Photo credit: judge_mental / Foter.com / CC BY

Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

In my opinion there are only three reasons why anyone would still believe we need to fluoridate or water.

1. They have lost touch with reality
2. They are receiving some kind of pay-off
3. They are being blackmailed

There is no verifiable scientific evidence that fluoridating our water is beneficial to us.

It’s an issue worth your time if you care about your children, your parents, your friends, anyone really.

Below is a video. I have also reproduced the and copy accompanies the video on youtube.

Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation – Available on DVD

In a full length video produced by the Fluoride Action Network, respected professional researchers, scientists, and health practitioners openly discuss their experience and opinions concerning the adverse health effects and ethical problems associated with the public health policy of water fluoridation.

Featuring a Nobel Laureate in Medicine, three scientists from the National Research Council’s landmark review on fluoride, as well as dentists, medical doctors, and leading researchers in the field, this professionally-produced 28 minute DVD presents a powerful indictment of the water fluoridation program.

Here the list of Professionals included on the video:
The 28-minute DVD Professional Perspectives on Fluoridation features the following 15 experts:

Lord Baldwin sits as an Independent Peer in the House of Lords, where he has contributed to debates on the environment and health for over 20 years. His Parliamentary Questions on fluoridation led to the UK Government setting up the ‘York’ systematic scientific review of the evidence in 2000, on whose advisory panel he served. He is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Fluoridation - http://www.appgaf.org.uk/

Arvid Carlsson, PhD, a neuro-pharmacologist. Dr. Carlsson led the successful fight against fluoridation in Sweden in the 1970′s. He won the Nobel prize for medicine/physiology in 2000.

Bob Carton, PhD, a risk assessment expert at the EPA (now retired). Dr. Carton was formerly the President of the union which represents professionals working at the US EPA headquarters in Washington DC. See Dr. Carton’s important review of the National Research Council report (NRC, 2006) at Carton, RJ (2006) Fluoride: Review of the 2006 National Research Council Report: Fluoride in Drinking Water. Fluoride, 39(3) 163-172.http://www.fluorideresearch.org/393/f…

Sir Iain Chalmers, PhD, edits The James Lind Library, a web-based resource containing explanatory material in seven languages about the principles and evolution of fair tests of medical treatments. He was director of the UK Cochrane Centre between 1992 and 2002, and director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit between 1978 and 1992.

Paul Connett, PhD, an environmental chemist. Formerly, Professor of Chemistry at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. Currently the Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network,http://fluoridealert.org/

Brent Foster, JD, formerly Conservation Chair of the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club.

Walter Graham helped in the very successful campaign to resist the imposition of water fluoridation on Northern Ireland.

Bill Hirzy, PhD, a chemist, formerly with the US EPA. Dr. Hirzy is a former Vice-President of the union which represents professionals working at the US EPA headquarters in Washington, DC.

C. Vyvyan Howard, MB, ChB, PhD, FRCPath, a fetal and infant toxico-pathologist. Professor Howard is director of the Bioimaging Research Group, Centre for Molecular Bioscience, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland; and President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE).

Bob Isaacson, PhD, a neuroscientist. Dr. Isaacson was a member of the National Research Council review panel, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of EPA’s Drinking Water Standards (NRC, 2006) and also co-author of a very important animal study: Varner JA, et al. 1998. Chronic administration of aluminum-fluoride and sodium-fluoride to rats in drinking water: alterations in neuronal and cerebrovascular integrity. Brain Research. 784: 284-298.

Tim Kropp, PhD, a toxicologist formerly with the Environmental Working Group in Washington, DC.

Hardy Limeback, DDS, PhD, currently chair of Preventive Dentistry, University of Toronto. Past President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research and member of the National Research Council review panel, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of EPA’s Drinking Water Standards (NRC, 2006).

Phyllis Mullenix, PhD, a pharmacologist and toxicologist. Former chairperson of the toxicology department of Forsyth Dental Institute, Boston. Lead author of the seminal paper on fluoride’s impact on animal brain: Mullenix P, et al. 1995. Neurotoxicity of Sodium Fluoride in Rats. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 17: 169-177.

Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH, a dentist who practices in both Oregon and Washington state.

Kathleen Thiessen, PhD, a health risk specialist working with the consulting firm Senes Oak Ridge Inc., Center for Risk Analysis, Tennessee. Dr. Thiessen was a member of the National Research Council review panel, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of EPA’s Drinking Water Standards (NRC, 2006).

To purchase a DVD and learn more about this video, please visit the Fluoride Action Network at: www.FluorideAlert.org

About the Author

Tim Chrisco LMT, PT is the owner and editor of Choose Naturally. For the last two decades Tim has dedicated himself to learning more about how the development, cultivation and integration of Mind, Body, and Qi affect our health. He has taught Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong classes since 1998. He’s been teaching Fit-150 Intended Evolution Fitness classes since 2007. And he has also been a Posture Therapist since 2010. Tim currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he offers classes in Golden Shield Qi Gong, Fit-150, and Posture Alignment. You can learn more about Tim’s approach to health and wellness on his website: http://YourOriginalBlueprint.com

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

Here’s and idea. Let’s do this in Austin…

Artist and designer Ron Finley couldn’t help but notice what was going on in his backyard. “South Central Los Angeles,” he quips, “home of the drive-thru and the drive-by.” And it’s the drive-thru fast-food stands that contribute more to the area’s poor health and high mortality rate, with one in two kids contracting a curable disease like Type 2 diabetes.

Finley’s vision for a healthy, accessible “food forest” started with the curbside veggie garden he planted in the strip of dirt in front of his own house. When the city tried to shut it down, Finley’s fight gave voice to a larger movement that provides nourishment, empowerment, education — and healthy, hopeful futures — one urban garden at a time.

“An inspiration to all, Ron Finley is a true urban farming hero.”Andrew Gunther, Huffington Post, 10.3.11

 

This is an incredible story. Ron Finley is genuine  and real. Very refreshing. Very inspiring.

I live in South Central. This is South Central: liquor stores, fast food, vacant lots.

So the city planners, they get together and they figure they’re going to change the name South Central to make it represent something else, so they change it to South Los Angeles, like this is going to fix what’s really going wrong in the city. This is South Los Angeles. (Laughter) Liquor stores, fast food, vacant lots.

Watch the video and hear the rest of the story…

About the Author

Tim Chrisco LMT, PT is the owner and editor of Choose Naturally. For the last two decades Tim has dedicated himself to learning more about how the development, cultivation and integration of Mind, Body, and Qi affect our health. He has taught Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong classes since 1998. He’s been teaching Fit-150 Intended Evolution Fitness classes since 2007. And he has also been a Posture Therapist since 2010. Tim currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he offers classes in Golden Shield Qi Gong, Fit-150, and Posture Alignment. You can learn more about Tim’s approach to health and wellness on his website: http://YourOriginalBlueprint.com

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

This Week’s Darn Good Posture Tip – Shoulder Rolls
(watch the video below)

Your Scapula is a free floating structure on your back that attaches to your Humerus at what is commonly called the ‘shoulder joint’.  Your Scapula also attaches to your Clavicle. Your Scapula, your Clavicle, your shoulder joint, and rest of your entire arm all attach to your body at two small spots where your Clavicles meet your Sternum (see pic). This design allows for a tremendous amount of freedom of movement in your Shoulder and arm. It makes your Shoulder the most flexible joint on your body.

With great flexibility comes potential instability.
Instability can lead to ‘holding’ patterns and injury.

Stress, pain, tension are all forms of ‘holding’.

If you are experiencing pain in your Shoulders then “Shoulder Rolls’ are a great exercise to add to your daily routine. Consider trying some of the other Shoulder Exercises I have posted past well.

*As with all Posture Exercises be sure to stop if you ever experience pain. Remember, soft, gentle, flowing movements are much more effective than movement that ‘forces’ or attempts to ‘push through’. Stay relaxed throughout all movements.

Shoulder Rolls

Purpose – Encourages more freedom of movement throughout the whole shoulder.

Benefits – More range of motion in the shoulder joint and arm.

Directions:

• Starting position – Begin by placing your feet directly under your hips. Point your toes straight ahead. Your palms should be facing your thighs. Your shoulders are dropped down.
• Visualize that your shoulders are sitting at the bottom of a round hoop. You want to follow this hoop with your shoulders as they move.
• Begin by moving your shoulders back, up, forward, and then down to where you started. If you looked at yourself from the side it should appear that your right shoulder is rolling in a clockwise direction, while your left shoulder is rolling counter-clockwise.
• Make your movements gentle and flowing. Feel as if there is nothing solid inside your arm. Nothing there to restrict your movement.
• Roll your shoulders 20-30 times. Stop and take a small break.
• Go back to the starting position. This time roll your shoulders in the opposite direction as the before. Start with your shoulders down, then move them forward, up, back, and then down to where you started. If you looked at yourself from the side it should appear that your right shoulder is rolling in a counter-clockwise direction, while your left shoulder is rolling clockwise.
• Remember to make your movements gentle and flowing. Feel as if there is nothing solid inside your arm. Nothing there to restrict your movement. Everything flows smoothly and evenly.
• Roll your shoulders 20-30 times.

Thanks for watching. 

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Marco Torres, Prevent Disease
Choose Naturally 

We all have our opinions, principles and philosophies about life and we must be very careful about infringing on those of others. Every person should be able to follow that inner voice without external influences constantly telling them they’re wrong. However there is one choice we could all make right now that would transform our world to benefit all living things and the Earth itself.

That is, choosing nature and each other above all else. So many of us have been deschooled on this concept that it may take decades for the scales to tip so that we all start respecting our world again.

By embracing Mother Nature, we adopt the foundation of all she has to offer. We understand that she is never mistaken and will always do the right thing for Earth’s inhabitants.

Overpopulation: The Myth To End All Myths 

That means things like overpopulation, lack of resources, lack of food, lack of water or lack of anything else coming from the Earth is not only a myth but is impossible reality. Man-made depopulation of the earth is a ridiculous concept since Mother Nature knows exactly what to do with the planet and its inhabitants to maintain balance at anytime.

Thomas Malthus argued that population growth, by the poor, inevitably outstrips food production and leads to a massive retaliation from Mother Nature (i.e., Malthusian Controls). His infamous “Malthusian Controls” which are taught to every first year sociology student, has become a cornerstone belief for many modern day globalists who advocate population control by any means necessary. This radical and dangerous idea promotes the unproven notion that the poor deserve to die because there are too many of them for the Earth to adequately support. Malthus believed that higher wages and welfare should be withheld from the great unwashed because he believed that these two factors would allow the poor to survive and exponentially breed, thus compounding the overpopulation problem.

Overpopulation is a radical and dangerous myth promoted by elite and international societies. The unproven notion, as Malthus believed, that higher wages and welfare should be withheld from the great unwashed because he believed that these two factors would allow the poor to survive and exponentially breed, thus compounding the overpopulation problem.

Overpopulation is a misnomer. A problem that exists only in dramatically erroneous theories that are not mathematically based. It is simply one of the most flawed concepts right up there with global warming. The theories are based on myths, not science or accurate statistical correlations or causation principles.

The theories can never be translated to any practical applications because they cannot exist in a close system designed to maintain homeostatic balance. This is what Mother Earth does for us. She balances our entire planet with all the resources required to maintain the status quo. Should that population exceed the necessary resources, the Earth will naturally purge as all macro-ecosystems do.

Those who believe in overpopulation have an enormous lack of understanding the natural tendencies of the Earth. This stems from myths, misinformation and a very ignorant approach to complex ecosystems of all sizes.

The Flawed Arguments of Naturalistic Fallacy

There have been many opponents to the branch of ethics dealing with embracing nature. Some such as British philosopher G. E. Moore who labeled the philosophy naturalistic fallacy. He argued it would be fallacious to explain that which is good reductively, in terms of natural properties such as “pleasant” or “desirable”. Others insist that those who appeal to nature claim that what is natural is inherently good or right, and that what is unnatural is inherently bad or wrong.

For example, many proponents of naturalistic fallacy will state that Earth has many toxic elements so all that is natural is not good. Aluminum is one of the Earth’s most natural abundant elements, yet putting it in your coffee may cause a host of health problems. While this is true, this is not how human beings naturally interact with aluminum. The argument stated is that aluminum is natural and bad for the human body so there goes the argument that all within nature is good right? Anything can be taken out of context and those advocates of naturalistic fallacy are experts at it.

The most common group of minerals in the Earth’s crust are aluminosilicates and native aluminum metal can only be found in the interiors of certain volcanoes. So there is a big difference between this type of interaction of metal with human populations and those that, for instance, are injected inside an infant through a vaccine.

Another example would be uranium which is naturally in very low concentrations of a few parts per million in soil and water. All natural uranium also has emitting alpha particles, but to achieve toxic levels found in concentrated man-made energy sources, man must intervene.

In their natural states, these elements do not cause problems. When corporations or governments find themselves taking these elements out of their natural states, we find ourselves polluting the environment and our bodies.

These examples demonstrate a dichotomy in the level of understanding of how nature interacts with humans and how humans interact with nature. Many misunderstandings relate to these very extreme views in an attempt to interpret what the majority of those who choose nature subscribe to. Although some groups who subscribe to natural principles have these views, the majority do not.

The Big Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom

Knowledge may empower people to change the way the world works, but if they don’t really know how it works, how useful is that knowledge? Wisdom begins with the dawn of reason, an understanding of the knowledge and principles whereby we may know the true meaning of things.

A better method of comparatively defining a belief system based on natural principles is this difference between knowledge and wisdom. It has little to do with choosing what is “right” or “good” or “pleasant”, and more about following the wisdom this planet has attained through billions of years of existence. We must agree to learn from the wisdom attained by Mother Earth and all our ancestors who have had solutions to many of the problems we face today.

Our existence on the planet is a mere speck compared to how long the Earth has been here. Plants and herbs are some of the oldest living things on the planet. How can a tobacco or a therapeutic cannabis plant be harmful to a human being? Unless a plant contains poisons, and is not meant to be ingested, it will never harm the human body. Only our instincts and the wisdom from our elders and ancestral populations can tell us that, not our governments.

The problem is, we have our schools, institutions and employers telling us to ignore these instincts and instead encourage us to follow what we have been programmed to learned, rather than what we know deep down inside is true.

We have such an overwhelming disconnection from nature, that we simply lack the comprehension that everything…absolutely everything is cyclical. Our environment, community, municipality, region, state, nation and world are only reflections of ourselves. If you want to understand what is happening to the Earth, look in the mirror.

As many as 60% of patients with symptoms that they attribute to environmental pollutants are in fact suffering from psychological problems. That doesn’t mean these problems don’t exist, but we can’t correct them from a position of victim/perpetrator because it only enforces that reality.

Change starts first from within. It is impossible to accept the beauty of nature and others if we cannot accept our own beauty and the inherent goodness in all living things.

It’s time to stop blaming everybody else and start taking responsibility for our collective consciousness. We did it all together…the good and the bad.

Choosing Nature Above All Else

What does this mean? It means respecting your wisdom, your instincts and a respect for all living things.

It means:

- Choosing real food that grows from the earth, meaning eating dead processed foods is not within your consideration.

- Choosing health, not disease, meaning you reject all artificial substances or mechanisms that claim to heal the human body. You are your best Doctor and nobody knows your body better than you do. Food is your medicine and only you can heal yourself.

- Choosing the human body’s wisdom in all its perfection, meaning you don’t alter the body, inject it or harm it with anything and you extend that to all others.

- Choosing love, respect, kindness and support, meaning we help others even if they don’t help us because we know everything is cyclical and we will reap the benefits regardless of timing.

- Choosing life, not death, meaning we don’t kill anything unless we absolutely must to survive. That doesn’t mean we can’t eat plants or animals or anything else. If we need these things to survive, we do what is necessary within our instincts and the harmony that exists between ourselves and our environment.

- Choosing the Earth, meaning Mother Nature knows best. She will never lead us down the wrong path. She will always be there for us, providing us sustenance, shelter, and every single resource we will ever need to survive.

Have a little faith in Mother Nature. She knows what she’s doing and she will do what she needs to, regardless of human emotions, actions or events. She has a tiny bit of experience on this planet. Give her the respect she deserves.

Marco Torres is a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate for healthy lifestyles. He holds degrees in Public Health and Environmental Science and is a professional speaker on topics such as disease prevention, environmental toxins and health policy.

 This article first appeared in Prevent Disease

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Photo Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4d4X6SOsgBs

Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

This looks like an amazing film.

Documentary by Frauke Sandig & Eric Black.
The ending of the Mayan Calendar in 2012 is now part of our own manufactured mythology, but for the source of our demise, there is no need to look to the esoteric: The remote homelands of the present-day Maya in Mexico and Guatemala present a perfect microcosm to show how unhindered globalization is impacting the planet and indigenous peoples, now under attack for their natural resources from all sides.

The film follows six young Maya into their daily and ceremonial life, revealing their determination to resist the destruction of their culture and environment. They put forth an entirely indigenous perspective in their own words, without narration. Their cosmovision is juxtaposed with a shortsighted exploitation of the Earth.

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

We all walk this earth carrying with us the dysfunctional programming from our past. These programs are very much like computer programs that we either brought with us as we came into this life, or that have been installed along the way. In either case, the results are pretty much the same. A thought or something in our environment brings up an emotion, and that emotion triggers a response, activating some programming in us.  Many  times this happens quickly and we are not consciously aware of how we went into reaction or what the trigger was. These reactions effect us emotionally, mentally, physically and have a direct influence on our behavior. The resulting  behavior creates problems for ourselves in our work, our relationships, and our health. There is actually no part of our lives which is immune.

So how do we dismantle these programs? Are we doomed to a life in which at any moment we can find ourselves in a deeply challenging situation that seems to appear out of nowhere? Even after we get centered enough to stop the blaming and judging, we often end up using an enormous amount of time and energy just to feel centered and ‘normal’ again. Where does it all end? There is a way out of these repeating cycles of dysfunction?

There are many effective methods for dealing with our challenging programming; psychotherapy, spiritual counseling and yoga, just to name a few . One modality for shifting these traits is by working with them on an energetic level. Our programs are wired to run through our more subtle energy bodies. A ‘reprogramming of sorts’ is possible by making adjustments at the subtle energy level. Making shifts at the subtle level can have rapid and very profound results. While this work may not always bring everything that’s needed in order to make a change, It can provide some essential elements of relief.

I recently had the opportunity to sit and speak with Gabriella Espinosa, the owner of Pure Soul Alchemy. Gabriella is an energy healer who works on the etheric realms to help her clients let go of old programs. While her sessions can move in many different directions,  Gabriella  says that her main focus is to help us more fully love ourselves. She works with her clients in person, as well as  long distance. You can learn more about Gabriella and her practice at her website… Pure Soul Alchemy

In our conversation Gabriella shared with me a little about what she does in her practice, how she got started and and what she has planned for the future. It’s a compelling story and Gabriella is an amazing healer.

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Below are some picture of Gabriella’s office/studio.  located in South Austin. It is an amazing location.  As you walk up you are surrounded and enveloped by the bamboo which fills the courtyard. The space is held and so serene. It is very nurturing.

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About the Author

Tim Chrisco LMT, PT is the owner and editor of Choose Naturally. For the last two decades Tim has dedicated himself to learning more about how the development, cultivation and integration of Mind, Body, and Qi affect our health. He has taught Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong classes since 1998. He’s been teaching Fit-150 Intended Evolution Fitness classes since 2007. And he has also been a Posture Therapist since 2010. Tim currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he offers classes in Golden Shield Qi Gong, Fit-150, and Posture Alignment. You can learn more about Tim’s approach to health and wellness on his website: http://YourOriginalBlueprint.com

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Photo Source: The Templestowe Family Chiro

Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

This Weeks Darn Good Posture Tip - Static Back
(watch video below)

Many people suffer from low back pain. It’s such a mystery. No one has really found out what causes it.

Our backs are complicated devices. They support huge amounts of weight and stress. I think because of this, it’s likely that any number of things could be causing problems in this part of our body. Good to get your back checked out by your health care practitioner if your are experiencing pain. And since most of the time that won’t happen immediately here’s a passive exercise to help your body relax in the mean time.

Static Back takes the load off (removes the effects of gravity) and allows the muscles in and around your low back to relax. For some people the relief will be immediate. For others it may take a while for the locked up muscles to start to let go.

If you have chronic low back pain then this exercise can be very helpful if done on a regular basis. You can retrain your body back to a more relaxed state as it’s norm. By doing this exercise often you can also train your body to let go of spasms faster and more completely.

Give your body positive reinforcement on a regular basis,
and it will respond positively.

Static Back

Purpose – Helps relax the whole back, especially the low back

Benefits – Benefits the whole body.

Directions – Find a comfortable place to lie on the floor that’s not too hard, but not too soft either. Beds sometimes can be too soft. The floor is usually best. Next find a chair or ottoman that will support your legs comfortably. Lie down next to your chair so that your calves are resting on the seat of your chair. You want your thighs perpendicular to the floor. And you want you calves parallel to the floor. Allow your feet to fall out or in, whatever is most comfortable. You don’t want to hold your legs at all. You want to be completely relaxed. If you are in the correct position you will look very much like you are sitting in chair, except that your back is on the floor. Once you have gotten into this position breathe evenly and deeply into your back. Find a new relationship with this part of your body. Speak to it. Listen to what it tells you. Allow everything to let go. In this position there is no work required. This is your time to nurture yourself. Milk it for all you can get!
Hold this position for 5 to 20 minutes.

Frequency – Can be performed more than once a day if desired.

Tips - Relax. On your exhales feel like your body is softening and melting. Everything let’s go. Going to sleep fine.
If your back muscles are still tense in this position it is because they ‘believe’ they are still needing to work. They really don’t need to. The load is off. The ‘holding’ is just a habit at this point. Doing this exercise will help you create a ‘new habit‘.

Enjoy the video…

About the Author

Tim Chrisco LMT, PT is the owner and editor of Choose Naturally. For the last two decades Tim has dedicated himself to learning more about how the development, cultivation and integration of Mind, Body, and Qi affect our health. He has taught Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong classes since 1998. He’s been teaching Fit-150 Intended Evolution Fitness classes since 2007. And he has also been a Posture Therapist since 2010. Tim currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he offers classes in Golden Shield Qi Gong, Fit-150, and Posture Alignment. You can learn more about Tim’s approach to health and wellness on his website: http://YourOriginalBlueprint.com

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Photo credit: Kuzeytac (will be back soon) / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

We sometimes run into trouble when we try to force our lives to follow patterns that run outside of the natural rhythms that surround us. Nature is always sending us signals that can help balance our systems based on the seasons and the natural rhythms of the earth. In each of the seasons, the world around us changes. In Winter, the air is dryer and colder. During Winter Nature takes a break for few months and goes deep, resting in preparation for Spring. When Spring arrives the temperature begins go up, the flowers bloom and all of Nature seems to be burst forth, busting out with new life.

Trying to live outside the natural rhythms of Nature can make life hard. It’s kind of like trying to swim up-stream. It’s a lot easier swim with the current.

I recently had a chance to sit down with Stephen Andrews L.ac MAOM. During our conversation Stephen talked about the changes in season and how those changes can effect us…

Subtle changes in our environment can have profound changes in our systems. So when I hear patients say they are depressed and it’s Winter time… be a little careful on calling it depression right now. It’s OK to be more internal, not that social, and want to sleep more.

Listen to an excerpt from that interview…

Click here to hear the entire interview

About the Author

Tim Chrisco LMT, PT is the owner and editor of Choose Naturally. For the last two decades Tim has dedicated himself to learning more about how the development, cultivation and integration of Mind, Body, and Qi affect our health. He has taught Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong classes since 1998. He’s been teaching Fit-150 Intended Evolution Fitness classes since 2007. And he has also been a Posture Therapist since 2010. Tim currently lives in Austin, Texas, where he offers classes in Golden Shield Qi Gong, Fit-150, and Posture Alignment. You can learn more about Tim’s approach to health and wellness on his website: http://YourOriginalBlueprint.com

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remaining intact.

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Tim Chrisco, Editor
Choose Naturally 

We could do this in Austin! Turn the lights out!

This sky is protected. Yesterday marked the 50 year anniversary of the first lighting ordinance ever enacted, which restricted searchlight advertisements from sweeping the night skies aboveFlagstaff, Arizona, USA. Flagstaff now enjoys the status of being the first International Dark Sky City, and maintains a lighting code that limits lights from polluting this majestic nighttime view. The current dark skies over Flagstaff not only enable local astronomers to decode the universe but allow local sky enthusiasts to see and enjoy a tapestry contemplated previously by every human generation. The above image, pointing just east of north, was taken two weeks ago at 3 am from Fort Valley, only 10 kilometers from central Flagstaff. Visible in the above spectacular panorama are the San Francisco Peaks caped by alenticular cloud. Far in the distance, the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy arcs diagonally from the lower left to the upper right, highlighted by the constellations of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Cygnus. On the far right, the North America Nebula is visible just under the very bright star Deneb.

Source: APOD

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Northwest Edible Life
Choose Naturally 

At a certain point I might as well admit that we drink a rather obscene amount of coffee. It’s almost all frugal, brew-at-home type coffee, but still: that stuff ads up.

Luckily, the grounds are almost as valuable as the liquid coffee, and we save them for use in the garden, thereby getting the most bang for our fair-trade-coffee-buck.

Photo Source: Northwest Edible Life

These are my five favorite ways to use coffee grounds in the garden.

Sheet Mulch

The majority of our grounds get dumped out, directly on the soil, as sheet mulch around around our berries and fruit trees. The common assumption is that coffee grounds are acidic, but tests on the pH of grounds have shown results from mildly acid to mildly alkaline, and research indicates that the pH of the grounds tends towards neutral as it decomposes. I use coffee grounds as a mulch around blueberries, fruit trees, currants and cane fruit, all with good result.

When you mulch with coffee grounds, don’t pile it on. That’s a sure-fire way to get moldy mulch. A good half-inch thick layer atop your normal organic mulch in any one spot will do nicely. It will break down relatively quickly as worms and soil microbes go to work, and when it does you can add more. Coffee works like any other organic mulch, with a few added advantages discussed below.

Side-dressing for Heavy Feeders

You probably know that the main nitrogen component in DIY organic fertilizers, like Steve Solomon’s famous mix, is seedmeal. Well, if you think about it, a coffee bean is a processed seed. As you’d expect, coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, at about 10%. Depending on the exact beans and extraction process, “the carbon to nitrogen ratio of coffee grounds can be as low as 11:1, an ideal ratio for plant and soil nutrition,” according to WSU extension.

With nitrogen levels like that, pure coffee grounds make an excellent side-dressing for leafy greens and hungry fruiting veg, like tomatoes and squash, early in their growth. I particularly like side dressing spinach with used coffee grounds.

Natural Slug Deterrent

Slugs get the heebie-jeebies crawling over coffee grounds. I think it scratches their slimy underbellies in an unpleasant way. Do you have some veg, like Napa Cabbage, that seems like a total slug magnet? Try banding coffee grounds in a uniform circle around the plant as a seedling, and keep the band topped up. It helps. I’m not giving away my Sluggo just yet, but it helps.

Vermicomposting

I know some people say that you shouldn’t feed worms coffee grounds, but I have Seattle worms. They’re all holding teeny Starbucks cups and wearing fleece vests as they crawl around their worm bin, talking about Python hacks and when they’ll finally be able to get up to the mountains to go snowboarding.

Coffee grounds aren’t the only thing I put in my worm bin, of course, but mixed in as part of a balanced diet of cardboard, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, banana peels and the like, the worms seem to process coffee grounds without any issue.

Suppression of Fungal Diseases

Decomposing coffee grounds have their own fungal and mold colonies and those fungal colonies tend to fight offother fungal colonies. If this seems weird, just remember that the antibiotic penicillin was developed from a mold. The world of teeny, tiny things is fighting for space and resources just as fiercely as the world of big, visible things, and you can use that to your advantage.

The natural mold and fungus colonies on coffee “appear to suppress some common fungal rots and wilts, including Fusarium, Pythium, and Sclerotinia species,” according to research. It’s hard to quantify exactly how this all plays out in the big outside world with millions of variables, but incorporating coffee grounds into your compost may help to prevent build-up of nasty verticulum and fusarium wilt inoculates. I figure it’s worth a shot. If I have coffee grounds on hand, I will throw a handful of grounds into the transplant hole for tomatoes, peppers or eggplant, since these plants tend to be susceptable to various wilts.

How do you use coffee grounds in your garden?

This article first appeared in Northwest Edible Life

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