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My children always say,
A Blessing in MARCI by
“Mom this must be your favorite LINDA MITCHELL-DOMINGUEZ time of year because of all the Founder, HMN pictures that are in the family album.” Those albums are always been there for me----as it is decorated with pumpkins and for each one of us. This past year cobwebs, piles of leaves that has been one of many blessings; my children loved to jump into both personally and professionally, (me too) and, of course, the because I have chosen to Trust the many different costumes that Process. flooded through the years of “Trick or Treat”. For one, my long awaited healthy Fall is a time that we celebrate relationship with my husband, our Abundance and ThanksGeorge…we will be celebrating our giving for that which we reaped first year anniversary. He has been from the implantation of a my best friend and confidant. He thought, the seeds we planted, has supported me nurtured, and now reap. financially, emotionally, and spiritually in Today, my relationship to fall is all ways. Because different. It still contains all of he is in my life today, the above, but my reflection to he has partnered each of the seasons resonates with me to manifest within my life and its synchronmy vision and icity to the season or not (the dreams for the Holisyin or yang, if you will). tic Mentorship NetIt is a time to let go and trust the work. There have been wind. Nature provides us with struggles, but his many elements to this; like the support and my leaf that hangs on until it finally passion, belief, faith, and trust trusts the wind enough to let go has led us to the next phase of where it will rest, protecting the earth from the frost and winter’s our organization. wonderland until the next seedling is planted. One of the biggest changes is the foundation on which the What happens when you don’t Holistic Mentorship Network trust that process? For me, the began----as a thought, a seed and journey becomes harder and it’s fruition of MARCI (Mindfulmore difficult (like treading ness, Awareness, Responsibility, through sludge). It takes me Compassion and Intuition). much longer to get to my destination. I put myself through a Thanks to our board meetings, lot of unnecessary emotional our present members asked me and mental stress that plagues how MARCI fit in, and in my my body with physical signs answer, was the obvious to and symptoms. everyone at that table-----MARCI When I give it up to Source, I is where the foundation began allow the Universal Law to and needed to be claimed by me, provide all the bounty that has the founder.
Trusting this process has been another transforming opportunity for the Mentorship Program to grow, and we are feeling the Earth shake in jubilation to our claim. I have seen many new seeds planted, some which I imagined, and others which have been seeds that others have instilled. This alternative industry is filled with beautiful and talented people from all walks of life. I have had the pleasure to experience so much from the different chapter meetings that are held presently. From everyone within
the circle------to the guest speakers, there has been so much shared and many moments of mentoring witnessed. Our fall edition contains many old and new friends I have made throughout this past year. Stories of abundance and Thanksgiving that are shared by Nancy Cotter, Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine of the Atlantic Health Care Systems, is one of the pioneers who was instrumental in planting a seed that is now being recognized and infused into the medical arena.
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A Community of Holistic Professionals Our Vision To strengthen and support the community of holistic professionals.
Our Mission Statement To create a unified community of compassionate holistic practitioners that will contribute to enhancing our profession and ourselves by providing a supportive space to share, learn, teach, grow, and lead.
Our Purpose The Holistic Mentorship Network supports the Holistic Professional, as well as the Community by providing the space to network, build a referral base, mentor and support our colleagues, promote community awareness and education of alternative services, meet clients, and hear a great Guest Speaker.
Newsletter Contributors Judee Algazi Susan Cloutier Sarah Collins Dr. Nancy Cotter Caroline Hensby Robert Kandarjian, DC, HTP Joan Millspaugh William Seifried, MA, LPC Pam Warehime
Inside This Issue: Abundance at Harvest Time.................................... 5 Does Your Child Struggle in School?.................... 6 Alternative Treatments For ADD & ADHD.............
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15 Tips for Kids with ADD and ADHD.................... 12 New Jersey, Global Warming, and You ................ 14 Thanksgiving for Abundance of Life..................... 16 “TEN/THIRTY-ONE�................................................. 19 Community Corner (Poetry and Verse)......................... 21
Gregg Taylor (Editor)
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A Blessing in MARCI
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There are so many modalities and services out there, it is mind boggling.
experiencing our own overload and/or trauma without being labeled with Attention Deficit.
One such service that I have experienced for revitalizing my energy field is Jin Shin Jyutsu®. Joan Millspaugh, a Jin Shin Practitioner, recently worked on my husband after he received radiation therapy. I asked him how he felt after Joan worked on him; he said he felt relaxed and calm, but the best was the following day when he said he felt more energized, which was a Godsend after seeing him so worn down by the radiation he was receiving Monday through Friday, as he was into his fourth of six weeks of treatment.
There are more and more Alternative Practitioners who have had experiences working with these special clients.
Joan has had many more experiences, and she quickly agreed to write for us so she could share some of the moments that she not only touched a life, but that which touched her own heart.
With school back in session, and the academic demands and peer pressure our children often experience, we decided to write on Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There seems to be a rise in the number of children diagnosed, and I wonder how many of us, as adults, have trouble focusing...get frustrated easily... unable to sit still and quiet our minds and, at times, act out aggressively because we are
I, for one, have worked with children with Attention Deficit… including my two oldest grandchildren, Dalton and Leif pictured below with me (their “Nana”) and their little brother Cameron (who’s two).
Although they are both on medication that helps tremendously, I have seen the difference it has made when I have given them a massage and/or cranial sacral therapy.
To witness such energy releases that have, at times, felt like I was receiving shock therapy, is amazing…to think how much energy was locked within the dura. We can store so much emotional, physical and mental trauma within our bodies and mind that can show up in many ways… medicine can mask the symptoms, but does not relieve the source. Many Alternative Practitioners have had profound experiences working with ADD/ADHD.
