Mar/Apr 2009 NATURAL AWAKENINGS

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NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com March/April 2009

FREE Spring Cleaning

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

Homemade, green, nontoxic, natural, safe, inexpensive cleaning supplies Feng shui

feel good live simply laugh more

Create The Life You Want Power nutrition Abundance Exercise tips

Codex Alimentarius Action Alert: YOU might lose access to natural medicines and nutritional supplements March / April 2009

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Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. Our mission is to provide information designed to improve readers’ quality of life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural healing, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression, and products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

DEPARTMENTS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Ritual of Spring Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

newsbriefs

Enjoy the Ritual without Harmful Chemicals

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by Mary Alford

healthbriefs Codex Alimentarius Demystified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Interview with Dr. Rima E. Laibow

naturalpet

by Lee Walker

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The Metabolic Power of Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

fitbody

Eating for Pleasure, Energy and Weight Loss

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by Marc David

askthepractitioner DIvine Secrets of the Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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by Helen Kornblum

inspiration 20

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) . . . . . . . . . 31

by Carla Burkle

globalbriefs 21

Prosperity and Qigong Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

by Jeff Primack

abundance&prosperity 29

Keep Moving Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

eventscalendar

Self Improvement and a Healthy Inner Relationship

by Cynthia Christianson

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resourceguide

Dream Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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Alternate Paths to the Best Work Ever

HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise, please call 352-629-4000 or e-mail Carolyn@NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

Deadline for ads in the May/June 2009 issue is April 9th.

For your convenience, our media kit, including sizes and rates, is online at www.NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

Design services available!

Advertisers are included online at no additional charge.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS For submission guidelines, please visit www.NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

E-mail articles/News Briefs to Info@NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com, or snail-mail to Box 1140, Anthony, FL 32617.

Deadline for articles to be considered for May/June 2009 issue is April 1st.

News Briefs deadline is April 9th.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS E-mail calendar listings to Info@NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

Deadline for calendar events in the May/June 2009 issue is April 9th.

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publisherletter Hello, friends, Publisher Carolyn Rose Blakeslee

Redesign redux! Three steps forward, one step sideways.

Regional Editors Diane Childs Kim Marques, Calendar

I’ll start with the sidestep: We’ve tried the glossy cover for two issues and have decided it just doesn’t work.

For one thing, glossy is more expensive, and I don’t think any of us want to see advertising rates increase. (That said, if you want the magazine to come out more frequently, please let me know.)

Second reason: the glossies slide against each other, making them inconvenient for our distribution sites to handle. We noticed some sloppy, slippery stacks of our magazines in lobbies and waiting areas. We prefer to offer a clean and refreshing appearance—in fact, whenever we deliver our magazines, we make a point of tidying up the literature areas.

Third reason: the glossy paper simply isn’t as “green.”

National Editors Sharon Bruckman S. Alison Chabonais Linda Sechrist Design + Production Suzzanne Fil Advertising Carolyn Rose Blakeslee

So, for this issue that coincides with Earth Day (April 22), we are returning to our roots: uncoated bright-white recycled paper for our cover.

Now, on to the forward steps. First, the response to our photographic cover has been overwhelmingly positive, so we’re sticking with that—and, we’ve significantly increased the number of color pages to better serve you.

We hope you enjoy this issue and the lovely spring season that’s in full swing. In this issue you’ll find features and vignettes on planting your garden, spring cleaning, creating a healthier and more successful life, and much more. I would also like to draw your attention to the Codex Alimentarius article starting on p. 22—please read this carefully and consider getting involved.

Hugs,

Carolyn

Corporate + Development Larry Levine John Voell II Contact Us Natural Awakenings P.O. Box 1140 Anthony, FL 32617 352-629-4000 Fax 352-351-5474 www.NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com Info@NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com Subscriptions One-year, First Class mail subscriptions are available by sending $18 to the address above.

Natural Awakenings NCFL is published every two months. 20,000 copies are distributed to health food stores, medical offices, fitness facilities, educational and spiritual centers, public libraries, restaurants and cafes throughout North Central Florida.

correction In the November/December 2008 issue of Natural Awakenings, an article by Dr. John A. Podlaski incorrectly identified his professional designations as John A. Podlaski, M.D., and John A. Podlaski, M.D., D.C. The correct professional designations should have been John A. Podlaski, DC, DABCI, DACBN. We apologize for the error.

Natural Awakenings does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in its articles or advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products or services contained herein. To determine whether a particular product or service is appropriate for you, consult your family physician.

Copyright ©2009 Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted if that permission has been obtained in writing.

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newsbriefs Projects Watch

The Green Circle

Progress Energy’s Levy County Nuclear Plant Approved

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n mid-January 2009, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) gave Progress Energy the green light for a 2,200-megawatt nuclear power plant in Levy County.

The $17 billion project is expected to be completed in 2017 and will serve an estimated 1.4 million Florida customers.

During the last year, Progress Energy raised its rates 25 percent in order to start paying for the project.

The FDEP issued a 100-page report that would, among other things, require the power plant to maintain monitoring wells on site. The power plant was approved with the understanding that Progress Energy would close two of its four coal-fired plants in Crystal River, thus reducing pollution. One 838-megawatt nuclear plant is already operating in Crystal River.

Also, the Levy County plant is expected to pump 122,000,000 gallons of water per day from the Cross Florida Barge Canal to cool steam created from making electricity. However, the FDEP’s report concludes that the direct environmental impacts to wetlands would be offset through mitigation by Progress Energy.

The two new reactors will be located on a 3,105-acre site four miles north of the Levy-Citrus border, east of U.S. Hwy. 19. Progress Energy has 5,000 miles of power lines now; 200 new power lines will be built near Dunnellon and other parts of Marion, Citrus and Sumter counties. Existing utility corridors will be used when possible, although new towers would have to be constructed. An estimated 35 homes are likely to be affected by the planned route, and the route plan should be finalized at yearend. Progress Energy is holding meetings with people living in areas where homes could be impacted.

—Sources: Ocala.com and ProgressEnergy.com

ou’ve heard the terms “green,” “buy local,” and “organic”— but what, exactly, is the significance of the new green movement?

In partnership with Indigo Green Home Store, Santa Fe College is offering a new series of Saturday workshops called “Sustainable Living.” Topics include: American Clay Plastering, Rain Barrel Construction, Easy Home Energy Improvements (taught by Drops & Watts), Make Your Own Composter, Edible Plant Project, Guide to Green Purchasing, and Locavore 101.

A series of sustainability classes is also in the pipeline. Anyone interested in teaching a course for Sustainable Living may contact Betsy Albury, 352-395-5819. Classes will be held online, in classrooms, or in partner businesses. Visit http:// dept.sfcc.edu/ce/.

Alternative Wholistic Health Care “To Achieve Optimal Health using Alternative Complementary Medicine with State of the Art Technology” Michael Badanek, Chiropractic Physician, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition and Promoter of Alternative Complementary Medicine.

28 Years of Clinical Practice in Marion County Florida FREE SEMINARS on Alternative Health Care. See Web-sites for dates, times and locations of Seminars Same day emergency appointments Courtesy consultations available (352) 622-1151 3391 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Suite B Ocala, FL 34470 www.alternativewholistichealth.com www.ocalaalternativemedicine.com

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newsbriefs Healthy Living Expo in Melbourne

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entral Florida’s largest natural health and green living expo will host their 7th annual show on March 14th at Brevard Community College in Melbourne. Each year, the expo attracts more than 2,000 visitors interested in products and services for a naturally healthy lifestyle.

The expo will offer hundreds of door prizes, free product samples, free admission, and offers opportunities for massages, free chiropractic screenings, energy treatments and much more. “Each year it is a full day of fun,” explains Kris Urquhart, expo producer. “The workshops are intriguing and the exhibit hall is filled with fascinating products to try and services to experience.”

For more information visit www.HealthyLivingExpos.com or call 321-777-6433.

Ocala EFT Healing Circle

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oin Paula Krause, International Energy Psychology Trainer and Practitioner, for a Healing Circle on Monday nights at Herbal Advantage beginning March 16th. On the first night, a slide presentation will familiarize participants with Emotional Freedom Techniques. After the presentation, participants will discuss topics to be addressed the next

week. All input will be welcome with a special emphasis on Financial Abundance. The circle meets from 7:00-8:15 p.m.

Gary Craig, developer of EFT, says “EFT is by far the most fascinating, most rewarding, most effective tool I have ever found for personal improvement.” With EFT, our motto is “Try It On Everything!” It often works where nothing else will.

The suggested donation for the Healing Circle is $10.00/night. Herbal Advantage is located at 4901 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Suite 109, in the Six Gun Plaza (behind Outback). Please call 352-629-1110 to reserve your space.

Remember to bring a note pad and pen.

Intro Weekend at Amrit

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isit the Amrit Yoga Retreat Center, located on beautiful Lake Kerr, in the heart of the Ocala National Forest for a program designed to introduce you to the transformational practices of the Amrit Method. Yogi Desai and his senior staff members will provide classes and trainings in Amrit Yoga and Amrit Yoga Nidra. Experience the benefits of these ancient practices and techniques and learn ways to live life with a greater sense of ease and well-being.

The workshop will be held March 13-15, 2009, at the Amrit Yoga Institute, Salt Springs FL. $225 includes program, lodging, meals. Register at www.amrityoga.org, info@amrityoga.org or call 352-685-3001.

Free Stress Reduction Class

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nvest in your health while you are still healthy. Learn how to release stress, worry and fear in your life. John Ernest Hiester, Senior Instructor at the Amrit Yoga Institute, will provide information and simple techniques which can begin to guide you towards physical, mental and emotional balance. Each session consists of discussion and two relaxation experiences, which can be done seated or reclining. Please dress comfortably and warmly. No preregistration is necessary.

The events will be held Tuesday, March 17 and Thursday, April 30 from 7-8:30 at the Downtown Public Library, 401 E. University Avenue, Gainesville. For more information email jehiester@amrityoga.org.

Home Massage

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entle Waters Healing Center is now offering at-yourhome massage. One of our Florida Licensed Massage Therapists will come to you, providing the table, sheets, and music—you just provide the space. Contact Dawn at Gentle Waters Healing Center, 352-374-0600, for more information or to make an appointment.

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newsbriefs Inspirational Concert

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n Friday, April 17th at 7:15 p.m., the OakBrook Life Enrichment Center is hosting an inspirational concert featuring Dr. Martin and Connie Jordan performing “A Musical Evening With PureHeart.” The public is invited to enjoy an evening of music and tales of healing, love and laughter.

OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 N.E. 28th Ave., Ocala. Suggested love offering $15. For more information visit www.olec.org or call 352-629-3897.

News at Ayurveda

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he Ayurveda Health Retreat will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Nirvana Gift Shop and the Ayurveda Spa on Saturday, March 7th, at 6:30 p.m. There will be free mini facials, gifts, food and entertainment.

The Spa features skin and beauty care specialist Maria Castiblanco, who offers facials and waxing using organic and natural products.

The 200-hour yoga teacher training at the Inspiration Yoga Institute has received $2,500 in scholarships to be awarded to students needing financial assistance. The teacher training begins on Sunday May 17th.

Call 352-870-7645 or visit www.AyurvedaHealthRetreat.com for more information.

for those ready to discover the Power within them and its incomparable ability to heal, comfort and prosper— and for those prepared to make a genuine commitment to the transformation this discovery offers.

Manifest your dreams by combining Quantum Field Technology with Tapping on acupuncture points.

Rewire your brain for health, happiness and prosperity (Emotional Freedom Technique). The seminar is presented by Dr. Garland Landrith, Ph.D., Quantum Field Psychologist whose research was widely cited in “What the Bleep.” He has participated in some amazing cures for fears, depression, addictions, anger, relationship issues, and much more.

Learn how to use Tapping to manifest more material and spiritual abundance. This two-part seminar will take place Sunday, March 8, 1:00-

4:30; and Monday, March 9, 6:309:30. Cost is $39/one day or $49/both ($85 for a couple).

Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39th Avenue, Gainesville, 352-3731030, unityone@bellsouth.net.

Holistic Gala

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he High Springs Emporium is hosting its first Holistic Gala Saturday, March 28 from 12:00-6:00 p.m. featuring Sharon Docktor, RN, MA, LMT, who uses ortho-bionomy for gentle alignment; Jenny Westlake, AP, who clears and activates the meridians with crystal acupuncture; Shenna Benarte, RMT, MS, Certified Yoga Instructor; Rose Dotson, RN, BHA, RMT, who releases pain and tension using cranial-sacral therapy; and Janet

Quest & Quantum at Unity of Gainesville

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re you willing to go the distance?

Are you ready to make the commitment to your own personal transformation? If your answer is “Yes!,” we invite you to join us on Wednesday evenings, 7:00 p.m., as we begin The Quest, a progressive, evolutionary process which will deepen your understanding of Unity principles and yourself. The Quest is

TOTAL MIND AND BODY WORKOUT

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newsbriefs Idoyago, LMT, RMT, who blends Karuna Reiki and massage for soothing relaxation. Introductory sessions will cost $20 each. 660 N.W. Santa Fe Blvd., High Springs. 386-4548657.

Holistic Healing Conference and Expo

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he North Central Florida Holistic Healing Conference and Expo by AlternativEducators, Inc. will be held on April 25-26, 2009 from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. at the Florida School of Massage located at 6421 S.W. 13th Street, Gainesville. The conference will be open to the general public looking to increase their understanding of holistic healing modalities as well as professionals who want to earn continuing education credits.

The conference will bring together more than 30 practitioners from Gainesville and surrounding areas offering workshops on a wide variety of topics including Chi Gong, Acupuncture, Yoga, Aromatherapy, Tranquility Meditation, Breathwork, Thai Massage, Pilates, Men’s work and more.

Paul Davenport, Owner and Director of the Florida School of Massage, will be the featured keynote speaker on

Saturday morning. His topic will be “Empowering Individuals in Health Care, Education and Business.”

On Sunday, David Bole, Phd, A.P., practicing Acupuncturist, will present on “Developing Compassion and Loving Kindness is our Practice.”

Up to 18 continuing education units will be offered in the two days for massage therapists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, midwives, dieticians, acupuncturists, nutritionists and others. In addition, the business expo both days will feature holistic practitioners and businesses.

The conference is $250 for both days or $125 for one day with a $25 discount for early registration on the twoday conference if registered by March 16th.

The expo is free to conference participants and $5 at the door for others.

For more information or to register, visit www.alternativeducators.com, call 1-877-5ALT-EDU, or email jill@alternativeducators.com.

New Classes at Big Ron’s

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ig Ron’s Yoga College is offering two new classes in addition to the Big Ron’s usual curriculum.

A special six-week Wise Women’s Yoga Series will explore the benefits yoga can have on both the health and spirit of women negotiating perimenopause, menopause, and the years that follow. Classes will focus on flexibility, bone strength, energy building, heart health, pelvic health, hormone balance, and restfulness. Women will enjoy the benefits of a gentle 85- to 90-degree heated yoga studio during the 90-minute classes. This class is recommended for all levels.

The Beginning Bikram-style Yoga Class is designed for those who want to try hot yoga, but at a slower and cooler pace. Taught every Saturday afternoon in an 85- to 90degree studio, this 90-minute class will give students the opportunity to learn each yoga pose with the direction of an experienced instructor. Get a great workout and enjoy the many benefits of bikram-style yoga.

