Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey / May 2020

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HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

Special

Digital Edition Healing the

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Gifts for Hard Times

Virus Fighters

Essential Oils for Challenging Times

Eye Care for Kids

IMMUNE SYSTEM Autoimmune Breakthroughs Offer New Hope

HEALING DANCE

Movement Helps the Whole Body

A Clear Path to Healthy Vision

May 2020 | Somerset-Middlesex-Hunterdon-Mercer-S. Warren NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

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Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

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The Kriya Yoga Teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda

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The year 2020 marks the centennial anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s arrival in America and his founding of Self-Realization Fellowship. It was the beginning of an enduring legacy of spirituality linking East and West.

Widely considered the “father of Yoga in the West,” he has transformed the lives of millions of seekers around the globe through his spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi and by introducing the universal principles of Kriya Yoga, a scientific system of meditation and spiritual living. Originating millenniums ago in India, these nonsectarian teachings embody a complete philosophy and way of life for achieving all-round success and well-being in body, mind and soul.

To learn more, please visit our website.

Princeton Meditation Group of Self-Realization Fellowship www.PrincetonMeditationGroup.org

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Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

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Contents

Natural Awakenings is a family of more than 70 healthy living magazines celebrating 25 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

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18 EYE CARE FOR KIDS A Clear Path to Healthy Vision

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20 FINDING CALM During Trying Times

22 FLOWER WOW-ER Beautiful Floral Designing

24 HEALING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Autoimmune Breakthroughs Offer New Hope

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28 SOUL NOURISHMENT

The Kitchen As Sacred Space

33 DANCING TO YOUR OWN DRUMMER

The Healing Power of Movement

34 THE MATRIX OF LIFE

Boosting Collagen for Better Health

ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 908-405-1515 or email Joe@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com. Deadline for ads: the 15th of the month.

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CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email calendar events to: Kathy@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com.

Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month.

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36 JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

on Conscious Eating to Save the Planet

DEPARTMENTS 7 news briefs 12 health briefs 14 global briefs 16 spotlight 18 healthy kids 20 inspiration 22 green living 27 teen voices 28 conscious

eating

31 eco tip 33 fit body 34 healing ways 36 wise words 38 local yoga 39 yoga corner 40 calendar 41 classifieds 42 business directory May 2020

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

CENTRAL NJ EDITION Publisher Joe Dunne

Joe@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com • 908-405-1515

Managing Editor Kathy Tarbell

Kathy@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com 908-912-4569 • 770-867-2101 direct

Editor Lana Dykes

Design & Production Kathy Tarbell

Yoga Section Rosie Lazroe

Social Media Amy Hass

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Website Kristy Mayer Accounting/Billing Asta Dunne

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ADVERTISING SALES Joe Dunne 908-405-1515 Joe@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com Visit our Facebook page for the latest health updates and information, or to post your events and comments.

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NATIONAL TEAM

CEO/Founder Sharon Bruckman COO/Franchise Sales Joe Dunne

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Managing Editor Linda Sechrist

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Financial Manager Yolanda Shebert Asst. Director of Ops Heather Gibbs Digital Content Director Rachael Oppy

National Advertising Lisa Doyle-Mitchell Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation 4933 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 203 Naples, FL 34103 Ph: 239-434-9392 • Fax: 239-434-9513 NaturalAwakeningsMag.com © 2020 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.

Check with a healthcare professional regarding the appropriate use of any treatment.

Natural Awakenings Magazine is ranked 5th Nationally in CISION’S® 2016 Top 10 Health & Fitness Magazines

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publisher letter

Moving Through Change

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o our readers, advertisers, families, employees and friends, we wish you only the best through these challenging and unpredictable times. As always “if you have your health, you have everything” seems to ring true. All of us at Natural Awakenings wish you good health.

“In patience there is wisdom, and in wisdom there is the need for patience.” This is one of my favorite quotes and has echoed in my mind for years, yet never has it felt so true as now. Although I write about change constantly and how little we truly can control, this pandemic makes the point in a way no written word could describe. Change is Joe Dunne, Publisher upon us and our new reality is forming in real time.

While you are reading this message in our Digital Only Special Edition, our intention is to resume printing in June. Like so many businesses, we will remain flexible as we adjust to changing circumstances. In the meantime, I hope you will help spread the word, and let everyone know they can visit our website to read the latest issue. Most of our advertisers are local and have a presence on our website. Many are open and sharing in some capacity with online courses, training, virtual consultations, livestreaming and so much more. Please support them since using local services and businesses will help our communities to recover and thrive again.

Yes, this is a time of change, but with change and disruption comes opportunities.

Aside from business concerns, I have also been thinking about what I have been taught by life. In times like these, the opportunity to grow is epic. It has also been a time to reflect on my life as a husband since today my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.

What else has been good?

I have flossed more in five weeks than in five years.

My exercise program has increased, improved and changed.

My garden looks amazing.

Our house has eliminated the junk drawer.

We have cleaned out all the 20-year-old shirts, jackets, etc., and the closet now has room.

We have eliminated all the unnecessary monthly charges, and now have one music source.

My computer is much more organized.

We are happy that we are healthy.

We pray as a family with a little more sincerity.

I appreciate more and take less for granted.

We have supported each other like never before.

I believe we have brought much more love back into our family.

What has been good for you? E-mail us or leave a comment on our website. Thank you for all your support.

In peace, love and laughter,

Please Recycle

Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

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news briefs

Coronavirus and Immune System Support

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he Sunrise Nutrition and Wellness Center is staying quite busy during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. John Harrington has dedicated each Tuesday to treating patients that have a cough, a sore throat or a fever with a unique healing technique. Therapeutic magnets are placed on neuro-lymphatic points located on the surface of the body to enable the immune system to more effectively identify hidden microbes. This procedure also stimulates lymphatic drainage allowing toxins to be removed more efficiently.

Dr. Harrington has been using this technique for over a year with great success. It is especially beneficial when combined with herbal remedies, a nutritional evaluation, and a wellness lifestyle. In addition, he uses cold laser on different acupuncture points, essential oils, and replenishes vitamins or minerals that are desperately needed for the immune system. Although not a specific treatment for COVID-19, Dr. Harrington understands how natural treatments can support the immune system and the overall health of the body.

Being proactive about health is healthier physically, mentally and spiritually.

Location: 137 Mountain Avenue, Hackettstown. For information, call 908-441-2276 or email jvharrington38@gmail.com. SunriseNutritionCenter.com. See ad, page 37.

Directory of Display Advertisers

Thank you for being part of our community!

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esigned to meet the special needs of this year, Be The Medicine is pleased to offer Reiki 1 & 2 Self & Distance Healing Class via Zoom from 6:30-9 p.m., on May 14 through June 18. The class blends the attunements and teachings for self-healing and healing others to help build immunity, stay well and energized. Participants will also learn how to send healing energy to someone in the next room or across the world.

Janet StraightArrow has been teaching reiki since 1996 and brings incredible experience, energy, and information to all who attend. This exciting course offers practical healing and energy work teachings in addition to Reiki attunements, meditations, and practice, with each student receiving a full healing session.

StraightArrow will also host an Experiential Healing Circle from 7-9 p.m., on May 19 via Zoom. She is also available for private consultations by phone or Zoom.

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Reiki Class is offered at specially discounted rate. For questions call 973-647-2500 or email janet@bethemedicine.com. To register, visit BeTheMedicine.com.

Qi Gong for Healing

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Gift a Tingle This Mother’s Day

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reat your mother (or anyone you love) the gift of acupuncture treatments in Modern Acupuncture’s Zen Lounge. Feel the tingle in zero-gravity chairs with soothing music so they are relaxed and comfortable. Many patients fall asleep during their treatments—even those who come to be treated for insomnia! This month, gift cards for three treatments for $99 are available that may be redeemed at its clinics in Florham Park, New Jersey or SOHO in New York City.

Modern Acupuncture is designed to help those new to this ancient therapy experience its positive impact on their health and their lives. Its operation ensures consistent effective training, the highest quality of practitioners, consistent supplies and products.

All of these thoughtful points lead to effective treatment and a consistently good experience for their patients.

Location: 176 Columbia Turnpike, Florham Park. For more information, call 973-7659500, email Joan.Arata@ModAcu.com or visit ModAcu.com/nj001.

Kwee Jack Fish Co.

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Lisa’s Thermography & Wellness

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Samsara Chiropractic

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Foods That Increase Immune Health

by Joe Condora

W

hile boosting our immune systems is a hot topic in these trying times, optimizing immune health is an ongoing commitment. The immune system is a complex system that includes several organs, cells, and organic molecules that work synergistically to fend off a variety of threats including viruses, bacteria, parasites and disease.

The variety of “immune boosting� supplements on the market can be overwhelming. Consumers often feel more confused than empowered by endless choices, however, a healthy diet is still the first line of defense against illness. Eating a diverse diet rich in vegetables, berries, and wild animal products is an effective way to make sure your body has the basic nutrients it needs to function at a baseline level and give your immune system a fighting chance against infection.

If your goal is to have your immune system func-

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tioning at its greatest potential, consider adding the following evidence-based foods to your diet.

1. Camu Camu

Camu camu berry is a little-known super berry native to the Amazon rainforest.

This sour berry is nature’s highest source of vitamin C. In fact, some research shows that camu camu berries contain 30 times more vitamin C than oranges. According to 2013 research published in the Immune Network Journal, vitamin C is an essential factor in the anti-viral immune response.

The researchers determined that if vitamin C concentration is sufficiently high during the initial stage of specific viral infections, the infection may be prevented.

Not only is camu camu high in vitamin C, but it is also loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals that may reduce inflammation, reduce weight, stabilize blood sugar levels, and improve blood pressure.

Camu camu is readily available in powder form and acts as an excellent addition to smoothies, yogurt, or dessert recipes.

Opt for raw, organic camu camu powder, if possible.

Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

2. Turkey Tail Mushroom

This medicinal mushroom has an impressive range of health benefits including increased immune health, gut health, and respiratory health. Some research even shows that the turkey tail mushroom exhibits potent anti-tumor activity.

Turkey tail mushrooms contain powerful immune-enhancing compounds known as polysaccharide peptides (PSP) and polysaccharide krestin (PSK). Research published in The Integrative Medicine: Clinicians Journal found that PSP and PSP enhance monocytes, a type of white blood cells that fight infection.

Interestingly, turkey tail mushroom also contains prebiotics which can nourish beneficial gut bacteria and reduce potentially harmful bacteria in the gut.

An 8-week study published in the Gut Microbes journal found that turkey tail mushroom supplementation suppressed

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the growth of the potentially harmful bacteria E. coli and Shigella.

While you can cook with turkey tail mushrooms or eat them raw, these mushrooms are much more commonly found in tea or supplement form. Turkey tail mushroom in liquid or capsule form should be used under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.

3. Bone Broth

Bone broth is a forgotten healing food that humans have been consuming for thousands of years. Most of us only drink broth when we are sick, however, the benefits of bone broth go far beyond comforting us thru the common cold. Research shows that consuming bone broth on a daily basis may improve the health of our gut, joints, immune system and skin.

Since up to 70% of our immune system resides in our gut, optimizing gut health is a key component of immune health. A common reason for immune dysfunction is a damaged gut lining. The role of the gut lining is to regulate what molecules gain access into the bloodstream and what molecules are denied access. Many lifestyle factors including stress, poor diet, overuse of antibiotics, and poor sleep quality can contribute to a condition known as leaky gut, where our gut lining develops little openings and allows particles into the bloodstream that should have been denied access. When these particles enter the bloodstream, it triggers an immune response to kill the invader. For many, this overactive immune response becomes chronic and we develop food sensitives, autoimmune disorders, and nutrient malabsorption.

Bone broth contains nutrients such as collagen and gelatin as well as amino acids proline, glutamine, and arginine that can “patch up” the openings in our gut lining allowing much of the immune dysregulation to subside.

While bone broth can be easily made at home, it is also readily in powder and liquid form.

Joe Condora is a nutrition and health coach at Valley Integrative Pharmacy and host of the top-rated health and wellness podcast The Primal Example Podcast. See ad, page 3.

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Mental Health

in a Time of Change

by Cathy Ludwig

T

here is no question that the outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted mental health by elevating worldwide anxiety. The results of living in isolation and quarantine are seen in reports from Wuhan, China, now that restrictions have been lifted. While many have report-

ed that their overwhelming feelings of fear and helplessness have faded and that their relationships have grown stronger, reports of domestic violence have multiplied and the divorce rate has skyrocketed upon emerging from lockdown.

In a recent poll, 45% of adults in the

10 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

by Cathy Ludwig

U.S. reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to stress over the pandemic and the economic decline. The key is to address the stress now rather than after damage has been done to our emotional health or our relationships.

Hoping that anger, guilt, depression or

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extreme worry will go away on their own is unrealistic and may only lead to worsening symptoms.

All of us have had to adapt and change our everyday patterns of behavior in order to cope with the new routines of social distancing and living in quarantine. Recommendations for maintaining overall health during the pandemic include having a routine, eating well, getting exercise, limiting exposure to the news, and focusing on the positive and what one can control. If, after doing all of that, there are still feelings of irritability and tension and reactions to circumstances are extreme, it is time to get help. There is no need to go through this alone. We truly are in this together and there are professionals ready to help.

