March 2023 Natural Awakenings Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties

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PLANT-BASED EATING FOR THE WIN

PREVENTING KIDNEY DISEASE

What to Do and Eat

OPTIMAL SLEEP FOR KIDS

HOMEMADE PET REMEDIES

FOOD & NUTRITION

HEALTHY LIVING | HEALTHY PLANET FREE MARCH 2023 FAIRFIELD & SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD COUNTIES-EDITION

203 TLC

203TLC is a community of accredited health and wellness providers offering a wide variety of services and products.

Founded in 1997 by Beth Leas, the TLC Tribe is Fairfield County’s largest holistic health resource - a vibrant and growing community of over 90 Members, committed to living consciously and offering healthy lifestyle opportunities. We offer high quality private sessions, products, workshops, classes and resources designed to help you live life well.

VISIT US: www.203TLC.com

Career Coach/Hypnotist

Thea Litsios, Certified Career Coach & Hypnotist. Assisting you in creating your dream career. Learn how to use your intuition to guide you on your career path.

thealitsios.com • 203-693-1493

Energy Transformation Coach

Lauri Ingram, The Liminal Studio Connect with your authentic self, remove what blocks you from thriving in life & deepen your spiritual life. Ordained interfaith minister & life event officiant. Bethany, CT • Lauri@LauriIngram.com LauriIngram.com • 203-435-5650

Life Coach

Diane Nicosia, MBA, ibalanceLLC

Certified Coach & Reiki Master Teacher. Move forward toward your personal & business goals. In person or Zoom. NicosiaDiane@gmail.com ibalanceuthrive.com

203-858-5848

Transformation Coaching/Healing

Katie Augustyn, MA, CPC

Transformation Coach, Shamanic Practitioner, Spiritual Evolution Trainer, Energy Healer, TV Host TransformationCenterCT.com

203-820-3800

Energy Healing

Gail Christie, Joyful Living Reiki Holy Fire Reiki Master. Private Reiki sessions, Reiki-infused meditations and all levels of Reiki classes. Online and in Stamford, CT and Mt Kisco, NY JoyfulLivingReiki.com

203-979-0918

Essential Oils

Wayne Leiss, LMT, CAO Adventures in Connection. dōTERRA Essential Oils, Symphony of the Cells™ Applications and Massage Therapy

49 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801 Wayne@WayneLeiss.com WayneLeiss.com • 203-994-1207

Lyme Disease Healing

Gregg Kirk, Lyme Recovery Clinic & Detox Center Heal from chronic illness through all-natural herbal treatments, intensive detox, cleanses & energy healing. 528 Post Rd, Darien Gregg.Kirk@gmail.com 203-858-9725

Yoga Studio & Wellness Center

Ingrid Prueher, Yoga For Everybody A serene yoga studio where you can experience yoga, meditation, and aerial classes in-person, online or by video-on-demand, plus other workshops & trainings. 85 Mill Plain Road, 3rd Fl, Ffld, CT 203-254-9642 • Yoga4Everybody.net Info@Yoga4Everybody.net

Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com

TLC • 203-856-9566

Energy Healing/Meditation/Tarot

Beth Leas

25+ Years Experience

Private Sessions, Workshops, Events

In-person or by phone

bethleas.com

203-856-9566

Holistic Healing Spa

Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness

Halotherapy/Salt Therapy, Infrared Sauna, Reiki, Quantum Healing, Massage Therapy, Sound Healing, Yoga, Wellness + Crystal Shop.

revivesalttherapy.com

374 New Haven Ave, Milford, CT 203-283-5968

Salt Cave

Salt Cave of Darien

Salt therapy, massage, meditation, yoga & more! 555 Post Rd, Darien

Info@SaltCaveofDarien.com

SaltCaveofDarien.com

203-658-7667

Monthly Networking Breakfast!

We meet on the first Tuesday of every month at Valencia Luncheria, 164 Main St, Norwalk, CT, from 8:30 -10:00a.m.

Come the first time as Beth’s guest! Please RSVP to Beth Leas at: 203-856-9566 (call/text) or TLCBethLeas@ gmail.com so she can reserve your place.

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4 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com 12 HEALTH BENEFITS OF NAD THERAPY 14 HAUTE HEALING OASIS CELEBRATES 5 YEARS Detox and Heal at Stamford’s Premier Wellness Spa 16 WELCOME TO THE GLOBAL YEAR OF 7 How Will 2023 Affect You Personally? 18 VEGGIES FOR THE WIN Five Reasons to Choose a Plant-Based Lifestyle 21 CREATING CHANGE: A Health Coach’s Approach 22 TERRY WAHLS on Managing Autoimmune Disease With Lifestyle Interventions 24 LOVING YOUR KIDNEYS Edible Allies, Integrative Treatments and Lifestyle Tips 26 SWEET LULLABY Better Sleep for Children 28 THE SELFISH DIVORCE 30 MEDITATION FOR LONGEVITY 32 NATURAL REMEDIES FOR PETS Seven Non-Toxic Treatments for Common Ailments 12 26 32 Contents Now Welcoming Patients to our NEW CT Location! Restart Your Dental Health Taking care of your dental health is linked to your overall health wellness. Keep Your Immune System Strong! A Radiant Smile is Your Step to Wellness! Online scheduling through our website: drskordeles.com info@drskordeles.com We look forward to seeing you smile! FREE Cl E a N i N g on First Visit Offer valid on first cleaning only. Christine Skordeles, DDS Comprehensive General Dentistry Including Oral Cancer Exam 5 Edgewood avenue greenwich, CT 06830 First level, easy access Call to schedule an appointment 203-661-1113 scan me Our CT SPECial DEPARTMENTS 7 news briefs 8 ad index 12 health briefs 14 community spotlight 22 wise words 24 conscious eating 26 healthy kids 28 inspiration 30 healing ways 32 natural pet 34 calendar 36 resource guide

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FAIRFIELD & SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD COUNTIES

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HappySpring, Connecticut! Now that we’re shifting our attention back to the outdoors and getting gardens started, it is a wonderful time of year to talk about food and nutrition. Our feature article this month is “Veggies for the Win”, which gives five great reasons to choose a plantbased lifestyle. Whether you’ve been veggie-based for years or are curious to incorporate this diet into a few meals or days each week, the evidence for making the switch is compelling.

We also hear from Terry Wahls, M.D. about the famous Wahls Protocol for therapeutic diet and lifestyle changes that can greatly improve multiple sclerosis symptoms. Her story is incredibly inspiring, and really makes you think about the importance of the foods we eat.

Have you been to Stamford’s Haute Healing Oasis? To celebrate their fifth anniversary, we are highlighting the one-of-a-kind bio energy healing center in this month’s Community Spotlight. Read more about the wellness services offered in a spalike environment on page 14.

But this March edition also features a wide range of other important healthy living topics. I urge you to find one new thing to read about this month, from non-toxic pet treatments to better sleep for children.

Next month will be the special, mega edition that is our yearly Natural Living Directory. Our deadline is March 15, so reach out to me now if you’d like to be part of this edition that our readers keep for reference all year. We’ll be featuring local businesses, practitioners and healers who want to be seen by more than 40,000 readers all year long. See the back cover for more information.

See you outside!

6 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
Natural Awakenings is proudly printed in Connecticut at Trumbull Printing on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink. HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET
Natural Awakenings Magazine is ranked 5th Nationally in CISION’S® 2016 Top 10 Health & Fitness Magazines letter from publisher
HEALTHY LIVING | HEALTHY PLANET FREE MARCH 2023 FAIRFIELD & SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD COUNTIES-EDITION FOOD & NUTRITION PLANT-BASED EATING FOR THE WIN PREVENTING KIDNEY DISEASE What to Do and Eat OPTIMAL SLEEP FOR KIDS HOMEMADE PET REMEDIES EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ONLINE @eNaturalAwakenings.com FINDING HOPE IN ACTION Saving Earth and Water With Small Steps WORK HARDER AND SMARTER Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training
Erica Mills

Health, Fitness and Wellness Fair at WCSU Seeks Exhibitors

Christel

Autuori, director of the Institute for Holistic Health Studies at Western Connecticut State University, along with wellness colleagues on campus, will host the 8th Annual Health, Fitness & Wellness Fair for the university and surrounding community, on April 18, from 12 to 3pm.

The fair’s objective is to increase awareness of topics related to health, fitness and wellness by providing activities, materials, demonstrations, screenings and information. The main event will take place in the Westside Campus Center located on the westside campus.

The event is currently seeking exhibitors that would like to take advantage of the opportunity to meet students, faculty, staff and members of the greater Danbury community and communicate the great products, support and services that they provide. For a suggested $25 donation, an exhibitor booth is available for you to highlight your business, engage participants and disseminate information. Monetary donations of any amount can be made directly to the Institute for Holistic Health Studies. In-kind donations are welcome as well (raffle prizes, giveaways, gift certificates, coupons, etc.). The proceeds from this event will fund future events.

The IRS recognizes Western Connecticut State University as a charitable organization; therefore, your contribution is tax deductible (use your cancelled check as your receipt). Complete the Participant Form and mail it along with your donation prior to the April 4 deadline.

Location: 181 White St, Danbury. For more information, call 203-837-8559, email Autuoric@wcsu.edu or visit wcsu.edu/ihhs.

7 March 2023 news briefs 203-767-5954 • Fairfield, CT Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com SoulHealingJourney.com Academyforsoulhealing.com One-on-one Sessions workshops & Trainings • Live Your Soul's Purpose • Attain Deep Peace • Have Balance Around Giving and Receiving • Have Loving, SupportiveRelationships • Have the Career that Sings to Your Soul with Dr. Eilis Philpott Master Healer and Teacher When you are being your light you: 8 be your light! be your light !

Nesi Tetreau is a Christian Science healer and a member of the worldwide Christian Science Board of Lectureship. In her talks with audiences, Giulia shares examples of how individuals can experience the power of God as all good, and how that transforms their lives.

Giulia has dedicated her life to the healthcare field, formerly as a psychotherapist and now as a Christian Science practitioner and teacher.

Darien Discussion on Learning to Love Your Enemies

n our world today, we are all challenged in finding how to navigate through the thoughts of injustice, divisiveness, cruelty and harsh, hateful thinking. What does learning to love your enemies really involve? Does it demand more than you feel is possible? Christ Jesus, our Wayshower, tells us to “love your enemies”, so we have the capacity to do it.

Giulia Nesi Tetreau, a Christian Science practitioner or healer and worldwide lecturer, will be speaking on this subject at the Darien Public Library on March 14 at 7pm. She will share how an understanding of God reveals that everyone is the recipient of unlimited good as the loved child of God, ever-present divine Love.

Christian Science is biblically based, and its healing message includes the transforming nature of changing how one thinks about oneself and others from a spiritual perspective. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, writes in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, about this spiritual perspective.

All are welcome to this free talk about the nature of God, divine Love and what it does for each one of us as we grasp a growing understanding of God.

For more information, call 203-655, 2772, visit ChristianScienceCT.org/Darien.

Location: Darien Public Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien. See ad, page 15.

New Services for Spiritual Growth and Personal Discovery in Bethany

Offeringservices in Spiritual mentoring and coaching; Crystal Dreaming; and Crystal, Light and Color therapy, Rev. Lauri Ingram’s offerings are a unique combination of services to companion you on your journey of life. Ordained at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City (2019) and certified in their Interspiritual Counseling program (2021), Ingram brings a perspective of someone who balances a lengthy corporate business career with many years of deep, spiritual searching.

Ingram guides her clients through the most difficult of life’s questions with love, compassion and ease, always confident that the divine is speaking to each of us in every moment and we are all on a journey of a lifetime. Through personal services and workshops, Ingram offers opportunities for spacious reflection, spiritual exploration and energy balancing. With her spiritual mentoring and coaching, Ingram helps you explore your relationship with the divine, and deepen your connection to your inner spirit and your true, authentic nature. Available by phone, in person or via Zoom.

In Crystal Dreaming and Etheric Crystal, Light and Color Energy Balancing, she uses the energetic power of crystals to balance your energy centers and bring you on a journey connecting you with your higher self, and often receiving answers to the questions important to you right now.

Designed just for you, Ingram offers wedding officiant services, as well as memorial services, baby naming and blessings and can custom create a ceremony for various life events and milestones.

For more information, call 203-435-5650, email Lauri@LauriIngram.com or visit LauriIngram.com. Location: 696 Amity Rd, Unit B-1, Bethany. See ad, page 2.

