Welcome to 2008! We wish you good health and prosperity Never has there been a more exciting time than now to consider becoming a Polarity or Holistic Health Practitioner. In fact, the healthcare industry is the fastest growing job market in the United States today and will continue to be for the next 50 years. And, of all the jobs that make up healthcare, 40% will be in Complementary Medicine and Holistic Healthcare alone. This provides a tremendous career opportunity for you. With an increasing focus on preventive health practices, more and more people are choosing complementary therapies such as: Reiki, Polarity Therapy, Reflexology, Yoga, and areas of massage due to their non-invasive, preventive, and cost-effective approach to “wellness”. This means that skilled and trained Holistic Healthcare practitioners will be in great demand now and in the future.

Did You Know

• 60% of Americans use some type of Holistic Healthcare
• Complementary therapies such as bodywork play an important role in medicine, sports, and personal fitness programs.
• Bodywork therapies and holistic health practices such as herbal medicine, vitamins and minerals and stress reduction are being used for pain management, lymphatic healthcare, and cancer rehabilitation.
• Due to its comprehensive nature, modern medical practitioners are starting to incorporate holistic health into their practices, including surgery.

What We Have To Offer

Ohio Institute of Energetic Studies and Bodywork (OIES) gives you an opportunity to become a professional in various forms of bodywork and Holistic Healthcare Education. We provide state and nationally registered programs in Polarity Therapy, Elemental Reflexology™, Holistic Health Educator training, as well as classes in Reiki, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Stress Management, Herbal Education and Wellness Studies. With OIES you get:

• State Certified Programs – We are registered the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools and offer approved CEU courses for many healthcare professionals. (Ohio Registration No.:00-01-1528)
• National Recognition – With over 15 years of educational experience, and a highly competent faculty (including expert visiting faculty from around the world), we are well known and we are considered to be one of the top schools in the US.
• Convenient Locations – Our main schools are in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. We also have complete distance-learning programs, as well as sponsored schools in Austria, Greece, Mexico, and Italy

Start the year off right! Please join us for a Free Seminar on Holistic Healthcare.
Receive a free mini-bodywork session / Learn from the Experts / Explore Herbal Medicine, Aromatherapy, Relaxation Massage, PolarityTherapy:

Reserve you space by calling: Cleveland (216) 226-2912 or Columbus (614) 299-4438
Or Email: m.mccarter@clevelandpolarity.com
(more details below in the Educational Seminars Section)

Balancing the Elements of Life…Awakening the Wisdom Within

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.

Knee Problems: Exercise is As Good as Surgery

Exercise that knee especially if you have patellofemoral syndrome (PFPS) A study from the Arton Research Institute in Helsinki, Finland compared arthroscopy with exercise only in 56 patients with PFPS. (Chronic pain especially in front of the knee) After nine months, both groups had similar results (reduced pain and improved mobility). After two years there were no differences in outcome! Conclusion: Arthroscopy surgery is not cost-effective for PFPS Message: Get on that stationary bike and work with your trainer! A blood test can predict the cardiac threat of inflammation. Elevated homocysteine, fibrinogen, leptin and interleukin-6 could indicate heart trouble. Most important is your CRP (C-reactive protein) inflammation marker, which is the best cardiovascular risk predictor.

Reference: Science Daily; Dec 13, 2007
Source: www.mercola.com, Jan. 5, 2008

Fish Oils May Burn Fat

If you add fish oil to your new year’s weight loss program you can really boost calorie burning.

Fish Oil Omega-3’s

• Helps with inflammation
• Clears arteries
• Helps fuel metabolism

People on weight management programs who took *Omega-3 and walked 3 days per week had a significant amount of weight plus body fat.

Reference: www.realage.com, Dec. 31, 2007
*Read more about the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in “Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help Alleviate Symptoms of Depression” at the end of this newsletter.

Safe Alternative to Statins

C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD is recommending the following list of products for a safer way to optimize cholesterol levels instead of statins. His research suggests that often statins: used to control cholesterol, may increase the risk of: heart muscle failure, muscle weakness, headache, nerve loss and numbness.

The alternatives to statins that he suggests are much safer and less extensive:

First and foremost is Co-Q10, an absolute must, especially if you take statins.

