Natural Nutmeg January 2018

January/February 2018

Natural Nutmeg Connecticut's Resource For Essential Living

Can You Lose Weight with Keto?

Evelyn DeDominicis, MS

3 Myths Busted About Type 2 Diabetes Katherine Layman, ND

Reduce Your Risk of Infertility

Deceiving People into Health

Shannon Homkovics, ND

What Really Works to Lose Weight?

Is 2018 Your Year to Finally Find Love?

Bernie Siegel, MD

Anne Mitchell, ND

New Year’s Resolutions That Bring Lasting Change Stephen Sinatra, MD, FACC

Ronnie Ann Ryan

Simple Meal Planning for the New Year

Ayelet Connell, PhD, PT, IMT,C

Celebrating 11 Years of Publishing www.NaturalNutmeg.com

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

Free Gourmet Dinner

Immediately following our free seminar on,

Stress, Hormones and Health The true cause of Belly Fat (Yes, this is for you men too)

Spirited Speaker and Wellness Expert,

Clinics

Katherine Layman, ND Thurs. Jan 18th at 6:30 pm

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The UB Clinics are open to the public and provide comprehensive healthcare services to over 20,000 patients per year with an emphasis on wellness and prevention at the nation’s Center of Excellence for integrative healthcare.

Call today to discover how you can receive state-of-the-art, patient-centered care in the following fields:

• Acupuncture • Chiropractic

• Dental Hygiene • Naturopathic Medicine

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ü Learn how Hormone Imbalances —man or woman— can distort your midsection into a large belly and prevent weight loss even with dieting and exercise. ü Learn how Hormone Imbalances can affect your sleep cycles, carbohydrate cravings, and fat burning. ü Learn why “Counting Calories” doesn’t work for belly fat. ü LEARN WHAT REALLY WORKS. Safely.

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Are you experiencing pain, stress, fatigue or carrying a bit of extra weight?

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In This Issue 12

Create Your Best Year Ever with Feng Shui

24

Reduce Your Risk of Infertility

26

Simple Meal Planning for the New Year

Karen Elizabeth Rowan, LMT, CST

13

3 Myths Busted About Type 2 Diabetes Is 2018 Your Year to Finally Find Love?

Ronnie Ann Ryan

16

New Year’s Resolutions That Bring Lasting Change Stephen Sinatra, MD, FACC

18

Vitamin Deficiency is More Common Than You Think

28

Can You Lose Weight with Keto?

Evelyn DeDominicis, MS

22

Cholesterol, Just the Fats!

Katy Firisin, ND

The Power of Biomechanical Bodywork: A Different Kind of Massage Michele Nanfito, LMT

29

What Really Works to Lose Weight?

10 NUTMEG NUGGETS

38 HAPPENINGS 41 RESOURCES 42 BERNIE

Anne Mitchell, ND

33

Becoming a Reiki Master

34

Sleep Loss Has Profound Effects on Health

Pauline Weissman, MS, CNS, LDN

20

8 THE BUZZ

Ayelet Connell, PhD, PT, IMT,C

Katherine Layman, ND

15

Shannon Homkovics, ND

In Every Issue

Cheryl Case

J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Lifestyle Educator

37

Practical Divine Wisdom Robin Clare

Find more articles and search our web archive at naturalnutmeg.com

Get Ready for 2018!

March: Detoxification, Autoimmune Disease April: Food Sensitivities, Natural Allergy Relief May/June: Hormone Replacement for Women and Men, Lyme Disease Natural Treatment July/August: Metabolic Exercise, Skincare September: Natural Therapies for Kids, Healthy Aging October: Natural Treatments for Cancer, Spirituality November/December: Natural Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes, Brain Health

29 4

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

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5

PUBLISHER'SLETTER

I

love to start a new year by taking some time to acknowledge everything I accomplished in the past year and celebrate my “wins”! I actually spend the last week of December and first week of January doing this.

I believe it’s so important because often we rarely give ourselves credit for all of the great things we do each year and instead focus more on what we didn’t do – like losing more weight, exercising more, improving our financial situation or spending more time with family. Now don’t get me wrong – I do reflect on what I didn’t accomplish and spend a lot of time asking myself, “Why?”, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Here’s what I’d love for all of you to do this January: Find a few days or a weekend and write down everything you accomplished this year…even the little things like finding 5 minutes a day to start a meditation program or allowing yourself more time for self-care. These are huge if you’ve never done them before. Celebrate these successes – really acknowledge them, tell your friends and family, take yourself out to a nice dinner, get a massage or just make a toast to yourself.

It sounds silly – but it really reinforces to your brain that you can be successful in many areas of your life.

Next, take some time to write down what you didn’t accomplish this year.

Ask yourself why this happened. Is it because you really didn’t want to achieve that goal? Were you afraid to achieve it? Was the payoff not worth the amount of work?

Is it something someone else told you to do or you thought you should because everyone else is doing it – shiny object syndrome?!? If there are any goals on this list that you really don’t feel drawn to anymore – cross them off now! Believe me – there’s plenty of dreams to be accomplished, but they have to be things you really WANT – not what you think you SHOULD do or want.

We have some great articles to help you improve your life this month – from finding love to tackling those finances to making sustainable lifestyle changes and making New Year’s resolutions that finally bring lasting change!

As we move into our 11th year of publishing, Natural Nutmeg has some exciting news for 2018! We recently trademarked our new company name, ELMTM Communities and are offering a licensing opportunity to expand the magazine model nationally. If you know anyone interested in owning a magazine, now is the chance to own a business in a rapidly growing market with a proven business model.

We’ve established a profitable niche with the three biggest challenges in publishing solved for you: an established advertiser base, a reliable distribution program and an efficient content model. Contact diane@naturalnutmeg.com for more information.

In Health and Happiness,

O

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

PUBLISHER Dr. Diane Hayden Diane@naturalnutmeg.com ADVERTISING advertising@naturalnutmeg.com DIR. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Christopher Urso Curso@naturalnutmeg.com FAIRFIELD COUNTY MARKETING DIRECTOR Frances Wall Higgins frances@naturalnutmeg.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ashley Frament layout@naturalnutmeg.com SOCIAL MEDIA Erica Morawski & Alexa Morawski ADVISORY BOARD Ann Aresco, ND Adam Breiner, ND Mark Breiner, DDS Deanna M. Cherrone, MD Erika Dworkin, Dip. C.N. (Pend.)

Debra Gibson, ND Kenneth Hoffman, LAc, CCH Vicki Kobliner, MS, RD, CD-N Anne Mitchell, ND Jessica Wei, MD Lauren Young, ND DISTRIBUTION Greater Hartford and surrounding counties, please contact Natural Nutmeg.

FFC - Tom Cossuto, Man In Motion, LLC

Natural Nutmeg Magazine naturalnutmeg.com

YOGA FOR A LIFETIME.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

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

Natural Nutmeg is a free publication supported solely by our advertisers and distributed throughout Connecticut. Please call for a location near you. (860) 508-0894 or email to publisher@naturalnutmeg.com. © 2007-18 by Natural Nutmeg, LLC. All rights reserved.

Parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that permission be obtained in writing. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the ar ticles and adver tisements, nor are we responsible for the products and ser vices adver tised. We welcome your feedback.

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7

THE BUZZ Every Path to Parenthood is Unique

C

T Fertility was founded in 1991, and has been a leader in fertility creating over 5,000 babies for proud parents from over 30 countries. CT Fertility personalizes the parenting journey for any couple and single men or women. Our fertility specialists also proudly offer LGBT family planning, gay surrogacy, and supports lesbian fertility. Dr. De Pinho and Dr. Melvin Thornton are widely recognized throughout Europe and the U.S. as preeminent fertility doctors in advanced reproductive care of infertile couples, singles and same-sex couples. They offer a wide range of treatment and egg donation options, taking into account your long-term family vision; ethical, legal and financial considerations; personal relationships and priorities.

The clinic achieves exceptional results by coordinating every aspect of the medical process, all under one roof, including the finding and pre-screening of highly qualified, safe, and immediately available local egg donors. They take great pride in partnering with, guiding and empowering our patients to achieve their unique family building goals.

Why Choose CT Fertility?

• Extensive experience with egg donor, gay surrogacy, and multiparty reproduction • Locations in U.S. and Europe • State of the art IVF lab • Open 7 days a week • Multilingual team of experts • In-house donor program • Bespoke to each family approach • Gay fertility and lesbian surrogacy specialists For further information, please visit our website www.ctfertility.com or call 203-373-1200 to schedule an appointment.

See ad on page 17.

New Year – Fresh Look at your Finances

W

ant to take control of your finances, but not sure where to start? Do you wonder whether you will outlive your money? Curious whether you can sustain the lifestyle you’re living over time? You can address these questions, and more, through financial planning. Financial planning entails a holistic approach to managing your wealth so you can effectively pursue your dreams. It evaluates items that are within your control, like your budget, with those outside of your control, like the costs of health care, so that you can make informed decisions about your finances over time.

Think of financial planning as a jigsaw puzzle. What you want to do with your money is the picture that you are putting together.

The pieces of the puzzle are the items within and outside of your control. Retaining focus on your big picture goals while continuously monitoring and (re)assembling the different pieces of your financial life so that you can achieve your goals is what financial planning is all about.

Use the new year to take a fresh look at your finances. Reflect on your unique jigsaw puzzle picture. Are you satisfied with the picture you are assembling with your pieces? If you’d like a different perspective on the image you’re seeing or a confidential conversation about the pieces within or outside your control, I’d be happy to talk with you. I have used comprehensive financial planning to help many clients obtain greater control of their finances and confidence in their goals.

Caroline Wetzel is a Certified Financial PlannerTM ( CFP®) and Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA®) who has worked in financial services since 2001. She is Vice President, Private Wealth Advisor with Procyon Private Wealth Partners, LLC an independent, employee-owned registered investment advisor and fiduciary located in Shelton, CT. Procyon Private Wealth Partners, LLC helps private clients fulfill their financial dreams and institutions manage their retirement plans, endowments, and foundations. For more information, visit Caroline’s LinkedIn Page: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-wetzel and Procyon’s web site: www.procyonpartners.net See ad on page 12.

Living in a State of Super Immunity Using Essential Oils

H

ow would it feel to live in a state of Super Immunity and never worry about the seasonal ‘stuff’ that can wipe you out for weeks? This is where my family lives and thrives, in what I refer to as our super immunity bubble. Stuff goes around, and we never get wiped out - ever.

We travel the world confidently living in a state of super immunity.

I'm comforted by my essential tools even when someone is sneezing all over me in the airport. When the kids are swapping their seasonal garbage at school, I do not worry because the kids have these natural tools too.

If you've heard the BUZZ about essential oils, it's because they flat out work. I've been using essential oils with my family for 10+ years, and I cannot stop raving about them. The bottom line is: Moms and Dads want TOOLS to keep their kids healthy, and essential oils deliver.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

Essential Oils: • Can replace most of your bathroom cabinet contents • Remarkably support functions of the body such as the brain, liver, muscles, joints, heart, and lungs • Support the immune system • May clear mild acne/skin conditions • May improve sports performance, naturally • Are fully supported by thousands of scientific studies • Have worked their magic into the medical practices of Physicians because the public is demanding natural solutions I’m sure I’ve piqued your interest, so you may be wondering what’s your next step. I’d like to invite you to join one of my in-person classes or full-day workshops to learn more about essential oils and how you can work them into your life.

Lisa Wilson, Celebrating ten years as the proud owner of The Raw Food Institute, DoTerra Blue Diamond Leader, Plant Therapy Geek, and natural mom to three teenagers. To register for upcoming events visit: http://www.lisawilsonwellness.com. See ad on page 9.

Transform Your Life with Shape Reclaimed™

Hudson Valley Natural Health Opens in Danbury

HAPE ReClaimed™ is a 30+ year-old program designed to decrease inflammation from three primary causes: digestive dysfunction, a disturbed stress response and a dysfunctional immune system. The three primary causes have “inflammation” as a common denominator which causes retained weight and a variety of illnesses.

udson Valley Natural Health is a new integrative, holistic medicine practice that opened recently in Danbury, CT. Owned and operated by naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist Dr. Kurt Beil, ND, LAc, MPH, this practice covers the entire range of health, from seasonal immune support and acute infections to chronic conditions like auto-immune disease, digestive issues, hormone imbalances, cognitive and mood disorders, insomnia, and musculo-skeletal pain. “I love working with people to address the underlying imbalances that are causing their symptoms” says Dr. Beil. “When we identify the causes of illhealth through history taking, clinical observation and lab testing, and make adjustments to diet, lifestyle, and stresses, while using natural methods to facilitate an individualized, supportive healing experience, disease decreases and health flourishes. People are amazed at how a science-based, holistic, natural medicine approach to health and wellbeing can help them resolve longstanding issues that they’ve had for years.”

S

SHAPE ReClaimed™ utilizes a bio-regulatory homeopathic remedy, dietary modification, light to no exercise and acknowledges the body-mind-spirit energetic self and its role in health and disease. This program will “reset” the brain, detox the body, decrease inflammation and improve immune function. You are supported and guided through this program with weekly urinalysis, weekly consultation with the doctor/director of the program and weekly group calls with the “SHAPE Coach."

The SHAPE ReClaimed Facebook group is composed of fellow “SHAPERS” who share success stories and support you with challenges (always speak with your doctor before taking the “word” of the Facebook group). To get started, your doctor will do an initial exam and order a laboratory panel to pre-screen you and identify your inflammatory markers. Laboratory changes routinely show reduced inflammatory markers and most people experience increased energy, improved sleep, improved digestion and decreased joint and muscle pain. Many people have lost their diagnosis of diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, and gastritis.

SHAPE ReClaimed™ Information Sessions are given by Dr. Cheryl Vincent in Simsbury and Dr. Gina Carucci in Rocky Hill. Visit or call Dr. Cheryl Vincent's office at: www.simsburychiro.com (860) 6513355 or Dr. Gina Carucci's office at www.drcarucci.com (860) 257-8445. See ad on page 17.

H

Dr. Beil just returned to the area after spending 15 years in Portland, Oregon studying and practicing natural medicine, as well as teaching and researching ecotherapy and stress-reduction as part of his post-doctoral and public health training. “I loved my experiences out west, they taught me so much about what is possible for health and well-being when we work with the healing power of natural, holistic medicine. I’m glad to be back east sharing this needed component of health-care.”

Dr. Kurt Beil sees patients on Tuesdays in Danbury, CT at 72 North Street, Suite 100A. For more information about his practice, Hudson Valley Natural Health, visit www.hudsonvalleynaturalhealth. com, email drkurt@earthlink.net, or call 914.362.8315. See ad on page 43.

Lisa Wilson, CHC, CRFE FREE WELLNESS CONSULT

www.NaturalNutmeg.com

9

3.5w x 3.375h

Nutmeg “Nuggets” Try a Cleanse This Year

F

or many of us, January is when we think about losing weight and starting new routines. It is a good time time of year because we have less commitments, temptations and the inclination to hibernate. We have to remember not to set ourselves up to fail, however. New Year's resolutions can be daunting. Cleansing safely is very important because the release of toxins into the blood stream should be monitored by someone who can diagnose you properly and knows which herbs would suit you best. Herbs are medicine and should be used wisely.

A three week nutritional cleanse rather than a liquid fast, which is not for everyone, is what I suggest. Eliminating heavy and toxic foods such as dairy, sugar, processed foods, refined grains, alcohol, caffeine, additives, and red meat will give our digestive system a break and allow our body to heal. In addition, taking herbs that help cleanse the liver, kidney and intestines will assist the cleansing process.

