Natural Awakenings New Haven & Middlesex CT NOV 2022

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In November, you begin to know how long the winter will be. ~Marth Gellhorn

While the official winter season is just 3 months long like the other three seasons, it feels longer here in the northeast. The still, cold, darker days begin several weeks before the winter solstice, and nature’s transition into spring is not apparent until April.

The cold weather and shorter daylight time that begins during the month of November can have a negative effect on our mental health. This is referred to as the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However, there are several other factors that are affecting our emotional well-being these days. Inflation, COVID variants, politically charged issues, climate change and the recent spike in crime have also contributed to our level of stress and anxiety.

Every issue of Natural Awakenings is solution-oriented. In alignment with our intention to promote mental wellness, each of the articles in this month’s issue focuses on mental health from a variety of perspectives, offering valuable insights and actions you can take to feel better and more hopeful. You may also feel empowered in your ability to improve the conditions in your personal life and in the world.

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© 2022 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

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

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. Check with a healthcare professional regarding the appropriate use of any treatment.

Our feature article on mental wellness includes interviews with several mental health experts, who share their wisdom on how to relieve anxiety, build resilience and take positive action during these turbulent times.

Highly sensitive people are more vulnerable to overstimulation when they are in chaotic and stressful situations. This unique trait, which researchers refer to as a high level of “sensory processing sensitivity,” can lead to anxiety, burnout and the development of a mental health disorder. If you, your child or any of your loved ones are highly sensitive, you will benefit from reading “Are You Sensitive? Sensory Processing Sensitivity,” by Kate Bender, local nurse practitioner at Fernwood Holistic Health in Westbrook, Connecticut.

We go through many cycles in our lifetime. Local psychotherapist and intuitive healer, Carolyn Coleridge explains how our soul goes through cycles in her article “Soul Cycles.” She suggests that the more we are aware and excepting of the soul cycles, the less resistant we will be as we navigate our way through the peaks and valleys of our life. Coleridge has opened a meditation and healing center in Bloomfield, Connecticut and is now offering meditation classes on Thursdays and Saturdays. For details, see her news brief on page 7.

Art therapy is an effective way to help reduce depression and anxiety in pre-school children. It can also help a child express what is beyond spoken language, such as unhealed pain or trauma. Learn more in our Healthy Kids article.

Food and mood go hand in hand. Kimberly Whittle, founder of KnoWEwell (see ad on page 27), discusses the relationship between gut health and mental health. She has also included a delicious and gut-healthy salad and smoothie recipe on page 26.

Annaita Gandhy, a spiritual guide in Middletown, Connecticut, offers insights on the healig power of uniting our mind and heart in gratitude, love and compassion in her article “Hearts of Gratitude Heal.” She also shares a simple meditation to bring harmony within, which only takes 3-7 minutes.

Wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving, filled with abundant feelings of love and appreciation—however you decide to celebrate it!

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at Nate’s Plates in Milford, Conn.

Chapter members and guests will have a chance to win prizes from area practitioners and small business owners as well as receive recipes, tips and best practices learned from presenters from the last decade of meetings.

Borrowed

Borrowed

from 11 a.m.

860-929-6623

Red Barn, 352 Main St., Durham, CT.

Network:

15 at 6:30 p.m.,

the Holistic Moms

New Haven County chapter to celebrate

chapter’s 10th anniversary. It is a great time to come out and meet other like-minded community members while also recalling some of the amazing

from the last decade. Open to the public, the meeting

be held in

Nate’s Plates (NatesPlates.net) is a local eatery, located at 2 Schooner Lane in Milford, which focuses on locally sourced fresh products and ingredients as much as possible, gluten- and dairyfree choices, ready-to-go meal options, and much more. Food is available for purchase at the meeting.

The mission of Holistic Moms Network, a nonprofit support and discussion network, is to connect parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. It welcomes people wherever they are on their own holistic path in an environment that does not judge. The monthly meetings, open to the public, are held the third Tuesday of each month.

For more information, visit HolisticMoms.org or Facebook.com/ HMNNewHaven. RSVP for the event on the Events page on Facebook.com/NewHaven.

Growing

Roslyn N. Carrier-Brault, MA, UWTH, the owner of Intuitive Pet Care and Training, LLC in Middlesex County, is holding a Pet Whispers group

21 from 6:30-8

on November 7

to grow closer with their pets or other animals.

The bi-monthly group gathering is designed for animal-loving people. We all can communicate with animals; it just takes prac tice, Carrier-Brault explains. It is with practice we will be able to build our confidence in cultivating animal communication skills. She leads a supportive, safe group setting for exploring your own intuitive and empathic animal relationships and communication skills. The fee is $20 at the door.

Carrier-Brault is a Universal White Time Healer who blends intuitive, empathic and hands-on-healing with animal communi cation skills.

For more information, call 860-344-9573. Location: The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd., Berlin, CT. See ad on page 31.

It’s Getting ‘Chili’ at Willowbrook Health Center’s Cook-Off

Willowbrook Health Center in Cromwell, Conn. is holding its annual Chili Cook-Off on December 4 at 2 p.m. Come for a tour of the facility and meet the center’s practitioners. You can also compete in the chili contest for Best Overall Taste, The Ultimate Tongue Burner and The Most Creative awards. There will also be prizes.

Conscious Creations with Carolyn Coleridge Psychotherapist, intuitive and healer

Carolyn Coleridge, LCSW, has opened a meditation and healing center in Bloomfield. With 27 years of experience, Coleridge is a metaphysician who teaches on working with the Universe to help people to heal old wounds and manifest a sense of peace.

Coleridge hosts drop-in meditation classes on Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 11a.m. Contact her to check availability of classes. Enjoy an array of crystals and spiritual books about growth and development. She teaches about dreams, intuitive development, clearing negative beliefs and the meditative method of using ThetaHealing.com, which heals people on a soul level. Intuitive healings, readings and spiritual counseling are also offered.

“When you find your true purpose, the Universe will set you up to create everything for your highest good,” says Coleridge.“Your spirit is your guiding force! It is synchronistic, purposeful, intuitive, rejuvenating, intelligent and truthful. Listen to your spirit and you will understand more meaning in your life.”

Having appeared on CNN and USA network, Coleridge has also written two books, Honor Your Spirit and Soul Wisdom, and a workbook, How To Work With The Universe. She is also a medi tation and spiritual wisdom teacher on the Insight Timer app, and has a podcast on Spotify regarding Universal insights.

For more information, text 323-782-9085, visit website: IntuitiveSoulHealing.com or follow @Conscious_CreationsCT on Instagram. See ad on page 9.

KCC_bc_final_vendor2.pdf 1 10/25/15 11:26 AM

Attendees are encouraged to bring friends, family and favorite cocktails. Spoons and bowls will be provided. Register for the event at WillowbrookHealthCT.com/Events/Chili-Cook-Off.

Willowbrook Health Center, owned and operated by naturo pathic physician Dr. Sara Frawley, provides naturopathic medi cine, chiropractic medicine, Reiki, acupuncture and massage therapy services.

For more information, visit WillowbrookHealthct.com. Location: Willowbrook Health Center, 4 Willowbrook Rd., Cromwell, CT.

Give thanks for

~Native

Carolyn Coleridge

Google Downplays

Flight Emissions

The world’s biggest search engine has taken a key driver of global warming out of the carbon calcu lator embedded in the company’s Google Flights search tool, making jour neys appear to have much less impact on the envi ronment than before. Dr. Doug Parr, chief scientist of Greenpeace, says, “Google has airbrushed a huge chunk of the aviation industry’s climate impacts from its pages.”

With Google hosting nine out of every 10 online search es, this could have wide repercussions for people’s travel decisions. In July, the search engine decided to exclude all the global warming impacts of flying except CO2 following consultations with its industry partners.

Kit Brennan, a founder of Thrust Carbon, a UK company that helps businesses reduce the effect their travel has on the climate, fears consumers could come to believe that non-CO2 impacts on the climate are not relevant in the longer term, despite the science that contradicts this view. That would mean up to 1.5 percent of the warming caused by human activity would be ignored, and the pressure on airlines to reduce their emissions would be cut according ly. Some experts say Google’s calculations now represent just over half of the real impact of flights on the climate.

Concrete Made with Rubber Refuse

Plastic Recycling Hoax Revealed

According to a new report (Tinyurl.com/Chemical Recycling) from the non profit Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), 20 states have passed bills to exempt chemical recycling facilities from waste management requirements, despite sig nificant evidence that most facilities actually incinerate the plastic they receive.

The petrochemical industry, as represented by the American Chemistry Council, has been lobbying for state-level legislation to promote “chemical recycling”, a process that critics say is recycling in name only. Their goal is to reclassify chemical recycling as a manufactur ing process, rather than waste disposal, with more lenient regulations concerning pollution and hazardous waste.

