WELL OF YOUTH: TEENS, WILL VITAMIN WATER QUENCH YOUR THIRST?
LYME IN THE LIMELIGHT
How Chumy Klughaupt of Yesh Tickvah helps Lyme disease patients navigate their way to health
CUP OF TEA WITH CHANY GEWIRTZ, RN
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Editor’s Letter Dear Readers, When I accepted the position as editor of The Wellspring, I knew I was signing up for a leap into the world of health and wellness. Indeed, my work for the magazine has exponentially expanded my awareness of the many health-related matters that we’ve covered. In our quest to provide our readers with research-based and experiential evidence on issues that affect the community, we seek out practitioners and activists who are experts in their respective fields. Of course, our primary objective is to present the reader with the most constructive advice regarding health and wellness. However, time and again, when I or other writers conduct interviews with various health personalities in the community, we come away with much more. Our interviewees’ medical jargon is peppered with a conviction and appreciation for life that blows me away. Take Chumy Klughaupt, for example, whose saga is covered in this issue’s feature, “Lyme in the Limelight.” As a yet undiagnosed Lyme disease patient, her life was wrought with pain for over a decade. Not only did her physical situation deteriorate to the extent that she had no more energy than a fly, but she faced the emotional pain of surrendering everything that was dear to her, including teaching and tending to the needs of her fledgling family. How incredibly painful! But what followed is marvelous. This courageous young woman turned herself into the anchor for her fellow Lyme sufferers. From her pain, she generated kindness and compassion toward others. Through founding and directing her esteemed organization, Yesh Tickvah, she serves as a voice of comfort and guidance in an otherwise dark and obscure field. Soon after Chumy was diagnosed with Lyme disease, she had to go to for frequent treatments to her doctor in Mt. Kisco, a two-hour drive from her home. An incredibly kind woman from Seagate, whom she didn’t know, volunteered to drive her to these appointments. This woman would spend her entire day on this mission, driving Chumy there, waiting the two hours that each appointment took, and then driving her back home. She did this again and again and again. One day, Chumy’s doctor inquired about the woman who was waiting for her. Was she her mother? Sister? Friend? Chumy replied that she was a complete stranger who volunteered to perform this kind deed. The doctor looked Chumy in the eye and said, “When you get well, you have to give back to that community.” Thanks to that kind woman from Seagate and all the others who pitched in to help Chumy throughout the duration of her illness, she was indeed inspired to do her utmost to give back. In her interview with The Wellspring, another Lyme disease survivor, Shoshana Shamberg, tells a tale of faith. “It’s been a blessing to me,” she remarks of her Lyme disease. “I don’t know if I’d take care of myself the way I do now if not for this. Hashem was bopping me on the head. He sent signs that alerted me, ‘Now you have to take care of yourself.’ Changing our outlook changes reality. When I had Lyme, I could have easily played the victim, saying ‘I don’t deserve this.’ Instead, I asked every day, ‘Hashem, what do you want me to do?’” Our interview was about Lyme, but Shoshana conveyed a perhaps more crucial message about life. In the summertime, you will probably meet new people, or those you don’t have a chance to spend time with all year—whether at the poolside or on the luscious grounds of your summer residence. If you listen closely to the stories of seemingly ordinary women, you will hear the whispers of strength and courage. Enjoy every moment and may this be a healthy, uneventful summer for you and your family.
Shiffy Friedman
shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com
Editor In Chief Shiffy Friedman, CNWC Nutritional Advisory Board Jack Friedman, PhD Moshe Weinberger Fitness Advisor LR Wilen, PFC Syma Kranz, PFC Managing Editor Esty Cinner Feature Editors Rochel Gordon Liba Solomon, CNWC Copy Editor Gila Zemmel Food Editor Levia Joseph Creative Directors Miriam Bluming Rivky Schwartz Art Director Chavy Schwartz Digital Marketing Goldi Feldman Simcha Nunez Write To Us: 694 Myrtle Ave. Suite 389 Brooklyn, NY 11205 info@wellspringmagazine.com wellspringmagazine.com The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by MaxiHealth Research LLC. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part or in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space and editorial sensitivities. The Wellspring Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content or kashrus of advertisements in the publication, nor for the content of books that are referred to or excerpted herein. The contents of The Wellspring Magazine, such as text, graphics and other material (content) are intended for educational purposed only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.
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Content
13
WELLNESS PLATFORM By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels
15
TORAH WELLSPRING By Rabbi Ezra Friedman
16
HEALTH TIDBITS IN THE NEWS By Liba Solomon, CNWC
18
FIGURES By Miriam Katz
59
WELCOME TO THE LAB By Judy Appel
20 22
IN GOOD SHAPE Work Smarter, Not Longer By Syma Kranz, PFC
24
COVER FEATURE Lyme in the Limelight By Shiffy Friedman
42
HEALTHY HOME HABITS Pack It In By Batsheva FIne
44
MONTHLY DOSE Away with the Pests By Dina Mendlowitz
LIVING WELL
63
8 The Wellspring | June 2016
CHILDREN’S SECTION By Dina
33
SEASONED: DINNER ON THE DECK By Levia Joseph
47
NUTRITION FACTS IN A SHELL In Season: Apricots By Devorah Isaacson
54
EAT WELL CLEAN SLATE By Shiffy Friedman, CNWC
55
HEALTH PERSONALITY Chanie Gewirtz, RN By Miri Davis
56
ME-TIME Dip In! By Batsheva Fine
60
WELLBEING DIARY By Fraidy Silberstein
62
INKWELL
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
FARE WELL
18
27
WELL OF YOUTH
WELL INFORMED ASK THE NUTRITIONIST Keeping it Down in Camp By Shani Taub, CDC
TEENS’ SECTION By Raizy Kleinman
60
22
Advertorial
Someone in your family has Lyme If you have found your way here not because you have Lyme disease, but because someone in your familly or someone you know has been diagnosed with it, let's begin by saying thank you for wanting to learn more about it. One of the most difficult things for people, particularly family members, of those who are fighting this disease is trying to understand it. It is hard to wrap your head around a disease that is so difficult to diagnose, treat, and understand. It is hard to recognize the severity of a disease like this when you look at the person and they seem fine.....they "look good." Resentment can often be created prior to diagnosis especially with spouses and partners, because the Lyme patient complains constantly about being sick and not feeling well. They may get depressed or have anxiety. They may explode in bouts of anger and aggression. They may panic and go to the doctor or emergency room sometimes on more than one occasion, only to be told they are fine and nothing is wrong. Often times they are labeled as a hypochondriac. When it is the person who is supposed to be your life partner or someone close to you telling you this, it creates a barrier, and a lot of negative emotions, anger, and resentment for both parties. Please understand that this disease is a highly complex disease....it affects every person differently and to different severities. Diagnosis is not simple, treatment is not simple, and the Lyme patient struggles with trying to fight to get their life back and at the same time not complain too much so others don't get frustrated with them. It takes an immensely strong person to battle this disease. And doing it alone is often not an option. People that suffer from Lyme disease NEED support from their close ones. They don't need you to "fix" them. They don't necessarily need you to understand, but they do NEED you to support them. They NEED you to cheer them on and give them hope. They NEED you to tell them that you believe in them and that they can do this....they can make it...they CAN get their life back.
They don't need anyone to belittle them, tell them it is all in their head, that they look good, or that they are over-reacting. Unless you are in their body, there is no way for you to understand what they are going through, how they are feeling, what thoughts are going through their minds. And it's OKAY if you don't understand. Lyme disease doesn't just affect the body....it affects the mental state, the emotional state, the ability to communicate, the ability to cope. Often times the pain is just a small portion of the experience. It is difficult to pinpoint what is Lyme related, and what is not. Understand that they may not be able to do as much as they normally can. They may be too fatigued or sick to go on outings, or even to maintain household chores and responsibilities. They may even lose their job or not be able to work. Do not use that as ammo against them. If they were in a car accident and in a wheelchair, would you be angry with them because they could no longer do all the things they used to be able to do? It's no different. Believe me, they already feel bad enough that they can't function normally despite their desire to. Understanding is the best medicine. Knowing that you are there, no matter how bad it gets.....that you will help them out of bed....that you will tell them it is okay no matter what......that you tell them every day how proud you are of them for sticking with this and fighting it.....that you believe in them and their ability to beat this thing and get their life back. This is what they need more than anything. Now, one thing the Lyme patient may never understand.....is that it is also very difficult for ones close to them to go through this. I can't think of anything worse than watching a close one suffer and be in pain, and feel as though their life is slipping away from them. Whatever you do, don't push that blame on them. It is absolutely understandable that you may have a hard time coping with the effects of this disease yourself, but please do not take it out on the one that is fighting Lyme.
Springboard
Letters to the Editor
Reaching Out A reader’s call for help Dear Editor: I see that although The Wellspring is fairly new, lots of people are talking about it and reading it. I’m wondering if, as a health-oriented magazine, you could serve as the messenger to help me in my dire search. I’m looking for a specialist in the Tri-State area who deals with PANDAS. We’re at our wits’ end with our son and were wondering if someone out there has some good leads for us.
Many thanks in advance, Sussie H.
Parents Beware Teens are not adults [Issue #2: Cup of Tea with Sanford Landa, LCSW] Dear Editor: As a therapist in an addictions center in N.Y., I want to commend you for the excellent interview with addictions specialist Sanford Landa, LCSW. His work in the field is indeed incredible. One point that he stressed that I feel more parents should be aware of is that teens are NOT adults. They may try to act like adults, and they may look like adults, but their brains are still developing and they thus need 10 The Wellspring | June 2016
adult guidance in their lives. As much as we think that by giving them independence we’re helping them grow, they still need our direction. Of course, this must be done subtly and come from a place of trust. For this reason, parents must make an effort from when their children are very young to build up that trust. I’ve seen too many cases of parents who either allowed their children to do whatever they felt like because they gave up, or followed their children like hawks, imparting a message of “We don’t trust you… who knows what you’re up to?” A delicate balance of faith in the child but gentle holding of hands must be achieved in order for a child to develop into a stable, healthy adult. With appreciation for your informative publication, Rina Sklar, LCSW
To the Editor: Thanks for your beautiful magazine that enlightens me on so many aspects of healthy living. I look forward to it every month! I just want to point out something very interesting that I observed after reading the article “Potato Starch All Year” on gluten intolerance. The week after Pesach, I prepared a huge batch of noodles to use for chicken soup for the next few Shabbosim. I left it in the strainer on the counter and got busy in another part of the house. When I came back to the kitchen, I found that my kids spilled the noodles all over the floor and the gluten literally made it stick. It was as if they’d spilled a bottle of glue! So yes, gluten very much operates like glue, as my unintentional experiment indicated. It helped me see how it operates in the body, as well. F. Berger New Square
Energy Boost! A happy Naturemax Energize™ user [Issue #4: Power in Powder] Dear Editor: Just wanted to drop a line to let you know how Naturemax Energize™ truly gives me a boost every day. I work out of the house for many hours and I never leave in the morning before enjoying a full cup of this whey protein powder. This one cup energizes me for the long day ahead and makes me feel full and happy. Thanks for pointing out its research-based benefits to the public.
Sara Tannenbaum Passaic, NJ
Proof Is in the Pudding Gluten really is glue [Issue #3: Potato Starch All Year]
Another Self-Talk Suggestion From a recovering emotional eater [Issue #2: Clean Slate] Dear Editor: As a recovering emotional eater, I’m finding your Clean Slate column to be extremely encouraging and illuminating. I appreciate that the writer brings psychological, personal, and a Torah-based perspective to an issue that is so rampant in our society. Every simchah and event revolves around food in our community, and so many of us inadvertently teach our kids to associate food with emotions. I’m especially enjoying the self-talk sidebar. In fact, on Pesach, as I was dishing out foods for my family and controlling the urge to “taste” and “take just a lick,” the line I kept repeating to myself was “I can do this,” and I
did! One line your readers might find helpful is what my friend told me her recovering alcoholic husband always uses: “One drink is too many, a thousand not enough.” I think it really relates well to one bite of chocolate or one spoon of ice cream. I’m really enjoying the entire magazine very much. It’s giving me a lot to think about in terms of raising a healthy family. Many thanks, Gitty J. Boro Park
Seeing Is Believing My elderly mother’s story [Issue #2: Golden Page] Dear Editor: As the caretaker of my elderly mother, I’m finding your Golden Page feature to be very illuminating. The elderly population is often plagued with various health issues, and bringing solutions to the forefront is very necessary and appreciated. Several months ago, you discussed the research-based benefits of Bilberry Supreme™, which sounded like what my mother needed for her macular degeneration. I went out to purchase a bottle for her and I want to let you know that we’ve seen real improvement in her vision as a result. I also followed your advice on covering the windows when my grandkids sleep over here on Friday night! Thanks so much for covering topics that run the gamut of our community’s health and wellbeing. S. Greenberg
Advice on Lactose Intolerance How I deal with it [Issue #4: The Dairy Debate] Dear Editor: Thank you for Rochel Gordon’s great article on lactose intolerance. I’m one of those people who always felt uncomfortable after consuming dairy products but never put the two and two together. I think that your informative article will give others out there a chance to finally make that connection. I want to share with your readers how I lead a normal life even with lactose intolerance. Almond milk is an excellent substitute for regular milk. I use it in my coffee, in recipes, and even with cereal. It happens to be low in calories and full of health benefits. And when I’m really in the mood of a slice of pizza, which doesn’t happen too often, there’s Lactaid to the rescue, which helps my body digest lactose. We order cases of it at a time and it’s really helpful. Thanks for being the ideal health forum for the community, G. M.
Pasteurized vs. Raw How are they different? [Issue #4: The Dairy Debate] Dear Editor, I read your excellent feature on dairy with much interest as I always wondered whether I was doing my children a service or not when prodding them to drink milk. I appreciated the research-based analysis on this
controversial topic. The writer mentioned a very intriguing diet called the Raw Milk Diet. I was wondering if the benefits of it have to do with the idea that the milk was raw. What are the differences between raw milk and pasteurized milk in terms of their nutritious content? R.Thaler
Rochel Gordon responds: Thanks for your positive feedback and question. Here is the answer that the FDA provides: Milk and milk products provide a wealth of nutrition benefits, but raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to you and your family. According to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1993 and 2006 more than 1500 people in the United States became sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk. In addition, CDC reported that unpasteurized milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness and results in 13 times more hospitalizations than illnesses involving pasteurized dairy products. Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. This raw, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses. These harmful bacteria can seriously affect the health of anyone who drinks raw milk, or eats foods made from raw milk. However, the bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women, and children. Since pasteurization does not reduce the milk’s nutritional value, it’s the safer choice.
invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@ wellspringmagazine.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.