Chinese medicine is a major part of my health practice, therefore I always use this method to look at each person’s constitution or type as well as looking at the seasons. Each person has his or her own health tendencies and weaknesses so not every cleanse should be the same. Are you hot, cold, wet, dry, over active, tired all the time? Warming soups, lots of cooked vegetables, and some whole grains could be the basis of a winter cleanse with variations for each person.

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Realigning the emotional aspect of our health is just as essential since we live in a very fast paced world. Beginning a simple meditation practice would be very beneficial in conjunction with a dietary cleanse because it focuses the mind and calms the adrenals lowering the production of stress hormones. This will give us time to look inward, be present in our body, and give gratitude for the miracle of our body and our health.

Submitted by Donna Bunte, MSOM, L.Ac. For over 22 years she has been helping clients with cleansing and health by phone or in person. www.donnabunte.com 2001 West Main St. Stamford. 203 698 0793 health@donnabunte.com. See ad on page 28.

Review Your Past, Define Your Present and Create Your Future

ROBIN CLARE, SPIRITUAL MESSENGER

Discover how to live a more joyful, peaceful, loving and abundant life by connecting to the infinite wisdom of your Soul.

Natural Nutmeg Readers $50 off your first Akashic Records session! (one time offer)

Contact Robin at 860.232.3331 or info@clare-ity.com to book your session.

Visit clare-ity.com and facebook.com/ClareityWithRobin/

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

Oral health is directly related to your overall body health. However, many people avoid dental visits due to fear.

NEW PATIENT VISIT

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Make an appointment

Call (860)640-4465

112 Deming St., South Windsor, CT www.southwindsorsmiles.com

South Windsor Smiles Kevin H. Norige, D.M.D.

Hypnosis: The No Diet Solution for Natural Weight Loss

Modern, Evidence-Based Nutrition for Fat Loss that’s Here to Stay

ell, it’s that reflective time of year again. The holiday season is over and life is returning to normal and, like many people, your New Year’s resolution may be to finally find a way to lose that unwanted, unhealthy weight. There is very good news for those who want to combat obesity, gain control and lose weight. Hypnosis, whether traditional or the new Virtual Gastric Band program, is an easy, relaxing and successful solution to natural weight loss without dieting. You may have the best of intentions to stop eating those sweets or starchy carbs and really begin that “diet” tomorrow…but something stops you from following through with the plan. Your motivation and willpower suddenly disappear.

Cravings, emotional eating, portion sizes and out of control behaviors often get the best of us …we give in and then we give up.

ver wonder why the diets and nutrition programs that work for some people do not work for everyone? The answer is usually two-fold: the diet isn’t individualized to them, and underlying weight loss obstacles are not addressed. These personal challenges need to be recognized and addressed. A lot goes in to determining body composition; not only calorie intake and exercise, but gut bacteria, inflammation, hormones, stress, genetics, and more.

There are even specific conditions, such as lipedema, associated with weight loss difficulty. Lipedema involves stubborn, sometimes painful fat, particularly in the legs and buttocks; experts estimate that it affects as many as 11% of women yet remains severely underdiagnosed.

Hypnosis can finally end the old sabotaging behavior and help your mind work for you instead of against you. Hypnosis has the ability to help you regain your willpower to eat consciously and healthfully so you can finally lose weight….without deprivation!

Hypnosis is widely recognized by scientists and researchers as a very safe, natural and enjoyable state of deep physical and emotional relaxation. It is a well-established fact that therapeutic hypnosis can be used as an effective tool for everything from weight loss and smoking cessation, behavior modification, success and motivation, insomnia, fear, stress, healing and even pain control.

Today hypnosis is used in medicine, dentistry, law enforcement, professional sports and self-improvement.

Outdated nutrition advice is also common. Many people are still concerned about eating high fat diets, despite evidence that low carb and ketogenic diets can be very effective for weight loss and managing blood sugar. The ketogenic diet can be particularly effective because it forces the body to break down fat for fuel rather than relying on dietary glucose for energy. For many, weight loss becomes more difficult in mid-life as hormones and metabolism change. Certain strategies are more effective in this population such as intermittent fasting (IF). IF can be done in different ways.

For example, limiting your eating window, alternate-day-fasting, or fasting-mimicking. IF has been shown to have numerous benefits, one of which is improved body composition.

Anyone who has made a personal commitment to change behavior or improve their health and life realizes how difficult it can be to institute and maintain regular and positive improvements and responses for wellness. Hypnosis has proven to be an effective, safe method to create the healthy and positive changes needed to naturally lose weight, without dieting, without deprivation and without surgery.

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Create Your Best Year Ever with Feng Shui

By Karen Elizabeth Rowan, LMT, CST or centuries, the principles of Feng Shui have been practiced in the East. Feng Shui means “wind and water." It is an understanding of how the movement of energies can affect our environment, health, and our lives. The basic principles of Feng Shui include: space clearing, color, elements, precision placement, and design. Simple shifts and adjustments in your surroundings can create beneficial energy by correcting the flow of “chi” or “life force”. They may also bring forth new opportunities in health, relationships, travel, business and education, as well as an abundance of prosperity. By applying the ancient Feng Shui principles, we have the ability to create a more peaceful and harmonious environment for all who reside in your home or business.

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Are You Feeling Stuck or Depressed?

“Chi stagnation” can be described as a feeling of being stuck, depressed, ill, or uncomfortable. Without proper alignment, energetic movement and change, our bodies and spirits can suffer. If we reside in an area where there is discordance, it can influence us at a cellular level since we are made up of trillions of cells that react to our internal and external environment. By moving our body, as well as moving our furniture, personal belongings and landscapes, we can increase our vitality and experience a feeling of inner peace and tranquility. The acceptance of change is essential to maintain health, emotional balance, and well-being.

Another example of Chi stagnation is “energetic imprints”, which may be left by previous owners or tenants, failed businesses, and foreclosures as well as by illness, divorce, and even death of prior occupants. The location of a dwelling or office at the end of a cul-de-sac, near a mountain, body of water, or

power lines can also affect energy. Living in the midst of clutter and disorganization can make us feel uncomfortable and keep us from moving forward in our lives. Any or all of these situations can create imbalance and cause distress to oneself, family, friends and clients. The application of Feng Shui helps to clear these “energetic imprints” by using the art of placement and design to recreate a new and vibrant environment.

Evaluate Your Environment During a Feng Shui consultation, we evaluate the environment of your home, land, and/or business. Then we design and establish a compatible relationship within your surroundings to bring forth support for your life, health and well-being. The “Bagua” is one valuable tool. It is a chart that incorporates nine major components of life in reference to the nine sectors of your home, office or land. It includes direction, life situations, elements, and colors that work best in each area. The Bagua chart is placed over the layout of your existing property or blueprints of new space to determine where the nine “guas” are located. After walking through your home/office and reviewing any areas of concern, we configure the space through the application of Feng Shui principles and make changes that are necessary to create more balance and flow. Then, a powerful “Chi adjustment” or “rice blessing” can be incorporated to clear old and stagnate energy. This adjustment allows your space to “breathe” in order to welcome the new opportunities and blessings you call forth.

During this process, we can incorporate the guidance of Co-Active Life Coaching. I will invite you to state intentions, which are powerful statements to God/Spirit/Creator, to bring focus, clarity, and action to your visions, thoughts, and dreams.

New discoveries may unfold as we uncover any blocks or blind spots that have kept you from launching your life in the direction of your heart’s desire. When your surroundings reflect the things that you love, your space will feel revitalized. It is your right to live your life passionately and to dwell in a sacred environment that embraces your true essence.

Karen Elizabeth Rowan ,LMT, CST is the founder and owner of the Rhythm of Life Healing Centre in Simsbury. She is a certified Feng Shui Practitioner and specializes in CranioSacral Therapy and Somato Emotional Release® for adults and children. www.iahp.com/krowan 860.693.0680 See ad on page 17.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

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3 Myths

About Type 2 Diabetes

By Katherine Layman, ND id you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for diabetics? The biggest commonality with every diabetic or heart disease patient that I see is that they have been told, “You need to take this medication (Metformin, Lipitor) for the rest of your life, and this condition is likely to get worse.” Unfortunately, if you follow those directions, and do nothing else, it is true. You are likely going to get worse. However, there are steps you can take that completely change the game. It doesn’t have to get worse.

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Let’s examine one case example from my practice. For many of my patients, experiences accumulated over their lifetime have led them to the path of diabetes and/or heart disease. Emily was 26 years old when she first presented to my office, and she was already on the road toward diabetes and heart disease. She had struggled with severe anxiety since her early teens and her primary care physician helped her to suppress these symptoms with anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. She had been taking these medications since the age of 14 without much relief from her anxiety and as a result she had gained over 40 pounds, developed high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and her fasting blood sugar levels were slowly increasing. Her primary care physician then recommended some dietary changes in an attempt to delay her need to begin blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering medications. He did, however, warn her that she would likely need them at some point in the future.

When she first came to see me, Emily was very anxious about her health and struggling to maintain the diet changes recommended by her primary care doctor. She described how she was easily overwhelmed by daily life, resulting in extreme irritability and panic, as well as tension headaches every evening. Every little stressor throughout her day felt massive and insurmountable, and on top of it she had developed an irritating skin condition. Due to her extreme anxiety about her health and a fear of diabetes and heart disease she obsessed

over her diet and was very hard on herself.

This led to self-sabotaging behavior. If she strayed just a little bit from her diet on any given day she would become irate with herself, completely give up, and binge on unhealthy foods.

Clearly, something had to change. I recommended some nutritional changes to expand Emily’s diet and flood her cells with nutrients from whole foods, along with a few simple movement and lifestyle recommendations. Perhaps most importantly, I recommended Emily begin taking a homeopathic medicine prescribed specifically for her unique set of symptoms. She started taking homeopathic Sulphur 30c one time per day. (I will discuss the importance of including homeopathic medicine in treatment below). It is important to note that Emily continued to take all of the medications prescribed by her primary care physician.

Within one month, Emily reported a complete resolution of her symptoms and she was well on her way to not only controlling her metabolic condition, but reversing the damage that had been done.

She no longer experienced any anxiety and in fact reported that her mood was so stable she hadn’t felt even a hint of “overwhelm” in the last few weeks before follow-up. She reported a complete resolution in her headaches, irritability, and anxiety and had only felt mild itching once in the last week. She

CT # 1587

reported that sticking to the dietary changes was easy and she felt hopeful for the first time in years. Emily has since maintained all of her improvements and is well on her way to reversing her metabolic syndrome.

She is working with her primary care physician to decrease her prescription medication dosages at a rate that is safe for her and we continue to work together so that she maintains her improvements throughout that process.

What is different about the course that Emily took in treatment from the typical diabetic or heart disease patient? There are 3 basic misunderstandings that a majority of diabetic and cardiovascular disease patients have about their condition. If they believe and live as if these misunderstandings are true, they will literally sabotage their potential for a healthy future. No matter your age, recognizing these misunderstandings and how to overcome them will help your body to reverse Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Misunderstanding #1: It Always Gets Worse According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Diabetes is Preventable and Controllable.” I would personally add to that “reversible.” I have seen it enough times to say with conviction that Type II diabetes is reversible. Much chronic cardiovascular disease is also reversible. By taking a naturopathic approach to diabetes that incorporates the proper lifestyle, nutrition, and (the secret sauce) homeopathic medicine, not only does it not have to get worse, it can improve and completely reverse.

Misunderstanding #2: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease are Genetic, You Just Have to Learn to Live with It There is absolutely a genetic component to this disease. Certain people are more predisposed to diabetes than others.

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What you may have failed to understand is that if you properly apply the components of the disease that are in your control, namely nutrition, lifestyle, and addressing your individual sensitivities with homeopathic medicine, then you can trump your genetics every time. The part of this disease within your control is greater than the component not in your control.

Misunderstanding #3: As Long as You Take Your Medication, Your Condition is Not That Big of a Deal Not that big of a deal? Certainly, you have read the side effects, both from the medications and the disease itself: • Neuropathy • Peripheral Vascular Disease • Heart Attack and Stroke

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

• Loss of Vision • Weight Gain • Fatigue We live in the information age. We are drowning in information. You may come to believe the three common misunderstandings by reading various sources on the internet or speaking to a friend or family member. Accepting them as fact only leads to disempowerment. This is what I am most frustrated by when I talk to patients, friends, and family members struggling with diabetes and heart disease. They have been convinced that there is nothing they can do.

They are passively resigned to their fate and their control has been taken away. If you feel that nothing can be done about this disease except to take medication, then you will steadily coast along the diabetes/heart disease pathway, day by day moving closer to the side-effects listed above.

What Was Different About Our Approach?

First, we addressed the underlying cause. Emily was partly in this situation due to the side effects of her anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications. Her anxiety and extreme levels of stress response were compounding these metabolic effects.

Flooding Emily’s body with nutrients from specific whole foods, not restricting her calorie intake, and not relying heavily on supplements or food-like shakes was key to her recovery. Our nervous system and our endocrine (hormone) systems are intimately connected and heavily dependent upon good nutrient status. Movement ensures the delivery of these nutrients, oxygen, and blood to all of our tissues, including our brain and the tissues that produce our hormones. It magnifies the effects of good nutrition. These two interventions fall into the “lifestyle” category. They address our internal and external environment and utilize these factors to promote healing. However, the keystone to enhancing the synergy of these treatments is homeopathic medicine.

What is Homeopathic Medicine?

Homeopathy is a specific system of using medicines to stimulate the body to respond with self-healing. The medicines act as a mild stressor, a small input to which the body responds in a healing manner. The homeopathic physician utilizes the characteristic sensitivities of the patient as data points that help to determine which medicine a patient will be sensitive to. We then use this medicine to work with the body, rather than against it as most pharmaceutical drug treatments do.

In Emily’s case, I was confident that she would respond to homeopathic Sulphur

because people who typically are sensitive to Sulphur are also sensitive to easily becoming explosively irritable, experience overwhelming anxiety, troubling skin symptoms with intolerable itching, are susceptible to tension headaches in the evenings, and may experience increased appetite with weight gain. Once we began to overcome these obstacles, Emily was better able to control the factors leading to her metabolic condition and to wean off of the drugs that compounded her metabolic deterioration.

Using homeopathic medicines to overcome internal sensitivities allows patients to find faster relief in resolving their symptoms. Homeopathic treatment alone will never reverse diabetes or heart disease. It does, however, synergistically improve the patient’s response to lifestyle treatments and corrections. As they respond to the remedy and experience a reduction in their sensitivity, they become healthier as a whole person and can better maintain diet and lifestyle changes. This is why I consider homeopathy the “secret sauce” of medicine!

If you are struggling with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, plaques in your blood vessels, or other chronic conditions, your main concern should be getting well and feeling better again. The smartest choice is to get to the root of the problem and not get “passed through” the medical system, being treated like you do not know what you are talking about or feeling.

Ask yourself if you can afford NOT to get treated. If you are honest with yourself, the answer is you CAN’T. Drugs often create long-term side effects and greater problems in the future. You can be one of the fortunate few who receive the proper support and treatment and live well, OR you can continue feeling like you do now.

The choice is yours.

Enthusiasm for the health successes of her patients allows Dr. Katherine Layman to bring a warm and comforting healing environment to her naturopathic medical practice. She graduated with honors from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. She practices in Woodbury, Connecticut where she helps everyday individuals optimize their health and overcome chronic disease. For more information on her wellness practice, call 860-393-0478 or visit ctnaturopathic.com.

