Natural Awakenings Columbia Edition 0222

F

E E R HEALTHY LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

POWER WORKOUTS

with Protein Shakes

THE HEART-MIND CONNECTION

How Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Heart Health

FERMENTING FOR FOODIES SECONDHAND FASHION February 2022 | Columbia Edition | ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com February 2022

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Columbia Edition

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Contents 18

14 LIVING IN THE

FREQUENCY OF LOVE

16 TRULY MAKING LOVE

Sex and Intimacy as a Healing Force

18 PARENTS AS ROLE MODELS

How to Help Kids Discover Positive Behaviors

20 THE HEART-MIND

24

CONNECTION

How Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Heart Health

24 FERMENTING FOR FOODIES

Preserving Food and Traditions

28 POWER UP

YOUR WORKOUTS

A Guide to Protein Powders and Shakes

30 SECONDHAND FASHION

28

Online Used Clothing Stores Good for the Wallet and Planet

32 DAVID PERLMUTTER on the Role of Uric Acid in Metabolic Health

33 FOSTERING LOVE

Tips for First-Time Pet Foster Parents

DEPARTMENTS 7 news briefs 12 health briefs 13 global briefs 14 inspiration 16 healing ways 18 healthy kids 23 eco tip 4

Columbia Edition

ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

24 conscious

eating 28 fit body 30 green living 32 wise words 33 natural pet 36 calendar 37 natural

directory

Natural Awakenings is a family of 50+ healthy living magazines celebrating 27 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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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

COLUMBIA EDITION

letter from publisher

Love: The Journey Within …

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appy Valentine’s Day valued readers! We all know PUBLISHER Annette Carter Briggs that the month of February has always been associEDITOR Sara Gurgen DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kristina Parella ated with the mystical, sweetly magical, and sometimes

Billy Briggs

intimidating term: love. It’s a BIG deal, and I think the key ingredient that “glues” humanity (as a community) together.

Unity, acceptance and diversity are doomed to fail without SALES & MARKETING Annette Carter Briggs it. It’s a sweet moneymaker for countless product-peddling WEBSITE Kristina Parella companies, such as candy manufacturers, card makers, wine producers, movie theaters, Billy Briggs restaurants and online retailers!

The heartfelt expression of love, in many cases, is only a click away, generating more CONTACT US than $27 billion in the U.S. annually based upon studies. And we love our pets too …

PO Box # 2812 don’t we? How much you might ask? Americans spend nearly $866 million on Valentine’s Columbia, SC 29202 Day gifts for their beloved four-legged friends.

Email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakenings.com Movie producers and songwriters understand the power that love has on the body, Annette Briggs Ph: 803-309-2101 mind, soul and spirit as well. Love is in the air while the fiercest battles for its meaning are Website ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com waged right between our ears in the mind. Love can lift you to the highest, most exhilarating heights of self-awareness and can provide a powerful sense of meaning—it’s as if you SUBSCRIPTIONS can seemingly spread your wings and fly! But in stark contrast, the overwhelming sense Subscriptions are available by sending $24 of being unloved can drive one to the lowest depths of despair … crash-landing into an (for 12 issues) to the above address. ocean of cold reality.

NATIONAL TEAM Yes, it is powerful—even dangerous. Being truly loved is more valuable than any CEO/Founder Sharon Bruckman candy, card or expensive bottle of wine that one can ever receive, for sure. But, friends, can COO/Franchise Sales Joe Dunne I tell you a secret? It all starts with you. Do you love yourself … really? Are you at peace Layout & Design Gabrielle W-Perillo and satisfied with the one staring back at you in the mirror? So often we draw our sense of Financial Manager Yolanda Shebert Asst. Director of Ops Heather Gibbs meaning and value from those around us, which is not entirely a bad thing. Love is meant Digital Content Director Rachael Oppy to be shown, shared and cherished. But if you don’t have a healthy sense of self-love, then National Advertising Lisa Doyle-Mitchell that love “deficit” will steal away your joy and peace, causing you to color your world with Administrative Assistant Anne-Marie Ryan the gloomiest shades of gray. It can even blur your sense of reality, and, sadly, cause you to mistreat others. The late Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung once said: “Your vision will become Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation 4851 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 200 clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks Naples, FL 34103 inside, awakes.”

Ph: 239-434-9392 • Fax: 239-434-9513 NaturalAwakeningsMag.com Friends … things happen in life, but as someone once said: “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it!” That’s a choice. The pages ahead contain © 2022 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. soul-nourishing, life-enhancing encouragement and positive reinforcement. Please read Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior on. Always remember to love others. But, most importantly, cultivate self-love within permission be obtained in writing. your own heart. Reshape the mind, properly nourish your body, and rejuvenate your Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. Please spirit. You can do it. Let’s do it together … starting today! I love the words of wisdom call to find a location near you or if you would like from the late Indian monk Paramahansa Yogananda: “Let my soul smile through my copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” the articles and advertisements, nor are we Let these words be your own. responsible for the products and services advertised.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Odell Williams Kristi Antley

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

Happy Valentine’s Day,

Annette Carter Briggs, Publisher

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink.

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community news

Holistic CBT LLC: Mindfulness Transformation

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herapist, coach and educator Mark Stoll, LPC, NCC, is the founder of Holistic CBT LLC. Stoll has been helping people with severe anxiety and depression for more than two decades by effectively integrating evidence-based therapies of mindfulness training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. He integrates effective therapy tools to alleviate the suffering that comes from an unhealthy mind. “The pain of intrusive worry, fear and rumination can be overwhelming. I can teach you the most effective strategies to free yourself from the prison of your mind so you can begin enjoying life again. I feel the primary source of unhappiness stems from an unhealthy relationship we have with our inner world,” says Stoll.

Holistic CBT’s innovative and effective services include counseling and psychotherapy, physician wellness and coaching, Mindfulness Essentials coaching, workshops and training. Adds Stoll: “Come learn the skills necessary to correct unhealthy overthinking while finding your flow and connecting to your purpose. Transform your mind … transform your life!”

Location: Holistic CBT, 14 Monckton Blvd., in Columbia. For more information, contact Mark Stoll at Mark@MarkStollTherapy.com. Also visit MarkStollTherapy.com. See ad, page 38.

ICRC Hosts Its Sweetheart Dance, Formerly Daddy-Daughter Date Night

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he Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) is hosting its Sweetheart Dance, formerly the Daddy-Daughter Date Night, on Friday, February 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Seven Oaks Park, located at 200 Leisure Lane, in Columbia. This year, parents, guardians and children from all across the Midlands can come and enjoy a fun evening that includes dinner, dancing, a memory photo, and goody bag. Space is limited, so advance ticket purchasing is recommended.

Cost: Ages 3 to adult, $28 per person. For more information, call 803-772-3336 or visit icrc.net/event/sweetheart-dance.

The Action for a Cleaner Tomorrow Initiative

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ction for a Cleaner Tomorrow is an award-winning, interdisciplinary, activity-based curriculum supplemental initiative that provides an introduction to solid waste, recycling and composting to kindergarten through eighth-grade students. Developed in 1993 by teachers and South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling in conjunction with the S.C. Department of Education, the newest edition features 18 lessons correlated to South Carolina’s science standards that include state-specific information, where applicable. The curriculum supplement is available to teachers at no cost that attend a related two-hour workshop. Classroom presentations are also available at no cost for fifth-grade, seventh-grade and high school students.

For more information, or to schedule a teacher workshop or classroom presentation, call 800-768-7348 (SCDHEC’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling) or visit TakeActionSC.org. Also visit scdhec.gov/environment/recycling-waste-reduction/recycling-school.

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community news

Unity of Columbia: Love, Peace and Connection!

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nity of Columbia’s doors are open wide to Midlands area residents seeking a loving and compassionate family environment to experience God. Unity’s unique and vibrant Sunday worship celebrations and classes encourage gatherers to celebrate a spiritually awakened world! Unity’s mission is to inspire the awakening and practice of divine love in every heart through spirit-centered love, peace and meaningful connections. “Come for a Sunday worship celebration; catch a class; and meet some positive, uplifting people who live life abundantly,” says Unity of Columbia’s minister, Rev. Dan Beckett.

Cost: Free to attend; donations are accepted. Time: 11 a.m. (Sunday service). Location: Unity of Columbia, 1801 Legrand Rd. For more information, call 803-736-5766. Also visit UnityColumbia.org. See ad, page 9.

ICRC Hosts Its Constellation Star Party

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eady for a space party? On Friday, February 11, from 8 to 9 p.m., the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC) is hosting its Constellation Star Party at Saluda Shoals Park East (the field below Leo’s Landing). Led by expert ranger Justin and open to all ages, participants will explore how cultures used constellations to tell stories and make predictions, and used the night sky for nighttime navigation.

He will also field other popular topics and questions, such as “What is a planisphere?” and “How is the distance measured between two galaxies?”

Cost: $2. Location: Saluda Shoals Park East, 6071 St. Andrews Rd., in Columbia. For more information, call 803-772-1228 or visit icrc.net/event/constellation-star-party.

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The Pee Dee Tree-Planting Project Needs Volunteers

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he South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) needs volunteers to help plant trees on Saturday, February 5, from noon to 5 p.m.

Participants will work in the rural community of Brittons Neck (in Marion county) to improve the quality of life for residents, combat climate change, and make the community more flood resistant. Natural infrastructure and green space are critical for storage and drainage of water during major storm events. Currently, SCWF and other partnering organizations are working together to plant 1,000 tree seedlings in the targeted area. Free tree seedlings will also be distributed to residents of Brittons Neck during the event. Trees will continue to be planted throughout February and March until project completion.

The list of other partnering agencies working together includes the New Alpha Community Development Corporation, Kingdom Living Temple, the Whitney M. Slater Foundation, S.C. State University, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Dogwood Alliance.

Location: W. R. Saffold Center, 6874 SC Hwy., Ste. 908, in Gresham, SC. For more information, call 803-256-0670 or visit scwf.org/events/2022/2/5/pee-dee-treeplanting-project.

Plant-Based Cooking Demonstration Series

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uth Furaus, of Healthy Discoveries, is hosting her Plant-Based Cooking Demonstration Series at 241 Riverchase Way, in Lexington, on Sunday, February 27, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Free to attend, session highlights include live demos, tastings, a free cookbook, door prizes, information from Ph.D. experts on living a healthy lifestyle, instant pot drawings, and much more!

For more information, visit Eventbrite.com/e/plant-based-cooking-demonstration-series-iv-tickets-223606963447?aff=erelexpmlt.

See ad, page 5.

KMB Hosts Adopt-AHighway Campaign

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n Saturday, February 12, Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB) is hosting an Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) campaign in the Midlands area. Individuals, organizations and businesses are encouraged to get involved by volunteering or by organizing an AAH campaign. The AAH program is sponsored by the S.C. Department of Transportation and coordinated by KMB for roads in Richland and Lexington counties. KMB also coordinates the Adopt-AStreet program for the city of Columbia.

Through these important sustainable partnering programs, caring citizens can take part in preserving and maintaining streets throughout the Midlands, which cultivates great benefits, such as tourism advancement, scenic beautification, improved quality of life, and raised educational and environmental awareness.

For more information and details about this Adopt-A-Highway campaign, including the location, call 803-733-1139, email Info@KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org or visit KeepTheMidlandsBeautiful.org.

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community news

EEinSC Identifies Great Education Apps

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nvironmental Education in South Carolina (EEinSC) has identified several great environmental apps for educators and students. These apps include the Audubon Guides app (Audubon.org/app), an animal and insect identification app from the Audubon Society; the Distant Suns 3 app (Apps.Apple.com/us/app/distant-suns3-unleash-your/id363418936), an educational app that teaches learners about stars and constellations; the iBird Backyard Plus app (Apps.Apple.com/us/app/ibird-backyard-plus/id297644123), an educational app focusing on backyard birds; the Leafsnap app (Apps.Apple.com/us/ app/leafsnap-plant-identification/id1487972880), an app that allows users to take pictures of leaves and then does all the identification work; the Tree Pro HD app (AppAdvice.com/ app/trees-pro-hd-nature-mobile/452952313), a tree identification app; and the WeBird app (10000Birds.com/webird.htm), a bird song app that helps to identify birds by their songs.

