Natural Awakenings Columbia Edition 0220

EE R F

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

Sacred Vessels The Lifeblood of Heart Health

SKILLS THAT MAKE LOVE LAST Keeping Kids Heart-Healthy How to Boost Cardiovascular Well-Being

Healing Joints From Within

The Promise of Regenerative Medicine

Vital Steps The Key to Vascular Fitness

February 2020 | Columbia Edition | ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

February 2020

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Columbia Edition

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February 2020

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Contents 18 VITAL STEPS

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The Path to Vascular Fitness

20 GOOD HEARTS START YOUNG

Boosting Kids’ Cardiovascular Health

22 SACRED VESSELS The Lifeblood of Heart Health

26 A FEAST FOR ALL SEASONS

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Embracing the Rainbow Year Round

28 DISRUPTING DISPOSABLES The Drive to Banish Single-Use Plastics

30 LINDA CARROLL

on Skills That Make Love Last

32 PAIN RELIEF FOR PETS

Prolotherapy Gives Joints New Life

34 HEALING JOINTS

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FROM WITHIN

The Promise of Regenerative Medicine

39 CHOOSING LOVE

How to Cope With Fearful Times

DEPARTMENTS 8 community news 14 health briefs 16 global briefs 18 fit body 20 healthy kids 26 conscious

eating 28 green living 4

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30 wise words 32 natural pet 34 healing ways 38 calendar 39 inspiration 39 classifieds 41 natural

directory

Natural Awakenings is a family of more than 70 healthy living magazines celebrating 25 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

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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.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to ColaPublisher@ NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. Deadline for editorial: the 10th of the month.

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February 2020

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

COLUMBIA EDITION

letter from publisher

Life Lessons from Stained Glass

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reetings readers and Happy February! You know … I love

PUBLISHER Annette Carter Briggs doing stained glass as a hobby. It is such a fun and ful EDITOR Sara Gurgen filling activity that helps to regenerate my soul, recharge DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kristina Parella my spiritual “batteries,” while allowing me to be creative with my

Billy Briggs

hands, which is a must on my list. Stained glass mosaic creations are absolutely beautiful, and many times, simply stunning, as they exquisitely reflect countless hours of painstaking and precise SALES & MARKETING Annette Carter Briggs work, as the artist (with great care and thoughtfulness) fuses a WEBSITE Kristina Parella myriad of different glass pieces together to create an often amazing, even priceless, hand Billy Briggs made work of art.

In many cases, it takes thousands upon thousands of glass pieces representing vastly different shapes, sizes, textures and colors. You can find stained glass mosaics all around the CONTACT US world in some of the most historically significant sites visited by millions of tourists each year.

PO Box # 2812 Columbia, SC 29202 They can be truly awe-inspiring! And while every creation is different, there are some very Email important “common denominator” characteristics shared by all. With every stained-glass moColaPublisher@NaturalAwakeningsMag.com saic, each piece of glass is significant and plays a crucial role in the final creation and inherent Annette Briggs Ph: 803-309-2101 beauty. No piece is better than another, and if one is missing, the work of art is noticeably not Website ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com complete. In fact, a missing piece actually reduces the value of the entire work as a whole. All of the individual pieces of glass, small and large, light and dark, smooth and rough, draw their SUBSCRIPTIONS equitable value as a whole—not individually. Each piece is carefully and deliberately chosen Subscriptions are available by sending $24 by the creator for the specific vision that he or she has in mind. There are no accidental piec(for 12 issues) to the above address. es—all are picked for an important purpose known only by the one creating it!

And you know what? This is the perfect metaphorical picture of diversity done right, NATIONAL TEAM and the very definition of “love.” With stained glass mosaics, the differences reflect collective

CEO/FOUNDER Sharon Bruckman COO/ FRANCHISE SALES Joe Dunne beauty, as the one gazing with appreciation sees its value as a whole. Diversity lifts up unity. It

NATIONAL EDITOR Jan Hollingsworth should not bring division and invite ugliness and mistreatment. The various shapes, sizes and

MANAGING EDITOR Linda Sechrist colors add value and meaning. It’s unfortunate that we find ourselves living in a world where NATIONAL ART DIRECTOR Stephen Blancett (more and more each day) being different (no matter what that looks like) may bring about

ART DIRECTOR Josh Pope isolation, prejudice and even aggression.

FINANCIAL MANAGER Yolanda Shebert

I think that we need to draw a wealth of wisdom from one of my favorite hobbies— FRANCHISE SUPPORT MGR. Heather Gibbs the art of making stained glass. It is not an easy task by any means. It takes hard work and WEBSITE COORDINATOR Rachael Oppy focused effort, and requires patience and understanding. The vision must drive you to finish NATIONAL ADVERTISING Kara Cave its creation, understanding that every piece must be inserted with great care so as not to lose any one of them. They are all VERY important. And so are you and I. Consider the words of American writer Jacqueline Woodson: “Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation figure out how to walk through this world together.” This is true oneness … this is true love!

4933 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 203 ONTRIBUTING WRITERS Odell Williams C Kristi Antley

Naples, FL 34103 Ph: 239-434-9392 • Fax: 239-434-9513 NaturalAwakeningsMag.com

An important piece, Annette Briggs, Publisher

© 2020 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

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink.

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community news Healthy Cooking and Nutrition Classes for All Ages

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t the Table LLC offers cooking and nutrition classes for all ages, from age 2 to 99. Healthy cooking and kitchen skills start with the youngest family members in our Butterbean's Cafe cooking classes. Students of all ages can attend a variety of classes, such as Eating for Health and Beauty and Exploring New Cuisines. High school- and college-aged students can join us for our four-day College Cooking 101 Boot Camp. We also offer amazing birthday parties and summer sessions! Our summer cooking camps cover a variety of ages and are super fun, educational, and feature tasty and delicious creations. Interested in a plant-based lifestyle? Our health-centered classes will help make the transition easier.

Those interested can either come to our cooking studio, located at 1720 Dutch Fork Road, in Irmo, or our classes can come to you utilizing our mobile cooking classes. Eating healthy can be super fun and as easy as 1-2-3. Class sessions include great category topics, such as Couple's Cooking, Night Out with the Girls, Senior Legacy Classes, Cooking for Your Child Athlete, Cooking for Diabetes, and Cooking for a Healthy Immune System. Other selections include Cooking for Badges, Buddha Bowl Parties, Salad in a Jar Parties, and much more. If you’ve been looking for a class where you can learn a lot and eat a lot … you just found it! Call today for more information or to register. Placements are limited.

To register for a class or schedule a customized class, contact Sharon Mills-Pinckney at ConnectAtTheTablellc@gmail.com or visit AtTheTablellc.com. See ad, page 31.

ICRC Hosts Daddy-Daughter Date Night

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t’s a date for dads and daughters on Thursday, February 6, and Thursday, February 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Dads and grandfathers all across the Midlands are invited to bring their little princesses out to enjoy a special date night together hosted by the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) at Crooked Creek Park (February 6) and Seven Oaks Park (February 13). The evenings’ festivities will include a candlelight dinner, followed by a night of fun and dancing. Attendees will receive a memory photo and a goody bag. Space is limited, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Must register by Monday, February 3.

Feb. 6 - Cost: Ages 3 to adult, $55 per couple; $20, additional tickets. Location: Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Hwy., Chapin. For more information, call 803-345-6181 or visit icrc.net. See ad, page XX. Feb. 13 - Cost: Ages 3 to adult, $55 per couple; $20, additional tickets. Location: Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Ln., Columbia. For more information, call 803-772-3336 or visit icrc.net.

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Natural Awakenings of Columbia Launches New Community Website

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atural Awakenings of Columbia has unveiled a brandnew, comprehensive online hub for all things healthy and sustainable in the greater Midlands. Partnering with the Locable Publisher Network, a software company that works exclusively with local publications like Natural Awakenings, the new website has many exciting features for readers and advertisers alike.

The enhanced online calendar will make it easy to share events and discover local happenings in the community.

Business owners can list their natural health and eco-friendly products or services for visitors to discover in the new searchable directory. There are opportunities for advertisers to increase their online reach through community sponsorships, featured event listings, display advertisements and more. Also, the articles and sections that readers have grown to love can be easily found and shared through the new website.

Adds Annette Briggs, publisher of Natural Awakenings of Columbia: “I am so excited to unveil our new dynamic website, designed to leverage the power of our brand in full support of our readers and advertising partners through effective and insightful content as well as great health and wellness products and services offered by local businesses and organizations throughout the Midlands community. It is a true win-win for everyone! Don’t take my word for it … click and enjoy.”

For more information, visit ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com. If you are interested in digital advertising opportunities with certain online placements available on a firstcome, first-served basis, contact Annette Briggs at 803-309-2101 or ColaPublisher@ NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

ICRC Hosts Indoor Garage Sale

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n Saturday, February 22, from 7 to 11 a.m., the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) will host a garage sale at Crooked Creek Park, located at 1098 Old Lexington Highway, in Chapin. Doors will open to vendors at 6:30 a.m. and buyers at 7 a.m. Residents throughout the Midlands are encouraged to clean out the garage, attic, kids’ rooms and closets, and bring those hidden treasures to Crooked Creek to sell. Make sure to drop by and check out all of the great bargains. Anyone interested in participating as a vendor should call or stop by the park for participation details. Vendor setup will be the day before (Friday, February 21) between 4 and 7 p.m.

Cost: Free to enter. For more information or for vendor details, call 803-772-1228 (ICRC main office) or 803-345-6181 (Crooked Creek Park). Also visit icrc.net.

Sustainable Carolina Hosts Green Career Fair

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n Wednesday, March 4, from 4 to 6 p.m., Sustainable Carolina is hosting its community Green Career Fair at the Russell House University Union (Ballroom), located at 1400 Green Street, in Columbia.

Hosted on the beautiful University of South Carolina campus, the Green Career Fair is an opportunity for students to learn about potential paid and unpaid internships, job openings, volunteer opportunities, and future career paths in the field of sustainability. Business vendors from last year’s event include: Sonoco Recycling/S.C. Green Steps Schools, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Sustainable Midlands, Verizon, Dominion Energy, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, the S.C. Department of Commerce, and many others.

Cost: Free. For more information, visit Eventbrite.com/o/sustainable-carolina-12411914445.

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February 2020

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community news The Fitness Factor LLC Offers Personal Training and Health Coaching Sessions for Women

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he Fitness Factor LLC is a mobile business that is owned and operated by a woman and provides services to women in the metro and surrounding areas. The great thing about this business is that we will come to you. We offer personal training sessions to women that are ready to lose weight and keep it off, women that want to get healthy and fit, or women that need support and accountability on their fitness journey.

Health coaching sessions are offered to women ages 35 to 65 with a gynecological issue affecting hormones—like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome—or a thyroid dysfunction.

These women will receive guidance on making changes, not only to their diet but to their lifestyle to become healthier and start to feel better. There is so much information out there on social media, in books, and with fad diets, so health coaching will help clients choose the path that is right for them. If this is you, call today to schedule a strategy session.

For more information, contact certified personal trainer, holistic health coach, and registered nurse Jermika Kennedy at 803-8048027 or Jermika.Kennedy@TheFitnessFactorllc.com. Also visit TheFitnessFactorllc.com to view the great packages offered.

It’s a Puzzle Party at FIT Columbia

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n Saturday, February 15, from 4 to 7 p.m., FIT Columbia, located at 2002 Blossom Street, is hosting a Puzzle Party.

Fit Columbia will provide card tables, puzzles and refreshments. Those interested should RSVP to ensure that there is enough seating. Attendees are welcome to bring their own puzzles as well.

Cost: Free. For more information, call 803-394-1247, or visit Eventbrite. com/e/puzzle-party-tickets-88820601811 or FITColumbia.com.

