Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Healthy Healing Holiday Gift Ideas


Gift Card

Give the gift of health this holiday season by getting a loved one a Healing Arts gift card.  Gift cards can be any amount and with no expiration so it can last for as long as you want.  Make 2018 the healthiest year yet! Call the office to purchase.

                                               






Haute Chocolate

Handmade in Brooklyn these chocolates are made with 100% organic ingredients and sweetened with coconut and maple sugar.  They are not as sweet as Hu chocolate and come in a variety of fun flavors.  My favorite is Lady Grey because I love Earl Grey tea which this chocolate is flavored with.  If you like spicy Mexican chocolate then you have to try the Cinnamon Chipotle chocolate, which had a spicier kick to it than I thought it would have. See website for locations or purchase there.

Your aura is your energy field and even though we don't often think about it as a part of us that needs attention it really does need to be supported.  There are different ways to work on your aura.  It can be cleansed from picking up other people's energy.  It can also be stimulated for an energy boost. To do either of these for your aura you can use healing sprays.  I fell in love with these Thai sprays the first moment I used them.  




When to use it
  • During meditation or yoga.
  • To clear homes or public spaces.
  • On your pillow before sleeping..
  • When waking up and before bed.
  • Possibilities are endless!
Purchase for $25 at the office.

Each spray contains a specific crystal formula that carries a certain healing vibration to tune into. They are handmade with organic oils.


There is Palo Santo (sacred wood) from Peru, flowers, incense and candles always involved during production and all the production is handled in glass containers. The production process is finished with a special Balinese Ceremony performed by a Balinese Priest to strengthen and to elevate the healing vibration of the sprays.  This ceremony is celebrated under the full moon.

Let Go Spray-
Crystals: Clear Quartz, Amethyst & Sodalite
We formulate a unique blend of pure organic essential oils which include Cinnamon (Cinnamon Bark) and Grapefruit (Grapefruit Pink) which we mix with Bach Flowers.
All the ingredients in this formula are intended to help process these emotions in order for them to go while loosening the attachment we’ve created to them.
Have you ever found yourself having recurring images and thoughts on certain situations and you wish they would stop? Do you ever keep on having emotions on past relationships/friendships and they don’t seems to dissipate with time?
To Let Go something organically would be to heal an emotion or feeling by acknowledging it in order for it to release peacefully. Many times there is fear behind these attachments. Fears can have origins, sometimes difficult to detect where they come from,  they are usually recurring.
Our energy field has a certain capacity and volume. Certain quantity of information and experiences can be held in our energy field. There is need to make some space in it by releasing things that have already been processed in order to have more space for new things to come.
Clear Quartz is known as the “master healer” and will amplify energy harmonizing the chakras and the auric field.  It is a good crystal for processing emotions and is intense in cleansing qualities.
Amethyst known for its power of spirituality and contentment, known for its metaphysical abilities to still the mind and inspire an enhanced meditative state.  Its inherent high frequency purifies the aura of any negative energy or attachments, and creates a protective shield of light around the body.
Sodalite, which has qualities of truth and loyalty to oneself, will help you know what is yours and what is not, for things to go.


Grounding Spray- 
Crystals:  Black Tourmaline,  Smokey Quartz,  Hematite  &  Clear Quartz
We use a unique blend of pure organic essential oils which includes Vanilla (Vanilla Planifolia Andrews) and Ginger (Zingiber Officinale). Bach Flowers.
To be grounded symbolizes the roots of a tree holding to the ground. Grasping and affirming to it.
This creates a connection to our mother Earth, bringing more stability and strength to our daily lives.
There is a flow between us and our Divine Mother below, which is always there for us and willing to receive what we have to give (eg. fear). The Sprays work on reestablishing this connection, this flow.
It prevents us from staggering in difficult situations, allowing us flow in our daily routine with less fear and more confidence.  The lower chakras, (especially the root chakra) are activated.
It is very important to develop a good foundation, a solid structure to develop spiritually, to grow upwards. The deeper the roots are, the easier it is to raise our spirit and our life experiences.
The more solid the foundations we build on, the stronger our spiritual growth.

