November 2013 Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast AL/MS

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

An Attitude of Gratitude

FREE

It Revolutionizes Life and Lightens Our Path

Expanded Pet Section

Holistic Seizure Prevention Outdoor Options for Felines

The Path to Inner Peace 12 Steps to Spiritual Awakening

by Michael Singer

November 2013 | Mobile/Baldwin Edition | www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

We’ve always been your guide to healthy living and a healthy planet. Now, we’re putting together a directory of local resources that you can refer to all year long.

Health & Wellness•Green & Sustainable Living•Fitness & Nutrition•Personal Growth

Coming in February 2014

The 2nd Annual Mobile/Baldwin

Healthy& GREEN Living

DIRECTORY ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS! Reach our health-conscious readers with year-round distribution of this special edition, both in print and online.

EXAMPLE

Regular Pricing: $99 for 1 listing or $149 for 3 listings (3 different categories)

ACUPUNCTURE INTEGRATIVE MED SOLUTIONS Dr. Jan Smith, ND, LAC., RH, CHT 123 Main St., Mobile 251-123-4567 • YourWebsite.com

Therapeutic solutions to acute and chronic conditions.

Acupuncture is an intelligent medicine, gentle enough for pregnant women, and powerful enough to treat serious conditions like high blood pressure or chronic pain. See ad pg 25.

Early Bird Rates: $79 for 1 listing or 3 for $119 Valid until November 22.

Each Listing Includes: • Category & 4 Contact Lines • Description (30 words) • Color Photo or Logo

Reduced ad rates and FREE business profiles with Display Ad in this special edition. Ask us for details!

Reserve your space today! 251-990-9552

www.TinyURL.com/DirectoryNA

Thank you for 38 great years!

Join us for our in-store

Customer Appreciation Event and Annivesary Celebration!

11AM-6PM • Sunday, November 24 Celebrate at both stores with raffle prizes, free samples and 20% off supplements!

Virginia’s Health Foods • 3952 Airport Blvd in Mobile • 251-345-0494 Fairhope Health Foods • 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Ctr in Fairhope • 251-928-0644

NOVEMBER SPECIALS:

15% off Barlean’s Products; 20% off Source Naturals and Planetary Herbals Products

Garden of Life supplements are 20% off everyday!

15% off all regularly priced supplements every Sunday!

The Sunflower Cafés offer full organic lunch menus. Featuring free-range meats, farm-fresh produce, organic wines and options for special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free). Catering service and take-out available.

Menus online. Call for specials.

Holiday Catering is back!

All dishes are made to Green Bean Casserole order and can be prepared Sweet Potato Casserole vegan and gluten-free.

Corn Casserole Place Thanksgiving orders

by November 25.

Creamed Cauliflower

Eggplant Casserole Squash Casserole Cranberry Chutney Stuffing

Gravy Pies & Cheesecakes Carrot Cakes Chocolate Gateau

Located next door to Fairhope Health Foods and inside Virginia’s Health Foods in Mobile.

Fairhope: 251-929-0055

Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm; Sunday Brunch 10:30am-2pm

Visit VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com and follow us on Facebook for Monthly Specials!

Mobile: 251-345-0495

Mon-Sat 10:30am-3pm; Closed Sundays

Natural Awakenings Network Cardholders receive 10% off of all store & cafe purchases!

contents 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 LIVING GRATITUDE A Taproot of Happiness

15

by Leo Babauta

16 THE PATH TO

INNER PEACE

12 Steps to Spiritual Awakening

by Michael A. Singer

18 CRAFTING A

18

GREEN HOLIDAY

Happy Ways to Deck the Halls

by Avery Mack

20 THE MIRACLE OF MIDLIFE

Being Exactly Who We Need to Be

by Marianne Williamson

24 OUTDOOR OPTIONS

FOR FELINE FRIENDS

Safe Ways to Let Them Explore

20

by Sandra Murphy

26 THE TRUTH

ABOUT CANINE VACCINATIONS

by Dr. Marcia Martin

27 PREVENTING

SEIZURES

Natural Dog Remedies Can Outdo Drugs

by Dr. Shawn Messonnier

4

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

24 27

12

11 7 newsbriefs 11 healthbriefs 12 globalbriefs 14 ecotip 15 inspiration 16 healingways 18 greenliving 20 wisewords 22 petbriefs 24 naturalpet 14 26 localopinion 28 calendar 32 classifieds 33 naturaldirectory

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Submit calendar events and ongoing classes online at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

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 239530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin is For Sale

It’s Always a Bright, Sunshiny Day When You Love Your Work.

Huge Income Potential No Experience Needed Training Provided 30,000+ loyal readers 400+ distribution points Work from home on your own schedule Professional editorial and design support team in place

Work together with a supportive, franchised network of 90+ Natural Awakenings publishers

for more information: HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

251-990-9552

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com natural awakenings

November 2013

5

letterfrompublisher It’s hard to believe that our oldest dog, Parker, is turning 11 this month and Sam, our youngest, is turning 8. It seems like just yesterday that Parker was tripping on her own ears and terrorizing our shoe collection. She may be a basset hound, but Parker will always be my firstborn, and as the only other female in the house, we share a special bond. We are perfectly content sitting quietly together in peace and stillness while all the males in the house (two human, two canine) would rather chase balls, wrestle and yell/bark nonsense at each other or harmless neighbors.

We consider our pets part of the family, and that is why at least twice a year we feature an expanded pet section in Natural Awakenings.

I care about the health and well-being of our three dogs as I care about that of any of our family members. In more recent years, I’ve become aware of ways to take a more natural and holistic approach to Parker, Rudy and Sam’s health that mirrors the choices I make for Mays, Josh and myself.

The majority of our daily diets are filled with fresh, whole foods and homemade meals. I’m currently trying to transition our dogs to a similar meal plan, as well. We don’t eat a diet of processed food, so why should our dogs be forced to eat junk every day? After years of relying solely on dry dog food, this transition won’t happen overnight. We do still feed kibble, but we buy a brand without fillers and additives.

Whenever possible, we supplement their food with food from our own healthy and fresh meals. This method doesn’t require any extra prep time, just a change of habit.

Last night, they enjoyed some chicken, quinoa and carrots.

As our pets age, they are often faced with chronic diseases and ailments. I know many dogs that suffer from seizures and in our feature, “Preventing Seizures,” Dr. Shawn Messonnier suggests some natural remedies for these scary and unpredictable incidents. The year they turned 8, Rudy (our Labrador/shepherd mix) developed arthritis, while Parker started showing signs of heart disease. Steroids and pain medication were initially prescribed for the arthritis and a host of pills that caused several side effects were prescribed for Parker’s heart. I sought out a more holistic approach, and herbal supplements have been highly effective for both of our dogs, keeping them virtually symptom-free for more than two years.

In this month’s local opinion article, “The Truth About Canine Vaccinations,” Dr. Marcia Martin sheds light on the topic of over-vaccination of dogs. Annual vaccines aren’t recommended for humans throughout their whole lives. Are annual revaccinations necessary for our pets?

In addition to Parker's and Sam’s birthdays, we also celebrate Thanksgiving this month. Our November issue features articles that inspire a life filled with gratitude (“Living Gratitude”), peace (“The Path to Inner Peace”) and self-acceptance (“The Miracle of Midlife”). With the holiday season upon us, these articles remind us to stay grounded and grateful.

Whether you’re planning a big Thanksgiving feast or taking time to enjoy the crispness of the fall air, I wish you and your whole family a month full of abundance and good health... pets included!

With Gratitude,

contact us Publisher/Editor Meredith Montgomery Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Assistant Editor Martin Miron Contributors Josh Montgomery Anne Wilson Michael Wilson Design and Production Meredith Montgomery Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin P.O. Box 725, Fairhope, AL 36533 Phone: 251-990-9552 Fax: 251-281-2375

HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to the free digital magazine at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Mailed subscriptions are available by sending $30 (for 12 issues) to the above address. © 2013 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.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

6

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

newsbriefs

Happy, Healthy Living

Sunflower Café Caters Organic Holiday Meals Photo by Mike and Ali Kerr

Sunflower Café makes the holidays easier by offering prepared dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. All menu items are organic and made with love and can be ordered to meet vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free needs. Each dish serves eight to 10 people. The last date to place an order for Thanksgiving is November 25. Christmas orders need to be placed by December 20. Items may be picked up in Fairhope or Mobile the day before each holiday.

This season’s featured offerings include green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, butternut squash casserole, eggplant casserole, creamed cauliflower, gravy, cranberry chutney, stuffing, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cheesecakes, key lime pie, chocolate gateau and carrot cake.

Location: 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope and 3952 Airport Blvd., Mobile. For more information, call 251-929-0055. See ad, page 3.

A Maternity, Breastfeeding and Baby Store with a Certified Lactation Consultant on staff.

Medela Breastpumps

(covered by most BCBS policies)

Cloth Diapers & Diapering Supplies Premature & Newborn Clothing Baby Carriers, Gift Baskets & More!

29891 Woodrow Ln, Daphne•Facebook.com/BabytalkES

251-298-TALK • BabyTalkES@gmail.com

Redefining Local.

Zapah Naturals Expands Availability Zapah Naturals, locally-made, pure, natural bath and body products, are now available at at Health Hut, in Mobile, as well as Virginia’s Health Foods, Fairhope Health Foods, Windmill Market and Lucedale Herb Shop. The holiday season is coming and Zapah Naturals has luscious, handcrafted products for ladies, babies and men. Purchase them locally or online.

Look for the Zapah Naturals booth at Alabama Pecan Festival, from November 1 to 3, and at the Greek Festival, from November 14 to 16, both in Mobile.

Locally owned Zapah Naturals creates natural handcrafted soaps, body scrubs, bath and body oils, organic herbal bath bags, lip care products and so much more.

No preservatives, no harsh chemicals or stabilizers are added.

For more information, call 251-776 4382, email CS@ZapahNaturals.com or visit ZapahNaturals.com. See ad, page 19.

Holiday Treats and Savings at Elements Elements Massage Mobile will hold their annual Holiday Open House from 3 to 8 p.m., December 5. Owners Claudia McClure and Elizabeth Murphy, staff, clients and members all look forward to the event each year.

This holiday celebration features great food, door prizes and chair massages. Gift cards will be on sale and members can buy one and get a second free (walk-in rate). Non-members can purchase two 2012 Holiday Open House 55-minute massage gift cards for $99.

“The most wonderful time of the year can be the most stressful. But when you give the gift of massage the Elements way, you are giving your loved ones a personalized session of bliss that promotes less stress, elevated mood and holiday cheer,” says McClure.

Location: 6920 Airport Blvd., Ste. 111, Mobile. For more information, call 251342-6415. See ad, page 19.

from the day they’re born.

The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, caught and made in Alabama.

NOW OPEN: CHASING FRESH MARKET

Mon-Sat, 9am-7pm•19176 Hwy 181, Fairhope Delivery available to Mobile & Baldwin Counties.

FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS, HONEY, BREAD, MILK, MEAT, SEAFOOD, EGGS, CHEESE & MORE! Facebook.com/ChasingFresh•ChasingFresh.net 251-210-6011 • ccorte@chasingfresh.net What are your pets trying to tell you??

www.HearThemSpeak.com

Heart-Centered Telepathic

Animal Communication & Counseling

Resolve behavior issues and discord between household members of all species through agreeable compromise.

Babette de Jongh is a Reiki master and Body Talk practitioner trained in advanced-level animal communication.

Call 251-424-4944 to schedule a session.

natural awakenings

November 2013

7

newsbriefs Family Fun at the Christmas Tree Farm Fish River Trees Christmas Tree Farm will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., from November 29 to December 23. Located five miles east of Fairhope, in Summerdale, Fish River Trees has been providing choose-and-cut trees, fresh-cut fir and spruce trees and container-grown, environmentally friendly Living Christmas Trees for 32 years. New this year are sno-tip trees.

Farm visitors will enjoy a live manager scene during regular business hours, and Santa will be visiting the farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the first three weekends of the season.

Weekend tree train rides offer free farm tours aboard the Tannenbaum Express.

Camel and pony rides will also be available on weekends for $5.

Location: 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd. E., Summerdale. For more information, call 251-988-8114, email FishRiverTrees@gultel.com or visit FishRiverTrees.com. See ad, back cover.

Howell Joins Bella Sundries Team Stylist Lindsey Howell has joined the Bella Sundries team to offer hair services, waxing and personal spray tanning. Bella Sundries provides salon services in a soothing, relaxing environment, including haircuts for men, women and children, perms, up-dos, conditioning treatments, color treatment and highlights, and eyebrow tinting.

Bella Sundries means “beautiful things”. They allow clients to embark upon a healing journey that will lead to a healthier self and invigorated sense of well-being. A full menu of massage services and energy therapies is also available.

Location: 6576 Airport Blvd., bldg. C, Ste. 300, Mobile. To book an appointment with Howell, call 205-746-8462. For more information, visit BellaSundries.Webs.com. See ad, page 16.

Healing Acres Offers Colon Hydrotherapy Special Healing Acres, in Robertsdale, is offering a special on colon hydrotherapy treatments through the end of the year for $35.

Colon Hydrotherapist Kelly Houston has joined the staff, so hours have been extended from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Healing Acres offers massage, reflexology, colonics, Reiki, classes, retreats and seminars. Hydrotherapist Charlotte McCool says, “Colon hydrotherapy is the process of cleansing the colon by passing a gentle flow of warm, purified water through the colon.

It is a valuable procedure used to assist the body for a wide variety of different colon-related conditions.”

Colon hydrotherapy can help resolve weight issues, depression, constipation, sinus problems, asthma, joint pain, chronic fatigue, skin problems, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis, heart problems, migraines and more.

Location: 22355 Price Grubbs Rd. For more information, call 251-423-1863 or visit MyHealingAcres.com. See ad, page 14.

8

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Qigong, T’ai Chi Classes Start in Mobile Jude Forsyth has relocated her business, Blue Willow Wellness, from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to Mobile and has started Jude Forsyth three new qigong/t’ai chi classes. Forsyth, a certified teacher, has been practicing and teaching the ancient moving meditation exercise for 20 years. She teaches a whole system of qigong and t’ai chi forms and practices that support healing and longevity. “There are several things I love to do, and qigong t’ai chi is at the top of that list!

