Natural Awakenings Miami August 2015

H E A L T H Y

FREE

L I V I N G

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

HOW TO RAISE CARING KIDS Enlightened Parenting via Ongoing Engagement

Pint-Sized

CHEFS

When Kids Cook, They Naturally Eat Healthier

Respecting Wild Waters Swimming Safely in Lakes and Oceans

Autistic Children Communicating Through Art

Listen to the Animals

Opening Our Heart Opens Communication

August 2015 | Miami/Keys Editions | www.namiami.com natural awakenings

August 2015

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Saturday, October 17, 2015 BAYFRONT PARK, DOWNTOWN MIAMI 6:00 7:30 7:45 8:45 9:00 10:00 10:15

AM AM AM AM AM AM AM

Race Day Registration opens Survivor Procession Survivor Ceremony 5K Certified Timed Run 5K Walk/Run (Untimed) Tot Run (ages 2-7) Celebration

To register, visit www.komenmiaftl.org or call 855-867-0431.

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Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

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natural awakenings

August 2015

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publisher’sletter Life’s Moments

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often share with my friends the immense gratitude I feel for the experiences (good or bad) life has brought to my doorstep. After all, these have shaped the woman I am today and I’m humbly proud of who I’ve become. Good or bad they have taught me how to look at life with a loving, positive and forgiving perspective. And at my age, that brings me peace.

Mistakes and all, we are shaped by those moments that are presented, embracing them and even sometimes laughing with them is the best way to push right through those instances we wish we could paddle back from. This month is all about going back to school. Parents, who didn’t get an instruction book when their kids were born, I’m confident keep a good set of paddles in the garage or closet when dealing with their kids. Parenthood is not easy, but neither is growing up in today’s schools and streets. Playing ball in the street in front of the house, or riding your bike to your friend’s house, has been replaced with indoor electronic games and parents having to shuttle their kids to parks for recreation and activities. Not that these are so bad, but the stress level has increased as the joy of simpler days has diminished. But there’s no need to despair, humanity is simply reinventing itself. Wonderful programs exist to include the whole family and friends in reclaiming the outdoors. Endless greenbelts and park trails provide excitement and endless adventures for the whole family. Lakes, rivers and beaches are abundant in South Florida for all to enjoy. New and invigorating programs are implemented not only by the local communities but also at the national level.

There’s a plethora of evolution and efforts to return humanity to nature. Our hunger for it dictates the flourishing resources that emerge seemingly hourly. All of these create the experiences that shape us and our children. The memories that we forge together as a family (or as friends) are the ones our children will be shaped by in the future, and we will cherish as we get older.

What I’ve learned during my lifetime, the extra time afforded to me through a kidney transplant 23 years ago, and the wisdom both my mother and grandmother shared is simple… don’t waste time being angry, life’s moments are too precious and wondrous to waste. Have a terrific summer. As I’ve shared in the past, say YES to LIFE! Happy Birthday Mom!

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To Your Health!

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September

Agelessness Issue 4

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Dr. Chen and Dr. Tang are Florida licensed acupuncture THE KEY TO A and THEphysicians KEY TO Amaster pain management specialists who use a combination of alternative and traditional HEALTHY IS BALANCE HEALTHY BODY ISBODY BALANCE therapies.

Both physicians 11 years in a full-time Dr. Chen and Dr. Tang are Floridatrained licensed acupuncture Dr. Chen and Dr. Tang are Florida licensed physicians and masteracupuncture pain management specialists who MD Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine programs. physicians andand masterPhD management specialists who usepain a combination of alternative and traditional therapies. use a combination of alternative and traditional therapies.

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Dr. Hong Chen, PhD, Dr. Daiyi Daiyi Tang, PhD, AP Tang, PhD, AP Dr. Hong Chen, PhD, AP Daiyi Tang, PhD, AP Dr. Dr. Hong Chen, PhD,Dr. AP AP Chief Editor of Certified TCM Chief Editor of Certified TCM Chief Editor gynecologist, International Journalof gynecologist, International Journal Certifi ed TCM, certified TCM of Clinic Acupuncture. certified TCM of Clinic Acupuncture. dermatologist and International Certified in Eyes and Journal dermatologistCertifi and ed in Eyes and gynecologist, Otolaryngology, immunity facial rejuvenation Otolaryngology, immunity facial rejuvenation specialist. andClinic endocrineAcupuncture. disorder certifi ed TCM specialist. and endocrine disorder of Certified in Eyes and dermatologist and facial 4005 NW 114th Avenue, Suite 115,Avenue, Doral, FL, 33178 4005 NW 114th Suite 115, Doral, FL, 33178 Otolaryngology, immunity rejuvenation specialist.

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

19 FROM BOTTLE TO COOLERS

An Eco-Friendly Initiative

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20 ENLIGHTENED PARENTING

by Meredith Montgomery

24 THE VACCINE PUSH

by Linda Sechrist

26 KID COOKERY

by Judith Fertig

28 THINK BEFORE YOU INK

by April Thompson

30 SWIMMING

IN NATURE

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM

•ANXIETY? • INSOMINIA? •DEPRESSION? •FATIGUE? •PANIC ATTACKS? •ADD / ADHD?

Tips for Finding Safe Eco-Supplies

32

34 JOE DISPENZA ON THE POWER OF THOUGHT ALONE TO HEAL

by Kathleen Barnes

New innovative, non-invasive and medication-free protocols.

“Thanks to Brain Training Centers of Florida, I now know what it is to live, not just exist”!! JoAnn C. 2503 S.W. 27th Ave. - Miami, Fl 33133 English:305-858-6616 Spanish:305-476-0347 www.braintrainingcentersfl.com info@braintrainingcentersfl.com Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

32 GREEN ARTS

26

by Avery Mack

WE CAN HELP!

6

by Lane Vail

www.namiami.com

35 SPEAKING WITH STRANGERS

The Simple Pleasures of Connecting

by Violet Decker

36 ANIMAL TALK

by Sandra Murphy

38 SCENT OF

A CIVILIZATION

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41 NATURAL MOSQUITOES AND

INSECTS REPELLENTS PLANTS

42 AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE

by Linda Palmer

45 THE HEALING POWER OF WRITING

by Shannon Marzella

46 TAME YOUR MIND

by Joan Kaplan

47 CREATIVE ARTS

AND AUTISTIC CHILDREN

by Mimi Lagana

48 SENDING THE KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL

by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer

50 PARENTING PEACE

WITH POSITIVE DISCIPLINE

by Kristi Gmutza

52 EQUINE THERAPY:

by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer

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9 newsbriefs 14 healthbriefs 16 globalbriefs 18 ecotip 19 business

spotlight 16 24 healingways 26 consciouseating 28 healthykids 30 fitbody 32 greenliving 34 wisewords 18 35 inspiration 36 naturalpet 40 professional

highlight 55 calendar 55 classifieds 60 resourceguide

Our Patients Love Us! “Do you feel that way about your dentist?”

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contact us Publisher/Owner Linda Palmer Marketing Director/Assistant Publisher Brooke O. Emery

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Contributing Editor/Writers Linda Palmer Linda Sechrist, S.- Alison Chabonais

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newsbriefs

Feel Better NOW!

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n a study done with overweight women, 80% of them proved to have a sluggish lymphatic system. Over 90% have a form of cellulite as a result of their weight gain. Acupuncture Center for Wellness introduces a state-of-the-art electro-sound lymphatic drainage instrumentation as a new service provided in their Centers. This treatment assists in the breaking down of the congested lymph fluid painlessly, leaving the client feeling calm and rejuvenated. This therapy uses gentle, high frequency sound pulse to loosen stagnated lymph fluid and assist the body in decongesting the lymphatic system, reducing fibro cystic conditions while promoting overall wellness.

“The function of the lymphatic system has a direct correlation with the accumulation of numerous fat cells that store toxins in certain areas of the body,” explains Elena C. Ochoa, M. Ac., Acupuncture Physician. “With this technology, it will assist the lymphatic system to flow smoother, which is the key to weight loss and improved general well-being.”

With three certified on-staff Acupuncture Physicians; Elena C. Ochoa, M.AC., Roxana M. Gonzalez-Pouza, M. Ac., and Vivian Istiban, M. Ac., Acupuncture Center for Wellness tailors all their treatments to meet individual needs. Providing their services from two convenient locations – 16666 N.E. 19th Avenue, Suite 111, in North Miami Beach, (305-940-7763), and 7550 Red Road (57 Ave), Suite 116 in South Miami, (305-669-6699) – their goal is to assist the body to heal itself. For more information, visit www.acupuncturemiami.com.

See ad, page 17.

Keiser University Back to School Open House

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xplore new career paths at Keiser University’s Back-to-School Open House from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., August 5th. The academically centered event at the Miami campus will focus on specific employment opportunities. Students can receive training in more than 100 university degree programs.

Keiser University’s hands-on approach helps individuals gain a competitive advantage as they further their education. The open house will showcase the school’s resources and invite prospective students to learn about degree programs in career fields such as; health care, business, legal studies, culinary arts, and information technology. Enjoy interactive classroom activities and lab demonstrations with students, faculty and alumni.

Keiser University, with more than 16 campuses throughout Florida, plus online enrollment, continually monitors workplace trends to assist students with job placement. The University’s educational foundation is focused on providing the critical training skills and quality academic education students need to gain employment after graduation.

Location: 2101 N.W. 117 Avenue. For more information, visit KUOpenHouse. com or call 1-888-844-8404. Also visit KeiserUniversity.edu. See ad, page 8. th

Fun and Health!

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n Saturday, August 8th Sunshine Health will host and present the Orange Bowl Health and Wellness Fair featuring music and interactive fun for the entire family.

The event will include live performances, games for the kids, raffles and give-a-ways all day long. Visit over 60 exhibitors for free dental, gluscose, blood pressure, and posture health screenings, interactive CPR demonstrations, educational and awareness seminars and lots of free back to school supplies (limited supply).

Kids Fun Zone will feature bounce houses, face painters and lots of games. Youth Football Clinics , ages 7-16, will run from 1m-3:30pm (limited space -register online at community.orangebowl.org). Free Backpacks and School Supplies distribution begins at 12 p.m. and will continue while supplies last (one per child (ages 5-16) and child must be present).

And what’s an event without food. Food trucks will serve up delicious treats for the entire family. The Orange Bowl Health and Wellness Fair is a free event and will take place from 11a.m.-4p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, 3000 N.W. 199th Street in Miami Gardens. For more information visit community.orangebowl.org and click on the event banner.

See ad, page 49.

Animals need us.

Please donate today.

Easy to budget and it feels great to be making a difference for animals every month of the year.

Take Action.

Join the fight.

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August 2015

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newsbriefs I Can Do It! Conference in Orlando

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ore than 30 thought leaders and experts will be on hand at the I Can Do It! Hay House Conference starting at 7:30 p.m., September 18, and all day beginning at 9 a.m., September 19 and 20, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando.

Featured speakers include Dr. Wayne Dyer, who will deliver the Friday evening keynote address; Dr. Brian Weiss, regarded by many as the world’s foremost expert in past-life regression; Dr. Robert Holden, co-author with Louise Hay of the new book Life Loves You; Pam Grout, Kyle Gray, Nick Ortner, Dr. Joan Borysenko, Anita Moorjani and Joe Dispenza, a doctor of chiropractic.

Presentation and workshop topics include Healing Emotional and Physical Pain, Health Secrets, Positive Thinking, Nutrition, Meditation, Angel Guidance, Past Lives, Intuition, Creativity, Self-love, Life Changes, Standing at the Crossroads, Forgiveness and Living Your Truth. Other upcoming I Can Do It! Conferences will be held in London, England, September 5 and 6, and in New York City, November 14 and 15.

Cost: $275 to $375; special prices for one- or two-day attendance and pre-conference workshops. Location: 9400 University Blvd. For more information or to preregister, call 800-654-5126 or visit HayHouse.com.

Healthy Skin for Less

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re you ready to experience a relaxing skincare session? Educating Hands School of Massage has just launched their new Holistic Skin Care Training Program and is very excited to offer the chance to revamp your personal skincare regimen within their student clinic! For as low as $35.00 anyone can experience a relaxing and detoxifying skincare treatment.

“Educating Hands School skincare clinic is open to the community, and everyone is invited for some “me time.” Students are trained to become Florida Facial Specialists with skills in facials, waxing, brow tinting, and make up application,” shares Shay Lawrence, Everglades University Marketing Coordinator. “Our bright and friendly students will welcome you to enjoy a rejuvenating treatment.” For over 33 years Educating Hands School of Massage has been offering exceptional Holistic Massage Training while providing the community with low cost massage treatments from their students. Their Holistic Massage program is offered in English and Spanish and combined with their Skin Care program there is something for everyone.

Skincare clinic hours are Monday through Thursday from 12noon-2pm, and Saturdays from 10am-1pm. Their new program comes along with a new location at 260 N.E. 17th Terrace, on the corner of Biscayne Blvd and N.E. 17th Terrace, just next to Publix and Wells Fargo Bank. For more information call 305-285-6991, or visit www.educatinghands.com.

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Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

www.namiami.com

Art Classes, New Location

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lu Moon Studio of Art, a popular art space run by artist and owner Sheri Friedman, has relocated to historic Cauley Square. Friedman founded Blu Moon in Coconut Grove in 2008, and the studio has been a major part of the art scene there, offering art classes, workshops and gallery exhibitions to the Grove community and surrounding areas.

Sheri is now offering the same program of art classes for kids, teens, and adults in her new location, and the studio specializes in Portfolio Preparation for Art Magnet auditions. “This is an all inclusive program which will fully prepare the student for both the Art Magnet audition requirements and the demands of the curriculum once they are accepted,” explains Friedman.

“This program differs from any other in that it is a full instruction, preparation, and support to apply to Art School. I will work with the student both before and after auditions in order to ensure that they will be well prepared when they enter the school of their choice.

In addition to the classes, Blu Moon will feature creative workshops and artists exhibits in its beautiful new setting at Cauley Square,22400 Old Dixie Hwy. Miami.. For information on class schedule and costs, call 305-794-0329 or email blumoonsheri@gmail.com.

Thumbs up for Health!

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here’s a wealth of healthy living information available which can be confusing and even contradictory at times. But we all know that knowledge, inner strength, motivation, and a consistent commitment can pave the way to initiate change and one’s own transformation.

Clinique Valens, a new holistic-minded center in the heart of South Miami, believes in addressing the physical, chemical and emotional stressors accumulated throughout a lifetime in order to produce true healing from the inside out.

“Good health is our birthright, but years and years of abuse and self-neglect transform our bodies, emotions, minds and energetic fields to suboptimal states,” explains Rodrigo Ferrer, PT, Holistic Integrated Therapist. “You have the right to feel better, and we are dedicated to supporting, explaining and guiding you in this wonderful journey!”

This beautiful center offers European style Osteopathy, professional bodywork, iridology, detoxification, energy medicine, and lifestyle/health coaching.

Their specialty is acute and chronic pain, digestive dysfunction, fatigue and stress, Headaches, and a host of other conditions and ailments. They offer a plethora of natural ways to assist the healing process.

Clinique Valens is located at 5825 Sunset Drive, Suite #202, in South Miami. For more information call 786-717-5174, or visit www.cliniquevalens.com. See ad, page 60.

Affordable Acupuncture

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n ancient Chinese system of complementary medicine, Acupuncture is used to alleviate pain and treat a great deal of physical mental and emotional conditions. It stimulates the points on the body with hair thin needles to promote the flow of energy or Qi around your body along pathways called meridians. Thousands of years old, this system is widely sought after by anyone looking to take preventive measures to decrease stress and improve energy and overall health.

Dr Hong Chen, Ph.D., A.P., a part of a group of Acupuncturist at Acu Care Center/TCM Acupuncture Clinic understands this need. And along with her colleagues, she provides an endless array of treatments that are geared towards whole body balancing and healing. From skin diseases and pain management to infertility and eye and otolaryngology assessments and treatments, this group of highly experienced acupuncturists provides a whole body approach to healing through unique healing techniques and vast expertise. More specifically, Dr. Chen has accumulated tremendous experience in treating gynecological conditions such as menstrual disorders, menstrual pain, hormonal imbalance, menopausal syndrome, PMS, endometriosis, fibroids and functional uterine bleeding, and more.

Kids Smile!

Proper Dental Care is Important

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ost kids have their first complete set of teeth by the time they are 3 years old. Starting his or hers dental care early is important for obvious reasons. Establishing healthy habits early in life is also important. What foods to avoid, establishing brushing and flossing habits, etc. But even with all these precautions challenges arise. Slurred speech, crooked teeth, over and underbite problems, even snoring or breathing with the mouth open are just some examples of unexpected troubles.

Dr. Eugenio Mora, Jr., D.M.D., founder of Healthy Smiling Faces knows these challenges all too well.

He strongly believes in the importance of addressing muscle form and function and its relationship with many types of malocclusions early on.

“Our philosophy is to address many of the health problems seen in children today in a preventive and non-invasive biological manner,” Mora explains through his website. “With the use of myofunctional therapy, child friendly activities, breathing strategies, and intra-oral trainers we aim to not only correct crooked teeth, BUT also the muscles that guide them into place.”

Healthy Smiling Faces is located at 7171 Coral Way, Suite 210. For more information call 305-267-1620, or visit www.healthysmilingfaces.com. See ad, page 37.

With two locations– Pinecrest: 8603 S. Dixie Hwy, Suite 208, 305-720-9895, and Doral: 4005 N.W. 114th Ave., Suite 15, 305-720-9895–Acu Care Center/TCM Acupuncture Clinic’s goal is to provide affordable and advance health care. For more information, visit www.acu-master.com. See ad, page 6. natural awakenings

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newsbriefs

Save the Everglades

Seed Food & Wine Festival 2015

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ediscover Food! Get ready for Miami’s vegan culinary delight! The Seed Food and Wine festival, scheduled for November 18th–22nd, offers five days of fitness, yoga and lots of conscious and sustainable plant based food and wine.

The festival will offer delicious plan-based foods, craft beer, fine wines/spirits, and loads of lifestyle products and companies. Learn from the talented speakers, chefs, celebrities, authors, and athletes about how to live a conscious life.

Among the events you’ll find upscale dinners, film screenings, garden parties, southern brunches, and live entertainment. If you enjoy fresh, locally-sourced food, you will appreciate the information at The Seed Food & Wine Festival.

The Seed Food & Wine Festival will be held for five days throughout Miami and Beach areas. For specific locations and more information, visit seedfoodandwine.com.

eventspotlight

PlantPure Nation

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image courtesy of PlantPureNation.com

lantPure Nation, a documentary exploring the political and economic barriers keeping Americans from getting healthier through plantbased nutrition, is being screened in select cities across the U.S. It will be shown in Orlando at 7:00 p.m., September 17, at the Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 & IMAX. The film is based on the work of renowned nutritional scientist T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., who co-authored the groundbreaking book The China Study and was featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives, in which he presents scientific evidence that a whole food, plantbased diet can prevent and even reverse deadly conditions like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. The idea for PlantPure Nation, directed by his son Nelson Campbell, came when the agribusiness lobby killed Kentucky legislation that would have launched a pilot program documenting those health benefits.

In PlantPure Nation, Colin puts his nutritional theory to the test in his hometown in North Carolina where, as in Kentucky, rates of childhood obesity, heart attack, stroke and diabetes are high and residents typically eat meat-and-dairy-based diets. The 95-minute film examines the political and economic factors that suppress information about the benefits of plant-based nutrition and connects it to larger issues such as medicine, farming and food deserts.

In conjunction with the screenings, the nonprofit PlantPure Nation Foundation is establishing local PlantPure Pods across the country to promote the initiative. One tool is the 10-day Jumpstart program featured in the film.

PlantPure Pods can also request a film screening in their hometown.

View a preview at Tinyurl.com/PurePlantNationTrailer. For more information, visit PlantPureNation.com.

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Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

www.namiami.com

A Symposium to Rescue our “Backyard” here is only one Everglades in the world and it is dying. Although efforts by federal, state, and local governments are underway to mitigate the legacy of destruction brought on by past follies, there is much more that needs to be done and quickly, before it is too late. The Love the Everglades Movement, a symposium to save this precious eco-system, is intended to bridge the talents, imaginations, and energies of the diversity that makes up South Florida.

The movement manifests itself through a series of events, actions, workshops, prayers, and excursions into the heart of the Everglades. The aim is to revitalize community participation so together they can contribute to a Global Discussion about the critical status of the Everglades and how to protect this sacred land.

On Day 1 of the Summer Symposium will be held on Saturday August 22, 2015, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Miccosukee Resort and Convention Center 500 S.W. 177th Avenue in Miami, second floor ballroom. The event is free and open to the public. Lunch is included and will be sponsor by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. On Day 2, the event will take place at Florida International University’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus, where we will work on practical solutions in small groups with targeted goals.

