Natural Awakenings of Lake Norman - September 2015

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healthy living • healthy planet

Ageless Mind, Body and Spirit Forever Young The Natural Way

VEGAN YOGA AS GREEN ACTIVIST MEDICINE STADIUMS Alexandra Paul Walks Her Talk

Research Proves Health Benefits

September 2015

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Major League Sports Lead the Way

Lake Norman Edition

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September 2015

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contents

5 healthbriefs

7 globalbriefs 10 ecotip

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15 healingways

16 consciouseating 18 healthykids 20 fitbody 22 greenliving

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24 wisewords

26 inspiration 28 naturalpet 29 calendar

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31 resourceguide

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings please visit AwakeningLKN.com/advertise-natural-awakeningsmagazine/. Deadline: the 1st of the month before the issue date. For example: June 1 is the deadline for the July issue.

Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

Staying Vibrant in Mind, Body and Spirit

by Kathleen Barnes

15 CHOOSE HAPPINESS

Four Tips to Flip the Joy Switch

by Linda Joy

16 SURF TO TURF

U.S. Farmed Seafood That’s Safe and Sustainable

18 WHOLE CHILD SPORTS Free Play Earns the Winning Score

by Luis Fernando Llosa

20 YOGA ENTERS THE

MEDICAL MAINSTREAM Research Proves its Health Benefits

by Meredith Montgomery

22 GREENING

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AMERICA’S GAMES

Major Leagues Sport More Sustainable Stadiums

by Avery Mack

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS To purchase a calendar event please visit AwakeningLKN. com/advertise-natural-awakenings-magazine. Existing advertisers please create an account on the website to submit your monthly calendars.

by Gerry Strauss

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by Judith Fertig

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11 AGELESS BEING

24 ALEXANDRA PAUL

ON VEGAN ACTIVISM Her Kind Lifestyle Honors All Living Things

26 THE ADVENTURE

OF COUCHSURFING Stay with Locals and Make New Friends

by Lisa Rosinky

28 EYE HEALTH FOR DOGS 10 Foods to Keep Canine Vision Sharp

by Audi Donamor

natural awakenings

28 September 2015

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letterfrompublisher

contact us

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eptember is finally here!

As we enter the new season, I cannot wait for all the changes that will come with it. I am looking forward to the foliage and the lower temperatures. I have already been craving all the spices that are symbolic of the season but I have been waiting for the calendar to turn. I love to bake acorn squash this time of year with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, butter and brown sugar.

My birthday falls in the middle of the month, though I stopped counting the years a while ago. Age is a state of mind; with age comes wisdom and responsibility…but joy and wonder at the beautiful and magical world around us should never fade. No matter what life throws my way, I try to see the good in things and have faith that all will be as it should be in the end. It isn’t always so easy to see the positives in the negatives, but to every thing there is a season and I believe that there is a balance to all things.

I hope you all are looking forward to hay rides and corn mazes as much as I am. Thank you for reading the Lake Norman Edition. I hope you have a wonderful month!

Publisher and Editor in Chief Megan Langley Sales and Account Management AwakenLKN.com/Advertise 980-255-9314 Website and Technical Support Zach Protzko 704-677-8043 Writers James Occhiogrosso Design & Production Paul Scott

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We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $15 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy based ink.

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healthbriefs

Yoga Boosts Brain Gray Matter

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Chamomile Tea Helps Us Live Longer

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n a study of 1,677 MexicanAmerican men and women over the age of 65 from the Southwestern U.S., researchers have found that drinking chamomile tea decreases the risk of earlier mortality by an average of 29 percent.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch followed the study population for seven years.

Among those tested, 14 percent drank chamomile tea regularly. These were primarily women, and those women that drank chamomile tea experienced a 33 percent reduced mortality during the study period. The small group of men that drank the chamomile tea regularly did not register a significant difference in mortality.

Chamomile also has a long history of use in folk medicine and is primarily used to settle digestion and calm the mind. It is a leading natural herbal tea in many countries and contains no caffeine.

While various species may be used, chamomile tea is traditionally made by infusing the flowers of either German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) or Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) into hot water. In Spanish-speaking regions, chamomile tea is often referred to as manzanilla tea—consumed in Mexico and other Spanish cultures for centuries.

esearch from the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University Medical Center has found that a regular hatha yoga practice increases gray matter within the brain, reversing the loss found among those with chronic pain. The researchers tested seven hatha yoga meditation practitioners and seven non-practitioners. Each of the subjects underwent tests for depression, anxiety, moods and cognition levels, along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.

The scientists found that the brains of the yoga meditation practitioners contained significantly greater gray matter by volume in key brain regions, including the frontal, temporal and occipital cortices, plus the cerebellum and the hippocampus, compared to the non-yoga subjects.

The yoga meditation practitioners also had more gray area in the prefrontal cortex regions that are involved in decision-making, reward/consequence, control and coordination.

Support Groups Keep Artery Patients Mobile

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esearch published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has determined that when peripheral artery disease patients engage in behavioral support groups that encourage exercise, they realize increased mobility.

The researchers from Northwestern University followed 194 patients for a year, testing subjects at six months and again at 12 months. The patients were divided into two groups; one attended weekly intervention group meetings, while the control group attended weekly lectures.

After six months, the researchers found that only 6.3 percent of those that attended the support group meetings experienced mobility loss, compared to 26.5 percent of those that didn’t attend the meetings.

After one year, the support group attendees again showed positive results.

The control group had 18.5 percent loss in mobility, while only 5.2 percent of the support group attendees did.

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Plants Absorb Second-Hand Smoke, Too

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on-smokers a r e n ’t t h e only ones to suffer from passive smoking.

New research from the Technical University of Braunschweig, in Germany, has determined that plants can also absorb nicotine from cigarette smoke, soil and pesticide sprays.

The data showed that many plants yield higher quantities of nicotine residues from periods when pesticides used contained nicotine. Plants that were mulched with tobacco leaves also absorbed nicotine into their leaves.

“Tremendously elevated nicotine levels were detected after fumigation with cigarette smoke,” says Dirk Selmar, lead author of the study.

Daily Exercise Adds Five Years to Life

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esearch published this year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has determined that just 30 minutes of exercise, six days a week, can result in a reduced risk of early death by 40 percent, regardless of the intensity of the exercise.

The researchers followed nearly 15,000 men born between 1923 and 1932.

The men’s exercise and sedentary levels were measured along with the number of deaths that occurred during two 12-year study periods. In the second 12-year period, the researchers followed almost 6,000 of the surviving men. The researchers compared those men that were sedentary with those that exercised either moderately or intensely and found that moderate to intense exercise increased their average lifespan by five years. This improvement was comparable to the difference between smoking and non-smoking, according to the researchers.

The data comes from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, in Oslo. The scientists’ finding confirms that public health practices for elderly men should include efforts to increase physical activity, along with efforts to reduce smoking.

Muscle-Building Supplements Linked to Testicular Cancer

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ew research published in the British Journal of Cancer has found that taking muscle-building supplements can increase the risk of testicular cancer by up to 65 percent. The study monitored 356 cancer patients and 513 control subjects, all from Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The case-control study was conducted by researchers from the Yale School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Public Health, and tested for testicular germ cell cancer.

About 90 percent of testicular cancers originate from germ cells.

The researchers found the subjects that used multiple musclebuilding supplements and those that began using the supplements when they were younger had the greatest risk of developing cancer.

GREEN TEA, APPLES AND COCOA PROTECT AGAINST CANCER AND ARTERIAL PLAQUE

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esearch published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research has found a new mechanism that may provide the key to why some foods are particularly healthy. The researchers found that epigallocatechin gallates, a class of polyphenols contained in green tea, apples, cocoa and other herbs and foods, blocks vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, which is implicated in the buildup of plaque in the arteries, as well as cancer growth.

Blocking VEGF helps prevent angiogenesis—when tumors form new blood vessels that help them grow.

The researchers, from the Institute of Food Research, in Norwich, in the United Kingdom, tested the polyphenols, as well as human cells, in the laboratory.

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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Breeze Please

A Third of U.S. Power May Be Wind by 2050 According to a new study by the U.S. E n e r g y D e p a r t m e n t ( Ti ny u r l . c o m / EnergyDepartmentWindReport), wind power could provide more than a third of the nation’s electricity in a few decades, while posting a net savings in energy costs.

Undersecretary for Technology and Energy Lynn Orr, Ph.D., states, “With continued commitment, wind can be the cheapest, cleanest option in all 50 states by 2050.”

Wind power has tripled since 2000, and now supplies nearly 5 percent of the country’s electric power. The report says that it could dramatically reduce air pollution and go a long way toward meeting the country’s goals of slowing climate change.

Meanwhile, Spanish engineers have invented the Vortex Bladeless wind turbine, a hollow straw that sticks up 40 feet from the ground and vibrates when the wind passes through it. Instead of using a propeller, the Vortex takes advantage of an aerodynamic effect called vorticity. The result is a turbine that’s 50 percent less expensive than a bladed model and is nearly silent. It’s not as efficient as conventional turbines, but more of them can be placed in the same amount of space, for a net gain of 40 percent in efficiency. Plus, with no gears or moving parts, maintenance is much easier and they are safer for bats and birds.

Source: Wired

Bottomless Well

De-Salting Water Could Help Drought-Stricken Areas A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jain Irrigation Systems has devised a method of turning brackish water into drinking water using renewable energy. This solarpowered machine is able to pull salt out of water and disinfect it with ultraviolet rays, making it suitable for both irrigation and drinking.

Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes with opposite charges. Because the salt dissolved in water consists of positive and negative ions, the electrodes pull the ions out of the water, leaving fresher water at the center of the flow. A series of membranes separate the freshwater stream from increasingly salty ones.

