Living Well Magazine April 2018 Earth Day Issue

APRIL 2018

LIVING WELL MAGAZINEâ„¢

EARTH DAY ISSUE HEALTH + HOME + FOOD + WEALTH + STYLE recycle: share this magazine

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REDUCING FOOD WASTE

Presented by:

Did you know that in 2014 Americans threw away more than 38 million tons of food?

This adds up economically, with a total loss of about $2,000 worth of wasted food per year for an average American household.

Changing household behavior is the best way to make an impact. Follow the tips below for better meal planning, which can lead to money saved, less food waste, and a healthier you.

Plan ahead:

Properly store food:

• Write out a meal plan and a shopping list for the week. Look through your refrigerator and pantry prior to heading to the grocery store, to take in to account what you already have on hand. Don’t forget to take into consideration how often you plan on eating out during the week too.

• Make sure you check the temperature of your refrigerator. To keep food safe and fresh, turn the temperature to under 40 degrees.

• Produce needs space to breathe, packing produce too tightly in the produce drawer can make the produce deteriorate more quickly.

• Pay attention to expiration dates and use-by dates. Rotate products, placing older items in front and using them first.

• Think twice before buying large quantities to save money. It may be more economical to buy the smaller container, if you end up throwing out food at the end of the week.

Think before you toss • Create a “Smoothie” bag. Toss excess over-ripe fruit such as bananas, peaches, berries and avocados in a freezer bag. Freeze and whip up when you are in the mood for a tasty smoothie.

• Be aware of what you throw away, and why the food ended up unused.

This will help you get to know your own habits better, and will help you plan better.

• Want to make some soup? Save those leftover veggies. Freeze them to put in to the stock pot at a later date.

• If you’re not a person that likes to eat leftovers, Keep portions in mind and only make what you will eat in one sitting. If you do end up with leftovers, place them in a freezer-safe containers, freeze, and plan to enjoy later.

• Make stock from leftover chicken, turkey, beef, and ham bones.

• Don’t toss stale bread, dice up the stale bread, toss with olive oil, and season. Spread on to a cookie sheet and bake on low heat for some delicious croutons.

Contact Kenny Family ShopRite’s Registered Dietitian, Cassandra Umile, for more healthy tips!

302-293-6351 Cassandra.Umile@wakefern.com

www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

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words from the editors and publishers:

April is the Earth issue. For over a decade, Living.Well Magazine has dedicated itself to ensuring our readers are educated about the human-impact on our environment and the ways in which we can help protect the globe for today and future generations.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative for each and every one of us to play a part in protecting the planet.

In keeping with our dedication to playing a role in the betterment of Earth, this issue provides readers with the very real facts about why it is so important for us to recycle, upcycle, reducing waste, identify and implement new sustainable options across all walks of life, and to do so now.

For years, leading scientists throughout the globe have warned of irregular weather patterns, rising sea levels, and the extinction of species that once flourished on our planet. As we write this note, Delaware is faced with its Fourth Nor’Easter in four weeks on the second day of Spring.

We ask our readers to think about the simple ways they can help protect the planet and share their ideas with us on Facebook and Instagram. Together, we can make a difference just by doing our part.

April is also a month for celebrating being alive. That type of celebration embodies the principles Living.Well Magazine were founded on: Find happy and health ways to live life to its fullest potential. Although a complete Vegan diet may not be for you, there are some great Vegan recipes in this issue worth giving a shot, even if it is just to say you tried it. In this Issue, Kat Samworth discusses the “The Healing Power of Dreams” Dr.Swiatowicz talks about a “Silent Killer” and Check out CBD’s for your pets. Although it doesn’t feel like it, Spring is finally here and Summer is around the corner. Start thinking about what you can do to get outside, be active, and enjoy the nice weather. Visit our websitte www.livingwellmagazine.net for more Earth Friendly, sustainable articles.

—Enjoy & Share Everything! Diane Strauss

Coffee is look ing for her “fu rever” home!

EARTH DAY APRIL 22, 2018

Editors / Publishers Diane Strauss Associate Editor: Michael Strauss puppy love™ Creator Sean Strauss Media Development Jonelle Strauss Resident Artist and Creator of the Valentino caricature.

Liam McWilliams Design and Graphics Diane Strauss

Advertising Inquiries:

CONTACT US:

VOLUME 14 NUMBER 4 LIVING.WELL MAGAZINE (ISSN 2325-2448) published monthly by Savendale Media Group, 1519 Old Coach Road Newark, Delaware 19711 Phone:302-355-0929 Fax:302-454-1867 www.livingwellmagazine.net

302-355-0929 www.livingwellmagazine.net LIVING.WELL MAGAZINE© is a monthly publication distributed regionally. All articles and advertisements are accepted in good faith.

Living Well Magazine assumes no responsibility or liability for any claims, conditions, products, services, errors, and/or opinions expressed through articles and advertisements appearing in this publication. Please check with your primary health care provider before making any changes. Living Well Magazine welcomes your comments and suggestions. No part of LIVING WELL MAGAZINE™ may be reproduced in any form without permission and written consent. Copyright, All rights reserved. 2018 Various Trademarks used

By Permission of Their resPecTiVe owners

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puppylove™

sales@livingwellmagazine.net

Cover: designed by dcstrauss

Just like a great cup of jo, Coffee is strong and sweet. She’d make a wonderful addition to a family with big breed experience. Coffee enjoys kids, she’s done well with other dogs of various sizes, and she doesn’t mind cats.

Coffee was terrific during her time in a foster home, and now she’s looking to find a home where she is loved forever. This three-year old is available at the Brandywine Valley SPCA New Castle Campus (Brandywine Valley SPCA, 600 South Street, New Castle, DE 302-516-1000, www.bvspca.org) www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

For more content, photos, and special give-aways you can find and follow us on most social media forums.

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April 2018

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inside

Mind Mastery: Mind Training Elevates the Mundane Karen Verna Carlson The Potent Alchemy of Love Suzanne E. Eder

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@livingwellmag LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

The DANGERS of Treating Your “Muscle” Pain Dr. Scott Rosenthal

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Hands on Health:

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FOR POP-UP GIVEAWAYS!

Ann Wilkinson P.T.M.S.

Earth Talk:

Solar Panels vs Solar Roofing?

Follow our Instagram page for an up close and personal look. www.instagram.com livingwellmagazine/

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#livingwellmagazine

humans + pets: BENEFITS OF CBD OIL 14

FOR DOGS

Sexual Health and Healing: (Re)Exploring Your Sexuality with Dianna Palimere

Many of the items appearing in LWM can be purchased at a local retailer.

We have included product website addresses so you can type in your zip code for local buying options and or direct purchasing if not available in your area. Most books are available at either: Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com

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The Healing Power of Dreams Kat Samworth

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DIETARY FATS: Know which types to choose Mayo Clinic News Network.

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The End Of Plastic Or Plastic With Purpose Sarina Prabasi, U.S. CEO, WaterAid

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TRIED &

TRUE™ AWARD

The prestigious— Living.Well Magazine Tried and True award is given only awarded to products and companies that we have used and can honestly say they were great! If it has the LWM Tried and True Award on it, we are sure that you will too.

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How To Treat A Silent Killer Dr. Andrew Swiatowicz

LIVIN G.

AGAZIN ™ E

Breaking Our Food Rules Liz Abel, LDN, CNS, MS, MA

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LL M WE

REDUCING FOOD WASTE Presented by: Kenny Family ShopRite’s 3 Licensed to Food: Registered Dietitians (R.D.) and why should you consult one?

Dietitian, Cassandra Umile

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LWM TRENDS 20

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April 2018

Where’s Valentino?

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Solar Panels vs Solar Roofing?

It would be a stretch to call Tesla’s new Solar Roof a “good deal” given that it costs more than just about any other rooftop solar option, but there are some scenarios where it might make sense anyway. For instance, some housing developments or homeowners’ associations don’t allow traditional photovoltaic panels to muck up roof sightlines for aesthetic or other reasons, so solar collectors integrated into a traditional looking roof may be worth the extra expense.

According to EnergySage, a solar information clearinghouse and matchmaker for 500-plus pre-screened solar installers, replacing a roof on a 3,000 square foot home in Southern California with another regular roof and then adding photovoltaic panels on top would run around $34,000 in gross costs all told ($8,000 for a new asphalt or slate roof and $26,000 for the photovoltaic equipment and installation). Of course, some solar installers will lease the panels to you, so you would just pay a smaller monthly fee akin to your old electricity bill.

Meanwhile, gross costs for putting in a full Tesla Solar Roof top out over $50,000, a 33 percent price premium for the sleeker look and added cool factor. But given all the turbulence in the solar industry in recent years, Tesla customers are also happy to pay a premium for the peace of mind of knowing they are dealing with a company that won’t be going out of business anytime soon. Tesla is already the dominant force in the sector given its 2016 acquisition of leading residential solar installer SolarCity and vertical integration with electric cars and lithium-ion battery arrays.

They also have pretty deep pockets: Tesla went public in 2010 and has been a darling of tech investors ever since. The first Tesla Solar Roofs have already started going up in California, with a roll out to other states planned by the end of 2018.

integrated solar roofing systems around the San Francisco Bay Area and plans to expand beyond California in 2019. Unlike Tesla’s tiled roof design, Forward Labs’ “single-surface” look—more akin in style to a metal roof—features layers of solar cells and tempered glass that can take on any color the customer chooses. The start-up claims its solar roofing technology can produce almost double the energy output of Tesla’s tiles while costing 33 percent less. While we know less about the technical details, the Japanese company Solar Frontier plans to roll out its own solar roof technology across Japan in 2019.

Yet with all the hype about solar roofs, we can’t forget about the technology’s forebear, solar shingles. While not technically integrated into the roof, solar shingles lay flat on existing roofing, keeping a lowprofile and requiring less installation time than traditional photovoltaic panels or fully-integrated solar roofs. RGS Energy’s PowerHouse and CertainTeed’s Apollo have been around since 2011 and can achieve efficiencies similar to traditional photovoltaic panels at a price point far below fully integrated solar roofing.

