psychological screening, she was identified as having body and mind issues that would require her to be separated from the service. These problems included organ failures and spinal misalignment, as well as severe consequences of an emotionally abusive upbringing. It was determined that she could not handle the physical and mental demands of military life. Because the policy was to not treat such problems if identified upon entering the service, authorities allowed her to remain in training until her separation from the Air Force could be processed.

The woman was impressed and also distressed by the finality of the verdict and assessment tools used by mind and body experts among the medical staff. In talking with a chaplain on the base, she came to understand that she could choose to appeal her case to another jurisdiction, a “higher” court of Spirit. Focusing on the voice of divine love, she grew to see Spirit as more than a higher power. She saw Spirit as a higher authority. She surrendered to divine love’s authority as ultimate law, supremely qualified to reorder her whole being. She trusted that aligning with spiritual power could change her view of her identity and the seemingly inescapable consequences of genetics, environment and human history denying her desire to serve her country in this way.

Listening to a higher witness testifying on her behalf and identifying her authentic being as the magnificent expression of the magnificent Creator, she felt encouraged to the point that her mind and body stopped arresting her progress and became more effective servants, responding with greater freedom and joy. One limitation after another fell away, and the military and medical authorities seemed pleased with her progress as she neared completion of training. Finally, performing a mile-and-a-half run within a required time remained the only obstacle to graduation, and she was still 45 seconds too slow.

This helpful passage from the Hebrew prophet Isaiah became central to her prayer and meditation as she approached her last running attempt:

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Young people will get tired;

strapping young men will stumble

and fall.

But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength.

They will soar on wings as eagles.

They will run—never winded, never weary.

They will walk—never tired,

never faint. ~Isaiah 40: 30-31 (The Voice)

conditioned thought patterns permeated by a human sense of self.” Through meditative listening, he hopes to release everything rather than receive anything, accepting that everyone is equipped and able to be open to, witness and experience nonstop blessings.

Helen Mathis has been an educator in the Philippines and Swaziland as well as the U.S., including an instructor of religion at Principia College, near St. Louis; she is now part of a Centering Prayer Circle in Stockton, California. She explains that centering prayer may be seen as a hybrid that embraces both prayer and meditation, nourishing what’s beneath the preoccupied self to awaken a deeper and vastly more authentic self.

Mathis appreciates what Cynthia Bourgeault explores in her book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, that, “This confusion between small self and the larger Self… [the] ‘True Self,’ ‘Essential Self’ or ‘Real I’—is the core illusion of the human condition, and penetrating this illusion is what awakening is all about.”

Like Bourgeault, Mathis believes that it’s not about the absence of

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There are two approaches to listening to the voice within, whether we name it God, higher power, Spirit, grace, Eternal One, or divine love or Love.

Complementary, rather than mutually exclusive, both approaches require a capacity, gained through patient practice, of quieting the inner and outer chatter and learning to hear that which calls us to be more than what human experience suggests is possible. It’s who we are in the eyes of grace.

Sanford C. Wilder, of Grafton, Illinois, author of Listening to Grace, offers personal growth and development programs through EducareUnlearning.com that encourage prayer and meditation that emphasize listening. He practices both approaches and makes distinctions between them.

“When I pray, I am directing my thoughts toward God, listening and often affirming what I know to be divinely true. I am yearning to surrender my will and affections in conscious connection with the divine such that I or another receives a blessing,” shares Wilder. In such prayerful listening, he hopes to gain something, often a new insight and corresponding manifestation.

“When I meditate, my intention is to sacrifice every thought, concept, image and feeling to God, the only consciousness. I trust that listening and observing with nonattachment helps me release conscious and unconscious

-

Prayer and Meditation

To feel Spirit’s presence, we must surrender our own sense of how it will work, its timeline and the impact on our ego or status quo.

As with anything worthwhile, conscientious practice is essential.

-

She passed her final attempt with 18 seconds to spare, running on eagles’ wings.

So, how can we all discern such a divine witness to our original authentic being amidst loud testimony of all the voices and labels shouting in our head and body, including those imposed by others?

-

Classes are ongoing, students can join at any level, CEs are available for LMTs.

For more info or to register for classes: Call (813) 417-6745 email arielagrodner@yahoo.com or visit BodhiSangha.com

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Through conscious listening we discover that our true nature—as witnessed by Spirit—though sometimes obscured from view, is never altered from its original beauty and wholeness. ~Helen Mathis thoughts so much as detaching from our thoughts, trusting that we can let go and be safe, consent to surrender human will and forgo personal agendas. Only then can spiritual sense come into play.

“The goal is to awaken to, open to and get in touch with our innermost being and Spirit,” Mathis affirms.

“Clearly, centering prayer assumes we each have a spiritual awareness of the divine within us that acts, as Bourgeault puts it, as ‘a kind of interior compass whose magnetic north is always fixed on God.’”

Core Shift

We often approach a Spirit dimension with the attitude of “what it can do for me.” The higher practice that mystics and other deep thinkers of various faith traditions ultimately arrive at instead centers on transforming our whole self to align with Spirit’s purpose for us, which changes everything.

Reverend Dr. Michael Beckwith, founder of the New Thought Agape Spiritual Center, in Los Angeles, and a spiritual mentor to Oprah Winfrey, believes, “The relationship we have with the infinite is more about how we are to serve it than it is to serve us.”

Beckwith describes three primary stages of realizing the power and purpose of divine Spirit expressed as our spirit. The first is that of a victim (feeling powerless, unable to effect change). The second is when an individual learns the existence of universal law that responds to our thinking, emotions and attitude; we learn how to use it to stabilize life structures and demonstrate health and well-being.

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“Ultimately, in stage three, we become a vehicle of life in service to life.

Instead of using the law, the law uses us. Life fulfills its own nature through us,” he says. “All of life is conspiring for our freedom, liberation, wholeness and health.”

He urges us not to stop and stagnate at stage two, using divine laws only to manifest personal conveniences, stuff and even people for our use; this can hijack views of abundance into materialism and consumerism. He quips, “We are not here to go shopping.”

Dwelling in Spirit

Grace and Spirit work in us, through us and between us, yet we can’t simply summon them up or outline their outcomes.

To feel Spirit’s presence, we must surrender our own sense of how it will work, its timeline and the impact on our ego or status quo. As with anything worthwhile, conscientious practice is essential.

Life, defined by Spirit, gives fresh strength and impetus to mind and body. All three are vital elements of the dance of life.

Richard Davenport is a spiritual life educator (HigherGroundForLife.com) and the founding executive director of an inclusive nationwide Bible and spiritual life community (BibleAndSpiritualLife. org). Now based in St. Louis, MO, he is a retired Air Force chaplain, having served at Lackland and other U.S. Air Force bases on three continents.