8 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
news briefs 203TLC The Angel Cooperative/ Angel Wing Awakend Bill Flannigan Chamomille Natural Foods 31 Darien Library 15 Dr. Michael Wald 5 Haute Healing Oasis 7, 28 Hilda Demirjian Laser & Skin Care 23 Holistic Community Professionals 29 Holistic Mouth Solutions 32 Hummingbird Sound Yoga 20 Insight Counseling 13 Institute for Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Therapies 9 KnowWeWell 3 KleinSleep 17 The Market 31 Medicine For Living/ Alicia McKelvey 19 Nicole Miale 25 Natural Awakenings Natural Living Directory 40 Nature’s Way Health Foods 31 Nature’s Temptation 31 New Morning Market 31 Optimal Health Medical/ Henry Sobo, MD 21 Passport to Health & Wellness Holistic Expo 25 Salt of the Earth 11 Sedona Art 9 Dr Christine Skordeles/ Hygiene Centers of America 4 Soul Healing Journey 7 Touch of Sedona 9 Two Coyotes Wilderness School 27 Wellness Metaphors/ Nancy S. Scherlong 19 Whole Foods 31 Wolf Spirit Wellness 19 display
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March 14 · 7:00 pm Any views and opinions expressed are not those of the Library.
Giulia Nesi Tetreau
Giulia
Lauri Ingram

Summer Camps at Two Coyotes Enrolling Now

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is now enrolling for their 2023 summer camps. Up to nine weeklong day camp sessions will be offered at Sticks & Stones Farm, in Newtown, and Holcomb Farm, in Granby. Each session is led by skilled nature mentors who introduce primitive and naturalist skills by tailoring each camp day to match the natural curiosity of their campers. Open enrollment closes on May 1. Campers may learn anything from how to craft handmade tools and art projects from natural materials, track animals, identify bird language, make friction fires, build forts and shelters and forage for safe wild edibles. Along the way, all campers learn nature-inspired games, songs and have free time to explore streams, mountainsides and other unexpected nature mysteries. Small group size and exceptional adult mentors ensure a highquality experience filled with memories and new friendships. For teens, the two-week Mentor-in-Training (MIT) program is designed for those on a leadership path. MITs are teens 14 and older with a desire to dig into how to use their previous wilderness skill experience to mentor youth through nature connection. They also offer Advanced Survival, Scout Tracker and Wildwood Rangers camps. Granby camps mix ages 9 to 15, while Newtown offers these camps in separate age groups for 9 to 12 and 12 to 15.

For more information or to register, visit TwoCoyotes.org. When registering, please choose either a morning or afternoon Open House session. Location: Sticks and Stones Farm, 197 Huntingtown Rd, Newtown. See ad, page 28. See ad, page 27.

New Age Fair Comes to Waterbury

The New Age Fair will be held April 30, from 11am to 5pm, at the Waterbury VFW, in Waterbury. The day will be filled with creative and spiritual enlightenment. Vendors from the tri-state area will be on hand, as will readers skilled in past lives, angels, astrology and more.

The fair will offer attendees free admission to access vendors specializing in crystals, oils, singing bowls, books, Reiki, health, wellness and spiritual needs. Local artisans will have handcrafted jewelry, candles, soaps and more for sale. Check out plants and seeds perfect for the spring gardening season.

For more information, email Cryours87@yahoo.com or visit Tinyurl.com/NewAgeFair2023. Location: Baldwin St (rt 8 exit 29), Waterbury.

9 March 2023 450-452 Main Street • Ridgefield CT Touch of Sedona @Touch.Of.Sedona 203.438.7146 Sedona Art @SedonaArt06877 203.244.5520 Paintings © Marge Courtney

The 10th Bi-Annual Passport to Health & Wellness Expo

The 10th Bi-Annual Passport to Health & Wellness Expo will be held April 23, from 10am to 4pm, at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol. The Passport to Health & Wellness Expo is a free event, and all door proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Health Defense New England Chapter.

The 2pm Keynote Speaker will be Mary Holland, President/J.D. of Children’s Health Defense. Since 2019, as President and General Counsel of Children’s Health Defense, Holland has been involved in issues directly affecting health issues. Holland has been involved in the health freedom movement for over two decades. Holland directed the NYU School of Law for 15 years and lectured at the Columbia Law School on international human rights advocacy. She frequently testified in state legislatures around the country to retain or expand religious, medical and philosophical exemptions to vaccine mandates. Holland has co-authored two books on vaccines, Vaccine Epidemic and The HPV Vaccine on Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed and many articles about vaccine law and policy.

Her keynote topic, “Making a Difference: Helping ensure safeguards for our families now and in the future”, will include a Q&A following her presentation.

To register for the free Expo, visit tinyurl.com/10thBiannualPassporttoHealth. For more information, call Shirley Bloethe at 860-989-0033, email YourHolisticEvents@gmail.com or visit YourHolisticEvents.com. See ad, page 25.

Guided Meditation and Energy Healing with Diane Nicosia

Self-Expression Group Opportunities in March

Natural

Awakenings’ readers seeking creative outlets as spring blossoms have three opportunities to participate in groups facilitated by healer, writer and coach Nicole Miale. She will host a Creative Recovery Playshop on March 11 in Woodbury and on March 24 in Washington Depot.

Both events are 11am to 5pm and activities will include (but are not limited to): art, sound healing, movement and dance, writing experiences and collage or vision board creation. Meant to encourage playful exploration and not intense precision, Miale invites your inner child and artist to come play for the day. The cost is $149, including materials, snacks and drinks.

Experience

Guided Meditation and Energy Healing with channeled guidance led by certified Reiki Master Practitioner and Wellness Coach Diane Nicosia, who will help participants become the most vibrant, healthy and radiant version of themselves, on March 27, from 6:30 to 7:45pm, at Salt Cave of Darien.

During the event, Nicosia will lead participants through a detailed exploration of the seven chakras (energy centers), each associated with a different part of the body, color, crystal and purpose. Meditation will focus on energy flow to balance the chakras and visualization exercises to strengthen self-image. Each participant will receive energy healing with a channeled message.

Nicosia is a certified Reiki Practitioner and Wellness Coach who bridges spirituality with practicality.

For more information, visit SaltCaveofDarien.com. Location: 555 Post Rd, Darien. See ad, page 2.

In addition, Miale is launching a new, eight-week writing group, Mirror-Gazing: Writing for Fun and Self-Discovery, which will begin on March 15, at 6pm by Zoom, and will repeat weekly on the day/ time agreed to by the participants. This writing group will provide participants with ways to explore how writing is a vehicle for creative self-expression. The group is appropriate for non-writers as well as those already comfortable with their written voice. Classes are two hours in length, with at least 40 to 50 minutes devoted to writing time. The group size is limited to six people, so register soon. The cost is $224 per person for the series.

For more information or to register, call 203-981-2451 or email NMiale@charter. net. See ad, page 25.

10 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
news briefs
Nicole Miale Diane Nicosia Mary Holland, J.D.

Theoriginal painting on the front cover, titled “Secret Garden”, is an oil painting on canvas (27” by 33”) created by Greer Jonas. However, the original work does not have any fruit. When Greer heard that March’s Natural Awakenings was a food issue, she photoshopped apples on the trees.

Greer is a numerologist, painter, sculptor and teacher living in New York City. Her paintings vary between abstracts and landscapes using acrylic or oil paints and mixed media. Greer’s work has been seen in a variety of art shows, galleries and private collections in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and California.

For more information, email GreerDJonas@gmail.com. For art, visit GreerJonas.com, and for numerology, visit Numerology4YourSoul.com.

5 YEARS

Holistic Therapies For Better Health

Rebalance your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Your destination for Conscious Living and Energy Resource Center. Offering a wide array of physical, mindfulness, and spiritual holistic therapies, we have the perfect treatment for you. Join us for a personal or group session.

11 March 2023 Special events, classes, workshops and retreats in both our Shungite Room and at The Angel Wing (our spiritual center next door). • Readings • Yoga • Massage • Reiki • Sound Therapy • Acupuncture • Energy Work • Gong Baths • Certification Classes HOME • BODY • SOUL PURVEYORS OF POSITIVITY • A UNIQUE LIFESTYLE BOUTIQUE Crystals & Jewelry • Candles, Essential Oils & Incense • Home Decor & Feng Shui Accessories Spiritual Gifts & Statuary • Decks, Books & Cards • The Only Shungite Room in the USA 51 & 49 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rt 7), Ridgefield, CT • 2 0 3 - 4 3 1 - 2 9 5 9 • T H E A N G E L C O O P . C O M CELEBRATING
787 Main St. S, Woodbury, CT 06798 NaturalSaltHealing.com (203) 586-1172
cover artist

Health Benefits of NAD Therapy

As we age, fatigue, cognitive impairment, body aches and pains and many illnesses seem like an inevitable part of aging. But science has shown that much of the poor health we experience is associated with the decline of naturally made substances our body produces to maintain our life and our health. We can treat and possibly prevent some of the conditions associated with aging by replenishing these factors. One vital element in the human body, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), is one of these substances.

NAD is present in all of our cells and it plays an important role in many essential bodily functions. NAD therapy can help restore the decline of NAD that occurs with aging. Unfortunately, NAD cannot be placed in a pill or capsule to be taken as an oral dietary supplement. Instead, patients are treated by prescribing NAD as a self-administered injection so that the NAD reliably reaches the bloodstream for its benefits to be achieved. The injection is a simple, painless, subcutaneous injection—which means that it is placed just under the skin. This simple procedure may deliver multiple life-changing benefits.

How does it work? NAD provides your body and mind with increased energy through its role as a coenzyme located in the mitochondria, which is the energy producing area in every cell of the body.

NAD therapy can have physical benefits such as: boosting energy and increasing metabolism; reducing inflammation and speeding recovery from injury; decreasing pain; improving cardiovascular

health; diminishing cravings for harmful substances and mitigating withdrawal symptoms; and slowing the aging process. Some of the mental benefits of NAD therapy include increased mental clarity, better concentration and memory and improved mood.

As stated in a scientific paper published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, “NAD+ improves cognitive function and reduces neuroinflammation by ameliorating mitochondrial damage and decreasing ROS production in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion models through Sirt1/ PGC-1α pathway.”

The more NAD you have, the more efficiently the mitochondria can repair damaged DNA, playing its role in energy regulation, gene expression and cell signaling. Therefore, specifically, NAD therapy may be helpful in the treatment of: anxiety, depression, ADHD, dementia, substance addiction, chronic fatigue syndrome and more.

The benefits of NAD therapy may dramatically improve your overall health and slow down the physical and mental aging process we often see as inevitable. Is NAD therapy right for you?

Dr. Henry Sobo of Optimal Health Medical LLC is a Doctor of Internal Medicine who has been practicing Integrative Medicine for many years, emphasizing safe and effective treatments, maximizing the use of natural nontoxic treatments, while minimizing the use of prescriptive pharmaceutical drugs where possible. He is located at 111 High Ridge Rd, Stamford. Connect at 203-348-8805 or DrSobo.com. See ad, page 21.

Supplements That Help the Heart

A new study conducted by researchers at Brown University has identified certain supplements that may be beneficial for heart health. The meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reviewed more than 884 studies on 27 types of micronutrient supplements among 883,627 participants and found strong evidence that omega-3 fatty acid, folic acid and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) are micronutrients that reduce cardiovascular risk. Omega-3 fatty acid was found to decrease mortality from cardiovascular disease; folic acid lowered stroke risk; and CoQ10 decreased all-cause mortality. Omega-6 fatty acid, L-arginine, L-citrulline, melatonin, magnesium, vitamin D, zinc, alphalipoic acid, catechin, flavanol, curcumin, genistein and quercetin also showed evidence of reducing cardiovascular risk.

12 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
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Gut Microbiome May Influence Obesity

A new study may shed light on why some people gain more weight than others regardless of diet and activity levels. Led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and published in the journal Microbiome, the study found that being overweight may also be related to the makeup of a person’s gut microbiome. The researchers studied 85 overweight adults and found that 40 percent of the participants had more Bacteroides in their gut microbiome, which are more effective at extracting nutrients from food, possibly causing leftover food to be stored as fat. Before they began their study, the researchers had hypothesized that a long digestive travel time would allow people to extract more energy from their food, but they found instead that people with shorter digestive travel times were actually the ones that extracted the most nutrition. Those with Bacteroides had shorter intestinal transit times and higher body weight.

13 March 2023
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Haute Healing Oasis Celebrates 5 Years

Detox and Heal at Stamford’s Premier Wellness Spa

Haute Healing Oasis celebrated its fifth anniversary in January 2023 as Stamford’s one-stop shop for elevating body and mind, specializing in whole-being detoxification and healing. Owners Jessica and Peter Chichester are longtime Stamford residents, whose years of tough physical activity eventually took its toll on their bodies. Their search for healing and more supportive ways to prevent and repair injury led them to create Haute Healing Oasis in Stamford’s Harbor Point. They started simply back then, featuring a few unique services for reasonable prices. Since then, the spa has evolved into a one-of-a-kind bio energy healing center, offering more than a dozen wellness services and a new event space in 2022, the Sage Center.

Jessica is the vision-keeper for the spa, which currently offers infrared saunas, ionic detox foot baths, BEMER technology treatments, hydromassage services, whole body

vibration, halotherapy, oxygen therapy and fat loss body contouring, among other services.

“My vision for Haute Healing Oasis was to create a safe place for all people to come, no matter what their personal situation or need,” she says. “This is a place where the modalities help you heal, but on your terms and in your own way. The body is self-repairing, all the time, but stress, toxins and other factors weaken the body’s natural ability to heal itself. The services we offer are designed to detoxify and mitigate stress, allowing our bodies to heal and function correctly.”

Several of the therapies offered are unique to the spa; the Chichesters are constantly researching and testing new technologies, then offering the best ones for their clients. The BEMER, one of the spa’s first offerings, is a good example. BEMER is a noninvasive, FDA-registered medical device introduced in the U.S. over the past decade, but used for more than 30 years in other countries, including in doctors’ offices and hospital settings. The patented frequency protocols are known to increase blood flow and oxygen in the body by up to 30 percent. This in turn speeds healing and reduces pain, as well as lowering blood pressure and improving the body’s ability to handle inflammation and remove toxins.

The N.O.R.S. therapy is a Haute Healing Oasis exclusive, with a patent pending. This service incorporates multiple healing modalities into one wellness treatment. The modalities include negative ion therapy, oxygen therapy, red light therapy and salt therapy (halotherapy)—all of which have a body of scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness in aiding whole-body recovery.