A special thank you to the following for sharing their insights and tips on how to help our children: Dr. Kandarjian, Judee Algazi, and Pam Warehime. I would like to also honor my daughter for all she does to keep her children safe and happy when living with ADD/ADHD. I hope when you read the poem, I Really Love This Child by Caroline Hensby, that my daughter sent me, you will have a greater love and understanding for a child with ADD/ADHD.
In my practice, I have worked with children diagnosed with ADHD and have used primarily Cranial Sacral Therapy on them.
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Abundance at Harvest Time by Dr. Nancy Cotter It is associated with digestion of food on the physical level and with assimilation of information and ideas on a psycho-spiritual level. The yellow color tones, the emotion of worry, and the tendency to nurture others, often at the expense of one’s own nurturance, all come to mind. It is a time to enjoy the Earth’s bounty, to put aside for winter, and to begin the reflective phase of the year, reaping and assimilating our harvest.
As summer‘s long rays wane and make way for the warm days and cool nights of Fall, we experience a special time in the Chinese Medicine calendar: the Harvest. Harvest time in Chinese Medicine is one of two principle transition times of the year. It is time when the yang energies wane and yin energies begin to be predominant. It is also a time associated with transition, as well as energetic adjustment in the protective energy, or wei qi. In Chinese Medicine, we look at the body as positioned between Heaven and Earth -----part of the cosmos, yet containing all its elements as well. Each of the five elements is associated with a color, a season, an organ, and personality traits and tendencies for physiologic imbalances, and certain likes and dislikes.
Integrative Medicine at Atlantic Health Fifteen years as a hospital based Integrative Medicine Center is a relatively ripened time. We continue to harvest what was sown years ago when seeds for a stress reduction center were planted at Morristown Memorial Hospital. There were several visionaries who prepared the ground for such a planting: an influential member of the Morristown community, who knew the value of using the mind for stress reduction and transformation of illness, joined with hospital
administrators and Herb Benson MD, the Boston cardiologist, who coined the term relaxation response.
Jean Marie Rosone was the social worker with the heart and vision to be the first to bring these ideas, whose time was just beginning into practice in the conventional medical setting. In 1993, the doors to the Mind Body Medical Institute of Morristown Memorial were opened and groups of patients were educated about the then-revolutionary idea that stress reduction could significantly affect the course of chronic disease. This was only the third center of its kind in the country; a very progressive step for a hospital to make. Since that time, these first seeds of Integrative Medicine have grown into an Integrative Medicine Division that spans the inpatient and outpatient settings in two hospitals, with therapies that include everything from acupuncture to Zen.
The Earth element is associated with the Harvest time.
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Abundance at Harvest Time continued
Did the individuals who planted these first ideas almost fifteen years ago know what their effort would grow into? Can we ever anticipate our harvest? No matter what the season, we are always sowing, reaping, and experiencing the results of what we have planted‌this is our abundance. Some plantings bear fruit immediately, while others take several seasons; others may bloom elsewhere, bearing fruit in a location far from us. Some are not even close to what we imagined at the outset, and some are exactly as we have pictured. Efforts that do not come into fruition
may seem at first to be failures, their value becoming apparent later as fertilizer for other harvests. It has been a great honor to act as the medical director, first for the Atlantic Mind Body Center for seven years, and now the Division of Integrative Medicine at Atlantic Health. The vision that I had long ago is coming to fruition in some ways as I pictured, in others ways that I could never have imagined. It has been a joy to experience the resourcefulness and heart of the creative team that shapes and leads Integrative Medicine in
the hospital setting. Lessons learned as I look back during this harvest time include: if you follows the heart’s vision, even in a small way, the rewards are great...Nothing less is worth your precious energy...Keep an open mind, because one never knows where the next good idea will come from.... Remember that in every moment we are planting seeds for the next moment-----day----year-----and decade. Every moment is planting time, and every moment is harvest time. May your harvest time be abundant. --------NC
Does your child struggle in school? There are things you can do. by JUDEE ALGAZI Juggling homework, tests, deadlines and schedules can be challenging for any student. However, for a student with Attention Deficit Disorder, those four words can spell disaster! Children with Attention Deficit Disorder are often both intelligent and capable, but they struggle with tasks that require the ability to plan ahead, sustain attention, hold information in their working memory, control impulses, self monitor, organize, reason, use good judgment, and manage time. These skills, which neuropsychologists often group under the heading, executive function skills, are controlled by the frontal lobes of the brain.
There are seven areas that are greatly impacted by executive function weaknesses: Working memory Despite understanding facts and information, students have an inability to hold these essential facts and information in their memory. This affects their ability to do math, word problems, answer test questions, respond to questions in class, follow directions, organize and find personal belongings. It can also affect computation, spelling, and summarizing information.
following instructions. The weak executive skills also contribute to poor reasoning and judgment.
Impulsivity
This interferes with the ability to think things out before saying or doing something, calling out in class, and sayFollowing instructions ing inappropriate comments Students have difficulty with activation, arousal and effort, which affects to peers or teachers. starting projects, paying attention and completing assignments and continued on next page
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Does your child struggle in school? Self control Difficulty controlling behavior since they have difficulty recalling past mistakes.
Analyzing pieces and reconstructing to the whole Students with Attention Deficit Disorder often learn best by seeing the whole puzzle first. A poor working memory can make it difficult to remember and integrate information that is offered piece by piece.
Written Expression When faced with writing an essay, students with executive function deficits cannot rely on their memory to retrieve, hold, or organize their ideas in any type of logical sequence. In addition, they are unable to hold and use the rules for grammar, punctuation, or spelling in their head.
Social Skills Deficits in executive skills affect social interaction as well. Students are apt to have socially inappropriate behavior and weak interpersonal skills.
What can you What can you do?do? Teach and Model Teach all skills...repeat all skills ...practice all skills. Never assume your child, who has ADD, remembers what to do unless you review. Break tasks into small steps. Take care of yourself; eat well, exercise, read, model appropriate behavior; children often do what we do, not what we say.
