Natural Nutmeg August 2012

Natural Nutmeg August 2012

Connecticut's Resource For Living Naturally

Don’t Lose Track of the People Bernie Siegel, MD

Irritable Bowel in Children: Hope and Help Debra Gibson, ND

Teens and Drugs

3 Little Ways to Mess Up Any Marriage...

Are You Doing Them?

Jeff Forte, CSIC, CME

Kenneth Hoffman, LAc

Music for Healing

Kathy King, PT, CMP NaturalNutmeg.com

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Loss of Bladder Control can be Embarrassing!

It is NOT a natural consequence of aging or childbirth.

Using Non-Surgical solutions, adults of any age enjoy significant improvement of symptoms; over 50% have continence fully restored.

Solutions can include: • biofeedback • pelvic floor rehabilitation • urge suppression • behavior modification We also treat UTI, over active bladder, and pelvic pain.

Alison J. Gorman

APRN, MS, Board Certified

A future with confidence and comfort is just a phone call away!

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860-265-6205

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• Decreases your dosage of medication • Increases the preciseness of your therapy • Reduces side effects of common pain meds I injured my lower back and suffered immense pain and immobilization. After working with Gene and my doctor to create a customized pain formula, the pain was gone within two weeks! I was even able to make a 22 hour car trip to Alabama with no pain and it was as if I never hurt my back. I hope more doctors will listen to their patients and prescribe this more often. Pam S.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

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www.ctbladderhealth.com

Gene Gresh, RPh

publisher'sletter

The Nutrition Experts Vitamins • Herbs • Sports Nutrition • Natural Body Care • Allergen-Free Foods

Guiding You Since 1956

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nyone with an advanced degree has probably been told, “Oh, you’re a perpetual student” in some condescending manner. Believe me; I heard it from a number of relatives on more than one occasion. I never let it bother me though, because I knew I was on to something. Being a perpetual student is not something to be mocked at, it’s actually something we should all strive for and be proud of achieving. It’s a characteristic of individuals who value the process of learning, who continually stimulate their minds and who will maintain their intellect and sharpness of mind well into old age, while many of the “mockers” may end up with dementia or some other form of age-related brain dysfunction. Too bad they won’t remember who you are when you ask them, “Who’s mocking me now?”

But you don’t have to have an advanced degree to be a perpetual student. Anyone who loves to learn new things will continually stimulate their minds. Whether it be learning a new language, reading, doing logic puzzles, trying new recipes, traveling to different countries, starting a hobby or new sport or helping your grandchildren with their homework; all of these activities will keep your brain healthy and functioning optimally.

There are some great resources out there today on healthy brain function and the mind-body connection. Dr. Mark Hyman published a book entitled, “The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First.” He notes that an epidemic of “broken brains” affects millions of people worldwide and conventional medical therapy is not the answer. Everything that affects the body affects the brain, since it is one of the most vital organs of the body, and everything that affects the brain affects the rest of the body. Dr. James Gordon is a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma. Both of these thought leaders have recognized the connection between stress and both physical and mental illness.

I believe that stimulating the mind is one way to reduce stress and improve or maintain a healthy mind-body connection. Even just giving yourself something to think about when doing a logic puzzle or learning something new, takes your mind off of your daily stressors. As we send the kids off to another year of school, maybe it’s time for us to engage in some newfound learning as well!

In health and happiness,

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Featured Content Irritable Bowel in Children: Hope and Help Debra Gibson, ND

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ur mission is to provide valuable insight, information and resources that will allow our readers to maintain a healthy, active, sustainable lifestyle. Natural Nutmeg contains timely information on natural health, complementary and alternative medicine, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, and the products and services that support good health.

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Music for Healing Kathy King, PT, CMP 18

Teens and Drugs Kenneth Hoffman, LAc 20

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3 Little Ways to Mess Up Any Marriage...

Are You Doing Them?

Jeff Forte, CSIC, CME 36

PUBLISHERS

Dr. Diane Hindman Chris Hindman Publisher@naturalnutmeg.com

Editor-in-Chief

Deb Percival Deb@naturalnutmeg.com

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ADVISORY BOARD

Ann Aresco, N.D. Deanna M. Cherrone, M.D. Debra Gibson, ND Andrew Gregory, DC Lauren Gouin, ND Kenneth Hoffman, LAc, CCH David Johnston, DO Roberta Kline, MD Vicki Kobliner, MS, RD, CD-N Tom Moorcroft, D.O.

Departments News&Notes 5 Healthy Pet 10 Prescription for Living Bernie Siegel, MD 11

20 Natural Nutmeg Magazine P.O. Box 447, Avon, CT 06001 Ph. (860)206-9500 Fax (860)263-8505

Supplements 101 24 Healthy Self 28 Know Your Herbs 34 Calendar 37 Resources 39 4

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In keeping with our concern for the environment, Natural Nutmeg is proudly printed on recycled paper with soy based inks.

Natural Nutmeg is a free publication supported solely by our advertisers and distributed throughout Connecticut. Please call for a location near you. (860) 206-9500 or email to publisher@naturalnutmeg.com. © 2007-12 by Natural Nutmeg, LLC. All rights reserved. Parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that permission be obtained in writing. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your feedback.

news & notes Angelically Guided Energy Healing Classes Now Forming in the Northeast

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o you want to be who your soul wants you to be, and help others do the same? You can learn to channel Divine healing; it is a teachable, learnable skill, not a gift. Healers and serious spiritual seekers can learn the Lightworkers Healing Method (LHM), an Angelically guided energy healing system with an exceptional goal: to align us with our soul’s life purpose. It improves the present by working with past and future lives as well as higher-dimension Guides, Angels, and Lightbeings in a uniquely powerful process. LHM applies to any arena of life; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, and interpersonal issues can heal. Nothing is off limits.

LHM includes a practical self-care program so the healer is left strengthened rather than drained. Subtle energy skills, channeling skills, energy clearing techniques, and creating sacred space complete the first class. Lynn McGonagill is the LHM Founder, Teaching Channel, and the author of “The Lightworkers Healing Method: BE Who Your Soul Came Here To Be”, available soon. Lynn invites you to the LHM website at www.lightworkersmethod.com to take a freely shared Introductory Class, and then take the workshops themselves.

Your soul has already waited long enough. Course credits available.

Level 1: The Foundation, September 8-9, 2012, Level 2: Letting Go of the Past, October 6-7, 2012, Greater Boston Area. Level 1 & 2 Combined Workshop Retreat, January 27-Feb 1, 2012, Kripalu Center in the Berkshires.

For information/registration: www.lightworkersmethod.com.

Circle of Health Holistic Center Opens New Office in Plainville

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ear Walker, Holistic Practitioner specializes in the Bio-Energetic Body Scan. A non-invasive computerized device, the Body Scan measures electrical currents in the body much like an EKG measures the electrical activity of the heart. Using just your hand and foot, Bear Walker then measures the degree of electrical resistance which detects balances or imbalances of the organ systems and tissues in the body. Incredibly, this system also indicates the nutrients and/or natural remedies that will restore balance & health to your body.

Bear Walker has been a Holistic Practitioner for over twentythree years. He has studied extensively all areas of Naturopathic Medicines, including Homeopathy, Herbal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition. He was involved in the Clinical Research of the BioEnergetic Body Scan testing device at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. with Dr. Wayne Jonas of N.I.H. Bear has consulted with over 50,000 patients, including many top athletes and celebrities. Bear has established teachings ranging from Cellular Biology, the Eight Systems of the Body, to Medical Anthropology.

For more information call 860-384-1527. See ad on page 9.

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news & notes Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program in Redding, CT Begins Sept 4th, 2012

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indfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program combines the art and science of meditation to help you reduce stress, promote physical health, and cultivate emotional well-being. MBSR is an eight-week program designed to introduce you to mindfulness meditation practices and apply these practices in your daily life. The MBSR program was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 at the Stress Reduction Clinic, University of Massachusetts Medical Center. In the past 33 years, over 19,000 people have completed this program.

As much as an ancient art, Mindfulness meditation is also a science. Medical research has shown that the MBSR program can ease physical and emotional symptoms of general stress as well as chronic stress due to illness, such as cancer, depression, anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, chronic pain, fatigue and a wide range of vascular, gastrointestinal, and psychological conditions. The benefits of mindfulness practice also include increased clarity and creative thinking, enhanced emotional stability, greater energy and inner peace.

Courses will be conducted in West Redding, CT on Tuesdays and in Pleasantville, NY on Thursdays, from 6.30pm to 9pm. Registration including all materials and CDs is $350 ($295 if you register before August 10th). The class will be facilitated by Alisha Aum. She has practiced meditation and yoga for over 15 years and has completed the professional training Practicum in MBSR at the Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School.

To Register for our spring program starting on Sept 4th, or for more information, call (917) 972-7291 or visit www.Mindful-spirit.com.

Saybrook Point Inn adds a New Spa Experience

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he Saybrook Point Inn’s new spa experience, Sanno, opened June 21st. Marie Mozzi, who will direct Sanno, says she wants it to be a place neighbors will come with friends or alone. “I think a visit to a spa should nourish people,” said Mozzi. “Our goal is to help our guests be well, look well, feel well, eat well, and enjoy our spa as part of all the things they do to take care of their body and spirit.”

Sanno will offer a full range of spa services, from massage to facials.

Sanno will have its own entrance so that customers can park at the Inn’s parking lot, and come directly to the spa.

Sanno’s opening comes on the heels of the opening of Fresh Salt, the Inn’s Peter Niemitz-designed restaurant where chef Leslie Tripp is earning praise for his fresh food ideas.

“We are a family owned Inn,” said Stephen Tagliatela. “We try to always focus on what we can do best because we are family owned and live in this community. For us, the Inn is a business, but it’s also a way of life. The people who come here are often our own friends and neighbors. With Sanno, and with Fresh Salt, we are working to build places we want to share with friends and neighbors. We like that the Inn is becoming a place for people to gather.” Sanno is located in the Saybrook Point Inn at 2 Bridge Street, Old Saybrook.

For more information please visit us at www.saybrook.com.

Still Waters Presents R&R Retreats

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till Waters Retreat Center is now offering weekend Rest & Rejuvenation Retreats during its May through October season. Executive Director of Holistic Health and Partner Amy LaBossiere said, “We typically provide Still Waters to group leaders who want to hold their own retreats, but we’ve been getting a lot of requests for individual retreats. We’ve designed the R&R weekends to offer an affordable mini-vacation to anyone who wants to unplug and recharge from the hectic pressure of modern life.”

The first R&R retreat is August 10-12, 2012 and is offered at the introductory price of $325 (save $25 off the 2012 rate). This includes comfortable accommodations, optional activities and organic meals.

There are nightly bonfires (weather permitting), as well as yoga and creative workshops. Various talks will be offered about holistic health, with occasional guest presenters on a variety of topics.

For more information and to register, visit stillwaterspond.com. See ad on page 25.

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Doctor’s Notes

Dr. Patrick Defrancesco

IBS is an Early Warning

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hink of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as an early warning that your digestive process isn’t working properly – as a sign of impending bigger problems.

If you’re experiencing symptoms that include abdominal pain, fullness, gas, and bloating that have been present for at least three days a month for the last three months you might be suffering with IBS. Sometimes the symptoms are reduced or go away after a bowel movement. Symptoms range from mild to severe; most people have mild symptoms.

People with IBS may switch between constipation and diarrhea, or mostly have one or the other. People with diarrhea will have frequent, loose, watery stools. They will often have an urgent need to have a bowel movement, which may be hard to control.

Those with constipation will have a hard time passing stools, as well as fewer bowel movements. They will often need to strain and will feel cramps with a bowel movement. Often, they do not release any stool, or only a small amount.

For some, the symptoms may be worse for a few weeks or a month, and then decrease for a while. For other people, symptoms are present most of the time. People with IBS may even lose their appetite.

IBS can begin at any age, but often begins in the teen years or early adulthood. This condition is more common in women than men and one in six people in the U.S. have IBS symptoms. It is now the most prevalent intestinal problem in our society.

Why is IBS so common these days? The answers are simple.

First, many foods are produced with harmful additives that adversely affect normal body function (digestion). In addition, stress and pressure can be daily experiences in our lives.

Many medical practitioners treat IBS symptoms rather than looking for causes. They prescribe dangerous medications to mask these symptoms and the patient believes that this is the answer because their symptoms subside in many cases. What we fail to realize is that the alarm was shut off but the building is still blazing. This way of thinking is not only dangerous, but foolish as well.

The symptoms of IBS are an early warning signal for people to change direction nutritionally and to adopt healthier habits before serious conditions commence, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Simple solutions include reducing stress on a daily basis to control nerve excitability. The intestines are connected to the brain; signals go back and forth between the bowel and brain. These signals affect bowel function and internal balance. The nerves can become more active during stress, causing the intestines to be more sensitive and squeeze (contract) more. This can obviously create intestinal disturbances and ultimately IBS will surface. Some safe methods of reducing stress include daily exercise and meditation.

The other solution revolves around the fact that the digestive tract is inhabited by billions of good and bad bacteria, with our gut producing the prime real estate for them to both grow and thrive.

It’s important to understand that good bacteria in the colon are affected by antibiotics, steroids, birth control pills, synthetic hormones, bad diets, poor nutrition, and environmental toxins. This is just a

sampling of what can kill off the good bacteria, inhibit your body’s ability to fight off bad bacteria or just plain provide an overwhelming feeding frenzy for the bad guys to set up shop.

When bad bacteria starts getting the upper hand in your intestinal tract, yeast often moves in and takes up residence as well. This shift in your gut causes problems and is the essence of IBS. Without plenty of good bacteria your health begins to suffer.

We don’t realize that certain foods we choose have a direct impact on our intestinal health. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sugar and derived from corn that is added to many products because it is inexpensive and makes the food taste better. How do you think we’ve increased our sugar intake four-fold in just 30 years? It was by this stealthy adulteration of the food supply. Corn is subsidized by the government; many companies use high fructose corn syrup in their products because it helps keep costs down. These companies are more concerned with profits than consumer health. What we are not told is that high fructose corn syrup causes more damage and absorption issues in the intestines than any other product on the market today. Our bodies were not meant to ingest this product; it is a huge contributor to our national ill-health epidemic. Read all nutritional labels before purchasing any product in a box, jar, or any other container.

If symptoms of IBS are affecting you it is imperative to remove high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Also, add a quality probiotic (10-20 billion units) per day to your diet and take digestive enzymes 20 minutes before each meal. These products coupled with reduced daily stress and healthier food choices low in sugars, especially HFCS, will start you on the road to a healthier and happier colon.

Submitted by Dr. Patrick DeFrancesco of Chiropractic Health Center of Glastonbury. For more information, contact 860-657-8800 or visit www.glastonburychiro.com.

Flushes Pain From Your Body Without Medication a Most patients experience a dramatic reduction in pain after 1-2 visits a reduce anxiety and breathing issues “During my husband’s illness (Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and before he died, he went from a skeptic to asking for treatments because they relieved his pain and allowed him to live for 13 months of treatment with chemo and radiation without taking any pain medication, other than Tylenol, until the last few weeks of his life.”

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Urinary Incontinence:

Current Non-Surgical Solutions

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ost people do not think about the bladder until it begins to feel full. They go about their daily routines unencumbered and without bladder concerns or worries. However, there are many whose quality of life is significantly altered because they can think of nothing else. These individuals live on a daily basis with some degree of leaking urine due to urinary incontinence (UI). Living with UI often results in feelings of embarrassment, depression, helplessness, isolation and loss of dignity, to name a few.

Urinary Incontinence affects approximately 33 million people nationally. UI is a sensitive issue and many people believe it to be a natural result of aging or childbirth. This is NOT the case; still, many individuals are too embarrassed or upset to ask for help. The result of not asking for help is that many go without treatment and consequently deny themselves significant improvement in the quality of life.

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine from the bladder. Although it is more common in women over 60, incontinence affects all ages, both sexes and people of every social and economic standing. Incontinence is usually the result of an ‘overactive’ bladder or caused by a weak sphincter muscle at the bladder outlet which normally helps to hold urine in. As we age, the muscle ‘floor’ which supports the bladder and other pelvic organs begins to weaken and sag down often with the help of extra body weight and/ or gravity over time. Causes of UI can include but are not limited to infection in the urinary tract (UTI) or vagina, enlarged prostate (BPH), pregnancy, childbirth and certain medications. In some cases, UI can be the result of the disease process of neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

There are several different kinds of UI. Over-active bladder, otherwise termed ‘urge incontinence’ is the leaking of urine when the bladder contracts without warning. As the bladder contracts, pelvic floor muscles relax and consequently individuals feel they can’t wait to reach a toilet or may leak urine on the way. Possible causes include the blockage of urine flow, aging, bladder infection which irritates the lining of the bladder or ingestion of foods and liquids high in bladder irritants such as coffee, tea, soda, chocolate and acidic fruit juices.

Stress incontinence, otherwise thought of as ‘effort-related’ incontinence, is leakage of urine with increased physical activity or effort. Increased pressure in the abdomen due to sneezing, coughing, laughing, bending over, walking or even movement to get up out of a chair, causes urine to exit the bladder because the pelvic floor muscles or bladder sphincter are too weak to hold urine back. The major risk factor for women is damage to the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy/childbirth. For men, the major risk factor is prostate surgery causing damage to the sphincter at the bladder neck.

