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March 2009 Newsletter
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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The history of the Leprechaun:
The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied
fellow." The Leprechaun is a small Irish fairy that looks like a small,
old man. According to Irish legend, Leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly. They
are said to live alone and spend their time making shoes. Leprechauns are known
for the hidden pot of gold that they have, and if they are caught they can
be forced to tell where the treasure is kept. But don't look away! If you lose
sight of the Leprechaun, he will vanish, along with all hopes of finding his
treasure. Leprechauns traditionally have nothing to do with the celebration
of St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. The cheerful Leprechaun that we know today
is an American invention, and it has quickly become a recognizable symbol of
St. Patrick's Day.
On this St. Patrick's Day, we wish
you good health at the end of all the rainbows you chase!
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Join us in April for our Spring Detox Group!
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Spring is the perfect time to cleanse your body
and mind!
Our Spring Detox Group is a fun and positive way to jump
start your way to a healthy summer and new habits. We spend seven
days cleaning out our diets and then spend 21 days on a gentle and
easy detoxification program that anyone can do, even first-timers.
Almost everyone can benefit from a detoxification program, and our
past participants have included those preparing for conception, trying
to beat weight loss resistance, dealing with digestive complaints,
fatigued and just not ‘feeling great’, wanting to eat
healthier, dealing with skin problems and those just wanting to give
to give their bodies a well-deserved break!
Nature supports the concept of Spring detoxification,
as it is the time when many foods become available
that nourish one of our most important detoxification
organs, the liver, such as beets,
dandelion roots and asparagus. To get a head start
on your detox program, try adding some roasted
beets to your salad tonight along with a side
dish of roasted lemon asparagus – yum!
Join us in April for our 28-day Spring
Detox Group.
Read more about Detoxification
Programs in
the Services section of our website and later
in this newsletter.
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Mind-body medicine: Use your mind to heal your body!
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Hypnosis and relaxation training fall into the general category of “Mind-body” healing.
This has been around for thousands of years in one form or another.
It relies on the fact that the mind and body are not separate, but
closely connected, and that connection goes both ways. The mind can
cause physical symptoms (think of a headache we might get when we are
stressed), and physical problems can affect the mind. What we do in
mind-body medicine is use this connection in a very positive way.
Hypnosis and similar methods can be useful in a variety of medical
problems, including any type of chronic pain, auto-immune problems,
anxiety or panic attacks, migraines, and even ADHD. While mind-body
medicine is effective in treating stress-related problems, it has
also been used very successfully in treating more physical-based
problems, such as treating patients with severe burns to decrease
pain and medication dependence. There has been a good deal of research
about hypnosis and it is well accepted as a completely safe and valid
medical therapy, even by conventional doctors.
Mind-body treatments are appropriate for both
adults and children. Kids are great at hypnosis, and in most cases
they pick
it up more easily than adults. We can
use these techniques with children starting from age
6 or 7. Our newest addition to Whole Child Wellness, Dr.
Sanford Newmark, is certified in clinical hypnosis (among his other
outstanding skills) by the only legitimate certifying body for hypnosis
in the United States, the American
Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
As an example of the successes possible with mind-body
treatments, he related the story of Laura:
Laura was a 10 year old girl who had been having
stomach aches for 2 years, almost every day. She saw her pediatrician,
who could
find nothing wrong, so she was sent to a GI specialist. He
did a number of tests,
including an endoscopy, and said everything was “normal”,
and that Laura would get over it eventually. Meanwhile, her pain continued,
she was missing a lot of school, and the family was becoming increasingly
troubled dealing with the problem.
After talking with Laura and
her family during her first visit with Dr. Newmark, if was
evident that stress was a big part of her pain. He suggested
teaching her relaxation and self-hypnosis skills. They did
a 15 minute session in which Laura was taught to
mentally go to a very relaxing place and to give her body,
and especially her stomach, the message that this pain was
no longer needed. Laura was sent home with an
audiotape to help her practice her new skills along with
some relaxation breathing techniques.
When she came back the following week, her pain
was already 50% better. After one more more session, and a total of
2 weeks using
the relaxation skills, the pain was completely gone! Laura
continued as a patient with Dr. Newmark
for years and the pain never returned.
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What is detoxification? |
Every day our kidneys and liver work hard to remove
toxins from our bodies. Even when we try to live a clean and healthy
lifestyle,
we are constantly facing toxins which our body must break
down and remove in
order for us to function. These toxins come from many sources:
pollution in the air we breathe and the water we drink, chemicals
on and in the
foods we eat, common cleaning supplies, and even medications
we take. Toxins are also created inside of us whenever our
digestion is impaired!
Our gut can actually produce toxic by-products which often
lead to unpleasant conditions, such as bloating and other
digestive problems.
We have five "exit doors" for the toxins that our liver and
kidneys break down, and those are our skin, hair, stool, urine and
breath. When toxins accumulate in our body, it is not uncommon for
symptoms to appear such as itchy skin, foul breath, constipation, fatigue,
joint pain, brain fog and headaches, and many others. In our detoxification
programs, we focus on opening these "exit doors" by including
high fiber foods to help with stool elimination, drinking lots of filtered
water and fresh juices to encourage better elimination via the kidneys,
eating foods that are easy to digest in order to give the gut a break,
and suggesting fun activities such as visits to the sauna to get you
sweating and eliminating better via your skin! By the end of your detoxification
program you should be feeling much better as you’ve worked hard
to support your body’s detoxification system with nourishing
foods, focused nutritional supplements and easy lifestyle changes.
In the spring and fall, we offer detox groups
that are a fun and positive way to better health
and new habits with the support and
camaraderie of a group. These groups are 28-day gentle
and easy detoxification programs that anyone can
do, even first-timers. During
other times of the year, individual detox programs
are available that can be customized to specific needs.
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