It is a perfect exercise for all body types and levels of wellness and is an actual method for stress reduction. I love to share it,” says Forsyth.

The classes are offered at the Fowl River Community Center, in Theodore, near Bellingrath Road, at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and at the Quiet Mind Studio, in Midtown Mobile, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Thursdays. These adult classes are 75 minutes long.

Cost is $10 or $12 per class. Locations: Fowl River, 5401 Fowl River Rd., Theodore; Quiet Mind, 2065 Old Shell Rd., Ste. B, Mobile. For more information, call 850-2269355 or visit BlueWillowWellness. com. See listing, page 34.

digital subscribe to our

MAGAZINE

automatic. free. green.

Subscribe today:

HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Get an Apple a Day from Off the Vine Organic Off the Vine Organic Produce is offering organic apple boxes in November, featuring five USA-grown apple varieties a week. If a family of four eats one apple a day, they will need 120 apples per month.

The Spitzenburg apple variety is named after the settlement of Esopus, in Ulster County, New York, and was rumored to be Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple. It was widely planted in the USA in the 19th century and used for both dessert and culinary purposes. The apples have an excellent flavor, which improves with storage.

The Honey Crisp apple is a crisp and sweet, modern variety developed by the University of Minnesota specifically for growers in cold climates. It is one of the most cold-hardy of apple varieties. The Golden Delicious apple is not only one of the most important apple varieties of the 20th century, but is also used as breeding stock for many other varieties.

To place an order, call 850-374-2181 or visit OffTheVine.org.

See ad, page 10.

B-Butterfly SALON

Organic Hair Color & Products

What’s NOT in our product Ammonia Formaldehyde Parabens GMO’s Phthalates Mercury VOC’s

What IS in our product

Call today for a free consultation.

251-990-9934

103A North Bancroft Street, Fairhope www.BButterflySalon.com

Orange Chamomile Grapefruit Aloe Comfrey

Lots of new wellness resources coming in 2014! Stay tuned!

New Wellness College on the Horizon Alabama Healing Arts (AHA), a new occupational college and wellness studio, is coming to Mobile. The locallyowned business will offer therapeutic massages and Reiki treatments, classes in yoga and more, holistic counseling, and a variety of professional certification programs.

With more than 25 years of experience, founder Kelly Laurendine is excited to bring a heart-centered approach to living and learning in an environment geared for personal empowerment and professional success.

She believes in the healing arts, having used yoga, massage and Reiki to heal herself of a serious spinal injury. She says, “Exploring different realms of physical, mental and spiritual well-being has changed me for the better and is my passion. It has been my life’s dream to create a space where a variety of healing and personal development modalities could be experienced or learned. I look forward to sharing many amazing AHA moments with this community!"

For more information, call 251-753-1937 or email KellyLaurendine@gmail.com. natural awakenings

November 2013

9

newsbriefs Customer Appreciation Day at Virginia’s and Fairhope Health Foods We bring the Farmer’s Market to you!

Consistent & reliable organic produce service since 2002.

Always 100% Certified Organic fruits & vegetables. Support your US & local organic farmers.

Your Choice:

MIXED Vegetable & Fruit share ALL FRUIT share • JUICING share

Simply place your order online www.offthevine.org or call 850-374-2181

ALL 2013 USA grown Ambrosia, Spitzenburg, Golden delicious, Fuji and Honeycrisp!

Each week the 5 apple varieties will change so watch for your favorites!

New crop organic Apple boxes available weekly throughout November.

Bodies By Cindy Fitness Studio 6300 Airport Blvd Mobile, AL 36608

The Fieldhouse 26037 Capital Drive Daphne, AL 36526

Watch us grow!

Call us if you would like to become an organic pick up location!

Order produce as needed or on a schedule.

“It’s easy to order & eat fresh with OTV!”

10

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Locations; 3952 Airport Blvd., Mobile (251-345-0494); 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope (251928-0644). For more information, visit VaFairhopeHealthFoods. com. See ad, page 3.

Learn to Grow Your Own Food

2013 OTV Organic Apple Box is here!

Mobile & Daphne Area Pick Up Locations!

Virginia's Health Foods, in Mobile, and Fairhope Health Foods, in Fairhope, are hosting an in-store customer appreciation day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., November 24. Fairhope Health Foods is celebrating their 38th anniversary and Virginia's is celebrating their 37th.

Customers will enjoy 20 percent off regular-priced supplements, raffle prizes and lots of free samples. The locally owned stores carry a wide selection of organic groceries such as produce, meats, dairy and wine and feature an allergy-sensitive section, bulk spices and herbs and supplements. In addition to food items, both stores carry natural products for the whole family, from baby and pet supplies to books and bath and body products.

Other discounts available through the month of November are 15 percent off Barlean's products and 20 percent off Source Naturals and Planetary Herbals.

Garden of Life supplements are 20 percent off every day.

The Bay Area Food Bank Adopt-A-Plot program will present a gardening workshop, The Birds & The Bees: What You need to Know for Good Crop Yields, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, November 16, presented by Master Gardener Judy Stout, at the Food Bank conference room, in Theodore.

The Adopt-A-Plot garden consists of 39, 12-footby-four-foot raised beds adjacent to the food bank, maintained by individuals and families from the community. These gardeners care for their plots and then donate at least 50 percent of their harvest to the program’s partner agencies.

Some of the gardeners that adopt plots have never gardened before, and the Adopt-A-Plot Garden presents an opportunity for novice gardeners to learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and learn about their environment, while fighting hunger at the same time.

Location: 5248 Mobile South St. RSVP by Nov. 3 to Emily Warden at 251-6531617 ext. 125, or EWarden@BayAreaFoodBank.org. To join, call Vanessa Cochran at 251-653-1617 ext. 114 or email VCochran@BayAreaFoodBank.org.

Don't Miss This Month's

Expanded Pet Section!

See pages 22-27 for local pet news and healthy pet articles. www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

healthbriefs

ROSEMARY REVS UP MEMORY

R Mindful Meditation Relieves Inflammation

A

new University of Wisconsin-Madison study shows that meditation, a proven reducer of psychological stress, can also lessen stress-caused inflammation and thereby relieve the symptoms and pain of certain diseases. Long-term stress has long been linked to inflammation, an underlying cause of many diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, bowel disease, asthma, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Meditation study volunteers were divided into two groups—an eight-week mindfulness meditation course or a stress reduction program of supportive nutrition, exercise and music therapy that did not include meditation. The meditation group focused attention on the breath, bodily sensations and mental content while seated, walking or practicing yoga.

Immune and endocrine data was collected before and after training in the two methods and meditation proved to be more effective. Melissa Rosenkranz, a neuroscientist with the university’s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and lead author of the report, concludes that, “The mindfulness-based approach to stress reduction may offer a lower-cost alternative or complement to standard treatment, and it can be practiced easily by patients in their own homes whenever needed.”

Walnuts Strengthen Sperm

A

dding a handful of walnuts to a man’s daily diet might just increase the chance of pregnancy for couples with fertility problems. Scientists attribute male infertility as the central issue in 30 to 50 percent of the 70 million couples worldwide experiencing such difficulties.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, investigated whether increasing intake of the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish, flax seed and walnuts that are critical for sperm maturation and membrane function would increase sperm quality in men consuming a typical Western-style diet. They found that less than three ounces of walnuts added to a man’s daily diet improved sperm strength, size and motility (swimming ability). The men eating the walnuts also showed fewer chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm.

osemary’s folkloric reputation for improving memory has been validated by science. UK researchers at London’s Northumbria University found that when the essential oil of rosemary was diffused into a room—a method practiced in aromatherapy—it enhanced participants’ ability to remember past events and remind themselves to do tasks planned for the future, like sending an anniversary card.

Mark Moss, Ph.D., head of psychology at Northumbria, says, “We wanted to build on our previous research that indicated rosemary aroma improved long-term memory and mental arithmetic. In this study, we focused on prospective memory, which is critical for everyday functioning.”

In the study, 66 people randomly assigned to either a rosemary-scented or unscented room were asked to complete a variety of tests to assess their memory functions. Those in the rosemary-scented room outperformed the control group.

Blood analysis of those exposed to the rosemary aroma confirmed higher concentrations of 1,8-cineole, the oil’s compound specifically linked to memory improvement. The researchers concluded that the aroma of rosemary essential oil can enhance cognitive functioning in healthy individuals and may have implications for treating people with memory impairment. The findings were presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, in Harrogate.

HAPPY LIFE, HEALTHY HEART

F

eelings matter when it comes to protecting a person’s physical health. Researchers at Boston’s Harvard School of Public Health reviewing more than 200 studies published in two major scientific databases found a direct correlation between positive psychological well-being and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes. They concluded that positive feelings like optimism, life satisfaction and happiness are associated with the reduced risk, regardless of a person’s age, weight or socioeconomic or smoking status. natural awakenings

November 2013

11

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

Bamboozled

Bamboo Fabric a Product of Greenwashing At least one dealer in sustainable products has taken a stand against bamboo fabric, which most people associate with bamboo lumber, a rapidly renewable resource that requires fewer pesticides to grow than other crops.

Laura Mathews, of Eco Promotional Products, Inc., in Washington state, cites the Federal Trade Commission’s report: “The truth is, most bamboo textile products, if not all, really are rayon, which typically is made using environmentally toxic chemicals.

While different plants, including bamboo, can be used as a source material to create rayon, there’s no trace of the original plant in the finished rayon product.”

Mathews says that her company has discontinued selling bamboo clothing and all other items made from bamboo fabric. She notes, “It’s the responsibility of everyone to vet these and other similar terms to ensure that the eco-friendly product you’re putting your purchasing power behind is actually eco-friendly.”

photo courtesy of Landfill Harmonic

Source: EcoPromotionsOnline.com

Second Verse

Kids Turn Trash into Musical Instruments

Young musicians from the village of Cateura, Paraguay, a town of 2,500 families that make a living by mining the 1,500 tons of solid waste daily dumped in a local landfill, have started making musical instruments from the debris.

Favio Chávez, an ecological technician and trained musician, was inspired to teach the local children to play music in an orchestra. He says, “The world sends us garbage, we send back music.” A documentary, Landfill Harmonic, is in production and a 30-member Recycled Orchestra has performed in Argentina, Brazil and Germany.

The message is that like other natural resources, children living in poverty have redeeming value and should not be deemed worthless.

Pass Go

Cooperation Rules in New Board Game Monopoly is a traditional, popular board game that provides fun for the whole family as players ruthlessly strive to outwit each other, form a monopoly and take ownership of all the real estate, houses, hotels and money. If that doesn’t seem like a pastime that teaches values of fairness and social justice, there’s a new game in town—Co-opoly.

In the 21st-century game, invented by the Toolbox for Education and Social Action (ToolboxForEd.org), players develop cooperative businesses using a team effort. Sharing knowledge and creating cooperative strategies determine whether everyone wins or loses.

Instead of encouraging players to grab up all the wealth and bankrupt others, it showcases the economic success that can result when people work together.

Safer Sleep

People- and Planet-Friendly Fire Retardants

White-nose syndrome, a disease spread by a soil fungus, G. destructans, and thought to have been carried to North America from Europe, is devastating bat colonies in the U.S. and Canada. First identified in 2006 in a population of common little brown bats in a cave 150 miles north of New York City, the malady has claimed 98 percent of the bat population there by causing them to awaken prematurely from their normal hibernation and then die from lack of food and exhaustion.

A single reproductive female little brown bat can eat her weight in insects each night. A recent Canadian study valued crops potentially lost to insects that would otherwise be devoured by bats at $53 billion a year. Without the bats to keep insect numbers down, farmers may turn to greater use of pesticides.

An ultrathin film that consists of polymers found in crustacean shells could be an environmentally friendly alternative to the flame retardants used in bedding and sofas. Mattresses and furniture cushions are typically made of highly flammable polyurethane foam; to meet fire safety guidelines, manufacturers treat the foam with fire-retardant chemicals. These are typically brominated compounds that studies by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, in The Netherlands, have shown can act as endocrine disruptors, leading to neurological problems or even cancer.

The European Union has banned several of the flame-retardant compounds and U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies have started to scrutinize their use.

The nano-coating could be sprayed on foam, which would make it easy for mass production; several companies have expressed interest in the material.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Source: Chemical & Engineering News

Watch videos at Tinyurl.com/ChavezOrchestra and Facebook.com/landfillharmonicmovie.

Holy Eco-Crisis!

Deadly Fungus Destroying Bat Colonies

12

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Capital Idea

Social Networking Funds Local Business Community Sourced Capital (CSC) is a newly formed lender headquartered in Seattle, Washington, that aims to apply the crowdsourcing model to encourage the growth of locally owned businesses. “The hardest part is often not attracting shoppers once the project is off the ground,” explains co-founder Casey Dilloway, “but securing capital to get it started.”

CSC’s objective is to harness the power of the connections that tie local people together—both via social media and in the physical world—to find people willing to loan money to small local businesses. They may initially connect through Community SourcedCapital.com.

Lenders make funds available in $50 blocks up to a maximum of $250 per project, and are acknowledged by the receipt of a pale-blue square card bearing the CSC logo, which identifies them as “Squareholders”. The funds are then made available to borrowers at zero interest, and loans are paid back at a designated rate based on the company’s revenue. CSC makes loans of up to $50,000.

&

WANT TO LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST? GET YOUR VITAMINS FROM THE BEST! mediStat Pharmacy—your —your everyday health and wellness resource—provides nutritional and mineral base supplements, vitamins, body care, sports nutrition and much more. Not sure where to start? Take advantage of our private consulting and educational programs.

Visit us today and learn about our “Custom Made For You” approach to your nutritional wellness.

Like us on Facebook!

Or visit us on the web at mediStat.com

Source: Yes magazine

110 E. Azalea Ave • Foley, AL 36535 (855) 737.2550

Never glossy.

Always green.

DID YOU KNOW? Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink. When you're finished with it, this publication can easily be recycled or composted. natural awakenings

November 2013

13

ecotip

Experience the gifts of the Earth.

