Reclaim Your Life…

“I am a family physician who tried to cure myself for a few years, as I was suffering from menopausal symptoms, fatigue and a change in my body weight and composition. It was hard to find a cure. Fortunately, I found this at Heal n Cure with Dr. Meena Malhotra. The practice is very well organized, focused on patient’s needs, and very cost effective in the long run. I went from 146 pounds to 138 in two short months and feel great.” ~Bella

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is delicate. Manage meticulously.

Hello,

I’m Dr. Meena, Medical Director of the Heal n Cure Wellness Center in Glenview.

We have helped hundreds of women with the disabling symptoms of menopause:

♦ Hot Flashes

♦ Poor Sleep

♦ Weight Gain

♦ Low Sex Drive

♦ Mood Disturbance

HOW CAN I TAKE CONTROL?

The optimal balancing of all of your hormones leads to an enhanced quality of life. Testing, proper dosing and monitoring by a doctor with an expertise in BHRT are critical to managing the menopause symptoms.

A common misconception is that estrogen levels get diminished during menopause while many postmenopausal women have plenty of estrogen, but in reality, several other hormone levels are out of whack. Menopause symptoms may be a natural phenomenon, but there is no reason to believe we can’t make this phase of life as enjoyable as possible

We Believe There is Hope and There Are Answers!

ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS

How To Advertise

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EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

Email articles, news items and ideas to: Amy@NAChicago.com Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

Submit online at: NAChicago.com/events/new or email Calendar Events to: Calendar@NAChicago.com. Deadline for calendar: the 8th of the month.

NATIONAL MARKETS

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Is your body telling you it needs help?

Do new symptoms creep up on you too fast?

Have dietary modifications failed to provide relief?

Help is a phone call away.

Reneé Barasch, Certified Digestive Health and Detoxification Specialist, has been helping clients achieve nutritional balance and enhance quality of life for more than 17 years. Reneé’s individualized plans help clients re-boot their digestive tracts and increase absorption of needed nutrients—creating the environment for detoxification of all organs and the pathways between them.

Working with Reneé, you will:

• Identify digestive triggers. (Some may surprise you!)

• Understand which foods agree with you— and those that don’t.

• Create a detoxification and digestive plan.

Digestion is one of the main ways the body detoxifies and cleanses.

If the food you consume isn’t thoroughly broken down, your body cannot work as efficiently as it should. Poor digestion causes stress for the entire digestive system and leads to gas, bloating, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea and even insomnia, psoriasis, eczema, chronic pain, and anxiety. Undigested food can seep into the bloodstream through a condition called “leaky gut syndrome,” which often leads to more serious conditions like Crohn’s Disease, colitis, and other autoimmune disorders.

Environmental irritants also affect digestion.

The environment can also produce irritation and inflammation. Everyday, airborne toxins perfumes, cleaning products, smoke, automotive exhaust, indoor dust, and springtime pollen find their way into our bloodstream (in less than 20 seconds!) and cause digestive organs to work overtime. A runny nose, itchy eyes, and red and blotchy skin often result in a trip to the allergist, when a digestive imbalance may be contributing.

Stay strong and healthy with a gut ‘reset.’

• Effectively and efficiently digest food.

• Reduce inflammation.

• Nourish your gut—and ensure your whole body is balanced.

• Regulate the processing and digestion of food and the elimination of waste by incorporating foods that lead to better absorption and detoxification.

My sport through high school was figure skating, and our local rink held its Spring Ice Show at the end of May. Evening and weekend rehearsals, costume sewing and excitement about the show filled the month. My schedule was also filled with homework and projects, afterschool clubs, test prep and the anticipation of summer vacation. Outside, it was bike-riding season, and by high school (no license until late in senior year) my red Montgomery Ward 10-speed with the skinny tires and drop handlebars got me pretty much everywhere.

May started our home gardening season, and my mom was busy with flats of annuals for our city yard. She’d get out the little green bench my grandfather had crafted years ago, the trowel, a bucket of water and a cup. Then we’d move down the sidewalk along the fence where she’d dig the planting hole, I’d add water, she’d plant the seedling and I’d water it in. My folks would plant the tomatoes, peppers and lettuce in the garden by the garage a little later in May, and also help my dad’s mother with her city garden and my mom’s parents with their Antioch veggie garden.

May is the busiest month for colorful, migrating birds in the Midwest. An avid, lifetime birdwatcher, my mom always had her binocs and bird books at the ready. Longtime readers may recall me mentioning once that she wrote the principal a note to please excuse my being late to grade school because we were watching a migrating Scarlet Tanager in a tree. I kid you not, and it was accepted. I still have her Nikon binoculars and well-worn field guides—along with my own birding books and phone apps (Merlin Bird ID is a personal fav).

This month in Natural Awakenings Chicago, we’re celebrating Women’s Wellness Month, with a focus on how stress and anxiety can affect health, and lifestyle adaptations to better thrive in our complex, busy world. In our main feature, Linda Sechrist interviews current thought leaders in women’s health for tips and lifestyle approaches to better manage stress and increase resiliency. Natural Awakenings and KnoWEwell have teamed with these practitioners for an online series of live webinars in which they’ll take a deep dive into stress management techniques. To join in the conversation, please check the promo on page 7. I also encourage you to learn more about some of our local women’s health leaders in this month’s Women Business Owners sections, scattered throughout this issue.

If you’d like to get started gardening and bird watching, writer Sheryl DeVore covers both topics as she explores why gardening is good for our health, and then talks with local birding experts on the best ways for novice and experienced birders to catch the wonder of spring migration season. If you’d prefer to get away from the Chicago area for a relaxing weekend north of the border, Lisa Kivirist takes us on a road trip to Elkhart Lake and the Kettle Moraine region of Wisconsin. Of course, we feature plenty of nutritious and delicious recipes to help balance our hormones and reduce diet-related inflammatory stress responses.

As always, I encourage you to please step outside each day and experience this month with all of your senses. Despite the hectic pace of the month, try to consciously stop to smell the flowers, wrap yourself in early morning birdsong as it fills the air, enjoy a spring rain, plant a container garden, sample spring vegetables fresh from a farmers market or CSA and share your seasonal joy and awe with others. Happy Spring! Happy Mother’s Day!

Publisher Peggy Malecki

Sales & Marketing Peggy Malecki

Carrie Jackson

Heidi Hetzel

Operations Amy Hass

Editors Marty Miron

Theresa Archer

Randy Kambic

Writers Carrie Jackson

Megy Karydes

Sheryl DeVore

Design & Production Suzzanne Siegel

Contact Us

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Ph: 847-858-3697 • Fax: 888-858-3107

Info@NAChicago.com • NAChicago.com

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Subscriptions are available by sending $29 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

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