FIVE WAYS TO PRAY FROM THE HEART

by Richard Davenport

P

rayer from a heart willing to surrender, change, learn, grow and bless others works to keep us centered on pure motives like wellness, wholeheartedness and compassion. Such prayer can help us progress spiritually.

These five forms of prayer, found in the Bible, have a universal application to any spiritual practice. Although differing in their approach, all share the purpose of creating a fuller mindfulness of our true identity and relationship to the divine, while enhancing our capacity to bless all creation. If we are not feeling the desired breakthroughs using one form, perhaps the one most familiar or comfortable to us, we might do well to explore others.

Praise – a posture of adoration, honoring and surrender to a power, vision, and authority greater than our own.

Thanksgiving – or better yet, for its consistency and permeating of our whole self, thanks-living. The garden of our spirit is enriched by embracing a gratitude attitude in all we do.

Petition – a relational posture that opens our heart as we learn to ask for help, to seek perspective beyond a limited self, beyond a smaller, egodriven orientation.

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Intercession – praying for others; blessing, honoring and cherishing them as God sees them. When we feel burdened and blocked by our own trials, expressing empathy and compassion for others can unlock our heart and mind. We can lovingly witness the true nature of those that are seemingly tangled in forces blocking or opposing their higher good.

Affirmation – release and rest in divine authority, acknowledging the uni-verse as literally one song reflecting the singular harmony that Spirit knows and is unfolding in every moment to meet our need in forms we can see and feel right now.

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER!

HEAVEN WITHIN

by Wayne Dyer

H

eaven is a state of mind, not a location, since Spirit is everywhere and in everything. You can begin making a conscious decision to look for the unfolding of Spirit in everything and everyone that you encounter.

I personally do this by making an effort to look upon my world as if I were observing it through lenses that filter out the form and all of the material aspects of what I’m seeing, and I can only view the spiritual energy that allows what I’m noticing to exist. Try putting on these imaginary magical lenses and see how different everything appears.

I now see spiritual energy in everyone I encounter. When I’m tempted to judge anyone, I remind myself to view them through my special lenses.

When I can do so, all negative judgment dissolves. I feel more peaceful knowing that I’m not just this body that I’m destined to discard. I also feel the life-giving Spirit within me on a daily basis, and it’s exhilarating!

Being more balanced spiritually and physically gives me the opportunity to be in a continual state of gratitude and awe. I see miracles everywhere. Try changing your view of the world to one of awe and wonder. Rather than looking for miracles, shift to seeing everything as miraculous. By being in a state of

awe, you won’t be able to mentally experience boredom or disappointment.

Try seeing the invisible Divine flowing through and supporting everyone and everything. A rainstorm becomes a miraculous event, the lightning a fascinating display of electrical fireworks, the thunder a booming reminder of the invisible power of nature.

Live the mystery by beginning to perceive what average eyes fail to notice.

Wayne Dyer, Ph.D. (May 10, 1940 – Aug. 29, 2015), affectionately called the “Father of Motivation” by his fans, was an internationally renowned author, speaker and pioneer in the field of self-development. Over the four decades of his career, he wrote more than 40 books (including 21 New York Times bestsellers), created numerous audio programs and videos and appeared on thousands of television and radio shows.

Natural Awakenings’ healthy living, healthy planet lifestyle app has a new look and more features.

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DrWayneDyer.com includes information on his new book, Memories of Heaven: Children’s Astounding Recollections of the Time Before They Came to Earth, that was released in October. natural awakenings

December 2015

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wisewords

Sharon Salzberg on Mindfulness Simple Ways to Be in the Present Moment

by April Thompson

N

How do you define mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the quality of awareness.

When we are mindful, our perception of the present moment isn’t so distorted by bias, adding our own storyline to 26

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reality and pushing away what’s happening.

photo by Fabio Fiippi

ew York City-born Sharon Salzberg experienced a childhood full of loss and upheaval, losing her parents and living in five different household configurations. In college, she discovered the power of meditation to transform suffering and cope with life’s neverending changes.

Born into a Jewish family, Salzberg first encountered Buddhism in 1969 in an Asian philosophy class, inspiring her to undertake an independent study program in India, where she was initiated into the practice via an intense 10-day retreat. “It was very difficult and painful. I sometimes doubted that I’d succeed, yet I never doubted that there was truth there,” she says.

Upon her return home, Salzberg dedicated herself to the path of vipassana- (insight) meditation, becoming a renowned teacher and co-founding the Insight Meditation Society, in Barre, Massachusetts. Today she teaches and speaks to diverse audiences worldwide about the power of mindfulness. Salzberg has authored nine books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, Real Happiness at Work and Lovingkindness.

Is it possible to be mindful without having an established meditation practice?

Yes, theoretically, but I suspect it’s hard. I honor my own meditation practice for making mindfulness highly accessible for me. It doesn’t take many hours of prep work and is open to everyone. It’s really a practice, like strength training—you have to exercise the mindfulness muscle to reap the benefits.

What’s the best way to arrange time for meditation, and what can motivate us to practice regularly?

Having a sense of structure has helped me the most. I believe strongly in the value of a daily practice, however simple or short. We can ritualize certain practices to help remember to pause and be mindful. For example, every time the phone rings, let it ring three times and use that as a trigger to breathe. When you’ve finished writing an email, take a few conscious moments before sending it. There are lots of ways to cut through the momentum of the busyness and craziness of our lives to return to mindfulness.

Make a commitment to practice for a certain period of daily time for a month or two, and then reassess. Look

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for changes during the active course of daily life and query: How am I speaking to myself or to others? Am I more present? Am I more at ease in letting go?

It’s important to look for these subtle changes rather than to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves such as being mindful all day.

Do you have other enabling practices for people new to the state of living mindfully?

Movement meditation is a good place to start; if you’re walking somewhere, try to be more present and feel your feet against the ground. Also, just focus on one thing at a time; instead of multitasking, just drink the cup of tea.

We can also use breath to focus concentration. The breath is a tremendous tool, it’s always with us. If you’re in a contentious meeting and tempers flare, you don’t have to pull out a meditation cushion and sit in a funny position; you can work with your breath right where you are.

How can meditation help to ease suffering?

Sometimes, we think we can ease suffering by only having pleasant feelings and beautiful thoughts. Rather, we can ease suffering by changing the way we relate to our thoughts and feelings. If something unpleasant is happening, most of us flip into an internal monologue about how, “Bad things always happen to me,” or “This is my fault,” or “I shouldn’t feel this.” We compound our suffering by adding judgment and by pushing away discomfort. Instead, we can learn to observe our reactions and release them.

We also tend not to feel pleasure fully or think that something else or more should be happening instead of simply enjoying the moment. We wait for some sense of intensity in order to feel alive, rather than experiencing the ordinary to the utmost. Meditation trains us to be present with pleasant, unpleasant and neutral experiences and stay connected, no matter what’s going on.

