SUMMER SPARKLES

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wildflowers in our hair.

~Susan Polis Schutz

Everyone loves summer, which is likely why you and I have chosen to live in Southwest Florida. Even during the hottest months, plenty of people visit our area because of its beautiful beaches and delightful amenities. Longer daylight hours means more time to greedily partake in pleasures under the sun. I love to linger along the coastline after sunset as the cooler evening air comes in. Summertime is a state of mind fixed in our collective consciousness from our carefree childhoods. It’s the season that invites us to be more fully awake, engaged and open to everything around us, succumbing to childhood curiosity once again.

It’s also a time to do as little as possible and just be. The heat encourages our sluggish tendencies, allowing us to savor life’s gifts and waste time guilt-free. “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability,” the philosopher Sam Keen wrote. Even if our plans are no more ambitious than to take a nap, read a new book or float in a pool, this is the season for relaxation and “the pursuit of happiness”—a consequential phrase in the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

On Independence Day, we celebrate freedom from tyranny and the right to life and liberty, too. This year’s anniversary may be more important today than ever before, because our nation has become more divided than ever and American democracy seems to be hanging by a thread.

To celebrate the Fourth of July this year, here is my mantra: We honor dissent as part of our patriotic history and temper our anger against those with whom we disagree, understanding that the acceptance of different perspectives is the bedrock upon which our political system was built. We listen and empathize and work together to create solutions. We open our hearts to the perspectives of others, listen more and talk less, debate issues without hatred, vigorously question leaders and passionately stand up for human rights. We fight to eliminate laws and loopholes that diminish democracy.

No matter where you are on in the political spectrum or what your faith or beliefs, this country is worth fighting for and celebrating. Because it was built by people from different cultures and beliefs, we all have a place, and we all belong.

Enjoy your summer celebrations and quiet moments. Be kind and spread the love! We hope this month’s issue of Natural Awakenings helps keep you and our planet healthier and happier.

Happy Summering,

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher

Natural Awakenings is a network of natural lifestyle magazine publishers empowering local communities with knowledge, resources and connections to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

How To Advertise

To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, contact Christine Miller at 239-272-8155 or email ChristineM@ SWFLnaturalawakenings.com for Collier County or Lisa Doyle at 239-851-4729 or email LisaD@SWFLnaturalawakenings.com for Lee County. Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS

Email articles, news items and ideas to: SharonB@ swflNaturalAwakenings.com. Deadline for editorial: the 10th of the month. Or visit: SWFLnaturalawakenings.com/ Resources

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REGIONAL MARKETS

Advertise your products or services in multiple markets! NaturalAwakeningsPublishingCorp.isagrowingfranchised familyoflocallyownedmagazinesservingcommunitiessince 1994.Toplaceyouradinothermarketscall239-206-2000.For franchisingopportunitiescall 239-206-2000oremailNatural Awakenings@KnoWEwell.com.

Personal Assistant and Household Manager

Busy entrepreneurs, working spouses or extended family households can rely on Cindy Bisanti, owner of Everybody Needs a Cindy, as a trusted assistant in accomplishing meaningful, sometimes tedious tasks. As a personal and household assistant, Bisanti is available three days of the week for mornings or afternoons for shopping errands, making travel arrangements or reservations, organizing and managing home improvement projects, assisting in event planning and more.

“When elderly parents are at home, it becomes demanding for working families to take care of them in the midst of their busy schedules. They cannot be left unattended, as they need constant care and companionship. In such cases, another scope of my business is being responsible for all tasks relating to their welfare, and I can keep them attended and in good company. Having a personal assistant means less stress and better overall mental and physical health for all involved.”

Cost varies. For more information, call 239-202-3151 or email EverybodyNeedsACindy@gmail.com. See ad, page 47.

Tough Love Wellness Provides Essential Services

Dianne Nolan, a traumainformed concierge medical massage therapist based in Naples, and owner of Tough Love Wellness, specializes in treating sports and repetitive motion injuries, as well as pre- and postoperative manual lymphatic drainage for patients. She also provides holistic pain management for those with long COVID, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease and other autoimmune illnesses.

As the official massage therapist for the Florida Everblades hockey team, Nolanis also a women’s wellness coach for busy moms and other high-performers recovering from chronic stress and burnout. She uses PEMF frequency therapy and red light in her practice to help speed wound healing and regulate the nervous system.

She customizes treatment plans based on each patient’s needs and cupping therapy helps increase blood flow and oxygen to tissues, smoothing cellulite, scars and adhesions. Inoffice and event chair massage is available.

For more information or to book a session or consultation, call 239-399-0314 or visit ToughLoveWellness.com. See ad, page 47.

Happy Healthy Hours for Discounted IV Therapy

Root Causes Holistic Health and Medicine, in Fort Myers, is featuring Healthy Happy Hours, deeply discounted therapeutic nutrient intravenous (IV) treatments from expert IV therapy providers, from 2 to 5 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Four separate options are available to address conditions such as recovery from the heat and humidity, energizing the body and optimizing nutrient status. First-time clients will visit with a practitioner first to conduct a brief physical exam and obtain a health history to ensure suitability for IV nutrient therapy.

“We’ve been doing therapeutic nutrient IVs for 18 years,” says Doreen DeStefano, DPN, NhD, APRN. “No one in Southwest Florida has more knowledge and experience in this specialty. Root Causes offers the widest range of nutrient IV therapy available. Rarely do we open the practice to general IV therapy because we practice such intensive and specialized nutrient therapy. Take advantage of our expertise now before our seasonal patients return.”

Cost: One-time fee of $55 to become a member of the practice; $145 for IVs during Happy Hours. Walk-ins are welcome, but only during Happy Hours. Location: 12734 Kenwood Lane, Ste. 56. For more information, call 239-425-2900 or visit RtCausesMD.com. See ad, page 32.

Goddess I AM Events in July

GoddessI AM, in Naples, will host a variety of special and ongoing weekly events this month. A Light Codes Activations session will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on July 9; a one-hour Herbs for Inflammation presentation is set for 3 p.m. on July 12; and a Psychic Fair will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on July 14. Sound Bath and Guided Meditations with holistic healer Judy Wilder take place from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Thursdays are marked by Zen Meditation sessions with Marvin from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a one-hour Temple of the Goddess devotional service. On Fridays, Beth Brown-Rinella conducts Sacred Guided Meditations at 10 a.m. online via Zoom.

Location: 600 Goodlette Rd. N., Ste. 103. For more information or to register for events, call 239-228-6949 or visit GoddessIAM. com. See ad, page 41.

Seniors Want Fewer Prescriptions

In a new National Poll on Healthy Aging by the University of Michigan involving adults aged 50 to 80, the vast majority of respondents expressed an interest in cutting back on prescription medications. Eighty percent would be willing to stop taking one or more drugs if their healthcare provider said it was possible, and 26 percent had already stopped taking at least one drug they had been taking for more than a year. When asked which meds they would be most interested in stopping, 43 percent named their heart disease pills for high blood pressure or high cholesterol, 13 percent mentioned diabetes medicines and 10 percent included pain management prescriptions.

These results reflect a growing trend dubbed “deprescribing”. According to Deprescribing.org, a researcher-led online resource, it is the planned process of reducing or stopping medications that may no longer be of benefit or could be causing harm. The goal is to reduce medication burden or harm while improving quality of life. Seniors interested in cutting down on the drugs they are taking should consult their healthcare provider to ensure it is safe and helpful to do so.

Close Relationships May Influence Physical Well-Being

A new study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science has found that a person’s close relationships may either benefit or undermine physical health. The threeweek study involving 4,005 participants looked at how both positive and negative relationship experiences affect the body, and how daily fluctuations in those interactions may influence changes in well-being, as reflected in self-reported stress levels and coping abilities, as well as blood pressure and heart rate reactivity biomarkers.

The researchers observed that people with more positive experiences and fewer negative ones reported lower stress, improved coping skills and better physical functioning. They also noted that ups and downs in negative relationships were especially predictive of outcomes like stress, coping and overall systolic blood pressure.

Effects of Cannabis Use Before and After Surgery

In January 2023, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine published guidelines recommending that all patients undergoing anesthesia be screened and questioned about cannabis use, including how much and how often they use, how they take it and when they last used it.

One of the largest studies on the effects of cannabis use on sedation, published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, looked at 250 patients undergoing an endoscopy while under anesthesia. Those that reported regular cannabis use required significantly higher doses of anesthesia than nonusers. Another study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that daily cannabis users required a higher dose of sedatives prior to an endoscopy than weekly or monthly users.

On a related note, a 2018 study published in the journal Patient Safety in Surgery reported that marijuana use may interfere with painkillers after surgery. The study looked at 261 trauma center patients and concluded that marijuana use, especially chronic use, may affect the pain response to injury and require higher doses of opioids for pain management.