This months local content..,

news briefs

Back to School Bash Helps Local Kids

Innate Health Family Chiropractic and Wellness will host a Back to School Bash from noon to 2 p.m. on August 3 in Hampstead. The event is free to the community and all that is requested is donations of non-toxic school supplies which’ll be provided to a selected community school in anticipation of the new school year.

Activities planned include face painting and a photo booth opportunity. Back pack checks, height and weight checks and demonstrations on preparing healthy snacks and meals for kids will be conducted as well. Complimentary food and beverages will be available. Discussions on the importance of chiropractic care and wellness for kids will round out the event.

Location: 14886 U.S. Hwy. 17N, Hampstead. Patient guests can obtain $39 examination which includes a complete history, consultation, exam, thermal imaging study and X-rays. Call to register to attend at 910-406-1200. See ad, page 12.

Consider a Day Spa for Your Wellness Routine

According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) Consumer Survey, 72 percent of individuals surveyed claimed their primary reason for receiving a massage in the previous 12 months was medical (43 percent) or stress (29 percent) related.

A growing body of research supports the health benefits of massage therapy for conditions such as stress, fibromyalgia, low-back pain and more. “Find out how you can benefit from adding massage therapy to your health and wellness routine,” comments Iris Lopez, Licensed Massage Therapist and Esthetician and owner of Serenity Day Spa, in Wilmington.

Lopez brings 30-plus years of experience to the area with massage therapy services plus skin cleansing treatments, waxing, hair removal body treatments and many more services. “I only use natural, plant-based products for both men and women, and provide the utmost dedication and professionalism to every client served,” adds Lopez.

Location: 5019 Carolina Beach Rd., Wilmington. Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon.- Sat. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 910-523-9752 or visit SerenityDaySpaWilmington.com. Mention Natural Awakenings. See listing, page 24.

Wrightsville Beach Wahine Classic

The Wahine Classic, a beloved surfing tradition at the south end of Wrightsville Beach, attracts all levels and ages of female surfers. This year’s scheduled start time is 8 a.m. on both August 11 and 12.

Divisions will include Pro Short and Longboard, and Amateur Short and Longboard. The popular Stand Up Paddleboard as well as the Tiny Wahine divisions are crowd favorites. Check the website for updates, registration and heat schedules.

Location: Beach access at Oceanic Restaurant, 703 S Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach. For more information, pricing and to register, visit Facebook.com/WahineClassic.

Group Hypnosis for Eliminating Junk Food

Many may have considered hypnosis as a treatment or therapy option including those that find themselves pulling into a fast food place then later being frustrated for eating junk food. To help, consider attending a group session led by Master Transpersonal Hypnotherapist Linda Thunberg to assist in eliminating this urge from diets at 7 p.m. on August 9 at Our Place, in Wilmington.

“The session will focus on reducing and releasing the cravings, impulses and the desire for foods that are harmful to our bodies,” Thunberg comments.

Cost $20/person. Location: Our Place, 4320 Wrightsville Ave., Wilmington. For more information and to register, visit OurPlaceILM.com/calendar. See ad, page 3.

6 SE North Carolina Edition NA-SENorthCarolina.com

therapy spotlight

An Ounce of Prevention Worth a Pound of Cure

When it comes to breast health, most women understand the importance of prevention and are probably already familiar with the traditional wisdom: eat healthy, exercise, limit alcohol consumption, conduct self-exams and, once you reach a certain age, go in for a biannual mammogram.

While those certainly are valuable tips, there is a way to achieve what women’s health expert and New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Christiane Northrup calls “true prevention” through thermography.

And when you’re talking about what could be the difference between achieving wellness and battling sickness, the difference between “an ounce of prevention” and “true prevention” is priceless.

“With thermography as your regular screening tool, it’s likely that you would have the opportunity to make adjustments to your diet, beliefs and lifestyle to transform your cells before they became cancerous,” Northrup writes about digital infrared thermal imaging.

by Shelly Laine

L to R: Shelly A. Laine, Cecilia Laine-Meinhold and Tanis J. Clark

GROW

Your Business

Contact us for special ad rates. 910-833-5366

The technology—administered locally by Beacon Thermography, Inc.—is a noninvasive tool used to identify changes in the body over time. For women concerned with breast health, thermography can begin detecting vascular changes eight to 10 years earlier than mammography.

Using a digital infrared camera that measures your body’s surface temperature, certified clinical thermographers and sisters Shelly Laine, Cecilia Laine-Meinhold and Tanis Clark at Beacon Thermography create a “digital map” of your body, showing heat patterns that could be a sign of a condition or abnormality.

While X-rays, mammograms and MRIs are only able to provide information on structures within the body, medical thermal imaging can pick up warning signs like inflammation or angiogenesis —increased blood supply to a growing tumor.

Or, simply put by Northrup, “Studies show that a thermogram identifies precancerous or cancerous cells earlier, produces unambiguous results, which cuts down on

additional testing, and doesn’t hurt the body.” Those are just a few of the many reasons internationally recognized medical leaders like Northrup are increasingly endorsing thermography as the best breast cancer screening method available. She also points to the fact that it is a painless procedure that emits no radiation. In fact, it’s safe enough for pregnant or nursing women, since it is only an image of your body’s heat.

Thermography is also able to more easily eliminate worry in women with dense or surgically enhanced breasts because it doesn’t identify fibrocystic tissue, implants or scars as troublesome areas that require more testing. And it can detect cell changes around the armpit, an area mammography cannot screen as thoroughly. That doesn’t mean thermography is in competition with mammography. Quite the opposite, actually.

Once thermal images are captured, they are reviewed by medical doctors, who are also board-certified thermologists. Taking into consideration a patient’s symptoms, health history and thermography results, the doctor will then report results and may make recommendations.

Often, in the case of abnormal screening results, the recommendation is to schedule a mammogram, ultrasound, X-ray or blood work. Mammograms and thermography are very different tests but, together, they can help accurately diagnosis breast cancer as early as possible.

Of the many advantages to thermography, perhaps the most significant is one Northrup points to—it consistently provides results that are unique to you and your body, ensuring you receive “true prevention” and real peace of mind.

Shelly Laine and her team at Beacon Thermography strive to provide the benefits of well-being through thermography at Elite Chiropractic, in the Landfall Shopping Center, 1319 Military Cutoff Rd., Unit LL, and McKay Healing Arts Center, 4916 Wrightsville Ave., Wilmington. For more information, call 910-803-2150 or visit BeaconThermography. com. See ad, page 10.

8 SE North Carolina Edition NA-SENorthCarolina.com

business profile

Forever Fit Fitness Center

“ orever Fit Fitness Center is dedicated to people of all ages,

Fmale and female, who have the desire to be as fit as they can

be while enjoying the warm, friendly, Southern hospitality and individual attention that we strive for to make your workouts an enjoyable experience,” introduces owner Gloria Davis. All it takes is a visit to the center to discover that they have included something for everyone, no matter what your fitness level, interests, age, experience or schedule may be.

Davis’ studio philosophy recommends three to five days per week of cardiovascular exercise during which your heart rate reaches 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate along with a two- to three-day per week weightlifting routine. Davis adds, “We can custom fit a program for any age and gender. After all, women as well as men need strength training to achieve fitness goals.”

The studio also offers a variety of scheduled classes that include boot camp, water aerobics, beginner chair yoga, intermediate yoga, zumba, Pi/Yo/Barre, cardio blast, total body interval circuit, and many more.

In addition, Forever Fit offers dance and gymnastics programs. Leaning dancing skills begin for children ages 2 and up including offering instruction in ballet, lyrical, pre-pointe, tap, and jazz with adult classes, too. Gymnastics programs begin for children ages 3 and up. Currently classes are forming for the fall beginning of the dance and gymnastics season which starts on August 27.

Dr. Ada Aniniba ChiropractorIHFCWellness@gmail.com

14886 US Highway 17 N Hampstead, NC 28443

Phone 910.406.1200 Fax 910.406.1201 www.dradaaniniba.com

Innate Health

Family Chiropractic & Wellness

Innate Health Family Chiropractic & Wellness

Davis adds, “We are also approved for The SilverSneakers Fitness Program and Silver and Fit that’s offered through many Medicare Advantage, Group Retiree and Medicare supplement health plans at no additional cost. If you are eligible for Medicare, check with your health plan provider to see if SilverSneakers and Silver and Fit is provided free as part of your benefits.”

A listing of health plans in the area offering the program can also be found at SilverSneakers.com.

Location: 214 Sneads Ferry Rd., Sneads Ferry. For more information, call 910-327-229, email 4EverFitGirl4@gmail.com or visit Forever-Fit-Fitness-Center.com. See ongoing calendar for class schedule sampling on page 29. See listing, page 13.

GR W

Your Business

Call for information: 910-833-5366

12 SE North Carolina Edition NA-SENorthCarolina.com

practitioner profile

Hands on Health

Welcomes New Practitioner

by Jennifer Hughes

Hands on

Health, Center for Chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology and Nutrition has been owned and operated by Dr. Karen Wilson

Dr. Karen Wilson since 2000. Wilson has been practicing as a chiropractor in Wilmington since graduating from Life University in 1996. She is renowned for her attention to detail, empathy and effectiveness as a practitioner, bringing a wide range of education and clinical experience to her practice.

As her practice continues to enjoy steady growth through referrals, Wilson has sought out an experienced associate to join her practice. She found Dr. Dr. Melinda "Mindy" Melinda “Mindy”

McDaries

McDaries, who had recently moved to Wilmington in the summer of 2017. A native Tar Heel from Burlington, McDaries had already owned and operated East Nashville Chiropractic for three years after graduating from Sherman College. Having been a post-graduate instructor at Life University for five years, Wilson has taken McDaries under her wing to teach her the fundamentals of applied kinesiology, which is the process of using muscle testing to assess functional imbalances in the body. As specific weaknesses are identified, the appropriate regimen of chiropractic, myofascial release, acupuncture points and

24 SE North Carolina Edition NA-SENorthCarolina.com

Andrea Danti/Shutterstock.com

nutritional counseling is determined and applied.

Wilson and McDaries both agree it’s never too late to seek routine chiropractic treatment before the onset of chronic diseases. If you’re already suffering from a chronic disease and are seeking holistic relief and treatment, Hands on Health works to find the best treatment path for you and your specific needs. Hands on Health specializes in applied kinesiology, a form of muscle testing that allows Wilson and McDaries to identify functional imbalances in the body and subsequently implement specific and targeted regimen of chiropractic, myofascial release, acupuncture points, and nutritional counseling. For those suffering with acute injuries, McDaries specializes in cold laser therapy, flexion/ distraction and other palliative options to reduce inflammation and pain.

Wilson received her undergraduate degree from North Carolina State and graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Florida Medical School in physiology and neuropharmacology. Upon graduation, Wilson continued her research in neuropharmacology and she spent five years at Life University teaching future chiropractors. Upon seeing the benefits of chiropractic care, she decided to pursue the chiropractic path herself.

McDaries graduated from Elon College. She has been a lifelong believer in chiropractic since her college days, and decided to attend Sherman College to become a practitioner herself. Upon graduation in 2014, she bought and expanded East Nashville Chiropractic. She and her husband decided to move back to North Carolina to be closer to family, and arrived in Wilmington in 2017 after selling her practice.

Jennifer Hughes, office manager has been with the practice, located at 5725 Oleander Dr., Ste F5, Wilmington for four-plus years. Call her for more information or to schedule an appointment at 910-796- 1311 or visit KarensChiro.com. Practice hours: Mon. & Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tues. & Thurs., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See ad, page 13.

inspiration

A Kinder Heart Cultivating a Life of Compassion

The path to mentally transcending

the world’s intrusive bustle is to be compassionate with our self and others. It begins in a relaxed heart from which emanate daily thoughts, words and deeds. Here’s a helpful centering exercise.

Sit or lie in a quiet spot for about 10 minutes with eyes closed and become aware of breaths moving in and out, then feel each one fully by filling the lungs from bottom to top. With each exhale, slowly and completely empty the lungs. On each inhale, refill the lungs again. Mentally reciting “optimum oxygen” three times helps the body deeply absorb the nourishing element.

Then bring both hands to the center of the chest to connect with the emotional heart centered there. Feel it pulsing beneath palms and fingers while quietly saying aloud, “I relax my heart.” Let the shoulders release coiled tension and drop gently. Repeat saying, “I relax my heart” and sense the heart fluttering open a bit more. Rest in this feeling.

Again say, “I relax my heart” and notice awareness drop into it, a feeling of being present in the heart. Feel all tension and holding-on melting down and out onto the floor.

by Amy Leigh Mercree

Then fill the lungs deeply and release the air through puckered lips; blow out with strength and purpose. Continue for a minute or two, allowing each exhalation to come straight from the center of the chest. When it feels complete, the feeling of active release will subside.

Sense how much lighter the heart feels. Further relax the heart and shoulders, letting go into the ocean of love native to our heart. Envision floating safety in this ocean. See it stretched into infinity. Feel its warm embrace.

Now choose kindness in this moment. Relax into kindness without judgment or pressure, only loving acceptance. Accept the infinite ocean of love available and open to it. It is filled with compassion, and now so are you.

Rest gently for a few minutes, until once again aware of everyday surroundings. Rub hands over both arms, legs, hands and feet to feel present in the room. Then go about a heart-centered day with the waves of the infinite ocean of love gently lapping there.

Amy Leigh Mercree, of Naples, FL, author of The Compassion Revolution, is a medical intuitive and relationship and wellness coach. Learn more at AmyLeighMercree.com.

August 201825