Called the “River of Grass,” the Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species. It is a mosaic of sawgrass marshes, freshwater ponds, prairies and forested uplands that supports a rich plant and wildlife community.

Where water flows south through the its vastness to Florida Bay. Marjory Stoneman Douglas once asked, “What are YOU doing to save the Everglades?

Join the efforts to spread the word-we need to act now. For registration and details about the Summer Symposium 2015, please visit: www.lovetheeverglades.org. Join Facebook. com/LoveTheEverglades and twitter.com/EvergladesLove.

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healthbriefs

Call for Worldwide Protection from Wi-Fi Radiation

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n May, 190 scientists from 39 nations appealed to the World Health Organization (WHO) to “exert strong leadership in fostering the development of more protective EMF guidelines…” The letter was developed by a committee that included professors from Columbia University, Trent University, the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley. It was then signed by a host of university professors and researchers from around the world.

The directive cited several key studies that have shown that radiation from electromagnetic fields—even low-frequency radiation—is a possible cause of cancer. The WHO adopted a classification for extremely low-frequency electromagnetic radiation in 2002 and in 2011 classified radiofrequency (RF) radiation within its Group 2B—a “possible human carcinogen.”

The letter points out that while WHO has accepted these classifications, there have been no guidelines or standards created by the agency or in conjunction with other agencies. It recommends a convening of the United Nations Environmental Programme and the funding of an independent committee to explore practical means of regulating the widespread and uncontrolled expansion of wireless technologies throughout our environment.

The appeal also calls for the protection specifically of children and pregnant women and a strengthening of regulations placed on technology manufacturers.

Berkeley, California, set a precedent on May 12 by acknowledging the health risk posed by RF radiation and adopting the Right to Know Ordinance, requiring electronics retailers to warn customers about the potential health risks associated with it. It reads, “If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is on and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation.” The ordinance requires that the notice be displayed in stores that sell mobile phones.

CONSTIPATED KIDS HELPED

BY TUMMY MASSAGE

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esearch from the University of Washington has determined that chronic constipation in children may be relieved with abdominal massage. The research involved 25 parents and their children with learning needs and physical disabilities. The parents were trained by specialists in abdominal massage. Following the training, the parents massaged the abdomens of their children for 20 minutes per day.

The study found that abdominal massage relieved constipation in 87.5 percent of the children and reduced laxative use. In addition, the therapy resulted in better diets for 41 percent of the children and improved the parent-child relationship in many cases.

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Glyphosate Self-Testing Now Available

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he Feed the World Project has partnered with the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to offer public testing for a chemical that is now ubiquitous in conventional food production: glyphosate.

At $119, the test can check levels of this chemical in tap water, urine and soon, breast milk.

“For decades now, the public has been exposed, unknowingly and against their will, to glyphosate, despite mounting evidence that this key active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide is harmful to human health and the environment,” says OCA International Director Ronnie Cummins. “Monsanto has been given a free pass to expose the public to this dangerous chemical because individuals, until now, have been unable to go to their doctor’s office or local water-testing company to find out if the chemical has accumulated in their bodies or is present in their drinking water.”

The testing comes on the heels of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcement in March that glyphosate is a possible carcinogen and questions the validity of the industry claims from laboratory animal testing that the acceptable daily intake of glyphosate is .3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. The WHO report notes, “The so-called safe levels of glyphosate exposure have never been tested directly to determine if indeed they are really safe to consume over the long term. Instead, the ‘safe’ levels are extrapolated from higher doses tested in industry studies.”

The test is available at FeedTheWorld.info/ glyphosate-testing-test-yourself.

Pistachio Nuts Help Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Artery Health

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new study published in the journal Nutrition found that eating pistachio nuts may improve cholesterol parameters, increase glycemic (blood sugar) control, decrease artery stiffness and improve overall blood vessel health.

The study tested 60 adults with poor cholesterol lipid levels. They were randomly split into two groups—one (control) was given lifestyle modifications (LSM) while the other was given LSM and consumed 40 grams (about 1.5 ounces) of shelled pistachios per day for three months.

Blues Rust colors

Compared to the control group, the pistachio group’s levels of high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) increased significantly, while their low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels went down significantly. Along with lower fasting blood sugar, the pistachio group showed better artery health, established by measuring vasodilation (the flexibility of the arteries to expand and contract).

This, together with pulse-wave velocity testing, can indicate artery stiffness, which has been linked to hypertension and an increased risk of heart disease in general.

Produce Produces Heftier Newborns

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review of research from the Center for Chemical Regulation and Food Safety finds that the quantity of food consumed by pregnant women for increasing a baby’s birth weight is less important than what types of foods she eats.

After systematically analyzing 11 relevant studies, the researchers found that higher birth weights—associated with better brain development during later years—are linked with the amount of fruits and vegetables a mother eats during pregnancy.

Using seven studies, researchers found that low vegetable consumption during pregnancy resulted in more than three times the risk of giving birth to a child with low gestational weight. Other studies found a correlation between higher fruit consumption by expectant mothers and a higher birth weight of babies. Much of the research showing these relationships occurred in developed countries where a conventional Western diet is prevalent.

Sad Music Can Lift Our Mood

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study from Free University, in Berlin, has determined that listening to sad music may actually lift our mood. The researchers conducted a survey of 772 people, 44 percent of which were musicians, asking each subject about their emotional responses after listening to sad music. While 76 percent felt nostalgic, more than 57 percent of the respondents indicated peacefulness, more than 51 percent felt tenderness, almost 39 percent had feelings of wonder and 37 percent experienced a sense of transcendence.

Fewer than half—45 percent—said they experienced sadness when listening to the morose melodies. The researchers pointed out that people often tend to listen to sad music as a source of consolation, and the music often provides a means for improving moods and emotions.

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

Air Raid

Carbon Dioxide Levels Go Through the Roof The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) notes that as of March, the global monthly average for carbon dioxide, the most prevalent heat-trapping gas, crossed a threshold of more than 400 parts per million (ppm), the highest in about 2 million years. “It’s both disturbing and daunting from the standpoint of how hard it is to slow this down,” says NOAA chief greenhouse gas scientist Pieter Tans.

“Carbon dioxide isn’t just higher, it’s increasing at a record pace, 100 times faster than natural rises in the past.”

In pre-human times, it took about 6,000 years for carbon dioxide to rise 80 ppm, versus 61 ppm in the last 35 years, Tans says. Global carbon dioxide is now 18 percent higher than it was in 1980, when NOAA first calculated a worldwide average.

Crayon Kicks

Not Just for Kids Any More Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, by Johanna Basford, are two of the most popular titles on sale at Amazon.com—and both are coloring books for adults.

Featuring detailed black-and-white drawings of the flora and fauna that surround illustrator Basford’s Scottish home, Secret Garden has sold nearly 1.5 million copies.

Fans include Hollywood celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel, and when National Public Radio asked listeners for feedback, many indicated, “I thought I was alone.” The consensus is that adults are seeking to get in touch with their inner child. Beyond the nostalgic charm of coloring books, it’s also a good way for grownups to unwind and reflect.

“So many people have told me that they used to do secret coloring when their kids were in bed,” says Basford. “Now it is socially acceptable, it’s a category of its own.”

For a sample coloring gallery, visit JohannaBasford.com.

Finding Calm in a Hectic World

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Diaper Discovery Mushrooms Grow on Disposables

Disposable diapers are mostly indestructible, but a group of researchers led by Rosa María Espinosa Valdemar, at Mexico’s Autonomous Metropolitan University, Azcapotzalco, has found a way to degrade the soiled garments by growing mushrooms on them.

Disposable diapers can last for hundreds of years in landfills because they contain not only the plant-based material cellulose that mushrooms consume, but also non-biodegradable materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and the superabsorbent gel sodium polyacrylate.

The scientists grew the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, on a substance made from used diapers and were able to reduce the diaper’s weight and volume by up to 80 percent. For the experiment, the researchers only used diapers containing liquid waste. They sterilized and ground up the garments; mixed them with lignin from the remains of pressed grapes, coffee or pineapple tops; covered the mixture with commercially available fungus spores; and kept it in a plastic bag for three weeks.

The resulting mushrooms had similar amounts of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals as in commercial yeast. They’re not intended for human consumption, but could be used as a supplement in cattle feed.

Source: ScienceDaily.com

Solar Timeshare

Pistachio Power

Buying Kilowatts from Each Other

The Nuttiest Biogas Around

Yeloha, a new, Boston-based, peer-to-peer solar startup, allows anyone to go solar, even if they live in a rented apartment, have a roof blocked by a shady tree or don’t have the funds to buy panels. Customers can sign up for the service either as a “sun host” or “sun partner”.

Potential sun host homeowners have a roof suitable for solar, but can’t afford panels. Yeloha will install the panels for free in exchange for access to the solar power the panels create. Sun hosts also get about a third of the electricity created by the panels for free, translating to lower monthly power bills.

The remaining power is distributed to the sun partners—customers that want to go solar, but don’t have a proper roof or own their home. Sun partners can buy as many solar credits as they’d like from Yeloha at a price that’s less than what they’d normally pay to their utility. The service is currently operating in Massachusetts only, but has plans for expansion across the country.

For more information, visit Yeloha.com/sunhost.

Crab Crisis

Valuable Horseshoe Species Going Extinct The horseshoe crab, which is not really a crab, but belongs to the taxonomical class Merostomata among arthropods, is about to join the long list of endangered species. Their potential extinction poses a major threat to pharmaceutical, clinical and food industries seeking the secrets to the species’ survival over more than 250 million years with minimal evolution, enduring extreme temperature conditions and salinity.

Individuals are able to go without eating for a year.

Commonly found living in warm, shallow coastal waters on the sea floor, horseshoe crabs play an important ecological role. A continuing decrease in their population will affect other species, especially shorebirds that feed on the eggs, destabilizing the food chain. Sea turtles also feed on adult horseshoe crabs.

Scientists worldwide want to include the invertebrate in schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1974, labeling them as an endangered species.

Enforcement will include monitoring for improper uses of horseshoe crabs.

Turkey, one of the world’s largest producers of pistachios, has begun using tons of the shells to produce biogas (methane) as an alternative energy source instead of dumping them in landfills. The country even plans to power its first eco-city using this unconventional fuel.

The planned 7,900-acre metropolis is expected to house 200,000 people in Gaziantep Province. This southern region near the Syrian border is the heart of Turkey’s pistachio production, yielding more than 50 percent of the country’s nuts. “When you plan such environmentally friendly systems, you take a look at the natural resources you have,” explains Seda Muftuoglu Gulec, a Turkish green building expert. “If the region was abundant in wind power, we would use wind energy.”

If the project goes forward, construction will start within two years and be completed within two decades.

A pilot phase will focus on a 135-acre piece of land and, if successful, expand into the entire city. It may inspire other agricultural regions to look at what they typically consider waste as an energy source.

For more information, visit Tinyurl.com/ PistachioPoweredCity.

Over 40 Years Combined Experience in Natural Health Care

Source: EndangeredSpeciesInternational.org

Treat the cause, not the symptom

Fracking Halt

Earthquakes Derail Dutch Gas Production Gas production by fracking in the Loppersum, Netherlands, area of the Groningen natural gas field, Europe’s largest, was suspended by a Dutch court after a home was damaged by earthquakes linked to the operation. Nette Kruzenga, co-founder of Groningen Centraal, one of two groups seeking an immediate halt in Groningen gas production, says, “It is clear the judge said that the situation around Loppersum is dangerous.”

The actions of Dutch officials are different than in the U.S., where many people acknowledge the same problem while others deny its existence. States that tend to cite the danger are those that have experienced damaging earthquakes, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Virginia. Deniers include big-fracking states such as California, Colorado and Texas.

In states that have reduced new injections and scaled back current operations, earthquakes have abated.

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ecotip Trendy Transit

More Americans Hop on Buses and Trains More people today are embracing the many benefits of commuting by public transit. Beyond the good feelings of reducing their carbon footprint and avoiding the stress of traffic, they are meeting and conversing with fellow passengers, reading, working via mobile devices or simply relaxing.

Total U.S. mass transit trips topped 2.7 billion in the third quarter of 2014, a 1.8 percent rise from the same period in 2013, according to the American Public Transportation Association. This represents “a dramatic change in public opinion as more people are demanding public transportation services,” according to President and CEO Michael Melaniphy.

Many communities are responding by improving the operations and scope of their mass transit systems. Oklahoma City’s bus and metro system was acquired

by Embark (EmbarkOK.com) in 2013. In April 2014, it launched the first phase of changes, including increased frequency of bus routes to reduce both passenger waiting and travel times. Since then, ridership has increased 8 percent. Beginning last January, two crosstown bus routes

began operating until midnight.

For Andre Small, late-night service means he can ride to and from his home and the restaurant where he works.

“I would take the afternoon bus to work, but then have to walk four miles home when my shift ended at 11 p.m.,” says Small. “Carrying my tips in cash late at night didn’t feel safe.

Bus service until midnight is a lifesaver.”

Bus ridership in Indianapolis reached a 23-year peak last year, totaling nearly 10.3 million passenger trips, and a new downtown transportation center is expected to open this year. IndyGo, the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo.net), plans to offer the nation’s largest electric bus fleet, rolling out the first vehicles by fall, with a fleet of 21 by year’s end.

Capitol Metro launched two special MetroRapid bus routes in Austin, Texas, in 2014, and new bus and rail transportation centers opened last year in Denver and Anaheim, California. New streetcar projects are underway in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Tucson and Washington, D.C.

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businesshighlight I quickly identified an opportunity to add value to these businesses by eliminating the need for plastic water bottles, and, ultimately making a significant impact to their bottom line, as well as contribute to their eco-friendly ‘Green’ initiatives. Since Coffee is about 97% Water, the transition to the water industry felt natural.

NA: The negative environmental impact from the water bottle industry is insurmountable.

What kind of an impact do you believe your product will yield, environmentally and economically, in the coming years?

GW: Considering the fact that each machine we install replaces thousands of plastic bottles, the end user will realize an immediate economic impact and the environment will enjoy a significant reduction in plastic waste at landfills.

Everyone Wins!

From Bottle to Coolers An Eco-Friendly Initiative

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n the U.S., 1,500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second. According to Food and Water Watch Organization, bottled water wastes fossil fuels in production and transport. Additionally, rather than being recycled, about 75 percent of the empty plastic bottles end up in our landfills, lakes, streams and oceans, where they may never fully decompose. “By helping people and businesses eliminate the need for plastic water bottles, we make both a positive impact on the environment, as well as an economic impact by significantly reducing costs.

We’re helping people save money and make a difference.

Everybody Wins,” explains Gregg Weinberg, Chief Hydration Officer of Aventura based Gr8Taste Water Company.

Weinberg shared his insights and goals with Natural Awakenings for a bottle-less future and environment.

NA: What was the trigger or inspiration that helped you make the transition from an account executive to the bottle-less water solution industry?

GW: As a lifelong Salesman, I have always considered myself an Account Executive, but now as I make a living, I am making a difference...both environmentally and economically so it’s more gratifying. I spent 10 years working for a major coffee roaster/distributor here in South Florida. We sold to major hotel and restaurant chains.

NA: You have converted a lot of big businesses to bottle-less coolers, how will you convince the average person that this is a better home solution?

GW: That’s a Gr8 question. I think the most important way to convince the average consumer is by educating them on the many benefits; healthier, more sanitary, less costly, hassle free, eco-friendly, etc. Despite the fact that Bottle-LESS Water technology has been available for decades, we have only scratched the surface as it relates to businesses switching from Bottled to Bottle-LESS Water Coolers. About 50% of businesses are still using the bulky 5 gallon plastic water bottles. We have plans to aggressively position ourselves to become the leading provider of Bottle-LESS Water Coolers in South Florida. Our team is prepared to work very hard and diligently in ongoing efforts to help people Think Outside the Bottle.

NA: With several water cooler companies out there what makes yours the better choice?

How does it work?

GW: Our new water machine uses the latest advances in ultra filtration technology. Simply speaking, our water coolers convert existing tap water into the highest quality purified water(Hot and Cold!), reducing and virtually eliminating dozens of cancer causing constituents. Why pay for bottles, when you can enjoy an endless supply of ‘freshly squeezed’ filtered water for just pennies a day?!

Gr8Taste serves hundreds of businesses in South Florida including major hotels, resorts and country clubs. For more information call (954) 558-8228 or visit www.

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August 2015

19

ENLIGHTENED PARENTING Tips for Raising Confident and Loving Kids

by Meredith Montgomery

F

ueled by unconditional love, parenting with presence embraces all potential connections between parents and their children.

Noting that sometimes children feel like their parents love them, but don’t necessarily like them, Martin emphasizes finding ways to identify with their interests. “I love cars, and my dad Establishing Values used to invite me on test drives when Shelly Lefkoe, co-author of Chicken Soup I was a kid. Both of my parents took for the Soul: Guide to Eftime to connect with My dad always fective Parenting, believes me, which had a huge that children learn what told me it was my impact on our relationwe model as important ship.” school, my choice, values. She tells her Christine Carter, daughters they should Ph.D., a sociologist my grades, my life. treat her with dignity and with the University of It made me want to California Greater Good respect both not because she’s their mother, but take responsibility. Science Center, recogbecause “That’s how you nizes the importance treat people and that’s of talking explicitly ~Casey Martin how I treat them.” about values. When we

Minneapolis college student Casey see kids doing something we value, Martin often joins his father, Kirk, in ask them how it made them feel, she presenting Calm Parenting workshops advises. “Teens don’t necessarily know for parents, teachers and students that their parents value character over around the country. In growing up, grades,” Carter says, “particularly if he’s seen firsthand, “If you have a parents tend to monitor grades more connection with your kids, you can than aspects of a child’s character. What have a lot more influence on them.” do you talk about more—their achieve20

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ments or their character? If it’s the former, consider that you unintentionally might be sending the wrong message.”

Hummingbird Parenting

Overprotection of children by what’s termed helicopter parenting, can cause a disabling sense of entitlement where kids begin to believe, possibly unconsciously, that they are entitled to a difficulty-free life, Carter observes.

“There’s an epidemic of cheating because students don’t want to try hard, and they expect to be rescued,” she says.

“Although it’s terrifying to let our kids fail, when we don’t let them experience difficulty, they see mistakes as being so awful they must be avoided at any cost. To gain mastery in any arena, we must challenge ourselves, even if that means making mistakes.”

“We lose sight that we’re not raising children, we’re raising adults,” says Malibu, California, marriage, family and child therapist Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting with Presence: Practices for Raising Conscious, Confident, Caring Kids.

“Empower them to cope with ups and downs. Help them know and trust themselves by not legislating their opinions and by allowing them to experiment.”

Children often struggle with transitions, especially when things don’t go as planned. Martin recommends, “When kids throw tantrums or argue to get out of a challenging situation that’s causing them anxiety, help them work through it. Tell them that you know they’re feeling anxious, that you’ve felt that way before, too, and then help by giving them something specific to do or focus on.”

Independent outdoor play has been proven to help kids learn to exert self-control. America’s children aren’t allowed to roam freely outside to experience nature as previous generations did. In Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv cautions against being limited by modern factors such as restrictive subdivision covenants and media-induced fear. “There are risks outdoors, but there are huge psychological, physical and spiritual risks in raising future generations under protective house arrest,” he says.

Louv prefers what’s If you can’t explain kids, they feel absolved: called a hummingbird ‘I did something bad, I something to a approach: “Humminggot punished, now we’re bird parents don’t hover 5-year-old, you don’t even,’” says Lefkoe. over their kids with they get caught really understand it; When nature flash cards; they doing something they stand back and make they make you think shouldn’t be doing, space for exploration she recommends (with about what you and problem solving children as young as know. through independent 5) asking them, “What play, while remaining are the consequences ~Armin Brott nearby, ready to zoom in of your actions? Do you at a moment’s notice if want to live with them? safety becomes an issue.”

Your goal with this conversation should

Armin Brott, host of San Francisco’s be that your child walks away feeling Positive Parenting radio program, relike they made a mistake, but it was a minds parents to increase opportunities great learning opportunity.” for independence as youngsters grow.

As kids mature and are faced with “Test a child’s ability to handle more potentially dangerous scenarios, “You freedom by providing the opportunity don’t want them worrying about what to prove that they can. If they succeed, their friends will think; you want them it’s a confidence builder. If not, it allows thinking about the consequences,” them to see for themselves that they’re says Lefkoe. not ready yet.”

