Living Well Magazine March 2013

LIVING WELL

MARCH 2013

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HEALTH + HOME + FOOD + WEALTH + STYLE = recycle: share this magazine

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Design, Craftsmanship, Lifestyle ...Blenheim Homes.

At Blenheim, we pride ourselves on building homes designed to make everyday living a little more special… with elegant, dramatic interior spaces and naturally beautiful community settings enhanced with abundant green space, walking paths, play areas and picturesque parks… all created with the meticulous attention to detail that has been a Blenheim hallmark since 1983.

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This month has been rough for us at Living Well Magazine. A few weeks ago, a very remarkable woman passed away, my grandmother. For the past few years she wrote articles for the magazine called the Art of Eating, and my job for a long time was to copy it into a digital form. This was a bit of a task because she was always a bit scatter brained and did not write in any traditional way. Her article would be presented on about one hundred index cards, out of order and often written in some sort of code. The fact remained though that her words were inspiring and beautiful.

When I was growing up I was constantly spoiled by my grandparents, like any kid should be. Now that I am older I think that they were responsible for some of my weight problems, because every time I would visit I was treated like royalty, usually a giant steak and the best rolls ever made. My grandmother gave me a gift that is probably one of the greatest things that I will ever get, my imagination. She taught me that I could dream of worlds and instantly be transported there by getting off of a magic elevator. Getting in that elevator is something that I do pretty much everyday, especially with how cold it is outside, hopping on the elevator and getting off in a world of pink sandy beaches, beautiful women and no cares in the world. Magic does exist people! My grandmother gave it to me as a gift.

If you have been following my story than you know that I am down about 100 pounds since last year, thanks to my trainer, Willie Wilson at HAC, in Hockessin, DE and to the Biggest Loser Resort Fitness Ridge in Malibu, and I am so happy that my grandmother got to see me with a lot of weight off, I know it did her heart well. She was also one of the only family members that had no filter when it came to the ones she loved. Upon seeing me after my transformation into a smaller healthier person she began to rain me with compliments, followed by a sharp observation. "Sean you look amazing, but you still have a belly. ". Thanks a lot for pointing that out MomMom, but she is right and everyday I continue to strive towards a healthier lifestyle. Thank you MomMom for being such a powerful force in my life, you will never be forgotten.

Advertising Inquiries: Brian Strauss -Publisher Sales@livingwellmagazine.net 302-355-0929 Lita Latham - Account Executive Lita@livingwellmagazine.net 302-750-0898 Sara Smith - Account Executive Sara@livingwellmagazine.net

I will be returning to the Biggest Loser Resort... stay tuned!

302-540-4443

�Sean

Monika Borkowska PA Account Executive Monika@livingwellmagazine.net 484-557-6645 Looking to start your own business?

Become a LIVING.WELL MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Living Well Magazine is expanding into all areas of the country.

Business Opportunities are available: sales@livingwellmagazine.net

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. 2012 Various Trademarks Used By Permission Of Their Respective Owners

puppy love™ Millie� who needs a dog bed, I have a sofa.

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March 2013

Editors / Publishers Diane and Brian Strauss Associate Editor: Michael Strauss puppy love™ Creator Sean Strauss Executive Assistant Nick E. Daum Resident Artist and Creator of the Valentino caricature.

Liam McWilliams Design and Graphics dcfine Cover art: by Diane Strauss 3

Join us on

inside

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Grean Tips & Tricks

Happy New Local Food Year 18

www.facebook.com/ LWMLIVINGWELLMAGAZINE

by: Karen Verna Carlson

The Practicing Mind

for facebook fan giveaways and updates!

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by: Suzanne Eder

Teenage Sports Injuries Girls Rival the Boys!

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42

by: Dr. Scott Rosenthal

Living In Fear?

How To Become Free

SATURDAY MARCH 23, 2013

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by: Joe White

A Kind but Effective Letter of Complaint

32

ASK THE VET

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What will you do with the lights out for one hour?

by: Karen Jessee

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Share your fun ideas and suggestions on our Facebook page.

by: Rose Dileva

HANDS ON HEALTH

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by: Ann Wilkinson P.T.M.S.

Sexual Health and Healing:

Are You Lucky in Love?

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25 14

with Dianna Palimere, PhD, LCSW

Style Files: Taylor Schlette

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Earth Talk: McDonald’s A Green Company?

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Earth Talk: Non -Stick Cookware: Should I Replace Them?

The prestigious Living Well Magazine Tried and True award is given only 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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LWM THE ART OF EATING: 35 Embrace The Imperfections

36 recipes: spring celebrations!

FYI

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By Eric Aber

Beer: More Than Suds

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by: dcfine

This year it going to be different?

41

46

by: Brian Strauss 4

10 Where’s Valentino?

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March 2013

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FYI

The recent Stress in America The recent Stress in America™: Missing the Health Care Connection, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive among 2,020 U.S. adults in August 2012 from the American Psychological Association PA (APA) shows that across generations younger American are experiencing more stress than the older generations and are not managing it as well. All generations experience stress but it seem our seniors are handling it better.

More than 52 percent of millennial( 18-33) report having restlessness and staying awake at night in the past month due to stress, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers,(34-47) 37 percent of Baby Boomers(48-66) and 25 percent of Seniors(67+) On the gender side of the report: Women continue to report higher stress levels than men (5.3 vs. 4.6 on a 10-point scale where 1 is “little or no stress” and 10 is “a great deal of stress”). Both male and female agree, however, that 3.6 is a healthy level of stress.,

Everyday, global population grows by around 228,000.

The United Nations’ mid-range projection is for human population to reach 9.3 billion by the year 2050. And yet, articles have been appearing in major publications that suggest with alarm the world’s population is in decline, citing a “low fertility crisis.” But the world’s population isn’t in decline, and isn’t projected to be, any time soon.

Check out the Population Clock its up to the minute; http://www.worldometers.info/world-population

More women report experiencing extreme stress than men. 23% of women report their stress level at an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale, compared to only 16% of men.

Even though the preferred stress management technique across generations is exercising or walking, younger Americans are more likely than Baby Boomers and Seniors to engage in unhealthy behaviors like eating, drinking alcohol and smoking to manage stress.

While 23% of Baby Boomers and 32% of Seniors are more likely to go to religious services than the younger adults who are more likely to go shopping.

The study was broken up in several specific categories, by gender, by generation,by region, and by major city

Sugary soft drink consumption contributes not only to weight gain, but also may play a role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis, especially in men, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. www.rheumatology.org 6

Source: www.apa.org www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

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March 2013

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A Healthy Collaboration for a Healthier Delaware

By Esther Hofknecht Curtis | Executive Director, Brain Injury Association of Delaware

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 120,000 schoolage children in Delaware with a disability. The number increases when one looks at children with other special health care needs.

UCP and BIAD work with people who have some type of neurological difficulty, specifically cerebral palsy (CP), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or acquired brain injury (ABI). (CP affects about 4% of the U.S. population, and 5.3 million Americans live with disabilities related to TBI or ABI.) Though our organizations have particular demographic focus, we are combining our efforts to reach Delawarean families living with all types of disabilities and chronic health situations.

The Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD) and United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware (UCP) are working with Family SHADE (www.familyshade.org.) which is an alliance of Delaware organizations that supports families of children with chronic health disorders. Family SHADE is sponsored by the University’s Center for Disabilities Studies.

The Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD) and United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware (UCP) have joined forces to host a Health Fair for children with special health care needs and for children with disabilities. Titled, “A Healthy Life Without Limits,” The Fair will be on April 6th, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Wilmington.

The Health Fair is open to ALL of Delaware’s families and children.

Our organizations strongly believe that all children and their families should be connected to the services they need to live a healthy life.

The importance of this for children with a specific disability is understood, but the concept needs to be underlined for all children.

To get involved, go to our web site http://ahealthylifewithoutlimits. org, call UCP at 302-764-2400, or call BIAD at 1-800-411-0505. *The Healthy Life Without Limits fair is funded by Family SHADE at the University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies through generous support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau within the Delaware Division of Public Health.

A HEALTH FAIR for families and children with Special Health Care Needs.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

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April 6, 2013 DoubleTree Hotel 700 N King Street Wilmington, DE 19801 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Check our website for an ongoing list of sponsors, exhibitors, vendors, demonstrations and activities.

A fun and informative day for all.

For information email us at: info@ahealthylifewithoutlimits.org or call: 302-764-2400

VISIT: WWW.AHEALTHYLIFEWITHOUTLIMITS.ORG www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

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Whether you are willing to admit it or not, we know everyone has searched for Waldo at least once or twice in his or her lifetime. Actually, we have a complete set of the “Where’s Waldo” Books and have successfully found him in all of them, ...Well almost all of them, except for one. We have made up our minds that the one page that we cannot find him on must be a mistake, a misprint maybe, and he is not on there at all. Looking and re-looking over the years has never allowed us to rest, and we occasionally pull the book out for what we profess to be the very last search…of course until the next time we feel compelled to look. We desperately needed something to take our minds off Waldo and that page; you know the one they forgot to place him in anyway, because what other logical reason could there possibly be for us not being able to find him? Therefore, we decided to create something that would divert our energy away from you know who, and brilliantly came up with “Where’s Valentino?” Only thank goodness we are not the ones that have to find him... you do. So you see we can drive everyone else crazy looking for Valentino and we can relax because of course we know where he is.

Karen Carlson

302-777-3964

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ALENTINO!

Enter: Where’s Valentino Contest Wow! There are thousands of readers who search for Valentino month after month, hiding somewhere on the pages of each issue of LWM; the entries keep pouring in.

We hope you have had fun looking, and will continue your quest to find Valentino. When you find him email us at: info@livingwellmagazine.net [Please type “Valentino” on the subject line]. This month we will continue to give away books/cookbooks and other goodies from our November and December gift guides. Valentino loves fan mail so keep entering for your chance to win!

For those of you who where wondering where he has been hiding; in January ,Valentino went to check out Pure Wellness’s new location he was right in front waiting for you..

We thought Valentino was hidden pretty well in our February issue but you found him hiking up the mountain on page 39.

I guess we are going to have to make it even harder! Keep searching because you never know where Valentino will turn up next! Now you can also enter on our Facebook page as well www.facebook.com/LWMlivingwellmagazine make sure you like the page first. Please remember to share our page with your friends!

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March 2013

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McDonald’s A Green Company?

Long a poster child of environmental ills and health concerns, McDonald’s has worked steadily over the last two decades to clean up its act. The company will never win over vegetarians, who eschew meat for health, animal welfare and even world hunger concerns (we’d feed more people by using the land used to grow animal feed to grow food for people instead), but it has otherwise made some significant strides.

Beef, an international meeting of stakeholders in the global beef system convened to discuss how to approach sustainable beef production in socially, environmentally and economically viable ways.