Mixed incontinence is incontinence resulting from a combination of urge and stress incontinence. In this case, UI is attributed to any increase in abdominal pressure along with unpredictable bladder muscle contraction resulting in leakage.

Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder does not empty properly. When the amount of urine stored in the bladder exceeds the storage capacity, the bladder itself is weakened or a blockage prevents normal emptying, individuals experience frequent urination or dribbling of urine and the sensation of incomplete bladder emptying. In men, the prostate (a gland at the base of the bladder) becomes enlarged and restricts urine flow. For this reason, overflow incontinence is more common in men than women. However, bladder weakness can develop in both sexes and can also be caused by diseases such as diabetes (the body’s inability to use carbohydrates effectively), heavy alcohol use or decreased nerve function.

Overflow incontinence is also experienced by women who have a ‘dropped’ bladder or uterus.

Although not classed as UI, bladder prolapse is worth mentioning as it often has similar symptoms. The bladder is held in place by support muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor. In some situations, these structures can become stretched or weakened resulting in the bladder moving or ‘sagging’ backwards into the vaginal cavity. This is termed a ‘bladder prolapse’ and is also referred to as a cystocele.

There are various degrees of severity of prolapse and it is rarely lifethreatening. Women who have delivered their babies vaginally, or who have had multiple pregnancies are at higher risk for prolapse.

Other causes include chronic cough, constipation, heavy lifting, previous pelvic surgery, obesity and menopause due to the change of hormonal levels.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

Symptoms produced by prolapse and similar to those of UI include frequent urge to urinate, frequent urinary tract infection (UTI) and feeling of incomplete bladder emptying. Symptoms more suggestive of prolapse include vaginal, lower back, lower abdomen, pelvic or groin pain or painful intercourse. Mild cases of bladder prolapse may not produce any symptoms at all.

When an individual leaks urine irrespective of how much or how often, has trouble urinating, has painful urination or has any of the symptoms mentioned above, a comprehensive history and physical needs to be performed by a professional health care provider.

This is important because the cause of the symptoms needs to be diagnosed and a multi-system evaluation may uncover a co-problematic issue. The diagnosis obtained guides the respective treatment.

Below are listed some effective, non-surgical treatments that can restore continence or vastly improve its symptoms. These treatments include but are not limited to: 1. Evaluation of diet and eating habits with subsequent guidance.

2. Guidance for weight loss.

3. Behavior modification.

4. Pelvic floor rehabilitation using biofeedback and physical therapy.

5. Local hormonal restoration using topical application of estrogen.

6. Pessary fitting.

7. Antibiotic therapy for UTI. Lastly, here are some steps you can take to help keep your bladder healthy: • Have a complete annual physical exam.

• If you smoke, try to stop.

• Cut soda use down or out of your diet as much as possible.

• Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables in as many varieties as possible.

• When you feel the urge to urinate, do not wait too long to empty.

• Take time to completely empty your bladder.

• Drink adequate amounts of liquid each day (usually 4-6 glasses each day, more in hot weather).

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Submitted by Alison Gorman, Board Certification Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Ms. Gorman founded the CT Center for Bladder Health in June, 2012. The Center is located at 139 Hazard Ave., Building #6, in Enfield. For more information, call 860-265-6205 or visit www.ctbladderhealth.com. See ad on page 2.

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Healthy Pet

Dr. Kim Rio

Rethinking the Way We Vaccinate Our Pets

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n recent years the way we vaccinate our pets has evolved from a one-size-fits-all vaccine protocol to a much more individualized approach, taking into consideration each pet’s lifestyle and risk of exposure to various infectious diseases. Most veterinarians follow the recommendations of organizations such as the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) when determining which vaccine protocols to recommend for their patients. These groups regularly convene advisory panels comprised of experts in immunology, infectious disease, internal medicine and clinical practice to evaluate scientific research regarding the various vaccines’ efficacy, duration of immunity, and safety, in order to establish guidelines for veterinarians to follow.

Just as there has been increasing scrutiny of the safety of human vaccines, pet owners have begun to question the benefit of vaccinating each pet for every conceivable disease. There are legitimate concerns regarding potential vaccine reactions; although these are thankfully quite rare, they can be serious, even life-threatening. The AAHA states that immunization is a medical procedure with defined benefits and risks, and should be approached as individualized choices for each pet, determined by lifestyle, risk of exposure and with input from the pet owner. Some considerations: will a puppy be going to puppy classes, day-care, the dog park, or groomer? Will s/he spend a lot of time hiking in the woods, or travelling to other parts of the country? Will a cat be strictly indoors or allowed outside where s/he may engage in hunting behavior?

There are recognized “core” vaccines for both dogs and cats, which are recommended for all kittens and puppies regardless of lifestyle. These are administered in an initial series with boosters thereafter at prescribed intervals. Generally speaking, this initial series is begun at 6-8 weeks of age and vaccines are boostered at 3-4 weeks until the series is completed at 16- 20 weeks of age. A booster at one year is indicated, and then every three years thereafter. The rationale for the puppy/kitten series is that the young animal is born with maternal antibodies that protect them during the first weeks of life. These antibodies prevent the young animal’s immune system from responding to a vaccine. As these antibodies begin to decline the youngster’s immune system is able to take over and begin making its own protective antibodies when presented with a vaccine.

Vaccines use various technologies which rely on inactivated infectious virus or bacteria, or some portion of these infectious agents, or may utilize recombinant DNA technology. The animal’s immune system will respond to these vaccines by making antibodies to the diseasecausing organism. Core vaccines, or those that are generally regarded as essential for all pets are the Canine Distemper, Canine Parvovirus and Rabies vaccines for dogs and the Feline Panleukopenia (or Feline Distemper), Feline Herpes and Feline Calicivirus and Rabies for cats.

These should be boostered through the initial series, then at one year of 10

Natural Nutmeg August 2012

age, and then at three year intervals thereafter. Another option is to actually measure the level of antibodies in the blood (or titer) of individual diseases, in order to determine whether a booster is even necessary.

Then there are the non-core vaccines - those that are recommended only for dogs or cats considered at high risk of exposure to these infections. For dogs, some of these are Bordetella (or Kennel Cough), Leptospirosis , Lyme Disease (or Borelliosis), and Canine Influenza. For cats the non-core vaccine is the Feline Leukemia vaccine, recommended by the AAFP for those cats going outdoors, with exposure to other cats. Currently the AAFP recommends that all kittens receive at least the initial Feline Leukemia series, whether they end up being indoor or outdoor cats. The FIV vaccine (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) vaccine is not currently recommended for cats nor is the FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) vaccine. In certain settings such as in animal shelters, cats may receive a Bordetella or Chlamydia vaccine, though these are not indicated for cats in a household setting.

Veterinarians now evaluate each patient as an individual and develop a recommended vaccination protocol tailored to that pet.

Rabies vaccination is actually required by state law for all dogs and cats; Rabies is a zoonotic disease (transmissible to humans) which is invariably fatal. The vaccine is generally regarded as extremely effective and safe, and there is a real threat of exposure due to the presence of the Rabies virus in wildlife populations, thus Rabies vaccination is universally recommended.

It must be recognized that vaccinating pets for life-threatening illnesses protects not only our individual pets but the pet population as a whole. For instance, periodically we will hear about an outbreak of the deadly parvovirus. While vaccination will protect dogs, unvaccinated dogs, particularly puppies, are at risk of contracting this highly contagious virus. Pet owners who may have allowed their dog’s vaccine to lapse, or who may never have completed the initial puppy series of vaccines, may be putting their dog’s life at risk.

In addition, the larger the pool of unprotected animals present in the population, the more potential victims, the faster the virus can spread. In this sense, we must consider the health of the population as well as the health of our individual pets.

The best way to protect pets is to have them examined by a veterinarian shortly after bringing them home. Whether you adopt a puppy or kitten or an older rescue pet, his or her lifestyle and current health status can be assessed and an optimal vaccination schedule can be determined.

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prescription for living

By Bernie Siegel, MD

Don’t Lose Track of the People

W

hy do you think that the bigger the company the more depersonalized their actions become? How would you explain the behavior of some of the CEOs who are now in jail? Now Carl Jung many decades ago wrote that the bigger the company the more the individual’s behavior becomes like that of a vicious animal. I’d say it involves business and politics too. When we lose track of the people and only focus on material things our behavior becomes destructive to the people be they stock holders, employees or average citizens. So don’t lose track of the people. That is what life is about and if you find the right way to serve the people you will be a success because happy people are a success. And if you don’t know how to share your love with the world then get a job at Subway. Let me make it clear that I am not rewarded for discussing various businesses and franchises as I have more stories to come.

Many years ago I helped the then CEO of the Ritz Carlton Hotels Horst Schulze when he experienced cancer. After his hospitalization he changed his hotels to make them a friendlier and more caring place and made a card called The List of Twenty. On the cover it says, “We Are Ladies and Gentlemen Caring for Ladies and Gentlemen.” The list tells every employee how to treat the hotel guests and number eight says if your guest has a problem it is your problem.

They care about you and show you the way.

The other day I was at the Crest Auto Dealership in Woodbridge because my car was making strange noises when I hit bump. The first time I brought it in they couldn’t find the problem. So I came back again to take a ride and they heard the noise I did. I had arranged for a loaner car and was impressed when a young man took me to

the car rather than describe where it was and send me off to find it.

It reminded me of my Ritz Carlton experience and I complimented them when I came back to pick up my car the next day. It turns out it was the grandson of one of the owners. That says something about them not being dealers but caregivers. However, when I arrived to pick it up I heard someone say, “It was a loose nut.” I thought they were discussing me and that I was hearing things again but it turns out it was a loose nut and they tightened it.

Bernie holds a support group in Simsbury at Wisdom of the Ages the first Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm. Wisdom of the Ages, a special place to nurture your spiritual side. It's filled with items to calm the mind, heal the body & empower your spirit. They also provide massages & monthly meditation classes. Wisdom of the Ages is owned by Bernie's son & daughter- in-law, Keith & Jane Siegel. Located at 1408 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury. Please call for info or to register for Bernie's group. (860) 651-1172, www.wisdomoftheages. biz,berniesiegelmd.com.

See ad on page 31.

Bernie also runs a Woodbridge Support Group which meets the Second and Fourth Tuesday evenings of each month at Coachman's Square, Bradley Road, Woodbridge, CT. Contact: Lucille Ranciato at 203-288-2839 or email her at lranciato@yahoo.com.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Children: Hope and Help

By Debra Gibson, ND Health Begins in the Colon

I

first learned this fundamental precept of natural medicine when I was a naturopathic medical student. Its homely but powerful wisdom has proven itself over time, through my clinical experience as a naturopathic physician and as evidenced by a substantial and ever-increasing body of research. What seemed to me a quaint, abstract concept in naturopathic medical school I now apply to almost every patient, whether they have gastrointestinal issues, chronic sinusitis, or anxiety. When children develop a problem such as irritable bowel syndrome it’s even more important to view it from this holistic perspective and to consider the implications for not just the digestive tract but for the entire body (including the emotions and the mind). Failure to resolve even mild chronic bowel issues can have profoundly detrimental effects on health far into the future, even for life.

What is IBS? In both adults and children, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is characterized by abdominal discomfort or pain, bloating, and flatulence (gas). Constipation or diarrhea, which may alternate (a few days of constipation followed by loose or diarrheic bowel movements) also are common. The intensity of symptoms ranges from mild to severe and symptoms may be episodic or constant. IBS also is referred to as spastic colon, or mucous colitis. It is considered to be a chronic condition, one which is uncomfortable and may impose lifestyle limitations on sufferers, but is less serious than inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

For those with moderate to severe IBS, however, the condition can significantly erode quality of life; in addition to the discomfort of the physical symptoms and the fatigue caused by chronic pain.The loss of control of a private bodily function can create feelings of em-

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

barrassment and shame, and can contribute to anxiety and depression. The physical, emotional and mental effects of IBS can be deeply experienced by children.

To hear a child with chronic bowel irritability unemotionally express that he or she does not want to live if it means ongoing abdominal pain and exhaustion makes disturbingly clear the toll this condition can take.

A report from the National Institutes of Health notes that five years after diagnosis most people with IBS still have it – a discouraging prognosis, but one which can be significantly improved upon with natural medicine approaches.

May I Have Your Attention Please?

The term Irritable Bowel is an accurate description of the underlying problem: The bowel (the lower part of the digestive tract, between the stomach and the rectum) becomes irritated and acts out in the same way an unhappy or distressed child might act out. It’s the body’s way of asking for attention, telling us that something’s wrong here, and it’s a pretty effective message. After all, the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome – the bloating and gassiness, discomfort or pain, constipated or abnormally loose bowel movements – are hard to ignore. In responding to this request for attention we can just focus on treating symptoms, which is the conventional medical response to IBS – or we can listen carefully, search for the deeper causes of digestive dysfunction, and work to heal them.

Food Toxicity The first place to start with IBS is with the most common, frequent source of irritation for the bowel; the food and drink that go into it several times a day. Food toxicity (also called food sensitivity or food intolerance) refers to the effects of certain negative interactions between the immune system, specific foods, and the body; these interactions create inflammatory reactions in the tissues affected by them, and among the most common tissues targeted by these toxic food reactions are those of the digestive tract. These reactions are different from those of classic food allergy, which are caused by a different part of the immune system and have different effects in the body. And in contrast to a classic food allergy reaction, in which symptoms appear quickly after exposure to the problem food (for example, an immediate hive reaction or life-threatening anaphylactic response to eating peanuts or shellfish), food toxicity/ sensitivity reactions usually occur after a delay of anywhere from two hours to two days after exposure to the offending food. This makes them difficult to identify – if abdominal pain intensifies two days after eating a toxic, inflammatory food, back tracking to what was eaten a couple of days before is a challenge. Add to this the cumulative effect of this kind of food reaction, such that eating two problem foods in a day may have little noticeable effect, but eating four or five of them kicks

up symptoms badly, and trying to pinpoint the culprits can be very confusing.

If you’re trying to reduce the total burden of food toxicity in your child, a good place to start is with foods that are commonly pro-inflammatory, such as those listed in the sidebar. Avoiding foods from this group for two to four weeks, then carefully reintroducing each category in isolation from the others, can shed light on which are most toxic for your child. Even avoiding a couple of categories, if they are thoroughly cleared from the diet in every form for this twoto four-week timeframe, can provide useful information. However, if this exercise fails to clarify your child’s problem foods, it may be because his/her unique pro-inflammatory list includes otherwise perfectly healthy foods. Because this issue is caused by an immune system which has developed an abnormal attitude toward foods, any food can become inflammatory - even garlic or broccoli! Even lettuce! Fortunately, there is testing available which uses a single blood sample to accurately determine which foods have become toxic for an individual by measuring immunoglobulin G antibody levels in the serum (standard allergy testing looks for elevated levels of immunoglobulin E). It is essential to use a lab with high standards of quality control for this testing in order to minimize false negatives (in which harmful foods are missed) and false positives (in which foods are incorrectly identified as inflammatory and avoided unnecessarily).

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Dysbiosis: “Bad Bugs” Our digestive tracts are home to a large number of microbe species, some ‘good bugs’ and some ‘bad bugs’. The majority of microbes present in the bowel ought to be beneficial, or probiotic species: the Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and healthy types of E. coli

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bacteria that do much to promote health both in the digestive tract and throughout the body. Dysbiosis is digestive tract microbe imbalance characterized by insufficient numbers of beneficial probiotic organisms, and/or the excessive presence of pathogenic (harmful) bacteria, yeast organisms, or even parasites. In many children with symptoms of IBS much of the inflammation and irritation to the bowel is caused by dysbiosis.

How does dysbiosis happen in a child?

The use and overuse of antibiotics, a high refined-carbohydrate, low fiber diet, steroid use (inhalers, topical steroids for eczema), an inheritance of microbe imbalance passed on from parents (perhaps even in utero), the toxic impact of food intolerances – any of these negative influences can tip the balance of healthy vs. unhealthy microbes in the bowel.

In natural medicine, special stool tests (more comprehensive than standard lab or hospital testing of stool) can be used to evaluate the levels of probiotic and dysbiotic microbes, to identify which herbs or other natural antimicrobials would be most effective to reduce any harmful microbes which are detected, and to get specific information about digestive enzyme function, nutrient absorption, and acid-base balance in the bowel. This provides a good basis for correcting dysbiosis and ensuring that going forward, a healthier digestive-tract environment is in place to better support the survival of probiotic organisms.

Nourish the Bowel It may seem odd to think of nourishing the bowel – we usually think of the intestine as helping us to get nourishment from our food – but yes, our intestinal cells, and the tiny, beneficial microbes (probiotics) that live in the digestive tract, all rely on us to feed them, and feed them well. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet, often

referred to as the SAD, offers little of the nutrition our digestive tracts need to function properly, and plenty to throw them off balance. White foods such as refined sugars and flours; processed foods, low in fiber and enzymes, flavor-enhanced and engineered for long-distance travel and high profit at the expense of nutritional quality; sweetened beverages, which have largely replaced that strange-tasting colorless liquid, water, in our children’s diets - these staples of the modern, ever “new and improved” food culture seriously disrupt the natural balance of digestion, nutrient absorption and elimination. It’s not very surprising, given the dismally poorquality diets on which many of our overfed but undernourished children subsist, that their digestive tracts eventually rebel.

