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Columbus Polarity Center for Integrative Health and Wellness Monthly Newsletter: August 2007 Volume V Issue VIII |
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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.
Article of the Month
by Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD, RPP
Part II:
In our July 2007 Newsletter, we discussed the disadvantages of the 'quick-fix' healthcare system. It seems that the quick-fix syndrome has only a band-aid effect, treating merely the symptoms and never getting to the actual cause of the problem. In Part II we present holistic and natural approaches to healing. Polarity Therapy will be showcased as one of the most comprehensive of the holistic approaches to healthcare.
Let's Explore Our Options
Polarity Therapy is on of the most integrated and holistic approaches to healthcare. It is based upon the energetic concepts of healing. As a holistic process, Polarity Therapy can be a very effective option for us all.
Polarity Therapy Turns The Circuit Breakers Back On!
The human body is like an electrical plant that runs on high voltage energy. The spine, representing the utility pole, sends energy via all the nerves (or wires) to every part of the body so movement can occur. If there is a short in the circuit or an injury to the system, the circuit breakers go out. Knowing how to turn these circuit breakers on is the essence of Polarity Therapy.
Disease prevention can be a matter of identifying problems first at the energetic level, and then bringing that energy back into balance and removing the blocks before the disease occurs. Pain indicates a blockage of energy and eventually leads to disease and structural dysfunction.
Polarity as a Practice
Polarity Therapy is a synthesis of many ancient theories and techniques derived from Indian Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese healing traditions. The term polarity relates to one of the basic universal laws of nature, electromagnetic force or attraction and repulsion. It centers on the attraction and union of opposites through a balanced middle point.
Dr. Randolph Stone, the founder of Polarity Therapy, created a very detailed healing system that involves reflex points and energetic balancing protocols. A Polarity Practitioner will use various types of touch, from working with the hands off the body to a specific contact on the body. This system can be combined with gentle rocking to release tension patterns and/or acupressure points to relieve pain and congestion held deep in the body.
A Polarity session can often get to the heart of the problem, tracing the energy blocks to the physical centers of pain. Once the source of the pain is identified, along with the help of the Polarity Practitioner, the client will be able to remove the blocks.
The Elements and Polarity
Polarity Therapy is based specifically upon the step down theory of energy. Energy moves from source to form and then returns to source. As energy steps down into form it moves through energy centers called chakras (transformers). There are five interrelated energy patterns emerging from each chakra and these are called elements.
Polarity, which is based upon understanding the five elements, ether, air, fire, water, and earth, will use hands on protocols, energetic assessment, energetic foods, and Ayurvedic lifestyle skills to bring these elements into balance.
The five-element theory of polarity gives meaning to the interconnected nature of life.
Expression of the Elements
Understanding each element, and the areas of the body the elements reflex, will provide a wealth of knowledge that will signal when something is out of balance before it becomes a major problem. Much like car computers that signal the driver there is a potential problem - "oil low", "radiator overheating", and "running out of gas!!" Below is a summary of the basic qualities of each of the five elements:
Ether
Basic Qualities:
o Space
o Stillness
Manifests as:
o Physical Body - Throat
o Emotional Body - Self Expression
o Mental Body - Open vs Closed Mindedness
Air
Basic Qualities
o Lightness
o Agility
o Quick Movement
Manifests as:
o Physical Body - Lungs / Chest, Breathing, Quick Response
o Emotional Body - Desire, Clarity, Compassion
o Mental Body - Innovation, Problem Solving, Analyzing
Reflexes:
o Shoulders, Ankles, and Kidneys
Fire
Basic Qualities:
o Heat
o Focus
o Radiating Outwardness
Manifests as:
o Physical Body - Digestion, Moving Warmth
o Emotional Body - Anger / Resentment, Enthusiasm / Forgiveness
o Mental Body - Intention, Action Oriented
Reflexes:
o Head, Solar Plexus, and Thighs
Water
Basic Qualities:
o Flowing
o Nurturing
o Connections
Manifests as:
o Physical Body - Lymphatic System, Generative Organs
o Emotional Body - Attachment, Letting Go
o Mental Body - Inclusion vs Separation, Relationship Issue
Reflexes:
o Breasts, Feet, Generative Organs
Earth
Basic Qualities:
o Density, Solidity
o Organization
o Structure
Manifests as:
o Physical Body - Bones, Elimination, Stability
o Emotional Body - Fear, Courage, Securely, Rigidity
o Mental Body - Details, Practicality
Reflexes:
o Neck, Bowels, Knees
Polarity Practitioners study each element and how these elements are manifesting on the physical, mental, and emotional levels. When the elements are in balance, the body will heal. Healing is basic to life and is a very non-invasive system that keeps us alive and happy.
Getting rid of the notion that we can take a pill for every ill will allow us to focus on our internal healing capabilities more effectively. Healing is about creating an environment that allows us to heal naturally. In essence, within the process of living, we automatically will heal.
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. For information and classes visit www.ohioinstitute.com.
Eat Your Grains and Drop Your Blood PressureGet 20% of your calories from whole grains. (This is good advice!) You could drop your blood pressure 4-8 points.
Fiber is the answer. Try oatmeal for breakfast or sprouted grain cereals as a snack.
Reference: www.realage.com
Green Tea FacialsGreen tea polyphenols help revive aging skin cells. Green tea can clean, moisturize, and protect your skin.
A tip from www.realage.com:
Reference: www.realage.com
Blend together until smooth:
2 cups Rejuvelac - to prevent oxidation and provide B complex vitamins
1 tablespoon dulse or other seaweed - for minerals
1 1/2 apples - set aside another 1/2 apple to grate into soup at the end
1/2 cup sprouts (lentils and green peas) - for enzymes
2 cups wild edible greens such as lambs quarters and purslane (lambs quarters are leafy green, not something from a sheep)
2 handfuls of chlorophyll-rich greens such as celery tops, parsley and beet tops
Add an avocado and blend.
Stir in 1/2 grated apple, then enjoy.
(Do not cook-this a raw soup-very nutritious.)
Reference: Chi Living Foods News
Information indicates cellular phones that emit artificial electromagnetic fields can trigger or intensify existing cancers.
"I believe that 30% of all childhood cancers are associated with EMF exposure," says Dr. David Carpenter, Dean of the School of Public Health at the State University of New York-Albany.
Evidence seems to be mounting that cell phones could be a major risk to our population, especially children.
More research:
The message may be loud and clear-limit the use of all cell phones.
For more info:
http://pages.britishlibrary.net/orange/brainblood.htm http://pages.britishlibrary.net/orange/biologeffects.htm
Reference: wddty--e-news
Eat three special vegetables:
Add these to your diet on a regular basis. They are best eaten raw or lightly steamed. Also try using them in your salads.
More info: "Fruit And Vegetable Consumption And Cognitive Decline In Aging Women." Kang, et al, Annals of Neurology. May2005; 57 (5): 713-720
Reference: www.realage.com
Mind, Body, Spirit
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.
What Will It Do For You
This exercise works on a part of your spine which is never massaged and where you don't like to be hurt. It will give you the will to fight and not give in.
How To Do It
In a standing position, spread the legs as wide apart as possible without losing your balance. Your arms form a 90 degree bend at the elbows, with forearms more or less parallel to the floor and extending away from the chest in a relaxed position.
Rotate the hips in a plane parallel to the ground at a moderate pace in as complete and large a circle as possible. The direction can be either to the left or the right.
Continue for 5-25 minutes. Change direction if needed. Relax in baby pose (forehead and arms on floor) for 10 minutes. Drink 8 oz. of fresh mineral water and relax.
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
Question: I am beginning a program of colonics to accompany my Detoxing, and am wondering what herbs would you recommend choosing.
Answer: To begin with, make sure you have all the information you need on how to do a Colonic. They require care, and it is always best to actually have them done by an experienced practitioner. The entire Detox Program should be overseen by your healthcare practitioner, as there specific protocols on how to prepare for, begin and do, and then transition away from a Detox program.
Having said the above, here are some herbs appropriate for enemas, if you still decide to do one at home.
Herbal Enemas can alkalinize the intestines, help control inflammation, and heal ulcerated tissue. The recipe would be 2 cups of very strong brewed tea.
For leaf or flower herbs : 1 tbs. of herb matter per one cup of water.
Boil the water first, then pour it over the herb and let it sit for at least an hour.
For roots and bark herbs: 1 teaspoon to a cup of water.
Place herbs in cold water in a pot, and bring to a boil, then simmer for one hour.
HERBS ARE POWERFUL. Whether you take them by mouth or use them internally as enemas, always consult your healthcare practitioner, and always START WITH VERY SMALL DOSES, building up to the given dose. This will help in preventing possible side effects such as allergic reactions.
- 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.
"Dwell in possibility."
– Emily Dickinson
Elemental Foods: The Fire Element
In Doctor Robert Young's book the "PH Miracle" there are only 4 fruits that are recommended to alkaline the body: Grapefruits, Lemons, Limes and Tomatoes. Alkalizing the body promotes the highest form of health and balance. A alkaline body greatly reduces many physical diseases in our bodies.
Summer is a perfect time to experiment with the above fruits in salads, and juices. Here is one recipe for:
The Spicy Summer Tomato
2 organic tomatoes (cut into chunks) - you can also use cherry tomatoes use the equivalent of 2 whole tomatoes
1 cup fresh carrot juice (5-7 carrots or organic frozen carrot juice)
1/2 of a lime juiced or you can use a lemon (I used lime juice)
2 tablespoons cilantro or Italian flat leaf parsley-rinsed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 small jalapeno chopped
Place the tomato chunks/cherry tomatoes in a freezer bag and freeze until solid. Pour the carrot juice and lime or lemon juice into the blender and add the frozen tomato chunks, cilantro or parsley, salt, cumin and jalapeno. Blend on high speed until smooth and serve immediately. Garnish with a crisp celery stick - placed directly into the juice drink.
If you have a chance - try to schedule a visit to the new Web of Life - located on Detroit Road between Clague Road and Columbia Road in Westlake, Ohio.
They have a new look, plus they have the most incredible selection of organic, raw and vegan foods. Try their "Live spaghetti" with a sun dried tomato sauce. Located in the grab and go case. UMM!!!!!!
Happy, Healthy Summer Sippin!!!!!!
Antonia Rankin, APP - Energetic Food Awareness
Educational Seminars
Date & Time: Saturday, August 11, 2007
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: OIES - Cleveland Polarity School
Fairview Wellness Center
Rocky River, Ohio 44116
Faculty: Charoula Dontopoulos, BA RPP
Class Outline:
Cost: $115
8 Hours of CEUs Available
To Register, call (614) 226-2912 or email Melanie McCarter.
Date & Time: Saturday, August 25, 2007
10:00 am-5:30 pm
Location: OIES-Columbus Polarity School
1253 High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43201
Faculty: Charoula Dontopoulos, BA RPP
Class Outline:
Cost: $115
8 Hours of CEUs Available
To Register, call (614) 299-9438 or email Devin Chatlos
Date & Time: Sunday, August 26, 2007
9:00 am-3:30 pm
Location: OIES-Columbus Polarity School
1253 High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43201
Faculty: Charoula Dontopoulos, BA RPP
Class Outline:
Cost: $115
8 Hours of CEUs Available
To Register, call (614) 299-9438 or email Devin Chatlos
Ohio Institute Seminar: Advanced Polarity by the Agean Sea
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.
For more information contact:
Click Here To Download the Registration and Daily Schedule Packets
Or visit our website at www.ohioinstitute.com
Mary Jo Ruggieri @ (614) 778-0121 or satnam170@aol.com
Charoula Dontopoulos @ (740) 986-6945 or wisewomnc@earthlink.net
New News on Health Freedom
Please support Health Freedom in Ohio. It is about the right to choose the healthcare you want to use and also the practitioner you choose to see. PROTECT YOUR HEALTH FREEDOM
Visit the Ohio Health Freedom Coalition Web Page for information on what you can do to protect your health freedom.
Reference: www.ohiohealthfreedom.org
MORE ARTICLES
Ethical consumption, a healthy diet, convenience and price are all issues which affect our food choices today. The food industry spends billions each year to influence our choices and create cravings. As more and more people also view their food choices as a form of political action, terms such as "Animal Care Certified," "Certified Humane," "organic," and "Fair Trade" have become commonplace at the supermarket and health food stores.
While these labels seem to convey a certain level of integrity, what do they really mean?
According to Peter Singer and Jim Mason in their book The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter "The official U.S. definition of natural meat is so loose as to be almost meaningless - the animals can be confined indoors on bare concrete all their lives and fed chicken litter, antibiotics, and hormones, but the U.S. government says you can call their meat natural as long as you don't add anything artificial to the meat itself."
My conversations with local grocery store managers indicate that while the Department of Agriculture's standards may have clarified the legal meaning of the term organic in the U.S., it has not gotten us any closer to what the term should mean. As far as terms such as "natural" each producer or supermarket can set its own standards regarding feed, antibiotics, pasture access etc. In some cases that might mean the animal lives penned in a barn and receives no antibiotics for 90 days before slaughter and in other cases the standard might be pasture access and grain feeding with no antibiotics 180 days before slaughter. If consumers want to know the truth behind a label, it's up to them to ask questions.
Consumers need accurate and unbiased information about what they are buying and how it was produced. To that end, here are some resources to start with.
Resources
Where to Find Alternatives
Heidi Beke-Harrigan is an APP and an academic librarian specializing in nursing, counseling and consumer health research. She teaches workshops, conducts research and provides individualized coaching. She can be reached at hbharrigan@malone.edu or irharp1140@yahoo.com