Natural Awakenings Columbia Edition 0119

EE R F

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

Befriending

FOOD

Embrace the Psychology of Eating Dustin Sulak on the

THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF CANNABIS

RENEW ORGAN VITALITY Boost Energy for the New Year

January 2019 | Columbia Edition | MidlandsHealthyLiving.com

January 2019

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Contents 13 GARDENER’S OUTPOST: Re-Soiling the Local Community

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18 SILVER THREAD AND

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES 25 Years of Natural Awakenings

20 ASHWAGANDHA:

The Holiday Health Makeover!

21 KICK-START ORGAN VITALITY

New Energy for the New Year

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24 MOVING

THROUGH LIFE

Daily Motion Adds Up to Fitness

26 SEEKING SANCTUARY How to Reduce Electromagnetic Radiation at Home

ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings, please contact us at 803-309-2101 or email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. Deadline for ads: the 12th of the month.

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

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Connect with us naturally!

28 BEFRIENDING FOOD Embrace the Psychology of Eating

30 DUSTIN SULAK

on Cannabis as a Healing Therapy

32 BLOOD CHEMISTRY A New Roadmap to Better Health

34 AUTISM’S GUT-BRAIN AXIS

A Promising Approach to Healing

DEPARTMENTS 8 community news 14 health briefs 16 global briefs 17 eco tip 24 fit body 26 green living 28 conscious

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eating

30 wise words 32 healing ways 34 healthy kids 38 calendar 39 classifieds 41 natural

directory 43 film brief

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.

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

COLUMBIA EDITION

letter from publisher

Led by Dreams, Inspired by Meaning …

H

PUBLISHER Annette Carter Briggs EDITOR Sara Gurgen DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kristina Parella

Billy Briggs ONTRIBUTING WRITERS Odell Williams C Kristi Antley SALES & MARKETING Annette Carter Briggs Angel Brown WEBSITE Kristina Parella Billy Briggs

CONTACT US PO Box # 2812 Columbia, SC 29202 Email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com Annette Briggs Ph: 803-309-2101 Angel Brown Ph: 919-436-9020 SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $24 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

NATIONAL TEAM CEO/FOUNDER SHARON BRUCKMAN NATIONAL EDITOR ALISON CHABONAIS MANAGING EDITOR LINDA SECHRIST NATIONAL ART DIRECTOR STEPHEN BLANCETT ART DIRECTOR JOSH POPE FINANCIAL MANAGER YOLANDA SHEBERT FRANCHISE DIRECTOR ANNA ROMANO FRANCHISE SUPPORT MGR. HEATHER GIBBS WEBSITE COORDINATOR RACHAEL OPPY NATIONAL ADVERTISING KARA SCOFIELD

appy New Year! And, with the incoming year, each one of us (and that means you too) should welcome its arrival with open arms—new expectations, renewed vigor, refocused vision and brand new possibilities!

Let’s face it, while some may circle and celebrate the passing year as one of the best ever with a resounding shout, “I hate to see it go!” others will certainly scream with great relief, “Hallelujah, I’m glad it’s over!”

It’s all about perspective, for sure. How do YOU, or better yet, how WILL you choose to see the new year, and just as important, how will you post-process the previous one with all of its twists, turns, tumbles and triumphs? American writer and retired pediatric surgeon Bernie Siegel once said: “Inspiration is the greatest gift because it opens your life to many new possibilities. Each day becomes more meaningful, and your life is enhanced when your actions are guided by what inspires you.” I like the way Siegel thinks. It’s true that our actions are guided by what inspires us, and life and living come alive with deep meaning, excitement and new possibilities when fueled by the engine of inspiration.

Does the new year inspire you with hope and the power of positive expectation? Or are fear and anxiety chasing away your optimism like a dog chases a cat? I hope not. If it is the case, then I challenge you to rise above the tide of doubt and break free (especially mentally) from any uninspiring and deflating memories (maybe even nightmares) that may have occurred in 2018. It’s time to refocus, reset and move on. You (we) can do this!

I think author and thought leader Roy T. Bennett said it best: “Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”

Looking up and forward,

Annette Briggs, Publisher

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation 4933 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 203 Naples, FL 34103 Ph: 239-434-9392 • Fax: 239-434-9513 NaturalAwakeningsMag.com © 2019 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

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

Check with a healthcare professional regarding the appropriate use of any treatment.

Natural Awakenings Magazine is ranked 5th Nationally in CISION’S® 2016 Top 10 Health & Fitness Magazines

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community news MLK Day of Service 2019

M

onday, January 21, is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Observed nationally each year the third Monday in January, people of all ages and backgrounds come together in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the “dream” he envisioned—an America represented by every race and gender working together in unity to improve lives, bridge social barriers and strengthen communities to bring the nation closer together. King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice. The federal holiday in his honor is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor King’s legacy through service. Individuals, companies and organizations alike are challenged to explore ways to participate. Find a way to get involved by finding partnership opportunities with local organizations and businesses around the Midlands that intend to participate.

For more information, visit eeInSC.org or NationalService.gov/mlkday.

RMHC of Columbia Hosts Its Red Shoe Run

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n Saturday, January 19, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia will host its 13th annual Red Shoe Run at Hand Middle School, 2600 Wheat Street, located in the beautiful Shandon neighborhood of Columbia. Onsite registration will start at 6:15 a.m., with the 10K starting at 7:45 a.m. and the 5K at 8 a.m. Both courses are USA Track & Field certified. Participants will receive a free T-shirt. In addition, an awards ceremony and after-party will follow. All proceeds raised will help support the work and mission of the Ronald McDonald House, which is to provide a comfortable “home away from home” where families of seriously ill or injured children can rest, enjoy home-cooked meals, access laundry and shower facilities, and, most importantly, receive network support from families dealing with similar circumstances. Those interested in participating can register at StrictlyRunning.com.

Cost: $15 advance registration, $25 day of event (5K); $25 advance registration, $35 day of event (10K). For more information, email Meghan@rmhcOfColumbia.org, or visit rmhcOfColumbia.org/redshoerun or Facebook/rmhccolumbiasc.

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KMB Hosts Adopt-AHighway Campaign

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n Saturday, February 9, Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB) is hosting an Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) campaign in the Midlands area. Individuals, organizations and businesses are encouraged to get involved by volunteering or by organizing an AAH campaign.

The AAH program is sponsored by the S.C. Department of Transportation and coordinated by KMB for roads in Richland and Lexington counties. KMB also coordinates the Adopt-A-Street program for the city of Columbia.

Through these important sustainable partnering programs, caring citizens can take part in preserving and maintaining streets throughout the Midlands, which cultivates great benefits, such as tourism advancement, scenic beautification, improved quality of life, and raised educational and environmental awareness.

For more information and details about this Adopt-A-Highway campaign, including the location, call 803-733-1139, email Info@KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org or visit KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org.

PalmettoPride Offers School Programs

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Expect Wellness Hosts New Year, New You Event

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n Tuesday, January 29, from 5 to 8 p.m., Expect Wellness, located at 130 Suber Road, Suite D, in Columbia, is hosting its New Year, New You Open House aesthetics special event. Event highlights include specially priced items and services (for the event only), free consults, door prizes, demonstrations and much more.

For more information, call 803-7961702 or email ExpectWellness@sc.rr. com. See ad, page 11.

almettoPride offers a number of educational programs to engage students in helping keep the Palmetto State clean and to teach them how they can play a role in environmental stewardship. Along with the Columbia Marionette Theatre, PalmettoPride presents Litter Trashes Everyone—a 20-minute educational performance featuring marionettes and hand puppets that conveys the message that every citizen has a responsibility to help keep South Carolina beautiful. The free puppet show is available to all elementary schools in South Carolina and targets children in kindergarten through the fifth grade. To book a show for a school, contact John Scollon at 803-252-7366 or PuppetGnomes@msn.com.

PalmettoPride also sponsors an art contest that provides students the opportunity to learn more about the environment while showcasing their respective artistic talents.

Participation levels may vary from school to school. Each participating school submits one entry to represent the school and the entries are divided into four regions: Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate. The top five finalists represent the four regional winners and the state winner.

In addition, the organization sponsors litter-free games as an opportunity for clubs and organizations at the high school level to make their athletic events litter-free while gaining a chance to earn money for their organization. Each participating high school will receive free banners to promote their school’s event, along with litter bags to hand out and trash bags to help with the cleanup. The goal of this program is to encourage fans to discard of their waste properly and provide leadership skills for the students organizing the event.

For more information, including a complete list of other sponsored activities, visit PalmettoPride.org/education/school-programs.

About Your Health Balance for Life

Goodbye Junk.

Hello Relief.

Services & Products to Help You Create a Health-Full Life

About Your Health is Celebrating 15 Years of Empowering, Educating and Encouraging Natural Health & Wellness in Columbia Join us as we celebrate throughout this year with giveaways, gatherings and more.

(Sign up for our e-newsletter on our website or find us on Facebook to stay up to date on this year’s celebrations.)

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About Your Health, Inc. 803-798-8687 aboutyourhealthsc.com January 2019

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community news Grinding of the Greens Tree DropOff and Mulch Giveaway

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et’s keep on grinding the greens! Keep the Midlands Beautiful kicked off its Grinding of the Greens Christmas tree drop-off campaign on Wednesday, December 26, at various process and mulch sites located across the Midlands. Running through Thursday, January 10, participants are asked to honor the following guidelines: Remove all lights, tinsel and ornaments from the tree; remove the tree from the stand; drop off trees only—no wreaths, garlands or other greenery; and remove any string, wire or ties on the tree.

Free mulch made from the recycled trees will be available to the public at two locations on Saturday, January 12, from 8:30 a.m. until the mulch runs out. The two locations are the South Carolina State Farmers Market, located at 3483 Charleston Highway, in West Columbia, and Seven Oaks Park, located at 200 Leisure Lane, in Columbia (near the intersection of St. Andrews and Piney Grove roads). The mulch produced will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

S.C. State Museum Hosts Family Astronomy Workshop

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SCDA Presents the S.C. AgriBiz and Farm Expo

ove looking at the stars? On Sunday, January 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., the S.C. State Museum is hosting its Family Astronomy Workshop at the State Museum Boeing Observatory.

Workshop participants will learn how to navigate the night sky and the basics of telescope observing.

In addition, attendees will assemble their very own star wheels and learn how to use them to find stars and constellations. Museum guests are also welcome to bring their personal telescopes for an opportunity to practice telescopic viewing with guidance from State Museum astronomy educators. In the event of inclement weather, activities will be moved indoors.

Location: Florence Civic Center, 3300 W. Radio Dr., Florence. For more information, including times, contact Miriam Pflug at 864-237-3648 or Miriam@SCAgriBizExpo.com, or visit SCAgriBizExpo.com.

Cost: Call or visit website for details.

Location: S.C. State Museum, 301 Gervais St., Columbia. For more information, call 803-898-4921 or visit SCMuseum.org.

For more information, including a complete list of drop-off site locations, call 803-733-1139 or visit KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org.

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he S.C. Department of Agriculture (SCDA) will host its S.C. AgriBiz and Farm Expo at the Florence Civic Center on Wednesday and Thursday, January 23 and 24.

The free expo serves as an umbrella event for all aspects of agriculture and agribusiness. Designed to incorporate the industry’s deep traditional roots along with today’s thriving innovations, the popular event streamlines the promotion and expansion of South Carolina agricultural business and beyond. Activities include guest speakers, a farm show with a wide variety of equipment, farm products, and educational components and resources and more.

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kudos Midlands Schools Awarded Project Grants

Chapin Intermediate School, Irmo Middle School and Koinonia of Columbia Inc. successfully submitted conservation education mini-grant proposals. The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District has provided grant funding of $500 and $1,000 for conservation projects at each school.

Kudos to Chapin Intermediate School, Irmo Middle School and Koinonia of Columbia Inc.!

Creative Connections Presents Recycled Gift

Every year, Creative Connections, the Ballentine community center art club, presents a recycled gift to the local community to help promote environmental education. Over the years, the club has created high-quality recycled frogs, sea turtles, spiders, pollinators, and even bats to correspond with the annual themes associated with the Midlands RETHINK student contest. This year, the club presented an “owl parliament” wall hanging made from fabric remnants passed down from local seamstress Stephanie Alexander. The wall hanging will be proudly displayed around town and numerous venues to remind everyone about the importance and power of sustainable living.

Kudos to Creative Connections!

EEASC Offers Online Listserv

The Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) is now offering an email Listserv for anyone interested in environmental education, workshops, job opportunities, new resources, programs and environmental conferences. For more information, visit eeasc. org/listserv-and-newsletters.

Make 2019 About You! BEAUTIFUL

BEAUTIFULLY

SKIN Simple

Join us for our Open House!

Tuesday, January 29th from 5:00 - 8:00 PM Live Demonstrations • Free Consultations Special Event Only Pricing • Door Prizes & More!

