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The Hottest Trends in Sustainable Foods

Superherbs!

Four Plants that Fight Off Disease

Gluten-Free On The Go Aquaponic Gardening Grow Your Own Organic Fish and Veggies

March 2014 | South Central Wisconsin Edition | AwakeMadison.com

letterfrompublisher “You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.” ~ Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull One of my mom’s many memorable sayings was, “You bloom best where you’re planted.” She told me that, I think, to stave off the wanderlust that has transported me far and wide across this great land of ours. I’ve come to agree with her as well as Elizabeth Berry’s wry observation, “Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.”

I am glad to now be shaking off the jet lag not only of this long cold winter but also of having shipped myself off to other places I thought I wanted to be to dive wholeheartedly into creating an ever-more authentic experience of being here with you. It took coming home to Wisconsin to discover a fresh world of possibilities right here in our area’s vibrant Natural Awakenings community.

Recently, echoes of Jonathan Livingston Seagull’s words turned up in a dream when I envisioned myself as a soaring inland gull swooping down into a verdant urban space. As I flew closer the ubiquitous dome of the state capitol came into view and I realized I was finally, really home and that Madison is my dream place to be. How wondrous that we daily enjoy access to abundant green and livable spaces generously embroidered with beautiful lakes, streams, parks and trails. Ultimately, of course, it’s the people who make this place America’s finest in our eyes.

Likewise, we have access to rich harvests of locally grown natural foods and the fruits of sustainable-community-minded people. Thousands take an active interest in educating themselves on the kinds of top-notch topics this magazine explores each month.

In preparing for my new role as publisher, I consulted The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey about the wisdom of creating a mission statement. Sage counsel recommends I not rush into it or announce it, but instead invite active participation. I am happy to take that advice and invite you to collaborate with me in discerning and developing the mission of our magazine as a free community resource. I am aware of the need for a more sophisticated online and social media presence and trust that you allow me time, latitude and assistance to cultivate that. Your reading and sharing the magazine is a good start because without you we wouldn’t be here.

In support of this month’s Food & Garden theme, we especially highlight local contributions by healing arts practitioner Jerry Landau on “Tending the Gardener,” and my friend Sarah Lozanova on “Easy-to-Avoid Food Additives.”

We welcome your thoughtful contributions in ideas for future articles, news and health briefs and whatever else you believe will forward our mission. Please let our advertisers know you appreciate their support, too, so that we can all continue to grow and together serve this magnificent natural living community.

Cheers to you,

contact us Publisher Donald Beran Editors Lauressa Nelson Julianne Hale Tisha Temple Design & Production Danelle Pretasky Distribution Koari Nelson Martine Davis

To contact Natural Awakenings Phone: 608-721-2254 Fax: 866-645-4412 P.O. Box 3394 Madison, WI 53704 Publisher@AwakeMadison.com www.AwakeMadison.com © 2014 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $24 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

Donald Don Donnie Beran, Publisher

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

contents 5 newsbriefs

8

7 healthbriefs

10 globalbriefs 12 healingways

10 16 wisewords

12 SUPERHERBS

Four Plants that fight Off Disease

by Kathleen Barnes

18 greenliving

14 FRESH FOOD TRENDS

20 consciouseating

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

22 inspiration

21

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.

24 healthykids 27 fitbody 29 calendar 30 resourceguide

Natural Trailblazers in Sustainable Eating

16 FROM “WHY ME?”

14

TO “THANK YOU!”

Wayne Dyer on the Value of Hard Lessons

by Linda Sechrist

18 FOOD REVOLUTION IN A TANK

Aquaponics Offers Year-Round Homegrown Fish and Veggies

by Avery Mack

advertising & submissions

12

20 GLUTEN-FREE

16

ON THE GO

Safe Eating Away from Home

How to Advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 608-721-2254 or email Publisher@AwakeMadison.com. Medit kit with advertising prices can also be found on our website.

Deadline for ads: 12th of the month.

Editorial submissions Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@AwakeMadison.com.

Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month. calendar submissions Deadline for calendar: 12th of the month.

Email your formatted listing to Publisher@AwakeMadison.com.

by Judith Fertig

22 GARDENING AS

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Cycles of Growth Cultivate Our Divinity

by April Thompson

24 ACTION PLAN

FOR PARENTS

Seven Signs of Food Sensitivities

by Pamela Bond

27 TWEET THOSE

FITNESS GOALS

Online Friends Help Us Stay on Track

by Tamara Grand

www.AwakeMadison.com 4

24

newsbriefs FairShare CSA Coalition Open House

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he 22nd annual Fairshare CSA Coalition Open House, which provides an opportunity for Madison area residents to meet more than 35 community supported agriculture (CSA) farmers and learn about the benefits of farm membership, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m., March 23, at Monona Terrace, in Madison.

The event includes farm booths and event information, workshops, free samples of recipes from FairShare’s cookbooks, children’s activities and information about FairShare’s annual Bike the Barns event. Attendees can purchase shares onsite to invest in fresh, local food, a healthy lifestyle and the local economy. CSA members may attend events on their farms and will have the benefits of knowing where their food comes from and how it is grown.

CSA membership is a direct investment in a farm. Purchasers receive fresh farm products weekly or every other week throughout the growing season. From produce to poultry, FairShare CSA farms offer several options to fulfill everyone’s needs. Most farms sell some specialty items in addition to their shares, such as honey, eggs, flowers, jelly, preserves and soap.

WELLIFE Mind Body Spirit EXPO at the Sheraton Hotel Madison

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he 13th Annual WELLIFE EXPO features the theme Passionate Abundance: Be All That You Can Be, encouraging the pursuit of happiness as not only everyone’s dream but everyone’s right. The show features inspirational Music and Workshop presentations throughout the weekend of from 10am to 6pm on both March 8 and 9. There is nothing like it in the Madison area. It features a Circle of Light and Abundance Musical Harmony Meditation Ceremony at 9:45 each morning that you won’t want to miss.

The EXPO features an exhibit hall of rich opportunity, healing & alternatives, arts, crafts, natural products and services, vendors, healers, massage, Reiki, energy work dedicated to your well-being and planet sustainability, local and regional talent and performance art throughout the day: Healing inspirations, David Bicknase’s beautifully exotic keyboard performances and the Galynne Goodwill Music: Soulfully Conscious Uplifting will inspire. Also featured will be several attuned Psychic readers providing intuitive consulting guidance: clairvoyance, astrology, palmistry, numerology, past lives, Akashic, Chinese and Rune divination, mediumship, angel readings and more.

Admission fee: $5 with 20 percent being donated to Agrace HospiceCare & Porchlight Homeless Shelter. Location: 706 John Nolen Dr., Madison. For more information, call 608-256-0080 or visit wellife.org. See ad, page 9.

Free. Location: 1 John Nolen Dr., Madison. For more information, call 608-226-0300 or 352-870-2924, email Julie@CSACoalition.org or visit CSACoalition.org. See ad, page 5.

Stoughton Healthy Eating Fair

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he Stoughton Wellness Coalition will present the opportunity to learn about local healthy eating resources, including local farms, CSAs, the Yahara River Grocery Cooperative, FairShare CSA Coalition and Stoughton Hospital at the first Stoughton Healthy Eating Fair, from 1 to 3 p.m., March 16, at River Bluff Middle School.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with local farmers and food producers, including Blue Moon Community Farm, Blue Skies Organic Berry Farm, Emancipation Acres, Roots Down Community Farm, Sprouting Acres and Tipi Produce. The From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook and a $100 gift certificate toward a CSA membership are among the door prizes to be awarded. Admission is free.

Location: 235 N. Forest St., Stoughton. For more information, call 608-873-2392 or email LSchaefer@StoHosp.com. natural awakenings March 2014

5

newsbriefs New Bottled Water Supports Energy and Balance

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2O Energy Flow is a new bottled water that, unlike others on the market today, does not lose its benefits after bottling. It is the only water intended to help balance the body’s systems for optimal performance. H2O Energy Flow can be purchased at Healthy Woman, Madison, or delivered to any home or office.

“Not all water is equal,” says Mark Bublitz. “Water is supposed to be a source of energy just like the food you eat. Most municipal and filtered water have been stripped of any energy and is dead water. Nature supplies water with energetic frequencies as it flows along the ground in its natural state. H2O Energy Flow is bottled from a natural spring source and is energized through an all-natural process that specializes in frequency imprinting of water.”

Healthy Woman location: 7617 Mineral Point Rd. For home or office delivery, call 888-602-6568 or email Mark@H2OEnergyFlow.com. For more information and to register for a monthly enewsletter, visit H2OEnergyFlow.com. See ad inside back cover.

Natural Parenting Expo at Monona Terrace

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he Natural Parenting Expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 23 at the Monona Terrace.. This event is sponsored by Blue River Chiropractic, Happy Bambino, Willy St. Co-op and Dane Birth Coalition. The goal of this event is to create a day of family fun, filled with inspiration and education.

Face painting, silly photo booths, vermin-composting, kids’ crafts, seminars for stressed-out parents are some of the many planned activities. Healthy food will be provided by Terrace Catering Come for the day and leave with inspiration and memories! Looking for non-toxic products for kids or trusted natural health providers? Over 70 booths will be stocked with educational materials, natural products and special offers.

Location: Monona Terrace Convention Center. For more information including on exhibiting, call Kimberly at 608-205-8816, email NaturalParentingNetwork@gmail.com or visit NaturalParentingExpo.com or on Facebook at the Natural Parenting Expo.

See ad, page 19.

Wildwood Institute Offers Beginning Herbal Apprenticeship

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ildwood Institute, in Madison, will offer a Beginning Herbal Apprenticeship program for the spring semester starting May 17. Students will learn how to use herbs safely and effectively during this training, which is ideal for those that want to learn for personal use, as well as for healthcare practitioners seeking to broaden their holistic healing methods.

Instruction includes hands-on training in harvesting and making herbal remedies, coupled with herb walks and outdoor teaching within a small classroom setting. The program is flexible, allowing participants to complete a three-year program or take only one or two semesters, based on their personal preference.

For more information or to apply, visit WildwoodInstitute.com.

See ad, page 25.