Digital Detox

Unplug to Cut Stress, Up Success

Healing Acres A Place of Wellness Massage • Reflexology Body Treatments Reiki • Ear Candling Colon Hydrotherapy Detox Spa System DŌTerra Oils Distributor Wellness Classes & More Gift Certificates Available

22355 Price Grubbs Rd in Robertsdale 251-423-1863

Cultivating and demonstrating a sustainable way of life ...for the health of the planet and her inhabitants.

ddle Earth i M Healing & Learning Center Middle Earth is dedicated to the practice of Deep Ecology. We are grounded in the belief that the health and well being of each individual is interconnected with their living and working environment, as well as to the health and sustainability of the planet herself. The philosophy of the center is to have respect for all life, to feel the Divine Presence in all living things, and to honor that Presence by the way we go about our daily lives.

20205 Middle Earth Rd., Citronelle, AL 251-866-7204 MidEarthHealing@yahoo.com www.MiddleEarthHealing.com

Do you have your NAN Discount Card yet?

Whether it’s extreme texting, tweeting, Googling, posting or blogging, the phenomenon of being caught in the web of the Web is real. Rationalizations range from coping with today’s information overload to fear of missing out (FOMO). Yet, detriments of such continual digital connectedness range from the stifling of family and social bonds to a lack of life skills that only face-to-face communication fosters.

In 2011, The New York University Child Study Center reported that 8-to-18year-olds average more than six hours of daily media use and that school grades of a surveyed group that considered themselves “heavy” users were considerably lower than their “light” use counterparts. Stanford Communications Professor Clifford Nass, author of The Man Who Lied to His Laptop, remarked in a 2013 NPR interview that people that do extensive media multitasking “can’t filter out irrelevancy, can’t manage memory and are chronically distracted. They say they are productive and can ‘shut it off’, but can’t keep on task and focus on one thing.”

Fortunately, programs to unplug are catching on. More than 400 middle and high schools in 20 U.S. states plus Canada took a Digital Blackout Challenge to refrain from using electronic devices for one week during the 2012-2013 school year (DigitalBlackout.org). From Chief Sealth International High School, in Seattle, Washington, senior Marissa Evans says the experience informed her “there’s a balance between ‘too much’ and ‘just enough’” in being connected, and classmate Alex Askerov terms the Challenge “a breath of fresh air.”

For the 2013 documentary film, Sleeping with Siri, Seattle-based journalist Michael Stusser underwent a one-week, self-assessed “techno gorge”, followed by a digital detox of the same duration. During stage one, he said his blood pressure went up 40 points after four days. He found, “You’re always waiting for a response.” He subsequently enjoyed being disconnected.

Foresters, a Toronto, Ontario-based life insurance provider, asks families to take a Tech Timeout pledge for at least one hour every day and make Sundays entirely non-tech, packed with family activities and socializing.

Learn more at TechTimeout.com.

GROW Your Business Advertise with us...

IT WORKS! 251-990-9552

Visit Tinyurl.com/NANCard to learn more and order your card!

14

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

inspiration

LIVING GRATITUDE

A Taproot of Happiness

Be Thankful

by Leo Babauta

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

I

“

f the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice,” a maxim first voiced by mystic Meister Eckhart, has held true through the centuries. Why should this simple act mean so much? Expressing gratitude works wonders.

Gratitude reminds us to recognize good people in our life. They range from loved ones to those that render a kindness to a stranger. Treasuring goodness in every form brings more of it into our experience.

Gratitude turns bad things into good things. Having problems at work? Be grateful to be employed and serving others. Challenges keep life interesting, enhance judgment and strengthen character.

Gratitude reminds us of what’s important. Being grateful to have a healthy family and friends, a home and food on the table puts smaller worries in perspective.

Gratitude reminds you to say, “Thank you.” Call, email or stop by to say thanks… it takes just a few minutes to express our reason for doing so. People like being appreciated. It creates a satisfying beam of mutual happiness that shines on.

Habit-Forming Tips

Here are some ways to overcome any initial discomfort felt in stepping forward to thank others.

Create a morning gratitude session. Take a few minutes each morning to close your eyes, silence the to-dos and give thanks to whomever and whatever is cause for gratitude.

Show thanks. Sometimes we think about something helpful or kind that someone did for us recently or long ago. Make a note, call them up or even better, tell them in person with sincere conviction why you continue to be grateful and appreciative.

Another option is a thank-you card or email—keep it short and sweet.

Be thankful when you don’t know something for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times, you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

See the silver lining even in “negative” situations. There are always two ways to look at something. We can perceive something as stressful, harmful, sad, unfortunate and difficult, or look for the good embedded in just about everything.

Problems held in a positive light from a different perspective can be opportunities to grow and to be creative in devising a solution.

Learn a gratitude prayer. Many songs and prayers, religious or not, serve to remind us to be grateful. Find or write a special one and post it in a highly visible spot.

Leo Babauta is the founder of the simplicity blog, ZenHabits.net, and author of bestselling e-books Focus, The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination and Zen to Done.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings. ~ Author unknown

natural awakenings

November 2013

15

healingways

Now Open in Fairhope!

smoothies • enhancers • supplements • snacks 199 Baldwin Square in Fairhope (old Blockbuster building)

28841 Hwy 98, Ste E in Daphne

251-626-5464

Buy a 32 oz smoothie with enhancer, Get one 20 oz smoothie FREE!

The Path to Inner Peace 12 Steps to Spiritual Awakening

S And the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anais Nin

16

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

by Michael A. Singer

pirituality is meant to bring about harmony and peace. But the diversity of our philosophies, beliefs, concepts and views about spiritual matters often leads to confusion or even conflict. The fact is that the very act of seeking spiritual freedom causes notions of success and failure, and these notions serve only to bind us to our own self-judgments: Am I growing? Have I done anything wrong? Am I meditating enough?

Truth is only complicated because we pass it through our habitual thought patterns. When we step back from ourselves, truth becomes simple. There are not many paths to freedom; there is only one. In the end, no matter what particular patterns of thought we have managed to build in our minds, freedom always means transcending these personal thought patterns.

So how does one go about transcending the personal self and awakening to spiritual freedom? What is needed for this journey are succinct steps that are so universal that they can echo through the halls of any religion as well as support intellectual understanding. The following is a universal road map to Self-Realization.

Notice that you’re always trying to be okay. As you observe your inner state, you’ll notice that inner disturbances create the urge to either get something or avoid something. This is all done in an attempt to feel okay inside.

Watch as your mind strives to figure out how everything needs to be for you to be okay. Your mind is always telling you how people, places and things need to be. That’s its attempt to create a conceptual model of what would make you okay and then try to get the outside world to match it.

Realize that defining how the outside needs to be is not working. You’ve been busy trying to be okay your entire life. Although some times are better than others, you’ve never come close to experiencing permanent peace. This is because the world will never match your conceptual model. Eventually, you’ll come to see that this approach doesn’t work, and you need to find a different way.

Realize that you’re in there. First realize, from deep inside, that you are consciously experiencing the outside world, as well as your inner thoughts and emotions.

Learn to not participate in the mind’s struggle. You must learn to relax inside and not get drawn into acting on your disturbances. Instead, be willing to allow them to pass through you and simply witness their passing. If you do, the drama will cease of its own accord.

Understand that you’re not okay in there.

If you want to understand why you’ve done everything you’ve ever done, observe your mind and emotions. If you’re objective, you’ll see that you’re really never completely at peace.

Experience going about your life like everyone else, except more peacefully, because nothing you do is for the purpose of trying to be okay. When you aren’t preoccupied with trying to be okay, you can learn to sit inside and quietly love, serve

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

and honor whatever naturally unfolds.

At this point, you’re no longer living for yourself—you’re serving life.

As you let go of the personal energies, you attune to a much deeper energy flow.

Up to this point, everything you were watching inside was front and center in your consciousness. Now that you’re no longer being drawn into personal thought and emotions, you’ll begin to feel Spirit flowing in from behind. It lifts you and brings great love and joy.

Your inner experience becomes so beautiful that you fall in love with the energy flow. You’ll see that there is a trade-off between getting involved in personal energies and the amount of Spirit you feel. Once you’ve established a direct relationship with spiritual energy, you’ll long to constantly experience its freedom.

You begin to feel the energy pulling you up into it, and your entire path becomes letting go of yourself in order to merge.

Will is no longer needed. All that’s left is learning to surrender into the higher energy. You must be willing to die personally in order to be reborn spiritually.

Once you dwell deep in the upward flow, you realize that your personal existence can go on without you, leaving you free to live completely immersed in Spirit. This is the greatest miracle: You’ve surrendered your entire being to Spirit, yet people, places and things continue interacting with you.

But now these interactions require none of your energy; they happen by themselves, leaving you at peace and absorbed in Spirit.

Now you are truly okay. Nothing inside or outside of you can cause disturbances— you have come to be at peace with everything. Because you are now completely okay, you don’t need anything. Things just are what they are, and nothing can disturb you. You’ve transcended the world and everything in it. Instead of feeling drawn into Spirit, you now actually experience yourself as Infinite Spirit.

Michael A. Singer is the author of The New York Times bestselling book, The Untethered Soul – The Journey Beyond Yourself (UntetheredSoul.com). His “Twelve-Step Guide to Spiritual Awakening” is the basis for this article. He is the founder of the Temple of the Universe, a yoga and meditation center established in 1975 in Alachua, FL.

FAIRHOPE

MONTROSE

REIKI CENTER OF FAIRHOPE LMTs- Julie E. Brent & Chester Schmidt Call for location 251-281-8811 ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com THRIVE YOGA & MASSAGE Billie Reinhart, RYT, LMT 251-379-4493 Thrive@ThriveFairhope.com ThriveFairhope.com

JEN ADAMS, LMT 22787 US 98 at Parker Rd., Bdg. D, Ste. 5 251-616-4201 JenAdams.Massage@gmail.com JenAdamsLMT.info See ad, page 19.

ROBERTSDALE HEALING ACRES Massage, Reflexology, Colonics, Reiki 22355 Price Grubbs Road 251-423-1863 See ad, page 14.

FOLEY THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE Charlene Rester, RN, LMT Located inside Align Chiropractic 117 West Orange Avenue 251-952-5555

WEST MOBILE

BELLA SUNDRIES WELLNESS STUDIO 6576 Airport Boulevard, Building C 251-458-8884 Bella.Sundries.Massage@gmail.com MOBILE BellaSundries.Webs.com ELEMENTS THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE See ad, page 16.

6920 Airport Boulevard, Suite 111 251-342-6415 CYNERGY MASSAGE & WELLNESS Mobile@TouchOfElements.com Cynde Greer, LMT AL1987 ElementsMassage.com/Mobile 2090 Schillinger Rd S, Suite G See ad, page 19.

251-633-2828 CynergyMassage.com This logo indentifies businesses that offer discounts to Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) Discount Cardholders. Visit www.TinyURL.com/NANCard for details.

LUKE FONDREN LMT #423 Specializing in Pain Relief Olena Wellness Center 6925 Cottage Hill Road, Suite D Call/Text: 251-298-9520

natural awakenings

November 2013

17

greenliving

CRAFTING A GREEN HOLIDAY Happy Ways to Deck the Halls

by Avery Mack

Conjure a Norman Rockwellesque holiday fantasy of family members gathered around a home-cooked meal, creative gifts and decorations in place as stories of holidays past mingle with memories in the making.

Cue the strolling carolers.

The reality tends to be more of a distracted and exhausting race to the finish line. Available time, energy and money all play into what’s possible to get done by the big day. Some tips can make easy eco-decorations a feel-good part of the merriment.

L

ow-maintenance, child- and pet-friendly colored seashells make a sustainable alternative to outdoor mulch. Choose from 22,000 Sherwin-Williams non-toxic, water-based hues to brighten any landscape. Hide a fallow flowerbed under a waterproof tarp, cover with light-colored shells as background.

Then design a Christmas tree, wreath, menorah, multihued snowman or another original design with colored shells. After the holidays, the tarp can envelop the shells and be put away for easy storage.

Visit ColoredShells.com.

Canadian Laura Watt, owner of the ethical seed company Cubit’s Organics, in Toronto, made a felted wool wreath for a front door from an old jacket. A worn-out blanket will also work. “It only took one long baby nap to make,” says Watt, who gave new life to the wire base from an old wreath by using bits of yarn to stitch flowers.

Find instructions at Tinyurl.com/FeltWreath.

A little VOC-free paint, some repurposed mini-decorations and recycled toilet paper rolls could become an indoor wreath to be proud of. “I’m a televi18

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

sion producer, blogger and mother of 2and 4-year-old daughters, so it had to be easy and quick,” says KarriLeigh Mastrangelo, in Los Angeles.

“We’ll do it again this year.” See how at Tinyurl.com/TPWreath.

Spice up table décor using unexpected items. Lay a base of an organic cotton tablecloth, runner and napkins. Top with a centerpiece base comprising a pie pan, clear flower vase or Mason jar filled with bits of fresh evergreens and accented with small ornaments or beads from repurposed and recycled jewelry. Colored shells can line the bottom. Add a stable soy candle positioned in a bit of water for easy cleanup of dripped wax.

To continue the theme from the front door to the table, fashion leftover felt from the wreath into candle rings, using the same method, but on a smaller scale. Add spirals of garland made of star-shaped, dried orange peels handcrafted by Colombia’s Sapia artisans. The green, yellow and orange

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

colors, backed with a soft white, provide a citrusy fragrance that lasts months. Learn more at Tinyurl.com/CitrusGarland.

Beeswax candle kits are kid-friendly and come with enough supplies to make 20 candles. Order red and green wax sheets for Christmas, blue and white for Hanukkah or purple and pink for Advent. The beeswax is rolled around the wick to make an eightinch-tall, one-inch-diameter taper. The honeycomb texture creates a festive look.

Beeswax is natural and free from the petroleum-based chemicals commonly used in conventional candles. It burns brighter, hotter, cleaner and longer, while emitting negative ions that clean the air of odors, pollen, smoke, dust, dust mites and allergens. No time for a do-it-yourself project? Many ready-to-use beeswax and floating candles in the shape of poinsettias, holly leaves and snowflakes are available at ToadilyHandmade.com.

Angela Price has created handblown glass terrarium ornaments for her small-space garden design company and boutique, Eden Condensed, in greater Los Angeles, California. The ornaments range from two to four inches in diameter and include live succulents, dried moss and miniature, holiday-inspired repurposed items. Price says, “Decorating the tree or the table, they’re easy to maintain and can be enjoyed for many months beyond the holidays.” See Tinyurl.com/Decorative Terrariums for inspired ideas.

Place cards add an elegant, personal touch to any holiday table. Kids can make snowflake ornaments from recycled paper.

