Natural Awakenings May 2015

H E A L T H Y

L I V I N G

Laura Prepon

H E A L T H Y

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On Eating Clean & Healthy Living Natural Childbirth Life Beyond Disease Refusing to Let an Ailment Define Us

Eating Skinny

Why Vegans Are Trim

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SAFE, FAST, EASY & EFFECTIVE NATURAL WEIGHT LOSS ü NO Shots ü NO Hormones ü NO Cravings ü No Pre-packaged Food ü Doctor Supervised for Safety & Results

All Weight Gain Involves A Hormonal Component

With our NRF Technology and Ultimate Fat Loss System, we target your hormone imbalance and end your weight loss challenges.

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Treating the Whole Person, and the Whole Family KEITHLEY FAMILY MEDICAL, INC Dr. Larry M. Keithley, DO

Family Practice (Ages 3+) Osteopathic Medicine Holistic Medicine Minor Emergencies Minor Surgical Procedures Physicals (School, Sports, Employment) Drug Screens Diagnostic Services

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May 2015

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contents 9 6 newsbriefs 9 healthbriefs 10 ecotip 12 therapy

spotlight

16 healingways 10 18 wisewords 19 inspiration 20 consciouseating 22 healthykids 24 naturalpet 22 26 fitbody 27 calendar 28 classifieds 30 resourceguide

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE Display Ads due by the 10th of the month prior to publication.

To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 256-476-6537 or email Editor@Natvalley.com.

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

14 RETHINKING

BREAST HEALTH

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

by Lisa Marshall

16 GIVING BIRTH NATURALLY

Conscious Choices Lead to Less Intervention

18 LAURA PREPON’S

JOURNEY TO HEALTH Home Cooking, Organics and Massage Are Keys

by Gerry Strauss

20 EATING SKINNY

Why Vegans and Vegetarians are Naturally Trim

22 KIDS LOVE VEGGIES

by Clancy Cash Harrison

How to Instill Healthy Lifelong Habits

Articles and ideas due by the 5th of the month. Articles generally contain 250-850 words, with some exceptions. No advertorials, please.

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CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS

Natural Steps to Nurture Immunity

*All submissions are subject to editing and will be printed at the publisher’s discretion. Article space often fills in advance. Deadline dates refer to the month prior to next publication and may change without notice due to holidays, shorter months, or printing schedules.

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Content limited to special events and other announcements.

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by Meredith Montgomery

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS*

Calendar of Events and Ongoing Calendar listings due by the 10th of the month. Limit 50 words per entry. Please follow format found in those sections.

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ALTERNATIVES

by Shawn Messonnier

26 FLEXING

OUR MUSCLES

Weightlifting Makes Us Fit, Healthy and Self-Confident

by Debra Melani

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letterfrompublisher In the May issue of Natural Awakenings, we highlight women’s health. Healthcare can be a loaded topic these days with all the changes in healthcare coverage, but I would like to talk about alternative healthcare choices. As women, we all have busy lives, filled with responsibilities and things to do. But our healthcare is important, and we need to spend some time looking at all of the options available to us, including alternative therapies.

With all the influx of information we get everyday, whether from television,

radio, social media and other Internet sources, it can be quite confusing. Doing an assessment of each system of the body and see where your problems are is a great place to start. This will help you identify the problem areas. Do your research and find what is right for you. Not every option is right for everyone; I just ask you keep an open mind about the choices available to you.

As for myself, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome some 20 years

ago. Doctors weren’t quite sure what to do about it. Through research and reading countless books, I found a solution. By taking supplements and eliminating certain foods from my diet slowly I got better. I refused to let my diagnosis define me

Publisher Tom Maples Tom@Natvalley.com 404-395-9634 Co-Publisher, Advertising Sales Cindy Wilson Cindy@Natvalley.com 256-476-6537 Design and Production Melanie Rankin Natural Awakenings in the Tennessee Valley 14 Woodland Ave. Trinity, Alabama 35673 Office: 256-340-1122 Fax: 256-217-4274 Facebook.com/natvalley Issuu.com/natvalley

and keep me from doing the things I wanted to do. I recently discovered essential oils and have had great success with improving my hormone health. Talk to your physician about alternative options such as Breast Thermography rather than the traditional mammogram. You can read more about breast health in our featured article this month.

contact us

Eliminating unnecessary chemicals can play a big part in improving our

health. Try alternative chemical-free cleaners or making your own instead of © 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

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

store-bought products. Use wool dyer balls instead of dyer sheets. Use personal care products that don’t contain harmful chemicals such as parabens and aluminum. Choose healthier foods that are grown organically or try growing your

is important to you.

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

Happiness and Health to all,

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

We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

own. There are so many options and resources out there that simple solutions are easy to find. Just start by making one change at a time. Start with something that

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $20 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soybased ink.

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newsbriefs

A Spiritual Community supporting the practice of knowing God in the heart of every person.

ONGOING SERVICES AND CLASSES! New Thought Classes

Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00pm Wednesdays, 10:00am-12:00pm

Revealing Services Sundays 9:45am

Celebration Services Sundays 10:30am

Meditation

Tuesdays & Wednesdays 6:00pm

Satsang

Wednesdays 6:30pm

Rev. David Leonard Transforming Lives and Making the World a Better Place

www.cslhuntsville.org

308 Lily Flagg Rd.

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Tree of Life Behavioral Health Offers Affordable Mental Health Care to Those in Need

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ree of Life Behavioral Health Services offers quality mental health care provided by licensed and certified professionals on a sliding scale basis based on income.

Tree of Life brings together the combined experience of Liz Byrne, LPC, who has been practicing for over 35 years, Jessica Penot, ALC, ADC, Christopher Ross, LCSW-PIP, and Dr. Alex Penot, MD, to provide a variety of services to patients with a variety of needs.

Tree of Life Behavioral Health therapists utilize a number of diverse techniques including person centered approaches, cognitive behavioral techniques, poetry and art therapy, play therapy, relaxation therapy, reality therapy, and solution focused techniques to address a number of issues including PTSD, sexual trauma, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, addiction, alcoholism, developmental/adolescent issues, and ADHD. Tree of Life Behavioral Health also offers Medication Management under a board certified physician. At Tree of Life, we believe that all people should be able to find the help they need. Don’t suffer any longer. Call today for help.

Contact Tree of Life Behavioral Services at 256-278-2802. See listing, page 31.

Light Worker’s Celebration

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he Light Worker’s Celebration is a gathering for individuals to come together and celebrate the light within all beings. There will be educational lectures as well as vendors who have unique handmade items for sale. There will also be many talented intuitive readers available for 15-minute sessions. Readings are often helpful if you feel that a little clarity is needed to help move you in the right direction on your spiritual path or if you have other specific questions. There will also be Aura photography available and spirit portraits. Local food truck Cottage Crepes will be there as well with their tempting variety of fresh made crepes.

The event will be May 2 from 10am-5pm and is sponsored by M.K. Honeycutt and Melissa Posey. Location is at The Dream Maker gift shop in Huntsville.

Admission is $5 to get in, and this gives you a chance to walk around and view the talented intuitives available as well as access to the vendors, a food truck and informational lectures. The mini-sessions are $25 for 15 minutes, or save by purchasing three for $65. For entertainment purposes only.

For more information and updates on this event and the future event in October, please “like” the Facebook page at Facebook.com/LightWorkersCelebration so you can stay updated on all of the exciting details.

Date: May 2, 10am-5pm. Location: The Dream Maker, 4004 Triana Blvd SW, Huntsville. Info: M.K. Honeycutt (256) 348-7763 italk2mk@gmail.com or Melissa Posey (256) 652-5125 m3esu@yahoo.com.

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The Paranormal Study Center Will Host Jim Smith: “The Bigfoot Experience”

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im Smith is a 44-year veteran paranormal researcher and director of the Alabama Bigfoot Society based out of Wadley, Alabama. He’s been interested in “Bigfoot” since 1971 when he encountered one when he was 15 years old in East Central Alabama.

