Wellspring issue #16

WEALTH OF HEALTH CONFERENCE WITH CHAIM NUSSENZWEIG OF ORGANIC CIRCLE

SAFE IN A CAVE

Are the perks of modern living hazardous to our health?

DETECTING DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN The psychologists weigh in

WILL THE BRIS BE ON TIME? A jaundice solution

10 QUESTIONS

Brany Rosen of HUG / A TIME

THE NUMBERS WON'T BUDGE

GOOD FOOD INSIDE

Can too much dieting ruin your metabolism?

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The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Maxi-Health Research LLC. All rights are reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part or in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space and editorial sensitivities. The Wellspring Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content or kashrus of advertisements in the publication, nor for the content of books that are referred to or excerpted herein. The contents of The Wellspring Magazine, such as text, graphics and other material (content) are intended for educational purposed only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.

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From the Editor

Dear Readers, This year, since Lag Ba’Omer falls on a Sunday, I may have to give up on my yearly ritual. For the past few years, every Lag Ba’Omer eve finds me and a friend on an Egged bus chugging its way up the hills to Meron. While I’m glad to spend the evening basking in the spirit of Rabbi Shimon’s hilula and the powerful immersion of prayer, the night that follows is, well, not conducive to too much sleep. I always return home not long before sunrise, the time my husband boards the bus, only to be awakened a few short hours later by little ones who are all revved up for a fun-filled vacation day ahead.

Still, I choose to make this sacrifice—to give up one good night of sleep—in exchange for the incredible experience. Last year, as I dragged my weary feet down the deserted street from the bus stop to my building, I pondered the perks of modern living. Once upon a time, there was no such concept as staying awake, never mind heading out, past sunset. Unless you wanted to trek your way with a lantern, you simply stayed put—but not in a fluorescent-lit kitchen, either. Only if you were ready to mend by the light of a candle were you daring enough to be awake close to midnight.

So entrenched and accustomed are we to the benefits of modern development that we don’t realize how it affects every aspect of our lives—in good ways and bad. The world is constantly evolving, and while we welcome most advancements with open arms, we’re paying a price for them too. Since the Wellspring is a health magazine, the focus in this issue’s feature “Safe in a Cave” is on how modern living impacts our physical health.

Hashkafically, as well, the ramifications are profound. Parents and educators nowadays are grappling with technology-related chinuch challenges that were practically non-existent even a decade ago, and the world at large has become entrenched in a web of too much connectivity for comfort.

It’s hard to imagine life without shampoo, air conditioning, and hot running water.

While there’s much to be grateful for in regard to advances in technology, such as the abundance of quality nutritional supplements created in labs and the medical equipment that has significantly decreased mortality rates, sometimes, just sometimes, don’t you just long for the purity of yesteryear—when people ate the fruits of their labor? In this issue's Conference, Mr. Chaim Nussenzweig shares how at Organic Circle, he’s recreating that old-time experience and enabling people to maximize the potential of the food they ingest. It’s fascinating to know that a place like that exists in brownstone Brooklyn—and it’s all entirely kosher.

Living in an era that allows us the opportunity for so much comfort is truly a blessing.

When we learn to create a balance, holding on to the purity of yesteryear while enjoying the abundance that’s at our fingertips today, we can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Wishing you good luck in attaining that balance,

Shiffy Friedman

shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com

Well-Put!

“Validating someone’s pain is the most comforting help of all,” says Brany Rosen of A TIME’s HUG division that helps couples and families struggling with pregnancy loss.

Check out her fascinating interview on page 26.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 7

Contents

IYAR 5777

20

MAY2017

The next issue of The Wellspring will appear iy”H on June 7th.

WELL INFORMED 15

WELLNESS PLATFORM

By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels

17

TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

18

HEALTH UPDATES IN THE NEWS

By Liba Solomon, CNWC

20

FIGURES

By Miriam Katz

22

WEALTH OF HEALTH Conference with Chaim Nussenzweig

By Sarah Weinberger

26

DEDICATED TO HEALTH 10 Questions for Brany Rosen

By Chana Dunner

32 LIVING WELL 28

ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A REMARKABLY DEDICATED TEAM, HOWEVER, I LIKE TO BE IN THE TRENCHES, HANDS-ON. -BRANY ROSEN, HUG

PAGE 26

26

ASK THE NUTRITIONIST Has too Much Dieting Ruined my Metabolism?

By Shani Taub, CDC

30

IN GOOD SHAPE Fitness 101: Spinning

By Syma Kranz, PFC

32

COVER FEATURE Safe in a Cave

By Rochel Gordon

54

HEALTH PROFILE Client: Sarah Keller

By Esther Steinmetz

56

TRIED AND TRUE Time to Grow Up

By Batsheva Fine

58

MONTHLY DOSE A More Vibrant Life

By Yaakov Goodman, CN

FAREWELL 79

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

43

THE CITRUS TANG PAIRS INCREDIBLY WELL WITH THE DEEP KALE FLAVOR. YOU’LL GET A BURST OF FUN IN EVERY BITE. - LEVIA JOSEPH, SEASONED

PAGE 39

EAT WELL WELLBEING 61

CLEAN SLATE The Failure Strategies

By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC

62

FROM THE GROUND UP 18-24 Months

By Goldy Guttman, Ms. Ed.

64

EMOTIONAL WELLNESS Is my Son Depressed

By Esther Moskowitz, LCSW

66

HEALTH PERSONALITY Dr. Michelle Klein

By Shiffy Friedman

SEASONED Celebrate Spring

By Levia Joseph

48

NUTRITION TIDBITS IN THE NEWS

By Liba Solomon, CNWC

50

NUTRITION FACTS IN A SHELL This Month: Rhubarb

By Devorah Isaacson

AGE WELL

79 A SINGLE GLASS OF MILK CAN CONTAIN A CONCOCTION OF UP TO 20 DIFFERENT CHEMICALS. FEATURE

39

71

GOLDEN PAGE

By Yaakov Goodman, CN

72

SENIOR CARE Insomnia

By Rena Milgraum, RN

74

SAGE ADVICE Adventures in Vision Correction

By Aliza Simon

76

SERIAL DIARY Entry #

By Malka Aronson

INKWELL 78

DIARY A Jaundice Journey

By Faigy Grunbaum

PAGE 32

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 9

Springboard

Letters

Glycemic Index Finally, a shift [Issue #15: The Great Potato Debate]

• Cornflakes, 1 cup = 92 • Rice cakes = 82 • Doughnut, 1 medium = 76 • Whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti, 1 cup = 42 • Bread, made with white-wheat flour = 75 • Bread, made with whole-wheat flour = 69 • Honey, 1 tablespoon = 61 • Pineapple, ½ cup raw = 11 • Banana, 1 raw = 48 • Watermelon, 1 cup = 72 • Orange, 1 raw = 45 • Apple, 1 raw = 36 • Skim milk, 1 cup = 31 • Pearled barley, 1 cup = 25 • Cashews, 1 ounce = 22 • Peanuts, 1 ounce = 13

Dear Editor: There are numerous mistakes on the page concerning the glycemic index of commonly-eaten foods. I think you owe it to your readers to reprint this list with the correct numbers. (How did the writer even think it was possible that every one of the foods listed, such as honey, bread, etc., are all low GI foods?)

A concerned reader Editor’s Note: We apologize for the errors in the glycemic index chart. Below please find the correct numbers. (Source: Harvard Health Publication) • High GI = 70 to 100 • Medium GI = 50 to 70 • Low GI = below 50 Here are some basic foods and their GI value: • Pancake, 1, 6-inch diameter = 67 • White rice, 1 cup boiled = 72 • Dates, 2 ounces, dried = 42 • Spaghetti, regular made with white flour, 1 cup = 46 • Potato, white, 1 medium, baked = 85 • Brown rice, 1 cup = 50

10 The Wellspring | May 2017

Kudos Great Pesach reading [Issue #15: Editor’s Note] Dear Editor: With Pesach falling out on Monday night this year, we got to have more time with our magazine stack (starting from Shabbos Hagadol). This really gave me a chance to read through every single page of your wonderful magazine. I was especially grateful that I got to read the Editor’s Note before we had the Sedarim, as it was the first year that we were making Pesach in our own home.

Of course, I knew exactly what our table would look like—not only the table settings, but also how the Seder would be run. Reading Rebbetzin Spetner’s powerful message, that there’s no one way it’s “supposed” to be, before we actually had the Seder gave me the opportunity to have a truly liberating evening. I was able to enjoy the moments that the kids were seated at the

table, but also the times when they ran off to play (and when I realized I’d forgotten to cook the eggs!).

When I picked up the magazine, I was wondering what I’d learn in terms of physical health. Your letter gave me something much greater—a sense of peace and emotional health. Thanks for giving me true simchas yom tov!

P.S. Shani Taub’s nutrition tips made my Pesach so much more physically comfortable too.

Chani T. Lakewood, NJ

Great Recommendation Helping my husband’s arthritis [Issue #15: Taking a Break from the Ache] Dear Editor: My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the article titled “Taking a Break from the Ache.”

My husband has been suffering from mild yet degenerative arthritis for about three years and cannot take most standard pain killers as he has a heart condition. Sure enough, we tried the Maxi Collagen H. A.™ in addition to the Super-Glucosamine Complex™, and just under two weeks he felt significant improvements. I strongly encourage others suffering from this condition to give these supplements a try.

Mrs. S. Farkas Brooklyn, NY

invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

Springboard

Letters

Yeast Infection Saga Scratching the itch [Issue #15: Wellness Platform] Dear Editor: First, thanks for a beautiful, incredibly well-rounded magazine that covers all aspects of health for Jewish families. I enjoyed Rabbi Meisels’ series on yeast infections immensely, as I can totally relate to the torture of experiencing not one but countless rounds of it. For years, I’ve always been either finishing up with one infection or heading into the next one. I don’t wish this discomfort on any human being!

Of course, I’ve started taking the supplements he recommends because I’ve tried everything else already to no avail. It’s been a few days, and I’m still experiencing the first part of the process now, the ridding of all that garbage, but I look forward to being yeast infection-free for the rest of my life.

Many thanks, Yehudis L.

The Rabbi’s Fan Raving about The Possible You [Issue #15: Cup of Tea] Thanks so much for an enlightening interview with Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser.

As a graduate of his seminar, I was glad to see that you’re sharing his wisdom with your many readers. What I found so fascinating about the seminar, and as he shares in the article, his method is not about focusing on the past. Instead, after taking his course I was finally able to focus on the present, to live in the moment, which allows for such a liberating, inspired life.

You’re doing your readers a true service for sharing such helpful information on emotional health.

Many thanks, Yitzchak T.

Whether it’s morally correct or not is irrelevant. The nurses are human, just as we are.

Being Nice in the NICU It’s our responsibility [Issue #15: Updates] Dear Editor: It was especially interesting to read about the study regarding parents’ behavior in the NICU, as we were recently in that situation with our baby who was born prematurely. I can’t agree more with the researchers: the kinder you are to the staff, the better care your baby will receive. Whether it’s morally correct or not is irrelevant. The nurses are human, just as we are.

I thank Hashem that we had the clarity to use the experience as an opportunity to create a kiddush Hashem by constantly expressing our appreciation to the staff and leaving them small gifts when we finally left. Being kind and gracious is not only a way to get better care for your child; for us, as Jews, it’s a requirement.

Thanks for a great magazine, Henna G. Crown Heights, NY

To Each His Own Let it be heard!

[Issue #15: From the Ground Up]

Keep up your great work, M. Kaufman Monsey, NY

Personal Profile Great feedback [Issue #13: Health Profile] Dear Editor: I’m writing to you as one of the women who were featured in your Profile section and received guidance from nutritionist Tanya Rosen. In my responses to the questions, I gave a little background about my weight loss challenges, especially at my age (of 56!).

I just want to let you know that the feedback I got from the nutritionist was very helpful and that I’ve been following her advice since then.

I’ve become especially good at not buying the foods that tempt me too much, keeping the pantry available for healthy foods. I’m on my way to getting that new sheitel!

Dear Editor: As a mother of several young children, I find your magazine to be truly helpful and enlightening. More than

12 The Wellspring | May 2017

once, when I’ve been in a dilemma regarding a health situation, I thought to myself, “What did I read in The Wellspring?” And the answers come to me.

I’m enjoying the child development column very much. In the last installment, which covered the 12-18 month stage, there is one line that I’d like to stress to all my friends and family, and I thank you for printing it. While most of my siblings’ babies start walking at around the age of one, my kids are very late walkers. Four out of five only took their first step at about eighteen months, and every single time we go through this I get pressured by my mother and sisters to “take care of the problem.” Thanks for making it public knowledge that the normal age range for walking is 12-18 months. You’ve helped at least this one mother of a 16-month-old not-yet-walker.

Thanks so much for this excellent health platform for the frum community, Devorah M. Lakewood, New Jersey

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A CRUCIAL COMBO

CALCIUM ALONE CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

A

Although we’ve finally reached the spring season, during which we’re hopefully exposed to more sunlight, there’s one important vitamin that the sun’s rays provide which we unfortunately receive too little of: vitamin D, essential in aiding the absorption of calcium. For this reason, the importance of supplementing is noteworthy.

However, many people are unaware that vitamin D must be consumed in conjunction with vitamin K2 for optimal distribution in the body, to the extent that I advise that those who take vitamin D3 independently should stop doing so immediately.

Let’s understand why both of these fat-soluble vitamins, combined in Maxi Health’s Vitamin K2 with D3™, must be taken together. We all know that calcium plays an integral role in the body. Found in large quantities in the bones and teeth, calcium is instrumental in various vital body functions. Of course, we’ve all seen the ads promoting milk consumption as a means to up our calcium intake. But it’s not enough

to fill the body with calcium; we must ensure that it is absorbed properly and that it reaches only the right places.

When taken alone, calcium may simply pass through the body without having an impact. Thus, it must be taken in conjunction with vitamin D3, the nutrient lauded for its calcium absorption properties. However, simply taking it with vitamin D3 doesn’t fully ensure proper distribution. As a result, a two-faceted problem crops up. Not only may the calcium not reach the places where it’s needed, but it can also reach those where it is detrimental to the person’s health.

For example, research shows that many kidney stones are due to calcium buildup in the kidneys. Similarly, cardiac diseases and cardiac arrest occur as a result of a plaque buildup in the arteries, which leads to clogged or constricted blood flow. Plaque in its soft form plays a helpful role in clotting wounds. However, when the pliable material gets sealed with calcium, it ossifies, solidifying in the artery.

My thorough review of various studies has revealed that while calcium may cause heart attacks in many cases, this is not the rule. It all depends on what it was ingested with. Without vitamin D it simply passes through the body, but with only vitamin D it could reach the wrong places. This is where vitamin K2 comes to the rescue. This nutrient not only ensures that calcium reaches the bone, preventing osteoporosis and the likes, but also prevents calcium from reaching places it shouldn’t.

Vitamin K2’s first benefit is that it activates the protein hormone called

osteocalcin, which ensures that calcium gets incorporated into the bone.

Second, it activates the release of MGP (matrix GLA protein), which is the only mechanism that ensures that the arteries won’t get calcified. A renowned expert in this field conducted a study on young, healthy people that found that only 70% of MGP gets activated in most people, and the numbers decrease over a lifetime. By ingesting vitamin K2, we can do our best to maximize the benefit of this all-important protein.

In a 2013 study (Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Issue 28), one group ingested calcium with D3 and K2, and a second took it with only D3. In their observations of the subjects’ calcification in the arteries, the researchers found that the first group experienced a slower rate of artery calcification than the second.

For years, I used to tell people not to take any calcium supplements or at least to balance them with magnesium in a 1:1 ratio. I still believe that people should not take too much calcium, but I do advise to take some. Still, a word of caution remains: never ingest calcium or vitamin D3 on their own. Without vitamin K2, the risk is greater than the benefits.

In this column, Rabbi Hirsch Meisels, a renowned expert on healthy living, delivers vital health information culled from his years of experience as the founder and director of FWD, Friends With Diabetes. The information was originally transcribed from his lectures on his hotline, Kol Beri’im.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 15

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Well Informed

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Torah Wellspring: Emotional Health By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

THE TORAH’S TAKE ON SELF-ESTEEM A CORNERSTONE IN RELATIONSHIPS

WE’RE CURRENTLY in the Sefirah period, the time when we mourn the deaths of the 24,000 righteous talmidim of Rebbi Akiva. In a famous passage, the Gemara discusses the reason for their untimely passing—shelo nahagu kavod zeh lazeh, noting that they didn’t conduct themselves with respect toward each other.

The Maharsha remarks that the talmidim didn’t value the Torah, which we must prepare ourselves to receive in the period before Shavuos, which in turn led to a lack of respect of their peers.

The obvious question is: How can it be that such pious men, tzaddikim who immersed themselves in the depths of Torah and spirituality, were guilty of such misconduct?

Let’s understand what leads a person to respect others and what causes him to conduct himself otherwise. The prerequisites for respecting others are understanding what respect means, and, most importantly, respecting ourselves. Only when a person recognizes his own selfworth is he able to recognize the worth of others. This is the cornerstone of all relationships. Only a spouse, parent, or friend who appreciates himself first can extend that appreciation outward.

In Novardok, this virtue was known as kvod atzmi, self-respect. Contrary to haughtiness or false pride, self-esteem was a quality that was greatly encouraged there—and is greatly encouraged in the Torah. It’s the knowledge that I’m a creation of Hashem’s Hands, a human being that has infinite value. If I don’t be-

lieve this about myself, how can I believe it about others?

The Torah commands us to love our fellow Jew like we love ourselves: “V’ahavta lere’acha kamocha.” What’s the gauge of how much you can love others? Only as much as you love yourself.

That comes first. What many erroneously perceive as a modern, secular concept is a foundation in Yiddishkeit. Valuing ourselves is the key to leading a true To-

The prerequisites for respecting others are understanding what respect means, and, most importantly, respecting ourselves. rah life and conducting respectful relationships.