For more information, call 352-875-1976.

One-Day Workshop for Couples

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one-day Intimacy Retreat will be held on Saturday, March 28 at the Howard Johnson Plaza in downtown Tampa. This is an opportunity for couples to experience many of the same relationship training and tantric practices that are taught at longer weekend workshops led by Richard and Diana Daffner, M.A. The Daffners are authors of Tantric Sex for Busy Couples: How to Deepen Your Passion in Just Ten Minutes a Day,

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available at bookstores and online. The first five couples to pre-register for the one-day workshop will receive a free, autographed copy of the book.

The Intimacy Retreats program introduces couples to the powerful techniques and teachings of Tantra.

When two people take time to attune to their shared energy, a new level of love is born. At the one-day event, participants will learn how to, deepen their emotional connection, improve their communication, spice up their sexual enjoyment, and celebrate their spiritual union.

Pre-registration fee is $199/couple.

Upcoming weekend Intimacy Retreats are March 13-15 and April 17-19 on Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota and June 5-7 at Caliente Resort in Lutz. For details or to register for the March 28 workshop, visit www.Intimacy Retreats.com or call 941-349-6804.

Keep Children Safe

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ow many times have you seen an infant or young child waiting alone in a hot car, with the parents nowhere to be found? How many times have you seen young children waiting unsupervised at a bus stop?

A “Front Porch” moment is one of those times when you see a child or family in need and would like to help, but are not sure what to do or whether you should even get involved.

Moments like this happen every day— and sometimes they end in tragedy.

Often, those tragedies could have been prevented if just one person had intervened.

The Front Porch Project® is an initiative of the American Humane Society, based on the premise that everyone can play a vital role in protecting children, preventing abuse, and helping create stronger families and communities. A Front Porch Project® training, facilitated by Devereux Kids, will be held free of charge on Saturday, March 21 and Saturday, April 4, from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Oakbrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28th Avenue in Ocala. Participants will receive 14 training hours and may receive CEUs.

To register, contact Cindy Grimes, Community Facilitator with Devereux Kids, 325-454-6830. Lunch will be provided.

Spring’s Green Convergence

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rones’ Cradle Conserve will host their 2nd Annual Sustainability Festival on April 4, 2009, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Workshops, vendors, exhibitors, tours and good food will be available. More than 25 vendors will be present to demonstrate, explain and encourage better ways to live green, live sustainably and live more peacefully. Included will be goat cheese making, natural woods furniture, weaving, spinning, soap making, using rain barrels, solar water heating and cooking, using old skills and arts for better living and more.

Vegetarian and meat foods will be available. Tours of the farm will be given every hour. Browsing in the farm store is encouraged, as is visiting and swapping stories and listening to music. Admission to the event is $1, with children younger than 12 free.

Crones’ Cradle Conserve is 6.4 miles east of U.S. Hwy. 301 at Citra on County Road 318. Turn left at N.E. 217th Place and go one mile to the end of the road. Call 352-595-3377 or email catcrone@aol.com for further information.

a chance to vote on their favorite dish and cooking groups will vie for the Best Complete Foods Presentation.

See the previous News Brief for directions and contact information.

Nancy P. Vann Returning

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o you sometimes wonder what is going on in your life? Nancy Vann communicates at a sensory level beyond that available to most people.

She gives specific guidance for bringing your life energy systems into harmony for a healthier and happier life. SERCO-MC LLC and Multisensory LLC are joining together and sponsoring Nancy P. Vann’s return to Marion County March 20-22, 2009.

Spiritual circles and individual appointments available. Seating is limited. Call Christine Rossiter for more information at 800-376-0997.

Angelic Hands Massage Therapy Experience my healing touch in: * Medical/Deep Tissue Massage * Oriental/Acupressure * Vibrational-Energy Healing Saradna Mazur, aka Patricia Smythe, MA, LMT, CAT, MA 28525 Reiki Master 25 years experience

Organic Food Tasting

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rones’ Cradle Conserve’s First Organic Food Tasting will be held on April 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. High school culinary groups will prepare and serve organic dishes including drink, entrees, salads, vegetables and desserts for a moderate price.

Workshops on cooking, preparing food and creating new dishes will be held all day. Garden tours of Crones’ Cradle will be given and music will be played all day. The farm store will offer opportunity for browsing and discovering just the perfect “green” gift for someone special. Tasters will have

For appointment (352) 331-9612 Worker’s Comp/PIP Insurance Accepted TWO LOCATIONS: * Broadmoor/1033 NW 106th St., Gainesville, 32606 * Chiefland Professional Park/1315 NW 21st Ave., Chiefland, 32626

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healthbriefs

Benefits of Quiet

What Your Brain Wants

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Keep Drinking

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ou’ve heard it, a Mediterranean diet keeps cholesterol in check, reduces the risk for cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Now, according to the Annals of Neurology, Alzheimer’s is joining the laundry list of benefits that come from eating Mediterranean style. Americans eating lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, some fish, and little dairy and meat, have been found to have a lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s as they age. The study carried out by researchers of Columbia University Medical Center, and funded by the NIH/NIA was unique in that it was the first time that a diet as a whole had been studied with regard to this disease rather than just individual foods or nutrients.

The researchers evaluated 2,258 non-demented people in New York City, gathering their medical and neurological history. The subjects also had standardized physical and neurological exams and participated in personal interviews to assess health and neurological function over an average course of four years. The researchers concluded that a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

umerous studies have linked unwanted sound to increased levels of stress. Even low-level noise has been associated with increased aggression and other mental health problems, as well as poor sleep, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Janet Luhrs, author of The Simple Living Guide offers the following tips for increasing moments of silence in your daily life so that you will feel better and be healthier:

• Start your day with silence.

Before running headlong into another day, do something relaxing for twelve minutes when you wake up. That could be stretching, reading something inspirational, or meditating. Hormone levels are highest when you first get out of bed. Most people have coffee and turn on CNN. That’s the worst thing you can do.

• Eat at a table, without TV or reading. Mindful eating helps you enjoy your food more, prevents overeating because you are tuned in to your body’s satiety signals, and allows your body to metabolize food more efficiently.

• Try driving in silence. The car is a wonderful place to get in touch with your thoughts and be with yourself. Silence is rejuvenating.

Visit simpleliving.com for more tips.

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n warm and cold weather alike, it’s imperative to stay hydrated, and that’s one area where many recreational athletes falter. Here are some tips from the American College of Sports Medicine to keep up your fluid intake: • Drink about 17 ounces of fluid two hours before working out.

• To make it easier to get those fluids down, keep it cool (between 59 and 72 degrees).

• To enhance performance when exercising for longer than an hour, add carbohydrates (4-8 percent) or electrolytes to your drink. Adding sodium (0.5-0.7 gram per gallon of water) might help, too.

Sweet Healing

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ou love honey as food, but science has now rediscovered it as one of the most effective healing remedies for dressing wounds. A review article published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds summarizes. Scientists performed 22 trials involving 2,062 patients and found that treatment with honey showed the following benefits: • Honey’s antibacterial quality not only rapidly clears existing infection, but protects wounds from additional infections.

• It removes wound malodor.

• Honey’s anti-inflammatory activity reduces edema and minimizes scarring.

• It stimulates growth of granulation and epithelial tissues to speed healing.

The review article was written by Dr. P.C. Molan of New Zealand’s University Waikato. He commented that randomized controlled clinical trials strongly support the use of honey in wound care.

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Make Spring Cleaning a “Green Cleaning”

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pring is traditionally the time for major housekeeping activities. Unlike the routine dusting, wiping and vacuuming that go on with some regularity throughout the year, this is the season for cleaning underneath and behind things, rejuvenating the furniture, refreshing the carpets, and airing out the house after a winter of confinement.

What better way to start the season this year than with a “Green Spring Cleaning”?

One easy way to go about this is to follow the recipes for effective, inexpensive and environmentally safe cleaning supplies in the best-selling Clean & Green: The Complete Guide to Nontoxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping (Ceres Press). In fact, there are 485 of them.

Author Annie Berthold-Bond says, “the nice thing about these formulas is that in addition to working so well, they are easy and quick to make. And when you’ve finished your spring cleaning, it feels like spring indoors, as well as outside.”

Gut IQ?

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es, it’s there! A recent study published by University College London has found that instinctive snap decisions can be more reliable than decisions taken using higher level cognitive processes—in other words, Walnut Oil & Lemon Furniture Polish you are more likely to perform well if 1/8 cup walnut oil you follow your gut instinct rather than 1/8 cup lemon juice your head, which relies heavily on Combine ingredients in small jar and thinking. shake well. Using a soft, cotton cloth, When study participants were rub on furniture to achieve the luster asked to pick the odd one out of a you want. screen displaying more than 650 Annie’s Favorite Wood-Floor Soap symbols, those who were rushed in 1/8 cup vegetable-oil-based liquid making their decision actually outpersoap formed those who had more time to 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice take a closer look and thoroughly 1/2 cup fragrant herb tea analyze the symbols.

2 gallons warm water “This finding seems counterCombine ingredients in bucket. Swirl intuitive,” says Dr. Li Zhaoping, of the water around until sudsy, then mop as usual.

UCL Department of Psychology. “You would expect people to make more accurate decisions when given the time Cleaning Walls with Glossy Paint to look properly.”

1/2 tsp washing soda The researchers concluded that 2 cups hot water falling back on our inbuilt, voluntary Place washing soda in a spray bottle, add water and dissolve the washing soda by shaking subconscious the bottle gently. Spray onto the walls and wipe dry with a clean cloth. processes for certain tasks, is Borax-And-Vinegar Spray for Appliances actually more 1 tsp borax effective than 3 tbsp vinegar Instead of air freshener, fill your home using our 2 cups hot tap water higher-level with the fresh scent of spring. Sprinkle Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to mix and dissolve borax. Spray on applicognitive dried lavender on floors and carpets ances. Wipe off with a soft cloth or sponge. functions.

Spring Cleaning Recipes Shower-Curtain Vinaigrette Rub a sponge saturated with vinegar on your shower curtain to remove soap build-up and kill mold and mildew.

NATURAL AIR FRESHENER

Recipes excerpted by permission from Clean & Green. Clean & Green is available in bookstores or directly from the publisher for $9.95 plus $4.75 p/h. Ceres Press, PO Box 87, Woodstock, NY 12498, 845-679-5573 or HealthyHighways.com.

before vacuuming. The herb’s natural oils will heat up and circulate in the vacuum and air, leaving their fragrance behind.

Source: University College London, January 2007

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Healthful Herbs

healthbriefs

Homegrown Secrets

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f the kids in the family resist eating fruits and vegetables, consider redesigning the backyard. A new Saint Louis University research study suggests that preschool children in rural areas eat more fruits and veggies when produce is homegrown. It seems that vegetable gardens create a positive “food” environment, and when children are involved in growing and cooking foods, their appreciation for wholesome eating grows right along with them. It’s a winning low-cost strategy for improving the nutrition and health of any family with an eight-by-eight-foot plot of land or room for an even more compact hydroponic garden.

High-Powered Salads

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resh herbs not only add zest to any salad, they also boost cell-preserving antioxidant protection. To boost the nutrition in any bowl and belly, toss in some sage, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, cumin and/or fresh ginger.

These readily complement veggies known to pack a strong antioxidant

Lovely Acts Uncovering Altruism’s Inner Workings

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ltruism has long puzzled neuroscientists and evolutionary biologists. They query: “If the human brain has evolved to maximize its owner’s survival, then why are we motivated to help others— even at sometimes great personal cost?” Two new studies shed light on this joy of giving by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe associated brain activity.

Researchers found that as subjects played computer games that enabled them to earn money for real-life charities, their fMRI images revealed activity in the same brain areas that govern selfish longing and rewards. They discerned that to function altruistically we need to see that the people we are helping have goals, and that our actions will have consequences for them.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, May 2007 punch, such as artichoke, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, leek, onion, radish and spinach. Crunchy red chicory leaves intermingled with romaine are good for some antioxidant flavonoids.

The right dressing presents extra opportunity to increase the antioxidant quotient for a super salad, and extravirgin olive oil delivers the most. For a healthful and low-fat alternative, try apple or wine vinegars.

Source: EatingWell.com

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healthbriefs

Heavenly Scents With Hellish Consequences?

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athrooms that smell of lavender, kitchens that hint at citrus groves and bedrooms that invite with the tantalizing fragrance of exotic flowers —our homes today are enveloped in clouds of artificial scents. But not all that smells good is good.

Research is now showing that a substance contained in air fresheners and other deodorizing products may be harmful to our already taxed respiratory system.

Human population studies conducted at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health found that exposure to a volatile organic compound called 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB) may cause reductions in lung function. 1,4 DCB is typically used as a space deodorant in products such as room deodorizers, toilet bowl blocks, and as an insecticide fumigant for moth control.

Researcher Leslie Elliott, Ph.D. who was part of the NIEHS-funded study has cautionary words for the public. “Because people spend so much time indoors, where these products are used, it’s important that we understand the effects that even low levels might have on the respiratory system…”

Source: NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, July 2006

H2O Overdose Balancing Liquid Intake during Exercise

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new wave of experts maintains that many of us drink too much water and too many sports drinks while exercising.

Part of their job is to study water metabolism rates in athletes engaged in endurance sports like marathons, triathlons and long distance cycling. And they believe that the current drinking practices they see among all types of workout enthusiasts could put some individuals at risk for potentially lethal water intoxication.

They say this serious condition, also known as exercise-induced hyponatremia, can be prevented if people respect their personal “thirst meter” and undertake a sweat test during workouts to see how much water they actually need to replace lost body fluids. And they note that popular notions of healthy fluid replacement are not based on factual data.

Further clarification comes in understanding that sports drinks are basically water with a few additives, such as sodium, potassium and carbohydrates in the form of sugars. Researchers point out that it’s incorrect to assume that drinking sports drinks instead of water will protect an athlete from becoming hyponatremic.

Source: Georgetown University Medical Center, June 2007

DID YOU KNOW… that mild exercise tends to burn through more fat than carbohydrates in the form of glucose? As exercise intensifies, muscles demand more energy from glucose than fat. At the highest level of physical activity little fat disappears.

Source: The Journal of Physiology, June 2007

“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful: yourself.”

— Alan Alda

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healthbriefs Cocoa Mulch May be Toxic to Pets

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any homeowners use “cocoa mulch,” or cocoa bean shells, a byproduct of chocolate production, as a landscaping mulch. They like its rich brown color and biodegradability. They also appreciate its chocolate aroma—and so do some pets.

Dogs, particularly, may be attracted by the smell and eagerly consume the mulch.

“Some dogs will eat large quantities of fresh mulch, which can lead to intestinal upset,” notes Hansen, “and, if the amount is high enough, increased heart rates and trembling.” Dogs metabolize methylxanthine compounds slowly, so symptoms may take hours or days to manifest. Hansen says death is “very unlikely with current products,

because the residual theobromine is very low.”

Consequently, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) calls for caution.

Cocoa mulch contains caffeine and theobromine, methylxanthine compounds to which dogs and cats are particularly sensitive.

In 2003, the ASPCA investigated cocoa mulch ingestion in 16 dogs.

