April 2022 Natural Awakenings Magazine -Volusia Flagler Edition by Daytona, Volusia and Flagler Natural Awakenings Magazine

E R F

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES

HOW TO INVITE MORE WILDERNESS INTO OUR LIVES

EARTH DAY 2022 FOCUSES ON COLLECTIVE

RESPONSIBILITY

BUZZ-FREE DRINKS BEST NATURE APPS FOR WILDLIFE EXPLORATION

April 2022 | Volusia / Flagler Edition | VoFLNatural.com

Nature’s Virus Killer Copper can stop a virus before it starts

By Doug Cornell

cientists have discovered a with a tip to fit in the bottom of the natural way to kill germs fast. nostril, where viruses collect. Now thousands of people When he felt a tickle in his nose are using it against viruses and bacteria like a cold about to start, he rubbed the that cause illness. copper gently in Colds and his nose for 60 many other seconds. illnesses start “It worked!” when viruses get he exclaimed. in your nose and “The cold never start multiplying. got going. That If you don’t stop was 2012. I have them early, they had zero colds spread and take since then.” over. “We don’t Copper kills viruses almost In hundreds of make product instantly studies, EPA and health claims,” university researchers confirm copper he said, “so I can’t say cause and effect. kills microbes almost instantly just by But we know copper is antimicrobial.” touch. He asked relatives and friends to try That’s why ancient Greeks and it. They reported the same thing, so he Egyptians used copper to purify patented CopperZap® and put it on the water and heal wounds. They didn’t market. know about microbes like viruses and Soon hundreds of people had tried it. bacteria, but now we do. Feedback was 99% positive if they used “The antimicrobial activity of copper copper within 1-3 hours of the first sign is well established.” National Institutes of bad germs, like a tickle in the nose or of Health. a scratchy throat. Scientists say the high conductance Users say: of copper disrupts the electrical balance “It works! I love it!” in a microbe cell by touch and destroys “I can’t believe how good my nose it in seconds. feels.” Some hospitals tried copper “Is it supposed to work that fast?” for touch surfaces like faucets and “One of the best presents ever.” doorknobs. This cut the spread of “Sixteen flights, not a sniffle!” MRSA and other illnesses by over half, “Cold sores gone!” which saved lives. “It saved me last holidays. The kids The strong scientific evidence had crud going round and round, gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. but not me.” He made a smooth copper probe “I am shocked! My sinus cleared, no ADVERTORIAL Volusia / Flagler VoFLNatural.com

more headache, no more congestion.” “Best sleep I’ve had in years!” The handle is curved and textured to increase contact. Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched. The EPA says copper works just as well when tarnished. Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the science teams. He placed millions of viruses on a copper surface. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it.”

Customers report using copper against: Colds Flu Covid Sinus trouble Cold sores Fever blisters Canker sores Strep Night stuffiness Morning congestion Skin infections Infected sores Infection in cuts or wounds Thrush Warts Styes Ringworm Threats to compromised immunity CopperZap® is made in the USA of pure copper. It has a 90-day full money back guarantee. Price $79.95. Get $10 off each CopperZap with code NATA28. Go to www.CopperZap.com or call tollfree 1-888-411-6114. Buy once, use forever. Statements are not intended as product health claims and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not claimed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Natural Awakenings is a family of 50+ healthy living magazines celebrating 27 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

Contents 11 EARTH DAY 2022

Focuses on Collective Responsibility

12 WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES

How to Invite Nature Back into Our Lives and Landscapes

16 TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE

Apps Bring Us Closer to Flora and Fauna

18 NATURE SPEAKS Storytelling Connects Kids to the Natural World

20 BUZZ-FREE DRINKING The Healthy Rise of NonAlcoholic Beverages

22 EATING FOR THE PLANET Diet for a Climate Crisis

25 FIVE FOODS TO ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise in Natural Awakenings, please call 386-736-3838 or email Ads@VoFLNatural.com. CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email calendar events to: Calendar@VoFLNatural.com. REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets. Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets, call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities, call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com. VOFLNATURAL.COM

REDUCE INFLAMMATION

26 SPIRITED STRIDES Power Walk to Better Fitness

28 PEST CONTROL

Keeping Dogs Safe from Ticks and Fleas

DEPARTMENTS 7 event briefs 8 health briefs 10 global briefs 16 green living 18 healthy kids 20 healing ways

22 conscious

eating 26 fit body 28 natural pet 31 calendar 33 resource guide April 2022

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

letter from publisher

The sounds and smells of spring surround us. Many

VOLUSIA FLAGLER EDITION Publisher Rebecca Young Publisher@VoFLNatural.com Writer Erin Floresca Editor Sara Gurgen Calendar Editor Sara Peterson Design & Production Melanie Rankin Graphic Design Josh Halay

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Floridians claim spring as their favorite season of the year. Spring brings with it a bit of every season, sometimes all within a day. Whether you like chilly mornings, warm and breezy afternoons, or spring showers, you’ll find them all during April. Falling leaves seem out of place in spring, yet it’s the first calling card of the season as new buds push old leaves to the ground. Enjoy the outdoors during April, as spring is our shortest season of the year. Your April edition is focused on outdoor spaces and wild places. Discover how to invite nature into your landscape and life in our main feature. Your landscape will thrive with biodiversity when you create and manage wild spaces. Nature guide applications are available for download to help you identify plants, trees, mushrooms, insects, birds, berries, and other flora and fauna. These smart apps allow you to point your smartphone at a plant or animal to get instant information. Learn more about these apps in ‘green living’. Nature and children are a perfect match. Imaginations are shaped during outdoor play. From puddles to pinecones, children open themselves to all things natural. Outdoor play encourages creativity, resourcefulness, and curiosity. Learn how storytelling in nature helps kids make powerful connections to the natural world in ‘healthy kids’. Spring is the perfect season for brisk outdoor walks. If you’re a step counter, this is the time to put on your tracker and hit the beach or nature trail. Power walking involves covering a mile in under 15 minutes and increases cardiovascular benefits. If you’re already adept at power walking, racewalking may be your next adventure. Read about it in ‘fit body’. Quenching your thirst with non-alcoholic beverages is trending. Cocktail bar owners and bartenders offer recipes for alcohol-free pina’ coladas, mock-a-ritas, noquila sunrise and more in our ‘healing ways’ feature. Mix up a pitcher of your favorite mock-tail for the entire family. We hope you enjoy your April edition, and explore the event calendar’s many offerings. To your health,

© 2022 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although so me par ts of this public ation may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing. Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. Check with a healthcare professional regarding the appropriate use of any treatment.

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event briefs

Four-Week Women's Mind-Body Tools for Life Workshop

Armand and Angelina to Perform at Unity Community Church

ew Light Reiki & Wellness is hosting a month-long Women's Mind-Body Tools for Life Workshop from noon until 3 p.m. four Sundays in a row beginning May 15 at two Daytona Beach locations— Evolve Chiropractic and Natural Concepts Revisited. Attendees will receive instruction on how to easily apply the following practices and techniques: heart-brain Lynn Gallagher coherence meditation; reiki healing; vagus nerve release (for trauma healing and reset of the central nervous system); pranic healing; and original strength movement practice. There will also be informational talks on holistic lifestyle choices through diet, lifestyle and supplementation. “Each workshop will give you valuable information and practices that you can incorporate into your life right now and use for a lifetime,” says Lynn Gallagher, reiki master and New Light Reiki & Wellness owner. “All fitness levels, ages and body types are welcome. With a variety of practices and information to choose from, these workshops are perfect for anyone looking for new ways to bring self-awareness to the body, build physical and mental strength, bring calm focus to your life, and honor yourself right where you are.”

nternational inspirational speakers and performing artists Armand and Angelina will be performing at Unity Community Church (UCC), in Edgewater, the first weekend in April. On Saturday, April 2, at 4 p.m., they will treat audience members to a musical variety program called The Great Un-Pause Concert. And then on Sunday, April 3, after they lead the 11 a.m. musical service—an Attitude of Gratitude—they will delight attendees with an Angel Harp Meditation at 12:45 p.m. Armand and Angelina’s variety program is filled with music, comedy, dance and more. They offer a fantastic, uplifting show, full of humor, passion for life and love for each other. UCC encourages everyone to attend this Saturday afternoon event and learn a new twist on giving and receiving. This classical pop duo loves giving things away. Sunday’s Attitude of Gratitude event will be a morning of music, message and mirth—a once-in-a-lifetime experience of love, laughter and music. And the dynamic duo’s Angel Harp Meditation, which follows, is simply magical. Each attendee will feel the powerful healing vibrations as Angelina places her angel harp on each person while playing sacred tones into their bodies. Armand will add Native American flute, shanti bells and other magical sounds to enhance the experience.

Locations: Evolve Chiropractic, 240 S. Palmetto Ave., and Natural Concepts Revisited, 142 W. International Speedway Blvd. For complete details or to register, call Gallagher at 386-882-4230 or visit Facebook.com/NewLightReiki. See ad, page 7.

Cost: $20 suggested love offering each day. Location: 1001 S. Ridgewood Ave., Edgewater. For more information about Armand and Angelina, visit ArmandAndAngelina.com. For more information about UCC, visit UnityCommunityChurch.com. See ad, page 25.

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health briefs

Avoid Formaldehyde to Sidestep Cognitive Problems

A new type of immunotherapy that enables T-cells to fight cancer cells is proving hopeful for people with the deadly skin cancer melanoma, and a new study has found that a high-fiber diet improves the effectiveness of the therapy. Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in Science that, by analyzing the gut microbiome in hundreds of patients, they found that higher dietary fiber intake was linked with disease nonprogression among patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapy compared to patients eating little fiber. The results were strongest in patients that ate the most dietary fiber, but did not take probiotics, a finding that was replicated with lab animals.

Consider Berberine and Probiotics to Improve Cholesterol

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When used together, the plant alkaloid berberine and the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve work synergistically to significantly improve total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, reports a new study in Gut Microbes from Shanghai Jiao Tung University, in China. Researchers tested 365 diabetes patients at 20 centers throughout the country, giving them either a placebo, one of the two substances or both. Comparing post-meal blood samples after 12 weeks, patients that had taken both the berberine and the probiotic had significantly better cholesterol readings and experienced positive changes in the gut microbiome, as well as better fatty acid metabolism. 8

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Workers exposed over years to formaldehyde may experience thinking and memory problems later in life, researchers at the University of Montpellier, in France, have concluded. Their study published in the journal Neurology surveyed and tested more than 75,000 people with an average age of 58. Of those, 8 percent were exposed to formaldehyde through their occupations as nurses; caregivers; medical technicians; workers in the textile, chemistry and metal industries; carpenters and cleaners. The risk of developing thinking and memory problems was an average of 17 percent higher in people that were exposed to formaldehyde on the job than those with no such exposure. People exposed to formaldehyde for 22 years or longer had a 21 percent higher risk of cognitive impairment.

Try Fenugreek to Boost Male Fertility and Health Fenugreek, an herb used in Indian curries and Middle Eastern cuisine, has been shown in studies to increase breast milk production in women, and a 12-week study of 100 men has found that it also boosts male testosterone and fertility. A research team at King George’s Medical University, in Lucknow, India, gave 500 milligrams a day of an extract made from fenugreek seeds to men that ranged in ages from 35 to 60. Sperm motility, or movement, significantly increased at eight and 12 weeks of treatment, while abnormal sperm morphology significantly decreased at 12 weeks. Testosterone levels, cholesterol markers and libido also improved. Higher levels of alertness were documented, along with lower blood pressure.

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Eat Lots of Fiber to Improve Melanoma Outcomes

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Practice Good Dental Care to Lower Heart and Cognitive Risks A whopping 47 percent of U.S. adults over 30 have periodontal disease, and the consequences can be severe for their physical and mental health, suggests a new study in the journal BMJ Open. Researchers from the UK University of Manchester followed 64,379 people diagnosed with periodontal disease, including gingivitis, marked by swollen and red gums, as well as periodontitis, in which gums pull away from the tooth and bone or teeth are lost. The subjects, with an average age of 44, were compared over an average of three years to 251,161 people without the disease. Those with periodontal disease had a 37 percent higher risk of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and serious mental illness; a 33 percent higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Type 1 diabetes and psoriasis; an 18 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia; and a 26 percent higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. “This research provides further, clear evidence why healthcare professionals need to be vigilant for early signs of gum disease and how it can have wide-reaching implications for a person’s health, reinforcing the importance of taking a holistic approach when treating people,” says Caroline Aylott, head of research delivery at the University of Birmingham Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research.

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April 2022

Broken Promises

Inconvenient Convenience

Plastic On its Way Out at National Parks

Large Study Addresses Indigenous Biodiversity Decline

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A poll by Ipsos conducted for the ocean conservation group Oceana last November found that 82 percent of registered U.S. voters responding would like the National Park Service to stop selling and distributing single-use plastic items. The survey revealed broad appreciation for national parks, with around four in five respondents saying they had been to a park and 83 percent of previous park visitors looking forward to a return visit. Oceana Plastics Campaign Director Christy Leavitt says, “These polling results indicate that Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, want our parks to be unmarred by the pollution caused by single-use plastic.” The results show broad support for a campaign led by Oceana and more than 300 other environmental organizations which sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asking the parks to end the sale and distribution of plastic beverage bottles, bags, foodware and cutlery, and plastic foam products. The proposed Reducing Waste in National Parks Act would see such a policy enacted if passed. “The National Park Service was created to preserve these natural and historic spaces, and in order to truly uphold that purpose, it needs to ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items, many of which will end up polluting our environment for centuries to come, despite being used for only a moment,” says Leavitt.

Simon Fraser University (SFU), in British Columbia, is engaging with more than 150 Indigenous organizations, universities and other partners to highlight the complex problems of biodiversity loss and its implications for health and well-being in the Tackling Biodiversity Decline Across the Globe research initiative. The project is inclusive of intersectional, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary worldviews and methods for research, with activities in 70 different kinds of ecosystems that are spiritually, culturally and economically important to Indigenous peoples. One of the project’s six principal investigators, SFU assistant professor Maya Gislason, of the Faculty of Health Sciences, says, “Our work in health will focus on healing from the stresses and losses caused by colonial practices and on building healthier relationships to Airless Tires Increase Safety, Limit Waste nature. By 2027, when the Michelin’s new airless tires don’t puncture, so they should last longer, which means fewer project completes, healing tires will need to be produced, thus limiting waste. Their Unique Puncture Proof Tire Sysand well-being will have tem (UPTIS) is an important step on the road to sustainability. The company notes that been important considermillions of tires end up in landfills early because of puncture damage, along with all the ations within the developtires that are old and worn out. Disposed tires can become fire hazards, releasing gases, ment of holistic and actionheavy metals and oil into the environment. The U.S. alone produced more than 260 milable solutions intended to lion scrapped tires in 2019. The new tires can also be made from recycled plastic waste, improve stewardship and according to industry publication Interesting Engineering. care for people and the UPTIS, in development for more than a decade, combines an aluminum wheel with a planet.” special “tire” around it comprised of a plastic matrix laced with and reinforced by glass SFU professor John fibers. This outer tire is designed to be flexible, yet strong O’Neil, former dean of the enough to support the car. Michelin Technical and Scifaculty of health sciences, entific Communications Director Cyrille Roget says, “It says of the enterprise, “It was an exceptional experience for us, and our greatis unique from many other est satisfaction came at the end of the demonstration large projects in its embrace when our passengers ... said they felt no difference of governance models like compared with conventional tires.” Goodyear has anethical space, Indigenous nounced that the Jacksonville, Florida, Transportation Authority will be piloting the company’s own version of research methodologies and Indigenous knowledges.” an airless tire on its fleet of autonomous vehicles. photo courtesy of Goodyear

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global briefs

EARTH DAY 2022 Focuses on Collective Responsibility

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by Ronica A. O’Hara

Invest in Our Planet

As 1 billion people around the globe gather to mark Earth Day on April 22, they will be focusing on an increasingly critical goal: the need for everyone—governments, citizens and businesses—to do their part to combat climate change. “Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable,” is the day’s emerging motto. While Earth Day themes over the past 52 years have often centered on specific issues, such as plastic pollution and deforestation, this year’s broader theme, “Invest In Our Planet,” reflects a growing consensus that, at such a critical point for the Earth’s future, governments will not solve the climate crisis by themselves. “Like the industrial, space and information revolutions, all sectors of society can and must play major roles—this time with the extraordinary responsibilities to get it right,” reads a statement from EarthDay.org. Activism involves not only lowering carbon emissions, but also making sure that the benefits of the coming Green Revolution are spread evenly throughout society, the statement says. “In 2022, we all must enter into one partnership for the planet,” says Earth Day President Kathleen Rogers. Events, such as rallies and social media campaigns, aim to encourage action and legislation, as well as educate on corporate and personal sustainability. Art shows allow attendees to visualize a better future while data collection for citizen-based science research and workshops find ways to build local green economies. All are appropriate ways to participate this Earth Day, as well as clean-up campaigns and tree plantings. To learn about personal actions, including step-by-step instructions on how to organize an event, visit EarthDay.org. Help the Volusia – Flagler area celebrate victories and support future progress by participating in local Earth Day 2022 events.

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April 2022

Why We Need

WILD PLACES How to Invite Nature Back into Our Lives and Landscapes by Sheryl DeVore

n a blustery day, Julian Hoffman stood outdoors and watched wild bison grazing in the restored grassland of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, fewer than 50 miles from downtown Chicago. For him, it was a wild place, affording a glimpse of what North America looked like hundreds of years ago when bison roamed the continent by the millions. “We’re witnessing, in a way that’s both terrible and tragic, just what the profound cost is of continuing to destroy the natural world,” he writes. Saving wild places is critical for human health and well-being, say both scientists and environmentalists. But defining what a wild place is or what the word wilderness means can be difficult, says Hoffman, author of Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our 12

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Wild Places. “If wilderness means a place untouched by humans, then none is left,” he says. Even the set-aside wildernesses where no one may have ever stepped have been altered through climate change, acid rain and other human interventions. Humans are also losing the wilderness that is defined as land set aside solely for plants and creatures other than humans. Prominent naturalist David Attenborough, whose most recent documentary is A Life on Our Planet, says that in 1937, when he was a boy, about 66 percent of the world’s wilderness areas remained. By 2020, it was down to 35 percent.

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A wild place can be as spectacular as Yellowstone, a 3,500square-mile national park in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, filled with hot springs, canyons, wolves, and elk. It can also be as simple as a sky filled with a murmuration, or gathering, of thousands of swooping starlings, which once caused two teens to stop taking selfies and photograph the natural scene above them instead, as Hoffman witnessed in Great Britain. Such regions that offer vast tracts of natural beauty and biodiversity are even found in and around major cities like Chicago, says Chicagoland nature blogger Andrew Morkes. “A wild place is also where you don’t see too many people, or any people, and you can explore,” he says. “You can walk up a hill and wonder what’s around the next bend.” “A wild place could be a 15-minute drive from home where we can walk among plants in a meadow, or a tree-lined street, or front and back yard, if landscaped with wild creatures in mind,” says Douglas Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts with Your Yard.

Sustaining Our Species

because people in the early 1900s fought to protect and preserve what they could already see was rapidly diminishing,” Hoffman says. “In the year 2022, we are the beneficiaries of those past actions. Yet less than 5 percent of those old-growth redwood groves are left, and we live in an age where we’re losing an extraordinary range of wild species; for example, 3 billion birds have disappeared from the skies of North America in just the past 50 years. That’s why people need to continue to fight for wild spaces.”

“We need these places to save ourselves,” says Tallamy, who heads the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. “Humans are totally dependent on the production of oxygen and clean water, and that happens with the continued existance of flowering plants, which are dependent on the continued existence of all the pollinators. When you lose the pollinators, you lose 90 percent of the flowering plants on the Earth. That is not an option if we want to stay alive and healthy.” Our mental and emotional health is also at stake. According to a recent overview in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, studies have shown that natural settings can lower blood pressure, reduce depression and anxiety, and help the immune system function better. People have saved wild places over time, of course. “The world’s ancient redwoods are still with us today

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Community Crusaders

In researching his book, Hoffman went looking for wild-space struggles. In Glasgow, Scotland, he met people that fought to save an urban meadow from being turned into a luxury home development. “I’d never experienced as much joy in any one place as when I spent time with the community fighting to preserve this tiny meadow,” he recalls. “They campaigned and lobbied politicians, and eventually, the government backed down. And now the whole community is able to enjoy this site where a lot of urban wildlife thrives.” Once-wild places may also need human help to again become wild refuges. The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, where Hoffman saw the buffalo, “was once an arsenal for the production of extraordinary quantities of ordnance for a number of wars,” he says. After hundreds of die-hard volunteers dug out invasive plants, scattered seed and documented wildlife on the 18,000-acre prairie, visitors can now walk among big bluestem and golden alexander, and listen for the sweet song of meadowlarks in the grasslands and chorus frogs in the wetlands. Conservation volunteers working to save wild places hail from every state. In fact, nearly 300,000 volunteers contribute more than 6.5 million hours of volunteer service a year to the U.S. National Park Service, from leading tours to studying wildlife and hosting campgrounds. April 2022

CREATING A WILD SPACE AT HOME In their book The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, University of Delaware ecology professor Douglas Tallamy and landscape designer Rick Darke show how to create wild spaces in yards, including what and where to plant and how to manage the land. They advise homeowners to: Stop using pesticides and herbicides. Replace non-native plants with those native to the region. Reduce lawn space, converting it to native plants. Leave leaf litter, withering plants and dying trees alone to provide shelter and food for wildlife. n Create a small pond or another water feature. n n n n

“Mourning cloak butterflies overwinter as mature adults. If you say, ‘Hey, let’s just clean up all of that so-called leaf litter,’ you could be cleaning up the habitat of mourning cloaks and killing them,” says Darke, who has served as a horticultural consultant for botanic gardens and other public landscapes in Texas, Maryland, New York, Illinois and Delaware. “That’s not litter. It’s meaningful habitat. “A dead tree in your home landscape, called a snag, often contributes as much to the local ecology as a living tree,” he adds. “For example, woodpeckers build nests in holes or cavities in a snag, and countless insects find shelter and nourishment in the organic material of the snag.” One doesn’t have to be an environmental crusader to save wild places, Hoffman stresses. Exploring local wild places and sharing them with others can help save them, as well. “We can only protect those places that we love,” he says. “And we can only love those places that we know.” Sadly, roughly 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not have access to a quality park within 10 minutes of home, according to The Trust for Public Land. Projects, such as the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which enables urban communities to create outdoor spaces, can help. The U.S. Department of the Interior committed $150 million to the program in 2021. “Every child in America deserves to have a safe and nearby place to experience the great outdoors,” says Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