Reference: www.selfhealthsystems.com (Dr. Norman Shealay)

Drink Green Tea for Bad Joints

Compounds in Green Tea: EGCG and ECG

Facts:

• EBCG and ECG in Green Tea are flavonoids known as catechins. Catechins help prevent inflammation.
• Inflammation is the key culprit involved with joint problems

Reference: www.realage.com

Other things you can do about inflammation:

• Exercise
• Take B6, B12 and Folic Acid (see our July 2007 Newsletter)
• Glucosamine and Chondrotin (liquid form is best)

Reference: www.columbuspolarity.com

Fiber is Filling: Fruits, Vegetables & Grains

American Dietetic recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day. The average American eats 5-10 grams per day. Fiber is great for keeping the digestive system functioning well. Fiber prevents constipation. It may also lower your cholesterol!

Remember: when eating fruits, eat fruits alone. Do not eat fruits and vegetables together. They each have a different digestive process.

Eat an apple per day, mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Great Snack!

Reference: Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD; Email: satnam170@aol.com; Website: www.columbuspolarity.com

Consumer Beware!
Side-effects from the Gardisil HPV Vaccine

“Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine is causing side-affects ranging from numbness, dizzy spells, fainting, paralysis, and even death.”

According to research articles from the British Medical Journal, in the United States, a review of the National Center revealed the following quite alarming statistics.

2,207 adverse reactions to Gardasil have been reported have been reported as follows:

• 5 deaths were reported
• 31 reactions were life-threatening
• 1,385 required a visit to the emergency room
• 451 of the girls had not recovered as of July 2007 51 of the girls were disabled

The risks are significant and are being reported not only in the United States but overseas as well.

Remember, HPV is an infection that is sexually-transmitted, so it can be prevent 100% with lifestyle choices.

*Check these references.

In summary, it is very important to evaluate carefully when deciding whether or not to use the HPV vaccine. Please check the current studies that were reported in the BMJ research articles. As this vaccine is sometimes administered to girls as young as 12 or 13, this is a very important decision that parents will be making.

Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD; Email: satnam170@aol.com; Website: www.columbuspolarity.com

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.

January Meditation:

The new solar year, followed by the new calendar year, naturally brings about a turning of our own spirits. Though the days are lengthening, we will continue to dwell in darkness as winter unfolds. At times, the darkness can be overwhelming as we look anxiously toward the sky seeking sunshine that is so rare in Central Ohio winters. In our hearts, joyous anticipation and doubt can dwell side-by- side, as mental plans are made for all that we seek to bring forth in the coming year.

Emily Dickinson wrote, “Winter under cultivation is as arable as Spring.” Her words remind me of the sacredness of this time of year, of its gifts and wondrous potential. We gaze upon the trees, and know that they appear still, yet are in continual preparation for the coming of their leaves. We look internally, and are challenged to gift ourselves with time spent in stillness, knowing that out of the stillness we will transition to directed action that is in tune with our hearts and in step with our paths. We learn to trust and to love the darkness around us, and the darkness within. Yet, should you ever find yourself unsure in the darkness, I offer you this meditation. It is a Ute prayer that brings me a sense of personal grounding and connection. It also reminds me of the many forms teachings can take, if my heart and eyes are open, and eases loneliness. I invite you to read each pair of lines slowly, letting the words sink deep into your spirit.

Earth Teacher

As the grasses are stilled with the light.
Earth teach me suffering
As old stones suffer with memory
Earth teach me humility
As blossoms are humble with beginning
Earth teach me caring
As the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage
As the tree which stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation
As the ant which crawls on the ground
Earth teach me freedom
As the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
As the leaves which die in the autumn.
Earth teach me regeneration
As the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
As melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
As dry fields weep in the rain.

Laura Ann Bergman, RPP, is an associate at the Columbus Polarity Center . She can be reached directly at auramadre@msn.com .