Rejuvenate with Yoga, meditation CD’s, music, a hot bath, a good protein shake with fresh berries. Remember that children with ADD have poor self-monitoring skills, weak working memories, difficulty with organizing, managing time, etc. Instead of criticizing or punishing them, help them find creative ways to compensate. Use stickies as reminders; use visuals as much as possible; write out as well as tell them instructions; use tape recorders, alarms, reminders on the computer; make a To Do list and check items off and review them often; use a calendar. Set aside time to help your child find ways to organize. Simplify; the less you have around, the easier to it is organize.
continued potato over French fries. Provide protein at every meal; students with ADD experience a great deal of stress so, protein can help regulate blood sugar levels. Have healthy snacks like seeds, nuts, cut up vegetables, fresh fruit, low fat cheese sticks, air popped popcorn, or homemade soup available for snacks. Take snacks with you when you know you will be out for long periods of time. Always anticipate and be prepared.
Provide Excellent Nutrition Limit sugar, white flour, and artificial colorings, as well as heavily processed foods. Read books that provide information about food for optimal mental performance like, Making a Good Brain Great by Daniel Amen, M.D., The Better Brain Book by David Perlmutter, or The LCP Solution by Jacqueline Stordy (this is a must). Completely eliminate trans fats from the diet. Good fats like olive oil, avocado, and walnuts help nourish the brain; trans fats interfere with learning. Kids with ADD cannot afford any trans fats or hydrogenated oils in their diet. Read all labels; check for allergies that may interfere with concentration, focus, etc. Provide whole fresh foods that are high in antioxidants, fiber, and protein; choose an orange over orange juice, eat a baked
Establish Good Sleep Habits Children need sleep in order to function well in school. Find ways to reduce stress as you get closer to bedtime; listen to relaxing (soft) music, read to your child-----even older children love to be read to, take a warm bath, do a guided meditation CD. Keep their bedroom free of distractions and electromagnetic waves from things like computers, televisions, and telephones.
Exercise... Helps circulation to the brain which is very important for memory. It releases tension and therefore helps with stress, and helps keep your child fit and energized.
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Does your child struggle in school?
Routine and Structure
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Establish a routine and stick to it; kids with ADD don’t do flexibility well; on school nights, do not plan excursions to the mall, make appointments, go to concerts, etc. Structure your child’s time; weak self-monitoring and management skills means that you cannot depend on your child to structure and manage his or her own time.
Homework Provide a scheduled time for homework. Provide a quiet place to work. Do not schedule anything else during homework time. Provide all supplies at the workplace (pencils, pen, ruler, calculator, scotch tape, stapler, computer with printer that has ink in it, paper, etc.). Students with ADD have difficulty staying on task, and stopping to find supplies can sabotage their focus. Provide a three-ring pencil case in each notebook and fill it weekly with pencils, pens, and supplies needed in the classroom. Provide one day a week to jointly clean, organize and restock notebooks and book bags. Help the student break homework down into do-able steps. Do not allow television on school nights (for anyone in the family); a child with ADD has difficulty staying focused; do not add an additional distraction on school nights. A solid rule avoids continuous arguments. No means NO. Record any favorite shows to watch on the weekend. Know your child’s learning style; teach your child to use mnemonics, associations, and manipulatives to study.
Positive reinforcement Focus on things that your child does well. Talk about what is working and positive. Help your child understand why he or she may have executive function difficulties. Teach your child to organize, manage time, and behave. Read books that offer organizational tips and strategies for kids (and families); The Organized Student by Donna Goldberg; Get Organized Without Losing It by Janet Fox; Organizing from Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.
Alternative ideas Look into ideas like Brain Gym to help increase focus, reduce stress and improve concentration. Read books that provide simple exercise like Making the Brain Body Connection by Sharon Promislow or Brain Gym; Simple Activities for Whole Brain Learning by Paul Dennison; or use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to help with stress and emotional distractions. Students with ADD usually lack executive function skills. This
can affect social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development and impede learning and academic adjustment. The frontal lobes, which are the area of the brain responsible for these processes, continue to develop well into adulthood, therefore some of the skills affected can develop as the child gets older, and some skills can be developed by direct instruction and repetitive experience. Children with executive dysfunction can be taught the skills needed to do better in school. --------JA
Judee Algazi is a special education teacher and nutritional consultant with over twenty-five years of experience teaching students with ADD and learning disabilities. She is currently teaching in a prestigious private school where her mission is to help struggling students experience success. In addition, Ms. Algazi is a SAT tutor and works with students who have ADD or learning disabilities prepare or raise scores for the SATs. She is also available to consult with parents who have concerns and need guidance and resources. Ms. Algazi can be reached at
267-981-4546 E-mail vegyid2@yahoo.com or on the web: www.energyplusonline.com
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Alternative Treatments For ADD/ADHD by PAM WAREHIME Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity and restlessness, affects between three and five percent of school age children. These children are unable to stay focused on a task, cannot sit still, act without thinking, and rarely finish projects they begin. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is similar to ADHD without the hyperactivity. However, there is a multitude of differences between the two disorders. First, the cause of ADD resides primarily in the parietal lobe of the brain. The parietal lobe plays important roles in integrating sensory information from various parts of the body, knowledge of numbers and their relations, and in the manipulation of objects. Portions of the parietal lobe are involved with visuo-spatial processing. On the other hand, the cause of ADHD resides primarily in the frontal lobe of the brain.
The frontal lobes have been found to play a part in impulse control, judgment, language production, working memory, motor function, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization, and spontaneity.
The frontal lobes assist in planning, coordinating, controlling, and executing behavior. People who have damaged frontal lobes may experience problems with these aspects of cognitive function, being at times impulsive-----impaired in their ability to plan and execute complex sequences of actions, perhaps persisting with one course of action or pattern of behavior when a change would be appropriate. Also, this is linked to a deficiency of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which are involved with arousal and alertness. Second, the main indicators for noticing ADD are fear, anxiety, low cognitive thinking, and low brain energy. Daydreaming, procrastination, and poor mental retrieval are also behaviors associated with an ADD person. In comparison, the ADHD person has difficulty with attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. As a result, self regulation is weak for the ADHD person. Third, the ADD person does not need instant gratification. In fact, these people become impatient after trying unsuccessfully for a long period of time at which point they are disheartened or upset. Conversely, ADHD people are constantly frustrated and crave instant gratification. Individuals have distraction issues with both types of disorders. With ADD, people cannot sustain attention and concentration
because of low energy, which causes loss of focus as well as their own racing or wandering thoughts. At the same time, ADHD people cannot focus due to boredom, racing from task to task, and being unaware of the consequences of their actions. If inattention is a more prominent feature than hyperactivity, the ADHD child may not be identified until adolescence, when the disorder interferes with the increasingly demanding attention and organizational requirements for academic success. What are the brainwave patterns in children with ADD and ADHD? Research has shown that the brainwaves of people with ADHD are slower than non ADHD people. Results determined that hyperactive children were in a low state of arousal, not very awake or aware of what is going on around them, so they move around to wake up and be in the world.
Furthermore, they say this explains why Ritalin works. Ritalin speeds up the brain so the problem is temporarily solved.
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Alternative Treatments... The brainwave frequency range is broken down into the following categories: Delta less than 4 hertz...sleep Theta 4-8 hertz...drowsy Alpha 8-12 hertz...relaxed focus SMR 12-15 hertz...relaxed thought Beta 15-18 hertz...active & thinking High Beta more than 19 hertz...excited
Delta and theta are the two slowest patterns. Theta is a dream state and is considered the state at which ADD and ADHD children are stuck. Neurofeedback helps the child regulate his brain from the 4-7 hertz range and increase the brainwaves above 12 hertz. When the child learns this type of behavior, there is a reduction in ADHD behavior. There are many treatments for ADD and ADHD. They include psychostimulant medication, social skills training, family
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counseling, parent education, testing for toxic substances, nutrition and modification of the school environment. It is generally acknowledged that no single treatment may be sufficient and multimodal treatments are recommended. Research has shown psychostimulants such as Ritalin have negative side effects which are detrimental to a child’s physical and psychological well being. In fact, the effects and side effects of Ritalin on the brain are similar to those of amphetamines and cocaine. Furthermore, Ritalin is classified as a Schedule II drug, meaning it is strictly controlled because it is deemed to have a very high potential for abuse or severe dependency. Side effects that may occur by using psychostimulant drugs are insomnia, loss of appetite, nervousness, abdominal pains and tics. To avoid insomnia, the last dose is given early enough in the day for the effects to wear off before bedtime. This means children are unable to focus on their homework. Another significant limitation is that children who respond well to Ritalin rarely exhibit improvement in the problems that commonly accompany ADHD such as learning disabilities, conduct problems, anxiety or depression. Neurofeedback training is a safe, natural treatment for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and one that addresses its underlying causes.
Neurofeedback is a treatment where the patient’s scalp is connected to a computer by sensor wires. The computer system amplifies and reads brainwave signals and a computer monitor feeds back information about how well the brainwaves are functioning. By watching the information on the monitor, the person is able to learn to change his brainwaves, thereby improving the level of arousal and reducing the ADHD symptoms. Neurofeedback is based on operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is about rewarding behavior that approximates a desired behavior. In theory, it is similar to Pavlov’s dogs that were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell. Neurofeedback training works the same way. If the brain is making too much low frequency activity, the person is rewarded with points or a tone each time it makes the more desirable, higher frequency brainwaves. Once self regulated, the child or adult is able to use this information on his own to relax, concentrate better or continued on next page
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Alternative Treatments... feel calmer and more focused. Therefore, the student shows fewer and fewer symptoms of ADHD. According to researchers, Neurofeedback makes the human much less dependent on any other person, drug, machine or medical technology. It produces strong self-reliance, independence, self esteem and provides some control over one’s physical and mental state of health. Another exciting innovation in the health care field over the past four decades has been the development of muscle testing (kinesiology) as a feedback tool to identify both the cause of the body’s imbalance and what is required to bring the body back into balance.
Kinesiology is a non-invasive method using muscle feedback and body awareness that can help you reduce stress and pain. Also, it can help improve performance at school, work, home, sports, relationships, and promote health and well being. Developed by Dr. Wayne Topping, Wellness Kinesiology uses muscle testing and body awareness to identify what is unduly
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stressing the system, and uses emotional stress release, brain integration techniques, and nutrition to help bring the mind and body to a state of wellness. In short, people develop belief systems from early childhood. Initially, the belief was beneficial for the person because they were protected from humiliation or ridicule. However, as the child grows up, he may encounter beliefs contrary to the original principle creating an energy imbalance in a particular organ in the body. These limiting beliefs create learning disabilities as well as internal issues. In regard to the person with a learning disability, the belief that manifests frequently is, I’m not good enough. Through reprogramming this belief system at the various ages of occurrence, major beneficial changes occur at an emotional level, allowing the body to be free of stress and function at a higher cognitive level. Another alternative treatment for ADD and ADHD children are simple exercises used to enhance the experience of whole brain learning. A large part of these Brain Gym exercises, developed by Dr. Paul Dennison, involves the release of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (movement) stress patterns. Wherever there is stress, as a result of trauma at any age, from gestation to adulthood, we tend to use only a portion of what we really know. As mental, physical, or emotional stress is released, we
are able to hear, see, move, and improve behavior. As a result, we are able to think and respond more clearly. When under stress, one becomes frightened and irrational, as the mid-brain has broken its circuit with the cerebral cortex where logical decision making takes place, and this makes it difficult to think and process language. A primary cause of fidgety, hyperactive behavior is due to an un-integrated symmetric tonic neck reflex (STNR). In normal development, this reflex is matured or completed by age two. If, however, the child fails to do enough crawling, this reflex remains active, causing involuntary movements that interfere with the child gaining control over the body. An immature STNR makes it difficult for the child to sit still at a desk or chair and interferes with postures required for reading and writing. The child cannot relax, fidgets frequently, and finds it very difficult to get comfortable.
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Alternative Treatments... Often, the child will slouch with legs straight out, or sit in a chair with feet tucked under the body, or hook their feet around the legs of the chair. These children squirm, are easily distracted, and often do not finish their homework, or will put down any answer just to get done. The more failure they experience, the more they tend to avoid written work. By doing Brain Gym activities, the crawling stage is soon completed and the STNR becomes integrated. Subsequently, the child can sit still and focus.
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instruct the more than three million children exhibiting symptoms that require extra attention. The public needs to realize that these children have disorganized brains and, through no fault of their own, act out in frustration and anger. The challenge facing those working with children diagnosed with ADHD is to evaluate these strategies and determine which one is best for them. At Educational Healing, we strive to use the most cuttingedge techniques to help these children, teens, and adults perform at their peak potential, and utilize the gifts that God blessed them with.
Pam Warehime is the founder of Educational Healing. She is also the owner and Director of Bright Beginnings Learning Center in Sparta, NJ. She has earned her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Administration from Kean University. Additionally, she has obtained her Graduate Certificate in Applied Neuroscience. In the Fall of 2007 she will be starting the Neuroscience & Education program at the Teacher's College of Columbia University. Pam is licensed in The Listening Program and Neurofeedback. Call 973-579-2063 for more
information, or visit www.educationalhealing.com.
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More direction must be provided for teachers and parents who
15 Tips for Kids with ADD & ADHD by ROBERT KANDARJIAN DC, HTP As parents, make sure your tank is full and that you feel supported by the adults around you, the more content you are, the happier your children are.
1. Let boys run and jump to discharge their testosterone energy. Not releasing that energy can cause irritability and attention deficit.
2. Substitute white sugar based sweets for juicy fruits. You will save money on medical and dental bills.
3. Ask kids to draw or write their feelings, if they choose to not speak.
4. Teach them to safely articulate and express their feelings and needs.
5. Calm them down by placing your hand on their belly and ask them to breathe slowly and naturally.
6. Teach them to calm down and ground by bringing their focus and attention to their legs and feet for a few minutes. The more their attention is on the legs and feet, the less attention and activity in the head. This helps reduce hyperactivity.
7. Let nature be their sanctuary instead of TV and computer games. continued on next page
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15 Tips for Kids with ADD & ADHD 15. Encourage your kids to
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drink water instead of sodas and juices. Over 60 percent of the body and 80 percent of the brain is water.
TV and screen games keep kids in their head and compromise their stillness.
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12. Have them stand and jump up and down on their feet until they feel relaxed, grounded and aware of their feet.
13. Foster their natural gifts, passions and talents.
Wanting to create an integrative and soulful practice, Dr. Kandarjian embraced the philosophy and methods of eastern medicine to better understand the connection between mind, body, emotions and spirituality. His healing practice and seminars focus on holistic and spiritual approach to wellness.
8. Teach them to trust their intuition.
9. Teach your kids to take breathing breaks with schoolwork. Have them lie on the bed or the floor with their eyes closed to breathe deeply in and out six times. They can do this in a chair at school.
In 1995, he trained in Healing Touch with the American Holistic Nurses Association and incorporated Healing Touch into his practice. From 1995-1998, he volunteered with Friends for Life, an HIV-AIDS group, where he was a speaker and Healing Touch Practitioner utilizing Intuitive Energy Healing.
10. If they are studying a tough subject and they are frustrated, have them go to an easy subject that they enjoy and then come back to the tough one.
11. In order for them to relax and let go of frustration at home, have them vocalize different sounds and encourage them to sing. Singing is movement inside the body and brings on relaxation.
Dr. Robert Kandarjian moved to the U.S. at the age of fourteen from Beirut, Lebanon. His pursuit in health care earned him a degree in Chiropractic in 1983.
14. As parents or caregivers, be on the same page about your rules and values. This maintains consistency in the child’s life and promotes security.
SUGGESTED READINGS FOR PARENTS: Giving the Love That Heals: A Guide For Parents and Getting the Love You Want: A Guide For Couples by Harville Hendrix, PhD, The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm, MD, Living the Truth by Keith Ablow, MD, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Parenting by Deepak Chopra, MD, Sacred Intentions by Robert Kandarjian, DC
In 1997, he founded Victory Circle, a non-profit organization that, for four years, provided free Energy Healing and Holistic education to the public. He teaches Intuitive Energy Healing to health care providers such as chiropractors, MDs, nurses, and psychologists. He is also a consultant to businesses who employ his value-based stress management modality. He is also the author of “Sacred Intentions.” visit www.drrobertkandarjian.com
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New Jersey, Global Warming...and You by WILLIAM
SEIFRIED, MA, LPC As Mental health counselors, we have completed extensive formal education which enables us to help our clients deal with a variety of mental health issues. Typically, this involves helping clients deal with more effective ways to cope with challenges, communicate more effectively with friends, family members, or co-workers. Mental health, looked upon from the mind/body paradigm, shows us that many external factors affect our mental health. In other words, what goes on within our brain affects our body, and what goes on in our body affects our brain. As a longtime resident of New Jersey, an environmentalist, and a LPC, I tend to see the world a bit different than your average Joe. You may be asking yourself, what does living in New Jersey have to do with global warming, and how is that tied to our brains? Global warming has at long last been acknowledged by the current US administration! This has happened after much arm twisting by the rest of the civilized world and after decades of foot-dragging by the United States on the subject. You may or may not buy the argument for Global warming, but one fact that cannot be denied is that burning fossil fuels has a direct and long term negative impact on the environment and human health.
On a recent trip to Sequoia National Park in California, I was informed by a park ranger that it is now estimated that about thirty-percent of the air pollution in California is now generated by the massive coal burning which is being done in China. Wow, small world huh? So much pollution is generated, that it is traveling across the entire Pacific Ocean. This coal burning is done to generate electricity to support China’s quickly growing manufacturing capacity. By the same token, New Jersey and many other Northeastern and Mid Atlantic states face similar challenges from coal burning power plants in the Ohio Valley and surrounding areas. Most of the general public is not aware of this fact. These plants generate electricity for only their local areas; however, New Jersey and residents of the Northeastern states pay the price. How is the price paid? -----by mercury and other toxins that are carried through these air emissions and ultimately re-enter our water and food supplies. According to the Genscape Weekly, a coal trade publication, roughly fifty million tons of coal were burnt last year in the Eastern United States alone! So, even if the percentage of
mercury in a ton of coal is small, the net result is substantial. Additionally, it does not take much mercury to make a powerful impact. The EPA has estimated that safe levels of mercury are one part per million, or lower. The EPA’s own estimates now say that the average mercury concentration in fish is 1.38 parts per million, which is thirty-eight percent higher than the EPA’s own approved standard.
Mercury has been linked along with other toxins to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Low IQ, and a host of other mental health conditions. There is a very vigorous debate going on in the medical community regarding the possible link of methyl mercury, traditionally used as a preservative in vaccines, to increasing rates of Autism. Very small amounts can be extremely damaging for human brain
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New Jersey, Global Warming...and You function. This is especially true for pregnant women.
According to the website, www.gotmercury.org, in 2004, a study found that the number of infants that are potentially exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in the womb was 630,000 in the United States annually. This was double the previous estimates, and was determined from mercury levels in umbilical cords, which contain mercury levels 1.7 times higher than those of the mother's blood level. Based on this data, far more babies are being exposed to the reference dose than previously thought. Women who eat fish, especially fish like tuna, slowly accumulate mercury in their bodies, which can impact the fetus during pregnancy. Such dire warnings about mercury in fish come at a time when a greatly increasing number of nutritional studies are showing the important brain and body benefits of eating fish that contain Omega 3 oils. This is very conflicting information for consumers. The full answer to this paradox is beyond the scope of this article, but it can be suggested that consumers consider having a test or lab work to determine their individual toxicity levels.
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If toxicity is found, a detoxification program could be taken to help eliminate mercury and other toxins in their bodies that might have accumulated over years. Keep in mind that New Jersey has over one hundred EPA Superfund sites. Simply put, these are areas found to have contaminated soil or water that may be impacting the health of the people in the neighboring community. So, the chances are, if you have lived in New Jersey for any period of time, mercury would not be the only toxin that you might be carrying around in your body and brain. As a mental health counselor concerned with the well being of your clients, you might want to consider joining groups that are putting efforts towards cleaning up our environment. Part of that effort could be to voice your support for using nonpolluting, environ-mentally clean energy sources such as solar and wind powers which are renewable and sustainable forms of energy.
At a time in U.S. history, when we are once again faced with the reality that we are addicted to an unstable source of foreign oil, let us at least consider mov-ing towards newer and cleaner forms of energy that will be bet-ter for our bodies, brains and those of future generations.
--------WS
Suggested websites: http://www.fda.gov http://www.gotmercury.org/ http://www.oceana.org
William Seifried, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a holistic counseling practice in Newton, New Jersey.
You may visit his website at www.MyHolisticMind.com
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Thanksgiving for Abundance of Life
Since being introduced to Jin Shin Jyutsu® in 1988, my life began to take a new direction. That was the year I took my first Jin Shin Jyutsu® class in New York City with Mary Burmeister. For many years, since the death of our second child to cancer in 1964, I had been reading and studying the many dimensions of complementary medicine and knew that, at some time, there would be a way I would be able to give back some of what I had been learning. This new direction has brought the work directly into the lives of many people; this work has changed the lives of families... Graham, now six years-old, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at eight months, and was well within a year of having received JSJ treatments three times a week from three practitioners... Jackie, born with Downs Syndrome, and with two holes in her heart, never needed surgery...Randy, badly injured in an auto accident, which killed his grandmother and one year-old
by JOAN MILLSPAUGH
son, and put him in a coma, came out of his coma and spoke of his gratitude for what JSJ did for him (thirteen out of sixteen coma patients came out of their comas)...a young person recovered completely from Viral Encephalitis after receiving two consecutive weeks of Jin Shin Jyutsu®....a young woman with a serious case of Chronic Fatigue and Epstein Bar Virus was completely well after three months of bi-weekly Jin Shin Jyutsu® treatments... Weld, with a back broken in seven vertebrae from a skiing accident, was told he would not walk again. He is now walking and gives JSJ to other people ...there has even been help for someone suffering from brain aneurisms, for which surgery is now, probably not needed... This new direction has given life back to many. At the same time, it has brought peace to some, for whom it is time to go. A friend with a terminal brain tumor asked for, and received Jin Shin Jyutsu® every day for eight months from three practitioners before she died...a man with ALS (Lou Gerrig’s Disease) received JSJ treatments,
first from the practitioner, then from his wife, who learned to treat him at home when he could no longer travel. She held his opposite fingers and toes, which brought him relief from pain and helped him sleep peacefully. Jin Shin Jyutsu® is for the dying as well as the living. Our hands do not have the responsibility for life or death, but they can bring an abundance of peace. I have seen so much blessing of life renewal, and continue to learn the blessing of the peace of departing. The privilege of helping pain or fear lessen in the day, or days, before dying must be experienced by those of us who are caregivers and it is a time vividly powerful and gratefully received in the lives of terminally ill people who ask for Jin Shin Jyutsu®. To cradle the back of the head, or to put our two hands on the shoulder and the palm of the hand all bring peace in passing.
