2015-05 Natural Awakenings of Greater Hartford

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

FREE

BOSOM BUDDIES

Natural Approaches to Breast Health

EATING SKINNY

Why Vegans and Vegetarians are Naturally Trim

H E A L T H Y

P L A N E T

feel good • live simply • laugh more

LIFE BEYOND DISEASE Refusing to Let an Ailment Define Us

CREATIVE UPCYCLING Making the Old New Again

MAY 2015 | Greater Hartford County Edition | www.NAHRT.com

nging issues like joint pain, headaches women’s health issues, allergies and ntegrative approach can help you.

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natural awakenings

May 2015

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letterfrompublisher

contact us Publisher Shawn Cole Publisher@NAHRT.com Editorial and Design Alison Chabonais Linda Sechrist Julie Peterson Kathy Zygmont Stephen Gray Blancet Steve Hagewood Julee Bode Erica Mills Kim Ahlgren Colleen Brunetti Advertising and Marketing 860-507-6392 Ads@NAHRT.com Customer Service Hotlines Phone: 860-507-6392 Fax: 860-357-6034 Website: www.NAHRT.com

© 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

I confess, writing this letter is always a bit challenging. It requires contemplation and organization of thought. It’s the last thing I do before going to print.

To organize my thoughts on natural breast health this month, I struggled a bit more. Unfortunately, my editor, Julie, has recently helped her mom with the aftercare of a mastectomy. So, it is from two very different ends of the breast health spectrum that we discussed this letter.

Breasts get so much attention in our culture—so it’s daunting to call more attention to them. They are often appropriately used as symbols of femininity. They are often used as attention getters for other reasons. Media is filled with young, healthy breasts; however, most people know that breast cancer has become increasingly common.

Sadly, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer for women. There are many types of cancer involved, but most of us know somebody who has experienced some form. Some of us have been more closely involved with the experience of a woman close to us who has had some level of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and ongoing scans to watch for recurrence. The fear, pain, and trauma of surgery and other treatments is as far from the sexy glamor of a bra ad as you can get. Seeing men going in for appointments at the breast clinic is also now normal as rates of breast cancer in men are rising.

So why is this group of diseases becoming more common? To find out, everyone reading this magazine needs to read every article in this issue. Let’s take charge of our health and be a proponent for the changes that we all need to make to reduce the risk of breast cancer and all cancers.

There are many things we can do. We’ve heard repeatedly about nutrition, exercise and avoiding chemicals in our food. But have you heard about yoga poses or Manual Therapy treatments for breast health? Manual Therapy is a holistic therapy practiced by physical and massage therapists. There’s too much for a synopsis, so please read on.

Mother’s Day is coming soon. Wishing all the mothers in the world a very special day and gratitude for all that you do.

I love you Mom, Shawn

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

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

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contents 14 6 newsbriefs 9 community

spotlight 12 event

spotlight 14 healthbriefs 16 globalbriefs 18 ecotip 25 healingways 28 healthykids 30 consciouseating 16 32 greenliving 34 wisewords 18 36 fitbody 39 inspiration 38 naturalpet 40 calendar 45 classifieds 46 resourceguide

advertising & submissions

Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

20 RETHINKING

BREAST HEALTH

Natural Ways to Keep Breasts Smooth, Pain-Free and Firm, while Reducing the Risk of Cancer

by Lisa Marshall

25 GIVING BIRTH NATURALLY

Conscious Choices Lead to Less Intervention

by Meredith Montgomery

How to Instill Healthy Lifelong Habits

by Clancy Cash Harrison

30 EATING SKINNY

Why Vegans and Vegetarians are Naturally Trim

by Judith Fertig

32 UPCYCLED DÉCOR

To advertise with Natural Awakenings please contact our sales team: Ads@NAHRT.com or 860-507-6392 Our Fax is 860-357-6034 Due dates for ads: the 12th of the month prior to publication

34 LAURA PREPON’S

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Submit ALL Calendar Events on our website at www.NAHRT.com.

Due dates for the calendar: the 10th of the month prior to publication.

REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets! Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

32

Old and Oh-So-Stylish

by Avery Mack

Submit articles, news items and ideas to Editor@NAHRT.com or call 860-986-6073 Due dates for editorial: the 5th of the month prior to publication

25

28 KIDS LOVE VEGGIES

HOW TO ADVERTISE

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

20

JOURNEY TO HEALTH

Home Cooking, Organics and Massage Are Keys

by Gerry Strauss

36 FLEXING

OUR MUSCLES

Weightlifting Makes Us Fit, Healthy and Self-Confident

34

by Debra Melani

38 PET VACCINE

ALTERNATIVES Natural Steps to Nurture Immunity

by Shawn Messonnier

natural awakenings

May 2015

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newsbriefs Dr. Breton Rejoins C4PT

D

r. Joseph Breton has 16 years experience practicing Traditional Naturopathy for children and adults. He is now back with Center for Progressive Therapies (C4PT).

Each month, Dr. Breton will host a Group 5-Day Cleanse Class ($50 includes support/ detox tea). The first Friday of the month will be a Sweat Healing Lodge (by donation).

“Through the healing potential of plant medicine, homeopathy, and Nature Dr. Joseph Breton Cure treatment methods we can regain our health,” states Breton. “Treatment programs are simple, yet powerful requiring small, step-by-step lifestyle improvements, herbal and homeopathic Rx and easy-in-home water treatments.”

“The knowledge to heal ourselves can be ours to keep through life,” says Breton. “The tradeoff is to make minor lifestyle improvements in addition to an in-home, self-treatment program. When the conditions for healing are allowed to exist, health will result.”

Center for Progressive Therapies (C4PT), 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. 860-649-9600 c4pt.org See ad on page 35.

Therapeutic Yoga Benefits Cancer Patients

C

yndi Roberts Yoga of West Hartford announces therapeutic yoga that aids in cancer recovery and comfort.

A regular therapeutic yoga practice can be helpful for people with breast cancer and other cancers to reduce stress, cope, help with pain management and to manage side effects, both during chemotherapy, medical procedures Cyndi Roberts and after.

Therapeutic yoga combines restorative and gentle yoga poses that can be modified to adapt to anyone’s physical needs, even when there is little or no physical energy. Meditation, guided visualizations and breathing exercises, which are also part of a therapeutic practice, can reduce anxiety and pain. Deep breathing can energize and relax students so that they feel calmer during stressful times of diagnosis and treatment, even improving odds of survival.

For more information, call Cyndi Roberts Yoga at 860-517-9322.

See ad on page 39.

Potluck Vegetarian Meeting in Suffield

N

orthern Connecticut Vegetarians invite you to their Potluck at The Suffield Senior Center on May 3 at 4:30 p.m. with guest speaker Tabitha Logan, the organizer of the First Annual Compassion Festival to be held on July 25 in Hamden.

For the Potluck, bring a healthy vegan dish to share along with a list of its ingredients. Vegan food has no animal ingredients (zero honey, dairy, eggs, meat, and fish).

Donation of $7 is requested to be given to the Compassion Festival. Children are free.

Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society is a nonprofit organization that advocates a compassionate and healthy vegetarian diet.

For more information, call Harry at 860-623-8082 or email VeggyHarry@aol.com.

Positive anything is better than negative nothing. ~Elbert Hubbard

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Farmers’ Market Opens

O

Information Session for Upcoming 200Hour Yoga Training

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free informational meeting will be held at Bloom Yoga Fitness Studios o Tuesday, May 19, from 7-8 p.m. regarding the 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Approved Teacher Training beginning in September.

This comprehensive training will deepen all aspects of each participant’s yoga practice, allowing each to discover and foster the teacher within.

The training will focus on Vinyasa Flow yoga, providing students with the ability to intuitively adapt sequences for all levels of practitioners along with learning yogic principles, asana, alignment and practical teaching skills. In addition, skillful, intelligent assists will be taught to safely support the growth of each student.

Newly trained teachers should expect to emerge from this transformative experience with lasting inspiration, an open heart, and the confidence to teach with authenticity and grace.

Training weekend dates will be Friday’s from 6-9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Training runs from September 11, 2015, through May 15, 2016.

Tuition is $2800 or $2500 if paid in full by June 15. This fee is subject to 6.35% CT sales tax and payment plans will be available.

Bloom Yoga Fitness Studios, 92 N Summit St, Southington. BloomYogaFitness. com. 860-620-4530.

pening day at Ellington Farmers’ Market is Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to noon in Arbor Park on Main Street. This year’s opening theme is Barnyard Babies.

The market hosts more than 35 vendors including seafood, beef, pork, poultry, lamb, produce, dairy, baked goods (including gluten and dairy free), herbal teas, microgreens, a variety of specialty foods and artisan wares.

The market continues through October 17 and will host weekly themes and entertainment along with Kids Power of Produce Club.

For more information and a complete listing of events and vendors, visit EllingtonFarmersMarket.com.

Soul Coaching with Robin Barros

R

obin Barros, founder of Spirit of the Lotus has received advanced certification and training from Denise Linn in Soul Coaching® and Past Life Soul Coaching®. With these advanced certifications, Barros will now be adding private oneon-one sessions in Past Life Regression work as well as Soul Journeys.

“Each new certification is an importation addition to my healing practice,” states Barros. “I can give my clients a basis for clearing beliefs, baggage and weight that may be holding them back from being the very best self they can experience.”

Robin Barros and Denise Linn

For more information, call Robin at 860-709-3903 or visit SpiritOfTheLotus.org.

See ad on page 25.

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May 2015

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New “Tai Chi by The River” Class in Collinsville

Y

oga Center of Collinsville (YCC) is announcing a new outdoor wellness class called Tai Chi by the River for the spring and summer season. It will be held on Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m. beginning May 5.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese Martial Art that helps clear the mind and energize the body with deep breathing and slow, flowing movements. This class will teach simple movements everyone can do to relieve stress and improve health. Among the many health benefits of these gentle exercises are improved balance, strength, coordination, decreased pain and stiffness, increased immune function and improved sleep.

Practicing outside in the beautiful surroundings by the Farmington River in Collinsville provides the added benefit of connecting with nature and absorbing Chi (energy) from the environment. Class will be held indoors if the weather is bad.

New students at YCC are invited to attend unlimited group classes in yoga, qigong, tai chi and belly dance for the 30 days following their first completed class. After that, ongoing unlimited memberships, class packages and drop-in classes are available.

Yoga Center of Collinsville, Front St, Collinsville. For more information or to register for classes, call 860-693-9642 or visit YogaCenterCollinsville.com. See ads on page 11 and on back cover.

March Against Monsanto

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worldwide grassroots group March Against Monsanto has inspired a broad coalition of individuals and groups to gather in cities and towns all over the world as part of a global effort to raise public awareness and bring increasing political pressure to bear regarding Monsanto’s corporate farming and business practices and to insist upon labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Monsanto and other companies such as Dow and Syngenta genetically engineered food that poses scientifically established health risks that include organ damage, sterility, infant mortality, birth defects, immune reactions, allergies and increased cancer risk.

Marcher’s demands include solidarity against Monsanto predatory business and agricultural practices, rejecting “substantial equivalence” of GMO and traditional crops, independent scientific testing of GMO crops, promoting organic solutions, exposing the cronyism between big business and the government, addressing poverty, the real cause of global hunger, supporting food and seed sovereignty, supporting local farms, bees and biodiversity and labeling of all foods that contain GMOs.

An Open Letter from World Scientists to All Governments Concerning Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) (see i-sis.org.uk/list.php), signed by 828 scientists from 84 countries, details their concern regarding GMOs and a call for immediate five-year suspension of GMO crops in order to conduct “a comprehensive public enquiry of agriculture and food security for all.”

For more information, visit March-Against-Monsanto.com.

Maximize Your Business Profitability And Put Your Business and Your Life in Balance!

S

Matt Connell, Ed.D., MBA, Owner

mall business owners often struggle to balance the needs of the business while remaining profitable.

There’s not enough time to review expenses or do the bookkeeping, marketing, training employees or strategic planning.

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We want to be your sustainable business resource and by sharing in our business experience and efficiencies, you’ll get more done.

And that will make your business easier to run and more profitable!

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Our Introductory Expense Review Offer will help you find immediate savings in your business

Call 860-269-6544 Today!

communityspotlight

The Truth About Hypnosis

E

veryone has an opinion about what hypnosis is or isn’t. Unfortunately, many opinions are based on how it’s depicted on TV and have very little, if any, truth to them. It’s unfortunate, because it prevents people from using this incredibly safe and powerful tool for personal transformation, or “tranceformation” as hypnotists say.

So, what is hypnosis? Put simply, it’s whole brain thinking. Supposedly, we only use 10% of our minds, so imagine using the other 90%. When you’re guided into the state of hypnosis, your brain releases chemicals that cause the connector between the right and left hemispheres to become highly conductive. Because each hemisphere houses different information and performs different functions, hypnosis allows you to gain access to all the power of your mind, instead of the usual small portion.

Thousands around the globe use

If I had my life to

live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. ~Nadine Stair

hypnosis. Athletes use hypnosis to enhance sports performance. Executives use it to tap into higher-level strategic thinking and problem solving. Surgeons use it as an anesthetic for surgery and alleviating medical conditions like IBS, asthma, allergies and migraines. Hypnotherapists use it to decrease depression, anxiety and insomnia. Hypnosis can be used to address so many issues because it allows us to tap into the full power of our minds and the healing power of our bodies—this has been tested in thousands of studies and repeatedly proven to be more effective than many pharmaceuticals or traditional methods.

Many people wonder if they can by hypnotized. The truth is that we’ve all been in hypnosis. It’s the mind’s natural learning state, and we shift into that state constantly. A hypnotist merely guides a client into hypnosis to help tap into the power of the whole brain to understand and trance-form into a

Lisa Zaccheo healthier person. It is an incredibly powerful tool, which many people have not yet tried.

Lisa Zaccheo, MA, BCH, BCI is the owner, lead hypnotist and hypnosis instructor at Mind Matters Hypnosis Centers in Avon, Guilford and North Branford. For more information, or to schedule a lecture, workshop, appointment, or training call Mind Matters Hypnosis Center at 860-693-6448 or visit MindMattersHypnosis.com. See ad on page 6.

Need Help Moving Forward After a Divorce or Death?

Partnering with a Coach Can Help.

Do you feel like you’ve lost control of your life?

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Finding your path forward after a loss can be difficult. Whether it’s the death of loved one, a relationship ending, a health issue, or job loss, each experience can stop you in your tracks.

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natural awakenings

May 2015

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communityspotlight

NA: How does the staff approach the school’s philosophy?

TCWS: Our staff allows children’s passions to guide the process of learning.

Staff are trained in wild edible food identification, scout tracking, wilderness survival, nature games, making forts, building fire without matches, nature art, gratitude, storytelling and much more.

NA: What summer programs are being offered in 2015?

Summer Programs at Two Coyotes Wilderness School

NA: What happens in fall and winter?

N

atural Awakenings (NA) learned of an innovative new educational program that includes summer programs for children at Two Coyotes Wilderness School (TCWS) in West Granby. In an interview with School Executive Director Justin Pegnataro, here’s what NA learned.

NA: What is the school’s philosophy of education and summary of offerings?

TCWS: Two Coyotes is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing healthy, whole human beings through building self-awareness, community, and connecting people to nature. Founded in 2000, Two Coyotes has always used wilderness survival, wildlife tracking and naturalist skills as tools that help us to better understand ourselves and our place in the world.

Relax, Renew, & Revive with Us Come, pamper yourself with our healing, therapeutic treatments.

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Therapeutic Relief

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As one of the world’s most ancient forms of therapeutic relief, massage therapy and bodywork promote health in everyday life.

