Natural Nutmeg December 10Best 2022

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December 2022

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U B OF LISHIN

What Causes Autism?

Dr. Jared M. Skowron, ND

5 Basic Health Requirements We Don't Talk About Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc

Is Breast Thermography Right for Me? April Beaman, RDH, CTT

Hypnosis Can Help Reduce Stress Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB, CCH

When Everything Falls Apart Lauri Ingram

Our Wonderful Feet Sharon Sklar, BFA, LMT, CAR

T S E ds B 10war a

10BEST Awards & 2023 Essential Living Guide

SAY GOODBYE TO INCONTINENCE NATURALLY! Does your bladder leak?

The treatment for incontinence has never been easier. Sit comfortably, while fully clothed, and let the BTL EMSELLA do all the work for you.

Dr. Ellen Lewis specializes in integrative treatments for bladder infections, incontinence, vaginal infections, abnormal paps, hormonal imbalances, fertility, and more!

Call the office today at 203.916.4600 to learn more and schedule your free consultation!

D r . Na d i a N o o ri , Dr. A g a t ha D a S i l v a , D r . E l l en Le w is , B e v e r ly Le w is , D r . M a e g a n J o f f e , C in d y W e c h s le r , A P R N

Naturopathic Services Naturopathic Primary Care Well-woman Exams Pediatric Care Sick Day Visits Lab & Diagnostic Services

Vitality Enhancement Therapies Acupuncture & Cupping Craniosacral Therapy Hydrotherapy Reiki & Shamanic Healing

Speciality Services Abnormal Pap & Escharotic Therapy EmSella Incontinence Treatment Ozone Therapy Neurofeedback Genomic Analysis

8 L IN CO LN ST R EET | WES TPORT, CT 0 6 880 | ( 2 03) 9 1 6 - 46 00 | IN FO @ S H ALVACLIN IC. O RG

WWW.SHALVACLINIC.ORG

Heck Removal Services Taking Away What You Don’t Want!

Call or Text Today for a Free Estimate! 860.372.7900

HECK REMOVAL SERVICE (860) 372 7900

Where the Heck Does All This Stuff Go?

Heck Removal Services is a company based on recycling.

We Reduce, Recycle and Repurpose everything we can, and this is where most of it goes.

Hecks Things and Things Indoor Flea Market in Berlin Save the Planet, Shop Second Hand!

Saturdays 9am-5pm 46 Harding St Berlin 860.259.5548

www.hecksremovalservices.com @HECKSTHINGSANDTHINGS

Providing Professional & Genuine Support to Anyone in Need.

NATURAL Nutmeg

The Timeless Therapy team is a collaboration of seasoned clinicians who have been practicing clinical psychotherapy for a collective 30 years. All of our therapists possess extensive knowledge and high-level training.

We service adults, children and adolescents, couples and families.

We offer a degree of flexibility and versatility that is only made possible through a collaborative group effort. Our clients have access to a wide range of expertise in a professional, confidential setting.

Gaining your trust and allowing you to feel comfortable is one of our greatest priorities.

Treatment Specialties:

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

4 Melissa Glaser, MS, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor & Founder

• Behavioral Therapy • CBT • EMDR • Trauma and PTSD • Recovery • Parenting • Cognitive challenges • School related issues • Anxiety disorders • Relationship Issues • Grief and Loss We offer flexible scheduling.

Virtual Sessions Available

In Network with Anthem, Optum, United Behavioral Health, Aetna, Cigna, Medicaid/Husky

Contact Us Today to Request AN Appointment We can help you make sense of life’s transitions.

Call 203-598-0552

32 Poverty Rd. Suite F Southbury, CT 06488 203-598-0552 mglaser@timeless-therapy.com

timeless-therapy.com

Our 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 a healthy lifestyle.

PUBLISHER/OWNER

Dr. Diane Hayden, PhD Diane@naturalnutmeg.com DIR. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/OWNER

Christopher Urso Curso@naturalnutmeg.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Lori Emelander lori@naturalnutmeg.com MARKETING DIRECTOR

Dr. Sonia Manganello sonia@naturalnutmeg.com DESIGN DIRECTOR

Ashley Frament layout@naturalnutmeg.com ADVISORY BOARD

Frank Aieta, ND Adam Breiner, ND Mark Breiner, DDS Deanna M. Cherrone, MD Erika Dworkin, Dip. C.N. Steven R. Frank DISTRIBUTION

Greater Hartford and surrounding counties, please contact Natural Nutmeg.

FFC—Tom Cossuto, Man In Motion, LLC In keeping with our concern for the environment, Essential Naples 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) 508-0894 or email to publisher@naturalnutmeg.com. © 2007—22 by Natural Nutmeg, LLC. All rights reserved.

Parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, with permission. 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.

48 48 What Causes Autism?

Departments

Food

LETTER

6

BUZZ

8 15 56

42 Recipe: Fermented Verde Hot Sauce

By Terry Walters

The Red Barn in Durham— New Earth Holistic Therapies and Art Center

Finance

Breathwork at The Sacred Self, LLC, in Newington— A Different Kind of Healing

52 How Can Financial Life Planning Change My Life?

SPOTLIGHT 10BEST AWARDS COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Health 43 Our Wonderful Feet

By Sharon Sklar, BFA, LMT, CAR

44 5 Basic Health Requirements We Don't Talk About

By Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc

47 Is Breast Thermography Right for Me?

By April Beaman, RDH, CTT

By Dana R. Mascalo, CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P®

Purpose 55 When Everything Falls Apart

By Lauri Ingram

nother year has flown by. I keep saying I think this one went faster than ever, and with the beautiful summer and fall we had, the last six months went by faster than I can ever remember.

This 10BEST issue, in my opinion, is the best we’ve ever produced! We have more first-time winners than ever before and many have just started their holistic businesses or practices.

We may be in a struggling economy, but we generated more revenue with this issue than ever before, which tells me the holistic and healthy living industry in Connecticut is booming! Many holistic business owners are telling me they’re booked out for months as more people are looking for holistic alternatives. Anything is possible if you truly believe it can be!

We are honored to showcase our 5th annual 2022 10BEST winners and proud to be the first reader-nominated awards exclusively for the holistic business community in Connecticut.

Not only does this issue include pages dedicated to our award winners, but we have over 100 practitioners and businesses listed in our Resources section. We hope that you use this issue as a resource for all of 2023.

In the Spotlights, practitioners tell their story of their passionate about natural medicine or healthy living and the journey to how they started their business. We hope they inspire you to reach out to these amazing people and support them. Our Connecticut holistic practitioners are extremely dedicated to helping their local communities and all of our winners are overwhelmingly grateful to you—our reader—for helping to bring more awareness to all of the amazing natural and eco-friendly choices we have in this great state.

Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think of our 10BEST/Essential Living Guide issue!

Wishing you health and happiness,

54 Hypnosis Can Help Reduce Stress

By Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB, CCH

Dr. Diane Hayden, PhD Publisher & Owner, ELM Publishing

5 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

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By Dr. Jared M. Skowron, ND, Spectrum Awakening

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NATURAL Nutmeg

Feature

LETTER

Hey, I’m Dr. Diane!

10BEST 2023

T H E

BUZZ

EXPERIENCE

NATURAL Nutmeg

The Red Barn in Durham

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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C H A K R A

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he Red Barn in Durham is a New Earth Holistic Therapies and Art Center. We are a collaborative of like-minded businesses that have come together under one roof to provide full holistic care for the mind, body, and soul.

We offer holistic therapies services in psychotherapy, energy work, nutritional and herbal health, essential oils, personal spiritual development, massage therapy and skin care, meditation, and more.

The Art Center provides a safe space in a healing environment for a deepened understanding of ourselves through the process of making art for students of all ages. The Art Center offers a variety of classes and is developing a community of artists where there can be freedom of expression through art and images that can speak for the soul and the spirit.

In addition to the classes we already offer, including the spiritual awakening circle, sound healing meditation, support groups for people in recovery and their families, and Qigong meditation, The Red Barn is now offering custom retreats, accommodating groups from two up to 30 people.

Contact us today to learn more!

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25-MIN | $85

R I T UAL

Treat your crown with this relaxation massage featuring Kanya’s Scalp Oil designed to bring inner peace, release tension, and improve hair and scalp health by working your neck, décolleté, face, scalp, neck, and upper back.

Book as a standalone service or add it on to any other massage service.

ASK ABOUT OUR OTHER KANYA CHAKRA SERVICES FOR MASSAGE, SKINCARE, AND NAILS

Voted one of CT's 10Best for Massage Therapy/Body Work and Esthetician/Holistic & Organic Spa Thank you to all of our spa guests for your love and support! We're so grateful to have been nominated again as one of your favorite destinations for massage and skincare.

Visit our website www.theredbarnindurham. com for a listing of practitioners to select the services you would like to include. Contact Janice Juliano at 860.989.6610 if you are interested in scheduling a retreat.

SALON | SPA | SKINCARE litchfield-spa.com | 860-567-8575 407A Bantam Road

Why Dr Steven Hinchey?

Both he and his staff Listen to YOU • Non judgmental assessments • Respect for you and your time Are concerned about YOU • Mercury free dental treatment Centers For • Mercury safe dental conditions • Mercury removal and detoxification Dental Medicine • Biocompatible dental materials Saving Lives One • Minimally invasive procedures Smile at a Time • Implant tooth replacement We want to help YOU get healthy • Same day non-metal crowns

Breathwork at The Sacred Self, LLC, in Newington— A Different Kind of Healing

Visit thesacredselfllc.com and contact Charleen at thesacredselfllc@gmail.com or call 860.614.8382.

Located at 171 Market Square #102, Newington, CT.

You are the expert on your life experience, and we, as therapists, are guides to help you reach your goals.

Sending the first email, or making the first call can be hard. Your future self will thank you.

Our team takes an integrative/ holistic approach to the healing process. Reach out today, we’d love to help you!

Available to see adults, teens, couples, and families experiencing trauma, anxiety, and depression.

Mindful Transformations (860) 308-2807 Mindfultransformationsct@gmail.com mindfultransformationllc.com

West Hartford Location 16 Brace Road, 3rd floor, West Hartford, CT 06107

At Unlimited Potential, We Specialize in: • Facial Reflexology • Gua Sha Facial • Dermaplaning • LED Light Therapy • Image MD Skin Care • Micro Peels

Home of the Facial Reflexology and Gua Sha Treatment

Ask Us About The Wellness Facial Infusion Bundle

Renee Baldo, RN, Licensed Esthetician upskincare.com renee@upskincare.com • 203.239.1966 • @skincarerenee

7 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

harleen K. Miele, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor who started her journey as a teacher, church music director, and fitness instructor. She has now found a way to incorporate all of those passions into the work she does at her business, The Sacred Self, LLC in Newington. Charleen works with clients both in person and via telehealth and has recently added Trauma-Informed Breathwork to her work.

As an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, she has been humbled and honored to walk the healing journey with her clients by helping them to notice, acknowledge, and unburden parts in their system who have been forced into extreme roles.

She now offers her current therapy clients the addition of breathwork to reinforce the unburdening process. New clients are also offered the opportunity to experience IFS and/ or breathwork through in-person and online sessions. Charleen is also currently offering group breathwork sessions online and will be hosting workshops and group sessions in person in the new year. Life coaching and spiritual life coaching, including breathwork and IFS work, are also available both as individual sessions and as packages of two, four, or six sessions.

Charleen will soon be offering self-paced online courses through her website as well as interactive groups that will meet for a series of weeks and will include lectures, discussions, journaling, and experiential somatic work through breathing and movement. She is excited to share this with the Natural Nutmeg community!

We Offer Financial Flexibility

NATURAL Nutmeg

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Steven F Hinchey DMD • 860.633.6518 drshinchey@gmail.com • dochincheydmd.com

SPOTLIGHT NATURAL Nutmeg 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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Soul Healing Journey, LLC Dr. Eilis Philpott, PhD

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s the owner/operator of Soul Healing Journey, LLC, and the Academy for Soul Healing, I offer soul-level healing, working with clients to remove obstacles preventing the full expression of their authentic selves. The Academy also provides training for those who want to develop their connection with energy work further.

I have worked in the healing arena for over 25 years and have numerous trainings and life experiences to bring to every session and training. I personally overcame a very difficult and traumatic childhood that culminated in severe depression and anxiety. I was able to use the skills I learned to heal and feel passionately about supporting others on their journey.

I am passionate about being a holistic practitioner and have many wonderful memories that mean a lot to me, including the numerous clients who have achieved their goals and dreams and gone on to live a more fulfilling life. Another special memory is when the first ever Year of Healing was completed. Each participant committed to being in partnership with themselves in a sacred ceremony. It was beautiful.

I’m honored to be chosen for the 10Best issue, and I love being part of Natural Nutmeg. There are so many opportunities available to me to connect with so many readers. I have written a few articles along with advertising in the magazine. I have also been part of some podcasts and especially love the interviews (chats) with Diane.

Soul Healing Journey, LLC/ Academy For Soul Healing Dr. Eilis Philpott, PhD • Fairfield, CT, and Online • 203.767.5954 soulhealingjourney.com • academyforsoulhealing.com

Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT

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treat patients for a variety of dental concerns, including aesthetics, TMJ, sleep breathing disorders, mercury toxicity, hidden infections from cavitations, dead teeth, and root canals. I am passionate about what I do because of the considerable improvement in patient health when using a whole-body paradigm approach to care.

I recognize the physical and energetic relationship of the mouth to the rest of the body and how to incorporate this into patient care, which I believe sets my practice apart. Addressing problems in the mouth and its related structures is central to achieving optimal health and should be part of every holistic practitioner’s treatment plan. Using a combination of conventional and nonconventional dentistry along with an energetic paradigm, testing, and treatment, patients can expect to see an improvement in their overall well-being.

I am excited to have trained in Biomagnetic Pair Therapy, which helps to restore the body’s homeostasis so the body can begin to heal itself.

Another new technology now offered in our practice is a wearable and treatable FDA Class II-cleared device for pain. This amazing technology not only provides microcurrent frequencies for pain but provides frequencies of well-being and balance. You can experience these unique services at either our dental or medical divisions.

Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT Fairfield, CT • 203.371.0300 ext. 1 • WholeBodyDentistry.com

Natural Harmony Jennifer Beach

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atural Harmony is a woman-owned, Connecticut-based company providing a wide variety of 100% organic, non-GMO and vegan CBD products. The company’s founder, Jennifer Beach, discovered the benefits of CBD for her chronic pain and anxiety in early 2020 and immediately wanted to share the benefits with others.

We sell full spectrum oils, including our Natural Harmony 1200 mg Full Spectrum ($48) and 3000 mg Full Spectrum ($60) CBD oils, which contain a blend of pure hemp oil from small regional farms using organically certified methods. These also contain THC. In addition, we offer our Natural Harmony Sleep Formula, which is a 3:1 ratio of CBD and CBN (and contains no THC).

Each dropper carries 30 mg CBD and 10 mg CBN. These two components together provide a powerful sleep aid without a foggy head the following day.

Our Natural Harmony Orange CBD Gummies ($30) contain 25 mg of CBD and are THC-free, and we also offer our topical— Natural Harmony Cooling Gel ($35)—which contains menthol and camphor bark oil combined with CBD to cool and relieve aches and pains in joints and muscles.

Natural Harmony products can be purchased online with free standard shipping.

Convenient and secure online payment is available right through our website!

All retail orders are shipped for free via USPS First Class mail. For faster delivery, USPS Priority Express shipping is available for a $7.00 charge per order. Visit us online or stop in and see us today!

Natural Harmony Stonington, CT, and Virtual 860.992.7213 • naturalharmonylife.com

Lauri Ingram

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M

y practice focuses on yoga for EVERY BODY. I want everyone to be able to access the benefits of yoga, so I teach to all levels, body types, genders, body sizes, and levels of fitness and flexibility. Every body can do yoga, and I can help you!

I’ve always been on the path to yoga, but it wasn’t until I was living the life of a stressed-out mother of a newborn and toddler that I realized it and planted my feet firmly upon it.

Being born into a family of morticians brought nightly questions about life and death to the dinner table. I sought answers to life’s questions in church, mistaking religion for spirituality well into my life. That led me to a degree in Religious Studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio, and I began to see that religion and spirituality were quite different.

When my boys were born, my career in the museum field ground to a halt, and I craved the company of adults to free me from big wheels, Tonka trucks, and the daily stresses of caring for two young, active boys.

It led me to a little yoga center near my home, and from there, my path took an exciting turn. I discovered that yoga helped me find my breath, my center, some peace and quiet, and it made me feel great! After several years of learning, the opportunity presented itself to study more deeply. I enrolled in teacher training with Integrative Yoga Therapy (iytyogatherapy.com), and it was there and through subsequent workshops and trainings that I discovered my passion for helping EVERY BODY access yoga. And I believe my classes and style of teaching make yoga accessible to everyone.

Leslie Gordon Yoga • lesliewintergordon@gmail.com • lesliegordonyoga.com

Leighanne Champion CLC, CHC, ELI-MP Certified Life and Wellness Coach

I

am a transformational life coach with a focus on personal development, relationships, and what I like to call healthy mind management.

My coaching work spans far beyond the scope of my clients. I am a motivational speaker and producer and host of the “Champion Your Life” podcast, and I encourage listeners to pay attention to the lives they’re creating. My mission is to help others turn on their unique light so they can live to their fullest potential.

We hire trainers to help us strengthen our physical bodies, so why not also enlist a coach to help with emotional development and well-being? You would be amazed at what happens when you have something helping you fall in love with life again! I offer one-onone private coaching, classes, and workshops to help you let go of frustration, expectations, and resentment, so you can improve and thrive in all your relationships.

If you’re looking for tools and personal support that will enable you to become the best version of yourself, please contact me and get ready to Champion Your Life. Reach out—let’s do this!

Leighanne Champion CLC, CHC, ELI-MP • Certified Life and Wellness Coach 203.505.5571 • leighanne.champion4@gmail.com leighannechampioncoaching.com

9 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Lauri Ingram Bethany, CT • 203.435.5650 lauri@lauriingram.com • lauriingram.com

Leslie Gordon

NATURAL Nutmeg

hat brought me to where I am? A business career, marriage, birth of a child, loss of a mother, divorce, bankruptcy, depression, anxiety, breast cancer, questioning my career choices.

Those were the low points of my life.

Embracing my creativity, listening to my intuition, being open to what the universe was showing and telling me, meeting mentors at the perfect time, discovering meditation and mindful practices, asking open-ended questions about the meaning of life and why I am here and living the truth of who I am.

Those continue to be the high points of my life.

When I announced I was leaving behind a very successful 40+ year career in corporate IT, working for small companies, as well as one of the largest in the country, many people asked, “What are you going to do now?” The short answer is that I wanted to coach and advise those on their journey because we all have events in our lives that shape us and change us forever. Sometimes those are by choice; sometimes they are not. But we can look at those events through a lens that offers insight into who we truly are.

I believe everything has a spiritual side.

Spirituality, to me, is not religion. Yes, it may be for some, but for me, it is the knowledge that there is something that created everything; that each one of us has a spirit, an essence, that is our true nature. I believe our lives are a journey of self-discovery and uncovering and connecting with what spirituality means to each of us. Our lives are not straight lines, and often we need to step back and see that spirit has been at work all along….even if we did not see it.

My clients are curious. They are questioning where they are in life and what may be next for them. They may feel unfulfilled and not know what is missing. They may be going through changes in their life and seek grounding and guidance. They may be questioning their spiritual path. They may be asking some of life’s most difficult and unanswerable questions.

I work from a place of experience. All the training and all the modalities I use are ones that were part of my unfolding over the past 10 years.

I am where I am because of the low points of my life and the high points as well. This is the work I am here to do.

SPOTLIGHT NATURAL Nutmeg 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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Lifespan Collaborative Services

I

am Dr. Dilice Robertson, RN, APRN licensed and ANCC certified in the psychiatric-mental health specialty with years of education and experience in the field of psychiatric nursing.

I obtained my bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and master’s degree in psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, as well as a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University with a specialization in child and adolescent populations. My doctoral degree in nursing practice is from Fairfield University, with a focus on trauma and substance use correlations.

I believe in equal access to healthcare for all, focusing on treating the whole person, not just the symptoms. I have served on the faculty of Fairfield University and Yale University School of Nursing in varying teaching roles and am also a member of the American Psychiatric Nursing Association (APNA).

Lifespan Collaborative Services was established in 2015 to address the growing need for mental health evaluation in the child and adolescent community. Initially started as a mental health access resource in pediatric practice, the growth in referrals extended across the lifespan to the older adult population. Community collaboration with primary care providers or psychotherapists is the foundational entry into services.

Those accessing services receive comprehensive psychiatric mental health evaluation with a focus on the underlying cause of mental health symptoms ensuring interventions address nutrition, vitamin deficiencies, the impact of the current routine and lifestyle, and physical health in addition to psychosocial functioning to tailor individualized interventions to address outcomes for stabilization and improving overall well-being across all dimensions of wellness.

Lifespan Collaborative Services 203.463.4555 • Lifespancs@gmail.com lifespancollaborativeservices.com

Sacred Rivers Yoga and Allied Health Therapies

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acred Rivers Yoga, formed in 2003, currently offers yoga classes and yoga teacher training in a virtual format. We want to thank our loyal members, students, and faculty for their presence, dedication, persistence, and flexibility as we navigate these current times. We gave up our “brick and mortar” physical space due to the consequences of COVID-19.

I have been passionate about sharing the gifts of yoga—the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health benefits that yoga provides—since experiencing it personally from a young age and observing others who have reaped its rewards and positive results. It has been gratifying to see how yoga truly is for everybody and every body. Yoga serves you wherever you are, providing tools for self-exploration and inquiry. I believe the gifts of yoga can be so beneficial for the current times.

We opened in 2003 as the first Yoga Alliance Registered School in CT. We offer yoga therapy classes and for years have received a grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. We also offer Y4C—yoga classes for those with a cancer diagnosis. We have offered everything from chair yoga to cardiac yoga programs, yoga therapy for prenatal, seniors, arthritis, back issues, and athletes, and power and vinyasa yoga. Our mission is to create a sacred space for the soul to recognize our oneness and support each other on our paths of self-discovery and growth. Learn to listen to inner wisdom. In this world of energetic chaos, we invite you to breathe, find stillness, and connect within.

After 19 years as a yoga practitioner, I have many great memories that all have a common theme. It is gratifying and humbling to watch yoga ripple out to so many markets, venues, workplaces, schools, and hospitals as our students graduate and share the teachings of yoga. I have heard so many heartfelt stories from yoga students as well as yoga teacher training students. Many say that yoga “saved their life” in one way or another, and all are grateful for the many benefits of yoga. This is so touching to me and reminds me of why I continue to “hold the space.”

Sacred Rivers Yoga and Allied Health Therapies Virtual/Online • 860.657.9545 • sacredriversyoga.com

Robin H. Clare, MBA, RCP™

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hen I started my spiritual journey, my mantra was, “Bring It On!” This powerful mantra has led to long-term recovery from a 40-year addiction to food disorders, and I’ve committed my life to divine service to the spiritual and wellness community.

I began my career creating spiritual retreat centers and events in Connecticut. Over time, I was inspired to share my healing journey with others by becoming a best-selling author, Recovery Coach Professional™, and National Speakers Association certified keynote speaker.

I’m now a highly regarded writing coach for aspiring authors who want to share their stories of healing and service. As your writing coach, I’m your confidante and accountability partner and support you in completing your manuscript, and my coaching has now expanded to include anthologies. As a contributing author, you can submit your chapter to a new anthology or organize a collaborative book to raise funds for your community.

The writing coaching and anthology programs include individual sessions enhanced by my award-winning life coaching, spiritual messenger talent, developmental editing, and manuscript achievement.

Is it time for you to become an author? Let’s chat and find out!

Robin H. Clare, MBA, RCP™ • West Hartford, CT • 860.833.9670 Robinhclare@gmail.com • robinhclare.com

Mica DeSantis Life Sketching

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TERRY WALTERS returns with

TERRY WALTERS

NOURISH PLANT-BASED RECIPES TO FEED BODY MIND AND SOUL

NOURISH

200 new plant-based and gluten-free recipes to empower and inspire.

AVAILABLE AT:

TerryWalters.net < PAGE 42 “Recipe: Fermented Verde Hot Sauce” BY TERRY WALTERS

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Mica DeSantis • Life Sketching 205 Weston Road, Weston, CT 203.517.7674 • Mica@lifesketching.com lifesketching.com • IG:@micablaise

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NATURAL Nutmeg

any years ago, the universe invited me to become an Energetic Doula, an intuitive conduit for “empowered conception.” Conception, not only of babies, but of ideas, relationships, and careers…

I work with energy.

As a Reiki Master, Sound Healer, and Shamanic Practitioner, I tap into the universal life force and welcome it to flow through me to help you discover your blocks, shift your energy, and manifest your desires. I call it the ARC process: Acknowledge/Release/Connect. We are all creating our own reality. When you remember this, you can conceive anything!

As a Conception Catalyst, I connect soul babies with their destined parents by helping women activate their creative frequency, which is, in fact, their soul’s essence. For those bringing in their baby, I am a bridge between two souls.

This is not limited by which path the mother may take (biological birth, adoption, surrogacy, IVF, IUI, and so on). Once I activate the energetic channels in a woman, they are enabled and empowered to conceive. Oftentimes this happens after one session!

We can all be empowered to connect on a soul level. Doing so fosters a deepening of relationships of all kinds, creative endeavors, and personal healing.

My purpose is to help you take notice of the magic around you, help you heal, and guide you to your purpose and your pre-destined MIRACLES. You have a masterpiece within you that you are longing to share with the world. You have just forgotten who you truly are. It is my job to help you remember.

NATURAL Nutmeg

SPOTLIGHT

Whole Self Wellness

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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F

rom being a patient to working in the medical field, I knew there needed to be a better way to provide care, a way to meet people’s needs that melded with their beliefs and still provided exceptional care and quality outcomes.

I started my health journey as many people have, first as a patient. I remember being sick, going through painful tests, and being given no answers and no options. It was extremely stressful for my family and rather demoralizing, so I sought to create a better system. Through rigorous training, experience, and an exceptional team, Whole Self Wellness can provide our clients with whole-body care—primary care and wellness care together in one place.

True health requires using an integrative approach to health and wellness care and must begin at the core with treatment regimens starting at the foundation with nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management. We are pleased to be able to offer physical and craniosacral therapy and pelvic floor therapy, as well as other treatment modalities to assist in health and healing. We’ve recently added specialized targeted therapy for men’s and women’s health and weight loss to provide our clients with personalized treatment plans so that they can transform their total health.

If your goal is to take an active and engaged role in your health, our programs and guidance empower you to achieve optimal health, wellness, and sustainable daily habits.

Whole Self Wellness • Oakdale, CT 860.222.0949 • wholeselfwellnessct.com

Dr. Christine Najjar

I

am an Internal and Obesity Medicine physician and founder of Food First MD, a Connecticut-based medical practice focused on empowering people to regain control of their health with the most underutilized medicine—food.

I was first drawn to the intricacies of the human body and nutrition from my own experience. I spent summers in my parents’ native land, Lebanon, where I grew to love Mediterranean cuisine.

I recognized that every summer spent there, I was left feeling vibrant, clear, energized, and light, and my waistline always seemed to shrink. When I came back to the United States, everything quickly reversed.

Yearning to understand how food affects the body, I studied biochemistry at McGill and medicine at St. George’s University, during which I worked in various Brooklyn hospitals, where I was exposed to the Band-Aid of modern medicine and the overwhelming cases of chronic illness and disease. Wanting to deepen my nutrition-specific education, I earned a Master’s in Human Nutrition at Columbia concurrently with medical school clinical rotations.

Despite my education, I struggled to optimize my health and wondered, “How am I going to heal patients if I can’t heal myself?” Committed to finding solutions, I built upon my years of education, took a deep dive into literature, and expanded my views beyond the tools in front of me.