The mishnah in Avos asks, “Eizehu mechubad? Hamechabeid es habriyos.

Who is respected? One who respects others.” How does this work? When I start respecting others, will they suddenly start respecting me? One way of understanding this is that only a person who recognizes his own value is able to value others. The indicator of how much a person appreciates himself is observing to what extent he respects others.

Someone who has a profound under-

standing of his self-worth will find it hard to find fault in others, or to shun them.

The talmidim of Rebbi Akiva were incredibly pious, and their humility knew no bounds. According to the Maharsha, in their desire to attain greater levels of humility, they erroneously believed that their Torah learning did nothing to increase their value as human beings.

Thus, because they didn’t value what the Torah did to their own beings, they couldn’t value how it elevated their friends. The Maharal remarks that the talmidim were niftar in the days that lead up to Kabbalas HaTorah because they didn’t appreciate enough how Torah learning makes a Jew more valued.

It was never a matter of fighting or hurting one another, but their simple lack of self-worth, albeit stemming from good intentions, prevented them from recognizing the incredible greatness of their peers.

If we want to foster real, satisfying relationships with others, relationships in which one extends kavod to the other, the foundation is self-esteem. By starting the work at the cornerstone—learning to value ourselves as Jews, as perfect beings, as creations of Hashem’s masterful Hand—we can set the stage for success in interpersonal interactions.

May the Beis Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily, but if we don’t merit the coming of Mashiach before the Three Weeks, we will b’ezras Hashem delve deeper into the foundations of interpersonal relationships from a Torah perspective at that time.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 17

Well Informed

Health Updates in the News By Liba Solomon, CNWC

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE MONEY The hazards of pre-birth financial stress Any mom-to-be is likely to experience stress as she prepares to welcome a new addition to the family. But a new study suggests that financial stress may lead to an unwelcome pregnancy outcome. Researchers at Ohio State University found that women who stress about money during pregnancy are more likely to deliver a baby with a low birth weight. Researchers Amanda M. Mitchell and Lisa M. Christian looked at the data from 138 pregnant women surveyed about their financial strain, depressive symptoms, pregnancy-related stress, general stress, and anxiety during pregnancy.

Participants were asked three specific questions about financial strain: “How difficult is it for you to live on your total household income right now?” “In the next two months, how likely is it that you and your family will experience actual hardships, such as inadequate housing, food, or medical attention?” and “How likely is it that you and your family will have to reduce your standard of living to the bare necessities in life?”

Respondents answered the questions on a five-point scale, and high financial stress levels were linked to low birth weight in their babies.

Low birth weight, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a weight under 5.5 pounds at birth, affects 8.1 percent of babies born in the U.S, according to the study. According to the March of Dimes, an organization for premature babies, lowbirthweight babies may be more likely to experience diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, or obesity later in life. The study results should be taken with a grain of salt considering its small size, but other research suggests that prenatal stress can lead to an increased risk of the child developing ADHD, anxiety, and language delays.

Of course, no mother wants this for her baby, but for many, financial stress is inevitable. So what can you do to mitigate stress during pregnancy? Lead author Mitchell says there’s more work to be done on treatment options for prenatal stress.

“Research continues to identify activities that specifically reduce pregnancy-related anxiety,” says Mitchell. “Having said that, activities that have been shown to reduce stress, such as mindfulness, various relaxation techniques, and receiving support from family and friends are recommended for any expectant woman exposed to different types of stressors. Many women may also benefit from formal support groups or counseling services.”

It’s always a good idea to learn stress management skills, but when the repercussions are so weighty, learning to chill becomes urgent. Go for it!

BRING ON THE NOISEMAKER New research reveals the benefits of “pink noise” Do you feel the passing of years every evening, when sleep eludes you? Researchers believe that aging-related sleep issues may contribute to later-life memory loss. New research, however, suggests that there may be a simple solution to this problem: pink noise.

Pink noise is defined as gentle, soothing sound, whereby each octave possesses equal energy.

In essence, pink noise is the background noise that we hear in everyday environments.

According to Dr. Zee and team, previous research in young adults has uncovered a link between acoustic stimulation of slow-wave brain activity during sleep and improved memory.

However, they noted that studies using acoustic stimulation in older adults were lacking. To address this gap in research, Dr. Zee and colleagues enrolled 13 older adults, aged between 60 and 84 years, to their study. All adults were subject to one night of sham stimulation and one night of acoustic stimulation, which were around one week apart. The acoustic stimulation incorporated pink noise that was synced to the participants’ brain waves as they slept.

For each session, the adults completed two memory recall tests— one before they went to sleep at night, and one after they woke up the following morning.

While memory recall improved under both conditions, the researchers found that the average improvement following acoustic stimulation was three times greater than with the sham stimulation.

The greater improvement in memory as a result of acoustic stimulation correlated with a greater increase in the quality of SWS (Slow Wave Sleep), which the team says emphasizes how important deep sleep is for memory consolidation, even in later life. Overall, the researchers believe that their findings indicate that acoustic stimulation may be an effective way to boost sleep quality and memory in older age. Bring on the noisemaker!

18 The Wellspring | May 2017

HAVE SOME FUN IN THE SUN Being in nature is linked to life satisfaction It’s always a nice idea to spend time outdoors during this glorious season, but now you have another compelling reason to make it happen. Being in a natural environment is linked to higher satisfaction with life, new research finds. The results, which were published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, come from a survey of 4,000 residents of the Puget Sound region of Washington State. The survey’s questions focused on 13 factors that link to life satisfaction and found that those participants who spend more time outdoors scored higher in this area.

Dr. Biedenweg, lead author of the study, says, ““Eleven of the thirteen had a positive correlation to overall life satisfaction. The links between ecological conditions, like drinking water and air quality, and objective wellbeing have been studied quite a bit, but the connection between various aspects of engaging the natural environment and overall subjective well-being have rarely been looked at. We wanted to identify the relative importance of diverse, nature-oriented experiences on a person’s overall life satisfaction assessment and statistically prove the relationship between happiness/life satisfaction and engaging with nature in many different ways.”

It’s hard to know which came first—if people who are originally more satisfied in life tend to spend more time outdoors or the other way around, but I’ll be glad to take to the grass anytime.

IT’S STILL AROUND Malaria is sickening thousands in the US To most of us, malaria is some ancient ailment from the storybooks, the infection soldiers contracted at battle. Although transmission of malaria was wiped out in the United States decades ago and infections are falling in parts of the developing world, malaria hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. are far more common than is realized, as a steady stream of travelers returns home with this dangerous mosquito-borne disease. A new study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene shows that malaria led to a count of hospitalized patients and deaths that easily eclipsed other travel-related illness and generated approximately half a billion dollars in healthcare costs in the U.S. over a 15-year period.

“It appears more and more Americans are traveling to areas where malaria is common and many of them are not taking preventive measures, such as using antimalarial preventive medications and mosquito repellents, even though they are very effective at preventing infections,” says Diana Khuu, Ph.D, MPH, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the lead author of the study, which included contributions from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Khuu and her colleagues looked for malaria patients in a database maintained by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that tracks hospital admissions nationwide. The researchers found that between 2000 and 2014, about 22,000 people were admitted to U.S. hospitals due to complications from malaria. Moreover, 4,823 patients were diagnosed with severe malaria, which means they suffered from problems like renal failure, coma, or acute respiratory distress that significantly increase the risk of death, and 182 of these patients died.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 19

Well Informed

Figures By Miriam Katz

POLLUTION POLLS The health hazards of modern life

54%

of today’s world population lives in urban areas

Americans make up an estimated

Every year,

1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, stormwater, and industrial waste are dumped into US bodies of water

Pollution is one of the biggest global killers, affecting over

100 million

people

5% of the world’s population

However, the US uses

25% of the world’s resources

The US burns up nearly

25% 26% 27% of the world’s coal

of the world’s oil

of the world’s natural gas

The Wellspring | May 2017 20

20%

Higher Risk

People who live in places with high levels of air pollutants have a of death from lung cancer than people who live in lesspolluted areas

There are more than

40% of lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, aquatic life, or swimming

In the great Smog Disaster of London in 1952, approximately

500 million

4,000

cars in the world

people

By 2030, the number will rise to

kinds of pesticides are present in the groundwater which is used for drinking

Breathing in air in Beijing, China increases the risk of lung cancer in the same way as smoking

died in a few days due to high concentrations of pollution

has highest air pollution level in the world The United States is ranked as

China

73+

1 Billion

doubling the pollution level

21

#2

cigarettes a day

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring  21

Well Informed

Wealth of Health By Sarah Weinberger

CONFERENCE WITH: Chaim Nussenzweig COMPANY NAME: Organic Circle LOCATION: Brooklyn MOTTO: “The way nature intended”

Mr. Nussenzweig is the proprietor of Organic Circle, the only all-organic supermarket in the kosher market. Every item in the store is 100% USDA certified organic, from the produce to the dairy and even the cleaning detergents and tissue paper. In addition to carrying a wide array of organic products, this store is a new phenomenon in health awareness, offering tours, yoga classes, and health symposiums to the community.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ENTER THE FIELD OF ORGANIC FOODS? We launched with a mission to get heimish people to eat healthy. I own a supermarket one block away, Mountain Fruit, and I’ve attended many produce shows over the years.

This has given me an awareness for how much people appreciate organic foods, and I did my research to understand its importance.

WHAT MAKES A PERSON PURCHASE ORGANIC PRODUCTS? Consumers purchase organic foods for many different reasons. Many want to buy food products that are free of chemical pesticides or grown without conventional fertilizers.

Some simply like to try new and different products. Product taste, concerns for the environment, and the desire to avoid foods from genetically-engineered organisms are among the many other reasons some consumers prefer to buy organic food products. In 2007, it was estimated that over 60% of consumers bought some organic products. Approximately 5% of consumers are considered to be core organic consumers who buy up to 50% of all organic food.

The Wellspring | May 2017 22

Because organic foods contain no chemicals or additives, they’re free of potentially harmful substances, making organic foods a wise choice both for consumers and for the environment. Years of adding antibiotics to animal feed has given rise to tremendous problems, as people have been inadvertently ingesting the drugs given to the animals that they are now consuming, a phenomenon that has given rise to drug-resistant bacteria, which pose serious threats to human health. Additionally, it goes without saying that there is virtually no one who has a preference for eating food that has been treated with pesticides and preservatives, so going organic puts the consumer at a much lower risk of exposure to potentially harmful and even toxic substances.

FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT PRODUCE. HOW IS AN ORGANIC CROP DIFFERENT THAN ITS NON-ORGANIC COUNTERPART? All organic produce must be grown on soil that has been free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for three years prior to harvest, similar to our shemittah. Only once the ground is entirely clean does the planting process begin.

Of course, no GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are involved in the production whatsoever—it’s all real.

In today’s world, there are many ways to get crops to grow efficiently and quickly in order to achieve maximum production, but those ways have proven to be harmful to humans.

One secret, for example, is the use of pesticides. The biggest seed company in the world, Monsanto, actually adds the pesticides to the seeds so they don’t have to bother with the spraying process. In other words, when a person consumes their grain or corn, they’re also swallowing a chemical that’s

meant to kill insects. Non-organic crops also contain growth hormones so that when the tractor goes to cut down the wheat, it’ll be exactly the height they want it to be. Think about it: when a person ingests that, those hormones affect his own growth.

A review published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine examined over 40 published studies comparing the nutritional content of conventionally grown produce and grains versus their organic counterparts and found that the organic items were nutritionist superstars.

Organic items were found to provide 21.1 percent more iron, 27 percent more vitamin C, 29.3 percent more magnesium and 13.6 percent more phosphorus and that consuming five servings daily of certain organic vegetables provided the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. We use organic produce to create 30 different juices, using all kinds of greens that have to be checked very carefully—there are no pesticides there! That’s a first in history.

WHICH CROPS HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF PESTICIDES? The worst offenders are apples, bell peppers, grapes, cherry tomatoes, celery, potatoes, kale, peaches, spinach, squash, strawberries, hot peppers and cucumbers.

WHERE IS ORGANIC PRODUCE GROWN? There are fields all throughout the U.S., but we also have our own greenhouse in the basement where we grow wheat grasses. We give tours to teach people how to grow wheatgrass in their own homes, because it’s such a powerful superfood. One of our juices, the wheatgrass shot, is sold in a shot glass and provides an energy boost for the entire day.

WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC DAIRY PRODUCTS? WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE? Producing organic milk necessitates a detailed process.

First, the cows are only grass-fed. Plus, they aren’t injected with any hormones or antibiotics, and of course, nothing is added into the pure, fresh milk once it’s extracted. There’s only one small farm in the U.S. that produces chalav Yisrael organic milk, and there’s no such thing as kosher organic yogurt and cheeses so we make them in our own facilities. We make our own butter and feta cheese, as well as Greek, regular, flavored, and drinkable yogurts—all from organic milk. The yogurt is made through a pasteurization process and is then infused with probiotics, all or-

ganic live cultures from the Midwest that we keep in a deep freeze at 45 degrees below zero.

HOW OFTEN IS THE YOGURT MADE? Every two weeks.

WHAT ARE ORGANIC BAKED GOODS MADE OF? Of course, the grains we use, mainly spelt, are 100% organic. Our bakery has come up with 7-8 different kinds of breads made from sourdough, mostly with spelt flour, which renders them shehakol. We carry a total of 24 varieties of breads and rolls and 50 kinds of cookies and cakes. They don’t contain margarine, only coconut oil, and everything is under the supervision of the Tartikov Beis Din.

WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC MEAT. IS THAT AVAILABLE IN THE KOSHER MARKET? About three weeks ago, we started carrying a new meat that’s 100% grass-fed, all from the Black Angus. Raised in Omaha, Nebraska, these animals aren’t given any antibiotics. It took us a year to get this product on board, but it was all worth it.

WHAT KIND OF FOODS ARE ANIMALS GENERALLY FED? They’re injected with hormones and GMO corn so the growth process is quickened. All these hormones enter our bodies when we ingest the meat. The Rambam says you are what you eat, so when we maintain a healthy lifestyle, we ensure that only good things are coursing through our bloodstream.

HOW ABOUT FISH? IS THERE SUCH THING AS ORGANIC FISH? With fish, the market is a bit different. If fish isn’t wild caught, it means they were raised in pools by the fish industry, which wants to speed up their growth process and thus saturates the pools with chemicals. Salmon, especially, are fed red dyes so their color is more prominent, as well as special

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 23

Well Informed

Wealth of Health

foods that make them grow faster so the process is more cost-efficient. Regular wild caught salmon have a problem with worms—there’s a sheilah in kashrus whether they are considered mutar or not because they’re internal—so our mashgiach doesn’t allow us to carry this fish. Farm-raised salmon don’t have worms because they’re given antibiotics.

White fish, however, are not what’s called “farm-raised” because they’re freshwater fish, not saltwater fish like salmon. Tilapia is the worst, with the highest levels of chemicals, because it’s too expensive to let them grow and eat.

DO PEOPLE REPORT DIFFERENCES AFTER STARTING ORGANIC DIETS? Of course. People come back to our health coaches constantly, giving feedback on how the products improved their digestive, immune, and other systems. Especially those who go on cleansing diets using our organic juices come back to report that the results are unbelievable.

WHAT OTHER INTERESTING ORGANIC FOODS ARE AVAILABLE?

WHY WOULD SOMEONE BUY ORGANIC TISSUE PAPER? If their skin is prone to allergies, they don’t have to worry about chemical content. It’s all pure. The same is true for soaps. People come in and say that it sounds weird to buy organic soap, but they’re really allergic to the non-organic kinds. The chemical overload is simply not good for their skin.

WHY ARE ORGANIC PRODUCTS MORE COSTLY? The added health benefits of organic food do come at a higher cost. The elimination of conveniences such as pesticides and chemicals make food production more labor intensive and organic animal feed comes at a higher cost as well. Unfortunately, most organic food producers are not large enough to qualify for government subsidies and smaller farms typically do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger facilities enjoy.

Yet despite the additional cost, choosing organic foods is still a wise decision that will likely yield tremendous health benefits. Thankfully, there are ways for the savvy shopper to minimize the price difference between organic and conventional items including buying in season and comparison shopping. It’s also important to remember that sometimes it’s worth paying a premium for a superior product. Yes, buying organic may cost more in the short term, but looking at the larger picture, buying organic is a smart move that provides numerous health benefits which may, in the long run, end up saving you money.

In today’s world, there are many ways to get crops to grow efficiently and quickly in order to achieve maximum production, but those ways have proven to be harmful to humans.

We make our own chocolate from scratch, using cocoa butter. Every Thursday and Friday, our chef prepares two types of organic cholent. The gluten-free one is made of beans, potatoes, and dates as a sweetener. The other contains barley but no beans, as well as almonds, shelled chestnuts, and potatoes. It tastes totally meaty, and is a favorite for those who can’t have beans. We also do our own sour pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

IN ADDITION TO FOODS, WHAT OTHER ORGANIC PRODUCTS ARE ON THE MARKET TODAY? Practically everything—because today’s regular products are all saturated with chemicals. You can’t find an air freshener or laundry detergent without chemicals in the non-organic market. At our place, every single product is certified 100% organic by the USDA. We have our own line of soaps and detergents, even toilet paper.

HOW ARE YOU SPREADING AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? Every couple of weeks we run symposiums, at which renowned doctors and nutritionists explain the results of irresponsible consumption and how it affects our bodies.

Every Tuesday night, yoga classes are given on our premises.

In addition, we have experienced health coaches on site who are always available to explain these concepts to the customers.

This column features a profile of a business owner who manufactures or distributes a service or product that promotes health and wellness. To be interviewed, please contact The Wellspring.

The Wellspring does not endorse any product featured in this column.

The Wellspring | May 2017 24

YOUR WELLNESS LIST

Supplements related to content in this issue that can improve your health and wellbeing To get a detailed understanding of the following nutritional topics, read more on the page numbers listed below.