The next issue of The Wellspring will appear iy”H on July 20th.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 11
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Well Informed
Wellness Platform By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels
VITAMIN A: THE INFECTION VITAMIN
I
In the past few articles, we’ve discussed the importance of supplementing one’s diet with vitamins and minerals that are not derived from food. I would like to share the findings from my years of research and experience in the field regarding the various vitamins Hashem put into this world. Let’s start with vitamin A, simply because A is the first letter of the alphabet. In ancient Egypt, people used to eat cooked livers to cure night blindness. Only many years later did the general public understand the reason for this seemingly absurd practice. About 100 years ago, nutritional researchers discovered that liver is packed with vitamin A, whose chemical name is Retinol. Indeed, vitamin A is crucial in maintaining good eyesight. In addition, it is a primary anti-oxidant and one of the most powerful weapons in the body’s arsenal ensuring the proper functioning of all its systems. Vitamin A is especially effective in boosting the immune system and fighting against free radicals. Night blindness is officially associated with a lack of vitamin A, but a host of other ailments result from vitamin A deficiency, as well. Some of the main roles that vitamin A plays in the body are in the upkeep of reproductive health, hormone stability in women, growth, and blood sugar control. Vitamin A used to have a strong reputation as an infection fighter, to the extent that it was dubbed “the infection-fighting vitamin,” long before vitamin C took over that title. The famous Dr. Atkins, who was a leading expert on vitamin nutrition, wrote in his book that when he felt even a sniff of an upcoming cold, he immediately took between 50,000 and 100,000 IU of vitamin A daily, in addition to high doses of vitamin
C and zinc. He added that he hadn’t missed a day of work in 30 years. Vitamin A for Children In the Middle Ages, the lives of countless children were snuffed out by various viral and bacterial illnesses. The medical conditions today’s child struggles with for a day or two, or maximum two weeks, used to spell
The main reason for the decline in child mortality in industrialized countries is that the children here receive enough vitamin A to prevent illness. a death sentence for a child in yesteryear. In today’s day and age, we only hear about child mortality due to viral infections in such places as the wilds of Africa. What’s the difference between children living in developed countries and those growing up in Africa? The main reason for the decline in child mortality in industrialized countries is that the children here receive
enough vitamin A to prevent illness. If children in Africa would receive the recommended doses of vitamin A, the lives of 1.2 million to 2.5 billion children would be spared annually. The incidence of infant and child bronchitis would decrease by 70 percent, and the rate of deaths due to intestinal illness by 39 percent! The startling reality is, however, that even in established, modern America there are still children who suffer from deficiency in vitamin A, albeit not to the same degree as those in underdeveloped countries. In a study performed on 20 Californian children who had the measles, the researchers found that half of them had a vitamin A deficiency, despite their nutritious diet and slightly overweight status. The explanation for this seems obvious: we eat foods that merely look like foods but are essentially not proper foods, and certainly not digestible. The body is hungry for real food! Children are especially prone to vitamin A deficiency because infections drain the body of the little bit of vitamin A that it previously contained. However, even from a single dose of 20,000 IU of vitamin A, the healing process from viral, bacterial, and infectious diseases like chicken pox can be accelerated. In our next column, we will discuss other vital roles that vitamin A plays in the body. In this column, Rabbi Hirsch Meisels, a renowned expert on healthy living, delivers vital health information culled from his years of experience as the founder and director of FWD, Friends With Diabetes. The information was originally transcribed from his lectures on his hotline, Kol Beri’im.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 13
Well Informed
Torah Wellspring By Rabbi Ezra Friedman
CAN I BE COUNTED IN THE ZIMUN? FASCINATING ANSWERS FROM HALACHIC AUTHORITIES ON THE TOPIC OF GUARDING OUR HEALTH FROM THE VARIOUS Torah sources we’ve discussed in this column, we’ve established that the Torah clearly advises us to lead a healthy life and do everything in our power to safeguard our physical wellbeing. However, although we’ve culled from this that our health is important in the eyes of Hashem, we may assume that it’s all very nice and dandy— almost like a plus in our avodas Hashem. However, in this article, the reader will understand that a Jew’s physical health is of paramount importance to Hashem. It is an obligation in the Torah that is manifested in practical halachah.
matzah and maror, but the doctor advised him otherwise. The Mahari ruled that if this man were to “keep these commandments,” he would not be allowed to recite the berachos of “al achilas matzah” and “al achilas maror,” because by eating matzah and maror he would in fact be transgressing the laws of the Torah. The Mahari even went so far as to say that this man was not only a chassid shoteh, a term used to describe a simple person who doesn’t grasp the Torah’s depth, but that he was also an avaryah, one who transgresses the laws of the Torah. Even though a person wants to observe a certain mitzvah, if by doing so he puts his health at a slight risk, the negative outcome is exponentially greater than the positive intention.
Since the Torah clearly obligates us to guard our health, and the doctor told him that meat was detrimental to his health, this person was not allowed to participate in the zimun.
In the Sha’alos and Teshuvos of the Maharam of Rothenburg (6), we find an interesting question from a man whom the doctor advised to abstain from meat A famous story is told of the Sar for health reasons. Once, this man sat at a Shalom of Belz, who was once told by meal with several other men and ended up a doctor that he shouldn’t fast on Yom consuming meat. There’s an interesting Kippur. Heeding his command, the Sar halachic prohibition forbidding an adult Shalom sat down to a meal on the holiest male from participating in the zimun day of the year. His venerable son, Rebbe of birkas hamazon if he consumed a Aharon of Belz, later related that the joy forbidden food during the meal, such as emanating from his father’s face while non-kosher meat or bread from which he ate that meal was as great as the joy challah wasn’t taken. Thus, this man that radiated from him when he sat down wanted to know that since the meat to eat matzah and maror. To the Sar was forbidden to him only due to health reasons, and not because it was non-kosher, was he still Shalom, the commandment of guarding his health was real, no different from the mitzvos of eating matzah and bitter allowed to be counted in the zimun? What did the Maharam of Rothenburg answer him? herbs on Pesach. He truly understood its profundity and Since the Torah clearly obligates us to guard our health, and importance, and if the doctor advised him to eat on Yom the doctor told him that meat was detrimental to his health, Kippur, he knew that this was his obligation. this person was not allowed to participate in the zimun. If a man who eats a food his doctor advised him to “It’s as if you ate a halachically forbidden food,” stated the avoid cannot be counted in a zimun, this tells us something Maharam. regarding the importance of our health. When it comes We find an even more compelling halachah in to guarding our health, we must heed the advice of our the Sha’alos and Teshuvos of the Mahari Osad (160). In halachic authorities and do everything it takes to preserve this case, the questioner wanted to observe the mitzvos of and improve our wellbeing. June 2016 | The Wellspring 15
Well Informed
Health Tidbits in the News By Liba Solomon, CNWC
ONE SMALL STEP CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE This recent study will give your weight loss hopes a boost A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices and/or physical activity each week (such as drinking one fewer can of soda or walking 5 more minutes each day) lost more than twice as much abdominal fat, 2½ more inches off their waistlines, and about 4 times more weight during a 4-month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorierestriction and physical-activity guidelines. “When you focus on just a couple of small changes at a time, you begin to ingrain some healthy habits that last for a lifetime, rather than trying an all-or-nothing approach that more often than not fails because it’s too hard to follow,” says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University. For example, tag the high-fat/high-calorie foods that are typically your favorites (top five: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips, and fries) and gradually downshift. “If you’re eating six of these foods a week, try to go down to five,” says Dr. Lutes. Each week, drop another until you’re at no more than one or two; at the same time, add in a good-for-you choice, like baby carrots, sautéed broccoli, oranges, or other fresh fruits and veggies.
NOT THE ONLY ONE Women are more prone to anxiety Struggling with anxiety? Then odds are you’re a woman and you live in either North America or Western Europe. That’s the conclusion of a new British study published in Brain and Behavior that found that women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety as men. Moreover, people in North America and Western Europe are more prone to anxiety disorders than those from other parts of the world. In North America, nearly 8 out of 100 people suffer from anxiety—the most in the world. In East Asia, it’s fewer than 3 in 100—the lowest, the review authors noted. “Anxiety is important and shouldn’t be overlooked,” said lead researcher Olivia Remes. “Sometimes, people think that anxiety is just a part of their personality or that there’s nothing they can do about it, but there is.” For the review, Remes and her colleagues looked at more than 1,200 previously published studies about anxiety, and focused on 48 of them. The investigators found that from 1990 to 2010, the overall number of people with an anxiety disorder remained about the same—approximately four out of every 100. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to have an anxiety disorder (9%). And as many as 10% of men and women under 35 had an anxiety disorder, the researchers found.
GOLDEN PAGE Updates for the rich in years Fiber—A Research-based Supplement for Aging Successfully While many of us associate fiber supplements with facilitating elimination, a recent study has revealed that—more than carbohydrates, glycemic index, glycemic load, and sugar—fiber is one factor that makes a difference in successful aging. Ten years ago, researchers on aging started to track the aging process of 500 subjects. A decade later, 249 subjects were determined to have aged successfully. Participants whose fiber intake was among the top 25% had a 79% greater chance of aging successfully compared with those in the lowest 25%. “Out of all the variables that we looked at, fiber intake—which is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest— had the strongest influence,” comments lead author Bamini Gopinath, PhD, of The Westmead Institute’s Centre for Vision Research. “Essentially, we found that those who had the highest intake of fiber or total fiber actually had an almost 80% greater likelihood of living a long and healthy life over a 10-year follow-up.That is, they were less likely to suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dementia, depression, and functional disability.” Fibermax Supreme™ is a high fiber supplement that supports healthy elimination. It’s made of premium psyllium husks and flax seed powder.This bulk producing fiber encourages normal elimination naturally, without chemical stimulants and is non-addictive. 16 The Wellspring | June 2016
Green Tea Extract Good for weight loss or just a myth? A study published in April 2016 in Clinical Interventions in Aging found that daily consumption of green tea was correlated with body weight reduction and the lipid profile of the subjects. A total of 59 overweight or mildly obese subjects were enrolled and randomized to consume either a placebo or a green tea supplement for 20 weeks. The results found that subjects who consumed the green tea supplement saw statistically significant weight loss when compared to the placebo group. “Sounds too good to be true,” says the lead author Joni Beaman, “but these are the research-based facts. Green tea consumption is linked to decreased body lipid content.”
TIME TO STOP: TELL THAT TO YOURSELF Commenting on your daughter's weight may lead to more harm than benefit A study published in the June issue of the Eating & Weight Disorders reveals that young women whose parents commented on their weight were more likely to overeat. The study included 501 women between the ages of 20 and 35.They were asked about their body image and how frequently their parents commented about their weight when they were young girls. Compared to those who were overweight, healthyweight women were 27% less likely to say their parents commented on their weight, and 28% less likely to say their parents told them they ate too much. Both overweight and healthy-weight women who said their parents commented on their weight when they were girls were less satisfied with their weight as adults. This suggests that weight-related comments from parents caused harm to the women’s body image, regardless of their current weight, the researchers said. “Commenting on a woman’s weight is never a good idea, even when they are young girls,” says lead author Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y. “If you’re worried about your child’s weight, avoid criticizing her or restricting food. Instead, nudge healthy choices and behaviors by giving her the freedom to choose for herself and by making the healthier choices more appealing and convenient,”Wansink adds. “After all, it’s the choices that children make for themselves that will lead to lifelong habits.”
MILLIONS OF BACTERIA ON YOUR DOORKNOB! Seeing is believing Many health care workers do not wash their hands nearly as often as they should, but one Detroit hospital may have found a way to improve hand hygiene. The infection team at the Henry Ford Health System found that hand-washing rates improved after hospital staff members were shown images of millions of bacteria found on common surfaces. According to a study of the effort, the images showed bacterial growth on items like unused gloves, doorknobs, a nurse station computer mouse, health-care workers’ hands, a mobile phone, and an ultrasound machine. “Hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection, and yet it can be one of the most difficult benchmarks to improve,” said Susan Dolan, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Inspired by a 2014 study that found emotional motivators more effective than traditional messaging, this study aimed to evoke the feeling of disgust in health care personnel. The images were tested multiple times over two months in four hospital units with the lowest rates of hand hygiene compliance. After the images were shared, observations showed that every unit experienced at least an 11% increase in hand-washing, and one unit improved by nearly 50%. A (gory!) creative idea to promote hand-washing in your home!
June 2016 | The Wellspring 17
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
OUNCE OF WELL
Well Informed
Figures By Miriam Katz
LYME DISEASE DATA
$133 Less Than
The annual amount NIH (National Institutes of Health) spends per Lyme disease patient
2% of government funds go toward treating Lyme disease
10+ The amount of conditions Lyme Disease can mimic, such as ALS and MS
$73,500
NUMBERS ON TICK-BORNE ILLNESS The annual amount NIH (National Institutes of Health) spends per malaria patient
440,000- 880,000 Americans continue to experience symptoms after treatment
60% of acute cases of Lyme disease are missed through current diagnostics
18  The Wellspring | June 2016
5
th
most common nationally notifiable disease
steps to safely remove a tick
of people contract Lyme disease without noticing a tick bite or subsequent rash
inches
65%
7
18-24 off the ground is where deer ticks live
329,000
96%
new cases every year in the Unites States
of Lyme disease cases were reported in 14 states, New York and New Jersey included, in 2014
21-28 days of antibiotic treatment may be insufficient to eradicate the Lyme Spirochete June 2016 | The Wellspring  19
Living Well
Ask the Nutritionist By Shani Taub, CDC
Keeping It Down in Camp How can I help my daughter?
Q
I’m sending my 12-year-old daughter to camp for the first time this summer. Of course, I’m nervous and excited at the same time, hoping she’ll enjoy the experience and that I won’t miss her too much! Over the past few months, I’ve guided her toward losing ten pounds from her overweight frame. The doctor advised her to lose another ten to enter the healthy weight range. Since camp food is not conducive to weight loss, I would like to know how I can prepare her for the challenge ahead. Do you think it’s doable at all? Concerned about camp
Shani answers:
Shani Answers:
A
I commend you for taking the necessary steps to improve your daughter’s health. Childhood obesity is a serious issue that has emotional and social ramifications, so I’m glad to hear that you’re tackling it wisely. You ask if losing weight in camp is doable. My belief is that everything is doable as long as the person wants to do it. I say this from experience, as I’ve guided tens of children and adults in seemingly impossible situations to reach their goals. I work with bachurim in out of town yeshivahs, even in Eretz Yisrael, and those who wanted to succeed did amazing work. It’s hard, for sure, but it’s definitely doable. The same is true for women who spend the summer at a hotel or in a
The Wellspring | June 2016 20
place that provides their meals. Camp can actually provide several positive contributions to weight loss. For one, the kids are usually more active in camp than they are at home. The camp schedule revolves around physical activity, which is a great way to burn calories and speed up the metabolism. It’s also a time when kids are busy, so they don’t have that much of a chance to sit around and snack on empty calories. But there’s also the canteen, and the meals are generally not prepared with weight loss in mind. So how can your daughter, or anyone who spends the summer in an environment where the food is prepared for her, tackle that? For breakfast, I tell my clients to take along whole-grain cereal. Camps and hotels also usually provide hard-boiled eggs, which are a great
If you think about it, the camp kitchen does offer a nice amount of healthy options for a health-conscious camper.
BIG YET SMALL Being an overweight child is not pleasant. It’s important to note that children who carry around extra weight require an extra dose of positive attention. Especially in today’s world, when the external has such a significant impact on the internal, these children may have low self-esteem and negative body image. If the child feels that her parent is frustrated, disappointed, or embarrassed with her appearance, her self-esteem will only plummet. When talking to your overweight child about weight loss, make sure to do so with utmost care. protein. For lunch, I’d advise her to take along cans of tuna, and I think that in this day and age most camps provide whole wheat bread. If you think about it, the camp kitchen does offer a nice amount of healthy options for a health-conscious camper. There are always plenty of vegetables, especially at lunch, and at supper they usually serve chicken. Plus, every camp provides fruit at snack-time, so a health-minded camper can take a few pieces to her room for the rest of the day. Even if the camp or hotel serves macaroni and cheese, I allow my young clients to enjoy one portion of it. Most overweight children are used to eating three of four plates of the foods they like, but if they eat the right amount they can even lose weight while enjoying the not-so-healthful dishes. Of course, a young dieter needs lots of positive reinforcement. Allow her to talk about her successes and failures, and support her in her journey by being understanding and encouraging. If she slips, assure her that it’s okay and that she can get back onto her plan. The more she’ll feel that her work is acknowledged, and the more results she’ll see, the more she’ll have the drive to carry on.