After completing my residency at UConn, I worked as a weight loss consultant and a primary care physician. In 2022, I launched Food First MD with a mission to bring health back to healthcare. I’m driven to help patients avoid years of frustration, ineffective treatments, and debilitating ailments, and I reach patients with knowledge and compassion. Using a food-first approach, I have helped patients reverse disease, reach optimal weight, and reduce or eliminate the need for traditional medications.

I am accepting new patients in my office and via Telemedicine. Combining my unique medical and nutritional background, I provide customized evaluations and food-first prescription plans. Patients have access to weekly Empowerment Group Zoom meetings I host live. I also love to experiment with new recipes and dishes. Leading by example, I encourage my patients to take control of their health with my favorite medicine…food!

To connect with me, visit @foodfirst.MD or foodfirstMD.com. To see what food the doctor is dishing up, head to @doctorsdish.

Food First MD • South Windsor, CT • 203.441.1075 • foodfirstMD.com

Dr. Nicole Aviles, ND Whole Health, Hamden, CT

Within a few visits, she reported relief from her symptoms and a visible regression of the size of her fibroids.

My practice is devoted to enhancing access to effective care by empowering my patients with the knowledge and tools needed to achieve their health goals. As a patient, you are invited to share detailed information about your medical am a naturopathic doctor at Whole Health Natural Family Medicine special- history with a doctor who will listen to and examine you attentively. You will then learn about your specific health izing in women’s health and pediatrics. I have a special interest in the management condition(s) and be informed of your options. Questions are encouraged. By the end of the appointment, you'll be of gynecologic, hormonal/endocrine, and mental health empowered with information and have a customized treatment conditions, acute and chronic pediatric care, and chronic plan that may include nutritional and lifestyle counseling, diseases such as diabetes and high cholesterol. targeted nutrient supplementation, recruitment of botanical Recently, a patient presented to my office with a history allies, comprehensive blood work, and/or specialty lab testing. of uterine fibroids and related symptoms. We discussed Patients of all socioeconomic statuses are welcome, and most possible contributing factors and created a personalized insurances are accepted. treatment plan that included mind-body medicine and Dr. Nicole Aviles, ND • Whole Health, Hamden, CT nutritional and lifestyle modifications for hormone balance.

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203.288.8283 • wholehealthct.com

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc Vis Wellness Center

AM Yoga, owned and founded by Jen Dankosky, is a boutique studio set in the artist’s wing of a riverside mill building. We offer all-levels vinyasa flow and restorative practice, workshops, and private lessons. LAM also holds special events that connect us to our community, including retreats to exotic locations and yoga at our local brewery.

I have been practicing for many years on my own and with excellent teachers. My path took me to the beautiful Sanctuary Yoga studio in downtown Torrington. There, I learned from thoughtful mentors about connecting breath and movement, about blending the spiritual and the physical, and about how to use yoga to “get grounded.”

That grounding is what sets LAM apart from other yoga studios and practitioners. All it takes are those first steps into LAM Yoga, and you will feel nurtured and cared for. LAM is an inviting boutique studio located in an artist’s space, drawing in a diverse group of people of all levels and all abilities. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done yoga—the goal is to connect breath and movement, mind, body, and senses. At LAM, we understand life is about balance—about allowing yourself breathing space on your mat, but also time to have fun. Every practice, every breath, is a chance to start again.

LAM Yoga • Hurley Business Park, New Hartford, CT 860.978.1657 • lamyoga.com

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Connecticut Family Acupuncture

t Connecticut Family Acupuncture, we are passionate about what we do! Being in practice for over 15 years, we’ve seen so many people have such amazing, almost miraculous results with acupuncture. We all got into this field out of a desire to help people achieve better health and well-being naturally, and it’s just so rewarding to be able to do this for a living!

We are leaders in working with our patients’ insurance to get them the highest degree of coverage possible. We pride ourselves on our ability to “cross the aisle” and work with the conventional medical community collaboratively in the best interest of our patients.

We’ve heard countless patient success stories that always bring us great joy and gratitude. Looking back to the days leading up to my acupuncture license arriving from the CT Department of Public Health, all that excitement and anticipation to get started on this career after four years of grad school was a pretty magical time!

We are grateful to be part of this magazine. Natural Nutmeg is an incredibly valuable resource for our community. There is so much interest in natural and holistic medicine, but people don’t know where to turn for reputable information, products, or services.

Natural Nutmeg offers these “seekers” an honest, trustworthy information source to help them get a foot in the door of exploring holistic care.

Connecticut Family Acupuncture • 860.633.6022 Glastonbury, South Windsor, Tolland, CT • CTfamilyacupuncture.com

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Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc • 234.222.8362 Vis Wellness Center • Rocky Hill and Virtual Visits DrNicoleKlughers.com • hello@drnicoleklughers.com

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NATURAL Nutmeg

I'm Dr. Nicole Klughers, a licensed naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, wellness educator, and former pharmacist. I offer all-natural solutions to restore optimal health and help patients reclaim a life of energy, balance, and joy. I’ve been passionate about helping people and our planet from an early age.

At 14, my journey into medicine began while working in a small-town pharmacy. Patients asked questions regarding medication side effects, interactions, or which supplements they should take and I was inspired by the pharmacist’s unique role in patient healthcare. Patients had unanswered questions after doctor’s visits and this, along with my own experiences, disenchanted me from the idea of becoming a doctor. By the time I completed high school, I’d decided to become a pharmacist. I went on to earn a Doctorate in Pharmacy at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy.

Working as a pharmacist, I saw the limitations of conventional medicine in offering long-term, healing solutions. Often, patients could only take a medication for so long before another complication developed. Through this and my own growth and healing, I recognized that pharmaceuticals were not how I wanted to help people. I knew there had to be a better way for me to provide care to my community.

I wanted to help others heal naturally and became drawn to naturopathic medicine.

Eager to become a physician who provides integrative, sustainable, holistic healthcare, I earned a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine while also completing an MS in Acupuncture. And although I’m a naturopathic physician, I’m commonly called a “health detective,” as my approach involves listening to the “clues” and utilizing detailed testing to “investigate” and address the root cause of health concerns.

I’m often presented with complicated and chronic unsolved health mysteries from patients who come to my practice after seeing multiple practitioners and still feel aspects of their health are going unaddressed.

The most rewarding part of being a naturopathic physician is helping patients find answers to their unique health concerns. My commitment is to be as thorough as possible, dedicating 60 to 90 minutes per appointment, allowing people to be fully understood and ask plenty of questions without feeling rushed. I feel truly honored to do this work.

LAM Yoga

SPOTLIGHT NATURAL Nutmeg 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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Erika Dworkin, BCHN Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®

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n 1970, my father, Michael Dworkin, PD, CCN (a Connecticut licensed clinical nutritionist with a doctorate in pharmacy), founded the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe, which became a highly respected clinical nutrition practice.

In my early twenties, he diagnosed me with candidiasis, a fungus overgrowth that developed from stress and multiple rounds of antibiotics prescribed throughout my childhood for sinus infections. Although I appeared healthy, I suffered from many debilitating ailments.

His regimen of nutritional supplements and dietary restrictions turned my life around.

In 2009, six years after my husband died, I felt called to return to Connecticut to run the Shoppe and help our world heal. This was even as I was experiencing my own premature midlife hurricane of crippling hot flashes, night sweats, slowed metabolism, weight gain, self-doubt, exhaustion, reduced libido, anxiety, depression, and cerebral difficulties. After operating the Shoppe for twelve years, I closed it in August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, I can see the map of my midlife path and realize I’m incredibly fortunate to have emerged whole after so many adversities, including job losses, unexpected career changes, and the deaths of my parents, two key employees, two fur babies, and my business. My spiritual journey has delivered me to my current world of self-realization and unlimited possibilities.

After traveling these very bumpy roads, I have the keen vision to guide you on your wellness path. Please connect with me anytime for a complimentary 20-minute wellness assessment, personalized nutrition and lifestyle consultations, product recommendations, or practitioner referrals.

I look forward to supporting you on your wellness journey!

Erika Dworkin, BCHN Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition® (Office Hours by Request) 860.646.8178 • vitathenawellness.com

TAO Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health Dr. Myriah Hinchey

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y introduction to alternative medicine was during my certification program to become a licensed massage therapist. The LMT program included Jin Shin Do and acupressure classes, where I learned a great deal about the philosophy of Eastern medicine. I fell in love with the idea of preventing disease and healing the body from a root-cause level. I saw so clearly the mind-body connection and the role it plays in our ability to heal, as well as the role that acupuncture, massage therapy, psychotherapy, nutrition, and botanical medicine play in both preventative and curative medicine.

I was fascinated with acupuncture, botanical medicine, and nutrition, and had plans to become a licensed acupuncturist as well as get my master’s degree in nutrition after graduating from UConn…a very long road to a lot of degrees! One day, as luck or fate would have it, a client came in who was extremely stressed about her upcoming finals—to be a naturopathic doctor. I’m embarrassed to say I had ZERO idea of what that was! Essentially it was one medical doctoral degree combining all those things I was so passionate about but never knew it was actually a “thing” I could do—the very thing I’d been working toward. From that day, I knew I would become a Licensed Naturopathic Physician. After graduating from UConn, that chance encounter led me to the University of Bridgeport, College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Right out of medical school, because of a young girl’s battle with chronic Lyme disease and babesiosis (that I was fortunate enough to treat in clinic), I was already aware that what we were taught in medical school regarding Lyme disease was not accurate. Early into my career as a naturopathic physician, after my own battle with Lyme, I learned the TRUTH about Lyme disease and co-infections, associated issues, proper testing, and everything else that goes into this complex and often misdiagnosed chronic infection.

After corresponding with award-winning Lyme researcher and Master Herbalist Stephen Buhner on herbal medicine treatments and combining that with what I knew about functional medicine, therapeutic lifestyle changes, and nutrition, I was able to do a complete, holistic evaluation of patients’ internal and external environments—starting with my own—to uncover everything that makes us hospitable to the infection(s). This ultimately led to discovering how to make patients’ bodies inhospitable to Lyme and resolve the infection, which, simply put, involves shrinking the infection as small as possible while concurrently recovering and rebuilding the immune system to stop the infection(s) from replicating and being active in the body. The focus must be on healing the body and restoring proper functioning of all systems—not just killing the infection.

Although conventional medicine has yet to embrace this methodology, more Lyme Literate MDs recognize its value. They know that even if traditional medicine doesn’t fully understand it, what I do genuinely works. This isn’t trading prescription antibiotics for herbal antibiotics—it is geared toward healing the body to make it inhospitable to Lyme and its co-infections. By default—and knowledge, and passion—TAO Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health has become the go-to location for the treatment of Lyme disease and co-infections as well as other complex medical issues.

TAO Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health Hebron, CT • 860.228.1287 • taovitality.com

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10BEST WINNERS Congratulations to our 10BEST Winners!

elcome to the fifth annual Natural Nutmeg 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards issue— our celebration of all things holistic we love about Connecticut. These awards bring massive awareness throughout the state for holistic businesses and practitioners, and we have received amazing feedback from the winners and readers. Many new business owners in categories including Natural Product Companies, Spas, and Farm-to-Table restaurants said they had just discovered the magazine and didn’t realize their customers were avid readers and fans.

We are proud to be the first reader-nominated awards exclusively for the holistic business community in Connecticut. Enjoy all the selections and let us know what you think about the winners and any businesses that are still best-kept secrets!

By Dr. Diane Hayden, Publisher of Natural Nutmeg Magazine

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

5th Annual

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10BEST WINNERS

Acupuncture/Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traver Garrity Acupuncture Tolland and Cromwell, CT • 860.995.0317 travergarrity.com

Connecticut Family Acupuncture

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Glastonbury, South Windsor, and Tolland, CT 860.633.6022 • CTfamilyacupuncture.com

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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Over 15 years in practice. Specializing in chronic pain, women’s health and fertility, stress, anxiety, and other inflammatory conditions. Most insurances accepted, now including Husky.

Highly trained, experienced, and compassionate acupuncturists licensed by the CT Department of Public Health.

Chi Healing Center Canton, CT • 860.352.8902 chihealingcenter.com We have over 20 years experience providing Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our healing methods include affordable group and private acupuncture treatments, cupping, herbal medicine, and medical massage therapy. Our practitioners work together to help you feel better quickly. Book online or call for an appointment.

Jennifer Dubicki, LAc Vitalized Performance Group

Traver specializes in acupuncture, cupping, and tuina to treat chronic pain, orthopedic injuries, migraines, stress, and more. Her practice stands out for the one-on-one attention each patient receives during their individually tailored treatments.

Wendy Haskell, LAc Phoenix Rising Acupuncture LLC Southbury, CT • acupunctureCT.com

Over 13 years in practice.

Wendy specifically tailors her individualized treatments to include acupuncture and other physical treatment modalities which create effective treatments with immediate results. She uses a “wholistic” approach that includes dietary and lifestyle adjustments with a focus on removing the root cause of disease or dysfunction.

Many Rivers Community Acupuncture Bloomfield, CT

Dr. Artemis Morris, ND, LAc Artemis Wellness Center

Dr. Jennifer Pierre, ND, MPH JenteelNature Health Virtual / Telemedicine • 203.806.5152 admin@jenteelnature.com jenteelnature.com Dr. Jennifer Pierre is a Naturopathic Physician, Public Health Professional, author, and speaker with nearly 20 years of healthcare experience. She is the Founder of JenteelNature Health and her specialty is women’s health, utilizing integrative approaches to treat thyroid disease, fibroids, hormonal imbalances, and infertility. Book an appointment at jenteelnature.com.

West Hartford Acupuncture West Hartford, CT • 860.503.3676 WHacupuncture.com Providing acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to the community for 15 years, including massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, cupping, and herbal medicine. Evening and weekend hours available, most insurance plans accepted. Specializing in fertility, pain, anxiety, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Dr. Diana Zitserman, ND, LAc

Glastonbury, CT • 860.800.6775 VPGwaves.com

Milford, CT • 203.783.9802 drartemis.com artemiswellnesscenter.com

Glastonbury and South Windsor, CT 860.200.8268 • Thrivecenterforhealth.com 860.533.4646, option 3 • echn.org

VPG Waves is a holistic practice that offers acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, naturopathic medicine, and GAINSWave (shockwave treatment for erectile dysfunction, Peyronies’ disease, scar tissue, and pain management). We offer affordable programs that integrate holistic modalities to treat, prevent, and heal the root cause of our patients’/clients’ ailments. *Handicap accessible*

Dr. Artemis Morris is a seasoned Naturopathic Physician, Licensed Acupuncturist, professor, author, and international public speaker.

She specializes in Mediterranean nutrition, women’s wellness, eastern medicine and nutritional supplements. Join her and her functional nutritionist Eliana for their clinically successful Mediterranean Detox Program offered seasonally as seen on TV with Kara’s Cures.

Dr. Diana Zitserman specializes in acupuncture and naturopathic medicine to help treat conditions and symptoms related to chronic pain, stress and mood disorders, digestion, allergies, women’s health, and side effects from cancer treatment and post-COVID. Services are provided at two locations: Thrive Center for Health in Glastonbury and ECHN’s Women’s Center for Wellness in South Windsor.

10BEST WINNERS

Energy Healers Dr. Synthia Andrews, ND Andrews Healing Arts, LLC Guilford, CT • 203.453.4377 synthiaandrews@gmail.com explorationsinenergy.com

Tara Cornish Holistic Hands

Bantam, Torrington, and Farmington, CT 860.921.8307 taraholistichands@gmail.com holistichandsct.com

Mica DeSantis

Weston, CT • 203.517.7674 mica@lifesketching.com lifesketching.com Mica DeSantis is a Reiki master and energy healer who specializes in helping people realize their dream of parenthood.

Simsbury, CT • 860.830.0877 karenerowan.com

Kevin Ferry became a Wim Hof Method Instructor after 30 years of representing injury victims and realizing we have forgotten about the individual capacity to nurture and improve our own physical and mental health. His Wim Hof practice of breath work and cold exposure teaches others how to maximize their own healing.

Daniel Lupacchino, LMT, RMT, IET MI Integrative Massage Works Glastonbury, CT • 860.716.2740 . integrativemassageworks.com

Dan Lupacchino has over 10 years experience in the field of holistic healing and wellness. As a Massage Therapist, Healer, and Teacher, his goal is to help you live and feel the best you can be.

He is also IET® Master Instructor Trainer, Medicinal Aromatherapist, and Intuitive Coach.

Dr. Eilis Philpott Soul Healing Journey, LLC/ Academy for Soul Healing Fairfield, CT and online via zoom 203.767.5954 Eilis@soulhealingjourney.com soulhealingjourney.com

Dr. Eilis Philpott, owner of Soul Healing Journey and the Academy for Soul Healing, has been a Master Healer and Teacher for 25+ years. She offers soul level healing as well as training for those who wish to pursue their own journey in the healing arts.

Anna Pizzoferrato Reiki With Trust, LLC

Reikiwithtrust.com auroramisticadistancehealing.com AnnaRosaEnergyArtist.com Anna Rosa, aka Anna Pizzoferrato, has been offering remote distance healing services since 2001. She is a Usui, Shamballa, Kundalini and Karuna ® Reiki Master and has a registered modality called Aurora Mistica ®. Anna is also a biologist and enjoys designing energy-charged products.

Karen has studied with internationally celebrated doctors and healers from around the world. She specializes in advanced CranioSacral Therapy, Somato Emotional Release, Samvahan Vibrational Healing, Spiritual Life Coaching, and Feng Shui. Karen is one of only two people in the United States that holds an Advanced Certification in India’s Ancient Art of Samvahan Vibrational Healing.

Joyce St. Germaine, M.Ed., CHt., RYT-200 The Sacred Journey Burlington, CT • 860.675.9706 jsgermaine@aol.com thesacredjourney.biz

Joyce is highly trained and experienced in Cross-Cultural Shamanism and Energy Healing Modalities. Sound, color, journeying, ceremony, yoga, energetic cord-cutting, direct energy channeling, and gemstone/crystal therapies. Advanced training in Soul Retrieval and Spirit Detachment and Extraction. Energy Healing Modalities may be combined as each situation requires. Sessions in-person, remotely, and via Zoom.

Erin Touponse Mystic Healing Reiki

Old Wethersfield, CT mystichealingReiki@gmail.com MysticHealingReiki.com Erin at Mystic Healing Reiki is a Reiki Master Teacher, Intuitive Hypnotherapist, and Tarot Reader/Teacher. With a focus on “Awakening your Inner Healer,” Erin offers a wide range of healing techniques including Reiki, Guided Journey, Past Life Regression, Intuitive Tarot, and Healing Ceremony. She offers Reiki and Tarot classes monthly.

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Tara Cornish is an IIR Certified Reflexologist and Usui Reiki Master/Teacher since 2005. She also offers reflexology lymph drainage and energy field measurement. These therapies are noninvasive and safe. Tara has seen amazing benefits using holistic approaches to help heal, relax, renew, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

Karen Elizabeth Rowan, LMT, CST

New Britain, CT • 860.827.0880 kevin@ferrylaw.com ferrylaw.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

Synthia Andrews, naturopathic doctor and energy intuitive, is proud to announce the release of her most recent book, Subtle Energy Work: Meditative Exercises for Healing, Self-Care, and Inner Balance. Published by Red Wheel Weiser with an introduction by celebrated author Dannion Brinkley. “If you have ever wanted to empower yourself and be able to uplift others, this is the book for you.” —Dannion Available at www.explorationsinenergy.com

Kevin Ferry, JD

10BEST WINNERS

Esthetician/Holistic & Organic Spa

NATURAL Nutmeg

Salt of the Earth Sanctuary

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A Touch of Bliss

Imagine Float

West Hartford, CT 860.712.7313 atouchofblisssorganicspa.com

Avon, CT • 860.255.7771 contactus@imaginefloat.com imaginefloat.com

Indulge yourself in holistic services guaranteed to rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul and improve your mental and physical health.

Experience organic European facials, unique massages combined with cutting-edge technology such as microcurrent face lift, HydraFacial MD, and infrared sauna blanket. It’s your time to receive “a touch of bliss”!

Imagine Float is a peaceful escape from the chaos of your daily life with floatation therapy, cryotherapy, infrared sauna, and compression therapy. When used in synergy, they have endless physical and mental well-being benefits.

Make a renewed commitment to achieving inner peace and a physical awakening, and reclaim your best life!

Asana Organic Skin & Beauty

Woodbury, CT • 203.586.1172 soteswoodburyct@gmail.com naturalsalthealing.com Salt of the Earth Sanctuary is your “healing” energy wellness destination. Utilizing Earth’s natural resources with modern science and highly skilled light workers, we offer treatments that revitalize the respiratory system, clear energetic blockages, and provide overall pain relief and immune support through heat and cell rejuvenation with frequencies and vibrations.

SOMA

Farmington, CT

Glastonbury, CT

Green Lotus Salon and Wellness

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

Cromwell, CT

Illumina Skin Care Massage Simsbury, CT • 860.323.3660 illuminaskincaremassage.com Our day spa is Farmington Valley’s hidden treasure. Lilian Freire, LE/LMT, offer a variety of services to improve health, beauty, and relaxation. Illumina Skin Care Massage was created as a way to make people feel great inside and out while illuminating themselves with an excellent pampering experience catered to their individual needs, so they can walk away feeling completely refreshed.

Nova Spa Rocky Hill, CT • 860.257.1004 novasparockyhill.com Mariola has delivered exceptional therapies to her clients for the past 20 years in a tranquil and serene environment. Nova Spa offers many styles and techniques that are sure to satisfy your desires, includ-ing the gentle touch of a Swedish massage, deep tissue therapy, or the warmth of hot stones to soothe your mind, body, and spirit.

Natural and organic products.

Rhenium Salon & Spa Simsbury, CT

The Spa at Litchfield Hills Litchfield, CT • 860.567.8575 litchfield-spa.com The Spa at Litchfield Hills has provided worldclass service to southern New England for over 15 years. Tucked away in the Litchfield Hills, the stylishly appointed facilities at the Spa include facial and massage treatment rooms, a nail room featuring whirlpool shiatsu massage pedicure chairs, and a full-service hair salon.

10BEST WINNERS

Farm to Table/Organic/Vegan Restaurant & Gluten-Free Bakeries Dee’s One Smart Cookie Allergen Free Bakery Glastonbury, CT

Fork & Fire Divine Treasures Gluten-Free Chocolates & Treats Manchester, CT • 860.643.2552 dtchocolates.com

Fork & Fire is a new American restaurant with a relaxed, come-as-you-are atmosphere with a level of food fit for any white table cloth dining experience. Pair this with a top-notch cocktail program and this is the perfect place to come for any occasion.

Artisan Restaurant West Hartford, CT

Flora West Hartford, CT

Heirloom Food Company Danielson, CT

ION Restaurant Middletown, CT

Popover Bistro & Bakery Simsbury, CT

Pure Love Bakery Avon, CT

Health Food Store & Gluten-Free/ Organic Product Company Bare Life Bare Life, based in West Hartford, CT, reimagines the foods you know and love as plant based, organic and gluten-free crave-worthy creations, beginning with their delicious plant-based and paleo hot chocolate! Their mission is inspired by founder Ali Lazowski’s journey with cancer, Lyme disease, and chronic illness.

Edge of the Woods Market New Haven, CT • 203.787.1055 eotwm.com

Edge of the Woods is a family-owned vegetarian marketplace for over 40 years, featuring fresh produce, groceries, bulk nuts/grains, ground coffee, and an impressive Vitamin Shop.

The Kitchen & Bakery area features a juice bar, sandwiches, wraps, and prepared foods, along with freshly made breads, cakes, pies, pastries, and more!

South Glastonbury, CT, and Virtual 860.266.5682 info@farmtobath.com farmtobath.com Brenda Sullivan, herbalist and maker of herbal products, uses lavender, one of her primary crops, to make natural soaps, soothing salves, aromatic oils and more. She loves knowing the medicinal benefits of herbs, because it ensures her recipes are made with only the best ingredients.

Natural Harmony

Stonington, CT, and Virtual 860.992.7213 naturalharmonylife.com Natural Harmony is a woman-owned, Connecticut-based company providing a range of 100% organic, non-GMO and vegan CBD products.

The company’s founder, Jennifer Beach, discovered the benefits of CBD for her own chronic pain and anxiety in early 2020 and immediately wanted to share the benefits with others.

19 Vitathena Wellness A Store Without Walls Glastonbury, CT • 860.646.8178 edworkin@vitathena.com vitathenawellness.com The Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe is now Vitathena Wellness! Shop online for 14,000+ natural items at 10% Off plus FREE shipping on $49 or more; doTERRA Essential Oils. Get easy access to Erika Dworkin, a Board Certified Holistic Nutritionist (FREE 20-Minute Wellness Assessments – emailed product recommendations – transformational personalized lifestyle change programs).

Act Natural Health & Wellness Thomaston, CT

cinder+salt Middletown, CT

New Morning Market Woodbury, CT

ShopRite of Canton @ the Shops of Farmington Valley Canton, CT

World of Nutrition Newington, CT

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

West Hartford, CT • Eatbarelife.com

Farm to Bath

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Since 2007, Divine Treasures has been handcrafting chocolates with artisan tradition and unique flair in a vegan and gluten-free facility, all made with organic European dark chocolate. Visit not only for gourmet chocolate, but for our artisan non-dairy soft-serve sundaes and cheese alternatives, as well as a growing selection of signature desserts and savory frozen meals.

Farmington, CT 860.255.7674 forkandfire.net

10BEST WINNERS

NATURAL Nutmeg

Functional Medicine/Integrative MD/Dentist

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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April Beaman, RDH, CTT CT Thermography

Dr. Deanna Cherrone, MD Natural Health and Healing

Farmington and Glastonbury, CT 860.415.1150 • ctthermography.com

West Hartford, CT • 860.677.4600 naturalhealthandhealing.net

CT Thermography specializes in medical thermal imaging.

Breast Thermography is a compression and radiation-free screening tool that’s used to monitor breast health to detect physiological changes that may be early warning signs of a disease process.

As a Certified Thermographic technician, April helps empower women to take a proactive approach following their thermography screening for optimal breast health.

Understanding what motivates a patient and the obstacles that impede progress enables Deanna to recommend individualized strategies for success. Applying biochemistry to each patient and seeing the positive results is extremely gratifying, and she truly believes that Functional Medicine provides the necessary framework for how medicine is meant to be practiced.

Dr. Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT Whole Body Dentistry Fairfield, CT • 203.371.0300 WholeBodyDentistry.com

Dr. Breiner treats patients for many dental concerns, including Aesthetics, Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, Sleep Breathing Disorders, Mercury Toxicity, hidden infections from Cavitations, Dead Teeth, and Root Canals.

“If you have unexplained symptoms that won’t go away no matter what you do, the answer could be in your mouth,” states Dr. Breiner.

Confidia Health Institute Bristol, CT

Dr. Steven F Hinchey, DMD South Glastonbury, CT • 860.633.6518 drshinchey@gmail.com dochincheydmd.com As we look to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to manage the things that you can control and get help for those things that you have trouble managing. Oral health is easy to manage when you understand why. Dr. Hinchey can show you how—like managing a garden. How is your oral ecology?

Dr. David Johnston, DO Osteopathic Wellness Center, LLC Ridgefield, CT • 203.438.9915 OsteopathicWellness@gmail.com Osteopathic-Wellness.net

Over 20 years experience in gentle hands-on manual treatment and cranialsacral therapy for newborns, children, and adults. David’s work supports the healing and alignment of a person’s spine, joints and soft tissues. He has successfully helped his patients with back and neck pain, headaches, concussions, injuries, birth trauma, fatigue and brain fog, weak immune systems, and digestive problems.