Protection Spray- 
Crystals:   Citrine,  Black Tourmaline,  Smokey Quartz,  Tiger’s Eye  &  Clear Quartz.
Unique blend of Organic Essential Oils which includes Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Flexuosus) and Lavender (Lavandula Hybrid var. Grosso).   Bach Flowers.
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a certain situation or place? Maybe near certain people?
Do you ever feel you wish you were stronger in certain circumstances and also you wish certain things and other peoples’ comments would not affect you in the way they do? Or that you could have said the right thing to defend yourself and you just didn’t, making you feel overwhelmed?
This Auric Spray helps you clean, transmute negative vibrations and strengthen your energy field, making it vibrate at a higher and more stable frequency so that denser vibrations dissolve, thus acting as a shield to other peoples negative projections. Where there is a more defined boundary between you and the rest and better definition of spaces.
For your aura to be protected the lower chakras should be strong, this allows to release tension and to transmute negative energies.
Tourmaline, in this case Black,  usually used as a talisman for protection, good in grounding and releasing.
Tiger’s Eye is used for transmuting energy and stability. It exudes authority, control, leadership, success, and influence.
Natural Citrine good in good cleansing and elevating the energy field vibration.
Clear Quartz is good at strengthening the aura and aligning chakras, so it’s a good integrator.

Pure Love Spray- 
Crystals:   Rose Quartz,  Jade,  Chrysoprase,  Aventurine  &  Amazonite.
Unique blend of pure organic essential oils which includes Chempaka  (Champaka White), Jazmin (Jazmine Grandiflorum) and Ylang Ylang (Cananga Adorata). Bach Flowers.
This Auric Spray enhances unconditional love, compassion, understanding and harmony.
All the ingredients in this formula, starting with the chosen crystals, the aromas, the green color and our selection of flowers; they are all intended to open up our heart chakra.
This chakra connects to the world from a perspective of unity and vibrates with the feeling that we are all one.
If you are feeling that you are closed or blocked in terms of something to do with love and understanding, this is the spray for you. It will help you open up to a situation from a space of compassion and integration, instead of a place of ego (duality) and separation. Many times we create a defense system that covers up, hides our heart, and this can be softened with Pure Love. The heart chakra vibrates in unity.
All Quartz crystals are very cleansing and carry noble energy. In this case the Rose Quartz vibrates with the energy of love, compassion, self-love and infinite peace. It carries these energies within. It is one of the most generous crystals and it will help you understand situations from the perspective that we are all one.
  • Chrysoprase serves us by opening and activating heart chakra.
  • Jade increases love, serenity and abundance.
  • Aventurine is a harmonizer and enhances prosperity.
  • And beautiful Amazonite is for good communication.
This Spray is unique as it has direct infusion of Bali Temple flowers into the water. So it’s not just the oils but direct energy from Ylang Ylang and Cempaka. They all enhance love.

Birthing Spray- 
Provides energetic support for soon-to-be mothers before, during and after birth.
Energetically clearing & charging the Aura with the protective, welcoming and loving energies of this blend, assisting the pregnant woman to smoothly transition to this new life stage, while supporting her to experience childbirth with openness, courage, and adaptation.
Full Moon
Brings fullness of the feminine energy of maternity & adjusts receptivity. Focuses protection, nutrition and Maternal Love; regulates breastfeeding and all the liquids in the body.
Earth DAY
Stimulates the root chakra and vitality. Assists in the processing of changes both biological and emotional. Regulates the pulses and new rhythms of the body.
Mercury
Helps with adaptation to new life circumstances.
  • Amethyst: Offers protection and stability, assists with divine connection and purification, relieves physical and emotional tension & pain.
  • Carnelian:  Restores motivation, energy, courage, and self-esteem.
    Helps women release fear around pregnancy & childbirth.
  • Chrysocolla:   Empowerment of the Goddess energy. Eliminates fear-based thoughts. Brings peace to the mind, heart, and serenity amidst situations in constant change. Alleviates pain associated with labor.
  • Malachite:  A powerful emotional cleanser known as ‘midwives stone’, it helps stimulate contractions, ease labor pains and promote safe delivery.
  • Moonstone: Gem of the High Priestess; promotes self-discovery, inner insight, harmonious relationships and soothing emotions. Relieves stress, fear & tension during childbirth. Also believed to aid contractions & promote healthy lactation.
  • Quartz Crystal: Known as the Master Healing Crystal. Contains the full light spectrum, working on every energetic level to bring the body into balance and harmony. Powerfully strengthens & stabilizes the bodies energy fields.
  • Rose Quartz:  Provides emotional balance, security & peace. Used as a protective gemstone during childbirth and pregnancy to help open the heart to unreserved love and to the magic of birthing. Cultivates deep connection with self, baby & the whole universe.

How to apply
To be used during pregnancy and after birth and during moments of transitions in life.
Shake the bottle before each use. Spray several times above your head and allow the mist to fall around you.
Take a few seconds to breath it in.
Use a couple of times a day for an effective realignment.
Can be used over a period of time to support a deeper transformation.

However you choose to apply these sprays would be beneficial.  There is no wrong way and I promise you will feel better after doing so!

Monday, December 11, 2017

How Toxic is Your Drinking Water?

By Addison Landry

Water has a universal symbolism of birth, purity and fertility and with that it stems as the basis of life on this planet. From the oceans to our own bodies, water is essential to our existence and survival. Interestingly our bodies are made up of 60% percent water making it essential to our health and vitality. With such importance to our bodily functions such as digestion, blood pressure and removal of toxins, as well as our energy level, it's key to ensure that the abundance and quality of our water is of highest regard. There are many factors that can contaminate our water supply which can then negatively affect the body’s health, so understanding how this can occur and how to prevent it will allow you to make the best choice for optimum health.

It can be tricky as there is so much information out there about toxins in our water supply, the chemicals in the plastic water bottles, and the confusion about water filters. I am here to help make it clear and easy. A three-year study conducted by the environmental working group found 316 chemicals and metals in our water.
 These toxins were found in our water supply throughout the United States and even in some water bottles.  Some water in plastic containers actually disrupt the natural function of the body by disrupting our body’s hormones, immune function, nervous system function and causing reproductive issues depleting our health and vitality. Here are some of the main toxins that are found in our water supply:

·      Atrazine- herbicide used on food supply that runs into our water stream
·      Lead- old piping, affects nervous system and brain function
·      Chlorine- added to kill bacteria that effects the body’s lymph system that helps remove toxins
·      Plastic- leaches chemicals into our water that effect hormonal balance
·      Fluoride- a neuro toxin affecting the brain, added to protect our teeth



Understanding that these toxins wreak havoc on the body we prevent this toxic overload in our body by filtering out these toxins. There are so many water filter options out there that it can be confusing so I have come up with a list that’s affordable and removes most of these nasty toxins.

·      Zero water filter
·      Soma water filter
·      H2O + Brondell H630 Cypress counter top water filter system
·      Ideal earth water whole house filter ($$)

We understand when on the go it’s not easy to always have filtered water but here are a few of the best bottled water brands that we recommend based on the filtration and bottle type.

1.         Mountain valley spring- glass bottle
2.         Voss water– glass bottle
3.         Fiji water – plastic bottle
4.         Volvic- plastic bottle
5.       Evian - plastic bottle


Water is key to life and specifically our health and at Healing Arts NYC sharing this information is important to help our patients on their healing journeys. Remember the next time you take a sip of water, you are actually made of more of this prosperous liquid than anything else in the body.  If you want, at your next appointment bring in your drinking water in a glass container and we'll muscle test it for you to make sure it's good for your body.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Best Natural Shampoo!

Trying to go all natural isn’t the easiest thing when it comes to shampoos.  Reading the ingredients on the label can feel like reading a different language at times for me, yet it is all in English, it’s just in big scientific words to hide the crazy amount of chemicals that can be in it.  When I go shampoo hunting (yes, it is now a hunting sport) I look for a shampoo without petroleum.  Petroleum, also found in vaseline, lotions, and hand sanitizer and besides petroleum can be labeled as
·       Mineral oil
·       Petrolatum
·       Liquid paraffin
·       Paraffin oil

The scariest component of petroleum may be a contaminant called 1,4 dioxane, an impurity found in 22% of all petroleum-based cosmetics and is a possible human carcinogen and known animal carcinogen. How much you're exposed to depends on the product you're using: it's in 82 percent of hair dyes, 45 percent of self-tanners and 36 percent of face moisturizers, for starters.
A 2009 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology investigated whether mineral oil-based moisturizers might increase the rate at which tumors form. When mice that were at high risk of developing skin cancer received a topical application of 100 mg once a day, five days a week for 17 weeks, the rate of tumor formation significantly increased.
So after years of researching the most natural shampoos that actually work I have fallen in love with a brand called Lisa Rachel.  
  This shampoo is also sulfate-free.  The olive oil and aloe conditioner and cleanser is the one I use.  It does the trick to use only that and no actual shampoo.   However, one of the last ingredients is fragrance’ for people who know they are sensitive to fragrance that is my only disclaimer.  Try it out for yourself!

Sunday, November 19, 2017

How to Repair and Rebuild the Gut



Take a second to think about the how hard our body works to keep us alive. It digests our food, keeps our heart beating, helps remove toxins, fights off invaders, keeps us breathingand that’s just to name a few jobs our body controls. Pretty amazing, right? When you think more about our digestive system, you can look at it quite simply as a long tube that extends from where we place our food to where we eliminate it. It has a job of utmost importance to our health and survival: to nourish and protect.

The health of your digestive system determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out. It is directly linked to the health of the entire body. Intestinal health is defined via the process of optimal digestion, absorption, and assimilation of the food we consume. This however relies on processes and factors within the body to all work together to allow this to take place.

It begins with the bugs that live in our guts. We are home to over 500 different species of microorganism that create their own ecosystemI like to think of it as a factoryto allow for our food to be digested, to regulate hormones, excrete toxins and produce vital nutrients. You may be thinking "Bugs? The bad ones?" Yes, we have those too, but what’s key is that the factory stays in balance and all the bugs are doing their correct jobs in the correct location. Too many bad bugs such as parasite/yeast and not enough of the good bugs such as the lactobacillus and good yeast can drastically damage your health and can cause disease such as leaky gut, arthritis, eczema and diabetes. Keeping these in balance is key to health.

Secondly, the gut houses a major filter system, filtering through all the toxins we come in contact with. It does this with a very thin filter which, if abused through consumption of processed foods and toxins, can actually separate and release toxins into the bloodstream causing systemic inflammation and intolerances.

Thirdly, the gut is the only human organ that functions without the help of your brain, and it’s got 100 million cells. In fact, the gut sends signals to the brain via the Vagus nerve, and you actually send more information from the gut to the brain, than from the brain to the gut. In other words, your brain is translating gut signals as emotions. It contributes to those very important happy feelings and interference can cause anxiety and depression. So, when someone says trust your gut, it might be worth doing.

Lastly, the digestive system’s job is to break down all the food we eat separating it into what will feed our body and what is waste. The body can only break down whole food to use as fuel, and anything refined or processed is classified as waste. If this process becomes impaired we no longer create fuel for our body, which causes us to become tired and ill and for inflammation to skyrocket.

Now we know what needs to work to keep our digestive tract healthy. What do we do if we suffer from digestive issues or any health concern for that matter? I am here to help you see the light at the end of the tunnel. The goal is to repair and rebuild.


How to repair the gut:
• Find the source - Nutrition response testing will help determine the root causes of any nutritional deficiencies your body may be suffering from and use whole food nutrition to help detox and rebuild.
• Prioritize relaxation - Finding ways to reduce your level of stress emotionally, physically and environmentally will reduce the inflammation on the body, allowing it to repair. You can use mediation, a favorite hobby or exercise.
• Reduce toxic exposure - Lower antibiotic use and other medications as these don't just destroy just the bad bugs but the whole factory, throwing the gut entirely out of balance.
• Alter your diet- Remove all highly-processed food, sugar, highly-refined carbohydrates and alcohol. This will take away a toxic load and allow the body to truly repair.

Now that we have found ways to reduce the stress and toxins in the body to create optimal digestive health there are many ways to rebuild and create an environment where the factory can start working again.

How to rebuild the gut:
• Fermented foods - Consuming ½ serving daily of fermented foods will help rebuild the good bacteria. Daily is key; similar to how you would take probiotics regularly to keep the good bugs happy, fermented foods should be consumed same way.
• The good starchy carbs - Sweet potato, plantains, and cassava are the best starchy carbs for our digestion. The good bugs love them and they won't spike your blood sugar.
Some favorites are sauerkraut (Hawthorne Valley), kimchi, kombucha, good quality kefir.
• Deep breathing - Digesting is a parasympathetic process, meaning we must be in a relaxed state for digestion to occur correctly. Taking 3 big deep breaths in and slowly releasing each time will help the body become relaxed. A prayer blessing your food can also help the body become more relaxed.
• Hydration - Staying hydrated is key to ensuring the nutrients are transported correctly throughout the body and that waste is eliminated.

Now you can look at your digestive system as your best friend. It’s easy to get caught up in how it sometimes isn’t working, causing us pain or discomfort, but understanding there is a way to help repair and rebuild this intricate friendship within will only help you see that the body truly wants to keep you happy and healthy on the outside too.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

What Kind of Grass-Fed Beef are you Eating?

The demand for grass-fed beef has been increasing yet a range of practices and labels and a lack of regulation persists. Labels can be confusing for sure and with regulations being questionable is it worth the extra price? Yes, but as the consumer we have to do our research.

Cows are indeed supposed to eat grass, not the genetically modified corn/soy/grain mixture that most farmers give them. One of the benefits of eating grass-fed beef is the significantly higher levels of omega-3s present in it. Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef also contains significantly more of the antioxidants vitamin E, beta-carotene, glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase than grain-fed beef. These antioxidants play an important role in protecting our cells from oxidation.  

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has potent antioxidant activity, and research indicates that it helps protect against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Beef is one of the best dietary sources of CLA, and grass-fed beef contains an average of 2 to 3 times more CLA than grain-fed beef. This is because grain-based diets reduce the pH of the digestive system in ruminant animals, which inhibits the growth of the bacterium that produces CLA. It’s interesting to note that as a whole, Americans consume far less CLA than people from countries such as Australia, where grass-fed beef tends to be the rule rather than the exception.

So now that you know all the health benefits of eating grass-fed and are ready to spend the extra money to do so you need to know exactly what is meant by the label “grass-fed”. And is all grass-fed beef the same?

According to rancher and the author of Defending Beef, Nicolette Hahn Niman, “On average, the cattle in the U.S. that is going through feedlots is slaughtered at 14-16 months. They do grow fatter and faster if they’re being fed grain, so they’re going into feedlots at younger ages to shorten that time as much as possible." In contrast, grass-fed cows are slaughtered anywhere between 18-36 months.

“When you keep cattle on grass their whole lives, and truly have them forage for a diet that their bodies have evolved to eat, you allow them to grow at a slower pace,” says Niman. Not surprisingly, caring for the animal for so long can be expensive for ranchers and consumers.

Marilyn Noble of the American Grassfed Association argues that beef producers have little incentive to stick with those rules. “You see a lot of beef labeled as ‘grass-fed,’ but whether or not it actually meets that standard is questionable."

Noble’s skepticism is rooted in the fact that, for the most part, the USDA allows producers to determine whether or not their beef meets the grass-fed beef marketing claim standard. Noble says farms “self-certify” their own beef, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service generally goes along with their claim.

Unless also labeled organic, it’s perfectly permissible for grass-fed cows to be given antibiotics to prevent infection and synthetic hormones to promote faster growth. Also, it's important for your grass-fed meat to be labeled organic because otherwise the grass they are eating is probably being treated with herbicides and fertilizers on a pretty consistent basis.

So what are we to do? We, the consumers who want to know if our extra dollars are getting the extra healthy meat. Farmers’ markets with farmers offering organic and grass-fed beef from their own pastures may be the safest way to go. In this way we can talk directly to farmers to find out how their beef was raised.

Many of these producers have begun using the term “pasture raised,” another unregulated labeling term that is popular among ranchers raising pigs and chickens. The other week I bought pasture raised bacon from the farmer's market and when reading the ingredients was surprised to see nitrates on the label. I assumed that the farmer's goal was healthy meat. That if he was caring enough to raise pasture pigs that he would not then poison the consumer with nitrates. So ask questions and read labels! There’s nothing worse than spending extra money on fancy labels and empty promises. Most small, local farms know and understand this and are more than willing to go above and beyond to reassure their customers of the natural, ethical, and sustainable nature of their farming practices.