Contacts: EnergySage, energysage.com; Tesla Solar Roof, tesla.com/solarroof; Forward Labs, www.forwardlabs.com; RGS PowerHouse, rgspowerhouse.com; CertainTeed Apollo, certainteed.com/solar/products/.

EarthTalk® is a weekly syndicated column produced by Doug Moss and Roddy Scheer for the non-profit EarthTalk. To find out more, submit a question, or make a donation, visit us at EarthTalk.org.

But Tesla is far from the only game in town when it comes to so-called “building integrated” photovoltaics (BIPV). Forward Labs, a venture capital backed Silicon Valley start-up, has started installing its own 8

www.livingwellmagazine.net

If you are considering adding Solar to your home and have any questions.

Please Call: Dale Davis at Cmi Electric and Solar. He can be reached at 302-731-5556 or email daledavis@cmielectric.com Please tell him LWM sent you!

April 2018

Let the Good Times Roll at the

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April 2018

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V Enter: Where’s ALENTINO!

Valentino Contest Find Answers Here

Wow! There are thousands of readers who are searching for Valentino. He is hidden somewhere on the pages of each issue.

The entries keep pouring in.

We hope you have fun looking and will continue your quest to find Valentino. When you find him please email us at: info@livingwellmagazine.net [Please type “Valentino” on the subject line — keep searching and entering the “Where’s Valentino!” Contest every month for a chance to be entered to win some great gifts, subscriptions, T-shirts, mugs, cookbooks ,books, videos, etc. After we receive your entry, a brief survey is sent back to you, please fill it out if you haven’t already. It is for LWM only and will never be shared.

Below Is The Answer To Last Month’s Where’s Valentino!

LIVING WELL EVERY MONTH  ALL YEAR

Just $24.00 for the year! info@livingwellmagazine.net or order online www.livingwellmagazine.net

In March, Valentino heard Steve’s Sew and Vac p19 was handing out $50.00 gift cards when you purchase a vacuum cleaner or sewing machine. With spring cleaning just ahead a new vacuum for spring would be excellent and dinner too! You should definitely check them out! Perhaps Finding Valentino was too easy last month? Some months he is harder to find than others.

But keep a lookout for Valentino! He is always hiding on one of our advertisers ads. Please make sure we have your mailing address & Phone Number included in your email. Because if you are a winner we can send out your prize!

If you need a hint you can always email us and ask:)

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THE END OF PLASTIC or PLASTIC WITH PURPOSE Sarina Prabasi, U.S. CEO, WaterAid

When communities lead the charge:

In case you’ve missed it, there’s a worldwide movement against plastic right now, with the potential to radically impact all of us in the very best of ways. From National Skip the Straw day to full on bans of plastic bags and disposable utensils, millions of people just like you are making personal choices to end plastic pollution this Earth Day (April 22) and far beyond.

Movements like this one are incredibly exciting to me. Why? Because I’ve dedicated my life’s work to making sure that everyone on the planet has access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation—and these issues are inextricably linked to what’s happening with plastics.

Through my work with the international nonprofit, WaterAid, I’ve seen both the very worst of plastic pollution, and the very best of resourceful solutions to reduce, reuse and repurpose some of the most offensive plastic polluters: plastic bags and single-use plastic bottles.

While you don’t need to leave the country to find Earth Day inspiration or smart water management solutions, some of the most creative green solutions I’ve seen have been in remote corners of the world.

Take, Nicaragua, for example, where over one million people still don’t have access to clean water, and one in four people don’t have a decent toilet. Known as ‘the land of lakes and volcanoes,’ the country’s long rainy season and large lakes provide ample water sources. But much of the water is inaccessible and unsafe to drink, and natural disasters and conflict have devastated public services.

The North Atlantic Autonomous region, located on the Caribbean coast, is one of Nicaragua’s most isolated areas. Extreme poverty, violent crime and plastic pollution are widespread. WaterAid has been working in the region for seven years, and it was there that a class of elementary school students reminded me yet again that simple solutions are often the best.

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I remember the day well. I was in the community of Auhya Pihni, to meet the Hygiene Club at the local school—a group of students were learning—and subsequently teaching others—the importance of clean water, safe hygiene practices and eco-friendly approaches to supporting their community.

On the list of endeavors, they’d undertaken and wanted to share was an impressive effort to collect and repurpose hundreds of plastic bottles that littered the community’s red dirt roads, waterways and ditches.

Plastic, everywhere.

Recycling facilities as we know them simply do not exist in the Auhya Pihni community so, together with WaterAid and other local partner organizations, the students created a recycling solution of their own: using single-use plastic bottles to build rainwater catchment tanks and latrines.

Rainwater catchment tanks are water collection systems that give families the means to collect and store filtered rainwater at home, rather than having to walk for miles or consuming water drawn from polluted rivers or creeks. Rainwater harvesting is a cheap and effective way to create a lasting safe water supply, no matter the season. Latrines are easy to build and maintain and offer people a safe and hygienic place to go to the bathroom.

These simple, yet practical solutions are used by WaterAid and its partners in communities around the world. In Nicaragua, a country that experiences dramatic contrasts between a six-month rainy season and a six-month dry season with almost no rain at all, rainwater harvesting tanks built with the students’ recycled plastic bottles are a particularly inspiring win-win: less plastic littering the roads and waterways, low cost construction materials, and a means of enabling families, schools and health facilities to catch, store and distribute some of the most affordable water out there.

www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

At a time when it often seems we’re inundated with bad news, it’s inspiring to realize that about 2.6 billion people worldwide have gained access to clean water over the past several decades, representing dramatic progress towards putting an end to the global water crisis. But 1 in 10 people have yet to experience that progress, continuing to live without basic access to water that’s clean and safe to drink.

Communities like Auhya Pihni are making an impressive dent in their community. The question then becomes: what are you doing in yours?

No matter who you are or where you live, you can make a real difference in the effort to make sure that everyone, everywhere can experience the human right to clean water.

This Earth Day and every day, here are a few ideas: Prevent pollution: Recycle electronic appliances, fluorescent light bulbs, silver batteries and paint to help keep pollutants out of the water supply.

Fill up to cut down: Make sure your washing machine and dishwasher are filled to capacity before running them, to cut down on energy and water use. You can save even more by air-drying your clothes on a clothesline.

Skip the bottled water: It takes three times as much water to make the bottle as it does to fill it! Carry a refillable water bottle instead.

Give a family the means to collect and store filtered rainwater at home.

By donating just $100, you can help a family achieve a vastly happier, healthier quality of life by having consistent, eco-friendly access to clean water at home. Visit our shop at gifts.wateraid.org to see the difference your gift can make.

Speak up.: WaterAid with its local partners reached more than 180 people per hour with clean water last year. But no organization can do this alone. Whether it’s a donation, a letter to your government representatives, fundraising with your friends or participating in our employee engagement programs, you can make a lasting difference in the world around you by speaking up. Visit: WaterAid.org/us for ideas Sarina Prabasi joined WaterAid in May 2014 as CEO of the non-profit.

She is a seasoned leader with 20 years’ experience in international development. She most recently served as Deputy Chief of Programs at Orbis International, and as Country Representative at WaterAid Ethiopia. Prior to that, she spent nearly ten years at Pact Inc., serving both in Washington, DC and overseas. Originally from Nepal, Sarina is now based in New York City. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College, Northampton, USA and an MSc. in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK.

www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

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+

humans + pets

BENEFITS OF CBD OIL FOR DOGS

WHAT IS CBD OIL? CBD hemp oil is made from high-CBD, low-THC hemp, unlike medical marijuana products, which are usually made from plants with high concentrations of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Because hemp contains only trace amounts of THC, these hemp oil products are nonpsychoactive.

CBD, a naturally occurring compound found in cannabis plants like hemp, encourages balance and wellness by interacting with our native systems. While these benefits are less documented in pets, dogs and humans have similar native systems, suggesting that your canine family member can likely benefit from daily CBD oil supplements in much the same way you do.

HOW DOES CBD HELP DOGS? With studies and anecdotal evidence continuing to discover more exciting natural benefits of CBD oil for dogs, many pet owners have begun to incorporate CBD oil into their dog’s diets to promote general well being.

CBD Oil Cannabidiol (CBD) is just one of over 85 cannabinoids presently identified in the cannabis plant and is the second most abundant cannabinoid in marijuana after THC. In hemp, however, THC is only present in trace amounts, while CBD dominates the plant’s makeup. CBD interacts with our naturally occurring systems, but is non-psychotropic, it doesn’t cause a high.

This is because just like humans, dogs have an endocannabinoid system that interacts with cannabinoids like CBD. The endocannabinoid system is a naturally occurring regulatory network responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body’s many functions, some of which include appetite, sleep, immune response, and metabolism.

All mammals, including dogs, have this endocannabinoid system that keeps systems in balance. It’s crucial that the system functions properly in order to maintain health and well being.

—continued—

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www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

BENEFITS OF CBD OIL FOR DOGS —continued from previous page—

CBD oil is made from hemp plants that are particular high in CBD, one of more than 100 cannabinoids that scientists have so far identified in cannabis plants. Cannabinoids like CBD interact with your dog’s endocannabinoid system through cannabinoid receptors, which are located throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems and the immune system.

For dog owners, CBD oil supplements allow their furry loved one to benefit from cannabinoids without any euphoric or adverse side effects. CBD is non-toxic and well tolerated in mammals. Plus, because hemp oil contains only a trace amount of THC, there aren’t any psychoactive effects, making CBD oil a safe choice for your dog.

By interacting with cannabinoid receptors, CBD supports your dog’s endocannabinoid system and its efforts to maintain balance within their body. These balancing properties support healthy joints and promote cardiovascular function and neurological and behavioral health in your dog.

Some pet owners have also noticed these balancing effects are also particularly beneficial when their dogs are facing abnormally stressful situations, such as holiday fireworks or a trip to the groomer.

Because of the way CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system, if you’ve found daily CBD to be beneficial for a particular condition, it’s likely that the supplement will also be beneficial for the same condition in your dog.

Many dog owners also find that the nutritional profile of CBD hemp oil matches the requirements of their pets. Full-spectrum CBD hemp oil also supplies a myriad of important nutrients like vitamins A, B12, C, and E, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.

While the American Veterinary Medical Association has yet to take an official stance on CBD oil as a nutritional supplement, they have adopted a position acknowledging the potential benefits of cannabis in pets: “There is a growing body of veterinary evidence … This herb may be able to improve the quality of life for many patients, even in the face of life-threatening illnesses.” Many veterinarians and pet owners have embraced the benefits of CBD for dogs.

CBD OIL DESIGNED FOR DOGS Medical Marijuana, Inc. offers a range of CBD oil supplements specifically designed to promote overall health and mental wellbeing in your dog.

After consulting with leading veterinarians, our subsidiary Phyto Animal Health created safe, effective daily CBD supplements for your four-legged family member. www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

Content provided by: Medical Marijuana Inc. You can find dog-friendly CBD oil supplements on the Medical Marijuana Inc website, designed for everyday use. With their light taste, you can place drops of the CBD hemp oil supplements directly onto your dog’s tongue or mix it into their favorite foods and treats.

All of our CBD products are Triple Lab Tested™ for both safety and potency, so you can trust that our pet CBD supplements are only of the highest quality and are completely free from contaminants like mold and mildew, microbes, chemicals, and heavy metals. www.medicalmarijuanainc.com

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The Potent

of Love

Suzanne Eder

We hear a lot about transformation these days, from the personal to the global, which both comforts and inspires me. When I first graduated from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH) in 1999, I often felt like a lone wolf howling in the wind about transformation, especially the mind-body-spirit kind. I felt I had to hide my spirituality from the world so as not to be ridiculed or ostracized.

beyond it. Our essential nature is intangible, and our experiences of happiness and fulfillment arise from a felt sense of our essential nature.

I no longer feel that way, and for that I am both grateful and tremendously excited. There is an ever-growing, ever-deepening awareness of the need for radical transformation of our beliefs, our actions and our very understanding of the nature of life and reality, of who we are and why we’re here. A critical mass is forming in human consciousness which has the power and potential to catapult humanity to a new reality grounded in love, wisdom, joy and the reverence for all life. Talk about a transformation!

Like transmutation, alchemy often refers to the conversion of base metals into gold or silver, yet its meaning isn’t limited to chemical reactions. I witness alchemy occurring regularly as my clients transmute their self-identities from ones that are fearful or limited to ones that are confident, expansive and filled with possibility. In the absence of that alchemy, their new jobs or new bodies or new homes would feel much the same as their old ones.

As regular readers of this column surely know by now, I’ve devoted my own life and work to an ever-deepening understanding of how to consciously transform ourselves in service to our growth and happiness.

Over time I’ve realized that the kind of transformation I’m interested in doesn’t actually occur unless something else takes place along with it.

Transformation is the changing of one form to another. In the world of personal growth, our transformations may be experienced as new jobs or careers, healthier bodies, different living spaces or more satisfying relationships.

Yet it’s possible to change careers, change body shapes, change houses and change relationships without actually creating an experience of fulfillment. That’s because while we live in a world of form, we also live 16

And so the movement toward deeper levels of fulfillment involves more than a change in form. It requires transmutation, a process which has long fascinated me. Transmutation is the changing of one state of being into an entirely different state of being. Another word for this profound process is alchemy, a word I love because of its association with mystery and magic.

So I now see my work as being more of an alchemist than a coach. And I’ve learned that the most potent alchemical force in the universe is Love. I’m not speaking rhetorically here. I’m speaking literally.

That’s why my focus on self-love has deepened over the years. I’ve seen that, in the absence of genuine self-love, any changes we make on a path of personal transformation are changes in form but not in substance. It is only through Love that our inner experience of lack is transmuted into one of fulfillment.

Walking the path of personal transformation will inevitably require us to navigate through difficult emotions. At those times the alchemy of Love is needed more than ever. From my perspective, we haven’t generally been well-educated about emotions or well-trained in responding to them. They are often grossly misunderstood. They are seen as hindrances

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April 2018

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to both clear thinking and spiritual enlightenment, yet nothing could be further from the truth.

As with everything else in this universe, emotions are energy. And emotional energy has the potent property of magnetism, meaning it draws to itself things and experiences of like vibration.

When emotional energy is infused with Love, its frequency literally changes. Its vibration is transmuted into a different vibration, one that magnetizes different – more loving – thoughts and experiences into our lives.

We do ourselves a huge disservice when we try to suppress, ignore or even still our emotions, because in doing those things we deprive ourselves of the magnetic power to draw people, experiences and ideas into our lives that support our growth. And we increase the likelihood of developing stagnant energy within our energy field, which is not a natural state of being for emotional energy. Emotional energy needs to flow, and blocked emotional energy can lead to both emotional and physical distress.

We also do ourselves a huge disservice when we project our emotions onto others, because in doing so we literally give our power away. (We also subtly yet substantively influence their vibration toward the same emotional frequency, but that’s a subject for another time.) When we’re highly emotional as we focus on someone else, such as when we’re angry with someone, our powerful emotional energy is being directed out of our energy field toward theirs. Energy follows attention.

Thankfully, we have another choice, although it’s not one we’ve been conditioned to make. We can choose to harness our emotional energy in service to our hearts rather than suppressing or projecting it. The enactment of this choice is, truly, a high art. It elevates our human experience toward the realm of Divine creativity. It is an alchemical art.

It is an art worth learning and practicing.

The art of harnessing our emotional energy is fundamentally simple, yet it can be extremely difficult to apply in the moment, especially if anger is the emotion we aim to harness. That’s why we need to practice.

Let’s talk about anger. There’s a lot of it storming through human consciousness right now, both seen and unseen, felt and unfelt. The anger that’s seen and felt is the anger being projected from one person or group to another. The anger that isn’t seen or felt is the anger that’s been suppressed within us. We may not even know it’s there until something triggers it and then, Bam!! There it is. Or rather, here it is.

Here it is, pounding our hearts and inflaming our minds and clenching our fists, getting bigger and hotter and meaner with every breath we take.

We suddenly morph into the Incredible Hulk, feeling as if we’re going to burst out of our clothes and out of our minds. It’s almost unbearable, which is why we suppress it or project it. We’re trying to relieve ourselves of its immense and destructive pressure.

Most of us don’t want to be destructive. We want to be constructive, so we think we need to rid ourselves of anger. What we often don’t understand — continued on next page

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is that the essence of anger is powerfully and creatively constructive, but that essence has been transmuted. It has been distorted.

Anger is life-force energy distorted by fear.

We feel angry when we feel disempowered, yet the incredible irony is that the essence of anger – its potent life-force energy – is innately powerful. But fear blinds us to our innate power.

Fear transmutes our creative life-force energy into anger.

Love transmutes anger back to its pure, powerful essence: creative life-force energy.

It really is that simple, that profound, that fundamental. Yet this potent alchemy cannot be realized simply by thinking about it or talking about it. It has to be intentionally directed by our minds, guided by our hearts and experienced in our bodies.

We have to love ourselves enough to want to learn how to harness our anger in service to what we want, rather than unleashing it, which hurts others, or suppressing it, which hurts ourselves.

I have wanted to master this art ever since first being made aware of it.

Years ago, as a sophomore at BBSH, we were safely guided through an incredible group experience in which we literally transmuted rage into joy.

I’ll never forget it. Through a combination of music, spoken words and imagery, we were led to experience the emotion of rage. At the peak of my Incredible Hulk moment, when it felt as if my body would be incinerated by the fury coursing through my veins, a shift began to occur.

It was subtle and almost imperceptible at first, then it rapidly gained momentum.

I became keenly aware of the energy of the rage, almost as if I could perceive the vibration of its particles and the flow of its waves. Thanks to the expert guidance of the teachers leading us through the experience, I was able to be fully present with the energy without reactively holding it down or pushing it away. And then the miracle occurred.

the forms of - our actions, our agreements and our laws. We’ll have to learn how to transmute the very essence of our fearful and destructive impulses into loving and constructive ones.

I’m sure many of you have observed that it’s all too common for injustices to be addressed solely with anger and condemnation, which temporarily shifts the balance of power but also perpetuates the consciousness of fear, blame and shame that gives rise to hurtful actions to begin with.

We keep volleying anger and hatred across the net, rather than changing the game entirely. We keep forgetting that what we resist, persists, because that’s how energy works. In our resistance to something we are focusing on it with high emotion, and the magnetism of emotional energy sustains or even increases the very thing we wish to eliminate.

As we learn to stop pushing against what we don’t want and, instead, use the incredible strength of our anger in service to creating what we do want, we change the game. We change the nature of anger itself. We transmute it back to the pure, life-giving energy that it truly is.

And we do it through Love, the most potent alchemical force in the universe. This Love with a capital L bears little resemblance to what we commonly think of as love. It is the infinitely beautiful, passionate and intelligent power of Creation itself, expressing as Life in all of its glory.

Calling on Love to transmute rage into joy is not a thing to be trifled with. It is not wishful thinking. It is not something to be dismissed with eye-rolling cynicism as mere idealism. It demands the highest levels of courage, commitment and integrity we can humanly achieve, made possible through its inherent kindness, compassion and wisdom.

The alchemy of Love is something we can all learn, if we are willing.

Willingness is the open door to the real transformation we long for.

Next month I’ll share with you a practice I’ve developed to help people transmute anger into empowerment, arising from that long-ago breakthrough experience at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and further cultivated through meditation, reflection and experimentation.

Until then, may we all use our anger not to push against what we don’t want, but to stand with open hearts for what we do. We literally have the power to create heaven on earth. Let’s do it.

The heat of the rage morphed into a fierce yet loving warmth, and I realized that I was vibrating, head to toe and beyond, with joy. Joy! JOY!! The most intense, alive and real experience of joy I’d ever had.

Rather than exploding like the Incredible Hulk into a raging monster, I had exploded like a newborn star into joyous radiance. It was absolutely incredible. In that seminal moment I glimpsed a reality vastly different than anything I had ever known.

I’ve had other glimpses of that reality many times over the years, and with each experience I’ve become more committed to experiencing that reality as my reality. As our reality. It is the reality of heaven on earth that countless teachers and masters have been illuminating for millennia, and it’s one that I’m not giving up on.

I believe that in order to create it, we’ll have to become alchemists.

Creating heaven on earth requires more than transforming – changing 18

www.livingwellmagazine.net

Suzanne Eder is an award-winning writer, teacher and transformational life coach. She started her professional career as a CPA and enjoyed a highly successful corporate career in both Finance and Human Resources.

She is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing’s intensive four-year program in mind-body-spirit healing, and was also a fitness instructor for 16 years. She founded Solid Ground Transformational Life Coaching in 2003 to help others awaken to their magnificence and create lives that light them up. Her first book, 10 Ways To Find Peace Rather Than Panic (When The World Has Gone A Little Crazy), earned a full 5-star rating on Amazon. Through her writing, retreats, classes and private mentoring she offers inspired and practical counsel in all areas related to personal growth and transformation. Suzanne can be reached at see@mysolidground.com or 302-888-2138.

April 2018

How To Treat A Silent Killer

advancement, which moves the jawbones. The goal of these surgeries is to make the airway bigger by creating more physical space. With varying degrees of success, and a necessary recovery time, most adults use surgery as a last resort. However, in children tonsillectomy is the first line of treatment for OSA.

Dr. Andrew Swiatowicz

Inspire Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where the airway collapses while you sleep, preventing oxygen from getting to the lungs. Of that number, 80 percent are unaware they even have the condition. In addition to costing Americans nearly $150 billion a year, undiagnosed OSA can accelerate or worsen the progress of other diseases a patient may have.

The good news is that there are lots of different ways to treat OSA. The trick is finding out which one is best for you.

Lose weight While it’s true that thin people are regularly diagnosed with the disease, researchers have noted a link between OSA and obesity. Excess fatty tissue makes it harder to breathe at night and can cause the airway to collapse more easily. Not only does a higher BMI make it more likely for someone to have OSA, but having OSA also makes it more likely for you to gain weight. Trying to take those pounds off might help to improve OSA symptoms.

PAP Therapy

A recent development in OSA therapy is a glossopharyngeal nerve stimulator called Inspire. Think of it as a pacemaker for your tongue.

An electrical wire runs from just under your collarbone to your tongue.

When you activate it at night, it will periodically shock your tongue, causing the tongue to move off of the back of your throat, thus opening your airway.

Oral Appliances Most people are surprised to learn that your dentist may offer one of the best treatments for OSA. As with any OSA therapy, the goal is to open your airway. Your dentist does this by making a custom set of retainers that are joined together. By holding the lower jaw in a more forward position, the tongue is taken off the back of the throat, and the airway is widened. Oral appliances are minimally invasive, comfortable, and easy to travel with. The best thing about oral appliances is that studies show compliance rates well over 90%. That means the majority of people who are prescribed oral appliances actually use them!

Regardless of what method you use, the most important thing is to seek immediate treatment for your OSA. Talk to your dentist about what could be the best option for you.

The gold standard of OSA treatment is positive airway pressure, or PAP. By using a machine to blow air through your mouth and nose, you get oxygen past the collapsed airway and into the lungs. Studies show this is the most effective way to treat OSA. However, as many doctors know, compliance rates for PAP therapy are very low. Some studies suggest that over 80 percent of patients stop using their PAP machine.

Dr. Andrew Swiatowicz is the owner of Delaware Dental Sleep Medicine. He has been treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea since he was in dental school. Dr. Swiatowicz is the only AADSM qualified dentist in the state of Delaware.

Surgery Another way to address OSA is to cut away or move the tissue that collapses in the airway. For example, patients might choose to undergo a tonsillectomy to remove their tonsils, or a maxillomandibular

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April 2018

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21

Breaking Our Food Rules

Liz Abel

For most of our life, we’ve been bombarded by our parents, the media and food manufacturers about what to eat, how to eat and when to eat. Let’s expose some of the ‘food rules’ that we’ve formed (consciously or unconsciously) and actively decide which ones are worth breaking!

Breakfast: Many of you might gawk at me in a lecture when I suggest you try eating veggies for breakfast. I, myself, this morning had spinach and chickpeas over brown rice and a kara-kara orange. We have been taught that breakfast should be cereal and milk, bacon and eggs, oatmeal and a grapefruit, tea with toast and butter or peanut butter, or coffee and a pastry. Thank goodness for powerhouse smoothies, unsweetened granola, and alternative milks to shake up the breakfast landscape. But it still doesn’t go far enough. Eat a supercharged salad for breakfast or leftovers from dinner with an extra side of veggies. And see what happens. Observe how you feel. Notice what changes you experience in your day.

Snack (Less) Often: We believe 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day are good. Mainly because eating frequently “keeps our blood 22

sugar balanced,” according to “the experts.” The average human body is designed to go 5 or 6 hours without needing food, as this is the length of time required to digest a full and proper meal. When we get “hangry” – the space between feeling hungry and getting really irritable until food makes us sane again – it speaks to the physiological effect of our blood sugar dropping. In our country, we have a major problem with, what I call in nutritionist speak, blood sugar dysregulation, which is often a precursor to pre-diabetes and diabetes. I recommend eating three satisfying, nutritionally dense meals a day. Significantly reducing sugar within these meals (and eliminating sugar between meals) will ultimately help to balance your blood sugar.

Sugar: Most label the pure white stuff as evil. We all already know this is a toxic compound. It makes our brain happy and most of us don’t shun it in our birthday cake. I love having a cookie or piece of cake to celebrate with friends. However, here’s what you may not know: It’s not only the white stuff that is contributing to blood sugar regulation. Our body treats processed carbohydrates in a similar fashion to that of sugar. This means any food made from a puffed grain or a flour-based grain product is going to break down in our body like sugar. This includes rice cakes, popcorn, breads, crackers, pastas, cookies, etc. Yet, calorie counting (35 calorie puffed rice cakes and 100 calorie packages of crackers) has won over the big picture here which is that these foods are actually being

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April 2018

converted to sugar in the body. Which leads me to the next point…

Fruit Sugar: Many times clients have said to me, “I can’t eat that. It has too much sugar in it.” They may be referring to an orange, banana or pineapple. But yet they opt for the “lower calorie” or “lower sugar” option like a rice cake or two. Here’s what fruit contains (that rice cakes and cracker packs do not): minerals and vitamins. In a world where we need minerals and vitamins for our body to function, our bodies are starved of them. Eating nutritionally-dense food (food found in their whole, unadulterated state) is more important than counting fruit sugars. (As with everything, there are exceptions.

There are a few conditions that require limited fruits, but even then, it’s not what you think. Using food and chemical sensitivity testing, I can rule out which fruits you should be minimizing. As an example, I have a diabetic client who enjoys pineapple—which would be a strong “NO” according to the GI (glycemic index) but she also has a Hemoglobin A1C level of 6.1, which is an incredible improvement from prior levels of 12.6 when she ate zero fruit.)

Calorie counting or carb counting or fat counting or…

Recent research suggests that behavior, such as tracking your food intake daily, can lead to more disordered eating patterns among half of the population studied. As fad diets come and go, we have learned to count calories or macronutrient percentages. We are living in a world of making tradeoffs, living in denial and deprivation, and becoming obsessed with everything we eat (or choose not to eat).

If you focused all of your attention on two numbers every day, you will yield greater health benefits than any other program available to you.

1. Count your water intake. The general advice, is to divide your body weight (in pounds) in half. This is the number of ounces of water to consume daily.

2. Eat 8-10 servings of veggies a day. (Fruit is counted separately at 2-3 servings a day). What is a serving of vegetables? 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. If you can increase your water sufficiently and consume 8-10 servings of veggies a day (with a wide variety each week), this will yield one of the greatest benefits to your health.

This brings us full circle to...What’s for breakfast? Chances are that to achieve your veggie intake, you need to find a way to include some on your breakfast plate.

Congratulations on opening your mind and exploring some new ideas. See how your body feels. We’d love to hear from you!

Liz Abel, LDN, CNS, MS, MA, is a Licensed Integrative Nutritionist at the First State Health & Wellness Integrative Health Center. She leads a dynamic, team-based Functional Nutrition program that encompasses food, lifestyle, lab testing, natural supplementation, mindfulness and movement to support your health and well-being.

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April 2018

23

DIETARY FATS: Know which types to choose When Choosing Fats, Pick Unsaturated Fat Over Saturated Fat.

HERE’S HOW: You don’t need to eliminate all fat from your diet. In fact, some fats actually help promote good health. But it’s wise to choose the healthier types of dietary fat and then enjoy them — in moderation.

THE FACTS ABOUT FAT

24

There are numerous types of fat. Your body makes its own fat from taking in excess calories. Some fats are found in foods from plants and animals and are known as dietary fat. Dietary fat is a macronutrient that provides energy for your body.

But fat is high in calories. If you eat more calories than you need, you will gain weight.

Excess weight is linked to poor health. In addition, some types of dietary fat are thought to play a role in cardiovascular disease.

Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body’s functions. Some vitamins, for instance, must have fat to dissolve so they can be used by your body.

Research about the possible harms and benefits of dietary fat is always evolving. And a growing body of research suggests that when it comes to dietary fat, you should focus on eating healthy fats and avoiding unhealthy fats.

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April 2018

Harmful dietary fat

Avoid trans fat:

There are two main types of potentially harmful dietary fat:

Limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories a day.

Saturated fat. This is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products.

Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Trans fat. This is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods in small amounts. But most trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. These partially hydrogenated trans fats can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Most fats that have a high percentage of saturated fat or that contain trans fat are solid at room temperature. Because of this, they’re typically referred to as solid fats. They include beef fat, pork fat, butter, shortening and stick margarine.

Healthier dietary fat The types of potentially helpful dietary fat are mostly unsaturated: Monounsaturated fatty acids. This is a type of fat found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that these fatty acids may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids. This is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. These fatty acids may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Omega-3 fatty acids. One type of polyunsaturated fat is made up of mainly omega-3 fatty acids and may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3, found in some types of fatty fish, appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. There are plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. However, it hasn’t yet been determined whether replacements for fish oil — plant-based or krill — have the same health effects as omega-3 fatty acid from fish.

Foods made up mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and corn oil.

Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed (ground), oils (canola, flaxseed, soybean), and nuts and other seeds (walnuts, butternuts and sunflower)

Replace saturated fat with healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Be aware that many foods contain different kinds of fat and varying levels of each type. For example, butter contains unsaturated fats, but a large percentage of the total fat is saturated fat. And canola oil has a high percentage of monounsaturated fat but also contains smaller amounts of polyunsaturated and saturated fat.

What changes should I make to my diet?

Focus on replacing foods high in saturated fat with foods that include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

But a word of caution — don't go overboard even on healthy fats.

All fats, including the healthy ones, are high in calories. So consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats instead of other types of fat, not in addition to them.

Here are some tips to help you make over the fat in your diet: To avoid trans fat, check food labels and look for the amount of trans fat listed. By law a serving of food containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as 0 grams. Therefore, it's important to also check ingredient lists for the term "partially hydrogenated."

Use oil instead of solid fats. For example, saute with olive oil instead of butter, and use canola oil when baking.

Prepare fish, such as salmon and mackerel, instead of meat at least twice a week to get healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Limit sizes to 4 to 6 ounces of cooked seafood a serving, and bake or broil seafood instead of frying.

Choose lean meat and skinless poultry. Trim visible fat from meat and poultry, and remove skin from poultry.

Snack smart. Many popular processed snack foods are high in fat, especially solid fats. Be sure to check food labels for saturated fat.

Better yet, snack on whole fruits and vegetables.

What about very low-fat diets?

If watching fat content is a good strategy, is it even better to try to eliminate all fat from your diet? No. First, your body needs some fat — the healthy fats — to function normally. If you try to avoid all fat, you risk getting insufficient amounts of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids.

Recommendations for fat intake Because some dietary fats are potentially helpful and others potentially harmful to your health, it pays to know which ones you're eating and whether you're meeting recommendations.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans offers the following recommendations about dietary fat intake:

Also, in attempting to remove fat from your diet, you may wind up eating too many processed foods touted as low-fat or fat-free rather than healthier and naturally lower fat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Instead of doing away with fat in your diet, enjoy healthy fats in moderation.

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Source: Mayo Clinic News Network.

April 2018

25

The Healing Power of Dreams

Perhaps you’ve experienced this scenario. There is something difficult weighing on your mind. Maybe you have a problem that needs to be addressed; a decision that needs an answer; an uncomfortable relationship issue. The difficulty often feels more and more overwhelming as nighttime approaches. And then you “sleep on it.” When you awaken in the morning you’ve got a fresh perspective. The problem that seemed so insurmountable last night does not feel so big. Why is this?

Studying sleep can clue us into what may be going on. There are physical changes that happen when we are in dream sleep. Sleep scientist Matthew Walker, director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at University of California at Berkeley, studies the way that stress hormones decrease significantly during REM (rapid eye movement), dreaming sleep. He hypothesizes that this hormonal shift produces an emotional healing effect that can soften difficult experiences from our waking life. He suggests that this is why when we “sleep on it”, we feel more able to cope.

Other sleep studies have indicated that deprivation of REM sleep leads to a shortened life span. Still more studies show a relationship between decreased REM sleep and depression as well as Alzheimer’s disease.

These studies are interesting but it is important to note that they show an association, not necessarily causation.

Studying and researching dream sleep and how it affects our health 26

Kat Samworth

and well being is important work and has its merits. But let’s not limit ourselves to clinical scrutiny of dream sleep.

What happens while we are dreaming can be healing in ways that are not measurable in a laboratory setting, but are of great importance in our lives.

6 Surprising Ways That Dreams Can Heal Us 1. Healing grief: Clients often dream of deceased loved ones which can offer profound healing. Sometimes the departed loved one shows up in a dream to communicate that they are “ok.” Or the loved one may offer words of wisdom from a different perspective now that they exist in this different level of consciousness. And sometimes, they show up and we just get to be with them again. Dreams are a great place for us to meet with our deceased loved ones because it is in this in-between space where we are able to let go of the perceived barriers between the world of the living and the world of the dead. These kinds of dreams often have a very “real” quality. A 13 year old boy recently shared his dream with me. In it, his deceased grandfather came to spend the day with him. They took a walk together in the park and then they went to a fancy restaurant together.

This dream was especially meaningful because he had never had a chance

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April 2018

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to meet his grandfather before he died. Spending this special dream time with his grandfather felt like a miraculous gift.

2. Helping to heal trauma: Traumatic experiences make a strong imprint on us, especially when we are utterly alone and unsupported during the experience. Dreams can offer us a chance to process some of these experiences from a new healing perspective. Dreams related to trauma may begin to show up when we are stronger and more emotionally ready to process some of these difficult experiences. Dreams may also bring guides or support persons to help us step through the experience.

One client had an experience of unprocessed sexual trauma. Dreams started to show up gradually over time allowing her to process the experience in new healing ways. Initially, just knowing that her dreams were supporting her in this way was healing in and of itself. It was not a quick fix but over time her dreams gave her experiences that allowed her to gradually begin to tap into a new kind of resilience and power within her. In addition, she experienced gentle healing as she encountered guides that showed up in her dreams in a loving and supportive way.

3. Healing our relationships with others:

and more into my consciousness, I am able to shift into a different way of being with my self. I am letting go of society’s limiting parameters of what is beautiful and what is not. My dreams give me a different kind of perspective that allows me to step closer to a place of self love. What’s more is that letting go of self judgment and living in a place of self love opens the door to letting go of judgment for others.

5. Healing our longing for creative expression.

The conventional world has a way of squashing our creative expression.

How many people have you heard say, “I’m not good at art.” “I can’t sing.” “I’m not creative.” Our dreams cut through these conditioned and damaging ways of thinking. I believe there is a desire within each of us to create in some way. Your dreams can show that to you even if the truth of it has been buried pretty deeply. I dreamt of a woman who filled my hands with art materials. When I talked about this dream I felt unexpected tears arise as I touched into a hidden longing for my own creative expression. The dream affirmed that I have the desire for creative expression and I also have an abundance of materials and support.

6. Healing our relationship with Spirit.

Dreams have the ability to show us different perspectives on how we approach our relationships. It is common for us humans to get locked into looking at other people – even our most cherished loved ones, from our own particular lens. What if we could put on new glasses and see from a fresh perspective? Dreams plop us into different scenes and ways of seeing things that can help us shift. And when we shift, we can see things from another’s point of view. This is an extremely valuable gift that our dreams offer us. One of my favorite Wayne Dyer quotes is, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”

Dreams have a clever way of showing us this. For example, we may dream that we are yelling at someone (perhaps a loved one). And perhaps the very next dream will include a dream character yelling at you, letting you experience how it feels from this other perspective. This kind of experiential awareness in the dream space has the potential to open us to a new, self-reflective way of approaching our relationships.

Some people have had difficult experiences with their religious upbringing. Dogma, rules, and conditioned beliefs can keep us in a tight spot and sometimes connection to the greater source gets cut off. Or in other cases, we were brought up in a culture of emptiness where spiritual concerns were not addressed or valued. Dreams offer a natural way to reignite our connection with awe, wonder and the divine mysteries.

Dreams can be a portal to a spiritual connection that feels exactly right for you.

Dreams have a natural capacity to heal us. They are an amazing and abundant resource that each of us has access to. The next time you wake up with a remembered dream, be on the look out for some of these ways that your dreams are offering you their potent healing medicine.

4. Healing our relationship with ourselves: Sadly, many of us spend a lot of energy beating ourselves up. This is not a natural way to live and can be destructive in many ways. Our dreams show us our worthiness and our beauty and help us to know it and to feel it. For years, I have struggled with my own self judgment. One way this has manifested is that I have had a habit of avoiding looking at myself in the mirror. My dreams have helped me see myself in a different way. I’ve had dreams where I see myself in the mirror and I do not look away. I can see and feel my deeper beauty. As I bring these dream experiences more

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Kat Samworth PT, BEE is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner, Yoga Instructor & Certified Health Coach living in Wilmington, Delaware. Kat’s approach is one of deep care and respect for each individual’s soul. She believes that every dream is a precious gem offering inner wisdom that can lead us towards who we are meant to be in this life. She feels privileged to step into the mystery and the magic of dreams with her clients. Kat works in person, over the phone or Skype. To learn more about services and to read Kat’s dream blog, please visit www.dreamforyourlife. com. Like the Dream For Your Life facebook page. Contact Kat at 302-584-5917 or dreamforyourlife@gmail.com.

April 2018

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Mind Mastery Mind Training Elevates the Mundane Karen Verna Carlson Intelligent, educated proactive people keep showing up in my life with similar hazy doubts, misperceptions and ambivalences about mindfulness training. This inspires me to continue simple explanations that approach this topic in new ways to help you begin or continue regular mind training. Mindful practices comprise the most vital and powerful tool Homo sapiens can use to grow better individual lives, as well as better community experiences. Mind training is an idea whose time has come for helping all planetary problems, personal and political.

Magical Power A simple example of mindful attention and its magical power to elevate any number of mundane activities appeared in a novel I’ve just finished reading. Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley (Penguin Random House, NY, 2016) is about a contemporary Manhattan 30-something yuppie couple blessed with twin baby boys. Supermom Cassie on sabbatical from high-powered publishing since their birth three years ago starts corresponding with her year-and-a-half older sister Sidney living temporarily in Singapore—very low-tech lifestyle, with two children, while her American husband travels on corporate business there. Seven months of handwritten letters depicting contemporary young family challenges precede Cassie’s decision to elevate the quality of her harried upscale life: “I had all the motivation I needed: Things had to change; I had to change.” She began practicing mindfulness.

Getting Stronger “Over the next week, I felt like Michael Keaton in the ‘getting stronger’ montage in Mr. Mom. No more listlessly scrolling through Facebook while I halfheartedly played dinosaurs with the boys. No more being dragged out of bed by them at seven and placating them with TV while I had my coffee and shower. I forced myself awake when the alarm sounded at six and was ready to greet them with hugs by the time they awoke. I tried to talk the way Mrs. Pteranodon from Dinosaur Train talked to her dino kids.

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There Is Only Now “I begrudgingly made an effort to implement the strategies Jenna [Cassie’s frenemy] had outlined in her ‘Zen of Parenting’ blog post.

There is only now, I coached myself. And sometimes it worked. I became completely absorbed watching Joey spend five minutes eating a single peanut M&M as if it were an apple, falling a little bit more in love with him as he carefully chewed off the candy shell bit by bit so that by the time he reached the peanut, which he licked clean and handed to me, his face and fingers were covered in chocolate.

Love and Appreciation “The fact that he either hadn’t noticed or wasn’t bothered that his brother had quietly polished off the rest of the bag helped me understand him a little better. I felt love and appreciation for Quinn then, too, for being wily or kind enough not to gloat to his brother about eating all the candy.

If I could be so moved by this seemingly mundane episode, I wondered what else I had missed while my face was buried in my phone.”

Meaningful Moments Mind training or meditation sessions in regular daily doses increase the frequency as well as duration of meaningful moments like the one Cassie describes. It helps you to know yourself better, too. Which boy’s behavior most closely matches yours? The contemplative exploratory one or the goal oriented one? Would you taunt the slowpoke about his apparent loss of “more?” Clarity in all matters increases with regular mindfulness training.

Release and Suspend Quiet your mind by singularly focusing on breathing in and out. This is a softening process, releasing intense concentration engaged by electronic communications, competitive sports, aggressive driving, etc. Suspend judgmental ratings about how well or poorly you’re doing. Accept

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whatever machinations your mind indulges. Just gently, kindly shift focus to observe breathing in, breathing out. Whatever thought comes up, simply recognize that you’re thinking and change the channel. No struggle. No recriminations. No involvement. Those can wait till later.

For twenty minutes just experience and observe your breath.

would like to drop in the letter. “I brushed the dark hair away from his big brown eyes and kissed him on the forehead before handing him the letter. He pulled the box open and stood on his tiptoes to peek inside.

To give him a better view, I hoisted him onto my knee.

Mailbox Mystery

You Are Safe So what if you feel impatient. So what if you feel restless. Anyone can voluntarily tolerate a mere twenty minutes of angst, frustration, boredom. You are safe. You are seated in a simple open posture, not on a bed of nails or in a room full of snakes, rats or scorpions. A dozen gentle breaths in and out take about a minute. Twenty sets and you’re done.

Gradually, it gets easier and the results are more noticeable. Over time the effort-value ratio yields exponentially greater benefits. The work of establishing a new habit only spans one to three months. The value increases like a penny doubled every day. Consider it an acquired taste.

Soon, mind training feels refreshing. For me, skipping a meditation session can be more of a disruption than missing a meal.

Unconditional Attention Cassie’s state of mindfulness observing her three-year-old boys was free of impatience, free of criticism. What arose into the space those attitudes would have occupied were “love and appreciation” characteristic of mindfulness. She gave her time and her attention unconditionally to those children in that moment. Her own body responded by making and circulating chemicals that fostered healing, cleansing and genuine well-being, the vibes of which rippled forth to her sons.

Cursive Script Handwriting letters to her only sibling on the other side of the planet had multiple mindful benefits. The tactile-neurological activity translating thoughts through nerves and muscles and pen onto paper is pure present momentness. The joyful recognition of a loved one’s cursive script in the midst of a pile of junk mail is like seeing their face emerge in a crowd of disembarking passengers.

Bubbly Scrawl Cassie reminisces, “Sid’s loopy and childlike writing always made me feel tender toward her. Soft and wide and squishy, it evoked Mylar balloons, cookie cakes, and boy-band crushes. Dumb girl handwriting.

It’s okay; I can say this because Sid is not dumb. She was a National Merit Scholar and has never in her life been on the losing team in a game of Trivial Pursuit. She does possess a certain amount of innocence that no amount of intelligence or hard knocks will erode; that is what I see when I look at her bubbly scrawl.” The next time you look at someone’s handwriting, you might pause to mindfully consider the qualities of the person who held that pen.

“ ‘Huh?’ he said, clearly disappointed that the envelope was just sitting there on a tray—I think he imagined peering down into a pile of letters and packages. I explained how the box works and he slowly pushed the handle shut, pressing the bridge of his nose to the lid so he could watch the letter as long as possible. As soon as he closed the lid, he quickly opened it again and gasped at the empty tray. He looked at me wideeyed. ‘I know, right! That letter is going to go on a truck to the post office and then on an airplane to the post office in Singapore, and then to Aunt Sid’s house.’ ” Exercise Restraint Mindfulness generates even more benefits. Being more aware increases various improvements in self-management. Reasonable self restraint, for example. You never have to apologize for something mean or thoughtless you didn’t say or do. Restraint of pen is easier than that of tongue or texting. Thoughtfulness can unfurl in cursive penmanship. In contrast, there have been keyboard moments where I might have been operating a machine gun.

Cultivate Patience Patience is also an art worth cultivating through mindfulness. A week or two of correspondence transit time reveals how perceived problems have dissolved or morphed into resolution without my intervention.

And when situations worsen, I can appreciate this as movement towards some as yet unknown resolution, while I provide comfort and support—written and thought. The powers of affirmation and prayer are a universal option, not a religious monopoly. Mind training strengthens those powers. Using them benefits both sender and recipient.

These are only some of the skills and rewards gained through mind training, missed while your face is buried in your phone. If you don’t feel motivated to formally practice mindfulness, you might move towards that direction by exchanging some handwritten postal correspondence.

The benefits will enrich you.

Toddler Adventure The actual mailing of those missives at the corner mailbox became a family adventure of mindfulness when Cassie asked son Quinn if he www.livingwellmagazine.net

Karen Verna Carlson, N.D., Ph.D. (Hon.) is a naturopathic physician and professor credited with “the first major breakthrough in Swedish Massage—research demonstrating energetic interconnections”—since Peter Ling systemized it in the early 19th century. After 35 years running her own nationally accredited school of holistic healing and massage she has retired to provide a new kind of holistic care for individuals and families. In addition to her specialties of healing massage and bodywork, she provides sensitive, time- and costeffective services for home or office, family members and staff, that include diverse holistic problem solving for garden, pets, children and elders.

She has received international recognition for holistic healing and educational work, an honorary degree, silver medal, and Who’s Who listing. She’s appeared on TV and radio and has been featured in professional publications and mass media. kvc@livingwellmagazine.net Phone (302) 777-3964 April 2018

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(Re)Exploring Your Sexuality with Dianna Palimere

Growth and change are a normal, natural part of life—mentally, physically, emotionally and sexually. It seems obvious to most people that they’ve mentally changed over the past five or so years (e.g., new skills learned, new outlook on life, thinking of things in a different way, etc.). No doubt, almost everyone can describe ways in which they’ve changed physically over the past five or ten years (e.g., height, weight, hair color, muscle tone, ability or disability, etc.). And I imagine that most people are also able to recognize and acknowledge emotional “ups and downs.” Are you paying attention to how you’ve changed sexually?

If asked by a partner, could you verbalize your current sexual thoughts, feelings, interests, desires; and how they may be similar or different than what they were five or ten years ago?

If not, the first step is figuring these things out for yourself. In my work with couples, I’ve used Staci Haine’s book, Healing Sex: A Mind Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma (2012) to create a form for them to fill out individually, before processing it together in therapy. Based on Haine’s suggestions, (pg.64) I have them answer the following questions: What have you explored sexually up until now?

What did you like?

What did you not like?

What do you know about your sexuality?

of every sexual activity; however, either of them would be sufficient for someone (or couples) completing this for the first time.

I instruct people who are in a relationship to complete the above questions / worksheet, separate from their partner and wait to share it with their partner until they feel it can be done in a safe and nonjudgmental manner. That might mean with the assistance of a therapist, or it may mean doing it at a time when they are both feeling well-rested and positive about the current state of their relationship.

For individuals not in a relationship, this is an excellent tool for exploring your sexuality on your own, and thinking about what you might enjoy with a partner. As stated above, I do recommend that when sharing these vulnerable thoughts, feelings, and interests, that you first make sure that you can trust the person with that information.

Finally, don’t throw them away afterwards! Put them in a safe (locked) place. Every few years, re-do this exercise and after you’ve completed it, compare it to the previous one. Aside from it being fun to see what’s changed and what’s not, it’s also a wonderful way to re-explore your sexuality. Perhaps there are some things in your “maybe” column that you feel more trust and safety to try with your partner now? Or a few things in their “yes” or “maybe” columns that you feel more open to exploring with them. Remember: while this is primarily about sexual exploration and a tool for positive, healthy communication about your sexuality; it is also about exploring new pleasures and having fun together!

What would you like to learn?

She then instructs you to take a piece of paper and make three columns titled, “yes” “maybe” and “no.” In the “yes” column, list all sexual activities that you know you enjoy or you believe that you would enjoy.

In the “maybe” column, list all sexual activities that you’re curious to try, would try under special circumstances, or that you would be willing to try. In the “no” column, list all of the sexual activities that you have absolutely no interest in exploring, as well as any activities that you know you would not enjoy. Include both partnered as well as non-partnered activities (e.g, self-pleasuring).

After completing the three column inventory, the final question to be completed is, “What sexual activity or fantasy would you like to try out?

Be explicit. What’s stopping you” [from trying it]? (pg. 64).

In her book, she also offers a handy “list” of sexual activities, to help spark ideas for you in this exploration. Another option for this would be the “Sexual Activity Consensus List” by Jason Robillard; which he offers for free online (just Google it!). His list is seven pages long and includes 159 items, using a likert scale of 1 -5 with 5 = “would love to do” and 1 = “Do not want to do.” Neither lists are complete, comprehensive lists

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Sexual Health and Healing with Dianna Palimere, PhD, LCSW Dr. Dianna Palimere is a Psychosexual Therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

She has been working in the field of mental health for the past 16 years, dedicating the past 13 years to specializing in clinical sexuality. She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology, a Masters degree in Social Work, a Masters degree in Human Sexuality Education, and a PhD in Clinical Human Sexuality. Utilizing a holistic approach to therapy, she incorporates a variety of clinical interventions in her work with individuals, couples, and families. She is devoted to helping people achieve sexual health and healing through her work as a psychotherapist in her private practice in Pike Creek, DE; as well as in her work with local nonprofit organizations. To learn more about her or to schedule an appointment, visit her website: www.SexTherapyInDelaware.com Join her on Facebook, keywords: Sex Therapy in Delaware.

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April 2018

HANDS ON HEALTH by: Ann Wilkinson P.T.M.S,

Q:

I am preparing for a total knee replacement and have been researching the rehabilitation process. I am not happy to take oxycontin with passive aggressive manipulation. Do I have any other options in the rehabilitation department?

A:

Oxycontin is not at the top of my list for options post total knee replacement. Of course, if there are complications and pain is unbearable, then I can understand the use of traditional prescribed medications. However a routine total knee replacement responds very well to homeopathic pain alleviation.

I tend to recommend Arnica and Hypericum homeopathically as well as lots of ice post op. I was fortunate to study with a therapist from Netherlands and Sweden over thirty years ago who shared manual therapy techniques that can quickly gain Range of Motion after knee surgery and particularly the total knee replacement that is completely painfree and very gentle. There is passive mobilization of the joint itself and the capsule yet all Range gaining activity is active. The gentle passive mobilization is pain relieving as well as effective in lengthening the capsule of the joint. Pain pills allow tolerance to a more forceful passive procedure however many times, the capsule when not handled with care, can provide a whole new set of trauma and inflammatory responses. Handling the joint capsule gently allows for pain relief to be built into treatment without biochemical insult. Using active exercise to increase range of motion is very effective because it engages the brain in the range of motion gaining process. The techniques I have been taught osteopathically, avoids pain pills or pain producing techniques. I think of it like cooking an exquisite meal. Go slow, because if you go to fast and burn the pot there is no turning back.

Q:

I was having a treatment. Part of it was very structural and deep and the other part was very quiet and nothing seemed to be happening in a physical way.

In these quiet times I had the unexpected sensation of heat and spiraling kind of energy coning from your hands. What are you doing to make this happen, because I know it is not my imagination?

A:

It has been the times when treatment gets quiet and it seems nothing is happening, that patients report the most profound results. I am not doing anything in these moments except being intensely present. There is a technique that I teach my students of osteopathy for which the bodyworker requests a healing energy of their choice to pour through them. If energy pours from the crown of the head and out the hands and feet, it seems the bodyworker can allow the healing energy to flow for the patient through them, rather than doing the healer themselves. It seems at times in the doing, the therapist may actually take the symptoms from the patient back onto themselves. Patient comes with a headache, leaves without and the therapist has one now. When a therapist uses intention and moves energy through them in this way, it can be entirely perceptible to the client. Many times clients doubt their experience though. Therapist even doubt themselves in these situations because there is no tangible or material evidence to back the experience. An experience is an experience none the less. Enjoy that you are centered enough to feel the subtle communications of your body, as many are too busy or overwhelmed to be aware on this level. Play with energy yourself. One day I was on the subway, I decided to fill the car with Love and Light as the women sitting across from me had a deep scowl on her face. In a few moments she smiled for no reason as did the man next to her. It is fun to play with energy especially when you are moving it in a way of healing or loving one another.

Ann is an award winning writer,teacher and speaker. Ann is the personal body worker of Her Holiness “Sai Maa”. Ann practices osteopathic physical therapy. Ann is also an expert on the use of healing foods, homeopathic and herbal consultations, and therapeutic horseback riding. Ann treats her patients in a beautiful country setting which enables her to utilize all of her learned skills as well as some of the healing properties that only Mother Earth can bestow. Ann is available by appointment. Book online at www.handsonhealthde.com. The farm is also available for birthday parties, women’s circles, and retreats.

water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global health problems.

Earth Day, April 22, 2018 — will focus on mobilizing the world to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate single use plastics along with uniform regulation for the disposal of plastics.

EDN will educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans,

From poisoning and injuring marine life to the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our food to disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty, the exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet’s survival. EDN has built a multi-year campaign to End Plastic Pollution. Our goals include ending single use plastics, promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials, promoting 100 percent recycling of plastics, corporate and government accountability and changing human behavior concerning plastics.

“There is a growing tidal wave of interest in ending plastic pollution and some countries and governments are already in the vanguard. Earth Day Network believes we can turn that tidal wave into a permanent solution to plastics pollution,” said www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

Kathleen Rogers, President of EDN. EDN’s End Plastic Pollution campaign includes four major components: Leading a grassroots movement to support the adoption of a global framework to regulate plastic pollution; Educating, mobilizing and activating citizens across the globe to demand that governments and corporations control and clean up plastic pollution; Educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics, and Promoting local government regulatory and other efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

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RECIPES FROM:

YELLOW COURGETTE, ASPARAGUS & PEA SHOOT SALAD WITH RED BASIL OIL & CASHEW CREAM This elegant and simple raw salad is all about letting the natural colours and flavours of summer vegetables shine through. If you can’t get yellow courgettes*, you can use regular green ones.

Serves 4–6 2–3 yellow courgettes* 12 asparagus spears juice of ½ lemon 1/3 teaspoon sea salt flakes 150g (5½oz) pea shoots

Mildreds Vegan Cookbook

By Dan Acevedo And Sarah Wasserman Bright food, bold flavour.

‘Only Lady Luck can get a table at Mildreds.

It’s one of London’s coolest vegetarian restaurants.’ - Time Out

4–6 tablespoons Cashew Cream (right page) to serve FOR THE RED BASIL OIL 30g (1oz) red basil, tough stems removed grated zest and juice of ½ orange ¼ teaspoon agave syrup

‘Who needs meat when you get this much flavour?’ - Hardens

100ml (3½fl oz) light olive oil sea salt flakes

Bursting with clever ideas for feasts with family and friends, as well as for delicious, simple everyday meals, Mildreds Vegan Cookbook brings you punchy flavours, satisfying dishes, a dash of urban cool and a refreshing take on the conventional stereotype of vegan food.

There are plenty of dishes to wow a crowd, whether it’s Walnut, Date & Cinnamon Rolls and Smoky Baked Beans on Grilled Sourdough for a brunch with friends; Memphis Bourbon Barbecue Skewers and Rainbow Root Slaw with Orange, Maple & Thyme Dressing for a summer barbecue; Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Icing for a children’s party; or Butternut Squash & Tofu Terrine with Redcurrant Stuffing and an I-can’t-believe-it’svegan Espresso Crème Caramel for a celebration dinner. A vegan diet the Mildreds way, will bring joy and surprise to your life, and ensure your taste buds are well and truly alive and kicking. Sit back and enjoy fantastic-tasting food for everyone and every occasion.

Photo credit: Matt Russell.

Design & layout copyright © Octopus Publishing Group Ltd. 2018. Text copyright © Mildreds Limited 2018.

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1 Using a French-style peeler, slice long thin strips off the courgettes until you reach the seeds, then discard the seedy centre.

2 Remove the tough part of the asparagus by bending each spear at the stalk end and allowing it to snap where the tender part begins.

Discard the tough ends (or save them for stock), and cut the tender part into strips as thin as you can manage.

3 Toss the courgette* and asparagus strips with the lemon juice and salt in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave them to stand in the refrigerator for 30 minutes–1 hour.

4 To make the red basil oil, simply blend all the ingredients in a blender, or in a measuring jug with a stick blender, until smooth.

5 Give the courgettes* and asparagus a little squeeze to remove the excess liquid, then toss with the pea shoots and 4 tablespoons of the red basil oil in a large bowl.

6 Put a tablespoon of the cashew cream on each plate and then a small handful of the salad. Drizzle over a little more of the red basil oil to serve. * yellow squash, zucchini —image on next page—

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April 2018

CASHEW CREAM Makes 8–10 servings 200g (7oz) cashew nuts, soaked overnight in cold water or for a few hours in hot water 10g (¼oz) nutritional yeast flakes pinch of ground cumin pinch of chilli flakes ½ teaspoon garlic powder pinch of achiote paste ½ tablespoon sea salt flakes about 100ml (3½fl oz) water Cashew nuts blended to a paste have a particularly smooth texture similar to tahini but with a much milder flavour, and as such it’s a really useful ingredient in vegan cooking. It can be used as a dressing – we serve it with our Yellow Courgette, Asparagus and Pea Shoot Salad (see page 62) and for topping a pide with artichokes and rocket (see page 108) – or as a substitute for soured cream/ yogurt, to top burritos for example, or as a lovely creamy dip.

We use a touch of achiote paste in this recipe, which is made from the seeds of the achiote tree and is a key ingredient in Mexican cooking, especially pibil marinades. It imparts a fantastic orange/yellow colour and a pleasant sour flavour similar to lemon juice or tamarind. It is readily available online, but if you can’t get it you can simply omit it, replicating the colour by adding a very small pinch of turmeric and introducing a little sour flavour with a pinch of sumac.

1 Drain the cashew nuts, put in a blender with all the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth. You can add more water if you prefer a thinner texture.

2 Store in a clean airtight jar or other container in the refrigerator.

It will keep for up to a week. www.livingwellmagazine.net

April 2018

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SOUL BOWL

QUINOA SALAD

Serves 4–6

1 Mix together the agave syrup, cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon water and olive oil to make a dressing and set aside.

Talented chef Nadia Lim (nadialim. com), from New Zealand, provided us with the inspiration for this winning ensemble. It’s her recipe we have adapted here to create a fresh salad bowl packed to the hilt with nutritious ingredients.

Comprised of two salads – a shiitaki and kale salad and a quinoa salad with carrot, beetroot and tomato – it also comes with our Cashew Cream (see page 248), avocado, sprouts, toasted seeds and sliced radishes. Although we like to present it altogether as a bowl, you could serve the various components separately to make a lovely summer spread.

QUINOA SALAD 2 tablespoons agave syrup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon light olive oil 1 litre (1¾ pints) water 150g (5½oz) quinoa pinch of salt 200g (7oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Bring the measured water to the boil in a saucepan and add the quinoa and salt, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes. The quinoa should still have some bite to it.

3 Drain the quinoa in a sieve and leave to air-dry for 10–15 minutes until it has dried out, then fluff up slightly with a fork and leave to finish cooling.

4 Once cool, add to a bowl with the remaining salad ingredients and the dressing and mix together well.

SHIITAKI & KALE SALAD WITH TAMARI DRESSING

2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6.

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 Toss the shiitake mushrooms in the oil, spread out on a baking tray and cook for 8–10 minutes until fully cooked.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

225ml (8fl oz) soya milk

4 Add the shiitake to a bowl with the baby kale and the dressing and mix together well. If using regular kale, you will first need to chiffonade the leaves – stack them, roll them and then finely slice them. These leaves are not as tender as the baby kale, so will need to be firmly massaged with the dressing and set aside for 15–20 minutes, then massaged with the dressing again before serving.

1 teaspoon good-quality vanilla extract or a small pinch of vanilla seeds

100g (3½oz) peeled beetroot, grated

50g (1¾oz) mixed toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds

40g (1½oz) mint, chopped

Every time we make this cake, the bakery is filled with the fragrance of passion fruit and people drifting into the kitchen to ask what the wonderful smell is. If you can buy a goodquality passion fruit purée, it will simplify making this cake no end. It’s available as a cocktail ingredient and the one we use is cooked with a little sugar, though it’s still very tart. But if you can’t find it ready made, we’ve given instructions to replicate it.

200g (7oz) self-raising flour

To serve

50g (1¾oz) flat leaf parsley, chopped

Serves 10–12

1 Mix together the tamari, measured water, sesame oil and rice vinegar to make a dressing and set aside.

100g (3½oz) peeled carrot, grated 50g (1¾oz) pitted dried dates, chopped

PASSION FRUIT & COCONUT MOUSSE CAKE

1½ tablespoons mixed toasted black and white sesame seeds ½ ripe Hass avocado per person 150–200g (5½–7oz) Cashew Cream (see page 248)

125g (4½oz) caster sugar

80ml (2¾fl oz) light oil (such as groundnut or sunflower)

50ml (2fl oz) coconut rum (optional) toasted coconut flakes, to decorate (optional) FOR THE MOUSSE 250ml (9fl oz) passion fruit purée or 8–10 passion fruits (250ml/9fl oz pulp and seeds total quantity) with 30g (1oz) caster sugar and 100ml (3½fl oz) water

Shiitaki and Kale Salad with Tamari Dressing

30g (1oz) sprouts (we use China Rose radish sprouts)

400ml (14fl oz) can full-fat coconut milk

2 tablespoons tamari

200g (7oz) radishes, thinly sliced

100g (3½oz) caster sugar 8g (use gram measure for accuracy) agar agar flakes

2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 150g (5½oz) shiitake mushrooms, sliced splash of light olive oil 150g (5½oz) baby kale or regular kale stripped of its stems

TO ASSEMBLE 1 Place an equal portion of each salad in a bowl, sprinkling the quinoa salad with the toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and the shiitake and kale salad with the toasted black and white sesame seeds.

2 Peel and slice each avocado half, then add to the salad along with the cashew cream, sprouts and radishes.

—image on next page—

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300g (10½oz) pack silken tofu, drained 200g (7oz) pack creamed coconut, the sealed plastic pack placed in a mug of boiling water to warm and loosen the coconut —recipe continued on page with image—

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April 2018

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1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm (9-inch) springform cake tin with baking parchment.

2 Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Combine the soya milk, oil and vanilla extract or seeds in a separate large bowl, then add the dry mixture and mix together thoroughly. Pour straight into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25–30 minutes until risen and golden on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then release from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

8 To make the syrup, put the passion fruit pulp and seeds, sugar and measured water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5–10 minutes until the passion fruit seeds are completely black and shiny and have come away from the flesh.

9 Mix the cornflour with enough water to make a smooth paste, add to the syrup and continue to simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the mixture is glossy. Leave to cool.

10 When you are ready to serve, release the cake from the tin and pour the syrup over the top to coat. Top with a few toasted coconut flakes if you like.

3 Carefully trim off the very top layer to expose the sponge so that the coconut rum (if using) and mousse can soak in.

4 Line the cake tin again and place the cake in the base. Splash the coconut rum over the sponge if you wish.

5 Next make the mousse. If you haven’t been able to find passion fruit purée, put the passion fruit pulp and seeds with the sugar and measured water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer for 10–15 minutes until the flesh has completely come away from the seeds. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve.

6 Put the passion fruit purée in a large saucepan with the coconut milk, caster sugar and agar, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10–15 minutes, whisking frequently with a balloon whisk, until all the agar has dissolved and the colour has deepened to an egg yellow. Remove from the heat, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and leave to cool slightly.

7 Blend the tofu and warmed creamed coconut together in a blender or food processor. Then add the passion fruit mixture and blend until smooth. Alternatively, put the tofu, warmed creamed coconut and passion fruit mixture in a bowl and blend with a stick blender. Pour the mixture on to the prepared sponge base and chill in the refrigerator for 3–4 hours.

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April 2018

The DANGERS of Treating Your “Muscle” Pain

weeks. If your pain continues, the real problem is often that your muscles are being asked to work harder and longer than their design allows.

Dr. Scott E. Rosenthal

As a doctor of chiropractic, I was taught to view your body in an integrative manner and to look beyond the symptoms for the underlying cause. When muscles are sore and tired or flat out painful, it is valuable to think like a chiropractor and ask, “Is my muscle the primary problem, or is the muscle compensating for another more serious issue?”

If your spinal or pelvic bones shift out of their normal position, the spinal cord and exiting nerves may become injured. Any compromise to your nervous system threatens your brain’s ability to coordinate and control the different parts of your body. The result is loss of function and a diminished level of health. In response to such insults, your muscles are wisely directed to contract in order to hold the spine (and nervous system) from being further compromised. For example, if the bones within your back shift to the right, the muscles on your left side tighten to prevent further misalignment and damage to the nerves in that region. If your spinal condition persists, muscles become painfully fatigued and in spasm.

Do you suffer from muscle pain and spasms? Have you tried stretching, various drugs or bed rest to no avail? It may be that your muscles are not really the problem.

Why do you hurt? Perhaps the pain started after your heroic efforts to clear your lawn of leaves or after many hours hunched over a computer screen or smartphone. A fender bender? Stress? Too much exercise?

Not enough? Did you fall, sneeze, laugh, cough, hug, walk, run, dance, crawl the wrong way? Maybe it’s your golf swing, your tennis serve, that flat tire you changed or the extra tire you’re carrying around. Or do you simply hurt for no apparent reason?

Whatever the cause of your pain, WHY BLAME YOUR MUSCLES? Just because you have over 650 of them does not mean your muscles are the underlying problem. This article is committed to giving your muscles the love and respect they deserve and finally letting them off the hook.

Why were you told that your back or neck pain was muscular? It can be particularly perplexing when you have been flexing the sore area for weeks, months or even years. Excluding significant tears or rare diseases, most muscular problems heal relatively quickly… usually in days or

If your muscles hurt, what are the risks of treating them? By removing your spasms and/or pain artificially (with drugs, heat or ice, massage, etc.), the compensation is removed as well. Further injury to your underlying problem is likely. In the case of your spine and pelvis, complications down the road may range from nerve damage and loss of function to disc problems and accelerated arthritic degeneration. In severe cases, muscle pain may need to be temporarily treated with medications. When this situation exists, be cautious by recognizing that the primary problem may still exist and seek a solution to what caused the muscles to overwork in the first place.

Chiropractic looks for and corrects the underlying problems that cause your muscles to spasm and hurt. Once resolved, your increased muscle activity will no longer be necessary, and your pain will vanish naturally.

Dr. Scott E. Rosenthal is a second-generation Doctor of Chiropractic and a past president of the Delaware Chiropractic Society. He graduated with honors from Life University in 1993. Dr. Rosenthal has an undergraduate degree in nutrition and he is a Registered Yoga Teacher.

Dr. Rosenthal is an expert in the field of health and wellness and a member of the Delaware Chiropractic Society, American Chiropractic Association and International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. He practices state-of-the-art care with modern forms of chiropractic and is the first to offer the Koren Specific Technique and Biotensegrity Restoration Technique in Delaware. Also offered are chiropractic pediatric and prenatal techniques (including Webster Technique certification). Dr. Rosenthal practices in Wilmington, Delaware where he took over his father’s practice which was founded in 1965.

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