Wellspring Issue #31

WEALTH OF HEALTH CONFERENCE WITH AHUVA GOTTDIENER OF HOMEGROWN KOSHER

SILENCE IN THE ROOM Is your child with silent mutism doomed to another miserable school year?

Social skills training expert Shaindel Cohen on treating social anxiety

PSORIASIS OR NOT? A remarkable recovery after three years of suffering

HEARTBURN Tips for prevention and treatment

by Laura Shammah

10 QUESTIONS

CUP OF TEA Neurodevelopmental specialists Friedy Singer & Roizy Guttman take the bottom up approach to helping children thrive

Frumy Horowitz of Bein-Ish Ubein Uchiv

SECRETS OF A KOSHER DIETITIAN Eat more to lose more

ISSUE 31 AUGUST 2018 ELUL 5778

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Editor In Chief Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC Nutritional Advisory Board Jack Friedman, PhD • Moshe Weinberger • Mimi Schweid Yaakov Goodman • Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Nutrition Contributors Dr. Rachael Schindler • Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT Shani Taub, CDC • Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE Beth Warren, RDN Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC • Esther Fried, PFC Feature Editors Rochel Gordon • Liba Solomon, CNWC Copy Editors Gila Zemmel • Faige Badian Food Editor Esther Frenkel Food Styling & Photography Yossi & Malky Levine Creative Director Rivky Schwartz Store Distribution Motty Srugo 718-496-1364 Write To Us: 670 Myrtle Ave. Suite 389 Brooklyn, NY 11205 info@wellspringmagazine.com www.wellspringmagazine.com 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.

Find The Wellspring as a monthly insert in Ami Magazine or at your local pharmacy or health food store.

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From the Editor

Dear Readers, At the start of the upcoming school year, when the kids’ new shoes don’t sport any scuffs yet and the freshly waxed classroom floors are still holding their luster, we mothers send the children off with a flurry of kisses and a prayer in our hearts. It’s at school, where children spend majority of their waking hours for most of the year, that a large part of development happens.

When everything goes well, school is a paradise for the child, a place to blossom and mature appropriately. When it doesn’t, the four walls of the classroom confine the child into a prison.

As social skills expert Shaindel Cohen shares in this issue’s excellent cover feature, a child who suffers with selective mutism at school isn’t choosing not to speak. Instead, the classroom, for whatever reason, is such a frightening place for him that he simply loses his ability to use his voice.

While it may be tempting to turn a blind eye to such issues, for us parents to secretly wish that the issue disappear on its own, experts in education and child development concur that the sooner the intervention is put into place, the easier it’ll be for the child to emerge from his social anxiety.

As in all areas of development, early intervention is the name of the game. It is also one of the messages the dynamic interviewees of this issue’s Cup of Tea wish to impart to parents. Sisters Friedy Singer and Roizy Guttman have been using their breadth of knowledge of the brain’s development to help hundreds of children reach developmental milestones. While they started out on the conventional route of occupational therapy, they soon found that they had too many questions regarding the inefficacy of the protocols they were following, protocols that primarily took an “outside in” approach. For example, they had difficulty understanding why, after spending so much time teaching a child a skill over the course of the school year, the child would relapse over the summer break. Not ones to turn a blind eye to burning questions like these, the impassioned sisters embarked on a quest for answers, answers they’re now eager to share with parents and professionals as neurodevelopmental specialists.

Time and again, I am amazed not only at the brilliance of the men and women in our community we feature in the pages of The Wellspring, in order to bring you, our dear readers, the latest and most effective information regarding all aspects of health, but also at their passion and desire to share their wisdom with their brethren.

This issue’s Dedicated to Health highlights just how unique we are as a nation, how our qualities as rachmanim and gomlei chasadim set us apart. In the inspiring interview with Frumy Horowitz of Bein-Ish Ubein Uchiv, you’ll get to meet an indefatigable woman who doesn’t only extend herself to help patients toward healing their physical state, but who also goes to great lengths to ease the emotional pain of their families, providing them with as much respite and joy as she possibly can.

I wish you, my dear readers, your loved ones, and all of klal Yisrael a year of physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Ksiva v’chasima tova,

Shiffy Friedman

shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com

Well-Put!

“When food is digested properly, it affects many seemingly unrelated areas of health and wellbeing in a positive way,” writes kinesiologist Miriam Schweid. In the first article of her new column, “Memos of a Kinesiologist,” Miriam relates how she guided a young girl with symptoms of psoriasis toward healing.

Check it out on page 78.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 7

Contents

AUGUST 2018 - ELUL 5778 WELL INFORMED

WELLNESS PLATFORM

By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman SECRETS OF A KOSHER DIETITIAN

By Beth Warren, RDN HEALTH UPDATES IN THE NEWS

By Rikki Samson

14 16 18 20

FIGURES

By Miriam Katz

22

WEALTH OF HEALTH Conference with Ahuva Gottdiener

By Sarah Weinberger

24

HEALTH ED Heartburn

By Laurah Shammah, MS, RDN DEDICATED TO HEALTH Frumy Horowitz

By Shiffy Friedman

28 28

LIVING WELL ASK THE NUTRITIONIST Replenishing Caloric Deficit

By Shani Taub, CDC IN GOOD SHAPE TRX

By Syma Kranz, PFC COVER FEATURE Selective Mutism

By Goldy Guttman, Ms. Ed. AT THE DIETITIAN The 'All or Nothing' Dieter

By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE MONTHLY DOSE UTI

By Yaakov Goodman

8 The Wellspring | August 2018

ISSUE #31 EAT WELL

47 57 59 60 62

38 64 66

THYME FOR DINNER

By Shiffy Friedman POTS + PLANTS

By Naomi Hazan TIDBITS IN THE NEWS

By Liba Solomon, CNWC NUTRITION FACTS IN A SHELL This Month: Plums

By Devorah Isaacson

WELLBEING

68 74 75

34 36

SEASONED A Muffin a Day

By Yossi & Malky Levine

HEALTH PERSONALITY Friedy Singer & Roizy Guttman, OTR/L

By Shiffy Friedman CLEAN SLATE Eating Ice Cream is Not Self-Love

By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC EMOTIONAL WELLNESS Do you Love me, Mommy?

By Esther Moskovitz

AGE WELL

76

GOLDEN PAGE Ginkgo Biloba

By Yaakov Goodman

INKWELL NEW COLUMN

FROM A KINESIOLOGIST 78 MEMOS

By Miriam Schweid The next issue of The Wellspring will appear iy”H on September 18th.

r u o y t e e m , ! r e e n e e t f e e f w Co ew s n

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Springboard

Letters

Crucial Calcium Info

[Issue #30: Ask the Nutritionist] In the recent issue of The Wellspring, calcium was addressed. As a dietitian, I was concerned about the information provided. Calcium is an important nutrient. Aside from helping build and repair bones and teeth, it is necessary for adequate blood clotting and muscle contraction. It was stated that calcium requirements should be met with a maximum one serving of dairy per day and covered by a multivitamin. Calcium is a bulky mineral, which explains why even the highest quality multivitamin will not provide enough of this mineral to cover the amount necessary for optimum health. A quality children’s multivitamin provides only 7-10% of the daily requirement, an amount that would not significantly benefit a diet low in calcium, especially during these formative years.

Additionally, it was published through Johns Hopkins and elsewhere that elevated circulating calcium increases the risk for heart and renal disease; this elevated level is found through isolated calcium supplementation, but not when calcium is consumed in the natural context of specific macro-and micronutrients as found in whole food sources, including dairy. Any calcium supplementation should also include appropriate supplementation of the nutrients commonly associated with calcium in nature, specifically magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and vitamin A. Any and all supplementation should be discussed with a doctor, since it is possible to take too much. Supplementation levels should be based on individual need, considering health history and current

10 The Wellspring | August 2018

specific needs.

The mention of hormones and chemicals is a valid concern, as the growth hormone and pesticides in animal feed affect the fat composition and overall quality of much of our food supply. I recommend consuming organic dairy when possible, in order to minimize the risk, and encourage eating foods that more closely resemble their natural and unadulterated forms.

As far as the toddler who is averse to dairy, often children follow the innate knowledge with which they were born.

If the child was reacting to dairy with a facial rash, he may still have a sub-clinical reaction that he is either unable to articulate or is very subtle. It is possible to achieve adequate calcium intake elsewhere in the diet when dairy is not tolerated. The mother should work with a dietitian to find alternate foods and methods to increase calcium in his daily nutrition.

Wishing you the best of health, Yaffi Lvova, RDN

recipe: combine 1 tsp coconut oil, 4 tsp raw honey, and 2 tsp sea salt. Rub the paste gently into your skin and let sit for about 15 minutes. Rinse your face. Use 2-3 times per week.

Name withheld

Getting the Word Out [Issue #28: Cup of Tea]

I would like to thank you once again for the “Cup of Tea” article in which I was interviewed by Shiffy Friedman. It has allowed me to help more girls struggling with eating disorders. Many girls have restored their menstrual cycles already in this short time. You have saved lives by getting the word out. Thank you very much. I love what I do and want to help as many girls as possible.

Keep up your amazing work.

Laura Shammah, MS, RDN

I’m Still Feeling Guilty Feedback from a Teen

[Issue #14: Cover Feature] I know I’m not your average reader, but at 14 years old I read your magazine from cover to cover (yes, even the “Age Well” columns). Thanks for amazing me every month anew with such a rich, informative, beautifully produced magazine. Your hard work is certainly evident.

I’m writing in regard to the feature article about acne you published over a year ago titled “Mask the Zits.” The writer listed 10 top natural skincare products for acne. I decided to go with the coconut oil, raw honey, and sea salt paste. It works wonders on my skin.

Thank you for showing me that natural solutions for acne do exist.

P.S. For anyone who’s interested in trying this natural skin cleanser, here’s the

[Issue #30: Torah Wellspring] Rabbi Ezra Friedman’s articles on emotional wellness through Torah are gems. I look forward to each one with a longing that must be coming from the depths of my spirit.

In his last article, Rabbi Friedman writes that if we feel guilty about our avodas Hashem, we should first examine our actions to make sure we’re not transgressing any mitzvos, because if we are, that’s what charatah is for— to get us to correct our wrongdoings.

When I read that, I realized that I never felt comfortable with the access to technology I allowed myself to have, writing it off to being a woman, and a very frum one at that. Indeed, my husband asked his Rav, who guided us regarding the steps he felt were necessary for me to take.

Now, over two weeks after instituting

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.

these changes in my desire to do the right thing and in my hope to feel that I’m a good Yid, I still don’t feel it. Why do I still feel that I’m not a good enough oved Hashem?

I would love to hear Rabbi Friedman’s words of wisdom on this topic.

Thank you for the most beautiful publication that provides us with health and wellness content with the highest standards of professionalism, credibility, and kashrus.

Rabbi Friedman’s response: You ask a good question, which requires a lengthy response. Since I received this letter too close to this issue’s publication date, I will iy”H address it in an upcoming article.

Gluten Intolerance Is Not Related to GMO’s

will be destroyed by large scale consumption of any gluten, regardless of whether it is GMO gluten or non-GMO gluten. This applies to all other types of food also, because every single one of us has a unique set of genes and therefore a unique set of tolerances and intolerances.

The symptoms include, but are not limited to, extreme digestive pains; weakness/lethargy; chronic illness of all kinds; frequent flus or colds; and psychological illnesses, such as seriously extreme suicidal depression, which is not caused by any strenuous experience and therefore can only be alleviated by removing gluten from the diet.

Some people have gluten intolerance without any symptoms at all, while others have multiple symptoms.

J. Gittleman, New York

[Issue #30: Springboard]

Gluten intolerance was diagnosed in my family decades before the first GMO was invented and released to the public, which means that my family will get sick from both non-GMO gluten and GMO gluten.

There may be some people who are specifically sensitive to GMO gluten, however there are definitely others who

Required Reading

[Issue #30: Clean Slate] Shiffy Friedman’s “Clean Slate” article about the dangers of the scale should be required reading in all high schools (and beyond!). As someone who’s been dieting for too many years and has grown sick and tired of the battle, I

found this expose on our dependence on the scale to be highly illuminating and refreshingly true.

While I can only speak in certainty for myself, I’m sure many readers nodded their heads, as I did, when reading lines like “If the number doesn’t feel good to us, we can spend the entire day berating ourselves about it. We may even end up making better choices for the entire following day or week or month, but the power that’s driving us is unhealthy.” Many other lines resonated with me, as well.

However, what I found illuminating in the piece was this: “Sadly, people can keep their weight down for decades using these methods of internal torture.” We’re used to thinking that if we get results, we’re doing it right. This article clearly proves how skewed this assumption is. Just because I’m losing weight, doesn’t mean I’m doing it in a healthy manner. As long as I’m using the scale to punish or reward myself, I’m doing something wrong, and I’m no winner at all.

I can’t thank you enough for starting me on my journey towards emotional wellness. And thank you for an incredible magazine.

Gratefully yours, Susie R. Cedarhurst, New York

Quick Question

Feel free to shoot us your health-related question to receive an answer from one of the health experts at the Wellspring.

Question: I really enjoy reading and gaining knowledge from The Wellspring. I was wondering if anyone on your staff can give me advice on perimenopause. I’m a 50-year-old woman, and I’ve been getting terrible hot flashes regularly throughout the night and day, where I’m literally soaking wet. Is there a vitamin or something healthy I could take for this?

Response: Congratulations on reaching the age of 50 in good health. The symptoms you’re experiencing are totally normal and common, except that people don’t generally discuss them as openly as they discuss others, and rightfully so. You would greatly benefit from taking Womax™ by Maxi Health, a unique formula that supports a balanced hormonal system and may relieve many of your symptoms. Please supplement with evening primrose oil. You would also benefit from eating a healthy diet, including an array of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains, as well as from exercising. Most importantly, the symptoms should not cause you stress. They are not an indication that something is medically wrong.

If you’re in need of further guidance, I would advise you to discuss your symptoms with your gynecologist or family doctor. Enjoy this beautiful time in your life!

Take care, Miriam Schweid, health consultant

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 11

Springboard

Letters

Fermentation Follow-Up [Issue #30: Cover Feature]

We at The Wellspring were excited to hear feedback from readers who embarked on this summer’s Wellspring summer project: fermentation. Inspired by the health benefits of fermentation, many of you fermented your own pickles using the recipe we provided in last issue’s cover feature.

Here are some questions we received from readers regarding the process.

While we did reply directly to those who needed timely guidance, we thought you might find the responses interesting, as well.

Upon reading about the benefits of fermentation in The Wellspring, we fermented pickles and can’t wait to eat them. We have one question, though.

The garlic at the bottom turned blue. Is that normal? And why does this happen?

This is totally normal. The first time we fermented pickles, we had the same question. We were wondering if we did something wrong in the process, but upon further research, we learned that not only is the color change to blue or green normal, but that the garlic is actually still edible and harmless.

Interestingly, the science behind this effect is related to the same things that give garlic its signature odor and taste.

Garlic contains an odorless sulfur compound called allium, as well as an enzyme called alliinase. When a bulb or

12 The Wellspring | August 2018

clove of garlic is in its natural, whole state, the two chemicals have little interaction (which is why the garlic is relatively odorless). But, when you cut or crush the garlic, the chemicals interact with each other, creating a combined compound called allicin. This is what gives garlic its pungent odor and distinctive flavor. That’s why the smell and taste of garlic gets stronger the more you chop or crush it.

When garlic is combined with an acid, such as the lactic acid in the fermenting vegetable, the allicin reacts with amino acids in the garlic to produce rings of carbon-nitrogen called pyrroles. When they’re linked together, they form polypyrroles, which throw colors. Four polypyrroles clustered together create the color green. Three polypyrroles clustered together create the color blue.

I followed your recipe for fermenting pickles and now, two weeks in, I see lots of white residue on the bottom of the fermentation vessel. Did I do something wrong?

You did nothing wrong. The white sediment you see is a perfectly normal part of the process, as is cloudy brine. Some posit that it’s yeast, and others say it’s the lactic acid.

Are fermented pickles any healthier than the sour pickles sold in stores?

All pickles have one thing in common: they’re preserved through acid.

The process of fermentation lets the bacteria feed on the carbs that are present in the vegetable and, in turn, create lactic acid to acidify the vegetables and let the bacteria flourish and reproduce.

Most commercially-bought pickles are acidified with vinegar, an acetic acid, which does not give a chance for the bacteria to revive.

While we can speak for the benefits of fermented pickles, we can’t know for certain which health benefits commercially-produced pickles provide, be-

cause we’re not aware of the details of their production process.

I was fascinated by your excellent feature on fermentation. It was incredibly detailed, informative, and well-written. It got me really interested in trying to ferment on my own and to try some of Fer-Real’s products.

I’m curious how vegetables are different from other foods when it comes to fermentation. What is it that vegetables contain that allows them not to rot in water, unlike other foods?

As someone who loves learning but doesn’t have much time for it, I look forward to my monthly issue of The Wellspring for a dose of information and inspiration. Keep it up!

Avrumi Grossberg of Fer-Real Foods responds: First of all, I am not aware that other foods rot in water. The fermentation process can also be used to pickle eggs, cure meat, etc.

Since vegetables grow in soil, they have lactic acid bacteria, from the lactobacillus family, which tend to build up beautiful colonies in an anaerobic (absent of oxygen) environment. Once they form their colonies, they can produce lactic acid, which allows the bacteria to flourish and defend their new home from harmful bacteria that would cause the food to rot.

Mold has developed on the top of my pickles. Must I get rid of the entire jar?

The presence of mold indicates that there has been some air exposure. If the mold is dark in color, the batch should be discarded. If there is white-colored mold on the top, the vegetables are perfectly safe. Remove the mold by using a skimmer. Your fermented vegetables will carry on fermenting in the usual way. To prevent the growth of mold, clean the rim of the jar before sealing to remove any food debris.

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Wellness Platform By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels

PASS THE SALT

An interesting correlation between zinc and weight loss

part 1

I

In preparation for this article, which highlights an interesting nutrition-related aspect regarding our sense of taste, the popular quote, “Al ta’am vareyach ein mah lehisvakeyach,” came to my mind.

Curious regarding the origins of this saying, which is loosely translated as “Taste and smell can’t be argued objectively,” I did a quick search in Otzar HaHochma. When the results revealed that only modern-day sefarim cite it, my continued research led me to discover that, incredibly, this saying has been borrowed from an old Russian folk song. In that composition, the gist of the words was that “taste and color have no shutfim.”

In other words, no two people can know definitively that they’re experiencing the same taste or seeing the same color.

Upon further research, I learned that the verse we use nowadays, “Al ta’am vareyach,” which does have a great poetic ring, was composed by a Ukrainian Jew who had abandoned his Torah upbringing. Which makes me wonder how this verse has gained such popularity in our midst.

While the origin of this precise statement is not pure, the concept behind it is certainly true. Two people may be eating the same food, but there is no way to ascertain that they’re experiencing the same taste. How can the taste or smell of a food be described? There is no universal coding system to establish this.

The same holds true for smells and sights. Is there a way for us to know that two people looking at a red object are seeing the same color? The red one person sees may not be the red the oth-

er person sees. On a personal note, I was never aware that people see color in different levels of sharpness. Only in adulthood, when I was studying for dayanus, did I discover that I am one of those people who don’t see colors as vividly as others do.

While this has been established as a scientific fact, and scientists have posited that perception of color depends on many factors, researchers have come to the conclusion that, as of yet, there is no way for them to determine if everyone sees colors or experiences tastes or smells equally.

Moving from this theoretical discussion to the subject at hand, let us focus on taste, which, as incredible as it sounds, is directly linked to the presence of zinc in the body. Whether you’re the chef in your home or one of the people enjoying the food at the table, you’ve surely noticed that some people like their food more salty whereas others prefer less of the same flavor enhancer. What is it that makes one person constantly reach for the salt shaker while the other person eating the same exact dish is perfectly happy without the addition? While both people want to enjoy the savory flavor of the dish, they each require a different amount of salt to achieve the same desired salty taste. What does the amount of salt they need depend on? That’s where zinc comes into the picture.

Researchers have conducted a plethora of studies to examine the correlation between zinc and obesity. One study published in 2013 in Biological Trace El-

ement Research compared overweight children with children of average weight, finding that the former had lower levels of zinc circulating in their bodies. Other studies incorporated diabetes into the trial, and yet others explored what occurs to zinc levels when subjects lose weight, all of which pointed to a correlation between these two variables.