GREEN COFFEE BEAN COMPLEX™ Related to “Ask the Nutritionist” pg. 28

MAXI ACTIVE PRO 20™ Related to “Safe in a Cave” pg. 32 Are you in a situation where you must take antibiotic medication? Now that your body is being stripped of good and bad bacteria, it’s time to restore the good guys—and fast. Maxi Active Pro 20™ to the rescue!

This combination offers you 15 probiotic strains, 200 mg per serving, in a delayed release capsule.

VISION TO THE MAX™ Related to “Sage Advice” pg. 74

Do you feel that your metabolism can use a boost? Green Coffee Bean Complex™ was created with people like you in mind.With this supplement, you get green coffee bean extract with 50% chlorogenic acids, and green tea extract standardized to 98% polyphenols, which are both known for their metabolismincreasing abilities.

Whether you’re suffering from vision problems or would love to prevent them, you’ll have the clarity with Vision to the Max™. A unique combination of many visionboosting natural ingredients such as selenium, bilberry extract, eyebright powder, citrus bioflavonoid complex, alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, turmeric powder, DMG, green tea extract, l-glutathione, zeaxanthin, and natural astaxanthin, this is the true eye care solution.

YUMMIE CALM™ Related to “Emotional Wellness” pg. 64 When parents watch their child wither away from anxiety or depression, the pain is profound. Yummie Calm™ is a natural relaxing formula for young ones that truly has an impact on their behavior in an entirely healthy way.

Made with inositol, a member of the B complex family that supports serotonin (calming) receptors in the brain, as well as taurine, which supports brain health, heart health, and energy levels in children and adults, this product is highly effective. And best of all, your child will love the bubble gum flavor!

RELAX TO THE MAX™ Related to “Updates in the News” pg. 19 Stress is never a good idea, but especially not when it may have an impact on your unborn child, as research suggests.With Relax to the Max™, you can safely assure that your body is relaxed and that you maintain a calm presence all day, every day.

This supplement is a unique proprietary blend of essential amino acids, B vitamins in combination with valerian root and minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and much more that help calm and relax the body.

Ask for these products at your local health food store.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Selection Guide

Well Informed

Dedicated to Health By Chana Dunner

10 QUESTIONS FOR

BRANY ROSEN OF HUG / A TIME

HUG IN A NUTSHELL HUG (Help, Understanding & Guidance) is a division of A TIME, which supports couples experiencing pregnancy loss. The service currently offers a helpline, support before and during the delivery process, Chevrah Kadisha arrangements, and follow-up care (medical and emotional).

1

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO LAUNCH THIS DIVISION OF A TIME?

When we started A TIME, its mission was to help couples struggling with infertility. But over the years, we got so many calls from couples who lost babies. Always dedicated to filling a need, we understood the importance of developing a program especially for these families.

From a personal perspective, I endured a stillbirth of a beautiful baby girl 14 years ago. After the birth, I had so many questions. Was I halachically allowed to hold the baby? And if I was, would it be good for me later on? I was grappling alone with my loss. And then, when I was finally starting to get over the trauma several weeks later, I cried my heart out when we got the $750 bill from the Chevrah Kadisha. I knew it was time to do something for others in the community who were suffering. Four years ago, we renamed the program HUG.

2

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AT HUG?

I’m the founder of A TIME and director of member services. We’re blessed to have an incredible team—those who answer the helpline, a medical team, people who deliver the HUG packages in various neighborhoods, as well as a group of doulas around the world—34 to date—who graciously volunteer when necessary.

Of course, we also work with a dayan, Rav Chaim Aharon Ungar, who guides us along the way, answering the complex questions that arise.

Although we have a remarkably dedicated team, however, I like to be in the trenches, hands-on. HUG is my heart. I experienced infertility too, but I feel especially connected to this program.

The Wellspring | May 2017 26

3

WHAT IS ONE GREAT CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN RUNNING THE ORGANIZATION?

At A TIME, we sometimes get happy calls—when the salvation finally arrives. At HUG, it’s all grief and loss.

There’s so much sadness. Sometimes, it bothers me so much, and I want to understand why it’s happening. But just like the couples we work with, we must keep strengthening our bitachon and reminding ourselves that Hashem has His ways.

Incredibly, Hashem has a way of soothing the pain after every rough experience. When we feel that we can’t do this anymore, He gives us good news. One couple just had a baby after 15 years, and another woman recently delivered a healthy child after a few losses, with the help of a doctor we referred her to. This keeps us going. We always beg Hakadosh Baruch Hu that we should have what it takes to be there for these couples.

4 5

CAN YOU SHARE A STORY THAT STANDS OUT IN YOUR MIND?

I vividly recall the time a husband called us frantically that his wife was refusing to part from their lifeless baby. “She’s so cute,” she cried, holding the child. “I promised my kids I would bring home a baby. I’m not giving this baby back.”

My husband drove me to the hospital, and a volunteer from the area came up as well. My husband told the mother that it may not be good for the child’s neshamah to delay the burial. After lots of coaxing and tears, she finally parted from her child. It was an incredibly painful experience.

CAN YOU SHARE A POSITIVE STORY THAT YOU’VE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED?

A few weeks ago, we got a call from an expectant woman. The baby’s scans had revealed a dark shadow on portions of the brain, which the doctors assumed was a missing area. Before she terminated the development, she wanted know if someone would want the baby. She said to me, “Brany, if you promise me you’ll keep this baby no matter what, I’ll carry on.” Of course, we informed her that there would definitely be a couple out there who would be glad to raise this child and that she should avoid cutting its chances of survival.

I immediately sent the scans to Columbia. One of the doctors said to me that as much as we know, sometimes a dark shadow is simply a dark shadow. Thankfully, the woman carried the baby to full-term.

She gave birth this past Thursday to a perfectly healthy child.

Even in the age of ultrasounds, we don’t know everything. As our dayan always advises, no procedure should ever be carried out before a thorough rescan is conducted.

In fact, a portrait of a kid in college sits on fertility specialist Dr. Rebarber’s desk. He tells the story of when he was a resident many years ago and getting ready to do his first procedure ever. Of course, the woman was crying terribly. She had waited so long for this baby and now it was all over. He decided to rescan and found a heartbeat.

That baby is now the young man in the photo on his desk.

7

WHAT UNIQUE SERVICE DOES HUG PROVIDE?

In addition to our helpline and support network, we run Empty Stroller conferences and provide care packages. We have a Hatzolah-like group of women who understand births, and they’re always on call, ready for these situations. We keep the doula bags ready so when people call us we can respond right away. When the process is experienced in the right way, it saves marriages and families. Pregnancy loss always hurts, but with guidance and support, it becomes easier to endure.

9

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE STRESS THAT COMES ALONG WITH YOUR TAXING WORK?

It can be extremely stressful and sad, but we know that we’re here to make it better, and that keeps us going.

8

6

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT PREGNANCY LOSS?

We have a program called Hugs That Help that is available on CD. It is an invaluable resource for family and friends who want to be there for someone grappling with pregnancy loss. Everyone means well, but it’s important to remember to help people the way they want to be helped.

Don’t impose or ignore. Saying “I’m so sorry,” can be enough. Validating someone’s pain is the most comforting help of all, but it’s also important to know that everyone heals differently and that crying and grieving are an important part of the process.

Of course, never say things like, “You’re young.

You’ll still have more.” Or, “It would’ve been a sick baby anyway.” The worst response of all is to draw a connection between the mother’s deeds and her tragedy.

And I want people to know that they should never hesitate before calling HUG for guidance— those who went through the loss, as well as family and friends.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR WORK? THE TOUGHEST?

The best part is to share simchas with couples after we’ve seen them endure this very difficult journey. The toughest is seeing the sadness and not understanding why, but we keep reminding ourselves that Hashem is good. The gift of being osek b’tzorchei tzibbur is that we get to see how Hashem takes care of his kinderlach. It’s incredible.

10

DO YOU GET INTERESTING FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK?

I remember one year, after a really exhausting Pesach, my dryer broke. I came into the office after yom tov to so much work, plus we were pre-auction. I promised myself I wouldn’t do anything before I bought a dryer. When I called an appliances store to order my dryer, the salesperson asked me if I was Rosen from A TIME. When I answered in the affirmative, he immediately gave me a discount. “I’m expecting a simchah soon,” he told me, “and the emes is that this is your simchah too!” Their yeshuah had come seven years after their wedding, and this baby was following a recent pregnancy loss. Boy, did I get back to work!

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 27

Living Well

Ask the Nutritionist By Shani Taub, CDC

Has Too Much Dieting Ruined My Metabolism?

Q

Thanks for a most informative column that provides me with constructive advice, month after month. As someone who truly wants to lose weight, I’m always on the lookout for new pieces of information that will guide me along the way. Most of the decisions I make in my diet are based on what I believe is healthful and will promote weight loss. However, after years and years of dieting, it’s painful to see that I haven’t gotten there yet.

Over the past few months, I’ve started to wonder if perhaps all this dieting has ruined my metabolism. I’m trying my very best, eating the least amount of food possible, and the numbers simply won’t budge. After starving myself, not seeing results is really painful. Can it be that I have simply ruined my metabolism? Is there a way to rev it up again?

—Waiting for the scale to move

A

Shani answers: It’s painful when your hard work seems fruitless, especially if you’re starting to wonder whether all this dieting was actually the cause of the problem. However, I think you’ll find my answer very encouraging. There’s no such thing as an inability to lose weight. No matter the circumstances, you can do it. Granted, it may be harder for some people than for others, and it is true that certain extreme “diets” do lead to a slowed down metabolism, but you can still speed it up to see the results you’re aiming for.

The question you posed is actually one that many burntout dieters have. In fact, too many people blame their inability to lose weight on a slow metabolism, either because several members of their family are overweight, or, as in your case, because they “played around” with the system for too long, killing their chances of getting it right.

But the truth is otherwise. Usually, it’s only a matter of

The Wellspring | May 2017 28

tweaking a diet before the pounds finally shed. When a client tells me that she barely eats anything and is almost fasting, I tell her there's no such thing. If she's not eating proper meals, she's probably nibbling on something else throughout the day. No one can function on 300 calories a day, definitely not for a long period of time. When someone says she has no metabolism, I believe the real problem is she has no direction.

You say that you’ve tried your very best by “eating the least amount of food possible.” Perhaps this is where your mistake lies. It may make sense from a superficial perspective—the less I eat, the less I gain, but, as I explained above, it causes more trouble than benefit.

Incredibly, I’ve had clients who were at a standstill regarding their weight loss until we introduced more carbs or proteins into their plan. If they came from a highprotein diet, we worked to incorporate more carbs into the plan, and vice versa. As soon as their diets became more

balanced, and their bodies received what they desperately needed to function optimally, the numbers started moving in the right direction. In other words, a person can subsist on a vegetable-only diet and not lose weight, and only once the other food groups are introduced into the plan will the weight loss finally occur.

I would advise you to take a careful look at the foods you

eat on a daily basis. Keep in mind that less is not necessarily better. With just a bit of tweaking, preferably with the guidance of a nutritionist to ensure that you’re providing your body with the right fuel, you should be seeing results soon.

REV IT UP! HERE ARE SOME GREAT, SIMPLE WAYS TO SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM. 1. Drink Water I advise my clients, especially those who are experiencing a lull in weight loss, to drink a cup of water every hour. Simply introducing something into the digestive system gets the wheels moving. For some people, this works better when the water is either hot or cold, since the temperature change plays a role in the metabolic process.

2. Hit the Gym Of course, sticking to a consistent exercise regimen does wonders for the metabolism. Especially now that the weather is more pleasant, use this opportunity to incorporate more activity into your daily routine. In addition to burning calories during the workout, the physical activity will rev up your system long-term, helping you lose weight even while you’re asleep.

3. High on Fiber Upping fiber intake is a proven metabolism booster. I especially advise the consumption of fiber-rich vegetables like spinach and kale for excellent results. I also advise the consumption of raw green vegetables, which are the lowest in sugar, such as lettuce, cucumbers, celery, and green peppers. Also, choose raw over cooked vegetables for their higher fiber content.

4. Timing Is Everything It’s not uncommon for you to hear this at dinnertime: “I’m so hungry. I didn’t eat since the morning!” And, of course, this is reason for double (or triple) portions. In addition to the added caloric intake, waiting too many hours between meals means your metabolism takes a long, long rest. Having a meal or snack every four hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of the day. If you know you’ll be out of the house for many hours, grab an apple or a packet of corn cakes to keep your metabolism rolling.

Please send your questions to the nutritionist to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Shani Taub, CDC, has been practicing as a certified nutritionist in Lakewood for almost a decade, meeting with clients in person and on the phone. She also owns the highly popular Shani Taub food line, which carries healthy, approved, premeasured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 29

Living Well

In Good Shape By Syma Kranz, PFC

Fitness 101: Spinning That exercise is highly advantageous to the body is an indisputable fact. Among other excellent benefits, it helps with weight loss, builds muscle, improves metabolism, reduces the risk of many diseases, and enhances your mood and mental health. But you may be wondering how particular exercises score on this list—which is better for what. In this series, we take a look at the primary fitness workouts that are popular today and discuss the pros and cons of each.

Workout Description The start of spring makes us all want to get moving. The glorious combination of that gentle breeze in the air with the sun’s brilliant rays literally forces us to spring into action. Spinning is one great way to get every limb into motion—and the calories to come tumbling down (a great plus now that the coat season has come to an end!). Spinning, for those who recognize this word only as part of the wash cycle or to do with cloth, is actually a sophisticated name for indoor cycling. Using stationary bikes in a gym, spinning entails performing various moves with the upper and lower body in order to maximize the calorie burn and fitness experience, usually in group form.

Calories burned per workout: 500-700 Areas targeted: Leg and abdominal muscles Style: Low/moderate-impact, high intensity Development Born in South Africa, cyclist Johnny Goldberg moved to the United States in 1979, where he worked as a personal trainer and took part in a host of endurance cycle races. One night, while out training on his bike, a passing car narrowly missed him.

It was then that he had the idea of taking cycling indoors and the concept of spinning was born.

Goldberg devised a program of classes based around a specially designed stationary bike. Using a mass-braked flywheel—essentially a big, stationary cog—he was able to recreate actual road conditions. Soon after opening his first Santa Monica studio, Johnny G, as he came to be known, won a loyal following among the city’s cycle enthusiasts. In 1994, he patented the Spinning logo and opened Johnny G’s Spinning Headquarters in Culver City, L.A. Classes have evolved from a collection of punters cycling along to background music to Full On sporting experiences. Hill climbs, sprints, jumps, and downhill freewheeling are simulated as instructors encourage their audience to visualize outdoor environments. And today, spinning is a go-to activity for newbies and experienced cyclists alike.

The Cons The downside to spinning is that it’s up to exercisers to push themselves to gain maximum benefit. The instructors are typically in the front of the studio, and therefore can advise participants to increase their resistance and pedal faster, but it is ultimately up to the rider to determine how hard she will go. In addition, spinning classes are usually not cheap.

The Wellspring | May 2017 30

The Pros Burn Calories. Exercising in a spinning class can burn on average 500 calories. Even at challenging levels, exercising with other cardio equipment cannot burn as many calories in such a short time.

Improve Cardio Health. Spinning can be performed as an anaerobic exercise, pulling energy from reserves and building up muscular endurance over an extended period of time. However, there are also aerobic benefits. Spinning classes include both endurance and cardiovascular training.

Set Your Own Pace. Everyone in the class is free to progress at their own pace and no one knows what level anyone else is working at. If someone prefers to pedal a little slower, they can’t fall behind the rest of the class and they won’t feel out of place for not knowing an aerobics or step routine.

Enjoy the Experience. In a spinning class, the challenge is constantly changing. As you work through each level, you tend to lose track of time. Using language and visualization techniques, spinning instructors create positive mental distraction and time passes like seconds.

Obtain the Benefits Without the Impact. I know many people who avoid the treadmill, elliptical, and stair stepper because of the traumatic impact on their knees or feet. Spinning keeps the pressure off your knees and feet, so that you’re able to work out hard on a spinner bike without hurting them. It is also a good workout for those who cannot use the treadmill or elliptical because of arthritis. Many people are able to join a spinning class even if they simply can’t stand the pain of high impact cardiovascular workouts.

Build Lean and Defined Legs. It won’t take long for your efforts on a spinner bike to show up as weight loss, but there is another great benefit to spinning. Spinning uses large muscle groups in the legs. It doesn’t take long before the thighs, glutes, and calves begin to take shape.

Lower the Body’s Workout Breaking Point. As you learn to work harder on the spinner bike, you’ll begin to find that the breaking point, at which you begin to feel the workout, will become lower the harder you work. The benefit is that once you reach a breaking point and work through it, you get the natural endorphin kick that most athletes enjoy.

The great thing about working your body into this kind of shape is that you feel better almost instantly and have more energy—not only during the class but also throughout the following day.

Train Your Abs and Core. If you do the spinning class with the correct posture, the abdominal muscles get a workout, as well. As you ride, unlike racing a bike on the road, you get an upper body rhythm going that helps you keep your leg rhythm. The movement from exercising in a slightly bent position and from side to side works both the central abdominal muscles and those along the side of your abdomen. This is a technique known as rhythm release.

You may not see immediate results, but over time you will feel your entire body begin to tone up, including your abdominal area.

Experience Togetherness. Regardless of your degree of fitness and the level you’re at, each member of the class is impacted by the energy of the other riders. This helps you keep going when you begin to fatigue and start thinking you might want to quit. Everyone encourages and inspires each other, and by working together everyone can attain their goals.

Enhance Your Mental Strength. The warm up and cool down periods are great ways to relax and the physical exertion is a catharsis for releasing pent-up emotions. Spinning also builds mental strength. When you ride, there are good days and bad; the important thing is to carry through with your regular spinning routine. Push through difficult times, work up the hill climbs, and ride through the endurance training. Spinning helps develop a positive, “can-do” attitude.

The self-discipline, self-control and confidence gained can be applied to all areas of life.