Ki and Heart Training at Madison College

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adison College will offer a Ki and Heart Training in two parts. Part one, Awaken the Power of Ki and Heart, begins on Mondays from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m., April 14 through June 2, at Madison College Deborah Bachmann and client Truax, and part two, Encounter Your True Self and Create a Bright Future, takes place Mondays at the same time from September 8 through October 27.

Taught by Deborah Bachmann, a shiatsu therapist and instructor at the Tao Sangha Madison Healing Center, participants will gain an understanding of Eastern holistic approaches to health and healing by experiencing how our state of heart, words and images can shape and improve lives. Ki and Heart practices to be taught include partner yoga, heart oneness exercises, martial arts, meditations, Buddhist chanting and shiatsu therapy.

Cost: $199. Location: 1701 Wright St., Madison. To register, call 855-473-2301 or visit MadisonCollege.edu/student-status.

For more information, call 608-257-4663, email Madison@ TaoSangha-na.com or visit TaoSangha-na.com.

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healthbriefs

DIY Projects Keep Seniors Moving

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he British Journal of Sports Medicine reports that a generally active daily life that includes do-it-yourself activities and projects like gardening and car maintenance can cut the risks of heart attacks and strokes by as much as 30 percent and prolong life among adults 60 and over.

These routine activities may be as beneficial as exercising for older adults because they decrease total sedentary time, the researchers say.

Scientists in Stockholm, Sweden, tracked more than 4,000 men and women for an average of 12.5 years, starting at age 60. At the start of the study, regardless of exercise habits, high levels of other physical activity were associated with smaller waists and lower levels of potentially harmful blood fats in both sexes, and lower levels of glucose, insulin and clotting factor levels in men.

Those with higher levels of other physical activity were also significantly less likely to experience metabolic syndrome, a first cardiovascular disease event, and early mortality from any cause. The same was true for individuals that undertook high levels of formal exercise, even if it wasn’t routine. Participants that both exercised regularly and were often physically active in their daily life had the lowest risk profile of all.

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     

   -- 

Try an ancient healing massage from Thailand !

Traditional Thai massage helps the natural healing process and energizes the body. The therapist have lived and trained in Thailand and is the expert in Thai massage! $60 / 60min

Owner Kaori (Kay) Nelson LMT 10463-146 natural awakenings March 2014

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healthbriefs

Silver Colloids Support Sinus Health Naturally

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or people with sensitive sinuses, breathing can be difficult without the help of steroid sprays and antibiotics, both of which feature a laundry list of detrimental, long-term health effects. Antimicrobial agents are both natural and safe enough to use several times a day and effective at maintaining a healthy sinus. A natural antimicrobial protocol using an enhanced aqueous silver colloid of greater than 30 parts per million is now being used to relieve the burden on the immune system and prevent chronic irritation of sinus passageways.

One crucial function our sinuses perform is filtering the air we breathe, which is filled with viruses, bacteria and fungi. The easiest way to maintain sinus health is to kill these pathogens before their numbers become large. Silver colloids, delivered through the nose with either a neti pot or nasal spray, are one way to do this, according to Steven Frank, author of Managing Sinus Health: Clearing Sinus Infections without Antibiotics.

For the remedy to work, it is important to blow the nose prior to use and then coat the tissues of the nasal passageways, allowing the liquid to remain there as long as possible. Then, a second, similar spray application can follow after a few minutes, while avoiding blowing the nose in the interval.

For more information, email SteveF@NaturesRiteRemedies.com or visit MyNaturesRite.com/blog. See ad, pag 16.

Coconut Oil Manages Cholesterol, Shrinks Waistlines

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educed physical activity and increased consumption of carbohydrates and saturated fats fuel increased rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance, plus abnormal lipid content in the blood. Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, its chemical composition appears to prevent it from generating negative effects on lipid profiles, according to a growing body of research.

In an earlier study published in Lipids, women that exhibited abdominal obesity consumed supplements of either coconut oil or soybean oil. Throughout the 12-week trial, both groups followed the same weight-loss diet. At the end, the coconut oil group presented a higher level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or protective cholesterol, and smaller waistlines, while the soybean oil group showed lower HDL levels and an increase in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plus a less desirable LDL-to-HDL ratio. In a later study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consumption of coconut oil was again associated with a beneficial lipid profile in pre-menopausal women.

Researchers that conducted a concurrent pilot study with male and female subjects found that men also experienced shrinking waistlines when supplementing with coconut oil. They explain that coconut oil contains mainly medium-chain fatty acids, which rapidly convert into energy, thereby circumventing the cycle that makes cholesterol and stores fat (Pharmacology).

South Central Wisconsin www.AwakeMadison.com 8

Chemicals Harm Pets, Too

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he nationwide health epidemic of chronic diseases afflicting the human population is also showing up among companion animals. According to a report by the Environmental Working Group, pets, like a canary in a coal mine, may be the environmental sentinels that are now signaling a clear connection between disease and manmade chemicals.

In a study that analyzed blood samples of dogs and cats, 48 of 70 industrial chemicals and pollutants were traced, many recording levels that were substantially higher than previously reported in national studies of humans. Dogs displayed double the concentration of perfluorochemicals (used in stain-proof and grease-proof coatings); cats evidenced 23 times the concentration of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) fire retardants and 5.4 times the amount of mercury.

PBDE levels in hyperthyroid cats have been linked to eating canned cat food and to the increased use of PBDEs in consumer products during the past 30 years. In humans, high levels of flameretardant chemicals are implicated in endocrine disruption, Type 2 diabetes and thyroid disease.

Suggestions for minimizing exposure include avoiding chemicalladen household cleaners, furnishings and carpet; drinking carbon-filtered water; steering clear of food and beverage containers made from or lined with plastic (including cans); and eating organic produce and free-range meat.

Legumes Improve Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure

www.peacefulheart.net

It’s crystal clear

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cup of beans a day may keep the doctor away. In a randomized trial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine of 121 participants diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, daily consumption of approximately one cup of legumes (peas and beans) was found to improve glycemic control and reduce systolic blood pressure and heart rate, thereby reducing participants’ calculated risk score for coronary heart disease (CHD).

Body weight, waist circumference and fasting blood glucose and triglyceride levels also decreased on the legume diet. Legumes appear to make dietary carbohydrates digest more slowly and with a lower glycemic index, which has been associated with reduced hypertension and fewer CHD events in pre-diabetic individuals.

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Peaceful Heart

Vitamin E Hope for Cancer Care

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lusive anti-cancer elements of vitamin E, natural tocopherols, have been identified by researchers at Ohio State University as being able to deactivate an enzyme essential for cancer cell survival.

Although both alpha and gamma forms of natural tocopherols worked, the gamma was the most potent in shutting down the troublesome enzyme. Through manipulating the structure of the gamma molecule, the scientists were able to create an agent 20 times more effective than the original vitamin. In mice, this agent reduced the size of prostate cancer tumors.

Over-the-counter vitamin E supplements are limited because many use synthetic forms that do not contain the natural gamma tocopherols. The study’s authors, led by Ching-Shih Chen, Ph.D., note that the human body cannot absorb the high dosages of natural vitamin E required to achieve the anti-cancer effect; their goal is to develop a safe pill that could be taken daily for cancer prevention.

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If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. ~Nadine Stair

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Info: Call Ken or Karen

608-256-0080 • www.wellife.org natural awakenings March 2014

9

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

Self-Sufficiency

America’s Best Community Garden Cities We don’t have to live in a rural area or even the suburbs to be a farmer these days. According to the Trust for Public Land, the 10 best cities for homegrown veggies from urban gardens are Seattle, Washington (a P-Patch program provides 68 gardens for residents throughout the city); Portland, Oregon (its Produce for People program donates fresh produce to local hunger agencies); Long Beach, California (growing anything from sugar cane and lemongrass to sunflowers and tomatoes); St. Paul, Minnesota (17 community gardens—half run by nonprofits and half open to rent); Honolulu, Hawaii (1,254 plots for public use); San Jose, California (19 community gardens on 35 acres); Baltimore, Maryland (community gardens cover 11 acres throughout the city); Washington, D.C. (a Master Peace Farm program tends area gardens and mentors budding veggie growers at an adjoining middle school); Anchorage, Alaska (a city goal is enabling residents to work together in harmony); and Louisville, Kentucky (Brightside’s community garden program, established 19 years ago, currently manages 10 of Louisville’s 16 gardens).

These gardens not only extol the virtues of fresh, local and often organic foods, they also bring communities together. Some produce food for those in need, others have youth programs and some have even been credited with reducing local crime rates. Many community gardens accept new members in the fall; visit acga.LocalHarvest.org to find one nearby and reserve a space.

Source: TheDailyGreen.com

Looming Law International Pact Could Lower Food Protections The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the largest global trade pact to be negotiated since the inception of the World Trade Organization. Many details remain a mystery and negotiations are being conducted in secret. Leaked drafts of its provisions indicate that the TPP would give multinational corporations the power to sue countries, states, counties or cities in order to negate laws specifically designed to protect citizens, such as bans on growing genetically modified organisms (GMO). Corporations would be allowed to resolve trade disputes in special international tribunals, effectively wiping out hundreds of domestic and international food sovereignty laws.

The TPP would require countries to accept food that meets only the lowest safety standards of the collective participants. If enacted, consumers could soon be eating imported seafood, beef or chicken products that don’t meet basic U.S. food safety standards, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be powerless to stop imports of such unsafe foods or ingredients. Plus, the labeling of products as fair trade, organic, country-of-origin, animal welfare-approved or GMO-free could be challenged as barriers to trade.

Opposition has grown, thanks to petitions by members of the Organic Consumers Association and other groups. More than 400 organizations, representing 15 million Americans, have petitioned Congress to do away with accelerated acceptance of the measure without full debate.

For more information, visit OrganicConsumers.org and search TPP. South Central Wisconsin www.AwakeMadison.com 10

Homegrown Access Creative Paths for Local Food Sourcing

Entrepreneurs are creating novel ways to circumvent the commercial food system that ships food, in or out of season, for hundreds or thousands of miles at the cost of quality and too often, accountability. Re:farm Denver, in Colorado, for example, supplies families with everything they need for backyard gardens, from irrigation systems to seeds. In 2013, 200 families participated.