If your child’s digestive tract is in rebellion (in about a quarter of IBS sufferers, gastritis or reflux also is an issue) you will need to feed her or him differently – better! – in order to resolve bowel irritability.

Basics of a Better Bowel Diet What is a “better bowel” way of eating?

It provides fiber for good microbes to eat, so they can produce substances called beneficial short chain fatty acids, or SCFAs, which actually nourish the intestinal cells. Fiber also makes for a fuller bowel, which stimulates the muscles in the intestinal wall to move things along, promoting a more regular bowel movement. This way of eating just naturally creates a healthy acid/base balance (pH) in the stomach and small intestine, so that digestive enzymes can be activated and proteins, fats, and carbohydrates from food are broken down into particles that are wellabsorbed through the healthy intestinal wall.

A “better bowel” way of eating forms a pH that also allows healthy bacteria (probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus) to survive and thrive, and provides nutrients like amino acids, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

which keep the intestine well-nourished.

It isn’t complicated to eat this way, though it’s possible that getting there may take some time, particularly if the SAD has been your family’s accustomed way of eating. Understandably, we tend to eat as our families ate growing up, more or less, and it takes conscious effort and intention to unlearn those old habits and to begin to learn about which foods support health, how to shop for them, how to prepare them, and how to transition your child (or even better, your entire family) to them. If the idea of setting foot in a natural foods store is beyond consideration, you may as well stop reading now, and go stock up on whatever pharmaceuticals have been recommended to manage your child’s symptoms. But if you really want to improve your child’s digestive function, fundamentally and for the long term, take this opportunity to use the simple tools of food and drink to begin to resolve the underlying issues of IBS. The “better bowel” way of eating is simply what Nature designed long ago for the body as a whole, so it’s no surprise that the digestive system thrives on the same: a diet of unprocessed or minimally processed high-fiber foods, which also happen to be high in nutrients and low in sugar.

There are many books and a lot of online support for this process, and with children (of all ages) the idea of making change slowly but surely is an effective strategy. The challenge is hanging in there until tastes change (and they do) and improvement is established enough for you and your child to see and feel that this health-food diet stuff is actually working.

Because a child with IBS has a digestive tract that is out of balance there may be temporary reactions such as increased gas or a change in bowel movements in response to positive dietary changes. If these persist or are more than mild, you might want to enlist the expertise of a naturopathic or other natural medicine physician. My experience during almost thirty years of doing this work has been that once positive changes begin and children really see the connection between how they eat and how they feel they become some of my best and most compliant patients.

Nutraceuticals for IBS There are wonderfully effective natural medicines to reduce discomfort and accelerate the healing process for irritable bowel.

What follows is a partial list of readily available nutrients and herbs that can be used in liquid or powder form, or can be removed from capsules and combined with applesauce, diluted fruit juice, or any liquid or food for easier administration to a child.

• A good quality probiotic: in my practice, I often start young IBS patients on a highquality probiotic designed to treat IBS, which guarantees 60 billion organisms per dose at the time of expiration, and is tested to ensure the purity and viability of each strain. This product contains the NCFM strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis strain Bi-07, both of which have been found in research to be effective for IBS. I start child patients on a probiotic gradually, with a dose as small as 1/8 tsp daily,

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“Chronic illness comes from too much stress and too little nutrition. Any ailment can be improved with a healing, nourishing diet.”

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increasing over the course of a few weeks to a treatment dose which is determined based on results of testing.

• L-Glutamine: this amino acid is nutritive and healing to the intestinal lining. It is available in powder form and tastes slightly sweet, so it’s easy for children to take. I may prescribe 3 grams per day or more, in 2-3 doses divided through the day, for a child with IBS. • Slippery Elm: this mucus membrane-soothing herb can be taken as a tea, removed from capsules and stirred into applesauce, or it may be found in combination formulas designed for digestive tract healing.

• Licorice Root Extract: deglycyrrhinated licorice, for the child who enjoys the taste of licorice, can be a pleasant-tasting way to promote a regular bowel movement and heal the mucus lining of the upper and lower digestive tract.

It is available as an ingredient of powdered formulations, or in chewable form.

• Aloe Leaf Extract which has had the bitter elements removed to prevent a laxative effect, is anti-inflammatory to the intestinal lining, may reduce harmful yeasts in the bowel, and provides fiber to normalize the bowel habit. It can be found as a single ingredient product in liquid form (but be sure the laxative components have been taken out), or in combination formulas. I often prescribe about 200mg per day of a concentrated extract.

• Other supplements which can be helpful in rebalancing digestive tract functions include digestive enzymes, peppermint oil, fish oil, turkey, rhubarb, and magnesium.

Mind, Mood & IBS Did you know that the majority of serotonin, the brain chemical that helps us to feel positive and motivated, is made in the intestine?

When a child has a functional bowel disorder such as IBS, stress hormones, neurotransmitters, and toxins can profoundly disturb mood, energy and mental function. Treating IBS naturally, healing the underlying causes and returning the digestive tract to the healthy, balanced state which is natural to it, often creates amazing transformations in children - from depressed, exhausted, anxious and brain-fogged to energetic, happy, focused and motivated. To watch this process of physical, emotional, mental, and energetic transformation take place in a child with irritable bowel syndrome is a source of great joy for everyone concerned.

Debra Gibson, N.D. practices naturopathic family medicine in her Ridgefield, CT office. She can be reached at 203-431-4443 or at drgibsonsoffice@sbcglobal.net. Check out her blog at www.debragibsonnd.com. See ad on page 23.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

F

Yogurt

the same health benefits as naturally fermented rom the earliest history of man, well before the items. Ironically, the mass processed varieties are invention of refrigeration and shrink wrapping, usually washed with some type of bleach or lye to traditional cultures utilized fermented foods as a retard natural bacteria, and then placed in a salt or With way to preserve the food supply and retard spoilage. vinegar solution to achieve the tangy flavor desired.

Active Cultures This wise folkway also was essential for increasing the While the taste may be similar, the health benefits digestibility of foods, reducing toxins, and enhancing are completely lost and these are poor replacements immunity against germs. Unfortunately, as the American for the rich and nourishing options available in health diet has moved towards a taste for ever sweeter items, the food stores. consumption of naturally cultured or fermented options has To introduce cultured items into the diet, start slow – a declined, and with it, some powerful agents in our food pharmacy. spoonful or sip is a great way to start, and as you acclimate to Naturally lacto-fermented foods use a combination of the bacthe taste, feel free to consume more. Many fermented items, such teria which exist normally on or in the food, and some natural sugar, such as that found in dairy, beans or vegetables. The bacteria feast on as natto, kimchi, and sauerkraut, are used as condiments, while fermented soy and fish make great sauces. Whatever the quantity, the sugar, and produce gasses, as well as the tangy flavor we associate with pickles, sauerkraut and wine. Before turning your nose up at and whichever the form, ingesting these foods can do wonders for health and digestion. The more adventurous soul can try to culture the thought of eating a food with bacteria in it, consider blue cheese some at home, but it is just as simple to purchase them ready made. and yogurt. Both contain healthy doses of natural bacteria and are Whether our choices are home-made or store bought, returning to a well-accepted part of our standard diet. Beer and wine are also our ancestral food traditions by embracing fermented foods is a great fermented foods which are embraced by many people. If you enjoy choice for all.

Asian foods such as tamari and miso, you are consuming even more fermented items. If we think back to our grandparents’ kitchens, most Vicki Kobliner MS RD, CD-N is a Registered Dietitian and owner of likely, regardless of where they were from, there was some sort of Holcare Nutrition (www.holcarenutrition.com). Vicki works with fermented food on the table. Grandma learned to make these savory infants, children and adults with digestive disorders, food allergies, items from her mother and grandmother, and we would be well ADHD, autism and other chronic illness, and provides fertility and served to learn to make them (or simply eat them) again. prenatal nutrition counseling. Vicki has extensive experience in using If you were told your body was filled with bacteria you might dietary modification, appropriate supplementation and functional shudder, reach for the phone and call your doctor for a prescription lab testing to achieve optimal wellness. She can be reached at for antibiotics. Yet all humans are laden with bacteria – trillions of 203.834.9949 or vicki@holcarenutrition.com. See ad on page 16. them – that act as our helpers and protectors, working to enhance and activate our digestion, immune strength, detoxification pathways, and even our brain function. Good germs are so important that a lack of them has been implicated in a host of chronic illnesses.

Consuming naturally fermented foods, rich in healthful bacteria, is akin to seeding our internal ’lawns‘ with the best quality seed.

Yogurt, a fermented food, is often recommended after a course You don’t have to turn yourself of antibiotics to replenish the good flora that was eradicated along into a pretzel to do yoga! with whatever germs the prescription was designed to kill. The problem is that most processed yogurt does not have enough good Relieve workday stress bacteria, and is full of sugars which are counterproductive to growand energize naturally... ing beneficial bacteria. A good rule of thumb is that if the food is no coffee needed! sweet, it will be less effective.

Our Neolithic ancestors loved fermented foods because they contained enzymes that improved digestion, and electrolytes, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that promoted overall health. In fact, in the more recent past, pickle juice was considered a wonderful tonic when feeling sick or dehydrated! While that may not be a common beverage of choice today, kefir and kombucha are fermented drinks that are readily available and tasty. For some, they are an acquired taste, a bit tangy (think beer or wine), but also refreshing and enjoyable.

Be aware that the pickles, olives, sauerkraut and other typically Erika Halford, LMT • Ctyogacenter.com cultured foods available on large grocery store shelves do not confer

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Music for Healing

By Kathy King, PT, CMP

W

hen you think about music, do you think about healing? If you are like most people, the answer is “no.” On a casual basis, almost everyone enjoys listening to music and has experienced its ability to change their mood. Music can soothe us to sleep, move us to tears, or make us want to dance with joy. But what if it could do more?

Ancient Traditions Music has been used with the specific intention to heal for many thousands of years, and across all cultures. As Amrita Cottrell says on her website healingmusic.org, “In ancient Greece, Apollo was both the god of music and medicine. Pythagoras ... demonstrated that the right sequence of sounds, played musically on an instrument, could actually change behavior patterns and accelerate the healing process.” The Bible describes David playing upon his harp to relieve King Saul of his torment from an evil spirit. Chants, mantras and toning have been used for healing in every major world culture and religion - Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Native American, etc. So what is it that makes music healing, and how is it used today?

Music as Vibrational Medicine Music is a subset of sound healing and, by extension, of vibrational medicine. Hazrat Inayat Khan has said, “There is no greater and more living resonator of sound than the human body. Sound has an effect on each atom of the body, for each atom resounds.” Music is certainly sound, but sound is not always music. The MerriamWebster online dictionary defines music as “vocal, instrumental or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody or harmony.” There is increasing medical evidence regarding the human body’s positive response to music. Don Campbell in “The Mozart Effect” states that

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

music has been shown, amongst many things, to: slow down and equalize brain waves; affect respiration, heartbeat and blood pressure; boost immune function; increase endorphin levels; and reduce muscle tension and improve body movement and coordination.

It is important at this point to clarify that “healing” does not necessarily imply a physical “cure” of a particular disease. The word “heal” (of Old English origin) means “to make whole.” Music practitioners strive to create a healing environment that addresses the whole patient - body, mind and spirit. As multiple researchers have shown, music’s effects can be profound on all these levels. With evidence mounting that music can be an important part of the healing process, two questions seem to arise: What makes a particular type of music “healing,” and who is trained to provide this service?

Certified Music Practitioners All music is healing in some way, but once a person becomes ill their requirements for music become more specialized. It helps tremendously to have appropriate training in how to use and modify music to evoke its most healing characteristics. Certified Music Practitioners (CMP) are trained to provide appropriate live music at the bedside of the sick and dying. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice facilities, private homes, dialysis units, chemotherapy centers, delivery rooms and special care nurseries. Each CMP is a graduate of the Music for Healing and Transition program, and has completed a course of study which includes medical and musical classes. More information on their training program is available at www.mhtp.org.

Healing Music The short answer to what makes music healing is “whatever the patient needs at that moment.” Having said that, there are key elements to consider. First, the music is provided as a service, not a performance. Patients are encouraged not to applaud, but rather to close their eyes and relax. They do not even need to be conscious, since many studies have shown that people can still hear while in various states of awareness. Second, it is most beneficial if the music is live and acoustic. Electronic instruments and digital recordings do not produce the harmonic overtones that voice and acoustic instruments provide, which are more effective for healing.

There is no one specific genre of music (jazz, country, rock, etc.) that is inherently more healing than another, although some lend themselves to this work more easily than others. Whatever the choice of music, it is modified in certain ways according to the patient’s needs. Pitch, rhythm and tempo are some of these ways. For instance, higher tones (a soprano voice, for example) require more energy for the brain to process. When someone is very sick, there is less energy available, and a lower pitch would be more effective.

As a second example, a patient with a racing or irregular heartbeat could respond best to music with a strong, even tempo. The CMP might begin by matching their heart rate, and then gradually slow down to about 60 beats per minute. Through the process of entrainment, the patient’s heart rate should follow the beat of the music.

Transition Process Music practitioners are sometimes present in the closing weeks of a person’s life or in the final few hours as they are actively dying.

In this case, the music is more highly specialized and the needs of the patient can change quickly. Particularly careful attention is given to their breathing pattern, and to allowing “spaces” in the music as the pause between breaths lengthens. Although family members are often present in any music session, they become more important as they gather around the dying person. The room may be filled with tension and anxiety or tears. At these times, the CMP needs to try to bring a sense of healing and peace to the patient and their family as a whole.

Stories from the Field There are some people who think that this work is always sad, but this is not so. There are often joyful moments or unexpectedly funny moments, such as the gentleman who refused my offer of music because he thought my kantele looked like a harp. As he said with a big smile, “I’m not dead yet, honey! I don’t need any harps.” Then there was the cantankerous woman who was driving the nurses crazy.

They were sure she would refuse, but she did not. Once I found music that she enjoyed, she happily sang in harmony with me for almost 30 minutes. The nurses told me that she was a transformed woman for the next two days until her discharge. Finally, there was the woman in the ICU who opened her eyes at the end of our session, and told me that the music had been the only thing of beauty she had experienced in her two weeks in the hospital.

Final Thoughts Music in medicine is an ancient practice whose value is being recognized anew. Yet in spite of all the research, all the theory, and all the training, music for healing at its essence is simple. The music practitioner approaches the patient with centered focus, the intention to heal, and an open heart. The music does the rest of the work.

Kathy King, PT, CMP is a Physical Therapist and Certified Music Practitioner. She is based in Vernon, CT and gives lectures and demonstrations on healing music to the public and to medical professionals. Kathy is available for private musical visits at the client’s home, medical facility or hospice. For more information, visit www. healingmusic.vpweb.com or call 860-7160312. See ad this page.

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19

Teens and Drugs

By Kenneth Hoffman, LAc

T

een drug use is an ages old concern, and as a parent it’s one of my biggest fears. The landscape of our children’s world has changed and it’s a challenge to understand the present drug problems, let alone find a solution. There is a plethora of designer drugs replete with chemical toxins, as well as a profusion of prescribed medications that can make their way into our children’s lives.

These come along with a changing economic climate, an increasingly stressful world, and a less healthy society. We have to know two things: If our children are at risk of using or are using drugs, and how we can help them.

The most prevalent drugs are marijuana, prescription drugs and alcohol. If your children have told you they aren’t using drugs, but you’re still concerned they may be doing so, there are warning signs to look for. The following is intended only as a guide, as many of these signs may be the result of other physiological changes related to your children’s development through their teenage years. If your children are too young to consider drug use remember that if you keep them optimally healthy, you will help them avoid drugs in the future. It is my professional opinion that health conditions in childhood can lead to self-medication in later years.

Regardless of age, make a point of observing your children, and make note of how often these warning signs occur. If a number of them occur at the same time, it might indicate your child is on drugs.

Here is a partial list of potential warning signs:

• A drop in school grades • Changes in eating patterns • A reduction in organized extracurricular activities (such as an unexplained dropping-out of sport or other activities or interests) • Bloodshot or glassy eyes • Agitation, anxiety, jitteriness • An unexplained change of friends • Tiredness, laziness and loss of motivation • Sleeping problems, including not sleeping • Unusual or irregular behavior • Aggressive behavior • Unexplained mood swings • A reduction in or minimal interaction with the family • You notice that valuable items or money are missing Kids might get involved with drugs because of peer pressure, and/or for emotional reasons, which are often caused by a chemical 20

Natural Nutmeg August 2012

imbalance or hormone imbalance, such as depression, anxiety, or a physical health problem they think can only be helped with drugs.

It’s important to know about each of these in order to understand how best to help our children and to realize that natural solutions exist for these conditions.

The most prevalent reason kids start experimenting with drugs is peer pressure. Teach your children how to say no to pressure so they don’t feel they have to say yes. For example: “Are you crazy? We could go to jail. What would happen if our parents found out?”