The photovoltaic-powered electrodialysis reversal system recently won the top $140,000 Desal Prize from the U.S. Department of Interior. “This technology has the potential to bring agriculture to vast barren lands using brackish water,” says Richard Restuccia, Jain’s vice president of landscape solutions. The prize was developed to supply catalytic funding to capture and support innovative ideas and new technologies that could have a significant impact on resolving global water demand.

Among 13 desalination projects under consideration along the California coast, the Carlsbad Desalination Project will be the largest in the Western Hemisphere once it is completed in the fall.

Source: EcoWatch.com

Embracing Invasives

Rethinking the Balance of Nature Environmental journalist Fred Pearce, author of the new book, The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature’s Salvation, traveled across six continents and ecosystems from remote Pacific islands to the United Kingdom and the Great Lakes to reveal some outdated scientific ideas about invasive species and the balance of nature.

Pearce argues that mainstream environmentalists are correct that we need a rewilding of the Earth, but they are wrong if they believe it can be achieved by reengineering ecosystems. He thinks that humans have changed the planet too much, and nature never goes backward.

But a growing group of scientists is taking a fresh look at how species interact in the wild. According to these new ecologists, we should applaud the dynamism of alien species and the new ecosystems they create.

In an era of climate change and widespread ecological damage, it’s crucial that we find ways to help nature regenerate. Embracing this new ecology, Pearce proposes, is our best chance, maintaining, “To be an environmentalist in the 21st century means celebrating nature’s wildness and capacity for change.”

Source: Earthtalk.org

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Secular Socialization

Spring Cleaning

Researchers led by San Diego State University Psychology Professor Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., found that millennials are the least religious generation of the last six decades, and possibly in the nation’s history. They analyzed data from 11.2 million respondents from four nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 18 taken between 1966 and 2014.

Results published in the journal PLOS One conclude that recent adolescents are less likely to say that religion is important in their lives, report less approval of religious organizations and find themselves feeling less spiritual and spending less time praying or meditating. “Unlike previous studies, ours is able to show that millennials’ lower religious involvement is due to cultural change, not to their being young and unsettled,” says Twenge, who is also the author of Generation Me.

“Millennial adolescents are less religious than Boomers and GenXers were at the same ages,” she notes. “We also looked at younger ages than the previous studies. More of today’s adolescents are abandoning religion before they reach adulthood, with an increasing number not raised with religion at all.”

Connecticut has introduced the nation’s firstever mattress recycling program to get old beds off the curb and into the renewable waste stream via Park City Green, a cavernous warehouse in Bridgeport where mattresses go to die and get reborn. One of only two mattress recycling facilities in the state, it employs workers that manually break down bedding parts, separating the materials into giant piles of foam, mounds of cotton and tall stacks of metal springs. All this gets shipped off to junk dealers to be recycled and reclaimed for later use in the metal industry or as backing for carpets.

The city had been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to pick up mattresses on trash day and break them apart for disposal, but that figure is expected to drop to zero and create jobs at the same time. Connecticut’s program is voluntary, so municipalities don’t have to participate. But because it’s already being paid for by consumers and the mattress industry, state officials expect the program to grow. Already, more than 60 Connecticut communities are participating.

Source: San Diego State University

Parliament of World Religions Gathering

Today’s Young Adults Are the Least Religious Ever

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Connecticut Initiates Mattress Recycling

United in Utah

The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions, regarded by organizers as the oldest, largest and most inclusive gathering of all faiths and traditions, will be held from October 15 to 19 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, in Salt Lake City. International spiritual leaders will come together to share wisdom and best practices in dealing with critical global issues, especially climate change and care for creation; income inequality and wasteful consumption; and war, violence and hate speech.

Leading speakers include the Dalai Lama, Karen Armstrong, Tariq Ramadan, Mairead Maguire, Jim Wallis, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Eboo Patel, Vandana Shiva and Michael Bernard Beckwith. Attendees can also participate in a Women’s Assembly and Program Initiative; training in dialogue, interfaith activism, fundraising and organizing; musical performances and film showings; breakout sessions; and networking opportunities.

Cost: $200 to $550, based on date of registration. Discounts and housing options are available for families, groups, organizations and students, along with scholarship and sponsorship opportunities. For more information or to register, email 2015@ParliamentOfReligions.org or visit ParliamentOfReligions.org.

Supreme Hope

Online Summer of Peace Program Continues Designed by The Shift Network as “the largest virtual peace event on the planet,” a free, online three-month global movement program, The Summer of Peace, continues through September 21. It promises to inspire participants by teaching ways to heal conflicts within oneself, in relationships and in the world using peace, instead of conflict, as the new baseline.

Featured thought leaders include Deepak Chopra, Ervin Laszlo, Grandmother Agnes Pilgrim, Karen Armstrong, Lisa Garr and Congressman Tim Ryan, plus messages from the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Jane Goodall.

Programs include The Subtle Activism Summit: Inner Dimensions of Peace Building from September 8 to 10, and 11 Ways to Transform Your World from September 11 to 21, concluding on the United Nations International Day of Peace.

“You’ll discover more personal ease, joy and well-being with techniques to connect more profoundly to the deep peace within yourself and the latest in the science of compassion,” says Garr, host of The Aware Show and Being Aware and bestselling author of Becoming Aware. She also attests that participants will find the best practices for citizen engagement and conscious activism to help accelerate the shift to a world of peace.

AdvHealing.com

(912) 617-0065

111 Kilson Dr. Ste 104, Mooresville

For more information or to register, visit SummerOfPeace.net.

Fossil Free

China Tests Hydrogen-Powered Mass Transit China has started testing the world’s first hydrogen-powered tram.

Although hydrogen fuel cells have been around for a while and are currently being used and tested in a variety of vehicles, including buses, the country is the first to master the technology for trams.

Hydrogen is extremely abundant and can be extracted from a variety of sources, both renewable and non-renewable. Hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles produce zero emissions, only water. One tank lasts for about 60 miles and takes three minutes to refuel.

See the vehicle in action online at Tinyurl.com/ ChineseHydrogenTrain. natural awakenings

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ecotip

actionalert Happy Eco-Birthday!

Parties that Celebrate Life and the Planet The most memorable birthday parties make us feel good, and going green makes them feel even better.

Youngsters Location matters. Consider a park or beach as a setting to promote exercise and time outdoors. Children’s museums and wildlife centers frequently host kids’ birthday parties. Other “experience parties”, as suggested at Tinyurl.com/GreenChildPartyTips, include pottery making, tie-dyeing organic T-shirts or touring a local fire station.

Forgo traditional trappings. Rather than using paper materials, consider decorating an old sheet as a festive tablecloth, utilize recycled computer or other repurposed paper to print custom placemats, and personalize cloth napkins found at estate sales or made from old clothes with guest names written with fabric pens for a unique and reusable party favor. Find details on these and other tips at Tinyurl.com/PBSGreen-Party-Ideas.

Sustainable gifts. PlanToys makes its toys from rubberwood, a sustainable byproduct of latex harvesting, and non-formaldehyde glues. For preteens, gift a subscription to the National Wildlife Federation’s Ranger Rick magazine or a birdhouse or bird feeder.

Make a maestro. Presenting a gift card for introductory music lessons can launch a young musician. A recent study by the National Association for Music Education notes that early exposure to music develops language, reading, math and memorization skills; improves hand-eye coordination; builds confidence and a sense of achievement; and promotes social interaction and teamwork when performing with others. Or, give tickets to introduce a child to classical, pops or jazz concert-going.

Adults Healthy drinks and eats. Serve or bring organic, locally made beer and wine and pure fruit juices. Have the party catered by a health food restaurant or store, or order organic takeout.

Do-good gifts. Antique and consignment shops are filled with items rich in culture and history. Museums, art centers and specialty gift shops offer fair trade creations handmade by overseas workers that all purchases assist.

Family ties. Work beforehand with a partner or family member of the birthday celebrant to showcase family photos at the party and spark sharing of nostalgic stories among guests.

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Dark Act

Protect Truth and Transparency in GMO Food Labeling On July 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 1599, known by supporters as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act and dubbed the “Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act” by opponents.

Th e b i l l r e m ove s t h e requirement that foods containing genetically modified organisms ( G M O ) b e l a b e l e d a s s u ch , preventing consumers from the right to know whether or not the foods they purchase contain potentially harmful ingredients. If it becomes law, H.R. 1599 will preempt state labeling requirements, including the pioneering Vermont GMO labeling law scheduled to take effect next year.

First, a companion bill will have to clear the Senate. No date is set yet for this and the time to let our senators know that we want to protect truth and transparency on food labels and encourage them to oppose the DARK Act starts now.

Make the people’s voice heard by contacting local state senators, call 202-224-3121 and visit Tinyurl.com/ ContactYourSenatorToday.

AGELESS BEING Staying Vibrant in Mind, Body and Spirit

by Kathleen Barnes

Agelessness: Engaging in and experiencing life without fear of falling, failing or falling apart.

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n a nutshell, that’s the philosophy of visionary women’s health expert Dr. Christiane Northrup, of Yarmouth, Maine, as explored in her latest book, Goddesses Never Age.

“We’re long overdue for a paradigm shift about how we feel about growing older,” says Northrup. “You can change your future by adopting a new, ageless attitude that will help you flourish physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We don’t have to buy into modern medicine’s promotion of the idea of the pathology of aging.”

O n e o f N o r t h r u p ’s p r i m a r y admonitions: “Don’t tell anyone how old you are. Another birthday means nothing.”

Maintain a Sound Mind

Our Western society fosters a belief

system that we will become decrepit, frail and mentally feeble at a certain age. “When my mother turned 50, her mailbox suddenly filled with ads for adult diapers, walkers and longterm care insurance,” Northrup quips.