Personalized Medical Care Drs. Chi Kim, MD & Deb Keightley, MD Canton, CT • 860.352.8265 Drchikim.com Chi Kim, MD, a nd Deb Keightley, MD, integrate their years of experience in primary care with the functional medicine model to assist each individual in achieving his or her optimal health. They take the time necessary to develop a personalized plan and appropriate treatment options for each patient.

Dr. Kevin Norige, DMD, FICD South Windsor Smiles South Windsor, CT • 860.644.0113 southwindsorsmiles.com

Dr. Norige and his team strive to give you the best and latest dental care. Our focus is your overall health, beginning with the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums. There are many links between your oral health and your overall health—gum disease can increase your risk for stroke, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and even the common cold and flu.

Ellen M. Lewis, ND Shalva Clinic

Westport, CT • 203.916.4600 shalvaclinic.org Practicing in Fairfield County, Dr. Lewis offers comprehensive holistic care for men, women, and children for conditions ranging from chronic fatigue or migraines, to digestive issues and stress. She is sought out for her particular expertise in chronic bladder and vaginal infections, abnormal paps, incontinence, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, and fertility. Treatments include comprehensive functional labs, herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, homeopathy, and much more.

10BEST WINNERS

Holistic Center/School Academy for Soul Healing Dr. Eilis Philpott Fairfield, CT, and Virtual • 203.767.5954 Eilis@soulhealingjourney.com Academyforsoulhealing.com Dr. Eilis Philpott, the owner of Soul Healing Journey and the Acdemy for Soul Healing, has been a master healer and teacher for 25+ years. She offers soul-level healing as well as training for those who wish to pursue their own journey in the healing arts.

The Blackbird House

Circle of Health Farmington, CT • 860.384.1527 circleofhealth.com Serving and caring for clients since 2007, Circle of Health is a holistic wellness center specializing in cellular health, neurological health, and overall well-being. Utilizing unique technology, Bear Walker, PhD, is able to provide immediate diagnostic findings and offer protocols and programs that are specifically tailored to an individual’s needs.

Old Wethersfield, CT TheBlackbirdHouse.com

ProNatural Wellness Group Berlin, CT • 860.829.0707 pronaturalwellness.com

Somewhere Over the Spectrum Berlin, CT • 860.420.3800 info@somewhereoverct.com somewhereoverct.com

Bridge Healing Arts Center (BHAC) Farmington, CT • 860.404.2578 bridgeHAC.com The Bridge Healing Arts Center was created to provide a wellness community for talented practitioners, thought leaders and clients, and customers who come together to learn how to live their best life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have well over 60 practitioners who provide a variety of holistic modalities to the community.

Innovate Wellness Glastonbury, CT • 860.430.5300 innovate-well.com Formerly the Center for Holistic Healthcare, Innovate Wellness offers integrative direct primary care, customized IV vitamin therapy, hormone treatments, and acupuncture, among other services. We are excited to be adding an esthetician and massage therapist to our team of medical providers.

Somewhere Over the Spectrum is a holistic Autism center located in Berlin, CT, that provides naturalistic and intensive therapeutic programming for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our child-led programs include our Early Childhood Program and Intensive In-Home & Community Programs.

Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, and Optimal Health opened in 2010 as a multidisciplinary wellness center, offering yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, health coaching, nutrition, psychopathic therapy, massage, and more. Due to Dr. Hinchey’s research and success in understanding Lyme disease and its co-infections, Tao Center has become the foremost center for treating and healing Lyme disease.

The Red Barn in Durham, LLC New Earth Holistic Therapies and Art Center Durham, CT • 860.559.6151 theredbarnindurham.com

The Red Barn now has an acupuncturist, traditional Chinese medicine, and many holistic treatments, Yoga in the Sanctuary, and an Art Center— Earthly Goddess—a clay co-op and “Art to Nurture Your Soul.”

They are offering quarterly psychic/vendor dairs with well-vetted readers and mediums as well as ongoing sound healing in the Sanctuary and Soulshine Salt Cavern.

Customized retreats for 2–30 participants.

We are MIND. BODY. SPIRIT. HEART.

Vitalized Performance Group Glastonbury, CT • 860.800.6775 Vpgwaves.com VPG Waves is a holistic practice that offers acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, naturopathic nedicine, and GAINSWave (shockwave treatment for Erectile dysfunction, Peyronies’ disease, scar tissue, and pain management). We offer affordable programs that integrate holistic modalities to treat, prevent, and heal the root cause of our patients’/clients’ ailments. *Handicap accessible*

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ProNatural Wellness Group is an integrated medical center, specializing in lifestyle medicine, naturopathic medicine, natural and botanical medicine, nutrition therapy, massage therapy, and the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases in both men and women. We take a holistic and natural a pproach to address the needs of our patients.

Hebron, CT • 860.228.1287 taovitality.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

The Blackbird House is a holistic center and gift shop located in Old Wethersfield. They The Blackbird offer a variety of services including House Reiki, pelvic floor therapy, massage, psychotherapy, hypnosis, and sound healing.

They also offer monthly Reiki and tarot classes as well as full moon circles, drum circles, intuitive development, and more.

Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health Dr. Myriah Hinchey, ND

10BEST WINNERS

NATURAL Nutmeg

Holistic Pediatrician

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Dr. Jennah Bakke, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine

Lara O’Neil APRN, CPNP Thrive Center for Health

Dr. Robin Russell, ND Natural Pediatric Medicine, LLC

Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 ctnatmed.com

Glastonbury, CT • 860.200.8268 thrivecenterforhealth.com

New Hartford, CT • 860.909.1082 NaturalPediatricMedicineLLC.com

Dr. Jennah is passionate about helping families. As a mother of two, she understands when one family member is unwell, all members are affected. She works to identify the root cause of illness and restore optimal health. Dr. Jennah specializes in pediatrics, family medicine, eczema, allergies, Lyme disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and more.

Lara O’Neil, APRN, specializes in pediatric primary care and combines traditional with integrative health care. It is her passion to treat children and adolescents with a holistic approach to healing, as she believes that the ideal model of good health addresses each family’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Dr. Robin Russell has been providing natural pediatric and women’s healthcare since 2005.

She focuses on wellness visits and provides care for acute illnesses such as ear infections, coughs, and colds/flus. She also provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for many health conditions such as ADHD, anxiety/depression, autism, and eczema using diet, nutrition, and botanical medicines.

Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc Fertility Oasis

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0459 fertilityoasis.com Dr. Kerr is passionate about finding the reason behind your fertility struggle. She loves teaching patients how to live a fertility friendly lifestyle, and supporting them with natural remedies. Male and female infertility factors are addressed by Dr. Kerr to offer comprehensive fertility care to her patients.

Dr. Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP New England Center for Health Wilton, CT • 203.834.2813 drohara.com

Dr. Nancy O’Hara is a board-certified pediatrician who leads a functional medicine practice for children with neurodevelopmental/neuropsychiatric disorders and is a leader in clinician training. Dr. O’Hara has written a comprehensive guidebook, “Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis,” available on Amazon at https://www.amazon. com/dp/B0B8BC6XFR.

Dr. Carolina Padilla, ND Glastonbury, CT

Dr. Sarah Schindler, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine

Dr. Jaquel Patterson, ND, MBA

Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 info@ctnatmed.com ctnatmed.com

Fairfield, CT • 203.254.9957 fairfieldfamilyhealth.com Dr. Jaquel Patterson is the Medical Director and owner of Fairfield Family Health in Fairfield, CT. Fairfield Family Health (FFH) is a multi-disciplinary integrative practice serving children through adults.

Areas of focus include Lyme disease, autoimmune conditions, ADHD/ADD, PANS/PANDAS, anxiety, depression, childhood developmental disorders, neurology, women’s health, acupuncture, and nutrition.

Dr. Stephanie Preston ND, MsAC JenteelNature Health Virtual • 203.806.5152 admin@jenteelnature.com jenteelnature.com

Dr. Stephanie Preston is a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and traumainformed specialist who treats a variety of pediatric and adult conditions including digestive disorders, ADD/ADHD and spectrum disorders, and provides prenatal/ postpartum care. Book an appointment with her at jenteelnature.com.

Dr. Schindler works hard to always find the root cause of disease and treat that. She formerly was a birth doula and prenatal massage therapist when she decided to return to ND school. Her practice specializes in fertility, all women’s health and Lyme disease. Patients travel from across the country to seek out her expertise.

Dr. Jared Skowron, ND

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0444 SpectrumAwakening.com Spectrum Awakening is Connecticut’s leading Natural Medicine Clinic for autism, ADHD, and anxiety. Dr Skowron is voted Natural Nutmeg’s Best Holistic Pediatrician 4 years in a row, 2019–2022, and has spoken nationally with Jenny McCarthy, Temple Grandin, Erin Brokovich, and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Spectrum Awakening will help your child feel happier, healthier, and reach their full potential, naturally!

10BEST WINNERS

Holistic Psychotherapy/LCSW/Counseling James Osborne, MS, LPC, BCPC ProNatural Wellness Group

Enlightenment Counseling Center West Hartford, CT • 860.729.3284 enlightenmentcenterct.com Enlightenment Counseling Center utilizes a holistic approach that allows us to help the whole person heal. It is their belief that mind, The Enlightenment Counseling Center LLC body, and spirit must be healthy and balanced for true healing to occur.

They focus primarily on working with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD.

Mischa Hadaway, LCSW, CD(DONA) Gentle Mama Counseling West Hartford, CT • 860.215.4710 gentlemamacounseling.com

Renee Cifarelli East Haven, CT

Avon, CT

Hartford Family Institute provides a range of therapies and services: acupuncture, addiction, anxiety, Ayurveda, anger, conflict resolution, depression, eating disorders, energy healing, physical pain, PTSD, relationships and family, yoga, and much more.

Lauri Ingram, Ordained Interfaith Minister and Certified Interspiritual Counselor Bethany, CT • 203.435.5650 lauri@lauriingram.com lauriingram.com

Lauri Ingram provides services to those seeking to transform their lives, and thrive. Spiritual Counseling connects the soul with the body and mind, bringing deep awareness of her client’s true nature to the surface. Grounded in mindful practices and with an extensive corporate career, Lauri is uniquely qualified to navigate the pressures of today’s world. She brings compassion, non-judgement and a sense of the sacred to her work with clients. Appointments are available in person, as well as virtually.

James Osborne is a Licensed Professional Counselor, with over 40 years of experience as a psychotherapist, clinical director, clinical supervisor, trainer, and consultant trained in gestalt therapy, Jungian psychology, motivational Interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and EMDR. He works primarily with individual adults treating trauma, loss/grief, co-occurring disorders. He is also a Viet Nam Era veteran.

Melissa Glaser, MS, LPC Timeless Therapy

Southbury, CT • 203.598.0552 mglaser@timeless-therapy.com timeless-therapy.com The Timeless Therapy team is a collaboration of seasoned clinicians who have been practicing clinical psychotherapy for a collective 30 years. All of our therapists possess extensive knowledge and high-level training. We service adults, children and adolescents, couples and families.

Hopewell Health Solutions Glastonbury, CT

Sydni Marmor, LPC Milford & West Hartford, CT

Physical Therapy/Personal Training Brian Cusano Against the Grain Fitness Glastonbury, CT • 860.478.0283 atgfitness1@gmail.com againstthegrainfitness.com We are a personal and semiprivate training studio that provides our members with physical freedom, strength, and knowledge through purposeful functional training.

We utilize the safest and most effective techniques to design training programs for our members and athletes that provide noticeable and consistent results as well as fun, positive experiences!

BodyFit Physical Therapy Canton, CT

Mike Dane/Score PT Middlebury, CT

Brian Greer, PT Glastonbury, CT

Crescent Moon Care Canton, CT • 203.788.0009 crescentmooncare@gmail.com crescentmooncare.com Crescent Moon Care is a family-centered physical therapy practice specializing in pediatric and adult patients. All sessions are 1:1, with no overlap between clients. Janell Tartaglia, owner and primary therapist, is Board Certified in pediatrics and has extensive experience in adult orthopedic and neurological conditions as well. Insurance accepted.

ML Fitness

Manchester, CT

Revolution Sports Club Newington, CT

Valley Fitness Unionville, CT

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Dr. Emily Guedes, PT Body Balance Therapies Shelton, CT • 203.828.8676 bodybalance-therapies.com Body Balance Therapies is a holistic physical therapy clinic owned by Dr. Emily Guedes. We are passionate about helping clients reach their goals and take back their lives. Using hands-on techniques and lifestyle changes, we help people heal from relentless pain without costly surgeries or injections.

Ignite Fitness

Virtual/West Hartford/Avon, CT ignitefitnessct.com 860.479.1833 WH • 860.840.7703 Avon Ignite Fitness is Avon & West Hartford’s premier personal training facility. Services include Private and Semi-Private training, Metabolic Classes, and club access. All of our “members” are clients creating an ideal experience in a clean and spacious environment that is both individualized and socially motivating.

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Jeanne C. Folks, D.Min, LPC

West Hartford, CT • 860.236.6009 info@hartfordfamilyinstitute.com. hartfordfamilyinstitute.com

Berlin, CT • 860.829.0707 pronaturalwellness.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

Mischa Hadaway is a perinatal therapist with over 10 years of experience. As the owner of Gentle Mama Counseling, she provides personalized therapy to hopeful, new, and soon-to-be parents. Mischa creates a safe space for her clients who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, shame and guilt, without judgment. Telehealth and evening appointments available.

Hartford Family Institute

10BEST WINNERS

Holistic Weight Loss Center

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND Whole-Body Medicine, LLC

NATURAL Nutmeg

Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 ext 2 info@wholebodymed.com wholebodymed.com

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Dr. Adam Breiner combines cutting-edge science and holistic medicine to correct underlying imbalances and address issues that may interfere with the body’s healing ability—offering hyperbaric oxygen, energy medicine, biomagnetism, IV therapy, neurotherapies. Conditions treated include Lyme disease, immune disorders, allergies, pain, neurologic conditions, stroke, concussion, ADD/ADHD, depression, sleep disorders, and more.

Dr. Natalie Colicci, ND, MS, CNS The Center for Naturopathic Medicine and Functional Nutrition Trumbull, CT • 203.371.1021 office@drnataliecolicci.com Drnataliecolicci.com Dr. Colicci is a licensed naturopathic physician and clinical nutritionist. Being fully integrative, her practice provides holistic care through combined decades of clinical experience. Individualized programs are designed to meet each patient’s needs through integrative medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Conditions treated include autoimmune disease and metabolic and endocrine disorders.

Joann Dunsing Hypnosis Milford, CT • 203.907.7710 joanndunsing.com Joann is passionate about giving you the experience of firing and wiring the neurological pathways in your brain to actually think, act, and feel like the person you want to be.

Please call Joann for your complimentary phone consultation. Live in the office or via Zoom or FaceTime.

Jane Grant, RD CD-N Grant’s Nutrition & Wellness Berlin, CT • 860.357.2282 grantj@grantsnutrition.com grantsnutrition.com

Jane is trained in integrative and functional nutrition utilizing a personalized, holistic approach to chronic disease and weight management. Integrative and functional nutrition combines the very best of modern science, clinical wisdom, and integrative therapies to address the root cause of disease and promote abundant health.

Dr. Jonathan Goodman Bristol, CT

The Healing Duo Norwalk, CT

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc Vis Wellness Center Rocky Hill, CT, and Virtual • 234.222.8362 hello@drnicoleklughers.com DrNicoleKlughers.com Dr. Nicole Klughers offers allnatural solutions to help individuals lose weight, restore optimal health, and reclaim a life of energy, balance, and confidence. Formerly a pharmacist, Dr. Nicole serves as your “health detective” by listening attentively and utilizing detailed testing to address the root cause of weight gain.

Dr. Artemis Morris, ND, LAc Artemis Wellness Center Milford, CT • 203.783.9802 drartemis.com artemiswellnesscenter.com Dr. Artemis Morris is a seasoned Naturopathic Physician, Licensed Acupuncturist, professor, author, and international public speaker.

She specializes in Mediterranean nutrition, women’s wellness, Eastern medicine, and nutritional supplements. Join her and her functional nutritionist Eliana for their clinically successful Mediterranean Detox Program offered seasonally as seen on TV with Kara’s Cures.

Amanda Swan, APRN Swan Integrative Health and Wellness

Glastonbury, CT • 860.325.2679 swanintegrative.com Swan Integrative Health and Wellness takes an integrative/ functional medicine approach to finding the root cause of your symptoms so you can heal from the inside out! They see adults and children and accept most major insurance carriers.

Bear Walker, PhD, Holistic Practitioner Circle of Health Farmington, CT • 860.384.1527 circleofhealth.com

Bear has specialized in the Bio-Tracker system for over 30 years. This enables him to accurately identify and measure the body’s imbalances. His vast knowledge of cellular health and Native American wisdom of treating the body as a whole (body, mind, emotion, spirit), puts Bear in a category all his own.

10BEST WINNERS

Hypnotherapy

Jan Bartrop-Babbitt REAL Change Therapy Avon, CT • Worldwide via Zoom

Melissa Conkling, CH Worldwide via Zoom • 860.428.0222 MelissaConkling.com

Joann Dunsing Hypnosis Milford, CT • 203.907.7710 joanndunsing.com

Susana Padilla, CHt Hypnosis Haven

New Milford, CT • 949.534.2836 Susana@hypnosis-haven.com Hypnosis-haven.com Since 2015, Susana Padilla, CHt, owner of Hypnosis Haven, has been providing personalized hypnosis sessions designed to help you lead a balanced, healthy, and harmonious life. Combining her extensive knowledge and experience, she is exceptionally qualified to enable her clients to make positive changes, manage anxiety, overcome habits, and more.

Mansfield, CT

Ailish McMahon-Lewis of Birthing Bravely, LLC, is a holistic perinatal educator, consultant, and doula. She is also a Reiki master and gentle sleep and parenting coach who specializes in hypnosis for birth and utilizes Reiki healing with my prenatal, birth, and postpartum clients. She loves helping people find their inner strength.

Middletown, CT • 860.704.9054 micheleprousseau.com

Erin Touponse Mystic Healing Reiki

Michele P. Rousseau, MA, CH

Live your dreams! Restore your passion, confidence, and motivation; transform habits; achieve goals. Wake up each day to a life you are eager to live!

Online sessions.

Joyce St. Germaine, M.Ed., CHt., RYT-200 The Sacred Journey

Old Wethersfield, CT mystichealingReiki@gmail.com MysticHealingReiki.com

Burlington, CT • 860.675.9706 jsgermaine@aol.com thesacredjourney.biz

Erin at Mystic Healing Reiki is a Reiki master teacher, intuitive hypnotherapist, and tarot reader/teacher. With a focus on “Awakening your Inner Healer,” Erin offers a wide range of healing techniques including Reiki, guided journey, past-life regression, intuitive tarot, and healing ceremony. She offers Reiki and tarot classes monthly.

Joyce is a Certified Hypnotherapist in private practice for over 25 years.

She offers individualized private and group hypnotherapy sessions for adults and age appropriate sessions for children.

Every in person or Zoom session includes client self-hypnosis instruction for continued selfempowerment and well-being. Advanced training in psychospiritual therapies, specializing in past-life regression and higher self hypnosis.

Alicia O’Hara, CHT, CLC

CT and Worldwide via Zoom 860.693.6448 • 916.524.8907 mindmattershypnosis.com trancetochange.com alicia.ohara@sbcglobal.net Certified hypnotherapist and intuitive life coach, Alicia uniquely combinations hypnotherapy, behavioral techniques, and intuitive guidance to help clients of all ages. She believes your mind is your most powerful tool for change and hypnosis can empower you to get there, beyond inner conflict and toward a stronger, clearer you.

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Joann is passionate about giving you the experience of firing and wiring the neurological pathways in your brain to actually think, act, and feel like the person you want to be.

Please call Joann for your complimentary phone consultation. Live in the office or via Zoom or FaceTime.

Eaglemoon Raes, LLC

Manchester, CT • 860.670.6149 Info@ailishlewis.com @ailish.lewis.coaching • ailishlewis.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

Melissa Conkling is a Certified Professional Hypnotist, NLP Practitioner and Life Coach.

She focuses on helping spiritually minded people reprogram their subconscious minds for inner empowerment and authentic living without endless surface level work using transformational hypnosis and coaching.

Ailish Lewis

10BEST WINNERS

Integrative APRN/Nursing Dr. Courtney Holmes, DNP, APRN Holistic Healing Partners, LLC DBA Milford Med Spa

Meredith Bailey PMH-NP Serenity Wellness LLC

NATURAL Nutmeg

Branford/Middletown, CT • 860.975.7455 serenitywellness.company

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Meredith founded Serenity Wellness to provide a safe space for the Queer community for clients and employees. Her specialty is working with transgender and non-binary clients and she is out as a Queer clinician. Serenity Wellness provides medication management, individual, and couples psychotherapy.

Andrea Dameron, DNP, APRN Whole Self Wellness Oakdale, CT • 860.222.0949 wholeselfwellnessct.com

Our team at Whole Self Wellness can help you transform your health using enhanced nutrition, Physical therapy, and personalized care. If your goal is to take an active and engaged role in your health, our programs and guidance empower you to achieve optimal health, wellness, and sustainable daily habits.

Joy Herbst, Purnima Women’s Health Fairfield, CT, and Virtual joyherbst.com

Joy Herbst MSN, APRN/ -NP-C, CPC, and CYT, specializes in women’s lifestyle medicine, and sober coaching. She is boardcertified by American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, a certified “Gray Area Drinking” coach, an Ayurveda lifestyle and Yoga of Recovery counselor, certified yoga teacher, dancer, and mother of two young boys. www.joyherbst.com

Kelly Pfeiffer, APRN Manchester, CT

Milford, CT & Virtual • 203.701.6161 milfordmedspa.com

Alina Schneider, APRN Innovate Wellness

Courtney applies Eastern and Western medicine to provide holistic LGBTQ+ affirming care.

She guides your body to heal itself with increased collagen and muscle production through microneedling, threads, Sculptra Aesthetic, and EmSculpt Neo. She also provides medical weight loss, auricular acupuncture for stress reduction, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Glastonbury, CT • 860.430.5300 innovate-well.com

Lara O’Neil APRN, CPNP Thrive Center for Health

Glastonbury, CT • 860.200.8268 thrivecenterforhealth.com Lara O’Neil, APRN, specializes in pediatric primary care and combines traditional with integrative health care. It is her passion to treat children and adolescents with a holistic approach to healing, as she believes that the ideal model of good health addresses each family’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Lifespan Collaborative Services 203.463.4555 Lifespancs@gmail.com lifespancollaborativeservices.com

A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner group practice providing comprehensive evaluation, targeting underlying causes of mental health symptoms.

This ensures interventions address nutrition, vitamin deficiencies, the impact of physical health, and psychosocial stressors to tailor individualized treatment plans, including esketamine and other medication management interventions to improve all dimensions of wellness.

Formerly the Center for Holistic Healthcare, Innovate Wellness offers integrative direct primary care, customized IV vitamin therapy, hormone treatments, and acupuncture, among other services. We are excited to be adding an esthetician and massage therapist to our team of medical providers.

Amanda Swan, APRN Swan Integrative Health and Wellness

Glastonbury, CT • 860.325.2679 swanintegrative.com Swan Integrative Health and Wellness takes an integrative/ functional medicine approach to finding the root cause of your symptoms so you can heal from the inside out! They see adults and children and accept most major insurance carriers.

Cindy Wechsler, APRN, CPHP Westport, CT/Virtual/Telehealth 203.916.4600 • shalvaclinic.org 203.671.3630 • proactivepeds.com

Cindy Wechsler, APRN, is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Certified Mental Wellness Coach, and Holistic Health Coach. Her focus is on gut health and mental wellness.

“All things start in the gut.”

Cindy’s goal is to help your child build a strong foundation for optimal growth and development through a whole body approach.

10BEST WINNERS

Life/Business/Finance/Health Coach Dr. Kim Andrews, PhD

Abby Beale CCH RSHom(NA)

Joann Dunsing Hypnosis

Manchester, CT, and Virtual

Northampton, MA • 413.426.1024 HomeopathyHealings.com

Milford, CT • 203.907.7710 joanndunsing.com

Lois Grasso Barrett

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Homeopathic care can help you achieve higher levels of mental, emotional, and physical health. Abby Beale is a nationally certified classical homeopath who enjoys educating about and helping others achieve higher levels of wellness with this safe and natural form of medicine.

Andover, CT, and Virtual • 860.796.1480 loisgrasso333@gmail.com loisgrasso.com

Kathy Beach, MS, NBC-HWC

Collinsville, CT • 860.463.7179 kathybeach @integrativehealthmanagement.org integrativehealthmanagement.org

New Canaan, CT • 203.505.5571 leighanne.champion4@gmail.com leighannechampioncoaching.com Leighanne is a transformational life coach with a focus on personal development, relationships, and what she likes to call healthy mind management. She is a motivational speaker and producer and host of the “Champion Your Life” podcast, which encourages listeners to pay attention to the lives they’re creating. Her mission is to help others turn on their unique light so they can live to their fullest potential.

Robin H. Clare, MBA, RCP™

West Hartford, CT • 860.833.9670 Robinhclare@gmail.com robinhclare.com During her 25-year MBA career, Robin yearned to live her authentic mission. Yet, she struggled with food addiction and bulimia.

Now, in successful recovery, Robin supports others to share their personal healing stories as a writing coach and book collaborator. In addition, Robin is a best-selling spiritual self-help author, keynote speaker, life coach, energy healer, and recovery professional.

Dr. Sonia Manganello, D.M., D.D., CNC. Manchester, CT, and Virtual • 860.966.8747 soniamanganello.com Dr. Sonia Manganello is a certified integrative nutrition health coach, life coach, and spiritual coach, as well as a metaphysician and interfaith minister. She is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, The Perseverance Diet: 12 Steps to Mind Body Nutrition, teacher successful entrepreneur, and motivational speaker.

Dana Mascalo CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P® Managing Partner, TrinityPoint Wealth

Milford, CT • 203.693.8521 dana@trinitypointwealth.com trinitypointwealth.com Dana and the team at TrinityPoint Wealth are fiduciaries who assist individuals and small business owners with holistic financial planning, investments, stock options, retirement and estate planning, insurance, and more. Let us help you align your financial life with what matters most to you. Learn more at trinitypointwealth.com.

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Kathy is a national boardcertified health coach specializing in cancer wellness coaching.

Are you confused about nutrition and lifestyle info for cancer risk reduction? It doesn’t have to be that way! E-mail Kathy for my free Cancer Risk Reduction Evaluation to assess your current risk and see the areas that need attention.

Leighanne Champion CLC, CHC, ELI-MP Certified Life and Wellness Coach

VIrtual

NATURAL Nutmeg

Since 2001, Lois has been coaching adults and children to take charge of their feelings and make healthy choices. She relies on Divine guidance, unconditional acceptance, and a masterful blend of holistic modalities, including EFT/tapping, breathwork, and her own Magic Button Mindfulness™ and On-the-Ball Anger Clearing™ to help you heal the past, enjoy the present, and create a healthy future.

Kimberly Kasparian

10BEST WINNERS

Massage Therapy/Bodywork/Chiropractic Physician Daniel Lupacchino, LMT, RMT, IET MI Integrative Massage Works Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness

NATURAL Nutmeg

Farmington, CT • 860.778.0315 info@abundanthealthct.com abundanthealthct.com

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Kristina Mozzicato is Board Certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork by the NCBTMB and has been practicing massage since 2009. She provides professional, therapeutic, customized sessions. In addition to massage, Kristina is trained in cupping, MediCupping, facial cupping rejuvenation, Himalayan salt stone massage, and hypnosis. Convenient online booking is available.

Glastonbury, CT • 860.716.2740 integrativemassageworks.com Dan Lupacchino has over 10 years experience in the field of holistic healing and wellness. As a massage yherapist, healer, and teacher, his goal is to help you live and feel the best you can be.