Reach freelance writer April Thompson, of Washington, D.C., at AprilWrites.com.

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SWEETLY VEGAN No-Bake Holiday Treats Worth Celebrating It’s in Our DNA to Be Successful We can help you thrive. Advertise in our special

Health & Wellness January Issue

To advertise or participate in our next issue, call

352-629-4000 28

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by Judith Fertig

“

V

isions of sugar plums” have been part of holiday mindsets since the advent of Clement Moore’s classic 19th-century poem commonly known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.

We love to give and receive special treats and our tastes are evolving. Instead of yesteryear’s sugary bonbons loaded with calories that we’ve come to regret, today’s preferred confections focus more on naturally sweet dried fruits, bestquality chocolate, healthful coconut and crunchy nuts. Vegan, gluten-free delicacies from chefs and culinary experts the world over help us celebrate the season in a deliciously healthy way, including those we highlight this month.

“Christmas isn’t Christmas without a traditional pudding,” says Chef Teresa Cutter, author of Purely Delicious. Cutter is founder and director of The Healthy Chef company, in Sydney, Australia, which creates functional foods for taste and optimal health. Her no-bake desserts such as miniature Christmas puddings and carrot cake take only minutes to make.

Emily Holmes, a Queensland, Australia, wellness coach who blogs at Conscious-Foodie.com, says her favorite is Holmes’ Chocolate Cherry Mini-Cupcakes. She serves them with a pot of peppermint tea.

Houston-based Joshua Weissman is the author of The Slim Palate Paleo Cookbook and blogs at SlimPalate. com. He shares his philosophy on holiday treats: “My first thought is that I don’t want to feel guilty after eating it.

My second is that I still want it to taste and look good.” His Almond Butter Pumpkin Pie Truffles fit the festive bill.

In New York City, noted vegan cookbook author and Pastry Chef Fran Costigan is an expert in all things chocolate, including her Chocolate Orange Sesame Truffles. “When you make something really delicious with real ingredients, your mouth knows it, your brain knows it, your body knows it. You feel satisfied,” she says.

Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFood AndLifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic and non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients whenever possible.

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Photo by Stephen Blancett

consciouseating

No-Bake Festive Vegan Desserts

Combine walnuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, orange zest and sea salt into a food processor and run it until mixed and finely chopped. Add dates and apricots. Process again until thoroughly mixed.

Spoon a little white chocolate over the tops of the puddings if desired and garnish with goji berries, fresh cherries or another fanciful topper.

Spoon into a bowl. Add and knead oats through the raw carrot cake mixture.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve puddings with chilled mango coconut custard.

Press cake firmly into a 6-inch round baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Mango Coconut Custard 1 mango, chopped ½ cup coconut milk Juice from ½ orange

Teresa Cutter’s Healthy Christmas Puddings Yields: 6 to 8 small puddings

Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled with the puddings.

8 oz fresh pitted dates—approximately 10 to 15 dates, depending on their size Zest from 1 orange 9 oz dried apricots, chopped 1½ cups almond meal/ground almonds 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp ground ginger 1 to 2 Tbsp orange juice 3 oz white chocolate, melted, for decoration (optional) Combine dates, orange zest, apricots, vanilla, ground almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a food processor.

Process until mixture is combined and looks like fine crumbs.

Spoon the mixture into a large bowl.

Add the orange juice, and then mix again. Pudding mix should come together when lightly hand-squeezed.

Divide into 6 small puddings. Line the base of 6 small decorative molds with plastic wrap and firmly press the puddings into them.

Once firmly packed in the mold, invert the pudding and remove the plastic wrap.

Melt white chocolate in a small bowl set over a simmering pot of water.

Add grated raw carrot and vanilla and then process again until combined. The mix should now form a nice dough.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, allowing at least 2 hours for the cake to rest.

It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Enjoy as is or garnish with macadamia nut cream, a drizzle of honey and walnuts.

Note: Other raw nuts can substitute for walnuts—try pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts.

Macadamia Nut Cream Combine 1 cup of raw cashew nuts or macadamia nuts with ½ cup of orange juice or coconut water and a little vanilla. Blend in a high-speed blender like a Vitamix until smooth and creamy.

Teresa Cutter’s No-Bake Carrot Cake Yields: 16 servings 2½ cups (9½ oz) shelled walnuts 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed or whole chia seeds ½ cup (2 oz) rolled oats (or gluten-free almond meal) 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ tsp sea salt 1 cup (6½ oz) of 12 large fresh dates, pitted ½ cup (3 oz) dried chopped apricots or pineapple (sulfur-free) 2 large raw carrots, grated Zest from 1 orange 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Emily Holmes’ Chocolate Cherry Mini-Cupcakes Yields: 2 dozen mini-cupcakes

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December 2015

29

Cake 1 cup raw, shelled, skinned nuts (such as almonds) 1 /3 cup cacao powder 4 fresh dates, pitted

the filling onto the cupcake base in the muffin cups and then top with melted dark chocolate.

Place into the refrigerator to set, where it also stores well until served.

Filling 2 cup shredded coconut 1 cup dried cherries 6 fresh dates, pitted ¼ cup coconut cream ¼ tsp vanilla powder Pinch of sea salt Topping 3½ oz melted dark chocolate Process nuts and cacao powder in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground and the mixture is fully combined. Slowly add the dates until the mixture sticks together.

Press the mixture into the bottom parts of a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Process filling ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Spoon

Joshua Weissman’s Almond Butter Pumpkin Pie Truffles Yields: About 12 to 16 (1½-inch) truffles Warm winter spices mix with fragrant pumpkin and almond butter to make seasonal truffles hand dipped in fresh vanilla bean-infused white chocolate.

Filling ¼ cup canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling) ¼ cup almond butter ¼ cup vegan cream cheese ¼ tsp cinnamon ¼-½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp fresh grated ginger 1 Tbsp coconut flour 2 packets stevia (like Sweetleaf packets) Coating (vanilla bean white chocolate) 2 oz food grade (not for skin care) cacao butter broken up into small pieces for melting ¼-½ vanilla bean pod, cut in half lengthwise to scrape out the interior, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 20 drops stevia (like Sweetleaf Steviaclear drops) In a medium-sized bowl, combine everything for the filling, including pumpkin purée, almond butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coconut flour and stevia. Mix thoroughly until smoothly incorporated and no cream cheese chunks are left.

Peace on Earth

Peace and Tranquility

• Hand carved boxes from Poland

Celebrate the season with joy and tranquility at the Emporium.