Navigating the Teen Years Disciplined Communication The intense journey of adolescence is The first eight years of a child’s life are about discovering oneself and how to the most formative, effecting personal reach full potential. Carter says, “I had to beliefs that will shape the adult that constantly remind myself that this is their they’ll become, including impediments journey, not mine, and that it’s going to to fruitful self-expression. Fostering consometimes be dark and difficult.” nection and confidence entails prevent “The more power you give kids, the ing children from forming negative less they feel the need to test the unibeliefs while keeping them safe. verse,” says Lefkoe, who reminds parents

Lefkoe suggests focusing on what that while it’s relatively easy to control serves the child’s highest good in that young children, rebellious teenagers are moment. “Get to the source of problems harder to handle when they feel they instead of talking about your expectahave something to prove to an overbeartions not being met, which is irrelevant,” ing parent. Offering calculated risk-taking says Lefkoe. “Guide them to learn to opportunities that don’t involve drugs and discern what works and what doesn’t. alcohol is beneficial in the teen years.

You want your child to thrive, instead of “You want them to know how to handle always trying to live up to others’ expec- freedom and be responsible once they tations.” are on their own,” she says.

Parents can serve as a safe haven

“When I got my driver’s license, I for kids. Stiffelman says, “Allow them to always came home before curfew,” says speak the truth without being corrected Martin. “I learned that if I could control or shamed. If they tell you they’d like myself, my parents didn’t feel the need to do something you don’t approve of, to control me, which gave me a ton of resist the urge to react with immedipower in my life.” ate advice and talk to them about their

Brott observes that as the pardecision-making process. Be present enting role changes, “We can offer enough for them to let them hear them- to help, but it’s equally important to selves think out loud.” learn to let go and admire the young “Children need affection, attention, adults they’re becoming.” acknowledgment and unconditional

Teens desperately want to not feel love, not discipline. When you punish like a kid, adds Stiffelman. “They may

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health corner Ayurvedic Support of Heart Health & Blood Pressure Regulation TEA: Combine 1 flat teaspoon (5 ml.) of each of the following herbs in 8 ounces of hot water and infuse in a covered vessel for at least 1 minute: Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citiratus) Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.)

Hawthorne Berries (Crataegus oxyacantha) Recommended dosage: 1 cup daily

ESSENTIAL OILS: Add 3 drops of (0.2 ml) of each of the following essential oils to a tablespoon of carrier oil for massages (coconut oil for pitta types, mustard oil for kaphas and sesame oil for vata constitutions; alternately, sesame oil and jojoba oil are suitable for everyone): Lavender Marjoram Clary Sage Ylang Ylang Two or three drops of each of the foregoing can also be added to bath water for the desired effect.

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The Body Book for Boys

by Rebecca Paley, Grace Norwich and Jonathan Mar

The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls

by Cara Natterson

Attention Practitioners! Everyone is invited to share their health tips through this section at NO COST. Send submissions for consideration to advertising3@namiami.com.

ing activities is a form of communication, too.”

Kids as Teachers

“By paying attention, we can learn a lot of skills from our kids,” says Brott.

Generally, youngsters have a greater tolerance for other people’s mistakes and opinions than adults, and tend to be more laid back. They regularly teach spiritual lessons about giving and receiving love and happiness in ways we never imagined.

Through all the inevitable challenges, Stiffelman notes, “When parenting with presence, we orient ourselves with whatever good, bad or difficult moment is unfolding and bring more of our self—our heart, consciousness, understanding and compassion—to hold steady as the seas get rocky. Children offer us opportunities to confront the dark and dusty corners of our minds and hearts, creating conditions to call forth the kind of learning that can liberate us from old paradigms.”

It all allows us to lead more expansive and fulfilling lives as we open ourselves to more of the love, learning and joy that the adventure of parenting can bring. When we embrace the healing and transformation that is being offered through parenting with presence, the rewards can be limitless.

Meredith Montgomery publishes Natural Awakenings of Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com).

Conscious Parenting Resources The Care and Keeping of You: the Body Book for Younger Girls

by Valorie Schaefer

Sai Ayurvedic College & Wellness Center

22

tell you to back off, but stay present and engaged—like wallpaper. The more you ask their opinion or invite them to teach you something, the more they’ll feel your support.”

With sex education, the authors of The New Puberty, Pediatric Endocrinologist Dr. Louise Greenspan and Adolescent Psychologist Julianna Deardorff, Ph.D., emphasize the importance of being approachable from a young age, so kids naturally turn to their parents when sensitive questions arise.

“It shouldn’t be about having ‘the talk’; it’s about maintaining an ongoing conversation,” says Greenspan. “Body odor is a good starting point in talking about body issues because it’s not intimidating and can be comfortably addressed by either parent.” Avoid rushing into subjects they’re not ready for by focusing on answering the questions that are posed, while offering a glimpse into the near future.

Deardorff says, “Pubertal changes happen over time, so be patient. Parents have a lot of anxiety and anticipation about puberty. When you start to see the first signs, you don’t have to communicate everything all at once.”

Consider throwing a puberty party or a health workshop for a son or daughter and their friends. Invite a parent that is comfortable with the subject matter—a nurse, physician or teacher— to get the conversation started. “Fight the urge to emotionally or physically withdraw,” counsels Deardorff. “Shar-

Father for Life: A Journey of Joy, Challenge and Change

by Armin Brott Holistic Mom’s Network HolisticMoms.org

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Last Child in the Woods

by Richard Louv The New Puberty

by Louise Greenspan, M.D., and Julianna Deardorff, Ph.D. Parenting the Lefkoe Way TheLefkoeWay.com Parenting with Presence

by Susan Stiffelman Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents

by Christine Carter

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10 STEPS TO FAMILY HAPPINESS

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H

appier kids are more likely to become successful, accomplished adults. Looking at the science can show what works in raising naturally healthy, happy kids.

feelings are okay, even though bad behavior isn’t.

Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First.

How happy parents are dramatically affects how happy and successful their kids are.

Teach Self-Discipline. Self-discipline in kids is more predictive of future success than intelligence or most anything else good. Start teaching it by helping kids learn ways to distract themselves from temptation.

Build a Village. The breadth and depth of our positive relationships with other people is the strongest predictor of human happiness.

Expect Effort and Enjoyment, Not Perfection. Parents that overemphasize achievement are more likely to have kids with higher levels of depression, anxiety and substance abuse compared to others. Praise effort, not natural ability.

Choose Gratitude, Forgiveness and Optimism. Optimism is so closely related to happiness that the two are practically interchangeable. Teach preteens to look on the bright side.

Raise their Emotional Intelligence. It’s a skill, not an inborn trait. Parents can help by empathizing with children facing difficult emotions and helping them identify and label what they are feeling. Let them know that all

Form Happiness Habits. Turn these happiness skills, plus the positive skills parents already have, into habits.

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Enjoy the Present Moment. We can be super-busy and deeply happy at the same time by deeply experiencing the present moment.

Rig their Environment for Happiness.

Monitor a child’s surroundings so that the family’s deliberate happiness efforts have maximum effect.

Eat Dinner Together. This simple tradition helps mold better kids and makes them happier, too.

Christine Carter, Ph.D., is the author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents and The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work. She is a senior fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Learn more at ChristineCarter.com.

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healingways

The Vaccine Push Mandatory Laws vs. Personal Choice

by Linda Sechrist

F

ront-page headlines Mandatory vaccines vaccines. about questionable Yet, “There is no pose the latest research, corporate available evidence on manipulations, purchased affront to citizens’ vaccines’ effectiveness politicians, medical coverthat is placeboups and whistleblower right to informed self- controlled, plus the reports have left health effects of vaccines government.

Americans feeling in combination have hoodwinked and never been studied, skeptical. According to a new Pew certainly not the 69 total doses of 16 Research Center study, the public types of vaccines given to children doesn’t trust the information they’re starting 12 hours after birth through fed on issues such as genetically age 18,” says Sayer Ji, a member engineered crops and now, mandatory of the National Health Federation vaccines. board of governors and founder of

The current state of distrust of GreenMedInfo.com. scientific statistics and their impact

“Vaccine risks for anyone can range on our lives doesn’t bode well for from zero to 100 percent, depending lawmakers attempting to build upon one’s genes, microbiome DNA, consensus for uniform mandatory environment, age and health at the time vaccination intervention. The current of vaccination and the type and number rush to pass such legislation is largely of vaccines given,” advises Barbara Loe due to 169 cases of measles reported Fisher, president and co-founder of the between January 4 and April 17, nonprofit National Vaccine Information encompassing 20 states and the District Center, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. of Columbia, all traced to a traveler

“Vaccines are not safe or effective infected overseas that then visited a for everyone because we’re not all the California amusement park. same and we don’t all respond the

Common sense and independent same way to pharmaceutical products,” research counters the stance that would says Fisher. She notes that responses rob individuals of their moral right to infectious diseases and the risk for to conscientious, philosophical and complications can also vary, depending personal-belief exemption from being upon similar factors. subjected to vaccines. Hard evidence in

Among the most prominent a plethora of published studies further warnings on vaccine ingredients, identifies genetic factors that could cause concerned doctors, researchers and the development of adverse effects to medical whistleblowers cite dangers

24

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Vaccines are not responsible for the eradication of diseases such as polio and smallpox. ~U.S. Centers for Disease Control database of the toxin thimerosal, a mercurycontaining preservative used in some vaccines and vaccine adjuvants such as aluminum gels or aluminum salts added to elicit a stronger immune response against the germ the vaccine introduces into our body.

Leading books citing telling research include Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mark Hyman; Vaccines: What CDC Documents and Science Reveal, by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny; Vaccine Epidemic, by Louise Kuo Habakus; and Science for Sale, by David L. Lewis, Ph.D. Top film documentaries include Shots in the Dark; Vaccination: The Hidden Truth; Trace Amounts; The Greater Good; and Vaccine Nation.

Bought: The Hidden Story Behind Vaccines, Big Pharma and Your Food resulted from two years of investigative research in disaster medical management by Toni Bark, now an integrative physician. In interviews with practicing doctors, research scientists, former pharmaceutical sales representatives, attorneys and others, Bark exposes serious conflicts of interest. These include vaccine research funding, hiring between pharmaceutical and chemical industries and their government regulating agencies, sponsored scientific propaganda used to silence critics, and large-scale corruption within the billion-dollar vaccine industry. Plus, it points out problems with the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 that Congress passed to give drug manufacturers, the government and physicians protection from lawsuits arising from injuries caused by childhood vaccines.

“Since 1988, thousands of children and adults in America that have suffered brain inflammation and other long-recognized vaccine reactions have been collectively awarded $3 billion in vaccine injury compensation. There are

thousands more that have been unable to secure federal compensation for their vaccine injuries,” reports Fisher.

“At least 25,000 to 30,000 reports of vaccine reactions are filed annually with the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, operated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control,” says Tenpenny.

“Underreporting is a substantial problem.

It’s estimated that less than 1 percent of all adverse events from drugs and vaccines are reported.” VaccineResearchLibrary. com cites 7,200 journal articles and studies that expose the harm caused by vaccines.

“Knowledge is empowering and personal discernment is priceless.

The facts challenge the health claims by government health agencies and pharmaceutical firms that vaccines are perfectly safe,” says Ji. “Public doubt, distrust and skepticism are rational and natural consequences.”

What to Ask Before Vaccinating

V

accines are pharmaceutical products that carry risks. The National Vaccine Information Center encourages parents to become fully informed about the potential risks and disease complications for their own children and pose these questions to one or more trusted healthcare professionals before making a decision. n Am I, or my child, sick right now? n Have I, or my child, had a bad reaction to a vaccination before? n Do I, or my child, have a personal or family history of vaccine reactions, neurological disorders, severe allergies or immune system problems? n Do I know the disease and vaccine risks for my child or myself? n Do I have full information about the vaccine’s side effects? n Do I know how to identify and report a vaccine reaction? n Will I have a written record, including the vaccine manufacturer’s name and lot number, for all vaccinations?

Connect with writer Linda Sechrist at ItsAllAboutWe.com.

Visit nvic.org for information on recognizing vaccine-reaction symptoms.

WHOLE FOODS MARKE T IP, L .P.

For more information, visit the National Vaccine Information Center at nvic.org and the coalition of citizen advocates at NationalHealthFreedom.org.

n Am I convinced that I have the right to make an informed choice?

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August 2015

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consciouseating

Kids like simple, elemental tastes and embrace the magic of the three-ingredient approach to cooking. ~Rozanne Gold, Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs

KID COOKERY

They Love Healthy Food They Make Themselves

by Judith Fertig

I

n less than a generation, childhood obesity has risen substantially, most notably in the United States, according to the article “Child and Adolescent Obesity: Part of a Bigger Picture,” in a recent issue of The Lancet. The authors attest that modern culture’s promotion of junk food encourages weight gain and can exacerbate risk factors for chronic disease in our kids.

When concerned parents have a picky child bent on eating only French fries, they could enroll them in healthy cooking classes that offer tastings and related hands-on experiences for youths from preschoolers through teens. Here, children are encouraged to try more foods, eat healthier and learn about meal preparation, plus sharpen some math, geography and social skills.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Leah Smith, the mother of two elementary school children, founded Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, in Austin, Texas, in 2011. She offers classes for chefs (ages 3 to 6), junior chefs (5 to 11) and senior chefs (11 to 14). Kids learn how to make dishes such as yogurt parfait popsicles with healthy grains clusters or roasted tomato soup 26

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with homemade croutons. “I’m a firm believer that teaching kids about which foods are good for us, and why, will positively influence their lifelong eating habits,” says Smith. “Start right, stay right.”

Elena Marre, also the mother of two elementary school children, faced the challenge of a picky eater in her family.

In 2007, she started The Kids’ Table, in Chicago, and solved her own problem along the way. Says Marre, “It’s amazing how often I hear a child complain about not liking red peppers, dark leafy greens or onions at the beginning of a class. It’s so rewarding when that same child is devouring a dish made with those three ingredients at the end.”

Healthy kids cooking classes provide a fresh way to combat poverty, according to the Children’s Aid Society, in New York City. The group started Go!Chefs in 2006 at community schools and centers throughout the city and knows how to make it fun with Iron Chef-style competitions.

“When offered a choice between an apple and a candy on two consecutive occasions and with most having chosen the candy the first time, 57 percent

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of students in the Go!Kids health and fitness program chose the apple the second time, compared to 33 percent in the control group,” says Stefania Patinella, director of the society’s food and nutrition programs.

In Minnesota’s Twin Cities region, “We do a lot of outreach with Head Start, community schools and organizations like scout troops,” says Chef Ani Loizzo, Whole Foods Market’s culinary instructor at the Whole Kids Club Kitchen Camp, in Lake Calhoun.

“We have many kids that know about organic and biodynamic farming and we talk about that in class. We might focus on a healthy ingredient like tomatoes in a one-hour class or explore the culture of Greece or Mexico through food in a longer session.”

Loizzo loves the natural curiosity that kids bring to cooking classes.

“Sparking an interest in exploring ingredients and flavors can also lead to learning how to grow a garden and interest in the environment,” she says.

For children in areas where such cooking classes aren’t yet offered, there are still fun ways to involve them in healthy meal preparation. Maggie LaBarbera of San Mateo, California, started her Web-based company NourishInteractive.com in 2005 after witnessing the harmful effects of teenage obesity when she was an intensive care nurse. It offers educational articles for parents and free downloadable activities that engage children with healthy foods.

“Every positive change, no matter how small, is a step to creating a healthier child,” says LaBarbera.

“Together, we can give children the knowledge, facts and skills to develop healthy habits for a lifetime.”

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

Starter Recipes for Kids

Yields: 4 servings

4 ice pop molds 1 cup granola (use non-GMO, gluten-free Kind bars) in small pieces 1 cup organic fresh fruit such as raspberries, kiwi, mango and strawberries cut into small pieces 2 (6-oz) cartons organic dairy or non-dairy yogurt

Adapted from a recipe by Leah Smith for Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, in Austin, Texas

Raw Banana Ice Cream Yields: about 1 quart

20 pitted dates, roughly chopped 2 Tbsp raw honey 2 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 /8 tsp ground cinnamon 4 cups sliced very ripe organic bananas ½ cup raw peanuts, coarsely chopped, optional 2 Tbsp cacao nibs

Cheesy Lasagna Rolls Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods Market, Lake Calhoun, Minnesota

Layer ingredients in each ice pop mold like a parfait. Put a sprinkle of granola in first, and then layer yogurt and fresh cut fruit. Add another spoonful of granola to top it all off and freeze the pops for at least 4 to 6 hours.

Nut Butter Granola Bars

Adapted from a recipe by Kensey Goebel for Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, in Austin, Texas

photo by Stephen Blancett

Yogurt Parfait Ice Pops with Healthy Grains Clusters

Put dates into a medium bowl, cover with lukewarm purified water and set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Drain dates and reserve soaking liquid. In a food processor, purée dates with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, honey, oil, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth. (Discard the remaining liquid.) Add bananas and purée again until almost smooth.

Transfer to a stainless steel bowl and stir in peanuts and cacao nibs. Cover and freeze, stirring occasionally, until almost solid—4 to 6 hours. Let ice cream soften a bit at room temperature before serving.

photo by Stephen Blancett

Courtesy of TxKidsKitchen.com

ere’s a sampling of healthy snack food recipes that kids love to make—and eat—in class and at home.

photo by Stephen Blancett

H

Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes. Let them cool completely before cutting. Store in a plastic container separated by parchment paper. They should keep for about two weeks and may be refrigerated.

Sea salt ½ lb (8 to 10) uncooked lasagna noodles Organic olive or coconut oil 1 cup ricotta cheese 1½ cups prepared marinara sauce 1½ cups packed baby spinach ½ cup shredded mozzarella Preheat oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and gently transfer to a clean surface.

Yields: 8 bars

2¼ cups rolled oats ¼ cup shredded coconut (without added sugar) ½ cup applesauce 1 /3 cup nut butter (almond or peanut) ¼ tsp baking soda ½ cup raw honey or maple syrup 1 Tbsp milk or almond milk 3 Tbsp chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients into a separate bowl; it may help to heat the nut butter a little first.

Combine the wet and dry contents.

Oil the inside of a small roasting pan or casserole dish and set it aside. Working with one noodle at a time, spread with about 2 tablespoons each of the ricotta and marinara, then top with spinach.

Starting at one end, roll up the noodle snugly, and then arrange it in the pan either seam-side down or with the rolls close enough to hold each other closed. Pour the remaining marinara over assembled rolls, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods Market

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August 2015

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January 2013

healthykids

by April Thompson

F

ew things in life are more permanent than a tattoo. Yet those most likely to change their life course—in careers, relationships or fashion styles—are also most inclined to get inked. Nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 have at least one tattoo, according to a Pew Research Center poll.

“If you change your hairstyle or look often, you probably aren’t a good candidate for a tattoo, because of the limited flexibility to change that decision,” says Dr. Gregory Hall, a primary care physician in Cleveland, Ohio. Hall created the website ShouldITattoo.com to help inform others after seeing so many patients that regretted the tattoos of their youth.

Hall has also authored Teens, Tattoos, & Piercings to try to reach school-aged kids before they even consider body art.

Career Concerns

The Millennial generation, which is getting inked in record numbers, is also the leading demographic for ink removal. More than half the tattoos removed by medical professionals in 2013 were for people between 19 and 34 years old. Removal often costs many times more than being tattooed, sometimes requiring a dozen or more sessions over several months.

Beyond the likelihood of changing one’s mind about a tattoo, Hall cites employment, discrimination and health 28

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concerns in urging teens to decline getting inked or pierced. Employers have the legal right to reject a job candidate because of a tattoo—a challenging fact of life for young people to reconcile when they’re still undecided on a career path.

Different branches of the military have their own restrictions on body art, which can include the tattoo’s size, placement and subject, while some companies ban tattoos and piercings altogether.

The commitment of a tattoo never interested Lauren Waaland-Kreutzer, 25, of Richmond, Virginia. “I don’t know how I’m going to age and who I’ll be in five years,” she says. Two days after turning 18, however, she got her nose pierced, a decision she hasn’t regretted, even though it’s affected her employment. “While I was working my way through college, I gave up slightly better paying jobs in order to keep my piercing,” she says.

Her current employer, a local nonprofit in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is piercing-friendly, but she has friends that have to cover their tattoos and piercings at work; a former classmateturned-lawyer even had to remove a small star tattoo from her wrist.

While piercings are more reversible than tattoos, they are also more prone to certain health risks.

Tongue and cheek piercings can accelerate tooth decay, according to Hall, and the risk of infection can be high, especially if it impacts cartilage.

“Some skin rejects piercings, and you can end up with permanent scars,” he adds.

Healthier Alternatives

The good news is there are more natural, less permanent alternatives for young adults to adorn and express themselves, including custom-made temporary tattoos, plus magnetic and clip-on jewelry that are indistinguishable from a permanent piercing. Temporary tattoos work to try out the look before possibly committing.

Henna tattoos, an import from India, are another popular alternative, although Hall has seen many patients develop allergic reactions to this plant-based ink, so it’s always best to test on a small spot first.

Permanent organic inks fade more over time, a downside for someone that keeps a tattoo for life, but “come off beautifully” in a removal process compared to the standard heavy metal inks, reports Hall. Also, “We just don’t know yet what impact the heavy metals may have on people’s immune systems down the road,” he says. “Organic inks are much safer.”

Helpful Facts

State laws vary regarding age criteria, some allowing tattoos at any age with parental consent. Hall’s tattoo website has a downloadable contract to encourage kids to talk with their parents before making a decision, regardless of the need for consent.

Name tattoos, even those of loved ones, are among the tattoos most likely to be removed later in life. Hall saw this with a young man that had the names of the grandparents that raised him tattooed on his hands. He said, “I still love them, but I’m tired of looking at them and I have got to get them off me.”

A Harris Interactive poll revealed that a third of company managers would think twice about promoting someone with tattoos or piercings—a more critical factor than how tidy their workspace is kept or the appropriateness of their attire.

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

The Toxic Truth About Tattoos

by Anya Vien

T

he spike in popularity of tattooing that began a couple of decades ago in America and Europe continues to spread worldwide. Those considering getting one will do well to carefully review the options and the health dangers related to traditional tattoos.

Tattoo inks contain heavy metals, and red inks often contain mercury. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any tattoo pigments for injection into the skin. Tattoo parlors are regulated by states and municipalities, but the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to release ink ingredients. The lack of regulation is unsettling, as some 45 million Americans have been inked.

Many tattoo ink pigments are industrial-grade colors suitable for printer ink or automobile paint, and the FDA warns that it may possibly cause infections, allergic reactions, keloids (fibrous scar tissue), granulomas (response to inflammation, infection or a foreign substance) and potential complications connected with magnetic resonance imaging

(MRI). The carrier solution used in tattoo inks also contains harmful substances such as denatured alcohol, methanol, antifreeze, detergents, formaldehyde and other toxic aldehydes.

A study in the journal Medicine by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, in Dallas, links commercial tattoos to the spread of hepatitis C. Dr. Robert Haley, a preventative medicine specialist and former U.S. Centers for Disease Control infection control official, comments, “We found that commercially acquired tattoos accounted for more than twice as many hepatitis C infections as injection-drug use. This means it may have been the largest single contributor to the nationwide epidemic of this form of hepatitis.”

Anya Vien is the owner of Living Traditionally.com, focusing on naturally healthy and sustainable living.

About Yoga For Vets

Yoga For Vets is a nonprofit organization that exists to welcome home war veterans and help them cope with stress of combat through yoga instruction.

The Yoga For Vets website lists studios, teachers, and venues throughout the country that offer four or more free classes to war veterans. Most locations offer four free class but some offer more (ask them when you call or stop in).

Presently, Yoga For Vets’ mission is straightforward: allow veterans to see the benefits of yoga with four free classes. In the future, however, Yoga For Vets hopes to support veterans in yoga by offering scholarships for teacher trainings and workshops.

Supporting our troops with four free yoga classes in their community

Please Visit Our Website to Locate Classes in your area.

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August 2015

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fitbody

Swimming in Nature Splashing Safely in Lakes and Oceans

by Lane Vail

B

ostonian avid open-water swimmer Kate Radville is delighted that water constitutes 70 percent of the Earth’s surface.

“The controlled environment of a swimming pool is convenient,” she says, “but splashing around outside in the beautiful summer sunshine is undeniably liberating.”

Enthusiasts are both attracted by the rugged beauty of wild water and humbled by its power, but without proper skill or knowledge, swimming in natural settings can be risky. “Millions of dollars are annually spent on advertising, tourism and beach restoration projects to bring people to water,” says Dave

Benjamin, executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, “yet, the American Red Cross finds that 54 percent of Americans lack basic water emergency lifesaving skills.” Maximize enjoyment and safety in the open water by heeding basic guidelines.

Be Weather Wise. Check the forecast before heading out and be conscious of any sudden climate changes. Leave the water or the area in the event of thunder or lightning. Tall buildings or mountains may block the view of the sky, and storms can pop up quickly, so Benjamin recommends using a battery-powered portable radio or smartphone app for weather updates.

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Wind and atmospheric pressure shifts can stir up waves for hours, so hesitate before returning to the water after a storm.

Glean Information. “I can’t think of a time I’ve jumped into water I knew nothing about,” says Radville.

“Some research prior to swimming is definitely advisable.”

Renowned coach Steven Munatones, founder of the World Open Water Swimming Association, suggests walking along the beach to look for caution signs, surf conditions boards, flags, buoys, rope lines and available rescue equipment, plus emergency callboxes that pinpoint one’s location if cell phone service is weak. Even seemingly pristine waters can be contaminated by harmful bacteria, algal blooms or runoff pollutants after rain. “Chat with local beach-goers, swimmers, boaters or fishermen about current swimming conditions in designated areas,” counsels Munatones, and check social media sites like Facebook and area online swimming forums.

Steer Clear. Be mindful of hidden underwater hazards, ranging from sharp objects to submerged construction, which can create turbulent water and strong undercurrents. Swim in lifeguardprotected areas away from windsurfers, jet skiers and boaters that may not hear or see swimmers, adds Munatones.

Respect Marine Life. Munatones advises giving marine life, however beautiful, a wide berth. “I’ve swum around the world with all sorts of intriguing sea life,” he says, “and these are wild animals, not the friendly ones you see in marine parks.” Stop swimming and watch the animal until it’s moved on.

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Be Water Wise. Water temperature, depth and movement, which fluctuate with rain, tides and wind, can also make conditions unpredictable, so research a destination beforehand. Pockets of cold water within an otherwise tepid mountain lake could induce a gasp response or hyperventilation, says Munatones, and prolonged immersion increases risk of muscle impairment and hypothermia.

Likewise, an unexpected drop in the water floor may provoke panic. “Physically, someone capable of swimming in three feet of water can also swim in 300 feet,” says Munatones. “But mentally, deep water can feel spooky.”

Rip currents are powerful streams that flow along the surface away from the shoreline. They may be easily spotted from the beach, but often go unnoticed by swimmers. “A potentially fatal mistake is allowing a ‘fight-or-flight’ response to kick in and trying to swim against the current, because rips are treadmills that will exhaust your energy,” cautions Benjamin. Instead, flip, float and follow the safest path out of the water, a technique that conserves energy and alleviates stress and panic, he says.

Watch for Waves. Swim facing oncoming waves and dive under the powerful white foam, coaches Munatones.

“Feel the swell wash over you before coming up to the surface.” If knocked off balance by a wave, relax, hold your breath and wait for the tumbling to cease. Swim toward the light if disoriented under the water, and make sure your head is above any froth before inhaling.

“Your lungs are your personal flotation device that keep the body buoyant,” says Benjamin. “Lay back and focus on your breathing.”

While Coast Guard-approved flotation devices should be worn by children at all times, they are not substitutes for supervision, says Rob Rogerson, a lifeguard and ocean rescue training officer in Palm Beach County, Florida. “Parents must watch swimming and non-swimming children vigilantly.”

“The power of the open water is immense,” says Munatones. “Be respectful, always.”

Lane Vail is a freelance writer and blogger at DiscoveringHomemaking.com.

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August 2015

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greenliving

anticipate similar future use of pineapples, oranges and palm hearts.

Labels can be misleading. White paper has been bleached. Processed chlorine-free (PCF) means no bleaching occurred during this incarnation of the paper. Totally chlorine-free (TCF) papers are as advertised. Paper is called recycled if it’s 100 percent postconsumer-recovered fiber— anything less is recycled content.

Glues

GREEN ARTS Tips for Finding Safe Eco-Supplies

by Avery Mack

C

“

reative energy is contagious,” says Kim Harris, co-owner of Yucandu, a hands-on craft studio in Webster Groves, Missouri. As one client crafter commented, “Art is cheaper than therapy and a lot more fun.” It doubles the pleasure when we trust the nature of our supplies.

Arts and crafts stir the imagination, spur creativity and are relaxing. Yet, for some, allergies, chemical sensitivities and eco-consciousness can make choosing materials a challenge.

Manufacturers are not required to list heavy metals, toxic preservatives or petroleum-based ingredients, even when they’re labeled “non-toxic”.

User- and environment-friendly

alternatives may be difficult to locate, but are worth the effort. After working with paint, glue, chalk and modeling dough, children may lick their fingers and be reluctant to wash hands thoroughly.

Retirees with newfound time for hobbies may also have weakened immune systems at risk to chemical exposure.

Everyone benefits from minimizing exposure to toxins.

Papers

For greeting cards, scrapbooking or mixed media, paper provides background, texture, pattern and color.

Tree-free paper uses agricultural residue or fibers from bananas, coffee and tobacco, and EcoPaper.com researchers

See What Planting A Seed Can Accomplish

For most projects, purchased glues are more convenient, longer lasting and easier to use than homemade. White glue and white paste, called “library paste”, are best with porous items like wood, paper, plastic and cloth. It takes longer to dry and needs to be held in place, but there are no fumes.

“Jewelry is wearable art, so for mine, I primarily use water-based, nontoxic glues and sealers that simply wash off my hands,” advises Nancy Kanter, owner and designer of Sparkling Vine Design, in Thousand Oaks, California.

Examples include Elmer’s Washable and Mod Podge.

Airplane glue, rubber cement, spray adhesive and epoxy all emit toxic fumes.

Instant glue (cyanoacrylate) likewise bonds fast to fingers; toxic, foul-smelling acetate (used in nail polish remover) is needed to remedy the situation.

Paints

Water-based tempera paint is easy to use; Chroma brand tempera removes some of the hazardous ingredients.

“I use water-based, non-toxic acrylic paints and wine to paint recycled wine corks for my designs,” says Kanter. “This avoids harsh fumes and chemicals.”

Note that acrylic paint can contain ammonia or formaldehyde.

Oil paint produces fumes and requires turpentine, a petroleum-based product, to clean brushes. Aerosol spray paint is easily inhaled unless protective equipment is used.

Markers and Crayons

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“Give kids great supplies and they’ll make great art,” maintains Harris.

“They’ll also be respectful of how much they use.”

Go for unscented, water-based markers, especially for younger chil-

If paint, glue, chalk or markers have a strong odor or the label says, “Use in a well-ventilated area,” it’s toxic. dren that are as apt to draw on themselves as on paper. Soy crayons are made from sustainable soybean oil, while retaining bright colors. Dustless chalk is preferred by some. Colored eco-pencils are another option.

Beware of conventional dry erase markers, which contain the neurotoxin xylene; permanent markers emit fumes.

Wax crayons are made with paraffin, a petroleum-based product.

Yarn and Other Fibers

For knit or crochet projects, choose recycled silk and cotton or bamboo, soy silk from tofu byproducts, or natural, sustainable corn silk. Sheep’s wool, organic cotton or alpaca fibers, raw or hand-dyed with natural colors, are environmentally friendly.

Rayon is recycled wood pulp treated with caustic soda, ammonia, acetone and sulfuric acid. Nylon, made from petroleum products, may have a harmful finish.

More Materials

Canvas is typically stretched on birch framing, a sustainable wood. Look for unbleached, organic cotton canvas without primer. Runoff from an organic cotton field doesn’t pollute waterways.

Experiment with homemade modeling clay. Many tutorials and photos are available online. Commercial modeling clay contains wheat flour, which can cause a reaction for the gluten-sensitive.

For papier-mâché projects, recycle newsprint and use white glue, thinned with water. Premade, packaged versions may contain asbestos fibers. Eco-beads with safe finishes vary from nuts and seeds to glass and stone. For grownups that like to create their own beads, realize that polymer clays contain vinyl/PVC.

In making artistic expression safe, being conscious of the materials used is paramount.

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August 2015

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wisewords

Susan Gerrish, MA, EPCC EATING PSYCHOLOGY & MIND BODY NUTRITION COACH/COUNSELOr

Joe Dispenza on The Power of Thought Alone to Heal

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ost of us are familiar with the placebo effect, when actual healing occurs after the only prescription a patient ingests is a sugar pill that the individual believes is medicine.

Researcher and Chiropractor Joe Dispenza, of Olympia, Washington, knows the value of the placebo effect from personal experience. When his spine shattered during a 1986 triathlon race as his bicycle was hit by an SUV, he had a good mental picture of what had happened. Consulting doctors proclaimed a bleak prognosis and offered a risky surgical procedure as his only chance of walking again.

He left the hospital against the advice of his physicians and spent the next three months mentally—and physically—reconstructing his spine.

His story is one of hope for healing for others, detailed in his latest book, You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter.

How did your pivotal healing take place?

Photograph by Ranjana

Based on the philosphy of Sri Chinmoy

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For two hours twice a day, I went within and began creating a picture of my intended result: a totally healed spine. Nine-and-a-half weeks after the accident, I got up and walked back into my life fully recovered—without having had a body cast or surgeries. I resumed my chiropractic practice 10 weeks out and was training and lifting weights again while continuing my rehabilitation regimen at 12 weeks. Now, in the nearly 30 years since the accident, I can honestly say that I rarely experience any back pain.

www.namiami.com

How does your approach differ from mind over matter?

It’s the same. So many people have been conditioned into believing that mind and body are separate things. There is never a time when the mind isn’t influencing the body and vice versa. The combination is what I call a state of being.

How does the placebo effect work?

Think about the idea of giving somebody a sugar pill, saline solution or a false surgery. A certain percentage of those people will accept, believe and surrender—without analysis—to the “thought” that they are receiving the real substance or treatment. As a result, they’ll program their autonomic nervous systems to manufacture the exact same pharmacy of drugs to match the real substance or treatment. They can make their own antidepressants and painkilling medicines. Healing is not something that takes place outside of you.

Can you cite examples of disease in which self-healing has been scientifically validated?

There is amazing power in the human mind. Some people’s thoughts heal them; some have made them sick and sometimes even hastened their death.

In the first chapter of You Are the Placebo, I tell a story about one man who died after being told he had cancer, even though an autopsy revealed he’d been misdiagnosed.

A woman plagued by depression for decades improved dramatically and

permanently during an antidepressant drug trial, despite the fact that she was in the placebo group. A handful of veterans that participated in a Baylor University study, formerly hobbled by osteoarthritis, were miraculously cured by fake knee surgeries. Plus, scientists have seen sham coronary bypass surgeries that resulted in healing for 83 percent of participants (New England Journal of Medicine). A study of Parkinson’s disease from the University of British Columbia measured better motor coordination for half of the patients after a placebo injection. They were all healed by thought alone. The list goes on.

I’ve personally witnessed many people heal themselves using the same principles of the placebo response, once they understood how, from cancers, multiple sclerosis, lupus, thyroid conditions and irritable bowel syndrome.

How can an ordinary person make that quantum leap and find healing?

Many of us are now recognizing that rather than live in the past, we can create our own future. It requires changing some longstanding conditioned beliefs and the willingness to step into an unfamiliar, uncomfortable, unpredictable state that is consistent with living in the unknown. This happens to be the perfect place from which to create change.

I recommend a meditation that creates physiological changes in the brain and at the cellular level, from 45 to 60 minutes a day. Changing Beliefs and Perceptions meditations are available on my website or individuals can record themselves reading the texts printed in the back of my book.

As we exchange self-limiting beliefs we begin to embody new possibilities.

Joe Dispenza is chairman of Life University Research Council and a faculty member for the International Quantum University for Integrative Medicine, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Visit DrJoeDispenza.com.

Connect with natural health books author Kathleen Barnes at KathleenBarnes.com.

inspiration

Speaking with Strangers The Simple Pleasures of Connecting

by Violet Decker

T

echnology tends to isolate us from others, but science points to the real value in reaching out. On average, we come into contact with more than 100 people a day, but often may not make any real connection with them.

On a typical college campus, it’s rare to see a student not plugged in while walking from class to class.

Saying “Hi” to an acquaintance or complimenting someone in passing is nearly impossible. These little day-today interactions could provide a steady source of simple pleasures for all if we regularly made the most of such opportunities.

Part of the reason we intentionally isolate ourselves might be the false belief that we’ll be happier by doing so, according to a recent University of Chicago study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

When subway riders were asked how they thought they would feel if they spoke to a stranger, nearly all of them predicted that the ride would be “less pleasant” than if they kept to themselves. After the ride, however, the results were unanimous: Those that spoke to another person reported having a more positive experience than

those that sat in silence.

Parents teach children not to talk to strangers, but as adults, we miss a lot if we don’t. Even small talk can make a big difference in the quality of our day.

It’s easy to try it to see if we don’t end up with a smile on our face.

It’s ironic that young people spend hours each day on social networking sites, texting others and making plans with friends so they won’t sit alone at night, yet are getting worse at making such connections face-to-face. Even seated at the same table, conversational eye contact is becoming a lost art, another casualty of technology.

Talking with others correlates with better communication skills, too. A 20-year study from Stanford University concluded that its most successful MBA graduates were those that showed the highest interests and skills in talking with others.

So, instead of shying away from chatting with a fellow commuter or asking a cashier how her day is going, say “Hello.” It’s bound to make everyone’s day better.

Violet Decker is a freelance writer in New York City. Connect at VDecker95@ gmail.com.

natural awakenings

August 2015

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Some people talk to animals. Not many listen, though. That’s the problem.

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~A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Brave New World In less than 10 years, we’ll see a universal translator for communicating with dogs and cats, predicts Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D., professor emeritus of biological sciences at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff. Just like language apps change, for example, a French phrase into English, the device would translate barks into “Put on Animal Planet,” or meows to “Feed me tuna.” Computers will foster better understanding between humans and animals.

David Roberts, a computer science assistant professor, and his team at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, have received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a collar to send wireless instructions to dogs via vibrations. Multiple sensors return information about the dog’s heart rate and more, which is especially helpful for service dogs taught not to show stress or distress.

Even without such technology, we can all enjoy improved relationships with animals, domestic and wild, by learning to listen. Veterinarian Linda Bender, an animal advocate in Charleston, South Carolina, and author of Animal Wisdom, says, “We all have the ability to understand animals.

It gets trained out of us around age 7. It’s not about doing, it’s about being, a connection through the heart.” Meditation quiets the mind from daily concerns, allowing us to stay open, listen and be aware.

Everyday Examples Author Frances Hodgson Burnett captures the essence of this childlike sensibility in A Little Princess: “How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.”

In Portland, Oregon, intuitive Melissa Mattern relates examples supporting Burnett’s premise from her own experiences. “My newest cat, Rocket, beat up my other cats and ran amok. Nothing helped until I took a class in animal communication.” She asked her other cats what to do.

“They were clear that I should have consulted them before bringing Rocket into the house,” she says. “I asked Rocket if he would like another home and the picture of a chef’s hat popped into my mind. When we found the perfect home for Rocket, the man was a chef whose only other pet is a turtle that lets Rocket sleep with him.

Everyone is happy with the results.”

Charli, a 14-year-old pointer, travels the world with her family. Her owner, Cynthia Bowman, shares one of her favorite stories: “As we planned our move to Spain, Charli got ill. I explained, ‘We want you to go too, but if you can’t, tell me.’ A picture of a smoked ham popped into my head. I didn’t understand, but Charli got well and went along,” she says. “In our new Gipuzkoa neighborhood, a deli sells hams, just like I pictured. I can’t explain how Charli knew.” It becomes a matter of trust. “Thoughts or mind pictures can be easy to dismiss or mistrust as imagination,” she comments.

“Every species has something they do best. With humans, it’s problem solving and advanced thinking.

We’ve separated ourselves from nature. We need to remember we’re all interconnected,” Bender says. “When we learn to tune into ourselves, be heart-centric and radiate compassionate energy, it makes us irresistible to other creatures.”

go by what’s in your soul. I’ve picked berries with black bears and met a mountain lion and her two cubs along a trail without ever being harmed,” he says. “Often, hikers are told, ‘Make yourself look big and scream.’ I say ‘Hello,’ comment on the day and thank them for letting me share their space.” Staying calm is vital.

Bender agrees. Grabbed by an orangutan at a wild animal trafficking rescue project, “She twisted my arm and could have easily broken it,” Bender recalls. “Fear is picked up as a threat so I tried to radiate calm. It was intense, but she gradually let go. With animals, you attract what you give.

Better communication means better understanding leading to improved behavior on everyone’s part.”

Communication and understanding among human, domestic and wild animals not only makes life more interesting, it can save lives.

Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

Animal Linguists “Everyone is born with the power to communicate with other species, and although it is long lost for many people, it can be regained for the benefit of all beings on Earth,” says Penelope Smith, author of the Animal Talk and When Animals Speak book series. Meet colleagues of this “Grandmother of Interspecies Communication” via Tinyurl.com/AnimalCommunicatorsDirectory.

Exotic Tales Wild animals communicate with David Llewellyn. As a writer of outdoor/nature blogs, he’s traveled full time in a 30-foot RV since 2002. “They don’t understand words, but

Nobody experiences magic unless they believe in it. ~Linda Bender natural awakenings

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Scent of a Civilization An interview with Farah Abassi, founder of Aroma360

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he use of natural oils goes back thousands of years in our world history. Globally it has traverse cultures and civilizations. Its transformative influence through a single smell at a particular moment or place can trigger memories long forgotten. As more and more of us understand the proven benefits of using these essential oils, the demand for high quality products has exponentially increased. Meet Farah Abassi, South Floridabased Aromachologist, entrepreneur and author, founder of local scent marketing company Aroma360. Since early childhood she understood the benefits of specific smells and scents. Inspired, she pursued and eventually specialized in the psychology of scents. Today Abassi is considered “a Renaissance Woman for the health and wellness industry.”

Natural Awakenings shares this recent interview with Farah Abassi where she reveals some insights about a trade which began thousands of years ago.

NA: In recent years we have seen the introduction of natural scents – like lavender, bergamot, cardamom, peppermint, orange, and others – into our home products and personal use items. Why do you think this trend is so attractive to the masses, and how does an Aromachologist help us understand this attraction and its benefits?

FA: I believe that natural scents are increasingly becoming the “mainstream” as more and more studies have concluded what different cultures have known for thousands of years. That some of the best remedies are natural. More and more people are realizing that all the chemicals in our environment are wrecking havoc on our bodies. Many people are developing very bad allergies and sensitivities due to the use of synthetics. Scenting with natural essential oils is so much more than just smelling good. Essential oils are the alternative that people are looking towards for a 38

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healthier way of life. That is why there has been a rise in the use and production of healthy products–from the food we eat to household cleaning products and skincare. So it makes sense that people are going back to the basics and using the oils that as I said, have been used for thousands of years.

The whole basis of Aromachology is examining the impact certain scents can have on mood, emotion, behavior, etc. Sadly, many people turn to pharmaceuticals which are a “Band-Aid” solution. My goal is to educate people and show them how they can use scents to accomplish the same things without relying on medications.

Brands are using scenting to connect with their customers on an emotional level. People are extremely desensitized from traditional marketing tactics. Using scent is a very subtle way for brands to reach their customers and since our sense of smell is so closely linked to the emotional centers of our brain, it can make for a much stronger connection.

Brands use certain scents to trigger the desired emotions. For example, is it a sales environment where they want to evoke feelings of trust with their clients? Is it a luxury store where they want to evoke elegance and sophistication? The more you can incorporate the five senses in a given experience, the stronger its effect and impact. As an Aromachologist, I have a deep appreciation and understanding of the science behind the different behavioral, physical and emotional benefits of aromatherapy and am so excited at the science that is increasingly being studied of its effects on humans.

Aromachologists increasingly are studying the positive effects on behaviors and feelings from oils. My interest in this is constantly being “peaked” and the more I learn, the more excited I am to pass my knowledge on to others. Additionally, I find the healing properties associated with many of natures’ best smells to be incredible. For instance, using lavender is a great way to unwind, relax and help with sleep and restlessness. Citrus scents such as grapefruit and orange are wonderful for focus and freshening the indoor environment.

Peppermint is a great pick me up. Interesting facts about the scent of peppermint, when introduced to a control group, in a controlled study at a fitness facility, that group had more grip strength, were able to lift more weights and do more reps.

NA: At 14 you had already discovered “your passion.”

Why were you eventually inspired to launch Aroma360?

FA: Yes, since the age of 14, I had a passion for essential oils that was borne from my first part time job in an aromatherapy store. From the moment I began learning about oils and their healing properties, I was hooked and basically became a “sponge” for any and all information on the subject. After completing a University degree in Finance, I spent a year traveling around Asia where I became more interested in Eastern Healing and philosophies. I was inspired to launch Aroma360 by the support of my boyfriend, who is an incredible businessman and entrepreneur. He encouraged me to follow my passion because he recognized the potential in the industry and knew that my knowledge, expertise and experience would make a perfect combination in a field that is poised to reach $10 Billion dollars in the next few years.

NA: How do your products differ from others in the market today?

FA: Our products differ from most others in the industry because we use essential oil based fragrances. All of our oils are IFRA certified, which is the highest industry certification available and are free of any harmful additives. Our oils are produced in the United States, and are all made from natural essential oils. Our oils are never diluted and our diffusers use no heat whatsoever–it’s cold-air diffusion technology, which is the best and safest way to use essential oils. ColdAir Diffusion allows the oil to never heat (oils are volatile, and if heated, can lose some of their therapeutic properties) and breaks it into nano-particles. The oils are always evenly dispersed, and you never need to worry about different variations in scenting through the life-cycle of the oil.

NA: As you mentioned, scents influence our behavior and often trigger our memories. Which is your most memorable moment or experience triggered when using, sharing or encountering a particular scent?

FA: As a child, we did annual family ski trips to Whistler, BC. We stayed at the same hotel every year and it was always a great bonding time where we made many family memories.

Unfortunately, family ski trips dwindled away but a few years ago I stepped into a hotel and was immediately transported back to my childhood, and these wonderful family ski trips.

I didn’t know what hit me but suddenly I felt like I was bundled in my ski suit sipping hot chocolate and felt true happiness that only a child can feel. It was so amazing to me that all these memories and emotions were triggered by a scent.

with people’s energy. It also keeps me grounded and focused on my goals and vision. I believe that aromatherapy is just another avenue at which my love and knowledge of natural healing and lifestyles is being explored. I love the learning process that I have been afforded, by taking my passion and interest and turning it into a business that makes scenting easily accessible to both the individual client and the business client.

NA: Congratulations on your recent book “The Art of Aroma.” What do you hope this most recent accomplishment will do for the typical reader?

FA: Thank you! I am very proud of it. To further expound on the above point of accessibility with scenting, I believe that The Art of Aroma will allow the individual to learn about healing properties and uses of essential oils. I also hope to educate people on how integral a part of our everyday life scenting is. I found it astounding when I learned that on average, 75% of our daily decisions are based on our sense of smell! 75%! This is due to the fact that smell hits us on a primitive level. Our other four senses first travel through our brains’ cognitive cortex. Smell hits us through our limbic system. It does not initially need to hit the cognitive area of our brain.

NA: What’s next?

NA: You are also trained in Thai massage and yoga.

How do these modalities support your incredible journey in the aromatherapy business world?

FA: We are very excited to be working with many amazing clients. We have recently created a custom scent for Ritz Carlton Residences, and we are working to create something wonderful for Villa Bagatelle Hotels. We are also in talks with a few different large hotels outside of the US for scenting and have many spas as clients. I additionally have a scheduled book signing at The Thompson Hotel in Miami at the end of August.

FA: Nothing is ever perfect and there are always issues and challenges in any type of business. So much in life and in business is about how you react to things. There is always a solution to every challenge as long as we exercise patience anything can be achieved. I believe that through my studies of certain Eastern disciplines, I have been able to become more focused on natural healing and lifestyles. Yoga is a wonderful part of my life, and has made me more focused and allowed me to “slow down” and take things as they come. Yoga has also allowed me to connect with my clients on a much deeper level because it keeps me very in-tune

Farah Abassi traveled the world, working and experimenting with different essential oils, discovering their healing properties. Her hope is to educate the world on the power of essential oils. Through Aroma360 and her book The Art of Aroma, she hopes to provide the tools to allow people to harness this knowledge and improve their overall health. For further information and a full list of Aroma360 products, services, clients, and book signing schedule, visit www.Aroma360.com, or call (561) 206 - 0053. Aroma360 is located at 999 Yamato Rd. Suite 101, in Boca Raton.

natural awakenings

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professionalhighlights Bacteria-free and Eco-friendly Weightloss, Finding Steam Manicure the Missing Link Psychology and Mind Body Nutrition is a body of work and Pedicure Eating that’s meaningful, cutting edge, effective and ground breaking when it comes to weight, body image, overeating, compulsive eating, chronic dieting and all the nutrition related health issues that have an emotional and mind body component.

Working from this perspective facilitates real and lasting change in helping people with food, body, health and life issues. We all have a story inside that is speaking to us and when it is repressed or unexpressed it will manifest as unwanted eating behaviors. Do you know that what you eat is only half the story of how food is metabolized? Eating Psychology and Mind Body Nutrition is the success strategy for the 98-99% of dieters who regain previously lost weight.

The calories in and calories burned model for weight loss is not a method that has brought sustainable results for most people and simply does not address the whole person –mind, body and spirit. We are much bigger than a chemical reaction.

There are more systems at play in our health, well being and weight than just burning calories. We need to address ourselves as individuals because we each have our own unique metabolic system that is based on many factors in our lives.

“Whatever is eating away at you will continue to persist no matter how many calories are limited or burned in exercise. This persistent situation will not only slow your metabolism but will also sabotage your efforts at losing weight,” says Susan Gerrish, psychology of eating and mind body nutrition coach/counselor.

“We are simply confused around finding the right way to nourish ourselves amidst all the conflicting nutritional information we are exposed to. The mind and body are not separate and we just cannot treat one without the other.”

The principles of Eating Psychology and Mind Body Nutrition have been life changing for so many people providing positive breakthrough strategies for body image, overeating, binge eating, chronic dieting and the formation of unwanted eating habits. It’s effective, results driven and embraces all of who we are as eaters –body, mind, heart and soul and is the key to breaking free from unwanted eating challenges.

Susan Gerrish MA, mind body wellness, is a certified eating psychology coach/counselor practicing in Coral Gables. She can be reached at susan@mindbodyweight.com, www.mindbodyweight.com or 305.333.470. See ad, page 34.

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Especially Good for Immune Compromise People

W

hen it comes to foot care, choosing a provider and location well-suited to your needs is of primary concern and should not be easily overlooked. Bacteria, for instance, is one of the more prominent issues to consider when researching, particularly for those with health problems -- compromised immune systems, diabetes, lupus, etc.-- who would be highly sensitive to any exposure.

After patients began displaying problems following pedicure services, Podiatrist Dr. Robert Spalding became very concerned and developed the MediNails program to educate and certify concerned nail technicians. The program consists of training in aseptic care – the use of an Autoclave – to prevent diseases and disorders of the feet. With these skills, nail technicians are then able to note any particular change or issue with a client’s hand or foot, which allows the client to properly seek medical advice from their personal care provider.

Use of a steam pedicure unit during a pedicure corresponds with the aim of aseptic care procedures. Steam has the ability to kill 99% of bacteria and is a powerful tool that can be used to promote health and safety. A steam pedicure unit is an ecofriendly system made of natural wood, requiring only a cup and a half of water for either a steam manicure or steam pedicure (it’s the equivalent of having a facial for your hands or feet). The steam pedicure also eliminates the handling of dirty/contaminated water that is traditionally dumped back into the sewer system. All tools used in the procedure are sterilizable or disposable.

In addition, use of natural creams made of Shea butter, grapeseed oil, and 100% essential oils during the process provides ultimate benefits for the health of the skin since the creams are continuously absorbed throughout the pedicure.

Diana Delgado is a licensed professional Nail Technician/ Esthetician with an ANT Certification by MediNail Learning Center. She has been working in the Kendall area for more than 20 years. For more information contact Delgado at 305-975-2617.

5) Catnip – Repels mosquitoes and cockroaches. The oil Catnip contains is said to have 10 times the ability to kill bugs than normal ‘DEET’.

Although a cat’s favorite treat, Catnip is also fairly easy to grow. It needs lots of sunshine and water to keep the plants going. And like thyme, it needs pruning.

Natural Mosquitoes and Insects Repellents Plants

T

o help you enjoy the outdoors this summer, try planting insect-repelling plants around your garden or patio. Just remember for the best insect repelling results you should prick the leaves of these plants, crush them or try some of the repellent brews suggested. These examples of nature’s natural repellants are not only beautiful to look at but they will also help you get the best experience out of your garden, patio or outdoor adventure.

1) Basil – Repels house flies and mosquitoes. A member of the mint family this culinary herb is not only wonderful to cook with but it makes a decent repellent of mosquitoes and flies. In a safe container, combine 4 ounces of boiling water and 4-6 ounces of fresh basil leaves, steep for several hours. Remove all the leaves and stems from the mixture and pour 4 ounces of vodka-store in the refrigerator. Spay on when going outside but be sure to avoid your eyes, nose and mouth. Basil can be grown in pots or in a garden and prefers full sun and rich well draining soil.

2) Citronella Grass –is a clumping grass that belongs to the lemon grass family and is the source of the well known Citronella oil used in many commercial insect repellent products.

Citronella grass is a perennial and can be grown just about anywhere

but will die off during winter. Citronella grass grows best in full sun, requires lots of water and can grow 5-6 ft tall.

3) Marigolds – To get the mosquito repelling properties they must be the African or French variety. The strong pungent aroma of these two types is what makes them so beneficial. The African marigold is the bigger of the two and can reach heights of 30 to 40 inches. They have blooms that are different shades of yellow and orange. While the French marigold only gets to be 6 to 24 inches tall but is much more colorful with the added shades of mahogany and crimson. Although they need lots of sun and well drained moderately fertile soil, they will grow just about anywhere.

4) Lemon Thyme – Repels mosquitoes. This is a hardy herb that adapts to dry or rocky shallow soil.

But you must bruise or crush the leaves to be an effective repellant.

In a study done by the University of Guelph in Ontario they found that the crusted leaves of lemon thyme (Thymus X citriodorus) had 62% of the repellency of DEET which is the most common compound used in commercial insect repellents. Lemon thyme is easy to grow all you need is a sunny spot and a little water now and then.

6) Sage – Repels flies, cabbage moths and black flea beetles. This perennial likes full sun with well drained soil.

It grows to be about 18 inches tall and can be grown in pots or in the garden.

7) Rosemary – Repels fleas and mosquitoes. Rosmarinus officinalis is an aromatic evergreen sub-shrub that is used in culinary seasonings and herbal remedies. Boil one quart of dried rosemary in a quart of water for about 20-30 minutes, strain the liquid into a container and add a quart of cool water. Store covered in the refrigerator. Use small spray bottles to squirt as needed. Discard once it no longer has a strong smell of rosemary.

Rosemary grows best in full sun and dry rocky well drained soil. It is a large plant that can reach heights of 6 feet.

8) Lavender – Repels spiders, ants, moths, fleas, flies and mosquitoes.

This beautiful plant has many uses in aromatherapy and herbal remedies.

As an herbal remedy it can alleviate the pain and itching associated with all types of insect bites. Lavender is typically used as an essential oil but can be used as fresh or dried cuttings.

Keep in mind, simply planting these are not enough to get rid of all insects, especially mosquitoes. The number one remedy is still eliminating standing water from your yard which breeds them–for example from your gutters, plant pots, decorative items, floor puddles, even your kid’s toys. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in any amount of standing water and hatch in a day or two. Like a detective, walk around your yard, especially after one of our typical rainy days or summer storm and look for the culprits holding the water.

natural awakenings

August 2015

41

An Unforgettable

Adventure

By Linda Palmer

O

ur oceans cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface and it plays a vital role in what happens with our environment. Although all marine life is important to the ecological survival of our oceans, dolphins, as the top-level predators, control populations of fishes and squids and keep the ecosystem balance.

I have a love for the ocean and an inherent attraction to its inhabitants, especially dolphins.Last month I had the opportunity to venture out with Captain Victoria and my life was once again transformed. “Going out with the Captain is like no other charter I’ve ever been on,” explains Susan A., a friend that shared the trip. “With her it’s not just about the charter, it’s 42

Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

about being one with the Ocean and its inhabitants.” There were six of us and the feeling was unanimous. The understanding of these animals and their habitat are a focus of Captain Victoria Impallomeni-Spencer, a 40 year veteran of the waters of Key West. “Captain Victoria, a native Conch, shares a longstanding history and love of the sea!” explains Lin Mitchell, a long time

www.namiami.com

friend from Durham, N.C. who has been a summer resident of Key West for the past 25 years. “She is an extraordinary teacher with a wealth of knowledge stemming from her formal education and many years of experience. She is often called an “Encyclopedia Victannia” of the Florida Backcountry.”

Captain Victoria’s joyful passion reflects even more clearly when exposing our younger generation to the many species of birds, dolphin, sea turtles, tropical fish, flora, plants and mangroves that co-exist in the Florida Keys. “We have taken friends and family with her on several adventures. Our two grandsons especially enjoyed snorkeling, boarding and all the learning they do with the Captain,” Mitchell continues. “She especially enjoys taking folks into the

NA: The ocean nursery needs our help and attention. The challenges it faces are so vast that it’s easy to feel powerless to help. As an Environmental Marine Technician, What do you advice? How can the average person get involved?

dolphin’s playgrounds. They know her by her special signature she plays with her boat engine. They dance to the music she plays for them - especially the waltz and ¾ time, violins by Andrea Rieu and Itzhac Pearlman, and a real favorite is “Third Man Theme” by Alton Karas!”

Having had such an incredible and exceptional adventure, I asked the Captain to share her thoughts and some of her trade secrets on what makes her charter so unique and why her guests ALWAYS leave transformed and wanting more.

NA: You’ve become sort of an “unofficial” steward of the Florida Keys/Key West waters. By offering a diverse program of charters you help your guests connect with the natural beauty of the Florida Keys. What is your ultimate goal for your guests?

system, they will come away with an awe inspiring renewed awareness. That awareness may change a habit that they have on the land which ultimately affects the sea in a detrimental way.

Once they interact with the critters, they seem to care more, that is the highest goal.

NA: What is your background – how does it help you teach others?

Captain V: Although I’m not a scientist, I have technician status with my Marine Science Degree and that places me in a position to advise others. My practical experience of being on and in the waters of the Florida Keys for the past 40 years puts me in a great place to counsel. I have also been on the board of www.reefrelief.org for over 20 years and now I am President Emeritus.

Captain V: All along it has been about the kids for me. I was born and raised in Key West and always wanted to know about everything that was under the sea so I can pass that along to the kids.

With Reef Relief it is all about the kids and advocacy. We have a Coral Camp for kids each summer and anyone, not just kids, can become an e-advocate with their computer. We need as many voices that care, to be HEARD! Sharing key information with children of any age, even 90, and getting them involved, even if it is electronically, is an enormous help. But even if it’s not all bad news and progress is being made, the challenges are still before us and we need young folks to continue to carry the torch for the sea and her inhabitants.

South Florida offers many groups who are striving to change the degradation of the water quality. Sign up and attend the meetings, get involved with changing our piece of the planet! Participation and support could be as simple as prethinking before you put liquids down the drain. After all, a dolphin lives at the end of all of our drains!!!

Continued on page 44

Captain V: I love the word “Steward” it connotes protection. Above all else I feel an immense feeling of protection for all that I interact with in the Wildlife Refuges around Key West. My ultimate aim for my wonderful charter guests is for them to return caring even a tenth of what I feel. It is about feeling after all. If my guests can “get up close and personal” with the plants and animals above and below the water in our econatural awakenings

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43

NA: You began sharing your “backyard” many, many years ago. What was the inspiration behind that?

NA: You are often referred to as the “dolphin whisperer,” why do you think that is?

Captain V: The “Dolphin Whisperer” reference stems and applies from having the ear of an animal. I suppose I got that label by listening to the dolphins.

If anyone steps back and becomes an observer of animal behavior, they will become much wiser. Giving instead of taking is important in human relationships with nature! I simply found a way to give instead of getting, so my relationship with the dolphin blossomed into being trained by them instead of the other way around! More often than not, I feel like their toy as I present them with the entertainment they seek.

NA: You share that you follow the Mother Earth Spirituality path? Would you share with our readers what exactly is that path?

Captain V: Mother Earth is the living, self replicating system that was here long before us and will long out live us.

She is the true living Goddess “GAIA”!

When I say I follow “Mother Earth Spirituality”, that just means I honor our mother earth as a living spirit. I take time for her and honor her lessons. By sharing her ways with others, they are awakened to her many diverse eco-systems. The more folks understand, the more they can become a part of Life ON Her and help make their own lives better.

Think Spring, Green Living, and Adopting a Manatee.

Call 1-800-432-(JOIN) 5646 savethemanatee.org 44

Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

www.namiami.com

Captain V: Heck, I was 7 when I knew that I wanted to share all about what I was seeing out on the water with others. My dad, Vernon Alston, 28 years Navy, took me seriously and groomed me for my profession, he was my inspiration. We were supposedly going out to get fish for dinner but he couldn’t help being distracted by what was up each creek and crevice of the mangroves. It was adventure heaven for me right up until I was 13 and we got shipped out to California. I was bitten by the bug of curiosity and when I came home 11 years later I made it my profession to take others to see and learn about it.