A Homegrown National Park

Tallamy says one of the most important ways to get people to appreciate and save wild places is to begin in their own yards. “We have wilderness designations. We have national

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forests. We have national parks. We have 12 percent of the U.S. protected from development,” he says. “Yet, we are in the sixth great extinction. Our parks and our preserves are not enough. My point is that we have got to focus on the areas outside of parks and preserves.” He urges what he calls a “homegrown national park,” in which homeowners, land managers and farmers create a habitat by replacing invasive plants with native species. Tallamy speaks from experience. He lives on a 10-acre former farm in Oxford, Pennsylvania. “It had been mowed for hay and when we moved in, very little life was here,” he says. “We have been rebuilding the eastern deciduous forest here, getting invasive plants under control and replanting with species that ought to be here.” He’s now counted more than 1,400 different species of moths on his property and documented 60 species of birds nesting within the landscape. “We have foxes who raise their kits in the front yard,” he says. Lots of acreage is not required, he says. In Kirkwood, Missouri, homeowners created a wild place on six-tenths of an acre on which they’ve documented 149 species of birds. “If one person does it, it’s not going to work,” he stresses. “The point is to get those acres connected. When everybody adopts this as a general landscape culture, it’s going to help tremendously. By rewilding your yard, you are filling in spaces between the true wild places and natural areas. The reason our wild spaces are not working in terms of conservation is because they are too small and too isolated. Even the biggest national parks are too small or too isolated.”

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Tallamy says people can create wild spaces in their yards by reducing the amount of lawn they have or even getting rid of it. They can grow native plants and discontinue the use of pesticides and herbicides, which are disrupting ecological function of wild places the world over, as research shows. Hoffman agrees, “We’ve cultivated a culture of tidiness. It’s actually very easy to welcome wildlife into your home places, often by doing fewer things, by not bringing the leaf blower out and by leaving some dead wood where it fell, which creates important shelters for insects, for example. “Such wild yard spaces encourage wonder. Suddenly, the kids are out there and they can be absolutely fascinated by a small glittering beetle. For me, to experience the wild is to go to the shore of a lake, to be present in the mystery, to be among the lake’s reed beds, to see a marsh harrier sleek out of those reeds and to know you’re part of something much larger,” he says. “There’s so much joy and beauty and complexity in being in the presence of other lives besides human.” That in itself is reason enough to save wild places. Sheryl DeVore has written six books on science, health and nature, as well as health and environmental stories for national and regional publications. Read more at SherylDeVore.wordpress.com.

LEARN MORE The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative, by Florence Williams Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our Wild Places, by Julian Hoffman A Life on Our Planet, Netflix documentary by David Attenborough Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts with Your Yard, by Douglas Tallamy The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, by Rick Darke and Douglas Tallamy

April 2022

green living

TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE

APPS BRING US CLOSER TO FLORA AND FAUNA by Sheryl DeVore

Web Exclusive!

Read 'Nature Apps to Learn By' online at VoFLNatural.com 16

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hile exploring Seattle, Jackie Lentz Bowman noticed some bushes filled with pink and orange berries. She discovered she could safely eat them by using the smartphone nature app called iNaturalist (iNaturalist.org). “I learned they were salmonberries and edible,” says the Chicago area photographer and birder. “I just had to try them. They were very similar to raspberries.” Bowman is among a growing number of people using their smartphones to enhance their nature experiences. Phone apps are available for free or a modest price to identify mushrooms, bugs, birds, dragonflies, reptiles, beetles, wildflowers and other flora and

fauna. “Whether it is to help identify a plant I’ve taken a photo of or to familiarize myself with what a bird looks like and sounds like, these are tools I’m always glad to have in my back pocket,” she explains. At least 6,300 nature apps were available in 2015, according to Paul Jepson and Richard Ladle, Oxford environmental scholars and co-authors of “Nature Apps: Waiting for the Revolution,” a research paper published in the Swedish environmental journal Ambio. Such programs are only beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible. They write, “As most people own a mobile phone today, the app—though a small device—is a major way conservationists could be reaching a huge audience with transformative possibilities.” Right now, some apps allow the user to point a smartphone to a plant or animal to get instant feedback on its common or scientific name. Others ask the user questions about what they are seeing and suggest an identity based on the answers. Some allow the user to interact with scientists, share their knowledge, record their observations and contribute to science. Perhaps the most popular nature app is iNaturalist, which has all those features and more. “Our mission has been to connect people to nature through technology,” says Scott Loarie, co-director of iNaturalist, a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. “By 2030, we want to connect 100 million people to nature to facilitate science and conservation.” The app began as a master’s degree project at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2008, and today 2 million people have recorded about 100 million observations, covering one in six species on the planet. “iNaturalist has grown to the point where it’s helping take the pulse of biodiversity,” he adds. Newcomers are often mentored and helped with identifications by volunteers that are experts in different fields. One example is a worldwide competition called the City Nature Challenge in which beginning and advanced naturalists document urban flora and fauna for several days. During the event, people share their photos of plants and animals on iNaturalist.

During Chicago’s Challenge, Eric Gyllenhaal, who blogs about nature on the city’s west side, found an uncommon species. “A Canadian expert helped confirm the identification as a bronze ground beetle native to Europe,” says Cassi Saari, project manager of natural areas for the Chicago Park District. “It’s an introduced species in Illinois and could have implications for wildlife in the region down the line.” Two other nature apps that Loarie likes are eBird (eBird.org) and Merlin (Merlin. AllAboutBirds.org), both administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in Ithaca, New York. With eBird, users can report on their phones a list of birds they’re seeing in the wild, including when and where, and the sightings are added to a database for scientific research. Merlin is a field guide app to help folks identify the birds they are seeing. “Merlin has taken on authoring content with great descriptions of birds, something iNaturalist doesn’t do,” Loarie points out. “Merlin also just released sound recognition in the app, so people can identify birds by sound. It’s huge for birders.” Award-winning nature photographer Adriana Greisman, of Phoenix, says she uses both Merlin and iBird (iBird.com), another field guide app, to identify birds in the wild and when processing photos. “These are great resources to identify unknown species and to learn about their behavior.” The favorite app of Joyce Gibbons, a volunteer at the Natural Land Institute, in Rockford, Illinois, is Odonata Central (OdonataCentral.org), which focuses on her passion—dragonflies and damselflies, collectively called odonates. “I’ve loved solitary walks in the woods, prairies and other natural areas since I was a child,” she says. “I’ve always taken photos and tried to ID the many species I’ve observed. Now, with these apps on my phone, I feel like I am actually contributing to the scientific body of knowledge and connecting with other enthusiasts and not just keeping all this joy of discovery to myself.” Sheryl DeVore is an award-winning author of six books on science, health and nature. Connect at SherylDevoreWriter@gmail.com.

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healthy kids

Nature Speaks STORYTELLING CONNECTS KIDS TO THE NATURAL WORLD

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solutions to problems using the tools they have access to and creative thinking.” Weaving storytelling into their programs helps children understand their outdoor experiences. “Regular time spent with experienced nature mentors, playing games, exploring unique plants and animals and getting excited about the possibilities of nature is how a connection begins. When children are outside, the characters of these stories are the plants, animals, rocks and landforms around them. The suburban tree that was always an obstacle on the sidewalk can be seen through new eyes as a dragon, monkey bars or a red alder,” Carlson explains.

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hildren are natural storytellers with imaginations that shape their play and learning. In outdoor settings, everything from puddles to pine cones can engage children and draw them closer to the natural world, opening up a lifelong appreciation of natural environments. Connecting with nature also improves creativity, academic performance and attentiveness, while reducing stress and aggressive behavior, a body of research shows. Organizations, like the Wilderness Awareness School, a Duvall, Washington-based nonprofit, work to help children and adults cultivate healthy relationships with nature, community and self. “We find that children who feel at home in the outdoors are often more resourceful, creative and allow for curiosity to naturally unfold,” says Leah Carlson, director of marketing and communications at Wilderness Awareness School. “Allowing them to play freely and explore in nature is a wonderful way to build resilience and resourcefulness. When children can be intrigued through a story, it also allows them to understand their own outdoor experiences. They become more adept at finding new

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by Carrie Jackson

Megan Zeni, a public school teacher in Steveston, British Columbia, says there is a global body of research that shows every measure of wellness is improved through time spent outside. She teaches solely outdoors, ensuring that her students have exposure to nature regardless of which neighborhood they live in. “In our modern world, higher-income families generally have better access to green spaces. Incorporating outdoor activities into the school day gives children equitable exposure to nature and outdoor learning,” she explains. Zeni uses both non-fiction and fiction storytelling approaches to teaching. “To learn about water cycles, I’ll have kids jump in puddles, observe where the water goes and track where it is in the community. They’ll then relay a fact-based story based on their observations and experiences. For a lesson on squirrels, I’ll ask the students to imagine where their habitat is, who their family is and what they eat. We use loose parts, which are open-ended items, such as pine cones and sticks, to creatively illustrate the story. “By using storytelling as a measure of knowledge, it is more equitable for students who don’t perform as well using traditional test and essay methods,” she says. Listening to a child’s story can also reveal misconceptions that can be clarified through further exploration and instruction. Storytelling can take on many forms and be enhanced with the use of props. As the artistic director of Rootstock Puppet Co., based in Chicago, Mark Blashford performs puppet theater rooted in stories that promote mutual kindness and ecological awareness. “Puppets are remarkable storytelling agents because, not only can they play characters and support narrative through movement, they can also tell a story from the very material they inhabit,” he says. “Puppets invite kids to exercise empathy by compelling them to accept and invest in the thoughts, feelings and life of another entity.” By making puppets out of wood and using them to weave environmental awareness into his shows, Blashford helps to put the natural world in perspective. “My show TIMBER! is about an entire forest and a single tree which is home to a family of spotted owls. I want children to see the role of both the forest and the tree in the lives

of an owl family. When they fall in love with little wooden puppet owls, they are able to convert the giant concept of deforestation into a manageable scale,” he says. He encourages parents to regularly engage their children with their natural habitat. “Go to your local forest or park, find a tree, name it and check on it as often as you can. Prompt children to ask questions about who they think lives in that tree, why the branches stretch out how they do and what happens at night. As children learn to see the outdoor world as part of their own characters and setting, the stories will develop naturally,” he advises. Connect with writer Carrie Jackson at CarrieJacksonWrites.com.