In that specific year, many people in the area encountered one or more of these creatures roaming the woods nearby.

Though most Bigfoot sightings are reported in the Pacific Northwest, Alabama is becoming a surJim Smith prising hotbed of activity. Jim has learned that most of the sightings in Alabama occur around Mt. Cheaha along with counties such as Tallapoosa, Talladega, Clay, and Randolph, and are becoming more common because of logging activity in the Bigfoot habitat. He thinks there may be as many as 50-60 Bigfoot creatures lurking in the forests of Alabama.

According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), there have been over 60 sightings in the state of Alabama since 1980. Nationally, there have been over 3700 Bigfoot encounters in the same period.

There are a number of Native American Bigfoot legends. The term “sasquatch” is a term derived from of one of the 60 or so native-American names for “big man” or “hairy man.”

A health food store with more!

Massage for es i g Reflexology r e l al Herbalist g! e n i m Clinical r a p T s

ee r f e Sniffl

Known for Knowledge & Service that sets us apart

Date: Friday, April 24, 6:30pm. Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 4801 Governors House Dr (next to Landry’s Seafood). Public Admission is $10. Info: Parapsychology StudyGroup.com or Meetup.com/Huntsville-Paranormal-Study-Center.

Locally owned

Matrix Energetics Being Brought To the Area Through Crowdfunding Campaign

Serving Huntsville for nearly 50 years!

unique therapeutic modality known as Matrix Energetics is coming to the valley.

Based on equal parts cutting-edge physics and accumulated spiritual understandings, Matrix Energetics (ME) is a powerful vehicle for personal transformation on any and all levels, be they physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, financial, situational, or anything else you can imagine. Limitless potential is accessible Kevin Madsen through universal consciousness.

There are currently no certified practitioners of ME in the Tennessee Valley, but one local man is passionately devoting his time to changing that. Kevin Madsen is a new spiritual healer and coach from Athens, AL, who has started a crowdfunding project to fast-track him through the certification process. He has already begun using ME in his healing work to great benefit, and knows the immense potential of this newer consciousness technology is vital at this time. Every dollar donated can be redeemed for session time with Kevin at a rate of a dollar per minute, with scaling bonuses as donation amount increases. You can help Kevin develop his craft while bringing positive transformation into your life.

To learn more about Kevin and to make a donation in exchange for a healing session, visit the link below online. Sessions can be done at a distance or in person, and can include Reiki I, crystals, angel therapy, spiritual counseling/coaching, Matrix Energetics, and whatever else presents itself in the moment. Mention this newsbrief in the donation comment to receive an extra ten minutes of session time.

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newsbriefs Gail Butler Art Show and Sale

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he Light of Christ Center is proud to present an art show and sale featuring the work of the late Genine Gail Butler. Gail was a longtime member, student and teacher at the center and her work was profoundly influenced by metaphysical teachings.

Gail felt a special affinity with nature and would often drive through the countryside looking for trees to photograph for later use in her art. Many of her paintings have spiritual symbols hidden in plain sight. Gail was employed in the aerospace industry as a graphic artist, and her metaphysical paintings and prints were a labor of love. Other items from Gail’s personal collection that will be offered for sale include a dragon collection and costume jewelry.

On Friday, June 12, there will be a wine and cheese reception from 6-9pm. Tickets at the door are $5. Saturday will be an open showing from 10am-4pm, and admission is free.

All proceeds of the art sale will benefit Gail’s family.

Date: Friday, June 12, 6-9pm, and Saturday, June 13, 10am4pm. Location: Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville. 256-895-0255.

Tai Chi as Exercise and Meditation

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ai Chi has its origin in China many centuries ago. One popular story says that the movements came in a dream to Chang Sang-fen, a Taoist priest who lived during the 13th century. When he awoke, he retained the form and taught it to the other monks as a martial art.

Today there are many forms of Tai Chi that are done simply to maintain good health and balance. Its slow movements are gentle, almost as if you are moving through water. It can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression as well as improve your sleep patterns. No special equipment is needed.

There is a Chinese saying about Tai Chi, “Those who practice Tai Chi twice a day will gain the pliability of a child, the health of a lumberjack and the peace of mind of a sage.”

Tai Chi is all about listening to your own body and discovering your own Chi, or life breath. This allows one to connect with the Chi in all living things ultimately becoming more sync with oneself.

Lynn Anderson of the Yurt Garden will be offering a beginner’s Tai Chi class at Monte Sano United Methodist Church each Monday morning from 9:30-10:30am. The cost of the class is $10 per class or 5 classes for $40. The first class is Monday, May 11.

Location: Monte Sano United Methodist Church administration building, 601 Monte Sano Blvd SE, Huntsville. Register with Lynn at 256-424-2221.

Pain Relief and Non-Surgical Facelift without Surgery or Prescriptions Book Your FREE Consultation Online Today!

Cymatic Therapy & Dermacycling

614 Madison St, Suite #2 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-656-1606 v CymaticsByLil.com 8

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Jin Shin Jyutsu® of Huntsville Sandra Cope

Certified Jin Shin Jyutsu® Practitioner

Assists healing through relaxation and restoring body harmony.

Animal companion sessions are available.

Office: (256) 534-1794 Cell: (256) 509-3540

1108 McClung Avenue SE Huntsville, Alabama 35801

healthbriefs

Meditation Improves Brain Health

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

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

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

HEART DISEASE DETECTED EARLY WITH BREATH TESTING

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

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

Italian Court Links Boy’s Autism to a Vaccine

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

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

Weight Gain in Moms Lowers Toxins in Newborns

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any expectant mothers try to know about everything they put into and onto their bodies as multiple studies are finding that infants are exposed to toxins during pregnancy. A new study of 325 expectant mothers has determined that the baby’s exposure to toxins in the womb decreases when the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy approaches the guidelines recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2009.

Women that are underweight at the start of pregnancy are advised to gain between 28 and 40 pounds, women of a healthy weight 25 to 35 pounds, overweight women 15 to 25 pounds and obese women 11 to 20 pounds.

The researchers found that expectant mothers with a gestational weight that meets or exceeds the IOM guidelines gave birth to infants with reduced toxin levels. In their analysis of the umbilical cord blood of mothers from Spain, the researchers tested for 14 pesticides and 21 other environmental toxins, including seven polychlorobiphenyls (PCB). Other influencers such as age, education and fish consumption may also be relevant.

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ecotip Raised Right A Course In Miracles 9:15am Sundays 1-Hour Mystery School 11am Sundays

Affirmations, Music, Mystery Message, Fellowship, An Open Communion Table

Wesak Full Moon Meditation & Circle 2:00pm, Sunday May 3rd Breaking Patterns of Our Past Lives Workshop 7:00pm, Thursdays May 7th-28th Tarot Club 7:00pm, Friday May 8th Book Club Wealthy Spirit by Chellie Campbell 6:30pm, Monday May 11th Open Clearance/Healing 7:00pm, Friday May 15th

Our labyrinth is always open for your meditative walks.

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

Flowers grown with conventional techniques contribute to the contamination of groundwater and streams through fertilizer and pesticide runoff that can also threaten animal species.

Many of the cut flowers are grown in South America, where farms continue to use pesticides that are restricted in the U.S. and cited as highly toxic by the World Health Organization.

GreenAmerica.org provides several helpful tips on bringing joy to mom on her special day in eco-friendly ways:

Grow Your Own. Buy organic bulbs or seeds in consumer seed catalogs and retail racks or online from reputable sources that include Seeds OfChange.com. Children can then grow their own flowers to make them mean even more. Tips for natural weed and pest control, environmentally friendly watering, making raised garden beds and more are posted at Earth Easy.com/yard-garden.

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

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

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

Fresh ORGANICALLY Grown Vegetables through a Tennessee Valley CSA Mention this ad and receive a 5% DISCOUNT!

Let the Magic Begin 4208 Holmes Ave. NW Huntsville, Alabama 256-895-0255

Southeastern Family Growers

www.lightofchristcenter.org

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Call today for more information

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256-509-0302

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Visit our new location and let us take care of you.