“The beauty of what we offer is that these therapies are all designed to help your body heal itself,” Jessica explains. “They work well on their own, but the more you use them and when combined, the more the benefits magnify.”

Another newer addition to the Haute menu is Sonix Vibration therapy, which is whole body vibration using patented magnetic coil technology that stimulates blood flow and releases toxins. It is a recommended treatment for rehabilitation or passive exercise for those who cannot make

14 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
community spotlight

time for regular workouts.

“Our goal is to be able to give people a one-hour vacation during the course of their day or week,” Peter explains. “People are running so hard, so fast without a break these days and our bodies have become so toxic. People say all the time that they don’t have time, but they have time for what they make a priority. We think feeling good should make the list.”

Haute Healing Oasis has a luxurious spa-like feel, but the Chichesters kept their prices reasonable from the start. “Feeling good is a right of life,” Peter says. “Wellness shouldn’t be so expensive that people can’t afford to take care of themselves.”

There are many ways to engage with the spa’s wellness services and take advantage of the sensible rates. Visitors can purchase single sessions of most therapies, but various wellness packages offer appealing combinations for approximately $100 to $150. Monthly memberships are also available, ranging from four to 30 sessions per month with no contract needed. These memberships range in value from $159

to $599 and come with other benefits in addition to the healing sessions themselves, such as discounts on retail purchases and event tickets.

For the Chichesters, Haute Healing Oasis has never been just a business but is instead a calling. Five years in, their mission hasn’t changed. Peter says, “We are grounded in hard work with heart in our day jobs and in the spa. Having the ability to give back and share what has helped us so much is really the key for us. It’s such a blessing to hear how people feel when they come out after a session. I hope I never get used to it, because it is so beautiful.”

Haute Healing Oasis is located at 792 Pacific St, Stamford. For more information, call 203-595-5304, email Info@HauteHealingOasis.com or visit HauteHealingOasis.com. See ads, pages 7 and 28.

Nicole Miale is a writer, energy healer and coach based in Washington Depot, CT. She is a former Publisher of Natural Awakenings Connect with her at NMiale@charter.net.

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At Darien Library 1441 Post Road Sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, Darien Learning to Love Your Enemies Zoom audio via the QR code and website ChristianScienceCT.org/Darien More info: 203-655-2772 All are welcome Join us for a free public talk by Giulia Nesi Tetreau, CSB Tuesday, March 14 · 7:00 pm This event is held at, but not sponsored by, Darien Library. Any views and opinions expressed are not those of the Library. Giulia Nesi Tetreau is a Christian Science healer and a member of the worldwide Christian Science Board of Lectureship. In her talks with audiences, Giulia shares examples of how individuals can experience the power of God as all good, and how that transforms their lives. Giulia has dedicated her life to the healthcare field, formerly as a psychotherapist and now as a Christian Science practitioner and teacher.

Welcome to the Global Year of 7

How Will 2023 Affect You Personally?

The Global Year of 7 is not a year for a spiritual retreat. Those who know a bit of numerology will say that the 7 (2+0+2+3=7) has a meditative, and often inward energy of spirituality. Its very essence seeks out the unknown and the unique. But, it appears that this energy is morphing out of its isolation this year.

Last Year, The Year of the Twos

Let’s step back to 2022, the year of three 2s. We won’t see that again in our lifetime. The 2 and the 6 (the sum of 2+2+2) are yin numbers—all about relationships, compassion and matters of the heart. You might be wondering about this statement looking at last year, and scratching your head. Really?

Baby steps. In this unsteady world, I did feel safer, and more out there in the public. Less isolated in my home with fewer prerequisites to wearing a mask everywhere. The world seems to be coming alive again—with people connecting on the streets of New York, rather than running home.

The other piece of a Global Year number is dealing with the shadow. The shadow of 6 is “worry”. “What will happen to me and my business?” The lesson of the 6 is to trust and step out, even when it is not comfortable.

What Will 2023 Bring to Us?

2023: 2+0+2+3 = 7. Numerology examines the unique energy of the Global 7. Ah, how very different from the feminine, supportive yin energy of the 6. The vibration of 7 combines yin and yang and seeks the energy of spirit. The number 7 is typically contemplative, moving at a slow pace with a deep understanding of the spiritual and unique aspects of life. Seven looks at the unknown rather than the obvious.

Pay attention, my friends, as we have shifted to a world of Zoom meetings and ordering from Amazon. Many of us have lost the necessity to communicate in person. The energy of the 7 this year will not just have us meditate and slow down, examining the meaning of life.

This Global 7 year is an activator, offering us the opportunity to change, evolve and uniquely take action. That is if we choose to participate instead of the shadow, which is to isolate.

How to Calculate Your Personal Year in 2023

Each person has a different theme based on their birthday numbers as well as their outlook on life. To calculate your personal number theme in 2023, add each number of your birth month and day to the current year, and reduce the sum. If you were born on April 28, your calculation for the 2023 global year would look like this:

When the sum adds to a master number, like 11 or 22, you do not reduce because it is a very high vibration and will be a powerful year for you.

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Art by Cover Srtist Greer Jonas

Personal Year Themes for 2023

It’s your turn. Calculate your personal year in 2023 and read the description below. Think: based on the theme of my personal year number, what can be a unique vision and action to take now?

1

A year of new beginnings, leadership, taking action and inspiring others.

2Forming relationships of all kinds—love, business, family and cooperation.

3A year of creative expression and uniqueness in all forms— art, music, writing, dancing and speaking.

4A year of building something new; organization, perseverance and skill.

5Embracing freedom and change as you share yourself with people and seek new opportunities to be present and have fun.

6A year of compassion, birth and service with your loved ones and community. Don’t forget to love yourself.

7In the seven personal year, you may find yourself bonding with the inner you. It is a spiritual and intuitive period to seek the unknown with fascination. Every year, by the way, will be a double whammy

for you, as you will always have the same personal year as the global year.

8Eight is the year of charismatic leadership, abundance and empowerment.

9The nine personal year is all about transformation, change and completion. Often feeling like a rollercoaster ride, keep your eyes open and be willing to change.

11The master 11 year can be a powerful time of inspired ideas that make a difference—if you accept the challenge.

22In the powerful 22 master personal year, you have the potential to strengthen or begin a relationship, build a business or begin a dynamic project.

Greer Jonas is an intuitive numerologist, painter, blogger and teacher living in New York City. She has been practicing intuitive numerology for more than 30 years. Jonas works with clients around the world by appointment in person and online. Jonas is 2022’s Ommie Award Winner of the Category of Numerologist Columnist. Connect at GreerDJonas@gmail.com or Numerology4YourSoul.com.

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VEGGIES FOR THE WIN

FIVE REASONS TO CHOOSE A PLANT-BASED LIFESTYLE

Many of us have come across the term “plant-based eating”. Perhaps the regimen was recommended to us by a medical or nutritional professional. We may have read about it in a magazine or seen a documentary on the subject. Scientists around the globe have studied this lifestyle choice, and persuasive evidence is mounting that eating a preponderance of foods from plant sources has health merits.

The concept is attributed to T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., the Jacob Gould Schurman professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University. Based on his extensive research, he has advocated a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet since the 1980s, and his commentary appears in Forks Over Knives, an influential 2011 documentary on the subject that is still worth viewing.

Americans love their cheeseburgers and french fries, and breaking a habit that we thoroughly enjoy might be challenging at first. But we need not completely ban such delights from our menu, so long as our plates are brimming with vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, beans, healthy oils, nuts and seeds most of the time. Gradually transitioning to a whole food, plant-based, low-fat diet is the winning formula for positive change and long-term compliance.

Here are five compelling reasons to make this promising dietary shift.

Cost-Effective Disease Prevention

As so many Americans struggle with chronic health issues, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease, physicians are hard-pressed to find the right combination of treatments to help their patients lead healthier lives. At the same time, healthcare costs continue to skyrocket. In 2020, health spending rose to $4.1 trillion, or $12,530 per capita, according to the American Medical Association.

In a 2013 article published in The Permanente Journal, California physicians surveyed

leading research and case studies and found that plant-based diets offer patients a low-risk, cost-effective intervention to regulate weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. They also asserted that such eating regimens could reduce the number of medications patients would have to take for chronic disease, and that physicians should recommend such diets to all of their patients, especially those suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or obesity.

Besides saving money on drugs and medical procedures, a plant-based menu has never been easier or more affordable. According to recent data conducted by the UK nonprofit Veganuary, plant-based meals eaten at home cost 40 percent less than meat- or fish-based meals and take one-third less time to prepare.

“The most powerful tool I discovered while in practice for both preventing and treating chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis was the implementation of a

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plant-based nutritional plan to a patient’s life,” says Ted Crawford, a board-certified family physician featured in two inspiring documentaries about the life-changing benefits of a plant-based diet: Eating You Alive and PlantWise

Flavor, Freshness and Flavonoids

The latest food trend is a “burger” made entirely of plants. The race is on to see which one looks and tastes closest to a juicy, all-beef patty. Whether it’s mushrooms posing as “steak” or wheat-based seitan kneaded into “chicken”, recipes catering to carnivores have their audience. For some, these tasty alternatives may offer a path toward becoming a vegetarian or vegan.

Oven-roasted on a sheet pan, splashed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkled with fresh herbs and spices, served with a creamy dip, slow-cooked in a crockpot, baked into a pie, frothed into a sweet smoothie or freshly pulled from the vine, consider the fact that whole, plant-based foods taste delicious on their own and deserve the spotlight.

They are good and good for us, packed with nutrition while low in fat and calories. The vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables—as varied as the rainbow—are evidence of the many healthful attributes they offer. Ditching animal fats, white flour and sugar in favor of fresh, whole plant foods found at a local farmers market ensures a rich intake of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, phytonutrients, fiber, antioxidants, flavonoids, protein, fiber and more—the building blocks of a robust, disease-fighting body.

Those that believe a plant-based diet is too limiting might be surprised to learn that there is a wealth of meat-free culinary possibilities. Garth Davis, M.D., author of Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession With Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It, notes, “Just 12 plants and five animals compose about 75 percent of the world’s food, and yet there are approximately 300,000 known edible plant species, only about 150 of which are used commonly around the world.”

There are so many plant-derived flavors and recipes yet to explore. Try a new plant-based recipe weekly. Let the kids select

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their favorite fruits and veggies to prepare. Enjoy reimagining old favorites like lasagna, enchiladas, chili and tacos. Simply swap out the meat in favor of beans, tofu, tempeh or faux meat products, which have become quite sophisticated in recent years.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

While acute inflammation is a protective bodily response to heal infections and repair tissues, metabolic inflammation— or metaflammation—refers to chronic, systemic inflammation. According to a 2020 study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, metabolic inflammation is associated with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease.

Numerous studies have explored the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of foods. According to a 2021 article in Harvard Health Publishing, the following foods cause inflammation: refined carbohydrates like white bread; fried foods like french fries; sodas and other sugary drinks; red meat; processed meat, including hot dogs, sausage and cold cuts; and margarine, shortening and lard. Conversely, the best anti-inflammatory foods are tomatoes; olive oil; leafy, green vegetables such as spinach, kale and collards; nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans; and fruit such as apples, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges. Omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are also recommended for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Environmental Sustainability

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, total greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock represents 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Cattle raised for both beef and milk are the animal species responsible for the most emissions, which include methane and represent about 65 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions. Industrially produced meat is also a leading contributor of global deforestation and habitat loss as large swaths of the Amazon and other land masses are cleared for cattle ranching and to produce animal feed.

According to a new model developed by California scientists and published in the journal PLOS Climate, a global phaseout of animal agriculture and a shift to plant-based diets over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the end of 2100, thereby boosting humanity’s chances of avoiding the projected devastation of climate change. Such benefits would result from a decline in the methane and nitrous oxide emissions associated with industrialized meat production, coupled with a recovery of natural ecosystems as fewer forests and land masses are cleared for animal feed production.

Improved Mental and Emotional Health

Sarah Thomsen Ferreira, an integrative registered dietician and manager of clinical nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine (CCCFM), notes, “Certain foods and nutrients help your brain to make chemicals that can impact your mood, attention and focus, while other foods can zap your energy.” The CCCFM recommends a diet that combines complex carbohydrates with lean proteins and colorful produce. While lean proteins may include white-fleshed fish and white-meat poultry, healthy, plant-based, lean proteins are also found in beans, peas, lentils and tofu.

Diet can support emotional well-being and perhaps even help ward off depression and anxiety. A 2017 clinical trial explored how a plant-based diet, daily exercise and mindfulness techniques would affect 500 adult men and women diagnosed with moderate to severe depression and anxiety. After 12 weeks, participants reported improvements in depression and anxiety, according to the study abstract published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

Eating a plant-based diet makes sense on many levels. Make the switch.

Kiki Powers is a health writer, blogger and national speaker specializing in plantbased nutrition and healthy green living. Learn more at RawKiki.com.

20 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com

CREATING CHANGE: A Health Coach’s Approach

Changing our nutrition can be emotionally charged. There may be feelings of shame from past attempts that fell short, a sense of overwhelm from not knowing where to start or paralyzing pressure from an all-or-nothing mindset.

In my work as a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, I guide clients to take a different approach. This measured approach centers on three guidelines designed to increase confidence, build momentum and drive lasting results.

To get started, focus on a nutrition goal you’ve been contemplating but have not yet started—or one that you’d like to get back on track with.