LEARN MORE Rootstock Puppet Co.: rootstockpuppet.com • Megan Zeni: meganzeni.com Wilderness Awareness School: wildernessawareness.org

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April 2022

healing ways

Buzz-Free Drinking THE HEALTHY RISE OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES by Ronica O’Hara

photo courtesy of Kerry Benson and Diana Licalzi

SOUR MOCK-A-RITA 1 cup and 2 Tbsp lime juice ¼ cup and 2 Tbsp orange juice 3 Tbsp agave nectar, plus more to taste 2½ cups and 2 Tbsp coconut water Few dashes of salt Lime wheels for garnish Lime wedges and sea salt to rim the glasses To salt the rims of four to six lowball or margarita glasses, pour a thin layer of salt onto a plate or a shallow bowl. 20

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Slide a lime wedge around the rim of the glass to wet it, or use a finger to apply the juice to the rim, then dip and twist the glass in the salt. Combine all of the drink ingredients in a pitcher. Stir. Fill the rimmed glasses with ice. Divide the margarita mix among the glasses. Garnish with lime wheels. From Mocktail Party: 75 Plant-Based, NonAlcoholic Mocktail Recipes for Every Occasion, by Kerry Benson and Diana Licalzi.

s a former bartender, Katie Cheney enjoys mixing drinks for friends, and one night recently, in her San Francisco apartment, she tried out something new: an alcohol-free “Noquila Sunrise” made with a distilled, plant-based spirit. “I was actually pleasantly surprised. Even though we were drinking nonalcoholic drinks, we still had just as much fun as usual!” recalls Cheney, who blogs at DrinksSaloon.com. In New York City, Marcos Martinez has begun drinking virgin piña coladas when out on the town with friends. “The feeling is surprisingly great since I don’t wake up with hangovers. More importantly, I’ve realized that I don’t have to use alcohol as a crutch for my social anxiety,” says Martinez, who owns the black gay lifestyle blog TheMenWhoBrunch.com. At Chicago’s Kumiko Japanese cocktail bar, owner Julia Momosé offers a menu of what she calls “Spiritfrees,” crafted without alcohol and with ingredients like yarrow, ume—a Japanese fruit—and cardamom. “Folks comment on how they appreciate that it is ‘more than just juice,’ or how surprised they are at their depth, texture and complexity,” she says. The “sober-curious”—people experimenting with alcohol-free beverages as a way of prioritizing their health and fitness over a short-lived buzz—are changing America’s drinking culture. For the first time in 20 years, fewer Americans are regularly drinking, reports Gallup, and tipplers are drinking measurably less than they did 10 years ago. No longer stuck with a seltzer while dodging questions from inquisitive imbibers, today the sober-inclined can sip from a vast array of sophisticated choices—from

photo courtesy of Vanessa Young/ ThirstyRadish.com

“You have your wits about you, you can drive if necessary, you are less likely to say or do something you might regret and you won’t have a hangover the next morning.” –Kerry Benson faux vodka in exotic, crafted drinks to prize-winning sparkling wines to low- and no-alcohol craft beer. No-booze options can be easily ordered at restaurants, picked up at supermarkets or delivered at home with a few online clicks. “The best part about having a fun, non-alcoholic beverage in hand is that you get the taste and experience of a cocktail or beer, just without the alcohol and potential negative side effects,” says dietitian Kerry Benson, co-author of Mocktail Party: 75 PlantBased, Non-Alcoholic Mocktail Recipes for Every Occasion. “You have your wits about you, you can drive if necessary, you are less likely to say or do something you might regret and you won’t have a hangover the next morning. And alcohol-free drinks are usually less expensive than their alcoholic counterparts.” Sober-curious strategies range widely. Some people start tentatively, but increasingly turn to non-alcoholic drinks because they prefer the taste, price and lower calorie count, as well as the diminished risk of heart and liver disease. Others may go cold turkey for a month or two to break a pandemic-induced habit, alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at a game or bar to avoid getting tipsy, or drink a Bloody Mary for a weekend brunch and virgin versions during the week to enhance work productivity. The sales of non-alcoholic beverages shot up 33 percent to $331 million in 2021, reports Nielsen, and online sales of non- and low-alcoholic beverages skyrocketed 315 percent. To compete for the Millennials-heavy market, distillers like Seedlip, Suntory and Lyre’s have created beverages evoking tequila, Campari and vodka; breweries like Guinness, Budweiser and Carlsberg and small crafters are offering robust-tasting near- and no-alcohol beers; and wineries are using distillation and reverse osmosis to produce fine, low-alcohol Cabernets, Chardonnays and other varieties. Niche products are growing: for example, Los Angeles-based Optimist Botanicals bills its gin-, vodka- and tequila-like botanical blends as being vegan, gluten-free and paleo- and keto-friendly. On the home front, people are making their own concoctions, often with natural and herbal ingredients, such as pears, tomatoes, cilantro and spices. “Garden-grown produce, windowsill herbs and farmers market finds are the ideal foundation for recipes, from tea sangrias to shaken mocktails,” says New Jersey cooking instructor and recipe developer Vanessa Young, creator of ThirstyRadish.com. As an example, she says, “A slice of brûléed fruit gives a non-alcoholic drink a touch of smoky sweetness, plus it is so appealing in the glass.” Substance abuse counselors caution that beverages that mimic alcohol may not be a good route for recovery from serious alcohol abuse because they can reawaken destructive patterns. And con-

sumers are advised to look carefully at labels. “Alcohol-free” beer contains 0.0 percent alcohol. “Non-alcoholic” beer can contain up to 0.5 percent alcohol, but some have been found to contain up to 2 percent—not desirable if pregnant or in recovery. Still, says Karolina Rzadkowolska, author of Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You, “The popularity of alcohol-free drinks is changing a culture. We are going from a culture that glamorizes drinking at every social situation, with little valid excuse to decline, to a culture that gives people healthier options.” Health writer Ronica O’Hara can be contacted at OHaraRonica@ gmail.com.

MAPLE PEAR SPARKLER ½ cup pure maple syrup ¼ cup filtered water 1 rounded tsp fresh pomegranate arils (about 12 arils, or seeds) 1 tsp fresh lemon juice ½ oz maple simple syrup 2¼ oz pear juice 2 oz sparkling mineral water Bartlett pear slices for garnish For the syrup, whisk to combine ½ cup maple syrup with ¼ cup filtered water in a small saucepan, and heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In the meantime, to prepare the jewel-like pomegranate arils, score a fresh pomegranate cross-wise. Twist to separate into halves. Loosen the membrane around the edges and tap firmly with a wooden spoon over a bowl to collect the pomegranate arils. Continue to loosen the membrane and tap to release all the arils. For each drink, gently mash the pomegranate arils with lemon juice in a muddler, then add the mixture into a cocktail shaker, along with the syrup, pear juice and ice. Shake to chill, and strain into a glass to serve. Top with sparkling mineral water. Add a slice of ripe Bartlett or brûléed pear. Courtesy of Vanessa Young of ThirstyRadish.com. April 2022

conscious eating

Eating for the Planet DIET FOR A CLIMATE CRISIS

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by Sheila Julson

hat we choose to put on our plates influences not only our physical health, but also the health of the environment. While much of the climate conversation focuses on the burning of fossil fuels, commercial food production—particularly livestock—uses large amounts of land, water and energy. Wasted food contributes to approximately 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Leigh Prezkop, food loss and waste specialist for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), says agriculture accounts for 22

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about 70 percent of the world’s fresh water use, while pasture and crop land accounts for about 50 percent of the Earth’s habitable land. “The environmental impacts begin with the soil,” Prezkop explains. “Soil that’s depleted of nutrients loses its ability to capture carbon and produce nutrientrich foods. The long chain continues with the processing and packaging of that food, and then transporting it to grocery store shelves and, eventually, to the consumer’s home.”

Eat Less Meat

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change, argues author, screenwriter and playwright Glen Merzer in his latest book, Food Is Climate: A Response to Al Gore, Bill Gates, Paul Hawken & the Conventional Narrative on Climate Change. “When we have 93 million cattle farmed in the U.S. and 31 billion animals farmed globally each year, they create mountains of waste,” says Merzer, a dedicated vegan of 30 years. “That waste infiltrates water supplies and causes contamination, such

“When food is wasted, we’re not just throwing away food, but everything it took to produce that food is also wasted— the water, the fertilizer and the land.” –Leigh Prezkop as E. coli outbreaks, in foods like lettuce and tomatoes that are grown downstream.” He adds that cows belch methane, a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and that grass-fed cows belch even more of it than grain-fed, feedlot cows. In addition, nitrogen fertilizers used to grow animal feed run into waterways. Overfishing and ocean warming threaten populations of phytoplankton, which sequester carbon dioxide and seed clouds. Deforestation to create grazing land may be the single greatest future threat to our climate because forests also sequester carbon and provide a home for diverse flora and fauna.

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Make Simple Swaps

Prezkop emphasizes that despite these problems with the industrial food chain, changing the way we produce food is also the solution. The WWF works with suppliers to educate and promote regenerative production practices. On the consumer side, changing the way food is produced can be achieved by changing people’s dietary demands. “We don’t prescribe people to eat a certain way. We do believe different people and cultures have different dietary needs,” she says. “The global north eats a lot of meat, so we do recommend a plant-forward diet while still incorporating animal proteins, depending on individual dietary needs.” Merzer argues that we have little control over fossil fuel burning, but we can control our diets. He promotes plant-based eating as a primary solution to climate change. Changing mindsets about “normal” traditions, such as having hamburgers on the Fourth of July or turkey on Thanksgiving, can be difficult, but achievable with the planet at stake, he says. Sophie Egan, founder of FullTableSolutions.com and author of How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good For You, Others, and the Planet, advises to start small by looking at the foods eaten most frequently and identifying ways to make simple swaps. “If you have toast with butter every morning, that could be changed to a nut butter. A sandwich with cold cuts every day for lunch, that can be replaced with a roasted vegetables and hummus sandwich or an avocado sandwich. You can still eat something in a familiar form, but replace ingredients with loweremissions options,” she says. If someone is intimidated by switching to an all plant-based diet, a flexitarian option emphasizing foods from the plant kingdom while enjoying meat only occasionally may be more sustainable throughout a person’s lifetime. Her book contains a “protein scorecard” from the World Resources Institute that lists animal

SCRAP VEGETABLE STOCK Those potatoes that start to sprout, the straggler stalks of celery wilting in the back of the crisper drawer or that pompon of green carrot tops can all be used to make vegetable stock. This is a very general recipe with plenty of creative license to get more mileage from leftover vegetables that normally would have been discarded. Start by collecting vegetable scraps that typically aren’t used— thick asparagus ends, carrot tops and broccoli stems. Even wilted kale or limp carrots that are no longer good to eat fresh, but are still free from mold or mush, can be added. Coarsely chop scrap veggies and put them into a freezer bag. Store them in the freezer until four to five pounds of vegetable scrap have been accumulated. yield: about 3 quarts 4 to 5 lb vegetable scraps (can include the freezer bag of vegetable scraps, green tops from a fresh bunch of carrots, slightly wilted kale, turnips that are starting to turn soft or any combination) 2 bay leaves 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 2 medium onions, cut into quarters 6 quarts water Salt to taste Coarsely chop all vegetables and add to a large stockpot. (If the vegetables are still frozen, dump them into the stockpot; they’ll begin to thaw during the cooking process.) Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about two hours or until the liquid is reduced by about half and the color begins to fade from the vegetables. Let the mixture cool. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Compost the vegetables, as they are now flavorless; all of the flavors have been cooked into the broth. Strain broth a second time through a cheesecloth or sieve for an even clearer broth. Salt to taste and portion into Mason jars. Store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks, or freeze if saving for later use. Courtesy of Sheila Julson.