It is not enough to snorkel or scuba to experience the oceans eco-system, or even swim with the dolphins in the wild or view them from a boat.

One has to commit to understanding the huge body of water that covers Mother Earth and gives us life. “Captain Victoria patiently teaches snorkeling to the novice, with encouragement, and safety” while she educates on the importance of being a custodian of nature. “She also offers spiritual retreats, meditation sessions, and customizes special events,” Mitchell shares.

Captain Victoria’s (Vicky) charters include Bird and Wilderness Tours, Reef and Snorkeling Adventures, Dolphin Dancing, Stress Management Shiatsu (WATSU) retreats/healings on a shallow sand bar near the dolphin’s playground, Specialty Charters like, Yoga on the Islands Day Retreat, and private wilderness charters where you get to create your own adventure. “Snipe Point and Mud Key are favorite spots,” Mitchell further shares. “However, there are so many places to go, things to do and see it’s all up to you!”

For information on Captain Victoria’s charters, call 305-304-7562 or visit www.dancingdolphinspirits.com.

Photo © David Schrichte

Linda Palmer is the publisher of this edition.

M If there is a conflict with a friend or

family member, have your child write them a letter expressing their emotions.

M If your child has an upcoming event

that is causing them anxiety, ask them to write out a description of the worstcase scenario and the best possible scenario.

M Help your child increase their confi-

dence by asking them to make a list of their great qualities. This list could turn into a poem or a collage of words and pictures.

The Healing Power of Writing

Studies show that expressive writing has numerous long-term benefits including better mood, increased physical health, higher GPA and improved social interactions. Expressive writing does not focus on perfect spelling, grammar, and organization of ideas. However, as students write more, their ability to express themselves in writing improves dramatically and leads to higher levels of academic achievement. Expressive writing is a powerful healing tool that is easy to use and can make positive changes in children’s lives.

complement to traditional therapy. It is also very helpful for kids and teens who ylan* sat down at the desk and may not have mental health challenges put his head in his hands. The but who just need a little extra support final weeks of school were get- in exploring their life’s challenges and ting to him. Anticipating the transition triumphs. to his new school and having to say Writing provides a safe space for goodbye to some friends was creating a children and teens to explore their emo- *Name changed for privacy Shannon Marzella, MA CPC, is a certified lot of anxiety. As he picked up his pen tions and life experiences. Many kids New York and Connecticut English teachand began to describe his feelings in a keep a diary, and this is a great example er and a certified professional coach. She poem, his anxiety started to fade. Dylan of expressive writing. Here are some has nearly a decade of experience workwas completely immersed in his writing other ways writing can be used to help ing with kids and five years teaching in as he bent over the page. Ten minutes children and adolescents become more special education. Marzella is the founder later he looked up, smiling. “Okay, I self-aware and express their emotions in and expressive writing coach at The Centhink I’m done.” “How do you feel?” ter for Expressive Writing in Norwalk. a healthy, productive way: he was asked. His smile broadened and his shoulders softened. “Better,” he said, and he began to read his poem aloud.

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natural awakenings

August 2015

45

Tame Your Mind

by Joan Kaplan

E

veryone would like to stop searching for the keys to living a fulfilling life. We’ve already explored various methods and collected a storehouse of knowledge. But, have we really experienced an improvement in our lives?

We already know the importance of healthy diet, exercise and a positive outlook. So many endeavors initially seem interesting and inspiring, but after we come down from the “high” of an inspirational weekend, what comes next? Are we merely entertaining ourselves?

It would be great news to find that the most important vehicle, no matter what other avenues of interest we pursue, is right under our noses and has been there all along. It’s a vehicle that is good in the beginning, good in the middle and good at the end. It will never become outdated, irrelevant, lose its popularity, and we can never grow out of its benefit. Once we understand this key, it can become our best friend for the rest of this lifetime. If we forget it, we can always return to it.

This key is called taming the mind. It means getting to know the workings of our own minds intimately and see-

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ing how the principle, “through our thoughts we create our world” actually operates. It is what teachers, sages and wise ones have been saying for centuries in different ways. It is the subject of popular books with a variation on the same theme every decade. It is much deeper and more profound than it seems on the surface. You can practice in whatever religion or spiritual tradition you prefer. But, you must have this essential element to create health and peace in your life. This is what the true warrior’s path is about. The real battlefield is the inner world.

No beliefs, no religion, no rules. Just you and your mind.

Sound easy? Alas, perhaps it is easier to remain asleep than to wake up, to entertain our minds with conjecture rather than to meet our own minds straight on. Perhaps a little like asking a fish to notice the water it has always lived in.

Wavering between hopeful fantasies and fearful doubts is a mark of an untamed mind. We can learn steps to bring that wildness under your control and begin to learn how to be the master of our own house. This is what is meant by the statement, “the mind is a good servant, but not a good master.”

Through mindfulness we can tame our minds and train them in ways that will bring more satisfaction.

These are good places to start: g Bring your attention toward conscious breathing. Sit with

the spine straight. Take a comfortably deep breath, counting slowly (1-2-3...) on the inhale and slowly (1-2-3...) on the exhale. Feel your body, especially the air expanding your diaphragm. Do this for five breaths for a minimum of 3 times a day to begin. Slowly increase number of times per day. As you become more comfortable with conscious breathing and counting breaths, begin to just follow the breathing without the counting and begin to notice feelings and sensations in your body. g Nurture positive thoughts. When you notice negativity in

your thinking, breathe deeply and redirect that negativity toward a more positive train of thought. g Demonstrate self-love and forgiveness. Stop judging both

yourself and others. g Be authentic. There is no one else you have to “be,” so

simply relax and embrace your own personality and attributes.

We create the quality of our lives through the activity of our minds. Or, to quote one of my wonderful teachers, “everything is dependent upon the condition of the mind”. Let’s learn to work with our obstacles in a positive way to create happiness, both inside and out.

Joan Kaplan, MA, holds a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and meets both in person and by phone for private consultations in Conscious Life Guidance and Coaching. For information, call 941-921-5641, email Joan@BodhiCoach.com or visit BodhiCoach.com.

AUTISM

AWARENESS

Creative Arts and Autistic Children Opening pathways to expression and communication

by Mimi Lagana

T

he creative arts can significantly impact the lives of children with autism. One of the biggest challenges that young children with autism have is communication. A picture-toword system called Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is one tool used to teach non-verbal children with autism how to better communicate through line or picture drawings.

The visual depiction of things in the world helps these children to understand the world and names of the things around them.

But there is much more to line or picture drawings – or even photos – for these children. Some will automatically want to start drawing and writing letters and words for the first time even if they cannot speak. This is a major accomplishment of interest and can eventually transform into verbal language. Use of a white or black board at home with markers or chalk

to draw with can open an entire new world of communication and understanding for these children.

Many children and adults with autism also have extraordinary gifts in the arts. For example, Iris Halmshaw (IrisGracePainting.com) from Leicestershire, UK, was featured by CNN for her artwork. Even though Iris does not speak yet, she was already recognized and revered at five years old as having Monet-like talent in painting.

Another UK artist who did not speak as a child and was diagnosed with autism is Stephen Wiltshire. He started drawing at age five. In addition to his works being internationally recognized, they are published in several books. He also has his own art gallery in London’s Royal Opera Arcade. One of his drawings of New York’s Manhattan skyline is 18 feet wide and was completed in three days after he was taken on a helicopter ride around the city.

In her Drawing Autism book about autistic artists, Jill Mullin put together a compilation of autistic artists from around the world. In her forward, Temple Grandin writes that her mother “nurtured her artistic ability” and that she was “encouraged to draw many different subjects.” Grandin later went on to design and draw elaborate dipping vat systems for animals and credits her drawing experience in helping her to achieve that. She is certainly one of the most well known autistic adults in the United States.

The art pictured in Drawing Autism clearly shows that individuals with autism are much more aware of the world around them than most people think.

When the autistic artists were asked what inspired them to create their drawings, paintings or poems, the responses demonstrate acute awareness at multiple levels of cognitive understanding. Some of these artists even draw, paint and write about their own social frustrations of being different or even misunderstood.

It is not only in art that children with autism have gifts. Music is another creative area in which some have extraordinary abilities. For example, even though Derek Paravicini is considered autistic and is blind, he is a musical genius playing complex piano compositions by only hearing a piece of music one time. As a child, he played music with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra in London.

While not all autistic children display extraordinary creative abilities and talents, many of these children can benefit significantly from the creative arts. More importantly, art can make a big difference in developing communication abilities. Art can be used as a potent motivator for communication and used as a way of expressing oneself. In looking into the future and the use of art with children with autism, it is easy to imagine these individuals being able to get employment not only as artists, but graphic designers who might do card, logo and advertising design as well.

Mimi Lagana is a life transformation coach who has a son on the autism spectrum. She is originally from Manhattan and resides in Greenwich, Connecticut. She can be reached at 203-9647231.

natural awakenings

August 2015

47

Send the Kids Back to School Without Worrying What Germs They’ll Bring Home

by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer

T

he onset of August means back-to-school season is officially underway. Along with your child’s eager anticipation over entering a higher grade level, reuniting with friends and swapping summer anecdotes in the cafeteria, comes the heightened risk of catching airborne illnesses.

During this transitional and often anxiety-inducing time of year, prioritizing your whole family’s health is imperative.

For in-depth pointers on how to promote optimal wellness while in school and at home, I spoke with Dr. Christina Captain, DOM, licensed Acupuncture physician and founder of the Sarasota-based Family Healing Center. Dr. Captain utilizes a holistic approach to help individuals – regardless of their age bracket or medical history – achieve both physical and mental healing.

Natural Awakenings: Which therapies or treatments does Family Healing Center specialize in, and how can these services benefit the entire family?

Dr. Captain: Family Healing Center specializes in making people well. We integrate the best modalities from all worlds of healing to create a unique, comprehensive treatment package for each individual’s needs. Focused in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Chinese herbs, as well as proper food intake and nutritional supplementation when necessary, we can address almost any issue.

Men, women and children can benefit from these services, especially stress management which people frequently experience during back-to-school season. In fact, we will be presenting a back-to-school seminar on August 26.

NA: Is there an age range your patients generally fit into, and how soon would you recommend that parents start their children on a holistic regimen?

Dr. Captain: We currently have patients aged two–95. Even prenatally is a great time to start. Children can be raised holistically beginning in the womb, and often, they will require much less treatment for ailments with proper nutrition and preventative care.

NA: Have alternative or Eastern Medicine practices been proven effective for maintaining both physical and mental wellness?

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Dr. Captain: Eastern, or Oriental, Medicine, is the original functional medicine that looks at the whole person then provides lifestyle and nutritional treatments to enhance the entire being. Eastern Medicine can treat almost any ailment, and since the mind and body are very much connected, I find it to be effective for both physical and mental health.

NA: Could you please describe your individual approach to healing, and what specifically fuels your passion for helping others?

Dr. Captain: My tagline says it all – “The greatest medicine is to teach people how not to need it!” I am passionate about educating people on how to heal themselves and keep their entire beings healthy. My purpose is to explain to each person I come into contact with – whether face-to-face with an individual patient, in a class setting or through a video on my website – why something is broken and how to fix it.

After all, every individual’s wellness is their own responsibility, not a doctor’s or anyone else’s. Education is key for patients to adopt a more holistic and healthy lifestyle outside the walls of Family Healing Center.

NA: Why were you initially attracted to the study and practice of Eastern Medicine, as opposed to the more mainstream Western Medicine?

Dr. Captain: My first education was in speech and language pathology, and throughout my early career, I traveled extensively. As a result of this lifestyle, I developed unhealthy eating habits which caused both physical discomfort and emotional discontent. I turned to conventional medicine as a last resort and learned that I had uncontrolled Diabetes and high blood pressure. I had no idea what to do, but I was not going to take Western medications.

Growing up, my family really loved doing things naturally, so I didn’t want to try antibiotics or anything like that. Instead, I ignored these issues and enrolled in medical school.

Many physicians or healthcare providers go into the field because they want to heal themselves. While studying for the MCATs though, I started having migraines, and a friend who was studying Oriental Medicine at the time, suggested I try Acupuncture.

At first, I resisted; however, doctors began giving me ultimatums and saying I needed surgery, so finally I agreed to do the “Acupuncture thing.” I went to the student clinic at what’s now called the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, and after the session, I felt better than I had in about eight years. Later, I found a professional Acupuncture physician who became my mentor, then I made a decision to pursue Oriental Medicine rather than conventional medicine. So, I did and have been practicing here in Sarasota for 15 years.

NA: Does Family Healing Center provide any community-wide initiatives such as health seminars or workshops, for example?

Dr. Captain: We offer complementary monthly lectures and demonstrations on a variety of topics. July’s topic was Nutrition, and in August, we are discussing Natural Methods of

Stress Management. Like I mentioned earlier, this presentation will take place on August 26 at 6 p.m., and it is open to the public.

NA: In preparation for back-to-school season, do you perform comprehensive physical assessments or youth counseling services?

This year, send them back to school healthier!

Dr. Captain: While this is not my main service, I do provide lifestyle counseling. Also, I was recently made aware that, as licensed primary care providers, Family Healing Center can complete school physicals.

NA: Finally, does Family Healing Center offer complementary consultations or any other incentives for first-time patients?

Dr. Captain: The initial consultation visit is always 100% free, and if I can’t personally help you, I will refer you to someone who can. I am not afraid of integration with conventional medical professionals. Integration is the future of healthcare, and we all must work for the best interests of our patients.

In fact, that’s why I am currently enrolled in school again. Having already received multiple Master’s degrees, – one in speech pathology from UCF, another in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and yet another in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport – I am now into my second year of pursuing a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine in Austin, Texas. I owe it to my patients to be on the cutting edge, all the time.

Saturday, August 8th 11:00am - 4:00pm

Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex 3000 NW 199th Street - Miami Gardens

Send your kids back to school healthier than ever. The 2015 Orange Bowl Health & Wellness Fair presented by Sunshine Health addresses the health & medical needs of our community. Encouraging youth & families to eat healthy and maintain a physically active lifestyle all year long.

For more informtion visit community.orangebowl.org

This event is FREE & open to the public!

Events & Activities Free Health Screenings

Bounces houses, face painters, games

Over 60 Exhibitors Education & Awareness Seminars Interactive CPR Demonstrations

Christina Captain, DOM, AP, SLP, is a nationally board-certified Acupuncture physician. For more information call 941-951-1119 or visit FamilyHealingCenter. com.

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota-Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer, based in Southwest Florida. Her personal blog, HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com, features practical tips for embracing a fit, nutritious and empowered lifestyle.

Kids Fun Zone

Food Trucks

Youth Football Clinic

1pm-3:30pm - Youth Ages 7-16 Registration deadline Aug. 5th or upon reaching 100 registrants.

To register please visit community.orangebowl.org

Free Haircuts

Music & Interactive Fun for the entire family Free Backpacks & School Supplies

Distribution begins at 12pm.

One back pack per child.

Child must be present (Ages 5-16). While supplies last.

Presenting Sponsor:

Community Partner:

Provided by Beauty Schools of America

11:30am-3:30pm - Youth Ages 5-16 Parent or guardian must be present on-site. Subject to Availability. Limited number of registrants.

Associate Sponsors: FL OR IDA PR E PA ID

natural awakenings

August 2015

49

Parenting Peace with Positive Discipline

by Kristi Gmutza

T

he daily grind of parenthood is hard work and there’s no instruction manual. When parents are overwhelmed and stressed, they may find themselves yelling more often, giving in to their child’s demands and losing their cool. Positive discipline is a parenting style that focuses on mutual respect and solutions that foster feelings of significance and belonging.

Assume positive intent

It’s easy to take a child’s misbehavior personally and become frustrated with repetitive misbehaving, like whining, hitting or interrupting. Sometimes these behaviors are developmentally appropriate, though. For instance, a toddler learning to explore the environment gets pleasure and brain development from opening, closing and emptying the contents of kitchen cabinets. Misbehavior can also be viewed as a child’s way to seek out needs, wants or goals in an unsophisticated manner. Children often misbehave when they feel insignificant.

Understanding that the child is simply trying to fulfill a need or reach a goal in a mistaken manner can help shape parents’ attitudes when dealing with misbehavior.

Learn to wait and see

A common parenting mistake is micromanaging. Janet Lansbury, author of Elevating Child Care, suggests that “wait” is the parenting magic word. Waiting and observing our children gives them an opportunity to develop according to 50

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their own timetable, discover and learn without interruption, and gain mastery over skills in their own time and manner.

Parents often try to remove obstacles or hardships to avoid upsetting them, but allowing children to struggle and overcome challenges and reach their goals is a lifetime skill that builds real self-esteem. While learning to wait is challenging and requires patience, it allows us to slow down and appreciate the strengths and capabilities of children.

Set limits with kindness and firmness

Setting limits keeps children safe and socialized. Learning to set limits with both kindness and firmness can help parents avoid the pitfalls of permissiveness and resist the urge for punishment. Many parents mistake permissiveness for kindness, doing anything to please children or rescue them from difficult situations. It is okay, though, to allow them to strengthen their “disappointment muscles” and have faith that they can survive it in the future.

On the other hand, parents often think that firmness means punishment. When parents set limits and enforce them with punishment and lectures, it invites rebellion, revenge and/or retreat. Families can instead brainstorm together to limit TV viewing and dealing with curfews, chores or homework. Including children in the discussion—allowing them to talk at least as much, if not more, than we do—helps them understand why limits are important, what they should be

and how everyone can be responsible to follow them. Children are more willing to follow limits they help create.

Decide what to do and follow through

It can be very stressful when children become upset with parental limits. Children whine, cry, yell, cajole, bargain or bribe in an attempt to get their way. Unfortunately, these kinds of behavior can be modeled by parents trying to get the desired behavior from children. Deciding what to do and following through is a parenting tool that prevents power struggles. First, plan what you’ll do and notify children in advance. For example, “We can go outside after you pick up your toys;” or, “I will drive you to your friend’s house after your homework is done.” The second step is to follow through with kindness and firmness. Follow through with actions rather than words. Try to avoid lecturing, nagging or saying I-told-you-so, and let your actions be the guide. In this way, children learn that problem solving and cooperation are the most effective alternatives to a power struggle.

Allow children to do what they are capable of doing

When raising children, never underestimate their capabilities. As children move through the developmental stages, they learn new sets of physical, mental and emotional skills.

It’s important to let them face each milestone and struggle in order to gain mastery. Being in a rush to get out the door leaves parents zipping coats and buckling car seats for children that’re capable of doing it themselves. When teaching

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a new skill, allow extra time to avoid the pressure of rushing.

As children learn more skills, they feel capable, significant and confident. As an added bonus, as children do more, parents can do less.

Mistakes are an opportunity to learn

There’s no such thing as a perfect child or perfect parent.

We strive for parenting perfection and feel guilty when we make mistakes, but instead, parents can use the opportunity to recognize and reconcile the mistake. Parental mistakes are also a great tool for modeling how to handle them with our children. They gain self-confidence and self-esteem when they are able to view mistakes as ways to learn rather than a failure. To provide children exposure to the value of mistakes in a safe environment, try inviting everyone to share a “mistake of the day” and what they learned from it during dinner time. Everyone can embrace the courage to be imperfect by laughing and learning from them together.

For more information, visit PositiveDiscipline.com or check out the book Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen.

Kristi Gmutza is a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator at Art of the Soul Studio in Indianapolis. She is an art therapist, in-home daycare provider and homeschooling mother of a lively 6-year-old. She offers positive discipline workshops, classes and private parent coaching. For more information, call 317-218-4653 or email Kristi@IndyParenting.com.

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Fax: 1-305-330-9248 • Foreclosure Protection / Defense • Uncontested Divorce Settlements • Loan Modifications • Wills and Probate • Short Sales • Criminal Misdemeanors • Real Estate Contracts • Third Degree Felonies • Buyer / Seller Representation • Consumer Law • Landlord / Tenant Issues • Traffic Matters • Real Estate Litigation • Disputes • Business Matters • Debt Settlements Member Attorney for US Legal Plan “The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.

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August 2015

51

Equine Therapy: The Healing Connection between Horses and Humans

by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer

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stablished in 1999, the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) is a non-profit organization that seeks to rehabilitate those undergoing mental, emotional and developmental health concerns through structured interaction with horses. This alternative therapeutic technique has been utilized to address multiple issues such as relational barriers, trauma repercussions and substance abuse.

