By Madeleine Perrone

When we are light in spirit, there is an ease and bounce in our walk. When we move with comfort, coordination, and balance, we experience life differently with less stress on our nervous system. We feel and appear younger.

We are capable at any age of making changes in our thinking and moving. It was once believed that as we age, the brain’s networks became fixed. In the last two decades, an enormous amount of research has revealed that the brain never stops changing and adjusting.

FELDENKRAIS
As presented on the recent PBS program, Brain and Neuroplasticity, scientists now know that we continue to create new pathways in the brain as we age. These ideas were not new to Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, creator of the Feldenkrais Method®.

Dr. Feldenkrais developed a unique and intriguing way to help people change habitual patterns of body movements. He understood that when the nervous system senses an easier way of doing an action, it automatically will choose that way. As a physicist, he also understood that if we can spread the workload of action throughout the entire body, there will be less strain and injury.

The Feldenkrais Method® helps people learn to use themselves more efficiently by feeling and sensing “how” to execute movement – using the large muscles to do the work and not straining to do an action. Simple, yet powerful exercise explorations train the brain to send signals to the body so it can move healthier.

The classes are unique and challenging, combining movements that seem unrelated at first but later connect to an entire action, making the lessons diverse and interesting. Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) group classes take place on the floor; yet there are many lessons that are experienced sitting, standing, or walking. These lessons are verbally directed using attention and imagination. The movements are subtle, which helps to develop awareness. They help the student learn to relax and abandon habitual patterns that no longer serve to enhance ease of movement.
The other technique used in the Feldenkrais Method® is Functional Integration® (FI), which are private lessons with a Feldenkrais practitioner. Sessions usually take place on a low table or chair, where the practitioner suggests movement possibilities by gently moving the student, thus re-educating the nervous system.

The FI session is so gentle and non-intrusive, that you will be surprised how effective it can be! This is because this method is based on viewing the body's potential and not its limitations. It does not focus on tight muscles, weak muscles, misalignment, or structural deficiencies. Instead, both FI and AMT focus on the re-education of habitual patterns that can create pain.

BENEFITS
The Feldenkrais Method ® offers several benefits to our well-being:
• Move with flexibility and strength
• Be rid of aches and pains
• Acquire tools to improve your fitness practice; yoga, golf, running, etc.
• Find new possibilities
• Learn to organize ourselves more efficiently
• Action becomes easier, more fluid, and more enjoyable through awareness
How does it work? It combines the understanding of physics, judo, yoga, anatomy, neurophysiology, learning theory, developmental movement patterns, and biochemistry. In offering new ways of thinking about movement, it is a continual learning experience for anyone, at any age.

Madeleine Perrone is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner. She works with adults and children using the Feldenkrais Method to enhance performance, to make the impossible possible and the easy elegant. She offers private sessions, ongoing classes and workshops year round. Body in Motion, 559-240-7895. (see calendar for upcoming workshop)

“The very smell of [mint] reanimates the spirit,” exclaimed the Roman scholar Pliny who considered mint “the loveliest of herbs.” According to Greek mythology Minthe was a lovely nymph who was so attractive to the god Pluto (Hades) that his jealous wife Persephone kicked and stepped on her then turned her into a scented herb. Unable to reverse the spell, Pluto gave the herb a sweeter scent each time Persephone stepped on it.

Mint has been a highly regarded herb in all ancient cultures. As the symbol of hospitality, Romans strewn mint in “places of recreation, pleasure, and repose.” It was also sprinkled on the floors of Hebrew synagogues and Italian churches, where it was known as the sacred ‘Erba Santa Maria’.

Mint’s refreshing scent has continued to make it an important herb in modern times. There are over 600 varieties of mint so the best advice in choosing mint is to follow your nose. Peppermint has the highest medicinal value. Teas from peppermint help digestion, flatulence, colic, colds and influenza. The menthol in peppermint stimulates the flow of bile in the stomach which promotes digestion and relieves upset stomachs. Mint is superb for bad breath and mouth odor. Chopped mint leaves infused in oil are great for joint and muscular pain.

The culinary uses of mints are very extensive; they are popular in Greek, Arabic, North African, Middle Eastern and Indian foods. Spearmint and curly mints are milder than peppermint so they are preferred for culinary purposes. These mints enhance the flavors of meat, fish and vegetable dishes, especially stews and soups. They meld well with lentils, beans, rice, and eggplant.