Ask Charoula Hello, Everyone! Well, here we are in the month of January, the holidays are over, the cold season is upon us, snow is covering the ground where some of you live, yet this is the month when those of us who are into herbs and gardening in general, start thinking about spring and plants. I hope a lot of those of you reading this column regularly have thought of growing your own herbs, and a lot of you are doing so already. So I thought I would devote this column on talking about the sources I use to order my seeds and plants. Accessing the right source and ensuring you are getting good quality seed is the first step of a conscientious gardener. Knowing the various kinds of seeds available is the second. These days, commercialization and mass production of seed threatens to drive to extinction varieties which once made up our grandmothers’ lush and nutritious gardens. So here are the choices you have if you are looking for seeds. Common widely available commercial seed, which may or may not be genetically engineered but are definitely Hybrids. These seeds are mostly sterile--you can’t save seed out of the plants you grow and you can’t perpetuate a particular variety. Heirloom seed, i.e. seed honored down the generations for its quality and healthfulness Open pollinated seed—i.e. seed that is not a sterile, and can be saved—so you save money the following year using your own seed, along with proudly preserving a traditional variety going extinct Sustainably grown seed – in essence organic but not certified as such. Organic seed – organically certified seed. All heirloom, sustainably grown, and organic seeds are open pollinated. My favorite catalog comes from Seed Savers Exchange, an organization which “conserves and promotes heirloom herb, flower, fruit and vegetable seeds. Buying seeds from Seed Savers ensures you are helping their goals. Becoming a member additionally allows you to share your seed saving with a community of other seed savers and exchange varieties. www.seedsavers.org (563) 382-5990—phone orders For all of us in Ohio, we have a wonderful source of herbal seeds in Athens, OH. Companion Plants. They have a large variety of herbs and plants as well, and their nursery is incredible, if you have the time to take a trip to Athens. But they ship as well. Phone orders: (740) 592-4643 www.companionplants.com Richters is a supplier from Canada with probably the largest most exotic list of seeds. They travel all over the planet to find their offerings. They also ship plants. www.richters.com email: orderdesk@richters.com Phone orders: 1-905-640-6641 Seeds of Change is an all-organic seed catalog, which makes it easier for me to decide some times! They have heirloom and open pollinated varieties as well. One of the first organic catalogs, they have a gardening hotline where you can call the experts all day long if you have a problem. And their photos are delicious as well! www.seedsofchange.com Hotline: 1-505-699-1462 Phone orders: 1-888-762-7333 Fedco is a cooperative from the Northeast coast providing seeds that are organic, sustainably grown, some heirlooms, many open pollinated and NONE genetically engineered. They have a wonderful catalog with old fashioned drawings. The best thing about them is that they offer smaller quantities of seed per packet, at much lower prices! Most of the packets out there contain too many seeds for small gardeners, and we pay dearly for them. So check out Fedco. www.fedcoseeds.com email: questions@fedcoseeds.com Phone: (207) 873-7333 (do not accept orders on the phone! Hence cheaper prices, I guess!) The above are my favorites, those I use all the time. If you fnd you have further interest in seeds, email me and I can send you names of smaller delightful catalogs I have collected through the years! Next month, I will give you some info on which month to start different types of seeds, and what plants are easy enough to plant in backyards and even windowsills. Happy Seed Buying! Charoula 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.

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

– George Bernard Shaw

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& Bodywork Practices

• Ask the Experts, Authors, Speakers & Teachers
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To Reserve Your Space, Call:

Polarity Therapy:
Energetic Structural Integration I – Polarity Feet & Knee Balance

Date & Time: Sunday, February 10 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Location: OIES - Cleveland School Fairview Wellness Center Rocky River, Ohio 44116 Faculty: Shila Wilson, RCST, RPP Class Outline: Polarity Energetic Feet Balance Concepts of Feet and Hip Problems Energetics of Plantar Fascial Tendonitis Problems Related Preventive Exercises Energetic Evaluation and Assessment of Feet Polarity Energetic Knee Balance Concepts of Energy and Earth/Knee Balance Cost: $115 8 Hours of CEUs Available To Register, call (216) 226-2912 or email Melanie McCarter.

Polarity Therapy:
Energetic Evaluation III, IV & V
Good for All Practitioners!

Date & Time: Saturday, March 1, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM Sunday, March 2, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM Monday, March 3, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Location: OIES - Cleveland School Fairview Wellness Center Rocky River, Ohio 44116 Faculty: Mary Jo Ruggieri, PhD, RPP Class Outline: Assessing Breathing Tongue and Pulse Diagnoses Assessment of Face and Special Senses Vital Reserves Assessment of Hands & Feet Postural Assessment/Spinal Assessment Sensing Energy Energetics of Symptoms and Diseases Putting It All Together: Determining Overall Energetic Patterns & Integration of Patterns with Energetic Healing Protocols Writing Energetic Assessments Cost: $115/day CEUs Available To Register, call (216) 226-2912 or email Melanie McCarter.

Associate Polarity Practitioner Program: New Start Dates

Elemental Reflexology™
100 Hours

Mary Jo Ruggieri PhD., RPP Director, Columbus Polarity, Center of Integrative Health and Wellness and Ohio Institute of Energetic Studies - www.ohioinstitute.com Costs: $300.00 for each level or $250.00 if registered a week ahead of time and $950.00 pre-paid 5 Levels: Level I - Basic Introduction, Elemental reflexology-foot mapping, History and Philosophy, Elemental Techniques. Level II - Ether/Air, Elemental Reflexology, Element identification, assessment, Protocols and Techniques. Level III - Fire/Water, Elemental Reflexology, Element identification, assessment, Protocols and Techniques. Level IV - Earth Elemental Reflexology, Element identification, assessment, Protocols and Techniques. Review Case Studies Level V - Practicum 40 hrs. - individual home study, Certification * Basic body energy balancing techniques will be part of the program. Schedule: Class Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Level I (make-up class): Friday, January 18, 2008 Level II - Saturday, January 19 and Sunday, January 20, 2008 Level III - Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24, 2008 Level IV - Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 2008 Level V - Practicum 40 hrs. *Classes coming to Columbus Spring/Summer 2008 & Cleveland again in Fall 2008 For More Information or to Register, contact: Melanie McCarter (216) 226-2912 Email: m.mccarter@clevelandpolarity.com

Looking for a Polarity Practitioner? The Ohio Polarity Practitioner Online Directory- www.oppod.org can help you locate a practitioner near you. The Directory listings include individual practitioner's services and contact information. The website also includes information about Polarity Therapy and classes offered around the State.

Are you a Polarity Practitioner who would like to be listed in www.oppod.org the Ohio Polarity Practitioner Online Directory? You can contact ddeani@oppod.org for details.

Take Action

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

Numerous research studies provide strong evidence that consuming plenty of omega-3 fatty acids can offer powerful protection against depression. However, our daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids averages 130 mg instead of the recommended 1000-2000mg (Barclay 69). In addition to offering protection against heart disease, cancer and diabetes, omega-3 fatty acids may also be important in alleviating symptoms of existing depression, ADHD and related neurodevelopmental disorders. According to researchers, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids helps reduce the symptoms associated with clinical depression because EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are associated with increased gray matter volume in the brain regions that control depression and mood. The American Psychiatric Association concurs and now includes treatment recommendations for the use of omega-3 fatty acids in its guidelines. (Freeman 1954) In other studies, dietary supplementation with fish oils providing EPA and DHA in children with ADHD provided relief from related symptoms as well as benefits for academic achievement. (Richardson 155)

According to the Physicians Desk Reference, individuals with bleeding disorders, those taking blood thinning medications, or with diabetes should not take omega-3 fish oils without consulting their health care provider(s).

While studies continue, it’s clear that omega-3 fatty acids provide an essential building block for both physical and mental health.

Highly Recommended Book

• The Chemistry of Joy: a three step program for overcoming depression through western science and eastern wisdom by Henry Emmons, MD

Resources and References

• Barclay, Laurie MD. “Fighting Depression and Improving Cognition with Omega-3 Fatty Acids.” Life Extension (October 2007), 65-71.
• Contraindications. PDR Health. Physicians Desk Reference Accessed 11/19/07
• http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/altmed/altmedmono.aspx?contentFileName=ame0281.xml
• Freeman, Marlene P., MD, et al. “Omega 3 Fatty Acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry”. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 67.12 (December 2006), 1954-1967.
• http://www.biovita.fi/suomi/pdf/APA_2006.pdf
• Richardson, Alexandra J. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids in ADHD and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders”. International Review of Psychiatry 18.2 (April 2006), 155-172.
• Roderick, Kyle. “Henry Emmons, MD: combating depression with the Chemistry of Joy”. Life Extension (July 2007) 91-93.
• Ruxton, C.H.S. et al. “The Health Benefits of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: a review of the evidence”. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 20 (2007), 275-285.

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.

Is there a topic you would like me to research for a future article? Send in your questions.

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