Columbus Polarity Center
for
Integrative Health and Wellness

Monthly Newsletter: April 2007
Volume V Issue IV


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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

Getting Rid of Age Spots

A topical cream containing a form of glucosamine along with niacinamide (a B-vitamin) helps correct hyperpigmentation and will lighten age spots. According to studies by Alexa Kimbal, M.D., professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, creams containing n-acetyl glycosamine and nicacinamide work by blocking melanin production. Olay® Definity is the only product on the market at this time with these age-spot removing ingredients.

Reference: Bottom Line's Daily Health News



green tea Green Tea News Again

Want a happy heart? Try drinking 4-5 cups of green tea per day. According to a study in Japan, there was not only a significant reduction in the risk of death due to stroke, but also the more green tea participants drank, the less chance of dying from cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and strokes. One note: the study indicated that the results of reduction in death from cardiovascular disease were stronger in women. In addition, there was a 31% reduction in strokes among women who drank the highest amount of green tea.

There are many types of Green Tea available. The types recommended are Sencha and Gunpowder. Choice® green teas have one of the best organic teas available.

Reference: Ohasaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study, JAMA: September 2006.
www.cancerdecisions.com





Vegetarian Diets have A+ Ratings

Time to add more veggies to your diet!

Reference: Chi Living Foods, editor@chidiet.com


Oh Nuts!
green tea

Researchers examined the eating habits of 25,000 Seventh-Day-Adventists, looking for a relationship between the consumption of 65 different foods and good health. Only one food came out a winner: NUTS. People who ate nuts five or more times a week were half as likely to suffer a heart attack or die of heart disease as people who rarely or never ate nuts. This benefit was experienced regardless of age, weight, and activity level. Another study found that women who ate nuts more than two times a week reduced their heart disease risk by 60%.

Why do high-fat nuts appear to be so healthful? First, most of the fats in nuts are mono- and poly-unsaturated, and both types seem to protect against heart disease. Second, nuts are high in fiber, vitamin E , and other important factors. Walnuts were found to be especially rich alpha-acid, which converts to omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3's also found in fish oil, are known to be helpful in many diseases. Nut protein is high in the amino acid arginine, a substance that can inhibit blood clotting and protect arteries from injury.

Even though nuts are fatty, they don't pass on that attribute to their consumers. Over a period of nine weeks, volunteers who ate 3-5 ounces of almonds a day-590 calories worth-didn't gain a pound.

Reference: Chi Living Foods, editor@chidiet.com


"Live" Food Sweets: Banana Avocado Creme Bars

Try this tasty recipe-no sugar at all!

Cream:
2 avocados
4 very ripe bananas
2 tsp vanilla extract

Crust:
2 cups soaked almonds
8 dates
1 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Topping:
Shredded coconut

  1. In a food processor or Champion juicier, homogenize all of the ingredients, for the crust
  2. Press into a 9 x 6 inch Pyrex deep dish
  3. In a food processor blend avocado, bananas, and vanilla until a smooth cream is reached.
  4. Spread cream over crust
  5. Top with a generous amount of shredded coconut
  6. Allow to chill for one hour
  7. Enjoy!

Reference: www. www.creativehealthinstitute.us


Soda Pop: The Deadly Drink
green tea

Anti-soda measures are on the move especially in schools. Not only do soft drinks lack nutritional value, but they are also detrimental to your health. Fortunately the push to get soft drinks out of our schools is still growing. Every parent should send daily e-mail messages to the school administrators to ban soda pop in all vending machines.

Some facts:

There is enough valid information on the disastrous affects of soft drinks that we all should push every school to stop putting them into their vending machines. We can not be concerned about the obesity problem in our children without pointing the finger at one of the major villains-soft drinks.

Reference: www.www.mercola.com


Mind, Body, Spirit




Meditation
Let's Meditate

This section of our newsletter "Mind, Body, Spirit" 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. Please remember how healing it is to meditate. For more information on meditation and visualization classes email maryjo@columbuspolarity.com


April Meditation: Exercise for Navel Point Strength

What It Will Do For You

To develop sensitivity to energy flow safely so that the awareness is stable and well integrated into the personality, the navel center must be strong. There are many areas of energy concentration in the aura. Each area coordinates different physical and mental functions. The most important for the physically demanding situation is the chakra or center near the belly button. This cortex of energy has energy channels which spread out to every area of both bodies. It is the coordinating point for over 72,000 main energy channels. A person with a strong navel point will have endurance, strong will, and a well-balanced physical body.

The following will show you the large amount of reserve energy stored and regulated at the navel point. It will make you feel several pounds lighter, and increase your energy proportionately.

How To Do It

Walk up and down a flight of stairs and see how heavy you feel. Then with an erect spine, take long deep breaths for 3 minutes while concentrating at the navel point. After this navel breathing, try the stairs again. You will feel as if you have lost several pounds of weight. Repeat several times to help strengthen the navel point. Also, pump the belly in and out for 30 seconds while sitting in easy pose. Rest 15 seconds. Repeat for 11 minutes.

Working on the navel point will also strengthen your abdominal muscles.

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, (Hari Kaur)


Essential Herbs





Herbs Ask Charoula

Question:
My daughter, aged fifteen, has begun developing acne. We have used commercial cleansers and astringents, but it is not getting any better.
What would you suggest?

Answer

Actually, cleansing the skin is one of several paths to be followed, in a coordinated approach to getting rid of acne.

Acne is an inflammatory condition which begins at puberty due to two main reasons:

  1. An increased oil secretions from the skin cells, which makes the skin environment prone to bacterial attacks.
  2. The onset of hormonal changes which offset the hormonal balance and aggravate acne

So proper cleansing of the skin is essential. However, I would replace commercial products with anti-bacterial, anti-septic and anti-inflammatory herbs such as:

  • Chamomile - anti-inflammatory
  • Calendula - anti-bacterial, antiseptic
  • Essential Oil of Tea Tree - anti-microbial
  • Essential Lavender Oil - anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory

How to take it:

Make a strong tea (2 tbs. to a cup) of Calendula and Chamomile, and wash the face with it.

Mix 20 drops each of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil into one ounce of Almond Oil, dab a little on some cotton and cleanse the face a couple of times daily.

Flaxseed oil, and the seed oils of Black Currant and Evening Primrose, taken internally, would also help: they contain Essential Fatty Acids and Gamma Linolenic Acid which are anti-inflammatory.

As far as the hormones go, the safest way to go about balancing these hormones in the system are, in my opinion, to cleanse the liver and purify the blood.

The liver is primary organ in hormone metabolism.

If the liver functions well, the hormones will stabilize.

The liver needs bitter herbs and blood purifiers to help it do its job. Some excellent Blood Purifiers and Bitters are:

  • Burdock
  • Yellow Dock
  • Dandelion root
  • Red Clover

Adding some Dong Quai to the mix would be very helpful, as it is a blood purifier as well as a hormonal balancer.

How to take it:

  • Mix 1 tsp. each Burdock, Yellow Dock and Dandelion Root, and 1/2 tsp Dong Quai, place in pot with 2 cups cold water and slowly bring to a soft boil, reduce fire, and simmer 1/2 hour.
  • Place 1 tbs. Red Clover in a cup and fill with 8 oz. boiling water. Let sit 1/2 hour.
  • Strain and mix the two teas. Drink a 1/4 cup 3 or 4 times daily.

Finally, Nervines play a big role in soothing anxiety and depression often associated with Acne. Some mild but good nervines are:

  • Skullcap
  • Lemon Balm
  • St. Johnswort (DO NOT TAKE IF ON ANY ANTI-DEPRESSANTS)

Make a tea as with the Chamomile and Calendula above.

Give this program a couple of months to see any results.

- Charoula, Herbalist


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.


Let's Talk About The Elements





Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth: Balancing the Elements of LifeTM

You're only as healthy as the amount of energy you bring to your life. Energy blocks and disruptive imbalances to the free flow of energy in our system are the underlying causes of dis-ease. By understanding the five elements of life (all biological forms are made up of these five elements)--ether, air, fire, water, and earth-and their respective chakras or centers of manifestations we can get a clearer understanding of where potential imbalances may occur.

Lesson 3: Getting to Know the Elements, A Summary of Associated Qualities

Ether
Realm:
Etheric Body/Template
Chakra:
Throat Chakra (Vishuddha)
Field:
Neck Oval Field
Triad:
None
Physiology:
Nervous System

Air
Realm:
Astral Body
Chakra:
Honest, content, moderate
Field:
Chest Oval Field
Triad:
Shoulders Kidneys Ankles
Physiology:
Respiratory System
Characteristics:
Clarity of Form/Body/Life
Body Type:
Ectomorph
Sensory:
Touch
Motor:
Touch
Taste:
Sour
Foods:
Fruits, Nuts, Seeds

Fire
Realm:
Mental Body
Chakra:
Navel/Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)
Field:
Head Oval Field
Triad:
Head Solar Plexus Thighs
Physiology:
Digestive System
Circulatory System
Characteristics:
Activity/Drive of Form/Body/Life
Body Type:
Mesomorph (medium build)
Sensory:
Sight
Motor:
Walking/Movement
Taste:
Bitter & Spicy
Foods:
Seeds, Legumes, Grains

Water
Realm:
Emotional Body
Chakra:
Generative Chakra (Swadisthana)
Field:
Pelvic Basin Oval Field
Triad:
Chest Pelvis Feet
Physiology:
Reproductive System
Lymphatic Drainage System
Characteristics:
Fluidity of Form/Body/Life
Body Type:
Endomorph (thick body, thin limbs)
Sensory:
Taste
Motor:
Reproduction
Taste:
Salty Foods
Foods:
Watery Vegetables & Fruits

Earth
Realm:
Physical Body
Chakra:
Root Chakra (Muladhara) / Base of Spine
Field:
Abdominal Oval Field
Triad:
Neck Colon Knees
Physiology:
Eliminative System
Characteristics:
Solidity of Form/Body/Life
Crystallization into Chronic Patterns
Body Type:
Endomorph (thick body, thick limbs)
Sensory:
Smell
Motor:
Elimination
Taste:
Sweet Foods
Foods:
Root Vegetables, Starches, Fats

Reference: Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD, RPP, Director of Ohio Institute of Energetic Studies, www.ohioinstitute.com
To learn more about the elements and your health, call 614-299-9438 or 216-229-2912 for information on classes.



Health Quotes Of The Day

"Let us not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness."

— James Thurber


The Elemental Cook




The Elemental Cook presents - MARCH - the month of beautiful transitions. The transition from Winter to Spring, from stark white to vibrant shades of yellow, pink, purple and red. Along with the increased daylight is the increase of outdoor activities for children. Here is a neat smoothie recipe to keep your precious ones full of healthy vibrant energy for those outdoor activities. This smoothie is delicious and has won rave reviews from younger and older children. It is a snap to make for moms and with simple guidance you can teach the kids how to make this themselves. In fact, educating your children about smoothies and veggie juices will start their empowerment to feeding themselves with great healthy, beneficial smoothies. They may even surprise you but creating their own concoctions! As with all our recipes - please, please, please, utilize organic fruits, vegetables and supplemental juices.

The "After School" Buzz!!!!!
1 cup organic orange juice (if you have a juicer use 2 peeled oranges)
3/4 cup red grapes or 1/4 cup organic red grape juice
1 cup frozen unsweetened organic cherries
1 frozen banana, cut in chunks (if your bananas aren't frozen - simply add about 6-7 ice cubes to blender)
1 tablespoon lecithin granules

Pour the orange juice, grape juice, cherries, bananas, and lecithin granules ( ice cubes if using) into the blender.
Blend on high speed until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutritional benefits: Grapes and oranges are excellent sources of selenium. This mineral helps relieve fatigue and energizes the body.
Lecithin is a source of choline (from which B-complex is derived) which assists in improving memory and mental function.

Keeping great ingredients on hand like these (especially in the summer) would making making snacks for the kids a lot less stressful.


Antonia Rankin, APP - Cleveland, OH For contact information, please call Cleveland Polarity at 216-226-2912


Educational Seminars





Iridology

Coming to the Ohio Institute:
Certification Training in Holistic Iridology®

Level I—"Live" Education: Basic Holistic Iridology® With Dr. David J. Pesek
Dates: May 4, 5, & 6, 2007
Cost: $599—$150 non-refundable deposit due with registration. Remaining balance due April 1, 2007
Other costs: Lodging and meals, prices may vary
Location: Stratford Ecological Center, Delaware, OH

What You Will Learn In Level I

The Level I study program is designed to comfortably facilitate the student into the field of iridology. Even students with prior education will learn from the material presented in this informative course. Emphasis is placed on the professional and ethical use of this art and science. Due to the fundamentals of Holistic Iridology® set forth in this course, it is a prerequisite for the study of Level II.

Coming soon: Holistic Iridology Levels II & III
More information will be available at Level I or by contacting Ohio Institute.
For more info please see pictures and flyers on www.ohioinstitute.com
Limited Space Available. Click here for Registration Packet.
Or call the Ohio Institute at (614) 299-9438


Greece Advanced Polarity by the Agean Sea
The Inner Secrets of Energy Medicine

A Polarity Retreat in Greece
September 10 – 17, 2007

Choice of Classes Advanced Case Studies and Protocols

Dates: September 10—Orientation
September 11-15—Classes and Workshops
September 16-17—Personal Sessions Available

Cost: $650 (housing and meals not included*)
$200 ($100 Non-refundable) deposit due at registration
Balance due by June 15, 2007

*Housing and meals can be arranged

Faculty: Mary Jo Ruggieri
Charoula Dontopoulos
Ulrike Harder

Coordinator: Charoula Dontopoulos

Limited Space Available. Please Register Early.
Click Here To Download a Registration Packet
Or visit our website at www.ohioinstitute.com

For more information contact:
Mary Jo Ruggieri @ (614) 778-0121 or satnam170@aol.com
Charoula Dontopoulos @ (740) 986-6945 or wisewomnc@earthlink.net


Health Freedom Comes to Ohio

Hello Members of the Ohio Health Freedom Coalition:

My name is Carrie Haughawout (pronounced How-out) and I am going to be helping to coordinate the activities of the Ohio Health Freedom Coalition. I'd like to take a minute to tell you a little about myself. Just prior to accepting this position, I was employed by the Ohio House of Representatives for six years- the last three years I worked for the speaker of the House. I am confident that my experience with the Ohio Legislature will be helpful as we continue to try to get the law in Ohio changed.

We are working on getting a new bill drafted for introduction in the Ohio Legislature in the next couple of months and also contacting a few key members that have been supportive of our cause in the past to become the primary sponsor of our bill since Rep. Reidelbach is no longer in the Ohio House.

In the mean time, we'd like to work on building our membership. Ideally it would be great to have one person designated as a chair in every single Ohio Senate district. This person would be a point person for all information regarding Ohio Health Freedom and help us become a stronger organization by soliciting new members and coordinating letter writing to legislators. If you are interested please let me know.

We also have a new address and phone number. Our new address is Health Freedom Coalition of Ohio 510 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Suite F, Worthington, OH 43085. Our phone number is (614) 888-7351. The email is still the same info@ohiohealthfreedom.org, but those emails will come to me and will be monitored daily.

Last, we will be doing some work on the website so please bear with us as we update the website- but also don't forget to check it for new information!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email. We'll be in touch soon.

Best Regards,

Carrie

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.


ARTICLES





Killing Asthmatics with Asthma Drugs
By Dr. Pam Popper

Advair is an asthma drug made by GlaxoSmithKline, and is today the fourth-best selling drug in the world, with $5.6 billion in annual sales. 21.1 million prescriptions were filled in the U.S. alone in 2005. Glaxo spent $137 million to advertise it as one of the best treatments for asthmatics.

The problem - Advair seems to be killing about 4,000 people every year. According to Shelley Salpeter, a clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University, a review of 19 trials involving Advair shows that patients using it have twice the rate of asthma hospitalizations, twice the rate of life-threatening asthma attacks, and four times as many deaths as patients who don't use it. She states that Advair and Serevent, one of the drugs used in Advair, are responsible for 4 out of every 5 asthma deaths each year,

Glaxo, of course, disagrees. "The data we have are inconclusive," says Kathy Rickard, a Glaxo vice president. In my mind, inconclusive data should mean stop using the drug until it is conclusively proven to be safe. But, Glaxo makes too much money on Advair to take such a conservative approach.

Advair was approved in 2000 and is a combination of two Glaxo drugs that were already approved for use - Serevent, which expands constricted airways and Flovent which eases inflammation. Glaxo bragged that it was the first and only drug to treat both components of asthma and that using it resulted in almost twice the number of symptom-free days.

The most incredible thing about this drug gaining approval is that Serevent is a beta agonist that has a questionable history, as do all beta agonists. In 1948, a study of 2200 asthma patients showed a 5 times greater death rate for asthmatics that inhaled epinephrine, a beta drug vs. those who did not. When beta drugs were approved in New Zealand in the 1970's, death rates of asthmatics rose sharply.

In 1993, a Glaxo study found three times the death rate for those using Serevent for 4 months as compared to controls. Yet the drug was approved for sale in 1994. Immediately, reports of deaths were received by the FDA.

Glaxo conducted more studies, one of which showed that Advair only helped 15% of patients, probably not worth the risk of exposing all of the other patients taking it to death by asthma attack.

Glaxo started a study of Serevent which endeavored to enroll 60,000 patients in 1996. Only 26,000 people enrolled. The study showed that there was one extra death for every 700 people on Serevent for a year, and ended because they could not find enough patients to enroll.

In spite of this, and I am incredulous about this, Advair has its supporters. Matthew Mintz, a George Washington internist says the safety issue "has been blown way out of proportion" and that the problem is actually underusing Advair. Doctors who bash Advair are irresponsible, he says, because they may scare patients way from using it who would do well. Mintz, not surprisingly, is consultant to Glaxo.

The FDA has responded by strengthening the warning on the label for both Serevent and Advair. Although the FDA recommended that Advair should only be used when all else has failed, Glaxo objected and the final label, in March of last year (2006), was softened.

Let the consumer of medical drugs and services beware.

Reference: Pamela A Popper, Ph.D, N.D., www.wellnessforum.com, phone 614.841.7700.



The Fine Art of Fasting
by Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD, RPP

The quest for health requires detective work. Finding and assessing the clue and cures is paramount. The body has wisdom and truly knows the invaders that rob its vital energy.

We often wish for health and have a long list of requests. Some of these might be getting rid of chronic fatigue, chronic yeast infection and/or insomnia. All of these requests usually have one major circle of influence-pollutants!

Dr. Hulda Clark, in her book, The Cure for All Diseases, believes the biggest tragedy is in not recognizing when a pollutant is harming you. Illness, she contends, comes from pollutants.

Here's a quick overview of Clarks pollutant dilemma:

Solvent Pollution

Check your shampoos and cleaning products for benzene, which affects th thymus and ruins the immune system, and propyl alcohol, which has a negative effect on the liver and causes cancer in some organs.

Metal Pollution

Copper from plumbing, mercury, amalgam fillings, lead and cadmium from soldered and galvanized plumbing, aluminum from drink cans and cooking pots are all harmful.

Physical toxins

Fiberglass insulation left imperfectly sealed and asbestos found in clothes dryer belts contribute to exposure to these toxins; cancer tumors have a correlation to asbestos and fiberglass.

Chemical toxins

Many cancer patients test positive for chlorofluorocarbons like freon; polychlorinated bipheynls are used in soaps and detergents; formaldehyde is used to cure foam and can be given off by furniture and mattresses two years after manufacturing. Any of these pollutants would send you to a hospital if even a small amount is ingested.

We must take our hats off to pioneers like Clark who have brought the toxic effects of our environment to our attention. But now what?

Fasting is one of the oldest known therapeutic methods for health care. Medical history shows fasting to be a definite form of rejuvenation and healing. Old medical science often referred to fasting as "the physician within" or "the great remedy."

Dr. Paavo Airola, a former researcher, believed fasting to be one of the safest healing methods known to medical science. Intentional fasting is not starvation but allows your system to cleanse and even rejuvenate. Short and regular fasts can be the answer to helping some of our chronic health conditions. For longer than two- or three-day fasts consult a holistic health care practitioner or a naturopathic doctor.

Pre-fast

Prepare with a short cleansing diet. For several days, eat more organic raw fruits and vegetables. Eat steamed basmati rice with vegetables. Avoid meats and dairy prior to a fast. Drink six glasses of water daily. Drinking one tablespoon of liquid chlorophyll at least two times per day is helpful.

The fast (two to three days)

Breaking the fast

Fasting can help you take a few days out of your busy schedule to focus on yourself. Doing the fast with a friend can be fun, but only if your don't sit around talking about food all day long!

Even doing one day a month of organic juices would be a good start. Staying healthy with regular short fasting is the ultimate way to a healthier you.

May the longtime sun shine upon you.

Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD, RPP, is the Director of the Ohio Institute of Energetic Studies (Cleveland and Columbus Polarity Schools), which is a state registered school for Polarity Therapy training and Energy Science studies.