May 2021 by Natural Awakenings Northern New Jersey

E E HEALTHY LIVING FR

HEALTHY

PLANET

Special Edition

WOMEN’S HEALTH & WELLNESS BODYWORK THERAPIES

THAT HELP KEEP YOU FIT

Stylish & Sustainable F A S H I O N T H AT ’ S K I N D TO THE PLANET

Healthy Homemade

FIRST FOODS FOR BABY

SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY Eco-Friendly Makeup and Skincare Choices May 2021 | Hudson County Edition | NAHudson.com

May 2021

Key Foods offers a wide variety of healthy and organic products for you, your family and your pets. Items ranging from organic bath and body products to gluten- and dairy-free items to traditional grocery items and brands, to so much more!

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

HUDSON EDITION PUBLISHER Claire Byers EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tina Woods

EDITOR Allison Gorman

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letter from publisher

Sustaining Ourselves

pring is a time of rebirth, blooming with possibility. Everywhere you look there are buds and flowers, greener grass, butterflies, and even bugs emerging. The sights, sounds and smells make me feel uplifted and hopeful. Just as the world renews itself after a long winter, it’s time for us to do the same—and that’s especially true this year. It feels so good to be outdoors again with the sun on our faces as we enjoy a walk, take a fitness class or dine out. These experiences have become therapeutic, exercises in self-care. Two things we’ve learned over the past difficult year are that self-care is critical to longevity and quality of life, and that when life turns upside down, women sacrifice the most to set things right for others. So with this month’s magazine, we hope to put every woman back on the path of self-care, beginning with our feature article (pages 14-17) on the top five health concerns for women, including the latest treatments and therapies as well as natural strategies for preventing these problems altogether. And if you’re a woman who always thought of massage as an indulgence, allow us to change your mind with our feature on the health and fitness benefits of bodywork (pages 18-19). Getting in shape never felt so good! On the heels of Earth Day last month, we have fascinating reads on the growing trend of sustainable beauty and fashion. We’ve long understood how our food and farming choices affect the environment, but now we know it’s not just what we put in our body that matters, but also what we put on our body—in the form of lotions, soaps, shampoo and makeup, as well as clothing, bags and shoes. According to the documentary The True Cost, consumers buy around 80 billion new items of clothing a year, an increase of 400 percent from 20 years ago. That’s staggering. Just think of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the manufacture of all of those clothes. Fortunately, more companies are working to alter this unsustainable trajectory by adopting a regenerative, circular business model featuring well-made, stylish clothes. We asked our resident expert on sustainable fashion, Angelina Capalbo of Organic Good Market, to recommend her favorite eco-friendly clothing brands for kids and adults. Check them out on pages 20-21. There are some local options to choose from as well. Enjoy the blossoming of spring in all its abundance. I hope that you receive more than you need this month—and don’t forget to take a moment each day to appreciate all that you have already. Happy Mother’s Day! In health and happiness

Publisher@NAHudson.com

Natural Awakenings is a family of 50+ healthy living magazines celebrating 26 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

Contents 12

12 HOMEOWN-HER Women Back on the Rise in Homeownership

14 INTEGRATIVE

WOMEN’S WELLNESS

Five Top Health Concerns and What to Do

18 STAY FIT WITH

BODYWORK THERAPY

Enhance Workout Performance and Recovery with Massage

20 SUSTAINABLY STYLISH

Eco-Fashion that’s Kind to the Planet

22 BABY BITES

Healthy Homemade Food for Tiny Tummies

24 NATURAL MAMA

Holistic Approaches to a Healthy Pregnancy

26 DEVAKI LINDSEY BERKSON ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 201-798-3236 or email Publisher@NAHudson.com. Deadline for ads: the 15th of the month.

on Bioidentical Hormones for Long-Term Health

28 HOMEOPATHY TO THE RESCUE

Create a Family First-Aid Kit

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Tina@NAHudson.com. CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email Calendar Events to: Tina@NAHudson.com. REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets! Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets contact us at 201-798-3236. For franchising opportunities, call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakenings.com.

DEPARTMENTS 7 news briefs 10 health briefs 11 global briefs 13 eco tip 18 fit body 20 green living 22 conscious

24 healthy kids 26 wise words 28 healing ways 31 calendar 33 resource guide

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May 2021

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news briefs

UnjumBold Focuses on Home Goods and Organizing

njumBold, the home goods and organization shop that opened in December on First Street, in Hoboken, had been a dream of John Forslund and Michael Knight for a long time. But it came to fruition while they were on a Jeep Camping trip through Salem, New Hampshire and Maine. In their first year after meeting in New York City, the two fell in love, renovated and sold an apartment in Harlem, renovated and opened a successful Instant Hotel in the Catskills. Then they moved to the New Jersey suburbs and renovated their home there. “Through all of it, we always tried to support small local shops, especially while we were traveling,” Knight says. When COVID-19 devastated small businesses across the United States, including Forslund’s bar and restaurant, they finally had the time to focus on “the dream.” Thus, UnjumBold was born. It offers an array of goods, from dispensers to containers to clothes to baby and dog items, via its storefront and its website. It also offers whole-home, singleroom or corporate organization services, including a complimentary consultation. “At UnjumBold, our retail products and organizing services are meant to elevate your everyday home and lifestyle, with an emphasis on quality over quantity,” Forslund says. “We focus on women, LGBTQ and black-owned companies, highlighting our local vendors and fair-trade partners.” Location: 257 First St., Hoboken, NJ. For more info, contact the shop at 201-478-3922 or info@unjumbold.com, or visit UnjumBold.com. To shop sale items, visit UnjumBold.com/ shop/sale-/21. Follow the store on Instagram @unjumbold.

Buying from Traveling Thrift ‘Like Planting a Mustard Seed’

uying something from Traveling Thrift is like “planting a mustard seed,” say founders Joel and Stepphany Viera. With a presence on Etsy and at artisan markets, Traveling Thrift sells crafts made by indigenous women in Central and South America, and then uses the proceeds in those regions in various ways—from funding children’s cancer treatments to feeding and housing marginalized people. The Vieras document their work on social media. “Being photographers and cinematographers allows us to reach different places as an excuse to reach many lives,” Stepphany says. Joel calls Traveling Thrift “a heart project.” “Those who purchase from Traveling Thrift are helping countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, among others,” he says. “Since it joins different nonprofit organizations, such as Aldea de Niño, Cajas para el Mundo, and Nuevo Pasos, it allows patrons to help others directly by purchasing products created to help and improve. Every purchase helps sponsor students, put food on a table, build a roof on a school, and so much more. That’s why every item in our store has a story.” For example, TT helps combat sexual abuse of young people ages 3 to 30 years by providing art and professional therapies and family, independent and youth counseling. It also trains schools, teachers, parents and communities to fight verbal and/or sexual abuse as a punishment for bad behavior. “Our motto is ‘Seek. Reach. Prepare. Equip.’ That’s our goal for the families and people impacted,” Stepphany says.

First Anniversary Is Sweet for Cake Jars

ake Jars, an innovative company that sells traditional cakes as elegant single-serving sweets, is celebrating its first anniversary serving Hudson County. Owner Dawn Estrada says she’d been making ice cream cakes professionally for 10 years before leaving that job to start her own business creating a different kind of dessert—“something that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, with anyone.” “I thought about all my experiences when eating and serving a cake, from the leftovers and waste to how short the shelf life of a cake is in the fridge,” she says. “That’s when I came up with the idea of putting them in jars. They’re the perfect portion that everyone can enjoy at their own pace, and the bonus part is you can maximize freshness and quality of the cake while simultaneously minimizing waste.” Estrada created some sample batches for her family and friends to try, and “next thing I knew, Cake Jars was born,” she says. Now using ingredients from local farms and small businesses, she makes cakes in eight-ounce and four-ounce jars and in a variety of flavors, including birthday cake; red velvet; double chocolate; ube (a traditional Filipino flavor); carrot cake; and a seasonal offering (currently mocha). Cake Jars can be found at farmers markets, pop-ups and local stores, or can they be ordered online and picked up three to five days later at Urban Leaf Café in Nutley, NJ or Grove St Path Plaza Market for all Jersey City and Hoboken orders. They are also available as gift orders or customized for events. For more information, visit Linktr.ee/CakeJars.

For more information, visit Etsy.com/Travelingthriftstore. May 2021

news briefs

Partners in Prevention Offers Free Opioid Training and Toolkit

artners in Prevention (PIP), a nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance-use disorders and related health challenges in Hudson County, has received a grant to provide prevention education and outreach to doctors, dentists and general practitioners on the dangers associated with prescribing opioids for pain management, as well as education regarding best practices, safe alternatives and use of the Prescription Management System. These efforts may include direct training, virtual presentations, took-kit development and dissemination and targeted outreach campaigns to local healthcare providers. They will be available free of charge to any Hudson County prescriber or general practitioner. According to PIP, between January and August 2020, there were 116,363 opioid prescriptions dispensed in Hudson County, with 114 deaths suspected as being opioid related and 569 naloxone administrations. While these numbers represent a decrease from the same period in 2019, New Jersey as a whole experienced a 17 percent increase during this same period. According to the American Medical Association, more than 40 states have recorded increases in opioid deaths since the pandemic began. Any medical professional or healthcare organization in Hudson County interested in receiving free resources, a training presentation and the Hudson County Prescribers Toolkit should contact Anthony Menafro at AMenafro@pipnj.org. Learn more at PIPNJ. org or Facebook.com/PIPofHudson/.

Five Lights Center Launches Online Shiatsu Classes

he Five Lights Center of Shiatsu Studies, in New York City, is offering six Zoom courses through its online educational program, to meet the increased demand for distance learning. All six are approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork for massage therapy CEUs and can be studied virtually from anywhere in the world. The first livestreamed course, Level 1: Introduction to the Primary Meridian, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 26 and 28 and June 9, 11, 16 and 18. The other five courses are Introduction to Shiatsu Workshop; Massage Table Shiatsu; The Five Element Theory and Introduction to Water, Wood and Earth Elements; Introduction to Metal and Fire Elements; and Introduction to Shiatsu Treatment Plan. “Shiatsu is a good fit for a massage therapy practice because shiatsu harnesses the power of touch, elevating it to a new level of sensitivity, enhancing the client’s experience,” says Kumiko Kanayama, founder and director of the Five Lights Center. “Also, shiatsu teaches body mechanics that focus on the therapist’s core, or hara, allowing practitioners the ability to work longer, not harder. All shiatsu techniques are easily brought to the massage table and can be adapted to almost any professional massage practice.” The Five Lights Center is the oldest shiatsu practice in the United States. It is dedicated solely to training and supporting the shiatsu community through its educational programs, social media connectivity and weekly Global Shiatsu Virtual Gatherings. For more information, visit FiveLightsCenter.com.

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Lucky Honeybee Expands from Candles to Soap, Apothecary Goods

elissa Buesing-Glick loved scented candles and lotions, but she didn’t love the fragrance headaches she got from many mass-produced brands. Environmentally conscious and a curious DIYer, she began researching and testing various ingredients for fun. The result was a line of eco-friendly, hand-poured soy beeswax candles, Lucky Honeybee. Nearly 10 years after those first experiments, Lucky Honeybee has branched out from artisan candles to natural handmade soap and apothecary goods. Buesing-Glick opened Lucky Honeybee Goods + Gifts last summer, in the Heights section of Jersey City. It features the Lucky Honeybee line as well as a selection of apothecary goods, eco-friendly items, greeting cards and handcrafted wares by local makers, including tote bags, incense and housewares. Among the most popular candles is Japanese cherry blossom, blended with hints of magnolia, sandalwood and sweet tonka, she says. Last month she added something new to the shop: a liquid soap refill bar. “Customers can refill their containers with eco-friendly hand soap and dish soap, two of the biggest culprits of household plastic waste,” she says. “We’ve got an eye for the environment on every aspect of our practice. From domestically produced wax, to ethically sourced oils, to choosing recycled content for our packaging, we pay attention to the details so you don’t have to. We know life is hard; we make stuff that makes you feel good.” Location: 487 Palisade Ave., Jersey City, NJ. For more information, visit TheLuckyHoneybee.com. For information about wholesale candles or apothecary goods, email Info@TheLuckyHoneyBee.com or call 551-233-9030.

Nalu Chiropractic Supports Women’s Health and Well-Being

hen Dr. Sura Devi D.C. founded Nalu Chiropractic, her holistic family practice located in the heart of Jersey City, she envisioned a sanctuary for women, a special place honoring their body, mind and spirit. “I wanted to create a safe place for women to truly connect with themselves and enjoy some peace in their body so they can return to their lives with more energy and joy,” Devi says. “The unique care we offer at Nalu Chiropractic supports the health and well-being of a woman during the different seasons of her life—helping heal her fertility issues and enjoy better alignment during pregnancy, postpartum healing and balance through motherhood and beyond.” A resident of Jersey City, Devi grew up in Manhattan and opened her first practice there 10 years ago. After meeting her husband, a longtime Jersey City resident and fellow chiropractor, she moved here to start her family and share holistic chiropractic with her new Dr. Sura Devi D.C. community. Her specialties at Nalu Chiropractic include various aspects of women’s health and well-being, such as fertility, pregnancy (Webster Technique) and postpartum healing, as well as pediatrics. “It brings me great joy to serve the women and families of Jersey City,” she says. “I am truly honored to be part of this amazing and diverse community here.” Location: 75 Montgomery St., Ste. 201 Jersey City, NJ. For more information, visit NaluChiro.com.

Local Environmentalists Decry PPE Pollution

t was a single blue latex glove, abandoned in a communal laundry room, that inspired a New York City college student to reflect on a parallel pandemic: PPE litter. “The loss of life during this pandemic has been a hard enough cross to bear,” wrote Anne Carter Davis, a sustainability management student at Columbia Climate School, on the school’s news site, State of the Planet, in March. “Gloves and masks discarded aimlessly in public only serve to undermine our triumphs over this scourge.” Since spring of 2020, when masks became our ticket to a semi-normal life, environmentalists have been warning about the long-lasting effects of this new pollution stream. By mid-summer, the New York Times was reporting that “some local governments, like Suffolk County in New York, have instituted fines for littering involving masks and gloves.” The NYT quoted Adrienne Esposito, executive director for locally based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, urging people to properly dispose of their PPE: “The bottom line is we don’t want a public health crisis to add to the plastic pollution crisis.” Unfortunately, that’s what’s happened. In December, marine conservation organization OceansAsia estimated that 1.5 million masks entered the world’s oceans last year. And in April an ABC News report noted that New Jersey’s Clean Ocean Action environmental group “removed 1,113 masks and other pieces of virus-related gear from New Jersey beaches last fall.” Ideally, we’ll keep PPE off the ground and out of landfills too. That means choosing a reusable alternative—like cloth masks—whenever possible. May 2021

health briefs

People in the “poorest of the poor” communities in which money is not a high value can feel as happy as people in high-income Scandinavian countries, concludes new research from Canada’s McGill University. For the study published in PLOS One, interviewers studied 678 people living in Bangladesh and the Solomon Islands, both extremely low-income countries. People in remote fishing villages with subsistence-level incomes reported very high levels of “subjective well-being”, which they attributed to spending lots of time with family and being in nature. Villagers that had migrated to urban areas for work were more likely to gauge their well-being by economic and social factors, and reported lower feelings of well-being, leading researchers to speculate that monetization, especially in its early stages, may be detrimental to happiness. “When people are comfortable, safe and free to enjoy life within a strong community, they are happy—regardless of whether or not they are making any money,” says Chris Barrington-Leigh, a professor at McGill’s Bieler School of the Environment.

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Don’t Rely on Money for Happiness

As convenient as store-bought baby food is, it can pose hidden dangers for infant brains, say U.S. congressional investigators. A report issued by the House of Representatives on February 4 found “dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals,” including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, in baby foods made by major companies Hain Foods, Gerber, Beech-Nut and Happy Family Organics. Walmart, Campbell Soup Company and Sprout Organic Foods refused to cooperate with the investigation. On March 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pledged to enact new standards, increase inspections and testing, and support research to lower baby food contaminants. Low levels of exposure to heavy metals can cause serious, irreversible damage to children’s brain development, studies show. Naturally present in the environment, they enter baby foods through soil, water and air; companies attempt to minimize this impact through processing. In one example, Hain Celestial, which makes Earth’s Best Organic, says it no longer uses brown rice, which can harbor arsenic.

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Nix Baby Foods that Harbor Toxic Metals

A natural, non-pharmaceutical remedy for anxiety disorders that affect 40 million Americans is as close as our beds, say University of California at Berkeley researchers. In Nature Human Behaviour, they reported that a sleepless night can trigger up to a 30 percent rise in anxiety levels, but a full night of slumber stabilizes emotions. The type most apt to calm and reset the anxious brain is deep sleep, also known as non-rapid eye movement, slow-wave sleep during which neural oscillations become highly synchronized and heart rate and blood pressure drop. The researchers used brain scans to identify anxiety levels in 48 volunteers after nights of deep or restless sleep. “Without sleep, it’s almost as if the brain is too heavy on the emotional accelerator pedal without enough brake,” says the study’s senior author Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology. A second survey of 280 people online found that the amount and quality of sleep people experienced from one night to the next predicted how anxious they would feel the next day. Even subtle nightly changes in sleep affected anxiety levels. 10

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Sleep Deeply to Reduce Anxiety

Climbing Time

Ark Park

World’s Largest Wildlife Highway Crossing Opens in San Antonio

photo courtesy of phil hardberger park conservancy

The new Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge connects people with nature in the heart of San Antonio across a six-lane highway at Phil Hardberger Park. Private donations and a five-year bond program approved by voters helped fund the $23 million bridge, the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the U.S. Wildlife and vehicle collisions are a big problem across the country, increasing by 50 percent in 15 years, with an estimated 1 to 2 million large animals killed by motorists every year, according to National Geographic sources. In the U.S., 21 threatened and endangered species face extinction partly because of traffic accidents. Wildlife crossings are seen as an effective solution to the problem, with fatality reductions of up to 95 percent, depending on the location. The San Antonio bridge is notable for its size—150 feet wide and 150 feet long—and that it accommodates people, too. Animals in the 330-acre park that benefit from the bridge include ringtails, squirrels, coyotes, lizards, raccoons and deer. They are using it as intended, and it also serves as a habitat for native plants.

Critters React to Warming Temperatures in the Rockies

A 13-year study at the University of Colorado at Boulder published in the journal Ecology reveals that the popular goldenmantled ground squirrel and 46 other species of rodents and shrews in Colorado are climbing uphill to escape warming temperatures in the state. The report states that, on average, the ranges of the animals have shifted more than 400 feet in elevation since the 1980s. Montane mammals, or those already living at higher elevations like the ground squirrel, have moved up 1,100 feet on average. It‘s a significant change that could rob them of their environmental niche. The same species may be harbingers of larger and more urgent changes in the Rocky Mountains. Colorado has warmed by nearly 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1980s because of human-caused climate change. As the state continues to heat up, scientists say that ponderosa pine forests and other mountain ecosystems will have to move higher to find cooler weather. Beginning in 2008, the team visited multiple sites in Colorado’s Front Range and San Juan mountains to collect records of the current ranges of 47 species of rodents and shrews. They compared their findings with approximately 4,500 historic records from museum collections dating back to the 1880s and included animal specimens stored at the university museum, which houses nearly 12,000 mammals from Colorado.

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global briefs

Ah-Choo!

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Climate Change Makes Pollen Season Worse for Allergy Sufferers

A new study by the University of Utah published in the journal PNAS found that pollen seasons have been getting longer and more intense in North America over the last 30 years, aggravating asthma and weakening defenses against respiratory viruses, resulting in more emergency room visits that disrupt lives. Researchers comparing pollen metrics between 1990 and 2018 from 60 monitoring stations indicate that seasons are starting up to 20 days earlier and lasting up to eight days longer, affecting millions of allergy sufferers. The study looked at variable factors such as temperature, rainfall, frost days and carbon dioxide concentrations, and found that an increase in mean annual temperatures was the strongest driver. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19 million adults have been diagnosed with hay fever, an allergic reaction to pollen, a fine powder from plants that can come into contact with the eyes, nose, mouth and throat. May 2021

Homeown-HER Women Back on the Rise in Homeownership

fter nearly a decade of decline as a percentage of American homebuyers, single women have been regaining lost ground since around 2015, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. NAR® data also shows that single women represent a higher percentage of first-time and repeat homebuyers than single men—a trend broadly supported by US Census Bureau data on home ownership. The time frame reflected in the NAR® report begins just before the subprime mortgage crisis sent the housing market and the larger US economy into a tailspin between 2007 and 2010. In 2006, single female buyers accounted for 22 percent of total homes purchased. That number reached its lowest point, around 16 percent, in 2015, but since then has been trending steadily upward, reaching 19 percent in 2020. The NAR® data shows single women performing particularly well as a percentage of first-time homebuyers. While that percentage fell significantly, from 27 percent in 2006 to 17 percent in 2018, the downward trend now seems to have reversed, with the number reaching 19 percent in 2020. Single females have been a relatively steady percentage of repeat homebuyers. They fell from 18 percent in 2006 to around 15 percent in 2012 and again in 2015, but since then have largely made up those 12

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losses, representing 18 percent of repeat buyers in 2019 and 17 percent in 2020. In both categories, women surpassed their male peers in 2020, when single men accounted for only 11 percent of firsttime homebuyers and 9 percent of repeat homebuyers.

More Gender Trends Other notable takeaways from the 2020 NAR® report: n The median age of single female firsttime homebuyers was 33. n The median age of single female repeat homebuyers was 59. n The most frequently-bought type of home was a detached single-family house. n Single people in general were more likely than married couples to purchase a condominium or townhome. n Just over half of single women surveyed—more than any other household composition—said that proximity to family and friends influenced their choice of neighborhoods.

Metro Math A March LendingTree report analyzing US Census Bureau data confirms that single women hold a significant edge over

single men when it comes to home ownership in the nation’s 50 largest metro areas—approximately 5.2 million homes versus 3.6 million. The largest gender gap favoring single female homeowners is in Boston, followed by Miami and New York City. The smallest is in Las Vegas. Single male homeowners trail their female counterparts in all 50 metro areas. Sources: National Association of Realtors(r) & Lending Tree Tina Woods, Licensed NJ Realtor® Signature Realty NJ 357 Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ 07901 Tina@SignatureRealtyNJ.com SignatureRealtyNJ.com Cell: 201-677-2023 • Office: 973-921-1111 Member of NAR®, NJAR®, NCJAR® and Women’s Council of Realtors®

Hudson & West Housing Stats from the 1st Year of COVID-19

eco tip cucumber slices for puffy eyes.

Eco-Cosmetics

n Go with glass packaging instead

Choosing Sustainable Beauty Products

of plastic. Glass is recycled more easily and doesn’t release harmful toxic chemicals.

n Choose brands that use the least amount of packaging materials as possible, eschewing plastic in favor of biodegradable, paper-wrapped, cartoned or package-less products.

rom last year, starting in March 2020, we saw the big shift west. NYC dwellers moved to NJ and many Hudson County dwellers moved west to Morris County in search of the same thing: great schools, great communities, more space and direct train access to the city. Below are local stats showing the housing revolution that swept through our area:

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n Look for brands that use less packing material and planetforward shippers.

Hudson County March 2020 2021 % Change Single Family Homes New Listings 86 142 + 65.1% Closed Sales 8 99 + 106.3% % of List Price Received* 96.3% 98.6% + 2.4% Townhouse-Condo New Listings 86 142 + 65.1% Closed Sales 48 99 + 106.3% % of List Price Received* 96.3% 98.6% + 2.4%

Morris County March 2020 2021 % Change Single Family Homes New Listings 657 713 + 8.5% Closed Sales 314 403 + 28.3% % of List Price Received* 97.6% 100.7% + 3.2% Townhouse-Condo New Listings 141 176 + 24.8% Closed Sales 94 124 + 31.9% % of List Price Received* 97.5% 99.3% + 1.8% * Does not account for sale concessions and/or downpayment assistance.

Tina Woods is the editor-in-chief of Natural Awakenings with a consciouscentered focus on living & Licensed NJ Realtor® with in-depth knowledge of these great areas out west. She is available to assist you at no cost if you have been considering home ownership this past year. Please email her at tina@ signaturerealtynj.com.

Beauty is a $49 billion industry in the U.S. That’s a lot of plastic lipstick cases and shampoo tubes buried in landfills and breaking down into microplastics that leach poisonous chemicals into the world’s oceans and our drinking water. As consumers, we can vote with our wallets, sending a clear message to makeup and skincare brands: We want the planet to be beautiful, too. Sustainability to-do list:

n Instead of using disposable cleansing wipes, make a reusable, washable alternative using a cut-up T-shirt or ultra-soft baby washcloths. Online DIY recipes for the liquid solution include water, witch hazel, essential oils and mild soaps.

n Opt for products that eliminate water as the main ingredient, such as shampoo and conditioners that come in paper-wrapped bars, lowering shipping costs, eliminating the need for plastic bottles and conserving water. n Say no to single-use sheet masks wrapped in plastic or made of petroleum-based materials. Easier, eco-friendly swaps abound, such as

n Support, applaud and purchase refillable products. n In certain areas of the country, #1 and #2 plastic containers commonly used in the beauty industry are not accepted at local recycling centers. TerraCycle.com offers a mail-in solution with free shipping labels for packages weighing more than 15 pounds. Among the recyclable items accepted through this program are lip balm tubes, soap dispensers, shampoo and conditioner caps, hair spray triggers, lipstick cases, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, foundation packaging and lip liner pencils. Eco-friendly beauty brands:

n By Humankind (ByHumankind.com) is reducing use of single-use plastics. n LOLI (LoliBeauty.com) is a zerowaste brand that uses food-grade glass yogurt jars that can be repurposed in the kitchen. n Cadence (KeepYourCadence.com) offers refillable containers as an alternative to wasteful, travel-size products. n Lush (LushUSA.com) champions package-less products. n Beauty Counter (BeautyCounter.com) has pledged to eliminate unit cartons; decrease its use of virgin plastic; use recycled, recyclable, reused or compostable packaging; and create refillable products. May 2021

INTEGRATIVE

WOMEN’S WELLNESS

Five Top Health Concerns and What to Do by Ronica O’Hara

nyone walking into a U.S. hospital today will notice something that was inconceivable 50 years ago—one in three practicing physicians is a woman, and among physicians under age 35, it’s three in five. That compares to one in 14 in 1970. For women needing health care, that fact can change everything. “Research says that female physicians provide better care to female patients than male physicians do,” says Harvard Medical School Associate Professor Alice Domar, Ph.D., a pioneer in women’s mind-body medicine. “They are more likely to listen carefully and take complaints seriously.” That’s just one factor in how health care is improving for women. Only three decades ago, women were simply considered “small men” in medical research and rarely included as subjects in clinical studies. Today, after a 1993 federal mandate ensured their inclusion, it’s been well established that women metabolize drugs differently than men, respond to health threats with a more robust immune system and are more likely to experience side effects. These findings have helped spur major changes for women in standards, dosages, medications and procedures—resulting in fewer cancer deaths, better treatment of autoimmune disorders and more nuanced cardiac care strategies. Although much has improved about women’s health, much more remains to be done.

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Cancer

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About one in three women is diagnosed with cancer in the course of a lifetime, and they have better survival rates than men, of which one in two receives that diagnosis. Between 2001 and 2017, the overall cancer death rate for women declined by 1.4 percent each year as diagnoses and treatments became more refined and targeted. The

number one cancer killer for women is lung cancer, although 19 percent diagnosed have never smoked. The next most deadly are cancers of the breast, colon/rectum, pancreas and ovaries. Breast cancer deaths have dropped by 40 percent since 1989, thanks to greater awareness, early detection and better treatments. “Women learned from the AIDS crisis that making noise gets results,” says Domar. “Look at how far breast cancer research and treatment has come in the past 10 to 20 years, how powerful Breast Cancer Awareness Month is, and that everyone recognizes that pink ribbon.” Common symptoms: Bowel changes, lingering sores, fatigue, lumps, unusual discharge, difficulty digesting or swallowing, nagging cough or hoarseness, belly or back pain. New research: An international research team has identified a direct molecular link between meat and dairy diets and the development of antibodies in the blood that increases the chances of developing cancer. Medical advances: Painful, invasive biopsies may become a thing of the past. Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a simple blood test that detects more than 50 types of cancer, as well as their location within the body, with a high degree of accuracy, and the City of Hope Cancer Center, in Los Angeles, has developed a urine test that analyzes cell-free fragments of DNA to detect cancer. Preventive strategies: Vitamin D supplementation lowers the risk of mortality across all cancers, German researchers found, estimating that if all Germans older than 50 took such supplements, up to 30,000 cancer deaths per year might be avoided. A 10-year study found that people between 55 and 74 that took a low-dose aspirin at least three times each week lowered their risk of all types of cancer by 15 percent and overall mortality by 19 percent.

One in three American women die from heart disease, more than all cancers combined. “Unfortunately, awareness that heart disease can and does happen to women remains low, and this results in delay of care,” says cardiologist Nicole Harkin of Whole Heart Cardiology, in San Francisco. “Women tend to seek medical care later in the course of their heart attack and with more risk factors, resulting in poorer outcomes, and they are more likely than men to die of their first heart attack.” Women have different symptoms of heart disease than men, are often misdiagnosed and have a 20 percent greater risk of dying within five years of a heart attack. Pregnant women that develop hypertension are two to five times more likely to later develop cardiovascular disease. Common symptoms: Heart pressure, fatigue, breathlessness and pain between the shoulder blades. New research: Eating more than seven servings per day of refined grains like croissants and white bread increased the risk of heart disease by 33 percent and stroke by 47 percent, concluded a study

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Heart Disease

May 2021

fatigue expert Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of From Fatigued to Fantastic! About 80 percent of the 23 million Americans that suffer from debilitating autoimmune diseases are women, and those conditions tend to develop during childbearing years. The eighth-leading cause of death among women, these illnesses shorten lifespan by an average of eight years. The 80-plus diseases, including fibromyalgia, lupus, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, are linked to genetics, environmental triggers, some medications, obesity, injuries and stress.

in The British Medical Journal. In a Stanford study, participants that ate plant-based meat for eight weeks had improved markers of heart health, lower LDL levels and lost two pounds compared to those eating meat. Medical advance: To successfully fix a floppy mitral valve that’s hampering blood flow in the heart, doctors can guide a catheter up a patient’s leg vein and staple the troubled parts of the valve with a tiny clip, a safer and less invasive procedure than open-heart surgery. Preventive strategies: Eating nuts several times a week lowers by 30 to 50 percent the risk of heart attacks, sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease, four large cohort studies have shown. Older women with high fitness levels have one quarter the risk of dying from heart disease as women that are out of shape, report Spanish researchers.

Common symptoms: These vary widely, but may include achy muscles, fatigue, recurring low-grade fever, joint pain and swelling, skin problems, abdominal pain and swelling, hair loss, swollen glands and tingling in hands and feet. New research: Eating significantly fewer foods containing the amino acid methionine, found at high levels in meat, fish, dairy and eggs, could slow the onset and progression of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis in high-risk individuals, reports a study in Cell Metabolism.

Autoimmune Diseases The prevalence of autoimmune diseases has grown by one half in two decades, even as medications and targeted therapies have kept more patients active and out of wheelchairs. “Where it used to be the norm for many physicians to consider women with some autoimmune illnesses to be neurotic, that approach is now being recognized as being abusive and unacceptable. This is a critical step towards recovery,” says chronic

Medical advance: Evidence is mounting that low doses of naltrexone, a substanceabuse treatment drug, can treat conditions like lupus, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis by normalizing the immune system and relieving pain with few side ef-

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fects. “It costs only about 70 cents a day, is made by compounding pharmacists and is remarkably beneficial for a host of autoimmune conditions,” says Teitelbaum. Preventive strategy: To fight inflammation, take a daily turmeric or curcumin supplement that includes piperine (black pepper) for better absorption. A University of Houston meta-study in Nutrients found that curcumin supplements improved symptoms in 14 osteoarthritis, two ulcerative colitis and eight Type 2 diabetes studies.

Hormonal Imbalances The past 20 years has seen significant improvements in the studies and treatments of female hormonal issues. “There are now treatment options that allow women to transition into menopause, options for prevention of osteoporosis and momentous changes in fertility,” says Stephanie Seitz, a naturopathic family physician in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the same time, she adds, “I have seen environmental toxins rising in my female population. I see young girls coming in with polycystic ovary syndrome, early menarche and painful menstrual cramping; women having trouble getting pregnant for unknown reasons; the rise of fibroids, premature ovarian insufficiency and endometriosis.” Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, regulating processes ranging from hunger to blood pressure to mood and playing a key role in reproduction. They have come under assault from endocrine disrupters, thousands of largely unregulated perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, abbreviated PFAS. These “forever chemicals” are found in everything from plastics to cushions to canned foods, and are in the blood of 98 percent of Americans. Studies have linked them to girls experiencing puberty one year earlier than 40 years ago; to rising cases of infertility, miscarriages and low birth weight; to menopause occurring two to four years earlier; and to obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and breast cancer. Common symptoms: Because hormones regulate all of the body’s processes, symptoms of imbalance run the gamut and may include fatigue, weakness, erratic menstrual cycles and weight gain or loss.