Many mental health services are currently available online through telehealth platforms. Mental health professionals will see clients in their virtual offices via HIPAA compliant platforms or will offer sessions via phone. Also, some insurance companies are waiving out of pocket costs such as copays or coinsurance for in-network mental health services provided during quarantine.

Check with your health insurance company for details.

When this difficult global and personal challenge passes (and it will), we want to be able to emerge from this experience as healthy as possible with our lives and relationships intact.

Cathy Ludwig, Ed.S., LPC, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Succasunna, NJ. She offers psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and Past Life Regression. For information, call 201-738-8311.

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In a study of 76 people with mildly high total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, research published in the Journal of Herbal Medicine found that consuming 30 milliliters of vinegar made from date pulp and pits daily for four weeks significantly improved total cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride and HDL levels, as well as several biomarkers of inflammation.

A new Harvard study of 746 young sperm donors reports that men that exercise more have better sperm quality.

The men, with an average age of 26, at least a high school education and no radiation exposure or sexually transmitted diseases, were qualified to donate to a sperm bank in their area. Compared to men that seldom exercised, those that reported the most total exercise and logged the most time doing intense workouts had better sperm motility, which increases the chances for sperm to move through the female reproductive tract to reach an egg.

Take Quercetin to Reduce Blood Pressure Supplementation with quercetin, a plant pigment found in capers, cilantro, fennel, onions, red leaf lettuce, watercress, elderberries, asparagus, kale, cocoa, apples and chia seeds, can significantly reduce both diastolic and systolic blood pressure, lowering each by about three milliliters/Hg, reports a new review of research published in the Oxford Academic Journal, of 17 clinical studies that tested 896 participants. Quercetin also improved HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels when consumed for eight weeks or more.

12 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

Tuck Kids In Early to Reduce Depression and Cognitive Issues Fewer than seven hours of sleep for a child is not only linked to anxiety, depression, impulsiveness and cognitive difficulties, but also impacts a child’s brain structure, suggests new research from the UK’s Warwick University published in Molecular Psychiatry. Researchers used data that included MRI scans of more than 11,000 children ages 9 to 11 from 21 centers in the U.S. Parents also provided information about their child’s sleep duration and mental health conditions, and children performed a battery of cognitive tests.

Researchers found that compared to children that slept between the recommended nine and 11 hours, those receiving less than seven hours had 53 percent more behavioral problems and scored 7.8 percent lower on cognitive tests. In children that slept less, volumes were smaller in five brain regions. Children that slept longer showed less depression and higher cognitive scores, and felt safer and more secure in their homes and neighborhoods.

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Exercise to Boost Sperm Quality

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Consume Date Vinegar to Boost Heart Health and Reduce Inflammation

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health briefs

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Watch Out: Rapid Weather Changes Boost Flu Risk

Eat Less Sulfur Amino Acids to Reduce Heart Disease Risk A plant-based diet low in such sulfur amino acid foods as meat, dairy, nuts and soy may be key to lowering the risk of heart disease, concludes a study from the Penn State University College of Medicine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins; a subcategory called sulfur amino acids plays integral roles in metabolism. Researchers correlated diets and blood biomarkers of more than 11,000 participants from a national study and found people that ate foods containing fewer sulfur amino acids tended to have a decreased risk for cardiometabolic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. They also found that the average American consumes almost two-and-a-half times more sulfur amino acids than the estimated average requirement.

“People who eat lots of plant-based products like fruits and vegetables will consume lower amounts of sulfur amino acids,” says lead author Zhen Dong, a doctor of public health.

Confirming this, a Northwestern Medicine and Cornell University study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that every two servings of red meat, processed meat or poultry per week increased cardiovascular disease risk by 3 to 7 percent. For every two servings of red meat or processed meat per week, the risk of death from any cause was increased by 3 percent. The findings, based on an analysis of six studies involving 29,682 people, contradict a controversial study published last year that recommended people not reduce the amount of red meat and processed meat they eat. “Everyone interpreted that it was okay to eat red meat, but I don’t think that is what the science supports,” says senior study author Norrina Allen, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern.

Rapid weather swings as a result of climate change raise the risk of flu virus infections and epidemics, reports a study from Florida State University and international researchers. Tracing weather patterns and infection rates during a 20-year period in the U.S., China, Italy and France, scientists found that extreme fluctuations in weather during the autumn months of 2017 essentially kick-started that winter’s severe flu epidemic, implying, “The lapsed human immune system in winter caused by rapidly changing weather makes a person more susceptible to flu virus,” says lead author Zhaohua Wu, a professor of meteorology. The study warned that as weather variability increases, Europe could see a 50 percent increase in deaths tied to flu by the end of the century, but added that factoring in weather variability could help public health planning.

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Buzz Off

global briefs

If Australia can grow enough of the puffy, pink Asparagopsis taxiformis seaweed for every cow in Australia, the country could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent. That’s the conclusion the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia) seaweed research group leader Associate Professor Nick Paul. The cows burp out methane, but, “When added to cow feed at less than two percent of the dry matter, this particular seaweed completely knocks out methane production.

It contains chemicals that reduce the microbes in the cows’ stomachs that cause them to burp when they eat grass,” he says. Cows are known to eat seaweed. “This seaweed has caused a lot of global interest, and people around the world are working to make sure the cows are healthy, the beef and the milk are good quality,” Paul notes. “But the one missing step, the big thing that is going to make sure this works at a global scale, is to make sure we can produce the seaweed sustainably.”

kurt/Shutterstock.com

Seaweed Lowers Cows’ Methane Emissions

New research from the University of Sheffield in the UK published in Scientific Reports suggests that individual members of a bee swarm behave like neurons in a human brain. The scientists applied a theoretical model commonly used to study human psychology to the behavior of bee colonies, and they believe that studying “bee speak” could inform us about how our own minds make decisions. In the field of psychophysics, Weber’s law describes a relationship between the size of a stimulus and noticeable increases in its magnitude.

This general rule about stimulus and perception has been observed in birds, fish and even the collective behavior of simpler organisms, but not in whole clusters of tiny brains such as an insect hive. To investigate its role in the decision-making processes of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), the researchers watched hives split apart and hunt for new homes. Among bees, the process of choosing a hive comes down to the interactions of scout bees communicating their discoveries through a visual display of body wiggles. “The study also supports the view of bee colonies as being similar to complete organisms,” says computer scientist and lead author Andreagiovanni Reina.

Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock.com

Bee Swarms Form Giant Brains

Passing Gas

Life Perseveres

Although thousands of species have been identified and finding new taxa like birds, is rare, a study published in the journal Science describes five new songbird species and five new subspecies found on a single small island near Sulawesi, Indonesia, during a six-week expedition. Scientists targeted the area because of its geological history and complexity, and the historical notes of other explorers.

Two factors that contributed to the description of the large number of species in a small geographic area included knowledge of geographical land connections that helped pinpoint isolated islands likely to harbor substantial endemism and accounts of historic collectors such as British naturalist Alfred Wallace. The findings suggest that human understanding of biogeographically complex regions remains incomplete.

14 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

Charging Ahead

New Batteries From Fruit Waste Carbon aerogels that exhibit high specific surface areas, high proportions of mesopores and significant levels of nitrogen doping have been developed for the first time using waste from durian fruit and jackfruit scraps using a chemical-free, green synthesis procedure. According to the Journal of Energy Storage, the electrodes also displayed long-term cycling stability and rapid charge–discharge processes. Both electrodes are attractive candidates for the next generation, high-performance, yet low-cost supercapacitors for energy storage devices derived from biowastes.

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Holy Polygon/Shutterstock.com

New Bird Species Found on Remote Island

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Jolly Good

King of Bhutan Requests Selfless Gift

The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, turned 40 years old on February 21. Rather than ask for gifts, he asked his people to either plant a tree, adopt a stray animal or clean up their neighborhood in his honor. The Himalayan nation is consistently ranked one of the most eco-friendly countries in the world. In May 2016, Wangchuck and his wife celebrated the birth of their firstborn son by asking each of the nation’s households to plant a sapling, resulting in more than 108,000 trees planted.

Wild Things

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Wildness a Big Factor in Urban Parks

A new study led by the University of Washington (UW) has found that not all forms of nature are created equal when considering benefits to people’s well-being.

Experiencing wildness is particularly important for physical and mental health, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. This is the first study to show that wildness in urban areas is profoundly important for human well-being.

“The wilder areas in an urban park seem to be affording more benefits to people, and their most meaningful interactions depended on those relatively wild features,” says lead author Elizabeth Lev, a graduate student in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

Senior author Peter Kahn, a UW professor of environmental and forest sciences and psychology, says, “Everywhere, development is chipping away at wild areas.

Humanity has caused so much destruction and there’s no stopping it—unless we stop. We’re trying to show that if you’re going to develop an area, you at least need to understand the human costs.” The researchers hope studies like this can be used as part of the decision-making process for development proposals in parks and urban natural areas. They compiled their analysis methods into a handbook that can be used in other cities around the world.

Financial Fix

Great Britain Coal Use Falls With Carbon Tax

A tax on carbon dioxide emissions in Great Britain has led to the proportion of electricity generated from coal falling from 40 percent to 3 percent over six years, according to research led by University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge. In a report entitled The Value of International Electricity Trading, researchers showed the British Carbon Price Support tax caused electricity generated from coal to fall from 13.1 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2013 to 0.97 TWh in September 2019, and that coal was replaced by other less emission-heavy forms of generation such as gas. The decline in coal generation accelerated substantially after the tax was increased in 2015. The tax is one part of the Total Carbon Price, which also includes the price of EU Emissions Trading System permits. Project leader Dr. Giorgio Castagneto Gissey, of the Bartlett Institute for Sustainable Resources, says, “Should EU countries also adopt a high carbon tax, we would likely see huge carbon emission reductions throughout the continent as we’ve seen in Great Britain over the last few years.”

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community spotlight

Integrative Medicine Pioneer

Dr. Peter Amato

By Sheila Julson

S

cranton native Peter Amato, Ph.D., comes from an entrepreneurial family who owned an automotive parts business. His father, a World War II veteran, had suffered from several health issues including chronic fatigue syndrome and congestive heart failure, but he took measures such as juice fasting, vitamins and steam inhalation to help improve his health. “I think it bought him some time,” Amato recalls. “That had an influence on me.”

Amato and his siblings later took over the family business. In his late 30s, he entered drug and alcohol rehab. He found solace through meditation which propelled him to explore other natural wellness modalities. During the mid-1990s—well before integrative holistic therapies such as meditation, acupuncture, massage, nutrition and energy work were recognized by the mainstream—Amato attended conferences and workshops and got to know wellness pioneers such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra.

Amato earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Westbrook University, and he went on to get a master’s degree in transpersonal psychology. He then earned a doctorate in mind-body medicine and integrative health sciences from Saybrook University.

In 1997, Amato opened his first wellness center, Inner Harmony. He worked 16

with Weil to form the National Integrative Medicine Council and served on the board of the foundation. He helped spearhead the United States National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (NCCIH) by working with U.S. senators, industry leaders, labor and insurance persons. A report he co-wrote, “A Journey Toward New Medicine” further legitimized integrative medicine and was presented to President Bill Clinton. “The gavel went down and five million dollar funding was allocated to form NCCIH,” he said.

The NCCIH, housed under the National Institutes of Health, is still prominent today as a go-to resource for complementary and alternative medicine research.

Amato had also worked with Weil to develop the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, a teaching program for M.D.s and D.O.s at the University of Arizona Tucson medical school. Amato had also developed integrative protocols for Mercy Health System and led community wellness workshops with the company of Dr. Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson.

After operating an Inner Harmony Wellness Center in the Caribbean, on St. Maarten Island, Amato brings his mission of fostering holistic transformation among individuals, families and the recovery community back home to Pennsylvania.

Inner Harmony Center for Well-Being is his new “country gentleman doctor’s office,”

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where he employs nutritional consultation, lifestyle, and wellness coaching to peel the onion and get to the underlying layers of one’s emotional, psychological, physiology, and spiritual health issues.

Amato uses methods including SCIO, a quantum physics-based biofeedback scan that checks up to 12,000 positive and negative frequency signatures in the body to locate imbalances in the cellular makeup or energy fields. Amato is also highly educated and trained in two schools of muscle testing—applied kinesiology and Quantum Reflex Analysis (QRA), which is a cellular resonant analysis. The QRA cross-references a patient’s medical history and other metabolic testing to get an idea of a patient’s nutritional needs. He specializes in Lyme disease.

Amato notes that conventional blood work can sometimes miss health issues because it doesn’t detect the root cause. “With cellular resonant testing and biofeedback, we are able to identify the precise core issues,” he explains. “Then we can focus on proper diet, nutrition, restoring the body’s alkaline and pH balance, targeting and eliminating chronic infections, detoxification, and finally send the patient on a path of rejuvenation.”

Detoxification methods include tinctures, herbs, and nutraceuticals. Amato also uses autonomic response testing (ART) which helps restore the body’s biofield, or extracellular matrix. He has trained at the Klinghardt Academy. World renowned Medical Doctor Dietrich Klinghardt predicts that neurodegenerative diseases will be the next leading cause of death. “We’re already seeing it with autism, brain fog,

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Pandemic Resilience Moving Beyond Fear

and sleep issues caused by environmental factors like electric and magnetic fields (EMF), dirty electricity, glyphosate, and smart TVs which are waking up human indigenous viruses,” he states.