For more information, visit eeinsc.org/resource/about.aspx?s=103138.0.0.37431.

2022 LMC’s Governor’s Cup Road Race

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n Friday, February 18, and Saturday, February 19, the Lexington Medical Center (LMC) will host its 2022 Governor’s Cup Road Race. The Kids’ Main Street Mile will start at 6 a.m. and the adult Main Street Mile will start at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. The 1-mile course will run down historic Main Street to Lady Street, and will then turn around and finish between Laurel and Richland streets. Following the race, participants are invited to enjoy the post-race festivities and awards ceremony taking place at 1830 Main Street.

On Saturday, the Half Marathon and the 5K Run/Walk will start at the intersection of Gervais and Main streets (in front of the S.C. State House) at 8 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. respectively. In both races, runners will experience a great road course that includes historic areas.

The course finish is near the intersection of Park and Senate streets, where participants can enjoy great post-race activities, including an awards ceremony.

Participants can pick up a bib and shirt on Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the main course, located at 1624 Main Street (the back of the main course). Parking is available at the PJ Cannon Parking Garage, located on Taylor Street. Launched in 1973, the Lexington Medical Center’s Governor’s Cup Road Race is one of the oldest continuously conducted road race events in the Southeast.

For more information or registration details, call 803-960-6202, email Katie.Miller@GovernorsCupSC.org or visit GovernorsCupSC.org.

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EEASC Hosts Two Professional Development Events

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he Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) is hosting two professional development events (one in person and one virtual) in March. The first development session is a live event hosted on Friday, March 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Hobcaw Barony (an S.C. Project Learning Tree Environmental Education Center), located at 22 Hobcaw Road, in Georgetown, S.C. Hobcaw Barony is a 16,000-acre property dedicated to research and education. Participating educators will receive a hard copy of the new K-8 Activity Guide and five hours of S.C. Department of Education renewal credits.

Visit SCForestry.org/PDFs/PLTExploreYourEnvironmentK-8HobcawMarch25.pdf.

The second development event, hosted on Tuesday, March 29, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., is a virtual session. Participating educators will receive a digital copy of the new K-8 Activity Guide and four hours of S.C. Department of Education renewal credits.

Visit SCForestry.org/PDFs/PLTExploreYourEnvironmentK-8VIRTUALMarch29.pdf.

Both sessions are featured in the new Explore Your Environment Curriculum: K-8 Activity Guide. The new innovative material includes 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities to connect children to nature and increase young people’s awareness and knowledge about the environment. Activities feature detailed step-by-step instructions, academic correlations, time and material requirements, and corresponding student worksheets with green career connections—all designed to develop the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills of students.

For more information, contact EEASC Assistant Coordinator/S.C. Forestry Commission Beth Foley at 803-896-8855 or BFoley@scfc.gov.

Green Steps Schools Hosts Gathering

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n Thursday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the S.C. Green Steps School Program is hosting its pre-conference Green Steps Gathering at Aiken Elementary School, located at 2050 Pine Log Road. Current and prospective teachers and project mentors are invited to attend.

A free event, attendees will receive Green Steps training, updates and have the opportunity to learn more about Aiken Elementary School’s successful Green Steps projects implementation. Attendees will have the opportunity to win Green Steps learning kits. In addition, qualifying schools and mentors will be presented with their 2022 Green Steps certificates. Light refreshments will be provided. Participants are encouraged to dress comfortably and to bring water bottles, as most of the time will be spent outdoors if weather permits.

The S.C. Green Steps Schools Program encourages and empowers S.C. educators and students to plan, establish and sustain projects that enhance the environment. The program provides support for student-led conservation projects, such as school gardens, wildlife habitat, composting, recycling, upcycling, rain barrels, and more.

For more information, contact Green Steps Schools Program Coordinator Jane Hiller at 803-741-8250 or JaneHiller@gmail.com. Also visit eeasc.org/event-4637177.

RCSM and Columbia Water Host Landscaper Conference

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n Friday, February 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Columbia Water and Richland County Stormwater Management (RCSM) are hosting their 2022 Blue Thumb Landscaper Conference at Earlewood Park, located at 1113 Recreation Drive, in Columbia. Conference topics will include mushrooms and soil health, backyard snakes, mosquitos, fly and midge control, rain garden maintenance, pollinator planting, weed control, and more.

As a note, a virtual option will be available for those that cannot attend in person. In addition, pesticide applicator recertification credits are available at the conclusion of the conference.

For more information, call 803-576-2400 or visit RichlandCountySC.gov.

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Two new studies suggest that the right probiotics can offer relief for the 85 percent of pregnant women with nausea and for the 25 percent of fussy newborns with colic. In the journal Nutrients, University of California, Davis researchers reported on a study in which 32 pregnant women that had nausea, vomiting and constipation took a probiotic capsule twice a day. The overthe-counter probiotics formula contained 10 billion live cultures, mainly Lactobacillus. After 12 days, the number of hours participants felt nauseated was reduced by 16 percent, and they vomited one-third fewer times. Constipation was also reduced.

Quality of life markers such as fatigue, poor appetite and difficulty maintaining normal social activities also improved. Examining biomarkers in fecal samples, the researchers found the probiotics increased vitamin E and a bile salt enzyme that helps prevent vomiting and nausea.

In a second study published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Naples researchers explored whether a particular probiotic strain (Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis BB-12) could help soothe babies with colic, a common gastrointestinal disorder in the first three months of life that studies have linked to maternal postpartum depression, parental guilt and frustration, drug use and long-term behavioral and sleep problems. They found that the probiotic reduced the duration of daily crying by 50 to 80 percent in the 40 infants that received it once daily for 28 days, compared to a 32 percent reduction among 40 babies receiving a placebo.

The probiotic also had beneficial effects on sleep duration and on stool frequency and consistency. It increased gut production of butyrate, which positively regulates intestinal transit time, pain perception, the gut-brain axis and inflammation.

Sugary foods and drinks don’t just expand our waistline and hurt our health, they also harm the environment, according to new research from the University of South Australia. Analyzing 20 studies on the environmental impacts of food consumption, researchers found that nutrient-poor foods like sugar-sweetened drinks, alcohol, baked sweets and processed meats account for 27 to 33 percent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. Meat, grains and dairy contribute the most emissions, while fruit and vegetables are two of the lowest contributors. In New Zealand, the highest greenhouse gas emitters are meat, seafood and eggs at 35 percent, followed by highly processed foods such as pastries and ice cream at 34 percent.

“Discretionary foods have a higher cropland, water scarcity and ecological footprint,” says review author Sarah Forbes. “By 2050, the world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion people. There is no way we can feed that amount of people unless we change the way we eat and produce food.”

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Try Probiotics to Lower Pregnancy Nausea and Soothe Fussy Babies

Eat Fewer Sweets to Save the Planet

Improve Sleep and Lower Anxiety with Black Cumin Oil Black cumin seeds that come from the flowering fennel plant (Nigella sativa) flavor cuisines from the Middle East to the Far East and have been used for centuries to treat chronic and infectious diseases. In a new study in the Journal of Herbal Medicine, Indian researchers report that 15 volunteers with insomnia that took 200 milligrams of black cumin oil after dinner for 28 days experienced significantly better sleep. They fell asleep sooner, slept longer and recorded increases of 82 percent in non-rapid eye movement sleep and 29 percent in rapid eye movement sleep. Stress and anxiety levels were also dramatically reduced.

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health briefs

Keep Moving to Sidestep Depression

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In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were sitting around a lot more and getting depressed, report researchers from Iowa State University. Analyzing data between April and June 2020 from 3,000 participants throughout the country, they found that people that ordinarily met the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines of exercising 2.5 to five hours a week reported cutting back their exercise routines by 32 percent when pandemic restrictions kicked in. The same participants reported feeling more depressed, anxious and lonely. In a second study in the following months, people’s mental health generally improved as they adjusted to life’s new rhythms. “But for people whose sitting times stayed high, their depressive symptoms, on average, didn’t recover in the same way as everyone else’s,” says lead author Jacob Meyer, assistant professor of kinesiology. He suggests taking short walks before and after Zoom calls at home, as well as walking around the block before and after the workday to mimic the pre-pandemic commute.

global briefs

Friendly Flights

Airplanes Soar on the Power of Sunlight Carbon-neutral fuels are crucial for making air and sea transport sustainable. Aldo Steinfeld, professor of renewable energy sources at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, and a team of researchers have been operating a mini solar refinery for two years. He says, “This plant successfully demonstrates the technical feasibility of ... converting sunlight and ambient air into drop-in fuels.

The system operates stably under real-world solar conditions and provides a unique platform for further research and development.” The technology is now ready for industrial application. The plant will be used to produce synthetic liquid fuels that release CO2 extracted directly from ambient air during their combustion using solar energy. The process yields syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, that can be processed into kerosene, methanol or other hydrocarbons.

Johan Lilliestam, a research group leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies and professor of energy policy at the University of Potsdam, explains, “Unlike with biofuels whose potential is limited due to the scarcity of agricultural land, this technology enables us to meet global demand for jet fuel by using less than 1 percent of the world’s arid land, and would not compete with the production of food or livestock feed.” Given the high initial investment cost, solar fuels will need political support while the price of solar kerosene is high and production capacities are low. This would have little impact on the cost of flying, but would promote the construction of production facilities and lead to lower prices.

Super Shader

Solar Canopies Green Urban Parking Lots

When large collections of photovoltaic panels are erected as solar farms on undeveloped land, they can harm underlying ecosystems. As an alternative, large parking lots make use of land that is already cleared and produce electricity close to where it’s needed. Plus, they can also shade the cars. A solar parking facility at Rutgers University, in Piscataway, New Jersey, boasts an output of eight megawatts of electricity. If Walmart converted all 3,571 of its U.S. super center lots, the total capacity would be 11.1 gigawatts of solar power, roughly equivalent to a dozen, large, coal-fired power plants.

Most solar installation presently occupy croplands, arid lands and grasslands, not rooftops or parking lots, according to a global inventory published in Nature.

Building alternative power sources quickly is important to replace fossil fuels and avert catastrophic climate change, and the process is cheaper and easier to manage by building on undeveloped land than on rooftops or in parking lots. Ironically, putting solar facilities on undeveloped land is often not much better than building subdivisions there. Rebecca Hernandez, an ecologist at the University of California at Davis, notes that developers tend to bulldoze sites, removing all of the above-ground vegetation. That’s bad for insects and the birds that feed on them. The trend to cluster solar facilities in buffer zones around protected areas can confuse birds and other wildlife and complicate migratory corridors.

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inspiration

Living in the Frequency of Love

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ost of us refer to love as an emotion, but in essence, love is a verb, a powerful call to action. When we remember its true nature, we can answer its call with our unique signature. Some brave souls like Martin Luther King, Jr. leap into uncharted territory with authentic truths, while others sprinkle their quiet corner of the world with small gestures of kindness. Telling someone how much they mean to us, holding the door for a stranger, asking a cashier how their day is going or welcoming a new neighbor is like handing out a piece of light. Added up at the end of the day or a lifetime, we create a mural of stars against the darkness.

The frequency of love not only inspires, but heals. The energy of giving and receiving is literally wired into our neurochemistry, flooding our bloodstream with endorphins that combat systemic inflammation, influence mood, accelerate recovery and raise the pain threshold.

We can freely stream waters of genuine kindness, love and affection, but if there is no waiting vessel for love’s outpouring, the potential of its power is diminished and incomplete. Our willingness and that of others to receive activates kindness, awakens what is dormant inside of us and quickens our capacity to thrive.

Mother Teresa once said, “We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair and hopelessness is love.” With our willingness to gift one another with our full and authentic presence, all else is possible.

Marlaina Donato is an author and visionary composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

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by Marlaina Donato

community spotlight

Columbia Water

Local Sustainability in Action!

by Columbia Water Communications

Greetings from Columbia Water

Columbia Water is the drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utility owned and operated by the City of Columbia, South Carolina. Columbia Water operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week to maintain the city’s drinking water supply, collect and treat the city’s wastewater, design and oversee construction of many capital improvement projects, and monitor stormwater drainage and water quality throughout the City of Columbia.