BUT I WANT ANOTHER ONE! How can we teach children to eat less and still enjoy their meal and feel full? When a client tells me that she wants to have two slices of pizza, I tell her to take one slice and follow the following eating technique: Take a baby bite, chew it until you can’t chew it anymore, count three seconds, and take another baby bite. It sounds technical, but once you train yourself to eat this way, you end up enjoying your food a lot more and you feel fuller as well. Another piece of advice I give to a client who doesn’t want just one slice is to cut the slice in half, finish one, and then take the other. A large part of the success of dieting comes from taking advantage of our power of imagination. To those who want a piece of cake once they’ve already had their allotted treat, I say, “Imagine that you ate it already.” It’s over! So much depends on how we think.
Please send your questions to the nutritionist to nutrition@wellspringmagazine.com. Shani Taub, CDC, has been practicing as a certified nutritionist in Lakewood for almost a decade, meeting with clients in person and on the phone. She also owns the highly popular Shani Taub food line, which carries healthy, approved, pre-measured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 21
Living Well
In Good Shape By Syma Kranz, PFC
Work Smarter, Not Longer 6 Ways to Firm Up Faster and Double Your Results You don’t have to become a “gymaholic” in order to transform the way you look. Not now. Not ever. Research proves it: You don’t have to work out longer—just smarter. Isn’t that great news? After all, who has even one more second to devote to the gym? Make these easy tweaks to your routine and spend the time saved enjoying your new shape. Power Up Your Walks Old thinking: Stretch first New approach: Get moving A review of 23 studies found that stretching before an activity damages muscle tissue, which reduces muscle strength and hinders performance. Start each workout by moving your limbs through a full range of motion. You want to get the fluid in your joints flowing, so your ankles, hips, knees, and shoulders are well lubricated and move with ease. Improve results: Warm up your muscles before but stretch only after your workout. Studies show this can help keep you limber and prevent chronic injuries such as tendinitis. Burn More Fat Old thinking: Walk long and steady New approach: Do speed bursts Short pops of energy help your body burn fat both while you work out and long afterward—and in less workout time. In a recent study, exercisers who performed just two to three minutes of high-intensity, 30-second sprints on exercise bikes (with four minutes of easy pedaling in between) three times a week boosted their ability to use oxygen—a key factor in fat burning—by about 30%, says study author Martin Gibala, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario. What’s more, your metabolism stays revved longer after a vigorous workout than after an easy one. Researchers from Canada’s Laval University found that although participants who did short bursts burned only half as many calories during their workouts as peers who exercised longer, they had burned nine times as much fat after 15 weeks. Improve results: If you normally walk for 45 minutes, cut it down to 30. After a short warm-up, speed walk at your fastest pace for one minute. Recover for one minute, walking at a moderate pace. Repeat about 15 times. Cool down.
Erase Arm, Hip, and Thigh Fat Old thinking: Lift for 12 to 15 reps New approach: Pump out only 3 to 5 Performing just a few reps with heavy weights activates hard-totone “fast-twitch” muscle fibers that atrophy (hence the jiggly flesh) as you age. The problem is that many women use 3- to 5-pound dumbbells when they really should be using 10-pound or even heavier weights, says researcher William Kraemer, PhD, a physiology professor at the University of Connecticut. If you amp up your weight-training, you can fire those fibers and regain your strength and shape. Improve results: Once a week (but no more—your muscles need recovery time), trade in your 3- and 5-pound dumbbells for 10-, 15-, even 20-pounders. Think it’s too hard? Remember, you routinely pick up 10-pound grocery bags and maybe even 50-pound kids. Shoot for three sets, 3 to 5 reps per set. If you can’t maintain good form, the weight is too heavy; pick a slightly lighter one. The Wellspring | June 2016 22
Tighten Your Abs Old thinking: Hit the mat New approach: Stand up Your abs are made of endurance-based muscle fibers, which is a fancy way of saying that it takes dozens of crunches to fatigue (and tone) them. However, many women who do crunches on the floor find that their necks start to ache before their abs begin to burn, so they stop— and never get the firm midsections they want. The secret to firmer, flatter abs: Add rotation—twisting your abs and obliques (side muscles)—to other strength moves such as squats or lunges. This rotation works great when you’re in plank position, which I see as the ideal ab exercise. The muscles in your midsection are designed to hold you upright and stabilize your torso, and anytime you twist or turn, they jump into action. Activate them throughout your workout and they’ll be quicker to fatigue once you hit the floor. Improve results: When you do lunges, add a twist, rotating from your middle toward the knee that’s out in front. Also, when you stand up from a squat, raise one knee toward the opposite shoulder as high as you can and rotate your torso toward that knee. And remember that your best ab move is planks. This position really works your muscles to the core. Then, when crunch time comes along, you can cut your repetitions in half.
Do Anything Better Old thinking: Dive right in New approach: Think first Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found that when men and women simply imagined exercising their little fingers and biceps for 15 minutes a day, five times a week for 12 weeks, their strength increased by up to 35%—without actually moving a muscle. This is testament to the power of the mind-muscle connection, says Sean McCann, PhD, sports psychologist with the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. “When you visualize an action, your brain develops a model of it that allows you to recruit the muscles you need and perform more effectively and efficiently when you actually do it,” he says. Improve results: Take a few seconds to picture yourself performing a perfect set of squats or even just briskly walking down your favorite path. Then get out there and do it. Avoid Drop-Out-itis Old thinking: Take time off New approach: Skip the rest days Exercise—even a light workout—actually reduces next-day soreness and speeds your body’s recovery. The reason: It increases blood flow, which delivers healing nutrients to your muscles and flushes out metabolic waste. Plus, when you move your body every day, whether it’s taking a walk, lifting weights, or simply stretching, exercise becomes part of your daily landscape, which means you’re working out more consistently. And that almost guarantees faster results. (Read: You’ll burn more calories.) Improve results: Do some activity every single day, even if it’s only for 10 or 15 minutes. This doesn’t have to mean more exercise. Simply borrow time from your other workouts and spread it out over the week.
Syma Kranz, PFC, is a certified aerobics, Pilates, and Barre instructor, as well as the fitness director at Fusion Fitness in Lakewood, New Jersey. What started out as a small exercise class in her home catapulted into a popular gym that prides itself with tzanua, professional instructors and an appropriate atmosphere with lyric-free music and proper attire. Syma specializes in training women to integrate fitness into their busy lives, paying special attention to proper form and alignment and specializing in core and pelvic floor strengthening.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 23
Living Well
  The Wellspring | June 2016 24
Cover Feature By Shiffy Friedman
Lyme in the Limelight
Shoshana Shamberg’s Saga with Lyme Disease When the glorious summer weather beckons us outdoors, spending time in the sun is the thing to do. With brilliant sunshine streaming down at your golden skin, and the soft breeze rustling the trees, what more can you ask for? It sounds ideal, indeed. However, the great outdoors is also a hiding place for the infamous tick, which, if it bites when infected, can cause severe damage in the form of Lyme disease and/or its co-infections. In this feature, Shoshana Shamberg of Baltimore, Maryland, shares her harrowing saga with Lyme disease.
“A
bout twenty years ago,” starts Shoshana, today a vibrant middle-ager, “I was on a workshop in the woods when I got bitten. I thought it was a simple mosquito bite but I spotted the bull’s eye, a pattern on the skin that’s characteristic of Lyme. Soon after, I developed a low-grade fever and within two weeks I was treated and healed. Fast-forward ten years. I went camping all the time so I knew to keep checking myself for ticks, but this time I didn’t get the bull’s eye or see a tick. Instead, I kept getting low-grade fevers and losing balance. I went to my doctor and told him I think I have Lyme disease. All he said was, ‘No, no, no, it’s not showing up in your blood tests.’” At the time that she was stricken with Lyme disease, Shoshana, an accomplished occupational therapist and mother of six, was in her fifties. “I felt like I was 120 years old,” she remembers. “The doctor said it was chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I believed him. I was so sick that I didn’t have the energy to question him. I was working a lot, had a family to take care of, and lots of community responsibilities. I started giving up everything due to exhaustion and joint pain. Suddenly, the high-energy person I had been all my life was gone and I couldn’t take care of my family, drive a car safely or even cook a meal! I went from doctor to doctor, from acupuncturists to chiropractors, from integrative medical professionals to neurologists. My thumbs were so inflamed that I couldn’t use my hands. My knees would buckle on me and I’d fall on steps or uneven surfaces. If I drove somewhere and I couldn’t walk straight into the store, I went home. And my eyesight was declining. I thought that this was the end. I gave up my private practice, retired early from my partJune 2016 | The Wellspring 25
Living Well
Cover Feature
time job as a public school therapist, and just lay on the couch, depressed and wondering when my life would be over.” Part of the Lyme disease mystery is that its symptoms come and go. Just when the patient thinks she can’t get sicker, she sees a ray of hope, which is soon after eclipsed by more pain and fatigue. “Also,” laments Shoshana, “You don’t really get what it means until you’re in it. Even my family said, ‘Come on, it’s not that bad.’ They get sick of it. I felt very alone.” Just when Shoshana thought that finding meaning to life and wellness were hopeless goals, she dragged herself to an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Richard Berg, who was trained as a John Hopkins Medical professional. She saw this as her last resort. “When I told him I thought I had Lyme, he looked at me and asked why I should think that. I listed my symptoms, and although it wasn’t showing up in the blood-work, he decided to treat my condition as Lyme, prescribing a regimen of the antibiotic doxycycline, which is often used to treat the disease.” Unfortunately, the drugs didn’t do the job to help Shoshana heal. “Several days later, I had a dentist appointment with a holistic dentist, Dr. Michael Baylin in Pikesville, Maryland,” Shoshana continues her suspenseful tale. She remembers the visit as if it happened yesterday. “He’s nationally acclaimed for finding diseases in patients by looking into their mouths, so I figured I’d share my mystery with him. He tested me for different organisms, and he was the one to tell me the relieving words, ‘You definitely have Lyme.’ Finally I had a definite diagnosis! He switched my antibiotics, and in five days my eyesight came back and my joints started to heal. For the first time in two and a half years, I felt myself coming back to life. I was finally able to function again. To complete my healing,
I underwent apitherapy, receiving live honey-bee stings. This restored my original vigor and spirit. The bee stings were miraculous improving my health beyond any expectations, even helping me avoid knee surgery and achieve fantastic energy levels of great functional ability and cognitive clarity that I hadn’t felt for years. ” Even today, although
The doctor said it was chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I believed him. I was so sick that I didn’t have the energy to question him. Shoshana gratefully proclaims herself cured, she suffers the consequences of prolonged Lyme disease. “Sometimes, when I’m in a moldy environment, my joints will start hurting and I become spacey,” she states. “But when I get out of it, I’m good. I have air filters in my house, and I removed the wall-to-wall carpeting. I don’t have any window coverings that retain mold and dust.” As someone who experienced the excruciating pain of a mysterious illness, the aloneness that came about when few people
understood her pain and fear, as well as the isolation she faced from the lack of knowledge in the medical world, Shoshana is passionate about educating others about it. In her practice as an occupational therapist, she treats people with chronic conditions involving stress overload and its impact on the immune system and mental and physical functioning. She uses the Irlen method to treat light sensitivity, a visual-sensory processing disorder that affects many people with Lyme. “The worst kind of lighting for these people is fluorescent,” cautions Shoshana. “When they wear tinted RX Irlen or No RX lenses, they can minimize the stress in their eyes and experience immediate improvement.” According to Shoshana and her experience with Lyme disease, most doctors don’t know much about the disease and have few effective or targeted resources for remediation of its symptoms. “Even the doctor who did finally listen to me didn’t know how to treat it,” she laments. “One specialist whom I highly recommend is Dr. Richie Shoemaker, a researcher who deals with the mold/Lyme relationship. He has many books on mold and co-infections. He believes that the immune system of a Lyme patient is so compromised that anyone who had the disease must work to keep his immune system strong.” She also refers people for testing at the Amen Clinic in Reston, Virginia,where neuropsychiatrists use various scans to map the stress overload experienced by the brain and provide targeted remediation. “This saves Lyme patients time, money, and the agony of not knowing what to do,” she says. One theory posits that once a person is stricken with Lyme disease, it never goes away but remains in the tissues. “My feeling is that I’ll always have it,” Shoshana remarks. “If I take care of it, I’ll help myself to stay healthy, just like when someone has diabetes.” continued on page 39
The Wellspring | June 2016 26
ut o l l u P n! o i t c e this s Dear Teens,
OF Y UTH THE HEALTH MAGAZINE FOR YOUNGSTERS
What would you expect the summer edition’s Teen Talk to cover? Something related to health, right? Right. When we originally planned this month’s Well of Youth section, one of the ideas we had was to provide teens with ideas of how they can maintain their healthy lifestyle in camp or in the country. Somehow, when summer comes around, we just want to chill! However, after several teachers and camp directors suggested that we address the issue of relationships, I realized how important it would be to dedicate this issue’s Teen Talk toward not only your physical health, but your emotional health, as well. When a teen is enmeshed in an unhealthy relationship, as you’ll see in Suri J.’s interview, it affects every aspect of her wellbeing. By learning how to detect the red flags and remove yourself from the damage a toxic relationship can engender, you will have a healthier, happier summer—in good company! Enjoy every moment,
Raizy
KIDS
TEENS uids
28 Feature: Fill up on fl
30 Teen Talk: Suri’s Friendship
32 Seria l Diary: E
ntry #5
ISSUE 5 JUNE 2016 SIVAN 5776
33 Just Wonderi ng 34 Body Language 36
Activities
37 Science Experiment Brought to you by:
Well of Youth
Teen Feature By Raizy Kleinman
FILL UP ON FLUIDS— THE RIGHT ONES HOW TO PREVENT DEHYDRATION IN SUMMERTIME Ever watched a friend faint from the heat? It can be quite traumatizing for her—and you. Dehydration, which leads to fatigue, irritability, and, of course compromised body functions, is probably the source of the problem. What is dehydration and how can you prevent it? Dehydration is a condition that occurs when someone loses more fluids than she takes in. If you ignore your thirst, dehydration can slow you down. Your body is made up of about two thirds water. That’s 75% of your weight! You lose water when you breathe, sweat, or urinate. One brisk walk can make you lose 16 ounces of water—that’s two cups—in sweat! When someone gets dehydrated, it means the amount of water in her body has dropped below the level needed for normal b o d y function. S m a l l decreases don’t cause problems, and in most cases, they go completely unnoticed. But not drinking enough to keep up with the loss of fluid can sometimes make a person feel quite sick.
The Wellspring | June 2016 28
What causes dehydration? One common cause of dehydration in teens is gastrointestinal illness. When you’re flattened by a stomach bug, you lose fluid through vomiting and diarrhea. On top of that, you probably don’t feel very much like eating or drinking. Even if you don’t have a stomach virus, you can get dehydrated for other reasons when you’re sick. For example, if you have a sore throat, you might find it hard to swallow food or drink. And if you have a fever, water evaporates from your skin in an attempt to cool your body down. Especially in the summertime, when we tend to sweat more than usual and the heat dries us out, our bodies lose more fluid, so it’s especially important to replenish our water supply. Also, if you have sunburn, you may become dehydrated because water seeps out of the damaged skin. If you don’t replace the fluid you lose, you can become dehydrated from lots of physical activity, especially on a hot day. Even mild dehydration can affect your physical and mental performance.