The company first came under fire from greens in the 1980s for sourcing beef for its hamburgers from ranches on newly cleared, former rainforest tracts throughout the Amazon basin. In response, the company committed in 1989 to refuse beef sourced from recently deforested rainforest areas.

Environmentalists were also on the company’s case about the waste it generates. So in 1990 McDonald’s partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and began phasing out its polystyrene “clamshell” food containers and increasing the recycled content of the other food containers and boxes it uses. EDF and the fast food giant developed a waste reduction plan that eliminated 300 million pounds of packaging, recycled a million tons of corrugated boxes and reduced waste by 30 percent in the decade that followed.

More recently, Greenpeace exposed the fact that expanded soy farming in Brazil—which feeds chickens used by McDonald’s and other large food companies—had become a threat to the Amazon rainforest. In response, McDonald’s partnered with Greenpeace to develop a zero deforestation plan for all its products.

Likewise, McDonald’s beef purchasing executives have gotten in on things: In November 2010 the company was lead sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund’s first Global Conference on Sustainable 12

Another green highlight for McDonald’s is its commitment to matching 30 percent of the electricity used at its companyowned stores with renewable energy credits from American wind power providers. And several Japanese McDonald’s are participating in an energy-saving campaign employing 13 different green technologies with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 percent overall.

While McDonald’s is moving in the right direction, it is still widely criticized for the waste it generates and its contribution to health woes such as obesity. For its part, the company has limited control over the 80 percent of its stores that are run by independent franchisees, so change under the golden arches is slow.

This past spring, McD’s released its Global Best of Green report highlighting advances made in energy efficiency, sustainable packaging, anti-littering and greening the workplace at hundreds of its restaurants around the world, underscoring it’s commitment to sustainability moving forward. The company hopes the new report will serve as a catalyst for franchisees to make similar improvements in their businesses.

CONTACTS: EDF, www.edf.org; Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.org; McDonald’s Best Practices, EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine. com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www. emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

Non -Stick Cookware: SHOULD I REPLACE THEM? It may be time to upgrade your pans, given that the U.S. government has called for a complete phase-out of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE, otherwise known as Teflon) and related products by 2015, due to health concerns. When Teflon is exposed to high heat it can degrade, which causes it to release its constituent chemical, PFOA, as a gas. This phenomenon can kill pet birds, and can’t be good for humans either.

While there are no known cases of airborne PFOA causing direct health problems for consumers, workers in plants where Teflon has been produced are at increased risk for cancers of the pancreas and the male reproductive tract. “Numerous studies have shown that PFOA alters reproductive hormones in the male, causing increased levels of estrogen and abnormal testosterone regulation and that PFOA or chemicals that break down into PFOA damage the thyroid gland,” reports Melissa Breyer of the website Care2. com

Many foodies have resigned themselves to the likelihood that the idea of a non-stick pan might in and of itself be too good to be true. As such, cast iron, aluminum, copper and stainless steel each rate high for even heat distribution and for holding up well at high temperatures and frequent use.

Used properly—such as by employing a little oil or butter to inhibit food from sticking—such pans can last decades.

Breyer adds that four organs or tissues in the immune system and at least nine types of cells that regulate immune function are targets of PFOA, and that scientists have been unable to find a level of PFOA that doesn’t damage the immune system: “Doses given to effected lab animals were minimal—and less, relatively, than levels found in children.” The fact that PFOA exposure led to testicular, pancreatic, mammary and liver tumors in rats doesn’t bode well for what the chemical may do to humans.

Of course, the risk of exposure is much lower for a person frying an egg at home than for a factory worker manufacturing PTFE for DuPont. In 2007, Consumer Reports Magazine tested PTFE-based non-stick pans from several manufacturers and found harmful airborne emissions of PFOA to be minimal. “The highest level was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern for ongoing exposure to PFOA,” reported the magazine.

“With the aged pans, emissions were barely measurable.”

Some manufacturers are working on safer non-stick cookware using ceramic or silicone coatings free of PTFE or PFOA. But a 2009 survey of eight such alternatives by Cook’s Illustrated magazine did not identify any of the new choices out there high marks. “Not a single one of these ‘green’ pans was without flaws,” said the magazine. “In some, delicate eggs burned, thin fish fillets stuck, and steak charred on the outside while remaining raw within. Others stained or transferred heat inconsistently.” Some pans accumulated the browned bits known as fond when steak was seared, indicating unwanted sticking power. www.livingwellmagazine.net

CONTACTS: Care2, www.care2.com; Consumer Reports’ Kitchen Cookware, www.consumerreports.org/cro/kitchen-cookware. htm; Cook’s Illustrated “Green Skillets,”www.cooksillustrated.com/ equipment/overview.asp?docid=20400.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www. emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www. emagazine.com/trial.

March 2013

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LWM: [TRENDS ] The Maple Syrup Diet made famous by Beyoncé Knowles who used the diet to lose 20 pounds for her role in the movie Dreamgirls in 2006, is gaining popularity again according to Mary Ross of the Mohawk Valley Trading Company. Made primarily from sugar maple sap, Mohawk Valley Trading Company maple syrup is used and recommended by one of by the world’s most recognized chefs; Bobby Flay.

“Many of our customers who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, said they plan to use The Maple Syrup Diet.” said Ross. “It is also referred to as Beyonce's Maple Syrup Diet; she made it popular in 2006 when she used The Maple Syrup Diet to lose 20 pounds for her role in the movie Dreamgirls.”

The Maple Syrup Diet, also known as the Golden Syrup Diet, Lemonade Diet or the Master Cleanse was developed by the late naturopath Stanley Burroughs in the 1970’s as a fasting and detoxification program. It has been used by other celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Ashton Kutcher, Jared Leto, Demi Moore and Gwyenth Paltrow.

Source: The Mowhawk Valley Trading Company

BOTOX FOR THE BLADDER? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved use of Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) to treat adults with overactive bladder who cannot use or do not adequately respond to a class of medications known as anticholinergics.

Overactive bladder is a condition in which the bladder squeezes too often or squeezes without warning. Symptoms include leaking urine (urinary incontinence), feeling the sudden and urgent need to urinate, and frequent urination.

Madonna’s Favorite Mary Jane Wedges The “Matrix” wedge was introduced last year by Ritch's new namesake brand – Ritch Erani NYFC – and soon spotted on the feet of Madonna while on tour in Florence, Rome and Amsterdam. US Weekly, in it’s Buzzz-O-Meter, gave this Ritch Erani NYFC shoe a 5-Bee “major-quake” rating.

Other celebrities who’ve become fans of the Ritch Erani NYFC line include Beyoncé, Kelly Osbourne, and new Britpop star Rtia Ora. The “Matrix” is available in three styles: The original blackand-vanilla version worn by Winter and Madonna, and two new variations.

The Matrix ($695) is sold exclusively at: CHUCKiES New York. (1169 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10028 and online at: www.chuckiesnewyork.com

When Botox is injected into the bladder muscle, it causes the bladder to relax, increasing the bladder’s storage capacity and reducing episodes of urinary incontinence.

Injecting the bladder with Botox is performed using cystoscopy, a procedure that allows a doctor to visualize the interior of the bladder while Botox is being injected.

“Clinical studies have demonstrated Botox’s ability to significantly reduce the frequency of urinary incontinence,” said Hylton V. Joffe, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval provides an important additional treatment option for patients with overactive bladder, a condition that affects an estimated 33 million men and women in the United States.” www.fda.gov 14

Why Fleece?

Fleece blankets are made from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other synthetic fibers and can also be made out of recycled PET bottles or recycled fleece. They are lightweight, warm, soft, and hydrophobic; holding less than 1% of their weight in water which allows them to retain much of their insulating powers even when wet. Fleece blankets are machine washable, dry quickly, are breathable and will not lose their shape or thickness when compressed.

www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

More Than Suds St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner and what has become synonymous in the US with St. Patty’s Day is of course, Beer! Consuming large quantities of beer, starting at your favorite restaurant or pub followed by an evening with friends, including a friendly sleep over and waking up to what else but “Green Eggs and Ham” in the morning, (unless your still too green from the night before)…lol!

While doing a little research on the basic business practices of beer companies we found some companies that think outside of the “barrel” to help the people in their

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communities and the planet.

If your favorite beer isn’t listed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t doing something noble too.

Further research to substantiate the possible health benefits associated with drinking beer can be done at a later time, because there were honestly too many discrepancies to actually document whether or not drinking beer has any health benefits. However, most health care professionals seem to agree that drinking beer in moderation, unless otherwise advised by your physician, is fine.

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The Fordham Brewing Co. is located right here in Dover, Delaware.

The company donated a portion of the profits from the sale of Rosie Parks Oyster Stout to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and on Saturday, April 13, 3013 will hold its first-ever 5K Builders Dash Run/Walk event at the Fordham Brewing Company located at 1284 McD Drive in Dover.

Proceeds from the Builders Dash support CDHFH’s mission of enabling low-income families to build and purchase their own decent, affordable home. Founded in 1990, CDHFH has built and/or renovated 30 homes, housing 136 adults and children throughout Kent County. This year’s Builders Dash will support seven new homes planned for 2013.

Builders Dash 5K Run/Walk

Old Dominion as a company outgrew the brewery of its birth, Loudoun County, VA and moved into a state-ofthe-art brewery in Dover, Delaware.

It is there that Dominion continues to grow and prosper backed by its amazing, loyal fans and the blessing of its noble founder, Jerry Bailey. You can find Dominion beers in more places than before; the ales, lagers and sodas are staples in many local bars, restaurants, and even burger joints.

As a company, Dominion values the rich history and heritage that so many people worked so hard to create. Old Dominion’s main goal is to continue to brew fresh, high-quality, handcrafted beer that everyone can enjoy. Onward and Upward – Above and Beyond – Live the Dream every day.

In June of 1995 Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, opened in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area.

At the time not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. The very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which was three little kegs with propane burners. Beer & Benevolence is the philanthropic branch of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. They are willing to consider creative collaborations with nonprofit organizations to foster community, nourish artistic advancement, and cultivate environmental stewardship.

Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company� are hosting the Builders Dash 5K Run/Walk

Saturday, April 13, 2013 - Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company, 1284 McD Drive, Dover, DE For GPS directions, use this address: 730 Horse Pond Road (we are located next door) Event Contact: Jocelyn Email: director@ centraldelawarehabitat.org Website: centraldelawarehabitat.org

* Most of the beers mentioned in this article can be found at: PREMIER WINE & SPIRITS 16

Brooklyn Brewery The 23-year-old (barely of age) Brooklyn Brewing company was born against all good advice the day two Steves quit their day jobs and took a chance that can only be described as “absurdly huge. Like, whoa.” Fortunately, for them it paid off and Brooklyn Brewing has gone on to become one of the top 40 breweries in the country. Wind turbines generate all the electricity for both their headquarters and brewery, making Brooklyn Brewing the first company in New York City to be powered entirely by wind power! www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

Twin Lakes Brewing Co. is committed to helping to preserve the environment. That is why they prefer cans instead of bottles.