Trash the Poop

Pet waste is one of the most common contaminants in municipal water supplies. When dog excrement is left on the ground, it washes away to water sources, like rivers or lakes, during storms. While some may believe that pet waste will decompose like fertilizer in a grassy area or sidewalk, dog waste can contain up to three times more pathogens than waste from other animals.

In the City of Columbia, storm drains are not connected to the sewer system, and anything washed away from the ground in stormwater runoff has the potential to end up in drinking water sources, like the Broad River or Lake Murray. With the Trash the Poop campaign, residents of the Midlands are encouraged to pick up pet waste and put it in the trash.

Learn more about the Trash the Poop campaign at TrashThePoop.com.

Trash the Wipes and Trash the Grease

One of the biggest issues in municipal wastewater treatment systems are fatbergs. A fatberg is a mass of waste materials that have hardened due to not breaking down in sewer lines. These obstructions typically contain “flushable” wipes that are sold in retail stores and residue from fats, oils and grease (FOG) poured into kitchen sinks and garbage disposals.

In the winter, FOG may congeal and has the potential to burst pipes, amounting to

costly damage in residential and commercial water systems. These breaks can also be an environmental nuisance and cause unnecessary contamination in municipal water systems. The City of Columbia spends an average of $1.5 million annually and 4,500 man hours toward unclogging and vacuuming the wastewater collection system lines each year.

With the Trash the Grease/Trash the Wipes campaign, Columbia Water works to educate the public about the proper disposal of items. Here are tips to prevent sewer line clogs and breaks: • Pour unused cooking oils in a mason jar or can. Let the liquid cool, and throw the can or jar in the garbage. *Please note that cans or jars filled with food waste should not be sorted in the recycling container.

• Scrape plates and dishes into the trash can instead of the garbage disposal.

• Consider recycling large quantities of unused oil. Contact local solid waste departments for more information.

• Put flushable wipes, baby wipes, makeup wipes, disinfectant wipes, feminine hygiene products, cotton balls, and other personal care items in the trash.

• Report sanitary sewer overflows to local wastewater facilities.

Learn more about cooking oil disposal at ColumbiaSCWater.net/fog.

My Columbia SC App

City of Columbia customers are encouraged to download the My Columbia SC app on any Android or Apple device. This free and easy app is a one-stop shop that allows customers to request work orders, report concerns, view City of Columbia maps, search City of Columbia job vacancies, and get answers to frequently asked questions from the City of Columbia Customer Care Team. Please note, the app is not to be used in the case of an emergency.

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February 2022

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healing ways

Truly Making Love Sex and Intimacy as a Healing Force

deagreez/AdobeStock.com

by Marlaina Donato

I

ntimately connecting with a loved one is one of life’s most precious gifts, but it’s easy to lose sight of our innate sensual energy in the maze of the mundane.

Through lovemaking, we can harness our life force, and according to abundant research, reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, manage pain and improve brain health. A significant correlation also exists between higher ejaculation frequency and a reduced risk for prostate cancer later in life, Boston University researchers report in European Urology.

Making love is also good for boosting our natural immunity. College students that engaged in amorous activity once or twice a week—especially with long-term partners—had 30 percent higher levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A in their saliva, concluded research by Wilkes University, in Pennsylvania.

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Stripping Down to Basics A few lifestyle adjustments can do wonders for worn-out romance. Quality sleep itself can be a potent aphrodisiac. Women are more likely to be “in the mood” after a good night’s sleep, even with just an extra hour of shut-eye, according to a 2015 pilot study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Therapist Kurt Smith, clinical director of Guy Stuff Counseling and Coaching, in

Aphrodite’s Plate Feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin all contribute to the pleasure response, and sharing luscious food with a lover can be sensuous, as well as endorphin-friendly. Nutritious foods such as almonds, walnuts, asparagus and avocados support reproductive health, and a dessert of dark chocolate and honey-drizzled fruits like berries, figs and cherries can support libido in both women and men. Nixing excessive alcohol and sugar is also a good romantic investment.

Fun Homework for Couples From Kurt Smith: Remain connected by having “no-tech nights”. Try turning all devices off for an evening and find something to do together that doesn’t require them. This could be watching a movie, playing board games (yes, they still exist), going out for dessert, etc. It can be fun to brainstorm creative, low-cost ideas.

From Jamie Elizabeth Thompson: Journal about why sex and intimacy are important to you, how it serves the rest of your life and what you see available through having a consistent, potent, deep, hot erotic life. Share this vision with your partner and keep it somewhere you see it often. Knowing why something is a priority makes you far more likely to follow through.

Flirt with each other. Couples who flirt their way through their communication fight much less. Flirting creates a playful, fun flow of energy between you. It’s a way of keeping the fire stoked so you’re not completely restarting from cold coals every time you want to heat up the house.

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Roseville, California, advocates limiting phone use and engaging in non-technological activities. “Phones have moved from being used as a communication device to becoming many people’s connection to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, when used as such, they pose a threat to the emotional connection with our partners,” he says. “With all distractions removed, sit on the sofa, face each other and talk. This suggestion can make many people very uncomfortable, because they have no idea what they’d say to their partner. Actually, talking to your partner without a purpose other than to just listen and connect with each other has become rare.”

An element of fun can go a long way in the quest to stay connected. “Approach your sex life like a science experiment or an art project instead of a math problem,” says Jamie Elizabeth Thompson, a holistic intimacy expert in Austin. “It’s an exploration with no one right answer. Attitude is important when it comes to sex because people can take it so seriously and place crippling pressure on having this fantasy Hollywood sex life.”

Partnership as Sacred Deep relationship is only possible when we are willing to be vulnerable. “Porn is a drug that people unknowingly use to self-medicate and manage uncomfortable thoughts and emotions,” explains Smith. “Many men have no idea what they’re missing because they’ve never had an emotionally intimate relationship without the negative influence of porn. Porn makes sex self-focused, rather than what it’s supposed to be, which is the intimate connection of two people. Porn is selfish, rather than loving, giving and sharing with a partner.”

Thompson attests that lovemaking can help us align with the divine, especially “when people have reverence for the power of their erotic life force. When people open their view of what sex is, it can become an act of worship.”

Love prompts us to become more ourselves. “When erotic life force is flowing freely, the body is vital and the system is turned on. When channeled properly, this energy is highly creative,” muses Thompson. “It’s the fuel of your vehicle, the charge of your battery, and when you are full on life force, it organically overflows into service.”

Marlaina Donato is an author and composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

February 2022

17

healthy kids

Parents as Role Models

How to Help Kids Discover Positive Behaviors

by Sandra Yeyati

L

ike the familiar adage, “Monkey see, monkey do,” children learn habits, attitudes and values by observing and mimicking their parents. This phenomenon, known as modeling, is a double-edged sword. Sometimes parents unintentionally teach their kids by example to smoke, eat too much candy or bully people. On the other hand, with awareness, planning and strategic modifications, parents can use modeling to instill in their kids good habits, positive attitudes, healthy emotional intelligence and strong self-esteem.

“We parent what we know, very often on automatic mode,” says Debra MacDonald, a certified parenting educator at the Center for Parenting Education, in Abington, Pennsylvania. “How many times have you said, ‘I will never say that to my kids,’ and then fast-forward several years, those words are coming out of your mouth.

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Awareness is your first step.”

“Look at how you handle stress or express anger,” MacDonald suggests. “If you slam the table, break something and yell, that’s what you’re teaching your children to do when they’re angry. To teach them constructive ways to express anger—like taking deep breaths or running around the block—you’ve got to employ those tools yourself.”

Actions speak louder than words. “To teach your child good values, you have to demonstrate them through your deeds. If you tell your child that they must always be on time for school, but you’re late for work every day, your child hears one thing, but sees another,” MacDonald explains, adding that kids are adept at sniffing out these inconsistencies.

Saying, “Eat your spinach,” while regularly gobbling ice cream

won’t inspire desired results. When MacDonald’s son was young, she realized she wasn’t setting the right example at the dinner table.

“Slowly, over time, I began to improve our family’s lifestyle choices, and now that he’s in college, he knows how to cook healthy meals, practice portion control and clean up after himself,” she boasts.

Tackling Childhood Anxiety Through Modeling In his 2021 book, Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD, Yale University Professor Eli Lebowitz offers a scientifically proven parental modeling program called Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE). Although the goal is to treat a child’s anxiety, parents meet with a therapist and learn tools to modify their parenting approach in two ways: being more supportive and reducing accommodations.

On the support side, SPACE parents learn to show a genuine acceptance and understanding of their child’s distress and to communicate their confidence in the child’s ability to tolerate and cope with the anxiety. The support can be as simple as saying, “I get it.

This is really hard. You’re upset, but I know you can handle this.”

“Supportive statements aren’t always intuitive for parents,” says Lebowitz, director of the program for anxiety disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. “Sometimes they don’t believe that their child is feeling anxiety. They might think that the child is being manipulative or attention-seeking. Or, when parents do believe that their child is anxious, they want to protect, soothe and reassure them, but by doing these things, parents aren’t communicating their belief that the child can handle it, which is critical to helping them overcome the anxiety.”

The second change that SPACE parents learn to make is to gradually and systematically reduce all the accommodations they have been making to help their child not feel anxious, such as sleeping beside a child that is afraid of being alone or not inviting company to the house to avoid upsetting a socially anxious kid.

“Research indicates that even though parents are trying to help, accommodations that rush to the rescue tend to maintain or worsen anxiety over time,” Lebowitz says. “I worked with parents of a child who had panic attacks at night and would say, ‘My heart is racing. I can’t breathe. I think I’m going to die.’ Feeling overwhelmed and scared, her parents would rush her to the hospital again and again, even after doctors assured them that she was healthy and didn’t need to come in. From the child’s perspective, when your parents rush you to the ER, that confirms that this is literally an emergency. You feel more worried and scared.

When the parents were able to take a breath, give her a hug and say, ‘We know this is uncomfortable, but it’s going to pass, and you’re going to be okay,’ she began to learn that she didn’t need to be afraid of anxiety. She could handle it and didn’t need to avoid it.”

Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati@gmail.com.

February 2022

19

The Heart-Mind Connection How Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Heart Health

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by Ronica O’Hara

“D

oes your wife show you her love?” In a study of 10,000 married men, this question turned out to be revelatory. Among men with high levels of anxiety, a whopping 93 percent that answered “No” developed angina-related chest pains within five years—nearly twice the rate of those answering “Yes.” This 1976 Israeli study was one of the first to clearly document how emotions affect the physical heart. Today, the research is so vast and compelling that last year, the American Heart Association issued a statement urging that psychological factors be taken into account in cardiovascular care—which may result in doctors asking patients about depression and anxiety as well as testing for blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“What’s on your mind really does affect your heart,” says leading researcher and cardiol-

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ogist Michael Miller, M.D., author of Heal Your Heart and director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical System. “Our hearts require emotional health in order to maintain cardiovascular health.”

Two emerging fields are probing the mind-heart connection: neurocardiology, which studies their neurological interplay; and behavioral cardiology, which examines how psychological and social factors lead to

heart disease. Increasingly, researchers are documenting that the brain and the heart form an intricate feedback loop that works neurologically, biochemically and electromagnetically to optimize well-being. What hurts one—be it artery-clogging foods or angry outbursts—can hurt the other. What heals one—be it exercising or a good belly laugh—can heal the other. There’s good news in that, says Miller: “You can heal your heart by actively engaging in positive emotions each and every day.”

Unveiling the Heart’s Role

In Western medicine, the heart has been downplayed historically as a pump mechanistically taking orders from a bossy brain, but recently, the heart’s role is being reexamined: With 40,000 neurons, it sends more signals to the brain than it receives.

As integrative cardiologist Mimi Guarneri, author of The Heart Speaks, puts it, “The heart is a multilayered, complex organ, possessing intelligence, memory and decision-making abilities independent from the mind.”