April 2022

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MUNG BEAN CURRY

3 cups water 1 cup dried mung beans 2 dry bay leaves ½ medium onion, chopped 3 cloves raw garlic, minced 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced ½ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp yellow curry 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or sweet basil 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Black pepper to taste

Scoop away the white foam that forms on the surface of the water and discard. Simmer covered for about 40 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric and curry, and continue simmering for an additional 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro or basil, lemon juice and black pepper. Serve over rice or another grain.

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Courtesy of Joanna Samorow-Merzer, reprinted with permission from Own Your Health, by Glen Merzer.

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Prezkop says approximately 40 percent of the food produced globally is lost while still on the farm or further up the supply chain. “When food is wasted, we’re not just throwing away food, but everything it took to produce that food is also wasted—the water, the fertilizer and the land.” A recent WWF report entitled Driven To Waste cites new data indicating that food waste contributes to approximately 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions—nearly twice the emissions produced annually by all the cars in the U.S. and Europe. Egan suggests using a shopping list; impulse buys can be forgotten and are prone to spoiling. Keeping food visible by putting fruits and vegetables front and center ensures they won’t be forgotten. Leftovers can be kept from languishing by designating a section of the refrigerator for food to eat first or a day of the week to eat leftovers for dinner. “You can freeze just about anything,” Egan says, from leftover bread to cheese, which can be shredded before frozen. Even scrambled eggs can be poured into a freezer container to use later. (For more ideas, check out SaveTheFood.com and Dana Gunders’ Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook.) Nonprofits throughout the country are creating solutions to divert food waste from the landfills. Keep Austin Fed, a nonprofit comprised of mostly volunteers, helps neighbors experiencing food insecurity by redistributing wholesome, nutritious, surplus food from any food-permitted business. Volunteers pick up leftover food from urban gardens, rural farms, grocery stores and caterers serving area tech firms. All prepared food accepted and redistributed is handled by licensed food handlers. Executive Director Lisa Barden says that Keep Austin Fed redistributed 982,428 pounds of food, or the equivalent of 818,695 meals, in 2021, thus keeping it out of the waste stream. Similarly missioned organizations exist nationwide. FoodRescue.us, with 40 locations in 20 states, provides assistance and even a dropoff/pickup app for people starting local groups. Since its founding in 2011, it has provided 85 million meals and kept 109 million pounds of excess food out of landfills. Its website offers a potent plea: “Fight Hunger. Help the Planet. Be the Rescue.” Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and contributor to Natural Awakenings magazine.

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Cut Food Waste

Rinse the mung beans, then soak overnight in water. The next day, discard the water, rinse the beans again and add 3 cups of water and bay leaves. Bring the beans to near boil and reduce heat to simmer.

and plant sources in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein from the worst offenders to the least, with beef (along with goat and lamb) being at the top. Prezkop recommends eating a wide variety of foods. “Currently, 75 percent of food produced is from 12 plant species and five animal species, despite that there are thousands of varieties. This means there’s less diversity happening in the field. Diversity helps with regeneration and healthy soils. Producing the same crops over and over means there’s no crop rotation and no diversity happening, leading to degraded soils and deforestation to produce more of the same crop.” Egan adds that diets that are over-reliant on just a few food sources like corn, wheat, rice and soy threaten the Earth and can lead to food insecurity. “Think of it as risk management with a financial portfolio: We have a diversified portfolio of foods available to feed a growing population, but as the climate warms, extreme weather events threaten yields because lack of fresh water and unhealthy soil threaten the planet and, ultimately, food production.” Eating food that is as close as to its original state as possible is better for the planet. “The more food is processed, the more resources it took to get it to market,” Prezkop notes.

Five Foods to Reduce Inflammation

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ere is a list of five superfoods we can start eating today to decrease overall inflammation in our bodies.

beneficial berries help reduce inflammation due to their high level of antioxidants. All the nutritional benefits can be had from just a half cup per day.

n Ginger – Ginger is an excellent herb for the digestive system. It is also used for its anti-inflammatory properties, and helps with nausea and vomiting. Some research has shown ginger to be more helpful than Dramamine. Compounds in ginger have shown to be beneficial for chronic pain due to arthritis. Use ginger as a tea to drink daily, or have some with sushi (ginger is traditionally eaten with sushi to kill any potential parasites).

n Beets – Beets are rich in nitrates, which reduce inflammation by removing harmful compounds from the blood. They are an excellent choice for those with chronic inflammatory conditions. In addition, beets support healthy blood vessels and healthy liver function, and may reduce the risk of heart disease. There’s a bonus if we eat the leaves (beet greens), as they are remarkably high in nutrients—even more so than the root part, the beet—and are great for salads, shakes or juicing. Try the golden variety of beets, which aren’t as sweet but have all the nutrients.

n Coconuts – The saturated fats in coconuts are extremely beneficial and are easy for our bodies to metabolize. Coconuts contain lauric acid, which becomes an antiviral and antibacterial substance in the body. Coconut oil is also excellent for the skin. It has compounds that decrease inflammation and reduce the amount of harmful bacteria on the skin. Chronic inflammation is present in many different types of skin issues, including eczema and contact dermatitis. Coconut oil can also help to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays, as it contains a natural sun protectant factor (SPF); however, it shouldn’t be used alone as a protectant. n Blueberries – Research shows that blueberries may support memory and are also known to support healthy cholesterol levels already within normal range. These

Cathleen Connor (971) 732-2168 Access Consciousness Facilitator Book a Session at - exuberantlybeing.com Cathleen@AccessConsciousness.com www.AccessConsciousness.com/CathleenConnor

n Raspberries – “The constipation fruit”. One cup of raspberries contains 8 grams of fiber. This amount also provides a healthy dose of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins C and K. Raspberries are rich in polyphenols, a protective plant compound that may help reduce chronic inflammation. Bonus: Since raspberries are rich in vitamin C, which is key for collagen production, eat some of these delicious berries for glowing, healthy skin. Dr. Heather Schuerlein is the acupuncture physician at Palm Coast Acupuncture. To connect with her, email PalmCoastAcupuncture@ gmail.com or visit PalmCoastAcupuncture.com. See ad, page 5. April 2022

POWER WALK TO BETTER FITNESS

by Marlaina Donato

e all know that the more steps we take in a day the better. The Mayo Clinic advocates walking regularly to keep bad cholesterol in check, maintain a heart-healthy weight and keep blood pressure within a normal range. Power walking—going a mile in under 15 minutes—amps up cardiovascular benefits and takes metabolic conditioning to a new level. Power walking involves taking longer strides, moving at 4.5 to 5.5 miles per hour and using the arms to propel motion, with or without light weights. “With this more intensive exercise, in comparison to everyday walking, one should note that their breathing is harder and their heart rate is faster with power walking. Compared to someone who walks at a casual pace, a power walker can expect lower blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar and cholesterol numbers,” says Jason C. Robin, M.D., director of cardio oncology at North Shore University Health System, in Glenview, Illinois.

Walking as a Workout

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In cases of severe coronary artery disease, certain heart muscle disorders, known as cardiomyopathy or valvular diseases, Robin recommends seeing a doctor before taking up fitness walking, but emphasizes, “Obvious injuries or illnesses aside, power walking is great for all ages, genders, sizes and fitness levels and is, in general, very safe with very few contraindications.” He suggests aiming for 15 minutes or less on a first endeavor, and after one week increasing the time to 20 to 25 minutes, eventually working up to 30 minutes. To complement power walking, he recommends Feel YOUNGER and HAPPIER! resistance training to increase muscle strength and tone, protect joints from injury, and improve flexibility and balance.

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Dave McGovern, walking coach and author of The Complete Guide to Competitive Walking: Racewalking, Power Walking, Nordic Walking and More!, points out, “The impact forces of walking, even high-level racewalking, can be one-third of what runners experience, so it’s a lot easier on the joints. Power walking doesn’t have many rules.” A 30-year veteran of the U.S. National Racewalk Team, McGovern underscores the importance of starting out with a regular, easy walk before progressing to a more vigorous pace. To avoid and reduce injury, he advocates mindfulness of correct posture and taking shorter, faster steps rather than long, stomping strides. He trains on a variety of surfaces, including everyday roads, tartan (rubber) running tracks, treadmills, dirt trails, grass, and even the occasional concrete sidewalk. “Changing up surfaces uses your muscles in different ways, which can help prevent overuse injuries that crop

up from too much training on the same surfaces day in, day out,” he says.

Practical Essentials

For optimal results on any surface, proper footwear is vital. “We would typically recommend a running shoe for any fitness-based walking,” says Josh Saint Cyr, store manager at New Balance, in Highland Park, Illinois. He notes that the right shoes are designed to help align gait and avoid pronation or supination that prompts the ankle to roll inward or outward with movement. “For a more customized experience, someone with medium or lower arches would want a shoe from the stability running section, and someone with higher arches would want a shoe from the cushioned running section.” In cases of tight calf muscles, Saint Cyr recommends stretching as a daily practice, even on non-exercise days. “Rollers or massage guns can be useful for immediate relief, but ultimately, stretching will help by reducing or eliminating tightness.”

Taking it Up a Notch

Racewalking, the competitive and highly technical variety of power walking, takes place at track meets. “After you’ve built a base of miles, you can start sprinkling in some longer and faster workouts, and maybe even think about competition,” says McGovern. “There is a bit more technique involved in competitive racewalking, but once you get the hang of it, it will allow you to go much faster.” In the end, having a goal can be the best motivator. “For the athletes I coach, many of them in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, racewalking and power walking gives a purpose to their workouts,” says McGovern. “One of my athletes has said that she hates to work out, but loves to train. Having the goal of a race over the horizon gives a lot of athletes a reason to get out the door every day.” Marlaina Donato is an author and composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

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natural pet

Pest Control KEEPING DOGS SAFE FROM TICKS AND FLEAS

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by Karen Shaw Becker

leas and ticks are different types of pests; so, when considering how best to protect a dog, it is important to make a distinction—fleas are an annoyance, but ticks can be life-threatening. Many veterinarians recommend specific chemicals as a preventive solution, but this is often just a knee-jerk approach that uses chemicals to control nature. Instead, consider more natural alternatives that are both effective and non-toxic.

Fleas 101

Fleas are related to ants and beetles, feed on blood, and their bites can lead to irritation and skin allergies. They aren’t typically attracted to healthy pets; so, one of the best defenses against flea infestations is to feed a dog a nutritionally balanced, species-appropriate, fresh-food diet that will help keep their immune system functioning optimally. It is also important to remove the environmental factors that can negatively impact immunity, including: n Poor water quality. Make sure to provide fluoride- and chlorine-free drinking water. n Too many vaccines. Insist that the veterinarian runs titer tests instead of giving un-

necessary shots.

n Toxic household chemicals, including cleaning products and dog beds treated with

flame retardants.

n Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers used in the yard. n Toxic levels of electromagnetic fields from electrical devices in the home.