The best way to propagate mint is through cuttings. Plant in a restricted area like a wine barrel or pot; otherwise the mint will take over your garden space with its shoots. Here on the Central Coast, mints thrive in sunny areas near the coast, but they prefer morning or afternoon shade in the hotter inland climates. Mint loves water particularly when temperatures heat up. They die back in winter; it’s best to cut the last of the fall harvest. Trim the stems way back so they will come up hardily in the spring. Dry the leaves flat on a well-ventilated rack. Store dried leaves in a glass jar for winter teas.

Peppermint and spearmint are excellent natural insect repellents; they make good companion plants for vegetables. They keep aphids, flea beetles and a variety of pests that affect the brassica family, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts, at bay.

Holiday Vinegar
Place 4-5 fresh mint leaves in a decorative bottle. Add a slice or two of orange peel. For added zest, put a hot chili pepper in as well. Fill the bottle with quality white wine vinegar. Add a lovely ribbon. This vinegar makes a simple, handmade gift for the holidays. Use as a marinade for lamb or chicken or as a dressing for salads.

Physican’s Recommendation
for Medical Marijuana

In the news, and among the public, there continues to be controversy over the medical use of marijuana. On November 12, after 72 years, the AMA announced that, it was reversing its pot policy—and urged the federal government to do the same. Precipitated by a similar decision by the group’s Medical Student Section, the AMA resolved that “that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule 1 controlled substance be reviewed,” with the goal of facilitating clinical research, and presented a new medical report, conducted by its Council on Science and Public Health laying out the drug’s various medical benefits.

The AMA hopes the resolution will make clinical research on cannabis—long a roadblock in proving that the substance was ill-classified—a more-easily obtained reality.

Under the Compassionate Care Act of Congress passed in 1996, patients are legally allowed to purchase, grow and carry their medication (marijuana). This requires a Physician’s Recommendation for Medical Marijuana and comes with state and county guidelines.

The process involves a full medical evaluation, complete review of medical history, medications and their effectiveness. Patients are given warning and guidelines similar to those given with prescription pain relievers. The Physician’s Statement or Recommendation is valid for 1 year, when the patient is then re-evaluated by the physician and the statement can be renewed.
Legal Dispensaries are currently banned in San Luis Obispo County; however, there are many delivery services. Yes, delivery services for medicine; legal and safe. Also, there are many businesses in the area that are able to assist patients with setting up their personal gardens.

This natural form of medicine, which has been recognized for its wide variety of uses for centuries, is commonly recommended for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, migraines, glaucoma, nausea, asthma, hepatitis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, anorexia, and neuropathy.

For more info call Compassionate Care at 805.550.7009.

Now how can that be? We are very lucky in good old San Luis Obispo County. The County is rated as one of the best places to live in the USA. And local agriculture is one of the big reasons.
Climate, soil and open spaces all allow agriculture to flourish. Sure, we have great wines and we also grow some of the best broccoli in the world. In fact, there really is not that much that we cannot grow in SLO. Well, pineapples, sugar cane and acai might not do as well here as in the tropics, but, I’ll eat some things outside the 100-mile radius once in awhile. That’s how I spoil myself!

Read more...

Last month we looked at how misunderstanding and disconnection occur when we are living in fear instead of love. My husband and I learned how to move away from fear to this place of love by making some major shifts in our lives.

When I went back to school in 2006, I was tested for learning disabilities. The counselor thought I would benefit from therapy because she noticed I had such a huge problem with my self-esteem. While in therapy I decided that my husband Korby was not helping my self-esteem because he was often critical of me. I blamed Korby for my negative feelings. I saw him as the problem and I did not take responsibility for my experience.

Over the years we had created a negative way to interact: Korby would be critical and I would withdraw. We had worked on this problem for years. Things would get better for a time, but we always ended up back in a rut, because neither of us dealt with the real problem. So I decided I wanted to separate.

Naturally, Korby did not take the break-up very well. Initially he felt rejected and hurt, but instead of expressing the hurt, he became angry and this only pushed me further away.

The whole experience was possibly the best thing that ever happened to both Korby and me. Our pain caused us to want to know the truth of what we were experiencing. The way to understand the truth was to set aside our personal realities that were created by our insecure egos. When we did this we were able to move into present moment awareness and become more objective.

Korby had to go within and understand why he treated me negatively. He discovered he had a self-esteem issue himself and if he could make me feel bad then it made him feel better. Going within allowed Korby to rediscover his Inner Self that is good and then he was able to forgive himself.

I too had to go within. I had to remember that I had an Inner Self that is good and that when I felt hurt I did not have to withdraw. I could express how I felt in a positive way.

This inner work led to our ability to take responsibility for our own feelings; this meant not blaming the other. We were able to let go of anger and hurt, which allowed us to become curious. We learned to listen to how the other felt without judgment. Our respect and trust grew and the gate was open for us to connect in this place of love.

We practice this process daily: being in the moment, going within to understand what is true and sharing from love. So far we have found that living in this place of love is a pretty wonderful experience.

Until a few days ago I had never heard of Medical Breast Thermography. From a quick search on the internet I learned that medical thermography has been used since the early 1970s and was approved by the FDA, in 1982, for use in breast cancer detection and risk assessment, as an adjunct to mammography.

For over 20 years, Thermography has been accepted, developed and used as part of an early detection risk marker program for physiological abnormalities that could lead to Breast Cancer and other diseases. It is a safe and effective method of screening women of all ages and breasts of all sizes, including very dense and breasts with implants. The process is painless, non invasive and takes 15 minutes. There is no compression of breast tissue or exposure to radiation. According to a report in the American Journal of Radiology, Breast Thermography has: 99% sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 90% accuracy.

Medical Breast Thermography is a state of the art clinical scan that uses highly specialized thermal imaging cameras to measure the amount of heat coming from the breasts. Because heat patterns from increased blood flow are associated with tumor growth the scan can show changes in breast tissue that accompany the smallest of tumors; as well as differentiate between fibrocystic breast disease, an infection or a vascular disease. Through Thermography a mass can usually be detected 8-10 years before a mammogram and is more reliable than breast self examination or doctor examination.

Especially useful to those in a high risk group or with a history of breast cancer in their family, Medical Breast Thermography gives women and men of all ages the opportunity to screen for breast disease at an early stage. It has shown to be useful for evaluating chest wall after breast surgery. For women under 50, Thermography is particularly useful in ruling out or properly detecting a host of other breast diseases such as fibrocystic syndrome and Paget's disease. Inflammatory breast disease cannot be detected by mammography and is most commonly seen in younger women. Early detection provides the best hope of survival.

When used under carefully controlled clinical protocols this is an excellent case management tool for ongoing monitoring and treatment of breast disease. It can help doctors plan and lay out a careful program to further diagnose and/or monitor patients during and after any treatment.

All patients’ Breast Thermograms are kept on record to form a baseline profile for all future routine evaluations. Patient Thermogram patterns are like a thermal fingerprint which will change only if pathology develops. Thermography can show significant indicators several months before any of the clinical signs of inflammatory breast disease, skin discoloration, swelling and pain are detected.

Thermography in San Luis Obispo County
After 15 years of traveling to Los Angeles or San Francisco to receive her own annual Thermograms, Gaea Powell decided to become a Medical Thermography Technician and open a permanent Medical Thermography facility on the central coast. She is now a Board Qualified Medical Thermography Technician, Graduate of the Academy of Medical Infrared Training and the Founder of Central Coast Thermography.  Services are available at four locations throughout the central coast. Full body and point of interest scans are available.

Gaea’s best friend and mother, Johnnie Jo, died of breast cancer in 1991, at the age of 49. At that time, there had been little medical advancement made regarding the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

Open Gate Communication

People have been trying to relate to each other through some form of communication since the first humans walked the planet. We all want to connect in meaningful ways, but we often feel lost as to how to do that. The divorce and suicide rate prove that something is desperately wrong with the way we are interacting.

Problems arise between people because of misunderstandings and this leads to feeling disconnected. To bring understanding back into our interactions we need to become aware of our feelings and the needs behind the feelings.

When we misunderstand each other we go into a fight or flight mode. If we are in the fight mode we will attack and blame someone else for our feelings, if we feel attacked we will often fight by defending ourselves. If we are in the flight mode we will withdraw, denying our feelings by hiding them from others and even ourselves. We also withdraw in the flight mode if we feel attacked. Both fight and flight responses to our feelings are a result of fear.

Where does this fear come from? It comes from our insecurities, which exist because at some point in our developing years we came to believe that the significant people in our lives did not accept who we were and we began to feel we were not good enough. Thus a fear of abandonment developed.

Over time we have created an Outer Self to present to the world, hoping it will quell our insecurities and give us a sense that we are good enough.
Our negative responses and those of others happen anytime we feel a threat to the Outer Self, the person we have come to identify with.
Beyond the Outer Self is our original nature, our Inner Self. This is who we are at birth, it is unchanging. The Inner Self consists of the life force and this is what gives us our intrinsic value. We are not anything we do, feel, think or believe. We are much larger than any of these things.
Seeing the true nature of people allows us to change how

we feel about ourselves and others. With this new knowledge our insecurities are no longer controlling us and wreaking havoc on our relationships.
Giving up blame and our usual ways of relating through attacking and withdrawing can be extremely uncomfortable and it can suck not to blame someone else for our problems. It takes courage to see ourselves and others in a new way. But the truth is we gain personal control and regain the power to change our lives by taking responsibility for our problems.

Communication is an ongoing process we will be involved in the rest of our lives. When misunderstandings occur there is a place we can move to, where love casts out fear, and we enter this new land through The Open Gate of understanding.

Next month we will look at how to face our feelings and communicate them so we can gain the connection we all want.

Germany’s Non-Alcoholic Organic Soda Finally Arrives in America
At a time when America is clearly ready for change, consumers in California can now experience a refreshing change when drinking BIONADE. Already a huge success in Europe, BIONADE is the world’s first and still unique non-alcoholic organic refreshment drink. Brewed and bottled in Germany, BIONADE is produced by a patented organic fermentation process.
“Basically, they start the brewing process with organic barley malt and water.
Instead of adding yeast microorganism which ferments sugar into alcohol, they add a different microorganism that ferments the sugar into Gluconic Acid” said Douglas Martin, local distributor of BIONADE. “This mild acid strengthens the taste of natural sugar, giving BIONADE its unique taste with only a fraction of the sugar found in normal soft drinks, and without using any corn syrup.”
BIONADE is available in 4 unique flavors: Elderberry, Ginger-Orange, Lychee and Herbs. The local chefs in California have already started pairing the different flavors with certain foods. “Unlike most normal soft drinks that are full of sugar and dominate the taste buds, BIONADE is a perfect compliment to any food” Martin said.
He added “The appeal of BIONADE is also not limited to a specific demographic. My son is 3 years old and he loves BIONADE. I also have no problem giving him BIONADE because it's organic, low in sugar and high in calcium & magnesium.“
Since its first introduction in 1995, annual sales for BIONADE have grown from less than 1 million bottles sold the first year to over 200 million bottles sold in 2007. The remarkable success of BIONADE in Europe has caught the attention of several beverage distributors stateside, eager to continue the success story here in America. As the local distributor Martin will cover San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara counties. He goes on to explain “The people at BIONADE were glad to work with me because I lived in Europe for 18 years. As a beverage distributor in Germany I saw the birth & growth of BIONADE. I understand the product.”
For additional information on where to find BIONADE on the Central Coast, contact Douglas Martin at 805-540-8040 or visit www.bionade.com.
Based in Ostheim, Germany, BIONADE International GmbH was established in 1995 as an offshoot of Private Brewery PETER, a local family-owned brewery that dates back to the early 1800’s. BIONADE is now available in over 20 countries and was awarded the title of “Best Carbonated Beverage” by the independent website BevNet .com in 2007.

A History of Contraceptives

Part three concludes the summary of women’s contraceptive    practices over the past 4,000 years. Defying death, sin, laws and the medical community, women have historically sought control over their fertility.

As the sun rose on 20th century America, contraceptive information remained in darkness. While Americans wrestled with the legal, moral, and practical issues of contraception, the Comstock morality continued to imprison women’s power over their fertility. Then, inadvertently, a war reintroduced the condom, but not for contraception.
Venereal disease was a widespread public health problem when World War I broke out. In 1917, with VD infection rates in new recruits at 5.6%, and in some areas as high as 25%, the crisis of soldier health became paramount to the war effort.
Unfortunately, our Defense Department was headed by “Comstock era” men who believed that VD was, in essence, the result of immoral sex. While struggling with the moral dilemma of protecting “red-blooded” troops abroad from engaging in sex, everything from punishment and loss of pay, to painful post-coital prophylaxis procedures were employed on soldiers admitting to having intercourse while on leave. While our troops endured psychological and physical trauma, the allied troops were supplied with free condoms. It wasn’t long until American troops figured out that procuring condoms protected them from venereal disease and from humiliating post-leave inquiry.
Returning U.S. soldiers brought condoms home to a grateful female population, both as a protection from venereal disease, and for the publicly silent contraceptive benefit. Because of its success in disease prevention, the condom became legal here in 1918. Prevention of venereal disease was important; unintended pregnancies were never a public concern. Condom popularity increased, as did the manufacturing and mass-marketing of inexpensive and sometimes inferior products. By 1926, condoms of latex rubber, which were uniform and of a higher quality, became available, though the inference between condoms and prostitution, or immoral sex, continued. Sales boomed in the 1920s-1930s, but the medical community and newly-vocal birth control advocates discounted men’s ability to be diligent users, stating that contraception should be solely in the woman’s control. However, with the Comstock Law still in effect, there was scant contraceptive information legally available.
Finally, in 1936, the ban on contraceptives under the Comstock Law was declared unconstitutional. Concurrently, rubber diaphragms with spermicidal jellies became the most widely prescribed contraceptive device in America. For the device to effectively work, a woman had to visit her doctor, who would “size” her and show her how to use it. But diaphragms were also available over the counter in various sizes. Perhaps because of embarrassment, finances, or want of secrecy, many women purchased their diaphragms from the drugstore, with little to no information how to size or use the product. New “modern” feminine douches came onto the market, unregulated by the medical community or the Federal Drug Administration for safety or effectiveness.
Even though contraceptives were now legal, the term “contraceptive” still held a cultural taboo. For the next thirty years, the “code” word for contraceptive suppositories and douches was “feminine hygiene”. The leading “feminine hygiene” product for those 30 years was – drumroll - Lysol! Yes, Lysol. The early formulation contained extremely caustic Cresol and was marketed by advertisements portraying “European female doctors” touting Lysol as a multi-purpose product: douche, gargle, nasal spray and household cleaner. Investigations led to the discovery that none of the “doctors” existed; it was pure fraud committed to the detriment of women’s health. Lysol never worked as a contraceptive, although many gullible women thought it would.
And what about that rhythm method? Though it regained some popularity, contradictions existed on actual timing of “non-fertile” intercourse and when to start counting, with no real knowledge of a woman’s actual cycle.
By the mid-20th century, knowledge of natural plant and herb-based contraceptives was firmly buried in history, except in secluded pockets of rural populations in “third world?” countries like China, India, and South America.  Even here in Appalachia country, women used plant and herb-based contraceptives successfully. One plant, still is use to this day, is the wildflower Queen Anne’s Lace. A small amount of seeds, gathered the previous fall, taken with a glass of water, or simply chewed before intercourse successfully prevents contraception, with no side effects.
In May 1960, the “Pill” was approved by the FDA as the “first” oral contraceptive. The Pill was initially developed to control population growth in “third world” countries. Here it was also intended to curb population growth, but more particularly of certain ethnic and socioeconomic groups, thus relieving the welfare burden on middle- and upper-class (white) society. However, while cost prohibitive for the groups it was targeted for, it soon became the most popular form of birth control among that “white” society. This neat, mess-free, woman-controlled contraceptive, along with the other prescription-only products - Norplant and Depo-Provera - fueled widespread acceptance of medical birth control by both doctors and patients.
Another contraceptive device, the IUD, or intrauterine device, was known and used by women in Japan and Europe in the 1930s. Not until the 1950s did American scientists begin their own IUD research, experimenting with new plastics and all kinds of configurations and sizes, from curlicues to miniature “weapon-like” shields. In 1965, the IUD became available in the U.S., with a doctor’s visit and prescription.
Modern medicine regards itself as the preeminent source for all fertility control and contraceptive information, relegating the ancient, natural plant-based methods of contraception not as folklore, but as myth. Corporations manufacture fertility and contraceptive drugs for economic benefit; physicians prescribe contraceptives after a doctor’s exam, or offer sterilization surgery.
Encouragingly, science is reviewing and conducting studies of prescriptions contained in the ancient Greek, Roman, Arabic and Egyptian texts. They are rediscovering the plants used historically in folk and early premodern medicine.
Research using mice and rats, confirms that most of the mentioned plants and drugs tested perform as intended, with many at 100% effectiveness, without permanent sterility.
With the renaissance of organic and natural homeopathic remedies, and the scientific studies backing up the ancient potions, I can’t help but wonder what our future daughters and granddaughters might use to control their fertility. No, I don’t see animal dung pessaries returning, or Lysol douches, or new supplies of Silphium being discovered, but perhaps a return to the plant-based oral potions that worked for women so long ago.

And for the record:
I must clear up something that has provoked my curiosity for years -the supposed link between camel “IUDs” and human IUDs. My reading of four comprehensive, respected sources, and numerous online sites, reveals that, yes, Arab nomads did, and still do, insert small pebbles attached to a string into their camel uteri to effectively prevent conception on long treks. However, I have found no evidence that this method was ever employed by or on women, nomadic or otherwise. Today’s medical commentary refers to the camel practice as the “first IUD”, but without one source to back up the assertion!

Print Sources:

Contraception and Abortion in 19th Century America, 1994, Brodie, Janet Farrell, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London

Devices and Desires, A History of Contraceptives in America, 2001, Tone, Andrea, Hill and Wang, New York

A History of Contraception From Antiquity to the Present Day, 1990, McLaren, Angus, Basil Blackwell, Oxford and Cambridge, MA

Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance, 1992, Riddle, John M., Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, London, England.