Amato offers patients environmental tips on how to remediate their homes from dirty electricity, such as installing a nominally priced shut-off timer on wi-fi routers and keeping electronic gadgets out of the bedroom. He offers informational sessions and workshops at Inner Harmony, as well as two free talks per month at Thrive Wellness Center, in Kingston.

“It motivates me to see results and how what I do works!”

Amato concludes. “Seeing people regain a bounce in their step makes it all worth it for me.”

Inner Harmony Center for Well-Being is located at 131 Reynolds Rd., Dalton, Pennsylvania. For more information, call 570-319-6073 or visit InnerHarmonyWellness.com. See ads on pages 2 and 13.

Sheila Julson is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Natural Awakenings magazines across the country.

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I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest.

I do not judge the universe. ~Dalai Lama

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healthy kids

Eye Care for Kids A Clear Path to Healthy Vision

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T

he blurry distant vision of myopia is a worldwide epidemic.

Nearsightedness has doubled in the U.S. since 1971 to 42 percent, and in some Asian countries it affects 90 percent of teens and adults, reports the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Eye doctors say the key time to pay attention is during childhood, because myopia and other eye and vision problems can be reversed or stabilized if addressed at an early age.

“Parents tend to assume that vision problems aren’t a concern for the young and healthy, but it’s never too early to promote healthful habits or to be on the lookout for potential vision issues,” advises ophthalmologist Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., medical director of the Clearview Eye & Laser Medical Center, in San Diego.

Ophthalmologists and optometrists recommend having a child’s eyes tested at 6 months, 3 years and 5 or 6 years to detect nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, “lazy eye” (amblyopia), crossed or misaligned eyes (strabismus) and other potential

18 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

problems. “For signs of trouble, I ask parents if they have seen their child have an eye that wanders or if the child covers an eye regularly, they are rubbing their eyes or playing with their toys close to their face,” says optometrist Nathan Langemo, of the Hopkins Eye Clinic, in Hopkins, Minnesota.

If myopia becomes severe, it can lead to retinal detachment, premature cataracts and glaucoma in adulthood, but early detection is possible.

An Ohio State University study of 4,500 children found that myopia in eighth-graders could be predicted in the first grade by their eyeglass prescription. Children at age 6 are naturally slightly farsighted, and those with normal vision are more likely to become myopic later.

A common medical treatment to slow myopia in kids is daily use of 0.01 percent atropine eye drops, the medication used to dilate an eye before an exam. It slowed down nearsightedness by roughly 50 percent in Singapore children. A new, two-year study shows that combining the eye drops with

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nightly contact lens-wearing is 28 to 38 percent more effective. For preschoolers with amblyopia, an iPad game called Dig Rush was shown to be helpful in a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study.

Hong Kong researchers report that 15 weeks of acupuncture beat out eye patches for treating children with lazy eyes, resolving the condition in 41 percent of cases, compared to 16 percent.

The simplest preventive strategy for myopia may be simply to shoo children outdoors every day, including involving them in outdoor sports.

Researchers aren’t sure whether it’s the vitamin D effect or the fact that when they are outdoors kids focus more on distant objects like trees and balls than when reading a book or screen, but recent studies in Taiwan and Denmark have verified that more time outdoors is linked to less myopia. Even sitting in sunlight inside while reading or using full-spectrum light bulbs is protective, say researchers. When outdoors, “Make sure the child has 100 percent UVA and UVB sun protection for the eyes,” advises Langemo, including using UV contact lenses.

Evidence is mixed on whether close-up reading brings on childhood myopia, but a study of 500 college students that heavily used computers found 53 percent reporting headaches, 55 percent with burning sensations in the eyes and 48 percent with tired eyes. When kids focus on a computer, their eye-refreshing blinking rate slows from 10 to 12 times a minute to three or four times a minute, says optometrist Marc Grossman, of New Paltz, New York, author of Natural Eye Care: Your Guide To Healthy Vision and Healing.

He recommends taking breaks at least 10 minutes every hour, using homeopathic eye drops and gently massaging the eyes by moving fingers from the inner corner, around the

upper socket and underneath, stopping about six times to massage each point for five to 10 seconds.

It’s also important to remove household hazards. Medical emergency rooms increasingly report eye injuries in kids from popular toy weapons like Nerf, BB guns and paintball guns, as well as colorful detergent pods that preschoolers love to squeeze or bite, plus aerosol spray from paint, hairspray, cleaning products and bug

repellants.

Feeding children the right foods, including lots of vegetables, fruits and grains, also benefits their eyes. The omega-3s in fish oil, nuts and seeds help minimize dry eye, and leafy greens and eggs have the eye-protective antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.

Ronica A. O’Hara is a Denverbased health writer. Connect at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

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THANK YOU

inspiration

FINDING CALM During Trying Times

by Laurie Nadel

F

To the healthcare professionals who are risking their lives during this epidemic, thank you for fighting COVID-19 on the front lines.

rom the moment we wake up and log on to our day, we are flooded with news about people whose days started off much the same, with an expectation of going from point A to point B, to lunch, to point C and then back home.

But something happened. A tornado touched down in the neighborhood. Or a train derailed in a cousin’s hometown. Or, like now, an invisible killer stalks the globe, threatening to take our life or the life of someone we know.

Within seconds, we are flooded with horror and helplessness. Unable to stop the cascade of acute stress hormones, our bodies shift into fight-or-flight mode or leave us frozen like deer in the headlights.

Whether we see what is happening online, on screen or in real time, we feel unsafe in our own skin. Although disturbing images can be swiped away, when something bad happens to us, we don’t know what to do.

We can’t change the channel.

Even during these tough times, we can find opportunities to develop new strengths and grow individually and together. To start with, we need emotional first aid to help us find calm quickly. We can do this by locating the tension points in our body and asking them what color would help them feel calm. Then we can inhale that color, letting it find its way within to soothe our cells, and exhale our stress by breathing out a different color.

20 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

We can repeat this technique as long and as often as needed. Teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, report that this really works for kids, too.

To heal means to make whole.

It doesn’t mean to make something go away. Hardship is part of life’s journey.

Even this global pandemic can serve as our spiritual wake-up call to learn how different spiritual traditions heal from life-shattering events. Five gifts offer us the keys to wholeness: n Humility helps us accept what we cannot change. n Patience takes the edge off when the hurt lasts longer than we want. n Empathy keeps us connected for the long haul. n Forgiveness means forgiving ourselves, our leaders and God. n Growth lets us look back with thanks for what we learned when the journey of life was anything but comfortable and easy.

Let’s journey together.

Laurie Nadel, a Manhattan psychotherapist, is the author of The Five Gifts: Discovering Hope, Healing and Strength When Disaster Strikes.

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by April Thompson

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resh-cut flowers can The good news Finding a elevate a space with is you can’t mess up Floral Style color, scents and As with any artistic medium, flowers. textures that draw the eye creative choices are importand nose, but professional ~Kathy Jentz ant in floral arranging. We floral designs can be pricey. can opt for a fussy, formal DIY arranging, however, is an easy, fun style, a rustic farmhouse look or a modern, and inexpensive creative outlet that can asymmetrical design. “The good news is also help cultivate mindfulness. Flower you can’t mess up flowers. Whether multiarranging is more than just a decorative dimensional or one-sided, monochromatic art; it’s a spiritual activity that helps create or multicolored, you really can’t go wrong,” a kinship with nature and merge the says Kathy Jentz, publisher of Washington indoors and outdoors.

Gardener Magazine and a flower arranging

Ikebana, the Japanese art of flowinstructor in Silver Spring, Maryland. er arranging, dates back to the seventh

Like a good meal, the ingredients of a century, when floral offerings were made bouquet are as important as how they are at Buddhist altars, according to Jeanne Ha, assembled. Start with organic, pesticide-free owner of the Washington Flower School, buds. “Look for local, seasonal flowers, in Takoma Park, Maryland. In the 16th which will be fresher and last longer than century, Japanese samurais practiced flowthose flown in,” says Betty Ann Galway, a er arranging prior to combat to help calm certified floral designer and instructor at them and stay centered, a stress-reducing the Norfolk Botanical Garden, in Virginia. activity most of us can benefit from today.

Farmers’ markets, community supported “Seasonal flowers are an important element agriculture CSAs and pick-your-own farms of Ikebana,” says Ha, part of a longstanding are all great places to find locally, sustainJapanese tradition of appreciating plants ably grown flowers, according to Jentz. To and flowers throughout the four seasons. select for long shelf life, look for fresh-look-

22 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

ing stamens and foliage, and firm heads on flowers. Mums, carnations and asters will last up to three weeks, says Galway.

When selecting flowers, Ami Wilber, floral and event décor designer at the Washington, D.C., Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, recommends starting with a color scheme, whether limiting the palette to one or two colors, using analogous colors like pinks and purples or selecting complementary colors like blues and oranges. “It’s also good to find a focal flower or a show-stopper that will immediately draw attention to a bouquet,” says Wilber.

Prepping the flowers before arranging will also prolong an arrangement’s longevity, including cutting stems diagonally to provide more surface area for water, suggests Jentz. She also recommends plunging flowers into cool water immediately after trimming their stems. Leaves pump water up the stem, so leave a few on while clearing those from the bottom that would otherwise be submerged in water, adds Galway.

There are many ways to create structure for an arrangement, most of which is often hidden. Wilber stuffs chicken wire into an opaque container and then tapes down the top with a grid of floral tape to provide more control over the direction of the stems. Ha uses floral foam, soaked to provide hydra-

tion, into which stems can be inserted at any angle to create a gravity-defying design.

Different styles of arranging draw from different principles, but many common rules of thumb apply; for example, using odd numbers of each type of flower and adding in the largest flowers first to create an anchor for the composition. For a rustic, farm-totable bouquet, look beyond just blooms to incorporate seed pods, grasses and other foliage from the backyard or woods, says Wilber. These will not only fill in gaps left by thin-stemmed flowers, but also help create contrast in texture, she adds, recommending that 70 percent of the container be green.

Once the design is complete, finetune the arrangement by stepping back to see the big-picture look and making any adjustments, removing discolored leaves and adding greenery to any bald spots, says Wilber. Many designers wrap large, flat leaves around the inside of a container for a clean, polished look that hides the stems.

Most importantly, don’t forget to stop and smell the lilacs. Let the flowers lead the design and let go of any unattainable vision of perfection. “Appreciating the flowers and being thankful is an important part of the process, too,” says Ha.

JUNE

Coming Next Month

Inspired Lifestyle Travel Plus: Brain Health

Connect with Washington, D.C. freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.

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A

healthy, professional-looking bouquet doesn’t take years of flower designing to achieve; these tricks of the trade will help neophyte designers get started.

To loosen up tightly wound buds, breathe on them.

Hot breath will open buds up faster, says publisher and arranger Kathy Jentz.

An arranging technique Jentz recommends is clustering blossoms between the index finger and thumb of the less-dominant hand, resulting in a tight arrangement that can be held in place by a rubber band pulled up to the tops of the stems.

If working with hydrangeas or other flowers with woody stems, smash open the stems along the length to get more water circulation.

Consider upcycling common containers to make flower vases, Jentz says. “You can create recycled vases out of old jars and bottles, or use chalk paint to colorfully cover over a tin can.”

The secret sauce in flower food is simply sugar and citric acid, says Jentz, so a little lemonade mix added to the water of an arrangement will work fine in a pinch.

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Healing the Immune System Autoimmune Breakthroughs Offer New Hope

by April Thompson

S

ome 23 million Americans suffer from one or more autoimmune diseases—a category comprised of more than 80 conditions, including fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes. These pernicious disorders are notoriously difficult to diagnose, even harder to treat and can be debilitating, diminishing the quality of life for sufferers.

Another commonality is the increased prevalence of autoimmune disease in women versus men; in the case of lupus, for example, a nine-fold difference. Some early indicators are that this may be related to a “gene dosage effect”, as men with XXY chromosomes have the same risk of developing lupus as other women, and women with XXX chromosomes (known in medical parlance as “superwomen”) have

an even higher risk of autoimmune disease, according to Judith James, chair of the Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, in Oklahoma City.

Yet there is hope on the horizon, as scientific discoveries unlock important insights about the manifestation and progression of autoimmune diseases leading to new treatments and prevention tips.

Evidence is also mounting around the role of diet and lifestyle in autoimmune conditions, giving patients new avenues for taking charge of their health instead of simply waiting for a cure.

Autoimmune diseases are chronic and can affect almost any part of the body, including the heart, brain, muscles, skin, eyes, joints, lungs, kidneys, glands, digestive tract and blood vessels. Each disease carries

24 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

its own set of symptoms, but inflammation is nearly always present, and are all connected by how the immune system attacks the body’s healthy tissues. “Those shared characteristics hold the potential for shared treatments, and ultimately potentially common cures,” says Jane Buckner, president of the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI), at Virginia Mason, in Seattle, which works to advance the prediction, prevention, reversal and cure of immune system diseases.

“I’m excited about our progress toward prevention. We are working to understand those tipping points in transitioning into disease that help us understand who is at highest risk, and helps give very directed therapies,” says James.