The realization I gained in my introduction to this work in 1988 was, Jin Shin Jyutsu®, retaining its Japanese name, is a
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Thanksgiving for Abundance of Life healing art from ancient cultures throughout the world. It is as complete as a crossword puzzle in the body of its internal truth and learning, rooted in the geography of Acupuncture, and yet it is practiced with surprising simplicity. The effect for many people receiving it is the peace which passes understanding. For me, it fulfills the passion for compassion because it always helps‌even when our minds or bodies cannot yet realize it; bringing us to the place where we know we are the best we can be and we are alright. Jin Shin JyutsuŽ works on an emotional, mental and physical level, and goes to whichever level the person needs. It is practiced through fingertip pressure on a fully clothed, receiving person. Our fingers are always feeling, or listening to the pulse, which indicates the body energy coming into balance (usually a sense of relaxation to the person). It can be very specific in its application, focusing on many different conditions. To name a few conditions with which I am familiar: high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke (especially if started early), sore throat, infections, reproductive issues, headache, breathing issues, physical aches and pains, anxiety and depression.
If a condition has become chronic over a long period of time, relief can be immediate, or can seem temporary at first but, with enough treatment, along with some simple selfhelp or family help, the pattern of energy can change. Often, the peace of mind and relief from stress can give courage to the receiving person, once realizing they can get better. The warmth or, energy of the hands, penetrates the points of stress in the body (Safety Energy Locks) along the meridians, and is a powerful relaxant to the mind and body, stimulating the release of endorphins to help the healing, which balances the process. The circle of energy created between the hands and the body stimulate the tissue on a cellular level to revitalize the run-down battery of energy in the body. Our hands, (like jumper cables), soften blockages to enable the river of energy to flow again in its natural course. Relaxation, the beginning of rest, and healing have started, and will progress as far as it can. I believe this work gives us as good a chance as we have to clear out whatever accumulations we have, which have caused imbalance and disease. It can bring healing and it may even bring cure. To teach self-help, along with treatment, can be a gift of gold when a person realizes that it is 85% as effective as having a practitioner work with them.
continued The significant dimension of self-help is taught so a person can maintain their own balance. JSJ is the natural language of the body. Is it surprising that this work teaches us that: ...our middle finger physically helps our liver and gallbladder, and emotionally helps our anger and frustration-----and that by holding our middle finger we can calm our wrath, and quiet our frustrations?-----Or, that our thumb helps both the stomach (physically), and anxiety and worry (emotionally), and that by holding our thumb (or, for a baby, sucking the thumb) can help with digestion (thumbs for Tums)...or sleep (letting go of worries)?
You can even help your heart and related stress by holding your little finger-----where our meridian, (the energy line of the heart) ends. So we can hold any of these fingers to help ourselves according to our need. Try it! Do it for twenty minutes, three times a day, or hold the continued on next page
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Thanksgiving for Abundance of Life given finger whenever you think of it, each day, for as much time as possible. To complete this picture, hold your index finger to help bladder, kidney, muscular or gum issues, or the emotion of fear or perfectionism. Hold your ring finger to help your lungs, large intestine, breathing issues, or the emotion of grief or needing to let go. I myself no longer have any problem with chronic torn cartilage in the knee, or neck or shoulder pain from twenty years ago. I use self-help to keep my body in balance.
Jin Shin Jyutsu®, so-named by Jiro Murai, a Japanese philosopher, terminally ill over seventy-five years ago, and means, the art of knowing how to care for myself…the natural language of the body, which we instinctively practice to help ourselves. Jin (man), Shin (the Creator), and Jyutsu (the art form). Jiro Murai knew finger positions (mudras) from his own culture and, for seven days, used these mudras on himself when he was so ill.
After becoming completely well, Murai committed his life to the study of what could be found of this knowledge in Japanese temples; he spent years of learning this very specific work on himself and others, and yet JSJ is not considered a Japanese art, because it comes from Murai’s study of the Kojiki (The Book of Ancient Things)-----the Bible of cultures and knowledge before there was the written word. Jiro Murai taught Mary Burmeister all he knew in the 1940s. Mary, now eighty-eight yearsold, is an American of Japanese descent. She brought Jin Shin Jyutsu® to this country after working in Japan following World War II. She studied with Murai in Japan and then
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It is because of Mary Burmeister that JSJ has spread throughout the world, and is now taught by about twenty outstanding teachers-----from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, the U.S. and Europe. It has been taught at Morristown Memorial Hospital for fifteen years, and over ninety hospital employees have benefited from studying this work. Now, Jin Shin Jyutsu® is offered in many places in the hospital----through the Cardiac Integrative Medicine Program, the Carol Simon Cancer Center and specifically, The Mind Body Center for Integrative Medicine.
returned to this country and continued her studies for fourteen more years at her home in Arizona before beginning her practice. It was she who did all the teaching of Jin Shin Jyutsu® until 1990, and it was she who wrote the two textbooks and three self-help books, a gift to those of us who know Jin Shin Jyutsu®.
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Thanksgiving for Abundance of Life Jin Shin Jyutsu® is indeed a gift to be cherished for what it has provided for so many specific needs for many people. It has brought abundance to my own life and to others for which we can only be thankful. --------JM
TEN/THIRTY-ONE October 31: So far tonight, we’ve been visited by Gumby, Dracula, Mickey Mouse, and a clown. My neighbor has transformed into a witch with white hair and bubbly skin...a pointed black hat, and a wart at the end of her nose. The front hall of her house has become home to flying ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons, and black cats.
continued as well as a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist. Joan is a wife, mother of three, and a grandmother of five. She also taught school in the late 1950’s. Joan was part of a feasibility study for Jin Shin Jyutsu® with cardiology patients at Morristown Memorial Hospital in 2000 and currently works with these patients weekly.