Recently, I was given an opportunity to experience what the EAGALA program entails for myself. Louise SutherlandHoyt, M.Ed., CAGS, a Bradenton-based licensed Mental Health Counselor, invited my twin sister and me to participate in an equine therapy session, geared toward strengthening our communication and listening skills.

Together, we spent this educational afternoon confront52

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ing the challenges that siblings often face understanding one another’s viewpoints and emotional needs, with the horses acting as “guide maps” of our inner selves. The premise behind equine therapy is that these animals –honest and intuitive by nature – directly reflect human body language, thus prompting participants to adjust their attitudes or actions until the horses respond positively.

Sutherland-Hoyt who has joined forces with Janet Margerison, a local EAGALA-certified equine specialist, describes this process in greater detail. “Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) are collaborative approaches to growth and learning. The team includes a mental health professional, certified equine specialist and, of course, the horses.

“The mental health professional observes the human participants – their interactions, body language, patterns and behavioral shifts from the ‘norm.’ The equine specialist’s role is to keep the session focused on the horses and to work alongside the mental health professional, creating a co-facilitating team.”

She continues, “The horses will be horses, and the clients will be themselves, so there are no expectations or predictions regarding how each session will go. Therefore, it is essential that the equine specialist deliver safety, – for both the horses and clients – as well as an opportunity for meaningful outcomes.

“This is experiential work, meaning that participants will learn about themselves and others by participating in activities and completing various tasks with the horses. After each exercise, the personal experiences and observations of each participant are identified and processed through a discussion of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and patterns.

“Both the mental health professional and equine specialist have been trained to ask questions in a specific way that allows participants to reveal their own experience without the influence of descriptive (biased) language. Whether we are working with an individual, family, group or corporate organization, our goal is to expand one’s personal insight while fostering new facets within interpersonal relationships.”

Since equine therapy involves variable conditions such as high-spirited animal instincts and subjective human perceptions, these sessions do not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. “There is no ‘cookie cutter’ formula. We individually reference the reasons each client has sought therapy. Then, we design tasks for them to undertake, along with the horses, in order to create a metaphor for ‘real life’ scenarios. Therefore, every activity relates to what happens at home, school, work, in relationships, you name it.

“EAGALA activities are designed to recreate situations that a client might be experiencing. These activities are chosen specifically for each client or group based on a treatment plan or goal. The activity could be simple like brushing the horse, or complicated like setting up an obstacle course then training the horse to walk through it. Our job is to structure activities accordingly, with creativity being key, and the list of possible activities is virtually endless,” Sutherland-Hoyt explains.

She adds, “Simply because of their size and power, horses can seem intimidating. However, this dynamic actually provides a wide range of opportunities to overcome fears and instill confidence. It’s amazing to observe how, when in their own element, horses mirror human emotions, attitudes, personalities and moods. They also have well-defined roles and hierarchies within their herds, as do humans.

“I often observed this while photographing wild Mustang herds on the Nevada desert. Due to the reflective nature of my therapeutic work, I see relationships improve through the expanded insights that result from each session’s processing phase. Participants begin recognizing how what happened while interacting with the horses unfolded in an eerily similar manner to their actual life experiences or relationships.”

The Equine Assisted Grown and Learning Association emerged from a trend in psychotherapy which traces back to the late 1960s. During this time, mental health professionals noticed how children with physical, emotional or developmental limitations would become highly responsive while riding or caring for horses.

However, the current EAGALA model does not involve mounted horsemanship, suggesting instead that “humans benefit from learning and problem-solving exercises grounded in existent strengths and skills. This distinguishes the EAGALA model from other horse-related therapies that involve riding.

“Horsemanship is about an instructor directing specific skills with horses. For us, it’s about the clients or individuals just being themselves. We focus on human skills rather than horse skills. Moreover, EAGALA generally produces positive outcomes in fewer sessions. Studies show that EAP/EAL is either equally or more effective than established interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,” clarifies Sutherland-Hoyt.

Not only does equine therapy mitigate a broad spectrum of complications, it also accommodates diverse backgrounds, experiences and character traits. “Anyone who is eager to explore personal insights and interpersonal relationships can benefit from EAP/EAL. We’ve found it especially helpful for those with trauma history to combat the effects of stress, childhood neglect or sexual abuse.

“This model can assist with parent-child difficulties, the grief process and social anxieties. Many EAP/EAL practitioners also specialize in particular areas such as addiction or autism, for example. As a rule of thumb, effective therapy

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strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass

can be conducted in about six to eight sessions. This streamlined timeframe is possible due to our strengths-based and client-centered approach,” notes Sutherland-Hoyt.

She concludes, “Our sessions take place at ‘A Dandy Ranch,’ located in Myakka City which is also the home of Janet Margerison, the equine specialist I collaborate with.

Although it’s a significant drive from the Sarasota-Manatee area, this haven offers a perfect pastoral setting for emotional healing to unfold.”

The afternoon my sister and I spent amongst these astute creatures was a journey of self-discovery. They innately sense human pathos at its core – an enlightening and humbling revelation. I’ve since learned to value other people’s perspectives, while voicing my own opinions as well. Furthermore, I’ve recognized that relationships thrive when dialogue is evenly exchanged and feelings are validated. Horses taught me that.

For more information, call 941-322-2373 or email Janet@ ARandyRanch.com. Sessions last approximately 50 minutes, and the cost runs between $150 and $200.

Louise Sutherland-Hoyt, M. Ed., CAGS, is a licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience, working with teenagers and adults. Her practice, Benchmark Counseling, specializes in the following areas of expertise: Anxiety, Codependence, Depression, Addiction and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For more information, visit her website BenchmarkCounseling.net.

Janet Margerison is an EAGALA-certified equine specialist who operates and resides at A Dandy Ranch. Her equine therapy program focuses on the following issues: Grief and Trauma, PTSD, ADHD, ADD and Asperger’s Syndrome. Her services are available for youth, families, school groups and corporate organizations.

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota-Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer, based in Southwest Florida. Her personal blog, HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com, features practical tips for embracing a fit, nutritious and empowered lifestyle.

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natural awakenings

August 2015

53

It’s Time to Take Your Body Back!

The cost of maintaining a healthy weight is greater than you think.

by Linda Palmer

W

ith 65% of Floridians with an unhealthy weight, and 1 out of 3 of kids considered overweight or obese, it’s important that we get off the proverbial couch and begin moving. Health problems associated with obesity can include digestive problems, arthritis, diabetes, stroke, heart disease–including coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, angina, and an abnormal heartbeat–as well as affect our blood pressure, cause high cholesterol and even expose us to a greater risk for various types of Cancer.

Trying to adopt a healthy plan and lose weight can sometimes proof just as challenging as staying in shape. The good news is that you are not alone and small steps will take you a long way. Begin with your physician. Ask them to help you set some realistic goals, then speak to other professionals, such as a nutritionist who can help you plan meals and update your shopping list. If you can afford to, find a trainer that either will work with you, or get you started and motivated with a long term program. Healthy eating and activity is just the beginning.

Staying committed is the next and key step to your success, and Healthiest Weight Florida has made it a goal to help you do just that. They provide and discuss strategies-behavioral, environmental and genetic factors–which influence your weight. Activities are explored providing steps to living healthy. Tutorials for learning and teaching fun and healthy habits are numerous including titles like ways to maintain and not gain. Even campfire healthy cooking is 54

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addressed. Their resource pages, which include local and national sources, enhance the comprehensive information they present. Locally they keep you informed through CHARTS, a source to help Floridians achieve healthy weights through the latest research in nutrition and activities. Additional resources venture nationally with links to keep you informed of what other states and counties are using to achieve long-term goals for their communities. These include checklists, planning toolboxes and access portals to additional healthy food resources, projects and programs proven effective in their areas.

Online programs are endless and often the least expensive. From yoga and Pilates to Zumba and high impact cardio workouts, you can find exactly what you like with little effort.

More often than not these sites provide workout videos, nutritional menus, and ways to measure and keep track of your progress. They are fun and encouraging and incredibly effective. And the best part is that you can schedule these for anytime. I personally lost 30 lbs with DailyBurn.com over last summer.

But the most important ingredient to achieving a healthy weight is patience. You didn’t gain that weight overnight so it won’t go away that quickly either. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute adults trying to lose weight should aim at losing about 1-2 pounds per week. If you are “obese, shooting for 5%-10% over 6 months is the healthiest most effective way.” According to Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, in an article she wrote for WebMD, she explains that by “burning 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds.” She further explains that “if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds.

It’s very important not to cut calories any further -- that’s dangerous,” she warns. Zelman suggests that you limit salt and starches to possibly help you lose more weight. Michael Dansinger, M.D., of NBC’s The Biggest Loser show explains that reducing sodium and cutting starches can help you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which in turn can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you first get started.

So don’t be fooled by the hype or programs that claim you can lose a ridiculous or unhealthy amount of weight.

Take your time, tackle small steps; like exploring the many greenways and trails available in our local and national parks or walking the dog or yourself after dinner. But more importantly, enjoy the process, rather than dreading it, of finally committing to achieving your healthy weight. Through small steps you’ll be there in not time!

Sources: Healthiest Weight Florida is a public-private collaboration bringing together state agencies, not for profit organizations, businesses, and entire communities to help Florida’s children and adults make choices about healthy eating and active living. For more information or to get involved, visit www.healthiestweightflorida.com. Follow them on Twitter at @HealthyFla or Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, visit www. floridahealth.gov. or www.floridahealth.gov. Other sources: WebMD: www.webmd.com and Florida Greenways and Trails: www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/.

calendarofevents

To submit an event listing email: event date, name, brief description, location, cost and contact to calendar@namiami.com. For additional listings visit www.namiami.com.

AUGUST 1 - 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5

Kiddos Back to School Free Family Event Makes Back-To-School Time A Blast - 12PM - 6PM – Free activities including stage entertainment, Arts & Craft station “Saving is Fun” presented by AMTrust Bank, bounce houses, inflatable carnival games, a Back-to School Scavenger Hunt presented by Game Time, with the chance to win a GameTime family 4-pack combo & much more. 8888 SW 136 ST Miami, FL 33176-5883

Southeastern College Back to School Open House - Discover a career path that’s right for you at – 5 – 8 pm. Southeastern College offers financial aid to those who quality and monitors workplace trends to assist students gain employment after graduation. For more information call (305) 8205003. 17395 NW 59th Ave, Hialeah, FL 33015

AUGUST 1 - 31 Miami Spa Month - Greater Miami and the Beaches is renowned for luxury spas that are ranked among the best in America, and are the favorites of spa connoisseurs throughout the world. Celebrate with us during July and August, when you can enjoy incredible savings on special treatments at Miami’s premier spas.

Check online for participating spas.

Sea Turtle Nesting and Release Program - 8:30 – 10pm. Program conducted by Miami Dade Parks which aims to educate the public about the plight of the sea turtles. Learn about their activities, the life of the turtles and their threats, and watch the hatchlings as they are released and quickly dash across the sand and into the ocean. Crandon Park Visitors and Nature Center and Haulover Park. $10. Reservations Required -305-361-6767 ext. 121

AUGUST 1 - SEPTEMBER 30 Miami Spice Restaurant Month - sponsored by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, occurs during select months each year. During Miami Spice Restaurant Months, more than 100 of Miami’s top restaurants offer three-course meals featuring signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs. Prices for meals are $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner. Visit website for list of participating restaurants.

AUGUST 4 & 18 Tibetan Institute and Library - Commentary on the 37 Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva”, 6:30 - 7:45 p.m., South Miami Library, 6000 Sunset Drive, South Miami, FL 33143, 305-667-6121 or 305-271-2772. Free.

Free parking at South Miami City Hall parking lot.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4 Free healing session with Cristovao Brilho –– 7:00pm – Instituto Cristovao Brilho – 2811 Coral Way – 33145 - call 786-295-8665 must arrive by 7:00pm

markyourcalendar WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 BACK TO SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE at Southeastern College - Discover a career path that’s right for you at Southeastern College Back to School Open House from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Southeastern College offers financial aid to those who quality and monitors workplace trends to assist students gain employment after graduation. For more information call (305) 820-5003,17395 N W 59th Ave Miami Lakes, FL 33015.

classifieds 2 listings Max.•$1.50 per word •3 month’s min. required • mail to advertising@namiami.com, then call with CC #, Restrictions apply. Refer to pg 4 for address/ information or visit www.namiami.com.

CLASSES AND TRAINING 200 HOUR REGISTERED YOGA TEACHER TRAINING. What are you waiting for?

Now is the time! Join Key Largo Yoga for this 21 day training in the BEAUTIFUL FL Keys.

October 2-23.Call NOW! 305-879-0377. www. keylargoyoga.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

FOR SALE

A Night of Lasers, Stars and Pop – On the First Friday of each month, the Miami Science Museum Planetarium opens up for a great night of family fun. The program includes a free Planetarium Star Show, - Rooftop Observatory Session and more.

Adults $8 Children $4 (includes laser glasses). Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science 3280 South Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33129, 305-646-4200

markyourcalendar SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 The Orange Bowl Health, Wellness & Sports Fair - 11am – 4pm. Fair focuses on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, various medical conditions and local services available within their neighboring communities. Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex located at 3000 NW 199th St., Miami Gardens, FL 33056. Free. 305-3414744.

AUGUST 7 & 16 Therapeutic Yoga for Parkinson’s and Other Neuro-moter Degenerative Diseases: Free workshop for yoga teachers, caregivers, and interested others. & classes for sufferers. Aum Home Shala, 3104 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove, FL 33133.

1-305-441-9441

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 Free healing session with Cristovao Brilho –– 5:00pm – Instituto Cristovao Brilho – 2811 Coral Way – 33145 - call 786-295-8665 must arrive by 5:00pm Love Your Body Workshop! with Kevin O’Brian - 2:30-6:00 pm. Just OM Yoga Studio, 7520 SW 57th Ave, Suite K, South Miami. (305) 665-4982

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 Is Your Thyroid Slowing You Down? Natural, Drug-Free Solutions. 6:30-7:30 pm. Michael Forman DOM. 195 Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables.

RSVP 305-741-2102.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 Oncology Massage Therapy 7-9 pm. - With 14 years of experience integrating massage therapy

SELLING 3 OAKWORKS ELECTRIC MASSAGE/CHIROPRACTOR TABLES. $2500.00 each. Nancy 561.350.6866.

5 ACRE BOTANICAL HOME FOR SALE CALOOSA - Ever wanted a chance to enjoy herb gardening, butterfly arbors, fruit trees (mango, avocado, mulberry, almond etc) galore and exotics like Rainbow Eucalyptus and Ylang- Ylang trees?

This gorgeous 4 bedroom 3 bath home perfectly positioned on five acres in beautiful equestrian Caloosa Palm Beach Gardens offers all this and more in a park-like setting with an extra large covered wrap-around deck overlooking all. The home has extras like an extra large swimming pool, two Rv pads or water craft/truck pads with electricity and water and a fenced animal yard with poultry cage and dog run. Bargain price call Doug Martin asap 859-489-4482.

FOR RENT RENT BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN YOGA STUDIO, FULLY EQUIPPED (15 students) full-time $950. 305-444-0442

HELP WANTED P/TIME ADVERTISING SALES POSITION. - Natural Awakenings Miami/Florida Keys is seeking positive professionals who enjoy working with people and would like to earn extra income. Must be self-motivated and enjoy working independently. Phone and outbound sales. MUST have sales experience.

Must have, own computer, internet access and phone. High Commission income based on actual ad sales. 305-598-3315.

EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR LIGHTWORKERS WITH GIFTS. Looking for Angel Card Readers and Healers. Must be aligned with God. Call (305)439-3956 Yoga Teachers Needed - Just OM Yoga Studio (305) 665-4982

TRAVEL I GET PAID TO VACATION – Ask Me How? LCQ To Travel, Laura Quinones, Certified Travel Agent, 407-486-8895.lcqtravel@gmail. com. Hablamos Espanol. #ID A1591039.

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August 2015

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into cancer treatment, Josephine Galassso, RRT, LMT, will highlight therapeutic uses of massage for the relief pain and other possible side effects of cancer treatments. Open to the general public. Call 305-668-5900. Cancer Support Community, 8609 South Dixie Highway, Miami.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15

Love and Heal Your Body with Ayurveda with Yamuna Devi - 2:30-5:30 pm. Just OM Yoga Studio, 7520 SW 57th Ave, Suite K, South Miami. (305) 665-4982

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

floridakeys

Anything that Floats Regatta Race - Grab your oars and anything that floats and enjoy this familyfun festival - an on-the-water race of vessels crafted from items around the house - on Blackwater Sound, mile marker 104 bayside. A captains party is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 15. Saturday is race day, with team check-in beginning at 2 p.m. Race events begin at 3 p.m. and are free to enter and watch. Waterfront bars and restaurants offer excellent viewing areas for observing the race and enjoying a Keys sunset, with live music and more fun to follow. Contact: 305-451-4502

Acroyoga Elementals Workshop with Arianne Traverso - 2:00-4:30 pm. Just OM Yoga Studio, 7520 SW 57th Ave, Suite K, South Miami. (305) 665-4982

AUGUST 22 – 23 Yoga for Mental Health: Explore how yoga can positively impact conditions including depression, anxiety, ADHD, addiction, and more. Aum Home Shala, 3104 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove, FL 33133. 1-305-441-9441.

Love the Everglades Movement Summer Symposium - Love the Everglades Movement, a volunteer organization that implements strategies to address the environmental, structural, cultural and spiritual problems plaguing the Florida Everglades. Event is free and open to the public; all ages welcome Miccosukee Resort & Convention Center, 500 SW 177th Ave, Miami, FL 33194. 786.426.2277

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 Celebrating Life and the Power of Hope 11 am -1 pm. Two-time cancer survivor, life coach, and writer David Octavio Gandell shares his life-affirming outlook to inspire other survivors to live their own inspirational stories of survivorship. Open to the general public. Call 305-668-5900. Cancer Support Community, 8609 South Dixie Highway, Miami.

AUGUST 1 - SEPTEMBER 30

Key West Art & Historical Society presents: Key West or Bust, A History of Tourism - This exhibit explores the history of tourism in the Florida Keys from the 1920s until the 1980s while focusing specifically on transportation, accommodation, travel brochures and postcards. Custom House Museum is located at 281 Front Street, and open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 305-295-6616

AUGUST 11 - 13 Journey Through World Rhythms with Zumba®Fitness : Everyone invited to this free 3-day class series. Each class will showcase particular dance forms within the traditional Zumba® Fitness format. Islamorada Fitness, 85960 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036. FREE admission.

305-432-6900.

AUGUST 6 - 9 Key West Lobsterfest- Events include the Duval Crawl on Friday night, a street fair and free concert Saturday, and a spectacular Sunday brunch. Local restaurants and arts and craft vendors are expected to participate. The festive feast takes place in the 100 through 500 blocks of Key West’s famed Duval Street. A free concert featuring local and regional bands is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 11 p.m. 305-744-9804

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 Morada Way Third Thursday Art Walk - Showcasing the fine arts, music and culinary nuances of the Purple Isles, the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District features national and local artisans who are showcased in galleries at Morada Way between mile marker 81 and 82 - formerly named Industrial Road - as well as “culinary art” and live music from 6-10 p.m. In addition to individual artists, participating galleries include the Redbone Gallery, Gallery Morada, Pasta Pantaleo Signature Gallery and Bluewater Potters. Free admission. Art Walk is held the third Thursday of each month. Contact: Daniela Woody 305-664-9100

SEPTEMBER 4 - 6 Heroes Salute - Each fall, Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key hosts an annual Heroes Salute program to honor military, fire and rescue, law enforcement and medical personnel; a special Labor Day Weekend event is planned to include an All-American barbecue, heroes tribute, country music concert and fireworks show. Contact: 1-877-484-9342

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ShopNaturalAwakenings.com Like us on Facebook at Natural Awakenings Webstore

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or call: 888-822-0246

ongoingevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Email NAcalendar@naturalawakeningsmag. com for guidelines and to submit entries. No phone calls or faxes, please. Or visit swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com/advertising to submit online.

sunday Shiva’s Circle of Fire: Yoga and Meditation in Motion. 3:00pm - 5:00pm. 1760 NE 144th St, North Miami, FL 33181. Call to schedule. 305.710.0516.

Donation only.

Women Only – Free Chi gong for cancer survivors and voice lessons for healing and empowerment.

2:30 - 4:30, N & S Miami locations. Call 305948-6878 Dharma Meetings – 2pm. Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center 3239 West Trade Ave. Unit 10, Coconut Grove. FREE. 305-775-7541.

Family Fundays at Fairchild- 9:30am-5pm.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 1st Sunday of the month 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables.

305-667-1651.