GAIA Policy and Research Coordinator and author of the report Tok Oyewole says, “These facilities are in actuality waste-to-toxic-oil plants, processing plastic to turn it into a subpar and polluting fuel.” The report calls for federal regulation to crack down on the plastic industry’s misinformation and affirm chemical recycling’s status as a waste management process.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether chemical recycling should be regulated under Sec tion 129 of the Clean Air Act, which would define chemical recycling processes as incineration, potentially short-circu iting the petrochemical industry’s state legislative strategy, although Oyewole says it’s unclear whether the agency’s determination would override existing state legislation.

Concrete consists of water, cement and an aggregate such as sand or gravel. The aggregate has to be mined from the ground, and is now in short supply in many parts of the world, while discarded tires can be partially recycled, but are often burned or relegated to landfills.

Attempts to replace some of the aggregate used in concrete with crumbled, used tires has been stymied by a bonding problem because pores in the rubber fill with water when the concrete is first mixed, and become empty holes as the water evaporates and the concrete sets.

As reported in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling, scientists at Australia’s RMIT University have produced good-quality concrete in which all of the aggregate has been replaced with tire particles. They started with wet concrete in which all the aggregate is comprised of tire particles, then placed it in special steel molds as it set to place pressure on the concrete, compressing the particles and the pores within.

Once the concrete dried and set, the cement had bonded much better to the tire particles. When compared to previous 100-percent tire-aggregate concrete produced by conventional means, the preloaded concrete exhib ited 97 percent, 59 percent and 20 percent increases in compressive, flexural and tensile strength, respectively.

Ben Klewais/Unsplash.co,,

Carolyn Coleridge,

STAYING SERENE IN TURBULENT TIMES HOW TO TURN ANXIETY INTO POSITIVE ACTION

by Ronica O’Hara

In this day and age, we have good reason to toss and turn in our beds at night. As our nation faces climate catastrophes, acrid politics, stubborn inflation, unpredictable virus variants and hot-button issues like abortion and guns, there’s good reason our collective anxiety levels are at a high pitch. A recent Yale survey found that 70 percent of Americans report being anxious or depressed about global warming, and a Penn State survey this year found that 84 percent of us

say we are “extremely worried” or “very worried” about where the country is headed. Researchers are coining new terms: “polycrisis”, for complex, cascading crises in interacting systems, and “pre-traumatic stress disorder”, when fear of an outcome makes it as good as real to our psyches.

“It’s easy for people to feel overwhelmed now, feeling there are breakdowns and threats on many fronts. People can wonder ‘Where do I even start?’ and feel powerless and hopeless and numb,” says psychiatrist Janet Lewis, M.D., a founder of the nationwide Climate Psychiatry Alliance and a University of Rochester clinical assistant professor of psychiatry. “We are part of a complex system that is moving into new ways of functioning, but there’s no way of predicting ahead of time exactly what all the features of the new ways of operating will be. That makes it impossible for us to wrap our minds around everything that is happening.”

miniartkur/AdobeStock.com

Still, she adds, “We are also by definition part of the system, and therefore have a responsibility to do what we can. We can’t sit on the sidelines and merely hope that things transform in good directions. The situation being so serious also means that what we do now is really important.”

To move from anxiety into effective action, mental health experts advise several strategies: taking a wider perspective, building resilience through self-care and taking individual steps to make a collective difference. As the Dalai Lama encourages, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito!”

Taking a Wider Perspective

News reports almost always sound dire—just like the amygdala of our brains, journalists often see their function as focusing on threats to alert us to dangers. “Still, if you take the long view of history, we are much better off than we were 200 years ago or

neuropsychologist Barbara Easterlin, of Jackson, Wyoming, an expert on eco-anxiety who is on the steering committee of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. “Doing just one thing to help the planet consistently helps defeat anxiety.”

Taking action moves us into our power—as 15-year-old Greta Thunberg demonstrated by holding a sign outside the Swedish parliament. Personal actions matter because numbers add up. Only 25 percent of individuals in a social group need to make a shift before significant social change follows, conclude researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science that analyzed a decade of societal changes in voting, health, technology and finance. Once a group reaches that tipping point, it can trigger a change in the rest of society, says study author Damon Centola, Ph.D., author of Change: How to Make Big Things Happen.

1,000 years ago, but it took many years to make those changes,” counsels Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D., director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy and author of the bestselling The Worry Cure and the upcoming If Only.

“We never know if something is hopeless until we have all the data, and we seldom have all the data,” he says. “And when it comes to political emotions, many of the predictions that are made by the ‘talking heads’ in media never come true.”

Leahy counsels patience: “Social change does not come about by one person doing something. That usually comes about by a long process of millions of people changing their attitudes and changing their behavior. Small efforts can be made on a daily basis that move this slow process forward. We need to take a longer view, rather than expect immediate change.”

In this ongoing process, anxiety has its rightful place. “Anxiety makes us look around, figure out solutions and act. This can absolutely be turned into something positive,” says

LIGHTFIELD

Building Resilience with Self-Care

Fears about the shape of the planet and nation are often piled on top of our everyday living anxieties about family and finances, which can induce emotional overload. “We all have a ‘zone of resilience’ or ‘window of tolerance’, outside of which we become more reactive, less able to function effectively. But it is not fixed. We can learn tools to expand it and cultivate the capacity to be with more,” says Easterlin.

Therapy can be a part of that process by challenging us to examine “the mental narratives that can exacerbate distress,” says Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology consultant and author of Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change. It’s important to find a therapist, she says, that “validates that your feelings are a normal response to an existential crisis.” She has helped develop new programs at the American Psychology Association and the California Institute of Integral Studies to train therapists in treating eco-anxiety. For low-cost online support, the Good Grief Network offers a 10-step, 10-week program to help process personal anxiety and grief about climate change. People are also sitting down to share their distress at climate cafes, small local gatherings springing up across the country and globe, including some online.

Getting enough sleep, eating healthy and exercising are also key self-care strategies. When anxiety strikes, psychologists advise shifting attention from the head to the body, using such approaches as mindful breathing, dancing and grounding. Meditation, easily accessed these days through apps like Calm and Headspace, helps us to enter into what religious and spiritual teachings call “the still point within.”

Rather than “doomscrolling” when anxiety mounts, cutting

back our media use can significantly lower stress levels, studies show. Wise media strategies include choosing well-established, credible news sources; reading rather than watching the news to lower its emotional impact; limiting news intake to 10 minutes once or twice a day; taking a “news fast” on occasion; and passing up sources that incessantly feed fury.

On the other hand, it’s essential to find sources for hope, an emotion important in recovery from anxiety disorders, according to a study in Behavior Therapy. Googling “good news on climate change” will bring up articles about alternative energy growth, new super-enzymes that eat plastic rubbish and black rhinos coming back from the brink of extinction. Although dystopic books abound, others offer hope, such as Drawdown, with its sensible, scaled-down strategies to stop global warming by 2050.

Moving into Action

Virtually no one can take on all the problems of the nation and globe at once—and the good news is that unless we hold high public office, we don’t have to. Instead, “In taking action, focus on what you are good at, what your sphere of influence might be,” ad vises Lewis. “What are you most heartbroken over? Get involved in that and allow yourself to feel really good about what you’re doing and other people are doing.”

By narrowing our focus, we can hone in on an issue and figure out our part in its solution. “We need a broad range of collective action for transformation,” says Davenport. “For climate change, a teacher could bring social-emotional learning to climate educa tion into the classroom or start an after school ‘green club’; an artist could use their creative medium to communicate about climate in a moving way that could engage others; a nurse could create a

waste-reduction initiative within a medical setting. These efforts all have ripple effects and help to elevate each other.”

In one recent study, people were found to consume less energy if they believed their neighbors did so and personally cared about conservation. Our neighborhoods are the place to take the small, meaningful steps that address the “crisis of connection” underlying rancorous national crises, says New York Times columnist David Brooks. He advocates “radical mutuality”, saying, “Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.” Through simple actions like having casual conversations around town, pitching in to help a family in crisis, bringing a salad to a block party, tutoring a child or holding a civic post, we build the warm relational bonds that strengthen communities. As we meet others that feel as strongly as we do about our issues, our numbers start building and collective action can unfold.

“Independent of political beliefs, many people can find common values such as wanting safety for their families, a clean environment with clean waterways and recreation in natural environments,” says Easterlin.

That, in turn, helps lower our distress. A recent Yale study found that eco-anxiety was linked to depression only among students not involved in group activities; those engaged in collective action such as being part of an environmental group, working in a letter-writing campaign or going to events or protests did not spiral downward emotionally. “Personal transformation and social transformation happen simultaneously. When you reach out and build community, you nourish yourself,” Brooks says.

As Thunberg has put it: “When I’m taking action, I don’t feel like I am helpless and that things are hopeless, because then I feel like I’m doing everything I can. And that gives me very much hope, especially to see all the other people all around the world, the activists, who are taking action and who are fighting for their present and for their future.”

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

I am happy because I’m grateful.