A member of AMTA, Joan is a Certified Jin Shin Jyutsu® Practitioner and Self Help Instructor,
Joan has a private practice for Jin Shin Jyutsu® treatment at 400 Main Street in Bedminster, NJ.
by SUSAN CLOUTIER No, this isn’t a scene from Friday the 13th...it’s Halloween! Children all over the neighborhood are dressing up in costumes that have been bought, rented, or simply thrown together. Even some of the parents are joining in the fun. My small children are beginning to think we’ve moved to the wrong neighborhood, but they love the candy and the late bedtime. The tradition of Halloween was begun by the Celtic people, who lived more than two-thousand years ago, in what are now France and the British Isles. They feared the evening of October thirty-first more than any other. It was the eve of their festival, Samhain, Lord of the Dead. In order to please Samhain, the Celtic priests, known as Druids, held cruel fire rituals. Prisoners of war, criminals, or animals were burned alive in weirdly-shaped baskets. By observing the way they died, the priests claimed to see omens
of the future------both good and bad. Samhain was also a joyful festival. It was a time to honor the sun god Baal, who had given the ripened grain, which was now safely stored away. In the first century before Christ, Roman armies invaded Britain and France, making them part of the Roman Empire. Eventually, the Roman festivals for the dead and the harvest continued on next page
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TEN/THIRTY-ONE blended with the festival of Samhain. Some of the Roman soldiers adopted the beliefs of the Druids, much to the dismay of their leaders.
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was known as All Hallows Eve, which was later shortened to Halloween.
Nowadays, children dress up in costumes, going from house to house ringing doorbells, and shouting, “trick or treat!”
Celtic priests were sought out and killed by the Roman soldiers; while some went into hiding. During this time, Christianity had been born. In the fourth century, the Roman Emperor declared the Celtic religion lawful and, in all parts of the Roman Empire, the Christian fathers did their best to eliminate anything pagan or, having to do with the devil. The Celtic people were told that their fire rituals held on October thirty-first, would protect them against the devil-----the enemy of God and the Christian Church, but the Celtics still continued to expect the arrival of ghosts on that night. In the seventh century, the Church set aside All Saints’ Day in memory of the early Christians who had died for their beliefs. This day was originally celebrated in May, but then changed to the first of November in the year 900. Another name for All Saints’ Day was All Hallows (All Holy). October thirty-first
Halloween traditions were brought to America by the Cel-tic people (Irish, Scottish, and British). And the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin, carved into a jack-o-lantern. Can you imagine a turnip-o-lantern? Not nearly scary enough! In the late nineteenth century, the Irish believed that little people (or faeries), played pranks on Halloween, which led many boys and young men to carry out practical jokes on that night (some things haven’t changed).
So remember, if you see Frankenstein’s monster heading towards your front door carrying a king-size pillowcase...he doesn’t want to hurt you...
He just wants you to smell his feet and give him something good to eat! -----------SC
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MARCI’s Community Corner I Really Love This Child
The Rose of Love
by Caroline Hensby
by Sarah M. Collins
I really love this child Petals falling silently, Despite his ADD strewn across the deserted landscape of Pardon, what did you say? compassion… What's ADD, In my heart, the rose of love Attention Deficit Disorder, has lost its bloom Hyperactivity too, shriveled, its dried and withered buds What do you mean blown into the ethereal realms, yet That's nothing to you? the thorns with their razor sharp tips remain You see him kick and embedding themselves deeply Hear him scream into the mold of my being Run off and swear My heart empty, but for the ensuing anguish You look in amazement each barb weakening my resolve What do I care? to strengthen my spiritual heart Yes it hurts when you say Sorrowful tears descend from heaven That he is just naughty the eyes of the soul, ever watchful Control him and tell him off and with quiet anticipation What you may not see hopeful a new seedling will Is the side which is loving germinate in the midst Cuddly and scared not to be supplanted by a weed He needs extra Loving and care Coming face to face to meet the self You still look puzzled the desire is released, I'll explain a bit more aided by God’s grace It's neurological growth, the only means of cultivation A chemical imbalance possible Don't stand there amazed The suffering in the heart diminishing, I know he looks normal the tender ache in my spirit but a gentle And so he is too reminder He just needs to be loved and of love lost accepted Healing takes root, benevolence appears Like a lot of us do first blush returns, Whatever he does blossoms multiply and flourish There's no malicious intent the rose of love blooms once again. We all have our faults Not one of us is perfect So try to accept And find his true worth. Do you have a heartfelt message of spiritual
growth and alternative healing that you’d like to share with our readers? Feel free to submit your own story, poem, or verse and maybe we’ll publish it in upcoming editions of MARCI! send your submissions to:
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Board Members George Dominguez Linda Mitchell-Dominguez Pam Capaci Donna Price CONTACT US AT:
956 Ridge Road Newton, NJ 07860 PHONE: 973-300-1184 FAX: 973-300-1189 email: infohmn@earthlink.net
or Visit Us on the Web! www.mentorshipnetwork.com
The Holistic Mentorship Network Board of Trustees has defined a holistic practitioner as... Any practitioner who offers a therapeutic approach intended to treat health issues or conditions through a process that views the physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual aspects of existence as coequal in addressing health and illness…Any practitioner who seeks to address health conditions in terms of the "whole person" rather than as disorders affecting or confined to only specific functional parts, systems, components, or organs could be considered a candidate to become a member in our Holistic Mentorship Network.
Holistic Mentorship Network 956 Ridge Road Newton, NJ 07860