1Create Your Wellness Vision

According to the Transtheoretical Model, lasting change happens from within and starts when we are truly ready. Connecting with our “Why,” which we call the “Wellness Vision” in the health coaching world, can help us take that initial first step and, just as importantly, support us and keep us motivated when we face obstacles along the way.

Here’s a powerful exercise that can help you connect with your Wellness Vision. Think about six, nine or 12 months from this moment. You’ve successfully made this change to your nutrition, it is now part of your day-to-day life. How is your life different? How do you feel?

For example, your Wellness Vision may include eating more veggies to support

your health. Several months from now you may envision having more energy, feeling less bloated and receiving improved lab results from achieving this goal.

2Focus on Small Steps

Small steps lead to big results. Next, focus on your Wellness Vision and ask yourself, “What’s one small step I can take this week to support my Wellness Vision?”

Perhaps it’s visiting your local farm stand, flipping through that cookbook that’s collecting dust, searching YouTube or adding a new veggie to your grocery list. Or it may be giving one of the classics a second chance.

For example, we’ve all encountered broccoli sitting lifeless on a crudité platter. Instead

of eating it raw, try roasting it with olive oil and sea salt, and hitting it at the end with a splash of lemon juice. Or try giving it a quick steam and tossing it in butter or ghee and topping it with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

3Be Patient

Taking steps to support your health takes courage. As you work toward your Wellness Vision, you may find yourself taking inventory of what remains to be done, or you may notice the voice of your inner critic growing louder. It’s important to remember, results don’t happen overnight.

In order to reframe this mindset and build on your progress, take time to reflect on the wins that you’ve achieved—the big and the small. Allow yourself to feel empowered by the new strengths and skills you’ve developed. Recognize where you’re feeling resistance and seek out support.

Give yourself permission to make adjustments to your goals. Express gratitude for challenges and the lessons learned.

While setting measurable goals may seem small, simple or slow, the lasting results from creating a Wellness Vision can greatly impact our health and happiness. The key is patience and progress, not perfection.

Heather B. Habelka is a Connecticut-based National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and the Creator of TheHealthfulKitchen.com. See Community Resource Listing, page 37.

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TERRY WAHLS

O N MANAGING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE WITH LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS

Terry Wahls, M.D., is a certified practitioner at the Institute for Functional Medicine, as well as clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa, where she conducts clinical trials testing the effect of therapeutic diet and lifestyle to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, as well as an accompanying cookbook, The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life.

When Wahls was diagnosed with MS and later relegated to a tilt-recline wheelchair in the early 2000s, she decided to fight back. Drawing upon her medical background, she identified certain nutrients that were critical for brain health and started taking supplements. The disease’s progression slowed as a result, spurring her to dig deeper. Since then, through rigorous scientific study and numerous clinical trials, Wahls has developed groundbreaking dietary and lifestyle recommendations

that alleviate autoimmune disease symptoms. No longer bound to a wheelchair, she bikes to work every day and stands as a living testament to the power of tenacity and strenuous scientific inquiry.

What are the key components of the Wahls Protocol?

The protocol is a lifestyle that supports the steadily improving health of everyone, not just MS patients. It focuses on eating more vegetables and fruits, and ensuring sufficient protein. It reduces or eliminates added sugars, ultra-processed foods, dairy and gluten-containing grains. While the diet may get more complex, a great place for anyone to start is including more non-starchy vegetables, less processed food and more meals cooked at home. The protocol also includes lifestyle interventions, such as time in nature, meditation, mindfulness and physical activity. Even for patients who are wheelchair-bound, going from chair to bed, exercise will improve their quality of life. It is a way of approaching living that creates a more healthy, nurturing environment.

What excites you most about your current MS study?

Seeing what happens with brain volume and quality of life. We hypothesize that lifestyle changes will get the rate of brain volume loss to match that of healthy aging.

22 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com wise words
Jonathan D. Sabin/TerryWahls.com

MS patients have brains that are shrinking three times faster than in healthy aging. This increases the risk for anxiety, depression and early cognitive decline. Our study will be the largest and longest dietary intervention study done in the setting of relapsingremitting MS. We are recruiting people ages 18 to 70 diagnosed with MS. During the participants’ three visits, they will complete surveys, conduct functional tests, provide blood and saliva samples, and get an MRI. The participants will be divided into three groups. One will follow a modified paleo diet; the second an olive oil ketogenic, time-restricted diet; and the third will be the control group. We are optimistic that the first two groups will get to healthy aging, and the control arm will likely improve, as well.

What is metabolic flexibility, and how do you improve it?

Fasting improves metabolic flexibility—the ability to switch between protein, fat and glucose for fuel. Fasting for two days increases stem cells. While periodic fasting is beneficial for metabolism and regenerative processes, it is hard to sustain because of our strong biologic drive to eat and dislike for being hungry. An easier dietary pattern to sustain long term is time-restricted eating in a window of six to eight hours. Our current clinical trial incorporates this eating pattern.

Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew when you were getting started?

How important managing stress is. When I was diagnosed with MS, I could tell that stress made my symptoms worse. I feel I would have done much better had I maintained my meditation. I am fond of hormetic stress, that “sweet spot” where stress could be beneficial. Without stress, our bones and muscles disappear. Without the stress of having to learn, our brain disappears. We just need an equal measure of relaxation and recovery.

What is your takeaway on lifestyle modifications and multiple sclerosis?

You can reverse symptoms of MS and restore function. You can have a great and meaningful life at your level of function. It is important to find joy, gratitude and purpose in life as it’s unfolding now, and doing so will help with the energy and commitment needed to do the work that can change the direction of your healing journey.

To learn more about Wahls’ studies, visit wahls.lab.uiowa.edu. To participate, visit wahls.lab.uiowa.edu/join-study or contact the study team at MSDietStudy@healthcare.uiowa.edu.

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Loving Our Kidneys

EDIBLE ALLIES, INTEGRATIVE TREATMENTS AND LIFESTYLE TIPS

Our kidneys are prodigious multitaskers. Through the production of urine, they filter toxins, excrete waste and balance bodily fluids. They also produce certain hormones that regulate blood pressure and aid in other vital functions. While the kidneys don ’ t usually fail all at once, their effectiveness can deteriorate slowly over years, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is most often the result of uncontrolled diabetes or high blood pressure. Simple blood and urine tests help physicians evaluate kidney function and diagnose CKD, which is divided into five stages. The first three stages are mild or

moderate, and can respond well to lifestyle modifications and alternative interventions, while the more severe, later stages become increasingly more complex to treat and may require dialysis to mechanically perform the kidneys’ functions. In endstage CKD, many patients are relegated to dialysis treatments several times a month to prevent the accumulation of deadly toxins, while many wait and hope for a lifesaving transplant.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in seven adults are diagnosed annually. Most of these 37 million Americans do not feel ill or notice symptoms until they are in

advanced stages of the disease, which is why people with diabetes and high blood pressure should be tested regularly and take steps to protect their kidneys. Managing CKD requires a multilevel approach, including lifestyle and diet changes, use of prescribed medications, avoidance of kidney-harming toxins like alcohol and cigarettes, and close supervision by a doctor that specializes in kidney disease (nephrologist) to ensure that other prescribed medications and over-the-counter or herbal treatments are safe.

Integrative and holistic approaches may be of help for those in earlier stages of kidney disease or for those striving to prevent it. “I have been really blessed to be connected with a global team of people who, like myself and everyone I work with, understand that kidney disease is treatable, and the recovery of kidney function is actually possible,” says Fiona Chin, an Australia-based naturopath and co-founder of KidneyCoach.com. Chin adds that she and her colleagues have witnessed significant patient improvement from tailored diet and lifestyle regimens during and after diagnosis, especially when root causes are addressed.

The Kidney-Friendly Kitchen

Promising research published last year in Frontiers of Pharmacology shows that combining Western treatments and Traditional Chinese Medicine can have a positive impact on even late-stage renal failure. Isaac Eliaz, M.D., an integrative medical doctor and founder of Amitabha Medical Clinic, in Santa Rosa, California, says, “Preventing and reducing chronic inflammation is a critical aspect of minimizing CKD risk. An anti-inflammatory diet, moderate exercise program and attention to stress reduction all work to decrease the proinflammatory milieu.” He also highlights the importance of protecting and boosting beneficial gut bacteria, which can be addressed with supplements or prebiotic foods like garlic, leeks, onions and jicama. Piling whole, plant-plentiful goodness onto our plates and embracing an alkaline diet are key measures in the prevention of CKD by lowering the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Mayo Clinic

24 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
conscious eating
Danijela/AdobeStock.com

offers renal-supportive recipes with fruits, vegetables and grains like quinoa. It also recommends avoiding many packaged and processed foods that have phosphorus added to prolong shelf life and enhance taste, such as convenience foods, sodas and sports drinks, flavor-enhanced meats and processed cheeses.

Jarrod Cooper, ND, founder of Advanced Functional Medicine, underscores the importance of nixing pro-inflammatory foods such as sugars, refined carbohydrates, excessive red meat, trans and saturated fats, caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol negatively impacts liver function, and over time reduces blood flow to the kidneys, leading to CKD, he says. That extra glass of wine can also crank up blood pressure, a surefire path to renal compromise.

Kidney-loving fruits, according to Cleveland Urology Associates, include pineapple, cranberries, red grapes and apples, all of which pack an anti-inflammatory punch.

Sodium: Friend or Foe?

Chin notes that although salt is essential for nerve and muscle function, a balancing of fluids in the blood and healthy blood pressure, not all salt is beneficial. “Salt is a healthy thing to have in your diet in moderation and in the right form,” she asserts. “Table salt is manufactured salt that is stripped of its natural minerals. During salt processing, the balance of sodium to other valuable minerals is lost. Most salt companies also add anti-caking agents that contain aluminum.” Chin recommends good-quality Himalayan salt or sea salt that also contains traces of other natural minerals.

Various types of seaweeds, like dulce, nori and kombu, are natural sources of sodium that are safe for people that do not have kidney disease. They offer significant benefits for inflammation reduction, blood sugar balance and heart health, including lower blood pressure. Sea vegetables have also been shown to help reduce the risk of kidney stones by inhibiting the formation of calcium oxalate.

Marlaina Donato is an author, painter and host of multimedia art exhibits intended for healing the community. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

25 March 2023 Holistic Community Professionals www.HolisticCommunityProfessionals.org Sunday | April 23, '23 | 10am - 5pm | Vendors 10am-4pm 75+ Exhibitors and Speakers! DoubleTree by Hilton 42 Century Drive, Bristol, CT 06010 presented by the Holistic Community Professionals Passport to Health & Wellness Statewide Benefit * Holi S tic e xpo FREE DRUM H E aling 4-5pm Speakers all day Free Raffles • Drumming g R an D PR i ZE: A Hilton Overnight Stay for Two! FREE a DM i SS i O n (Donations Accepted*) Shirley R. Bloethe at 860-989-0033 Email: yourholisticevents@gmail.com * All door donations to benefit: New England Chapter of Children's Health Defense Network. Keynote Speaker: Mary Holland, President and General Counsel For more information please contact: Vendors apply at: yourholisticevents.com FB - Passport to Health and Wellness Expo 10 th Bi-Annual CREATIVE RECOVERY PLAYSHOP s EE YO u T h ERE! saturday, March 11th • 11am to 5pm • Woodbury, CT OR Friday, March 24th • 11am to 5pm • Washington Depot, CT Facilitated by Nicole Miale Text/call 203-981-2451 to register $149 Includes Materials, Snacks & Drinks ART! SOUND HEALING! DANCING! WRITING! VISION BOARDS! LET YOUR INNER ARTIST OUT TO PLAY!

SWEET LULLABY BETTER SLEEP FOR CHILDREN

Sleep is essential for both survival and the ability to thrive, yet as children’s schedules get busier and they spend more time in front of screens, their average sleep time often decreases. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids between the ages of 6 and 12 get nine to 12 hours of sleep per night for optimal health, they’re regularly getting less, and about 15 to 25 percent of youngsters and adolescents have trouble falling and staying asleep.

In a recent study published in The Lancet, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that children that get less than nine hours of sleep per night have notable differences in areas of the brain that influence memory, intelligence and wellbeing compared to those that sleep more than nine hours. According to researchers, such insufficiencies in early adolescence can lead to long-lasting neurocognitive consequences.

Why Kids Aren’t Sleeping

Anna Esparham, M.D., FAAP, an integrative medical expert with the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends that parents look for clues as to why their children can’t sleep, including stress, increased screen time and less physical activity. However, there may be other underlying issues.

A lesser-known culprit that may contribute to a child’s compromised sleep is impaired mouth syndrome (IMS), a term coined by dentist Felix Liao, a certified airway-centered

mouth doctor and past-president of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine. “Most people, including many dentists, don’t realize the influence that the mouth has on the body,” he says. “The mouth is the portal to the inside. With impaired mouth syndrome, the child can still chew, smile and talk, but the body’s health can be compromised.”

While birth trauma, concussion and viruses can precipitate mouth breathing, and chronic allergies often exacerbate matters, immature swallowing can set off a cascade of problems. The mouth is a critical infrastructure for proper breathing, circulation, digestion, energy and sleep. IMS occurs when jaw development is insufficient, thereby giving rise to numerous difficulties, such as a narrower airway, which can cause

26 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com fizkes/AdobeStock.com healthy kids

hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen. Liao notes that poor sleep quality can also lead to learning and behavioral problems.