The second reason children try drugs relates to the anxiety of growing up which can include poor self-esteem, rejection by peers, or a traumatic event. One solution is to help your child find something s/he can do well at, such as sports, dance classes, yoga, exercise, working out, etc. If you need to participate, don’t resist. It will help you feel better, too, and will create a bond between you and your child. Children often take cues from those closest to them and you would always like that to be you.

Prescription drugs can lead to drug dependence. In fact, prescription drug overdose as a cause of death has recently become more prevalent than illegal drug overdose. If, as often as possible, you use natural solutions to resolve your family’s health problems, you will help your child avoid prescription drug abuse. Keep in mind that numerous studies have revealed that children often get their drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinet, and they also can get prescription drugs from friends. Prescription drugs are the most lethal type of drugs. Even though it may at times be necessary for us to use prescription drugs, it sets an example that children follow. The overuse of medication is clearly on the rise: According to IMS Health, a healthcare information company, doctors issued 124 million prescriptions for the generic version of the painkiller Vicodin in 2008 compared to 97 million in 2004, and prescriptions for the generic version of OxyContin have doubled, increasing from 14 million to 28 million during that same time period.

According to an article published in the St. Petersburg Times, pain killers and antidepressants kill more people than cocaine and heroin combined. The article stated that “prescription drug overdoses are likely to overtake car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death here…” Dr. Leslie Walker, chief of adolescent medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, says that prescription painkillers have become more widely available than ever before. Studies conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that 40 percent of American adults believe it is safe to take prescription drugs without a prescription, with an attitude of, “Why else would doctors prescribe

them?” “The easy availability of addictive opioids, depressants and stimulants on the net has, for many children, made the Internet a greater threat than the illegal street drug dealer,” says Joseph A. Califano Jr., Chairman and Founder of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). You don’t need to actively surf the Web to find these sites. Many of them solicit using spam e-mails that invite the consumer to buy prescription drugs without a prescription. If you haven’t gotten these e-mails, a Google search for “opiates but no prescription” produces more than a million hits for sites, many of them offshore, offering controlled substances delivered to your door in a plain wrapper. All you need is a credit card.

Next let’s look at stress and various chemical imbalances which may lead to drug use. Because stress is a major factor in disease and can directly affect a person’s moods, we need to understand more about it. Children as well as adults often turn to drugs to lift their moods when there are more effective, less dangerous, natural solutions. To get some idea of how stress can affect your moods and health, consider that the stress glands of the body (called the adrenal glands) secrete 50 different hormones.

For example, the adrenal hormone cortisol controls your blood sugar by breaking down fat so you don’t experience fatigue or low blood sugar. When this hormone is out of balance you can experience mood swings, depression and have problems with weight. Another adrenal gland hormone, called noradrenaline, is secreted when you are under stress. This hormone takes blood from the digestive tract and puts the blood into your arms and legs. This can cause digestive problems. Furthermore, the adrenal hormone DHEA controls your estrogen reserves. When this hormone is out of balance it can lead to sleep problems, PMS and menopausal symptoms, etc. At Sophia Natural Health Center, we test for adrenal function to insure that your child’s adrenal glands are functioning properly. Most Natural Medicine Specialists should be able to do this.

There is another tool you can use to fight the drug culture we live in besides trying to lead a drug-free life yourself. This other tool is knowledge, which will fill the void about the dangers of such drugs as marijuana, prescription drugs and alcohol. Free booklets are available at the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (ncadi.samhsa.gov/) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (nida.nih.gov/) websites.

If your child or any member of your family is abusing drugs and you need outside help, here is an organization that can help with rehabilitation and prevention: Narconon International www.narconon. org at 1-877-362-9682. This is the only drug rehabilitation program with a 75 percent success rate.

As a Wellness Professional, I believe there are three major causes of health problems: • Stress and related hormonal imbalances.

• Bio-chemical imbalances due to the 82,000 chemicals which we can come into contact with each week through our water, food, and air.

• Undetected physical damage, which can occur from past traumas leading to pain, headaches, and numerous other symptoms.

We believe everyone, children and adults, should be evaluated to find out how these three causes could be impacting their health. Not only can these conditions lead to drug abuse or addictive behavior, they are important to one’s overall health. By keeping ourselves and our children healthy we are drug-proofing them in many ways. By staying healthy and keeping a healthy household, we can protect our children from the impacts of drugs.

Kenneth R. Hoffman, L.Ac, is the medical director for Sophia Natural Health Center in Brookfield where his specialties are hormone conditions, allergies, pain and medical thermography. He started private training under the tutelage of a Taoist medical and qi gong master in 1991 where he began learning the art of Chinese healing through Qi Gong, Herbology, Tui Na (Chinese medical massage) and Tai Qi. He then went on to finish a 4 year Chinese medical school program at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Having treated thousands of patients over the years including many children with ADD and ADHD, his center is one of the largest acupuncture and Oriental medicine centers in Connecticut. See ad on page 16.

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21

Heads Up for Concussions

By Andrew P.T. Gregory, DC

F

ew serious conditions are as misunderstood as concussion. Not only are concussions often overlooked in the first place, but they tend to be discounted and mismanaged when they are recognized. Much of the misinformation stems from decades in which very little was known about the process of concussion, and an athlete’s ability to get back into the game was considered a sign of mental toughness.

Many former football players I have known relate countless instances in which they were hit and then were so disoriented that they ran back to the wrong huddle or don’t remember the second half of the game. They describe “getting dinged” or “having their bell rung,” but don’t realize that what they really sustained was a mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. A concussion is a brain injury. While sports injuries account for many concussions, falls and motor vehicle accidents are frequent causes as well.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to lose consciousness to experience a concussion. This is not true. While there are dozens of different methods to measure the severity of concussion, it is generally agreed upon that any alteration in consciousness such as feeling dazed or disoriented, dizzy or confused after a trauma to the head is a sign of mild concussion.

Another misconception is that you have to strike your head in order for a concussion to occur. This also is not true. Our brain doesn’t completely fill our skull; instead, it is surrounded by fluid to help act as a cushion. If someone’s head is quickly thrown forward and back, such as during a whiplash injury, the brain can slide forward and back within the skull and strike the inner bony surface.

In this instance, the trauma to the brain occurs inside of the skull as opposed to the outside of the head.

As stated earlier, one of the biggest challenges has to do with recognition. For example, after a concussion during sports, a person may feel symptoms such as a headache or pressure in their head, nausea, dizziness, blurred or double vision, confusion, or a vague foggy feeling. To an outside observer, they may appear dazed, stunned or confused. They may move in a clumsy manner or have difficulty following instructions. In this instance, the player should be removed from play until s/he is properly assessed and cleared to return.

It is worth repeating that a concussion is an injury to the brain.

An important concept to keep in mind is that an injury to the brain is a process, not a solitary event. Following the trauma, damage continues to occur on a cellular level for a period of time afterwards. During this early phase the brain is especially vulnerable to additional trauma and a second concussion within a short period of time can have devastating effects such that 2 minor brain injuries over a close period of time can result in a very severe problem or even death. This phenomenon is called second impact syndrome.

Brains tend to heal at different rates based on several factors. It is important to realize that the cellular damage as a result of a brain injury is permanent. Once a brain cell dies it won’t come back.

Fortunately our brains are over-engineered with an abundance of additional brain cells and have the ability to adapt, remodel and form new connections in response to our environment.

A person’s recovery from a brain injury has a lot more to do with the brain’s ability to remodel, relearn and compensate than it does from dead cells coming back to life. It is similar to being born with a certain amount of money in a bank account. In addition to slowly losing money (brain cells) over our lifetime, we also have to pay for brain injuries by making withdrawals from the account. As long as there are enough resources remaining in the account our brain will have the ability to compensate for the trauma. This analogy helps explain why risk factors for a slower or less complete recovery following concussion include a history of previous concussion, history of substance abuse and advanced age. In other words, it is not only how severe the trauma was, but also what state the person’s brain was in prior to the trauma that counts.

Following a concussion a brain needs rest in order to heal, or compensate, properly. Not only does this mean refraining from sports until cleared, but also minimizing or preferably, eliminating, overstimulating activities such as video games and television. It is not unusual for a student to be unable to return to school for months following a concussion. Alcohol should definitely be avoided and the patient should be permitted to get plenty of rest throughout the day.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

While there has not been extensive research to support the idea, it would make sense to also avoid foods containing “excitotoxins” such as MSG (monosodium glutamate) and Aspartame. Since our brain contains a great deal of myelin (fat) it is also a good idea for all of us to get an adequate amount of good fat in our diet such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Many people with concussion continue to experience vertigo, dizziness and visual problems for quite some time afterwards. This can be due to inner ear damage, or more commonly, difficulty processing signals from the inner ear, eyes and neck muscles in an efficient manner. Fortunately, many of these vestibular problems respond well to vestibular rehab exercises.

From a prevention standpoint, properfitting equipment is essential for sport activities.

Coaches, players and parents need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of concussion and to not treat them lightly. It also is an excellent idea to have a baseline cognitive test, such as IMPACT testing, prior to the beginning of the season. The test is inexpensive and takes only about a half hour to administer. The test then serves as a baseline record of a person’s attention and mental processing speed that can be used as a yardstick to help assess the extent of injury and assist in return-to-play decisions in the event that a person sustains a concussion.

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23

Supplements 101

Michael Dworkin, P.D., M.S. Erika Dworkin, Dip. C.N. (Pend.)

Warning: Antibiotics Can Make Your Children Sick!

(And You, Too!) The problem of chronic candidiasis in infants and children is especially important, not alone as it is related to their health at this period of their lives, but also as it may relate to problems with yeast later in life...Particularly in young children experiencing difficulty with school, this condition...is one worth considering. ~Tbe Yeast Connection, William G. Crook, M.D. (quoting The Missing Diagnosis, C. Orian Truss, M.D.)

I

t is arguable that administering antibiotics can be necessary to kill virulent bacterial infections. However, the overprescribing of antibiotics is rampant in this country.

Very often, these drugs are prescribed for the wrong ailments (like viruses and acne) and with complete disregard for a child’s longterm intestinal health and overall immunity.

By learning about candidiasis, a potential and all-too-common detrimental effect of antibiotic overuse, you can truly protect your child’s well-being now and in the future.

Why Is Candidiasis Dangerous?

Candidiasis, which can inflict both genders, is a fungal infection of any of the Candida species (all yeasts), of which Candida albicans is the most common. Various factors encourage growth of this fungal infestation, including: (1) a diet rich in sugars and yeast; (2) antibiotics, especially those labeled “broad spectrum” (including past use of

these drugs, dating as far back as 20 years); (3) surgeries; (4) birth control pills and pregnancy (mothers with candidiasis can even pass it on to their children through the umbilical cord!); (4) a weakened immune system; (5) use of cortisone and corticosteroids, including prednisone; and (6) stress (which yields cortisone).

This condition encompasses infections that range from superficial, such as oral thrush and vaginitis, to systemic and potentially life-threatening diseases. William G. Crook, M.D., author of “The Yeast Connection,” identified 56 symptoms that can arise from yeast overgrowth, including: brain fog/inability to focus, hyperactivity, chronic ear infections, depression, anxiety, diarrhea/bloating/gas/constipation, chronic fatigue, rashes/eczema/ psoriasis, irritability, sweet/carbohydrate/alcohol cravings, and headaches/sinusitis. He also maintained that medical history and response to treatment, rather than testing, is the best way to confirm a candidiasis diagnosis.

There are two essential prongs to a yeast-fighting program: (1) using diet to starve it; and (2) using nutritional supplements to actively kill bad bacteria and replace it with good bacteria strains.

The Yeast-Starving Candida Diet While monitoring a child’s diet can be extremely challenging, this is the place to start protecting your child’s health. There is

generally no way around using the candida diet as the first critical step of a yeast-fighting program. The diet excludes foods that feed yeast or aggravate candidiasis symptoms: (1) fungus, mold, yeast, and fermented or aged foods (vinegar, cheese, mushrooms, alcohol, certain nuts, and corn); (2) dairy and gluten (in wheat, rye, barley, and some oats) (both pro-inflammatory and difficult to digest); (3) all sugars and simple carbohydrates (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, starchy/high-sugar vegetables); and (4) saturated fat.

The good news is that, despite the exclusions, there is still plenty to eat on the candida diet. The allowed and recommended foods include: (1) fish, chicken, turkey, and eggs, preferably organic; (2) non-starchy, low-sugar vegetables; (3) low-sugar nuts, especially walnuts and almonds (including almond milk and almond butter); (4) limited amounts of rice cakes, rice crackers, and certain breads; (5) limited amounts of berries and other fruits; (6) beans and certain legumes [especially non-aged, non-GMO soy (soy milk, soy cheese, tofu), navy and black beans, chick peas, and lentils); (7) unsweetened protein powders; and (8) stevia (a non-sugar natural sweetener).

Since most candidiasis patients suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), your child should ideally keep his blood sugar balanced with six small meals each day. Eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day are also recommended, along with lifestyle choices that minimize stress (yoga, meditation, and exercise).

Yeast-Fighting Nutritional Supplements To combat candida, physicians traditionally prescribe the drugs Diflucan, Nystatin, or Nizoral. While these medications can work for some, they can cause excessive, accelerated die-off and thus can grossly exacerbate various candidiasis symptoms.

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When administered properly, these nutritional supplements aid in the slower, less disruptive elimination and replace-

ment of yeast: caprylic acid (found separately and in coconut oil); grapefruit seed extract; garlic; pau d’arco (in capsule and tea forms); and oregano oil. However, due to potential yeast die-off effects, and because candida mutates at differing rates in each patient and can become resistant to any antifungal, it is critical to obtain professional guidance when using these remedies for this purpose.

Probiotics The human digestive system (stomach, small and large intestines) contains 70-80% of all of the body’s immune cells. It thus follows that a strong immune system begins with a healthy digestive system. A child’s digestive tract is fragile and its flora can be readily thrown off balance. Daily administration of probiotics crowds out and replaces the yeast in the gut, thus helping to restore healthy immunity.

When choosing the right child-formulated probiotic for your child, look for one that ideally: (1) is refrigerated (to preserve the live flora); (2) has multiple types of friendly bacteria strains (e.g., lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium bifidum/longum/infantis); (3) is coated (to protect the flora from stomach acid, allowing them to be delivered alive to the intestines) or powdered (for easier administration); (4) contains a pre-biotic that feeds the friendly/good bacteria (e.g., FOS, Inulin); (5) contains L-glutamine and NAG (to protect the intestinal mucosal lining, especially against leaky gut syndrome); (6) has at least 3 billion microorganisms; and (7) is dairy-free. The strains saccharomyces boulardii (prevents yeast growth) and bifidobacteria BB536 (a particularly well-studied strain that reduces production of inflammatory cytokines), can also be instrumental in combatting yeast overgrowth.

Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics When your child gets sick, remember that there are a number of natural alternatives to antibiotics.

Cold & Flu Echinacea/cone flower tincture and black elderberry/sambucus are tremendously effective in strengthening the body’s defense mechanisms against cold and flu viruses. The herb goldenseal can help fight

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an actual infection. Also, Umcka®, a homeopathic combination remedy with no side effects or drug interactions, has been clinically proven to shorten the duration and reduce the severity of cold/flu symptoms and throat/sinus/ bronchial conditions, especially when taken at the onset of symptoms. Liquid vitamin C also can have this effect. Finally, chewable colostrum for children will increase the antibodies required to combat cold and flu.

Ear Aches A glycerin-based ear drop tincture combination of mullein (also a demulcent, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory, useful for upper respiratory illnesses) and garlic reduces and can eliminate middleand outer-ear inflammation, pain, bacterial infection, and earwax buildup.

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If your child has any type of mild digestive discomfort, try administering aloe juice, and/or chamomile or peppermint tea (which both soothe the stomach/intestines), magnesium (a natural laxative), and/or homeopathic belladonna (stops diarrhea). Also try eliminating dairy and gluten from his diet, consider getting him tested for food allergies, and reexamine his overall diet and supplements regimen in light of the above discussion.

Conclusion Though candidiasis can be controlled with diet and nutritional supplements, it never really goes away. It can flare up from increased stress and even the slightest diet violation. Since the anti-candida program is so complex, and can take an iron will, at times, to follow, it is best to attack candidiasis with the guidance of a practitioner well-versed in yeast-related health conditions.

Submitted by Michael Dworkin, P.D.,M.S., a Registered Pharmacist and Connecticut Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CT Cert 232), with J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Lifestyle Educator, Dip.C.N./Board Cert. Holistic Nutrition (pending).Owner of the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe (860.646.8178, 378 West Middle Turnpike, Manchester), Pharmacist Dworkin has been guiding patients since 1956 and is available for consultation by appointment. Erika is available to speak to groups. References are available upon request. The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The natural remedies discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. See ad on page 3.

This is Not Your Daughter’s Yoga

E

veryone knows yoga is good for you. Chiropractors and doctors recommend it to lower blood pressure and improve health. But when you think about Yoga, what likely comes to mind is a young slender girl in tight leggings that has twisted herself into some inconceivable position while balancing on one hand. You may think to yourself, “I can barely stand on one leg or bend over to tie my shoes, so how am I going to do that?”

Nobody wants to be humiliated, or reminded of how great of shape they used to be in. These seem to be a couple of the reasons why people don’t try yoga. It seems foreign, inaccessible and requires a certain amount of flexibility and dexterity that most of us simply do not have. At least, that is what we are led to believe.

What if I told you that most yoga students in the Northeast are between ages 35 and 54? What if I said that about 20% of yoga practitioners are over the age of 55 and that this demographic is rapidly growing? The truth is that most of the people in the yoga class you are thinking about trying are normal people just like you. They are mothers and fathers, employees and business owners, and their bodies’ creak when they get out of bed in the morning.

When you see images in the media of half naked women or men doing Cirque du Soleil poses, they are representing the exception. Wipe those hyper flexible yogi stereotypes from your mind.

Reality check: When you start out in yoga, everyone is as stiff as a board. You don’t just magically become flexible! It is a progression as you become more in tune with your body and your flexibility and strength increase. And it will increase just after you take that first step.

Could the ability to put your leg behind your head improve the way you live? Will balancing on your head bring you happiness and fulfillment? Centuries old texts describe yoga as a way to integrate the body and mind to relieve suffering, which from a yogic perspective is caused by “monkey mind.” So what does this have to do with being able to do 108 pushups in a room heated to 100 degrees?

Absolutely nothing.

How much does your pain and lack of energy affect your work, family and social life? Real yoga is about feeling better, living a life free from pain and enjoying the things and people we love. Yoga

teaches us to be patient, forgiving, loving and kind. It reduces pain and relieves stress, naturally enhances our mood and improves the way we move throughout the day.

Life is stressful. This is unlikely to change. But we can get stronger and more balanced so that we can better adapt to the demands of daily living. Is rolling around on the floor contorting in tight leggings going to do that? Probably not. But setting aside time for yourself to decompress naturally and relieve accumulated tension in your body so you can breathe will.

The point is you should not be intimidated by yoga. After all, we are doing yoga poses all day long: sitting, standing, and bending. Yoga trains our bodies to do those things better and without pain. It is true, however, that you should choose your yoga classes wisely.

At CT Yoga Center we begin with breathing and then slowly work on introducing your body to the poses. You will learn simple tools that you can use in your life that decrease everyday stress.

Each teacher will take the time to get to know you, your reasons for coming and any physical limitations you may be experiencing. You will gain a bit of flexibility here and there and immediately you will feel better. In fact, you may feel so much better that life doesn’t seem as stressful. Tasks that used to be exhausting are met with newfound ease and energy. You will find clarity and focus that at times may be ninja like as you move through the day choosing wisely what you will focus your attention on. You might even make new friends. And if you really must learn pretzel poses and headstands we can teach you how to safely do that too.

The truth is we age, the body starts to wear and tear. Joints will stiffen up. Muscles will get tight. We get tired and overwhelmed.

Starting yoga as soon as possible is an easy way to fight the ravages of time. The key is to just start. Those intimidatingly fit people had to begin somewhere. Start where you are. You belong here.

Erika Halford is a normal non- contortionist person, mother, wife, Yoga instructor and massage therapist. She recently opened CT Yoga Center to bring yoga to those who think they can’t and to inspire people of all ages and ability levels to move how they want to live.

You can reach her by visiting www.CTyogacenter.com. See ad on page 17.

Find Peace in The Middle of it All Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

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Information at www.Mindful-Spirit.com or call Alisha at (917) 972-7291 NaturalNutmeg.com

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Healthy Self

Dr. Ashley Burkman, ND

Probiotics

Commonly Encountered Strains and Their Uses

P

robiotics are microorganisms, yeast or bacteria, that when taken internally, via food or supplement, can improve a variety of health conditions. The human body is continually populated with what is called normal flora. Normal flora lines every external surface of the body including the skin, nasal passages, mouth and gastrointestinal tract. When you think about it, from our top to bottom, we are one continuous tube that communicates with our external environment. It is not until the contents we ingest are absorbed into the body that they become part of us. The genital organs, urethra, eyes and even ears are all populated with normal flora that must remain in balance to be healthy.

An example of an inappropriate balance of normal flora is in a vaginal or oral yeast infection also known as thrush. Vaginal and oral yeast infections are most commonly due to the fungus Candida albicans. Candida becomes problematic when there is an imbalance of Candida organisms when compared to other normal flora colonizers of the mouth and vagina. Antibiotic therapy and other medications, malnutrition, diabetes, and immune system infections such as AIDS can all lead to an inappropriate balance of normal flora.

Probiotics have been all the rage in recent years with emerging research showing the benefits of supplementation with good flora in a variety of conditions. Conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract have been one motivator for supplementing with probiotics.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition classified as irregularity and inconsistency in bowel movements, is a common condition that benefits from probiotic supplementation. While it may seem like a

stretch, supplementing with probiotics actually has been linked with boosting the immune system. Your GI tract is truly the first line of defense against pathogens when germs enter into your body. Having a GI tract that is primed and ready with a healthy amount of friendly microorganisms to fight off offending pathogens reduces the likelihood of illness.

Probiotics in Food A good way to ingest probiotics is through food. Yogurt is one of the most common sources of probiotics. Almost every yogurt contains a starter culture of Lactobacillus. Additional probiotic strains can be added to these products for further benefit. Eating yogurt consistently helps promote digestive regularity. Miso soup is another good food source of probiotics. Miso is a fermented soy source of probiotics, made by adding Aspergillus oryzaei to a soybean base and letting it ferment. Drinking miso soup while suffering from a cold might reduce the length of illness.

Which Organisms Provide What Benefit?

Lactobacillus Lactobacillus belongs to a group of lactic-acid producing bacteria. This type of bacteria is normally found in our digestive tracts,

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

urinary and genital systems where it plays a role in preventing infectious bacteria from taking hold by competing for space and food sources.

Traveler’s diarrhea is commonly prevented with Lactobacillus. Traveler’s diarrhea occurs when contaminated food or water is ingested, creating abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and cramping. When the gastrointestinal tract is prepped with lactobacillus probiotics it can prevent the infectious bacteria from taking hold and reeking havoc on your digestive tract and for that matter your vacation!

Bifidobacterium lactis Like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium also is part of the lactic acid producing bacteria group and also populates the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. This probiotic is preferred prophylactically and in conjunction with antibiotic therapy to prevent killing off the beneficial bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract. Common side effects of antibiotic treatments are gastrointestinal cramping, yeast infections and diarrhea, which can be minimized with the help of probiotics including bifidobacterium.

that target several bacterial species. Broad spectrum antibiotics kill several beneficial strains of bacteria in addition to the infectious bacteria leading to chronic diarrhea, due to inappropriate amounts of beneficial and non-beneficial flora in the digestive tract.

Since Saccharomyses boulardii is a yeast it can not be killed off by antibiotics, therefore, treatment with this specific probiotic can help reinstate an appropriate balance of flora in the colon and can help resolve bowel disorders such as Clostridum difficilecolitis.

Not all probiotics are created equal; each formula is made up of different strains and amounts of microorganisms. The condition/problem dictates which probiotic strains would best be suited for the job. In addition,

there is a wide range when it comes to the number of organisms in a product, typically noted as millions or billions of CFUs, or Colony Forming Units. With so many health claims being made about probiotic use it is important you consult with your physician to determine which product and strains are best suited for you.

Dr. Ashley Burkman is a board certified licensed Naturopathic Physician at Connecticut Natural Health Specialists, LLC. Like all the physicians at Connecticut Natural Health Specialists, LLC, Dr. Burkman is dedicated to treating the cause of disease and is an in-network provider for most insurance companies. Visit http://www.ctnhs.com. For an appointment, please call (860) 533-0179.

See ad on page 3.

Saccharomyces boulardii Saccharomyses boulardii is a form of yeast that has been used in the treatment of gastrointestinal illnesses including the chronic bowel disorder Clostridum difficilecolitis. This disorder most commonly arises with overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics

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Take Control of Your Health’s

Destiny

By Steven Piechota, Pharm D, CNC

F

ifty years ago, my college pharmacy class took a trip to ParkeDavis Drug Co. in Detroit, where a company executive spoke to our class. In his talk he mentioned that there was an unwritten law in the corporate world that ultimately each industry in the world would be controlled by five corporations. It was felt amongst the corporate elites that five corporations was the ideal number to manage each industry, e.g. pharmaceuticals, automotive, oil, telecommunications, , etc.

As the years went by it became obvious to me that the plan was proceeding gradually, incessantly, and behind the scenes. When I wondered who was served it seemed clear the goal was to gain power and wealth at any cost. Further reflection and study led me to an established theory that there is a global conspiracy to control the masses with drugs, chemicals and toxic substances. For the sake of brevity, I will just briefly mention the dangers of the following:

Fluoride Fluorides are compounds of Fluorine which is the most reactive element in the world. Fluorides are widely used in industry for their corrosiveness, the ability to disrupt DNA and inhibit enzyme activity.

Fluorides are found in Scotchgard, Goretex and Teflon because they create tight molecular bonds that resist penetration and sticking.

Fluorides are found in drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and rat poisons.

Fluorine displaces iodine in the thyroid gland contributing to hypothyroidism. Fluoride undermines our health in many ways: • Disrupts thyroid function; • Calcifies arteries leading to cardiovascular disease; • Suppresses production of melatonin and serotonin / damages DNA leading to genetic changes which can act as precursors to cancer.

Try to minimize your exposure to fluoride compounds by making informed choices. Look for ways to detox your body of flouride; iodine, lecithin, tamarind, boron, milk thistle for liver detox and dry saunas can be beneficial.

Vaccines Modern medicine indoctrinates us with the idea that we must vaccinate our children. We have been led to believe that these injections are insurance policies for our health. The reality is that vaccinations do little to reduce the incidence of disease, but they do many things to imperil our health.

• Childhood vaccinations can assault the normal functioning of the body, creating neurologic damage and disrupting the immune system.

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• Vaccines are preserved with neurotoxins such as mercury (ThiMerosal), formaldehyde, phenol, and aluminum.

• Vaccines are made from genetically engineered pathogens grown in animal tissue, chicken embryos and aborted fetal cells.

• Vaccines are frequently administered in cocktails as in MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) and PCV (13 Pneumococcal Strains), subjecting children to multiple viral combinations that would never be found in a natural setting.

• By age six, most children have been dosed with more than 100 antigens.

• Vaccines can lead to immune dysfunction which leads to allergies, asthma, autism, developmental problems, auto immune diseases, sudden infant death syndrome and even death.

• Vaccines can lead to ischemia (poor circulation) to areas of the brain leading to poor development of those areas.

• One out of five American children now has “special needs”.

These include learning disabilities, attention-deficit disorders, autism-spectrum disorders and behavioral issues, and have created a whole new market for prescription drugs.

• Most states allow for religious, philosophical and medical exemptions from vaccine requirements. Check your State’s Laws.

• Vaccine manufacturers are protected by a law that limits liability claims to only $250,000. This law prompted the accelerated use of vaccines in America.

GMO Foods, Processed Foods, Pesticides and Preservatives Most supermarket foods are so processed and pumped full of toxic additives (MSG, aspartame, preservatives, and pesticide residues) that they barely qualify as real food. There is widespread contamination of poultry and meats which come from factory farms where animals are kept in squalid conditions, confined to cages and injected with hormones which end up in the human body and cause disease.

• Most people eat large amounts of nutrient depleted food and then are surprised by the ever increasing incidence of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. “You are what you eat” - choose raw, natural, unrefined foods, whole-grain breads and organic whenever possible.

• GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are a major contributor to the decline of health in America. GMOs alter the genetic codes of the organism’s DNA. This creates mutating genes which cause disease and change our own DNA.

Bisphenol A (Bpa) – Mimics Estrogen Bisphenol is found in a number of products, including paper money, plastic bottles and the lining of canned goods. BPA is linked to breast cancer and infertility, it affects male development (suppressing testosterone), and accelerates puberty in females. BPA also is linked to diabetes and weight gain; it disrupts the endocrine glandular system, and also is disruptive to the thyroid.

Reverse the effects of BPA by employing probiotics, black tea, melatonin, royal jelly, fermented foods, quercetin and folic acid. Please avoid BPA by using glass bottles or stainless steel. Discontinue the use of plastic cookware and containers.

Pharmaceuticals Statistics show that there have been no deaths from vitamin use in the last 27 years and more than three million deaths related to prescription drug use. Yet the conventional healthcare system continues to denigrate natural nutritional supplements while propagandizing the idea that Rx drugs are the only science-backed option to improving your health. As a matter of fact, the FDA has made the ridiculous declaration “only drugs can cure disease.” It stands to reason that compounds that are foreign to our biologic systems can only lead to harmful side effects because metabolic, cellular and excretory mechanisms lack the means to deal with foreign invaders.

• Statin Drugs – used to reduce cholesterol eq. Lipitor, Simvastatin, Crestor: The excessive use of these drugs is based on the hoax

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that cholesterol causes cardiovascular disease. Other factors play a much larger role in heart disease. For example: lack of antioxidants, inflammation, stress, and genetics.

Statins deplete Coenzyme Q-10, which is an essential nutrient in cellular metabolism. This depletion leads to chaos at the cellular level and results in a myriad of life threatening side effects.

These side effects include muscle damage, lack of energy, heart failure, liver damage, kidney failure, memory loss, diabetes, and even cancer.

• Proton Pump Inhibitors – Nexium, Prilosec Protonix: Used to reduce stomach acid in acid reflux disease (simple heartburn) these drugs lead to serious health deficits: impede protein digestion; virtually stops calcium absorption; impede Vitamin B-12 absorption; reduce the parasite barrier which can lead to a variety of infections, especially respiratory conditions (bronchitis, pneumonia).

Psychotherapeutics – antidepressants, anti-psychotics Although these drugs may be beneficial their excessive, unbridled use has created many problems. Common side effects include suicidal thoughts, weight gain, miscarriages, autism, and atherosclerosis. A nutritional approach to reversing emotional disorders is certainly worth consideration. Many nutritionals can have dramatic effects in reversing emotional problems. For example: Omega 3 Fatty Acids, high doses of B vitamins (thiamine, niacinamide, inositol and panthethine), 5 HTP, tyrosine, and phenylalanine.

Artificial Sweeteners Aspartame is the chemical name for NutraSweet and it is considered by many to be the most dangerous substance that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Some of the symptoms listed as being caused by Aspartame include: headaches/migraine dizziness seizures nausea numbness muscle spasms weight gain rashes depression irritability

tachycardia insomnia vision problems heart palpitations anxiety slurred speech loss of taste memory loss joint pain

According to research, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting aspartame: brain tumors Multiple sclerosis epilepsy Chronic Fatigue syndrome Parkinson’s disease mental retardation

lymphoma birth defects weight gain Fibromyalgia Diabetes

Aspartame is composed of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Aspartic acid is an amino acid which converts to the neurotransmitter. Aspartate facilitates neuron to neuron transmission. Unfortunately excessive amounts of aspartate kill neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive free radical activity, which kills the cells. This neutral damage is the reason why aspartate is classified as an “excitotoxin”. They excite or stimulate the neural cells to death. A few of the chronic illnesses that have been associated with excitotoxins include Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, aids, memory loss, dementia, brain lesions, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain.

Excessive levels in the brain can cause the levels of serotonin to decrease, leading to emotional disorders. It has been shown that phenylalanine levels increase significantly when people consume aspartame. High amounts (6-8 diet drinks daily) can lead to memory loss, mood swings, rages, palpitations and brain damage. It is especially dangerous in infants and fetuses.

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is highly carcinogenic and neurotoxic. Anything above 8mg/daily of methanol is considered dangerous. Just a quart of aspartame sweetened drink can contain 56 mg of methanol.

Heavy users consume as much as 250 mg of methanol. Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness, behavioral disturbances and neuritis, and most importantly vision problems. Retinal damage and even blindness can occur.

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Splenda (sucralose) The FDA has declared sucralose to be safe; however, many studies contradict that claim. For example, studies reveal the following: • decreased red blood cells causing anemia • male infertility by interfering with sperm production • brain lesions • calcified kidneys • spontaneous abortions • reduced beneficial bacteria in intestines by approximately 50%, which impairs immunity and a healthy digestive system.

Only two human trials were completed prior to FDA approval for human consumption, and these two trials only included 36 human subjects. Even more alarming, the longest trial lasted only four days, and only examined the effect on tooth decay, not human tolerance. As for determining the absorption into the human body, only eight men were studied.

Fructose (High Fructose Corn Syrup and Agave) Fructose is the most toxic natural sugar. However, it is only toxic in large, chronic doses. At the doses people ordinarily consume today (500% higher than in pre-industrial times) it produces metabolic toxicity. Small doses are harmless and large doses are pathogenic.

Don’t be deceived into thinking agave is a safer natural sweetener; in actuality it is worse because it has higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener. What makes fructose so unhealthy is that it is metabolized to fat more rapidly than any other sugar. The burden of fructose metabolism is performed by the liver, and it promotes the kind of fat that accumulates in the abdominal region. This type of fat is associated with cardiovascular disease. In addition, fructose contributes to weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased HDL, increased LDL, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and hypertension, i.e. classic syndrome X (metabolic syndrome).