Canning technology has advanced to such a degree that they feel it’s the only packaging good enough for their beer. In fact, they are so committed to cans that they don’t farm out their beer out for packaging.

Instead, they invested and installed their own, brand new canning and packaging operation at the brewery in order to launch their first, fresh brewed Greenville Pale Ale and keep a strict eye on quality right from Twin Lakes Farm.

Their cans are made of 50% consumer recycled aluminum and are recyclable.

They require less energy to create than glass bottles and need less fuel to ship since empty cans weigh far less than empty bottles.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Great Lakes Brewing Co. is a Cleveland, Ohio fixture, claimed by many to be a key part of the city’s identity.

Great Lakes Brewing has entered into what’s referred to as a “closed loop” recycling system. Everything that would be considered waste is used somewhere else within the brewery or the surrounding community. Left over grains, for example, are used in baked goods. On top of making their packaging 100% recyclable, the company also runs their distribution trucks entirely on vegetable oil.

New Belgium Brewing Co. follows a simple philosophy: ignore tradition and have fun at work.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., located in Chico, California boasts that their flagship brew Pale Ale is the flawless beer that made Chico famous. The company uses over 10,000 solar panels and four co-generation fuel cells allow Sierra Nevada to power nearly their entire facility in an eco-friendly way.

They’re the folks behind the Clips of Faith Beer and Film Tour, which travels the country premiering short films involving craft beer, environmental sustainability.

New Belgium was the first brewery to make use of wind power, but their environmental call to arms is passed onto their customers. Team Wonderbike is comprised of customers who pledge to use bicycles more often to off put CO2 emissions from cars. Currently Team Wonderbike is 10,000 strong!

Peak Organic Brewing Company Peak is a craft brewing company, dedicated to making delicious beer using local, artisan and organic ingredients. Started as home brewers, the minds behind Peak Ale brought the Portland, Maine micro-brewery to life, brewing some of the most distinctive ales on the east coast.

Despite of becoming a full-fledged brewery, they kept their commitment to local partners – not to cut expenses but to maintain high quality, making a better tasting brew while helping build their community. Those bonds have proven to be powerful in more ways than one, helping make Peak Ale a powerful brewer in the Northeast.

Odell Brewing Co.’s mission is simple: make consistently great beer in Fort Collins, Colo.: “Our dreams lead us to create imaginative, big, bold, and beautiful beers.”

Eel River Brewing Company was the first brewery in California to be certified organic. They must be doing something right, made evident by the 100-plus medals won in various competitions.

The brewery is equipped with standard solar panels that generate one-third of the facility’s power during peak summer hours. To ensure that their warehouse doesn’t consume more power than necessary, the lighting system will actually turn itself off when the natural lighting is sufficient.

Their brewing facility is powered completely by bio-mass, renewable energy. What’s more, they have their own water pretreatment facility to lessen the load off the Fortuna city’s actual water treatment plant. www.livingwellmagazine.net

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Green Tips & Tricks

“Better food—more local, more healthy, more sensible—is a powerful new topic of the American conversation…For the first time since our nation’s food was ubiquitously local, the point of origin now matters again to some consumers.”1 For a number of reasons this month is a good one to mark the beginning of a new year for local produce. Our winter harvests— roots, heavy greens and storage crops—are trailing off. March, whether frost or no, is when you can plant seeds for lettuces, spinach, and other veggies designed by Nature to withstand spring frosts. March 15 is when my community tomato king George lovingly nudges heirloom seeds into peat pots packed onto a cookie sheet, which sits atop his gas stove for pilot light warmth. He’ll put them out, then plant them as Nature signals.

George’s are the first local outdoor tomatoes on my plate each summer.

to establish that a normal-ish American family could be content on the fruits of our local foodshed.”

City Food, Water Travel Far She had loved living in Tucson, “one of the most idyllic destination cities in the U.S….By all accounts it’s a bountiful source of everything on the human-need checklist, save for just one thing—the stuff we put in our mouths every few hours to keep us alive. Like many other modern U.S. cities, it might as well be a space station where human sustenance is concerned.

Virtually every unit of food consumed there moves into town in a refrigerated module from somewhere far away. Every ounce of the city’s drinking, washing, and goldfish-bowl-filling water is pumped from a nonrenewable source—a fossil aquifer that is dropping so fast, sometimes the ground crumbles….

Happy New Local Food Year

By Karen Verna Carlson, N.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)

Spring Is Certain

Food Choices and Family Values

March is the vernal equinox. We are all aware even subtly of lengthening days and rising temperatures. Right now, some folks may be desperately hanging on by the thinnest emotional threads sustained only by the certainty of more sun and warmth growing week by week. (Remember 2004’s seemingly endless cold tortuous spring with a mid May frost? Arrgghh!) Vernal equinox 2013; ahhhh, that cosmic shift on the 21st into longer days that will warm and feed this year’s crops.

“We had come to the farmland to eat deliberately….We only knew, somewhat abstractly, we were going to spend a year integrating our food choices with our family values, which include both ‘love your neighbor’ and ‘try not to wreck every blooming thing on the planet while you’re here,’” writes Kingsolver.

Living on Local Food March is also Barbara Kingsolver’s Local Food New Year choice, too. “It seemed sensible to start [our 365-day experiment] with the growing season.” She had moved with her husband and teenage daughter to an Appalachian farm in Virginia. “We hoped

A Rare Moral Arena ”We hoped to prove—at least to ourselves—that a family living on or near green land need not depend for its life on industrial food….We hoped a year away from industrial food would taste so good, we might actually enjoy it….Doing the right thing in this case, is not about abstinence-only, throwing out bread, tightening your fake leather belt, or dragging around feeling righteous and gloomy. Food is the rare moral arena in which the ethical choice — continued on next page

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is generally the one more likely to make you groan with pleasure.

Why resist that?” she asks.

Kingsolver points out, “We [Americans] have yet to come up with a strong set of generalized norms, passed down through families, for savoring and sensibly consuming what our land and climate gave us.”

Multiple Benefits Eating locally grown foods is a healthy step in that direction.

New Castle County (www.nccde.org/buylocal) encourages eating local food for much better taste, texture and nutrition; for more heirloom varieties; for farmers to receive full retail with no middlemen. “This means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love. Local food also helps cultivate relationships between farmers and consumers, and gives consumers the opportunity to learn about how their food is grown,” according to the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture (KCSA) quoted on the county website’s Reasons to Eat Local Food.

Conserve Fuel Let’s talk oil consumption. Statistics widely available represent shockingly large carbon footprints beyond the cost of fueling vehicles involved in industrial-scale farming and food transport (the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles). “More than a quarter of all farming energy goes into synthetic fertilizers,” writes Kingsolver’s husband Steven Hopp who teaches college environmental studies.

Learn as You Grow Kingsolver concurs, “Many bright people are really in the dark about vegetable life. Knowing the secret natural history of potatoes, melons, or asparagus gives you a leg up on detecting whether those in your market are wholesome kids from a nearby farm, or vagrants who idled away their precious youth in a boxcar.

Knowing how foods grow is to know how and when to look for them; such expertise is useful for certain kinds of people, namely, the ones who eat, no matter where they live or grocery shop.”

Preserve Space KCSA reminds us that local food economies preserve open space and support a clean environment: “As the value of directmarketed fruits and vegetables increases, the pressures to sell farmland for development becomes less likely. Not only does farmland preservation support smart growth, but a well-managed family farm conserves fertile soil and clean water and protects wildlife.”

Small Changes, Big Differences “Other fuel thirsty steps include processing (drying, milling, cutting, sorting, baking), packaging, warehousing, and refrigeration. Energy calories consumed by production, packaging, and shipping far outweigh the energy calories we receive from food,” says Hopp. We could cut 1.1 MILLION BARRELS of oil EVERY WEEK from America’s oil consumption “if every U.S. citizen ate JUST ONE meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce,” he postulates. “Small changes in buying habits can make big differences.”

Please Participate Maybe a “meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce” would be a BIG change for you. Perhaps buying, storing, cleaning and trimming, preparing — continued on next page

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Foster Social Opportunities

or cooking local natural foods once a week would be too much of a stretch, right now. Please consider making some commitment to buying local food—say, grown within a hundred miles of here.

Maybe once a week buy (or better yet dig or pick or grow) and eat at least one food raised on this local plot of earth we share.

If your food fare is currently global, you could begin to eat more regionally. Create an intention to eat foods in season, and you’ll be definitely eating more locally. No more winter tomatoes from Mexico or honeydews from Chile. There are many ways you can work your way towards more local sustenance. Make a few small changes in your food habits, get a huge flavor as well as nutritional upgrade, and help conserve huge amounts of fossil fuel. Huge.

We appreciate your participation.

You won’t find Woodside Creamery ice cream in the store, though. Good news is their seasonal opening this month on Saturday, the 23rd at noon. It’s worth the trip to their country farm, 1310 Little Baltimore Road in Hockessin for homemade ice cream in flavors galore. Every birthday, a friend of mine gets a huge gift bag of Woodside Creamery ice creams. Quarts and pints of scrumptious flavors. Vanilla sings on my palate. Every flavor is magical. (“Food is the rare moral arena in which the ethical choice is generally the one more likely to make you groan with pleasure.”) The benefits of eating local expand to include this sort of social aspect, a pleasant, productive connection.

Begin Where You Are

Eat Local Food at Restaurants

Where or how to start with the smallest change? Wherever you currently grocery shop, ask what’s local. Within produce departments there’s usually someone refurbishing displays. I enjoy chatting for a moment about fresh food with that person who always is cheerful while I gather the information I need to make more local selections. Of course, I always express my appreciation for his or her work in handling my food.

Begin the same kind of pleasant inquiry at restaurants while you’re looking at the menu. “Buy From Your Neighbor” is a New Castle County program that “links local farm produce to nearby restaurants and markets.” A handshake agreement between food producers and chefs or retailers “symbolizes a willingness to work together to benefit” themselves and the community. Restaurants are encouraged “to promote and distinguish dishes with locallygrown and raised food.” If there are no local foods indicated on the menu, ask. Starting a conversation may encourage the restaurant to offer more local dishes.

Pleasantly Inquire, Gently Educate I enjoy building relationships with these people. They may not know whether things have been heavily sprayed or force fed with fertilizers even when produce is local. Please pleasantly inquire about how food has been grown or raised. Many local farmers have policies of minimal spraying and soil improvement without chemical fertilizers. Gently educate provisioners towards investigating these issues when selecting food.

This idea can serve as kind of a template for inquiring in other grocery departments. Meat and poultry often come from Lancaster, PA. Seafood from the Chesapeake appears seasonally in most super markets. In dairy you may find local milk from Hy-Point Dairy.