The Trouble with Ticks Ticks are a type of arachnid related to mites, spiders and scorpions. Because ticks feed on many different animals (including humans, dogs, cats, squirrels, mice, opossums and deer), they are quite good at acquiring and transmitting diseases, some of which can be life-threatening. 28

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Unfortunately, a single tick bite can expose a dog to multiple pathogens, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and babesiosis. Luckily, most dogs mount an effective immune response. Up to 90 percent of dogs may have been exposed to tick-borne pathogens, but most are able to fight off infection on their own. The only way to know if a dog has effectively eliminated harmful bacteria is to follow up the typical blood test with a second test called a quantitative C6 that differentiates exposure from infection. Large numbers of dogs each year are unnecessarily treated with extensive antibiotic therapy because their veterinarians panic after seeing a positive exposure and fail to check for infection. To catch tick-borne infections before they take hold, ask the veterinarian to replace the standard annual heartworm test with the SNAP 4Dx Plus (from Idexx Labs) or the Accuplex4 tests (Antech Diagnostics), which screen for heartworm, Lyme disease and four other vector-borne diseases. Completing one of these simple blood tests every six to 12 months is the best way to protect a

dog. In tick-infested areas, if a dog tests positive on either of those two tests, it should also be screened for babesia exposure with a polymerase chain reaction test.

Before Reaching for a Chemical

Pet parents should not automatically apply potentially toxic chemical agents to their dogs or around their home to repel or kill pests. The use of spot-on products may cause skin irritation, paralysis, seizures and even death, if used improperly, and there are effective, natural alternatives that are far safer. If these chemicals are used, follow these precautions: n Be very careful to follow dosing directions on the label. If a pet is at the low end of

a dosage range, use the next lowest dosage. Monitor the pet carefully afterwards for adverse reactions. Do not under any circumstances apply dog product to a cat.

n Every other month, rotate chemicals with natural preventives, including diatomaceous

earth, pet-friendly, essential oil products and natural deterrent collars. In many parts of the country, people can successfully control ticks with one chemical dose in the spring and one in late summer.

n To detox a dog’s liver afterwards, give them a supplement such as milk thistle, a detox

agent that helps to regenerate liver cells, or chlorella, a super green food. Work with an integrative veterinarian to determine the dosage; one dose daily for seven days following any chemical flea-, tick- or heartworm-preventive application is recommended.

Safe Options to Chemicals

There are safe, non-toxic alternatives for flea and tick control for dogs, and they do not have side effects, unlike virtually all forms of chemical pesticides. These include: n Cedar oil, specifically manufactured for pet health n Natural, food-grade diatomaceous earth, applied topically n A fresh-food diet that is nutritionally optimal and species-appropriate

It is important to bathe and brush a dog regularly and perform frequent full-body inspections using a flea and tick comb to check for parasite activity. If they spend a lot of time outdoors, be sure to check pets and people for ticks every night during tick season. Veterinarian Karen Shaw Becker has spent her career empowering animal guardians to make knowledgeable decisions to extend the life and well-being of their animals. Visit DrKarenBecker.com.

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April 2022

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Eat Mushrooms to Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer Researchers followed more than 36,000 Japanese men older than 40 for an average of 13.2 years. They found that those that consumed culinary mushrooms three times a week had a 17 percent lower chance of developing prostate cancer compared to those that ate mushrooms less than once a week. Participants that ate mushrooms once or twice a week had an 8 percent lower risk. The trend was even greater for those men over the age of 50 and was unrelated to other dietary habits.

Maintain a Healthy Diet and Weight to Lower Cataract Risk A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition used adherence to dietary guidelines and total diet scores to assess the effects of diet on cataract risk. The researchers followed 2,173 older Australians for five and 10 years in two phases. They found that maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) of less than 25, combined with a healthy diet, reduced the risk of developing cataracts.

Eat a Better Diet to Improve Gut Bacteria

A. Schaeffer-Pautz, MD

Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Attacks With Better Gut Bacteria

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health briefs

Eat Mushrooms to Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer

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A. Schaeffer-Pautz, MD

be in balance for ultimate well-being leads to personalized treatments that examine and help each individual to achieve their level of optimum health. This insightful approach often offers relief to patients who have exhausted their traditional western medical options and are seeking help in alternate methods. Patients may also undergo extensive counseling to facilitate profound lifestyle changes and new ways of looking at things. They receive individualized nutritional guidelines in the hopes of facilitating improved health and releasing what needs to be transitioned. The philosophy “you are what you eat” has never been as true as in today’s quick meal society, and few know the effects of dietary choices better than Dr. Pautz. Providing your body with the fuel and tools necessary for its well-being is the first building block toward total health and healing. Combining her knowledge of medicine and nutrition, she targets habits that contribute to particular disorders and advises her patients in their diets to strengthen their immune systems and help their bodies stay strong. In treating her patients, Dr. Pautz has noticed that their nutritional habits have stemmed from a lack of knowledge about how to prepare healthful dishes. After encountering this need for education, she developed classes in the past that were focused on nutritional cooking, emphasizing the use of whole grains, tons of herbs, fresh fruits and vegetables. With a healthy diet as a base to grow from, therapies then perform better as the body becomes more receptive, receiving the aid the therapies provide. Dr. Pautz can easily suggest recipes in-session with wholesome foods that might be a first step in implementation.

Combining Traditional, Integrative and Anthroposophic Medicine for Well-Being and Balance

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n the east coast of Florida, just a few blocks from the ocean, sits one of the South’s few anthroposophically oriented medical practices. The Persephone Healing Arts Center, in Jacksonville Beach, has a wonderful, natural atmosphere enhanced by the spirit and focus of A. Schaeffer-Pautz, MD. Brought up in a Waldorf school environment, Dr. Pautz is double board certified in both integrative and internal medicine and combines the best of both worlds in her treatment of patients. Her goal is to help her patients achieve their highest level of well-being and balance, using natural approaches whenever possible. This philosophy is evident from the first view of the center: a cozy waiting room looks out onto a lovely garden area where patients can relax in the sun or rest in a spot of shade beneath the trees. Care here is particularly unique—first visits can be two or more hours of one-on-one time with the physician. Dr. Pautz takes time to learn all she can about a patient’s physical, mental and emotional well-being and then fuses her knowledge of traditional, integrative and anthroposophic medicine (a philosophy that embraces physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the human being) to provide individual recommendations designed to work on the root of the problem. Her treatments are focused on lifestyle changes, counseling and nutrition, and this focus helps her patients not only deal with their health issues, but also maintain their higher level of wellness once the immediate problem is dealt with. Dr. Pautz’s technique has particularly helped those with chronic disorders and diseases such as depression, autism, cancer and any other internal medical disease. Her conviction that all facets of the person must

Full Spectrum

A. Schaeffer-Pautz, MD

December 2019 9

Another unique remedy at Dr. Pautz’s disposal is therapeutic eurythmy, an expressive form of movement therapy. Based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, eurythmy uses movements to express sounds and music. One of the few medical doctors to be certified in eurythmy, Dr. Pautz uses this approach to supplement the treatment of a variety of physical, medical and emotional ailments. Somewhat like its Asian counterparts, tai chi and yoga, eurythmy helps a person connect to and experience the nontangible realities of spirit and energy that are essential for all souls. Dr. Pautz’s varied background and extensive training provide her with myriad treatment choices to draw from in her practice. Whether addressing cancer, diabetes, asthma, common cold, multiples sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ALS or any other illness, her treatments are personalized, insightful and far-reaching. By balancing Western and integrative medicine and avoiding chemical drugs whenever possible, Dr. Pautz provides each patient with the opportunity for a road map to longlasting, deep-seated health changes through nutritional and lifestyle advice, naturopathy, homeopathy, counseling, anthroposophic medicine, and art and movement therapy.

Persephone Healing Arts Center is located at 485 6th Ave. N., in Jacksonville Beach. To learn more, call 904-246-3583, visit DrPautz.com or join them for one of their monthly open houses. Join them on Facebook. See ad on the back cover.

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Train Students in Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Improve Grades

Sixth-graders that received mindfulness training each day for eight weeks experienced lower stress levels, less depression and improved academic performance compared to their peers in a control group that studied computer coding, report Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers. In addition to that 100-student study, researchers surveyed 2,000 students in grades five through eight and found those that showed more mindfulness tended to have better grades and test scores. They also had fewer absences and suspensions.

New research offers potential paths for treatment for the nearly 20 percent of patients with high blood pressure that don’t respond well to medications. University of Florida College of Medicine researchers, testing 105 volunteers, found that the populations of gut bacteria differed between hypertensive individuals with depression and those without depression. A second study by Italian researchers found that patients with heart attacks had different bacteria in their guts than patients with stable angina.

December 2019

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Researchers followed more than 36,000 Japanese men older than 40 for an average of 13.2 years. They found that those that consumed culinary mushrooms three times a week had a 17 percent lower chance of developing prostate cancer compared to those that ate mushrooms less than once a week. Participants that ate mushrooms once or twice a week had an 8 percent lower risk. The trend was even greater for those men over the age of 50 and was unrelated to other dietary habits.

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Maintain a Healthy Diet and Weight to Lower Cataract Risk

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A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition used adherence to dietary guidelines and total diet scores to assess the effects of diet on cataract risk. The researchers followed 2,173 older Australians for five and 10 years in two phases. They found that maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) of less than 25, combined with a healthy diet, reduced the risk of developing cataracts.

A. Schaeffer-Pautz, MD Combining Traditional, Integrative and Anthroposophic Medicine for Well-Being and Balance

Eat a Better Diet to Improve Gut Bacteria

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Train Students in Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Improve Grades

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Researchers at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center tested stool samples of 858 men and 877 women in Los Angeles and Hawaii with a mean age of 69—regarded as an ethnically diverse study population with varied food intakes. The study found that those with higher quality diets also had significantly better gut bacteria diversity, a factor linked to reduced risk for a variety of diseases. Diet quality and a reduced risk of developing chronic disease is strongly associated with fecal microbial diversity.

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unmed has introduced immune+ to its line of hemp oil supplements. This full-spectrum tincture contains cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), along with vitamins A and D3. Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have found that CBGA and CBDA “bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, blocking a critical step in the process the virus uses to infect people.” Recently, the researchers published their findings in a research paper, titled “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants.” According to Richard van Breemen, the leader of the study: “Any part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target for antiviral intervention, and the connection of the spike protein’s receptor binding domain to the human cell surface receptor ACE2 is a critical step in that cycle. That means cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could

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calendar of events To submit calendar listings, or for more information about submission requirements, please email Publisher@VoFLNatural.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

Armand and Angelina Musical Service – 11am. Hear them speak and sing inspiring words and music from their personal journey. Unity Community Church, 1001 S. Ridgewood Ave, Edgewater.

Express Yourself Craft Workshop – 11am-1pm. In this bi-monthly get together of budding artists and crafters, create different masterpieces to feed our souls. All ages and levels welcome. $10 donation to cover supplies. Andrew Jackson Davis Ed. Bldg & Bookstore, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga.

Heart 4 Souls Sunday Spiritual Guidance – 9am. Monthly virtual event. Group message followed by a live channeling session. Free. Heart4SoulsSpiritualServices on Facebook. 386-238-9996. Info: SpiritualServices.online or Rev.Judi.Weaver@ gmail.com.