It is wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams daily; total fructose consumption should not exceed 25 grams per day. Warning – always check the fructose content in commercial beverages. Here’s a quick reference on the fructose content in some fruits: apple 9.5 gram, banana 7.1 gram, orange 6.1 gram, peach 5.9 gram, raspberries 3 gram (cup), lemon 0.6 gram, watermelon 11.3 gram, strawberries 3.8 gram (cup). Some safe options for sweeteners are stevia, sugar alcohol eq. Xylitol, Honey (Manuka or Raw) and Glucose.

It is time to take control of your health’s destiny. It is your opportunity to assert your strength as a creature of God’s creation.

Dr. Stephen Piechota, Pharm D., CNC currently owns and operates the Medical Arts Health and Nutrition Center. Dr. Piechota received his B.S. from University of Connecticut School of Pharmacology, and his Doctorate of Clinical Therapeutics Degree from Idaho State University. To further his knowledge in the art of holistic healing, Dr Steve has taken comprehensive training in clinical nutrition and naturopathic medicine, as well as read and studied countless books on the subject. He is fervent in his belief in serving the highest of principles, truth and God, and is totally dedicated to provide healthcare to his fellow-man. Office Locations: 1389 West Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06708, (203) 755-1105; 140 Pine Street, Bristol, CT 06010, (860) 584-5071. See ad on page 25.

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know your herbs

Andrea Candee, MH,MSC

Summer Woes Q - I try to be careful and protect my children from the sun but sometimes sunburns do happen. What do you suggest as natural remedies for soothing the pain and healing the skin?

• Let your child soak for 15 minutes. The skin will be calmed and soothed, and much of the pain will be immediately relieved.

• After the bath, you can use one of the following soothers to promote further healing.

A - Parents know to cover children with protective lotion and limit the amount of time they spend in the sun, however, even the most careful parents can let their families get overexposed. If sunburn does occur, there are several wonderful natural formulas that can easily be prepared or purchased.

Yogurt Skin Healer

Apple Cider Vinegar Bath For large sunburned areas an apple cider vinegar bath works wonders. Use a brand from the health food store that has been wood-aged, rather than one from the supermarket that may have been chemicallyaged. Apple cider vinegar helps to balance the skin’s pH factor (its acid/alkaline balance). As with all parts of the body, when there is chemical balance, healing is supported.

• Add 2 cups apple cider vinegar to a bathtub of warm water.

Yogurt is the antidote for the burn of hot, spicy food in Indian cooking by re-establishing acid/alkaline balance and works the same way for sunburned skin. For sunburn, I use compresses of natural yogurt to help cool and hydrate the skin.

• Wrap whole-milk, full-fat, plain yogurt in several layers of cheesecloth and compress the burn.

• Replace with fresh compresses as the yogurt warms on the skin.

• Repeat compresses until the skin is cooled and soothed.

• Yogurt can be spread over the entire body, turning an upsetting, painful sunburn into a fun spa treatment that girls, especially, will love. (And boys, too: my son Brian always enjoyed our herbal “spa treatments” when he was a child.) Leave the yogurt on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse off in a cool shower.

Baking Soda Sunburn Soother Like apple cider vinegar and yogurt, baking soda helps to balance pH, the skin’s acid/alkaline balance.

• Add ¼ cup baking soda to a warm bath for an effective sunburn-healing soak.

• Have your child soak for 15 minutes.

Lavender Oil The essential oil of lavender is one of the only essential oils that can safely be applied to the skin without diluting it in a carrier oil (almond, sunflower seed, or grape seed oil, for example). Applying lavender oil will take the sting out of the burn, and heal it quickly. Its calming aromatherapy properties will help to ease the emotional upset of a painful burn. Keep in mind that lavender oil can be used for any kind of burn…you don’t have to save it for a sunburn.

Aloe Aloe has the unique ability to help skin renew itself by stimulating cellular metabolism, thereby promoting oxygen exchange and increasing the absorption of nutrients.

Aloe contains the anti-oxidant vitamins A and C; the minerals copper, selenium, and magnesium; and zinc, a powerful virus fighter. The following method works well for a localized burn.

• Rather than cutting from the tip or half way down the stalk, cut it at its base, where it is the fullest.

• Slit the stalk horizontally, exposing the gelatinous interior.

• Using the thickest, juiciest section for the burn, cut a piece large enough to completely cover the burn and its surrounding tissue.

• Place the entire piece on the area (gel and peel, gel side toward the burn).

• Cover the aloe with roller gauze and surgical tape to keep it firmly in place. (See NOTE, below).

• Leave on overnight or, if burn occurred early in the day, cut a fresh piece of aloe to make a new dressing and leave on overnight.

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• The remaining stalk of aloe may be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated over night.

• In the morning, cut a new piece of the refrigerated aloe to make a fresh dressing.

• Repeat applications twice a day until area is healed.

NOTE: My personal discovery of the aloe’s healing properties in the gel AND stalk came after a painful burn from a pot of boiling water. Normally, I would puncture a capsule of vitamin E for kitchen burns. When, in this case, the E oil sizzled on my skin, I knew I was in trouble. This was the most painful burn I had ever experienced as well as fiery and blistered. I should have asked for help in applying the pieces of aloe stalk to the back of my hand…but I didn’t which wound up teaching me an important lesson. In the night, the stalk pieces slipped and, in the morning, wherever there was just the aloe gel, the skin was blistered, red and painful.

However, where there was gel and stalk on the adjacent skin, it was completely normal.

Clearly, the stalk contains properties that the gel does not for healing a serious burn.

In “Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art” (Crossing Press), herbal-

ist Mindy Green combines the essential oil of lavender with aloe to create a soothing preparation for sunburn relief.

Aloe-Lavender Smoothie • In a 6-8 ounce glass jar mix together 4 ounces aloe gel (fresh from the plant or purchased in the health food store), ½ teaspoon essential oil of lavender, one teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and the contents of two 400IU capsules Vitamin E (puncture the Vitamin E capsules with a straight pin to release the contents).

• Tighten a cap onto the jar and shake to blend ingredients.

• This mixture may be gently patted on the affected area and reapplied as often as needed for relief of the sunburn’s heat and inflammation.

• For increased cooling benefit and freshness, keep the mixture refrigerated.

One more suggestion, feeding your children sweet potatoes will make them less likely to burn! A small sweet potato contains more than twice the daily need for beta carotene which helps to reduce the redness and inflammation of a sunburn. University of

Arizona’s school of public health professor, Ronald Watson, PhD, says “Beta carotene accumulates in the skin, providing partial protection for 24 hours against sun damage.” (please note that while this Q&A was from a parent for a child, all remedies described may be used for adults as well) Andrea Candee, MH, MSC, is a master herbalist with a practice in Westchester County.

She lectures throughout the country and at corporate wellness centers about taking charge of your health naturally. Media expert and author, her award-winning book, Gentle Healing for Baby and Child (Simon & Schuster), received The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval. Andrea is noted nationally for her unique and successful approach to Lyme Disease and works with The Liphe Balance Center in Weston, CT. She may be contacted through her website, AndreaCandee. com (to receive her free e-letter, click on Did You Know?), or at 877 856 7680.

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35

3 Little Ways to Mess Up Any Marriage...

Are You Doing Them?

W

here do we get our relationships skills? Who teaches us how to have a passionate, loving, committed marriage?

Were your parents a good example of how to create an extraordinary relationship? If you didn’t have a good role model, who did you learn from?

If you’re like most couples today, you are just winging it, and it’s not working. There is no plan to make it better, and there is no clear understanding of what your partner needs, nor how they communicate. Maybe you even stopped trying to figure them out because they haven’t done much for you lately.

Here’s a dose of reality. About 50% of first marriages end in divorce, over 60% of second marriages, and over 70% of third marriages all end in divorce. Why? You already know the answer.

So, marriage sucks, and now people want to just live together.

Here’s an interesting fact: Within the first 5 years, 45% of live-in couples have gone their separate ways. So much for the idea of just living together in loving bliss, because that’s not working either.

The hard truth is that most couples don’t know how to make a relationship thrive. Based on my relationship repair work over the last several years, here are the:

3 Little Mistakes That Mess Up Any Marriage: 1. Showing Little Appreciation: It’s very clear that men feel unappreciated by their women. It is by far their largest complaint.

They feel unrecognized for all the hard work that they do to provide for the family and it builds into a grumbling resentment over time.

When men feel unappreciated, it becomes much easier for their attention to go where they are appreciated.

Women also feel unappreciated, but it’s different. Most women feel that they struggle for attention from their partner which is an aspect of appreciation. When they are communicating to their man, and he is distracted by watching TV, on the computer, or working on something, and not paying full attention it reduces trust and respect.

When trust and respect start to disappear, attraction is reduced.

2. Misunderstanding Communication: Men and women have different communication styles, and it leads to challenges. Men typically communicate in short direct ways, while women weave in

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

more details and longer flowing volumes of communication. Men can have a short attention span and be asking themselves “what’s the point?” when listening to their woman talk about something on her mind. While women know they have a point that they are getting across perfectly clearly. Unfortunately they are not talking to another woman who would normally get it. So men get frustrated particularly because they want to fix everything, (huge mistake) and pay less attention, which leads to a loss of attraction, trust and respect.

3. Assuming Bad Intentions: Everyone makes mistakes, but the real challenges come when one partner believes that the other did something wrong intentionally. For example: “I’m working my ass off and she only cares that there is money for her to spend, she doesn’t care about me.”…or “I’ve seen the way he looks at other women, he doesn’t care about me.” I had a situation recently where a woman called her husband lazy. He didn’t take it particularly well understandably, but when we dug into the real reason for the comment, it had nothing to do with him. It was just a comment that came from frustration about something else. When we assume that a partner intended to hurt us, or doesn’t care, or is not interested, it often leads to bitterness and resentment.

What are you doing that is hurting your relationship? What do you not know that you are doing that is eroding trust and respect?

How are you ruining the attraction that your partner has for you?

In my experience, most challenges can be resolved relatively quickly when couples learn new strategies that actually work to create loving, passionate committed marriages. If you are interested in learning how you might repair your relationship, and completely shift your marriage, consider relationship coaching. The stakes are incredibly high, and affect the financial and emotional health of partners, the children, and extended family. The greatest gift you could give your children is the model of a successful, committed, loving relationship.

It’s also exactly what you deserve.

Submitted by Jeff Forte, CSIC CME, founder of PEAK Results Coaching an Executive Life Coaching practice in Glastonbury, CT. With 20 years of executive experience and Certifications in Strategic Intervention and Marriage Education, he provides the most effective “quick fix” strategies known today to address the urgent challenges of the business and professional community. To schedule a complimentay private consultation email jeff@peakresultscoaching.com or call 860633-8555. Skype consults are also available to accomodate travel schedules of busy professionals and international clients. See ad on page 14.

August Community Events Calendar Friday, August 3rd Meditation with Light and Sound. 7:00 – 9:00 pm. $15.00.

This group meets every other Friday and utilizes various forms of Sound instruments and colored lights as a means of deep relaxation and stress reduction. Each week we use one or more of the following: Crystal Singing bowls, drums, rattles, bells, etc. Facilitated by Audrey Bennett .Center for Holistic Practices 963 Queen Street Suite C Southington, Ct 06489. http://www.centerforholisticpractices.com. 860-276-5843.

Saturday, August 4th Alexander Technique Introductory Class. 9am-10am. Free.

Do you wish that you had better posture and balance? Then this introductory class on the Alexander Technique can help you! This world-renowned technique teaches you how to be more comfortable in your body, so that you can move with greater ease and prevent pain and stress. To register contact Miller Alexander Technique, Farmington, CT 860-656-6177. www.millerat.com.

Integrative Healing Practitioner Program – Intro. 9-1pm. $35. We are entering a time where consciousness about food, health and healing, on all levels, is rising and becoming mainstream; where people are questioning how they can heal themselves from their physical pain and illness and live a more holistically based life. We have developed a unique, comprehensive Certificate Program to support the movement into Holistic Health & Wellness. Hartford Family Institute, 17 S Highland St, West Hartford. 860-236-6009. www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com.

Grief Support Group. 10am – 12pm. Free. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the local food bank in Southington. This group is for people who have lost loved ones to death and are seeking support in their grief process. Facilitated by Audrey Bennett LCSW.Center for Holistic Practices 963 Queen Street Suite C Southington, Ct 06489. http://www. centerforholisticpractices.com. 860-276-5843.

Introduction to Trance Channeling. 9:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. $60.00 (Register for both classes this day and pay only $100.00). Take your mediumship skills to another level by working in a deeper trance state and allowing Spirit to work through you. Learn a simple process to assist you in going deep into trance state. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Introduction to Trance Healing. 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. $60.00 (Register for both classes this day and pay only $100.00).

Trance healing is a passive process which permits Spirit forces to direct specific healing energies to a person through the mind and aura of a medium to deal with the specific causes of a problem, rather than its symptoms. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, August 7th 14 Day Summer Mini-Day Detox Program. Get in Shape for Summer with our NEW easy-to-do, all inclusive 14 Day Summer Mini-Detox! Detox, Lose Weight and Feel Great! Time: 6-7pm. 14 Day Mini-Detox Cost: $149. Refer 3 friends and get your Mini-Detox Program FREE! Call 860-657-4105 to reserve your space. Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St. Glastonbury. www.naturopathicwellness.com Using Angel Guidance Cards. 7 p.m. – 8p.m. FREE. Using Angel Guidance cards you will learn how to prepare the cards for use for readings, do a variety of spreads and how to give a reading for yourself or someone else. Cards are available to borrow/purchase or bring your own. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Thursday, August 9th The Graduate Institute’s Meet the Community Breakfast for New and Prospective Colleagues. Meet the Provost, Chancellor, and Program Coordinators of this unique and holistic graduate institution! TGI welcomes all new and prospective colleagues to join us for a morning of introduction and fun.

171 Amity Road in Bethany, CT. Call (203) 874-4252. To RSVP please visit www.learn.edu/events.

Saturday, August 11th Psychic Saturday. 10a.m. – 4p.m. $20.00 for a 20-minute reading. Receive a private reading with Medium Priscilla Bengtson. Other readers may be available also. Receive guidance from your angels, spirit guides and loved ones. Pre-scheduling is highly recommended. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To pre-schedule an appointment, please call Priscilla at 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, August 8th

Codependent Recovery Support Group. 11:00am – 12:30 pm. $15.00. This is a once per month support group for anyone who is or has been affected by someone elses dysfunctional behavior.The group includes learning self care techniques including meditation, acupressure, and other forms of stress reduction in the last half hour. Facilitated by Audrey Bennett LCSW.Center for Holistic Practices 963 Queen Street Suite C Southington, Ct 06489. http://www.centerforholisticpractices. com. 860-276-5843.

Wholistic HCG FAT LOSS Program. Educational Seminar $20 per person. Get into your Skinny Jeans this Summer!

Learn how you can lose up to 30 pounds in 40 days with our UNIQUE, safe and effective, medically supervised weight loss program! Time: 6-7pm. Call 860-657-4105 to reserve your space. Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St. Glastonbury. www.naturopathicwellness.com.

Explore a Career in IMT. No cost. 9-11am. During your two hours you will receive an introduction to the CT School of IMT and the clinic, tour the facility, observe a class and have time to ask the staff any questions. 1 Northwestern Drive, Suite 101, Bloomfield, CT06002. To Register or for more information please contact Amanda Albrecht at AmandaAlbrecht@ InstituteofImt.com or call 860 243 5220.

Healing in Harmony Night. 5p.m. – 7p.m. FREE. Stop by the center for a FREE healing service. Participants will sit individually with a healer and receive an 8 – 10 minute healing. No reservation required. You will be served in the order in which you enter the center. The healing services are offered one night each month. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. For information please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, August 12th Women’s Empowerment Meditation. 10a.m. – 12. $25.00.

We invite in our angels and guides to help us release those things that keep us stuck. The energy of the group helps us to release those things that no longer serve our highest good and allow us to live an empowered life. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

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Calendar Monday, August 13th QiGong. No Cost. 1:15-1:45pm Instructor: Risa Brophy, MQT. Qigong translates to “energy work” and is a gentle system of exercise practiced for health, healing and increased vitality.

Calm you mind and energize your body with the deep breathing and slow movements of these ancient Chinese exercises.

Note: Please, eat your lunch before or after this program. 1 Northwestern Drive, Suite 101, Bloomfield, CT06002. To obtain additional information or to sign up for this class, please contact Amanda Albrecht at AmandaAlbrecht@InstituteofImt. com or call 860 243 5220.

Tuesday, August 14th Why am I gaining weight? 7p.m. – 8p.m. FREE. If you are doing all the right things and nothing is shifting for you, you may have a serious case of inflammation in the body. Learn about gut health and the role inflammation has in your weight gain, tiredness and chronic illness. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, August 15th All about Quinoa. 7p.m. – 8p.m. $15.00. Join us for our monthly healthy eating workshops that introduce you to new food options that are healthy, taste good and simple to make.

You will be sampling food items, learning how to prepare the food and taking home the recipe. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Meditation for Maintaining Peace & Relaxation in the Midst of Chaos. 6:30-8:30 pm. $ 20. Learn tools and techniques to quite the mind, and remove the chaos and de-stress your life.