Their study, still posted on their website, reported vomiting in 50 percent of the cases; tremors in 33 percent (with “large or significant” amounts of mulch ingested); tachycardia (rapid heart rate); and hyperactivity or diarrhea in 17 percent of the cases, but no clinical signs of illness in 33 percent of the dogs. Cats can also be sickened from ingesting the mulch, but are less likely to eat it.

The ASPCA notes that the organization “has not received any

cases involving animal deaths due to cocoa mulch ingestion.” However, snopes.com reported one confirmed pet death from convulsions after mulch ingestion.

The ASPCA’s bottom-line advice: Avoid using cocoa mulch anywhere unsupervised dogs roam, and don’t let a dog eat any mulch while out on a leash.

If you suspect a pet has eaten any toxic substance, immediately contact a veterinarian or the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. View the ASPCA cocoa mulch study at ASPCA.org/ site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_ publicationscocoa.

GRANDMA’S REMEDY Japanese scientists have found that chicken soup, long a popular home remedy for the common cold, may have a new role. They found that the soup helps, alongside medication and other measures, in fighting high blood pressure. Chicken parts, such as legs, often used in the soup, contain collagen, known to help decrease blood pressure.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008.

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naturalpet

The People-Pooch Connection: Walk Your Waistline Away

by Liam Crowe

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urn on any TV or radio, and it won’t be long before a pitch for the latest fad diet, exercise gadget, or weight loss book surges through the speakers. But missing from the over-hyped offers is the most critical ingredient—the motivation to stick to the plan. Enter our furry canine friends.

America has a love affair with its pets. And canine companions are the “top dog” with 34 percent of American households owning one or more dogs.

That’s more than 65 million pooches in the U.S. While dog lovers nationwide know the strong emotional bond that can develop between humans and dogs, a study at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that this relationship can result in more exercise and more weight loss than most nationally known diet plans. The study showed that participants who walked their dogs lost 14 pounds on average in less than a year. A key reason for sticking with the program was the emotional connection between dog and dog owner.

Dogs are pack animals. As such, they relish companionship. While humans are not described as pack animals, we are social creatures who also need companionship. Therefore, dogs are perfect pets for humans since the relationship is based on the same need for love and interaction. This mutual need was a key driver for the study participants, who reportedly stuck to the program because the emotional bond was a motivator.

Despite a solid emotional bond, many dog lovers have difficulty controlling their dogs on leash while walking, which can dramatically reduce the frequency of walks and the enjoyment of them. We’ve all seen the scenario: the hapless human stumbling down the sidewalk, dragged by the dominating dog. It’s a classic suburban image—but it need not be that way. As

tions (rather than waiting for a distraction to occur), communicate with your dog in a way it understands. To refocus your dog, voice a low guttural sound (like a growl) and gently flick the leash, just enough to get your dog’s attention.

When your dog responds appropriately, give positive praise in a hightoned voice, such as “good dog.” Use this technique to direct your dog to walk at your side. When its focus strays, repeat the procedure. With practice, your dog will respond to this method because it is similar to its instinctual communications.

More Ideas for Walking Dogs With some practice, dog owners can establish the leadership required for a satisfying stroll with Fido and reap the benefits of both weight loss and overall fitness. pack animals, dogs need clear and consistent leadership to feel safe and happy, whether within their packs or their human families. This need is instinctual. If in a dog’s mind a human companion is not up to the task, it will constantly challenge for leadership.

The hapless human scenario is a case in point.

Research and anecdotal evidence shows that the key to managing dog behavior is communication and leadership. Dogs have a specific manner of communicating and need leadership to feel secure. If they don’t get it from us, they will instinctually try to take charge, which can lead to behavior problems. Just like humans, dogs need training to set parameters for behavior. Your dog’s behavior on leash is in large part dependent upon your leadership and the way you communicate with it.

Establishing On-leash Leadership The key is focus, focus, focus. Keep your dog focused on you, rather than distractions, such as other dogs, people, kids’ toys, etc. To establish and maintain this focus, anticipate distrac-

Keep your dog’s interest by changing pace frequently—intermittently walk fast, slow, stop, etc. Do this regularly and your dog will see this as a game— and find the activity fun and stimulating. Dogs can easily differentiate sounds. When you want to stop, shuffle your feet on the ground to indicate you are coming to a stop. Also, change directions frequently. Go left, right, turn in front of the dog, reverse direction, etc. Each time you make a change in direction give a gentle flick of the leash to alert your dog you are about to change direction.

Gaining a better understanding of the dog psyche strengthens the humancanine connection, and learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language it understands is a critical step in establishing leadership and control. With some practice, dog owners can establish the leadership required for a satisfying stroll with Fido and reap the benefits of both weight loss and overall fitness. Much more so than the ubiquitous weight-loss infomercials, the emotional bond will be a motivator—and your waistline and your pooch will thank you.

Liam Crowe is a master dog behavioral therapist with Bark Busters, the world’s largest dog training company with 182 offices throughout the U.S. Its dog behavioral therapists have trained more than 300,000 dogs worldwide using a natural method that leverages a dog’s instinctual pack mentality. For more information, call 1-877-500-2275 or visit www.barkbusters.com.

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fitbody

Be Flexible Yoga experts reveal how to take your practice home.

By Victoria L. Freeman, PhD

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re you too busy to commute to yoga class but daunted by the thought of choosing poses and sequences on your own? Establishing a yoga routine at home may be easier than you think. An at-home practice offers freedom and flexibility, enabling you to set a schedule that suits a busy life. It’s less expensive than attending classes, and you can select the types of poses you want to focus on in a given session.

Some top yoga teachers encourage it. “Practicing at home allows you to focus on the internal and meditative aspects of yoga,” says Richard Freeman, director of the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado. Instructor Rodney Yee, codirector of the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California, agrees.

“Classes and workshops are great, but taking your practice home is what it’s all about,” he says. Here, Freeman, Yee, and veteran teacher Beryl Bender Birch offer advice on how to make a home yoga practice successful.

Step one: Learn proper form If you’re uncomfortable with your current knowledge of yoga, it may be necessary to take one or two classes or attend a yoga conference. “Classes or conferences are good in the beginning to learn proper alignment and techniques,” says Bender Birch, founder and director of The Hard & The Soft Astanga Yoga Institute in East Hampton, New York. “But they aren’t absolutely necessary. Many books and videos are available to provide great instruction if you really study them.”

In addition to making sure you are doing the poses correctly, it’s worth the effort to understand the philosophy that accompanies yoga. Yoga is a mindful exercise, and many practitioners

An at-home practice offers freedom and flexibility, enabling you to set a schedule that suits a busy life. consider that aspect to be as important as the postures. In fact, some believe an at-home yoga regimen offers a better chance for mindfulness because it eliminates public distractions.

Step two: Create the right space

Another factor to take into account is floor surface. “Hardwood or ceramic tile are ideal because of their stability,” says Bender Birch. She advises avoiding spongy surfaces or padded carpet, which can throw off your balance. To keep from slipping, get a nonslip or sticky mat. “[Other] props, like blocks and straps, are not required but can be helpful in some asanas [poses], especially for beginners,” says Bender Birch. “But keep in mind, a great thing about yoga is that it’s so portable. When you load up on stuff, you lose that benefit.”

Music and scents are optional.

“Soothing or meditative types of music can be a nice addition for Savasana [Corpse Pose], but I don’t recommend music during most of the practice,” says Bender Birch. “It’s more important to focus on your breath.” If you do choose to include a scent, Bender Birch recommends natural, pure products instead of synthetic scents, which could introduce chemicals into the air you breathe. “Don’t burn incense during your practice either, because it releases smoke that could be irritating,” says Bender Birch.

Instead, use smokeless aromatherapy diffusers with natural scents, such as cedar, pine, rose, or lavender.

Step three: Begin your practice

Establishing a place in your home for yoga will help you stick to your plan. After all, you are more likely to take to the mat if you set aside a dedicated area. If you live in a small apartment or house, however, “don’t let the limited room be a deterrent to your home practice,” says Bender Birch. You can temporarily move tables, chairs, or couches, or for more privacy, you can section off a specific yoga spot with portable screens.

Proper lighting and room temperature are important considerations when preparing a yoga space. Natural light is best because it is soothing and limits reflective glare, says Yee. The room should be comfortably warm, around 75 to 85 degrees, to facilitate heating muscles and improving flexibility. In chilly weather, you can roll out your mat in front of the fireplace or heater for a cozy, inspiring spot.

Now that you’ve learned proper form and prepared a space, you are ready to begin your routine. Some people like to become invigorated in the early morning. Others would rather use yoga to unwind after a long day.

Whichever you choose, Freeman recommends waiting two to three hours after a heavy meal and one hour after a light meal. “Having a relatively empty stomach is important because during an asana practice there is much activity in the abdomen, and too much food in the stomach impedes movement,” he says. Also, Freeman adds, blood goes to the stomach for digestion after you’ve eaten, causing your body to relax and your practice to be less vibrant.

For your routine, select poses from different categories, such as standing, seated, and twisting. For example, a sequence for a half-hour session might begin with Sun Salutations, then

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progress to standing poses, arm balances, forward bends, twisting poses, and finish with restorative poses. Always consult a yoga book, videotape, or instructor for detailed direction on specific poses and sequences within these categories. Hold each pose for three to five complete breaths. The finale is traditionally Savasana, held for at least five minutes. “[Beginners should] avoid inversions, like the Plough, as well as headstands, shoulder stands, and backbends,” says Bender Birch. “Those are safer in a supervised setting.” Also, don’t force yourself into a posture, and be sure to go at a pace that allows your breathing to stay deep and full. “You’ve got plenty of time to grow into the postures,” says Freeman. “The main thing is to stay open and mindful.”

If you have questions about alignment, Freeman recommends checking in with an instructor. In fact, he says, “it’s probably a good idea to check in with an instructor at least two or three times a year anyway.” Practicing in front of mirrors is acceptable, too, but use them sparingly, once or twice a week. Too much time in front of a mirror can encourage you to focus on superficial or external factors, says Freeman.

Step four: Find a tranquil finish To wrap up your home yoga session in good form, spend at least five minutes in Savasana, says Bender Birch. Restorative poses such as this quiet the mind, allowing time to soak in the benefits of your practice and to transition gradually from this period of relaxation and meditation to the rest of your day or evening.

Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a veteran yogi, you may be unsure of your home yoga routine when first going solo. Don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be perfect. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is always trying to get it right,” says Yee. “Yoga is a process, not a destination. Your body will tell you if it’s aligned properly when you listen to it. Never compete with anyone else, and remember that yoga should move you toward equanimity and ease.”

Victoria Freeman practices yoga at home to simplify her life.

Yoga Helps Prevent Falls

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t seems that women 65 and older who enroll in an Iyengar yoga program are getting far more from their practice than a limber and relaxed body.

According to a new study by Temple University’s Gait Study Center, certain Iyengar yoga poses also improve balance and stability and help prevent falls, a leading cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in the elderly.

With one-third of adults suffering some type of fall each year, Iyengar yoga practice may provide multiple preventative benefits; it has been shown to improve stride, increase flexibility and muscle strength in the lower extremities, improve single leg stance, and increase confidence in walking. While learning proper ways to stand, pose and breathe, use of yoga props allows students to gradually master positions and build confidence in their physical prowess—an important factor for all ages.

Get a Better Body Image

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ant to make peace with your physique? Step off the treadmill and onto a yoga mat. A report in Psychology of Women Quarterly found that women who participate in mind-body exercises, specifically yoga, are more satisfied with their bodies than those who stick to aerobic workouts. Compared with those who take a step class at the gym, yoga practitioners are more likely to understand their own bodies and judge themselves by qualities such as health, energy level and coordination rather than appearance. Why? The latter “may negatively reinforce the view that you need to constantly strive to improve your body,” notes study author Jennifer Daubenmier, Ph.D.

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askthepractitioner Nutritional Eye Doc

by Nathan Schramm, O.D., C.N.S.

Q

My question has to do with Vaseline-like focal problems. Sometimes I have trouble focusing and a combination of squinting and blinking hard will clear up the difficulty for a few seconds or minutes. Is there a natural way to treat this?

A

A transient blur to your vision that improves with blinking is usually associated with the beginning stages of Dry Eye Syndrome (DES). Other signs of DES is burning, tearing, foreign body sensation, and sometimes itching along the edges of the eyes.

DES has been linked with smoking, poor diet (high ratio of Omega-6’s to Omega-3’s), contact lens use, dry environment, allergy/cold medications, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, and age. Every 10 years you live, you have a 20% greater chance of developing dry eyes.

Fortunately, there is a natural treatment/prevention for this problem. For my patients with this condition, I recommend 1000-3000mg of triglyceride-based liquid fish

oil; Borage oil or Evening Primrose 500-1000mg; and 400mg of Curcumin.

Along with the many benefits for the heart, brain, hair, skin, and nails, Omega-3 fish oil can give you a better tear film. In addition, it may reduce your chances of developing wet macular degeneration. Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) and Borage Oil are Omega-6 fatty acids that have been shown clinically to increase tear production.

Take half the amount or less of EPO as you take of fish oil, i.e. 500mg EPO, 1000mg fish oil. It is important not to have too much Omega-6’s in the diet because they are proinflammatory (causes inflammation). The proper balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is 4 to 1. The typical American diet is 20 to 1—very inflammatory!

Try to reduce the amount of vegetable oil in the diet to decrease the amount of overall Omega-6 consumption.

Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory derived from curry seed and is a staple in Indian foods. I recommend this in conjunction with the fish oil and Borage oil to quench the inflammatory cascade and to better stabilize the ocular tear film.

Preservative Free artificial tears can be used until this combination takes effect.

The eyes did not change overnight, so usually this natural treatment can take one to three months for full benefit. I hope this answers your question. If you have any questions about your eyes, please email me at gr8eyedoc@gmail.com.

Dr. Nathan Schramm, O.D., C.N.S., is an Optometric Physician and a Board Certified Nutritional Specialist. He practices in Gainesville, Ocala, Summerfield, The Villages, and Inverness. This column is not intended to replace a full eye examination by a qualified medical professional.

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Enjoy the Ritual of Spring Cleaning Without Harmful Chemicals

by Mary Alford

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pring cleaning is an honored tradition through the ages. When homes were heated with fire, old soot was scrubbed away from interior surfaces. Fresh hay was brought in for mattresses. In colder climates, quilts and drapes that would freeze instead of dry in cold winter temperatures could be washed. Some traditions associated with Passover, Lent and other eastern religions require or suggest cleaning house.

Today, many cleaning experts will tell you that it is better to do a “Fall Cleaning” than a “Spring Cleaning” because our homes don’t get that dirty any more and you are prepared for the celebratory fall holidays. However, I like the those first days of spring when the flowers are blooming outside, the air is sweet, the temperature balmy and I can throw open the windows with abandon to welcome the change of season. Windows are a pleasure to wash when the weather is wonderful and you can watch the dogwoods budding. I enjoy washing away the musty smells of winter and replacing them with fresh clean natural smells.

Unfortunately, most commercial cleaning products don’t provide the fresh clean smells I am looking for. The overwhelming scents of bleach, ammonia, powerful antibacterial agents and chemical scenting agents are harsh to my nose and are not what I want competing with the pleasant spring odors outside. Besides, those “Danger,” “Warning” and “Caution” labels make me nervous, especially with kids around.

This article makes some recommendations for natural cleaning products that are functional and kinder to the environment. Here are some of my favorite natural cleaning agents: Vinegar. I use vinegar in my kitchen for a countertop spray, to clean the inside of the microwave and top of the

stove, and to wipe down the refrigerator and refrigerator gasket.

Vinegar prevents mildew when used regularly and has mildly antiseptic qualities.

To use, put it in a spray bottle and spray liberally. Let it sit a few minutes to soften any hardened items, then wipe away. For tough stains (not on stone or other specialty products!) scrub with baking soda first, then spray with vinegar. You’ll get natural “scrubby bubbles”—and because these are both safe products, kids sometimes enjoy this cleaning activity.

Equal parts of vinegar and baking soda work to keep drains clean.

Dump in baking soda, then add vinegar.

Vinegar works as a fabric softener and deodorizer when added (1-2 cups) during the rinse cycle of your washing machine, and has the added bonus of cleaning old soap scum out of your washer. I run vinegar through my coffee maker and through my dishwasher periodically to eliminate lime deposits. You can buy cheap white vinegar for cleaning, but I don’t cook with it.

does a fabulous job. When you are finished scrubbing off the stains (you can let it sit for a while for the citric acid to mildly bleach white porcelain), toss the lemon into your garbage disposal to grind away any odors.

Rinse away the baking soda residue from your sink and polish with a soft cloth. Warning! Don’t use this method on granite or other stone. ... Continued on the Next Page

Baking Soda. I have already mentioned this as a scrubbing agent—also use to scour pots, scrub tubs (use with vinegar to dissolve hard water deposits and soap scum), and remove odors from upholstery and carpet (sprinkle on, rub in, let sit, vacuum off).

Use small containers of baking soda to absorb odors in refrigerators, bathrooms and even your car. You can scent with a few drops of essential oils. After a couple of months, replace the box with a fresh one, and use the old soda to clean something.

Lemons. Cut one in half, use for a big glass of lemonade, then dip the cut side into baking soda and scrub the kitchen sink. It smells wonderful and

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Hydrogen Peroxide. I use the 3% solution to clean the bathroom and kitchen counters when someone is sick.

Also, because I have white grout between the kitchen tiles, I use it (in a spray bottle) to clean the kitchen floor— spray it down, let it sit, then mop as usual.

I soak my kitchen scrub brushes, my toothbrushes, and my cutting boards in hydrogen peroxide periodically to kill germs.

Other Cleaning Tools. I like tools that I can clean and reuse versus being thrown away.

For windows, pieces of an old sheet will not leave lint when you are polishing.

I have two dust mop covers, one to be in the wash and one in use. If you knit or sew, there are patterns to make cotton washable covers for mopping as well as many fun patterns to knit dishcloths. Most cotton mop heads can be removed and tossed in the washer.

If you want to purchase reusable cleaning towels, look for microfiber towels in the car care department rather than in the house cleaning department.

You can buy a bundle of them at a fraction of the cost!

One of the many benefits of using natural cleaning products is the ability to get your kids involved without them being exposed to chemicals that could be harmful. I have seen three-year-olds happy for quite a long time with a sponge and a small container of water “helping” scrub the kitchen floor!

When cleaning your house don’t forget to recycle unused or unwanted items with local charities or the online “Free Cycle” (freecycle.org) service.

Bring in some of those fresh flowers, and breath deeply—because you can!

Mary Alford, P.E. (License #68187) is an environmental engineer with a background in everything from water and wastewater to power generation.

Currently she helps develop green and sustainable homes, businesses and neighborhoods. To contact her, please email mary.alford@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.sustainabledesign group.com.

inspiration

Spring Clean the Feng Shui Way

by Stephanie Dempsey

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ow that spring is here, it’s time to clear out the clutter and make way for a brand new season of growth. Feng shui cures can help.

Simply start with the cure that corresponds to your most compelling problem. Once that’s out of the way, it becomes easier to enact subsequent cures.

Inspiration Wash the windows. If you feel devoid of inspiration and motivation, wash all the windows. Windows represent your outlook on life. With clean and sparkling windowpanes, it will be easier to see your way clear to your heart’s desire. This is a helpful cure for people who are in dead-end jobs or suffer from depression. It’s fine to hire a professional to accomplish this labor-intensive task.

Love & Romance Clear out the space beneath the bed. If you’d like a happier, healthier love life, look under the bed. Relocate any items that you use regularly, then discard or donate the rest. Keeping the space beneath your bed totally clear frees you to resolve any deceptions, hidden resentments or childhood traumas that may have affected romantic relationships.

Family Put stray photos into scrapbooks. If you’re struggling with family squabbles, assemble stray photos into albums. Frame those that conjure good memories and display them in gathering spaces, such as the living room and kitchen.

Keep family photos out of the bedroom, especially if you wish to maintain healthy boundaries with relatives.

Health & Wellness Clear out kitchen cabinets. Do you feel tired, unhealthy or depressed? Then clean out the cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. Throw away items that are past their freshness date. Donate unwanted canned goods to charity. If you’re determined to improve your health, purge the house of all junk food.

Time to Enjoy Life Scrub the bathroom until it shines. Do you have time for the activities you love? If not, you need to scrub your bathroom from top to bottom. Bathrooms represent self-care. When yours are sparkling and clean, you’ll find more time for the people and things that give you joy. Splurge on new towels, bath mats and shower curtains.

Stephanie Dempsey uses feng shui in her design practice. She has authored a weekly column for Women.com and contributed to several books.

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globalbriefs Eco-Entrepreneurs Pay People to Recycle

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hat’s the best way to get people to recycle? Same way you get them to do anything: pay them for it. Patrick FitzGerald and Ron Gonen founded RecycleBank in 2004 on the notion that economic incentives would motivate recycling more effectively than green principles. Their system rewards households with up to $400 a year in credits to national chain stores based on the weight of the recyclables they generate—tracked when sanitation crews scan “smart waste” tags in specially supplied recycling bins. In a six-month Philadelphia pilot project involving 2,500 households, recycling rates jumped from 35 to 90 percent in well-off Chestnut Hill, and from 7 to 90 percent in more moderate West Oak Lane. Now RecycleBank has sold its services to several mid-Atlantic and New England municipalities, primarily in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. People anywhere may ship electronic waste such as computers and cell phones to specified recycling centers for credit as well.

Sources: The New York Times, 02.21.06; Grist.org. Visit RecycleBank.com for more information.

Scientists Sight 50,000 More Galaxies

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stronomers peering through a tiny strip of sky, a virtual crack in the fence unseen by the naked eye near the handle of the Big Dipper, now can see galaxies half the age of our own universe. This “look at the universe more than halfway back in time” is providing clues to the adolescent fabric of our own. Scientists have spotted neat spirals, cloudlike ellipticals and “train wrecks” left by galaxy collisions that look like they had a bad hair day.

TV-Turnoff Week April 20-26, 2009

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his April, millions of people in thousands of homes, schools, libraries, churches and community groups across America will voluntarily turn off their television sets.

National TV-Turnoff Week was created in 1995 by TV-Turnoff Network, a national nonprofit organization that encourages adults and children to reduce the amount of TV they watch in order to promote richer, healthier and more connected lives.

Second-grader Drew Henderson said, “I really didn’t like TV-Turnoff Week except that I did notice that my grades went up and I was in a good mood all week.”

For more information visit tvturnoff.org. The Web site has pages for children, parents, and teachers looking for information and ideas to jump-start projects and activities in lieu of watching television.

Already one team has discovered a fundamental organizing principle that shapes all galaxies. Some 100 scientists in six countries are participating in the ambitious project with the ham-handed name: All-wavelength Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS).

For more information see aegis.ucolick.org.

In Position: World T’ai Chi & Qigong Day

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pril 25 marks the ninth World Tai Chi and Qigong Day celebrated locally in 60 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Master instructors, amateurs and newcomers will gather for energetic exhibitions and teach-in event of health and healing.

Their collective vision is to educate the world on “the profound health benefits” of their practice based on emerging medical research. Multiple styles address the needs of men or women, elders or youth, ill or well.

For more information visit WorldTaiChiDay.org.

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CODEX Alimentarius Demystified An interview with

Dr. Rima E. Laibow founder of Natural Solutions Foundation

By Lee Walker Dr. Rima E. Laibow, a graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a successful natural medicine physician since the 1970s, is the medical director of Natural Solutions Foundation (NSF), a not-for-profit tax exempt organization created to promote, protect and promulgate natural health options for health and health freedom. It serves as a vehicle for national and global efforts to bring to the forefront people’s freedom to choose natural health options and keep it there. Since founding NSF, Dr. Laibow and her husband, Retired Major General Albert Stubbelbine, have devoted their time to traveling the world educating interested citizens and governments on alternative solutions to impending negative impacts of the Codex Alimentarius juggernaut. is the Codex Alimentarius Q. What Commission and what is its function and purpose?

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) formed by the United Nations in 1962 is an international food commission chartered to set the standards for governing international trade. The Commission has created the World Food Code, a collection of internationally adopted food standards designed to regulate and control every aspect of how food and nutritional supplements are produced and sold to the consumer. The agency is under the joint sponsorship of the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, two primary organs of the United Nations. According to statute, Codex’s first purpose is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.

In my opinion, people who consider Codex Alimentarius (Codex) as benevolent consumer protection or as harmless to their health freedom are seriously mistaken. It has nothing to do with consumer protection. It has

A.

everything to do with the economic ambitions of multi-national corporations, in particular the pharmaceutical industry, which fears the inevitable shift toward natural health care evidenced as more people are turning to natural health products. Unless we stop it, Codex is targeted to go into full global effect by 2010. what foods and substances does Q. ToCodex Alimentarius apply?

Codex does not apply to drugs.

A. But it does apply to all other products we put in our mouth, including dietary supplements. Its provisions currently appear in an advisory, in the form of codes of practice, thousands of standards and guidelines, and other recommended measures intended to help achieve the harmonization of foods and facilitate international trading of foods.

Which Codex guidelines do you find particularly threatening to health?

Q.

A.

In 2005 Codex ratified the Vitamin and Mineral Guideline

(VMG), which is widely viewed as antinutrition. VMG is deeply flawed.

Although herbs are not included in the guideline, the nutrients in herbs appear to be. Rather than recognize dietary supplements as safe food, it treats them as if they were dangerous industrial chemicals or toxins subject to “risk assessment,” a Toxicology practice for assessing poisons. Under such an assessment, promulgated by both the VMG and the subsequent World Health Organization’s Workshop on the Application of Risk Assessment to Nutrients, “safe” upper limits for nutrients must be set so low that they will have no measurable effect on the consumer. The proper science for assessing nutrients is Biochemistry, not Toxicology. And Codex does not use Biochemistry. said that Codex is based in Q.You’ve the Napoleonic Code rather than Common Law. What does this mean to the public?

It means that under Codex A. Alimentarius, anything not

explicitly permitted is forbidden.

Codex would be able to ban supplements by default. will happen if Codex is Q. What implemented in the U.S.? are free to adopt whatA. Nations ever dietary supplement regula-

tions they choose. If Codex is implemented here, therapeutic dosages of vitamins and minerals (and all other nutrients that will follow) will become unavailable because they will become illegal. Only intentionally ineffective, ultra low-dose supplements on the Codex Vitamin and Mineral Guideline list would be legal, with or without a prescription. Codex Alimentarius is a shrewd vehicle for protecting the pharmaceutical industry from loss of the income it stands to suffer due to the inevitable growth of natural health care. are you so passionate about Q.Why educating other world governments about Codex?

Codex Alimentarius standards, A. which forbid the association of

health benefits and food components

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and control commercial speech and food labeling, are considered ‘advisory’ only until after they are accepted by governments. After acceptance they are published by Codex.

No one paid much attention to Codex Alimentarius until 1994 when the World Trade Organization (WTO) accepted it as the standard for adjudicating trade disputes about food. WTO intends to force Codex on the nations of the world, including the United States. It would be done under the threat of massive economic sanctions if WTO member countries do not comply with Codex Alimentarius. part does the Dietary Q.What Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA) play in keeping Codex from being implemented in the United States?

In 1994 Congress adopted DSHEA A. which treats dietary supplements as foods not subject to upper limits or prior government approval through restrictive devices. With $758 million

plowed into declared Congressional lobbying by big pharmaceutical companies last year, some members of Congress want to overturn DSHEA and allow industry-friendly interests free Procedure reign under Codex.Intervals If protective laws like DSHEA are destroyed, WTO’s sanctioning power kicks in, and it will be impossible to get out from under Codex. Health food stores and wellness companies would be hit hard.

We can protect our access to high potency nutrients and stave off an adulterated food supply only by continuing to put pressure on a U.S. Congress that has the power to keep America Codex-free. If representatives know that voting against health freedom means losing re-election, they’ll listen. That’s why it is important to send personalized emails and letters to Congress now directing them to vote against anything that would threaten DSHEA now or in the future.

For more information, visit HealthFreedomUSA.org and dshea.org.

What is “health freedom”?

Notes

Health freedom is the freedom to choose your own health products, treatments, and practitioners.

Health freedom means access to supplements (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.), herbs, homeopathic remedies, nutritional medicine and clean food (untainted by pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics), without corporations (through the use of government coercion) or the U.N. dictating to you what dosages and treatments you are allowed to use.

Your health should rest in your hands, with the cooperation of a health care professional who is open to effective methods of healing.

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the metabolic power of

quality

eating for pleasure, energy and weight loss I B Y M A R C D AV I D Diets and food fads come and go with the wind. Concentrate more on eating the highest quality food you can buy, and you’ll do wonders for your overall health—and your waistline.

QUALITY is everything.

Elevate the quality of your food and you

T

HE BIGGEST AND MOST URGENT NUTRITIONAL QUESTION OF OUR TIME— “WHAT SHOULD I EAT?”—happens to have the greatest assortment of confusing and contradictory answers.

Fortunately I have a very practical suggestion on how you can become your own dietary expert and be assured of consistently making excellent nutritional choices, if not the best choices. If you allowed me the honor of being your personal nutritionist for just one dietary change, if you asked me, “What’s the one simple nutritional strategy that could give me the biggest bang for my metabolic buck, improve my health and weight more than any other change, and make a positive impact on the lives of others and the Earth itself?” here’s the guideline I’d urge you to follow: Elevate the quality of your food.

Quality is everything. In every major nutritional study that’s ever been done comparing the diets of industrialized nations—mostly consisting of refined, mass-produced, poor-quality food—with the diets of traditional cultures—fresh, whole, locally cultivated and vibrant— those on traditional diets fare dramatically better in every major health category. Elevate the quality of your food and you elevate your metabolism.

Quality means any or all of the following: real; fresh; organic; gourmet; lovingly crafted; homemade; locally produced; heirloom varieties; nutrient dense; low in human-made toxins; grown and marketed with honesty and integrity; tasteful; filled with true flavor, not virtual ones that mask the absence of nutrients and vitality. Quality means that care and consciousness permeate a food and that the food itself has a good story to tell.

Limit the Antinutrients in Your Diet

elevate your

When it comes to empowered eating, it’s as important to ease off of the antinutritious foods as it is to include the healthy ones. Antinutrients

metabolism.

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False Promises You might think that diet sodas and artificial sweeteners would help us lose weight because they contain no calories and no sugar to spike our insulin. But this isn’t really the case. After 40 years of exposure to fake chemical sweeteners, not a single study has ever shown an even mildly convincing association between sugar substitutes and weight loss.

Instead, researchers are now discovering that artificial sweeteners—fake pleasure—may actually cause us to gain weight. As fate would have it, the artificial sweetener molecule is so crafty that it convinces the brain that it’s real sugar, so the body releases insulin to help metabolize the artificial sugar. Since there is no

literally break down the body’s metabolic machinery at the cellular level.

The most potent antinutrients to limit are poor-quality fats, poor-quality sugar, poor-quality white flour, poorquality dairy and poor-quality meats.

poor-quality fat means any food that contains hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, margarine and any margarine-like spreads with hydroge-

real sugar present, the excess insulin, with nothing to do, performs its other evolutionary task, which is to signal the body to store fat.

As well, there is firmly mounting evidence that aspartame is a significant neurotoxin.

So my professional advice to you is this: If you have any synthetically sweetened foods in your home, step on them to ensure that you kill them, then toss them out.

quality oils and quality-fat foods. These would include olive oil, sesame oil and coconut oil—all of these oils are great for cooking. Other oils to use for dressings and dips include sunflower, flaxseed, hazelnut, pistachio, hempseed and macadamia nut oils.

Always use expertly processed unrefined organic oils.

Use real butter rather than margarine—the best choices are hormone free and farm fresh or organic. Butter made from raw and unpasteurized milk

degree that if we could suck all of the fat out of your body—the ultimate liposuction service—you’d die in an instant. Fat serves as an energy source for the heart and brain. It’s a building block for many of the hormones and chemicals that keep us alive. It’s a nutritional source for the central nervous system, and it lines and protects every organ. For these reasons and more, and because the body cannot produce on its own all the specific fats we require, we have

Quality means that care and consciousness permeate a food and that the food itself has a good story to tell.

nated oil, cottonseed oil, Olestra (a synthetic fat) and most commercial supermarket-bought cooking oils. Poorquality fat also includes most fried foods—French fries, chicken, chips and so forth.

Read the labels on everything you buy. Hydrogenated oils are found in many mass-produced food products, including potato chips, corn chips, crackers, cookies, prepared foods, frozen foods, baked goods, snacks and others. Most of the oils you find in a supermarket are highly processed— heated at high temperatures and stripped of their sensitive essential fats and other nutrients.

As best you can, replace poorquality fat-containing products with

is best. Ghee can be used as a substitute for butter. Ghee is clarified butter, also called separated butter; it is a traditional, time-tested food from India that is highly heat stable and so can be used for browning or light frying.

By the way, healthy fat in your food does not translate to fat on your body. If you deprive yourself of essential fat to lose weight, you’ll get the opposite result. And even if you lose weight, you’ll likely suffer from some of the symptoms of clinical fat deficiency—irritability, fatigue, dull and brittle hair, dry skin, redness around the eyes, digestive complaints, constipation, inability to lose weight and mood disorders.

Fat is essential to life to such a

labeled such important components of our diet “essential fats,” also known as “essential fatty acids” or “EFAs.” You might also have heard them called “omega-3” and “omega-6” fatty acids as well.

Fat serves a most profound structural function—it’s a building block for the wall of every cell in your body. The walls of your cells are in no way similar to the walls in your house.

An architectural wall is stiff, solid, unintelligent and impermeable to the elements and can be made of anything that keeps the outside from coming in and the inside from leaking out.

Our cell walls are the exact opposite. They are pliable, permeable, highly complex and extremely intelli-

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gent—to the point where they must precisely control HEALTHY fat in your the traffic of thousands of kinds of biomolecules across food does not their surface each millisectranslate to fat on ond. When it comes to the body, the cell wall is where your body. If you the rubber meets the road, deprive yourself of so to speak, and healthy fat essential fat to lose is an indispensable part of the process. weight, you’ll get In small quantities, of the opposite result. course, poor-quality fats are harmless to most people. But when poor-quality fats become part of our staple fare, day in and day out, our health will eventually suffer.

These fats, which are chemically different from the quality kind, literally become the building blocks of our cell walls. The result is that the cell wall becomes more rigid, susceptible to oxidation (rusting or aging) and less intelligent—it loses its ability to make smart choices about what goes in and what comes out. This is a special concern when it comes to the brain, which is largely composed of essential omega-3 fat. When poor-quality fat is incorporated into its structure, brain tissue is more easily oxidized and becomes biologically stiff (and thus stupid). This will make you less interesting at parties, as well as increase the probability of Alzheimer’s, dementia and other brain diseases. Including more healthy fat and cutting down on the dysfunctional ones is, therefore, a “no brainer.”

poor-quality sugar refers to any food that contains high-fructose corn syrup, fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, white sugar, glucose or any artificial sweetener. Read product labels to reveal these ingredients.

The various forms of corn syrup are commonly found in soft drinks, juice drinks, sweet candies and packaged snack foods and cookies, and even in the so-called “healthy” protein bars. As best as you can, eliminate products with these ingredients from your home. Let them be an occasional exception on your menu rather than the rule. Replace commercial sodas and soft drinks with organic juices, herbal ice teas or water. With variety as the key, use organic jams, fresh fruit, organic or fresh cookies, pastries and muffins, organic candies and organic ice creams and sorbets.

poor-quality white flour means products such as mass-produced pastas, breads, cookies, muffins and bagels,

crackers, cold breakfast cereals, sugar-sweetened oatmeal products, commercial granola bars, pretzels, pastries and donuts.

It’s only in the last century that our diet has included such a large amount of refined and highly processed carbohydrates—white flour products, breads, cookies, donuts, chips, pretzels, cereals, crackers, pasta, sweets and so on. Our ancestors ate carbohydrate foods in their unprocessed state. When we consume these foods, which have been stripped of most of their vitamin and mineral contents, our insulin level shoots up too high, which signals the body to store weight and store fat. Excess insulin also causes the body to crave even more sugar and more carbohydrate foods. Diabetes, heart disease and a host of degenerative diseases can follow.

Look through your home and begin to replace poorquality white-flour products with quality carbohydrate foods such as organic varieties of brown rice, beans, quinoa, barley, corn, amaranth, oats, oatmeal, lentils, chickpeas, millet (grains and beans are best when presoaked before cooking), organic and/or fresh-made pastas, sourdough or sprouted breads or fresh whole-grain breads, rye crackers, crackers free of hydrogenated oils, breads, crackers and other products made with spelt flour, organic chips (corn, potato, and rice chips without oil or made with olive oil), organic vegetables, including squash, sweet potato, yam, root vegetables, potato and organic fruit, with variety as the key.

If you’re looking to cut down on carbohydrates, your focus should be on the refined, mass-produced kind.

Vegetables are fine. High-starch vegetables are also fine, just go easy on them. Fruits are also great—just make sure you focus on variety and don’t limit your fruit to pineapples, grapes, bananas and dried fruit, as these can be quite high in natural sugar.

Whole grains such as brown rice are preferable to their white cousins, but as a nutritionist I will tell you that it’s also no big deal to have white rice or white bread from time to time. As long as these are not major staple foods in your diet, I’ve never heard of anyone dying from their occasional consumption.

poor-quality dairy means mass-produced, nonorganic, hormone-containing cheese, milk, yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, flavored milks and snack foods with cheese by-products. Nutrition experts continually disagree about the merits of milk and dairy foods. That’s because most of the commercially available products in this category are of extremely poor quality. In general, I suggest you keep dairy foods to a minimum. When you do use dairy products, replace mass-produced, poor-quality varieties with the following.

MILK: Raw, organic and unpasteurized is best. Locally produced with no hormones is a plus.

CHEESE: Organic or any high-quality locally produced or imported varieties made from raw and unpasteurized milk.

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YOGURT: Full fat, organic or locally produced when possible.

COTTAGE CHEESE: Full fat, organic and fresh is best.

BUTTER: Local varieties, organic raw milk and European imports are generally the highest quality.

SOY CHEESE: A useful substitute for many people. Most brands contain casein (milk protein), but this product is often well tolerated.

You can also use rice milk, almond milk, soy yogurt, rice yogurt, and soyand rice-based ice creams as dairy-free substitutes.

poor-quality meat refers to all fast-food meats, processed meats such as packaged cold cuts and commercially produced hot dogs, meats in frozen prepared foods, any meat that isn’t free range, hormone free and fed real food and any meat produced from animals that are not raised and slaughtered with care and humanity. As best you can, replace these poor-quality meats with any chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb or other meat or poultry that is labeled free range, organic, grass fed or hormone free.

The research on the relative health merits of meat varies because the quality of the meat varies. Consequently, some experts give their “thumbs up” to meat while others point the other way. To me, the most compelling research shows that countries with a high per capita consumption of commercial meat products coupled with excessive refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats and poor-quality vegetable oils show the highest “meat-associated” cancer rates, whereas in traditional societies with no sugar, white-flour products or poor-quality oils but with high-quality meats, no association between cancer and meat eating exists.

Use real butter rather than margarine—the best choices are hormone free and farm fresh or organic.

least 80 percent of the time with quality food choices. This assures that you’ll be receiving the nutrients you require to thrive while eliminating the toxic substances that pollute the food web and suppress metabolic potential.

This doesn’t mean you can never eat a marshmallow or an English muffin again. It simply means that the overall direction of your diet is quality, that you’re choosing to bring a higher level of food into the sanctity of your home, and that anything other than quality is the exception and not the rule.

Let’s be real. Most of us are going to stray from what we know is “healthy.” At some point we will eat the cake, the cookies, the pasta and the junk. We will drink the alcohol. So be it. Let’s just make that part of our nutrition program rather than pretend it isn’t. That’s the middle way, the honest way and, for many people, the practical way. And in this day and age, it may well be the healthiest way.

Really. So don’t waste your energy trying to be a saint and then demonize yourself when sainthood inevitably fails. If at least 80 percent of the food that passes your lips is high quality, you’ll be doing fine. Anything more is a welcome bonus.

Marc David is a nutritionist with a master’s degree in the psychology of eating. He is the author of Nourishing Wisdom and The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, & Weight Loss (Healing Arts Press, 2005; InnerTraditions.com), from which this article is excerpted. Visit his website for events, teleclasses and more information: marcdavid.com.

Getting Started Eliminating all poor-quality foods can be a daunting task, much like sticking to any of the diets out there. But here’s how you can get started. Whenever and whatever you eat, hit the target at

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abundance&prosperity

W

e all have our money patterns, right? In my family it wasn’t OK to focus on money—there were more important and worthy things to put our attention on.

I discovered money likes attention.

I’m not talking about putting money before other things—just getting into alignment with its presence in your life.

Here’s what I started doing about six months ago. Whenever money came to me in any way—whether from a client, an insurance payment, selling my condo, a refund, or even a birthday present, I’d make a note of the date and amount.

I turned it into a game to see if I could have money coming to me every day of the month. The first month I made it for about 20 days, the next month 25, and then after that I attracted money most days of the month.

To make it even more fun, I gave myself a gold star on the calendar each day I received money—and I still do this. It’s made a difference. How’s that for breaking a family pattern?

Gold stars even!

No matter what your beliefs around money, this will help you. This was just one thing I did, and you can too.

Once I got that going, I used it to discover my Money Speedometer, and to raise that figure each month.

Since I began doing this, my income made a huge jump—it’s been fun, too. It’s all about being in alignment with who you really are.

As great as 2008 was, I know I’m ready for more. I have more to do, more to be and more to give. I can’t imagine not expanding each year. And this year in particular, when so many are feeling challenged, I’m excited. I know I can create the year I want— and if I can, you can, too.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

Y

es, so long as you spend it on others, suggests a recent study by the University of British Columbia and the Harvard Business School. The researchers found that people who spent money on others reported greater happiness than those who did not, or than those who spent it on themselves—regardless of income.

Surprisingly, the amount of money spent on others did not matter; as little as five dollars a day did the trick. The researchers wanted to test their theory that how males and females spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn. Individuals participating rated their general happiness, reported their annual income, and provided a detailed breakdown of their monthly spending, including bills, gifts for themselves and others, and donations.

Courtesy Vicky White, Life Design Strategies, Box 8, 20837 Louie Crescent, Langley BC, V1M 3H7, Canada, http://lifedesignstrategies.com

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Divine Secrets of the Organized

By Helen Kornblum

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n organized person knows intuitively that doing certain physical things improves her mental and emotional life. She knows how to save time, enjoy space, and reduce stress.

If you structure your world to be organized, you are a member of a special group I call a “sisterhood” because our society puts pressure on women and mothers, especially, to keep office and home running smoothly by anticipating the needs of everyone around them. Gender isn’t the key here, though; mindset is.

So what are the divine secrets of the organized? Let’s browse through the benefits.

The psychological benefits of being organized include self-confidence and self-control. You have lots of positive energy circulating through your brain, which means you’re not rattled by a sudden change in circumstances or a last-minute request sprung on you.

When you’re organized you reap the emotional benefit of being able to relax. You have less stress in your life. You feel less concerned about the state of your home, office, or relationships with others. You can allow yourself to have fun without thinking that you should be doing something else.

Being organized gives you more freedom to do what you want to do and more time to invest in your priorities.

Learn to say No, streamline your work, delegate to others, ask for help, and use routines to deal with daily duties. You will end up having more time to develop a hobby, meet with friends, or take a class and do homework. You will feel comfortably balanced between what you have to do and what you want to do.

Organized people save money. You avoid late fees by paying bills on time, use discount coupons at the grocery, and take advantage of timely sales for products you want.

Because you are keenly aware of your priorities for the short and long term, you don’t fall victim to promotions for stuff you don’t need now or perhaps, ever.

Being organized has professional benefits, too. By getting your work done on time you gain a reputation for follow-through and your opinion is taken seriously. You inspire confidence. Colleagues trust your word and your work product.

Given all the virtues described above, does being organized mean you lead a perfect life? No—your car will still break down, your kids will still defy you, and your new boss may grate on your nerves. The difference is that you’ll have the mindset and time to deal with these situations without panic. Being organized helps you cope with unexpected, unpleasant, and unlucky events, but it doesn’t guarantee happy endings, creative genius, or great fortune.

I’ll end with one other advantage that comes from being organized. You’re also quicker to forgive yourself when you’ve made a misstep, big or small, in dealing with your life. That’s because you also know you’re not perfect, even if you are well organized—and that’s okay!

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer, 352-871449. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

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Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

By Carla Burkle

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ave you ever tried to lose weight, quit smoking, or overcome a fear of flying? Is there a medical condition frustrating you?

Traditionally we seek help from different sources for each ailment. But with EFT, one technique provides relief for most, and in substantially less time than it would take with more traditional means.

EFT stands for “Emotional Freedom Techniques” and was developed in its current form by Gary Craig, an engineer who decided to pursue a career as an ordained minister and life coach.

His technique draws from the work of Dr. Roger Callahan, who found that all negative emotion is present as the result of imbalances in the body’s subtle energy systems. In addition to our well-known biological systems such as the circulatory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems, we also have an energy system that is linked both to our physical and emotional well-being.

EFT rapidly restores emotional balance and resolves the physical expressions of those imbalances. EFT accomplishes this through tapping acupressure points (or meridians) with one’s fingers rather than applying needles as in traditional acupuncture while using a setup phrase such as “Even though I have to lose 50 pounds, I deeply love and accept myself.” The setup phrase is targeted specifically at the issue being worked on in that session.

Our cultural tradition is to have a specialist or specific treatment for each item we struggle with and the self-help schedule can just become too much. EFT is one strategy that can be applied to everything with remarkable results.

Gary Craig asserts that each of our “issues” is like a forest composed of many trees; general techniques such as talk therapy address the forest but take broad swipes at it. It takes a long time to notice a difference in the forest. EFT works on specific “trees” and with a few rounds of tapping results in a noticeable improvement.

Let’s use the fear of public speaking, a nearly universal fear, as an example. Many people take for granted that this is a natural fear and they have to “just get through” the handful of speeches they’ll make in their lives, and avoid situations that provoke their fear. If the frightened speaker used EFT, the fear would be broken up into the individual parts that produce the intensity and tap on each one, such as past memories where the speaker was ridiculed or embarrassed, the nausea before going up to speak, and so on. In this way the EFTer would be chopping down individual trees instead of taking broad swings at the forest of fear. In one tapping session a discomfort level of 10 can be reduced to zero, and this may take only a few minutes, rarely more than an hour.

EFT is one of the most economical choices for selfimprovement. The basic manual written by Gary Craig is available as a free download on his website (www.emofree.com) and teaches everything you need to know to successfully apply EFT to yourself.

It is also amazing how well EFT resolves physical issues.

Because the physical and emotional aspects of a person’s life are connected through the energy system, by balancing this system we can heal both at once. It is often said that EFT works where nothing else will because so many people have had miraculous physical healing as a result of applying EFT.

It must be said, however, that under no circumstances should EFT replace sound medical advice, and EFT should be used as a complement to whatever therapies are in use. Also, EFT should not be administered to anyone with a serious mental illness without the supervision of a mental health professional. With that said, EFT can still be used with remarkable results as long as the appropriate cautions are observed in these circumstances.

Carla Burkle is an EFT practitioner in Gainesville.

Visit carlaburkle.com.

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Prosperity & Qigong Breathing Changing Values, Changing Breathing, Changing Business

by Jeff Primack

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e live inside a universe created by the Mind of the original intelligence. Inside this universe, forces emitting from our mind attract people and ideas. Each of us is either attracting good energies or attracting negative energies. These energies come mainly in the form of outside people and creative ideas. And while the economy may be in a recession, I propose it is simply readjusting people’s value that they place on things. New businesses will be created that prosper in the new economy as long as people are giving value.

Your life story boils down to who you’ve attracted and what ideas you’ve had. My idea to start a Qigong Center was perceived as the worst business decision by virtually everyone in my family. When I was 20 years old, I experienced breath empowerment for the first time. My entire body vibrated, as if I had a car engine humming inside my belly. I soon found myself vibrating softly all the time and could see the energy emanations from other people around me. The profound biological/spiritual transformation I received from Qigong Breathing has guided my business for 12 years. It has become a huge success and was all based on meeting the right people and having the right ideas.

Breath empowerment is one of the tools we teach at our Qigong events. It offers freedom of the things in your life that have been holding you back. This exercise fills the body with so much energy that a healing electrical force circulates in between all your bones and muscles. Negative ideas and emotions get breathed out as the body goes into a natural state of ecstasy. Qigong teaches the true skills of power breathing, pressing on the energy field, and increasing the flow of Qi to such a degree as to totally transform bodily function and restore higher consciousness, which I refer to as Shen consciousness.

Shen consciousness is the level where we know the best choices and act on them. Think of the level of the Jedi who jumps out of the ship and lands 3,000 feet below to safety on a narrow ledge. Qigong is being skillful like a Jedi and harnessing the energy around us, but in real life. I think that’s what really blowing people’s minds is that this level of energy is real and accessible. Who does not want to be a

more powerful human being? Qi is directly related to prosperity because money is energy and it takes energy to make money. Qigong, being so directly involved in working with energy, increases our ability to offer value that people and businesses are searching for.

Perhaps what’s most interesting about Qigong is the group energy when many people are gathered in practice.

We did an event with 1,800 people gathered for four straight days of Qigong. It was beyond anything I could have prepared for.

The Qi energy from so many people doing Qigong floated in the air like a living mist. No practice on my own could ever compare to the beauty of practicing with so many at once.

Many healings took place at that particular event. I only wish the large events happened more frequently.

Qi Revolution is the name our creative team coined to describe a process that is fast underway. Business leaders are aware they must help employees cope with ever-increasing levels of stress that deplete energy and reduce productivity.

Massage therapists and acupuncturists are taught in their schooling to keep their own Qi strong so they can stay healthy while working on so many patients. Every day, more people are hearing about how Qi is a powerful tool in both health and business.

My face held an uncontrollable smile when I watched Dr. Christiane Northrup on the Oprah Winfrey show leading a Qigong exercise for the audience. She was guiding a woman who lost her sex drive following a hysterectomy.

Essentially she told the woman that her “navel center” held a latent energy that could be increased and bring back her sex drive. Another Oprah Winfrey superstar, Dr. Mehmet Oz, said, “If you want to live to 100, do Qigong.”

When people first do Qigong Breathing exercises like Nine-Breath Method they usually report a gentle vibration and humming feeling in the navel along with soft electricity and heat. According to thousands of testimonials we’ve received, Qi also eliminates body pains and brings on bursts of joy and creative inspiration.

According to Chinese Medicine, “Qi” is the leading force behind our blood circulation. When people practice

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Qigong it immediately improves microcirculation to the brain, vital organs, intestines, and endocrine glands, and moves blood to avenues of microcirculation that most people are not realizing. This increased Qi or blood flow leads to the accumulation of what Chinese Medicine calls “Jing” or special fluids (hormones). This then leads to an increased sex drive, higher levels of secretion of growth hormone, and extraordinary muscular endurance. It may be the most powerful form of exercise to reveal human potential.

More than 200 million people are currently practicing Qigong worldwide, but it wasn’t always this way. A long kept secret, Qigong was seldom ever taught outside family bloodlines and royalty in China.

Qigong was passed down for thousands of years from father to son.

It was used by the military to build the body’s endurance and it has been documented that many Qigong practitioners show profound anti-aging effects, often looking decades younger than their actual age. Some also possess an incredible ability to heal other people. Most notably Qigong is used for improving digestion, strengthening blood circulation, keeping a strong immune system, and overall, extending lifespan.

The Nine-Breath Method healing circle is usually the peak experience of Qi energy that anyone has ever had, including myself. Last year in Orlando, even the newcomers and skeptics were vibrating from head to toe. Energy moved through our arms like electricity as we sent healing prayers to our relatives, loved ones and countries around the world in need. Many people wrote us to tell of miraculous healings for people they prayed for while the energy was moving through them.

This year’s national event in Orlando will hold a special space in the Nine-Breath Circle for manifesting abundance and prosperity. The new format of the Nine-Breath Circle still holds its primary focus on sharing and healing, but also harnesses the group energy for raising our vibrational attraction to money and removing

scarcity consciousness from our heart/ mind.

Really, the economy is simply healing itself from values that were not sustainable and I believe that those who maintain a high enough vibration will continue to draw the right ideas and right people to be successful in business.

Jeff Primack and 100 Qigong Instructors are hosting the seminar “Qi

Revolution! New Energy for a Better Life.” The four-day gathering (Orlando Convention Center, April 25-28, $99) will begin on World Qigong Day when millions around the world all practice at once. Information: 800-298-8970 / www.QiRevolution.com. Jeff Primack has studied with many Qigong masters from all over the world and has taught more than 10,000 people at live seminars. He also maintains the Qigong.com website.

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Keep Moving Forward

Self Improvement Starts with a Healthy Inner Relationship

by Cynthia Christianson

R

ecently, one of my clients emailed this message to me: “I have to admit that what I really want more of is appreciation—from my children, from my clients, from the world—and I don’t honestly know how one asks for that and gets a

meaningful response! I find myself noticing a constant loneliness, and it is not for a relationship, it is a desire for meaningful and supportive interactions with others at the same time wanting to keep the freedom and sense of order I do have in my work and lifestyle.“ This message confirmed for me what I’ve been sensing for a while now, which is how much we all seek this validation, this need for acknowledgment from others to feel good. I believe that from the moment we separate from our mothers, which could be either from the weaning process or starting school, we seek this safe feeling of belonging or connection to someone or something.

As we grow, we find this connection through sports, the arts, friendships, religion, hobbies, etc., but when we graduate and enter the world alone again, it becomes harder to feel this closeness. That’s when we start medicating ourselves with partying, food, exercise, relationships and so on.

After a while, the thrill wears off and we are back to feeling this lonely restlessness that gnaws at us and drives us to keep trying new things to quiet it.

It becomes a constant cycle of suppression and seeking until, as in some cases, you become numb in order to survive.

So how do we find these meaningful and supportive interactions? What do we need to hear to feel acknowledged, recognized and validated? What we are seeking is to be emotionally supported without judgment. We don’t want someone to fix us, or solve the problem. Instead of hearing from someone we care about words like “I understand” or “why don’t you try …” We want someone to say, “Of course you feel sad. No wonder you want to be alone.” Can you feel the difference? It’s about just being allowed to show up as you are without criticism, expectations, pleasing another, or coming up with a new idea. There is something deep

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inside that just relaxes and feels good when we have this kind of support.

The problem is that because everyone else is seeking this too, they can’t give it to you full time. The solution, then, is that you must develop this validation by creating a loving, supportive, healthy relationship with yourself first.

As you release your self-criticism and increase your selflove, the need to seek this connection from others will disappear. In fact, you’ll find you will be the one who starts to add into your responses words like “of course” and “no wonder.” You’ll find that as you feel happier and safer inside, others will feel this way around you too. As your inner relationship changes, your outer relationships change.

To do this, I encourage you to start becoming aware of your body sensations. These areas of discomfort (such as pain, impatience, fear, sadness, etc.) are messages to you through your body from your True Self. The more you listen to the wisdom of your body, the faster you are on your way to self-awareness, emotional healing, physical relief and positive life changes.

Here is a shortened version of some steps you can use in your daily morning contemplation to start developing a healthy inner relationship.

1. Become aware of your body sensations: In a comfortable sitting position, focus on your breathing. Watch your stomach and chest move up and down. Sense your body parts touching the chair, floor, armrests. See how your body feels in this exercise.

2. Scan your body for any tension, blockages, stuck feelings, resistances: Ask your body, “Who wants my awareness today?” Then just pay attention and watch some ... Continued on the next page

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.—Emily Kimbrough

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part of your body speak to you. It may be a twitch, a pain, tension somewhere or even an image of a past situation shows up. Your job here is to be totally accepting of whatever becomes apparent.

3. Accept, acknowledge and appreciate: Once you find an area to focus on, accept and acknowledge it. Say hello to it and let it know you know it’s there. Invite this part of you to talk to you and as you wait, calmly shift yourself into a loving space so that this part of you feels safe to be truthful. In this state of being present, you are starting to create a relationship with your inner self. Once you hear or feel something, tell it you hear the message and say thank you.

4. Be with this message until you feel a sense of relief: This is the hardest part. You want to stay present with this

feeling or sense, giving it total acceptance with love and gratitude until you feel a change in your body. Once you feel relief, you can step out of the focusing if you want or you can go deeper and ask more questions.

This is a good beginning in developing an inner relationship. I have had great results in healing past traumas from childhood; gaining relief of physical pain; being able to release overwhelming emotions, habits and addictions; and having better clarity in making decisions. I walk around with a sense of well-being that I’ve never experienced before. Many of my clients are reporting similar experiences too.

Once you discover the power of having such an inner relationship, you’ll grow in love and acceptance for all parts of yourself. This self-acceptance in turn allows deeper and faster change in the areas of your life that need to change.

Have fun with this and enjoy it as you Keep Moving Forward creating the life you want.

Cynthia Christianson, M.A., CCC, is a self-help coach based in Gainesville, FL. Visit www.AvantiCoaching.com.

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calendarofevents March Sunday, March 1 Crystal Bowl Healing Meditation w/Jay Schwed – Mar 1, 12:30 pm, $15 Suggested Love Offering. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

Wednesday, March 4 Intuitive Development 4 Week Series w/Rev Kim Marques – Mar 4-25, 11-1 pm, $50. It’s All Perfect, SE Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Beyond the Physical w/Carol Jo Garfinkel – Mar 4, 7:15 pm, Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Friday, March 6 Potluck dinner, Crystal Bowl Meditation & Dances of Universal Peace – Mar 6, 6:30, 7:15, 7:30 pm, Donation. Dancing Peacock Paradise, Ft McCoy. 352 546-1345.

Saturday, March 7 The Goddess & Creativity in the Healing Process: A Painter’s Story Slide Presentation of Art - Mar 7, 7 pm, $10. High Springs Emporium 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Open House Grand Opening – Mar 7, 6:30-9 pm, Free.

Nirvana Gift Shop & Ayurveda Spa, 14616 NW 140 St, Alachua.

Dances of Universal Peace Retreat “Building Community” – Mar 7-8, pre-reg req’d. Dancing Peacock Paradise, Ft McCoy. FLRetreats@gmail.com.

Conquer Test Anxiety, Improve FCAT Scores – Mar 7, $10 reg req’d. 850 NE 36 Terr, Ocala. www.SandraWilson.org.

Sunday, March 8 Invasive Plants w/Master Gardener Nevil Parker – Mar 8, 3 pm, Free. Hawthorne Branch Library, 6640 SE 221 St, Hawthorne.

352-481-1920.

Level One EFT Training Seminar (Part One & Two) w/Dr. Garland Landrith - Mar 8, 1–4:30 pm, Mar 9, 6:30-9:30 pm, $39/ one day; $49/two days, $85/couple. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39 Ave, Gainesville. 352-373-1030.

Spirit Essence Portraits w/ Melissa Harris – Mar 8, 12-5 pm, $ 195. High Springs Emporium 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Friday, March 13 Hypnosis Experience w/Christine Rossiter - Mar 13, 4-6 pm, $10, reservations req’d. SERCO-MC office, 1-800-376-0997.

Transform Your Relationship Through Sacred Intimacy And Conscious Loving Couples Beach Retreat & Workshop - Mar 1315, 7:30 pm-Sun 1:45 pm, $595/couple. Richard & Diana Daffner, MA, Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota. www.IntimacyRetreats.com.

Welcome Weekend/Amrit Yoga and Yoga Nidra – Mar 13-15, $225 incl prog, lodging, meals. Amrit Yoga Institute, Salt Springs. www.amrityoga.org.

Saturday, March 14 Breathwork w/Monica Grey, LCSW, LMT & PranaRose Meiss – Mar 14, $89. 6 CEU’s. 352-222-8126.

Front Porch Project w/Cindy Grimes – Mar 14 & Apr 4, 9-4 pm, CEU’s, Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

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calendarofevents The Dances of Universal Peace - Mar 14, 7 pm, Love Offering. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39 Ave, Gainesville.

Sunday, March 15 Talk With The Animals Workshop w/Melodye E. Gaskin - Mar 15, 1-3 & 4 pm, $20, pre-reg req. High Springs Emporium 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Tuesday, March 17 Stress Reduction/Integrative Relaxation w/John Ernest Hiester( Chandrakant) – Mar 17 & Apr 30, 7-8:30 pm, Free, bring light blanket. Downtown Public Library, 401 E University Ave, Gainesville. jehiester@amrityoga.org.

Manifesting Your Heart’s Desire w/Vickie Haren - Mar 17, 10-1 pm, $30. All About Art, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview.

352-307-9774.

Wednesday, March 18 Relationships That Work: The Power of Conscious Living by Satvatove Institute, Mar 18, 6:30–9:30 pm. Free, reservations req’d. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

Orbs, what are they? w/Christine Rossiter – Mar 18, 6-8 pm, $20/night, pre-register. All About Art, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Thursday, March 19 High-Powered Tumo Breathing Free Qigong Preview w/Jeff – Mar 19, 20 & 21. Orlando Convention Center, Room W205.

QiOrlando.com, 800-298-8970.

Saturday, March 21 Peace Day w/Antoinette Johns – Mar 21, 10–3:30 pm, $20 love offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Chakra Balancing: Honor the Equinox: Align with the New Energies - Mar 21, 1-4 pm, $20. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657.

Is your life in balance yet? – Mar 21, 11 am, Free. Tower Rd. Branch Library, 3020 SW 75 St, Gainesville. 352-275-8582.

Change Eating Habits – Mar 21, 10-12 Noon, $20, reg req’d.

850 NE 36 Terr, Ocala. www.SandraWilson.org.

Is your life in balance yet? – Mar 21, 11 am, Free. Tower Rd. Branch Library, 3020 SW 75 St, Gainesville.

Spiritual Faire For the Spring Equinox w/Readers, Massage, Gifts, Jewelry, Vendors & Food - Mar 21, 11-5 pm, admission $2.

Florida School Massage, Seraphim Center, 6421 SW 13 St, Gainesville. 352-339-5946.

Reiki I Funshop – Mar 21, 8-4 pm, $150 incl book & diploma. Ayurveda Health Retreat. 352-870-7645.

Sunday, March 22 African Shell Divination Reading w/Omialadora Ajamu - Mar 22, 12-5 pm & Apr 4, 1-6 pm, $50. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs. 386-454-8657.

Monday, March 23 Displaced Homemaker Program: Focus on the Future Internet Class For Beginners - Mar 23–27, 9–11 am, Free, pre-reg req’d. Santa Fe College Downtown Center, Gainesville. 352-3955047.

Wednesday, March 25 Molly The Monarch, An Interactive Puppet Show w/Maureen Meyerson – Mar 25, 3:30 pm, Free. Hawthorne Branch Library, 6640 SE 221 St, Hawthorne. 352-481-1920.

Saturday, March 28 Discover How To Enliven Intimacy And Passion – In And Out Of The Bedroom One-Day Workshop For Couples - Mar 28, 10-5 pm, pre-reg $199/couple. Richard & Diana Daffner, MA. Howard Johnson Plaza, Tampa. 941-349-6804.

Holistic Healing Day - Mar 28, 12-6 pm, $20/session. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386454-8657.

Thai Foot Massage – Mar 28, 7-9 pm, $20. Ayurveda Health Retreat. 352-870-7645.

Dances of Universal Peace w/Potluck Dinner & Social Time Mar 28, 3 pm, Donation. Dancing Peacock Paradise, Ft McCoy. 352 546-1345.

Reiki I w/Vickie Haren - Mar 28, 9-5 pm, $85, pre-reg req’d.

All About Art/ Enrichment Room, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Sunday, March 29 One Heart Energy Balancing w/Nena Elantra Roberts - Mar 29, 2-5 pm. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Creating A New Culture Of Peace Workshop by Will Tuttle – Mar 29, 1–3 pm. Love Offering. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

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Dear God SEND MONEY w/Rev Kim Marques – Mar 30, 6-9 pm, $10, reg req’d.

Five Star Services, Hwy 301, Summerfield.

352-804-9006.

Wednesday, April 15 Orbs, what are they? w/Christine Rossiter –Apr 15, 6-8 pm, $20, pre-reg. All About Art, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

April

Thursday, April 16 Artists’ Reception – Apr 16, 7-8 pm, Free. Hawthorne Branch Library, 6640 SE 221 St, Hawthorne. 352-481-1920.

Wednesday, April 1 The Fourth Quarter of Life w/John Ryan – Apr 1, 7:15 pm, Love Offering.

OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Friday, April 3 Connect To The Power Of Prana w/ Yogi Desai & Chandrakant - Apr 3-Apr 8, $1295 incl lodging & meals. Amrit Yoga Institute, Salt Springs. 352-685-3001.

Saturday, April 4 Reiki I Certification w/Rev Kim Marques – Apr 4, 10-5 pm, $100 incl lunch, reg req’d. It’s All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Quantum-Touch Energy Healing Workshop - Apr 4-5, 10-5 pm, $295 prepd, $345 door. Lemire Natural Medicine Clinic, 9401 SW Hwy 200, Bldg 90, Ocala. 352-369-3029.

Meditation is Fun! w/Christine Rossiter - Apr 4, 1-4 pm, $25, pre-reg. All About Art, Belleview, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Sunday, April 5 Qi Gong: Grounding & Connecting to the Earth w/Bill Smith - Apr 5, 1-4 pm, $20.

High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Monday, April 6 Displaced Homemaker Program: Focus on the Future Empowerment & Employability Classes - Apr 6–24, 8:30– 12:30 pm. Santa Fe College Downtown Center, Gainesville. 352-395-5047.

Introduction to Kinesiology w/Vickie Haren, 10-1 pm, $30. All About Art, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

A New Business Blessing And Reiki Circle - Apr 6, 6 pm, Free. Intuitive Touch Reiki and Massage Therapy, Oakhurst Professional Park, 1328 SE 25 Loop Suite 101, Ocala. 352-804-7617.

Saturday, April 11 Great American Cleanup 2009 – Apr 11, Free. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center & Westside Park for registration, breakfast & tool pickup. 352-371-9444.

Dances of Universal Peace w/Potluck Dinner & Social Time – Apr 11, 3 pm, Donation. Dancing Peacock Paradise, Ft McCoy. FLRetreats@gmail.com.

Friday, April 17 Create Magic In Your Relationship.

Deepen Intimacy And Passion. Discover Tantra Couples Beach Retreat & Workshop – Apr 17-19, 7:30 pm-Sun 1:45 pm, $595/couple. Richard & Diana Daffner, MA. Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota.

1-877-282-4244.

“Only Love Is Real” Concert w/Dr. Martin Jordan – Apr 17, 7:15 pm, $15 Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Saturday, April 18 Reiki II Certification w/Rev Kim Marques – Apr 18, 10-5 pm, $100 incl lunch, reg req’d. It’s All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Stones for Connecting to the Earth Opening the Pathways to Divine Abundance Workshop - Apr 18, 1-4 pm, $20. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Sunday, April 19 When Summer Was in the Meadow w/ author Betsy Hamlet Nichols – Apr 19, 3 pm, Free. Hawthorne Branch Library, 6640 SE 221 St, Hawthorne. 352-481-1920.

Barbro Karlen as The Reincarnation of Anne Frank – Apr 19, 2 pm, $12.50.

Silver Springs Shores Community Center, 590 Silver Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

Monday, April 20 EFT (Tapping Technique) w/Vickie Haren - Apr 20, 10-1 pm, $30. All About Art/ Enrichment Room, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Wednesday, April 22 Celebrate Earth Day With Easy Living Green Ideas w/Rev Kim Marques – Apr 22, 6:30-8:30 pm, Free, reg req’d. It’s All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala.

352-804-9006 Saturday, April 25 Discover How To Enliven Intimacy And Passion – In And Out Of The Bedroom One-Day Workshop For Couples – Apr 25, pre-reg $199/couple. Richard & Diana Daffner, MA. Orlando. www.IntimacyRetreats.com.

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calendarofevents Qi Revolution National Gathering 4Days of Amazing Qigong Healing – Apr 25-28, $99. Orlando Convention Center, Orlando. QiRevolution.com, 800-298-8970.

North Central Florida Holistic Healing Conference – April 25-26, $250/2 day, $125/1 day. 1-877-525-8388.

Marce and The Don David Trio Concert – Apr 25, 8 pm, $10. Florida School of Massage, 6421 SW 13 St, Gainesville. 1-877-5ALT-EDU. Shamanic Healing & Readings w/ Shenna Benarte - Apr 25, 1 - 4 pm. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd, High Springs, 386-454-8657.

Experience the Magic of Nature & an Enchanted Walkabout w/John Springer - Apr 25, 2–5 pm, $5-$25. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39 Ave, Gainesville.

A Place to Heal Open House – Apr 25, 1-4 pm, Free. A Place to Heal, Gainesville. 352-870-8863.

Sunday, April 26 From Recovery to Self Discovery – Apr 26, $10 incl. lunch. Amrit Yoga Institute, Salt Springs. 352-685-3001.

The Passion Test Workshop w/Elaine Silver - Apr 26, 1:30–4:30 pm, $35 lunch incl. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39 Ave, Gainesville.

ONGOING Sunday Celebrating Community and Inspiring Message – Sun, Meditation 9:45 am, Sharing the Science of Mind and Spirit 10:30 am, Youth Celebration 10:30 am, Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. www.olec.org.

Spiritual Living – Studying the Science of Mind and Spirit – 1st Sun, 2 pm, Love Offering. Call for location. 352336-9783.

Guided Meditation and Spiritual Lesson – Sun, 9 am & 11 am (children’s service & care 11 am only), Love Offering.

Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352687-2113.

Sunday Inner Peace = World Peace Services – Sun, 11 am. Seraphim Center at the Florida School Of Massage, 6421 SW 13 St, Gainesville. 352-339-5946.

Monday Wealth & Abundance Group w/Rev Kim Marques – 1st & 3rd Mon, 6:30 pm, Donation. Five Star Services, HWY 301, Summerfield. 352-804-9006.

Goddess Weight Loss Support Group – 2nd & 4th Mon, 6:30 pm, Donation. It’s

All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Ocala EFT Healing Circle – Mon, $10.

Herbal Advantage, 4901 E Silver Springs Blvd Suite 109, Six Gun Plaza, Ocala.

352-629-1110.

Amrit Yoga & Yoga Nidra w/Veda Mon, 5:30-6:30 pm, Free. Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE 2 Pl, Gainesville. vedalewis@aol.com.

Free Wuji Gong Instruction w/ Miranda Smith - Mon, 7 pm instruction, 7:30 pm practice. Florida Institute for Hypnotherapy, 4051 NW 43 St, Suite 37, Gainesville. 352-642-6477.

Free Seminar: Mar: Dental Health & Procedures, Apr: Adrenal Gland Conditions & Diseases – 4th Mon, 6-7:30 pm. Marion County Public Library, Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-622-1151.

ZUMBA fitness w/Shannon – Mon, Wed, Fri, 9-10 am, $5/class. Wellness Spa of High Springs, 340 NW 1 Ave, High Springs. 386-454-8889.

Gentle & Hatha Yoga Classes w/ Marilyn – Mon, Gentle Yoga, 8:30-10 am, Hatha Yoga. 10:30 – noon & 7-8:30 pm, 8/ $80, 8/$56 if over 60. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-369-0055.

Krpalu Yoga w/Shivani – Mon, 6-7 pm, $8. Yoga, Ayurveda & Meditation w/ Richard – Mon, 8-9:15 am, $8. Ayurveda Health Retreat & Spa, 14616 NW 140 St, Alachua. 352-870-7645.

Yoga Classes Level I Beginner w/Susan – Mon, 6-7:30 pm, $10/class. Wellness Spa of High Springs, 340 NW 1st Ave, High Springs. 386-454-8889.

Tuesday Free Spiritual Reiki Mini-Sessions – Tue & Thu, by appmt. It’s All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Free Seminar: Mar: Gastrointestinal Health & Disease, Apr: Thyroid Conditions & Diseases – 1st Tue, 5-7:45 pm. Marion County Public Library, Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-622-1151.

Hatha Yoga Classes w/Marilyn – Tue, 10–11:30 am, 8/$80, 8/$56 if over 60.

OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-369-0055.

Yoga Classes Level II Intermediate w/ Susan – Tue, 6-7:30 pm, $10/class.

Wellness Spa of High Springs, 340 NW 1 Ave, High Springs. 386-454-8889.

Sivananda Yoga w/Vaisnavananda – Tue, 6-7 pm, $8. Ayurveda Health Retreat, 14616 NW 140 St, Alachua. www.AyurvedaHealthRetreat.com.

Amrit Yoga & Yoga Nidra w/Shivani -

Tue, 9-10 am (yoga), 10:00-10:30 am (yoga nidra), Free. Turkey Creek Golf Club, Alachua. feryle.wright@sfcc.edu.

Amrit Yoga w/Prakash & Priti - Tue, 78:30 pm, donation. The Amrit Yoga Institute, Salt Springs. prakash@amrityoga.org.

Wednesday Goddess Enrichment Group w/Kim Marques – Wed, 11-1 or 1-3 pm, $40/4 wks or $15/wk. It’s All Perfect, SE Ocala location. 352-804-9006.

Reiki Energy Sharing – Wed, 5-6 pm, Free. Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Center, 6160 Sw Hwy 200 Suite 101, Ocala. 352-291-2554.

Silent Unity Meditation Service – Wed, 12-12:30 pm, Free. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

Spiritual Enrichment – Studying the Science of Mind and Spirit– 2nd & 4th Wed, 1:30 pm, Love Offering, Lady Lake Library, 225 W Guava St, Lady Lake. 352629-3897.

Meditation and Visioning – Wed, 6-7 pm, Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Science of Mind Magazine Discussion – 2nd Wed, 7:15 pm, Love Offering, OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Spiritual Drumming – 3rd Wed, 7:15 pm, Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-629-3897.

Spiritual Film – 4th Wed, 7:15 pm , Love Offering. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-6293897.

Free Seminars: Mar: Gastrointestinal Health & Disease, Apr: Thyroid Conditions & Diseases – 2nd Wed, 2-5 pm. Del Web Spruce Creek, Hwy 441, Summerfield.

352-622-1151.

Earth Based Spirituality by Brian Morse – Wed, 6 pm, $15. Mystic Realms, 3315 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352857-9398.

The Quest Study Group – Wed, 7 pm, Love Offering. Unity of Gainesville, 8801 NW 39 Ave, Gainesville.

Free Anahat Meditation w/Matthew Brownstein – Wed, 6 pm. Florida Institute of Hypnotherapy/Anahat Center. 4051 NW 43 St, #37, Gainesville. 352-378-5746.

Free Course in Miracles w/Matthew Brownstein – Wed, 7:15 pm. Florida Institute of Hypnotherapy/Anahat Center. 4051 NW 43 St, #37, Gainesville. 352-378-5746.

Yoga w/Ania – Wed, 6-7 pm, $8.

Ayurveda Health Retreat & Spa. 14616

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NW 140 St, Alachua. 352-870-7645.

Thursday Ministerial/Ordination Training Class Intro/Orientation – Thu, Classes starting, also correspondence. Seraphim Center, Gainesville. 352-339-5946.

Self-Realization Fellowship Silent Meditation (practices of Paramahansa Yogananda) –Thu, 7:15 pm, Love Offering. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

The Secret to Weight Loss w/Vickie Haren, CCLC - Thu, 3/5-4/ 9 & 4/30-6/4, 5:30-7:30 pm, $100/6 classes, pre-reg. All About Art/ Enrichment Room, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-3079774.

Angelic Readings & Spirituality 101 Workshop w/Jennie Parrish – Thu, 1-6 pm & 6 pm. Mystic Realms, 3315 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-857-9398.

Amrit Yoga & Yoga Nidra w/Shivani - Thu, 9-10 am (yoga), 1010:30 am (yoga nidra), free. Turkey Creek Golf Club, Alachua. feryle.wright@sfcc.edu.

Amrit Yoga w/Sidney - Thu, 5:30-7 pm, free. Downtown Public Library, 401 E University Ave, Gainesville. 352-378-4423.

Hatha Yoga Classes w/Marilyn – Thu, 10:30–noon & 7-8:30 pm, 8/$80, 8/$56 if over 60. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center, 1009 NE 28 Ave, Ocala. 352-369-0055.

Sivananda Yoga w/Hita – Thu, 6-7 pm $8. Ayurveda Health Retreat & Spa, 14616 NW 140 St Alachua. www.AyurvedaHealthRetreat.com.

Yoga w/Mary Ann Holden – Thu, 6 pm, $5. Unity of Ocala, 101 Cedar Rd, Ocala. 352-687-2113.

High Springs. 386-454-8657.

Reiki Circle – 1st Sat, 7-9 pm, Free. Lady Lake Library, 225 W Guava St, Lady Lake. http:health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ FLReikiCircle/ The “Secret” to Weight Loss Support Group w/Vickie Haren Sat, 11:30-12:30 pm, $5 /$10, pre-reg req’d. All About Art, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Amrit Yoga w/Veda - Sat, 10-11 pm, $10-$12/class. Haile Plantation Community Club, 5400 SW 88 Ct, Gainesville. 352335-1481.

Amrit Yoga & Yoga Nidra w/Veda - Sat, 12-1 pm (yoga), 11:30 am (yoga nidra), $10 non-members. Gainesville Health & Fitness Women’s Center, Thornebrook. vedalewis@aol.com.

Calendar listings are FREE for current advertisers and for free events. $15/listing for others. 352-629-4000.

Friday Intuitive Life Coaching Sessions w/Rev. Kim Marques – 3rd Fri, 7-10 pm, $20, by appmt. It’s All Perfect, 2106 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-804-9006.

Ocala IONS Community Group for the Institute of Noetic Sciences – 1st Fri, 6:30-8:30 pm, $3. OakBrook Life Enrichment Center 1009 NE 28th Ave, Ocala. 352-732-8527.

Labyrinth for Walking Meditation – Fri, 7 pm & by apptmt, Free (call 1st). Wellness Spa of High Springs, 340 NW 1 Ave, High Springs. 386-454-8889.

Guided Meditations - Fri, 8-9 pm. Soul Essentials, Ocala.

Jennifer 352-236-7000.

Kirtan – Devotional Singing – Fri, 8-9 pm, Free. Ayurveda Health Retreat & Spa, 14616 NW 140 St, Alachua. 352-870-7645.

Amrit Yoga w/Veda - Fri, 2:30-4 pm, residents Free. Oak Hammock, Williston Rd, Gainesville. vedalewis@aol.com.

Gentle Amrit Yoga w/Veda – Fri, 11-12, Turkey Creek Forest Clubhouse, 441 N, Gainesville. vedalewis@aol.com.

Saturday Questions & Answers About The Use Of Acupuncture & Herbs To Balance Your Body Energies – Sat. Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Center, 6160 SW Hwy 200 Suite 101, Ocala.

352-291-2554.

Psychic Readings w/Kayla – Sat, 1-6 pm. Mystic Realms, 3315 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. 352-857-9398.

Abraham Study Group & Reiki Circle w/Vickie Haren – 2nd Sat, 2-3 & 3:30-4:30 pm, Love Offering, pre-reg req’d. All About Art/ Enrichment Room, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-3079774.

Detox Cleansing “101” w/Maryann Holden & Vickie Haren – 3rd Sat, 10-11:30 am, Free. All About Art/ Enrichment Room, 5162 SE Abshier Blvd, Belleview. 352-307-9774.

Chord Cutting Ceremony w/Shenna Raven Moondance – 4th Sat, 5 pm, $20. High Springs Emporium, 660 NW Santa Fe Blvd,

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Dream Job Alternate Paths to the Best Work Ever

A

nyone still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up can now test drive a job he suspects can enrich his life, feed his dreams or simply satisfy his curiosity. And she can try it for a day or three risk-free at VocationVacations.com. For example, New Hampshire resident David Ryan went from being “a happy-enough international banker to a really, really happy dog trainer.”

Mentors across the country accompany “vocationers” in their choice of 130 experiences.

Along these lines, more baby boomers are delaying retirement for an “encore career” according to Marc Freedman, CEO of think tank Civic Ventures. Such moves deliver continued income, greater impact and added purpose. Last year this social entrepreneur launched The Purpose Prize, which annually rewards exceptional individuals who are defying expectations by channeling their creative talents to address critical social problems. For previous winners see PurposePrize.org.

On a related front, according to Bridgespan Group, a burgeoning leadership shortage has nonprofit organizations in search of 640,000 new senior leaders over the next decade. Like Jessie Wolff of Denver, who left corporate America for a “life-changing” nonprofit top spot, we too can soon be on “the road not taken.” Says Wolff, “I’ll never go back.”

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communityresourceguide Connecting readers to leaders in natural health care and green living services in our community.

To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, visit www.NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com to view the media kit online, or call 352-629-4000, or e-mail info@NaturalAwakeningsNCFL.com.

ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Center Elsa Archbold, AP Dipl., Acu., CH. (NCCAOM) 6160 S.W. Hwy. 200, Suite 105, Ocala 352-291-2554 Vast knowledge and experience in the field of Rehabilitation as an Occupational Therapist, Massage Therapist, Energy Healing. Training in Biofeedback with the EPFX and SCIO.

COLONICS Gentle Waters Healing Center 352-374-0600, Gainesville info@gentlewatershealing.com The therapists at Gentle Waters Healing Center will assist each individual with detoxing using Colon hydrotherapy, Far Infrared Sauna, and/or Aqua Chi Lymphatic Drainage. We also carry probiotics, digestive enzymes, and other products for overall health. Proud sponsors of Barley Life Nutritional Products.

Call Dawn Brower for more information or visit www.gentlewatershealing.com..

MA41024, MM15426. See ad, p.34.

Aaron Perry, AP, LMT Life Family Practice Center 1501 U.S. Hwy. 441 North The Villages / 352-750-4333 Focusing on your health and well being, I integrate acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, colonics and NAET (allergy elimination) to enhance your quality of life.

Medicare, Insurance accepted.

See ad, p.23.

HOLISTIC MEDICINE

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY Rose Dotson R.N., B.H.A Energy Healing, Reiki Master Teacher 6528 C.R. 248, O’Brien, FL 32071 386-935-2972, rdotson@isgroup.net Experience gentle handson healing. Effective for chronic neck and back pain, scoliosis migraine headaches, TMJ, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and Central Nervous System disorders.

EFT Sandra Wilson, EFT-Adv, MCHt Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner/ Hypnotherapist 352-694-7255 / www.SandraWilson.org With EFT, you’re just a tap away from a positive change! Improve abundance. Remove anger and fear. Improve self-esteem.

Improve test and sports scores.

See ad, p.37.

Michael J. Badanek BS, DC, CNS, DACBN Chiropractic Physician, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition, Promoter of Alternative Complementary Medicine 3391 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Suite #B Ocala, Florida 34470 / 352-622-1151 www.alternativewholistichealth.com www.ocalaalternativemedicine.com Proudly serving Marion County for 28+ years with alternative holistic complementary health services. “Helping patients achieve optimal health using Alternative Complementary Medicine with State of the Art Technology.”

Treating the body to support all health challenges with Holistic Integrative Medicine. Treatment modalities include, but not limited to: Chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, applied kinesiology, EAV testing, nutritional evaluation and treatment protocols, physiotherapy, massage therapy, functional medicine diagnostic testing, laboratory testing, heavy metal testing and treatment, detoxification programs and support. Available to lecture to groups and meetings. Same day emergency appointments and courtesy consultations always available. See ad, p.5.

Nelson Kraucak, MD, ABCMT Life Family Practice Center 1501 U.S. Hwy. 441 North The Villages / 352-750-4333 Look into Holistic Integrative Medicine for your health.

Chelation is a holistic approach for heavy metal toxicity and is believed to benefit those with heart disease. Neurotherapy, acupuncture, and many other services available. See ad, p.23.

HEALING FACILITATOR Christine Rossiter, MCHt 352-625-6924 1-800-376-0997 cjrossiter@yahoo.com As a healing facilitator, I assist people in discovering ways to help the spirit, mind and body heal. I use hypnosis, energy healing and education. I get to the root cause of problems. See ad, p.29.

BUILD YOUR HOLISTIC PRACTICE OR GREEN BUSINESS Advertise! 352-629-4000.

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communityresourceguide Hanoch Talmor, M.D. Gainesville Holistic Center 352-377-0015 www.betterw.com We support all health challenges and the unlimited healing potential of God’s miracle: your body. Chelation, Nutrition, Cleansing, Homeopathy, Natural Energy Healing, Detoxification, Wellness Education and more. See ad, p.19.

HYPNOTHERAPY Matthew Brownstein, CHt Florida Institute of Hypnotherapy and Associates 352-378-5746 / 800-551-9247 www.tfioh.com / info@tfioh.com Offering the complete line of hypnotherapy services and statelicensed training to become a clinical certified hypnotherapist.

Free lectures occur every month.

See ad, p.35.

Sonya Lamarre, CHt 352-239-3557, www.OcalaHypnotherapy.com We believe everyone can benefit from hypnosis whether for relaxation or working with physical and emotional issues. See us for incredible long-lasting life changes. See ad, p.35.

JEWELRY REPAIR AND LOANS Frank Cafaro Jeweler and Pawn 5445 S.E. 111 St. (Hwy. 441 behind Checkers) Belleview, FL 34420 352-454-2791 Need cash now? Let your Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Crystals or other ??? work for you! Expert jewelry repair on Gold, Silver, and some Costume and Crystal jewelry. On site repairman with respect and concern to necessary time and elemental setting. Whileyou-wait and watch Appointments available.

Always a nice variety of Replacement Gemstones and Crystals in stock. We buy or You Can Trade your unwanted pieces for something from our vast unusual inventory, or you can take a short-term loan using one of your pieces as collateral. Mention this ad for 15% off any repair or loan charge.

LIFE COACHES

MASSAGE

Cynthia Christianson, M.A., CCC Inner Relationship Coaching Body Felt-Sense Therapy www.AvantiCoaching.com 352-374-7982 The process of selfimprovement starts with a healthy inner relationship. If you feel stuck; want a way to handle overwhelming emotions; release blocks or addictions; release self-criticism; increase self-love and acceptance; make clear and centered decisions, then let the wisdom of your body teach you what it feels like to be happy. See article, p.34 Vickie Haren , CCLC, CCHt 352-502-3898 / www.VickieHaren.com 5162 SE Abshier Blvd. (Hwy 441), Belleview Vickie is a holistic health educator and co-owner of Endless Journey Retreats.

Clinically Certified as a Life Coach and Holistic Health Practitioner with studies in Hypnosis, Reflexology, Reiki (Master/ Teacher), Neuro Linguistic Programming, Non-Directive Imagery, EFT, Body Talk, Psych-K and Somatic Healing. “I believe that healing and self-empowerment occurs when the underlying emotional component of an illness or condition is released through education, holistic practices and spiritual counseling.”

Rev. Kim Marques, CHt, Reiki M/T 2106 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 352-804-9006 Change your vibe, change your life!

Free Info and Spiritual Energy by appointment. Embrace the mind, body and spirit with hypnosis, energy sessions and training, spiritual guidance, Life Wise workshops and support groups, meditation, Goddess Weight Loss, attraction power kits and more. See ad, p.36.

Tiara L. Catey, LMT Center for Balance 1705 N.W. 6th St., Gainesville 352-642-4545 / www.tiaracatey.com Cultivate relaxation, relieve pain and manage stress by including massage as an essential part of your self-care practices. Relaxation and therapeutic massage ($60/ hour), lomilomi ($80/hour), shiatsu ($70/ hour), includes aromatherapy. Holistic approach. NY massage education. See www.tiaracatey.com for more details.

MA41831.

Clark Dougherty Therapeutic Massage Clinic 850 N.E. 36th Terr., Ocala 352-694-7255 / www.ClarkDougherty.com Offering a variety of therapeutic massage techniques for pain relief, improved flexibility, and other terrific benefits. PIP and WorkComp always accepted, also group/private insurance in some instances. All credit cards accepted.

Beautiful holiday Gift Certificates available— call and place your order, and your Gift Certificate will be in the mail the same day.

MA27082, MM9718. See ad, p.47.

PERSONAL FITNESS Hip Moves Fitness Studio Rona Bennett, BS, CPT Holistic Health, Personal Fitness Coaching 708 N.W. 23rd Ave., Gainesville www.hipmoves.com / 352-692-0132 An intimate fitness studio focusing on creativity and holistic health. Classes and private lessons in Belly Dance, Yoga, Pilates, and Personal Training. Rental space available.

GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF A THRIVING PRACTICE IN 2009.

Advertise! 352-629-4000.

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communityresourceguide PSYCHIC MEDIUM

SPIRITUAL INTUITIVE

Rev. Louise Link, ADL, UMC, Spiritualist Clairvoyant Channel, Readings, Spirit Messages 352-378-9943 / Gainesville linklouise@bellsouth.net The Link to your Angels, Guides and Loved Ones in Spirit. More than 25 years’ experience in Metaphysical Research and Spirit Communication. Bringing you Spirit Messages from your Loved Ones. Readings, Counseling, Classes. Your Spirit Link!

Rev. Dr. Janet Claire Moore, Medium, DDMS 352-373-8047 JCMoore1@Gmail.com Extraordinary Psychic, Medium, Teacher and Channeler, as well as an Ordained Minister, Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 36 years’ experience. See ad, p.41.

YOGA REFLEXOLOGIST Integrated Reflexology and Massage Shayla Blalock, LMT MA51495 Certified Reflexologist 352-871-1944 / www.IntegratedReflexology.com “The soles of the feet are the mirror of the body.” Reflexology improves circulation, cleanses the body of toxins, and balances the whole system. Documented studies show it to be helpful with diabetes, neuropathy, insomnia, and more.

Call Shay Blalock for information.

Hot Yoga Big Ron’s Yoga College 519-D NW 10th Ave., Gainesville 352-367-8434 / www.bigronsyoga.com Total physical and mental conditioning. 100 minutes, 100° heated class. All fitness levels welcome. Certified instructors. Unlimited classes only $100 per month. Visit www.bigronsyoga.com for schedule. See ad, p.7.

ROLFING Carol L. Short Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Craniosacral Therapist Gainesville and North Central FL 352-318-0509 Rolfing® is a system of body restructuring through systematic manipulation of muscle and fascial tissues. It promotes the release and realignment of long standing patterns of tension and dysfunction, bringing the body to greater balance, mobility, vitality, and ease. A holistic approach to mobility, vitality and balance. MA16337/MM18921.

ADVERTISING HERE IS AFFORDABLE. Advertise! 352-629-4000.

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