While the correlation between zinc deficiency and obesity has been established, I would like to take this finding a step further to share an interesting conclusion that we can draw from this research, one that highlights how zinc can play a role in weight loss.

The main types of taste disorders are hypogeusia, a reduced ability to taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory; dysgeusia, a condition in which a foul, salty, rancid, or metallic taste sensation persists in the mouth; and ageusia, the inability to detect any tastes, which is rare. At the special centers dedicated to treating people with such taste disorders, researchers have found that zinc plays a role in the treatment. Through their testing, they discovered that zinc has a significant influence on how we taste, since the taste and smell functions are derived from a zinc-dependent enzyme called metalloenzyme. If zinc is not present in the body in adequate amounts, this enzyme either doesn’t function or is not produced in adequate amounts, which leads to the person’s inability, or reduced ability, to taste or smell. In the next article, we will further explore how zinc thus plays a significant role in weight loss.

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.

14 The Wellspring | August 2018

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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Torah Wellspring: Emotional Health By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

THANK, THANK, THANK EXPRESSING GRATITUDE AS A ROUTE TO EXPERIENCING JOY

A

As we’ve been exploring in this column, shifting our focus to the gifts Hashem showers us with plays a significant role in improving emotional wellness. Allocating ten minutes every day for talking to Hashem, thanking Him in our own words for our blessings, down to the tiny details, is not always easy, but when we do this consistently, the benefits we reap are boundless.

The main difference between a person who’s happy and a person who isn’t is not how much he has or doesn’t have; it’s how connected and focused he is on the good in his life. In the last installment, we discussed why it’s so hard to express gratitude in general, and to Hashem in particular. Briefly, we explained that we don’t like to feel indebted. However, we fail to realize that the One who gives us these blessings truly wants to give to us.

In his discussion regarding the importance of valuing the good Hashem sends our way, the Chovos HaLevavos cites several reasons as to why we don’t appreciate these blessings.

First, since we’re born with most of the important gifts Hashem blessed us with, such as our eyes, lungs, and heart, etc., it’s difficult for us to realize how incredible they are. Instead of realizing that these are all unbelievable gifts, we take them for granted. Taking ten minutes a day to focus on these blessings helps us refocus.

A second reason the Chovos HaLevavos offers as to why we’re not in touch with Hashem’s chassadim is that we’re so busy doing, ironically seeking more and more in our quest for happiness, that we simply

16 The Wellspring | August 2018

don’t have time to stop and connect, to be happy. By making it a priority to carve out ten minutes of our day to do so, we’ll be ten minutes richer every day I won’t deny that being committed to the practice of daily thanking takes a great deal of time, learning, and effort. It’s essentially acquiring a new skill, the skill of realizing how much we benefit from this world and that there’s so much good around us, and learning a new skill is never simple.

Let’s look into a fascinating discourse in the Gemara to help understand the importance of this practice.

The Gemara in Berachos says that a person is forbidden to partake of this world without making a berachah. Commenting on this passage, our Sages note that someone who transgressed this obligation should seek help from a chacham.

How will his advice help if the person already did the aveirah? Our Sages answer that the chacham will teach him the laws of berachos. This ruling is unique to this area of halachos; it does not apply to any other halachos, such as those of Shabbos or kashrus. What is it about the laws of berachos that when someone transgresses them he must seek the guidance of a wise person?

The answer our Sages give highlights the importance of our discussion. They say that the fact that this person is not making berachos properly implies that he isn’t cognizant of the blessings in his life. In that case, it’s necessary for a wise person to inspire him with this crucial awareness, to show him how gifted he is. Only when a

person comes to this realization can he properly fulfill the halachos of berachos.

If one wants to increase his level of happiness through shifting his focus to the gifts Hashem showers him with, I highly recommend delving into the teachings of Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l, through his shiurim and books. He was the quintessential chacham the Gemara speaks of, the incredibly wise saint who sought and found Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s gifts in every aspect of life. Connecting to his words has helped me, as well as the people I’ve shared this advice with, experience more simchah in our daily lives.

I recently heard Rav Elimelech Biederman shlit”a recount a story that illustrates this point. A middle-aged man, whom we’ll call Zev, had been saving up money to marry off his children, several of whom were of marriageable age, when someone in dire financial straits approached him to ask if he could take out a mortgage on his house, promising to pay it back with a monthly commitment. Zev agreed to the deal as a merit for his children’s shidduchim. However, after the borrower missed several payments, the bank confiscated Zev’s home, leaving him and his family of several older single children without a roof over their heads.

At Women’s Health at Ezra, we believe you deserve more.

In his state of distress, Zev unburdened himself to his chavrusa, crying about his unfortunate plight. His chavrusa, a Gerrer Chassid, suggested that he go see his rebbe, the Beis Yisrael.

When Zev entered the Rebbe’s chamber, before he even had a chance to share the details of his tzarah, the Rebbe asked, “Do you thank Hashem at all? Your tefillah should be 60% thanking and 40% asking.” With these words, the Rebbe dismissed Zev.

More individualized attention,

Once outside, Zev was in such a state of shock, he was barely able to repeat the instructions the Rebbe had given him. When he shared whatever he remembered from the conversation with his chavrusa, his friend told him, “I also don’t understand what the Rebbe meant, but if that’s what he said, it won’t hurt you to do it.”

When Zev got home and repeated the Rebbe’s words to his wife, they decided that they were anyway at a stage at which they had nothing to lose in following his bidding. So, they sat down to list all the gifts they were blessed with in their life. What started out as one page became an entire book. In every tefillah, Zev meticulously followed the Rebbe’s advice, focusing on thanking instead of asking. To make a long story short, half a year later, three of his children were married and he had his house back.

more empathetic doctors, and a more seamless OB/GYN experience.

However, Zev later shared with others, the simchos he and his family merited were only one part of the story. “Apart from all the miracles we experienced,” he said, “I now have a new life. In this hardest period of my life, I was much happier than I ever had been, simply because I started to pay attention to the gifts I have, to how Hashem was showing me love in so many different ways every second of my life.”

As a resident of Yerushalayim, I frequent various mekomos hakedoshim in Eretz Yisrael. In these places, I often see little posters people hang up to publicize their miracles. “I said Perek Shira for 40 days and experienced my salvation.” In the note, they usually specify whether they were blessed with a shidduch, a house, a child, etc.

Since I started thanking Hashem in my own words for minimum ten minutes every day, I have experienced life-changing miracles. I am publicizing this to inspire others to do the same, so they too will be blessed in their own lives.

1278 60th St Brooklyn, NY

718.741.7100

Hours: Monday 9-8 Tuesday 9-5

Wednesday 9-5 Thursday 9-5 Friday 9-2

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Well Informed

Recommendations By Beth Warren, RDN Women’s Health

SECRETS OF A KOSHER DIETITIAN “One should not eat until his stomach is full, but should rather eat approximately a quarter less than his fill.”

- Rambam, Shemoneh Perakim, Chapter 4

SECRET #5: COMBINING FOOD MATTERS Snacking is vital in losing and maintaining weight.

But before you get excited and grab a bag of chips or down six bags of rice cakes thinking this is healthy, the combination of foods you eat matters.

Opting to eat protein, healthy fat, and fiber in meals and snacks is key. The mixture will help you attain satiety (from protein and fat) and fullness (from high-fiber foods). This way of eating will help you combat the thoughts that tell you to eat for other reasons, such as boredom or stress, because you know there’s no chance you’re hungry.

“My goal is to give patients the highest level of care possible.”

Meet Dr. Pedram Bral Dr. Bral serves as Ezra’s chief of OB/GYN with over 20 years’ experience, and specializes in minimally invasive surgeries.

I refer to foods with “fiber,” which is a nutrient, instead of indicating a food group, such as “carbohydrates,” so that you have a wider range of choices for a snack. As long as food has a natural source of fiber, such as a fruit or vegetable, it can technically count toward a snack portion.

The combination of foods also keeps your blood sugar stabilized. The glycemic index, or how quickly your body turns a food containing carbohydrates into sugar, lowers when you combine carbohydrates with fiber, protein, and fat. The slow release of sugar decreases the risk of insulin resistance and causes you to feel fuller for longer, aiding weight loss efforts.

At Ezra,

expect more.

I advise consuming a nut-based food with a fruit, such as one tablespoon of almond butter with an apple, as one snack.

Another snack can be a non-nut protein, such as one-quarter of an avocado or one ounce of cheese, with non-starchy veggies, including peppers, celery, and cucumbers. You can opt to add the non-starchy vegetables to any snack if you’re still hungry; however, you should leave at least a two-hour gap between your meal and the snack, and you shouldn’t eat a snack while still full. You can also opt for an after-dinner snack, which is one-half of a full daytime snack, such as one fruit, especially if you have a tendency to ravage through the cabinets of your kitchen in the evening.

It may be surprising that what seems like eating more actually helps weight loss. But if you think about it, you aren’t eating more, rather more often with smaller portion sizes.

You’re also avoiding a common problem of overeating at night. It’s easy to avoid eating all day; the art of healthy living is learning how to eat during the day.

To schedule a nutrition appointment with Beth in the Brooklyn, NYC, NJ locations or virtually, or book an appearance, email beth@ bethwarrennutrition.com or call 347-292-1725. Most insurances accepted. You can also follow her Instagram for healthy eating motivation and recipes @beth_warren

1278 60th St Brooklyn, NY

718.741.7100

Hours: Monday 9-8 Tuesday 9-5

Wednesday 9-5 Thursday 9-5 Friday 9-2

Well Informed

Health Updates in the News By Rikki Samson

DON’T ABANDON THOSE SNEAKS Repercussions of a lull in exercise

At the height of summer, naps at the pool area can be alluring, and many of us may find ourselves tempted to take a prolonged vacation from exercise. But two new, admonitory studies involving both older and younger adults who temporarily cut back on their physical activity indicate that the metabolic consequences of not moving much for a few weeks can be pervasive and persistent, lingering to some extent even after people start moving around normally again.

Physical activity is, of course, good for us and our metabolisms. Among other effects, contracting muscles burn blood sugar as fuel and, in response to signals from the hormone insulin, also store some of it for future use. Over the long term, these conditions help our bodies to stave off soaring blood sugar, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

But what happens when, as a result of choices or circumstances, we don’t exercise or move around much for a period of time?

For one of the new studies, recently published in Diabetologia, researchers at the University of Liverpool in England and other institutions asked 45 adult men and women to abruptly start sitting more. The volunteers had previously been active, walking for more than 10,000 steps on most days, according to monitors that they wore for several days at the study’s start.

During the study, the volunteers cut their daily steps to below 2,000 and sat for more than three and a half additional hours each day, a routine that they continued for two weeks.

The researchers then rechecked their metabolisms and body compositions and asked them to return to their former activity levels for another two weeks, after which the tests were repeated.

The results proved to be consistent if worrisome. Almost all of the volunteers had developed what the scientists called “metabolic derangements” during their two weeks of being still. Their blood sugar levels had risen, insulin sensitivity declined, cholesterol profiles become less healthy, and they had lost a little muscle mass in their legs while gaining fat around their abdomens.

Thankfully, most of these derangements were reversed once the men and women became active again.

The consequences of sudden inactivity were more severe in another recent study, published in The Journals of Gerontology.

It focused on overweight people past age 65 who were at risk of developing diabetes due to high blood sugar but

20 The Wellspring | August 2018

otherwise were healthy and active, walking about 7,000 or 8,000 steps each day.

Now, as in the other study, they sat, reducing their steps to below 1,000 a day for two weeks, after which, for a final two weeks, they moved about normally.

Like the adults in the other study, these older volunteers quickly developed worse blood sugar control during their two weeks of barely moving. Insulin resistance climbed. Some developed changes in muscle tissue, indicating they might soon begin to lose muscle mass, and a few had to be removed from the study because they had edged into full-blown type 2 diabetes after becoming inactive.

For most of the men and women who remained in the experiment, their undesirable metabolic changes were not fully reversed after two weeks of moving about again.

The upshot of these findings is that a few weeks of inactivity could leave us less well, perhaps for a prolonged period of time, with the health consequences amplified by increasing age.

During the rest of your vacation, instead of taking a vacation from exercise, consider perhaps building exercise into your vacation. And when the hectic Yom Tov season hits, don’t let your sneakers gather dust.

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.

WOMAX™ Related to Quick Question pg. 11

MAXI UTI™ Related to Monthly Dose pg. 66 If you’ve ever experienced a urinary tract infection, you know you can’t afford to have another one. Maxi Health’s Maxi UTI™ contains kosher D-mannose, a simple sugar that occurs naturally in many plants and is used for preventing UTI’s, as well as Cran-Max®, a patented cranberry extract. For prevention, take one or two caps daily.

For best results, take with Maxi Active Pro-5™ Women’s Probiotics.

Reaching middle age is a milestone, an opportunity to take a step back and enjoy life from a wiser, more experienced perspective. When this stage of life is accompanied by discomfort or pain, however, enjoying it becomes difficult.

A daily dose of Womax™ does wonders in preventing or decreasing hot flashes and other menopause-related symptoms.

CHEWABLE NEUTRALIZER™ Related to Health Ed pg. 26

MAXI PRENATAL™ Related to Tidbits pg. 58

With more than 40% of the adult population in America suffering from heartburn, it’s time to find a solution that really works. Different from antacid drugs, Maxi Health’s Chewable Neutralizer™ targets the organ responsible for this uncomfortable condition—the esophagus—and enables a smooth, pain-free digestion process.

During her childbearing years, it is of utmost importance for the Jewish woman to boost not only her own health but also that of her child. Maxi Prenatal™ is Maxi Health’s most potent prenatal supplement, providing the expectant mother the nutrients essential for both herself and her baby. Containing a wide-ranging blend of vitamins, folate, iron, and other minerals, this supplement supports a healthy pregnancy and beyond.

CHROMIUM SUPREME™ Related to Health Platform pg. 12 According to the research Rabbi Meisels reviews in his column, the correlation between zinc deficiency and obesity has consistently been established. Especially if you’re experiencing a reduced sense of taste and are overweight, taking a supplement like Maxi Health’s Chromium Supreme™, which contains zinc in addition to other nutrients, may assist in achieving weight loss.

Ask for these products at your local health food store.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 21

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

Figures By Miriam Katz

Stats on Selective Mutism & Social Anxiety

90%

of children with selective mutism (SM) also have social phobia or social anxiety

years old

7

is the average age of onset for anxiety

22 The Wellspring | August 2018

Parents often notice signs of SM when a child is

According to a 2007 survey,

3 4 36% or

years old

Social anxiety affects

15 17%

million

More than

adults, which is approximately of the U.S. population

of people with social anxiety report experiencing symptoms for

10+

years before seeking help (AADA, Anxiety and Depression Association of America)

Well Informed

Wealth of Health By Sarah Weinberger

conference with: AHUVA GOTTDIENER FOUNDER AND OWNER OF HOMEGROWN KOSHER PRODUCT:

Artisan sourdough bread

SINCE: February 2018 LOCATION: Monsey, New York

For Ahuva Gottdiener of Homegrown Kosher, a personal hobby has turned into a thriving business. In her home kitchen, Ahuva prepares and bakes sourdough bread with love, adding her artisan touch to each loaf. It’s not for naught that the demand keeps growing—not only does sourdough bread offer various health benefits, especially for those who are sensitive to wheat or gluten, but what Ahuva believes keeps bringing the customers back is the bread’s incredible taste.

YOUR BUSINESS IS RELATIVELY YOUNG, BUT YOU’VE PROBABLY BEEN BAKING SOURDOUGH BREAD FOR WAY MORE THAN ONE YEAR. HOW DID YOUR AFFINITY FOR THIS BREAD DEVELOP?

About fourteen and a half years ago, I watched a baking show featuring Julia Child, an American chef who was recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public, and she inspired me. In this particular show, she brought on a guest who was making bread with non-conventional yeast, using a starter instead. The guest mentioned that this was the traditional way bread was made for thousands of years, before the modern invention of commercial yeast. I loved the idea of baking bread without using commercial yeast, and I was curious to learn more. Prior to being exposed to this bread-making method, I wasn’t a huge baker. I wasn’t one of the mothers who are always making cupcakes or miniatures. But when my interest for sourdough bread was piqued, I got very involved in baking bread.

WHAT DID YOU FIND SO INTERESTING ABOUT MAKING BREAD WITHOUT THE USE OF COMMERCIAL YEAST?

Making bread in the traditional way interested me, perhaps because I like connecting to the way things were once done.

We have a garden, where we plant our own vegetables. In this modern age, I find that we’re disconnected from real life. It’s the generation where children think food grows on the supermarket shelf. I was drawn toward this bread-making method as part of my desire to connect with the natural way things should be.

24 The Wellspring | August 2018

HOW DID YOU LEARN THE PROCESS OF MAKING SOURDOUGH BREAD?

I bought various books and researched the method. My first couple of tries were terrible, but I wouldn’t give up so fast!

HOW DID YOU FINALLY MAKE YOUR FIRST GOOD BREAD?

I finally got it about 14 years ago, after following the stepby-step instructions in Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. He has a very comprehensive chapter on sourdough. The book was so fabulous that I baked almost every single recipe featured there. Today, everyone knows about the sourdough fad, but back then it was a small esoteric thing some people did. Most people had no idea what it was.

HOW DOES THE PROCESS OF MAKING SOURDOUGH BREAD DIFFER FROM WHEN COMMERCIAL YEAST IS USED? The main goal of commercial yeast is to speed up the process as much as possible. Thus certain strains of yeast that encourage a fast rising process are isolated.

For commercial bakeries, for whom this yeast was developed, that’s the ideal yeast choice. But when a starter is used, we get the real quality bacteria and yeast, as well as optimal flavor from the grain.

HOW IS A STARTER DIFFERENT?

The sourdough starter is a culture of wild yeast and bacteria.

Both organisms live symbiotically in a mixture of flour and water. The wheat

ferments in this mixture in a much slower process, bringing about the health benefits and deeper flavor.

WHAT DO YOU USE AS A STARTER?

Flour, water, and wild yeast (which contains bacteria). In order to keep the yeast and bacteria strong and healthy so that they make good bread, I feed my starter twice a day, which means that I add flour and water to the mixture. The starter lives on my counter all week long. On Shabbos, when I don’t feed it, I put it in the fridge.

IS IT OSSUR TO FEED THE STARTER ON SHABBOS?

Yes. In addition to kneading, which is prohibited, it’s preparing on Shabbos for afterward. Leaving the starter in the fridge slows down the growth. If I would leave it on the counter, it would lose its strength.

WHY DO YOU THINK SOURDOUGH HAS BECOME SO POPULAR NOWADAYS? It became a fad like anything else. Chad Robertson, a chef many consider to be the best bread baker in the United States, popularized the baking of sourdough bread in his book Tartine Bread. Sourdough bread does have health benefits, but until four to five years ago, I had no idea.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOURDOUGH BREAD?

Studies have found that the fermentation process of the wheat makes gluten more digestible because it reduces up to 90% of the phytic acid, the acid found in grain that many people have a hard time digesting. The bacteria that flourish-

es in a sourdough starter contain lactic acid, which leads to more mineral availability, particularly vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, as well as easier digestion. The bacteria-yeast combo also works to predigest the starches in the grain, which means less digestion for the body. Because the sourdough preparation is lengthy, the longer prep time results in the breakdown of gluten particles that are difficult for some people to digest.

Honestly, the reason I kept baking sourdough bread was because I loved the taste. Imagine if you’ve been baking brownies for years and loving them, and then you find out that brownies are good for you. That was basically what it felt like for me!

HOW IS THE TASTE OF SOURDOUGH DIFFERENT FROM COMMERCIAL YEAST-BASED BREADS?

The process of fermentation doesn’t only bring about health benefits; it also improves the texture and palatability of the grain itself. Plus, the bacteria in the culture impart their own unique flavor to the bread. You can get a tangy, distinctive flavor out of a sourdough loaf that has only flour, water, and salt that you can’t get in regular loaf that also has sugar, eggs, and oil, because the grain itself lends incredible flavor.

IS IT A SWEET BREAD?

That depends on the sweetness of the grain. The multigrain bread that I make, for example, has a sweeter taste than the regular sourdough bread. Many customers report that their kids complain when they don’t have their favorite challah for Shabbos—sourdough.

Well Informed

Wealth of Health By Sarah Weinberger

HOW DID YOUR LOVE OF SOURDOUGH BREAD BAKING TURN INTO A BUSINESS?

When I started posting pictures of my bread on social media, people would ask me if I sell it. To me, this was just the basic bread I was baking for my family. I had never thought of selling it. But when the requests kept coming in, I decided to give it a try.