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Is 2018 Your Year to Finally Find Love?

By Ronnie Ann Ryan o you dream of finding love?

Someone to hug, kiss and snuggle with? How would life be different if you had a partner who has your back and makes you laugh? One thing I know as a dating coach for 15 years is that it’s never too late to find love! However, to find love you’ll have to DO something about it. Just like getting a new job or redecorating your home, there are steps to make your goal a reality.

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Here are 10 steps to find love this year: 1.Clear the Past: If you are ready for love, start by cleaning up your love energy.

Burn old love letters and toss journals.

Unfriend old beaus on social media.

Give away gifts from past lovers. These are powerful ways to release the past and create space for a new man.

2. Boost Confidence: Men find confident women sexy (and vice versa) so how can you boost your confidence?

Lose 5 lbs. and exercise more. Write a list of all your accomplishments and feel proud of yourself. Become more interesting by taking a class, reading more, or listening to live music. Learn a new skill or visit a museum. Selfimprovement is fun and gives you new conversation topics.

3. Polish Your Looks: When was the last time you updated your hairstyle and makeup? Get a new haircut, highlights or change your color. Refresh your makeup and buy a new lipstick.

And if you don’t wear makeup, start with blush, mascara and lip gloss. You might also buy a new outfit that you feel FABULOUS in. Give yourself some pizzazz and wear something sexy to feel desirable and present an alluring package when you meet men.

4. Take a Vow of Friendliness: How friendly are you? If you are anything less than 7 on a scale of 1- 10, take a vow of friendliness. Smile more at people every day, especially men.

Strike up a conversation with someone in line at the grocery store or cleaners.

8. Meet One Man a Month: Seriously, if you want to find love, you’ve got to meet new men regularly. Set an intention to meet at least one man a month and one a week would be even better.

There’s no wiggling out of this if you want to find the lasting love. You can meet 12 men or more this year so get on it!

Your entire life improves when you build social skills. But, it sure is easier to meet men when you are friendly and approachable.

5. Schedule Time to Meet Men: If you don’t have time in your busy calendar to meet men, you don’t have time for love either. When you make time in your calendar, you are more likely to follow through. The best way to do this is to look up singles events, Meetups or other events you want to attend. Put them in your calendar and go!

6. Learn What Works with Dating Sites or Apps: I realize online dating is common knowledge, but do you know how to make the most of this digital tool?

It’s more than just posting a profile so men find you. Invest time and money to learn how to make the sites and apps work for you. Just do it as the Nike tagline says because finding love is WORTH IT. 7. Get a Dating Buddy: When you have a single girlfriend as your dating buddy, you are more likely to keep your commitments. Hold each other accountable to get online, try apps and go to live events together. Encourage each other to stick with it and regain composure after disappointments. This is a highly supportive way to stay positive on your journey.

9. Write a Letter to Yourself: Why do you want to find love? Do you want companionship, romance and someone to travel with? A partner to sit in front of the fire and snuggle with? Get clear about what love will add to your life and why you want that. When you know why love is important to you, the effort to meet new people will make more sense.

10. Smarten Up about Dating: What do you really know about midlife dating? Have you read any books, taken a class or tried private coaching? These options open your eyes to what works.

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Things That Lower Your Vibration • Telling a lie (or knowingly not telling the truth) • Thinking negatively, pessimistically • Lacking love • Remaining isolated and being lonely

New Year’s Resolutions That Bring Lasting Change

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here’s no better time to improve your life than at the birth of the new year.

The new calendar is a fresh, clean slate and most of us feel energized and inspired to make changes for the better. Most of us pick a small slice of life to focus on like losing weight or perhaps finding a new job, but I prefer a “whole life” approach.

Specifically, I suggest you make 2018 the year you adopt a resolution that has the potential to bring lasting change to every area of your life. The key ingredient? Higher vibrations.

Here’s what I mean. Everything in the human body, every cell, every organ, every system, every thought, every emotion, vibrates to its own natural rhythm. When your energy vibrates at a high level, you attract better health. When it vibrates at a low level, the opposite happens, pathogens and toxins are more likely to enter the body and make you sick.

During a near-death-experience (NDE) following a terrible accident, my colleague received eight Divine and healing insights on topics including nutrition, faith, and self-love. Perhaps one of the most important heavenly insights he received however, was the importance of positivity, a life choice

that results in high vibrations. Amazingly, these revelations dovetailed with the knowledge I have gained through my studies of scientifically and medically validated clinical research, as well as my own experiences as a cardiologist. The Divine verdict on vibration is clear: for better or worse, your thoughts and actions create your reality. This means that you don’t have to suffer if you don’t want to. You can be a healthier, happier version of your current self sooner than you think.

Your thoughts are the most powerful, creative tools in the universe. They create emotions. Emotions create chemicals that destroy or heal. Good thoughts and words, like love, gratitude, and appreciation, create higher vibrations. Bad thoughts, like put-downs, unfair criticism, despair, pessimism, and anxiety create low vibrations. Your thoughts are actions, too. They begin a chain of events, positive or negative, just as if they were physical actions.

That’s why it is so important to become a positive thinker. You can do this by avoiding behaviors, attitudes, and circumstances that lower your vibration and embracing others that raise it. To help you get started, check out this list of 20 actions that lower your vibration, and 20 actions that raise it:

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• Having aggressive behavior • Being selfish • Staying angry • Lacking a purpose

By Stephen Sinatra, MD, FACC

Ingri Boe-Wiegaard Licensed Acupuncturist

• Lacking faith

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

• Unresolved grief or sadness • Not forgiving self or others • Envy • Greed • Laziness • Lacking activity and physical movement • Drug use • Drinking alcohol • Eating GMO (genetically modified organism) foods • Consuming excess sugars • Excess exposure to cellular phones, computers, and other wireless technologies Things That Raise Your Vibration • Having faith • Loving yourself and others • Forgiving yourself and others • Gratitude • Creating biological and spiritual family connections and building romantic relationships • Letting go of anger, fear, ego, grief, and selfishness • Spending time with children and animals • Praying and/or meditating • Mind/body interactions like tai chi, qigong, and yoga • Positive thinking • Volunteering • Not using illegal drugs and limiting alcohol intake • Pursuing a favorite hobby • Listening to music

• Being flexible and fluid • Drinking clean water with minerals, preferably out of glass containers • Eating a clean, non-GMO, organic foods-based, non-inflammatory diet

HELPING YOU ACHIEVE YOUR FAMILY BUILDING DREAMS

• Detoxifying your body and surrounding environment • “Grounding” by walking barefoot on sand, grass, or even concrete as often as possible • Taking targeted nutritional supplements that support Vital Force energy Ring in the new year with higher vibrations and start enjoying better health, less anxiety and fear, and an overall more harmonious and joyful existence. When you vibrate on a higher level you can transform from victim into victor. Now that’s something worth celebrating.

Dr. Stephen Sinatra and Tommy Rosa are coauthors of Health Revelations from Heaven. Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, FACC, is a cardiologist and psychotherapist with 40 years of clinical experience treating heart disease. He is the host of HeartMDInstitute.com and the creator of Vervana Marketplace (vervana. com), which offers wholesome, highquality products from all over the world.

Tommy Rosa is a spiritual counselor who helps people conquer their fear of death.

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17

Vitamin Deficiency is More Common Than You Think

By Pauline Weissman, MS, CNS, LDN hen I talk about micronutrients in my practice, not everyone knows what I’m referring to without a proper explanation. Micronutrients are nutritional factors that are essential for cell growth, division, key enzymatic functions and biochemical reactions in our body. Without them, pathways break down and a deficiency state and/or sickness can develop. These key micronutrients are, but are not limited to all of our vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and key metabolites.

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According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES), the CDC’s ongoing survey that addresses the health and nutritional status of the US population, the most common deficiencies are Vitamin B6, Vitamin D and Iron.

Vitamin B6 is essential for normal brain development and function, and is a cofactor in manufacturing the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine which affect mood; and melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythm. It is also a key metabolite in numerous enzymatic functions for protein metabolism. In conjunction with

Vitamins B12 and Folate, Vitamin B6 serves to modulate circulating homocysteine levels, which is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Food sources include fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, potatoes, and bananas.

Vitamin D is necessary for many functions in the body, most notably bone health. Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between low vitamin D status and autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus. Food sources are fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolk, liver.

Iron is a key mineral the body needs to make hemoglobin, a substance in the blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to cells throughout the body. Iron is also an important part of many other proteins and enzymes needed by the body for normal growth and development. Severe cases of iron deficiency are often associated with tiredness and exhaustion. It is found in red meat, fish, poultry, lentils, beans, and dark leafy greens.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

Given this information and our hurried lifestyles, it is not surprising, some of the most common micronutrient deficiencies we see in our practice are for the above nutrients as well as the B vitamins as a whole.

Often called “stress vitamins”, they are: B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenate), B6 (Pyridoxine), B12, Folate and Biotin (B7). Inositol is also a component of the B vitamin family. Crucial for neurological function, carbohydrate metabolism, immune system functioning and more, these vitamins are naturally found in whole grains and dark leafy greens. legumes, some meats and nuts or seeds. Consuming too many refined carbohydrates: think processed food/ white flour products, will not only leave your diet lacking in these crucial vitamins, but the processes required to digest them will rob your body of its B vitamin stores as well. Where does this leave us and how do these deficiencies present themselves in everyday life?

Results of Micronutrient Deficiency 1. Thyroid Issues: It is estimated that 4.6% of people 12 and older have thyroid conditions. The thyroid gland is reliant upon Vitamin D, Zinc and Selenium in particular to function effectively. Vitamin D is of special interest. Although categorized as a fat-soluble vitamin, it is technically a hormone our skin manufactures on its own when exposed to the sun. Many people are low in Vitamin D and this can present itself in a variety of conditions. Rich food sources already mentioned are fatty fish and egg yolks. Zinc is abundant in pumpkin seeds and grass fed beef, poultry and legumes, while Selenium is high in Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, cold water fish, garlic and liver.

2. Gut Issues: L-Glutamine, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K are crucial for gut function. The healthier our intestinal tract is, the stronger our immune system will be. L-glutamine is a protein that is one of the primary fuel sources for the endothelial cells in our intestinal tract. Often it is depleted when there are issues with digestion, inflammatory gut disorders such as IBS, undetected food sensitivities, and autoimmune conditions. Rich sources of l-glutamine are meat products. Vitamin K is abundantly found in dark leafy greens.

3. Other Concerns: Vegetarians need to be conscientious of more than just macronutrient intake and paying attention to adequate protein intake. There are essential micronutrients that are available in very limited quantities from plant products and must be supplemented. Of key concern is Vitamin

B12, Carnitine, and Iron. Fish, meat, eggs and milk products are good sources of Vitamin B12 and Carnitine. Additional food sources of Carnitine include fermented soybeans, asparagus, avocados and peanuts. The richest food sources of Iron include red meats, lentils, legumes and dark leafy greens.

Athletes have particular needs that the general population does not. Increased exercise and stress on the system translates into increased demand for micronutrients. Due to the oxidative and physical stress athletes put on their bodies, they have an increased need for B vitamins and antioxidants in particular. Very often glutathione is reduced. This antioxidant is crucial for reducing oxidative stress. Other key antioxidants include Vitamin C, E, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic acid. Eating a whole foods diet rich in vegetables and all the colors of the rainbow will serve to increase all antioxidant levels. Ideally, we should all be consuming 5 or more servings of vegetables per day.

Testing for micronutrient status can be an essential part of a treatment plan in a variety of situations serving as guidance for appropriate dietary and supplemental protocols. It is always advised to consult with your practitioner prior to supplementing with specific nutrients.

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Until now, with the evolution of the Paleo diet and emerging evidence demonstrating that healthy fats in the diet is not only healthy, but that “healthy fats” are essential for optimal health.

Coupled with the realization that too many carbohydrates in the diet are contributing to the rise in obesity and Diabetes, the Keto approach has floated back up to the top as a healthy option for many people.

Can You Lose Weight with Keto?

By Evelyn DeDominicis, MS

K

eto” or the Ketogenic Diet is #trending. More than half of the bestsellers in the diet book category are pro-Keto for its benefits with weight loss, brain health and even cancer prevention. Keto has become mainstream. So, you may be wondering…will it work for you?

First, let’s start with some background: Keto isn’t new. The high fat, moderate protein, low carb approach to eating has been around for well over a century. It was used in Diabetes management and for the treatment of epilepsy, but it was left behind in favor of more profitable medications.

The fear of dietary fat that occurred with skewed science in the 70s, 80s and 90s, made no-fat and low fat diets, “healthy” and high fat diets “definitely NOT healthy,” so Keto/high fat approaches were sidelined even further. Attempts to re-introduce Keto principles occurred over the decades as its fringe application expanded for use in weight loss (with the popular Atkins Diet) and to support conditions such as Diabetes, Parkinson’s, ADD, autism, dementia and cancer, but high fat/low carb diets were met with criticism and concern over clogged arteries and all the other stigma that the lowfat craze caused.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

As a functional nutritionist, I believe that a well-formulated, nutrient dense Ketogenic approach makes sense. Most modern disease – including weight imbalances – are rooted in blood sugar dysregulation. A high carbohydrate diet (which the S.A.D.- Standard American Diet most certainly is) has the propensity to raise blood sugar, which creates a hormonal cascade that favors fat storage, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.

For many, just switching from refined carbohydrates (sugary drinks, juices, breads, pasta, cookies, crackers, chips, etc.) to whole foods carbohydrates (fruit, veggies, beans, grains) with a balance of proteins and fats will turn things around beautifully. For others, more carbohydrate adjustments are needed, and that’s where a nutrient dense Keto approach can be an amazing tool.

A Keto diet creates a shift in your body by switching fuel sources from being a sugar burner (glucose) to a fat burner (ketones).

When in “ketosis” we use stored fat along with dietary fat to fuel energy requirements. Using ketones as fuel is a nice slow burn without the blood sugar swings many experience with a high carb diet.

A real food Keto approach is vastly different from the bacon, cheese and diet soda of the early Atkins era. Functional Nutrition has an appreciation for anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense foods – particularly fibrous vegetables - which support the gut microbiome and provide micronutrients to fuel cellular activity.

Our approach to Keto also takes out all the tedious tracking and the strict focus on “macros” - the percentages of fats, carbohydrates and protein consumed on a daily basis. We simply start with building our plates with a variety of non-starchy vegetables, moderate protein and several servings of healthy fats (3-5 per meal is usually a good amount to support ketosis).

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Modern Keto pairs really well with Intermittent Fasting too because eating a high fat diet is very satiating. Fat, protein and fiber recalibrate ghrelin and leptin – our hunger and satiety hormones - so most people find that they feel great with 1-2 meals a day instead of three - and snacking becomes a thing of the past.

So back to the original question: Can you lose weight with Keto? The answer is: Yes, for most people. However, there may be cases where other factors such as genetics, stress, physiology and hormone imbalances play a part in blocking the body’s ability to lose weight. In this case, the Keto approach may need to be modified for the individual.

I’ll often cycle in whole food carbohydrates in cases where there’s more demand – such as fueling athletic performance or supporting thyroid function and hormonal balance – particularly with women. To find your ideal approach to Keto, reach out to an experienced functional nutritionist to customize the right eating plan for you.