• Crystal animals

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estled on a heavily wooded 6.14 acres at the culde-sac end of a very quiet street in Ocala is a lovely 3 bedroom home that boasts a unique 41’x25’ Japanese Zen Meditation garden that includes a winding concrete labyrinth, wooden Torii gate and wooden support for a wind chime. Roof 2007, A/C 2008, Call for a list of updates. For more photos, visit BasilBristow.com.

This is an ideal home for a metaphysical leader who hosts small gatherings for likeminded guests. Call Carol J. Van Wagner, Foxfire Realtor 352572-4259 for details. $450,000.

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Roll chilled filling mixture into mediumto-small-sized balls a little less than an inch in diameter and place them on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place balls back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes so the balls harden enough to allow dipping.

Heat a double boiler or small pot that fits into a medium pot of gently boiling water over medium-to-low heat.

Scrape out the vanilla bean pod, conserving vanilla beans for adding once the cacao butter is melted.

Place cacao butter in the top of a double boiler and melt and add stevia.

Then add vanilla beans and mix well.

Turn the heat to low to keep warm and melted. Pull out the hardened filling shaped into balls and one at a time drop them into the white chocolate mixture and roll them around until they’re fully covered with mixture using fingers or a small spoon.

Carefully spoon out each truffle using a spoon, gently tapping the spoon on the inside of the saucepan to slough off excess cacao butter that may pool on it. Take special care not to drop the truffle.

Gently place each treat back onto the tray. Repeat the whole process until all the coated balls are on the tray.

Let them cool at room temperature and serve immediately or place them in the refrigerator to harden and serve later. Chilled, truffles will keep for 3 to 5 days.

L et food be thy

medicine and medicine be thy food. ~Hippocrates

Fran Costigan’s Chocolate Orange Sesame Truffles Yields: 20 to 24 (1-inch) truffles This creamy chocolate truffle has a slightly chewy texture with a coating for color and crunch. Raw tahini is sweeter than when its roasted and either kind is good.

Truffle Ganache 4 oz dark fair trade chocolate (70 to 72 percent), finely chopped Finely minced zest of half a medium orange 3 Tbsp orange juice ¼ cup agave syrup 1 Tbsp raw or roasted tahini, stirred 1½ Tbsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted 1½ Tbsp black sesame seeds, lightly toasted Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.

Mix the orange zest and juice and agave in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and add the tahini, whisking vigorously. The mixture will thicken immediately. Don’t be concerned if it looks broken or curdled; it’ll smooth out with whisking.

Simmer the mixture for 30 seconds until it’s shiny and smooth. Remove from heat and wait about 30 seconds until it’s no longer steaming and then pour it over the chocolate.

Cover the bowl with a plate. Wait 1 minute and then stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Note: The ganache will not be perfectly smooth.

Cool to room temperature, stirring a few times using a silicone spatula.

Spoon into a small shallow container and refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours until the ganache is firm. The ganache can be covered and refrigerated at this point for up to 1 week.

Photo by Steve Legato

Chill by refrigerating the mixture for 10 to 20 minutes or freezing it for 2 to 5 minutes.

Shape Truffle Centers Remove the ganache from the refrigerator. Use one spoon to scoop out 1-inch pieces of ganache and another to push it off the spoon into the container. When half the ganache has been used, roll into logs about 1-inch long, washing and drying hands as needed. (If at any time the ganache becomes too soft to shape, refrigerate until cold before proceeding.)

Cover and refrigerate the truffle centers 15 to 25 minutes to set, before final shaping and finishing with the sesame seed coating.

Truffle Coating Mix the sesame seeds in a small bowl.

Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons on the bottom of a shallow container.

Put a few logs at a time into the bowl of sesame seeds and roll until lightly coated. Pinch the ends to form the oval quenelle (football) shape.

Place the finished truffles in the refrigerator to set for 35 to 45 minutes.

Adapted from Vegan Chocolate, by Fran Costigan, used with permission.

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naturalpet

Eat, Bark and Be Merry Healthy Holiday Treats for Our Pets

by Sandra Murphy

A

s with families everywhere, special taste treats are on the menu for many dogs, cats and wild birds during the holiday season.

Owners are cautioned not to share rich, unfamiliar foods from the table that can be detrimental to an animal’s health.

Better fare are homemade treats of organic, safe and tasty ingredients—true gifts from the heart.

Homemade assures the quality of ingredients, avoids unhealthy additives and allows the giver to adjust for individual taste or food sensitivities.

Most healthy recipes can be made from readily available ingredients.

Wild Birds

Offer them a variety of seeds and fresh water. Always use unsalted, unseasoned seeds. Mix harder-to-crack striped sunflower seeds with the smaller black oil version to attract the largest number of birds. Organically grown peanuts in the shell, dried fruit, oranges, pomegranates or rehydrated raisins offer a burst of energy. Impale round fruits, halved, on a small dowel rod attached to the feeding table to hold them in place.

Note that oats go to waste, shelled sunflower seeds spoil and cracked corn attracts raccoons. Pass on any kind of popcorn.

DIY Suet

Mix one part organic peanut butter with five parts organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) corn meal. Smear into a pinecone to hang from a branch or directly on tree bark for woodpeckers and wrens to enjoy. Don’t use low-fat 32

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peanut butter because birds need to pack in the calories in order to stay warm.

Cats

Organic catnip, fresh or dried and baked into a crunchy treat, will bring kitty running. In recipes, avoid canned tuna because of bisphenol A (BPA) concerns; also minimize the frequency and portion of tuna and salmon treats due to mercury accumulation in the fish.

Unseasoned tuna or salmon packed in water in a pouch is a better choice.

Many recipes labeled for dogs can be converted for cats by making them into smaller bites.

Dogs

“When possible, I put organic and local foods, non-GMO, hormone-and antibiotic-free, grass-fed and humanely raised properties at the top of my list.

A healthier dog means fewer vet visits and more years together,” says Tonya Wilhelm, a dog trainer in Toledo, Ohio.

“Buy in bulk from a co-op or farmer and maybe share with friends to get the best price.”

Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrating removes moisture from food while retaining nutrients, and comprises a distinct cooking method. Stephanie Raya, resi-

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dent chef at Excalibur Dehydrator, in Sacramento, California, recommends, “For safe chicken and pork, pre-cook before dehydrating. Beef can be dehydrated from a raw state. My Boston terriers also love dehydrated, sweet potato chips.”

A number of commercial dehydrated meat and fish jerkies have been recalled (search DogFoodAdvisor. com/?s=treats). Homemade treats offer superior control of ingredients.

“When I make my pets’ treats, I know what’s in their food, including the herbs used for flavor,” says Raya. After she’s ensured that the food is thoroughly dried, she packs it in vacuum bags and stores them away from light.

She notes that dehydrating takes longer than baking, but is cost-effective at 25 to 50 cents an hour. Veggie options include dehydrated zucchini chips, butternut squash chips, cherry tomato bites, matchstick carrots or peach or other fruit slices.