Print a holiday greeting on one side of the snowflake and inscribe a name and personal message on the other for family gatherings.

Tied with a ribbon, the snowflakes can also be hung in the window or on the tree.

Preprinted snowflakes made of recycled paper with soy ink at Tinyurl.com/ PlantableSnowflakes are embedded with a variety of wildflower seeds for future planting. Mail them in lieu of traditional greeting cards or as more formal place cards for a simple way to prosper green holiday wishes.

Mixing mindful shopping with creative touches embroiders a memorable day with family fun and the satisfaction that we’ve celebrated the holidays in sustainable style.

C o n n e c t w i t h Av e r y M a c k v i a AveryMack@mindspring.com.

Conscious Giving Nurture Your Spirit with Retail Therapy for the Soul!

Jennifer Adams LMT #3263

Therapeutic Massage, Reflexology, Reiki, Aromatherapy, Sacrology & More

Tisserand Armotherapy•Bach Flower Essences•Books Baudelaire Brushes & Bath Accessories•Himalayan Salt Lamps Jewelry•Shoyeido Incense•Kittrell’s Honey•White Sage Soulflower Organic Clothing•CD's & Music•Local Art and a Full Menu of Services!

22787 US Hwy 98, Suite D-5 in Fairhope 24/7 Online Booking and Gift Certificates www.jenadamslmt.com • 251-616-4201

6A South Bancroft St, Fairhope 251-517-5326 • RosieBluum.com

Jen Adams LMT Healing Bodies One Touch at a Time

Give a gift of wellness that lasts all year: Natural Awakenings

Network Discount Cards!

HOLIDAY

one day gift card & member appreciation event

Pay only $40 for 2 cards.

Order online: www.TinyURL.com/NANCard

buy one, get one free!* non-members

99

2 for $ free chair massages, food and gifts

GIFT SPECIAL

Buy One Get One Free!

member specials

thursday december 5 3pm - 8pm

55-minute massage gift cards That’s only $49.50 each!

*BOGO limit 3. May not be combined with any other offer. 12/5/13 only.

Mobile 6920 Airport Blvd, Ste 111 across from Providence hospital

251.342.6415

elementsmassage.com/Mobile

All-Natural, Handcrafted Bath & Body Products Soaps, Body Polish, Bath & Body Oils, Body Lotions , and so much more!

Coupon Code: HOLIDAY13 Expires Jan 30, 2014

www.ZapahNaturals.com

251-776-4382 • CS@ZapahNaturals.com 19 natural awakenings September 2013

photo by Stephanie Morein Gillis

Meaningful gifts for the most meaningful people in your life. This holiday season give gifts of health, wellness & sustainability.

wisewords

The Miracle of Midlife Being Exactly Who We Need to Be

by Marianne Williamson

H

ow would we live, were we not afraid of death?

How would we live if we gave ourselves permission to give to life everything we’ve got?

In The Longevity Factor, Lydia Brontë, Ph.D., observes that we’ve added 15 years to our lives… but in the middle, not at the end. No longer identifying ourselves as “over the hill” at whatever age, we are simply removing the hill. We are forging a different conversation and a new vision to take us beyond the limited thought forms that have defined the parameters of age for generations.

For the first time in history, we can realistically view the first half of life as a kind of gestation period, preparing us for an even more productive second half.

Midlife is like a second puberty, a point at which one persona falls away and another comes to take its place. What happens then is up to us.

Some begin a long, slow cruise toward death at that point, allowing memories to become more meaningful than the present. Others, remembering that the spirit within us never ages, see the moment of midlife as a rebirth—the time to put our engines into high gear. Whomever it is we were born to be, whatever our soul was coded to accomplish, whatever lessons we are here to learn; now is the time to seriously get going. We may regret that we’re no longer young, but we’re ecstatic that we’re no longer clueless.

We must be disciplined, though. We want to become precision instruments now, focused on exactly what we want to do and being exactly who we need to be.

20

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

This requires separating from the person we were before to whatever extent that person was not who we know in our hearts we were created to be.

There’s no more time for five-year detours. No more time for relationships that don’t serve us or for staying in situations that aren’t true to who we are. No more time for pettiness, false pride or whatever other dysfunctional roadblocks obstruct our higher destiny and the joy that’s meant to be ours.

Our life might not be as fabulous as it used to be in some ways, but in other ways it’s even more fabulous. The Universe is constantly and infinitely elastic, responding not to our past, but to our present state of mind. As we learn to reprogram thoughts—atoning for our mistakes of the past and embracing the endless miraculous possibilities of the present—we step into a time when we have every reason to look forward with genuine excitement to what happens next.

Individually and collectively, we are now fitted to fearlessly forge new ground, wielding the power of what life has taught us so far and laying claim to the possibility of redemption, not only for ourselves,

but also for the entire world. The planet needs a new story, aligned with a larger consciousness, and so do we.

What we need now are imagination and courage. Many of us feel we’ve forever carried around a secret dream, rarely validating it even to ourselves and often denying its reality. Yet it has refused to go away and is ready to be born at last. Individuals that have spent decades achieving one thing or moving in one direction often take up something else entirely that gives them far more psychic satisfaction. They see achievements that were the height of their material success as preparation for an even greater one; the means by which they learned the skills ultimately needed to make their biggest contribution to the world.

Divine law guarantees that the power of “now” presents an endless fount of miraculous opportunities. In God, there are no limits to how high we can go, ever. In God, there is no time… only the call of the soul. It is not too late; we are right on time and we are better than we know.

Now, having visited so many other places in our journey of life, we seek our place within the collective heartbeat of holiness. When enough of us stand in the light of our higher purpose, seeking to be evergreater servants of love, each consciously dedicated to creating a more loving world, then a new field of collective possibility will emerge among us. All that is not love will begin to fall away of its own dead weight.

A profound moment of planetary renewal will occur then, after our having allowed it first to occur within us.

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed inspirational author and lecturer. Six of her 10 books have been New York Times bestsellers, including The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, the basis for this article.

Do you have your NAN Card yet?

Order yours today and start saving! TinyURL.com/NANCard

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

D

B Y

M

D

IN

O

Masters of Yoga & Pilates

SPIRIT

Trinity Yoga

Enjoy Yoga in a Rural Setting!

Come Home to Yourself.

Rise & Shine Yoga Energize & Relax Yoga

21441 Highway 98 East in Foley 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541 natstrinityyoga@gmail.com www.tinyurl.com/trinityyogafoleyal

PRANA Health and Wellness

Offering a full schedule of yoga classes for all ages and levels.

Teacher Training

CAROL’S PILATES Carol Conway, Director

Create a toned body with slender thighs & flat abs.

Improve mind-body connection & slow aging effects.

Contact the studio or see website for class schedule and details.

Authentic Pilates designed to meet your individual needs, regardless of age, fitness level or history of personal injury.

Group Classes & Private Sessions.

209 South Section Street in Fairhope

407 Johnson Ave, Downtown Fairhope

www.PranaHealthAndWellness.com

Carolcon@bellsouth.net

251-455-9359

Yoga & Pilates

Romana’s Pilates Certified PhysicalMind Institute Certified Certified Personal Trainier

& Advanced Studies Program starting in January 2014

(Yoga Alliance RYT-200)

SYNERGY

Group Classes

Private Sessions

Dana B. Garrett

MS, ACSM, RYT Stott IM and IR Certified Stott CCB, ISP, and Core Barre Trained PhysicalMind Institute

www.synergyoga.net 3152 Old Shell Road, Suite 2 Mobile, Alabama 36607

251.473.1104

251-680-2116 or 985-855-2219

Yoga & Pilates Classes Corporate Wellness Personal Training Health Coaching locations throughout Mobile and Daphne info@KulaYogaCommunity.org 251-591-7094

Lynette Staggers, IHC, LPTA, RYT-200 www.InHealthWell.com 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope 251-554-4121

natural awakenings

September 2013

21

naturalpetpages petbriefs

Get Ready for the Holidays with BARC

Communicate with Your Pet Give your animal companion the gift of understanding this holiday season. Through November and December, Natural Awakenings readers may receive one Animal Communication and Counseling session with Babette de Jongh for $30 ($60 value).

“Telepathic animal communication gives insight into how animals think and feel,” says de Jongh. “Behavior issues and relationship problems can be resolved through understanding and compromise. Energy healing through Body Talk, Reiki and Matrix Energetics can be utilized during sessions at no extra charge.”

Babette de Jongh Using a photo of an animal companion and a list of questions that the client provides, de Jongh will connect with the companion telepathically, and then talk with the person by phone or Skype with the results of the preliminary session. There is an opportunity to ask further questions and a short follow-up call a week later is included.

de Jongh is trained in advanced level communication and counseling for professional animal communicators by Penelope Smith, a pioneer in the field of animal communication. She is a Reiki master and a certified Body Talk practitioner, also trained in Matrix Energetics.

To schedule a session, call 251-424-4944. For more information, visit HearThemSpeak.com. See ad, page 7.

Brighten Your Holiday with Feline Friendship The Azalea City Cat Coalition (ACCC) will host adoption events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., November 19 and 27, at the Petsmart store in Spanish Fort. The ACCC is also looking for donations of large bags of dry cat food, canned food, litter, bleach, paper towels and Petsmart gift cards for flea treatment. They need volunteer foster homes, adoption event assistants and fundraising event chairpersons, as well.

For more information, call 251-648-7582 or visit AzaleaCityCats.org.

The Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC) will hold their 18th annual Christmas by the Bay charity event, with a silent auction and a Christmas Canine Cotillion, from 6 to 10 p.m., November 14, at the Fairhope Civic Center. Tickets are $50.

An adoption event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., November 2, 11, 15, 16 and December 7, at the Petsmart in Spanish Fort. Santa Claus pet photos ($5) will be available there from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., December 7 and 14.

Volunteers are needed at all events and in the office. BARC’s donation wish list includes cat food, litter, toys, carriers, leashes, halters and dog treats.

For more information, call 251-9284585 or visit BaldwinHumane.org.

Download our

FREE app!

Search iTunes app store for “Natural Awakenings”

SCIATICA? BACK PAIN? HIP PAIN? POOR POSTURE? Relaxing 20 minutes daily on the Sacro Wedgy® may

be all you need. Placed under the sacrum, it allows the hips to suspend and relax, letting go of nerves and ultimately “rebalancing.”

The SACRO WEDGY®

For individual self-care and therapists.

Only $33.95.

Free demonstration with appointment.

www.sacrowedgy.com 251-653-9258 or 800-737-9295 22

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Music, Fun and Love for Stray Love Foundation Big Band, Big Fun, Big Love, a fundraiser for the Stray Love Foundation, features toe-tapping music from City Rhythm Big Band, great food, talented dancers, silent auction, live auction and lots of fun, from 6 to 10 p.m., November 21, at the Grand Hotel, in Point Clear.

The live auction, conducted by guest host and auctioneer Cherish Lombard from Fox 10 TV, will feature an original artwork, Bongo Dot, by Nall, along with many other donations from local artists, Bongo Dot, by Nall retail shops and destinations.

The nonprofit Stray Love Foundation is an advocacy group that has rescued, placed and assisted more than 350 animals since 2010, spending almost $84,000 in veterinarian and animal care.

Tickets are $75 per person or $500 for a table of eight. Purchase at BigBand.Biz. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, call 251-540-2236 or email Info@StrayLoveFoundation.com.

Natural Eye Care for Aging Dogs

The 2nd Annual Mobile/Baldwin

Healthy& GREEN Living

DIRECTORY Fitness & Nutrition Health & Wellness Personal Growth Sustainable & Green Living

Promote your business all year for only $99!

Reach our health-conscious readers with year-round distribution of this special edition, both in print and online.

Many owners of middle-aged and older dogs worry about their pets’ declining eyesight. Cloudy eyes are of particular concern, but that is not necessarily a sign that a dog is going blind, advises Shawn Messonnier, a doctor of veterinary medicine practicing in Plano, Texas.

“While cataracts strike many older dogs, a more common condition is lenticular or nuclear sclerosis, a thickening of the lens of the eye,” says Messonnier. He explains that this normal change causes the eye to appear somewhat cloudy or gray, similar to a cataract. However, unlike a cataract, this type of sclerosis does not interfere with the pet’s vision.

“Veterinarians can easily tell the difference between these conditions,” he says.

“No treatment is necessary for lenticular sclerosis; cataracts are often treated with carnosine drops or with surgery.”

For prevention, Messonnier suggests minimizing toxins that can cause inflammation throughout an animal’s body, not just the eyes. This means using blood titer testing instead of annual vaccinations, reducing the use of flea and tick chemicals, using natural pet foods and minimizing the use of conventional medications.

He also recommends feeding a pet nutrients that contribute to health and reduce inflammation and cellular damage, including fish oil, probiotics and antioxidants like bilberry, which supports eye health.

Regular Pricing: • $99 for 1 listing or • $149 for 3 listings (3 different categories)

Early Bird Rates: $79 for 1 listing or 3 for $119 Valid until November 22.

Reduced rates and FREE business profiles with Display Ad in this special edition. Ask us for details!

See sample listings and learn more: www.TinyURL.com/DirectoryNA

Reserve your space today!

251-990-9552

natural awakenings

November 2013

23

naturalpetpages Protect from Predators

Outdoor Options for Feline Friends Safe Ways to Let Them Explore

by Sandra Murphy

While some cats are content to stay indoors, others want to go outside.

Even if they remain in the yard, letting them out without a plan can put them in danger. Gently managing a cat’s outdoor experience can instead ensure a consistently safe, enjoyable time without worry or compromising its freedom. A few guidelines will help.

Make the Garden Safe

Cats love to chew on greenery, so set up a small pot or two or a small flat of grasses. Most cats enjoy munching on oat or wheat grasses and relish treats of fresh catnip and catmint. Marigolds can repel fleas and basil will both ward off mosquitoes and complement family meals.

Many plants can be toxic. Veterinarian Jane Brunt, executive director of the nonprofit CATalyst Council, in Annapolis, Maryland, advises: “Make sure the plants 24

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

in your garden are safe, in case your cat is tempted to taste anything. Say no to foxglove and lily species, since they’re poisonous to cats.”

Find an extensive list of both safe and problem plants at Tinyurl.com/ ASPC-ToxicPlantGuide. Note that aloe vera, asparagus fern, philodendron, dieffenbachia, tomatoes and many varieties of ivy are also among species that can cause consequences ranging from an upset stomach to kidney failure and even death, if ingested.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

“Never leave a cat outdoors unattended,” says Dr. Cindy Houlihan, owner of The Cat Practice, in Birmingham, Michigan. “During the day, problems can include stray cats, hawks or loose dogs. Another danger is the movement of foxes, raccoons, coyotes and owls close to urban areas where the food supply is more plentiful. Elderly cats are particularly prone to harm. An enclosure is the best way to keep a cat safe outdoors.”

Paris Permenter and John Bigley, bloggers at CatTipper.com, an online magazine for cat lovers, built a “catio” for daytime use by their felines. Located in Cedar Park, Texas, their four rescue cats need protection from coyotes. “It’s attached to our house, like a small screened porch,” explains Permenter. “The cats use an open window that’s fitted with a cat flap for access; we also have a humansized screened door, so that we can go in to clean the room. It’s enriched their lives and given a former community cat a better home, as well.”

In Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Jane Dorsey, volunteer coordinator for the Cat Care Society, utilizes “habicats” both at the shelter and at home. Because her first cat, Chessie, was an escape artist, Dorsey decided to use a large dog pen (12 feet long by six feet tall) as an enclosure.

Stood on end, it attaches to the house and has a weatherproof panel roof. A cat door leads to the kitchen. “Chessie’s personality improved because she was able to decide when to go in and out. For easy cleanup, we used pavers for flooring.”

In lieu of safe garden access, experts suggest likewise setting aside a small area inside any enclosure for a pot of plants.

Also, pet tents made by Sturdi Products and Kritter Kommunity facilitate more portable enclosures.

Houlihan finds that, “In case of a sudden change in weather, the cat can avoid heat stroke or a scary storm.” Then there’s the live entertainment factor: “Cats love vertical space, so a cat tree or actual tree limb, properly anchored, can let him have a better view of birds, lizards, toads, chipmunks and squirrels without harming them,” she says. “It’s like kitty television.”

Go for a Walk

A mesh-enclosed stroller allows a cat to ride in safety while the walker burns calories. In case of a sudden noise or loose dog, the cat can’t escape. Houlihan also recalls a patient called Uti (pronounced YOU-tee), that was prone to chewing electrical cords. “His owners now take him outside for a daily stroll; he’s no longer bored and has quit chewing.”

Adopted from a local shelter as a kitten, Makai also goes for accompanied walks. Due to heavy traffic near their Baltimore, Maryland, row home, Andrea Martin, a manager with Brand Public Relations, and her husband Nick, use a harness and leash to take her outside.

“We often get the, ‘You’re taking your cat for a walk?’ look,” relates Martin, but that hasn’t stopped this adventurous team. “She likes taking a break from being indoors,” she explains. Make sure the harness fit is tight enough so the cat can’t wiggle out of it.

With proper planning, any kitty can safely enjoy the great outdoors and the sun on its back.

Sandra Murphy is a freelance writer in St. Louis, MO.

The Adoption Spot Adoption is the right option. Help these animals find a forever home.

Contact the rescue organizations for adoption details and availability of the animals spotted on this page.

Azalea City Cat Coalition

SMUDGE

6 months old, female Short-Haired

Smudge is great with other cats, dogs and kids. She loves to sit in the window and is the perfect mix of affectionate and playful. Fully vetted. Comes with a bag of food and gift bag.

For adoption information: 251-648-7582 AzaleaCityCats.org

Baldwin Animal Humane Society

MIA

6 years old, female Border Collie Mix

Mia is a great dog that really needs a home. She does not do well with other dogs and cats but she is good with kids.

For adoption information: 251-928-4585 BaldwinHumane.org

Stray Love Foundation

SEAGEE

14 months old, female Siamese mix

digital

subscribe to our

MAGAZINE

automatic. free. green.

Receive our ezine in your inbox each month. Subscribe online: HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Seagee is a beautiful Siamese mix that will acclimate to other cats. She is completely vetted and microchipped.

For adoption information: 251-540-2236 Info@StrayLoveFoundation.com StrayLoveFoundation.com

natural awakenings

November 2013

25

naturalpetpages localopinion

The Truth About Canine Vaccinations

by Dr. Marcia Martin

T

he American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has not taken a clear stand on the issue of pet vaccination, which leaves the decision on when to vaccinate and what to vaccinate for up to the individual veterinarian. This has lead to a great disparity in vaccination protocols between clinics and confusion about veterinary medicine among the public. The AVMA does agree that not all animals need all vaccines, and has designated core and non-core vaccines. The core vaccines are those that every animal should have at least once in their lifetime.

Parvo, distemper, adenovirus and rabies are the vaccines that even the leading authority in pet vaccination protocols, Ron Schultz, professor and chair of the pathobiologic science department at the University of Wisconsin Madison Veterinary School, agrees should be given to every healthy dog at least once. These viruses are highly contagious and have a high mortality rate, so the risk of exposure justifies the use of the vaccines.

Puppies need to be vaccinated on a schedule depending on their risk of exposure to these viruses. If the risk is low, a single vaccine at 16 weeks of age will confer immunity for up to nine years for most of the core vaccines. If risk is high, vaccines may be started at 9 weeks of age and repeated every four weeks until 16 weeks of age.

26

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

These are some of the non-core vaccines: Corona virus: This is considered a vaccine in search of a disease. Corona virus causes mild, self-limiting infection in puppies. It never causes disease in adult dogs. The vaccine should not be given.

Leptospirosis: Lepto is a serious disease and it is zoonotic, which means it can infect people. The vaccine however, does not prevent infection, it does not prevent shedding of the organism into the environment and it produces a very short-lived immunity of six months or less. It is also the vaccine most likely to cause a severe reaction. It is not recommended for general use.

Canine Influenza: Canine influenza is a disease seen sporadically in some areas of the country and is associated with high population density situations such as boarding facilities or dog race tracks. It first appeared in racing greyhounds. Although there are occasional fatalities associated with infection, most cases of canine influenza are mild and the vaccine does not prevent infection. It is marketed to decrease severity of disease, and that claim is debatable. Most dogs will never be exposed and the natural disease is generally mild and self-limiting.

It is not currently recommended except in high-risk populations.

Bordetella: This is the kennel cough vaccine often required by veterinary clinics,

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

and boarding and grooming facilities.

This vaccine has never been proven to be effective and is given more to protect the facility from liability than to protect the pet.

Annual revaccination has been shown to be unnecessary, because the core vaccines confer immunity for three to nine years. Revaccination does not provide increased protection to the pet. If there is no benefit from annual revaccination, is there a risk? The holistic veterinary community wholeheartedly says yes.

Acute reactions to vaccines occur within minutes to 24 hours of receiving a vaccination and may include anaphylaxis, fever, pain and swelling at the injection site, facial swelling and or hives, vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, muscle pain and stiffness.

Non-acute reactions that can occur 24 hours to weeks after an injection that are often overlooked by the conventional medical establishment include autoimmune hemolytic anemia, pancreatitis, immunosuppression, vitiligo, vaccine injection site sarcomas, arthritis, polyarthritis, hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), immune mediated thrombocytopenia (IMTP), hemolytic disease of newborns (neonatal isoerythrolysis), thyroiditis (possibly immune mediated), glomerulonephritis, disease or enhanced disease which the vaccine was designed to prevent, myocarditis, post-vaccinal encephalitis or polyneuritis, seizures, abortion, congenital anomalies, embryonic/ fetal death and failure to conceive.

Owners need to educate themselves about the dangers of over-vaccination.

Be aware that vaccines do not create health and wellness, but they do prevent some very dangerous diseases when used appropriately. Annual exams are the important part of a wellness plan, not the revaccination. For the very best for any pet, seek help from a qualified holistic veterinarian.

For more information, visit theavh.org and ahvma.org. Dr. Martin is the owner of the Holistic Veterinary Center, in Mobile.

Contact her at CreatingWellBeings.com.

Preventing Seizures Natural Dog Remedies Can Outdo Drugs

by Dr. Shawn Messonnier

P

eople often seek out a holistic veterinarian due to concerns about conventional medications. One new client recently inquired about her 3-yearold female poodle diagnosed with epilepsy last year. The traditional veterinarian’s prescription for phenobarbital was helping to control the seizures, but the owner questioned the long-term consequences of feeding her pet the drug for the rest of its life. Surely, she thought, there must be a natural alternative.

There are many causes for canine seizures, with epilepsy being the most common. Epilepsy is the term used when the cause is unknown, so testing is needed to ensure other factors are not present. These might include toxicities, especially in younger dogs and puppies (may include vaccines); brain tumors, more common in older dogs and certain breeds such as boxers and Boston terriers; infections, as in meningitis, or immune disorders such as the neurologic disease granulomatous meningoenceph-

alitis, or GME; parasites, including aberrant heartworms; and regional diseases such as tick-borne illnesses like Lyme or ehrlichiosis.

Common testing includes a physical examination, food hypersensitivity and blood tests, tick serology, urine, fecal and cerebrospinal fluid analyses and a brain scan, which is usually a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Not all tests are needed on all pets because the veterinarian will rule out issues during the process.

If other causes are ruled out and the problem is labeled as epilepsy, phenobarbital can be helpful, although side effects can occur as a result, including liver disease. In every case, the animal should be examined at least two to four times a year for possible complications from the drug, starting with a blood profile and urinalysis. It’s always best to supplement such treatment with natural remedies to help protect the liver, includ-

ing milk thistle and choline.

Alternatively, natural therapies don’t usually lead to side effects or require the same intense regimen of regular evaluation. Patients have experienced good results with phosphatidylcholine, which works to stabilize brain cell membranes, and so reduce and prevent seizures, while also providing detoxification support for the liver. Phosphatidylcholine supplements are also used to prevent and treat another common neurological problem in pets—cognitive disorder (akin to Alzheimer’s in humans).

Dimethylglycine supplementation aids in treating seizures, as well. It both supports the nervous system and provides energy to the body’s cells.

Herbs, including valerian, passionflower, kava, gastrodia (tian ma), uncaria (gou teng), ostrea concha (mu li) and buthus martensi (quan xie), can also be helpful. Because they can be powerful natural medicines that could interact with each other and with prescription medicines, use them only under veterinary supervision.

Homeopathic remedies are also widely incorporated into natural treatments of seizures such as tinctures of stramonium and belladonna. A twicedaily homeopathic detoxification treatment for pets experiencing seizures from any cause, using berberis, nux vomica and lymphomyosot, is recommended, as well.

Due to the overwhelming success of using natural therapies for pets with epilepsy at our Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, most do not need to rely on medications for the problem. Those pets that arrive on a regimen of strong anticonvulsant drugs are slowly weaned off of them, resulting in improved health, lower vet bills and better control of recovery. Most never have another seizure, as long as they stay on the natural therapy protocol prescribed.

Shawn Messonnier, a doctor of veterinary medicine practicing in Plano, TX, is the award-winning author of The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats and Unexpected Miracles: Hope and Holistic Healing for Pets. Visit PetCareNaturally.com.

natural awakenings

November 2013

27

calendarofevents Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Half-Price Animal Communication Sessions – Nov 1-Dec 31. Give your animal companion the gift of understanding this holiday season. Schedule a half-price Animal Communication and Counseling session with Babette de Jongh. Regular price is $60, now $30. 251-424-4944. HearThemSpeak.com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Babytalk Eastern Shore Grand Opening – 9am3pm. Free baby weight checks, mommy massages, cloth diapering class, giveaways, refreshments and breastfeeding classes. Babytalk is a new maternity, breastfeeding and baby store. 29891 Woodrow Lane, Ste. 400, Daphne (across 181 from Eastern Shore Center). 251-298-8255. BabyTalkES@gmail.com.

Facebook.com/BabytalkES. Adoption and Microchip/Rabies Clinic – 10am1pm. Dr. Ron Shindler of Eastern Shore Pet Hospital will dispense shots. Free. Pet Supermarket, Daphne.

For details call The Haven: 251-929-3980.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7

Fairhope Film Festival – Nov 7-10. The inaugural festival will showcase 40 films that have recently won awards in the USA and around the world. Notable foreign and feature films, documentaries and shorts at 4 downtown Fairhope venues. FairhopeFilmFestival.org.

Art for Animals – 6:30-8:30pm. Participants will paint pre-sketched drawings that they can select prior to the event on Paint and Pals website. Half of the fee goes to The Haven. $40. Paint and Pals, Daphne. For details call The Haven: 251-929-3980.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Movie: People v The State of Illusion – 7pm. Written and produced by Austin Vickers, this movie explores the science and power of perception and imagination and the prison walls of habitual thought and behavior, answering the central question of this provocative film, “Can we really change?” Donation: $10.

Center for Spirtual Living, 1230 Montlimar Drive, Mobile.251-343-0777.

Estate Planning Seminar – 12-1pm. Topics covered: important facts about paying for healthcare, avoiding donating to the government and important year-end tax planning. Light meal offered. RSVP required. Free. The Brennity at Fairhope. 251929-3980.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9

Pet Adoption – 11am-3pm. Petsmart, Eastern Shore Shopping Plaza, Spanish Fort. The Haven: 251-929-3980.

Have a Happy, Pain-Free Holiday Season You’ve tried the rest, now try the best! Order Dr Emu’s Rx for Pain, STOPS PAIN PLUS today.

STOPS PAIN PLUS is designed to alleviate: • Neuropathy • Fibromyalgia • Knee & Foot Pain • Sports Injuries

• Arthritis • Tired, Sore Muscles • Sciatica • Stiff Joints • Neck & Back Pain • Inflammation & Swelling

STOPS PAIN PLUS is formulated with pure essential oils, known for their abilities to increase circulation, by promoting detoxification that can restore a positive mood and increase energy levels.

STOPS PAIN PLUS works faster, penetrates deeper and lasts longer than any other topical product or your money back!

day Holi cial Spe

4-oz Spray Bottle

19.99

$

FREE trial size included with each order to share with a friend or family member. Also, get a FREE trial size with each Natural Awakenings Detoxified Iodine order.

Buy one of each and get two trial sizes of Dr Emu’s STOP PAIN PLUS, a $13 value.

• SPECIAL SHIPPING - $5 for up to 4 bottles •

Shop online for this and other natural products at NAWebstore.com or call 888-822-0246 28

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Kundalini Yoga Fall Three-Class Series – Saturdays, Nov 9-23. 11am-12:15pm. Kundalini Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, is a dynamic system combining posture, breath, movement and concentration.

The exercises and meditations aim to improve physical health and vitality as well as mental focus.

Come and revel in the experience! $15/class or $40 for series. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-4731104. Synergyoga.net.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Quantum-Touch Level I with Julie E Brent – Nov 12-13. 9:30am-5:30pm. Weekday workshop for those who are not available on weekends.

QT works deep on the cellular level raising your energy, creating an environment for the innate healing intelligence of our body to activate. CNEs 12.5 (add $50)/MT NCTMB-CEs 13. $400 at door, $350 prepaid. Location TBA, Fairhope. 251504-5328. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail.com.

MoonSunEarth.com/Quantum-Touch.htm.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

Usui Level I & II Reiki Certification Workshop – Nov 16-17. 9:30am-5:30pm. Instructor: Julie E Brent, Reiki Master Teacher studied at International Center for Reiki Training, teaching energy healing since 1994.

Class offers plenty of opportunity for practice and learn self-healing techniques. Please call and ask questions. $299 prepaid, $350 at door. Location TBA, Fairhope.

251-504-5328. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail.com.

MoonSunEarth.com/Quantum-Touch.htm.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Essential Oils: a Quick and Affordable Addition for Your Health Care Concerns – Presented by Donna Lewis, a silver independent product consultant with doTerra and a licensed massage therapist.

With training in Reiki, aromatherapy, colon hydrotherapy and Quantum Touch, she teaches others how to increase longevity and quality of health. $25.

Healing Acres, 22355 Price Grubbs Rd, Robertsdale.

Call for details: 251-423-1863.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24

markyourcalendar Customer Appreciation Day

Virginia’s Health Foods and Fairhope Health Foods in-store customer appreciation day. Specials include 20% off regular-priced supplements, raffle prizes and lots of free samples. November specials: 15% off Barlean's products and 20% off Source Naturals and Planetary Herbals. Garden of Life supplements are 20% off every day.

November 24 • 11am-6pm

3952 Airport Blvd, Mobile • 251-345-0494 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Ctr, Fairhope • 251-928-0644 VaFairhopeHealthFoods.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29

Fish River Trees Opens – Nov 29-Dec 23. 8am5pm. Choose and cut trees, fresh cut fir and spruce trees, sno-tip trees, container-grown “Living Christmas Trees.” Featuring a live manger scene, weekend Santa visits, free train rides, $5 camel and pony rides. Fish River Trees, 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd E, Summerdale. 251-988-8114. FishRiverTrees@ gultel.com. FishRiverTrees.com.

Post Holiday Yoga Detox – 9am. Join Mary Ann for a post holiday yoga detox. This dynamic class will create heat and include yoga postures that help with detoxification. Cleansing breathing techniques incorporated. $10. Center for Spiritual Living, Mobile. KulaYogaCommunity.org. 251-591-7094.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6

Master Gardener Greenery Sale – Dec 6-7.

9am-4pm, Dec 6, 9am-1pm, Dec 7. Fresh, fragrant Fraser Fir wreaths from North Carolina, Fraser Fir garlands, mailbox saddles, mantel toppers, centerpieces, greenery bundles, paperwhites, Christmas cacti and more. Proceeds go to horticulture education and horticulture scholarship. Free. Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 Museum Dr, Mobile.

251-574-8445. MobileMasterGardeners@gmail. com. ACES.edu/Mobile/mg.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

Santa Visits Fish River Trees – 10am-4pm. Dec 7-8. Visit Santa at the tree farm! Pick out a Christmas tree, ride the free Tannenbaum Express, visit the live manager scene and take a camel or pony ride ($5). Home of the “Living Christmas Trees.” Fish River Trees, 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd E, Summerdale. 251-988-8114. FishRiverTrees@gultel. com. FishRiverTrees.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Kick-Off

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks who are concerned about the environment.

With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks.

December 10 • 5-7pm

Fairhope Brewing Company 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope MobileBayAreaGreenDrinks@gmail.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14

Santa Visits Fish River Trees – 10am-4pm. Dec 1415. Visit Santa at the tree farm! Pick out a Christmas tree, ride the free Tannebaum Express, visit the live manager scene and take a camel or pony ride ($5).

Home of the “Living Christmas Trees.” Fish River Trees, 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd E, Summerdale.

251-988-8114. FishRiverTrees@gultel.com. FishRiverTrees.com.

Eat Fresh. Buy Local.

Treat your locavore palate to farm-fresh foods while contributing to a healthier planet and a more prosperous local economy. Support these Mobile/Baldwin businesses!

FARMERS MARKETS

GROCERY STORES

CHASING FRESH MARKET

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS

The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, caught and made in Alabama.

Fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey, dairy and meats.

Organic and hydroponic options. Delivery to Baldwin and Mobile Counties available. See ad, page 7.

Comprehensive health food store featuring local products: organic produce, organic milk, meat, eggs, honey and soap. See ad, page 3.

19176 Highway 181, Fairhope 251-550-9600 • ChasingFresh.net Open 9am-7pm, Monday-Saturday

CHRIST UMC FARMER'S MARKET 6101 Grelot Road, West Mobile 251-767-7526 Bob McBride: Missions.CUMC@gmail.com

Fall Farmer's Market sponsored by Christ United Methodist Church, located in West Mobile at the corner of Hillcrest Rd. and Grelot Rd. The market will take place 2:30-5 p.m., every Tuesday afternoon from October 8 through November 26.

PRODUCE CLUBS OFF THE VINE ORGANIC PRODUCE

Serving Mobile & Eastern Shore 850-374-2181 • OffTheVine.org We are the original organic box program. All organic - all the time! 100% guaranteed. We bring the farmer’s market to you. Simply check our weekly list every Friday. Mixed Fruit and Vegetable Shares, All Fruit Shares and Juicing Shares. Local pick up locations or delivery available. See ad, page 10.

WINDMILL MARKET'S PRODUCE CLUB

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-990-8883 Info@WindmillMarket.org A weekly delivery of local and seasonal fruits, veggies, organic milk, cheese, grass-fed beef and more delivered from Baldwin County farms to your table every week! Six box sizes to fit your family's needs. Home delivery and Mobile pickup option also available!

This logo indentifies businesses that accepts Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) discount cards.

Visit www.TinyURL.com/NANCard for details.

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

VIRGINIA'S HEALTH FOODS 3952 Airport Boulevard, Mobile 251-345-0494 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

Comprehensive health food store featuring local products: organic produce, organic milk, meat, eggs, honey and soap. See ad, page 3.

WESTSIDE GROCERY

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-990-8883 WindmillMarket.org Local grocery sells the area's best produce, grassfed meat, Alabama's Organic milk, locally made cheeses, Gulf seafood, local honey, sweets, baked goods and more! Best prices in town on produce, too!

RESTAURANTS SUNFLOWER CAFE I

320 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Organic cafe serving lunch and Sunday brunch.

Local produce, herbs and meats used.

Menu online. See ad, page 3.

SUNFLOWER CAFE II

3952 Airport Boulevard, Mobile 251-345-0495 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Organic cafe and juice bar. Local produce, herbs and meats used. Menu online. See ad, page 3.

SWEET OLIVE BAKERY & CAFE 85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-990-8883 SweetOlive.co

Open for breakfast and lunch every day until 5 p.m. serving European-style, artisan baked goods; freshly squeezed fruit and veggie juices; smoothies; daily lunch specials like fish tacos and poboys; delicious food to go; hot breakfast plates, and more!

natural awakenings

November 2013

29

way 98 East, Foley. 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

TinyURL.com/TrinityYogaFoleyAL.

ongoingevents Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

La Leche League Mobile Bay Area – 10:30am. La Leche League meetings are open to all women with an interest in learning about and supporting breastfeeding. Meetings are always free and babies/children are welcome. 251-689-2085. For location information or breastfeeding help contact AmandaLLLMobile@yahoo. com or MeghanLLL@yahoo.com.

sunday

monday

Discounts on Supplements – Every Sunday get 15% off supplements at Fairhope Health Foods (251-9280644) and Virginia's Health Foods (251-345-0494). 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope and 3952 Airport Blvd, Mobile. VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com.

Yoga Abs with Faye – 8:30am. What a great way to jump start your day! Let breath and body move in sync as Faye Mahan’s seamless style weaves a blend of classical yoga flow and poses, with added emphasis on those hard to work abdominal areas. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Grief Recovery Meeting – 1-2:30pm. This is a Christian-based grief recovery program for all losses.

Experienced, professional and compassionate staff members support you through the grief process with the goal of transitioning into a renewed life of purpose and fulfillment. Ascension Funerals & Cremations, 1016 Hillcrest Rd, Mobile. 251-634-8055. AscensionFuneralGroup.com.

Pilates Mat Class – 5pm. Join Carol for an intermediate/advanced authentic Pilates mat workout. This is a series of floor exercises that are precisely ordered and designed to strengthen and stretch the whole body.

Pre-registration is required. $10/drop-in, $80/10 class pkg. Carol's Pilates Studio, 407 Johnson Ave, Fairhope.

985-855-2219. CarolCon@bellsouth.net.

CUMC Farmers Market – 2:30-5pm. Produce grown by area farmers will accompany a seafood vendor and others featuring homemade products such as baked goods, honey and foods made from goat milk. Christ United Methodist Church, 6101 Grelot Rd (Hillcrest Rd side of property), Mobile. 251-767-7526. Missions. cumc@gmail.com.

Roots & Wings – 9:30am. Class focuses on stretching, breath and creating the strength and stability needed to challenge ourselves. All of this is done in a safe, supportive environment honoring your body and practice.

All levels are welcome. $10 without membership.

Prana Health and Wellness, Fairhope. 251-455-9359.

PranaHealthandWellness.com.

Center for Spiritual Living Service – 10am. Make every step, every choice, every word, a conscious one. Center for Spiritual Living, 1230 Montlimar, Mobile. Rev. Sherrie Quander: 251-343-0777.

CenterForSpiritualLiving-Mobile.org.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Explore a spiritual pathway with Mobile Unitarian Universalists, 6345 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. UUFM.org.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Questioning, understanding and growing together spiritually as we enjoy the adventure of life. Center for Joyful Living, 60 N Ann St, Mobile. 251-391-6960.

Sunday Worship – 11am. Celebrate Spirit in this special and sacred space. Between Hillcrest and Knollwood. Unity Mobile, 5859 Cottage Hill, Mobile.

251-661-1788.

Empower Sunday Yoga Series – 2pm. Oct 20-Nov 24.

Join Baptiste-trained Caitlin Kuttenkuler for a 6 week Sunday afternoon Power Vinyasa yoga series. $10.

Centre for the Living Arts/Space 301, Conti St, Mobile.

KulaYogaCommunity.org. 251-591-7094.

Unlimited Horizons of the Emerald Coast – 2:30-5:30pm. 2nd Sunday. Open to public. All are invited to join this forum of open-minded seekers of Universal truth. Share knowledge & promote enlightenment. Monthly speakers present on a variety of metaphysical topics. $7. Gulf Breeze Recreation Center, 800 Shoreline Dr, Gulf Breeze, FL. 850-6100919. UnlimitedHorizons1@gmail.com. UnlimitedHorizons.org.

Live Pain-Free – 4pm. Third Sun. Is chronic pain hindering your lifestyle? You can be pain-free. Join certified massage therapist Luke Fondren for an informational seminar on drug-free pain relief and learn techniques that you can begin using immediately! Free. Olena Wellness Center, 6925 Cottage Hill Rd, Ste D, Mobile.

Call/text to confirm 251-298-9520.

Open Table Worship Service (United Church of Christ) – 5pm. Weekly progressive Christian worship.

Gathering at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1050 Azalea Rd, Mobile. 251-545-1011. Ellen.OpenTable@gmail. com. OpenTableUCC.org.

30

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Yoga with Dana – 4:15pm. Join Dana for a calming yoga class to ease your stress and both soothe and quiet your mind. Find bliss and experience the joy—leave feeling on top of the world! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Yoga Conditioning – 1pm. Spend an hour focusing on conditioning, building strength and flexibility. Designed to enhance and support your yoga practice. $10 without membership. Prana Health and Wellness, Fairhope. 251455-9359. PranaHealthandWellness.com.

Mindfulness Practice and Meditation – 5:45pm.

Mindfulness Meditation Practice in the tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. No experience necessary. $5 donation. Plantation Antique Galleries, 604 Bel Air Blvd. (back entrance). $5 suggested donation.

Plantation Antique Galleries, 604 Bel Air Bvld, Mobile.

251-422-5474. JoanWSDixon@gmail.com. Meetup. com/MindfulnessMobile/.

Gentle Stress Relief Yoga – 4:15pm. Slow flowing, joint-opening movement with emphasis on breath awareness and meditation. Appropriate for beginners or anyone who wants a soothing and gentle yoga practice. $10 per class. Center for Spiritual Living, Mobile. 251591-7094. KulaYogaCommunity.org.

Outstretched Christ-Centered Yoga Class – 5:45pm.

Also at 8:15am on Wed. Each week Pneuma offers two donation-only yoga classes open to the public.

Classes are appropriate for all levels and include a Christ-centered devotion. Donation only. 1901 Main St, Daphne. See website for more info: Pneuma-YogaMovement.com.

Pranic Healing and Meditation Session – 6:30pm.

Experience healing for your mind, body and soul followed by the Meditation on Twin Hearts for inner peace and planetary blessings. Let us take the stress off and balance your aura. We all have the ability to heal ourselves and others! Classes available! Free. Center for Spiritual Living-Mobile. Deana Lannie: 251-454-0959.

Moonlight Chasse' Ballroom Dance Society – 7-10pm. First and Third Mon. Dance Cha Cha, Swing, Tango, Rumba, Salsa, Waltz, Samba, etc. to live music.

Cash bar. No partner needed. All levels. 7-7:30pm lessons. An exciting and energizing evening to Jump, Jive and Wail! $10; $7 w/membership; $5 w/college I.D. Fitzpen Place, 11247 Hwy 31, Spanish Fort. Cassie Fishbein: 251-377-4069. CassieF13@aol.com.

Open Flow Yoga – 5:45pm. Tues and Thurs. All levels with some yoga experience. Classes incorporate various styles of yoga. Postures may be more advanced and move more quickly than Gentle or Basic classes. Appropriate for fit beginners and beyond. $10 per class.

Center for Spiritual Living, Mobile. 251-591-7094.

KulaYogaCommunity.org.

Yoga with Adrienne – 5:45pm. Relax and renew at the end of a long day. Enhance balance, strength and suppleness with Adrienne while your mind experiences pure delight! Find your bliss in the land of “ahhhhhhs”! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Energize and Relax Yoga – 6-7:15pm. Tues and Thurs.

This class emphasizes flow yoga with Pranayama and some Kundalini. Meditation follows the energizing portion to calm in preparation for the day. $8/drop-in, $60/10 class package, $85/family. Trinity Yoga Studio, Hwy 98 East, Foley. 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

TinyURL.com/TrinityYogaFoleyAL.

tuesday

Gentle Yoga – 6pm. Slow, flowing, joint-opening movement with emphasis on breath awareness and meditation. Appropriate for beginners or anyone who wants a soothing and gentle yoga practice. $10 per class.

Daphne Recreation Center, 2605 Hwy 98, Daphne.

KulaYogaCommunity.org.

Rise and Shine Yoga – 6:30-7:45am. Tues and Thurs.

Start the day with an invigorating Hatha Yoga practice.

Class includes a mixture of flow yoga, Pranayama, restorative and meditation. Fellowship, coffee and some of Mom's homemade bread follows. $8/drop-in, $60/10 class package, $85/family. Trinity Yoga Studio, High-

Sierra Club Meeting – 6-8pm. 1st Tues. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Positive Parenting Class – 6-8pm. Also Wed. at 9:30am. Kids don’t come with a set of instructions.

Learn tools and skills to create a happy, healthy family.

Free. The Family Center, 601 Bel Air Blvd, Ste 100, Mobile. 251-479-5700. Kids101@comcast.net.

Ask the Doctor: Nutrition Information Class – 6:307:45pm. Second Tues. Food is your best medicine and small changes can dramatically improve your health, but where do you start? Don't get overwhelmed! Bring your questions to Brian Smith, DC and Gaie Feuerstein, DC. $5. Olena Wellness Center, 6925 Cottage Hill Rd, Ste, D, Mobile. Call/text to confirm: 251-300-1335.

Mobile Bay Canoe and Kayak Club Meeting – 7-8:30pm. 1st Tues. For pro-paddlers and those brand new to the sport. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort. BayKayaker.Blogspot.com.

Argentine Tango and Salsa, Too! – 7:30pm. Tango: mindful and alluring. Salsa: rhythmic, hot and energetic!

Lessons Tuesdays. Salsa, 7:30pm, Argentine Tango, 8:30pm. All levels welcome. Partner not needed. Fees competitive, reduced monthly fees and walk-ins.

Southern Edge Dance Studio, 251 Greeno Rd, Fairhope.

Cassie Fishbein: 251-377-4069. CassieF13@aol.com.

wednesday Early Morning Flow – 7am. Jumpstart your day with an hour of vinyasa. $10 without membership.

Prana Health and Wellness, Fairhope. 251-455-9359.

PranaHealthandWellness.com.

$5 Yoga Flow & Chair – 9:15am, Flow. 10:30am, Chair Yoga (seated or holding onto chair to practice balance). Beginners welcome. Bring your own mat.

Enjoy exercise at every level. Improve balance, strength and flexibility. $5. Fairhope UMC CLC. 251-379-4493.

ThriveFairhope.com.

Tai Chi in Fowl River – 10am. Join certified Qigong/ Tai Chi teacher, Jude Forsyth, for this 1.15 hr class in the ancient Chinese moving meditation exercise. Perfect for beginners. $10. 5401 Fowl River Rd, Theodore.

850-226-9355. BlueWillowWellness.com.

Group Reformer Class – 12pm. Catch the wave of classical fitness and join Adrienne for a Pilates group reformer class. Stand taller, get toned, and be both leaner and stronger. Please log onto the website to make reservations. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-4731104. Synergyoga.net.

Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis – 12-1pm. This chair yoga class is free to participants and funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Build strength and flexibility while improving balance and circulation. Enjoy exercise at every level, even in a wheelchair. Improve balance, strength and flexibility. Free. Fairhope UMC CLC. 251-379-4493. ThriveFairhope.com.

Beginners Yoga – 5pm. This is the perfect class for the beginning or returning yogi. Learn the fundamentals of yoga in a safe, supportive environment. Taught

by Wayne Kent, RYT. $10 without membership.

Prana Health and Wellness, Fairhope. 251-455-9359.

PranaHealthandWellness.com.

Pilates Mat Class – 5pm. Join Carol for an intermediate/advanced authentic Pilates mat workout. This is a series of floor exercises that are precisely ordered and designed to strengthen and stretch the whole body.

Pre-registration is required. $10/drop-in; $80/10 class pkg. Carol's Pilates Studio, 407 Johnson Ave, Fairhope.

985-855-2219. CarolCon@bellsouth.net.

Eastern Shore MS Support Group – 5:30pm. Second Wed. Eastern Shore MS Support Group meets each month at Ruby Tuesday in Fairhope. Family, friends and caregivers are always welcome. Weezer: 251-928-7606.

Mid-Week Breather – 6-7:15pm. Join Amanda Barfield for alignment-based yoga with attention to

breath, form and fun. Beginners are welcome, as we explore the components of assorted poses and offer variations that best serve you. Seasoned yogis enjoy the opportunity to revisit their foundation. $12/drop-in. $5/first class. Integrated Health & Wellness, Fairhope.

InHealthWell.com.

Near Death and Related Consciousness and Spiritual Experiences – 6pm. 2nd Wed. Mobile affiliate group of IANDS. All are welcome to share experiences and support. Beginning our 11th year. Free. West Regional Branch, Mobile Public Library, Grelot Rd (near University Blvd). 251-340-8565. IANDS.org.

Guided Meditation – 7pm. Guided meditation with Betsey Grady. Meditation is a wonderful way to quiet the mind, still the body and relax your being. Suggested donation of $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626.

RosieBluum.com.

thursday Rise and Shine Yoga – 6:30-7:45am. Tues and Thurs.

Start the day with an invigorating Hatha Yoga practice.

Class includes a mixture of flow yoga, Pranayama, restorative and meditation. Fellowship, coffee and some of mom's homemade bread follows. $8/drop-in, $60/10 class package, $85/family. Trinity Yoga Studio, Highway 98 East, Foley. 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

TinyURL.com/TrinityYogaFoleyAL. Qigong Tai Chi Mobile – 10am or 6:30pm. Two times to choose from to join Jude Forsyth, certified teacher, in the ancient Chinese moving meditation exercise. Perfect for beginners. $12. Quiet Mind Studio, 2065 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. 850-226-9355. BlueWillowWellness.com On-The-Go Flow – 1pm. Have an hour before the kids get picked up? Why not spend it doing an hour of yoga? Practice will consist of traditional asana and flow.

Appropriate for most levels. $10 without membership.

Prana Health and Wellness, Fairhope. 251-455-9359.

PranaHealthandWellness.com.

Yoga with Chris M – 5:45pm. Join Chris McFadyen for some energizing yoga that will calm the mind and both enhance and refocus the body. Find your passion and

relocate your humor after a long day! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Energize and Relax Yoga – 6-7:15pm. Tues and Thurs.

This class emphasizes flow yoga with Pranayama and some Kundalini. Meditation follows the energizing portion to calm in preparation for the day. $8/drop-in, $60/10 class package, $85/family. Trinity Yoga Studio, Hwy 98 East, Foley. 251-987-1147 or 251-609-5541.

TinyURL.com/TrinityYogaFoleyAL.

Body, Mind, Spirit, Coffee, Tea & Conversation Social Meet-Up Group – 6:30-8:30pm. 1st Thurs. The Body, Mind & Spirit Group of Florida: Emerald Coast.

Each meet-up will have an array of activities, speakers, products, samples, demonstrations, practitioners and networking opportunities. $5. Pensacola, FL. Call for details: 850-941-4321. BMSFL.com.

It's a Skinny Wrap Party! – 6:30-7:45pm. Skinny Wraps are herbal body wraps that can be applied from the neck down to help tighten, tone and firm the skin in 45 minutes. Come learn about this amazing product and sample free nutritional products while we discuss healthy weight loss options. $25/wrap. Space is limited.

Olena Wellness Center, 6925 Cottage Hill Rd, Ste D, Mobile. Call/text to confirm: 251-554-0854.

friday Core Barre with Dana – 10am. Give yourself the best seat in the house with Core Barre—work your body to a fusion of ballet, Pilates, yoga and classic fitness.

Move to fun music and really change your shape!

Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104.

Synergyoga.net.

Friday Evening Yoga – 5:45pm. Our evening yoga rotation: Join Brooke, Stacy or Leigh and wind down the work week in grand style. Get ready for the busy weekend ahead—enhance the body's potential while refreshing and renewing the spirit. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Meditation Flash Mob – 6-6:30pm. First Fri. First Fridays before Art Walk. No experience is necessary.

Come sit in peace with us to invite the world to the

God is the one Living Spirit which dwells within us all. We invite you to join us as we learn to live life with grace, wisdom, gratitude, and love.

Hoping Praise Duality Judging Worship Victimization Fearful Thoughts Unconsciousness Sundays: 9:30am Meditation and 10:00am Service 1230 Montlimar Drive (off Airport) Mobile, Al 36609 251-343-0777 Email: cslmobile09@gmail.com www.centerforspiritualliving-mobile.org facebook.com/centerforspirituallivingmobile

Knowing Gratitude Oneness Acceptance Celebration Personal Responsibility Affirmative Prayer Awakening

Center for Spiritual Living-Mobile It’s like night and day.

natural awakenings

November 2013

31

benefits of meditation and collective prayer. Kids and pets are welcome, too. Free. Corner of Fairhope Ave and Bancroft Ave (in front of the small fountain next to Julwin's), Fairhope. 251-517-5626. Facebook.com/ MedMobGCA.

saturday Saturday Morning Yoga with Augusta – 7:308:45am. All levels. The movements will challenge you to stay mindful and your mindfulness will allow you to honor your limits without judging yourself. $15 drop-in. $10 students and instructors. Creative Outlet, 66 1/2 S Section St, Fairhope. 251-928-5363.

HeartStringsYoga.com.

Free Train Rides – 8am-5pm. Nov 29-Dec 23. The Tannenbaum Express, our tree train, is up and running for free farm tours on weekends. Come join the fun!

Free. Home of the “Living Christmas Trees.” Fish River Trees, 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd E, Summerdale. 251-988-8114. FishRiverTrees@gultel.com.

FishRiverTrees.com.

Meditation – 10am. Meditation with Betsey Grady.

Meditation is a wonderful way to quiet the mind, still the body and relax your being. Suggested donation of $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626.

RosieBluum.com.

classifieds Fee for classified listings is $1 per word. Email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com for details. Volunteer opportunities are listed for free as space is available.

OPPORTUNITIES BECOME A PUBLISHER! – Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin is for sale! Own one of the Gulf Coast's most exciting businesses.

Training and support available. Be in business for yourself but not by yourself. See ad, page 5.

VOLUNTEER OPPS AZALEA CITY CAT COALITION – Volunteers needed in any capacity. Contact Susan Young: 251-648-7582. SusanYoung@ AzaleaCityCats.org.

DOG RIVER CLEARWATER REVIVAL STORM DRAIN MARKER PROJECT – Volunteers needed to educate the public about the storm drain system. Supplies and instructions provided. Work at your convenience.

Contact Janet Miller: J46Miller@yahoo.com.

251-654-1827.

MERCY MEDICAL – Hospice volunteers needed to provide services such as running errands, offering respite breaks for caregivers and clerical assistance. 251-621-4431.

Volunteers@MercyMedical.com.

32

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Phenomenal Monthly Circulation Growth Since 1994.

Now with 3.8 Million Monthly Readers in: • Birmingham, AL • Huntsville, AL • Mobile/Baldwin, AL* • Little Rock/Hot Spg., AR* • Phoenix, AZ • Tucson, AZ • East Bay Area, CA • Los Angeles, CA* • San Diego, CA • Denver/Boulder, CO • Fairfield County, CT • Hartford, CT • New Haven/Middlesex, CT • Washington, DC • Daytona/Volusia/Flagler, FL • NW FL Emerald Coast • Ft. Lauderdale, FL • Jacksonville/St. Aug., FL • Melbourne/Vero, FL • Miami & Florida Keys* • Naples/Ft. Myers, FL • North Central FL* • Orlando, FL • Palm Beach, FL • Peace River, FL • Sarasota, FL • Tampa/St. Pete., FL • FL’s Treasure Coast • Atlanta, GA* • Chicago No. Shore, IL • Indianapolis, IN • Lafayette, LA • New Orleans, LA • Baltimore, MD* • Boston, MA • Western, MA • Ann Arbor, MI • East Michigan • Grand Rapids, MI • Wayne County, MI • Minneapolis, MN • Asheville, NC* • Charlotte, NC • Triangle, NC • Central, NJ • Hudson County, NJ • Mercer County, NJ • Monmouth/Ocean, NJ • North NJ • North Central NJ • South NJ* • Santa Fe/Abq., NM • Las Vegas, NV • Albany, NY • Central NY • Long Island, NY • Manhattan, NY • Rockland/Orange, NY • Westchester/Putnam Co’s., NY • Central OH • Cincinnati, OH • Toledo, OH • Oklahoma City, OK • Portland, OR* • Bucks/Montgomery Co’s., PA • Harrisburg/York, PA • Lancaster, PA • Lehigh Valley, PA • Pocono, PA/Warren Co., NJ • Rhode Island • Charleston, SC • Columbia, SC • Grand Strand, SC* • Greenville, SC* • Chattanooga, TN • Knoxville, TN • Memphis, TN • Nashville, TN* • Austin, TX* • Dallas, TX • Dallas/FW Metro N • Houston, TX* • San Antonio, TX • Richmond, VA • VA’s Blue Ridge • Seattle, WA • Madison, WI* • Milwaukee, WI • Puerto Rico *Existing magazines for sale

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

TURN YOUR PASSION INTO A BUSINESS Own a Natural Awakenings Magazine!

• Low Investment • No Experience Needed • Great Support Team with Complete Training • Work from Home • Online Marketing Tools • Meaningful New Career As a Natural Awakenings publisher, you can enjoy learning about healthy and joyous living while working from your home and earn a good income doing something you love!

No publishing experience is necessary.

You’ll work for yourself but not by yourself.

We offer a complete training and support system that allows you to successfully publish your own magazine.

To determine if owning a Natural Awakenings is right for you and your target community, call us for a free consultation at:

239-530-1377

NaturalAwakeningsMag.com

naturaldirectory

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Connecting you to the leaders in healthy and green living in our community. To be included in the Natural Directory, email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Did you miss our 2013 annual Healthy and Green Living Directory?

Contact us to find out where you can pick up a copy of this expanded edition, or read it online now at TinyURL.com/NAFeb13.

ACUPUNCTURE BELLA SUNDRIES WELLNESS STUDIO 6576 Airport Boulevard, Mobile 251-458-8884 BellaSundries.Webs.com

Offering auricular acupuncture which utilizes 108 points in the ear that correlate to different parts of the body. Therapeutic for physical, emotional, digestive and respiratory problems. See ad, page 16.

BABY PRODUCTS & SERVICES BABYTALK EASTERN SHORE

TKR Center, Daphne 251-298-8255 • BabyTalkES@gmail.com Facebook.com/BabytalkES A maternity, breastfeeding and baby store specializing in Medela breastpumps (covered by most BCBS policies), cloth diapers, premature & newborn clothing and baby carriers. Certified Lactation Consultant on staff. See ad, page 7.

BEAUTY B-BUTTERFLY SALON

103A North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-990-9934 BButterflySalon.com A certified organic salon offering organic products, SALON and services including hair color, perms and shampoo. Visit us for a free hair exam today and go organic! Manicures, pedicures and eyebrow waxing also available.

See ad, page 9.

B-Butterfly

ZAPAH NATURALS

251-776-4382 CS@ZapahNaturals.com ZapahNaturals.com All-natural, handcrafted bath and body products made in Mobile using natural and organic ingredients. Soaps, lotions, oils and more.

Call today or order online. Free shipping! See ad, page 19.

CHURCHES CENTER FOR JOYFUL LIVING 60 North Ann Street Mobile, AL 36695 251-391-6960

THE WILLOW TREE AT ROSIE BLUUM 6A South Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5326 or 251-751-6945 RosieBluum.com

Offering gifts and services that nurture your spirit. Books, card decks, essential oils, Bach Flower Remedies, crystals, salt lamps, incense and organic clothing. Meditation, yoga, massage, MARI, intuitive readings.

See ad, page 19.

FOODS & NUTRITION Questioning, understanding and growing together spiritually as we enjoy life’s adventure. Center for Joyful Living in Mobile. Sundays, 10:30 a.m.

CHASING FRESH MARKET

19176 Highway 181, Fairhope 251-550-9600 • Facebook.com/ChasingFresh Open 9am-7pm, Monday-Saturday The only produce market in S out h A l a b a m a w h e re everything is grown, caught and made in Alabama. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey, dairy and meats. Delivery to Baldwin and Mobile Counties available.

See ad, page 7.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING 1230 Montlimar Drive, Mobile 251-343-0777 CMSpiritualCenter.org

Rev. Sherrie Quander invites you to visit a loving, inclusive spiritual community where we aim to make every step we take, every choice we make, every word we speak a conscious one. Sundays at 10 a.m. See ad, page 31.

OPEN TABLE: A COMMUNITY OF FAITH (UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST) 1050 Azalea Road, Mobile at St Luke’s (St. Luke's Episcopal Church) 251-545-1011 • OpenTableUCC.org

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! Pastor Ellen Sims and the congregation invite you to join them on Sunday evenings at 5 p.m.

Childcare provided.

See ad, page 13.

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 • Café: 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Comprehensive health food store and organic café, featuring organic food, free-range meat, vegan options and organic wine. Store open 7 days a week.

See ad, page 3.

THE HEALTH HUT

680 S. Schillinger, Mobile: 251-633-0485 (Across from Home Depot) 6845 Hwy 90, Daphne: 251-621-1865 (Across from Fresh Market) For 30 years The Health Hut has been the go-to place for high quality, whole-food vitamins, herbs and sport supplements at great prices. Service-oriented, knowledgeable staff.

DENTISTRY DR. DAYTON HART, DM

IAOMT Protocol 225 West Laurel Avenue, Foley 251-943-2471 • DrDaytonHart.com Free book for new patients: Mercury Free Dentistry. Offering ozone; laser (no-suture) gum surgery; testing for compatible materials and cavity-causing bacteria; examine for gum disease and bacteria; laser cavity diagnoses; saliva pH check; oral galvanic screening; no fluoride. See ad, page 9.

NAN cardholders receive discounts at these businesses.

Visit www.TinyURL.com/ NANCard for details.

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings at these businesses!

natural awakenings

November 2013

33

FOODS & NUTRITION CONT. OFF THE VINE ORGANIC PRODUCE

PRANIC HEALING IN MOBILE Deana Lannie 251-454-0959

Free healing nights and group meditations every Monday. Pranic Healing classes and the advanced technique of Superbrain Yoga.

Serving Mobile and Eastern Shore 850-374-2181, Support@OffTheVine.org OffTheVine.org

All organic - all the time!

We bring the farmers market to you. Check our new selection every Friday and pick up the following Wed. Pick up or delivery available. See ad, page 10.

VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ II 3952 Airport Boulevard, Mobile 251-345-0494 • Café: 251-345-0495 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

Comprehensive health food store and organic café, featuring organic food, free-range meat, vegan options and juice bar. Store open 7 days a week. Serving the public 37 years. See ad, page 3.

SPIRIT ENLIGHTEN

Renee Adcock, B.Div. Reiki II, Essential Oils Therapy 251-279-0298 Authorized owner and operator, John of God Crystal Light Healing Bed a modality to cleanse, balance and align your energies to promote healing. Call for more information or an appointment.

PET SERVICES HEAR THEM SPEAK

Telepathic Animal Communication Babette de Jongh 251-424-4944 • HearThemSpeak.com Babette is a Reiki master and Body Talk practitioner trained in advanced-level communication and counseling for professional animal communicators by Penelope Smith, a pioneer in the field of animal communication. See ad, page 7.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING MIDDLE EARTH HEALING AND LEARNING CENTER

20205 Middle Earth Road, Citronelle 251-866-7204 • MiddleEarthHealing.com Middle Earth is an evolving education center, modeling permaculture, sustainable living and the interconnection of the health of the planet and the health of her inhabitants. See ad on page 14.

MASSAGE JEN ADAMS, LMT

22787 US 98, Bdg D Ste 5, Montrose 251-616-4201 • JenAdamsLMT.info JenAdams.Massage@gmail.com

GREEN BUILDING EARTHSTONE CONSTRUCTION

Natural, Energy-Efficient Structures 153 Cedar Ridge Road, Lucedale, MS 601-818-9600 • Vaughn_2@bellsouth.net EarthStoneConstruction.com Locally sourced material and virtually indestructible!

Healthy, green and beautiful. Homes, patios, pizza ovens and more. Free estimates.

GREEN HOLIDAYS FISH RIVER CHRISTMAS TREE FARM 13982 Woodhaven Dairy Road East Summerdale, AL 36580 251-988-8114 • FishRiverTrees.com

Home of the Living Christmas Trees.

Don't discard your tree after the holidays, plant it! Fresh-cut fir, spruce and sno-tip trees; choose and cut trees; wreaths, garland and centerpieces; container-grown living trees. See ad, back cover.

Unique massage technique that is gentle enough for the severest sufferers of pain and deep enough for the most rigorous of athletes. 14 years experience in the bodywork and natural wellness field.

See ad, page 19.

TAI CHI JUDE FORSYTH

Qigong/Tai Chi Teacher 850-226-9355 BlueWillowWellness.com AM/PM Qigong and Tai Chi classes in Midtown Mobile and Theodore; private and company classes also available.

METAPHYSICAL UNLIMITED HORIZONS

800 Shoreline Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 850-610-0919 • Unlimited-Horizons.org UnlimitedHorizons1@gmail.com A monthly forum for open-minded seekers of Universal truth through the metaphysical, holistic, paranormal, cryptozoological and extraterrestrial.

PEST CONTROL

WELLNESS OLENA WELLNESS CENTER

6925 Cottage Hill Road, Suite D. Mobile, AL 36695 251-300-1335 • Find us on Facebook Our practitioners give your body the support it needs to function as it was designed. We offer chiropractic, ANA, applied kinesiology, acupuncture, QRA, body wraps, detox and all-natural pain relief.

HOUSEHOLD TERMITE & PEST CONTROL Serving Mobile and Baldwin Counties 866-943-7874 HouseholdPest.com

HEALING ARTS BODY IN SPIRIT

Rev. K Laurendine, ERYT, LMT, RMT, BA 251-753-1937 • KellyLaurendine@gmail.com BodyInSpirit.com Spiritual counseling, movement/yoga, energy and empowerment workshops, EFT, Reiki certifications, ministerial services, pet blessings.

34

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

Full service, environmentally responsible pest management company and do-it yourself store specializing in termites, general pests, bed bugs, thermal remediation, mosquitoes, wildlife rem o v a l , m o i s t u r e c o n trol, TAP insulation. See ad, 4.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

YOGA GLOW YOGA

824 Gulf Shores Parkway, Gulf Shores 251-216-GLOW Glow-Yoga.com Hot and cool vinyasa style yoga. Work hard and work up a sweat, rejuvenating the body and calming the mind as you flow to energizing music. Our classes empower students of all levels. See ad, page 21.

A DV E RTO R I A L

Natural Iodine Supplementation A Must for Most Americans

W

e all need iodine, yet most of us don’t get enough of it through our diet. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that iodine deficiency in the developed world has increased fourfold in the past 40 years and now affects nearly three-quarters of all adults.

Numerous U.S. practicing physicians quoted widely in the media estimate that the incidence of hypothyroidism in our adult population may be between 30 and 70 percent.

Thus, we can’t efficiently produce the thyroid hormones that serve as chemical messengers triggering nearly every bodily function. The presence or absence of iodine affects our every cell.

Natural Awakenings Detoxifed Iodine is 100 percent natural, raw iodine in an ethyl alcohol solution. We thank all those that are benefiting from this product and enthusiastically telling us their great results.  Available only at NAWebstore.com  My wife, who suffered from extreme fatigue and other symptoms, saw a dramatic increase in energy after just a few days of taking the natural iodine drops. Now if she misses a day, she’ll end up falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon, like she used to do before taking the iodine. It works! ~ Aaron My doctor told me that I had a hypothyroid condition, prescribed medication and was happy with the follow-up test results, yet I noticed no positive effects on my overall wellbeing. Within two weeks of using the Natural Awakenings Detoxified Iodine, I had more energy, felt more awake and enjoyed clearer thinking and greater peace of mind. People even comment that I look younger. I am a fan! ~ Larry

Be Aware of Hypothyroidism Symptoms Low thyroid function, or hypothyroidism, is the most recognized and obvious indicator of low iodine intake because the thyroid gland contains more concentrated iodine than other organs.

Symptoms can range from extreme fatigue and weight gain to depression, carpal tunnel syndrome, high blood pressure, fibrocystic breasts and a variety of skin and hair problems.

Hypothyroidism can further cause infertility, joint pain, heart disease and stroke. Low iodine levels also have been associated with breast and thyroid cancers. In children, insufficient iodine has been strongly linked with mental retardation,

deafness, attention deficient and hyperactivity disorder and impaired growth, according to studies by Boston University, China’s Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and France’s National Academy of Medicine.

The answer is simple: Taking the right kind of iodine in the right dosage can rebalance thyroid function and restore health to the thyroid and the whole body.

Reasons Behind Iodine Deficiency Radiation: Almost everyone is routinely exposed to iodine-depleting radiation emitted by cell phones, Wi-Fi, microwave ovens and other electronic devices.

Iodized table salt: The human body cannot utilize the iodine added to this product.

Low-sodium diets: Failure to use healthy salts to fulfill sodium requirements, plus over-

use of zero-nutrient table salt in foods, leads to iodine depletion.

Bromine: This toxic chemical overrides iodine’s abilities to nourish the thyroid, adrenal and other hormone-producing glands.

A known carcinogen, it is used as an anticaking ingredient found in almost all baked goods, unless the ingredients specifically cite unbromated flour.

Iodine-depleted soils: Due to poor farming techniques, iodine and other minerals in soil have declined, so most foods today are devoid of naturally occurring iodine.

Proper iodine supplementation with a high-quality product like Natural Awakenings Detoxified Iodine can prevent harm by protecting the thyroid and other endocrine glands and restoring proper hormone production.

A Few Drops Can Change Your Life!

You could feel better, lose weight or increase energy and mental clarity with a few drops of Natural Awakenings DETOXIFIED IODINE daily in water or on your skin when used as directed.

An essential component of the thyroid, iodine replacement has been reported to give relief from: • Depression • Fibromyalgia • Hypothyroidism • Radiation

• Weight Gain • Low Energy • Hyperthyroidism • Bacteria & Viruses

4-6 week supply ONLY $20

Order Online Today at

NAWebstore.com Or Call: 888-822-0246

SHIPPING * $SPECIAL 5•up to 8 bottles Wholesale Pricing Available to Stores and Practitioners

Shop Natural Awakenings’ Online Webstore for More Special, Natural Products

Fish River Christmas Tree Farm

Home of the Living Christmas Trees Don’t discard your Christmas tree after the holidays, plant it!

Living Christmas Trees are an environmentally-friendly option that outlive the short holiday season. Decorate your living tree for Christmas and then plant it in your yard for years of enjoyment.

OPEN: Nov. 29th-Dec. 23rd

Fresh Wreaths, Garland & Centerpieces

HOURS: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Daily

Choose & Cut Trees

Fresh-Cut Fir, Spruce and SnoTip Trees

ContainerGrown Living Christmas Trees

A Family Christmas Tradition Visit with Santa (weekends from 10am-4pm) for FREE See our FREE Manager Scene with live animals FREE farm tour aboard the Tannenbaum Express Camel and pony rides for a small fee

36

13982 Woodhaven Dairy Rd. East • Summerdale, AL 36580 www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com 251-988-8114 • www.fishrivertrees.com

Mobile / Baldwin Edition