“Breastfeeding stimulates bone growth and jaw development through the tongue’s instinctive action and ideally enables a child to have a mature swallow by age 2,” says Amy Dayries-Ling, DMD, FAIHM, a national spokesperson for the American Dental Association. In her book Solve Your Sleep: Get to the Core of Your Snore for Better Health, Dayries-Ling connects the dots between the vital role of the tongue during breastfeeding, balanced stimulation from the vagus nerve and beneficial spaces between milk teeth for a well-developed dental arch.

Correcting Structural Problems

From a holistic perspective, improperly working muscles of the tongue, throat and face or a compromised jawbone can foster a predisposition to a number of seemingly unrelated conditions, including

dental problems, teeth grinding, asthma, bedwetting, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, poor growth, swollen tonsils and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Dayries-Ling recommends that parents seek out a myofunctional therapist that can help retrain muscles and free up the airway. Building an integrative team is vital, including a dentist trained to address structural issues.

As a certified, airway-centered mouth doctor, New Jersey-based holistic dentist Nemie Sirilan understands the link between sleep deprivation and airway obstructions. She uses 3D scans and thorough examinations to identify craniofacial abnormalities and customize treatments that correct structural anomalies.

“When I examine young patients, I want to see how baby teeth are forming, whether they have a tongue-tie and how their upper and lower jaws are positioned, to see if they have some kind of bad bite. These are all telltale signs of airway obstruction,” Sirilan explains, adding that another common indicator of breathing difficulties is the

wearing down of tooth enamel that results from persistent teeth grinding.

Sirilan recommends that parents consult an airway-centered mouth doctor as soon as possible before other complications arise, noting that these problems are often easily corrected with customized corrective appliances, as well as collaborative consultations with other practitioners, including functional doctors, nutritionists, chiropractors and physical therapists to treat the whole person.

Life seems to be a much brighter place after a good night’s sleep, and kids are our future. Digging deeper for their optimum, long-term well-being is a vital investment.

Marlaina Donato is an author, painter and host of multimedia art exhibits intended for healing the community. Connect at WildflowerLady.com.

Kirby Baldwin is an editor and writer for KnoWEwell, the Regenerative Whole Health Hub and parent company of Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp.

27 March 2023 Two Coyotes also offers… • Weekly school-day programs for students age 5-17 • Wilderness skills apprenticeship program for adults • Coyote Pups for caregivers & children 0-5 • Field trips & in school programs • Scholarships and tuition assistance for families in need
Kids will learn how to: • Build fires • Make shelters & forts • Create nature art • Gather wild edibles • Identify plants and animals • Connect more meaningfully to people & nature Extraordinary Summer Camps & Year-Round Wilderness Programs Email programs@twocoyotes.org or visit twocoyotes.org for more information Register at twocoyotes.org NOW ENROLLING SUMMER CAMP! at Sticks & Stones Farm in Newtown and at Holcomb Farm in Granby
Photos by Phyllis Meredith Photography

THE SELFISH DIVORCE

Divorce is always a difficult decision, especially when kids are involved. But when there is no concrete reason, there is no vagrant misstep, it can be very confusing for everyone.

I came from a family lineage of long marriages. Longevity of marriage was celebrated and revered. The number of years in marriage equaled the strength of the entire family system. I was taught that divorce destroyed families. Kids from divorced parents were troubled and always had problems. Divorce ruined kids.

Naturally, as the oldest child in my family and a natural empath, I became a Marriage and Family Therapist. My goal was to save marriages. There wasn’t a marriage that was not worth saving. I worked hard on repairing fragmented marriages that were shattered by infidelity and substance abuse. I helped glue broken pieces back together to make these couples whole again. I believed in family and, back then, to believe in family meant to believe in the sanctity of marriage.

However, while I was actively spending 50 hours a week repairing my clients’ mar-

28 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com inspiration
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riages, mine was falling apart. I secretly began to fantasize about having my own divorce and what it would be like to feel “free”. I began to question whether or not I wanted to be married, and what that would mean for me, my kids, my husband and my career. I had spent countless hours advocating for marriage, restoring damaged relationships and all I wanted to do was leave my own.

The whisper of wanting a divorce became more and more profound. It was all I was thinking about, fantasizing about, longing for. I was so unhappy. I didn’t like who I had become, I didn’t like who I was as a partner, as a wife or as a mother. I had lost myself somewhere and I so desperately wanted to find me. I needed to do this on my own—I needed to get divorced.

I fought with myself daily. Is unhappiness a good enough reason to get divorced? We weren’t fighting, really, and no one had an affair. We had our issues, but certainly we could go to therapy and work it out. I believed in therapy (still do) and I knew it worked for couples. It would be hard to end the marriage without at least trying to make it work.

However, the issue was much deeper than trying to fix my marriage. I didn’t want to be married anymore. Not to my husband, not to anyone. I did not want to go to therapy and I did not want to try to work it out. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to find out who I was, without trying to repair another relationship that, quite frankly, I was no longer invested in. I wanted to trust my instincts and follow my intuition. I wanted to be free of trying to make it work.

I filed for divorce and I will fully admit it felt completely selfish. I knew I hurt him. I was hurting, too. But that did not mean that we should stay together. As predicted, my divorce was not well received. I was given a lot of advice on what I should be doing to save my marriage.

People were scared for me, and I understood that. I had never made a decision that did not put everyone else before myself and it was uncomfortable for me and for everyone else that I had taken care of for years. I had to remind myself repeatedly that this was the best thing for me and my family. I had to remind myself that it was okay to be uncomfortable, to be scared and unsure. I had to quiet the generations that told me that divorce would ruin my family, and most specifically my kids. I had to hold myself, and trust that loving myself would lead to great things for myself and for my family.

It turns out, the divorce did just that. It did great things for me and my family. The “selfish” decision to take care of myself, allowed for growth for everyone else. The kids have learned that they can be sad and uncomfortable and still be okay. They have learned that there is no right way to be a family and that even though we don’t live together in the same house, we will always be a family unit. The kids have learned that when your parents are happy, they are better parents. But most importantly, they have learned that it’s okay to take care of yourself first sometimes— even when it feels selfish.

HCP

Holistic Community Professionals

Our professional team of holistic and natural businesses provides community outreach and education. We are committed to improving the health and wellness of body, mind, and spirit in the communities we serve.

Certified Intuitive Life Coach

Elizabeth Raver, PhD Evidential Psychic-Medium, Loving Hearts Connections™ Facilitator, American Association of Psychics, Red Barn in Durham. Online & in person sessions. Drlizmedium.com • Ravelizabeth516@gmail.com

203-400-9212

Naturopathic Physician

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc Vis Wellness Center. Naturopathic Physician and Acupuncture Provider. Rocky Hill, CT & TeleMedicine Statewide • DrNicoleKlughers.com

info@DrNicoleKlughers.com • (234)2-ACU-DOC

Psychotherapist, Intuitive and Healer

Carolyn Coleridge Reiki Sessions and Mindfulness Meditation, Spiritual Life Coach, Mentor, Help people find Purpose & Healing Classes on Universal Consciousness and Intuition intuitivesoulhealing.com • Carcole9@hotmail.com

Spiritual Health Practitioner

Rev. Bradford W. Tilden, MM, CMT, UWT Starseed Support, Universal White Time, Crystal Healing, Sound Healing • Sessions and Trainings crystalmusichealing.com • linktr.ee/bradfordtilden

860-830-5841

See more holistic practitioners at: HolisticCommunityProfessionals.org

HCP

To join the HCP contact Shirley R. Bloethe at: 860-989-0033

29 March 2023
Jennifer D. Cunningham is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and faculty at Yale Child Study. Connect at 203-215-2601 or Jenny.Cunningham@live.com.

Meditation for LONGEVITY

The International Journal of Neuroscience published a study showing the cells of people that meditate looked 12 years younger under a microscope than their actual age. The most extreme example was a highly experienced meditator with a 27-year biological age reduction.

A recent study showed a biological age reduction in the immune cells that fight the aging process after a three-week meditation retreat. After three weeks of meditation, our DNA changes, so we age slower. Meditators also have 87 percent fewer hospitalizations for heart disease than non-meditators.

The easiest way to start meditating is to set aside five minutes a day. Turn off any distractions, sit or lie down on the back with eyes closed, placing one hand on the heart and the other on the belly button. Start breathing deeply and slowly, feeling the air flow in and out of the body, and silently saying the mantra, “I’m okay,” once per breath. Over time, we will feel our heart rate slow, emotions balance and worrisome thoughts float away.

After completing a consistent week of practice increase the five-minute meditations to 10 minutes. Continue

until reaching 20 minutes a day, and after a consistent week, add a second fiveminute meditation, increasing time at the same rate. The goal after two months of consistent practice is building up to two, 20-minute meditations per day in the a.m. and p.m. This level of practice opens a gateway of self-healing, self-awareness and inner peace that cultivates acceptance, self-love and happiness.

Overcoming Challenges

Can’t stop thinking: This is normal. Repeat the “I’m okay” mantra or visualize the thoughts as clouds fading away into a blue sky. If thoughts persist, write them down.

Feeling too anxious: Express everything that’s upsetting us, identify the one thing that is most upsetting, express the worst-case scenario, express our biggest fear about the worst-case scenario and embrace the emotion by touching the area of tension in the body. Then close the eyes, breathe deeply and slowly, and repeat the mantra once per breath.

Can’t sit still: Put on some soft music and get on the ground. Do one or two very soft, slow stretches to open the tension, breathing deep and slow, using the mantra and holding the stretch until the tension

Take the Practice to the Next Level

Manage stress: When we get upset, listen to the thoughts as if we are listening to a radio. Then identify with the part of ourself that is observing the reaction, not the part reacting. Buddhists call this “observer consciousness”. Stop the reaction by breathing deeply and slowly, and silently saying “I’m okay,” once per breath. Repeat until the tension is gone.

Heal trauma: When painful memories come to mind, try lying down, closing the eyes and continue breathing deeply and slowly throughout the exercise. Hold the memory in mind, move the hands to wherever we feel tension and let the memory play out to the most stressful moment. Pause the memory and visualize ourself inside the memory, breathing deep and slow once per breath, calmly saying, “I’m okay.” Continue until the tension releases from the memory and the body. This can take a number of minutes.

Adjust the mantra: For a more spiritual experience, use, “I am eternal.” For depression, try, “I am lifeforce.” For anxiety, “All of my affairs are in divine order.” For fear, “I am cared for.” For processing the loss of a loved one, “I am okay here, and (insert name) is okay over there.”

Apps to jumpstart a practice: Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer, Aura and Stress Is Gone. Each have useful features, so try them all.

Brett Cotter is a stress relief coach who helps people quickly heal stress, anxiety and trauma. He is certified by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, accredited by the International Mindfulness & Meditation Alliance, and his method is certified by the American Institute of Stress. Brett was trained by a 35th-Generation Shaolin grandmaster and the Himalayan Institute. Learn more about his coaching at StressIsGone.com.

30 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
releases.
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Natural Awakenings appreciates the generosity of its distributors throughout the area. Please consider supporting these essential businesses and major distributors by shopping there and picking up the magazine each month from one of the racks. Thank you! S I N C E 1 9 7 8 Chamomille NATURAL FOODS 203-792-8952 • Rt. 6 Plaza (58-60 Newtown Rd.) Danbury, CT 06810 www.ChamomilleNaturalFoods.com Barry Sherr Owner, Nutritionist, R.H., A.H.G. Certified by A.H.S.U. & N.I.N.E Registered Herbalist - A.H.G Need Advice On Your Health Issues? Customized Nutritional Counseling with Onsite Nutritionist & Herbalist Decades of Integrity, Dedication, & Service Gift Cards Available Join our Free Loyalty Program for Reduced Pricing! Nature’s Temptations Your HealTHY FooD MarKeT naturestemptations.com where community and healthy food is our priority orgaNic • local • SuSTaiNable Produce • Meats & Seafood • Bulk Foods Juice Bar • Cafe • Prepared Foods • Deli Vitamins • Health & Beauty • Well Baby Catering for all Occasions CT’s Original Independently Owned Natural & Organic Marketplace 129 Main St. North Woodbury, CT 06798 (203) 263-4868 www.newmorn.com THE CT A Destination For People Who Love Food www.themarketct.com 301 Litchfield r d., New m ilford, ct open all week 7am-8pm 860.355.2667 793 Bantam r d., Bantam, ct open all week 7am-8pm 860.567.8647 Darien • Greenwich • Westport Fairfield • Danbury • Milford If you are interested in becoming a Natural Awakenings distribution location please contact Erica@eNaturalAwakenings.com today.

Natural Remedies for Pets

Natural remedies and healing therapies are not just for humans, they also help pets overcome illness and maintain optimal health. Used properly, plants, herbs, essential oils and other natural, non-toxic substances can complement and often replace drugs and other chemical agents. Here are seven healthful solutions.

Coconut oil is a source of medium-chain triglycerides, which benefit cognitive function. It is also rich in lauric acid, a powerful antimicrobial agent for yeast infections, allergies and skin conditions (when used topically). Feed dogs and cats one-quarter teaspoon of 100 percent organic, cold-pressed, human-grade coconut oil for every 10 pounds of the pet’s body weight twice daily.

Seven Non-Toxic Treatments for Common Ailments

Manuka honey is an all-natural, effective remedy. Clinical trials have shown that it can eradicate hundreds of strains of bacteria, including certain antibioticresistant varieties. A Unique Manuka Factor rating of 10 or higher is recommended for medicinal use. Manuka honey can be used to manage resistant ear and skin infections, as well as large, superficial wounds that cannot be closed surgically. Given orally, manuka honey is effective at addressing H. pylori, the bacteria that contributes to gastrointestinal irritation, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and excessive E. coli blooms in animals with dysbiosis.