Self-Healing from Autoimmunity

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By her early 20s, Mickey Trescott, of Willamette Valley, Oregon, was bedridden and had lost her job to autoimmune disease. At one point, doctors thought it was multiple sclerosis (MS); she was dizzy, numb, falling over and slurring her speech.

Eventually, she was diagnosed with both Hashimoto’s and celiac diseases, affecting the thyroid and small intestine, respectively.

Trescott, a nutritionist, chef and author of The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, had been vegan for 10 years, but had a feeling that her body needed something different.

She found an early version of what would become known as the autoimmune protocol (AIP), and in following its guidelines, began to find relief. Trescott connected with other women and started a private Facebook group to share information on what was improving their condition from which the AIP community sprung. AIP, an elimination diet that seeks to reset the immune system by cutting out inflammation-causing foods and treating leaky gut, has much in common with the paleo diet and promotes vitamin- and nutrient-rich foods. However, every individual comes out

of the AIP process with a customized diet.

For Trescott, “Gluten is a forever-no, and I am also allergic to dairy and sensitive to a lot of nightshade vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers.” It took three years to recover most of her functioning, and although she had been a personal chef, it was still challenging to determine a new approach to eating that didn’t include the grains and legumes that had been staples of her diet.

Trescott is still on medications, includ-

ing the same thyroid support she’s relied on from the start. “There is a misconception that the AIP is an alternative to conventional medicine. We really pride ourselves on using all the tools in our toolbox, including surgery, medication and lifestyle changes,” she says.

Anecdotal successes like Trescott’s have led researchers to pursue funding to test the AIP’s efficacy. In a pilot study of 18 individuals with an average sick time of 19 years that didn’t respond to traditional medication, 73 percent were in clinical remission at the end of the trial, having followed the AIP. “It was a small sample size, but the results are promising,” says Trescott.

Physician, Healed Thyself

Like many physicians, Terry Wahls focused on treating her patients with drugs or surgical procedures—until the Iowa City doctor was diagnosed with MS in 2000. Within three years, despite conventional medical treatments, her back and stomach muscles had weakened to the point where she needed a tilt-recline wheelchair, and by the summer of 2007, she could no longer sit up.

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Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, at Northwell Health, in Manhasset, New York, believes this can play a critical role in disease management. She cites numerous studies showing exercise as a stress-buster positively influencing disease outcomes, as well as a more specific study looking at the benefits of adding fish oil and vitamin D to the diets of lupus patients.

“The rise in obesity, which is linked to increased inflammation in the U.S., may be one of reasons we are seeing more autoimmune disease than ever,” says Mackay.

At-risk individuals should be aware of factors under their control, adds James.

“If someone is worried about autoimmune disease running in their family, monitoring and maintaining adequate vitamin D levels and avoiding smoking and other high-risk behaviors can help improve their chances.” Even sleep patterns can play a role in disease manifestation, says the researcher. In one study, individuals at high risk for autoimmune disease that slept less than seven hours per day were more likely to develop an autoimmune condition, according to James.

Common Links Serve as Research Clues

There are some clear links between autoimmune diseases, such as the genetic predisposition that runs in families. “Someone with rheumatoid arthritis may have a sister with celiac disease, for example, and one individual may suffer from multiple autoimmune conditions. We can learn

26 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

from these common genetic links,” says Buckner. These common links can serve as important clues. For example, Buckner says they are able to demonstrate changes in T cells in diabetes and MS that are the same, which might lead to common treatments for the two conditions.

While the process from basic scientific discovery to development of effective treatment can be slow, there are some concrete breakthroughs autoimmune researchers are excited about, having demonstrated ability to both prevent and delay disease. Citing a recent clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, “They have demonstrated in kids at high risk for developing Type 1 diabetes the ability to delay onset for at least two years. It’s an incredibly exciting finding,” says Buckner.

Mackay is hopeful about advances in basic science addressing specific immune system abnormalities linked to inflammatory problems. “Lupus is very challenging to diagnose and treat because it can affect every system in the body,” says Mackay, whose research team has focused on lupus for decades. “The only forms of treatment have been very immune-suppressive medications that shut down the immune response. None of these medications are specific, so in shutting down the immune response to treat lupus, they in turn interfere with the body’s ability to fight off infection and cancer.” Researchers are now honing in on single cells from biopsies that indicate which proteins are abnormal, thereby helping develop more selective therapies, she says.

Seeing progress in the lab is one thing; seeing it in the waiting room is another, and that’s where autoimmune scientists and clinicians are really beginning to note a difference. “I’ve seen patients for 25 years, and when we started, we had very few options in my clinic, which was full of wheelchairs,” says Buckner. “In the last 20 years, we have seen an explosion in research and available treatments. I don’t have wheelchairs in my office anymore.”

Connect with Washington, D.C. freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Evara/Shutterstock.com

Though Wahls had been a vegetarian on a low-fat diet for 20 years, she went back to eating meat and gave up all dairy, wheat and grains, but still wasn’t improving. Delving back into the science of her condition, Wahls realized that mitochondrial support was key, and the speed of her decline slowed while taking a cocktail of vitamins to support its functioning.

It wasn’t until she took a comprehensive approach to optimize everything she could take in through her food rather than relying on supplements that she saw radical results: Her brain fog, fatigue and pain went away and she biked around the block for the first time in six years. “Taking in nutrients in the form of food rather than supplements, you get related compounds and thousands of others in biologically anticipated ratios,” explains Wahls. “I still do take some supplements, but the magic is the food.”

Those key ingredients, says Wahls, include magnesium, zinc, selenium, sulfur, amino acids, cholesterol, omega-6 and omega-3s, fats, carnitine and creatine. Her rule of thumb for daily intake is three cups of leafy green vegetables; three cups of sulfuric vegetables like cabbage, mushrooms and onions; and three cups of deeply pigmented vegetables, plus sources of protein for meat eaters and vegetarians.

While her work was initially not accepted, today she has funding from the National MS Society and her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. “Basic science is now showing that the microbiome has a huge impact on the immune system activity and the brain; the food we eat can turn gene expression on and off,” says Wahls, who hasn’t taken any drugs for her autoimmune condition since 2008.

Buckner cautions against patients trying to manage disease with lifestyle changes alone, without giving available allopathic treatments a fair try. “People do better if they are treated early and aggressively. They are reliant on fewer medications down the road and don’t have permanent damage if they seek treatment early.”

However, even researchers focused on pharmaceutical approaches acknowledge the importance of diet and lifestyle.

Meggan Mackay, professor of Molecular

JUNE

teen voices

Trying Times

by Isabella Dussias

I

am writing this article on April 13, and we are a few weeks into our new normal. There has been a lot of heartache and pain in our country. Many people have experienced loss of loved ones from COVID-19.

Some of my friends’ parents have lost their jobs, and everyone’s lifestyles have been altered tremendously. These times have spawned a lot of feelings of anxiety amongst people of all ages.

Everyday tasks, such as going to the grocery store, are making many people anxious.

So how do we, as teens, stay hopeful in these very uncertain times? We simply accept the reality of our current situation and try to adapt to our temporary normal.

My friends are being very supportive of each other—reaching out over social media, doing group FaceTime, watching movies together virtually on Netflix.

These small efforts can make us feel more “normal” even though the reality is that we are living through a worldwide pandemic. I have also turned to reading books on mindfulness and meditation. I

practice deep breathing, listen to music, stretch and set small goals for myself each day to take my mind off what’s going on outside.

Even though teens are sometimes perceived as self-absorbed, we definitely understand the severity of this pandemic. We are thankful for our parents that provide for us and for our schools that have adapted their academic plans to continue our learning and create a sense of normalcy. We are grateful for those who continue to try and figure out how to fight this virus, and for everyone on the front lines that are serving our community in these times of distress.

Coming Next Month

Brain Health

Plus: Inspired Lifestyle Travel

Stay safe and be well.

Isabella Dussias is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter/composer from New Jersey. She enjoys writing about issues that are important to today’s youth, and she believes music is an important outlet to connect people and share messages through the creativity of lyric and melody. For more information, please visit IsabellaDussias.com.

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908-405-1515 May 2020

27

Practical Magic

Soul Nourishment The Kitchen As Sacred Space

I

by Marlaina Donato

n our busy lives, grabbing food on the run or eating while standing at the kitchen counter is often the norm. Designating the kitchen as a practical sanctuary and seeing the sacredness of food not only makes it more conducive to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but also gives our spirits much-needed satiety.

“If we don’t touch the transcendent— emotionally and spiritually—physical nourishment won’t fill us up,” says Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D., former psychological consultant to Weight Watchers International and the author of The Zen of Eating: Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems. “Seeing the kitchen as sacred is something that represents gratitude, beauty and blessings.”

Delia Baron, co-author of Better Together Kitchen: Beautiful Recipes to Share With People You Love and the host of seasonal food workshops with partner Ronnit Hoppe in Melbourne, Australia, concurs, “The kitchen is often the heartbeat of the home and the best place to gather, feast, chat and create beautiful memories and rituals. The kitchen is also a place to connect to our food source.”

Fun and Felicity

Preparing meals the old-fashioned way can slow us down and foster mindfulness, but Kabatznick emphasizes that cooking is irrelevant. “Look at the kitchen in terms of possibilities: ‘What can I create in this space?’ You don’t have to turn into Julia Child,” she says, adding, “You could be eating Chinese takeout or a prune; it’s all about mindset and simple rituals like saying a blessing, appreciating what we eat as a great gift.” Kabatznick encourages everyone to eat with dignity, and this includes using the good dishes, putting fresh flowers on the table and eating with awareness.

Seeing the kitchen as the inspired nucleus of the home, it’s natural to add favorite items like art prints, colorful jars, sentimental treasures, dried flowers and other seasonal delights to nourish daily contentment. Conjuring an element of joy adorns the mundane. “Put on some music to put you in either a peaceful or joyful mood,” says Molly Larkin, author, healing practitioner and blogger at Ancient Wisdom for Balanced Living (MollyLarkin.com), in Corrales, New Mexico. “Turn off the TV and give everyone in the family a job.

28 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

Meal prep can be enjoyable and even relaxing in a calm environment. For Baron, organization is key. She advises, “Having all the ingredients you need and working in a clean space also helps make the experience rewarding.”

The smallest of kitchens can be abundant and organized with the help of a little innovation. A simple bookcase can offer additional shelf space for dry goods, bowls of produce or favorite cups. A small end table can hold a favorite tea pot and a jar of gourmet dark chocolate. A beautiful basket can hold go-to spice jars, and a pretty pitcher near the stove can accommodate a multitude of cooking utensils. “If you can’t fit it all out of sight in a cabinet, get some glass jars, fill them with grains, flours and legumes and line them up on the countertop. It will be neat, and you can see what you have,” suggests Larkin.

In the end, a well-nourished body and spirit fosters a beautiful life and inspires the same in others. An advocate for supporting the hungry in all communities, Kabatznick underscores local efforts and seeing the big picture of our relationship with food: “Taking out the garbage and cleaning up is also a sacred act if we bring that attitude into it. Food connects us to the Earth, the moon and the stars. From the seed to the truck driver—everything and everyone involved—the process of food is miraculous.”

Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Solis Images/Shutterstock.com

Laugh throughout the meal preparation.

Dance as you cook. Do the same thing if you live alone.”

Preparing food, whether a healthy smoothie or a gourmet weekend dinner for two, is a way to express love for ourselves and others. Baron loves the presence of plants, lovely ceramics and interesting platters and dishes, and notes, “Families can definitely shop, chop, cook and mealplan together to make the kitchen a fun place to be. Doing these things together is very bonding and sends the message that looking after yourself is important.”

conscious eating

SACRED SERVINGS

Spring Fever Salad with Flowers and Fruit

Order by May 25th

Yields: 4 servings photo by Marlaina Donato

1 head romaine or green leaf lettuce 8 medium-large organic strawberries, thinly sliced, or 2 small packages of fresh organic raspberries Handful of fresh, chemical-free flowers from the garden or store’s produce section: nasturtium, pansies and/or calendulas; gathered wild: spring violets and dandelion blooms

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photo by Marlaina Donato

Yields: 4 servings 4 cups water 1½ cup red lentils 1 tsp sea salt 1 medium-size organic carrot, chopped in bite-size pieces 2 soft, dried apricots, chopped, or 1 Tbsp golden raisins or 2 dates, chopped ¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp ground turmeric ¼ tsp ground coriander seeds or ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp crushed or ground cumin seeds 2 tsp extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil

Juice from one fresh tangerine 1 part organic apple cider vinegar to 2 parts avocado oil Dash of sea salt Add avocado oil, apple cider vinegar and salt into a large bowl, swirl around twice. Tear (don’t chop) lettuce and add to the preliminary dressing. Squeeze tangerine juice over lettuce and toss lightly until well-dressed. Place strawberry slices over salad. Sprinkle (don’t toss) flowers on top or artfully place where desired.

Serve immediately.

Bring water, carrots, apricots and all spices and seasonings to boil. Add red lentils, stir once and set heat to low. Cover pot with lid. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, remove from heat. Add olive oil and allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

Optional toppings for each bowl: finely chopped red onion, red pepper flakes, fresh cilantro and/or a sprinkle of turmeric.