Cottage food laws allow artisans to sell breads, jams, candy and other foods made in home kitchens. While specific restrictions vary, 42 states have some type of cottage law. Beth-Ann Betz, who bakes sweets in her New Hampshire kitchen, says, “It gives me the option to be independent and self-employed at 66.”

At the Community Thanksgiving Potluck, in Laguna Beach, California, dinner is shared, not served. For 25 years, those with homes and without, single people, families, city council members and the jobless have gathered to share food and community for the holiday. “It’s a wonderful chaos,” says Dawn Price, executive director of the nonprofit Friendship Shelter.

At Bottles Liquor, in West Oakland, California, a banner reads “Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Available Here.” Bottles is a member of the Healthy Neighborhood Store Alliance, an effort of the nonprofit Mandela Marketplace to bring pesticide-free produce to corner stores throughout the neighborhood.

Source: Yes magazine

Farm Relief

Vanishing Whales

FDA Wakens to Local Needs Small farms, farmers’ markets, local food processors and community food banks have been given a reprieve, because on December 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to take a second look at proposed new laws that would have put many of them out of business. The new rules, proposed under the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), came under fire from consumers, farmers and others with voices that were heard.

The FDA said its “thinking has evolved,” and “…significant changes will be needed in key provisions of the two proposed rules affecting small and large farmers. These provisions include water quality standards and testing, standards for using raw manure and compost, certain provisions affecting mixed-use facilities and procedures for withdrawing the qualified exemption for certain farms.”

Source: TheDailyGreen.com

Mercury Mystery

How Sinking Organic Matter Plagues Fish University of Michigan and University of Hawaii researchers claim to have solved a long-standing scientific mystery of how mercury gets into openwater fish. Based on their study findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they also project that mercury levels in Pacific fish will rise in the coming years.

The researchers discovered that up to 80 percent of the toxic form of mercury, methylmercury, is generated deep in the ocean, most likely by bacteria attached to sinking pieces of organic matter. Mercury found in Pacific fish near Hawaii likely traveled thousands of miles through the air before being deposited in the ocean, the team concludes, blaming industrial nations such as China and India that rely on coal-burning power plants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that large fish have the highest levels of methylmercury because they live longer and have more time to accumulate it.

Portland on Tap

City Voters Reject Fluoridation Again Portland, Oregon, residents have rejected a plan to fluoridate city water for the fourth time since 1956, making it the largest city (pop. 900,000) in the United States without fluoride in its water supply. In the 1950s, cities throughout the U.S. championed water fluoridation as a way of fighting tooth decay, but the effort backfired when a condition called fluorosis emerged, which ironically is characterized by tooth enamel discoloration and erosion.

Anti-fluoride forces say that water treatment is not the key to better dental health for children. Fluoride Action Network Executive Director Paul Connett, Ph.D., has a better idea. “We urge the legalization of dental therapists in Oregon who will treat the low-income children dentists refuse to treat.”

Illegal Hunting Continues to Decimate Species Whales are still being killed, despite an international ban on commercial whaling. According to Greenpeace, many whale species are down to around 1 percent of their estimated former abundance before the days of commercial whaling.

Fourteen whaling nations came together in 1946 to form the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to manage whale stocks and recommend hunting limits where appropriate, but the continuing decline of populations forced the IWC to call for an outright ban on all commercial whaling in 1986. Yet Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to defy the ban, each harvesting hundreds of whales every year.

Several green groups, including the Natural Resources Development Council (NRDC), recently petitioned the U.S. government to take action against Iceland under the Pelly Amendment to the Fisherman’s Protective Act. “The Amendment allows the president to impose trade sanctions against a country that is ‘diminishing the effectiveness’ of a conservation agreement—in Iceland’s case, the whaling moratorium and another international treaty that prohibits trade in endangered species,” writes the NRDC. The petition names several Icelandic firms—including major seafood companies with ties to the country’s whaling industry—as potential targets for trade sanctions.

To learn more, visit iwcoffice.org, Greenpeace. org and nrdc. org.

natural awakenings March 2014

11

healingways

Superherbs Four Plants that Fight Off Disease

by Kathleen Barnes

Mother Nature’s most potent healing herbs are already on most spice racks or growing nearby, often right outside the door.

H

erbs, respected for their healing properties for millennia, have been widely used by traditional healers with great success. Now clinical science supports their medicinal qualities.

Pharmaceutical companies routinely extract active ingredients from herbs for common medications, including the potent pain reliever codeine, derived from Papaver somniferum; the head-clearing antihistamines ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, from Ephedra sinica; and taxol, the chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat several types of cancer, including breast cancer, from Taxus brevifolia. These are among the findings according to Leslie Taylor, a naturopath and herbalist headquartered in Milam County, Texas, and author of The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs.

Even among an abundance of 12

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healing herbs, some stand out as nature’s “superherbs” that provide an array of medical properties, according to Rosemary Gladstar, of Barre, Vermont, the renowned author of Herbal Remedies for Vibrant Health and related works. Two of these, she notes, are widely considered nuisance weeds.

Plantain (Plantago major): Commonly used externally for poultices, open wounds, blood poisoning and bee stings, it also helps relieve a wider variety of skin irritations. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology, this common “weed” fortifies the liver and reduces inflammation, which may reduce the risk for many kinds of chronic diseases. At least one study, published in the journal Planta Medica, suggests that plantain can enhance the immune system to help

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fight cancer and infectious diseases.

“Plantain is considered a survival herb because of its high nutritional value,” advises Gladstar, who founded the California School of Herbal Studies, in Sonoma County, in 1978. A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry confirms it’s an excellent source of alpha-tocopherol, a natural form of vitamin E and beta carotene that can be used in salads for those that don’t mind its bitter taste.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Like plantain, dandelion is one of the most powerful medicinal herbs on the planet. “Dandelion is revered wherever you travel, except in the United States, where it is considered noxious,” observes Gladstar.

Americans should reconsider their obsession with eradication. Dandelion root is an effective treatment against several types of cancer, including oftenfatal pancreatic and colorectal cancers and melanoma, even those that have proven resistant to chemotherapy and other conventional treatments, according to several studies from the University of Windsor, in England.

Traditionally part of a detoxification diet, it’s also used to treat digestive ailments, reduce swelling and inflammation and stop internal and external bleeding.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa): Turmeric gives curry powder its vibrant yellow color. “Curcumin, turmeric’s most important active ingredient, is a wealth of health, backed by substantial scientific evidence that upholds its benefits,” says Jan McBarron, a medical and naturopathic doctor in Columbus, Georgia, author of Curcumin: The 21st Century Cure and co-host of the Duke and the Doctor radio show.

Several human and animal studies have shown that curcumin can be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, both in prevention and to slow or even stop its progress. One Australian study showed that curcumin helps rid the body of heavy metals that may be an underlying cause of the memory-robbing disease. Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that curcumin helped dissolve the plaques and tangles of brain mate-

Herb: A plant or a part of a plant that is used as medicine or to give flavor to food. ~ Merriam Webster rial characteristic to Alzheimer’s.

Curcumin is also known to be effective in lessening depression and preventing heart disease, some types of cancer and diabetes, says McBarron.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Primarily used for its considerable antiinflammatory properties, ginger makes a delicious and healing tea and an enticing spice in a variety of dishes. This herbal powerhouse has at least 477 active ingredients, according to Beyond Aspirin, by Thomas M. Newmark and Paul Schulick.

Considerable research confirms ginger’s effectiveness against a variety of digestive problems, including nausea from both morning sickness and chemotherapy. Research from Florida’s University of Miami also confirms its usefulness in reducing knee pain.

“Ginger is a good-tasting herb to treat any type of bacterial, fungal of viral infection,” says Linda Mix, a retired registered nurse in Rogersville, Tennesse, and author of Herbs for Life!

The health benefits of these four vital herbs are easily accessed by growing them in a home garden or pot or via extracted supplements.

Kathleen Barnes is the author of Rx from the Garden: 101 Food Cures You Can Easily Grow. Connect at KathleenBarnes.com.

Note: For referenced studies, check the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

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natural awakenings March 2014

13

Fresh Food Trends Natural Trailblazers in Sustainable Eating

by Melinda Hemmelgarn

Food experts have listed local, regional and sustainable foods among the top food trends for 2014. Consumers’ heightened environmental awareness and their love for fresh flavors are responsible.

T

here’s even a new term, “hyperlocal”, to describe produce harvested fresh from onsite gardens at restaurants, schools, supermarkets and hospitals—all designed for sourcing tasty, nutrient-rich foods minus the fuelguzzling transportation costs. Adding emphasis to the need to preserve vital local food sources, the United Nations has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming.

Here are four thriving food trends resulting from shifts in Americans’ thinking and our growing love for all things local.

Foraging

What could be more entertaining and economical than searching for and gathering wild foods in their natural habitat?

From paw paws and persimmons in Missouri to palmetto berries in Florida and seaweed in California, Mother Nature provides a feast at her children’s feet.

Commonly foraged foods include nuts, 14

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mushrooms, greens, herbs, fruits and even shellfish. To learn how to identify regional native wild foods and cash in on some “free” nutritious meals, foragers need to know where and when to harvest their bounty. Conservation departments and state and national parks often offer helpful field guides and recipes.

Jill Nussinow, also known as The Veggie Queen, a registered dietitian and cookbook author in Santa Rosa, California, characterizes foraging as “nature’s treasure hunt.” Nussinow says she forages for the thrill of it and because, “It puts you very much in touch with the seasons.”

On her typical foraging excursions through forests and on beaches, Nussinow notes, “You never know what you might find: mushrooms, berries, miner’s lettuce, mustard pods or sea vegetables.

It’s free food, there for the picking.”

However, she warns, “You have to know what you are doing. Some wild foods can be harmful.”

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For example, Nussinow advises getting to know about mushrooms before venturing forth to pick them. She recommends the book Mushrooms Demystified, by David Arora, as a learning tool, and checking with local mycological associations for safe mushroom identification. She also likes the advice of “Wildman” Steve Brill, of New York City, who publishes educational articles at Wildman SteveBrill.com. “He knows more about wild foods than anyone I know,” she says.

Vermont wildcrafter Nova Kim teaches her students not only how to identify wild edibles, but also how to harvest them sustainably. It’s critical to make sure wild foods will be available for future generations.

