Columbus Polarity Center
for
Integrative Health and Wellness

Healthy Tidbits

Lavendar Heals

Are you aware of the incredible benefits of Lavender? Lavender is used in aromatherapy to help you immediately relax and it is also a very effective healing herb!

You can use the leaves, flowers and seeds of Lavender. Oil is made from the seeds of Lavender and the oil is the best way to use Lavender.

History of Lavender

• Used in many cultures to banish evil spirits and protect newborn babies.
• Considered a sacred scent in many religions.
• Originated in the Mediterranean Mountains and used extensively by both the Greeks and the Romans in their baths, oils and for medicinal purposes.

Benefits of Lavender

• Helps to kill bacteria and viruses besides fighting fungal infections.
• Lavender applied topically us useful in healing burns, damaged skin, swelling, wounds, reduces inflammation, fights skin infections, and is of course, great for massages!
• Lavendar has been known to regulate moods, elevate depression and create a sense of emotional well-being.

How To Use Lavender

• Relax in a bathtub with 8-10 drops of lavender oil.
• Rub the oil on your temples or back of the neck for headaches.
• Put the dried flowers of the Lavender plant in a cloth bag and put under your pillow or on your nightstand for a good night’s sleep.
• Keep Lavender handy for cuts and burns.
• Soak a cloth in Lavender oil diluted in water and place it on a sore area of the body.
• Lavender is good for facial blemishes and acne.
• Put Lavender oil in your pet’s bedding to keep flies away!!

NEWSFLASH: Eat Cilantro!

Start chopping fresh Cilantro and add it to your salads, salsa and soups! Cilantro contains anti-bacterial compounds that fight salmonella (a bacteria that causes food poisoning). Cilantro also improves your immune system.

Reference: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry June 2004. www.RealAge.com

Remember Magnesium: Need 400-800MG Per Day and Best To Take At Bedtime

Benefits of Magnesium

• Muscle Spasms.
• Helps with blood pressure.
• Pain control.
• Helps with repairing nervous system.
• Important in preventing osteoporosis.
• Improves heart and cardiovascular health.

Sources of magnesium are green vegetables, dark chocolate, nuts/seeds and all grains.

Attention Women: Folic Acid For A Healthy Heart

Take 500 Milligrams of Folic Acid A Day!

• Folic acid will cut your homocysteine levels as much as 25%.
• High homocysteine can triple the risk of heart Disease.
• Homocysteine is an amino acid that is damaging to artery walls.
• Let’s not wait; something as simple as adding folic acid supplements can save your life.

Reference: Susan M. Lark, M.D.

Teflon Is Toxic!

An independent advisory panel to the EPA has advised that Teflon and other non-stick and stain-resistant chemicals are "likely " carcinogens. The letter below is printed from the Ohio Citizen Action Campaign for February 2006.

In the past few weeks the USEPA and vari0us companies, including DuPont, have announced a phase out of Teflon chemicals. That includes phasing out the production and release of the chemicals (also known as c8 or PFOAs) as well as their presence in food packaging. These chemicals have been deemed as likely to cause cancer. John Hopkins University is studying the chemical effects on newborns. Their research has shown that 298 of the 300 newborns tested have Teflon chemicals in their bodies.

We all had a hand in encouraging the companies to get these chemicals off the shelf and out of our bodies. Ohio Citizen Action was one of the few organizations to highlight food packaging as a primary way these Teflon chemicals are getting into our bodies. Our friends at Environmental Working Group helped to expose the problems with c8 in the first place.

This is a huge victory for all of us. However, the phase out is scheduled to take up to 10 years, which means that companies will choose their priorities. Please send a quick email to Kroger and Wal-mart asking them to be leaders and help make taking c8 out of our food packaging the top priority.

A Good Message For All Healthcare Practitioners

"Each patient carries his or her own doctor inside. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the Doctor who resides within each patient a chance to work."

- Albert Schweitzer, MD

Good Information On How To Unclog Your Arteries

Vitamin E
100-200 IU per day

Vitamin C
100-200 mg per day

Selenium
100-200 mcg per day

Resveratrol
Natural Antioxidant Found In Red Wine

Folic Acid
500 – 800 mcg per day

Vitamin B-12
100 – 300 mcg per day

Psyllium
10-20 grams powdered psyllium seeds one to three times per day

Garlic
900 mg per day
(standardized for allicin)

Guggul
25 mg guggulsterones three times per day

Gingko
120-160 mg per day
(standardized extract)

Reference: Bassett’s Terra Maxa, Toledo, OH.