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) and non-bromated ingredients whenever possible.

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Whole-Grain Dark Chocolate-Banana Muffins Yields: 12 muffins ½ cup organic whole-wheat flour, sifted (protein-rich, gluten-free option: 1 cup organic brown rice flour and ½ cup organic soy flour or 1 cup organic brown rice flour and ½ cup garbanzo flour) ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup coconut sugar, evaporated cane juice or turbinado ½ tsp salt 3½ tsp fresh baking powder 1 cup water or unsweetened non-dairy milk (or half of each to make a cup) 2 tsp extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil or cold-pressed sunflower oil 2 organic eggs, beaten (for vegan option: ¼ to ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce) 2 tsp natural vanilla extract 1½ mashed ripe bananas 2 tsp molasses 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp cloves ¼ tsp dried ginger 2 dashes of nutmeg 1 dash of allspice (optional) Pre-heat oven to 400° F and grease muffin tin with sunflower or olive oil (or line with cupcake papers). Sift flour and cocoa powder into bowl. Add baking powder, salt, sugar and spices; mix well. Combine water/milk, vanilla, molasses, oil and eggs (or apple sauce), and add to dry mixture. Stir, lifting the spoon high with each stirring to get air into the mixture. Do not beat or overmix.

Leave it a bit lumpy.

Fold in bananas. Fill muffin cups half to three-quarters full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Place muffin tin on wire rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing each muffin by hand (avoid turning tin over to get muffins out, or the extra-moist, fruit-filled muffins might come apart).

Optional treat: Dip muffin tops into melted coconut oil and roll in coconut sugar or turbinado. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Recipes by Marlaina Donato, author of several books and a composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

eco tip

JPC-PROD/Shutterstock.com

Virus Fighters

Essential Oils for Challenging Times In these coronavirus days, an essential oil mixture with legendary origins in the Bubonic Plague offers soothing scents for the homebound and might add some viral protection.

The mixture of five oils: eucalyptus, clove, cinnamon, lemon and rosemary, is known as Thieves. As the story goes, in the 1500s, as the Black Death decimated Europe, when four unemployed spice merchants that turned to robbing the bodies and homes of the dead were captured and threatened with being burned alive, they confessed to the judge their secret to avoiding infection—the spice blend that they rubbed on their hands, ears, feet and temples.

They were all hanged, but their formula survives as Thieves, and is today one of the most popular essential oil blends in the market, sold under that name and also as Five Guards, Health Shield and Fighting Five. Although shown to sharply reduce three kinds of airborne bacteria in 10 minutes, its antiviral properties have not been extensively studied. Its components, however, have proven antimicrobial, antiseptic and antiviral properties: n Eucalyptus, long used for respiratory infections, has been proven effective against a number of viruses, particularly the swine flu and herpes type 1 viruses. n Clove has exhibited strong antiviral activity against such viruses as the adenovirus type 3 respiratory virus, poliovirus and coxsackievirus. n Cinnamon leaf shows antiviral activity and can prevent pneumonia due to influenza. n Lemon oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and is often used in cleaning products.

n Rosemary eases stress and has antiviral, antimicrobial and antidepressant qualities.

Thieves can be purchased in natural health stores or online. For a homemade blend, Jennifer Lane, an aromatherapist, registered nurse and founder of LovingEssential Oils.com, recommends combining these essential oils: 4 35 drops lemon 4 20 drops cinnamon leaf 4 15 drops clove bud 4 15 drops eucalyptus 4 10 drops rosemary

Adding five drops of the blend, along with water in a diffuser, can waft the scent throughout a room and diminish airborne odors and germs. For respiratory support, put a few drops into a cup of steaming, but not boiling, water, drape a towel around the cup and face, and breathe in the fumes. Add it to a carrier oil like jojoba oil or coconut oil at a 1:30 ratio (such as one-half ounce Thieves to 15 ounces jojoba) and rub it on pulse points in the wrist and neck.

But do not ingest the blend. If a child under 10 is in the house, don’t diffuse it or use it topically on them, because rosemary and eucalyptus can be unsafe for a child, advises Christina Anthis, author of The Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.

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fit body

DANCING TO YOUR OWN DRUMMER The Healing Power of Movement

M

by Marlaina Donato

Luis Molinero /Shutterstock.com

ovement comes in many colors, from modern dance to country line dancing, and there’s something for everyone, including those that claim to have two left feet. Dancing is healthy for the heart and improves cognitive function by forging new neural pathways in the brain. It builds stronger bones, helps balance and improves flexibility and endurance. Putting on dancing shoes also has a positive effect on depressive disorders, flooding the brain with endorphins that uplift mood and jumpstart motivation. Dance has found its way into the

clinical setting as a psychotherapeutic tool for healing trauma, eating disorders and addictions.

Dancing, in essence, is for everyone. “Dance is a human right, a feature of almost every culture in the world, and our natural inclination to dance is one of the things that makes us human,” says David Leventhal, program director of Dance for PD, a nonprofit Parkinson’s Disease program of the Mark Morris Dance Group, in Brooklyn.

Valerie Durham, a modern dancer in Baltimore specializing in the Isadora Duncan technique, concurs, “Birds don’t consider if they have talent for singing, they just sing. They sing because they have a voice. Similarly,

dance is a right offered to anyone with a body.”

A Deterrent for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease and Cancer Going dancing on a Friday night also proves to nourish the brain. A 2017 study published in Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience shows evidence that dance increases white matter that diminishes with cognitive decline. An older study sponsored by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and published in the New England Journal of Medicine spotlights data gathered during a 21-year period and reveals that regular social dancing can reduce the risk for dementia in seniors by 76 percent.

“A number of peer-reviewed research studies point to dance’s ability to improve motor skills and function of people living with Parkinson’s disease—balance, gait and tremor. Dance is expressive, giving people a creative voice when it feels that their capacity for physical, vocal and facial expression is being taken away,” says Leventhal.

Durham, who worked with patients at the University of Florida Shands Hospital Arts in Medicine Program in the 1990s, witnessed memorable responses from cancer patients. “We danced with patients who were attached to IVs and those even in the ICU, some who were

partially or even completely paralyzed, people who maybe could dance only with their eyes. And yet they danced,” marvels Durham. “Getting the lymphatic system, endorphins and breath flowing all elevate the body out of pain mode.”

Dancing from the Soul All forms of dancing have the capability to free the spirit and heal deep emotional wounds buried in the memory-holding fascia of the body’s soft tissues. Ecstatic dance, which has roots in ancient spiritual practices, is an unstructured option that dilutes limiting, self-conscious habits.

These days, ecstatic dance gatherings have been organized in cities around the world.

“There’s a vast movement in the dance world that has nothing to do with performance, but rather, is done for the joy of inhabiting a body in motion. Ecstatic dance is a free-form conscious dance and is a vibrant global community for people who love music and movement,” says Donna Carroll, founder of Ecstatic Dance International, in San Francisco. “When we can be courageous enough to turn away from our cultural norms that say you need ‘talent’ to dance, we get a chance to experience music through our bodies, and it can be quite pleasurable and life-affirming.

Ecstatic dance is one of the most effective methods to return to what matters, to our bodies, to our ‘home’, and is accessible for people of all abilities.”

In her artistic sphere of performance art, Durham has seen her students blossom from the inside-out. “They are able to connect with the deep wisdom in their bodies, thereby releasing old energetic wounds. Depression and anxiety are relieved during dance because you are so consciously consumed with the present moment of the steps and the music. Dancers will find that they feel more joyful and at peace at the end of a dance session.”

For Leventhal, moving the body is a blessing for all: “Dance should be accessible and enjoyable to everyone, regardless of physical or cognitive challenges.”

Marlaina Donato is an author, composer and painter. Connect at AutumnEmbers Music.com.

May 2020

33

Inspired Lifestyle Travel plus: Brain Health

Readers are Seeking These Providers & Services: Transformative Travel Companies Natural Habitat Adventures Self-Discovery Vacations Personal Growth Retreats Travel Outfitters • Functional Medicine ... and this is just a partial list!

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JULY

Beyond Factory Farming plus: Gut Health

AUGUST

Biological Dentistry

plus: Environmental Education

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Contact us to learn about marketing opportunities and become a member of the Natural Awakenings community at:

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healing ways

THE MATRIX OF LIFE Boosting Collagen for Better Health

by Maya Whitman

C

ollagen, a protein, holds us together from the inside-out, helping to build bones and providing the scaffolding that knits our bones and organs together. Stress and poor lifestyle habits, such as smoking and eating too much sugar, can contribute to its breakdown and accelerate the aging process, but strategic dietary choices and supplements can have a significant positive impact on our skin, as well as underlying conditions.

Although celebrated for its cosmetic effects, “Most people are surprised to learn that collagen is equally important for blood vessels and tissues surrounding and supporting the internal organs,” says Pamela Schoenfeld, a dietitian and nutritionist in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of The Collagen Diet: Rejuvenate Skin, Strengthen Joints and Feel Younger by Boosting Collagen Intake and Production.

Collagen is mostly found in tendons, ligaments and skin, and is also abundant in bones, cartilage, muscles, corneas, blood vessels, the gut, vertebrae discs and teeth.

In studies, collagen supplements show promise for joint pain, arthritic conditions, osteoporosis and heart health.

A Penn State study of 147 student athletes found that those that took 10 grams of collagen hydrolysate daily for 24 weeks had significantly less joint pain while walking and at rest compared to a placebo group.

34 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

A 2012 study featured in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that 1,200 milligrams of collagen hydrolysate taken daily decreased joint pain in older people by 20 percent compared to a placebo. In a 2018 study, post-menopausal women that took five grams of collagen daily for a year had better bone buildup and less bone degradation. A 2017 Japanese study of 31 healthy adults found that those that took 16 grams of collagen daily had more flexible arteries after six months.

Essential Foods

Collagen health starts with our diet.

Leafy greens and jewel-toned, lycopene-rich vegetables, like beets, red peppers, tomatoes, berries and pomegranates, as well as seeds, including chia, sunflower and pumpkin, all pack a collagen punch.

Schoenfeld recommends bone broth, too, for its joint-lubricating molecules called glycosaminoglycans, which hold many times their weight in water.

Kellyann Petrucci, a naturopathic doctor in Philadelphia and author of Dr. Kellyann’s Bone Broth Diet, concurs: “Bone broth is more than a soup. It’s concentrated healing and contains a bioavailable form of collagen your body can use immediately. It contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, amino acids and

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Vladimir Gjorgiev/Shutterstock.com

JUNE

PhotoSGH/Shutterstock.com

so much more.” She also recommends sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, onions, garlic and cauliflower, as well as shellfish and red meat in moderation for copper. “Copper activates the enzyme that is critical in producing collagen,” she explains.

Also important, according to Petrucci, is vitamin C: “If you’re depleted of vitamin C, your body won’t make any collagen.

Experiment with broccoli, kiwi, tomatoes and various citrus fruits. Bioflavonoids also improve the ability of vitamin C to be absorbed and utilized.”

Schoenfeld recommends chicken, including the skin; omega-3-rich fish with edible bones, such as sardines and canned salmon; and proline-rich, aged cheeses and yogurt. “Gelatin is also a fantastic way for the whole family to enjoy collagen and can be added to foods high in water like soups, stews, hot cereals, as can bone broth and collagen powders,” she says.

Supplements

A 2019 review of 11 studies published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that oral collagen hydrolysate or tripeptide at dosages ranging from 2.5 grams to 10 grams a day increased “skin elasticity, hydration and dermal collagen density” and showed promise for wound healing and skin aging. Aloe vera, ginseng, berries, garlic, hyuralonic acid and red light therapy also boost collagen production, according to osteopathic physician and author Joseph Mercola.

For vegans, British homeopath Melissa Foreman recommends homeopathically-based minerals known as tissue salts at low potency, “which offer the benefits of meat-derived collagen and bone broth without having to ingest a meat product.” She personally relies on a combination of Nat phos, Calc phos and Kali sulph to promote new skin cells and improve the skin cell matrix. “These remedies are totally animal-free,” she says.

“You can produce a supplement similar to collagen powder and it has the same health benefits of bone broth.”

Maya Whitman is the author of several books.

Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

Homeopathic Collagen-Boosters H

omeopathic physician Melissa Foreman, of Brighton, England, recommends the following tissue salts:

Calc phos for strengthening bones and easing stiff joints, is particularly recommended for active people, aging athletes and menopausal women. It supports growth, builds cells, supports teeth and nail strength, and helps ease irritable bowel syndrome.

Calc fluor promotes elasticity and

flexibility. It’s essential for tendon and bone health; softens, strengthens and tones the skin; and helps when the digestive organs have lost their elasticity and become compromised.

Silica is found in hair, nails and bones. It decreases inflammation, eases painful joints, supports and strengthens nails, encourages new hair growth and improves the length and quality of eyelashes.

Nat Mur brings moisture to the skin and regulates the moisture content of every cell in the body. It promotes hydrochloric acid, helping to prevent heartburn, bloating, colic and flatulence.

Nat phos is known as the antacid of the biochemical world and like collagen, can protect the gut by neutralizing acids.

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wise words

Jonathan Safran Foer on Conscious Eating to Save the Planet

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by Julie Peterson

J

onathan Safran Foer, the prize-winning author of bestselling novels that include Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, turned to nonfiction in his 2009 book, Eating Animals, about the morality of food choices in a factory-farm age. His most recent book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, argues that only collective action will save our home and way of life, and it starts with what is on our plate.

He points out that there’s often a painful disconnect between the way we think of ourselves and the actions that we take that inadvertently and negatively affect the planet, and that science can help us make more informed choices.

How did you make the connection between diet and climate change?

For anybody who has even the tiniest amount of curiosity about human interaction with the climate, it’s something you can’t possibly avoid learning about. The science is readily available now, and it’s extremely comprehensive. It’s important to continuously come back to that scientific consensus to make clear that this is nobody’s theory or perspective. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree.

Did anything in researching climate science surprise you?

36 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

There’s a lot that startled me. A lot that scared me. I was surprised by how wrong we have been and how wrong we often are about what matters… putting the emphasis in the wrong places or not knowing where to put it at all.

There are four activities that matter more than all others in terms of an individual’s relationship with the environment: having fewer children, eating less meat or animal products, flying less and driving less.

As somebody who has spent a lot of time recycling and not using plastic straws, I was surprised to learn that those activities are very low impact compared to the four I mentioned. I was surprised by how broad that misunderstanding is. Think about our response to coronavirus compared to our response to climate change. The way governments are acting together to do what needs to be done for a virus makes it all the more puzzling how ineffectual the response to climate change is.

If people can’t do everything that needs to be done, what small steps can they take that will have a collective impact?

We all need to question what our own limits are, what we can do and then do that with rigor. We don’t need to stop flying, we just need to do it a lot less. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to suddenly become vegan.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

I think a better idea is to eat as few animal products as possible, and if that amount is zero, great. If it’s once a week or once a day, then that’s a hell of a lot better than doing nothing. Rather than measuring the distance from some ethical perfection, we want to measure the distance from doing nothing at all.

mazing new breakthrough that ocuses on stimulating neurolymhatic points with therapeutic magnets.

I think that if we approach change as if it

ation,isn’tmicronutrient status, ionic difficult, then

Why is it such a struggle for people to follow through on climate change allergy goals? identifirogram includes:

we diminish our chances of being able eanse footbath and more! to sustain change. A lot of the things we

need to give up are fun. It’s a shame we can’t solve climate change by not eating broccoli; we would have done it already.

Climate change requires a different sort of moral imagination because, realistically, you and I aren’t going to die because of it. Human nature makes it more difficult to have an energetic response for something less immediate.

What call to action would you like to convey?

We have a feeling of helplessness, a feeling that there’s nothing we can do, but there is a lot that we can do and must do. The easiest and most powerful way to begin is with what we eat. That doesn’t mean you become vegan tomorrow, but tomorrow is a wonderful time to start eating fewer animal products. It’s a journey, not an event.

Julie Peterson writes about health and the environment. Connect at JuliePeterson2222@gmail.com.

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Opportunities are like sunrises.

If you wait too long, you miss them. ~William Arthur Ward

slowly you go as long as you do not stop. ~Confucius May 2020

37

LOCAL

branchburg eZential Wellness 1 Lamington Rd 908-526-0002 eZentialWellness.com

Find the studio, teacher or style that fits you best

stretch

princeton Princeton Integral Yoga Community Center (IYCC)

301 N Harrison St, Bldg A, Ste 1E 609-454-3140 IYCCPrinceton.org

califon randolph

Yoga Central 953 Rt 202 North 908-707-0759 YogaCentralNJ.com

branchville Sunrise Studio

6 Main St 932-948-YOGA (9642) SunriseStudio-NJ.com

caldwell Indigo Yoga Studios 351 Bloomfield Ave 973-241-5338 IndigoYogaStudios.com

mindful

Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Ashtanga Yoga for all levels, Mindfulness classes, Reiki certification Yoga teacher training

1 Lamington Rd, Branchburg Lori@eZentialWellness.com 908-526-0002 • eZentialWellness.com

Bee You Yoga & Wellness

Califon Yoga Studio Victorian Square Plaza upstairs behind PetsPetsPets 438 County Rd 512 CalifonYoga.co

flemington Be Here Now Yoga

63 Main St, Ste 202 908-642-0989 BeHereNowYoga108.com

martinsville True Definition Studios 1931 Washington Valley Rd 732-347-5511 True-Definition.com

e h t a bre

38 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. S. Warren Warren Co. Co. Edition Edition 38

3 Middlebury Blvd (Aspen Business Park) 973-775-9577

e t s a m na

BeeYou.com

robbinsville

Calm Waters Wellness & Yoga Center (Hatha-Kundalini) 2378 Rt 33 609-259-1547

warren Premier Pilates & Yoga 53 Mountain Blvd, Warren 908-754-5901 Yoga-n-Pilates.com

Be Here Now Yoga

Yoga for Beginners Gentle Slow Flow Yoga • Summer Kids Programs Private Sessions Ladies’ Night Yoga Parties

908-642-0989 63 Main St., Ste 202, Flemington BeHereNowYoga108.com

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Yoga Corner Shine On

Sponsor this Page

by Nicole Zornitzer

T

oday, I splurged. Today, I gave myself permission to take three yoga classes taught by my tribe members. Today, I realized the importance of self-acceptance.

In one of our dharma talks, we were taught that we need to accept where we are in this very moment, who we are in this very moment and how we feel in this very moment in order to shine. Many of us rise with frantic thoughts, experiencing moments of anxiety, frustration, fear, anger and sadness. Today, I experienced all of those emotions before the sun rose.

We were encouraged to recite how we actually felt, and this is what came up for me: I am scared.

I am angry.

I am frustrated.

I am lonely.

I am fearful.

If we accept how we actually feel versus how we want to feel, we have taken the biggest step in acceptance and the creation of positivity in our world. It is okay to feel uncertain and vulnerable. It is through these moments that we are our most authentic selves. We arrive exactly as we were meant to arrive: ourselves.

Sometimes, shining brilliantly requires moving through the mud and tangled weeds that seem to be holding us down, much like the lotus flower and its journey into life.

Premier Pilates & Yoga 53 Mountain Blvd Warren, NJ

908-754-5901 Yoga-n-Pilates.com

Have a Vision for Local Yoga?

This also reminds me of the words a wise woman once said, “In the yoga community, these are the moments we have been training for our entire life. We are taught the ability to withdraw the senses; we are taught finding power through breathing techniques; we are taught enduring pain by using the tools we are given in yoga… and here we are—prepared and finely trained for this very moment.”

Shining may not always appear as brilliant as our imaginations think shining should appear. We have the ability to shine even when we feel the dullest. We have the ability to shine in times of discomfort. We have the ability to shine by simply being who we are at all times.

So be yourself, accept who you are and appreciate how your perception of life changes from day to day. Shine on my dear, shine on.

Nicole Zornitzer, ERYT 1000, yoga therapist, founder of Niyama Yoga & Wellness Studio in Randolph. NiyamaYogaStudio.com.

The only studio to offer: • Therapeutic Yoga • Yoga for Functional Fitness • Prenatal Yoga Workshops • MELT Workshops • Playtime Yoga for children 3 to 6 years old

Your input helps shape this section while our input helps you grow!

For information, email Rosie@ NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com May2020 2020 April

39 39

virtual

All calendar events for the June 2020 issue must be received by May 10, 2020 and adhere to our guidelines.

Email kathy@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com for guidelines and to submit entries.

MAY 2020 Virtual Session Series Dr. Peter Amato, Inner Harmony Wellness Centers Fridays, May 1-June 5 • 7pm Pandemic Resilience: Moving Beyond Fear A Six Session Weekly Mind-Body Course designed to empower you to adapt to the tremendous new challenges we now face. Join anytime as course is evergreen! $199.00. Register today at InnerHarmonyWellness.com.

For information, call 570-319-6073 or visit InnerHarmonyWellness.com

Virtual Worship/Spiritual Connection Christ Church: An Emerging Christian Community Sundays in May • 10-11:15am Join us for online worship and fellowship via Zoom. To receive your link to join, visit http://www.ChristChurchEmerging.com Wednesdays in May • 7-8:30pm Spiritual Conversation Circle and Soup Supper via Zoom. To receive your link to join, visit http://www.

ChristChurchEmerging.com Wednesdays in May • 7-8:30pm Share your thoughts with other seekers and explore spiritual journeying. This conversation circle is open to your authentic self. Via Zoom: Find invitation at https://www.meetup.com/ProgressiveChristian-Community/ For information call 908-722-2080 or email cpchurch@optonline.net.

ChristChurchEmerging.org

Virtual Classes Karen Walsh, Be Here Now Yoga

Phone Healing Session Beth Wishbow, Insight Holistic

Thursday,May 7 • 7pm Moving Through Grief Class includes gentle movement on mat or chair, plus quiet meditation practices for the mind, body, and spirit. Free but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please register at https:// beherenowyoga108.com/calendar Online Yoga Visit https://beherenowyoga108.com/ calendar for classes throughout week.

For information call 908-642.0989 or email karen@beherenowyoga108.com.

BeHereNowYoga108.com

Reiki Distance Healing Telephone Sessions with Beth Wishbow, Reiki Master Teacher & Therapist.

75-minute Reiki Distance Healing Session: $90; 75-minute 3-Pack Reiki Distance Healing Sessions: $255 ($85 each). Appointments available from 12noon-7:15pm EST on M, W, Th, Fri & Sat. To book: InsightHolisticHealth.com/reikidistance-healing-sessions/ For information, call 908-295-7999 or email beth@insightholistichealth.com.

InsightHolisticHealth.com

Virtual Classes / eZential Wellness

Virtual Qi Gong Classes Qi Gong for Healing

Saturday, May 2 • 10-11am.

Holistic Living on a Budget with Jen James. Zoom class. $25. Pre-registration required.

Monday, May 4 • 5-5:30pm.

Mindful Matters with Maria Usewick. Zoom class series. 4 weeks on Mondays. $10 per class or $36 for all 4 weeks.

Call 908-526-0002 or email Lori@ eZentialWellness.com for information.

Visit https://ezentialwellness.com/ events-2/ to see all the virtual class offerings and to sign up.

Virtual Meditation Princeton Meditation Group Online Group Meditation Services Visit SRFOnlineMeditation.org to participate. For information, call 609-902-4850 or visit PrincetonMeditationGroup.org.

Reiki Classes & Certifications Monthly Reiki Share Events Healing Sessions Bedminster, NJ

Beth Wishbow

Reiki Master Teacher

908-295-7999 InSightHolisticHealth.com

Beginner series, four 1-hour classes. Begin the gentle movements of a Qi Gong Tai Chi journey featuring instructor Patty Pagano live online. Not sure? First 1-hour class is Free! Check schedule or register at https://forms.gle/k2kcv9tVJ6X1QfpD8 For information contact Patty at 908392-1313 or PattyQigongforHealing@ gmail.com.

QiGongForHealing.com

Virtual Weekly Classes Sand Hills Wellness Center Friday • 11am-12noon Emotional Freedom Technique for Stress Reduction with Sharon Coyle-Saeed via ZOOM. Monday • 10:30-11:30am Meditation with Sharon Coyle-Saeed via ZOOM. For more information, visit SandHillsWellness.wixsite.com/ sandhillswellness

Virtual Classes / Yoga Central Join us each day for an online class. If you are interested in Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Meditation or Tai Chi Chih, there is a daily online class available to attend. Visit YogaCentralNJ.com for all details, and don’t forget to check out our prerecorded sessions!

For information call 908-707-0759 or email y ​ ogacentralnj202@gmail.com.

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10% Off 1st REIKI HEALING SESSION With This Ad

40 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

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Virtual Skype Class Siobhan at Next Step Strategies Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays • 10am Natural ways to support the immune system & calm the fight/flight/freeze response. Ask about personalized one-onone sessions.

For information call 609-752-1048 or email Siobhan@NextStepStrategiesLLC. com.

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HEALTHY LIVING

HEALTHY PLANET

PLAN AHEAD SATURDAY, JUNE 20 Twelfth Annual Solstice Expo & Holistic Fair – 6/20, 10am-6pm; 6/21, 10am5pm. $7. Sponsored by the Society for Metaphysical Enlightenment. New Hope Eagle Firehouse, 46 N. Sugan Rd. New Hope, PA. For information, call 267-2612768 or visit WeAreSME.com.

CALL FOR

COVER ART SUBMISSIONS!

{YOUR CREATIVITY HERE}

classifieds Have a business opportunity, job opening, space for rent or other need?

Place your classified ads here, 30 words for $30, extra words $1 each.

Email to Joe@NaturalAwakeningsNJ. com by the 10th of the month prior to publication date.

INTUITIVE SERVICES

SEE YOUR ARTWORK FEATURED ON THE COVER OF NATURAL AWAKENINGS! Submit your paintings and illustrations to Natural Awakenings for the chance to be seen on one of our covers!

For more information, including submission terms, regulations and format requirements, visit NaturalAwakenings.com/CoverArt.

See your artwork featured on the cover of Natural Awakenings!

READINGS: Oracle card and palmistry readings offered in person, phone, parties welcome. Spiritually guided channeled messages are for your highest good. Let my gifts guide you! Reasonable rates. Cheryl 908-268-8029.

With the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation causing uncertainty for citizens worldwide, Natural Awakenings is more committed than ever in supporting your health and well-being.

For the latest updates on local events and information, visit us online at: NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com NaturalAwakeningsCentralNewJersey May 2020

41

Central New Jersey Community

business directory

Join the community! Request our media kit today by emailing Joe@NaturalAwakeningsNJ.com

Your local source for natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

Acupuncture

Ayurveda/Holistic Health

Chinese Healing Arts

Acupuncture Works Center

Ayurvedashram Holistic Wellness Center

Qi Gong For Healing

Kristin A. Dudley LAc

84 Park Ave, Ste G-103C, Flemington 973-979-1652 AcupunctureWorksCenter.com Gentle acupuncture with can be both very relaxing as well as healing. Acupuncture has been used for centuries to ease muscle and arthritis pain, relieve stress, increase energy and improve sleep. De-stress in a nurturing and healing envi-

roment. See ad, page 50.

Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, ND, LAc Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine; Board Certified in Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine 332 South Ave East, Westfield 908-928-0060 • AcuVisionTherapy.com

Dr. Rosenfarb is world renowned in the field of holistic eye health.

He is passionate about helping people with degenerative eye diseases. Learn of his astounding work in this area—call now to qualify for your free copy of his groundbreaking book, Recover Your Vision. Additional specialties include glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy. See ad, page 19.

Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. ~Lyndon B. Johnson

2070 Route 1, 2nd Floor, North Brunswick 732-658-6122 MyAyurvedashram@gmail.com MyAyurvedashram.com Experience the personalized body-mind-spirit approach of Ayurveda, a 5000-yearold healing science from India and one of the oldest system of medicine in the world! Ayurveda consultations and Panchakarma (detox) therapies by experienced and trained Ayurvedic practitioners. We specialize in pain management, hormonal imbalance, auto-immune disorders and pediatric wellness. Mention NaturalAwakenings and get 25% OFF your initial consultation! See ad, page 25.

Beauty & Fitness

908-647-1563 QiGongForHealing.com Specializing in T’ai Chi and Qi Gong classes, as well as private session clinical Qi Gong and acupuncture since 1994. Chinese Medicine weekend seminars teach how to apply clinical Qi Gong remedies to specific disorders. Excellent for the lay person and healthcare providers. All are welcome to observe or join a class. See ad,

page 9.

Clinical Hypnotherapy Inner Truth Hypnotherapy and Meditation Center

Lipo Laser NJ

Tori Valspirit 908-617-1545 hypnotherapy@valspirit.com InnerTruthHypnotherapy.com

Natasia Kakar 315 Main Street, Metuchen 908-793-9933 info@lipolasernj.com LipoLaserNJ.com Lipo Laser NJ utilizes a non-invasive, FDA-approved technology that can immediately reduce the size of fat cells without damaging or destroying them. The treatments are painless, effective and commonly used to treat the following problem areas such as abdomen, back, arms, legs, mommy thighs, love-handles, muffin-tops, buttocks and more.

CBD Products

Clinical hypnosis is a natural yet altered state of mind with numerous beneficial characteristics.

Evidence-based services include clinical hypnotherapy, medical support clinical hypnotherapy and integral hypnotherapy. Clinical hypnotherapy is available in private or group sessions. Confidentiality is assured within HIPAA regulations.

Eden Energy Medicine/ Sound Meditation RedTail Energetics Karen E Adamo, EEM-AP

Mom N Pop CBD & Wellness Shop Ray Brown, Jr.

5 Locations in NJ/PA 484-415-5037 MomNPopCBDShop.com CBD is a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory with no addictive properties. However, not all CDB products are created equally. We use the latest scientific knowledge and experienced professionals to create top of the line CBD products at affordable prices. See ad, page 23.

42 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

Brian Coffey LMT, and Fran Maher, CA

Eden Energy Medicine Advanced Practitioner Phillipsburg, NJ 908-752-0097 (phone or text) Karen@RedTailEnergetics.com RedTailEnergetics.com Experience more joy, peace, calm, health and vitality through the combination of two profoundly effective healing modalities—Eden Energy Medicine, which corrects imbalances in nine different energy systems, and Sound Meditation with authentic bronze Himalayan Singing Bowls and Gongs.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Education/Schools

Fitness

Waldorf School Of Princeton

Orange Theory Fitness

1062 Cherry Hill Rd, Princeton 609-466-1970, x115 PrincetonWaldorf.org

The Waldorf curriculum, used in 1,000+ schools School worldwide, integrates arts, of Princeton academics, movement, and music, emphasizing social and environmental responsibility. The hands-on approach is screen free.

Waldorf

Cedar Hill Preparatory School 152 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset 732-356-5400

CedarHillPrep.com Facebook.com/cedarhillprep/ Early Education Program

CHP believes a nurturing program that fosters emotional, social, and cognitive skills through a scaffolded learning evironment of structured and unstructured experiences is imperative in Preschool. We aim to provide a diverse environment, abundant space and stimulating activities as we strive to empower children to reach their unique potential.

434 US Hwy 202/206N, Bedminster 908-698-4600 882 Rte 22, Somerville 908-526-1400 OrangeTheory.com

Spring back to life with the workout designed to give you more energy, more strength and more results, so you can get more out of life. Visit OrangeTheory. com today to book your first workout free! See ad, page 15.

JAN

Age-Defying Habits Plus: Healthy Immune System

Morningstar Family Health Center

FEB

Cardiovascular Health Plus: Regenerative Medicine

54 Old Highway 22, Clinton 908-735-9344 MorningStarFHC.com

MorningStar’s team of health professionals cares for you like family. Our membership based practice cares for men, women and children age 8 and up with a functional approach to primary care. See ad, page 10.

Essentials Kingdom

Gaia’s Gifts

See ad, page 11.

Elaine is a Certified Health Coach specializing in Essential Oil Education. She helps women find their emotional anchor and unleash their spiritual purpose using the high vibrational frequencies of doTERRA essential oils.

Schedule a free consultation to experience her work.

2020 EDITORIAL CALENDAR

Functional Medicine

Gifts/Natural/Handmade

650-678-3128 elainebacio@hotmail.com EssentialsKingdom.com

HEALTHY PLANET

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES ISSUE

Essential Oils Elaine Bacio

HEALTHY LIVING

Ellen Perkins

16 Broad St., Washington 908-223-1331 • GaiasGiftsNJ.biz Local, handcrafted items including wall art, fiber art, jewelry, small furniture, leather work, soaps, lotions, local honey, loose tea and flower vibrational essences. Variety of rocks and crystals in personal size or display pieces, Himalayan salt lamps and so much more. See ad, page 43.

PLANT-BASED NUTRITION ISSUE

MAR

Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet Plus: CBD

APR

Grassroots Climate Crisis Strategies Plus: Healthy Home

WOMEN’S WELLNESS ISSUE

MAY

Autoimmune Breakthroughs Plus: Protein & Collagen Connection

JUN

Inspired Lifestyle Travel Plus: Brain Health

THE FOOD CONNECTION ISSUE

JUL

Beyond Factory Farming Plus: Gut Health

AUG

Biological Dentistry Plus: Environmental Education

SELF-EMPOWERMENT ISSUE

SEP

Emotional Well-Being Plus: Adaptive Yoga

OCT

Stress Management Plus: Joint Health

THE DIABETES CHALLENGE ISSUE

NOV

Personalized Diabetes Strategies Plus: Skin Care

DEC

Creating Community & Connection Plus: Spending Locally

IN EVERY ISSUE...

HEALTH BRIEFS | GLOBAL BRIEFS ECO TIP | GREEN LIVING HEALING WAYS | FIT BODY CONSCIOUS EATING HEALTHY KIDS | WISE WORDS INSPIRATION | NATURAL PET

May 2020

43

Hypnotherapy

Holistic Chiropractors

Holistic Dental Center

Dr. Paul M. Bizzaro, DC

91 Millburn Ave, Milburn 973-457-4688 HolisticDentalCenterNJ.com

Inner Truth Hypnotherapy and Meditation Center

Holistic dental care that is good for the body as well as teeth and gums. By treating the cause, not just the symptoms, Dr. Gashinsky helps improve his patients’ quality of life through dental care that respects and honors the body. See ad, back cover.

908-617-1545 InnerTruthHypnotherapy.com

81 S Main St, Yardley, PA 215-493-6589 • DrPaulBizzaro.com My mission is to educate people to the benefits of chiropractic, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle.

Over 40 years experience (personally and professionally) allows me to relate to your problem(s).

Services include nonforce chiropractic, nutritional testing, utilizing test kits/panels, Chirothin weight loss, massage (covered by most insurance) and laser therapy for pain. Personalized attention guaranteed! See ad, page 4.

Samsara Chiropractic Wellness Center Dr Jennifer Redmond 7 E. High St, Somerville 908-300-8800 DoctorRedmond.com

We believe that the body is designed to heal itself but structural issues, toxins, lack of nutrients or an emotional component can affect overall health. We offer Whole-istic healing techniques including Neuroemotional Technique, Active Release techniques, Activator, Flexion Distraction and more! See ad, page 30.

Holistic Dentistry The Center For Advanced Health Through Dentistry Dr. Joseph R. Mele, DDS, FIND, CNC 215 Union Ave.,Ste D, Bridgewater 908-526-2266 MeleDDS.com

Our aim is to restore you to health and vitality by eliminating dental road blocks. We offer the highest quality dental services with a holistic approach for children and adults.

See ad, page 21.

Vladimir Gashinsky, DDS

Princeton Center For Dental Aesthetics Dr. Kiersten Huckel, DMD Dr. Kirk Huckel, DMD, FAGD

11 Chambers St, Princeton 609-924-1414 • PrincetonDentist.com We offer a unique approach to the health care of the mouth based on a holistic understanding of the whole body. Please contact us to learn how we can serve your needs. See ad, page 28.

Hypnosis & Reiki Energy Health & Wellness LLC Michele Dellavalle, CH, CHTP, ART Clinton & Flemington #908-403-2045 EnergyHealth4Wellness@gmail.com ReikiEHW.com Employs complimentary methods to treat individuals in a holistic manner helping clients reach their goals and highest possible level of mental, physical & spiritual well-being.

Offering 5-Path Hypnosis®, 7th Path Self-Hypnosis®, Reiki, Healing Touch, Crystal Healing & Meditations.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

Tori Valspirit

Clinical hypnosis is a natural yet altered state of mind with numerous beneficial characteristics.

Evidence-based services include clinical hypnotherapy, medical support clinical hypnotherapy and integral hypnotherapy. Clinical hypnotherapy is available in private or group sessions.

Confidentiality is assured within HIPAA regulations. See ad, page 12.

Integrative Holistic Consultant Sunny van Vlijmen

939 Ridge Rd, Suite 2D, Monmouth Junction 609-275-3881 FindHappinessNow.com Do you want real and lasting change? My professional background of 20+ years in alternative healing and personal development has taught me what works and what doesn’t. If you’re ready for change, schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation, today. See ad, page 32.

Integrative/Functional MD Integrative Health & Wellness Associates Minal Vazirani, MD

112 Town Center, Warren 844-5-HEALER • 844-543-2537 dr.mvazirani@ihwa-nj.com minalvaziranimd.com ; Facebook: DrVazirani Dr. V is triple board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, and integrative medicine, plus additional training in Ayurvedic and Functional Medicine, and Yoga Therapy. She has published on integrative approaches to gut health.

Committed to helping patients get to the root cause of health concerns to create an individualized integrative lifestyle prescription for optimal wellness. Functional Medicine Testing and Nutritional Testing is performed when indicated. See ad, page 21.

Native American Proverb 44 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Integrative Psychotherapy

Meditation/Spiritual

Naturopathic Medicine

Bobbie Lynn Edwards LPC, NCC,M.Ed

Center For Healing and Empowerment

New Jersey Natural Medicine

Licensed Psychotherapist 15 E. Main St., Clinton 908-892-8978 • HunterdonTherapist.com Bobbie Lynn Edwards is a licensed psychotherapist for 35 years. Practicing integrating psychotherapy focusing on a broad spectrum of spiritual philosophies and practices to assist in your healing.

Clinically trained to provide guidance and direction to individuals, couples and families. Goals set within a mutual learning environment is the process. Meditation workshops for small and large groups are available. Call for a free consultation and further information.

Phyllis Livera

172 Washington Valley Rd, Suite 3, Warren 732-882-9676 CenterForHealingAndEmpowerment.com Are you seeking deeper meaning in your life? Are you stressed and ready for a change? Tired of being in both physical or emotional pain? We offer spiritual development, meditation and mini-me yoga classes, which have been helping people live more productive, happier lives.

MLS Laser Therapy MLS Laser Therapy Dr. Paul Bizzaro, DC

Massage - Therapy

81 S Main St, Yardley, PA 215-493-6589 DrPaulBizzaro.com

Body Be Well Massage Lauren Curtis, LMT

615 Mountain Blvd, Watchung 908-333-7746 Lauren@BodyBeWellMassage.com BodyBeWellMassage.com Lauren Curtis, LMT is a New Jersey State Licensed massage therapist, who specializes in various forms of massage, including Oncology, Pregnancy, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Medical, Aromatherapy and Chair massage. She is also trained in Foot Reflexology and Reiki.

Matrix Repatterning Dr. Clare M. Larkin, DC, CMRP located in Warren 908-930-0628 DrLarkin@optonline.net DrClareLarkin.com

Your cells remember traumatic injury on a deeper level. Some injuries hang on because their energy gets trapped in the deeper tissues of the body. Matrix Repatterning allows the detection and release of these deeper injuries, improves electrical flow and allows the body to function normally again. See ad, page 9.

Get permanent relief for your pain without drugs, shots or surgery with FDA approved Laser Therapy.

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Natural Medicine Inner Harmony Wellness Center Peter Amato, PhD, DNM Board Certified Natural Medicine Two PA Locations: 647 Wyoming Avenue, Kingston, PA. 131 Reynolds Road, Waverly, PA. 570-319-6073 InnerHarmonyWellness.com

With 25 years of experience we get to the root cause of your health concerns. Find out what is causing long-standing health issues and walk away with a precise care plan. Today’s chronic illnesses are not located in the blood! We test at the cellular level. Our approach merges applied kinesiology, Quantum Biofeedback and a (ART) Autonomic Response Testing developed by Dietrich Klinghardt M.D. PhD. See ad, page 13.ee ad, page

4.

The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. ~Kobe Bryant

Dr. Jason Frigerio ND, LAC Dr. Krista Imre, ND Dr. Adam Dombrowski ND, LAC 2424 Lamington Road, Bedminster 973-267-2650 NJNaturalMedicine.com

Since 2004, NJNM has treated countless patients with naturopathic, Chinese, ayurvedic and biological medicine. Some come to improve and maintain health, while others are seeking treatments outside the traditional medical sphere. Regardless of the reason for the visit, our guiding principal remains constant: to observe and treat the whole person, not just symptoms. Using this approach, NJNM is better able to identify and treat the root cause of illness, help restore balance and promote optimal health. See ad, page 7.

Naturopathic School Health Queen

Avis Gardell-Feldstein 1 Shadowbrook Lane Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 732-547-1196 (phone or text) HealthqueenAvis@gmail.com HealthQueenAvis.com We are excited to be able to bring the most cutting edge information in the Health Industry through our Certification in Naturopathy. Private consultations with Matrix Decoder diagnostics and Biofeedback plus testing available for Food Sensitivities, Hormones and more! See ad, page 17.

Nutrition Sunrise Nutrition & Wellness Center Dr. John Harrington 137 Mountain Ave., Hackettstown 908-441-2276 drharrington@SunriseNutritionCenter.com SunriseNutritionCenter.com You may be suffering from nutritional deficiencies, toxin overload, chronic infections and bad lifestyle habits. Get checked today!

We are dedicated to providing a health improvement program unique to your body. We aim to improve your health through nutrition and other safe, non-invasive therapies. See ad, page 37.

May 2020

45

Reiki & Hypnosis

Spiritual Enlightenment

Thermography

Alice Rich Reiki Center

Eckankar – The Path of Spiritual Freedom

Lisa’s Thermography & Wellness

Alice Rich, Certified Master Teacher

Usui Reiki Ryoho, Karuna Reiki®, Crystal Healing, Certified Hypnotist 732-501-7628 alice@AliceRichReikiCenter.com AliceRichReikiCenter.com Reiki, Crystal Healing and Integrated Energy Therapy® or Hypnosis sessions can help reduce pain physically, mentally and emotionally, promote a healthy lifestyle, achieve personal and professional goals, create balance and harmony and advance your spiritual journey.

Private sessions and classes. Certification classes on Reiki, Crystal Healing and IET.

Relationship Coach Ondov Relationship Coaching Rhoda Ondov, MS, MFT, CPC

12-14 E Main St, Suite 8, Somerville 908-642-6256 rhoda.ondov@gmail.com If you are in a troubled relationship, or dealing with infidelity, or facing possible divorce, you do not need Therapy. You are not mentally ill. You just need guidance and solutions.

Relationship Coaching can help you repair these difficult situations, bringing clarity and restoring harmony. Eight years experience helping couples successfully navigate relationship crises. Does not require participation by both partners. See ad, page 29.

Retreat Experience Harmony Mountain Institute Dr. Peter Amato, Ph.D., DNM 131 Reynolds Rd., N. Abington Twp, PA 570-558-7450 info@harmonymountaininstitute.com HarmonyMountainInstitute.com Escape for a luxurious weekend of radical transformation. Receive the Tools required to sustain your best life, achieve balance, and experience joy. Immerse in SelfCare and depart with a personalized wellness plan and Support Coach.

See ad, page 29.

323 Main St, Metuchen 800-870-9139 Eckankar-NJ.org

A truly spiritual way of life for the individual in modern times. Teachings provide a framework and spiritual tools for anyone to explore their own spiritual experiences. Studies of Dreams, Past Lives, Soul Travel.

Spiritual Healing, Teaching Be The Medicine Janet StraightArrow

973-647-2500 Janet@BeTheMedicine.com BeTheMedicine.com Shamanic Healing, Energy Medicine, Past Life, Medical Intuition, Life, Health, Spiritual Coaching, Astrology Readings, House and Land Clearings. In person, phone or Skype. Professional Reiki, Shamanism and Medical Intuitive Training. Retreats. 40 years’ experience.

mission

statement To empower individuals to live a healthier lifestyle on a healthier planet.

To educate communities on the latest in natural health and sustainability.

To connect readers with local wellness resources and events, inspiring them to lead more balanced lives.

46 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon/Mercer/ S. Warren Co. Edition

Lisa Mack, CCT, HHC

Thermographer and Holistic Counselor See website for locations in NJ and NY 855-667-9338 Lisa@LisasThermographyAndWellness.com LisasThermographyAndWellness.com Thermography gives an early look at the most important indicator of a potential health problem – inflammation. Early stage disease screening is an area in which thermography excels. Whether your pain is acute or chronic, or you are merely curious about the state of your health, thermography can help provide answers. Radiation-free breast and full body screenings for men and women. See ad, page 35.

Vision/Eye Health Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, ND, LAc, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine; Board Certified in Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine 332 South Ave East, Westfield 908-928-0060 • AcuVisionTherapy.com

Dr. Rosenfarb is world renowned in the field of holistic eye health.

He is passionate about helping people with degenerative eye diseases. Learn of his astounding work in this area—call now to qualify for your free copy of his groundbreaking book, Recover Your Vision. Additional specialties include glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy. See ad, page 19.

Wellness Center eZential Wellness

1 Lamington Rd Branchburg 908-526-0002 • Lori@eZentialWellness.com eZentialWellness.com Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, & Ashtanga Yoga for all levels. Whether you are new to yoga or have been practicing for a while, we see each of you as unique individuals who deserve to feel happy, healthy & welcome! Also offering Mindfulness classes, Reiki certification and Yoga teacher training. See Yoga Profile, page 38.

NaturalAwakeningsCNJ.com

Copper

People have used copper on cold sores and say it can completely prevent outbreaks. Users say they felt a tingle in their lip and knew a dreaded cold sore was coming. They pressed the handle on the tingly spot for 5 minutes, and repeated several times that day.

The tingle went away and the cold sore either never erupted or was tiny and opper in a new cold brief. he invented a copper device used in the prevention device is shown One woman said, “I have tried every nose to stop colds. Now thousands of to stop sinus trouble and cold users have completely stopped getting product on the market over the past 20 sores, too. colds. Many have stopped sinus trouble, years. Some made it a little better, but These problems this actually stopped it from happening cold sores, and are caused by in the first place! I was amazed.” more. microbes, such Mary from Colorado said, “I used to Attorney as viruses and Donna Blight get cold sores a lot. Now I don’t.” bacteria. Microbes Some users say copper stops had a 2-day sinus multiply quickly. headache when nighttime stuffiness if used just before If you don’t stop her CopperZap bed. One man said, “Best sleep I’ve had them early, they arrived. “I am in years.” spread and cause Copper can also stop flu if used early shocked!” she misery. said. “My head and for several days. Lab technicians In hundreds cleared, no more placed 25 million live flu viruses on a New research: Copper quickly of studies, EPA headache, no more CopperZap. No viruses were found alive kills viruses and bacteria. and university congestion.” soon after. researchers have confirmed that viruses The handle is curved and finely A man in Connecticut said, “I was and bacteria die almost instantly when born with sinus problems. This is the textured to improve contact. It kills touched by copper. only thing that has worked.” germs picked up on fingers and hands to That’s why ancient Greeks and protect you and your family.

Another man had suffered severe Egyptians used copper to purify water Copper even kills sinus problems for years. and heal wounds. They didn’t know deadly germs that have The condition was so bad about microbes, but now we do. become resistant to it ruined family vacations Scientists say the high conductance antibiotics. A moment and even dinners out with of copper disrupts the electrical balance of handling it may keep friends. His wife, Judy, in a microbe cell and destroys the cell in bought two CopperZaps, serious infection away. seconds.

The EPA says one for each of them.

Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the teams copper still works even He was totally confirming the discovery. He placed when tarnished. It kills skeptical. “Oh, Judy,” millions of disease germs on copper. hundreds of different he said, “you’re such a Sinus trouble, stuffiness, “They started to die literally as soon as disease germs so it can whack job!” But she got cold sores. they touched the surface,” he said. prevent serious or even him to try it and, to his Tests by the EPA (Environmental fatal illness. surprise, the copper cleared his sinuses.

Protection Agency) also show germs die CopperZap is made in America of Judy and their daughter both said, “It fast on copper. So some hospitals tried pure copper. It has a 90-day full money has changed our lives!” copper for touch surfaces like faucets back guarantee. It is $69.95.

Since then Judy has given and doorknobs. This cut the spread of Get $10 off each CopperZap with CopperZaps as gifts to a number of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, code NATA20. relatives and friends, not just for sinus Go to www.CopperZap.com or call and saved lives. relief but also for colds and the other toll-free 1-888-411-6114.

The strong scientific evidence gave problems copper can prevent. They all Buy once, use forever. inventor Doug Cornell an idea. In 2012, say it works, she reports.

New device

stops sinus trouble and cold sores

C

ADVERTORIAL May 2020

47

The Holistic Dental Center Working Together with Other Holistic Practitioners to Create a True Holistic Approach to Your Health

A

team approach to your overall health and it starts at the Holistic they don’t see, I do, and vice versa, seeing dental infections and Dental Center in Millburn, New Jersey, with their highly skilled how they can affect organ systems through meridians or directly and team of trained professionals in holistic and biological dentistry. From utilizing the benefits of networking with a holistic practitioner can and their award winning doctors and their state of the art technology to does make all the difference in patient care…I wouldn’t have it any their use of ozone and self-healing therapies, they are committed other way,” Dr. Gashinsky says about working with other practitioners. to not only treating your dental related symptoms, but also, the root So if you’re looking for an approach that is inclusive of all aspects cause thereby eliminating disease and promoting optimal health. of holistic care, visit Dr. Gashinsky and his team at The Holistic Dental Little did conventional practitioners know so many years ago that Center in Millburn, New Jersey. It’s their priority to ensure complete it took more than just looking at the mouth. A generation ago there holistic care by promoting the benefits of holism. “It’s not just your was a disconnect, a thought that our mouth and teeth had no bearing teeth anymore,” as he says, “It never was,” but now they have the on the health of the rest of our body. Now more and more research ability to not just treat overall disease but truly prevent and promote has been showing that there is a strong connection between dental whole body wellness. disease and systemic health. Dr. Gashinsky, Holistic Dentist, has always known that. A holistic approach to health is multifaceted, so he Other than being a dentist for 40 years, Dr. Vladimir Gashinsky, is a certified nutritional consultant, Accredited by the International Academy has built a network of healthcare practitioners to assist his patients in of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, SMART certified and a Naturopathic obtaining their desired level of optimal wellness. doctor “My passion for learning is never complete, I will continue to Working hand in hand with Naturopaths, Functional Medicine research and learn the latest in alternative treatments and team up practitioners and many others in the field of holistic medicine has with the best in the fields of holistic and alternative medicine to bring expanded Dr. Gashinsky’s ability to help more people. “I find it to be my patients the best treatments available, this I can assure you.” incredibly fulfilling to work synergistically with these practitioners to be able to improve patients’ health so dramatically. Some are coming Holistic Dental Center is located at 91 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, to me so very sick and by working together we’re seeing drastic New Jersey. For more information, call (973) 457-4688 or visit improvements in their quality of life,” says Dr. Gashinsky.

HolisticDentalCenterNJ.com.

Dr. Gashinsky feels strongly in the need to practice in such a manner as to take patients whole health into consideration. So much so, that he traveled to Switzerland this past spring to visit the Paracelsus Clinic and Swiss BioHealth Clinic; two healthcare models that promote the oral-body connection, to study their holistic approach to patient care. Dr. Gashinsky says, “To truly practice holism; the thought that everything is understood in relation to the whole and not just its parts, it’s important to remember that when treating a person it’s not just what one practitioner does, but how they can work together to improve the final outcome.”

“Finding and working with like minded practitioners to help my patients has not only been professionally satisfying, but also on a personal level knowing that my patients are being well taken care of,” say Dr. Gashinksy. “Finding and addressing the root cause of disease in all our disciplines is the key to success in our patients’ health. What __________________________________________ A D V E R T O R I A L __________________________________________