SCWF Hosts Midlands Master Naturalist Class

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egistration is now open for the 2020 Midlands Master Naturalist Class, hosted by the S.C. Wildlife Federation (SCWF), from Friday, March 6, through Friday, May 22. Students will learn identification skills, ecological concepts, and natural history of local plants, animals and ecosystems. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge through handson experience.

The class will feature 12 sessions. Classes will be held, rain or shine, beginning around 9 a.m. at various predetermined locations.

Most sites are within one hour of Columbia. Students are responsible for travel to and from field sites, although carpooling is encouraged. Participants completing the course and 30 hours of approved volunteer service will receive Master Naturalist certification and will be eligible to join a local chapter and participate in advanced training courses. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.

Cost: $600 per person. Location: S.C. parks and selected areas around the Midlands. For more information, contact SCWF Executive Director Sara Green at 803-256-0670 or Sara@scwf.org or visit scwf.org/midlands-master-naturalist.

Celebrate National Wildlife Day

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ational Wildlife Day is an observance designed to bring awareness to the number of endangered animals nationally, as well as globally, that need to be protected.

All around the world, zoos, animal sanctuaries, and wildlife organizations are honored for their collective work to help preserve the planet's animals and educate the public about conservation.

Held annually on February 22, the birthday of the late wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, National Wildlife Day encourages citizens to stand up and fight for animals that need a voice, visit their local zoo, and donate to worthy wildlife rehabilitation sanctuaries and organizations that make a difference in the lives of our wild animal friends.

For more information, visit eeinsc.org or NationalWildlifeDay.com.

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The 2020 Great American Cleanup

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t’s time for the Great American Cleanup! Throughout the months of March, April and May, Keep America Beautiful, in partnership with Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB), is hosting the national Great American Cleanup campaign across the Midlands.

The Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community-improvement program, takes place every year from March 1 through May 31, and involves more than 3 million volunteers and participants comprising more than 20,000 communities across the nation.

The cleanup program is designed and tailored to the unique needs of local neighborhoods and communities throughout the state and nation. Activities will include beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning waterways, holding recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events. KMB will loan out gloves, vests, bags and grabbers for the cleanup efforts. The organization will also help organizers select geographic areas of need, recruit volunteers, and arrange for trash and debris pickup by the city or county.

For more information, call 803-733-1139, email Lauren@KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful. org, or visit KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org or kab.org.

Saluda Shoals Foundation Hosts Shuckin' on the Shoals Benefit

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ime to shuck ‘em! On Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Saluda Shoals Foundation will host its 13th annual Shuckin’ on the Shoals fundraiser event. Hosted at Saluda Shoals Park East, located at 5605 Bush River Road, in Columbia, event highlights include delicious oysters, craft beer, hot chili, wine, live music, and raffles and drawings for great prizes! Kicking off at 9 a.m., this fun-filled, family-friendly event will feature a 5K Run and Family Fun Walk, followed by a VIP Oyster Roast.

Proceeds will benefit Saluda Shoals Park and its efforts to connect people to nature through environmental education, outdoor recreation, and the cultural arts! Programs and projects supported this year include: the addition of a mosaic at Leo’s Landing, created by Irmo High School art students and teachers; the Spring and Fall Jazz Series; the 4th of July concert; the Summer Adventure Squad program for underserved youth; and an evening at Holiday Lights on the River for Fort Jackson soldiers.

The Saluda Shoals Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves to support and protect Saluda Shoals Park through financial support, fostering partnerships, supportive programs, and creating community awareness of the park’s exceptional outdoor recreational activities, environmental education, and cultural opportunities.

Cost: $75, foundation members; $90, nonmembers (note: processing fees apply for online purchases). For more information or to purchase tickets, call Dolly G. Patton at 803-2132035 or visit SaludaShoalsFoundation.org. See ad, page 35.

ICRC Hosts Senior Matinee Movie Series

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n Thursday, February 27, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) is hosting its senior matinee movie Good Night and Good Luck at Seven Oaks Park, located at 200 Leisure Lane, in Columbia. This popular film is part of an ICRC matinee series taking place monthly every fourth Thursday. As a note, seating is limited to the first 75 registrants.

Cost: Free. For more information, call 803-772-3336 or visit icrc.net.

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community news RCSM Hosts Blue Thumb Landscaper Conference

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n Friday, February 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Columbia Water and Richland County Stormwater Management (RCSM) are hosting their 2020 Blue Thumb Landscaper Conference at the Busby Street Community Center, located at 1735 Busby Street, in Columbia. Conference topics will include outdoor integrated pest management, protecting riparian areas, stormwater best management practices for landscapers, aquatic life preservation, managing spiders and stinging insect populations, and taming invasive plants. Lunch will be provided and three pesticide applicator credits will be offered.

For more information, contact Chenille Williams at 803-576-2491 or Williams.Chenille@ RichlandCountySC.gov.

The City of Columbia Hosts Go Red Community Party

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ime to go red! The city of Columbia is hosting its Go Red Columbia Party on Friday, February 7, from noon to 2 p.m., at the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center, located at 1201 Walker Solomon Way. The event will be emceed by Mayor Pro Tem Tameika Isaac Devine. Festivities will include a press conference, health screenings, and helpful heart health information in support of women affected by heart disease—the number one killer of women. The Go Red for Women movement encourages awareness of this issue and action to help save lives. Both men and women are encouraged to wear red the day of the event.

Cost: The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the city of Columbia’s Public Relations, Media and Marketing Department at 803-545-3020. To register, visit GoRedColumbia2020.Eventbrite.com. Also visit ColumbiaSC.net.

EEASC Hosts February Midlands Meetup

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t’s time to meet up!

On Tuesday, February 11, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) is hosting a green networking “meetup” informal session for environmental educators at Saluda Shoals Park, located at 5605 Bush River Road, in Columbia. Following the round robin networking session, participants will join Saluda Shoals Park Rangers Zach Pensa and Rachel Kennerly to learn the basic principles of nature interpretation while enjoying a nature walk and dip-netting experience through the park's wetland ecology program. Both rangers will share techniques such as sensory storytelling, equipment, and helpful tips for outdoor safety and how to lead a nature walk with students.

Attendees are encouraged to come prepared to share upcoming event information (to include flyers) and sustainable program updates with the gathered group in this intentionally informal setting.

Nearly 7,000 students participate in Saluda Shoals Park’s wetland ecology program each year.

Cost: Free. For more information or to register, contact Jane Hiller at 803-779-0608 or Jane.Hiller@Sonoco.com, or visit eeasc.org/ event-3661874.

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dance spotlight

AZUL CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT DANCE

Experience the Truth of Oneness of Soul Together

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by Kristi Antley very human

In 2013, a new being possesses mode of dance, Azul an innate style of Conscious Dance, was individual expression created as an active medthat manifests through itation practice, similar body language, moveto yoga, that honors the ment and gestures. personal transformation When set to music or and journey of one’s rhythm, these natusoul. Azul Conscious ral expressions and Movement is a personal movements combine invitation to explore the to create a spontaneous creative and spiritual sequence, or “dance,” power of dance with that transmits, receives heart, nature and source. and releases energy as Anne Marie Cockrell has well as emotion, procreated a sacred space moting power, freedom (a sanctuary, if you will) and openness to love. on Saturday and Sunday Although today we often afternoons at the Well associate dance with entertainment and Collective, of Columbia. Session particperformance, it has been utilized for centu- ipants will laugh, cry and sweat together ries to create a sense of belonging, and is an while leaving all expectations at the door. integral part of ceremonies and festivals.

While not a “religion,” each Azul

Dance session embraces a positive spiritual message to heighten awareness, stimulate inner healing and intelligence, and deepen enlightenment. It is recognized as a psycho-spiritual approach based on the realization that in this lifetime our greatest work is to heal the wounded parts of our being and uncover our unique individual gifts to reach full potential. Conscious awakening for many people is predicated on breaking free of self-limiting paradigms or foundational beliefs that no longer serve a purpose. Time spent in conscious movement allows gentle release of these stumbling blocks or distractions, leading to clarity, truth and joy.

Each dance emanates a family or community feel, and participants are encouraged to move in a way that seems most natural and necessary. The journey to discover unbridled truth with no cultural, social, age or racial boundaries—exposing only real and raw emotion—is awaiting. Judgement or criticism is not tolerated; the atmosphere is loving, healthy, safe and devoid of fear, awkwardness or embarrassment. No movement is ever “wrong,” as exploration of identity, gifts, desire and compassion are encouraged. Experience is not required.

Those with physical challenges are welcome to participate alongside seasoned dancers.

ALL are welcome, and the studio at the Well Collective is fully accessible. Although Anne Marie guides participants with words and cues to provide a deeper experience, the movements are improvisational, effortless and smooth. Loose, comfortable clothing is recommended and shoes are not required to be worn.

Anne Marie has a degree in movement studies and dance therapy from the Naropa Institute and is a certified Azul Conscious Movement instructor. She previously held Sunday Morning Dance at Tapp’s Arts Center. Dancing is a healing art, and it is Anne Marie’s passion to create a community that supports personal transformation.

Contact Anne Marie to host a conscious dance experience for groups or events. You can visit her website, EcstaticDanceColumbia.com, for current events and schedules.

She currently holds Azul Conscious Dance events twice a month at the Well Collective, located at 3000 Rosewood Dr., in Columbia.

For more information, call Anne Marie at 803-771-6661. See ad, page 6.

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Use Pumpkin Seed Oil to Dodge Hypertension Postmenopausal women are more likely to develop hypertension than men their age, but taking pumpkin seed oil daily may head off that condition, report researchers from Marymount University, in Arlington, Virginia. In a blind study of 23 participants, women taking three grams of pumpkin seed oil for six weeks had significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, as well as better blood flow in their arteries. The oil “might be effective in the prevention and treatment of hypertension in this population,” write the authors.

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Use Probiotics to Reduce Bone Loss and Newborn Infections Bone loss leading to increased fracture risk occurs in half of postmenopausal women, but new research from Sweden offers a deterrent: a combination of three Lactobacillus probiotic strains. A total of 249 healthy, early postmenopausal women over the age of 50 that took the probiotics for a year suffered no significant bone loss in the lumbar spine compared to a placebo group, report researchers at Gothenburg University. They had slight reductions in bone loss at the neck and no changes at the hip or upper femur.

In a British Medical Journal-published study on probiotics that spanned 10 years and involved nearly 1,000 at-risk babies, researchers from the UK’s Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital found that newborns with gut infections were twice as likely to recover when given probiotics as part of their treatment in intensive care units, with sepsis rates reduced from 22.6 percent to 11.5 percent. The strains used were L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and B. longum subspecies infantis. The babies were suffering from necrotizing enterocolitis, a rare infection and inflammation of the intestines which can affect low-birthweight babies.

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Qigong, a traditional Chinese massage technique and movement practice, may offer hope for the one in 68 American children suffering from autism spectrum disorder. Researchers at Portugal’s Oporto University reviewed 10 high-quality studies, all of which involved massage for children as young as 2, including two which also employed slow qigong movements and breathwork for older children. Previous studies have found that the qigong type of gentle massage practiced for 15 minutes daily by parents on autistic children helps the children tolerate touch, feel reassured by it and bond more deeply with parents that also feel less stress.

The meta-study affirmed, “Qigong seems to be able to decrease severity of individual sensory, behavioral and language components of autism, and improve self-control, sociability, sensory and cognitive awareness, as well as healthy physical behavior.”

Get Nutritional and Antifungal Benefits from Celery Researchers from Cameroon’s University of Buea studied the properties of nine local vegetables and found that celery, Apium graveolens, had some of the highest levels of antifungal properties, as well as high levels of nutritional lipids, protein, vitamin C, copper, zinc and phosphorous.