Meet Your Angels – 1:30pm. With Rev. Judi Weaver, spiritual trace channel, certified medium and healer. Join this magical exploration into another world that is all around us. $30. 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. SpiritualServices.online.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

Musical Variety Program – 4pm. The Great UnPause Concert with Armand and Angelina. Music, comedy and dance. See and learn a new twist on giving and receiving. $20 suggested donation. Unity Community Church, 1001 S Ridgewood Ave, Edgewater.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 Attitude of Gratitude and Angel Harp Meditation – 11am. Meditation at 12:45pm. International inspirational speakers and performing artists, Armand and Angelina deliver love, laughter and music. Hear them speak and sing from their personal journey. Each attendee will feel powerful healing vibrations as Angelina places her Angel Harp on each person while playing sacred tones into their bodies. Armand accompanies with Native American Flute, Shanti Bells and other sounds. $20 suggested donation. Unity Community Church, 1001 S Ridgewood Ave, Edgewater. Access Consciousness Bars Intro Bio-Energetic Bodywork – 3-5pm. A sample of an energetic body process. The Access Bars are 32 points on your head, that when touched, effortlessly and easily release anything that stops you from feeling joy and ease in your life. Clear stored thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and emotion. Free. Ocean Marina Dr, Flagler Bch. Info: 971-732-2168. Cathleen: ExuberantlyBeing.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 Where's Your Weak Point in Consciousness? – 7pm. Zoom session. What unconscious parts are you hiding from you? Access Consciousness includes many simple, pragmatic tools to support change and consciousness choice in all areas of your life and living. $22. Info: 971-732-2168, Cathleen@Accessc Consciousness.com. AccessConsciousness.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 Kids Zone at Fairy Trail – 11am-2pm. Bring the kids to enjoy activities amongst the fairies on Fairy Trail. There will be a scavenger hunt for fairy approved prizes, gemstone mining for $8 a bucket and craft activities (while supplies last). 1188 Chauncey St, Cassadaga. Cassadaga.org. 386-228-2880.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 Access Bars Class – The Access Bars are 32 points on your head that, when touched, effortlessly and easily release anything that stops you from feeling joy and ease in your life. Clear stored thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and emotions. Learn how to do the process on others and receive it. Ocean Marina Dr, Flagler Bch. Info: 971-732-2168, Cathleen@AccesscConsciousness.com. Access Consciousness.com.

plan ahead SATURDAY, MAY 7 Talking Stick Circle – 5pm. Native American gathering to share ancient teachings as channeled from our Elders. Guest speaker John Two-Hawks, of Mist and Stone – Celtic Druids & Indigenous Healers. Explore the mysterious threads of spiritual connection between the ancient Celts and Indigenous peoples. Andrew Jackson Davis Bld, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. Info: 386-238-9996 or Rev.Judi. Weaver@gmail.com.

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Heart 4 Souls Spirit Circle – 4pm. Limited seating. $40. Holistic House of Holly Hill, 1321 Ridgewood Ave (US 1). Register: 386-238-9996.

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ongoing events Meet Up Group – 6-8pm. 3rd Wed. Wanted likeminded people for open discussion and questions. Love donation. Mystical Expressions, 1014 Reed Canal Rd, S Daytona. RSVPs appreciated: 386274-0038. Facebook: @MysticalExpressionsLLC.

thursday Senior Discount Day – 9am-7pm. Seniors save 10% off all regularly priced items. Two locations: Debbie’s Health Foods, 862 Saxon Blvd, Orange City. 386-775-7002; and 3850 S Nova Rd, Port Orange. 386-763-7046. Cassadaga Healing Meditation Circle – 11amnoon. Join in circle to send healing energy to those on our healing lists and the planet. Andrew Jackson Davis (Bookstore) Bldg, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. Info: 386-228-2880.

sunday

monday

Yin Yoga – 9-10:30am. Begin your Sunday with this gentle yin class. Energetic, yet calming. All levels. Instructor Micki Higgins. BOGO: new students pay for first class; second class free. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733.

Monday Madness – 8am-6pm. 1st Mon. Save 25% on supplements and food items. Family Nutrition at Healing Zone, 515 Canal St, New Smyrna Bch. 386-402-7825.

Farmers’ Market and More – 9am-5pm. Shop rain or shine for farm fresh produce, plants, trees flowers, herbs and spices, gourmet coffee and teas, honey, jams, salsas and more. Daytona Flea Market, 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd, Daytona Bch. Cassadaga Spiritualist Lyceum – 9:30-10:15am. Learn more about the science, philosophy and religion of spiritualism at Lyceum (Adult Sunday School). A different teacher each week instructs on the truths of spiritualism and other related subjects. Free. Andrew Jackson Davis (Bookstore) Bldg, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. Info: 386-228-2880. Cassadaga Sunday Church Service – 10:3011:45am. Following the church service, a free All-Message Service from noon-1pm. Andrew Jackson Davis (Bookstore) Bldg, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. Info: 386-228-2880. Unity Community Church – 11am. Join for a weekly spiritual celebration. 1001 S Ridgewood Ave (US 1), Edgewater. 386-481-0890. Science of Yoga – Discovery – 11am-12:30pm. Connect breath with movement allowing you to be centered in the present moment. Learn more than poses with a deeper study of your body in this class. All levels. BOGO: new students pay for first-class; second class free. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733. Senior Discount Day – Noon-6pm. Seniors save 10% off all regularly priced items. Two locations: Debbie’s Health Foods, 862 Saxon Blvd, Orange City. 386-775-7002; and 3850 S Nova Rd, Port Orange. 386-763-7046.

breathe 32

Volusia / Flagler

Kripalu Yoga – 9:30-11am. Linking posture to posture with pausing to feel the energy allowing the body to speak to its needs. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733. Psychic and Aura Readings – 10am-4pm. Walk-ins welcome. Mystical Expressions of Paradise, 1014 Reed Canal Rd, S Daytona. 386-274-0038. LVCY Chair Yoga – 12-1pm. Learn how to make your chair your best friend. BOGO: new students pay for first class; second class free. Limited six per live class; preregistration required. Also Livestream Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733.

tuesday Discovery Yoga (Kripalu Tradition) – 9:30-11am. Linking posture to posture with pausing to feel the energy allowing the body to speak to its needs. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733. Psychic/Aura Readings and Guided Meditations – 10am-4pm. With Mistia. Schedule by appointment or walk-ins welcome. Mystical Expressions, 1014 Reed Canal Rd, S Daytona. 386-274-0038. Facebook: MysticalExpressionsLLC.

wednesday Yin Yoga – 9:30-11am. Begin your day with this challenging yin class. Energetic, yet calming. All levels. BOGO: new students pay for first class; attend your second class free. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733.

VoFLNatural.com

friday Compost and Honey Special – All day. Compost $5/bag and 10% off local honey. 142 W Int’l Speedway Blvd, Daytona Bch. 386-341-5068. NaturalConceptsRevisited.com. Farmers’ Market and More – 9am-5pm. Shop rain or shine for farm fresh produce, plants, trees flowers, herbs and spices, gourmet coffee and teas, honey, jams, salsas and more. Daytona Flea Market, 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd, Daytona Bch. Kripalu Yoga – 9:30-11am. BOGO: new students pay for first-class; attend your second class free. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733.

saturday All-Day Breakfast – Vegan sausage, gravy and gluten-free biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, waffle iron French toast, organic nut-free granola, nut granola with nuts and fruit, chia pudding with toppings and more. Natural Concepts Revisited, 142 W International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Bch. 386-341-5068. Kripalu – Nidra – 9-10:30am. All levels. BOGO: new students pay for first-class; second class free. Also Livestream. Padma Yoga, 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast. 386-225-4733. Classic Car Cruise-In – 9am-1pm. 1st Sat. The market welcomes more than 300 classic and collector cars. Enjoy the music of DJ Frank in the west parking lot during the Cruise-In. It’s free to show your car and free to browse rows of classic automobiles. Daytona Flea & Farmers Market, 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd. 386-253-3330. DaytonaFleaMarket.com. Farmers’ Market and More – 9am-5pm. Shop rain or shine for farm fresh produce, plants, trees flowers, herbs and spices gourmet coffee and teas, honey, jams, salsas and more. Daytona Flea Market, 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd, Daytona Bch. Psychic and Aura Readings – 10am-4pm. Walk-ins welcome. Mystical Expressions of Paradise, 1014 Reed Canal Rd, S Daytona. 386-274-0038.

community resource guide ACUPUNCTURE PHYSICIANS ACUPUNCTURE & PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER

You Chang Hu, DOM, AP Kunning Li, DOM, AP • 2135 S Ridgewood Ave, Daytona Beach 386-760-2112 • 50 Leanni Way, Palm Coast 386-445-0098 AcupuncturePainMgmt.com Dr. Hu and Dr. Li are graduates of Traditional Chinese Medical Universities in China. They have practiced acupuncture and Chinese medicine for a combined 45+ years. See ad, page 17.

ACUPUNCTURE & SKIN CARE CLINIC

Lorenzo Phan, DOM, AP 725 W Granada Blvd Ste. 15, Ormond Beach 386-615-1203 • AcuBeautyTherapy.com Dr. Phan has great success in promoting fertility with acupuncture and herbal supplements. Nonsurgical modalities for natural pain relief include acupuncture, trigger point therapy, Chinese herbal remedies, cupping, neuromuscular therapy, and cold laser for neck injuries, chronic lower back pain, sciatica, hip/knee arthritis and migraines and more. MM20928. See ad, page 36.

EAST COAST ACUPUNCTURE

Lisa Sweeters, Acupuncture Physician 102 Flagler Plaza Dr., #102, Palm Coast 386-302-5363 • EastCoastAcupunctureFL.com Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine from Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine, additional TCM studies in Guang Zhou, China. Individualized holistic care for fertility issues including IVF, chronic & acute pain, digestive issues, anxiety, insomnia, prostatitis, sports injuries. Celluma Low Level Light Therapy for arthritis, muscle & joint pain, acne, skin tone, edema. In-network provider for VA patients. See ad, page 19.

PALM COAST ACUPUNCTURE

Heather Schuerlein DACM AP Dipl. OM 4879 Palm Coast Pkwy NW, #2, Palm Coast 386-225-6134 • PalmCoastAcupuncture.com Doctoral degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. BoardCertified. MS in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Studied at Zhejiang Provincial Hospital in Hangzhou China. Advanced training in holistic fertility, digestive health, Master Tung Balance Method for pain relief, spinal stenosis, neuropathy, facial rejuvenation. Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tuina (Chinese medical massage) Qi gong and eastern dietary therapy. See ad, page 5.

RP ACUPUNCTURE

Rosa Panos, DACM, AP, PT AP3945 397 Palm Coast Parkway SW #5 386-283-4655 • RPAcupunctureFL.com Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Licensed Physical Therapist, Oncology Rehabilitations Specialist, Integrative Pain Management, Acupoint injections and Zyto Elite Scanning. Over 30 years of medical experience combining Eastern & Western medicine. Studies include Pacific College, China Medical University, Taiwan. See ad, page 11.

ANGEL LIFE COACH PATRICIA ALTON

Angel Therapy Practitioner® Spiritual Life Coach 772-324-0377 • Angel-Pathways.com Channeled angel messages to heal and transform relationships, life purpose and health. Angelic mediumship, past life regressions, wise women gatherings, ordained minister. House blessings. Gift certificates available.

BOOKS • CREATIVE ARTS • GIFTS & MORE CASSADAGA BOOKSTORE 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga 386-228-2880 Cassadaga.org

Open Monday-Saturday, 10am6pm and Sunday, 11:30am-5pm. We’re so much more than a bookstore with: books, CDs, DVDs, rocks, crystals, gems, jewelry, figurines, lamps, oils/ aromatherapy, incense, sage and Native American items. Personal readings, historical tours, Saturday night orb tours and gift certificates. See ad, page 11.

