Natural Nutmeg January 2015 by Natural Nutmeg Magazine/Essential Naples Magazine

January 2015

Natural Nutmeg Connecticut's Resource For Essential Living

The Beginning of the End Bernie Siegel, MD

Ready to Lose Weight?… Forget About What You Weigh! Dr. Eric Kusher The Genetics and Biochemistry of Depression Jessica Pizano Think Yourself Thin! Diane Bahr-Groth, CH, TFT-Adv

Soul Retrieval at Work Finding Meaning and Purpose at Work Lawrence Ford, AIF www.NaturalNutmeg.com

! h t l a e h r e t t e b o t Your path Still looking for a way to feel better? We can help you find the path to better health!

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Featured Content

Ready to Lose Weight?… Forget About What You Weigh! Dr. Eric Kusher 12

ur mission is to provide valuable insight, information and resources that will allow our readers to maintain a healthy, active, sustainable lifestyle. Natural Nutmeg contains timely information on natural health, complementary and alternative medicine, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

The Genetics and Biochemistry of Depression: A Nutrigenomics Approach - Part One Jessica Pizano 22

PUBLISHERS Dr. Diane Hindman Publisher@naturalnutmeg.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deb Percival Deb@naturalnutmeg.com

Think Yourself Thin! Diane Bahr-Groth, CH, TFT-Adv 24

ADVERTISING advertising@naturalnutmeg.com

Soul Retrieval At Work Lawrence Ford, AIF 34

Departments The BUZZ 6 DOCTORS NOTES 8 BERNIE 10

PREVENTION 16 SELF 29 INSPIRE 30 REMEDIES 32 HAPPENINGS 38 RESOURCES 41 4

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

DIR. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Christopher Urso Curso@naturalnutmeg.com ADVISORY BOARD Ann Aresco, N.D. Deanna M. Cherrone, MD Erika Dworkin, Dip. C.N. (Pend.) Debra Gibson, ND Lauren Gouin, ND Kenneth Hoffman, LAc, CCH David Johnston, DO Vicki Kobliner, MS, RD, CD-N Donald Piccoli, DC Paul Tortland, DO

DISTRIBUTION Greater Hartford and surrounding counties, please contact Natural Nutmeg. FFC - Tom Cossuto, Man In Motion, LLC

Natural Nutmeg Magazine

P.O. Box 447, Avon, CT 06001 Phone (860)508-0894

In keeping with our concern for the environment, Natural Nutmeg is proudly printed on recycled paper with soy based inks. Natural Nutmeg is a free publication supported solely by our advertisers and distributed throughout Connecticut. Please call for a location near you. (860) 508-0894 or email to publisher@naturalnutmeg.com. © 2007-15 by Natural Nutmeg, LLC. All rights reserved. Parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that permission be obtained in writing. 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 feedback.

PUBLISHER'SLETTER

s we say goodbye to 2014 and all of us are making New Year’s resolutions, I find it fitting to write about the connection between a healthy body, mind and spirit. Everything that enters the body produces a positive or negative result. This includes food, drink, chemicals, and maybe most importantly, thoughts. If what you are putting into your body is healthy, you will have a positive response. If it is unhealthy, you will get a negative response. The way you look and feel tomorrow is a direct reflection of the thoughts and actions you engage in and the food and drink you consume today. Strong, inspiring, positive thoughts and healthy food builds excellent health in the body, mind and spirit. There are many schools of thought as to what causes an individual to engage in an unhealthy lifestyle. Do negative thoughts cause one to eat poorly and have less regard for their health? Or does eating poorly and being unhealthy cause negative thoughts? Either way you look at it, it’s all interchangeable. To protect your body, you must protect your mind and vice versa. Here are some great tips to building a healthy body, mind and spirit: 1. Eat the right food in the right amount and right proportions. Doing this on a daily basis will help get your metabolic rate functioning correctly again and even speed it up. Healthy, lean protein (chicken, wild salmon, tuna, egg whites), low glycemic index carbohydrates (oatmeal, whole-grain bread, apples, berries), and healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, almonds, sunflower seeds). The right amount means that you have calculated how many calories you need on a daily basis to maintain a healthy weight, and you are knowledgeable about portion sizes (the biggest culprit in weight gain!). The right proportion means balancing your meals with carbs, fat, and protein. 2. Add strength training to your exercise routine. Strength training triggers your body’s release of growth hormone, which is essential for fat burning and increasing your metabolic rate. Change up your aerobic exercise routine with interval training. 3. Take time every day to meditate, be still, and reflect – even if you only have 5 minutes. Research shows that daily participation in some type of stress reduction activity improves health and well-being. 4. Engage your mind and spirit by reading inspirational or motivational materials. Feed your soul through meditation, journaling or your favorite spiritual practice. The satisfaction of good health and fitness can be yours when you choose to make them priorities in your life. In health and happiness,

Workshop on January 15th

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THE BUZZ

The Benefits of Tai Chi

Transforming an 1850s Farm into a Modern Day Oasis: A Magical Setting for Hidden Acres Yoga and an Art Gallery

eb Orosz and Gary Melnysyn, long time Granby residents, fell in love with the historic colonial on the corner of East Street and Cooley Road in Granby. They moved in this spring, and have been dedicating themselves to transforming the property into a respite from the chaos of life by combining elements of art, yoga and farm life. After parking behind the house, yoga students enter the studio through a door hidden beneath the portico on the left side. Once students enter the studio, they are greeted with tea or herbal water. Health conscious yogis can buy eggs and flowers from the farm. Students climb the stairs to the studio, where they find a light airy room with walls of windows overlooking the horse pastures. Beyond the beautiful setting, Deb is an inspiration in the way she has found balance in her life. She is a corporate engineer by day and finds respite in teaching yoga in the tranquil safe haven of her home studio. Deb Orosz has been practicing yoga for close to twenty years and seeks to help students find balance and wellness in her yoga classes. The barn red doors to the right of the portico lead to another magical treat; the wildlife art studio of Gary Melnysyn. Gary is a retired IT Director and former Yellowstone Park Ranger who finds fulfillment through his wildlife photography and farming the new property. Gary’s photography has been featured in National Geographic. He hopes to inspire people to reconnect with the natural world through his images. The art gallery provides an opportunity for Gary to display his extensive collection of wildlife photography along with more recent work of wood burnings and paintings. Visitors are always inspired by Gary’s stories of the connections he has made with bears around the world and his experiences as a park ranger. Learn more at www.HiddenAcresYoga.com and www.FiddleheadFoto.com. See ad on page 11.

ai chi is often described as “meditation in motion.” There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. When combined with standard medical treatment, Tai chi appears to be helpful for these medical conditions: 1. Arthritis. In a 40-person study at Tufts University, an hour of tai chi twice a week for 12 weeks reduced pain and improved mood and physical functioning more than standard stretching exercises in people with severe knee osteoarthritis (October 2008 American College of Rheumatology). 2. Low bone density. A review of six controlled studies by Dr. Wayne and other Harvard researchers indicated that tai chi may be a safe and effective way to maintain bone density in postmenopausal women 3. Breast cancer. Tai chi has shown potential for improving the quality of life and functional capacity of women suffering from breast cancer. A study at the University of Rochester found that quality of life and aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility all improved in women with breast cancer who did 12 weeks of tai chi (2008 Medicine and Sport Science). 4. Heart disease. A 53-person study at National Taiwan University found that a year of tai chi significantly boosted exercise capacity, lowered blood pressure, and improved levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C-reactive protein in people at high risk for heart disease. The study found no improvement in a control group (September 2008 Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine). 5. Hypertension. In a review of 26 studies in English and Chinese Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, tai chi lowered blood pressure (Spring 2008 Preventive Cardiology). 6. Sleep problems. In a University of California, Los Angeles, study of 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep complaints, 16 weeks of tai chi improved the quality and duration of sleep significantly more than standard sleep education (July 2008 Journal of Sleep). Tai Chi can be easily adapted for anyone from the physically fit to people in wheelchairs. It is particularly beneficial to and suited for older adults, it is very safe and easy to get started. Dr. Ming Wu, AOBTA-CP, Ph.D. Dr. Wu is a doctor of Chinese Medicine, a third generation Chinese Herbalist, a Master Tai Chi and Qi Gong practitioner and founder of the Wu Healing Center, 45 S. Main St., Suite 100, West Hartford, CT. (978) 790-8888 or www.wuhealing.com. See ad on page 19.

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Say Yes in 2015

anuary is a time of new beginnings. Are you looking for a better body to walk the beach with this summer? Are you wanting to ask the boss for a raise? Are you looking forward to being a better golfer when the warm weather finally returns? New beginnings can begin at any time of the year, but they always start with the same word…YES. Yes is often coupled with fear. This is a wonderful time to say YES to abundance. Abundance in all forms Health, Wealth, Relationships, Employment, FUN. What turns a YES into a No, or a Maybe, or a timid “I’m not good enough?” FEAR. Where does fear live? Sometimes we hear it in the voice of our parents who tried to protect us from taking risk. Sometimes it rises up like coldness in your stomach, or maybe it is the elephant sitting on your chest saying “YOU cannot do THAT. Take a deep breath and say YES to your wildest dreams, your fondest desires, your secret fantasies. For many of us yes is immediately followed by the objections of our reality. There are a hundred reasons to say no. Yes does not have to hurt. Yes to weight loss, yes to love, yes to successful employment, yes to abundance in all forms. If you can dream it you can achieve it. IF you can believe it. If you can say YES. Hypnotherapy can allow you to relax and say yes. You do not have to go it alone. You CAN learn to be your very best friend. Hypnosis can be a simple way to get past the fear. You are in need of change or you would not be pressured into making a resolution. Change can be simple, it can be easy, and it can be good for you. Try parking your conscious/critical mind on a park bench and letting your subconscious mind just say yes!

New Group Aims to Advance Homeopathy in Connecticut

he CT Alliance to Advance Homeopathy is a newly formed group whose mission is to raise the public’s understanding and use of homeopathy through public awareness, legislative support, education opportunities and consultations for individuals, practitioners and groups. The Alliance’s first projects have been to circulate a petition that supports any legislative effort that would allow Certified Classical Homeopaths (CCH) to practice in the State and free public lectures at Thyme and Season Natural Market and New Haven Public Libraries. Contact the Alliance if you need a speaker, a consultation, would like to help with our effort or would like to learn more about homeopathy. Please contact Louise Sanchione, CCH, ND, MA, MS who is the founder of the group and has over 20 years experience teaching, using and studying homeopathy. The Alliance’s office is in Hamden or email connecticuthomeopathy@gmail.com. Updates and information about events can be found at www.cthomeopathy.com.

Jan Bartrop-Babbitt is a licensed, certified hypnotherapist trained in multiple specialties including weight loss and addictions. She uses her 20+ years of cognitive behavioral expertise to hone in on finding the truth or the blockage behind the issue to address life coaching issues. Her special blend of experience, knowledge, and intuition allows her to assist her clients in obtaining blissful release of what holds them back from success and happiness. See ad on page 11.

ACHOO!

As the weather cools down, fall allergies heat up. Happy Autumn! Feel better knowing that Dr. Marvin Schweitzer offers a host of proven-successful treatments for this season’s nasty bacterial and viral infections, as well as common school-year conditions like ADD / HD. Don’t let the colder weather get you down, schedule a one-on-one consultation today. Oh, and…Gesundheit!

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Doctors Notes

Ann Aresco, N.D.

A Resource Guide for Self-Health

ho can you count on to ensure that you stay healthy? Yourself. It’s not a trick question. Very simply, at the end of the day, we are the ones who are in charge of our own health. But how do we begin? How do we educate ourselves? This article contains a comprehensive list of resources that will help you in your journey to self-health, exploring some of the best books, news articles and documentaries about natural health approaches and patient advocacy. The title of each book is noted in quotation marks. Learning more about the “The Great Cholesterol Myth” empowers readers; you’ll find that what you eat, how much you exercise, and how well you sleep, are far more important than the medications you take (or don’t take). Increasingly, doctors are “Selling Sickness” which is leading to an “Overdosed America.” Our healthcare system has radically changed in the last 50 years and many of us are starting to learn “The Truth About the Drug Companies” in order to avoid be-

ing “Over Diagnosed.” If you’ve ever wondered, “What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You,” then you’re well on your way to becoming a self-advocate. Still many Americans wait until they are “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” before they begin a journey of enlightenment to “Clean Food.” But the more you read, the more you start to wonder, “What the Bleep Should I Eat” to actually be healthy? The popular answer for many these days is the “Paleo Diet.” Learning to use our “Forks Over Knives” means focusing on whole foods while moving away from the “Fast Food Nation” and “Junk Food Nation” lifestyle. It’s true that significant long-term lifestyle changes are needed to “Escape the Fire” and avoid being “Doctored to Death.” However if we change our perspective, along with our daily habits, we can avoid “Our Daily Meds” that are really just unnecessary and overly prescribed drugs. Too many people who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) wait too long, until a “Diabetes Solution” is required to turn things around. But don’t begrudge the

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“Skinny Bitch,” she’s helping people to learn that “Food Matters.” Not to say that we need to be “Against All Grains,” that would be a personal choice, but we should avoid the foods that are ruining health rather than supporting it. People are “Hungry for Change” and are seeking more natural solutions. Here in the “Natural Nutmeg” state, we are fortunate to have access to many naturopathic physicians as well as progressive legislative advocates. Consumers don’t know who is “On the Take” in the pharmaceutical industry. Connecticut State Senator Blumenthal is working to expose “Deadly Corporate Secrets” by proposing legislation that forces corporate transparency instead of allowing companies to hide behind the huge profits of big business. Many politicians are calling for these corporate “Cereal Killers” to be exposed for what they are really selling to the public. Our country is battling (and losing) the war against chronic illness. Many patients are exploring their own “Path Ways to Healing” for chronic conditions. For example, patients are now getting down to the “Root to Hashimoto’s” by taking their health into their own hands. As we’re learning more about the “The Essential Remedies for Women’s Health” (along with men’s and families’,) we are opening our minds to more natural and logical approaches to healthcare. It certainly sounds like there is a “Medical Armageddon” going on. Or could it be a “Pharmagedon?” Although every day we see “The Emperor’s New Drugs” and all of their “Side Effects,” patients are starting to wonder if the onslaught of prescriptions is effective or if we are being “Overtreated.” “Your Drug May Be Your Problem.” Certainly obtaining our nutrients by consuming foods that come directly from “Earth to Table” is the logical solution. No research required. Hippocrates explained, “Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” Years later, Thomas Edison reiterated, “The doctor of the

future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Based on these great philosophers, it would appear then that “Nutritional Medicine” is not really the brand new “Medicine for the 21st Century,” but rather a re-enlightenment. If you’re “Fed Up” with healthcare in the United States, check out at the resources that are referenced in this article www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com/A-Resource-GuideFor-Self-Health. About ProNatural Physicians Group. To learn more about naturopathic medicine, or to find a licensed naturopathic doctor, visit www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com. ProNatural Physicians Group N.D.’s are providers for most major insurance carriers. ProNatural Physicians Group. www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com, ProNaturalPhysicians@comcast. net. 860-505-0702. 355 New Britain Road Kensington, CT 06037. See ad on page 25.