Fill ’Err Up! To counter dehydration, you need to restore the proper balance of water in your body. First, though, you have to recognize the problem. Thirst is one indicator of dehydration, but it is not an early warning sign. By the time you feel thirsty, you might already be dehydrated. Other symptoms of dehydration include: • feeling dizzy and lightheaded • having a dry or sticky mouth
• producing less urine and darker urine As the condition progresses, a person will start to feel much sicker as more body systems (or organs) are affected by the dehydration.
Preventing Dehydration The simplest and most logical way to avoid dehydration is to drink lots of fluids, especially on hot days. Water is the best choice. Drinking water does not add calories to your diet and is great for your health. If you’re heading outdoors on a hot day, remember to take along a water bottle. You don’t want to be stuck with a parched throat and no means to relieve it. When you’re going to be outside on a warm day, dress appropriately for your activity. Wear loose-fitting clothes, preferably light colors that don’t attract the sun, and a hat or sunvisor if you can. That will keep you cooler and cut down on sweating. If you do find yourself feeling parched or dizzy, take a break and sit in the shade or someplace cool and drink water.
Eight Cups of Water a Day? At one point or another, you were surely told to drink eight cups of water a day. Is that how much your body really needs? Probably not. You might need less if you go according to this scientifically based calculation: Halve your body weight and drink that number of ounces. So let’s say you weigh 110 pounds. Half of that is 55, which converts to approximately seven 8-ounce cups. Of course, if
you’re playing sports or just thirsty, take a good gulp.
Don’t Like Water? Getting enough fluids is the key to avoiding dehydration. Almost as important is making sure you don’t drink too many sugary beverages like soda, juice, and sports drinks. What about the highly popular vitamin water? This is sometimes marketed as a drink to complement a weight loss regime. Unfortunately, the opposite effect can occur, particularly if you choose vitamin water that has added sugar, carbohydrates, and calories. Even no-calorie vitamin water may not be healthy, due to the artificial sweeteners added for taste. Some brands of vitamin water are made with sucralose and aspartame, which can cause gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and diarrhea when consumed too often, according to a report from Yale-New Haven Hospital. Plus, the sugar in this drink will only increase dehydration. Nothing will happen if you have one once in a while, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that it’s instead of your
much-needed water. “The way that vitamin water is marketed and positioned, it’s made to look more healthful than other sugary beverages, but it’s not—it’s still just a soft drink,” notes Margo G. Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It has this aura of healthfulness that is not deserved. Adding vitamins and minerals to junk food doesn’t make it healthy.” Water is always the best way to hydrate and avoid empty calories, but if you think it’s too blah and it’s just not doing it for you, you can always spruce it up. Jazz up your water by adding some citrus—a slice or two of lemon or lime, or a squeeze of orange can help make water more palatable. Give flavored seltzer a try; it’s got the fizz of a soda without all the calories. Or make your own spritzer by adding a splash of juice to plain seltzer. If none of these tricks work, try some watered-down juice, using more water than juice. Don’t give up on water just yet!
IF YOU’RE A SPORT! If you’re the kind of kid who participates in every camp sport until you turn red in the face, drink some fluids before the activity begins. You should also drink at regular intervals (every 20 minutes or so) during the course of the activity and after the activity ends. The best time to train or play sports is in the early morning or late afternoon or evening to avoid the hottest part of the day.
WATER FOR WEIGHT LOSS! Did you know that hydration can boost your metabolism? One study found that drinking cold water helped boost healthy men and women’s metabolic rate by 30 percent. The researchers concluded that the body expended more energy heating the cold water, which resulted in the boost in metabolism.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 29
Well of Youth
Teen Talk By Miri Davis
Following Suri’s Friendships:
How Toxic Relationships Affect Your Emotional Health
NTH:
THIS MO
Meet: Suri J. Age: 16 Location: Monsey, New York Favorite exercise: trampoline Favorite junk food: halva Favorite healthy food: quinoa with red peppers
Miri: For how long have you had a best friend? Suri: Riki has been my best friend for about two years now. I have some other friends, as well, but she’s the one I feel closest to. Miri: How do you feel when you’re in her company? Suri: Very happy, and calm. I now know how much to appreciate this, because she became my friend after I broke up with a different classmate who did not make me feel this way. Miri: Tell me about that. How did she make you feel? Suri: I’ll call her Henny. At first, when I became friendly with her, she used to compliment me all the time and make me feel so good about myself. She always noticed when I wore something new or did something nice and she’d tell me how impressed she was with me. It made me want to be around her. Miri: And what happened afterward? Suri: Gradually, she started bossing me around. She would tell me to come do her errands with her after school. If I told her I wasn’t in the mood or I was tired, she would say, “What won’t you do for a friend like me?” Sometimes, I would hear her talk about me to other girls in a mocking way and I would force myself not to cry. If she saw me talk to another kid in the class, she would be at my side and make sure to be part of the conversation. Wherever I went, she’d follow me. She didn’t let me be my own person.
Miri: That sounds awful! How long did this go on for? Suri: About two years. Every time I wanted to bring an end to it, she would show up at my house with a small gift and tell me how much our friendship means to her. I wanted to scream, “So why are you doing this to me?” but she had this way of making me just smile and say, “You’re the best.” Miri: How did you end up dissolving this toxic relationship? Suri: Whenever my mother would ask me, “Are you sure Henny is a good friend for you?” because she would see how I only spoke with her and did everything together with her, I would shrug off her comment. After all, I was afraid to let go. Henny made me feel like I wouldn’t be able to survive without her. Two years ago in the summer, she begged me to come with her to camp. My family was going on a fun trip to Europe, but she convinced me that camp would be much more exciting. I ended up going to camp with her and she made lots of new friends there. I was miserable. If she saw me talking to a different kid, she would be at my side in no time. For the first time in my life, I realized that she didn’t give me any space. And I missed my family terribly. I was such a mess, crying in the bathroom all the time. I didn’t have an appetite or interest in meeting new people. I was afraid that every girl would be another Henny and I didn’t trust anyone. Miri: That sounds toxic indeed. How did you let her know that the friendship was over? Suri: One week into camp, I broke down crying on the phone to my mother. Baruch Hashem, my family hadn’t left to Europe yet, so I packed my bags and left. Miri: How did Henny react to that? Suri: I was scared to tell her that I was leaving because I knew she would make me stay. I just left! When I saw her in school after the summer, I had already gone through several sessions of therapy to know how to keep away from her. Now I appreciate my healthy friendships so much more!
The Wellspring | June 2016 30
Detecting the Danger The Red Flags in a Toxic Relationship Suri’s saga with her toxic friend is truly disturbing. Sadly, however, such situations happen all too often. People like Henny, who usually have low self-esteem and a strong desire to be in control, implement sly tactics to ensure that they’re surrounded by “bodyguards” all the time. By cultivating toxic relationships, in which they exercise their control over their “friends” by being on top of them as much as possible, predators like Henny trap innocent prey under their wings. Obviously, a toxic relationship wreaks havoc in the prey’s life. Like Suri, who lost her appetite and was afraid to trust anyone, girls who fall into manipulative relationships are deeply affected. Unhealthy friendships can take a toll on your life in many ways, which is why it’s so important for every teen to familiarize herself with the red flags. • Do you feel like your friend “owns” you? If you want to befriend someone else, do you have to hide the friendship from her? • Are you afraid to tell your friend “no?” In Suri’s case, she was afraid
to be open with Henny about where she truly wanted to be in the summer because she knew Henny would object. • Do you feel tense around your friend? A manipulative person will often make you feel like you’re just her puppet and you can’t be your true self. • Do you find yourself bending over backward to accommodate your friend’s wishes so as not to upset her? • Does your friend get mad when you don’t answer her? Does she make it clear to you that you can’t keep secrets from her (even if she says things that make you feel good, like “We’re so close. You can tell me everything”?) • Do you feel like you don’t have your own space when this friend is around?
Breaking Free If you found yourself nodding or secretly agreeing to one of these red flags regarding a relationship you’re currently involved in, be honest with yourself. If you have any doubts
about a relationship, discuss it with someone you trust. Don’t brush off the feelings, because they mean you’re on to something. With the help of someone who loves you, like your mother or teacher, take steps toward breaking away. Realize that as much as it isn’t easy to break up a friendship, especially if the manipulator made sure you don’t have any other friends at this point, the rewards you will reap from leaving the friendship will be incredible. There are many other kind, fun girls around—waiting to cultivate a healthy friendship with you! Adina Hoffman, MSW, is a Jerusalembased psychotherapist who specializes in teen relationships. She can be contacted through The Wellspring. To be interviewed for this column about your lifestyle patterns and to hear from an expert on how you can maximize your adolescent health choices in order to develop into a healthy adult, please email us at teentalk@wellspringmagazine.com.
Friendship Alert! In some cases, a girl may be attracted to an unhealthy relationship because it’s filling a need for her. Perhaps she craves the compliments that the manipulator showered her with at first, or the one-onone attention. Try to discover what need the toxic relationship fills for you and come up with alternative ways to achieve them, such as volunteering for a local organization, which will give you satisfaction and positive feedback, or cultivating a relationship with a mentor.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 31
Well of Youth
Serial Diary By Sheva Berger
A Different Kind of Sweet: Living with Juvenile Diabetes
Dear Diary, March 28, 2007 You’re probably wondering how I’m doing, especially because I told you that I will start to take injections of insulin in order to keep my blood sugar level in the healthy range. Insulin is the hormone that the body needs in order to digest sugar. If the body doesn’t produce or receive enough insulin, the sugar level goes up. Let me first assure you that it sounds much scarier than it actually turned out to be! When my mother showed me the needle for the first time, I was so relieved to see that it doesn’t look like the one at the doctor’s office. When I used to get shots at the doctor, the needle was much thicker and longer, and the amount of fluid that the doctor injected in my arm was a lot more than the amount of insulin I have to give my body. The doctor told my mother that my blood sugar level is 400. She told her that it’s not very, very high. Sometimes, when kids have even higher levels, they have to go to the hospital. I was so happy to hear that I wasn’t one of them, because I hate hospitals. Who doesn’t? I wondered how it could be that my number wasn’t so high, and my mother told me that my body didn’t stop making insulin completely— it’s still producing some. When we sat in the doctor’s office, my mother listened
carefully to everything the doctor explained. I walked over to the window and looked down at the people passing by. I wondered how many more people had diabetes and how they manage to take care of themselves. I knew my mother would explain everything to me later. She’s so understanding. When we got home, she showed me my meter, which I have to use to check the sugar level in my blood before I eat and also when I don’t feel okay. I first prick any finger and let some blood run out onto a specific spot on the meter. It’s very little blood, like when you get a tiny cut, and it’s not scary. The first few times that I pricked my finger, I squeezed my eyes shut, but then I realized that it was really simple. My mother told me that I should try using different fingers every time so that one finger shouldn’t get bruised. After the blood sits on the meter for 45 seconds, a number pops up on the screen. It tells me what the level of my blood sugar is. If I see a number in the range of 80 to 180, I know that everything is fine. If I see any number above 180, I have to take insulin. How do I take insulin? I will tell you about it in my next entry! Love you, Sheva
The doctor told my mother that my blood sugar level is 400. In this column, Sheva Berger, today a mother of two, tells about her life with juvenile diabetes. to be continued
The Wellspring | June 2016 32
Dear Kids, I want to tell you about an interesting record that an Indian man named Vijay Kumar V.A. holds: he is “The man with the most teeth.” While the average adult has 32 teeth, this Indian gentleman has 37. Although he has more biting power than most people, we can manage just fine with our set of 32. Thanks to our trusty teeth, we can do a lot more than chew our food. Check out this issue’s feature on teeth to get acquainted with these small but priceless structures in your mouth. When you next bite into an ice pop or sing your camp song, you’ll know what to appreciate! A healthy summer to you all, Dina
Shaindy, age 9, asks: I’m so excited that summer is finally coming! I’m looking forward to spending my days in the grassy fields with my summer friends. I also love the swimming pool. We have such fun there—but one thing always annoys me. Why do my fingers look like raisins when I’m in the water for too long? Can’t wait to read your answer and share it with my summer friends,
JUST WONDERING
YOU MAY BE ANNOYED with your raisin-like wrinkly hands, but this is normal—and can even happen to your toes. What causes it? Even though you can’t see it, your skin is covered with its own special oil called sebum, which moistens and protects it. Sebum also makes your skin a bit waterproof. That’s why water runs off your skin when you wash your hands, instead of soaking into it, like in a sponge. But staying in water for a long time washes away the sebum. The water can then penetrate the outer layer of your skin, causing it to become waterlogged. So how does this lead to wrinkles? People used to think the water caused the skin to swell up and get puffy. Now researchers believe wrinkly fingers might be due to an autonomic reaction of the nervous system. Why? The wrinkles enable your fingers to pick up wet objects more easily, giving them more grip, like treads on a car tire. The wrinkles are meant to help you out! As I’m sure you know, these wrinkles go away quickly on their own. You’ll have more sebum on your skin in no time. Have a health or science question you’ve been wondering about? Send it in to us to get an enlightening answer. June 2016 | The Wellspring 33
Well of Youth
Body Language By Dina
Let's Explore Your... TEETH If you’re a healthy eater, you probably like to snack on nectarines in the summer. They’re a nutritious, flavorful treat that don’t require any prep. How do you like your nectarine? If you go for the rock-hard one in the bunch, you’ll need strong teeth to chomp through it. But did you know that you need your teeth for a lot more than just cutting through a hard fruit? Without your teeth, you wouldn’t be able to talk. So let’s talk teeth!
SMALL BEGINNINGS
Unlike your heart or brain, your teeth weren’t ready to work from the day you were born. Although babies have the beginnings of their first teeth even before they are born, teeth don’t become visible until babies are about 6 to 12 months old. After that first tooth breaks through, more and more teeth begin to appear. Most kids have their first set of teeth by the time they are 3 years old. These are called the primary teeth, baby teeth, or milk teeth, and there are 20 in all. When a child gets to age 5 or 6, these teeth start falling out, one by one. A primary tooth falls out because it is being
TAKE A PEEK INSIDE
Your two front teeth and the teeth on either side of them are called incisors. Incisors are shaped like tiny chisels, with flat ends that are somewhat sharp. These teeth are used for cutting and chopping food. Think back to that hard nectarine or apple you ate. You used your incisors to crunch into the skin. The pointy teeth beside your incisors are called canine teeth. There are four of them, two on top and two on bottom. Because these teeth are pointy and also sharp, they help tear food. Next to your canine teeth are your premolars. You’ll need to open a bit wider to see these teeth, but when you do, you’ll notice that their shape is completely
TEETH FOR TALKING
pushed out of the way by the permanent tooth that is behind it. Slowly, the permanent teeth grow in and take the place of the primary teeth. By about age 12 or 13, most kids have lost all of their baby teeth and have a full set of permanent teeth. There are 32 permanent teeth in all—12 more than the original set of baby teeth. Most people have four teeth (called wisdom teeth) grow in at the back of the mouth when they’re between 17 and 25 years old. These complete the adult set of 32 teeth. different from both incisors and canines. Premolars are bigger, stronger, and have ridges, which make them perfect for crushing and grinding food. If you open your mouth really wide, you’ll see your molars. Sometimes these are called your 6-year molars and your 12-year molars, because that is around the time when they come in. Molars are the toughest of the bunch. They are even wider and stronger than premolars, and they have more ridges. Molars work closely with your tongue to help you swallow food. How? The tongue sweeps chewed-up food to the back of your mouth, where the molars grind it until it’s mashed up and ready to be swallowed.
Your teeth are great for chewing, but you also need them to talk. Different teeth work with your tongue and lips to help you form sounds. Try saying the word “tooth” slowly and notice how your tongue first hits the inside of your incisors to produce the hard “t” sound and then goes in between your upper and lower teeth to make the “th” sound. And if you love to sing “la la la la la,” you can thank those teeth every time you sing a song. Pay attention to what happens to your teeth and tongue every time you make the “l” sound.
The Wellspring | June 2016 34
10 Things to Think About: Want to keep your teeth in top shape? Brushing them with fluoride toothpaste is your best bet. Try to brush your teeth twice every day, especially before bedtime. The best way to brush your teeth is in little circles: go around and around until you have covered every surface of every tooth. Brush up and down, rather than side to side. You’ll also want to clean between your teeth with dental floss at least once a day. This removes food and plaque that get stuck in between your teeth. You can also brush your tongue to help keep your breath fresh! What happens when you have a cavity in your tooth? A cavity develops when a tooth decays, or breaks down. A cavity is a hole that can grow bigger and deeper over time, which is why you must take care of it as soon as you feel it or your dentist spots it. But why would your tooth develop a hole? Blame plaque. That’s a sticky, slimy substance made up mostly of the germs that cause tooth decay. The bacteria in your mouth make acids and when plaque clings to your teeth, the acids can eat away at the enamel. If you don’t go to the dentist, the acids can continue to make their way through the enamel, and the inside parts of your tooth can begin to decay. If you’ve ever had a toothache or heard an adult complain about one, it may have been because there was a cavity that reached all the way inside a tooth, where the nerve endings are. Ouch!
It’s also important to visit your favorite tooth experts—your dentist and dental hygienist. During your appointment, they’ll look out for any problems and clean and polish your teeth. Sometimes the dentist will take x-rays to get a better picture of what is going on in your mouth.
Sharks grow around 40 sets of teeth in their lifetime!
U.S. consumers buy 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year.
Most tap water sources today contain fluoride, a substance that helps protect your teeth. Just how effective is fluoridated water? Thanks to it, dentists say half of kids between 5 and 17 have never had a cavity in their permanent teeth. We hope you’re one of them!
You’ll be glad you’re living in 2016 when you read this one: Modern toothpaste has been available only for the past hundred years. Before this invention, people used charcoal or ground chalk, ashes, lemon juice, and honey and tobacco mixtures to clean their teeth!
The average person spends a total of 38 days’ worth of time brushing his teeth!
Your tooth enamel is the hardest part of your entire body!
In between dentist visits, you can prevent problems by eating fewer sugary snacks and sugary drinks, such as soda. Sugar can hurt your teeth and cause tooth decay, which leads to cavities. But if you take care of your teeth now, you’ll be chewing like a champ for the rest of your life!
June 2016 | The Wellspring 35
Well of Youth
Children‘s Activities By Chavy
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Search for and circle all your favorite summer items in the Maxi Health bottles below.
Life Bouy
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Sunglasses
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For a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at Toys 4 U, write your name on your completed colored activity and send it in to: Maxi Health Win 694 Myrtle Ave, Suite 389 Brooklyn, NY 11205
The Wellspring | June 2016 36
Last Month’s Winners: Shia & Yehuda Weiss, Boro Park Family Teitelbaum, Monsey
Camera
LET’S BE HONEST. Most of us don’t like to floss our teeth. If you think your toothbrush is doing a good job cleaning between your teeth on its own, however, think again. Conduct this flossing experiment to see exactly why flossing is necessary and why it is the only effective way to clean between your teeth. (If you have a peanut allergy, use margarine or butter.)
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: • A rubber glove • A jar of peanut butter •A plastic knife •A container of dental floss • A toothbrush • Toothpaste
WHAT YOU’LL DO: Put the glove on one hand and hold your hand with the fingers extended but held tightly together, pointing upward (looking the way a policeman holds his hand up to stop traffic). Spread your fingers apart and have someone spread peanut butter between them. Make sure to get the peanut butter deep between your finger joints. Tighten your fingers together again. In this experiment, your fingers represent your teeth, and the peanut butter between them is food that gets trapped between your teeth when you eat. With your fingers still held tightly together and upward, use the toothbrush and toothpaste to try and scrub the peanut butter away (remember not to move your fingers apart!). Have someone else try to remove the peanut butter using the dental floss between your fingers. Which does a better job—the toothbrush and paste or the floss?
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: A toothbrush simply can’t reach all the places between your teeth. Dental floss can do a much better job of removing food caught between your teeth. If this food is not removed, it can cause gum disease and cavities. Remember to floss your trusty teeth at least once a day!
SMART SOLUTIONS: KEEPING YOUR TEETH STRONG Want to keep your teeth and bones strong? The mineral responsible for this job is calcium, which is found in milk, green leafy vegetables, and also the Maxi Health kids’ supplement CalciYum™. A 2010 study published by the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark found that low calcium intake is related to an increased risk of tooth loss. The researchers studied a population of 1,602 adults and found that those who reported a greater intake of calcium, primarily through supplements, had less incidences of tooth loss. Four of these strawberry-flavored chewies contain enough calcium (the daily RDA) as well as magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2 to help keep your bones and teeth as strong as possible!
June 2016 | The Wellspring 37 37
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
Do Not Turn The Page
continued from page 26 a person is stricken with Lyme disease, it never goes away but remains in the tissues. “My feeling is that I’ll always have it,” Shoshana remarks. “If I take care of it, I’ll help myself to stay healthy, just like when someone has diabetes.” How does Shoshana follow Dr. Shoemaker’s advice? “I build up my immune system by taking garlic, ginger, multivitamins, and staying away from sugar. I supplement my diet with a nutritional regime.” Shoshana also points out a vital piece of information: “The main thing to keep in mind is that those who suffering permanently had the disease for such a long time that it entered their brain. Lyme can mimic dementia or even schizophrenia. But once it is taken care of, the other symptoms dissipate.” “Kids could get permanently disabled if it’s left untreated,” Shoshana cautions. If Lyme disease wreaks such havoc, why doesn’t the medical world spread more awareness of it? According to Shoshana, the government is not telling us how rampant Lyme is because they don’t want people to panic. However, the CDC did recently publish more accurate statistics, which are not encouraging. The more aware we are of Lyme’s symptoms, the more we increase the chances of its prevention and early detection.
UNDERSTANDING LYME DISEASE Lyme disease is a multi-systemic illness caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), and is transmitted when a human is bitten by an infected tick. If a person isn’t diagnosed early, or if the disease is left untreated or not treated adequately, it may cause debilitating arthritic, cardiac, neurological, digestive, or psychiatric conditions. It can cause long-term disability, or even be fatal. Lyme disease is called the “Great Imitator” because it mimics other diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and an array of mental disorders like schizophrenia.
An Inside View: Q&A with Chumy Klughaupt FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF YESH TICKVAH
YOUR ORGANIZATION IS RENOWNED FOR PROVIDING SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY FOR LYME DISEASE PATIENTS. WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH LYME DISEASE? One fateful summer almost 20 years ago, when I was fourteen years old, I returned home from camp, completely exhausted. Everyone just figured I had worked too hard in camp, but the exhaustion lingered and intensified. I knew there was something wrong, but no one really believed me. So I forged on and somehow pushed through the rest of my high school years, sleeping whenever I could and functioning on the most basic of levels, despite the debilitating headaches and fatigue. In this survival mode, I got married and gave birth to three children. My situation significantly worsened over time, as every day passed in an endless blur of exhaustion and pain. I would be in bed by 4 p.m., unable to move a limb. My functioning was close to zero, and if I accomplished one small thing, I was done for the day. I couldn’t stand for more than three minutes at a time and experienced all sorts of intense pains.
WHAT DID THE DOCTORS SAY TO YOUR CONDITION? WHAT WAS THEIR DIAGNOSIS? Of course, I did my utmost to get to the bottom of the matter. I went to an endless parade of doctors, desperately seeking a diagnosis. I soon found that there was no lack of diagnoses for my elusive condition, and my list was swamped with a whole host of unpronounceable diseases. The names kept changing, but one thing remained constant: my deteriorating condition. Every two weeks or so I had another infection, ranging from pneumonia to double ear infections. There were times when I was too weak to lift up the seltzer bottle at the Shabbos table. After I gave birth to my third child seven years ago, at which point I was in the hospital more often than out, I finally received the correct diagnosis, one that would change the quality of my life forever—and also its course: Lyme Disease. It turns out that when I was in camp that fateful summer eleven years before, I had gotten a tick bite which had gone undetected for all those years. At that point, I also tested positive for several co-infections. June 2016 | The Wellspring 39
Living Well
Cover Feature
WHAT ARE CO-INFECTIONS? Every infected tick carries different strains of bacteria. For example, if a tick feeds on a rat or mouse, the person who’s then bitten by the tick gets sick with a co-infection like babesiosis or bartonellosis. If that same tick then attaches itself to a deer, it becomes a carrier of Borellia, yet another bacteria. People must be aware of these germs. Very few doctors know about the existence or ramifications of coinfections and they thus don’t test for it. For example, dog ticks can carry ehrlichia and anaplasma, different germs not related to Lyme disease but also significantly harmful. In the case of someone who’s bitten by a dog tick, the doctor may test only for Lyme and the results will of course be negative. In actuality, however, the patient is sick with another tick-borne germ. Every strain requires a different match of a drug, so it’s crucial for people to be aware of this. WHAT HAPPENED ONCE YOU FINALLY RECEIVED A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS? I underwent a long, long road toward recovery. I received an intense antibiotic regimen, which necessitated frequent visits to the doctor. But throughout these years, I didn’t need treatment only with antibiotics. When the body is infected for so long, there are a lot of ramifications that must be treated other than the actual infection, such as thyroid issues, adrenal problems, gastro issues, and autoimmune deficits. Lyme patients also require treatments to counteract various vitamin deficiencies and to strengthen their weakened immune system in order to properly fight the infection. Baruch Hashem, today I have no seizures. When I was sick, I was unable to speak for long periods because certain nerves on the vocal cords were affected. But after receiving proper treatment, I can now do this, Baruch Hashem, which is especially significant since I’m so involved with Yesh Tickvah. I feel like a got a new lease on life.
The Wellspring | June 2016 40
TODAY, YOU’RE THE FRUM WORLD’S ADVOCATE ON ALL THINGS TICK-RELATED. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH YESH TICKVAH FOR FELLOW LYME DISEASE PATIENTS? It was actually not an official plan. Hashem thrust the responsibility into my lap, so to speak. Honestly, I never dreamed that this was something I would be devoting my life to. Teaching was always my passion. Even when I wasn’t feeling well, I would somehow power through my day, giving my students everything I had and then coming home to collapse in bed for the rest of the day. I was just waiting for the time I would return to the field full-time. Once I was diagnosed, however, I wondered if there was anyone else out there who was suffering like I had suffered, getting sicker and sicker with no diagnosis in sight, because chronic Lyme was just not accepted as a diagnosis in the traditional medical field. I thought my case was probably one in a million, but just in case I was wrong, I decided to share my story in one of the Jewish magazines and on the Chazak inspiration line. I felt that if there was even one other person out there struggling with a mysterious illness who could be helped by hearing my story, I needed to share it. Incredibly, the magazine that printed my saga was inundated with phone calls. I prepared a packet with some vital information for those who wanted to learn more, and jotted the words “Yesh Tickvah” on top, along with my home phone number. I didn’t realize then what a dire need this would fill in the community—how many people were struggling with the same symptoms, and with the fear and pain of the unknown. TODAY, YESH TICKVAH ORGANIZATION IS AN ANCHOR FOR SO MANY. WHAT KIND OF SERVICES DO YOU OFFER? At this point, I have twelve volunteers working for me. Yesh Tickvah’s workload is intense. People don’t realize that we’re running this show on a voluntary basis. We’re young mothers, busy with our families, who want to give to the community. Yesh Tickvah used to provide support
groups for Lyme disease patients, but when the database grew exponentially, we couldn’t accommodate this service anymore. We do try to provide phone support from time to time. Close to 300 people participated at the last phone conference! Today, we do mostly referrals, as well as patient advocacy. I serve as the intermediary between patients and their doctors, often suggesting treatments otherwise unknown in this relatively obscure field. People who have symptoms call all the time, especially those who’ve tested negative but still feel sick. Others call if they were diagnosed with Lyme but the treatment their doctor prescribed wasn’t effective. Lyme disease is shrouded in lots of controversy, for example: how long to treat patients. We send patients to the doctors in our database who do proper Lyme and coinfection testing. We also refer patients to an organization called ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases). Today, I have connections to some top ILADS doctors, so I consult them from time to time on behalf of patients with difficult cases. Yesh Tickvah used to provide financial aid for medical care, but due to lack of funds, we’ve been forced to stop. Also, callers are sometimes frustrated at the delay in callback time. We do try our very best to give every caller the attention she deserves, but due to the dire financial situation, we can’t operate more efficiently at this time. DO PEOPLE TRUST YOU MORE THAN THEIR DOCTOR? They do. I attend conferences all the time and I keep my knowledge of Lyme disease up to par. I want to help people in the most smooth, uncomplicated manner. I want to save them experiencing what I went through. My selfless volunteer staff and I have dedicated our lives to help Lyme patients in the community navigate their way through an otherwise complicated, ambiguous system. Our highest call volume is after Succos, when people start to realize that their uncomfortable symptoms haven’t abated since summertime. With advance awareness, however, the devastating effects of Lyme disease can be prevented. People get very confused.The doctor tells them one thing, their referral agency another, and Yesh Tickvah offers yet a third approach. I always tell people that we are not doctors; we’re not here to tell people what to do.That’s their decision. We are here to help them, to offer options when they reach a dead end elsewhere. People often ask, “Whom should I listen to?” I say take the advice of anyone who recommends anything that will help you feel better. If you are complaining of symptoms and your doctor says it is all in your head, especially if you already tried therapy, painkillers,
psychiatrists, the Sarno method, etc., then why not try a route that has something else to offer? Baruch Hashem, today there are hundreds of people out there who were cured, who received a new lease on life through ILADS doctors. Unfortunately, Lyme disease and co-infections are still a gray area in medicine—even ILADS doctors don’t have answers to everything. At this point, we simply try our best to help patients and we hope and pray for the best. SO WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO THE WELLSPRING READERS REGARDING TICK-BORNE ILLNESSES? First, know that Lyme disease and other co-infections are very dangerous diseases. If, however, a person who was bitten by an infected tick catches the disease on time, she can save herself years of aggravation and deterioration. Unfortunately, doctors know very little about Lyme disease. Blood tests can be negative, while the disease may very well be in the body. What’s a person to do if they suspect that they’ve been infected? If you observe any unusual symptoms or some of the symptoms below, especially after the summer, don’t waste time in getting the diagnosis and treatment you need: • joint pain • persistent headaches • dizziness • tingling • numbness • anxiety and sudden change in cognition/behavior Symptoms can appear from 48 hours after being bitten to weeks later. A small percentage of people with earlystage Lyme disease will see the bull’s eye rash, which is a circular pattern on the skin. A common characteristic in the early stage is a stiff neck, which occurs when the disease penetrates into the nervous system. Many people will also feel flu-like symptoms in this stage. However, not all cases of Lyme disease manifest themselves in this way. It’s important to note that a large percentage of people who contract Lyme disease don’t initially experience any symptoms. In its later stages, the symptoms are more severe. Because they may disappear and reappear at varying times, people may miss the pattern, attributing their symptoms to immediate issues. Lyme disease—its diagnosis, treatment protocol, and everything about it—is under much debate in the traditional medical world. For this reason, it’s crucial for a Lyme disease patient to be her own advocate in order to ensure that she receives the treatment necessary for recovery. Shoshana and Chumy can be contacted through The Wellspring.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 41
Living Well
Healthy Home Habits By Batsheva Fine
Tried and True
Pack it in: light nutritious dinners for kids on the run In the summertime, my kids are so active outdoors that they don’t want to sit through a proper meal of chicken and potatoes for dinner. When it’s time for dinner, I find myself chasing after them, a piece of chicken dangling from my fork, as they get busy with more fun, exciting stuff. On most nights, I’m embarrassed to admit that they either fill up on cookies and chips or they do me a favor and take a few bites of chicken, after which I give them a promised treat. Any ideas of how I can provide my children with light, easy meals that pack in nutrition?