Fermentation

Kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut all owe their unique flavors to fermentation. Sandor Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes From Around the World, is a self-described “fermentation revivalist”. He explains how microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria that are universally present on raw vegetables and in milk, transform fresh food into preserved sustenance.

Katz recalls how his boyhood love for sour pickles grew to an “obsession with all things fermented.” An abundant garden crop of cabbage left him wondering, “What are we going to do with all that cabbage?” The answer came naturally: “Let’s make sauerkraut.”

Subsequently, Katz has become an international expert on the art and science of fermentation from wine to brine and beyond, collecting recipes and wisdom from past generations (WildFermentation. com). He observes, “Every single culture enjoys fermented foods.”

Increasing respect and reverence for fermented foods and related communities of beneficial microorganisms is a new frontier in nutrition and medical sciences. For example, several researchers at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting last fall in Houston, Texas, described the connections between the trillions of bacteria living in the human gut, known as the “microbiota”, and mental and physical health. Kelly Tappenden, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and

gastrointestinal physiology with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explained that gut bacteria play a variety of roles, including assisting in the digestion and absorption of nutrients; influencing gene expression; supporting the immune system; and affecting body weight and susceptibility to chronic disease.

According to Captain Joseph Hibbeln, a lipid biochemist and physician at the National Institutes of Health, American diets have become deficient in omega-3 fatty acids over the past 100 years, largely because of industrial agriculture. Hibbeln believes that consuming more omega-3s may be one of the most important dietary changes Americans can make to reduce the risk of chronic Feed Matters diseases, improve mental health and The popular adage, “We are what we enhance children’s brain and eye develeat,” applies to animals, as well. New opment, including boosting their IQs. research from Washington State Univer- Coldwater fish such as salmon, sity shows that organic whole milk from mackerel, tuna and sardines provide pasture-fed cows contains 62 percent excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3 Plus, dairy and meat from animals fatty acids compared to conventional, raised on pasture can improve our or non-organic, whole milk. The striking intake, as well. difference is accounted for by the fact that the U.S. Department of AgriculFaith ture’s national organic program legally How might eating with the “creation” requires that organic cows have access in mind influence food and agriculto pasture throughout the grazing ture trends? Barbara Ross, director of season. The more time cows spend on social services for Catholic Charities of high-quality pasture, which includes Central and Northern Missouri, begrass, legumes and hay, the more lieves, “People’s common denominator beneficial the fats will be in their milk. is that we are all part of and integral On the other hand, when ruminant to the creation.” She considers how animals, designed to graze on pasture, “Food, agriculture, environment and are fed a steady diet of corn and soy, economy are bound together in a way both their milk and meat contain less that requires we think, plan and act beneficial fat. for the dignity of each person and the common good of the human family.”

Ross explains that the choices we make in these vital areas affect the richness of our soils, the purity of our air and water and the health of all living things.

Marie George, Ph.D., a professor 1 Locally sourced meats of philosophy at St. John’s University, in and seafood Queens, New York, agrees, “The serious 2 Locally grown produce ecological crises we see today stem from the way we think,” and “reveal an 3 Environmental sustainability urgent moral need for a new solidarity” 4 Healthful kids’ meals to be better stewards of the Earth and its creatures. For example, George sees it 5 Gluten-free cuisine as contrary to human dignity to cause 6 Hyperlocal sourcing animals to suffer; that’s why she op (e.g. restaurant gardens) poses gestation crates and the push for 7 Children’s nutrition cheap food that exploits animals and the environment in the process.

8 Non-wheat noodles/pasta

Kelly Moltzen, a registered dietitian (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat) in Bronx, New York, shares a passion 9 Sustainable seafood for addressing food justice and sustainability from her faith-based perspective 10 Farm/estate-branded items of Franciscan spirituality. She believes that, “When we connect our spirituality Source: Restaurant.org with the daily act of eating, we can eat

Top 10 Food Trends for 2014

Hyperlocal Superstars Food Corps is a national nonprofit with a mission to improve school food and thus children’s health and lifelong potential. Active in 15 states, it places teams of young teachers in limited-resource communities to establish school gardens, provide food-based nutrition education and supplement school meals with garden fresh produce.

Visit FoodCorps.org.

in a way that leads to a right relationship with our Creator.” By bridging spirituality with nutrition and the food system, Moltzen hopes to raise awareness of how people can care for their body as a temple and live in right relationship with the Earth, which she perceives as “the larger house of God.”

Fred Bahnson, director of the Food, Faith and Religious Leadership Initiative at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the author of Soil and Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith.

His book takes the reader on a journey to four different faith communities— Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal and Jewish—to explore connections between spiritual nourishment and the cultivation of food. Bahnson speaks about sacred soil and the communities of mystical microorganisms that lie within and create the foundation for sustenance.

He also describes the special power of communal gardens, which welcome all and provide nourishing food, yet come to satisfy more than physical hunger.

Regardless of religious denomination, Amanda Archibald, a registered dietitian in Boulder, Colorado, believes, “We are in a new era of food—one that embraces and honors food producers and food systems that respect soil, environment and humanity itself.”

Melinda Hemmelgarn, aka the “food sleuth”, is a registered dietitian and award-winning writer and radio host at KOPN.org, in Columbia, MO (FoodSleuth@gmail.com). She advocates for organic farmers at Enduring-Image.blogspot.com.

natural awakenings March 2014

15

wisewords From “Why Me?” to “Thank You!”

Wayne Dyer on the Value of Hard Lessons

by Linda Sechrist

A

fter four decades teaching self-development and empowerment and authoring more than 30 bestselling books, Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D., shares dozens of events from his life in his latest work, I Can See Clearly Now. In unflinching detail, he relates vivid impressions of encountering many forks in the road, from his youth in Detroit to the present day, and reflects on these events from his current perspective, noting what lessons he ultimately learned.

What has writing this book taught you and how can it help others better understand their own lives?

My biggest lesson was that our whole life is like a checkerboard. When I looked back on my life, I began to realize this

and gained an awareness of the fact that there’s something else moving all of the pieces around.

The key to attracting this mystical guidance into your life is to start with awareness that all things are possible and to forget about yourself. When you get your ego out of the picture, your inner mantra isn’t, “What’s in it for me? and “How much more can I get?” Instead, when your inner mantra is, “How may I serve or what may I do for you?” and you practice consistently living this way, you attract this mystical guidance. I have found that the more I do this, the more these miracles show up.

There are 60 chapters in the book. Every time I finished one, I would think: “Now I can see clearly why I had to go through all of these experiences and learn all these lessons.” As a result, I

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19.99 suggest that whenever something happens that leads you to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” shift instead to the awareness that all experiences, no matter what, are gifts.

You describe the influential patterns and motivators in your life as diamonds and stones; how would you characterize your childhood years in foster homes?

I can now see that spending the better part of my first decade in a series of foster homes was all a part of God’s infallible plan for me. I believe I was in a type of training camp for becoming a teacher of higher spiritual and commonsense principles. If I was going to spend my adult life teaching, lecturing and writing on self-reliance, then I obviously needed to learn to rely upon myself and be in a position to never be dissuaded from this awareness. What better training ground for teaching this than an early childhood that required a sense of independence and need for self-sufficiency? Now that I know that every encounter, challenge and situation is a spectacular thread in a tapestry, and that each represents and defines my life, I am deeply grateful for them all.

Each of us has a mission of some kind to fulfill at the moment we make the shift from nowhere to now here, from spirit to form. I’ve seen firsthand how this universe has a creative source of energy supporting it that is literally the matrix of all matter.

Nothing occurs by happenstance anywhere, because this universal mind is perpetually on call, going about its miraculous ways in terms of infinite possibilities.

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What can you see clearly about your role as a parent?

I’ve watched my eight children show up from birth with their unique personalities and blossom into their own awakenings. I know for certain that the one Divine mind that is responsible for all of creation has a hand in this engaging mystery. Same parents, same environment, same culture and yet eight individuals, with their own distinctive character traits. Khalil Gibran stated it perfectly in The Prophet: “Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”

Each of my children had their blueprint from God. My job has been to guide, then step aside and let whatever is inside them that is their own uniqueness steer the course of their lives.

What has your life taught you about prayer?

I feel that the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi says it best: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is darkness, let me bring light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.” The masters I’ve studied pray to become more godly, more like where we originally came from.

My prayer is always, “Help me to remind myself to get rid of this ego and to be like You are. Help me to be my highest self, the place within that is God.” Linda Sechrist is a Natural Awakenings senior staff writer. Visit ItsAllAboutWe.com for the extended interview. natural awakenings March 2014

17

greenliving

Food Revolution in a Tank Aquaponics Offers Year-Round Homegrown Fish and Veggies

by Avery Mack

P

icture a salad of mixed lettuces or romaine accented with microgreens and ripe, red tomatoes alongside an entrée of tilapia, complemented by a dessert of fresh strawberries—all organic, eco-friendly and freshly harvested, even in the middle of winter. The ingredients for this meal don’t have to travel many miles to reach the table—they can be found just several feet away, thanks to aquaponics.

“Aquaculture is fish farming, hydroponics is soilless gardening,” explains Becca Self, executive director of educational nonprofit FoodChain, in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. “Aquaponics is a mutually beneficial blend of the two.

Our indoor aquaponics system produces about 150 pounds of fresh tilapia every month, plus nearly 200 pounds of lettuces, herbs and microgreens.”

FoodChain, which shares production space in a former bread factory with Smithtown Seafood and West Sixth Brewing, hosted 2,000 guests and was the destination for 54 field trips last year by farmers, church groups, Rotary clubs and students of all grade levels.

The seafood restaurant’s website notes, “We can step outside our back door 18

South Central Wisconsin

into the farm for our superfood salad greens, herbs and tilapia.”

FoodChain is also finding a way to use waste grain from the microbrewery as fish food. According to brewmaster Robin Sither, the grain is free of genetic engineering, but not organic. He notes that it’s rare for a brewery to use organic grain.

The general hydroponics concept dates back to ancient practices in Chinese rice fields, Egyptian bottomlands flooded by the Nile River and Aztec floating gardens perched on low rafts layered with rich bottom muck. By the early 20th century, chemists had identified solutions of 13 specific nutrients which, added to water, could entirely substitute for fertile soil. That’s when William F. Gericke, Ph.D., of the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, took the science of hydroponics into commercial production.