I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.

~Will Arnett

ARE YOU SENSITIVE? Sensory Processing Sensitivity

by Kate Bender

When you were a child, did people call you sensitive or shy? Do chaotic scenes, crowds or competing demands cause you stress or anxiety? Do you feel like you are paying greater attention to or experiencing the world around you more intensely than others? If yes, then you may have high sensory processing sensitivity. Research suggests about one in five people are sensitive or have a high level of sensory processing sensitivity. Elaine Aron, Ph.D. introduced the world to the idea of the highly sensitive person or sensory processing sensitivity in the late 1990s. Her book, The Highly Sensitive Person (Aron, 1996), as well as numerous research articles by Aron and others, dive into this concept and its implications.

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is identified as a greater depth of processing ones’ internal and external environment. This greater depth of processing has been captured on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans (Acevedo et al., 2021; Jagiellowicz et al., 2011). Essentially, if you have this trait, your brain is processing the world around you in a more intense man ner than someone without high sensory processing sensitivity.

Aron and other researchers propose that this is a genetic trait, and there is a growing body of research to support this position. In fact, this trait is not unique to humans (Aron et al., 2012). It has been identified in primates, rats, goats, fish, dogs and other animals (Aron, 2010; Bräm Dubé et al., 2020). It is thought to be an evolutionary advantage to have a minority of a species have this trait. Individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity are

unlikely to jump into a novel situation without first taking time to assess the risks verse benefits. The trait may also make one hear or see a threat before everyone else, allowing time to warn of the danger.

While it can certainly be useful to read a room more easily, or recognize a threat before others, this unique trait like many things in life can also have drawbacks. One common complaint of people with high sensory processing sensitivity is feeling burnt out, easily overwhelmed or overstimulated (Golonka & Gulla, 2021; Vander Elst et al., 2019). At this point, it is important to highlight that sensory processing sensitivity is separate and distinctive from sensory processing disorder. Sensory process ing disorder (SPD) is often found in individuals on the autism spectrum or with ADHD. It, unlike sensory processing sensitiv ity, is a disorder and causes a detrimental impact on one’s ability to process information. On the other hand, sensory processing sensitivity is not a disorder or a diagnosis. It has not been shown to hinder processing; on the contrary, it seems to improve the ability to process information.

So, while sensory processing sensitivity is not a disorder or mental health illness, it does have an impact on your mental health. As stated above, if you have sensory processing sensi tivity, you are at risk of becoming more easily overstimulated. Furthermore, research shows that children with sensory process ing sensitivity are at a greater risk of developing mental health disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression) if they have a troubled or unhappy childhood (Aron, 1996). Because negative experiences or environments will have a stronger impact on someone with sensory processing sensitivity, a difficult childhood will increase someone’s risk of developing a mental health disorder. Fortunately, the opposite is also true. People with high sensory processing sensitivity are also strongly impacted by positive experiences. Imagine going to a small venue with beautiful music or an art gallery with extraordinary works of art. These positive and moving experiences will lift the spirits of a person with sen sory processing sensitivity more than someone without the trait.

One key component to being a highly sensitive person is to recognize the importance of self-care. That does not necessarily mean having a spa day or a friends’ trip, though if that sounds fun and restorative, then enjoy. Self-care rather means recogniz ing and honoring your needs. If saying yes to a fun night out over a quiet night at home with a book or TV causes stress, then listen to your inner self. People with sensory processing sensitivity will usually need more down or quiet time than someone without the trait. The modern world can be a stimulating and exhaust ing place, especially for a person with high sensory processing sensitivity. So, while most of the crowd is ready to keep plugging away when you need a break, remember they are not processing at your level. Recognizing and granting yourself the permission to take the space for calm and quiet allows you to function at your optimum potential.

Being highly sensitive is a special trait, but it can be a vul nerability. Do you think you, or maybe your child, has sensory processing sensitivity? Wondering what steps you can take to

understand more? The Highly Sensitive Person Scale as well as the Highly Sensitive Child Scale self-tests are available at hsperson.com along with additional information. However, if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, it is important to seek professional care. You can be evaluated by a mental health provider directly, or your primary care provider is another place to start.

Kate Bender, APRN, is a nurse practitioner with a practice focused on supporting mental health in a manner that honors mind, body and spirit. She sees patients at Fernwood Holistic Health, located at 1921 Boston Post Rd., Westbrook, CT. Connect at 860-661-5824 or info@fernwoodholistichealth.com.

References:

Acevedo, B. P., Santander, T., Marhenke, R., Aron, A., & Aron, E. (2021). Sensory Processing Sensitivity Predicts Individual Differences in Resting-State Functional Connectivity Associated with Depth of Processing. Neuropsychobiology, 80(2), 185-200. https://doi.org/10.1159/000513527

Aron, E. N. (1996). The highly sensitive person: How to thrive when the world overwhelms you. Three Rivers Press.

Aron, E. N. (2010). Psychotherapy and the highly sensitive per son: Improving outcomes for that minority of people who are the majority of clients. Routledge.

Aron, E. N., Aron, A., & Jagiellowicz, J. (2012). Sensory process ing sensitivity: a review in the light of the evolution of biological responsivity. Pers Soc Psychol Rev, 16(3), 262-282. https://doi. org/10.1177/1088868311434213

Bräm Dubé, M., Asher, L., Würbel, H., Riemer, S., & Melotti, L. (2020). Parallels in the interactive effect of highly sensitive personality and social factors on behaviour problems in dogs and humans. Sci Rep, 10(1), 5288. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598020-62094-9

Golonka, K., & Gulla, B. (2021). Individual Differences and Susceptibility to Burnout Syndrome: Sensory Processing Sensi tivity and Its Relation to Exhaustion and Disengagement. Front Psychol, 12, 751350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.751350

Jagiellowicz, J., Xu, X., Aron, A., Aron, E., Cao, G., Feng, T., & Weng, X. (2011). The trait of sensory processing sensitivity and neural responses to changes in visual scenes. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 6(1), 38-47. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsq001

Vander Elst, T., Sercu, M., Van den Broeck, A., Van Hoof, E., Baillien, E., & Godderis, L. (2019). Who is more susceptible to job stressors and resources? Sensory-processing sensitivity as a personal resource and vulnerability factor. PLoS One, 14(11), e0225103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225103

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HEARTS OF GRATITUDE HEAL

by Annaita Gandhy

Asthe festive season draws near, each one of us is recalled to con necting with the heart. But how deeply is this practiced applied? Do we pay lip service to tradition, going through the motions while conditional feelings remain deep within? How ready to be and live love are we? Or are we caught up in what tomorrow might bring? A world so full of “stuff,” dramas of all kinds, pain and suffering around the planet, worrisome narratives, frustrations, and even anger and hate might be enough to convince us that celebrations and gratitude can be by passed. However, what better time to open our hearts than now? It is now that our world needs love and much more; it needs forgiveness, compassion and gratitude, in a continuing process.

Love heals, rejuvenates and unites. This supreme energy overcomes all ills and evils. Yet, have we as humans understood love in all its aspects? True love is un conditional and knows no separation. It comprises all the most beautiful qualities of life. Love cherishes, cares and nurtures. Love is the compassion we feel for another,

acknowledging their pain. Love is great gratitude for life itself with its opportuni ties to learn and grow. Love is joy and so much more. Above all, true love allows us to forgive, as without forgiveness love becomes conditional.

When we are truly loved, it is felt by those it is directed to. But how do we “love” another when we are ourselves caught up in fears and anxieties? It is these very feelings that alert us to the absence of adequate love toward ourselves: our own selves, bodies, mind, emotional and physi cal crave appreciation, and forgiveness. Our own connection to the heart is often compromised in this manner of condition al love. How can it be overcome?

Centuries of conditioning have certainly resulted in the separation of the realms of mind and heart. Yet, the heart contains 40,000 specialized neuro-sensory cells: brain cells that do not appear within the brain itself. Scientists are now begin ning to acknowledge this fact that mystics and spiritual leaders have known for eons. Scientists now call it “heart brain coherence.” When the mind and heart

are united, activation of these specialized cells occur, enabling these energies to be carried along the vagal (wanderer) nerve into the brain and spinal cord to all parts of the human body. When the mind and heart are united in great gratitude, love, compassion or appreciation, these are the energies that travel the circuit to every cell in the body.

Cell memories hold past feelings of unworthiness, destructive habits, fears and insecurities. As blasts of this powerful love are infused within them, they begin to heal and rejuvenate. A shift in frequency occurs within the body, raising its vibration con siderably. This further results in shifts of mindset and attitude and so forth. Imagine what could be the result when multiple humans practice this, allowing the self to first raise its vibrations, and then through higher mind-sets and forgiving hearts send this phenomenal energy out to all humanity and into our world. Taking this beautiful energy to those “tentative or potentially testy” family gatherings become the first step in witnessing opportunities to accept, forgive and heal.