The electromagnetic field it generates is about 100 times stronger than the brain’s magnetic range and can be detected up to three feet away from the body, report researchers at the pioneering HeartMath Institute, in Boulder Creek, California.

They found that one person’s brain waves can synchronize to another person’s heart and two hearts can synchronize to each other, which may help explain why people are drawn to or repelled by each other.

When the heart’s rhythm pattern becomes erratic and disordered during stress and negative emotions, they report, the neural signals traveling to the brain’s emotional centers also get disrupted, hindering clear thinking and reasoning—which may help explain why we make dubious decisions under stress.

The High Toll of Tough Emotions

Although scientists debate whether emotions start in the brain, heart or from physical sensations elsewhere in the body, it’s clear through magnetic imaging technology that it’s the brain’s task to process and regulate emotions via the flow of neurotransmitters through the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and other brain regions. Emotions like anger, fear, grief and anxiety set off a cascade of reactions involving the hormone

cortisol and proteins called cytokines, creating an inflammatory response that, if it becomes chronic, can promote the accumulation of plaque in the arteries that can become unstable and rupture, triggering blood clots that lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Surveying 25,000 participants in 52 countries, the landmark INTERHEART Study in 2004 concluded that about 30 percent of heart attacks and strokes are due to psychological factors, and ongoing research supports this finding.

DEPRESSION. Adults that are depressed are twice as likely to develop heart disease.

In one study, moderate to severe depression quadrupled the death rate in heart failure patients.

ANXIETY. Researchers have linked chronic anxiety with a 48 percent increased risk of cardiac-related death over 11 years. It has also been shown to be a risk factor for angina, heart attacks and ventricular arrhythmia.

SHOCK. A sudden emotional or physical shock, like a death in the family or an earthquake, can trigger stress cardiomyopathy, known as broken heart syndrome, which resembles a heart attack.

ANGER. An episode of intense fury—described as “body tense, clenching fists or teeth, ready to burst”—increases by 8.5 times the risk of a heart attack within the next two hours.

LONELINESS. Being socially isolated and lonely is linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular death than hypertension and obesity—alarming information since more than 60 percent of Americans report feeling lonely, left out, poorly understood and lacking companionship, according to a 2020 survey.

Boosting Both Brain and Heart

“There’s no damage caused by negative emotions that positive emotions can’t heal,” says Miller. A large body of research has shown that cardiovascular disease risk can be reduced by up to half with optimism, a sense of humor, forgiveness, social support, religious faith, vitality, gratitude, altruistic behavior, emotional flexibility and coping flexibility. People that are optimistic are less likely to be rehospitalized or die from heart disease, Finnish researchers report.

“For optimal health, maximize the health of both brain and heart. For example, if you

eat well and exercise, but are still stressed out, your heart will suffer. Conversely, if you are not stressed out, but overeat and do not exercise, your brain will suffer,” says Miller. Some heart-and-mind-healthy strategies include: DOING THE BASICS. Exercising a halfhour daily and eating a largely plant-based, Mediterranean-type diet that’s low in saturated fats has been found in numerous studies to lower the risk of both cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

Working with health practitioners to get blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation levels under control, perhaps using supplements or medications, is also a key preventive step.

GIVING AND GETTING HUGS. Oxytocin, the “love hormone” released from the pituitary gland during touching and hugging, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and regenerates new heart tissue in animal studies. Proactively reaching out to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers can nurture affectionate ties, but if a human isn’t nearby, even hugging a teddy bear has been shown to release oxytocin—which may explain why 40 percent of U.S. adults sleep with stuffed animals. Owning a dog, but not necessarily a cat, makes us more likely to survive a heart attack, report researchers.

MINDFULLY LETTING GO. As studies with police officers, healthcare workers and firefighters have demonstrated, mindfulness training effectively lowers anxiety and depression, even for those in life-threatening situations. “To be present, ever acutely aware of our thoughts, emotions, feelings and how we are choosing to react is critical,” says cardiologist Cynthia Thaik, author of Your Vibrant Heart and the founder of the Holistic Heart Healing Center, in Los Angeles. “Once we are aware of our reaction, the ability to let go—of judgment, doubt, anger, resentment, fear, all our negative thoughts, emotions and feelings—is crucial to our healing process.”

LAUGHING A LOT. Many of us have a chuckle deficit in our lives: The average 5-year-old laughs up to 300 times a day, the average adult only four. To lower the risk of heart attack and stroke, find ways to laugh long and hard—such as watching hilarious films or videos on YouTube or TikTok. Physiologically, the endorphins released by a hearty belly laugh bind to receptors that release nitric oxide, relaxing blood vessels.

February 2022

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BREATHWORK. To bring the mind and heart into a healthy, coherent rhythmic pattern, the HeartMath Institute suggests heart-focused breathing, which involves imagining that we are breathing in through the heart as we inhale in a smooth, comfortable manner to the count of five or six, then breathing out for five or six counts while visualizing that the breath is flowing out of the heart.

MEDITATION. People that practice meditation are significantly less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, perhaps because it has been shown to lower heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, oxygen consumption and cortisol levels. Alzheimer’s expert Dharma Singh Khalsa, author of Meditation as Medicine, advocates kirtan kriya, a 12-minute, daily meditation that includes chanting, finger movements and visualization. Research has demonstrated that it slows cognitive decline, eases depression and increases anti-aging telomerase activity at a cellular level by 43 percent in eight weeks.

YOGA OR TAI CHI. In studies, yoga has been shown to lower inflammation and metabolic syndrome markers linked to heart disease and reduce atrial fibrillation episodes. The slow, graceful movements of tai chi reportedly lower blood pressure and strengthen the hearts of people with heart failure.

MUSIC. Whether it involves listening, playing an instrument or singing, music has been shown to lower heart rate, reduce inflammation, enable longer exercise periods, ease anxiety after heart surgery and heart attacks, and help stroke victims regain the ability to speak. Choose music of whatever genre inspires joy and sing along for extra benefit, advises Miller. “If your partner is flummoxed by your enthusiasm for yodeling or your neighbor doesn’t exactly approve of your attempts at arias, kindly inform him or her it’s doctor’s orders,” he jokes in Heal Your Heart.

Health writer Ronica O’Hara can be contacted at OHaraRonica@ gmail.com.

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eco tip

Purposeful Shopping How Fair Trade Can Change the World

Protect the rights of produce workers. Fair trade bananas, avocados, coconut products and cashews often come from small growers in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where cooperatives ensure them a living wage and better working conditions. These products may cost marginally more, but are readily available at many supermarkets.

Protect sustainable tea and coffee farming. On fair trade tea and coffee farms, agrochemicals and genetically modified organisms are strictly prohibited, sustainable farming methods are encouraged and stringent programs for water conservation and proper waste disposal provide environmental stewardship.

Protect the oceans with fair trade cotton. Buying clothing made with fair trade cotton means less synthetic apparel, so washing won’t shed microplastics that make their way into the ocean, fish and then our dinner plates.

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Help build strong communities with fair trade cosmetics. When the shea butter, cocoa butter, sugar and coconut oil used in many skin-care products comes from fair trade producers, a fair price is paid, decent working conditions without child labor are assured and a portion of the money is returned to infrastructure or community projects. Makers of fair trade cosmetics often use vegan ingredients and animal-free testing, as well.

Fair trade is an alternative international business model that puts people and the planet first. It is designed to help growers and producers in developing countries achieve sustainable, fair relationships with exporters and consumers in wealthier parts of the globe. It focuses particularly on commodities like coffee, tea, textiles and seafood, and works to ensure sustainable prices, better working conditions and higher environmental standards.

According to the Fair World Project, “The fair trade movement shares a vision of a world in which justice and sustainable development are at the heart of trade structures and practices both at home and abroad, so that everyone through their work can maintain a decent and dignified livelihood.”

At least five fair trade organizations certify compliance.

While the criteria of each varies, certification typically requires companies to allow a third party to audit their business practices and monitor production to ensure standards are met.

Fair trade goods can cost slightly or significantly more than conventionally traded purchases, which may explain why ethical and fair trade products make up only 1 percent of the total market. But the trend is growing: In 2018, sales of fair trade produce in the U.S. rose by 30 percent, with 60 products available. International sales of a major German-based certifier, Fairtrade International, increased almost 10-fold between 2004 and 2016, from $939 million to $8.9 billion.

Consider these steps to achieve ethical, sustainable shopping: February 2022

23

conscious eating

Fermenting for Foodies Preserving Food and Traditions

by April Thompson

I

f fermented food is a trend, it’s the oldest one on the planet. More and more people are rediscovering the time-honored foodways of fermentation to promote health, boost flavor and preserve the bounty of the seasons. “There is huge potential to use high-quality fermented foods to enhance our health and well-being,” says Sandor Katz, a so-called “fermentation revivalist”, in Liberty, Tennessee, and the author of several bestselling books on fermentation, including the newly released Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys: Recipes, Techniques, and Traditions from Around the World.

Katz caught the fermentation bug after moving from New York City to rural Tennessee in the 1990s and being faced with the “positive problem” of an overly plentiful garden to preserve. He’s since wandered the globe teaching and learning about fermentation traditions, from Korea’s spicy kimchi to Mexico’s funky pineapple tepache drink.

Fermentation is defined as the chemical breakdown of a food by bacteria, yeasts or other microorganisms. An estimated onethird of all foods are fermented, including coffee, cured meats, cheese, condiments and chocolate. Pickles and yogurt are traditionally fermented through lactic acid bacteria, while beer and bread are typically fermented through yeast. Kombucha, an ancient tea drink, is made using a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria.

Pascal Baudar, a Los Angeles writer, instructor and self-proclaimed “culinary alchemist,” turned to fermentation techniques to preserve the precious wild ingredients of the fleeting seasons. His books and workshops cover unusual

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Fermentation transforms the nutrients in food in several ways, Katz explains. In a process known as predigestion, it breaks macronutrients down into more digestible forms (think proteins turned into amino acids) and renders minerals more bioavailable. Gluten, too, is broken down by fermentation, he says, as are potentially toxic compounds in foods such as cyanide and oxalic acid. The process also releases vitamins B and K and other micronutrients as metabolic byproducts.

Fermentation reduces the short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and are prone to absorb water and ferment in the colon, causing gas and bloating. Found in wheat, beans and other foods, they can pose digestive problems for people with irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions, says Tayler Silfverduk, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Columbus, Ohio, specializing in celiac disease.

“The most profound nutritional benefit of fermentation is the live bacteria itself. You are ingesting a rich biodiversity of beneficial bacteria that can potentially improve immune function,” says Katz, an AIDS survivor who considers fermentation an important part of his healing process.

No Starter Required “There is nothing you can eat that can’t be fermented, but the easiest and safest place to begin is with vegetables,” which need no special equipment or a starter like sourdough, kefir or kombucha, says Katz. To make sauerkraut, for example, simply shred cabbage, lightly salt and season it, and submerge it in a jar under its own juices, “burping” it daily for a week to 10 days to release the fermentation gases.

Katz and Baudar both like to debunk myths that fermenting foods is difficult or dangerous. “You don’t have to sterilize everything or have precise laboratory control conditions. People have been practicing fermentation for years, and they began before they knew bacteria was a thing. To the contrary, fermentation is a strategy for food safety,” says Katz.

While yeast or mold can grow on the top layer that is exposed to oxygen, Katz says “a lot of sauerkraut is needlessly discarded.

Most such growth is harmless and normal, and can be skimmed off the top.”

Baudar, a University of California Master Food Preserver, has kept foods he’s fermented for up to three years and only once encountered mold. “You need to work with the ferment,” he says.

“That means regularly burping it, then shaking or stirring to promote the acidity that prevents bad bacteria from taking hold.”

“If it looks or tastes bad, throw it away,” he adds. “Some of my early experiments tasted horrible, but I just took my failures as learning and kept experimenting. The more you understand the

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

Fermented Pickled Carrot Sticks YIELD: 1 QUART-SIZE JAR OF PICKLES 2 sprigs fresh dill 1-2 cloves garlic 2 lb whole carrots 1 Tbsp sea salt 1-2 cups distilled water Wash and peel the skins of the whole carrots. Cut the peeled and washed carrots into carrot sticks. Peel and finely slice the garlic cloves. Wash and dry 2 sprigs of dill.