Go within, tap into your inner guidance and experience inner peace and love. Enhance your understanding of your true nature. 36 Cheshire Road, Wallingford, 06492. Call Gayle @ 203 265 2927 or sunnispirit@sbcglobal.net or www.return2love.net.

Friday, August 17th Gallery Night. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $45.00. Enjoy an intimate evening of learning about angels and guides and experiencing intuitive readings with medium and certified Angel Therapy Practitioner®, Priscilla Bengtson. Everyone in attendance will receive a message. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, August 18th Introduction to Shamanism. 1pm. – 5p.m. This workshop will explore the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. Bring a feather, a shell, and 4 stones which you connect with for the 4 directions, and a center piece to represent your highest divinity. You will begin to develop your mesa with these personally sacred items. Facilitated by Audrey Bennett who has apprenticed with Oscar Miro Quesada and Alberto Villaldo. Center for Holistic Practices, 963 Queen Street Suite C, Southington, Ct 06489. http://www.centerforholisticpractices.com. 860-276-5843.

Sunday, August 19th Common Ailments Treated with Safe, Traditional Chinese Herbs. Laura Mignosa, NCCH 1 -3pm. $28.00. Learn the herbal equivalent to many of our Over-the-Counter drugs in this class. Discussion on formulas to treat common disharmonies.

You will learn where to purchase these formulas & herbals, see how affordable they are and value the fact that they are not drugs. Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies 912 Corbin Ave. New Britain, CT 06052. 860-832-2705. CTHerbschool.com.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

Monday, August 20th Open House at The Graduate Institute (TGI). 5:30pm. Learn about TGI’s cutting edge Masters degree programs for holistic adult learners. 171 Amity Road in Bethany, CT. Call (203) 874-4252 or visit www.learn.edu/events to register.

Tuesday, August 21st Praying in Color. 7p.m. – 8p.m. FREE. This workshop will teach you a new prayer form that will open your creative channels. Using simple drawing shapes and writing, you will learn how to tap into your inner child and make a deeper connection with Spirit. No drawing ability required…just an open heart and mind. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, August 22nd Dare to Be Different. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $45.00. Are you feeling stuck? Challenge yourself to make radical changes in the way you respond to life. Understand why you are stuck, why you stay there and how to get unstuck. Insanity is making the same decisions and expecting different results. Attend this workshop and dare to be different! Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

heal mental, emotional and past life issues. Participants receive a manual and certificate. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Concentration Meditation. 6pm.-8pm. Free. Concentration meditation is an ancient meditation dating back thousands of years. Concentration mediation has profound benefits for spiritual practice and for daily life. It creates calmness in the mind. Also it purifies the mind because it reflects aspects of our life. Beginners & advanced yogis are welcome! Sacred Rivers Yoga, 2934 Main Street, Glastonbury CT 860-657-9545 www.sacredriversyoga.com.

Positive Empowerment Group. 4-5:30 pm. $ 30. 1/2 go to a family in need Use our group energy to empower beliefs that increase strength and energy. Positive self dialogue becomes powerful when we do it in such a way as to be compassionate towards ourselves. Tools, techniques and meditations. 36 Cheshire Road, Wallingford, 06492. Call Gayle @ 203 265 2927 or sunnispirit@sbcglobal.net or www.return2love.net.

Tuesday. August 28th Solid to the Core. 7p.m. – 8p.m. FREE. It’s the ultimate workshop for abdominal and low back training. Learn the best ways to train your core for movement, stabilization and mobility. Dress to move. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Thursday, August 23rd

Saturday, October 20th

Wholistic HCG FAT LOSS Program. Educational Seminar $20 per person. Get into your Skinny Jeans this Summer!

Learn how you can lose up to 30 pounds in 40 days with our UNIQUE, safe and effective, medically supervised weight loss program! Time: 6-7pm. Call 860-657-4105 to reserve your space. Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St. Glastonbury. www.naturopathicwellness.com.

Little Flower Yoga - Children’s Yoga: Creating Safe & Engaging Experiences. Also Oct. 21st. 9AM - 7PM. The Level One LFY intensive will provide you with the fundamental understanding and tools needed to teach a well rounded class that incorporates all aspects of the practice. For more information visit our website www.centerspacewellnessstudio.com. Centerspace Wellness Studio, 46 Lebanon Avenue, Bozrah. 860886-8562.

Transcendental Meditation Introductory Lecture. Free! Learn how TM can improve your health and change your life! Time: 6-7pm. Call 860-657-4105 to reserve your space. Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St. Glastonbury. www. naturopathicwellness.com.

Friday, August 24th Meet your Angels and Guides. 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. $50.00. During this workshop you will learn about your primary spiritual guides and guardian angels. Through meditation, we will meet them and receive information from them on how they would like to work with you. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.301.1468 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Dropping the Story of You. Meditation with Keshav Howe.

7pm.-9pm. $20. This evening event is open to people who want to inquire into their true and divine nature via deep inner inquiry. Inner inquiry is the process of transitioning the role of mind from the outward flow of analysis, conceptualization and comparison, to an inward questioning of all the thoughts, beliefs and assumptions about life and life situations. Sacred Rivers Yoga 2934 Main Street, Glastonbury CT 860-657-9545 www.sacredriversyoga.com.

Saturday, August 25th Human Relations Training Program – Intro. 9am-12pm .

Free. Whether you are seeking growth within yourself, in your professional life, or in your relationships, this program can provide you with an unparalleled understanding of human dynamics. An in-depth look at the Human Relations Training Program, it’s curriculum and how you can benefit from it. Hartford Family Institute, 17 S Highland St, West Hartford.

860.258.4113. www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com

Sunday, August 26th Reiki II. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. $150.00. Receive attunements to higher frequencies of universal energy and enhance your healing work. Learn how to do distance healing, as well as

Ongoing Events Monday Tong Ren Healing Class: 7-8pm. $10/class. Instrutor, Ming Wu Ph.D., a doctor of Chinese Medicine, studied Tai Chi in China and US for 40 years. He studied Tong Ren Healing with Master Tom Tam since 1994. Wu Healing Center , 45 South Main St., Suite 100, West Hartford, CT. 800-990-9332. www. wuhealing.com.Tel: 978-461-2168. (Office). 978-790-8888 (Cell).

Athlete Yoga. 7:30 pm. This one hour class is designed to help any level of athlete open up tight areas while also enhancing recovery from strenuous activity. It will focus on breathing techniques, stretches to release tight areas, and poses targeted to help with balance and stability. Sacred Rivers Yoga 2934 Main Street, Glastonbury CT 860-657-9545 www.sacredriversyoga.com

Tuesday QiGong/Tai Chi Classes. Exercise to Heal Program By Lee Holden as seen on PBS - Learn how to gain more energy, balance your energy, balance emotionally physically and spiritually. Feel Great! Marcey Hickey Certified Instructor. 7:30 pm September 18 - October 30 7 classes $65.00. Suffield By The River, 7 Canal Road, Suffield, CT. Call 860-844-8535 to register.

Reiki Share and Healing Circle 3rd Tuesday of every month open to all $10.00 donation with Reiki Master Carol Hipkins at Purple Turtle Therapeutic Massage and Wellness 1 Grist Mill Rd Simsbury Ct 06070.

8 week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program.

6.30- 9 pm. Sept 4th-Oct 30th Redding, CT and Pleasantville, NY. $350 (Early bird registration $295 before Aug 10th). The program includes foundational training in meditation, group discussion and practical teachings to apply mindfulness in

daily life. To sign up and reserve a seat in our spring program starting in September and to get more information on how this program can help you, call Alisha at (917)972–7291 or visit www.Mindful-Spirit.com

Wednesday “Walk-in Wednesdays.” 9am-11am. $10 sample Integrative Health Coaching session; Free to first four who walk-in each Wednesday. Experience a 15-minute sample health exploration with Nina, integrative health coach and registered nurse.

Appointments recommended. New England Integrative Health Associates [NEIHA] 345 North Main Street, West Hartfordwww.neihact.com. Contact Nina Arnold at 860-869-7137 or via email at narnold@neihact.com.

Life Force Yoga with Daune Kemp. August 1, 8 and 15, 5:30 – 6:30. Paid in advance $65.00 for series or $15.00 drop in rate.

Located at the Center for Holistic Practices and Psychotherapy 963 Queen Street Southington, Ct 06489 (8600 276-5843 or contact Audrey at (860) 819-8570. http://www.centerforholisticpractices.com.

Vinyasa Core Fusion. 6pm. This class is designed to synchronize movement through yoga postures with breath, generating heat and opening the energy lines within the body. Students will experience a dynamic flow from one asana to the next, as they learn to tune into their own body and link their movement with their breath. Sacred Rivers Yoga 2934 Main Street, Glastonbury CT 860-657-9545 www.sacredriversyoga.com

Thursday

donation suggested. Please bring pillow, mat, blanket & water bottle.

Groaning Grads, Worried Moms ‘n Dads. Weekly support group. 7:30- 8:15 p.m. $11.00. When “coming home” is the only choice for the new grad or recently unemployed “twenty-something.” Communication strategies. Proactive planning.

Trumbull; Call Allison B. Spitzer, M.A., 203.261.7615.

Qi Gong with Dr. Anne Mitchell. QiGong is a healing practice similar to Tai Chi. Qi Gong qualifies as weight bearing exercise and will help osteopenia and osteoporosis. It will strengthen your core muscles and stabilize your spine. Common Benefits of Qi Gong are serenity, clarity of mind, focus, strength pain relief. Classes are Thursday at 5:30pm in our 2 Broadway, North Haven location. Call to sign up and reserve a spot. 203-239-3400. $10 cash per person, Bring a friend and you each get 1/2 your first visit.

QiGong/Tai Chi Classes. Exercise to Heal Program By Lee Holden as seen on PBS - Learn how to gain more energy, balance your energy, balance emotionally, physically and spiritually. FEEL GREAT! Marcey Hickey Certified Instructor.

THE PURPLE TURTLE - 1 Gristmill Rd., Simsbury, CT. 6:30 pm September 13 - October 25 7 classes $80.00. Call 860844-8535 to register.

Friday Tibetan Singing Bowls Vibrational Healng “Gong Bath”.

Every 1st Friday of Every Month until December 2012. July 6, August 3, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2 & Dec 7. First Congregational Church of Granby, 219 North Granby Road (Route 189), Granby, CT for more info call: 860-844-8535. $10.00

Saturday Ellington Farmers’ Market. 9a.m.-12p.m. May 5th-Oct. 20th.

Arbor Park, Main St., Ellington. Providing a variety of products that are grown, harvested, produced or handcrafted in Connecticut. Weekly themes, entertainment and guest vendors in a lovely country setting. Weekly schedule available at ellingtonfarmersmarket.com.

QiGong/Tai Chi Classes. Exercise to Heal Program By Lee Holden as seen on PBS - Learn how to gain more energy, balance your energy, emotionally & physically, free yourself from pain and stiffness, strengthen your immune system, relax, rejuvenate and get a great night’s sleep. 9:30-10:30 AM September 22 - October 27 - 6 weeks $60.00. Marcey Hickey Certified Instructor (FREE CLASS 9/8 9:30 AM). St Francis Care at Enfield, 7 Elm Street, Enfield, CT. 860-714-7432 or 860714-4450.

Sunday Women’s Temple. schedule at www.norajamieson.com. Canton, CT 860-693-9540.

Gluten-Free Support Group. First Sunday of each month, 3-4PM. Facilitated by Lisa Viele, Holistic Nutrition Consultant, 860-933-4138. Centerspace Wellness Studio, 46 Lebanon Avenue, Bozrah. 860-886-8562

Community Resources ACUPUNCTURE Stan Baker, L. Ac., Dipl. Ac.

35 Nod Road, Suite 106, Menla Holistic Health, Avon, CT. • (860) 836-1068 Stan Baker is a fully licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner with offices in Avon, CT and Springfield, MA. He has been a practitioner in the Oriental healing arts for 25 years. He specializes in difficult cases including back pain/sciatica, headache/migraine, allergies, and arthritis. He is also a teacher of advanced Chen Tai Chi, Aikido and Sun Do Mt. Yoga. See ad on page 23.

Glastonbury Naturopathic Center

CHIROPRACTIC Chiropractic Health Ctr. of Glastonbury

2934 Main St.,Glastonbury, CT 860-657-8800 www.glastonburychiro.com Dr. Patrick DeFranceso, founder, is a board certified chiropractor with more than 20 years experience assisting patients. To deliver the highest standard of care Dr. DeFrancesco utilizes the state-of-the-art digital x-ray, the latest chiropractic tables and equipment. The office also offers therapeutic massage, nutrition counseling and monthly workshops. The team at the office creates a comfortable and fun loving environment where individuals and families can reach and maintain optimal health and wellness with safe, natural and effective chiropractic care. Feeling good has never been so simple!

Dr.Helene Pulnik, ND LAc. 18 School St., Glastonbury,Ct 6033 (860) 657- 4105, naturopathicwellness.com

Dr. Pulnik is a licensed, board certified Acupuncturist and Naturopathic Physician with over 25 years experience as a healthcare professional. She specializes in acupuncture for infertility, womens' health, migraines, anxiety/stress/ insomnia, arthritis, back & neck pain, sciatica, allergies, chronic sinusitis, and more. See our ad on page 25.

Sophia Natural Health Center

Kenneth Hoffman, L.Ac., CCH 31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT 06804.

(203) 740-9300 • SophiaNaturalHealth.com Combining Chinese Medicine with modern science, we restore health by identifying imbalances that cause illness. Acupuncture, Allergy Elimination, Chronic Pain Relief, Hormone Balancing, Thermography, Detoxification. See ad on page 20.

Westside Chiropractic

557 Prospect Avenue, West Hartford,CT (860) 523-5833 • westsidechiropractors.com Our mission is to provide chiropractic care, naturally based generalist, primary or specialty health care, for persons of all ages. We are committed to educating our patients about their health and wellness and providing them with tools for self improvement. We seek to work in partnership with you to achieve good health and well being in a way consistent with your way of life. Visit our location in West Hartford See ad on page 12.

ALLERGY TREATMENT

Advanced Allergy Relief CT Anne Mitchell, ND (203) 239-3400 www.aarct.com North Haven & W. Hartford

Eliminate your allergic reactions using a technologically advanced treatment that corrects the body’s response to the offending food, pollen, mold, perfume, pets, etc. No medications. Noninvasive. Child-friendly. See ads on pages 6, 27.

Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St., Glastonbury, Ct. 06033 (860) 657- 4105, naturopathicwellness.com

Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND is a certified Advanced Allergy Therapeutics Practitioner. Advanced Allergy Therapeutics (AAT) is a clinically proven treatment that is highly effective in relieving the many symptoms associated with allergies, food sensitivities, environmental sensitivies, IBS, headaches, skin problems and more. The AAT treatment does not rely on the use of medications, herbal remedies or supplements. The treatment is safe, painless and available to all ages including infants. See ad on page 25.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY Glastonbury Naturopathic Center 18 School St., Glastonbury, Ct. 06033 (860) 657- 4105, naturopathicwellness.com

Constance Jones is New England’s senior Colon Hydrotherapist. During her 30 years of practice, she has performed nearly 50,000 colonics. Connie is certified through both the International Association of Colon Hydrotherapists (I-ACT) and The National Board for Colon Hydrotherapy. She creates a nurturing, serene, and safe environment, and maintains your utmost privacy and comfort. www.cleanmycolon.com. See our ad on page 25.

DENTISTRY The Canaan Gentle Dentle & Implant Center Dr. Thomas Livingstone 3-5 Railroad St. North Canaan, CT (860) 824-0751 livingstonedentalexcellence.com See ad on page 26.

Dr. Steven Hinchey

2249 New London Turnpike South Glastonbury, CT. (860) 633-6518 www.dentistryfordiabetics.com/drhinchey See ad on page 14.

Kevin Norige, D.M.D.

112 Deming St., South Windsor, CT. (860) 644-0113 Dr. Kevin Norige has been in practice for almost 30 years in South Windsor, CT. His services include Invisalign, Perio Protect, Lumineers, Snapon Smiles and Snap-it, Global Mini Implants, and non-surgical periodontal treatments. He is a member of the ADA, CSDA, and the Hartford Dental Society. He is a clinician with the CT Mission of Mercy Dental Clinic and also serves as a facilitator to dental students at the Univ. of CT. See ad on page 33.

Dr. Roman Fedorciw Dr. Mehran Massoumi

80 Shunpike Road, Cromwell, CT• 860-635-4666 www.smiledrs.com Our office respects the inseparable relationship between doctor and patient while providing the best that dentistry has to offer in a relaxed environment of professionalism, skill and ability.

Every patient’s well-being and oral health are at the heart of our team’s commitment to you and your family. See ad on page 31.

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Resources HEALTH FOOD STORES

Green & Sustainable Interior Design

Parkade Health Shoppe

Put It Together, llc

Manchester Parkade, 378 West Middle Tpke, Manchester, CT • 860.646.8178 M-Sat 8am-9pm • Sun 9am-6pm The Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe is an information and service-oriented health food store that has served its community since 1956. Owner, Michael Dworkin, P.D., M.S., a Registered Pharmacist and State Certified Clinical Nutritionist, is available for consultation by appointment. Our other staff nutrition consultants provide customers with in-store guidance in choosing vitamins, herbs, sports nutrition products, natural body care, natural and allergen-free foods, and life style changes.