The point is well taken. Think vibrant, healthy, gorgeous and yes, sexy Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, Chris Rock and Brooke Shields—all 50 or older—as the targets of ads for Depend.

We’re living and working longer, and many of us are feeling, looking and staying young longer. So is 60 the new 40? Yes, say State University of New York at Stony Brook researchers, and further note that we’re generally leading longer and healthier lives.

Centenarians are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. In the 2010 census, 53,364 people had

surpassed their 100th year, an increase of 40 percent over the 1980 census, and more than 80 percent of them are women. The National Institute on Aging projects that this number could increase tenfold or more by 2050.

What we think of as “old” has changed. Many baby boomers refuse to buy into the mythology of aging, bristle at being called senior citizens and especially dislike being called elderly.

Their position is backed by science.

Stem cell biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., author of Biology of Belief and currently a visiting professor at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic, in Auckland, is best known for promoting the concept that DNA can be changed by belief, for good or ill.

Lipton explains that we all have billions of stem cells designed to repair or replace damaged—and aging— tissues and organs. “[These cells] are profoundly influenced by our thoughts and perceptions about the environment,” Lipton explains. “Hence our beliefs about aging can either interfere with or enhance stem cell function, causing our physiological regeneration or decline.”

“Yes, we are destined to grow older, but decrepitude and what we call aging is an optional state,” Northrup adds. “Our genes, nutrition and environment are under our control far more than we may have thought.” More, she says, “Words are powerful. Don’t talk yourself into believing your brain is turning to mush just because you are over 40.”

Take Control of the Body

“Manage the four horsemen of the aging apocalypse,” encourages nutrition and longevity expert Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., a Los Angeles board-certified nutritionist and author of The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer. He says the aging process, including disease, loss of physical or mental function and the general breakdown of systems, is caused by one or more of four factors: oxidative damage (literally rusty cells); inflammation; glycation (excess sugar, metabolic syndrome); and stress.

“Collectively, they damage cells and DNA, wear down organs and systems, deeply damage the vascular pathways that deliver blood and oxygen to the entire body, and even shrink brain size,”

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explains Bowden.

While it may seem like a tall order to make lifestyle changes that vanquish these four horsemen, Bowden says they can be broken into manageable elements by employing an arsenal of healthful weapons: whole foods, nutrients, stress-reduction techniques, exercise, detoxification and relationship improvement. “All of these actually do double duty, battling more than one of the four processes that can effectively shorten your life,” he reports, based on his 25 years of study.

Oxidative Damage

Consider what rust does to metal. That’s what free radical oxygen molecules do to cells. Over time, they damage them and cause aging from within. “Oxidative damage plays a major role in virtually every degenerative disease of aging, from Alzheimer’s to cancer to heart disease and diabetes, even immune dysfunction,” says Bowden.

His recommended key to destroying free radicals is a diet rich in antioxidants, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats, nuts, grassfed meats and organic dairy products.

Avoid environmental free radicals that show up in toxic chemicals by eating as much organic food as possible and avidly avoiding residues of the poisonous pesticides and herbicides sprayed on

crops eaten by people and livestock.

Inflammation

Long-term inflammation is a silent killer because it operates beneath the radar, often unnoticed, damaging blood vessel walls. Like oxidative damage, inflammation is a factor in all the degenerative diseases associated with aging, says Bowden.

His suggestion: First, get a C-reactive protein (CRP) test to determine the levels of inflammation in our body. A CRP level over 3 milligrams/liter indicates a high risk of a heart attack. Anti-inflammatory foods like onions, garlic, leafy greens, tomatoes, beans, nuts and seeds have all been widely scientifically proven to reduce chronic inflammation.

Glycation

This is the result of excessive sugar that glues itself to protein or fat molecules, leaving a sticky mess that creates advanced

Compute Your Real Age Lifestyle choices can make our bodies older, or younger, than our number of orbits around the sun, according to Michael Roizen, a doctor of internal medicine and author of This is Your Do-Over: The 7 Secrets of Losing Weight, Living Longer, and Getting a Second Chance at the Life You Want. “Seventy percent of aging is in the simple things you do or don’t do,” he maintains.

Here are a few sobering examples: n An unresolved major life stressor, such as a divorce, being sued, the death of a close relative or other traumatic events, can add up to 32 years to chronological age. Managing the stress adds a relatively insignificant two years. n Swap out saturated fats (cheese and meat) for monounsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts and avocados). Subtract 2.5 years from chronological age. n Get up out of the chair every 15 minutes and also take a 10-minute walk every two hours. Subtract 2.1 years from chronological age. n Have close friends. Subtract 2.1 years from chronological age.

Take the Real Age test at ShareCare.com/RealAge. 12

Lake Norman, NC

AwakeningLKN.com

glycation end (AGE) products that damage all body systems and are acknowledged culprits in the dreaded diseases associated with aging.

Bowden’s basic answer is to minimize intake of sugar and simple carbs; anything made with white flour or white rice. Also avoid fried dishes and any foods cooked at high temperatures that actually skip the glycation production in the body and deliver harmful AGEs directly from the food. He advises taking 1,000 mg of carnosine (available in health food stores) daily to prevent glycation.

Stress

The long-term effects of physical, mental or emotional stress are tremendously damaging to the human physiology.

Sustained exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can shrink parts of the brain, damage blood vessels, increase blood sugar levels, heart rate and blood pressure and contribute to chronic inflammation, according to wellestablished science recorded in the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Bowden warns, “Stress management is not a luxury.” In its many forms, including prayer, meditation and breathing exercises, it should be part of any agelessness program. Deep, restful sleep is as vital a component as ending toxic relationships, having a nurturing circle of friends and doing familiar, gentle exercise such as yoga or tai chi.

Overall, Bowden adds, “Rather than thinking of such endeavors as antiaging, I strive to embody the concept of age independence. I admire former Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, who resigned from the court when he reached age 90 because he wanted to play more tennis.”

Bowden recommends embracing the concept of “squaring the curve”, meaning that instead of anticipating and experiencing a long downhill slope of poor health leading to death, “I look at a long plateau of health, with a steep drop-off at the end.”

Wellness guru Dr. Michael Roizen, chair of the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute, contends that although our chronological age can’t be changed, “Your ‘real age’ [calculated from data he collected from 60 million people] is the result of a wide variety of factors that

are within your control. Dietary choices alone can make you 13 years younger or older than your actual age.”

Roizen adds uncontrolled portion sizes, tobacco use and physical inactivity to the list of life-shortening lifestyle options.

Align with Spirit

“If you don’t have some kind of spiritual foundation, literally, God help you,” says Northrup. “God isn’t confined to a book or a church, mosque or synagogue.

Divinity is the creative loving, vital flow of life force that we’re all part of and connected to. Our bodies are exquisite expressions meant to embody, not deny our spirits.”

Touch, pleasure and sex can be part of it, too. Individuals that have the most fulfilling sex lives live the longest, according to researchers conducting the University of California, Riverside’s Longevity Project. “Pleasure comes in infinite forms,” says Northrup. “It can mean the exquisite taste of a pear or the sound of an angelic symphony, the kiss of sun on skin, the laughter of a child, spending time with friends or creating a pastel landscape. When you experience pleasure, God comes through and you become aware of your divine nature.

You’ll find that joy comes in ways that are unique to you.”

Connection with the natural world is an essential element of agelessness, says Northrup. “The human body evolved to walk on the Earth, drinking

its water, breathing its air and basking in its sunlight.” The bottom line is, “Agelessness is all about vitality. Taking all the right supplements and pills, or getting the right procedure isn’t the prescription for antiaging,” says this renowned physician. “It’s ageless living that brings back a sense of vibrancy and youthfulness.”

We could live to be well over 100 years old and, as Northrup likes to paraphrase Abraham Hicks, of The Law

of Attraction fame, “Wouldn’t you rather have your life end something like this: ‘Happyhealthy, happy-healthy, happyhealthy, dead.’ Isn’t that a lot better than suffering sickness, decrepitude and frailty for years?”

Kathleen Barnes is the author of numerous books on natural health, her latest being Food Is Medicine: 101 Prescriptions from the Garden. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.

Age-Defying Exercise

by Kathleen Barnes

S

pecially designed movements performed to music can dramatically improve memory, as well as slow the process of physical aging, according to Denise Medved, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, the founder of Ageless Grace.

Medved’s foundational physical and mental exercise classes involve 21 exercises that promote brain plasticity by activating all five functions of the brain: analytic, strategic, kinesthetic learning, memory/recall and creativity and imagination. Find videos of Ageless Grace exercises by searching YouTube, including this one: n While sitting in a chair (all exercises are taught in this position to develop core strength), make a circle with the right lower arm. n Add a triangular motion with the left foot. n Next, add a horizontal movement with the left hand. n Finally, do the entire series in reverse.

Classes are available in all 50 states and in 12 countries. To find a teacher nearby, visit AgelessGrace.com.

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The Hidden Deficiency Having the proper amount of iodine in our system at all times is critical to overall health, yet the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that iodine deficiency is increasing drastically in light of an increasingly anemic national diet of unpronounceable additives and secret, unlabeled ingredients. This deficit now affects nearly three-quarters of the population.

Causes of Iodine Deficiency

Radiation

Almost everyone is routinely exposed to iodine-depleting radition

Low-Sodium Diets

Overuse of zero-nutrient salt substitutes in foods leads to iodine depletion

Iodized Table Salt

Iodized salt may slowly lose its iodine content by exposure to air

Bromine

A toxic chemical found in baked goods overrides iodine's ability to aid thyroid

Iodine-Depleted Soil Poor farming techniques have led to declined levels of iodine in soil

A Growing Epidemic Symptoms range from extreme fatigue and weight gain to depression, carpal tunnel syndrome, high blood pressure, fibrocystic breasts and skin and hair problems. This lack of essential iodine can also cause infertility, joint pain, heart disease and stroke. Low iodine levels also have been associated with breast and thyroid cancers; and in children, mental retardation, deafness, attention deficient and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and impaired growth, according to studies

by Boston University and the French National Academy of Medicine.