Make it Festive

A cat’s sense of smell is 10 to 15 times better than ours, but is still modest compared to dogs that out-sniff us by a factor of 30 to 60 times; that’s why putting wrapped treats under a holiday tree or in a stocking is a bad idea. Store them securely and then bring them out when it’s time to open gifts. Use blue tissue paper for easy-to-open Hanukkah gifts, red or green for Christmas (bows, yes; ribbons, no). For dogs that love puzzles, placing treats inside a wrapped box adds to the fun.

Remember that rich or unfamiliar foods can make pets sick. Instead, gift them with their own healthy, safe treats from known ingredients so that everyone has a happy holiday.

Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouis FreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

Special Holiday Pet Recipes Chicken Bites

Mix all ingredients except Parmesan.

Knead dough until thoroughly mixed.

Yields: Approximately 24 cookies

Roll dough into shapes (like sticks or squares) or use cookie cutter. Roll shapes in the Parmesan. Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 155° F approximately 4 to 6 hours or until dry. For cats, make much smaller shapes.

1 cup filtered water 10 oz chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 2-in cubes ½ cup brown rice, dry 1 cup coconut flour 1 Tbsp ground flax seed Place water, chicken and rice in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer covered, for one hour. Strain and let cool.

Meatball Bites Yields: Approximately 24 cookies 1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil 10 oz grass-fed hamburger, 85 percent lean 4 oz green pepper, washed, seeded, cut in bite-size pieces 2½ oz kale, washed 3 figs, stems removed 1 cup quinoa flour Preheat oven to 275° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat a frying pan on medium heat for three minutes. Add coconut oil. Coat the pan evenly.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephanie Raya, Excalibur Dehydrator

Preheat oven to 275° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place cooled chicken and rice mixture in a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth.

Place the purée in a large bowl.

Add the coconut flour and flax seed; mix well.

Form into 3-inch flat discs and place on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Remove cookies and place them on a rack to cool.

Recipe courtesy of Tonya Wilhelm

Roxanne’s Beef Jerky Strips for Dogs 3 cups ground lean grass-fed beef 1 cup flour 2 tsp brewer’s yeast 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, drained Combine ingredients in medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Spread on a nonstick 1/8-inch-thick drying sheet.

Add hamburger and stir fry until almost fully cooked. Add peppers, kale and figs to the meat. Continue to stir fry until the kale is reduced.

Dry at 155° F until thoroughly dry and then cut into strips.

Allow mixture to cool. Then, place mixture into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Stephanie Raya, Excalibur Dehydrator

Combine the blended mixture and quinoa flour. Mix well.

Form into 3-inch flat discs. Place on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Remove cookies and place on rack to cool.

Recipe courtesy of Tonya Wilhelm

Cheesy Crunchies 2 cups whole wheat flour ¼ cup cornmeal ½ cup cheese (any grated cheese) 1 egg 1¾ cup filtered water ½ cup fine-grated Parmesan cheese

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic and non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients whenever possible.

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discs and place on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Lightly sprinkle lemon zest on the uncooked treats.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until biscuits are hard to the touch.

Cool and place in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy of Livia J. Washburn, Trick or Deadly Treat

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Remove cookies and place them on a rack to cool.

Tip: Keep a few treats in an air-tight container and freeze the remainder for later.

Coconut Bites

Recipe courtesy of Tonya Wilhelm

Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Dog Biscuits

Kitty Patties

Yields: 36 biscuits

Yields: 8 small patties

1 sweet potato, boiled or baked ¼ cup peanut butter, low in fat, sugar and salt 1 egg 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp cinnamon, ground 1½ cups organic old-fashioned oats (aka rolled oats)

½ lb grass-fed, lean ground beef ½ lb lean ground turkey 4 Tbsp low-salt chicken stock 4 eggs ½ cup oatmeal or 1 packet instant oatmeal

Boil or bake sweet potato. Allow to cool before removing the peel if baked.

Heat oven to 350° F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use a mixer to blend all ingredients together except the oatmeal. Once combined, fold in oats with a spoon.

If dough is too wet, add more flour.

Roll out cookie dough to ¼-inch-thick sheet and cut with any shaped cookie cutter. Fill cookie sheets.

Yields: Approximately 20 cookies

Mix meat and broth, and then add oatmeal and egg.

1 orange, peeled, seeded, chopped into bite-size pieces 1 banana, peeled, chopped into bite-size pieces ½ cup coconut flour Lemon zest

Form into 8 small patties.

Broil one or two at a time, leaving them fairly rare.

Preheat oven to 275° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Allow to cool, and then serve. They’ll keep in the refrigerator up to three days if the meat is fresh.

Put the orange and banana into a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth.

Freeze the other patties until ready to use, good for up to four months.

Combine blended fruit and coconut flour. Mix well. Form into 3-inch flat

Recipe courtesy of Janet Cantrell, Fat Cat at Large

Help Unite the World

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• Study Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs • ACAOM Accredited 10-semester Program • The leading college for Chinese Diagnosis Sunday Service: 10 am • Rev. Marge Brown

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Corrective Care and Wellness Is the Future

by Dr. Michael Badanek DC, BS, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, CTTP, MSGR./CHEV

B

ecause of ongoing changes in the insurance industry, making our health care work for us is more important than ever before. With the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, American consumers are paying more for insurance and getting far less than we expect from our healthcare providers. As an educated, advanced society, we should demand the best value in the quality and integrity of our American healthcare system.

We currently have sick care, not wellness/corrective care, in America. Last year, Americans spent $2.8 trillion on health care, or $8,000 to $10,000 per capita, yet we are not all healthy and living to our fullest capacity.

Our country leads the world in heart disease, obesity and cancer. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that of 37 developed countries in the world, the United States ranked dead last in terms of overall health of its population.

We go to our doctor when we are sick or in pain and receive prescriptions to help with our symptoms— and when that medication has an unexpected side effect or no longer works, we go back and get more and different medications to treat the side effects of the first medication. We cannot effectively treat any underlying condition merely by masking its symptoms. Virtually all medications have two specific tasks: to block a receptor site on a cell membrane or change or shut down an enzymatic reaction in the cells or in the liver.

Another statistic is that 80 percent of all healthcare expenditures are made during the last 30 days of life. Some advocates feel that unnecessary billing expenditures for terminally patients are bankrupting the American healthcare system. Also, Americans make up roughly 5 percent of the world’s total population, yet consume 85 percent of the world’s medication. As a result, 1.1 million Americans died

last year from prescription medications.

The focus on wellness needs to be at the forefront of medicine. We cannot be satisfied with a healthcare system that has no regard for health. It is time for patients to insist that doctors take the focus off sickness and focus on wellness/corrective care.