Also scoring high in nutritional and antifungal value were the seeds of Irvingia gabonensis, African or bush mango, sometimes used in the U.S. in weight-loss products.

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Practice Qigong Massage to Improve Autism Symptoms in Children

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health briefs

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Try Mind-Body Options to Reduce Opioid-Treated Pain People suffering from acute pain often turn to addictive opioid treatments, but research from the University of Utah School of Social Work published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine concluded that certain mind-body therapies significantly reduce pain and the use of opioids. Reviewing 60 randomized, controlled, published clinical trials with more than 6,400 participants, researchers found that meditation/mindfulness, therapeutic suggestion and cognitive behavioral therapy all significantly reduced pain severity along with opioid use and misuse. Hypnosis also helped lower pain.

Mind-body therapies proved effective at reducing short-term, acute pain from medical procedures, as well as chronic pain. Lead author and Associate Dean for Research Eric Garland pointed out that 82,000 Americans are projected to die from opioid overdoses in the next five years and noted, “If all of us—doctors, nurses, social workers, policymakers, insurance companies and patients—use this evidence as we make decisions, we can help stem the tide of the opioid epidemic.”

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Consider Vitamins to Reduce Eczema Severity Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, affects one in five people over the course of a lifetime, causing itchy, red, swollen and cracked skin, especially on the arms, hands and feet. Genetics, immune system dysfunction and environmental exposure, including to chemicals, are some causes, and treatment usually involves moisturizers and corticosteroid creams. Research from China’s Chongqing Medical University reviewed clinical research on treating eczema with vitamins and found 10 studies totaling 456 patients. Their study concluded that supplementing with vitamin D3 significantly reduced symptoms for patients with moderate to severe eczema, and that a vitamin B12 cream was also effective in soothing symptoms, as was vitamin E supplementation. A combination of 600 IU of vitamin E and 1,600 IU of D3 scored highest in a study included by the researchers, lowering symptoms overall by 64 percent in 60 days.

kudos S.C. Schools Receive SCDHEC’s Champions of the Environment Grant Awards

Recently, 10 South Carolina schools each received a Champions of the Environment grant award from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The grant is designed to help participating schools in their efforts to protect the natural world and boost environmental awareness. The prestigious list of winners includes four local Midlands schools: Blythewood High School, Dent Middle School, Windsor Elementary School, and Polo Road Elementary School. For more information about the program and its winners, visit scdhec.gov/ environment/k-12-schools-students-teachers/contests-grants/ champions-environment.

Kudos to all of the grant winners, and a special kudos to Champions Coordinator Amanda Ley for her many years of selfless and dedicated project leadership.

Wood Magic Fair Celebrates 20 Years of Service

Wood Magic Forest Fair recently celebrated 20 years of teaching students and teachers about sustainable forestry. Over the many years, the program has reached more than 30,000 students and more than 5,000 teachers and other adults. Patterned after a program held annually at Mississippi State University, Wood Magic is jointly sponsored by the S.C. Forestry Association, the USDA Forest Service, and the S.C. Forestry Commission.

The goal of the program is to teach kids and adults how important forests and forest products are in their everyday lives through a variety of hands-on activities. Upon completion of the program, participants are able to demonstrate an awareness that our society depends on forests for many products we use every day and that these products improve our quality of life; explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable natural resources and apply the reduce-reuse-recycle principles of conservation; recognize that many different management techniques are required to ensure long-term sustainability of our forests; and describe the many environmental, social and economic benefits of our forests.

For more information about the program, visit State.sc.us/forest/ wmfair.htm.

Kudos to the Wood Magic Forest Fair team!

February 2020

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global briefs

Climate Check

A Billion Trees in Eight Years

Marrying forestry to technology, the startup Flash Forest, in Toronto, is using aerial drones to plant trees 10 times faster than human planters with a goal of 1 billion trees by 2028. Since testing prototype devices last year, it has already planted several thousand trees across Ontario using pre-germinated seed pods containing a mixture of species.

The drones are capable of planting trees at just 50 cents per pod, or a quarter of the cost of typical planting methods.

Funded partly by a Kickstarter campaign, the group will start planting trees in April, with at least 150,000 in the ground by the end of this year. At full capacity, one drone operator will be able to plant 100,000 seed pods per day.

Flash Forest spokesperson Angelique Ahlstrom says, “Our goals are to have a significant and measurable impact on mitigating climate change in the next decade, while combatting deforestation and biodiversity loss on a global scale. We feel we are one of the only ways that the federal government will be able to fulfill its pledge to plant 2 billion trees in the next 10 years.”

Water Win

Riccardo Mayer/Shutterstock.com

Fresh H20 Comes to Kenya Town

A drought-plagued Kenyan region is using a new, solar-powered, desalination plant from the international nonprofit GivePower to obtain clean water. Before the plant’s arrival in the town of Kiunga, villagers had completely run out of clean drinking water and had to use dirty well water and saltwater from the Indian Ocean. The new solar water farm produces enough drinking water that’s cleaner than typical desalination plants for more than 35,000 people every day.

GivePower has a mission of using renewable energy as a means of bringing water, food and energy to places that need it most. They plan on building similar facilities in other drought-prone countries such as Colombia and Haiti.

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Green Horizons

A new Climate Neutral product label is joining others like Fair Trade, 100% Organic and Made in America, and is closing in on a Kickstarter (Tinyurl.com/ CarbonNeutralKickstarter) funding goal to raise $100,000.

The idea for the label was hatched by the founders of San Francisco-based backpack and camera equipment maker Peak Design and Brooklyn-based Biolite, which sells sustainable energy products. Participating companies start by establishing baseline emissions, evaluating such factors as raw materials, the energy costs at their facilities, the amount that employees travel, and how and where their products are shipped. They work to reduce and balance them through greener strategies, switching to renewable power and investing in carbon offsets before they can display the label on their products. According to Climate Neutral, it only costs 12 cents to offset the carbon emissions required to produce a $120 running shoe. More than 40 brands have already signed up.

Seal Deal

Fishermen Protect Endangered Sea Mammals

In 1969, there were only 100 South American fur seals and sea lions along the coastline of Lima, the capitol of Peru, but that has increased to more than 8,000 today, thanks to local fishermen that have realized over the intervening years that a balanced ecosystem benefits all. Once hunted almost to the point of no return for their pelts and because they ate so many fish, the sea mammals have slowly rebounded since Peru established its first marine protection area there in 1979, the Paracas Marine Reserve. Today, the Fishermen’s Union has defined these areas, in which each local fishing collective is dependent economically, and has assigned responsibility to that group for protecting those marine resources. Impetus for species protection is also being driven by the rise of tourism and artisanal fisheries.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which maintains a “Red List” database of species and the degree to which they are threatened with extinction, has also been involved. It also compiles a “Green List” to recognize global best practices for area-based conservation, a program working with marine reserves along the Pacific coast.

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Alex Yuzhakov/Shutterstock.com

New Label Verifies Carbon Neutral Products

February 2020

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fit body

VITAL STEPS The Path to Vascular Fitness

by Marlaina Donato

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t is well-known that exercise combats cardiovascular disease by balancing blood pressure and managing blood sugar, but aerobic exercise, not resistance training, takes the prize for keeping the body’s thousands of miles of blood vessels more supple. A 2017 study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that all-extremity exercise like brisk walking improves arterial flexibility in older individuals; even those with a sedentary history.

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For blood vessel flexibility, any sort of sustained aerobic exercise helps.

Find something you enjoy so that you’ll keep doing it in the long term. ~Alex Hutchinson

Moving the body regularly also lowers stress hormones like cortisol that can ignite damaging vascular inflammation. A West Virginia University study presented at the 2016 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego showed that aerobic exercise fosters healthy blood vessels in rats exposed to chronic stress.

Combining aerobic exercise with good diet and paying attention to triglyceride levels all help to keep us young from the inside-out.

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Step It Up

According to a 2015 study by the University of Missouri School of Medicine published in Experimental Physiology, walking just 10 minutes after prolonged sitting can restore blood flow in the legs and improve impaired vascular function.

Results like these are another reason to get up and move. Walking, running, swimming, cycling, jumping rope and playing tennis are all excellent options. “For blood vessel flexibility, any sort of sustained aerobic exercise helps. Find something you enjoy so that you’ll keep doing it in the long term,” says Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? Fitness Myths, Training Truths, and Other Surprising Discoveries from the Science of Exercise. The Toronto-based, Outside magazine science columnist underscores that treadmills and walking outside foster equal benefits by increasing the heart rate.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise. Dr. Regina Druz, a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of the Integrative Cardiology Center

of Long Island, explains, “This translates into 30 minutes a day, five times a week.

A specific exercise program may be helpful for those with a medical condition, but for overall vascular health, any physical activity like walking or taking the stairs will do.” Druz also highlights the role of nitric oxide: “One of the most studied mediators of vascular health is [nitric oxide], which makes arteries flexible.”

Research findings published in 2018 in the journal Hypertension spotlight the correlation between the number of daily steps and arterial plasticity through a technique called pulse wave velocity, which measures how fast blood travels from the heart to the feet. The evidence suggests that 1,000 extra steps a day foster significant vascular improvement.

Judy Heller, a walking coach and founder of Wonders of Walking, a fitness program in Portland, Oregon, concurs: “Moving throughout the day, not just once a day, is most important.” Heller is a firm

believer in consistency. “My aunt lived to 107 and remained in her three-story house.

Her words to me were, ‘Judy, don’t ever stop walking.’ Small changes yield greater rewards over time. We’re meant to move.”

Superfoods and Supplements

Nitric oxide, responsible for the dilation and contraction of blood vessels, is produced by exercising and helps to protect the smooth interior lining of the arteries from excessive plaque accumulation. Adding nitric oxide-boosting foods to an already healthy diet can give us an extra edge over vascular conditions like stroke and peripheral artery disease. “Beets, arugula, spinach and rhubarb are all good sources of dietary nitrate.

They’re not miracle supplements, but if you make these foods a regular part of your diet, you’ll have a positive effect on your arteries,” says Hutchinson.

Research by Florida State University published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reveals that a

one-cup daily serving of blueberries helps to protect the arteries from stiffness. Watermelon, rich in the nonessential amino acid L-citrulline, also packs a nitric oxide punch.

Full-spectrum vitamin E is another good option, especially for addressing peripheral artery disease and reducing serum triglyceride levels that are often seen as secondary to “bad” cholesterol levels, but which low levels are vital to cardiovascular health.

Druz cautions against using supplements as substitutes for healthy nutrition and exercise, and underscores the importance of dialing down stress, “I advise my patients to build stress resiliency, which involves recognizing and practicing stress response. This, along with nutrition and consistent exercise, will lower inflammation and help build stress resiliency.”

Marlaina Donato is an author and composer.

Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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February 2020

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healthy kids

GOOD HEARTS START YOUNG

Boosting Kids’ Cardiovascular Health

by Ronica A. O’Hara

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e don’t often think of children as having cardiovascular problems, but evidence is mounting that many youngsters today—because of scant exercise, poor eating habits and excessive screen time—are on track to experiencing serious heart and circulatory problems later in life.

“Instead of taking a wait-and-see approach by treating disease later in adulthood, we should help children maintain the standards of ideal cardiovascular health that most children are born with,” reports Julia Steinberger, M.D., director of pediatric cardiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, in Minneapolis, and lead author of a 2016 scientific statement on children’s cardiovascular health from the American Heart Association (AHA).

In a March 2019 update, the AHA noted that fewer than 1 percent of children meet all seven criteria, or metrics, for ideal cardiovascular health; half of all children meet merely half the measures,

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which include physical activity, healthy eating, not smoking, attaining ideal body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose readings.