Seek an Ye Shall Find When you are ready to go beyond your supermarket’s local food offerings, there are a number of options to choose from.

Healthfood stores stock fresh local organic produce and dairy, but local meat and poultry are usually frozen. Good News Natural Foods in Dover, Milford and Rehoboth offer a wide variety of fresh local food. Farmers’ markets are often open year round.

The one in Kennett Square features vendors along Main Street while the weather is warm and goes indoors for winter. Willy’s Farm Market in Townsend has good quality local fare, and very reasonably priced organics all year. For six generations, Highland Orchards on 1431 Foulk Road have been selling their home — continued on next page

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grown produce, as well as crops raised by other local farmers.

Co-ops Open to Everybody Check local food cooperatives. They often do not require membership and work hours, which provide significant additional savings. Newark Natural Foods Co-op is open to everyone, stocks local food year-round and hosts a farmers’ market all summer.

Delaware Local Food Exchange was started by Karen Igou years ago as a buying club. It is now a local food store located within Nature’s Way Health Food Store, 2400 Kirkwood Highway.

Karen’s “Papa” had a big garden in North Carolina that highlighted her childhood.

Keep Learning Igou writes about the current harvests, recipes, etc. at www. delocalfoodexchange.com She also shares her wisdom and enthusiasm by teaching classes at the store, which she calls “learning experiences that build community around self-reliance skills.” This month you can consider raising backyard chickens (Sunday, March 10, 3 – 4:30 p.m.), growing sprouts indoors in Mason jars (Wednesday, March 13, 7 – 8:30 p.m.), and vegan cooking with tofu, tempeh and seiten (Wednesday, March 27, 7 – 8:30 p.m.). Each class costs $20 and includes a related take-home gift (a dozen free-range eggs, sprouting lids and seeds, a pound of organic tofu). Phone is 302-995-6525. Make it a greener outing by taking the bus to Kirkwood hwy and Clifton Ave. Time outdoors Seasonal farm stands are an obvious source of fresh-picked goodies. CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) programs let people pay the farmer at the beginning of the season to receive weekly allotments of fruits and veggies as they ripen.

Then there are an increasing number of community gardens in neighborhoods, on campuses, at retirement facilities. Folks work their own plots and exchange their surplus crops. Much less commitment, but still a lot of satisfaction, would be to spend a few family hours at a U-Pick farm harvesting your own apples, strawberries, blueberries.

So many good local things to eat! Bon appétit.

1) Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle— A Year of Food Life, Harper Collins Publishers, NY, 2007.

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 cost-effective services that include child-, pet- and elder-care, green housecleaning and auto detailing, decluttering and reorganizing, garden care, and academic tutoring for elementary, middle and high school students.

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

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LW M

style files by: dc fine

Taylor Schlette

Describe your personal style in 5 words: grungy, model off duty, sparkle, pops of color...

I like to call myself the Social Media & Marketing Maven for South Moon Under. My job is basically to make South Moon Under famous! (That’s my famous line!)

I have always been a beach baby, growing up in Ocean City, MD, eventually, leaving the beach and home for college, at Mount Saint Mary’s. Following college, I interned in every big city I could afford to live in. My first real job was in Washington DC at a PR firm.

Feeling drawn to the fashion industry, I left DC for New York City, to pursue a career in fashion. As fate would have it, I landed back in Ocean City, Maryland where I currently work as the Marketing Coordinator for South Moon Under.

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 Who is your “style icon”?

 What is the best piece of style advice you’ve ever given or

I am most inspired by bloggers and street style pictures. Celebs with the best street style are Sienna Miller and Blake Lively!

 Where are your favorite shopping spots?

South Moon Under, Forever21, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, thrift, and vintage stores.

 What is your most recent purchase?

Lavender nail polish, an army green jacket with leather sleeves, and a new white leather house of Harlow pyramid necklace.

 Do you look for a bargain or is price not an issue if you really love it?

If I really love it… I am definitely buying it! It feels better to buy something you absolutely love than buying something just because it’s cheap or on sale!

received?

Accessorizing can turn a good outfit into a great one! Be careful though…you don’t want to overdo it, with over the top jewelry, shoes, and scarves making your outfit look more like you’re wearing a costume.

 Do you always follow seasonal trends?

I love fashion, so trends are always a fun way to add some newness to everyday personal style. Right now, I feel like I am mixing pastels into all of my looks. I love the pastel trend.

 What wardrobe essentials do you think are needed to

carrying out the perfect look?

Denim that fits right, painted nails, and a smile!

 What is it about your own personal style that makes you unique?

I work in fashion, I watch fashion, and I love fashion so my style changes a little bit here and there based on my mood. My style is unique because I am not afraid to try new things or change.

 If you had endless amounts of

money, what would you buy?

What wouldn’t I buy? Hello shopping spree in NYC!

 When is short too short?

It’s never too short! As long as it fits well, and looks good.

Left: Taylor Schlette www.livingwellmagazine.net

Right :Lisa Soghomonian March 2013

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spring favorites

LWMSHOPBYDESIGN Tory Burch Enamel T-Pattern Necklace Bergdorf Goodman

Gucci Soho Dark Pink Leather Disco Bag Gucci B.D. Baggies Men’s Orange Gingham Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt south moon under

TOMS 'Women’s Classic' Crochet Slip-On

Haute Hippie Print Silk Blouse Available for pre-order at: Nordstrom

Cotton Dot Shift Dress Brooklyn Industries NYC

Crystal Crush Bracelet J. Crew

Line & Dot Printed Pastel Dress south moon under 24

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March 2013

Spo

If yo

Midnight Garden Hand & Body Scrub This moisturizing hand and body scrub contains dried rosemary pieces to delicately exfoliate and cleanse. Rosemary essential oil is a gentle and effective cleaning agent. Salacia’s luxurious formula of natural oils, shea butter, and aloe to invigorate and refresh hands and skin. Hand mixed in Savannah. www.salaciasalts.com Beautifully packaged and delightfully scented. The Midnight Garden Hand Scrub leaves your hands and body feeling refreshed, clean and soft!

tern

dman

Michael Kors Large Deneuve Straw Tote Michael Kors

 Spoiler Alert!

If you want to enjoy a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Guilt-free...Don’t Read!

Important note from the editor: The McDonald’s Shamrock Shake makes its return debut winning out prestigious LWM TRIED & TRUE AWARD, and pre-spring favorite. Well, in the taste category that is.

Once we checked out the nutritional value and calorie count, giving it an award seemed a little embarrassing and possibly a bit inappropriate. But, it is quite delicious and is only offered for a short time every year. So indulge or not to indulge? If you do; have just one while it is available and don’t order anything else to go with it, since 680 calories is almost half of what the average calorie intake should be for the whole day. Therefore, you won’t have a lot of options / calories left for the rest of the day. Oh, did I mention that 60% of those calories are from saturated fat.

Please don’t misunderstand, while we felt compelled to share this information with you, and I must admit that having knowledge now about the shakes contents and calorie count may make it harder to actually order one, it doesn’t mean that we won’t be indulging too, because 14 grams of protein is pretty good and sometimes a little extra happiness is more important than extra calories. www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

McDonald's Shamrock Shake (16 oz) Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 serving (16oz) Calories from Fat 180 Total Calories per serving 680 Total Fat 20g 31% Saturated Fat 12g 60% Polyunsaturated Fat 0g Monounsaturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 60mg 20% Sodium 220mg 9% Total Carbohydrate 111g 37% Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 82g Protein 14g Vitamin A 25% Calcium 45% Vitamin C 0% Iron 2% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Sexual Health and Healing with Dianna Palimere, PhD, LCSW

Jerry and Doris Fine [circa 1940’s]. They were married for 66 years!

Are You Lucky in Love?

How much does luck (or serendipity, or kismet, or whatever word you prefer) play a role in finding love? Are some people just luckier than others? If so, is there some way to change your luck? I asked some happy couples to tell me if they thought “luck” had anything to do with their meeting each other. Their stories were quite different, but there was definitely a resounding 26

“Yes!” to the question. In some cases, it seemed, the universe had just happened to put them at the right place at the right time with the necessary circumstances all culminating to bring the two together. In other cases, someone took a chance they might not otherwise have taken, and it led them to meeting their partner.

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In Richard Wiseman’s book, The Luck Factor, he writes about the essential principals that lucky people have. His research focused on why some people identify themselves as lucky, while others do not. The research included 400 people, both males and females, and ages ranged from 18-84. Over a ten-year period, he did a variety of tests with his participants.

In short, he found that lucky people “get that way via some basic principles— seizing chance opportunities, creating self-fulfilling prophecies through positive expectations; and adopting a resilient attitude that turns bad luck around.” When I looked through the stories that people sent to me, I could see these principles applied to how they met the love of their lives. This month, I’m sharing some of my favorite “lucky” love stories.* Seizing Chance Opportunities In one of the stories shared with me, a woman moved from Delaware to Tennessee, to pursue her career dreams.

Once there, she treated her mother to a 3-day Country Music Festival, to thank her for her love and support with the move.

The first night of the concert, she sat at the bar with her mother and had dinner. She explained to me, “I purposely sat two seats away from [a man] at the bar where we ate dinner. I had no interest in talking with random guys. A few old ladies came in and asked us to move down so they could sit together. I ended up next to him. He was there vacationing with his cousin for the festival. They were from Baltimore, MD. We ended up hanging together most of the three days. We were even presented a CMA mug from a random strange family with ‘Best Couple’ written on it. They were sad when I told them we had just met, but how sweet. The last day he asked if we could keep in touch and I told him the different time zones didn’t work for me but it was nice to meet him. He promised to fly to Nashville every weekend that summer to see me. He did! Next week will be 6 years we’ve been married and we are honestly as happy as could be. We grew up 45 minutes apart (Delaware and Maryland) and found each other in Nashville, TN.” How

amazing? Their story is FILLED with seized opportunities!

Creating Self-fulfilling Prophecies Through Positive Expectations In another story, a woman goes with her roommate to see a stand-up comic perform, and ends up creating a very interesting self-fulfilling prophecy. She shared, “At the show I see another comic who is super adorable and funny and I decide “I want that.” But I get scared and don’t talk to him. The next day I go to write on my roommate’s comic-friend’s FB wall about how he did on stage.... and who had written just before me.... but the super adorable boy?! So I message him and tell him, flirtatiously, he was great. He responded, “Hey, I know you. We met at Halloween last year.” Sure enough, I go back to my pictures from the party and it was him. So we flirt back and forth but nothing really is progressing. I’m frustrated at how slowly he responds. But eventually I get him to agree to meet me after a comedy show. I go to the show.... he’s not there....

I wait.... he’s still not there. It’s halfway though, and he shows up and sits at a table 20 feet from me and never looks over.