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BERNIE

By Bernie Siegel, MD

The Beginning of the End The best part of a good man never dies. You will see him in all the things here out of love and for love…The best part of a good man stays forever for love is immortal and makes all things immortal but hate dies every minute. ~ William Saroyan

t may seem strange for me to start a discussion about how to handle loss and the death of loved ones by saying that death is not the worst outcome. There is a point in everyone’s life, no matter their species, when one’s body no longer will function and is not a comfortable place to be in. Symbolically, when people draw purple balloons, butterflies and kites going up into the sky they are telling me, often unconsciously, that they are ready for the healing that comes when they make the spiritual transition and leave their bodies. Death is about beginnings and not endings. We do not call graduations terminations we call them commencements, and so is death. Every caterpillar and butterfly understands what the transformation means better than most people. Saroyan shares these words at the end of a story in which a young man dies; he becomes “dreamless, unalive, perfect”. And I know that he is right. I have experienced a near death experience as a four year old choking on a toy. I aspirated, and I can tell you when you leave your body you will most likely not want to come back. Even blind people see when they have a NDE and are often upset when resuscitated and find themselves back in their body and blind again. Harry Chapin’s song, “Circle”, shares these words: “It seems like I’ve been here before; I can’t remember when; But I have this funny feeling; That we’ll all be together again….Our love is like a circle; Let’s go ’round one more time”. Yes, when the circle ends we grieve the loss of our loved ones, which is appropriate, but to live in the darkness is not what we are here for. I can remember building a cairn over the grave of one of our dogs who died and bringing a rock to the site every morning as I walked by his grave. Then one morning I thought what I wanted to bring him was beauty, so I picked a flower to place there. From that morning on I looked for beauty because of my loss and not a cold stone. I have written about the candle that represents every one of our dead loved ones. I do not want to put out their candles with my exces-

a He

d in

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Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

sive grieving and tears. I have learned to forgive myself as I know they would forgive me, and to use my pain to nourish myself and others and make our lives meaningful. When one is hungry one does not get angry at one’s body. You seek nourishment. Animals and children are complete and can be our teachers. When a cat named Missy came into our home, and I didn’t notice she wasn’t eating well, I felt enormous grief and guilt when she developed liver failure and died. Her grave and cairn lies in the yard outside our door and I think of her often, but I also know she has forgiven me and wants me to enjoy the day. In her honor I do more for animals. As a young man said prior to dying, “What is evil is not the disease but to not respond with compassion to the person with the disease”. We must use our loss and express our compassion and when we do the curse becomes a blessing and helps us to become complete too. The key is enjoying the day as all animals do. The way to die laughing is to accomplish what you are here to accomplish, and animals do that much better than we do. To quote a veterinarian who let her patients help her through surgery, “I can amputate a leg or jaw and they wake up and lick their owner’s faces. They are here to love and be loved and teach us a few things.” A Hindu myth shares the words of a seven year old who is about to give his life to save another, “Consider this, sooner or later my body will perish, but if it perishes without love, which the wise declare is the only thing of permanence, of what use will it have been?” When he is about to die he bursts into joyful laughter and everyone stops and clasps their hands together in an attitude of prayer. The other, and more practical aspect of dying laughing, is to remember the things you or others have done and tell stories about what you remember. Let your departed loved ones bring a smile to your face and life. Animals have no trouble doing this but we, the incomplete species, need to learn to let the child out and to not be normal. Be a character and live my WWLD when in doubt. What Would Lassie Do?

Or if you want to, ask yourself what your departed beloved pet would want you to do...and do it. Also remember we have a great deal to say about when we die. So do not feel guilty if your beloved dies when you are not present. I have seen this with our pets (who wait for family members to leave), and with my parents and patients. My father and some of our animals had no problem sharing their last minutes sharing stories while I knew my mother and some of our animals would not die when their loved ones were in the room with them. So share your love but also give them time to be with others and leave the room if you think they will feel better with you not experiencing their death. Since consciousness is not local there is still a part of all our departed loved ones that is still here for us to experience and share with. I could tell endless stories about the experiences of loved ones who have lost family members or animals and had them return spiritually or symbolically after their death. My mother’s name was Rose. After she died, we kept finding roses and pennies everywhere. Finding pennies is my way of knowing I am on the right path and my mom’s great grandchildren started spontaneously calling them pennies from heaven. This consciousness will eventually become a part of the consciousness of those who come after us, so remember life is a school and the more you learn the more you can pass on to future generations. When our beloved Smudge Bunny died I played a tape someone had given me as I drove to pick up her body. Dear Barbra Streisand sang to me…“They say there’s a universal plan for every woman, for every man; But in our darkest hour it’s hard to understand why did the right road take the wrong turn? Why did our heart break and why did we get burned? Just like the seasons there are reasons for the path we take. There are no mistakes; just lessons to be learned.” I will stop now with this thought for you to reflect upon. If death were the worst outcome, would Abraham, Jesus and Noah have done what they did by following their Lord’s desires? Why didn’t Abraham bargain with God over His request for his son to be sacrificed or Jesus, who could walk on water, hop off the cross? And how come Noah didn’t argue for more people and animals to be saved? Maybe they knew that the problem is living and death is not the worst outcome but a chance to go home and be perfect again. Or as my quadriplegic father-in-law called it, “You just fall up.” And when he was tired of his body he did just that and spent no time dying. He just refused his vitamins and dinner and fell up that evening. Death is the greatest teacher there is about life; so live and learn. Bernie currently a cancer support group the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of the month at Coachman’s Square on Bradley Road, Woodbridge. If interested contact Lucille Ranciato at lranciato2@ yahoo.com or call 203-288-2839. For information on Bernie’s books and tapes please call Wisdom of the Ages in Simsbury, CT. Wisdom of the Ages is a special place to nurture your spiritual side. It’s filled with items to calm the mind, heal the body & empower your spirit. Wisdom of the Ages is owned by Bernie’s son & daughter- in-law, Keith & Jane Siegel. Located at 1414 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT. (860) 651-1172, www.wisdomoftheages.biz. See ad on page 30.

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Ready to Lose Weight?… Forget About What You Weigh!

By Dr. Eric Kusher

eady to Lose Weight?… Forget About What You Weigh! Sounds silly, right? But think of it this way…if your doctor says you’ve got hypertension, he figured that out by taking a reading off a blood pressure cuff. If he says you’ve got diabetes, he came to that conclusion from looking at your lab findings which displayed a number in the “Glucose” row of your lab report (among other readings). So, much like these other objective measurements, your bodyweight is more of a sign or symptom of a bodily process which has gotten somewhat out of control Due To Behaviors You Are Repeating. Granted, there are cases of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity which are due to causes other than lifestyle and behavior patterns, but these are in the vast minority of all cases and may require dedicated medical attention. In most cases obsessing on the numbers is not an efficient or productive method of achieving results; utilize them as a measuring tool to be checked periodically to assess long-term progress. Rather, the symptom of weight gain is a direct result of a software system (your brain and nervous system) which has been corrupted or even hijacked, and can no longer effectively instruct the hardware (your body) how to implement its instructions.The hacker or virus responsible for the corruption can take several forms, but the software glitch always comes back to the brain. So what does this mean in real-life terms? If you are struggling with achieving successful weight management, here are the three basic take-aways from this part of the discussion: 1. It’s not your fault. 2. It’s not your fault. 3. IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT!! Why is is not your fault? If you booted up your computer one morning, and found that you had been infected with a virus, who would you blame? 1. Yourself – for pressing the power button? 2. Your computer…which had absolutely no control over the infection process? 3. Your internet service provider, who had absolutely no control over the content of the information received by your computer? 4. How about your security system, who’s job it is to keep out those bits of information which are capable of altering the function of your software and hardware which reduce their performance? 12

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

OK, so we’ve concluded that somewhere along the line, your system has been hacked or infected. Those mental processes and physiologocal functions which, in health, so beautifully choreograph the inner relationship between the brain’s signals, and the body’s implementation of those orders have been corrupted. For the purposes of this discussion on weight management, the changes in code mean you now have a difficult time realizing when you are satieted, or what foods you need to reach for in order to fuel your body, and those feedback loops are disrupted. You now follow the new, corrupt instructions and carry out behaviors which are counterproductive to maintaining weight, and health overall.

The two most obvious questions are: 1. What are the viruses or who are the hackers? We need answers to this question in order to cure the virus and/or bring the hacker to justice. 2. What actions will we take to clean out the system and insure it is protected going forward? The answers to these 2 questions will take us a long way toward starting fresh in a clean system, and insuring the correct code is in place to insure attainment and maintenance of proper weight and optimal health. Answer #1: Now, just as a computer hacker and the viruses they may transmit have access to your computer system via welldefined portals and pathways, the “viruses” which infect your brain/ body systems have their favorite portals as well….and the most common is your gut. Your digestive tract is the conduit across which most invaders get access to the rest of your system – it acts a a filter to allow nutrients and fuels into your system to keep the machine running properly, and to keep out those invaders who would do harm to the operation. In health, this is performed admirably. However, if processes occur which degrade the integrity of the gut, needed nutrients may not make it across, and worse yet, invaders may be let through. It’s these invaders which are the corrupters of the system, and they take the form of gluten, certain proteins found in dairy and soy, breakdown remnants of bacteria and other pathogens which inhabit the gut, as well as the presence of one or more subclinical infections usually not uncovered by standard testing. Once these make it past the filter, they have the opportunity to express their direct effects on brain processes, the hormonal system,

and a myriad of other structures and processes occuring throughout the body. Gluten, for instance, has been shown in research to bind to the very same receptors in the brain which bind to opiates and release endorphins to make you feel good. At this point, after this cascade has been initiated, you have less and less control over your behaviors, including what and how much you eat…which brings us back full circle to my earlier statement – “It’s not your fault!” Answer #2: Now that we know the mechanisms, how do we fix the faults and reboot the system with new, correct code? This requires the understanding of one more step, without which progess usually stalls, and it involves a hormonal system in your body known as the adrenal system. This can get quite complicated, but in short, the gut can only become compromised and attacked after the adrenal system has been exhausted or at least significantly stressed. So, here’s the plan – we first assess and fix the adrenal system to return to optimal function (complicated again, but this actually resets the adrenal/brain axis, thereby rewriting this portion of the code); once done, we test the gut for guilty pathogens, kill those which we find (usually through natural products and treatment), and finally help heal the GI tract, again with natural protocols. No…this is definitely not your shake, pill, fad diet, or caloriecounting program. By the way, if you wonder why these types of programs usually fail long-term, or help lose weight which is quickly regained, you should see the reasons by now…you’ve forced your computer to work for a short while in Safe Mode (if you know MS Windows, you’ll know what I mean), but this is not a long-term solution, nor does it do anything to rewrite the needed code. So, if you’re lucky or stong enough to reach your goal weight, your internal mechanisms will sooner or later respond again to the unchanged instructions and cause rebound. It requires you to take responsibility for your actions and credit for your successes, but once you are “rebooted”, you have the tools to maintain lifelong weight and health management, and even “tune yourself up” as needed. Putting this into practice with patients is a simple process, easily followed, and extremely rewarding…for both patient and doctor…and don’t be surprised if some other symptoms you may never have thought about in relation to weight loss improve or disppear entirely as well. While we may currently be focusing on weight loss, we are treating the whole person in the process.

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Falling In Love With… “You”

his New Year marks five years of being happily in love! That’s right! I’m in love and it feels good. Sounds great right? Some might say to me, “Congratulations on your new relationship,” or “Who’s the lucky guy?” I’ll happily accept any and all words of encouragement, though sadly enough only I realize that finding the ‘love of MY life’ was no easy task at all. As a matter of fact, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’m ashamed that it took so long for me to realize that finding the real love of MY life started actually with….ME.

Are You a People Pleaser? Like most busy ‘superwomen’ I was a habitual ‘people pleaser’ and often found myself neglecting my own personal dreams and desires for the sake of others. I used to think it was selfish of me to even dream of buying something nice for myself like a new pair of the latest style shoes, stop by a spa and get a massage, eat a tasty treat, or take in the latest movie alone all without involving the entire family. Just the thought of me taking time out for myself would make me feel overwhelmed with guilt. I had so many people who relied on me to take care of them in some kind of way. My children, spouse, boss, and friends all owned a piece of me and I had no self-control over it. Without even paying attention, I’d program myself to believe that it was my job to take care of everyone and everything, because no one else can do it ‘right’ except me. But then it all began to drastically catch up to me, and I didn’t like the way I was feeling. I began to suffer from anxiety and high blood pressure from excess stress. After a while my spirit told me to slow things down and take care of myself for a change, before I ended up sick or suffered a stroke at an early age. So I kicked myself into gear and began researching how to balance my work and family life, without neglecting myself any longer…because I finally realized I was worth it!

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Five Loving Steps to Take Now! I’d like to share just a few habits I adopted to promote self love in my life. 1. Stop putting your dreams or goals on the back burner until the perfect time. The time is now! If you have a passion or dream you’ve always dreamed of fulfilling, start with small steps towards making your dreams a reality, and lose the excuses. 2. Stay positive. Don’t waste energy on anything that doesn’t encourage your happiness. 3. Life is too short; start living instead of just existing. Engage in activities that make you happy. 4. Last I knew, Clark Kent and Wonder Woman were fictional characters, so there’s no need to think you have superpowers when you really don’t. You can’t do everything for everyone faster than a speeding bullet. RELAX. Being in love with yourself gives you permission to say “no” sometimes and feel okay with your decision. 5. Kindly encourage those you have enabled for so long to find other ways of getting whatever they need done without you being the primary giver. I encourage everyone to start this year off by practicing the concept of self love to balance life, and get rid of unwanted stress. Being in love with your self is a beautiful way to appreciate the life you’ve been given by the Creator. You can’t be of great service to others, or be in love with someone else, if you are not in love with yourself first. Love thyself 365 days of the year. Monica Carr is a Personal Life Coach, inspirational event producer, and serial entrepreneur. She enjoys helping others to learn and practice the importance of self-love and to re-discover their passions, to live a fulfilled and happier life. Monica welcomes new clients at her practice in Tolland, CT. To schedule a free consultation, call 860895-7239 or email at monicascarr@gmail.com. See ad on page 21.