New research: Early menstruation increases the likelihood of hot flashes and night sweats decades later at menopause, according to a University of Queensland study. Eating five teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil daily reduced women’s moderate to severe menstrual cramps by 83 percent in two months, Iranian researchers found. Medical advance: A major study of 9,000 postmenopausal women with hormonesensitive breast cancer showed 94 percent that received hormonal therapy, but not chemotherapy, did not have recurrences.

Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression, with one in four having a major episode at some point in life, yet fewer than half seek treatment. “Many women are too busy caring for others and feel guilty about their depression, fearing it could get in the way of their caregiving goals,” says New York psychoanalyst Claudia Luiz. “Many have the fantasy that if they open that door and allow themselves to focus on their feelings, they won’t be able to keep going.” Depression occurs most frequently in women ages 25 to 44, and one in five teenage girls reports having had a major depressive episode, a number that has exploded due to social media use. Psychotherapy is effective for 62 percent of adults with depression, antidepressants work for 54 percent and combining the two is helpful for 72 percent. Common symptoms: Sadness, anxiety, flat feeling, loss of motivation or feelings of pleasure, change of eating or sleeping patterns, low energy, difficulty concentrating or headaches. New research: Sleeping irregular hours, doing night shifts and working for more than nine hours a day have been shown to put women at higher risk of depression, while eating more dietary fiber in produce, grains

and legumes significantly lowers this risk. Medical advances: For the estimated one in four people with depression that doesn’t respond to medication or therapy, emerging approaches offer fresh hope. Low doses of the anesthetic drug ketamine lifted the depression of 70 percent of hard-to-treat subjects by targeting specific serotonin receptors, Swedish researchers report. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate parts of the prefrontal cortex, lifts symptoms for 50 to 60 percent of subjects, studies show. Preventive strategies: Eating at least two servings a week of wild-caught, oily fish or a daily 1,000-to-2,000-milligram fish oil supplement with a 60-to-40 EPA to DHA ratio has been shown to be effective for symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and postpartum depression. Taking a brisk daily walk in nature with a friend or dog lowers four factors linked to depression: a “nature deficit”, physical inactivity, low vitamin-D levels and isolation. Natural health writer Ronica O’Hara can be reached at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

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Preventive strategies: To avoid toxic chemicals, buy organics; replace plastic kitchen containers with glass; replace Teflon pans with ceramic or cast-iron; use chemical-free cosmetics and shampoos; nix air fresheners and chemical cleaners; and check out food and care products at the Environmental Working Group (ewg. org). To help detox the body, consider working with a naturopathic doctor to develop a program that may include cleansing foods, herbs, saunas, elimination diets and chelators such as activated charcoal and algae.

Depression

May 2021

fit body

Stay Fit with Bodywork Therapy Enhance Workout Performance and Recovery with Massage by Marlaina Donato

Tailored Tools “In the context of exercise, someone who trains three to five times per week at a high intensity will likely have a higher level of fitness. However, the demand placed on the soft tissue structures will equally be high, and may require more treatment to offset this. This may vary from once a week to once a month,” says Andy Stanbury, head of soft tissue therapy at Pure Sports Medicine, a London clinic for sports injuries. After working with high performance athletes for 15 years, he always asks, “What do I need to add to improve a patient’s fitness or performance?” For a patient that wants to improve fitness by running, “I would want to optimize their range of movement and stimulate the nervous system in readiness to exercise. I may look to use some myofascial release techniques, active release therapy, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization or muscle energy techniques. This would of course take place before the run.” For post-run recovery, Stanbury suggests more relaxing modalities, such as gentle massage, combined with breathwork.

The Fascia Factor Fascia, a network of connective tissue, wraps the body in protective layers from the most superficial muscle to the deepest organs and plays a central role in flexibility. This complex netting can become stuck due to inactivity, injury or surgery. Keeping it supple is vital for everyone. 18

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herapeutic massage and other bodywork modalities are well-known stress-busters, but they can also hasten recovery after a workout or injury. A little restorative TLC with a bodywork practitioner before or after exercise can combat post-workout soreness and stiffness, maximizing our fitness investments in and out of the gym. Approaches such as Swedish, deep tissue and sports massages, and myofascial trigger point release therapy can boost both blood and lymphatic circulation, giving soft tissues a vital shot of cellular nutrition. Massage modalities affect biochemical processes and on the deepest level, mitochondria—the cell’s energy-producing engines. Research from 2015 published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that massage immediately following injury due to resistance training encourages tissue regeneration.

Bodywork like myofascial release that targets trigger points—knots of tension—can help to ramp up postoperative and overall injury recovery. “Myofascial release is a technique used to reduce the tension in the fascial membrane. Slowly stretching the fascia will unwind and reduce the pressure on the muscles and nerves, reducing pain and creating range of motion and flexibility,” explains Anthony Hansen, a myofascial release therapist at Therapy on the Gulf, in Naples, Florida. Hansen, who specializes in a “fast release” technique, emphasizes the importance of a gentle approach. “Trigger points are caused by cellular debris encapsulated by the fascia, so it’s much better to stretch it loose than it is to force it. Normally, it takes about three to five sessions, depending on the condition of the patient, for the fascial system to unwind before the patient will feel relief.” Active trigger points refer, or radiate, pain elsewhere in the body while latent

points tend to be more localized and are sore when compressed. “From a whole-body perspective and when we put this in the context of fascial planes, restoration of efficient movement is key, particularly post-surgery and when progressing training load,” says Stanbury. “However, this is not just movement of the body (muscles), but movement of blood, lymph and energy.” A supple, tension-free body helps deter and bounce back from injuries. Regular bodywork, especially Swedish and deep tissue massage, fosters muscle recovery and helps prevent future issues. Self-massage using foam rollers and massage balls or canes can also be very helpful. Bodywork offers full-spectrum perks, points out Stanbury, including “improved tissue mobility and elasticity, more efficient blood circulation and reduced anxiety and stress. This will, in turn, help promote better sleep, which is, of course, where we recover best.” Marlaina Donato is a body-mind-spirit author and composer/ recording artist. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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Deep Tissue Massage: Specific, focused massage to break up muscle congestion and reduce restrictions. Sports Massage: Offered at many gyms, physical therapy facilities and recreational sports events for recovery and prevention. Muscle Energy Techniques: Stretching and hands-on techniques that enable gentle muscle contraction to improve joint function and lengthen muscles. Myofascial Release: Modalities that specifically target trigger points in the muscles and fascia to release adhesions, increase oxygen and reduce pain and tightness include the following:

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Active Release Therapy: May be beneficial for chronic pain due to repetitive movements, especially where muscle weakness, numbness or tingling/burning is experienced in the soft tissues. Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization: Also known as the Graston technique, practitioners use an array of hand-held instruments for deep trigger points in the fascia and muscles—beneficial after injuries and conditions such as piriformis, muscle-induced sciatica and back pain. Myofascial Cupping: A technique that employs cups to create suction on the muscle tissue to move lymph and blood through the area of deep trigger points.

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green living

Sustainably Stylish Eco-Fashion that’s Kind to the Planet by Kajsa Nickels

every year from rarely worn manufactured clothing and the lack of recycling. The greenhouse gas emissions from the production of these textiles total more than 1 billion metric tons per year, more than produced by international flights and maritime shipping combined. Sustainable clothing is important for both the planet and those wearing the clothing, says Jeff Garner, a fashion designer in Franklin, Tennessee, who founded the eco-label Prophetik. “The worst effect is the washing of clothes. The synthetic fabrics and dyes come off in the laundry process and go into our groundwater and oceans, including the microplastics from polyester clothing.” Jay Charlton, founder of the UK’s Viva la Vegan fashion brand, believes eco-friendly fashion does not have to be poorly produced or poorly designed. Nor does it mean choosing between a million different options, says Charlton, who found her passion for veganstatement apparel after adopting a vegan diet. “One easy choice here is organic cotton over conventional cotton. While not perfect, it is better for the environment. Most organic cotton is produced under better working conditions for the farmers, too,” she says. She also stresses the importance of reading labels to determine where clothes originate. “The next time you go shopping, seek out sustainable vegan fabrics and fair wear policies to do what’s right for the planet, people and our animal friends.”

he trendy “fast fashion” industry standard that originated in the early 1990s has had far-reaching effects that continue today. With a production turnaround time as short as four months, designer knock-offs made with inexpensive materials line the shelves of shopping centers throughout the world. But cheap textiles come with a hidden price tag. According to the documentary The True Cost, consumers worldwide buy around 80 billion new items of clothing per year, a 400 percent increase from 20 years ago. A report by the UK-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which advocates a regenerative, circular economy, found that more than $500 billion in value is lost globally

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image courtesy of FairIndigo.com

Clothing from companies like Fair Indigo use more sustainable fabrics and ensure better lives for garment workers.

Sustainable Yet Stylish Just because something is safe for people and the planet doesn’t mean it can’t also be fashionable. Fair Indigo, located in Madison, Wisconsin, is a sustainable clothing company that specializes in garments made from organic Peruvian pima cotton. According to president and co-founder Robert Behnke, Peruvian pima cotton is prized for its longevity and durability. “We want to show the world that organic and sustainable does not have to be either too ‘crunchy’ or too trendy. The clothes that people wear every day— the clothes that make them feel comfortable—these are the brands that will have the greatest impact in truly changing the world.” Fashion doesn’t have to be brand-new in order to be in style. Although secondhand clothing has been regarded negatively in the past by some, it has become more popular in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Market researchers predict that resale clothing sales will increase 185 percent in the next decade compared to 20 percent for fast fashion. Creative

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ways we can help reduce clothing waste while staying in style include the following: Clothing exchange parties. Friends and family members can swap clothes and nonsized items such as purses, hats and scarves in fun, socially distanced events. Creative mending. People that have extra time on their hands may like to learn a new skill. Also known as visible mending, creative mending includes freestyle stitching around holes and tears, and both beaded and Japanese shashiko embroidery. Repurpose into something new. If an item of clothing is beyond repair, it doesn’t have to be thrown away. Old T-shirts can be turned into blankets, pillowcases and even coin purses. Men’s dress shirts can be transformed into dresses for young girls or onesies for babies. Kajsa Nickels is a freelance writer in Salisbury, Massachusetts. Contact her at Kajsa.BlueMountain@gmail.com.

A Do-Good Dozen Local retailer shares favorite sustainable brands for women, family, children and home fashion Angelina Capalbo

orth Bergen mom Angelina Capalbo has literally made it her business to be a conscious consumer. Her online shop, Organic Good Market, sells only American-made, ecofriendly products, sourced from ethical suppliers. So for a local take on sustainable fashion for parents and kids, we asked for her go-to brands, she suggested the following dozen: 1. Coyuchi produces GOTS-certified organic cotton and linens—primarily bedding, bath towels, robes and throws. Through their second chance program, you can send back your old Coyuchi linens, via a prepaid shipping label for a 15% discount off your next order. 2. Delilah Home is another great brand for linens and towels. Delilah Home is certified organic by GOTS and OneCert, belongs to the Organic Trade Association, and is Green America and vegan certified. 3. Cahoots is a zero-waste kids’ clothing membership service, where clothing is shared and artfully repaired for the lowest impact possible. 4. Kidizen is another space where you can support other parents by shopping gently used and new kids’ fashions. 5. Primary is a unisex kids’ clothing brand, which I love because ‘girls wear pink and boys wear blue’ is so taboo. Primary clothing is also OEKO-TEX certified, and I love their Family Matching and Rainbow Shop! 6. Pact uses GOTS-certified organic cotton and partners with fair-trade certified factories to make clothes for the whole family and bedding too. Use their “give back” (shipping) box to donate your old clothes to nonprofits. 7. Jackalo, a great brand for active kids’ clothing, also has a trade-up program: send back any of their kids clothing and get a $15 discount on your next purchase. 8. Christy Dawn, is a designer of sustainable, ethical and timeless dresses. This month they launch their new Farm to Closet collection, made from cotton grown through regenerative farming. 9. Whimsy & Row makes women’s clothing, including denim products made with certified organic cotton and recycled materials. Their wedding collection just dropped with “dresses you can commit to long after the wedding, available in five silhouettes, and in six colors!” 10. For Days makes organic, zero-waste basics, from tees, to pants, dresses and masks. Everything you purchase at For Days comes with a swap credit, swap old products for new. 11. Rothy’s diverts plastic bottles from landfills (nearly 100 million so far) and transforms them into their signature thread, which they then knit into durable and sustainable styled shoes, bags and accessories—all fully machine washable and remarkably durable. 12. Terra Thread makes organic and fair-trade backpacks, totes, cosmetic bags, duffle bags, laptop sleeves and masks. They use GOTS-certified organic textiles and fair-trade cotton, are a fair-tradecertified factory and are carbon neutral.

Embrace plantbased workout clothes from companies like Viva la Vegan.

Capalbo also recommends downloading the Good on You app, to discover ethical fashion brands and see how they measure up. “I often use this before deciding between two products,” she says, “it’s my decision moderator.” If you want to keep it local, check out Margo, Hazel Baby, and Dune and Salt. As well as local vintage stores like Mint Market, Find & Revive, and Vintage on First. To learn more, visit OrganicGoodMarket.com. May 2021

conscious eating

Baby Bites Healthy Homemade Food for Tiny Tummies

or the first year of a baby’s life, breast milk and formula are the main sources of nutrition, but as early as 4 to 6 months, a little one may be suited to try solid foods. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, when a baby consistently holds their head up, has started to sit upright, has doubled their birth weight to a minimum of 13 pounds and exhibits an interest in food, they are ready. Anjali Shah, a board-certified health coach and author of The Super Easy Baby Food Cookbook, is a proponent of homemade purées and soft finger foods. “A store-bought sweet potato pouch can cost $2.50, whereas one sweet potato is under a dollar, and you can get multiple meals out of it,” says Shah. “So, budget-wise, it’s a lot cheaper. It’s also healthier because you can control what’s in your baby food.” The process is easy. “If you have a spoon and a fork, that’s a pretty good start, and if you have a blender, that’s really all you need,” says Amy Palanjian, author of Busy Little Hands: Food Play! and blogger at YummyToddlerFood.com. A very basic technique, which both she and Shah employ, involves boiling or steaming vegetables and fruits, puréeing them with a fork or blender to the desired smoothness and freezing one-ounce portions in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be popped out, kept in labeled freezer bags and thawed to serve. They recommend a progression from thin, smooth purées to chunkier blends, and from very mild, single foods to progressively more adventuresome and complex flavors and textures. “Start with a really mild fruit like avocado or a really mild vegetable like carrots, green beans or sweet potato,” Shah advises. “Introduce one food every two or three days to make sure your baby is not allergic and that it suits their digestive system.” In addition to purées, parents can offer their babies small-cut, softened versions of foods that they can hold in their hands and gnaw, a technique called baby-led weaning. “Your baby will pick it up with their fists, stick it in their mouth and drool all over it and gum it up. It teaches them to chew very early on,” Shah explains. “Kids need healthy fats for proper brain development,” Palanjian says, suggesting a splash of olive oil in a broccoli purée or a dab of peanut butter in oatmeal. She also favors healthy proteins like a purée made with hard-boiled egg yolk slathered on a piece of toast or a well-blended bit of salmon.

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“At 7 or 8 months, you can add lentils, beans and grains, and around 9 or 10 months you can start introducing mild spices—cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, coriander. For example, if you’re going to make a lentil soup for yourself, you could add a few fresh, aromatic herbs like rosemary, oregano or thyme, and then for your baby, you can mash up that same lentil soup and serve it to them. The key is to avoid the hot spices like black pepper, cayenne or chili powder,” Shah says, noting that salt should be avoided in the first year because a baby’s kidneys cannot handle it. Added sugar is also a big no-no in her book. “The best way to feel like you’re feeding your baby safe food is to serve a variety of foods over the course of a week,” Palanjian says. “But most of all, learn to enjoy this phase of your baby’s life. It can be a fun milestone. Let them explore. Trust them if they turn their face, close their mouth or push the spoon away. There’s no reason you need to force another bite. Let them show you and be in charge of what goes into their mouth. That can be a great way to set the foundation for intuitive eating. We want them as adults to be able to say when they’re hungry and when they’re full, and we often have the tendency to try to override that in our kids. So, if you let that develop as it very clearly does and is present from birth, that can be a great thing to do with little ones.” Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer. Reach her at SandraYeyati@gmail.com.

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by Sandra Yeyati

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer until soft. Once soft, purée in a blender, adding additional water if needed for a thinner purée. Transfer to ice cube trays and freeze for up to four months.

Baby Superfood Purée 16 oz fresh or frozen broccoli 16 oz fresh or frozen cauliflower 4 cups baby spinach ¼ to ½ cup water Put all of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer until soft. Once soft, purée in a blender, adding additional water if needed for a thinner purée. Transfer to ice cube trays and freeze for up to four months. Recipes courtesy of Anjali Shah. For more information, visit PickyEaterBlog.com.

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1 cup frozen wild blueberries 1 pear, cored ½ banana, peeled 1 cup baby spinach ¼ to ½ cup water

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Baby Blueberry Smoothie

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Easy DIY Baby Food Recipes

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) and non-bromated ingredients whenever possible. May 2021

healthy kids

Natural Mama Holistic Approaches to a Healthy Pregnancy

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by Julie Peterson

uring her first pregnancy, Sarah Wallace, a former registered nurse in Atlanta, was chronically anemic. “I was so tired I would fall asleep while I was eating dinner,” she says. That pregnancy resulted in a baby with a low birth weight. Fortunately, Wallace learned more about nutrition and wellness. Her now 4-year-old has caught up to the growth charts and is thriving, and her next pregnancy went smoothly. No matter how pregnancy is counted—280 days, 40 weeks or three trimesters— mama and baby share blood, nutrition and air for the duration. “Taking a holistic path before and during pregnancy is about embracing the nature of our bodies and committing to maintaining all aspects of wellness during this journey,” says Nancy Peplinsky, founder of the Holistic Moms Network, based in Caldwell, New Jersey.

pregnancies and poor developmental outcomes in children,” says Peplinsky. In addition to clean food, it’s important to reevaluate body care products and household cleaners for toxicity. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has linked personal care and cleaning product ingredients to endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive disorders, neurotoxicity and cancer.

Nutrition for Two

Body Love

The right foods nourish the growing baby, the placenta and the mother’s increasing blood volume, maintaining the mother’s body during the complex mission. Whole foods rather than processed are best. The Whole 9 Months: A Week-By-Week Pregnancy Nutrition Guide with Recipes for a Healthy Start, by integrative obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) Jennifer Lang and dietitian Dana Angelo White, makes it easier to select the proper nutrients along the way and provides ways to deal with nausea and cravings. Choose organic foods when possible to reduce exposures to pesticides. If organic isn’t an option for every food, The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, from the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org), can be downloaded and taken to the market. Either avoid foods on the “Dirty Dozen” list or go organic for those items. A high-quality prenatal vitamin fills nutrition gaps. Wallace saw a difference between her first and second pregnancy by switching brands. “The first time, I took generic prenatal vitamins. With the second pregnancy, I found whole-food supplements. I never got that exhaustion, and my second baby was a healthy weight,” she says. “Research has shown that healthy nutrition during pregnancy improves outcomes for mom and baby, while unhealthy food choices can lead to premature childbirth, high-risk

Kristen Burgess, in Fife Lake, Michigan, creator of the website NaturalBirthAnd BabyCare.com, teaches classes for momsto-be. “[Exercise] helps your blood volume increase, brings plenty of oxygen to your baby, increases your stamina and endurance for labor (which is an athletic event), and perhaps best of all, keeps you feeling great,” she writes in her blog. Options such as stretching, walking and prenatal yoga can be soothing for mom and baby. Burgess also advocates prenatal belly dancing to raise the heart rate “while bonding with your baby and relishing your beautiful pregnant form.” Peplinsky notes, “A holistic approach to

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pregnancy also embraces integrative therapies such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture and chiropractic, which may assist in reducing stress, minimizing physical discomfort and joint pain, while improving overall life quality for mom and baby.”

Support Along the Way A healthy pregnancy includes assistance. In the U.S., most women choose an OB-GYN, with just over 9 percent of 2017 births incorporating a midwife to support the mother before, during and sometimes after birth. A midwife is medically trained and, depending on state law, may offer gynecological examinations, birth control counseling and prescriptions. On her own or as an assistant to a doctor, she coaches the mother during labor and assists with the delivery, which may be in a home, birthing center or hospital. The American College of Nurse-Midwives, in Silver Spring, Maryland, offers a midwife locator. Another option is engaging a doula that focuses on emotional support for mom, her partner and the family during pregnancy and birth. During labor, she may offer massage, encouragement and breathing coaching. While doulas only provide nonmedical care, they can offer evidence-based resources to inform decision-making. There is a database to find one at DoulaMatch.net. There are also books and apps to provide week-to-week details on pregnancy. Genevieve Howland, a childbirth educator in Destin, Florida, and author of The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth, offers a weekly article at MamaNatural.com about what’s going on with the developing baby and mother. “Being a holistic mom is about connecting the mind, body and spirit, and approaching wellness with all three in mind,” adds Peplinsky. “The more we listen to our instincts and our needs, the more our health improves during childbearing and afterwards.” Julie Peterson writes about health and wellness. Reach out at JuliePeterson2222@ gmail.com.