Leora, Chicago, mother of three: My kids are very involved in the dinner prep. I find that this makes them excited to eat the work of their hands. I take them with me when I shop for the ingredients, and have them help me with the peeling and whatever else they’re capable of doing. When I bring out their food to the front yard in the summer, they’re thrilled to see how “their” food came out.
Gittel Reizy, Monroe, mother of five: I’m also always on the lookout for light suppers for my kids because I can so relate to your issue. I used to fuss over their plates, taking it personally if they didn’t finish what I decided to put on the menu, until I realized that kids just have different palates than adults do. They’ll take a hot dog anytime over a cutlet. I think that most kids like foods that they can hold in their hands and eat on their own, so I would advise you to prepare lots of patties in summertime. In the patties I make, I sneak in lots of squash and carrots, along with ground chicken and potatoes. I sometimes make them in muffin tins, and the kids feel like they’re snacking on cupcakes while they’re filling up on real nutrition. When my kids eat two or three of them, which they do gladly as they play, I know they’ve had a well-rounded meal. Bashy, Lakewood, mother of four: We all know that a nutritious supper should include a protein, carb, and vegetable, but many mothers make the mistake of thinking that the food must look like official dinner food. I once discussed this with my nutritionist and the conversation left me feeling very encouraged. The protein doesn’t have to be chicken if your kids love lox. It can be yogurt, grilled cheese sandwiches, or even peanut butter bread. Try moving away from the conventional chicken “dangling on the fork” and you’ll see that your kids will look forward to suppertime and go to bed feeling full and happy. Also, I find that when I feed my kids when they’re most hungry, like as soon as they return from daycamp, I’ll have a greater chance at filling them with the foods their bodies need. The Wellspring | June 2016 42
I find that if I add a little honey to the chicken cutlets I prepare for myself, the kids eat them gladly. When I cook foods that appeal to their sweet tooth but still keep them healthy and balanced, we’re all winners. I also have no problem giving my kids hot dogs if that’s what they want. I know they’re not perfectly nutritious, but there’s protein in there, so they’re definitely better than cookies.
Nechama Leah, Far Rockaway, mother of six: I used to be very strict about eating at suppertime. If a kid didn’t eat his food, I’d put him to bed hungry, but then I had to deal with his crying and hunger pangs. I decided that this wasn’t a fair approach. Instead, I got smarter with the help of my parenting teacher. Every morning, I allow one child to choose what he or she wants for dinner. I give them options of chicken cutlets, patties, scrambled eggs, fish sticks, or pizza toast. All of these contain protein, and the side dishes are never an issue. They know that if they want to have their chance to choose, they have to eat what the other child chose when it’s not their night. I must admit that there are weeks that they have fish sticks every night, because that’s what every kid chooses, but I’m fine with that. As long as I know that they filled up on protein, I’m satisfied.
Toby, Toronto, mother of two: Kids love finger foods. Especially in the summer, I try to prepare suppers that they can eat on their own, even while they’re playing. My kids even surprised me by finishing entire deli wraps all on their own. Turkey and pastrami are winners in our house. For a fun change, I spread peanut butter on a wrap and fill it with sliced bananas. They love it!
Next up: Over the summer, I literally see my kids’ brains get rusty. They don’t have much patience to sit through their summer homework booklets, but I’m anxious about the repercussions when September will roll around. What are some ideas of how I can keep their cognitive abilities up to par as they frolic in the sun and go through freeze pop after freeze pop? Please submit your tips to info@wellspringmagazine.com. Is there a healthy habit you’d love to enforce in your home? Let us know what it is and we’ll do our work to get the conversation rolling in your favor!
Smart Solution Maxi Health Joins the Conversation Getting your kids to finish their meals can sometimes turn into a stressful activity that leaves you and your children drained and frustrated. The truth is, you have all the reasons in the world to persuade them to eat healthy. Their growing bodies require significant amounts of vitamins and minerals in order to develop into healthy, strong adults. The nutrients your kids receive from their food don’t only affect their physical health, but play a role in their cognitive function, as well. However, even if your children do eat properly balanced meals, they may still be lacking some vital nutrients that food can’t possibly provide. The results of a study published in Pediatrics International in April 2015 indicate that when children’s diets are supplemented with vitamins and zinc, their weight and height show significant changes. The researchers divided a randomized population of seventy 4 to 13-year-old schoolchildren in Thailand into a treatment group, which received a daily dose of zinc and multivitamins for six months, and a placebo group. The children in the treatment group showed significant signs of physical growth and cognitive development. When you give your child one chewable tablet of MultiYums daily, you’re ensuring that no matter what the child does or doesn’t eat, their body fills up on crucial nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, barley grass, broccoli powder, and over 30 highly absorbable ingredients. Available in assorted flavors like natural cherry, and strawberry, MultiYums® are sure to make both you and your children happy and healthy. June 2016 | The Wellspring 43
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
Tzila, Monsey, mother of four:
Living Well
Monthly Dose By Dina Mendlowitz
AWAY WITH THE PESTS How to enjoy the outdoors, mosquito-free So you're planning to enjoy some beautiful weather and fresh air. It might seem like you're all set for outdoor fun... except you might be inviting hungry mosquitoes to join you for lunch! Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2 on the breath, and by scents naturally released from the body. Most people's skin releases odors that mosquitoes use to find their next meal. But you've probably noticed that some people naturally attract more mosquitoes, while others in the same vicinity get away scotfree. Why? Mosquitoes have over 150 sense receptors on their antennae, and at least 27 of them are specifically tuned to detect compounds released by humans. Showering and scrubbing might help a little, but these subtle odors are released by the skin anyway, and mosquitoes can still sense them. If your body is the type that gives off the odors that mosquitoes like, the summer can be an annoying time for you. So what's the solution? The proper supplementation can take you from itchy to comfortable all summer long. If you aren't a natural mosquito-repeller, you can become one, by giving your body the building blocks it needs to make scents they dislike. According to Dr. Mercola, increasing vitamin B in your bloodstream will help repel mosquitos from your skin. Garlic, as well, generates an odor that mosquitoes dislike. By ingesting Maxi Kyolic™ tablets plus Maxi B-50 Complex™, you're helping your body create scents that confuse the mosquito sense receptors and keep them away. MAXI KYOLIC™ According to a research article published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical, Chemical, and Biological Sciences, garlic is an excellent repellent. When a person injests garlic, it will eventually work its way into the body’s system, thus keeping the mosquitoes at bay. The daily use of the potent garlic supports body functions in ways that no other herb does. Garlic, from the onion family that also includes shallots and leeks, is believed to ward off heart disease, cancer, colds, and flu. Its consumption lowers blood cholesterol levels and reduces the buildup of plaque in the arteries. The garlic used in the Maxi Kyolic™ supplement undergoes an exclusive aging process that eliminates its unpleasant odor and other side effects. Thus, what remains is an unadulterated form of an herb that contains antioxidant The Wellspring | June 2016 44
properties, chock-full of good-for-you nutrients. What is so unique about Kyolic garlic, the garlic used exclusively by Maxi Health in the kosher market? Although garlic naturally contains healing powers, its negative side effects can make ingestion unpleasant. At Kyolic, garlic becomes all good. The production of Kyolic odorless aged garlic extract, a main ingredient in Maxi Biotic®, begins with garlic grown on Wakunaga farms under strictly controlled organic conditions without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Wakunaga’s garlic crop is cultivated with time-tested procedures to enhance its beneficial constituents. Quality control begins when the harvested raw garlic is tested for conformity to specified quality standards. The unique aging process applied in manufacturing Aged Garlic Extract
distinguishes Kyolic from other garlic products available on the market. First, the garlic cloves are cleaned and sliced. Then, under carefully controlled conditions, the sliced garlic is stored in a stainless steel tank and naturally aged, without heating, for up to twenty months. Through this unique process, the harsh and unstable organosulfur compounds are converted into mild and effective compounds, including the sulfur-containing amino acids that are responsible for Kyolic’s health benefits. This conversion eliminates odor-causing components, resulting in the truly odorless Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract that contains safe, stable, bioavailable and beneficial compounds. The meticulous extraction process results a consistent amount of effective compounds in the garlic extract. In other words, every ounce of extract contains the same amount of nutrition and benefits, a very important difference that separates Kyolic from other garlic brands. Even though the Kyolic
garlic you ingest is odorless, the digestion process ensures that it creates the subtle odor needed to keep mosquitoes at bay.
MAXI B-50 COMPLEX™ An article published by Pediatrics Clinic of North America cites several studies that suggest that taking 25 mg to 50 mg of thiamine (vitamin B1) three times per day is effective in reducing mosquito bites. A large intake of thiamine produces a skin odor that is not detectable by humans, but is disagreeable to female mosquitoes. Taking any one of the B vitamins for a long period of time can result in an imbalance of other important B vitamins. For this reason, its is recommended to take a supplement such as Maxi B-50 Complex™ that contains a host of other B vitamins as well. What is Maxi B-50 Complex™ and how does it help repel mosquitos? This supplement is a dynamic combination of essential B vitamins, which play a crucial role in the breakdown of fats and protein, and maintaining gastric tract muscle tone. They also support the nervous system, skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver. You get a dazzling array of all members of the vitamin B family in one easy to take capsule. B1 (thiamin) supports muscle tone along the wall of the digestive tract, the nervous system, skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver. B2 (riboflavin 5 phosphate) supports the body’s use of oxygen. It also supports the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohy-
drates, as well as activating available B6. Niacin (vitamin B3) supports the conversion of calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrates into energy. It also helps the digestive system function and promotes a normal appetite and healthy skin and nerves. B6, which is known as the “master vitamin,” supports the processing of amino acids that help build proteins and hormones. Folate helps support the normal formation of red blood cells and enhances the effectiveness of vitamin B12, known as the “energizer,” which provides the body with the energy it needs to function at optimal levels. Biotin supports enzymes that aid in the metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and carbon dioxide. It supports a healthy circulatory system and healthy skin. B5 supports the secretion of hormones, such as cortisone. Choline plays a vital role in the transmission of impulses that regulate muscles and brain function, and inositol supports the metabolism of healthy fats in the liver. With invaluable benefits like these, Maxi B-50 Complex™ is surely a great go-to supplement all year round. However, with its mosquito-repelling characteristics, it’s definitely a summer must. Because it takes time for vitamin B to enter the bloodstream, start taking this supplement two weeks before the summer for best results.
Essentially, you can become a natural mosquito repeller. Through ingesting Maxi Kyolic™ and Maxi B-50 Complex™, your skin cells can make their own natural mosquito protection, all without toxic chemicals or bad smelling sprays. And if your child is the one who’s suffering, there’s a solution for him, as well. Maxi-Health’s liquid Kyolic® and liquid B-complex™ contain the nutrients necessary to generate the same optimal mosquito-repelling effects.
More Mosquito Turn-Offs Natural pest repellents Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets— just wipe and go. This is great for babies. Even if you keep a sheet in your pocket, the mosquitos will stay away. Don’t eat bananas during mosquito season—mosquitoes love bananas! There is something about how your body processes the banana oil that attracts these female sugar-loving insects. Mosquitoes are attracted to exhaled carbon dioxide. If you put some dry ice in the area you’re going to be in, they will completely ignore you. Drop a block of dry ice on your deck or backyard and let it evaporate. Apply some vanilla extract to your pulse points. Whole garlic can be used as a pesticide in your garden, as well as a repellant against mosquitos and other insects. Either rub it on your skin to ward off those blood-sucking pests or leave a few cloves in areas where they tend to swarm.
June 2016 | The Wellspring 45
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.
Mosquitoes have over 150 sense receptors on their antennae, and at least 27 of them are specifically tuned to detect compounds released by humans.
Living Well
  The Wellspring | June 2016 46
Monthly Dose
Dinner on the Deck Dear cooks, In my kitchen, the best dinners are churned out in the winter. That's the time of year we're all in the mood of a steaming bowl of soup and hearty chicken and meat dishes. In the summer, it's so much more sensible to toss together a refreshing salad and enjoy some fruits in the side. But we can't subsist on salads all summer long, can we? Even in the heat of the summer, our bodies need good, filling food. In this issue of Seasoned, we bring you ideas of how to prepare satiating meals the healthy way, keeping them light and filling at the same time.
ISSUE 5 JUNE 2016 SIVAN 5776
Happy cooking,
-Levia ____________________________________
Dinner Quickies! Not in the mood of hiding out in your kitchen this summer but want to fill up on meals more nutritious than pizza or hot dogs? Here are three one-pot ideas from health-minded home cooks. Naomi: Sauté onions and garlic in a pot. Add a bag of California Mix vegetables, chicken cutlet nuggets, and spices. Sauté for half an hour. Add brown rice and water to cover and cook for one hour. A winner! Chava Gitty: When the summer comes around, I’m a major wholewheat wrap fan. I fill it with a variety of veggies and alternate my proteins between chicken cutlet cubes, feta cheese, tuna, and even sliced hard-boiled eggs. Tzila: Once a week, I prepare several pans of individualsized broccoli kugels. In order to turn the dish into a one-pan meal, I count my eggs as a protein and blend in some potatoes or sweet potatoes. Great for after the pool! EAT WELL: APRICOTS ARE IN SEASON! TRY SUGAR-FREE APRICOT JAM AT YOUR NEXT BARBECUE.
Eat Well
Recipes By Levia Joseph Styling & Photography By Malky Levine
Beef Crostini with Red Wine Shimeji Sauce This dish makes for a tantalizing appetizer or even a main. It’s a sure hit for the mushroom lovers in the family! Omit them if mushrooms are not your thing. Meat 1 slice of high-quality fillet steak, 1 inch thick 2 Tbsp olive oil salt and pepper Crostini 1 whole wheat baguette 1 tsp olive oil (optional) fresh garlic, minced (optional)
Sauce 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup chicken broth 1 shallot, sliced 1/2 carrot, cubed 3 dates, sliced 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced handful of shimeji mushrooms 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar olive oil
Baron Herzog Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi
Bring meat to room temperature. Rub meat with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a skillet over medium heat (without oil) until the pot gives off smoke, for about 4-5 minutes. Add olive oil. Sear the meat for approximately 5 minutes on each side. Turn meat on its side and sear all around. Add more oil if necessary to keep the meat from burning. Let cool for 2 minutes before slicing. To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the shallot, carrot, dates, celery and mushrooms and sauté until soft. Add wine, chicken broth and vinegar, and let boil until most of the liquid evaporates and a thick sauce is attained. Slice a whole wheat baguette slightly diagonally to create crostinis. Brush crostinis with oil and minced fresh garlic and toast them for five minutes (optional). Twist a slice of beef over each crostini. Pour some sauce over the meat and serve the rest on the side.