He is also IET® Master Instructor Trainer, Medicinal Aromatherapist, and Intuitive Coach. facebook.com/IntegrativeMassageWorks

Dr. Jason Sousa, DC PROhealth Chiropractic Center South Windsor, CT • 860.432.7432 prohealthchiropracticcenter.com Dr. Sousa and his amazing team have a special focus on spinal correction to help gain and sustain your health. Dr. Sousa has been part of the USA Olympic Wellness Advisory Council and is certifi ed through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association to provide specifi c chiropractic care for both children and pregnant women.

Tara Cornish Holistic Hands

Bantam, Torrington, and Farmington, CT 860.921.8307 taraholistichands@gmail.com holistichandsct.com Tara Cornish is an IIR Certified Reflexologist and Usui Reiki Master/Teacher since 2005. She also offers reflexology lymph drainage and energy field measurement. These therapies are non-invasive and safe. Tara has seen amazing benefits using holistic approaches to help heal, relax, renew, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

The Spa at Litchfield Hills Litchfield, CT • 860.567.8575 litchfield-spa.com

Simsbury Therapeutic Massage & Wellness Simsbury, CT • 860.651.2998 simsburymassage@gmail.com stmwellness.com At Simsbury Therapeutic Massage & Wellness, we have over a dozen therapists on staff and are open seven days a week with convenient online booking. We have a variety of therapists who specialize in different modalities and pride ourselves on fitting the right therapist for every client.

Sharon Sklar Rolfing® The Art and Science of Body Change

West Hartford, CT • 860.561.4337 SharonSklarRolfing@gmail.com SharonSklarRolfing.com

Karma Massage LLC New Hartford, CT KarmaMassageLLC@Hotmail.com KarmaMassageLLC.com Owners Kirby Poirier LMT, and Jen Davenport LMT, will help you connect your body and soul with massage therapy. Quiet your nervous system with Ayurvedic bodywork including abhyanga and healing stone massage. Let go of built up stress and tension with traditional bodywork, cupping, or facial massage.

Rolfing® - The Art and Science of Body Change: A dynamic 10-session bodywork series that eases pain, improves movement and restructures your body when you feel “out of whack.”

Both a hands-on and educational approach, this work re-establishes natural order and balance after life’s injuries, stresses or accidents. Feel free, move well, get Rolfed!

Since 1981.

The Spa at Litchfield Hills has provided worldclass service to southern New England for over 15 years. Tucked away in the Litchfield Hills, the stylishly appointed facilities at the Spa include: facial and massage treatment rooms, a nail room featuring whirlpool shiatsu massage pedicure chairs, a full-service hair salon.

Dr. Jessica Tagliarini, DC

West Hartford, CT • 860.236.2225 tagchiro.com Drs. Jessica and John Tagliarini have been at the forefront of Chiropractic care in greater Hartford since 2006, with a reputation for excellence in family wellness. From treating athletes to pregnant moms to rehabilitation patients, their quality care is customized to meet individual needs at all stages of life.

Elite Performance Therapeutic Massage Glastonbury, CT

10BEST WINNERS

Naturopathic Physician

Dr. Frank Aieta, ND West Hartford, CT • 860.232.9662 draieta.com Dr. Aieta is a board certified and licensed Naturopathic physician and has been in private practice for close to two decades. He specializes in clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and natural hormone balancing. He also authored the extremely popular eBook, “Is Cholesterol the Real Villian?”

West Hartford, CT

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 Ext. 2 info@wholebodymed.com wholebodymed.com

Dr. Katy Firisin, ND, MSPT

Southport, CT • 475.999.2032 info@coastalnaturalmedicine.com coastalnaturalmedicine.com Dr. Firisin is an expert in natural medicine with over 20 years of experience in health care. With individualized treatment she builds lasting relationships with her patients to help them along their healing journey. Dr. Firisin specializes in gut healing and chronic conditions using a breadth of treatments to stimulate your vitality and facilitate healing.

Dr. Myriah Hinchey opened Tao Center in 2010 as a multidisciplinary wellness center, offering yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, health coaching, nutrition, psychopathic therapy, massage, and more. Due to Dr. Hinchey’s research and success in understanding Lyme disease and its coinfections, she has become one of the foremost experts in treating and healing Lyme disease.

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc Vis Wellness Center

Rocky Hill, CT, and Virtual • 234.222.8362 hello@drnicoleklughers.com DrNicoleKlughers.com Dr. Nicole Klughers offers allnatural solutions to restore optimal health and help individuals reclaim a life of energy, balance, and joy.

Formerly a pharmacist, Dr. Nicole serves as your “health detective” by listening attentively and utilizing detailed testing to identify and address the root cause of any health concern.

Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc Fertility Oasis

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0459 fertilityoasis.com Dr. Kerr is passionate about finding the reason behind your fertility struggle. She loves teaching patients how to live a fertility friendly lifestyle, and supporting them with natural remedies. Male and female infertility factors are addressed by Dr. Kerr to offer comprehensive fertility care to her patients.

Virtual/Telemedicine • 203.806.5152 admin@jenteelnature.com jenteelnature.com Dr. Jennifer Pierre is a Naturopathic Physician, Public Health Professional, author and speaker with nearly 20 years of healthcare experience. She is the Founder of JenteelNature Health and her specialty is women’s health, utilizing integrative approaches to treat thyroid disease, fibroids, hormonal imbalances, and infertility. Book an appointment at jenteelnature.com.

Dr. Michelle J Pouliot, ND New Hartford Naturopathic Health Center LLC New Hartford, CT • 860.238.7983 drpouliot.com

A unique feature of Michelle’s practice style is the amount of time spent on and with patients.

She explores past health concerns, family history, diagnostic reports, present lifestyle, and current level of stress. Patients are very involved with all aspects of their care, which Michelle believes empowers their potential for healing.

Dr. Sarah Schindler, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 info@ctnatmed.com ctnatmed.com

Dr. Schindler works hard to always find the root cause of disease and treat that.

She formerly was a birth doula and prenatal massage therapist when she decided to return to ND school. Her practice specializes in fertility, all women’s health, and Lyme disease. Patients travel from across the country to seek out her expertise.

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Dr. Adam Breiner, ND, practices energy medicine and traditional naturopathic medicine and offers cutting-edge treatments for healing the injured brain. His innovative approaches to Lyme disease have helped patients throughout New England recover from this challenging disease. Conditions treated include Lyme disease, immune disorders, allergies, pain, neurologic conditions, stroke, concussion, ADD/ ADHD, depression, sleep disorders.

Hebron, CT • 860.228.1287 Taovitality.com

Dr. Jennifer Pierre ND, MPH JenteelNature Health

NATURAL Nutmeg

Bloom Natural Health

Dr. Myriah Hinchey Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health

10BEST WINNERS

Nutrition/RD

Gina Barbetta, MS, RD, IFNCP Nourish by Gina

NATURAL Nutmeg

Middletown CT, and Virtual • 203.206.3873 nourishbygina.com

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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Gina is a Registered Dietitian– Nutritionist with over 25 years experience providing pediatric and adult nutrition care.

She is board certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition and is a trained, certified Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) expert. Her specialties include gut health, digestive disorders, PCOS, cardio-metabolic disease,intuitive eating, and pediatrics.

Gina’s integrative, personalized approach emphases all aspects of health and wellness including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress management to ensure lifelong success.

Kathy Beach, MS, NBC-HWC Collinsville, CT • 860.463.7179 kathybeach@ integrativehealthmanagement.org integrativehealthmanagement.org

Kathy is a national boardcertified health coach specializing in cancer wellness coaching. Are you confused about nutrition and lifestyle info for cancer risk reduction?

It doesn’t have to be that way!

E-mail her for my free Cancer Risk Reduction Evaluation to assess your current risk and see the areas that need attention.

Donna Bunte, MSOM, L.Ac. Stamford, CT • 203.253.9885 health@donnabunte.com donnabunte.com

Donna Bunte Whole Health helps people become well by looking at the whole picture and finding the cause of the problem.

Donna works in partnership with the patient to bring the body into balance using the tools of Chinese diagnosis, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, lifestyle changes, as well as qigong and meditation.

Erika Dworkin, BCHN® Board Certified Holistic Nutritionist Vitathena Wellness A Store Without Walls Glastonbury, CT • 860.646.8178 edworkin@vitathena.com vitathenawellness.com Former Owner, Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe With a lifetime in the natural and Western medicine arenas, and over 13 years of experience guiding thousands of people, Erika provides each customer and client a personalized, transformational wellness experience. Her therapeutic lifestyle change programs incorporate diet, supplements, and other natural therapies, to address the symptoms and root causes of many health concerns.

Shana Griffin, RDN, CD-N, IFNCP Canton, CT

Theresa LaRock, CNE Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert Virtual • 203.910.1790 theresa@theresastable.com theresastable.com As a Culinary Nutrition Expert, I offer practical, everyday cooking skills; as well as a deeper understanding into the healing power of the foods we eat, and how to prepare them to make delicious, healing recipes.

My goal as a Culinary Nutritionist is to provide support in health and happiness. to everyone toward a way of living that is practical, and disease preventive, one ingredient at a time.

Courtney Evans, NBC-HWC Virtual • 617.721.3432 courtney@wellrefined.com wellrefined.com

In a supportive coaching alliance and through her private practice, Well Refined, Courtney Evans, NBC-HWC, a national board-certified Health + Wellness Coach, works with clients through transformative exercises to activate their wellness wisdom and motivate mindset shifts and offers accountability to create healing in all aspects of their holistic health.

Jane Grant, RD CD-N Grant’s Nutrition & Wellness Berlin, CT • 860.357.2282 grantj@grantsnutrition.com grantsnutrition.com

Jane is trained in integrative and functional nutrition utilizing a personalized, holistic approach to chronic disease and weight management. Integrative and functional nutrition combines the very best of modern science, clinical wisdom, and integrative therapies to address the root cause of disease and promote abundant health.

Christine Najjar MD, MS, ABOM Food First MD South Windsor, CT, and Virtual 203.441.1075 info@foodfirstmd.com • foodfirstMD.com Founder of Food First MD, Dr. Christine Najjar empowers people to regain control of their health with the most underutilized medicine, food. As an Internal and Obesity Medicine Physician, she helps patients heal from ailments, optimize weight, and obtain “food freedom.” Now accepting new patients in office and via Telemedicine.

Joan Palmer, MS Granby, CT

10BEST WINNERS

Yoga/Pilates/Barre Studio

Be.Yoga CT and Abroad • 860.930.1311 kristin@beyogainavon.com beyogainavon.com

Hartford, CT • 860.461.0910 Hartfordsweat.net Join a fitness community that is passionate, determined, and supportive. Whether you’re here for a day or dedicated to a daily practice, we’ve got exactly what you need. Membership purchases are facilitated through Mindbody Online for convenient scheduling and account information 24/7. Or just come in person and the desk staff will be happy to help you get set up!

Sanctuary Power Yoga Torrington, CT, and Virtual • 860.496.1500 sanctuarypoweryoga.com Sanctuary Power Yoga is built on accessibility and community. We believe this yoga is for every body, regardless of your prior experience with yoga, sports, or the gym. We invite you to join us for class, to breathe and move and experience the transformative power of this practice for yourself.

Evolution Pilates South Windsor, CT

Starr Mill Yoga LAM Yoga Fierce Movement Studio Hot Yoga, Dance + Fitness Burlington, CT • 860.806.9072 info@fiercemovementstudio.com fiercemovementstudio.com Melanie LaRocco-Sedlack is owner of Fierce Movement Studio in Burlington, CT, a Hot Yoga community specializing in Hot Power Vinyasa Yoga, Bikram Style Yoga, HIIT-style workouts, and other holistic practices. They also have massage and Reiki energy healing by appointment. Everyone is welcome, and the first class is always FREE.

Leslie Gordon Yoga

Virtual/Zoom • 860.970.4944 lesliegordonyoga.com Leslie’s practice focuses on Yoga for Every Body. She wants everyone to be able to access the benefits of yoga, so she teaches to all levels, body types, genders, body sizes, colors, levels of fitness, and levels of flexibility. Every body can do yoga, and Leslie can help you! Private instruction available in person or via Zoom.

LAM Yoga is a boutique studio set in the artist’s wing of a riverside mill building. We offer all-levels vinyasa flow and restorative practice, workshops and private lessons. LAM also holds special events that connect us to our community, including retreats to exotic locations, and yoga at our local brewery.

Weekly yoga classes in a variety of styles and intensity to meet the needs of students of all abilities, experience, and interests, guided by highly experienced instructors. We provide opportunities for deeper study and exploration with a wide range of workshops. This breathtaking studio is located above a waterfall in the historic Starr Mill.

West Hartford Yoga (WHY) Sacred Rivers Yoga Virtual • 860.657.9545 sacredriversyoga.com Paula Scopino, E-RYT 500 hour, C-IAYT, CT Licensed LMT, YACEP is the Owner/Director of Sacred Rivers Yoga. Sacred Rivers Yoga, formed in 2003, is currently offering yoga classes and yoga teacher training in a virtual format. Yoga for every body. Free yoga for anyone diagnosed with MS and free classes for anyone with a cancer diagnosis. We would like to thank our loyal members, students, and faculty for their presence, dedication, persistence, and flexibility as we navigate these current times.

West Hartford, CT • 860.953.9642 westhartfordyoga.com WHY is a locally owned studio welcoming all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. They offer in-studio and virtual classes—power, gentle, restorative, yin, kids—along with workshops, intro series, free yoga for cancer and recovery, and a 200-hour power yoga teacher training.

WHY is grateful for the continued support of our community.

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New Hartford, CT • 860.978.1657 lamyoga.com

Middletown, CT • 860.740.4939 info@starrmillyoga.com starrmillyoga.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

Be.Yoga meets you where you are at, specializing with individualized private instruction. Founder Kristin Cork leads three unique, customized cultural yoga retreats each year. She also leads a 10 person 100 hr Immersion & 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training each September and January, weaving her 20+ years of teaching Vinyasa, Yin, and chair Yoga. Be.’s focus is to bring us home closer to ourselves.

Hartford Sweat

SPOTLIGHT

April Beaman, RDH, CTT Founder and Certified Thermographic Technician of CT Thermography Vitalized Performance Group

NATURAL Nutmeg

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10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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en and I, Gigi, want to thank our patients and clients for voting us 10 Best Acupuncturists and 10 Best Holistic Centers. It is a privilege to serve our community. Our patients and clients have seen dramatic improvements in their health issues. We do our best to educate them, which helps them play a vital role in their successful recoveries from their acute and chronic conditions.

Many of our patients combine modalities by seeing a naturopath, an acupuncturist, a health/ stress coach and using colon hydro therapies.

We are truly a collaborative practice.

We also use shock/acoustic/sound wave therapies to help break up fascia, which brings back blood flow to the area. When blood flows to the injured areas, this will help reduce inflammation which then reduces or even eliminates pain. During this process, the increased blood flow creates new blood cells.

These new blood cells now bring better skin appearance and increased muscle/tissue function to the area.

We treat all sorts of issues, from sexual wellness to chronic pain to digestive disorders to incontinence. It’s time to enjoy and live life to its fullest. Call us to learn more.

VPG Waves addresses the root cause of health issues. We know Natural Nutmeg readers understand this concept, and many have experienced the benefits of going to providers like us. Together we should share this information far and wide and be part of healing our broken healthcare system.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Vitalized Performance Group 212 New London Turnpike Suite D Glastonbury, CT 06033 Phone: 860.430.2342 • Fax: 860.430.2843 vpgwaves.com

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y name is April Beaman, RDH, CTT. I am the founder and certified thermographic technician of CT Thermography.

We specialize in medical thermal imaging, also known as thermography—a compression-free and radiation-free breast cancer and full body health screening.

While my personal search for noninvasive health screenings led me to discover thermal imaging, it was the breast cancer diagnosis of two young girlfriends that made the search more meaningful and is the reason I became a medical thermographer.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a routine breast screening advised for women under age 40. There are also women with inconclusive mammograms or dense breast tissue for which mammography is known to be less effective. In my opinion, breast thermography can help fill the screening void younger women face and also provide valuable information pertaining to individual breast health for women of all ages.

CT Thermography provides personalized care and high-quality imaging. Thermal imaging is a valuable tool for individual patients and physicians alike. A thermogram is a visual record of one’s health and can provide early warning signs that a problem is developing. The addition of a thermography screening can help take the guesswork out of diagnostics.

CT Thermography is a relatively new and growing practice.

In addition to our primary office located in Farmington, CT, in the past couple of years we’ve added satellite offices in Glastonbury, Hamden, and Westport. And we’re not stopping there! Our goal is to have additional offices located on the Connecticut shoreline this time next year.

An inspirational memory that stands out for me is when my first client was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer following a baseline thermogram, just two weeks after having an annual mammogram. As she states, “Breast thermography saved my life by finding something mammography did not.” Knowing the value of breast thermography, I am reminded of this memory each time a client walks into my office.

We are proud to be a part of Natural Nutmeg and the evergrowing community of like-minded holistic health practitioners.

As a publication, Natural Nutmeg is an incredible resource for those looking for reputable businesses, services, and practitioners alike. Combined with informational packed editorials and Diane’s podcasts, you have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips— and we are thrilled to take part in that!

April Beaman, RDH, CTT Founder and Certified Thermographic Technician of CT Thermography Serving Farmington, Glastonbury, Hamden, and Westport, CT 860.415.1150 • info@ctthermography • ctthermography.com

Fertility Oasis Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc

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Looking

for

HYPNOTHERAPIST?

a

CONSIDER

SUSANA PADILLA, CHT OF

NEW MILFORD, CT - GLOBAL VIA ZOOM WWW.HYPNOSIS-HAVEN.COM (949)543-2836 Use Hypnosis To Create Long-Lasting Effective Change.

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Fertility Oasis Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc 857 N Main St Ext Suite 1, Wallingford, CT 203.265.0459 fertilityoasis.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

he journey to conceive is painfully difficult for many couples.

What do you do when all you want is to hold a baby with your eyes and your partner’s smile, but all roads seem to be closed? You push on and keep trying, and trying, and trying.

I found myself in this exact scenario: confused, angry, depressed, with little guidance from the mainstream medical world. When told our (because this is a team sport) ONLY option was one of the most extreme procedures in reproductive medicine, we set out to prove them wrong. And we did.

After the way I was spoken to and was left feeling more defeated than reassured at the advanced reproductive therapy (ART) appointment, I knew I wanted to focus my practice on fertility. Having this struggle to conceive exposed a side of medicine I wish didn’t exist. I was determined to offer compassion, unrelenting investigative work, and support to women and men unable to “easily” have a baby of their own.

Hence the birthing of Fertility Oasis. For many struggling, fixes like correcting nutrient deficiencies or stopping extensive NSAID use can be a miracle when told you have “unexplained infertility.” These are underlying causes of infertility and are rarely investigated or discussed in the ART world.

Hope is something we all need. What I offer my patients is someone who has their back and will surmount the difficult task of finding the reason they are not able to have the baby of their dreams. I am overjoyed when patients message me “I have a positive pregnancy test!”

And even more so when I get a baby picture sent to me.

Thank you for voting me 10BEST Holistic Pediatrician & Naturopathic Physician.

SPOTLIGHT

Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness

NATURAL Nutmeg

Connecticut Natural Medicine

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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t Connecticut Natural Medicine, we are a multidisciplinary practice that functions as a full-service clinic. We are strongly based in root cause medicine, meaning we always look for the cause of disease and don’t merely treat symptoms. We have doctors who are some of the best in their field, with specialties in infertility, preconception and postpartum care, all stages of women’s health, gastrointestinal health, naturopathic oncology, IV therapy, pediatrics, functional medicine, acupuncture with a focus on women’s health, prenatal massage, Mayan abdominal massage therapy, and Lyme disease. Dr. Schindler has even become well-known for a subspecialty in treating Lyme disease in pregnancy.

We love hearing countless positive testimonies from patients of how we have improved their life, helped them to heal disease, or how they “feel better now in their 60s than they did in their 30s.” We also have countless infertility success stories, several times per month we are hearing how someone who was struggling with infertility or loss is now pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Often, patients come to us after seeing many other doctors without getting any real answers or results. We will spend the time to listen, find the root cause, and come up with a treatment plan that works for that patient.

Dr. Sarah Schindler, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 info@ctnatmed.com ctnatmed.com

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ince 2009, I have provided my clients with customized, quality massage sessions. In addition, I am trained in cupping, MediCupping™, facial cupping rejuvenation, and hypnosis. I have been interested in holistic health and healing from a young age and have found that massage therapy is a very effective modality for treating stress, as well as pain. I wanted to offer clients a drug-free alternative to relaxation and pain relief.

I am Board Certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and enjoy furthering my knowledge and expertise by completing continuing education classes regularly. I have found that adding cupping to the massage session yields superior results. Cupping is a type of myofascial release in that the suction that is created inside the cup separates the fascial layers and helps to release muscle knots. It’s a fantastic alternative for clients who need their muscle tightness and knots addressed but perhaps cannot tolerate the deep compression of deep tissue massage. Cupping is also excellent for reducing pain and inflammation, improving joint mobility, and increasing local circulation.

Another service I offer is facial cupping—a vacuum therapy technique that helps firm the skin, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, stimulate collagen production, and ease sinus congestion. This treatment is non-invasive. Contrary to popular belief, facial cups do not leave any cupping marks on the face. I am also trained in the body contouring cocoon, which addresses solid bloat and cellulite by detoxifying lymph congestion. This treatment utilizes cupping, therapeutic-grade essential oils, and a body wrap.

My sessions are customized for each client. I am a very good listener and communicator and will adjust the pressure according to the client’s preference/tolerance. I always encourage clients to speak up and let me know if they feel uncomfortable in any way in terms of temperature, the volume of the music playing, or if they would like a pillow or extra bolstering. My clients can expect to feel the benefits and results of a quality therapeutic session.

I have completed my training as a Certified Consulting Hypnotist through the National Guild of Hypnotists and am looking forward to helping people struggling with challenges such as stress, anxiety, procrastination, motivation, self-confidence, and weight loss.

I am happy to be part of Natural Nutmeg, a reputable local publication comprised of professional holistic practitioners.

The educational articles are an excellent resource for our local community. I consider it a compliment when new clients inform me that they decided to book a massage session with me based on their enjoyment of reading my articles and the information they gained from them.

Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness Kristina Mozzicato Farmington, CT 860.778.0315 • info@abundanthealthct.com abundanthealthct.com

Kevin Ferry

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Psychotherapy

.......................... . . . .

James W. Osborne, MS, LPC Counseling Services

JWOsborne.MS.LPC@gmail.com 860.384.4971 1265 Berlin Turnpike Unit B Berlin, CT 06037

Do You Need In-Depth Nutrition Guidance?

Take Charge Of Your Health With A Therapeutic Lifestyle Change Program • Nutrition Consultations • Online Store Supplements & More • Beyond Organic Essential Oils • FREE 20-Minute Wellness Assessments • FREE Wellness Classes Erika Dworkin, BCHN®

Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition® Wellness Guide Voted Natural Nutmeg 10Best 2019–2022

Former Owner Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe

Generations of Holistic Guidance Since 1956

Contact me for compassionate help with a wide range of health issues. edworkin@vitathena.com | 860.646.8178 | vitathenawellness.com

· · Registered Yoga Teacher: Gentle, Mixed, Shamanic · · Spiritual Counselor, Mentor, Reader · Workshops, Children’s Circles, Energy Healing ·

35 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Kevin Ferry, JD New Britain, CT • 860.827.0880 kevin@ferrylaw.com ferrylaw.com

EMDR, AC T

NATURAL Nutmeg

became a Wim Hof Method Instructor after 30 years of representing injury victims.

Having met with doctors in nearly every specialty and analyzing the results of many healing modalities, I realized we have forgotten the individual capacity to nurture and improve our physical and mental health.

My Wim Hof practice of breathwork and cold exposure teaches others how to maximize their own healing.

In 2012–2014, I began experiencing brain fog, chronic back pain, and weakness in my legs.

After a few ER visits and lots of testing, I realized Western medicine does a poor job of looking at a patient holistically. I found a naturopathic physician and started to rebuild the gut biome that multiple rounds of antibiotics had decimated.

One of my angels recommended Dr. Qingcai Zhang in New York, and I took his herbs for 18 months and had regular acupuncture treatments.

My yoga practice became an anchor.

During this period, my mother took me to the Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York, where I was introduced to Qi Gong. A week later, I was taking Tai Chi lessons and studying Tao Te Ching with Ming Wu at the Wu Healing Center in West Hartford. By 2018, I felt like I had recovered my health and had learned the power of the mind to induce healing. This was when the Wim Hof Method came to me. I participated in a day-long workshop in Brooklyn where Wim Hof explained the method and led us through several rounds of breathing. Research scientists and physicians spoke about the benefits coming from his method. This was it! I was hooked.

In July 2019, I spent a week with Wim Hof and his advanced instructors in Spain and then traveled to Poland for instructor training to become a certified Wim Hof Method Instructor.

My day does not start until I have done 4–5 rounds of breathing and had my cold shower.

Ice baths in nature are the perfect end to a day hike or snowboarding!

SPOTLIGHT NATURAL Nutmeg 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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James W. Osborne, MS, LPC, ProNatural Wellness Group, Holistic Psychotherapy/LCSW/ Counseling Fierce Movement Studio—Hot Yoga, Dance + Fitness

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y name is Melanie LaRocco-Sedlack, and I am the owner of Fierce Movement Studio in Burlington, CT. We are a Hot Yoga community specializing in Hot Power Vinyasa Yoga, Bikram Style Yoga, HIIT-style workouts, and other holistic practices. We have massage and Reiki energy healing available by appointment as well.

Fierce Movement Studio is equipped with “Far-Infrared” heating panels from Heating Green that are environmentally friendly and efficient, offering many health benefits for our clients during their yoga practice. Some of the health benefits include increased flexibility and movement, stimulating cardiovascular flow, relieving joint pain, detoxifying the skin, and promoting weight loss.

Becoming a student of Yoga transformed me and my life in many positive ways!

Yoga means unity, and for me, creating personal connections with the people who practice at Fierce is what motivates me to do my best every day. My intention in opening Fierce Movement Studio was to create a space for people to feel valued, seen, and have a sense of belonging. This is a special community where everyone is welcome, whether it’s your first class or your hundredth.

First Class is always FREE. We look forward to your presence at Fierce!

Fierce Movement Studio— Hot Yoga, Dance + Fitness Burlington, CT • 860.806.9072 info@fiercemovementstudio.com fiercemovementstudio.com

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was recently asked what led me to choose the field of psychotherapy and counseling.

Interestingly enough, though, I believe the field chose me. In my opinion, no one becomes a therapist because they are tightly wrapped—I believe it is more the Wounded Healer Syndrome. We are opened to the very essence of being human through facing our own trauma/drama/pain or scarring. We develop insight into the trials/tribulations/ joys, and beauty of life.

When I was a teenager, I experienced depression and alienation. By 12, I was reading Kafka and Dostoevsky, thinking they were optimists. I would explore the darkest places and memories I had, looking for God knows what. I attempted to make mathematical sense of my experience in the world, ignoring my emotions. Years later, that cosmic egg would crack when my daughter was born in 1970. My experiences in the Army from 1967 to 1971 radically changed my perceptions and challenged my worldview. When I returned to college in 1971, I majored in philosophy. My honor’s thesis was about the work of William James and Maurice Merleau-Ponty entitled “Pure Experience and the Living Body.”

Upon graduation, I was prepared to enter a doctoral program in philosophy at Georgetown University when life got in the way. I returned to college a few years later, entered a counseling program, and completed a 2-year Gestalt Therapy program in 1978. My own work had been Jungian. Early on, I began blending my approach to therapy in terms of experiential and cognitive work.

I see therapy as applied philosophy. Over the years, I have studied many forms of therapy, such as rational emotive, existentialism, acceptance, and commitment therapy. My initial work and training were in inpatient psych and substance abuse. The skills I learned working with people suffering in those areas proved to be an excellent foundation for my work as a therapist. I have practiced and presented in the United States, Europe, and China.