For example, patients with high blood pressure are typically given antihypertensive and heart medications, usually taken for the rest of their life. Never are they diagnosed as to why they have the condition or how the causes can be addressed. This is sick care.

For psychological diseases such as depression, mood swings, personality issues, etc., the most widely prescribed drugs in America today are mind-altering medications to assuage the subjective complaints of patients. These patients describe their symptoms to the healthcare provider and are given prescriptions to alter the thought processes and actions of the brain. In most instances, the patient will take them for the rest of their life.

Rarely, if ever, does the healthcare provider address the causes of the mental disease by checking neurotransmitters, chemical imbalances of the body, gut issues or mineral deficiencies directly related to proper mental function. This is wellness/corrective care.

Many people believe that genetics are to blame for the disease we see in our society today, but only 2 to 5 percent of degenerative illnesses are actually caused by heredity, leaving the cause of a majority of chronic disease as lifestyle choices. The foods we eat, the liquids we drink, toxic exposures and the habits we live are the main causes of the increase in disease in this country today.

Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, BS, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, CTTP, MSGR./CHEV, maintains offices in Gainesville, Ocala and Ormond Beach. For appointments, call 352-622-1151 or visit DrBadanek.com.

We cannot effectively treat any underlying condition merely by masking its symptoms. natural awakenings

December 2015

35

fitbody

Airplane Yoga Six Easy Stretches Ease the Journey

by Cynthia Bowman

T

he majority of the symptoms we can experience during flying—stiffness, poor circulation and swollen feet—are due to lack of movement rather than the altitude or pressurized cabin air. Knowing this can make healthy flying easier.

Drinking lots of water and moving about and stretching every two to three hours on long flights is key; trips to the bathroom naturally help fulfill this. We also can keep blood from collecting in our lower extremities by finding a way to elevate our legs and feet periodically. Wiggle all 10 toes, shift positions and go for these six discreet airplane yoga stretches.

Etiquette tip: Do the first two stretches at the back of the plane with adequate space and a wall to lean on. Don’t do these in the aisle; hanging on to someone’s seat back rocks it and can be annoying.

A quad stretch involves the shoulders, upper legs, calves and ankles, while elevating each foot and getting the blood moving. Hang on to a wall, grab an ankle and bring the heel as close to the butt as possible.

Then rotate the ankle in a circular motion. Do this as long as it feels worth doing, and then switch arms and legs.

A calf stretch is a simple way to target calf and hamstring muscles, as well as ankles. Stand facing a wall, placing both hands Quad Stretch at shoulder height on the wall for 36

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balance, elbows bent. Take one foot forward and rest it on its heel, with toes pointing up and resting on the wall. Lean forward to the point of feeling a good stretch in the calf.

Stretch 30 seconds per foot, gradually going deeper into the pose after a few breaths.

Etiquette tip: The next four stretches can be done in an airplane seat or in the back of the plane.

The upper body stretch targets wrists, hands, arms, shoulders, back and the upper body in general. Sit upright with feet firmly planted on the floor. Lift arms up and interlace fingers before turning palms to face the ceiling. Relax the shoulders and neck. The arms shouldn’t be covering the ears and can be adjusted by moving them a few inches forward or back.

Tall individuals may need to bend their elbows, which still allows for stretching of the upper body.

Neck stretches release tension and stiffness by tilting the head from side-to-side. Don’t make circular motions, as they can cause neck and spine compression. If holding the head to assist a deeper stretch, be considerate of neighbors by pointing the raised elbow forward to cradle the neck instead of resting it on a seatmate.

Twisting the torso benefits both the spine and back muscles.

Yogis believe that twisting motions also massage internal organs.

While twisting, hang on to the armrest with both hands and sit as upright as possible, with legs together and feet firmly planted.

Don’t bounce into the pose or shift or lift buttocks off the seat, but make slow, fluid movements.

Bending forward while seated gives the back, neck and legs a good, deep stretch.

All of these movements work well while we’re in the air and are equally useful on road trips, in the office or whenever we need a break.

Cynthia Bowman is a freelance writer in Los Angeles, CA, who specializes in travel, culture and lifestyle topics. Visit JoyJournist.com.

Calf Stretch

Upper Body Stretch

Neck Stretch

Twisting the Torso

Bending Forward

Restore Health From the Inside Out

by Dr. James Lemire, M.D., ABFP, IFMCP, ACAM, AAFP

T

he toxins in our air, food and water—even our toxic relationships—affect everyone. Although for the purpose of prevention and wellness each of these needs to be addressed, it makes the most sense to address our gastrointestinal (GI) system first.

Toxins that invade the GI system throw the beneficial bacteria and microbes in the gut out of balance, which can easily manifest as health concerns that affect our well-being. This imbalance can be an underlying cause of many health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, lupus, multiple sclerosis and many others. A toxic gut can be restored to a healthy balance in five simple steps.

Remove or avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains, dairy, MSG and genetically modified foods that negatively impact the gastrointestinal system. This improves the balance of bacteria in the gut, where millions of unique genes coexist with our human genes. More than 70 percent of immune system receptors are in the gut.

Replace digestive enzymes to improve digestion, because the body’s own production declines as we age. Eating more raw, organic, fruits and vegetables boosts the level of these enzymes. Sprouts, papaya, pineapple, kiwi and avocado are all rich sources of enzymes.

Avoid the common mistake of combining starches and proteins at mealtime. When com-

bined, the digestive acids and enzymes produced by the body cancel each other out and disrupt the harmony in the gut.

Reinoculate the digestive tract. Help beneficial bacteria flourish by eating probiotic fermented foods like miso and kimchi. Supplement with probiotics that contain good GI bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species. Antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria, so it is wise to avoid prescription drugs whenever possible.

Repair the lining of the GI tract by supplying key nutrients that may be in short supply in a diseased state. Look for a good multivitamin that contains zinc, antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E and the amino acid glutamine. Supplement with a high-quality fish oil supplement, preferably from fresh, wild-caught, deep-sea fish, which is molecularly distilled for purity.

Rebalance lifestyle practices to support a healthy GI tract.

Both stress and our personal outlook on life can throw our entire system out of balance.

Identify sources of stress, nurture the spirit and establish a strong mind-body connection by taking part in time-honored practices such as qiog, tai chi or yoga. These kinds of exercise involve gentle body movement, mental focus and deep breathing that help reduce stress, anxiety, depression and moodiness.

It’s also important to connect with our inner purpose.

Use personally motivating tools such as community involvement, meditation, prayer or connecting with nature. All of these activities feed the spirit and release pent-up stress and anxieties that are part of everyday life.

Dr. James Lemire, M.D., ABFP, IFMCP, ACAM, AAFP, is a family practice physician and founder of Lemire Clinic, 1115 SW 93rd Crt. Rd., in Ocala. For more information, call 352-291-9459 or visit LemireClinic.com. natural awakenings

December 2015

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Crones’ Cradle Conserve

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ecological Preserve

Organic Farm

Join Our Farm to Fare Produce Program For Gainesville!