In a wide-mouth, quart-size jar, pack in the carrot sticks. (Tilt the jar to locate more places to squeeze in the sticks.) Add in the sea salt, then the sliced garlic and sprigs of dill.

photo provided by Tayler Silfverduk RDN

Fermentation with Benefits

fermentation process, the more you can play with it creatively and push the envelope.”

Cover the ingredients with distilled water (Be sure to leave about an inch of free space from the waterline to the opening of the jar.)

Place an airtight lid on the jar and let it sit for a week or until the carrots have reached desired taste. Make sure to burp the jar at least every two days while fermenting.

Once the carrot sticks have reached their desired taste, place the jar in the fridge for storage. Enjoy.

Notes: If using organic carrots, leave the skin on and just wash the carrots very well before chopping into snacking sticks.

When burping the jar, use this time to check on fermentation to make sure it’s growing healthy. Look for bubbles on top of the water and along the water line. Seeing mold is a sign that good bacteria is struggling to start a culture and we may need to try again.

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culinary territory, like fermented and aged vegan cheeses from acorns and “seaweed” made from fermented broadleaf plantain, a common weed, using methods he’s studied and perfected. “I investigate new and lost flavors, and conserve them as gourmet foods through preservation,” he says.

Courtesy of Tayler Silfverduk, registered dietitian nutritionist.

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YIELD: 1 QUART 2 lb organic cabbage head 2 Tbsp sea salt ½ cup organic yellow onion, thinly sliced ½ cup shredded carrot 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp fresh, grated ginger (1 Tbsp ground powder alternative) ½ Tbsp ground coriander ½ Tbsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper ½ tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp curry powder ¼ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp cinnamon First, rinse all of the produce. Then peel the outer layers off the cabbage, saving a couple of the cabbage leaves.

Cut the cabbage in half (through the core), then in half again, then core the cabbage by placing wedges up vertically on a cutting board with the core touching the board and holding it at the tip. Position the knife at the start of the core and slice downward, cutting off the hard portion.

Place the cabbage on a flat side and slice shreds to desired thickness (about ¼ inch). Start at the tip and work down.

Thinly slice the onion and then shred carrots using a cheese grater.

Place it all into one very large or two non-reactive bowls (not metal). Pour the spices on top. Massage the mixture of veggies and spices until a lot of brine has been created and the mixture has shrunk down to about half its original size.

Take the massaged veggies and spices, and start packing them into a 1-quart fermenting jar with an airtight lid. (The packing will help bring the brine to the sur-

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face.) After every scoop that’s put into the jar, pack it down with a fist. Leave several inches at the top of the jar.

Fold up the saved cabbage leaves and put them on top of the cabbage in the jar.

(Make sure the brine goes over the top of the cabbage leaves.) Place the weight—either a fermenting weight or rocks inside of a bag—on top of the cabbage leaves. Leave about 1 to 2 inches at the top of the jar.

Close the jar’s lid and put it in some sort of basin (I use a casserole dish) to catch the brine that comes out. The brine will come out of the jar because the cabbage will swell during the fermentation process, and the basin will catch the brine instead of it spilling onto counters.

Notes: Over the next few days, the mixture will turn into curry kraut through a lacto fermentation process. Bubbles and the bright green cabbage will become yellow. How long to wait depends on the level of sourness desired and how warm the house is kept.

Check the curry kraut for taste. It’s good to check after about three to five days to see if it’s sour enough. It’s also good to do a quick check for mold. It’s likely a white, scummy-type substance will form at the top of the brine; this is okay and part of the process. It can be scraped off or left there.

When curry kraut reaches desired taste, take out the cabbage leaves and the weight, close the lid and put it in the fridge.

Make sure to start with a clean surface and utensils. Dirty supplies can mess with the bacteria in the fermentation.

Courtesy of Kyrie Luke, Healthfully Rooted Home.

photo provided by Tayler Silfverduk RDN

Curry Kraut

Pineapple vinegar, vinagre de piña, is delicious and super-acidic. Many Mexican recipes call for pineapple vinegar, although it can be used in place of any kind of vinegar. Since this uses only the skin of the pineapple, we are eating the pineapple flesh. This recipe was inspired by a recipe in The Cuisines of Mexico, by Diana Kennedy.

YIELD: 2 CUPS/500 MILLILITERS 2 Tbsp sugar Peel of 1 pineapple (organic, because the skin is used; overripe fruits are fine) Combine the sugar with 2 cups/500 milliliters of water in a jar or bowl. Stir to dissolve. Coarsely chop and add the pineapple peel. Use a small plate to weigh down the pineapple and keep it submerged. Cover with a cloth to keep flies out.

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Ferment at room temperature. Stir daily while the pineapple peels are in it. Strain out the pineapple peels and discard after about one week when the liquid is darkening.

Ferment the liquid for an additional two to three weeks, stirring or agitating periodically. Bottle and enjoy.

From Sandor Katz’s book, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016).

Rosy Raspberry Soda YIELD: 2, RESEALABLE, 1-QUART-SIZE AND 1-LITER PLASTIC BOTTLES ½ cup/70 grams raspberries Juice from ½ lemon 2–4 Tbsp honey 1 tsp rose water Yeast

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Vinagre de Piña (Mexican Pineapple Vinegar)

Combine and blend. Place all the ingredients except the yeast in a bowl with a bit of water and mash together with a fork, or put them all in the blender.

Divide between two, 1-quart/1-liter bottles. Top off with warm water. Add yeast. Sprinkle about ¼ tsp bread or champagne yeast into each bottle. Let it sit for a few minutes, then shake the bottles to dissolve and distribute the yeast.

Let ferment on the counter. Check the carbonation after a few hours. Bleed carbonation by gently and slowly opening the bottles. Refrigerate when they seem strongly carbonated, generally within six to eight hours.

From Sandor Katz’s book, Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016).

February 2022

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fit body

POWER UP YOUR WORKOUTS a guide to protein powders and shakes

by Maya Whitman

P

rotein, from the Greek proteios, means “primary”, which sums up its vital role in the human body. Its structure of amino acids enables myriad bodily functions, from repairing and building tissues to creating biochemical reactions that form enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters, and maintaining pH and fluid balances. When we fortify our diet with digestible, nutritionally dense, nonmeat protein, we also amp up our fitness efforts, enhance immunity and offset premature aging. Whole-food and plantbased proteins like pea, quinoa and chia seeds are also strong allies against Type 2 diabetes, research shows.

Whipping up a protein drink before or after a workout can foster muscle and joint integrity, and it can nourish soft tissue after injury. “Protein is vital for muscle synthesis. An individual who exercises at a higher intensity should focus on getting more protein in their diet to aid in better recovery,” says Hannah Davis, a personal trainer and owner of Body By Hannah, in Cleveland, Tennessee. “Protein is also important in overall nutrition to better balance hormones that control hunger, blood sugar and mood.”

Dominic Kennedy, a Los Angeles trainer and the creator of The Dominic Effect health and fitness app, concurs.

“Protein is considered a ‘macronutrient’, which means we typically need a large amount to stay healthy. Certain protein powders can be very healthy for you and help to build and repair tissue.”

The average daily protein requirement for adults is 50 to 70 grams, but can be higher during times of stress, injury, illness, pregnancy or breastfeeding.

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expressiovisual/AdobeStock.com

The Protein Promise

Vegan fitness and nutrition coach Karina Inkster, in Powell River, British Columbia, gives a nod to protein shakes for their convenience, but advises, “Just make sure you’re not relying just on protein powder to hit your daily protein.” She highlights the importance of diet diversity with other protein sources like tofu, tempeh, legumes, nutritional yeast, nuts and seeds.

Choosing Nutrition, Nixing Added Sugar

Thirty years ago, heavily sweetened, incomplete protein powders seemed to be the only game in town. “Nowadays, we have countless plant-based options for protein powders—pea, rice, soy, hemp, pumpkin seed, quinoa … the list goes on,” says Inkster. “I like to stick to the basics, as I have a lot of serious food allergies. I go with brown rice and/or pea protein. Single ingredients, no flavors and no sweeteners.”

For Kennedy, shakes and powders with sugar and dairy can contribute to bloating and store fat in the body, “which we need to work harder to burn off. I cannot stress the difference this has made in my body once I gave it up years ago. Not only do I look better physically, but most importantly, I feel better on the inside. Sugar is highly addictive and can also affect your mood.”

Davis prefers sourcing her protein requirements from whole foods, but recommends whey-based powders when her clients want a reliable power shake and can tolerate it well.

Protein-to-carbohydrate ratio is paramount, especially for those with weight-loss goals or blood sugar instability. Reading labels is important, especially when food intolerances are an issue. Kennedy recommends experimenting with various protein sources. “If you are using whey protein and having trouble digesting it, it may just be a lactose intolerance. Trying one that is plant-based could be a game-changer.”

Among Inkster’s clients, brown rice and pea protein powders score high for digestibility and assimilation.

Fortifying Additions

From antioxidant-rich pomegranate powder to blood-sugar-supportive monk fruit and adrenal- and thyroid-nourishing maca, nutritional extras abound. However, Inkster notes that supplemental products marketed as superfoods, including collagen, do not necessarily pack a powerful punch to an already nutrient-dense diet. “When we ingest collagen or a vegan alternative, this protein gets broken down into amino acids in the exact same way as any other protein we eat.”

Kennedy points to super-green and pomegranate powders as ways to help the body combat chronic disease. “It’s a great way to get more greens and vegetables and in turn, promote a healthy immune system. We could all use more of that.”

Davis reminds us that one person’s nutritional ally can be another’s bane. “Supplementation is very personal. I always encourage focusing on a whole foods diet that includes a lot of variety to create a micronutrient balance in the body and then experiment with some supplements to see how they may help.”

Guide to Protein Powders Protein supplementation is an $18 billion global industry, so sifting through options for our own lifestyle and constitution can be daunting. These descriptions of protein powder sources may help: CHIA SEED : vegan and naturally gluten-free; heart-healthy, supports bone health and enhances insulin sensitivity; supports healthy weight loss due to fiber content; natural source of calcium (average protein percentage: 12 to 16 grams per scoop) EGG WHITE: lowers risk of cardiovascular disease and lowers blood pressure; improves muscle repair; cholesterol-free (average protein percentage: 25 grams per scoop) HEMP SEED: vegan and naturally gluten-free; easily digestible, nutrient-dense protein containing all essential amino acids; helpful in reducing inflammation and contains healthy fats and antioxidants (average protein percentage: 15 to 20 grams per scoop) NON-GMO PEA: vegan and naturally gluten-free; builds muscle mass and improves tone; contains all essential amino acids; promotes satiety and a natural source of iron (average protein percentage: 20 to 25 grams per scoop) ORGANIC BROWN RICE: vegan and naturally gluten-free; aids in muscle recovery, helps to burn fat (average protein percentage: 25 grams per scoop) PUMPKIN SEED: vegan and naturally gluten-free; alkalizing and high in zinc; lowers risk of certain cancers and improves reproductive and intestinal health (average protein percentage: 22 to 35 grams per scoop) WHEY (COW- OR GOAT-SOURCED): builds muscle mass via anabolic hormones like insulin; goat whey offers high nutrition and protein with fewer sensitivities than cow’s milk (average protein percentage: 25 to 30 grams per scoop)

Maya Whitman writes about natural health and living a more beautiful life. Connect at Ekstasis28@gmail.com.

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green living

SECONDHAND FASHION Online Used Clothing Stores Good for the Wallet and Planet

by Sandra Yeyati

T

he online commerce of used clothing is booming. According to ThredUp.com, a prominent virtual consignment and thrift store, the secondhand market is projected to double in the next five years, reaching a whopping $77 billion. “The pandemic and resulting economic downturn boosted this surge,” says Hyejune Park, Ph.D., associate professor of fashion merchandising at Oklahoma State University. “Stuck at home in 2020, people looked into their closets, found items they no longer wore or wanted and went online to sell and buy clothes to save money.”

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Popular Resale Platforms Younger, tech-savvy shoppers are the principle drivers of this growth, and a host of apps and websites are responding to the demand, including UK-based marketplace Depop.com, which caters to cash-strapped Generation Z and millennial shoppers, and Poshmark.com, a leading social marketplace boasting 80 million users across the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Several well-known platforms serve vintage and luxury brand consumers worldwide, offering authentication

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guarantees to reassure buyers about counterfeits. Among them are Santa Monica-based Tradesy.com, founded by women for women; Paris-based reseller VestiaireCollective.com; and TheRealReal. com, out of San Francisco.

Other notable players include brickand-mortar thrift store Goodwill Industries, which has partnered with resale app OfferUp.com to upload their inventories; eBay.com, one of the first online, peer-to-peer marketplaces; and Etsy.com, featuring vintage and upcycled fashion by smaller shops.

Brand-Name Manufacturers and Retailers React

The Secondhand Surge and the Environment

ThredUp.com’s marketing materials assert Many fashion brands are considering or that by extending the life of used clothing, have already formed partnerships with fewer new garments need to be produced, established resale platforms to reach helping to reduce the carbon, waste and this engaged, younger demographic of shoppers. For example, Gucci is partner- water footprints associated with the production of textiles and apparel. In 2021, ing with TheRealReal.com, while Adidas Manish Chandra, founder and CEO of is working with ThredUp.com. In 2021, PoshMark.com, stated, “Consumers are Poshmark.com launched their Brand Closets initiative, inviting branded man- prioritizing the impact that their purchases have on the environment.” ufacturers to interact with their users Park cautions and opening the that even though platform to sell To protect the planet, resale platforms a combination Park advises, the goal should tout environmenof used and new fashion. “The be to buy nothing or buy less. tal benefits, consumer behavior fact that all this will ultimately is happening is determine whether the online surge an indication that we’re witnessing a makes a positive environmental impact. new wave of e-commerce,” Park says. “I In a recent study involving young condon’t think it’s a temporary boom. From sumers living in Oklahoma, Park sought a retail business perspective, this is a to understand why they were choosing to huge trend that will go mainstream and buy and sell secondhand clothing online. continue to grow.”

Their most prominent motives were savOther brands are launching resale ing money and shopping convenience. operations in-house, such as Levi’s “Not many respondents saw this type Secondhand.Levi.com and fast-fashion of consumption as a way to save the giant H&M’s Rewear.hm.com, claiming environment,” she laments. “If consumers to provide a sustainable fashion-buying buy secondhand goods to curtail their alternative, but Park cautions, “I’m not spending on new clothes or to find better confident that secondhand fashion can quality garments than fast fashion, then solve the sustainability issues that fast it will be good for the environment, but if fashion has created over the past decade. they buy and sell used clothes in addition Depending on how brands are participatto their regular shopping as another way ing in their resale operations, it could be to shop for marked-down products, then a greenwash claim—just another way to there will be no environmental benefit.” make sales and reach more consumers.”

To protect the planet, Park advises, the Notably, H&M’s Conscious Collection goal should be to buy nothing or buy less. that is marketed as sustainably-made “It’s okay to purchase $10 jeans, but get clothing caters to only a small fraction of one pair, not five. Don’t have a one-nightits customers, suggesting that the company cares less about environmental impacts stand relationship with your clothes. Love and more about satisfying a segment of its them, take care of them and wear them until they’re falling apart.” customer base.

In contrast, Park says, Patagonia’s resale Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer program is an enviable environmental example. “Patagonia began running their and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati@ Worn Wear resale campaign long before gmail.com. this secondhand shopping boom. They educate consumers about how to take care When the power of love overcomes of their gear, offer alteration services and the love of power, the world will encourage the long-term wear and resale know peace. ~Jimi Hendrix of their clothes,” she explains.

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February 2022

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David Perlmutter on the Role of Uric Acid in Metabolic Health

by Sandra Yeyati

B

oard-certified neurologist David Perlmutter, M.D., has written five New York Times bestsellers, including Brain Wash, Grain Brain and Brain Maker. His latest book is Drop Acid: The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid— The Key to Losing Weight, Controlling Blood Sugar, and Achieving Extraordinary Health. A recipient of the Linus Pauling Award for his innovative approaches to neurological disorders and the National Nutritional Foods Association Clinician of the Year award, he has appeared on 20/20, CNN, Fox News, The Today Show, Oprah and CBS This Morning.

What is the most significant threat to our health and longevity today?

Metabolic issues like high blood pressure, increased body fat and high blood sugar are at the root of our most pervasive health challenges. According to the World Health Organization, the number one cause of death on planet Earth are chronic degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, coronary artery disease, diabetes and cancer, all of which are fundamentally metabolic problems. Astoundingly, 88 percent of American adults have at least one component of what is called the metabolic syndrome, which means only 12 percent of Americans are metabolically healthy.

What is the basic premise of Drop Acid?

The book shows how uric acid elevation, previously thought of only in terms of gout, is the centerpiece for metabolic dysfunc32

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tion and how you can easily bring your uric acid under control and regain metabolic health. You can test uric acid levels at your doctor’s office or with a home monitor that you can buy online, so this is a powerful new tool to help you be healthier.

What is the role of uric acid in our body?

Having elevated uric acid was a survival mechanism for our hunter/gatherer, Paleolithic and primate ancestors because it allowed their bodies to make more fat to protect them during times of food scarcity. Today, high levels of uric acid are leading to elevated blood sugar, increased production and storage of fat, and high blood pressure. Everything we do that raises our uric acid puts us at risk for these profound metabolic threats to our health.

What foods and beverages should we reduce to control uric acid levels?

Alcohol, purines (the breakdown product of DNA and RNA in certain foods) and most importantly, fructose. In the 1900s, we consumed 10 to 15 grams of fructose per day, as opposed to over 70 grams today. The average American consumes 55 pounds of sugar each year. It’s absurd.

High-fructose items like sodas, sauces and desserts are absolutely off the table, as is fruit juice, a powerful initiator of high uric acid. Fruit isn’t an issue. There may be five grams of fructose in an apple, and fruit

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contains vitamin C, which dramatically lowers uric acid, and fiber, which slows fructose release.

High-purine foods are organ meats, shellfish and small fish like anchovies and sardines.

There are modest amounts of purines in red meat and chicken. I’m not saying these foods should be avoided; we want people to limit their consumption of chicken, fish and red meat to six ounces a day.

With alcohol, the big issues are hard liquor and beer. Beer contains a very concentrated source of purines because it’s made with brewer’s yeast. Though wine contains alcohol, it has polyphenols that help to reduce uric acid, possibly by nurturing the gut bacteria. Research demonstrates that a glass or two of wine is associated with either no change or a minimal decrease in uric acid. Coffee seems to lower uric acid.

Will these lifestyle choices really make a difference?

Patients are confronted with a mentality from marketing that you can do whatever the heck you want with your food and lifestyle, and then take a pill. I’ve been to dinner with diabetics who eat the creme brûlée then pop a pill. But pills don’t treat diabetes. They may lower blood sugar, but they won’t treat the underlying problem, which is that the body isn’t responding to insulin. The moment patients stop the drug, much to the joy of the drug maker, their blood sugars go right back up. You’ve only treated the smoke. You haven’t looked at the fire. This approach of lowering uric acid puts the fire out.

Are you hopeful that more people will make better lifestyle choices?

I see a bit of a trend where people are looking for more empowerment. They have greater access to data with wearable devices like continuous glucose monitors or an Oura Ring to tell you how you sleep. By better understanding moment-to-moment how our choices affect certain measurable factors, we’re slowly getting into the driver’s seat and becoming empowered to keep ourselves healthy.

Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati@ gmail.com.

photo by Peter Russell

wise words

natural pet

Fostering Love Tips for First-Time Pet Foster Parents

by Karen Shaw Becker

fosters can write them off as tax-deductible donations to the rescue organization, which is a great way to put your donation dollars to work,” says Karen Winkler, a volunteer with the Bucks County SPCA and the Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia.

don’t stress about placement. Possibly the most-asked

question about fostering a puppy or kitty is, “What if they never find a home for her?” Never fear; shelters and rescue groups are constantly putting out feelers.

Foster parents can get in on the action by posting sweet, winsome or funny photos of the animal on social media and extolling its virtues to others when out in public with it. Thompson found new owners for her foster dogs by walking them around town wearing bright yellow “Adopt Me” vests.

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F

or people that love cats and dogs but can’t adopt one—or one more—a heartwarming solution is to foster pets without homes that need a place to temporarily lay their heads and be loved until a forever home comes along. Fosters are needed when a shelter is filled to capacity or has too many large or old dogs, or orphaned puppies and kitties, for example, or when a rescue operation needs to quickly place shelter dogs that would otherwise be euthanized. As important and rewarding as the task of fostering is, it also comes with responsibilities and pitfalls worth considering in advance.

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check out the possibilities.

In addition to Googling local animal shelters and rescue operations, online groups like PetFinder.com and PoorPawsRescue.com provide links to fostering options locally and nationwide.

Visit local shelters to observe both how they treat their animals and how they interact with the fostering volunteers.

Staff members can help with finding compatible pets and offer support when a foster situation doesn’t work for whatever reason. Also find out if the organization is involved every step of the way, including providing onsite veterinary care, or whether it relies heavily on the dedication and resources of foster parents.

think about short-term fostering. To give it a try,

volunteer for a short-term commitment—a few days or weeks. Vacation time is one big reason rescue organizations look for people willing to provide short-term fostering because they need volunteers to fill in while their “regulars” are away.

be fair to other pets at home. Don’t get caught up in the

needs of a new kitten or puppy so much that the needs of other pets go unnoticed. Forever pets may even help out with newcomers. “In my home, puppies work well, as my dogs mother them and show them the ropes on how to be a good dog,” says Stasia Thompson, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a volunteer with Almost Home Dog Rescue and Poor Paws Rescue.

don’t stress about cost.

Food, litter, toys and even veterinary care is often offered to foster pet parents. In other cases, rescue centers may be struggling for support or getting slammed with natural disasters that create an influx of homeless pets, and foster parents may be asked to help with such items as crates and carriers, food and water bowls, collars, leashes and treats. “Homeowners who purchase items for their

it’s okay to fall in love with a foster pet. Many people

hesitate to foster pets because they’re afraid they’ll fall in love with a small ball of fur or a big pair of liquid eyes just begging to be adored. But that’s one of the risks of loving a creature with an open heart.

“There is an amazing rush and deep sense of relief when you hear from the person who adopted your foster and you know the people found their true love in your foster,” says Winkler. “They know I helped save them. You can see it in their eyes.”

it’s even fine to adopt a foster. It does happen sometimes;

foster parents discover that the dog or cat that came into their home supposedly for a while happened to fit in perfectly, and no one can imagine living without it.

While that’s been called a “foster failure”, it’s anything but. Any time an animal with no home finds one filled with love and caring, even if it’s their so-called temporary foster placement, it’s a success. Pet parents know when the animal they love is forever.

Veterinarian Karen Shaw Becker has spent her career empowering animal guardians to make knowledgeable decisions to extend the life and well-being of their animals. For more information, visit DrKarenBecker.com.

February 2022

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Nature’s Virus Killer

not a sniffle!” she exclaimed.

Businesswoman Rosaleen says when people around her show signs of cold or flu, she uses copper morning and night.

“It saved me last holidays,” she said.

“The kids had crud going round and round, but not me.”

Attorney Donna Blight tried copper for her sinus. “I am shocked!” she said.

By Doug Cornell “My head cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.” cientists have discovered a cold never got going. That was A man with trouble breathing natural way to kill germs fast.

September 2012. I use copper in the through his nose at night tried copper Now thousands of people nose every time and I have not had a just before bed. “Best sleep I’ve had in are using it against viruses and bacteria single cold since then.” years!” he said. in the nose and on “We can’t In a lab test, technicians placed 25 the skin. make product million live flu viruses on a CopperZap. Colds start health claims,” he No viruses were found surviving soon when cold viruses said, “so I can’t after. get in your nose. say cause and Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the teams Viruses multiply effect. But we confirming the research. He placed fast. If you don’t know copper is millions of disease germs on copper. stop them early, antimicrobial.”

“They started to die literally as soon as they spread and He asked they touched the surface,” he said. cause misery. relatives and Some people press copper on a lip New device puts copper right In hundreds friends to try it. right away if a warning tingle suggests where you need it. of studies, EPA and They reported unwanted germs gathering there. university researchers have confirmed the same thing, so he patented The handle is curved that viruses and bacteria die almost CopperZap® and put it on the and textured to increase instantly when touched by copper. market. contact. Copper can That’s why ancient Greeks and Soon hundreds of people had kill germs picked up on Egyptians used copper to purify water tried it. The feedback was 99% fingers and hands after and heal wounds. They didn’t know positive if they used the copper you touch things other about microbes, but now we do. within 3 hours after the first sign people have touched.

Scientists say the high conductance of unwanted germs, like a tickle The EPA says copper of copper disrupts the electrical balance in the nose or a scratchy throat. still works even when Dr. Bill Keevil: in a microbe cell and destroys the cell in Early user Mary Pickrell tarnished.

Copper quickly kills seconds. said, “I can’t believe how good CopperZap is made cold viruses.

Tests by the EPA (Environmental my nose feels.” in the U.S. of pure Protection Agency) show germs die “What a wonderful thing!” copper. It has a 90-day full money back fast on copper. So some hospitals tried exclaimed Physician’s Assistant Julie. guarantee. It is available for $79.95. Get copper for touch surfaces like faucets Another customer asked, “Is it supposed $10 off each CopperZap with code NATA26. and doorknobs. This cut the spread of to work that fast?”

Go to www.CopperZap.com or call MRSA and other illnesses by over half, Pat McAllister, 70, received one for toll-free 1-888-411-6114. and saved lives.

Christmas and called it “one of the best Buy once, use forever.

The strong scientific evidence gave presents ever. This little jewel really Statements are not intended as inventor Doug Cornell an idea. When works.” product health claims and have not been he felt a cold about to start he fashioned Frequent flier Karen Gauci had been evaluated by the FDA. Not claimed to a smooth copper probe and rubbed it suffering after crowded flights. Though diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any gently in his nose for 60 seconds. skeptical, she tried copper on travel disease.

“It worked!” he exclaimed. “The days for 2 months. “Sixteen flights and ADVERTORIAL

Copper can stop a cold before it starts

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CELEBRATING 27 years in THE business of

February 2022

35

calendar of events To place a calendar/ongoing/classified event, email content to ColaPublisher@ NaturalAwakenings.com. Entries must adhere to our guidelines and be submitted

by February 12 (for March issue). Costs $20 for 35 words each month. Call ahead before attending events to avoid any cancellations or changes.

Dowdy Rudolph Chiropractic–We are open and spacing appointments consciously. We are sanitizing our office and waiting areas throughout the day and wearing personal protective gear. Call 803-376-6293 to schedule an appointment.

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 & 4 Daddy-Daughter Date Night–6-9pm. A candlelight dinner followed by dancing, a memory photo and a goody bag. Purchase tickets in advance. Ages 3 and up. Cost: $28 per person. Crooked Creek Park, 1098 Old Lexington Hwy, Chapin. Info/tickets: 803-345-6181, icrc.net.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Jubilee! Circle’s Coffee House and Open Mic– 7pm. Opening performer Sydney McMath. Open mic at 8pm. Bring own microphone for sanitary purposes. Cost: Suggested $10 donation covers food and beverages. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: Info@JubileeCircle. com, JubileeCircle.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4-6 The Great Gatsby–ICRC Children’s Theatre–Fri, 7:30-9pm; Sat, 3-4:30pm and 7:30-9pm; and Sun, 3-4:30pm. All ages. Cost: $8. This adaptation of The Great Gatsby captures the glamour of the Roaring ‘20s and all the iconic moments of this American classic. Irmo High School, 6671 St Andrews Rd, Columbia. Info/tickets: 803-345-6181, icrc.net.

SATURDAYS FEBRUARY 5, 12, 19 & 26 Murraywood Health Foods 20% off Saturdays–10am-6pm. 20% off all grocery items, excluding local honey. Murraywood Shopping Center, 7001 St Andrews Rd, Columbia. Info: 803-732-3847.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Infant CPR Class–6-8pm. With Jordan Black-Peacock. Cost: $80. Capital Parent & Baby, 801 Gervais St, Ste 101, Columbia. Info: 803-630-3454, ParentAndBabyServices@gmail.com, ParentAndBabysvcs.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Aquarius Paint and Sip–6:30-8:30pm. Aquarians join us to create your personal zodiac masterpiece.

Includes a breakdown of Aquarius characteristics as well as 16x20 canvas painting. Ages: 18 and older. Cost: $30. CWC Studio, 1812 Augusta Hwy, Ste K, Lexington. Info: 803-785-2876, Linktr.ee/ CanvasesWithCandace.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Parents’ Night Out (PNO)–6-8:30pm. No sitter?

Bring the kids out for PNO. They will enjoy a movie, activities and canvas painting; pizza and drinks pro-

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vided. Ages 5-13. Cost: $25 per artist (multi-child discount available). CWC Studio, 1812 Augusta Hwy, Ste K, Lexington. Info: 803-785-2876, Linktr. ee/CanvasesWithCandace.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Valentine’s Day Paint and Sip–6:30-9:30pm. Bring your boo or your bestie and celebrate love with us.

Includes a 16x20 canvas painting, dinner, dessert, beverages, and wine glass for each participant. Cost: $120 per couple. CWC Studio, 1812 Augusta Hwy, Ste K, Lexington. Info: 803-785-2876, Linktr.ee/ CanvasesWithCandace.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Breastfeeding/Lactation Basics–6-8pm. With Jordan Black-Peacock. Cost: $80. Capital Parent & Baby, 801 Gervais St, Ste 101, Columbia. Info: 803-630-3454, ParentAndBabyServices@gmail. com, ParentAndBabysvcs.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Coping Skills for Labor–6-8:30pm. With Jordan Black-Peacock. Cost: $80. Capital Parent & Baby, 801 Gervais St, Ste 101, Columbia. Info: 803630-3454, ParentAndBabyServices@gmail.com, ParentAndBabysvcs.com.

Paint and Sip–6:30-8:30pm. Come to create a masterpiece while mastering peace with this special event on 8x10 canvases. Buy one ticket, get one ticket free for your experience. Ages 21 and up.

Cost: 2 for $22. CWC Studio, 1812 Augusta Hwy, Ste K, Lexington. Info: 803-785-2876, Linktr.ee/ CanvasesWithCandace.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Newborn Care Class–6-8pm. With Jordan Black-Peacock. Cost: $80. Capital Parent & Baby, 801 Gervais St, Ste 101, Columbia. Info: 803630-3454, ParentAndBabyServices@gmail.com, ParentAndBabysvcs.com.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Lake Murray Bridal Show–1-4pm. Our intimate show of wedding professionals will help make your dream wedding a reality. Meet wedding pros, door prizes, a selfie station, and more. Cost: $8 in advance; $10 day of. River Center at Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Rd, Columbia. Info/purchase tickets: LakeMurrayBridalShow.com.

on going events

sunday Eckankar–the Path of Total Freedom–10-11am.

Every second Sunday. Open discussion about the spiritual messages in our daily experiences on our

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journey to God. Free. Seven Oaks Park, 200 Leisure Ln, Columbia. Info: Call Dee at 803-749-2459, or visit Meetup.com/Columbia-Spiritual-Seekers or ECK-SC.org.

Soundy School–10:30am. Every Sunday. Celebration through sound vibration, meditation and chanting. Singing bowls, bells, gong, hang drum, shruti box and other instruments. Masks required.

Free. Held next to Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: Email Tricia Phaup at Tricia@ kinmail.org.

Unity of Columbia–11am. Every Sunday. A vibrant spiritual meditation community. Free. Unity of Columbia, 1801 Legrand Rd. Info: UnityColumbia@ gmail.com, UnityColumbia.org.

A Course in Miracles–Original Edition (ACIMOE)–4:30-6pm. Every Sunday. Study group via Zoom/phone. ACIM-OE is unedited and available as a free phone app. Donations are accepted. Watch introduction on YouTube with Joy Lee Connor, LMT. Info: Contact Connor at 803-447-6499 or JoyLeeConnor@BellSouth.net.

monday COVID-19: Self-Defense Beyond the Vaccine, Part 1–6:30pm. Every Monday. Virtual class via Zoom. Cost: $20. Info: Contact Ms. Tracy at 833678-7229 or OriginalOriginshw@gmail.com.

tuesday Original Origins Healthy Living Virtual Support Group–6:30pm. First Tuesday. Free. Must register to attend. Info: Contact Ms. Tracy at 833-678-7229 or OriginalOriginshw@gmail.com.

wednesday A Course in Miracles–7:30pm. Every Wednesday.

Curious about A Course in Miracles and how its principles can help you find a better way to live? An informal discussion group led by Lee McEachern.

The meeting is open to everyone. Free. Jubilee!

Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: RevCandace@JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

thursday Meditation Workshop–6pm. Every Thursday. A workshop introducing a variety of meditation forms, using Sharon Salzberg’s Real Happiness book as a guide. Cost: Donations are accepted. Jubilee! Circle, 6729 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Info: RevCandace@ JubileeCircle.com, JubileeCircle.com.

saturday COVID-19: Self-Defense Beyond the Vaccine, Part 1–11am. Every Saturday. Virtual class via Zoom. Cost: $20. Info: Contact Ms. Tracy at 833678-7229 or OriginalOriginshw@gmail.com.

Trance Healing–Every Saturday. A holistic healing approach for PTSD, chronic illness or cancer. Cost: In-person 30-minute session $45, or 60-minute session for $60. Holistic Wellness and Counseling Center, 519 E Main St, Lexington. Info/to book session: Contact Joy Stagg at 803-575-0811 or ReikiByJoy.com.

natural directory Connecting you to the leaders in natural health care and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Natural Directory, call 803-309-2101 or email ColaPublisher@NaturalAwakenings.com.

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THE ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC

CHIROPRACTIC WELLNESS CENTER INC

William D. Skelton, DAc 620 Sims Ave, Columbia 803-256-1000 • SCAcupuncture.com

Bill Skelton is dedicated to helping people live happier, healthier, active lives with safe, gentle and effective techniques.

He has 38 years’ experience and trained in the Republic of China.

Call to schedule an appointment. See ad, page 10.

AESTHETICS EXPECT CLARITY AESTHETICS

Angie Jewell 120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste G, Columbia 803-348-8962

Our carefully crafted and customized holistic care plans include Environ skin care products, which utilize science to deliver real skin benefits, paired with treatment room modalities, such as PBM, LFS, RF, microcurrent, facial/ear reflexology, facial sculpting massage, and gua sha, to help our clients reach their skin goals. Consistent and positive results include luminous, smooth, taut skin with even skin pigmentation. It’s time to expect clarity!

AROMATHERAPY GARNER’S NATURAL LIFE

4840 Forest Dr, Ste 15-A, Columbia Trenholm Plaza, in Forest Acres 803-454-7700 • GarnersNaturalLife.com

Improve your level of stress, depression and mood with natural products from a locally owned family business. Our knowledgeable staff will guide you using aromatherapy for pain, anxiety, energy enhancement and more. We carry several brands of essential oils, including doTERRA. See ads, pages 2 and back page.

BODY SCULPTING BODIED BEAUTY LOUNGE

3201 Broad River Rd, Columbia 803-479-3351 • BodiedBeautyLounge.com

A premier body-sculpting lounge with luxe services to build a baddie body naturally with no downtime. The expert staff members at Bodied Beauty Lounge are very knowledgeable and friendly—specializing in the areas of nonsurgical/non-invasive body sculpting, certified laser lipo, ultrasonic cavitation, radio frequency skin tightening, non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts, wood therapy, yoni steaming and much more. We are here and ready to help you achieve your body goals in less time and at affordable pricing. Come #GetBodied today!