I now see my job as assisting people to get clarity on what is important to them and what they value. I help them by holding up a mirror for them to see if what they say they value is how they live their lives. I assist clients by employing mindfulness and value clarification exercises to examine their behaviors. One of my mentors, Lee Silverstein, always said, “to know and not to do, is not to know.” I firmly believe that the purpose of life is to live it, to be fully engaged, and to celebrate each moment with awareness and gratitude.

ProNatural Wellness Group 1263 Berlin Turnpike Unit B, Berlin, CT 860.829.0707

Dr. David Johnston, DO Osteopathic Wellness Center, LLC

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• Osteoarthritis & Joint Pain • Rotator Cuff Injuries • Shoulder Pain and Instability • Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow • Hamstring and Hip Strains • Knee Sprains and Instability • Ankle Sprains • Achilles Tendinosis & Plantar Fasciitis • Neck, Mid-Back & Lower Back Pain • Sports Injuries, Sprains, Strains, and Tears

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Call 860-397-6179 NOW

for a Consultation with Dr. Patel Dr. Patel's quadruple board certifications enable her to provide her patients with the best regenerative results possible.

She uses precise image guidance, advanced processing techniques, and research to deliver unmatched regenerative results.

TRAINED AT

Center of Excellence in Pain & Regenerative Medicine 55 South Road, Ste 120, Farmington, CT 860-397-6179 • PainRegenMD.com

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Dr. David Johnston, D.O. Osteopathic Wellness Center, LLC 158 Danbury Road, Suite 8, Ridgefield, CT 203.438.9915 OsteopathicWellness@gmail.com Osteopathic-Wellness.net

Use your body’s natural healing ability to repair damage to bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments non-surgically.

NATURAL Nutmeg

am an osteopathic physician with over 20 years of experience in gentle, hands-on manual treatment and craniosacral therapy for newborns, children, and adults. My work supports the healing and alignment of a person’s spine, joints, and soft tissues. I have successfully helped my patients with back and neck pain, headaches, concussions, injuries, birth trauma, fatigue and brain fog, weak immune systems, digestive problems, and more. I am an integrative medical professional who offers a holistic approach to health.

I am passionate in helping support people in their healing journey. I work with my patients to get to the root cause of their imbalances and find how to support the gut and immune systems, as well as the detoxification pathways to rid the body of inflammation. Having struggled with my own chronic health problems and finding answers outside of mainstream medicine allows me to be intuitively present and spend time with each client and listen to their concerns.

My best memory about being an osteopathic practitioner is when I was able to help a 10-year-old boy who came into my office using a walker, experiencing severe leg pain and neuropathy. Several providers from two wellknown hospitals were unable to diagnose him.

I found his Lyme and tick-borne diseases, started proper treatment, and within weeks he was back to his usual, active self again.

I love being able to educate others about my services and discover like-minded holistic practitioners that I can refer to when needed, and being part of the Natural Nutmeg community allows me to do that.

Expert of World-Leading, Safe, Evidence-Based Regenerative Medicine

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Donna Bunte

I

n my 20s and 30s, when I was successfully treated for heart issues as well as infertility and menstrual complaints, I discovered Chinese medicine, nutrition, and herbal medicine.

This inspired me to study to become a health practitioner myself. Since 1996 I have been in practice as a Chinese medicine practitioner, herbalist, and certified health coach. I am a national board certified and a licensed acupuncturist in CT and NY, I have studied qigong with master teachers since the 1980s, and I now teach qigong and meditation in person in the Greenwich/Stamford area as well as on Zoom.

My passion is helping clients resolve health issues, become more mindful, and ultimately lead a more balanced and healthy life by finding underlying causes, removing blockages, and eliminating old habits and creating new, healthy ones. Using the tools of Chinese medicine, nutrition, herbal medicine, and health coaching as well as mind-body therapies such as qigong and meditation specifically designed for each person, I guide my patients to achieve sustainable whole health for life. Some of the health concerns I address include anxiety and stress-related issues, insomnia, digestive and gut health, eating issues, women’s health, skin troubles, back pain and muscular tightness, and headaches, to name a few.

In addition to one-on-one coaching, I lead group coaching courses online on topics including dietary cleansing and resetting habits for detox and weight loss, preparing for fertility, addressing infertility naturally, and managing stress and anxiety through mindfulness. I would love to help you resolve your health issues and reach your desired wellness goals. Please reach out for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your needs and make sure we’re a good fit to work together!

Donna Bunte, MSOM, L.Ac. Stamford, CT • 203.253.9885 health@donnabunte.com donnabunte.com

Farm to Bath

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arm to Bath is a business that offers a 24/7 online retail store, plus wholesale pricing on bulk bath and body products for other retailers. In addition, we take orders for special events, such as bridal showers, baby showers, and holiday gifts for practitioners or small businesses. We can customize those gifts for you, adding your special touch, such as a logo or message. Do you want a cute, molded soap to present as a gift? We carry soap molds in a variety of fun designs that are perfect for custom orders.

We’re also a crafter’s delight! We offer bulk lavender buds by the ounce or pound. Our lavender is perfect for your crafting projects, such as sachets, pillows, and wedding confetti. No matter how you choose, your order will be made with recipes that include herbs grown in our garden and dried in our solar and electric dehydrators.

Are you a mom who is still breastfeeding? We offer a special service where we help turn some of your extra breast milk into mother’s milk soap. This soap is great for your baby and is moisturizing and healing.

Every order is customized to you and your baby’s needs.

And if you’re looking for something a little more unique, we offer virtual presentations on a variety of topics related to herbs, such as cooking classes, gardening classes, and workshops. No matter what your needs are, we’re here to help you find the perfect way to relax, renew, and heal.

Our soap is one of our most popular items, and we are told how wonderful it is—customers are crazy about it! They say it’s like silk.

We want all our customers to be this happy with our products, which why our ingredients must be fresh and all-natural. We use herbs and flowers grown in our garden or acquired. We save some herbs for cooking and all of them for our bath products. After drying, we gently infuse them into oils.

In some of our soaps, we use a delicate essence from an inhouse-made hydrosol, which is also refreshing on the skin. Other soap recipes require pureed fruits and vegetables. Some of our alembic stills produce a variety of essences, while other fragrances bear the aroma of flowers and spices picked from our garden. We do not use dyes or preservatives in our products; anything that changes the color or consistency comes directly from nature.

The Farm to Bath online store ships to all 50 states, and retail orders of $45 and up get free shipping. Just let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll talk about how we can meet your needs.

Farm to Bath • South Glastonbury, CT, and Virtual 860.266.5682 • info@farmtobath.com • farmtobath.com

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND

A

s a Registered Life Planner® and Certified Financial PlannerTM practitioner, I bring a holistic approach to retirement and financial planning, wealth management, investments, and more. I’m one of the managing partners with TrinityPoint Wealth, a Connecticut-based RIA that offers fiduciary advice and a unique, customized experience for clients.

The connection with clients and the ability to make a difference in their life is part of my inspirational fire.

By combining life planning with traditional financial planning and investment advice, I’m able to connect with clients on a deeper level and inspire them to identify and pursue their dreams. Once we find and light their fire, their financial resources can be aligned with what is most important and fulfilling in their lives.

I’ll also add that being able to simplify a complex topic like financial planning or investment strategy into concepts that are easy to understand for clients is extremely rewarding. Once we have a chance to work together, clients seem to light up as they begin to feel more educated and aware of their financial life.

They feel grateful to have someone with financial expertise in their corner, and it warms my heart to be able to inspire this feeling in others.

There aren’t very many life planners who are also financial advisors. There are also not many financial advisors that approach financial planning the way a Registered Life Planner does. The combination of the two offers clients something unique and powerful.

At TrinityPoint Wealth, we are fiduciaries, first and foremost. Our solutions are customized based on the needs of each individual or client. We advise on retirement, investments, stock options, estate planning, social security planning, charitable giving, tax strategy, insurance, and more. We work with individuals, families, and institutions, and we design and craft retirement plans for small business owners and companies and offer a unique, personalized experience and an opportunity to connect with a financial partner on a deeper, more meaningful level.

I’m so grateful to be a part of the inspiring and supportive holistic community of Natural Nutmeg.

It warms my heart to see so many practitioners doing fantastic work for others—each in their own special way.

Dana Mascalo, CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P® Managing Partner, TrinityPoint Wealth Milford, CT • 203.693.8521 • trinitypointwealth.com

39 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND • Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 Ext. 2 info@wholebodymed.com • wholebodymed.com

A

NATURAL Nutmeg

s a naturopathic doctor, I practice energy medicine and traditional naturopathic medicine and offer cutting-edge treatments for healing the injured brain.

My innovative approaches to Lyme disease have helped patients throughout New England recover from this challenging disease.

Naturopathic medicine holds that only the body can cure itself. As a naturopathic physician, my challenge is to remove any barriers that may prevent healing and help my patients reach an optimal state of wellness. One of the most exciting areas of care that we offer falls under the category of energy medicine. We are all energy. Albert Einstein predicted, “The future of medicine will be the medicine of frequencies.”

In addition to naturopathic care for many health concerns, our clinic offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, neurofield therapy, neurobiofeedback, and patented traumatic brain injury protocols. I have had the privilege of working with some of the pioneers in these fields.

We provide cutting-edge therapies and diagnostic tools aimed at healing the injured brain and boosting cognitive performance. We also offer innovative and energetic therapies to treat difficult Lyme disease cases, including neurologic Lyme.

In this challenging time, many patients find that long-distance therapies provide a convenient and effective means to alleviate many health concerns.

Naturopathic medicine combined with energy medicine and sophisticated equipment often allows for patient care from a distance. Patients can experience this type of care both in-office and long distance.

The space program was the genesis of biomagnetism.

Biomagnetism, or biomagnetic pair therapy, helps to restore the body’s homeostasis so the body can begin to heal itself. We have seen exciting results using this therapy.

Another new technology we now offer is a small microcurrent frequency device that is both wearable and treatable. This device is FDA-cleared Class II for the treatment of pain, and this incredible technology developed by renowned quantum physicists provides frequencies for well-being and balance. Patients can have a session using the prescribed frequencies in the office; some may take the device home or purchase one for continued sessions.

Dana Mascalo, CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P® Managing Partner, TrinityPoint Wealth

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Body Balance Therapies

r. Emily, founder of Body Balance Therapies, is a licensed physical therapist and yoga therapist who treats men and women with chronic pain. Many of these patients have tried everything and are looking for a unique, whole-body approach to finally feeling better.

Dr. Emily has struggled with chronic conditions, including chronic Lyme disease, adrenal fatigue, scar tissue adhesions, and back pain that left her immobilized and frustrated. This is part of why she is so passionate about helping others.

Through her struggles, she realized that “traditional” physical therapy isn't for everyone. She has found that patients who come to see her arrive feeling unheard and at a loss for where to turn. Many patients opt for injections or surgery only to find they still have pain. Because Dr. Emily’s approach is allencompassing, many discover that she can get to the root of their discomfort in a few visits and address it effectively and efficiently.

At Body Balance Therapies, Dr. Emily spends more time with her clients than the average physical therapist each visit. She takes the time to truly listen and develop an individualized treatment plan specific to each patient, not what your insurance company dictates based on a single diagnosis. She digs deep into the root cause of what is going on, and because of this, clients get better faster and for good.

Dr. Emily is currently accepting new clients in her Shelton office and offers free phone consultations.

Body Balance Therapies • 203.828.8676 bodybalance-therapies.com bodybalancetherapiesct@gmail.com

Mischa Hadaway, LCSW, CD (DONA) Gentle Mama Counseling

T

here are a few moments in your life that take your breath away. Moments that live in your memory, your heart, and your soul forever. Think back to your first kiss, senior prom, or graduation day. Purchasing your first home or your wedding day. Your child’s first steps, their first birthday, or the day of their birth.

Of these moments, how many of them did you have control over? How many of them were you ready for? How many are you still thinking about?

How many of them would you do again if you could?

The experience of childbirth, we’re told, is supposed to be positive and full of joy, but for some, it’s the opposite. You prepared for the baby, read all the books, and bought the gear Now, baby is here…and you realize nothing is as you expected. You’re so tired, feeling isolated, lonely, scared, and worried. For many, there is no pregnancy “glow,” no “I love being pregnant,” no “I got pregnant on the very first try.” The unknown is anxiety-provoking.

You worry you’ll never feel like yourself again, and you don’t know what to do to feel better. Nothing you’ve tried is helping. Taking time for yourself wthout feeling guilt or shame seems impossible. You want to feel supported and confident that you’re a good mom and partner, even on what feels like your worst day. However, the weight of the never-ending to-do list and “mom brain” take hold, and self-care seems like a luxury you can’t afford.

That first step toward getting help may feel overwhelming. To get here, you need a safe and secure place to talk about how you’re feeling.

That’s where I come in. I am a perinatal therapist, meaning I’m an expert in all things pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, working with clients who are planning a someday family, currently expecting, recently postpartum, or grieving a loss. This includes families who are managing their journey through fertility, birth trauma, and parenting with or without a partner.

I provide virtual, one-hour individual sessions. We will work together to normalize your situation, process the trauma, and devise a plan to address what feels unbearable. Consultations are free. I have a flexible schedule with evening and weekend appointments, and I accept most insurances.

Mischa Hadaway, LCSW, CD(DONA) • Gentle Mama Counseling West Hartford, CT • 860.215.4710 • gentlemamacounseling.com

PROHealth Chiropractic Center Dr. Jason Sousa, DC

D

r. Jason Sousa and his amazing team have a special focus on spinal correction to help gain and sustain your health. Dr. Sousa has been part of the USA Olympic Wellness Advisory Council and is certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association to provide specific chiropractic care for both children and pregnant women. One of his greatest blessings as a chiropractor was being able to check and adjust his son Luca hours after birth and seeing him grow into a healthy, amazing kid.

The PROHealth Team is passionate about the chiropractic care we deliver because they’re able to help hundreds of people each week regain one of their greatest assets, their health.

They’re clinical expertise, training, techniques, and passion to help is the first thing people notice the moment they walk through their doors. Dr. Sousa loves being part of Natural Nutmeg and its variety of holistic practitioners that have been pulled together to help serve the well-being of the community.

If you’re looking for an amazing experience from the time you walk through the doors and throughout care, look no further.

Their office is family-oriented, high-energy, positive, motivating, and supportive in helping you reach your health care goals.

PROHealth Chiropractic Center • South Windsor, CT 860.432.7432 • PROHealthCT@gmail.com

Hartford Family Institute

H

ADAM BREINER, ND DAVID JOHNSTON, DO DAVID BRADY, ND, CCN

41 JENNIFER LETITIA, MD ELENA SOKOLOVA, ND

Discover why Dr. Breiner & Whole Body Medicine is a 2021 10BEST Winner for Best Naturopath & Holistic Weight Loss Center in CT.

Now providing treatment for Post-Acute Covid and Long Covid

Call Now for YOUR appointment at Whole Body Medicine 203-371-8258 The Team You can TRUST! www.wholebodymed.com

Whole Body Medicine • 501 Kings Hwy E. Fairfield, CT

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Hartford Family Institute West Hartford, CT • 860.236.6009 HartfordFamilyInstitute.com

Working with our team you can uncover the root cause of your illness and create a lifestyle plan to get you healthy and prevent more serious illness.

NATURAL Nutmeg

artford Family Institute provides a range of therapies and services: acupuncture, addiction, anxiety, Ayurveda, anger, conflict resolution, depression, eating disorders, energy healing, physical pain, PTSD, relationships and family, yoga, and much more.

In addition to psychotherapy services, HFI offers in-person and virtual training programs that include certifications, advanced psychotherapy training for established counselors, therapists, healers, and practitioners in the healing arts, a master’s degree, and a renowned Human Relations Training Program.

Established in 1969, Hartford Family Institute’s Center for Healing Arts consists of five core partners, three associates, and numerous Independent Practitioners. We are a community of Psychotherapists, Energy Healers, and other Healing Arts Practitioners who share a joint vision of counseling, psychotherapy, and healing.

We are all healers at heart. Our heart and spirit want to lead us on a path to wholeness.

On the way to wholeness, we are invited by our innate deeper place of wisdom to heal our emotional and physical wounds. This path brings us home to ourselves. When we are at home with ourselves, we can more effectively aid in our client’s healing.

The psychotherapy created and practiced at HFI combines in-depth body emotional work, energy healing, shamanic spiritual healing, and trauma work called HFI Body-Centered Psychotherapy.

Our partners are the authors of several publications, including “What to Do Until Enlightenment, Healing Ourselves…Healing the Earth,” “Roads Back in Time: Seeing the Invisible and Healing the Impossible,” and “Transforming Relationships: Come As You Are.”

Tired of Going to Doctors Who Can’t Resolve Your Health Issues?

Food

Fermented Verde Hot Sauce

NATURAL Nutmeg

Recipe from Nourish: Plant-Based Recipes to Feed Body Mind and Soul, © Terry Walters 2022

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

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G

reen hot sauces are traditionally milder than red, but you have the ultimate control when you make your own. I use a mix of mild jalapeños (2,500–8,000 on the Scoville heat index) and hotter serranos (10,000–23,000) for my verde, because I’m a lightweight when it comes to heat.

If you really want to blow the doors off, Scotch bonnet peppers usually fall between 80,000 and 400,000, and ghost peppers are the hottest, at over 1,000,000. Fermentation neutralizes heat somewhat, but not that much! For a variety of fermented hot sauce recipes, check out Nourish: Plant-Based Recipes to Feed Body Mind and Soul, available on www.terrywalters.net.

Equipment: • 1 quart-size glass jar with lid • 1 weight (a spice bottle filled with water or similar) • 2 cups mixed greens • Chile peppers • 8 sprigs fresh cilantro • 2 cups tomatillos, peeled • 1 small sweet onion, ends and skins discarded • 4 cloves garlic, peeled • 2 teaspoons sea salt • 2 cups water • 1 teaspoon lime juice, plus more if needed

Prep Time: 10 minutes Ferment Time: 7–10 days at room temperature Makes: 3 1⁄2 cups

• Wearing rubber gloves, trim the stem and flower ends from peppers and slice in half. Discard seeds and place peppers in the jar. Add cilantro to the jar.

Trim and quarter tomatillos, slice the onion into wedges, and slice the garlic cloves. Add all to the jar with peppers.

• In a liquid measuring cup, make the brine by dissolving salt in water. Pour over the pepper mixture and add weight to keep the vegetables submerged in the brine. Make more brine if needed using the same ratio of salt to water. The jar can be covered with cloth or sealed and “burped” (opened to release pressure and resealed) daily. Place on a plate away from sunlight and heat. Ferment for 7–10 days.

• Remove weight and lid/cloth and pour the brine into a separate container to reserve. In a well-ventilated space, place fermented vegetables in a food processor or blender and process. Add brine a little at a time to achieve the desired thickness. Add lime juice and process until smooth.

• Store sealed in the refrigerator and use as desired.

Terry Walters is the best-selling cookbook author of Clean Food, Clean Start, Eat Clean, Live Well, and most recently, Nourish: Plant-Based Recipes to Feed Body Mind and Soul. She is a James Beard Foundation Award �inalist, recipient of the Nautilus Gold and Silver Book Awards, and recipient of the World Gourmand “Second Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the World” and “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the United States” Awards. Terry is a highly sought-after educator, consultant, and speaker, and has been teaching plant-based cooking and wellness to audiences all over the world for over twenty years. She is a dedicated chef, coach, and advocate, sharing her knowledge and passion for making healthy change in the way we eat and live. Follow her at terrywalters.net or on Instagram at @TerryWaltersCooks.

See ad on page 11 >

Health

Our Wonderful Feet

By Sharon Sklar, BFA, LMT, CAR, and Warrior Queen

Rolfing® Your Way to Healthier Feet

In my work as a Rolfer, we look at the relationship of all the body parts and how they fit together.

The body, as seen as an aggregate of blocks that are stacked and sometimes twisted and turned, is subject to gravity. Everything rests on what’s below it, so our feet are truly the foundation upon which we function.

I teach my Rolfing® clients how to walk and use their feet properly. I’d like to help you explore your feet and see how you can create more balance, movement, and freedom in those tootsies!

Happy, in-balance feet can go from sneakers to high heels and shouldn’t feel pain. Toes should be straight and flexible and arches should be slightly lifted to absorb the shock of the day-to-day pounding we subject them too.

Remember the Barbie doll? Her feet were permanently bent as if constantly wearing high heels.

In this case, the fronts of the lower legs lengthen but the backs of the legs are shortened. It is very important to keep your calves, hamstrings, and back stretched to prevent hammer toes that bend the toe joints upward. This reflects tightness in the soft or connective tissue as it wraps underneath the foot to the backs of the toes.

Besides keeping a good, long back, try these simple foot exercises while at a desk or watching TV. Sit or stand with your bare foot slightly behind your knee. Keeping your body weight on the ball of your foot, lift your heel so your toes bend and spread out, making sure your big toe is bearing most of the weight. Try to stretch the front of your ankle so it’s in a straight line from your toe hinge to your knee, slowly working this stretch over time. If your foot goes over to the small toes and overstretches the outer ankle, concentrate on staying over the big toe.

Now stretch your foot behind you and lower the front of your ankle forward toward the ground. This stretches the front of the foot, ankle, and lower leg.

Again keep the weight in your big toe and continue rocking from the small toes through to the big toe and back again. You will feel the stretch go up through your shin, down the front of your ankle to your toes.

This time, sit down and roll your foot on a golf ball (never do this while standing). Roll from front to back and side to side, pressing lightly to get your circulation going and help ease that soft tissue through the soles of your feet. Go slowly and do this set of two stretches, rolling three or four times each.

Do it a few times a week—it will become easier.

Your feet will thank you, and over time, they'll begin to feel more relaxed and fluid. We owe it to those lovely feet to keep them flexible and balanced so we can continue to run, jump, and play!

“The body, as seen as an aggregate of blocks that are stacked and sometimes twisted and turned, is subject to gravity.

The weight of gravity can take a toll if those blocks are not stacked well. Everything rests on what’s below it, so our feet are truly the foundation upon which we function.”

—Sharon Sklar, BFA, LMT, CAR

Sharon Sklar is in her 42nd year of private practice as a Certi�ied Advanced Rolfer. State licensed and the only Rolfer in C entral Connecticut, Sharon works with direct manipulation of the soft tissue of the body and movement re-education over a ten-session series to help her clients feel freer, get more balanced, and reduce chronic pain. Great for athletes, children, and adults recovering from injuries, stress, or traumas of life. Call 860.561.4337 for more info or to schedule a consultation.

Inquiries are encouraged! www.SharonSklarRol�ing.com. See ad on page 49 >

43 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

ur feet are miracles of creation. They allow us to walk, run, climb stairs, hike, skip, hop, and give us proper balance. Hopefully, we take care of them by choosing good shoes, exercising them, and using them wisely.

We think walking is something we do naturally, but we also learn by mimicking our parents or those around us—so if Dad walks like a duck, we also might. That externally rotated positioning stresses the natural position of the feet, legs, and pelvis, creating potentially big problems later. In this position, the foot strike is off to the outside and the function of the big toe is reduced. This can cause a build-up of calcification, leading to arthritic changes. This stiffness of the joint limits movement and over time can result in pain and dysfunction that can create further structural imbalances.

NATURAL Nutmeg

O

NATURAL Nutmeg

Health

5 Basic Health Requirements

We Don’t Talk About

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By Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc

“You can avoid the list of things that are detrimental to your health, but if you’re not adding in what is required for wellness, you will remain unhealthy.”

— Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, Lac

H

ealing starts with how you approach health.

An obvious statement, right?

Looking at mainstream medicine, however, we can see that healing often gets lost in translation. It is common for doctors to ask questions to assure you are not overdoing things that are detrimental to your health, such as smoking, drinking, overworking, lack of exercise and/or sleep, and a diet that is high in sugar, salt, and bad fats. They ask questions to ensure you understand the bad things that will cause illness, which is great! However, these questions are typically rather general and unfortunately, not all people know what bad fats, high sugar, too much alcohol, or poor sleep look like. Other patients may be in denial as to how these things impact their health. Typical answers that show a lack of understanding or denial are “my diet is good, I sleep fine, I only socially drink,” and so on. But what does this actually mean?

Understanding What Is Good for Us, and Why

There needs to be more discussion at medical visits about what you can do that is good for your health to ensure you’re on the path to wellness, not illness. Just because you may avoid

the bad, does that automatically mean you’re incorporating the good?

This is the important part. This is what needs to be discussed.

You can avoid the list of things that are detrimental to your health, but if you’re not adding in what is required for wellness, you will remain unhealthy. Approaching health as a list of what not to do to prevent illness—the DON’Ts list—can lead to confusion, embarrassment, non-compliant patients, and worsening health. Providing a health and wellness action plan—the DOs list—to improve function first, on the other hand, can result in life-changing improvements.

We often shrug off the DON’Ts list, as though it can’t really be that bad. The difference between “don’t stay up past 11 pm” and “be in bed by 10 pm,” or “don’t eat processed foods” and “get most of your foods from the perimeter of the grocery store,” can be life-changing for someone struggling to improve their health.

The idea of diving into what is required for minimal health seems too basic for many doctors to consider discussing at length to ensure optimal wellness. Though for many of us, not understanding the minimum requirements is the root cause

of much stress in our bodies. Focusing on the basic needs can improve your response to how you handle stress, resulting in less stress overall.

Focus your attention on the minimal health needs to naturally reduce stressors that negatively affect your health.

Book Your Appointment Online Kristina E. Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB Board Certified, Cupping & MedicuppingTM Therapist Certified Consulting Hypnotist

Air

The strain of being homeless or without reliable warmth is unimaginable if you have not experienced it. This category is more difficult to address because if you are without it, it may be impossible to obtain it. Discussing the importance of shelter and warmth as a basic health and wellness requirement and providing resources for assistance is crucial.

Patients can also benefit from a discussion in this category because wearing appropriate clothing for the season can improve health. Wearing pants and a coat in the winter can reduce the stress your body experiences due to the primitive brain being on high alert trying to warm the body.

Overdressing can be just as bad for health, as it may cause overheating in hot climates.

Water

The quality of your water is crucial! Many people in America don’t understand that clean water can be a real struggle for communities both in the U.S. and around the world. Chlorine, fluoride, and even other people’s prescription medications may be found in public water supplies. Water in plastic bottles is not any cleaner when you consider the

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< PAGE 54 “Hypnosis Can Help Reduce Stress” BY KRISTINA MOZZICATO, LMT, BCTMB, CCH

Kristina E. Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB, Certified Cupping & MedicuppingTM Therapist Board Certified, Licensed Massage Therapist and Owner

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45 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Shelter and Warmth

VOTED A 2020, 2021, & 2022 10BEST MASSAGE THERAPY PRACTITIONER

NATURAL Nutmeg

Air quality matters. Your home is a place for hidden off-gassing of many harmful chemicals.

You breathe these into your lungs and distribute the chemicals throughout your cells. This is a physiological strain on the body (stress). Using house plants or an air purifier, opening your windows regularly, and allowing new items, such as mattresses and furniture, to off-gas outside before bringing them indoors can remove those detrimental airborne toxins.

The quality of how you breathe can also greatly improve your wellness. Deep belly breaths can switch the nervous system from the sympathetic (stress, fight, flight, fawn, freeze) to the parasympathetic (rest, digest, procreate). When breathing exercises are regularly performed, you will have a calmer approach to everyday triggers. And if that isn’t convincing enough try ten belly breaths upon waking, mid-day, and at bedtime, knowing that shallow breathing causes anxiety chemicals to be released in the body may help further encourage this practice of breath work.

huge amount of endocrine (the organ system that makes hormones) disruptors leaching out of the bottles and into your body. These can be corrected by a water filtration system on your faucet. Drinking out of glass or natural materials, not plastic, will decrease this burden of stress on your body as well. Unfortunately, these remedies may be financially out of reach for some people.