Simple does not necessarily imply easy, for one must make the choice and apply the will. However, the more they are practiced in full heart/mind consciousness, the more they become part of us. Unifying the heart and mind, adding the choice to forgive all those who have hurt us throughout time and space, and also forgiving ourselves, brings great peace. We can then take the next step of gratitude for all. As more and more individuals come into forgiveness, peace and gratitude, the world around must reflect this.

This simple meditation, if practiced for 3-7 minutes once or twice a day, will bring immense benefits. This is beneficial when used before difficult meetings or gatherings to bring harmony within.

Meditation:

n Sit comfortably.

n Close the eyes and turn the vision inward, to rest upon the heart.

n Place one or both hands upon the heart, or place the fingers upon the heart, or hold the hands in prayer mudra, with slight pressure upon the heart.

n Breathe gently and slowly, rhythmically: IN to the count of four; HOLD to the count of two; OUT to the count of four; HOLD to the count of two. (If this count is uncomfortable, do what is possible.)

n Create within the heart, the feeling of gratitude, compassion or appreciation. Feel this emotion build up.

n Continue this rhythm and feeling with attention on the heart for 3-7 minutes.

n Open the eyes, place hands in lap and, after a few minutes, peacefully go about the day. Blessings.

Annaita Gandhy, a spiritual guide in Middletown, Connecticut, conducts meditations, workshops and classes for healing and empowerment. Connect at AlignwithSource.blogspot.com and AlignwithSource@gmail.com.

When the mind and heart are united in great gratitude, love, compassion or appreciation, these are the energies that travel the circuit to every cell in the body.

SOUL CYCLES

by Carolyn Coleridge

Asfall comes upon us, it is interest ing to see the cycles of nature. The chill is strong, the darkness comes earlier, forcing us to go within our homes and within our mind. Our soul also goes through cycles. The more you pay atten tion to the soul cycles, the easier you can go through life understanding the hills and valleys of existence on earth. There are times to grow and learn and endure and times to let go.

One immensely powerful time is some thing called the Saturn return. When the planet Saturn enters your birth chart, it is in the same position it was when you were born. Saturn is the planet of life lessons, the task master and maturity; it is time to “grow up.” Saturn comes in when you are 29.5 and stays until about 31. At about 28 years, you may start to feel this restless

ness in your spirit. There will be problems with work, relationships, purpose and/or health. Saturn beckons you to make choices from your heart and not your mind.

Ironically, Saturn brings up what is hidden; why is your soul here on earth?

The full moon also cycles in 29.5-day durations. This happens every month as opposed to when you turn 28. Even the moon card in the Tarot is examining what is hidden and buried underneath. Some people during this spiritual cycle may be thinking they are going crazy. The energy of Saturn is so intense that is pushes people into therapy in a positive way while drugs or various addictions, and depres sion may surface for the negative. If they knew it as a natural “crazy” cycle, like the terrible two’s for toddlers, it could relieve a

lot of these intense emotions.

The word lunatic comes from the word lunar. The moon, when it is full, pulls the waves back and forth; when someone has a chemical imbalance, the strength of the moon cycle can make them feel wobbly. Since humans are 70% water, an emotion ally unbalanced person can feel this pull of a chemical imbalance at these times. Seeing the image of the werewolf howling during the full moon replicates a mentally unstable person howling from their inner pain.

It is also fascinating that women have 13 periods a year and there are 13 full moons. Women are connected to the cosmos. The cosmos create new energies and women can create a new life. Dur ing women’s periods, there is a taunt that women have PMS. Can it be looked at

LudYy/Bigstock.com

what is hidden will be revealed? Why is it also that thirteen is such a negative num ber. As the number of the divine feminine, could it be that there was a way to not honor women’s cycles with the moon. The word moon means menses. Anyone who works in a hospital knows that there are more births during a full moon and there are more psych holds during the full moon. The power of the moon on the wa ter in the body can be seen and witnessed. Another profound cycle is the lunar return. The lunar return comes at age 54. Observing the actor Will Smith, who lost it at the Oscars, at age 53 right before his lunar return, is not surprising. Emotional pain that was buried, like experiencing childhood household domestic violence and unprocessed trauma, came out pub licly. Remember the moon cycle Luna will reveal what is hidden. It almost forces it out to be played on a public stage of life. His was on the public stage at the Oscars.

The Chiron return, which happens at age 49-51, is the “time of the wounded healer.” Painful wounds will resurface on a deep level. A palpable hurt or pain can show up in your chakras. It is tricky because with women, menopause may also be looming, which mirrors this cycle. Depression, hot flashes, body changes and regrets from the past will surface before and after that fiftieth birthday. If people do not listen to the emotional issue of what

they feel, they have not accomplished they could miss their soul calling out to them in this spiritual school called earth. What was the curriculum they were to learn here? The combination of the physical and emotional issues will also trigger a deep soul response. If you know a soul cycle is coming up, you can approach therapy in a deeper profound way.

The second Saturn return is at 58.5 to 61. You feel the window of this Saturn throughout the mid-fifties. The 2nd Saturn really teaches you again what lessons you have not looked at and what unresolved wounds you have not addressed. It is why many people seek therapy or may start an addiction as painful experiences will come up to be reckoned with. Usually, the issues from the first Saturn will play up again but in a more heightened way. The universe is saying what have you not finished the first time. There is no looking away this time as the energy is more intense. This is beyond the mid-life crisis as the feeling of a wall around avoiding issues can be felt. Financial, health, job and issues will loom very strongly. Retreats, Reiki healing and new dietary choices may be sought after to heal these wounds. It may correlate with an empty-nest syndrome, which also gives you the time and space to dig deep on your soul’s journey.

Becoming aware of your soul cycles can help you read your life more like a manual for growth. Preparing and noticing cycles is like your “check engine” light coming on in your car. If you go into the mechanic with an awareness what issues in your car are due to be looked at, there is less likely that a tricky mechanic will bamboozle you. Acknowledging soul cycles, you have more spiritual ammunition to focus on this time in therapy. You will look at the shadow or deeper sides of issues through a spiritual lens knowing this is part of your curricu lum on the earth school to dive deep into healing.

Carolyn Coleridge, LCSW is a psychotherapist, intuitive and healing, at Conscious Creations, a meditation and healing center. Connect at Carcole9@ hotmail.com or IntuitiveSoulHealing.com. See ad on page 9.

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Our soul also goes through cycles. The more you pay attention to the soul cycles, the easier you can go through life understanding the hills and valleys of existence on earth.

12 Quick Fixes for Anxiety

SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR MENTAL WELL-BEING

by Ronica O’Hara

It is an all-too-human experience to have anxiety—feeling fear or apprehension about what might happen. A survival mechanism for our species, it can easily get out of hand in times of uncertainty, morphing from a timely signal to a crippling, chronic condition. Happily, mental health professionals have found many useful anti-anxiety strategies to ease us through difficult moments.

Breathe Deeply

“Controlling your breathing is a fantastic hack to help you move out of a

stress/anxiety response state. It’s important to try different breath ing techniques to figure out which ones work for you,” says Krista Jordan, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Austin, Texas. Many options exist such as breathing slowly into the belly; inhaling through the nose for a count of four, holding the breath for a count of seven and exhaling through the mouth for a count of eight; slowing the breath so that the in and out breaths equalize; and placing mindful attention on our breathing until 10 breaths are completed.

Tap with the Fingers

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a five-minute approach using two fingers to tap on specific points of the head and chest in a certain sequence. In one 5,000-person study, 76 percent of participants found anxiety relief after three EFT sessions, while only 51 percent experi enced relief after 15 sessions of cogni tive behavioral therapy.

“EFT sends a calming signal to the brain that reduces your anxiety, which allows for newfound thinking and solutions,” says Colorado Springs therapist Dana C. Avey. Simple instructions can be found online and in YouTube videos.

Write It Off with Journaling

Whether it’s a three-page brain dump in the morning, a frantic scribbling on paper in a stressful moment or a nightly ritual in a bound journal, writing out anxious thoughts helps clarify worries and puts things into perspective, research shows. Seattle spinal surgeon David Hanscom, a chronic pain expert and author of Back in Control, counsels writing down in longhand whatever is on the mind using graphic and descriptive language twice a day for 10 to 30 minutes, and then prompt ly tearing it up to let the thoughts go.

Meditate Mindfully

Many soothing types of meditation can be tried out on apps like Calm, Insight Timer and Headspace, but the beststudied approach for anxiety is mind fulness, which involves focusing on the breath and body sensations while letting distracting thoughts float by. A 2017 Aus tralian study found that just 10 minutes of daily mindful meditation can help prevent the mind from wandering and is particularly effective for repetitive, anx ious thoughts. “Just be clear that having a constant stream of thoughts is fine and part of the process. It’s sadly ironic that people turn to meditation to help with anxiety, and then get anxious that they are doing it wrong,” advises Jordan.