Empower Natural Health By Mouth

Your Pain, Fatigue & Chronic Illness May Be Rooted in:

1.Crowded Teeth & Deficient Jaws

2.Pinched Airway

3.Clicking/Popping Jaw Joints

4.Teeth Grinding

5.Tongue-Tie & Abnormal Swallowing

6.Weak Chin, Double Chin

7.Sunken Mid-Face, Flat Cheekbones

8.Teeth Pulled & Spaces Closed For Braces.

solutions

Impaired Mouth Symptoms Short List:

1. Aches & Pains in Head, Jaws, Neck Shoulders & Back

2. Fatique, Brain Fog, Lack of Motivation

3. Post-Nasal Drip & Frequent Colds & Flu

4. Teeth Grinding & Jaw Joint Troubles

5. Snoring, Sleep Apnea, CPAP Intolerance

6. Anxiety, Depression, Irritability/Hostility

7. “Empty Tank” From Adrenal Fatique, PMS/ED

8. Food Cravings; Caffeine, Sugar, Chocolate, Energy Drinks

Join free Webinar to learn more.

HolisticMouthSolutions.com

32 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
natural pet Guzel Studio/AdobeStock.com
chandlervid85/AdobeStock.com srekap/AdobeStock.com
your airway back, get your sleep back, get your life back” – Angela, patient “Impaired Mouth Diagnosis should have been the first course in dental school.” – Dr. J. Yelle, Monument, CO
“Get
Mouth Is To Humans What Roots Are To Plants” An AMD’s Mission: To help you turn back illness and turn on wellness naturally through our evidence-based impaired Mouth diagnosis and Holistic Mouth
“The
@6_foot_tiger
s
Dr. Felix Liao, DDS

Aloe vera has multiple applications. To reduce a dog’s discomfort from skin irritations, cuts or wounds, clean the affected area and apply the raw, inner gel of the plant to provide a soothing effect. For constipation, a small amount of whole leaf aloe vera juice, a natural laxative, can be added to a dog’s food. Inner leaf aloe juice, which doesn’t contain the skin, helps heal gastric ulcers, colitis and leaky gut.

Lavender oil is used in aromatherapy to help calm nervous or anxious animals. For a dog with noise phobia, place a few drops on their collar or bedding before a stressor occurs, if possible, or diffuse the oil around the house for a calming effect. Lavender oil can also be beneficial for treating hot spots. Add a few drops to manuka honey or coconut oil and apply after disinfecting the wound twice daily.

Oregano oil contains potent antibacterial and anti-parasitic properties. It can be used to calm itchy skin, soothe irritated gums and assist in balancing a dog’s gut flora. It is also a beneficial herb for dogs with kennel cough or recurrent infections. Oregano oil should always be diluted before using it in or on pets.

Ginger is a widely used, non-toxic, nonirritating remedy for soothing tummy troubles. It can be given orally or used in oil form by adding a few drops to a carrier oil, such as coconut or olive oil, and massaging the mixture into the skin on the pet’s belly. Alternatively, add small amounts of freshly grated ginger or the dry herb to a tasty meatball or other yummy treat. Use no more than one-sixteenth teaspoon for kitties, one-eighth teaspoon for small dogs under 10 pounds, one-quarter teaspoon for medium-sized dogs, one-half teaspoon for large dogs and three-quarter

to one teaspoon for giant breeds. Give the ginger one to three times a day, as needed.

Chamomile is an effective calming agent that has analgesic and anti-spasmodic properties and is beneficial in soothing the central nervous system. Use a cool chamomile tea bag against a wound, irritation or bug bite on the dog’s or cat’s skin to provide a soothing effect. Something else to consider is a soothing chamomile afterbath rinse. Add five chamomile tea bags to two quarts of very hot water and steep

until the water is cool for up to three hours to allow the maximum amount of polyphenols to release into the water. Remove the tea bags and pour the rinse over a freshly bathed pet from the neck down. Massage into the skin and do not rinse.

Veterinarian Dr. Karen Shaw Becker has spent her career empowering animal guardians to make knowledgeable decisions to extend the life and well-being of their pets. To learn more, visit DrKarenBecker.com.

Accelerate Healing with Energy.

Using light energy through distance healing, your healing process can move forward more smoothly.

“My knee was warm for about 3 full hours after I left. It seemed to heal further after I slept the first couple of nights. While my knee was not healed 100%, it was significantly better and I was able to go on my Montana ski trip the next week.

P.S. Another month after my ski trip my knee has continued to improve.”

Practicing by donation for nearly 10 years. Questions? Call Bill at 770-990-9191 or visit https://www.distancehealer.me

33 March 2023
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calendar of events

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

Building a Strong Foundation with Karen Pierce – 1:30-3:30pm. Learn how to create an authentic personal practice by applying the 5 principles of practice that make yoga entirely your own. You will also learn the 7 sequences (or order of poses) to incorporate into your practice creating complete balance. $39. Special offer bring a friend for free. Yogaspace, 78 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel. 203-7309642. Yogaspace-CT.com.

Divine Feminine and Enhancing Intuition –

6-8pm. This Class at the Bell and Raven, will discuss how the divine feminine is part of the principle of the Universe. Learn about ancestral beliefs, consciously creating and enhancing your intuitive gifts. Meditation and clearing beliefs with theta healing. This is an interative and fun workshop. Call shop to book. $50. 926 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. 860-413-2757. TheBellAndRaven.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

Holy Fire Reiki 2 Certification Training – 10am5pm. Online via Zoom with Gail Christie, Holy Fire Usui, Karuna and World Peace Reiki Master. Deepen your connection to Reiki, learn the Level 2 symbols and practice giving a complete Reiki session. Receive a Reiki 2 attunement, manual, course materials and a certificate. $275. Joyful Living Reiki. $275. 203-979-0918. JoyfulLivingReiki.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

Vocal Toning Circle – 6:30-8pm. Learn to use your own voice to clear your body, mind, and soul of energy that no longer serves you. Feel the power of the group as we make sound for pure joy and healing. Bring a crystal bowl if you have one. More will be provided. $30. RSVP to Bradford at 860-830-5841 or Info@CrystalMusicHealing.com. $30. The Center For Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. 860-707-6210. Tinyurl.com/ March2023Toning.

THURSDAY, MARCH 9

Holy Fire Reiki Circle – 7-8pm. Online via Zoom with Gail Christie. Join us to release anxiety and connect to peace and joy with a Holy Fire meditation and shared Reiki. FREE. No experience needed. Sign up by 5pm on 3/9/23 for logon link. Free. Joyful Living Reiki, Three Lakes Dr, Stamford. 203-979-0918. JoyfulLivingReiki.com. JoyfulLivingReiki.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

Universal White Time Gemstone Healing 1 – 3/11 & 3/12. 10:30am-5:30pm. Learn to heal yourself, others, animals and the environment with the rare and ancient knowledge of Universal White Time Gemstone Healing. Receive an initiation and certification as a Level 1 UWT Gemstone Healing Practitioner. Contact Bradford 860-830-5841, Info@CrystalMusicHealing.com. $475. The Center For Higher Living, 130 Webster Square Rd, Berlin. 860-707-6210. tinyurl.com/UWTG-March2023.

Call

ahead to confirm event

Creative Recovery Playshop

your inner child and artist out to play. Join facilitator Nicole Miale in a day of playful creative expression using art, sound healing, dance/movement, writing and collage/vision boards. Text/call 203981-2451 to register. $149/materials, snacks and drinks. The Ruby Tree, 289 Main St S, Woodbury. 203-586-1655.

TUESDAY, MARCH 14

Learning to Love Your Enemies – 7pm. Join us for a free public talk by Giulia Nesi Tetreau, CSB Sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, Darien. All are welcome. Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien. ChristianScienceCT.org/Darien.

markyourcalendar

MIRROR-GAZING: WRITING FOR FUN AND SELF-DISCOVERY

Wednesday, March 15 • 6-8pm

This 8-week writing group meets by Zoom. Facilitated by writer, coach and former Natural Awakenings publisher Nicole Miale. The group allows participants with writing experience or not to explore writing as a vehicle for creative self-expression. Classes are two hours in length, with at least 40-50 minutes devoted to writing time. Group size limited to 6 people; the cost is $224 per person for the series.

Text/call: 203-981-2451 • NMiale@charter.net.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

Reiki and Guided Meditation – 1-2pm. Online via Zoom with Gail Christie. Join us to release stress and restore balance and joy with a Holy Fire Reiki meditation and shared Reiki. FREE. No experience needed. Sign up by 11am on 3/18 for logon link. Joyful Living Reiki. Free. JoyfulLivingReiki.com.

markyourcalendar

RE-AWAKEN

WELLNESS FAIR!

…Awaken to Your Best Self…

March 19 • 10am to 5pm

Visit our unique Vendors, expert Speakers, intuitive Readers and gifted Healers for a day of education and inspiration!

Awesome new location!

Westchester Marriott 670 White Plains Road (Rte. 119) Tarrytown, NY 10591

AwakenFair.com

Bring a guest for FREE with this CT ad.

SUNDAY, MARCH 19

Taste of Spiritual Blooming Zoom Class. – 10am5pm. You’ve had some spiritual experiences but not consistently. Your life is mostly mundane.. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can live life from a place of inspiration. $150. More info: Michael Rosenbaum ACHT, MP, 914-589-3601.

Holy Fire Reiki 2 Certification Training – 10am5pm. In-person with Gail Christie, Holy Fire Usui, Karuna and World Peace Reiki Master. Expand your Reiki energy, learn the Level 2 symbols and practice giving a completeReiki session. Receive a Reiki 2 attunement, manual, course materials and a certificate. $275. Register by 3/12. Joyful Living Reiki, Three Lakes Dr, Stamford. $275. 203-9790918. JoyfulLivingReiki.com.

Spring Holistic Fair: Intuitive Readings and Healings – 11am-5pm. Healers and psychic readers that can help you gain clarity on your life. Carolyn Coleridge will provide Clairvoyant readings and see visions of people’s lives and give insight for growth and healing. Free admission. The Red Barn In Durham, 352 Main St, Durham. 860-358-9195. TheRedBarnInDurham.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

Creative Recovery Playshop – 11am-5pm. Let your inner child and artist out to play! Join facilitator Nicole Miale in a day of playful creative expression using art, sound healing, dance/movement, writing and collage/vision boards. $149 incl materials, snacks and drinks. Text/call 203-981-2451 to register. $149/includes materials, snacks and drinks, Call for location in Washington Depot..

SATURDAY, MARCH 25

Divine Feminine as Wisdom Keeper – 2-4pm. Learn about the importance of the Divine feminine in the Aquarian Age, which is now. Come join the teaching, meditation and healing of intuitive blocks in women. $35. The Red Barn In Durham, 352 Main St, Durham. 860-358-9195. TheRedBarnInDurham. com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

Pranayama (Yogic Breath Work) – 1:30-3:30pm. Exploration of breathing techniques and the sound elements of chanting. If you wish to just listen and not chant that is ok. The only side effects of this workshop is a calm and relaxed body and mind. $39. Yogaspace, 78 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel. 203-7309642. Yogaspace-CT.com.

markyourcalendar

GIVE LOCAL GREATER WATERBURY AND LITCHFIELD HILLS

7am April 25 to 7pm April 26

Join us in celebrating Give Local’s 10th Anniversary! This 36-hour online campaign unites donors, businesses, and local charities to provide much-needed support for our community. Give Local has raised $11 million since its inception and has supported nearly 300 local nonprofit organizations.

GiveLocalCCF.org • GiveLocal@ConnCF.org

203-753-1315

34 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties
eNaturalAwakenings.com

ongoing events

sunday

Online Meditation Practice Session – 10-11am. Online meditation practice sessions and Dharma talks using Zoom. All levels welcome. No formal charge. By donation. Center for Mindfulness & Insight Meditation, 9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding. 203-244-3130. ReddingMeditation.org.

tuesday

White Time Healing Circle – 6-8:30pm. Second Tuesday. Facilitated by Bradford Tilden. All are welcome to participate in this exclusive round-robin style healing circle featuring White Time Energy and Gemstone healing. $30. Center For Higher Living, 130 Webster Square, Berlin. Pre-registration required. Bradford: 860-830-5841, Info@CrystalMusicHealing.com. tinyurl.com/WhiteTimeCircle.

wednesday

Kundalini RISE Class at NAAD Center – 9-10am. Taught by NAAD Founder Catherine Polisi Jones draws from ancient technologies and practices. All levels and ages are welcome. Please bring a water bottle and wear workout or yoga clothing. Yoga mats, meditation cushions and yoga blocks are available at the

markyourcalendar

ALBERTSON MEMORIAL CHURCH

ALL WORKSHOPS ARE VIRTUAL

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPIRITUAL CONCEPTS with Rev. Linda O’Connor

March 12 • 1-3pm • $30

POWER OF POSITIVITY with Jennifer Goldhaber

March 26 • 1-3pm • $30

SPIRITUAL MEDIUMSHIP COURSE with Rev. Liz Hoy & Rev. Kathleen James Mondays in March & April 3rd • 7-9pm

$100 for 5-week Modules

Small classes – Contact us for details

ONGOING EVENTS

WEEKLY SERVICE

Every Sunday • 11am-12pm

CHILDREN’S LYCEUM

Third Sunday • 10-10:45am

SPIRITUAL HEALING SERVICE

Third Thursday • 7-8pm

To register contact: AlbertsonPCC@gmail.com

Cancelled events will be posted on our website

Albertson Memorial Church

293 Sound Beach Ave

Old Greenwich, CT • 203-637-4615

Email: Info@AlbertsonChurch.org

Website: AlbertsonChurch.org

center. $45/per person. NAAD Center, 62 Woodbine Way, Stamford. 929-255-4362. NAADCenter.com.