256.534.2954 www.healingartshuntsville.com 525 Fountain Row in Huntsville — between Williams Avenue & Manning Drive downtown

Massage

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“I was the last person I thought that would benefit from this...

Ten sessions later I am telling everyone about rolfing.” ~S.H., Birmingham

Advanced Rolf Practitioner Susan K. Jeffreys Consultations Available

Find out what Susan K. Jeffreys and Structural Integration can do for you!

Call (256) 508-3351 Today Susan K. Jeffreys, AL Lic #249 525 Fountain Row • Huntsville, AL 35801

Unity Church on the Mountain 1328 Governors Dr. SE, Huntsville, AL 35801

What’s Happening at Unity May Theme is “Simple Pleasures:

Discovering Prosperity in the Now Moment.”

Five Basic Unity Principles: God is good and active in everything, everywhere.

I am naturally good because God’s Divinity is in me and in everyone.

I create my experiences by what I choose to think and what I feel and believe. ƥ ǡ I connect with God and bring out the good in my life.

I do and give my best by living the Truth.

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StructuralIntegrationHuntsville.com Structural Integration in the method of Ida P. Rolf

Reverend Carol Landry “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Ongoing Classes Monday 10am-12pm Creating A New Paradigm of Aging Tuesday 7-8pm Prayer and Meditation Hour Thursday 6:30-8:30pm The Artist’s Way (full class)

Sunday Discussion Class – 9:30am Sunday Worship – 11am

Weddings A t

Unity ChUrCh on the MoUntAin

The perfect place for couples planning an elegantly simple ceremony.

For more information go to:

Meditative Silence begins at 10:55am

Contact Us

256-536-2271 UnityOnTheMountain.org UnityChurchontheMountain@gmail.com

UnityChurchWeddings.com or email us at

UnityChurchWeddings@gmail.com Non-traditional, interfaith unions and commitment ceremonies are always welcome!

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May 2015

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therapyspotlight Left: Gene Skaggs, Certified Quantum Touch Instructor

Quantum Touch

by Tom Maples

I

recently received a Quantum Touch healing session from Gene Skaggs, a Certified Quantum Touch Instructor.

What I experienced was truly remarkable.

I had been intrigued by what I had heard about Quantum Touch for several years now, and had been wanting to try it. I had read that Quantum Touch was a method of hands-on healing that was delivering profound results for people in reducing back pain, healing injuries, realigning bone structure, balancing organs and glands, and clearing and balancing the body’s energetic system.

Basically, I could use all of that, but I was most intrigued by the reports that Quantum Touch could visibly make bones move back into realignment with only a light touch. Any modality that can do that has got to be something truly extraordinary.

I suffered a serious whiplash injury to my neck in a car wreck in my early twenties, which severely stretched the tendons on the right side of my neck.

My usual symptoms include tender-

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ness and tightness, as well as a generally decreased range of motion. The worst part of it, however, is the frequent misalignments of the vertebrae in my neck, especially the top two vertebrae, the Atlas and Occiput. When those go out of line I can feel it instantly, as they pinch a particular nerve that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

Massage and chiropractic both help, but both provide only temporary relief, as neither can heal the underlying injury itself. The only thing I had tried before Quantum Touch that seemed able to address the underlying problem was Structural Integration, or Rolfing. I can report that Quantum Touch definitely helped to align, heal and strengthen the underlying structural injury in my neck, and it did it in a dramatically different way than anything else I have tried.

For one thing, Quantum Touch is energy healing rather than any sort of manual manipulation. Quantum Touch deals with the life-force energy, called

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“chi” in Chinese. Quantum Touch practitioners spend hundreds of hours learning various breathing and meditation techniques to raise and amplify their life-force energy and use it in a focused fashion to unblock “stuck” energy in the body. From a quantum physics perspective, everything is energy. To be healthy, the body needs to maintain a natural energy flow. If the body suffers pain, stress, inflammation, or disease, it is simply an indication of stuck energy.

What unblocks the stuck energy is the practitioner’s very high frequency of life-force energy, which “entrains” the client’s body to raise its own energy frequency to match the practitioner’s higher resonance. This allows the energy to once again begin to flow, and the body will naturally heal itself.

With that brief background, I will describe the Quantum Touch healing session. Everything took place either standing or lying down on a massage table, fully clothed. Throughout the process, I could hear Gene breathing in and out in long, slow, controlled breaths. The breathing techniques are part of the Quantum Touch practitioner’s “running energy,” as they call it, into the client’s body. Instead of the full laying-on of hands technique like that of Reiki, Gene mostly used an extremely light touch using only his fingertips the whole time. Those were two things I noticed right away as far as the technique was concerned: the breathing and the very light touch.

The other thing I noticed was the energy.

I would encourage anyone who is skeptical that chi energy is a real phenomenon to try a Quantum Touch session. The Quantum Touch energy a palpable thing. I have never considered myself as being particularly sensitive to feeling chi, but with Quantum Touch there is no doubt. It feels like a fullness in the area of the body that is having the energy run into. A full description of what the energy feels like is hard to put into words. It is just something that has to be experienced to be believed.

Quantum Touch practitioners spend hundreds of hours learning various breathing and meditation techniques to raise and amplify their life-force energy and use it in a focused fashion to unblock “stuck” energy in the body.

I had booked a two-hour session, which began with aligning my hips and pelvis, then aligning the occipital ridge in the back of my head and then the bone that is shaped like a mask behind the face that the eyes are set in.

These are three major areas are very commonly misaligned. Throughout the entire session, Gene always described exactly what he was going to do before he did it. In addition to aligning various key areas of my body structure, Gene also ran energy into a specific, standard sequence of points along my body to loosen stuck energy with his own high-vibrational resonance. After it was all done, he would then very gently probe many different points along my body, each spaced a couple of inches apart, looking for areas of tenderness.

Tenderness in a spot represented where pain, or stuck energy, had “fled.” These spots required additional energy to be run into them to dissipate the stuck energy once and for all. The next segment of the session involved a clearing, cleansing and tuning up of the chakras, which are the major centers of life-force

energy in the body. The session ended with a powerful anchoring of positive affirmations, chosen by me, into my energetic body.

All of this felt wonderful, and it left me energized and rejuvenated. My body felt more balanced and aligned.

My usual aches and pains were gone. I also felt a deep sense of calmness and peace, which lasted for several days.

But the thing that completely dominated the entire session in my memory is what happened when Gene ran energy into my neck with its 25-year-old whiplash injury.

What occurred surprised even him.

When he began to run energy into my neck the muscles on the back of my neck and the right side began to pulsate quite noticeably. This effect grew and increased until every muscle in my neck, shoulders and upper back were contracted tightly and quivering with energy. In fact, the contracted muscles raised the upper part of my chest and my right shoulder completely up off the table, to where my forehead and abdomen were the only things in contact

with the surface. The clenching of the muscles didn’t hurt at all, and, in fact, felt really good. The contractions plus the energy running through the connective tissue of my neck felt like exactly what I needed for that area to do some truly deep healing. It felt like it was creating a stabilized framework so that it could repair the underlying structures. It also pulsed, twitched and quivered like crazy. Gene likened it to a dry desert finally getting some water poured into it. It felt really good, and it went on like this for several minutes. The experience was nothing short of amazing. This was a profound healing that was happening to me, to an injury that I’ve carried for almost as long as I can remember.

Afterwards, my neck felt different. It felt…normal, in the sense that I didn’t really feel it at all. There were no aches, pains or tenderness that I could feel for several days after the session.

Even now, two weeks later, there is less tightness than there was, and it feels stronger. It may take additional sessions to really get it fixed, but I am definitely sold on the power of Quantum Touch.

To schedule your own healing session with Gene, call 615-969-6944 or email OneMiracle@comcast.net. For more information, visit OneMiracle.org and click on Quantum Touch. For more about Gene, visit GeneSkaggs.com.

See ad below.