Move the Body in Nature

According to the Harvard Health Letter, “Just a single bout of exercise can ease anx iety when it strikes ” Studies have proven the value of everything from aerobics to swimming and yoga, and it’s even better if exercising can be done outdoors, because decades of research have found that being amidst the sights, sounds and scents of natural settings lowers anxiety markers. In a recent study, walking without using a smartphone or another electronic device in urban settings just two hours a week re duced cortisol levels 21 percent in 20 min

utes, “which helps to reduce the medical effects of stress, including chronic inflam mation, GI disorders and heart problems,” says Santa Barbara-based John La Puma, M.D., co-founder of the ChefMD health media brand and creator of MyNatureDose. com, a free, anti-anxiety walking program.

Say a Favorite Prayer

Making a deep spiritual connection—an age-old anxiety solution—can involve pray ing or for example, reading psalms, saying a rosary, chanting a mantra or reading sacred scripture. Eric Almeida, a mental health practitioner in Bernardston, Massachusetts, recommends the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” He says, “It doesn’t matter if you believe in God, the wisdom is use ful nonetheless.”

Chill Out

“Sip cold water, hold ice cubes, take a cold shower, blast the AC in your face. Our body and mind are very connected, so if you can’t cool down your mind, cool down your temperature,” advises San Diego-ba sed marriage and family therapist Sarah O’Leary. Some people find the opposite works: taking a long, hot bath infused with essential oils like bergamot, frankincense and lavender.

Get Rooted

Stand barefoot in grass or dirt while breathing deeply or imagine the roots of trees growing from the soles of the feet deep into the earth. “This helps ‘ground’ you or ‘root’ you, and can help you find steadiness rather than getting lost in anxi ety,” says mindfulness trainer and author Joy Rains of Bethesda, Maryland.

Soothe with Supplements

Boston integrative medicine physician Sarika Arora, M.D., of the Women’s Health Network, recommends vitamins B5, B6 and B12 to improve cellular energy, lower cortisol and restore equilibrium to the nervous system; magnesium to sup port balanced metabolism and increase feelings of calm; L-theanine, found in green tea, to lower stress hormone levels;

eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) to limit excess cortisol; and vitamin E to support hormone production and stress recovery.

Be with the Anxiety

Tyler Read, the San Francisco-based own er of Personal Trainer Pioneer, decided to bite the bullet by using the tools of dialectical behavior therapy to put him self into anxiety-producing public places. “Instead of convincing myself that I was at peace or not nervous, I accepted that I was nervous. I gave myself permission to shake, sweat and feel nauseous; at times, I acknowledged that I felt like I was dying. And by permitting myself to be nervous, the anxiety decreased over time,” he says.

Move to Music

Relaxing music can be as effective as medication in altering brain func tion, research suggests, especially if the rhythm is 60 beats per minute, which encourages the slow brainwaves associ ated with hypnotic or meditative states. Dancing to upbeat music like no one is watching can also chase worries away. Holistic psychotherapist Kellie Kirksey, Ph.D., of Youngstown, Ohio, suggests shaking to a favorite song: “Begin by shaking out the hands while holding the thought, ‘I let go.’ If shaking the hands feels good, add in shaking one leg at a time. Shake the whole body while imagining yourself releasing the tension stored in your muscles.”

Bond with an Animal

Merely petting a dog or cat releases the feelgood bonding hormone oxytocin into our system. “Animals speak to you in a nonverbal communication, so the interac tions require you to be present and to feel. Both allow for a meditative experience that is tremendously impactful for reducing anxiety,” says Shannon Dolan, an Austin, Texas, nutritional therapist and horse own er. “If you don’t have your own pet, look up equine therapy in your area, go to a local dog shelter, spend time with a friend’s dog or travel out to a petting zoo, where you can experience the healing power of animals.”

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

The Colors of Healing

ART THERAPY FOR KIDS

by Marlaina Donato

Opening a brand-new box of crayons or making a happy mess with homemade salt dough can provide hours of fun for most kids, but art therapy—based in a clinical setting—can help children achieve emotional equilibrium, cultivate social skills and increase their capacity for learning. Dipping a brush into bright colors or creating a collage under the guidance of a qualified therapist can help a child express what is beyond spoken language: unprocessed trauma, emotional and physical pain or the multilevel challenges of autism spectrum disorder.

“Art therapy is completely different from arts and crafts, or even teaching a child how to do art. The idea behind art therapy is that not everyone attending therapy is able to talk about what is going on inside of them,” says Robyn Spodek-Schindler, owner of Paint the Stars Art Therapy, in Manalapan, New Jersey.

Art and the Nervous System

According to 2018 research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology & Behav ioral Science, painting-based art therapy has been effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in preschool-aged children. Dipping into the unconscious wellspring of creative impulse through doodling and drawing, finger painting or taking a photograph can help kids bounce

Sukjai

Photo/AdobeStock.com

back more easily from bullying or fam ily conflicts, including divorce. Splashing color on a canvas or throwing pottery has been shown to enhance fine motor skills, increase attention spans and instill a sense of accomplishment. For those that are not neurotypical, engaging in guided artistic expression can foster sensory integration and promote positive social interaction.

“I have worked with children who have lost a parent, experienced abuse, abandon ment, consequences of addiction in the family, COVID [-19] anxiety and autism spectrum disorders,” says Andrea Davis, founder and CEO of Dallas Art Therapy, in Richardson, Texas. “Many times, the body is expressing the trauma in the form of sleep disturbance, eating changes, anxiety, depression and panic attacks, to name a few. Art-making bypasses the brain’s trau ma response. The art therapist is trained to support the person in the process of cre ation and allows the person to utilize their other senses to express themselves.”

Celeste Wade, an art psychotherapist at the Child and Family Art Therapy Center, in Haverford, Pennsylvania, emphasizes that emotional processing cannot occur when an individual is on the alert for potential danger, a physiological response from an overstimulated amygdala. “Trau ma needs to be processed for the client to gain mastery and function in a calm state versus fight, flight or freeze. Art making can also activate this area of the brain and have calming effects to counteract trauma responses,” she says.

Willingness, Not Talent

The art therapist provides a nourishing presence without art instruction or critiqu ing, and sessions can be private, in a group

setting or include family members. Con versation, combined with art making, is typical in any art therapy session. Schind ler stresses that creating pretty images is not the goal of an art therapy session and dispels the common assumption that “the person attending art therapy needs to have either a talent in art or an interest in art. They just need the willingness to participate in a session.” Some children see immediate benefits, while others realize emotional progress after several sessions

Art therapy, sometimes in conjunction with other modalities, not only gives children a voice, but provides them with an opportunity to stretch their wings. Group therapy, says Davis, “can look like working together to create a collaborative mural. In the process, taking turns, hearing one an other’s ideas, sharing materials, respecting boundaries and each other’s art becomes an important part of meeting goals.”

During an initial art therapy assessment, Wade might ask a client to draw a family of animals, which creates an opportunity “for the client to share about their own family dynam ics in a safe way. If the client has experienced any type of familial trauma and I were to present the same directive as, ‘draw you and your family doing something,’ the child may be more hesitant or may shut down.”

In a world that can be overwhelming, self-expression through art can give a young person a safe harbor. Schindler accentuates human rapport in the clinical setting, saying, “Art, much like play, is a universal communication tool for children. Sometimes you just feel better when creat ing and sharing with a trusted person.”

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

~Maya Angelou

The Gut-Brain Connection

HOW FOOD AFFECTS OUR MOOD

by Kimberly B. Whittle

We’ve all heard the phrase, “You are what you eat,” but the connection is more than just physical because food impacts our mood, too. During the last decade, there have been an increasing number of studies explor ing what’s called the gut-brain axis and the role that microorganisms in the gut play in mental health conditions like anxiety, stress, depression and other disorders.

Depression is a leading cause of dis ability in the U.S. and worldwide. There are long-held views in medicine that depression is caused by imbalances in brain levels of serotonin—the neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood and other func tions like digestion and sleep. These beliefs resulted in decades of extensive use of anti depressants, most of which boost serotonin in the brain.

However, research by University College London, published in July in the journal Mo lecular Psychology, found “no consistent evi dence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.”

Michael Gershon, M.D., a Columbia University professor of pathology and cell biology, and author of The Second Brain, has explained to psychologists that “scientists were shocked to learn” that about 90 percent of serotonin is not created in the brain, but is actually produced in the gut and carried from there to the brain, not the other way around. This relationship is called the gutbrain axis.

A recent literature review of 26 studies suggests that imbalances in gut bacteria can disrupt the two-way communication along the gut-brain axis, leading to depression and other psychiatric issues.

Gut Health Equals Mental Health

“Gut health is extremely important for mental health,” says Bhavna Barmi, Ph.D., a senior clinical psychologist, relationship therapist and founder of the New Delhi-based Happiness Studio. “The traditional belief that only psychiatry and talk therapy can treat mental health has widened to include lifestyle and food, too.”

