Tale of a Tripod, J. Magli, NHC

This is the story of Cailynn, a three-legged dog. I hope it will give you a better understanding of special needs pets and what a wonderful addition they can be to any family. Lots of animals in shelters are overlooked , just as four-legged pets can. You just need a little more thought, consideration, love and devotion before adopting.

Tripods are dogs that have had a limb amputated. This can be due to cancer, as a result of severe injury to a limb, or a birth defect that makes the leg nonfunctional. Tripods are often viewed as pitiful and their care automatically considered a burden. However, complications of amputations are rare and most tripods not only adapt quickly to life on three legs, but also thrive. Some need a little help. Others don’t really want any help. But with extra patience, devotion, time and lots of love, a tripod can have a happy life.

A few years ago, after many years of adopting physically and mentally abused or neglected animals, (mainly dogs and cats), we decided to adopt again. We already had two dogs, (one was severely abused), and two cats. All came from a shelter or a rescue. I happened across a young dog with which I connected instantly. She’d been abused and then hit by a car, resulting in the loss of her right front leg, all within her first six months of life. She was fostered and then adopted by a wonderful family. Due to a conflict with other pets, it was decided that Cailynn needed a different home. After the family interviewed me, I brought her home. She is the epitome of joy and happiness and reinforces for us daily how every moment should be lived to its fullest potential. She seems totally unaware that she only has three legs! She runs, plays and lives just like our other dogs do. She just has to rest more often.

Some special considerations should be made regarding caring for a tripod. A lot depends on the circumstances around the loss of limb and what, if any, health issues are in play. Careful consideration must be factored into the overall regimen for the animal. Always start with a quality holistic dog food. Supplementing the diet with quality fish oil and glucosamine HCL will reduce inflammation and help maintain flexibility.

Sometimes tripods have trouble navigating stairs or smooth tile, so non-skid surfaces are needed. Lifting the animal in and out of a car is recommended to avoid additional injuries. Check footpads for cracking, cuts and abrasions, and address by applying a balm when needed. Keep toenails trimmed to avoid tripping. Exercise regularly but at a minimum to avoid overdoing it. Elevating the food dish can reduce strain on the other legs at feeding time.

There are many products on the market to help make a tripod’s life more manageable, like stairs or ramps, lifts, harnesses, slings, etc. There are support groups, forums and health tips geared towards tripods both online and in some communities.

I hope if you’re considering adopting a tripod, or are faced with a decision of amputation for your own pet, that you’ll remember there’s much love and life in these special animals. They will warm your hearts with their focus on life rather than limitations.

Cailynn is a joy to have in our family. We feel very blessed she chose us to teach and remind daily that life really is what WE make of it, and we’d better have fun too!

Jenny Magli is a natural health consultant for pets and their people. She lives in the Upper Peninsula with her husband Bill and five clowns (three dogs and two cats). She is available for consultations and presentations and can be reached at (906) 439-5489 or 1healthlink@gmail.com.

Reprinted from Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine’s Spring 2011 Issue.

Lentil Soups for Winter, V. Wilson

Winter is upon us and we need to keep warm. Lentil soups are a terrific way to keep our bodies warm and healthy. Soups are a great appetizer to any meal, or can be a whole meal just by themselves. Lentils are one of the perfect ingredients for soup-making because they can create a thick broth.

The two most popular types of lentils are the green ones and the red ones. The green lentils tend to hold their shape after being cooked, while the red ones dissipate, losing their shape.

When cooking with lentils, (and any other bean), I always cook them with a piece of kombu. Kombu is a sea vegetable that helps strengthen your digestive tract and helps you digest the protein in the beans, therefore eliminating the gas. And even though lentils are small beans and therefore have less sulfur, some people still have gas after consuming them.

Lentils are an excellent source of protein, can help reduce cholesterol, help lower blood pressure and are high in calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A.

Here are two wonderful lentil soup recipes that will keep you warm on those cold winter nights!

Rice & Lentil Soup

10 cups water
1/2 cup short grain brown rice
1/4 cup wild rice
1 cup red lentils
1 four inch piece kombu (soaked and cut up)
1 onion (diced)
2 broccoli heads (cut up)
8 ounces mushrooms (cut up)
3 celery stalks (diced)
1 cup corn
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. sea salt

Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot. Add the two rices, reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, covered. Add the lentils and kombu, continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Add the vegetables, layering them – first the onions, then broccoli, mushrooms, celery and corn on top. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Season with the spices and sea salt. Stir all together and serve warm.

Lentil Squash Soup

11 cups water
1 cup green lentils
1 cup red lentils
1 six inch piece kombu (soaked and cut up)
1 onion (diced)
8 garlic cloves (minced)
1 buttercup squash (cut into cubes)
2 carrots (diced)
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
2 T. tamari
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot. Add lentils and kombu. Let cook 5 minutes. Letting the water come back to a boil in between each vegetable, add the vegetables one at a time. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

*Recipe note: These recipes make a large pot of soup. You can put what you don’t use in containers and freeze them, so you’ll have homemade soups on hand even when you don’t have time to cook them.

Valerie Wilson is the author of Perceptions In Healthy Cooking. She teaches cooking classes and offers counseling in Westland, Michigan. She can be reached at (734) 722-4553 or www.macroval.com.

Reprinted from Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, Winter 2010 – 2011.

From Family Treasures to Art

A Creative Inspiration article by Christine Saari

It all began with letters. Letters my father had written to me, his five-year-old daughter on an Austrian mountain farm, before he fell on the Russian front in April 1944. Heartrending letters about being a soldier far away. Letters of love and longing. Letters I could never read without dissolving in tears.

These letters were long my private treasure. But every time another war started somewhere, in Bosnia, in the Gulf, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, I thought of all the soldier fathers who missed their children, of all the children who feared for their fathers’ safety, of warriors who did not return.

One day it struck me – I knew I needed to share these letters, with my grandchildren, with young students, with as many people as possible.

That was the beginning of the inspiration to create “Family Album,” a collection of artful boxes, suitcases, bags and books that would incorporate family letters, documents and artifacts.

These mixed-media pieces would not only tell the story of three generations of my European family, but also the story of others.

They would tell the story of life and death, of celebration and grief, of childhood memory and the journey of immigration, of tradition and change.

I have been working on this project for nearly 20 years now and I keep being inspired in unexpected ways. When my father-in-law died and we found his WWII letters he had sent from Europe, I was struck with the recognition that our fathers were enemies. The result was “Make Love, not War”: three boxes containing letters – my father’s, my husband Jon’s father’s and our own love letters. When my grandson was baptized in the gown my grandmother had sewn, I created a triptych showing three generations of children wearing the same dress, three mothers in different parts of the globe linked by this dress. When we received Finnish Bibles after an aunt of Jon’s had died, I knew they needed a place to be kept. This became “Lutheran Songbooks and Bibles.” That led to “Catholic Childhood,” another container for treasures to honor my father’s and my own upbringing.

Frequently, the inspiration has come from an occurrence that jogged my memory of photographs and artifacts that needed to be in their own shrine. Maybe you have old letters, photographs, your grandfather’s shaving mug, your great aunt’s hair comb or hat? Don’t throw them out! Don’t leave them in a cardboard box in the closet! Honor them. Preserve them for your grandchildren and their children. Find a way to bring them out into the open, to make new from old. If you let yourself be inspired by the spirit of these items, ideas will come to you on how to create a visible record of your family story. You will see the links between the past and the present and you will feel connected to the rest of humanity.

And, do write letters, real letters, written by hand, sent in an envelope with a stamp. They will be priceless keepsakes for your descendants. They will tell them who you were, and remind them of their own place in the long chain of generations.

Christine Saari is a Marquette, MI artist, an Austrian and American citizen, and a packrat.

Reprinted from Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, Winter 2010 – 2011.

Caring for the Caregiver

by Phil Puotinen

I read an article in the Kansas City Star recently that had some rather astonishing facts. According to the American Medical Association, elderly care-giving spouses have a 63% higher chance of dying than people their same age who aren’t caring for a spouse. A study by the American Geriatrics Society found that they are six times more likely to develop dementia themselves compared with people whose spouses don’t have dementia.

If you are a part of the Baby Boomer generation, as many of us are, this means that there is a strong likelihood that one of your parents may be in this situation. It may even mean that you are a participant in the caregiving. Worldwide, there are over 35 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In the United States, there are over 5.3 million diagnosed and, to bring it even closer to home, in the U.P. there are over 8,000 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. There are 10.9 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. providing care for the 5.3 million persons diagnosed, according to the most recent data from the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Upper Peninsula Region of the Greater Michigan Chapter, is committed to providing education and support to caregivers in the Upper Peninsula. Programs and services are available to help caregivers manage their situations and to help reduce their stress.

One of these programs is the Creating Confident Caregivers Workshop. These free workshops are offered in partnership with UPAAP, the U.P. Area Agency on Aging. They are designed to assist persons caring for family members with dementia. They have been found to reduce stress and to help empower caregivers. The workshops are two hours long, once a week for six weeks. They are available at various locations throughout the Upper Peninsula.

Persons participating in the workshops learn strategies to reduce caregiver stress and to learn and practice ways to find time to care for themselves. These goals are accomplished through:

Gaining information and knowledge – learning more about the illness they are dealing with and how it impacts the person with the disease. Things as simple as making sure that lighting is adequate or minimizing distractions to allow the person with the illness to be able to focus on tasks more effectively can have a big impact on managing daily activities.

Developing skills – for the complex and often new tasks they need to perform. Learning how communication changes with the progression of the illness, and how to take these changes into account to help the person with the disease maintain a contented, calm and secure life. The course also hopes to improve self- care skills for the caregiver, which in turn helps to reduce their stress.

Developing an improved outlook or attitude – As the caregiver learns and develops additional skills and knowledge, they become more confident in their role. As they gain confidence in what they are doing, the tasks become less stressful.

These classes offer an excellent opportunity for caregivers to learn and develop new skills and techniques. They also offer opportunities for support from other caregivers who share common experiences.

We all can make a difference in the lives of caregivers and the people for whom they are caring. Caregiving is a demanding job requiring 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week attention. We can make a difference by keeping in touch with the caregiver. By doing something as simple as making a phone call, or stopping by for a visit, we can offer the caregiver some relief. The main thing is, let’s not forget the caregiver, or stay away because we don’t know what to do.

Each year, World Alzheimer’s Day is celebrated on September 21^st. This day was established in 1994 as a way to bring awareness to this illness that affects so many people. It is also a time to recognize the efforts and sacrifice of caregivers, and an opportunity to advocate for greater support and commitment of resources. This year, celebrate World Alzheimer’s Day by making a commitment to support those you know who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

For more info. on this or other programs offered by the Alzheimer’s Association, or for more info. on how you can help, contact: Alzheimer’s Association – Greater MI Chapter, UP Region, 710 Chippewa Square, Suite 201, Mqt., 906-228-3910, 800-272-3900, www.alzgmc.org

Phil Puotinen has a degree in Social Work from NMU and is the Alzheimer’s Association’s U.P. Program Coordinator and Wraparound Facilitator. Phil and his wife Carol, of Laurium, MI, cared for his dementia-debilitated mother for two years until other medical complications required nursing home care.

Inner Nutrition: Mindfulness

by Lee Goodwin

There is a movement afoot these days. It is not a political movement, but it has implications for the lives of countless people every day. It is a movement deeply rooted in religious traditions, but it is not the property of any church or synagogue, mosque or temple. It is a movement that is accessible to every person and holds the promise of great healing. The movement is known in shorthand as “mindfulness.” At its core, mindfulness is rooted in contemplative practices that can be found in all of the world’s major spiritual traditions. However, it finds its clearest expression in the twenty-five hundred year old Buddhist tradition of meditative practice. In the past thirty years, there has been a tremendous acceleration of interest in the application of mindfulness practices, especially as a complement to mainstream medicine and mental health practice.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a prime example of this movement. It began at the University of Massachusetts with the work of Jon Kabat Zinn (Full Catastrophe Living). Kabat Zinn felt that there could be no better place to introduce those long tested meditative practices than in a hospital. He created the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Course in order to work with patients for whom it seemed medicine had reached the limits of its capacity to help. Kabat Zinn also understood the importance of doing research. The practice and effect of mindfulness practice would need to be replicable and verifiable in order to gain acceptance in the mainstream of medicine. It has. Since 1979, at UMass alone, over 17,000 patients have completed the MBSR course and MBSR is being taught in over 240 medical centers around the world.

Each MBSR class immerses students in a variety of meditative and attentional capacities. Sitting meditation, walking meditation, yoga and simply attending to pleasant and unpleasant events during the day, all are aimed at helping participants become more open and aware to more of their lives. The aim being that being more awake leads to greater freedom to choose how to live each moment of this precious life.

As an indication of the scope of this mindfulness movement, the University of Wisconsin’s Dr. Richard Davidson was recently awarded a major National Institutes for Health (NIH) grant to study the effects of meditation practice on the brain. The Mind and Life Institute has for decades now carried on significant discussions between scientists and contemplatives at the behest of the Dalai Lama. Major studies of the effects of mindfulness practice are going on every day. A quick Google search of mindfulness and the NIH will reveal the wide range of clinical trials and other studies that are being conducted across the country.

Still, for all the promise that this research and mainline acceptance holds, there is a dimension of this work that eludes the precision and technical skills of the scientific mind. It has been said that in most Asian languages the word for mind and the word for heart are the same. So, to understand mindfulness fully one must also see it as heartfulness. There is a deep mystery that is being uncovered in this movement and it holds tremendous potential for healing. There is a also a delightful joke in all of it – and the joke is that after all the searching and study, the capacity for health and wholeness was there lying close all along just waiting to be found.

Lee Goodwin is a Lutheran pastor currently serving as the director of The Sabbath Project, a program providing support for professional leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who serve parishes in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.

Why Sounds Are Part of Sound Health

by Roslyn McGrath

“Vroom-vroom-vrOOM” roars the motorcycle below my open bedroom window, followed by silence, intermittent bird song and eventually far-off mowing sounds. Each elicits a response from my body and mind, as I tense or relax with my perception of each. Every day, every moment, we hear, make and respond to sounds. We can close our eyes to sights, but not to sounds, even when we sleep.

And it’s not just the ear that is sensitive to sound. As naturopath, musician and psychologist Dr. John Beaulieu explains so well in his book Music and Sound in the Healing Arts, every cell in our body vibrates, so they too can receive and respond to sound.

The link between sound and health has been recognized since ancient times, most notably with Apollo’s position in Greek mythology as a God of both medicine and music.

In the more recent past, Harpo Marx regaled audiences with his mesmerizing harp music, bringing moments of tranquility to the manic mayhem of the Marx brothers’ comic films. And currently, organizations such as the Chalice of Repose project offer compassionate end-of-life vigils of contemplative music chosen to meet the individual needs of the dying.

Greek mathematician, philosopher and musician Pythagoras considered the universe a vast musical instrument. This view is echoed by Native American author Joseph Rael in his book Being and Vibration, as he describes, “We are nature’s music singing to God.” Indeed, modern science has shown us that everything has a vibration, though we usually experience most of them subliminally.

So what is music? According to Dr. Beaulieu, it’s the appreciation of sound, and this appreciation can impact us profoundly.

And we can create music from our very own bodies – just open your mouth and . . . SING! As Marquette Choral Society Director Dr. Floyd Slotterback explains, “Singing leads to many healthy outcomes. When you sing you use your breathing apparatus and lower abdominals more actively. You are encouraged to sit with good posture by stretching the spine and feeling an expansion of the rib cage. There are also benefits to the social aspects of singing, including attainment of group goals, enjoyment of working together, and the opportunity to laugh and share a love of singing. For those choirs who move or dance, the physical workout adds an extra dimension. Any age can be involved (I have a woman in my church choir who is 105 years old!) And, it’s just plain fun!”

Musician Jan Cloutier has performed for many local elders and veterans, sharing a repertoire from their era with her guitar and voice. She actively encouraged group members to sing as much as they were willing and also made percussive instruments available for use. Jan says it wasn’t long before feet began tapping, shakers rattled and gentlemen rose to ask ladies for a dance or two, thus enhancing their cardio-vascular systems and pleasure.

Many elders have trouble with their short-term memory, though their long-term memory is basically intact. Hearing these songs would bring back detailed personal memories from the era when these tunes were popular. All benefited from their recollections. Jan adds, “For me personally, I feel that music transcends self. Without it, life would be like living in black and white.”

Recently, Toby Christenson, a recognized expert and innovator in the field of healing music, shared his work at Marquette’s People’s Festival. Toby uses the sound energy of the drum to create a force that disrupts unhealthy patterns and then combines elemental rhythms to restore and realign the mind, body and spirit. Toby says, “What I have found in my work is that the greatness of our being resides in our bones – hidden gifts from our ancestors and our souls’ journey are waiting to be awakened. The sound vibrations and rhythm of the drum resonates through the body, releasing our greatness and providing unmatched power and balance. The sound of the drum is the tuning of the soul!

Another sound healer, Nicole LaVoie, had a revelation about the primacy of sound when considering the biblical quote “In the beginning was the Word.” She realized the “word” was sound, and came to conclude that sound is key to everything on earth. Within the full range of frequencies – matter, sound, light, x-rays, gamma rays, etc., matter is the lowest frequency, and sound is the next-to-lowest. Nicole theorizes this may be why “Matter responds very well to sound because it is the closest neighbor in the frequency spectrum.”

The impact of sound on matter has been studied. Dr. Hans Jenny spent thousands of hours experimenting on the effects of different frequencies on inorganic substances, such as plastic, dust, etc. In the hundreds of photographs he and his staff took, these materials come to look like marine life, bacteria, human organs, and other living, breathing creations while under the influence of the vibrations.

There have been many studies on the impact of sound on human health as well. For instance, Dr. Norman Weinberger, research professor in neurobiology and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, cites studies showing that passive musical involvement can reduce the release of stress hormones in various circumstances, including some types of pre-surgical anxiety; decrease distress in newborns and in certain cases, reduce the length of hospital stays. [“The Musical Hormone”, MRN, Fall 1997, IV (2)].

Dr. Weinberger also explains, “Perhaps the most unexpected use of music in therapy is in a highly passive and unique situation, that of comatose patients who have uncontrollable epilepsy, that is, brain seizures, even while they are unconscious. Playing classical music reduces the incidence of brain seizures.” [“The Powers of Music: A Treatment for Epilepsy?”, MRN, Fall 1998, V (3)].

So what about unavoidable sounds that grate on our nerves? As a fairly sound-sensitive person, I’ve coped with this in various ways. If I try to ignore the offending noise, I tend to become more aware of it and increasingly irritated. When I pay attention to something else, something more important to me, it becomes a non-issue. I can also block annoying sounds with ones I prefer. For instance, when a nearby warm weather outdoor party goes late into the night, my best antidote is playing a recording of ocean sounds loud enough to cover the partiers’ noise – I actually sleep better with it on!

Recently, I was on a conference call for a silent group meditation when a car horn began going off outside. I felt disturbed, then brought my attention back to the focus of the meditation, without trying to wish the sound away. Within seconds, I spontaneously began experiencing the sound as Gabriel’s horn and blissfully soaked it in.

I am not always in such an ecstatic state of mind, and I’m guessing you’re probably not either. Thankfully, there are many more enjoyable and therapeutic sounds we can choose in creating our auditory environment. Take some time to notice how your body and mind feel when you hear wind chimes, waterfalls, rock ’n roll, classical, therapeutic and other forms of music. Pay attention to what kinds of sounds serve you in different situations. And consider increasing your exposure to them. You just might reap the pleasures of more sound physical, mental, emotional, spiritual health.

Marquette resident Roslyn Elena McGrath has been sharing healing arts since 1996. She has am M.A. in Painting and a B.S. in Art Education from the State University of New York, New Paltz, and has published well being-focused periodicals, including this magazine, since 2002.

Sources:

Music and Sound in the Healing Arts, John Beaulieu, Station Hill Press, 1987

Being & Vibration, Joseph Rael, Council Oak Books, 1993

Return to Harmony, Nicole LaVoie, Sound Wave Energy Press, 1998

Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics, Jonathan Goldman, Element Inc., 1992

MuSICA, the Music & Science Information Computer Archive, www.musica.uci.edu/index.html

From Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, Fall 2010

Surviving and Thriving In the Teen Years

by Betsy Little

Those of us who have raised our teens are sometimes reluctant to spend a lot of time reliving the experience. It’s not that the time spent with a teen is awful but it can be challenging at times. If we have been doing our parenting “right,” as our children enter their teen years we continue to give them more responsibility and more age-appropriate choices. However, we are still the parent and they are still our children. I think it can be helpful in parenting to devise a mantra that can be repeated as often as necessary as we parent our teens. One of my mantras was “My job is to keep you safe.” Another useful mantra for me was “It is hard to be a teen and it is hard to be the parent of a teen.” I am not sure these mantras helped my teen but they helped remind me what I needed to focus on at this important time.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

A current advertisement in a national magazine says “Why do most sixteen- year-olds drive like they’re missing part of their brain? Because they are.”

The part of our teen’s brain that has a role in his/her decision making, control of impulses, planning, organizing and making good judgments is not fully developed until the teen is in his/her twenties. Our teens may look full grown and sometimes they may act like adults, and they certainly want to be treated like adults, but the reality is they are not adults.

In comparing the brains of two- year-olds and teens we see some similarities. A two year old might say “me do it” while a teen might say “leave me alone.” A two- year-old may have a tantrum by throwing himself on the floor and screaming, while a teen might slam the door, pout and/or refuse to talk. A curious two- year-old might get into things s/he should not get into while a teen takes risks while driving, going out and/or using illegal substances.

SOME GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS OF TEENS

1. Pick Your Battles: Try to determine what is most important and let go of some of the smaller annoyances.

2. Whenever possible, let teens experience the natural consequences of their actions. A good example is if the teen oversleeps on a school day, let her figure out how to get to school and/or explain to the school why she is late.

3. With your teen, (and your other children), devise a set of written family rules. Have no more than seven rules and list the behaviors you want to see and what you don’t want to see. Decide as a family what the consequences will be for following the rules and for breaking the rules. Instead of saying “Be home by your curfew” or “Don’t be late” say “Be home by 11 pm on week-end nights.” “Do not come home after 11 pm on a week-end night.” The reward for following this rule might be that your teen gets to go out the next night. The consequence for coming home at 11:30 pm instead of 11:00 might be having to come home a half hour earlier the next night.

4. Learn How to Argue: Pick a time that works for you and your teen. Make a decision with your teen about what you will discuss. Stick to the subject—neither you nor your teen should talk about other incidents that occurred long ago. Try to stay calm and listen to one another. If you feel you or your teen is losing control, reschedule your discussion.

5. Address risky behavior before it becomes a problem. Let your teen know your expectations of him/her.

6. Remove computers and T.V.’s from your child’s bedroom. Place them in more central areas of the house.

7. Establish rules and consequences about the use of cell phones.

HELPFUL HINTS THAT JUST MIGHT WORK

1. Listen, listen, and listen! When you are driving kids in your car, listen to what they are saying. If you are really quiet, you become almost invisible and you may learn a lot.

2. Be sure to compliment your teen for the many things s/he does right. In the course of a day, teens need to hear a few more compliments than critical remarks.

3. Have fun with your teen— find reasons to laugh together!

4. Try to be available when your teen is talkative. Sometimes it means staying up a few minutes later when s/he arrives home and sharing a snack. It may be well worth your time.

5. Ask your teens to come see you when arriving home at night. Give them a hug or a kiss. This closeness may also let you know if they have been smoking and/or drinking.

6. If your teen is watching T.V., sit down with her/him. Just be there. Conversation may occur.

7. Insist that your family eat dinner together at least a few nights a week. Research is showing that families that share meals together have fewer problems with the kids’ behavior.

8. Be a model of the behaviors you want to see in your teen.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen by David Walsh

http://www.mqthealth.org “Adolescent Health”

Betsy Little is a Family Health Educator at the Marquette Co. Health Dept. She works in-home with families who have children birth—18 years, and with pregnant and parenting teens. Betsy and her husband have two young adult children. You may reach Betsy at 315-2613.

Temporary Body Art

by Kris Harris Pfaffle

The use and practices of temporary body art have a history just as long and fascinating as that of permanent tattooing, with traditions ranging across the globe. The purpose of historical temporary body art was primarily related to special events and ceremonies, but these practices have meandered their way into our Western culture and are experiencing a true renaissance in contemporary use. The cultural traditions of henna/mehndi art as practiced in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia had become “old fashioned” in their territories of origin, with the younger generation turning away from the old practices. As it has become more popular in the West, it has also experienced a rebirth of popularity in the old countries, providing a beautiful and viable option for corporal self-expression in celebrations, ceremonies, or just for fun.

Ancient Roman manuscripts mention the color and character of Briton body art, as stated in the Latin translation: “All the Britons dye their bodies with woad (vitrum), which produces a blue colour, and this gives them a more terrifying appearance in battle.” Unfortunately, as this tradition was broken for at least twelve centuries and no written record exists on pre-Christian Celtic body art, we may never be certain what it looked like or how it was done. Perhaps it was used for significant events, vows, or magical protection.

Presently, crystallized indigo from the Indigofera tinctoria plant produces a similar effect to the woad used by the Celts, but it is easier to store, use, and manage (as compared to woad processing, which smelled like rotting cabbage, urine, and rotten eggs, which might be considered a turn-off for some). Its blue color, higher dye content than true woad, ease of application, and short staining time make it a good choice for temporary elegant body art.

Genipa Americana is the Latin name for the dye used in Jagua body art. The fruit of this flowering tree is what produces the stain. Collected while the fruit is not entirely ripe, the clear juice oxidizes while on the skin over a period of about twelve hours, producing a blue-black color that can last up to two weeks. The traditional method of application was with twigs or sticks dipped into the juice, and goes back as long as the tribes can remember. Passed down through generations over thousands of years, different Amazonian tribes have different methods for preparing their paint. Its medicinal properties are well-documented, chief among them the ability to ward off insects, treat bronchitis, and protect from sunburn. It is not uncommon to see babies covered from head to toe in black stains as a means to repel biting insects. Historically, the women of the community made designs with symbolic traditions passed down over the generations. Modern application techniques popular with Western youth use a gel medium, which is applied to the skin with paintbrush or bottle, left on for two hours, then washed off, leaving an initial pale grayish design that will oxidize over a twelve hour period to shades of blue-black.

Henna body art is probably most familiar to Western society from photos of Hindu brides who are intricately patterned with henna for their weddings. The artwork signifies the strength and success of this marriage, and the bride makes an effort to keep it on as long as possible to maximize the power of the final stain. This intricate design often incorporates the names and/or faces of the bride and groom.

Henna traditions do not belong to any one single religious community or area of the world. They are commonly found in North and East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Buddhists have all used henna at one time or another. Jesus and Mary very likely had henna on their bodies for the wedding celebration at Cana.

Although henna is most often seen on women, men also use henna for weddings, celebrations, and circumcision ceremonies. Some celebrations even call for creating beautiful designs on horses, donkeys, and dogs.

Creating henna designs on a woman after she gives birth is a traditional way to deter malevolent spirits and the “evil eye” that are thought to cause disease, depression, and poor bonding with her baby. The application process of henna to her feet prevents her from getting up to do housework. During the weeks after application, she is ritually not allowed to do the household tasks that would spoil the beauty of these henna stains, which increases the likelihood that she will rest properly and regain her strength after giving birth. She must allow a friend or relative to help her care for her older children, cook, clean, and help with the new infant. This assistance gives her time to regain her strength and to bond with the new arrival. Interestingly, very low rates of postpartum depression are found in countries such as India, North Africa, and the Middle East that practice these traditions within the popular religious practices of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Coptic Christianity. These rituals support the mother both physically and emotionally after birth, and help to reintegrate her into her community following the birth and recovery.

Henna grown in the hot climates of Morocco, Yemen, India, and Pakistan has more dye content in the leaves and will yield stronger stains by bonding with the keratin in skin and hair. When applied to skin, the stain molecule penetrates and saturates the top layer of skin (stratum corneum), leaving stains ranging from orange to near black on the thickest areas of skin, usually the palms and soles. Stains will exfoliate from the skin in 7 – 30 days with the natural regeneration process. Historically, henna was applied with a small stick, still a common method in many areas. Presently, most henna artists use either a rolled paper cone, bottle, or blunted syringe to apply designs to the skin. Once the paste has been left on the skin for six to eight hours and scraped off, during the first 48 hours after application it will oxidize and darken, much the same way that a cut apple turns brown if left exposed to the air.

Indigo, henna, and jagua are becoming more widely available in Western countries as a result of popularization in Western pop culture, and are a fun alternative to permanent tattooing which allows experimentation, self-expression, and unending variety.

Official “Yooper transplant,” Kris Harris Pfaffle has been creating artsy-crafty items to sell since grade school, most recently following where her current henna body art endeavor may lead. To follow Kris’ current obsession, search “Behennaed” on FaceBook for running commentary and upcoming events.

Keweenaw Shore Nature Sanctuary

by Joan Chadde

Some of us have a favorite song, a favorite rock, a favorite book, or perhaps a favorite place. The Keweenaw Shore Nature Sanctuary in Keweenaw County, (owned by the Michigan Nature Association), is one of my favorite places in the Upper Peninsula.

The Keweenaw Shore Nature Sanctuary straddles M-26 adjacent to the Esrey Park roadside picnic area, about 8 miles east of Eagle Harbor and 6 miles west of Copper Harbor. A short three-quarter mile trail begins across from Esrey Park, passing through four distinct plant communities and over several rocky ridges of Copper Harbor conglomerate—a sedimentary rock formation consisting of individual rock fragments within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together.

At the start of the trail, the hiker enters a northern boreal forest of white spruce, balsam fir, aspen, and white birch. Look for heart-leaved arnica growing on the rocky, dry soil, and Usnea lichen, (Old Man’s Beard), draped over the balsam fir and white spruce trees, creating an eerie atmosphere. Light green Usnea covers tree bark and branches with a profuse, beardlike growth that can reach a foot in length! Many bird species, including ruby-throated hummingbirds, boreal chickadees, American redstarts, and white-winged crossbills pad their nests with these soft lichens.

The Usnea lichen is particularly effective at absorbing minerals from the air, making it sensitive to airborne pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide, so it’s a useful bio-indicator of air quality. Under poor air quality conditions, Usnea lichens may grow no larger than a few millimeters, if they survive at all. Where the air is not polluted, Usnea lichens can grow ten to twenty centimeters long.

The second plant community along the trail is a cedar swamp. Look for white cedar, balsam fir, alder and a dense ground cover of sedges.

Next, the hiker enters a small sampler of a northern conifer bog, complete with sphagnum moss as ground cover, along with bog laurel, pitcher plants, leatherleaf shrubs, black spruce, and Labrador tea.

Lastly, the trail climbs over a rocky ridge and enters a dry hardwood-conifer forest before descending to Brockway Mountain Drive. Plants common to this forest plant community are white pine, arnica, bracken fern, aster and thimbleberry. White pine needles carpet the dry rocky soil.

The geology is special here, too. Some of the rocks are more than one billion years old! The trail traverses a series of rocky ridges interspersed with low-lying wet areas. Look for the rounded gravel deposited along one of many shorelines associated with periods of glacial retreat, which occurred only a few thousand years ago.

Driving Directions

From Eagle Harbor, follow M-26 northeast about six miles, (or follow M-26 eight miles west of Copper Harbor), to the Esrey Park roadside picnic area along Lake Superior, less than a mile from Brockway Mountain Drive’s west entrance. Visitors may park at Esrey Park or along the south side of M-26 near the Michigan Nature Association sanctuary trailhead sign.

Trail Description

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Terrain: Flat to rolling

Distance: 0.75 mile trail from M-26 to Brockway Mountain Drive; 1.5 miles roundtrip

Size: 36 acres

Ownership: Michigan Nature Association

Contact: (517) 655-5655, www.michigannature.org

Joan Chadde has 25+ years of environmental education experience. She authored Michigan Water Quality Curriculum (2006), Design Guidelines to Enhance Community Appearance & Protect Natural Resources (2004), and most recently compiled Walking Paths & Protected Areas of the Keweenaw (2009), from which this article is adapted.

The Michigan Nature Association, established in 1952, is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan’s exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals. Our members have made it possible for us to preserve 165 nature sanctuaries in 56 counties throughout the state today and forever. MNA published Walking Paths & Protected Areas of the Keweenaw (2009). Copies may be purchased on their website, http://www.michigannature.org, in Marquette bookstores and twenty-two Keweenaw Peninsula locations.

Why Crunches Alone Don’t Make Your Middle Smaller

by Heidi Stevenson

It’s a common reaction. You decide a certain body part—your stomach, the back of your arms, the inside of your upper legs—is too big, and you seek out exercises to make it smaller. You do endless crunches, tricep kickbacks, and inner thigh lifts, only to find that said body part is stubbornly retaining its size. Why is this so? Why can’t that fabulous ab machine on TV eliminate abdominal fat as it promises to do?

When you attempt to change an isolated area of your body like your abdominal region, your triceps, (the muscle running along the back of your arms), or your adductors, (the muscle running along the inside of your upper legs), by targeting it with strength training exercises like crunches, tricep kickbacks, or inner thigh lifts alone, it’s called spot training, or spot reduction. And alone, it doesn’t work. If you are unhappy with the size of your stomach, you cannot attempt to change the shape alone and hope the problem will go away. You may already have strong muscles in that area. You might already really like the shape of those muscles.

Often though, those muscles are underneath accumulated body fat. In order to change this, you need to burn body fat. You need to focus on making your body smaller and leaner overall. If you are interested in “whittling your middle,” getting rid of the little thing swinging on the back of your arms, attacking that inner thigh jiggle, and if it is safe for you to lose weight, you need to combine the exercises targeting those areas with two things: sensible eating, and ample cardiovascular activity, which increases your heart rate—like running, biking, or swimming. In a very basic sense, taking in more calories than you burn results in accumulated body fat. Burning more calories than you take in results in loss of body fat.

Determining how many calories you should eat, and of what sort, as well as how much and what kind of activity is appropriate for you, is a complex task. You should consult professionals for help in these areas: physicians, nutritionists, personal trainers, etc. Once you have determined that your eating plan is sensible and your activity is ample for weight loss, then yes, go ahead and include those exercises to strengthen your muscles.

But make sure you are also strength training in a balanced, healthy way. Work opposing muscle groups: work your back muscles along with your abdominal muscles, your biceps along with your triceps, and your abductors along with your adductors. Work your upper body, if you’re working your lower body. Consider trying a discipline like Pilates, which includes a lot of integrative strength training (exercises in which you work a lot of muscles at once). Gaining balanced muscular strength and endurance will not only help change the shape of those underlying muscles. You’ll also be bringing that stronger body into your cardiovascular activity, making it easier to do more.

So now you are eating sensibly, including an appropriate amount of cardiovascular activity in your life, and including balanced strength training. Once you have done these things, the rest is up to your body’s natural shape and tendencies. We all have to accept that with which we are born. But you will see your body change. You will feel healthier and stronger. And really, that’s the most beautiful and perfect any of us need to be.

Heidi Stevenson is a certified group fitness instructor, currently teaching yoga, Pilates, and aquatics for the HPER Department and Recreational Sports program at Northern Michigan University. She has taught a wide variety of group fitness classes in Michigan and Pennsylvania over the last 14 years.

Reprinted from Health & Happiness U.P. Magazine, Spring 2010. Copyright Heidi Stevenson, 2010.