Online Meditation Practice Session – 7-8pm. Online meditation practice sessions and Dharma talks using Zoom. All levels welcome. No formal charge. By donation. Center for Mindfulness & Insight Meditation, 9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding. 203-244-3130. ReddingMeditation.org.

thursday

Sound Yoga (Online) – 11am-12pm. With Barbara Soares, yoga/vocal yoga teacher and Reiki Master will help students explore the power of sound to relax, inspire, and listen deeply. Learn and practice humming, deep listening, and medicine melodies to improve wellness and reduce stress. Students should bring a yoga mat and wear loose, comfortable clothes. $50/5 sessions. Tinyurl.com/SoundYogaBobbi.

Gentle Yoga for Adults – 6-6:45pm. For those new to yoga or looking for moving, reflective relaxation. Gentle Flow yoga has slower paced movements united with breathing exercises to ease stress. While focusing on alignment, we will practice moving our bodies to increase flexibility and balance. $75. Baldwin Center, 1000 W Broad St, Stratford. TownOfStratford.RecDesk.com.

Sound Healing Meditation – 6-7pm. First, third and fifth Thursday. Join Bradford Tilden for a deeply restorative and activating Sound Healing Meditation. He creates powerful sonic transmissions with his voice and crystal bowls. Please Bring your own blanket, chair or yoga mat to sit on. Register via eventbrite: tinyurl.com/BridgeSoundBrad. Walkins welcome. $20-$35. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-404-2578. BridgeHAC.com.

Salty Yin Yoga with Kelly Warters – 6:30-7:30pm. Second Thursday. Join Kelly Warters for this 8 part Chakra Yin Yoga Series. You may attend one of the classes or sign up for all 8 for maximum healing benefits + a discount. $37.22. Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness, 374 New Haven Ave, Milford. 203-283-5968. ReviveSaltTherapy.as.me.

Teen Yoga – 7:15-8pm. Life as a teenager has many stressful challenges. This relaxing class will introduce basic yoga poses to help improve strength, balance, and flexibility. We will also develop “quiet mind” meditations for emotional balance, self-awareness with deep breathing. $75. Baldwin Center, 1000 W Broad St, Stratford. TownOfStratford.RecDesk.com.

markyourcalendar

NEW AGE FAIR

Sunday, April 30 • 11am-5pm

Come experience a Day of Creative & Spiritual Enlightenment! Crystals, Oils, Singing Bowls, Reiki Healings, Health & Wellness, Intuitive Readers… Angel Cards, Books, Past Life, Astrology, Handcrafted Jewelry, Candles, Soaps… and more. Free Admission. Masks can be removed. Waterbury VFW • Baldwin St • Rt 8, Exit 29 For more information: Tinyurl.com/NewAgeFair2023 Cryours87@yahoo.com

friday

Reiki 1st Degree Workshop: Online or In-Person – 10am-5pm. First Friday. With Gigi Benanti, Reiki Master/Teacher (24 years). Learn Reiki 1st Level (Western Style). Learn how to use Reiki for healing. Two manuals and certificate included. Zoom link will be given with e-mail and payment. Please call to register. Also held on the first Saturday. No drop-ins. $135. Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk. 203-852-1150. AngelHealReiki.com.

Friday Night fun Networking at Yoga for Everybody – 6:30-8pm. First Friday. Each month will feature a fun activity designed to enhance getting to know one another in interesting ways and nurture our community. RSVP to Beth Leas at 203-8569566 (call/text) or TLCBethLeas@gmail.com. Free. Yoga for Everybody, 85 Mill Plain Rd, 3rd Floor, Fairfield. 203-254-9642. Yoga4Everybody.net.

Monthly Yoga Mom’s Night Out – 7-9pm. Second Friday. Join us for an evening that’s all about reclaiming you time. Calm your mind and body with candlelight yoga, a few other experiences. Space is limited to 16 moms, so please pre-register. $40. Come with a friend and get a special gift. $40. Yoga for Everybody, 85 Mill Plain Rd, 3rd Floor, Fairfield. 203-254-9642. Yoga4Everybody.net.

saturday

Saturday Dharma and Morning Meditation – 7:308:15am. Discuss various works on topics such as selfstudy, meditation, self-improvement, mindfulness, joy and much more. Discussion will be followed by 30-minute guided meditation. Proceeds donated to our charity of the month. $10/cash. Yoga Culture, 105 Mill Plain Rd, Danbury. 203-730-0250. WeAreYogaCulture.com.

Align with Source – 10:30am-12:15pm. A Spiritual Empowerment meeting via Zoom. Comprises a talk, inter-action and a guided meditation. Request Zoom invite by emailing AlignWithSource@gmail. com. By donation.

In-Person Meditation Practice Session – 10-11:30am. Limited in-person meditation practice. All levels welcome. If it’s your first time, please let someone know so that we can provide a brief introduction. Must register online. Donations encouraged. Center for Mindfulness & Insight Meditation, 9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding. 203-244-3130. ReddingMeditation.org.

Reiki Second Degree Workshop: Online or In-Person – 10am-5pm. Fifth Saturday. With Gigi Benanti, Reiki Master/Teacher (24 years). Learn Reiki Level 2 (Western Style). Learn how to send reiki distance healing, deepen your use of Reiki for yourself and others and more. Two manuals and certificate included. Also held on the last Friday. No drop-ins. $225. Angelic Healing Center, 7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk. 203-852-1150. AngelHealReiki.com.

Eyesofwings Soulcial in the Garden – 1-5pm. Our mission is to provide accessible and reasonably priced Healing Arts services and products to facilitate people in their self-healing. $22. Carmelina’s Garden, 172 Welton St, Hamden. 203-589-4614. Eyesofwings.live.

35 March 2023

community resource guide

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

AMPCOIL CENTER

AMPCOIL

Freddie Kimmel, Product Expert 95 Cross Hwy, Redding 833-267-2645

Freddie@AmpCoil.com • AmpCoil.com

Extraordinary Wellness!

AmpCoil is an extraordinary system that delivers sound frequencies through PEMF to harmonize, balance, and support you on your journey to wellness.

90% of AmpCoil’s most active users reported that AmpCoil has been instrumental to their personal wellness, and over 55% reported that they experience relief from symptoms related to Lyme or other chronic conditions.

AYURVEDA

NEERU KAUSHIK, ND, MS ACU, MS, MA Institute for Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Therapies

805 Kings Highway East, Fairfield 203-331-9111

DrKaushik@AyurvedicInstituteCT.com

AyurvedicInstituteCT.com

A combination of Ayurveda and Naturopathy is used to create a unique treatment plan to regain and maintain health. Based on one’s particular body constitution (dosha), a plan may include supplements, diet/ nutrition suggestions, lifestyle management, detoxification, hydrotherapy, 0zone therapy, Panchakarma. See ad, page 9.

BREAST THERMOGRAPHY

SOPHIA NATURAL HEALTH CENTER

Ken Hoffman, DACM, LAc, Medical Director 31 Old Rte 7, Brookfield

203-740-9300

INM.Center

Women’s Health: hormonal balancing, breast cancer prevention. Breast and full body thermography screening. Screening and treatment of chronic inflammation using medical infrared thermography (MIT). Safe, painless and non-invasive, thermography can detect early changes in breast tissue up to eight years before a mammogram. FDA-registered, our high-definition camera is the most advanced in the region.

CAREER COACH / HYPNOTIST

THEA LITSIOS

Certified Career Coach

Hypnotist, & Teacher of Active Dreaming

TheaLitsios.com

203-693-1493

I help you clear away subconscious blocks and use intuition to discover your unique gifts. My clients create a meaningful career of their dreams that is Soul Centered. When you are ready to have a career that lights you up, call for a free 60-minute consultation. 12+ years experience helping clients connect to their soul. See ad, page 2.

CHIROPRACTIC / NUTRITION

THE HOMESTEAD FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC & WELLNESS

Dr. Annamarie Nardini, DC & Dr. Matthew Nardini, DC 433 Boston Post Rd, Darien 203-244-8544

Info@TheHomesteadChiropractic.com TheHomesteadChiropractic.com

Drs. Anna and Matt Nardini are dedicated to helping you reclaim your health. With specialized training for pediatrics and pregnancy, they provide gentle, safe, and effective chiropractic care for the entire family. Drs. Nardini also provide you with personalized nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise recommendations to get you functioning your best!

DENTISTRY

DR. CHRISTINE SKORDELES Hygiene Centers of America 5 Edgewood Ave, Greenwich 203-661-1113 • Info@DrSkordeles.com DrSkordeles.com

Dr. Christine Skordeles launched her office as a Cosmetic Digital Technology Dentist for the past 20 plus years in Midtown Manhattan and is now open in Greenwich. Dr. Skordeles has a commitment to new research, which is constantly evolving and changing dentistry. She is a graduate of Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine. See ad, page 4.

EDUCATION

EMBODY THE SACRED

Deana Paqua, MA, LMT

Ridgefield and New Milford

Deana.Paqua@gmail.com

EmbodyTheSacred.net

Offering classes, training programs, healing sessions and mentoring in cross-cultural energy medicine and contemporary shamanism for healers, spiritual seekers and the energy sensitive. Learn self-healing, self-empowerment and trauma transformation through the sacred.

ENERGY HEALING

BETH LEAS

Transformative Healing • Tarot

Virtual and In-Person Sessions

203-856-9566 • BethLeas.com

If not now, when? Inspire change on all levels—greater physical ease, emotional freedom, peace of mind and spiritual connection. 30+ years of intuitive healing experience with adults and children of all ages. Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Tarot. See ad, page 2.

ESSENTIAL OILS

WAYNE LEISS, LMT, CAO

49 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel

203-994-1207 • Wayne@WayneLeiss.com

WayneLeiss.com

Essential oils address stress reduction, support the natural functioning of body systems and can enhance overall well-being. They are used in topical, internal and aromatic applications. Improve physically, emotionally and spiritually as Wayne teaches you about the benefits and uses of massage with natural and pure dōTERRA Essential Oils. See ad, page 2.

HEALING SPA

REVIVE SALT THERAPY & WELLNESS

374 New Haven Ave, Milford

203-283-5968

Hello@ReviveSaltTherapy.com

ReviveSaltTherapy.com

A Holistic Healing Spa for Body, Mind, and Soul. We offer Halotherapy/Salt Therapy, Infrared Sauna, Reiki, Quantum Healing, Massage Therapy, Sound Healing, Yoga, and Wellness plus a Crystal Shop. We offer unique and potent products and services to accelerate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. See ad, page 2.

36 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com

HEALTH COACH

HEATHER B. HABELKA, NBC-HWC

National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach

TheHealthfulKitchen.com

I’m Heather, National Board Certified Health Coach and Creator of The Healthful Kitchen. I provide members of The Healthful Kitchen community with weekly recipes and YouTube videos, and FREE monthly cooking classes. Visit TheHealthfulKitchen.com to join. Membership is FREE!

HOLISTIC

FAMILY

MEDICINE

DOMENICK J MASIELLO, DO, DHT, C-SPOMM

90 Grove St, Ste 206, Ridgefield 212-688-4818

Contact@DrMasiello.com

DrMasiello.com

Dr. Masiello is a classical homeopath and a cranial osteopath. Dr. Masiello provides in-person visits for patients in the NYC metro area and multiple counties in southeastern NY and southwestern CT. He also provides telemedicine services. He is board certified in Homeopathy and Osteopathic Manipulation. He treats adults and children of all ages.

INTEGRATIVE NATURAL MEDICINE

SOPHIA NATURAL HEALTH CENTER

Ken Hoffman, DACM, LAc, Medical Director 31 Old Rte 7, Brookfield 203-740-9300

INM.Center

Using naturopathic and Chinese medical principles, we get to the source of your health concerns. Diagnostic methods include functional testing such as advanced bloodwork analysis, cardiovascular testing, hormone evaluation and thermography. Our customized treatment program includes acupuncture, herbal and nutritional medicine, diet and lifestyle counseling and more. Most insurance accepted.

INTEGRATIVE OPTOMETRY

EYECARE ASSOCIATES, PC

Dr. Randy Schulman, MS, OD, FCOVD

Dr. Jason Grygier

Dr. Diana Ngo

Dr. Justin Rapp

Dr. Sonia Singh

Dr. Magy Tepliz

Locations:

6515 Main St, Trumbull • 203-374-2020

444 Westport Ave, Norwalk • 203-840-1991

2600 Post Rd, Southport • 203-255-4005

1425 Bedford St, 1M, Stamford • 203-357-0204

CTEyecareAssociates.com

We offer behavioral optometry, comprehensive vision exams, contact lenses and vision therapy. Call to schedule your appointment today.

LIFE COACHING

CHANNELING YOUR WISDOM COACHING

Lynda Mettler, ACC Transformation Coach & Reiki Master 203-623-6066

Lynda@YourWisdomCoaching.com

YourWisdomCoaching.com

Does negative thinking hold you back? Break through old thought patterns and connect with your genuine self. Combining the powerful approaches of IFS Parts Work, mediation and life coaching, you will rediscover your true desires and unleash your confidence, creativity, and self-compassion. You will gain the insight, see your life clearly, and the courage to make changes that suit you. Don’t stay stuck a moment longer.