“The truth is that our food is the primary contributor of the quality and diversity of bacteria in the microbiome,” says Ishi Khosla, a clinical nutritionist and president of the Celiac Society of India. “There is an intricate relationship between the gut and the brain.” Food sensitivities, alcohol and highly processed, refined and sugary foods can lead to a lower diversity of good bacte ria and increases in bad bacteria in the gut, which can trigger gut inflammation and unfavorable health conditions.

Most mood-related disorders start with inflammation of the brain as a response to inflammation in the gut. “Certain foods, like gluten, can cause an inflammatory response in the gut. Over time, sensitivi ties to gluten and other foods can lead to a ‘leaky gut’, an impairment of the gut lining that lets toxins into the bloodstream. Often, if it remains unresolved, it leads to mood-related disorders and other chronic health conditions,” says Khosla.

Clinical nutritionists and other practitioners use biochemical markers and food sensitivity tests to help identify food ingredients that trigger inflammation in patients. However, if a leaky gut is present, a food sensitivity test may not be very accurate. As Tom O’Bryan, DC, chief health officer of KnoWEwell, explains in his bestselling book The Autoimmune Fix, “When you have a leaky gut, a practitioner may do a 90-food testing panel that comes back sensitive to 20 or 25 different foods. And then the patient exclaims, ‘Oh my God, that’s everything I eat.’ Well, of course it is, because your immune system is doing what it is supposed to do— protecting you from toxins. Once the inflammation in the gut is reduced through the elimination of wheat and other offensive foods, and the implementation of a personalized diet and protocol to heal the gut [takes place], the same food testing panel will cor rectly identify those few ingredients to permanently avoid.”

Mood-Lifting Foods

Kelly Brogan, M.D., a holistic psychiatrist and author of The New York Times bestsellers A Mind of Your Own and Own Your Self, as well as co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression, recommends making three dietary changes to lift mood:

n Eliminate processed foods and food toxins

n Add whole foods, good fats and therapeutic foods

n Add fermented foods

Eating foods that are fresh, whole, simple and organic when available fuels good gut bacteria and eliminates the toxins

A powerful mood regulator is the ome ga-3 fatty acid found in such cold-water fish as salmon and trout or taken as a dietary supplement. These fatty acids regulate neurotransmission and gene expression, act as antioxidants and have potent anti-inflammatory properties. Good fats from pasture-raised meats, wild fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coco nut oil and grass-fed ghee also contribute to mood regulation.

“Resetting the gut through good bacteria in probiotics and feeding the good bacteria with prebiotics is a powerful tool to fight mood disorders,” says Khosla. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles (truly fermented, not just cured in vinegar), kimchi and coconut kefir are natural sources of probiotics. They are delicious and easy to make at home.

A 2018 University of Toronto study in the World Journal of Psychiatry identified 12 nutrients to prevent and treat depres sive disorders and found that the following foods had the highest levels of those beneficial nutrients: bivalves such as oysters and mussels; various sea foods such as octopus, crab and tuna; organ meats; leafy greens; lettuces; fresh herbs; peppers; and cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli.

Choosing what to eat is complex and affected by culture, cost, environment and taste preferences. Dietary changes can be diffi cult and take time, and those suffering from mood swings, depres sion or anxiety have additional challenges in making changes. Nu tritionists advise starting small by incorporating one or two foods rich in beneficial nutrients and eliminating a highly processed or packaged food or two. Focus on incorporating a rainbow of red, yellow, orange and green foods into meals. “Food therapy to improve mood is inexpensive, free of side effects and can begin to show results within days,” says Khosla.

In view of the gut-brain axis, says Barmi, “It is imperative that from this point on, nutritionists, psychiatrists and psycho therapists work together for holistic care of the client to lead to maximum benefit.”

Kimberly B. Whittle is the CEO of KnoWEwell, the Regenerative Whole Health Hub online solution for health and well-being. Visit KnoWEwell.com and see ad on page 27.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Demuth-Bibb

found in packaged foods such as hydrogenated vegetable oils, preser vatives, dyes, emulsi fiers, taste enhancers and sugars that can upset the proper bal ance in the gut.

QUINOA AND BEETROOT SALAD

A HINT OF MINT

YIELD: 2 SERVINGS

SALAD:

½ cup quinoa

1 medium beetroot, grated

10-12 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

cup fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp shelled pistachios, roasted

2 Tbsp golden raisins

1 cup water

DRESSING:

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice, adjust to taste

2 cloves garlic, adjust to taste

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Honey to taste

Rinse quinoa and add to a pot. Add water and cook uncovered for around 15 minutes or until all the water is evaporated. Cover the

pan and switch off the stove. Keep covered for 5 minutes, remove lid and fluff cooked quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix all dressing ingredients and set aside. Place cooled quinoa, grated beets, pistachios, raisins and chopped herbs in a large bowl. Pour the dressing, toss well. Serve cold.

Recipe courtesy of Ishi Khosla.

GUT-HEALING SMOOTHIE

Blueberries contain compounds that increase beneficial bacteria in the gut, as well as antioxidant properties that are remarkable at protecting our brain. In fact, consuming 1 cup of blueberries per day for three years gets our brain working as well as it did 11 years earlier. Bananas are high in pectin, which helps to normalize movements of the large intestine. Look for gelatin powders from pastured animals.

YIELD: 2 SERVINGS

1-1½ cups water

½ cup coconut milk

1-2 frozen bananas

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin powder

1 Tbsp high-quality fish oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1-3 scoops L-glutamine powder (optional)

In a blender, combine the water, coconut milk, bananas, blueber ries, flaxseeds, gelatin powder, fish oil, cinnamon and L-glutamine powder (if using). Blend until smooth. Add more water for a thin ner smoothie, if desired. Serve immediately or pour into ice-pop molds and freeze for a sweet treat later on.

Recipe courtesy of Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN, from his book The Autoimmune Fix

Saretta_followyourdr/AdobeStock.com

calendar of events

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Every 1st Tuesday: Free Healing Clinic – 6pm -8pm. Come to receive free mini healing sessions from the participating practitioners of The Center for Higher Living. Modalities include, Reiki, White Time, Sound Healing, Crystal Healing, massage, readings, etc. Donations are appreciated to pay for the space. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Web ster Square Rd, Berlin. Please RSVP to Bradford at 880-830-5841 or info@crystalmusichealing.com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Mindful To-Do Lists Workshop – 10am-11:30am. Learn what your lists say about how you manage your life; what style of to-do lists serve you best; and how to manage your to-do list so it benefits you and your best life. $33. Elevate Healing Arts Center, Cromwell. ChristineRapp@finding-dharma.com.

Create a Cosmic Smashbook, and be gin an art journey process of self-discovery w/ Lauri Ingram – 1pm-3pm. All supplies provided; participants will leave with a book and be ready to continue the journey. No cre ative experience needed! $39 early bird before Nov 3rd. 696 Amity Rd, Unit B-1, Bethany. Register at LauriIngram.com/live-events.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7

Pet Whispers with Roslyn N. Carrier-Brault, MA, UWTH – 6:30pm-8pm. (November 7 & November 21). Roslyn is the owner of Intuitive Pet Care and Training, LLC and a Universal White Time Healer, who blends intuitive, empathic, and handson-healing with animal communication skills. Pet Whispers is a bi-monthly support group designed for animal-loving people. Practice; helps our con fidence in cultivating animal communication. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. 860-344-9573.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8

Full Moon Meditation w/Gayle Franceschetti – 6:30pm-8:30pm. Align w/new energies of full moon. Opportunities for allowing spiritual ener gies to reach human hearts and minds. Tap into this vast pool of energy. $25. In person or on Zoom. 36 Cheshire Rd, Wallingford. 203-631-7803. Return2love3@gmail.com. Return2Love.com.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

Monthly Creative Space w/ Lauri Ingram –2pm-3pm. Join me each month for mindful prac tices of art and an exploration of poetry practices. No experience necessary, just curiousity! Supplies provided in person, simple supply list for online. Pay as you can. Via Zoom or at 696 Amity Rd, Unit B-1, Bethany. Register at LauriIngram.com/live-events.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Labyrinth and Mandala drawings with pen and watercolor paint – 6pm-9pm. Instructor: Cheryl Tuttle. Practicing Mindfulness is proven way to reduce stress and anxiety. In this workshop you will learn to draw your very own one of a kind labyrinth and mandala. This is a great project to look inside yourself and reflect with words, set an intention, or just create a cool piece of art. All are welcome! $30 All Materials included. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. Location: 352 Main St, Durham.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15

Angel Messages with sound and crystal readings – 6:30pm-8pm. Bradford Tilden and Karen Raymond offer this special gallery reading. Bradford with call in the angels with his voice and signs from his advanced training in Universal White Time. Karen, Owner of Voice of Angels and experienced Psychic/Medium will connect with the Angelic Realm and loved ones in spirit to deliver personal messages to each attendee using her intuition and Angel Cards for confirmation. Bradford will intuit crystals to support the messages received. Crystals will be available for purchase. $35. https://tinyurl.com/crysta-sound-psychic The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. Contact Bradford: 860-830-5841. info@crystalmusichealing.com.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

I Am Enough: An Exploration of Restorative Yoga Practices – 9am-12pm. Trainer Sara Balkun. Whether you are a physician, practitioner, patient, or survivor, restorative yoga can support your overall health and wellbeing. In this training, you will learn restorative poses as well as the benefits they provide. 3 CECs. $60. Register at WomensConsortium.org. The Connecticut Women’s Consortium, 2321 Whitney Avenue, Suite 401, Hamden.