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Let’s Organize an Efficient, Effective and Productive Office Space

s 2015 is upon us, most people are thinking about their New Year’s Resolution only to feel discouraged mid-way through the month of January. Instead of creating “resolutions,” let’s start with New Year goals and one of those goals is to be sure your office space is working for you. When I work with small business owners, I remind them that their office and more specifically their desk is their prime real estate. It’s where business is occurring and it must work for you. Does your office space feel comfortable? Is it appealing to your eye and do you enjoy working in this space? Do you feel productive and prosperous? Does this space need new life that perhaps some redecorating would accomplish? As you answer some of these questions, keep in mind this is a place that needs to feel positive and not a place you dread working in each day. Remember to not allow anything in this space that doesn’t support your business. I’ve worked in offices of small business owners who also use their office as a storage room. That only creates an environment of clutter, confusion and a sense of feeling overwhelmed. Remember your physical clutter can also create mind clutter. Mind clutter causes you to not think clearly and not thinking clearly causes you to make erroneous decisions and to not be effective in your work day. As I work with small business owners, I recommend they look at their office having three zones. Zone 1 is considered the “Red/ Hot” Zone and that is your desk. On your desk should only be those items that you need access to each and every day. Some of those items might include: your computer, your

phone, current projects, etc. But nothing more than everyday items should be on your desk. Zone 2 or the “Yellow/Warm” Zone. This Zone is your reference items that you need access to but not necessarily every day. They should not be in your immediate space but close enough to you so that you have easy access to them. It could be in the way of book shelves or file cabinets. You don’t necessarily have to get up from your chair to reach them. Zone 3 or the “Green/Cold” Zone. These are items that are archived; you don’t need access to except maybe once or twice a year. It’s best that these items are not kept in your office space but located somewhere else in your home or business. So as you enter 2015 and begin to create goals for this New Year, evaluate your office space to determine if it is working for you and assisting you in being productive and effective as you work your business each day. If making changes to your office space seems overwhelming, then by all means think about hiring a Professional Organizer. We are trained Professionals who can aid you in accomplishing your organizational goals for your Business. Contact me for a “Free Assessment” and 10% off your initial Small Business organizational time. Regina Sanchez, Professional Organizer & Certified Photo & Home Movie Organizer. See ad on page 21.

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PREVENTION

Jane Martin, LPC

Heal Depression at the Source

ith one in ten Americans taking anti-depressants, it’s time to take a wider look at alternative approaches to depression. There’s a difference between sadness and depression. Sadness is a normal emotion that we feel when we experience some loss. It comes and it goes, like a wave. But depression is stuck, long-term pain, that usually needs some assistance to move through and heal. The relief provided by pharmaceuticals can be lifesaving, but without healing on the level of cause, it can also become a band-aid. With medicine’s and psychology’s recent breakthrough understanding of the body-mind connection, we can take a holistic view to find factors that might be affecting mood —a view that considers the body, emotions, mind, social relationships, and even the soul.

Food, Vitamins, Oils Nutritional changes, such as the elimination of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods, can have a strong effect on the body’s biochemistry, helping to relieve depression. Deficiencies in vitamins (C, D, B12, thiamine, riboflavin, biotin, folic acid) and minerals (calcium, copper, potassium,

magnesium, iron) have been correlated with depression. Oils containing omega 3 fatty acids and EPA are also important. Some supplements to consider for depression are St John’s Wort, SamE, and 5HTP. Seeing a holistically oriented doctor or naturopath is a wise first step.

Chemical Sensitivities Chemical sensitivities and allergies are also associated with depression. Our chemical exposures have grown exponentially in the last 50 years. Checking your house for toxins— perfumes, air fresheners, pesticides, cleaning products, fabric softeners, cosmetics, and many more common products with synthetic chemical ingredients— can make a world of difference.

Emotions If you think of depression as emotions that are stuck and can’t move, the question becomes, “what is stopping that emotional flow?” Sometimes it is a fear of feeling sadness, or a fear of feeling anger. When anger is repressed, depression can result. According to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the second stage of grieving is anger. I have seen many clients who have been unable to grieve,

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Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

sometimes for decades, because they can’t begin the process by allowing themselves to feel anger in their bodies. Anger can be expressed safely without doing any harm, and often this will activate the flow of emotion that heals the depression.

Mind One can use cognitive therapy, (or cognitive behavioral therapy) to examine automatic thoughts. Often these thoughts are overly pessimistic, and can be a strong component of depression. By challenging these thoughts, a more optimistic view of life can emerge and lessen depressive symptoms. In some modalities of therapy, called multiplicity modalities, clients become familiar with parts of themselves (also called sub personalities, or ego states). Sometimes there is a part that is doomsday oriented, or that gets down on us, or tells us to give up hope. By dialoging with these parts, one can identify the need the part is trying to meet and find a new strategy to meet that need. Examples of multiplicity modalities are Transactional Analysis, Psychosynthesis, and Internal Family Systems Therapy.

Relationships From the vantage point of my private practice, the most salient need in today’s society is connection and belonging. I work quite a bit with teens and see firsthand how much they suffer from isolation. A program like ReTribe.org, which offers Rites of Passage for teens, helps them connect on a deep level, and I’ve seen tremendous psychological change as a result. It is so important for all of us to be seen, to be heard, and to go beyond shame by finding that we are accepted for who and how we are. For adult men, the Mankind Project provides this forum.

Breathwork Often the ‘cure’ for depression needs to be a spiritual transcendent experience, where, as psychologist Abraham Maslow puts it “the nature of reality itself may be seen more clearly,” and there is a reconciliation of ‘good and bad.’ Breathwork is an excellent modality to hold such a deep experience. It requires an inner technique, of mindfulness processing of emotion, where one focuses his/her attention on the physical sensation of emotion, relaxes all muscles, and breathes fully into the sensation—with an attitude of equanimity (allowing it to be as it is). The body automatically will do what it needs to do to heal and to transcend. Often this includes a strong energy flow, crying, or other expressions of emotion, and in Breathwork one can be supported to feel safe in entering this deeply transformative experience.

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Heal Depression at the Source Many ways besides drugs exist to treat depression. With a more holistic approach, hopefully we can heal depression at the source rather than band-aid it, to help bring about healthy brains and bodies, self-acceptance, clear thinking, room for emotional flow, and thus the vibrant personalities giving their unique gifts that our world needs today. Jane Martin, LPC is a psychotherapist at the Volition Wellness Center in Skillman, NJ and will be teaching at The Graduate Institute, in Bethany, CT, www.learn.edu this spring. Her company, Social Harmony, www.SocialHarmonyInstitute.com, provides schools with bullying prevention programming that moves away from punishment and towards healing. At TGI, she will be teaching a certificate course in Social Harmony, and assisting Ted Riskin, LCSW and Enrico Cheli, Psy.D. from the University of Siena, with a certificate course in Integrated Mental Health to help psychotherapists to broaden their toolbox to include many alternative modalities. See ad on page 5.

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Train Your Brain By Miriam Schwartz, APRN, FNP-BC

New Year’s Resolution 2015: I am not going to sit around watching TV at night anymore. (I am not going to have anything to do and feel bored.) I am not going to eat anything with sugar in it like candy, cookies, cake, muffins, pies, yogurt, and ice cream. (I am not going to be able to go to parties and have a good time.) I am not going to eat white carbs like bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, bagels, pancakes, waffles, and crackers. (I am not going to find anything to fill me up and will feel hungry all the time.) I am not going to eat any fried foods, processed prepackaged foods, or take-out. (I am not going to have time to shop and cook all the time and think I am going to starve, that can’t be good.) With the holiday season ahead of us, we are all faced with an abundance of sweet treats, nosh, and large multicourse meals. We swear that we will not over eat, but always end up feeling over stuffed and over tired. But ultimately, when most of us look into the mirror the day after New Year’s we see that our faces are puffy, our bellies big and bloated, and our skin scaly and dry. We pledge to go on a diet and exercise regularly. For some of the lucky people out there this is all the motivation they need to make and see changes. These are the people that probably only put on a few pounds and stayed active, right? It must be in their genes, that they have a faster metabolism, right? Maybe for a small percentage of people this may be true, but for most it seems so hard to get our energy back and lose weight. But the truth is we all can achieve our peak potential and get our metabolism up and running. The secret to their success is they have already “trained their brains”. Our own success comes from self-discipline and motivation. But if we set ourselves up to fail by either taking on too many lifestyle changes all at one time and/or by setting expectations way too high for ourselves, we often find ourselves falling short. This leaves us disappointed and frustrated with ourselves, with feelings of being a failure. These emotions cause stress on our system which can affect our sleep and energy. Even this kind of stress can cause our adrenal gland to release our stress hormones -cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones trigger the body into a conserve mode and makes it even more difficult to lose weight. It should not always be about what we cannot do or have, it should be about what we can do or have. We need to become the people we want to be and everyone can do this regardless of their

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

genetic makeup. We need to make smaller changes, 1-2 different things at a time and build on from there. By making attainable goals for ourselves it allows us to feel the success that comes with it. If you think healthy you will eat healthy and if you eat healthy you will be healthy.

Revised New Year’s Resolution 2015: I will exercise by moving my body 4-5 times a week and start with just walking. (I am going to be stronger, burn fat more efficiently, protect my joints, and have more energy.) I will eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day. (I will get more nutrients naturally and have more energy.) I will eat small portions regularly every 3-4 hours, 5-6 x a day to keep my metabolism going. (I will not over eat, digest food better, and have more energy.) I will eat whole grains with high fiber. (I will feel fuller and have more energy.) I will use natural sweeteners and eat only healthy fat choices. (I will crave healthy foods, have less aches and pains, feel satisfied, and have more energy.) The point to take away is that we are all in control of ourselves and we are the only one who makes us feel the way we do. We need to change our perception of what determines whether someone or something is healthy. It is not about what size we wish to fit into or should be. It is not always about the scale moving in a downward direction. It is not about what we think others are saying about us. It is about how we feel about ourselves and the way we are choosing to live. We need to be moving forward, you cannot stand still because at some point you will go backwards (fall off the wagon). That we are always striving to improve ourselves with making changes that challenge us. When our mind is focused, we can accomplish anything and the rest usually falls into place. Miriam Schwartz, APRN, FNP-BC. CT Women’s Ob/Gyn Women’s Wellness RENEW Program Specializing in Hormonal imbalance and Bio-identical hormone replacement. www.ctwomenobgyn.com. See ad on page 8.

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Hypnosis for What Hurts

hen you think about hypnosis you probably think about people using it to quit smoking or release excess weight. You’ve probably never thought about hypnosis being used to manage or alleviate all types of pain.

Hypnosis for Surgery Did you know, for example, that hypnosis is used as an anesthetic to perform surgery? In Europe, and more so now in the States, thousands of surgeries are performed using hypnosedation instead of general anesthesia. When compared to chemical anesthesia, it’s been proven to have lower complication rates and faster recovery times. Hypnosis also is used to prepare people for successful surgeries and to speed their healing post surgery.

Hypnosis for Illness The applications of medical hypnosis are virtually limitless, whether it’s used to relieve irritable bowel syndrome, manage or alleviate migraine, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue pain or frightening asthma attacks. It’s been used to relieve nausea associated with chemotherapy and to help pregnant women alleviate morning sickness and the pain of childbirth. That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to hypnotic applications in the medical arena. So yes, hypnosis works for what hurts—but how? To be honest, we don’t yet know all the details of exactly how it works because the brain is an incredibly complex organ—but here’s what we do know.

How it Works Our minds process information in two directions; from the bottom up and from the top down. A bottom up flow takes raw sensory data (information from our five senses) and carries it up to higher processing regions in the brain, each region adding more and more detail to what we perceive. So when we look at a flower, we first see its rough shape, then its color, and then we see all the details that allow us to recognize it as a specific type of flower. Top down processing is the opposite. What we experience comes down from the higher processing regions instead of up from our five senses. Top down processing means that if the top is convinced, the bottom level of data will be overruled. So if our higher 20

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

processing center is told, and believes, that it is looking at a rose instead of a daisy, we will see a rose. This helps to explain the placebo effect and the power of hypnosis. With placebo testing, the patient is told that the pill will address their symptoms. If the patient believes that to be true, the pill (even though it’s just sugar or some other inert substance) will make them feel better, because their top down processors are overriding information that comes from lower levels within the system. This top down processing is relevant to hypnosis as well because hypnosis directly accesses the higher processing regions in the brain, providing positive suggestions for comfort to those areas. If the patient allows these positive suggestions in, they will override the pain information that would normally come up from the senses. For example, in one experiment, hypnotized subjects had their hands immersed in “painfully hot” water but were told it was comfortably warm. When PET (positron emission tomography) studies were done, they showed that hypnosis not only altered their perception of the pain, but it literally altered blood flow to the pain sensing parts of the brain! The power of our minds is truly unlimited. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what one of my clients had to say and what studies have proven: “After 8 hours of surgery to repair two crushed vertebra with rods and screws, I was able to recover without any pain medication. I was so happy to avoid those side effects and the prolonged hospital stay my doctors had predicted. Lisa, your ‘pain dial’ really helped me to completely manage the pain. You know I had never tried hypnosis before and was ‘hopefully’ open-minded, but my experience far exceeded my expectations and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised as I continue to heal never requiring more than an ice pack! The nurses and doctors are having trouble wrapping their heads around how this could be. I think my hypnotic experience really opened some of their minds as well.” Dr. Jackie Campisi Lisa Zaccheo is the owner and lead hypnotist at Mind Matters Hypnosis Centers in Avon, Guilford and North Branford CT. She is Board Certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists and has additional certifications in Complimentary Medical, Clinical, Child & Adolescent, Forensic and Regression hypnosis. For more information, or to schedule a lecture, workshop or appointment, call Mind Matters Hypnosis Center at (860) 693-6448 or visit MindMattersHypnosis. com. See ad on page 35.

5 Steps to Happiness

nce a wise man drew a line on a board and told his student to make the line shorter without touching or erasing it. How would you do it? You have to shorten a line without touching it. The intelligent one (referring to the student) then drew a much longer line underneath that line. So, the line automatically became shorter. The lesson here is that if your difficulties appear to be very big, lift your eyes because you are focused on yourself. If you lift your eyes up and look at those who are in a worse condition than you, you will suddenly feel that your burden is not as bad as you thought it was.

4. Without frustration or anger say, “I give this problem up, I cannot solve it, let the Divine help me.” And know that you will always be helped. 5. Spontaneity! Be spontaneous. Spontaneity will come when you take a few minutes to go deep within yourself. There is nothing great in smiling when everything is normal, and when everything is going the way you want. But if you awaken the valor inside of you, and say, “Come what may, I am going to keep smiling”, you will notice tremendous energy, just rise from within you. And the problem is like nothing; it comes and disappears.

1. See the world where there are greater and bigger problems. Then, your problems will appear smaller. The moment your problems appear smaller, you will get the energy and confidence to deal with it or solve it. In simple words, serve those who are in greater need. 2. Look at your own life. In the past, you had many problems. They have all come and gone. Know that even this will go and you do have the energy and power to overcome it. 3. Do some breathing exercises and relaxation.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian and spiritual leader, an ambassador of peace and human values. Through his life and work, Sri Sri has inspired millions around the world with a vision of a stress-free, violence-free world. He has founded courses that provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life and he has established nonprofit organizations that recognize a common human identity above the boundaries of race, nationality, and religion. For more call the Hartford Art of Living 860 249-1265. See ad on page 31.

