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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
health and wellness 19 Natural Medicine Comes To Vernonia continued from front page For Goodness Sake... Promoting Health of the Mind, Body, Spirit and Community By Heather Lewis, LMT, CLT, NT With the price of gas being unpre- dictable, Bridgette and I have cut our trips to town down to once a month. We have learned to compile our lists and strategize our route to efficiently procure the few specialty items un- available locally or via web shopping. Plus, Bridgette loves to smell the air filtering past her flapping jowls at 50 mph and of course, being completely motivated by biscuits, she loves to visit pet-friendly shops when we go to town. On this last trip, we were coming back from Portland Nursery and there before us at 12 th and Stark, was a vegan mini-mall. What could attract different businesses to lo- cate together successfully and all fall under the umbrella of veganism? There is, of course, a grocery, and a bakery, but also a clothing store (all plant-based materials), a Chinese Doctor who substitutes herbs for animal-based rem- edies, the home of the magazine Herbivore, and Scapegoat Tattoo. Yes, that’s right, I said tat- too. You may ask, what does veganism have to do with a tattoo parlor? I did. That means that owner, Brian Wilson, makes sure there is no animal-based products in any of the inks or soaps he uses. I found this to be an interesting revela- tion. This young man has taken mindful con- templation of his diet and translated it into other areas of his life. As have the other business owners. Over the last several months, I have had the privilege of sharing with you (through this column and two class series at the VCLC) the benefits of mindful eating-- knowing where your food comes from, how it is grown, har- vested, and prepared. If you choose to eat meat, the same questions apply. The fact is, the vital- ity of the food you provide your family is al- ways best when acquired through local markets where you know the history of what you are putting on the table. In this economy, I can- not justify spending money on food that has little nutritional value because of poor produc- tion methods, lack of care while handling or the length of time it took to reach me. I am not a vegan, or even a vegetarian. I eat meat once or twice a week. What we put in our bodies is a deeply personal decision. What I do know is that the more I consider what de- serves to be in my body, the more I find that af- fects other consumer choices I make. It seems that this is one of the motivating factors for the business owners mentioned above. As we drove back into town today, I came around the corner and there was the farm- ers market. I went and bought produce to sup- plement what I had in my garden for homemade soup, fresh bread from Katie Organ, and now Bridgette is waiting to see what is on her menu for tonight. And I think to myself, life is good here. Here’s wishing you good health… Better Parenting: continued from page 18 for our kids. We clarify our expectations by giving explanations for what we ex- pect from them. And we tell them exact- ly what the consequences will be for not following the expectations. We do not forget to talk to them about the privileges they will receive when they have been following the rules consistently. We pay attention and keep track of our kid’s behaviors. We do this in a respectful and kind manner. We try to “catch them being good” and encourage the good behavior rather than focusing on the bad. No parenting style will work unless we build a loving bond with our children. When our children learn from our model of caring and respect they are more likely to be proud of their caring and respect of others. In the end, our kids feel understood and have learned ways to understand themselves and others. Life will not be as difficult for these kids. CLOSING THOUGHTS ON PARENT- ING We had parents, too. Our par- ents’ style affects our approach to par- enting. We have either accepted it or rejected it as our own style. But even if we reject our parents’ poor parenting, we don’t necessarily parent differently un- less we really work at it. It’s never too late, even if your kids are no longer children and they are in their teens. It is never too late to help your kids grow more confident, responsi- ble and cooperative. Many parents want to “fix” the problems they have with their kids. You can’t make your kids do any- thing. What you can do is work on your relationship with your kids. You can start to build a positive atmosphere for deal- ing with problems. You can change the way you communicate. As you begin to change your approach, your relationship october 2009 tissue build-up. Acupuncture is also used to treat hormonal imbal- ances, menopause, menstrual irregularities and testosterone decline, headaches, digestive and bowel issues, diabetes, addiction and detox treatments, and insomnia and sleep problems. “I can utilize nutritional therapy and herbal therapy including Chinese and Western herbs. I can do analysis of lab work,” says McIntyre about her practice. “There is a triad of treatments in Chinese Medicine-- acupuncture, herbs and qigong-- so if people are working through some piece of each modal- ity, they will find their balance somewhere in there.” McIntyre has already been teaching qigong, a meditative practice which uses slow body movement and breathing techniques to promote health, for the last year in Vernonia. In addition, when her license for Naturopathic Medicine is of- ficial, she will be able to diagnose diseases, perform physical exams, and do spinal manipulation. McIntyre moved to Portland from New York State in 2001 to begin attending NCNM. Her husband Paul followed her the next year. Four years ago, she and Paul moved to Vernonia in part with the intention of practicing Natural Medicine in a rural Oregon com- munity. “Both Paul and I grew up in small towns,” says McIntyre. “And we found that living in the city, we felt we just couldn’t relax. So we started to look into buying a house and we looked at Vernonia. And as we looked around at other areas, we just kept coming back to Vernonia. We really liked what was here-- Paul loves to hunt and fish and I love to be near the water. And I liked the demographics in this area, and the opportunity to bring the natural medicine business here.” McIntyre says that acupuncture treatment is covered by some insurance plans, and she is still learning how she can work coverage into her practice. The same goes for Naturopathic Medicine. “I’m go- ing to utilize insurance as much as I can,” says McIntyre. Getting patients who are unfamiliar with Natural Medicine, especially acupuncture, to overcome their reluctance or fears is one of her first jobs in introducing her new practice to the community. To that end, McIntyre has scheduled a free introductory seminar to help explain what she does. with your kids is likely to start to change as well. It’s not too late. But change must start with you. You are the only person you can change. Resources: Cline/Fay Institute, Ameri- can Guidance Service, Inc., The Heart of Parenting, Raising Emotionally Intel- ligent Children, John Gottman. Psy.D., Vincent Iannelii, M.D. ADDITONAL INFORMATION: A free handout, “Five Steps To Emotion Coaching,” will be available at the Ver- nonia Library for parents who are inter- ested. STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PAR- ENTING TRAINING COMING TO VERNONIA FOR KIDS 10-14 YEARS OLD AND THEIR PARENTS Everything is FREE!! Starts with dinner at 5:30 PM and ends at 8:30 PM sharp! Mondays, October 5 th thru Nov 16 th. In- cludes infant care and childcare for chil- dren under 10. There will be prizes and incentives. Look for ad in this paper to register. ANONYMOUS DONOR In support of Vernonia’s Voice!