Farm Fresh Produce delivered weekly for only $25 plus membership fee.

Fail-Proof Ingredients for a Glorious 2016

Take 12 whole months.

9 am- 3pm

Visit our Farm Store

Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate and jealousy.

Open seven days a week

Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Veggies fresh from the field Beautiful handmade jewelry, Tapestries, Handwoven rugs & quilt items, Home-made canned goods, Local Honey, Organic Gardening, Homesteading books, and more!

Cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 different parts, but don’t make up the whole batch at once.

Prepare one day at a time with these ingredients:

(Cash or checks only. We do not accept credit cards)

Mix well into each day one part each of faith, patience, courage and work.

Custom Gift Baskets Available for Special Occasions!

Also add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity and kindness.

What is better than a bouquet of flowers and healthier than a tin of cookies? A custom gift basket from Crones’ Cradle of course!

Local delivery available.

Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation and one good deed.

Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a Fall sprinkle of fun,Foods a pinch of play Natural Gala and Healing and a cupfulOctober of good humor.

10th, 2015 Pour all ofWorkshop: this into a vessel of love.

Braided Rag

November 7, 2015

Rugs

Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile and serve with quietness, unselfishness and cheerfulness.

You’re bound to have a happy new year. ~ Author Unknown

Fair

Upcoming Events!

Fall Natural Foods and Gift Gala Women’s First Sunday Brunches: “Books” theme August “Healing” theme June 7, December 12, 20152. reservations due by 6/1 Bring a book you can talk about and give away.

Crocheted Rag Rug Workshop January 9, 2016 Workshops: Braided Rag Rugs, September 20 Living Whole All Workshops are $35 January 16, 2016 Call (352) 595‐3377 6411 NE 217th Place, Citra, FL www.cronescradleconserve.com www.cronescaradleconserve.com Email: catcrone@aol.com

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December 2015

November 2015

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Manuka Honey is gathered in the wild back country of New Zealand from the native Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium). The bees don’t use the pollen from a variety of other flowers or plants, so the content of the honey is very consistent. A 2013 study in the European Journal of Medical Research used Active Manuka Honey under dressings on postoperative wounds for an 85 percent success rate in clearing up infections, compared with 50 percent for normal antibiotic creams.

calendarofevents

352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.org.

NOTE: All calendar events must be submitted via our website by the 10th of the month and must adhere to our guidelines. Visit GoNaturalAwakenings.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

Rocks for Kids – 4-5pm. Holiday Edition with Travis Hetsler. Have fun learning about rocks and bring home some free crystals. Parents welcome. Free. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs.

Register: 386-454-8657. HighSpringsEmporium.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27

Healing Circle – 1pm. For healers and those in need of healing. Nancy Lopez leads the circle to experience healing and powerful love. Love offering. Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 177 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield.

352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.org.

Magnetic Waves Therapy Informative Lecture – 2pm. With Dr. Nelson Kraucak. Diapers and invasive treatments are not the only solution for incontinence. HealthCare Partners Family Medicine, 1501 US Hwy 441 N, Ste 1700, The Villages. RSVP by 12/3: 352-750-4333. LifeFamilyPractice.com.

Revolutionary Movie Premiere – 5pm. The Cure Is… Reveals Genetics No Longer Blamed for Majority of Disease, a film featuring top doctors, scientists and spiritual leaders, showing how thoughts and emotions have the power to contribute to and create disease, as well as aid the healing process.

Free refreshments. Airs Global, 1005 SW 10th St, Ste 103, Ocala. 352-512-0222. AirsGlobalInc.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 Calling All Angels: Crystals for Your Angels – 2-4pm. Workshop with Sharron Britton. $20. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657. HighSpringsEmporium.com.

Psychic/Medium Spiritual Development Class – 2-4pm. Includes meditation, lesson and practice. $25. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge: 407-247-7823. ifsk.org.

Traditional Unity Burning Bowl Service – 10am. A great way to release the old from 2015 and begin to paint your picture for what you want in 2016. Love offering. Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 177 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield. 352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.org.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28

386-454-8657. Register: Cindy: 904-806-5109.

HighSpringsEmporium.com.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 The Lotus Connection: Chakra Balancing Energy Workshop – 11am-4pm. With Cindy Zsolnai, PhD, Reiki Master. $45. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657. Register: Cindy: 904-806-5109. HighSpringsEmporium.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 14 Hydration for Better Health Informative Lecture – 5:30pm. With the holidays quickly approaching learn how to hydrate to improve your health. AIRS Global Inc, 1005 SW 10th St, Ste 103, Ocala. 352512-0222. AirsGlobalInc.com.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

Patient Education – 6-7pm. Learn about the clinic followed by Q&A. Free. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ste 600, Ocala. 352-291-9459. LemireClinic.com.

Stem Cell Therapy Informative Lecture – 2pm.

With Dr. Nelson Kraucak. Learn how an individual’s own stem cells and platelets can successfully treat their chronic joint and back pain. HealthCare Partners Family Medicine, 1501 US Hwy 441 N, Ste 1700, The Villages. RSVP by 12/17: 352-750-4333.

LifeFamilyPractice.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19

Psychic/Medium Spiritual Development Class – Choice of times. New series of classes now forming.

Includes meditation, lesson and practice. $25. Unity of The Villages, 10935 SE 177th Pl, Summerfield.

International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge: 407-247-7823. ifsk.org.

Peace on Earth - a Celebration of the Winter Holidays – 11am-5pm. Holiday treats, crystal gifts for everyone, Reiki share and live music. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs.

386-454-8657. HighSpringsEmporium.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 Holiday Open House – 5-7pm. Door prizes, raffles, big discounts and refreshments. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ste 600, Ocala. 352-2919459. LemireClinic.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 Fall Natural Foods and Gift Gala – 10am-3pm.

Five feature chefs prepare vegetables and herbs from the fall garden. Sample food, shop for gifts, silent auction and raffle. $1/admission, $2/food sample.

Crones’ Cradle Conserve, 6411 NE 217th Pl, Citra.

352-595-3377. CronesCradleConserve.org.

Restorative Reiki – 11am-4pm. With Cindy Zsolnai, PhD, Reiki Master. Learn to integrate Reiki and yoga into your practice. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 Reiki Level III – 11am-4pm. With Cindy Zsolnai, PhD, Reiki Master. $110. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657. Register: Cindy: 904-806-5109. HighSpringsEmporium.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 Thermography Screenings – 8am-5pm; by appointment. Thermography is the only imaging method that helps detect early inflammation. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ste 600, Ocala. 352291-9459. LemireClinic.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Service – 5:30pm.