Young Living Essential Oils – 6:30pm-8pm. Help align your mind, body, spirit. Learn to take control of your and your pet’s health with therapeutic grade oils. Free class. 36 Cheshire Rd, Walling ford. 203-631-7803 or Return2love3@gmail.com. Return2Love.com.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Creative Craft Night – 6pm-9pm. Bring a craft or try one of our mindful projects. $10. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. Location: 352 Main St, Durham.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Universal White Time Gemstone Healing Level 2: Nov 19 & 20 – 9am-6:30pm. (both days). Pre requisit: UWT Gemstone Healing L1. Explore stones and layouts for advanced healing the body and the aura and for meditation. Layouts are prac ticed in class to open you up to greater creativity, raise your frequency and balance your energy with every color of the rainbow. Initiation at end of class. $500. https://tinyurl.com/UWTGem2Nov2o22. Contact Bradford. Call 860-830-5841 or email info@crystalmusichealing.com.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22

Starseed Support Group – 6:30-8pm. Are you a starseed? Do you think you are a starseed? Are you curious what it means to be a starseed? This is a safe space to come out of the cosmic closet to unite in community, share stories and experiences that might seem too “out there” for regular dinner conversation, and find common ground with your grounded galactic buddies. Open format. $20. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. RSVP to Bradford 860-830-5841. info@crystalmusichealing.com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26

Monthly meditation gathering Via Zoom w/ Lauri Ingram – 9am-9:30am. Join me for an opportunity to explore meditation themes and practices. All are welcome! Register at: LauriIngram.com/live-events.

Holiday Open House! – 10am-2pm. Stop by and visit! Shop! 10 minute Etheric Light Sessions will be available as well. 696 Amity Rd, Unit B-1, Bethany. Lauri Ingram. More information at: LauriIngram.com/live-events.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27

Boost our creativity with Cosmic Smashbook ing w/ Lauri Ingram Via Zoom! – 3pm-4pm. Join me for a Cosmic Smashbook event, as we create a page and explore a boost to our creativity! All are welcome; pay what you are able to online attendance; $10 for recording of session. Register at: LauriIngram.com/live-events.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2

A Day of Healing: Virtual Free Event –9am-12:30pm. On Zoom. Sponsored by Connecti cut’s Statewide Behavioral Health Integrative Medi cine Collaborative. Four healing practice sessions throughout the day (meditation, compassion, well ness coaching, etc.). The schedule of events/healing practice sessions will be announced in November. No CECs. Free of Charge. For more information and to register go to WomensConsortium.org.

Creative Craft Night – 6pm-9pm. Bring a craft or try one of our mindful projects. $10. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. Location: 352 Main St, Durham.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3

Writing with Spirit Workshop – 10am-11:30am. In this workshop you will learn the process and practice of writing to connect with spirit and receive spiritual guidance: preparing space, simple guide lines, different approaches, examples and practice time. $33. Elevate Healing Arts Center, Cromwell. ChristineRapp@finding-dharma.com.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9

Stain glass Ornament for the absolute beginner – 6pm-9pm. Instructor: Cheryl Tuttle. Make an ornament using the copper foil method of stain glass. All materials and soldering tools will be provided during the class. You’ll go home with your ornament. $30. All Materials included. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. 352 Main St, Durham.

Universal White Time Healing Level 1 – Fri, Dec 9: 6pm-9pm; Sat, Dec 10-Sun, Dec 11: 9am6:30pm. Become certified in this new advanced ET-based energy healing modality. Accelerate your spiritual growth and learn tools to heal yourself and others on a deep soul level. UWT is a manifestation of Light and Love that encourages one’s personal awakening and truth while working with all frequen cies of color and time - past, present and future in one unit. $400. Registration deadline: Friday, Dec 2nd The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. Contact Bradford: 860-8305841. info@crystalmusichealing.com.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

Creative Craft Night – 6pm-9pm. Bring a craft or try one of our mindful projects. $10. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. Location: 352 Main St, Durham.

tuesday

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement

Class – 12pm-1pm. Bring more joy and playful ness into your everyday movements. Class size is limited to 5 people. Mats and cushions are pro vided. Please wear comfortable exercise clothing. $15 drop-in or purchase a class card. Carol Meade 203-415-8666. Massage2movement, 15 South Elm St, Wallingford.

Monthly White Time Healing Circle – 6pm8:30pm. (Nov 8).New Day! New location! Every 2nd Tuesday all are welcome to participate in this exclusive round-robin style healing circle featur ing White Time Energy and Gemstone healing. Everyone gets a turn on the table to receive White Time energy and the featured gemstone treatment of the month. Facilitated by Bradford Tilden. $30 Bring a buddy, two for $20 (each). The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. RSVP Bradford 860-830-5841.

Learning Your Soul’s Language Workshop Series – 6:30pm-8pm. This series empowers you to connect more deeply with your soul and build an understanding of your unique intuitive language through your clairs. (6 classes). $199 for series. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. Christine Rapp. Email ChristineRapp@finding-dharma.com.

friday

Creative Craft Night – 6pm-9pm. (1st and 3rd Friday Nights each month: Nov 4 & 18; Dec 2 & 16). Bring a craft or try one of our mindful projects. $10. RSVP: 203-314-1059. EarthlyGoddess02@ gmail.com. EarthlyGoddessArt.com. Location: 352 Main St, Durham.

saturday

ongoingevents

sunday

Sunday Guided Hikes – 1pm. Join a Nature Center guide on Sunday afternoons for fun, exercise, and learning about our trails! Free. Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, 10 Deerfield Ln, Ansonia. Preregister: ansnaturectr@ansoniact.org.

monday

Post Bariatric Support Group – 1pm. (Group held on Mondays). This therapeutic group is for those who have had bariatric surgery (at any time) and are looking for support in continuing the lifestyle. Location: Wolf Spirit Wellness and Counseling Center, LLC 670 Main Street South Suite B2 Woodbury, CT 06798. Please contact 203-263-3175 for more information or to reserve your space now. WolfSpiritWellness.org.

Meditation Monday – 6pm. Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace. If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may help you manage symptoms. Free. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. TheCenterForHigher Living.com.

Soul Astrology Workshop: Who Your Soul

Planned You to Be – 6:30pm-8pm. Using your birth chart, you will learn about your soul’s plan for this lifetime: about your identity, emotional life, path for soul growth, purpose, and creativity. (6 classes). $199 for series. Elevate Healing Arts Center, Cromwell. ChristineRapp@finding-dharma.com.

wednesday

Qi Gong with Toby Henst – 6pm. Qi Gong involves using breathing exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improv ing and maintaining health and well-being.Qi Gong has both psychological and physical components and involves the regulation of the mind, breath, and body’s movement and posture. $20. The Center for Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. TheCenterForHigherLiving.com.

thursday

The Caring Network: Free virtual support group through Microsoft Teams for adults who have lost a loved one – 6pm. (Thursdays, November 3 & November 17). Bridges Healthcare, 949 Bridgeport Avenue,Milford. Information about grief and loss; facilitated open discussion. Adults do not need to register. The group is facilitated by a Bridges counselor and is sponsored by Bridges Healthcare and Cody-White Funeral Home. For more infor mation, please call the Group Facilitator, Brooke Torres M.Ed., at 203-878-6365 ext. 480. or email brtorres@bridgesmilford.org.

Sound Healing Meditation – 6pm-7pm, (Nov 10 & 24). Join Bradford Tilden every other Thursday for a deeply restorative and activating Sound Healing Meditation. He creates powerful sonic transmissions with his voice and crystal bowls for you to relax, recharge and release stress and unwanted energies from your body, mind, and field. Please Bring your own blanket, chair or yoga mat to sit on. Register via eventbrite: tinyurl.com/BridgeSoundBrad Walkins welcome. $10-$35. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-404-2578, Bridgehac.com.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement – In this class we will explore ways to release low back pain through simple functional movement patterns. Class limited to 5 people. Mats and cushions are pro vided. Please wear comfortable clothing. $15 drop-in or purchase a class card. Carol Meade 203-415-8666. Massage2movement, 15 South Elm St, Wallingford. Conscious Creations, Meditation and Healing Center – Metaphysical Classes, Crystals and Spiritual Books. Learn about the Universe and Healing from Belief systems on soul, past life and genetic levels, thru Theta healing. Find out about classes, healing sessions & clairvoyant readings. 34 Jerome Ave, Bloomfield. Carolyn 323-782-9085. IntuitiveSoulHealing.com.

Align with Source – 10:30am-12:15pm. (Every Saturday). A Spiritual Empowerment meeting via Zoom. Comprises a talk, inter-action and a guided meditation. Request Zoom invite by emailing alignwithsource@gmail.com.

Creature Features – 12pm. Come to meet our furry, scaly, and feathery animal ambassadors. You’ll have the chance to touch and hold them in this Free family program for all ages. Ansonia Nature Ctr, 10 Deerfield Rd, Ansonia. Preregister: ansnaturectr@ansoniact.org.

classifieds

ALS SUPPORT

THE ALS ASSOCIATION CONNECTICUT CHAPTER – Leading the fight to treat and cure ALS through research & advocacy while empowering people w/Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives w/com passionate care & support. 4 Oxford Road, Unit D4. Milford. 203-874-5050. WebCT.alsa.org.

APPLIED KINESIOLOGY

KC CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS

Kevin Healy, DC

17 Woodland Road, Madison, CT 203-245-9317

KevinHealy@sbcglobal.net

DrHealMe.com

Applied Kinesiol ogy is a neuro logical evaluation to find and treat dysfunction. Dif ferent because it addresses causes instead of chasing pains, Dr. Healy tests if a therapy alle viates dysfunction, finding immediate answers as to which provides the most improvement. Chiropractic, craniosacral, myofascial and acupressure are among the therapies Dr. Healy uses. Generally, no single cure exists as disease and dysfunction typically involve multiple areas of the body. The goal of any therapy—physical, chemical, or emotional—is to improve function; a combination of therapies typically yields the best results. See ad on page 7.

MASSAGE

THE BLUE BUDDHA INTEGRATIVE MASSAGE

Angela Amendola, LMT #004570

BOARD CERTIFIED #504545-06

North Haven, CT 203-435-5925

Angela@TheBlueBuddha.com

TheBlueBuddha.com

The Blue Buddha – Integra tive Massage, exclusively for women. Offering individual ized no-rush massage that balances your physical, emotional, and psychologi cal wellbeing through the mindful application of Western and Eastern techniques. Inspired by years of meditative discipline, providing a deep level of sensitivity and awareness to assist individuals in achieving greater relaxation and healing. Pre and postnatal massage, grief and stress relief, injury and recovery, wellness and relaxation massage.

MASSAGE THERAPIST

A MOMENT IN TIME MASSAGE, LLC

Jill Andrzejewski

LMT #9900, RMT & Psychic 3490 Whitney Avenue, Suite 205 Hamden, CT 203-909-1108

Jillamomentintimemassage@gmail.com AMomentInTimeMassage.org

I use a holistic approach to treat my clients—We work as a team, setting goals to move forward to get you where you wish to be physically, mentally and spiritually. My intention is to empower people to empower themselves. I am an advocate for gentle stretching, crystals and breath work to maintain a feeling of being grounded and calm. Services available: massage, 30-minute sessions for chronic pain management, Reiki, chakra balancing, angel tarot, oracle card readings, couples Reiki, foot baths with hand made all natu ral herbal ingredients, group events and classes. A Moment In Time Treasures items available for purchase. Sessions available by appointment only.

MEDICAL THERMOGRAPHY

CT THERMOGRAPHY

April Beaman

Main Office: 11 Melrose Dr. Farmington, CT Satellite Offices: Glastonbury, CT, Hamden, CT, Westport, CT, Hadley, MA 860-415-1150 info@ctthermography.com CTThermography.com

CT Thermography specializes in medical thermal imaging, also known as thermography. Thermography is the use and study of thermograms for de tecting and measuring varia tions of heat emitted from the surface of the body. A thermogram is produced by a highly sensitive, infrared camera that accurately maps temperature variations which are then analyzed by Board Certi fied physicians known as thermologists. Thermog raphy screenings are effective to assess and moni tor whole body health and can aid in the detection of inflammation, disease processes and cancer. Furthermore, this health screening tool is noninva sive, radiation-free and does not involve any contact with the body. See ad on page 6.

SALT HEALING THERAPY WELLNESS CENTER

SALT OF THE EARTH THERAPEUTIC SPA

787 Main St, S Woodbury, CT 203-586-1172

NaturalSaltHealing.com

Combining an array of natural therapies that have been used since ancient times with today’s technology, Salt of the Earth Spa provides a sanctuary for deep transformations, healing and grounding for Mind, Body and Spirit. See ad on page 15.

SHAMANIC ENERGY HEALING

EAGLE FLIGHT HEALING, LLC Hamden, CT 203-535-8849

Info@EagleFlightHealing.com EagleFlightHealing.com

My service provides transforma tive energy work helping clients resolve the traumas, pain, shame, and struggles of the past. They experience new self-value and mattering, feel more vitality, happiness and joy with which to enjoy life and dream the future.

looks so much better when they smile.

Fallon

community resource guide

SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

LAURI INGRAM

696 Amity Road, Unit B-1 Bethany, CT 203-435-5650

lauri@lauriingram.com LauriIngram.com

As an ordained interfaith/ interspiritual minister, I be lieve there is much to learn as we journey through life. It be gins with openness, curiosity, and deep self-compassion. My commitment is to using my life skills, experience, and training to create safe and sacred space for self-discovery through various modalities, including meditation, crystals, color and art journaling.

TRANSFORMATION COACH & REIKI MASTER

CHANNELING YOUR WISDOM COACHING

Lynda Mettler, ACC

Transformation Coach & Reiki Master Milford, CT 203-623-6066

Lynda@YourWisdomCoaching.com YourWisdomCoaching.com

I shift clients from self-doubt to confidence, and from inner-crit icism to self-compassion with a unique blend of “parts work,” meditation and life coaching to uncover the person they truly are beneath the mistruths they’ve been taught.This work brings lasting change.

UNIVERSAL WHITE TIME CRYSTAL HEALING

BRAULTTREE WELLNESS CENTER

Roslyn N. Carrier-Brault MA, UWTH, CHT, RMT Middletown, Connecticut 860-344-9573 roslyn@braulttreewellnesscenter.com BraulttreeWellnessCenter.com

As a student of Bradford W. Tilden and fellow Lightworker, in 2020, Roslyn established Braulttree Wellness Center (BWC), which offers Universal White Time hands-on healing sessions and crystal healing sessions. Roslyn enjoys working with people and their pets, using a wide variety of holistic modalities, such as Lemurian Crystals, Crystal and Mineral Lays, Universal White Time Healing (UWTH), and Essential Oil. Roslyn is a gifted healer and empath with over 25 years of experience as a Reiki Master Teacher, who now exclusively works within the higher vibrational energy of UWTH. BWC provides a safe space that supports and meets each client where they are within their path of self-care and healing.

UNIVERSAL WHITE TIME CRYSTAL & SOUND HEALING

CRYSTAL MUSIC HEALING Rev. Bradford Tilden, MM, CMT, UWT 860-830-5841 info@CrystalMusicHealing.com CrystalMusicHealing.com Linktr.ee/BradfordTilden

My goal is to empower you to develop spiritually and profes sionally. I offer sessions and teach certification classes in Universal White Time (UWT), Lemurian Intuitive, Crystal, and Sound Healing, transfor mational voice coaching, and guided visualization. I use these techniques, and more to help you to obtain authentic expression, empowerment, and transformation. You can purchase personally attuned crystals, through me. My clients and students gain a renewed clarity and a sense of purpose in working with me.

WHOLE BODY THERMOGRAPHY

B WELL THERMOGRAPHY

Shirley Prendergast, CTT, INHC 380 Boston Post Rd, Orange, CT 705 Boston Post Rd, Guilford, CT 203-915-9712

shirley@bwellthermography.com BWellThermography.com

Choosing B Well Thermography is a step in the right direction for Early Detection and Prevention. Thermography testing is a radiation-free, state-of-the-art screening procedure that captures heat images of the breast to aid in the early detec tion of cancer and fibrocystic breast disease. As a Health Coach, I use the holistic approach when working with patients to achieve optimal health. See ad on page 19.

WHOLE BODY WELLNESS CBD MASSAGE

ELM CITY WELLNESS

774 Orange Street New Haven, CT 203-691-7653 ElmCityWellness.com

Elm City Wellness is an independent, womanowned wellness center with a focus on community healing. Services include a variety of skilled massage, CBD massage, community and private acupuncture, Reiki, craniosacral therapy and organic skin care, including signature, micro derm and high frequency facials. Skilled therapists specifically tailor each and every session. Our well ness store features local products, candles, wellness supplies and books, smudge kits and a large range of third-party tested, pharmaceutical grade CBD products. See page 17.