Before I launched my business, though, I took a trip to a bakery in Eretz Yisrael called Pat BaMelach. The owner, David Katz, gives sourdough workshops. At that point, I had been baking sourdough for a long time. I didn’t need the introductory class, but he offered me the advanced class, which gave me the opportunity to work as an apprentice for several hours and learn how to prepare the dough on a commercial scale.

HOW IS BAKING THE BREAD FOR YOUR FAMILY DIFFERENT FROM BAKING IT COMMERCIALLY?

fridge overnight, and they get baked on Thursday.

DO YOU BRAID YOUR BREAD LIKE TRADITIONAL CHALLAH LOAVES?

The dough is not conducive to braiding, so I shape them as loaves. Many people use them as challah, though.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MAIN REASON YOUR CUSTOMERS BUY YOUR SOURDOUGH BREAD?

I know that some of them definitely don’t know anything about the health benefits. These are usually the people who don’t realize that the process takes time, like the person who called me last Friday morning to place an order for Shabbos.

I have regular customers who order every week. Once they taste it, they keep coming back.

I think many people start ordering because they hear it’s healthy, but the WHEN I FIRST CONTEMPLATED reason they keep buying is because it simply tastes amazing. If something’s OPENING THIS BUSINESS, good for you and tastes good, you’ll PEOPLE TOLD ME THAT I’D keep buying.

As much as I’d been baking for my home for a long time, I understood that once would I start baking in quantities, things would be different. David was LOSE THE ENJOYMENT ONCE IT TIPS FOR SOMEONE WHO my mentor in teaching me the math BECOMES MY OCCUPATION, BUT ANY WANTS TO BAKE HER OWN and the science, including the right IT’S STILL EXCITING FOR ME. SOURDOUGH BREAD? temperatures and timing, so I could I’m very happy to help people who get a consistent product week after want to try. Chaya Suri Leitner of week. Without that grounding, it would Spice and Zest gives a how-to workshop, which I heard is have been a mistake to go from doing this as a hobby to doing excellent. If you can’t do that, get a reliable book such as it in quantity. I hope to go back and learn more.

Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. It’s relatively new, with very easy and clear instructions for beginners.

HOW LONG AFTER YOU RETURNED FROM YOUR The best thing is to ask for tips from someone who already APPRENTICESHIP DID YOU LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS? does it. Unfortunately, I’ve read inaccurate articles on the The week after I came back, I started selling, and it’s been process. From my experience, I wouldn’t recommend using a going from there. I initially got the word out on social media. It starter before it sits for two to three weeks. So if you want to spread through word of mouth to the many people in Monsey start today, take a starter from someone else. If you want to and Monroe who don’t have internet access. start from scratch, you’ll need a lot of patience. Some people start baking when they see the first bubble in the starter, but NOW THAT YOUR BUSINESS HAS GROWN, ARE YOU they end up getting very dense dough, and they never want STILL BAKING FROM HOME? to taste sourdough again.

Yes, under the hashgachah of Rabbi Aron Lankry. I I gladly give starter to whoever wants. Once you have even dedicated one counter and sink as pareve that I use strictly a teaspoon of starter from someone else, you feed it for two to for my business. I used to bake the loaves on a baking stone three days to build it up, and it’s ready to use. Every time you in my oven, but when this started to limit the quantities I feed a starter, it doubles or triples in size a couple of hours could produce, I ordered a special artisan bread oven from after it’s fed.

Belgium. Since it kept being backordered and will only arrive in September, I ended up kashering my other oven and getting WHAT IF THE STARTER DOESN’T GROW AS IT another baking stone. Despite running two ovens concurrently, SHOULD? I’m still limited by how much I can bake, so some weeks I’m It may need to be fed more often, or in greater quantity. forced to turn people away until I get the new oven.

A healthy starter will have a good, yeasty smell. If it has a strong alcoholic smell, it could mean that the bacteria took WHEN DO YOU START ACCEPTING ORDERS FOR over the yeast.

SHABBOS? Many people don’t understand that the process takes time.

DID YOU EVER HAVE TO THROW AWAY A DOUGH The loaves I bake on Thursday were started on Tuesday night.

BECAUSE IT WASN’T PERFECT? For this reason, everything has to be ordered in advance. I When I try out a new formula, the results aren’t always occasionally have some loaves available on Tuesday morning, perfect. But when I first started out, I was definitely throwing but often by Monday evening everything’s already taken. out lots of dough. I wanted to use the starter before it was ready to be used, so the dough was literally a rock.

SO YOU START THE CHALLOS ON TUESDAY NIGHT? Yes, the first stage is on Tuesday night, and the final stage is on Wednesday. After I shape them, they go into my commercial SO ARE YOU STILL USING THE SAME STARTER FROM

26 The Wellspring | August 2018

14 YEARS AGO?

Yup! If you keep feeding it, it can last practically forever.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU’RE AWAY FROM HOME FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS OR LONGER?

I was on bedrest for not days but months, and the starter remained healthy. If a starter is healthy when it goes into the fridge, it can stay there until you’re ready to use it again. It does look interesting when you take it out. Pour off the layer of liquid on top, which is alcohol that the starter develops, and you’re good to go.

As long as mold isn’t growing on it, you can take a teaspoon of it, weigh it, and start feeding it again. Within a few days, it’ll be ready to use.

DID ANY OF YOUR STARTERS EVER GROW MOLD?

Never. Lactic acid inhibits mold growth. It the starter turns orange or green, that’s probably a bad sign.

HOW MANY LOAVES DO YOU MAKE FOR YOUR FAMILY EVERY WEEK? I always order two loaves for us.

HOW MANY SLICES ARE IN EACH LOAF?

That would depend on how you slice them. Each loaf is about a pound and a half of dough.

FOR HOW LONG DOES THE LOAF STAY FRESH?

The interesting thing about sourdough is that the fermented bacteria serve as a natural preservative, causing the bread to stay fresh longer. The flavor of sourdough bread intensifies after it completely cools, which is why I bake them on Thursday for Shabbos. I personally like the taste on Shabbos day more than on Friday night, because that extra day allows the flavor to intensify. Some foodies in France insist that four days is the ideal time to wait before opening.

Good quality sourdough bread is not something you would want to eat fresh, hot out of the oven. In fact, one of the stages in the sourdough bread making process is cooling. It’s an integral part of the flavor enhancement.

ONCE THE LOAF HAS BEEN CUT OPEN, HOW LONG DOES IT STAY FRESH?

Once it’s cut, it could last for a day or two. I recommend to cut any leftover loaves into slices after Shabbos and freeze them. Pull out and toast as you need it.

HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE PER LOAF? A regular loaf of sourdough bread is $10.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TURN THEIR HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS?

You obviously enjoy doing this for yourself, but you must be sure you’ll enjoy doing it for other people. Also, charge enough to make it worthwhile. You’ll have to spend many hours preparing the product, and you’ll become resentful if it’s not worth it for you. For this reason, I researched market prices before I started. I knew I would have to make it worthwhile.

Before I started making rolls, I didn’t know whom to ask regarding prices, because most people only make loaves.

So I figured out how much time the process would take and

charged accordingly. I’ve only had two people tell me that the breads are too expensive. If you’re not charging enough, you’re selling yourself short.

Another piece of advice is to find someone who’s an expert at what you would like to do and go learn from them. When I went to David, he knew where I was coming from and what advice to give me. If I hadn’t done that, I don’t know where I’d be today. I would have been trying to reinvent the wheel myself, instead of speaking to someone who has successfully done it before.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE ASPECT OF RUNNING A BUSINESS?

I’ve had other businesses over the years, but nothing that ever grew to this extent. I’m learning on the job! The first week, I baked six loaves to sell. Today, I’m baking many times that.

YOU CALL YOUR PRODUCT ARTISAN SOURDOUGH BREAD. WHAT PART OF IT IS ARTISAN?

Every loaf is a work of art. Each loaf is handmade, and I pay a lot of attention to the process. I score each loaf with a special bread scoring tool called a lame. I try to make each one beautiful, because we eat with our eyes too. I take pride in the look of my breads in addition to their taste. I make them in small batches because I want to be on top of every aspect of the process.

IS IT ALL A ONE MAN BAND?

For now, yes. People have encouraged me to get help, and maybe at some point I’ll consider it, but part of what makes my breads so good is that I’m in control of every part of the process. Taking help will be a whole different learning curve—to learn how give over the steps properly. I know it can be done, just like David Katz managed to teach me.

I’m not looking to open a commercial bakery at this point, though.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS?

Right now, the biggest challenge is the limited baking equipment, which curbs my production capacity. I do have a commercial mixer and fridge, which I didn’t have when I first started out. I also invested in commercial cooling racks. I’m gradually getting the equipment I need to make it work.

Also, the process must be adjusted according to many variables. As much as our house is climate controlled, it’s not the same throughout the year. Somehow, in the summer things move faster. It’s all about watching the dough, not the clock. When the dough is ready to be shaped before the time, it’s time to be shaped. It’s all about paying attention to these details. I’m sure there will be adjustments again when the weather gets cooler.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?

I love the process. I really enjoy baking bread. When I first contemplated opening this business, people told me that I’d lose the enjoyment once it becomes my occupation, but it’s still exciting for me. Every beautiful loaf that I pull out of the oven makes me happy; each one is unique.

Ahuva can be contacted via The Wellspring.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 27

Well Informed

Health Ed By Laura Shammah, MS, RDN

Heartburn (Pyrosis) While some people experience heartburn only during pregnancy, others struggle with this painful burning sensation in their chest or throat on a consistent basis. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about the condition that affects more than 40% of Americans at least once a month and to learn what you can do to prevent it.

Almost 95% of people with heartburn link their symptoms to a particular food.

More than 50% of pregnant women report heartburn—most in the third trimester.

Only 20% of heartburn happens during the day; the vast majority of people report feeling symptoms at night.

2

1

True or False: Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux.

Answer: True.

Heartburn, also known as acid indigestion, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle fibers between the stomach and the esophagus, relax or are too weak to tighten completely, allowing acid from the stomach to leak back into the esophagus.

Which is a not a cause of acid reflux?

A. overeating B. pressure on the stomach due to pregnancy or obesity C. dehydration D. highly acidic, high-fat or oily foods

Answer: C. The LES can also be affected by caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, stress, lack of sleep, diabetes, and abnormal muscle function in the stomach. Even a little weight gain can lead to heartburn. Losing weight can eliminate symptoms.

28 The Wellspring | August 2018

3

True or False: Heartburn is most common after eating a large meal.

Answer: True.

After sticking to a healthy, individualized plan for only 1-2 weeks, many of my clients will report that their heartburn has vanished.

They’ll ask, “What made such a difference?” because we usually incorporate their favorite foods into their plan.

These are some of the tips that make all the difference.

Not eating large meals is one great way to prevent heartburn. Another downside of eating too-large meals is that when the stomach is too full, it stretches, which causes the person to feel stuffed.

Eating until you’re feeling 80% full may eliminate heartburn.

In order to keep your meals smaller, eat either a healthy meal or a snack every 2-4 hours.

This prevents overeating at meals.

4

Which of these is not recommended for the heartburn diet?

A. fish B. exercise

C. red meat D. baked potatoes

Answer: C. Red meat is troublesome for people with reflux because meat is more difficult to digest and stays in the stomach longer than many other foods.

This makes the stomach expand, putting pressure on the LES for a longer period of time, allowing the acid to slip up to the esophagus. The higher the fat content in the meat, the worse this will be. Eliminating red meat from the diet may be ideal, but if you can’t live without the occasional steak or burger, try to limit your intake of red meat to one red-meat meal every two weeks. Make the smart choice and go for the leaner cuts, and don’t have a big portion.

It’s best to eat lean proteins such as fish (cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, herring, mackerel) and poultry (chicken, turkey).

Other foods that cause heartburn are fatty foods. Substituting baked for fried foods, such as baked potatoes instead of French fries, can help.

Push yourself to exercise even if you’re experiencing heartburn, because weight loss from exercising may help reduce the symptoms.

However, don’t exercise on a full stomach, since this increases abdominal pressure. Ideally, one should exercise two hours after a meal.

Note: Certain medications can trigger or worsen heartburn. If you’re taking medication, check its label for side effects.

Stages of Heartburn Heartburn symptoms vary depending on the seriousness of the condition. It’s important to know the differences between occasional heartburn and severe heartburn symptoms that can indicate a serious medical condition.

In the first stage, heartburn symptoms are mildly uncomfortable. It occurs infrequently—no more than once a week.

Over-the-counter antacids or a change in diet can help relieve heartburn pain.

The second stage of heartburn is characterized by more severe heartburn symptoms. Burning beneath the breastbone is more acute and can become more frequent—between two or more times per week. Symptoms should subside with a strict diet and over-the-counter antacids, but sufferers may want to consult a GI specialist if heartburn symptoms become more frequent.

In the third stage, patients experience the most severe heartburn symptoms. It can be categorized as acid reflux attacks, triggering a burning sensation in the chest and throat as well as a sour taste in the mouth. This pain can be as frequent as every day. For heartburn symptoms of this magnitude, seek medical help immediately. They might indicate a severe condition, called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), causing damage, ulcers, or even cancerous changes in the esophagus.

If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have GERD, but you can have GERD without having heartburn.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 29

Well Informed

Dedicated to Health by Shiffy Friedman

10 QUESTIONS FOR FRUMY HOROWITZ

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF BEIN-ISH UBEIN UCHIV

BEIN-ISH UBEIN UCHIV IN A NUTSHELL:

1

To provide support to patients and their families going through a medical crisis.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO LAUNCH YOUR ORGANIZATION?

26 years ago, my husband’s chavrusa had a sick child. Back then, cancer was kept a secret, and we were one of the only people who knew of the child’s condition. My husband and I would visit the family often, and we helped in whichever way we were able, including speaking to the doctors to get a better understanding of what was going on. One thing led to the next, and soon I was helping the family in the next room in the hospital, as well. Before I knew it, I was involved with several families struggling with a sick family member.

Later I realized that many families who were coming for treatment from overseas didn’t have a decent place to stay.

My in-laws had passed away, and we decided to give out their house to these families as a bikur cholim apartment.

We named this initiative Bein-Ish Ubein Uchiv, after my father-in-law, whose name was R’ Beinish z”l, as well as l’ilui nishmas his brother who had also lived in the house, a chashuv person who didn’t leave behind any descendants. I never thought our organization would get to the point it’s at today.

Every new initiative we added to our list of services has an incredible story of yad Hashem behind it. One such example is our Shabbatons. Several years ago, I realized how important it would be for several of the families who were going through a hard time to get away for a Shabbos. We got to work arranging a minyan and food, and planned to hire about 10-12 rooms

30 The Wellspring | August 2018

in a hotel. That very first year we ended up taking out 75 rooms. When my father heard what we were planning, he was hysterical. He wanted to understand how we were planning to pay for this huge undertaking.

As always, Hashem showed us the way. When I called the phone number I was given for a person who arranges mechitzas, the person who answered the phone told me that he was the cousin of that guy, with whom he shared a name. My response to him was that there’s no such thing as coincidence. “Let me tell you what I’m doing,” I said to this person. “There’s a reason why Hashem sent me to you. Is there any way that you can help me with this?” He told me to give him half an hour. When I called him back he said he’d give me $5,000 toward the Shabbaton. Dialing this “wrong number” gave me such chizuk. I see on a daily basis how Hashem is holding my hand and guiding me. When people ask me how I do this, I say I don’t do anything; Hashem keeps showing me how to keep going.

In addition to the camp and bungalow colony experience we provide to patients and their families, we also manage several apartments for families who come for medical care from overseas. The apartments are near the hospital and luxuriously designed like five-star hotels, providing the respite the families need during their exhausting ordeal. After sitting for hours in the hospital, a stressful and nauseating place to be, we make sure to give the families more than just a place to sleep in. One of the guests, who was clearly not into luxury, said to me... “In this case, gashmius is ruchniyus.” Our goal is make the guests feel pampered and cared for.

2

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AT BEIN-ISH UBEIN UCHIV?

I spend a lot of time on the phone, guiding and referring family members of the patient, and/or serving as the mediator between them and the doctors. I often go to the homes of the families to encourage them and to provide tips on how to deal with the patient. I’m in the hospitals so often that I’d say I pretty much live in Manhattan.

I also arrange the programs, such as the Shabbatons, care packages, camp and summer respite, working with a staff of incredible volunteers.

4

CAN YOU SHARE A STORY THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE WORK YOU DO?

After having lived on chemo for nine years, one of our patients had such weakened lungs that they were literally giving out. Her last hope was a lung transplant, for which she and her family waited desperately as a means for her to hold on to life. In her extremely sickly state, however, this girl still had one wish: to attend our annual summer program. She loved camp so much, she kept asking when we would be starting the season again.

At that time, I was contemplating not doing the camp that summer, but when I heard how much this young woman wanted it, we got it off the ground. On the first day, we got her into the van with all her respiratory paraphernalia. When we left, her parents called to tell me, “There is no one in the world we would trust to take our child in this sickly state but you.”

On the first Shabbos at camp, I soon realized that the oxygen she was getting was not enough. On Friday night she complained that she couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t want be put on a respirator, which would deny her the chance for a transplant, so we couldn’t call medical help. Since only the oxygen provider can increase the numbers on the tank, on Shabbos morning I asked one of the Hatzolah guys who work with us on campus to get me more oxygen tanks, just so the girl could see that she had more than enough oxygen in case her tank got depleted.

Since our camp is in a bungalow colony—we just take out a few units for our campers and staff—this girl didn’t want to cause a commotion. In order to honor her wishes, the sensitive Hatzolah members wrapped the tanks in their talleisim and carried them under their arms to her bungalow. When we showed her how many tanks we had collected for her, her eyes shone with relief.

This girl ended up spending the last day of her life in our camp. Throughout that summer, she kept telling us that in her hometown she would never have gotten such care.

3

WHAT IS ONE CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN RUNNING THE ORGANIZATION?

Fundraising. I want to give so much to these families, and as much as I don’t look at the financials when it comes to helping others, there’s a limit to how much I can do. Every dollar we receive goes directly toward the services we provide. I don’t have an office or secretaries, and everyone who helps works on a volunteer basis.

5

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

As part of our services, we send out erev Shabbos care packages to approximately 200 families in Monsey, Monroe, Flatbush, Lakewood, Boro Park, and Williamsburg. We have central locations in every town at which the packages are assembled and then wrapped up nicely. Each package usually contains a bouquet of flowers, an assortment of homemade cookies, a small kugel, a platter of cut up fruits, and nosh for the kids. We include reading material that is appropriate for that location, as well.

When the wife of a cancer patient once received such a package from us, she had the opportunity to read an article about the importance of checking tefillin, especially when the wearer is stricken with illness. Inspired by the article, she had someone check her husband’s tefillin, and he indeed confirmed the presence of an error. This woman called to thank me. “I would have never seen the article had you not sent it to me,” she shared.

It gave her a good feeling to know that she was doing what she could to help her husband.

“

WHEN MY FATHER HEARD WHAT WE WERE PLANNING, HE WAS HYSTERICAL. HE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE WERE PLANNING TO PAY FOR THIS HUGE UNDERTAKING.

6

”

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT CHRONIC ILLNESS?

The spirit of the patient is a very important component of the healing process. I’ve seen time and again that people with good support do much better. Hashem gives us the nisayon along with the koach to deal with it and the shlichim to help him. We must accept the entire package. Turning down help is turning down Hashem’s messengers who want to help you through this.

Well Informed

7

Dedicated to Health

WHAT WAS AN INTERESTING REQUEST YOU RECEIVED ON BEHALF OF A PATIENT? A patient in her teens, on whom the doctors had given up, asked to be taken on a trip Eretz Yisrael. We took her and her parents through Europe so she could daven at the kever of the Ba’al Shem of Michelstadt. Throughout our trip, we were accompanied by medical personnel. In Meron, a Hatzolah member carried her up to the kever of Reb Shimon bar Yochai. We took her to gedolim as well.

Toward the end of our trip, a kind Yid who was staying in the same hotel noticed how ill the young woman was and asked what he could do for her. I suggested he upgrade her and her parents to first class, which he did. On the plane, they got the royal treatment they deserved. Hatzolah waited for her at the airport to take her back home, because she wanted to be niftar there.

She passed away a short while later.

8

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR WORK?

When former pediatric patients call that they got engaged and I get to dance at their weddings, or when women who were sick let me know they’ve given birth, I get my dose of chizuk. Seeing them move on in life gives me the encouragement to move on with my work. There really are good stories, but those are not usually publicized.

9

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

I’m very careful about this because I know if that if I’m not in a good state, I’m no good for anyone else. I have to take care of myself so I can take care of others. After I get into the car from the hospital, I’ll put on music to air out. I do things that I like in order to distract myself every now and then.

32 The Wellspring | August 2018

10

WHAT WAS A MEMORABLE FEEDBACK MESSAGE YOU RECEIVED ABOUT YOUR WORK?

When a patient was recently flown in from Eretz Yisrael with his family, we helped them with their apartment, food arrangements, and provided encouragement. The family attended our Shabbaton, where over 1,000 people gathered for a luxurious weekend of respite and chizuk. At this event, we go all out for the entire family, providing entertainment for each age group so the siblings, who go through their own challenges, can also have a chance to rejuvenate.

The father of this child was so overwhelmed with emotion when he witnessed the goings on that he asked for the mike and got up to speak. In a voice laden with emotion, he said, “Now I understand the meaning behind the words ‘bein ish u’bein achiv.’ When we remove the dagesh from the beis, we get ‘vein nisht, don’t cry.’

Why shouldn’t I cry? I’m going through so much pain. It hurts me!

But when I see what our fellow Yidden do for us, I know why I don’t need to cry: because ‘vein achiv, my brother is crying with me.’”

That’s what our organization personifies.

MIRACLE WORKER

THE SKULENER REBBE SHLIT”A AS THE MESSENGER OF HEALING When medical decisions must be made on behalf of a patient, the Horowitzes work hand in hand with the medical team, with the Skulener Rebbe as their guide. “We have his endorsement for every step that we take,” says Frumy. She and her husband actually became chassidim of the Skulener Rebbe when they witnessed his incredible koach to facilitate a miracle on behalf of the first child with cancer they helped.

and has a family of his own.”

“When we first got involved with the child of my husband’s chavrusa,” Frumy relates, “he was in a difficult place. In order to treat the rare form of the disease he had, the doctors were opting for a transplant. In those days, this was a very frightening, risky venture. Understandably, the child’s parents were nervous and because they had realized that I was helpful in mediating and explaining medical jargon to them, they asked me to come to the meeting with the medical team. The doctors discussed the potential side effects of the procedure, one of which would affect the child’s future ability to have a family. When I expressed concern over this, the father, who was unfamiliar with the terms we were using, asked what I was getting so worried about. When he heard what the discussion was about, he was distraught. The doctors, however, could not fathom what we were so hung up about. The child was not even three years old, and they couldn’t imagine how his ability to raise a family came into play at that time.

“Recently, we were dealing with a child who had gone through treatment. While the PET scan showed that the cancer was basically gone, the doctors weren’t pleased with the percentage that did remain (67% cured as opposed to the required 80%, which is considered cancer-free) and so they wanted to do radiation to play it safe. I didn’t like the idea of pumping the child with possibly unnecessary toxicity, especially on the chest area surrounding her vital organs.

At a loss regarding the next step, we decided to ask da’as Torah. Since my husband was learning in the Skulener Kollel at the time, we decided to ask the Skulener Rebbe. What the Rebbe did after listening to the father’s plight was fascinating.

He announced, “We’re going to make a beis din shel matah.

Don’t go ahead with the transplant. The child should continue with the chemotherapy and this will heal him.”

The Horowitzes duly got to work on recruiting members for the beis din, which required a minimum of three pious men.

The Rachmastrivka Rebbe agreed to sit on the beis din, as well as Reb Hershele Spinker, zt”l. When Frumy and her husband returned to the Rebbe and said they were ready to proceed, he asked who the third member would be, to which they answered, “Der Rebbe alein.”

“In all seriousness,” Frumy recalls, “the Rebbe said to us, ‘I’m not a tzaddik.’ I called the Rebbetzin for help, and she came in and said to her husband, ‘Hundreds of thousands of people say you are a Rebbe!’ He started laughing but wasn’t convinced.’

So, we went to the Vizhnitzer Rebbe and the Skverer Rebbe, both of whom agreed to join. This time, when we came back to the Rebbe, he banged on the table and announced that since it was decreed in the beis din down here that the child be healed, ‘kach machrizin bebeis din shel ma’alah, so too it shall be announced in the beis din on High.’ Today this child is married

In the many years that Frumy has brought patients and their families to the Rebbe, such a story never happened again.

However, she has seen untold miracles at the hands of the Rebbe, a phenomenon which doctors can’t wrap their heads around—until Frumy offers an explanation.

“Before giving the doctors the go-ahead, the parents and I went to the Rebbe. He told us to get another opinion. This time, the doctor advised against radiation, but rather to give the child another two rounds of chemo. When we returned to the Rebbe, he sent us for a third opinion. Once again, this doctor advised against radiation.”

With three differing opinions, Frumy came into the Rebbe’s chamber and asked the Rebbe to wish the child well. At this point, the child was terrified of having to undergo any more chemo. After having been told that it was over, she couldn’t bear the thought of going through it again.

“I begged the Rebbe to wish the child well, but he sat there silently,” Frumy relates. “After a while, the gabbai came over to tell us that the Rebbe was weak and we had leave. Desperate on the child’s behalf, I said I wouldn’t leave before I had an answer. ‘Just vintch that she be healthy until 120,’ I begged.

Finally, the Rebbe said, ‘She’ll be gezunt and shtark. She’ll have lechtiga doros and the cancer won’t return.’”

When Frumy left the Rebbe’s home, her first phone call was to the child’s doctor, a secular Jew. “When I told him that he didn’t need to do anything to facilitate the child’s healing because we had the Rebbe’s word, he was incredulous. ‘How can you explain this to me?’ he asked. I told him, ‘This is a very complicated situation for which you and I don’t have answers. It’s true that you have a lot of knowledge, but you don’t really know what’s best for the child,’ to which he agreed. ‘If you proceed with the radiation, you may be giving the child extra toxicity when it’s unnecessary. Maybe it’s worse for her than not doing anything at all. But who knows the answer? Only G-d. And the way we get our answers is through His messengers, our rabbis.’”

When the doctor heard Frumy’s words of truth, he said to her, “Frumy, I get it. I understand you. I’m good now.”

Living Well

Ask the Nutritionist By Shani Taub, CDC

Replenishing Caloric Deficit Does being active require an increase in caloric intake?

Q A

During the summer months, I’m more active than usual. I love doing daily laps in the pool, as well as taking a brisk walk in the evening with friends. I would like to lose weight in a healthy, non-extreme way, and would like to know if it’s necessary to increase my caloric intake as a result of my increased activity, especially since I’m hungry when I return from my workouts.

I’m glad to hear you’re using the pleasant weather and access to a swimming pool in order to be more active.

Exercise is not only an excellent way to burn calories,

it revs up the metabolism and builds muscle, speeding up weight loss. It also offers an array of health benefits, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, improving cognitive health and memory, and even improving mental health.

34 The Wellspring | August 2018

However, just because exercise burns calories doesn’t mean those calories should be replenished. On the contrary, weight loss occurs as a result of caloric deficit. If every time you burn calories, you consume more calories in their place, weight loss will not be achieved.

Furthermore, the amount of calories a person consumes in an effort to “compensate” for the calories burned during a workout is generally exponentially higher. From my practice, I’ve seen time and again that most people don’t realize how vast the difference is.

For example, the most calories a highintensity 1-hour workout burns is about 800. That’s considered amazing. A regular-paced, 20-minute, brisk walk burns way less than that. On the other hand, it doesn’t take much to replenish the number of calories burned. Its way faster to finish a 200-calorie cookie than to burn even half of that amount. Increasing food intake due to increased activity is therefore not recommended for weight loss.

I’ve had many clients who had to take time off from the gym, usually for pregnancy-related reasons, and therefore started eating less because they couldn’t cash in on the “I did so much exercise” excuse. They

experienced much faster weight loss as a result. If you’re not mindful of what you eat, even if you exercise intensely every day, you won’t lose weight. I believe that the diet is responsible for 90 percent of weight loss. Exercise only steps in for the last 10 percent. Therefore, when a client tells me that exercise is making her hungry, I advise her to exercise less.

People who do not enjoy engaging in exercise may be glad to learn that 90 percent of people can successfully reach their maintenance goal weight without exercise.

While I recommend exercise for health, both mental and physical, too many people subconsciously rationalize regarding the amount of food they eat after exercising.

They think that because they did so much exercise, they can “allow” themselves to make up for it with increased food intake.

If exercise does work for you as an enjoyable means of entertainment, keep it up. But that’s not a reason to veer off a healthy food plan. Stick both to your workouts as well as your plan for optimal results.

Incomparable

When the Ride Is Long

Here’s just a glimpse of the differing caloric amounts that are either lost through exercise or gained through food.

During the summertime and the upcoming Yom Tov season, long distance travel is on the program for many people. If you find sitting in the car or on a plane for a long stretch of time a trigger for mindless eating, here are some tips.

First and foremost, be aware that food should not be used as a source of entertainment. It is meant to nourish us, in a pleasant way, but once that need has been filled, there is no reason to keep indulging. If you’re looking for ways to entertain yourself during a long ride, have a conversation with your fellow travelers, say some Tehillim, read a book, or listen to music.

Keep in mind that every day, no matter how you spend it, has the same amount of hours: 24. Thus, food should be consumed in the same quantities every single day, whether you’re overwhelmingly busy or painfully bored.

Instead of turning to food as a way to push time, find excitement in the scenery or in the family time. There are many beautiful things to enjoy in life other than food. As a side perk, it’ll keep your car clean!

Here is how a 130-pound woman can burn approximately 50 calories: 5 minutes of vigorous swimming 6 minutes of jump rope 8 minutes of jumping jacks 8 minutes of pushups 10 minutes of low-impact aerobics 15 minutes of volleyball 18 minutes of vigorous cleaning 20 minutes of bicycling 20 minutes of yoga Here is how you can consume 50 calories (for most foods, in a minute or less): 1 medium-sized apple 1 cup of broccoli 1 small egg 1 small slice of multi-grain bread 2 rice cakes 1 stick of licorice 1 Oreo cookie ¼ slice pizza ¼ ounce dark chocolate

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, pre-measured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 35

Living Well

In Good Shape By Syma Kranz, PFC

Fitness 101: TRX

(Total Body Resistance Exercise) 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 TRX, short for Total Body Resistance Exercise, was invented by U.S. Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick. In his quest to keep himself and his fellow SEALS in top shape no matter where they were in the world, whether conducting a mission or on stand-by, Hetrick developed this rigorous exercise regimen, which has since been adopted by premier athletes across the globe.

Suspension Training bodyweight exercise develops strength, balance, flexibility, and core stability simultaneously. It requires the use of the TRX Suspension Trainer, a highly-portable performance training tool that leverages gravity and the user’s body weight to complete hundreds of exercises.

TRX Suspension Training is undoubtedly a favorite among health and fitness professionals. Over the past decade or so, the TRX Suspension Trainer has become a mainstay in gyms and training studios around the world.

Calories burned per workout According to Harvard Medical School, a one-hour resistance training session such as TRX burns between 360 and 530 calories, depending on body weight. Try this invigorating, time-efficient, and safe workout today to help you achieve a total-body transformation.

Intensity Level Medium

CONS TRX is a super-intense workout that can be adapted, but it’s not for everyone. You need to have a basic level of fitness and coordination to get the most out of the simplest TRX workouts and for the workout to be safe. Work with a trainer to be sure your technique is on target to help avoid injuries.

36 The Wellspring | August 2018

PROS TRX has been scientifically proven to improve total-body strength, stability, and cardiovascular health. Its numerous benefits also include the ability to get a fast, effective total-body workout, improve mobility and flexibility, build lean muscle, and develop core stability and functional strength. Regular TRX Suspension Training reduces waist size and body-fat percentage.

Participants also improve in all measures of strength, including leg press, bench press, pushups, and curl-ups. Positive effects on blood pressure and muscular performances are likely to significantly decrease the chance of a catastrophic cardiovascular event.

Surprisingly, TRX is also good for beginners. As challenging as it is, TRX can be modified for people who are just starting out. Work with a trainer first to learn proper form and make sure you’re up to even the less intense moves. You can do TRX outdoors as long as you have a stable place to anchor your straps. Since TRX is specifically designed for use in a relatively small indoor space, you can do TRX at home too. You just need a stable spot (like a closed door) to anchor your straps.

TARGET AREAS

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED Suspension straps and an anchoring base.

TYPE

Core: No matter what exercise you’re doing on the TRX (and there are hundreds), almost every one of them challenges your core.

Flexibility: TRX training is great for flexibility, balance, and coordination.

Arms: There are many possible arm and upper body exercises to do on TRX. Legs: You’re almost always working your legs in some way with most TRX exercises.

Aerobic: Although suspension training is a strength workout, you’ll almost certainly find your heart pounding after a brief session. The workout’s creators also offer a “TRX Cardio Circuit” workout.

Glutes: Your glutes get a lot of work with most suspension exercises, and you can always choose specific targeting moves if you want.

Strength: Suspension training pushes your strength in unique ways. Be prepared to use muscles you never knew you had!

Back: You’re using your entire core, including your back muscles, at all times to maintain stability.

Low-Impact: There’s little lower-body impact with suspension training.

THE PROGRAM Heavy-duty adjustable straps, similar to the SEALs’ parachute webbing, are the basis of TRX. You can either buy straps (priced at about $200) and anchoring gear to use on your own, or take a TRX class at a gym or specialty studio.

Almost any exercise you do without TRX, such as a plank or a pushup, a crunch or a chest press, can be made more challenging with it. You can get a serious workout in a relatively short period of time.

If you take TRX to the limit, you can push your body really hard. Get ready to sweat! But if you’re not that fit, you can back off on the intensity and still get a challenging workout.

It all depends on how you position your body.

WORD OF CAUTION If you’re out of shape or new to the gym, go for a slower, beginner TRX workout to build strength and muscle.

Add a good aerobic activity like walking to get you in top shape before using TRX as an aerobic workout. Do not attempt TRX if you have a medical problem, pain, or balance issues, unless your doctor gives you the goahead. Otherwise, you’ll be setting yourself up for injury.

If you have knee or back injuries, arthritis, or physical limitations of any kind, have your doctor clear you for TRX. By working with an experienced trainer, you may be able to develop a TRX program that works the rest of your muscles without putting added pressure on any painful or injured joints.

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.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 37

Living Well

Cover Feature

38 The Wellspring | August 2018

Silence in the Room For children with selective mutism, the start of the school year means more than a new teacher and shiny new shoes. For them, September heralds another year of observing their classmates chant songs together or raise their hands noisily, eager to answer the teacher's questions, while their lips remain sealed.

What is selective mutism and what can parents and educators do to help a selective-mute child?

Goldy Guttman, Ms. Ed.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 39

Living Well

Cover Feature

At four years old, Shani was a lively, even boisterous child. At home, to the delight of her parents, she enjoyed lining up her dolls along the playroom wall and playing her role as Morah. However, in school, Shani was a different child. Three months into the school year, her teacher reported that while she did follow the motions at davening time, she never moved her mouth. Shani had no difficulty following directions, and she seemed to understand the lessons during circle time. When she thought about it, the teacher realized that she had never heard the child’s voice.

Shani’s mother was understandably perplexed upon receiving this report. And when the teacher mentioned the words “selective mutism,” she was thrown into a panic. How could it be that her Shani, so bubbly and full of personality, was essentially mute at school?

contacted, confirmed that the child had selective mutism and therefore was literally unable to respond. When my sister-in-law related the story, my heart went out for this little boy. From my experience as an early-intervention educator working with children with selective mutism, I was sure that the child was desperate to tell his name but that he simply did not have the ability to do so.

Contrary to what many believe, selective mutism is not a condition a child can overcome in a snap. It is not a “meshugas,” but rather a result of the child’s social anxiety. Since it’s not a willful behavior, promising toys and nosh in exchange for speech will not work, and may even backfire.

Of the many children I’ve worked with over the years, a couple stand out in my mind. Some of those nearest to my heart were the children with selective mutism. There was something about them, perhaps their vulnerability, that MOST CHILDREN WITH SILENT I connected deeply with, which led to my spending many hours MUTISM ARE SHY AS TODDLERS, researching and studying the BUT IT’S ONLY WHEN THEY’RE IN A symptoms and treatment of children with this condition.

SCHOOL SETTING AND EXPECTED

According to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual), selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which children, most commonly under the age of five, cannot speak and communicate effectively in various social settings. These children, The first child with selective TO SPEAK AND INTERACT WITH however, are normally capamutism I worked with, whom ble of speaking in settings in OTHERS THAT THE PROBLEM we’ll call Avrumi, was four years which they’re comfortable and old when I first met him severBECOMES MORE APPARENT. relaxed. In fact, they present as al months into the school year. completely normal, even loud, His teacher reported that while in environments that they perAvrumi seemed to love everyceive as safe. Some children with SM are unable to speak thing about school, he had never uttered a single sound or communicate to anyone in a social setting, such as at in the classroom. He would listen earnestly at parashah school, while others may mime or even whisper to a select time, and he laughed when other boys were acting silly, few. Compared to a shy child, a SM child is on the extreme however, the teacher had never heard the sound of his end of the shyness spectrum. Many times, it takes severvoice. His mother found it interesting, and she suspectal months to a year for children to be diagnosed with SM, ed it was a control issue. She reported that Avrumi was which can be problematic. Early detection is important a chevraman at home, and he didn’t display any social since the issue becomes more severe as time progresses. issues in any of his relatives’ homes. Avrumi repeatedly Most children with SM are shy as toddlers, but it’s only told his mother that he once he would have a rebbi, as when they’re in a school setting and expected to speak opposed to a female teacher, he would speak freely. Since and interact with others that the problem becomes more this would only be the case for the following school year, apparent. Often, it’s the teacher who is first to address the his mother and teacher were both eager to get him to talk situation. before that point.

As the following anecdote portrays, untreated, selective mutism can be detrimental even to the child’s safety.

My sister-in-law related that she was walking on 13th Avenue in Boro Park when she saw a little boy crying at a busy intersection. Concerned, she asked the child if he had lost his mother. The child nodded tearfully. Quickly, she pulled him into the nearby shop and called out to the shoppers, waiting for someone to identify the child.

Unfortunately, no one responded. When the child calmed down somewhat, my sister-in-law asked him for his name. He would not respond. She realized he would only nod or shake his head in response. In the end, his mother was located when the saleswoman browsed through the database of customers in the store, and the mother, when

40 The Wellspring | August 2018

Before I started working with Avrumi, I entered the classroom to observe him for a few days. He seemed intelligent and eager to please. He followed directions for doing crafts and he seemed to enjoy center time as well, which left me feeling perplexed. Since I was only starting out in the field at that point, I knew I needed additional guidance for this case. My supervisor at the agency I worked for provided me with material on selective mutism, much of it from Shaindel Cohen, who is renowned as an expert in the field. I also did a lot of my own research regarding the best way to proceed with this student. Here is a rough overview of how I worked with Avrumi over the following weeks, and how I finally helped him emerge from his shell.

Before I sat down with Avrumi for the first time, I had a conversation with his mother, in which I helped her understand that we were in this journey together. I made sure to stress that in order for our intervention to be successful, we would need to be on the same page. In her desire to cooperate with our plan, she sent photos of her children and other family members to school, with the names and ages of each written on the back. I immediately hung these up in the cubicle where I was to work with Avrumi each day. I also asked the mother to send mitzvah notes to school as often as possible.

When I took Avrumi out of the classroom for our first session together, my goal was clear: to get Avrumi to feel comfortable with me, which would then lead to him speaking to me, which we could then segue into him conversing in the classroom. However, I knew I wasn’t capable of pulling off a magic trick here. Hard work and perseverance would be necessary for our success. Avrumi was excited to see the fun toys I brought, and his eyes lit up when he saw the pictures of his family plastered across

Did you lose your tongue?

the walls. I went through each picture with him, asking him yes and no questions so he was able to nod or shake his head in response.

Over the next couple of weeks, I focused on many of the strategies listed below, and we started to see results. Apparently, Avrumi loved the feeling of being the focal point during our sessions, he loved acting silly, and, most of all, he loved being able to start speaking to me.

A breaking point in Avrumi’s progress came when I once went over to his house during after-school hours.

Avrumi spoke as if it was normal, and I pretended that it was. We had a great time, and the next day at school, when I reminded him of it, we giggled and spoke about it together. He then “mistakenly” blurted out an answer during circle time. I will never forget how the teacher’s eyes filled when she told me, “He has such a cute voice!”

I can’t say that from that point everything flowed miraculously, but it was definitely a starting point in Avrumi’s progress. It was consistent, hard work—with consistent being the key word. But it was incredibly rewarding to watch him start interacting with his peers, even when he didn’t realize that I was there.

While the cause, or causes, of selective mutism are unknown, most experts believe that children with the condition inherit a tendency to be anxious and inhibited. Most children with selective mutism have some form of extreme social fear.

3 Top Myths on Selective Mutism While working with Avrumi, and later with other children with selective mutism, I was fascinated by many aspects of the condition, especially how untrue many of the misconceptions most people believe about SM are: what it is, what causes it, and how to treat it. Before I knew better, I believed them too.

1. Selective Mutism is just severe shyness, and kids will outgrow it as they age.

Contrary to this belief, SM is a social anxiety, and most of the time, it does not go away on its own. If anything, it gets worse if left untreated. Some adults even exhibit symptoms of SM, which is becoming more unusual as awareness of the disorder grows.

2. Kids with SM have speech delays or other trouble with their speech.

Most children with SM have no trouble with their speech at all. In many cases, it’s just the opposite: in situations in which they are comfortable, they are extremely verbal, boisterous, and social.

3. Pressuring children with SM to speak will help them speak faster in social situations.

I found over and over that when we pressure children with SM to speak, it inevitably backfires, since the child’s anxiety level rises. Positive reinforcement and a gentle, non-pressured attitude is what will make a difference for the child.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 41

Living Well

Cover Feature

Let the Words Roll What can we do for children with selective mutism? Since the child speaks and interacts normally at home, logic dictates that if the child feels “at home” at school, she will interact normally there too. How can we foster that feeling in a child?

It’s important to note that there is no one proven way to success. The teacher must feel each child out, but here are 8 tips that have worked for me in the past:

At Home in School Bring the home life into the classroom as much as possible. Have Mommy send in mitzvah notes every single day and make a big deal when reading them out loud. Hang pictures of the child and his/her family in the classroom, and discuss them with the child, e.g., “Shaya, I see your Mommy made a birthday party for your brother, Sruly! How old is he?” Once the child feels that his home life and school life are intertwined, the anxiety will ease up.

t Keep it Qe utoieanswer, and ask

hild tim the child Give the c any times, M s. n d io st e d qu answer, an open-ende ourage to c l e il th w e p h u g nds, is gatherin a few seco tr x o e to n it a a it w ou if you give owever, if y respond. H to answer, d re u ss re be able to p l e fe y a ild m on sense long, the ch your comm nother se U . o -n no at hand. A which is a is e situation th e g u questions a g and pen-ended o y it g il in ib sk ss a o the p benefit of w the child o . ll o a n ’t d a sn e e h o that it d aking his odding or sh of merely n

42 The Wellspring | August 2018

Act silly It sounds silly, but it actually works, especially with children who are reported to have big personalities at home. If you do something silly, the child will most likely laugh, and may inadvertently tell you, “Not like that!”

Ask Smartly Speak in a soft voice, even a whisper. Loud voices and shouted questions only scare the child more.

Raise the V Buy olum chase a sounde chan d an i ging but t nexp m

hi en i zon, a s product sive one i crophone. n a lo is rea nd I f cal to I purdily a used ound y stor v it in i t a to b ilab e a outsi de th one-on-o e quite ef le on Ama , f e cla e n child c e tive. sess ss a voice turn to us room, and ion with I first a th e he m at’s heard in the cla then gav child e ay fe s d s each oes roo el enc ourag n’t sound l m. Since t ik he ed to use h e the child is voi ’s , ce.

Inclusion Involve the child in social activities. If possible, give the child non-threatening roles in the class that will boost confidence. Obviously, don’t assign a role like chazzan during davening, but perhaps he could help set the table for lunch, or do a different special errand that doesn’t necessarily require speech.

Playtime

No Commotion

to share g a special toy in br ild ch e th Have s Totty. e him Shabbo ak m or s, as cl with the to shine, even him the chance an inBasically, give k. I once bought ea sp to ed ne a without d told the my student an r fo le zz pu g terestin huuuuge puzht the class a y thank class, “Avi boug g? Everyone sa in az am at th t toy!” The zle. Isn’ this awesome ng gi in br r fo vi nfidence. you to A boosted his co it d an t, ea gr child felt

Don’t make a big deal when the child does speak. Act as if he has always been speaking and it’s no big deal. This will further encourage the flow of speech for the child.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 43

Living Well

Cover Feature

Q&A with Mrs. Shaindel Cohen Veteran expert in the field of selective mutism and social skill development

How long have you been working in the field of selective mutism and in what capacity?

I have been working with children with selective mutism for 37 years. My first year teaching (nursery), I had a child who would not speak. I recognized his symptoms as selective mutism, and I was able to help him. From that year, I had at least one child every year with some form of selective mutism. I fine-tuned my technique, and after a while I was able to get most children speaking in two weeks or less. This was somewhat of a record, which I didn’t even know at the time. I started sharing my knowledge with other teachers, until after 26 years, the Mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha, Rav Matisyahu Salomon shlit”a, told me to stop teaching and focus on this full time. After I got this psak, I started going down to schools to observe and evaluate children with selective mutism. I’ve also been working with people of all ages who are struggling with social and communication issues, in addition to giving workshops and seminars all over the world, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Israel, and England. I’ve also presented at ten Torah Umesorah Conventions and other development-focused venues.

What areas of development may be affected in a child with selective mutism?

amount of children with selective mutism in my career. I even had one child who was held back for three years in his previous school because he was not speaking, and the family moved to Lakewood just to have me teach him.

Baruch Hashem we were successful. He actually started speaking on the first day of school.

What resources were available in the past for children with selective mutism? Was a child just expected to grow out of it? Is that possible?

In the past, not much was effectively done for selective mutism. At that time, it was called “elective mutism,” and the assumption was that these children were just too stubborn to speak. Parents would take their children to psychologists in an effort to break the child out of what they perceived as a willful behavior, but the approach wasn’t very effective.

In addition, at that time, it was believed that the condition stemmed from trauma or abuse, and parents were reluctant to come forward and say their child had selective mutism, because it would imply that the child was being abused.

Many times, this condition comes along with other setbacks, among them social issues, communication issues, friendship issues, being more assertive, having more self-esteem, anxiety, and even parenting issues. Selective mutism is diagnosed as an anxiety disorder in the DSM.

Is there truth to that assumption?

What inspired you to work with children with selective mutism? Is it true you went through this as a child?

As a child, my parents did not even know I didn’t speak. I was so bottled up after a day of not speaking, I was a chatterbox at home. My parents were Holocaust survivors and not fluent in English. Therefore, my mother never went to PTA meetings and never knew about my selective mutism.

My case was unique, though. I went to public school, so I knew English, but I clammed up because of the many cultural differences between my classmates and me. When they would tell me about the pork and beans they ate for supper, I had no idea what they were talking about, and when I would explain what I ate in Yiddish, they didn’t understand me. After a while, I started to shut down. When we moved to a bigger town, I went to a Bais Yaakov, and for

I did experience selective mutism as a child, but this is not why I went into the field. I just “happened” to teach a child with selective mutism in my first year of teaching, and I felt a responsibility to help him. Many times, teachers pass on these children to a different teacher because they don’t know how to deal with the condition.

After a while, when people heard that I was helping children in these situations, they started sending their children to my classroom. I therefore taught more than the average

44 The Wellspring | August 2018

In fact, this is very untrue in our circles. I have found that selective mutism in our children stems from perfectionism.

Children with selective mutism usually come from excellent homes, with high standards, and in the quest to keep those standards, these children become perfectionists.

the first time I discovered girls from the same kind of background as my own. Now that I felt much more comfortable, my speech flowed with ease.

came to be treated by me. Despite my best efforts to help her, she would stand in the room and just cry profusely. After two sessions, she didn’t come again. She was the only student I was unsuccessful with.

What parameters would you set before diagnosing a child with selective mutism?

I felt very bad, and even went down to the school to talk to her teachers and try to teach them techniques to help her. However, nothing seemed to help. The years moved on and she still didn’t speak. Eventually, she got engaged, but she was still not speaking. Her kallah teacher got in touch with me, and in our discussion, I told her, “This girl is at a stage in her life right now where communication is so important, and I think that she realizes this. Maybe you can get her to speak.” I guided the teacher, and she gave over all my lessons to the girl.

There are different levels of selective mutism. The highest level is when a child speaks to the children but not to the teacher. The next level is when the child doesn’t speak to the children but speaks to the teacher. Then there’s the child who neither speaks to the teacher nor the children.

The levels progress to extremes in which the child cannot eat in public, use the bathroom at school, or even just ends up standing like a statue. I even had two cases in which the child would come into the classroom and pretend he was sleeping, shutting himself off from the class completely.

But these cases are very rare.

What is the difference between shyness and selective mutism?

Selective mutism is when the mutism “gets in your way.”

By nature, we Yidden possess the traits of “baishonim, rachmonim, and gomlei chassodim,” but if it gets in the way of the child’s everyday life and affects their ability to function as they should, there is reason to intervene. Examples of this is when the child can’t play at recess, doesn’t have any friends, etc.

Is therapy necessary to treat selective mutism or can the intervention be done by the parent or teacher on their own?

I’ve worked with many therapists in my past, and I haven’t found therapy to be very helpful. The main player is the school teacher, since she is the one who is interacting with the child all day. The teachers need to know that it’s their responsibility to help the child, and that they can do this, even while focusing on the rest of the class. They can learn the skills and get the child through it, and the child will then be a real asset to the class. Parents need to be aware of everything that is going on, but it is ultimately the teacher’s responsibility to help the child.

Eventually, most people outgrow selective mutism, even if they are not helped. However, there are cases in which a person grows into adulthood and still struggles with selective mutism. I’m currently working with a 29-year-old woman. At this point, it’s much more difficult to work with the condition, since the person is much more entrenched in it.

Can you share a case from your many years of experience that stands out in your mind?

I once had a 7th grade student from out of town who

At her chasunah, this young woman was a normal, radiant kallah. She was speaking and thanking everyone for coming! I believe that after all these years, all our actions really did sink in somewhat. It took until her wedding for it to work, but when it did, it happened in a moment. Later on, this girl told me that all the work over the years that was done to help her did not go unnoticed. It did register.

It’s never too late to seek help. I have worked with teenagers and young adults in their twenties and beyond, and although they may have had miserable childhoods as a result of not being able to communicate properly, there is always hope. Some parents of older children have expressed to me, “There is nothing to do; I can only daven.” I don’t believe this. There is always something one can, and should, do.

What advice would you give to teachers who have reason to suspect that their student is a selective mute?

The moment you notice something, immediately begin to deal with it. Don’t wait even an extra minute. Don’t have meetings and consultations or anything else. Just dive right in. Every day this child is not speaking is another day of regression.

Can you share your best tip for those working with a selective mute child?

Don’t be afraid of these children. Sometimes, they seem to be unapproachable. But the truth is these children love being spoken to. It doesn’t matter if you say the wrong thing; the important thing is to keep talking. Be playful with these children, and have a sense of humor with them.

Goldy Guttman, Ms. Ed., is an ABA/SEIT therapist who holds a Master’s in Education and has been involved in early childhood intervention for close to a decade.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 45

CAULIFLOWER SUSHI

Yields 4-5 rolls

Directions Filling Options Rice 4.5 (14oz) Heaven & Earth frozen riced cauliflower bags, defrosted 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon imitation soy sauce 1 teaspoon vinegar

• Avocado • Carrot • Cucumber • Mango • Kani sticks, if available • Raw salmon, sushi-grade • Raw tuna, sushi-grade • Smoked salmon

P KOSHER FOR PASSOVER AND YEAR ROUND

Reproduced from Perfect for Pesach by Naomi Nachman with permission from ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, LTD

Photography by Miriam Pascal

Tightly wrap riced cauliflower in towels; squeeze dry. If still cold from being frozen, let sit for an additional 20 minutes, then squeeze again. Make sure cauliflower is very dry. Place cauliflower in bowl. Add sugar, salt, imitation soy sauce, and vinegar. Mix well and set aside.

Cut your preferred fillings into long, thin strips.

Place each filling component into a separate bowl.

Place a nori sheet on a bamboo mat. Spread the “rice” over the nori, creating a thin layer, leaving a ½-inch border at the top edge.

Place the filling lengthwise along the center of the sheet. Don’t overstuff with filling or the nori won’t seal when rolled.

Roll the nori using the bamboo mat as a guide, pressing forward to shape into a cylinder. Press firmly to seal roll. You may dampen the edge of the nori with water to help seal roll.

Use a damp knife to cut sushi roll into 1-inch slices.

ISSUE 31 AUGUST 2018 ELUL 5778

A Muffin A Day

EAT WELL WHY YOU SHOULD STILL BE STOCKING UP ON SUMMER PLUMS

Eat Well

Recipes

Dear Cooks, I know this sounds bad in the recipe section of a health magazine, but honestly, I miss those days when we kids came to school with a slice of marble cake in our schoolbags and no one was worried about weight gain or health hazards. Were healthy foods a thing back then? The interesting thing was, though, that it was so much easier to lead a generally healthier lifestyle. So we didn’t have the wholesome wheat bran or banana muffins featured in these pages, but we also didn’t have the abundance of junk food that’s around today.

I remember eating my apple or cut-up orange as a kid every single day and looking forward to the stale cookies at snack time that the teacher distributed with a cup of apple juice. While snacks like these would never pass today’s health guidelines established for schools, and the efforts made to encourage our youth to eat healthful foods in school and at home are impressive, I wish the emphasis wasn’t necessary. We kids never heard about the dangers of sugar or fried foods, because back then the minimal quantities that we ate were negligible.

But now that we’re raising our children in a new generation, in which an emphasis on eating healthfully is more prevalent, Seasoned is here to help you fill your kids’ schoolbag (and your own bag, too) with healthful, delicious muffins.

When your kids find these at the bottom of their bag, their faces will light up and their hearts will warm, knowing that Mommy prepared these for them, with love.

To a successful, fun school year, Esther

Eat Well

Recipes, Styling & Photography By Yossi & Malky Levine

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins These healthy muffins are packed with juicy pieces of apple, fragrant cinnamon, and wholesome oats. Make them today for a snack or breakfast tomorrow. They’re delicious when served warm and also freeze and reheat incredibly well. To enjoy after freezing, thaw at room temperature or heat frozen muffins in a 350ºF oven for 10-15 minutes.

1 cup old fashioned oats 1 cup buttermilk (see blueberry muffin recipe for homemade buttermilk) 1 cup whole wheat or oat flour

1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg beaten 1/4 cup melted coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cup apples, shredded (about 2 medium apples)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly spray 2 muffin tins (6 wells on each) with oil and set aside. Baking directly in the muffin tin will produce the best results- it’ll keep the moisture in and create a nice crust on the outside.

In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Let sit 15 minutes.

In another mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Stir the oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla into the soaked oat mixture. Add dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold apples into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Let the muffins cool slightly before serving.

Yield: 12 muffins

CHICKEN, YOU’VE MET YOUR MATCH The most award-winning kosher winery.

Eat Well

Recipes

Blueberry Buttermilk Wheat Bran Muffins These berry-filled muffins are hearty enough to keep you full all morning but still taste like a sweet treat!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

1 cup homemade buttermilk *see note 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1 egg 1/3 cup coconut oil 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups wheat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen blueberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or your favorite nut) *To make your own buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to 1 cup milk and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before using it.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, egg, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla.

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in the berries and nuts.

Scoop the batter into the muffin holders. Place in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched.

Allow muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then on a wire rack.

Yield: 12 medium-sized muffins

Each detail matters. From the earth in which the vines take root to the corks that seal the bottles, nothing in winemaking can be overlooked. That’s why our viticulturist takes great care to prepare and monitor the soil where our grapes grow, to make sure our wine is perfect from the very start, from where every great wine has its humble beginning.

From the earth.

Eat Well

Recipes

Healthy Banana Muffins When it comes to muffins, kids love simplicity. These whole wheat banana muffins are made healthy with applesauce, maple syrup (honey), and no refined sugar. Moist, easy, perfect for freezing and school lunches.

1 large egg 3 large (1 1/2 cups) very ripe bananas 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey 3 tbsp olive

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/3 cups whole wheat or spelt flour Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add bananas and mash well. Add remaining ingredients, except flour, and whisk to combine.

Add flour and gently stir until well incorporated. Do not over mix otherwise muffins will be tough.

Fill each tin almost full with batter and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffins cool before serving.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Yield: 12 muffins

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Eat Well

Recipe and styling by Shiffy Friedman, photo by Ruchy Lebovits

Thyme for Dinner

Wellspring-Style Deli Roll

The health benefits of cabbage include reducing risk of cancer, improving brain and nervous system health, promoting bone health, maintaining blood pressure, detoxifying the body, promoting bowel regularity, regulating sugar level and promoting weight loss.

When I gave my sister Dina this recipe, her first question was, “What exactly makes this a deli roll?” Her recipe for deli roll, she told me, calls for not exactly Wellspring-approved stuff, like puff pastry and pastrami.

Okay, so this is not exactly that type of deli roll, but this recipe was born on a Thursday afternoon, when I was preparing a deli roll filling for Shabbos and had two extra chicken cutlets in the fridge. In place of the deli, I cubed the cutlets and tossed them into the sautéed cabbage. The results of this quick and easy recipe were so good that this has become my goto Thursday night menu. Incorporating the cabbage not only saves time on vegetable prep but also gives the cutlets moisture and flavor.

3 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 2 lbs shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix 4 chicken cutlets, cubed

4-6 Tbsp mustard salt black pepper onion powder garlic powder

Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Sauté the onion slices until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add cabbage or coleslaw mix and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add mustard, spices, and chicken cubes and cook on a medium-low flame until cabbage is translucent and chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

For a nutritionally-balanced meal, serve with brown rice.

Total prep time: 40 minutes Yield: 4 servings The leftovers make an ideal Friday afternoon lunch. They taste great even at room temperature.

If you’re short on time, skip the onion.

Although it lends deeper flavor to the dish, it’ll still taste great without it.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 57

It doesn’t get any thinner than this.

Eat Well

Recipe and photography by Naomi Hazan

Build your meal on vegetables

Egg-Free Mayonnaise One afternoon, when I was preparing dinner, I realized that I was out of mayo. Part of the reason I generally eat home-cooked meals is to control the ingredients that go into my food, so I decided it was time to make my own. This mayonnaise is made with avocado oil and is fully vegan and low-fat! It lasts up to one month in the fridge.

Naomi @onelifetoeat ¾ cup avocado/olive oil ½ cup soy milk, at room temperature (Soy milk is the best option here. If you use almond milk, it won’t thicken the same way.)

1 Tbsp lemon juice/apple cider vinegar ½ tsp salt Using an immersion blender or regular standing blender, blend all ingredients on high for 1 minute.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to thicken.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 59

Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News By Liba Solomon, CNWC

THE SWEET TRUTH

Four health benefits of honey At this time of year, when honey takes a prominent place in our menus, let’s take a look at the health benefits of this sweetener. Proponents of honey tout its miraculous healing properties, claiming it can prevent cancer and heart disease, reduce ulcers, ease digestive problems, regulate blood sugar, soothe coughs and sore throats, and increase athletic performance. Here are just four of these benefits:

Antibacterial Properties There’s no doubt that honey has the power to kill bacteria. Studies have shown that it is effective against dozens of strains, including E. coli and salmonella. What makes honey antimicrobic? Most bees deposit hydrogen peroxide into the honey as they synthesize flower pollen. Add that to the naturally acidic composition of honey, and you have a great recipe for antibacterial properties.

Diabetes Aid

The combination of raw honey and healthy blood sugar management, as well gingivitis and acne.

Consumption of raw honey can reduce the risk of developing diabetes and help aid medication used to treat it. cinnamon can be especially beneficial to as alleviate many other health concerns like

According to a study out of Dubai, honey has been observed to cause a lower elevation of plasma glucose levels in diabetics compared to dextrose and sucrose. Some suggest that the insulin-boosting power of cinnamon can counteract this glucose elevation in honey, which would make your honey and cinnamon mixture a low glycemic index food combination.

Healthy Weight Management Research studies have linked honey consumption with weight loss. A San Diego State University study found that replacing sugar with honey can help prevent packing on extra pounds and lower blood sugar. The results also suggest that in comparison to sugar, honey may lower serum triglycerides.

Another study from the University of Wyoming found that raw honey can activate hormones that suppress the appetite.

In the double-blind randomly-assigned study, appetite hormones and glycemic responses were measured in 14 healthy non-obese women after consuming a breakfast containing either honey or sugar. Overall, researchers concluded that honey consumption offers potential obesity protective effects.

Natural Cough Syrup A study of 139 children found that honey did a better job of easing nighttime coughs and improving sleep than both the popular cough suppressant dextromethorphan and the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl®). It’s important to note that honey should never be given to children under the age of one, because the digestive systems of infants can’t handle any contaminates in honey, such as spores that cause botulism.

Despite honey’s many health benefits, experts warn against using too much of the sweet stuff. Honey is still metabolized as a sugar, just like table sugar, molasses, and maple syrup. Go light on the dipping!

60 The Wellspring | August 2018

EATING FOR TWO?

Tips for a healthier pregnancy While the “eating for two” mindset is outdated, excessive weight gain during pregnancy is still a common occurrence. If you’re like most expecting moms, you’ve already heard that a healthy, whole-foods diet is best for you and baby, one that features plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins.

However, many pregnant women battle nausea and indigestion, especially during the earliest stages. That can make the idea of eating nutrient-dense, high-fiber foods less appealing. Here are some nutrition tips to help you feel your best and support your health during pregnancy.

Manage through morning sickness

Morning sickness, a result of the new hormones surging through the body, may settle in while your energy levels really start to lag. At the same time, you may be concerned about getting enough folic acid (vitamin B9), as this is an essential nutrient that supports the baby’s brain and spinal cord development. While nausea can dampen anyone’s desire to eat, it’s important to make sure you’re still nourishing your body. Try eating smaller meals throughout the day, don’t lie down after eating, and always take your prenatal vitamins with food.

Mind your portions

After you get past that challenging first trimester, you’ll most likely be more in the mood to eat. Remember, weight gain is perfectly normal and healthy. In fact, you’ll need to consume extra calories to support the changes and development taking place. By the time you’re ready to give birth, your blood volume can increase as much as 60 percent. Even so, steer clear of the “eating for two” mindset. Too much weight gain can worsen your health and keep you from feeling your best, especially if it leads to gestational diabetes and other serious health conditions. Talk to your doctor about how many calories you should consume in a day.

Eat your fish

During pregnancy, your baby’s brain is undergoing rapid development. To support this, opt for foods that are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, especially during the second trimester. Common foods that contain these good fats are fatty fish, such as mackerel, salmon, and herring. If the idea of eating fish makes you queasy, take an omega-3 fish oil supplement.

Choose plenty of fruits and veggies

There’s a bounty of nutrients and micronutrients found in produce that can help mother and baby in numerous ways. Antioxidants found in dark-colored produce, such as blueberries, broccoli, and carrots, support the baby’s brain health. Plus, eating fruits and veggies is one way to stay hydrated and relieve constipation (a common pregnancy-related issue).

ALMOND MILK RECALL May contain real milk According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HP Hood LLC is voluntarily recalling more than 145,000 half-gallon cartons of refrigerated Vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk. The product is safe to consume for people who don’t have a milk allergy or sensitivity, but those who do are advised not to drink this batch of almond milk, as it could cause a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction. So far, the FDA has received a report of one allergic reaction in connection

with the recalled milk, but medical treatment was not required.

A representative from the company said that the plant where the almond milk was manufactured also manufactures dairy milk. “Although the almond milk is processed on a separate line and filler and we confirmed that all standard validation testing was conducted in accordance with our allergen control program, this particular batch of almond milk was contaminated with one container of milk through an employee error,” the representative said. “Hood made the decision to recall all of the products from this batch as a precaution.”

The recall applies only to the product labeled “refrigerated Vanilla Almond Breeze almond milk” with a use-by date of September 2, 2018. Consumers who purchased the product may return it to the store where they bought it for a full refund or exchange.

For the kashrus perspective on this issue, consult your Rav.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 61

Eat Well

Nutrition Facts in a Shell By Devorah Isaacson

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

THIS MONTH:

PLUMS

Principle

Nutrition Value

Percentage of RDA

Energy

46 Kcal

2.3%

Carbohydrates

11.42 g

8%

Protein

0.70 g

1%

Total Fat

0.28 g

1%

Cholesterol

0 mg

0%

Dietary Fiber

1.40 g

3.5%

Folates

5 µg

1%

Niacin

0.417 mg

3%

Pantothenic Acid

0.135 mg

3%

Pyridoxine

0.029 mg

2%

Riboflavin

0.026 mg

2%

Thiamin

0.028 mg

2%

Vitamin A

345 IU

11.5%

Vitamin C

9.5 mg

16%

Vitamin E

0.260 mg

2%

Vitamin K

6.4 µg

5%

Sodium

1 mg

0%

Potassium

157 mg

3%

Calcium

6 mg

0.6%

Copper

0.057 mg

6%

Iron

0.17 mg

2%

Magnesium

7 mg

2%

Magnesium

0.052 mg

2%

Phosphorus

16 mg

2%

Selenium

1.0 µg

2%

Zinc

0.10 mg

1%

Vitamins

Electrolytes

Minerals

62 The Wellspring | August 2018

In the Produce Aisle When shopping for plums, looks for those that are slightly firm and will yield somewhat to pressure. Don’t go for fruit that are already soft or bruised. If the plum has a sweet aroma, it’s ready to eat. Plums should be stored in the refrigerator, unless they are too firm and you want them to ripen quickly; then keep them at room temperature in a dark place, like a paper bag.

In Your Plate From ruby red plums to black, purple, and Italian varieties, this late-summer fruit is perfect for pies, cakes, salads, cocktails, and even savory dishes. There are so many fun and healthy ways to incorporate plums into your diet. Add this delicious fruit to: • tarts • pies

• ice pops • salads

• oatmeal • yogurt

• smoothies

Prunes are sweet and juicy, plus are considered a top antioxidant food. Plums and prunes are both known for their laxative effects, attributed to the dietary fiber, sorbitol, and isatin they contain. Prunes and prune juice are often used to help regulate the digestive system.

A 2013 paper published in Critical Reviews in Food and Science Nutrition suggests that snacking on prunes may increase satiety and reduce the subsequent intake of food, helping control obesity, diabetes, and related cardiovascular diseases. Despite their sweet taste, prunes do not cause a major rise in blood glucose and insulin after meals. They also positively affect the gastrointestinal tract by preventing constipation and possibly colon cancer. The bioactive compounds in prunes, and their metabolites, may also act as antibacterial agents in both gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.

This past June, I was chatting with a friend in the produce aisle at my local grocery, when I caught a whiff of the latest arrival—plums. “I smell summer!” I practically announced. The positive associations I have with plums got me so excited that I grabbed one in my hand and simply inhaled the aroma. What a gift plums are; offering many health benefits, in addition to their incredible smell and taste. Tough and tart on the outside while sweet and fleshy inside, plums are the perfect fruit to eat raw, as well as to enjoy in cooking.

One major plum benefit is its powerful antioxidant properties. Plums contain vitamin C and phytonutrients such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin, as well as neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid. When certain types of oxygen molecules are allowed to travel freely in the body, they cause oxidative damage, or the formation of free radicals. Free radicals have been connected to serious health conditions, like cancer and premature aging. High-antioxidant foods help prevent the damage caused by free radicals.

A 2009 study testing the antiradical activity of seven varieties of plums, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, suggests that plums are rich in natural antioxidants and protect the body from oxidative stress.

Plums exert anti-hyperglycemic effects and help combat diabetes, reducing blood glucose and triglyceride levels. The flavonoids present in plums exert protective effects against insulin resistance and help enhance insulin sensitivity in the body.

Plums are a good source of dietary fiber, containing both soluble and insoluble fiber, and help regulate the digestive system. Dried plums, or prunes, are even more effective in aiding digestive disorders like constipation. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that babies who eat solid foods should consume plums and other high-fiber foods twice a day.

Soluble fiber, which is found in the pulp of a plum, dissolves into a gluey mass. This mass traps fats, sugars, bacteria, and toxins, and helps move them out of the body. It breaks down carbohydrates, lowers bad cholesterol levels, and improves cardiovascular health.

Insoluble fiber, found in the skin of a plum, doesn’t dissolve.

Its stiff components scrub the digestive tract lining, removing mucoid plaque, trapped toxins, and other material. Thus, plums are one of the best natural constipation remedies, promoting bowel regulation and steady blood sugar.

The soluble fiber in prunes helps lower LDL cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Prunes also lower cholesterol by binding to bile acids and removing them from the body. These acids are made by the liver from cholesterol and are used to digest fat. When they’re removed from the body, in the stool, the liver must create new bile acids, using up more cholesterol, which results in the lowering of cholesterol in the blood.

FUN IN THE KITCHEN Softened plums with vanilla yogurt Better and easier than a plum crisp, skip turning on the oven by cooking the plums on the stove. The ideal summer dessert is fresh, juicy, not overly sweet, and not overly complicated, which is why this end-of-season treat features only 6 ingredients.

2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1½ Tbsp honey 6 medium ripe plums, halved and pitted 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice ½ cup vanilla 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt ¼ cup granola Combine butter and honey in a large nonstick skillet over medium flame; cook until butter melts. Add plums to pan, cut sides down; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Divide plums evenly among 4 serving bowls or glasses.

Add orange juice to skillet; cook over medium flame for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Remove pan from heat.

Top each serving with yogurt and granola; drizzle evenly with juice mixture.

Serve immediately.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 63

Living Well

At the Dietitian By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

THE 'ALL OR NOTHING' DIETER If I earned a dollar every time a client told me that they slipped up once and that was the end of their healthy meal plan, I would be a millionaire.

Case in point: At our third follow up, Shani* was still struggling to get off the ground with her food plan. She agreed that she loved the foods incorporated in the plan I had developed, and would try it for a day or two and feel full and energetic, but by late afternoon on day three or four she would be derailed.

When I asked her to describe her thought processes at that time, she expressed that she felt frustrated by her many failed weight loss attempts, felt there was no point in trying because it would take too long to reach her ideal goal, and what purpose was there in putting in so much effort if she was going to fail anyway?

If this scenario sounds familiar to you, you may be grappling with what I call “all or nothing” syndrome. The all-or-nothing approach to life, and specifically as it applies to weight loss or any healthy diet initiative, is a mental paralysis that says, “If I can’t do something perfectly, I may as well not do it at all.”

When it comes to our health, all-or-nothing thinking is prob-

lematic. It’s harmful because we develop the belief that if we aren’t perfect at living healthfully, at keeping our workout regimen, or our diet, then we are failing and why even try?

How to break out of the “all or nothing” mindset to lose weight effectively Learning how to lose weight or change an eating lifestyle effectively requires creating new skills, habits, beliefs, and patterns of behavior. With individuals who have a long and complicated history of “dieting,” this becomes an even harder process, as quitting too many times not only reinforces old habits, but also establishes a pattern of failure in the mind that makes future attempts at change more difficult.

The creation of new habits takes repetition and time, and is not as simple as flicking a switch in your brain. New habits must be reinforced with new patterns of thinking. As I reiterate to my “all or nothing” clients: It is inevitable that your old habits and patterns will show up from time to time until the change process is completed, and this does not mean that you have failed!

So when a client tells me they have a history of failing at living healthfully or at losing weight as soon as they have a bad day, I ask them to consider the following motivational statements, and if possible to read them daily: • If you start a weight loss regimen or healthy eating initiative, be patient and understanding with yourself; don’t quit because you have a set-back.

• Learning how to lose weight effectively is not an all-ornothing game.

• You are learning new ways of acting and new ways of thinking.

• Just because you decided to start a healthy eating plan doesn’t mean that you’re mind and body will do an immediate 180 degree turn-around.

• You will have great days interspersed with not so great ones.

• Be patient with yourself and be creative, if you have a bad week, set a short-term goal of doing better the next week and be proud of yourself when you do.

• Give your body and your mind time to learn the new pattern.

• Remember, you are creating a change that will last a lifetime; be patient and believe in yourself, the rest will take care of itself.

• Your goal is not perfection; it’s progression. If you slip back into an old pattern, recognize it, accept it, and get back on track.

Shani eventually lost 30 pounds and learned how to have small amounts of her previous “no-no” foods without becoming completely derailed. I can attest from firsthand experience that with the right support and tools, including a normal-way-of-life approach to healthy eating, it is possible to break the all or nothing cycle.

Recommended reading: The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person, by Dr. Judith S. Beck, CBT therapist.

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Educator with over ten years of experience. She maintains a busy nutrition practice in Lakewood and via phone/skype to numerous international clients, specializing in balanced and sustainable weight loss and nutrition therapy for autoimmune and gastrointestinal issues. She can be reached at 732-364-0064 or through her website: www.thegutdietitian.com

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 65

Living Well

Monthly Dose By Yaakov Goodman

AN END TO THE PAIN

A NATURAL UTI SOLUTION

Believe it or not, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common form of bacterial infection, accounting for over 7 million doctor visits, 1 million emergency room visits, and 100,000 hospitalizations each year, at an estimated annual cost of $1.6 billion to the American public. One third of all women will contract a UTI by the age of 24, and

the risk of recurrence is 20%. Although UTIs are far more common in women, men of all ages suffer from this infection too.

66 The Wellspring | August 2018

What causes UTIs? The organism responsible for more than 80% of cases is Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacteria normally found in the digestive tract.

How does a UTI happen?

This is a frequent question asked by

those who experience recurrent infections, as many women do. UTIs occur for many reasons and affect women of all ages and lifestyles.

Personal hygiene following bowel movements may contribute to the problem. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health postulates that women with certain blood types are more prone to UTIs because the cells linings allow the E. coli bacteria to attach more easily.

Further research is being undertaken to identify other factors. For example, diabetics are already recognized as having particular susceptibility to infection, with a greater potential for serious complications.

Although urine contains fluids, salts, and waste products from the blood, it is normally sterile. However, when bacteria enter the bladder or kidney and multiply in the urine, this causes an infection.

The frequency of this malady in women has led to both those afflicted and the medical community to minimize it.

Whether a UTI is a onetime medical condition or a chronic series of painful episodes, each occurrence carries with it the potential to develop into a potentially serious kidney infection.

To many, the answer to a UTI is simple: antibiotics, usually in the form of Keflex, Ampicillin, or various others. Although these drugs usually kill the bacterial infection, their negative effects are notorious: fatigue, nausea, and digestive distress. Additionally, antibi-

tenance program, Maxi Health has developed Cran-Max™, a super-charged supplement utilizing the complete cranberry.

Unlike many low-cost cranberry supplements made from diminished juice extracts, this nutraceutical cranberry supplement contains all of the synergistic, full-spectrum activity of the entire cranberry: the fruit, seeds, skin, and fully-vitalized juice.

Additionally, Cran-Max™ has a unique, all-natural delivery system that protects its cranberry bioactives from degradation while traveling through the stomach, providing a sustained release of its powerful nutrients to the sites of action in the urinary tract. This means that the E. coli bacteria are continually barraged by the anti-adhesion, deactivating cranberry components over an extended period of time. By comparison, ordinary supplements may deliver a small, insufficient amount of nutrients, and the E. coli quickly recover and continue their colonization.

The extended release feature of CranMax™ holds the E. coli at bay. The colonies of bacteria are rendered helpless to adhere to the urothelial walls and are washed away by the normal cleaning process of the urinary tract.

Used in a daily maintenance program, just one Cran-Max™ capsule a day is a highly effective preventative measure that can avert the need for a trip to the doctor’s office and the ensuing drug prescription.

For those who have already contracted an infection, we recommend supplementing with Maxi Health’s MaxiUTI™, which not only contains the

above mentioned Cran-Max® but is supercharged with D-Mannose. D-Mannose is a simple sugar compound related to glucose, found in many fruits and occurring naturally in some cells in the human body. It is widely-accepted as a safe and effective means for treating a UTI without causing side effects or recurrence.

Summary Urinary tract infections afflict millions of Americans, mostly women. Nearly 20% of women who have had one urinary tract infection will suffer from another, and this risk increases with each infection. A woman who has had three urinary tract infections in her lifetime has an 80% chance of developing a fourth. Such individuals are often placed on antibiotic preventive therapy to reduce the chance of another recurrence.

However, antibiotics pose a major risk to both the individual and public health.

Repeated treatment produces drug-resistant organisms, which become more difficult to treat as time goes by.

Cran-Max™ has been shown to assist those with a UTI, without major risks.

If you have or are concerned about recurrent urinary tract infections, you owe it to yourself to start supplementing with Cran-Max™.

This supplement is not intended to replace necessary drugs, always reach out to your health care practitioner with any concerns.

This supplement is not intended to replace necessary drugs, always reach out to your health care practitioner with any concerns.

FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS, STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CRANBERRY EXTRACT IN PREVENTING URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS. CRANBERRIES REDUCE BACTERIAL ADHESION, REGARDLESS OF THE SPECIFIC BACTERIAL STRAIN OR OF BACTERIAL ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. THIS GIVES CRANBERRY PRODUCTS A MAJOR EDGE OVER STANDARD ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY. Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 67

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

otics are greatly overprescribed, risking drug resistance. Individuals who take antibiotics to treat a UTI are far more likely to contract another infection, and the ratio of recurrence increases proportionately with drug use.

Antibiotics have undoubtedly saved millions of lives throughout the decades and are vital in certain cases. However, overuse of these drugs is a concern.

When one takes antibiotics to treat an infection, the drug cannot kill every single organism. Those that survive gradually develop resistance to the drug. As they reproduce, they give rise to new populations that are similarly resistant, causing widespread resistance to multiple antibiotics. In short, the more antibiotics we develop, the “tougher” the germs become. Experts warn that a generation of superbugs is emerging that will be immune to any known antibiotic therapy.

In fact, Scottish physician Sir Alexander Fleming, the first to discover antibiotics in 1928, warned about the downsides of their overuse.

The ideal situation is to stop an infection before it even starts.

For the past 50 years, studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of cranberry extract in preventing urinary tract infections. Cranberries reduce bacterial adhesion, regardless of the specific bacterial strain or of bacterial antibiotic resistance. This gives cranberry products a major edge over standard antibiotic therapy.

Given the widespread occurrence of UTIs, their potential seriousness, the urgent need for relief for those afflicted, and patients’ desire to ward off these infections through a preventative main-

Wellbeing

Health Personality By Shiffy Friedman

a cup of tea with: FRIEDY SINGER AND ROIZY GUTTMAN OTR/L OCCUPATION: Occupational therapists, neurodevelopment specialists at Hands On OT Rehab Services

LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York, with approachable home program

PASSION: Educating and empowering

parents and therapists about prevention and development

WISHES PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THAT: just as every child is unique, each child must be treated with a unique, targetbased approach to effectively reach their fullest potential. There is no one approach that is golden.

While sisters Friedy Singer and Roizy Guttman both hold degrees in what has become the conventional field of occupational therapy (OT), the path they’ve taken as an offshoot of their profession as neurodevelopment specialists is anything but mainstream.

For Friedy and Roizy, the profession is not about filling up client slots. At their practice, Hands On OT Rehab, it’s about doing what it takes to give every child a chance to develop—at her own pace, from the inside out. Empowering parents and therapists has become part and parcel of their work toward achieving this goal.

It’s heartwarming to observe how two sisters, working harmoniously together, exude such passion toward helping children with developmental issues. Perhaps the root of their idealism and compassion lies in their childhood and early adulthood, which led both sisters to make considerable switches from their former career paths.

In her old life, Friedy worked on Wall Street, trading commodities. Although she was doing well there, she ended up pursuing the completely dissimilar profession of occupational therapy, becoming the youngest graduate at SUNY Downstate’s OT Program, because she wanted to be the OT she needed as a child. “As a child,” she shares, “I struggled with anxiety. I always needed to know what to expect. I was a very picky eater, a very overwhelmed child. My parents were amazing. My mother would give me a heavy blanket to sleep with, and she’d cut out all my tags. My father a”h would always prepare me for new places and experiences that I was to encounter. I always did well academically and no one knew how much I was struggling. I knew the issue

68 The Wellspring | August 2018

wasn’t psychological, but I was desperate to get to the bottom of it.”

Roizy, on the other hand, was a pretty regulated child. “I was working toward becoming an accountant,” she recalls of her past professional life. “I had already registered to take the CPA exam and was interviewing for different jobs, when I realized I wasn’t happy. I loved numbers, but I love working with people even more.”

Roizy chose OT over all other people-centered professions because she was always fascinated with the way the brain works. “I started out treating the geriatric population,” she says.

“I was amazed at the brain’s plasticity and its ability to regenerate. I was insecure to go into pediatrics, so I started out with 99 year olds and worked my way downward to pediatrics.”

Both Friedy and Roizy admit they were the type to question. “We weren’t happy until we got answers,” they share. Why were we seeing kids struggling for five to six years with no significant progress?” When the questions became too pronounced, the sisters decided to stop what they were doing as conventional OT’s and study brain development in depth, the knowledge of which has shaped their career as neurodevelopmental specialists today.

“Since we first started out as traditional OT’s, getting caseloads of children with various developmental delays, we were able to get a good

look into the child development process, as well as what works as an intervention and what doesn’t. We found time and again that the conventional approach of tackling the issue at hand, instead of looking into the neurodevelopment of the child, may have helped on a functional level but didn’t provide the long-term results we and the child’s caregivers were seeking,” says Friedy. The traditional view of OT, the duo explains, may not always address lower brain issues as effectively as needed to ensure lasting progress.

child who’s having difficulty with reading, once the brain/ body communication improves, the child’s reading fluency will improve as well.”

For example, if a child comes in for OT sessions because he’s having difficulties with handwriting, the therapist will provide handwriting sessions to help improve the issue. The same holds true for children with reading issues. A conventional therapist may start the child on a reading program, focusing on the actual skill or functioning as opposed to the larger picture. From a neurodevelopmental perspective, however, working on strengthening a developmental issue in the lower brain, the motor-sensory and regulation center, will not only help improve the child’s handwriting or reading skills, but will also tackle the root of the problem, thereby affecting the child in other areas of development, as well as ensuring that the results are long-term.

On the contrary, in their practice, the sisters work on addressing the physiological components of the behavioral manifestation. Only once the child is in a better place do they advise the parents to try parenting classes again. “It’s incredible how the strategies these parents may have been trying for years suddenly take off. Now that the child’s brain is at the appropriate point of development, the parents are finally able to follow through with the techniques.”

“In fact,” Friedy stresses, “we never do handwriting or reading sessions with our clients. We work from the bottom up. When a child comes to us for an evaluation, we ask: ‘Why isn’t he getting this skill?’ Once the brain/body communication is more fluent, the child will automatically have the ability to acquire the function. In the case of a

In the same vein, Friedy and Roizy have found that parents of a child with behavioral issues will usually take parenting classes or see a psychologist in order to acquire techniques for dealing with the child. “These are all great, but they don’t work long-term if the child’s brain hasn’t developed properly,” they maintain.

For the uninitiated, Friedy and Roizy offer a crash course in brain development. “Typically,” they explain, “lot of educators and therapists, including OT’s, work from the top downward. They focus on the cognitive components of an activity, which makes their work more skill-based. For example, if they’re working with a child who can’t string beads, they’ll teach the child how to thread the string into a hole, how to work with both hands, etc. Our approach, on the other hand, works from the bottom up. We look at the child who can’t string beads and see at which part of development her brain is functioning at and we structure treatment to build on that level.”

The neurodevelopmental approach is built on the premise that every part of the brain works on a different aspect of development.

Thus, in their practice, Friedy and Roizy start with the basics. First, they talk to parents about the foundational levels of development.

At the earliest stages, the brain acquires the skills necessary for survival. Also in early infancy, a child will learn to self-regulate. If he is hungry, tired, or his other basic needs are not being met, the brain won’t be efficient towards the next step of development.

As the child progresses through each level of brain development, the new skills he acquires build on what he has already secured in the lower levels. When development happens in this way, as it does naturally, the new skills he learns are automatic—they don’t involve cognitive thinking. Practically speaking, in appropriate development, the brain stem is utilized in infancy, enabling the acquisition of motor, sensory and emotional milestones. That’s when the child still focuses on how to roll over and crawl, activities that later become automatic. We don’t ask babies to use the cognitive parts of their brains until they’re sitting in a classroom, because that’s not the level of their brain development. Later, once the child has met the milestones of motor and emotional development of that lev-

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 69

Wellbeing

Health Personality

el, he’s ready to acquire the more sophisticated cognitive skills, such as math and reading, building on the skills he obtained earlier in life.

“In our client base,” Roizy points out, “we focus a lot on anxiety. What we mean by anxiety, a word we don’t love using because it’s quite heavy for children, is when the fight-or-flight response is underdeveloped. Such children can’t properly differentiate between what’s really frightening and what’s not.

“The fight-or-flight response is essentially part of a newborn baby’s brain. During the first couple of months of life, the child learns to differentiate between what’s a threat and what isn’t. For newborns, every movement or sound is a stimulant, which is why we swaddle them. We want to give them the comfort of feeling that they’re in the womb and also ensure that they don’t startle so much.”

As the baby goes through the constant flight-or-fight responses, as well as advancing with movements and his supporting sensory systems, he learns to regulate himself.

Over time, he starts to have an appropriate startle response, as he learns to differentiate between things in the environment that are indeed frightening and things that are not.

Another aspect of development that helps the child learn to self-regulate is the neurochemical development.

When a child exhibits difficulties with self-regulating, therefore, or a child is highly anxious, Friedy and Roizy don’t initially focus on the issue at hand. The first step, they understand, is to hone in on the area of neurodevelopment the child didn’t yet master. Even at age ten or older, a child may still be stuck in a stage of development appropriate for infancy until the proper work is done to help him advance through it.

Why is it important to know how development happens?

“Children are smart,” says Roizy. “They know how to compensate. Cognitively, they may be able to learn the new skill, such as riding a bicycle or stringing beads, but if the lower levels of the brain are underdeveloped, they can’t hold on to the skill for too long.”

The good news, say Friedy and Roizy, is that the manifestation of many developmental issues can be prevented.

“If a child has a sibling or parent who’s struggling with anxiety or processing issues, it’s a shame to wait until she’s five or nine for the problems to hit. There are certain exercises to help her develop in the right track. Even for children who don’t have the genetic component, parents should know which toys to use and which movements to practice to encourage appropriate development.

“And even if the issue does come up later,” the sisters are quick to add, “if the right areas are targeted and the child gets the help she needs, she will still see success.”

In New York, most children get approved for biweekly therapy sessions. As OT’s working in the school system, Friedy and Roizy allocated the sessions toward working on a particular skill set. “We tried to address the issues that were causing the child’s problems, but, similar to dieting, in which the client must watch what she eats every day, we found that just doing the work twice a week was not enough to generate optimal results.” Thus, at Hands On OT Rehab,

70 The Wellspring | August 2018

they design a program for the parents, detailing the exercises that must be done every single day, sometimes even in the morning and at night. When therapy is consistent and good quality, they have found, the parents finally see results, because the consistency allows the brain to create new patterns for translating information. While 20% of Friedy and Roizy’s clientele does come for intense therapy, they have found that for most clients, engaging in the practice at home is the best route to long-term results.

Friedy and Roizy’s caseload is as unique as their practice.

On the morning of our conversation, they sat with the parents of a baby who had been showing signs of autism.

“During the evaluation,” says Roizy, “we explained to the parents how the brain works. It’s not a nice little pizza pie that gets cut into levels. Various parts develop simultaneously. When we look at the brain and test the way it corresponds with the rest of the body, we see how every movement and every behavior requires detailed communication with the brain. The action the child is doing may seem physical, but it’s the way the brain interprets the information it’s getting that determines how it will be executed. Whether it’s the food we’re eating or the emotion we’re feeling, the brain is hard at work, figuring out how it will respond to the stimulant. Will the child like this food? Will it feel good to him?

“While certain parts of the brain are always working, others are designated for particular domains, such as emotion, language, and movement. Only when these areas are developed can the child exhibit an appropriate reaction.”

Roizy brings an example of a meltdown to make this point. When a child needs to express something, such as when she’s upset that Mommy took away her toy, there’s one part of her brain, the Broca’s area, that must deal with the language component. The language sensors of the brain allow us to understand and express language. So, when this child is upset and her mother asks her why she’s crying, if the brain development in this child is appropriate and she’s regulated, she will say through her tears, “I’m upset because you’re not letting me have that toy.”

However, if the language part of the child’s brain is not communicating well, which means it isn’t interpreting information as it should, the child can’t access the right language. Since the child is agitated and she can’t ignore the feelings going on inside her body, she’s in a state of disorganization. This type of child will throw themselves to the floor. During these moments, she is wrapped up in herself and is unable to express how she’s feeling.

“At two years old, it’s normal for a child to have such a tantrum because their language component is appropriately underdeveloped. But,” notes Friedy, “if a six-year-old is going through a meltdown in which the mother feels she can’t reach the child, as if she’s talking to a wall, it means that the child can’t access the language part of the brain, and something is wrong. Only once the child is calm and regulated will he be able to tell the entire story. In extreme cases, the child may not even recognize what he was doing during those moments.”

While these children do have the language component in their brain, as is evident when they speak when they’re

not agitated, they can’t access the part of brain that allows them express emotion, which is the case with many children on the autistic spectrum.

While developmental issues can be detected at any stage of a child’s life, Friedy and Roizy have found that most children come to them once they start school at the age of five.

“That’s when the cortex, the highest level of the brain, starts getting challenged. It’s as if the child is living in the attic, when the foundation of the house hasn’t been laid properly. In order for the child to be in a state of readiness for learning, the lower levels of the brain must be organized and developed. When that’s not the case, the child will have problems with following directions, with impulse control, and with attention.”

When the underdeveloped foundational skills of a child who’s being taught to read are suddenly challenged, he has difficulties acquiring the higher-level skills. In most cases, the child will be given a cortical intervention, such as a kriah program or vision therapy, which addresses higher-level brain training for particular results. However, because the child is being pushed to work cognitively, when the intervention terminates, the child may regress.

“If we don’t address the root issues,” Friedy emphasizes, “the changes won’t be longterm. Of course, tutors and specialists can help the child maintain or teach compensatory techniques just to be sure that the child is ‘keeping up’ as best as they can.”

helps the child with regulation. During this developmental stage, the child who doesn’t suck is the question. Why is he not using this reflex to develop as he should? At 2, if the parents keep the pacifier away from the baby and the baby is okay with it, that’s great. But if the baby is using it all the time or is always using a blanket or bottle, it becomes a red flag.

Friedy and Roizy have found that as the child grows older, parents may not even be aware of the developmentally alarming habits their children still cling to from infancy.

“At a recent evaluation we conducted on a ten-year-old,” Friedy adds, “the child shared that she sucks her thumb to fall asleep. The parents were shocked. During our evaluations, one of us usually physically assesses the child, while the other interviews the parents. We’ve found very often that children don’t always tell their parents how they feel.

During our testing, we ask questions, to which the children and parents may have different responses. Even when we ask the most obvious questions, such as if the child sees double or blurry or if he experiences motion sickness, the parents are often surprised by the child’s responses.

“As a child, I struggled with anxiety. I always needed to know what to expect. I was a very picky eater, a very overwhelmed child. My parents were amazing. My mother would give me a heavy blanket to sleep with, and she’d cut out all my tags."

Both Friedy and Roizy confess that they used to do cortical therapy when they first started out “because everyone wanted protocol.” They would treat children during the school year, and after the summer the child would either regress or have new problems. “Something didn’t make sense; we realized that these children were smart in one area and so delayed in another. Today, we understand that’s because children are very smart. If there’s something bothering them or they can’t do something, they’ll find another way to compensate.”

Friedy’s example of thumb sucking drives the point home.

“When a child is forced to stop sucking his thumb,” she says, “he develops another coping mechanism in its place. Just because a physiological change happened doesn’t mean the behavior will change. The child might turn to a pacifier or sucking on a pencil instead. Until we treat the source of child’s need for sucking, he will find a way to continue the behavior. Telling the child to stop makes it worse, because it’s taking away the thing that keeps the child together.”

Thumb sucking, or sucking on a bottle or pacifier, Roizy points out, is developmentally appropriate until approximately 18 months to 2 years, because the oral stimulation

“Simple things are often overlooked because parents don’t usually ask their children questions like how they fall asleep. We treated a chosson who told his mother that he wants to get rid of his thumb-sucking habit before he gets married. He thought the issue was only the thumb sucking, but for him it was a symptom of anxiety, a way to regulate himself. At a certain point, the body shouldn’t be doing certain things to regulate.”

Roizy notes other ways people may be regulating inappropriately. “If an individual taps a pen once in a while, that’s okay. It’s not affecting her functionality. But if a child experiences difficulty with regulation in a way that affects her functionality, such as social issues, poor social awareness, impulsivity, difficulty picking up non-verbal cues, no concept of personal space, inability to pick up a joke or sarcasm, the child needs help.”

Impulsivity, Friedy points out, often stems from a poor sense of smell. “Children with a high sensitivity to odor will be impulsive,” she notes. “Parents and therapists, even pediatricians, don’t usually ask about this, because the sense of smell is least focused on. However, this is actually the only sense directly connected to the brain. When we see something, for example, the image goes through an entire pathway until it reaches the brain. When we smell something, the input bypasses all levels and goes straight to the frontal cortex. For this reason, a baby can recognize his mother’s smell even before his sense of sight is developed.”

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Wellbeing

Health Personality

In cases of children who are more sensitive to smell and are thus more impulsive, Friedy and Roizy utilize a particular protocol to desensitize this sense, which serves to calm down the child.

When they work with picky eaters, they also take into account that smell and taste are closely related. While our taste buds can detect only five sensations of taste—salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami—flavor, the chemical reaction to what we’re smelling, is another element that may affect a child’s food choices. When working with a picky eater, therefore, they first rule out that the sense of smell is not contributing to the child’s sensitivities. They also explore the neurochemical components of the sensory issue, as well as the emotional domain. “Perhaps the child was traumatized when learning how to eat, which turned him into a picky eater,” Roizy points out.

“It’s incredible to observe how children learn to cope. They will stay away from activities or circumstances that don’t feel good for them and do whatever it takes to find a way to regulate.”

parents. “Have faith in yourself as a parent and trust your gut instinct. We tell every parent who walks through our door that the more they know what’s going on with their child, the more they will be able to explore what’s best for him, in terms of getting the right help as soon as possible.”

The duo coined the phrase “quiet the noise” as a directive to parents who want to help their children thrive. “When you’re in a good place, when you’re not working from emotion,” Roizy explains, “isolate yourself and ask, ‘What is the real problem here?’ This is your child. When you have confidence in the treatment you’re getting because you understand what’s going on, the process will be so much more effective. The minute you feel it’s not what it’s supposed to be, talk to the therapist. Maybe you need to walk away.”

This is not to say that the results should be instant, however. “It’s a slow and steady process. We always tell parents it takes nine months for a baby to develop, and then we give the baby another year until he develops the milestones to walk.

We give the baby time, because development takes time. If there’s chas v’shalom an issue, we have to give it time too. By working from the inside out, just as when someone has a digestive issue, we make the foundation strong so that the newly well-adjusted child will develop well in other areas, too.”

Cognitively, children may be able to learn a new skill, such as riding a bicycle or stringing beads, but if the lower underdeveloped, they can’t hold on to the skill for too long.

As a case in point, Friedy shares a remarkable success story from their practice. Many years ago, the parents of a very aggressive ten-year-old boy came in for an evaluation as a last resort. They had gone to a behavioral therapist as well as a psychologist, in their hopes to help the child, who frightened his parents when he kept telling them that he wants to be run over by a car.

While he was being tested, the child said angrily to his parents, “Why does this woman understand what I’m feeling and you don’t?”

It turned out that the child didn’t know how to express that what he meant with the frightening remark was that he was desperate for the pressure on his joints. The child was simply trying to express what he was going through. It was so relieving for the parents to hear that all he needed was that pressure.

“Children will always exhibit certain behaviors when their physical needs are not matched,” Roizy notes. “If a child can’t regulate herself, she may be prone to meltdowns. She may know what she wants in her head, but she may not know how express it. I remember a mother telling us that she was explaining to her child that the family would be flying on a plane to a family simchah. She thought the child would be so excited to see the pilot, the cockpit, and all the fun stuff. Instead, the child started crying. Later on, when the child calmed down, he said, ‘I was afraid I was supposed to fly the plane.’ This child was simply overwhelmed by new situations and he couldn’t express it at the time.”

“Don’t assume things about your child,” adds Friedy, “Even if a professional tells you something about him, ask the child before you come to conclusions. We’re amazed time and again at what children tell us.”

Friedy and Roizy have another important message to

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For Friedy and Roizy, working on developmental issues with children offers more than the satisfaction of watching their progress. “One of the most amazing things for both of us,” says Friedy, “is watching the parental relationship change over the course of our work together. When a parent says to us, ‘I’m actually enjoying my child,’ and we observe that certain camaraderie, we’re gratified. Thanks to the work the parents do with their child, the relationship isn’t based on getting things done anymore.”

Roizy remembers once treating the child of a renowned psychologist. After the child experienced significant progress, the parent asked the therapists for forgiveness because he had thought that their system was ridiculous. In psychology, he explained, he hadn’t learned about this at all. “Today,” Friedy shares, “this psychologist is trying to get us into universities to teach social workers about this critical aspect of development.”

“The knowledge we base our practice on is not new,” Friedy points out. “We’ve always known that the physical self is a representation of what’s going on in our brain. Just as Hashem gives us the capacity to feel pain so we know that something is hot, He gave discomfort to these children so we know that something is going on inside of them.”

Over the past few years, Friedy and Roizy’s revolutionary approach to childhood development has gained popularity in the frum community. Having worked primarily in the mainstream world, the sisters are nonetheless privy to the

unique challenges frum parents face in raising a child with developmental difficulties.

“My sister and I have trained in many, many programs,” says Roizy. “As OT’s, we took as many courses as possible so we could fix all the issues that came our way. However, now that we’ve become thoroughly familiar with the neurophysiological aspect of development, my heart breaks for the parents who are trying this and that, spending so many hard-earned dollars in order to help their children. It’s crucial for parents and professionals to know what the child’s underlying issue is before investing so much in improving one particular skill.”

Because Friedy and Roizy understand that each child’s brain develops in its unique way, when several children of the same family come in for a consultation, each child will get his own program. This comes as a shock to the parents, to whom the children’s issues presented in the same way, but to Friedy and Roizy it’s the underlying issue that counts.

Another challenge in navigating the therapy system, the sisters have found, is that professionals are not always in touch with what they can and can’t do. “Some children need an OT or a psychologist, and others need a behavioral therapist. It’s a big responsibility for a therapist to keep trying to help a child when she sees there’s no progress, or when the child’s issues are out of her realm. For someone to claim that she can do things that she can’t is criminal. It’s stealing the child’s time and ability to progress.

“If there’s one message I can get across to professionals and parents in our community, it’s this. This is not something we see when we work with clients in the mainstream community. When a therapist isn’t getting results, the child shouldn’t be seeing her for an endless period of time. Many of the children who come to us have been in therapy for years when they shouldn’t have been. The questions parents and therapists should be asking is, ‘Are we seeing results?’ If the answer is ‘no,’ it’s time to move on. Parents have to learn to change the way they’re doing things with their child. These are the parents who are doing all the parenting courses and reading every book under sun, but it’s not working for them, because that’s not what the child needs at that moment.”

Friedy and Roizy’s passion toward taking the right steps in order to ensure a child’s optimal development doesn’t only present in their practice. “Working with children in the community has helped us realize how disempowering a lack of knowledge can be. We realized that if only parents understood more, not from people who are trying to sell a product or service, they and their children would benefit.” With this in mind, the sisters launched an organization called the H.O.P.E. (Hands on Parent Empowerment) Foundation, to empower parents and professionals with neurodevelopmental education. As a service to the community, these two impassioned women present teleconferences, free of charge or for a nominal fee, on various development-related topics. They also bring in educators from around the world to teach neurodevelopmental approaches to parents and professionals under their educational program – Hands on Approaches.

Friedy and Roizy have more dreams for the children of

our community and the world. “When a parent brings her baby to the pediatrician in the first year of life, the doctor will ask if the child is crawling, rolling over, etc. All he waits for is a yes to carry on. What I would love is for a nurse to take a look how the child is moving, the way we look when we evaluate a child, and to show the parent, right there in the office, one or two exercises she can do with the child to improve development. This will help the child significantly down the road. In our practice, we constantly see how issues can be prevented with simple steps.

“If someone would give me a million dollars to go back to Wall Street,” says Friedy, “I wouldn’t do it. I feel such fulfillment in my field of work, in seeing children grow. Our work is not to make the child fit the therapy, but to make the therapy fit the child.”

Because Friedy and Roizy have a deep appreciation for the development path every child goes through in life, they see each case as another opportunity to help a child thrive in her own unique way. “When we hear parents say, ‘Can you fix my child?’ we cringe. This is not about fixing the child, but about understanding the child. Often, parents develop this appreciation when they make better connections with the child through the work they do together.”

As therapists who work hand in hand with the parents, Friedy and Roizy also observe how parents view themselves as a result of their children’s issues. “It bothers us when parents blame themselves,” says Roizy, “They say things like, ‘It’s because I’m working too much,’ or ‘I spend too much time with my other child.’ The blame game is debilitating.

In order for the child to progress, the parents must remove themselves from the emotion and see that there’s a science behind this.”

To the specialists, however, this field is more than just science. It’s the way through which they empower not only the children they treat, but also their parents. Just this month, Roizy shares, two fathers confided that their wives’ emotional state improved as a result of the work they were doing with their children. Another mother had just started therapy with her daughter, and, as is common, it triggered an emotional response in her. After she completed the exercise, she sent Friedy and Roizy a message. “She thanked us for empowering her in a way that she was able to disconnect in order to focus on her child. She wrote that she found herself crying, that she had to do the work on her own for three minutes before working with her child because it hit a nerve in her. This mother is a person too, dealing with her own inner child at the same time.”

For Friedy and Roizy, their career is a part of their identity, the children they treat a piece of their heart. “When I light the candles every Friday night,” Friedy shares, “I take out the list of the children we treat and I daven for them.

I understand that it’s our achrayus not to waste precious time or the parents’ efforts in helping these children thrive.

We’re focused on the results, but this is the concept that guides us.”

Friedy and Roizy can be contacted via The Wellspring.

Look out for their new child development column in our upcoming issue.

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Wellbeing

Clean Slate By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC

EATING ICE CREAM IS NOT AN ACT OF SELF-LOVE

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THE TORAH APPROACH TO INTUITIVE EATING

Prior to writing this article, I made a mistake: I did research on intuitive eating.

Occasionally, before getting to work on a piece, I spend a few minutes doing theme-related research, in order to whet my mind’s appetite for the topic. When I did a quick search before writing this article, however, I found one popular school of mainstream thought regarding intuitive eating to be so skewed, so anti-Torah, that it literally galled me. How, can you tell me, is eating an ice cream cone an act of self-love? Is engaging in other pursuits that are detrimental to our health or wellbeing but offer instant physical pleasure, such as taking drugs or going on a shopping spree, also considered self-love? Not berating yourself for what you’ve done is a different story—that’s where true self-love enters the picture, but it baffles the mind that consumption of non-nutritious food is lauded as a positive, empowering deed.

The entire column, dear reader, is dedicated to softening the blow of this intense introductory paragraph.

The purpose of food, as we’ve discussed many times in this column, is to nourish the body. In His kindness, Hashem created a bounty of healthful options for us to enjoy. Because He wants us to experience all types of pleasure in this world, including physical, He planted thousands of delicate taste buds in our mouths. How incredibly lucky we are to taste the sweetness in melon, the tartness in cherries, the array of deep flavors in salad or soup. In essence, we can enjoy a joyous, fulfilling life until 120 without ever having had even one square of chocolate.

But of course, we are human. For our role models of emotional health, our tzaddikim, food is only a vehicle in serving Hashem. “Pas bamelach tochal,” i.e., keeping a measured diet is not the Torah approach to weight loss; it’s an approach

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to coming closer to our real essence. Our materialistic and spiritual needs operate like a seesaw. The more we’re invested in one, the less we can focus on the other.

But for Yidden who are striving to reach these heights, it happens that we exhibit human behavior. It happens that we have a weak moment and we find ourselves suddenly desperate to have “something good,” i.e., something that least resembles the foods that nourish us. Especially for emotional eaters, when difficult feelings surface, food is the quickest, funnest, most enticing escape mechanism.

So yes, there will be times when we will—subconsciously or even consciously—attempt to distract ourselves. We shelled out thousands of dollars for our vacation and finally made it to the top of the Swiss Alps. I expected to feel a high, but I don’t; let’s have ice cream. We’re spending visiting day with lots of family, but I’m feeling lonely; where’s the caramel popcorn? The kids were especially difficult this afternoon, which highlighted how incompetent I feel as a mother; I’m heading to the canteen. I’m at a simchah, but I just don’t feel the joy; the Viennese bar is calling my name.

We’re human. There will be times when we’ll have that heaping serving of chocolate mousse or whatever other junk food we fancy. And that’s okay. Furthermore, one or two or even three servings of junk food on occasion won’t cause any significant damage to the body. However, let’s not kid ourselves that these incidents are expressions of self-love. This is not what our body intuitively wants for itself. If this is the way we express love to ourselves, it says a lot about how much we value ourselves. This “comfort food” does nothing to make us feel better. In the best case, it’s sugar-coating (excuse the pun) a lack of self-control. In the worst case, it gives us an excuse to keep

escaping our feelings.

Here’s the big but, though. Once you’ve already had that ice cream cone, once you’ve already acted upon your urge to distract yourself from pain, what happens next? This is where the test of selflove comes into play. Once the deed was done, berating yourself for “cheating” will only add to the heap of unpleasant emotions you’re already experiencing, putting you at risk of prolonging the binge.

Being able to accept that you made this mistake, being kind to yourself, not berating yourself for what you’ve done or the way you look, is where you can exercise true self-love. Acknowledging and accepting that we’ve erred, as well as asking Hashem for continued siyata d’Shmaya in feeding our body what it really needs are two important steps toward better emotional health.

So what is self-love if not splurging on that pricey coffee blend? Self-love is giving yourself what you really need. It’s about intuitively choosing foods that are good for you and maintaining a healthful diet, as well as recognizing the times you do consume something unhealthful as part and parcel of your humanness. But most of all, it’s accepting who you are as a person, flaws and all, as a unique individual for whom the entire world was worth creating.

To paraphrase a statement from a wise woman I recently interviewed (whose article didn’t end up going to print), “I understand that the junk food industry is concerned about their bottom line. That’s their job. But my job is to be concerned about my bottom line— taking the best possible care of myself and my children.”

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

Wellbeing

Emotional Wellness By Esther Moskovitz, LCSW

Do You Love Me, Mommy?

How to express it when you don’t feel it Our kids need our love. It’s their strength during tough times, their anchor when they’re insecure, and the mirror reflecting their worth and preciousness when they’re not feeling so special at all.

But oh, the guilt! We’re human, and often, for whatever reasons of our own or limitations of our personality, we can feel so disconnected. We know we love them fiercely, but for some, the feeling is numb. Sometimes the numbness is temporary, situational, and we know it will pass, but sometimes it’s constant, and a huge source of guilt and fear that our kids are missing out because of our emotional limitations.

So, I’m here to tell you some good news: Love is a feeling, but love is also an action.

In Michtav M’Eliyahu, Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt”l famously writes that the lashon hakodesh word for love, ahava, contains the root letters hav, which means to give. Only through giving, he explains, do we nurture love.

This concept is addressed in psychology sources, as well. M. Scott Peck, in his famous book The Road Less Traveled, defines love as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” In other words, when a child sees that we’re investing our efforts and attention toward giving him the nurturing, affirmation, and the limit setting that he needs to grow up physically and spiritually happy and healthy, that feels like love (even as they protest the limit setting).

Dr. Peck goes on to explain that “when we love someone, our love becomes demonstrable or real only through our exertion—through the fact that for that someone (or for ourselves) we take an

extra step or walk an extra mile. Love is not effortless. To the contrary, love is effortful.”

3. Notice both your child’s internal strengths and also her internal struggles.

The following story illustrates this point. A man once met a famous marriage counselor and posed the following dilemma. “I don’t love my wife anymore.

I don’t want to hurt her, but I really have no feelings for her. Can you help me?”

The counselor’s response was short and quick, “You don’t love your wife anymore? Then love her.” The man replied, “Maybe you didn’t understand my question. I don’t love her. I have no feelings for her at all.” The marriage counselor assured him, “I heard you loud and clear.

And my advice is the same. If you don’t feel you love your wife, then love her.”

Call out those strengths. Don’t waste those golden nuggets by letting them sit unexpressed. “You’re so generous.” “You work so hard.” “You see the fun in everything.” “You’re sweet and loving.” “You have tons of energy.” “You’re creative.”

This is no less true with our children.

Love is a feeling, but love is also an action. So whether you feel that warm, tender feeling of love, or if you feel numb, the following three actions will express your love profoundly: 1. Learn your child’s love language and tune into it. In the book The Five Love Languages, the author delineates five specific ways that humans tend to express and receive love. We all have one primary love language, and one or two secondary languages. Learning your child’s love language is empowering and powerful.

2. Practice tuning in. Sit down and pretend to experience life as your child does. See how it feels to be her. Is she happy? Hurting? Angry? Is it easy for her to sit still? Is there a difficult sibling? What’s the landscape of her world?

Don’t just say, “I know how she feels.”

That’s intellectual. This is an exercise where your mind leads, but your heart follows. Tune in to how it feels to be her.

The more you practice this, you’ll notice a loving feeling welling up in your heart.

Are you also noticing your child’s internal struggles? Are there qualities you’re less than happy about? Is she being selfish? Stubborn? Impulsive?

Weak-minded? Don’t call those out.

Keep them to yourself, but actively support her in dealing with them. (And if you find that hard, then get the help you need to be able to support your child.)

Those qualities are part of her life’s journey; respect that. They are a part of the cards Hashem has dealt to both of you to work on.

Support struggles. Remember, you and your child are on the same team.

You both want her to grow up physically, emotionally, and spiritually successful, happy, and healthy.

So, whether you feel love flowing effortlessly from your heart, or whether you struggle with disconnection and numbness, you can love your children all the same. Nurture, affirm, set limits appropriately. Work on your own issues so you can support the struggles of your child. And always remember that our children eventually sense our efforts, and to them, that feels like love. As Dr. Peck put it, “Love is not effortless. To the contrary, love is effortful.”

For a deeper understanding of how to nurture love in your yourself and your children, see Rav Eliyahu Dessler’s Strive for Truth.

Esther Moskovitz, LCSW, specializes in challenges faced by adults raised by narcissistic or emotionally undeveloped parents using EMDR and the work of Pia Mellody. Her practice is in Monsey, NY and she has an active telephone practice, as well.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 75

Golden Page By Yaakov Goodman

GINKGO BILOBA

THE IDEAL HERB FOR ENHANCING COGNITIVE HEALTH AS YOU AGE

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If you had to pick one herb to enhance your health as you age, ginkgo biloba would be a wise choice. Both ancient healers and today’s scientists have found the leaf extract from this unique and ancient tree to have a multitude of beneficial effects on the human body, most notably concerning cognitive enhancement.

The brain depends on a steady supply of oxygen for proper functioning. It uses 20% of all the oxygen taken in through the lungs. Without enough oxygen, brain cells are irreparably damaged. Cerebral vascular insufficiency, a reduction of blood flow to the brain caused by atherosclerosis, is very common in the elderly population.

It results in a lack of oxygen, setting off a sequence of harmful chemical changes that includes free radical production, swelling of the brain tissue (edema), and a reduction of the nutrient supply to the cells.

Over the last three decades, ginkgo biloba has been shown to help protect us from what we fear most about reaching old age: memory loss, confusion, fatigue, and the inability to take care of ourselves. These are symptoms associated with restricted blood supply and tissue damage due to lack of oxygen and production of free radicals.

Ginkgo’s three major pharmacological features are of great value in treating these conditions: improving blood supply by dilating and toning

blood vessels; reducing blood-clotting through antagonism of platelet-aggregating factor (PAF); and preventing membrane damage by means of its antioxidants and free radical scavenging activities.

Rigorously studied for over half a century, ginkgo extract has been found to be a vital tool in the battle against agerelated dementia. The methodological quality of the eight most well-designed studies was found to be comparable to the best studies on a pharmaceutical drug (Hydergine) widely used for the same indication.

So effective is the extract from ginkgo biloba leaves that it has become one of the leading prescription drugs in Europe, accounting for 1% and 4% respectively of all prescriptions in Germany and France. In Germany, ginkgo is the most prescribed herb.

Ginkgo leaf extract has a remarkably broad spectrum of pharmacological effects, which makes many clinical applications possible. It is most widely prescribed, however, for age-related deterioration of mental function due to insufficient blood flow to the brain, as well as being used for peripheral vascular disease.

Hope for Alzheimer’s In recent studies, progressive degenerative dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, has been treated with ginkgo extract.

The results of these European trials have been so impressive that the German government in 1994 approved ginkgo biloba extract for treatment of dementia.

Free radicals are considered to be the cause for the excessive lipid peroxidation and cell damage observed in Alzheimer’s disease (Blass, 1993). The main effect of ginkgo extract in these conditions appears to be related to its potent antioxidant properties exerted by the synergistic

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

Age Well

actions of the flavonoids and terpenoids.

An excellent U.S. study by LeBars et al., reported in JAMA in 1997, was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of ginkgo extract on Alzheimer’s disease and multiinfarcts (vascular) dementia. This 52-week study included 202 patients with mild to moderately severe cognitive impairment.

Whereas the ginkgo group maintained its cognitive baseline over the year-long study and improved in social functioning, the placebo group worsened over time in both aspects.

The conclusion was that ginkgo appears capable of stabilizing and, in a substantial number of cases, improving the cognitive performance and social functioning of demented patients. This corresponds to a delay of six months to a year in the progression of the disease.

Regarding the safety of ginkgo, there were no significant differences compared with placebo in either the number of patients reporting side effects or in the severity of these effects.

Memory boost, even in youth There is now scientific support for memory enhancement not only in the aging population, but also in young, healthy volunteers.

Following just a single super dose of ginkgo extract, a significant memory improvement was demonstrated in a randomized, double-bind crossover study (Subhan and Hindmarch, 1984) using Sternberg’s memory scanning test. The effect lasted for several hours.

acids (phospholipids) and are particularly vulnerable to peroxidation. Brain cells are also more susceptible to hypoxia (cerebral ischemia) than any other cells. They require large amounts of energy to function, and when blood supply is restricted there is not enough oxygen and glucose for membrane function and energy production.

The result is usually a variety of metabolic changes, such as acidosis, electrolyte shifts, free radical production, and increased release of free fatty acids, prostaglandins, and neurotransmitters. Ginkgo extract has shown a remarkable ability to prevent such metabolic disturbances in experimental studies of insufficient oxygen supply to the brain.

Preventing blood clotting

Another interesting effect of ginkgo extract is its inhibition of platelet aggregation and adhesion, which may reduce the risk for thrombus formation. This effect is at least partly exerted by the ginkgolide terpenes in the extract, which Over the last three have been shown to be potent inhibitors of platelet-activating decades, ginkgo biloba factor (PAF). Platelet-activating factor is known to be involved in has been shown to help many inflammatory and allergic protect us from what processes, including bronchial constriction, besides being an we fear most about activator of platelet aggregation reaching old age: memory and release of inflammatory components.

loss, confusion, fatigue, and the inability to take care of ourselves.

A natural antidepressant Because patients treated with ginkgo extract for cerebral insufficiency often showed general mood improvement, it made sense to take a closer look at its antidepressive effects. One such study observed forty patients aged 5178 diagnosed with depression, who had not fully responded to standard antidepressant treatment. They were given either a placebo or ginkgo extract three times daily.

After eight weeks of treatment, the assessment on the Hamilton Depression Scale showed a drop from 14 to 4.5 in the ginkgo-treated group, compared to no change in the placebo group. These results suggest that ginkgo may be of significant value as an antidepressant.

The above-mentioned effects are highly useful in the nervous system. Brain cells are even more susceptible to free radical damage than other cells because their membranes have a higher content of unsaturated fatty

Bilobalides and ginkgolides have not been found in any other plants. Their unique molecular structure was discovered by the Japanese chemist Nakanishi in 1966, and it has so far been impossible to synthesize them in the lab. The range of their biochemical actions include anti-aggregatory blood platelet activity and reduction of blood viscosity.

Prevention is key Ginkgo biloba is a time-tested treasure that can bring us health and healing in our older days. Hundreds of scientific studies have confirmed its beneficial effects. There are still many unexplored areas where the ginkgo leaf extract is likely to bring healing, due to its known mechanisms of action. We have much to gain from using ginkgo biloba extract as a preventative measure to help maintain neurological and circulatory health in old age.

Maxi Health is proud to present Maxi Ginkgo Biloba™, an herbal supplement made of the highest quality standardized ginkgo extract, which sets it apart from the cheaper alternatives. This should be a first choice supplement for those seeking to improve cognitive health.

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 77

Memos from a Kinesiologist By Miriam Schweid NEW COLUMN!

From the way Raizy*, a young mother who reached out to me, was speaking, I got the feeling that she was doing her motherin-law a favor. The conversation was stilted, laced with anger and lots of frustration. Raizy was practically venting into the telephone. Her eight-year-old daughter, she shared, had been diagnosed with psoriasis three years before. She had blotches on her scalp and skin and was itching all over.

For three whole years, Raizy had taken her daughter to specialists across the spectrum of healing, desperate to find a cure, or at least relief for the uncomfortable symptoms. The young child was seen by dermatologists, nutritionists, and acupuncturists, among other professionals. Raizy tried every diet for her, especially one that eliminated nightshade vegetables (including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers). Her family hadn’t tasted potato kugel for as long as she remembered. There were no dips at her Shabbos table; tomato dip and baba ganoush being forbidden. Raizy invested hundreds of dollars in tar shampoos and conditioners that were supposedly the antidote to psoriasis. Still, she claimed the condition was only getting worse.

After giving her the time to share the details of her saga, I sincerely empathized with Raizy. I told her I didn’t think I could offer any other treatment than the ones she had already tried (to which I heard her whisper “I told you so” to someone in the background). However, as doubtful as she was, we made an appointment for her daughter the following morning.

When I met the little girl and took a good look at her skin, I gently suggested to Raizy that perhaps she wasn’t suffering from psoriasis after all. Raizy’s first reaction was disbelief. Then, when I asked if she would contemplate trying a different route to healing, since the tried-and-true remedies for psoriasis hadn’t worked for three years, she nodded her head.

In my kinesiology training, I was taught to think out of the

Psoriasis or Not? box, using techniques such as muscle testing and the process of elimination to help tackle the root issue. According to my understanding, this little girl was suffering from a digestive issue in which some of the foods in her diet were not being digested properly. To illustrate the effects of this, I gave Raizy the example of food that sits around in a warm environment and thus becomes moldy within a few days. The undigested food particles in her daughter’s stomach, I explained, were simply turning into fungus.

Finally, things started making sense to Raizy. She remembered her daughter feeling discomfort at certain times, but since she hadn’t known the cause, she had dismissed it as a virus or other illness. Now, she connected these episodes to the foods her daughter had eaten. After performing nutritional testing, we made some adjustments to her diet, as well as introducing Maxi Health’s probiotic supplement, Maxi Active Pro 10™, three times daily. This supplement comes in a great-tasting chewable that kids especially like. I told Raizy to be patient, as changes in skin condition can take time.

After only four days, the call came. The improvement in her daughter’s skin and the decrease in itching were the highlights of Raizy’s summer. During this conversation, Raizy confided that she had initially felt uncomfortable to tell me that her daughter had also been suffering from bad breath. Now that issue had cleared up, too. I explained that the probiotics produce healthy bacteria that were helping her daughter digest her food, freeing her body from fungal wastes that were no longer being deposited on her skin. When food is digested properly, Raizy and her daughter learned, it affects many seemingly unrelated areas of health and wellbeing.

Miriam can be reached via The Wellspring. *Names and identifying details have been changed.

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.

78 The Wellspring | August 2018

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

Inkwell

Farewell

Dictionary

Broca's area Definition: noun

a region of the brain concerned with the production of speech, located in the cortex of the dominant frontal lobe.

“

WHEN A CHILD NEEDS TO EXPRESS SOMETHING, SUCH AS WHEN SHE'S UPSET THAT MOMMY TOOK AWAY HER TOY, THERE'S ONE PART OF HER BRAIN, THE BROCA'S AREA, THAT MUST DEAL WITH THE LANGUAGE COMPONENT.

”

-NEURODEVELOPMENTAL SPECIALISTS FRIEDY SINGER & ROIZY GUTTMAN CUP OF TEA

Elul 5778 | The Wellspring 79