NATURAL Nutmeg

Food

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46

"Matthew Maneggia provides excellent acupuncture treatment and care. My acupuncture treatments every 4 weeks have allowed me to be pain free...

Anyone who is dealing with chronic systemic issues, I strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment with Matt." - Karen W.

Understand the health signs your licensed acupuncturist can see that your doctor may have missed.

• Discover why CT Family Acupuncture is a 2019-2021 10BEST Winner for Best Acupuncture in CT. • Our patients report better sleep, reduced stress, and improved mood with regular acupuncture sessions • Maintaining your body’s natural healing ability is the right thing to do. Be smart!

Call Now for YOUR appointment at CT Family Acupuncture

860-633-6022

The Team You Can TRUST! www.CTfamilyacupuncture.com

Keep your food as close to nature as possible.

Shop the perimeter of the store to get the most nutrient-dense, natural foods. Your largest meal should be eaten in the morning when your insulin is highest, and the last meal should be eaten in the early evening. Quality should surpass quantity at every meal. This is the category patients overlook most because it’s so easy to believe, “If it’s on the shelf, it must be OK for me and my family.”

Changing our perception of commercially driven and marketed foods should be a national concern, as our poor diet is responsible for the leading cause of death in America: heart disease. According to Cleveland Clinic, “Ninety percent of the nearly 18 million heart disease cases worldwide could be prevented by people adopting a healthier diet, doing regular exercise, and not smoking.” Join the discussion!

Sleep

Seven to eight hours of UNINTERRUPTED sleep! If sleep is disrupted, you are not meeting this basic health requirement. Complete darkness is best since many hormones are produced by the body in response to light exposure. Overnight light is detrimental to our health.

We all want to reduce stress, or physiological strain, though trying to avoid stress can itself be stressful. Instead of focusing on avoidance, try improving overall calm within your body by addressing the basic health requirements with a positive to-do list of practices. Surprise yourself with how the strain and discomfort you experience from being stressed naturally resolves when you give your body what it truly needs.

Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc operates an all-natural fertility clinic in Wallingford CT, Fertility Oasis. At Fertility Oasis, Dr. Kerr teaches her patients the importance of preconception care and about all treatment options available to couples struggling to conceive. Male and female infertility factors are addressed by Dr. Kerr to offer comprehensive fertility care to her patients. Fertility Oasis, 857 N Main St Ext Suite 1, Wallingford CT, 203.265.0459. www.fertilityoasis.com.

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Health

Is Breast Thermography Right for Me?

By April Beaman, RDH, CTT

T

It’s Gentle and Noninvasive

Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Cancer is all about abnormal cell growth, an ever-increasing need for nutrients, and the need to

“This noninvasive imaging tool can identify physiological changes in the breasts by analyzing temperature variations and vascular patterns. Due to thermography’s detection ability, temperature variations and vascular patterns, if abnormal, may be among the earliest signs of a pre-cancerous state as well as breast cancer.”

—April Beaman, RDH, CTT

April Beaman, RDH, CTT, medical thermographer, is certi�ied by the Professional Academy of Clinical Thermology and is a professional member of Breast Thermography International. Beaman has worked in the wellness industry for over 17 years and provides medical thermal imaging and wellness support for both women and men. She is the founder of CT Thermography, located in Farmington, with satellite of�ices in Glastonbury, Hamden, Westport, CT, and Hadley, MA. Connect at 860.415.1150 or CTThermography.com See ad on page 45 >

47 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Breast thermography has become increasingly popular for two reasons. One, it’s gentle on the breasts—there is no compression, and it is X-ray free, so there is no radiation exposure. Second, thermographic evidence of breast disease may be visualized years before it’s felt by a physical exam or detected with traditional breast imaging. In fact, thermography can provide the first signal that an imbalance may be developing.

Think of a breast thermography screening as having your photo taken with a specialized camera that sees hot and cold patterns rather than light. A thermogram is a series of thermal images seen in both color and black and white. This noninvasive imaging tool can identify physiological changes in the breasts by analyzing temperature variations and vascular patterns. Due to thermography’s detection ability, temperature variations and vascular patterns, if abnormal, may be among the earliest signs of a pre-cancerous state as well as breast cancer.

be fed. Before a tumor forms, new blood vessels will start to grow in the area. But they are not normal blood vessels—they grow in abnormal patterns and produce an abnormal amount of heat. Neoangiogenesis, a hallmark of cancer, is the formation of new blood vessels that “feed” cancer. This process creates a temperature increase on the external surface of the breast that is captured by an infrared camera and visualized on a thermogram.

Just as a fingerprint is unique to the individual, so should a woman’s breast thermogram. Once a baseline is established, it is anticipated that the thermogram will remain stable from year to year. Even the slightest modification may constitute breast changes or an early sign of an abnormality. However, this information is used to recommend further investigation if pathology is suspected. In a normal, healthy state, the body has a thermal symmetry that should stay steady over a lifetime; asymmetrical patterns emerge only when some type of pathology develops and can be easily identified. When used as a screening tool, thermography can allow the visualization of the most subtle temperature differences within the body. The asymmetry seen on a thermogram assists in identifying suspicious areas and aids in the earlier detection of disease, including precancerous and cancer conditions.

As women, utilizing every breast cancer screening method available to evaluate breast health is imperative. Most tumors take years to grow, so the earliest indication of an abnormality is needed to allow for the earliest possible intervention with the least invasive treatment, if any. I believe that had my girlfriends been aware of breast thermography, their treatment options and outcomes would have been different. As a medical thermographer, I am honored to serve women seeking breast health screenings through thermal imaging.

NATURAL Nutmeg

he answer is yes!

Breast thermography is a valuable breast screening for women of any age and is especially beneficial for those with inconclusive mammograms, dense breasts, implants, and pregnant women. Like many women, I was unaware that breast thermography existed. While my pursuit of a noninvasive health assessment led me to find thermography, the search became more meaningful when two girlfriends were diagnosed with breast cancer in their early thirties, just three weeks apart from one another. Now, as a medical thermographer, my mission is to help women learn about this valuable breast screening tool.

Feature

What Causes

Autism?

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Dr. Jared M. Skowron, ND, Spectrum Awakening

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

48

A “Treating symptoms instead of the disease is merely a BandAid. Whether it’s ibuprofen to relieve the headache from drinking too much or cholesterol medication to prevent the clots from eating fast food, these are quick fixes that don’t treat the cause of the illness but rather help the patient make it through the day.”

—Dr. Jared M. Skowron, ND

utism is the fastest-growing medical condition in our children today. From the late 20th century to today, the rates increased EIGHT TIMES! According to data from the CDC, approximately 17% of children have a developmental disability.

Therapies and treatments have improved to help these children speak, socialize, learn, and eventually recover. However, the most controversial part of autism isn’t the treatments—it’s the cause.

You may have seen ads on social media for class action lawsuits about acetaminophen causing autism. The first time I heard this, I thought it was impossible. After all, acetaminophen (brand named Tylenol, and called paracetamol in other countries) is used in practically all children worldwide, and pediatricians recommend it every day! Could that really cause autism? Well, if you believe in science, then yes. It does cause autism.

Identifying and treating the cause of disease is one of the most critical aspects of the medical field.

Treating symptoms instead of the disease is merely a Band-Aid. Whether it’s ibuprofen to relieve the headache from drinking too much or cholesterol medication to prevent the clots from eating fast food, these are quick fixes that don’t treat the cause of the illness but rather help the patient make it through the day. If treatments are stopped, the condition returns—that is, unless the cause of the disease itself is treated.

If you have strep throat, antibiotics will cure it. If you have diabetes from a poor diet, a better diet will cure it. Once the cause is known, a treatment that targets the cause is the most effective. Here lies the problem with autism: the cause is the controversy. (I have created an in-depth, 2.5-hour free course for those interested in the science behind this issue.

Instructions are at the end of the article.)

A Look into How Autism Occurs

There are two distinct presentations of autism.

The less common (approximately 10–20% of

children in my clinic) are born with a genetic condition that mimics autism. This could be Fragile X syndrome, a genetic microdeletion or duplication, or a genetic mutation condition such as CHARGE syndrome. There are hundreds of these rare genetic conditions that some children are born with, and often they’re eventually diagnosed with autism, usually through the school system.

The actual genetic condition isn’t known until thorough genetic testing is performed (which sadly is very underperformed by pediatricians). These children develop slowly from birth. They often don’t talk until 4 or 5 and improve gradually with speech and occupational therapies. If your child or a child you know seems to be developmentally delayed from birth, genetic testing, including CMA and WES, should be performed. CMA genetic test looks for missing or extra pieces of DNA, whereas the WES test looks for genes that aren’t functioning.

Most people think, “Why should I test for my child’s genetics? I can’t change my child’s DNA.” This is completely true—we cannot change DNA. However, we can treat poorly functioning DNA! As an example, I have diagnosed almost 100 children with rare genetic conditions, which ultimately caused their autism. A study from Harvard suggests that over 70% of genetic conditions that cause autism are treatable!

I have successfully treated genetic conditions to improve children’s language, mood, and behavior.

It can be done! But only if they get tested. Every genetic condition is treated somewhat differently.

For example, if your genes that produce thyroid hormone aren’t working, you should take thyroid hormone to remedy this! This is a very simple example, but it is ultimately a simple concept, even if it’s not always a simple solution. If we know what the body can’t do, we might be able to replace that.

Now, that’s only 10–20% of children diagnosed with autism, so what about the other 80–90%?

These children have regressive autism. This is

I’m a huge fan of the TV show Scrubs. In the first episode, a new doctor asked the supervising doctor, “What’s the dose of Tylenol for this patient?”

The supervising doctor said, “Grab a handful and throw it at her. Whatever lands in her mouth is the right dose!” This is a perfect example of how the marketing of Tylenol (acetaminophen) has swarmed humanity. Acetaminophen must be perfectly safe! Pediatricians recommend it for my child! Well, guess what. It’s not perfectly safe.

Every hospital has an emergency protocol for acetaminophen poisoning. They know it’s toxic, and they know the antidote. In fact, a new acetaminophen IV (intravenous) medication contains the antidote! Why would you give your child a medication that is so poisonous that it contains its own antidote?

It’s true that millions of people take acetaminophen and don’t seem to have a problem. Millions of people eat peanuts without a problem, yet some are individually sensitive and can die due to severe allergic reaction from ingesting them or, in extreme cases, even coming into contact with them. Similarly, with acetaminophen, everyone is genetically different. Some children are highly susceptible to the toxicity of acetaminophen.

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Toxicity of Acetaminophen

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NATURAL Nutmeg

when an infant is developing normally—they make eye contact with you, they babble, maybe saying “mama” and “dada,” and then one day, it all disappears. Gone. No talking. No eye contact. Where did that child go? This regression of development usually occurs between the ages of 12–18 months.

Why is there a controversy about this regression? Parents try to identify a cause. “What happened on the day that I lost my child?” Hundreds of thousands of families believe they lost their child around the time of a visit to their pediatrician.

Whenever there is blame, there is controversy.

Pediatricians would never do anything to purposefully harm a child, so why do parents believe their child regressed near the time of the visit?

The answer is in the science. More and more research is being published to identify the cause of the regression. What we now need to do is share this science with others: other families, other pediatricians, and other policymakers. Our ultimate goal is to help those with autism and prevent other children from getting autism. Making that change will require a change in our beliefs. To paraphrase Einstein, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

And to paraphrase Yoda, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

The focus of research identifying the cause of developmental regression of autism revolves around: acetaminophen toxicity.

NATURAL Nutmeg

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A landmark research study from Harvard and Duke scientists was published in 2017, associating acetaminophen with the onset of autism regression. Research at Harvard and Duke is notoriously reliable and respected, and since that study, more and more research finds that acetaminophen toxicity is part of our puzzle of the start of autism. Not every medication is safe for everyone. There are genetic differences between us all.

So, how does acetaminophen cause autism? Science is still trying to figure that out. Many research studies have been published and peer-reviewed showing an obvious association between acetaminophen use and pregnancy or during infancy, increasing the risk of autism. That is why these class action lawsuits are starting—the volume of research showing this association is staggering.

Here are my thoughts. A strong wall in the body separates the brain from the bloodstream, and only certain things can go through this wall. This wall is known as the “blood-brain barrier.” It is strong to protect bad things from entering the brain, such as infections. But guess what opens the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and makes it more porous? You guessed it, acetaminophen. In fact, pharmaceutical companies are looking for ways to get medications into the brain to treat certain neurological conditions. Scientific research shows that giving acetaminophen with certain medications allows pharmaceuticals to enter the brain more easily! And if acetaminophen can allow pharmaceuticals into the brain more easily, what else could cross from the blood into the brain when we take acetaminophen again and again and again? That answer could also be the answer to the autism epidemic.

Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of believing the FDA is protecting you when testing products for safety. For example, there have been zero studies performed to test the safety of acetaminophen in children regarding neurological conditions.

Absolutely none.

Furthermore, and shockingly, the FDA allows Johnson & Johnson to sell baby powder containing asbestos. And guess who makes Tylenol (the brand name for acetaminophen)? That’s right—Johnson & Johnson. Don’t assume the FDA or anyone else is protecting your child. They allow many toxic substances to be legally sold in this country.

(I reached out to Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, asking them to share their research data confirming the safety of Tylenol in children. They only sent me a form letter back. This form letter is included in my free course.)

Let’s Sum Up

Autism is a growing epidemic and the fastest-growing medical condition in our children.

Almost 1 in 5 children have a developmental

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Nutmeg 10BESTof Magazine

Dana Mascalo CFP ®, RLP ®, AAMS ®, C(k)P ® Managing Partner, Senior Wealth Advisor 612 Wheelers Farms Road Milford, CT 06461 203.693.8521 • dana@trinitypointwealth.com linkedin.com/in/danamclaughlin1/

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NATURAL NUTMEG MAGAZINE’S SELECTION METHODOLOGY WAS CONDUCTED THROUGH PUBLIC SOURCES, INCLUDING SUBSCRIBERS WHO NOMINATED CANDIDATES TO VARIOUS CATEGORIES BASED ON NO OTHER SPECIFIC CRITERIA OTHER THAN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. FULL LISTS OF NOMINEES WERE THEN VOTED ON BY SUBSCRIBERS, AGAIN BASED ON NO OTHER SPECIFIC CRITERIA. RANKINGS ARE SOLELY BASED ON THE NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED. THE NATURAL NUTMEG MAGAZINE’S 10BEST AWARD RECOGNITION SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED BY A CLIENT OR A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT AS A GUARANTEE THAT HE/SHE WILL EXPERIENCE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF RESULTS IF TRINITYPOINT WEALTH OR ANY OF ITS INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVES ARE ENGAGED; NOR SHOULD IT BE CONSTRUED AS A CURRENT OR PAST ENDORSEMENT OF TRINITYPOINT WEALTH BY ANY OF ITS CLIENTS. INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE IS NOT A CRITERION FOR THE RECOGNITION AND THE RECOGNITION IS NOT INDICATIVE OF TRINITYPOINT WEALTH’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE. TRINITYPOINT WEALTH DID NOT PAY A FEE FOR THIS RECOGNITION. THE INCLUSION OF A 10BEST AWARD ON THE NATURAL NUTMEG MAGAZINE’S LIST SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE INVESTMENT ADVISORY REPRESENTATIVE BY NATURAL NUTMEG MAGAZINE. THE AWARD DOES NOT EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF SERVICE PROVIDED AND THE INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVE MAY HAVE HAD UNFAVORABLE RATINGS. WORKING WITH A 10BEST AWARD WINNER OR ANY INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVE IS NO GUARANTEE AS TO FUTURE INVESTMENT SUCCESS.

< PAGE 52 “Ask Dana!” BY DANA R. MASCALO, CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(K)P®

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Dr. Jared Skowron, ND, is Connecticut’s premier doctor helping children with autism on their road to recovery.

Dr. Skowron has been voted Natural Nutmeg’s 10Best Holistic Pediatricians for the past four years (2019–2022).

Learn more at www.SpectrumAwakening.com.

Sacred Rivers Yoga Center

NATURAL Nutmeg

disability. Some children are born delayed—they may take years to talk, play, and make eye contact. Most of these children have a genetic condition that mimics the symptoms and are therefore diagnosed with autism, but truthfully, the usual therapies aren’t very successful for them. If this is your child’s story, I encourage you to talk with a geneticist or neurologist about genetic testing with CMA and WES. (We order these genetic tests in our office every day—they are a simple cheek swab sample, not a blood draw.)

Autism regression around 12–18 months of age is much more common in autism stories. Your child was saying some words, playing with you, making eye contact, and then BOOM, it all disappeared.

This can be due to acetaminophen toxicity. The science is becoming overwhelming. The timing of taking acetaminophen around the time of the immediate loss of skills is the story for hundreds of thousands of children.

If this is also your story, now you understand why it may have happened. My initial goal is to ask pharmaceutical companies to continue to pursue the most effective and safest medications for our children. We are constantly learning, and we should constantly be improving. If a medication used in the past is now found to be harmful, change it! Don’t continue selling the medication that is harming more children just because that’s what we’ve always used and the way things have always been done. Medicine needs constant research and improvements.

Our accompanying goal is to help those who currently struggle with autism. Our clinic is Connecticut’s leading natural medicine clinic and has been helping children with autism recover for almost twenty years.

Want to learn more? Watch my free course, “The Story of Autism.”

• Go to: www.SpectrumAwakening.com.

• Click “Education.”

• Sign up for the course “The Story of Autism.”

All the scientific research studies are downloadable in the course, so you can read them and make your own decision. The course also includes interviews with leading researchers and pediatricians that are in the trenches trying to change things for the better. To help our children. To reverse our autism epidemic.

Finance

How Can Financial Life Planning

Change My Life?

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Dana R. Mascalo CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P®

F

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

52 “The things, people, principles, and dreams that matter most to you are front and center during this process, and you realize that your life needs to change if you aren’t living the life you were meant to live.”

—Dana R. Mascalo CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P®

inancial Life Planning connects the dots between our financial realities and the lives we long to live. Life Planning focuses on the human side of financial planning. This is where we can tap into our inspirational fire. This is where the magic happens. The creator of this movement is George Kinder, CFP®. He is the recipient of numerous awards for leadership in the financial planning industry and is famous for his 3 Questions and the Financial Life Planning process.

EVOKE® and the Financial Planning Process

The 3 Questions are an integral part of the Kinder Institute of Life Planning’s process called EVOKE®, which stands for Exploration, Vision, Obstacles, Knowledge, and Execution. Registered Life Planners® use this mindfulness-based methodology to inspire clients to discover, articulate, and pursue their aspirations. It is much different from a typical discovery meeting in financial services. We also discuss and resolve obstacles that may exist as blockages. Instead of a traditional financial plan, our financial life plan is alive and adaptable, and we align a client’s financial resources in support of what is most meaningful in their lives.

We have to make this happen! That is how you feel once you have tapped into this process. I know this because it happened to me as well as many other clients and friends. For over 15 years, I’ve been providing financial advice and offering holistic financial planning services. In 2016, I was intrigued by George Kinder’s educational program for advisors and accountants and signed up for the journey.

Clarity. Focus. Inspirational Fire.

To become a Registered Life Planner®, part of the intensive training program includes going through the methodology personally. I began at the beginning, answered the 3 questions, and completed a financial inventory exercise. I then went through the EVOKE® process with another planner for five intense days. During the rounds of personal dialogue and interaction with your life planner—it hits you. Clarity. Focus. Inspirational fire. The things, people, principles, and dreams that matter most to you are front and center during this process, and you realize that your life needs to change if you aren’t living the life you were meant to live. It was also surprising that it all seems very attainable, rather than an unrecognizable longing that resides in your head.

We would need a longer article to go through all the amazing details, which I’ll spare you—except that since 2016, my whole life has changed both personally and professionally. Within a few months, I moved my residence and was inspired to make other changes step by step. Looking back since then, so much has changed. Life is fun. My heart is full. I have a beautiful son and have enjoyed being a mom. It is wonderful being a business owner instead of an employee. When your torch is lit, your eyes are bright, and many aspects of life seem to fall into place.

The 3 Questions

I encourage everyone reading this to be open to possibilities in general and take some time to answer George Kinder’s famous 3 questions. Before you begin, find a quiet and peaceful space and take a few moments to settle in for the exercise.

This material presented is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for personalized investment advice or as a recommendation or solicitation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. TrinityPoint Wealth, nor its investment advisory representatives are permitted to provide legal or tax advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as legal or tax advice.

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53 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Dana R. Mascalo CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P® is a Managing Partner with TrinityPoint Wealth, an independent Investment Advisory �irm in Milford, CT, and Charlotte, NC. Dana advises high-net-worth clients with complex needs and is sought after by individuals, families, business owners, and executives all over CT and the United States. Acting as their personal CFO, Dana looks at a client’s entire �inancial life with a visionary lens, advising on investment portfolios, retirement planning, stock options, life transitions, exit planning for business owners, customized advanced cash-�low planning, and multi-generational wealth transfer strategies.

NATURAL Nutmeg

• Question #1. Imagine that you are financially secure and have enough money to take care of your needs, now and in the future. The question is, how would you live your life—would you change anything? Let yourself go. Don’t hold back on your dreams.

• Describe a life that is complete, that is richly yours.

• Question #2. This time you visit your doctor, who tells you you have only 5–10 years to live.

The good part is that you won’t ever feel sick.

The bad news is that you will have no notice of the moment of your death.

• What will you do in the time you have remaining to live?

• Will you change your life, and how will you do it?

• Question #3. This time your doctor shocks you with the news that you have only one day left to live. Notice what feelings arise as you confront your very real mortality. Ask yourself: • What did I miss?

• Who did I not get to be?

• What did I not get to do?

For those who would like to explore the life planning process more deeply, check out the website www.lifeplanningforyou.com or read George Kinder’s book, Life Planning for You. If you prefer one-on-one guidance, please don’t hesitate to contact me to learn more about how I can help inspire you on your journey and manage your financial life.

Health

NATURAL Nutmeg

Hypnosis Can Help Reduce Stress

10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE 2023

54

By Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB, CCH

“Some examples of light hypnosis are when we daydream or when we’re lost in thought while driving and suddenly realize we missed our exit. Or when we are so focused on watching a movie or reading a novel that we don’t hear someone calling out to us.”

—Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB, CCH

M

any of us experience some form of daily emotional stress that often results in physical stress, which can result in serious health conditions. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to effectively manage stress, such as diet, massage therapy, regular exercise, and hypnosis.

Hypnosis and Stress

Hypnosis has a high success rate not only for smoking cessation and weight loss but can also be an effective way to manage stress. In 1958, the American Medical Association accepted hypnotherapy as an appropriate therapeutic technique.

Many doctors, nurses, and dentists have been trained in hypnosis to help reduce pain in their patients, and in some cases in place of anesthesia.

Patients can easily be taught by a trained practitioner to perform self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a highly relaxed state of focused concentration. It is a natural, enjoyable state that we enter into every day. Some examples of light hypnosis are when we daydream or when we are so focused on watching a movie or reading a novel that we don’t hear someone talking to us.

During the session, the client is awake the entire time and will remember everything that was said.

While in this safe, blissful state, the hypnotist offers positive suggestions, which the subconscious mind will retain, so that the client can make positive changes in his or her everyday life.

Setting the Record Straight

However, there are some common misconceptions concerning what hypnosis is and is not. Unfortunately, hypnosis has been inaccurately depicted

on TV, in movies, and on stage. During hypnosis, you are in total control and cannot be made to do anything against your will. If you no longer wanted to remain in hypnosis, you would simply open your eyes and emerge from it. And unlike in the movies, it is impossible to become stuck in hypnosis. Hypothetically, if the hypnotist became totally silent for a few minutes during the session, you would become bored and wake up on your own, so fears of getting stuck in hypnosis are unfounded.

Most people are capable of being hypnotized.

Exceptions would be if a client is resistant to the idea of hypnosis or does not really want to make a positive change in their life. Undergoing hypnosis is often sought as a last resort, after trying other modalities that may not have worked in the past for the client. However, hypnosis is safe, natural, and effective, and can be a long-term solution in as little as a few sessions.

Kristina Mozzicato is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Board Certi�ied in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork by the NCBTMB. A 2009 graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy, she is also certi�ied in Cupping and ACE MediCupping™. Kristina is the owner of Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness in Farmington, CT, and was named a 2020 and 2021 Natural Nutmeg Magazine 10Best Award recipient in the category of Massage and Bodywork. For more information and convenient online booking, please visit www.abundanthealthct.com.

See ad on page 45 >

Purpose

When Everything Falls Apart

By Lauri Ingram

what is happening in each moment, reminding myself that I was safe.

I also paused and relaxed into the flow of life. By allowing ourselves to be in the flow of what is happening rather than fighting or pushing our way through, we can heal. Allowing us the time and space to feel what is happening, rather than burying it, allows us to integrate the experience.

My life trajectory changed, and I felt more urgency to follow my intuition and pursue a career change.

Moving away from a long corporate career to that of a minister and counselor. I knew that life had brought experiences to prepare me to serve others.

When I look back at certain points in my life, such as my breast cancer diagnosis eight years ago, it was as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. I was the healthiest I had ever felt and was excited about where my life was headed. I was following the breadcrumbs of spiritual exploration and leaning into a life where I lived authentically and true to my divine nature.

At first, like many, I felt numb and chose to focus on the tests and the many opinions on treatment options. My surgery and treatment went smoothly, and after several months of recovery, I paused.

I paused to process what had just happened. I wondered how I could trust that the inevitable falling apart was making room for something new. How could I find the blessings in the pain, the glint of a diamond in the pile of rocks? My life was changed, and I looked upon my next steps very differently.

I deepened my meditation and mindful practices.

I developed a daily journal practice that has stayed with me all these years. I practiced being present to

Think of that leaf going down the rapids. It may feel out of control; it may be a bit battered. But it flows with the water anyway, following the energy of the stream, and eventually, life becomes a bit less rocky, a bit more calm. It follows the flow and builds its resilience on the way.

Life kept that leaf afloat! Even in our darkest times, there are glimmers of light. Perhaps the kindness of a stranger, perhaps the intuitive nudge to keep going. That is life, spirit, the divine, gently and compassionately guiding us forward. We may not be able to stop the rapids, but we can navigate. Leaning into the discomfort can afford us significant breakthroughs, and breakdowns can bring us opportunities we would never have considered before.

Looking back on our lives, finding those times when everything fell apart, we can see life was in action. Spirit, the universe, God, if you like, was always there. Our lives are divinely orchestrated, and there can be good that comes out of everything; the light will shine, no matter how dark our days may be.

When Your World Turns Upside Down

Embrace the Journey

“By allowing ourselves to be in the flow of what is happening, rather than fighting or pushing our way through, we can heal. Allowing us the time and space to feel what is happening, rather than burying it, allows us to integrate the experience.”

—Lauri Ingram

Ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary and as a certi�ied Interspiritual Counselor, I currently offer spiritual coaching and creativity sessions in person in my Bethany of�ice, as well as by phone and Zoom. You can learn more about me at www.lauriingram.com or contact me by emailing lauri@lauriingram.com or calling 203.435.5650.

55 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

t has happened to all of us at one time or another, and perhaps for some of us, it has happened multiple times: it seems like everything is falling apart—maybe a marriage, a job, the loss of a family member, an illness. There are so many ways our lives can be turned upside down.

And we’re living in a world that is also falling apart in many ways.

In the midst of this, we may feel like a leaf floating down the rapids. We may long to be the leaf gently gliding down a stream, but instead, we’re buffeted against rocks, unable to control what is happening to us or even how we react.

