July/August 2009

WHAT IS WELLNESS?
by Bettina Herbert, MD
Most people are motivated to manage their disease but not to cultivate wellness. That may be understandable as the concept of wellness is vague and poorly defined. While many agree that it is more than the absence of illness, symptoms or pain, there are no objective measures. Is wellness simply the ability to live one’s life fully without having to tend to illness? Or is it a certain vitality that enables one to bound out of bed and pursue life’s tasks and pleasures with abandon? Is it, even in the face of disease, a sense of connectedness, of belonging to a community, or some indefinable internal satiety? It is, in fact, different for each individual. .
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JANET'S TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIVING
by Janet Zappala
We’re smack dab in the middle of the season that challenges our bodies the most. The time of year when, by sheer virtue of the temperature reading we uncover; yes, ‘tis the season for bathing suits, shorts and tank tops. Judging by statistics, most of us don’t feel entirely comfortable in our own skin, not completely happy with the image we see staring back at us in the mirror. Why is that? Do we feel we must fit the stereotypical image of what society dictates is the perfect body weight and type? If so, it’s safe to say that 99% of the population would be off target. What is also safe to say is that everyone has his or her own specific weight issues, and when it comes to successful weight loss—well, that requires a good amount of individualized attention to eating habits, exercise and one’s own personal circumstances.
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HAIR ANALYSIS: FINDING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE THE BODY THE SAFE, EASY WAY
by Susan T. Hui
Most of us feel a bit queasy in getting any type of test and certainly an invasive procedure. Yet one of the simplest, effective methods to find out what’s going on nutritionally in one’s body is through a painless, quick procedure: the cutting of a few strands of hair, about 1&1/2 inches in length. In Hair Analysis this hair is tested, with the results showing one’s internal metabolic environment, toxic metal exposure and accumulation, and mineral content.
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LISTENING TO THE INNER VOICE GUIDES JAMES VAN PRAAGH
by TC Brown
The dictionary defines listening as “being alert and ready to hear something,” and the art of listening can mean many things to different people. For medium James Van Praagh, the term holds an interior quality.
“For me it is an awareness to hear that inner voice,” says Van Praagh, in a recent telephone interview from his home in southern California. “That inner voice is truth and knowledge.”
That innermost voice that speaks to everyone, if they take time to pay attention and listen, is an important guide, Van Praagh says.
“You will be much more aware of who you are when you listen to it,” he says. “When you think, you are in your head and you look at life differently. When you listen to the inner part of your heart the veil opens up. You can clearly see life, all of its elements and what it means.”
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EAT REAL FOOD. NOT SO MUCH. MOSTLY PLANTS.
by Christina Pirello
I have been thinking a lot about food . . . nothing new there, but we seem to be taking a turn for the worse, as the saying goes. And it all stared innocently enough with a Sunday morning magazine show.
A friend called me, screaming, “Turn on the TV! There’s a vegan firefighter!!!!” Ah, I thought to myself, more press for the brilliant Rip Esselstyn, former athlete turned firefighter who changed the lives and health of his fellow firefighters at their engine house in Austin, TX. When he saw the declining health of these true heroes, he knew he had to do something, so he developed a 28-day plan designed to melt fat, lower cholesterol and prevent many of the lifestyle illnesses that plague so many Americans. See issue for complete article.

THE MARIEL HEMINGWAY INTERVIEW
by Miro Lipinski
As I quickly found out when talking to Mariel Hemingway, she’s the real deal. Yes, her lineage is famous (Ernest Hemingway for you iPod youngsters who find books strange encumbrances) and her career encompasses modeling and acting (to include an Academy Award nomination), but her dedication and passion for healthy living and nutrition is very much apparent, not only through her numerous speaking engagements countrywide, but in such bestselling books as Healthy Living from the Inside Out: Every Woman’s Guide to Real Beauty, Renewed Energy, and a Radiant Life, and the recent Mariel’s Kitchen. Mariel’s enthusiasm is both contagious and inspiring. In anticipation of Mariel’s appearance at The Mind Body Spirit Expo on Saturday, October 24, New Visions magazine had a chat with Mariel about her work and life’s passion.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW: THE RAINBOW GARDEN NATURAL CAFE
by Peter Eobbi
The route is pretty direct: 95 North to Rt. 29 Trenton/Lambertville, then Rt. 29 North all the way to its end in Frenchtown. Make a left and your destination is on the last street before the bridge, the appropriately named Bridge Street, and number 10, tucked a little to the left. The drive along Rt. 29 is enchanting both going to and coming from, as it meanders beside the Delaware River on the Jersey side, twisting and turning through the lush countryside and the charming small towns along the way, like Lambertville. You realize that a different pace of life and different life choices are available. That is one of the reasons for this trip.
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COLON THERAPY: CLEANING THE SYSTEM, IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE
by Susan T. Hui
Feeling tired and lethargic? Craving sugars and starches? Is constipation or diarrhea a problem? Is your mental clarity and sense of aliveness not as optimal as it could be?
If you said yes to any of these, then you are the perfect candidate for colon therapy, otherwise known as colonics. Though Colon Therapy has been around for decades, it is, unfortunately, one of America’s best kept secrets due, no doubt, to our embarrassment in talking and learning about something to do with the colon. Yet a healthy and properly working colon is vital to our physical and mental well-being.
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DEVA PREMAL & MITEN BACK IN PHILLY AGAIN
by Miro Lipinski
Life’s pleasant surprises are joyous indeed, as they arrive unexpectedly and leave behind delight and an appreciation of life’s varied wonders and the possibilities of further delightful surprises. The stronger the surprise, the more impacting the revelation and the deeper the sweet memory that follows. Such a strong, transformational surprise came to me when I went to a performance of Deva Premal and Miten two years ago at the Philadelphia Cathedral..
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