The Language of Birth by Dr. Sura Devi D.C. of Nalu Chiropractic

hen you hear the word “contraction” how does your body feel? Does it open up like a flower blossoming new life or does it contract and shut down in defense? What words come to mind when you hear the word “contraction”? When I ask women these questions they will often say things like they feel their body shutting down and the words “pain” and “fear” come to mind. The actual word contraction means to “make small” and we all know there is nothing small about birth and motherhood. I encourage the pregnant mommas at Nalu to use words that support the birth they would like to have. For example, instead of contraction what if we used the words “sensation” or “surge”? Words that invite your power and ability to birth your baby. A contraction is feeling the power of your muscles squeezing together to help push the baby out. The contraction is really your power in action. It is the power surge of birth and life. Recently, I had the incredible honor to care for a doula when she was starting to have surges. I shared with her what I knew and she probably already knew, but as a gentle reminder that the language of birth is important and contractions can also be called “surges” or “rushes”. She told me that she calls them “waves”. Her mother taught her growing up near the beach that you never turn your back on a wave. You always face it. It was such a powerful share and touched me deeply. We then practiced facing the waves of her body by breathing with the waves, allowing her to be carried by them and the power of birth. With great love and care, we begin to examine the words of birth and begin to replace the words with meanings that empower us and reflect the true magnificence of who we are as women. Nalu Chiropractic is a holistic family practice with a special focus on Women’s Health and Healing, including fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, motherhood and pediatrics. Find out more at NaluChiro.com.

May 2021

wise words

Devaki Lindsey Berkson on Bioidentical Hormones for Long-Term Health by Linda Sechrist

ormone scholar Dr. Devaki Lindsey Berkson, a nutrition and gut expert as well as a continuing education professor for medical doctors and pharmacists, frequently lectures at conferences to clarify misinformation about hormones, such as the difference between synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and plant-based bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT). This peer-reviewed, published researcher is the bestselling au-

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thor of Safe Hormones Smart Women and Sexy Brain: How Sizzling Intimacy & Balanced Hormones Prevent Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Depression & Divorce and a breast cancer survivor of 26 years.

Why do you refer to hormones as nature’s physiologic internet system? Hormones send invaluable “email” signals to

cells throughout the entire body and brain.

What is the difference between HRT and BHT? Synthetic hormones are altered by pharmaceutical companies to make them profitable. Bioidentical hormones are like those made by the body and designed by Mother Nature. I advise tracking hormone levels every decade throughout life to determine which levels help an individual feel their best. Unfortunately, doctors are still being taught that hormones are mainly important for reproductive or sexy things, addressing issues like peri- or postmenopause, andropause, erectile dysfunction or disease.

How did the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) affect the use of hormones? Up until 2002, when WHI prematurely stopped one of its hormone study groups which was prescribed a combination of Premarin plus synthetic progesterone, estrogen therapies were the recommended standard of care for menopausal women and the biggest-selling pharmaceuticals in history. Medical journals, research institutions and expert cancer doctors accepted that estrogen was safe and did not increase the risk of breast cancer. Carried out by the U.S. National Institutes of Health from 2002 to 2008, WHI conducted a series of 40 group studies following the health of 161,809 postmenopausal women. Studies covered various aspects of aging women’s health from diet, bone health and nutrients to heart health and the risk of hormone-driven cancers, as well as two randomized trials on hormone therapies. The resulting claims that the HRT combo of Premarin plus synthetic progestin significantly increased the risks of breast cancer, cardiac events, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke alarmed the public and huge numbers of U.S. doctors stopped prescribing hormones.

that hormones rule body and brain health and are critical for staying healthy, fighting illness long-term rather than short-term and lowering mortality timing by preventing heart attacks and strokes, CEOs of Big Pharma companies that provided the synthetic hormones used in the WHI trials continued to fight hard against BHT formulated by compounding pharmacists. Now these very same CEOs have released a BHT combination of estradiol and progesterone and are writing in peer review studies about how much better and safer it is. Big Pharma intends to be the sole source of supply. They plan to do that by eliminating their competition: compounding pharmacies.

What is your experience with compounding pharmacists? The FDA purports that compounding pharmacies are dangerous, unregulated and use items that are too complicated to compound. Not true. Compounding pharmacists are skilled professionals at mixing bioidentical hormones to a doctor’s prescription. I’ve successfully been

What has changed? By 2004, re-analysis of the combo study demonstrated opposite findings, and a 19-year follow-up WHI analysis revealed that estrogen protects against breast cancer while on it and even 10 years after, while progestins do the opposite. Dr. Leon Speroff, professor at the University of Oregon and the physician who authored Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, twice concluded after reviewing every statistical nuance of the WHI, “There continues to be good reason to believe that there are benefits associated with treatment, including improvement of quality of life beyond the relief of hot flushes, maximal protection against osteoporotic fractures, a reduction in colorectal cancers, maintenance of skin elasticity and the possibility of primary prevention of coronary heart disease and Alzheimer’s.” Although new science clearly showed

Dr. Juliana Paternina, DPM

70 Hudson Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 1293 Broad St. Bloomfield, NJ 04003

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using compounding pharmacies for more than 30 years. A compounding pharmacist should be part of the health team when natural, bioidentical hormones are prescribed. Their knowledge can provide a wealth of experience for doctor and the patient. Furthermore, they provide an invaluable service at manufacturing a safe product that is unique for a particular patient. Hormones are so critical that even if you’re prescribed HRT, it’s better than losing out for decades on the hormone signals that keep your body younger and less inflamed. To be without healthy hormone signals is an aging and pro-inflammatory process to the body. In other words, get hormones any way you can. While synthetic is better than nothing, bioidentical trumps synthetic. DrLindseyBerkson.com offers a podcast archive, blog, newsletter and membership opportunities that include live, monthly, Zoom conversations. Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.

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May 2021

Homeopathy to the Rescue

Arnica montana

Gentle, but beneficial Arnica montana is perhaps the best-known application, used for acute injury and post-surgery. In a 2016 review of studies in the American Journal of Therapeutics, a team of international researchers found Arnica to be more effective than a placebo for swelling, bruising and post-surgery pain, and suggested it could be an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Calendula is a heavy hitter for wound care, skin ailments, minor burns including sunburn, diaper rash and post-tooth extraction. It offers antiseptic and antiinflammatory properties and is available for topical and internal use.

by Marlaina Donato

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Gentle Go-To Medicine

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Whether treating a child’s skinned knee or an athlete with a mild to moderate injury, regular potencies offer benefits without a high risk of unpleasant or dangerous contraindications. “In general, homeopathic remedies are safe for people of all ages because if taken as directed, there Ledum palustre are no side effects or drug interactions. This is due to the fact that remedies have been made through a process that renders the substances harmless,” says certified classical homeopath Myra Nissen, in Davis and Walnut Creek, California. Classical homeopathic treatment is based on a person’s unique physical, emotional and mental nature, and requires deeper study to find the most appropriate remedies, but first-aid applications are most often universally straightforward. “A homeopathic first-aid kit at home is useful for cuts, burns, bumps and bruises, insect bites, poison oak/ivy and minor illnesses,” says Nissen. 28

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Soft Tissue Trauma, Burns and Bites Nissen highlights Ruta graveolens and Rhus toxicdendron for soft tissue injury and tendonitis and suggests Symphitum for serious damage to cartilage and ligaments. For puncture wounds or injuries involving nerves, Hypericum perforatum is helpful. She emphasizes the importance of using remedies immediately and properly to maximize the potential for rapid healing and pain reduction. Birch says that bee stings and allergic responses respond well to Apis mellificia Rhus toxicdendron and fevers and headaches to Belladonna. Using Cantharis or Urtica urens for first- and second-degree burns can help to prevent blisters and minimize pain, while Silicea is a good choice for splinters. In general, for all acute cases and injuries, remedies are often taken every hour and tapered down to every four hours upon signs of improvement or lessening of intensity. If results are not seen within two days, it is best to discontinue the remedy.

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Create a Family First-Aid Kit

he 200-year-old health system of homeopathy is based on natural sources and is unique in its “like cures like” philosophy that uses extremely diluted substances to trigger the body’s natural defenses. “The word homeopathy is derived from two words: homeo—meaning similar, and pathos—meaning sufAconitum napellus fering. Basically, it means that a substance has the power to cure the same symptoms it can create,” says Kate Birch, a certified classical homeopath at the HippHealth Center for Holistic Healing, in Minneapolis. “Moreover, the more a substance is diluted through homeopathic preparation, the more potent it can be for healing when given upon homeopathic indications.” For most health conditions, including chronic complaints, homeopaths recommend tailoring remedies to an individual’s constitution, but first-aid applications are relatively universal and simple. Homeopathic first-aid can be administered for muscle strains, splinters, minor burns and even the common cold. Available in health food stores and pharmacies, homeopathic remedies come in various potencies in the form of pellets, tinctures and topical agents.

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healing ways

Marlaina Donato is a body-mind-spirit author and composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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When taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, specially combined homeopathic formulas or single remedies can help to lessen severity and duration of certain viruses. Bryonia alba is useful for moderate fever, Gelsemium for general flu-like symptoms, Nux vomica for severe chills and nausea, and Arsenicum album Hypericum perforatum for respiratory and stomach flus. Homeopathic remedies, like all medications, should be properly stored and kept away from children and pets. Also, not all products labeled as homeopathic may be pure. Some products add homeopathic remedies to other ingredients that are not safe; for example, Arnica gel may have alcohol, preservatives and stabilizers, and be harmful if swallowed. While homeopathy offers many benefits, Birch clarifies that it is not designed to be a quick fix and is best approached from a broader view or “a philosophy that shapes your day-today life. When you understand these things, once you have the right remedy, it Bryonia alba produces instantaneous results.”

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Fighting the Flu

artisan market

Third Sunday Every Month 11am - 4pm 3/21 4/18 5/16 6/20 7/18 8/15 9/19 10/17 11/21

holiday market 12/5

12/12

12/19

Under the 14th St. Viaduct Hoboken, NJ

www.mainstreetpops.com Presented by

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May 2021

CELEBRATING 27 years in THE business of

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calendar of events Closing Time – Streaming on demand. MST Dance Academy presents an original dance piece performed in the theater’s store front windows to an audience in the street. Choreography was created by the students of the Performance Group class. Performed while masked and using our storefront windows as a barrier between performers and dancers, the piece speaks to the drastic changes of this year and the anxiety, fear, and hope that come with it. $5, reserve tickets online. MileSquareTheatre.org. The Playbill Gallery {A Love Story} – Streaming on demand, Mile Square Theatre premieres their first podcast play, written and performed by MST playwright-in-residence, Joseph Gallo. With theatrical spaces shuttered, this bittersweet homage to a lifetime of theatre-going taps into the current longing that every theatre-goer and every theatre-maker is experiencing. Tickets are free. Reserve tickets online. MileSquareTheatre.org/Shows-Events/The-Playbill-Gallery/.