RSVP: 803-291-2875 reception@rachelhall.com

BEFORE

AFTER 2 TREATMENTS Courtesy of S. Doherty, MD

Expect Wellness 130 Suber Road, Suite D, Columbia, SC 29210 803-291-2875 www.drrachelhall.com *Through soft tissue coagulation. ©2018 Hologic, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cynosure is a registered trademark of CynoSure, Inc. TempSure is a trademark of Cynosure, Inc. Hologic owns exclusive rights to photography.

Use of photography without written permission of Hologic is prohibited. Model for illustrative purposes only. AMP_1183 9/18

Kudos to EEASC!

January 2019

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ASIAN TAO ASIAN FUSION CUISINE 285 Columbiana Dr. Columbia 803-749-9809 TaoAsianBar.com

PEACE OF SOUL

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environmental spotlight

Gardener’s Outpost: Re-Soiling the Local Community

by Kristi Antley

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mericans do not consciously plan to waste resources, yet nearly onethird of food is thrown away each year. A banana is not purchased with the intent of tossing it when it becomes too ripe to eat, spinach when it becomes wilted and slimy, or dairy products beyond the expiration date. Choice items are selected and placed in the cart, purchased and bagged with the intention of enjoying them within a few days or weeks. So why is so much food being carelessly discarded, why is that a problem, and how can it be solved here at the local level? Gardener’s Outpost, located at 709 Woodrow Street, in Columbia, has an answer!

First is a lack of awareness. Going to the grocery store or market without first taking inventory of the pantry, cabinets and refrigerator immediately results in buying too much food. There is also the issue of extra food or leftovers not properly packaged to preserve freshness. These items are accidently pushed to the back of shelves and constantly overlooked, leading to stale or expired items that are eventually discarded.

Second is a lack of education. This

deficit in knowledge affects the population on several different levels and has no economic, racial or social boundaries. Our current processed, commercially prepared, convenient, microwave culture has led to confusion regarding how real food is produced and the cost from farm to table to landfill.

School children are challenged when asked to identify fruits and vegetables and often think produce comes from a “store,” “drive through window” or “out of a box or bag,” not from a plant on a farm. There is a long trail of land, labor, energy, water, fertilizer, machinery and other resources used to package, prepare and transport food to be considered. Armed with nutrition education, consumers can wisely choose nutrient-dense foods with sustainable packaging to be prepared at home, protecting their health, the environment and the atmosphere.

Third is a lack of consideration for life.

Throwing away food not only wastes hardearned money, it destroys valuable resources that cannot be replaced. Foods within landfills release methane as they decompose because there is not enough oxygen for the food to decompose normally, as it

would in a garden compost. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is more than 25 times stronger than CO2, not to mention the damage that plastic packaging can do.

Water consumption is also crucial. A large part of our food is produced in countries where water is scarce, and many people do not have access to clean water. Globally, the amount of food wasted could feed nearly four times the number of people that are hungry in the world each year.

Gardener’s Outpost has found a viable answer to this enormous problem: Re-Soil, Columbia’s first licensed, commercial class three composter. Re-Soil collects food waste from large producers, such as supermarkets, schools and production facilities, to create an organic compost and soil mix that is safe for the environment, pure and rich. This compost offers more nutrients, greater porosity and beneficial organisms without the soluble salts often found in mushroom compost and without the herbicides found in manure composts.

Midlands area residents are in luck because Re-Soil is easily accessible! Gardener’s Outpost is proud to be the exclusive downtown retailer carrying Re-Soil. Just one of their many services, the family-owned shop can take care of all of your needs in one stop—from seasonal advice for planting and preparing your garden, to landscaping design and installation, to safe pest control and specialized tools, all the way to harvesting and cooking your bounty! Their mission is based on the value of tithing the earth through planting, using natural and organic techniques that create beauty through the symbiotic relationship of nature. Bless the Earth and nourish your body at the same time!

For more information, call 803-252-0041 or visit GardenersOutpost.com. See ad, page 8.

Note: Along with being an editorial contributor, Kristi Antley is also a health coach and weight-loss program coordinator.

January 2019

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Beet Juice Boosts Stamina Beetroot juice supplements increase exercise duration and intensity for heart failure patients with a condition called reduced ejection fraction, which affects about half of such patients.

In previous studies, beets have been shown to increase exercise capacity for healthy people because they increase nitric oxide levels in the blood.

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Maxal Tamor/Shutterstock.com

Women that feel highly stressed on a daily basis have a lower ability to conceive, report Boston University School of Medicine researchers. In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, 4,769 couples that were trying to conceive were followed for a year. Those women with the highest self-reported stress were 13 percent less likely to conceive than women that reported little stress.

Men being under high stress had no effect on conception, but couples were a quarter less likely to conceive if the man’s stress score was low and the woman’s was high, which the researchers termed “partner stress discordance.” In North America, about one out of four women and one out of five men of reproductive age report daily psychological stress.

Nettle, a common roadside weed, may offer hope for sufferers of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Research from Iran’s University of Medical Sciences tested 59 patients with inflammatory bowel disease in a 12-week, double-blind clinical trial with an extract of nettle leaf (Urtica dioica). Those receiving the nettle leaf extract had lower blood levels of the C-reactive protein inflammatory marker along with a significant improvement in their inflammatory bowel disease quality-of-life scores.

Daily Walks Make Kids Healthier Thanks to a program called The Daily Mile, Scottish schoolchildren have shown improvements in their fitness and body composition, researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Sterling report. Started by a teacher in 2012, the initiative encourages children to run, jog or walk around their school grounds during a 15-minute recess from classes in addition to normal activity and physical education lessons.

For the study, 391 pupils between 4 and 12 years old wore accelerometers to record their activity and were checked for body fat and overall fitness. Compared to a control group, they increased their physical activity by 9.1 minutes a day, lowered sedentary time by 18.2 minutes, ran 42 yards farther and significantly lowered their body fat. “[The study] suggests that The Daily Mile is a worthwhile intervention to introduce in schools, and that it should be considered for inclusion in government policy, both at home and abroad,” says study author Colin Moran, Ph.D. To date, the Scottish Government has extended it to half of the country’s primary schools, plus nurseries, colleges, universities and businesses. The Daily Mile Foundation reports that 3,600 schools in 35 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, the Netherlands and the U.S., have embraced the program.

LeManna/Shutterstock.com

Alliance/Shutterstock.com

Stress Lowers Women’s Fertility

Nettle Leaf Helps Inflammatory Bowel Patients

verca/Shutterstock.com

health briefs

Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com grebeshkovmaxim/Shutterstock.com Billion Photos/Shutterstock.com AlenKadr/Shutterstock.com

Eating Mediterranean Diet Helps Save Eyesight

Low-Nutrition Foods Linked to Cancers

The risk of late-stage, age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, can be lowered by 41 percent by eating a Mediterranean diet, according to a new study presented by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The research, which followed nearly 4,500 French and Dutch adults aged 55 and older for 21 years, found that no single food component lowered the risk; rather, it was the nutrient-rich diet itself.

The findings correlate with previous research that links the Mediterranean diet, typically rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, fish and olive oil, to a longer lifespan and a lower risk of heart disease and cognitive decline. “You are what you eat,” says AAO spokesperson Emily Chew, M.D. “It’s time to take quitting a poor diet as seriously as quitting smoking.”

In a 10-nation study involving nearly half a million Europeans, researchers found that those eating foods with lower nutritional quality had a significantly greater incidence of cancer, especially colorectal, upper digestive tract, stomach and lung cancers for men, and liver and postmenopausal breast cancers for women. The study supports wider adoption of a British front-of-package food nutritional content labeling system.

Artificial Sweeteners Harm Gut Microbes Six popular artificial sweeteners approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—aspartame, sucralose, neotame, saccharine, advantame and acesulfame potassium-k—were found to be toxic to digestive gut microbes in a new paper published in Molecules. Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University tested each sweetener along with 10 sports drinks that contained them.

They discovered that otherwise healthy bacteria found in the digestive system became toxic when they came into contact with even one mg/ml (less than one-hundredth of a teaspoon) of the artificial sweeteners.

Optimism Linked to Better Heart Health Being upbeat helps heart health, reports a new review of research from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Analyzing dozens of studies on psychological well-being involving hundreds of thousands of people, the researchers found that the most optimistic people are more likely to kick a smoking habit, exercise regularly and favor fruits and vegetables over processed meat and sugary foods.

Mindfulness programs such as meditation, yoga or tai chi can help enhance optimism by reducing anxiety and stress while boosting quality of life, say the study authors. The researchers also highlighted a 2017 study that found that women in the top quarter of optimism were 40 percent less likely to die from heart disease.

January 2019

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Great Pacific Garbage Patch Out of Control

In the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California, the 80,000-ton Great Pacific Garbage Patch is growing. Encompassing 600,000 square miles, the world’s largest such dump is twice the size of Texas, according to a three-year mapping effort by eight organizations. “To solve a problem, we need to understand it first,” says Boyan Slat, CEO of Dutch-based nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup.

“The bad part is that there is more [there] than what we thought. The good part is that most of the plastic is still large objects. Just 8 percent of the plastic is micro plastic. It’s not too late to do something about it.” Fishing gear comprises an estimated half of the debris. The Ocean Cleanup intends to capture, concentrate and ship the materials from the patch back to land.

Happy Hoppers Nature Finds a Way

Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love. ~Billy Graham

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Cork is both recyclable and renewable because it regenerates its bark after harvesting, which causes no harm to trees. Durable cork can be found in the flooring of the Library of Congress and as an insulator for space shuttles. It’s also a waterproof, abrasion-resistant fire retardant and acoustic insulator with odor and humidity-controlling and acoustic sound-dampening applications. In Portugal, the world’s largest producer, the outer skin regrows in time for the next harvest. The stripped trees absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and release more oxygen, so Portugal’s cork forests, or montados, are often referred to as the “lungs” of the environment.

Poor Packaging

The Problem With Bottled Water Is the Bottle

One million plastic bottles are sold around the world each minute. Most are used for bottled water, and most end up in the trash. As demand grows, especially in China, so does the bottle problem. According to environmental watchdog Euromonitor, if the present rate of consumption is not reduced, humans will use an estimated half a trillion plastic bottles a year by 2021. The French mineral water brand Evian is part of the problem, but is working on a plan to address it through a new approach. The company plans to use 100 percent recycled plastic by 2025 and to partner with a nonprofit focused on collecting ocean plastic.

Gilmanshin/Shutterstock.com

Frogs and toads are returning in parts of Panama after a deadly fungal disease devastated amphibians in Central America from 2004 to 2007.

New research shows that evolution may have saved the day. In El Cope, at least four species disappeared, including the redstriped Rio San Juan robber frog. Four other species lost at least 88 percent of their populations. They are still infected with the fungus, but are alive and increasing in numbers, according to a new study in the journal Science.

Studies have shown that as bad as disease outbreaks get, they play a tiny role in species extinction, notes Andrew Blaustein, at Oregon State University, who wasn’t part of the current study. Evolution allows species to resist completely succumbing to the nastiest diseases, “So, yes, there is hope.”

The Self-Regenerating Building Material

andersphoto/Shutterstock.com

Cork Rocks

Monstrous Morass

OKAWA PHOTO/Shutterstock.com

Shane Gross/Shutterstock.com

global briefs

Breathe Easy

Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality

3-D Domiciles

High-Tech Instant Homes on Horizon

Eric Isselee/Shutterstock.com

A 3-D printed home can be built in less than 24 hours at a cost of $10,000. Developers hope to cut it to $4,000 to help families living in poverty or other unsafe conditions.

New Story, a housing charity organization, and ICON, a construction tech company, have partnered to try ending global homelessness. Being able to lock the door and have a safe shelter can be elusive. An entire community of printed homes is planned for construction in El Salvador.

The 650-square-foot, proof-of-concept prototype— containing a living room, small office, one bedroom and one bathroom—was built in Austin, Texas. Human workers installed the windows, doors, plumbing and electrical systems. ICON staff will use the home as an office to test its durability.

Fire Hounds

Dogs Help Restore Burnt Forests in Chile

Forest fires in Chile ravaged vast swathes of land in 2017, burning sturdy older trees in the El Maule region. Since then, three border collies belonging to Francisca Torres, a member of the environmental nonprofit Pewos, have been wandering through the charred remains with special satchels that spray seeds as they run to sow seedlings, grass and flowers.

A major goal is for animals that fled the fires to return. “The main thing is for the fauna to be able to live,” says Torres.

She says the dogs, bred to herd sheep, are smart and fast, covering a much larger area than a human could on foot.

