tag:www.naturalawakeningsnj.com,2005:/categories/in-print?page=46In-Print | Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey Page 46Healthy Living Healthy Planet2022-06-01T21:08:03-07:00urn:uuid:5f2feb3b-331e-4acd-a546-4e63dfef71162022-06-01T21:07:21-07:002022-06-01T21:08:03-07:00Discover Stress Relief with Hypnosis2022-06-01 21:07:20 -0700Kristy Mayer<p><br></p><div><a href="http://www.HypnosisCounselingCenter.com"><img alt="" src="//cdn3.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/926103/fill/0x0/hypnosiscounselingcenter.png?timestamp=1654142807"></a></div><p> </p><p>Stress is everywhere. While the pandemic added tremendous pressure, the cumulative effects of stress on our mental and physical health were already at epidemic levels. Every modality for addressing health issues begins with “reduce stress”. That suggests that stress, by itself, is a major risk factor that affects the well-being of mind and body. While there are many approaches to reducing stress, hypnosis is a safe, medically approved method of behavior modification therapy that is painless to experience, simple to learn and easy to practice. <br></p><p>For over 35 years, the Hypnosis Counseling Center, has been helping people change their lives for the better. Panic attacks and anxiety disorders can manifest themselves in physical symptoms such as stomach pains or insomnia, or behaviors like avoidance or extreme shyness. Nicotine addiction and unwanted weight can both lead to a frustrating roller coaster ride of hope and disappointment. Regardless of the issue, you can discover what thousands of others have already learned: Hypnosis offers a painless path to freedom and change.</p><p>The center offers in-person and virtual group classes throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and private appointments are also available.</p><p><i>Locations: Offices in Flemington, Princeton, and Livingston, New Jersey; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. For more information, call founder Barry Wolfson at 908-303-7767 or visit </i><a href="http://www.HypnosisCounselingCenter.com" target="_blank">HypnosisCounselingCenter.com</a><i>. See ad, page 11.</i></p><p><i><br></i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:0145e688-b779-4a77-beb7-7fe0317f55062022-06-01T21:04:16-07:002022-06-01T21:04:16-07:00Hemberger Structural Integration Celebrates 20 Years2022-06-01 21:04:16 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>As the 20th anniversary of founding Hemberger Structural Integration approaches, Edward Hemberger, LMT, ART, is pleased with how many people have been helped by Structural Integration (SI), including himself. <br></p><p>Over 20 years ago, Hemberger’s own hip pain had gotten so severe that his family physician referred him to an orthopedist. Their joint recommendation was that he needed hip replacement surgery. </p><p>“Fortunately, I was already working with my mentor and teacher Dr. Tom Findley, MD, PhD, physiatrist and Advanced Rolfer,” shares Hemberger. “After getting Rolfing Structural Integration sessions and doing McKenzie physical therapy, we discovered that the pain was not coming from my hip at all. It was being triggered by deep compression on the nerves running through the lumbar section of my spine and manifesting as hip pain.”</p><p>Structural Integration recognizes how elusive the source of pain can be. Using a whole body approach allows a certified SI practitioner to locate sources for pain and discomfort that may remain hidden using other therapies.</p><p>Hemberger notes, “It’s sad to say, but if I had had my hip replaced I would have still had the same pain. So my own personal experience confirmed what a godsend Rolfing Structural Integration can be.”</p><p><i>Location: Offices in Boonton and Montclair. For more information, call 973-462-3112 or visit </i><a href="http://www.HembergerStructuralIntegration.com" target="_blank">HembergerStructuralIntegration.com</a><i>. See ad, page 10.</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:43d3318b-3602-4ccb-80ed-4d8f1f83cc2f2022-06-01T21:01:14-07:002022-10-04T12:31:48-07:00Numinous Mama Brings Holistic to the Motherhood Experience2022-06-01 21:01:14 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>Dr. Christine Dolahan, Ph.D., founder of Numinous Mama, is passionate about the benefits of holistic and integrative therapies in helping women and mothers with the challenges they may encounter in the different states of the feminine experience. From fertility issues all the way into motherhood, she views the journey as a spiritual and holistic path. <br></p><p>As she works with clients, Dolahan combines life purpose coaching techniques with different lineages of Reiki, along with any other holistic practice she feels guided to use. The result is that her clients feel more peace, fun, confidence and joy in their identity as a mother as well as relief on a physical and emotional levels.</p><p><i>Text for free 30-minute Discovery Call. Location: 1 Cherry Tree Lane, Sparta. For more information, text 973-995-6271, email ChristineDolahanWellness@gmail.com and visit </i><a href="http://www.NuminousMama.com" target="_blank">NuminousMama.com</a><i>. </i></p><p><i><br></i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:db31d81a-a887-42a0-afbd-8de09b1dcad92022-05-31T20:38:48-07:002024-03-28T10:35:37-07:00In This Issue: June 20222022-05-31 20:38:48 -0700Kristy MayerPlease enjoy the June 2022 Issue of <i>Natural Awakenings. </i>Flip through the pages of the digital magazine or scroll through the articles below.<hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:3c0f8fea-1d8a-4481-bd76-d064544263952022-05-07T10:40:06-07:002022-08-26T19:45:31-07:00Cut Back on Booze to Protect the Brain2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>It is widely known that heavy drinking harms the brain, but even drinking as little as a few beers or glasses of wine per week will reduce brain volume, according to a new study of 36,000 adults. Researchers led by a University of Pennsylvania team <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28735-5" target="_blank">reported in <i>Nature Communications</i></a><span><i> </i>that alcohol consumption even at modest levels may carry risks to the brain, shrinking it in ways similar to the aging process.<i> </i>The study was conducted using the </span><a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/" target="_blank">UK Biobank</a>, a dataset from 500,000 British middle-aged and older adults that includes genetic and medical information, including white and gray matter volume in different regions of the brain.</p><p><span>The researchers found that the more alcohol people consumed on average, the greater the brain damage. Going from zero to a daily average of one alcohol unit (half a beer or half a glass of wine) is linked with the equivalent of a half a year of aging in 50-year-olds. Drinking an<br>average of two units a day (a pint of beer or glass of wine) produces changes in the brain equivalent to aging two years. The difference between zero and four units (two beers or glasses of wine) was equal to more than 10 years of aging. </span>“It’s not linear,” says study co-author <a href="http://remidaviet.com/" target="_blank">Remi Daviet</a>. “It gets worse the more you drink. There is some evidence that the effect of drinking on the brain is exponential. That means that cutting back on that final drink of the night might have a big effect in terms of brain aging.”</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:ef699e31-3808-4fe8-aef1-815c0427a7c02022-05-07T10:56:26-07:002022-08-26T19:45:30-07:00Pump Iron to Boost Sleep2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>For the one in three Americans that are sleep-deprived, working out with resistance exercises to strengthen muscles may produce longer and deeper shuteye than aerobics, new <a href="https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/?_ga=2.43661667.795188704.1646150369-78844285.1609356599#!/10553/presentation/99" target="_blank">research from the American Heart Association</a> shows. In a 12-month study, researchers randomly assigned 386 inactive, overweight adults with high blood pressure to one of several groups that worked out for an hour three times a week. A resistance exercise group did three sets of eight to 16 repetitions on 12 machines; the aerobics group used treadmills, bicycles or elliptical machines; a combo group used both; and a control group did no supervised exercise. Among the 42 percent of participants that were not getting at least seven hours of sleep at the study’s start, sleep duration increased by an average of 40 minutes for the resistance exercise group compared to an increase of about 23 minutes in the aerobic exercise group and about 17 minutes in the combined exercise group.</p><p>“If your sleep has gotten noticeably worse over the past two stressful years, consider incorporating two or more resistance exercise training sessions into your regular exercise routine to improve your general muscle and <a href="/article_tags/bone-health" target="_blank">bone health</a>, as well as your sleep,” says study author Angelique Brellenthin, assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, in Ames.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:64244447-43d4-4ca6-ac9f-fd6de42c866e2022-05-07T11:05:19-07:002022-08-26T19:45:29-07:00Try Neem and Walking to Ward Off COVID-19 Symptoms2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p><span>Two new studies suggest that neem (<i>Azadirachta indica</i>), a plant used for centuries in India to treat malaria, </span><span>intestinal ulcers and skin diseases, may offer protection against COVID-19 and future variants.<b> </b>At the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus, </span><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220228114351.htm" target="_blank">researchers found</a> that neem bark extract tested on COVID-infected human lung cells proved as effective as a preventive drug. It targeted a wide range of viral proteins and also decreased virus replication and spread after infection. In an Indian <a href="http://alternative-therapies.com/abstract/6831.html" target="_blank">double-blind study</a> of 190 healthcare workers or relatives of COVID-19 patients, researchers at the All India Institute of Ayurveda, in Delhi, found that those given a neem extract of 50 milligrams twice daily for 28 days had a reduced risk of 55 percent for infection compared to the control group.</p><p>For people dealing with the lingering symptoms of long COVID such as fatigue, brain fog and muscle pain, a solution may be daily exercise of at least 30 minutes, because it lowers inflammation and blood glucose levels, suggest Louisiana State University <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/Abstract/2022/04000/Exercise_as_a_Moderator_of_Persistent.2.aspx" target="_blank">researchers in the journal <i>Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews</i></a><i>. </i>“If you can only walk 15 minutes once a day, do that. The important thing is to try. It doesn’t matter where you begin,” says article author Candida Rebello, Ph.D.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:794fc4b8-e13c-4339-8522-399995eedaf92022-05-08T07:51:08-07:002022-08-26T19:45:28-07:00Run Farther with Beetroot and Citrulline2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>Nitrate-rich beetroot extract and citrulline, a non-essential amino acid, have been shown to be precursors of nitric oxide, which benefits athletic performance by expanding blood vessels and increasing blood flow. To determine whether combining the two produces better results, Spanish researchers gave the two supplements separately and together to 32 male triathletes for nine weeks. The dosages were 3 grams a day of citrulline and 2.1 grams a day of beetroot extract. In a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/1/75/htm" target="_blank">study published in <i>Biology</i></a>, they reported that the combination did not improve markers of exercise-induced muscle damage, but did reduce cortisol levels, and also enabled those participants to run 5 percent farther in the standard 12-minute Cooper Test.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:106f326b-ffb6-4736-8bfa-92495ce270582022-05-08T08:26:46-07:002022-08-26T19:45:26-07:00National Parks Enacting New Regulations2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>Because our national parks and protected areas are feeling the pressure of increased demand for outdoor recreation, the National Park Service (NPS) has cracked down on some recreational activities to better manage the human impact on natural environments. In 2021, the national park system hosted nearly 300 million recreational visits, and 44 parks set visitation records. The high number of cars creates congestion, <a href="/article_tags/pollution" target="_blank">pollution</a> and collisions with wildlife. Overcrowding on trails can lead to higher risk of hiking accidents and illegal off-roading.</p><p>Two Utah national parks will start requiring reservations. At Zion, Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks, guests need a permit to hike certain routes. Arches National Park guests will have to book timed entry tickets during the high season. Acadia and Zion announced the temporary closure of some popular climbing sites starting this month to ensure that peregrine falcons can nest without disturbance.</p><p>In 2021, the NPS gave park superintendents the authority to ban e-bikes if they adversely impact natural resources or other visitors, as well as scenic air tours at dawn or dusk or within a half-mile of the ground. Biologically important behaviors for many species occur during sunrise and sunset such as foraging, mating and communication. The hours of operation provide quiet periods of the day during which visitors can enjoy natural sounds and preserve opportunities for solitude in designated wilderness areas.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:40604316-ca76-44c2-b93c-256c14f8d8b52022-05-08T08:35:05-07:002022-08-26T19:45:25-07:00California Canals Gain Solar Panels2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>To both conserve water and generate clean energy, <a href="https://www.tid.org/about-tid/current-projects/project-nexus/" target="_blank">Project Nexus</a>, an innovative pilot project from the University of California-Merced, will install solar arrays over 25-foot- and 100-foot-wide canals in the Turlock Irrigation District so operators can monitor and evaluate their impact on water quality and evaporation, as well as assess maintenance and logistical issues. External Affairs Department Manager Josh Weimer says, “In today’s world and how we are operating our system, saving every possible drop of water for future beneficial use is something that we are really trying to focus on.”</p><p>In Europe, canals are lined with tree cover, while India has already started using solar panels. Project partner <a href="https://solaraquagrid.com/" target="_blank">Solar AquaGrid, LLC</a>, recognized the untapped opportunity to curtail evaporation and advance California’s Solar Over Canal initiative. CEO Jordan Harris states, “Research and common sense tell us that in an age of intensifying drought, it’s time to put a lid on evaporation. Our initial study revealed mounting solar panels over open canals can result in significant water, energy and cost savings when compared to ground-mounted solar systems, including added efficiency resulting from an exponential shading and cooling effect. Now is the chance to put that learning to the test.”</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:8c5b2295-3693-4e33-b290-7dd753fb1bae2022-05-08T08:45:02-07:002022-09-09T15:34:37-07:00The Harmful Effects of Fences on Wildlife and Ecosystems2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>A group of biologists in the northern Rockies published a paper in 2018, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718308449" target="_blank">A fence runs through it: A call for greater attention to the influence of fences on wildlife and ecosystems</a>.” In 2020, a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/70/11/971/5908036" target="_blank">meta-analysis in <i>BioScience</i></a> looked at all the studies of the effects of fences and found that their profound impacts are often ignored or greatly underestimated. The impacts extend far beyond blocking animal migration routes and include furthering disease transmission by concentrating animals, altering the hunting practices of predators and impeding access to key areas of water and forage. Fences are going up rapidly as border barriers and livestock farming increase.</p><p>In the case of the U.S./Mexico border wall intended to prevent illegal immigration, “The main threat ... is the landscape-level impacts of curtailing or completely precluding wildlife movement and eliminating landscape connectivity at large scales,” says Aaron Flesch, a wildlife biologist at the University of Arizona, who has studied the wall’s impacts. Bighorn sheep and jaguars are cut off from their kind on the other side of the border. That means that the genetic interaction needed to keep small populations of jaguars or ocelots healthy may be affected. It also means bighorn sheep in Mexico may not be able to migrate north to escape a hotter and drier climate.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:dda507a7-d445-4371-af60-81db4a225c1e2022-05-08T08:48:37-07:002022-08-26T19:45:22-07:00Ban Plastics in National Parks2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>Our national parks are places of unparalleled scenic beauty and wildlife for all of us to enjoy. These national treasures are being threatened by plastic trash. Nonprofit Free the Ocean is circulating a petition to Get Single-Use Plastic Out of U.S. National Parks. <a href="https://www.freetheocean.com/get-single-use-plastic-out-of-our-national-parks/#sign" target="_blank">Sign it</a><i>.</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:857c69c7-5e65-4b0e-81a3-9d141233e2032022-05-09T06:59:30-07:002022-08-26T19:45:20-07:00Weeds Attract Pollinators to Increase Harvests2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>A recent <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/12/1114" target="_blank">study published in <i>Insects</i></a> compared mango trees at a local farm in Homestead, Florida, where one plot of trees had weeds growing around them and another plot was maintained to be weed-free. It turns out that the presence of weeds benefits trees and pollinators. “Weeds actually do a lot of good. It might be helpful to think of them of wildflowers,” says Blaire Kleiman, the Florida International University Institute of Environment graduate teaching assistant and alumna who, under the guidance of professors Suzanne Koptur and Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, undertook this research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants program. </p><p>Fruit trees can’t live without pollinators. Bees and other insects have been shown to increase the size and quality of yields from 70 percent of the leading, economically important crops in the world, but it’s getting harder to bring bees to the trees. Over the last 30 years, pollinator numbers have declined significantly. Farmers already rely on insectary plants to attract pollinators, and Kleiman notes that her findings apply to 80 percent of all flowering plants of Earth, including vegetables like tomatoes, beans, eggplants and squash. She wants her study to help farmers also reduce the use of chemical pesticides that harm pollinators.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:aa8e9683-e2ea-4137-ae0e-033ba2dcee9a2022-05-09T07:51:14-07:002022-08-26T19:45:19-07:00Climate Change Causing Birds to Lay Eggs Earlier2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>In a new study, “<a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13683" target="_blank">Climate Change Affects Bird Nesting Phenology: Comparing Contemporary Field and Historical Museum Nesting Records</a><span>,” published in the <i>Journal of Animal Ecology,</i> scientists were able to determine that about a third of the bird species nesting in Chicago are laying their eggs a month earlier than they did 100 years ago by comparing eggs preserved in museum collections to modern observations. Researchers think the culprit in this shift is climate change.</span></p><p>John Bates, curator of birds at the Field Museum and the study’s lead author, says, “The majority of the birds we looked at eat insects, and insects’ seasonal behavior is also affected by climate. The birds have to move their egg-laying dates to adapt. Egg collections are such a fascinating tool for us to learn about bird ecology over time. I love the fact that this paper combines these older and modern datasets to look at these trends over about 120 years and help answer really critical questions about how climate change is affecting birds.”</p><p>Bates advises, “These early egg people were incredible natural historians in order to do what they did. You really have to know the birds in order to go out and find the nests and do the collecting.”</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:1d3c6ea2-832a-4b52-969b-75cb5c5c3f7e2022-05-09T09:31:03-07:002022-08-26T19:45:18-07:00South Pole Registers Historic Temperature2022-05-31 06:30:00 -0700Rachael Oppy<p>Normally, temperatures fall with the end of the southern summer, but the Dumont d’Urville station, on Antarctica, registered record temperatures for March of 40.82° F at a time of the year when readings are usually already sub-zero. Gaetan Heymes, of France Meteo, describes the unseasonably mild weather as a historic event. The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center says that Antarctica’s sea ice fell below 772,204 square miles in late February for the first time since 1979.</p><p>Around the same time, the Conger Ice Shelf, as big as Los Angeles, collapsed into the sea and there was sufficient atmospheric moisture to produce a significant snowfall. While researchers can’t definitively say that climate change is to blame, Jonathan Wille, a postdoctoral researcher at the Université Grenoble Alpes, in France, notes, “It was something we didn’t think was possible in Antarctica—the magnitude of heat, especially in what should be the cold season in Antarctica. We’ve never seen the atmosphere behave like this over Antarctica.” </p><p>The heat wave and dramatic inland snowfall highlight the importance of a better understanding of the complicated dynamics of atmospheric rivers that maintain the ice sheet now, but could be cause for concern in the future. Understanding these patterns better could be the key to learning the polar region’s fate.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>