MONDAY, MAY 3 Year-Round Farmer’s Market – Mon & Thur. through May. 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 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. Egyptian Style Belly Dance – Mon through May. 12pm. Online dance class for kids is designed to introduce students to the social folk dance of Egypt known in the West as Belly Dance. Students will be taught the cultural and historical origins of the dance as well as the movement vocabulary of the dance involving the arms, hands, torso and hips. This is a fun, low impact form of dance and exercise suitable for both sexes and all ages. View on Jersey City Free Public Library’s Facebook Page: Facebook.com/JCFPLNJ. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser – 6:30-8:30pm. Set against nearly a century of epochal change, from the Homestead Act and the Indian wars to the dust bowl and the Great Depression, Wilder’s dramatic life provides a unique perspective on American history and our national mythology of self-reliance. Offering fresh insight and new discoveries about Wilder’s life and times, Prairie Fires is the definitive book about Wilder and her world. Free; register online. Amelia’s Bistro, 187 Warren St, Jersey City. Meetup.com/JC-BookClub/. Prenatal Yoga – Through May: Mon & Wed, 7:308:30pm; Sat, 10-11am. For mammas-to-be, post-natal, and any other women who would like to join. This is a gentle yoga class focusing on areas of the body that ask for extra attention during pregnancy. Each class is tailored for the women in the room and their specific needs and desires. This is a semi-private class (five students maximum), so that each woman can receive personalized attention and support. Come to move, breathe, open the body in preparation for labor and delivery, and simply to connect with other women. $40/one class, $175/five classes. Celebrate Life Studio, 1200 Park Ave, Hoboken. 201-687-9901. Register: CelebrateLifeStudioHoboken.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 4 Kids Museum Art Classes – Through May. 10am1pm. Museum Kids Art Classes take place three days a week – Tues, Thurs, Fri – for fun art making in the Museum walkway. Recommended for ages 2-5. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Art materials are provided; adults must wear masks and maintain social distance. Seating available first-come, first-served. Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St, Hoboken. 201-656-2240. HobokenMuseum.org. Tour of Mana Contemporary – Tue & Thur. through May. 3-4:30pm. Mana Contemporary’s long-term and special exhibitions are currently on view by appointment, through engaging themed tours. Artists draw inspiration from everyday objects. Explore how these objects are used as materials or depicted as subjects in artworks by John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, and Andy Warhol. Tours conclude with a visit to the current special exhibition, Transatlantico. Mana Contemporary, 888 Newark Ave, Jersey City. ManaContemporary.com Transcend: TGNCNB Youth – 4-5pm. A safe space to learn, grow, explore and have fun together with other young people (ages 13-24) who identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming or non-binary. Our LGBT Network’s virtual center offers a wide range of services for LGBTQIA+ people of all ages and a safe space for LGBT people to build community during this quarantine. RSVP for virtual room access: Zoom Registration Link. Tickets free with RSVP. 631-665-2300. LGBTNetwork.org SJC Green Business Forum – 6:30pm-8pm. Connect with fellow green business leaders in Jersey City, learn sustainable practices and explore how “going green” can benefit your company’s bottom line. Zoom registration link available at SustainableJC.org.

mark your calendar Main Street Pops Artisan Market Open-Air Artisan Market providing a public venue in Hoboken for high quality artisans and makers to sell their handmade goods as well as for local residents to enjoy their neighborhood, view art, and engage with one another. See a varied collection of local makers and artists offering their unique, hand-crafted creations including: Fashion, Accessories, Jewelry, Bath Products, Pet Products, Home Goods, Fine Art, Photography, Sweets and more!

Every 3rd Sunday of the Month

and the First Three Sundays in December

11am-4pm Under 14th Street Viaduct, Hoboken

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5 Groove on Grove – Wed through May. 6-9pm. Jersey City’s free summer weekly music series featuring a wide variety of musicians and performers, and a wide variety of artisans and vendors. This is a family friendly event that brings the community together to celebrate Jersey City and its diversity. Grove Street PATH Plaza. 201-547-3554. JCDowntown.org. Learn to Play Chess – Wed through May. 6-10pm. An adult social chess night for all levels, and basic instruction is available from 6-7pm. Food and beverages are available for purchase and it is a BYOB facility if anyone wishes to bring beer or wine. Play Hoboken, 1012 Grand St, Hoboken. HobokenChess.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 6 Wild Animal Laser Show – Thur. through Sun, 4-4:30pm. Enjoy hits from The Lion King, Baha Men, Baby Shark, and more in this music and lights show. Experience the Wild Animal Laser Show as part of the springtime Wild About Animals celebration. Show is recommended for ages 5 and up. Add on to general admission. LSC Giant Dome Theater, Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City. 201-200-1000. LSC.org. Hoboken Talks – Thur. through May. 7-8pm. The Hoboken Museum offers a live-streamed program - Hoboken Talks! - streamed live on YouTube, as well as Facebook and Twitter. Viewers can submit questions using the chat feature. YouTube.com/ User/HobokenMuseum. See the website for other social media links to bookmark your preferred channel. Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St, Hoboken. 201-656-2240. HobokenMuseum.org. HOHA Run – Thursdays, 7:40pm. The Hoboken Harriers Running Club, a diverse group of runners/ joggers, welcomes runners of all abilities for a 5.2-mile run. 6th Street & Washington, Hoboken. Libations: Moran’s Pub. Info: HOHA.net.

SATURDAY, MAY 8 Saturday’s Jazz Trio – 10:30am-2:30pm. Outdoors and socially distanced, meet and greet and enjoy the music of The Diego Campo Trio. Free. The Cottage restaurant. Must preregister. The Cottage, 136 Monticello Ave, Jersey City. 201-200-7067. TheCottageJerseyCity.com.

May 2021

Drum and/or Folk-Dance Class – Sun through May. Dance 2-3pm; Drum 3-4pm. Learn the rich cultural Afro-Puerto Rican folkloric music with our dance and drum classes for La Bomba y La Plena. It’s open for both kids 7 and older and adults, so bring your family and friends. Sign up for the class on Eventbrite or use registration form on website: SegundaQuimbamba.org. $20/drop in per class, $150/ten class package. Segunda Quimbamba Folkloric Center, 279 Second St, Jersey City. Kids First – Sun through May. 6pm. A radio show hosted by a nationwide team of more than 60 youth entertainment reporters, ages 8 to 21, who attend press screenings, press junkets, premieres and red carpets and other media events. They give you the latest news about media for kids, by kids. Before you spend your hard-earned money at the movies, listen to what they have to say. VoiceAmerica.com/ Show/1950/Kids-First-Coming-Attractions. The Science of Natural Healing Masterclass – 7-8pm. There is no better time than now to get right with your health. Traditional Western medicine is not the only healing system rooted in science. Medical systems from other cultures, including those of India and China, have used natural treatments for centuries, some of which are now directly influencing our own health-care professions. Free. Full info and access to the workshop: Bit.ly/NaturalHealingMasterclass.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 Basic Life Support Training Certification – May 12, 26. 9:30am-1:30pm. BLS for Healthcare Providers uses a scenario-based approach to develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that drive better outcomes for adult, child, and infant patients. Topics include: choking, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and teamwork and many more. $77. Hudson County Community College, 161 Newkirk St, Jersey City. To register: 201-360-4246. Time, details: Gransom4959@live. hccc.edu. HCCC.edu/ContinuingEducation.

SATURDAY, MAY 15 Prenatal Class – May15, 16. 9-12pm. A virtual childbirth education class that provides detailed information on what to expect during the birthing process as well as breathing and relaxation techniques. Classes are taught by experienced and certified instructors. Information on newborn care is also

presented by a board-certified pediatrician. Free. Riverside Medical Group, 1st Fl, 1 Harmon Plaza, Secaucus. 201-552-2333. RiversideMedGroup. com/prenatal-classes/.

SUNDAY, MAY 16 Main Street Pop-Up Artisan Market – 11am-4pm. Open-Air Artisan Market provides a public venue in Hoboken for high quality artisans and makers to sell their handmade goods as well as for local residents to enjoy their neighborhood, view art, and engage with one another. Shop local & support small businesses. Creating an atmosphere of inclusiveness and community and high-quality vendors, with new offerings each month. Under 14th Street Viaduct, Hoboken. More info: MainStreetPops.com/.

MONDAY, MAY 17 Natural and Organic Gardening – 7-8pm. Virtual program presented by Rutgers Master Gardener Pat Donahue. Learn how to manage your flower bed, shrubs, trees, lawn, and vegetable gardens with minimal, if any, use of synthetic chemical additives. By taking an inventory of your yard; analyzing its sunlight, soil, and water; and selecting native plants, you can transform your outside space into a healthy environment. Free. Register online, or call 732-634-4450. On the day before the program, you will be sent the Zoom meeting information by email. WoodbridgeLibrary.evanced.info/Signup/.

THURSDAY, MAY 20 Yin Yoga and Meditation – 6:30-7:30pm. Join livestream for yin yoga and meditation under the Sattva tree while you practice at home! Be still, reground and reconnect; breathe your way back to balance. Investigate the primary yin yoga poses, pairing postures with intentional guided breath techniques; with Karen Mandell. Have your mat ready, 2 blankets or large towels. If you have yoga blocks great, if not try a couple of hardcover books. $15. Register online. Sattva Yoga Jersey City, 523 Palisade Ave, Jersey City. 201-839-5242. SattvaYogaJC.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 22 Mobile Shredding Event: West New York – 9am2pm. Hudson County residents (no businesses) are invited to have personal, confidential and sensitive documents shredded at a mobile paper shredding

site. Rain or shine; no plastic binders; remove large binder clips; recycle magazines and nonconfidential paper curbside; limit your documents to less than 40lbs. Free. Dept of Public Works, West New York. HCIA.org. Mobile Shredding Event: Harrison – 9am-2pm. Hudson County residents (no businesses) are invited to have personal, confidential and sensitive documents shredded at a mobile paper shredding site. Rain or shine; no plastic binders; remove large binder clips; recycle magazines and nonconfidential paper curbside; limit your documents to less than 40lbs. Free. Harrison. DPW. HCIA.org.

MONDAY, MAY 24 Broadway by the Year: The Andrew Lloyd Weber Years – 7pm. The online video premiere of the third recorded concert in the series, featuring the electrifying work of Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. Enjoy songs from Song & Dance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sunset Blvd., Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Aspects of Love and Cats. Starring Liz Callaway, Ethan Slater, Max Von Essen, Ali Ewoldt and Emily Larger. Your streaming link can be viewed on demand again anytime between May 24–26, 2021. $30. 888-696-5722. NJPAC.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 25 The Noble Experiment: Temperance, Prohibition, And Bootlegging – 6pm. Online illustrated conversation. From 1920 to 1933, the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Panelists for this conversation will reveal how the business of long-established breweries was disrupted by the ban on the sale of alcohol, but that of gangsters flourished and the city “glittered like the mouth of hell” with more speakeasies per square mile in Newark than Manhattan. Register in advance for this Zoom discussion. Free on-line RSVP: NJPAC.org

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26 Apartment Grilling – Hands On – 7-10pm. Grill like a pro after you learn the tricks of the trade in this Grill Master class. Discover how to make succulent BBQ chicken and ribs without overcooking and burning. Create simple sides like coleslaw and cornbread to complete a great all-around BBQ experience. Just because summer is yet to come doesn’t mean no grilling. All guests must follow CDC guidelines. $90. Register online. Hudson Table, 1403 Clinton St, Hoboken. HudsonTable.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 29 Nighttime Nature Walk – 7-9pm. This 2-hr adults-only walk by moonlight through the Lost Brook Preserve is approx. 1.5 miles, with a quiet rest stop at the Purple and Allison Trail crossing. The hike encourages reflection and connection with nature while experiencing the trails in a new way. Please bring a flashlight and wear sturdy closed toed shoes. Program will be held entirely outdoors. In case of inclement weather, the program will be. Social distancing in effect. Masks required when distance cannot be maintained. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. $10, $5/ members. Tenafly Nature Center, Visitor Center, 313 Hudson Ave, Tenafly. RSVP: 201-568-6093. TenaflyNatureCenter.org.