The Program Since the spinning class is performed almost entirely on the stationary bicycle, the majority of the program revolves around cycling in various positions, such as first sitting, then standing up, etc., while keeping the legs on the pedals throughout. Resistance builds up as more weight is placed on the legs and the speed is quickened. Of course, every class ends with a cool down to lower the heart rate and stretch the muscles.

Syma Kranz, PFC, is a certified aerobics, Pilates, and Barre instructor, as well as the fitness director at Fusion Fitness in Lakewood, New Jersey. What started out as a small exercise class in her home catapulted into a popular gym that prides itself with tzanua, professional instructors and an appropriate atmosphere with lyric-free music and proper attire. Syma specializes in training women to integrate fitness into their busy lives, paying special attention to proper form and alignment and specializing in core and pelvic floor strengthening.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 31

Living Well

Cover Feature By Rochel Gordon

SAFE IN A CAVE ARE THE PERKS OF MODERN LIVING HAZARDOUS TO OUR HEALTH?

  The Wellspring | May 2017 32

O

n Lag Ba’Omer, Jews around the world will be celebrating the day on which Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai shared the deepest secrets of Torah with his disciples prior to his passing, the depths of which he reached in the many years he spent living and learning in a cave, in solitude. While the pious among us can achieve greatness anywhere—and so can we!—there’s something uniquely powerful about life in a cave.

Especially in today’s modern world, at a time that we’re surrounded by so many innovations that are meant to increase our quality of life, distancing ourselves from the tainted environment we live in is tempting to many. With the effects of technology and pollution saturating the air and the downsides of medical, agricultural, and chemical advances coursing through our bodies, the question begs to be answered: Is the price we’re paying too high?

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 33

Living Well

Cover Feature

TECHNOLOGY We live in the blessed (or not) era of technological explosion.

All around us, we’re surrounded by the results of decades of research into the unlimited possibilities that technology can provide to make our lives easier, more connected, and more comfortable. From telephones to computers to various kinds of equipment that cater to all different needs and wants of the generation, as well as life-saving devices, it’s all out there. But how has the almost limitless technological availability affected our health?

A wreck in the neck Recent research by New York spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Hansraj found that constant scrolling and incessant text messaging may hurt the back. The study found that when you tilt your head 60 degrees to stare at your phone, you’re putting 60 pounds of pressure on your neck. A 2013 study from the office furniture maker Steelmaker found that new technologies like smartphones, tablets, and laptops have completely changed the way we sit at work. Specifically, the study of 2,000 people in 11 countries uncovered 9 novel new postures that people take when interacting with technology and working that have the potential to cause pain, discomfort, and of course, ruin the neck and back.

The cause of those blemishes Here’s a fact that’s unpleasant to ponder: Phones are teeming

The Wellspring | May 2017 34

with bacteria. Think about it, where don’t we bring our devices? And where are we putting these bacteria? Directly on our face.

Germs pile up on phones thanks to the external environment, which can trigger acne or eczema outbreaks. Experts suggest cleaning and sterilizing your phone, as well as going handsfree whenever possible.

Raising anxiety levels You’ve heard of hypochondriacs, but what about cyberchondriacs? It sounds outlandish, but they exist. The cause? An effort to self-diagnose a health problem you might be having. Experts suggest that searching for your symptoms online can result in serious anxiety. Not only that, but constantly scrolling through social networks doesn’t help your anxiety level either. One 2012 study found that excessive social media use may increase stress levels.

Sleep deprivation Before you shut down for the day, make sure to also shut down your phone and computer. Research shows that excessive tech use, particularly right before bedtime, can have an adverse impact on our sleep cycles thanks to the glowing light that’s emitted from screens. This is especially true for young adults, who arguably need the most help when it comes to getting the proper amount of shuteye.

Brain changes Research shows the technology we process daily, such as emails and text messages, is actually rewiring our brains, between the multitasking we do and the addiction we feel when we’re without it. In his research, Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco found that we’re exposing our brains to a new environment and asking them to do things we weren’t programmed to do.

From head to toe Cellular phones, especially, have been found to have the greatest effect on physical health.

In addition to being the cause of one in four car accidents, due to the distraction of drivers and pedestrians, the radio waves emitted from the antennas can easily be absorbed by the tissue nearest to the antenna, which is usually in the brain. According to the National Cancer Institute, the three large epidemiological studies that examined the possible association between cell phone use and cancer did not find a significant positive association.

However, according to Dr. Mercola, most of these studies are industry-funded and thus render the results less reliable. He posits that researchers have demonstrated that wireless phones have the potential to cause all sorts of health problems, from headaches to brain tumors, with young children being at the greatest risk.

MEDICINE We have much to be grateful for as inhabitants of a medically-advanced world. Once upon a time, a simple cold or strep infection was enough to put a person down. Thanks to the advances in medicine, doctors today can prescribe that magic potion that can allegedly cure almost any disease.

There’s no doubt that modern advances have increased our life expectancy and decreased child mortality rates. But does modern medicine have no downsides?

In 1928, Alexander Fleming brought a mixed blessing to the world with his discovery of penicillin, which launched a new era of antibiotic medication. Adult humans have three to four pounds of beneficial bacteria and yeast living within their intestines.

These microbes compete for nutrients from the food we eat.

Usually, the strength in numbers beneficial bacteria enjoy keeps the ever-present yeasts in check and also causes them to produce nutrients such as the B vitamins.

However, every time we swallow antibiotics, we kill the beneficial bacteria within our intestines, upsetting the delicate balance of the intestinal terrain. Yeasts grow unchecked into large colonies and take over, in a condition called dysbiosis.

Yeasts are opportunistic organisms.

This means that as the intestinal bacteria die, yeasts

thrive, especially when their dietary needs are met. They can use their tendrils, or hyphae, to literally poke holes through the lining of the intestine wall. This results in a syndrome called leaky gut. Yeasts are not the only possible cause of this syndrome. Some scientists have linked non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen and ibuprofen to the problem. Given their ability to alter intestinal terrain, antibiotics also likely contribute to leaky gut syndrome.

In the same vein, research reveals that chemotherapy drugs are powerful enough to kill rapidly growing cancer cells but can also harm perfectly healthy cells, causing side effects throughout the body. Nurses treating cancer patients risk being exposed to chemo-

therapy drugs and their toxic effects, a 2011 study revealed. The results found that nearly 17 percent of nurses working in centers where outpatient chemotherapy infusions are administered reported being exposed on their skin or eyes to the drugs. Unintentional chemotherapy exposure can affect the nervous system, impair the reproductive system, and carries an increased risk of developing blood cancers, the researchers said. These exposures are as dangerous to a nurse’s health as being accidentally stuck with an infected needle.

Powerful radiotherapy treatment, as well, can interfere with the body’s ability to produce healthy platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 35

Living Well

Cover Feature

AGRICULTURE & FOOD Yesteryear’s farmer had to sweat really hard to get his crops off the ground. Today, the agricultural and food industry is booming. We’re treated to seasonal produce all year long and the supermarket shelves are loaded with every product we fancy.

What does our body say to this?

In order to rid crops of pesky pests and weeds, pesticides were introduced to the agricultural scene almost a century ago. Renowned for killing the insects detrimental to crop growth, these chemicals are infamous for the effects they have on the human body. Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards, ranging from short-term impacts, such as headaches and nausea, to chronic impacts, like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption. Chronic health effects may occur years after even minimal exposure to pesticides in the environment, or result from the pesticide residues which we in-

The Wellspring | May 2017 36

gest through our food and water.

A July 2007 study conducted by researchers at the Public Health Institute, the California Department of Health Services, and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health found a six-fold increase in risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for children of women who were exposed to organochlorine pesticides.

Genetically-modified organisms, also known as GMOs, are a hot topic nowadays. Farmers and manufacturers love working with GMOs, as they enable them to produce the perfect crop in large supply. By altering the genetic material of the organism, they’re able to weed out the parts of the plant or animal that cause trouble, leaving a perfect product.

However, when we ingest these products, as well as hormones, our bodies are suddenly bombarded by genetic factors that can wreak havoc.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-

GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Studies show how genetically-modified food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing longterm problems. Genes inserted into soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and the toxic insecticide produced by corn was found in the blood of expectant women and their unborn children.

One major reason we’re privileged to enjoy foods of all types at all times is due to their long shelf life. Who gets the credit for that? Chemicals, no less—materials that you’d surely deem inedible. Since the 1950s, the number of food additives allowed in U.S. food has grown from about 800 to more than 1,000. And it’s not only the foods with long shelf lives. According to an article published by Dr. Axe, a single glass of milk can contain a chemical concoction of up to 20 different chemicals, such as antibiotics, growth hormones, and even painkillers.

POLLUTION Already in first grade, we’re taught about the hazards of pollution, which is most dense in urban environments. Thanks to technological advancements, the air is saturated with pollutants that have direct detrimental effects on our health, leading to respiratory issues, heart conditions, and even cancer.

Pollution doesn’t only saturate the air on the streets. According to the EPA, the indoor environment is 2 to 5 times more toxic than the outdoor environment, and in some cases, air measurements indoors have been found to be 100 times more polluted.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization (WHO) have concluded that 80% of all cancers are attributed to environmental rather than genetic factors, including exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, many of which are

found in household cleaning products.

The WHO reports that almost 3% of the global burden of disease is due to indoor air pollution.

We spend as much as 90% of our lives indoors nowadays, and researchers are investigating our exposure to indoor pollutants as a contributing factor in the rising incidence of autism, allergies, and toxin load.

Sources of Indoor Air Pollution: Inadequate ventilation is a primary cause of indoor air pollution. It is also the cause of the rise in pollutants in homes during the winter. In highly urbanized and industrial areas, lack of air conditioning and high levels of humidity can increase concentrations of pollutants inside. Other sources include gases from cooking and heating, chemicals from candles and household cleansers, mold

and mildew, and a host of toxins from building materials.

The foam in furniture and carpet backing emits many harmful chemicals continuously. VOC’s are the volatile organic chemicals that are found in carpets and the glue that hold them in place. They exist in levels 2 to 5 times higher indoors than out. Volatile organic compounds are linked to cancer and heart and lung disease. Air fresheners emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) continuously, such as nitrogen dioxide. Some contain paradichlorobenzene, a toxin commonly found in mothballs.

Bring Spring Indoors!

Houseplants are a great natural and effective way to remove pollutants from the home. Broadleafed green plants work the best.

LIFESTYLE We’re lucky to live in a time that allows us the blessed opportunity of taking indoor showers every night—with soap and shampoo, of throwing a load of dirty (synthetic) laundry into the machine and coming back half an hour later to a pleasant-smelling, clean heap, a time in which countless services are available at our fingertips. But are we less busy and less harried than previous generations? Too many people report that stress and anxiety are constants in their lives, which makes us wonder what

we’re trading for what.

Ultimately, however, the choice is ours. It’s up to us to live with the benefits of technological advances while eliminating the downsides.

Here are some tips for creating that balance: • Set hours for technology use.

• Avoid medicating through prevention. Nutritional supplementation is one great way to build up the immune system. So is a healthy diet.

• Purchase organic produce whenever possible.

• Avoid consumption of chemicals, a.k.a. processed foods. Read labels carefully and stay away from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial sweeteners (like aspartame), MSG, and of course, artificial dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5. *Spend several minutes every day alone, disconnected from the technological buzz. Allow yourself to feel, to experience the world, to get in touch with yourself.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 37

Yes, 40 fresh and delicious tomatoes. And that’s just for one jar! The lucky fruits get to ripen on vines by basking in the northern Italian sunshine, so they taste sweet and have a full, succulent flavor. That jar may be tough to fill, but you’ll find it all too easy to empty.

ISSUE 16 MAY 2017 IYAR 5777

Celebrate Spring!

EAT WELL: RHUBARBS ARE NOT JUST FOR PIES

• FO R OS HI

N

H

DA

E WIT

RDS • G

EN

TH

EF

G H E R S TA

How do you like them apples?

For those with higher standards ℠

Eat Well

Recipes

Dear Cooks,

I often (usually while cooking) ponder the ironies of life—one of which is the obsession of healthy eating in today‘s world that is countered by a reality of staggering obesity levels. How can it be that in an era that‘s witnessed an explosion of health awareness (think kale and chia—stuff our grandparents didn‘t know existed!) the struggle to lose and maintain weight is only becoming harder and harder?

You‘ll probably get many different answers, depending on whom you ask. My theory is that too many so-called health foods are only adding to the obesity epidemic. Too many people are falling for the ”low-fat“ ”gluten-free“ ”sugar-free“ trap, unaware that the large quantities of snacks and treats they‘re consuming are really detrimental to their health and completely incomparable to the simple fruit our grandparents enjoyed.

The same is true with salads. I confess that the salads presented in the following pages aren‘t the purest and most nutritious ones you‘ll find out there, but commercially prepared sauces have led too many people to indulge in what they think is an entirely healthy meal. ”I love salads,“ I hear people say all the time, ”but I only like them with a good dressing—and a lot of it.“ In other words, they love the dressing, not the lettuce.

The recipes I share with you this month do contain less healthful ingredients than your basic Israeli salad with some olive oil and salt, but I‘ve tried to create dishes that bring you the bounty of spring in all its glory without compromising too much on nutrition.

Have fun with the preparation, -Levia

Nutrition Nuggets -Dr. Rachael Schindler

Citrus Kale Salad

Hot Skillet Salad

Broccoli Blueberry Salad

To really make this vitamin B, anti-stress salad into a perfect meal, massage avocado into the kale leaves and remove the vanilla yogurt. It makes the kale more soft and creamy while adding healthy fat, fiber, and renders the salad dairy free.

You get all tastes in this one— sweet, salty, savory, and bitter!

A real mouth waterer in the Ayurvedic sense. If you're sensitive to dairy, use goat feta cheese. It’s milder on the stomach and floral gut bacteria with and has the same creamy flavor.

For a great sugar-free alternative, use raisins instead of craisins with an extra protein/probiotic punch of yogurt or kefir instead of sour cream. Substitute honey for maple syrup for extra B vitamins and antimicrobial and antibacterial allergy fighting support.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 41

Eat Well

Recipes By Levia Joseph Styling & Photography By Malky Levine

Citrus Kale Salad

This salad screams spring! The citrus tang pairs incredibly well with the deep kale flavor. You’ll get a burst of fun in every bite.

1 bunch of kale 2 nectarines, sliced

1 orange, peeled and cut into chunks 1 Granny Smith apple, cubed

1 cup roasted pecans ¾ cup feta cheese, cubed

Citrus Dressing: 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

11/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tsp honey

1 lemon, squeezed 1 small orange, squeezed

Squeeze the kale with your hands and roughly chop into pieces. Place kale, nectarines, orange, and apple in a bowl and toss. Combine the dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour over the salad and top with pecans and cubed feta cheese.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 43

nine generations

in every bottle

Since 1848, the quality of Herzog Wines has been appreciated by royalty as well as those who aspire to it. Located in its state-of-the-art winery in Oxnard, California, the Herzog family produces a wide range of wines combining Old World value and New World technology. These wines have made Herzog Wine Cellars the most award-winning kosher winery in the world.

Eat Well

Recipes

Hot Skillet Salad

Cook up some brown rice at the side and this restaurantstyle salad makes for a delightful, well-rounded dinner!

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1/2 package frozen

green beans 2 handfuls fresh snap peas 1 medium purple onion 3-4 large portabella

mushrooms, sliced

1 package cherry tomatoes 2 Tbsp organic

shoyu sauce (soy) 4 Tbsp honey 2 tsp red wine vinegar 1 package Romaine lettuce 1 1/2 cups roasted walnuts 1/2 cup grated feta cheese

Heat olive and sesame oil in a large skillet. Add green beans, snap peas, and onions and sauté 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, half pack of cherry tomatoes (whole), shoyu sauce, honey, and red wine vinegar and sauté an additional 10 – 15 minutes.

In a bowl, place the Romaine lettuce and pour the hot mixture over it. Cut the rest of the cherry tomatoes in half and pour over the salad. Top with walnuts and grated feta cheese.

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BREADS CHALLAH. 159 LEE AVE • 718-387-7411

Eat Well

Recipes

Broccoli Blueberry Salad with Creamy Ranch Dressing

If you’re a broccoli fan, you’ve probably prepared the classic broccoli salad one too many times. How about this fun twist on the veggie you love? And if broccoli wasn’t your thing until now, take my word that with this salad, it may very well become your new love.

1 package mixed greens

(spring mix/baby spinach) 1 avocado, cubed

1 32 oz. package frozen broccoli, 1 small container of fresh blueberries thawed 1 cup roasted, salted cashews 1 small purple onion, thinly sliced 1/2 cup craisins

Dressing: 4 oz sour cream

3 Tbsp maple syrup 1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp mustard 1 tsp salt

In a bowl, toss all salad ingredients. Combine the dressing ingredients and mix until smooth.

Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News By Liba Solomon, CNWC

DAIRY AND DEPRESSION What’s the connection?

In a fascinating new study that appeared in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, researchers in Japan and China have found that people who consume low-fat dairy products are less likely to be depressed than those who prefer whole-fat.

For the purposes of their experiment, the researchers asked 1,159 Japanese adults aged between 19 and 83 about their dairy consumption, namely milk and yogurt, and levels of depression.

Incredibly, they found that people who ate low-fat dairy between one and four times a week were less depressed.

As with all correlational studies—those that find an association between two factors—it is not strong evidence that low fat dairy is the cause of decreased depression. But how do nutritional experts explain the link? They say that dairy products may decrease the prevalence of depressive symptoms due to their beneficial contents, such as tryptophan, an essential amino acid.

Tryptophan can be converted into 5-hydroxytryphtophan (5-HTP), which is subsequently converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin. Therefore, intake of tryptophan may improve depressive symptoms by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain. In full-fat milk, though, the researchers concluded that the benefits of the tryptophan were cancelled out by the trans-fatty acids.

So will low-fat milk take on a new role as an antidepressant? Until it does, at least you know you’re consuming less fat.