Poor metrics in a child are linked to such adverse outcomes as heart attacks, heart failure and stroke in adulthood, advises Elaine Urbina, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, adding that poor metrics in teens are linked to fatty build-up in the neck arteries and arterial stiffness later in life.

But starting in utero, crucial strategies can promote strong cardiovascular systems in kids. Children born to mothers with low vitamin D levels have about a 60 percent higher risk of elevated systolic blood pressure between ages 6 and 18, reports a Boston Medical Center study in the journal Hypertension; vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may head that off. Other important strategies include:

Get them moving. Children should

be physically active at least 60 minutes a day, the AHA recommends, but among kids 6 to 11, only half of the boys and a third of the girls meet that guideline; by ages 16 to 19, merely one in 10 boys and one in 20 girls do. A review of 50 fitness studies in 28 countries involving 25 million children concluded that American kids today are about a minute and a half slower running a mile than their peers 30 years ago.

“Aerobic exercises like running, swimming and cycling use the big muscles of the body and are excellent ways of stressing and strengthening the heart and lungs,” says study author Grant Tomkinson, Ph.D., professor of education, health and behavior studies at the University of North Dakota. Even simply walking to school in the morning for 10 minutes reduces stress in kids and curbs heart rate and blood pressure increases, a University of Buffalo study found.

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Feed them well. About 91 percent of U.S. children

have what is classified as a “poor” diet that’s heavy in simple carbs like desserts and sugary drinks, the AHA reported. It recommends feeding kids a diet heavy in fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains and low in sodium and sugary foods and drinks. A 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of 2,142 children

Instead of taking a waitand-see approach by treating disease later in adulthood, we should help children maintain the standards of ideal cardiovascular health that most children are born with. ~Julia Steinberger

found that nine of 10 kids exceeded recommended sodium levels.

A Cleveland Clinic study found that obese children eating a lowfat, plant-based vegan diet for four weeks began lowering their risk of heart disease by improving their weight, blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity.

Don’t smoke or vape. The risk of a child developing carotid plaque in adulthood was four times higher if one or both parents smoked without taking care to limit the child’s exposure; when they did take care, the risk was still almost two times higher, according to an Australian study in the journal Circulation.

Discouraging a teen from vaping is also critical to future health: New research from the University of Kansas School of Medicine shows that adults that vape are significantly more likely to have a heart attack, coronary artery disease and depression compared with those that don’t vape or use any tobacco products.

Restrict screen time. Australian

6-year-olds that spent the most time in front of TVs, computers and video games had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes—a marker of future cardiovascular risk— reported a study in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular. A study from Canada’s McMaster University found that kids with video game addictions sleep less, which in turn elevates blood pressure, lowers helpful HDL cholesterol and raises triglycerides.

Ronica A. O’Hara is a Denver-based health writer.

Connect at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

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SACRED VESSELS

The Lifeblood of Heart Health

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by Julie Peterson

hen people think about heart health, what generally comes to mind is the fist-sized muscle that pumps and oxygenates the body’s lifeblood. However, the heart of the matter is not the pump itself, but the vascular system— the network of veins, arteries and capillaries that distributes blood to every cell in the body, delivering nutrients and eliminating waste.

Each human adult harbors an astonishing 60,000 miles of blood vessels— enough to wrap around the planet twice.

Keeping these hard-working vessels supple and open is the key not only to avoiding disease, but also to ensuring a long and healthy life.

The alternative—arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries—can slowly and silently bring on cardiovascular disease (CVD), which can result in a heart attack, stroke, vision loss and cognitive decline. CVD is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing one in four Americans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease

When a disease is lifestyle-induced, the only thing that can reverse it is a dramatic change in diet and lifestyle. We’ve seen over and over again that it works. ~Brenda Davis 22

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Control and Prevention (CDC). By 2035, nearly half the population—45 percent—is predicted to have some form of the disease.

“A hundred years ago, we were farming the back 40 with a team of horses, eating what we grew. Kids don’t get out and ride bikes; they’re playing video games and eating crap. There’s very little doubt how we got to this problem,” says John Osborne, M.D., director of cardiology at State of the Heart Cardiology, near Dallas.

Yet, the nation’s number one killer, which can fester for decades without symptoms, is largely preventable and reversible.

Only 15 percent of CVD is related to genetics; the rest is attributed to lifestyle, and the right choices can make all the difference. The key is to adopt heart-healthy habits before the body delivers a potentially fatal warning.

“The initial presentation of heart disease can be an acute catastrophic event that results in death in half the men and twothirds of the women. That’s not treatable,” warns Osborne.

Know the Risk Factors

The first step toward cardiovascular health is awareness. Important indicators of CVD risk include: 4 High blood pressure (over 140/90) 4 High cholesterol (over 240 mg/dL) 4 High triglycerides (over 200 mg/dL) 4 High blood glucose (over 140 mg/dL) 4 Obesity (BMI over 30) 4 Inflammation (hsCRP test above 2 ml/dL) 4 Physical inactivity (less than 30 minutes a day) 4 Smoking or vaping (any at all) 4 Chronic stress 4 Loneliness

Any of these factors can increase the risk of CVD, but possessing a cluster of the first five comprises a condition called metabolic syndrome, which significantly increases the potential for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes—itself a significant risk factor that can damage blood vessels, as well as the organs they support.

“While diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States, this figure belies the fact that most people with diabetes die of heart disease, kidney failure and other complications,” says Brenda Davis, RD, of Alberta, Canada, author of Kick Diabetes Essentials: The Diet and Lifestyle Guide.

Metabolic syndrome, like CVD, has few obvious symptoms and is on the rise: Nearly one-third of adults in the U.S. have it, according to the CDC. The one distinct marker for the condition is an accumulation of fat around the waistline, characterized by a measurement of over 35 inches for women and 40 for men.

Take Action to Cut Risks

“When a disease is lifestyle-induced, the only thing that can reverse it is a dramatic change in diet and lifestyle,” says Davis. “We’ve seen over and over again that it works.”

n Know the Numbers

CVD flies under the radar even though it’s increasingly common at younger ages. The Journal of the American Medical Association released a study in December 2019 stating that about one in four young adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes, putting them at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes and CVD.

Lisa McDowell, director of clinical nutrition and wellness at St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and team dietitian for the Detroit Red Wings, works with elite athletes of all ages and notes that they more likely know their favorite player’s jersey number than their own health numbers. “Learn what your blood pressure is, know your body mass index, get your cholesterol levels and triglycerides and your [hemoglobin] A1C.

There’s not an excess of blueberries in the American diet; there’s an excess of relatively inexpensive, highly processed junk foods in large containers. ~Lisa McDowell Know these numbers early on and, if there’s a problem, fix it,” she advises.

While simple blood tests help monitor indicators for CVD, more sophisticated tests can be even more revealing. In 2018, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) jointly issued new guidelines for patients over age 50 to get a computerized tomography (CT) scan to determine their calcium score. The procedure checks for hardening of the arteries and predicts the risk of a 10year future cardiovascular event.

“This identifies people who have pre-clinical atherosclerosis, regardless of risk factors,” says Osborne. “It also helps people modify behaviors, because they are faced with a diagnosis.”

Yale R. Smith, a Melbourne, Florida, M.D., who specializes in metabolic and functional medicine, utilizes the U.S. Food & Drug Administration-approved protein unstable lesion signature (PULS) blood test. Recommended for patients in their 40s, it measures inflammatory biomarkers for the body’s immune system response to arterial injury and provides a chronological heart age and risk of a CVD event.

“If you can show someone the future, it’s a wake-up call to make lifestyle changes to increase longevity,” Smith says.

n Eat for Heart Health

Perhaps the single most important change that people can make is diet.

“But a lot of people don’t want lifestyle medicine—they’d rather take a statin with their Big Mac,” says McDowell.

Preventing or reversing CVD requires diligence, but it’s largely about eating real, whole food—and mostly plants.

This means avoiding processed foods and consuming less salt, trans fats, saturated fat and cholesterol; and more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

“There’s not an excess of blueberries in the American diet; there’s an excess of relatively inexpensive, highly processed junk foods in large containers,” says McDowell. Overcoming the urge to grab fast and easy foods requires education.

“Everyone needs to learn how to read a food label and avoid foods linked to vascular disease,” she adds.

Vegans have healthier cholesterol levels in their blood compared to vegetarians, which in turn have better levels than meat-eaters. Study-verified diets that lower CVD indicators also include the Mediterranean diet, as well as two developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet, which also addresses exercise and weight control.

“I don’t believe that one diet fits everybody, but there’s a preponderance of evidence that the more plant compounds you get, the better off you are,” says McDowell.

Some cardiovascular boosters:

Leafy greens flush out excess sodium and magnesium, and reduce inflammation.

Berries improve circulation by boosting nitric oxide, which expands blood vessels.

Pomegranate juice lowers blood pressure and reduces plaque formation.

Walnuts, peanuts and almonds lower LDL, the “bad cholesterol”.

Oily fish, chia and flax seeds with omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides.

Soy with anti-inflammatory isoflavones helps dilate blood vessels. “We could eat tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame, soy beans or even organic soy ‘veggie meats’ in place of red meat,” says Davis.

Yogurt, kefir and other fermented probiotic dairy products help improve glycemic control, blood lipids, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Supplements can be very helpful: Red yeast rice extract, much like a statin, significantly lowers total cholesterol and LDL. February 2020

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Coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant, lowers blood pressure and combats the side effects of statins.

Omega-3s in fish oil supplements reduce heart risk in healthy people and those already diagnosed with CVD risk.

Nicotinamide riboside improves blood pressure and arterial health in those with mild hypertension.

Garlic, fresh or in capsules, can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

n Move It

Sitting all day and then briefly exercising doesn’t provide the same benefit as moving periodically throughout the day.

Take more frequent breaks from sitting, get up to move around for a couple of minutes every 30 minutes.

Exercise strengthens the endothelium, the innermost of an artery’s three layers,

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and produces nitric oxide, which helps keep arteries open and healthy. Getting the blood moving lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and increases oxygen and nutrients to the body.

Exercising outdoors provides additional benefits. Research from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that exposure to green spaces helped prevent metabolic syndrome.

Walking a dog outdoors gets three cardiovascular pluses—exercise, nature and sociability, as dogs tend to be tail-wagging ice-breakers. Further, merely stroking a pet lowers blood pressure.

Apps like Headspace and Insight Timer make it easy to do meditation, which studies suggest may reduce overall CVD risk.

n Stress Less, Socialize More

Not starting to smoke or vape at all is ideal for cardiovascular health, but quitting allows the body to begin to heal, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease after one year by 50 percent, reports the AHA; 14 years later, the risk is the same as a non-smoker’s.

“It’s not intuitively easy to make healthy decisions,” says McDowell. “We have to learn how to make good choices.”

Spending even 20 minutes outdoors in nature can do wonders for high blood pressure and cortisol levels, studies show.

Walking or talking with a friend deepens social engagement, a key factor in lowering CVD risk: “Having the right tribe is crucial,” says McDowell. “If you’re with people who support you and make you laugh, you feel less stress.”

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n Don’t Smoke

Julie Peterson writes from rural Wisconsin.

Connect at JuliePeterson2222@gmail.com.

Standard American Diet (SAD)

Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

Previous studies have linked processed foods to hypertension and high cholesterol, and a 2019 British Medical Journal study of 105,000 adults reported that a 10 percent increase in the consumption of processed foods corresponded to a 12 percent overall increase in cardiovascular disease.

Inflammation

Assess Personal Risk High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood pushing against the vessel walls is too high, making the heart and vessels work harder. The friction damages the endothelium— the inner lining of veins and arteries—plaque builds up, the vessels narrow and blood pressure increases even more. Contributing factors include being sedentary, overweight and consuming excessive alcohol or salt.

High Cholesterol

A waxy, fat-like substance found in all cells of the body, cholesterol can pile up (mostly as a consequence of poor diet) and stick to arterial walls, creating plaque that stymies blood flow to the heart.

High Triglycerides

The end product of digesting fats in food, triglycerides become fat in the blood that gives the body energy. Numbers climb with consumption of refined carbohydrates, simple sugars and fatty foods, contributing to arteriosclerosis.

Metabolic Syndrome

A cluster of conditions that affect up to a third of Americans, metabolic syndrome

is defined by high blood pressure; high levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides; and excess fat around the waist. It’s closely linked to Type 2 diabetes, another CVD risk factor.

Obesity

Obesity—which afflicts almost 40 percent of American adults—causes chronic inflammation, harms the endothelium and causes poor cholesterol numbers. A 12year study of 17,640 Europeans, published in the European Heart Journal, found that obese people with metabolic risk factors were two-and-a-half times as likely to have heart disease as those of normal weight.

Stress

When stressed by such factors as work overload, family strife or traumatic memories, the body releases adrenaline, which causes acceleration of breathing and heart rate, contraction of vessels and a rise in blood sugar. Chronic stress can cause constricted arteries that lead to arteriosclerosis and inflammation of the endothelium.

Further, stressed people often turn to vascular-destructive activities such as smoking, drinking and binge eating.

Chronic inflammation, caused by such factors as fried and processed foods, smoking, obesity, alcohol and stress, can trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissues, including the endothelium, raising CVD risk. C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation marker, is measured by the hsCRP blood test. Men with higher CRP levels had three times the risk of heart attack and twice the risk of stroke, Harvard scientists have found.

Physical Inactivity

A lack of regular, ongoing physical activity has been shown to dramatically increase obesity, blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation. A 2019 British study found that artery functions declined and CVD risk factors worsened in just two weeks when active exercisers reduced their daily steps from 10,000 to 1,000.

Smoking and Vaping

Nicotine, carbon monoxide and chemicals in cigarettes increase blood pressure and heart rate, damage the endothelium and cause blood platelets to clot more, which is why smokers are two to four times more likely to get cardiovascular disease. E-cigarettes and cigars may be worse due to higher doses of nicotine, the AHA warns.

Loneliness

People need people: Harvard researchers examined 23 studies that involved 181,000 adults and found that loneliness, social isolation or both were associated with increased risks of heart attacks (29 percent) and strokes (32 percent).

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Food always tastes better in the season it was intended to be eaten in. ~Brigit Binns

A Feast for All Seasons Embracing the Rainbow Year Round

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by April Thompson

o matter where we live, eating seasonally in winter doesn’t have to be boring or limiting; a culinary adventure awaits the home chef that’s willing to leave avocados and asparagus to their rightful seasons and embrace the winter rainbow of bitter greens, sweet potatoes, sunny citrus and fuchsia beets, among other timely delicacies.

“Sometimes people think of winter foods as brown and soft and boring, and it’s absolutely not the case. Winter brings bright things like pomegranates, beets and citrus, which offer color and acidity,” says Brigit Binns, the Paso Robles, California author of 30 cookbooks, including Cooking in Season: 100 Recipes for Eating Fresh.

Eating seasonally is especially important in winter, says Shannon Stonger of Texas, author of Simple Food for Winter: 30 Grain-Free Recipes to Get You Through the Dark Days. “Winter foods like fermented vegetables, root vegetables, squashes and hardy greens are especially helpful in the colder, darker months, when our bodies are in need of comfort foods as well as pre- and probiotic foods,” says Stonger, a homesteader and founder of the blog NourishingDays.com.

There are plenty of other reasons to stick to a seasonal diet in winter, adds Binns.

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“Food always tastes better in the season it was intended to be eaten in. Seasonal foods are naturally ripened, rather than harvested early and trucked in. In addition to enhanced flavor, eating seasonally helps minimize use of fossil fuels to bring our food to us, and is likely to be less expensive.”

Winterizing the Kitchen

Much of the fall harvest, particularly root vegetables, stores well through the winter (hence the idea of a root cellar), extending produce across seasons, according to Steven Satterfield, chef and author of Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons. There are lots of root vegetables beyond just carrots and potatoes to be enjoyed in winter, including sunchokes, parsnips and turnips, which can be used creatively rather than “boiled to death,” says Satterfield. For example, the Atlanta restaurateur incorporates parsnips into an upside-down cake with winter spices like nutmeg, black pepper and ginger.

Binns like to add texture to winter dishes with nuts, color with herbs, and crunch with a winter vegetable like fennel.

Warming soups are always comforting during the coldest season, but she also likes warm salads, like a beet and escarole salad drizzled with a warm sherry vinaigrette.

Satterfield suggests that specialty

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citrus like blood oranges, Meyer lemons and cross-hybridized varieties such as tangelos and pomelos are fun to intersperse with winter vegetables to maximize brightness and freshness. A lot of winter produce can be great in raw form as well, he adds, including Brussels sprouts, rutabaga or daikon radish, shaved thinly or julienned into a salad.

Winter squash is a favorite staple of the Stonger family in the cooler months.

“It is easy to grow, easy to store and so deliciously sweet and rich. We roast it as a side dish, mash it as a sort of breakfast porridge or make soups and curries from it,” says Stonger.

Satterfield suggests using all the parts of winter vegetables to maximize the harvest and minimize food waste.

For example, the seeds of winter squashes can be roasted with herbs and spices and eaten as is, churned into other dishes such as a squash seed granola or blended and strained into a homemade broth to add some texture, fat and flavor. After roasting carrots with Moroccan spices, Satterfield suggests taking the leafy carrot tops and chopping them with cilantro and garlic to make a green sauce to crown the carrots.

Swiss chard stems can also be chopped and cooked into Portuguese bread soup, with leftover stale bread made into olive oil croutons and egg whites stirred in at the end.

Winter Health Boosters

Beyond selecting seasonal produce, chefs recommend a few key dietary tweaks in winter, such as stepping up vitamin D consumption. “Since you’re not seeing a lot of sun this time of year, it’s more important to get it through colorful vegetables like carrots, cabbage or radicchio.

Watermelon radishes are another winter vegetable full of vitamins,” says Binns.

“You can grow your own sprouts throughout the winter as a great microgreen option. Sprouts are incredibly high in enzymes, something often lacking in other winter dishes,” suggests Stonger.

“Fermented vegetables and other fermented foods can make up the difference in winter.”

April Thompson is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. Connect at AprilWrites.com.

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conscious eating

Winter Salad Wonders

photo photo

by Ray byKachatorian Ray Kachatorian

shallow serving bowl. Working on a plate to capture all the juices, use a serrated knife to cut a thick slice off the top and bottom of each citrus fruit. Working with one fruit at a time, stand it upright and, following the contour of the fruit, carefully slice downward to remove the peel, pith and membrane. Set the fruit on its side and cut crosswise into slices about ⅜-inch thick, discarding any seeds. Transfer the slices to the bowl with the mâche, reserving the juices for the vinaigrette.

Mixed Citrus Salad With Mâche, Fennel and Celery Winter is the height of citrus season, with an appealing display of oranges, mandarins, tangerines, tangelos, pomelos and more in the best-stocked markets. Use a varied mixture of sweet-tart types for the prettiest, tastiest salad.

Yields: 4 servings 2 ribs celery 2 bunches mâche 2 lb mixed citrus fruits, such as navel oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, mandarins and pomelos ½ fennel bulb, trimmed 8 kumquats ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted For the vinaigrette: Fresh orange juice or as needed 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Cut the celery in half lengthwise. Using a serrated vegetable peeler or a mandoline, shave the celery into thin strips lengthwise down the ribs. Cut the strips in half crosswise and place in a bowl of water. Set aside.

Separate the mâche leaves and transfer to a

chard in a bowl, drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat. Add the squash and beets, drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

From Cooking in Season: 100 Recipes for Eating Fresh, by Brigit Binns

Cut the fennel lengthwise in half. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut the fennel crosswise into very thin slices and tuck among the citrus slices. Drain the celery and distribute evenly over the salad. Using the serrated knife, cut each kumquat crosswise into very thin slices, discarding any seeds. Scatter the kumquat slices evenly over the salad, then sprinkle the almonds over the top.

To make the vinaigrette, pour the reserved citrus juices into a measuring cup. Add enough additional orange juice to measure ½ cup then add the vinegar. Whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss gently to coat, and serve.

From Cooking in Season: 100 Recipes for Eating Fresh, by Brigit Binns

Chard and Squash Salad 1 small winter squash, such as sweet dumpling, acorn or golden 2 small beets, trimmed 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough ribs removed and leaves torn Red wine vinaigrette or vinaigrette of choice Sea salt and freshly ground pepper Cut the winter squash into wedges and remove the seeds, if desired. Transfer the wedges to a baking dish. Halve the beets and add to the dish. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Bake in a preheated 450° F oven, stirring once, until tender and lightly browned, 20 to 40 minutes. Let cool. Peel and slice the beets. Place the February 2020

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green living

sherlesi/Shutterstock.com

Disrupting Disposables The Drive to Banish Single-Use Plastics

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niversities, sports There is momentum, plastics from the waste arenas, restaurants system and replacing but it is challenging. them with Earth-friendly and other businesses are taking up the alternatives will eventu~Eric DesRoberts call to “disrupt disposables” ally pay off, experts say, as part of a global effort but it will be a long and to dramatically cut down on single-use slow process. However, momentum is plastics. The environmental problems building, spurred by consumer demand caused by those ubiquitous throwaways and a growing number of enterprising have become a mainstay of news reporting, businesses, organizations and academic and studies on how best to reduce them institutions. through public policy abound. A recent

At Penn State University, agriculCanadian research paper in the Marine ture and biological engineering professor Pollution Bulletin explores strategies such Judd Michael is working with sports as bans, tax levies and education. Experts facilities to lower both plastics use and agree that it is not just a litter problem, but littering; the initiative is working so well a sobering matter of human and planetary that their approaches may be taken up by health. other schools across the nation. “One of

As these plastics wind up in the oceans my projects is with NASCAR’s Pocono and landfills worldwide, they can languish Raceway [also in Pennsylvania], where the virtually intact for up to 1,000 years, entanowners of the track wanted to continue gling and choking marine mammals and to make the venue more green,” he says. terrestrial wildlife. Or, they break into toxic “There is zero waste in suites for that microplastics that enter drinking water track, and they are initiating a compresupplies, eventually ingested by humans. hensive recycling program. They try to get Because plastics are made from petroleum, tailgaters to participate, as well.” their production also adds to greenhouse

On campus, Penn State provides gases that contribute to the climate crisis. bags of different colors for tailgaters with Two-pronged efforts instructions for fans to separate recyclables by businesses and individuals to divert in one bag and everything else in the other.

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A lot of local folks have really changed their perspective. We see a lot more customers coming in and saying they appreciate that we are using compostable cups and compostable straws. ~Dana Honn That program was exported to Pocono.

Michael is also working with PepsiCo, which owns Frito-Lay, to develop alternative packaging.

The University of Florida’s efforts began in 2012, when the campus freed itself from plastic bags, getting buy-in from Chick-Fil-A, Subway and other eateries that agreed to switch to alternatives. “We’ve been Styrofoam-free since 2012, as well,” says Allison Vitt, outreach and communications coordinator for the UF Office of Sustainability. “At the end of 2018, we officially switched over all to compostable straws.”

They feel like plastic, but are certified compostable, she says.

UF has engaged with Cupanion, a company that developed an app that has a “fill it forward” program, distributing money to clean-water charities worldwide.

“Since 2016, we’ve been working with them to reduce single-use plastic, rewarding people for reusing their bottles,” says Vitt.

Interested students, staff and faculty are given a barcode sticker to scan on their phone each time a bottle is refilled at a campus retailer or water fountain. The app provides points that can be redeemed for monthly prizes. “It also shows you your personal footprint—your cumulative impact, like how many single-use bottles you have avoided,” she says.

On a smaller scale, Dana Honn and his wife Christina went completely plastic-free upon opening Café Carmo, in New Orleans. “We only had about a dozen seats, but determined to have as little waste as possible. Every year, we were able to build upon it,” he says.

“A lot of local folks have really changed their perspective. We see a lot more customers coming in and saying they appreciate that we are using compostable cups and compostable straws.”

It’s a slow, but steady effort, says Eric

DesRoberts, senior manager of the Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas program.

“We have worked with a number of restaurants talking about why it is important to be taking action to keep plastics out of the waste stream and out of the ocean.”

More people are volunteering to clean up and cut back on plastics, and more businesses are asking the nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based, environmental advocacy organization how they can do their part. “There is momentum, but it is challenging,” says DesRoberts.

Yvette C. Hammett is an environmental writer based in Valrico, Florida. Connect at YvetteHammett28@hotmail.com.

February 2020

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wise words

Linda Carroll on Skills That Make Love Last

Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love. ~Lao Tzu

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sychotherapist Linda Carroll was drawn into the dynamics of couples’ counseling three decades ago when she saw how in her own marriage, petty disagreements could turn into full-blown arguments with the potential for deep wounds. She and her husband Tim worked on their issues by attending workshops across the country, including Imago therapy and PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills), which were so effective that she developed a curriculum called Love Skills by combining those tools, her experience as a married person and counselor, personal training from consciousness pioneers and resources from ancient mythology and spiritual/religious traditions.

She has co-taught the course with her husband for more than 25 years. Her first book, Love Cycles: The Five Essential Stages of Everlasting Love, has been translated into several languages and details stages in romantic relationships. Her new book, Love Skills: The Key to Unlocking Lasting, Wholehearted Love, is a guide to developing a relationship toolkit.

What is the Love Cycles model?

It is based on the fact that feelings of love are seasonal. Like the seasons of the year,

ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

they are a natural progression of a relationship. If you understand the seasons, you can pass through them. All relationships are teachers. If we allow them to teach us, we become free to love deeper and better.

What is the most difficult Love Cycles stage, and why?

Each stage has its own unique challenges. For example, the first stage, the Merge, has a magic to it due to the chemical cocktail that floods your body when in the presence of your significant other. But this stage can be treacherous in that you can mistake your feelings for evidence that this is the “right” person for you. In the Power Struggle stage, feelings will have worn off and power struggles will start to show up. The third stage is Disillusionment. Differences between both of you really start to show up at this time.

The fourth stage is the Decision stage.

At this point, many couples find themselves wanting out. The key to making it through this stage is to remember that this, too, shall pass and to commit to working it out. It’s important to realize that life is not about getting an A+ at all times. Sometimes, we need to accept that a C- is okay; and if you do need to leave a relationship, it is possible to do it in a wholehearted way at best—at the least, to

photo by Le Studio NYC

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by Kajsa Nickels

minimize damage. The fifth stage I call Wholehearted Love, a stage reached only through mindfulness and unconditional love. Because love has changing seasons, a couple will not stop at the fifth stage forever, but getting back to this state will become easier and easier as time goes on.

What was your impetus for writing Love Skills?

I have been teaching the program for 25 years and drew from my almost 40 years as a couples therapist, many trainings all over the country and own life experiences in my relationship with my husband to compile the program. Most couples lack the skills to manage the troubles of life. There is a skill to every aspect of a relationship, especially in communication: listening, speaking, knowing when to speak and when to be silent.

Who is most likely to benefit?

The relationship you have with yourself is a core part of the Love Cycles model. If you do not have a good relationship with yourself, you cannot have a solid and meaning-

ful relationship with another person. This is a couples’ book, although it can also be gone through by a single person if the partner is not interested in it. What I tell people is that you can only work on your part. If the other person doesn’t want to buy in or isn’t wholeheartedly on board—or at least partially willing—there is nothing that you can do about it. You need to be able to be okay and confident in yourself. You cannot change another person, but you can always change yourself.

What is one of the most important pieces of advice you have for couples?

I hope that couples come to realize that feelings of love are like clouds, always changing. A good relationship requires a skill set, which we practice whatever the feelings are. We are not born knowing how to love skillfully, but this skill set can be learned by anyone and will make you able to listen better and appreciate each other more.

If you’re alive, there’s a purpose for your life. ~Rick Warren

Kajsa Nickels is a freelance author who resides in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Connect at FidelEterna45@gmail.com.

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Antonio Gravante/Shutterstock.com

natural pet

Pain Relief for Pets Prolotherapy Gives Joints New Life

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by Julie Peterson

involving the injection rian Engler, Prolotherapy offers an of a sugar solution of Drexel Hill, effective alternative to directly into the afPennsylvania, surgery in a significant fected area. The body’s was asked to provide hospice care for a senior number of partial ligament inflammation response Akita. Tadao was tears or persistent joint kicks in, resulting in regrowth of new fibers underweight, weak, pain issues. in ligaments and tenarthritic and had been dons. severely neglected. He ~Judith M. Shoemaker Prolotherapy has needed a place to live been around a long time. It was used to out his remaining days in comfort. Even treat lame animals around 1350 B.C. Back though Tadao was unstable with severely limited mobility, Engler believed that the old then, a hot poker was used to induce the inflammation response. In the 1930s, dog had more than a little life left in him. injection of an irritant solution at the site

Engler’s veterinarian tried prolotherapy injection treatments for Tadao’s joint of the injury became the new method, and has since been shown in scientific studies pain and he soon became more comfortto facilitate the repair and regrowth of conable and gradually more active. “By the nective tissue, ligaments, tendons, cartilage time we completed the treatments, he was able to get up and down with ease and and other joint-stabilizing structures. started cruising around the kitchen looking Modern prolotherapy has remained basically the same for the last 80 years, for snacks on the counter,” says Engler. although the injected irritant solution is

Prolotherapy, short for proliferative therapy, isn’t just for dogs. Any animal modified according to the veterinarian, with a joint can receive the regenerative the type of animal and the injury. Every injection therapy, which relieves pain by vet uses a slightly different prolotherapy “cocktail”, which typically includes 50 strengthening ligaments and tendons suppercent dextrose and possibly several other porting the joint. It’s minimally invasive,

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ingredients the practitioner finds useful, such as saline, vitamin B12, lidocaine and homeopathic combinations. Some vets also offer platelet-rich plasma or stem cells in the injection mixture.

“Prolotherapy offers an effective alternative to surgery in a significant number of partial ligament tears or persistent joint pain issues,” says Judith M. Shoemaker, DVM, owner of Always Helpful Veterinary Services, in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. “It’s quite inexpensive and the success rate is very good. Many animals respond after just a few treatments.”

Shoemaker typically does prolotherapy treatments in three- to five-week intervals until the joint heals. She also looks to correct the underlying issues of the problem. “Joints don’t get torn up with normal movement,” she says.

Animals may have joint issues from falling, but other causes include overweight, long toenails or chiropractic issues.

Prolotherapy stabilizes joints after an injury and achieves pain-free motion, but it’s only successful if the cause of the injury

By the time we completed the treatments, he was able to get up and down with ease and started cruising around the kitchen looking for snacks on the counter. ~Brian Engler

is remedied.

“Prolotherapy is a very important tool in integrative veterinary care, but it’s not a panacea, and it’s never a stand-alone treatment,” says Christin Finn, DVM, owner of the Canine Rehabilitation & Integrative Veterinary Center, in Kingston, Washington. “It’s part of a combination of integrative treatments based on what is best for your pet.”

The right balance of treatments to help an animal feel comfortable could include laser therapy, osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, physical therapy, custom braces, prolotherapy or rest.

Using prolotherapy in conjunction with other posture-correcting and integrative therapies is a win for pets and

their owners. Surgery is fraught with complications and expensive. When prolotherapy is used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, animals can recover from injuries that may have been debilitating or even fatal.

Ivey Sumrell’s Irish sport horse recovered from a severe injury. At 8 years old, Johnny was bitten on the neck by a stallion. “His neck became unstable and he had severe problems walking,” says Sumrell, of Tryon, North Carolina.

“Ultrasound-guided prolotherapy was done three times to all of his neck joints.”

Johnny was able to be ridden and lived to be 22.

And Tadao, the dog that was expected to die in hospice care a year ago, is enjoying life. He’s now well-nourished and loved, and painlessly goes for walks and plays at the park. “Tadao is the poster child for what prolotherapy can do,” says Engler.

Julie Peterson writes about health and environmental issues. Reach her at JuliePeterson2222@gmail.com.

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healing ways

HEALING JOINTS FROM WITHIN The Promise of Regenerative Medicine

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by Marlaina Donato

omeday, medical science will allow us to infuse damaged or aging organs with new cells, or to manufacture made-to-order organs on a 3-D printer.

These emerging techniques to revitalize worn-out body parts are on the drawing board in the field of regenerative medicine.

However, for the injured college athlete or the grandmother with compromised joint function, healing and pain relief can already be found in the form of prolotherapy and other non-invasive approaches that stimulate the body to heal itself.

Injection therapies using dextrose or the patient’s own platelets or stem cells are being used to naturally stimulate the body to produce collagen and rejuvenated tissue, offering hope to those with soft tissue injuries, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease and even pain syndromes like fibromyalgia. A recent review in the British Medical Bulletin of 10 high-quality studies of

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dextrose prolotherapy in adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee showed patients experienced significantly less pain and improved range of motion in both the short term and long term without adverse effects. Eighty-two percent of patients were satisfied with the treatment.

Controlled Inflammation

A type of regenerative medicine innovated by osteopathic physician Earl Gedney in the 1930s, prolotherapy induces low-grade, temporary inflammation with the intention of triggering connective tissue cells called fibroblasts in and around the injection site. “If you cut your arm or twist your ankle, various immune cells rush to the area to begin the repair process. This is a very basic comparison of what prolotherapy does with injections directed to specific anatomical points,� says Ross A. Hauser, M.D.,

founder of Caring Medical Regenerative Medicine Clinics, in Fort Myers, Florida, and Chicago.

“Prolotherapy is used to treat osteoarthritis because it helps correct the underlying reason why it has occurred, which is joint instability. The body overgrows bone as a long-term response in an effort to stabilize an unstable joint,” Hauser says.

Naturopathic physician Brent Cameron, of Aurora Natural Medicine, in Gilbert, Arizona, suggests individualized treatment plans for best results. “My recommendations are very patient-specific, which is an important piece in prolotherapy.” Cameron says his patients are likely to start seeing relief in the first week. “In many instances, they experience complete relief and mobility after a series of treatments.”

While Cameron attests to the efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy, he is cautious with recommending it for people with systemic inflammatory conditions. “Someone with a history of joint-related autoimmune response tends to mount stronger inflammatory responses. Other forms of regenerative medicine can be helpful for rheumatoid arthritis [RA], but not in the inflammation-mediated way, like prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.”

One option, according to the Institute of Regenerative Medicine, in Boca Raton, Florida, might be very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELS), an emerging form of regenerative stem cell therapy. These have shown promise in dealing with RA and other autoimmune diseases. Meanwhile, the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine is ramping up its research into approaches that stimulate the body to repair itself, with numerous ongoing clinical trials utilizing different injection therapies for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Prolotherapy and Neural Therapy. PRP is sometimes used in conjunction with stem cell therapy, which is typically applied in cases in which something needs to be replaced, to help fill in gaps in ligaments or tendons, Harris says.

PRP injections have proven to be effective in easing chronic low back pain from damaged vertebral discs. An overview of research published in the Journal of Spine Surgery in 2018 found it to be safe, effective and feasible, with promising potential for the treatment of musculoskeletal

disorders. Harris says that people that wish to avoid surgery or cortisone injections can benefit from PRP, which can also be applied topically to treat non-healing wounds like bedsores and diabetic ulcers.

Harris subscribes to the power of persistence. “Don’t give up. With proper treatment there is a strong likelihood that you can live a happy, healthy life free from chronic pain.”

Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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The Power of Platelets

PRP injections are similar to prolotherapy, using platelets from the patient’s body instead of dextrose. “As blood flows through an injury site, the inflammatory chemicals trigger the platelets to release growth factors, which causes the torn fibers of the damaged structures to heal,” says Fort Worth osteopath Gerald Harris, of Texas

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February 2020

35

Share the love not the cold

had colds going round and round, but not me.”

Some users say it also helps with sinuses. Attorney Donna Blight had a 2-day sinus headache. When her CopperZap arrived, she tried it. “I am shocked!” she said. “My head cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.”

Some users say copper stops nighttime stuffiness if used just before cientists recently discovered bed. One man said, “Best sleep I’ve had time. He hasn’t had a single cold for 7 a way to kill viruses and in years.” years since. bacteria.

Copper can also stop flu if used early He asked relatives and friends to try Now thousands of people are using it it. They said it worked for them, too, so and for several days. Lab technicians to stop colds and flu. placed 25 million live flu viruses on a he patented CopperZap™ and put it on Colds start CopperZap. No viruses were found alive the market. when cold viruses soon after.

Soon hundreds get in your nose.

Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the teams of people had Viruses multiply confirming the discovery. He placed tried it and given fast. If you don’t millions of disease germs on copper. feedback. Nearly stop them early, “They started to die literally as soon as 100% said the they spread and they touched the surface,” he said. copper stops colds cause misery.

People have even used copper on if used within 3 In hundreds cold sores and say it can completely hours after the first of studies, EPA prevent outbreaks. sign. Even up to New research: Copper stops colds if used early. and university The handle is 2 days, if they researchers have confirmed that viruses curved and finely still get the cold it is milder than usual and bacteria die almost instantly when textured to improve and they feel better. touched by copper. contact. It kills germs Users wrote things like, “It stopped That’s why ancient Greeks and picked up on fingers my cold right away,” and “Is it Egyptians used copper to purify water and hands to protect supposed to work that fast?” and heal wounds. They didn’t know you and your family.

“What a wonderful thing,” wrote about microbes, but now we do.

Copper even kills Physician’s Assistant Julie. “No more Dr. Bill Keevil: Copper quickly kills deadly germs that Scientists say the high conductance colds for me!” cold viruses. of copper disrupts the electrical balance have become resistant Pat McAllister, 70, received one in a microbe cell and destroys the cell in for Christmas and called it “one of the to antibiotics. If you are near sick seconds. best presents ever. This little jewel really people, a moment of handling it may Tests by the EPA (Environmental keep serious infection away. It may even works.”

Protection Agency) show germs die save a life.

Now thousands of users have simply fast on copper. So some hospitals tried The EPA says copper still works stopped getting colds. copper for touch surfaces like faucets even when tarnished. It kills hundreds of People often use CopperZap and doorknobs. This cut the spread of preventively. Frequent flier Karen Gauci different disease germs so it can prevent MRSA and other illnesses by over half, serious or even fatal illness. used to get colds after crowded flights. and saved lives.

CopperZap is made in America of Though skeptical, she tried it several The strong scientific evidence gave pure copper. It has a 90-day full money times a day on travel days for 2 months. inventor Doug Cornell an idea. When back guarantee. It is $69.95.

“Sixteen flights and not a sniffle!” she he felt a cold about to start he fashioned Get $10 off each CopperZap with exclaimed. a smooth copper probe and rubbed it Businesswoman Rosaleen says when code NATA17.

Go to www.CopperZap.com or call gently in his nose for 60 seconds. people are sick around her she uses “It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold CopperZap morning and night. “It saved toll-free 1-888-411-6114.

Buy once, use forever. never got going.” It worked again every me last holidays,” she said. “The kids ADVERTORIAL

New device stops cold and flu

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Columbia Edition

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February 2020

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calendarofevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received by February 10 (for March 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

FEBRUARY 1, 2 & 8

Butterbean’s Cafe Fairy Smart Hearts–Feb 1, 9-11am; Feb 2, 3-5pm; and Feb 8, 9-11am and noon-3pm. In this class, children will learn all about the heart and how it works. They will create and enjoy a special heart-shaped healthy snack. Cost: $45. Healthy Hands Cooking Studio, 1720 Dutch Fork Rd, Ste B, Irmo. Info: Contact Sharon at 803238-5876 or ConnectAtTheTablellc@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Paint and Sip–6-8:30pm. Columbia Urban League Young Professionals #WCW Paint and Sip with Canvases with Candace. Cost: $30. Converspace, 136-4 Forum Dr, Columbia. Info/tickets: Call Elana Frazier at 347-703-0083.

FRIDAYS FEBRUARY 7 & 21

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.

FRI-SUN, FEBRUARY 7-9

Healthy Eating for Busy Lifestyles–Fri and Sat, 6-8pm; and Sun, 3-5pm. Learn simple ways to make healthy eating easier, meal prep tips, and ways to create a simple plant-based meal and healthy snacks.

Cost: $45. Healthy Hands Cooking Studio, 1720 Dutch Fork Rd, Ste B, Irmo. Info: Contact Sharon at 803-238-5876 or ConnectAtTheTablellc@ gmail.com.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9

The Blended Mama’s Market–1-4pm. Shop at our monthly market featuring live painting demonstrations, handmade jewelry, boutique clothing, beauty care, home decor, and more! All ages. Door prizes!

Cost: Free. CoCreate, 714 S Lake Dr, Lexington.

Info: PersonallyPolishedByTeresa@gmail.com.

Sutra Sangha Sunday–2:30-3:30pm. Pam Meriwether leads us through our exploration and discussion of the ancient texts of the Yoga Sutras to inspire us to live more fully in the present and to shape our world by shifting our minds. Cost: Free.

Sign up on Mindbody. The Rooted Community, 141 S Shandon St, Columbia. Info: Call Anne Miller at 803-730-3976.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Healthy Heart–2-5pm. A part of your Roly Poly dinner purchase proceeds will be given to the American Heart Association in honor of their “Heart Hero”: Eliza, a 4-year-old survivor of open heart surgery. Roly Poly, 5076 Sunset Blvd, Lexington.

Info: Call Rebekah Hillbish at 803-996-0397.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Mota Enterprises Date Night–6:30-8:30pm. Paint and sip with Canvases with Candace. Dinner, drinks and paint provided. Cost: $80 couple. 633 12th St,

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W Columbia. Info/tickets: Call Vanessa Mota at 803-220-6372.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14

Fun Fridays–7-9pm. For Lake Murray Elementary, Chapin Elementary, Chapin Intermediate and Chapin Middle students. PE-style games, including basketball, kickball, 9 square, and more! Preregistration is required. Ages 4th-6th grades. Cost: $5.

Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Hwy, Chapin. Info: 803-345-6181, icrc.net.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Touch for Health Introduction–10am-2:30pm.

Certified Instructor Joy Lee Connor. Learn accurate muscle testing from Touch for Health Kinesiology.

Cost: $150, includes instruction booklet. 540 St Andrews Rd, Columbia. Info/preregistration: Call Connor at 803-447-6499.

SAT & SUN, FEBRUARY 15 & 16

Settle into Stillness–Sat, Yoga Nidra, 6-7:30pm, $25; Sun, Restorative Yoga, 11am-1pm, $35—$50 for both classes. Nurture yourself in a unique and immersive soundscape with hand-pans, didgeridoos, gongs, and crystal singing bowls. Sign up on Mindbody. The Rooted Community, 141 S Shandon St, Columbia. Info: Call Anne Miller at 803-730-3976.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Harmonious Hormone Seminar–6:15pm. Presented by Rachel E Hall, MD. Learn how hormone imbalance, in women or men, can affect your sleep, sex drive and performance, fat burning, energy levels, muscle tone, and aches and pains. Cost: Free.

Please RSVP; seating is limited. Bring a guest.

Expect Wellness, 130 Suber Rd, Ste D, Columbia.

Info: 803-796-1702.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Pickleball Tournament–9am-2pm. Men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Age brackets determined after registration deadline. Register by Feb 10. Cost: $15. Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Ln, Columbia. Info: 803-772-3336, icrc.net.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Saluda Showdown Trout Tournament–7:30-11am.

Anglers of all skill levels compete in this unique family-friendly tournament. All ages. Cost: $10 adult; $5 youth, 16 and under. Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-7721228, icrc.net.

You Can Be, Do and Have All That–10:30am– 1:30pm. Gina Gibson teaches how to live the life you want, and why you should. Cost: Free, but donations are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@ JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

The Science of Pranayama–1-3pm and 3:155:15pm. With Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian. This workshop/immersion is for anyone looking to

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understand and experience the art and science of breathwork. Sign up on Mindbody. The Rooted Community, 141 S Shandon St, Columbia. Info/ cost: Call Anne Miller at 803-730-3976.

SAT & SUN, FEBRUARY 22 & 23

Touch for Health 1–10am-3:30pm. Certified Instructor Joy Lee Connor. Learn to test and balance 14 major muscles. With this introduction class, earn 15 hours of credit with the International Kinesiology College. Cost: $250, includes Touch for Health book. 540 St Andrews Rd, Columbia. Info/preregistration: Call Connor at 803-447-6499.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Mardi Gras Mysterious Reveal–6-9pm. Grab your favorite mask and join The Blended Bakery and Canvases with Candace for a night of catered dinner, wine tasting and painting. Cost: $45 (childcare, $5 per child). 633 12th St, W Columbia. Info/tickets: 803-957-5129, TheBlendedBakery.SimpleTix.com.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Senior Matinee Movie Series–2-4pm. In February Good Night, And Good Luck. Every 4th Thursday.

Cost: Free. Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Ln, Columbia. Info: 803-772-3336, icrc.net.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 & 29

Healthy Eating for Busy Lifestyles– Fri, 6-8pm; and Sat, noon-2pm and 3-5pm. Learn simple ways to make healthy eating easier, meal prep tips, and ways to create a simple plant-based meal and healthy snacks. Cost: $45. Healthy Hands Cooking Studio, 1720 Dutch Fork Rd, Ste B, Irmo. Info: Contact Sharon at 803-238-5876 or ConnectAtTheTablellc@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29

Mama and Baby Yoga–11:30-12:30pm. With Kyla Saphir, peacefully connecting baby and mama through body and spirit. Babies four weeks to pre-crawling. Cost: $15. Amsa Yoga, 140 Pelham Dr, Columbia. Info: KylaJSaphir@gmail.com, YogaMamaColumbia.com.

planahead SUNDAY, MARCH 1

Inspired Growth–6-7:30pm. Austin Shook uses an array of instruments from ancient cultures across the world to create a space to slip into a peaceful state of mind and being. Cost: $25. The Rooted Community, 141 S Shandon St, Columbia. Info: Call Anne Miller at 803-730-39

inspiration Scarlett Lewis and pirtuss/Shutterstock.com

CLASSIFIEDS 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 12th of the month prior.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CHOOSING LOVE How to Cope With Fearful Times

I

by Scarlett Lewis

t’s hard to make sense of some of the troubling things we see on TV and read about in the news. Our kids ask us, “Why are these things happening?” It’s an important question and it all comes down to two competing feelings: fear versus love.

When we see disturbing images such as school shootings or political opponents attacking one another, it cultivates anxiety, which is epidemic in our society. When left untreated, it can lead to negative outcomes including substance abuse, depression, suicide and violence. Often, we look to those in perceived power to solve these issues.

Perhaps what we haven’t considered is that these are not political issues; rather, they are issues of the heart and only we can solve them.

So we continue to see pain and suffering played out before us. We feel powerless and this feeds our unease. Our personal safety is a priority and external safety measures sometimes fail. If we don’t feel safe, nothing else matters. There is a solution. The opposite of anxiety and fear is love. When we examine the trajectory of most societal ills, there is often an arc of loneliness, depression, isolation and often abuse.

From a young age, we can learn to choose love as a thoughtful response to any situation. When we do this, we take back our personal power. We become part of the solution to the issues we see, and science

tells us that others will do the same.

There is a formula for choosing love. It starts with courage. My son Jesse was a 6-year-old boy who stood up to the shooter that came into his first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School and saved nine of his classmates’ lives before losing his own. We all have that courage within us: the courage to be kind, to speak our truth, to do the right thing.

We can only have one thought at a time, so we can shift our thinking by replacing a negative thought with a grateful one. Forgiving helps us to take back our personal power and is a gift we give ourselves. It is the foundation of healthy relationships that lead to greater happiness and connection in our lives. Compassion in action helps us step outside our own busyness, distraction and even pain to help others.

When we do this, we’re choosing love and helping to create a safer, more peaceful and loving world. When we model the practice of these character values as a thoughtful response for our children, they grow up to do the same.

Scarlett Lewis is the founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure every child has access to social and emotional education and support. Connect with her at Info@JesseLewisChooseLove.org.

Love living a healthy lifestyle? Garner's Natural Life is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our Garner's team. Please apply online at GarnersLexington.com.

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, 6729 Two Notch Rd, 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.

Goodbye Junk.

Hello Relief.

Trusted Junk Removal Since 1989 1-800-468-5865 | 1800gotjunk.com

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ongoingevents

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.

sunday

monday

friday

Eckankar. The Sound of Soul Event and Discussion–10am. Free. Every 2nd Sunday. Eckankar reveals how every event in life is an opportunity for spiritual growth. 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.

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.

A Talk on A Course in Miracles–6:30pm. Every 2nd Friday. Facilitator Gina Gibson continues a series of monthly talks. Q&A to follow. Free and open to the public; donations are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

Writing as a Spiritual Practice–10am-12:30pm.

Every 2nd Sunday. Spiritual Director 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 are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

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 (ACIM)–3pm. Every Sunday.

Join with others to study the workbook lessons and text of ACIM. Free and open to the public; donations are accepted. Miracle House, 4610 Oxford Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@ JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

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

Every Sunday. We meet to share love, peace and “atone-ment.” We read together and discuss questions, insights and experiences at the home of Joy Lee Connor, near Chapin. Donations are accepted. Call for directions or to schedule introductory sessions with Connor. Info: 803-447-6499.

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tuesday Whole Truth Health and Nutrition Sessions– 6:30-8:30pm. Tuesdays. Training sessions on Body Detoxification and Elimination Diet. Learn how to do a whole-body detox successfully. Cost: $75 per person for two sessions. Preregistration is required.

Cocreate, 714 S Lake Dr, Ste 100, Lexington. Info/ register: 803-746-4588, WholeTruthHealth.org.

wednesday Debtors Anonymous–6-7pm. Every Wednesday.

Debtors Anonymous offers hope for people whose use of unsecured debt causes problems and suffering. Find relief by working the DA recovery program based on the 12 step principles. Cost: Free.

Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia.

Info: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle. com, JubileeCircle.com.

thursday Yoga Gives Back–6-7pm. Every Thursday. Studies show that yoga is 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

ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

Jubilee! Circle Coffee House and Open Mic–7pm.

Every 1st Friday. Featuring Post Timey String Band and open mic at 8pm. Bring your instrument, songs, poems, spoken word pieces, and other talent to the mic. A cash bar will be open for beer and wine.

Free, but donations are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

saturday Writing as a Spiritual Practice–10am-12:30pm.

Every 2nd Saturday. 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 are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info/register: 803-569-6385, RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

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.

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 40. .

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 ads, page 3, 24 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.

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

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-theart full-body lounge hydromassage table that can help you feel more rejuvenated and relaxed. See ad, page 12.

CHIROPRACTIC

CRANIOSACRAL

FLEX CHIROPRACTIC

CHI ENERGY BALANCE

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 old-fashioned knowhow, 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!

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!

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

COLLABORATIVE LAW LAW OFFICE OF SHANNON K. BURNETT

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

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.

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 11.

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

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

See ad, page 7.

DOTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS CHRISTINE M. STEEN Restoring Life Oils LLC doTERRA Essential Oils Gold Wellness Advocate 803-422-7068

Christine M. Steen, doTERRA Gold 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.

Where there is love there is life. ~Mahatma Gandhi

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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.

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 8.

HEALTH & FITNESS THE FITNESS FACTOR LLC Certified Holistic Health Coach Jermika Kennedy 803-804-8027

Are you a woman age 30 to 65 suffering from Endometriosis or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and tired of the painful menstrual cycles? Getting into shape may help. Ready to get fit?

Contact Jermika (registered nurse, certified personal trainer for women, and certified holistic health coach). Her services include mobile personal training sessions and personal health coaching sessions with recipes and discussion topics. Call today!

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. Hardto-find natural, organic, whole food nutritional supplements, raw foods and natural household items. See ad, page 9.

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ORIGINAL ORIGINS HEALTH AND WELLNESS Tracy R. Jacox • 833-678-7229 OriginalOriginshw@gmail.com OriginalOriginshw.com

Ms. Tracy has over 30 years of experience in the medical field. The mission of Original Origins Health and Wellness is to educate, equip and empower the community to adopt a predominately whole food, plant-based lifestyle, which will improve and optimize your quality of life, health and wellness while preventing, delaying, reversing or eliminating chronic illnesses. Original Origins can assist you with maximizing your health and wellness holistically! Our wide range of services include health coach partnering, comprehensive health evaluations, comprehensive cooking experiences, and a comprehensive kitchen evaluation. Your health is your wealth! See ad, page 31.

HOLISTIC FOOT CARE

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 4.

INTUITIVE EDUCATION

SWEET FEET FOOT CARE

HEARTDANCE

Columbia’s foot care service with a holistic approach. Here at Sweet Feet Foot Care, we focus on Preventive Care, Effective Pedicure Treatments and Cleanliness. With advanced knowledge and skills, we help correct disorders of the feet and lower limbs with pedicure treatments and orthotics. Services are ideal for Diabetics, Seniors and Knee- and Back-Pain Issues. Call today to learn more about our services.

For more than 30 years, I have traveled, studied and mentored groups and individuals in spiritual guidance and intuitive training. I integrate many disciplines in my practice.

My goal is to assist others as they deepen their connection to Spirit and their personal happiness. Call me today to schedule an appointment.

Mona Patterson/Master Pedicurist 9153 Two Notch Rd, Ste 11-C, Columbia 803-394-4421 • SweetFeetCare.com

HOLISTIC HEALING CHAPIN HOLISTIC HERITAGE Apothecary and Wellness Center 211 E Boundary St, Chapin

803-941-7083 • ChapinHolisticHeritage.com Our center focuses on holistic health and spiritual awareness. We provide a wide array of services, including chiropractic care offered by Dr. Aleisha Taylor, Reiki sessions hosted by certified practitioners, herbalist consultations with Ashley Adams, tinctures, herbal medicines available for purchase and much more. Come see all of the different services the center has to offer for all of your health and wellness needs.

JOY LEE CONNOR, LMT (SC#1229)

Reiki Master Touch for Health Instructor and Consultant 540 St. Andrews Rd, Columbia 803-447-6499

Touch for Health (TFH) is a holistic approach to balancing the body’s muscles, energy system and your attitude using muscle testing and touch reflexes. A TFH balance treatment can help you recover from or prevent an injury and support any personal or health and wellness goals. Sessions with Joy are uplifting, life-shifting, transformative experiences for body, mind and spirit. If you are feeling STUCK in any way, call for the next available appointment or class session.

ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

Intuitive Training Carolyn Gregory 505-450-5671 VoicesOfTheHeart.org

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 6.

SPIRITUAL HAVE YOU HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE?

Contact Steve 803-318-1887 • ECK-SC.org Meetup.com/Columbia-Spiritual-Seekers

Eckankar, the path of spiritual freedom, hosts free, spiritual discussions. All are welcome.

Topics include how the sound HU can give you a greater awareness of God’s love. We also offer spiritual wisdom on problem

solving, the study of past lives, dreams and more.

Call ahead. Times and dates may vary.

eco tip

THERMOGRAPHY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH INC.

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 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 ads, page 3, 24 and back page.

YOGA MALAI PRESSLEY YOGA INSTRUCTOR Downtown Columbia 803-807-2173 YogaWithMalai.com

With an infectious passion for yoga, Malai provides thoughtful yoga classes in Northeast Columbia. Malai is certified RYT 200 through the Yoga Alliance. Malai’s classes focus on letting go through the breath, yoga postures, and meditation. Join Malai in uplifting the mind, body and spirit. Visit her website for more information about classes and private lessons.

YOGA MAMA COLUMBIA

Kyla Saphir Pre- and Postnatal Yoga Instructor 312-532-8885 YogaMamaColumbia.com

Kyla is passionate about teaching women in her prenatal and postnatal yoga classes since she experienced the benefits when she was pregnant with her daughter. She is the founder of Yoga Mama Columbia, which supports expectant women and new moms through yoga around the Columbia area. The classes focus on using breathwork to relax, strengthening the body for labor and healing afterward, and building a community of new moms. Visit her website for more information on classes and upcoming workshops.

Connect with us naturally!

Vichy Deal/Shutterstock.com

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

Clean and Green Eco-Laundry Tips

By laundering clothes using simple ingredients and wise eco-practices, consumers can both save money and lower their carbon footprint.

Natural cleaning ingredients cited by TheEcoGuide.org include white vinegar, baking soda, lemons, borax and castile soap, all of which “can be bought in bulk with minimal packaging and have known cleaning properties that make them safe, effective and carbon-friendly alternatives.” Coarse salt is also suggested due to its mold-fighting power.

Look for biodegradable laundry detergents made with plant oils and other natural ingredients that are free of phosphates, bleach and surfactants such as petroleum-based nonylphenol ethoxylates.

Consider coldwater washing. About 90 percent of the energy a washing machine uses goes toward heating water. By washing four out of five loads in cold water, a household could cut its carbon emissions by 864 pounds a year, according to Energy Star data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Because the cold setting may still heat the water to as much as 80° F, see if the washer has a preferable “tap cold” option. Also, the temperature recommendations on clothing labels represent “the highest spectrum clothes can handle,” Melissa Hockstad, president and chief executive of the American Cleaning Institute, recently told The New York Times, so the hottest water won’t necessarily clean clothes better.

During rinsing, natural disinfectants that can be added include a few drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil; two teaspoons of tea tree oil; white vinegar (one-half cup per load); or one teaspoon of grapefruit seed extract.

Always assemble a full load of laundry each time. Line drying outdoors or on a drying rack indoors also conserves energy and is gentler on fabrics. Further, learn how to make homemade, felted wool dryer balls at DIYNatural.com; tossing four to six of them in each dryer load saves time, energy and money plus reduces static cling. And consider running the dryer early in the morning or overnight: this shifts energy consumption to off-peak hours, which lowers the demand on power plants and could help reduce national reliance on fossil fuels.

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ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com