Evelyn DeDominicis, MS is a functional/ clinical nutritionist at Collaborative Natural Health Partners in Manchester, CT. She has a Master's Degree in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport along with various nutrition, culinary, yoga and energy healing certifications. Evelyn is available for classes and one on one sessions. Visit ctnaturalhealth.com/events for a full schedule of her lectures. To schedule your appointments directly, visit www.evelynd.com or by calling 860-916-0330. See ad on this page.

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Cholesterol, Just the Fats!

By Katy Firisin, ND

B

y design, everything our body does has a purpose. So, why would it produce so much cholesterol if it were bad?

What is Cholesterol?

While many believe cholesterol to be a bad thing, or the result of too many eggs and bacon, it is actually a pervasive substance busy at work in many systems of our bodies. Cholesterol is a waxy substance largely produced by the liver. The body produces roughly 1000 mg of cholesterol per day, far more than it consumes through food. Cholesterol is ubiquitous. It is found in every cell of our body. But there is much more to cholesterol than high and low.

LDL and HDL Cholesterol is transported by lipoproteins, HDL and LDL, which are only two of several that are typically measured. These lipoproteins are not actually cholesterol. They carry cholesterol through the body where it needs to go. The HDL “good cholesterol” is responsible for helping to clean up damage to artery walls.

The LDL, dubbed the “bad cholesterol”, is not inherently bad at all and carries nutrients through the blood stream.

There are two important categories or sizes of LDL. The large fluffy particle LDL is the healthier size that carries out its everyday transport function. However, in the presence of inflammation, sugars, and triglycerides, these particles become oxidized or “rusty” and small. This smaller particle is believed to be able to attach more readily to the artery walls and contribute to plaque formation.

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Hormone Production Once Cholesterol hitches a ride on the HDL and LDL, where does it go and what happens if we take medication to bring those levels down? One major role of cholesterol is hormone production. Testosterone, the male sex hormone, is made from cholesterol.

Estrogen and progesterone, the female sex hormones, are also derived from cholesterol. The stress response from our adrenal glands relies on cortisol, a hormone that depends on cholesterol for production. Another cholesterol dependent hormone, aldosterone, regulates kidney function and blood pressure. Vitamin D is, in fact, a hormone and not a vitamin at all. The production of cholesterol is part of the conversion of Vitamin D both from the sun and from our foods. You can begin to imagine the possible side effects of taking cholesterol-lowering medications.

We have learned that cholesterol is everywhere, that it is made by the body and has an important role in many functions. But the rhetoric surrounding “high” cholesterol is that it clogs arteries and causes heart attacks. For millions of years in human evolution, the body has produced cholesterol and cannot live without this molecule. Yet, not until the 20th century did we see heart disease rise as a leading cause of death in humans. What changed? Diet, agriculture, industrialization, sugar consumption, sedentary lifestyles, and the promotion of low fat diets high in carbohydrates are just a few examples. The number and size of our LDL’s is largely impacted by inflammation and other lifestyle factors. The good news is that with dietary changes, exercise, and nutritional supplementation, these rusty old LDL’s can be replaced with their healthy fluffy counterparts.

Improving Your Cholesterol 1. Change your diet. Decrease refined sugar and carbohydrates.

These have been shown to damage your arteries. LDL particle size is negatively impacted by inflammation and oxidation from diets high in refined sugar and carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables contain important antioxidants. Plants also contain phytosterols that compete with cholesterol to get into the cells and circulate in the blood stream.

2. Eat healthy fats. Omega-3 fatty acids have been well researched showing their positive effects on HDL levels and LDL density.

3. Reduce stress. We lead busy, chaotic lives. Exercise, meditation, yoga, spiritual practice and simply slowing ourselves down have been shown to decrease cardiac risk.

4. Exercise. Get your heart rate up! 40 minutes of rigorous exercise, 3-4 times a week can have cholesterol-lowering effects.

5. Keep your liver healthy. Your liver is important in both production and elimination of cholesterol and the digestion of fats with the production of bile. Keeping your liver healthy by decreasing refined sugar and alcohol intake will help your liver regulate cholesterol production.

6. Berberine supplementation. Berberine, a compound found in many plants, has several great benefits including lowering blood sugar. One recent study showed a reduction in small size lipoproteins by 13-15%. In addition, according to a 2016 study published by the Journal of Diabetes Investigation, Berberine can also decrease the oxidation of the lining of artery walls. Seeing a healthcare practitioner for proper dosing is advised.

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your diet. Dietary changes are essential to not only conceiving a child, but also to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Women have an increased chance of becoming pregnant without complications when they make the following changes:

Reduce Your Risk of Infertility

By Shannon Homkovics, ND

T

here are a number of reasons that may be contributing to the difficulties experienced by a couple who cannot become pregnant. Whatever the cause, infertility is a lonely, frustrating, and heart-wrenching journey for any couple going through it. Over 6 million people in the United States alone struggle with conceiving a child. An additional 4 million couples have sought infertility services when trying to conceive. Simply put, one in six American couples is facing impaired fertility. Everyone deserves the chance to experience having their own child.

What is Infertility?

To begin, we need to define exactly what constitutes a woman as being infertile. Infertility means no conception after one year of intercourse in a woman less than 35 years of age while not using any form of contraception. In women 35-40 years old, infertility is defined as after 6 months of trying to conceive, and over 40, after 3 months of trying. These numbers can be daunting for many women who hope to one day become pregnant, or are currently trying without success.

Nutrition and Diet Whether you are currently trying to get pregnant, or plan on having children in the future, there are steps you can take now to work towards a more fertile state. The first step is simple. Improve

1. Increase your daily intake of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Some of the best fresh fruits for fertility include grapes, berries, bananas, plums, figs, and apricots. Vegetables associated with fertility include yams, sweet potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, and eggplant.

2. Decrease the intake of animal protein, especially in the forms of processed, non-organic, and hormonally loaded meats.

Deli meats should be avoided as much as possible. They are loaded with chemicals like nitrites. The less chemicals you ingest the more likely you are to become pregnant and the less chemical exposure to your developing child.

3. Include the right kind of fats. Our body’s fat cells are responsible for the production of estrogen. This is why being underweight can actually affect your menstrual cycles and hinder your chances for becoming pregnant. At the same time, having too much body fat will also decrease your chances. We need to maintain a healthy weight, and produce the right amount of estrogen. To do this, we must increase our intake of monosaturated omega 3 rich foods, and DECREASE our intake of trans fats, which are loaded with omega 6. Healthy monosaturated fats include avocado, walnut, salmon, and olive oil. High fat dairy has also been shown to help promote fertility and would include organic whole milk (in small amounts), pasture raised eggs, and plain yogurt.

4. Avoid high glycemic carbohydrates in the forms of processed sugar, breads, and pastas. Instead work to replace these nutritionally deficient foods with the consumption of good complex carbs such as quinoa, nuts, seeds and oatmeal. These foods are loaded with fiber, keep us fuller longer, and boost our metabolism.

5. Increase our intake of iron rich foods. Anemia has been clearly associated with infertility throughout the years. Iron rich foods include Black Strap molasses, spinach, broccoli, kale, green beans, kidney beans, and lentils.

Lifestyle Changes 1. Get off the couch and start exercising. Obesity has been undoubtedly correlated in many studies with not only making it harder to become pregnant, but with a slew of other problems during pregnancy. Complications include gestational diabetes, fetal anomalies, C-section, and so forth. Exercise will help regulate estrogen production, boost metabolism, and burn fat.

2. Ditch the caffeine! Caffeine is more of a habit for a lot of people and studies show it actually diminishes the chance for a woman to become pregnant. If you cannot give up the caffeine, at least get rid of the sugar and creamer in your coffee, or switch to a healthier caffeinated beverage such as matcha tea. Matcha tea is a green tea with the whole leaves infused.

This tea is an antioxidant powerhouse keeping us healthier, helping us to burn fat, and working to improve our energy.

3. Reduce risk factors that disrupt our hypothalamus from working properly. The hypothalamus is the main control center of our brain, regulating homeostasis. Factors that may affect the hypothalamus include: stress, excessive exercise, eating disorders, tobacco, and extremes of weight. It is vital to reduce

24

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

stress on our body while trying to conceive a child. This includes physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual stressors. Excessive exercise could be considered a physical stressor, while depression or anxiety can be placed in the emotional/mental category. Our stress hormone, cortisol, has actually been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the reproductive system.

Women struggling with infertility almost always experience a significant level of stress. Having a spiritual foundation to fall back on can help a woman to release some of this tension in her body. Other forms of stress reduction may include therapy, acupuncture, meditation, and yoga. Detoxifications programs are also highly effective for the body to repair, purify, and regenerate. Even simple tasks such as taking a bath before bed, or reading a book, can help decrease the toll stress demands. Little changes add up.

to check for these anomalies. Nutritional deficiencies related to infertility include vitamin D, B12, magnesium, and selenium.

Hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, FSH/LH, and prolactin, must be examined because a discrepancy will impact a woman’s ovulation cycle.

Medical conditions associated with infertility include thyroid disorders, adrenal dysfunction, celiac disease, and disorders at the pelvic level including PCOS and endometriosis. If a woman is struggling with becoming pregnant, all of these conditions must be properly worked up and addressed.

Whatever the problem may be, there are many different supplements and herbs that can work to improve uterine blood flow, restore hormonal levels, and increase fertility.

A naturopathic physician who specializes in women’s health and fertility is a great resource to begin making changes to support your chances of becoming pregnant. Naturopaths work to increase this chance by prevention where possible, and further, by getting to the root cause, and Nutritional Deficiencies then supporting the healing power of the and Supplementation body using a multitude of therapies. We The final step to increase fertility is supplementation. Unfortunately, much of the work at the deepest level and make sure to treat the whole person, physical, mental, food we eat today is nutritionally deficient and synthetically made or genetically modi- and emotional. One of my goals is to help fied. We do not get all the essential vitamins anyone struggling with infertility experience the joy of having a child of their own. and minerals from diet alone anymore.

Supplementation is needed and cannot Dr. Shannon Homkovics be overlooked. Women trying to conceive received her Doctorate in should be on a prenatal multivitamin.

Naturopathic Medicine from Carrying a child is taxing on the body and Southwest College of Naturorequires a mother’s nutrients so the child can pathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariundergo a healthy development. A prenatal zona. As a naturopathic physimultiple vitamin/mineral supplement gives cian, she is a holistic general practitioner the body those extra nutrients to provide for who treats the whole family with a focus both the child and the mother. on women's health care. Her tools include Other nutritional deficiencies and medi- diet and nutrition, nutritional supplements, botanical medicine, acupuncture, counselcal conditions have been shown to have a ing, hydrotherapy, homeopathy and lifestyle negative impact on fertility and pregnancy.

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Simple Meal Planning for the New Year

By Ayelet Connell, PhD, PT, IMT,C

I

t’s that time again… January… the New Year… the holidays are over… Thank God because I couldn’t possibly eat another thing for the rest of the year! Is this how you are feeling? This is the perfect time to clean your slate! You fell off the wagon? No problem, everyone does at holiday time. We all gain some weight during the holidays because the reality is, it’s hard to say no to yummy foods. But now is the time to pick yourself up and get motivated to feel better. Here are some helpful strategies to clean your diet and set the stage for feeling great through the year.

Healthy Eating Strategies Initially, it is much easier to be successful with ‘ongoing’ healthy meal planning if we create simple and delicious meals. To create a simple meal, let’s imagine an empty dinner plate. Here are the dinner plate percentages for an optimally healthy meal that will help us feel energetic and revitalized: 1. 25% natural meat (grass-fed beef; natural and hormone-free poultry; wild fish; natural lamb or other game meat such as bison; natural eggs). The amount of protein on your plate should equate to the size of your palm or a deck of cards, about 3-4 ounces.

2. 50% diverse multicolored vegetables cooked and/or raw is great (you can vary the colors throughout the day and week).

3. 25% starchy root vegetables such as sweet potatoes or winter squash like acorn squash, spaghetti squash, rutabaga.

4. 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil; avocado, nuts and seeds. These fats are essential for a healthy brain, cardiovascular system, and so much more.

Let’s consider some examples of this type of dinner plate: a. Roasted chicken with sautéed kale and ginger with roasted peeled/chopped sweet potatoes. b. Wild salmon with roasted broccoli and pureed butternut squash with cinnamon. c. Grass-fed steak with steamed green beans and roasted multicolored potatoes.

Be sure to cook extra food for dinner to provide you with leftovers for lunch. You can also repurpose the leftovers for the following dinner. For example: a. You could take left over roasted chicken and make chicken soup with mixed vegetables such as carrots, celery, parsnips. b. You could make chicken or turkey salad and add in the leftover roasted potatoes and some chopped celery.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

c. If you have leftover meat or fish, you could make a salad and top it with the protein and then create a homemade salad dressing with tahini and lemon juice and some gluten free soy sauce or Bragg’s aminos. d. You could take leftover grilled salmon and make a salmon salad with it by adding chopped celery and celery salt and mayonnaise.

When eating an anti-inflammatory diet for greater health, it is important to avoid inflammatory foods such as gluten, processed dairy, refined sugar, and overly processed foods. The easiest antiinflammatory diet includes many diverse and multicolored vegetables, natural protein, starchy veggies such as root vegetables like sweet potatoes, and healthy fats such as nuts and seeds and extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil. Being gluten free can be helpful, but often, avoiding a food like gluten causes us to search for replacements that can be overly processed like store bought gluten free snacks. Ideally, avoiding grain as a main focus of a meal and reserving it as an accessory to ‘some’ meals such as using gluten free whole grains like brown rice or quinoa as a side dish will help us with achieving optimal health.

Weekly Meal Planning To start the meal planning process, it is very helpful to have a piece of blank paper in front of you and mark out the meals for the week including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You may find that you only need to plan out the weekday meals depending on whether you tend to eat out over the weekend. Or maybe you and your family tend to eat in all week. Draw out the grid and leave an empty box to write in for each meal of each day that you are preparing for. As you become successful with this process over the course of a few months and it becomes second nature, you will depend less and less on this grid.

As you view the grid, consider how many dinners worth of proteins and veggies and starchy veggies you will need. Lunches usually don’t need to be counted because leftovers will usually count for lunches. As for breakfast, you may use some of the leftover protein for breakfast but mostly, it will also be a separate category. If you are cooking for you and your family, you may consider that you need a separate protein, vegetable and starchy vegetable for each dinner meal. For example, if you are cooking at home for 5 dinners (Monday through Friday), you will need 5 separate proteins, 5 separate groups of vegetables, and 5 groups of starchy veggies. This largely depends on what is available at the grocery store. You may choose to alternate between beef and poultry and fish for the various dinners.

For natural protein, here are some examples: Monday: Split breast Chicken Tuesday: Wild Salmon Wednesday: Grass-fed steak Thursday: Turkey Tenderloin Friday: Grass-fed stew beef For vegetables, you will need to see what is available and fresh at the store, but here are some examples: Monday: Broccoli Tuesday: Green Beans Wednesday: Brussel Sprouts Thursday: Kale Friday: Zucchini and yellow squash For starchy veggies, here are some examples: Monday: Spaghetti squash Tuesday: Sweet potatoes Wednesday: Mixed multicolored potatoes Thursday: Acorn squash Friday: Rutabaga For fats, you can use any of these options to integrate into your meals: Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil or avocado oil to cook with or mix into your prepared dishes; avocadoes such as guacamole; nuts and seeds to mix into prepared dishes or cook with them such as pistachios encrusted wild salmon or sunflower seeds mixed into cooked kale or sesame seeds tossed with roasted broccoli and avocado oil and lemon juice.