For much of the country, winter means spending more time indoors—and exposed to potential toxins. Indoor air quality is critically important to children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems that may be especially sensitive to pollutants, according to WebMD.com. Recognizing and avoiding some of the most common sources of toxins in the home can safeguard everyone’s health year-round and notably now, at the height of the season when humans tend to hibernate in their warm abodes. n The Environmental Working Group warns about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be found in many household products from new carpets and furniture to paints and air fresheners. These airborne toxins can irritate eyes and respiratory systems, and increase the risk of cancer and liver, kidney and central nervous system damage. Look for low- and zero-VOC products; buy solid wood, hardwood or exterior-grade plywood and antique furniture. Open the windows once in a while as a natural, refreshing way to ventilate. n How, when and how often we vacuum is also important.

The Indoor Air Quality Association (iaqa.org) recommends a slow and steady motion “to keep dust from flying up into the air.” They also suggest pet owners should vacuum every two days. When choosing a vacuum cleaner, go with a model that includes a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to pick up microscopic particles a regular vacuum cannot remove. n The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends using and properly maintaining home ventilation systems, including exhaust fans, air conditioning and heating units; preventing mold by controlling moisture and humidity, including checking pipes and window sills for condensation; and keeping the home smoke-free, because burning cigarettes release at least 69 chemicals that can cause cancer. n Place a large floor mat just inside each outside door, suggests WebMD.com, as people track in many chemicals—especially from pesticides and other pollutants— via the dirt on their shoes, which also can be removed before entering.

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eco tip

25 Years of Natural Awakenings

by Jan Hollingsworth

T

Sharon Bruckman—a he year was 1994.

The real “natural America Online awakening” is about dreamer and entrepreneur in her own right— opened the first each of us waking up was quietly laying the gateway to the World to who we truly are and foundation for what Wide Web; Jeff Bezos founded the fledgling the kind of world we would become the largbehemoth Amazon; and can create together. est franchise publishing network in the natural Deepak Chopra installed ~Sharon Bruckman health industry: Natural the first bricks on his Awakenings magazine. path to enlightenment

“America’s natural wellness and suswith the publication of his book The Seven tainability movements were in their infancy Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide when we started,” says Bruckman. “Now to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams.

Perhaps not coincidentally, genetically the seeds that were planted in fertile soil are benefiting people nationwide, as well as engineered tomatoes entered the U.S. food throughout our precious planet.” supply that year, spawning a GMO food Woven from the threads of grit, revolution that transcended the age-old inspiration and perhaps serendipity, debate between pesticides and organics. the magazine was a tapestry of health, Frankenfoods, as they are called, were the healing and mindfulness. Its successful leading edge of a cultural awakening.

Naples debut was quickly followed by a

Meanwhile, in the sleepy, sunsecond edition in Sarasota. drenched beach town of Naples, Florida, 18

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EE FR

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

SIMPLE SHEET PAN SUPPERS ing

Family-Pleas Holiday Meals

BEST HYBRID & ELECTRIC CARS FOR 2019

A Global Wake-Up Call

Collective Consciousness Nears Spiritual Tipping Point

| NaturalAwakeningsMag.com December 2018 | Location-Edition

photo by Josh Pope

Silver Thread and Golden Opportunities

By 1999, it was clear that Americans had a voracious appetite for well-researched, practical information about the latest natural approaches to nutrition, fitness, personal growth and sustainable living.

The Natural Awakenings franchise was born that year, conceived as a local magazine in many different communities—now 74 markets in the U.S.—anchored by a national editorial team that explores and anticipates the latest trends in mind, body and spirit. Readership of the print magazines is 2.8-million strong, plus a broad online and digital reach.

Bruckman’s holistic-minded passion for health, wellness and integrative therapies has awakened in like-minded entrepreneurs a desire to embrace her mission.

As Paul Chen, publisher of the Atlanta franchise puts it: “Awakenings of the heart speak to our desire for deeper and stronger personal relationships. Awakenings of the mind speak to our desire to learn more, faster, and optimize our mental capacities.

Awakenings of the soul speak to our desire to develop greater love and compassion for all living beings equally and an increasing understanding of and connection with whatever it is we believe lies beyond our small, individual human selves.”

The magazine, in turn, has awakened its readers to new ways of connecting both with their communities and each other.

Natural Awakenings has become a go-to guide for local community events, products and practitioners in all of its markets.

“We love to spread light,” says Bruckman. “Natural Awakenings has played a significant role in fueling the wellness revolution I saw emerging all those years ago, propelled by the kindred spirits who read, advertise and contribute

Natural Awakenings Mission Statement To empower individuals to live a healthier lifestyle on a healthier planet.

To educate communities on the latest in natural health and sustainability.

Gulf Coast, AL/MS

To connect readers with local wellness resources and events, inspiring them to lead more balanced lives. to our magazines. Our publishers are torchbearers aligned with the vision of a healthier world and the mission to facilitate that transformation.”

During a lifetime of holistic-minded entrepreneurship, Bruckman, a constant gardener, continues to personally tend each new crop of ideas that germinate on the pages of her magazines which bear the imprint, “Healthy Living, Healthy Planet.”

By identifying and responding to a simple need in one community, she has tapped into a universal spirit that exceeded her wildest expectations. “If you have the heart, vision and enthusiasm to help make the world a better place, a greater force just might step in to enable success beyond anything you imagined. The real ‘natural awakening’ is about each of us waking up to who we truly are and the kind of world we can create together.”

We can’t always be shaded by the trees that we grow, yet after 25 years, the seeds Bruckman planted have branched across a nation and borne fruit that will make a difference in countless lives for many years to come.

It is my honor to join her on this journey as Natural Awakenings celebrates its silver anniversary.

Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

New Haven/ Washington, D.C. Daytona/Volusia/ Middlesex, CT Flagler, FL

North Central FL

Boise, ID

Orlando, FL

Chicago, IL

Wayne County, MI

Western MI

North NJ

South NJ

Oklahoma City, OK

Charleston, SC

Portland, OR

Columbia, SC

Denver/ Boulder, CO

San Diego, CA

Ft. Lauderdale,FL Jacksonville, FL

Miami & the Florida Keys

Naples/ Ft. Myers, FL

Palm Beach, FL • Sarasota, FL Space & Tampa/ • Peace River, FL Treasure Coast FL St. Petersburg,FL

Atlanta, GA

Hawaiian Islands

Indianapolis, IN

Twin Cities, MN

Northern & Central NM

Chester/Delaware Counties, PA

Greenville, SC

Seattle, WA

Northwest FL

• Housatonic Valley/ Fairfield, CT • Hartford, CT

Acadiana, LA

New Orleans, LA

Charlotte, NC

Triangle, NC

Las Vegas, NV

Albany, NY

Lancaster/ Berks, PA

Austin, TX

Southeast NC

Hudson Valley West, NY

Lehigh Valley PA

Dallas, TX

Spokane, WA and the INW

Boston, MA

Madison, WI

• Central NJ Hudson • North Central NJ County, NJ • Bucks/ Montgomery, PA

Long Island, NY

Northeast PA

Houston, TX

Milwaukee, WI

Ann Arbor, MI

Manhattan, NY

East MI

Monmouth/Ocean Counties, NJ

Westchester/ Putnam, NY

Philadelphia, PA South Central PA Providence, RI

San Antonio, TX South Houston/ Galveston,TX

Richmond, VA

Puerto Rico

Anna Romano Franchise Director

Sharon Bruckman Founder, CEO

NaturalAwakenings.com

Jan Hollingsworth is the national editor of Natural Awakenings magazine.

January 2019

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health spotlight

ASHWAGANDHA:

The Holiday Health Makeover!

by Emily Crawford, CNHP, RN

W

ho doesn't love the holidays? Most do for many reasons; however, they can be very stressful. Between traffic, traveling, shopping, increased spending, and probably the biggest culprit of all, bad eating habits, one’s body, mind and spirit are collectively crying out for a break and some relief as the new year arrives. Countless individuals want to get back in the gym and lose some weight, or go on a detox cleanse or fast to purge. Trying to get back into health can be overwhelming and many times can put more stress on the body.

What if there were products available that could help manage stress and also assist with weight loss? Well, there are! There is a whole category of herbs called adaptogens that do this very thing. These herbs help to balance the levels of cortisol (the hormone responsible for stress) in the body.

When one is under stress, sadly, cortisol levels can become high and unbalanced, often peaking at night rather than in the morning. This causes sleepless nights and diminished energy levels during the day—resulting in fatigue. Cortisol also plays a significant role in weight loss due to its correlation with insulin, blood sugar levels and hormones.

Balancing cortisol levels is so very important in the fight against stress and weight gain.

A favorite herb to many is ashwagandha. It is an adaptogen herb with many health benefits. It not only helps to balance cortisol levels but also aids in balancing blood sugar levels and reversing insulin resistance. According to research studies, ashwagandha can decrease cortisol levels by as much as 28 percent.

Low-functioning thyroid conditions may cause many individuals to struggle to lose 20

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weight. Ashwagandha can be of benefit in many of these cases, as it has the ability to stimulate the thyroid, which activates thyroid hormones. By doing this, stress levels are often greatly reduced and weightloss efforts are much more successful and effective.

The new year is here. And for many, it brings with it a renewed sense of hope, determination and expectancy. It’s time to get back on track and on the road to better health and wellness … naturally!

For more information, call Garner’s Natural Life at 803-454-7700 or visit GarnersNaturalLife.com. See ad, page 3 and back page.

Note: Alternative adaptogen herbs recommended to balance cortisol levels and help with stress are Rhodiola and holy basil. In addition, Stress Decompress is a natural product with a wonderful blend of adaptogenic herbs and medicinal mushrooms to help decrease stress levels.

and avocados, along with oily fish, reports WebMD. Also, a five-year study of 950 seniors at Chicago’s Rush University found that eating leafy greens once or twice a day slowed mental deterioration.

Drink this: Green tea is proven to

Supplement with this: Ruhoy rec-

KICK-START ORGAN VITALITY New Energy for the New Year

by Ronica A. O’Hara

W

ith the merry-making furor of the holidays behind us, it’s that time of year when our bodies are crying out for some detox and rejuvenation. Aside from getting back to the basics—a healthy diet and daily exercise—we can take a page from traditional Chinese and Indian medical practices and holistic approaches and use natural, organ-by-organ procedures to renew our bodies and restore inherent vitality.

“Strengthening our organs is critical because the organs create the vital essences of life, and our emotional and mental health depends to a great extent on how healthy our organs are,” notes T. Caylor Wadlington, a doctor of Oriental medicine and acupuncture teacher in Denver.

“In working to revitalize and re-energize the organs, we renew not just our physical body, but also our sense of well-being.”

Here’s a guide to a gentle fix-up campaign for the five organs considered vital for life in both Western and Eastern medicine:

Boost the Brain

“Stress can lead to imbalance of the brain’s neurotransmitters, making it more difficult to focus, concentrate, relax and sleep—but it’s reversible, and the brain can absolutely heal from these effects under the right circumstances,” says integrative neurologist Ilene S. Ruhoy, M.D., Ph.D., of the Center for Healing Neurology, in Seattle.

Assess it: If you find it hard concentrat-

ing, sleeping, getting things done, remembering where things are and not being grouchy, the brain could be on stress-related overload. See a doctor if teeth grinding, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, fainting or dizziness develop.

Eat this: The top brain boosters are easy

to swallow—dark chocolate, berries, nuts

ommends boswellia, long used in Asian and African medicine. It targets cerebral inflammation, stimulates the growth of neurons, enhances cognition, lowers depression and alleviates learning and memory problems.

Try this movement: Shake it. Alter-

nating slow movements, or even rest with one-to-two-minute bursts of intense, all-out, heart-pounding moves like Zumba dancing, jogging or lunges increases important proteins called the neurotrophic factor that help brain cells grow, work and live longer, reports a new study from Canada’s McMaster University.

Rejuvenate the Heart

Stress also increases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which drive up blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation, says holistic cardiologist Joel Kahn, M.D., of Detroit, author of The Whole Heart Solution: Halt Heart Disease Now with the Best Alternative and Traditional Medicine.

Assess it: Shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, anxiety, panic and swollen feet or ankles are signs the heart may be overloaded. Get medical help immediately if there is unusual deep exhaustion, unexplained weakness, nausea, dizziness, chest pain or pain that spreads to the arms.

Eat this: “The best foods for a stressed January 2019

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reduce anxiety and depression, protect against mental decline and even correct stroke damage. In a Swiss study using MRI, people drinking green tea immediately had heightened activity in the working-memory part of their brain.

heart are those rich in magnesium. I like a giant green, leafy salad, often organic arugula, with blueberries, pumpkin seeds and walnuts,” says Kahn.

Drink this: Hot, golden turmeric milk,

made with organic soy or nut milks, a heaping tablespoon of turmeric (a potent anti-inflammatory also shown to reverse Alzheimer’s “brain tangles”), a pinch of black pepper and maybe an organic pumpkin spice mix.