A short play of the Christmas story will be performed by our chaplains. Love offering. Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 177 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield.

Drink 2 UR Health Informative Lecture – 5:30pm.

Jumpstart and revolutionize your New Year’s Resolution on weight release and your health. Gift giveaways for weight management. AIRS Global Inc, 1005 SW 10th St, Ste 103, Ocala. 352-512-0222. AirsGlobalInc.com.

plan ahead savethedate SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 Crocheted Rag Rug Workshop – 9am-3pm.

Recycle your old T-shirts. Learn the basics of crocheting T-shirt yarn into a rag rug. $40.

Crones’ Cradle Conserve, 6411 NE 217 Pl, Citra.

352-595-3377. CronesCradleConserve.org.

savethedate SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 Living Whole – Crones’ Cradle Conserve, 6411 NE 217 Pl, Citra. 352-595-3377.

CronesCradleConserve.org.

classifieds Fee for classifieds is a minimum charge of $20 for the first 20 words and $1 for each additional word. To place an ad, email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

ADVERTISING ADVERTISE HERE – Are you: hiring, renting property/office space, selling products, offering services, or in need of volunteers? Advertise your personal/business needs in Natural Awakenings classified ads section. To place an ad, email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com.

OPPORTUNITIES START A CAREER YOU CAN BE PASSIONATE ABOUT – Publish your own Natural Awakenings magazine. Home-based business complete with comprehensive training and support system.

New franchises are available or purchase a magazine that is currently publishing. Call 239530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/ MyMagazine.

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December 2015

41

ongoingevents sunday A Course in Miracles – 9:30am. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030.

UnityGainesville.org.

Meditation and Lesson: Positive, Practical Christianity – 10am. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352­687­2113. UnityOcala.org.

Unity of the Villages Sunday Service – 10am.

Transformational message focuses on oneness, sustainability, the use of prayer, the power of your imagination and remembering who you are and why you are here. Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 177 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield. 352­454­3120.

UnityOfTheVillages.org.

Master Mind Healing Prayer Circle – 10:15am.

Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030. UnityGainesville.org.

Unity of Gainesville Worship Service and Sunday School – 11am. Nursery care provided during service. Potluck lunch the first Sunday. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­ 373­1030. UnityGainesville.org.

monday A Course in Miracles – 9am. Channeled material through two Jewish agnostics and substantiates the spirituality of all seers and sages. Love offering.

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North Central, FL

Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 117 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield. 352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.com.

A Course in Miracles – 7pm. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030. UnityGainesville.org.

tuesday Acupuncture – By appointment. With physician Susan Snelling. Chinese Pulse, Herbs, Twina, Cupping and more. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ocala. 352­291­9459. LemireClinic.com.

A Course in Miracles – 9:30am. Channeled material through two Jewish agnostics and substantiates the spirituality of all seers and sages. Love offering.

Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 117 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield. 352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.com.

Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families Meeting – 6:30­-8pm. Open to adults who grew up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional family to improve emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Free. Soul Essentials, 805 E Fort King St, Ocala. Info: OneStepForward52@outlook.com.

wednesday Master Mind Healing Circle – 11:30am. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­ 373­1030. UnityGainesville.org.

Pilates – 5:30pm. Stretch/tone with Anabelle, certi-

GoNaturalAwakenings.com

fied Pilates instructor. $15. Lemire Clinic, 11115 SW 93rd Ct. Rd, Ocala. 352­291­9459. LemireClinic.com.

Quest Book Study Group – 7pm. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030.

UnityGainesville.com.

thursday A Course in Miracles – 10:30am. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030.

UnityGainesville. org.

A Course in Miracles – 4pm. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113. UnityOcala.org.

friday Open Energy Healing Circle – 7pm. 1st & 3rd Fri. With Dee Mitchell, Reiki Master. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Ave, Gainesville. 352­373­1030.

UnityGainesville.org.

saturday Farmstead Saturdays – 9am­-3pm. Free. Crones Cradle Conserve, 6411 NE 217 Pl, Citra. 352­595­ 3377. CronesCradleConserve.com.

Unity of the Villages Metaphysical Movie – 11am.

3rd Sat. During the movie, drinks and popcorn provided or bring your own lunch. Love offering. Unity of the Villages, 10935 SE 177 Pl, Ste 504, Summerfield. 352-454-3120. UnityOfTheVillages.org.

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, email GoNaturalAwakenings@gmail.com to request our media kit.

COLONICS

SUSAN SNELLING, ACUPUNCTURE PHYSICIAN

GENTLE WATERS HEALING CENTER

The Lemire Clinic 11115 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ste 600, Ocala 352-291-9459 LemireClinic.com

The therapists at Gentle Waters Healing Center assist each individual with detoxing using colon hydrotherapy, far infrared sauna, and/or aqua chi lymphatic drainage. Call Dawn Brower for more information or visit G e n t l e Wa t e r s H e a l i n g . c o m .

MA41024, MM15426.

Lemire Clinic welcomes Susan Snelling, Acupuncture Physician, to the Lemire team.

Susan has been practicing for many years and combines the traditional needles with cupping, t w i n a t e c h n o l o g y, p u l s e diagnosing and Chinese herbs, along with emotional release to bring back into balance mind, body and spirit. See ad, page 4.

352-374-0600 Gainesville Info@GentleWatersHealing.com

HOLISTIC MEDICINE MICHAEL J. BADANEK, BS, DC, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN, CTTP, MSGR/CHEV 3391 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ste B, Ocala 352-622-1151 AlternativeWholisticHealth.com

Thirty-three years in clinical practice with alternative holistic 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. See ad, page 2.

HANOCH TALMOR, M.D. Gainesville Holistic Center 352-377-0015 DrTalmor.com

We support all health challenges and the unlimited healing potential of God’s miracle: your b o d y. C h e l a t i o n , n u t r i t i o n , cleansing, homeopathy, natural energy healing, detoxification, wellness education and more.

LIFE COACHING KATHY BLACK, CERTIFIED LIFE COACH Change for the Better Coaching & Consulting Gainesville • 401-286-5259 Change-4-The-Better.com

Meeting you where you are with unparalleled support, guidance and accountability to successfully move through whatever challenges you are currently facing.

VETERINARY CARE MEDICINE WHEEL VETERINARY SERVICES Shauna Cantwell, DVM Ocala • 352-538-3021 ShaunaCantwell.com

Holistic veterinary medicine for small animals and horses.

Arthritis, neurologic and hormonal dysfunction, skin, a l l e rg i e s , c a n c e r, p a i n , immune and chronic disease.

Certified veterinary acupuncture, certified-AVCA animal chiropractic, herbal therapy, tui na medical massage, functional neurology, postural rehabilitation, ozone therapy, homotoxicology and nutrition. Available for workshops. See ad, page 10.

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