Many of our products are discounted every day.

Ask us about our gym and other special discounts.

See ad on page 3.

HYPNOSIS Diane Bahr-Groth, C. Hy., TFT, Dir. 1177 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT. (203)595-0110 • mindbodytransformation.com

Mind Body Transformation Hypnosis is a Certified Hypnotist specializing in fast and effective methods for weightloss, stress, fear, pain, smoking, etc. Hypnosis, Thought Field Therapy™, Time Line Therapy™ & NLP. Call for a free consultation. See ad on page 19.

Mind Matters Hypnosis Center Lisa Zaccheo, MA, BCH, BCI Board Certified Hypnotist & Instructor 50 Albany Tpk. Canton, CT www.mindmattershypnosis.com (860) 693-6448

You’ve heard people say that we only use 10% of our mental capacity. Imagine what you could do with access to the other 90%!!! Lisa has helped thousands of people, just like you, safely and easily tap into the other 90% of the mental power that’s located in the subconscious mind using hypnosis and other advanced tools. Start making a list of what you’d like to change, then pick up the phone and get started.

HYPNOTHERAPY/NLP Nishanto Kane...MindDesigning

Hypnosis, Master NLP Practitioner, Aura/Chakra Analysis, Enneagram Profile, Astrology Chart Interpretation, Belief Change Sessions.

Simsbury, Ct. (860 658-9678) www.minddesigning.net All that is, was first created in the mind.

Nishanto Kane is a certified Eriksonian Hypnotist, Master NLP practitioner, Reconnection practitioner, Aura/Chakra Analyst.

She has over 25 years experience in assisting many to stop smoking, release self-sabotaging habits, develop beliefs to attract abundance and well being, eliminate per allergies, anxieties, phobias, weight gain, stress, alcohol abuse, insomnia, improve school grades and more. Offering Chakra analysis - this amazing scientific state of the art technology allows you and the practitioner to view your aura. Through interpretation you can learn to bring yourself into physical, mental and emotional balance.

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

Judie Ricciardi Heritage Center,464 Heritage Road, Suite 1B Southbury, CT 06488 • 203-263-7836 putittogetherllc@cs.com www.putittogetherllc.com M-Th 9:30 am-4:30 pm, Fri. until noon As a green, sustainable and environmentally aware interior designer and Feng Shui practioner, I am able to enhance your environment by helping you select furnishings, fabrics, carpets with fewer to no VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Harmonious and balanced environments bring Peace, Good Health and Good Fortune into your home or office.

LIFE COACHING PEAK Results Coaching

Jeff Forte, CSIC, CME 2389 Main St., Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860)633-8555 • peakresultscoaching.com Is the happiness you want in your life eluding you? Do you feel stressed because of the pro lems that you can’t seem to overcome? It doesn’t have to be that way. I will show you step by step exactly what to do so you can create the happiness and peace of mind you want in your life. These little known secrets will put you on the path to getting the results you want guaranteed. I am a Certified Strategic Interventionist Coach and Marriage Educator. Clients frequently come to me when nothing else seems to work, or when something must change now. Call today and learn what to do. See ad on page 14.

MASSAGE Larry Joyner

80 Shunpike Road, Suite 204 Cromwell, CT 06416 www.larryrjoynerlmt.com CT. License #6565 Massage Therapy for Body, Mind and Spirit. Blending intuitve hands with the art of massage and energy work. Relieving stress and giving totaly body relaxation.

See ad on page 28.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE CT Natural Health Specialists

Lauren Gouin, ND 135 Center St., Manchester, CT (860) 533-0179 • www.ctnaturalhhealth.com Dr. Lauren Gouin is a naturopathic physician with a family practice in Manchester.

Dr. Gouin is accepting new patients and is in network with most insurance companies. For more information, visit www. ctnhs.com. See ad on page 3.

100 Danbury Road, Suite 102, Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203)431-4443 Natural family healthcare using nutrition and biochemistry; herbal, homeopathic, and energetic medicine; lifestyle transformation and detoxification, to promote well-being of body, mind, and spirit. See ad on page 23.

Glastonbury Naturopathic Ctr. 18 School Street, Glastonbury Dr. Helene Pulnik. (860) 657-4105 naturopathicwellness.com

Glastonbury Naturopathic Ctr. is a multi-disciplinary healthcare center focusing on natural alternatives for individuals to achieve and maintain optimal health. Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. is a board-certified licensed Naturopathic Physician and Acupuncturist with over 25 years experience as a healthcare professional. Offering Naturopathic Medicine, Colon Hydrotherapy, Acupuncture, Cleansing & Detoxification Programs, Weight Management Programs. See ad on page 25.

Marvin Schweitzer, ND 1 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT (203) 847-2788

Dr. Schweitzer treats all ages with natural therapies including homeopathy, herbal medicine, enzymes, nutritional supplements and more. His advanced cutting-edge technologies evaluate underlying causes and create individualized treatment plans. ASYRA, Ondamed, BrainPaint, footbaths, acupuncture and oxygen therapies are used to achieve optimal health. Allergy desensitization, detoxification programs, immune system support, Lyme disease issues and other wellness protocols are included in his personalized care.

See ad on page 11.

West Hartford Naturopathic Medicine

301 N. Main St., West Hartford, CT (860) 232-9662 • www.DRAIETA.com Dr. Frank Aieta, founder of West Hartford Naturopathic Medicine, is a board certified licensed Naturopathic Physician who specializes in the treatment of both acute and chronic disease utilizing the most advanced natural therapeutics. He offers a wide range of natural, non-toxic treatments which include: Acupuncture, Spinal Manipulation, Clinical Nutrition, Detoxification, Pain Management, Herbal Medicine and Natural Hormone Balancing. See ad on page 31.

NUTRITION

Holcare Nutrition

Vicki Kobliner MS RD 3 Hollyhock Lane, Suite 2A, Wilton, CT 06897 203-834-9949 • www.holcarenutrition.com Vicki Kobliner MS RD, CD-N is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Holcare Nutrition.

Vicki works with infants, through adults with chronic illnesses, digestive disorders, food allergies, ADHD and autism and provides fertility and prenatal nutrition counseling. She is a contributing author to A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in Americas Children. See ads on page 16.

PHYSICIANS, M.D.

A Life Center

Dr. Henderson runs our weight loss program here at the Life Center and is internationally recognized for her work with diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease.

The first step toward health is improving our relationship with food and choosing to properly nourish ourselves. Dr. Henderson uses all the tools of naturopathic medicine to help us reach our health goals, including achieving a healthy weight. She also uses botanical medicine, flower remedies, homeopathy, acupuncture, exercise therapy and detoxification to guide individuals to attain their health goals.

See ads on pages 6, 27.

The Wellness Institute

Debra Gibson, ND

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE 2 Broadway, North Haven, CT 1007 Farmington Ave, Ste 7A, West Hartford, CT 203-239-3400

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Kensington Naturopathic Medical Ctr.

Dr. Ann Aresco 355 New Britain Rd, Kensington, CT (860) 829-0707 • drannaresco@comcast.net kensingtonnaturopathic.com Centrally located in Connecticut, Kensington Naturopathic Medical Center provides comprehensive family healthcare. Our team of specialized health professionals is dedicated to facilitating our patients’ optimal health, and offers a wide range of services, including supplementation, homeopathy, acupuncture and Chinese herbs as well as nutrition, holistic health counseling and weight loss/life style changes. See ad on page 15.

Advance Biomedical Treatment Center, LLC

Eileen C. Comia, M.D. 701 Cottage Grove Road Ste., C-10 Bloomfield, CT 06002 • 860.242.2200 Fax 860.242.2212 • www.AdvBioMedTx.com Dr. Eileen Comia is a board certified Internal Medicine specialist with16 yrs of experience in private practice.

In 2002, she founded Avon Therapeutic Center (now Advance Biomedical Treatment Center) specializing in Integrative Medicine. She offers a unique practice using Functional Medicine in the treatment of chronic illnesses. She is a seasoned Defeat Autism Now! Practitioner of 10 years and a member of ACAM (American College for Advancement in Medicine). See ad on page 19.

PHYSICIANS, M.D. Natural Health & Healing, LLC

Deanna M. Cherrone, MD 60 East Main Street, Avon, CT. (860) 677-4600 • naturalhealthandhealing.net Dr. Deanna Cherrone, founder of Natural Health & Healing, is a board certified Internal Medicine p hy s i c i a n wh o h a s changed the focus of her practice from traditional Internal Medicine to Functional Medicine.

Functional Medicine is a science based approach to health care that involves looking at each patient as a whole being with interconnected systems that function best when they are all in balance.

See ad on back cover.

Tamara Sachs, MD

Functional Medicine & Integrative Care 15 Bennitt St., New Milford, CT (860) 354-3304 • www.tsachsmd.intranets.com See ad on page 33.

OSTEOPATHIC PHYS. Osteopathic Wellness Center, LLC

David L. Johnston, DO • Lisa Preston, DO 158 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 438-9915 • www.osteopathicwellness.net Gentle, natural, hands-on, osteopathic medical care for infants, children and adults. Childrens’ health and development, birth trauma, musculoskeletal pain and injuries, nutrition and wellness counseling, stress reduction, immune support, allergies. Most major insurances accepted. See ad on page 13.

PSYCHOTHERAPIST Soul Support Counseling Nancy M Brockett, PhD, LPC West Hartford, CT 860.223.2232 soul-support.org

Feeling stressed, confused, anxious or depressed? Imagine yourself breaking free from worries and fear and then confidently doing what you haven't been able to before! We work together from the perspective of the whole self to get to the heart of what’s troubling you. Using painless, drug-free treatments, Dr Brockett helps you uncover and build on your own inner strengths so you can free yourself from negativity and live with more joy in your life. See ad on page 8.

Inner Change Holistic Counseling

Deni Weber, MA, LPC, DCEP Weston, CT. • 203-544-6094 • DeniWeber.com With compassion, intuition and wisdom Deni guides individuals on their journey of regaining lost power leading to renewed purpose, wellbeing, and emotional balance.

Specializing in mind-body therapies with clinical certifications in Body-Oriented Psychotherapy and Energy Psychology she works with adults, teens and children healing traumatic stress related to Abuse, AD/HD, Learning Disabilities, Chronic Illness, Lyme Disease, and Autistic Spectrum.

Qi Gong Wu Healing Center

45 South Main Street, Suite 100, West Hartford, CT Tel: 978-790-8888 www.wuhealing.com Ming Wu, Ph.D., Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Qi Gong Master. Qi Gong Certified Associate Instructor Training Program.

RELATIONSHIP COACH

SKINCARE Anew You Skincare & Wellness Center

Melissa Martin, 16A Ensign Drive, Avon.

(860)284-9730, www.anewyouskincare.net Melissa@anewyouskincare.net We are committed to strengthening your overall well-being and skin health through the use of excellent quality products and extraordinary services that produce amazing results. Only natural ingredients are used, including plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and essential oils! We want you to be "WOWED"! See ad on page 32.

PEAK Results Coaching

Jeff Forte, CSIC, CME • Relationship Coach 2389 Main St., Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860)633-8555 • peakresultscoaching.com Do you want a more fulfilling marriage but don’t know what to do? Are you feeling stuck in an unhappy relationship that seems doomed to fail? You can change all that starting now. I will show you step by step exactly what to do to create the love and connection you want in your relationship. You will learn exactly what to do to rebuild trust, and re-ignite the passion.

Imagine the feeling of being in love all over again. I am a Certified Marriage Educator, and clients frequently come to me. When nothing else seems to work or when something must change now. If you want to know what works, call today. See ad on page 14.

RETREAT CENTERS Still Waters Pond, LLC

280 Shetucket Turnpike, Voluntown, CT 06384 860-543-3244 • stillwaterspond.com Still Waters is an emerging retreat center for groups of 10 to 20.

Nestled among 100 acres of pine forest and situated on a private, 10acre pond, we provide comfortable and artfully rustic lodging: two cottages, a five-bedroom guest house and Art & Yoga Studio. Hosting one group at a time. Meal options and private tours available. See ad on page 25.

THERMOGRAPHY Sophia Natural Health Center

31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT 06804.

(203) 740-9300 • SophiaNaturalHealth.com As the hormone experts, we specialize in women’s health, natural hormone balancing, breast cancer prevention and thermography utilizing the highest definition camera in the area with interpretations from MD specialists in the field.

Thermogram results include a free 15-minute phone consultation. See ad on page 27.

X to Rays, LLC

Suzanne Pyle, MS, CCT 35 Boston Street, Guilford, CT 866.986.7297 or 203 331-2878 www.xtorays.com Suzanne is a board certified clinical thermographer. She offers totally safe (no radiation), painless (no compression), 97% accurate FDA approved breast cancer screening. With a masters in Nutrition, Suzanne also advises on breast and body health. Scans for thyroid, lung, liver, gall bladder, pancreas and ovaries are also available. Call for locations throughout CT.

SCHOOLS Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies

LauraMignosa, NCCH 912 Corbin Ave, New Britain, CT 06052 (860) TCM-2705 • www.ctherbschool.com.

Founded in 1992, the CT Institute of Herbal Studies focuses on Traditional Chinese Medicine and offers a Certified Herbology Program with a foundation in both theory and clinical diagnosis as practiced in China today.

See ad on page 22.

The Graduate Institute

Leslie Cahill, Director of Admissions, Recruitment. (203) 874-4252 • www.learn.edu.

The Graduate Institute is an accredited institution of higher education that offers Master of Arts degrees in emerging fields of inquiry. Degree programs include: Experiential Health and Healing, Peace Studies, Oral Traditions, Holistic Thinking, and Conscious Evolution. Classes meet one weekend per month and programs are offered in Hartford, Bethany, New Milford, and Stamford, CT. For more information or to find an Information Session near you, call (203) 8744252 or visit www.learn.edu. See ad on page 13.

VIBRATIONAL/ ENERGY HEALING Lightworker of Vibrational Energy LLC, L.O.V.E. Gayle Franceschetti Med,CHt. 36 Cheshire Rd., Wallingford,CT 203-265-2927 • www.return2love.net

Gayle Franceschetti is the founder of the L.O.V.E. Institute and is an acclaimed intuitive counselor and healer, Reiki Master, certified Hypnotherapist and past life regressionist.

As an open channel for Divine Energy, Gayle integrates the power of universal love, compassion and understanding in all her workshops and healing sessions. Gayle conducts healing and mentoring sessions in person, by phone and hosts a variety of workshops and power journeys throughout the U.S. and around the world.

VIBRATIONAL/ ENERGY HEALING The Healing in Harmony Center Priscilla Bengtson, ATP® 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860)632-8434 www.healinginharmonycenter.com

The Healing in Harmony Center, a spiritual healing, counseling and education center, offers programs and services that help individuals acknowledge and develop their own gifts to the highest level. Owner Priscilla Bengtson is dedicated to helping people live a joyous and fulfilled life and offers classes and workshops that help people achieve this. Private sessions are offered for intuitive, trance channel and angel readings, medical intuitive readings, trance healing, hypnosis, reiki, mandala healing, and health coaching. A free healing service is offered once monthly. See ad on page 36.

VETERINARY CARE Mobile Pet Vet

Kim Rio, DVM (203)584-1210 • www.mobile-pet-vet.com Mobile Pet Vet is a veterinary housecall practice providing wellness care for dogs and cats.

By treating pets at home we reduce their stress and their exposure to infection. Pets with chronic health problems such as diabetes, kidney disease and other endocrine disorders often benefit from home-based care. We spend time developing an individualized treatment plan for each animal and we offer a full range of laboratory services.

Our flexible scheduling accommodates busy pet owners. See ad on page 35.

WEIGHT LOSS A Life Center

2 Broadway, North Haven CT 1007 Farmington Ave, Suite 7A, W. Hartford CT 203-710-6605 • alifecenter@ yahoo.com Are you frustrated because you want to lose weight but cannot figure out how? Do you exercise but it doesn’t seem to help? Are you sabotaging yourself by overeating or emotional eating even though you have the best of intentions? Get off the dieting merry-go-round and FINALLY achieve your ideal weight? The Life Diet matches your nutrition to your metabolism. Most Insurances accepted. We offer a medically supervised weight loss program with whole foods, individualized nutrition, meal planning, and weight loss coaching. See ad on pages 6, 27.

YOGA / PILATES CENTERS Sacred Rivers Yoga

Paula Scopino LMT, E-RYT 500 IAYT, Owner / Director 2934 Main Street, Glastonbury, CT 06033 PH. 860.657.9545 • FAX. 860.657.3161 www.sacredriversyoga.com. See ad on page 5.

Sacred Movement Yoga

10 Sims Road (Bishop’s Corner, next to iParty) West Hartford, Connecticut 06117 860.990.2555. www.mysacredmovement.com.

Offering anusara, power, vinyasa, gentle, chi, beginner, prenatal, kids and meditation classes visit our Facebook page!

NaturalNutmeg.com

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012

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Natural Nutmeg August 2012