Columbus Polarity Center
for
Integrative Health and Wellness

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Columbus Polarity Center specializes in complementary therapies and holistic healthcare.
There is a wide range of qualified practitioners available for Polarity Therapy, Cranial Sacral, Rolfing, Reiki, Herbal Therapy, Aromatherapy, relaxation massage and Massage Therapy by LMTs. Our practitioners work with an integrative healthcare focus and often will provide the client with various options that will meet their needs. Many of the practitioners work together to provider the best preventive care for the client. Please check our website www.columbuspolarity.com for more details.

Practitioners at Columbus Polarity are not Medical Doctors, Dieticians, or Mental Health practitioners, nor do they diagnose or treat illnesses or prescribe any type of medications. For medical needs consult your physician.

Healthy Tidbits

Fiber and Health

A Bowl Of Bran A Day Is Not Enough!

What Does Fiber Do?

• Lower bad cholesterol levels
• Raise good cholesterol levels
• Help to lose weight
• Prevents cancer
• Strengthen immune function
• Keep your bowels healthy
• Digestive tract health

What is Fiber?

Fiber is the part of the plant foods we do not digest. Fiber is not a nutrient. Fiber have two categories: Insoluble like cellulose and Soluble such as gum and pectin. According to Dr. Decher Weiss NMD, we need both types of fiber every day.

Dr. Weiss suggests that when we eat fiber its bulk fills our stomach and leaves little room for foods containing fat, less unhealthy fat the lower our chances are for developing cancer. He also suggests that when we eat a big bowel of oatmeal, we are unlikely to follow up with fried eggs and bacon.

Higher fiber also reduces the risk of heart attack; eating more fiber can reduce the waist line; studies show eating more fiber can increase your immune system; it makes white blood cells stronger.

Soluble fibers includes: oats, beans, peas, rice bran, citrus, fruits, meat of apple.

Insoluble fiber includes: wheat cereals, rye, barley, cabbage, beets, carrots, sprouts, and apple skin.

Reference: Decher Weiss NMD, Ask The Doctor, www.ATD/online.org

Clean That Liver For Optimal Health

Essiac Tea- Best Kept Secret For Liver Health and Cancer Prevention

2oz of Essiac Tea in 4oz of hot water daily provides a very gentle and effective liver detox. Discovered by Rene Caisse RN 1888-1978 who, as an 88 year old nurse from Bracebridge, Ontario Canada, was working successfully with cancer patients for 50 years with her herbal formula.

Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center had been testing her tea on mice summer of 1974-1976.

The four major herbs in Essiac tea are: Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm and Turkish Rhubarb

Twenty-seven years later after Rene Caisse's passed away (Essiac is Caisse's spelled backwards) researchers are finding incredible results with cancer prevention and Essiac Tea.

For more information, check out Essiac ® International. Tea is available at www.columbuspolarity.com online store

Infrared Saunas

"The Heat You Can Not Beat"

Infrared, also known as radiant heat, a simple form of energy heats objects directly through a process called conversion. Our body receives and radiates infrared waves, which are the safest and most beneficial electromagnetic energy sources available.

Research, especially by the Japanese and Chinese researchers have completed extensive studies on the benefits of infrared therapy as a method of healing. In Germany physicians have used whole-body infrared therapy for over 80 years.

What do these other countries know that we do not?

• Infrared heat increases cardio-vascular conditioning.
• Many medical practitioners make use of infrared radiant heat to treat sprains, strains, bursitis, Peripheral Vascular disease and arthritis.
• Dr. M Nakamura of the O & P medical clinic in Japan reported success of infrared heat for: whiplash, sciatica, menopause, insomnia, acne, and ear disease.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is profoundly affected by infrared saunas.
• Infrared heat increases the extensibility of collagen tissue, decreases joint stiffness, relieves muscle spasm and reduces hypertension.

The Infrared units are small enough to fit into any room in a house; they are easy to maintain and easy to operate. This may be a new commodity in every home as important as your dishwasher or your washers and dryers. Instead of daily anti-inflammatory pills you can jump in your Infrared sauna for 20 minutes.

Read up and study the use of Infrared Sauna's they are incredible. Try it!!

Reference: Health mate Infrared Saunas, Dr. Aaron M. Flickstein (Go toTownsend letter for Doctors and Patients- May 2000)

Fish Oil Helps The Brain Get Smarter
Get Fish Oil

Studies suggest that a form of Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil improves cognitive and behavioral performance.
Summary

• Omega-3 fats are vital for proper brain function
• Studies show children with dyslexia improve dramatically when given an Omega-3 rich fish oil supplement.

Reference: www.mercola.com, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 2005, 82 (2): 281-2955

FYI To Know
Soft Drinks Being Removed From Schools

The American Beverage Association responding to pressure from groups concerned about childhood obesity has recommended limiting the availability of soft drinks in schools. Soft drinks, which contain lost of empty (useless) calories do nothing but pile the weight on our children.

The sad news is that these vending machines in schools pump a lot of money into the schools slush funds.

Check outside of most school gyms or Physical Education Departments and you will find a "pop" machine.

What Irony, fifty jumping jacks and a hard volleyball match then off to the vending machine.

Essential Herbs

Ask Charoula

Dear Charoula,

As soon as my children go back to school, they begin to catch viruses, especially in the upper respiratory tract. They are sneezing and coughing; they get sore throats, headaches, etc. How can we prevent this and what do we do for it herbally speaking?

Answer:

I'd say that part of the problem is a somewhat weakened immune system. It is hard to think of going back to school and the risk of catching germs and viruses when it is hot outside and it is play and vacation time. But the wise thing to do is precisely to look ahead and start building up the system about a month ahead of time.

A tincture of Astralagus and Reishi Mushroom with some Elder Flowers or Berries in it would be a good thing for children. These are understood to be very safe herbs, and they are meant for long-term use. I would suggest starting this regime even at this belated date. Get either a tincture that contains the above herbs or three separate tinctures and mix them together. Give the child about fifteen to twenty drops twice a day, depending on their age.

If a cold or virus has set in already, below is some suggestion of how to confront this situation.

At the very beginning of symptoms, begin giving them Echinacea.

Note: The adult dose is 40 drops every three hours of so for twenty-four hours, reducing after the first day to 40 drops three times a day.

For a child from six to twelve years old, I generally reduce the dosage a little, although the metabolism of a child that age is very fast and whatever they take in usually goes through their system pretty fast. Fifteen to twenty drops is a good dosage for children, but more can be given depending on the weight of the child. The more the weight, the higher you can go with the dose. After 12 years of age, they can go on the adult dosage.
The following tea is good for the Upper Respiratory Tract:

Equal amounts of
Elder flowers
Chamomile flowers
Licorice root
Peppermint leaf

You can purchase the herbs from a reputable health food store, mix equal amounts together ahead of time, and boil 8 oz. Of water and pour over a tablespoon of the mixture, let it sit for half an hour, drain and keep in a glass jar in the refrigerator, Have the child drink half a cup every four hours.

For sore throats, the following is a very good gargle:

1-cup sage tea (prepared as the tea above) with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, pinch of cayenne, some sea salt.

Do this every ½ hour, followed by Throat Coat Tea.

You can buy this tea ready made from Traditional Medicinal. Or you can purchase the herbs below and mix them together in the proportions given. Because these are roots and it is harder to get the proprieties out of them, we need to do a different type of preparation: place two tablespoons of the mixture in two cups of cold water in a saucepan, heat and immerse for half an hour, strain, and serve a quarter of a cup at a time.

1 part wild cherry bark
1 part slippery elm
1 part marshmallow root
3-part fennel
1 part ginger
2 parts licorice
Sweeten with cinnamon, orange peel

Try feeding the children some warm Miso soup to warm up their system. Be sure to give lots of Vitamin C.

For sinus problems, try having them cleanse their noses with a Neti Pot, available at our own shop and other health food stores. It is a fun thing to do and it works like a miracle. Follow the instructions on the box.

Also, get some essential oils of Eucalyptus and Tea Tree boil some water on the stove, drop four or five drops of each in it, and have the child do some deep inhalations. Eucalyptus clears the passages and Tea Tress has strong antiviral and antibiotic properties.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hope this is of help.

Charoula, Herbalist

*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.

Educational Seminar

3 Day Class On Bio Dynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy

• Learn concepts of cranial Sacral Therapy
• Learn skills for effective Cranial/sacral balancing
• Cranial anatomy
• Identify Cranial Sacral pulses
• Integrate Cranial into your work

*Class space limited register early!!!

Please register by calling 614-299-9438 or email Emily. For online registration visit our website at www.columbuspolarity.com

CEU Classes

FEATURING NEW CEU CLASS ON ENERGY MEDICINE AT HOCKING COLLEGE!!!

Date: October 15th and the 29th

Come to beautiful Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio

CEU Course Information

Enclosed you will find information on our Introduction to the Theory and Basic Principles of Polarity Therapy and the Science of Energy Medicine classes.

We are excited because we are now offering professional CEU's for Nursing, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and Activities Professionals!

Holistic Healthcare and Complementary Alternative Medicine is one of the fastest growing professions in medicine today. As a healthcare practitioner, there will be many work related opportunities for you, if you have skills and competencies in this area. We are seeing more job opportunities for healthcare practitioners who have a background in energy work such as Polarity Therapy, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and other Alternative Therapies.

Polarity Therapy is based upon Ayurvedic concepts of healthcare, which is a system gaining wide recognition and being used by medical researchers such as Dr. Deepak Chopra. Polarity/Energy Education gives you detailed information on energy theory, stress management techniques, energetic touch protocols and the integration of systems such polarity reflex points, acupressure points and cranial sacral balancing techniques. It truly is a very integrated and holistic field of study.

The classes meet for two days, see schedule enclosed. Snacks, all materials and a video of the class are included in the registration fee of $300.00 as well as your CEU certificate.

For further information, please go to our website at www.ohioinstitute.com and click on the Ohio Institute or CEU button. Also email us at energy@columbuspolarity.com and/or call our office at 614-299-9438. Registraion is also available online.

* For Hocking College Class on October 15 and 29, please register through Hocking College 1-877-hocking!!

New Class Being Held At Hocking College! Come To Hocking and Get Your CEU's!!!

Hocking College Classes

"Hocking College is an innovative, experienced based college which nurtures learning and learned success!"

Dates- Hocking College:

October 15, 2005
October 29, 2005

* For registration please call 740-753-7120 or 1-877-hocking

Cost: $300.00 for 16 CEU's All Materials and Video included- Some Scholarships Available!

CEU's available for Activities Professionals, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Occupational Therapists and Nurses

*Course registered by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools (Reg.#00-01-1528T)

Dates- Columbus:

*Columbus Classes
October 14, 2005
October 22, 23 2005

* For Registration please call 614-299-9438

Course Schedule

Energy Movement Classes Energy dance- fun movement to enhance flexibility and strength! Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:00 pm Energy Movement works with: Spinal Flexibility Joint Balance Muscle Strength Releasing Pent Up Stress & Tension Balancing the Chakras Fee per class is $10.00 Contact Columbus Polarity at 614-299-9438 to reserve your spot!!

Articles

Nutrition as Protection for the Busy Woman

If you knew…would you add two things to your daily food intake that would make a world of difference for your quality of life and longevity?

There are two big things that would make that kind of difference, for all women:

1. Why GOOD fats? (Are there any good fats?)

   These are called the essential fats (your body HAS to have them, to build a brain and every cell in your body, and you cannot make them, so you must eat them, but very few people today are getting the needed kind to make cells that actually work right). You may have heard of the omega-3, that right! Sources: deep sea fish (like salmon, cod), walnuts, flax seeds, sea vegetables, AND land animals that eat green food, that is free-range (as they are designed to do originally). This allows them to produce their fat as omega-3. It is grain-feeding (in large part) that has unfavorable altered the good fat to bad fat ration in our systems over the past decades leading to a host of serious, long-term health problems.

   So, start eating Flax- seeds (found at the health food stores: flax is a very economical source of good fats and excellent fiber), walnuts, deep-sea fish (Not farm raised, that will not work the same), and free-range (preferable organic) eggs and chickens, if you do eat meat.

   What is the worst fat? Trans Fats (or "partially hydrogenated" fats)

   These are to be totally avoided, and in the beginning, it will take you glancing at your processed food labels to know that these are everywhere, just for "shelf life". Remember, in general, the longer the shelf life of your food, the shorter YOUR life! Our long term health problems today, are now know to have inflammation as the basis for much that has gone wrong.

   Bottom line: the good fats are anti-inflammatory and promote normal brain function. You will think better, and feel better!

2. Why Fruits and Vegetables? "Quenching the fire"

   You can eat all the good fats in the world, only to have them immediately become harmful ("lipid peroxides") in your body as they are rapidly oxidized (damaged) by the normal process of burning your fuel in the absence of a protective shield ("anti-oxidants") against that burning process (oxidation).

   Fruits and vegetables, these are the mandatory source of our "anti-oxidant", that's the protective shield against cell breakdown due to the "smoke" we are obliged to produce by having to burning our fuel (food) at the cellular level, to produce the energy of life. The damaging "sparks" or "smoke" that is produced in burning fuel, cause what is called "oxidative stress", at the rate of some 10,000 oxidative strikes on each cell, every single day-WOW. This causes early aging and degenerative diseases, when it is not quenched by the mandatory source of our damage control: fresh, raw fruits and vegetables! (NOT vitamin pills; these do not contain all the missing parts, and they simply do not have the same protective effect: this is now well-established by science all over the world);

   This is why the current recommendation of 5-9 fresh fruits and vegetables, every single day, is now being revised upward to 9-13 servings a day!! (Aiming for 5 cups of fresh produce, of many differing kinds, which form a network of anti-oxidants that are synergistic working together powerfully). That is what it is actually known to reduce cancer and heart disease incidence greatly. Is it worth it to you? If you cannot get this variety of fresh produce in every single day, it is extremely smart to consider ways of getting it into your system in a concentrated manner. There are proven ways to do this today.

   Bottom line: eating a wide variety of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables every single day, protects you against heart disease, inflammation, toxicity, premature aging, and cancer…and extend your energy supply. You will look better, function better, and feel better. Are you worth it? Those who depend on you will be saying, "yes!"

Reference: Candice Corson, M.D.
Whole-food product research: www.food4healing.com
Non-profit Children's Research Foundation: http://www/childrensresearch.org/

Natural Health Tips For Athletes

TAKE A GOOD QUALITY MULTIPLE VITAMIN/ MINERALS.

WHEN TRAINING BE SURE THAT PROTEIN LEVELS ARE AT AN OPTIMUN LEVEL. TOO LITTLE PROTEIN WILL RESULT IN MUSCLE BREAKDOWN AND LOWER IMMUNITY.

BE AWARE OF NUTRIENT DEPLETIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PRESCRIPTION MEDS AND COMPENSATE ACCORDINGLY.

MAKE SURE MINERALS SUCH AS ZINC, CALCIUM, MAGNGANESE AND MAGNESIUM ARE AT PROPER LEVELS, INCORRECT LEVELS WILL RESULT IN JOINT AND MUSCLE PROBLEMS.

USE OF FATTY ACIDS (FISH OILS, FLAX, ETC.) WILL REDUCE INFLAMATION AND PROTECT JOINT SPACES.

USE OF GLUCOSAMINE/CHONDROITIN SULFATE TO REDUCE JOINT PROBLEMS.

USE OF NATURAL ANTI-INFLAMATORY HERBS TO REDUCE USE OF NSAIDS. BOSWELLIA, TURMERIC AND GINGER ARE GREAT.

TRY KAPRES- A NEW NATURAL PAIN RELIEVER USED TO PREPLACE VIOXX.

A NUTRIENT RICH DIET WITH LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES, HIGH QUALITY PROTEINS AND PURE WATER IS CRITICAL. REDUCE SUGAR AND ARTIFICAL SWEETENERS.

NATURAL BALANCE OF HORMONES IS IMPORTANT TO BOTH MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES.

Reference: Dr. Kathleen A. Jones DC, ND
Hilltop Wellness Center
(614) 279-2525

Oh, my aching back

Don't underestimate the spine to keep your health in line

By: Mary Jo Ruggieri

It can strike at any moment. Reaching for a car door, twisting to pull a sheet off the bed or bending down to pick up the dog's bone- the most common motion could be enough to have your back go into a spasm. The pain can be excruciating and leave you totally immobilized. One step can be an impossible task.

Back pain, or sciatica, is not easily forgotten. Trying to go down steps is as challenging as running a marathon. Trying to move from a prone position to a sitting position takes every ounce of effort. A constant back problem restricts movement, keeps a person tense and irritable and surely takes the fun out of life.

Back pain, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the leading cause of disability in the United States for people younger than 45 years and is the most expensive health care problem for the 30 to 50 year-old age group. There is much more we do not know about the problem. Various reports suggest that back surgery, the most frequent of the invasive therapies used, really isn't working. As a matter of fact, the problems often continue after surgery.

Thomas Myers, in his article on "The Spine", gives an accurate description of our human spines' design problems. It's like supporting a tent pole, he suggests, with 24 moving parts above the sacrum, with a 12 pounds head sitting on top, with the wind-filled sail of a ribcage bellowing in and out, and with a wildly mobile shoulder hanging off on either side. It's a wonder we work at all!!

A great deal of thought has also been given to the powerful connection between your mind/emotions and your back. Often a large percentage of back pain stems from both external and internal stress. Remember saying "The straw that broke the camel's back!"

A book called Healing Back Pain Naturally by Art Brownstein, which I highly recommend for all back-pain sufferers, makes a clear case for the connection between the mind and the back. His research shows, in an overwhelming majority of cases, problems in the back are created or made worse by mental stress or tension. Brownstein's conclusions are direct- your back muscles automatically tighten up under stress and after an injury; your back cannot heal when the muscles are tense.

What's important to remember is the spine is the living be-all and end-all. Every move you make, every turn of your head, will affect your back. The spine determines the quality of your life. My yoga teacher always said, after long stretches of tedious spinal exercises, "You're as young as your spine is flexible."

The nervous system, which in polarity therapy is reflexed to the entire body, creates all other living systems, and is connected through the spine. Like an electric pole that delivers energy to your house, the spinal cord becomes the tower of life. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding your spine hold it upright, support you structure and connect top to bottom.

Most holistic practitioners will assess the whole body when trying to resolve back issues. Foot reflexologies are accurate in pinpointing where specific stress resides in your back. Massage therapists, rolfers, and myofascial specialists are skilled in identifying which muscle groups are tense and holding patterns that are detrimental to your spine. Polarity practitioners work specifically with spinal harmonics to locate and release the tension and energy blocks in your back. Chiropractors are effective in stabilizing the alignment to your back. The exercise specialist or trainer can tone your muscles to keep that support system strong.

A December 2000 Consumer Reports survey on back pain indicated that deep-tissue massage, chiropractic treatment and exercise were among the treatments receiving the highest marks for back pain. Prescription drugs were rated low.

Other manual therapies including energy therapies have also been reported t have significant success with back pain. The reason is that back pain is related to stress and emotional overloading and a skilled practitioner will work on these areas. Taking time out of your life for an hour of regular bodywork is worth its weight in gold.

It's alarming how unaware our insurance companies are. They don't understand the great success alternative therapies, methods and practices are having with back problems. Paying for hands-on therapy, even for a lengthy period, would still be more cost effective than the thousands of dollars spent on surgeries that often do not work. Prevention is a work not understood by health insurers.

Your back is your boss. Don't underestimate its power.

Reference: Mary Jo Ruggieri PhD, RPP