Jazzercise® - $5. 10am. South Miami Community Center 5800 SW 66 St. Call Cathie 305-666-5457.

Miami Center for Spiritual Living- 10:30amFree. Non-denominational spiritual message. 2490 Coral Way, Miami, 786-206-6355.

Sunday Services at SOUL Church – 11am at the SOUL Service at the Elks Lodge, 6304 SW 78th St in South Miami. Free pot-luck lunch. 305-221-6516.

monday Course in Miracles - 8pm. Free. 7855 SW Coral Way. Contact Mercedes 786-200-8410 or Nimia 305-261-3190.

Connected Warriors Free Yoga for Veterans, Service Members and Families. 5:30-6:15 pm - Sampoorna Yoga Miami, 10107 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33173 Garden Yoga – Hatha yoga with Terra-Nova (RYT) in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. 6:30 p.m. $10 suggested donation. 305-673-7256 Expressions Performing Arts offering Ballet 4Pointe - for Teens, $15 per class and class time 6-7:15pm, at the Miami Beach JCC 4221 Pine Tree Drive-786-512-8783 Massage Relief for Combat Veterans - 50% off therapeutic massages for our combat service personnel. Call 305-351-0819. Shala Spa 1119 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.

Military Mondays at Hirooka’s - 50% off Kitesurfing or Paddleboarding for all Military and Public Service Personnel - Hirooka Surf & Sport, 2377 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL. 954-444-3942

Bereavement & Grief Support- 7pm, during school year. Children’s Bereavement Center, 7600 S. Red Rd, Suite 307. To register: 305-668-4902.

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)- Bilingual Support group. 305-666-1778.

Self-Defense for Women classes- Free. Also Wed. 7:15 – 8:30 pm at Bayfront park in downtown Miami.

305-358-7550

tuesday Kripalu Yoga with Kevin O’Brien. - 10:30-12:00 PM- 7520 SW 57th Ave. Suite K, South Miami 33143.

For more info call 305-788-0777 Are you a VET living with PTSD? If so, call Banyan Holistic Healthcare Center for help, Miami Lakes or Pinecrest location. Call now to schedule, (305) 663-5696.

Yoga at Earth ‘N Us Farm - : 6:15 p.m. $10. 7630 NE 1 Ave. Miami. Contact Leslie: 786-282-3000.

Laughter Yoga Sessions - $5.00 each - 9:30-10:15 AM, North Shore Youth Center 501 72nd Street, Miami Beach 33141, 305-861-3616.

Yoga for Beginners – 7-9pm. $15. Acupuncture & Massage College, 10506 N. Kendall Dr. 305-5959500.

Iyengar Yoga class with Liora Haymann. 7:15-8:30 a.m. - $18 drop-ins/$75 for a 5-class series. Aum Home Shala, 3104 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove, FL 33133. 1-305-441-9441 Yoga and Qigong for Seniors - 11am -12:30pm.

Acupuncture & Massage College, 10506 N. Kendall Dr. 305-595-9500. $15.

wednesday Mind Body Weight, you are not a willpower weakling, 7-8pm - Group session nutrition coach/counselor Susan Gerrish. Limited space, 8 week commitment.

Call to schedule, 305 333 4703, Coral Gables.

Teach clients how to defy age and illness through medical yoga.

Advertise in Natural Awakenings’

September Yoga Issue

Free Meditation - 1:15pm. Acupuncture and Massage College. 10506 N Kendall Dr, Miami, FL 33176.

You must check in at the front desk. For more information please call 305-595-9500 Garden Yoga – Hatha yoga with Terra-Nova, RYT in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. 12:30 p.m. $10 donation.

305-673-7256.

Guided Meditation - All levels welcome- 7 pmDonations-3390 Mary Street Suite 116, Coconut Grove- Please RSVP 305-607-8627

To advertise or participate in our next issue, call

305-598-3315 natural awakenings

August 2015

57

Kripalu Yoga & Meditation for Beginners. 7:008:30pm - $20 or discount pkg. First class Free.

Kevin O’Brien Wellness, 7520 Red Road, Suite K, South Miami, 33143 Tel 305-788-0777

Healing With Dance - South Miami Hospital for physical limitations from illness/surgery. No dance experience necessary. 9:30-10:30am. $5.

786-662-8106.

Aromatherapy Workshop – 6PM – Free. For reservations, 305 598-2822. American Apothecary of Kendall 12232 SW 132 Court, Miami FL 33186.

Jazzercise® - $5. M&W 6:30pm. South Miami Community Center 5800 SW 66 St. Ongoing classes available all week. Call Cathie 305-6665457.

Free Children’s Art Camp - Ages 6 and up, in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. 10 am-1 pm. Call 305673-7256 to register.

Connected Warriors - Free Yoga Classes for Veterans and Families of Veterans - 3pm at Brickell Hot Yoga 301 SW 17th Road, 33129 305-856-1387.

Free orientations for PTSD and pain relief with discount services for military or vets. The Banyan Holistic Please call 305-663-5696 to schedule

Meditation for overall well-being- 7:30- 9pm.

8150 SW 92 St, Miami. 786-556-7318. Donation.

Yoga and Meditation Class-7-8:30pm. Free. West Dade Regional Library, 9445 Coral Way. RSVP Lawrence 305-926-3578.

Healing Meditation – 6pm – American Apothecary, $5, 12232 SW 132 CT. Miami, FL 33186, 305-5982822

Free Veterans Sailing – with Team Paradise, the Paralympic Sport Club of Miami. 12 – 12pm Team Paradise Sailing, Inc. 2620 S. Bayshore Drive, Miami 33133. 305-776-8778.

Drub-Dhe Meditation- 7:25-9:30pm. Freedonations are welcome. Regency House 353 West 47th St., Flat 7A, Miami Beach. Contact: Robert Phuntsog Ngo-drub 305-213-2577.

Hatha Yoga – 6-7:30pm – Free - King David Foundation, 17971 Biscayne Blvd, Aventura, FL Suite #117. Bennett - 305-949-0950.

Free Acupuncture for Combat Veterans – 1-2pm, Acupuncture Center for Wellness, Inc., 16663 NE 19 Avenue, Suite 111, North Miami Beach, Fl. 33162, (305) 940-7763.

thursday A Course In Miracles (In Spanish) at 8 pm. Free Study Group at 7855 S.W. 24 St. (Coral Way).

Contact Nimia 305 -261-3190 or Mercedes 786200-8410 Connected Warriors Free Yoga for Veterans, Service Members and Families. Chair Yoga – 10-11am - Sampoorna Yoga Miami, 10107 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33173 Mind Body Weight, you are not a willpower weakling, 7-8pm - Group session nutrition coach/ counselor Susan Gerrish. Limited space, 8 week commitment. Call to schedule, 305 333 4703, Coral Gables

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Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

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Weekly Yoga Classes $10 per Class! - 5:30-6:45pm Five Sisters…a spiritual journey. 8805 SW 132 ST, 786-250-4170 Postpartum Yoga at Key Biscayne, 10:15 - $20, 305-299-7826 Laughter Yoga Sessions - $5.00 each - 9:30-10:15 AM, North Shore Youth Center 501 72nd Street, Miami Beach 33141, 305-861-3616 Overeaters Anonymous - Beginner Meeting - 7:30 pm Riviera Presbyterian Church 5275 Sunset Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33143

friday Monthly Free Reiki Healing Circle - 2nd Friday of the month at Five Sisters…a spiritual journey, 8805 SW 132 ST, 786-250-4170 Chair massage – 5-9pm - Enjoy 5 minute complementary chair massage every Friday Pecan’s Day Spa, 305-284-8636, 7800 SW 57th Ave Suite 120, Miami, FL 33143.

Free Acupuncture for Combat Veterans – 1-2pm, Acupuncture for Wellness Center, Inc., 7550 SW 57th Avenue, Suite 116, South Miami, FL 33143, 305-669-6699.

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Nutrition Solutions for IBS, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis & Migraines - $15, 7-8PM, Coral Gables, Alison Grewal, RD: 786-546-6800.

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Introduction to Bach Flowers - 3rd Thursdays - 10 am-11:30 am - Free - 3390 Mary Street Suite 116, Coconut Grove- Please RSVP 305-607-8627

Dharma Meetings – 8pm. Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center 3239 West Trade Ave., Unit 10, Coconut Grove. FREE. 305-775-7541.

Family Night- 3rd Friday of the month. 3-9pm. Free admission & parking. Miami Children’s Museum, 980 Macarthur Cswy. 305-373-5437.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) - Free jazz concerts on the last Fri. Joan Lehman Building, 770 NE 125 St. 305-893-6211.

Coral Gables Art Walk – An art walk centered around downtown Coral Gables, with all the galleries between Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon Rd. Free trolly transportation.

saturday Yoga Therapy for 50+ - 10am-11:15am - 1760 N.E. 144th St, North Miami, FL 33181. Call to schedule. 305.710.0516. $10.00 Donation.

Intermediate Iyengar Series 8:30am to 10:30am.

Experienced practitioners only, with Katrin Loveland. $29 per class. Prana Yoga, 247 Malaga Ave, Miami, 305 567 9812.

Yoga with Drishti- 9:00 am - at Biscayne Park Recreation Center, 11400 NE 9th Court. 305-3357618.

Lincoln Road Art Walk- 1st Sat. of the month.

7-10pm. 40+ local artists, museums and galleries in South Beach. ArtCenter/South Florida 800, 810 & 924 Lincoln Road. 305-674-8278.

Family Swim YMCA. 2-4pm. $3 Adults, $2 Kids.

FKCC swimming pool. 1-305-295-9622.

Movies at The Spiritual Garden - Spiritual up lifting movies. 1st and 3rd Sun. 7pm. Good will offering is $5. Unitarian Universalist fellowship 801 Georgia St. 1-305-394-2005.

Nightly Sunset Celebration - Free. Enjoy a spectacular sunset entertained by the various carnival performers and vendors. Mallory Square, Key West.

1-305-292-7700.

monday

wednesday Ancient Indian Meditation - 6:30-8:30pm. 1-305292-6958.

Belly Dancing Class - $10. 7:30pm. All levels welcome.

Tai Chi for Inner Harmony - 9:30-11am on Sugarloaf Key. Call Lydia at 1-305-745-2811.

Toddler Playtime Stories- Ages 10 months to 2 years and their caregivers. Free. 10:30am12:30pm. Key West Library, 700 Fleming Street, Key West. 1-305-292-3595.

Buddhist Study Group - 7:30-8:30pm at Key Largo Yoga. Everyone welcome. Free, but donations to Keys To Peace welcome. Key Largo Yoga, Suite #9, 99198 Overseas Hwy.

thursday

Cardio-Sculpting Class 8:30-9:20am. Pirate Wellness Center, MM21.4 Cudjoe Key. 1-305-7443348

The Long Walk Home Interactive Workshops for Veterans & Family– 6 – 7:30pm – Free – Transition to Civilian Life. Open to public. 97.671 Overseas Hwy. Oceanside. 305-504-3795

Aerobic Dance - 1-1:55pm. CoffeMill Dance. 916 Pohalski St. 1-305-296-9982.

Yoga/Meditation – 8am. $7 Key Largo Community Park, MM 100 ocean side. 1-305-853-1003.

tuesday

Water Wellness Program - 8am. $5. Yoga, Pilates and Meditation. MM 92 Oceanside. 1-305-3931162.

friday

Free Guided Relaxation Class - 7 -8 PM at Islamorada Fitness MM 85.9 bayside. Bring a towel or exercise mat and a pillow. (Sponsored by Keys To Peace. 305-619-0534.

Salsa Dance Lessons- 7:30-9pm. Paradise Health & Fitness. 1796 N.Roosevelt Blvd. 1-305-2966348.

Miami Art Museum - 1pm. Free. 2nd Sat. 101 West Flagler St. 305-375-3000.

Mothers and Babies Group - for new moms, their babies and expecting mothers. Free. 1-3 p.m. Healthy Start, Gato Bldg, 1100 Simonton St., Key West. 1-305293-7516 or 1-305-293-7511.

saturday

Yoga-Style* Exercise, Prenatal - South Miami Hospital. 10:45 am-12:15 p.m. and 5:30-7pm. $10.

786-662-8106.

Stories for Children - 10:30am. Key Largo Library, 101485 US1. 1-305-451-2396. Also Thur, 10:30am, Stories for children ages 2 ½ -6.

Family Hour- For children of all ages. Free. 1pm.

Key West Library, 700 Fleming St, Key West.

1-305-292-3595.

Meditation- Free. 7pm. Unity Church, 9591 Overseas Highway, Marathon.

Story Hour - ages 5 years & up. 10:30-11:30am.

Games & stories. Marathon Library, 3251 Overseas Hwy. 1-305-743-5156.

Open House/Exhibitions – 2nd Sat. Meet ArtSouth studio artists & staff. Free. Refreshments. 240 North Krome Ave. 305-247-9406.

floridakeys sunday

Tai Chi – 7pm. $15. Coffee Mill Dance and Yoga Studio, 916 Pohalski St, Key West, 1-305-296-9982; 1-305-735-3519.

Water Wellness Program- 8am. $5. Yoga, Pilates and Meditation. MM 92 Oceanside. 1-305-393-1162.

Key West WPA Walking Tour – Old Town Key West. 10am. $20. 1-305-296-3573.

Yoga/Meditation – 8:30am. $7 Key Largo Community Park, MM100 Oceanside. 1-305853-1003.

Big Pine Key Flea Market- 8am. South of the only traffic light in town on U.S. 1.

natural awakenings

August 2015

59

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide email advertising3@namiami.com to request our media kit.

WANDA CINTRON A.P.

ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture Physician 717 Ponce De Leon Blvd. Ste #325 305-445-4494

HUI SHAO, AP. MD(CHINA)

3310 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Ste 250 www.AcupunctureInMiami.com 305-461-4046

Want to Feel Your best? The Benefits Of Acupuncture is the solution. Soothing, Peaceful atmosphere to help you reach your best. Some Health Plans accepted.

Traditional Chinese acupuncture by doctor graduated from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We provide supportive therapies: Natural Herbs, Massage therapy, Reflexology. Auto accident, workers’ comp and some health insurance accepted.

Caroline Faxas, AP, Dipl Ac 110 N Federal Hwy #204 Hallandale Beach, FL 33009 305-912-3262 www.305acupuncture.com

We offer acupuncture, cupping, herbal therapy, auriculotherapy, homeopathy and other holistic healing modalities to help you regain and maintain wellness.

Needle-free services are available

ATTORNEYS Attorney at Law 13554 SW 47th Lane, Suite 100 Miami, FL 33175 305-598-2540, Miami Areas of Practice:

Foreclosure protection/defense, loan modifications, short sales, real estate contracts, buyer/ seller representation, title closing agent, wills, probate, real estate litigation, consumer law, traffic matters, disputes, debt settlement. See ad, page 51.

EILEEN R. YASBIN

Attorney at Law 16211 NE 12th Ct., N. Miami Beach 305-945-0108, 305 944-7233, Fax

Practicing in the area of Probate, Guardianship, Social Security, Wills and Trust, and Real Estate.

REGINA F. ZELONKER, P.A.

Mediation and Collaborative Divorce Coral Gables & Palmetto Bay 305.235.0537 zelonkerlaw.com

When Family Matters...The divorce process does not have to destroy your children, finances, relationships, self-esteem, and future. Other areas: Prenuptial Agreements and Cooperative Divorce. Florida Supreme Court Family and Civil Mediator.

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Miami-Dade/Florida Keys

FENG SHUI CLEANING SERVICES

786-477-1641 www.fengshuicleaning.com

Using Eco-friendly products & HEPA filtration vacuums, our professionally trained staff will thoroughly rid your home of dust, dirt and contaminants until it’s sparkling clean!

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AMERICAN APOTHECARY OF KENDALL

12232 SW 132 CT 305-598-2822 www.americanapothecaryofkendall.com

Free yourself from the stress of daily life using a variety of natural Holistic Therapies, including Reiki, Reflexology, Gem/Cristal therapies and 100% pure Essential Oils. American Apothecary also offers Aromatherapy and Reiki classes monthly.

HOLISTIC CENTER CLINIQUE VALENS

5825 Sunset Drive, Suite 202 786-717-5174 www.cliniquevalens.com

Clinique Valens is a personalized center for optimal health and vitality. Specializing in eradicating chronic pain and somatic (body) dysfunction through natural remedies and solutions. Call for a free consultation. Live Better, Smarter and Longer.

ZENZATIONS HOLISTIC CENTER

7520 SW 57th Ave. Suite K www.zenzations.com 305-740-7800

Heal, relax & rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit through diverse alternative therapies. Holistic Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Healing Massages, Reiki, Bach Flower Therapy, Facials, Foot Detox and more. Call today to find out about our specials.

See ad, page 21.

HOLISTIC PHYSICAL THERAPY MINSU HEALING OASIS

260 Palermo Ave Ste 1 305-455-6190 www.minsuhealingoasis.com

Minsu’s Healing Oasis, a holistic physical therapy practice, dedicated to eliminating your back and neck pain. We combine Energy Medicine with traditional physical therapy and CranioSacral therapy to help you live pain free!

HOLISTIC PSYCHOLOGY COUNSELING DANIEL R. MESCH, L.M.H.C.

975 41st St., Ste 303, Miami Beach 10300 Sunset Drive, Suite 460, Miami 305-672-0588

Dr. Mesch provides psychotherapy services including hypnosis and regression therapy for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Call to participate in our regression group. We provide services in Spanish, English and Hebrew. See ad, page 21.

PATRICIA MUNHALL,

EDD, PSYA, CST, CLC

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/104719

www.miamitherapy.com 305-978-9475-Miami Shores

Voted “Best of” Psychotherapists

by Family, Health and Counseling Magazine and “Best” Psychotherapist by the Coral Gables Gazette. Dr. Munhall counsels individuals, couples and families using a psychodynamic approach to help you obtain your goals and resolve conflicts, anxiety, depression and other problems.

MASSAGE

MEDITATION

TRAVEL

MEDITATION AND REIKI MIAMI

LCQ TO TRAVEL

Peggy Gaines, RN BSN 305 609 4433 MeditationandReiki.com

Laura Quinones 407-486-8895

Learn the basics of meditation and reiki, center yourself and quiet your mind, Reap tremendous benefits including greater relaxation, less anxiety and maybe even a better night’s sleep. See ad, page 16.

Get paid while you travel and see the world! As an active Certified Travel Agent I can teach you how to get paid while going on vacation. Relax, Take Some Time for Yourself and begin your dream by contacting me Today! Fulfill your bucket list of travel destinations. Ask your friends and families that travel to book through you and earn commission! The possibilities are endless. See ad, page 33.

YOGA

PAST-LIFE REGRESSION

JUST OM YOGA STUDIO

LATA SONPAL, PH. D., FCHT., PA

7520 SW 57th Ave, Suite K, (305) 665-4982 www.justomyogastudio.com

Past Life Regression & Progression 7700 N. Kendall Dr., # 404, Miami 9999 NE 2nd Ave., # 100, Mia Shores 305-271-2772, www.DrSonpal.com

Dr. Sonpal, Licensed Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Fellow in Clinical Hypnotherapy, trained by and worked for Dr. Brian Weiss (Many Lives Many Masters) at the Weiss Institute for seven years. She provides psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, inclusive of Past Life Regression and Progression, to all age groups. See ad, page 23.

New & unique studio offering various yoga styles, including Therapeutic and Suspension, for all ages and experience levels.

The intimate, inviting setting is combined with kind & highly qualified yoga teachers committed to your personal physical improvement and spiritual growth. FREE Parking + Mat + Towel + Tea See ad. page 8.

SAMPOORNA YOGA MIAMI 10107 Sunset Drive (SW 72 St) 305-381-0300 www.symyoga.com

THERMOGRAPHY BREAST THERMOGRAPHY INTL.

Yoga for Every One!™ Stand on your head? Or barely touch your toes? Feel at home in small classes: Yoga, meditation, mantra chanting, philosophy. AM, PM, lunchtime. Affordable rates.

Shanna Schulze 877-315-7226, Ext 447 EarlyDetectionIsKey@gmail.com www.btiscan.com

Radiation Free Cancer & Inflammation Screening.

Locations in south FL, west FL & SC. Injury documentation, determine origination of pain, evaluate nerve pathology, and monitor progress of current treatments.

ON THE MAT YOGA N’ MASSAGE 145 Madeira Ave. #101 305-444-0442 www.onthematyoganmassage.com

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natural awakenings

August 2015

61

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BACK TO SCHOOL

COURSES INCLUDE: • • • • • • •

Introduction to Homeopathy The Herbal Medicine Chest Traditional Chinese Medicine Introduction to Chiropractic Herbology and Botany Ayurvedic Medicine Nutrition & Aging

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