Dr. Shelly Jones, DC 5209 Forest Dr, Ste C, Columbia 803-771-9990 • DrShellyJones.com

Webster Technique certified, Dr. Jones provides family chiropractic care, health information and wellness resources to support the body’s natural ability to heal, allowing one to feel better and enjoy living a more active lifestyle! Call to schedule your appointment or discuss bringing our onsite chiropractic care and health-education services to your business, school or athletic team.

DOWDY RUDOLPH CHIROPRACTIC LLC Dr. Dowdy Rudolph, DC 1444 Barnwell St, Columbia 803-376-6293 • DowdyRudolphChiro.com

Dr. Gerald Rudolph, DC, focuses on finding the root cause of your problems and not just treating your pain. He utilizes digital X-rays to help diagnose problems, spinal adjustments to stimulate proper movement of spinal and extremity joints, active therapeutic movement exercises to correct movement disorders, and spinal decompression to help relieve numbness and tingling down your arms and legs. Dowdy Rudolph Chiropractic also offers a state-of-the-art full-body lounge hydromassage table that can help you feel more rejuvenated and relaxed. See ads, pages 10.

COLON HEALTH SPRING RAIN HYDROTHERAPY

Linda Salyer 120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste H, Columbia 803-361-2620 • LSalyer@ymail.com

All disease begins in the colon.

Constipation; slow, sluggish bowel; gas and bloating? A colonic will help to rid you of these problems. Colonics promote good digestion, help speed metabolism, help lower cholesterol, and help relieve joint pain. Linda Salyer is IACN certified and a retired nurse. Saturday appointments available with an additional small convenience fee. See ad, this page.

Perhaps the biggest mistake I made in the past was that I believed love was about finding the right person.

In reality, love is about becoming the right person. ~Neil Strauss

Goodbye Junk.

Hello Relief.

Trusted Junk Removal Since 1989 1-800-468-5865 | 1800gotjunk.com

February 2022

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COUNSELING HOLISTIC CBT LLC

ABOUT YOUR HEALTH INC

Mark Stoll, LPC, NCC 14 Monckton Blvd, Columbia Mark@MarkStollTherapy.com MarkStollTherapy.com

120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste J, Columbia 803-798-8687 • AboutYourHealthSC.com

The pain of intrusive worry, fear and rumination can be overwhelming. Mark Stoll has been helping people with severe anxiety and depression for more than two decades by effectively integrating evidencebased therapies of mindfulness training, CBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy. You will learn effective strategies to free yourself from the prison of your mind so you can begin enjoying life again.

ECO-RICH SKIN CARE PRODUCTS JUST WANNA MELT LLC Misty Rawls • 803-331-0063 Info@JustWannaMelt.com JustWannaMelt.com

A green skin care company that creates high-quality, non-GMO, all-natural products that are gentle to the skin and safer for the environment. Our brands include ingredients such as organic oils, butters, flowers, herbs, botanicals, local grains, beeswax and honey. Find our products at such stores as Garner’s Natural Life, Four Oaks Farm, Wingard’s Nursery, Whole Foods and more. For a complete list of retail locations, visit our website.

ENDOMETRIOSIS HAYLI’S HERBS LLC

Master Herbalist HaylisHerbs.com Online Herbal Consultations for the Symptoms of Endometriosis

Living with endometriosis can be stressful, confusing and overwhelming. I put together herbal combinations specific to your individual needs to help combat and potentially eliminate the symptoms of endometriosis. Please visit HaylisHerbs.com for more information and to schedule a free 15-minute pre-consultation.

HEALTH FOOD STORE MURRAYWOOD HEALTH FOODS

Richard Beale, Owner • 803-732-3847 7001 St. Andrews Rd, Irmo In Murraywood Shopping Centre Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm

Locally owned and proudly serving Irmo and the Midlands area for more than 25 years, Murraywood Health Foods is a health and specialty food store featuring the very best natural product brands, vitamins and minerals, herbs and homeopathic remedies. The store also carries natural and organic gluten-free foods and health and beauty products. Call today for more information or to schedule a special appointment. See ad, page 11.

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Columbia Edition

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Our main focus is health education and health-enhancing services. One-on-one nutritional counseling, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Reams pH testing, parasite programs, aqua-chi footbaths, far infrared sauna, weight-loss programs, and thermography.

Hard-to-find natural, organic, whole food nutritional supplements, raw foods and natural household items.

See ad, page 39.

INVODRIP VITAMIN BAR

160 Medical Cir, Ste C, W Columbia Book@INVODrip.com 803-830-7212

At INVODrip, we care about your overall wellness. Our goal is to increase your energy levels, help meet your weight-loss goals, and ensure you’re well hydrated— not just with water, but also by incorporating the vitamins, minerals and electrolytes your body craves. The absorption rate of our vitamins and minerals surpasses any oral supplements you may have taken. Give us a call today to book your drip now. See ad, page 4.

ORIGINAL ORIGINS HEALTH AND WELLNESS Tracy R. Jacox • 833-678-7229 OriginalOriginshw@gmail.com OriginalOriginshw.com

Ms. Tracy has over 30 years of experience in the medical field.

The mission of Original Origins Health and Wellness is to educate, equip and empower the community to adopt a predominately whole food, plant-based lifestyle, which will improve and optimize your quality of life, health and wellness while preventing, delaying, reversing or eliminating chronic illnesses. Original Origins can assist you with maximizing your health and wellness holistically! Our wide range of services include health coach partnering, comprehensive health evaluations, comprehensive cooking experiences, and a comprehensive kitchen evaluation. Your health is your wealth! See ad, page 8.

INTEGRATIVE & HOLISTIC MEDICINE EXPECT WELLNESS

Dr. Rachel Hall 130 Suber Rd, Columbia 803-796-1702 • DrRachelHall.com ExpectWellness@sc.rr.com Find us on Facebook for great health tips.

Integrative/Holistic medicine consults for anyone wanting to approach their health more naturally. Dr. Rachel Hall is board certified in both family medicine and integrative holistic medicine.

Together we will focus on finding the root of the problem, not just treating symptoms.

Call today for a consult if you are looking to achieve balance. In-house diagnostic labs and therapies. See ad, page 22.

ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com

INSPIRED HEALTH

Dana Nairn, MD, FIAHM 3700 Forest Dr, Ste 200, Columbia 803-676-1030

Are you ready to take charge of your health? Dr. Dana Nairn is a fellow of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine and board certified in integrative holistic medicine and internal medicine. Dr. Nairn is excited and looking forward to partnering with you on your journey to becoming the best version of yourself. Call today to schedule a consultation! See ad, page 7.

PROHEALTH CENTER

500 Plaza Cir, Ste J, Clinton, SC 864-681-0555 MyProHealthCenter.com

Our integrative approach offers traditional and holistic health and wellness services. We don’t believe in just treating symptoms, but rather getting to the root of the problem. Our practitioners customize patient care through functional medicine specifically tailored to each individual. At our clinic, you are not just a patient number … you become part of our ProHealth Center family. We serve all of South Carolina. See ad, page 3.

LOCAL RETREAT JOY LEE CONNOR, LMT (SC#1229) Healing Minster at Springhill AtONEment Center 803-447-6499

Retreat to the trees! Come and experience 100 beautiful acres near Chapin, South Carolina.

Joy Lee Connor invites you to bathe in the forest and “ground” in the peaceful fields of Earth.

Breathe in love, heal your mind, and nurture your spirit. We are often overwhelmed by body pains and emotions. Experience mind and body transformation while being loved, forgiven and released. Your energy field will be restored and balanced, allowing you to feel lighter and burdenfree. Joy offers instruction in reiki, Touch for Health, meditation, yoga, meridian movement, and selfcare—both online and in person. Private or small groups are available. Call Joy today!

NATURAL SOAPS RAW ESSENCE NATURAL SOAPS & BATH CO LLC 9003 Two Notch Rd, Ste 12, Columbia 803-834-6576 Info@RawEssenceSoaps.com RawEssenceSoaps.com

Raw Essence Natural Soaps & Bath Company LLC is a handcrafted line of soap and body care products homemade in Columbia that uses all-natural ingredients to make unique products for your lifestyle and home. Raw Essence makes products that are 100 percent handmade, and free of harmful chemicals and preservatives. We strive to use the highest quality, eco-friendly ingredients possible to create unique luxury soaps, lotions, sugar scrubs, body butters, candles, and other spa and natural skin care items that will nourish your body and delight your senses.

ORGANIC FARM ASYA’S ORGANIC FARM Sumter, SC 803-463-2968 SCFOrganicFarms.com

Asya’s Organic Farm is owned by young entrepreneur Asya Harris. Harris began working on her parents’ farm at the age of 6. This driven young business woman currently markets herbal teas, supplements and essential oils. Her product lineup also includes gemstones, natural minerals and healing crystals. Products can be purchased online from Etsy @SCFOrganicFarms and on her business Instagram account @Asya_Organic_ Farm. See ad, page 23.

PREGNANCY/LACTATION CAPITAL PARENT AND BABY SPECIALTY SERVICES

J. Black-Peacock, BS, IBCLC, LCCE, CPST, CBD 801 Gervais St, Ste 101, Columbia 803-630-3454 • ParentAndBabysvcs.com

Columbia’s premier pregnancy, birth and postpartum service provider. Our pregnancy services include classes/education, birth preference planning, and prenatal lactation consultations. Our birth services include birth doula services (with traditional, last-minute or virtual services available). Our postpartum services include newborn/postpartum doula services, lactation services, and education/ classes. Car seat checks, installations and education are also available. See ad, page 14.

VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS

THERMOGRAPHY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH INC

120 Kaminer Way Pkwy, Ste J, Columbia 803-798-8687 • AboutYourHealthSC.com

Our main focus is health education and health-enhancing services. One-on-one nutritional counseling, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Reams pH testing, parasite programs, aquachi footbaths, far infrared sauna, weight-loss programs, and thermography. Hardto-find natural, organic, whole food nutritional supplements, raw foods and natural household items.

See ad, this page.

GARNER’S NATURAL LIFE

4840 Forest Dr, Ste 15a, Columbia 803-454-7700 • GarnersNaturalLife.com

At Garner’s Natural Life, we offer the purest, most innovative highquality natural products. With more than 130 collective years of wellness experience! Allows us to encourage your healthy choices. See ads, pages 2 and back page.

PALMETTO THERMAL IMAGING

Mobile Thermography Unit Heather Terry, Certified Thermographer 864-681-0555 • 803-924-0813

Thermography is a noninvasive, radiation-FREE and pain-FREE thermal scan of the body. This exclusive technology uses a clinical imaging procedure to create a map of the body’s infrared patterns. It is a valuable tool for alerting your healthcare provider to changes that could indicate early stages of disease. Heather Terry travels to multiple locations in South Carolina.

Call today to schedule your session. See ad, page 3.

Connect with us naturally!

SPIRITUAL LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Justin Williams 803-467-8322 Justin.Williams2@gmail.com

Justin is an intuitive counselor and energy worker. He power cycles, overhauls and unblocks energy fields from afar to remove negativity from your life while jumpstarting your career, relationships, money and general blessings. Justin also provides distance house cleansings to produce a peaceful home and comfortable environment tailormade for abundance and success.

UNITY OF COLUMBIA

1801 Legrand Rd 803-736-5766 • UnityColumbia.org

Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual’s right to choose a spiritual path. Come join us for a Sunday worship celebration and meet some positive, uplifting people that live life abundantly. See ad, page 9.

ABOUT YOUR HEALTH BALANCE FOR LIFE

SERVICES AND PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU CREATE A HEALTH-FULL LIFE.

"KEEPING YOUR COMMITMENT TO BETTER YOUR HEALTH" PACKAGE SPECIALS: 4 FAR INFRARED SAUNA SESSIONS OR 4 AQUA-CHI FOOT BATH SESSIONS $85

ABOUT YOUR HEALTH 803-798-8687 120 KAMINER WAY PKWY, STE. J, COLUMBIA, SC 29210 ABOUTYOURHEALTHSC.COM February 2022

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ColumbiaNaturalAwakenings.com