 | |  Health Buzz  | Policy of Containment Imagine burying one ton of diapers in your backyard-that's the equivalent of one babyhood's worth of disposable diaper consumption. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, disposable diapers made up 3.4 million tons of landfill waste-2.1 percent of US garbage-in 1998, the last year this information was collected. In addition to being ecofriendly, cloth diapers facilitate communication between parent and baby: Children learn to let their parents know when they need to go to the bathroom, instead of assuming that the diaper itself is the potty. Cloth-diapered babies can train as early as 18 months, instead of potty training by as late as age 5 with plastic diapers. Plastic diapers create a heated environment that is linked to infection and male infertility. And synthetic chemicals are a threat: Sodium polyacrylate is still used in diapers despite its recall from tampons due to links with toxic shock syndrome. Shelley Tween, founder of Healthy Diapers delivery service, offers an alternative: "Cotton diapers let skin breathe. It is the reason we don't wear plastic T-shirts," says Tween. Healthy Diapers, the last diaper delivery service in the state, uses all-organic, fair-trade materials, and owns biodiesel trucks, servicing Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester Counties. (845) 338-1211; www.healthydiapers.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2006 / Winter 2007 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Herbal Apothecary Explore natural health care options without being overwhelmed at Dr. Tom's Tonics in Rhinebeck, where naturopathic doctor Tom Francescott offers pure, fresh products for nutrition, body care, herbal healing, and homeopathy, including products for children and even for pets. Stop in and you'll get on-the-spot guidance from Dr. Tom or his new colleague Winnie Abramson, ND. They might dispense a few ounces of herbs from off the shelf, direct you to condition-specific tinctures, supplements, or salves, or suggest a longer consultation by appointment if desired. In addition to products from premier all-natural companies, Dr. Tom offers his own product lines of protein supplements, vitamins, healing salves, Chinese herbal formulas, and dozens of tinctures made from sustainably harvested, fresh organic plants. He also carries an array of items representing two of his strongest health/wellness foci: probiotics and omega oils (especially fish oils). New items in the store that make great gift ideas include handcrafted teas from a small village in China; organic coffees infused with immune-enhancing mushrooms (which don't alter flavor but instead counteract caffeine's adrenal-depleting effects); and a variety of body care and healthcare kits that Dr. Tom creates. Select from other gifts and new and used natural healthcare books. Dr. Tom's Tonics, 6384 Mill Street, Rhinebeck; (845) 876-2900. | This article was printed in the Fall 2006 / Winter 2007 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Contrology The Pilates method of exercise and body conditioning-which focuses on building core muscles and postural awareness-was developed by German Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880-1967) more than 70 years ago. Until the 1980s, Pilates training (he termed it "contrology") was the well-kept secret of dancers and performing artists. However, in recent years, thanks to general interest in "mind/body" health and the enthusiasm of stars like Jodie Foster, Madonna, and Sharon Stone, Pilates has become one of the most popular types of fitness training. Joseph Pilates believed that neither mental nor physical health could be had without the other. His method of total body conditioning includes over 500 exercises, each of which emphasizes proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement. These exercises can be practiced on a mat or on the five pieces of spring-loaded exercise equipment that Pilates invented. In either case, the Pilates method focuses on exercising what its inventor called the "powerhouse" area of the body-the abdomen, lower back, and buttocks-and results in increased flexibility, strength, muscle tone, body awareness, energy, freedom of movement, and improved mental concentration. The Pilates training program stabilizes the pelvis and shoulder girdle, stretching and strengthening the entire body with movements that begin in the "powerhouse." Pilates does not focus on high-powered cardiovascular exercise. Instead, practitioners use their own bodies as weights to build strength and flexibility. Today, Pilates has several applications. The method is often used in physical therapy as movement reeducation, leading individuals through increasingly challenging versions of the movements they practice in their day-to-day activities. Pilates is also successful in preventing and alleviating back pain, because the method focuses on building core muscles and postural awareness. Research and theories in motor learning, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal physiology also help support the success experienced by many Pilates practitioners. However, the best example of the method's success was Joseph Pilates himself. A sickly child who suffered from a variety of conditions including severe asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever, he transformed himself into a teenage model for anatomical charts. | This article was printed in the Fall 2006 / Winter 2007 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Creating Healthy Workplaces Aside from mood-enhancing drugs and calling in sick, workplace-related stress-relief options are limited. Whether we are speaking of isolation, hierarchy, or information overload, each takes a toll on our physical health. "Any health difficulty we have is linked to some sort of imbalance in our lives," says Matt Cantello, founder of Original Wellness, an organization that focuses on relieving workplace "unhealth." Our immune system functions as a regulator in our bodies: Its job is to respond to imbalances. The product-oriented epidemic in businesses and organizations across the board tips its scales: "The culture [of the workplace] is moving at such a rapid place that it can't sustain itself," says Cantello. Original Wellness offers healing retreats that create a calming, regenerative atmosphere. The workshops include yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, and such elements as conscious listening, breath-work exercises, and laughter therapy. Practical trainings offered have themes like starting the day, stimulating creativity, problem solving, generating power, easing conflict, and envisioning the future. www.artshealing.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2006 / Winter 2007 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Women's Day The sixth annual Women's Health and Fitness Expo has more excitement to offer than keynote speaker Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Highlights include mini-consults with doctors and specialists, 20 kinds of free health screenings, workshops, cooking demonstrations and book signings. Save March 6 for the Expo at Tech City in Kingston. A complete list of vendors and events is online at www.womenshealthexpo.com. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Out From Under the Knife Impending surgery can wreak havoc on one's state of mind. Diane Epstein describes many clients that come to her as feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or just plain scared. It was her desire to help that led her to cofound Transforming Your Surgery. Beginning weeks before the surgery, she helps to prepare the body and spirit. Epstein is a licensed massage therapist, Reiki master, and certified practitioner of Process Acupressure. Epstein has found that "too often the experience of surgery is one of trauma, fear and loss." Working as advocate, guide, and witness for this profound journey, she helps clients transform their surgery into an experience of true healing. Find out more at transformingsurgery.com. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Moving to Live "Continuum is an extraordinary awakening to the fullness of what it means to be alive." So says the brochure published by Emilie Conrad, founder of Continuum movement, based in Los Angeles. Since 1967, she has been working with sound, movement, and breath to amplify the innate vitality in the body. Continuum, a most idealistic movement form, seeks to avoid the deadening and isolating effects of repetitive exercise and instead to explore and play with movement, using the ideas of fluid and spirals as inspiration. Benefits include flexible power, core strength, skeletal health, relaxation, increased sensuality, and receptivity. Elaine Colandrea, one of only 45 teachers of the work, holds weekly classes from her studio in Milan, Dutchess County. 845-758-4143. You can experience an intensive week of Continuum with Emilie Conrad at Kripalu in the Berkshires, April 9 through16 (www.kripalu.org), and at Omega Institute, June 26 through July 2 (www.eomega.org). | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | A Perfect Bite In search of exceptionally healthy populations, Dr. Weston Price traveled the world during the early 20th century, just as technology and transportation were penetrating remote regions. The traditional diets of the groups he found, though diverse, shared important nutritional factors that conferred beauty, strength, and an amazing lack of dental caries. May 19 through 21, nutrition journalist Sally Fallon will draw from Price's findings and answer such questions as "Is fat bad for us?" and "Is vegetarianism healthier?" She will show how traditional diets nourish and describe how modern foods have created an epidemic of disease. Fallon will be at Camp Epworth in High Falls for a three-day seminar titled Nourishing Traditions, named for the cookbook she authored. Each day can be attended separately and is unique. The seminar is a benefit for the third annual Hudson Valley Farm Festival (September 10, 2006), an event celebrating sustainable agriculture, grass-fed meats, and New York family farms. (www.sunstoneherbs.com/workshops.html) | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Avoiding the Midlife Crisis We all have a second chance to become the person we were meant to be, says Daniel H. Johnston, PhD, author of Lessons for Living. The midlife crisis, first identified by Carl Jung, is a time when people often seek counseling. But perhaps things don't need to get to that stage. "People may need help that's not therapy—not about issues of the past," says Caren Fairweather, a life coach based in New Paltz. "Whether we focus on career or not, people need help making choices that affect their future life situation." She describes life coaching as a process in which the coach guides the client to uncover their core values, ultimately supporting them to find a path that is intrinsic to their values. Then, the coach helps the client stay the course. Fairweather says people are coming to her younger, often in their thirties, questioning the belief that if they do what they love they cannot make money. Satisfaction with one's life has long been known to correlate with good health, so life coaching may be excellent preventive medicine. Look for a coach you have good chemistry with. "Your coach may hold your feet to the fire. It can get challenging," she warns. But living a life of meaning is probably worth the effort. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Your Mother Wasn't Kidding A recent study by Cornell University food scientists found that an apple a day can help keep breast cancer away. In this landmark study of the effects of apples on cancer prevention in animals, Cornell researchers treated a group of rats with a known mammary carcinogen, then fed them either whole apple extracts or control extracts. Tumor incidence was reduced in one group by 17, 39, and 44 percent and the number of tumors found was also reduced by 25, 25, and 61 percent in rats fed the human equivalent of one, three, or six apples a day, respectively, throughout 24 weeks. Lead scientist Rui Hai Liu credits phytochemicals—antioxidants—in fresh apples with inhibiting human liver and colon cancer cell growth by mopping up cell-damaging free radicals and inhibiting the production of reactive substances that could damage normal cells. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Cultivate Nutrition Intuition Holly Shelowitz of Nourishing Wisdom is leading a twice-monthly women's-only nutrition group throughout this fall and winter. Topics include choosing the right foods for your age and the season; food's healing qualities; healing food and herb remedies for common ailments and women's health; what sweet and carb cravings really mean and how to deal with them; preventing "food ruts"; nourishing skin from within with homemade personal products; the non-toxic home; and creating sacred time in the kitchen. Alternating Tuesdays, October 11 through February 21, 7-9:30pm, at Stone Ridge Healing Arts. Also available via teleconference. (845) 658-7887; info@nourishingwisdom.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Is Your Physical Self Holding You Back? Dr. Donna Flynn became an osteopath to help people manage pain and achieve self-assurance. Her new office, Advanced Therapeutic Solutions, brings safe, successful, and affordable cutting-edge non-surgical techniques. Prolotherapy is a series of all-natural injections to injured areas to stimulate healing of carpal tunnel, arthritis, back pain, tennis elbow, knee and hip pain, sports injuries, or fibromyalgia. Mesotherapy is a non-surgical alternative to liposuction that promotes weight loss, cellulite elimination, and overall body-sculpting through injections of microscopic amounts of pharmaceutical agents, plant extracts, homeopathic medicines, and vitamins into body fat. For information, visit ATS at 280 Route 299, Highland, or contact (845) 399-7150; info@mesoprolotherapy.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Celebrating Breastfeeding Breast is best, but not just locally. Its "importance spreads out to every government, over every continent," says Brigitte Signer Touloupis, a Swiss midwife and the initiator of the Breastfeeding Resource Center Naxos, in Greece. Throughout September, international artists, representing every continent—including the Hudson Valley's Elisa Pritzker, a conceptual minimalist artist—exhibited sculpture, paintings, and photography at Greece's Venetian Castle of Naxos promoting "the protection of breastfeeding as special and the planet in general." Sales of the artwork were donated to support the center. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Non-Surgical Plastic Surgery Those interested in cosmetic surgery no longer need to go under the knife, travel, or give up their savings to experience successful, affordable, non-surgical plastic surgery. The latest techniques—Ultrasound Microdermabrasion (removing stretch marks and acne scars with miniature-crystal exfoliation), Thermage (a non-surgical facelift using collagen rejuvenation), Restylane (erasing lines and creases by restoring the skin's natural hyaluronic acid), and Photofacial (light energy delivered to remove facial redness, veins, and pigmented spots, and reduce pore size and fine lines)—are now available at Medi-Spa in Rhinebeck thanks to Dr. M.T. Abraham, recently recruited by Vassar Brothers Medical Center as one of 100 surgeons trained to perform complex head and neck reconstructions. At Medi-Spa, non-invasive techniques take little or no time to heal, and cost roughly 15 percent of traditional plastic surgery. 6464 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck. (845) 454-8025; www.nyfacemd.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Playback Perspective Talking about your life promotes good health, but watching your experiences be "played back" affords a uniquely objective perspective. Playback Theatre is improvisation based on the personal experiences of both actors and audience members: the teller watches his or her experience played back on the spot by actors relying on intuition to bring the story to life. Research shows that sharing co-created stories stimulates physical and mental empathy and is life-enhancing for all involved. Two Playback Theatre companies—Hudson River Playback Theatre and Community Playback Theatre—perform throughout the region for the public, special populations, and groups. Contact Judy Swallow at (845) 255-5613. | This article was printed in the Fall 2005 / Winter 2006 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Fetching Bags After Margery Gaffin injured her back, she and her husband Irwin designed a bag that redistributes its own center of gravity, relieving stress on the neck, shoulders, and back. Their Healthy Back Bag has since been joined by a wide range of ergonomic AmeriBags, equally stylish and functional in leather, tapestry, and nylon, guaranteed for their materials' life. AmeriBag, Kingston. (845) 339-8033. www.ameribag.com. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Natural Repellent It's Lyme disease and West Nile Virus season, so...To DEET or not to DEET? Fear no more the toxicity of synthetic insect repellant! Bugs Beware's natural formula of ostrich, eucalyptus, sassafras, citronella, and white oils banishes all bugs—mosquitos, flies, ticks, lice, bulk gnats, and fleas, and other ephemera. Spray it on clothing, shoes, tents, dogs, horses, or anything of yours outdoors! At a health store near you. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Natural Hormones Read Suzanne Somers' The Sexy Years, and you'll discover the bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), the all-natural, no-side-effects secret to good sex and great health for women of a certain age. Problem is, BHRT resources are rare, but fortunately, compounding pharmacist Glenn Arpino of Dermasave offers BHRT, skincare products, group talks, and consultations. Pleasant Valley. (800) 277-7099. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | A Horse Connection The benefits of hippotherapy, Greek for "treatment with the help of a horse," have been prized since 460 BCE. Bonding with horses and following their movements motivates patients beyond clinical speech, physical, and occupational therapy—especially with physical, emotional, or developmental impairment, autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. Southlands Foundation, Rhinebeck
(845) 417-4646. www.ahorseconnection.com | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Eat Well, Play Hard The US Department of Health is battling harder than ever against carbs. In January, its dietary guidelines rose from nine to 12 servings per day of fruits and vegetables. Currently, only 23 percent of Americans eat at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day, so health experts hope the higher recommended intake will inspire folks to up their daily fruit and veggie doses. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Carbs & Breast Cancer As if there wasn't already enough reasons to avoid carbohydrates, a new Mexican study reports that women with high-carbohydrate diets have more than double the risk of breast cancer—with sugar being the greatest offender and menopausal women being at the greatest risk. Consumers of insoluble fiber (fruit, vegetables, and grains) had a significantly lower risk. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
Green Goddess Week Aspiring herbalist women, ages 14 and up, are invited to spend August 1-7 under the Green Goddess' tutelage. At the Wise Woman Center, home of renowned herbalist Susun Weed, apprentices will reweave the Ancients' healing cloak by studying herbs and making medicines of them. $650-$1,000 includes accomm-odation, meals, books, and supplies. Woodstock. www.susunweed.com | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | 5-Second Abs Longing to turn your doughy belly rock-hard, but don't have time for the gym? It only takes one painless five-second move to flatten your tummy. More effective than tummy crunching is stomach "cramping": take a deep breath and exhale forcefully, meanwhile tightening your abdominals. Hold this "cramp" 5 seconds for 10 reps; increase to 40, 50, even 100 reps every other day. | This article was printed in the Spring / Summer 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Spider Cure for Strokes? Biophysical scientist Frederick Sachs is out to prove peptide GsMtx-4, found in Chilean Rose tarantula venom, inhibits atrial fi brillation, a quivery heart condition that causes 15 percent of strokes. Sachs found GsMtx-4 calmed atrial fi brillation in rabbits by blocking ion channels in brain cell membranes. He hopes the peptide will replace anti-clotting drugs currently used to treat the condition. | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Feed Your Skin Grape seed oil permeates the skin's seven layers faster than other oils, making it perfect for winter. It's the main ingredient at Three Crazy Friends, Inc., makers of natural, herbal skin care products. "Grape seed oil sinks down deep, feeding the skin by bringing in healing herbs," says company founder Nancy Obremski. A longtime diabetic, Obremski designed the product line because "diabetics can't risk winter skin problems." Try Healthy Skin Care (with calendula) to relieve rosacea and Alligator Alleve (with bilberry) to halt dry skin, eczema and psoriasis symptoms. Order at www.3crazyfriends.com or (845) 534-8355. ($6.50/8 oz. jar) | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Speak Easy Stop worrying about your breath even after smoking, drinking coffee, or eating spicy foods with Scandinavian Formula's new Good Breath soft gelatine capsules. Containing only parsley seed and sunflower oils, the capsules battle halitosis in the digestive tract. Swallow two or three soft gels, and enjoy up to six hours of fresh breath. Guaranteed, or the price refunded. Available at Health Food Stores. www.scandinavianformulas.com. | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Domestic Dioxins Alert Nuking take-out or instant foods? Freezing bottled water? Lose those plastic containers! Walter Reed Army Medical Center warns that freezing liquid or microwaving food in plastic wrap, Styrofoam, or plastic containers releases dioxins. The combination of food fat, extreme temperatures and plastics causes dioxins to drip with moisture into food or liquid. Dioxins are found to be responsible for cancer, especially breast cancer. If you must eat leftover take-out or instant or frozen dinners, use glass, Corning Ware, or ceramic containers for reheating. And keep those water bottles in the fridge! | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Fishing for Answers Research shows that consumption of certain fish and shellfish causes high levels of mercury in the bloodstream, harming developing nervous systems of unborn babies and young children. According to the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency 2004 advisory, young children, pregnant and nursing women, and women of childbearing age should avoid high-mercury shark, swordfish, King Mackerel, tilefish, and canned white (albacore) tuna. Considered safe are shrimp, salmon, pollock, catfish, and canned light tuna. For more information, call the FDA at (301) 827-6242 or visit www.epa.gov/ost/fish. | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
 | Gyrotonics The name of the next wave in exercise speaks for itself: "gyro" means spiral and "tonic" refers to conditioning and toning. Based on yoga but using non-weightbearing equipment, gyrotonics involves fluid and circular exercises with no endpoint. The torso and spine are targeted for strength, but breath and neurological stimulation also count in this whole body workout. The Moving Body, 276 Tinker Street, Woodstock Open seven days a week. Call (845) 679-7715. | This article was printed in the Fall 2004 / Winter 2005 issue of Healthy Living Magazine. |
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