“In today’s space-efficient, closed, recirculating aquaponic systems that combine fish tanks and plant troughs, fish waste provides fertilizer for the plants, while the plants clean the water for fish,” says Gina Cavaliero, owner of Green Acre Aquaponics, in Brooksville, Florida. The 2013 Aquaponics Associa-

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tion Conference, in Tucson, Arizona, reported that aquaponic plants grow faster and offer higher yields, plus the sustainable technology recycles 90 percent of the water.

In Denver, JD Sawyer, president of Colorado Aquaponics, operates a 3,000-square-foot farm in a food desert neighborhood (without easy access to fresh, healthy, affordable food). Koi, tilapia and hybrid striped bass fertilize romaine, bib lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, chives and strawberries.

Other crops include tomatoes, peppers, yellow squash and root vegetables like beets and carrots. Tilapia and bass sell to the community and restaurants; koi are used in livestock ponds.

Sawyer remarks, “An aquaponics system can be indoors or out, depending on the climate, for commercial use or in the home. The basement, garage or a spare room is ideal for growing your own food.” Home garden sizes range from a 20-gallon aquarium to a 10-by-20-foot area.

Avery Ellis, an ecological designer and permaculture specialist in Boulder, Colorado, builds dynamic, living, nonconventional systems. “The temperature in most homes is near 70 degrees, an ideal temperature for a tropical fish like tilapia,” he says. “A 50-gallon fish tank, a 50-gallon storage bin and a timer to feed the fish automatically and supply light can be a self-sustaining system.”

Outdoors, a greenhouse or geodesic dome can house the system. “A harmonious balance maintains itself, and we enjoy maximum yields from little labor,” says Ellis. He reflects that the solutions for feeding the world exist if we just open our eyes to what needs to be done. For those that don’t care to harvest and clean fish, decorative koi species work well.

Erik Oberholtzer, founder and owner of Tender Greens restaurants, which sources from nearby southern California farms and is exploring ways to install an aquaponics system in each of its restaurants, explains, “The world is suffering from a loss of growing habitat, genetically modified seeds and global warming. Aquaponics enables growers to stay ahead of climate change, making it the future of sustainable farming.

It’s an ethical way to make quality food healthy, affordable and profitable.”

Aquaponics methods deliver fish

“We like to use heirloom varieties; we don’t want just pretty plants that have diluted flavor. Butter lettuce is the tilapia of plants—it’s easy to grow for a good yield.” ~ Erik Oberholtzer, Tender Greens restaurants free of mercury and genetically modified fish food, plus the freshest vegetables possible, all without the worry of weeds, rabbits, insects, suspect fertilizers, toxic herbicides and pesticides. A home aquaponics system can be one of the best green investments to make in 2014. According to Oberholtzer, “Eating this way should not be a luxury.”

Avery Mack is a freelance writer in St. Louis, MO. Connect via AveryMack@ mindspring.com.

:

Aquaponics Advantages 4 Enthusiasts can start small 4 No soil is needed 4 No fertilizer is needed (provided by the fish) 4 No toxic pesticides 4 Uses 90 percent less water than conventional methods 4 Plants help filter indoor air 4 Pests and diseases are easier to spot for treatment 4 Growing basil helps repel pests 4 Operator controls nutrition levels at less cost and waste 4 No nutrients pollute the larger environment 4 Stable, high yields of organic produce and safe-fed fish 4 Year-round production from indoor systems 4 Easy to harvest; fish harvesting is optional 4 Aesthetic enjoyment

Sources: Wikipedia.org, IntegratedAquaponics.net

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natural awakenings March 2014

19

consciouseating

GLUTEN-FREE

ON THE GO Safe Eating Away from Home

by Judith Fertig

A

lthough following a diet without gluten has become easier due to increased availability and labeling of gluten-free foods, we still need to know how to make sure which foods strictly qualify. We always have more control in our own kitchen, yet we’re not always eating at home.

Natural Awakenings asked experts to comment on reasons for the demand and offer practical tips and tactics for healthy eating on the go.

According to the Center for Celiac Research & Treatment, 18 million Americans are now gluten sensitive, 3 million more suffer from celiac disease, and the numbers continue to skyrocket, says Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist and author of Grain Brain. Gluten, a naturally occurring protein in wheat, barley and rye, is prevalent in the modern American diet. Perlmutter points to new wheat hybrids and increasing amounts of gluten in processed foods as exacerbating the problem. He particularly cites today’s overuse of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications as contributors to “inappropriate and excessive reactions to what might otherwise have represented a non-threatening protein like gluten.”

Solutions at Work

Jules Shepard, a mother of two in Washington, D.C., and author of Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy who also shares recipes at Blog.JulesGlutenFree.com, remembers when going out for a glutenfree lunch was difficult. “The friendly 20

South Central Wisconsin

lunch spots my coworkers and I used to enjoy on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis were no longer friendly for me,” she says. “There was nothing on the menu I could eat, and it seemed better for everyone if I simply stayed in the office. But it isolated me socially from my colleagues and deprived me of a much-needed midday break that had been such an enjoyable part of my routine.” Attending catered breakfasts or lunches for office meetings also presented difficulties.

Shepard learned that it’s best to be prepared and pack something, even if it’s only a snack. “Some of my favorites include fresh fruit, like apples or bananas with peanut or almond butter, washed berries, applesauce, coconut yogurt, hummus and red peppers, trail mix, dry cereals like granola, and nutrition bars. I keep a variety of these bars in my purse and car year-round, so I’m never bored with my choices.”

“Gluten-free instant oatmeal is a staple in my life,” advises Shepard. She never leaves home without it, regardless of the length of the trip. “All you need is a cup or a bowl and some boiling water. Be sure to buy certified glutenfree oats, because regular oats can be contaminated with gluten grains.”

Shepard also recommends avoiding pre-sweetened varieties.

Kate Chan, a teacher and mother of two in suburban Seattle, Washington, who has been following a gluten-free diet since 2000, has solved the problem of eating healthy at work another way: The family cooks extra the night before.

“While cleaning up the kitchen, I just

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pack the leftovers for lunch. I like to vary the side dishes a bit if I pack side dishes at all, and toss in fruit and more vegetables,” she says. Chan likes to use a bento-style lunch box with several compartments, plus thermal containers, so she can enjoy a variety of gluten-free lunch options.

On the Road In Los Angeles, California, Kristine Kidd, former food editor at Bon Appétit, has recently returned to gluten-free eating. On her menu-planning and recipe blog, KristineKidd.com, and in her cookbook, Weeknight Gluten Free, she recommends whole, fresh foods from farmers’ markets that are naturally gluten-free. When she and her husband hike the Sierra Mountains, she carries homemade, high-fiber, gluten-free cookies to eat on the way up and packs gluten-free soups such as butternut squash and black bean, corn tortillas with fresh fillings, and fruit for a delicious lunch upon reaching the peak.

Some gluten-free snacks can contain as many empty calories as other types of junk food, notes Registered Dietitian Katharine Tallmadge. “Many ‘gluten-free’ products are made with refined, unenriched grains and starches, which contain plenty of calories, but few vitamins or minerals.” She agrees with Kidd and others that choosing whole, natural, fresh foods, which are naturally gluten-free, makes for healthy eating wherever we go.

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

Easy-to-Avoid Food Additives

by Sarah Lozanova

D

eciphering food labels can be a difficult task. Some additives may be used to enhance flavors, shelf life or visual appeal, even though they are unhealthy. Others may sound concerning, but are actually nutritional supplements; for example, thiamine mononitrate, a stable form of vitamin B1, or citric acid, a natural preservative present in citrus fruits. Knowing what food additives to avoid can make label reading a bit easier. Here are two easy additives to spot and remove from our diet.

Hydrogenated Oils Hydrogenation involves adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oil to make it solid at room temperature. Food manufacturers use the process to increase the product’s shelf life. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are found in many processed foods, including crackers, cookies, cakes and other baked goods; snack foods; frozen pizza; vegetable shortenings and margarines; coffee creamers and ready-to-use frostings.

Unfortunately, the process produces trans fat, which has been linked to heart disease and increased levels of low-density lipoprotein, or bad, cholesterol, according to a report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is in the review process to consider removing hydrogenated oils from its list of ingredients that are generally regarded as safe (GRAS). Trans fats also decrease levels of high-density lipoprotein, or good, cholesterol, notes Dr. Joanne Lunn, a nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation.

“Finally, in the 1990s, the evidence became clear. When vegetable oil is turned into a solid, like butter, it acts like butter inside the body,” comments Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist and director of the Tufts University Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, in Boston.

quality or safety of foods, but [instead] trigger behavior problems in children and possibly, cancer in anybody,” notes Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of CSPI. “The FDA should ban dyes, which would force industry to color foods with real food ingredients, not toxic petrochemicals.”

The dyes that come under scrutiny vary over time. FD&C Red No. 3 is known by the FDA to be a carcinogen, but is still widely used. The continued use of food dyes presents “unnecessary risks to humans, especially young children,” states James Huff, associate director for chemical carcinogenesis at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Toxicology Program. “It’s disappointing that the FDA has not addressed the toxic threat posed by food dyes.”

The United Kingdom requires food companies to post the consumer warning statement, “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children,” when Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 are present. In these cases, some food companies have been prompted to change to ingredients like paprika and beta carotene in their macaroni and cheese, but other food dyes remain in wide use. Luckily, they are easy to spot on a label.

Sarah Lozanova is a freelance writer and recently relocated from Madison to Belfast, Maine.

Food Dyes Synthetic food dyes, also known as artificial food coloring, were introduced in the early 1900s and are derived from coal tar and petroleum. According to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), nine artificial colors are approved by the FDA as safe for use, although one is allowed only on orange rinds. The other eight can be ingested as food additives, adding up to the consumption of about 15 million pounds each year.

“These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional natural awakenings March 2014

21

inspiration

Coming Next Month

Gardening as Spiritual Practice Cycles of Growth Cultivate Our Divinity

Green “ Living G Starts at Home Local natural-health and sustainability advocates show us how.

To advertise or participate in our April edition, call

608-721-2254 22

South Central Wisconsin

by April Thompson

ardening is not about having or taking; it’s about giving,” says Connecticut psychotherapist Gunilla Norris, author of A Mystic Garden: Working with Soil, Attending to Soul. “And in giving, the garden gives back to you.” She deems the art of practicing gratitude in the garden as an intentional path for cultivating spirituality.“Every day, go out and thank the ground. Life is burgeoning all around us, all the time,” she continues. “If we can just appreciate that, it’s a big deal.”

It’s hard not to be humbled and awed by the miracle of life when we see a seedling push its tiny green head above ground, lean toward the sun and unfurl its first set of leaves. Each bit of plant life is simply fulfilling its mission to grow and be.

“Gardening enhances our relationship to the Earth. Through gardening, we are helping to heal the planet, which is part of the work we are all called to do,” remarks Al Fritsch, a Jesuit priest in Ravenna, Kentucky, and author of the e-book, Spiritual Growth Through Domestic Gardening (free at EarthHealing.info/garden.htm). Over his lifetime, Fritsch has helped turn a parking lot, a section of church lawn, and overgrown bottomland all into thriving gardens. In his view, “It gives us a sense of home, roots us in place.”

www.AwakeMadison.com

We can even discover our personal calling through cultivating a garden while gleaning endless spiritual lessons: Here dwells patience and an appreciation for the natural order of things; no fertilizer can force a flower to bloom before its time. Here resides mindfulness as we learn to notice changes in the plants under our care and discern what they need to thrive. Here abides interdependence; we wouldn’t have carrots, corn or cherries without the bats, birds, and bees playing in the pollen. In a garden, we naturally accept the cycle of life, death and rebirth as we bid adieu to the joy of seasonal colors and let flowerbeds rest in peace, anticipating their budding and blooming again.

Just as the fruits of growing a garden exceed the doing—the weeding and seeding and countless other tasks—so do the riches of tending a spiritual life surpass the striving. We do well to rejoice in the sacred space created, cherishing every spiritual quality nurtured within and reflected in the Divine handiwork. Breathing in the floral perfume carried by the breeze and reveling in the multi-hued textures of living artistry, we celebrate the fact that we too, are playing our part of the natural miracle of life.

Connect with freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.

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natural awakenings March 2014

23

healthykids

Action Plan for Parents

Seven Signs of Food Sensitivities

by Pamela Bond

I

n recent years, Pediatrician William Sears has seen many more cases of asthma and eczema in his San Clemente, California, office. Dairy and wheat remain the biggest culprits, but experts believe new factors may be contributing to the rise in food sensitivities, including synthetic additives halfpgAwakening2014v1_Layout 1 1/8/14 1:10 PM Page 1

like partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and flavors and sweeteners, plus genetically modified ingredients.

Often undiagnosed and untreated, food intolerances can cause long-term tissue damage, warns Sears, author of The NDD Book, which addresses what he calls nutrient deficit disorder without resorting to drugs. Increasingly, kids are developing formerly adult-onset diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, cardiovascular disease and acid reflux, he says.

If it seems that a child is having a dietary reaction, first look for clues. “A lot of parents already suspect the answer,” says Kelly Dorfman, a licensed nutritionist dietitian and author of What’s Eating Your Child? Become a “nutrition detective”, she suggests. Here’s how to assess conditions and find solutions.

Conference: March 26-27, 2014 Workshops/Tours: March 28, 2014 Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee

Spitting Up

Suspects: Intolerance to casein—a protein prevalent in dairy cow milk different from its form in breast milk that can get into mothers’ milk or formula—tends to irritate an infant’s gut lining, causing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and then chronic ear infections or constipation, says Dorfman.

Keynote speakers include: Will Allen, Ed Begley, Charles Hall, Michael Mann, Charles Schrock and many more!

www.sustainabilitysummit.us

TM

24

South Central Wisconsin

www.AwakeMadison.com

Action: Remove dairy from the baby’s and nursing mom’s diet for at least a week. For formula feeding, choose a brand made with predigested casein or whey. To heal baby’s damaged intestinal lining, give 10 billion CFU (colony forming units) daily of probiotic bacteria, mixed in a bottle or sprinkled on food.

Chronic Diarrhea

Suspects: Intolerance to gluten (a protein in wheat and other grains) or lactose (dairy sugar). Diarrhea, the gastrointestinal tract’s way of eliminating problematic substances, plus gas and bloating, often accompany these intolerances. Lactose intolerance is usually a root cause and is present in nearly everyone that’s gluten intolerant, Dorfman says.

Action: Get a blood test to check for celiac disease, then eliminate gluten for at least a month. Although the diarrhea could end within a week, “You need a few weeks to see a trend,” counsels Dorfman. Consume fermented dairy products like cheese and yogurt, which have low lactose levels; cream dairy products may also test OK.

Chronic Ear Infections

Suspects: Dairy intolerance and for many, soy sensitivity. Some research has shown that 90 percent of kids with recurring ear infections or ear fluid have food reactions, corroborated by Dorfman’s patients.

Action: When possible, buy organic foods certified to contain no artificial colors. Otherwise, scrutinize food labels for the nine petroleum-based synthetic dyes in U.S. foods: Blue 1 and 2, Citrus Red 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3 and 40, Yellow 5 and 6. Avoid ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, glucose, fructose, cane sugar and syrup—all added sugars.

Crankiness

Suspects: Gluten sensitivity is traditionally associated exclusively with digestive disturbances, but some recent studies have linked it to neurological symptoms, from moodiness and chronic headaches to ADHD and coordination loss.

Action: Eliminate gluten for a month to assess a potential connection between mood and food, possibly signaled by excessive eating of a certain food.

Stunted Growth

Suspects: Gluten sensitivity or zinc deficiency. Because gluten intolerance interferes with nutrient absorption, suffering

kids often fail to thrive. “Small size— height or weight—is a classic symptom of celiac disease,” Dorfman advises.

Zinc could be another factor; it normalizes appetite and through its relationship with growth hormones, helps the body develop. If levels are too low, growth will be abnormally stunted.

In such cases, a child may rarely be hungry, be a picky eater or complain that food smells or tastes funny, Dorfman says.

Action: Eliminate gluten consumption for a month. A blood test by a pediatrician can determine serum zinc levels, or buy a zinc sulfate taste test online.

After sipping a zinc sulfate solution, the child will report either tasting nothing (indicating deficiency) or a bad flavor (no deficiency). Zinc-rich foods include beef, chicken, beans, pumpkin seeds, cashews and chickpeas. To counter a deficiency, ask a family healthcare provider for an age-appropriate supplement dose.

Pamela Bond is the managing editor of Natural Foods Merchandiser.

Action: Quit dairy and soy for several months to verify a correlation. Dorfman recommends eliminating soy milk, soy yogurt and tofu, adding that ultrasensitive individuals may need to avoid processed foods that contain soy byproducts.

Itchy Skin

Suspects: Reaction to gluten, casein (in dairy products) and eggs plus oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, lemons, strawberries and pineapple.

Action: Because itchiness can suggest a histamine response, ask an allergist for an IgE radioallergosorbent (RAST) blood test to detect food sensitivities.

Hyperactivity

Suspects: Sensitivity to artificial colors or sugar. According to Sears, children’s underdeveloped blood-brain barrier increases vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of chemical food additives, including artificial colors and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Join us for the 3rd Annual Conference

Nourishing Our Roots and Healing From the Ground Up June 6, 7 and 8, 2014 (preconference workshops on June 6 begin at 9:30am)

Held at the Beber Camp in Mukwonago, WI Featuring a wide spectrum of Midwest Herbalists and earth-based speakers on topics including herbs for family health, wild edibles, fermentation, permaculture and plant walks and special children’s and teen’s programming. Enjoy entertainment, morning yoga classes and herbal wisdom the Wise Woman way!

Featured Guests: Tieraona Low Dog and Lisa Ganora Registration for the weekend as well as preconference workshops is available on our website:

www.midwestwomensherbal.com natural awakenings March 2014

25

Tending the Gardener

by Jerry Landau

S

ome gardens grow food to nourish their family, some to grace their homes with beautiful flowers and others to make their yards more beautiful.

As we play in nature, we tend to learn about the natural cycles of the plants we work with; but sometimes we forget that the gardener is also a part of nature.

We also follow a daily rhythm of waking, sleeping, eating, working and sharing with others around us, just as plants do. Just as we add compost to our soil, we need to nurture our heart and belly; not just through what we eat, but also in how we do what we do.

Just being in nature can reduce a person’s stress level in three to five minutes, improving health and happiness, according to research by environmental psychologists Russ Parsons, Ph.D., and Terry Hartig, Ph.D. However, several suggestions may be helpful to ensure a safe and pleasant experience.

Allergies

Fatigue With the short growing season in Wisconsin, many try to squeeze in long days working in the garden. Exhaustion can reduce immune function and make us susceptible to accidents and injuries. It is easy to forget to eat and drink when engaged in an enjoyable task. Be sure to take frequent breaks and drink plenty of fluids, especially in warmer weather, and eat sufficiently to balance energy output.

Minimize heavy, starchy foods and choose lighter foods, such as leafy green vegetables, during the summer months.

Rest is the best remedy for fatigue. Lying on the grass and watching our breath as it flows in and out can relax the mind and body, leaving us refreshed.

Feet, Ankles and Knees Our feet are the base that supports the body as we tend our garden. Give them a break every 30 to 60 minutes. Circle the ankles and flex and extend the feet. Take a comfortable stance, and upon inhalation, slowly raise the heels up a few inches.

On the exhalation, lower the heels back to the ground. This will help to strengthen and stabilize the ankles. Massaging the feet with traditional ayurvedic ashwagandha oil may relax and strengthen the ankles.

When kneeling, be sure to have cushioning under the knees. Placing a rolled towel behind the knees can create space in the joint, often preventing pain. Turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory herb that can be purchased in capsules. Spice up the harvest with turmeric, as well as ginger and garlic.

Lie on the back with a tennis ball or similar object under the knees. This stimulates an acupuncture point behind the knee, releasing knee pain and tightness, as well as often helping release tension in the low back.

Back, Shoulders and Hands When shoveling, use the legs, rising up with a straight back. Whenever possible, sit rather than stoop over. If the low back aches, breathing into the tight areas will often help them to relax. Gentle stretching, such as the warrior yoga pose, can 26

South Central Wisconsin

help strengthen the back. Bringing the knees toward the chest while lying on the back will give a restorative massage to the muscles of the low back.

Massaging the back with ayurvedic mahanarayan oil if it is achy and tight, or with ashwagandha oil if it feels weak, may provide relief. Traumeel, a homeopathic gel, can be applied topically for bruising, achy muscles and strains.

The upper back and shoulders can be relaxed by focusing on inhaling up into the chest without raising the shoulders up. Alternatively, inhale pulling the shoulders up toward the ears, and then release them on the exhale.

To increase flexibility and dexterity in the hands, squeeze a tennis ball, and then open the hand wide. Touch the thumb to the tip of each finger and repeat this cycle several times. For arthritis, try the herbal anti-inflammatory formula Zyflamend from the supplement company New Chapter (NewChapter.com).

www.AwakeMadison.com

Avoiding exposure to allergens is always wise but often difficult for gardeners. The traditional practice of nasal rinsing with a saline solution using a neti pot can help flush bacteria and allergens from the nasal cavities. A few drops of ayurvedic nasya oil in each nostril can help moisten and protect the nasal passages, relieve sinus congestion and release tension in the head.

Following these guidelines helps nurture a happy and healthy gardener.

Ayurvedic oils can be found through BanyanBotanicals.com and some local practitioners. In addition, books that are rich with resources and information include Yoga for Wellness, by Gary Kraftsow; Acupressure’s Potent Points,

by Michael Gach; Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford; and Staying Healthy with the Seasons, by Elson Hass.

Jerry Landau, an MIT graduate chemical engineer, practices a blend of Chinese medicine, ayurveda and yoga therapy, using Japanese-style acupuncture, massage, nutrition, herbs, movement and breathwork at Well Within, in Madison.

888-382-Well(9355), Info@WellWith. com, WellWithin.com

fitbody

Tweet those Fitness Goals Online Friends Help Us Stay on Track

by Tamara Grand

friends with similar health and fitness goals. Follow links to motivational photos, low-calorie recipes and athome workouts. Tweeting when feeling the urge to eat virtually guarantees that we’ll receive a helpful response in a minute or two. Twitter chats are also a fabulous way to connect with an established and helpful healthy living tribe.

Pinterest

A visual smorgasbord of clean-eating recipes, at-home workouts and inspirational photos keeps spirits up. Pinterest accesses photos throughout the Internet that we can grab and “pin” to a personal online vision board. It’s also possible to create a visual cookbook, pinning recipes to, for example, clean eating, Paleo, pumpkin and oatmeal themed boards. It’s fun to connect with our favorite healthy living peeps and start following their boards for continuous injections of inspiration and motivation.

Instagram

H

umans are inherently social creatures. Most of us enjoy the company of others and spend much of our waking time engaging in social interactions with colleagues, friends and family. People that spend a lot of time together often adopt one another’s eating and exercise habits—sometimes for the better, but often for the worse.

At least one positive side to wishing to conform socially is unexpected.

Finding the right circle of friends—our own personal support group—can make sticking to an exercise schedule or diet easier. It’s a key factor in the popularity of organized weight-loss groups and exercise classes.

Studies published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Obesity demonstrate that just having a weight-loss or fitness support system in place results in better adherence to diet and exercise with more pounds shed and kept off over the long term. Researchers believe that in

addition to the motivation and accountability supporters provide, benefits are also enhanced by learning through observing; changing our behavior through watching the actions and outcomes of others’ behavior.

If we don’t have physical access to a local support group, we can access one online or create our own, using one of the following social media platforms.

Facebook

The leading social networking website includes thousands of community and group pages devoted to weight loss, exercise and healthy living. Its search function helps find one that fits our needs. Make an introduction and join the discussion. Participating in a special challenge helps everyone stay motivated.

Love to take photos using a smartphone?

Instagram provides a platform for sharing snippets of our day via pictures. Fitness fans regularly “Instagram” their meals and workouts, in part to remain accountable to their online followers, but also to help motivate themselves and others to make healthy choices each day.

YouTube

Our go-to resource for music videos is also home to hundreds of healthy living “channels”. Want to follow someone’s 100-pound weight-loss journey, learn how to cook quinoa or follow along with free, at-home workout videos? This is the place. Watch, share and comment on a favorite YouTube video to become part of its online community.

The key to using social media to improve our health and fitness is inherent in the name. It’s a friendly way to interact, participate and engage with others.

Tamara Grand, Ph.D., is a certified personal trainer and a group fitness and indoor cycling instructor in Port Moody, British Columbia, in Canada. Her new Twitter book is Ultimate Booty Workouts. She This micro-blogging site is informal and contributes to Life.Gaiam.com and fast-paced, providing nearly instantablogs at FitKnitChick.com. neous feedback. Use Twitter to identify natural awakenings March 2014 27

calendarofevents

Coming Next Month

GREEN

LIVING IS HEALTHY

LIVING Local natural-health and sustainability advocates show us how.

Submit your calendar of event by the 12th of each month to publisher@awakemadison.com. $20/listing.

Saturday March 1

Vibrant Life Health Expo – 10am-4pm. Washington County, Fair Park 3000 County Hwy PV, West Bend, WI. Visit H2O Energy Flow’s booth and sign up to win free cases of water. H2O Contact information: Mark Bublitz 888-602-6568 Mark@ H2OEnergyFlow.com. H2OEnergyFlow.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 3

Demystifying Reiki – 6-7pm. Designed for people who would like to learn more about Reiki.

We will discuss what to expect during a session, the levels of Reiki, attunement, why one would study Reiki, a brief history and offer a brief demonstration. Free. Please RSVP. 608-335-1934.

Embrace Your Essence. 122 E Olin Ave, Madison.

EmbraceYourEssence.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 4

Awakening Through A Course In Miracles - 6:30 -8pm. Join us as we explore the amazing ideas of transformation that A Course in Miracles offers us.

Call 608-432-2238 with questions about ACIM or need for healing. The class is offered on donation basis. We meet at the Tibia/Whitedoor Center, 6225 University Ave, Madison. Alden.Darla@Charter.net.

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 WELLIFE Mind-Body-Spirit EXPO – Sat & Sun.10am-6pm. Exhibit Hall, Opportunities, Wellness, Intuitive, Alternative Arts, Crafts, Unique Workshops, Free parking. Sheraton Hotel, 706 John Nolen, Madison. 608-256-0080. Wellife.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 15 Reiki I Attunement Class – 10am–3pm. This first level of Reiki opens one up to the Reiki healing energies. Guided meditation, Reiki I attunement, principles for giving Reiki, giving and receiving Reiki with classmates, manual, and certificate of completion. Limit three students. With Reiki Master Teacher Sarah Barlow of Embrace Your Essence.

EmbraceYourEssence.org. $150. Registration and $50 deposit due Fri March 7. 608-335-1934. 122 E Olin Ave, Ste 150, Madison.

To advertise or participate in our April edition, call

Herbalism 101 – 10am-5pm. Herbalist Jennifer Helmer will help tap into the wisdom and healing offered by nature in this intro to herbs class. Learn about safe, effective and inexpensive herbal remedies and preparations that generate health and wellness.

Weather permitting; take a herb walk through Wildwood Institute’s Herb Garden, featuring over 60 medicinal plants. Tuition is $85. Wildwood Institute, Madison. 608-663-9608. Kathleen@ WildwoodInstitute.com, WildwoodInstitute.com.

608-721-2254 28

South Central Wisconsin

www.AwakeMadison.com

Intuition – Highest Form of Knowing Workshop – Presented by Etienne Pait. 10:30am-12:30pm.

Registration required, a minimum of 6 participants needed to hold class. Etienne is the author of The Sun Has No Shadow, an Ordained Ministerial Counselor and Intuitive dedicated to helping others to release pain and suffering by discovering “Who You Really Are”. $35. 608 835-5288. Peaceful Heart, 123 S Main St, Oregon.

Soul Assessment Sessions – with Etienne Pait.

1-5pm. $40/30-min session, $75/1-hour session.

What is a Soul Assessment Session? Answers two primordial questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Appointments are recommended, walkins welcome. $40/30-min session, $75/1-hour session. Please call 608-835-5288. Peaceful Heart, 123 S Main St, Oregon.

SUNDAY, MARCH 16 Psychic Readings – with Brenda Lynn. 12:30-4pm.

Brenda Lynn is a gifted clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient, empath and a natural medium.

Appointments recommended, walk-ins welcome. $45/30 minutes. 608-835-5288, Peaceful Heart, 123 S Main St, Oregon.

Stoughton Healthy Eating Fair – 1-3pm. The Stoughton Wellness Coalition presents the first Stoughton Healthy Eating Fair. It’s an opportunity to learn about local healthy eating resources including local farms, CSAs, Yahara River Grocery Coop, FairShare CSA Coaltion and Stoughton Hospital.

Free. River Bluff Middle School, 235 N Forrest St, Stoughton. Linda Schaefer, 608-873-2392.

LSchaefer@StoHosp.com. Free admission.

Tuesday, March 18

Girl Talk Tuesdays – 6-7pm. Supporting your weight-loss goals, fulfilling your dreams. A conversation about how blame, shame and guilt get in the way and what you can do to about it. Cost – free at Healthy Woman, 7617 Mineral Point Road., Madison, WI 53717 Contact: Dennis Kotnour 608-203-9060 Dennis@LoseWeightMadison.com LoseWeightMadison.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 20

Community HU – 7pm. Every 3rd Thursday. The HU Song opens with a spiritual reading followed by singing HU and closes with a few minutes of quiet contemplation. Join in fellowship with light refreshments following this community event. To learn more and experience the sound of HU see the video Miracles in Your Life at HearHU.org. Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St, Madison.

savethedate ongoing SUNDAY, MARCH 23

Wildwood to Present at Natural Parenting EXPO – 10am-5pm. Wildwood Institute will be a vendor at the Natural Patenting EXPO, held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Additionally, Herbalist and Products Manager, Jennifer Helmer, will give a presentation on How to Use Safe Herbs for Common Childhood Ailments at 10:30 am.

NaturalParentingExpo.com Holistic Healing with Herbs – Certification series – 11am-4pm. Five-class comprehensive overview of natural health, medicinal herbs, herbal preparations, remedies, techniques, holistic healing and growing your own herbs. $125. Mimosa Books and Gifts, 260 W Gilman St, Madison. Registration/Info; Dr Christina Wilke-Burbach, Mind, Soul, and Self at MindSoulAndSelf.com/Herbal_Classes.html.

MindSoulAndSelf@yahoo.com. 608-393-7353.

FairShare CSA Coalition Open House – 1-4pm.

The 22nd annual FairShare CSA Coalition Open House provides an opportunity to meet more than 35 community supported agriculture (CSA) farmers and to learn about the benefits of a farm membership.

Free. Open to the public. Monona Terrace, 1 John Nolen Dr, Madison.

Natural Parenting Expo- 10am-5pm at Monona Terrace. From bouncy houses and a worm composting station, to seminars on reducing screen time and getting your kids to eat healthier, there is something for everyone. $8 adult admission, ($5 pre-sale online), and kids free! Check out NaturalParentingExpo.com for details

MONDAY, MARCH 24

Self-Healing Group – 6-7:30pm. Take charge of your health and spiritual growth with guided meditations, exercises and other tips designed for empowerment. Topics will be catered toward areas you are specifically looking to heal/grow. A great foundation for self-care practice. $15. Please RSVP. 608-335-1934. Embrace Your Essence. 122 E Olin Ave, Madison. EmbraceYourEssence.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 27

The Purpose Practice – 7-9pm. How aligned are you with your Soul’s purpose? This highly interactive 7-week workshop you will discover and clarify three life purposes and orient your life to live into each daily. Increase alignment with your heart and soul with the support of fellow classmates. 7 Thursdays starting March 27 at Unity Church in Monona. $195 for the series, $175 if registered by March 10. For details & registration, ThePurposePractice.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 5

Natural Beauty – 1-2:30pm. Herbalist and Products Manager, Jennifer Helmer, will give a presentation on Natural Beauty, Inside and Out, using herbal preparations. You will make and take products; no charge to attend. Meadowridge Library, 5740 Raymond Rd, Madison. Register through the Madison Public Library website.

MadisonPublicLibrary.org.

MONDAY, APRIL 7

Demystifying Reiki – 6-7pm. Designed for people that would like to learn more about Reiki.

We will discuss what to expect during a session, the levels of Reiki, attunement, why one would study Reiki, a brief history and offer a brief demonstration. Free. Please RSVP. 608-335-1934.

Embrace Your Essence. 122 E Olin Ave, Madison.

EmbraceYourEssence.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12

Beyond Technique – 9am-3pm. For massage therapists. Why do some muscles resist releasing?

Learn to tune in and respond in the language of muscles with your hands and energy. $120 ($100 if paid by March 3). TIBIA, 6225 University Avenue, Ste 210, Madison. 608-332-9581. Leora@ TibiaInc.com. BackInHarmony.org. Tibiainc.com.

Pre-register: 608-238-7378.

Family Ki and Heart Workshop – 11am12pm. 1st Saturday of each month. Learn and practice how to make our energy and heart positive and strong through fun holistic practices including yoga, family shiatsu healing and Buddhist meditations. $8-10 parent/child pair. Tao Sangha Madison Center, 2330 Willard Ave (Atwood area).

Please RSVP. 608-257-4663. Madison@ TaoSangha-na.com. TaoSangha- na.com.

Power of Ki: Good Fortune from the Buddha – 2-4:30pm. 1st Saturday of each month. Tao Sangha Madison Center, 2330 Willard Ave (Atwood area). Gain an understanding of Eastern holistic approaches to health and healing. Free, donations accepted. Tao Sangha Madison Center, 2330 Willard Ave (Atwood area). 608-257-4663.

Madison@TaoSangha-na.com.

TaoSangha- na.com.

APRIL 14–JUNE 2

Awaken the Power of Ki and Heart Course – Mondays. 6:30-8:45pm. Madison College Truax. $199. Ki is the life force energy of the universe within all of us. Ki and Heart courses offers opportunities to experience Ki, increase positive states of heart, relieve stress and pain, and develop spiritually for the benefit of yourself and others. To register: 855-473-2301. MadisonCollege.edu/student-status. For more info, see newsbrief page 6.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25

Energetic Alignment – 6-10pm. For massage therapists. Integrate hands-on energy into massage strokes using alignment principles that ease your back, neck, wrists and hands while optimizing energy flow. $100 ($80 if paid by April 4). TIBIA, 6225 University Avenue, STE 210, Madison. Information: Leora@TibiaInc.com. 608-332-9581.

BackInHarmony.org. TibiaInc.com. Pre-register: 608-238-7378. Or send a check with your contact info to TIBIA at the above address.

JUNE 6-8

Buddhist Chanting – 7-8:30pm. The 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

Buddhist Chanting Meditation, known in Japan and the East as Nembutsu Samadhi, can heal deep wounds and also cultivate deep gratitude in our hearts. Tao Sangha Madison Center, 2330 Willard Ave, (Atwood area). RSVP. 608-257-4663. Madison@ TaoSangha-na.com. TaoSangha- na.com.

Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference – The conference offers workshops for beginning as well as experienced herbalists. Featured speakers are Tieraona Low Dog, MD, Lisa Ganora and Brooke Medicine Eagle plus 50 workshops and plant walks with expert herbalists from the Midwest and beyond.

For more info: MidwestWomensHerbal.com.

When you dance,

your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor.

It’s to enjoy each step along the way.

~Wayne Dyer

natural awakenings March 2014

29

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide email NAadvertising@naturalawakeningsmag.com to request our media kit.

ACUPUNCTURE

HOLISTIC HEALTH

PIVOTAL POINT ACUPUNCTURE & WELLNESS CENTER, LLC

Dr. Reek - Walnut Grove Clinic 4200 University Ave Madison, WI 53705 WomenLivingNaturally.com WomenLivingNaturally@WomenLiving Naturally.com

106 N Main Street Oregon, WI 53575 608-835-9355 PivotalPointOnline.com

At Pivotal Point Acupuncture & Wellness Center, many holistic and complementary treatments are provided to promote healing and well-being. Services include acupuncture, massage, digestive and nutritional support through the use of herbal and enzyme supplements. See ad page 17.

BODYWORK/HEALING ARTS BACK IN HARMONY HEALING FOR BODY & SPIRIT

629 Spruce St Madison WI 608-256-0080 • Wellife.org

Therapeutic massage, Reiki, intuitive work for humans and animals, myofascial release, gentle deep tissue.

Lasting comfort and mobility.

DENTISTRY integrative dental solutions

At Integrative Dental Solutions (IDS), doctors Ingo Mahn and Supriya Shetty are committed to providing holistic dental care and using materials and methods that are the most beneficial to the overall health of their patients.

See ad on back cover.

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South Central Wisconsin

HYPNOSIS KARING Hypnosis and Therapeutic Massage

Leora Weitzman, WI LMT #3833-146 437 S Yellowstone Dr, Ste 109 Madison, WI 53719 608-332-9581 BackInHarmony.org

23770 Capitol Drive Pewaukee, WI 53072 MyNaturalDentist.com

Helping restore true health through holistic alternatives, hormone testing, herbal and nutritional therapy, blood and saliva testing for chronic unresponsive conditions that have compromised your health and well being. Voted Madison Favorite - Isthmus.

See ad inside front cover.

QUIT SMOKING-LOSE WEIGHT & MORE. Ken-Adi Ring, CH, Consulting Hypnotist, offers you an opportunity to be free of addictive habits and to feel GOOD! Ken is the only NGH Certified Instructor (CI) in Madison. Specialized treatment suited to your kneads/requests is available.In addition to private sessions, Ken teaches the course that prepares you for certified practice. Contact him for services that will help release you from patterns, become strong and embrace a better, way of being.

NUTRItion H2O Energy Flow can be purchased at: Healthy Woman

7617 Mineral Point Road Madison, WI 53704 608-203-9060 info@H2OEnergyFlow.com www.H2OEnergyFlow.com

At Healthy Woman learn about the importance of water, how to lose weight and keep it off with H2O Energy Flow combined with the right food choices. See ad inside back cover.

www.AwakeMadison.com

Eckankar.org

Meetup.com The Spiritual Experiences Group Of Madison WI Local Contact: Bryce 608-238-5650 (Se habla espanol)

Discover how the teachings of Eckankar can awaken you to your true nature as Soul. The road to God is the adventure of a lifetime.

See ad page 21.

PRODUCTS/SERVICES Peaceful Heart Gifts & Books 123 South Main St., Oregon, WI 608-835-5288

We strive to provide products and gifts with a light-hearted, fun or inspirational quality.

Indulge your inner diva with great jewelry, healing music or an insightful book. Pick up a calendar of events featuring healers, readers, classes and other special events, or visit our website at www.peacefulheart.net. See ad page 9.

SCHOOLS/TRAINING Tao Shiatsu Training Program Tao Sangha Center, 2330 Willard Avenue 608-257-4663 USA@TaoShiastu.com TaoShiastu.com

The International Tao Shiatsu Society has one of the highest standards and most vibrant systems of shiatsu training. The unique hands-on curriculum allows students to realize the core principles of Oriental Medicine and become effective Tao Shiatsu therapists.

All gardening is landscape painting.

~William Kent

Activate longevity of life Turbocharge excellent health Increase momentum of hydration Increase velocity in performance

Do you experience fatigue, headaches or body aches and pains?

These are all symptoms of dehydration or drinking that is energetically dead water. H2O Energy Flow has been scientifically engineered with technology that specializes in frequency imprinting of water and providing the best available pH at 7.8.

It starts by taking water from the spring source and energizing it through an all-natural process;which means there are no added chemicals or artificial ingredients,setting the stage for optimal,high performance cellular hydration.Increase your water intake with H2O Energy Flow and drink to letting energy flow into your life.

H2O Energy Flow can be purchased at Healthy Woman, 7617 Mineral Point Rd., Madison, WI. At Healthy Woman you will learn about your current hydration level,body composition,how water consumption can help you lose weight today and keep it off by reducing cravings.

Call Now for your FREE Consultation - 608-203-9060

To learn more about the benefits of frequency imprinting of water and how to identifying energetically dead water, visit our website and register for our monthly information e-newsletter.

H2OENERGYFLOW WWW.H2OENERGYFLOW.COM For home or oďŹƒce delivery,

call 888-602-6568