As you start to feel successful with this process and it becomes easier, you can get more creative and make soups and other complete dishes. Here are some examples of creative dinner meals that include all the categories: 1. Chicken soup with onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, and rutabaga.

2. Grass-fed beef meatballs with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash or bean noodles (‘Explore Asian’ and ‘Tolerant’ are two fantastic companies that make delicious pasta noodles made out of lentils and other types of beans)—make marinara sauce with chopped carrots and celery and onions—you can make the sauce chunky or use a blender or ‘wand’ to create a finer sauce to ‘hide the veggies.’

3. Split pea soup with small bone-in grass-fed steak or natural ham hock and chopped carrots and onions and parsnips.

4. Beef stew with carrots, onions, celery, multicolored potatoes, green beans, and peas.

5. Chunky turkey and veggie and mixed bean soup.

Once you have all the food bought and put away, you can complete the grid and have it as a reference on the fridge for meal preparation throughout the week.

Let’s Get Started Initially, this process may seem awkward. But overtime, if you stick to the simplicity of meal preparation, the process will start to feel more and more innate. The key to long-term success with maintaining a healthy diet throughout the year is to be prepared. For all of us, there will be nights where we just don’t have time to cook because of a late meeting or some other type of obligation. In these instances, utilize the slow cooker. There are thousands of slow cooker recipes online. The key to a tasty slow cooker meal is some basic preparation that can be done in the morning before you leave (for example, searing the meat before you place it in the slow cooker to lock in the juices). Surfing the web is always fun during our free time to find unique and creative recipes, but remember that keeping it simple in the beginning is always easier for long-term success. The most important thing to remember is to keep your food fresh.

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The Power of Biomechanical Bodywork: A Different Kind of Massage

By Michele Nanfito, LMT e all know that massage is medicine to the body.

Massage is primarily prescribed for medical or stressrelated issues and the goal is to loosen and lengthen to strengthen. Overall, it is the therapeutic manipulation of the body’s soft tissue using a series of pressured movements to elicit muscular release. Massage reduces the body’s production of cytokines, which are specific proteins that contribute to inflammation due to injury or disease. Moreover, massage is known to stimulate the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a vital part of the immune system, and provides pathways for lymphocytes and other cells. When properly administered, massage also stimulates the mitochondria, which aid in cellular function and repair.

W

Biomechanical Bodywork Not all massage is the same. Biomechanical Bodywork is a unique, intuitive, whole body experience that will reconnect you with your body and ways of moving you had thought you lost.

Through the symbiotic nature of massage and biomechanics, your awareness is heightened, which helps your body regulate to have you feeling relaxed, grounded, and positive when you walk out the door. Biomechanical Bodywork is different because stretching is integrated with a unique sequence of massage strokes that allow for a spontaneous release of the body’s muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. It is truly a customized approach, as every patient is different and the first concern is to root out where the “issue in the tissue” starts or stems from. It can be described as the wheels in a clock, all the separate parts have to fit comfortably with the ability to do their function; not compensate for others within the system.

Therapists use their hands, elbows, forearms, knees, and even breath to administer a variety of motions applied both lightly and with firm pressure to elicit response in the muscles and fascia.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

What is Fascia?

The fascia is an underestimated but fundamentally needed asset of the body. Fascia is the membrane casing that surrounds muscles and other organs. It can be related to an elastic lining that encompasses the body similar to shrink wrap. Through Myofascial Release therapists can prevent your “shrink wrap” from becoming too tight, reducing spasms and cramping in your muscle groups which then creates joint flexibility throughout the body. This helps to reduce recovery time for those who have been recently injured or who feel the aftereffects of previous trauma and for those restricted of motion whether from injury or lifestyle.

Touching is a natural human response to pain and stress.

Likewise, it is a universal gesture that non-verbally conveys compassion and support. All selected species (any creature that raises their young until sufficiently matured) instill from a young age that touching and contact are a means of connecting with another.

Biomechanical bodywork is the perfect elixir for good health, it provides a positive integration for the body, mind and soul.

Submitted by Michele Nanfito. Michele is the owner of Devotion to Motion and is a local CT Massage therapist whose philosophy in healing is revolutionizing the field through technique and dedication. Michele is specifically equipped for her style of bodywork as she learned how to heal the body through her non-verbal clients, Canine and Equine Athletes, while at River Meadow Farm. She has unique biomechanical insight allowing her to read the body in a way that does not require speaking. Each case is specifically tailored to each individual's goals through observation, communication, and applied Biomechanical bodywork. Michele works at Jekl, a Neuromuscular training facility with owner and creator Chris Brennan, former USA Gymnastics Coach, collaborating with all types of clients at the facility, in her office or in the privacy of your home. www.DevotiontoMotion3. com, 860-301-1382. See ad on page 18.

What Really Works to Lose Weight?

By Anne Mitchell, ND

Y

partially hydrogenated oils found in processed food or processed vegetable oils like cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, soybean, and canola oils. Insist on extra virgin olive oil and know your source.

1. Your Genes

The FDA states, “Eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil should replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day." Remember that 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 125 calories so, in terms of caloric intake, more is not necessarily better. The question of how much good fat we need has yet to be answered. It's likely that it’ll be far less than we desire.

ou've probably tried to get rid of those extra pounds a couple of times. It turns out that shedding that extra weight is now more complicated than ever. Scientists have come up with some answers to your most pressing questions to help you reach your weight loss goals. Let’s start by taking a look at some of the medical considerations that may have been standing in the way of your weight loss goal.

There are 100 different genetic markers that influence how you break down calories and store fat. These genes have been examined to find the link to being overweight. The most studied, and most blamed for obesity, is called the FTO Gene. Researchers believe that its genetic influence on our weight is actually quite small.

3. Healthy Hormones

John Mathers, professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University says “Carrying the high-risk form of the FTO Gene makes you more likely to be a bit heavier, but it shouldn’t prevent you from losing weight.”

Leptin is the controversial hormone that helps to regulate your energy while inhibiting hunger. Ever since the discovery of leptins in 1994, scientists have tried to blame obesity on leptin resistance.

At this point in research, we can't blame ordinary obesity on this hormone. Nor can we blame ghrelin, the socalled “hunger hormone”. Scientists report that the biomolecule may actually be a mediator of fat storage, rather than an appetite driver.

A recent study of 9,000 Ghrelin does appear to be activated when you people found that whether are full by a bacteria called H. Pylori which in or not a person carried a large amounts is associated with gastric ulcers.

Because of the common use of antibiotics very gene variation associated few people have H. Pylori and most of us have with weight gain had no lost many other bacteria that actually belong in influence on their ability the GI tract.

I will remind you that your genes are handed down generationally and have changed little between generations. You may look like your mother or father, but you may choose a healthier lifestyle and thus be healthier than your ancestors despite what your genes imply.

Your parent's genes influence your body type, but not necessarily your weight. Genetic testing, however, can give us clues as to your preferred diet, the best kind of exercise for your body, and to lose weight. your ability to utilize certain nutrients. The rapid rise in obesity isn't simply our genes but is more Then there's insulin whose functions we likely to be related to how our genes respond to understand a bit better but has surprised scifood, exercise, pollution and chemicals in our entists with new information on what to eat. A environment, stress of all kinds, and the overall American lifestyle. review of three large studies suggests that the amount of fat we need is dependent on our blood sugar. Researchers analyzed the data of 2. Good Fat and Bad Fat three dietary clinical trials: the Diet, Obesity, and Genes trial, the OPUS Supermarket intervention (SHOPUS), and the Nutrient-gene Nutritionists and doctors have finally realized that some fats interactions in human obesity (NUGENOB) trial. In total, the study are good for you. The Mediterranean Diet, which includes olive included the data of more than 1,200 overweight adults. Looking oil and nuts, has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes at fasting blood glucose levels and fasting insulin levels of each and cardiovascular disease, both of which are linked to obesity. participant, they assessed whether these levels were associated A study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found with weight loss in response to certain diets. For people with type that individuals who followed a high-fat, Mediterranean diet lost 2 diabetes, the researchers found that a diet rich in plant-based, more weight and reduced their waistline more than people who "healthy" fats and low in carbohydrates was best for weight loss. In were instructed to reduce their overall fat intake. Please note that the NUGENOB trial, adults with type 2 diabetes lost around 5.3 this study promotes olive oil and nuts, NOT hydrogenated and www.NaturalNutmeg.com

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pounds more over 10 weeks on a diet that was high in plant-based fats and low in carbohydrates, compared with those whose diet was low in fat and high in carbohydrates. If your blood sugar is within normal limits, a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate diet is better for weight loss. This is so important, because according to the CDC, if people with prediabetes, lose around 5 to 7 percent of their body weight and increase their exercise levels, they can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 58 percent.

The issue of hormonal health is now being linked to your toxic environment.

Things like the bisphenol A, or BPA plastic, now banned and replaced with an even worse form of the chemical, is found in the linings of canned-foods and cash-register receipts. Flame retardants in sofas and mattresses, pesticide residues on our food and the phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics are all likely to be contributing to obesity. These chemicals mimic human hormones, and may actually be driving fat storage. “The old paradigm was that poor diet and lack of exercise are underpinning obesity, but now we understand that chemical exposures are an important third factor in the origin of the obesity epidemic,” says Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor of pediatrics, environmental medicine and population health at New York University’s School of Medicine. “Chemicals can disrupt hormones and metabolism, which can contribute to disease and disability.”

4. Exercise Despite the success of The Biggest Loser as a TV program, it turns out that more exercise is not better. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that people who engaged in moderate levels of physical activity burned about 200 more calories per day than those who had the lowest levels of physical activity.

However, strikingly, the people who were the most physically active burned, on average, the same number of calories as those who were moderately active - as the body adapts to higher levels of activity. Exercising a lot may actually prompt the body to make adjustments to adapt and actually keep its energy expenditure at the same level as it does when exercising less.

The solution to this may be high intensity interval training that continues to burn fat after you've been exercising so, in total, you burn more calories and you spend less time exercising. I'm sorry to say, those long cardio sessions are not promoting weight loss.

5. The Microbiome We each share our physical body with billions of bacteria, viruses and fungi and yeasts. They help us in a myriad of ways, including maintaining our weight. New research is examining how our individual gut microbiomes may shed light on whether - and to what extent - we are able to lose weight while following particular dietary guidelines.

Researchers saw that participants who had a higher ratio of the bacteria Prevotella-to-Bacteroides, lost more weight when following a New Nordic Diet, compared with people who followed an Average Danish Diet. The New Nordic Diet is fruit, vegetables, fiber, and whole grains. The average Danish diet includes more meat and processed foods.

People with a low ratio of Prevotellato-Bacteroides bacteria did not lose more weight when following the New Nordic Diet. The researchers noted that about half of the population has a higher amount of Prevotella-to-Bacteroides. The interesting thing about these dietary recommendations is that the balance of bacteria can change rapidly in response to the food you eat.

In the US, researchers Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon and colleagues published a study in the journal, Science Translational Medicine. They transplanted human intestinal microbes into germ-free mice and then switched their diet from a low-fat, plantbased one to a more Westernized diet - high in fat and sugars. They found that within one day, obesity-linked microbes were thriving in the gut and the mice eventually became obese. The researchers

also discovered that the guts of the mice on the high-fat, high-sugar diet had more obesity-related gut microbes and genes devoted to extracting calories from food.

The genes were "switched on" when the researchers started feeding the mice the Westernized diet. Regardless of the mice's genetic makeup, the high-fat, high-sugar diet increased the abundance of Firmicutes bacteria and reduced the abundance of Bacteroidetes bacteria.

This study is the first to determine that specific gut microbes are heritable and that the variation of these microbes is not solely influenced by diet, environment, lifestyle and health.

6. Soothing Sleep Your mother likely told you not to eat before bed. It turns out she was right.

Numerous studies have provided evidence that too little sleep — less than five hours — messes with your hormones, slows down your metabolism and reprograms your body to eat more. Our circadian rhythm affects our metabolism and vice versa. This doesn't appear as simple as underweight people sleep better or are more active than overweight people.

Research from the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine and the School of Food Science and Nutrition, involved 1,615 people ages 19 to 65 in Great Britain. Very simply, people in the study who were sleeping an average of six hours each night had waist measurements about 1.2 inches more than those getting nine hours of sleep a night. Those with less sleep also weighed more. The relationship

between more sleep and smaller waists and a lower body mass index (BMI) appeared to be almost linear.

When you're sleep-deprived, your body makes more ghrelin and less melatonin which signals your brain that it's time to eat no matter what time it is and no matter what you're staring at in the refrigerator.

Andrew McHill, Ph.D., researcher with the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at BWH, says “These findings suggest that the timing of when you consume calories, relative to your own biological timing may be more important for health than the actual time of sleep."

Melatonin metabolism is complex and simply taking melatonin supplements doesn't always solve the problem. Clinically, responses to differences in timing and dose are individual. In a nutshell, get a good night's sleep, don't eat before bed, go to bed early and sleep long.

7. Slow and Steady According to a new study the key to losing weight and keeping it off is consistently losing a small amount each week.

Researchers from Drexel University have confirmed that the best way to trim down is to steadily - not drastically - cut down your calories. The researchers studied 183 obese and overweight people aged 18-65, 80% of whom were women, on weight loss programs for a year. The participants who lost a consistent amount of weight weekin and week-out for the first six weeks had lost more weight a year later than the yo-yo dieters, despite the fact that they’d seen more dramatic results in the early

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stages. Even better, those who’d lost weight consistently were more likely to have kept it off. The study’s lead researcher Dr Emily Feig said: “It seems that developing stable, repeatable behaviors related to food intake and weight loss early on in a weight control program is really important for maintaining changes over the long term.” To prove the point, scientists have followed up with 14 “Biggest Loser” contestants and found that, after six years, they had regained 68 to 90 pounds and their metabolic rate (how many calories they burned at rest) had slowed.

People who lose a lot of weight in a short period of time do almost always gain it back within the next few years.

The hard part of weight loss is figuring out exactly what you, as an individual, need to nourish your body, heart and mind.

Your optimal diet is yours, and not the same food plan your friend is following. Some of this discovery is trial and error although the basics are similar. The most common programs use meal replacements, reduced caloric intake and increased activity levels.

The bottom line is that slow, steady weight loss is supported by a balanced food based nutrition plan, regular exercise, good sleep and taking it slow. Think nourishment not deprivation. Addressing behavioral, familial and cultural patterns of nourishment, emotional eating, and mistaken beliefs about food and nutrition increases your chances of stabilizing at an optimal weight. Consistency works best.

So, in answer to the question, “What is your secret?” This is my answer: I have spent over half of my life practicing ancient methods of natural and holistic healing, while working to reduce my stress levels by living in mindfulness and acceptance and wholeness. That is my secret, and now it is yours too.

Dr. Anne Mitchell is a naturopathic physician with more than 35 years of experience in alternative medicine, and the Clinic Director of The Life Center of Connecticut. The Life Center is known for providing excellent naturopathic care as well as for its pain management, weight loss and allergy desensitization programs. Dr. Mitchell is a cranial-sacral practitioner and an acupuncturist in addition to her comprehensive knowledge of naturopathic medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, and botanical medicine. She works with people who have chronic illness, confused immune systems, and inflammation, or who have experienced physical or emotional trauma, as well as those who have not achieved their goals with other therapies. See ad on pages 22 and 25.