MEDITATION

CENTER FOR MINDFULNESS & INSIGHT MEDITATION

9 Picketts Ridge Rd, West Redding 203-244-3130

ReddingMeditation.org

We teach and practice Mahasati meditation. Mahasati meditation cultivates selfawareness through attention to the movement of the body and, at more advanced levels, to the movement of the mind. No prior meditating experience is necessary. Ongoing weekly meditation classes, retreats and events. Please check monthly event calendar or visit ReddingMeditation.org for updated information.

METAPHYSICAL ARTIST

HUMMINGBIRD SOUND YOGA LLC

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares

Merryall, New Milford 860-946-9470

BSoares@LightOfTheNewMoon.com

HummingbirdSoundYoga.com

Facebook @HummingbirdSoundYoga

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares, MA, CYT, is a metaphysical artist, photographer and musician available for performances, concerts and ceremonies. Bobbi’s band Hummingbird and Friends is well- known for their eclectic blend of chants, jazz, blues, reggae and country. As a solo performer/ poet & singer, her influences include John Cage, Sun Ra & Laurie Anderson. Her artwork can be viewed at Gallery 25 in New Milford and online. She studied improvisation with Bobby McFerrin, vocal yoga with Heather Lyle, and sound healing with Silvia Nakkach, John Beaulieu and Don Conreaux See ad, page 20.

METAPHYSICAL STORE

THE ANGEL COOPERATIVE

51 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte. 7), Ridgefield 203-431-2959

TheAngelCoop.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

The Angel Cooperative is a unique lifestyle boutique featuring the first and only Shungite Room in the USA. Wide selection of crystals, jewelry, candles, essential oils, divination tools, spiritual gifts, statuary, oracle decks and tarot and home décor. Available in The Shungite Room: readings, Reiki, meditation, sound therapy, energy work, workshops, and special events. See ad, page 11.

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN

HEALTHFUL HARMONY

Dr. Amy Wiesner

91 East Ave, Second Floor, Norwalk 203-962-5887

DrAmyWiesner@gmail.com

HealthfulHarmony.com

Dr. Wiesner, practicing for almost 20 years, uses acupuncture, lifestyle medicine, nutritional supplementation and homeopathy to help her patients achieve health and well-being. Infertility, Diabetes, Stress, Pain, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Allergies, Headaches, Cardiovascular Disease, Lyme Disease, Menstrual Disorders, other imbalances.

37 March 2023
FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT & MUCH MORE Facebook @NaturalAwakeningsFairfieldCounty • Instagram @Natural_Awakenings_Fairfield Visit us online to subscribe to our eNewsletter at eNaturalAwakenings.com

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN

NEERU KAUSHIK, ND, MS ACU, MS, MA Institute for Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Therapies

805 Kings Highway East, Fairfield 203-331-9111

DrKaushik@AyurvedicInstituteCT.com

A combination of Ayurveda and Naturopathy is used to create a unique treatment plan to regain and maintain health. Based on one’s particular body constitution (dosha), a plan may include supplements, diet/nutrition suggestions, lifestyle management, detoxification, hydrotherapy, 0zone therapy, Panchakarma. See ad, page 9.

NICOLE KLUGHERS, ND, PHARMD, MSAC

Vis Wellness Center

Rocky Hill & TeleMedicine Statewide (234) 2-ACU-DOC

DrNicoleKlughers.com

Info@DrNicoleKlughers.com

Dr. Nicole Klughers offers comprehensive naturopathic care to restore optimal health and prevent disease. Dr. Nicole’s “health detective” approach identifies the root cause of symptoms and provides all-natural solutions such as personalized nutrition (food as medicine), herbal medicine, nutrient therapies, acupuncture and more. In-depth assessment is often done with detailed testing of vitamins/ minerals, hormones, advanced cardiovascular markers, inflammation, food sensitivities, gut/ microbiome and more. See ad, page 29.

NUTRITION

OFFICE OF DR. MICHAEL WALD

29 King St, 2nd Fl, Chappaqua NY 10514 914-552-1442

Info@BloodDetective.com

DrMichaelWald.com

#BloodDetective

Dr Wald is a holistic DC, Nutritionist, and Dietician whose Blood Detective software, labs and detailed consult help get to the cause(s) of persistent health issues. Conditions include autoimmune, weight loss, anti-aging, cancer, GI issues, depression, and more. See ad, page 5.

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY COACH

CONNECT2FLOURISH, LLC

Andrea Garin Kopilak 917-583-3218

Andrea@C2FCoach.com

Connect2FlourishCoaching.com

As the Founder of Connect2Flourish, I use a coaching process grounded in the science of positive psychology and awareness coaching to help empower clients to utilize their strengths, so that they can build resilience, make important connections, and choose what flourishing looks like for them. Explore coaching with a 45-minute complimentary session by emailing Andrea@c2fcoach.com.

PSYCHOTHERAPY

NANCY S. SCHERLONG, LCSW, PTR, CM Coaching/Psychotherapy/Consulting Offices in Norwalk and Ridgefield 914-572-3167

WellnessMetaphors.com

Manage stress with relaxation techniques. Rediscover your creativity through writing and the expressive arts. Resolve trauma with EMDR, IFS or SE. Or book an experiential workshop! Nancy has over 20 years of experience with children, families, groups, adults and corporate wellness programs. See ad, page 19.

REIKI

GIGI BENANTI, USUI REIKI MASTER

Angelic Healing Center

7 Morgan Ave, Norwalk 203-852-1150

AngelHealReiki.com

Gigi is an experienced Reiki Master/Teacher. She offers all levels of Reiki training monthly. All classes and Reiki sessions include the latest techniques including Karuna, Angelic and Jikiden Reiki.

JOYFUL LIVING REIKI LLC

Gail Christie, Holy Fire Reiki Master Stamford and Mt Kisco, NY 203-979-0918

JoyfulLivingReiki.com

Gail will help balance your energy and help you reach a whole new level of healing with Holy Fire Reiki. She offers gently powerful Holy Fire healing sessions, Reiki-infused meditations and Usui/Holy Fire and Karuna Reiki certification classes.

See ad, page 2.

TURNING POINT REIKI LLC

JoAnn Inserra Duncan, MS, RMT

100B Danbury Rd, Ste 101, Ridgefield 203-438-3050

TurningPointReiki.com

JoAnn uses intuition, experience and a deep spiritual connection in her Reiki, IET and Reconnective Healing sessions. Specializing in care for individuals with cancer, back pain, Lyme disease and other tick borne illnesses. All Reiki levels taught.

SALT HEALING THERAPY WELLNESS CENTER

SALT OF THE EARTH THERAPEUTIC SPA

787 Main St, S Woodbury 203-586-1172

NaturalSaltHealing.com

Combining an array of natural therapies that have been used since ancient times with today’s technology, Salt of the Earth Spa provides a sanctuary for deep transformations, healing and grounding for Mind, Body and Spirit. See ad, page 11.

THE SHUNGITE ROOM

THE ANGEL COOPERATIVE

The Angel Cooperative

51 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte. 7), Ridgefield 203-431-2959

TheAngelCoop.com

The first and only Shungite Room in the USA. Shungite is the only natural material known to contain fullerenes, a naturally occurring antioxidant. Shungite is believed to have active metaphysical properties with strong healing powers. The Shungite Room hosts readings, Reiki, meditation, sound therapy, energy work, workshops, and special events. The public is welcome to enjoy the room at no charge when the room is not in use. See ad, page 11.

38 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com
.

SOUND HEALING

HUMMINGBIRD SOUND YOGA LLC

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares

Merryall, New Milford

860-946-9470

BSoares@LightOfTheNewMoon.com

HummingbirdSoundYoga.com

Facebook @HummingbirdSoundYoga

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares, MA, CYT, is a sound yoga and vocal yoga teacher, blues/jazz singer, and Reiki master, certified in several modalities of energy and sound healing. She offers Hummingbird

Sound Yoga and sound healing immersions for groups and private sessions. Using earth, dance and symphonic gongs, bowls, tuning forks and humming-for-health meditations, her goal is to help individuals experience becoming “one with sound” to promote a deep relaxation response that balances energy and encourages healing. See ad, page 20.

TRANSFORMATIVE HEALING

KATIE AUGUSTYN, MA, CPC

Transformation Coach, Shamanic Healer

203-820-3800

TransformationCenterCT@gmail.com

TransformationCenterCT.com

Katie will assist you in reaching your true potential and heal what has been holding you back. You will experience real self-acceptance and start to live in alignment with who you truly are so you can create a life you love, a life of meaning and purpose. See ad, page 2.

UNIVERSAL WHITE TIME, CRYSTAL & SOUND HEALING

CRYSTAL MUSIC HEALING

Bradford Tilden, MM, CMT, UWT Remote: Phone or Zoom 860-830-5841 • Info@CrystalMusicHealing.com

CrystalMusicHealing.com

My goal is to empower you to develop spiritually and professionally. I offer UWT energy and gemstone healing with guided visualization for spiritual healing and self-actualization, and transformational voice activation coaching sessions. I teach certification classes in Universal White Time (UWT), Lemurian Intuitive (LSINH), Crystal, and Sound Healing. I use these techniques, and more to help you to obtain authentic expression, empowerment, and transformation. You can purchase personally attuned crystals and gemstones through me. My clients and students gain a renewed clarity and a sense of purpose as they perceive their truth and remove blockages that distort their perception. Contact me for a free 30 minute consultation. See ad, page 29.

WELLNESS CENTER

THE ANGEL WING, A DIVINE SPIRITUAL CENTER

Located next door to The Angel Cooperative 49 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte. 7), Ridgefield 203-431-2959

TheAngelCoop.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

SALT CAVE OF DARIEN

555 Post Rd, Darien 203-658-7667

Info@SaltCaveofDarien.com

SaltCaveofDarien.com

Our wellness destination offers an oasis of peace, calm and serenity. Whether you want to release stress, address a health challenge, or gather with friends and family, the Cave is inviting, warm and soothing. Check out our website for the many different ways to experience the benefits of our healing salt! See ad, page 2.

YOGA

HUMMINGBIRD SOUND YOGA LLC

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares

Merryall, New Milford

860-946-9470

BSoares@LightOfTheNewMoon.com

HummingbirdSoundYoga.com

Facebook @HummingbirdSoundYoga

Barbara (Bobbi) Soares, MA, CYT, is a sound yoga and vocal yoga teacher, blues/jazz singer, and Reiki master, certified in several modalities of energy and sound healing. She offers Hummingbird Sound Yoga and sound healing immersions for groups and private sessions. Her goal is to help individuals experience becoming “one with sound” to promote a deep relaxation response that balances energy and encourages healing. See ad, page 20.

BETH LEAS

Transformative Healing • Tarot

Virtual and In-Person Sessions

203-856-9566

BethLeas.com

If not now, when? Inspire change on all levels—greater physical ease, emotional freedom, peace of mind and spiritual connection. 30+ years of intuitive healing experience with adults and children of all ages.

Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Tarot. See ad, page 2.

The Angel Wing is next door to The Angel Cooperative. It has a large yoga room and private treatment room. The Angel Wing hosts workshops, retreats, readings, energy work sessions, Reiki and Reiki Certification classes, massage, sound and gong baths, guided meditations, acupuncture, and yoga classes and yoga teacher training. It is also available to rent on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. Optional rental spaces include a large open room and/or an intimate private room with massage/Reiki table. See ad, page 11.

HAUTE HEALING OASIS

Jessica & Peter Chichester

792 Pacific St, Stamford 203-595-5304

Info@HauteHealingOasis.com

HauteHealingOasis.com

HHO is your feel-great place! A 3,500-square-foot wellness spa and healing center featuring over a dozen wellness services in a caring feng shui inspired atmosphere. If you need relaxation, detoxification, body contouring or rehabilitation services, then you should check them out. See ads, pages 7 and 28.

YOGA STUDIO & WELLNESS CENTER

YOGA FOR EVERYBODY

Ingrid Prueher

85 Mill Plain Rd, 3rd Flr, Fairfield 203-254-YOGA (9642)

Info@Yoga4Everybody.net

Yoga4Everybody.net

A serene yoga studio placed in the heart of downtown Fairfield at the Sportsplex where you can experience yoga, meditation, and aerial classes in-person, online or via video-on-demand. There are also a variety of workshops and trainings that you can attend: Drum Circles, Gong, Reiki Trainings, Wim Hof Method and Yoga Teacher Training in the heart of Fairfield, CT. Also available: Thermography, Reiki, Massage Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Tarot, and Shamanic Therapy private sessions. See ad, page 2.

39 March 2023
40 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties eNaturalAwakenings.com ATTENTION LOCAL BUSINESSES! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to reach more than 40,000 Natural Awakenings readers all year long. Attract new customers and increase your business with our cost-efficient advertising, in print and online. 203-885-4674 calendly.com/ericana Erica@eNaturalAwakenings.com COMING IN APRIL NATURAL LIVING DIRECTORY 2023 Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties YOUR HEALTHY LIVING, HEALTHY PLANET RESOURCE GUIDE GUIDE Participate for as low as $125. Directory Listings, Wellness Dream Team Profiles, Business Spotlights and much more. Final Deadline March 15 Inquire Today about Directory Packages & Specials Wellness Dream Team Profiles, Community Resource Guide Listings and Advertising Space Available.
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