After the show, he heads out the door to the lobby. I’m feeling a little bummed but not out of the game entirely. I chat with some of the comics I know in the lobby, which is how I then catch the cute boy as he heads out of the bathroom. “Oh, hey!” ....he hadn’t seen me. I play it cool and see if he wants to hang out. We head to a bar. We head to another bar. We head back to his place and watch terrible, terrible television until 6 am. It’s the best first date of my life.” First, let’s acknowledge how many times she has had positive expectations in the situation. Now, before I share the rest of her story, it’s important to clarify that the original Halloween Party where they’d met a year prior, was attended primarily by lesbians, and the leading lady of the story was, in fact, with a female partner that night. The story continues, “I drop it casually into conversation about how I’m bi. It’s suddenly one of those scenes in a movie where everything is going along and then a record scratches and SCREECH: www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

comes to a halt. He didn’t know I wasn’t gay. This is his first recognition that I have been flirting with him, and that I asked him out, and that we are on a date.

He never would have agreed to go on a date because he technically had a girlfriend, (though, they were on the outs and hadn’t seen each other in a while). It was only because he thought I was just a “super friendly lesbian” that he ever met up with me. (If I’d known he had a girlfriend, I obviously wouldn’t have ever messaged him in the first place.) He did break up with his girlfriend and started dating me.

We are still in mutual agreement about this being the best date ever. And now he’s my husband.

When I think about the number of things that had to happen for us to ever meet, for him to get the impression he did so that I could get a shot with him...it’s kind of mind boggling.” I agree! This story has it all—self-fulfilling prophecies, positive expectations, serendipity, kismet…ahh, such an amazing story! Just don’t fail to notice how much effort was put in there, on both parts, for this to happen.

Another “maximized chance opportunity” story that I loved hearing, felt not only like “luck” to me, but more like fate. The woman in this couple shared, “We lived down the street from one another, had classes together, went to school together for 4 1/2 years, had very good mutual friends, but we hardly spoke to each other, didn’t consider each other to be friends, and we never connected until one night we found ourselves out with friends, sitting directly across a table from one another.

We started talking, and the connection was instantaneous and completely unexpected.

We’ve been together just about every day for the last 17 years and we’d both say that we knew pretty early on that we would always be together. But, I don’t know if it would have happened if fate, luck or chance hadn’t seated us across the table from one another! Since then, of course, we’ve made choices every day to pursue each other and build a relationship and family, but I do feel that particular evening — continued on next page

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sparked the entire relationship.” They could have sat across from each other and not spoken to each other, but one or both took a chance. In addition, I love that she acknowledges that they have made CHOICES every day to pursue each other. Good marriages don’t just happen—the people in them make it happen.

Adopting a Resilient Attitude Before internet dating became “normal” for people, I remember telling my single clients that if they wanted to meet someone, they would have to go out into the world and be social. I can remember frequently telling people, “You’re not going to meet someone in your living room.” With the social acceptance and normalization of online dating, you can absolutely “meet” someone in your living room. However, with this phenomenon, also comes frustration. Many people have tried online dating and have “horror stories” that kept them from going back and trying it again. My final lucky love story is about someone who didn’t give up, and gave it another chance. She shared, “I signed up for Chemistry and completed most of the test and profile but then never finished the rest. For whatever reason, I used other dating sites instead, and had dates for two years with no luck in finding anything significant. I took a break from dating and when I decided to go back to a dating site, I remembered that I never finished the Chemistry profile and that I should give it a try since I had done most of it anyway. A few months later I met my partner.

I always wondered what made me not finish the profile the first time around and then decide to go back to it a few years later. I would have not met him the first time around.” As she explains, if she hadn’t gone back, with a positive attitude to try it out again, she never would have met her current partner (who I can attest to, is fabulous, and the two seem completely smitten with each other!).

I hope these stories inspire you to go out there are create your own luck, or change it! Even if you are in a relationship, you can still change your luck within that relationship, by following some

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of the principles above.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day this month, I leave you with an Irish Blessing for Luck:

May you always have…

Walls for the winds A roof for the rain Tea beside the fire Laughter to cheer you Those you love near you And all your heart might desire.

*Some of the details in the stories were changed to ensure anonymity, such as names of persons and names of workplaces.

Emphasis was given to specific words in stories by this author. A special thanks to Suzanne Gierke, who inspired me to write about this topic this month.

Dr. Dianna Palimere is a Psychosexual Therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been in the field of mental health for the past 12 years, dedicating the past seven 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 or email her directly at: dr.palimere@sextherapyindelaware.com

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March 2013

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March 2013

29

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

Q:

I got an injection for neck pain that did not respond to various treatments. There was a complication of infection that attached to the lumbar area. I had some back pain before but now after 25 days in the hospital my back hurts more than my neck. Can you help my back or should I assume the infection has caused permanent damage?

A:

There is a very interesting phenomena that I see daily. People complain of neck pain and if you follow the thread it almost always was preceded by low back pain. This does not happen conversely however. People complaining of low back pain do not have a prior complaint of neck pain. The reason being, we are weight bearing creatures. Many opportunities occur to offset our symmetry and balance below the waist. The ankles, knees and hips are vulnerable. This will cause low back strain as the forces of heel strike from walking or standing travel up the kinetic chain to the thick, shock absorbing muscles on either side of the spine. Unattended, this imbalance spirals its affect up the spine leaving the neck vulnerable and gradually very painful and limited. People assume low back pain comes with age. They usually do not seek help until the neck is an issue. Unraveling the problem from the ground up literally is what will make the neck pain go away. The imbalances that affect the back must be addressed and corrected even if it is at the knee or ankle before you can expect neck pain to be thoroughly and permanently treated. There is a chance the bed rest took strain off the neck and you are feeling the origin; the back pain as a way of your body drawing attention to the root cause. If the infection left scar tissue around the vertebrae that can be addressed. Only if the infection has attacked the bone or nerve roots would it be likely to have caused permanent damage.

Q:

I am a 36 year old Jamaican woman. Over the last 4 years, my life has been reduced to working at my computer and bed rest. I came to your clinic for osteopathy and because I am from out of state, I signed up to stay on the farm for a week and get daily treatments.

Since I arrived a little bit early you have shown me one exercise, fed me healthy foods and encouraged interaction with the animals. How is it I have been upright all day and have very little pain?

A:

I will start with one of my favorite quotes “all illness is falsehood”.-Sai Maa. There are many Eastern philosophies that imply illness starts as a seed of doubt or false belief systems in our mind. If you look at illness that way, a deviation from the knowing that you are whole and perfect, a thought form or misunderstanding about wellness could all be mislabeled psychosomatic. Even though many patients have thought forms that cause them Dis-Ease thus psychologically affecting their soma or musculature in a negative way, your issues may be fundamentally easier and more basic than 30

that. I have found that many of my patients have a thread of patterns, thought processes, past traumas and or belief systems that frame their state of mind thus back drop their state of health. When people sign up for week long intensives; not only do we address those issues but another adjunctive aspect is “Are you getting/giving attention to your cellular health? Rather than hear me lecture about this and then returning home to the same patterns you will get direct application.

Your body more than likely became deficient in nutrients eating foods that you were not accustom too. Food fresh from the vine, grown in soil that is rich in nutrients absent of pesticides and chemicals directly feed the cells. In our culture,the body does a great deal of work trying to discharge toxins that come in on the food and we are used to eating a great deal to try to gain more nutrients. Our bodies have become accustom to this, we have evolved. Your body may have experienced a shock unequipped to deal with this transition. Many patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia either are not getting proper nutrition or they get too many toxins. The nutrients get excreted while they are working so hard flushing poisons leaving their cells at a deficit. Muscle and fascial cells, actually all cells require nutrients and hydration just to be able to function in an electrical and biochemical way. Lack in this area causes miscommunication one cell to the next and havoc as far as coordination and timing of processes, information transmission and output. Specificity and precision are required for optimal function. Lack of fresh air and loss of the nutrients your body was used to receiving will cause the fascial tissue to become sticky and create adhesions and muscle cells and fibers will become inflamed. Both will protest using pain as their vehicle to get your attention. In your case medicine, injections and surgery would have complicated the picture further. Restoring a healthy baseline for exposure to oxygen, water and nutrients will make treatment needs obvious and efficient. Your homework will be to interact with nature and the restore the cellular health you are accustom to in your daily life. The challenge is our culture is fairly nature deprived. We are just beginning to notice the negative affects from taking the basics of health for granted. Eat well, breath, get sunshine and pet something.

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 and has helped thousands of patients. 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 and can be reached 302-656-7882. The farm is also available for birthday parties, women’s circles, and retreats.

www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

Q:

My Golden Retriever is 3 1/2 years old. The other week when he was playing with his toy he suddenly stopped in his tracks, fell over and started to tremble. This went on for about a minute and was very scary. Could you tell me what this could have been?

A:

What you describe could very well have been some kind of neurologic event such as a seizure. There is generally a balance in the brain between excitatory neurons (nerve cells) and inhibitory cells. This balance allows our pets to function without major problems. When the excitatory neurons fire off uncontrollably a seizure can occur. Most seizures in dogs usually occur between 1 and 4 years of age and tend to happen more often in pure breed dogs such as Golden Retrievers, Beagles and Labrador Retrievers.

Seizure activity that occurs frequently over a period of weeks or months or more than three episodes in the same day (cluster seizures), is then considered epilepsy.

Determining the cause of a seizure can be very difficult, expensive and sometimes time consuming. Ingestion of something toxic, such as ethylene glycol (antifreeze), metaldehyde, copper pennies, arsenic or lead can cause seizures. Electrolyte imbalances, liver disease, kidney disease or cardiac arrhythmias are also possible causes. Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), hypocalcemia (low blood calcium), bacteria, fungi and viruses (canine distemper, for example) must also be considered. Certain drugs (metronidazole) and particular tumors (insulinoma) can be suspect. An overdose of insulin in a diabetic dog or cat can result in seizures. Some pets are born with congenital defects of the liver or blood vessels. Other times nutritional deficiencies must be considered (thiamine or pyridoxine, for example). Even trauma and hyperthermia (increased body temperature) have been known to cause seizures. Some tick-borne diseases such as Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes lyme disease, can also be suspect.

The signs and symptoms of seizures in dogs and cats can vary considerably. What you have described may very well be a seizure. Many times dogs, in particular, may fall over on their side with limbs rigid or paddling. They may vocalize, salivate, urinate

or defecate during the episode. Cats, on the other hand, may seem disoriented, may meow, chase their tail or bite/suck at their flank.

Many pets have a period of time prior to the seizure in which they are anxious, hiding or seeking attention. Some owners have become observant enough to recognize when this is occurring.

There is also a period of time after the seizure in which the pet may seem dazed, disoriented or confused, aggressive or even hungry. Some pets are not fully back to themselves for a number of hours, even days.

If you suspect that your pet may have had a seizure take them to the veterinarian as soon as possible. The veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination, including examination of all twelve cranial nerves. Blood work, including, but not limited to, a complete blood count, blood chemistry panel (checking liver function, kidney function, electrolytes and thyroid), a urinalysis, a blood pressure measurement and radiographs (x-rays). Additional testing could include cerebral spinal fluid analysis (CSF), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG). Treatment for epilepsy depends on identifying the underlying cause of the problem. In my experience, acupuncture has helped reduce the severity of the seizures, as well as, increasing the time interval between episodes.

Some pets require medication for life.

If you see the pet having a seizure it is important to prevent him from injuring himself. Make sure that he does not fall off a couch, fall down the steps or gets near any sharp edges that could be close by. Keep your hands away from his mouth because dogs keep their jaws tightly shut and you may risk getting bitten. Try to determine how long the seizure lasted as this will help your veterinarian make an assessment. In my opinion, all pets that seem to have had a seizure should be evaluated by a veterinarian.

Dr. Rose DiLeva is a 1987 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s school of Veterinary Medicine. She practices alternative and conventional veterinary medicine. Dr. DiLeva is a certified veterinary acupuncturist and a certified veterinary chiropractitioner. She can be reached at her Animal Wellness Center in Chadds Ford, Pa. at 610-558-1616 for appointments and telephone consultations. Her web site is www.altpetdoc.com and www.drrosesremedies. com

www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

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A Kind but Effective Letter of Complaint

By Karen Jessee

There is no greater moment of smug satisfaction than righting a wrong by writing something well and sending it to the perpetrator of injustice. It is instant gratification. I have become the master of the polite and effective letter that seeks righteousness, so today I share my secrets of organizing thoughts and words that can make a difference.

No name calling no matter how great the urge or the likelihood that you are correct. While becoming profane and abusive may feel orgasmic and justified, it will not paint you in a favorable light or make the reader sympathetic to your cause.

Use colored paper. Office desks are littered and piled with white paper. Defy the chances of getting lost on the messy desk.

Write an introduction of no more than three sentences stating why you are writing.

After the intro, number your sentences. That’s right; number them.

Avoid those detailed paragraphs where important information may be lost on the person glancing at this with a mountain of other things to do. Numbering will also help you know that you have stated your case clearly using only vital details and that you have stated those details in a logical order.

Detail is important but only as it pertains to the issues at hand.

Do not bring in extraneous stories and relatives. Excess verbiage is not your friend here.

Repeat important ideas.

Repeat important ideas.

Repeat important ideas.

Repeat important ideas.

The IRS: Many years ago I was on a cancer team of a friend, Sam. Friends gathered and took on responsibilities to help her through her illness. Along with my regular duties, I added handling the mail that was piling up and being ignored.

A letter from the IRS revealed that Sam owed years of back taxes well into the thousands. Knowing that Sam was too ill to handle this, I contacted the IRS and said they should go through me. We discussed a payment plan. Sam passed before that was ever put in place.

Imagine my surprise when I started getting registered letters from the IRS claiming that they were now coming after me to get their money. The IRS had my name, and I was about to become their poster child for No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

In spite of my numerous phone calls and letters to their offices, their registered letters kept coming; the threats kept escalating.

Realizing that I might be weeks away from having my wages garnered or my car towed, I took control.

I grabbed giant sheets of newsprint, a black magic marker and began boldly printing. I began with the opening “I am using this format so I do not get lost on your desk or in your system.”

After that, I numbered over 40 short sentences stating the issues using social security numbers, death certificate numbers and specific names. I dated my many phone calls and letters, and stated repeatedly that I was not related. I was firm, accurate, repetitive and polite. My letter to the IRS on newsprint could have plastered a wall in size. I mailed that letter in a giant envelope. I never heard from them again. Case closed.

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March 2013

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Utility Companies: I switched from one internet provider to another and made it clear, very clear, that I was not doing automatic payments but that I wanted paper billing. The company agreed, but then failed to act upon it. When bills failed to show up, I called several more times and stated my case. Again, nothing was done.

Imagine my surprise on Christmas Eve when my internet service was cancelled; no notice, no e-mail. Attempting to solve the problem of actually trying to give them money to pay the bill, I logged in endless hours on the phone and was sent to India three times. It took two weeks to restore my service.

Refusing to be victimized by a utility company, I sent out three separate letters to different branches of the company and saved another for the Better Business Bureau. Those numbered sentences allowed me to repeatedly edit, add to, and correct that letter until it was absolutely clear just where the injustice lay.

It took one more visit to the office and yes…the letter. I thought neon orange would be colorful and eye catching for those who had been unable to connect the dot.

It is human nature to become indignant when we’ve been made to feel slighted, ignored, victimized or insignificant. When insane piles upon inane, there is no e-mail, dot com, dot org or dot net; no tweet, blog or social media whining that is going to help you climb a mountain of stupidity like a well written letter.

This is Old School that can make a difference, not only for you but for others. I’ve learned through the grapevine that my letters have been read at meetings and handed out to branch offices. Change for the better ensued; common sense returned.

Don’t let red tape get so sticky that all you see is red. Grab some paper. Organize your thoughts. Be clear, be calm, be kind, and be professional. Imagine you are stating your case to a jury. Imagine justice. Choose your colors… and write those wrongs.

Not only was the situation remedied, but the Better Business Bureau called to see if I was happy. They liked my letter; they liked my lavender paper.

Social Security: You would think it would be fairly easy to cancel the social security benefits of a deceased woman who had one name, one husband, one Social Security number, one address, and one daughter.

You would think that a notice from a funeral parlor, two letters and a visit to the Social Security office to stop sending money would solve the problem.

You would think that when the Social Security office finally read those letters and took their benefit money out of the checking account, they would not then feel obligated to also send out a bill requesting reimbursement.

Destress Package

Karen Jessee is a professional organizer and founder of Simply Organized. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Philadelphia Chapter of Professional Organizers. She encourages people to simplify their lives and works with those who need to downsize and get organized. Karen helps clients make the decisions and create the systems that are best for them. She also teaches the strategies to help clients gain greater clarity, control, productivity and peace. Karen is a public speaker on these topics. Visit her website at: www.nowsimplyorganized.com

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March 2013

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Living In Fear?

How To Become Free

L

ife is difficult. That was the first sentence of the very first personal growth book I ever read some 20 years ago. A friend gave me M. Scott Peck’s, The Road Less Traveled. I thought it was a peculiar gift - it was given to me at the height of my addiction to drugs. I remember asking my friend what the book was about and he said, “Just read it.” It took me two years before I finally picked it up, and it took another five years until I finished it. Those first three words - Life is short were unforgettable to me, and I remember thinking, “Who would start a self help book like that?” Almost two decades later, those words and their meaning still ring true. Yes, life is difficult... now get over it, because it will never change. You can, however, focus on what you CAN change and that, my friend, is you.

For over 11 years, I have had the privilege of personally working with thousands of individuals. I’ve worked with everyone from top business professionals to individuals stuck in destructive emotional patterns. I have worked with a women who had to overcome personal childhood trauma to create a loving and balanced life. I have coached couples with the divorce papers on the table waiting to be signed and they were able to find love again. No matter how powerful or subtle the change was, there has always been one constant; We must face what we fear. We need to either embrace fear and go through it or begin the painful stock piling of regrets that begins with “If I had only...” There is one guarantee: either master your fear, or become enslaved by it.

The choice is yours.

upon itself. You can not just ignore it because the more you ignore it, the more it grows in size and power. Ignorance is not bliss.

Ignorance is like throwing gasoline on a fire to put the fire out.

Bad idea! Fear grows in the dark and dies in the light of exposure.

Time to shed some light on it...

You break free from your fear by suffocating it, giving it no room to breath or to grow. I adopted a phrase many years ago: “If I can’t I must.” In other words, if I say I can’t do something, I automatically do it. I don’t let fear fester or become embedded.

By adopting this new standard, you will revolutionize your life.

It will force you to step up and face those things which make you feel uncomfortable, uneasy or that you fear. Fear can’t grow when you are always knocking it down, but what will grow is you. You develop amazing emotional muscles. What once seemed hard will begin to become easier. You will look for new opportunities to grow instead of hiding in the shadows. You become liberated from what once held you back.

Till next time, I wish you love and passion. Live Free

Joe White is the President and founder of Get Life Coaching. Get Life Coaching is the leader in personal and professional development since 1999. Joe recently earned the most Prestigious Award : 2012 Entrepreneur of the year. Joe can be contacted at: 302-832-3424, or email him at: doitnow@getlifecoaching.com or check out: facebook.com/getlifecoaching Follow Joe on @getlifecoaching

Fear is an interesting element. I read once that the acronym for FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Living in fear, fear becomes the lens that we see life through. It taints all of life’s experience. It strips away self esteem and self worth as it it feeds 34

By Joe White

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March 2013

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Embrace The Imperfections

T

here is nothing quite like a home cooked meal or a handmade baked treat to lift your mood and feed your inner need for comfort food. The interesting thing about most home cooked meals is how they share very little with their more serious, refined, polished counterparts in the professional food service world. Dishes in restaurants are conceived, reconceived, plated and replated until the dish is as perfect and sculpted as a fine piece of art. Most restaurant dishes are the picture of perfection (or at least that is what every chef, cook and culinary student is aiming for). Throughout the development of the dish every aspect from the cut of the vegetables to the color of the garnish has been pondered and carefully selected to provide the diner with taste, color and contrast. It is a lengthy process and one which can ultimately on occasion rob the dish of its simple inner beauty.

It is here that the Home Chef takes the torch and the advantage.

The dishes that are the true winners in our hearts are often the simplest of things. They are recipes that have been passed down through generations, with unspoken techniques that are only learned through patience and carefully watching the process. The home spun recipes have gone through a different refining process.

A much gentler, subtle, approach has been taken over the years to most often create a simpler root version of a dish. Much like water over thousands of years smooth the surface of river rocks; creating smooth but imperfect stones. In opposition the Professional Chef creates a dish in the way a diamond cutter carefully etches out the refined inner beauty of a rough stone.

By Eric Aber

pastries from France. Even if it is uneven, lopsided, overfrosted, or even a little dry, it is these tiny imperfections which make it a one of a kind. It makes it a treasure that can be enjoyed, consumed and remembered fondly. IT will not be recreated countless time on a busy Friday night in a professional kitchen.

A favorite meal from childhood prepared by a warm caring set of hands can have just as strong of an emotional affect as any artfully decorated plate executed by a highly trained Professional Chef. It may be roughly chopped, simply garnished, and thrown together without the aid of a written formula or a Google search for a tried and true recipe with a five star rating, but it will be satisfying!

The dishes unique flavor and texture have been evoked by not so much culinary knowledge as much as culinary intuition. The imperfections of the dish are what make it “home-style” they are what make it unique as a fingerprint that is special to each family and culinary back ground.