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The Genetics and Biochemistry of Depression: A Nutrigenomics Approach - Part One By Jessica Pizano

or some, everything about the day is difficult. From getting up in the morning to interacting with friends, family, and colleagues to doing everyday work and activities can be painful. Energy levels may be low, motivation even lower, and a general sense of pain may seem to accompany everything in life. This type of depression is ruled by decreased levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. For others, depression may not feel this way at all. On a day-today basis you may be excited to visit with friends and family, eat at that wonderful new restaurant, or go on vacation. And yet, none of it brings you any pleasure. In fact, you may try to eat lots of foods you crave, drink more alcohol, or even indulge in riskier behaviors including drugs. Why, you might ask? Well, this is a different type of depression that is ruled by our reward system neurotransmitter dopamine. Unfortunately, it never seems to bring you the pleasure you so desperately crave. Often, regardless of which type of depression you may feel (if not a combination of both), you ask yourself over and over again, “Why do I feel this way?” Treatment for depression certainly varies. Some choose to hire a therapist to try and work through their difficulties. Medications including serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft are often common treatments. Unfortunately, many do not have full recovery from depression, have no improvements at all, or suffer endless medication side effects including weight gain, loss of libido, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, and diarrhea. Others choose a more natural approach to SSRIs such as St. John’s Wort or targeted amino acid therapies where the protein precursors to neurotransmitters are taken to try and bolster production. For others, the depression is ignored altogether to avoid the embarrassment of admitting that something is even wrong. Unfortunately, even in this modern era, mental illness is often not spoken of and can carry a stigma. The first thing that I explain to anyone who comes into my office with depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, or other mental illness is that it is a biochemical problem and not a personality problem. These issues require early treatment because the longer the problem lasts, the harder it is to fix due to brain plasticity. These days we hear of brain plasticity in regards to preventing age-associated dementia primarily. However, it is also involved in everything we do. In fact, our brain gets quite good at doing whatever we ask of it. This could be studying for school, building budgets, writing, computer programming, or playing an instrument. The more we do something the better we become. This, unfortunately, also holds true for depression. If you are depressed for a week or even a few months it is something that may be relatively easy to recover from. The longer the time you are depressed for, the harder it is to find happiness again. I have known individuals who have been depressed for a lifetime who cannot even remember what happiness 22

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feels like. They may even feel a sense of guilt when they finally feel happy for the first time. In the end, the best way to understand and approach depression and other neurotransmitter disorders is by understanding the biochemistry and genetics that can cause these issues. While certainly the science may scare many, understanding the basics is well within your reach.

Biochemical Pathways In biochemistry, various neurotransmitters are synthesized (produced) in a pathway. The interesting part of this is that no one pathway works in isolation. It is much more akin to looking at cogs in a machine. One cog spins in one direction and influences another cog’s rotation. Within each pathway we have substrates which serve as the ingredients in a neurotransmitter’s recipe. Along the way these substrates require enzymes to speed up the process. These enzymes require cofactors (often vitamins and minerals) to work effectively. A combination of sufficient substrates, enzymes, and cofactors will result in the product—the neurotransmitter. These pathways are quite interconnected. Often one pathway produces a product that becomes a substrate in a subsequent pathway. As a particular pathway struggles to function from a less than efficient enzyme, a substrate that is inadequate or a missing cofactor, it will affect the other pathways that it crosses. From a practitioner’s perspective this biochemistry should be incredibly important because it may be influenced by everything from diet and medications to genetics. For example, perhaps you decide to try a juice fast only to find that you suddenly are depressed. In this case, you may be experiencing a sudden drop in protein levels. Proteins break down into amino acids in the body and amino acids such as tryptophan are required for serotonin synthesis. Additionally, all enzymes are made up of various proteins and production can slow when dietary protein intake is low. In a different scenario, maybe you stop taking a multivitamin. Falling off the wagon of taking supplements can happen to anyone. Again, over time you may also begin to experience depression. This is because you now have insufficient vitamins or minerals to act as cofactors in a pathway.

A Genetic Primer For many, the problem is one of genetics. For every enzyme used in a pathway there are genes that provide the information to produce it. Whenever we discuss genetics it is important to know that we each receive half of our genetics from our mother and half from our father (called an allele). Each allele is either the wild type (meaning it is the usual variation and functions fully) or it contains a genetic polymorphism called a mutation). This means your genetics

may either contain two wild type alleles, a wild type and a mutation (heterozygous) or two mutations (homozygous). Some polymorphism can be protective and others can cause issues for us. There are two very important things to realize about genetics. First, just because you have a genetic mutation does not mean that it is active. It requires an environmental influencer to activate it. This is called epigenetics. This influence might be a bacterial or viral infection, excessive stress, or poor lifestyle choices. This explains why you might be fine for many years only to have depression develop suddenly. The second important thing to think about with genetics is that an enzyme is rarely completely missing. Usually the enzyme will still function, but at a fraction of full strength. I like to demonstrate this via a traffic analogy. With two wild type alleles, the traffic in a three lane highway flows normally. Cars move easily along the road and there are no traffic backups. With a heterozygous mutation, one lane may be shut down. The traffic still moves, but there are delays. Finally in a homozygous mutation, two out of three lanes are shut down. This results in quite a traffic jam. Sure there are some cars getting through, but they are moving at a snail’s pace. Genetic polymorphisms may be overcome by providing more substrate (often as in specific amino acids in targeted amino acid therapies) and cofactors (vitamins and minerals). Unfortunately, it is not usually as simple as looking at one isolated gene in one isolated pathway. Don’t miss next month’s issue to learn more about these pathways, and how a nutrigenomics practitioner can then use the genomic analysis to determine the status of the genes that can influence your health. Jessica Pizano is the owner of Fit to You, LLC, which offers personalized training programs and nutrition/health counseling. Her concentrations include genetics and nutrigenomics, general health and fitness, weight loss, food allergies/sensitivities, autoimmune disease, post-rehabilitative work, training/nutrition for medical conditions, obesity intervention, pre- and post-natal exercise and nutrition, and Pilates. A certified personal trainer and a corrective exercise specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, she is also certified in mat Pilates through PHI Pilates and earned her Clinical Exercise Specialist and Longevity Wellness Specialist through the American Council on Exercise. She is completing a master’s degree in human nutrition that emphasizes functional medicine at the University of Bridgeport. She may be contacted at (860) 321-7234 or online at www.fittoyouct.com. See ad on page 9.

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Think Yourself Thin!

ell, it’s that time of year again. The holiday season is over; life is getting back to normal and, like most people, your New Year’s resolution and motivation to finally end the struggle with your weight probably came to a disappointing and screeching halt, again. You may be unhappy with your reflection in the mirror but yet still not able to gather the willpower to end the sabotaging, out of control behavior preventing you from losing that excess weight. Unfortunately, you’re not alone. Like most people, you probably know what to do to lose the weight. You may have the best of intentions to stop eating those sweets or starchy carbs and really begin that “diet” on Monday! We all know diets don’t work!!! You know the right foods to eat…but something usually stops you from following through with the plan. Your motivation and willpower suddenly disappear! Sometimes it feels as though there is a good angel and bad angel on your shoulder and the bad angel is winning! Cravings, emotional eating, portion sizes and out of control behaviors often get the best of us …we give in and then we give up. There is good news for those who want to combat obesity, gain control and lose weight. Hypnosis is an easy, natural, relaxing and successful solution to lose weight without dieting. Imagine… being able to stop weight loss sabotage simply by relaxing in a large, comfortable, leather recliner ….. close your eyes and listen to soft music and the gentle sound of the ocean as a trained Hypnotist guides you into relaxation. With practically no effort at all you drift into a dreamy, drowsy state of peaceful relaxation while your subconscious mind accepts the positive suggestions for the changes you want to make. It may sound too good to be true but Hypnosis works!

Self-Sabotage and Emotional Eating The subconscious mind is very much like a computer and, unfortunately, it may be running old or defective programs! Many of us have developed unhealthy relationships with food over the years. We eat when we’re sad, angry, lonely, stressed and even when we are happy. Many of us have developed the habit of overeating and using food to satisfy emotional issues that we may often confuse with our appetite. This habit can gain strength and power over the years to become an automatic response the subconscious uses to address any stressful situation or event. We may find ourselves overeating to satisfy our emotional “hunger” to feel better. We’ve learned to use food as a drug to modify our feelings and emotions. Consciously we try over and over again to stop that sabotaging behavior but fail miserably blaming ourselves for our lack of ability and willpower. We diet and deprive ourselves and become more and more unhappy. Many people “diet” themselves to weigh over 300 lbs. It’s not your fault. Studies have shown that the sub-conscious mind manages over 90% of our behaviors. It doesn’t 24

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even make sense that we can change something on a conscious level when the subconscious is in charge! It’s obvious that simply using willpower and motivation is just not enough. Therefore, if you want to change a habit or modify behavior it can naturally and easily be changed by using Hypnosis.

What is Hypnosis? It is a well-established fact that hypnosis, also known as therapeutic hypnosis, can be used as an effective tool for everything from weight loss and smoking cessation, behavior modification, success and motivation, healing and even pain control. Many other problems such as fears, phobias, pain, insomnia, poor study, memory or learning habits and self-esteem issues are commonly helped through the use of hypnosis. Hypnosis is widely recognized by scientists and researchers as a very safe, natural and enjoyable state of deep physical and emotional relaxation. The ethical use of hypnosis is seen in a variety of fields, including medicine, dentistry, law enforcement, professional sports, self-improvement, behavioral modification as well as education and can improve a wide spectrum of conditions, challenges and issues. It can help to alleviate negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs as well eliminate the emotional and psychological blockages preventing one from accomplishing personal goals. Hypnosis is not “sleep” but simply a very natural, calm and tranquil state of conscious awareness. During a hypnosis session a trained hypnotist uses specific suggestions to guide you into a comfortable state of deep relaxation. Traditionally, while in this peaceful state, one becomes more focused and actually has a heightened sense of awareness. During hypnosis the natural endorphin and serotonin levels of the body are increased. As this occurs, the conscious portion of the mind, which is critical and analytical, is temporarily suspended or bypassed. The hypnotic induction simply helps the client to become more directed and relaxed thereby making the transition from conscious awareness to subconscious awareness. In this state, the subconscious mind can easily accept the suggestions for change to benefit the individual.

Traditional Therapeutic Hypnosis vs the Virtual Gastric Band Program for Weight Loss It’s always wonderful to have a choice. Now you can choose to use traditional therapeutic Hypnosis which has been successful in helping lose weight and change behavior for many, many years or the new and very exciting Virtual Gastric Band hypnosis program. Traditional therapeutic hypnosis usually focuses on suggestions to avoid certain foods as well as portions and exercise and is recorded on CD for use at home. The number of sessions varies depending upon the client’s need and weight loss goals.

The Virtual Gastric Band HypnosisTM weight loss program is an amazing new procedure that is a healthy and natural alternative to weight loss surgery. This five session program replicates the natural response of surgery without going under the knife. The subconscious mind is given suggestions that the stomach is much smaller, the size of a golf ball, as if the gastric band were surgically installed. The suggestions prevent over-eating and encourage smaller portion sizes resulting in measurable reduction of body fat and inches. Both the traditional and Virtual Gastric Band hypnosis programs are equally successful but simply vary in their approach toward the desire changes. Client weight loss varies from person to person based on their activity levels and motivation but most experience profound changes in eating habits and food choices as they begin to reduce clothing sizes and lose weight. Most people begin to feel better, more positive and empowered to lose weight at their very first session.

Offer Expires 1/31/15

All Change Begins With the Mind Anyone who has made a personal commitment to change behavior or improve their health and life realizes how difficult it can be to institute and maintain regular and positive improvements and responses for wellness in today’s hectic and chaotic world. Hypnosis has proven to be an effective, safe method to create the healthy and positive changes needed to naturally lose weight, without dieting, without deprivation and without surgery. Hypnosis can naturally help empower you to overcome the mental or emotional obstacles preventing you from living life to its fullest. Diane Bahr-Groth, CH, TFT-Adv, Director of Mind-Body Transformation Hypnosis Center in Stamford, CT with more than 23 years of experience in Mind-Body therapy, is a registered Consulting Hypnotist, certified by and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists and certified in the Virtual Gastric Band Hypnosis Program. tm Diane specializes in fast, easy and effective holistic methods to help establish healthy eating, weight reduction, smoking cessation, stress reduction, pain reduction, success and motivation, sports performance, public speaking, fear and phobia elimination as well as assisting clients in effective life changing methods and programs. For more information call 203 595-0110 or go to www.mindbodytransformation.com. See ad on page 25.

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ComeVisit Us At... 355 New Britain Road Kensington, CT 06037 Phone: (860) 829-0707 Dr. Ann Aresco

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Ann Aresco, ND • Helene Pulnik , ND LAc • Justin Roth, DC ProNaturalPhysicians.com • ProNaturalPhysicians@comcast.net www.NaturalNutmeg.com

Harmful Ingredients in Household Cleaning Products

our everyday cleaning and laundry products contain a combination of many toxic chemicals. Rarely will you find an ingredient list on the packaging, because it is not required by Federal Law. This means manufacturers can use toxic chemicals that may cause many health problems; asthma attacks, skin rashes, endocrine disorders, eye irritation, chemical burns, toxic overload, and cancer, to name a few! You can learn something about a product’s hazard by reading the label. Most labels will bear a word, such as DANGER, WARNING, POISON or CAUTION, which will indicate the product’s toxicity. Eliminating known toxic ingredients from your lifestyle will give you an excellent start in creating a healthier life and a cleaner and safer environment. 1. Ammonia: Vapors may irritate the skin, eyes, throat, and lungs. Ammonia may also cause kidney and liver damage. Found in window cleaners, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, bathroom cleaners, oven cleaners, stainless-steel cleaners, car polish, and all-purpose cleaners. 2. MEA (monoethanalomine), DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine): Hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates. A skin, eye and respiratory irritant. Found in liquid laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, car wash products, degreasers, dish soap, oven cleaners, and glass and surface cleaners. 3. Phthalates: A common fragrance ingredient in products. Phthalates are suspected endocrine disrupters associated with reproductive effects, including reduced sperm count in men. Found in laundry detergents, fabric softeners, deodorizers, glass cleaner, floor polishes, and air fresheners.

4. Sodium dichloroisocyanurate dehydrate: Corrosive, severe eye, skin and respiratory irritant. It can also form chlorine gas, which will burn the eyes, nose and mouth. Studies have found that high doses of this chemical cause kidney damage. Found in toilet bowl cleaners, deodorizers, surface cleaners, and disinfectants. 5. Sodium hydroxide: Highly corrosive; can burn the eyes, skin and lungs and is a respiratory irritant. Long-term exposure in the air may lead to ulceration of the nasal passages and chronic skin irritation. Found in oven cleaners, bathroom cleaners, disinfectants, drain openers, and toilet bowl cleaners. 6. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES): SLS and SLEA are detergents that pose a serious health threat. Found in: dish soap, liquid laundry detergents, cleaning towelettes, toilet bowl cleaners, garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, body washes, and shampoos. 7. Triclosan: Synthetic antibacterial that is toxic and a suspected endocrine disrupter that can mimic or interfere with the function of hormones. There is concern that its extensive use in consumer products is contributing to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Found in dish soaps, disinfectants, hand washes, wipes, dental care, toys, etc. 8. Phenols: Extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption through the lungs or skin can cause central nervous system damage, pneumonia, respiratory problems, kidney and liver damage, numbness, vomiting and a be fatal. Found in air fresheners, solvents, detergents, furniture polish, all-purpose cleaners, and aerosol disinfectants. Submitted by Dale Schock, CEO and Owner of AlphaZelle LLC, a 10 year old company. Specializing in Natural, Organic and Toxin-Free Pure Home, Pure Pet, Pure Baby and Pure Basic Personal Care Products. For more information please call 973-288-1971 or visit www. alphazelle.com. See ad on page 37.         

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January 31, 2015

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

                   

  

Ask yourself: • Am I ready to open up and accept who I really am? • Am I willing to activate my soul purpose and act on it? • Am I able to take the steps needed to change my story and move forward? Call me to start your journey with an inner/outer "you" LifesPath™ alignment assessment. You will see where your gaps are and what chasms you may have created that keep you from having the joyﬁlled and abundant life you know you were meant to live.

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If you answered yes to these questions you are ready to take action and go from surviving to thriving in your life.

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Green Up Your Guest Room Five Affordable Ways to Create a Cozy, Healthy Guest Bedroom

his holiday season, when loved ones come to stay the night, treat them to the gift of good health with a green guest room. Since the average adult spends about one-third of each day in bed, guests will probably enjoy a significant portion of their visit tucked away in the guest room. And what should be a time of rest and rejuvenation for the mind, body and immune system is often the opposite as modern bedrooms—from the Master to the guest room—have become a nightmare of airborne allergens and off-gassed toxins. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors, leading to physical ailments from asthma and headaches to respiratory disease and cancer. The biggest boogeyman in the boudoir is the conventional mattress, typically made with oil, polyester, polyurethane foam, flame retardants and chemicals. Replacing a conventional mattress with an organic or all-natural option will make an immediate and long-term difference—but it’s a significant investment, especially for the guest room. So here are five additional (and more affordable!) ways to clean up and green up the guest room with items found on thecleanbedroom. com: 1. Mattress Topper: A pure wool, latex, cotton innerspring or natural rubber mattress topper provides a barrier of protection from a conventional mattress, and offers extra cushioning, soft comfort and additional pressure point relief. And it’s very easy to use: A topper goes right on top of the mattress itself and then the mattress pad and fitted sheet go over both the topper and the mattress, holding the topper in place. Tip: Mattress toppers can be easily rotated and help to add longevity to the mattress. 2. Pillows: The pillow and the mattress/mattress topper work in tandem to create an ideal sleep scenario. Choose pillows made with organic cotton or natural rubber (97% natural latex) for superior support and protection from dust mite allergens, (which is great if guests have allergies or asthma). Go a step beyond and offer guests their choice of pillows—other options include buckwheat hulls, for the ultimate in neck support, and wool, which is best at wicking away moisture. Tip: Remember to replace pillows every two years for continued correct support.

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

3. Bedding: There’s really nothing like sinking into an inviting bed at the end of the day, and guests will notice—and appreciate—the soft, gentle fibers found in natural and organic bedding. Unlike man-made materials raised and processed with chemicals, eco-friendly bedding provides greater comfort and breathability. In addition, organic blankets and pure wool comforters are warm and cozy without overheating. Tip: According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s important to wash bedding in hot water at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit to kill dust mites. 4. Air Purifier: Breathing clean air is of great benefit to overall health. Choose an air purifier that uses HEPA filtration, which eliminates 99.97% of all particles three microns in size or larger, making a difference that’s immediately noticeable. Tip: For truly miraculous results, invest in a hospital-grade unit; as this is the kind of item that can be easily moved around the house, it’s an investment worth making for its continued use outside the guest room, in places like the den or office. 5. Fresh Air: The EPA and the National Lung Association recommend regularly opening windows to recycle the air, and adding a window guard to block pollen, dust and dirt particles from entering the guest room. Tip: An unmade bed allows the bedding to air out and breathe—so consider this permission for guests not to make the bed every day. Don’t let guests have all the green fun! Any and all of these items are certainly at home in the Master bedroom, nursery and toddler/teen room—and the dorm room as well. And pets will certainly appreciate an organic bed of their own, too. Chris Chamberlin is co-founder and co-owner of The Clean Bedroom, the country’s premier resource for allergy-free, eco-friendly mattresses, bedding and accessories. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, The Clean Bedroom has sleep showrooms in Greenwich, CT, Wellesley, MA, Portland, ME, Kittery, ME, New York, NY, Santa Monica, CA and Austin, TX, where customers can test-drive (or test-nap!) an organic mattress. Online, on the phone and in each showroom, the company’s trained organic mattress specialists help match customers with their ideal mattress, without pressure or marketing hype. For more information, visit TheCleanBedroom.com or call 207-438-9778. See ad on back cover.

SELF

Tonya Pasternak, ND

Top Ten Health Checklist

he New Year traditionally brings new life goals, many of which revolve around health. Unfortunately, as time goes by, motivation dwindles and life stressors add up, making it easy to fall off track. The following Top Ten Health Checklist will help you stay on track and make your health a priority, all year round. 1. Document Your Medical History and Medications • The easiest way to accurately recall your past medical history is by keeping an up-to-date document. You can start this document at any time, and record all past medical events, such as major infections, traumas, accidents, surgeries and so on. Additionally, it is a good idea to record medications used in the past and present, as well as any adverse effects. Bring this document to your visit with any new provider, and continue to add any new medically relevant information. 2. Establish a Primary Doctor • Having a doctor who knows you well makes it easier from him/ her to recognize changes in your health. Additionally, it makes it easier to get help when you need it, because you already know where to seek medical attention. 3. Be Up-To-Date on Medical Screenings • Screening guidelines are often based on age, gender, and medical history, and include tests such as levels of cholesterol and blood sugar, mammograms, colonoscopies, and eye exams. It is important to be up to date on such screening tests in order to catch potential health complications before they progress. 4. Know Your Family Medical History Having this information allows providers to note conditions that you may be predisposed to. Your family’s medical history may also place you in different categories for your required screening guidelines which can help prevent progression of disease.

as to be sure you are not doing anything that may be harmful. If you do not currently have an exercise routine, your doctor is a great resource for determining the best way to get started. 8. Housecleaning • While not everybody is a so-called clean freak, it is important to periodically do a thorough house cleaning. Dust and dirt in places like carpets can contain harmful chemicals tracked in from the outside. This is also a good time to make sure fire detectors have batteries, electrical outlets are intact, water filters are changed, and cleaning products and medications are safely stored. If mold is a potential issue, this is a good time to assess for water damage or mold. 9. Prioritize Things Important to You • Don’t forget or underestimate the health implications of your mental and emotional state. These two areas can be the easiest to neglect during busy or stressful times. Make time for the things in life that matter to you; alone time, time with loved ones, getting out in nature, enjoying art, cooking, or whatever is important to you. Although it sometimes feels impossible to make time for the things we enjoy, you may find that you feel rejuvenated by doing so, thus strengthening your ability to deal with daily life stressors when faced with them. 10. Take Care of Yourself • Similarly to making time for things you enjoy, make sure to care for yourself. You can be of most assistance to those who need you if you are in good health. It is easier to stay on top of keeping yourself well than to try to fix any damage down the road.

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5. Review Supplements • Many people take numerous supplements, oftentimes without medical supervision. While many supplements are harmless, some can be detrimental when taken together or with certain medications. It is a good idea to bring all your supplements to an appointment to have your provider review the efficacy and safety of what you’re taking. 6. Have a Dietary Assessment Performed • People’s diets can change dramatically over the years. Many people eat a standard American diet, while others follow specific types of diets. The big picture is that not everyone is meant to eat the same types of food. An individualized dietary assessment can help determine to the right foods for you. 7. Review Your Exercise Plan • Exercise is similar to diet in that it is best when customized. Review your current exercise routine with your doctor to make sure you are getting the most out of the work you are putting in, as well

Cheers to a happy and healthy New Year! Dr. Tonya Pasternak is a board certified naturopathic physician with a family practice in Manchester, CT. For an appointment with any of the physicians at Connecticut Natural Health Specialists, LLC please call (860)533-0179. See ad on page 23.

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INSPIRE

By Kristen Werblow, MA

Who’s in control? You or your mind?

ave you ever noticed how active your mind can be? A mental companion lives in our heads, often chattering away incessantly. Unfortunately, at times this voice is impossible to silence. When it is not serving us well, it can be bothersome and even destructive. Imagine someone standing by your bedside talking on and on while you are trying to sleep. What would you do? You’d probably say, “Please go away.” Why then do we not learn how to control the voices within our minds, so that we can silence them when we choose to? This activity in the mind can take us over and run our lives. It can cause us to have a good day or a bad day, depending on if the thoughts are positive or negative, constructive or destructive. This voice is often stuck in either the past or the future. Many times it seems there is no way to control the madness of it. Imagine what happens to the body of the marathon runner who does not find any rest after a long, long run. When our minds run on without rest, how does this affect our well-being? Thank goodness we humans have minds and thoughts. Our minds are useful, resourceful, and sometimes catalysts for brilliance. If the mind takes total control of us, however, we cannot access our full potential. Oceans of thought drown out the possibilities for reaching our higher selves as well as the wisdom and guidance that lies within.

The Observer If the mind is a voice, then who is the listener? Who is actually listening to the thoughts in the mind? The listener is the magnificent spiritual being who is living the human experience, in which the mind plays an important part. When you become more aware of yourself as a listener and observer of your mind, you develop your ability to move into the self-empowering position of control. You begin to recognize your thoughts as energy, and this consciousness takes over as your real inner guide.

Letting Go We learn to quiet the mind when we need to in order to enhance our own human experience. In truth, we gain control by letting go. The true essence of us is love, stillness, and wellbeing. As we build a relationship between our true essence and our mind, it becomes easier to allow negative emotions and thoughts to flow through us instead of remain within us. This is the art of letting go. We can experience a rainbow of emotions and learn to watch them flow through us. Becoming the observer of the mind and maintaining the awareness of our true essence is the key to ultimately putting us in control of our lives.

Steps to Create Stillness in the Mind 1. Become an Observer Right now, try this exercise. State your name in your mind. Now pay attention and wait for your next thought. Be aware of the listener and also the space of stillness as you wait for your next thought. You may find that it takes longer than you think to start thinking again. You may experience a gap, a stillness within. You are now tuning into an awareness that you may not have experienced before. Recognizing this is the beginning of being a conscious observer. 2. Meditate When a person meditates, they tune into the higher frequencies of their being. This is a great time to notice the mind slowing down or even stopping for a while. Through the practice of meditation and being an observer, the mind will naturally begin to create more space between the words and stories that are told. A consistent meditation practice can do wonders for the active mind.

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Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

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3. Tune into the Physical Reactions from the Mind

Give Them What They Want!

Begin to notice the correlation between what you are feeling and what you are thinking. If you are worrying or angry, what are your thoughts and feelings in the body? Your goal is to maintain a balanced state of being. Practice the three above steps and tune in to the stillness that lies between your words and thoughts. By doing this, you will likely experience a shift in consciousness and vibration that can change your life. Give it a try and experience the shift for yourself.

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Kristen Werblow, M.A. is a Certified Life Coach. To understand exactly how to gain control over your mind and develop a relationship with your higher self, contact Kristen at: Kristen@balancedlivingnow.com, visit her website at www.balancedlivingnow.com or call 860-707-0908. See her ads on page 11, 36.

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Green Tea - A Powerful Protector

ou may know that green tea is healthy to drink, but do you know why? Even if you don’t like its somewhat bitter taste, once you understand the potential of green tea to guard against so many diseases, you may decide to learn to like it!

What Is Green Tea? All non-herbal tea is produced from a plant called Camellia sinensis. Processing methods distinguish the four main tea varieties, green, black, white, and oolong. Green tea is made from unwilted, unfermented, minimally-oxidized leaves that are either roasted (Chinese) or steamed (Japanese). Substantial clinical evidence suggests it is the healthiest choice, due to its high concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols make up 30-40% of green tea, versus only 3-10% of black tea. The polyphenols in tea are classified as catechins, and of the eight catechins in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, crosses the blood brain barrier and is the most active. Antioxidants are known to neutralize free radicals, which contribute to the aging process and the development of numerous health problems by damaging DNA, and damaging and killing cells. Green tea catechins scavenge oxygen-free radicals, restoring cells to health and reducing inflammation. Since inflammation underlies so many age-related afflictions, green tea appears to have numerous applications in preventing disease.

Clinical Support for Disease Prevention Green tea is known for its potential to protect against some of the most common and threatening diseases in the United States. Some of these are discussed below.

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Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Green tea consumption is associated with a 54% reduction in the risk of developing cognitive decline. A progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder, AD eventually causes memory and speech loss, diminished motor skills, and death. It results from the slow development in the brain of amyloid plaques, tightly bound, misfolded protein sheets that ultimately damage and destroy brain neurons and cells. The FDA has approved five drugs for AD, but they only partially and temporarily (for about 6-12 months) treat some of the symptoms, and only for about half of the patients who take them. (www.alz.org) Scientists have found that, through at least nine mechanisms, green tea appears to reduce neurodegeneration and protect against AD by: (1) preventing formation of amyloid plaques (Mol Neurobiol, 2013 Dec); (2) breaking down existing amyloid plaques by disrupting early- and late-stage aggregation processes (Neurotherapeutics, Jul 2013); and (3) promoting the production of new neurons (neurogenesis) in the adult hippocampus (Mol Nutr Food Res, 2012 Aug), the area of the brain responsible for converting memories from short- to long-term.

Cancer According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), clinical studies support the conclusion that green tea polyphenols help kill cancer cells and may play an important role in cancer prevention. The conservative National Cancer Institute (NCI) maintains that clinical and epidemiological studies of the connection between green tea and cancer prevention or risk reduction are inconclusive. NCI nevertheless recognizes that tea catechins are antioxidants “whose biological activities may be relevant to cancer production, Green tea has proven in animal and human studies to be protective in connection with these and other cancers: (1) Blood (leukemia) (Mayo Clinic Study, Blood. 2004 Aug); (2) Breast (Int J Oncol. 2004 Mar); (3) Lung (reduced tumor multiplicity and angiogenesis, Nutr Cancer, 2004;48(1)); (4) Prostate (Curr Opin Urol. 2004 May) (Cancer Res. 2006 Jan); and (5) Skin (Cancer Lett. 1999 Jul).

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) High Cholesterol: Decades of human studies have demonstrated a correlation between green tea consumption and lower levels of cholesterol, one risk factor for CVD. (see Japan Prev Med, Jul 1992). One human clinical study found: (1) men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than those who do not; (2) green tea lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol; and (3) green tea enhances the ratio of LDL to HDL (“good” cholesterol. (J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Jun)

Atherosclerosis: Using a purified form of EGCG, researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Atherosclerosis Research Center examined the effects of green tea on new and established atherosclerotic plaque in mice with high blood cholesterol. While the EGCG significantly reduced new plaque formation, it did not impact pre-existing aortic plaques. One of the researchers thus concluded that antioxidant therapy could have therapeutic benefits if initiated during a critical window early in the formation of plaque. (Circulation, 2004 May)

Detoxification & Obesity Michael Crinnion, ND, states in his book Clean, Green & Lean (2010) that green tea and cruciferous vegetables are the two most powerful liver-supporting foods. He reports that green tea: (1) helps the body release fat from storage; (2) promotes the liver’s ability to clear toxins from the blood; and (3) helps fat-soluble toxins leave the body with the stool. According to Crinnion, “no other natural compound has such profound power over these toxins that are so reluctant to leave our bodies.” Both its detoxifying effect and the caffeine it contains render green tea a potent weapon against obesity. In one study, 76 moderately obese men and women took either a placebo or a green tea extract containing 270 mg of EGCG and 150mg of caffeine. High caffeine intake was associated with weight loss through thermogenesis, fat oxidation, and suppressed leptin in women (leptin is the master hormone secreted by adipose (fat) tissue that controls hunger and satiety; higher leptin levels correlate with higher weight). (Obes Res. 2005 Jul).

Osteoporosis Research has suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) and reduced fracture risk is positively associated with tea consumption, which may optimize bone health. Specifically, green tea appears to benefit bone health more than other kind of tea, possibly due to its ability to decrease oxidative stress, increase activity of antioxidant enzymes, and decrease expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. (Nutr Res. Jul 2009)

Forms, Dosage & Precautions Organic green tea, either caffeinated or decaffeinated, is the ideal choice. High-quality liquid and encapsulated extracts also are available, which provide green tea compounds standardized to as high as 45% EGCG (325 mg/pill) and 98% polyphenols (710 mg/ pill). It has been shown that powdered green tea extracts absorb 60%-90% better into the bloodstream and are thus far more bioavailable than drinking green tea. (Am J Clin Nutr 2004 Dec) Depending on the brand, a cup of green tea can contain 50-150 mg polyphenols. According to the UUMC, daily consumption of 2-3 cups of green tea (providing 240-320mg of polyphenols), or 100 750 mg of standardized green tea extract, is recommended. While time-honored green tea is generally safe, those sensitive to caffeine or diagnosed with certain conditions (including hypertension, CVD, kidney or liver conditions, stomach ulcers, psychological/anxiety disorders, pregnancy/breastfeeding) should consider consuming it under the care of a holistic practitioner. Also, as with any herb, patients taking prescription drugs should confirm the absence of possible interactions or contraindication with green tea before including it in their diets. The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Unless otherwise stated herein or otherwise supported by specific research, the natural remedies discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Submitted by Michael Dworkin, P.D., M.S., a Registered Pharmacist and State Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CT Certification No. 232), with J. Erika Dworkin, Certified Lifestyle Educator and Board Cert. Holistic Nutrition (pending, owners of the Manchester Parkade Health Shoppe (860.646.8178), 378 Middle Turnpike West, Manchester, CT, (www.cthealthshop.com). Pharmacist Dworkin has been guiding patients since 1956 and is available for consultation by appointment. Erika is available to speak to groups. All statements in this article are research-based and references are available upon request. See ad on page 13.

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Soul Retrieval At Work Finding Meaning and Purpose at Work

By Lawrence Ford, AIF

omething is missing at our place of work, something is very wrong….and we know it. So many of us are sleepwalking to work each day feeling unmotivated, unfulfilled, unproductive, and un-empowered; work has lost any sense of meaning and enjoyment. Our passion is gone. We have become cynical and disengaged. A job has been reduced to a means of paying bills, something to get through, waiting until Friday…until retirement. At work, we have let ourselves be reduced to a utility, to be used for the highest level of productivity at the lowest cost, to pump the stock in order to line the pockets of the people controlling the game. We have lost our direction and our purpose, and consequently, a piece of our soul. Our corporations are paying for this loss and so are we. Becoming conscious around money involves being aware of our relationship with how we spend, invest and earn money. This month’s column is a call-to-action for you to retrieve your soul— your essence, meaning, and purpose—to awaken and once again feel connected to, and part of, something that has meaning and purpose, while earning money beyond the illusion, manipulation, separateness, and destruction of single-minded profit making that drives so many of us and our corporations today.

A Growing Problem Studies report that: • 80% of people are dissatisfied with their jobs. • The average person spends 90,000 hours at work over their life time. • There isn’t much job security. On average, Americans hold seven to eight different jobs before age 30. • More than 13 million working days are lost every year because of stress-related illnesses.

Making Money and Doing Something you Love Money, as we all know, has a huge effect on our lives. In my practice as a wealth manager, I help people make conscious and purposeful choices about how they earn, spend, and invest their money. Money is something we have made up, it is just a piece of paper to which we have given power. I have written about it in past columns and talked about how the invention of money has helped us achieve great things by facilitating trade and labor. But many of us have fallen into an addiction to or fear of money. And when it comes to the energy of earning money we are beginning to see the destructive results at home and abroad. “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

Those who have a lot of money have an increased potential to control and manipulate and those who have less have the potential to fall into the mindset of a victim. As the divide of wealth continues to increase, it is forcing many of us to find or hold on to a job that pays us enough to ‘get by,’ and is testing the character of those who have a lot of money; will they or won’t they resist the primal trigger to conquer through fear and control.

Passions, Dreams…and Work? For the majority of middle-class Americans, thinking about following our passions and dreams, doing something we love, and being true to ourselves is a luxury we don’t think we have. We spend more than half of our lives at work, and we still think this way? Many of us are working for corporations that lack any purpose beyond making a profit. The shamans would say that these corporations have lost a piece of their soul. Many of us find ourselves doing this out of fear or greed; fear that we may not be able to survive, or greed because we are addicted to our lifestyles and money (as I wrote about in my last column, “12 Steps to Money Rehabilitation”). Working without purpose, and the subsequent feeling of despair and hopelessness, is no way to live. This type of personal sacrifice can be admirable in a way, when we are doing it to feed our families, but is it necessary to sell our souls and abandon ourselves for the benefit of others? In the classic interview about The Hero’s Journey with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell, Campbell referred to the challenge of working with purpose and following our bliss as they talked about a man who would go to work each day on a subway train to a job that didn’t feed his soul, but took care of his family. And although he ‘lost a piece of himself” each day, he was sacrificing himself for his family. This story illustrates the challenge that many of us face. We can either ignore the ideal of working at a job that has a purpose beyond a paycheck, or demand to earn a living with purpose. Maybe we can have both? Maybe we deserve both.

The Cost - A Spiritual Perspective The shamans will tell you that sleepwalking through life creates a personal and societal hell. When we work for a company that’s only purpose is to make a profit, it eats at our souls, until one day we wake up and ask the question WHY? This form of waking can come in many different flavors but one of the most common arrives in the form of disease of the mind and body. Guess when most heart attacks happen in our country? Friday night? Wednesday evening? Monday morning? If you said Monday mornings you were right. Studies show that men are 20% and women 15% more likely to have a heart attack on Monday mornings.

‘Wake ups,’ or ‘initiations,’ give us a gentle tap, or a not so gentle slap, to remind us that there is more to life than the mindless march from A to B with an occasional C thrown in in the form of a vacation. The shamans and ancient wisdom keepers from all walks of life will tell you that when you awaken you can see your life for what it is, without any self-deception or illusion. From this state of consciousness you can see with clarity.

Honor Your Soul’s Mission You’re here for a reason. There is a purpose to life. Find the light inside you. Feed it, fire it up, and let it shine with abandon throughout the world; it will reflect upon you in ways unimagined. Your soul has a special song, a special vibration that is like a snowflake; no two are alike. Your job on this earth is to align your ‘being’ with your ‘doing.’ To a shaman, your soul is as real as your mind and body, and because of that it needs to be cared for. When our soul’s vibration is aligned with our physical existence, we are in authentic power. We are most powerful when we are on the path to recognizing the unique gift we have to share with the world.

When we continue to do things that are not in alignment with who we are we operate out of balance, like a car that bumps down the road because a tire is out of balance, or like a person walking around with a pebble in their shoe. Eventually these things eat at us. When I see a person in this state of unbalance it feels as though they are singing out of tune, and the more people who are living this way the more our world sounds like an entire chorus singing out of tune. The universe is subject to this noise and the ripple effect begins to subconsciously disturb the rest of us. The bees can’t find their way back to the hives and the oceans become dark and murky. When we live out of balance our soul is in a state of constant stress. We get sick and depressed and lose meaning and purpose. Be sure to pick up next month’s issue to learn more about how soul loss is related to how you earn money and how to find your way back to soulful work.

people with their investment and insurance needs since 1989. Lawrence Ford is a Registered Representative of INVEST Financial Corporation (INVEST), member FINRA/SIPC. Lawrence can be reached at: Lford@consciouscapitlawm.com or 860-659-8299. All expressions of opinion in this commentary reflect the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of INVEST. This commentary does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. INVEST does not offer tax and/or legal advice and it is strongly recommended you consult with your legal or tax professional for guidance on your particular situation. INVEST offers securities and is not affiliated with Conscious Capital Wealth Management, LLC. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite and Lawrence Ford of Conscious Capital Wealth Management, LLC. See ad on page 36.

Connecticut resident Lawrence Ford was dubbed the “Shaman of Wall Street” by the Washington Post – he lives in “both worlds”, the modern world of business and the ancient world of wisdom. Conscious Capital Wealth Management (formerly Ford Financial Group) has helped over 5,000

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The Kennebunkport Inn...Elegant, Stylish and the Perfect Location

ennebunkport is one of those places you’ll never forget and you can’t wait to experience again. Here in Connecticut, we think of Maine as being quite a distance, but it’s actually just 90 miles north of Boston. The area is a wonderful little corner of Maine where lobstermen still rule the sea, where hospitality takes on a new meaning as hotel and shop owners greet their visitors like long-lost friends, and where the nostalgia and charm of this seaside community take us back to simpler times. I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to stay than the Kennebunkport Inn, right in the heart of Dock Square and steps to all of the shopping and dining to your heart’s content. Built in the late 1890’s, the Inn was once a tea merchant’s mansion and still has the feel of being welcomed into someone’s lovely home as you walk through the large oak doors. Our room was a beautiful blend of nautical colors and the Cuddledown pillow top king size bed was one I could stay in forever! The shower was amazing with Speakman dual massage showerheads and marble bath appointments. But you have to leave your room to check out the One Dock restaurant which offers a tantalizing menu of tapas selections, signature martinis and unique wines. Don’t miss happy hour at the cozy Pub which is a local hot spot for nightly entertainment, featuring live local music. In summer months, lunch outdoors on the Patio or sip sunset cocktails on the sun terrace, overlooking the Kennebunk River and offering an outdoor fireplace for cozying up after dark. The small plate selections at One Dock are excellent and perfectly sized. We tried the bruschetta, with apple, acorn squash, pancetta, and curry aioli and the scallops with mustard spaetzle, corn, and confit carrot. Don’t miss the fish flautas with sour cream

and guacamolio and the sweet and spicy Brussels sprouts were a delicious new take on an old favorite. The cocktails are phenomenal and made with fresh, local ingredients. Being huge bourbon fans, we tried the Beach Rose with Blanton’s bourbon, vanilla beet syrup, citrus, soda and the KPI Old Fashioned with Blanton’s bourbon, black walnut bitters, maple simple syrup, and muddled fruit. Both were amazing! I’d also recommend the Scarlett O’hara with Blanton’s bourbon, apple/sage shrub, and soda. If you’re not familiar with shrub – it’s made from sweetened vinegarbased syrup, also known as drinking vinegar. Drinking vinegar is often infused with fruit juice, herbs and spices for use in mixed drinks. The acidity of the shrub makes it well suited as an apéritif or used as an alternative to bitters in cocktails. It’s definitely worth a try and a great place in Portland, ME to buy your own shrub is Vena’s Fizz House. Our second night we dined at David’s KPT in the beautiful Boathouse waterfront hotel. Acclaimed Portland chef, David Turin, opened David’s KPT in the spring of 2013, offering the creative, contemporary cuisine he’s known for. For starters, we had the baked goat cheese with a hazelnut-herb crust and grilled vegetables, frizzled leeks, drizzled with vanilla honey and fig vinegar…to die for! For dinner we had the Maine sea salt & pepper crusted Filet Mignon with Avocado “Green Goddess,” heirloom tomato and panzanella salad; and the Pepper crusted sushi rare tuna with sesamepeanut-soba noodles, Szechwan citrus sauce and sesame asparagus. Absolutely delicious! Kennebunkport is a place where everyone greets you with a smile. Be sure to make it a place you’ll visit soon. Locals and visitors

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Natural Nutmeg - January 2015

alike enjoy chowder contests, musical acts, sidewalk art shows and plenty of activities throughout the year. You can enjoy all of this during your wonderful, relaxing stay at The Kennebunkport Inn.

Don’t miss some of these great events coming up! Paint the Town Red for Valentine’s Day. February 1 through 28, 2015. Businesses and residences throughout the Kennebunks. Residents and visitors will be seeing red with lobster-centric Red Plate Specials at restaurants, romantic “Five Shades of Red” packages at local hotels, “Red Tag” sales at neighborhood boutiques and more. The “love-ly” happenings begin on January 31, when the community flips the switch to reveal a rose-colored town covered in red, twinkling lights. Winterfest. February 7, 2015. Various locations around the Kennebunks. Winterfest, a carnival-style occasion complete with sledding, snowman building and cocoa for the kids at White Columns, a chowder cook-off, talent show and ice sculptures, promises fun for the whole family in a real-life winter wonderland setting. Highlights will include a skating party at the brand new Waterhouse Center and an Ice Bar at popular downtown restaurant, One Dock. Maine Restaurant Week. March 1 - 14, 2015. Various participating restaurants throughout Maine. Maine Restaurant Week returns in March for the 6th year with delicious, budget-conscious meals at restaurants across the state. In addition to discounted prix-fixe meals, culinary events will highlight the local chefs, bakers, cooks and mixologists who have turned Maine into a culinary destination. The Kennebunkport Inn, One Dock Square, Kennebunkport, Maine. For more information, call 800.248.2621 or visit www.kennebunkportinn.com.

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HAPPENINGS Thursday, January 1st New Year’s Day Meditations with Priscilla Bengtson. 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. FREE. Welcome the New Year with a new view on life! Join in this guided meditation which will help you release old beliefs, habits and thought patterns and shift your energy to a new way of being. Space is limited and registration is required. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Saturday, January 3rd 7 Day Detox Workshop at West Hartford Yoga. Jan. 3, 2015: 11:15-12:30 pm; Jan. 10, 2015: 11:15-12:30 pm. $114. Shed those winter food habits, cleanse your system, increase your energy levels and put a spring your step! Detox and Cleanse in a supportive group environment. Guided cleanse led by Pauline Weissman, MS, CNS, Board Certified Nutrition Specialist. The workshop includes: • Education and step by step guidance, • Individualized coaching on how to conduct a safe and effective detoxification program, • Supportive materials including grocery lists, menu plans and recipes, • Optional supplement program at discounted prices. West Hartford Yoga, 23 Brook Street, WH. Jen@westhartfordyoga.com. 860-953-9642 Detox Flow Workshop. 1 - 4 pm. $55. Join Barbara Ruzansky, Studio Owner and Teacher Training Director, in this strong, accessible, transformative detox experience. Move through mental and physical barriers. Restore balance and vitality to your life. Strong All Levels practice, heated room. West Hartford Yoga, 23 Brook Street, WH. Jen@westhartfordyoga.com. 860-953-9642

Sunday, January 4Th Integrated Energy Therapy (IET)® Basic Level with Dan Lupacchino and Christine Cartwright. 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. $195.00. Learn IET® and attune to a powerful angelic energy ray that activates your 12-strand Spiritual DNA and then learn to heartlink to the energy of your angels and use their energy for healing. Fully illustrated training guide and certificate provided. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, January 9th Points of Light / Reignite Your Light with Passion. 7pm – 9pm. $30. Did your light dim? Do you feel like you lost your spark? Come dream and create with us. In this workshop, we will provide a beautiful, magical, safe space where your heart is sacred and hope springs eternal. Beverley Blass and Anne Murphy take you on a Magical journey home to you. Includes ceremony, ritual, writing,

Natural Nutmeg January - January2015 2015

January 2015 fun, laughter and tears. BevAni Transformation, 381 Hubbard St., Lower level, Glastonbury, Beverley Blass & Anne Murphy Call to reserve a place. 203-558-5468.

Saturday, January 10th Reiki Master/Teacher Certification with Jo Homar. 9:30am – 4pm. $375. Receive the Master Symbol attunement and learn to teach and attune others to all levels of Reiki. This is a one day class with a required internship assisting in Reiki I and II classes. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. For information call 860.202.8269 or visit www. bountifulblessingsct.com. Psychic Saturday. 10am – 4pm $25.00 for a 20-minute reading. Receive a private reading to connect you to guidance from your angels, spirit guides and loved ones. Check the web site for Readers. Pre-scheduling is highly recommended. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To pre-schedule an appointment, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, January 11th Integrated Energy Therapy (IET®) Steps to Transformation (Two days) with Jo Homar. 12pm – 5pm. $245. Also Jan 18th. This workshop is designed to create an environment of energetic expansion and personal transformation helping you heal your trauma without having to relive the drama or pain. You will learn to use sacred geometry, combined with special techniques to “get the issues out of your tissues for good.” The second class will be held on Sunday, January 18. Does not require any prior IET® experience. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. To register call 860.202.8269 or visit bountifulblessingsct.com. Reiki II with Christine Cartwright. 9am – 5pm. $160. Receive attunements to higher frequencies of universal energy and enhance your healing work. Learn how to do distance healing, as well as heal mental, emotional and past life issues. Participants receive a manual and certificate. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com. Women’s Empowerment Meditation. 10am – 12noon. $25.00. This guided meditation is specifically designed to the energy of the group. We invite in our angels and guides to help us release those things that keep us stuck. The energy of the group helps us to release those things that no longer serve our highest good and allow us to live an empowered life. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, January 13th Spiritual Awareness Workshop with Jo Homar. 6:30pm – 8pm. $40. Join us for an evening of spiritual awareness. This introductory workshop will include review and development of your four gifts of psychic ability including clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance through practice and meditation. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. To register call 860.202.8269 or visit bountifulblessingsct.com. Letting Your Heart Speak! Intuitive Artmaking. 6 Tuesdays, January 13- February 16. 5:30-8:30pm. $220. Sacred poetry provides creative prompts for our intuitive art-making in this group. Using multi-media art supplies & guided meditation we let go of the outcome and enjoy the journey of our unique creative expression. Facilitated by Elisabeth Moss BFA Certified Expressive Art Facilitator. To register, Call 860-550-0882. 12 Old Farms Rd. Avon, CT 06001. www.elisabethmoss. com.

Wednesday, January 14th Sharing The Journey-Women’s Artmaking Group. 8 weeks every other Wednesday. 5:30-8:30pm. January 14 thru April 22. $240. Support your artmaking practice in the quiet, creative atmosphere of women. Independently follow and develop your own expression. Facilitated by Elisabeth Moss BFA Certified Expressive Art Facilitator. To register and get more information, Call 860-5500882. 12 Old Farms Rd. Avon, CT 06001. www. elisabethmoss.com. Healing in Harmony Night. 5pm – 7pm. FREE. Stop by the center for a FREE healing service. Participants will sit individually with a healer and receive an 8 – 10 minute healing. No reservation required. You will be served in the order in which you enter the center. The healing services are offered one night each month. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. For more information, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Friday, January 16Th Meet your Angels and Guides with Priscilla Bengtson. 6:30pm – 9pm. $50. Receiving spiritual guidance is easier when you understand who you are connecting with. During this workshop you will learn about your primary spiritual guides and guardian angels. Through meditation, we will meet them and receive information from them on how they would like to work with you. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com. Reiki Trainings. Reiki Master and Massage Therapist, Tracy Lachmann is offering monthly Reiki Trainings. Fri. Jan. 16th - Level I - $150. Sat. Jan.

17th – Level II -$250. Sun. Jan. 18th - Level III $300. Level I &II - $350 Level I, II & III - $500. Class sizes are Limited. $50 deposit required to hold space. Reiki is an ancient healing art that is for beneficial for everyone! Trainings are fun and experiential. Diane Stein - Essential Reiki suggested mate¬rial. Please call Tracy to register or for more information 860-231-2273 or healingretreats@yahoo.com.

Saturday, January 17th Psychic Readings with Jo Homar. 10am – 1pm. $20 for 15 minute private reading. Receive guidance from your angels, guides, ascended masters and loved ones in spirit. Pre-scheduling is available or walk-in. If you’ve never had a mediumship reading before and want to know what it is all about, this is a great way to start. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. To pre-schedule an appointment call 860.202.8269 or visit www. bountifulblessingsct.com. Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory & Terminology Course with Laura Mignosa, NCCH. 9:30 - 4:30pm (28 CEU). Also Jan. 24, 25. $489.00. (May be a Stand Alone Class) *pre-requisite for Chinese Herbology Program to Start 4/18) This is a powerful course for anyone interested in the Differential Diagnosis of Traditional Chinese Medicine and it’s uses today. Through recognition of patterns, TCM describes disharmonies without diagnosing disease. This course also serves as the foundation on which our Chinese Herbology Intensive is built upon. Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies, 912 Corbin Avenue, New Britain, CT. 860-826(TCM)-2705. Laurachina@aol.com Facebook: lauramignosa.5.

Wednesday, January 21st Chakras with Jo Homar. 6:30pm – 8pm. $40 Join us for an evening of balancing your energy centers. This chakra balancing workshop will give you an understanding of your chakra system, what they are, what they do, and how they connect to certain emotions and physical ailments. A guided meditation will assist you in balancing your energy system. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. To register call 860.202.8269 or visit bountifulblessingsct.com. Gathering of Healers with Dan Lupacchino. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $20.00. A Gathering place for healing practitioners to share, socialize and recharge. As healers, we are often so focused on caring for others that we neglect ourselves. Share the gifts of healing energies with other practitioners in a safe, nurturing and fun environment. All healing modalities welcome if they can ﬁt in within the context of a Reiki treatment. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit healinginharmonycenter. com.

Friday, January 23rd

Sunday, January 18Th

Create your own Vision Board with Kim Gedney. 6:30pm – 8:30pm. $45 (supplies included). Do you know what you want to manifest for 2015? Gather in community to raise your vibration and put your goals and dreams for the year into a visual that will help you keep focused. Join Kim for a short meditation followed by time to create your own vision board. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Dr., Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Healing Angels of the Energy Field with Jennifer Johnson. 12pm – 5pm. $100.00. This class is for anyone who would like to increase their angel consciousness. By learning how to call upon the Integrated Energy Therapy® Healing Angels, you will be able to understand how each one represents a divine quality that touches your soul. Workbook and Certificate provided. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sexy Granny: Let It All Hang Out!!!!!! 7pm – 9pm. $30. It’s time to share! Sexy Grannies, Beverley Blass and Anne Murphy, invite all you sexy Grannies out there to join us as we to connect, gather and transform what it means to be holding ancient wisdom within this modern world today. Granny knows a lot more than you think. Honest, real conversations about everything. Come to the Table. BevAni Transformation, 381 Hubbard St., Lower level, Glastonbury. Beverley Blass & Anne Murphy. Call to reserve a place. 203-558-5468.

Tuesday, January 20Th

Saturday, January 24th

Healing with the Masters with Dan Lupacchino. 7pm – 8:30pm. $35.00. During these times of personal and global transformation the Ascended Masters wish to share important information about how to work and utilize light and consciousness to help ease, the mind, body, and spirit. Come for a fun and exciting guided meditation and light-body activation. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Intuitive Art-Making Retreat Saturdays. 10:304pm. $75. Retreat for a day. Relax and play with the language of your creative expression - using paint, collage & or mono-printing. Deepen connection to your intuition & creative language. Discover freedom to fly in your own way. Emerge refreshed! Facilitated by Elisabeth Moss BFA Certified Expressive Art Facilitator. To register, Call 860-550-0882. 12 Old Farms Rd. Avon, CT 06001. www.elisabethmoss.com

Mediumship Certificate Program - Level I with Priscilla Bengtson. 9:30am – 6pm. Also Jan. 25th. $325.00. Learn about the spirit world and how to connect with those energies residing there. Create a system for yourself to work with spirit energies so that you can be accurate every time. Whether you are using this knowledge for yourself or planning to read for others, this course will provide you with practical tools to improve your evidential mediumship. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www. healinginharmonycenter.com.

Sunday, January 25th Free Acupuncture Day. 10am – 2pm. Schedule an appointment to try a relaxing and rejuvenating acupuncture treatment in our community acupuncture clinic. Free, one-hour acupuncture treatments for all new patients. Many Rivers Community Acupuncture, 44 Bloomfield Avenue, Windsor. To schedule, please call (860) 683-0011 or visit www.manyriversacupuncture.com. Metamorphosis: A Bereavement Group with Jennifer Johnson. 5pm – 6pm. $10 donation will be given to Hospice. The purpose of this monthly group is to explore and understand the nature of loss, grief and recovery. It is for anyone who has experienced a loss in their life. You will learn about various stages of grief, better understand how people uniquely experience grief and loss and explore supportive coping strategies. Facilitator Jennifer Johnson is a certified Death Midwife/ Counselor. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Tuesday, January 27Th Money and the Law of Attraction. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $45. In this time of financial uncertainty, your relationship with money is critical to your personal and business financial future. Learn how to apply the principles of the Law of Attraction to your financial life. Gain an understanding of the limiting beliefs that may be blocking you from attaining abundance. Participants will take home practical tools to use every day to increase the flow of energy toward financial success. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

Wednesday, January 28Th Home Message Circle. 7pm – 8:30pm. $20.00. The session is open to anyone who wishes to practice their mediumship message delivery in a group. Your ability doesn’t matter as we are all here to get some practice and learn from each other. A group facilitator will help you stay on track with your message if needed. Held at The Healing in Harmony Center, 99 Citizens Drive, Glastonbury. To register, please call 860.430.9801 or visit www.healinginharmonycenter.com.

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HAPPENINGS Saturday, January 31st Integrated Energy Therapy (IET®), Advanced Level Certification with Jo Homar. 9:30am – 4pm. $215. The Advanced training includes attunement to the Advanced IET® energy ray which unlocks the 5th DNA pair and activates the energy of your soul’s purpose; the ability to do a “Soul Star” clearing to activate your soul’s purpose; use of the Heartnet process to manifest your dreams; use of the powerful energy wave technique to clear resistance; how to build Heartbeams to anchor angelic energy into the Earth. Held at Bountiful Blessings, LLC, 1177 Silas Deane Highway, 3rd Floor, Wethersfield. To register call 860.202.8269 or visit www.bountifulblessingsct.com. Basic Psychic Development. 9 – 6:30pm. An interactive workshop covering background information, symbol interpretation, pendulum use, psychometry, simple meditations, spirit realms, psychic ethics, psychic styles and more! No pre-requisites other than an open mind. Pre-registration/payment required. $85 includes manual. Contact Deb at woodfaeries@gmail.com. Presented by Deb McElroy Veilleux. Class held at: Woodfaeries Holistic Center, 24 West Road Suite #52, Ellington, CT. www.woodfaeries.com.

ONGOING Mondays Love Your Body, Know Your Mind, Connect to Spirit. 1st & 3rd Monday of each month, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. $20. Come~Connect~Explore~Play. Join us for meaningful conversation, deep listening and informational sharing. De-Stress in a beautiful environment, remembering the Magical. BevAni Transformation, 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury. Beverley Blass and Anne Murphy 203-558-5468 Call to reserve a place. Cleanse, Nourish, Build and Transform Your Body, Mind, and Spirit. 2nd & 4th Monday of each month, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. $20. Come be a part of our circle. Together, we will discover and explore together what it means to care for your body in a healthy way, engage your mind through spirit, and align all three. Just Be Centered, 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury. Beverley Blass 860-2061129 Call to reserve a place. Meditate Through The Madness. 6pm. Hosted by Torin Lee-Lewis. Call to confirm attendance 860467-6518. Fee: $10. Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd Marlborough, CT www.theocenter.net.

Tuesdays Acupuncture Happy Hours. 12-5pm. $30 minute sessions for $30.Community acupuncture in a small group setting. Dr. Miller uses points below the knees and elbows so just remove your shoes and socks, roll up your pant legs and sleeves and

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balance your body, mind and spirit. Call 860-4676518 or visit www.theocenter.net to reserve your spot. Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd Marlborough, CT. Relaxation Break. 12-6pm. Treat yourself to a relaxing or therapeutic Chair Massage. $1 per min. You decide how long. Walk-ins welcomed. Reservations accepted. Call 860-467-651o or visit www. theocenter.net to reserve your spot. Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd Marlborough, CT. Hyperbaric Oxygen Club Support Group at C4PT. 7pm. Cost is free. The benefits of Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen are far reaching. This Therapy raises the levels of oxygen in the blood plasma, resulting in higher amounts of oxygen delivered to the tissues, organs, & brain. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy appears to be effective at restoring cell function to tissue everywhere in the body—including the brain (stroke & TBI). We discuss the many benefits and learn how to use our self-serve unit. Please call Jim Cowles at 860. 649. 9600, Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Club Manager. More info a www.C4PT. org See us in the Library at C4PT 192 Hartford Rd Manchester, CT 06040 Women’s Empowerment Group. First Tuesday of Every Month. 6-7:20pm. Come gather with likeminded women who are motivated to raise their consciousness. Drawing from the law of attraction, mediation, and life coaching techniques, you will deepen your connection to who you truly are, experience powerful meditations, set intentions for your life, and evolve consciously. Limited seating. To register, please call: 860-707-0908 or email: kristen@balancedlivingnow.com 36 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin. 06037. $20, suggested donation Yoga. 6pm. Yoga classes. $7. Center for Progressive Therapies, 192 Hartford Road. Manchester, CT, 06040. 860-649-9600, programs@c4pt.org, www. c4pt.org.

Wednesdays Coffee With The Coach. 7am. Facilitated by Life Coach Torin Lee-Lewis. Learn ways to handle stress, navigate change and make each day count. Refreshments provided. Please call 860-467-6518 to confirm attendance each week. Fee: $10 Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd Marlborough, CT. www.theocenter.net.

Thursdays Community style Acupuncture. Sustainable Health & Wellness offers community-style acupuncture at just $20-25/session. Community acupuncture is offered every Tuesday and Thursday, and appointments can be requested online at www.SustainableHW.com.

Fridays Relaxation Break, 10-6pm.Treat yourself to a relaxing or therapeutic Chair Massage. $1 per minute. You decide how long. Walk-ins welcomed. Reservations accepted. Call 860-467-651o or visit Oneida Holistic Health Center 16 West Rd Marlborough, CT.

Yoga. 6pm. $7. Center for Progressive Therapies,192 Hartford Road. Manchester, CT 06040, 860-649-9600, programs@c4pt.org, c4pt.org. Nutrition for Health, Weight Loss & Diabetes at C4PT. 7pm. Cost - $10. Learn What to Consume, What to Avoid & Necessary Supplementation for a HEALTHY Diabetes changing & Cancer Free Life & how to avoid Inflammation, the aging response. Janice Messino facilitates this series who has earned a master’s degree from The Graduate Institute; integrative health & healing with a focus on nutrition. Call 860. 871. 4470 more info at www. C4PT.org.

Saturdays Introduction: Be the Healthiest YOU Program~ A Conscious Approach to Detoxification and Cleansing. 1st Saturday of each month, 10am – 12pm. $20. Come learn about our unique program to transition from unhealthy eating to Healthful Eating. Regain control of your life through a conscious approach to detoxification and cleansing on all levels. Beverley Blass will share her knowledge gained over the past 30 years in her work with clients around the world. Just Be Centered, 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury. Beverley Blass 860-206-1129. Call to reserve a place. Healthy Eating for the Whole Family. 1st Saturday of each month, 1:00 - 3:00 pm. $20. What does healthy eating look like? Chef Evan Andrew invites you to bite sized eating tips for your family from baby to Granny. Join him for a taste of health, transitioning over to wholesome foods. Just Be Centered, 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury Chef Evan Andrew 860-206-1129. Call to reserve a place. Yoga. 10:30am. $7 ,Center for Progressive Therapies,192 Hartford Road. Manchester, CT 06040, 860-649-9600, programs@c4pt.org, www.c4pt.org. All Levels Yoga. 8-9:15am. A flowing practice to move energy and create alignment in the body. Come start your weekend with a class on the farm and enjoy a respite from the pace of life. You will leave ready to enjoy your weekend feeling renewed and at ease. $15 drop in. Hidden Acres Yoga, 114 East Street North Granby, CT (860) 3715881, www.hiddenacresyoga.com.

CLASSIFIED Office space in 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, intuitive, or other healing modality practitioners are welcome. Suite includes waiting room, internet access, copier, small break room. Ample parking, building is accessible. Contact Elliott Strick at 860-231-8459, www.elliottstrick.com Email: elliottstricklmft@gmail.com.

ACUPUNCTURE

DENTISTRY

Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. Dipl. NCCAOM 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, CT 06037 860) 829-0707 • www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com. See ad on page 25.

Dr. Steven Hinchey 2249 New London Turnpike South Glastonbury, CT. (860) 633-6518 www.dentistryfordiabetics.com/drhinchey See ad on page 9.

Mayflower Acupuncture, LLC Chinese Medicine services and herbs Steve Paine, OMD, L.Ac., Ginger Harris, L.Ac. 536 Hopmeadow Street. Simsbury, CT 06070 860-413-2118 • www.mayfloweracupuncture.com Sophia Natural Health Center Kenneth Hoffman, L.Ac., CCH 31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT 06804. (203) 740-9300 • SophiaNaturalHealth.com

FELDENKRAIS Margo Hennebach, GCFP, GSM(MT) Sound Moves Studio, Bloomfield, CT 860-206-2746 • www.margohennebach.com. Specializing in voice, musicians, chronic pain.

Michele P. Rousseau, MA, CH 267 William Street, Middletown, CT 06457 860-704-9054 • mprousseau@sbcglobal.net www.micheleprousseau.com

Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, CT 06037 860) 829-0707 www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 25.

Conscious Capital Wealth Management, LLC Lawrence Ford 381 Hubbard St. ste. 300, Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 6598299 • Lford@consciouscapitalwm.com www.consciouscapitalwm.com See ad on page 36.

ART

HEALTH FOOD STORES

Elisabeth Moss Expressive Art 12 Old Farms Rd, Avon, CT 06001 860.550.0882 www.elisabethmoss.com elisabethmossart@gmail.com

CHIROPRACTIC Westside Chiropractic 557 Prospect Avenue, West Hartford,CT (860) 523-5833 • westsidechiropractors.com

COLON HYDROTHERAPY Beverley Blass, Just Be Centered Vice President, International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy [I-ACT] I-ACT Certified Instructor & Practitioner. In practice since 1984, NYC and CT. 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury, CT 06033. 860-206-1129. Constance Jones - Colon Hydrotherapy Center for Progressive Therapies 192 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT 06040 860.287.4558. www.cleanmycolon.com

DENTISTRY The Canaan Gentle Dentle & Implant Center Dr. Thomas Livingstone 3 Railroad St. North Canaan, CT (860)824-0751 • www.livingstonedental.com See ad on page 31.

HYPNOSIS Mind Matters Hypnosis Center Lisa Zaccheo, MA, BCH, BCI Board Certified Hypnotist & Instructor 12 Waterside Court, Avon, CT 06001 (860)693-6448 • MindMatters@comcast.net www.mindmattershypnosis.com See ad on page 35.

FINANCIAL PLANNING ALLERGY TREATMENT

RESOURCES

Parkade Health Shoppe Manchester Parkade, 378 West Middle Tpke, Manchester, CT • 860.646.8178 M-Sat 8am-9pm • Sun 9am-6pm See ad on page 13. Thyme and Season Natural Market 3040 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT 06518 www.ThymeAndSeasonNaturalMarket.com. Call 203.407.8128 for info. Our 17th Year! Open 7 days: M-F 8:00-7:30; Sat 9-7:30; Sun 10-6. One of the largest selections of natural, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free & vegan foods in the area- full grocery, produce, meats, H&B, baby, wellness vitamins & herbs. Pick up a healthy hot breakfast or lunch Mon-Sat: 4 entrees & 6 soups plus salads, sandwiches, wraps. Now offering Dinners-to-Go. And, check out our new sister store, The Common Bond Market, 40 Huntington St., Shelton. Now open 7 days, 203.513.8200. www.thecommondbondmarket.com.

INTEGRATIVE HOLISTIC PSYCHIATRY David London, MD 567 Vauxhall St. Ext. #218, Waterford, CT (860) 443-5822 - davidlondonmd.com See ad on page 10.

LIFE COACH Balanced Living Now Kristen Werblow, M.A., CPC 36 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin, CT 06037 (860)707-0908 • kristen@balancedlivingnow.com www.balancedlivingnow.com See ad on page 33. Heart-Centered Awareness Coaching Beverley Blass & Anne Murphy, BevAni Transformation. 381 Hubbard St., Lower Level, Glastonbury, CT 06033. 203-558-5468.

MASSAGE

HOLISTIC CENTERS

All About You Massage Therapy, LLC Cindy Strickland, LMT 396 Lewis Hill Road, Coventry, CT 06238 www.allaboutyoumassagetherapy.net (860)742-5285 • (860)573-6526 CT Lic#006649. Member: AMTA & NCBTMB

Integrative Wellness and Physical Therapy 35 Jerome Ave, Bloomfield, CT 06002 (860) 519-1916 info@IntegrativeWellnessAndPT.com See ad on page 2.

Elisabeth Moss 12 Old Farms Rd, Avon, CT 06001 860.550.0882 www.elisabethmoss.com elisabethmossart@gmail.com

HYPNOSIS

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Diane Bahr-Groth, C. Hy., TFT, Dir. 1177 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT. (203)595-0110 • mindbodytransformation.com See ad on page 25.

CT Natural Health Specialists Lauren Young, ND, Ashley Burkman, ND & Tonya Pasternak, ND 315 E. Center St., Manchester, CT (860) 533-0179 • www.ctnaturalhhealth.com See ad on page 23.

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RESOURCES NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE Debra Gibson, ND 100 Danbury Road, Ste. 102 Ridgefield, CT 06877 • (203)431-4443 See ad on page 9. Kensington Naturopathic Medical Center Dr. Ann Aresco 355 New Britain Rd, Kensington, CT (860) 829-0707 • drannaresco@comcast.net kensingtonnaturopathic.com See ad on page 25. Naturopathic & Acupuncture Health Center Dr. Marie Mammone, Dr. Renee Mammone, NDs John Mammone, Licensed Acupuncturist 274 Silas Deane Hwy., Wethersfield, CT 06109 (860)529-1200 • www.NAHcenter.com

NUTRITION

SCHOOLS

Holcare Nutrition Vicki Kobliner MS RD 3 Hollyhock Lane, Suite 2A, Wilton, CT 06897 203-834-9949 • www.holcarenutrition.com See ads on page 16.

The Graduate Institute Leslie Cahill, Director of Admissions & Recruitment. (203) 874-4252 • www.learn.edu See ad on page 5.

Complimentary Nutrition Counseling. Thyme & Season Natural Market. Mon Fri 9 - 5 with Certified Nutrition Counselor Linda Myers. 3040 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Call 203.407.8128 x2. Email: Supplements.Thyme@gmail.com. www.ThymeAndSeasonNaturalMarket.com. And, at our new sister store The Common Bond Market. Complimentary Nutrition Counseling Tues, Wed & Thurs 9–12 with Dr. Elise Panza, ND. 40 Huntington St., Shelton. 203-513-8200. TheCommonBondMarket.com.

PHYSICIANS, M.D.

Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, CT 06037 860) 829-0707 • www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 24.

Natural Health & Healing, LLC Deanna M. Cherrone, MD 61 S. Main St, Ste 210, West Hartford, CT (860) 677-4600 • naturalhealthandhealing.net See ad on back cover.

The Wellness Institute Marvin Schweitzer, ND 1 Westport Ave, Norwalk, CT (203) 847-2788 See ad on page 7.

Tamara Sachs, MD Functional Medicine & Integrative Care 15 Bennitt St., New Milford, CT (860) 354-3304 • www.tsachsmd.intranets.com

West Hartford Naturopathic Medicine Frank Aieta, ND 301 N. Main St., West Hartford, CT (860) 232-9662 • www.DRAIETA.com See ad on page 15.

Optimal Health Medical, LLC Henry C. Sobo, M.D. 111 High Ridge Rd. ,Stamford, CT 06905 203-348-8805 • www.drsobo.com

ProNatural Physicians Group LLC 355 New Britain Road Kensington, CT 06037 • 860-505-0702 www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 25.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

ProNatural Members Dr. Ann Aresco 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, CT 06037 P: 860-829-0707 • F: 860-829-0606 E: draresco@comcast.net • See ad on page 25. Dr. Ginger Nash 260 Amity Rd. Woodbridge, CT 06525 203.777.7911 • Fax: 203.777.7796 drgingernash@gmail.com Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. Dipl. NCCAOM 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, Ct. 06037. 860) 829-0707 www.ProNaturalPhysicians.com See ad on page 25.

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Inner Change Holistic Counseling Deni Weber, MA, LPC, DCEP Weston, CT. • 203-544-6094 DeniWeber.com

RELATIONSHIP COACH PEAK Results Coaching Jeff Forte, CSIC, CME • Relationship Coach 2389 Main St., Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860)633-8555 • peakresultscoaching.com

SCHOOLS Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies LauraMignosa, NCCH 912 Corbin Ave, New Britain, CT 06052 (860) TCM-2705 • www.ctherbschool.com. See ad on page 7.

SKINCARE Anew You Skincare & Wellness Center Melissa Martin, 16A Ensign Drive, Avon. (860)284-9730 • www.anewyouskincare.net Melissa@anewyouskincare.net See ad on page 23.

SPA/FLOATATION SERVICES iFloat 163 Main Street. Westport, CT 06880 Phone: 203-26-7378 Website: ifloatspa.net • Email:info@ifloatspa.net

THERMOGRAPHY Sophia Natural Health Center 31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT 06804. (203) 740-9300 • SophiaNaturalHealth.com X to Rays, LLC Suzanne Pyle, MS, CCT 35 Boston Street, Guilford, CT 866.986.7297 or 203.331.2878 www.xtorays.com • See ad on page 32.

WEIGHTLOSS HCG Weight Loss Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. 355 New Britain Road, Kensington, CT 06037 860) 829-0707 • www.pronaturalphysicians.com See ad on page 25.

YOGA / PILATES CENTERS Cyndi Roberts Yoga RYT-200, Certified Therapeutic & Prenatal Therapeutic, Gentle, or Prenatal Yoga. One-on-one yoga sessions. By appointment only. 1477 Park St, Suite 14, Hartford CT. www.yogawithcr.com Sacred Movement Yoga 10 Sims Road (Bishop’s Corner) West Hartford, Connecticut 06117 860.990.2555 • www.mysacredmovement.com. Visit our Facebook page! West Hartford Yoga 23 Brook Street, West Hartford, CT 06110 PH: 860.953.9642 • www.westhartfordyoga.com info@westhartfordyoga.com www.westhartfordyoga.com Offering 70 weekly classes

www.NaturalNutmeg.com

Deanna Cherrone, M.D.

Internal Medicine Functional Medicine practitioner

“Do you believe you should feel better than you do?” I help restore balance so that you can look, feel and function your best. Areas of Focus: • Adrenal Fatigue • Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy • Bone Loss • Detoxification • Food Sensitivities • Heavy Metal Testing & Oral Chelation • Leaky gut • Menopause & Andropause • Mind Body Medicine

Many of my patients are simply looking for someone who will listen.

Functional Medicine explores the root cause symptoms: Fatigue • Brain Fog • Sugar Cravings • Headaches • Depression • Stress & Anxiety • Decreased Libido • Aches & Pains • Decreased Stamina • Constipation • Allergies • Inability to Lose Weight • Insomnia Dr. Cherrone, founder of Natural Health & Healing, provides Functional Medicine with emphasis on patient education and self care for optimal health.

CALL DR. CHERRONE TODAY AT (860) 677-4600

• Neurotransmitter Testing • Nutritional & Lifestyle Counseling • Thyroid • Weight Loss

61 S. Main St., West Hartford, CT • www.naturalhealthandhealing.net

Natural Nutmeg - January 2015