ANOTHER POINT FOR STRAWBERRIES Daily intake cuts breast cancer risk Strawberry-lovers out there will welcome the latest research on this delightful summer fruit’s health benefits. According to a recent study published in Scientific Reports, eating 15 percent strawberries along with fruits and vegetables every day for five weeks may help in preventing and curing breast cancer.

“We have shown for the first time that strawberry extract, rich in phenolic compounds, inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo models,” says principal investigator Maurizio Battino from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy.

In a laboratory, the researchers treated cells from the highly aggressive, invasive A17 tumor cell line with different concentrations (between 0.5 and 5 mg/ml) of extract of the Alba variety of strawberry, for periods of 24, 48 and 72 hours. The results demonstrated that this decreased cell viability (dependent on dosage and time), blocked the cycle leading to cell division, and inhibited migration. It was also shown that strawberry extract reduced the expression of several genes involved in the processes of invasion and metastasis, such as CSF1, MCAM, NR4A3 and SET. The extract simultaneously stimulated expression of the gene HTATIP2, which is thought to suppress metastasis to the lymphatic ganglion in breast cancer patients.

Research was also conducted on female laboratory mice, which at one month of age were divided into two groups: one was given a standard diet, while the other group was given an enriched diet, 15 percent of which was strawberry extract. A month later, all the mice were injected with A17 breast cancer cells. The tumors were monitored twice weekly by palpation. After five weeks, the tumors were extracted and analyzed to evaluate their weight and volume. Incredibly, in the strawberry-fed mice, the researchers found a significant reduction in the weight and volume of the tumor.

May we be spared from all illness, but this is another tidbit to keep in mind while you’re enjoying your strawberry smoothie on your sunny front lawn.

The Wellspring | May 2017 48

I ONLY DRINK DIET SODA Is that a good thing or not?

The research on sugar-sweetened beverages is all out there, linking them to a number of serious health risks, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even early death. But is diet soda a better alternative in the long run? New research suggests that diet drinks with artificial sweeteners may have some health concerns of their own. According to a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke, people who drink at least one artificially-sweetened beverage a day have almost three times the risk of developing stroke or dementia. The researchers analyzed data on nearly 2,900 people over the age of 45 for the stroke study and almost 1,500 people over age 60 for the dementia study.

The study did not find the same link between stroke and dementia in people who drank sugarsweetened beverages, but the authors say that doesn’t mean it’s time for people to start gulping those down either.

“Although we did not find an association between stroke or dementia and the consumption of sugary drinks, this certainly does not mean they are a healthy option,” Matthew Pase, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a senior fellow in the department of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, said in a statement. So which is better? Says Pase, “We recommend that people drink water on a regular basis instead of sugary or artificially sweetened beverages.” And if you’re treating yourself once in a while, the difference isn’t all that great, so enjoy your drink either way.

ARE YOU RAISING AN EMOTIONAL EATER? It doesn’t start in adulthood Soothing your kids with food may stop the tears in the short-term, but researchers warn it can lead to unhealthy eating patterns long-term. Parents who are “emotional feeders” can encourage emotional eating, a habit linked to weight gain and eating disorders, a Norwegian-British study that appeared in Child Development found.

“There is now even stronger evidence that parental feeding styles have a major influence on children’s dietary habits and how children relate to foods and beverages when it comes to addressing their own emotions,” says one expert, Rafael PerezEscamilla, a professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale University’s School of Public Health.

“Emotional feeding” is “what parents do when they provide foods or beverages to their children to calm them down, such as when a child is having a tantrum,” adds Perez-Escamilla.

Relying on junk food, desserts, and sugary foods for comfort can lead to overeating, and later problems such as bulimia and binge-eating, says study lead author Silje Steinsbekk, an associate professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. “You don’t feel like having a carrot if you’re sad.”

For the new study, the researchers looked at the feeding and eating habits of more than 800 children in Norway, starting at age 4. They checked in on the kids at ages 6, 8, and 10. About two-thirds of the children at all those ages showed signs of eating to make themselves feel better, judging by questionnaires answered by their parents. Kids offered food for comfort at ages 4 and 6 displayed more emotional eating at ages 8 and 10.

The researchers spotted another trend: Children who became angry or upset more easily at age 4 were more likely to eat to feel better and to be fed by parents for that purpose.

“This makes total sense, as parents get very stressed out when their children are having a fit or crying non-stop,” says PerezEscamilla.

But there are better ways of dealing with discomfort, says Melissa Cunningham Kay, a research assistant with the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Feeling sad or angry are normal emotions. Rather than using food as a distraction from them, children should be taught to tolerate them and find other ways to cope.

Sometimes, that may involve positive discipline and a few tears or even a full-on tantrum,” says Kay. “Parents should not fear this. It is a normal and necessary part of development.”

Perez-Escamilla says parents should soothe upset kids by understanding and responding to their problems instead of offering food as a first response. “Young children develop their eating habits by observing how their caregivers eat,” he says. “If they see their caregivers drinking soda and eating junk food and desserts when the caregiver is stressed or upset, then that’s what the children will do when they are experiencing similar emotions.”

Study lead author Steinsbekk adds, “There’s no reason to worry if you have a chocolate to feel better now and then. The problem is if this is your typical way of handling negative emotions.”

The same goes for dealing with kids. “Parents are not supposed to be perfect, but good enough. Randomly using food to soothe your child is no big deal as long as you usually rely on other strategies.”

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 49

Eat Well

Nutrition Facts in a Shell By Devorah Isaacson

Here’s the place to check out nutrition labels for the nutrition-laden produce that come in their natural peels-just so you know what wholesome goodness you’re feeding your family and yourself!

This Month:

Rhubarb

Contemplating what to serve for dessert during this spring season? Welcome rhubarb into your kitchen for its unique flavor and excellent health benefits. Because we can enjoy frozen fruits and vegetables, we’re lucky enough to enjoy rhubarb pie or compote all year long, but the fresh rhubarb stalks are in season during the spring.

Rhubarb has many health benefits. It aids in weight loss and improves digestion and circulation, optimizing the metabolism and protecting against various cardiovascular conditions and neuronal damage. In addition, it helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

Rhubarb first appeared in the United Kingdom approximately 400 years ago and has become highly prized for its unique flavor and sweet taste that complements other fruits when making pies, cakes, and juices.

Rhubarb is a strange-looking plant that belongs to the Polygonaceae family. Scientifically, rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial, with leaves growing off the top of a Nutrition Percentage thick rhizome. Although widely considered a vegetable, Principle Value of RDA in America rhubarb is considered a fruit due to how it is used in culinary practices.

Energy 21 Kcal 1% The stalks are the only part of the rhubarb fit for conCarbohydrates 4.54 g 3% sumption, as the triangular leaves are extremely high Protein 0.90 g 2% in oxalic acid, which can cause severe illness, resulting Total Fat 0.20 g 1% in the common belief that rhubarb is poisonous. If the Cholesterol 0 mg 0% plant is subject to extreme cold, the dangerous acid can Dietary Fiber 1.8 g 5% migrate into the stalk, so if you’re buying fresh stalks, Vitamins be sure to store them in a warm or temperate space, Folates 7 µg 2% just like the climate they normally grow in.

Niacin

0.300 mg

2%

Pantothenic Acid

0.085 mg

1.5%

Pyridoxine

0.024 mg

2%

Riboflavin

0.030 mg

2%

Thiamin

0.020 mg

2%

Vitamin A

102 IU

3.5%

Vitamin C

8 mg

13%

Vitamin E

0.27 mg

2%

Vitamin K

29.3 µg

24%

Sodium

4 mg

0.5%

Potassium

288 mg

6%

Calcium

86 mg

8.5%

Copper

0.021 mg

2%

Iron

0.22 mg

3%

Magnesium

12 mg

3%

Manganese

0.196 mg

8.5%

Phosphorus

14 mg

2%

Selenium

1.1 µg

2%

Zinc

0.10 mg

1%

Carotene-A

0 µg

--

Carotene-B

61 µg

--

Crypto-xanthin-B

0 µg

--

Lutein-zeaxanthin

170 µg

--

Electrolytes

Minerals

Phyto-nutrients

The Wellspring | May 2017 50

Selection and Storage Look for fresh, firm, crispy bright-red/pink stalks. They’re usually put for sale in bunches along with other typical greens. Avoid stalks are dull, slump, or have bruises or blemishes on the surface. Place harvested or purchased stalks in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator set at 32°F and 95% relative humidity. This way, stalks can stay fresh for about 2-3 weeks.

Safety Alert!

Consumption of the green upper part of rhubarb stalks should be avoided. Its leaf (blade) contains unusually high amounts of oxalic acid, a naturally-occurring substance found in some vegetables.

One of the main reasons people cultivate and eat rhubarb is for its astounding nutritional value. Rhubarb is packed with minerals, vitamins, organic compounds, and other nutrients that make it ideal for boosting overall good health. It contains dietary fiber, protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, B-complex vitamins, calcium, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. In terms of organic compounds, rhubarb is a rich source of polyphenolic flavonoids like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Rhubarb is one of the lowest caloric vegetables on the market, and as such, it is often recommended for people who are struggling to lose weight. 100 grams of rhubarb contains only 21 calories, so feel free to load up on the rhubarb without packing on any pounds. The impact of the various organic compounds in rhubarb on the body’s metabolism can also dramatically increase the rate that the body burns fat, thereby helping you lose weight.

Rhubarb is extremely low in fat and cholesterol, posing no threat to cardiovascular health. In fact, it may increase the levels of good cholesterol due to the presence of dietary fiber, which is known to scrape excess cholesterol from the walls of blood vessels and arteries. Rhubarb contains an impressive amount of antioxidants, which fight against free radicals that can cause heart disease and a wide range of other dangerous health conditions.

Rhubarb has traditionally been used as a cure for constipation. The fruit’s high dietary fiber content bulks up stool and regulates digestion, easing constipation and helping to prevent gastrointestinal disorders, including bloating, cramping, and even colorectal cancer.

The most prominent vitamin in rhubarb is vitamin K, and while it doesn’t often get as much attention as some of the other vitamins, Vitamin K plays a very significant role in brain and neuronal health. It can prevent the oxidation of brain cells and stimulate cognitive activity, thereby helping to delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Along with its role in protecting the brain from neural degeneration, vitamin K also promotes osteotrophic activity, meaning that it stimulates bone growth and repair. Combined with the rich calcium and mineral content of rhubarb, this plant is a major player in bone protection.

In Your Plate!

In addition to making the usual rhubarb compote and pies, how about using this fruit in more creative ways: *Tired of eating the same sad salad at lunchtime? Brighten up your day with this rhubarb recipe. Roast rhubarb with honey and balsamic vinegar and then toss it with leafy greens, shallots, and carrots for a wonderful taste. Finish this power salad with a topping of sunflower seeds, goat cheese, and a sprinkle of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. * Caramelizing rhubarb brings out a deliciously sweet side to the fruit. Use caramelized rhubarb in chicken dishes, salads, and soups to up their flavor and nutritional value.

Fun in the Kitchen!

Rhubarb-Yogurt Popsicles What a fun, tasty variation of an ice cream pop, packed with nutrition!

3 stalks of rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar (or sweetener) 1 1/4 cups Greek yogurt milk, to thin the yogurt 1. Rinse and trim the rhubarb, and then cut it into 1 inch pieces. Put the fruit and sugar, along with 2 tablespoons of water, into a saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook until the rhubarb is completely soft, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add a little more water if the jam is too thick or sticks to the pan.

2. Puree the rhubarb in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate the puree until it is chilled. You should have at least 1 cup of puree.

3. Mix the yogurt with milk to thin it. You want it to be thick but have a creamy consistency. When the rhubarb is cooled, it will be thickened as well. Add a little water if you want to loosen it.

4. Beginning with the yogurt, spoon alternate layers of yogurt and rhubarb into each mold until they are filled. Insert a skewer or chopstick into each mold and stir just a bit to mix the layers and create a marbleized effect.

5. Insert a popsicle stick in each mold. The sticks will stand up by themselves, so no need for a top or foil covering.

6. Freeze until firm, about 4 - 5 hours or overnight.

7. To un-mold the pops, fill your sink with hot water. Immerse the mold up to but not over the top edge, and hold for about 15-20 seconds. If the pops don’t slide out easily, immerse for a few seconds longer.

8. Enjoy right away or store in plastic baggies in the freezer.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 51

PROMOTION

IN THE KNOW Thought it Couldn’t Get Any Better?

When Mehadrin first brought Yobar to the market, we thought it couldn’t get any better. Yogurt in a bar—covered with chocolate?

The perfect go-to meal or treat. But now, it’s actually happened.

Two new flavors of your favorite yogurt bar are now available at the supermarket near you. What are you in the mood of today—hazelnut or coffee? The choice is yours. Enjoy it guilt-free!

Drink the Beet Beets are all the rage these days—and rightfully so. Chock-full of nutrients, fiber, and all the good stuff your body needs, no wonder it’s topping the list as one of today’s most popular health trends. But imagine having a chance to actually drink the beet—while enjoying fun flavors of other added fruits, in an all-natural, 100% organic beverage that’s certified kosher and available at a supermarket or health food store at your corner.

It’s the real thing and it’s finally here! Beetology is the latest hot item in the health food market today. With five fabulous flavors to choose from, there’s no way you can resist trying one. And then you’ll surely be back for another.

Upping the Granola Standards If you’re a granola fan, or even if you aren’t yet, you’ll be glad to hear what Gefen has in store for you. Their latest two flavors of granola clusters are making granola eating so much more fun! Now available in French vanilla with almonds and vanilla cocoa, these clusters are packed with flavor, certified 100% whole-grain, and conveniently packaged in resealable cartons.

Whether for a quick breakfast or snack, choose between the two flavors to enjoy a nutritious treat!

What a Joy! If you wish you could enjoy a slice of bread without raising your blood sugar level or gaining weight, Healthy Joy Bakes is here to bring happiness into your life. Their Omega Power Bread is essentially a protein, providing a nourishing, satiating staple food without the spike in sugars associated with traditional rye bread. With only one net carb per slice, loaded with fiber (4g per slice), protein (9g per slice), and an abundant source of omega 3, and only 20mg sodium per slice, the essential nutrients in our bread also boosts digestive health and strengthens the immune system.

Have Your Gluten-free Matza… and Make Hamotzi Too Is matza your go-to grain on Shabbos or all week long but you’re sick and tired of the effects of white flour when you must wash for hamotzi? Shibolim Oat Matza is the huge breakthrough in product technology and innovation that you’ve been waiting for.

Up until now, if you preferred gluten-free matza there was no option available to satisfy your diet as well as allow you to make a birchas hamotzi since most gluten-free products are produced with potato and tapioca starch as well as rice flours and similar non-grain based ingredients.

After extensive research and sourcing of different flours globally, Shibolim has managed to create the ideal blend of starch and oat flour to achieve the perfect crunch and taste while still maintaining a majority of certified gluten-free oat flour that requires a birchas Hamotzi. Here’s your opportunity to have it all!

An End to Jaundice 60% of all full-term babies develop jaundice in their first week after birth. Jaundice Relief has been proven to strengthen the liver of the newborn. When taken by the mother and passed on through her milk, the oil is absorbed by the infant, which in turn cleanses and strengthens his liver, thus enabling it to metabolize the bilirubin effectively.

Jaundice Relief is beneficial during bouts of hepatitis (a disease affecting the liver) and severe itching due to toxicity of the liver, which can be caused by overuse of medication. Because the liver is unable to cleanse the blood it also stops cleansing the body of any impurities and itching becomes unbearable.

Find Jaundice Relief at your local health food store.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 53

Living Well

Health Profile By Esther Steinmetz

SARAH KELLER

In this fun column, The Wellspring readers get acquainted with a fellow reader’s health profile, getting a glimpse into the role that health and wellness play in her everyday life and the tidbits of advice that Chana Roness, nutritional counselor at the popular Nutrition by Tanya, offers for improved quality of life.

Age: 18 Location: Monsey Weight: 125 lbs.

Your weight range should be between 105-125 lbs, so although you are at a healthy weight, you’re at the highest end of the chart.

Height: 5’1” Marital Status: Single Occupation: Secretarial job You probably sit a lot. Make sure to take frequent breaks to walk around, or even up and down the stairs if you have.

Favorite health food: Lettuce That’s great! Remember that the darker the leaves, the more nutrients they have. For example, iceberg lettuce has fewer nutrients than kale.

Favorite junk food: Dairy chocolate I suggest portioning it into small bags, so that when the craving hits you’re not fighting a whole bar but can still have a small pre-portioned piece.

Favorite exercise: Yoga stretching Favorite nutritious dish: Salad with all possible veggies in it My usual bedtime: 10:30 /11:00 My usual wake-up time: 8:15 Excellent. You’re getting a nice amount of sleep!

My biggest meal on a usual day: supper I’ve said this before, but it’s very important. If you make your daytime meals a little bigger, you won’t be as hungry in the evening.

The soups I usually make: I don’t like soups

The Wellspring | May 2017 54

My usual dinner menu: minced meat with rice and ketchup Try using lean meat and brown rice and more veggies to make it healthier.

My weight loss saga: It’s very hard for me to lose and easy to gain, but within the last year I didn’t gain anything.

That’s great! Maintaining weight is also hard work and doesn’t come without effort.

The time of year when I find it hardest to watch my weight: Yamim Tovim The extent I’ve gone to implement a healthy lifestyle in my home: My mom is quite health conscious, so it’s not so hard to be healthy in my home, though my siblings are not at all ready to follow my mom’s example. They’re the ones who buy the unhealthy stuff, which makes it hard for me, because there’s always junk around.

What I do in my downtime: Eat chocolate, of course.

One place I would love to visit: Eretz Yisroel My weight/lifestyle goals: To eat healthy, and that my weight shouldn’t exceed 120 in normal circumstances.

How I would treat myself if I achieve this goal: I’d be the happiest person on earth. (I think that’s enough!)

Just remember that happiness is not equated with one’s weight. I’m sure you didn’t mean it literally, but just a reminder. When people fantasize that a lower weight will bring them joy, reaching the goal ends up being a very disappointing experience.

d do es n't co me an rd ha so al is ht ig we M ai nt ai ni ng wi th ou t ef fo rt . Ku do s to yo u! na @ Ta ny a' s -C ha Chana Roness is a nutrition counselor at Nutrition by Tanya which has locations in Boro Park, Flatbush Williamsburg, Monsey, Lakewood, Five Towns, Monroe and Crown Heights.

To be interviewed for this column (anonymously) please send your contact information to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 55

Living Well

Healthy Home Habits By Batsheva Fine

Tried and True Time to Grow Up

Weaning my child off his pacifier With Lag Ba’Omer soon approaching, we will be giving our oldest son his first haircut and I’ve been prepared by friends and family that our little prince will be transformed from toddler to child overnight. It’s hard to imagine a mature little boy with a pacifier in his mouth, though. I would love to help my son get rid of his pacifier, which he sucks on all too often, but I want to do it right.

What are some tried-and-true tips from fellow experienced parents on how to effectively wean a child off pacifiers?

Beily Brooklyn, New York mother of nine: I made my daughter a little book (she was old enough, about 4), “Happy without Paci,” with pictures of her as a baby with a pacifier, and then, “But now I’m 4, and I don’t need a pacifier anymore.” Instead, I created an illustrated page for each way that she could self-soothe.

It starts with: “So what can I do if I’m feeling sad?”

“I can snuggle with my cozy blanket.

“I can take a drink of cold water.”

“I can look at my favorite book.”

You can adapt this idea according to your child’s needs.

The last page has a picture of her with her beautiful smile, and says, “But best of all, everyone can see my beautiful face and my special smile!”

She not only sometimes took the book to bed with her, but often when she had a “rough patch,” she would struggle and then say, “Okay, I think I’ll take a drink.” It was adorable. The process didn’t happen overnight, but I made the book in June, and she was pacifier-free (on her own) by September.

Shmuly Lakewood, New Jersey father of 2: Our three-year-old son was quite attached to his pacifier, even during daytime hours, which is what my wife first focused on curbing. Being an ABA therapist, she put her training into practice and created a “No-Paci-Chart.” Every day that his pacifier stayed in his crib, he earned another sticker (he chose one each night from a large sticker book she bought).

When the three-week chart was full, he was promised a prize (nothing flashy). He was off his pacifier within a week, sticking to the chart just to earn the prize. I think we’ll be utilizing a similar strategy to deal with the nighttime pacifier, too.

Good luck!

Miriam Yerushalayim, Israel grandmother of many: My son and daughter-in-law took my three-year-old grandson outside and together hung the pacifier on a tree outside their house. He was very excited about it, and at the beginning used to visit it. He didn’t complain at all because it was such an interesting adventure. Worked for them.

The Wellspring | May 2017 56

The way I do it is as follows: When my toddler is old enough to understand, I ask him to leave the pacifier next to the front door when we leave the house. That way, as soon as we come back, he can have it. Sometime later on, when I notice that the child only takes his pacifier when he’s bored, I tie it to the bed post, (not too long a string though. I usually measure the length to half-way down the pillow as a strangling precaution, chas v’shalom). I’ve never had to replace a pacifier that was tied to the bed; as soon as it was finished, so was the habit.

Chava Far Rockaway, New York mother of six: The following tips have helped me: 1. Keep the pacifier out of the child’s reach, so he can’t take it on his own.

2. At the first stage, only allow him to use it at night or at nap time.

3. When the child gets past that stage, start talking about weaning entirely at a future time, a few months’ away, such as Succos, etc. Talk with enthusiasm about how exciting it will be when the process will be over.

4. You can do a pacifier separation ceremony, in which you tie the pacifiers to helium balloons and let them fly into the sunset.

Gila Ms.Ed., Wesley Hills, New York mother of four teenagers (who never sucked on pacifiers): As someone who works in the field of childhood development, I felt the need to share my take on this question. The use of pacifiers needs to be understood in a larger context. Infants have an inborn sucking reflex.

Studies show sucking or rooting motions in unborn fetuses. This enables them to begin breastfeeding upon birth, and is essentially a survival mechanism implanted by Hashem. Traditionally, infants were breastfed for minimally two years. In today’s world, formula, solid foods, and bottles are readily available. Plus, due to most mothers’ harried schedules, most infants do not have their sucking needs adequately met. Experts point out (see Rebbetzin Tehilla Abramov’s excellent book regarding breastfeeding Straight from the Heart) that babies suck at their mother’s breasts for comfort as much as for nourishment. They are able to regulate the pressure with which they suck so that a gentle motion gives them their needed comfort and a stronger, more pressured motion sucks the milk. When I see a child sucking noisily on their paci, I think about how much more he/she would be receiving from human contact with the caregiver he/she loves and needs.

Think about it: We substitute a “dummy” (as it’s called in England) for the mother and then, annoyed that the child is overly dependent on it, we attempt to wrestle it from the child and wean them from it, often before they are ready, or we throw it away, often subtly or not so subtly shaming the child for still “being a baby.”

Being a baby is a child’s need—not a want. Taking a needed transitional item from a child before he is ready is unwarranted and possibly damaging. There are links between inadequate “mommy love” to a host of conditions, such as obesity (substituting food for love); insecurities; poor social behaviors; inability to bond with others; trust deficiencies and possibly—yes, dare we say—addictions.

This is not to put the blame on mothers. It’s a call for seeing infancy and the genuine needs of the infant in a broader context so we can raise loving, emotionally healthy human beings.

Have a health question for the Wellspring community?

Let us know what it is and we’ll do our work to get the conversation rolling in your favor!

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 57

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Blumie Denver, Colorado mother of three:

Living Well

Monthly Dose By Yaakov Goodman, CN

A MORE VIBRANT LIFE

WHY COENZYME Q10 HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SUPPLEMENTS IN THE US

Thirty five years ago coenzyme Q10 was virtually unheard of in the United States. Back then, it was sold in Japan as a prescription drug to treat heart disease.

However, thanks to an avalanche of persuasive evidence and volumes of favorable studies, CoQ10 has become one of the most popular supplements in the country.

In addition to being one of the most powerful antioxidants, CoQ10 is a vital agent in fighting against our most prevalent diseases, such as cancer, heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, and various autoimmune disorders. Even more encouraging are the preventative capabilities that this nutrient caries.

CoQ10 is one of the only nutrients in the body that is present in every cell, however, factors such as aging, poor diet, and environmental toxicity are leaving us depleted of this nutrient.

For this and many other reasons, MaxiHealth has been a longtime advocate for CoQ10 supplementation.

Another pressing concern is drug-induced depletion of CoQ10, in particular statin drugs. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs sold under trade names such as Lipitor® and Crestor®.

Although they have been shown to benefit people at risk for heart disease caused by elevated LDL-cholesterol, evidence suggests that statins, especially high doses of potent statins, may increase the risk of diabetes, especially in older patients. One reason statins increase the risk of type II diabetes is because they deplete the body of CoQ10.

When cells lack sufficient CoQ10, mi The Wellspring | May 2017 58

tochondrial dysfunction sets in, leading to impaired insulin signaling, which may result in the chronically-elevated glucose levels that define diabetes. By design, statins interfere with the production of new cholesterol molecules by blocking an enzyme called HMGCoA reductase. But in the process, they also block a precursor of CoQ10, interfering with its natural production and resulting in lower CoQ10 blood levels.

Making matters worse, lowering LDL cholesterol impairs CoQ10 transport into cells. The combination of these effects has been shown to directly reduce blood levels of CoQ10 by as much as 54%.

Diabetic patients already have lower-than-normal CoQ10 levels. That’s because their body uses up much of its CoQ10 stores in an effort to combat diabetes-induced oxidative stress.

When diabetics are prescribed statin drugs, which is a common occurrence, the further depletion of CoQ10 can be especially harmful. Supplementing with CoQ10 allows people to derive lipid- and inflammation-lowering benefits from statins while protecting the body against CoQ10 depletion.

Combating Heart Failure Congestive heart failure is one of the most devastating forms of cardiovascular disease, affecting over 5.8 million people in the US. Those diagnosed with congestive heart failure today have a 50/50 chance of fatality within five years. These aren’t good odds, but researchers have determined that with the help of CoQ10, this can be changed.

Unfortunately, published clinical studies showing that CoQ10 can dramatically improve treatment outcomes are generally overlooked by most cardiologists. A recent interna-

tional, multi-center study of patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure demonstrated a 60% reduction in major cardiovascular events (strokes, heart attacks, etc.) and a 44% reduction in cardiovascular deaths, in response to CoQ10 supplementation .

In another eye-opening study, heart attack survivors who took 100-200mg a day of CoQ10 for one year had a reduced rate of total cardiac events heart attacks by 66%. This dramatic outcome validates earlier studies demonstrating the utility of CoQ10 in managing heart disease. It also points to the potential role CoQ10 plays in the prevention, as well as treatment, of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases .

CoQ10 and Parkinson’'s Disease Parkinson’s disease is the second most common aging-related disorder in the world. Like Alzheimer’s, it is the result of oxidant stress triggering production of an abnormal, inflammatory protein. In Parkinson’s the protein is called alpha-synuclein, which damages neurons in regions of the brain that control motor function as well as cognition. Symptoms include slowed movements, weakness, and cognitive impairment. CoQ10 has been shown to fundamentally alter and slow down the otherwise inevitable decline of patients with Parkinson’s, unlike current treatments, which improve symptoms without changing disease progression.

Studies have shown that CoQ10 significantly reduces damage to neurons in the brain areas affected by Parkinson’s disease . A 2011 meta-analysis (a large study combining data from smaller trials) concluded that supplementing with higher dose CoQ10 was well-tolerated by Parkinson’s disease patients, and provided significant improvement in disease severity and pro-

gression.

Vibrant Longevity According to the mitochondrial theory of aging, oxidant damage to the mitochondria (the power generators of the cells) is at the root of aging itself.

Simply put, the more oxidative damage to mitochondria, the shorter the lifespan of the individual. Therefore, if we could make mitochondria use energy more efficiently, we could decelerate the aging process, meaning not only a longer life, but a healthier one.

CoQ10 is an essential component of the mitochondrial energy system.

When CoQ10 levels fall, mitochondrial dysfunction skyrockets, and aging is accelerated. However, when ailing or aging mitochondria are replenished with CoQ10, their function rebounds.

Animal studies show that when supplemented with CoQ10, the species experienced a slowing down of the aging process and an extended lifespan .

These benefits aren’t restricted to primitive invertebrates, however. Research demonstrates that mice supplemented with CoQ10 live longer. In one case, supplemented animals experienced an 11.7% increase in mean life span, and a 24% increase in maximum life span. This translates into the equivalent of humans gaining over 9 years of life, based on today’s life expectancy of

78.5 years .

It is now evident that CoQ10 positively influences multiple genes involved in aging, especially those regulating inflammation. This “epigenetic effect” is at the forefront of scientific attempts to understand how environmental factors such as nutrition influence our genetic load.

Fighting Cancer Not only do patients with cancer consistently exhibit low levels of CoQ10, research is now underlining that CoQ10 can increase immune activity against cancer cells.

Danish researchers investigated CoQ10’s effects alone and in combination with other nutrients as an adjunctive therapy for breast cancer. In one case report, the researchers describe three breast cancer patients. The women underwent conventional cancer treatment and supplemented daily with CoQ10. All three women demonstrated tumor regression and decreased incidence of metastasis.

In another study, the same research team investigated 32 high-risk cancer patients whose malignancy had spread to the lymph nodes. In addition to conventional therapeutic interventions, this group of patients received a daily supplement of CoQ10. At the end of the 18-month trial, six patients showed

apparent partial remission, none of the patients showed signs of additional metastases, and their quality of life improved. None of the patients died during the study period, though four deaths were expected based on the patients’ disease stage. In one of the six patients with partial remission, the dose of CoQ10 was increased. After two months, that patient’s tumor had disappeared completely.

While chemotherapy drugs can be effective, their use can be limited by toxic side effects. This has been noted in the case of anthracyclines, a class of drugs widely used in chemotherapy.

These drugs are used to treat leukemia, lymphomas, and solid malignancies, and are often used to treat breast cancer, with higher doses yielding greater clinical responses. These higher doses of anthracyclines, however, can produce toxic effects on heart tissue, possibly leading to cardiomyopathy and heart failure that are not responsive to conventional pharmacological interventions. In fact, anthracyclines selectively damage mitochondria in the heart, but not in other organs. Since coenzyme Q10 supports both heart tissue and mitochondria, researchers conducted human trials to determine whether CoQ10 might prevent cardiotoxicity during the administration of anthracyclines.

Two recent review articles addressed CoQ10’s potential as an adjunctive therapy during chemotherapy with anthracyclines. Writing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers summarized five reviewed studies in which CoQ10 was given along with anthracyclines. In three of the studies that measured heart rhythm, patients who received CoQ10 showed favorIyar 5777 | The Wellspring 59

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not ibntended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

When diabetics are prescribed statin drugs, which is a common occurrence, the further depletion of CoQ10 can be especially harmful.

Living Well able changes, suggesting that CoQ10 might have a stabilizing effect on the heart. They also noted that supplementation did not interfere with anthracycline treatment, and that no adverse effects were reported in any of the trials.

The authors thus concluded that coenzyme Q10 demonstrates potential for reducing cardiotoxicity.

Monthly Dose

Even modest doses of ubiquinol dramatically increased CoQ10 blood levels compared to conventional CoQ10 supplements.

Ubiquinol, The Aanswer to Aabsorption Despite the vast array of bountiful benefits CoQ10 has to offer, physicians have been concerned about poor absorption and utilization by the body caused largely by various shortcomings in diet and lifestyle.

This prompted MaxiHealth to produce Maxi CoQ Ubiquinol™, the only kosher certified CoQ Ubiquinol on the market. This form of CoQ10 provides a breakthrough in absorption and bioavailability, enabling those supplementing with CoQ10 to reap its full array of benefits.

Even modest doses of ubiquinol dramatically increased CoQ10 blood levels compared to conventional CoQ10 supplements. In experimental studies, ubiquinol was shown to achieve 3.75 times higher plasma concentrations eight hours after dosing versus conventional CoQ10. Ubiquinol also reduced exercise-induced fatigue 90% better than conventional CoQ10.

A side-by-side comparison study measured the rate of aging in mice given ubiquinol, standard CoQ10, or placebo. As would be expected, both CoQ10 and ubiquinol slowed aging (by 45%) compared to the placebo, up to a certain point in the study. As the mice continued to age, however, the rate of aging in the ubiquinol group slowed, until at one point they were ag The Wellspring | May 2017 60

hand, the 12-month-old mice supplemented with ubiquinol were shown to be alert, responsive, and energetic, with no physical lesions or deformities and a glossy coat resembling that of a young, healthy mouse. With Maxi CoQ Ubiquinol™, consumers can easily achieve the high blood levels of CoQ10 that scientific studies show provide optimal benefits.

1. Eurich, D.T., McAlister, F.A., & Blackburn, D.F. Benefits and harms of antidiabetic agents in patients with diabetes and heart failure: systematic review. BMJ. 2007 Sep 8;335(7618):497.

2. Lockwood, K., Moesgaard, S., Yamamoto, T., & Folkers, K. Progress on therapy of breast cancer with vitamin Q10 and the regression of metastases. Biochemical and Biophysychological Research Communications.

1995 Jul 6;212(1):172-7.

ing 40% less than the standard CoQ10 group and 51% less than the placebo group. Even more dramatic were photographs and video footage comparing the three different groups of mice.

Twelve-month-old mice receiving no supplemental CoQ10 were essentially immobile and unresponsive, exhibiting lesions in and around the eye, with spinal and limb deformities as well as a patchy, discolored coat. Many of these pathological events seen in mice not supplemented with CoQ10 are classic signs of degenerative aging suffered by elderly humans. The ubiquinol-supplementing group fared significantly better, but visible signs of pathological aging were still clearly seen. On the other

3. Binukumar, B.K., Gupta, N., Bal, A., & Gill, K.D. Protection of dichlorvos induced oxidative stress and nigrostriatal neuronal death by chronic coenzyme Q10 pretreatment.

Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. 2011 Oct 1;256(1):73-82.

4. Ishii, N., Senoo-Matsuda, N., & Miyake, K. Coenzyme Q10 can prolong C. elegans lifespan by lowering oxidative stress. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 2004 Jan;125(1):41-6.

5. Lockwood, K., Moesgaard, S., Hanioka, T., & Folkers, K. Apparent partial remission of breast cancer in ‘high risk’ patients supplemented with nutritional antioxidants, essential fatty acids and coenzyme Q10. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 1994;15 231-240.

Wellbeing

Clean Slate By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC

THE FAILURE STRATEGIES What not to do if you want to achieve your goal Weight loss is not a Band-Aid. As we’ve discussed in depth, you will never look good enough—to yourself in the mirror—if you don’t first value yourself as a human being, regardless of your appearance. I’ve seen clients who were what I’d call objectively beautiful and obviously thin who still didn’t believe that they looked good enough—as long as they didn’t feel that way about themselves.

In this space, we’ve explored the idea that weight loss is about ridding ourselves from emotional eating, from using food as a means to flee a painful situation. Whenever something triggers that uncomfortable part in ourselves, we tend to choose one of two escape mechanisms: fight or flight, and comfort eating is just one great way to forget about what’s really pressing on our hearts.

Although there are many great food plans that help people lose weight, there are certain rules that can’t be broken, regardless of which plan you’re following. Let’s discuss some of these “failure strategies.”

So while it’s possible to deprive ourselves for a little while, just like it’s possible for that adolescent to externally observe the mitzvos for some time, we won’t be able to do it forever, which renders this approach a failure strategy.

#1 Deprive and Gorge and Do it Again The most common failure strategy relies on deprivation and discipline, and nicely avoids dealing with the issues that drive eating dysfunction.

When a person isn’t aware of the real reason that makes her turn to food, everything she knows about weight loss endorses the discipline/deprivation approach. It might seem odd to disparage it, especially if you’ve been influenced by the dieting industry, which promotes this widely. However, this approach simply doesn’t work.

You’ve surely seen the results of the

away from the fridge. You deserve a medal for that! It’s a painful thing to do. But that’s exactly why it doesn’t last. Why would you want to expose yourself to pain for so long? It’s too hard to deprive yourself forever. Eventually, your emotional eating pattern kicks in and then it’s all over.

It’s obvious to every thinking person that deprivation doesn’t work— not in Yiddishkeit, not in weight loss, not in life. The only way for a transformation to be lasting and satisfying is if it comes from a place of desire, a place of understanding and choice.

grit-your-teeth-and-give-up-pastry approach. You worked so hard all week and blew it on Shabbos. Your friend hits the gym every morning and still hasn’t lost weight. Most diets out there, especially the commercialized ones, lead to the deprive-and-gorge approach, which is why this is the most common strategy. When you’re in the good zone, you’re depriving yourself of what you really want, applying willpower and discipline to keep yourself

When an adolescent feels deprived by the Torah and mitzvos and his lack of connection makes Yiddishkeit a suffocating experience, there’s little chance he’ll stay on the derech if his perspective doesn’t change. Our actions are largely the outcome of how we think and feel about them. So while it’s possible to deprive ourselves for a little while, just like it’s possible for that adolescent to externally observe the mitzvos for some time, we won’t be able to do it forever, which renders this approach a failure strategy. “For how long can I just zip my mouth and look the other way while everyone’s enjoying the dessert?” someone who’s struggling with emotional eating will tend to wonder. That’s a question that stems from self-pity because she’s feeling deprived, not from appreciation of a healthy lifestyle and the benefits it brings to her body and psyche. And the answer is that it can never be for too long.

If you want to get off this failure train, here’s something you must ask yourself: Which of the following beliefs is the one you truly hold?

“I believe that diets alone will no longer work for me, and I’m open to exploring my emotional eating patterns,” or, “I’m not convinced about diets not working and I’m reluctant to learn more about my emotional eating patterns.”

There’s only one answer that will finally whisk you away from that failure cycle.

In this column on emotional eating, Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC, discusses the journey toward a healthy relationship with food from a Torah-based, psychological, and personal perspective.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 61

Wellbeing

From the Ground Up By Goldy Guttman, Ms. Ed.

Watch My Growth 18-24 months

So how are you managing with your little toddler? By now he’s probably walking or running, and it takes a lot of energy to keep up! Here are some milestones your child should reach in these months:

Physical/Motor Skills: Your child most likely is running by now, so keep an eye out to make sure he isn’t getting into anything dangerous.

Cover outlets and lock cabinets with dangerous supplies inside.

At this stage, your child should be able to: • Build a tower of two to four blocks • Walk up stairs with assistance • Imitate scribbling, without holding the crayon properly • Turn pages of a book (may be two or three at a time)

Cognitive skills: You’ll find yourself very much entertained by your child’s behavior, as he imitates yours. You might want to be careful with how you act in front of him—it can all be repeated to others when he plays.

Your toddler should be able to: • Listen to stories or look at pictures • Imitate some of your behavior, such as babbling on the phone • Kiss and show affection • Identify at least one body part • Remove some of his clothing, like gloves or socks

Here is a list of toys that are appropriate for an 18-24 month old baby:

Little Tikes Slide

The Wellspring | May 2017 62

Tricycle Ride On Toy

Creative Peg Puzzle

This is prime time to discuss the subject of evaluating your child. At this stage, any delays your child may have will become more apparent. You may be reading this column and thinking, “Help! My baby doesn’t do half this stuff!”

Firstly, relax. Know that there’s help available out there, and the fact that you are aware and on top of the situation is already a huge step in the right direction. Next, assess. Look at your child and go through a checklist of what you are concerned about. Then sort out the deficiencies into one of these categories: cognitive, social, motor, or speech.

Obviously, some skills fall into more than one category, but sorting this way can help you figure out which evaluations your child needs.

Speak with your pediatrician about your concerns.

If you live in New York City, you’re in luck. The Early Intervention program is fabulous, and free. You can call any agency in your neighborhood to schedule an evaluation at any time. If you live out of the NYC area, do some research.

Find out what others in the same situation have done. Some locales use health insurance to cover the cost of therapy.

One thing is for certain, though, in this day and age when there are so many services and so much help available, it’s a shame to let any concern slip by.

Here is a checklist to keep handy that will guide you through the confusion. This checklist is for children aged 18-24 months, which is a broad window. Bear in mind that you should only be concerned about deficiencies if your child is over the age of two.

At this stage, your child should be able to: Physical Development • Build a tower with a few cubes • Throw a ball overhand • Wash and dry his own hands • Climb stairs with help; by 24 months go up and down alone, but doesn’t have to alternate feet • Kick a ball • Ride a foot-to-floor vehicle Intellectual Development • Enjoy climbing on everything • Identify and point to two to four items in picture • Watch, then imitate, dumping of objects • Fear loud noises, water, wind, wild animals, and other things • Enjoy repetition in songs and nursery rhymes • Like to point to nose, mouth etc., when asked, “Where is your…?”

Social and Emotional Development • Experiment with aggressive responses to disliked things • Separation anxiety lessens • Seek adult approval • Come when called • Like to help with daily routines • Communicate feelings with words and gestures Language Development • Speak in two or three word sentences • Speak and be understood more than half the time • Understand the role of prepositions in speech (e.g. it’s under the table, that’s in front of the chair)

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 63

Wellbeing

Emotional Wellness By Drs. David H. Rosmarin & Peryl Agishtein

Is my son depressed?

Q

I’m not the kind of mother who sees pneumonia every time my kids cough, and I don’t generally drag them around to doctors. How much less to therapists—none of my kids has ever been to therapy! Besides for the fact that I’m not sure how comfortable they are or I am with therapy, we also can’t easily afford private fees. But I have been getting more and more concerned about Yonasan, our 8-year old son. He’s the youngest of five and has always been a somewhat quiet and shy child, but lately he’s been even less sociable than usual.

He’s not interested in going outside to play with anyone, even though he has some good neighborhood friends. Instead, he stays inside with me and his older siblings or with some of my grandkids, who are always in and out of the house. Instead of enjoying our company, he is constantly complaining, annoyed, kvetchy, and in a bad mood. He’s also been to the doctor a few times because he seems to always have headaches or stomach problems, but the doctor hasn’t found anything wrong. When Yonasan isn’t cranky or crying to me, he’s usually shut in his room, either reading or lying down. I didn’t notice when this started but it seems to have been going on for a while, and I miss my laid-back, sensitive, smiling child.

Could he be depressed? Is it time to take him to therapy?

Signed, Desperate mother

The Wellspring | May 2017 64

A

There are two separate issues that concern you. The first question is whether your son is depressed. The second question is whether he might benefit from therapy.

You wisely wonder whether Yonasan ’s “bad mood” is an indication of depression. Depression in adults is characterized by either a depressed, sad mood (the colloquial meaning of “I’m so depressed!”) or by a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. However, in children and adolescents, depression often manifests as a consistently irritable mood; sadness and classic “depressed” mood may not be evident at all. A child who displays an increasingly cranky mood (that is a change from his prior behavior), along with a number of other diagnostic criteria (insomnia, fatigue, weight loss), may be experiencing an episode of Major Depressive Disorder. Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) is another related diagnosis, characterized by a more chronic (at least one year in children) but less severe (not present every day) depressed mood.

The treatment for childhood depression is the same as that for adult depression: cognitive behavioral therapy or another evidence-based therapy, and/or psychotropic medication. Less severe depression can sometimes resolve with parental intervention, further development, and environmental restructuring, but frequently requires professional intervention. There are some excellent books available for parents to help them understand what depression is and help their child cope with the depression and stress.

Of course, if Yonasan is indeed experiencing clinical depression, implementing these changes will likely not resolve his unhappiness. In that case, it may be time to seek professional care. Getting a definitive diagnosis of depression will depend on seeing a licensed professional (preferably in the mental health field). Before treatment is initiated, the therapist will first complete a comprehensive intake interview and evaluation to determine

whether Yonasan is indeed experiencing depression. A good therapist will also rule out any possible medical or environmental issues that may be contributing to the irritable mood (chronic lack of sleep, or an ongoing stressor in school or at home that needs to be resolved).

In Yonasan ’s case, your description does not definitively indicate or rule out depression. You describe a change in his mood from generally okay to frequently irritable, which is a key symptom of childhood depression. However, you don’t describe many other symptoms of depression (although the somatic symptoms of headaches and stomachaches are indeed often related to stress). Importantly, it is not clear from your description whether Yonasan ’s irritability is causing him marked distress or impacting his ability to function well—which would be another core requirement of a depressed diagnosis.

The bottom line, though, is that therapy for a depressed mood does not hinge on whether or not your child meets textbook criteria for a mental health diagnosis. Therapy is a tool to help improve emotional well-being and functioning, and can be pursued if an individual is unhappy whether or not they meet diagnostic criteria. Therapy is expensive, but there are usually clinics in major city centers that accept insurance, which often covers the full cost of therapy. Before pursuing therapy, you can try to first clarify with your child and pediatrician whether there is a medical or simple emotional cause for his depressed mood that can be addressed without psychotherapy. But if Yonasan remains perpetually “cranky” and sad despite consulting with your pediatrician and implementing changes, it is likely that the best way you can help your son regain his laid-back, positive nature is to see a mental health professional.

All our best, David H. Rosmarin & Peryl Agishtein

David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., ABPP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, part-time, and a board certified clinical psychologist. He also directs the Center for Anxiety, which has offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Monsey, and Boston. Peryl Agishtein, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who conducts research on spirituality and attachment.

She practices couples and adult psychotherapy in the Center for Anxiety’s Monsey office.

Readers may submit their questions on anxiety or any mental-health related topic to be answered by the columnists in the next Anxious to Know column. All identifying details will be changed. Questions can be submitted to info@wellspringmagazine.com. Subject line should be “Anxious to Know.”

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 65

Wellbeing

Health Personality By Shiffy Friedman

Another

A CUP OF TEA WITH...

DR. MICHELLE KLEIN, D.C., C.N.S.

LOCATION OF PRACTICE: Great Neck, Long Island and Manhattan. Once per month in Williamsburg OCCUPATION: Medical nutritionist and chiropractor YEARS IN PRACTICE: 11 PASSION: Carrying on the legacy of my grandfather to help people potentiate their health to the maximum degree and helping people understand that their health is very much dependent on their choices.

WISHES PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THAT: If people would take the opportunity to learn what they individually need to know in order support their health, they would have the potential to prevent and/or overcome their ailments.

The Wellspring has already had a Cup of Tea with Dr. Klein (issue #4), in an article that covered her expertise in the area of medical nutrition. After many years of clinical practice using chiropractic, acupuncture, lifestyle medicine, applied kinesiology, and functional medicine, Dr. Klein now offers another highly valuable, fascinating service: genetic nutritional testing.

This new scientific discipline uses modern genomics technology to study the relationship between genes, nutrition, and health. Additional information is acquired by using customized reports based on cutting-edge research and stringent standards of scientific evidence, helping the nutrition team make personalized lifestyle recommendations that will enable the patient to optimize their nutritional status and prevent nutrition-related chronic diseases.

WHAT LED YOU TO RESEARCH GENETIC TESTING FOR PERSONALIZED NUTRITION? We’ve been working with patients utilizing individualized lifestyle medicine over the past decade. At the most recent professional conference for the American College of Nutrition, the research behind genetic testing as related to nutrition was presented. Upon learning how our genetic makeup The Wellspring | May 2017 66

predisposes us to varied nutritional and lifestyle issues, we decided to incorporate the testing into our practice.

WHO DEVELOPED THE SYSTEM? For years, genetic testing has been used to determine the presence of various illnesses. Since 2000, Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy of Toronto has been working on a research program in nutritional genomics, based on which he discovered how to tailor this fascinating system to provide information on nutritional factors in the human body.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NUTRITIONAL GENETIC TESTING? The additional information from the genetic testing enables us to further personalize our recommendations for patients, so they can achieve their optimal nutrition status and prevent lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Test results are not intended to form a short-term “diet.” The information provided in the report, combined with the nutritional plan created by our team, empowers the patient with knowledge so that she can continually make the best dietary choices on a daily basis.

WHAT KIND OF DETAILS CAN BE DETERMINED THROUGH THE GENETIC ANALYSIS? Genetic predisposition for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, gluten and dairy intolerance, caffeine intolerance, weight management and body composition, eating habits, cardiometabolic health, and physical activity, including the best exercise for the individual. By understanding how their genes interact with their lifestyle choices, the patient can be proactive in their health choices.

HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK? HOW IS THE DNA ANALYZED? A saliva sample is collected in our office and sent to the laboratory to analyze genetic markers as related to lifestyle and nutrition needs.

HOW MANY GENETIC MARKERS DO YOU TEST FOR IN YOUR OFFICE? 45 genetic markers.

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM THIS SERVICE? Everyone, including healthy individuals who simply want to stay healthy and those who are dealing with specific health issues. The sooner we have the information, the sooner we can personalize a patient’s lifestyle recommendations. Children with ADD/ADHD, allergies, developmental delays, autism, ear infections, and weight issues (even if they’ve already tried other diet plans), and adults with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, overweight (even if they’ve already tried other diet plans), allergies, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s, and IBS can benefit tremendously from a personalized lifestyle plan created using the additional medical tool of genetic testing. It’s the most specific kind of testing that’s available out there, because it’s based solely on the individual’s genetic map.

However, the results of the genetic testing revealed that she also needed to stay off dairy, and within a couple of months she noticed significant improvement in her symptoms.

HOW LONG DOES THE TESTING PROCESS TAKE? The testing process is incorporated into a personalized lifestyle consultation with one of our doctors. The actual genetic test doesn’t take long, but it’s a component of a full consultation that includes health history and analyzing the test results, along with making personalized recommendations based on both (and blood work when necessary).

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE RESULTS TO COME BACK FROM THE LAB? There is a 3-4 week turnaround time between collection of the saliva sample and review of test results.

CAN YOU SHARE SOME ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE OF THIS TESTING METHOD’S EFFICACY?

We’ve had multiple pediatric patients who had repetitive ear infections and strep throat. Upon genetic testing, we discovered the specific nutrients that they were prone to be deficient in, and by working with their parents to achieve optimal levels, they improved the strength of their immune systems.

One patient who has suffered with bloating and overweight for multiple years avoided gluten all that time, under the assumption that that was the sole cause of her issue.

However, the results of the genetic testing revealed that she also needed to stay off dairy, and within a couple of months she noticed significant improvement in her symptoms.

Another patient and her son who were tested discovered the importance of limiting caffeine intake. The test results revealed a genetic high risk for stroke or heart attack if they continued consuming the levels of caffeine they were used to consuming before. In another case, a patient discovered that his body has trouble converting beta carotene to vitamin A. Therefore, he’s begun incorporating foods rich in the actual vitamin A rather than the precursor (beta carotene), thus reducing his risk for night blindness and immune challenges.

Another patient reported being a lot more conscious and deliberate to eat foods that support potential nutritional deficiencies. Once people become aware of what’s truly good for their body and what’s harmful, versus following general advice that works for some but not for others, they’re not only able to make the right choices but also to have the confidence that what they’re doing is perfectly tailored to their particular system.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 67

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AGE WELL The Secret of Putting Insomnia to Rest

ISSUE 16 MAY 2017 IYAR 5777

GOLDEN PAGE: THE WEIGHT LOSS SECRET FOR EVERY STAGE

Golden Page By Yaakov Goodman, CN

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS AT EVERY AGE For many people, weight loss is way more important than the cosmetic benefits it offers. Especially in the aging population, losing extra fat is a crucial component in overall health and wellbeing. Here’s one excellent way to help the pounds roll off.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid, better known as CLA, is an extremely beneficial natural compound traditionally found in the fat of beef and other ruminants. While for many centuries our diet was well stocked with CLA, sadly, the natural sources of CLA such as beef no longer provide this valuable fat as they used to. Compared to the previous generations, Americans are deficient in CLA, and it’s largely due to changes in cattle-feeding practices—cows need to graze on grass rather than be artificially fattened by grains. Additionally, today’s dairy products have only about one fifth of the CLA content they had in the 1950s.

Compelling evidence indicates that CLA can promote youthful metabolic function and reduce body fat. Several years ago, the discovery of CLA’s benefits caused a scientific sensation when it was shown to improve the lean mass to body fat ratio, decreasing fat deposition, especially on the abdomen. One mechanism whereby CLA reduces body fat is by enhancing insulin sensitivity so that fatty acids and glucose can pass through muscle cell membranes and away from fat tissue. This results in an improved muscle to fat ratio.

CLA deficiency could be a major contributing factor in the current obesity epidemic in America. Several animal studies showed that adding CLA to the diet results in leaner, more muscular bodies. One 1996 study, for instance, showed as much as 68% lower body fat in CLA-supplemented mice. A pioneering Norwegian human study found that CLA-supplemented subjects lost up to 20% of their body fat in three months without changing their diet.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 180 overweight adults received a CLA supplement or a placebo daily for six months. Fat mass, lean body mass, and insulin sensitivity were closely monitored in the study participants. At the end of the six-month study, participants taking CLA lost significant fat mass and gained nearly one pound of muscle mass, with most of the fat loss occurring in the upper legs and abdomen. The CLA supplements were well tolerated, and those who took CLA demonstrated an improvement in insulin sensitivity.

A recent study at the Louisiana State University confirmed that feeding mice a CLA-enriched diet for six weeks resulted in 88% lower body fat, especially in regard to abdominal fat. This occurred even if the mice were fed a high-fat diet. The effect was partly due to reduced calorie intake by CLA-supplemented mice, and partly due to a shift in their metabolism, including a higher metabolic rate.

A study using diabetic Zucker rats indicates that part of CLA’s effectiveness in preventing obesity may lie in its ability to act as a potent insulin sensitizer, thus lowering insulin resistance and consequently insulin levels. Since elevated insulin is the chief pro-obesity agent, it is important to keep insulin within the normal range. By activating certain enzymes and enhancing glucose transport into the cells, CLA acts to lower blood sugar levels and normalize insulin levels. Thus, besides being antiatherogenic and anticarcinogenic, CLA is also antidiabetogenic, helping prevent adult-onset diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance. If the current animal results are corroborated, CLA may prove to be important not only in the prevention of diabetes, but also as a new therapy for adult-onset diabetics, aimed at lowering insulin resistance.

In addition, CLA has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and helps keep arteries clean. A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that subjects supplemented with 0.5g CLA/day showed markedly lower total and LDL cholesterol, lower LDL to HDL ratio, lower total cholesterol to HDL ratio, and lower serum triglycerides. On autopsy, the aortas of CLA-supplemented rabbits showed less atherosclerotic plaque.

Incredibly, CLA supplementation helps prevent the initiation, promotion, and metastasis of breast cancer. In a study performed at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, 50 day-old rats were treated with a potent carcinogen and then supplemented with 1% CLA for 4, 8, or 20 weeks. Only rats receiving CLA for the full 20 weeks showed tumor inhibition. CLA lowered the total number of carcinomas by 70%.

Interestingly, there was a much higher incorporation of CLA into the neutral lipids of the mammary tissue rather than into the phospholipids (cell membranes). While the physiological significance of this phenomenon is not understood, it seems that the presence of CLA in mammary tissue plays a highly protective role against the initiation of breast cancer.

With all of this compelling science, Maxi-Health formulated a one-of-a-kind CLA formula. In conjunction with diet and exercise, Maxi Thin-Supreme™ has helped many individuals struggling with weight issues achieve healthier weight and is recognized as a safe and choice supplement.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring 71

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Age Well

Age Well

Senior Care By Rena Milgraum, R.N.

The Secret of Putting Insomnia to Rest An article about insomnia may put you to sleep, but if you history, and possible causes to decide on the best treatment suffer from this disorder, that might be a good thing. Insom- plan.

Changing your sleep habits and addressing any issues that nia symptoms include finding it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or unable to get back to sleep easily. You may may be associated with chronic insomnia, such as stress, think such problems are really no big deal and fairly harm- medical conditions, or medications, can restore restful sleep less compared to other disorders, however, quality sleep to many people. If these measures don’t work, your doctor may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, substantially affects quality of life.

Many adults experience insomnia for a few days or weeks or both, to help improve relaxation and sleep.

As for comorbid insomnia, this can largely be eliminated at some point in their lives, usually as a result of something major weighing heavily on them. This kind of insomnia is if not significantly reduced by treating its underlying cause. called acute insomnia and usually goes away without any Treatments here include: • Sleep restriction. You will need to follow a strict schedtreatment. But when insomnia lasts a good few months or even more, it is no longer a circumstance-related, short- ule of bedtimes, wake times, and using the bed for sleeping term problem but a long-term medical and/or mental-health only.

• Counseling. Depression (low energy, loss of interest or problem that requires diagnosis and treatment.

Chronic insomnia is defined by disrupted sleep that oc- motivation, feelings of sadness or hopelessness) and insomcurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three nia can be linked, and exacerbate the other.

• Relaxation training. This teaches you to systematicalmonths. Comorbid insomnia is insomnia that occurs with another condition, including mental-health symptoms like ly tense and relax muscles in different areas of the body, anxiety or depression, or medical conditions like arthritis helping to calm the body and induce sleep. Other relaxation techniques involve breathing exercises, mindfulness, and or back pain.

Diagnosing insomnia and pinpointing its specific cause(s) meditation techniques.

• Light therapy. In light therapy, you sit near a special may require you to: light box for a certain amount of time each day. The light • Take a physical exam to check for medical problems from this box mimics outdoor light. Exposure to this light possibly related to insomnia helps adjust the body’s 24-hour circadian rhythm.

• Take a blood test to check for thyroid problems or other With insomnia, prevention goes hand-in-hand with treatconditions possibly related to poor sleep ment.

Many treatments not only eliminate insomnia once • Fill out a sleep habits questionnaire to determine sleepit is a problem, but prevent insomnia before it becomes a wake pattern and level of daytime sleepiness problem.

In other words, you might be able to prevent in• Keep a sleep log for a couple of weeks, recording daily somnia in the first place by simply adhering to rigid bedtime bedtimes, wake-up times, energy levels at wake-ups, energy and wake-up times, or by keeping stress in check. levels throughout the day, etc.

The fact that sleep is a critical part of daily life goes with• Attend a sleep center, at which non-invasive (no neeout saying—people spend an average of one third of their dles!) tests are run overnight to monitor and record a variety lives sleeping.

But by following a customized treatment plan of body functions, which will help provide you with a treatprovided by your doctor and/or a sleep specialist, including ment plan simple changes in your daily and nightly habits, you should, How much sleep is enough varies from person to person, within a few weeks, be able to put insomnia to rest. but most adults need an unbroken seven to eight hours a night. Treatment for insomThe Healthy Sleep Fitness Questionnaire nia depends on its type and includes be• What time do you go to bed and wake up? havioral, psychological, and medical com• Is your bedroom dark and quiet? Is your mattress/pillow comfortable? ponents, or some combination thereof.

• Are your weekday and weekend sleep schedules different?

Treatment begins with reviewing your • Do you have any nighttime sleep disruptions? health to see if any underlying medical is• If you have trouble sleeping, be specific: is it trouble falling asleep, sues or sleep disorders contribute to your staying asleep, or waking up too early? sleep problems. In some cases, there are • How many times a week do you have trouble sleeping? simple steps that can be taken to improve • What do you do when you can’t sleep? sleep (see side bar).

• Have you had any recent major changes in your life?

The next step is to talk to your doctor • Do you have any medical conditions? about your particular insomnia situation, Rena Milgraum, R.N. is Director of Patient Services at HamaspikCare, a home-care agency serving seniors and others across New York.

She may be reached through the Wellspring.

72 The Wellspring | May 2017

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Age Well

Sage Advice By Sherri Leah Henkin

Adventures in Vision Correction: Before and After My Cataract Surgery The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20.5 million Americans age 40 and over have cataracts.

They slowly cloud your vision, and people struggling with them say it’s like trying to look through a frosted-up window (Mayo Clinic).

Warning Signs The Mayo Clinic’s metaphor, the frosted-up window, describes what I’d noticed in mid-2015, before the cataract diagnosis. Street signs appeared blurry and I couldn’t tell the difference between a semi-colon and a colon unless I increased the screen resolution to 250%, but that increased distorted images. In my fast-paced life, I didn’t slow down to examine the issues. Putting up with fuzziness, I figured all I needed was a new prescription for my glasses. And I would do that at my annual eye exam, which was still three months away.

In September 2015, I boarded the plane to Eretz Yisrael. I smiled at my seatmates and made small talk as I relaxed in my seat, wrapping my soft scarf around me. Then I noticed the route map on the monitor in the distance. Why does the U.S. map look blurry? I shifted my glasses to focus better. That didn’t help. Why can’t I see the state names and images clearly? I cleaned my glasses; the map was still out of focus. Maybe the blurriness was due to work stress. If so, being on vacation should relieve that.

Yet somewhere deep inside, I knew something wasn’t right.

other options?

The ophthalmologist asked me how I use my eyes, to which I answered that I spend about 80% of my day in closeup range, either reading, editing on paper, or working on the computer monitor.

“In that case, we could correct to focus on close vision,” Dr. K. offered. “We correct one eye for arms-length distance—for the computer monitor—and one eye for a bit closer range.”

“Does that mean I won’t need computer glasses anymore?”

“Yes.” “Wow! That’s a treat! What about distance vision, though?”

“You’ll still need prescription glasses for that.”

Having worn glasses since childhood, I felt fine about continuing to use them. We scheduled the surgeries for March 2016. I couldn’t wait for the day when I could see crisp images again.

In spite of the challenging adjustments, there were some nice surprises. After the first surgery, while I relaxed on the couch, I looked around my living room.

Diagnosis After returning to the States, I visited my ophthalmologist.

He gently explained that I had a cataract in each eye, which interfered with my daily activities. To correct the vision, he could surgically remove the cataracts and insert artificial lenses.

The big question, though, was what vision correction I wanted. Most people correct one eye for distance and one eye for close-up vision, creating mono-vision. Just the thought of different views in each eye made me seasick. I had images of swerving on the road to judge the distance of the car in front of me. Mono-vision was out. What were the 74 The Wellspring | May 2017

What is Cataract Surgery?

Light enters the eye through the cornea and passes through the lens to the retina, enabling a healthy eye to see a focused image. Over time, however, protein clumps can attach to the lens, blocking some of the natural light and forming a cataract. The light that does come through is often unfocused, producing a blurry, filmy, or cloudy image. During the outpatient surgery, the surgeon removes the natural lens and implants a customized man-made lens, allowing the eye to function again. We scheduled my surgeries a couple of weeks apart, which meant two separate recovery periods.

During the pre-surgical appointment, Dr. K. answered my countless questions as well as taking measurements for the new lenses. Before the first surgery, the doctor’s staff gave me pre- and post-op instructions. I purchased the supplies: prescription eye drops, surgical tape for the eye patch, and goggles to protect my eyes in the shower. Then I arranged rides to and from the surgery center. On the day of the first surgery, the surgical center staff gave me clear after-care instructions. I thought that right after the operation, I’d magically see clear crisp images; I didn’t understand that recovery is a process.

Recovery My vision didn’t improve instantly. Even several days after surgery, my eyes hurt after using the computer. I felt the lens scraping along the eyelid. I briefly looked away from the monitor and rubbed my eyes, then I pushed a bit more.

The searing pain stopped me and my eyelids shut.

I called Dr. K. one evening and described the symptoms and asked how long I could use the computer.

Dr. K. calmly responded, “Your eyes will tell you.”

They did. Some days I worked on the computer in complete darkness with only the screen light on. Some evenings, the soft yellow light from the pole lamp was too bright for my eyes. I could only tolerate the small nightlight, just enough to see my dinner.

Medicated eye drops were a key factor in recovery. I had a few different drops, to be taken at various intervals. Of course, the pharmacy had carefully labeled the instructions, but in tiny print that was too hard to read as my eyes adjusted. I used automated reminders on my phone and hand-written notes on large note paper, taped to the bottles.

Seeing the World in Living Color In spite of the challenging adjustments, there were some nice surprises. After the first surgery, while I relaxed on the couch, I looked around my living room. I have colorful paintings on the walls. Now, besides seeing the soft blues, greens, and purples, suddenly red and bright pink jumped out. I hadn’t noticed those colors before the surgery. I stared a bit longer and saw forest green and midnight blue, relishing the depth of the colors.

Then I gazed at my walls. I had always thought there was a bit of grey mixed in the blue-green paint. Now, I saw that the walls are a light blue-green, without a tinge of grey.

I guess the grey was the film in my eyes.

When I looked at colorful sunsets, I noticed subtle shades of purple and orange. The vibrant color I could now see is an exquisite bonus of the surgery.

A Year Later Throughout the year, I learned that recovery after cataract surgery is very individual. Some friends could drive two days after surgery, but I couldn’t comfortably drive until I had the correct prescription glasses. Before the surgery, I hadn’t realized how much I use my eyes. During recovery, the combination of reading, writing, typing, and even walking down the street led to overuse.

Steadily, the words on the computer screen cleared. I can now see the difference between semi-colons and colons, and no longer need the screen resolution to be set at 250%. The distance prescription has settled and driving no longer challenges me. Yet when I overuse my eyes, I feel the scraping sensation. That’s the cue to change activities.

Adjusting to a new way of using my eyes after cataract surgery required much patience. But there are no more frosted-up windows. Cataract surgery and recovery are an adventure—one worth taking.

Age Well

Serial Diary By Malka Aronson

Spreading Myself Thin Life in the Sandwich Generation

Entry #6: Panic It’s been six months since Mommy came to live with us, and I must admit that the changes have been quite drastic.

In the very beginning, when her Alzheimer’s was still completely undetected, I looked forward to truly connecting to her and giving her the opportunity to give, not only receive, in our home. Of course, I knew she had come to live with us because living alone would be too hard for her and that I would be providing her physical needs, but I also knew that she would want to give a hand—not because I expected her to, but because that’s what she’d want to do.

Mommy’s essence was always about giving, and I knew how much it would mean to her to continue to give. For the old Mommy, I wouldn’t be doing a favor if I’d as much as prepare her coffee. She wanted to do everything on her own,

and I didn’t want to take that part of her identity away from her.

But, oh, how things have changed. In her good moments, Mommy’s still her old self. She even stripped her linen the other day, not an easy feat for someone who’s already passed the eighty mark. When I came into the room to do the job, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There she was, my aging mother, standing in a heap of mint green, busily removing the pillow from its case. “What are you doing, Mommy?” I asked with obvious surprise.

“This?” she asked, pointing to the pile of linen on the floor. “Please, Malka,” she waved my question away, “you know how much I like to do things on my own.

You’re doing so much for me all day.” She smiled as she continued stripping the pillow, and then helped me take the linen to the washing machine.

I cherished that moment for all it was worth—a moment in which my mother’s essence shone like the brilliant sunshine that pours through our den windows at sunrise. I bathed my soul in the warmth of the familiarity and comfort of the encounter. Oh, how I needed it, I realized. So much of my confidence and drive stems from my mother’s, and watching her wither away is doing something to me that I don’t like. But already at dinnertime she had an episode that jolted me out of that comfort zone.

When supper was ready, I asked my daughter Rochel to go call Mommy from her room. I’d prepared the potatoes just as she liked them—just a pinch of salt, no pepper (and then a pan for my kids with paprika and cajun!). I had been busy in the kitchen for a while, and she said she would be going to her room to rest. I was happy about that because I noticed that when she first enters her forgetful mode she feels uncomfortable about it and she appreciates being alone.

Two minutes later, Rochel reappeared in the kitchen, her face ashen.

“Are you sure Bubby’s in her room?” she asked me, her eyes large.

“That’s where she said she was going,” was my reply.

“But she isn’t. And she’s not in the guest bathroom either.”

And so started a twenty-minute (but what seemed like a forever) search for my dear, dear mother.

To be continued…

When I came into the room to do the job, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There she was, my aging mother, standing in a heap of mint green, busily removing the pillow from its case.

74 The Wellspring | May 2017

tkpun rut

Diary By Faigy Grunbaum

A Jaundice Journey “Mazel Tov! It’s a boy!”

Our exciting news travelled like wildfire. Within a matter of minutes, all our relatives, neighbors, and friends were joyously informed about the birth of our first child, a boy! Our little prince wasn’t only our first child; he was my parents’ first grandchild. Baruch Hashem, the baby was healthy and beautiful. After the customary 2-day hospital stay, we began packing our bags to leave the hospital. When the doctor handed us the pink discharge slips, he casually mentioned that the baby was a bit jaundiced, and he gave us a copy of the blood test he’d ordered. Balancing balloons, flowers, and luggage, while keeping an eye on the baby, I barely heard what he said.

At my parents’ home, I was treated like a queen. The baby was placed in his cradle and admired by all. The next day, we began making preparations for the bris, which was to take place on Shabbos. While I rested, my husband called the mohel, my mother called the party planner, and my father made arrangements for the out-of-town guests. And, of course, my mother-in-law sent the most beautiful knit outfit.

When the mohel arrived on Wednesday morning, we led him into the sunny baby room. What I expected to be a 30-second glance turned into a full 4-minute examination. In the sun, away from the sun, under the fluorescent, etc.

“The baby is yellow,” the mohel finally announced. “If you want the bris to be on time, do whatever you can. But do it fast.” Noticing our frightened faces, he kindly offered some suggestions.

First, the mohel calmed us with the information that jaundice is common in newborns. The liver removes bilirubin

from the blood. The liver in most newborns isn’t fully developed and cannot metabolize the bilirubin, whose level rises.

This causes infant jaundice, in which the baby’s skin appears yellow. By strengthening the liver, the mohel explained, the jaundice would recede quickly and effectively.

The mohel then proceeded to recommend Maxi Livamax™, which contains dandelion root and milk thistle, both powerful herbs that strengthen the liver. Since I was nursing the baby, I was to take 4 capsules a day. He also recommended Circu-E 400™, a natural vitamin E supplement. I squeezed a few drops directly on the baby’s tongue right before feeding. Contrary to the advice that some mothers are erroneously given in order to solve the jaundice issue, I did not stop nursing. As an added measure in getting rid of the jaundice, I also took essential oil drops called Jaundice Relief.

I clearly recall the stress our baby’s jaundice created. I was faithfully taking my supplements, putting the baby in the sunlight, and fervently davening that the bris would be on time.

At his Thursday night visit, the mohel did notice improvement. The numbers were going down, but he still wasn’t sure if the bris would take place on time.

On Friday, at noon, I was waiting anxiously for the verdict.

We had all the guests to consider and the food to arrange.

Shabbos was fast approaching and, of course, we desperately wanted to observe the mitzvah of performing the bris be'ito ubizmano. But the mohel could not be swayed; he wanted to be absolutely sure that our baby was healthy enough for his bris. At 4 p.m., after yet another observation, he finally emerged from the sunny baby room smiling. “Be’ito u’vezmono,” he announced. “I can see you really did your hishtadlus because the changes in his color are profound. It should be with mazel!” And so it happened that our precious son had his bris right on time, the very next morning.

How has your health and wellbeing improved thanks to Maxi Health? To receive a free bottle of the supplement that changed your life, send a 50-100 word description of your story to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

We reserve the right to end this promotion at any time, without notice.

The Wellspring | May 2017 78

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Inkwell

Fare Well

Food for Thought

Every new beginning comes from some other new beginning’s end.

Iyar 5777 | The Wellspring  79

Twenty Nine

Twenty Eight

Twen Seventy

I don’t want to jump over. why isn’t he falling alseep?

Twenty Six

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

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