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Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

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Becoming a Reiki Master

By Cheryl Case

R

eiki draws on universal energies and can be used for healing, psychic and spiritual development. It connects the Reiki Practitioner and person receiving Reiki with powerful healing energies that can be offered for general well-being or directed at particular issues in the body, mind, or soul. The growing popularity of Reiki is a testament to how powerful and helpful it can be!

Although there are ads for online courses that will take people from nothing to “Reiki Master” in two weeks, learning and practicing Reiki as a Master is not a two-week process. It is a lifetime commitment that requires real study and practice to “master”.

Knowing what level your Reiki Practitioner or teacher has completed is an important step in choosing a Practitioner that cares deeply about the practice of Reiki and the people that can be helped by it.

With each level a Practitioner has achieved, an increasing amount of energy is passed from Practitioner to client. You would generally pay more to receive Reiki from a Master than a Reiki 1 Practitioner.

In Person Attunements Attunements are passed on from a qualified Reiki Master to the Practitioner in person. This attunement is a combination of intent for healing by the Master, intent by the Practitioner, intent of the Universal Energy to give you what you need, hand drawn symbols, and breath/body control by the Master and an openness from the Practitioner to become a healer. This cannot be done online, through watching a DVD or by reading about it. This is a “must do” in person attunement process. Many questions come to the surface; what was seen, who was here, what color aura you have, and all need to be discussed immediately. Each attunement gets stronger than the one before as the practitioner’s body adjusts to a higher and lighter vibrational energy.

Attunement sessions are the MOST important part of the entire Reiki class. Before each attunement, the student/practitioner is encouraged to intentionally focus on the area being addressed. The physical part of the attunement takes only a few minutes, but the Master then steps back and quietly allows the Practitioner personal time to create a connection from the Divine/Universe that speaks directly to the Practitioner’s heart. This cannot be done quickly, and most of the time, takes about 5 to 30 minutes. The Practitioner knows when this process is complete and journals about the attunement. Many times something that was written down becomes valuable information days later.

Multiple Attunements, Not One Four attunements are needed to align the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Attunements are a vital part of Reiki training where students can connect with their sacred energy, discover spirit guides, get messages from ancestors and angels and even find enlightenment. Some people are able to do this with the very first attunement, but most need all four attunements to open up enough to receive the messages they need. This is a very sacred ceremony and is the beginning of a lifetime of healing everybody, everywhere.

In all my Traditional Reiki classes, people who are being taught how to give Reiki are given at least four attunements. The sacred Reiki symbols are placed on the student’s crown chakra, palms of the hands and in their feet. This allows practitioners to give Reiki with their hands and also use their feet to give Reiki to pets who may be sitting on the floor. Putting Reiki in the feet is an extra bonus that the skilled Master can accommodate. It is valuable to be able to give Reiki through the feet to pets or anyone who wants to add Reiki to Mother Earth with every step forward on life’s path.

The difference between one and four attunements is huge.

Once you have four, the increased energy gives you a whole new empowerment for the emotional, mental and spiritual bodies.

Cheryl Case has been a Traditional Usui Reiki Master Teacher since 2000. She is owner of A Hand in Healing and Partner at Sharing The Light Wholistic Center, LLC. Cheryl is an Approved Provider for Continuing Education with the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and a member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals. Cheryl is the author of Reiki Reflections: Sharing the Light, Changing Hearts which is available for sale in our Sand Dollar Shop at Sharing The Light! http://www.sharingthelightwc.com. See ad on page 20 and 43.

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Sleep Loss Has Profound Effects on Health

By J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Lifestyle Educator Insomnia is one of the most common complaints seen by physicians...

Approximately 12.5% of the adult population uses a prescribed anxiolytic or sedative hypnotic in the course of a year…

All of these drugs are associated with significant risks. Most of them are highly addictive and very poor candidates for long-term use.

- Michael Murray, ND, & Joseph Pizzorno, ND, The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine 3rd Edition (2012)

A

re you one of the estimated 50-to70 million Americans who suffer from a chronic sleep problem?

If you have one of the 90 distinct sleep disorders, including insomnia, it quite possibly has already negatively impacted your health and longevity, or will in the future if ignored or addressed only with high-risk prescription drugs.

Sleep Disorders Defined The body’s genetically controlled biological clock regulates its circadian rhythms, physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle in response primarily to light and darkness.

Circadian rhythms manage multiple important bodily functions, including natural sleep cycles, hormone release, eating habits and digestion, and body temperature. As detailed below, chronic disruption of regular rhythms resulting from sleep deprivation is cause for great concern.

In 2015, the National Sleep Foundation recommended these numbers of daily sleep hours for adults: (1) teenagers/8-10; (2) adults & young adults/ 7-9; (3) older adults/7-8. Most sleep disorders are characterized by at least one of these symptoms: (1) excessive daytime sleepiness; (2) difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep; or (3) sleep-time abnormal movements, behaviors, and/or sensations. The most common 34

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

harmful sleep conditions include restless legs syndrome (RLS)/nocturnal cramping, sleep apnea (causes brief breathing interruptions and brain oxygen deprivation; obesity is its biggest risk factor), chronic insomnia (sleeplessness occurs most nights and lasts at least one month), narcolepsy, sleep-related psychiatric, neurological, and medical disorders, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

Causes of Sleep Loss The causes of sleep deprivation fall into multiple categories. Physical causes include: systemic overgrowth of yeast (candidiasis), hormonal imbalances, hyperthyroidism, heart, lung and digestive disorders, allergies, arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, prostate problems, nocturnal fast-onset hypoglycemia, and the sleep conditions noted above. Underlying psychological issues include stress, depression (including seasonal affective disorder), anxiety, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. The drugs that may cause sleep problems include those prescribed for depression, hypertension, birth control, water retention, hypothyroidism (if overprescribed), and asthma, allergies and other upper-respiratory conditions. Recreational substances and stimulants, including alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and excess caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, colas, energy drinks), can disrupt sleep.

Finally, numerous environmental factors can underlie sleep disorders, including toxic overload and electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) that emanate from wireless/electrical devices (often referred to as radiation).

Health Risks of Chronic Sleep Deprivation According to Michael Murray, ND, “adequate sleep is absolutely necessary for long-term health and regeneration.” Sleep influences the function of the immune, hormonal, and nervous systems. A growing

number of studies have thus linked inadequate sleep, or even sleeping at odd hours, with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure/heart disease, and cancer. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to neuronal damage and accelerated brain aging, prevalence of emotional and psychological problems, and increased hospitalizations and mortality.

The combination of sleep deprivation with chronic stress sets the stage for disease. The resulting adrenal gland production of excess cortisol can cause functional deterioration of various organ systems as they constantly attempt to rebalance. For example, stress from sleep deprivation may slow down thyroid function.

Risks of Prescription Sleep Aids Most sleeping pills (e.g., Xanax®, Librium®, Valium®, Ambien®, Lunesta®, and Halcion®) are actually “sedative hypnotics” that are widely prescribed to treat stress and anxiety. They commonly cause dizziness, drowsiness, and significantly decreased coordination and memory.

In October 2015, Daniel F. Kripke, MD, an internationally recognized sleep researcher and professor of psychiatry emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, petitioned the FDA to consider mandating a new black box warning for sleeping pills. His petition was based on an analysis of 50 sleeping pill studies published from 2012 to 2015 and his assertion of a growing United States overdose epidemic. Dr. Kripke maintained that the most important risks of hypnotics include excess mortality, infections, cancer, depression and suicide, automobile crashes, falls and other accidents, and hypnotic-withdrawal insomnia. He emphasized that: (1) they are usually prescribed without approved indication, and most often with specific contraindications; and (2) even when indicated, there is little or no benefit (recommended doses increase sleep little if at all, and daytime

performance is often made worse, contrary to advertising misrepresentations).

Natural Sleep Aids Effective management of any sleep disorder should be directed at its underlying cause. However, certain dietary supplements can be used safely, often with quick results.

Professional guidance may be indicated in more serious cases.

1.

Amino Acids - L-Tryptophan & 5-HTTP: The central nervous system’s creation of serotonin, a critical sleep initiator, requires L-tryptophan. Large doses also yield high levels of plasma melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone (see below). Those in clinical sleep trials who have obtained results from L-tryptophan have experienced dramatic relief following several nights’ use, without impaired daytime performance. Experts recommend 2-3 grams per night with a carbohydrate (but not a protein) for a minimum of one week.

The body manufactures 5-HTP from L-tryptophan and is thus one step closer to serotonin production. Studies have shown that it produces dramatically better results in promoting and maintaining sleep, even at lower dosages. Experts recommend 100 mg, 30-45 minutes before bed for at least 3 days, after which the dose can be increased to 200-300mg as needed.

2.

Herbs - Lavender, Passionflower & Valerian Root: Lavender can be taken internally (as Silexan®, clinically proven to relieve stress), or used in massage or aromatherapy. Scientific studies suggest that massage or aromatherapy with lavender can slow down the nervous system, improve sleep quality, and reduce anxiety.

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Passionflower, most frequently studied with other calming herbs, is known to manage anxiety. Scientists believe it increases levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, which reduces the activity of brain cells and promotes relaxation.

Valerian root makes falling asleep easier and takes the body into deeper sleep cycles. One double-blind trial found that 600mg taken 30 minutes before bedtime is as efficacious as the insomnia drug Serax (oxazepam). Valerian with lemon balm was shown in a small trial to compare to Halcion without any hangover effect. www.NaturalNutmeg.com

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3.

Hormone - Melatonin: Derived from serotonin, it is the hormone that the brain’s pineal gland secretes to regulate the body’s circadian rhythms.

Studies show that melatonin deficiency may be one underlying cause of insomnia in the elderly, most likely because pineal tissue calcification reduces melatonin production during normal aging.

Supplementation may help some with certain sleep disorders, including insomnia, jet lag, and those related to shift work. However, the safety of its long-term use is not established, and study reviewers generally cite the need for larger and longer-duration randomized controlled trials. The highly individualized effective dose can vary from 300 mcg to 5mg. Since an excessive dose can cause morning grogginess, it is ideal to build gradually. Time-released products are available for sleep maintenance insomnia. Melatonin is indicated for any patient taking hypertensive drugs (which block its production in the body), but is contraindicated in patients taking SSRIs, and those who have adequate levels of serotonin.

4.

Minerals - Calcium & Magnesium Glycinate: Calcium transmits nerve impulses and helps the brain use Ltryptophan to manufacture melatonin (see below). Nerve cells in the brain’s thalamus have calcium channels that act like gates in their membranes to regulate calcium flow in and out and trigger cells to function. When these channels do not operate properly due to calcium deficiency, sleep is disrupted.

Stress and magnesium deficiency are interrelated in that either can cause the other. Magnesium deficiency can also cause insomnia, muscle spasms/tension, abnormal heart rhythms, headaches, and constipation. While any type of magnesium can promote restful sleep, well-absorbed, gentle magnesium glycinate particularly supports a deep REM sleep when a 400mg dose is taken at bedtime.

5.

Vitamins: -Niacinamide + Inositol: Niacinamide and inositol can help induce deep sleep, especially when combined. The generally effective sleep dose of each nutrient ranges from 500-2000mg. The body creates niacinamide from L-tryptophan, but it can also convert this form of vitamin B3 back to L-tryptophan (see above). Short-acting niacinamide penetrates the brain easily, is non-addictive, and does not produce a flush effect. In 1979, Hoffman La Roche, the Swiss manufacturer of Valium, described niacinamide as “a brain constituent that has benzodiazepine-like actions.” Dosages above 500mg can cause high liver enzymes and nausea in rare cases.

Inositol is a vitamin-like substance often referred to as vitamin B8. With few known side effects other than intestinal discomfort from overuse (preventable with gradual dosing increase and dividing doses), it can especially support anxiety- and depression-induced sleep disorders.

Sleep-Supportive Lifestyle Choices & Healing Modalities Sleep-supportive lifestyle choices should include: (1) morning or early evening exercise for 20-60 minutes; (2) at least 2 hours before bedtime, eliminating food/ drink, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; (3) sleeping on a set schedule, in a cool, dark, quiet room, following a relaxing bedtime routine (avoid the internet 1-2 hours before bedtime, and disconnect Wifi); (4) skipping naps; and (5) using sleep-promoting tools (eye mask, ear plugs, chiropractic pillow, firm/lump-free mattress).

Sleep-promoting healing modalities include: (1) hypnosis; (2) acupuncture; (3) stress management techniques; (4) osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT); and (5) cognitive behavioral and bright light treatments.

The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to take the place of a physician’s advice. Submitted by J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Lifestyle Educator, and Nutrition Consultant and owner of the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe (860.646.8178), 378 Middle Turnpike West, Manchester, CT, www.cthealthshop.com), trusted since 1956. Erika is available to speak to groups. All statements in this article are research-based and references are available upon request. See ad on page 5.

How You Eat Affects How You Feel Reduce Your Joint Pain

Chronic pain is often caused by inflammation in the body. A poor diet will commonly contribute to joint aches and pain. Working with a nutritionist to improve your diet and lifestyle can greatly benefit how you feel on a daily basis.

Do You Experience Chronic Digestive Discomfort?

Holly Niles, Clinical Nutritionist

Are you ruled by your gut? Do you experience bloating, gas, abdominal pain? How we eat and what we eat can greatly affect how we feel throughout the day and night. Our Nutrition Team can teach you how to eat healthy without ‘going on a diet’.

Do You Suffer from Anxiety or Depression?

Many people don’t know that most of our mood modulating brain chemicals are produced in our gut.

If our gut is inflamed, our mood is often affected. By learning how to eat in a healthier and more nourishing way, we can improve our mental health.

Our Approach

Our approach to nutrition is to help our clients find practical ways to enjoy making healthy changes in their life. Being on a diet is never fun and rarely brings about long-lasting changes. But learning how to change your lifestyle to include more whole foods can bring about huge benefits in how we feel.

Call NOW! 860-519-1916

to schedule a nutritional consultation with a nutritional expert!

36

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

34 Jerome Avenue, Suite 305 • Bloomfield, CT 06002 • (860) 519-1916 Info@IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com • IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com

David, with an 80% spiritual nature, you will gain deeper clarity and insight into your own life, your family, your community, our country and the world. I would invite you to not focus on the current “what is” of our country but to envision a future “what will be” that resonates with you. When you think of this new vision of a future “what will be”, begin to focus on what that would feel like to you.

Practical Divine Wisdom from Robin Clare

By Robin Clare ear Robin: I am someone who has been on their spiritual path for decades. During these turbulent times in our country, I feel so helpless. I watch the news and feel like we are “going to hell in a handbasket” And yet, I know that I must continue to hold a vision for our country that I can be proud of. How can I know that I am still making a difference?

- David from CT.

D

Dear David: Thank you for asking this question because most spiritual seekers are asking themselves the same question. I do have good news to share! We have been preparing for this moment in history since 1987 during an event known as The Harmonic Convergence. This was the world's first globally synchronized meditation aligned with a significant moment in the ancient Mayan calendar.

Spiritual seekers have continued to grow their presence in the world through practices and trends like yoga, meditation, holistic health and organic foods. Most seekers believe that we are spiritual beings having a human-being experience. Over 50% of the world’s population believe this truth. Yet, we struggle to not react in our human nature and pursue a higher path.

spiritual seekers moved up to an 80% spiritual perspective. In a channeled message, the Divine shared with me that this is the best that we can achieve because we need our 20% human nature to help us to achieve our main human purpose – which is to live our spiritual nature as a human being.

While it may appear that the shadow aspects of our human nature (demonstrated so effectively by our leaders and glorified in our media) are often all that is happening – that is just not true. There is so much good happening in our world – and how could that not be true when over 50% of the world’s population is motivated by their spiritual nature over their human nature?

For spiritual seekers it is not about seeing the world as a utopia, but it is about living as a spiritual being in a human being world. This requires that each spiritual seeker peel back the layers of hurt that they have personally experienced in this life. I can support you by showing you a divinely inspired way to forgive those who have hurt you - and determine the best way for you to ask for forgiveness from others whom you may have hurt along the way. Healing your life is not easy - but it is required on the spiritual journey.

After 1987, spiritual seekers began to react to life events with our spiritual nature only 40 % of the time, viewing our world from our human nature 60% of the time.

Then, we hit another global milestone: at the end of 2012 (corresponding to the end of another Mayan calendar cycle), we shifted to a life where we lived 60% in our spiritual nature and 40% in our human nature.

If you would like to submit a question to be answered

by Robin in an upcoming publication, please send your question in an email to: info@ clare-ity.com.

Robin Clare is the author of Messiah Within and the Amazon Best Selling spiritual book, The Divine Keys. Robin shares practical and divine wisdom on how to fulfill your divine purpose, remove your success blockers, how to optimize your relationships and find greater happiness in your life. Robin is available for Practical Divine Wisdom group events or to share her signature talk, Divine Living with your community. To learn more about Robin, please go to: www.clare-ity.com or call 860232-3331. See ad on page 10.

Please mention Natural Nutmeg to receive $50 off your first Clare-ity Akashic Records session.

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On 11/11/2017, because of how well we have held the light for our country and for the planet in the past year, all committed

I invite you to feel how proud you will be when by collectively recognizing our influence, we can require our leaders to lead with their spiritual nature. It is up to you, to me, to all spiritual seekers to be beacons of light with which to bring Heaven to Earth. Hang in there and know that you are making a moment by moment difference by shining the light of spirituality from within your spiritual nature out into our beautiful world.

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Newington Campus 75 Kitts Lane, Newington, CT 06111 Groton Campus 1154 Poquonnock Road, Groton, CT 06340 Westport Campus 25 Sylvan Road South, Westport, CT 06880

For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at www.cortiva.edu/ge

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37

HAPPENINGS Monday, January 1st New Year’s Day Meditations with Priscilla Bengtson.

10am - 11:15 am or 12pm – 1:15 pm. $10 love donation to our Scholarship Fund. Join in this guided meditation which will help you release old beliefs, habits and thought patterns and shift your energy to a new way of being. Space is limited and registration is required. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, January 2nd Weight Release Hypnosis Group. 6pm - 7:30pm.

Join Mind Matters LLC for this 3-part Weight Release Series and learn how to release weight without dieting. Traditional diets tackle the problem from the outside in, which is why only 3% of them succeed.

Hypnosis allows you to understand your relationship with food and your body from the inside out, and is proven to be 30 times more effective than traditional diets. Preregistration required at www.ctnaturalhealth.com/event-calendar/. Space is limited.

Collaborative Natural Health Partners, 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Thursday, January 4th Community Acupuncture. 6pm - 7pm.

Also Jan. 18th. From anxiety and headaches to digestive and hormone conditions, acupuncture helps restore balance to the whole body. Community Acupuncture offers a Sliding Scale payment model. You choose the amount you can afford based on the three options offered from $20, $25 or $30. Preregistration required at www.ctnaturalhealth.com/event-calendar/.

Space is limited. Collaborative Natural Health Partners 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT 860-533-0179

Monday, January 8th Intuitive Development Circle with Priscilla.

7pm – 8:30 pm. $20. Join in this group to advance your intuitive skills. This group is open to all spiritual seekers exploring their intuitive gifts. Each week we gather in community, meditate and focus on a specific skill set. The more you attend the higher the vibration of the group and your attunement to the skills. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Paleo/Whole 30 January Challenge. Mondays 6pm - 7pm. Join our Nutritionist, Evelyn D (evelynd. com), as she guides you through the Paleo/Whole30 January Challenge! Classes will feature support, discussion, resources, meal prep, healthy snacks and cooking demos with samples to try. Learn how to make your own Paleo Mayo, cook curried caulirice with asian vegetables, spiralize squash, make chicken lettuce cups and more! Preregistration required at www.ctnaturalhealth.com/event-calendar/. Space is limited. Collaborative Natural Health Partners - 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Tuesday, January 9th Cabin Fever Relief: Crystal, Essence, and Reiki Meditation with Dan Lupacchino and Christine Cartwright. 7pm – 8:15 pm $30. Melt the winter blues and join Chris and Dan for a special crystal and sound meditation, utilizing a specifically chosen

38 Natural NaturalNutmeg Nutmeg- -January/February January/February2018 2018

January/February 2018 crystal and essence journey into meditation to relax, recharge and awaken the inner warmth and light within. Each participant will receive a crystal and essence sample to take home. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

The Nuts and Bolts of Spirituality: A monthly group for Men with Ken Freschi.

7pm – 8pm $15. Ken’s book, Our Walk to Eternity, will be used as a guideline for the group and aid in exploring the human journey and the lessons we are here to learn. Open for all levels of spiritual seekers. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, January 10th Healing in Harmony Night. 5pm – 7pm. FREE. Participants will sit individually with a healer and receive a 10 – 12 minute healing. You will be served in the order in which you enter the center.

The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Community Acupuncture with Elaine Reynolds.

7pm – 8pm. $35. Acudetox, auricular (ear) acupuncture uses the gentle placement of five small, sterilized needles in each ear to help balance the physical and spiritual being. This treatment is used in addiction therapy, pain management, depression, anxiety and PTSD. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, January 12th Meet your Angels and Guides with Priscilla Bengtson. 6:30pm – 9:30pm. $65.

During this workshop you will learn about your primary spiritual guides and guardian angels.

Through meditation, we will meet them and receive information from them on how they would like to work with you. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, January 13th Psychic Saturday. 10am – 4pm. $25 for a 20-minute reading. Receive a private reading to connect you to guidance from your angels, spirit guides and loved ones. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To pre-schedule an appointment, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, January 14th Women’s Empowerment Meditation. 10am – 12pm. $25. The energy of the group helps us to release those things that no longer serve our highest good and allow us to live an empowered life. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, January 16th Integrated Energy Therapy (IET®) Information Night with Christine Cartwright and Dan Lupacchino.

7pm – 8pm. FREE. Participants will learn a brief history of the development of IET and its many uses in healing. Learn a Heart-Link process to connect with these amazing angels. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, January 17th New Moon Sound Healing Meditation, Essential Oils and Reiki with Priscilla Bengtson & Christine Cartwright. 7pm – 8:15pm. $35. The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. Christine will introduce an Essential Oil and offer Reiki throughout the session. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Thursday, January 18th Potions, Lotions, and Brews with Dan Lupacchino.

7pm – 8:30pm. $40.00. Learn to make your own hand lotion, scrubs, and bath-bombs, using natural products and therapeutic essential oils. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, January 20th Mediumship Certificate Program Level I with Priscilla Bengtson. Also 1/21. 9:30am – 6pm. $375 (Financial assistance and payment plan available).

Create a system for yourself to work with spirit energies so that you can be accurate every time whether you are using this knowledge for yourself or reading for others. Certificate and manual provided. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.psyche-institute.com.

Reiki I with Christine Cartwright. 9am – 5pm. $150. Participants will learn traditional hand positions, how to give a full body session and receive attunements to the universal Reiki energy for self-healing and healing others. Participants receive a manual, book and certificate. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, January 21st Expressions of Faith Spiritual Service with Rev. Karen Ellis. 9:30am – 10:30am. Love donations accepted. Start your week with uplifting messages of inspiration as we gather in community for our monthly spiritual service. Join in at 10:30 a.m. for a hands on Healing Service. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, January 23rd

Tuesday, January 30th

Wednesday, February 7th

How to Read Angel Cards with Priscilla.

7pm – 8:30pm. $35.00. Using Guidance cards you will learn how to prepare the cards for use for readings, do a variety of spreads and how to give a reading for yourself or someone else The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Full Moon Sound Healing Meditation, Essential Oils and Reiki with Priscilla Bengtson & Dan Lupacchino. 7pm – 8:15pm. $35. The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. Dan will introduce an essential oil and offer Reiki throughout the session. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Community Acupuncture with Elaine Reynolds.

7pm – 8pm. $35. Acudetox, auricular (ear) acupuncture uses the gentle placement of five small, sterilized needles in each ear to help balance the physical and spiritual being. This treatment is used in addiction therapy, pain management, depression, anxiety and PTSD. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, January 31st

CLEAN FOOD Primer with Terry Walters.

12pm - 1pm. Terry will lay the foundation for making healthy choices and setting yourself up for success and good health. You’ll learn all about pantry basics. Preregistration required at www. ctnaturalhealth.com/event-calendar/. Space is limited. Collaborative Natural Health Partners 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Wednesday, January 24th Crystal Grid Chakra Healing Meditation with Christine Cartwright. 7pm – 8pm. $25. Meditate and heal within the crystal grid. Relax, recharge and renew with a guided meditation to clear your chakras and heal your body, mind and soul. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, January 26th

Full Moon Sound Healing Meditation with Priscilla Bengtson. 5pm – 6:15pm. $25. The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Gallery Night with Priscilla Bengtson.

6:30pm – 8:30pm. $45.00. Priscilla is a certified Angel Therapy Practitioner®, Medium and Psychic Intuitive who connects with angels, spirit guides and those who have crossed over. Readings will be done gallery-style with Priscilla providing messages to the audience as they come through to her. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Home Message Circle. 7pm – 8:30pm. $20.

The session is open to anyone who wishes to practice their mediumship message delivery in a group. Your ability doesn’t matter as we are all here to get some practice and learn from each other. A group facilitator will help you stay on track with your message if needed. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, January 27th Introduction to Numerology with Mary Anne Costerella. 9:30am – 12:30pm. $65.

By examining the meaning of important numbers, such as your birth date and those associated with your name, you can gain a better understanding of yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses. Participants will learn the meaning of numbers, review what the core numbers are in a numerological profile and calculate the most important number: your Life Path. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, January 28th Community Acupuncture with Elaine Reynolds.

1pm – 2pm. $35. Acudetox, auricular (ear) acupuncture uses the gentle placement of five small, sterilized needles in each ear to help balance the physical and spiritual being.This treatment is used in addiction therapy, pain management, depression, anxiety and PTSD. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Holistic Practitioner Certificate Program (one-year) with Priscilla. 9:30am – 6pm. $1,800 (monthly payments available). This all-in-one class provides you a smorgasbord of metaphysical content and general knowledge and skill set in a variety of modalities.

You’ll receive an education in the fundamentals of everything including Mediumship, Angelology, Medical Intuition, Energy Healing. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.psyche-institute.com.

Jumpstart your clean food eating in 2018.

6pm - 7pm. Join cookbook author and educator, Terry Walters for an evening of inspiration, education and a tasty sampling of delicious, real food.

The perfect way to jumpstart your year of CLEAN EATING! Space is limited, be sure to register early at www.ctnaturalhealth.com/event-calendar/.

Collaborative Natural Health Partners, 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Thursday, February 1st Community Acupuncture. Also, Feb. 15.

6pm - 7pm. From anxiety and headaches to digestive and hormone conditions, acupuncture helps restore balance to the whole body. Community Acupuncture offers a Sliding Scale payment model.

You choose the amount you can afford based on the three options offered from $20, $25 or $30.

Preregistration required at www.ctnaturalhealth. com/event-calendar/. Space is limited. Collaborative Natural Health Partners - 315 East Center St, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Sunday, February 4th Shangra-La Reiki for Reiki Practitioners, Masters and Teachers with Dan Lupacchino.

9:30am – 5:30pm. $200. This system is focused on personal evolution and spiritual growth and your ascension process with increased healing abilities as a natural progression to this work. You will be connected to the energy of the ascended masters, engage in powerful meditations, and expanded your light body Pre-requisite is Usui Reiki II. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, February 9th So you want to be a Medium? with Priscilla Bengtson. 6:30pm – 9:30pm. $65.

Participants will learn the differences between mediumship and psychic ability, how to receive messages clearly and how to know who you are working with in the spirit world. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, February 10th Psychic Saturday. 10am – 4pm. $25. for a 20-minute reading. Receive a private reading to connect you to guidance from your angels, spirit guides and loved ones. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To pre-schedule an appointment, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, February 11th Women’s Empowerment Meditation.

10am – 12pm $25.00. We invite in our angels and guides to help us release those things that keep us stuck. The energy of the group helps us to release those things that no longer serve our highest good and allow us to live an empowered life. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, February 13th The Nuts and Bolts of Spirituality: A monthly group for Men with Ken Freschi. 7pm – 8pm. $15.

Ken’s book, Our Walk to Eternity, will be used as a guideline for the group and aid in exploring the human journey and the lessons we are here to learn.

Open for all levels of spiritual seekers. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, February 14th Healing in Harmony Night. 5pm – 7pm. FREE. Stop by the center for a FREE healing service. Participants will sit individually with a healer and receive a 10 – 12 minute healing. The Healing in Harmony

www.NaturalNutmeg.com 39 www.NaturalNutmeg.com 39

Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, February 16th New Moon Sound Healing Meditation, Essential Oils and Reiki with Priscilla Bengtson & Christine Cartwright. 7pm – 8:15pm. $35. The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. Chris will introduce an Essential Oil and offer Reiki throughout the session. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, February 17th Reiki II with Christine Cartwright. 9am – 5pm. $160. Receive attunements to higher frequencies of universal energy and enhance your healing work.

Learn how to do distance healing, as well as heal mental, emotional and past life issues. Participants receive a manual and certificate. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury.

To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, February 18th Expressions of Faith Spiritual Service with Rev. Karen Ellis. 9:30am – 10:30am. Love donations accepted. Start your week with uplifting messages of inspiration as we gather in community for our monthly spiritual service. Join in at 10:30am for a hands on Healing Service. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

IET® Healing Angels of the Energy Field with Dan Lupacchino. 12pm – 5pm. $100. By learning how to call upon the Integrated Energy Therapy® Healing Angels, you will be able to understand how each one represents a divine quality that touches your soul. Workbook and Certificate provided. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Community Acupuncture with Elaine Reynolds.

12pm – 1pm. $35. Acudetox, auricular (ear) acupuncture uses the gentle placement of five small, sterilized needles in each ear to help balance the physical and spiritual being. This treatment is used in addiction therapy, pain management, depression, anxiety and PTSD. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, February 21st Crystal Grid Chakra Healing Meditation with Christine Cartwright. 7pm – 8pm. $25. Meditate and heal within the crystal grid. Relax, recharge and renew with a guided meditation to clear your chakras and heal your body, mind and soul. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tarot 101 with Melinda Urquizu (Seven weeks).

7pm – 8:30pm. $175 (payment plan available).

In this 7-session workshop, you will explore

40 Natural NaturalNutmeg Nutmeg- -January/February January/February2018 2018

each section of Tarot so you are comfortable and confident with your connection and messages.

Bring to the first session a deck of Tarot cards and a cloth, bandana or scarf for your cards. Class meets February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21, 28 and April 4.

The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, February 23rd Gallery Night with Priscilla Bengtson.

6:30pm – 8:30pm. $45. Priscilla is a certified Angel Therapy Practitioner®, Medium and Psychic Intuitive who connects with angels, spirit guides and those who have crossed over. Readings will be done gallery-style with Priscilla providing messages to the audience as they come through to her. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, February 24th Integrated Energy Therapy (IET)® Basic Level with Dan Lupacchino And Christine Cartwright.

9:30am – 6pm. $205. Learn IET® and attune to a powerful angelic energy ray that activates your 12-strand Spiritual DNA and then learn to heartlink to the energy of your angels and use their energy for healing. Fully illustrated training guide and certificate provided. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, February 25th Integrated Energy Therapy (IET)® Intermediate Level with Dan Lupacchino & Christine Cartwright. 9:30am – 6pm. $230. Attune to the energy ray that activates the 3rd and 4th DNA pairs and will empower you to pull energy imprints out of the human energy field. Learn to clear energy imprints from past life karma and methods to esoterically dowse and interpret the blockages. Fully illustrated training guide and certificate provided. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, February 27th Sound Healing Meditation, Essential Oils & Reiki with Priscilla Bengtson and Dan Lupacchino.

7pm – 8:15pm. $35.00. The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. Dan will introduce an essential oil and offer Reiki throughout the session. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Eat Your Veggies with Terry Walters. 12pm -1pm.

This class will provide an overview of the many different categories that make this the largest food category to focus on for optimal health. Terry will introduce the ideas of seasonal preparations and will demonstrate a recipe that you’ll be able to sample.

Preregistration required at www.ctnaturalhealth. com/event-calendar/. Space is limited. Collaborative Natural Health Partners, 315 East Center St,, Manchester, CT - 860-533-0179

Wednesday, February 28th Sound Healing Meditation with Priscilla Bengtson.

5pm – 6:15pm. $25.The use of Himalayan Singing Bowls, vibrationally attuned to each energy center, allows for healing pathways to open and stuck energy to be released. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visithealinginharmonycenter.com.

Home Message Circle. 7pm – 8:30pm. $20.

The session is open to anyone who wishes to practice their mediumship message delivery in a group. Your ability doesn’t matter as we are all here to get some practice and learn from each other. A group facilitator will help you stay on track with your message if needed. The Healing in Harmony Center, 80 Eastern Boulevard, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter.com.

ONGOING Tuesday Somatic Awareness: Meditating In and Through the Body with Lama Urgyan Zangpo. 7-8:30pm. $225 for entire 9 week series. This weekly class will focus on somatic and breath exercises, accompanied by a discussion of contemporary body-centered psychotherapy and embodied spirituality as transmitted within the ancient Taoist and Tibetan Tantric traditions (from a nonreligious point of view). Valley Spirit Cooperative, 860-619-2788. Valleyspiritcoop.com.

Wednesdays The Feldenkrais Method ®Awareness Through Movement® Classes with Karen Emerick, A powerful way to eliminate stress and pain while dramatically increasing flexibility. Through stress and injury we develop habitually chronic tight muscles and stiff joints leaving us feeling older than we are. Through slow, deceptively simple and ingeniously designed movements done on the floor, these chronic old patterns ingrained in our body melt away, leaving relaxed muscles, improved coordination and balance and an effortless sense of movement. Glastonbury, 10:15am – 11:30am, $15, drop-ins $20. Register: 860-633-7667.

Thursdays Shamanism Study Group, 6:30- 8:30 PM. November 15, December 20 with Joyce St. Germaine, M. Ed., CHt., RYT-200. $25 ($20 for elders over 65 and full time students).

Practice cross-cultural shamanism, become adept at journeying, and build relationships with animal and spirit helpers. Focus on restoring balance to self, community, and the planet. Appropriate for any level of experience; all compassionate people are welcome. Please bring a notebook and eye covering.

The Sacred Journey, 29 Davis Road (driveway is on Duane Lane), Burlington. (860) 675-9706, jsgermaine@aol.com, www.thesacredjourney.biz

Saturdays Ellington Farmers' Market Saturdays 2-4 pm at the YMCA, 11 Pinney St. Ellington. November 18th, Dec. 2 and 16, Jan 6 and 20, Feb 3 and 17, March 3 and 17. 25 vendors with a wide variety of locally grown and produced farm products, specialty foods and artisan wares.

RESOURCES ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture of Greater Hartford Stan Baker, LAC 645 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105 860.836.1068 • acupuncturestanbaker.com See ad on page 27.

CHIROPRACTIC Back to Motion Sports Rehab and Fitness 435 Willard Ave #B, Newington, CT 06111 BTMrehabfitness@gmail.com • 860-665-0826 See ad on page 21.

DENTISTRY Livingstone Dental Excellence Dr. Thomas Livingstone 3 Railroad St. North Canaan, CT 860.824.0751 • livingstonedentalexcellence.com See ad on page 30.

Dr. Steven Hinchey 2249 New London Turnpike South Glastonbury, CT. (860) 633-6518 www.dochincheydmd.com See ad on page 27.

HEALTH FOOD STORES Parkade Health Shoppe Manchester Parkade, 378 West Middle Tpke, Manchester, CT • 860.646.8178 M-Sat 8am-9pm • Sun 9am-6pm See ad on page 5.

FINANCIAL PLANNING Caroline Wetzel, CFP®, AWMA® Procyon Private Wealth Partners, LLC 1 Corporate Drive Suite 225 Shelton, CT 06484 475.232.2713 • cwetzel@procyonpartners.net www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-wetzel/ www.procyonpartners.net See ad on page 12.

HOLISTIC CENTERS Bridge Healing Arts Center 304 Main Street, Farmington, CT 06032 860.404.2578 • BridgeHAC@aol.com www.BridgeHAC.com See ad on page 5.

Integrative Wellness and Physical Therapy 34 Jerome Ave, Suite 305 Bloomfield, CT 06002 (860) 519-1916 info@IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com See ad on page 11.

HOLISTIC PSYCHIATRY David London, MD 567 Vauxhall St. Ext. #218, Waterford, CT (860) 443-5822 - davidlondonmd.com

HYPNOSIS Diane Bahr-Groth, C. Hy., TFT, Dir. 1177 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT. (203)595-0110 • mindbodytransformation.com See ad on page 32.

Mind Matters Hypnosis Center Lisa Zaccheo, MA, BCH, BCI Board Certified Hypnotist & Instructor 12 Waterside Court, Avon, CT 06001 (860)693-6448 • MindMatters@comcast.net www.mindmattershypnosis.com Michele P. Rousseau, MA, CH 267 William Street, Middletown, CT 06457 860-704-9054 • mprousseau@sbcglobal.net www.micheleprousseau.com

INTEGRATED MEDICINE ProNatural Physicians Group 120 Webster Sqr Rd.Berlin, CT 06037 (860) 829-0707 www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 5.

Tamara Sachs, MD Functional Medicine & Integrative Care LLC 15 Bennitt Street, New Milford CT 860-354-3304 • www.tsachsmd.com See ad on page 15.

INTEGRATIVE APRN’S/ NURSE PRACTITIONERS ProNatural Physicians Group Lara O’Neil, Pediatric APRN Adult/Women’s Health APRN 120 Webster Square Road Berlin, CT 06037 • 860-829-0707 ProNaturalPhysicians@comcast.net See ad on page 5.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE Collaborative Natural Health Partners Dr. Lauren Young, Dr. Ashley Burkman, Dr. Tonya Pasternak and Dr Craig Fasullo 315 E. Center St., Manchester, CT 06040 (860) 533-0179 • www.ctnaturalhhealth.com See ad on page 21.

Naturopathic & Acupuncture Health Center Dr. Marie Mammone, Dr. Renee Mammone, NDs John Mammone, Licensed Acupuncturist 274 Silas Deane Hwy., Wethersfield, CT 06109 (860)529-1200 • www.NAHcenter.com Stacey Munro, N.D. Nature’s Helper Medical Clinic 178 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078 860.758.7808 • www.natureshelpermedical.com The Wellness Institute Marvin Schweitzer, ND 1 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT (203) 847-2788 See ad on page 19.

West Hartford Naturopathic Medicine Frank Aieta, ND 301 N. Main St., West Hartford, CT (860) 232-9662 • www.DRAIETA.com See ad on page 19.

ProNatural Physicians Group Dr. Ann Aresco, Dr. Cait Barbiero, Dr. Jennifer C. Pierre and Lara O’Neil, APRN 120 Webster Sqr Rd.Berlin, CT 06037 P: 860-829-0707 - F: 860-829-0606 E: ProNaturalPhysicians@comcast.net www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 5.

NUTRITION Holcare Nutrition Vicki Kobliner MS RD 3 Hollyhock Lane, Suite 2A, Wilton, CT 06897 203-834-9949 • www.holcarenutrition.com See ads on page 35.

Holly Niles, MS, CNS, LDN Licensed Functional Medicine Clinical Nutritionist Integrative Wellness 34 Jerome Avenue, Suite 305 Bloomfield, CT 06002 • (860) 519-1916 HollyNiles@IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com www.IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com See ads on page 36.

PHYSICIANS, M.D. Connecticut Women's OB/GYN South Windsor/West Hartford/Enfield www.womenshealthct.com • 860-648-2748 See ad on page 42.

Natural Health & Healing, LLC Deanna M. Cherrone, MD 61 S. Main St, Ste 210, West Hartford, CT (860) 677-4600 • naturalhealthandhealing.net See ad on back cover.

Optimal Health Medical, LLC Henry C. Sobo, M.D. 111 High Ridge Rd. ,Stamford, CT 06905 203-348-8805 • www.drsobo.com Tamara Sachs, MD Functional Medicine & Integrative Care LLC 15 Bennitt Street, New Milford CT 860-354-3304 • www.tsachsmd.com See ad on page 15.

SCHOOLS The Graduate Institute 171 Amity Rd, Bethany, CT 06524 (203) 874-4252 • info@learn.edu See ads on page 43.

SKINCARE Anew You Skincare & Wellness Center Melissa Martin, 16A Ensign Drive, Avon.

(860)284-9730 • www.anewyouskincare.net Melissa@anewyouskincare.net See ad on page 19.

THERMOGRAPHY Sophia Natural Health Center 31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT 06804.

(203) 740-9300 • SophiaNaturalHealth.com

www.NaturalNutmeg.com www.NaturalNutmeg.com 41

no credit. Before they awakened from surgery I would say, “You will wake up comfortable, thirsty and hungry.” I had to change that to “but you won’t finish what is on your plate” when my patients all began to gain weight.

BERNIE

By Bernie Siegel, MD

Deceiving People into Health

P

hysicians are not taught how to communicate with patients and due to their fear of being sued tell people all of the adverse side effects of therapy and never mention the benefits.

Every time I hear a TV commercial mentioning how the pill being advertised can kill you, I wonder why anyone would try it.

I began to realize how important a patient’s beliefs were from my experience and their experience and not their diagnosis. In a sense it is summed up by Dr. Milton Erickson writing in a patient’s chart and then excusing himself and stepping out of the office for a minute. When the patient peeked at the chart she saw, “Doing well” written there. How therapeutic.

I also learned to ask people how they would describe what they were experiencing versus their diagnosis. Then I would ask how and what in their lives fit those words if they were negative words. The words they would share, like pressure describing her pain, or failure with her cancer experience led me to helping them eliminate the pressure in their life and what made them feel like a failure.

One day, prior to performing minor surgery in my office, the patient and I got into an intense and interesting discussion. I picked up the scalpel while we were talking and made an incision. I noticed my nurse waving frantically at me. When she caught my attention she pointed at the syringe containing the local anesthetic which I had not used. I asked the patient how he was feeling and he was fine so I completed the surgery and then told him we were both hypnotized and that I had not used any local anesthetic to numb the area of surgery. Major surgery has been done under hypnosis and I have used hypnotherapists in the operating room too.

As I learned the power of words I began to pay more attention to what was said in the operating room. Simple things like changing an injection from feeling like a bee sting to a mosquito bite. When an anesthesiologist talked to the patient about their “going out” I would ask the patient, “When was the last time you went out on a date.” I also played music in the O.R. decades ago and was considered an explosion hazard but when everyone felt better the staff stopped complaining. Today we have studies verifying the benefits of music in shortening the time of the surgery, requiring fewer drugs and patients experiencing less pain.

During surgery I would ask my patients not to bleed and divert the blood away from the area of surgery. I was not a normal surgeon but no one is against success so if it worked it became hospital policy for which I received

42

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018

But what really opened my mind to the power of words was my experience as a pediatric surgeon. To reassure children that they would not be in pain while they were undergoing surgery I would tell them while in the emergency room, “You will go to sleep when you go into the operating room.” I was shocked to have children fall asleep while they were being wheeled into the O.R. on their stretcher. One boy flipped over and went to sleep as we entered the O.R. When I turned him over for his appendectomy he awakened and said, “You told me I would go to sleep and I sleep on my stomach.” We reached a compromise.

We relabeled the vitamins as anti-nausea, or hair growing or pain pills and the kids responded because of the faith they had in their authority figures. One woman I know was feeling nauseated after her chemo. She asked her daughter to get her a Compazine pill since she wasn’t wearing her glasses. Her daughter gave her the pill and she felt fine. Hours later, while wearing her glasses, she asked for another pill. When she saw it she told her daughter, “That’s not my Compazine that’s my anti-coagulant Coumadin.”

“Well Mom it worked fine the last time I gave it you.” They both were impressed and enjoyed the experience.

For many, Dr. Bernard Siegel-or Bernie, as he prefers to be called-needs no introduction. He has touched many lives all over the Planet. In 1978, he reached a national and then international audience when he began talking about patient empowerment and the choice to live fully and die in peace. Read Bernie’s regular blog posts on his website where you will also find his books, articles, and CDs: http://www.berniesiegelmd.com. He is the Co-Academic Director of the Integrative Health and Healing M.A. Program at The Graduate Institute, Bethany, CT Bernie currently holds a cancer support group the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of the month 1:30-3:30PM at Coachman’s Square at 21 Bradley Road, Woodbridge. If interested contact Lucille Ranciato: lranciato2@yahoo.com 203 288 2839; or Bernie: bugsyssiegel@sbcglobal.net. You can find Bernie’s books ad CDs at Wisdom of the Ages in Simsbury, Ct. See ad on page 43.

Specializing in Women’s Health Wellness • Gynecology • Obstetrics

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43

Deanna Cherrone, M.D.

Internal Medicine Certified Functional Medicine practitioner

“Do you believe you should feel better than you do?”

Natural

Health & Healing

LLC

I help restore balance so that you can look, feel and function your best.

Areas of Focus: • Adrenal Fatigue • Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy • Bone Loss • Detoxification • Food Sensitivities • Heavy Metal Testing & Oral Chelation • Leaky gut • Menopause & Andropause • Mind Body Medicine • Neurotransmitter Testing • Nutritional & Lifestyle Counseling • Thyroid • Weight Loss

Many of my patients are simply looking for someone who will listen.

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Health & Nutrition Coaching with Kathy Beach including the Whole 21 program • EndoPAT testing to assess blood vessel health • InBody - lean muscle and fat mass analysis • PiezoWave 2 sound wave therapy to hasten healing of musculoskeletal injuries • Breast health screening with Thermography Dr. Cherrone, founder of Natural Health & Healing, provides Functional Medicine with emphasis on patient education and self care for optimal health.

CALL DR. CHERRONE TODAY AT (860) 677-4600

41 N Main Street Suite 207 W. Hartford, CT 06107 • www.naturalhealthandhealing.net 44

Natural Nutmeg - January/February 2018