NATURAL Nutmeg

I

COMMUNITY RESOURCES Local Experts In and Around Connecticut ACUPUNCTURE/ TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Connecticut Family Acupuncture Glastonbury, South Windsor, and Tolland, CT 860.633.6022 • CTfamilyacupuncture.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

Over 15 years in practice. Specializing in chronic pain, women’s health and fertility, stress, anxiety, and other inflammatory conditions. Most insurances accepted, now including Husky. Highly trained, experienced, and compassionate acupuncturists licensed by the CT Department of Public Health.

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Chi Healing Center Canton, CT • 860.352.8902 chihealingcenter.com We have over 20 years experience providing Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our healing methods include affordable group and private acupuncture treatments, cupping, herbal medicine, and medical massage therapy. Our practitioners work together to help you feel better quickly. Book online or call for an appointment.

Jennifer Dubicki, LAc Vitalized Performance Group

Glastonbury, CT • 860.800.6775 VPGwaves.com VPG Waves is a holistic practice that offers acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, naturopathic medicine, and GAINSWave (shockwave treatment for erectile dysfunction, Peyronies’ disease, scar tissue, and pain management). We offer affordable programs that integrate holistic modalities to treat, prevent, and heal the root cause of our patients’/clients’ ailments. *Handicap accessible*

Traver Garrity Acupuncture

Tolland and Cromwell, CT • 860.995.0317 travergarrity.com Traver specializes in acupuncture, cupping, and tuina to treat chronic pain, orthopedic injuries, migraines, stress, and more. Her practice stands out for the one-on-one attention each patient receives during their individually tailored treatments.

Wendy Haskell, LAc Phoenix Rising Acupuncture LLC Southbury, CT • acupunctureCT.com

Over 13 years in practice. Wendy specifically tailors her individualized treatments to include acupuncture and other physical treatment modalities which create effective treatments with immediate results. She uses a “wholistic” approach that includes dietary and lifestyle adjustments with a focus on removing the root cause of disease or dysfunction.

Dr. Artemis Morris, ND, LAc Artemis Wellness Center Milford, CT • 203.783.9802 drartemis.com • artemiswellnesscenter.com Dr. Artemis Morris is a naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist, professor, author, and public speaker.

She specializes in Mediterranean nutrition, women’s wellness, Eastern medicine, and nutritional supplements. Join her and functional nutritionist Eliana for their clinically successful Mediterranean Detox Program offered seasonally, as seen on TV with Kara’s Cures.

Dr. Jennifer Pierre, ND, MPH JenteelNature Health

Virtual / Telemedicine • 203.806.5152 admin@jenteelnature.com • jenteelnature.com Dr. Jennifer Pierre is a Naturopathic Physician, Public Health Professional, author, and speaker with nearly 20 years of healthcare experience. She is the Founder of JenteelNature Health and her specialty is women’s health, utilizing integrative approaches to treat thyroid disease, fibroids, hormonal imbalances, and infertility.

West Hartford Acupuncture West Hartford, CT • 860.503.3676 WHacupuncture.com Providing acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for 15 years, including massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, cupping, and herbal medicine. Evening and weekend hours available, most insurance plans accepted. Specializing in fertility, pain, anxiety, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Dr. Diana Zitserman, ND, LAc

Glastonbury and South Windsor, CT 860.200.8268 • 860.533.4646, option 3 Thrivecenterforhealth.com • echn.org Dr. Zitserman specializes in acupuncture and naturopathic medicine to help treat conditions and symptoms related to chronic pain, stress and mood disorders, digestion, allergies, women’s health, and side effects from cancer treatment and post-COVID. Two locations: Thrive Center for Health in Glastonbury and ECHN’s Women’s Center for Wellness in South Windsor.

ENERGY HEALERS

Dr. Synthia Andrews, ND Andrews Healing Arts, LLC Guilford, CT • explorationsinenergy.com 203.453.4377 • synthiaandrews@gmail.com Synthia Andrews, naturopathic doctor and energy intuitive, announces her most recent book, Subtle Energy Work: Meditative Exercises for Healing, Self-Care, and Inner Balance, published

by Red Wheel Weiser with an introduction by celebrated author Dannion Brinkley. “If you have ever wanted to empower yourself and be able to uplift others, this is the book for you.” —Dannion

Tara Cornish, Holistic Hands Bantam, Torrington, and Farmington, CT 860.921.8307 • holistichandsct.com taraholistichands@gmail.com Tara Cornish is an IIR Certified Reflexologist and Usui Reiki Master/ Teacher since 2005. She also offers reflexology lymph drainage and energy field measurement. These therapies are noninvasive and safe. Tara has seen amazing benefits using holistic approaches to help heal, relax, renew, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

Mica DeSantis

Weston, CT • 203.517.7674 • lifesketching.com mica@lifesketching.com Mica DeSantis is a Reiki master and energy healer who specializes in helping people realize their dream of parenthood.

Kevin Ferry, JD

New Britain, CT • 860.827.0880 kevin@ferrylaw.com • ferrylaw.com Kevin Ferry became a Wim Hof Method Instructor after 30 years of representing injury victims and realizing we have forgotten about the individual capacity to nurture and improve our own physical and mental health. His Wim Hof practice of breath work and cold exposure teaches others how to maximize their own healing.

Daniel Lupacchino, LMT, RMT, IET MI Integrative Massage Works Glastonbury, CT • 860.716.2740 integrativemassageworks.com Dan Lupacchino has over 10 years experience in the field of holistic healing and wellness. As a Massage Therapist, Healer, and Teacher, his goal is to help you live and feel the best you can be. He is also IET® Master Instructor Trainer, Medicinal Aromatherapist, and Intuitive Coach.

Dr. Eilis Philpott, Soul Healing Journey/Academy for Soul Healing Fairfield, CT, and via Zoom 203.767.5954 • soulhealingjourney.com Eilis@soulhealingjourney.com

Dr. Eilis Philpott, owner of Soul Healing Journey and the Academy for Soul Healing, has been a Master Healer and Teacher for 25+ years.

She offers soul level healing as well as training for those who wish to pursue their own journey in the healing arts.

Anna Pizzoferrato, Reiki with Trust

Reikiwithtrust.com • AnnaRosaEnergyArtist.com auroramisticadistancehealing.com Anna Rosa, aka Anna Pizzoferrato, has been offering remote distance healing services since 2001. She is a Usui, Shamballa, Kundalini, and Karuna® Reiki Master with a registered modality, Aurora Mistica®. Anna is a biologist and enjoys designing energy-charged products.

Karen Elizabeth Rowan, LMT, CST Simsbury, CT • 860.830.0877 • karenerowan.com Karen has studied with internationally celebrated doctors and healers from around the world. She specializes in advanced CranioSacral Therapy, Somato Emotional Release, Samvahan Vibrational Healing, Spiritual Life Coaching, and Feng Shui. Karen is one of only two people in the United States that holds an Advanced Certification in India’s Ancient Art of Samvahan Vibrational Healing.

Joyce St. Germaine, M.Ed., CHt., RYT-200 The Sacred Journey Burlington, CT • 860.675.9706 jsgermaine@aol.com • thesacredjourney.biz

Joyce is highly trained and experienced in CrossCultural Shamanism and Energy Healing Modalities. Sound, color, journeying, ceremony, yoga, energetic cord-cutting, direct energy channeling, and gemstone/crystal therapies.

Advanced training in Soul Retrieval and Spirit Detachment and Extraction. Energy Healing Modalities may be combined as each situation requires. Sessions in-person, remotely, and via Zoom.

L.O.V.E. Lightworker of Vibrational Energies LLC

Gayle Franceschetti MEd., CHt. is a intuitive counselor, life coach, healer and Reiki Master.

She provides sessions for healing, Past Life Regressions, The Reconnection™, mentoring and counseling.

She teaches many classes (Happiness For No Reason, Intuition, Essential Oils, Abundance, etc.) Gayle hosts Spiritual Power Journeys throughout the world. Sessions in person or on Zoom.

Erin Touponse Mystic Healing Reiki

Rebalance your Mind, Body, and Spirit Your destination for Conscious Living and Energy Resource Center. Offering a wide array of physical, mindfulness, and spiritual holistic therapies, we have the perfect treatment for you. Join us for a personal or group session.

Winner in Natural Nutmeg’s 10 Best 2022 Reader Nominated Award for Esthetician/Holistic & Organic Spa

NaturalSaltHealing.com

(203) 586-1172

787 Main St. S, Woodbury, CT 06798

Erin at Mystic Healing Reiki is a Reiki Master Teacher, Intuitive Hypnotherapist, and Tarot Reader/Teacher. With a focus on “Awakening your Inner Healer,” Erin offers a wide range of healing techniques including Reiki, Guided Journey, Past Life Regression, Intuitive Tarot, and Healing Ceremony. She offers Reiki and Tarot classes monthly.

ESTHETICIAN/HOLISTIC & ORGANIC SPA A Touch of Bliss

West Hartford, CT • 860.712.7313 atouchofblisssorganicspa.com Indulge yourself in holistic services guaranteed to rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul and improve your mental and physical health. Experience organic European facials, unique massages combined with cutting-edge technology such as microcurrent face lift, HydraFacial MD, and infrared sauna blanket. It’s your time to receive “a touch of bliss”!

Illumina Skin Care Massage Simsbury, CT • 860.323.3660 illuminaskincaremassage.com

Our day spa is Farmington Valley’s hidden treasure. Lilian Freire, LE/LMT, offer a variety of services to improve health, beauty, and relaxation.

Illumina Skin Care Massage was created as a way to make people feel great inside and out while illuminating themselves with an excellent pampering experience catered to their individual needs, so they can walk away feeling completely refreshed.

57 2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Old Wethersfield, CT • MysticHealingReiki.com mystichealingReiki@gmail.com

Holistic Therapies For Better Health

NATURAL Nutmeg

Wallingford, CT • 203.631.7803 return2love3@gmail.com • return2love.com

100% ORGANIC CBD PRODUCTS Customers LOVE our Natural Harmony Sleep Formula “Best sleep in years and I can move in the morning.”

To order, visit naturalharmony.life

naturalharmonylife.com 860.992.7213

Fork & Fire

Avon, CT • 860.255.7771 • imaginefloat.com contactus@imaginefloat.com

Farmington, CT • 860.255.7674 forkandfire.net

Westport, CT • 203.916.4600 shalvaclinic.org

Imagine Float is a peaceful escape from the chaos of your daily life with floatation therapy, cryotherapy, infrared sauna, and compression therapy. When used in synergy, they have endless physical and mental well-being benefits. Make a renewed commitment to achieving inner peace and a physical awakening, and reclaim your best life!

Fork & Fire is a new American restaurant with a relaxed, come-as-you-are atmosphere with a level of food fit for any white table cloth dining experience. Pair this with a top-notch cocktail program and this is the perfect place to come for any occasion.

Dr. Lewis offers comprehensive holistic care for men, women, and children for conditions ranging from chronic fatigue or migraines to digestive issues and stress. She has particular expertise in chronic bladder and vaginal infections, abnormal paps, incontinence, thyroid disorders, hormonal imbalances, and fertility. Treatments include comprehensive functional labs, herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, homeopathy, and more.

Nova Spa

NATURAL Nutmeg

Rocky Hill, CT • 860.257.1004 novasparockyhill.com

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Ellen M. Lewis, ND, Shalva Clinic

Imagine Float

Mariola has delivered exceptional therapies to her clients for the past 20 years in a tranquil and serene environment. Nova Spa offers many styles and techniques that are sure to satisfy your desires, includ-ing the gentle touch of a Swedish massage, deep tissue therapy, or the warmth of hot stones to soothe your mind, body, and spirit. Natural and organic products.

Salt of the Earth Sanctuary Woodbury, CT • 203.586.1172 soteswoodburyct@gmail.com naturalsalthealing.com Salt of the Earth Sanctuary is your “healing” energy wellness destination. Utilizing Earth’s natural resources with modern science and highly skilled light workers, we offer treatments that revitalize the respiratory system, clear energetic blockages, and provide overall pain relief and immune support through heat and cell rejuvenation with frequencies and vibrations.

The Spa at Litchfield Hills

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE/ INTEGRATIVE MD/DENTIST April Beaman, RDH, CTT CT Thermography

Farmington and Glastonbury, CT 860.415.1150 ctthermography.com CT Thermography specializes in medical thermal imaging. Breast thermography is a compressio-n and radiation-free screening tool used to monitor breast health to detect physiological changes that may be early warning signs of a disease process. As a Certified Thermographic technician, April helps empower women to take a proactive approach following their thermography screening for optimal breast health.

Dr. Mark A. Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT Whole Body Dentistry Fairfield, CT • 203.371.0300 WholeBodyDentistry.com

Dr. Breiner treats patients for many dental concerns, including Aesthetics, Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, Sleep Breathing Disorders, Mercury Toxicity, hidden infections from Cavitations, Dead Teeth, and Root Canals. “If you have unexplained symptoms that won’t go away no matter what you do, the answer could be in your mouth,” states Dr. Breiner.

Litchfield, CT • 860.567.8575 litchfield-spa.com

Dr. David Johnston, DO Osteopathic Wellness Center, LLC

The Spa at Litchfield Hills has provided world-class service to southern New England for over 15 years. Tucked away in the Litchfield Hills, the stylishly appointed facilities at the Spa include facial and massage treatment rooms, a nail room featuring whirlpool shiatsu massage pedicure chairs, and a full-service hair salon.

Ridgefield, CT • 203.438.9915 Osteopathic-Wellness.net OsteopathicWellness@gmail.com

FARM TO TABLE/ORGANIC/ VEGAN RESTAURANT & GLUTEN-FREE BAKERIES Divine Treasures Gluten-Free Chocolates & Treats Manchester, CT • 860.643.2552 dtchocolates.com Since 2007, Divine Treasures has been handcrafting chocolates with artisan tradition and unique flair in a vegan and gluten-free facility, all made with organic European dark chocolate. Visit not only for gourmet chocolate, but for our artisan non-dairy soft-serve sundaes and cheese alternatives, as well as a growing selection of signature desserts and savory frozen meals.

Over 20 years experience in gentle hands-on manual treatment and cranialsacral therapy for newborns, children, and adults. David’s work supports the healing and alignment of a person’s spine, joints and soft tissues. He has successfully helped his patients with back and neck pain, headaches, concussions, injuries, birth trauma, fatigue and brain fog, weak immune systems, and digestive problems.

Personalized Medical Care Drs. Chi Kim, MD & Deb Keightley, MD Canton, CT • 860.352.8265 • Drchikim.com

Chi Kim, MD, and Deb Keightley, MD, integrate their years of experience in primary care with the functional medicine model to assist each individual in achieving his or her optimal health. They take the time necessary to develop a personalized plan and appropriate treatment options for each patient.

HEALTH FOOD STORE & GLUTEN-FREE/ORGANIC PRODUCT COMPANY Bare Life

West Hartford, CT • Eatbarelife.com Bare Life in West Hartford, CT, reimagines the foods you know and love as plant-based, organic, gluten-free, crave-worthy creations, starting with their delicious, plant-based, paleo hot chocolate!

Their mission is inspired by founder Ali Lazowski’s journey with cancer, Lyme, and chronic illness.

Edge of the Woods Market

New Haven, CT • 203.787.1055 • eotwm.com Edge of the Woods is a familyowned vegetarian marketplace for over 40 years, featuring fresh produce, groceries, bulk nuts/ grains, ground coffee, and an impressive Vitamin Shop. The Kitchen & Bakery area features a juice bar, sandwiches, wraps, and prepared foods, along with freshly made breads, cakes, pies, pastries, and more!

Farm to Bath

South Glastonbury, CT, and Virtual 860.266.5682 • info@farmtobath.com farmtobath.com Brenda Sullivan, herbalist and maker of herbal products, uses lavender, one of her primary crops, to make natural soaps, soothing salves, aromatic oils and more. She loves knowing the medicinal benefits of herbs, because it ensures her recipes are made with only the best ingredients.

Natural Harmony

Stonington, CT, and Virtual • 860.992.7213 naturalharmonylife.com Natural Harmony is a womanowned, Connecticut-based company providing a range of 100% organic, non-GMO, vegan CBD products. The company’s founder, Jennifer Beach, discovered the benefits of CBD for her own chronic pain and anxiety in early 2020 and wanted to share the benefits with others.

Vitathena Wellness, A Store without Walls

Glastonbury, CT • vitathenawellness.com 860.646.8178 • edworkin@vitathena.com The Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe is now Vitathena Wellness! Shop online for 14,000+ natural items at 10% off plus FREE shipping on $49 or more.

Contact Erika Dworkin, Board Certified Holistic Nutritionist (FREE 20-minute wellness assessments, emailed product recommendations, transformational personalized lifestyle change programs).

HOLISTIC CENTER/SCHOOL Academy for Soul Healing Dr. Eilis Philpott

Fairfield, CT, and Virtual • Academyforsoulhealing.com 203.767.5954 • Eilis@soulhealingjourney.com Dr. Eilis Philpott, the owner of Soul Healing Journey and the Academy for Soul Healing, has been a master healer and teacher for 25+ years.

She offers soul-level healing as well as training for those who wish to pursue their own journey in the healing arts.

The Blackbird House

Old Wethersfield, CT • TheBlackbirdHouse.com The Blackbird House is a holistic center and gift

shop located in Old Wethersfield. They offer a The Blackbird variety of services including Reiki, pelvic floor House

therapy, massage, psychotherapy, hypnosis, and sound healing. They also offer monthly Reiki and tarot classes as well as full moon circles, drum circles, intuitive development, and more.

Bridge Healing Arts Center (BHAC)

Farmington, CT • 860.404.2578 • bridgeHAC.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

The Bridge Healing Arts Center was created to provide a wellness community for talented practitioners, thought leaders and clients, and customers who come together to learn how to live their best life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have well over 60 practitioners who provide a variety of holistic modalities to the community.

Innovate Wellness

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Glastonbury, CT • 860.430.5300 innovate-well.com

Wellness From The Inside Out FORMERLY THE

NEW EXPANDED SERVICES

ProNatural Wellness Group Berlin, CT • 860.829.0707 pronaturalwellness.com ProNatural Wellness Group is an integrated medical center, specializing in lifestyle medicine, naturopathic medicine, natural and botanical medicine, nutrition therapy, massage therapy, and the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases in both men and women. We take a holistic and natural approach to address the needs of our patients.

Providing Integrative Care in Glastonbury, CT • Acupuncture • Natural Aesthetics

Somewhere Over the Spectrum Berlin, CT • 860.420.3800 info@somewhereoverct.com somewhereoverct.com

Somewhere Over the Spectrum is a holistic Autism center located in Berlin, CT, that provides naturalistic and intensive therapeutic programming for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our child-led programs include our Early Childhood Program and Intensive In-Home & Community Programs.

• Integrative Direct Primary Care • IV vitamin therapy

Call 860.430.5300 or visit innovate-well.com 1420 Main Street, Suite 124, Glastonbury, CT 860.430.5300 Info@innovate-well.com

innovate-well.com

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Formerly the Center for Holistic Healthcare, Innovate Wellness offers integrative direct primary care, customized IV vitamin therapy, hormone treatments, and acupuncture, among other services. We are excited to be adding an esthetician and massage therapist to our team of medical providers.

Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health Dr. Myriah Hinchey, ND

Are you SICK from feeling SICK TIRED of being TIRED Do you go from Here to There with NO Results at all?

Hebron, CT • 860.228.1287 • taovitality.com

IMAGINE the possibilities of a machine that provides detailed information on your Cellular Health ~

IMAGINE receiving answers to many years of Health Issues ~

This is possible with the Bio-Tracker system which Bear Walker, Holistic Practitioner helped develop in a project at NASA!

NATURAL Nutmeg

The Bio-Tracker checks the following....

Adrenal Glands Thyroid Glands Pituitary Gland Throat Ears Small Intestines Large Intestines Ileocecal Valve Lungs Ess. Fatty Acids Skin

Endocrine System Sinus Circulatory System Stomach Body Organs Fibrous Tissue Inhale Allergies Joints Spleen Carbohydrate Metabolism

Nervous System Lymph System Liver Heart Gallbladder Urinary Bladder Pancreas Kidney Food Allergies Reproductive System

....and much more if needed!

Metals ~ Chemicals ~ Bacteria ~ Viruses ~ Hormones ~ Neurotransmitters Mold ~ Vitamins ~ Minerals ~ Candida ~ ATP ~ GeoPathic Stress etc.

3 Waterville Road Farmington, CT 06032

~ Bear Walker ~ Holistic Practitioner

Office visits by appointment only

860-384-1527

www.circleofhealthonline.com

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Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health opened in 2010 as a multidisciplinary wellness center, offering yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, health coaching, nutrition, psychopathic therapy, massage, and more. Due to Dr. Hinchey’s research and success in understanding Lyme disease and its co-infections, Tao Center has become the foremost center for treating and healing Lyme disease.

The Red Barn in Durham, LLC New Earth Holistic Therapies and Art Center Durham, CT • 860.559.6151 • theredbarnindurham.com The Red Barn now has an acupuncturist, traditional Chinese medicine, and many holistic treatments, Yoga in the Sanctuary, and an Art Center—Earthly Goddess—a clay co-op and “Art to Nurture Your Soul.” They offer quarterly psychic/vendor fairs with well-vetted readers and mediums as well as ongoing sound healing in the Sanctuary and Soulshine Salt Cavern. Customized retreats for 2–30 participants. We are MIND. BODY. SPIRIT. HEART.

Vitalized Performance Group Glastonbury, CT • 860.800.6775 • Vpgwaves.com VPG Waves is a holistic practice that offers acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, naturopathic nedicine, and GAINSWave (shockwave treatment for Erectile dysfunction, Peyronies’ disease, scar tissue, and pain management). We offer affordable programs that integrate holistic modalities to treat, prevent, and heal the root cause of our patients’/ clients’ ailments. *Handicap accessible*

HOLISTIC PEDIATRICIAN Dr. Jennah Bakke, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine

Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 • ctnatmed.com Dr. Jennah is passionate about helping families. As a mother of two, she understands when one family member is unwell, all members are affected. She works to identify the root cause of illness and restore optimal health. Dr. Jennah specializes in pediatrics, family medicine, eczema, allergies, Lyme disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and more.

Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc, Fertility Oasis

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0459 • fertilityoasis.com Dr. Kerr is passionate about finding the reason behind your fertility struggle. She loves teaching patients how to live a fertility-friendly lifestyle and supporting them with natural remedies. Male and female infertility factors are addressed by Dr. Kerr to offer comprehensive fertility care to her patients.

Dr. Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP New England Center for Health Wilton, CT • 203.834.2813 • drohara.com

Dr. Nancy O’Hara is a board-certified pediatrician who leads a functional medicine practice for children with neurodevelopmental/neuropsychiatric disorders and is a leader in clinician training. She has written a comprehensive guidebook, “Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis,” available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8BC6XFR.

Lara O’Neil APRN, CPNP Thrive Center for Health Glastonbury, CT • 860.200.8268 thrivecenterforhealth.com Lara O’Neil, APRN, specializes in pediatric primary care and combines traditional with integrative health care. It is her passion to treat children and adolescents with a holistic approach to healing, as she believes that the ideal model of good health addresses each family’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Dr. Jaquel Patterson, ND, MBA Fairfield, CT • 203.254.9957 fairfieldfamilyhealth.com

Dr. Jaquel Patterson is Medical Director and owner of Fairfield Family Health (FFH) in Fairfield, CT. FFH is a multi-disciplinary practice serving all ages. Areas include Lyme disease, autoimmune conditions, ADHD/ADD, PANS/PANDAS, anxiety, depression, childhood developmental disorders, neurology, women’s health, acupuncture, and nutrition.

Virtual • 203.806.5152 • jenteelnature.com admin@jenteelnature.com Dr. Stephanie Preston is a naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, and trauma-informed specialist who treats a variety of pediatric and adult conditions including digestive disorders, ADD/ADHD and spectrum disorders, and provides prenatal/postpartum care. Book an appointment with her at jenteelnature.com.

New Hartford, CT • 860.909.1082 NaturalPediatricMedicineLLC.com Dr. Robin Russell has been providing natural pediatric and women’s healthcare since 2005. She focuses on wellness visits and provides care for acute illnesses such as ear infections, coughs, and colds/flus. She also provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for many health conditions such as ADHD, anxiety/ depression, autism, and eczema using diet, nutrition, and botanical medicines.

Dr. Sarah Schindler, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 info@ctnatmed.com • ctnatmed.com

Dr. Schindler works hard to always find the root cause of disease and treat that. She formerly was a birth doula and prenatal massage therapist when she decided to return to ND school.

Her practice specializes in fertility, all women’s health and Lyme disease. Patients travel from across the country to seek out her expertise.

Dr. Jared Skowron, ND

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0444 SpectrumAwakening.com Spectrum Awakening is Connecticut’s leading natural medicine clinic for autism, ADHD, and anxiety. Dr.

Enlightenment Counseling Center West Hartford, CT • 860.729.3284 enlightenmentcenterct.com Enlightenment Counseling Center utilizes a holistic approach that allows us to help the whole person heal. It is their belief that mind, body, and spirit must be healthy and balanced for true healing to occur. They focus primarily on working with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD. The Enlightenment Counseling Center LLC

Mischa Hadaway, LCSW, CD(DONA) Gentle Mama Counseling West Hartford, CT • 860.215.4710 gentlemamacounseling.com

Mischa Hadaway is a perinatal therapist with over 10 years of experience. As the owner of Gentle Mama Counseling, she provides personalized therapy to hopeful, new, and soon-to-be parents. Mischa creates a safe space for her clients who experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, shame and guilt, without judgment. Telehealth and evening appointments available.

Lauri Ingram, Ordained Interfaith Minister and Certified Interspiritual Counselor Bethany, CT • 203.435.5650 lauri@lauriingram.com • lauriingram.com

Lauri Ingram provides services to those seeking to transform their lives, and thrive. Spiritual Counseling connects the soul with the body and mind, bringing deep awareness of her client’s true nature to the surface. Grounded in mindful practices and with an extensive corporate career, Lauri is uniquely qualified to navigate the pressures of today’s world. She brings compassion, non-judgement and a sense of the sacred to her work with clients. Appointments are available in person, as well as virtually.

James Osborne, MS, LPC, BCPC ProNatural Wellness Group Berlin, CT • 860.829.0707 pronaturalwellness.com

James Osborne is a Licensed Professional Counselor, with over 40 years of experience as a psychotherapist, clinical director, clinical supervisor, trainer, and consultant trained in gestalt therapy, Jungian psychology, motivational Interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) and EMDR. He works primarily with individual adults treating trauma, loss/grief, cooccurring disorders. He is also a Viet Nam Era veteran.

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND Whole-Body Medicine, LLC Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 Ext. 2 info@wholebodymed.com wholebodymed.com

Dr. Adam Breiner combines cuttingedge science and holistic medicine to correct underlying imbalances and address issues that may interfere with the body’s healing ability—offering hyperbaric oxygen, energy medicine, biomagnetism, IV therapy, neurotherapies. Conditions treated include Lyme disease, immune disorders, allergies, pain, neurologic conditions, stroke, concussion, ADD/ADHD, depression, sleep disorders, and more.

Dr. Natalie Colicci, ND, MS, CNS The Center for Naturopathic Medicine and Functional Nutrition Trumbull, CT • 203.371.1021 office@drnataliecolicci.com Drnataliecolicci.com

Dr. Colicci is a licensed naturopathic physician and clinical nutritionist. Being fully integrative, her practice provides holistic care through combined decades of clinical experience. Individualized programs are designed to meet each patient’s needs through integrative medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, and chiropractic. Conditions treated include autoimmune disease and metabolic and endocrine disorders.

Joann Dunsing Hypnosis

Milford, CT • 203.907.7710 • joanndunsing.com Joann is passionate about giving you the experience of firing and wiring the neurological pathways in your brain to actually think, act, and feel like the person you want to be. Please call Joann for your complimentary phone consultation.

Live in the office or via Zoom or FaceTime.