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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.

FITNESS

DENTIST LOUIS STEINBERG, DDS, MS

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

PRIME CYCLE HOBOKEN

70 Hudson St, Hoboken, NJ 201-683-6956 • PrimeCycle.com Prime Cycle Hoboken is now offering more than 25 outdoor classes a week—from early morning to midday to evenings, including Saturday and Sunday mornings—on the Hoboken Little League field, on 5th Street.

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FAMILY ALPHAKEY CLUB

Virtual Based Jersey City, NJ info@alphakey.club • AlphaKey.club A foundation in reading is the classic predictor of academic success. But there are also certain character traits— like confidence, gratitude, integrity and patience—that are critical to success in the classroom and in life. AlphaKey Club is a holistic educational program and interactive workshops founded by ShalomIsrael Diggs, a Jersey City teacher, dancer and artist, who teaches those foundational qualities right along with the ABCs.

FASHION EMBROIDERED PANDA Jersey City, NJ EmbroideredPanda.com

Embroidered Panda is a minoritywoman-owned business that normally specializes in delightful, thoughtful and sometimes quirky embroidery customized for weddings, babies, and even pets. Owner Amanda “Panda” Farrell also makes masks that are available online, and at Love Locked, 353 Grove Street in Jersey City, a woman-owned small business that features the work of local artists.

ONE/SOL

1422 Grand Street, Suite 3A Hoboken, NJ 201-809-9401 • BeOneSol.com ONE/SOL is a lifestyle boutique devoted to the wellness scene. It offers beautiful clothing and accessories to add confidence and color to someone’s wardrobe, and is also a unique haven for events, bringing all types of people and their fabulous energy together to experience parts of themselves... variations of wellness that can propel them to truly find “what makes their SOL happy”.

PUMP HOBOKEN

401 Bloomfield Street, Hoboken, NJ Boutique Pilates & fitness studio located in midtown Hoboken, offering smallgroup Pilates, reformer, mat classes and one-on-one sessions (virtual until studio re-opens). With a belief that every body is unique, Pump maximizes every workout with dynamic movements that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Strengthen your body and soul and view their virtual schedule.

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 c o m m u n i t y. T h i s h e a l t h supportive, local eatery offers instore 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.

GREEN PEAR CAFÉ

93 Grand Street, Hoboken, NJ 201-659-0940 93 Franklin Street, Jersey City, NJ 201-968-7151 GreenPearGroup.com Green Pear Cafe is Hoboken’s healthy and innovative eating destination offering gluten free dishes, house made soups, nut milks and smoothies.Recently opened Jersey City Heights location completed their menu with European classic cuisine featuring AustroHungarian goulash dishes, wide variety of pickles, linzer desserts and much more. For more information, please visit greenpeargroup.com.

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, page 2.

PLANT BASE JC

370 Pacific Ave, Jersey City, NJ 551-256-3868 • PlantBaseMarket.com An ethical, vegan, zerowaste market and restaurant offering a full-vegan, allday food menu, bulk groceries, organic produce, homeopathic wellness products, body care products and household products. 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.

May 2021

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.

BABY STEPS PEDIATRICS

Dr. Carmen H. Lebron 75 Montgomery Street, Ste. 401 Jersey City, NJ 201-600-4306 • LebronPeds@gmail.com BabyStepsPediatrics.com Carmen Lebron is a fun-loving and creative pediatrician in downtown Jersey City. Our clinical approach is holistic, giving attention not just to medical issues, but integrating all aspects of the social and family environment. Dr. Lebron is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, and is a clinical homeopath.

FOOT AND ANKLE PREMIER SPECIALISTS

Dr. Juliana Paternina 70 Hudson St, Hoboken, NJ 201-659-5222 • FootandAnklePS.com Dr. Juliana Paternina, is a boardcertified Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgeon. She provides compassionate and comprehensive care for both adult and pediatric patients with any type of foot and ankle needs. She is well known for being thorough and for having a holistic approach. Specialties include dermatologic foot conditions, any foot and ankle deformities including bunions and hammertoes, chronic nerve pain, sports-related injuries including heel pain, fractures, sprains, and treatment of diabetic foot complications. See ad, page 27.

HABIT DISRUPTION THERAPY

Kevin Munhall m.AmSAT Hoboken, NJ 316-461-7660 • HabitDisruption.com Identify the seemingly harmless habits of tension that we all carry with us throughout the day that can lead to aches, pains, and injury. Specialist, Kevin Munhall, will help relieve this tension and teach you how to move in line with how you are designed, with freedom and ease. By changing these habits, you are able to get to the root of the issue and can address what actually causes the pain instead of waiting for it to arrive.

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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.

LOTUS GENESIS WELLNESS CENTER 7000 JFK Boulevard East Galaxy Mall, Ste. M-15, Guttenberg, NJ 201-210-4764 • LotusGenesis.com

A holistic sanctuary offering a team of healers, therapists, mind-body experts and a naturopathic doctor, who combine various modalities from energy healing, diet and nutrition, to hypnotherapy and body work. Lotus Genesis offers a full line of wellness services, from detox and weight-loss programs, to caring for more complex medical issues. Their unique focus and approach to addressing root causes allows for rapid and long-term wellness. See ad, page 29.

INSPIRED TO HEALTH

MIND BODY HOBOKEN

Dedicated to helping women de-stress and lead more healthful lives, Lorraine Giordano offers the following treatments: Quantum Touch, Quantum Energy Transformation, Reiki, Quantum Allergy Release, Age Clearing and Energy Medicine. Also specializing in helping women with female reproductive issues and helping them connect to their sacral chakra; an energetic center linked to emotions, self-care, creativity and passion. She also offers Akashic Record readings.

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.

85 Maple Street #3L, Weehawken, NJ 201-344-6448 • InspiredToHealth.net

JACQUIE BIRD, SPIRITUAL WELLNESS JacquieBirdWellness.com

Jacquie Bird, Spiritual Wellness offers products and services that, support, guide and empower the individual. She is the author of the 7 Daily Thoughts & Mantras 4 Mindfulness eBook series; 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.

JC BUMP AND BABY Jersey City, NJ JCBumpAndBaby.com

JC Bump and Baby connects moms through support groups, yoga classes and workshops.

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.

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

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.

NALU CHIROPRACTIC

Dr Sura Devi D.C. 75 Montgomery Street, Ste. 201, Jersey City, NJ NaluChiro.com Nalu Chiropractic is a holistic family practice with a special focus on Women’s Health and Healing. Providing unique, honoring and gentle care - body alignment for a happier and healthier life. Specializations include: fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, motherhood and pediatrics.

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.

VIDA-FLO HOBOKEN

HOLISTIC PET CARE

Vida-Flo services offer IV hydration treatments, essential gains, advanced gains, injectable treatments & oxygen. All treatments are provided by trained nurses in a clean medical spa environment for your comfort.

Holistic Pet Care of Little Falls provides guidance on optimum diet and environment, and how to minimizing negative elements/toxins to keep your pet healthier and living longer. Holistic and complementary modalities include acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, homeopathy, bach flow remedies, herbal therapies (western, chinese & ayurvedic), nutritional therapy, ozone therapy, cold laser therapy, and reiki for addressing problems and for preventive care.

131 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 201-683-3222 • VidaFloHoboken.com

OUTDOORS A SMALL GREEN SPACE Jersey City, NJ ASmallGreenSpace.com

A Small Green Space is an urban garden design firm, specializing in designing, installing and maintaining small city spaces.

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.

THE GREEN ROOM

64 Newark Street, Hoboken, NJ 20 Church Street, Montclair, NJ TheGreenRoomNJ.com Hoboken and Montclair’s first CBD shops that provide both in-person and online shopping. Owner Darek Michael offers education and high-quality products. The Green Room is open 7 days a week, from 11am10pm in Hoboken and 11am-8pm in Montclair.

VICTORIA REED MASSAGE THERAPY

Victoria Radzinski, LMT, CPT 201-551-7154 • VictoriaReed.Info@gmail.com VictoriaReedMassageTherapy.com As a licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Personal Trainer and Yoga instructor, Victoria’s healing and relaxing services reverse the effects of daily stress by repairing damaged muscle tissue to eliminate aches and pains throughout the body. Improve circulation, detoxify your body, and increase mental alertness as you decompress with her carefully designed massages. Victoria’s drive behind her work stems from her observations on today’s lifestyle/living. See ad, page 19.

PETS GALLA WELLNESS

Florentina Galla, Rdh.MS GallaWellness.com 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.

HOBOKEN JENGO

Hoboken, NJ 732-277-0284 • Hello@HobokenJengo.com HobokenJengo.com Hoboken Jengo is a sustainable online shop designed to empower pets and their humans with ways to reduce their environmental impact through minimally processed highquality treats, safe lasting toys, and ethically-sourced products that spark joy, foster health, and make a positive difference. The name Jengo is derived from kujenga, a Swahili word which means “to build”. Hoboken Jengo provides access to eco-friendly, unique mission-driven brands for dogs, cats and humans in one central place.

125 Paterson Avenue, Little Falls, NJ 973-256-3899 • HolisticPetCareNJ.com

MEOW MINI MART

Sherry Cassin Hello@MeowMiniMart.com MeowMiniMart.com Online cat boutique featuring unique and sustainably made fashion pet collars, home and kitchen gifts, cat toys and wellness products. See charming and sophisticated collections created by artisans and designers who love all animals, especially cats! A percentage of every sale is donated to local cat rescue groups to help pay the vet bills.

PAWTANICALS

7622 Broadway, North Bergen, NJ 201-520-3036 • Pawtanicals.com Pawtanicals was established to give pet owners the accessibility of washing their pets without space constraints–as they normally would do at home in their bath tubs. It allows for pet owners to create a stronger bonding experience while simultaneously making their pets feel safe and secure having their owners personally wash them.

THE CUDDLY BOUTIQUE TheCuddlyBoutique.com

Founded by pet parents, Tom & Kimberley Bueno-Schonig of The Cuddly Cottage pet sitting service, the Cuddly Boutique is an online pet store that sells a variety of special gifts from cozy sweaters to unique toys. Their promise is that The Cuddly Boutique products will give your pet that “this is the best gift ever” look in their eyes and give you that warm and cuddly feeling in your heart.

SKINCARE SEAZEN SOAP Hoboken, NJ SeazenSoap.com

Handmade local luxury products for your skin. The Seazen Soap company specializes in natural soaps, skin butter and CBD products.

May 2021

KnoWEwell.com

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