What to Do The easy solution is taking the right kind of iodine in the right dosage to rebalance thyroid function and restore health to the whole body.

healingways

Choose Happiness Four Tips to Flip the Joy Switch

by Linda Joy

A

recent Harris Interactive poll indicates that only one in three Americans are happy.

Success, education and increases in annual household income create only marginally more happiness. So what will it take to go the distance?

Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness endeavors to discover just that. Its collection of intimate stories from more than two dozen women reveals telling insights— most profoundly, that happiness is a choice that anyone can make, regardless of their history or circumstances. Four tips from contributors to the book show how we all can rise up out of our troubles to the other side, shining.

Let Go of ‘Supposed To’

Family, friends and society exert pressure on us to achieve certain goals or impose their definition of success. When our soul doesn’t fit the mold, exciting things can happen.

Happiness strategist Kristi Ling seemed to have it all: a high-powered job in Hollywood, significant income and the envy of all her friends—but her

success felt empty. She writes from her home in Los Angeles, “Each morning I’d get up thinking about who I needed to please, and then prepare myself to exist for another day. I looked and felt exhausted just about all the time. The worst part was that I thought I was doing everything right!”

After a middle-of-the-night epiphany, Ling left her job and set out to discover what her heart wanted. She began following a completely different life path as a coach and healer, in which success means manifesting joy.

Be Grateful Now

While we’re striving to change our life or wishing things could have been different, we often forget to pay attention to what we have right now.

Boni Lonnsburry, a conscious creation expert and founder/CEO of Inner Art, Inc., in Boulder, Colorado, writes about the morning she decided to choose happiness, despite the enormous challenges she was facing, including divorce, foreclosure, bankruptcy and possible homelessness. “I thought to myself, ‘Yes, my life could be better, but it also could be a hell of a lot worse. I’m healthy and smart—why, I even have some wisdom. Why am I focusing on how terrible everything is?’”

Using the power of her choice to be happy right now, Lonnsburry not only found joy amidst the adversity, but created love and success beyond her wildest dreams.

Let Love In

We all want to feel loved, but when we’re afraid of getting hurt, we put up barriers to protect ourselves, even against the love we want.

Certified Relationship Coach Stacey Martino, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, writes, “From the first day we met, I’d been waiting for [my boyfriend] Paul to end our relationship. I begged him for another chance—not for our relationship, but to be my authentic self—to figure out who I am and show up in our relationship as the real me.”

Fourteen years later, Martino and her boyfriend, now husband, are still exploring the depths of their love for one another. For them, the choice to be vulnerable was the gateway to happiness.

Look Inward Instead of to Others

If we can’t own our pain, how can we create our joy? Choosing happiness means taking full responsibility for our state of mind, with no excuses.

Lisa Marie Rosati, of Kings Park, New York, who today helps other women catalyze their own transformation, writes: “I didn’t want to accept what was going on inside [me], so I looked outside for a way to make things better. I depended on intimate relationships to complete me, and on friends and acquaintances for entertainment. My self-esteem floated on incoming compliments and I absolutely never wanted to spend a minute alone with my own thoughts, lest they erode whatever happiness I possessed at the moment. I was exhausted, frustrated and quite frankly, pissed off.”

It took a flash of insight to set Rosati free of her patterns of blame—and then realizing she could create her own fulfillment was all it took to catapult her into a place of empowerment. Look out, world!

As Los Angeles happiness expert and Positive Psychology Coach Lisa Cypers Kamen says, “Happiness is an inside job.” Joy, love and inspired living are ours for the taking—all we must do is choose.

Linda Joy is the heart of Inspired Living Publishing and Aspire magazine.

Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Choosing Happiness is her third in a series of bestselling anthologies.

Next up is Inspiration for a Woman’s Soul: Cultivating Joy. Learn more at InspiredLivingPublishing.com.

natural awakenings

September 2015

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consciouseating

sustainability and environmental concerns.

The Green Fish Farmer

SURF TO TURF U.S. Farmed Seafood That’s Safe and Sustainable

by Judith Fertig

Wild-caught fish from pure waters is the gold standard of seafood, but sustainable populations from healthy waters are shrinking. That’s one reason why fish farms are appearing in unusual places—barramundi flourish on a Nebraska cattle ranch, shrimp in chilly Massachusetts and inland tilapia in Southern California.

W

ith the demand for seafood outpacing what can safely be harvested in the wild, half the seafood we eat comes f r o m a q u a c u l t u r e , s ay s K a t h r y n Sullivan, Ph.D., administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Yet, farmed seafood has a reputation for uneven quality and questionable farming practices. A primary reason is that much of what Americans buy comes from Asia, where aquaculture is less stringently managed. Meanwhile, domestic aquaculture provides only about 5 percent of the seafood consumed here, according to NOAA.

Safe Seafood Solutions

If we want to eat safer, sustainable, farmed seafood, there are two solutions. One is to purchase farmed fish raised in the U.S., says Sullivan.

The agency’s FishWatch consumer 16

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information service assures: “If it’s harvested in the United States, it’s inherently sustainable as a result of the rigorous U.S. management process that ensures fisheries are continuously monitored, improved and sustainable.”

Whole Foods Markets have found that farming seafood (aquaculture) can provide a consistent, high-quality, year-round supply of healthy and delicious protein. Accordingly, “When it’s done right, aquaculture can be environmentally friendly and offer a crucial way to supplement wild-caught fish supplies. On the other hand, poor farming practices such as the overuse of chemicals and antibiotics and those that cause water pollution and other negative impacts on the environment are bad news.”

A second solution is to consult with a trusted fishmonger that has high standards for flavor, health, safety,

AwakeningLKN.com

Chefs like Rick Moonen, who owns RM Seafood, in Las Vegas, are getting behind U.S. aquaculture farms that do it right, raising healthy, sustainable and delicious fish. Moonen recently became a brand ambassador for True North Salmon, a farm system that integrates the way nature keeps fish healthy and fresh. “They have a salmon farm near a mussel farm near a kelp farm, mimicking the way these three species interact in the wild,” says Moonen.

The best seafood farms take what geography and climate offer—ocean inlets, a natural spring and a natural depression in the land or indoor controlled freshwater tanks—and use clean feed.

With no antibiotics, non-GMO food (free of genetic modification) in the right ratio, good water quality and creative ways to use the effluent, they employ green farming practices to raise fish and shellfish that, in turn, are healthy to eat.

The Atlantic coasts of Maine and Canada are where families have been making their living from the sea for centuries, says Alan Craig, of Canada’s True North Salmon Company. “The fish are fed pellets made from allnatural, non-GMO sources with no dyes, chemicals or growth hormones added.

Underwater cameras monitor the health of the fish to prevent overfeeding.”

True North Salmon follows a threebay system, similar to crop rotation on land. Each bay is designated for a particular age of fish: young salmon, market-ready fish and a fallow, or empty, bay, breaking the cycle of any naturally occurring diseases and parasites.

Robin Hills Farm, near Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers vegetable, meat, egg and fruit community supported agriculture, U-pick fruit and a pair of stocked farm ponds. Farm Manager Mitzi Koors explains that the ponds are a way to leverage natural resources, add another income stream and attract visitors.

“We first discovered a low-lying area that would become a beautiful pond with a little work,” Koors relates. “We then expanded to two close ponds that don’t connect, to keep the older fish raised on at least six months of non-GMO organic

feed separate from the newer fish. The ponds are spring fed, providing a great environment for trout.”

In northeastern Nebraska, five generations of the Garwood family have traditionally raised cattle and produced corn and tomatoes. To keep the farm thriving and sustainable, they have had to think outside the row crop. Today, they’re growing something new—barramundi, or Australian yellow perch. They built a warehouse that now holds 18, 10,000-gallon fish tanks full of growing fish. A Maryland company provides old-fashioned cow manure and leftover grain sorghum from area ethanol plants to create algae, naturally non-GMO, to use as biofuel and fish food. “People prefer to eat locally raised food, even if it’s fish in Nebraska,” says Scott Garwood.

The sophistication of closed containment systems like the Garwoods use means that chefs, too, can raise their own fish, besides growing their own herbs and vegetables. California Chef Adam Navidi, owner of the Oceans & Earth restaurant, in Yorba Linda, also runs nearby Future Foods Farms, encompassing 25 acres of herbs, lettuces, assorted vegetables and tank-raised tilapia. Baby greens, not GMO products, help feed the fish, while nitrates from the ammonia-rich fish waste fertilize the crops. The fish wastewater filters through the crops and returns to the fish tanks in an efficient, conservation-driven system that produces healthy, organic food.

“Someday, chefs will be known both by their recipes and the methods used to produce their food,” Navidi predicts.

Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFoodAnd Lifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

10 Seafood Choices to Feel Good About

A

ccording to the nationally recognized Monterey Bay Aquarium’s SeafoodWatch.org, these farmed fish and shellfish are current Best Choices. Under each fish or shellfish variety, check the Seafood Recommendations list for specific geographic areas, certified organic options, non-GMO feed, or other designations.

Arctic Char: The farmed variety, raised in closed-tank systems, produce little impact on local habitats in the Pacific Northwest.

Barramundi (Australian yellow perch): Look for it sourced from recirculating aquaculture systems in farms throughout the U.S.

Catfish: Pond-farmed American catfish, found mainly near the Mississippi River, are some of the most sustainable fish available.