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc • Vis Wellness Center Rocky Hill, CT, and Virtual • 234.222.8362 hello@drnicoleklughers.com DrNicoleKlughers.com

Dr. Nicole Klughers offers all-natural solutions to help individuals lose weight, restore optimal health, and reclaim a life of energy, balance, and confidence. Formerly a pharmacist, Dr. Nicole serves as your “health detective” by listening attentively and utilizing detailed testing to address the root cause of weight gain.

Dr. Artemis Morris, ND, LAc Artemis Wellness Center

Milford, CT • 203.783.9802 drartemis.com • artemiswellnesscenter.com Dr. Artemis Morris is a naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist, professor, author, and public speaker.

She specializes in Mediterranean nutrition, women’s wellness, Eastern medicine, and nutritional supplements. Join her and functional nutritionist Eliana for their clinically successful Mediterranean Detox Program offered seasonally, as seen on TV with Kara’s Cures.

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Dr. Robin Russell, ND Natural Pediatric Medicine, LLC

HOLISTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY/ LCSW/COUNSELING

HOLISTIC WEIGHT LOSS CENTER

NATURAL Nutmeg

Dr. Stephanie Preston ND, MsAC JenteelNature Health

Skowron is voted Natural Nutmeg’s Best Holistic Pediatrician four years in a row, 2019–2022, and has spoken nationally with Jenny McCarthy, Temple Grandin, Erin Brokovich, and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Spectrum Awakening will help your child feel happier, healthier, and reach their full potential, naturally!

Amanda Swan, APRN Swan Integrative Health and Wellness Glastonbury, CT • 860.325.2679 swanintegrative.com Swan Integrative Health and Wellness takes an integrative/functional medicine approach to finding the root cause of your symptoms so you can heal from the inside out! They see adults and children and accept most major insurance carriers.

HYPNOTHERAPY Melissa Conkling, CH

NATURAL Nutmeg

Worldwide via Zoom • 860.428.0222 MelissaConkling.com

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Melissa Conkling is a Certified Professional Hypnotist, NLP Practitioner, and life coach. She focuses on helping spiritually minded people reprogram their subconscious minds for inner empowerment and authentic living without endless surface level work using transformational hypnosis and coaching.

Joann Dunsing Hypnosis

Milford, CT • 203.907.7710 • joanndunsing.com Joann is passionate about giving you the experience of firing and wiring the neurological pathways in your brain to actually think, act, and feel like the person you want to be. Please call Joann for your complimentary phone consultation. Live in the office or via Zoom or FaceTime.

Susana Padilla, CHt Hypnosis Haven

New Milford, CT • 949.534.2836 Susana@hypnosis-haven.com Hypnosis-haven.com Since 2015, Susana Padilla, CHt, owner of Hypnosis Haven, has been providing personalized hypnosis sessions designed to help you lead a balanced, healthy, and harmonious life. Combining her extensive knowledge and experience, she is exceptionally qualified to enable her clients to make positive changes, manage anxiety, overcome habits, and more.

Ailish Lewis

Manchester, CT • 860.670.6149 Info@ailishlewis.com @ailish.lewis.coaching • ailishlewis.com Ailish McMahon-Lewis of Birthing Bravely, LLC, is a holistic perinatal educator, consultant, and doula. She is also a Reiki master and gentle sleep and parenting coach who specializes in hypnosis for birth and utilizes Reiki healing with my prenatal, birth, and postpartum clients. She loves helping people find their inner strength.

Erin Touponse Mystic Healing Reiki

Old Wethersfield, CT • MysticHealingReiki.com mystichealingReiki@gmail.com Erin at Mystic Healing Reiki is a Reiki master teacher, intuitive hypnotherapist, and tarot reader/ teacher. With a focus on “Awakening your Inner Healer,” Erin offers a wide

range of healing techniques including Reiki, guided journey, past-life regression, intuitive tarot, and healing ceremony. She offers Reiki and tarot classes monthly.

Joy Herbst, Purnima Women’s Health

Certified hypnotherapist and intuitive life coach, Alicia uniquely combinations hypnotherapy, behavioral techniques, and intuitive guidance to help clients of all ages.

She believes your mind is your most powerful tool for change and hypnosis can empower you to get there, beyond inner conflict and toward a stronger, clearer you.

Dr. Courtney Holmes, DNP, APRN Holistic Healing Partners/ Milford Med Spa

Alicia O’Hara, CHT, CLC CT and Worldwide via Zoom 860.693.6448 • 916.524.8907 mindmattershypnosis.com trancetochange.com alicia.ohara@sbcglobal.net

Michele P. Rousseau, MA, CH Middletown, CT • 860.704.9054 micheleprousseau.com

Live your dreams! Restore your passion, confidence, and motivation; transform habits; achieve goals.

Wake up each day to a life you are eager to live! Online sessions

Joyce St. Germaine, M.Ed., CHt., RYT-200 • The Sacred Journey

Burlington, CT • 860.675.9706 jsgermaine@aol.com thesacredjourney.biz Joyce is a Certified Hypnotherapist in private practice for over 25 years. She offers individualized private and group hypnotherapy sessions for adults and age appropriate sessions for children.

Every in person or Zoom session includes client self-hypnosis instruction for continued selfempowerment and well-being. Advanced training in psychospiritual therapies, specializing in past-life regression and higher self hypnosis.

INTEGRATIVE APRN/ NURSING Meredith Bailey PMH-NP Serenity Wellness, LLC

Branford/Middletown, CT • 860.975.7455 serenitywellness.company Meredith founded Serenity Wellness to provide a safe space for the Queer community for clients and employees. Her specialty is working with transgender and non-binary clients and she is out as a Queer clinician. Serenity Wellness provides medication management, individual, and couples psychotherapy.

Andrea Dameron, DNP, APRN Whole Self Wellness Oakdale, CT • 860.222.0949 wholeselfwellnessct.com

Our team at Whole Self Wellness can help you transform your health using enhanced nutrition, Physical therapy, and personalized care. If your goal is to take an active and engaged role in your health, our programs and guidance empower you to achieve optimal health, wellness, and sustainable daily habits.

Fairfield, CT, and Online • joyherbst.com Joy Herbst MSN, APRN/-NP-C, CPC, and CYT, specializes in women’s lifestyle medicine, and sober coaching. She is board-certified by American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, a certified “Gray Area Drinking” coach, an Ayurveda lifestyle and Yoga of Recovery counselor, certified yoga teacher, dancer, and mother of two young boys.

Milford, CT, and Virtual • 203.701.6161 milfordmedspa.com Courtney applies Eastern and Western medicine to provide holistic LGBTQ+ affirming care. She guides your body to heal itself with increased collagen and muscle production through microneedling, threads, Sculptra Aesthetic, and EmSculpt Neo. She also provides medical weight loss, auricular acupuncture for stress reduction, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Lara O’Neil APRN, CPNP Thrive Center for Health

Glastonbury, CT • 860.200.8268 thrivecenterforhealth.com Lara O’Neil, APRN, specializes in pediatric primary care and combines traditional with integrative health care. It is her passion to treat children and adolescents with a holistic approach to healing, as she believes that the ideal model of good health addresses each family’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Lifespan Collaborative Services 203.463.4555 • Lifespancs@gmail.com lifespancollaborativeservices.com

A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner group practice providing comprehensive evaluation, targeting underlying causes of mental health symptoms. This ensures interventions address nutrition, vitamin deficiencies, the impact of physical health, and psychosocial stressors to tailor individualized treatment plans, including esketamine and other medication management interventions to improve all dimensions of wellness.

Alina Schneider, APRN Innovate Wellness

Glastonbury, CT • 860.430.5300 innovate-well.com Formerly the Center for Holistic Healthcare, Innovate Wellness offers integrative direct primary care, customized IV vitamin therapy, hormone treatments, acupuncture, and more.

We are excited to be adding an esthetician and massage therapist to our team of medical providers.

Amanda Swan, APRN Swan Integrative Health and Wellness

Glastonbury, CT • 860.325.2679 swanintegrative.com Swan Integrative Health and Wellness takes an integrative/functional medicine approach to

finding the root cause of your symptoms so you can heal from the inside out! They see adults and children and accept most major insurance carriers.

Cindy Wechsler, APRN, CPHP Westport, CT/Virtual/Telehealth 203.916.4600 • shalvaclinic.org 203.671.3630 • proactivepeds.com

Cindy Wechsler, APRN, is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Certified Mental Wellness Coach, and Holistic Health Coach. Her focus is on gut health and mental wellness. “All things start in the gut.” Cindy’s goal is to help your child build a strong foundation for optimal growth and development through a whole body approach.

TREATING: • • • • • •

Medical Weight Control Allergies • Irritable Bowel Diabetes • IV Vitamins Thyroid • Anti-Aging Medicine Chronic Fatigue/ Fibromyalgia Hormonal Health • Stem Cells

Dr. Henry Sobo

CALL US TODAY!

PRP For Joints/Hair Restoration

Optimal Health Medical

111 High Ridge Road. Stamford, CT 06905 | drsobo.com

LIFE/BUSINESS/FINANCE/ HEALTH COACH Lois Grasso Barrett

Andover, CT, and Virtual • 860.796.1480 loisgrasso333@gmail.com • loisgrasso.com

Kathy Beach, MS, NBC-HWC

Collinsville, CT • 860.463.7179 kathybeach@integrativehealthmanagement.org integrativehealthmanagement.org

The Best in Lymphatic Massage Technology Lymphatic drainage can help: • Reduce Muscle Soreness • Flush Out Swelling • Minimize Cellulite • Eliminate Toxins

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Abby Beale CCH RSHom(NA) Northampton, MA • 413.426.1024 HomeopathyHealings.com

Leighanne Champion, CLC, CHC, ELI-MP Certified Life and Wellness Coach

290 West Main Street, Avon, CT 860.255.7771 • ImagineFloat.com

Dr. Mark A. Breiner, Featured in the Netflix Documentary "Root Cause" and Best Selling Author of "Whole-Body Dentistry"

New Canaan, CT • 203.505.5571 leighanne.champion4@gmail.com leighannechampioncoaching.com

Optimize Your Smile and Your Health!

Leighanne is a transformational life coach with a focus on personal development, relationships, and healthy mind management. She is a motivational speaker and host of the “Champion Your Life” podcast, which encourages listeners to pay attention to the lives they’re creating.

Her mission is to help others turn on their unique light so they can live to their fullest potential.

Come to the source: Dr. Breiner is a pioneer and recognized authority in the field of biological and holistic dentistry.

Comprehensive traditional and holistic approaches to oral health care. We understand the "mouth-body connection."

wholebodydentistry.com • 203.371.0300 501 Kings Highway East, Fairfield, CT

2023 10BEST / ESSENTIAL LIVING GUIDE

Kathy is a national board-certified health coach specializing in cancer wellness coaching. Are you confused about nutrition and lifestyle info for cancer risk reduction? It doesn't have to be that way! E-mail Kathy for a free Cancer Risk Reduction Evaluation to assess your current risk and see the areas that need attention.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Homeopathic care helps you achieve higher levels of mental, emotional, and physical health. Abby is a nationally certified classical homeopath who enjoys educating and helping others achieve higher levels of wellness with this saf and natural form of medicine.

NATURAL Nutmeg

Since 2001, Lois has been coaching adults and children to take charge of their feelings and make healthy choices. She relies on Divine guidance, unconditional acceptance, and a masterful blend of holistic modalities, including EFT/tapping, breathwork, and her own Magic Button Mindfulness™ and On-the-Ball Anger Clearing™ to help you heal the past, enjoy the present, and create a healthy future.

Robin H. Clare, MBA, RCP™ West Hartford, CT • 860.833.9670 Robinhclare@gmail.com • robinhclare.com During her 25-year MBA career, Robin yearned to live her authentic mission.

Yet, she struggled with food addiction and bulimia. Now, in successful recovery, Robin supports others to share their personal healing stories as a writing coach and book collaborator. In addition, Robin is a best-selling spiritual self-help author, keynote speaker, life coach, energy healer, and recovery professional.

Dana Mascalo CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P® • Managing Partner, TrinityPoint Wealth

NATURAL Nutmeg

Milford, CT • 203.693.8521 dana@trinitypointwealth.com trinitypointwealth.com

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Dana and the team at TrinityPoint Wealth are fiduciaries who assist individuals and small business owners with holistic financial planning, investments, stock options, retirement and estate planning, insurance, and more. Let us help you align your financial life with what matters most to you. Learn more at trinitypointwealth.com.

MASSAGE THERAPY/ BODYWORK/ CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIAN Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness Farmington, CT • 860.778.0315 info@abundanthealthct.com abundanthealthct.com

Kristina Mozzicato is Board Certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork by the NCBTMB and has been practicing massage since 2009. She provides professional, therapeutic, customized sessions. In addition to massage, Kristina is trained in cupping, MediCupping, facial cupping rejuvenation, Himalayan salt stone massage, and hypnosis. Convenient online booking is available.

Tara Cornish Holistic Hands

Bantam, Torrington, and Farmington, CT 860.921.8307 • taraholistichands@gmail.com holistichandsct.com Tara Cornish is an IIR Certified Reflexologist and Usui Reiki Master/ Teacher since 2005. She also offers reflexology lymph drainage and energy field measurement. These therapies are non-invasive and safe. Tara has seen amazing benefits using holistic approaches to help heal, relax, renew, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

Karma Massage LLC

New Hartford, CT KarmaMassageLLC@Hotmail.com KarmaMassageLLC.com Owners Kirby Poirier LMT, and Jen Davenport LMT, will help you connect your body and soul with massage therapy. Quiet your nervous system with Ayurvedic bodywork including abhyanga and healing stone massage. Let go of built up stress and tension with traditional bodywork, cupping, or facial massage.

Daniel Lupacchino, LMT, RMT, IET MI Integrative Massage Works

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN

Glastonbury, CT • 860.716.2740 integrativemassageworks.com

Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 Ext. 2 info@wholebodymed.com wholebodymed.com

Dan Lupacchino has over 10 years experience in the field of holistic healing and wellness. As a massage yherapist, healer, and teacher, his goal is to help you live and feel the best you can be. He is also IET® Master Instructor Trainer, Medicinal Aromatherapist, and Intuitive Coach. facebook.com/IntegrativeMassageWorks.

Simsbury Therapeutic Massage & Wellness

Simsbury, CT • 860.651.2998 • stmwellness.com simsburymassage@gmail.com At Simsbury Therapeutic Massage & Wellness, there are over a dozen therapists on staff. We’re open 7 days a week with convenient online booking. Our therapists specialize in a variety of modalities and we pride ourselves on fitting the right therapist for every client.

Sharon Sklar Rolfing® The Art and Science of Body Change West Hartford, CT • 860.561.4337 SharonSklarRolfing@gmail.com SharonSklarRolfing.com

A dynamic 10-session bodywork series that eases pain, improves movement and restructures your body when you feel “out of whack.” Both a hands-on and educational approach, this work re-establishes natural order and balance after life’s injuries, stresses, or accidents. Feel free, move well, get Rolfed! Since 1981.

Dr. Jason Sousa, DC PROhealth Chiropractic Center South Windsor, CT • 860.432.7432 prohealthchiropracticcenter.com

Dr. Sousa and his amazing team have a special focus on spinal correction to help gain and sustain your health. He has been part of the USA Olympic Wellness Advisory Council and is certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association to provide specific chiropractic care for both children and pregnant women.

The Spa at Litchfield Hills Litchfield, CT • 860.567.8575 litchfield-spa.com

The Spa at Litchfield Hills has provided world-class service to southern New England for over 15 years. Tucked away in the Litchfield Hills, the stylishly appointed facilities at the Spa include: facial and massage treatment rooms, a nail room featuring whirlpool shiatsu massage pedicure chairs, a full-service hair salon.

Dr. Jessica Tagliarini, DC

West Hartford, CT • 860.236.2225 • tagchiro.com Drs. Jessica and John Tagliarini have been at the forefront of Chiropractic care in greater Hartford since 2006, with a reputation for excellence in family wellness. From treating athletes to pregnant moms to rehabilitation patients, their quality care is customized to meet individual needs at all stages of life.

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND, practices energy medicine and traditional naturopathic medicine and offers cutting-edge treatments for healing the injured brain. His innovative approaches to Lyme disease have helped patients throughout New England recover from this challenging disease. Conditions treated include Lyme disease, immune disorders, allergies, pain, neurologic conditions, stroke, concussion, ADD/ ADHD, depression, sleep disorders.

Dr. Katy Firisin, ND, MSPT

Southport, CT • 475.999.2032 info@coastalnaturalmedicine.com coastalnaturalmedicine.com Dr. Firisin is an expert in natural medicine with over 20 years of experience in health care. With individualized treatment she builds lasting relationships with her patients to help them along their healing journey. Dr. Firisin specializes in gut healing and chronic conditions using a breadth of treatments to stimulate your vitality and facilitate healing.

Dr. Myriah Hinchey, ND Tao Center for Vitality, Longevity, & Optimal Health

Hebron, CT • 860.228.1287 • Taovitality.com Dr. Myriah Hinchey opened Tao Center in 2010 as a multidisciplinary wellness center, offering yoga, Pilates, acupuncture, health coaching, nutrition, psychopathic therapy, massage, and more. Due to Dr. Hinchey’s research and success in understanding Lyme disease and its co-infections, she has become one of the foremost experts in treating and healing Lyme disease.

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc • Vis Wellness Center Rocky Hill, CT, and Virtual • 234.222.8362 hello@drnicoleklughers.com DrNicoleKlughers.com

Dr. Nicole Klughers offers all-natural solutions to restore optimal health and help individuals reclaim a life of energy, balance, and joy. Formerly a pharmacist, Dr. Nicole serves as your “health detective” by listening attentively and utilizing detailed testing to identify and address the root cause of any health concern.

Dr. Nicole Kerr, ND, LAc Fertility Oasis

Wallingford, CT • 203.265.0459 fertilityoasis.com Dr. Kerr is passionate about finding the reason behind your fertility struggle. She loves teaching patients how to live a fertility friendly lifestyle, and supporting them with natural remedies. Male and female infertility factors are addressed by Dr. Kerr to offer comprehensive fertility care to her patients.

Dr. Jennifer Pierre ND, MPH JenteelNature Health Virtual/Telemedicine • 203.806.5152 admin@jenteelnature.com • jenteelnature.com Dr. Jennifer Pierre is a Naturopathic Physician, Public Health Professional, author and speaker with nearly 20 years of healthcare experience. She is the Founder of JenteelNature Health and her specialty is women’s health, utilizing integrative approaches to treat thyroid disease, fibroids, hormonal imbalances, and infertility.

Book an appointment at jenteelnature.com.

Dr. Michelle J Pouliot, ND New Hartford Naturopathic Health Center LLC New Hartford, CT • 860.238.7983 drpouliot.com

Dr. Sarah Schindler, ND Connecticut Natural Medicine Ellington, CT • 860.454.7029 info@ctnatmed.com • ctnatmed.com

NUTRITION/RD

Gina Barbetta, MS, RD, IFNCP Nourish by Gina Middletown CT, and Virtual • 203.206.3873 nourishbygina.com Gina is a Registered Dietitian– Nutritionist with over 25 years experience providing pediatric and adult nutrition care. She is board certified in Integrative and Functional Nutrition and is a certified Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet expert. Her specialties include gut health, digestive disorders, PCOS, cardio-metabolic disease, intuitive eating, and pediatrics. Gina’s personalized approach emphasizes all aspects of health and wellness, including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress management to ensure lifelong success.

Kathy Beach, MS, NBC-HWC

Collinsville, CT • 860.463.7179 kathybeach@integrativehealthmanagement.org integrativehealthmanagement.org Kathy is a national board-certified health coach specializing in cancer wellness coaching. Are you confused about nutrition and lifestyle info for cancer risk reduction? It doesn’t have to be that way! E-mail her for my free Cancer Risk Reduction Evaluation to assess your current risk and see the areas that need attention.

Donna Bunte Whole Health helps people become well by looking at the whole picture and finding the cause of the problem. Donna works in partnership with the patient to bring the body into balance using the tools of Chinese diagnosis, acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, lifestyle changes, as well as qigong and meditation.

Erika Dworkin, BCHN® Board Certified Holistic Nutritionist Vitathena Wellness A Store without Walls

Glastonbury, CT • 860.646.8178 edworkin@vitathena.com vitathenawellness.com With a lifetime in the natural and Western medicine arenas, and over 13 years of experience guiding thousands of people, Erika provides each customer and client a personalized, transformational wellness experience. Her therapeutic lifestyle change programs incorporate diet, supplements, and other natural therapies, to address the symptoms and root causes of many health concerns.

Courtney Evans, NBC-HWC

Virtual • 617.721.3432 courtney@wellrefined.com • wellrefined.com In a supportive coaching alliance and through her private practice, Well Refined, Courtney Evans, NBC-HWC, a national board-certified Health + Wellness Coach, works with clients through transformative exercises to activate their wellness wisdom and motivate mindset shifts and offers accountability to create healing in all aspects of their holistic health.

Theresa LaRock, CNE Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert Virtual • 203.910.1790 theresa@theresastable.com theresastable.com As a Culinary Nutrition Expert, I offer practical, everyday cooking skills; as well as a deeper understanding into the healing power of the foods we eat, and how to prepare them to make delicious, healing recipes. My goal as a Culinary Nutritionist is to provide support in health and happiness. to everyone toward a way of living that is practical, and disease preventive, one ingredient at a time.

Christine Najjar MD, MS, ABOM Food First MD

South Windsor, CT, and Virtual • 203.441.1075 info@foodfirstmd.com • foodfirstMD.com Founder of Food First MD, Dr. Christine Najjar empowers people to regain control of their health with the most underutilized medicine, food. As an Internal and Obesity Medicine Physician, she helps patients heal from ailments, optimize weight, and obtain “food freedom.” Now accepting new patients in office and via Telemedicine.

PHYSICAL THERAPY/ PERSONAL TRAINING Brian Cusano Against the Grain Fitness Glastonbury, CT • 860.478.0283 atgfitness1@gmail.com againstthegrainfitness.com We are a personal and semi-private training studio that provides our members with physical freedom, strength, and knowledge through purposeful functional training. We utilize the safest and most effective techniques to design training programs for our members and athletes that provide noticeable and consistent results as well as fun, positive experiences!

Crescent Moon Care

Canton, CT • 203.788.0009 crescentmooncare@gmail.com crescentmooncare.com Crescent Moon Care is a familycentered physical therapy practice specializing in pediatric and adult patients. All sessions are 1:1, with no overlap between clients. Janell Tartaglia, owner and primary therapist, is Board Certified in pediatrics and has extensive experience in adult orthopedic and neurological conditions as well. Insurance accepted.

Dr. Emily Guedes, PT Body Balance Therapies Shelton, CT • 203.828.8676 bodybalance-therapies.com

Body Balance Therapies is a holistic physical therapy clinic owned by Dr. Emily Guedes. We are passionate about helping clients reach their goals and take back their lives. Using hands-on techniques and lifestyle changes, we help people heal from relentless pain without costly surgeries or injections.

Ignite Fitness

West Hartford/Avon, CT • Virtual ignitefitnessct.com 860.479.1833 W. Hartford • 860.840.7703 Avon Ignite Fitness is Avon & West Hartford’s premier personal training facility. Services include Private and SemiPrivate training, Metabolic Classes, and club access.

All of our “members” are clients creating an ideal experience in a clean and spacious environment that is both individualized and socially motivating.

YOGA/PILATES/ BARRE STUDIO Be.Yoga

CT and Abroad • 860.930.1311 kristin@beyogainavon.com • beyogainavon.com Be.Yoga meets you where you are, specializing with individualized private instruction. Founder Kristin Cork leads three unique, customized cultural yoga retreats each year. She leads a 10-person, 100-hr Immersion & 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training each September and January, weaving her 20+ years of teaching Vinyasa, Yin, and chair Yoga.

Be.’s focus is to bring us home closer to ourselves.

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Dr. Schindler works hard to always find the root cause of disease and treat that. She formerly was a birth doula and prenatal massage therapist when she decided to return to ND school.

Her practice specializes in fertility, all women’s health, and Lyme disease. Patients travel from across the country to seek out her expertise.

Stamford, CT • 203.253.9885 health@donnabunte.com • donnabunte.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

A unique feature of Michelle’s practice style is the time spent on and with patients. She explores past health concerns, family history, diagnostic reports, present lifestyle, and current level of stress. Patients are very involved with all aspects of their care, which Michelle believes empowers their potential for healing.

Donna Bunte, MSOM, L.Ac.

Fierce Movement Studio Hot Yoga, Dance + Fitness Burlington, CT • 860.806.9072 info@fiercemovementstudio.com fiercemovementstudio.com Melanie LaRocco-Sedlack is owner of Fierce Movement Studio in Burlington, CT, a Hot Yoga community specializing in Hot Power Vinyasa Yoga, Bikram Style Yoga, HIIT-style workouts, and other holistic practices. They also have massage and Reiki energy healing by appointment. Everyone is welcome, and the first class is always FREE.

Leslie Gordon Yoga

NATURAL Nutmeg

Virtual/Zoom • 860.970.4944 lesliegordonyoga.com

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Leslie’s practice focuses on Yoga for Every Body. She wants everyone to be able to access the benefits of yoga, so she teaches to all levels, body types, genders, body sizes, colors, levels of fitness, and levels of flexibility. Every body can do yoga, and Leslie can help you! Private instruction available in person or via Zoom.

Hartford Sweat

Hartford, CT • 860.461.0910 • Hartfordsweat.net Join a fitness community that is passionate and supportive.

Whether you’re here for a day or dedicated to a daily practice, we’ve got what you need. Memberships are facilitated through Mindbody Online for

convenient, 24/7 scheduling and account information. Or come in person and the desk staff will help you get set up!

LAM Yoga

New Hartford, CT • 860.978.1657 • lamyoga.com LAM Yoga is a boutique studio set in the artist’s wing of a riverside mill building. We offer all-levels vinyasa flow and restorative practice, workshops, and private lessons as well as special events that connect us to our community, including exotic retreats and yoga at our local brewery.

Sacred Rivers Yoga

Virtual • 860.657.9545 • sacredriversyoga.com Paula Scopino, E-RYT 500 hour, C-IAYT, CT Licensed LMT, YACEP is the Owner/ Director of Sacred Rivers Yoga. Sacred Rivers Yoga, formed in 2003, is currently offering yoga classes and yoga teacher training in a virtual format. Yoga for every body. Free yoga for anyone diagnosed with MS and free classes for anyone with a cancer diagnosis. Thanks to our loyal members, students, and faculty for their dedication, persistence, and flexibility as we navigate these current times.

Sanctuary Power Yoga

Torrington, CT, and Virtual • 860.496.1500 sanctuarypoweryoga.com Sanctuary Power Yoga is built on accessibility and community.

We believe this yoga is for every body, regardless of your

prior experience with yoga, sports, or the gym. We invite you to join us for class, to breathe and move and experience the transformative power of this practice for yourself.

Starr Mill Yoga

Middletown, CT • 860.740.4939 info@starrmillyoga.com • starrmillyoga.com Weekly yoga classes in a variety of styles and intensity to meet the needs of students of all abilities, experience, and interests, guided by highly experienced instructors. We provide opportunities for deeper study and exploration with a wide range of workshops. This breathtaking studio is located above a waterfall in the historic Starr Mill.

West Hartford Yoga (WHY) West Hartford, CT • 860.953.9642 westhartfordyoga.com WHY is a locally owned studio welcoming all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. They offer in-studio and virtual classes—power, gentle, restorative, yin, kids—along with workshops, intro series, free yoga for cancer and recovery, and a 200-hour power yoga teacher training. WHY is grateful for the continued support of our community.

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Healthy Smile…

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Discover why South Windsor Smiles is a 2021 10BEST Winner for Best Holistic Dentist in CT. • Dental experts

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Dr. Jared Skowron: Best Holistic Pediatrician 2019 - 2022: 4 Years In A Row!