For product information check our online store at www.columbuspolarity.com

Walk For Your Life

According to Blue Cross/Blue Shield we could save billions in healthcare costs if we could just get Americans on their feet. Many people don’t realize that merely walking 10,000 steps per day can help them lose weight, lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack!!

Reference: Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association

Acid Vs. Alkaline: An Important Factor!!
Health is Optimal When Your System is Alkaline Need To Balance Acids In Your System

An Acid-Base Diet Our bodies’ metabolism produces acids and bases depending on what we eat. Both are important for our well-being and our appearance. However, excess acids must be avoided. And for this reason, 80 percent of our diet should include base and neutral foods. Among these base-heavy or neutral foods are:

• Potatoes
• Fresh Fruits
• Lean Fish
• Salad
• Steamed Vegetables
• Whole-wheat bread

The amount of acidic or acidized food in your diet should not exceed 20 percent. Examples of Acid-producing food include:

• Meat
• Heavily salted and fatty foods
• Dairy Products
• Sweets

These foods produce excess acids in our bodies. Overdoses of coffee and alcohol also cause valuable nutrients and minerals to wash away from the body – the first step toward flabby skin. In contrast, two to three liters of low sodium water and herbal teas wash away acidic metabolic products and will return your body to a healthy acid-alkaline balance.

*Drinking something Green each Day will help with Alkaline Balance: Liquid Chlorophyll, Barley Greens, Wheat Grass or Spirulina.

Reference: www.niveausa.com

Mind, Body, Spirit

Let’s Meditate

This is the second of our new section called "Mind, Body, Spirit" which will focus on a meditation or visualization per month. It is intended to give the reader a choice of meditation techniques to help with stress reduction and disease prevention. Please try these meditations daily to see how they work for you. Always start with some controlled breathing (see breathing section of last month’s newsletter). Please remember how healing it is to meditate. For more information on meditation and visualization classes email maryjo@columbuspolarity.com

MAY MEDITATION: Meditation for Release and Rejoice

What It Will Do For You

This meditation is to help you relax and rejoice. It enables you to understand the contrast between working from your ego and working from your inner self. This is a very spacey meditation so practice it when you have nothing to do for a while. Do not drive right after this meditation.

How To Do It

Sit in easy pose (feet crossed at ankles) with a straight spine but be relaxed in the position. If it is more comfortable for you, sit on a straight back chair.

Relax the arms down the sides of the body with the elbows bent. Draw the forearms in toward each other until the hands meet in front of the body. Make a fist of the left hand and stick the thumb down into the middle of the fist. Wrap the right hand around the left fist and place the right thumb over the left fist on top of the base of the left thumb. Elbows are slightly away from your sides (not resting on your sides).

Focus on the tip of the nose. Deeply inhale, and then completely exhale as you chant the following mantra in a monotone:

HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR HAREE HAR (make the sounds sharp, say the words clearly and quickly pumping your navel when you chant the words).

Begin by practicing the mediation for 10-15 minutes and build to 30 minutes. Do this everyday for 10 days straight to see the affect it has on your stress level. Do long breathing before and after the meditation.

Reference: Survival kit, Meditations and Exercise for Stress and Pressure of the Times by Yogi Bhajan, complied by S.S. Vekram Kaur Khalsa, edited by Mary Jo Ruggieri.

Essential Herbs

Ask Charoula

My husband is suffering from gout. He is a meat eater, but drinks a lot of water. What would you suggest? Any information regard this condition would be helpful.

Answer:

Hi, there.

Red meat is a problem but only if it is in excess (more than 20-40% of overall diet). Research does show the following possible causes of gout:

• Any kind of animal protein, coffee, black tea, refined sugars, refined flour, and animal processed fats.
• Alcohol
• Certain medications
• Stress
• Possible injury to the affected part

All of the above cause an excessive amount of uric acid in the system, which then forms crystals that attack the joints.

What To Do

• Reduce the red meat and any of the other factors mentioned above.
• Eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables and all green vegetables, being alkaline in nature, would balance the acidic nature of meat and other mentioned foods. 60% green vegetables and 40% proteins is what is being advised. (See previous alkaline info)
• Add liquid green Chlorophyll to filtered water, one tablespoon to a quart of water to alkalinize blood.
• Take Essential Fatty Acids, like Flaxseed Oil, about a tablespoon or two daily. EFAs are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, and I have seen them reduce pain after a couple of weeks of taking them regularly.
• A high B Complex (100 mg.) and Vitamin C would also be helpful in reducing possible stress, enhancing the immune system and helping digestion.
• Some enzymes, specifically those needed for protein digestion, would be good.

As far as herbs go, there are many supporting joint health. The following are good choices:

• Liver supporting: Devil’s claw, Milk Thistle, Prickly Ash, Barberry, Chaparral and Burdock.
• The liver is our system’s Great Detoxifier, it metabolizes and gets rid of all toxins. If the toxins are excessive, the liver is unable to cope and all other systems suffer, in this case, the joints.
• Blood purifying: Red Clover and Sarsaparilla.
• Anti-inflammatory: White Willow and Meadowsweet. They act like aspiring or ibuprofen. Willow is where aspirin was originally extracted.
• Anti-spasmodic: Black Cohosh—helps with pain.
• Licorice helps with digestion.
• Siberian Ginseng is a toner for the Nervous System, and helps with stress.
• A tincture of these herbs is preferable to a tea, because most of the above herbs do not very good taste! The tincture, diluted in some water or tea, is much more palatable. A tincture also goes straight into the blood, thus acting more quickly.

I hope the above suggestions are helpful.

Charoula

Herbal Education classes to be held Spring 2006. Go to www.OhioInstitute.com and click on current classes for information and to print a flyer.

*For more information on our herbal tinctures, got to www.columbuspolarity.com and click on online herbals.

THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER/PRACTITIONER! INFORMATION IN ANY PART OF THIS NEWSLETTER IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

New Wellness Classes

Energy Movement

Energy dance-fun movement to enhance flexibility and strength. "A Healthy spirit resides in a healthy body." Dance with your spirit. Energy movement works with the 5 basic elements of life, Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

Benefits of Energy Movement:

• Spinal Flexibility
• Joint balance
• Muscle Strength
• Release stress and tension
• Balances the Chakras

Join Irina Tatarintseva, MA, APP who brings this new system of energy dance to us from her studies in the Ukraine. Every Wednesday evening 7:00-8:00 at 1253 N High Street. Parking in rear of building. Cost is $10 per class. All ages welcome and no experience is required. Polarity CEU's available.

Educational Seminars

Join us for two great seminars at Columbus Polarity. Learn how to do Polarity Reflexology on Friday, June 23, 2006. On Saturday, June 24, join us for a day on tuning forks. Please see schedules below.

To register please email Tami Snyder at tami.snyder@columbuspolarity.com and/or call 614-299-9438. The Deadline for registration is Friday, June 17, 2006. CEU's offered for both classes.

New Classes In Holistic Healthcare

At Cuyahoga Community College
Sponsored By The Office of Community Continuing Education
www.tri-c.edu/HHS


VIEW FLYER

Health Freedom Comes to Ohio

Protect your rights as a consumer to choose the type of healthcare you want. For more information please visit our website at www.ohiohealthfreedom.org, call 614-841-7700 or email pampopper@msn.com.

* See the new video on Health Freedom.

ARTICLES

Vegetables for Your Asthma

An estimated 17 million Americans suffer from asthma. Several items can trigger an asthma attack, ranging from dust and pollen to exercise, stress, and certain foods. Just as some foods can cause asthma, a new study has found that some types of food may also be effective in reducing asthma attacks, or even preventing them from occurring.

To find out which foods may influence the risk of asthma, scientists analyzed data on more than 68,000 French women using a food frequency questionnaire that tracked their consumption of 238 different foods. Overall, 3.1 percent of the women reported having asthma.

When the results were broken down by specific foods, the analysis found that women who reported consuming the highest amounts of leafy, green vegetables such as spinach and lettuce were 22 percent less likely to say they had asthma compared to women with the lowest intakes. Women who ate the largest amounts of carrots had a 20 percent decreased risk of asthma, and women eating the most tomatoes had an 18 percent reduced risk. These results were seen even after other factors, such as smoking, weight and caloric intake, were accounted for.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day for overall health. If you suffer from asthma, or if you're just interested in improving your diet, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about ways to increase your intake of carrots, tomatoes and other healthy foods. You'll feel better for it!

Reference: Rome I, Varraso R, Avenel V, et al. Fruit and vegetable intakes and asthma in the E3N study. Thorax March 2006;61(3):209-215.

Submitted by: Candace Corson, M.D. Website: http://www.food4healing.com/

Placebo Effect

If the Medicine of Meditation Heals Diseases, Then Let’s Start Packaging Placebos
by MaryJo Ruggieri

Sitting comfortably, back fully stretched and hands resting softly on your knees- slowly- begin to inhale and exhale through your nose. With Enya playing in the background and a small fountain of water trickling over healing rocks, let your eyes close while relaxing tension in your lower jaw.

Begin to feel your shoulders softening as your breath goes deeper and deeper into your belly. Visualize every part of your body becoming light, airy and free. As you center and focus, allow your thoughts to pass quickly in and out again. Remember a positive, happy experience that is clear and vivid in your mind.

Now you are ready to begin a healing journey. Begin to pinpoint any area of your body internally or externally that seems to be a problem. Focus your breathing into that part of your body and slowly relax with every exhale.

On your next long exhale, imagine a steady stream of white cloud-like mist is moving into your body. As the mist surrounds the area of most concern, mentally repeat to yourself, "By the light of the breath within me, I give myself permission to heal." Continue the soft breath in and out, repeating this affirmation over and over again, until you feel the tension in your body melting away.

If we hooked you up to body function monitors, we would now discover: your heart rate slowed to almost a sleeping pulse; your blood pressure would be lower and your digestion would be more alkaline instead of acid; tightness, tension and pain in your joints or muscle tissue would disappear.

"Imagine being able to rid yourself of a host of medical or psychological maladies without medication - you can," according to Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa and Cameron Stauth, the best-selling authors of books like The Pain Cure and Meditation as Medicine. Each medical meditation, the authors reveal, has a specific physiological effect, targeting afflictions from arthritis to ulcers and cancer.

Khalsa details the unique qualities and clinical applications of what he calls "medical meditation," and how effective it is when practiced in conjunction with conventional or alternative medical treatments: "It activates the healing force within you." Imagine finding the right meditation, yoga set or mantra that would heal your arthritis!

Dr. Joan Borysenko, has also researched the mind/body connection. The pathways, she concludes, through which the mind and emotions affect the power to heal, work simply by strengthening the immunity and other physiological systems. She is an advocate of stress management through mediation.

Medical mediation uses advanced techniques, which Khalsa says consists of several unique attributes:

• Specific breathing patterns
• Specific postures and movements, including exact positioning of the hands and fingers
• Particular mantras, consisting of distinct vibrating sounds
• A unique mental focus

Medical meditation is not just relaxing, it’s a process by which specific mental cures or kyras (exercises) and yoga postures are designed to have an effect on specific problems. Each meditation channels a direct healing energy into the affected areas to create a balance, which will then stimulate the healing centers of the body.

The body has the capacity to regenerate, rejuvenate, repair and respond to any type of trauma by healing. The process of using a system such as medical meditation is an "adjunctive therapy." In other words, it’s the fire that brings the soup to boil or the water that allows the seed to sprout. The mind can heal.

Many researchers, such as Khalsa and Borysenko, describe the phenomenon of mind/body healing as "psychoneuroimmunology." Thoughts, Khalsa says, trigger responses by certain glands such as the hypothalamus and the pituitary. For example, positive, calming thoughts heighten immunity by causing the parasympathetic nervous system to begin its healing process. The more you meditate and reduce stress, the more effective is the healing system.

The mind/body effect upon healing is a bright star in the sky.

According to Khalsa, mind power boosts the healing ability of medicines by an estimated 30 percent, especially when patients believe the medicine they are taking will help them. Conversely, the negative thoughts create harmful effects upon the physical body.

During my presentations on the mind/body effect in healing, I often run into people who believe the positive results we see are only a placebo effect. I quickly respond by saying, "You are absolutely correct." If the result of this placebo effect is healing a disease, then let’s package placebos!

The new millennium will open the door to the wonderful world of mind/body medicine. Meditation, as the newest of medical advances, will soon become a household practice. Sign up for a meditation class or, better yet, be the first one on your block to throw a meditation party.

May the longtime sun shine upon you.