MYSTICAL EXPRESSIONS OF PARADISE, LLC

1014 Reed Canal Rd, S Daytona 386-274-0038 MysticalExpressionsOfParadise.com Facebook & YT: @MysticalExpressionsLLC Open Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 10am4pm; Closed Thu & Sun. Appts. available. A unique experience of natural stones and crystals and sages. 200+ choices, singing bowls pendulums, runes, jewelry, tapestries candles, books, tarot cards & unique items. Services Include: Readings, Healings, Meet-up Group, & other events. Walk-ins welcome. Appointments secure your time.

CAFÉ – JUICE BAR SUPERFOODS CAFÉ & JUICE BAR 515 Canal St, New Smyrna Beach 386-402-7825 TheFamilyNutritionStore.com

Daily lunch specials include vegan and gluten-free soups made daily from all organic ingredients. Coldpress juices, 3-, 5- and 10-day cleanse. Doctor-formulated protein smoothies, and create-your-own smoothies with a variety of fruit bases and supplements. Call for daily specials. Café Hours M-F 8am-4pm Sat 8-5; Soup 11am-3pm M-Sat. Two daily soups–one vegan, always gluten-free. See ad, page 36.

CBD PRODUCTS YOUR CBD STORE

• 117 W Howry Ave, DeLand • 386-627-6715 DeLandFL.CBDrx4u.com • 160 Cypress Point Pkwy, Ste A105 Palm Coast • 386-627-5271 PalmCoast.CBDrx4u.com Offering Certified Organic CBD products exclusive to Your CBD stores. Products are formulated using other cannabinoids and t e r p e n e s , c r e a tin g u n iq u e synergies that increase efficacy, target specific ailments and increase the binding of CBD. Stop in and try a free sample. See ad, page 30.

“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” ~Alan Watts

April 2022

CHIROPRACTIC BE WELL CHIROPRACTIC

@Healing Zone 515 Canal St, New Smyrna Beach 386-402-8997 • BeWellNSB.Com Drs. Wendy and Christian Edwards are dedicated to providing holistic patient-centered care. In addition to chiropractic, they offer Class IV laser, Frequency Specific Microcurrent, functional medicine, pregnancy care and pediatrics. Through specific testing they locate imbalances and recommend natural approaches. See ad, page 36.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY BEACHSIDE COLONICS

Lidia Nash 18 Bovard Ave Ste A, Ormond Beach Call or text: 386-760-0035 Gentle rinsing of the colon removes toxic waste that can contribute to pain, inflammation and disease. Relaxing and effective. Lidia also offers ionic foot cleanse, infrared detox wraps and healthy food preparation classes. MA46199.

DENTIST HOLISTIC DENTAL HEALTH CARE

George W Edwards, DMD David W Edwards, DMD 541 N Palmetto Ave, Sanford 407-322-6143 • HolisticDentalHealth.com Holistic dentistry focuses on whole-body wellness that starts with the mouth. We are dentists who perform dentistry that is good for the body, as well as the teeth and gums. See ad, page 15.

ENERGETIC STRESS REDUCTION ACCESS CONSCIOUSNESS BIO-ENERGETIC BODYWORK

Cathleen Connor, CFMW, Access Consciousness Facilitator 1011 Ocean Marina Dr, Flagler Beach 971-732-2168 • ExuberantlyBeing.com Providing one-on-one sessions, free intros/consults, Zoom classes and dynamic group classes with bio-energetic bodywork for the Access Bars and Energetic Facelift. Sessions support the body to let go of limitations, blocks, projections and implants to allow more ease and joy. See ad, page 25.

Volusia / Flagler

VoFLNatural.com

HEALTH FOODS DEBBIE’S HEALTH FOODS

• 862 Saxon Blvd, Orange City 386-775-7002 • 3850 S Nova Rd, Port Orange 386-763-7046 DebbiesHealthFoods.com High quality supplements, CBD, grocery items, organic produce, special needs diets. Area’s most knowledgeable and friendly advice for over 30 years.

FAMILY NUTRITION/HEALING ZONE 515 Canal St, New Smyrna Beach 386-402-7825 TheFamilyNutritionStore.com

Organic produce, natural foods, healthy snacks, personal care, pet products and more. Practitioneronly brands including Standard Process. Save 20% every day. See ad, page 36.

HEALTH FOODS FOR LIFE Bob Lewandowski 122 E Rich Ave, DeLand 386-734-2343

Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. Bob has been in business more than 39 years with specialties including: non-allergenic foods, energizing weight reduction, organic skin care, herbs and vitamins.

HEATH’S NATURAL FOODS

600 E 3rd Ave, New Smyrna Beach 386-423-5126 HeathsNaturalFoods.com Wide selection of natural supplements and herbs. Bulk herbs and spices, gluten-free products, organic beer/wine, pet products, grass-fed organic meats. Deli/juice bar. Store open 8am-6pm daily. Deli open 8am-5pm daily.

LOVE WHOLE FOODS CAFÉ & MARKET

• 275 Williamson Blvd, Ormond Beach 386-677-5236 • 1633 Taylor Rd, Port Orange 386-767-6543 LoveWholeFoods.com Open Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm; Saturday, 9am-6pm and Sunday, 11 a m - 5 p m w i t h f r i e n d l y, k n o w l e d g e a b l e s t a ff . G e t involved in your community, shop local and support organics. Save more with our “Get Healthy, Get Rewarded” program.

NATURE’S GARDEN NATURAL HEALTH FOODS 2405 Enterprise Rd, Orange City 386-774-1222

Open MondayFriday, 10am–6pm; Saturday, 10am5pm. Quality vitamins, minerals, herbs, body building and dietary supplements, personal care, children and pet products, essential oils, books and mail-order available. 20% discounts every day.

HERBS – HOLISTIC SPICE OF LIFE HERBS

214 Beresford Ave, DeLand 386-734-0035 SpiceOfLifeHerbs.net Open WednesdaysSaturdays, Noon-4pm. Herbs by the ounce. Gaia Bag Monthly Subscription. Teas and accessories. Essential oils and diffusers, gemstones, Incense, oracle and Tarot cards, jewelry, statuary, Reiki sessions and circle. Visit and like SunSpirits Tea Room on Face Book. Shop online www.spiceoflifeherbs.net

INSURANCE GREAT FLORIDA INSURANCE Cal Seibert, Agent 415 Dunlawton Ave, Ste 108 Port Orange • 386-256-4812

*Each location is independently owned and operated.

Say goodbye to high insurance rates. Contact us for quotes on auto, home, condo, renters, boat, motorcycle, dwelling and flood insurance. Experience personalized service. SR22 and FR44 policies available.

MASSAGE NAMASTE MIND & BODY HEALING Michelle Walleston, LMT New Smyrna Beach • 386-243-4743 NamasteMindBodyHealing.ABMP.com

Offering: Therapeutic Massage, Chair Massage, Foot Massage, Neural Reset Therapy (fully clothed), and Pranic Healing (a n o - t o u c h e n e rg y h e a l i n g ) . Mention this Ad for 15% off. MA92794, MM41951. See ad, page 7.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA WALK-IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLINICS 100 S Spring Garden Ave, DeLand 386-232-5599 2575 W US 92, Daytona Beach 386-222-1667 CMMDR.com

Medical marijuana treats more than 250 medical conditions such as: chronic pain, PTSD, cancer, seizures, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, MS, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s, IBS, glaucoma, fibromyalgia, lupus and more. See ad, page 31.

PEST CONTROL NATURAL NATURALLY GREEN PEST SOLUTIONS PO Box 354591, Palm Coast, FL, 32135 386-237-9663 NaturallyGreenPest.com Info@NaturallyGreenPest.com

Offering pest solutions for your home and lawn with a natural focus. Unwanted pests in your home can negatively affect your family’s health and your peace of mind. Eliminate them with a program you can feel good about.

PSYCHIC CHANNEL REV JUDI WEAVER

Heart 4 Souls Inc, Ormond Beach Rev.Judi.Weaver@gmail.com 386-503-4930 • Heart4Souls.com Channeled spirit messages, crystal light healer, divine personal guidance, shamanic practitioner, spiritual counseling, guided meditations, home/property blessings, vision quest journeys. For individuals or groups—in person, virtual/on-line, phone or energy distance.

SOLAR ENERGY SOLAR-FIT

1523 Ridgewood Ave, Holly Hill Volusia • 386-441-2299 Flagler • 386-445-7606 Solar-Fit.com Relax and let the sun do the work for you. Solar-fitting your home or business is a smart, economical and environmentally sound investment. We offer a wide range of options to make your home more energy efficient. We are making America energy-independent one home at a time.

SPIRITUAL CENTERS UNITY COMMUNITY CHURCH

1001 S Ridgewood Ave, Edgewater 386-481-0890 • UnityCommunityChurch.com Sunday service is at 11am. Offering prayer services, book study groups, classes, spiritual counseling, weddings, christenings, memorial services, home blessings, home/hospital visitations. See ad, page 25.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION LAUREE MORETTO

Soft Tissue Specialist 321-271-1678 Flagler & Daytona Bch LaureeMoretto.com 90% of pain is linked to structural misalignment. Your pain is really just a symptom. My work addresses the cause to give you lasting relief. Get your life back now. 20+ years experience. MA20965..

GENTLE PET PASSINGS

Dr Gayle Burrell Volusia / Flagler 386-279-8525 • GentlePetPassings.com Saying goodbye to your beloved friend is a loving, but difficult decision. Spend those final precious moments with your pet in the comfort of their home surrounded by all that they love. See ad, page 29.

WELLNESS AMETHYST WELLNESS

Amy Coopersmith, ARNP 50 Cypress Point Pkwy, B-1 Palm Coast 386-283-4180 • AmethystWellness.com Preventative healthcare, medically supervised weight loss, IV nutrition, hormone optimization and sexual health treatments for men and women, body contouring, aesthetic treatments, laser hair removal, weight loss and more. See ad, page 26.

YOGA VETERINARIAN FLORIDAWILD VETERINARY HOSPITAL

115 E Euclid Ave, DeLand 386-734-9899 • FloridaWildVetHospital.com FloridaWild provides compassionate and outstanding care for dogs, cats, birds and exotics. We are an integrative veterinary practice that offers acupuncture, ozone therapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. See ad, page 29.

PADMA YOGA

Micki Higgins, E-RYT 500 YACEP 5 Utility Dr, Ste 15, Palm Coast 386-225-4733 • PadmaYogaOnline.com Cell: 904-377-4217. Fully open with day & evening classes. Yoga for all body types and all ages. We are the only yoga studio in Palm Coast that is not hot. See website for schedule. See ad, page 14.

FLORIDA VETERINARY REHABILITATION

Dr Lisa Mason DVM, CCRT, CVA 441 S Woodland Blvd, DeLand 386-337-7106 • FLVetRehab.com If your pet has difficulty moving, is recovering from surgery or has suffered an injury, we can help by providing a customized treatment plan, including home exercise program, to restore your pet to full function. Treatments offered include laser, shockwave, acupuncture, chiropractic, aqua therapy and more.

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"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” ~Henry David Thoreau April 2022

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April 2022 Natural Awakenings Magazine -Volusia Flagler Edition

Articles inside

SPIRITED STRIDES

EATING FOR THE PLANET

BUZZ-FREE DRINKING

TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE

FIVE FOODS TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION

WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES