December 2022

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BeHold The Man for Men

The goal of BeHold The Man NJ (BTMNJ). is for men to take charge of their health and appearance to look and feel good. BTMNJ offers manscaping (body hair removal), massage, sauna, body brushing and personal training. All services are performed by a licensed and certified male attendant. Appointments are on a oneto-basis and clients never overlap, insuring. privacy and safety for the client.

For those interested in group fitness, a Bergen County gym is offering coed classes on Monday evenings designed to strengthen, tone and stretch the entire body. There is an emphasis on flexibility, an area that is so important, yet missing in many fitness programs.

For those that prefer personal training, an ACE-certified instruc tor with many years of experience conduct an interview you, take your measurements, (including blood pressure, BMI, body fat, hipto-waist ratio, etc.) and design a program with the individual’s goals in mind.

For more information, call 201-894-0138 or email BeholdTheMannj@ yahoo.com.

Pure Bliss Yoga Opens New Studio in Edgewater

Pure Bliss Yoga, in Fort Lee, has expanded after five years with a second location at the Edgewa ter Marketplace #54, 725 River Rd., in Edgewater, offering two weeks of unlimited mat classes for $22. The décor of this peaceful nature oasis is artistic and minimal ist. Taking cues from, even the tree-shaped coat hangers add to the ambiance. In the main practice space, panoramic windows stretch across the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline.

Pure Bliss offers in-person and livestream classes, an on-demand video library, workshops, retreats and teacher training. Experi enced and trained instructors provide a welcoming and supportive environment for all practitioners. In addition to mat classes, the new Edgewater studio also offers aerial yoga, with no prior experience needed.

Passes and membership work across the board at both locations and virtually, and there is even a dedicated smartphone app. Founder Zeni Pepper leads classes, workshops, teacher trainings and retreats, including in Hawaii this coming March. She has accumulated more than 600 hours of training and thousands of hours of teaching.

Main location: 209 Main St., Fort Lee. For more information, visit Pure-Bliss-Yoga.com. See ad, page 7.

Serotonin Theory of Depression Debunked

The idea that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance specifically, a serotonin deficiency has been popular and influ ential since the 1960s, leading to the wide use of antidepressants. A recent multi-institution study led by the University of Read ing, in the UK, and pub lished in Molecular Psychiatry has debunked this theory. The researchers did a systematic review of studies on the topic and found no convincing evidence of an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations. The serotonin theory of depres sion has historically provided convincing justification for the use of antidepressants and may discourage people from discontinuing treatment, potentially leading to life long dependence on such drugs.

Ultra-Processed Food Linked with Cancer and Mortality Risks

Under-Appreciating the Benefits of Solitude

Getting lost in our thoughts may improve problem solving, increase creativity, enhance imagination and provide a better sense of self-worth. But in the digi tal age, with immediate and satisfying input at a finger’s tap, it is possible to be “solitude deprived,” says Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University and author of Digital Minimalism.

In a recent study in the Journal of Experimental Psycholo gy, psychologists asked a group of more than 250 univer sity students to sit and wait in a quiet room without doing anything. Researchers found that the students underappreciated their enjoyment and engagement of “just thinking” and instead favored technology-driven distrac tions like internet news-checking. The results suggest an inherent difficulty in accurately assessing how engaging just thinking can be, and may explain why people prefer keeping themselves busy rather than taking a moment for reflection and imagination in their daily lives.

These ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat commercial for mulations comprised of little or no whole foods currently contribute 57 percent of the total daily calories consumed by American adults—a rate which has been continuously rising over the last two decades.

Commonly containing high levels of added sugar, un healthy fats and refined starch, ultra-processed foods neg atively impact gut microbiota and contribute to increased risks of weight gain and obesity. Most of these convenience foods are low in nutrients and bioactive compounds; contain food additives, colors and emulsifiers; and can be poten tially carcinogenic when meats are processed with sodium nitrates and heat treatments or when the packaging leaches its harmful components (like bisphenol A) into the food.

A new study supports the public health importance of staying away from ultra-processed foods, finding a significant asso ciation with colorectal cancer in men The study, led by Tufts University and published in August in The BMJ, looked at the diets of 46,341 men and 159,907 women every four years for 24 to 28 years using food frequency questionnaires.

A second recent study in Italy involving 22,895 adults over the age of 35 compared the role of nutrient-poor foods with ultra-processed foods in the development of chronic disease and early death. Researchers found that both types of foods increased the risk of an early death, especially from cardiovascular diseases. When research ers compared the two types of food to see which contrib uted the most to the risk of an early death, ultra-processed foods were associated with poor health outcomes inde pendently of their low nutritional composition, but not the other way around.

Winter Wellness Tips

by Doug Pucci

Wintercan be a tough time, and it all comes down to our own habit of mind and the actions we choose to take. When patients feel the doldrums com ing on, it is helpful to circle back to daily routines and stay on track with mental and physical health. Here are some tweaks that use principles of functional medicine dur ing the cold winter months and are safe for most people.

n Get Plenty of Light and Fresh Air: A decrease in sunlight and outdoor activity can disrupt the body’s internal systems, including our sleep-wake cycle, called the circadian rhythm. When that happens, gut microflora (that live inside the gastroin testinal tract and love predictability in all aspects of waking life) lessen their output. We can actually feel the difference, thanks to the feelgood hormone serotonin that is made in the gut and used by the brain.

To rectify any negative impacts on our gut microbiome from shortened days and disrupted routines, be sure to bundle up and go for short walks when safe and practical on a daily basis. Getting plenty of light and fresh air (along with some regular movement) will boost spirits, too.

n Stay Physically and Socially Active: Another great tip is to remain both physi cally and socially active walking the dog,

participating in food drives and the like or engaging in other community events. During winter, it can be much easier to stay indoors, isolated from being around people and doing what we love. Even if the weather is cold and dreary outside, get blood flowing and improve cardio and strength with a few squats or a little bit of yoga. Getting the blood flowing is great for the heart and is essential to how our bodies and our brains detoxify.

Plus, remaining active aids in a great night’s sleep, which is a side benefit of win ter—having a cool, dark bedroom. As far as being social, a little goes a long way. Call a friend and out for a quick lunch with them once a week, or maybe go see a new movie.

n

Avoid Sugar Cravings and Crashes:

There’s a common diet trap that many people fall into during winter, which is eating our emotions by ingesting too many sugary foods. Quick access to cakes,

candy and cookies (and processed carbs in general) can not only spike our glucose levels (and soothe endorphins), but they can intensify certain negative moods and increase overall fatigue and tiredness when the spike crashes. This can then turn into a vicious cycle.

Have on hand healthy vegetable, nut, bean, fruit and whole seed snacks topped with a favorite nut butter or healthy dietary fat like avocado, coconut or even butter. Avoid mindless eating and hand-to-mouth munching. Try setting a timer to go off every 15 minutes and take large sips of nutrient-fortified water like a morning mineral tonic. Adequate hydration is one of the best ways to maintain a healthier weight over winter and lower the risk for inflammation.

While these three tips may seem obvious and easy to implement, sticking with them day in and day out can be the hardest chal lenge. This is why turning them into tiny rituals is key. Start small, then, make a habit of it. Find out what works best and have it become part of an overall healthy lifestyle by making the changes permanent.

For information on conquering health issues naturally using a natural, holistic approach called functional medicine, visit GetWell-Now.com, choose “Learn More” and register for the free Root Cause Solution minicourse.

Sound Healing Workshops in

NJ and NY

Debbie Hawker-Misra, a certified teacher with The Sound Healing Academy International, is offering a 3 day Level 1 Foundation Certificate workshop

January 14th-16th at Sacred Space, Tenafly, NJ. Learn more and sign up at www.academyofsoundhealing.com. Spaces are limited. 201-923-9829 www.AcademyOfSoundHealing.com

groups: Gongs, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Crystal Singing Bowls, Drums, Tuning Forks, and your healing Voice. A 3-day sound vibration intensive to enrich your soul, calm

mind and revitalise your body. Another Level 1 workshop will be offered March 24th-26th at Balance Arts, Midtown NYC. Sign up at above link. Debbie is a certified sound healing practitioner with The Sound Healing Academy. She has over 20 years of experience across many healing modalities and is a trained classical musician and teacher.

FARMERS MARKETS

The Bayonne Farmers’ Market – The market opens from 2-7 pm. and will run every Tuesday at the same time. The market is located on West 23rd Street between Broadway and DelMonte Drive. The Bayonne Farmers’ Market aims to foster “a sense of community by bringing farmers and local businesses to gether right in our neighborhood.” The goal is to offer a variety of fresh foods to the community.

Downtown Jersey City Farmers’ Market – Mon & Thu through Dec. 4-8pm. The Historic Downtown Jersey City farmers’ market features various NJ ven dors and local Jersey City vendors. Operating for over a decade, the Historic Downtown Jersey City Farmers Market, conveniently located by the PATH Train station and Grove Street bus stop in the heart of the historic downtown, it’s the place to get your groceries and treats! Come out and support NJ farms and businesses and get your fresh produce, pies, cookies, flowers and more. 201-547-3554. JCDowntown.org.

Hamilton Park Farmer’s Market – The Farmers’ Market runs weekly through the fall. The hours will be from 4-7pm, Wednesdays in Hamilton Park, 25 West Hamilton Place, Jersey City, easily accessible on foot from Jersey City PATH stations located at Grove Street and Newport. Check the website for a list of vendors and products for sale. GNADF.com/Events/HNPA-Farmers-Market/

HDSID Farmer’s Market – The Historic Downtown Special Improvement District Farmers Market is open year-round, and the summer/fall session, begun in April, runs Mondays and Thursdays from 4-8pm. The location will remain at the Grove PATH Plaza, Newark Ave and Grove St, but will also include the “first green” area of the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Mall. Check the website for a list of vendors and products for sale. JCDowntown.org.

Hoboken Farmers Market – The Hoboken Farmers Market is open through mid-November on Tuesdays from 2-8pm. It is located between Fourth and Fifth Garden Street on the east side of Church Square Park near the Demarest School. Vendors in attendance will include Union Hill Farms, Roger’s Seafood, Melick’s Town Farm, Circle Brook Organic Farms, Pickle-Licious, Gourmet Dried Fruit and Nuts, and Hoboken Farms.

Paulus Hook Farmers Market – The Paulus Hook Farmers Market is both a farmers’ market and a CSA pickup spot for local subscribers. It is open through December on Saturdays from 10am-4pm. The Market is located at the end of Washington Street in the Morris Canal State Park next to the Korean War Memorial, in Jersey City. For more information: PaulusHook.org.

Riverview Farmer’s Market – This farmer’s market is held at Riverview-Fisk Park through November. The vendors are between Ogden & Palisade from 10am-3pm. Take a stroll through Riverview-Fisk Park (with NYC views) in Jersey City Heights and enjoy live music, and a variety of awesome vendors like Alstede Farms, Stony Hill Farms, Headquarters Farms, RH Farms, Nature’s Own, and more.

The Southwest Park Farmers Market – This farmers market is brand new to the 2022 season. Like other markets, the new market will offer an underserved neighborhood fresh vegetables, fruits, and baked goods. Where: North side of Observer Highway between Jackson Street and Harrison Street through midNovember Thursdays 2-8pm.

Uptown Farmers Market – The City of Hoboken will host the Uptown Farmers Market every Saturday, from 9am-2pm, under the 14th Street viaduct between Grand and Adams Streets, Hoboken. The market will have a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other local products. Some of the vendors in atten dance are Stony Hill Farms, Cotton Cattle, Hoboken Farms, Roger’s Seafood, Pick-Licious, Choc-O-Pain and Paolo’s Kitchen. To add to the fun, there will be live music on some days.

Van Vorst Park Farmer’s Market – Van Vorst Farmers Market, Van Vorst Park, Montgomery and Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, will be open until December on Saturdays, 8am-2pm. This open-air market offers a wide variety of goods, including fresh organic and conventional fruits and vegetables, baked goods,

Psychological trauma means either witnessing a trauma or experiencing a trauma. Either one can be disturbing or even terrifying. Psychological trauma affects how our brain functions. Psychological trauma affects our psyche. There is likely damage or an interruption in our psyche because of the shocking event we experienced or witnessed, so functioning normally after a disturbance or frightening experience may be difficult. We may not be able to cope or handle ourselves or problems like we did before the trauma.

In addition to shock, results of psychologi cal trauma could also be fear, anger or denial. Signs that the traumatic event are still affect ing can manifest as frustration, irritability or being on edge without cause. Another sign is that we may be startled easily, as if we are expecting another trauma. We may become hypervigilant, scanning the horizon looking for expected trauma to find us.

Psychological trauma concerns can be emotional, as well. Anxiety, panic attacks, fear and anger may ensue. Psychological trauma may also result in obsessive and compulsive behaviors. Disbelief is sometimes the outcome of a terrifying event, including emotional numbing or detachment. Some one that has been traumatized may become depressed. Guilt and shame (very lowvibrational frequencies) can result, especially if the traumatized person survived the event when others did not.

Psychological trauma is different for different people, depending on past experi ences. If this is the first accident or death witnessed by a person for example, or the

first trauma, they will have a different type of reaction than someone that has been in other accidents or witnessed many deaths or traumas, and is thus compounded in its effect. Someone that has been traumatized many times may react more intensely and more deeply, such as military soldiers, and it may be harder to help them.

Dissociation, in which a person mentally disconnects themselves from the experience, often occurs in people after more intense or more frequent traumatic experiences as a survival technique. With dissociation, the person may even feel detached from their physical body as a defense mechanism from experiencing sadness, depression and anger at the event or experiencing shame and guilt for surviving the event. Dissociation may prevent feelings of unworthiness for surviv ing when others did not.

Anyone that has experienced a psycho logical trauma needs to feel empowered and hopeful about the future and life in general. It is easy for the traumatic experience to cloud the future with doom and gloom, taking over the psyche and affecting decision and problem-solving capabilities because of perceiving the world from low-vibrational state of being. ENERGIZE.

World’s Most Dangerous Greenhouse Gas Goes Unregulated

The United Nations Intergovern mental Panel on Climate Change has determined that one pound of sul fur hexafluoride, an electrical insulator, heats the planet as much as 25,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and remains in the atmo sphere for 3,200 years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has labeled it as one of several long-lived, synthetic, fluorine-con taining chemicals released by heavy industry, chemical manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers and electric utilities, noting that once released, they are “essentially, permanent additions to the atmosphere.”

Duke Energy reported leaking nearly 11 metric tons of it into the atmosphere from its electric substations in North and South Carolina in 2020, according to mandatory EPA reporting. Their greenhouse gas equivalency calculator states those emissions amount to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 59,000 automobiles.

The 88 utilities that participate in the EPA emissions reduction program, nearly half of the U.S. electric grid, are looking for ways to completely eliminate sulfur hexafluoride emissions. Unless they succeed, emissions will likely increase along with growth of the electric grid, which must increase to two to five times its current level by midcentury if the country is to meet its net-zero emissions targets.

Charging Electric Vehicles at Night Poses New Challenge

As electric vehicle (EV) owners learn how to install home chargers, find public charging stations and avoid range anxiety, the demand for power could burden the electric grid in western states at peak times by up to 25 per cent if most charging is done at night, according to one Stanford University study. Unlike filling a car with gasoline, charging an electric car takes time. The fastest chargers on the market today can reach 80 percent in 20 to 30 minutes, but many are slower, taking between two and 22 hours to completion. Thus, around 80 percent of EV charging occurs overnight at home when the driver doesn’t need the car.

That charging pattern challenges the way electricity is generated and distributed. The largest need overall is in the evening from approximately 5 to 9 p.m. Photovoltaic panels produce energy during the middle of the day, so the highest electricity demand comes when solar is dormant.

“Once 30 or 40 percent of cars are EVs, it’s going to start significantly impacting what we do with the grid,” says Ram Rajagopal, a professor of civil and environmental engi neering at Stanford University and one of the study’s authors. One solution is for more EV owners to shift to daytime charging at work or public charging stations.

Tree Roots Adapt to Sequester More Carbon

At the Univer sity of Birmingham in the UK and Bergen, Norway, scientists have shown that atmospheric carbon dioxide pumped into a mature forest at levels predicted to be the norm by 2050 will cause trees to produce more and longer roots, thus absorbing and storing more carbon. Re searcher Angeliki Kourmouli says, “We usually take soil for granted, but it forms a crucial part of many ecosys tems and plays a significant role in carbon storage.”

The study team gathered thousands of images of tiny tree roots assembled over two years at the Birming ham Institute of Forest Research Free-Air CO2 En richment. The images were used to build a mathemati cal picture of the birth, growth and death of roots in an oak forest. Some im ages were taken of roots in situ using a high-resolution camera sent under the for est floor in a set of trans parent tubes, and others came from soil cores.

Professor Iain Johnston, who led the study, says, “It’s obviously hard to view these processes going on beneath the ground. But a combination of innovative engineering and careful field and lab work from our team have helped us shed new light on this behavior and on how confident we can be in our findings.”

Victor/AdobeStock.com

Human Composting Offers

Sustainable Burial

With the passage of a recent law, Californians will have a new option for the final resting place of those that die beginning in 2027. This makes California the fifth state, along with Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Vermont, to allow human composting, and the most popu lous.

The most common process for human composting, known as natural organic reduction, involves leaving the body in a container with wood chips and other organic matter for about a month to let bacteria do its work, then curing for a few more weeks before being turned over to the family. This process will save about a metric ton of CO2 per body.

Conventional burials expend ap proximately three gallons of embalm ing liquid containing toxic levels of formaldehyde, methanol and ethanol. Cremation creates more than 500 pounds of carbon diox ide from the burning of just one body, and burning uses up the energy equivalent of two tanks of gasoline.

Assembly member Cristina Garcia, who sponsored the bill, says, “AB-351 will provide an additional option for California residents that is more environmentally friendly and gives them another choice for burial. With climate change and sea level rise as very real threats to our envi ronment, this is an alternative method of final disposition that won’t contribute emissions into our atmosphere.”

World’s Most Dangerous Greenhouse Gas Goes Unregulated

The United Na tions Intergovern mental Panel on Climate Change has determined that one pound of sulfur hexafluo ride, an electrical insulator, heats the planet as much as 25,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and remains in the atmosphere for 3,200 years.

The U.S. Environ mental Protection Agency (EPA) has labeled it as one of several long-lived, synthetic, fluorine-containing chemicals released by heavy industry, chemical manufacturers, semiconduc tor manufacturers and electric utilities, noting that once released, they are “essentially, permanent additions to the atmosphere.”

Duke Energy reported leaking nearly 11 metric tons of it into the atmosphere from its electric substations in North and South Carolina in 2020, according to mandatory EPA reporting. Their greenhouse gas equivalency calculator states those emissions amount to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 59,000 automobiles.

The proper response, as Hanukkah teaches, is not to curse the darkness but to light a candle.

~Irving Greenberg

The 88 utilities that participate in the EPA emissions reduction program, nearly half of the U.S. electric grid, are looking for ways to completely eliminate sulfur hexafluo ride emissions. Unless they succeed, emissions will likely increase along with growth of the electric grid, which must increase to two to five times its current level by midcentury if the country is to meet its net-zero emissions targets.

Victor/AdobeStock.com

Transforming Our World

WORKING TOGETHER FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE

by Linda Sechrist

With all the chaos occurring in the world today, it is challenging to remain centered and not feel over whelmed. Every shocking headline seems to pull the proverbial rug out from under us. Thought leader Laureen Golden explains the dilemma this way: “Psychologically, we were raised, educated and socialized in a world that no longer really exists. We have a new world that we must navigate, and we need a new psychology, a whole new way of being for that world. Reducing, compartmentalizing, separating things in order to understand them no longer works for us. It’s going to take work to get out of this paradigm.”

Drawing from her background in education and social work, Golden ponders, “How does that new psychology develop when all our institutions charged with cultivating consciousness— schools, families, religious institutions and organizations—are set in the 19th and 20th centuries? Since learning is how we go from one paradigm to another, where do we go to learn the skills and the structures we need to be successful in such a complex world? We can’t do it individually. We must learn in collectives.”

The paradigm shift envisioned by Golden offers an opportunity for us to access innovative methods of learning, discovery and connection, such as sociocracy (a self-governance system based

on the equality of its mem bers); systems thinking (an approach to complexity that looks at the whole and ana lyzes relationships, rather than splitting it into smaller pieces); permaculture (exploring natu ral ecosystems as a whole); circle methods (thinking things through as a group); and Indigenous wisdom (fo cusing on the interconnected ness of all things).

All of these methods focus on an ethos of collaboration and teach us how to discern wisdom, which is different than knowledge. By engaging in these conversations and explorations, we learn that if we tug on any one part of the web of life, we tug the whole web—an important analogy for our times.

A Beloved Community Co-Creating an Island of Sanity Through Collaboration

Instead of shouting, “The sky is falling, and the seas are rising,” in response to a world that is unraveling and expe riencing the growing realities of global warming, residents of St. Petersburg, Florida, are embracing resilience. To prove that the future is born in webs of human conversation, the city is counting on collective intelligence to emerge.

Among the tools city par ticipants are employing is The World Café, developed by Juanita Brown and David Isaac, which allows people to host group conversations around thoughtful questions. The concept is designed to evoke deeper listening and give rise to solutions for today’s challenges in a more con scious, intentional and strategic way. Forty citizens have taken The World Café facilitation course. Employing a simple and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue, this methodol ogy enables participants to clarify the context, create hospitable space, explore questions that matter, encourage everyone’s contribution, connect diverse perspectives, listen together for patterns and insights, and share collective discoveries.

Other important work being applied is that of bestselling author and longtime community organizer Margaret Wheatley. Her training, which is designed to cultivate what she calls “Warriors of the Human Spirit,” arouses people’s inherent generosity, creativity, compassion and need for community. Known as a big-systems

thinker throughout her 45-year career, Wheatley has concluded that the only opportunity for change is at the local level. Ques tions that encourage collective learning became integral to creat ing cohesiveness in St. Petersburg this year.

Dr. Donella Meadows’ “systems thinking” has helped St. Peters burg participants understand that living systems begin as net works, shift to intentional communities of practice and evolve into powerful systems capable of influence. Also instructive has been “complexity theory”, which helped participants recognize human systems as organizations, families and communities.

“The city leaders felt conversations were important enough to invest $20,000 to cultivate a culture of conversational leadership in the neighborhoods. Another $25,000 was granted by the Com munity Foundation of Tampa Bay to research the outcomes. Now, the Florida Council of Churches, University of South Florida, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and The Connection Partners have received a Community Vibrancy grant of $14,500 to pilot conversations in three neighborhoods, spreading the skills in creating participatory democracy. Participants will host conversations in their own neighborhoods,” says St. Petersburg resident Sharon Joy Kleitsch, founder of The Connection Partners and a longtime catalyst for applying strategic actions based on the new sciences of complexity theory, strategic thinking and quantum science.

“Those who have used World Café as a tool know that a culture of conversational leadership offers citizens the op portunity to experience a sense of oneness and connectedness. We’ve explored what happens when we share feelings of care, compassion and appreciation toward a beloved community,” says Kleitsch. “We found that group resonance, profound personal involvement and deeply engrossing, interactive conversation supports a City of Compassion and an International City of Peace, which St. Petersburg was chosen to be. I want to be sure that people understand that we do not have answers. Together, we are exploring pathways and listening for the answers to emerge.”

Since 2020, a thoughtfully selected group of Florida activists—including partici pants from St. Petersburg— have been holding weekly online Zoom conversations that matter. In 2021, they

were joined by participants from Ohio to study the Capra Course, which is based on The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision by bestselling author Fritjof Capra.

“What we discovered after only two weeks was that we were ourselves a living system connecting to itself and be coming self-organized,” says Kleitsch. “We became aware that we were learning together. We were sharing what we were learning around subjects such as honoring Indigenous peoples, local food systems, the human right to clean water, reimaging capitalism and many more subjects. We’ve also bifurcated into a Sarasota [Florida] cohort. The key is, we were not random. We were a self-selected study group learning collaboratively, which is the best way I recom mend activists study the Capra Course.”

attention to themes, patterns and insights, participants begin to sense a connection to the larger whole.”

According to Wheatley, the important work is to foster critical connections. She believes it is not necessary to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, she suggests we connect with kindred spirits. Through these relationships and tools like The World Café, we can develop the new knowledge, practices and commitment that lead to broad-based change.

Wheatley sometimes opens her interviews with an ancient Hopi prophecy that reads as if it were applicable to our current times: “Here now is a river flowing very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid, who will try to hold on to the shore. They are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. The elders say, ‘Let go of the shore, push off and go into the middle of the river. Keep your heads above the water. Know the river has its destination.’ The elders say, ‘See who is in there with you and celebrate.’ At this time in history, we are to take nothing seriously; least of all, ourselves. Gather yourselves. Everything we do now must be done in a spirit of celebration, for we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

Seeing who is in the river of chaos with us, we can choose to re spond with, “How can I serve with what I have, where I am?” This is what any Warrior of the Human Spirit would say because in the same river of chaos, there are also the seeds of transformation. In these turbulent times when all the old boundaries are unravelling and all the old certainties are dissolving, there is a possibility for creative transformation if we work together.

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Argerie Vasilakes, who is re searching outcomes, explains that her work is dedicated to helping teams, communities and organizations become more coherent. “I start with traditional ways of thinking about our relationships with nature that native peoples have never forgotten—humans are part of nature, not apart from nature,” she explains. “To me, human organizations, communities, families and governments are also part of nature and examples of natural ecosystems. So, I naturally look at things from a living systems perspective.” Vasilakes advises, “In a group that is learning together, such as those in the St. Peters burg neighborhoods, group conversations organized around questions specifically crafted for the context and desired purpose of the World Café evoke a deeper kind of listening, the most important factor determining the success of a Café. They spark learning conversations that can pro duce insights and innovation for meeting the challenges they face. Through practicing shared listening and paying

Linda Sechrist is Natural Awakenings’ senior staff writer. n TheWorldCafe.com

TOOLS FOR CO-CREATING BELOVED COMMUNITIES

New Dimensions Radio (NewDimensions.org)

MargaretWheatley.com

DonellaMeadows.com n A good explanation of comple xity theory is at Tinyurl.com/ ComplexityTheoryExplained

n InternationalFuturesForum. com

n SociocracyForAll.org

n Lynn McTaggart’s books, in cluding: Living with Intention: The Science of Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World and The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous En ergies of a Small Group to Heal Others and the World

HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERING

THE GIFT OF GIVING

As we indulge in magnificent feasts and open gifts in cozy living rooms, let’s pause to express gratitude for all that we have and look for ways to help those less fortunate. The holiday season is the time for giving. One of the best ways to get into the spirit is by volunteering time and treasure to meaningful causes and underprivileged individuals. Here are a few ideas.

ADOPT A FAMILY

Find a nearby impoverished fam ily that could use a houseful of gifts, including toys, blankets and warm clothes, then do a little shopping and make their holiday dreams come true. Local social service agencies can help identify the lucky family.

HANDMADE HOLIDAY CARDS

Spend an afternoon making holiday greeting cards to warm the hearts of lonely seniors, U.S. armed service members and children in hospitals battling serious illnesses. This is a great activity to do with kids—teach ing them important lessons about kindness and generosity. For cardmaking ideas and distribution help: RedCross.org, LoveForOurElders.org, CardsForHospitalizedKids.com and ColorASmile.org

TOYS FOR TOTS

Nothing is sadder than a child without at least one holiday gift. Fortunately, several organizations and thousands of generous people do their very best to fill those empty little hands with merriment. Here are a few places that need donations of time, money and gifts: ToysForTots.org, Samaritans Purse.org, SalvationArmyUSA.org and OperationHelpAHero.org

MAKE A BLANKET

Some kids could really use the cozy warmth and comfort of their very own security binky. Here are two organi zations that provide blanket-making ideas and instructions, and also help facilitate their collection and distribu tion: ProjectLinus.org and BinkyPatrol. org. This is a wonderful group project for families or classrooms.

HOLIDAY MEALS

Food insecurity is a serious problem in this country, and lowincome families that rely on government assistance and food banks for everyday nutrition will likely not have the wherewithal for a holiday feast. Here’s where our help comes in. The fol lowing organizations either serve free holiday meals or give away food baskets: local churches, temples and mosques; MealsOnWheels America.org; neighborhood food pantries and soup kitch ens; and SalvationArmyUSA.org

CHILDREN BATTLING ILLNESS AND TROUBLED FAMILIES

Here are a few charities that accept monetary donations and sweat equity to aid children battling serious diseases or troubled family situations: StJude.org, OneSimpleWish. org, Wish.org and Prison Fel lowship.org

HELP FOR NEGLECTED PETS AND IMPERILED WILDLIFE

These organizations accept donations of money and time: the American So ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (aspca.org); National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org); Best Friends Animal Society (BestFriends.org); Friends of Animals (FriendsOfAnimals.org); Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org); Alley Cat Allies (AlleyCat.org); Jane Goodall Institute (JaneGoodall.org); and The Hu mane Society of the United States (Humane Society.org).

PICKLEBALL IS BOOMING

GET INTO A PICKLE FOR HOLIDAY FITNESS

by Jyl Steinback

Ron Alvey/AdobeStock.com

Forget the gherkins and dills this holiday season; there’s another pickle in town. This one offers a great way to get in shape, increase happiness and bond with family and friends. It’s pickleball: a simple-to-learn sport that requires less run ning than tennis and can be played both indoors and outdoors. Players use oversized ping pong-style paddles to hit a wiffle ball over a low net on a badminton-sized court.

The Economist , and other media, say pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport. While seniors are particularly drawn to it, it is also catching on with all ages. “The fastpaced games make it easier for kids to stay engaged, as well as socialize with their peers,” says Sarah Ansboury, director of pickleball at Palmetto Dunes, in South Carolina. “Many families do pickleball events for holidays and reunions. Pickleball enables people of all ages to participate.”

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), there are 4.8 million pickleball players in America, with 51 percent between 6 and 34 years of age. At the end of 2021, there were 9,524 pickleball courts across the U.S.

In 2020, Mecklenburg County, in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, opened the eightcourt John Stevens Pickleball Center, the eighth facility in the county where citizens can play the game. Since 2014, the number of public and private courts in the same region has soared from two to more than 100.

The SFIA says growth is happening across the country, with participation spiking 40 percent during the pandemic. In Florida, St. Lucie County unveiled four new courts at its Lakewood Regional Park in September. Even bars are getting into the act, such as Dale Z’s, in Milwaukee, which christened its pickleball court in the same month.

Being a super athlete is not a prereq uisite for playing the game, according to Mac McCullough, a pickleballer in Scotts dale, Arizona. “I used to play other sports, but running and tennis got harder on my knees,” he says. “Pickleball has a lower net and a smaller court, so you aren’t running as much. Still, it gives you a good workout and it’s easier on your joints.”

A 2016 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise c onfirms that pickleball provides a good workout. According to the researchers, average heart rate and peak heart rate were higher during pickleball than when walking. Participants burned 40 percent more calories in 30 minutes of the sport than in 30 minutes of walking. Additionally, the study concludes, “Pickleball is more enjoyable than walking at a self-selected speed.”

Dr. Dennis Pena, a podiatrist from Phoenix, says the game has improved his hand-eye coordination. “The more I play pickleball, the better my balance, coordi nation and movement get,” he says. “It’s a good cardio workout, and I just feel better overall when I play regularly.”

A study from Western State Colorado University indicates that pickleball fosters many health benefits over a wide range of ages. The study followed 15 people between 40 to 85 that played for an hour three times

per week. All participants showed im provement in cardio fitness, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Research has confirmed that exercise boosts endorphins, which reduces stress and improves overall sense of well-being. A 2018 study from a group of researchers in the U.S. and South Korea showed that pick leball can help stave off depression, too. It reported that although depression rates are increasing in the U.S., people involved in “serious leisure” such as pickleball are less prone to depression.

It’s not just older people that can ben efit from the recreational activity. Teen obesity rates have skyrocketed nation wide, much of it due to a lack of exercise. Pickleball could help combat this. It is fun, easy to learn, boosts cardio fitness and can be played just about anywhere. Some colleges are now even offering pick leball scholarships.

Holly Fitzgerald, a physical therapist from Woburn, Massachusetts, gives this ad vice on how to get ready to play the game:

Squats with body mass can help develop and stretch quadriceps and hamstrings, en abling the ability to compress leg muscles swiftly and consistently. This will help reduce gravitational pull to address the pickleball as it comes at us.

Large arm circles will stretch muscles and prepare them for the considerable movements that occur when striking a ball.

Exercises that develop the core, such as core twisting, are also beneficial.

Places2Play.org provides a search engine to help find a court anywhere in America. Pick leball is a great way to get family and friends together over the holidays and beyond. It is fun, helps nurture relationships and it is a lot healthier than grazing on holiday leftovers while scanning social media.

Jyl Steinback is the executive director of Shape Up US, creator of the Hip Hope Healthy Heart Program for Children, an author and a recipient of a Community Leadership Award from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. Reach her at Jyl@ShapeUpUS.org.

A Feast of Light

by Marlaina Donato

Despite the whirl wind of our to-do and places-to-go lists, the wheel of the year turns once more, al lowing us to close another chapter of our lives with grace. If we take a breath, we might notice December’s invitation to kick off our shoes, curl up in our favorite chair and drop down into our heart space.

Whether we light scented can dles for ambience, drink cocoa while sitting around a bonfire or continue time-honored spiritual customs, welcoming the light can ignite hope when we need it most. By cultivating the inner sun, that place deep within us that blazes with resilience and plenty, we not only fortify our selves, but everyone around us. Throughout the year, many of us invest in making healthy choices, but neglect soul sustenance. Swap ping trivial distractions for more face-to-face conversations, answering someone’s forgotten email or bringing a homemade pot of soup to a neighbor that is busy packing for a move creates a feast of light during all seasons.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,” wrote Gautama Buddha, and perhaps we would be astounded to see how far the smallest gesture can travel. Inviting a friend that has no family to a

holiday dinner or out for coffee, spending more quality time with a child or buying a gift card for the receptionist at the dental office begets a chain reaction of small joys. When we fill our bellies with everyday magic, slow down to finish a cup of tea, turn off the news and notice the crescent moon nestled in the twi light, we become more inclined to feel blessed.

A few worthy inspirations to pass along:

n Make it a spiritual offering to choose joy today

n Close the year by letting go of a grievance or an outdated belief

n Tell someone how they bring light into your life

n Share a favorite book that is inspiring

n Acquire a new source of light—a lantern or salt lamp—for your favorite room

n Leave an uplifting quote on a loved one’s voicemail

Marlaina Donato is an author, painter and composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

Artfoliophoto/GettyImages.com

The Best Gift of All

TEACHING CHILDREN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

by Madiha Saeed

Teaching children the value of generosity and kindness is not just good for the world, it is good for our kids, too. Studies have shown that acts of altruism can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, increase self-esteem, reduce de pression and lower stress levels. Selfless contributions also can foster a sense of belonging, whether they are donating material things, sharing their time or freely conveying love and kindness. A magnanimous child is repaid with benefits that nourish the body and soul.

Empathy and Mirror Neurons

To transform children into givers, they need to learn how to share and comprehend other people’s feelings. Known as cognitive empathy, it involves understanding another person’s emotions on an intellectual level, taking into consideration their situation and anticipating

how they might react.

Since the 1990s, scientists have been researching mirror neurons which respond to actions that we observe in the same way as when we actually perform those actions ourselves. These neurons play a consider able role in the development of speech, language, learning, emotional intelligence, empathy and understanding, so children need to see and receive acts of giving and love to become givers themselves.

Giving Heals

With mental health conditions in children on the rise, charitable behavior can improve their mental well-being and help them secrete “feel-good” chemicals in the brain like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. “I think helping our kids experience the happiness that comes from giving to others is probably one of the most valuable ways we can nurture generosity in them,” says Lara Aknin, an assistant professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University, in Canada. “It sets off this positive cycle. Giving makes people happy and hap piness promotes giving.”

Functional MRIs of people that donate to charities have shown that the act of giving stimulates reward centers of the brain where endorphins are released. These hormones lower cortisol, improve blood circulation, lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve

Volunteering

Volunteering makes an immeasurable dif ference in the lives of others and creates a sense of purpose in the person doing it. Sci ence has shown that engaging in volunteer work can decrease depression, reduce stress, increase longevity and help the person stay mentally and physically active. Volunteers get to meet others, develop new relationships and strengthen existing relationships with those that have similar goals and interests. There are many opportunities for children and parents to volunteer through school, religious and nonprofit organizations.

Random Acts of Kindness and Generosity

Random acts of kindness and generosity include smiling, holding the door open for someone and reaching out to loved ones. Include a child in these activities and encourage them to do the same. “When you see your children being generous, point it out and praise them,” recommends The Center for Parenting Education. “Help them put into words the positive feelings they may have as they help others.”

digestion, clear out toxins, help the immune system fight infections and renew energy to repair cells and fight cancer. Other benefits include lower inflammation overall, im proved sleep, decreased feelings of restlessness and reduc tions in chronic pain.

Giving and Social Support

In a 2020 study reported in JAMA Network, researchers found that young adults ages 19 to 20 that perceived higher levels of social support—the feeling that there is someone they can depend on for help should they need it—were less likely to report depressive and anxiety symptoms or suicidal ideation one year later. The study also found that even in cases where people previously experienced mental health problems, social support was beneficial for mental health later on.

Love and secure attachments, such as those experienced through acts of giving, strengthen the body; help regulate emotions, attention and behavior; mitigate the effects of stress; and promote lifelong, healthy development.

The most important ingredient to develop a child with a healthy brain and body is love. Children need positive experiences for pathways in their brain and body to work. Developing empathy for themselves and others increases emo tional strength and self-regulation. Improve the life of a child—physi cally, emotionally and spiritually—by teaching them the simple of act of giving.

Madiha Saeed, M.D., ABIHM, is the bestselling author of The Holistic RX, an international speaker, founder of HolisticMomMD.com and director of educa tion for KnoWEwell.com.

vejaa/AdobeStock.com

To transform children into givers, they need to learn how to share and comprehend other people’s feelings.

SUSTAINABLE HOLIDAYS

EASY TIPS FOR AN ECO-FRIENDLY SEASON

by Kirby Baldwin

The holidays are upon us, and that means decking the halls, gathering with loved ones, exchanging gifts and treats— and creating a lot of waste in the process. From Thanks giving to New Year’s Day, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash than at any other time of year. That’s 1 million extra tons each week, primarily due to waste from holiday gifts and décor. Fortunately, there are ways to cut down on consumption to lessen the environmental impact of the holiday season without sacrificing any joy.

Savor Local Fare

Ditch grocery store lines and instead shop for the holiday meal at a nearby family farm. By participating in the local food move ment, we will not only enjoy fresh, seasonal ingredients while supporting the local economy, but also sustain farms that build soil health, promote animal well-being and offer a more delicious and nutritionally superior final product. Purchasing food directly from farmers also eliminates the extra packaging and the carbon

footprint of transportation that comes with store-bought goods.

In addition to offering fruits and vegetables for holiday pies and soufflés, regional farms can also be good sources for locally sourced grains, holiday meats, baked goods and cheeses. Festive cocktails can be purchased from a neigh borhood distillery, brewery or winery, many of which source their ingredients from local farmers.

Ronald Mirante, founder of Bone-In Food, runs a weekly food delivery service that provides only sustainable, nutrient-dense foods sourced from local farm partners. According to Mirante, “Shopping for food locally with your farmers for the holiday helps them move offerings they have raised all season long. This empowers the local food community and makes their operations sustainable by preventing food waste and allowing for economic preparation for next year’s harvest.”

For a state-by-state directory of local farmers of meat, eggs and dairy products from 100 percent pastured animals, visit EatWild. com. A directory of family farms and farmers markets, along with

restaurants and grocery stores that feature locally produced food, can be found at LocalHarvest.org.

Gift Greener

Instead of using unrecyclable gift wrap ping paper, switch to a recycled alternative or wrap gifts in pieces of fabric, newsprint or kraft paper that can be repurposed or recycled. To eliminate shopping and wrap ping altogether, give the gift of an experi ence, which allows loved ones to create lasting memories.

Cater experiential gifts to the needs and

on full-moon hikes, tapped and harvested our own maple syrup, enjoyed solstice bon fire parties and more. Giving a membership gift helps everyone enjoy the outdoors and sustain the natural places we love.”

When it’s not possible to gift an experi ence, shop locally for gifts made of natural materials, such as a beautiful, wooden, cutting board, a cozy pair of wool socks or a piece of pottery handmade by local arti sans. Christmas stockings can create un necessary waste for the sake of filling them to the brim. Try replacing plastic odds and ends with fruits, nuts or handmade treats like cookies or granola for more sustain able—and tastier—stocking stuffers.

Deck the Halls

Katecat/AdobeStock.com

wants of the recipient. An exhausted new parent will appreciate a restaurant gift certificate or a coupon to pay for a babysit ter. Give the budding golfer lessons with a local pro, the theater lover tickets to an upcoming show and the selfless caregiver a spa treatment to help them feel pampered and refreshed. For the person that seems to have everything, make a donation in their name to a worthy cause that matters deeply to them.

According to publishing executive and mother Tacy Quinn, who runs the Ins tagram account @friluftslivingfamily, “As our kids get older, we love to find outdoor adventure ideas that are fun to do as a fam ily and get us off our screens. One of our holiday gift-giving traditions each year is to purchase or renew a membership to a local nature organization. Many organizations have great family programs that are includ ed with yearly memberships, so this annual gift means we get a whole year of outdoor experiences to enjoy together. We’ve gone

For the most sustainable holiday tree, opt for a potted or locally cut, native choice. Live trees protect the soil, serve as wildlife habitats and filter the air during the six to eight years they’re growing. They also cre ate local jobs. After the holidays are over, the potted trees can be planted. Cut live

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trees should either be mulched or recycled, rather than thrown in a landfill.

Merry and Bright

Making just a few simple swaps in gifting, feasting and decorating will ease holiday consumption and lessen its environmental impacts without subtracting any of the joy.

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Physical

calendar of events

ongoing

Diabetes Support Group – 12-1pm. First Mon. Join this virtual support group once a month to discuss issues you are having living with diabetes – with other people living with diabetes. Utilizing peer group problem-solving (asking questions, lis tening to responses and having a group discussion) we will come up with personalized solutions for you. Seize the opportunity to meet others living with diabetes and talk about your personal challenges as you would talk to a friend. Register online Diabe tesFoundationInc.org.

Recovery Meetings – RWJBarnabas Health In stitute for Prevention and Recovery’s Hope and Healing Program offers emotional support services, education and community-based resources for in dividuals and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a variety of virtual services, this program aims to assist those impacted by the pan demic to better adjust to their new reality, mitigate stress, review options, develop coping strategies, and, if needed, find linkages to agencies, programs, and other resources in their community. All Recov ery virtual meetings provide social support for those seeking or maintaining recovery, as well as family members, friends and supporters of those who have been influenced by substance use. See website for a list of meetings and registration info. RWJBH. org/treatment-care/institute-for-prevention-andrecovery/programs/hope-and-healing/.

Crossword Club – 5-6pm. Join on Zoom to do a crossword puzzle every Monday! Test your puzzle skills! Geared for children in grades 4 to 12. NBPL. org/Event/Crossword-Club.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

Jersey City Farmers Market – Mon & Thur. through Dec. 4-8pm. The Historic Downtown Jersey City farmers’ market features various NJ vendors and local Jersey City vendors. Operating for over a decade, the Historic Downtown Jersey City Farmers Market, conveniently located by the PATH Train station and Grove Street bus stop in the heart of the historic downtown, it’s the place to get your grocer ies and treats! Come out and support NJ farms and businesses and get your fresh produce, pies, cookies, flowers and more. 201-547-3554. JCDowntown.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10-11

Happy Holiday Artist & Maker Market—12 - 6 pm. The Artist & Maker Market is an open-air bazaar featuring locally created fine art and premium handcrafted goods. AMM connects artists and artisans with the Jersey City & metro NYC community. Their mission is to support handmade goods as an alternative to mass-produced items and to cultivate small business and entrepreneurship by providing a thriving place for them to sell. Location: Grove Street PATH Plaza (Outdoors) & The Ashford Rooftop (Indoors).

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3

Winter Hudson River Loop Walk—8:30 am –7:00 pm Get moving, enjoy panoramic scenery along the Hudson River. Cross the grand George Washing ton Bridge on foot. Enjoy a day of sweeping vistas

along the river on a pedestrian-friendly route. The Winter Hudson River Loop Walk is a one-day 28mile walk along the Hudson bordering NYC and NJ. We start at the PATH station at Exchange Place in Jersey City and continue north along a nearly con tinuous Hudson River Waterfront Walkway on the Jersey side to the George Washington Bridge. After the spectacular trip across the bridge, we connect to the Hudson River Greenway trail, head south and end at Penn Station. Location: Exchange Place 15 Exchange Place Jersey City, NJ 07302

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21-22

Hudson County Health and Wellness Expo—11 am – 3 pm. Join The Hudson Reporter for our 2023 Health and Wellness Expo. We are opening the doors to the community to learn how to live a healthy life. This event will provide information, resources and interactive activities for people of all ages.

FEBRUARY 24-26, 2023

Yoga Nidra Training with Cathy Dirkx—Save the date! with Cathy Dirkx, formerly of Laugh ing Lotus, NYC, now teaching in-person, at Pure Bliss Yoga. Learn the art of conscious relaxation! Yoga nidra, roughly translated as yogic sleep, can help you compress 4 to 5 hours of deep rest inside a 20-minute nidra session! Open to all. CE credit available for yoga teachers. Register under Train ings at www.pure-bliss-yoga.com/events (early bird savings and scholarships available).

MARCH 2-9, 2023

Soul Shine Retreat in Kauai, Hawaii 5-star resort accommodations, daily yoga, meditation, past-life regression and reiki work shops, nature walks and tons of beach time! For more information, visit www.pure-bliss-yoga. com/events.

classifieds

Fee for classifieds is $33 (up to 40 words) + $1 per word over 40 words, prepaid. To place listing, email con tent to Publisher@NaturalAwaken ingsNNJ.com or Call 201-781-5577. Deadline is the 10th of the month.

FOR SALE

OCEAN-FRONT PROPERTY IN BELIZE FOR SALE– This expensive oceanfront propery is an amazing opportunity to develop beachfront lots, a resort, nature reserve, or your own private oasis. The 37-acre property stretches 700 feet along the Caribbean coast line. The land has been surveyed. Priced for quick sale: $550,000. 201-926-0338.

WELLNESS PROFESSIONALS – Health and Wellness Coaches, Acupuncturist P/T or F/T independent Position in the e-commerce Wellness Industry, a Life giving opportunity. Create your own Schedule from Home, Com plete training for passionate, Knowledgeable, Enthusistic, Wellness Professionals. Please contact: Dr Marianne Messina at 914-309-4741 or mmessinadc@gmail.com.

NOT SURE YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH? Let’s chat. Schedule a tarot reading and get the clarity you’re looking for. Visit: theclairgar dener.com or call 201503-6335.

communityresourceguide

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

DENTIST

DR. VLADIMIR GASHINSKY DDS

Holistic Dental Center of NJ 91 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, NJ 973-609-5984

• HolisticDentalCenterNJ.com

Holistic Dental Center focuses on oral care that’s good for the body as well as the teeth and gums. By treating the cause - not just the symptoms, Dr. Gashinsky and his team of doctors seek to improve patients’ quality of life through holistic and biological dentistry that respects and honors the body. See ad on back cover.

LOUIS STEINBERG, DDS, MS

6050 Boulevard E, Ste LE, West New York, NJ 201-662-2020 • DrLMSteinberg.com

Whole body dentistry focused on im proving smiles and overall health. We provide full preventative services in cluding safe removal of mercury amalgams, biological periodontal therapy, orthodontics, supportive thera pies for toxin removal, TMJ dysfunc tion and chronic face pain and dental management of sleep disorders. See ad on page 9.

DOWSING

JEANIE PASQUALE

Professional Dowser 845-709-5245 dowsing@househarmony.org HouseHarmony.org

Protect Yourself from EMFs and other Negative Energies. A profes sional dowser can block the nega tive affect of cell phones, satellite dishes, high tension wires, geopa thic stress, interference lines and more. If you’ve been experiencing unexplained health issues and would like to be protected from this negative energy , call to see how dowsing can help protect you.

ENERGY HEALING

ACCESS CONSCIOUSNESS®

Terry Obssuth

Access BARS Facilitator Paramus, NJ 201-655-3836 • AccessConsciousness.com

What if you are far greater than anyone has ever acknowledged? Where have you not acknowledged this for your self? What keeps you in frustration of limitation, judgment of yourself and the lack of peace and joy in your life? What if this could all change easily and create a new way of life for you. Let me introduce you to the process of Access Bars and a way to live life where you function from your own awareness having more happiness and ease. Offering Access Bars and Access Energetic Facelift sessions and classes.

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

ROMAN E. FINN, M.D.

Center for Integrative & Traditional Medicine 22 Madison Avenue, Paramus, NJ 07652 201-291-0401 • citm-drfinn.com

Dr. Roman Finn has successfully com bined holistic and integrative ways as well as modern developments in tradi tional medicine to treat a wide range of conditions including cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and immune disorders as well as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, fibrommyalgia and stress related conditions. An all-encompassing holistic approach provided through non-invasive testing. Most labs and tests are performed on premises. We are working with major insurance companies and Medicare. See ad, page 23.

HEALTHY DRINKS

NUTE JUICE

Made-to-order delivery: NUTEJUICE.COM Instagram/Facebook: @NUTEJUICERY 201-572-4201

High quality unpasteurized (no HPP) 100% organic cold pressed juice. Offering convenient delivery to improve your healthy lifestyle easily! Mix and match your favorite flavors and ginger bombs, or choose from our selection of curated juice cleanses and health boost kits. We also offer catering and bulk discounts. All juice is pressed fresh and made to order!

HEALTHY FOODS

BUSY BEE ORGANICS

451 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 201-656-5065 • BusyBeeOrganics.com

Chef Michelle Berckes and her team make up Busy Bee Organics, which serves nutritious, immuneboosting eats to the local community. This health-supportive, local eatery offers in-store specials, a brand-new cafe menu & limited outdoor seating. With choices to accommodate every dietary restriction and allergy, you can expect to find delicious options for everyone - organic, plant based, customizable & 100% gluten-free.

BWÈ KAFE

1002 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 1401 Adams St., Hoboken, NJ 140 River Dr. S, Jersey City, NJ 201-683-0045 • bwekafe.com

All three locations serve drink and food menus with several fun and fresh seasonal items. Offering fresh lemonade, housemade lavender coldbrew lattes, green water detox drinks, salads and toasts, bwé kafe is always thinking of creative and tasty drinks to satisfy your health and pallet. They also source and roast their own coffee beans. Order at the door, ahead of time online, or have them deliver right to your home.

CAFE PEANUT

586 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 201-721-6270 • CafePeanut.com

Funky cafe dedicated to quality foods using locally grown, natural and organic produce. Menu selections include delicious salads, sandwiches, soups, pastries, and artisan coffees & teas.

KEY FRESH AND NATURAL

574 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 201-204-4200

Local grocer offering huge selection of healthy products and quality brand names for the entire family. Fresh produce with many organic options, quality meats and poultry, organic baby food, grain-free and natural pet foods, non-toxic cleaning products and much more. Save time shopping in one location and get all your grocery needs met at Key Fresh and Natural. Hablamos Espanol. See ad on page 3.

PLANT BASE JC

370 Pacific Ave, Jersey City, NJ 551-256-3868 • PlantBaseMarket.com

Plant Base, is a nonprofit, vegan, zero waste community café. They recently introduced Plant Space, their new community project where the goal is to offer an affordable vegan food supply to residents as well as educate them about the benefits of being plant-based. The market is now completely donation-based in order to give everyone access to fresh and healthy food. Plant Base is also a strong community hub, known as “the living room for the hood”, where neighbors come together to share knowledge and ideas.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

ANCHOR THERAPY

223 Bloomfield St, Ste. 121, Hoboken, NJ 201-565-2275

• AnchorTherapy.org

Therapy is the anchor that holds life together through choppy waters. Anchor Therapy specializes in helping teens and adults through these times. Their experience and professional skills help clients feel better sooner. Call for a free consultation.

ACUPUNCTURE ATELIER

1321 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 201-708-8577

• AcupunctureAtelier.com

Acupuncture Atelier offers undivided personalized attention during each and every session. Sara and Samia pride themselves on being unique and adaptable. Treatments may include acupuncture, reiki, aromatherapy, moxibustion, cupping, auricular therapy, as well as ancient Shamanic healing methods.

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

~Oprah Winfrey

HOBOKEN CHIROPRACTIC + WELLNESS

Dr. Laura Brayton/Dr. Olga Alvarez

113 Monroe Street, Hoboken, NJ 201-792-3544 • HobokenChiro.com

Family wellness practice, specializing in pediatrics and maternity, that strongly believe in the body’s innate intelligence and ability to heal itself when blockages to the healing process are removed. Utilizing chiropractic, soft tissue techniques, allergy elimination, nutrition/supplements, and massage, health is restored and maintained for optimal wellness.

JACQUIE BIRD, SPIRITUAL WELLNESS

JacquieBirdWellness.com

Jacquie Bird, Spiritual Wellness offers products and services that, support, guide and empower the individual. She is the the Creator/Practitioner of Stress Busters Guided Meditations; she creates guided meditation as well as meditation music called SoundSoulVibin’ and is the Owner/Creator of the handmade wellness brand MODAL VISIONS, which is rooted in the energetically dynamic properties of gemstones, crystals and copper. Jacquie is also the Creator and host of the podcast Roll With Peace, In Mind. Her entire platform and intent is in mindfulness, personal growth, stress relief and stress management – in essence, how we can live more calm, centered, grounded and meaningful lives. See ad, page 10.

LEAH CRESCENZO

917-525-3477

• HeyLeahC.com

Transformative healer who utilizes the powerful tools of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and Hypnotherapy to improve everything from emotional to physical conditions.

OLEVIA METRY, MD

Family Medicine

108 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 201-656-5688 • Linktr.ee/Dr_Olevia

Dr. Olevia Metry is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician who grew up in Florida and has made Hoboken home for 3 years. She’s passionate about preventative medicine, lifestyle medicine, women’s health and diabetes.

RISE COACHING

Kelly Bonell

West New York Kelly@YouWillRise.co • YouWillRise.co

Serving ambitious professionals who strivie to live their best life, but sometimes get weighed down with stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and that ‘stuck’ feeling. RISE helps clients to close the gap between stagnation and success by expanding what their mind sees as possible, helping them release limiting beliefs, and accelerating their growth. Kelly Bonell is a trained life coach who provides her clients a non-judgmental, inclusive, and trauma informed space to empower them to rise to new heights. Virtual sessions available.

SALVATION WELLNESS

30 Provost St, Jersey City, NJ 551-689-0763  • SalvationWellness.com

Salvation Wellness is a multiservice wellness center that offers services such as massage, meditation, yoga classes and sauna sessions. It also sells a variety of personal care products, including CBD bath and body items. Co-founders Celia and Andres Pender have lived in Jersey City for more than a decade. They both have been dedicated to holistic health studies and deductive, science-based, natural healing for more than two decades.

HOLISTIC DENTAL CARE

VLADIMIR GASHINSKY, DDS

91 Millburn Ave, Millburn 973-457-4244 • HolisticDentalCenterNJ.com

We focus on performing holistic dental care that is good for the body as well as the teeth and gums. We put an emphasis on a more natural or holistic approach to dentistry. As a holistic dentist, Dr. Gashinsky treats the cause of the problem and not just the symp toms. He seeks to improve his patients’ quality of life through holistic dental care that respects and honors the body.

INTUITIVE FENG SHUI & MEDIDTATIVE CLEARING

LOIS KRAMER-PEREZ INTUITIVE FENG SHUI & MEDITATIVE CLEARING

Lois Kramer Perez 201-906-5767 • Fax 201-265-6037

LoisKramerPerez.com

“If we want to make changes in our lives, we must start from within.” Are you ready? Through her own journey of self-discovery, Lois has embraced diverse energy modalities as a way of life, and she wants to share them. Lois has developed simple, effective techniques that help clients sharpen their awareness, clarity and empowerment through feng shui, personal meditative clearing, and environmental space clearing. Each of these services can provide anchors for creating change from the inside out. Let’s get started!

PETS

GALLA WELLNESS

Florentina Galla, Rdh.MS GallaWellness.com

MIND BODY HOBOKEN

51 Newark Street, Ste. 402, Hoboken, NJ 201-994-3500

• MindBodyHoboken.com

Mind Body Hoboken works with individuals, corporate teams and small business owners to find balance in their personal and professional life. Finding the calm and peace in life is essential to balancing out the “fight or flight” response caused by stress. Founder/ practitioner Jennifer Araneo utilizes neurolinguistic programming, hypnosis, meditation and reiki to help clients find the Zen in their lives.

THE GREEN ROOM 109 14th St, Hoboken, NJ 64 Newark Street, Hoboken, NJ  512 Jersey Ave, Jersey City, NJ TheGreenRoomNJ.com

Newly added Jersey City location. Hoboken and Montclair’s first CBD shops that provide both in-person and online shopping. Owner Darek Michael offers education and highquality products. The Green Room is open Sunday through Thursday 11am-8pm and Fri and Sat 11am-10pm in Jersey City and Monclair.

Florentina has been using holistic care and reiki healing for decades and now is providing that for pets. She provides pet healing and holistic pet nutrition. She’s using gentle touching if an area is in pain after trauma and to reduce the healing time; she offers customized nutrition and supplement needs to manage stress and weight gain based on the pets need.

She is a regular volunteer at North Star Animal Rescue and is the author of Confessions of a Holistic Hygienist in a New Era of Wellness.

PURE BLISS YOGA

Zeni Pepper

MINDFUL PLAY YOGA

646-552-2982

• MindfulPlayYoga@gmail.com

Mindful Play Yoga brings out the kid in all of us by working with children, adults & caregivers through mindfulness, play & yoga to see the best in everyone. MPY is committed to inspiring children ages 3 -15 & families to be curious life-long learners.

Pure Bliss Yoga pure-bliss-yoga.com

Pure Bliss Yoga was founded by Zeni Pepper, a lifelong yoga and meditation practitioner, who regularly leads classes, workshops, teacher trainings and retreats. Echoing her multi-faceted life experiences, Zeni’s yoga classes are varied and deep, infused with energetic practices, philosophy, mythology, poetry and spirituality. She teaches a broad range – from intelligently weaved vinyasa flows, to blissful restorative yoga, meditation and yoga nidra, in group, private or corporate settings. You can follow and connect with her on Facebook or Instagram @zeniyoga. See, ad page 13.

Natural Virus Killer Copper can stop a virus

before it starts

By Doug Cornell

Scientists have discovered a natural way to kill germs fast.

Now thousands of people are using it against viruses and bacteria that cause illness.

Colds and many other illnesses start when viruses get in your nose and multiply. If you don’t stop them early, they spread and cause misery.

Hundreds of studies confirm copper kills viruses and bacteria almost instantly just by touch.

That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians used copper to purify water and heal wounds. They didn’t know about viruses and bacteria, but now we do.

“The antimicrobial activity of copper is well established.” National Institutes of Health.

Scientists say copper’s high conductance disrupts the electrical balance in a microbe cell and destroys it in seconds.

The EPA recommended hospitals use copper for touch surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the spread of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, and saved lives.

The strong scientific evidence gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. He made a smooth copper probe

with a tip to fit in the bottom of the nostril, where viruses collect.

When he felt a tickle in his nose like a cold about to start, he rubbed the copper gently in his nose for 60 seconds.

“It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold never happened. I used to get 2-3 bad colds every year. Now I use my device whenever I feel a sign I am about to get sick.”

He hasn’t had a cold in 10 years.

Users say:

“It works! I love it!”

“I can’t believe how good my nose feels.”

“Is it supposed to work that fast?” “One of the best presents ever.” “Sixteen flights, not a sniffle!”

“Cold sores gone!”

“It saved me last holidays. The kids all got sick, but not me.”

“I am shocked! My sinus cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.”

“Best sleep I’ve had in years!”

After his first success with it, he asked relatives and friends to try it. They all said it worked, so he patented CopperZap® and put it on the market.

Soon hundreds of people had tried it. 99% said copper worked if they used it right away at the first sign of germs, like a tickle in the nose or a scratchy throat.

Longtime users say they haven’t been sick in years. They have less stress, less medical costs, and more time to enjoy life.

Soon people found other things they could use it against.

Colds

Flu

Virus variants

Sinus trouble

Cold sores

Fever blisters

Canker sores

Strep throat

Night stuffiness

Morning congestion

Nasal drip

Infected sores

Infected wounds Styes Warts Ringworm

Other microbial threats

The handle is curved and textured to increase contact. Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched.

The EPA says copper works just as well when tarnished.

Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the science teams. He placed millions of viruses on a copper surface. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it.”

CopperZap® is made in the USA of pure copper. It has a 90-day full money back guarantee. Price $79.95. Get $10 off each CopperZap with code NATA33.

Go to www.CopperZap.com or call toll-free 1-888-411-6114.

Buy once, use forever.

Statements are not intended as product health claims and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not claimed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

New research: Copper kills viruses in seconds.