Bodywork delivers numerous benefits to the immune, circulatory, and nervous systems, allowing the body to benefit from a sense of homeostasis or total body balancing.

Call 860-231-7546 (SKIN) Today and experience massage for life and health!

Domegeo’s Massage & Skin Care D 45 S Main St #211 D West Hartford 10

TCWS: Wild Plant Medicine and Food (5-13 year olds), Forts & Shelters (5-13 year olds), Feather, Fur & Fin (5-13 year olds), Advanced Survival (10-14 year olds), Scout Tracker (10-14 year olds), Wildwood Adventurers (5-8 year olds), Fire, Wood & Stone (5-13 year olds).

Hartford County Edition

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TCWS: The fall/winter programs are quite similar to the summer camp offerings. We offer children and teens homeschool fall and winter programs.

We also offer family and adult programs all year.

NA: What do you most want Natural Awakenings’ readers to know about Two Coyotes?

TCWS: Two Coyotes has a vision of helping children form a deep connection to the earth and to their core gifts and purpose. We inspire enthusiasm for learning in creative and invisible ways by utilizing the abundance of child passions as teaching tools. Our programs nurture values such as service, thanksgiving, leadership, self-trust, respect, teamwork, fun and discovery, and it is done in a space that honors elders by appreciating the wisdom and experiences they have to share, where gratitude is an integral component of life, and where the world and people are seen as sacred and beautiful.

Two Coyotes Wilderness School, at Holcomb Farm, 113 Simsbury Rd, West Granby. For more information about year-round programs and summer camps, see TwoCoyotes.org or call 203-843-3112. See ad on page 29.

Learn Qigong and Tai Chi from a Taoist Master to Achieve Holistic Health and Longevity

Master Joe Lok

Twentieth Inheritor of the Dragon Gate Taoist tradition, Founder of Phoenix Alchemy Qigong and the Natural Energy Academy of Hong Kong.

Friday, May 1st Intro to Qigong

Saturday, May 2nd

Two Qigong Workshops with Visiting Taoist Master QIGONG FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY

Qigong is an ancient Taoist practice from China used to ensure health and vitality. Practicing Qigong for even 10 minutes a day, you’ll promote the flow of qi (chee) throughout your meridians and internal organs. This will build your immune system, rejuvenate your body, ease joint and nerve pain, tranquilize your mind and relieve stress.

LEARN FROM A VISITING MASTER

There are many local teachers in Greater Hartford that are ready to help you on your journey with Qigong. But it is a rare opportunity to learn from a master practitioner that is so deeply steeped in the Taoist lifestyle and philosophy yet communicates in excellent English.

INTRO TO QIGONG WORKSHOP WITH RISA BROPHY – MAY 1ST, 7 TO 8:30PM – $25

Join local Qigong teacher and Medical Qigong Therapist Risa Brophy for the perfect beginning to your qigong experience. If you are brand new to Qigong, this introduction will better prepare you for Master Lok’s workshops on Saturday. You’ll get a brief introduction to Qigong theory and the body’s energy system according to Chinese Medicine. And you’ll learn a set of simple Qigong exercises along with self-massage techniques for stimulating acupressure and neurolymphatic reflex points to maintain health and relieve stress.

BEGINNER WORKSHOP WITH MASTER LOK – MAY 2ND, 10AM TO 1PM – $65

Designed for students that are brand new or have limited experience with Qigong, this session will provide a deeper exploration of the fundamentals of qi and how energy works in the body. You’ll learn how cultivating your energy through practice of Qigong and Tai Chi promotes good health. Your instruction will also include movements with direct, hands-on instruction, and you’ll share the exciting experience of energy flow in your own movements almost instantly.

ADVANCED WORKSHOP WITH MASTER LOK – MAY 2ND, 2 TO 5PM – $75

Designed for students with a good knowledge and practice of Qigong or Tai Chi, you will explore the legendary qi and develop a deeper sensation. This experience will continue to develop your insight and if desired, prepare you for instructing Tai Chi and qigong.

The workshops will be held in Collinsville, a beautiful and historic village of Canton, CT located on the banks of the scenic Farmington River, just 17 miles west of Hartford.

Hosted by Yoga Center of Collinsville

Call 860-693-9642 for Information or Visit

YogaCenterCollinsville.com/QIGONG Register for one or more sessions.

Space will be limited so register soon.

natural awakenings

May 2015

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eventspotlight

Experience Sonic Bliss and Relaxation

T

he Yoga Center of Collinsville and The Conduit Center have put together two opportunities for meditation and relaxation with deeply calming sensory experiences incorporating music and vibration.

On Friday, May 8, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. there will be a Gong Meditation Concert at the Yoga Center of Collinsville (YCC).

It will be an intimate evening of sonic bliss. Find comfort on provided padding, memory foam pillows and blankets, or

reclined in zero-gravity chairs. The soothing orchestration envelops the room where deep meditative states neutralize the tumult of everyday life.

The Conduit musicians use instruments such as ancient Himalayan singing bowls and planetary gongs, along with aromatherapy and other tools to guide attendants through a landscape of sound that will help them reach a state of deep relaxation, retune and rebalance.

Following the concert, the musicians will offer individual hands-on work and experiences with the instruments.

On Sunday, June 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the historic Canton Town Hall Auditorium (across from YCC) there will be a Gong-Meditation Experience. Participants can relax, enjoy, and elevate as The Conduit uses sound meditation to explore personal, and group meditative energies, with their “Gong Meditation Performance Experience.”

While the smaller, more intimate, Gong Concerts convey the sound journey with a cozy group, the Gong Meditation Performance offers a special extension of the experience. In these unique perfor-

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mances, participants are treated not only to the soothing gong orchestration, but to a more multi-sensory experience as well. This is accomplished through further attention to ambiance, lighting, sacred geometry projections, and special guest artists and instruments.

For the 90-minute experience, attendees can expect to lie down and get comfortable with provided blankets, mats, and a pillow, while the deep vibrations of the singing bowls, gongs and bells provide a sonic mind-body massage.

Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. For more information or to register for the events above, call 860-6939642 or visit YogaCenterCollinsville.com.

See ad on back cover.

The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. For more information, call 860-888-4314 or visit TheConduitCenter.com. See ad on page 17.

communityinterview What is your specialization and why did you choose to work in this area?

I am a certified nurse midwife, practicing for over 20 years. I was drawn to the nurturing, individualized care that midwives provide for pregnant women.

I am no longer attending births but still am committed to providing individualized care to all my patients.

Miwako Ohta-Agresta, CNM, CHC, RYT-200 S.H.E. MEDICAL ASSOCIATES Member of Women’s Health Connecticut 449 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT

Satellite offices in Avon, Glastonbury, Enfield, S. Windsor & Marlborough 860-236-5431 WomensHealthCT.com.

Tell us about your practice and specialty and which patients should see you.

People automatically associate pregnancy with midwives but in my current role, I provide care for women of all ages integrating my knowledge as a health coach and yoga teacher. I see people for GYN care and often provide health guidance to help them make changes to improve their overall quality of life through yoga, meditation, health coaching.

What keeps patients from trying an integrative or functional health approach?

Many people are more comfortable with a traditional Western medical approach since that is what they know. I offer them options that might help them alleviate symptoms either in place of or in conjunction with traditional care. For example, utilizing yoga poses for insomnia, osteoporosis or menopausal symptoms.

I offer health counseling for people with obesity, high cholesterol or diabetes.

What do your patients remark upon most after their first visit? What keeps someone returning?

I think people come back because I listen. I provide care that suits their needs and not automatically prescribe medications. However, if that is the most appropriate option, I certainly offer that.

What is your level of support for health insurance and claims?

Our office accepts most major insurance carriers including Medicare and Medicaid.

Thousands of Years of Food Wisdom in Twelve Months The Institute Of Sustainable Nutrition Offering a one-year Certification in Sustainable Health & Nutrition This innovative school integrates the Science of Nutrition with:

Time in the Garden learning to Grow nourishing food and herbs

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Identifying and using nutrient dense Wild Foods in delicious dishes

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Join our experienced staff one weekend a month as you use hands on education to delve into and explore diverse aspects of how food and herbs enhance the health of your clients, family, yourself and the environment.

Now Accepting Applications for 2015-16. Call 860-764-9070 Today!

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May 2015

13

healthbriefs

Italian Court Links Boy’s Meditation Improves Brain Health Autism to H a Vaccine

arvard Medical School researchers working at the Massachusetts General Hospital have determined that meditation can improve brain health. The researchers studied 16 volunteers that took part in an eight-week mindfulness meditation study at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness.

The participants conducted mindfulness meditation exercises for an average of 27 minutes a day. Before and after the trial, the subjects were given tests and magnetic resonance imaging of their brains.

The researchers found that the practice of mindfulness meditation resulted in increased gray matter density in the hippocampus of the brain, an area associated with increased memory and learning capacity, plus a greater sense of compassion and introspection.

HEART DISEASE DETECTED EARLY WITH BREATH TESTING

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esearch published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that breath testing can reveal potential heart disease and artery problems quickly and efficiently. Testing 31 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) together with 34 healthy control subjects, the study found that concentrations of volatile gases such as propanol, ethanol and ammonia were significantly different among the heart disease patients.

It also found that the breath can reveal specific details about the heart’s condition. The breath test can be analyzed in fewer than 30 minutes.

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ast September, a Milan Court held in favor of plaintiffs that claimed that three doses of the hexavalent GlaxoSmithKline vaccine Infanrix Hexa that were administered to an infant beginning in 2006 caused autism later when he was a young boy. The vaccine is used for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough and haemophilus influenzae type B. After hearing from several medical experts, the court ruled that the child likely suffered autism and brain damage as a result of the vaccine’s content of mercury and aluminum, combined with a genetic mutation in the child rendering greater susceptibility. The ruling ordered damages to be paid by the Italian government’s national vaccine injury compensation program.

The court’s decision was also based upon GlaxoSmithKline’s list of possible adverse events resulting from the vaccine, which included five cases of autism during clinical trials.

Today in the U.S., most vaccines routinely given to children under 6 years of age are free of thimerosal, a mercuryderived preservative.

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Weight Gain in Moms Lowers Toxins in Newborns

To Get Healthy, Get a Healthy Partner

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any expectant mothers try to know about everything they put into and onto their bodies as multiple studies are finding that infants are exposed to toxins during pregnancy. A new study of 325 expectant mothers has determined that the baby’s exposure to toxins in the womb decreases when the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy approaches the guidelines recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2009. Women that are underweight at the start of pregnancy are advised to gain between 28 and 40 pounds, women of a healthy weight 25 to 35 pounds, overweight women 15 to 25 pounds and obese women 11 to 20 pounds.

The researchers found that expectant mothers with a gestational weight that meets or exceeds the IOM guidelines gave birth to infants with reduced toxin levels.

In their analysis of the umbilical cord blood of mothers from Spain, the researchers tested for 14 pesticides and 21 other environmental toxins, including seven polychlorobiphenyls (PCB). Other influencers such as age, education and fish consumption may also be relevant.

H

aving a healthier partner may be one of the best things to do for our own health. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine finds that losing weight, stopping smoking or becoming more active is easier with a partner that has led the way in any or all healthy pursuits.

The study authors reviewed data collected by the UK Health Behavior Research Center at the University College London that followed 3,700 couples between 2002 and 2012—most of them ages 50 and older and married. Those that smoked at the beginning of the study were more likely to quit by the end of it if their partners quit smoking, and those that were physically inactive at the beginning of the study were more likely to become active if their partners did so first. About two-thirds of the men became newly active during the course of the study.

Men with wives that had lost weight were more likely to also shed pounds during the study, and women with husbands that didn’t lose weight were less likely to do so through the study period.

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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Corporate Climate

Companies Slowly Embrace Sustainability The 2015 State of Green Business report (Tinyurl. com/2015GreenBusinessReport), which assesses the environmental performances of companies worldwide, along with the trends to watch, is produced by GreenBiz, in partnership with Trucost.

Collectively, companies have been nibbling at the edges of challenges such as climate change, food security, ecosystems preservation and resource efficiency. One measure of corporate engagement going forward will be proactive involvement on political issues that could accelerate the transition to a low-carbon and more sustainable economy. It remains to be seen whether companies can afford to sit on the sidelines, letting the political process unfold, or worse, play defense against changes that might roil their status quo.

2015 will be an interesting year on multiple fronts, especially with the launch of the new sustainable development goals at the United Nations (UN) in New York this fall, along with UN climate talks in Paris in December. Both will be tests of corporate engagement and resolve in driving the kinds of change many of their CEOs publicly call for. The reports’ findings of companies’ progress in greenhouse gas and emissions, air pollutants, water use and solid waste production are all leveling off or even declining.

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Dirty Dollars

Stores Filled with Toxic Products HealthyStuff, a project of the Michiganbased Ecology Center, in collaboration with the Campaign for Healthier Solutions (CHS), has released a report, A Day Late and a Dollar Short: Discount Retailers are Falling Behind on Safer Chemicals, about toxic chemicals found in dollar store products. It includes test results for 164 dollar store products such as toys, jewelry, school supplies and household items and found that 81 percent contained at least one hazardous chemical above a level that generates concern.

The campaign sent a letter to the CEOs of the four largest dollar store chains, including Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and 99 Cents Only, urging them to stop the sale of these unsafe products, especially to communities of low-income and ethnic families that already live in more polluted areas and food deserts, and adopt policies that will instead protect both customers and their own businesses.

Combined, these discount chains have annual sales totaling more than $36 billion and operate more stores nationally than Walmart.

The CHS is asking for a comprehensive set of reforms; communities need to let dollar store chains know that they want safer products and join local and national efforts advocating for nontoxic products.

Scroll to Dollar Store Report at Healthy Stuff.org for the complete test results.

Take action at NontoxicDollarStores.org.

Eco-Eating

Town Eateries Embrace Sustainability The city of Maplewood, Missouri, outside St. Louis, has teamed up with the Green Dining Alliance to become the area’s first Green Dining District, with at least 25 percent of all of its independently owned businesses certified by the Green Dining Alliance (GDA). The GDA helps businesses with sustainability and green business practices while also helping them save money. So far, eight restaurants in downtown Maplewood are GDA-certified.

Green Dining Alliance’s Olivia Engel says, “It’s a win-win that makes sense for businesses and communities.”

The city is also encouraging the program by subsidizing Green Dining Alliance membership fees.

View updates at GreenDiningAlliance.org.

Enflamed Water Home Flame Retardants Found in River

Scientists with the Washington Toxics Coalition tested household dust and laundry wastewater from 20 homes in the state’s cities of Longview and Vancouver and took samples of incoming and outgoing flow from two wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the Columbia River, the Northwest’s biggest waterway. They detected flame retardants in all the tests.

The conclusion of the study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, is that flame retardants are sloughing off household products such as couches and TVs and collecting on people’s clothing, washing out in the laundry and passing through wastewater treatment plants into local waterways.

Source: WaToxics.org

Persistent Pacers

Women Marathoners Better at Maintaining Speed Danish researchers studying almost 2 million marathon results from 131 marathon races over a period of five years have concluded that women are 18.6 percent better than men at maintaining a consistent pace overall, compared to the first and the last parts of the distance. Among the population studied, 68.5 percent were men and 31.5 percent were women. The research further suggests that both men and women “burn out” en route and could improve their marathon results significantly simply by starting slower.

Source: Consumer.HealthDay.com

EPA Blooper

Bee-Toxic Pesticide Approved The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved cyantraniliprole, a new systemic pesticide that is toxic to bees, for agricultural use and has set allowable residue limits on almonds, berries, leafy vegetables and milk. The EPA also approved it as a seed treatment, so it may show up in GMO (genetically modified) seeds in the future.