QUANTUM TOUCH HEALING Accelerates Your Body’s Own Healing Response Focuses and Amplifies Life-Force Energy, or “Chi” Clears Energy Blockages So That Your Body Can Heal

QUANTUM TOUCH HAS BEEN USED IN THE TREATMENT OF: Bone structure misalignments • Pain and inflammation • Organ and gland imbalances Injury and post-operative healing • Addictions • Cancer

GENE SKAGGS, CERTIFIED QUANTUM TOUCH INSTRUCTOR:

615-969-6944

FOR MORE ON QUANTUM TOUCH:

OneMiracle.org

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May 2015

13

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

by Lisa Marshall

W

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

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

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

Healthy Breasts, Healthy Body

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

When she’s aroused, a woman’s nipples harden and change color. When a woman gives birth, her breasts fill with life-giving milk. “In all these ways, your breasts are deeply connected to your femininity, compassion and sensuality,” says Hawaiian Naturopathic Doctor 14

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Laurie Steelsmith, co-author of Natural Choices for Women’s Health. Because breasts are extremely sensitive to hormonal fluctuations throughout the body, they can also serve as a barometer of overall health. “If you’re having chronic breast symptoms, it can be your body’s wisdom saying, ‘Help. Something’s wrong.’ Women need to listen.”

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

Large, fluid-filled cysts or fibrous lumps, while non-cancerous, can also be a reflection of overexposure to harmful chemicals and toxin buildup, combined with poor lymph flow, notes Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan, an integrative physician in Greensboro, North Carolina. “If a woman has lumpy, bumpy breasts, they probably contain too many toxins, and those toxins are primarily estrogenic.” Addressing such symptoms is important not only to relieve discomfort, but also

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because excess estrogen can fuel future cancer risk, says Vaughan.

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

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

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

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

believed to interact with enzymes in the breast, exaggerating pain and lumpiness.

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

Vaughan, the founder of BraFree.org, says the science is compelling enough that she has chosen to keep her own bra use to a minimum and advises her patients to do the same.

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

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

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

Beautiful Breasts Naturally

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

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

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of women getting breast implants

for cosmetic reasons ballooned from 212,500 in 2000 to 286,254 in 2014.

Physicians—including Northrup— claim that modern implants don’t, in the majority of cases, promote disease like older silicone implants did. Yet even plastic surgeons warn that having implants should be fully thought out, and at some point they’ll probably have to come out. “They are manmade devices, and are not intended to be lifelong. At some point, you will probably have to have further surgery,” says Dr. Anureet Bajaj, an Oklahoma City plastic surgeon.

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

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

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

Vaughan recommends breastperking exercises like dumbbell bench presses and flys that tone the pectoral muscles beneath the breasts, making them more resilient and look larger. To prevent or reverse sagging, she again urges women to go bra-free. “We have

ligaments in the upper outer quadrant of our breasts called Cooper’s ligaments, and they’re responsible for holding our breasts up. Just like your muscles atrophy when you put your arm in a sling, your Cooper’s ligaments atrophy if you wear a bra all the time.”

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

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

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

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

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

We need to remember that, too.”

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

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May 2015

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abor and delivery in a hospital was promotMost births is a natural process ed as a safer alternative. should be viewed By 1938, half of domesthat can be enjoyed.

“It’s not something as a natural life tic births took place in to be afraid of,” says hospitals, and by 1960 it process instead rose to 97 percent. CurMel Campbell, author of The Yoga of Pregnancy. rently, midwives attend of a potential “It’s a wonderful and less than 8 percent of beautiful experience. We medical emergency. births here, and fewer need to remember that than 1 percent occur ~Abby Epstein, The outside a hospital. the body is designed for Business of Being Born giving birth.”

Natural labor and

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

Women choose home births and

In 1900, 95 percent of all U.S. homey birthing centers because they births took place in the home; when labor there more comfortably, feel more more moved to hospitals here in the in control of the process and can more early 20th century, midwives still easily avoid interventions. Many moms typically handled the delivery in other seek out a midwife’s services because they don’t want to repeat the convencountries, sometimes without a doctor tional hospital experience that accompresent. In America, obstetrics became a profession and a doctor-attended birth panied their first baby’s arrival.

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When actress lessons are gifts you By 2006 Cesarean Ricki Lake gave birth can take with you delivery was the number into labor.” to her second child in her home bathtub She reminds one surgical procedure with the assistance women that the in American hospitals. baby is always getof a midwife, she felt empowered by doing ting nourishment ~U.S. Centers for it on her own terms. from all that mom Disease Control “Giving birth wasn’t eats and breathes in, an illness, someand also feeds off of thing that needed to be numbed. It was her feelings and emotions. “The more something to be experienced,” she says. we can feel at peace with ourselves and

When women let their bodies incorporate the baby into our being, the naturally lead, labor can last as little more we feel a connection and union,” as 20 minutes or as long as two weeks, she says. “It’s vital that you let your and the spectrum of pain intensity body’s innate wisdom be your guide and respect any cues it may give.” is equally broad. A healthy prenatal

Campbell guides expectant lifestyle that prepares a mom-to-be mothers through a yoga practice that for a natural physical, emotional and embraces the changes occurring each spiritual experience of childbirth is highly beneficial. trimester. For example, a more physical practice in the second trimester utilizes the surge of energy to build stamina Compassionate Self-Care and strength, while opening the heart, “Pregnancy’s not the time to overexhips and pelvis. ert yourself; let go of the temptation

Complementary relaxation techto overachieve and instead practice niques for labor include breathing breathing and mindfulness,” advises practices, visualization, meditation and Campbell. “If you’re experiencing massage. When a mother isn’t conmorning sickness, try to embrace it and nected to monitors and tubes, she’s free how it serves you. By doing so, you’ll to experiment with positions and props be more in tune with your body. These

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

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by Gerry Strauss

F

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

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

My mother was a gourmet chef and an advocate of organic food, so we always had amazing meals growing up. Eating organic produce that’s in season locally seems to help me assimilate nutrition more readily. Whenever I can, I also try to tap into biodynamic agriculture, which takes an even broader holistic approach to food production and nutrition. I view GMOs [genetically modified foods] as toxic to the system.

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

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

Inner Wellness Center for

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

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

I love eating soup because the healthful ingredients I use are broken down completely, so the body can immediately assimilate needed micronutrients, which help heal us from the inside out. I’m talking about homemade broth from grass-fed beef bones,

so you get the marrow; I’m partial to knuckle bones. I always have soup broth in my refrigerator.

inspiration

MOVING BEYOND SURVIVAL

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

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

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

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

I do. That’s why I study Eastern medicine, because I feel that Western medicine treats problems and Eastern medicine prevents problems from happening.

I grew up in a family of doctors and “full-on” Western medicine and respect the medical community. Unfortunately, these days, most people are continually medicated and they’re not getting better.

As a society, we tend to just take a drug to handle a symptom instead of addressing the actual cause of the problem.

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

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

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

Our True Identity Surpasses Any Disease

by Eric Nelson

G

“

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

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

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

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

claim meaning for ourselves, she says.

“Maybe we make one small decision that can bring about a big change.”

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

Yet, it’s essential.

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

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

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

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May 2015

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e read the labels touting low sugar, carbs, fats and calories. We try this and that diet, hoping the pounds will melt away.

Yet more than a third of U.S. adults, nearly 80 million of us, remain overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta.

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

Study participants were divided into five groups, according to eating style, from vegan to flexitarian to carnivore, and monitored for an eight-week period. At the end of the evaluation, those that followed an entirely plantbased diet achieved the greatest weight loss. Study leader Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D., notes, “Many researchers agree that vegan eating styles are tied to lower BMI [body mass index], lower prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and less weight gain with age.”

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Eat food. Not too much.

Mostly plants. ~Michael Pollan

Can it really be that simple… eat more plants and lose weight? “Yes,” says clean food coach Jeannette Bessinger, of Newport, Rhode Island. “Most people could benefit from eating more vegetables.” Co-author of Natural Solutions for Digestive Health with Naturopath Jillian Sarno Teta, Bessinger advises her clients to start by eating more green, leafy vegetables.

Vegetables contribute to weight control in several ways, says Bessinger.

They fill us up and help calm cravings.

Plus, when plants become the bulk of what we eat, we naturally consume fewer high-fat, high-calorie foods.

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

Nothing can be delicious when you are holding your breath. For something to be delicious, you have to be present to savor it; and presence is in attention and in the flow of breath. It begins in the mouth, and then it connects our heads to our bodies through our throats and into our lungs and tummies, a beautiful, connective cord of air.

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Her eating strategy is easy, too. “Make your plate look Huntsville, AL 35803 like a Christmas tree,” says Moran, “mostly green with splashes of other bright colors from vegetables and fruits.”

MAD2562708731-A She eats green veggies in several ways. She makes her own green juices—one favorite combines celery, kale, apple and lemon juice. She also adds tender greens like romaine or spinach to smoothies that might also contain fruit and citrus juice. She steams greens with plenty of garlic and makes When you need more than a Pedicure big salads.

“I bought my salad bowl at a restaurant supply house,” Providing nail and callus care Moran exclaims. Salads get an oomph factor with a selection of avocado, pumpkin or hemp seeds, mushrooms, chickpeas to those with or red beans, artichoke hearts, chunks of steamed yam and • Diabetes/Pre-Diabetes sautéed tofu or tempeh. Moran cites benefits of more energy • Circulatory Problems to do more physical activity and “feeling really good” as ad• Visual ImpairmentsSales Rep.: Mike Underwood ditional outcomes of her dietary shift.

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Sophie Uliano, a Los Angeles-based natural beauty • size Arthritis Please note - quality and may vary slightly between proof and actual directory expert and author of the new Gorgeous for Good, agrees, • Parkinson’s Disease believing that eating a vegan diet 80 percent of the time can • Dementia pay dividends in weight loss, well-being, energy and beauty.

• Strokes “Most of the time, eat clean and healthy,” she recommends.

• Hip/Knee Replacement “It’s not a diet. It’s a ‘live-it’, a way of life.”

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healthykids

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

KIDS ¤ VEGGIES How to Instill Healthy Lifelong Habits

by Clancy Cash Harrison

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

W

ant a child to love veggies?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another important yet often overlooked foundation of healthy eating is encouraging a child to self-regulate his

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or her calorie intake. Self-regulation starts on the first day of breastfeeding and is carried through adulthood.

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

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

Don’t be afraid to add mild herbs and spices to a child’s food. An easy way to teach healthy flavor preferences, develop taste buds and reduce pickiness when they’re older is to expose children to many foods, textures and aromas. A dash of cumin in smashed avocado or freshly chopped mint mixed with diced strawberries introduces new perspective on a favorite food.

Food refusal is inevitable, normal behavior. Children will love a food one day and hate it the next. Rethinking the definition of variety empowers parents to reintroduce a not-so-favorite food many times. If children don’t like the way an item feels or looks, they may not

It’s important to give the child the same food that the family eats, but in smaller servings. This allows the child to watch others eat and enjoy the same meal.

Kid Feeding Tips

by Clancy Cash Harrison n Holding off on fruits as a first food to prevent development of a sweet tooth is a myth. A sweet taste preference is engrained in an infant’s DNA (Annual Review of Nutrition; Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care).

~Maria Myers Maiden, North Carolina mother

n Restricting foods high in sugar and fat increases a child’s preference for them. Then, when sweets are made available, the child feels compelled to overeat them (Appetite; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Proceedings of the Nutrition Society).

taste it. The refusal of a carrot doesn’t necessarily doom carrots. They can be coined, minced, mashed, puréed and diced to change the texture, plus they can be served cold, at room temperature or tepid.

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

n Most children will refuse a new food and by age 2, become afraid of anything new. Therefore, introduce a large variety of foods early in life (Appetite; International Journal of Obesity). n Infants and children can regulate calorie needs based on current growth patterns and age. Some days an infant will eat large amounts of food, on others very little. n Pressuring a child to eat is a behavior associated with unhealthy eating habits. Not only does it set them up for long-term food aversions, it teaches them to distrust their internal feelings of hunger and fullness, often leading to a habit of overeating.

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

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naturalpet

PET VACCINE ALTERNATIVES

Natural Steps to Nurture Immunity

by Shawn Messonnier

W

ith pets, as with kids, vaccine safety and necessity are likely concerns. While holistic veterinarians tend to minimize the use of vaccines, their strongest stance is against unnecessary vaccinations.

The point is to immunize only when it’s needed by individual patients while maximizing natural immunity.

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

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

and cats over the course of a pet’s life.

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

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

A good protocol is akin to that developed by Dr. Jean Dodds, founder of Hemopet, of Garden Grove, California, a holistic veterinarian and an expert in animal vaccination and immunology. Her system involves administering limited vaccines to puppies and kittens based on their individual needs, and not more often than every three weeks for those younger than 8 weeks. Following this course, by 4 months of age the pet has been injected with four to six vaccines, compared to double to triple the amount supported by vaccine manufacturers and administered by breeders and most conventional doctors.

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

Adult pet patients can also be given blood titer testing instead of vaccines.

This measures the animal’s individual antibody responses to prior immunizations or common disease exposure and assures us the pet has adequate immunity against a specific disease.

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

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

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

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

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

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fitbody

Flexing Our

MUSCLES Weightlifting Makes Us Fit,

Healthy and Self-Confident

by Debra Melani

W

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

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

Burn Calories When Resting

Aerobic activity can burn more calories while doing it (e.g., 14 to 16 per minute when running), but strength training prolongs the burn, even when resting afterward, according to Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., of Quincy, Massachusetts, who publishes widely on the topic in scientific journals, magazine articles and books. Women will burn fewer calories while pumping iron than when running (between eight and 10 calories a minute), but because of weightlifting’s action—traumatizing muscle tissue and forcing it to rebuild—muscle recovery requires increased expenditure of energy, and thus calories, when the person is at rest.

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

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Tennessee Valley

Additional “free” calorie burning comes from the after-burn effect. By initiating the anaerobic, rather than aerobic, system, weightlifting requires more energy just to return to the resting state. “So, after you finish a workout, you will burn approximately 30 percent of the amount of calories you burned during the workout in the first hour afterward as your body transitions back.

It’s a bonus of resistance training.”

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

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

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

Don’t Fear ‘Hulk’ Bulk

Experts agree that it’s impossible for women to look like the Hulk character of comic book fame. “They don’t have enough anabolic hormones, such as testosterone,” Westcott explains. “Our team has written 26 books on strength training, with not one title exclusively for women.

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

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

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

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

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

Recover Muscle

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

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

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

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

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

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Concert: Gratitude – 7pm. In recognition of Mother’s Day that weekend, the concert theme will be gratitude. Huntsville Master Chorale members will blend beautiful singing with the grandiose sounds of the organ. Free, donations accepted. Covenant Presbyterian Church, 309 Drake Ave, Huntsville.

FRIDAY, MAY 1 Exhibit: From Cotton to the Cosmos, A Huntsville Retrospective – daily through Sept 6. This exhibit takes a look back at over 200 years of Huntsville, from its humble beginnings as a trade city to the Rocket City USA. Admission charged. Burritt on the Mountain, 3101 Burritt Dr SE, Huntsville.

256-536-2882.

Concert on the Dock: The High Fidelics – 6-9pm.

The High Fidelics play a hybrid of surf, R&B, instrumental music that has elements of punk, Rock & Roll, lounge, and psychedelia. Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

SATURDAY, MAY 2

SATURDAY, MAY 9 Wade Mountain: Looking for Wild Columbo – 2pm. (2.5 miles / Moderate). Join Hike Leader Doug Horacek for a stroll to find the elusive Wild Columbo. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org. create an inviting space for birds of all types in our gardens. Free. Huntsville Main Library, Second Floor Events Room, 915 Monroe St. 256-532-5940.

Celebrating Our Own: Huntsville Woman Artists – daily through July 26. Showcases the exciting work being created by women artists living in the Huntsville area today. Features established and emerging artists working in a diverse range of styles and media. Admission charged. Huntsville Museum of Art, 300 Church St. 256-535-4350.

Hoop Clinic & HoopDeeDoo – 1-4pm. Learn something new, make new friends, and leave with a healthier belly. We’ll be outside (weather permitting) learning to hoop at Decatur’s first Beginner Hoop Clinic and then practicing what we learn. Decatur FOP Lodge #46, 3721 Hwy 31 South. Register: Sharon Bryant, 256-603-4596.

Plant Sale by Morgan County Master Gardener’s Association – 8am-4pm (Sat), 1-4pm (Sun). This annual sale will feature unusual plants, houseplants, succulents, annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, wildflowers, and mixed containers. Free. Morgan County Fairgrounds, 2919 Fairground Rd, Decatur (Behind Home Depot).

SUNDAY, MAY 3

Monte Sano History Hike with Bruce Martin – 9am. (5 hours / Difficult). A strenuous nine-mile hike from Monte Sano State Park to the Land Trust’s Three Caves at the base of the mountain.

Directions: LandTrustNAL.org. Info: Bruce Martin, 256-361-3460.

Light Worker’s Celebration – 10am-5pm. Celebrate the divine love in all. Speakers, Intuitive Readers, Quantum Touch, Animal Guides, Runes, Spiritual Empaths, Aura Portraits, Local Artists, Vendors, and a Food Truck. Admission $5. The Dream Maker, 4004 Triana Blvd SW, Huntsville.

Info: M.K. Honeycutt 256-348-7763 or Melissa Posey 256-652-5125.

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Gardening for the Birds – 10:30am-12pm. Herb Lewis of CreativeBirding.com teaches us how to

Guided Hike: Madison’s Bradford Creek (Paved) Greenway – 2pm. (2.5 hours / Easy to moderate).

Come see Madison’s beautiful Bradford Creek Greenway with former Land Trust Board member Jim Chamberlain. Dogs on leads are welcome.

Directions and info: LandTrustNAL.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 7

Healthy Home with Essential Oils – 2-4pm. Learn how to incorporate essential oils into your household cleaning for safer and chemical-free home. Take samples of what we make home to try for yourself. $10. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy, 256-476-6537 or email Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

Concert: Gratitude – 5pm. Huntsville Master Chorale members will blend beautiful singing with the grandiose sounds of the organ. Free, donations accepted. Weatherley Heights Baptist Church, 1306 Cannstatt Dr, Huntsville.

SUNDAY, MAY 10 Music of Eddie Watkins, Jr. – 10:30am. Celebrating the music of Eddie Watkins, Jr. in service and concert. Eddie has recorded with Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Santana, Cher, Diana Ross, Pattie Labelle, and many others. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-883-8596.

Brown Bag Lunch and Learn: Essential Oils and Hormones – 12-1pm. Learn about the benefits of essential oils in Hormone health. We will be discussing different oils, their uses and safety. Free.

Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy, 256-476-6537 or email Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

Guided Hike: Mother’s Day on Whitaker Preserve with John Ehinger – 1pm. (1.5 hours / Easy walk in grasslands). Get one of your favorite ladies outdoors and introduce her to the wonderful world of birding. John Ehinger is an enthusiastic birdwatcher, hiker, bicyclist, and paddler. We’ll be searching for grassland birds. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

FRIDAY, MAY 8

TUESDAY, MAY 12

Concert on the Dock: Wolves of Chernobyl – 6-9pm. Telling tales of the apocalypse with the music of Appalachia at the edge of the firelight. Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

Hike Hays – 10am. Join us for a one-hour guided hike over easy terrain in various areas of the Preserve. Meet in the parking lot near the picnic area at 10am. Hays Nature Preserve, 7161 U.S. Hwy 431 South, Owens Cross Roads, AL.

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How to Do Things: Gourd Birdhouse – 6-8pm.

Make a painted natural gourd birdhouse. Supply fee: $3.50 due at time of registration. Please register by May 5 at the Main Library second floor Adult Services desk. Huntsville Main Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, 915 Monroe St. Asprogramming@ hmcpl.org.

charged. Huntsville Dragway, 502 Quarter Mountain Rd, Harvest, AL. Meet the Author: Kim Cross – 2-4:30pm. Author Kim Cross, who is an editor-at-large at Southern Living Magazine, will discuss her new book What Stands in a Storm, about the April 2011 tornado superstorm that devastated this town and so many others. Huntsville Main Library, Auditorium, 915 Monroe St. 256-532-5940.

FRIDAY, MAY 15 Concert on the Dock: Stoop Kids – 6-9pm. From New Orleans, Stoop Kids’ music is a psychedelic jukebox: a seamless blend of hip-hop, doo-wop, surf rock, jazz, and everything in between. Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

Gifts Stranger than Fiction – 7:30-8pm. WOW (Knology) Cable Channel 11. Inspiring stories and insights from Harold Klemp, spiritual leader and acclaimed author of more than sixty books on Eckankar. Learn how to discover the gifts of Divine Spirit—stranger than fiction—in your own life. Free.

256-534-1751. Eck-Alabama.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 16 Friends of the Bailey Cove Library Used Book Sale – 9am-5pm (Sat), 1pm-5pm (Sun). Books, movies, audiobooks, music. Almost everything is 25¢. Free. Bailey Cove Library, 1409 Weatherly Plaza SE, Huntsville. 256-881-0257. Hmcpl.org/ bcove.

Super Saturday in the Park – 9am-12pm. Enjoy a free morning of Healthy Huntsville classes and vendors in Big Spring Park including the Mayor’s Bike Ride, Bike Fest, Good Beats and Good Eats, and fitness classes—all for free.

Bike Fest – 11am-3pm. Bike Fest is held immediately after the Mayor’s Bike Ride and Healthy Huntsville to continue “healthy and fun” events in the downtown area for that day. There will be bicycle riding, games, kids activities, music and food trucks.

Free. Big Spring Park, 200 Church St, Huntsville.

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Concert: Tennessee River Gamblers – 6pm. Enjoy the distinctive sounds of Dixieland jazz from the 1920s. The band will perform standards from Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbeck and other early New Orleans and Chicago jazz heroes.

Free. Bridge Street Town Centre, 365 The Bridge Street, Suite 106, Huntsville.

FRIDAY, MAY 29 Concert on the Dock: The Mulligan Brothers and April Mae & The June Bugs – 6-9pm. Americana, bluegrass, folk and roots music. Family and pet friendly. Free. Parking $2. Lowe Mill East Dock, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville. 256-533-0399.

SATURDAY, MAY 30

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 Free lecture: Practical Herbal Medicine – 6:30pm.

The Madison County Preppers will host speaker Nicole Brookus of Southern Foodscapes. The lecture will discuss the treatment of common ailments using easily available wild and garden plants that grow in our region. Huntsville Main Library, 915 Monroe St. SouthernFoodscapes.com/events.

Guided Hike: Another Great Madison County Waterfall on Keel Mountain – 1pm. (2 hours / Moderate to Difficult). Enjoy this beautiful property protected by The Nature Conservancy in Alabama.

The Land Trust manages the trails in partnership with TNC. Doug Horacek will lead a group to Lost Sink Falls. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 21 Brown Bag Lunch and Learn: Essential Oils 101 – 12-1pm. Join us and explore the world of essential oils. We will be discussing different oils, their uses and safety. Free. Decatur Healing Arts, 1900 Flint Rd SE, Decatur 35601. RSVP with Cindy, 256-4766537 or email Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 23 Guided Hike: Wildflower Stroll on Rainbow Mountain in Madison – 10am. (2-3 hours / Moderate to difficult, app. 3 miles). Doug Horacek leads this slow mountain stroll includes stops to learn more about the wildflowers and a visit to famous Balance Rock. We’ll be watching for Carolina Larkspur. Directions: LandTrustNAL.org.

Old School & Blues 19th Annual Festival – 11am.

Enjoy a full day of music including Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Willie Clayton, Chante Moore, Mel Waiters, Juvenile, Jack Radics, V.I.C. the Wobble Man, Microwave Dave and more. Admission

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You may bring your own mat or use one of the library’s. Free. No registration required. Huntsville Main Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, 915 Monroe St. Asprogramming@hmcpl.org.

sunday A Course in Miracles Study Group – 9:15am.

Shared reading and group discussions. Extra books available. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville. 256-895-0255. LightOfChristCenter.org.

Thursday Night Swing – 6:30-10pm. Swing dance lesson, 6:30pm; Dance 7:30pm. $5 covers lesson and dance. Lowe Mill/Flying Monkey, 2nd Floor Theatre, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

Revealing Service – 9:45am. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

Vinyasa Yoga – 6:30pm. A 75-minute flow yoga class that focuses on unifying breath and the motion of the body. All levels are welcome. Yoga Center of Huntsville, 500 East Pratt Ave, Suite A. 256-533-7975. YogaCenterOfHuntsville.com or Asaniyama.com.

Celebration Service – 10:30am. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

Unity Church on the Mountain Worship Service – 11am, with Adult Discussion at 9:30am. Unity is a positive path for spiritual living. Rev. Carol Landry.

1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville. UnityOnThe Mountain.org.

1-Hour Mystery School – 11am. A different service each week including ritual, music, and a message in an open, loving environment. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville. 256-895-0255.

LightOfChristCenter.org.

monday Beginner’s Class Tai Chi – 9:30-10:30am. $10 per class. Monte Sano Methodist Church administrative building, 601 Monte Sano Blvd SE, Huntsville. Register with Lynn at the Yurt Garden, 256-424-2221.

“Creating A New Paradigm of Aging” – 10am12pm. For women over 40 class. An opportunity for women to discuss aging as a spiritual process. Facilitated by Rev. Grace Gifford, using the book, Prime Time by Jane Fonda. Love Offering. Unity Church on the Mountain, 1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville.

256-536-2271. UnityOnTheMountain.org.

Oil Painting Class – 10am-1pm. All levels are welcome at the Jones Valley Hobby Lobby. $25/ class, limited to 10 students. Call 256-698-3988 to reserve a spot.

Kangen Water Wellness Presentation – 6:30pm.

Bring your BPS-free plastic containers and we’ll make three gallons of the remarkable Kangen Ionized, Micro-Clustered, Alkaline Drinking Water.

Attend our Kangen Water Wellness Presentation starting at 6:30pm each Monday night. Call for directions. G. Boyce Bazzell (Bazz). 256-430-8407.

Bazzell@me.com.

tuesday Latham UMC Farmers’ Market – 3-6pm, Tuesdays starting May 5. Buy from farmers who sell the fruit, vegetables, meat, and poultry grown on their own farms. Latham United Methodist Church, 109 Weatherly Rd SE, Huntsville.

Tuesday Farmers Market at Meridianville – 4-7pm, Tuesdays starting May 19. Fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables, soap, fiber arts, flowers, Artisan Bread, honey, flowers, jelly, jams and more.

First Baptist Church of Meridianville, 175 Monroe R, Meridianville, AL. Meditation – 6pm. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-883-8596. CSLHuntsville.org.

Prayer and Meditation Hour – 7-8pm. Unity Church on the Mountain, 1328 Governors Dr SE, Huntsville.

256-536-2271. UnityOnTheMountain.org.

BodyFlow – 6-7pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Yoga/Pilates/Tai Chi-based exercise class that builds strength, tones your body and leaves you feeling centered and calm. Part of the Les Mills Fitness Program. $10/class and no contract. New participants are always welcome. Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison Blvd, Suite E, Madison, AL. 256-461-1900. MadisonBallroom.com.

wednesday Satsang – 6:30pm. Through group discussion and inquiry, we reveal the innate wisdom of the one presence living life as each one of us. Meditation 6pm.

Led by Rev. David Leonard. Center for Spiritual Living, 308 Lily Flagg Rd, Huntsville. 256-8838596. CSL-Huntsville.org.

thursday HealthWorks Farmers Market – 7:30am-12pm.

Fresh & local produce, delicious artisan breads, herbs, gourmet slaw, cheese, jams, jellies and more.

Cash and checks only. Plaza Resource Center Tram Station at Huntsville Hospital, 101 Governors Dr. Gentle Yoga – 11:30am-12:45pm. This class is great for beginners. It focuses on stretching, relaxation, and learning the basic postures and poses of yoga.

friday Public Clearance Session – 7pm. Third Friday each month. Learn effective healing through reception and application of Divine energies. Light of Christ Center, 4208 Holmes Ave, Huntsville.

256-895-0255.

saturday Bailey Cove Farmers Market – 8am-12pm, Saturdays starting May 30. Locally grown fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, flowers and other locally produced products. St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 12200 Bailey Cove Rd, Huntsville.

Madison City Farmers Market – 8am-12pm, Saturdays starting May 9. Fresh produce, handmade treasures, and local live music featured each week.

Trinity Baptist Church, 1088 Hughes Rd, Madison.

Artist Market – 12-4pm. Local artists and others are invited to set up a booth and sell their wares to the public. There will be art, jewelry, vintage clothing, records and more for sale. Admission free. Flying Monkey Arts Center at Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Dr, Huntsville.

Community HU Song – 1:30-2pm. Join others in singing HU, an ancient love song to God that can help and uplift you in countless ways. Held each Saturday (except 5/23). Huntsville ECK Center, 900 Wellman Ave NE #3 (near Five Points). 256-5341751. Eck-Alabama.org.

Reiki Free Clinic (No Charge) – 2-4pm, every third Saturday of each month. For appointments, contact Shari Feinman-Prior at Shari1717@gmail. com or 256-289-3331. Peaceful Journey Center, 915 Merchant Walk Way, Suite A, Huntsville.

Ballroom Dance Party – 7:30-10pm. Beginner group class 7:30-8pm, introduction to different ballroom dances each week. Practice dance party 8-10pm, for all levels of dancers. No partner needed. $10/person for group class and party. Madison Ballroom, 9076 Madison Blvd Suites C/D, Madison, AL. 256-461-1900. MadisonBallroom.com.

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communityresourceguide Connecting you to the leaders in natural healthcare and green living in our community. To find out how you can be included in the Community Resource Guide, email Editor@Natvalley.com to request our media kit.

ALKALINE DRINKING WATER KANGEN WATER®

Ionized, Micro-Clustered, Alkaline Water Garvin Bazzell (Bazz) Bazzwater.com Bazzell@me.com Protect your body from high levels of acidity which contributes to many diseases. Kangen Water Systems produce alkaline water that will help neutralize the acidity in your body. Attend our Water Wellness presentation Monday Nights at 6:30pm.

Contact me for the location.

ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY PEACEFUL JOURNEY CENTER Shari Feinman-Prior, MRET, REV 915 Merchant Walk Way, Suite A Huntsville, AL 35801 256-289-3331 • ShariPrior.com Shari1717@gmail.com

Offering an individualized integrative approach to health and healing: Rapid Eye Technology, Inner Counselor Process, Mandala Process, Life Skills Coaching, Healing Touch and Reiki. Reiki Attunements and Personal Mentoring are available upon request.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY HOPE FOR LIFE COLONICS

Tina Pencola Owner/Certified Colon Hydrotherapist 10300 Bailey Cove Rd, Suite-7A Huntsville, AL 35803 256-270-8731 • 256-684-0020 Hope4LifeAL.com Tina.HopeForLife@outlook.com Our goal is to live long and live strong. Young or old, male or female, healthy or sick, will benefit from an internal cleansing. Mention this ad and get $10 off your first colonic session. See ad, page 21.

JARVIS NATURAL HEALTH CLINIC 1489 Slaughter Road, Madison 256-837-3448

I-ACT Certified Colon Hydro Therapists. Do you know that 80% of your immune system is in your colon? Bathe your body from the inside to improve health. Colon irrigation aids in soothing and toning the colon, which makes elimination more effective.

ENERGY HEALING CENTER FOR DIRECTIONAL HEALING™ Susan Spalding 2225 Drake Ave SW, Ste 18 Huntsville, AL 35805 256-882-0360 • DirectionalHealing.com

ESSENTIAL OILS CINDY WILSON

Young Living Independent Distributor 256-476-6537 Cindy@AlabamaAwakenings.com Want to know why everyone is talking about essential oils?

Learn more about essential oils, their uses and how to safely use them. Classes held monthly or schedule your class with friends and family. For more information call or email. See ad, page 18.

FAMILY MEDICINE MADISON FAMILY CARE

Chad Gilliam, M.M.S. PA-C 1230 Slaughter Road, Suite C, Madison, AL 256-722-0555 MadisonFamilyCare.com Madison Family Care provides medical care for patients of all ages and uniquely blends Natural and Prescription medicines together to help speed the patient’s recovery. Madison Family Care is the patient’s clinic of choice when they would like to understand how natural medicines work along with prescription drugs.

For over 20 years, Susan Spalding and the staff at the Center for Directional Healing have been helping people achieve greater balance and health through Directional Healing and Reflexology. The Center now includes free SOQI Therapy with each session for the most complete healing experience.

Information on the energy medicine equipment is available at ChiDvd.com/susan. For healing techniques, articles, and more information on the Center, visit DirectionalHealing.com.

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Tennessee Valley

Facebook.com/natvalley

FENG SHUI FENG SHUI BY TRUDI GARDNER Trudi Gardner, M.S. 256-772-6999 Tygard2000@aol.com

An interior design philosophy that invites serenity and reduces stress. Feng Shui design concepts brings positive energy into your home and office to encourage Prosperity, Well Being, Harmony, and Balance.

FOOT CARE SPECIALIZED NAIL CARE

1900 Flint Rd SE Decatur, AL 35601 256-476-6537 Cindy@SpecializedNailCare.com Nail care for those that need more than just a pedicure.

Physicians order required for care. Care includes footbath, trimming nails, thinning of thick nails, and removal of calluses and corns. For more information call or email. See ad, page 21.

HAIR SALON CJ HAIR AND ART STUDIO CJ Denison 105E Church St Madison, AL 35758 256-603-9018

Specializing in NATURAL Hairstyles. Cuts with Texture and Movement. Specializing in Fine Hair, Razor cuts, Men's Hair Pieces with A NATURAL Look. Specializing in Hair Color OFF the Scalp.

Hair Painting. A Safer way to Color or HiLight Your Hair to Help in Decreasing the Exposure to the Scalp. HEALTHY HAIR is HAPPY HAIR. Also Original Art Work and Private Art lessons available.

Call Today for YOUR Appointment.

HOMEOPATHIC CONSULTANT JOAN SCOTT LOWE

1901 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. South Birmingham, AL 35209 205-871-1288 Joan@HomeopathyForWellness.com HomeopathyForWellness.com Call or email Joan Scott Lowe, Homeopathic Wellness Consultant, to determine your individual constitutional remedy, the FDA-approved nontoxic homeopathic remedy based on the totality of your mental, emotional, and physical condition, chosen according to the Law of Similars (“like heals like”).

Achieve wellness and freedom from illness!

HYPNOTHERAPY CENTER FOR INNER WELLNESS Becky Waters Certified Hypnotherapist and Professional Breathworker 3322 S. Memorial Parkway, Suite 643 Huntsville, AL • 256-348-5236

Creating positive change through hypnotherapy and Breathwork. Empowering you to live to your highest potential. Relieve stress and anxiety, release negativity, pain management, pre/post medical procedure, fears/phobias, weight loss, smoking cessation, and more. See ad, page 18.

MARSHA MATHES

Certified Hypnotist 3313 Memorial Parkway, Ste 116 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-698-2151 MarshaMathes.SkinCareTherapy.net Hypnosis is a tool to assist you in countless ways to heal your past, empower your present and create your future. Hypnobirthing classes, quit smoking, weight loss, nail and lip biting, teeth grinding, insomnia, anxiety and stress relief, phobias and fears, pain relief, sports enhancement, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), current and past life regressions.

JIN SHIN JYUTSU® JIN SHIN JYUTSU OF HUNTSVILLE Sandra Cope Huntsville 256-534-1794 256-509-3540

Certified Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner. An easy, effective way of restoring health and well-being by balancing the body’s energy pathways to enhance the body’s natural healing abilities. See ad, page 8.

MASSAGE DIXIE PHILLIPS (LMT #2151)

Dixie’s Sunrise Massage Therapy 3313 Memorial Parkway, Ste #116 Huntsville, AL 35801 256-585-0504 • Hoss2ride@otelco.net Dixie’s Sunrise Massage Therapy: Come in and experience Dixie’s Combo. This is not the typical massage. MediCupping Therapy is used to relax muscles and increase the blood flow, which accelerates healing. It is also effective on bloating, scars, Fibromyalgia, Sciatica, migraine or tension headaches. See details on services, rates, and possible help with your Tissue Issues at DixiesSunrise.MassageTherapy.com.

editorial calendar

MENTAL HEALTH CARE

2015

TREE OF LIFE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

256-278-2802 TreeOfLifeBehavioral.com TreeOfLifeBehavioral@gmail.com At Tree of Life Behavioral Health, we believe that quality mental health care should be available to all people who need it. We offer counseling and medication management to families, children, adolescents, and adults on a sliding scale to meet all income needs.

Don’t let yourself suffer any longer!

MAY

breast health

plus: natural birth JUNE

healing addiction

plus: balanced man JULY

NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR

food democracy

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ASSOCIATES

plus: inspired living

Dr. Deb treats a variety of health problems using natural means.

She looks for why people have symptoms and treats the root cause of those symptoms. Dr. Deb is highly regarded in the integrative and natural approach to wellness. Every patent is unique, and she individualizes treatment for their optimal wellness. See ad, page 17.

parenting with presence

Dr. Deb Gilliam, N.M.D. 1230 Slaughter Rd, Ste E, Madison, AL 256-325-0955

STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION JACI HOGUE

256-656-4108 JaciHogue@gmail.com

AUGUST

plus: creativity SEPTEMBER

agelessness

plus: yoga benefits OCTOBER

working together

plus: natural antidepressants NOVEMBER

A complete system of body education that balances the physical body, improves posture, and helps resolve chronic pain. Created by Dr. Ida P. Rolf in the 1950s, Structural Integration has been scientifically validated and has withstood the test of time, as millions of people have enjoyed the remarkable benefits.

true wealth plus: beauty

DECEMBER

prayer & meditation plus: holiday themes

SUSAN K. JEFFREYS

Advanced Practitioner Lic.#249 Dr. Ida P. ROLF method 525 Fountain Row 256-508-3351 • RolfGuild.org Serving Huntsville since 1995 “When the body gets working appropriately, then the force of gravity can flow through. Then spontaneously, the body heals itself.” —Ida P. Rolf. See ad, page 11.

natural awakenings

May 2015

31

FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE In Life and Business

Align with Natural and Health-Minded Customers Seeking: • Acupuncturists • Meditation & Inspirational Music • Organic Food/Farm Markets • Advanced Chiropractic Health • Men’s Natural Products & Services • Recovery Programs • Counseling/Therapy • Natural Healthcare Practitioners • Silent Retreats • Eco-Travel Fun • Natural/Organic Restaurants • Spas & Sports Massage • Fitness/Sports Performance Gyms • Natural Sports Drinks/Aids • Transformational Seminars • Integrative Physicians • Natural Supplements • Wellness Trainers & Coaches • Learning Centers for the Arts • Neurofeedback • Yoga Studios

— and many more leading suppliers and providers

Advertise your products and services in Natural Awakenings’ June Healing Addiction & Balanced Man Issue

Contact us at:

256-340-1122 Editor@Natvalley.com