Yield: 6-8 crostinis
June 2016 | The Wellspring 49
Eat Well
Recipes
Honey BBQ Grill P late on a Bed of Quinoa A hearty, wholesome meal in a dish! 4 slices chicken breast 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup honey 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 zucchini, sliced with peels on 1 red pepper, sliced 1 yellow pepper, sliced 1 orange pepper, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced 1 ear of corn 1 1/2 cups quinoa 3 cups water
Combine paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and rub into the chicken on both sides. Mix the honey and apple cider vinegar. Pour half over the chicken and let it marinate for a minimum of half an hour. Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Add salt and garlic to taste. Lower the flame, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle the cut up vegetables with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan or George Forman grill with olive oil spray and grill the vegetable slices and corn. Grill the chicken for several minutes, flipping once, until cooked through and golden. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Using a serving dish, place the cooked quinoa on the bottom. Top with grilled vegetables and sliced chicken. Drizzle the rest of the honey/vinegar sauce over it.
Yield: 4-6 servings
June 2016 | The Wellspring 51
Eat Well
Recipes
Chicken Liver with Balsamic P lum Relish If you want your friends to flock to your deck this summer, try this one! 1 lb chicken liver 2 shallots, sliced 1 Tbsp olive oil 4 plums, pitted and cubed 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp agave syrup 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 garlic clove, sliced 3 whole cloves salt and pepper
Strip the liver from its fatty components. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil with shallots in a skillet for 5 minutes. Add the liver and sauté for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from heat. To make the plum relish, place plums, vinegar, agave, cinnamon, garlic, and cloves in a saucepan. Cook on medium flame until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Pour over the liver and serve.
Yield: 4-6 servings
June 2016 | The Wellspring 53 53
Eat Well
Nutrition Facts in a Shell By Devorah Isaacson
Here’s the place to check out nutrition labels for the nutrition-laden produce that come in their natural peels-- just so you know what wholesome goodness you’re feeding your family and yourself!
This Month:
Apricots
Full of fragrance and sweetness, golden-orange apricots are another summer season delicacy of Asian origin. These much-prized fruits were first brought to Europe by the Greeks, who named them “golden eggs of the sun.” Now that they’re in season, why not enjoy them knowing how beneficial they are to your body? Botanically, the fruit is closely related to peaches and nectarines, as they are all members of the broader Rosaceae family of fruit-trees in the genus Prunus. Fresh, ripe apricots have a sweet flavor similar to plums, while dried apricots are tarter and have less vitamin content. Principle Energy Carbohydrates Protein Total Fat Cholesterol Dietary Fiber Vitamins Folates Niacin Pantothenic Acid Pyridoxine Riboflavin Thiamin Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin E Vitamin K Electrolytes Sodium Potassium Minerals Calcium Iron Magnesium Manganese Phosphorus Zinc Phyto-nutrients Carotene-B Carotene-A Crypto-xanthin-B Lutein- Zeaxanthin
Nutrition Value
Percentage of RDA
50 Kcal 11 g 1.4 g 0.4 g 0 mg 2.1 g
2.5% 8.5% 2.5% 1% 0% 5%
9 µg 0.600 mg 0.240 mg 0.054 mg 0.040 mg 0.030 mg 1926 IU 10 mg 0 mg 3.3 µg
2% 4% 5% 5% 3% 2.5% 64% 16% 0% 3%
1 mg 259 mg
0% 5.5%
13 mg 0.39 mg 10 mg 0.077 mg 23 mg 0.2 mg
1.3% 5% 2.5% 3% 3% 2%
19 µg 1094 µg 104 µg 89 µg
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Apricots, like most other fresh fruits, are low in calories—at just 50 calories for a medium-sized fruit. Nonetheless, they’re a rich source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruits are enriched with numerous health-promoting phytochemicals that help prevent heart disease, reduce LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels, and offer protection against cancers. Apricots provide a significant source of potassium, a mineral and electrolyte that helps you maintain proper fluid balance, aids in muscle function, and helps regulate heartbeat. Potassium also promotes healthy digestion and strong bones. Getting the sufficient amount of potassium each day can help you maintain normal blood pressure and might reduce your risk of having a stroke.The average adult should get 4.7 grams of potassium per day. A one-cup serving of sliced apricots supplies 427 milligrams of potassium toward your daily requirement. Apricots are also an excellent source of vitamin-A and carotenes, which are both known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin-A is also required for maintaining healthy skin. One apricot contains about 1926 IU or 64 percent of the daily-required level of this important vitamin!
In Your Plate!
Fresh slices of apricot can make a great addition to your salad. Seared sweetness: Sear sliced apricots in a pan with a small amount of butter and cinnamon until warmed. Top with chopped walnuts for a little something extra! Frozen treat: Mix blended apricots with orange juice and freeze in ice trays. Your kids will love this too! The tartness in apricots renders them an excellent ingredient in your next chicken dinner! Blend some apricots and pour the puree over chicken bottoms or cutlets. Bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Place apricot halves over the chicken and bake for another ten minutes. Enjoy this excellent nutritious alternative to the processed duck sauce dish! Fun in the Kitchen: Apricot Jam Apricot jam is one of the most versatile foods in your kitchen—it goes well with bread, chicken, and biscuits. Here’s a recipe for making this staple the sugar-free, gluten-free, soy-free way: Soak 2 Tbsp of chia seeds in water for 10 minutes. Blend with 4 cups of fresh apricots and 2 Tbsp raw honey for four minutes. The chia gel will give the jam texture. If you keep it in the refrigerator, it’ll last for two weeks. The Wellspring | June 2016 54
Wellbeing
Clean Slate By Shiffy Friedman, CNWC
Let’s Call a Spade a Spade Triggers for emotional eating This past winter, my husband traveled out of town for a few days. When I told a friend about his plans before he left, she said to me, “Make sure to stock up on good food!” Her comment made sense to me, because if the same scenario had occurred before I embarked on my journey toward a healthy relationship with food, that’s exactly what I would have done. In fact, I remembered a time three years before when my definition for treat was a peanut butter pie, which I managed to finish over the Shabbos that my husband was away. What is it about our emotions that may bring us to a state of bingeing? How is it that a feeling of loneliness, emptiness, or simple boredom can catapult into a dangerous food party? You eat when you aren’t really hungry because you have two stomachs—the real one and the imagined one. The hunger in your real stomach signals you when your system has a biological requirement for food. It’s the kind of signal you may not even pick up on as an emotional eater because you never give your stomach a chance to experience it! If that was the only signal of hunger you received, you’d be thin. But that’s where the imagined stomach comes into play. It’s this stomach that causes the problem which we ponder in this column and in our everyday lives. The imagined stomach sends out a signal demanding food when unruly emotions or unsolved personal agendas start pushing themselves into awareness and you suddenly feel compelled to eat, or more accurately, to stuff yourself in order to shut Self-Talk
“Is it really worth it?” Delayed gratification is a concept we seek to instill in our children from when they’re very young. The famous Stanford marshmallow experiment of the 60s, in which children were told that if they wouldn’t touch the one marshmallow in the room they’d receive two later, proved that it’s hard for young ones to wrap their minds around the idea of controlling their current urge in order to gain a later benefit. As adults, however, and as Torah Jews, we know that a wise person is one who is ro’eh es hanolad, who sees the outcome of his deeds. When you feel an urge to binge, or even take a bite of chocolate (if it’s not on your plan), ask yourself, “Is it really worth it?” Take a moment to consider how you’ll feel in half an hour from now, after the urge abates, if you follow it like an unthinking puppet. Then think of how you’ll feel if you control yourself now. The gratifying feeling of control is exhilarating. Envisioning even ten minutes down the line, not the figure you’ll have in two months, will empower you to make the right decision.
the feelings out. Imagined hunger has such power that it drives you to almost any lengths to satisfy it. You’ll unpack the freezer in the middle of the night to find the ice cream bar hiding in the back. You’ll sneak candy from your child’s birthday bag. You’ll hide food under your pillow. An adolescent client described the experience so well. She said, “The minute my parents waved me off at the airport, I was suddenly ‘hungry.’ I opened my hand bag and took one sour stick. Two minutes later, I was deep into the bag of chips. By the time I boarded the plane, my snacks were gone—and this was right after a big lunch.” This emotional eater didn’t know what to do with herself when she was alone. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you have other triggers that drive you to the freezer or pantry? All emotional eaters have particular issues they want to avoid facing, and when those issues arise, the imagined stomach growls with insistent urgency. Suddenly, you find yourself powerless over the urge to eat. You’re like the little puppy following whoever happens to be leading the way.
What Triggers Imagined Hunger? According to psychological research on emotional eating, there are two categories of things that trigger imagined hunger. The first includes situations, places, and events. Perhaps you overeat when you have to attend staff meetings that leave you feeling unaccomplished, or when you go to family functions. For some, the trigger is a hectic day in the house when too many people want too many things. For others, it’s a boring day at the office. The last time I engaged in emotional eating was when I took a twelve-hour flight with my baby daughter and all she wanted to do was crawl up and down the stairs to the First Class section. The second category that triggers imagined hunger includes people. For you, it’s probably a specific person—your boss, parent, spouse, or child. This person may trigger you with a glance, a word, or even with his or her silence. Whatever it may be, you’re sure to overeat when you’re around them. One woman might overeat when she has deadlines to meet at work, while another woman might deal well with pressure but then overeat at night if her husband doesn’t come home on time. Simply put, imagined hunger is a result of some kind of discomfort that the emotional eater feels at that time, whether induced by a situation or another person. In the next article, we’ll talk about how emotional eaters originally got hooked on food. In this column on emotional eating, Shiffy Friedman, CNWC, discusses the journey toward a healthy relationship with food from a Torah-based, psychological, and personal perspective. June 2016 | The Wellspring 55
Wellbeing
Health Personality By Miri Davis
A CUP OF TEA WITH... CHANIE GEWIRTZ, R.N.
OCCUPATION: Registered Nurse LOCATION OF PRACTICE: Formerly Camp Bnos, currently school nurse at Yeshiva Ketana of Passaic PASSION: Professionally, making a difference in a child’s life; personally, involvement in kiruv and shidduchim SHE WISHES YOU WOULD KNOW THAT: With advance arrangements, parents can prevent aggravation for themselves, their children, and the camp nurse
HOW MANY YEARS ARE YOU IN THE FIELD AS A PROFESSIONAL? Close to 35 years. I worked in Camp Bnos for over 25 years but these days I enjoy my grandchildren in the summertime and work as a school nurse all year round.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ENTER THE FIELD OF NURSING? It was just natural for me. I used to volunteer in hospitals because this was my natural bent. At some point I felt conflicted about whether or not to make it my official career so I consulted with Rav Yaakov Kameneztky zt”l. He was very supportive of my decision and gave me a warm berachah. Rebbetzin Leah Trenk was the one who got me the job as a camp nurse in Bnos and I’m forever grateful to her.
YOUR NURSING CAREER WAS QUITE COLORFUL OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE YOU SERVED AS A CAMP NURSE DURING THE SUMMER. HOW DOES THE ROLE OF A CAMP NURSE DIFFER FROM THAT OF A SCHOOL NURSE? All year round, even when the kids are in school, the parents are hopefully just a phone call away, so when there’s an emergency my role is mainly triaging until the parents take over. In camp, on the other hand, the campers were like my own kids.
WHAT KIND OF MEDICAL ISSUES DID YOU ENCOUNTER IN THE CAMP INFIRMARY? The whole gamut: fractures, appendicitis, Lyme disease. One summer swine flu was rampant. In a boys’ camp, the nurse deals more with physical trauma. Camp Agudah is on other side of the mountain in “Ruach Country” so had I lots of contact with the nurses there The Wellspring | June 2016 56
and we shared a camp doctor. In a girls’ camp, I had to deal with a lot more emotional & psychological issues. As one of the many incredible camp doctors, Dr. Lightman, put it, “In Bnos, they tell you about their complaint even before it happens. In Agudah, you don’t find out until they are very ill.”
WERE PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES COMMON EVEN YEARS BACK? DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THE PREVALENCE OF THESE ISSUES AS TIME PROGRESSES? It’s definitely gotten worse over time but even years back girls struggled with these problems. I also found that in recent years, the girls’ growing concern that they’re not yet married by twenty puts a lot of pressure on them. Today, they are much less laid back and carefree even in a camp environment, and we have lost the tremendous asset of older single staff members.
WHAT SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT SENDING THEIR KIDS TO CAMP REGARDING THEIR WELLBEING? First, parents should send a kid to camp only if the child wants to go. This should be the only motivation. Children must be ready and willing to go to camp, and not go because of the convenience for the parents or the peer pressure. It’s a major transition that can be traumatic for a child who’s not ready or capable of swinging it. I saw anxious kids, and kids who were bedwetting as a result of their anxiety. If a child has seasonal allergies, the parents could prevent a lot of discomfort for the child if they start giving him/her their medications or supplements at least a week before coming camp. So many kids walk around with swollen, red eyes or have acute asthmatic episodes until their treatment
kicks in. Why shouldn’t they enjoy the experience from the first day? And the most important thing is for parents to let the nurse know if their child has an issue that may need a nurse’s attention. The worst is when parents don’t tell anyone about it. If we’re of a problem, we’re halfway toward solving it. If parents send their child with a known issue to camp and they keep her condition a secret, their negligent decision will most probably exacerbate the issue.
tough place. If the parents want her to succeed, they must first give the child some tools for success. Before the child goes to camp, I’d recommend that she attend one of the many excellent social skills programs for kids who “don’t get it,” the ones who are oblivious to certain social cues. A child who’s out of step sets herself up for a miserable experience and tends to end up hanging around the infirmary unless she has a top notch counselor and compassionate bunkmates.
DID YOU SEE SUCH INSTANCES? WHAT KIND OF ISSUES DOES A CAMP NURSE HAVE TO BE INFORMED OF?
WHICH “REGULAR” ISSUES DO CAMP NURSES DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS?
Lots of them! Take diabetes, for example. A child with juvenile diabetes needs a support system. She can’t be hiding in the bathroom when doing her injections. Cystic fibrosis, asthma and food allergies are important ones. Some parents won’t call asthma by its name. They’ll say their child has “restrictive airway disease.” Some parents are worried about their ten-year-old’s future shidduchim, which makes their kid’s childhood fraught with tension, whereas kids whose parents take the matter of fact approach are much more emotionally healthy. From my experience, when it’s a big secret, it devastates the child. If a mother tells a child, “The nurse is your friend and she’ll help you,” everything changes. These children are able to truly enjoy themselves, stress-free. And once I developed a relationship with these kids, they knew that if they wanted a cup of hot cocoa or to curl up with book or two, it was okay. I was there for them all the way. Why would a parent want to take that away from her child?
Lots of kids stop by for Tylenol, splinter removal, or a cup of tea. Some kids are in need of some private downtime so they ask if they can lounge around in the infirmary for a while. To such kids I would say, “If you want an hour or two to just relax just say it. Don’t invent physical ailments.” Parents can tell this to their children as well before they go to camp. If a kid keeps coming back to the nurse, I know there’s always a reason. We try to get to the bottom of things. The counselors are only two or three years older than the campers so they need an adult in their life. I was fortunate to work hand in hand with Rebbitzin Shonnie Perr, the incredible head of Camp Bnos, whose intuition and expertise amazed me time and again. I also consulted with the camp director Shani Schmaltz, who is an EMT. She’s the most diplomatic person I’ve ever met. The beloved head lifeguard, Charna Klein, is highly skilled and was always there in case of emergency.
HOW ELSE CAN PARENTS PREPARE THEIR CHILDREN REGARDING THEIR HEALTH TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE A PLEASANT CAMP EXPERIENCE?
AS THE CAMP NURSE, YOU PROBABLY CAME INTO CONTACT WITH MANY DIFFERENT KIDS OF PARENTS. WHICH ONES STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND?
It’s the parents’ responsibility to teach their children about grooming. A fellow camp nurse once told me that a mother approached her on visiting day and asked why her child’s nails haven’t been cut. Also, not all girls are properly informed about their physical maturity stages. One child had serious anxiety when she was caught by surprise in camp. It puts the nurse in a tough place because she wants to provide information to calm the child but she doesn’t know how much the parents want their child to know. In a way, a kid who knows too little does great in camp because she gets a healthy dose of exposure from her peers. It puts her in step with the social norms. Also, parents should know to send their kids to camp with good quality sneakers, not flats, which can cause constant ankle sprains. And, make sure to send plenty of sunscreen to prevent burns. Another important piece of advice to parents is to ensure that the camp has all the child’s medical forms. This can potentially save the camp and parents a huge unnecessary stress if an emergency comes up.
DO YOU FIND THAT CAMP IS A GOOD PLACE FOR CHILDREN WITH SOCIAL ISSUES? For a child who is socially awkward, camp can be a very
A fellow nurse told me about an adolescent camper who would chew her food and hold it in her cheek like a chipmunk and then spit it out later. After the nurse was made aware of the issue, and confirmed it was happening constantly, she tracked down the mother, who was vacationing in some exotic place. The mother, completely unperturbed, asked the nurse, “Are we talking foods or are we talking desserts?” As I said earlier, there is always a reason! Some mothers treat the nurse like a waiter, issuing orders like, “You’ll give my daughter this, and you won’t call me for that.” On the other hand, I’ve worked with many wonderful parents over the years. They called me before camp, provided all necessary medical information and supplies, were appreciative, and made themselves available when necessary.
HOW SHOULD PARENTS EXPRESS THEIR APPRECIATION TO THE CAMP NURSE? Write a nice note or just simply say “Thank you.” Parents who take the time to send clear instructions and set up prefilled medication packets not only help the nurse, but more importantly their own child. Advance preparation ensures that the child can spend minimal time in the infirmary, so she can enjoy camp as much as possible. June 2016 | The Wellspring 57
Wellbeing
Health Personality
More From the Camp Nurse Esty Mendelowitz, EMT Camp Nurse at Camp CPE
Please don’t hide anything from the nurse! Rather call for something seemingly minor than not call at all. Discuss with your daughter that it’s common to be homesick, and plan a strategy. Perhaps you can have her commit to staying for a week no matter how she feels in order to give camp a chance. If your daughter has braces, it’s a good idea to see the dentist before she comes camp to make sure all is in order. We don’t have easy access to regular dental care in the mountains. Bring along a spare pair of glasses, and an extra inhaler or epi-pen, if needed.
Idy Bloch, EMT
Goldy Guttman, EMT Former Camp Nurse at Camp Lakemont
Kids and teens get homesick. When they speak to their mother and start to complain about pain, they may just be craving and missing her attention. Bear in mind that the nurse is medically trained and the one who sees your child, and if she doesn’t see anything wrong, there usually is nothing wrong! Don’t stress about it! Your child is in good hands.
According to the health department, it’s against the law for kids to keep even Tylenol and vitamins in the bunkhouse—they can be stored only under lock and key in the infirmary. The laws Camp Nurse at of confidentiality bind all EMT’s and nurses so parents can be assured that their child’s medical Krasna Boys’ information will remain private. I’ve had instances of parents who preferred not to mention their Camp children’s health issues, and their kids didn’t end up being on top of their medications, which caused all kinds of problems. One unbelievable incident happened when the inspector confiscated a boy’s psychiatric drugs that she found in the bunkhouse. She gave them to me and I announced in the dining room that whoever was missing their “vitamins” should come claim them. The boy didn’t turn up for over a week! Another great way to prevent problems is to send in all medical forms and the child’s insurance card before the summer so if an emergency comes up this shouldn’t be an impediment for his necessary treatment. Bedwetting by boys is more prevalent than people think. Throughout the year, most parents can manage the issue, but when the boys are away from home, things are not so simple. Many times, parents will give their kids medications for bedwetting only in the summer. I’d recommend that they consult with the doctor early enough to start the kid off at home. In the case that he does wet his bed, the child should know whom he has to go to in order to have his linen changed. In our camp, for instance, we have someone on the ground all night long who’s available to help out in these circumstances. The more you prepare him, the better off and more confident he’ll be. Also, it’s highly important for parents to talk to their sons about basic nutrition. I’ve had kids come to me at 9:00 in the morning with a donut in one hand and a cup of slush in the other. On the other hand, I’ve had boys who came to use my scale because they were health-conscious! Your child should have a basic understanding of what he must provide his body every day, such as proteins, vegetables, fruits, and some carbs. Every summer I deal with burns from instant soups. Let your kid know that they are not a replacement for meals! It’s also crucial for parents to talk to their boys about personal hygiene and personal privacy. Explain to them that if they don’t take showers, germs build up on their skin, and if they get a cut, it’s more likely to get infected. Advance education can prevent untold aggravation. Try to send your kids to camp in the best state of health possible. I remember when a boy came off the camp bus straight to my bungalow with an ingrown toenail! Let your child know that if something bothers him even slightly, he shouldn’t hesitate to approach the camp nurse. That’s the reason I’m here. It’s my pleasure to reassure the child and make sure his needs are tended to. Especially if he’s going to camp for the first time, he should know that, if need be, a doctor comes by several times a week as well. He should come to camp knowing that he’s in good hands and that the nurse is happy to be there for them, come what may.
The Wellspring | June 2016 58
Well Informed
Vitamin Production Process By Judy Appel
WELCOME TO THE LAB!
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The Vitamin Production Process: A sneak peek inside Step TWO: PRECISE WEIGHT Ever wondered how every single vitamin contains the exact same amount of every nutrient? Here’s how it happens. When all the vitamin ingredients are ready, a worker takes them to the weigh station and weighs them out on a scale. The required weights for each ingredient in the batch are listed on a formula batch record. After weighing, the worker dumps all the ingredients into a mixer. The volume of a typical mixer ranges between 15-30 cu ft. (0.42-0.84 cu m), though in a large manufacturing facility, it may be many times that large. The ingredients spend from 15 to 30 minutes in the mixer. When you use a mixer in your kitchen, you usually want to give the dough a thorough mix by hand even after the mixing process to ensure that all ingredients reached all parts of the dough evenly. In the lab, the samples are checked in the laboratory to ensure this. After the mixing process in the mixer, samples are taken from different sides of the mixer and checked in the laboratory. The lab technicians verify that all the ingredients are distributed in the same proportion throughout the mix. If the manufacturer is making a large batch, workers may check the first three or four lots in the mixer, and then only re-check periodically. After mixing is complete, workers take the vitamin formula to either an encapsulating or a tabletmaking machine.
Coming up in the next issue: Tablet Compression and Encapsulation When it comes to the vitamin selection, there’s reason for the consumer to be wary. After all, not all vitamins are created equal. The process is complex and necessitates supreme quality control in order to give the consumer the results they anticipate. Maxi Health Research prides itself in providing that—and more, in every single bottle that wears their label. June 2016 | The Wellspring 59
Wellbeing
Me-Time By Batsheva Fine
PROGRAM THIS MONTH: DIP IN! It’s hot out there! There’s no time like the present to submerge yourself in some refreshing H2O. In the water, you have an excellent opportunity to spend time with yourself, to think things through and relish in your own company. The pool can be a great place for me-time, plus it has many more benefits, as well. “Swimming is an excellent exercise that involves all muscles of the body and provides a full-body workout. Very little other forms of exercise do that!” Says Idy Hoffman, HLG, WSI, a Lakewood-based swimming and yoga instructor. “It’s also excellent because the water makes the body more buoyant and lightweight, taking the pressure off the joints, and thereby increasing the capacity for movement and flexibility. This is especially true for overweight, pregnant, or handicapped women.” While you’re at it, you can burn calories and tone up all over—faster, in fact, than if you exercised in the air-conditioned sanctuary of your gym. Why? Water provides 12 to 15 times more resistance than air. So you can burn as many as 3½ times more calories than if you walked at a moderate pace—and it’s more refreshing! You don’t even have to swim to get these results. Here are 10 solo exercises you can do in a pool. You can choose to do the more fun activities if you like to have fun with yourself, or the more relaxed ones if that’s your definition of “chill.” Remember to have a good time! Me-time is more about carving out time just for yourself and what you consider pleasurable and less about tachlis, like losing weight or getting trim.
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Treading Intervals
This move will help you slim down and firm up all over. In deep water, tread as hard as you can for 30 seconds. Then go easy or float on your back for 30 seconds. Fit in 30 bursts over your afternoon at the pool and you’ll scorch nearly 300 calories.
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The Blender
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Water makes high-impact jumps joint-friendly. In waistdeep water, lunge with right foot forward, right thigh parallel to pool floor, left knee bent, hands on hips. Quickly jump up, scissor legs, and land with left leg forward. Do 15 to 20 times.
The Helicopter
This move revs your heart rate to melt more calories, says Mary Sanders, PhD, a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise and director of WaterFit Wave Aerobics. Squat in waist- to rib-cagedeep water, then jump up and “jog” vigorously for a count of 6. Repeat for 1 minute, then rest for 15 seconds. Do 2 more times.
Calorie-Torching Laps
Pick up the pace during your laps, and you’ll swim off about 350 calories in 30 minutes. Increase your speed by setting small goals—like doing more laps—which motivates you to swim faster and farther. Also, do sprints, alternating shorter, faster distances in the pool with 10 to 15 seconds of rest, which will increase your overall speed. Plus, research shows that interval workouts are best at blasting abdominal fat. The Wellspring | June 2016 60
Waist-Deep Lunges
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You’re lighter in water, so full push-ups are easier while still being a super arm and shoulder toner. Start in plank position in the shallow end, hands on the top pool step and toes on the pool floor. Slowly bend elbows to lower as far as you can without getting your face wet. Straighten elbows and repeat. Work up to 2 or 3 slow sets of 15 reps.
Water workouts provide 360 degrees of resistance. In waist-deep water, quickly swing right leg forward. Pause, then pull it back against the current to starting position. Next, swing leg to side, then back. Alternate legs for 10 to 15 cycles.
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Step Push-Ups
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Backward Motion
Research shows that water walking or jogging in reverse engages more muscles in your legs and back than going forward (83% more quads, 61% more lower back, and 47% more calves).
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Arm Presses
Stand in chest-deep water with palms open and fingers spread and move your arms back and forth and up and down. Increase your speed for a greater challenge.
Swim Your Way to Health What are some health benefits of spending your me-time doing laps? You’ll be glad to hear that this fun exercise is an excellent stress-buster. In fact, research indicates that swimming can zap a bad mood even more efficiently than running. Sports psychologist Aimee Kimball, director of mental training at the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, says that swimming can decrease both anxiety and depression. Swimming releases endorphins, the feel-good compounds in the brain, and relaxes the muscles. Also, because swimming requires deep breathing and stretching, you evoke a relaxation response in your body, similar to doing yoga. Swimming improves endurance. In one study of sedentary middle-aged men and women who did swim training for 12 weeks, their maximal oxygen consumption improved 10% and the amount of blood pumped with each beat improved as much as 18%. Swimming strengthens your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It also builds muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism and helps you get toned. In a study of men who completed an eight-week swimming program, they experienced a 23.8% increase in the triceps muscle (the back of the arm). And, of course, swimming burns calories—lots of calories, anywhere from 500-650 per hour depending on how efficiently you swim. Original research on swimming and calorie expenditure showed that swimming, regardless of the stroke, burned about 89% of the calories burned during running and 97% of the calories burned during cycling for the same time period. Stated another way, swimming burns about 11% fewer calories than running but only 3% fewer calories than biking. One important caveat about this data is that calorie expenditure is dependent on the intensity of the exercise, and so it’s definitely possible to burn more calories swimming than running in the same period of time as long as you swim hard enough, and particularly so if compared to running at light intensity.
9
Shuffle Sides
To tone your inner and outer thighs, shuffle side to side in at least thigh-deep water, says Melissa Layne, an American Council on Exercise spokesperson and a water aerobics instructor for over 20 years. Keep movements smooth.
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Float
If you’re in the mood of just being, not doing, take a peaceful ride on your back, floating smoothly across the pool. Close your eyes and listen to the soft waves of the water, the birds chirping, even the people talking. Give your brain a chance to clear out and your spirit a chance to fill up. You deserve it!
June 2016 | The Wellspring 61
Inkwell
Diary By Fraidy Silberstein
The End to the Sore Throat Saga How Maxi Premium EPO™ restored order in our house One day last year
I joked to my husband that we almost don’t have to pay tuition for our three-year-old daughter. It was a sad joke because the kid was really in pain. She kept having sore throats again and again, month after month. Every time we thought it was over, her voice started filling up again and before we knew it she was crying again that her throat hurts and she doesn’t want to go to school. For a kid who loves company, this was especially hard. I knew that she wasn’t saying it because she wanted to stay home. This sore throat saga ended up being a very taxing experience for the whole family. I missed many workdays trying to make my child feel better, and the doses of antibiotics that I gave her as a last resort wore her out but did nothing to ease her discomfort. The whole house revolved around little Dina’s sore throats. After over a year of recurring sore throats, my mother-in-law suggested that I try the natural route. Not one to usually go in that direction, I went into this very skeptically, but hopefully. I remember walking into the health
food store for the first time, laughing to myself and thinking, “I can’t believe it’s me here.” The kind nutritionist suggested that I try Maxi Premium EPO™ and see how my daughter feels after a few days. She explained to me very simply that EPO is a combination of oils that provide essential fatty acids to the body, which in turn keep it healthy and strong. Based on my description of my daughter’s case, she understood that this supplement would fight the bacteria that kept getting in the way of my daughter’s comfort. I obediently purchased a bottle and rushed home to try it. (My daughter was home with the babysitter for yet another off-school day.) It is now one year later, and Suri hasn’t had a sore throat in all this time, Baruch Hashem. She goes off to school happily and is keeping up very well with the learning. As a result of her healthy state, she has much more energy and isn’t the irritable child we had last year. I truly believe that Maxi Premium EPO™ was Hashem’s gift to little Suri, to me, and to the entire family (who now take Maxi-Yums™ every morning!).
I missed many workdays trying to make my child feel better, and the doses of antibiotics that I gave her as a last resort wore her out but did nothing to ease her discomfort.
How has your health and wellbeing improved thanks to Maxi Health? To receive a free bottle of the supplement that changed your life, send a summary of your story to info@wellspringmagazine.com. We reserve the right to end this promotion at any time, without notice.
The Wellspring | June 2016 62
If you want to shine like the sun, you must first burn like the sun.
June 2016 | The Wellspring  63 63
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