Cyantraniliprole has been proven to cause liver toxicity, and the EPA notes that it also alters the stability of the thyroid as tested on laboratory rats. Although the agency maintains that the pesticide is not a direct thyroid toxicant, any indirect effects on this glandular function are likely to disrupt the endocrine system. As its current endocrine disruptor screening program is still in the process of validating tests, EPA registration of the new active ingredient is questionable.

Source: EcoWatch.com

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ecotip Raised Right

Organic Flowers Honor Mom and Mother Earth

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The Mother’s Day tradition of gifting mom with flowers, including such perennial favorites as lilies, orchids, tulips and roses, can be practiced in a sustainable manner. Buying organic varieties protects workers, families and the environment.

Flowers grown with conventional techniques contribute to the contamination of groundwater and streams through fertilizer and pesticide runoff that can also threaten animal species. Many of the cut flowers are grown in South America, where farms continue to use pesticides that are restricted in the U.S. and cited as highly toxic by the World Health Organization. GreenAmerica.org provides several helpful tips on bringing joy to mom on her special day in eco-friendly ways:

Grow Your Own. Buy organic bulbs or seeds in consumer seed catalogs and retail racks or online from reputable sources that include SeedsOfChange.com.

Children can then grow their own flowers to make them mean even more. Tips for natural weed and pest control, environmentally friendly watering, making raised garden beds and more are posted at EarthEasy.com/yard-garden.

Buy Local and Organic. Support local communities and save shipping costs and energy by purchasing chemicalfree organic flowers from a local farmers’ market or community supported agriculture. Online retailers like OrganicBouquet.com and LocalHarvest.org/organic-flowers.jsp offer U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic flowers.

Ask Local Florists to Go Organic. Find out if local florists purchase any organic and local flowers, and if not, request that they do so.

Also, eschew plastic wraps and vases for eco-friendly flowers to avoid toxic ingredients and the carbon manufacturing footprint. Fun options to hold and showcase the gift include old, recycled Mason and glass jars and bottles or an artistic vase from an estate sale or antique or thrift shop.

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. ~Arthur Rubinstein 18

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RETHINKING BREAST HEALTH Natural ways to keep breasts smooth, pain-free and firm, while reducing the risk of cancer.

by Lisa Marshall

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e’ve been conditioned to narrowly define breast health in terms of pink ribbon campaigns, cancer awareness marches and cold, steel mammography machines.

Nearly 30 years after anticancer drug maker Imperial Chemical Industries (now AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals) established the first National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 1985, many women have come to equate healthy breasts with cancer-free breasts, and assume the most important thing they can do is undergo regular screening.

But amid this chorus, some women’s health advocates are striving to get a different message across: There are a host of steps women can take to not only fend off disease in the future, but keep their breasts in optimal condition today. “We need to change the conversation about our breasts from how to avoid breast cancer and detect it early to how to have healthy breasts and enjoy them,” says Dr. Christiane Northrup, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Yarmouth, Maine, and author of the new book Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-Being.

Healthy Breasts, Healthy Body

life-giving milk. “In all these ways, your breasts are deeply connected to your femininity, compassion and sensuality,” says Hawaiian Naturopathic Doctor Laurie Steelsmith, co-author of Natural Choices for Women’s Health. Because breasts are extremely sensitive to hormonal fluctuations throughout the body, they can also serve as a barometer of overall health. “If you’re having chronic breast symptoms, it can be your body’s wisdom saying, ‘Help. Something’s wrong.’ Women need to listen.”

While some premenstrual swelling and tenderness is normal, exaggerated or persistent pain is often a sign of systemic estrogen dominance in relation to progesterone. It’s common in the years leading up to menopause, but can also hint at impaired thyroid function, because low levels of thyroid hormones have been shown to boost estrogen in breast tissue, advises Steelsmith.

Large, fluid-filled cysts or fibrous lumps, while non-cancerous, can also be a reflection of overexposure to harmful chemicals and toxin buildup, combined with

In adolescence, breast changes are the first to signal the arrival of womanhood.

When she’s aroused, a woman’s nipples harden and change color. When a woman gives birth, her breasts fill with 20

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poor lymph flow, notes Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan, an integrative physician in Greensboro, North Carolina. “If a woman has lumpy, bumpy breasts, they probably contain too many toxins, and those toxins are primarily estrogenic.”

Addressing such symptoms is important not only to relieve discomfort, but also because excess estrogen can fuel future cancer risk, says Vaughan.

Any new, suspicious lump should be evaluated by a professional. Also, severe breast tenderness combined with nipple discharge could be a sign of infection or a problem with the pituitary gland, so it should also be checked. But typically, subtle natural healthcare steps can go a long way toward restoring breast wellness.

For nipple tenderness, Steelsmith recommends chaste-tree berry (175 milligrams [mg] of powdered extract or 40 drops daily). The herbal supplement mimics naturally occurring progesterone in the body, helping to counter estrogen dominance. Vitamin E (400 to 800 international units [IU] per day) and evening primrose oil (1,500 mg twice a day) have also been

shown to alleviate breast tenderness.

For fibrous or cyst-filled breasts, Vaughan advises supplementing with iodine (up to 12.5 mg per day via kelp, seaweed or oral tablets) or applying an iodine solution to the breasts at night.

A key constituent of thyroid hormones, iodine helps the liver convert unfriendly forms of estrogen into friendlier forms and flush toxins out of lymph nodes in the breast. Also, steer clear of chocolate and coffee, because caffeine is believed to interact with enzymes in the breast, exaggerating pain and lumpiness.

Also consider ditching the bra, says Vaughan. Brassieres can constrict lymph nodes and hinder blood circulation in breasts, locking toxins in and aggravating fibrocystic symptoms. The link between bras and breast cancer risk remains hotly debated, with one 2014 U.S. National Cancer Institute study of 1,400 women concluding unequivocally that, “There’s no evidence that wearing a bra increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer,” while smaller studies from the United States, China, Venezuela, Scotland and Africa suggest a link.

Vaughan, the founder of BraFree.org, says the science is compelling enough that she has chosen to keep her own

bra use to a minimum and advises her patients to do the same.

“Obviously, there are certain sports where you should wear a sports bra and there are certain dresses that only look right with a bra,” says Vaughan.

At a minimum, avoid wearing a bra to bed and steer clear of underwires and overly tight bras that leave red marks.

“This is not about guilt-tripping women into never wearing a bra. It’s about wearing a bra less.”

Beautiful Breasts Naturally

Too small or too big, lopsided or riddled with stretch marks… it seems almost every woman has a complaint about the appearance of her breasts.

That’s a problem, says Northrup, because, “Healthy breasts are breasts that are loved. We have to stop beating them up.”

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of women getting breast implants for cosmetic reasons ballooned from 212,500 in 2000 to 286,254 in 2014.

Physicians—including Northrup— claim that modern implants don’t, in the majority of cases, promote disease like older silicone implants did. Yet

even plastic surgeons warn that having implants should be fully thought out, and at some point they’ll probably have to come out. “They are manmade devices, and are not intended to be lifelong. At some point, you will probably have to have further surgery,” says Dr. Anureet Bajaj, an Oklahoma City plastic surgeon.

Bajaj notes that implants can rupture, forming scar tissue and lending irregular shape to the breast. Often, as a woman ages and her body changes, the larger breasts she chose in her 20s no longer look right and may cause back and shoulder pain. In some cases, implants can also lead to loss of nipple sensitivity. For these and other reasons, 23,774 women—including actress Melissa Gilbert and model Victoria Beckham—had their implants removed in 2014, often following up with a breast lift (using their own tissue) to restore their shape.

Vaughan sees breast implant removal as a wise and courageous choice to restore optimal breast health. Better yet, don’t get implants in the first place.

“There are a lot of other things you can do to improve the appearance of your breasts,” she advises.

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Vaughan recommends breastperking exercises like dumbbell bench presses and flys that tone the pectoral muscles beneath the breasts, making them more resilient and look larger. To prevent or reverse sagging, she again urges women to go bra-free. “We have ligaments in the upper outer quadrant of our breasts called Cooper’s ligaments, and they’re responsible for holding our breasts up. Just like your muscles atrophy when you put your arm in a sling, your Cooper’s ligaments atrophy if you wear a bra all the time.”

In one unpublished, yet highly publicized 2013 study, French Exercise Physiologist Jean-Denis Rouillon measured the busts of 330 women ages 18 to 35 over a period of 15 years and found those that regularly wore a bra had droopier breasts with lower nipples than those that didn’t. In another, smaller, Japanese study, researchers found that when women stopped wearing a bra for three months, their breasts perked up.

Those worried about stretch marks also have options. They can be a sign of inadequate copper, which promotes collagen integrity and helps skin stretch without injury, says Steelsmith. If rapid weight gain is occurring due to adolescence, pregnancy or for other reasons, try taking copper supplements or applying a topical copper spray on the breasts.

Remember to massage your breasts daily, not only as a “search and destroy mission” for early detection of cancerous lumps, says Northrup, but as a way to get waste products flowing out and loving energy flowing in.

“It concerns me that women feel pressured to think of their breasts as two potentially pre-malignant lesions sitting on their chests,” Northrup says.

“These are organs of nourishment and pleasure for both ourselves and others.

We need to remember that, too.”

Lisa Marshall is a freelance health writer in Boulder, CO. Connect at LisaAnnMarshall.com.

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Hartford County Edition

Bust Musts for Cancer Prevention

by Lisa Marshall

A

ccording to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and nearly 40,000 will die annually of the disease.

But at least 38 percent of those diagnoses could be prevented via diet and lifestyle changes, affirms the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

“For decades, the dominant public message about breast cancer has been about early detection,” says Medical Doctor Robert Pendergrast, an associate professor at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, and author of Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk with Foods You Love.

“Screening is important, but not nearly enough attention is being paid to prevention.” Here’s what we can do to keep cancer at bay or from recurring.

Eat more veggies: Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, are loaded with indole3-carbinol, or I3C, a potent anticancer compound that helps break down excess estrogen and convert it into a more friendly, or benign form, says Steelsmith.

One study in Alternative Medicine Review found that women that ate high amounts of cruciferous vegetables were 30 percent less likely to develop breast cancer over 30 years. I3C can also be taken as a supplement (300 milligrams [mg] per day).

Eat more fiber, especially flax: Fiber, via whole grains, fruits and vegetables, helps flush out toxins including unfriendly estrogen. Flax contains cancer-fighting compounds called lignans, which block the effects of excess or unfriendly estrogen on cells.

Drink less alcohol: Alcohol boosts estrogen levels in women and is broken down in the liver to acetaldehyde, a known toxin that causes cancer in laboratory animals, notes Naturopath

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Laurie Steelsmith. According to the AICR, a woman that has five drinks per week boosts her risk by 5 percent. Two or more drinks per day boosts such risk by more than 40 percent.

Skip the barbecue: Charring meat produces carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines. A study of 42,000 women, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that those that routinely ate well-done hamburger, beef or bacon had four times the risk of those that opted for medium or medium-rare.

Keep weight in check: Excessive estrogen, which lives in fat cells, fuels cancer risk. According to the AICR, a woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 (obese) has a 13 percent higher risk of cancer than a woman with a BMI of 25 (slightly overweight).

Spice up life: Curcumin from the turmeric plant has been shown in many studies to have potent immune-boosting and anticancer properties, reactivating sleeping tumor-suppressor genes that can kill cancer cells.

De-stress: Growing evidence that includes studies from Ohio State University suggest that stress can boost the risk of breast cancer and recurrence, plus heighten its aggressiveness by altering hormones and impairing immunity. One study from Finland’s University of Helsinki followed 10,808 Finnish women for 15 years and found as much as double the rate of breast cancer among those that had experienced a divorce or death of a spouse or family member.

Drink green tea: It’s loaded with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant believed to suppress new blood vessel growth in tumors and keep cancerous cells from invading healthy tissue.

Manual Therapy for Breast Health

by Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, PhD, IMT-C

N

ational Women’s Health Week begins on May 10 every year.

In honor of this week, there is a significant focus placed on women and various health practices that can aid in optimal health. Breast health is an important component of a woman’s health. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, regardless of race or ethnicity.1 The key to reducing this statistic is prevention.

There are many alternative approaches to promote breast health.

One such approach is Manual Therapy, which is a gentle form of body work that can support drainage of the lymphatic system.2 The lymph is a vital part of the immune system and facilitates the cardiovascular system by helping to drain toxins from the body. Breasts contain lymph ducts that drain toxins from the breast tissue. When the lymph fluid is stagnant, it can create inflammation of the breast.

This can lead to illness. By supporting drainage of this lymph fluid from the

breast, breast tissue is less toxic.

Lymph vessels are lined with involuntary muscle that helps to pump lymph from an area. These small muscles can be in spasm, leading to a stagnant or sluggish lymph system. Manual Therapy for breast lymph drainage is a relaxing treatment that helps to stimulate the smooth muscle around these lymph vessels and help to promote normal flow of the lymph out of the breast tissue. This can prevent inflammation in the region that can lead to illness.

Women who have poor lymph flow in the breast may feel tightness or soreness in the breast tissue. They may also experience symptoms in their shoulders and upper back or neck.

Regular Manual Therapy can also help to create more movement and less pain I joints and tissues of the body.

Manual Therapy may be practiced by holistic Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Massage Therapists and Body Workers.

References: 1. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2011 Incidence and Mortality Webbased Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2014.

2. Williams, A.f., A. Vadgama, P.j.

Franks, and P.s. Mortimer. “A Randomized Controlled Crossover Study of Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapy in Women with Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema.” European Journal of Cancer Care 11.4 (2002): 254-61. Web.

Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, PhD, is a Certified Integrative Manual Therapist and Holistic Physical Therapist. She is the owner of Integrative Wellness & Physical Therapy. For more information, see IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com. See ads on page 2 and 33.

I’m interested in women’s health because I’m a woman.

I’d be a darn fool not to be on my own side. ~Maya Angelou

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23

Triumph Over The ‘Big C’

by Lisa Marshall

W

hen Sandy Messonnier was diagnosed with breast cancer, she faced scary treatment decisions as doctors pressured her to consider all means available. “I was more afraid of the treatment than the cancer itself,” says Messonnier, 52, of Plano, Texas. “I kept feeling like I was being lumped into one big category of all women that got breast cancer, rather than treated as an individual.”

With the help of her holistic veterinarian husband Shawn Messonnier, Sandy took a more measured approach, blending conventional and complementary medicine in an individualized protocol the couple describes in their book, Breast Choices for the Best Chances: Your Breasts, Your Life, and How You Can Win the Battle!

After careful consideration, Sandy opted for two lumpectomies three weeks apart, instead of a mastectomy, to remove

the small tumor. The second one was done to clear up a few remaining cells indicated by a biopsy. Meanwhile, she took supplements including green tea and coriolus mushrooms to impede the spread of the cancer cells.

Several tests helped determine if she needed chemotherapy and the optimum dose for some of her supplements. The results prompted her to decline chemotherapy and opt for a brief stint of radiation while taking the supplements quercetin and curcumin to help combat the fatigue and other side effects. Afterward, she cleansed her body with homeopathic mistletoe, herbal milk thistle and other detoxifying supplements.

Then she began the work of keeping cancer at bay.

“A lot of doctors never talk to you about what you are going to do after the poisoning [chemo], the burning and

surgery,” she says. “Rather than taking a cancer-fighting drug, I chose to be more mindful of what I do with my body.”

Her regimen called for committing to keeping up with the healthy diet, plus regular walks, yoga and Pilates that she believes helped keep the cancer relatively mild to begin with. But she also made some life changes to address the one thing she believes may have driven the outbreak in the first place—stress.

She made peace with her mother, which reduced a lot of stress, began to cultivate a spiritual life and now takes time to meditate or walk when she feels even lightly stressed. She also vowed to keep the fear of recurrence from overwhelming her. “Many women never stop worrying about it,” she observes. “That is toxic energy you are putting back into your body.”

As of this October, Messonnier will be five years cancer-free. Her advice for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: “Chemotherapy, radiation and mastectomy are not among the right choices for all women. There are other options, depending on the type of cancer. Don’t be so fearful that you make hasty decisions you don’t need to make.”

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abor and delivery In America, obstetrics Most births is a natural process became a profession and that can be enjoyed. should be viewed a doctor-attended birth in “It’s not something a hospital was promoted as a natural life to be afraid of,” says as a safer alternative. By process instead Mel Campbell, author 1938, half of domestic of The Yoga of Pregnancy. of a potential births took place in hos“It’s a wonderful and pitals, and by 1960 it rose beautiful experience. We medical emergency. to 97 percent. Currently, need to remember that midwives attend less than ~Abby Epstein, The the body is designed for 8 percent of births here, Business of Being Born and fewer than 1 percent giving birth.”

Natural childbirth occur outside a hospital. uses few or no artificial medical inNatural labor and delivery in a terventions such as drugs, continuous hospital is possible, but, “It’s hard to have fetal monitoring, forceps delivery or an unmedicated birth in many hospitals episiotomies (cuts to enlarge the vaginal if you don’t know your rights, understand opening). According to the U.S. Centers your physiology and have a doula by for Disease Control (CDC), 32.7 percent your side helping you avoid unnecesof deliveries were by Cesarean section sary interventions,” says Ina May Gaskin, in 2013—most performed in situations a pioneering midwife and author of Ina where a vaginal birth would have posed a May’s Guide to Childbirth. Key factors to relatively low risk to the health of mother discuss include fetal monitoring, intraveand child. Entirely natural childbirth nous tubes and the option to eat or drink is now rare here compared with other during labor. countries, but that wasn’t always the case.

In 1900, 95 percent of all U.S. births Benefits of Home Births took place in the home; when more Women choose home births and homey moved to hospitals here in the early birthing centers because they labor there 20th century, midwives still typically more comfortably, feel more in control handled the delivery in other countries, of the process and can more easily avoid sometimes without a doctor present. interventions. Many moms seek out a

your first treatment when you mention Natural Awakenings

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May 2015

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midwife’s services take with you into By 2006 Cesarean because they don’t labor.” delivery was the number want to repeat the She reminds conventional hospital one surgical procedure women that the baby experience that acis always getting companied their first in American hospitals. nourishment from all baby’s arrival. that mom eats and ~U.S. Centers for

When actress breathes in, and also Ricki Lake gave birth Disease Control feeds off of her feelto her second child in ings and emotions. her home bathtub with the assistance of “The more we can feel at peace with a midwife, she felt empowered by doing ourselves and incorporate the baby into it on her own terms. “Giving birth wasn’t our being, the more we feel a connection an illness, something that needed to be and union,” she says. “It’s vital that you numbed. It was something to be experilet your body’s innate wisdom be your enced,” she says. guide and respect any cues it may give.”

When women let their bodies

Campbell guides expectant mothers naturally lead, labor can last as little as 20 through a yoga practice that embraces minutes or as long as two weeks, and the the changes occurring each trimester. For spectrum of pain intensity example, a more physical practice in the is equally broad. A healthy prenatal lifesecond trimester utilizes the surge of enstyle that prepares a mom-to-be ergy to build stamina and strength, while for a natural physical, emotional and opening the heart, hips and pelvis. spiritual experience of childbirth is highly Complementary relaxation techbeneficial. niques for labor include breathing practices, visualization, meditation and massage. When a mother isn’t connected Compassionate Self-Care to monitors and tubes, she’s free to ex“Pregnancy’s not the time to overexert periment with positions and props such yourself; let go of the temptation to overas balls, bars and pillows, plus a warm achieve and instead practice breathing shower or bath. If a hospital birth is and mindfulness,” advises Campbell. “If planned, Gaskin notes that labor often you’re experiencing morning sickness, slows once a woman leaves the comfort try to embrace it and how it serves you. of home, and recommends laboring at By doing so, you’ll be more in tune with your body. These lessons are gifts you can home as long as possible.

Conscious Childbirth Resources The Yoga of Pregnancy Week by Week: Connect With Your Unborn Child through Mind, Body and Breath

by Mel Campbell Natural Hospital Birth: The Best of Both Worlds

by Cynthia Gabriel Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

by Ina May Gaskin Spiritual Midwifery

by Ina May Gaskin Your Best Birth

by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein The Business of Being Born a film by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein Mothering Magazine’s Having a Baby, Naturally

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There is a great deal of fear and ignorance about allowing labor and birth to proceed without disturbance. Rates of routine intervention are so high, most nurses and physicians rarely see a fully natural birth. ~Ina May Gaskin

There is no way to predict the course of labor and delivery when women let nature take the lead. Campbell, a mother of three, says, “I tried to focus on the intention of what I wanted for my birthing experience, while also surrendering expectations, knowing that I would have whatever type of birth I was supposed to have.” She adds, “The breath is the most important thing—it keeps us in the moment, helps us to relax and supports us through labor.”

While the home birth option is important to America’s new generation of trailblazing women, it’s also significant on a macro level. Gaskin explains, “It’s hard for staff to change routine practices in hospitals but home births make innovation possible.” Home births demonstrated that women don’t require routine episiotomies and have shown how maternal mobility and position changes can help labor progress and free badly stuck babies (earlier methods often injured mother and child).

Gaskin has found, “Wherever and however you decide to give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, mind, body and spirit for the rest of your life. No one should have a home birth who doesn’t want one, but it must be one of the choices.”

Meredith Montgomery publishes Natural Awakenings of Mobile/Baldwin, AL (HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com).

A Mother’s Guide to Natural Childbirth

by Meredith Montgomery

D

etermining the best birth setting for a mother necessitates sound planning. If an unmedicated birth is a goal, these insights may help in making decisions.

Home birth takes place in the comfort of home, typically with the assistance of a midwife, and is suitable for a healthy woman with a low-risk pregnancy. She is able to wear her own clothing and eat as she pleases. Because monitoring of mother and baby is done intermittently, she is free to move around.

Confirm the midwife’s certification with the American Midwifery Certification Board and ask how many home births she’s attended and which obstetricians she consults. Discuss the signs and symptoms that might necessitate a move to the hospital and how quickly it can be done. While a midwife’s fee is often far less than the cost of a hospital birth, not all insurance companies cover home births.

A birth center provides personalized, family-centered care in a home-like environment for healthy women. Practitioners follow principles of problem prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention and cost-effectiveness. A certified nurse-midwife typically delivers the baby, but the collaborative practice team also in-

cludes obstetricians, pediatricians and other specialists. Mothers experience personal freedoms similar to a home birth, and tubs for water births are usually available, plus other birthing props such as squatting bars, stools and balls.

The center should be accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Birth Centers. Inquire what the protocol for care will be if complications arise, learn what the center’s charges for care cover and confirm if the family’s insurance policy will pay for the services provided.

A hospital generally has access to the latest medical technology, making it a preferred option for medium-to-high-risk pregnancies. With proper preparations, an unmedicated birth is possible in this traditional setting. Investigate their rates of Cesarean births and episiotomies and the determining parameters.

To allow for an active labor, request intermittent fetal monitoring, avoid intravenous fluids and ask about the availability of birthing props. Become familiar with hospital policies, such as who can be in the delivery room and whether the baby will stay with mom after the birth. If a nurse midwife is not on staff, consider hiring a doula to assist in preparing for and carrying out the family’s birth plan.

natural awakenings

May 2015

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healthykids

Keep it fun, so that your kids will try new things like vegetables. Remember, it takes 12 times before a baby actually prefers a new food, so don’t give up! ~Veronika Van de Geer Buckley, Maine mother

KIDS VEGGIES

How to Instill Healthy Lifelong Habits

by Clancy Cash Harrison

Starting at conception, the early years of a child’s life are a perfect window of opportunity to establish a foundation of healthy eating.

W

ant a child to love veggies?

Here are simple tips parents can practice in the first three years to establish lifelong good eating habits.

Start early. We all know that eating healthy during pregnancy will help a baby grow, but many may not realize that an infant can taste flavors in utero and through breast milk. Eating a variety of fresh produce during pregnancy and breastfeeding helps shape a healthy diet later in life.

Treat weaning as a time for the infant to explore the texture, taste and aroma of an array of foods. After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, food can be introduced, although breast milk is still the primary source of nutrients.

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Small, repeated exposures to many foods during this stage will help minimize refusals to try or accept foods in the toddler years.

Children’s foods should be exploding with nutrients. Offering a variety of organic produce ensures optimal nutrition and decreases chemical exposure. Research reported by the Harvard Medical School and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, among others, shows that richly colored foods help build dense bones, powerful brains and tough immunity. Good candidates include butternut squash, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, berries and citrus. Also go for those naturally high in iron, such as peas, leafy

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greens, apricots, raisins and legumes.

Avoid anything high in sugar and other sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings and other harmful additives.

Another important yet often overlooked foundation of healthy eating is encouraging a child to self-regulate his or her calorie intake. Self-regulation starts on the first day of breastfeeding and is carried through adulthood.

Respecting a child’s decision to end a meal allows them to control their own food intake. Common signals infants use to end a meal include turning their head away, arching back, throwing food on the floor and showing an interest in other activities. To encourage self-regulation, always serve meals and healthy snacks on a schedule and allow the child to feed himself when possible.

As early as 7 months of age, most healthy infants are developmentally ready to do this, which should optimize nutrient consumption, increase participation in family meals and contribute to a less stressful mealtime. Appropriate foods for self-feeding should easily melt in an infant’s mouth and be a safe size, such as soft fruits and cooked vegetables. To prevent choking, avoid round, hard and sticky foods such as whole grapes, peanuts, popcorn and nut or seed butters.

Don’t be afraid to add mild herbs and spices to a child’s food. An easy way to teach healthy flavor preferences, develop taste buds and reduce picki-

It’s important to give the child the same food that the family eats, but in smaller servings. This allows the child to watch others eat and enjoy the same meal. ~Maria Myers Maiden, North Carolina mother

ness when they’re older is to expose children to many foods, textures and aromas. A dash of cumin in smashed avocado or freshly chopped mint mixed with diced strawberries introduces new perspective on a favorite food.

Food refusal is inevitable, normal behavior. Children will love a food one day and hate it the next. Rethinking the definition of variety empowers parents to reintroduce a not-so-favorite food many times. If children don’t like the way an item feels or looks, they may not taste it. The refusal of a carrot doesn’t necessarily doom carrots. They can be coined, minced, mashed, puréed and diced to change the texture, plus they can be served cold, at room temperature or tepid.

A child’s early adventurous eating increases the willingness to experiment with a wider range of less familiar foods as a young adult in a multicultural foodscape. Kids are not born reciting an alphabet; it takes time and practice to read and learn a new language. Similarly, it requires time and patient practice to establish a healthy foundation for eating. Have faith in the family’s ability to make eating together enjoyable for everyone.

Motherhood:

All love begins and ends there. ~Robert Browning

Clancy Cash Harrison is a mother of two, pediatric feeding therapist, registered dietitian and author of Feeding Baby: Simple Approaches to Raising a Healthy Baby and Creating a Lifetime of Nutritious Eating. Connect at FieldsOfFlavor.com.

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May 2015

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consciouseating

EATING SKINNY Why Vegans and Vegetarians are Naturally Trim

by Judith Fertig

W

e read the labels touting low sugar, carbs, fats and calories. We try this and that diet, hoping the pounds will melt away. Yet more than a third of U.S. adults, nearly 80 million of us, remain overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta.

The problem might be that we’re getting the wrong advice. While most weight-loss plans focus on reducing calories, recent research shows that vegan and vegetarian dietary patterns can result in more weight loss than those that include meat, without even emphasizing caloric restriction. Scientists at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, point to their study, How Plant-Based Do We Need to Be to Achieve Weight Loss?

Study participants were divided into five groups, according to eating style, from vegan to flexitarian to carnivore, and monitored for an eight-week period.

At the end of the evaluation, those that followed an entirely plant-based diet achieved the greatest weight loss. Study leader Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D., notes, “Many researchers agree that vegan eating styles are tied to lower BMI [body mass index], lower prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and less weight gain with age.”

Can it really be that simple… eat more plants and lose weight? “Yes,” says clean food coach Jeannette Bessinger, of Newport, Rhode Island. “Most people could benefit from eating more veg30

Hartford County Edition

Nothing can be delicious when you are holding your breath. For something to be delicious, you have to be present to savor it; and presence is in attention and in the flow of breath.

It begins in the mouth, and then it connects our heads to our bodies through our throats and into our lungs and tummies, a beautiful, connective cord of air. ~Anne Lamott etables.” Co-author of Natural Solutions for Digestive Health with Naturopath Jillian Sarno Teta, Bessinger advises her clients to start by eating more green, leafy vegetables.

Vegetables contribute to weight control in several ways, says Bessinger. They fill us up and help calm cravings. Plus, when plants become the bulk of what we

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eat, we naturally consume fewer high-fat, high-calorie foods.

For an easy appetite-control strategy, Bessinger suggests having a cup of vegetable soup about 10 minutes before a meal. “It shuts off your appetite valve and you’ll eat noticeably less,” she says, while still feeling full. She also recommends slowing down and being mindful when we eat. Vegetables help us do that.

“It takes two-and-a-half minutes to eat a piece of cheesecake, but much more time to eat a big salad,” she says.

For New York City-based Victoria Moran, author of Main Street Vegan and The Good Karma Diet, losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle became easier once she adopted a vegan diet.

“I’ve been through life and loss and ages 40 and 50, and my weight stays steady, some 60 pounds less than it once was,” she says. “Every year when I put away my winter clothes and get out my summer clothes, they fit.”

Her eating strategy is easy, too.

“Make your plate look like a Christmas tree,” says Moran, “mostly green with splashes of other bright colors from vegetables and fruits.” She eats green veggies in several ways. She makes her own green juices—one favorite combines celery, kale, apple and lemon juice. She also adds tender greens like romaine or spinach to smoothies that might also contain fruit and citrus juice. She steams greens with plenty of garlic and makes big salads.

“I bought my salad bowl at a restaurant supply house,” Moran exclaims. Salads get an oomph factor with a selection of avocado, pumpkin or hemp seeds, mushrooms, chickpeas or red beans, artichoke hearts, chunks of steamed yam and sautéed tofu or tempeh. Moran cites benefits of more energy to do more physical activity and “feeling really good” as additional outcomes of her dietary shift.

Sophie Uliano, a Los Angeles-based natural beauty expert and author of the new Gorgeous for Good, agrees, believing that eating a vegan diet 80 percent of the time can pay dividends in weight loss, well-being, energy and beauty. “Most of the time, eat clean and healthy,” she

~Michael Pollan recommends. “It’s not a diet. It’s a ‘live-it’, a way of life.”

Uliano recently asked two colleagues on the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family show to try eating vegan, while also eliminating gluten, alcohol, caffeine and refined grains. The pair lost weight, gained energy and improved their skin tone.

“Transformation comes in a series of small, consistent decisions over time,” concludes Bessinger, eating salad instead of cheeseburgers and vegetables instead of fries. For natural weight management, “Make strategic, long-term changes in stages that you can actually sustain over time.”

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greenliving

in a chandelier creates artful lighting.

Old and Oh-So-Stylish

by Avery Mack

Lighting

Search the words recycled, repurposed and upcycled on Pinterest, Etsy or any search engine to picture results ranked

from simple-to-do to how-in-the-world astonishment. Light fixtures can be made from almost anything. Cookie jars and books turn into lamps, wine bottles become a chandelier—go homespun or industrial, follow a theme or incorporate a hobby. Freshen lamp shades using old sewing patterns, vintage fabrics or ribbon applied as découpage. A coat of paint transforms tacky, tarnished brass chandeliers into elegant décor.

At a flea market, look for boxes of stainless forks, knives and spoons— avoid costly sterling silver that can tarnish. A drill, frame, wiring and bulb later, we can have an intriguing hanging light or lamp. Combining a chafing dish, silverware and assorted tea cups photo courtesy of Lit for a Queen/Etsy

O

ld furniture used to go to college dorms and student apartments. At graduation, it was moved to the curb to be picked up by incoming students or the trash man. Now, with the influx of TV shows like Flea Market Flip and American Pickers, the DIY Network, HGTV and complementary books and magazines, vintage and mid-century recyclables barely touch the curb before being reinvented. Lighting, storage and seating provide ample opportunities for one-of-a-kind creations of imagination, vision and innovation.

Chairs are plentiful in garage and wholehouse sales, flea markets and on Craigslist. Sometimes all that’s needed is a coat of paint and fun fabric.

New cushions, bought or made, are easy upgrades.

Recovering a padded seat only requires the right amount of fabric and a sturdy staple gun.

Mismatched chairs, painted a neutral color and redone with the same fabric, turn a mishmash of styles into a coordinated set.

Chevron (zig zag) or checkerboard patterns in black and white are popular—understated, yet posh. Bright colors in a pop art style or 70s florals brighten any room and give the owner style points.

Benches created from a bookcase, shortened dresser or car parts can be padded or plain and incorporate storage capacity. A child’s bench may have been a skateboard in its former life. When buying reclaimed wood, ask about its origin; fac-

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photo courtesy of Jessica-Allyn.com

Upcycled Décor

Seating

photo courtesy of Restoration Alley

tory pieces might still retain unhealthy contaminants.

Storage

Old dressers and desks are frequent throwaway finds. Often big and bulky, scratched and ugly, it’s easier to set them out for pickup than list them for sale. Paint can transform a desk that shows its age into a welcome addition to a home office. For added interest or to hide imperfections, découpage with maps, postcards, kid’s artwork, pages from beyond-repair cookbooks or old sheet music.

Need a shelf above the desk? A pair of old shutters works well; cast iron brackets add flair. Matching or complementary paint colors will make the pieces look like they belong together.

Broken pieces of furniture can live on if cobbled together. A coffee table’s sturdy legs and frame, an old window and a little paint combine to furnish a unique table with built-in storage. To protect fragile glass and create an even surface, top with a sheet of Plexiglass or sturdy beveled-edge glass.

Look beyond what is there and imagine what it could be. Ideas are everywhere, especially with spring cleanouts, garage sales and flea markets. Expect upcycling to become an obsession, because everything will become a possibility.

Connect with freelance writer Avery Mack at AveryMack@mindspring.com.

Finders Keepers

by Avery Mack n Take cash to garage sales. Flea markets are more apt to take credit cards. Discounts may by possible with cash, which saves the seller the transaction fee. n Negotiate. It’s expected and half the fun. But don’t offer an offensively low price. Ask, “What is the best you can do on this?” Then, making a slightly lower counteroffer is often acceptable. n Although the general theory of, “Buy it when you see it,” is sound advice, be prepared to walk away. n Set a budget and stick to it, especially at an auction.

Smartphones can help research what price to offer. n Watch for posted signs around town; search “garage sale finder” or “flea market finder” (there’s an iTunes app for that). Locate auction and estate sales the same way, as well as in a local newspaper. Churches and organizations like the Veterans Administration, Elks Lodge, Lions Club and Scouts often organize sales as fundraisers.

! h lt a e h r e tt e b to th a p r u Yo n Shop early for the best selection. Shop late for the lowest prices.

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34

Hartford County Edition

Home Cooking, Organics and Massage Are Key

by Gerry Strauss

F

rom That ‘70s Show to Orange is the New Black, actress Laura Prepon has long been considered by TV audiences to be a welcome image of health. Yet Prepon’s recent discovery that she’d been falling short in nourishing her body as effectively as possible has set in motion a complete redirection of lifestyle, from her diet to fitness routine. Now working on a book about clean living and eating due out next year, Prepon has rededicated herself to educating us just as much as she’s entertained us through the years.

How do you manage to consistently eat local organic food instead of fast food?

My mother was a gourmet chef and an advocate of organic food, so we always had amazing meals growing up. Eating organic produce that’s in season locally seems to help me assimilate nutrition more readily.

Whenever I can, I also try to tap into biodynamic agriculture, which takes an even broader holistic approach to food production and nutrition. I view GMOs [genetically modified foods] as toxic to the system.

As a self-taught chef, I like to cook at least 80 percent of my food at home and

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photo by Michael Simon

Busy Life?

Relax and Unwind

bring meals to work so I don’t stress about food during the day.

It feels good to get people together in the kitchen and I’ve taught friends how to cook healthy foods in simple ways, so they now bring their own meals with them to work. It’s all about preparation, so that you’re not just grabbing something on the run. Knowing what’s going into the food we’re eating is important.

Why do you include a lot of soup in your diet?

With all of the GMO food sprayed with chemicals in the typical American diet and the other environmental toxins everyone has to deal with, our gut flora, intestines and bodies in general are becoming compromised. Ten years ago, few had even heard of gluten allergies unless you had celiac disease, which was rare even then. Now, everywhere you go, there’s a gluten-free option.

I love eating soup because the healthful ingredients I use are broken down completely, so the body can immediately assimilate needed micronutrients, which help heal us from the inside out.

I’m talking about homemade broth from grass-fed beef bones, so you get the mar-

row; I’m partial to knuckle bones. I always have soup broth in my refrigerator.

What’s key to your ability to naturally stay healthy and fit in the midst of an intense schedule of work and travel?

I love modalities like acupuncture, massage … all of that. I fully believe in keeping energy flowing to benefit the functioning of all our organs.

As school kids, we learn about the circulatory system and central nervous system, but who knows much about the lymphatic system? It’s extremely important, and people are starting to get the idea. Activities like yoga, swimming and bouncing on the trampoline can help.

Do you see society’s penchant for medicating as a way to avoid listening to and addressing our body’s real needs?

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with our in-store Registered Dietitians

I do. That’s why I study Eastern medicine, because I feel that Western medicine treats problems and Eastern medicine prevents problems from happening. I grew up in a family of doctors and “full-on” Western medicine and respect the medical community. Unfortunately, these days, most people are continually medicated and they’re not getting better. As a society, we tend to just take a drug to handle a symptom instead of addressing the actual cause of the problem.

ShopRite is committed to keeping you and your family eating well without breaking the bank.

As a celebrity, do you see yourself as a conduit to facilitate a shift away from unnatural lifestyles?

Kristen Ludwig,

Yes. The reason I decided to write a book was because I’ve been struggling with a bunch of different ailments in secret for a long time. When I began working with my integrated health coach, Elizabeth Troy, I started to heal for the first time in all the years of reading books on health, diet and fitness, seeing doctors, taking loads of pills and spending crazy amounts of money on all of these activities. I want to help people struggling to regain their health to get answers.

Gerry Strauss is a freelance writer in Hamilton, NJ. Connect at GerryStrauss@aol.com.

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Registered Dietitian 860.693.3666 kristen.ludwig@wakefern.com

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natural awakenings

May 2015

35

fitbody

To build muscle and become toned absent injury, create a full-body routine, balance muscle groups targeted in workouts, and progress properly through increased weight loads.

Flexing Our

MUSCLES Weightlifting Makes Us Fit,

Healthy and Self-Confident

by Debra Melani

W

omen who shy away from the traditionally male-centric weight rooms might want to reconsider. Standing their ground amid the deadlift bars and iron plates could lead to a host of unimagined benefits.

Research has found that among other things, hoisting dumbbells can amp up the fat burn, ward off some common diseases and make women stronger, both inside and out.

Burn Calories When Resting

Ne Sh w op W ly U Ou eb pg r Sto rad re ed

Aerobic activity can burn more calories while doing it (e.g., 14 to 16 per minute when running), but strength training prolongs the burn, even when resting afterward, according to Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., of Quincy, Massachusetts, who publishes widely on the topic in scientific journals, magazine articles and books. Women will burn fewer calories while pumping iron than when running (between eight and 10 calories a minute), but because of weightlifting’s

action—traumatizing muscle tissue and forcing it to rebuild—muscle recovery requires increased expenditure of energy, and thus calories, when the person is at rest.

The research shows a revvedup burn of between 5 percent and 7 percent for three full days after a workout, says Westcott, who developed the exercise science major at Quincy College and has reviewed and directed strength-training research for more than 25 years. “On average, a woman burns an extra 100 calories a day by having done 30 minutes of strength training twice a week. That’s an extra 3,000 calories a month, or nearly an extra pound of fat she can burn.”

Additional “free” calorie burning comes from the after-burn effect. By initiating the anaerobic, rather than aerobic, system, weightlifting requires more energy just to return to the resting state. “So, after you finish a workout, you will burn approximately 30 percent

of the amount of calories you burned during the workout in the first hour afterward as your body transitions back.

It’s a bonus of resistance training.”

“It’s like there’s a furnace inside you,” says Naturopathic Doctor and CrossFit instructor Holly Lucille, of West Hollywood, California. The more buff a woman becomes, the more fat she burns. “It can help minimize that natural effect of slowed metabolism as you age and control body weight,” she notes.

To maximize the burn, eat a healthy combined protein/carb snack within an hour of the workout, advises Jen Hoehl, a personal trainer in New York City, who says, “Adding amino acids helps the muscles rebuild more efficiently.”

Westcott agrees, adding that 90 percent of studies he’s reviewed concur that about 25 extra grams of protein such as a Greek yogurt, more for heavier men, just before or after a workout, enhances fat loss, bone strength and lean muscle gain.

Don’t Fear ‘Hulk’ Bulk

Experts agree that it’s impossible for women to look like the Hulk character of comic book fame. “They don’t have

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Hartford County Edition

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enough anabolic hormones, such as testosterone,” Westcott explains. “Our team has written 26 books on strength training, with not one title exclusively for women.

The muscles are exactly the same for both genders, so the same training works, but women will just get toned, not bulky.”

“I train a lot of tiny girls that deadlift 225,” Hoehl says. One tip: Don’t overeat, a mistake many women make when starting out.

“Often, people will be hungrier, and they lose track of what they eat or think, ‘Now I can reward myself,’” Lucille explains. “You have to figure out what your new normal is. Eat lean, clean protein.”

All three experts agree that braving the free-weight area boosts success at toning and trimming the whole body. “If you use free weights, you use your core and more muscle groups to help stabilize both the weight and your body, which is often standing,” Hoehl explains, versus machines that are often worked while sitting, and generally exercise only one targeted muscle group at a time.

Pumping Iron Boosts Overall Health for Men and Women

W

ayne Westcott, who has served as a consultant for many national organizations, from the U.S. Air Force to the American Council on Exercise, points to the relevant body of research he’s studied, which shows that the health benefits of building muscle can also help ward off many diseases and debilitating conditions.

4 Osteoporosis, by building up bone tissue 4 Diabetes, by increasing lean muscle, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels 4 Heart disease, by increasing the good cholesterol and lowering the bad 4 Stroke, by lowering resting blood pressure 4 Depression, by building self-esteem and boosting endorphins 4 Colon disease, by increasing natural intestinal movement that keeps the colon clear 4 Energy loss, by enhancing mitochondria, the powerhouse of the body

Recover Muscle

Weightlifters also slow Mother Nature’s habit of stealing muscle during aging.

“Women lose an average of five pounds of muscle per decade after age 30 until menopause, when the rate increases even more,” Westcott says. Studies have found that during a woman’s first six months of twice-weekly weight training, she can rebuild about one-quarter pound of muscle per week, he says.

Because becoming stronger makes everything from chores to other kinds of workouts easier, women become firmer, fitter and more self-confident, Lucille observes. Independence rises, along with self-esteem. “As with all things in life: If you push against resistance, you get stronger,” she says. “That’s true both mentally and physically.”

Note: Experts recommend using a certified trainer or weightlifting class to get started.

Enjoy A Taste of Health

A Farm to Table Event with Nurturing Foods

Taste and Feel the Difference - True health begins with

the quality of our food. Join Holistic Chef Bill and Owner Angelo for an organic dinner buffet to experience their prepared organic farm to table dishes, now available for your home.

Prepared for Your Health & Convenience - Eating healthy everyday can be challenging! Shopping for quality food ingredients and preparing meals takes time you may not have. Let Bill and Angelo do the work for you. Order your meal from the Nurturing Foods menu at Angelo’s on Main restaurant. Dine in or take-out available.

All ingredients and preparation are carefully considered for your health.

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Debra Melani writes about health care and fitness from Lyons, CO. Connect at DebraMelani.com.

$25

Family Night with Full Organic Dinner Buffet May 26, 6pm. Healthy Food, Magic & Entertainment! per person Children under 12 eat for $12.50!

289 So Main St, West Harford • AngelosOnMain.com natural awakenings

May 2015

37

naturalpet

PET VACCINE ALTERNATIVES

Natural Steps to Nurture Immunity

by Shawn Messonnier

W

ith pets, as with kids, vaccine safety and necessity are likely concerns. While holistic veterinarians tend to minimize the use of vaccines, their strongest stance is against unnecessary vaccinations. The point is to immunize only when it’s needed by individual patients while maximizing natural immunity.

In the late 1970s, amid the discovery of the canine parvo virus, vets saw many puppies under 4 months of age suffer from this mysterious disease and die or be euthanized. Once a vaccine was made, we rarely saw pets dying from the parvo virus or parvoviral infection. So, in certain cases, vaccines can be life-saving.

However, unnecessary and multiple simultaneous vaccines can also be lifetaking, which doctors rarely mention. The truth is that only minimal vaccines are needed for dogs and cats over

the course of a pet’s life. No pet needs all of the vaccines that are currently manufactured, and none needs vaccines every six to 12 months.

Pets do need veterinary checkups once or twice a year to screen for diseases affecting the liver, heart, kidneys, lungs and gastrointestinal and urinary systems, as well as cancer. Blood and urine testing, including blood testing for undiagnosed cancer, is vital, easy and inexpensive (every six months for pets 5 years and older and annually for those that are younger).

A good protocol is akin to that developed by Dr. Jean Dodds, founder of Hemopet, of Garden Grove, California, a holistic veterinarian and an expert in animal vaccination and immunology.

Her system involves administering limited vaccines to puppies and kittens based on their individual needs, and not more often than every three weeks for those younger than 8 weeks. Following this course, by 4 months of age the pet has been injected with four to six vaccines, compared to double to triple the amount supported by vaccine manufacturers and administered by breeders and most conventional doctors.

Such a judicious, limited vaccine protocol offers protection against the diseases that are the most lethal to the puppy or kitten while doing no harm to its natural immune system. As needed, individual pets may also receive a natural detoxification protocol to minimize vaccine reactions. Antioxidant supplements can boost the immune response, as well.

Adult pet patients can also be given blood titer testing instead of vaccines. This measures the animal’s individual antibody responses to prior immunizations or common disease exposure and assures us the pet has adequate immunity against a specific disease.

All of this assures the pet owner that the pet is protected against infectious diseases without the risks of annual multiple vaccinations. In most cases a protective titer is maintained for many years, which preempts disease and further reduces the number of vaccines the animal receives over its lifetime.

Titer testing costs less than $100 for three common infectious diseases, is safer than routine immunization, protects the immune system, prevents vaccine reactions and assures owners, vets, boarding facilities, groomers and day care facilities that it’s safe to introduce the pet into such environments.

This approach of minimal vaccinations is a prime reason holistic veterinarian patients tend to be healthier and live longer than the average pet, with even larger dogs regularly living in good health up to 15 to 20 years of age.

Holistic veterinarians perform limited vaccines supplemented by titer testing to ensure levels of care that meet accepted standards. They base their approach on supportive science from institutions including the American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners to provide safe, proven, ongoing immunity for patients.

Shawn Messonnier, a doctor of veterinary medicine practicing in Plano, TX, is the award-winning author of The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats and Unexpected Miracles: Hope and Holistic Healing for Pets. For more information, visit PetCareNaturally.com.

38

Hartford County Edition

www.NAHRT.com

inspiration

MOVING BEYOND SURVIVAL Our True Identity Surpasses Any Disease

G

et down off your cross.” Harsh words, especially coming from a longtime hospital chaplain when the woman she was addressing had just learned she was cancer-free.

Regardless, “Within two minutes, she started retelling the story of her diagnosis, surgery and chemo,” recounted Debra Jarvis, affectionately known as “The Irreverent Reverend”, during a TEDMED talk in Washington, D.C. “She was using words like suffering, agony, struggle... and ended with, ‘I felt crucified.’” It was then that Jarvis asked this woman to do what would likely require more of her than anything she’d done before.

Over the years, Jarvis has observed the tendency for us to identify ourselves by our wounds as “survivors” of something that does not and should not define us. “What if people decided to claim their trauma as an experience, instead of taking it on as an identity?” she queries. “Maybe it would be the start of defining ourselves by who we have become and who we are becoming.”

As Jarvis well knows, there are, in her words, “powerful forces” pushing us to do just the opposite. In 2005, she found herself in the same position as her friend, having recovered from cancer and trying to sort out what it all meant. “We don’t all have to start a foundation or write a

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book,” to claim meaning for ourselves, she says. “Maybe we make one small decision that can bring about a big change.”

For some, this has meant exchanging a disease-prone view of themselves for a more inspired outlook. Too often, though, mustering the humility to adopt such a perspective can seem just as difficult as climbing down from whatever tortuous experience we’re clinging to.

Yet, it’s essential.

As those familiar with the Bible know, a central event of Jesus’ life, his crucifixion, was followed by his even more compelling resurrection, a term that thought leader Mary Baker Eddy describes as “spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding.”

The good news is that such transformation is not exclusive, but available to anyone. Whether it’s at the urging of a chaplain or another counselor or our own divine inspiration that’s encouraging us to move on, we owe it to ourselves to begin discovering who and what we really are.

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Eric Nelson is a Christian Science healing practitioner from Petaluma, CA, who writes on the link between spiritual consciousness and health. Find more articles at norcalcs.org. natural awakenings

May 2015

39

calendarofevents

TUESDAY, MAY 5

NOTE: All Calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month prior to publication and adhere to our guidelines. Submit ALL entries at www.NAHRT.com

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markyourcalendar

FREE WELLNESS CLASS

QIGONG & TAI CHI WORKSHOPS

FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH

With Visiting Master Lok

6-7pm

Learn to train your brain to improve your response to stressors in life. Don’t accept living with stress and don’t let it become your “normal”.

Alternative Health, Inc. 625 New Park Ave, West Hartford

SATURDAY, MAY 2 Join Master Lok of Hong Kong for an exploration of Dragon Gate Qigong, Tai Chi and Daoism Philosophy, all to create health and vitality in your life.

Beginner Qigong Workshop

Register: 860-218-2838

10am-1pm $65

markyourcalendar PRENATAL YOGA SERIES CYNDI ROBERTS YOGA

Learn the fundamentals of chi, how it works in the body and how cultivating your qi promotes good health. Experience the energy flow with hands-on instruction in several movements.

Advanced Qigong Workshop

6-Week Semi-Private Prenatal Yoga Series

2-5pm $75

THURSDAYS MAY 7-JUNE 11

For experienced students. Explore the legendary qi and develop a deeper sensation. Develop deeper insight and prepare to instruct others in qigong and tai chi.

Learn body awareness, self-observation and ease common pregnancy-related aches and pains while preparing for labor and delivery. Limited to only 4 spaces!

Hosted by Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville

6-7:15pm

$180, $150/If paid in cash Outer Peace and Wellness 12 N Main St, Ste 108, West Hartford Pre-registration Required: YogaWithCR.com

Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com/workshop

markyourcalendar

markyourcalendar INTRODUCTION TO QIGONG FRIDAY, MAY 1 7-8:30pm Learn a simple set of ancient Chinese healing exercises. In just a few minutes a day, you can manage stress, improve mental clarity, and achieve emotional balance in your daily life.

The Consciousness of Joy – 7-9pm. An experiential learning laboratory for awareness and development of love and joy. Free. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. 203-874-4252.

markyourcalendar GONG MEDITATION CONCERT With The Conduit Center

FRIDAY, MAY 8 7-8:15pm The Conduit musicians use instruments such as ancient Himalayan singing bowls and planetary gongs to guide attendants into a relaxed state. $36/By 4/30 $40/After Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

FRIDAY, MAY 8 Mood Management with Essential Oils with Torin Lee – 5:30pm. Learn how to manage your moods with Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils, and discover how they can be used for health and wellness. $10. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Main St, Marlborough. Pre-registration required: 860-467-6518.

markyourcalendar

MAY 2-3 & JULY 25-26

TUESDAY, MAY 26

4 Weekend Sessions 11am-7pm

Learn reflexology to enhance your personal life or professional career. Perfect for moms, home caregivers, yoga teachers, massage therapists or those looking to create a new business. $445 Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville

Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville

Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

Hartford County Edition

THURSDAY, MAY 7

HAND AND FOOT REFLEXOLOGY TRAINING & CERTIFICATION

$26

40

Information Sessions – 5/5: Tuesday, 11am-12pm, 5/6: Wednesday, 7-8pm, 5/7: Thursday, 4:305:30pm. Free. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. 203-874-4252.

www.NAHRT.com

A TASTE OF HEALTH

Farm to Table Event for the Family 6pm

Healthy food, magic & entertainment! Health begins with our food. Join holistic chef Bill and restaurateur Angelo, at their special organic dinner buffet event to experience their prepared organicfarm to table dishes. $25/Adult $12.50/Children under 12 Angelo’s Restaurant 289 S Main St, West Harford RSVP: 860-313-0460 NurturingFoods.org

Introduction to Healing with Crystal Energy with Marie Olympia Grillo – 7-8:30pm. Healing with crystal energy is simple and powerful. Participants learn how to heal body, mind and spirit with the aid of gemstones and crystals. $22/includes a crystal to take home. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Main St, Marlborough. Pre-registration required: 860-467-6518.

markyourcalendar YOGA TEACHER TRAINING INFORMATIONAL SESSION WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 7:30-8:30pm Learn more about JOY’s 2015-2016 program, designed for students who want to become yoga teachers and for those who want deeper study of the practice and philosophy of yoga.

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BREATH, BANDHAS AND BAKASANA

FREE PRE-WANDERLUST YOGA CLASS

An Advanced Yoga Workshop

SUNDAY, MAY 24

SUNDAY, MAY 17

11am-12pm

3-5:30pm

Join to develop skills you need to just float from one pose to another, support yourself upside down and more advanced practice experiences.

TUESDAY, MAY 12 The Conduit’s Gong Meditation Concert – 7-8:30pm. Gong journeymen perform a meditative landscape of sound using various singing bowls, gongs, and bells to rebalance, and find mindbody bliss. All props are provided. $22/pre-pay. The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. 860-888-4314.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 B.I.G. Bloomfield Monthly Meeting – 9-10:30am.

B.I.G. is a community based support network that provides relevant business information, peer support and motivation to educated women who desire personal and professional fulfillment. 1st visit free.

Energetic BEing Center, 3 Barnard Ln, top floor, Bloomfield. Info: BelieveInspireGrow.com.

Meet Your Angels with Marie Olympia Grillo – 7-8:30pm. Learn how to communicate with your angels and your own angelic guides, and discover ways of recognizing the presence of angels in your life. $13. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Main St, Marlborough. Pre-registration required: 860-467-6518.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 New Haven Chapter of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce Monthly Meeting – 6:30-8:30pm. First time attendees free, members only. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. Learn.edu/events.

Empowering Relationships with Gayatri & Arjuna – 7-9pm, Free. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. 203-874-4252.

FRIDAY, MAY 15 Jayaprabha & The Joy of Sound Kirtan – 7:30pm.

Come join in this ancient tradition of musical meditation to chant, dance, celebrate or just sit back, relax and enjoy. $15/in advance, $20/at the door. Vital Life Center, 100 W Main St, Plainville. 860-479-0466.

Free Sanctuary Power Yoga 23 Franklin St, Torrington SanctuaryPowerYoga.com

$30.60/By 5/14 $34/After Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville

markyourcalendar

Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

WEIGHT LOSS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY, MAY 27

Free Journey of Yoga 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury 860-680-1482 JourneyOfYoga.com

We’re celebrating Wanderlust! Join us for an all levels class, kombucha, snacks & prizes!

8-9am

SATURDAY, MAY 16 Starting your Healing Gemstone Medicine Kit with Marie Olympia Grillo – 10am-12:30pm. Learn the healing properties of “The Master Healers,” and how these gemstones can be used to help heal our pets and our environment. Suitable to all over 14 years of age. $33/includes a gemstone bracelet. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Main St, Marlborough.

Pre-registration required: 860-467-6518.

SUNDAY, MAY 17 New Age Fair – 10am-4pm. A day filled with joy and fun. Readings, ($25/20minutes), refreshments, vendors, and body workers. Sponsored by the Astrological Society of CT. Free entrance, lectures, and parking. Keeney Memorial Cultural Center, 200 Main St, Old Wethersfield. Info: Myasc.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 19 Medicine Cabinet Makeover with Essential Oils – 5:30-6:30pm. Learn how pure essential oils can greatly enhance your physical and emotional health - naturally, cost-effectively, and without dangerous side effects. Free. TFC Health Foods, 230 Farmington Ave, Farmington. RSVP, Christine: 917-488-5788.

Access Consciousness Bars Taster – 7-9pm. Learn about Access Bars and some great Access tools you can use daily to create change. You will receive and gift bars. Bring a yoga mat and have some fun. Free.

Energetic BEing Center, 3 Barnard Ln, top floor, Bloomfield. Register: EnergeticBEing.org.

SHE Medical Associates invites you to a free seminar to learn how to make lifestyle changes to improve health by working with a health coach.

Free SHE Medical Associates 44 Dale Rd (3rd Fl), Avon RSVP: 860-236-5431 Top Ten Herbs for Your Garden and Their Many Uses – 7-8:30pm. Learn about the culinary, medicinal and tisane uses of herbs that can enhance your garden and your life.

Sponsor: Alliance for Holistic Living; Presenter: Michele Maclure. Free, non-perishable food donation requested.

Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave, # 1, East Hartford.

Gentle Yoga 6-Week Series – 7:30pm. Allow this gentle practice to calm the mind and relax the body. $15. Vital Life Center, 100 W Main St, Plainville. 860-479-0466.

FRIDAY, MAY 22 The Conduit’s Gong Meditation Concert – 7-8:30pm. Gong journeymen perform a meditative landscape of sound using various singing bowls, gongs, and bells to rebalance, and find mindbody bliss. All props are provided. $22/pre-pay. The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. 860-888-4314.

SUNDAY, MAY 24

Ecotherapy Workshop – 6:30pm. Free. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. 203-874-4252.

Access Bars Gifting and Receiving – 12-1:30pm.

A great way to catch up with fellow Accessories and swap bars. If you are already a Bars Practitioner your RSVP is all that is required. $10/for facility fee.

Energetic BEing Center, 3 Barnard Ln, top floor, Bloomfield. Register: EnergeticBEing.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

THURSDAY, MAY 28

How To Be Money Workshop – 7-9pm. What is the vibratory energy of money? Would you like to attract more of that? If money follows joy would money run to you when you call? $50. Energetic Being Center, 3 Barnard Ln, top floor, Bloomfield.

Register: Energetic BEing.org.

The Conduit’s Gong Meditation Concert – 7-8:30pm. Gong journeymen perform a meditative landscape of sound using various singing bowls, gongs, and bells to rebalance, and find mindbody bliss. All props are provided. $22/pre-pay. The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. 860-888-4314.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

natural awakenings

May 2015

41

markyourcalendar

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GOING YIN-SIDE OUT: A YIN APPROACH TO YOGA

HANDS-ON ADJUSTMENTS AND ASSISTS:

FRIDAY, MAY 29

ongoing events

A Workshop for Yoga Teachers and Teacher Trainees

sunday

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

6:30-8pm

Find your balance between softness and strength, ease and effort with Yin yoga – the perfect companion to an active (Yang) yoga practice, and to our busy lives. $17.10/By 4/21 $19/After

11am-1pm and/or 2-4pm

Join Maggie Knoedler Rueda, E-RYT 500 to learn hands-on adjustments and assists that your students will love. Watch your classes grow! Attend one or both sessions. $40/Each, $70/Combined Early bird savings available through 5/30

Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville

Journey of Yoga 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury

Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

860-680-1482 JourneyOfYoga.com

markyourcalendar CREATE A HOME YOGA PRACTICE: PART 2

markyourcalendar GONG MEDITATION CONCERT

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

With The Conduit Center

6:30-8:30pm

SUNDAY, JUNE 7

Learn to develop your home yoga practice in your own space with deeply personal inquiry based on self-knowledge, self-help and self-indulgence, all to guide you toward exponential growth. $21.60/By 5/28 $24/After

5:30-7pm at Canton Town Hall

The Conduit musicians use instruments such as ancient Himalayan singing bowls and planetary gongs to guide attendants into a relaxed state.

Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

$30.60/By 5/14 $34/After Yoga Center of Collinsville 10 Front St, Collinsville Registration Required: 860-693-YOGA (9642) YogaCenterCollinsville.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 2 The Conduit’s Thai Massage Gong Meditation – 7-8:30pm. Experiencing The Conduit’s gong meditation while receiving Thai massage, will assist attendants in releasing into the mats for healing at an even deeper mindbody level. $30/pre-pay. The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. 860-888-4314.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4 Yoga Teacher Training Q and A – 7:30-8:30pm.

Ready to delve deeper into your practice? Find out more about our Yoga Alliance 200 Hour Certified Yoga Teacher Training Program that commences September 2015. Free. River Rock Yoga, 274 Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield. 860-757-3339.

Yoga Hikes – Starting 8am. Guided hikes infused with the spirit and practice of yoga. Refresh your senses, restore connection to the natural world, and rejuvenate body, mind, and breath. $30-$40 (student discount available). Locations vary. Register: YogaWithSybil.com.

Restorative Yoga - All Levels – 9:30-10:45am.

A luxurious class with passive postures done over props for a meditative practice allowing you to surrender layers of deeply held tension. Perfect for beginner and advanced yogis. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Gentle and Restorative Yoga – 10:30-11:45am.

A soft, quiet way to transition from the weekend to the work week. Accessible to all levels, even those working with injuries. $18 or class pass/ membership. Journey of Yoga, 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. 860-680-1482.

Qigong - All Levels – 5:30-6:30pm. Deep breathing and flowing movements derived from ancient Chinese healing exercises for increased balance, flexibility, muscle and bone strength, immune function, decreased pain and stiffness. $17/drop-in. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

monday

All-Levels Power Yoga – 9:30-10:45am. Power vinyasa class in a heated room. Baptiste influenced, strong and challenging with an emphasis on compassion and mindfulness. Get in the flow-meditation in motion. $18/drop-in. Sanctuary Power Yoga, 23 Franklin St, Torrington. 860-496-1500.

All Levels Yoga – 9:30 -10:45am. Learn to manage stress, decrease aches/pains, release emotional/ physical blocks. Class is personalized to your needs.

Here is your chance to feel even better. $12-$15/ suggested donation, all welcome regardless of ability to pay. Universalist Church of West Hartford. 433 Fern St, West Hartford. SpadaWellness@gmail.com.

Gentle + Restorative Yoga – 10:30-11:45am. Gently held postures for joint health and nurturing. Great for any experience level. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

ShopRite - Kristen’s Recipe of the Week – 3-6pm.

Learn a healthy recipe and enjoy free samples. Each event will feature in-season produce. Free. ShopRite of Canton, 110 Albany Tpke, Canton. 860-693-3666.

The Conduit Yoga’s Nidra with Sound – 7-8:15pm.

Join an intimate group for a guided imagery meditation in a resting pose, accompanied with live gentle gong and singing bowl vibrations by Conduit artisans. $25/pre-pay. The Conduit Center, 1227 Burnside Ave #1, East Hartford. 860-888-4314.

GirlYoga for Teens and Tweens – Most Mondays.

3:15-4:15pm, grades 9+, and 4:30-5:30pm, grades 5-8. A special practice designed to meet the unique needs of young women in middle and high school grades. Try your first class for $14. Journey of Yoga, 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. 860-680-1482.

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Hartford County Edition

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“Meditate Through the Madness” – 6pm. Hosted by Torin Lee. Learn to manage the stress of life through mediation. $10. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. Call to register: 860-467-6518.

Tai Chi Class – 6-7pm. Practiced to achieve therapeutic benefits, as well as, to promote balance and to improve flexibility and overall strength. $15.

Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford. 800-990-9332.

Vinyassa Yoga With Alyssa – 6-7pm. Find the connection between movement and breath. Continue your yoga practice. We have mats. All welcome. C4PT, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. $6. For more info: 860-808-6429.

Vinyasa Yoga For Everyone – 7-8:15pm. Classic yoga postures in flowing sequence linked by breath. Learn breathing techniques that keep you invigorated and calm in your daily life. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

tuesday

Chair Massage – Treat yourself to a relaxing break.

You decide how long. $1/minute. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. Walk-ins welcome or call for an appointment: 860-467-6518.

Express Vinyasa Yoga – 6-7am. Touches on all the essentials of the core standing, balancing, and seated postures. Build strength, heat and focus moving through sun salutations linked with breath and clarity.

Some yoga experience recommended. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Stress Reduction Class – 10-11am. With Liz Lockwood. Class begins with discussion including tips to manage stress. Followed by a 30-minute relaxation practice in comfortable lounge chairs. $10. Simsbury Chiropractic and Wellness Center, 540 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. Questions and registration: 860-306-1680.

Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 12-1pm. Learn gentle yet powerful movements that create strength and flexibility without stretching or straining. $13/drop-in. Holistic Therapies Classroom, 15 S Elm Street, Wallingford. Contact Carol Meade: 203-415-8666.

Lessons in the Alexander Technique – 2:15-6pm.

The Alexander Technique improves awareness of the tension in your body and helps you release it, resulting in lighter movement and less stress and pain. $45/45-minute lesson. Song-a Day Music Center, 2809 Boston Tpke, Coventry. 860-742-6878.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Club Meetings & Mens Group – 3rd Tuesday: 5/19, & 6/16. 7pm. Discover the benefits and effects of mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Take a minute off your mile. The men’s awareness group, with discussion and resources, at 8:30pm. Center for Progressive Therapy, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester.

Meditation as a Way of Living With Tom Dest – 7-8:30pm. Imagine inner calmness and its effect filtering into every area of your life. Feel a flow of love in everything you do and everywhere you go. $15.

C4PT, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. 413- 822-8486.

Sweat & Surrender Vinyasa Flow – 7:30pm with Kristina Kutsukos. Come breathe, sweat, and surrender in this all levels Vinyasa flow class. Sacred Rivers Yoga, 28 Main St, East Hartford. 860-657-9545.

Tinker Time, With Robin Ritz, Certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach – 8pm. Call in to join group of others using Small Steps and Breaking Blocks.

Work on whatever is calling to you; art, crafts, plans, bills, painting, drawing, writing. Free. For event details: 860-450-6164.

wednesday Coffee with Coach – 7am. Early morning session facilitated by Torin Lee, Life Coach. Learn ways to handle stress, navigate change and make each day count. $10. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. To register: 860-467-6518.

Gentle Yoga – 10:30-11:45am. Gently held postures for joint health and nurturing. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Clinical Nutritionist Meet & Greet – 12-1pm. 1st and 3rd Wednesday. Meet Cindy Mimo, MS, CCN, and learn how clinical nutrition applies nutrition therapeutically to improve gastrointestinal integrity and reach your individual health and wellness goals. My Life Nutrition, 160 Oak St, Ste 204, Glastonbury. Reservations: 860-888-6467.

Emei Wujigong Qigong Group Practice – 121pm. Come experience a qigong form for rebalancing and strengthening body, mind and spirit.

All abilities welcome. All Thursdays except the 1st of the month, 6:30-7:30pm. $5, 1st class free.

Holistic Therapies Classroom, 15 S Elm St, Wallingford. Info: EmeiQigongChan.com.

Nutritional Recovery – 1:30-2:30pm. An educational support group for people struggling with weight management and/or eating disorders. All are welcome. Free. CCAR Windham Recovery Community Center, 713 Main St, Willimantic.

860-423-7088.

ShopRite - Kristen’s Recipe of the Week – 3-6pm.

Learn a healthy recipe and enjoy free samples. Each event will feature in-season produce. Free. ShopRite of Canton, 110 Albany Tpke, Canton. 860-693-3666.

Beginners Yoga – 6-7:15pm. Become aware of your body, mind and breath while exploring movement to create balance and build confidence to attend classes regularly. $20/single, $40/month unlimited. Yoga Born, 1735 Ellington Rd, South Windsor. 860-432-5678.

Free Sessions - Epiphany – 6-8:30pm. 1st Wednesday of the month. CranioSacral therapy, Therapeutic Touch, Reflexology, Reiki, and more. 20-minute sessions are provided to promote relaxation, sense of well-being, and to ease discomfort. Children welcome. Free, donations accepted. 225 Commerce Dr, Canton. Iahp.com/Karen-R-Kramer.

Free Seminar - Lose Weight and Keep it Off with Ideal Protein – 6:30-7:30pm. Registered nurse explains how easy it is to lose weight while eating whole foods combined with protein supplements without feeling hungry. Free. Living Healthy Weight Loss Center, 112 S Main St, (Rte 177), Unionville. Reservations: 860-977-9001.

Learn the Tarot, Enhance Intuition – 6:30-8pm.

Learn the basics of tarot: Major & Minor Arcana, Court Cards etc. You will be taught card layouts used in divination. Practice in class. $30. C4PT, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. Pat: 860-870-8962.

Osteotap for Bone Vitality – 7-8pm. Move, breathe, smile, brush, and tap. Manage stress, fortify connective tissues, build bone density and vitalityhealth benefits proven by NIH research. All abilities welcome. $15. Yoga Room, Malibu Fitness, 15 Executive Dr, Farmington. 860-578-2465.

Our Mindful Moves – 7-8pm. Move, breathe, smile, brush, and tap. Manage stress, fortify connective tissues, build bone vitality, gain real health benefits proven by NIH research. All abilities welcome. $15. Yoga Room, Malibu Fitness, 15 Executive Dr, Farmington. 860-578-2465.

thursday Move and Groove - Conscious Conditioning with Sandy Byrne – 8:45-10am. Fusing the expertise of conditioning athletes with yogic consciousness, this fun, energetic class will jump-start your metabolism and get your body feeling strong and supple. $16/ drop-in, class cards available. River Rock Yoga, 274 Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield. 860-757-3339.

Bump Day – 10am-6pm. 60-minute prenatal massage or reflexology by Colleen Dumas, LMT and certified in prenatal care. Refreshments, raffle. $40. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. Call for an appointment 860-467-6518.

Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement – 12-1pm. Learn gentle yet powerful movements that create strength and flexibility without stretching or straining. $13/drop-in. Holistic Therapies Classroom, 15 S Elm Street, Wallingford. Contact Carol Meade: 203-415-8666.

Stress Reduction Class – 1:30-2:30pm. With Liz Lockwood. Class begins with discussion including tips to manage stress. Followed by a 30-minute relaxation practice in comfortable lounge chairs. $10. Simsbury Chiropractic and Wellness Center, 540 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. Questions and registration: 860-306-1680.

Sweat & Surrender Vinyasa Flow – 5pm with Kristina Kutsukos. Come breathe, sweat, and surrender in this all levels Vinyasa flow class. Sacred Rivers Yoga, 28 Main St, East Hartford. 860-657-9545.

Gentle Yoga – 6:30-7:30pm. With Liz Lockwood.

Gentle movement and restorative poses ending with a healing visualization. Class runs September and October. $15. Simsbury Chiropractic and Wellness Center, 540 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. For questions and registration: 860-306-1680.

H.U.S.H. Holistic Universal Sound Healing – 6:30-8pm. 2nd Thursday. Restore the inner balance of the body and awaken the spirit with gongs, crystal and brass bowls. $20. Monthly groups in Columbia.

For location and reservations, Linda: 860-428-2097.

Qigong Group Healing and Silent Meditation – 6:30-8pm. 1st Thursday of the month. All levels of health addressed. No experience necessary. Fee: donation. Holistic Therapies Classroom, 15 South Elm St, Wallingford. Contact Pat for more info if this is 1st attendance: 203-500-6492.

natural awakenings

May 2015

43

FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE In Life and Business

Advertise in

friday Chair Massage – Treat yourself to a relaxing break.

You decide how long. $1/minute. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. Walk-ins welcome or call for an appointment: 860-467-6518.

Community Acupuncture Clinic – 10am-2pm. Provides in-group setting using points below elbows and knees. Effective for pain, stress, chronic illness, medication side effects and more. $20-40/sliding scale, + $10/fee first visit. Windham Hospital, 112 Mansfield Ave, Willimantic. 860-456-6002, option 5.

Natural Awakenings’ Healing Addiction and Balanced Man June Issue To advertise or participate in our next issue, call

Vinyasa Yoga For Everyone – 7-8:15pm. Classic yoga postures in flowing sequence linked by breath. Learn breathing techniques that keep you invigorated and calm in your daily life. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Hartford County Edition

Morning Express Vinyasa Yoga – 7:45-8:45am.

Touches on all the essentials of the core standing, balancing, and seated postures. Build strength, heat and focus moving through sun salutations linked with breath and clarity. $40/30 days unlimited classes (new students). Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Family Yoga – Most Saturdays. 8-8:45am. Ages 4-10. Parents, grandparents and caregivers and invited to bind with kids through a fun, accessible practice. $12. Series pricing available. Journey of Yoga, 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. 860-680-1482.

Ellington Farmers’ Market – 9am-12pm. May 9-Oct 17. Over 35 vendors in a quaint country setting. Weekly themes, entertainment and Kids Power of Produce Club. Arbor Park, Main St, Ellington.

EllingtonFarmersMarket.com.

ShopRite - Kristen’s Recipe of the Week – 3-6pm.

Learn a healthy recipe and enjoy free samples. Each event will feature in-season produce. Free. ShopRite of Canton, 110 Albany Tpke, Canton. 860-693-3666.

Tai Chi Class – 9-10am. Standing Qi Gong exercises for beginners flowing into the short form of Yang Style Tai Chi. $15. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford. 800-990-9332.

First Friday Free – 5/1 & 6/5. New hours: 5-8pm. Join us at Oneida for our monthly event. Free private mini healing sessions, including reiki, reflexology, energy healing, facials or chair massage. Light refreshments. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough. To register: 860-467-6518.

Yoga with Taylor – 9-10am. Balance your body, mind and spirit doing yoga with Taylor. All welcome. $6. C4PT, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. Taylor: 860-798-1011.

CommUnity Siddhanath Yoga & Meditation – 6-7:30pm. With Andrew Burkamp. Come learn chakra meditation and pranic healing techniques from the tradition of Kundalini Kriya yoga. $10/ suggested donation. Sacred Rivers Yoga, 28 Main St, East Hartford. 860-657-9545.

Reiki Share – 6-8 pm. 1st Friday. Meet other trusted practitioners and make personal and professional connections. Learn new techniques and get inspiration from the way others practice this healing modality. You will have an opportunity to give and receive reiki. All levels and lineages welcome.

Free, donations accepted. Hosted by Andrea Frasier, RMT, CCH at Yoga Born, South Windsor. RSVP by Thursday: 843-467-7918.

Community Sauna/Sweats with Medicine Horse – 1st Friday: 5/1, & 6/5. 6:30pm. Detoxifying and rejuvenating. Into our sweat house for four rounds of positive intentions, drumming, singing and rhythm play. Bring water, sweat clothing and a contribution to the pot-luck dinner. Center for Progressive Therapy, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. Contact Dr. Joe: 860-992-2810.

H.U.S.H. Holistic Universal Sound Healing – 7-8:30pm. 3rd Friday. Restore the inner balance of the body and awaken the spirit with gongs, crystal and brass bowls. $20. Monthly groups at Unity Church, South Windsor. For location and reservations, Linda: 860-428-2097.

Cat Adoption Open House – 10am-4pm. Protectors of Animals. 144 Main St, East Hartford. POAinc.org.

Chakradance™ Awakening – 10:30am-12pm.

Re-balance your energy by dancing with your eyes closed to music that resonates with your energy centers. Exercise, energize and be enlightened. All welcome. $15. C4PT 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester.

Barbara Gagnon: 860-836-6665.

Belly Dance – 10:45am-12pm. Connect spirit and body through a sensual movement workout. Fusing yoga-based warm ups, belly dance techniques, and a cool-down meditation. Beginners and drop-ins welcome. $40/30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Beginners Yoga – 11am-12pm. Designed for those with no experience. Learn what is positively possible for your body and mind. $20/single, $40/ month unlimited. Yoga, 1735 Ellington Rd, South Windsor. 860-432-5678.

Improve Posture and Balance with the Alexander Technique – 11am-12pm. Learn to prevent aches and pains by aligning your body naturally. Hands-on guidance from teacher will help you too remove tension and move more freely. $15. Miller - Alexander Technique, Farmington. 860-656-6177.

Slow Flow (Unheated) Yoga With Meditation – 11:15am-12:15pm. A slower, gentler flow that still incorporates many of the poses from our traditional power class and concludes with a guided meditation. $18/drop-in. Sanctuary Power Yoga, 23 Franklin St, Torrington. 860-496-1500.

Community Yoga – 4:30-5:30pm. Come get your vinyasa on for a great cause. All donations go to our Powerful Woman Scholarship Fund at South Windsor High School. $5/donation. The Yoga Shop, South Windsor. TheYogaShopct.com.

860-507-6392 44

saturday

www.NAHRT.com

classifieds

HELP WANTED SEEKING MASSAGE THERAPISTS – New spa in West Hartford. Contact Dominic at 860-231-7546.

CLASSES ASNUNTUCK COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESENTS – 10 Week Kripalu All Levels Yoga.

Easy to understand instruction takes you through a series of therapeutic yoga poses. This practice will tone and strengthen your muscles, improve your flexibility, and help you relax! Mondays, March 9-May 11, 5:30-6:30pm. $100/program or $12/class. Instructor: Diana Ricci Gunther. 860-253-3034. Asnuntuck.edu.

FOR RENT TREATMENT ROOM / OFFICE – MARLBOROUGH. 96 sq ft. space in suite with chiropractors and massage therapist. Handicapped accessible. Internet access. Shared waiting room, kitchen and bathroom. Utilities included. $350.00 per month. 1 year lease. 860-295-1200.

OFFICE / ROOM AVAILABLE – MARLBOROUGH. Looking for a serene space to host your class or workshop? Oneida Holistic Health Center has two spaces for groups of 8-20. Rates vary from $40-$300. Call 860-467-6518.

TREATMENT ROOM – PORTLAND. Integrative Holistic Center looking for like minded practitioners for full or part time use. Inviting spaces, beautiful waiting room, nurturing energy. Easily accessible off Rt. 9. Call Angela at 860-358-9272.

WORKSHOP / CLASS SPACE – PORTLAND. Holistic workshop space available in beautiful 1000sf well lit room, can seat up to 60 comfortably, call Angela at 860-358-9272.

BEAUTIFUL NEW OFFICE SPACE - WEST HARTFORD CENTER. Looking for holistic practitioners who have their own practice, but who would like to share space with other like minded professionals. Massage therapist, energy healer, nutritionist, cranial sacral, or other healing modality welcome. Suite includes waiting room, internet access, copier, small break room. Ample parking.

Building is accessible. Contact Elliott Strick 860-231-8459, www.elliottstrick.com. Email: elliottstricklmft@gmail.com

SEEKING ADVERTISING SALES AND MEDIA CONSULTANT for Natural Awakenings with 2+ years experience in marketing communications or advertising that has a passion to help small, holistic businesses grow. Must demonstrate skill in consultative sales. Ideal for individual wanting a flexible work schedule of 20 or more hours per week.

Position is a 1099 independent contractor and is commission-based. Send resume to ads@nahrt.com.

INSIDE SALES ASSOCIATES WANTED to set up appointments for Natural Awakenings Sales staff. Must have professional phone voice and good communication skills. Computer knowledge a plus.

All leads provided. Work from home, part-time on your own schedule. Fixed fees paid for appointments scheduled, meetings completed plus bonus paid on final sale. Send resume to ads@nahrt.com.

PART-TIME OPPORTUNITY FOR A QUALIFIED HYPNOTIST/HYPNOTHERAPISt at a thriving hypnosis practice in Avon, CT. Initial hours are Thursday through Saturday, however there is a significant growth opportunity and full-time potential. Please Fax resume to 860 693-2221 or scan and e-mail to mindmatters@comcast.net.

SERVICES

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER! Natural Awakenings’ healthy living, healthy planet lifestyle app has a new look and more features.

• Updated every month with new content • Search the healthy products in our National Directory • Find your local magazine • Read feature stories En Español • Sign up for Promotions and Newsletters • So much more!

• And it’s FREE!

JYOTISH (AYURVEDIC / YOGIC ASTROLOGY) AND MANTRA CONSULT - Learn specific mantras to create balance and happiness in your life.

Burn through your karmic blocks using specialize mantras scientifically based on your DNA and karma. Purify your difficulties using Yogic Astrology. Gauri was trained in India. Call 860-951-5672 or email mantra.meditation108@yahoo.com.

SEEKING STUDENTS – Holistic Violin Instructor for all ages 2 years and up. Learn the basics to advanced techniques of the violin in a heart-centered teaching approach. Progress easily to the next level.

860-463-3422.

REIKI THERAPY AND INTEGRATIVE ENERGY THERAPY – Offering appointments at my office in Farmington. Call Gina Proia, M.S. at 860-7165318 or email gina_2uconn@yahoo.com. Visit www.

LiveByTheSunFeelByTheMoon.MassagePlanet.com

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.

Search “Natural Awakenings” and download

~W. Clement Stone

natural awakenings

May 2015

45

communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community.

Create your Community Resource Guide Listing online at www.NAHRT.com.

BUSINESS COACHING

Using a holistic approach, our community of practitioners addresses your underlying issues that are keeping you from truly thriving and return you to optimum health. See ad on page 35.

THE GRADUATE INSTITUTE (TGI)

Accredited, non-profit graduate school offering holistic programs in contemporary and emerging fields.

203-874-4252 www.Learn.edu

34 Jerome Avenue, Suite 304 Bloomfield, CT 06002 860-269-6544 StrategicImprovementAssociates.com If you’re struggling with profitability or to balance the needs of your business, we can help! We want to be your sustainable business resource. See ad on page 8.

CHIROPRACTIC GARY ITALIA, DC, PHD

Connecticut Diagnostics, LLC 2080 Silas Deane Highway, Rocky Hill, CT 368 Franklin Avenue, Hartford, CT www.ChiroAndPT.com 860-257-7448 A full service chiropractic office that takes a holistic approach to health and wellness. The office offers chiropractic, rehabilitation/exercise, and nutrition. Most insurances are accepted.

See ad on page 25.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY CONSTACE JONES, I-ACT, NBCHT

Located in Center for Progressive Therapies 192 Hartford Road, Manchester 860-287-4558 CleanMyColon.com Improving colon health in a nurturing, serene, safe, hygienic and comfortable environment, where your utmost privacy and sense of wellbeing are always my greatest concern. See ad on page 35.

EDUCATION HARTFORD FAMILY INSTITUTE

Center for Psychotherapy and Healing Arts 17 South Highland Street, West Hartford, 06119 203-236-6009 www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com

A cutting edge Psycho-therapy & Training Center since 1969. Treatment includes in-depth body emotional work, energy healing, shamanic spiritual healing, illness & trauma work. Training also offered for psychotherapists & healers. See ad on page 26.

Hartford County Edition

192 Hartford Road, Manchester 860-649-9600 C4PT.org

EDUCATION

STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.

46

HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTER FOR PROGRESSIVE THERAPIES

FELICIA RICKS, NET

TGI offers holistic master’s Glorious Body degrees and certificate pro- Serving Greater Hartford and Beyond grams for adult learners. Pro- 860-463-5134 Medicated? Surgerized? Traditional Therapied? grams include Integrative GloriousBody.FR@gmail.com Is there anything you haven’t done to your body...and you’re still not getting better?

Health and Healing, EcotherGet more energy, more happiness, and f you suffer fromwith common issues like fatigue, joint aches, apy and Cultural Sustainability, Writing and Oral more life a simple, guided approach headaches, body aches, back & neck problems, postTradition, Organizational Leadership, Integrative to nutrition and weight loss based on surgical recovery, trauma, men’s/women’s health, allergies Health Coaching and Patient Navigation, and deliciouslearning and nutritious whole foods. sinus problems, & behavioral issues, mind/body more. See ad on page 18. and more, approach can help you.

Seeour ad unique on pageintegrative 14.

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ENERGY WORK WHITNEY CHRISTINA

Energetic Being 3 Barnard Lane, Top Floor, Bloomfield 860-830-1180 www.EnergeticBeing.org Live your life without cages! Create an exuberate life without constraints.

Whitney shows how to turn passions into the key to aAccepted life you love. See ad Medicare on page 16.

HAIR CARE STUDIO 3 SALON

350 Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield, CT 06109 www.studio3-salon.com 860-518-4674 A full-service salon offering certified organic colors and perm processes that provide the ultimate coverage with no corrosive hair damage while improving the work environment by eliminating hazardous fumes.

See ad on page 7.

HOLISTIC HEALTH ALTERNATIVE HEALTH, INC 625 New Park Ave West Hartford, CT 06110 860-218-2838 www.AlternativeHealthSpas.info

Restore your health with a customized wellness program to strengthen your immune system. Lose weight, regain energy, improve skin and reduce reliance on prescription medications. See ad onpage inside front cover.

www.NAHRT.com

You can get yourself and your family on the path to health and well being!

INTEGRATIVE WELLNESS & PHYSICAL THERAPY CALL NOW (860)

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34 Jerome Avenue, 305 for your FREESuite private consultation and your FREE boo “5 Tips Strengthen(860) the Pelvic Floor and Improve Bladder Function.

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34Holistic Jeromehealth Avenue, Suite 305 • Manual Bloomfield, CT 06002 center offering Therapy, Phys(860) Info@IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com ical519-1916 Therapy,• Nutritional Wellness, Natural Health

and Lifestyle Coaching, and natural health Community Education programs. Some insurance billing available. See ads on inside front cover and pages 2 and 33.

ONEIDA HOLSITIC HEALTH CENTER 16 West Rd, Marlborough 860-467-6518 TheOCenter.net

Using a holistic approach, our community of practitioners addresses your underlying issues that are keeping you from truly thriving and return you to optimum health.

See ad on pages 9 and 24.

SPIRIT OF THE LOTUS

860-4709-3903 www.SpiritOfTheLotus.org Robin Barros, IMT-C, CSC-C, CSC-A, CPLC-A, , is guided to help you release physical, mental & spiritual baggage, carried for years, lives or generations. Are you living life to it’s fullest? See ad on page 25.

You must do the things you think you cannot do. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

HOLISTIC HEALTH YOGA CENTER OF COLLINSVILLE 10 Front St, Collinsville, CT 06019 860-693-YOGA (9642) info@YogaCenterCollinsville.com www.YogaCenterCollinsville.com/HC

You can accomplish the changes you need for a long, healthy life with the help of our certified health coaches. Three, 50-minute sessions for $79. See ad on page 11 and back cover.

INSPIRATIONAL SHOPS SIXTH SCENTS

51 East Main Street Avon, CT 06001 860-674-8600 Facebook: SixthScents Awaken and discover your sixth sense of intuition at our modern, new age shop. We offer many products and services to help you heal, inspire and rejuvenate. See ad on page 34.

LIFE COACHING ALEXANDRA LOWRY

Certified Life Coach The Wisdom Alliance 860-559-1264 alexandra@thewisdomalliance.com At midlife and feeling stuck and unfulfilled? Together, we’ll shift your learned behaviors and beliefs to achieve deep and lasting change.

Call me to explore. See ad on page 32.

TORIN LEE

Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd, Marlborough 860-467-6518 TheOCenter.net Certified coach and pastoral counselor bringing 20 years of training and business experience to help you grow from where you are and where you’d like to be. See ad on pages 9 and 24.

NATURALLY RELAXED, LLC

WELLNESS CENTER

Denise J. Glabau 35 Webster Square Rd, Berlin, CT 06037 860-402-0613 Naturally-Relaxed.com

THE CONDUIT CENTER

Our mission is to help you live pain free for a vibrant, healthier, happier lifestyle.

We specialize in biomechanical orientated massage therapy, relieving muscular pain, stiffness, tension. See ad on page 39.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

DOMEGEOS’S MASSAGE & SKIN CARE

45 S Main St #211, West Hartford 860-231-7546 DomegeosMassageAndSkinCare.com Experience bliss! Our staff is dedicated and our services are designed for the relaxation, renewal, and revival of your mind, body, and spirit. See ad on page 10.

Conduit musicians use gongs, singing bowls and other instruments for effortless relaxation, and personal growth. Sounds deepen other healing practices like yoga and massage therapy. See ad on page 17.

YOGA

JASON BELEJACK, ND

Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd, Marlborough 860-467-6518 TheOCenter.net

CYNDI ROBERTS YOGA

Your first visit will be a complete medical history, comprehensive physical exam. Then we’ll discuss your first step towards rediscovering your health! See ad on pages 9 and 24.

NUTRITION SHANA GRIFFIN, RDN, CD-N

1477 Park Street, Suite 14, Hartford 860-517-9322 www.YogaWithCR.com Cyndi@YogaWithCR.com One-on-one yoga instruction for stress relief, chronic pain, healing from injury, and pregnancy in her private studio in West Hartford.

Sessions by appointment only. See ad on page 39.

DAWN GREENFIELD

ShopRite – Joseph Family Markets 46 Kane Street, West Hartford 860-233-1713 Shana.Griffin@wakefern.com

Yoga Born 1735 Ellington Rd., South Windsor 860-432-5678 YogaBorn.com

ShopRite’s registered dietitian is your resource to answer nutrition questions, provide menu ideas and tips to help your family live healthier. Call today for help. See ad on page 35.

KRISTEN LUDWIG, RD

ShopRite – Joseph Family Markets 110 Albany Tpke, Canton 860-233-1713 Kristen.Ludwig@wakefern.com ShopRite’s registered dietitian is your resource to answer nutrition questions, provide menu ideas and tips to help your family live healthier. Call today for help. See ad on page 35.

200-hr Kripalu, 500-hr Pranakriya, 150-hr Anusra and Therapeutic Training. Full-time teaching, public classes and personal sessions since 2005. Over 1000 hours with Traumatic Brain Injury and Special Needs Community.

See ad on page 21.

JOURNEY OF YOGA

730 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070 www.JourneyOfYoga.com 860-680-1482 Inspiring health and happiness with every individual who steps through our door by offering Beginner, Hot Power, Vinyasa, Gentle, and Restorative classes throughout the day. See ad on page 34.

YOGA CENTER OF COLLINSVILLE

WEIGHT LOSS CENTER MASSAGE

Owen James, Director Manchester/East Hartford 860-888-4314 www.TheConduitCenter.com

10 Front St, Collinsville, CT 06019 860-693-YOGA (9642) info@YogaCenterCollinsville.com www.YogaCenterCollinsville.com

LIVING HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS CENTER

112 So. Main St. (Rte.177), Unionville 860-977-9001 www.LivingHealthyWeightLoss.com Lose weight safely with the Ideal Protein weight loss program. Led by a Registered Nurse, you’ll eat a variety of whole foods and Ideal Protein supplements.See ad on page 15.

Experience yoga in the vibrant surroundings of historic Collinsville. Morning / evening classes available: Beginners, Gentle, Mixed, Advanced, Yogalates, BellyDance and yoga for Kids.

Drop-ins welcome! New student special: $40 for one month of unlimited yoga classes. See ad on page 11 and back cover.

natural awakenings

May 2015

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Find Your Balance Discover the Benefits Yoga Brings to Life

Yoga differs from many forms of exercise in that it uniquely blends mind and body for lifelong wellness. Yoga as a regular part of your life offers many physical benefits including increased flexibility and balance, improved strength and relief from joint pain.

Yoga also incorporates techniques that provide increased mental focus , stress relief, lowered blood pressure and a deeper self-awareness.

40

$

+ CT sales tax

New Student Intro Unlimited Yoga, Dance & Qigong For 30 Days

Monthly unlimited memberships available for current students and for families

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A Collinsville establishment for more than 13 years, the Yoga Center of Collinsville provides classes for both beginner and advanced students. Our beginner classes offer a supportive environment for new students to learn about yoga. All classes offer intimate class sizes taught by certified yoga teachers in our beautiful historic location with ample parking.

Sign-Up Today Call 860-693-9642

Located in historic, downtown Collinsville across from LaSalle Market

10 Front Street, Collinsville, CT 06019 • 860-693-YOGA (9642) info@YogaCenterCollinsville.com • YogaCenterCollinsville.com/balance Hartford County Edition www.NAHRT.com