Supplement with this: Hawthorn strengthens and tones heart muscles, suppresses deadly blood-clotting signals, fights inflammation and lowers heart attack risk, studies show. European doctors routinely prescribe it for managing mild heart failure, either alone or with drugs.

Try this movement:

Hop on a bike: Cycling 20 miles a week slashes heart disease risk by half, reports the British Medical Journal. Also, do slow stretches every day: A Japanese study found a correlation between flexibility of the body and of the arteries.

Cleanse the Lungs

Family holidays may not always be uncon-

risk of respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a review of clinical studies in Advances in Nutrition.

Try this movement:

of breath and a cough that won’t go away are signs of stressed-out lungs. If there’s coughing up of blood or mucus, or discomfort or pain when breathing, see a doctor.

To loosen the airways when tense, the American Lung Association recommends slowly breathing in through the nose for two counts with the mouth closed. Purse the lips as if to whistle, and then breathe out slowly and gently through the lips to a count of four.

Eat this: A 10-year study of 650 Euro-

Detox the Kidneys

Assess it: Trouble breathing, shortness

pean adults found that eating apples and tomatoes two or three times a day, along with other fruit, speeds the healing of smoke-damaged lungs and seems to slow down the lungs’ natural aging process.

Drink this: A juice combining cilantro,

carrot, celery and ginger. According to the Lung Institute, cilantro helps remove heavy metals, carrots provide vitamin A to repair lung tissue, celery helps flush out carbon dioxide and ginger removes irritants from the lungs.

Supplement with this: Vitamin D. Low levels seem to be linked to a higher

The kidneys are hard-working, fist-sized organs just below the back rib cage that filter waste and toxins out of 200 quarts of blood a day.

Assess it: Fatigue, feeling cold, shortness of breath, itchiness, swollen hands or feet, a puffy face, metallic-tasting food and ammonia-smelling breath are signs of growing kidney stress. See a doctor if experiencing kidney pain, weakness, lightheadedness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, extreme thirst or decreased urination.

Eat this: Bone broth, wheat, millet,

An Ounce of Prevention

B

y taking a few forward-thinking steps, we can protect ourselves proactively from dangers to our vital organs:

Brain

Just say Om! Meditation enlarges parts of the brain concerned with memory, body awareness and emotional control, concluded a review of 21 neuroimaging studies from 300 meditators. InsightTimer. com, a meditation app, makes it easy to meditate for even five minutes a day.

Heart

Every night, write down two or three things to be grateful for. Heart patients at the Uni22

ditionally loving, which can induce stress, anger and sadness—emotions linked in laboratory studies to decreases in lung function. “You can actually give yourself a stress asthma attack,” says Maui naturopath Carolyn Dean, M.D., ND, author of The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women’s Health.

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versity of California, San Diego, that did this for two months had reduced heart inflammation and improved cardiac biomarkers.

“Appreciating even the littlest things builds a heart-protective habit of gratitude,” says study author Paul J. Mills, Ph.D., a professor of family medicine and public health.

Lungs

Many popular cleaning products contain dangerous chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOC) that several studies link to breathing problems, asthma and allergies. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s toxicity information on 2,500 products at ewg.org/guides/cleaners.

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Kidneys

To energize sluggish kidneys, try a quarter teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in water. In a British study of 134 people with advanced chronic kidney disease, this easy strategy reduced the rate of kidney decline to normal levels. Check with a doctor if under nephrology care.

Liver

Examine the ingredients in prescriptions and over-the-counter meds to make sure daily intake of acetaminophen doesn’t exceed 3,000 milligrams; accidental overuse is the biggest cause of liver failure in the U.S.

or lime. “The citrate makes water, as metabolized, more alkaline, which helps to remove acid from the blood, bring pH into balance and prevents bone, heart and further kidney damage,” says Phoenix nephrologist Mandip S. Kang, M.D., author of The Doctor’s Kidney Diet: A Nutritional Guide to Managing and Slowing the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Supplement with this: Dandelion tea

helps to cleanse and strengthen the kidneys and a new study in Renal Failure reports that it also protects the kidneys from damage by certain toxins.

Try this qigong movement: Rub the palms together to warm them, and then place them on the kidney areas. Slowly massage in circular motions 12 times, and then reverse direction.

Shore up the Liver

“The liver is critical for detoxifying the body, but higher sugar and alcohol consumption over the holidays, as well as more stress, can increase toxin buildup that can damage the liver, which is why it’s important to

Assess it: Itchy skin, easy bruising, musky-smelling breath, itchy red palms and mental sluggishness are early problem signs. Advanced symptoms that require medical care are yellowish skin, abdominal pain, swollen legs and ankles, ongoing fatigue, dark urine and pale stool.

Eat these: A Chinese study linked liver disease with low potassium levels, so consume sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, beet greens, beans, blackstrap molasses and bananas.

Drink this: Sip probiotic drinks like kombucha, kefir and yogurt-based smoothies. The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus significantly lowered liver damage linked to excess acetaminophen in a recent Emory University laboratory study.

Supplement with this: Milk thistle

Full-Body Boosters

A

few daily to-dos that benefit the whole body:

Walking. A mere 20

minutes a day extends sleep up to an hour and lowers early mortality risk by 20 percent.

Vecton/Shutterstock.com

Drink this: Water with squirts of lemon

take steps to help it recover,” says functional chiropractor Jennifer R. Welch, DC, of Iowa Functional Health, in Clive, Iowa.

Adaptogens.

Taking super-herbs such as astralagus, ashwagandha and rhodiola in tinctures, capsules or tea helps us adapt to stress.

Turmeric. An antioxidant and

anti-inflammatory powerhouse proven to ward off cancer, heart disease and dementia.

has been shown in Italian animal studies to decrease and even reverse damage to the liver caused by medications, alcohol, antibiotics, pollution and heavy metals.

Nature. A dose of greenery a day keeps the blues away—and also guards against heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and early mortality from all causes, a review of 140 studies shows.

Try this yoga movement: With feet shoulder-width apart, make circles with the hips, pushing the torso farther and farther outward with each circle.

Reverse direction.

Sources: Harvard University School of Medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil (DrWeil. com), American Journal of Preventive Medicine, ScienceDaily.com.

Maria Averburg/Shutterstock.com

black sesame seeds, chestnuts, mulberries, raspberries, strawberries and walnuts are recommended by herbalist and acupuncturist Irina Logman of the Advanced Holistic Center, in New York City, to restore the kidneys.

Ronica A. O’Hara is a Denver-based freelance health writer. Connect at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

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fit body

MOVING THROUGH LIFE Daily Motion Adds Up to Fitness

E

by Marlaina Donato

xercise is often Stringing together lots glass of water or shoveling associated with snow from the driveway. of small decisions the gym or yoga According to a study in throughout your day studio, but structured the Archives of Internal and week can add workouts aren’t the only Medicine, everyday activway to keep physically up to significant gains ity outside of traditional and mentally fit. Whethexercise might be even in your strength and er regulating blood presmore beneficial than an cardiovascular system … hour at the gym. sure, avoiding obesity or promoting brain “Staying active ~Jeremy Hyatt, health, regular movement throughout the day personal trainer throughout the day helps regulate hormones yields promising benlike insulin, which help efits. Research shows that small changes metabolize carbohydrates to be used for in routine tasks—from house cleaning to fuel, and enzymes like lipoprotein lipase grocery shopping—can make quick and (LPL), which help release free fatty acids lasting improvements in overall health. for muscle activity. Remaining sedentary for extended periods can actually lowBurn Calories Without er LPL,” notes McCall, an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer the Workout and host of the podcast All About Fitness.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

Jeremy Hyatt, who owns Hyatt Train(NEAT) burns calories by keeping us moving, a Portland, Oregon, gym, agrees that ing throughout the day. “In essence, NEAT is how we use our bodies when we’re not doing exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous or a specific exercise or sitting still,” says San Di- structured to make an impact. “Stringing together lots of small decisions throughout ego’s Pete McCall, author of Smarter Workyour day and week can add up to significant outs: The Science of Exercise Made Simple. gains in your strength and cardiovascular

Over time, doing simple things can system, and in the process, reduce risks add up, like getting off the couch to refill a

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“We’re never too old, too young, too inflexible, too busy, too anything to dance. The hardest part is just walking into the studio,” says Kat Wildish, a renowned former ballerina and master teacher in Tinyurl.com/McCallFitnessPodcast New York City.

For those older than 50, dance offers many advantages. “Dance Tinyurl.com/CompendiumOfPhysicalActivities gives us positive stimulus in both physical movement and the mental Tinyurl.com/EightWaysToAddMoreMovement connection in a non-competitive environment. It has an immediate inTinyurl.com/SmarterSimplerWorkouts verse effect to cortisol and raises serotonin,” says Wildish. “With proper alignment and joint care in mind, dance helps to combat the physical for some of our main causes of disease and disability due to meta- effects of aging such as arthritis, osteoporosis ...” bolic conditions.”

Researchers at the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller

Hyatt suggests staying active by walking the dog after dinner, School of Medicine found that all types of exercise have been shown taking the stairs instead of an elevator and carrying two bags of to improve thinking processes in older adults. Results of their study, groceries home from the store or to a distant parking spot. Adding published in Neurology: Clinical Practice, suggest that yoga, aerobic simple body weight movements to everyday chores and tasks can exercise and strength training yield the most significant results over also have a positive effect.

A research study in The Journal of Neuroscience links exercise an extended period.

Yet, moving the body regularly and consistently in everyday and neurotransmitter production, offering new hope for depresendeavors is an excellent starting point that can be richly rewarding. sive disorders in which levels of the brain regulators glutamate “Individuals can start to make quick and lasting changes to their and gamma-eminobutyric acid (GAMA) are out of balance. overall health. Start by picking small changes,” says Hyatt.

Wildish agrees that making the decision to begin and keeping it Bring on the Joy fun is paramount. “Do what you can and stick with it when you find Opting for activities that are fun and interesting is a surefire way something that brings you joy, even when it’s challenging.” to create a healthier lifestyle. Dancing, for instance, can offer a wide range of benefits, especially for older individuals. That’s why dance is now a significant component in many programs designed Marlaina Donato is the author of several books, including Multidimensional Aromatherapy. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com. to treat depression, addiction and eating disorders.

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Did you know that breastfeeding SHOULD NOT hurt?

Seeking Sanctuary How to Reduce Electromagnetic Radiation at Home

A

Give us a call, our team would love to give you the informed care you deserve!

(803) 782-0528 26

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by Emily Courtney

mericans are atBe Your Alarm Clock and There are lots tached to their gad1,268 Ways to Outsmart the of solutions for gets, and the tech Hazards of Electronic Polluindustry is all too happy to tion. reducing your deliver the latest innova EMFs have cumulative exposure without and sometimes imperceptions to consumers that ditching every clamor for convenience, tible biological effects, Gitconnection and unlimited electronic [device] tleman notes—especially on mobility. Meanwhile, telethe brain, heart, skin, lungs in your house. com companies are busy and central nervous system. installing fifth-generation The World Health ~Risa Suzuki, (5G) infrastructure deOrganization has classified EMF expert signed to take the nation’s radiofrequency radiation communications revolution (RF), a high-frequency EMF to a new level. associated with many types of wireless

We love our smartphones and smart technologies, as a Group 2B carcinogen. homes, and especially the relatively newRadio, television, GPS and cell towers all found freedom from wires and plugs that emit RF, which has become the eye of a once tethered us to our electronics. But gathering storm regarding 5G as compaconcerns about the price to be paid in innies prepare to install millions of transmitcreased health risks from electromagnetic ters on lampposts and utility poles, along fields (EMFs) generated by those devices with standalone antennas nationwide, has surged with the proliferation of silent, sending unprecedented levels of EMF into invisible waves of radiation that permeate communities and neighborhoods. every facet of modern life.

“5G is especially hazardous, since

“The main health concerns include the transmitters are placed closer to the the breaking of DNA [bonds], leaks in the populations served,” says Samuel Milham, blood-brain barrier and loss of calcium M.D., MPH, an Olympia, Washington, from cellular membranes,” says Ann Louepidemiologist and author of Dirty Elecise Gittleman, of Post Falls, Idaho, author tricity: Electrification and the Diseases of of Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn’t Civilization.

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Create a Safer Haven

With electromagnetic radiation blanketing the atmosphere from coast to coast, our homes may offer the only sanctuary from this particular form of pollution—providing we take some low-tech, commonsense steps to minimize household exposure to the health risk.

Find Some Distance

EMFs decrease with distance, so the farther away, the better. Switch to a battery-operated alarm clock, ditch the electric blanket, move the bed away from power outlets and keep wireless baby monitors six feet from beds.

Unplug Each Night

Disable Wi-Fi routers and remove all digital appliances and gadgets to make the bedroom a healing haven, says Gittleman.

Identify Overlooked Sources

“Almost all the homes I walk into have printers with wireless turned on, transmitting frequencies in the thousands of microwatts per square meter,” says EMF expert Risa Suzuki, a certified building biology environmental consultant in Seattle. “Wireless boosters also constantly transmit radio frequency.”

Other overlooked household EMF sources include smart meters and household appliances both large and small, including hair dryers, electric shavers and cordless phones.

Change Wireless Habits

Cell phones are prolific EMF producers, so if disconnecting isn’t an option, use a speakerphone or an air tube headset, similar to a doctor’s stethoscope, whenever possible, Gittleman advises in Zapped. Never carry the phone against the body when it’s turned on.

For computers and tablets, switch to wired internet and turn on Wi-Fi only when necessary. Opt for a wired mouse, keyboard and other plugged-in accessories.

Shield With Caution

Although there are a variety of EMF-shielding products, experts warn against relying solely on them. “EMFs can bounce and deflect off surfaces, and materials have a certain threshold of what they can shield against,” says Suzuki. Do some research, ask questions and consult with an expert before making a purchase.

“It’s easy to get overwhelmed when learning about EMFs, and many people feel totally helpless,” says Suzuki. “But there are lots of solutions for reducing your exposure without ditching every electronic [device] in your house. If you’re willing to take action, then you can absolutely make a positive impact on your health.”

Healthy Home, Healthy Body Combat EMFs

M

odifying the use of electronics is just one piece of the puzzle in reducing the health impact of EMFs. Other healthy habits include:

Going green. Certain plants that absorb radiation and other

indoor air pollution can be great additions to a healthy home environment. The betel leaf plant, stone lotus flower, spider plant, snake plant and cactus are all good options for helping to clean the air.

Fortifying health. A strong, nourished body provides

greater protection from many health challenges, including EMF exposure. Ann Louise Gittleman suggests consuming superfoods, minerals and supplements that bolster health, such as artichokes, blueberries, rosemary, turmeric, melatonin, whey protein powder and milk thistle.

Earthing. Physically connecting with the earth enables a

transfer of electrons into the body, which helps to neutralize the free radicals that build up from EMF exposure. “Go out in nature as much as possible to discharge energies,” says Gittleman. The easiest way to practice earthing is walking barefoot outside.

Accessorizing. Many experts, including Gittleman, recommend wearing jewelry made of shungite, a black mineraloid composed almost entirely of carbon that can absorb harmful radiation from EMFs. For more information on EMFs and public health, go to: National Cancer Institute Tinyurl.com/ElectromagneticFieldsAndCancer National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Tinyurl.com/ElectricAndMagneticFields

Set your goals high and don’t stop till you get there. ~Bo Jackson

Emily Courtney is a freelance health and wellness writer and editor living in northern Colorado. Connect at EmilyCourtneyWrites@ gmail.com.

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conscious eating Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

I believe our plate is a reflection of our inner state. ~Carly Pollack, author of Feed Your Soul

BEFRIENDING FOOD Embrace the Psychology of Eating

by Marlaina Donato

A

nyone that has struggled to lose weight, eat right or deal with an eating disorder is familiar with the emotional battle that can evolve from the simple act of seeking sustenance.

“The black-and-white mentality of needing to be perfect or counting calories leads us into a rabbit hole of bingeing, dieting and stuck in a love/hate relationship with food,” says Carly Pollack, whose new book, Feed Your Soul: Nutritional Wisdom to Lose Weight Permanently and Live Fulfilled, comes out next month.

“We live in a society that is obsessed with mainstream media and celebrity culture,” says Pollack. “Poor body image and an unhealthy relationship with food are synonymous. You can’t have one without the other.”

Enter the psychology of eating, a movement built upon a mindset that reshapes our relationship to food, focusing on emotions, beliefs and physiological responses. These insights, grounded in research, offer empowering, new perspectives.

Mind Games

Nutritional Psychologist Marc David, who highlights research on the food/mind connection in his book The Slow Down Diet: 28

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Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss, says our thoughts about what is on our plates have even more impact on our physiological responses than vitamins or minerals. Guilt about consuming certain foods can slow digestion and increase chemical responses that store fat, while enjoying the same foods without stress can boost metabolism and nutritional absorption.

“The most important aspect of creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with food is to bring awareness to our thoughts and behaviors around food,” says Pollack, founder of Nutritional Wisdom, a holistic practice based in Austin.

Simplicity, eating real food and unraveling perceptions are paramount. “With all of the information overload out there, ‘eating right’ has turned into ‘eating perfectly,’” Pollack says. “I believe our plate is a reflection of our inner state.”

Gender Differences

Fear-based approaches to eating generally and eating to cope with emotions are seen often as primarily women’s struggles, but a high percentage of men also suffer. In fact, according to Marc David’s Institute for the Psychology of Eating, 40 percent of binge eaters are male.

Helpful Links Harriet Morris’ informative podcast, The Eating Coach TheShiftInside.com/podcast High-octane inspiration from Carly Pollack (YouTube channel) YouTube.com/user/NutritionalWisdom The Institute for the Psychology of Eating PsychologyOfEating.com

“Women’s food issues spring from the cultural pressure to prioritize their appearance over their wisdom, while men may turn to food to deal with career pressure,” says Harriet Morris, who hosts The Eating Coach podcast in Shropshire, England. “I’ve found, too, that both men and women use food as a way to avoid dealing with issues around sexuality, but their needs are very distinct.”

Because a man’s sense of self is much more linked to his sexuality, food can be used to avoid dealing with aspects of male sexuality he is uncomfortable with, says Morris. “Work with my male clients is about avoiding perfectionism and opting instead for a powerful kind of ‘imperfectionism’ where strength allows for pleasure. This—not a Marvel superhero—is a real man.”

Regardless of gender, changing perspective is key, adds Morris.

“Our problem is not food. Bulimia, excess weight, IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and a whole host of other issues are teachers, not enemies. We have, for very good reasons, been using food as a life manager,” she says.

In the end, nourishing ourselves on all levels is what it’s all about, says Pollack. “Our relationship with food gives us the opportunity to examine our relationship to ourselves, our sense of worth, who we think we are, what we feel we deserve and how we show up day-to-day in this body for this beautiful life we’ve been given.”

Marlaina Donato is the author of Multidimensional Aromatherapy.

Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

Advice From Our Experts Carly Pollack: 4 Create guidelines for how you intend to achieve health and happiness. Gather tools that will help you stay focused (nightly journaling, daily visualization, keeping a food log, creating accountability with friends and family).

4 Remember that our mistakes are opportunities to see more clearly what needs to be healed. We’ll make mistakes; old patterns will pop up when we least expect them to that’ll remind us that this life is a practice, not a perfect.

4 Take a nightly inventory by answering three questions: What did I do today that was great regarding my relationship with food? How can I improve? What will I do tomorrow to put this improvement into action?

Harriet Morris: 4 Allow for pleasure. We are wired to seek pleasure, because on an evolutionary level, the things that helped us survive made us feel good—and food is one of them. There are ways to find healthy alternatives that satisfy our pleasure-seeking center without the huge price tag.

4 Slow down when you eat. You will feel satisfied sooner and eat less.

4 We might look at how compulsive eating is actually a misguided attempt to deal with other issues. Let’s ask, “How can we put food out of that job?”

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wise words

Dustin Sulak on

Cannabis as a Healing Therapy

by Amber Lanier Nagle

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Without the oceans there would be no life on Earth. ~Peter Benchley

ustin Sulak, D.O., opened a private osteopathic manipulation, hypnotherapy and integrative medicine practice in Hallowell, Maine, in 2009, the same year the state’s voters expanded its medical cannabis law.

At that time, he was one of the few physicians in Maine willing to certify patients to use cannabis legally.

As of this writing, 33 states now allow medical marijuana, and 10 of them allow its recreational use.

Cannabis initiatives continue to find their way onto state ballots with each election cycle.

Today, Sulak’s practice serves thousands of patients that use cannabis for authorized medical purposes. He educates medical professionals and patients on its safe, clinical use, while continuing to explore its therapeutic potential. Visit Healer.com to learn more.

What led you to become a national advocate for the therapeutic potential of medicinal cannabis?

After trying cannabis in my teens, I realized what I had been told about the herb was not true, and I began thinking more critically about mainstream and natural approaches to health. Cannabis 30

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helped me make deeper connections with people, nature, music and spirituality. In college, I worked with social and political activists to learn and spread the truth about cannabis— that it’s a plant that has been used by humankind for thousands of years; that it has the potential to address many of our healthcare and environmental problems; that it’s been a victim of propaganda; and that it’s safe for most people.

Then, as a first-year medical student, I attended a conference lecture on the endocannabinoid system, a powerful physiological system our bodies use to stay healthy and respond to illness and injuries, and I saw the incredible therapeutic potential of cannabis in a new light.

Today, there’s enormous evidence, including a 2017 report from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, concluding that cannabis can be a safe and effective medicine for treating many conditions.

Which conditions are your patients using medical cannabis for?

My two offices in Maine currently follow approximately 8,000 patients who use medical cannabis, and of those, about 70 percent suffer from chronic pain, many

It’s a plant that has been used by humankind for thousands of years. of whom are able to eliminate or decrease their dependence on opioids.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is the next most common diagnosis we treat with cannabis, with excellent results where other medications fail. Medical cannabis is like a magnet for conditions that fail to respond to conventional medical approaches, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, dementia, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, epilepsy, movement disorders, tick-borne disease, brain and spinal cord injuries and more.

How do you address concerns that cannabis is a gateway drug and can become addictive?

Research proves that medical cannabis actually serves as an exit drug, not a gateway drug. One study of 350 medical cannabis users in California found 40 percent of the subjects used cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, 26 percent as a substitute for illicit drugs, and 66 percent as a substitute for prescription drugs. Any time a person can replace a harmful substance with a safer substance like cannabis, it’s a step in the right direction.

Cannabis dependence does exist, but is uncommon. One study published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology found that only 9 percent of those who try cannabis illicitly develop dependence, compared to 24 percent of those who try heroin. Cannabis withdrawal is mild and similar in intensity to caffeine withdrawal, and most people don’t have any trouble stopping using cannabis, when and if they need to.

Are there any side effects?

The common adverse effects of cannabis are mild, especially when compared to other drugs. A 2008 review found that in 23 randomized controlled trials, there was no higher incidence of serious adverse events following medical cannabis use compared with control. Dizziness was the most common non-serious adverse effect. Other common adverse effects include euphoria, altered consciousness, acute panic or paranoid reaction; altered motivation; impaired attention, memory and psychomotor performance; tachycardia; orthostatic hypotension; dry mouth; and increased appetite.

If someone lives in a state that has legalized medicinal cannabis and thinks it may help a disease or condition, what should be their first step?

The ideal first step is to find a medical provider with experience in the medical cannabis field. The Society of Cannabis Clinicians (CannabisClinicians.org) is a good resource.

Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer based in Northwest Georgia. Connect at AmberNagle.com.

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Oksana Shufrych/Shutterstock.com

healing ways

BLOOD CHEMISTRY A New Roadmap to Better Health

by Linda Sechrist

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ood detectives trained in the art of investigation know not only how to look for, collect and interpret evidence, but also how to use the tools that can help them solve a mystery. With the right tool, such as a comprehensive functional blood chemistry analysis, an experienced practitioner trained in systems biology examines the body’s metabolic blueprint, unravelling the enigma of declining health hijacked by chronic disease.

Holistic health practitioners like Kristin Grayce McGary, of Boulder, Colorado, use these skills to provide clients with sound recommendations, screen for health issues and monitor changes as needed. “This kind of sleuthing is what sets us apart,” says McGary.

Pathological Versus Functional The results of a blood test are essential to understanding anyone’s current state of health. No other screenings are more efficient and effective than the comprehensive blood chemistry panels used by functional medicine and holistic health practitioners to establish a baseline of biomarkers for tracking an individual’s health and nutritional needs.

In the field of blood chemistry analysis, there are two main types of reference ranges—pathological and functional. The 32

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pathological range is used by the majority of conventionally trained medical doctors that are focused on diagnosing disease. The functional range is used to assess risk for disease before it develops, says McGary.

“It is critical that you find a holistic and intelligent doctor skilled in functional medicine,” says Boulder-based Suzy Cohen, a registered pharmacist and author of Drug Muggers: Which Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients—and Natural Ways to Restore Them. “Working with a functional medicine practitioner, as well as a local trusted pharmacist who has access to your medication regimen and sensitivities, is the safest way to regain health.”

It also saves money, because choosing the best supplements, herbal extracts, essential oils, dietary changes and other non-pharmaceutical healing modalities allows for healing faster, she says.

Conventional practitioners, constrained by insurance company requirements, generally order simple blood panels with basic markers for heart, kidney and liver function. These might include reference ranges for hemoglobin, platelets, glucose, calcium and electrolytes. “The baseline lab panel that I prefer for patients has 68 markers, plus a urinalysis. This means that I get five or six full pages of results, which gives me a more in-depth insight into someone’s health,” McGary says.

A Better Roadmap to Health McGary considers the most important differences between the interpretation of functional and conventional markers to be the statistically compiled range of values that functional practitioners consider normal and the interconnections taken into consideration during the comprehensive analysis.

“Conventional reference ranges are compiled by laboratories from a huge population of people, many of whom had their blood analyzed because they were already sick. Functional reference ranges are compiled from a much smaller population of healthy people whose bodies are functioning optimally,” she says.

If a marker falls inside the tighter functional range, it’s a green flag that compares favorably with healthy individuals.

If a marker falls outside the wider conventional range, it’s a red flag that correlates to sick people. The marker that falls in-between is a yellow flag.

“Functional practitioners are looking for yellow flags, which are the early warning signs that no one sees or feels yet as symptoms,” explains McGary, who spends more than two hours reviewing the blood analyses with clients. “We’re not only about prevention and achieving vibrant health— which we do by helping clients choose the best supplements to correct deficiencies— we’re also about helping individuals get to the root cause of their health challenge so that they can enjoy life.”

Functional blood chemistry analysis is not generally covered by health insurance, and can cost between $180 and $2,500, depending on the complexity of the panel, the number of markers ordered and the time spent by a practitioner in consultation and interpretation of results.

However, the out-of-pocket cost may be worth it, says Cohen. “In health, sometimes you get what you pay for. You don’t want to be somebody’s number and pushed out the door,” she says. “It’s important to feel like you have been listened to and that your entire medical history has been fully evaluated.”

Includes all Exams, Consultations, and X-Rays (if necessary)

Expires 01/31/2019 Family Practice of Chiropractic 203 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin, SC (803) 932-9399

-Nutrition Counseling and Supplements -Ionic Footbath Detox -Custom Orthotics -Orthopedic Pillows, Lumbar Supports, etc.

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings.

January 2019

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Chinnapong/Shutterstock.com

healthy kids

AUTISM’S GUT-BRAIN AXIS A Promising Approach to Healing

by Emily Courtney

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ith the diagnosis Kids with ASD affects the brain, so a wholeof autism specbody approach makes so may have trum disorder much more sense.” inflammation in From specialized diet (ASD) on the rise—now affecting one in every 59 and supplement regimens to the brain, and school-age children, accorda variety of alternative therwe’ve learned ing to estimates from the U.S. apies, parents have a wealth that it can be very of complementary options Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) much related to from which to choose. One —identifying effective, integrative approach, howinflammation integrative remedies is more ever, is showing exceptional, of the gut. important than ever. research-backed promise:

“You may have five healing the gut. kids with ASD that are very ~Kenneth A. Bock, M.D. different in how they present The Gut-Autism Connection and what contributes to the disorder, so one size and one treatment Children with ASD frequently experience does not fit all,” says Kenneth A. Bock, gut issues such as constipation or diarrhea; M.D., of Bock Integrative Medicine, in Red a review from the International Society for Hook, New York, author of Healing the Autism Research indicated that nearly 47 New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, percent of autistic children exhibited at least Asthma, and Allergies. The Groundbreaking one gastrointestinal (GI) symptom. And, the Program for the 4-A Disorders. more severe a child’s GI symptoms, the more

ASD encompasses a range of disorsevere the autism, according to a study in ders characterized by repetitive behaviors BMC Gastroenterology. and impaired social skills and communi Not coincidentally, research is finding cation. Although it includes four distinct that these digestive conditions and the acconditions, one of its hallmarks is how companying ASD may be connected to the much it varies from person to person and gut microbiome, an ecosystem of trillions how different the restrictions can be for of microbes living in the digestive tract. each child.

“Kids with ASD may have inflamma The very nature of the condition tion in the brain, and we’ve learned that it can be very much related to inflammation lends itself to integrative approaches that of the gut,” explains Bock. “The gut and can be significantly effective, says Bock. immune system—which are intimately “ASD is really a whole-body disorder that

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connected because the majority of our immune system is in the gut—are two of the most crucial systems involved in autism spectrum disorders.”

It turns out that kids with ASD have less bacterial diversity in their guts than non-autistic kids, along with an imbalance between good and bad bacteria. This dysbiosis of the gut flora leads to problems with improper immune function, inflammation and a leaky gut barrier.

It all comes down to the gut-brain axis, by which the gut and brain communicate with each other. When the microbiome isn’t balanced, not only is this vital communication system broken, but toxins and pro-inflammatory molecules that trigger ASD-like behaviors can cross the blood-brain barrier.

Experts say prioritizing gut health can relieve both GI issues and ASD symptoms.

Focus on Gut Health for ASD Care

For children with ASD, reinforcing the intestinal barrier and restoring balance to the microbiome can have profound health effects.

“With dysbiosis and an overly permeable gut, inflammatory molecules can leak into the circulatory system, travel up to the brain and cross the blood-brain barrier, causing inflammation. A lot of it originates in the gut, so when we treat the gut, we can restore microbial balance, diversity and resilience to the ecosystem—and in doing so, decrease inflammation, help restore the appropriate blood-brain barrier and bring the brain back into more of a balance,” advises Bock.

Before embarking on a treatment plan, Bock emphasizes the importance of working with a qualified healthcare practitioner to determine where a child fits in terms of subtypes of ASD, along with any other individual contributing factors.

Although autism spectrum disorder is complex, using holistic strategies that address the whole body can make all the difference. “I see thousands of kids on the spectrum, and the vast majority of them improve with an integrative approach to treatment, and more and more kids are actually recovering,” notes Bock.

Emily Courtney is a freelance health and wellness writer and editor living in northern Colorado. Connect at EmilyCourtneyWrites@gmail.com.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

FOUR WAYS TO SUPPORT GUT HEALTH Gluten- and casein-free diet.

A study published in Metabolic Brain Disease found that excluding gluten and casein led to significant improvements in ASD scores. “A gluten-free, casein-free diet is anti-inflammatory, and can help heal a leaky gut by restoring intestinal integrity and enabling the gut barrier to heal,” says Kenneth A. Bock, M.D.

Probiotics. Beneficial bacteria are integral to a balanced microbiome, but many ASD kids are lacking friendly flora.

Research by Rutgers University shows that probiotics can improve GI dysfunction and reduce the severity of ASD symptoms.

Prebiotics. To thrive, beneficial bacteria need plenty of prebiotic fiber. In a study of 30 autistic children published in Microbiome, six weeks of prebiotic supplementation led to reduced anti-social behavior.

Preconception care. Research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests that a mom’s microbiome may partially determine her child’s ASD risk. Because babies inherit their microbes from their mothers, it’s crucial that pregnant women have healthy gut flora to pass on. Bock recommends that expecting moms ensure adequate intake of probiotics, prebiotics, vitamin D and fish oil, both before and during pregnancy, to help decrease inflammation and promote a healthy maternal microbiome.

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January 2019

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Copper device stops a cold naturally last holidays,” she said. “The kids had colds going around, but not me.”

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calendarofevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received by Jan 7 (for Feb issue) and adhere to our guidelines.

To submit listings, email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. Costs $20 for 35 words each month.

ALWAYS CALL AHEAD BEFORE ATTENDING EVENTS TO AVOID LATE CANCELLATIONS AND CHANGES

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3

Setting Intentions Workshop–6:30pm–w/Haley Duggan. Practice setting measurable and realistic goals for life. Free. Rosewood Market, 2803 Rosewood Dr, Columbia. Info: 803-765-1083, RosewoodMarket.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4

Jubilee! Circle Coffee House and Open Mic– 7pm. Two Hats and a Pony Tail-Poets, Al Black and Tim Conroy and musician Lang Owen headliners.

Bring your instrument, songs, poems, spoken word pieces, and other talent to the mic! Free, but donations accepted. All ages. Jubilee! Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

JANUARY 4, 18 & 31

Discount Days at Rosewood–8am-8pm. 20% off purchase price; mention this listing. Deli sale items not included. Rosewood Market, 2803 Rosewood Dr, Columbia. Info: 803-765-1083, RosewoodMarket.com.

MONDAY, JANUARY 7

Sound Immersion Study Group–6-7pm. Study is based on the book The Naked Voice, by Chloe Goodchild. Participants must purchase book prior to group. Space limited, preregistration required.

Chi Energy Balance, 3610 Landmark Dr, Columbia. Info/register/cost: Call Pamila Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8

Writing as a Spiritual Practice–6:30-8:30pm.

A weeknight edition. Minister Candace ChellewHodge, published author and songwriter, leads workshop to help participants use creative writing as a way to grow their spiritual practice. Bring pen and paper or laptop for writing exercises. Free, but donations accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

Lose Weight with Essential Oils–7pm–w/Stephanie Charbonneau. Free. White Knoll Family Wellness Center, 1926 S Lake Dr, Lexington. Info/ register: Call Christine M. Steen at 803-422-7068.

TUESDAYS JANUARY 8, 15, 22 & 29

Purposeful Retirement–1:30-3pm. A four-week class. How will you identify your legacy goals and remain engaged and impactful as you age? Estate planning to identifying and fulfilling your legacy.

Lourie Center, 1650 Park Cir, Columbia. Info/cost: 803-779-1971, LourieCenterSC.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11

A Course in Miracles–6:30pm. Facilitator Gina Gibson continues a series of monthly talks. Meditation and Q&A to follow. Free and open to the public;

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donations accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@ JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JANUARY 11-13

Harbison Theatre—Peter Pan Jr–Fri 7:30pm; Sat 3pm and 7:30pm; Sun 3pm. It’s Peter to the rescue when Wendy is taken captive by the captain. This classic is a must see for children of all ages. Cost: $8. Harbison Theatre, 7300 College St, Irmo. Info/ purchase tickets: 803-407-5011, 803-772-1228, icrc.net.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12

Writing as a Spiritual Practice–10am-noon.

Minister Candace Chellew-Hodge, published author and songwriter, leads workshop to help participants use creative writing as a way to grow their spiritual practice. Bring pen and paper or laptop for writing exercises. Free, but donations accepted. Jubilee!

Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle. com, JubileeCircle.com.

Unlocking Past Lives–11am-3pm–w/facilitator Pamela Borawski, founder of 3 Rays of Light.

Learn how past lives affect our present lives, soul contracts, karma, and unlocking your past lives through past-life regression hypnosis. Cost: $25 in advance, $35 at door. Space is limited; reservations required. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info: 803-553-7010, Facebook.com/ palmstopalmettos.

MONDAY, JANUARY 14

Blender Bomb Pop-Up Shop–3-6pm. Meet Helen Hall of Hushup + Hustle and taste her favorite smoothies made with the nutritious and dense Blender Bombs. Product available for purchase. Free.

Rosewood Market, 2803 Rosewood Dr, Columbia.

Info: 803-765-1083, RosewoodMarket.com.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16

Art of Dentistry Lunch and Learn–Free. The Art of Dentistry/Dr. Gregory Wych, 7505 St Andrews Rd, Irmo. Info/time: 803-781-1600, DentalImplantsColumbia.com.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17

Essential Oils 101 Make and Take–7pm. Making roller bottles to aid with immune health, digestive issues, headaches, allergies and more for $5 each.

Roly Poly, 5076 Sunset Blvd, Lexington. Info/ register: Call Christine M. Steen at 803-422-7068.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19

Writing and Mindfulness in a Time of Loss– Noon-2pm. Host Al Black. Be it a loss of a loved one, a job, a relationship, a pet, etc., and we can't stop grieving; this workshop is designed to allow the writer to own the event and not have the event own them. Cost: $20 in advance, $30 at door. Space is limited; reservations required. Palms to Palmettos,

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3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info: 803-5537010, Facebook.com/palmstopalmettos.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25

Improverts–6pm. Beth DeHart leads an evening of improv games for introverts. Come with an expectation to have a great time! Suggested $10 donation to cover use of the space. Jubilee! Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26

Essential Oils for Health and Wellness–1-2:30 p.m. Learn the history, uses, application and safety with humans and pets of aromatherapy with Linda Miller, RN. Cost: $30 in advance, $40 at door.

Space is limited; reservations required. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info: 803-553-7010, Facebook.com/palmstopalmettos.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29

Expect Wellness Open House–5-8pm. Open house to introduce TempSure Envi Sculpsure. Live demonstrations, free consultations, special event pricing, door prizes and more. Free. Expect Wellness, 130 Suber Rd, Ste D, Columbia. Info: 803-796-1702, Reception@RachelHall.com, DrRachelHall.com.

Daily Health Habits Make and Take–7pm. Making roller bottles to aid with sore muscles, digestive issues, immune health and more for $5 each. Roly Poly, 5076 Sunset Blvd, Lexington. Info/register: Call Christine M. Steen at 803-422-7068.

planahead SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Marion National Forest Cleanup–9am-noon.

Join volunteers assisting PalmettoPride for Marion National Forest Cleanup. Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts and sturdy shoes. Gloves, bags and vests will be provided.

Weather-appropriate outerwear is recommended, and lunch will be served to all volunteers and staff.

US Forest Service Office, 2967 Steed Creek Rd, Huger, SC. Info: Email Scott Morgan at SMorgan@ PalmettoPride.org.

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 & 8

Daddy Daughter Date Night–6-9pm. Young ladies and dads/grandfathers enjoy a special date together.

Candlelight dinner and dancing. Memory photo and a goody bag. Space limited. Purchase tickets in advance. Tickets on sale Jan 2. Ages 3-adult. Cost: $45 couple. Feb 7, Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Hwy, Chapin. Info: 803-345-6181. Feb 8, Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Ln, Columbia.

Info: 803-772-3336.

inspiration

CLASSIFIEDS

Who is Danny/Shutterstock.com

To place a classified listing, email content of listing to ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com or mail with payment to Natural Awakenings, P.O. Box 2812, Columbia, SC 29202. $20 for 35 words each month.

Additional .50 per word over 35 words.

Please include billing contact information.

Deadline is the 10th of the month prior.

FOR PROFESSIONALS

Head, Heart and Gut Lodestars of Powerful Decision Making

W

by Lee Milteer

e are living in unprecedented times of stress, confusion and overwhelm. We all need resources to help navigate these challenging times and make the right decisions for the highest and best long-term good for ourselves, our families and our businesses.

Those resources can be found within each of us if we pause to consider three reliable indicators: the head (intellect), the heart (feelings) and the gut (intuition).

Before proceeding in making an important choice, make a habit of checking these built-in sensors, which can warn us about danger or give us the go-ahead.

Head: Make use of intellect and past

knowledge. All decisions, actions and even non-actions have repercussions. Use the conscious mind to discern questions that need to be answered. For example, is this person telling the truth? What has worked in the past? Have we done our due diligence and homework before making a decision?

Heart: I listen to my heart and ask: Is this the right direction for me? Do I naturally feel attracted to this? Am I hearing truth?

The internal part of us, the voice inside, tells us when things feel right or wrong. For example, are we relaxed around the person we are asking the question about, or do we

feel uptight and uncomfortable? Keep in mind that our bodies do talk to us. For me personally, if I feel shut down, tight and not good, I know something is not right.

However, if I feel open, lighthearted and relaxed, I trust that my heart is telling me that, “All is well.” We have to pay attention to our own internal signals.

Gut: We need to trust our intuition. If it doesn’t feel right, chances are it’s not right for us. What may be right for one person can be wrong for another. Our gut instinct, our inner voice, is always there for us when we take the time to pay attention and listen.

Become conscious, and do not go into the default mode of past decisions or behaviors. Life has changed and requires more awareness of what is truth and what is not, and we need to utilize our senses, not the old programmed beliefs from others. It is our job to use the instincts that we have to help navigate new terrain.

Lee Milteer is the author of Reclaim the Magic: The Real Secrets to Manifesting Anything You Want and an award-winning speaker and life and business strategist.

Sign up for her free weekly Gems of Wisdom newsletter at Milteer.com. Go to FiveTypesOfEnergy.com for a free copy of her “Five Types of Energy” video series.

Room for Rent at About Your Health – Perfect for massage therapists, reflexologists or energy workers. $10 an hour. Call About Your Health at 803-798-8687 for more information.

Room Available for Holistic Practitioner – Call to schedule an appointment to see the space. Dawn of Your Wellness, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia.

Call 803-553-7010.

SPACE AVAILABLE Event/Workshop Space at Jubilee! Circle – 2,200 sq. ft. available for one-time events, study groups, classes or weekly meetings. Long-term rentals available for hosting ongoing events or classes. Jubilee! Circle, 2627 Millwood Ave, Columbia. Info/ tour space, contact Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge at 803-569-6385.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Columbia Resilience 501c3 provides three community work projects to support sustainability in the Midlands. The Community Orchard, First Time Bank of Columbia, and the Integrated Health Clinic.

Participate in evolving your neighborhood into the beautiful place you want to live in. Go to our website at ColumbiaResilience.org and our Facebook page to join one of the projects. Alternative therapy practitioners interested in volunteering for the Integrated Health Clinic fundraiser should contact Pam Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

FEBRUARY

Coming Next Month

Socially Conscious Investing Plus: Heart Health

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ongoingevents sunday

tuesday

Eckankar Discussion and Sound of Soul Event– 10am. Every 2nd Sunday. An esoteric approach to God realization without dogma or judgment. Free.

7 Oaks Park Rec Center, 200 Leisure Ln, Columbia. Info: Call Steve Fischer at 803-318-1887 or visit Eck-SC.org or Meetup.com/columbia-spiritual-seekers.

Healing the Body and Spirit–5:30-6:45pm. Every Tuesday. Classes are a group exploration of the body’s natural healing wisdom, using aromatherapy, voice and deep relaxation techniques. Sponsored through the Richland County Discretionary Grant.

Donations to Columbia Resilience accepted to support the Community Integrative Trauma Clinic.

Space limited; preregistration required. Chi Energy Balance, 3610 Landmark Dr, Columbia. Info/cost/ register: Call Pamila Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

The Sunday Morning Dance–10:15am-noon.

Dance barefoot in a sacred, verbal conversation free space. Arrive a few minutes early to get settled in.

Cost: $12. The Emerald Ballroom, 1333 Omarest Dr, Columbia. Info: Call Anne Marie Cockrell at 803-771-6661.

Grandmothers Speak–1-2:15pm. Every 2nd Sunday. Based on the book Our Love Is Our Power, by Sharon McEarlane, and the international organization at NetOfLight.org. Free. Chi Energy Balance, 3610 Landmark Dr, Columbia. Info/register: Call Pamila Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

Yoga at Rosewood–2pm. Every Sunday. Provided

by Rooted in Wellbeing. Bring your own mat. Free.

Rosewood Market, 2803 Rosewood Dr, Columbia.

Info: 803-765-1083, RosewoodMarket.com.

A Course in Miracles–Original Edition–4:30-6pm.

Every Sunday. Jesus teaches love, forgiveness and peace. “You are the light of the world.” Donations accepted. Please call for directions or to schedule introductory sessions with Joy Connor. Info: 803447-6499.

7 Rays Meditation–6pm. Every Sunday. Meditation with Victoria. Donations accepted. Seven Rays Book Store, 3701 N Main St, Columbia. Info: 803404-4519, SevenRaysBookstore.com.

monday Columbia Resilience Integrated Health–3:307:30pm. Every 4th Monday. Energy-balance modalities offered through trained practitioners for chronic stress and post-trauma relief. Suggested donation: $10/session. By appointment only; must preregister.

St. Mark United Methodist Church, 3200 Lyles St, Columbia. Info/appointment: Call Pamila Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

Soul Good Meditation–7pm. Every Monday, resuming Jan 14, w/Health Coach Kathy Cooper. Anew Acupuncture & Wellness LLC, 115 Library Hill Ln, Ste B, Lexington. Follow her page for updates to the classes at Facebook.com/ groups/531423620637510. Info/cost/register: 803546-4464, AnewCommunity.com.

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Yoga Gives Back–6:30pm. Studies have shown that yoga has been effective in relieving anxiety, reducing stress and increasing energy. The first class is free. To attend regularly, participants are asked to give a $5 donation, volunteer at least one hour of time at a determined scheduled event, or give two to five canned goods to a specified food drive.

Mats and blankets are provided. North Springs Park, 1320 Clemson Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-414-2885.

wednesday Zyto Balance Scans–9:15am-2pm. Available from Wellness Matters. The scan can determine the level of toxins and nutrients in the body. It can also detect if one’s emotional frequency is out of balance and suggest the remedy to regain balance. About Your Health, 120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste J, Columbia.

Info/cost: 803-402-1212.

Community Acupuncture–3-7pm. Every Wednesday (no clinic Jan 2). Community acupuncture in a clinical setting, and it's more affordable than a private treatment. New patients: $60, returning $30-$50. Anew Acupuncture & Wellness LLC, 115 Library Hill Ln, Ste B, Lexington. Info: 803-5204134, AnewCommunity.com.

Soul Good Meditation–7pm. Every Wednesday, resuming Jan 16, w/Health Coach Kathy Cooper. Anew Acupuncture & Wellness LLC, 115 Library Hill Ln, Ste B, Lexington. Follow her page for updates to the classes at Facebook.com/ groups/531423620637510. Info/cost/register: 803546-4464, AnewCommunity.com.

thursday Introduction to Meditation–Every Thursday (am and pm available). Learn the benefits of meditation. Cost: $25; preregistration required. Carolina Healing Arts Institute, 540 St Andrews Rd, Ste 116, Columbia. Info/times: Call Chopra-certified instructor Joy Connor, LMT, at 803-447-6499.

Directional Healing Group Sessions–5:306:45pm. Every 3rd Thursday. Group healing to

MidlandsHealthyLiving.com

facilitate spiritual/emotional/physical clearing and energy balance. Suggested fee: $15 at door. Space limited; preregistration required. Chi Energy Balance, 3610 Landmark Dr, Columbia Info/register: Call Pamila Lorentz at 803-749-1576.

Conversations, Tools and Tea–6:30-8pm. Every 3rd Thursday. Meditate, tap into the divine feminine, and learn energetic tools to manage personal energy.

Love offering accepted. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info/register: 803-5537010, Facebook.com/palmstopalmettos.

friday Sound Healing Meditation with Crystal Bowls– Every 4th Friday w/Pam Lorentz, MSW, RN, LMBT, Sound Healing Practitioner. She has engaged groups with the vibrant frequencies of the singing bowls at multiple venues and conferences.

One-hour sound meditation. Participants must bring a mat, pillow, blanket and water bottle. Suggested offering: $8. Time/location: TBD. Must preregister.

Info/register: Call Lorentz, of Chi Energy Balance, at 803-749-1576.

saturday Murraywood Health Foods 20% off Saturdays–10am-6pm. 20% off all grocery items, excluding local honey. Murraywood Shopping Center, 7001 St Andrews Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-732-3847.

Intuitive Readings and Chakra Balancing–11am-3pm. Every 1st Saturday w/Bev Hollis, who has 30 years' experience in intuitive and tarot readings and chakra balancing. 30- and 60-minute sessions. Reserve your space in advance. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia.

Info/cost/register: 803-553-7010, Facebook.com/ palmstopalmettos.

Readings with Carolyn Gregory–11am-3pm.

Every 4th Saturday. Aura and rose readings and blessing card readings. Cost: 15-minute session, $15; 30-minute, $30; and 60-minute, $50. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info: 803-553-7010, Facebook.com/palmstopalmettos.

Toe Readings–11am-3pm. Every 3rd Saturday w/ Pam Borawskis. Your feet hold the story of your life. Cost: $20 for a 15-minute reading. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info: 803-553-7010, Facebook.com/palmstopalmettos.

Women’s Spirituality Group–Noon. Every 4th Saturday. Meditation w/Victoria. Donations accepted. Lotus Lodge, 5436 Mead Ct, Columbia. Info: 803-376-7385.

Introduction to Orgone–1-3pm. Every 1st Saturday. Free. Space is limited; must call to reserve space. Palms to Palmettos, 3357 Leaphart Rd, W Columbia. Info/register: 803-553-7010, Facebook. com/palmstopalmettos.

naturaldirectory Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Natural Directory, call 803-233-3693 or email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

ACUPUNCTURE THE ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC

William D. Skelton, DAc 620 Sims Ave, Columbia 803-256-1000 • SCAcupuncture.com

Bill Skelton is dedicated to helping people live happier, healthier, active lives with safe, gentle and effective techniques.

He has 38 years’ experience and trained in the Republic of China. Call to schedule an appointment. See ad, page 23.

ANEW ACUPUNCTURE & WELLNESS Noemi Martinez, DAc 115 Library Hill Ln, Ste B, Lexington 803-520-4134 • AnewCommunity.com

Noemi Martinez, acupuncturist and owner of Anew has more than a decade of experience treating patients for various ailments, both acute and chronic, using Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the form of acupuncture, Gua sha, cupping and herbal therapy. Anew also offers facial rejuvenation treatments and acupuncture injection therapy for various health ailments. See ad, page 5.

AROMATHERAPY GARNER’S NATURAL LIFE

4840 Forest Dr, Ste 15-A, Columbia Trenholm Plaza, in Forest Acres 803-454-7700 • GarnersNaturalLife.com

Improve your level of stress, depression and mood with natural products from a locally owned family business. Our knowledgeable staff will guide you using aromatherapy for pain, anxiety, energy enhancement and more. We carry several brands of essential oils, including doTERRA. See ad, pages 3 and back page.

CHIROPRACTIC CHIROPRACTIC WELLNESS CENTER INC

Dr. Shelly Jones, DC 5209 Forest Dr, Ste C, Columbia 803-771-9990 • DrShellyJones.com

Webster Technique certified, Dr. Jones provides family chiropractic care, health information and wellness resources to support the body’s natural ability to heal, allowing one to feel better and enjoy living a more active lifestyle! Call to schedule your appointment or discuss bringing our onsite chiropractic care and health-education services to your business, school or athletic team.

CHIROPRACTIC

COLLABORATIVE LAW

DOWDY RUDOLPH CHIROPRACTIC LLC

LAW OFFICE OF SHANNON K. BURNETT

Dr. Gerald Rudolph, DC, focuses on finding the root cause of your problems and not just treating your pain. He utilizes digital X-rays to help diagnose problems, spinal adjustments to stimulate proper movement of spinal and extremity joints, active therapeutic movement exercises to correct movement disorders, and spinal decompression to help relieve numbness and tingling down your arms and legs. Dowdy Rudolph Chiropractic also offers a state-of-the-art full-body lounge hydromassage table that can help you feel more rejuvenated and relaxed. See ad, page 10.

Shannon Burnett helps families through legal issues that normally tend to tear families apart. She works in a collaborative fashion with other trained professionals to minimize the damage done to your family; it is her goal for your family to achieve a successful outcome and healthy resolution.

Dr. Dowdy Rudolph, DC 1444 Barnwell St, Columbia 803-376-6293 • DowdyRudolphChiro.com

FAMILY PRACTICE OF CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Jim Minico, DC 203 Amicks Ferry Rd, Chapin 803-932-9399 • DrMinico.com PatientServices.fpc@gmail.com

It is our mission to provide the community with the highestquality chiropractic care possible.

Exceeding your expectations in a caring, modern and positive environment. Restoring the body’s natural healing process.

A holistic approach to health utilizing chiropractic, massage therapy, exercise therapy, nutrition, weight management and homeopathy. See ad, page 33.

FLEX CHIROPRACTIC

Dr. Angela Larson Dr. Felicia Danio 1811 Bull St, Columbia 803-252-0108 • FlexChiros.com

With more than 22 years of experience in the chiropractic i n d u s t r y, o u r t e a m i s knowledgeable, experienced and courteous. Combining a passion for healing and alleviating pain with two decades of good oldfashioned know-how, we give you the customized chiropractic treatment you truly deserve. Our vast list of services includes: decompression; Pro Adjuster; pregnancy care; newborns, infants and toddler care; massage therapy; ultrasound; Kinesiology taping; and cold laser. Call today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Larson or Dr. Danio. Let our team help you achieve a happy, healthy life through chiropractic care!

109 N Main St, Blythewood 803-786-1758 • ShannonBurnettlaw.com Shannon.skblaw@gmail.com

COLON HEALTH SPRING RAIN HYDROTHERAPY

Linda Salyer 120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste H, Columbia 803-361-2620 • LSalyer@ymail.com

All disease begins in the colon.

Constipation; slow, sluggish bowel; gas and bloating? A colonic will help to rid you of these problems. Colonics promote good digestion, help speed metabolism, help lower cholesterol, and help relieve joint pain. Linda Salyer is IACN certified and a retired nurse. Saturday appointments available with an additional small convenience fee. See ad, page 24.

CRANIOSACRAL CHI ENERGY BALANCE

Pamila Lorentz, MSW, RN, LMBT 3610 Landmark Dr Forest Acres • 803-749-1576 ChiEnergyBalance.com

The innate wisdom and healing potential is within you to heal patterns of chronic stress and past trauma. Chi Energy Balance provides experienced guides to support you on your personal journey of health and freedom from pain and anxiety. Services include spiritual aromatherapy, CranioSacral Therapy, integrated massage, sound/vibrational frequencies, reiki and directional healing. Call today! See ad, page 31.

DENTISTRY FOREST DRIVE DENTAL CARE

Dr. Joanna Silver Dover, DMD 3731 Forest Dr, Columbia 803-782-8786 • ForestDriveDental.com

Dr. Dover provides comprehensive, and compassionate dental care. BPA- and Bis-GMA-free composites, BPA-free occlusal guards, natural periodontal therapy, fluoride-alternatives for tooth remineralization, and mercury-

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naturaldirectory filling removal following IAOMT standards using supplemental oxygen, special filters and amalgam separators to keep toxic metals out of our waterways.

See ad, page 7.

SOUTHERN ROOTS PERIODONTICS Matthew J. Rowe, DDS, MSD 2120 N Beltline Blvd, Columbia 803-782-0528

Dr. Rowe and his team specialize in helping patients achieve a stable foundation for oral health, leading to great overall health.

This is achieved using atraumatic methods of dental treatment, including extraction of infected teeth, sleep dentistry, tooth replacement with nonmetallic/ceramic implants, laser gum therapy, and the use of the platelets of patients, to accelerate healing. Additionally, Dr. Rowe’s passion is treating tongue and lip ties, which negatively affect feeding/ nursing, speech and chiropractic health. Dr. Rowe and his professional team work with a dedicated network of providers to provide integrative care for tethered oral issues. See ad, page 26.

DOTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS CHRISTINE M. STEEN

Restoring Life Oils LLC doTERRA Essential Oils Silver Wellness Advocate 803-422-7068

Christine M. Steen, doTERRA Silver Wellness Advocate, has embarked on a mission to help those seeking to live happier and healthier lives by using essential oils. Steen’s passion is to educate those that want to learn more about doTERRA oils and the quality and standard they represent. Call Steen today to learn more about doTERRA essential oils. See ad, page 29.

ECO-RICH SKIN CARE PRODUCTS JUST WANNA MELT LLC Misty Rawls • 803-331-0063 Info@JustWannaMelt.com JustWannaMelt.com

A green skin care company that creates high-quality, non-GMO, all-natural products that are gentle to the skin and safer for the environment. Our brands include ingredients such as organic oils, butters, flowers, herbs, botanicals, local grains, beeswax and honey. Find our products at such stores as Garner’s Natural Life, Four Oaks Farm, Wingard’s Nursery, Whole Foods and more. For a complete list of retail locations, visit our website.

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HEALTH FOOD STORE MURRAYWOOD HEALTH FOODS

Richard Beale, Owner • 803-732-3847 7001 St. Andrews Rd, Irmo In Murraywood Shopping Centre Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm

Locally owned and proudly serving Irmo and the Midlands area for more than 25 years, Murraywood Health Foods is a health and specialty food store featuring the very best natural product brands, vitamins and minerals, herbs and homeopathic remedies. The store also carries natural and organic gluten-free foods and health and beauty products. Call today for more information or to schedule a special appointment. See ad, page 40.

HEALTH & WELLNESS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH INC.

120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste J, Columbia 803-798-8687 • AboutYourHealthSC.com

Our main focus is health education and health-enhancing services. One-on-one nutritional counseling, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Reams pH testing, parasite programs, aqua-chi footbaths, far infrared sauna, weight-loss programs, and thermography. Hard-to-find natural, organic, whole food nutritional supplements, raw foods and natural household items. See ad, page 9.

INTEGRATIVE & HOLISTIC MEDICINE EXPECT WELLNESS

Dr. Rachel Hall 130 Suber Rd, Columbia 803-796-1702 • DrRachelHall.com ExpectWellness@sc.rr.com Find us on Facebook for great health tips.

Integrative/Holistic medicine consults for anyone wanting to approach their health more naturally. Dr. Rachel Hall is board certified in both family medicine and integrative holistic medicine.

Together we will focus on finding the root of the problem, not just treating symptoms. Call today for a consult if you are looking to achieve balance. Inhouse diagnostic labs and therapies. See ad, page 11.

INTUITIVE EDUCATION JOY STAGG

803-575-0811 JoyStagg@mail.com

MidlandsHealthyLiving.com

Joy is an Intuitive coach that is ready to inspire you. She understands the need to look inside one’s self for answers but also knows there’s a greater source of knowledge within

reach. She offers meditations, classes and one-onone sessions on many subjects, such as how we can better enrich our lives. See ad, page 23.

KOMBUCHA LIL’ DUCK KOMBUCHA

Debey Hancock Soda City Market, 1500 Main St, Columbia 803-566-2600 LilDuckKombucha.com

Debey is a functional nutritionist and naturopathic and homeopathic consultant. She has created her own version of kombucha, an ancient fermented tea-based probiotic beverage produced by fermenting sweet tea with a culture of yeast and bacteria. Revered as a healing agent, kombucha is believed to provide micronutrients, probiotics and bacteria beneficial to digestion, detoxification and cleansing. It is also believed to help balance pH levels, stimulate metabolism, enhance energy levels and much more! You can find Debey on Saturdays at the Soda City Market on Main Street, in Columbia.

See ad, page 30.

MEDITATION & SELF-CARE INSTRUCTION JOY LEE CONNOR, LMT Columbia and Chapin 803-447-6499 JoyLeeConnor@gmail.com

Joy is a Chopra-certified Instructor for meditation, yoga and Ayurveda. Joy offers meditation classes for all people that want to learn how to calm the mind and create peace. As a part of this meditation program, you will receive a personal mantra (instrument of the mind) and easyto-follow instructions for a successful meditation practice. Please request a class date and time that is convenient for you at Joy’s retreat, or even your own home or office.

REAL ESTATE JOSH MINICO

eXp Realty 803-569-0633 OwnItColumbia.com LakeMurrayRes@gmail.com

I provide professional real estate services in Chapin, Irmo, Lexington, and the Greater Columbia and Lake Murray areas. It is very important for you to know that I take the opportunity to work with you very seriously. Given that opportunity, whether buying or selling your home, I can guarantee great results!

ROLFING ANNE MARIE COCKRELL

Certified Advanced Rolfer 1911 Barnwell St, Ste C, Columbia 803-771-6661 • RolfingColumbia.com

Feel better with structural integration, also known as Rolfing.

This holistic form of bodywork addresses the connective tissue in the body known as fascia. It improves posture and relieves pain naturally, allowing for freer movement and improved physical performance.

Anne Marie has been practicing bodywork professionally since 1991. Her services include Rolfing and CranioSacral Therapy. She works with people of all ages, and her office is wheelchair accessible. She is also a leader of Columbia Conscious Dance Tribe. See ad, page 43.

SPIRITUAL HAVE YOU HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE? Contact Steve 803-318-1887 • ECK-SC.org Meetup.com/Columbia-Spiritual-Seekers

Eckankar hosts free, informal, nondogmatic spiritual discussions. All are welcome. Topics include dreams, coincidences, past lives, God’s creative life force, and more. Call ahead. Times and dates may vary.

THERMOGRAPHY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH INC.

120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste J, Columbia 803-798-8687 • AboutYourHealthSC.com

Our main focus is health education and health-enhancing services. One-on-one nutritional counseling, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Reams pH testing, parasite programs, aquachi footbaths, far infrared sauna, weight-loss programs, and thermography. Hard-to-find natural, organic, whole food nutritional supplements, raw foods and natural household items. See ad, page 9.

VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS

film brief

Secret Ingredients New Film Shares Stories of Hope and Healing

A new feature-length documentary, Secret Ingredients, makes a compelling case for why organic foods may be the key to unlocking better health and reversing chronic illnesses ranging from asthma to autism. The film shares the uplifting stories of individuals and families that overcame their struggles with digestive problems, allergies, skin conditions and infertility after eliminating genetically modified (GMO) crops and agricultural toxins from their diets.

“This gives tremendous hope for those suffering from chronic disorders in that simply switching to an organic diet may improve their quality of life,” says Jeffrey Smith, who produced and co-directed the film with award-winning filmmaker Amy Hart. “We hope the film will create an organized tsunami driving millions of people to better living through healthy eating.”

Secret Ingredients includes testimonies from physicians and scientists that explain how GMOs, Monsanto’s ubiquitous Roundup herbicide and other pesticides can disrupt our biological systems and compromise our health. “More than 200 studies show the links between GMOs and poor health,” says Smith, “while Roundup and other toxic applications have been proven to damage mitochondria, disrupt the gut biome, throw off hormones, and promote tumors and birth defects.”

The film builds on the groundbreaking research that went into Smith’s prior feature-length documentary Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives, which looked at genetically engineered foods as a major contributor to rising disease rates in the U.S. Visit SecretIngredientsMovie.com for a trailer and schedule of screenings. Smith’s companion site HealingFromGMOs.com features a free online conference that shares research-based recommendations on how to protect against and heal from exposure to GMOs and pesticides.

GARNER’S NATURAL LIFE

4840 Forest Dr, Ste 15a, Columbia Trenholm Plaza 803-454-7700 • GarnersNaturalLife.com

At Garner’s Natural Life, we offer the purest, most innovative highquality natural products. With more than 130 collective years of wellness experience! Allows us to encourage your healthy choices.

See ad, pages 3 and back page.

Connect with us naturally!

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MidlandsHealthyLiving.com