Crawfish: Domestic production centers mainly in Louisiana, grown in ponds on existing agricultural lands. No feeds are added, but minimal fertilizer is used to support an aquatic food web that crawfish thrive on. As a native species, the potential impacts of escape are minimal.

Mussels: Most farmed mussels for sale in the U.S. hail from New England and the Pacific Northwest, or are imported from nations with stringent environmental regulations.

The nonprofit Marine Stewardship Council independently certifies some of these mussel fisheries as sustainable.

Oysters: Nearly 95 percent of the oysters Americans eat are farmed in New England, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Northwest. Oyster farms in the U.S. and throughout the world are well managed and produce a sustainable product.

Salmon: Before ordering, Seafood Watch recommends finding out where salmon originated by asking the local grocer or restaurant manager if it’s wild caught or farmed and its source.

Shrimp: Most caught or farmed in U.S. and Canada also qualify as a Seafood Watch Good Alternative.

However, avoid shrimp caught in Louisiana with otter trawls and in the Gulf of Mexico (except Florida) with skimmer trawls. All shrimp from recirculating aquaculture systems constitute a Best Choice.

Tilapia: Tank-farmed tilapia in the U.S. and Canada has become a popular standard.

Trout: Farmed rainbow trout from the U.S. gets a nod because it’s raised in environmentally friendly ways in spring-fed ponds.

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September 2015

17

healthykids

Whole Child Sports

Free Play Earns the Winning Score

by Luis Fernando Llosa

M

any parents concerned that their children are getting engulfed by social media often turn to sports to spark physical activity. They scramble to sign their toddlers up for swimming and tennis lessons, T-ball and soccer practice, hoping these activities will teach their kids about motivation and leadership, while getting them off the couch and out the door. They hope that sports will be a conduit for their kids to learn what it takes to strive, drive toward a goal and succeed in later life.

As a result, more than 40 million kids across America are engaged in organized play. But youth sports are not a panacea; while parental intentions are

good, they sometimes don’t realize the potential for negative consequences.

Those that have studied the phenomenon believe that youth sports—which on the surface, appear to provide a perfect environment for children to learn life lessons and develop critical social and physical skills—might hamper our children’s healthy physical, social, psychic and creative development.

Too Much Too Soon

It seems that many young kids playing on teams today are over-coached by controlling, command-oriented adults.

As Jenny Levy, head coach of the University of North Carolina’s 2013

NCAA champion women’s lacrosse team at Chapel Hill puts it, “Kids are kind of like overbred dogs, mimicking the drills we run in practice. They aren’t wired to think creatively. They do what they know.

What’s safe.”

This kind of behavior can start at an early age, when kids should be engaging in free play with minimal adult supervision in unstructured settings.

Parenting expert Kim John Payne, author of Simplicity Parenting and The Soul of Discipline, says, “Parents are giving in to enormous societal pressure to push kids into high-performance sports settings several times a week. It’s an ‘arms race’ of sorts, with the clear victims being the kids themselves that are robbed of their childhoods.”

There’s a much more holistic way kids can experience play, including sports. An American Academy of Pediatrics study attests that free and unstructured play is healthy and essential for helping children reach important social, emotional and cognitive developmental milestones, plus managing stress and becoming resilient.

Payne observes, “In free play, children have to actively problem solve and take one another’s feelings into account if the play is to be successful.

In sports, the social problem solving is largely extrinsic, facilitated by coaches, referees or parents. During a child’s formative stages, between the ages of 5 and 12, having the freedom to develop, create and innovate is critical.”

Creativity isn’t limited to only younger children. How sports are taught in this country at all levels, right up through college, often inhibits athletic creativity and problem solving—as Levy has noticed year after year in the freshmen players she trains—rather than fostering these attributes.

A Better Alternative

It’s crucial to consider the whole child, not just the budding athlete. To revive

Every elite athlete starts as an innocent kid playing fun games. ~Travis Tygart, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for sports integrity 18

Lake Norman, NC

AwakeningLKN.com

Why are most American kids getting turned off by sports by the time they should be really leaping into it? ~Steve Biddulph, author, Raising Boys and Raising Girls

“A wellspring for wellbeing.” a child’s imagination and create better conditions for developing creativity, resiliency and flexibility, contemplate the option of taking a child out of organized youth sports for a while to provide the time, space and opportunity to rediscover childhood play and games. Then support them in re-entering organized athletics when they’re a bit older and more physically and emotionally ready.

Also, some kids that get heavily involved in highly structured youth sports too early may be prone to behavioral problems and serious physical injuries.

The best thing a parent can do for a young child that is active and interested in sports is roll up their sleeves and join in unscripted backyard or playground family play. Kids thrive in the attention offered from mom or dad, regardless of parental athletic skill levels. Also, organize play dates with other neighborhood kids of varying ages, because they love to learn

from each other, including how to work out disagreements.

Once kids are socially, emotionally and physically ready, organized sports can be an amazing platform for fun-filled learning. Having already experienced healthy free play, a child will be ready for and thrive in a more focused, competitive, organized and structured play environment. Fortified by a creative foundation in earlier years, a youngster is better able to identify and express their own mind, body and spirit.

Luis Fernando Llosa is the co-author of Beyond Winning: Smart Parenting in a Toxic Sports Environment and co-founder of WholeChildSports.com.

A writer, speaker and former Sports llustrated reporter, he lives in New York City, where he coaches his five kids. For more information, visit LuisFernandoLlosa.com.

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September 2015

19

Any physical exercise done with breath awareness becomes yoga; anything done without the breath is just a physical practice.

fitbody

~Rajan Narayaran

Yoga Enters the Medical Mainstream Research Proves its Health Benefits

by Meredith Montgomery

A

fter practicing internal medicine for 10 years in Boston, Dr. Timothy McCall became a fulltime writer, exploring the health benefits of yoga. As the medical editor of Yoga Journal and the author of Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, he says, “In the late 90s, the conveyor belt of patient care continued to speed up and I got frustrated. There was less time to form relationships with patients, which is essential to providing quality care without excessive tests and drugs.”

Initially, McCall found that most of the documented research on yoga was from India, and notes it was low in quality from a Western perspective (though it is now excellent). In the West, the first notable scientific yoga article was published in 1973 in The Lancet on combining yoga and biofeedback to manage hypertension. According to the International Journal of Yoga, the surge in yoga’s popularity here finally gained academic interest in 2007, and there are

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now more than 2,000 yoga titles in the National Institutes of Health PubMed. gov database, with 200 added annually.

I n i t i a l l y, y o g a t e a c h e r a n d economist Rajan Narayanan, Ph.D., founded the nonprofit Life in Yoga Foundation and Institute to offer free teacher training. Within a couple of years, the foundation’s focus shifted to integrating yoga into the mainstream healthcare system. “We realized that to make a real difference, we needed to teach doctors about yoga and its scientifically proven effects,” he says. Medical providers can earn credits to keep their licenses current by attending courses by Life in Yoga, the only yoga institution independently

September is National Yoga Month

AwakeningLKN.com

certified by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Currently, even if physicians don’t practice yoga, it’s likely that many of their patients do. “You now see it everywhere from major medical centers to mainstream advertising,” says McCall, who notes an increase in doctors, nurses and therapists attending the Yoga as Medicine seminars he and his wife Eliana teach internationally and from their Simply Yoga Institute studio, in Summit, New Jersey.

Mounting Evidence

“Yoga may help prevent diseases across the board because the root cause of 70 to 90 percent of all disorders is stress,” says Narayanan. Yoga increases the body’s ability to successfully respond to stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart and lowers blood pressure. That in turn suppresses sympathetic activity, reducing the amount of stress hormones in the body.

Studies collected on PubMed.gov demonstrate that yoga has been found t o h e l p m a n a g e hy p e r t e n s i o n , osteoporosis, body weight, physical fitness, anxiety, depression, diabetes, reproductive functions and pregnancy, among other issues. Studies at California’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute have tracked amelioration of heart disease. A growing body of research is validating yoga’s benefits for cancer patients, including at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

A small study at Norway’s University of Oslo suggests that yoga even alters gene expression, indicating it may induce health benefits on a molecular level.

When Yoga Can Help 4 Addictions 4 Back pain 4 Depression 4 Endocrine issues 4 Hypertension 4 Metabolic syndrome

4 Neurological and immune disorders 4 Respiratory issues 4 Weight management

4 Anxiety spectrum disorders 4 Cancer 4 Diabetes 4 Heart disease 4 Mental health conditions 4 Musculoskeletal and neuromuscular complaints 4 Pregnancy issues 4 Premenstrual syndrome, perimenopausal symptoms

Cultural Challenges

“For yoga to be effective, a regular practice must be implemented, which is challenging in a culture where people can’t sit for long without an electronic device. It’s more than just popping pills,” says Narayanan.

McCall says, “Even if people can commit to just a few minutes of yoga practice a day, if they keep it up the benefits can be enormous.”

“There are no sales reps telling doctors to use yoga therapy like there are for pharmaceuticals,” remarks Narayanan, and until yoga is funded by health insurance, it will be challenging to gain full acceptance in mainstream medicine.

Another barrier is certification standards. The International Association of Yoga Therapists (iayt.org) and the Council for Yoga Accreditation International (cyai.org) are both beginning to offer certifications for therapy training programs and therapists. Narayanan is hopeful that certification could lead to yoga being covered by insurance.

Medical school curricula have started shifting to embrace complementary approaches to wellness, with many textbooks now including information on mind/body therapies. The Principles and Practices of Yoga in Healthcare, co-edited by Sat Bir Khalsa, Lorenzo Cohen, McCall and Shirley Telles and due out in 2016, is the first professional-level, medical textbook on yoga therapy.

“Yoga has been proven to treat many conditions, yet yoga teachers don’t treat conditions, we treat individuals,” says McCall. “Yoga therapy is not a one-size-fits-all prescription because different bodies and minds, with different abilities and weaknesses, require individualized approaches.”

While medical research is working to grant yoga more legitimacy among doctors, policymakers and the public, McCall says, “I believe these studies are systematically underestimating how powerful yoga can be. Science may tell us that it decreases systolic blood pressure and cortisol secretion and increases lung capacity and serotonin levels, but that doesn’t begin to capture the totality of what yoga is.”

YourKarmaYoga.com

Meredith Montgomer y, a registered yog a teacher, publishes Natural Awakenings of Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com). natural awakenings

September 2015

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COMBINED EFFORTS CREATE RESULTS

greenliving

GREENING AMERICA’S GAMES Major Leagues Sport More Sustainable Stadiums

JOIN US! How does your product, service or project support our local or global community?

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by Avery Mack

T

raditional sports stadiums and arenas generate a huge carbon footprint. Multiple sources concur that during a single football game, a 78,000-seat stadium can consume 65,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and discarded cardboard, plastic and paper; in-stadium food and beverage containers; and tailgating debris that includes cans and bottles leave behind a mountain of waste.

A dozen years ago, the pioneering Philadelphia Eagles enlisted the help of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to begin a persistent push to their goal of going green. Today, the NRDC publishes the Greening Advisor guidebooks on green operating practices for all professional teams in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, plus the U.S. Tennis Association, and has expanded to include college sports.

the fan experience, but it’s possible to eat sensibly and well with options like the roasted turkey sandwich at AT&T Park, in San Francisco, where concessionaires source locally and compost leftovers.

Veggie burgers, vegan cheesesteaks and sushi have also found their way onto game-day menus to add a change of pace for fans, says Julianne Soviero, author of Unleash Your True Athletic Potential.

The growing interest shown by the sports industry in composting offers enormous potential benefits, and not a moment too soon, says Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D., co-founder of the Green Sports Alliance and director of the NRDC Sports Project. Using recyclable containers counts—New York City’s venerable Yankee Stadium reduced its trash load by 40 percent by switching to biodegradable cups and service ware. PepsiCo supported the upgrade by exchanging its conventional plastic bottle for a bio-based version made from agricultural waste.

Food

Lights

Stadium food has always been part of

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At New York’s Oncenter War Memorial

Arena, the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch pro team skates under LED lights. “They make the arena brighter.

It’s easier to see the puck,” says defenseman Joey Mormina.

“The fun light show that follows goals adds energy for the crowd and players.”

LED lighting provides improved clarity in TV transmissions and sports action photos and doesn’t create soft spots on the ice, like traditional lights. “Utica and Binghamton teams switched to LED after playing in our arena,” comments Jim Sarosy, chief operating officer for the Crunch.

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“The Crunch is the first pro hockey team to skate on recycled rainwater,” Sarosy adds. “It’s collected from the roof, stored in three central reservoirs in the basement and pumped into the Zamboni machine for resurfacing the ice.” The practice also diverts rainwater from overworked sewer systems.

The first pro football stadium to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, the San Francisco 49ers Levi’s Stadium features a 27,000-square-foot rooftop garden to help control water runoff.

Home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings, the Staples Center has swapped out 178 flush urinals for waterless models, reducing annual water usage by 7 million gallons.

Like the Eagles, the Florida Marlins pro baseball team, in Miami, now uses 50 percent less water via low-flow plumbing fixtures. Also, the stadium’s upgraded landscape design lessens outdoor irrigation needs by 60 percent.

The University of Georgia likes keeping its grass green, but hates wasteful water dispensers. Its football field is now watered via an underground irrigation system that saves a million gallons a year. Soil moisture sensors indicate when watering is needed.

Meyer to schedule your visit 704-660-1155

TheWelcomeCommittee.net Best Place to Work: 2007 through 2013

More Creative Practices

Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, now boasts more than 11,000 solar panels and 14 wind turbines that combined, generate more than four times the energy used for all home games in a season. The staff uses green cleaning products and has increased recycling more than 200 percent since 2010. Most creatively, the carbon costs of team travel are offset via mitigation by financing tree plantings in their home state and purchasing seedlings for a wildlife refuge in Louisiana.

The Seattle Mariners Safeco Field’s new scoreboard uses 90 percent less power than its predecessor and the Arizona Cardinals pro football team provides bags for tailgating fans to use for recycling.

Five NBA arenas have achieved LEED certification— Phillips Arena (Atlanta Hawks), Toyota Center (Houston Rockets), American Airlines Arena (Miami Heat), Amway Center (Orlando Magic) and Rose Garden (Portland Trail Blazers).

The goal of a cleaner, healthier planet is achievable with systemic shifts like these as more pro and collegiate sports teams score green points.

Connect with our freelance writer via email at AveryMack@ mindspring.com. natural awakenings

September 2015

23

wisewords

Alexandra Paul on Vegan Activism photo by Denice Duff

Her Kind Lifestyle Honors All Living Things

by Gerry Strauss

I

t may seem odd that one of the most intensely dedicated public activists is also known for starring in one of TV’s most superficial shows of the 1990s, but Alexandra Paul overturns stereotypes.

Behind that signature Baywatch onepiece that kept David Hasselhoff on his toes beats the heart of a true soldier for animal rights and population stabilization. At 52 years young, she is extremely fit and knowledgeable about the vegan lifestyle that got her there.

What is your philosophy of life?

Be kind. Being kind is different from being nice. I spent my teens and 20s anxious to be nice, and all it gave me was a boatload of acquaintances and an inauthentic self. Nice aims to be popular.

Kindness is about doing the right thing: justice, fairness, patience, respect.

Kindness is at the heart of why I’m a vegan, and why I’ve been arrested 16 times for civil disobedience supporting

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peace, equal rights and the environment.

Being kind to myself inspires me to exercise and live healthfully.

How has activism forged your identity and inspired others?

I’ve been an activist since I was 7, when I wrote to President Nixon asking him to stop pollution. As a dedicated citizen, my mom boycotted companies that acted against her ethics. Growing up with such a role model, trying to make the world better came naturally. Walking my talk is a challenge I face daily as I choose what to buy, what to eat and how to be, and I also think it is the most effective way to encourage change in others.

me how eating meat was destructive to the planet. A couple of years later, I did a book report on Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation and learned the ethical reasons against eating animals. I stopped using cosmetics tested on animals when I was a teen and stopped wearing leather, wool and silk in my 20s. I finally gave up eating dairy in my late 40s, and I wish I’d done it earlier.

Although I did it to benefit animals, being vegan has enriched my life and changed the way I look at the world.

The only way there will be enough food and water for Earth’s expected 10 billion people in 35 years is if humankind stops raising animals for food, so my veganism is helping the planet, as well as my own health.

What drives your commitment to a vegan diet?

Which other aspects of your diet I became a vegetarian when I was 14, and lifestyle do you credit for after reading Frances Moore Lappé’s looking and feeling vital?

Diet for a Small Planet, which taught

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My husband Ian and I go to bed early and generally get up with the sun. I’ve never consumed coffee, soda or alcohol, only water and protein shakes. I believe being a vegetarian, and now a vegan, has given me tons of energy. I also prioritize making time for my workout routine, and that helps me feel good every day.

I didn’t always have this serenity with my lifestyle and health. For a dozen years, until my late 20s, I struggled with bulimia. Becoming vegan improved my relationship with food, aligning my diet with my values, and I have never been more at peace with myself.

Why do you enjoy working out?

For me, being active is fun—not only because I feel good moving my body, but because I am also outside with friends, reading on a stationary bike or listening to favorite podcasts while stretching.

Six days a week, I do an hour of cardio; either swimming or the stationary bike. Every other day I practice yoga for at least 45 minutes to ensure that my back stays pain-free. Once a week, I go hiking for two hours with friends, chatting the whole time, which all makes it worth getting up at 4:30 a.m. I walk whenever I’m on a conference call, either outside or at my tread desk, a simple treadmill under a standing desk; I’m walking on it when I’m reading or answering emails, too. It’s the best present I ever gave myself.

Like everyone, sometimes I don’t particularly feel like working out, but all these factors make it easier to start, and once I start, I’m always glad to be exercising.

Gerry Strauss is a freelance writer i n H a m i l t o n , N J . C o n n e c t a t GerryStrauss@aol.com.

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September 2015

25

inspiration

The Adventure of Couchsurfing Stay with Locals and Make New Friends

by Lisa Rosinky

As a traveler, offer an ethnic meal, good story or how to say hello in a different language. As a host, be open to what guests can teach. Keep a travel log and guestbook to record memories.

D

aniel Sperry, a “couchsurfer” in his late 50s, decided a few years ago to quit his day job and make a living by performing cello music and reciting poetry in living rooms across the country. “I didn’t know it would become a catalyst for bringing

communities of local people together,” he says, but his first gig, a “little shotgun shack” in Elko, Nevada, became more than a once in a lifetime experience. Years later, his Elko host remains a close friend and hosts a regular (and lucrative) stop on his cross-country tours.

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Lake Norman, NC

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Not only does creating connections with strangers make us happier—as University of Chicago social scientists have proven—it leads to fun travel stories. If we choose to see the world via the decade-old organization at Couchsurfing.com, we might find ourselves sleeping on a sailboat in the Irish Sea; meeting backpackers by solar-powered light in a cave in Petra, Jordan; sharing a room with a pet bird that falls asleep listening to sappy love songs on the radio; or jamming to old-time banjo and fiddle tunes in a North Carolina kitchen.

The global community of couchsurfers, now 10 million strong, considers strangers “friends you haven’t met yet.” They currently are hosting and organizing more than half-a-million events in more than 200,000 cities worldwide this year. The aim is to make travel easier and more affordable, build people’s faith and trust in one another and create meaningful connections across cultures.

It’s easy to become a member by creating a profile as a host and/or a traveler, which includes verified identification.

Guests don’t need to reciprocate by hosting or leaving gifts, although lasting friendships are a common result. Hosts and guests are encouraged to leave honest reviews for each other, which helps ensure ongoing safety and good behavior all around.

Meanwhile, non-members also are welcome to explore couchsurfing events in their city. Fun opportunities to make new connections include weekly language exchanges, skill swaps, outdoor activities and potlucks.

“For me, it’s undeniably about the community, the kind of person it tends to attract,” says Joseph Abrahamson, a couchsurfer in his mid-20s. “A room full of couchsurfers is full of stories and listening and sharing and trust. It changes a person in a positive way… people that travel like this for long enough can no longer survive with closed minds.”

Lisa Rosinky is a freelance writer in Boston.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Join us! How does your product, service or project support our local or global community?

Be a part of our special Working Together October issue.

• Alternative Fuel Vehicles • Barter Clubs • Bicycle Shops • Career Consultants • Cohousing/Intentional Communities • Community Banks • Community Gardens & Co-ops • Consignment & Resale Shops • Earth-Friendly Cleaning • Eco-Conscious Investment Advisors

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September 2015

27

naturalpet

EYE HEALTH FOR DOGS 10 Foods to Keep Canine Vision Sharp

by Audi Donamor

K

ey colorful foods, packed with nutrients, protect against eye problems ranging from progressive retinal atrophy and uveitis to cataracts and glaucoma.

Here are 10 foods that are highly regarded in helping prevent and defend against vision problems. Their

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Lake Norman, NC

eye-worthy nutrients include anthocyanins, beta-carotene, carotenoids, glutathione, lycopene, omega-3 essential fatty acids, phytonutrients—and the special partnership of lutein and zeaxanthin, sometimes referred to as “sunscreen for the eyes”.

An easy way to serve these powerpacked foods is as a mash. Simply combine a few cups of fruits and vegetables in a food processor with a half-cup of filtered water and blend as a raw pet meal topper. For a cooked topper, chop the fruits and vegetables and place in a medium sized sauce pan with the filtered water and a couple tablespoons of first-pressed olive oil.

Simmer gently, cool and serve. Maybe top it all off with a fish or egg.

Blueberries contain two eye-healthy carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin.

They also deliver anthocyanins, eyenourishing phytonutrients known to support night vision, according to a study published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. University of Oklahoma research suggests that flavonoids like the rutin, resveratrol and quercetin in blueberries may help prevent retinal atrophy. Their selenium and zinc components also support vision, according to a study from the National Eye Institute. Eating blueberries has even been associated with the reduction of eye fatigue, according to The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

AwakeningLKN.com

Broccoli’s anti-cancer benefits are well known, but it’s also recognized as one of the best vegetables for eye health. A good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, it’s also packed with beta-carotene. Don’t leave the leaves behind, because they contain even more beta-carotene than the stems and florets. Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found that broccoli and broccoli sprouts protect the retina from free radical damage, which may be due to a compound called sulphoraphane that boosts the body’s defense against free radicals.

Carrots come in 100 varieties, from deep purple and white to brilliant orange. Each is a storehouse of nutrient power, providing vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamins C, D, E and K, and riboflavin, niacin, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, copper and iodine. The adage that carrots are good for the eyes is true.

They even contain lycopene and lutein, phytonutrients that protect from UVB radiation and free radical damage.

Cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, cod, haddock and sardines are rich in omega-3s, especially EPA and DHA, which are widely known to be important to cellular health. DHA makes up 30 percent of the fatty acids that comprise the retina. The particularly high levels of omega-3s in sardines add further protection to retinal health, according to researchers at

Make vision and diet part of annual exams by a local vet.

the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Eggs are rich in cysteine and sulphur, two components of glutathione. Cataract Health News reports that sulphurcontaining compounds have been found to protect eyes from cataract formation.

Egg yolks contain lutein, and a University of Massachusetts study has found that eating an egg a day raised levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in the blood; at the same time, blood serum lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations remained stable.

Dr. Carrie Uehlein Dr. Nicole Sheehan

Garlic. Researchers at the University of Oregon suggest that sulphur-rich garlic is important for the production of glutathione, a protein that acts as an antioxidant for the eye’s lens, and can be instrumental in the prevention of some visual problems.

Kale is an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin. The American Optometric Association says these special antioxidants act like “internal sunglasses.” Add beta-carotene to the mix and kale serves as a preferred foil to oxidative stress.

Pumpkin’s orange color is a sure sign that it’s packed with carotenoids like beta-carotene, which help neutralize free radicals. Its lutein and zeaxanthin generally promote eye health and further protect against retinal degeneration.

Even pumpkin seeds carry several benefits, including omega-3s, zinc and phytosterols to enhance a dog’s immune response.

Sweet potatoes are loaded with both beta-carotene and anthocyanins, the latter high in antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.

Tomatoes are famous for their lycopene, a carotenoid and phytonutrient found in red produce. This powerful antioxidant helps protect against sun damage and retinal degeneration and has been well documented as effective in cancer prevention. Processed tomato products contain higher levels of lycopene than the raw fruit.

Audi Donamor regularly contributes to Animal Wellness Magazine (Animal WellnessMagazine.com), from which this was adapted and used with permission.

calendar ofevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 1st of the month and adhere to our guidelines.

Visit AwakeningLKN.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Amazing Maize Maze Rural Hill – Opens today through November 1st! Get lost in our giant 7-acre corn maze featuring over two miles of interconnecting paths. One of the largest in the Southeast, our maze is sure to please! Take a hayride around the farm, play a round of corn-hole, explore our historic site, play in our mini-mazes, have a picnic, hike our trails & much, much more! 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville. 704-875-3113. RuralHill.net.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Myfascial Massage – 8am-5am. Soft tissue can become restricted due to stress, overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow. $50, pre-registration required, please contact us at (704) 938-1589 to reserve your spot.

Hurley Wellness Center 1807 S. Main St. Kannapolis, NC 28081. HurleyWellnessCenter.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Harvest Folk Festival – 10am-5pm. Celebrate Catawba County’s agricultural heritage with an array of exhibits, craftsmen, & activities, including petting zoos, antique cars, tractors, & farm machinery, & traditional food preparations. Adult $5.00, children under 10 are free. Murray’s Mill, 1489 Murrays Mill Rd, Catawba. 828-241-4299.

CatawbaHistory.org Colonial Fair – 10am-4pm. What would it have been like to live on the North Carolina frontier during the French and Indian War? This event explores the lives of everyday men, women, and children.

Demonstrations will feature historic trades, food ways and 18th century frontier culture. $3.00 person, children under 5 are free. FortDobbs.org.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Harvest Folk Festival – 10am-5pm. Celebrate Catawba County’s agricultural heritage with an array of exhibits, craftsmen, & activities, including petting zoos, antique cars, tractors, & farm machinery, & traditional food preparations. Adult $5.00, children under 10 are free. Murray’s Mill, 1489 Murrays Mill Rd, Catawba. 828-241-4299.

CatawbaHistory.org Colonial Fair – 10am-4pm. What would it have been like to live on the North Carolina frontier during the French and Indian War? This event explores the lives of everyday men, women, and children.

Demonstrations will feature historic trades, food ways and 18th century frontier culture. $3.00 person, children under 5 are free. FortDobbs.org.

natural awakenings

September 2015

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ongoingevents NOTE: All calendar events must be received via email by the 1st of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Visit AwakeningLKN.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

monday EB Pro and Ion Cleanse Footbath ½ Price – All Day. Detoxify, cleanse, relax and rejuvenate from the inside out! Benefits can include: increased energy, boosted immune system, better sleep and more! $25, pre-registration required, please contact us at 704-938-1589 to reserve your spot. Hurley Wellness Center 1807 S. Main St. Kannapolis, NC 28081. HurleyWellnessCenter.com

tuesday EB Pro and Ion Cleanse Footbath ½ Price – All Day. Detoxify, cleanse, relax and rejuvenate from the inside out! Benefits can include: increased energy, boosted immune system, better sleep and more! $25, pre-registration required, please contact us at 704-938-1589 to reserve your spot. Hurley Wellness Center 1807 S. Main St. Kannapolis, NC 28081. HurleyWellnessCenter.com Earth Fare Good Olde Days – 4:30-7:30pm. Let Earth Fare take you back to the Good Olde days with an old-fashioned chicken dinner. Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. Eat in or to go, $7. Earth Fare, 14021 Boren St, Huntersville.

704-875-3122. EarthFare.com.

wednesday Electronics Recycling, Don’t Dump DONATE – All day. Goodwill provides free recycling of all computer systems. Any Brand. Any Condition. By donating your used electronics to Goodwill you are creating jobs and diverting millions of pounds of scrap from our landfills. Donations accepted at all Goodwill locations. For more information call 336-714-3066. GoodwillPC.org.

Statesville Rotary Farmers Market – 7am-noon.

Locally grown fresh fruits and produce in-season.

East Sharpe Street, Statesville. 704-878-4371. .North Mecklenburg Farmers Market – 7amnoon. Cornelius Elementary School, 21126 Catawba Ave, Cornelius. 704-336-2561.

thursday Coffee with Veterans – Free Coffee for Veterans.

Richards Coffee Shop and Veteran’s Museum. 165 N. Main Street, Mooresville. Open to the public every day. 704-663-0488. WelcomeVets@gmail.com.

WelcomeVets.com or WelcomeHomeVeteran.org.

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Lake Norman, NC

EB Pro and Ion Cleanse Footbath ½ Price – All Day. Detoxify, cleanse, relax and rejuvenate from the inside out! Benefits can include: increased energy, boosted immune system, better sleep and more! $25, pre-registration required, please contact us at 704-938-1589 to reserve your spot. Hurley Wellness Center 1807 S. Main St. Kannapolis, NC 28081. HurleyWellnessCenter.com Troutman Depot Farmers Market – 3:306:30pm. The Market will operate from April 18-September 26. Located at Troutman Esc Park, 338 North Aveune, Troutman. 704-528-7600 Live Music at Queens Landing – 5-9pm. The Melanie Williams Amphitheater at Queens Landing is one of the Largest Outdoor Venues at the Lake.

Great stage, plenty of seating, and huge grass field.

Kids welcome. Multiple locations to purchase drinks. 1459 River Highway, Mooresville. 704663-2628. QueensLanding.com

friday EB Pro and Ion Cleanse Footbath ½ Price – All Day. Detoxify, cleanse, relax and rejuvenate from the inside out! Benefits can include: increased energy, boosted immune system, better sleep and more! $25, pre-registration required, please contact us at 704-938-1589 to reserve your spot. Hurley Wellness Center 1807 S. Main St. Kannapolis, NC 28081. HurleyWellnessCenter.com Live Music at Queens Landing – 5-9pm. The Melanie Williams Amphitheater at Queens Landing is one of the Largest Outdoor Venues at the Lake. Great stage, plenty of seating, and huge grass field. Kids welcome. Multiple locations to purchase drinks. 1459 River Highway, Mooresville.

704-663-2628. QueensLanding.com

Saturday Statesville Rotary Farmers Market – 7 am-noon.

Locally grown fresh fruits & produce in-season. For Info: 704-878-4371. East Sharpe Street, Statesville.

North Mecklenburg Farmers Market – 7amnoon. Cornelius Elementary School, 21126 Catawba Ave, Cornelius. For details: 704-336-2561.

Davidson Farmers Market – 8am-12pm.

May-October. Next to town hall between South Main Street & Jackson Street, Davidson.

DavidsonFarmersMarket.org Denver Market – 8am-12pm. Located at: Rock Springs Elementary School, 3633 Hwy 16 N, Denver. For info: 704-736-8452.

AwakeningLKN.com

Mooresville Farmer’s Market – 8am-noon.

Every Saturday from thru October. Located in the community parking lot off of N Main Street on the corner of Church Street and West Iredell. This is located directly behind Fifth Third Bank. For info: 704-662-0270. Facebook.com/Downtown MooresvilleFarmersMarket/info.

The Huntersville Growers’ Market – 8am-12pm.

Enjoy the best local farmers have to offer including fresh produce, meats and more. Main & Maxwell Park is at the center of Huntersville. From I77, exit 23; go East approximately 2 miles to Maxwell St, North on Maxwell to the corner of Main. Call: 704-766-2220. Huntersville.org.

Live Music at Queens Landing – 5-9pm. The Melanie Williams Amphitheater at Queens Landing is one of the Largest Outdoor Venues at the Lake.

Great stage, plenty of seating, and huge grass field.

Kids welcome. Multiple locations to purchase drinks. 1459 River Highway, Mooresville. 704663-2628. QueensLanding.com

sunday The Bridge – 9, 10 & 11am services. Connecting God and the community. There is a place for you at The Bridge. Church of the Nazarene. Life Groups, Services, Pre-school, Teens, Seniors. The Bridge, Charlotte Hwy, Hwy 21, Mooresville. Phone: 704664-4216 2940. TheBridgeLKN.com.

Worship at THE COVE – 9:30, 11:15am, 6pm.

You are invited to worship at THE COVE Church, 197 Langtree Rd, Mooresville. Call: 704-655-3000.

CoveChurch.org.

Worship at THE COVE – 9:30 and 11:15am.

You are invited to worship at THE COVE Church.

Statesville High School–MacGray Auditorium, 474 N Center St, Statesville. For info: 704-655-3000.

COVEChurch.org.

Unity Spiritual Center of Lake Norman - Adult Discussion Class – 9:30-10:30am. Discussion on life issues viewed through spiritual lens. If you’re not living the spiritual life you’d like, come join our “spirited” discussions! Friendly & easy for new people to come. The Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216 Westmoreland Rd, Cornelius.

704-267-5498. UnityLakeNorman@gmail.com.

UnityLakeNorman.org.

Unity of Lake Norman Spiritual Center Gathering – 11-12:10am. If you’re seeking a positive, progressive spiritual path that offers New Thought principles, thought-provoking messages, where everyone is welcome -you’ll feel like you’ve “come home.” Come explore these practical, timeless teachings. The Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216 Westmoreland Rd, Cornelius. 704-267-5498. UnityLakeNorman.org.

UnityLakeNorman@gmail.com.

Concerts on the Green – 6pm-8pm. 1st and 3rd Sundays May-September, with the addition of the June 8 and July 4 concerts. (The green will be closed for the month of July, following the Fourth of July concert). Located on the town green in downtown Davidson at the corner of Main Street and Concord Road, on the Davidson Public Library stage. Free, rain or shine. For more info.

ConcertsOnTheGreen.com

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included, email Publisher@ AwakeningLKN.com to request our media kit.

BIO-FEEDBACK

ACUPUNCTURE DELINA H. BISHOP M.D.

HealthWell MD at Your Karma at the Lake 438-C Williamson Road, Mooresville 704-664-1275 HealthWellMD.com

ASCEND WELLNESS

Cristin Gregory, MSOM, Dipl OM, L.Ac. 13531 Mayes Rd, Huntersville 704-892-5002 WellbeingNaturalHealth.com

A powerful new way to heal.

Reduce symptoms and treat underlying dysfunction. Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequency with ONDAMED technology is used with patients with addiction, diseases, illnesses, injuries and emotional trauma.

ADVANCED INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

570 Williamson Road Suite C, Mooresville AdvancedIntegrativeMedicineNC.com 704-799-9740

Treating disease and illness with advanced protocols. Natural drugFree therapies and preventative medicine for children and adults.

Bloodwork, testing, and IV therapies. See ad, page 19.

ANTI-AGING ADVANCED COLLAGEN THERAPY 17714 Kings Point Drive, Cornelius Inside Lake Norman Skin Care 704-361-8614 AdvancedCollagenTherapy.com

Fractional Dermabrasion. A natural alternative to skin rejuvenation for fine lines and wrinkles, sagging jowls, acne scars, burns and surgical scars and even stretch marks. See ad on page 13.

ANCB & ANMCB Board Certified Traditional Naturopath, ASPT Board Certified Phlebotomist, Certified in Lymphatic Detoxification & Clinical Microscopy 1807 S Main St, Kannapolis 704-938-1589 HurleyWellnessCenter.com

Wellness Healthcare Provider & Educator. Medically educated, clinically trained, 20+ years experience. Whole body detoxification. Treating people, not symptoms, nor the disease. Find the real cause of your complaints. See ad, page 10.

NUTRITIONIST CORRINE LEWIS, CNA, CFA BS NATURAL HEALTH SCIENCES

CERTIFIED NUTRITIONAL ADVISOR CERTIFIED FAMILY HERBALIST Simply Nutritious LLC 13531 Mayes Rd, Huntersville 704-746-6242 • SimplyNutritiousNow.com

DETOX ASCEND WELLNESS Mooresville, NC 704-978-8309 AscendWellness.us

Your eating habits affect your overall health and lifestyle. By providing solutions for your food challenges, you’ll cook delicious, nutritious meals and eat healthy on any budget. See ad, page 6.

Detoxify and boost your immune system with essential oil application, Ionic Foot Bath and Ondamed BioFeedback. Reduce pain, inflammation, depression, and anxiety. Boost your energy.

Offering Private and Community acupuncture to address all your health concerns, including women’s health, pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, autoimmune conditions, and digestive disorders. Utilizing Acupuncture, Moxa, Chinese herbs, and Qigong. See ad, page 5.

ADVANCED INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

DR. LORA HURLEY, ND, CTN, CPT

Mooresville, NC 704-978-8309 AscendWellness.us

Treating the whole patient, Dr Bishop offers Integrative Primary Care & Family Medicine services complemented by Acupuncture, Counseling, Nutrition/Dietary Guidance, Preventative Care, and Wellness Plans as well as in-depth medical records assessments and medication reviews. Unlimited acupuncture & physician visits $149/month.

WELLBEING NATURAL HEALTH

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN

PET SERVICES INTEGRATIVE PRIMARY CARE DELINA H. BISHOP M.D.

HealthWell MD at Your Karma at the Lake 438-C Williamson Road, Mooresville 704-664-1275 HealthWellMD.com

Treating the whole patient, Dr Bishop offers Integrative Primary Care & Family Medicine services complemented by Acupuncture, Counseling, Nutrition/Dietary Guidance, Preventative Care, and Wellness Plans as well as in-depth medical records assessments and medication reviews. Now in-network with most insurers including Medicare. See ad, page 19. .

DOG WALKERS & MORE AT CODDLE CREEK, LLC Mooresville, NC 704-662-0973 CoddleCreekPetServices.com

We coddle your pets when you cannot. Local professional pet sitting business providing dog walking, vacation pet sitting and pet transport in Mooresville and nearby areas of Davidson & Cornelius. Bonded & insured.

Members of NAPPS. See ad, page 28.

REIKI DEBBIE CHISHOLM

Reiki Master Lake Norman & Charlotte 704-659-5252 DebbieChisholm.com

Empowering self-healing of body, mind, emotions & spirit, the hands on energy support of Reiki bathes the body in unconditional Divine love and light providing you with another tool in your tool box for healing.

Sessions geared to your specific needs. See debbiechisholm.com for more details & benefits.

See ad, page 18.

natural awakenings

September 2015

31

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