So next time you are preparing a dish and it is not “perfect” do not apologize for it. Do not make excuses for it. And never try to hide the wonderful unique slightly imperfect virtues that make it a one of a kind masterpiece.

Eric Aber co-owns the award winning restaurant Home Grown Cafe in Newark, DE with his wife Sasha. In addition to the cafe, he enjoys foraging for wild mushrooms and other edibles, traveling, practicing Ninpo, playing music, furthering his culinary knowledge and spending time with his family.

A Birthday cake made from scratch, frosted by hand and decorated with love has just as impressive a result as the finest elegant www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

35

Irish Soda Bread

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, extra for dusting 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold 1 3/4 cups buttermilk 1 egg

2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon baking soda

recipes: spring celebrations!

The Frog Commissary Carrot Cake

Assembly:

Do Ahead This cake is most easily made if you start it at least a day ahead, since the filling, for one thing, is best left to chill overnight.

In fact, the different components can all be made even several days in advance and stored separately until you are ready to assemble the cake.

4 ounces shredded, sweetened coconut (1 1/2 cups)

Pecan Cream Filling 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup flour

2. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Have ready a greased and floured 10″ tube cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn oil and sugar. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture and blend. Alternately sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one by one. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour into the prepared tube pan and bake for 70 minutes.

Cool upright in the pan on a cooling rack. If you are not using the cake that day, it can be removed from the pan, wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored at room temper­ature.

3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Carrot Cake 1 1/4 cups corn oil

3. Make the frosting: Cream the butter well. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Sift in the sugar and add the vanilla. If too soft to spread, chill a bit. Refrigerate if not using imme­diately, but bring to a spreadable temperature before using.

2 cups sugar 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 4 cups grated carrots (about a 1-pound bag) 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup raisins Cream Cheese Frosting 8 ounces soft unsalted butter 8 ounces soft cream cheese 1-pound box of powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 36

1. Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan, blend well the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in the cream. Add the butter. Cook and stir the mixture over low heat until the butter has melted, then let simmer 20-30 minutes until golden brown in color, stirring occasionally. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in the nuts and vanilla. Let cool completely and then refrigerate, preferably overnight. If too thick to spread, bring to room temperature before using.



This carrot cake recipe is from one of my favorite restaurans, once located in Philadelphia several years ago. It is the best carrot cake recipe on the planet!

4. Assemble the cake. Preheat the oven to 300°. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until it colors lightly.

Toss the coconut occasionally while it is baking so that it browns evenly. Cool completely. Have the filling and frosting at a spreadable consistency. Loosen the cake in its pan and invert onto a serving plate.

With a long serrated knife, carefully split the cake into 3 horizontal layers. Spread the filling between the layers. Spread the frosting over the top and sides. Pat the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake.

If desired, reserve 1/2 cup of the frosting and color half with green food coloring and half with orange. Then decorate the top of the cake with green and orange icing piped through a 1/16” wide, plain pastry tube to resemble little carrots. Serve the cake at room temperature.

Visit: At Home With Steve Poses Blog at: athomebysteveposes.wordpress.com

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March 2013

Homemade Matzo It's difficult to keep the process of making homemade matzo kosher. Jewish law allows only 18 minutes from the time the flour is first mixed with water to get the breads cooked. If you're speedy and work in small batches, you can just accomplish this at home.

2 cups flour, wheat, white, or a mix (kosher for Passover) 1 cup water Pre-heat the oven to 475째. You will need: two baking sheets lined with parchment, a rolling pin, and a fork for pricking holes.

When the oven is pre-heated, mix together the flour and water.

Knead briefly until the dough comes together into a smooth ball, approx. 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough sticks to your hands or the counter, add flour a teaspoon at a time until it is no longer sticky.

(Irish Soda Bread, recipe on opposite page) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and raisins. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients, blend by hand until the mixture looks like cornmeal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.

Using a strong utensil or your hands, mix the wet and dry ingredients together until the dough can be formed into a ball.

Separate the dough into egg-sized pieces and sprinkle the counter with flour. Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough as thin as you can. Transfer to a baking sheet and pierce it all over with a fork to prevent the dough from puffing in the oven. *If traditional squares are preferred, trim edges prior to baking.

Repeat until the baking sheet is full. The breads won't spread, so you can put the breads fairly close together. Bake until crisp, 3-4 minutes.

While the first batch is baking, prepare the second batch.

Continue baking and rolling until all the matzo has been cooked (or 18 minutes are up!).

Makes 8-12 flat breads

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until soft and elastic. Shape the dough into a round loaf, about 6 inches in diameter. Place on a greased baking sheet. Dust the top of the loaf with flour.

Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the dough, about half the depth of the loaf and to 1-inch of the edge. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Makes one loaf of bread

Traditional Apple Charoset 6 medium Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced 2 cups walnut halves or pecans, lightly toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped 1 cup raisins 1 cup chopped apricots, 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup sweet red wine www.livingwellmagazine.net

March 2013

(sweet), *Recommended: Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey (till desired sweetness is obtained) In large bowl, stir together all ingredients. Store, covered, at room temperature until ready to serve.

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The Practicing Mind I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing best-selling author Tom Sterner about his book, The Practicing Mind. In addition to being a highly accomplished writer, Tom is a trained jazz pianist, a private pilot, a student of archery and an avid golfer. He teaches his techniques for mastering skills to businesspeople, at sports clinics, and to learners of all kinds.

He is also, luckily for me, a good friend of mine. Tom lives in Wilmington, Delaware, and you can learn more about him and his book at www.thepracticingmind.com

his enthusiasm would begin to wane. He’d procrastinate, make excuses and, finally, stop working on it altogether. Then he’d get a new creative idea and start all over again. And again. And again.

The Practicing Mind

So he determined to change that, but didn’t really know how or where to start. Thankfully he did know to start college, where luck – or the benevolent grace of a loving universe, depending on your perspective – showed up in the form of a book a friend gave him on Eastern philosophies. He felt an immediate kinship with them, particularly with Zen Buddhism, and began to delve into the practice and experience of present moment awareness.

“Real peace and contentment in our lives come from realizing that life is a process to engage in, a journey down a path that we can choose to experience as magical.” – Tom Sterner, The Practicing Mind Tom Sterner is a man with presence. He is grounded, calm and very, very clear. He is also highly accomplished – a fact which, according to him, was completely unpredictable when he was young. To hear him tell it – which I had the good fortune to do – he was a creative child who had all kinds of inspired ideas.

He would jump into a new project with great vigor, but then

Might this be a teensy bit familiar to you? I’ve coached countless clients who have experienced similar repeating cycles of starting something but not completing it. As Tom knows all too well, that kind of experience can, over time, erode your self-esteem. As he neared high school graduation, he began to feel that his inability to complete something that mattered to him reflected an underlying powerlessness.

To say that it changed his life would be an understatement. As he began applying and refining what he learned, he began to get things done – to complete things, to master desired skills. By the time he reached his thirties, people would frequently observe that he was the most disciplined person they knew, which surprised

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him. His old self-identity as someone who couldn’t get things done was still lingering, but he began to appreciate that their observations were correct.

And he became curious about connecting the dots. How, exactly, had he transformed himself from a creative yet unfocused person into a creative and highly accomplished one? His exploration of his own journey and process resulted not only in greater personal awareness and clarity, but a desire to share what he learned and mastered by writing a book, already destined to be the first of several.

The title of Tom’s book, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is The Practicing Mind. The full title is, The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus & Discipline in Your Life. If you’re like me, the word “discipline” can sometimes send shivers of dread down your spine, perhaps in recall of a particularly strict nun from grade school who loved to wrap your undisciplined knuckles with her ruler.

So let me ease your mind: that’s not the kind of discipline Tom is talking about. I’ll share the book’s tagline to reassure you on this point: Master any skill or challenge by learning to love the process (emphasis mine).

I really like that tagline, because it reveals that the kind of discipline Tom helps us develop isn’t harsh or judgmental; it’s actually a foundation for loving the process of mastering a skill or challenge. And the tagline also highlights one of the key themes of the book, which is to cultivate present moment awareness by focusing on process rather than product (or goal).

As Tom explains so clearly and eloquently in his book, it is the shift from focusing on product to focusing on process that directly addresses the waning of enthusiasm many of us experience when we start something new, whether that something is losing weight, cultivating a healthier relationship, learning to play a musical instrument, or…whatever really matters to us. By bringing present moment awareness to each aspect of the process we’re in, using the goal or “product” as a rudder to steer our general direction, we experience a spaciousness and peacefulness that eliminates wasted effort and enhances the overall quality of the experience – and the outcome.

In contrast, when we’re focused on the product, or goal, what we’re really focused on in most cases is how far away from it we are, or how long it will take to get there, or how hard it will be, or…you get the idea. Focusing in this way feels bad, and the worse we feel, the less motivation we have to continue. And so we stop.

If you think about it, you may recognize that a focus on how far away we are from our goal is, inherently, a judgment. And as Tom says so simply and powerfully in his book, judgment requires energy – none of which is moving us in the direction we want to go.

Those of you who have worked with me know how strongly I emphasize letting go of judgment as essential to living a liberated and deeply fulfilling life. Tom’s emphasis is just as strong, and his perspective on how to do it is clear and direct.

He offers an incredibly useful distinction between analysis and judgment. Analysis – or what I like to think of as observation and assessment – comes before judgment and is completely neutral.

Through present moment observation and assessment we can respond powerfully and effectively to our circumstances. But when our minds rush forward into judgment, that’s when we get off track. We lose focus and energy and end up making reactive choices rather than conscious ones.

Tom says that by cultivating present moment awareness, we gain the privilege of choice. (I love that expression.) By slowing down our thoughts and allowing ourselves to fully inhabit the spaciousness of each moment, we can choose not to follow the runaway judgment train. We can let those thoughts go and stay present with our intention and whatever we’re engaged with right now.

In our conversation he offered a striking example of how profoundly important and effective this practice is. You may recall the heroic landing of a plane in the Hudson River a few years ago by a pilot named Captain Sully. Both of the plane’s engines failed shortly after takeoff, when the plane was flying over New York City. Tom heard a recording of the conversation Captain Sully had with the air traffic controller, and was struck not only by how calm the pilot was, but how completely focused he was on analysis only, providing the observations and assessments that pointed to immediate next steps for landing the plane safely.

Tom asked me to imagine what would have happened if, instead of maintaining that focus, Captain Sully had allowed his thoughts to rush forward into judgment and worst-case scenarios. Imagine if he’d been caught up in “Oh my God, this is a disaster! Why did this happen to me? This is terrible, and it’s so unfair!” He would not have had the presence of mind to land the plane.

That’s how essential presence of mind really is. And while most of us aren’t depending on our present moment awareness to literally save lives, we may not realize how often we rob ourselves of an alive and fulfilled life by getting lost in the forward momentum of agitated thought.

Tom knows that it is possible to stop the forward motion of our thoughts. We can do it by developing a practicing mind.

To develop a practicing mind is to develop a mind that is practiced at returning its focus, again and again, to the present moment, disallowing any interpretations or judgments that distract us from intentionally engaging with what we’re doing now.

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It takes – well, practice. And that practice is well worth the effort.

In his book, Tom walks us through specific approaches and practices we can take on to help us cultivate a clear, focused mind, especially as we undertake the mastering of a challenge or skill.

One of those practices is highlighted in a chapter called, “The 4 S Words,” with each word signaling an approach we can take to develop present mind awareness: simplify, small, short and slow.

I say, let’s do just that. His book can show you how.

As with all of Tom’s writing, this chapter is clearly and persuasively written. He shares an amazing story of an experience he had when he consciously chose to focus on moving s-l-o-w-l-y through a particular day when he had more to do than could reasonably be done in a work day, at a time in his life when he was routinely working 16-hour days, 7 days per week. What he experienced was truly miraculous. I don’t want to spoil the surprise – please treat yourself to the book and find out – but I’ll just offer this teaser: working slowly and mindfully is the best-kept time management secret in the world. You can learn not just to manage time…but to expand it!

The full audio recording of Suzanne’s interview with Tom is available at www.mysolidground.com

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Tom considers meditation an essential practice for cultivating present moment awareness. He describes the mind as a thought-machine: it will think whether we give it permission or not! Meditation is a practice that teaches us to step back from all those churning thoughts so we can make conscious choices about where to focus our attention.

And I loved what he said about meditation practice, addressing one of the things I know can frustrate many people who are just beginning to meditate. He said there is no such thing as a bad meditation, because every time you catch yourself when your mind takes off, and you bring yourself back to your chosen focus for the meditation (e.g., your breath or a mantra) – that’s where the power is. Every time you catch yourself, you’re expanding consciousness and stamina. So it’s not wasted practice – you’re getting lots of repetitions in!

You might notice that the word “practice” comes up a lot in conversation with a man who wrote a book called The Practicing Mind. That’s because from Tom’s perspective, all of life is some form of practice. We’re constantly expanding, learning and

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growing, which means we’re constantly practicing new things.

We’re never finished, we’re never “there,” so why not slow down and intend to derive satisfaction in every moment?

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Copyright © 2013 Suzanne E. Eder

Suzanne Eder is award-winning writer, teacher and transformational life coach, Suzanne Eder 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 is a former fitness instructor who taught aerobics, body sculpting and yoga for 16 years. She has also been initiated in Divine Openings, an extraordinary evolutionary process which powerfully supports clients in awakening to their magnificence. Through her writing, classes and workshops 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.

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© Aspenphoto | Dreamstime.com American Football Cheerleaders - high school

Teenage Sports Injuries - Girls Rival the Boys!

Do it for the team! Give it your all! Work through it! Push harder!

Suck it up! Such commands are common on the field, court, mat or pool. The rush and excitement of competing is incredible.

Testing one’s ability and seeing just how far the body and mind can be pushed is irresistible. Despite the upside, ranging from fitness to confidence building, teenagers also experience the downside of suffering greater injury from sports than ever! Mention sports injuries common to young adults, and most people visualize boys running into other boys on the football field, or they may recall the grunts and yelps from boys engaged in a wrestling match.

Feeling lucky that you have girls? Hold on! After treating teenage athletes for over 20 years, I have seen a girls’ sport that rivals any of the boys’ for causing severe injuries to the developing spine, skull bones and extremities. I am referring to the highly acrobatic sport of competitive cheerleading.

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Injuries from playing girls’ soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, running, dance and tennis are common. However, requiring unique and demanding activities, like flying through the air or building human pyramids that reach 15 feet or higher, cheerleading has moved beyond the encouraging yells and waving of pompoms.

It has become the leading cause of injuries for teenage girls who come to my office.

As a former competitive high school athlete with many fond memories of the soccer field, my role is NOT to suggest your child stop altogether, but for you to become aware of the risks involved.

You need to be vigilant. Chiropractic care can help your daughter grow and develop normally, perform at her peak level and recover more quickly. It will also aid in the prevention of injuries that can plague her for a lifetime!

The statistics are not much to cheer about. According to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the most common causes of injury are from basing/spotting (23%), tumbling (14%–26%), and falls from heights (14%–25%).

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Stunting accounts for 42% to 60% of all cheerleading injuries and 96% of concussions and closed-head injuries. Pyramid stunts are responsible for the majority of head/neck injuries (50%–66%). I have seen cheerleading injuries to the spinal joints, knees, wrists, shoulders and head. Serious injuries have involved the spinal disks and one case of a painful misalignment of the coccyx, the tip of the tailbone.

Not all injury is painful. Damaged soft tissue and joints may exist without symptoms. The covert injury may lessen your young athlete’s level of performance by diminishing her coordination, flexibility and strength. Untreated injuries or those masked with pain medications may increase the susceptibility of future insult.

This is seen when a serious incident seems to spring out of the blue. Think about the time you witnessed a young athlete perform a simple routine or move, one that she has done hundreds of times, only to see her stop in the middle with gripping pain?

Assessing your child’s state may be complicated if she maintains a stoic appearance. She may be reluctant to disclose that she is feeling pain because she fears being benched by her coach or a parent. Her condition may be masked with over-the-counter pain relievers.

You can assess your child for pain or injury by doing the following:  Start by asking her if she has pain anywhere in her body when she is stationary or moving.  See if she can turn her head equally as far to the right as to the left.  Have her do the same rotation with her torso and lower back and compare the movements.  Have her move all of the joints of her arms and legs and compare one side to the other.  Check to see if there is any swelling of her joints.  Have her stand facing you. Look to see if one shoulder is higher, her head is tilted, or one hip is higher than the other.  See if one foot turns out more than the other.  Feel if the muscles along her spine are tighter than those on the other side, above or below.

Athletic performance suffers. In addition to poor nerve function, the mechanical deficits of spinal and/or other joint misalignment creates a burden on muscles and connective tissues. Recovery is hindered and further injury encouraged. This cascade of events can quickly end a season. Furthermore, unlike adults, the younger athlete must consider the effects of injury on the growing body.

Research on the role chiropractic plays in naturally enhancing physical performance has produced findings worth shouting about! A group of athletes under chiropractic care were compared to a control group that received no care. Agility, balance, power, speed reaction, and hand reaction time were all measured. They improved dramatically in the chiropractic group. The following results were found: -After six weeks, the chiropractic group had an overall 10.7 percent improvement in athletic ability.

-The control group had a 4.5 percent improvement.

-After 12 weeks, the chiropractic group’s improvement was 16.7 percent!

The study’s author concluded that: “the [chiropractic] athlete reacts faster, coordinates better, executes fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.”

Doctors of chiropractic utilize techniques that gently realign joints and relieve muscle and connective tissue issues. Treatment is effective, drug and surgery-free and typically feels good. Other treatments such as cold laser therapy, massage therapy and specific nutritional supplementation may also be used.

If your child is active in sports, it’s time to go for a chiropractic check-up. If she is injured or demonstrates imbalances during any of the above tests, act with haste. The care will help her recover and prevent further and future injury. She will perform at a higher level and find it easier to go the distance. With a few chiropractic visits, she’ll really have something to cheer about!

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/10/15/peds.2012-2480. full.pdf Lauro, B.M. Chiropractic effects on athletic ability. Chiropractic: The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigations, 1991, 6(4), pp.84-87

Dr. Scott E. Rosenthal is a dedicated expert in the field of health and wellness. He is a Doctor of Chiropractic, has a B.S. in Nutrition and is a Registered Yoga Teacher. In addition to practicing in Wilmington, DE, Dr. Rosenthal writes and speaks regularly to help people live happier, healthier lives. His entertaining presentations are filled with easy-to-use strategies.

Call 302-999-0633 or go to Rosenthalchiropractic.com

The role of chiropractic in the teenage athlete is the same as it is with the pros. The doctor of chiropractic is trained to examine for misalignment of joints and problems involving muscles and connective tissues. If the spinal segments become misaligned from the many moves involved while performing sports, the nerves exiting the spine may become damaged. Therefore, the brain will be less able to control and coordinate bodily functions. www.livingwellmagazine.net

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This year it is going to be different!

Follow our garden! Let us know what you are doing!

We are starting our garden earlier this! This year we are going to get the weeds under control and try to make the rows straighter and mark them clearer. We might even get potatoes planted around St. Patty’s Day. Ambitious, We know, but this year our garden is going to be better. We have already spread out a few plastic tarps on the ground. A farmer suggested we do this to stop the first spring weeds. In some parts of the garden we are using the cardboard from the Living. Well Magazine delivery skids. The tomato cages are on the side, ready and waiting, along with the wooden poles and other garden tools. We have bamboo poles (from bamboo that is growing on our property) drying out to use as a trellis for the climbing beans.

It seems I might be a bit more organized in preparing for the “Garden of 2013”. Over the last few weeks, I have been working on a planting map for the garden and our entire family has started composting using the new composter that I received this past holiday. I have become a more ‘educated gardener’, having read a few books and articles on organic gardening and of course watching a few YouTube videos, it looks so easy. But it never is, having already started to clean out some of the old plant beds and weeds. Since it hasn’t been that cold, working outside hasn’t been too bad for this time of year. If the weather continues to stay at these temperatures, we may be able to start turning the soil.

the amount of habanero, chili, cayenne and jalapeno peppers the garden produced. (I even made habenero jelly) The first round of radishes and lettuce were great but literally died out too soon. We tried planting bush beans, beets, carrots and a second round of lettuce and radishes but there was no hope, the weeds started to take over. The tomato crop was smaller than we had expected, but the tomatoes we did grew were delicious. We planted a new variety of purple tomatos and they were the most fantastic tomatos we have ever eaten! However, gone too soon like everything else.

One of the most important tips that I picked up from my reading this year is to find a garden mentor who can help answer some of your questions. So this is the plan for the “Garden of 2013” what is yours? We will try to keep you updated on our progress and will add some pictures on our facebook page at: facebook. com/lwmlivingwellmagazine as well. I know my garden is not going to win any awards because it will not be pretty. But it is a great feeling to make dinner with what you grew yourself!

Why not follow along with us, share your photos, some tips and tricks, some recipes and we can grumble about the weeds together!

BTW, We also have a herb garden, it is planted all in pots on the deck. Over the last few years we have started our own orchard, adding several blueberry bushes, a grapevine (it produced 5 bunches last year) and we hope to add a few Fig trees this year.

Last year’s garden fell a bit short from our grandiose expectations having produced more weeds than anything else.

However,we did have a few successes, the cucumbers were plentiful and lasted thru most of the summer, as did the Squash and Chinese eggplants. I looked like a gardening genius with

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