I am grateful for warm, fuzzy, soft socks in the winter.

Warm, happy feet= a happy me!

I am grateful for my guru, Joey.

My canine companion is so wise. When she works or plays she gives her all. Then, when she rests, she gives that her all, too. When she gets hurt, she yelps, then she (literally) shakes it off and moves on. She loves unconditionally and always exists in the moment. Brilliant!

I am grateful for the sun.

Especially when it has been this warm in December!!!! The sun gives us so much without ever asking for anything in return.

Third Day of Gratitude

My grandfather, John Capparella, 92. US Army. On the beach at Normandy on D-Day. Shot twice. Acupuncture for knee pain, his one and only complaint.

I am grateful for my country, the incredible freedoms it allows me, and those who so selflessly fought, and continue to fight, for those freedoms.

Yes, I know there are criticisms about our country and government. We are far from perfect. But not a single day goes by that I don’t think about the fact that, as a woman and a citizen of the USA, I am allowed to vote, to get an education, to own a business, to leave my home without a male family member. Because these are privileges we have had for my entire lifetime, it would be easy to take them for granted. I am grateful for, and forever in debt to, all who have fought for and protected these freedoms.

Second Day of Gratitude

I am grateful for my feet.  

Chipped toenail polish, calluses and all! Oh, the places they have taken me!!! Who needs two turtle doves when I’ve got dogs like these?

Twelve Days of Gratitude

Recently, I have had several clients ask about my secret to maintaining such a positive attitude when there are so many negative events happening around us. Well, are you ready? Here’s my secret…………………….drumroll please…………………..each evening before I fall asleep I bring to mind 10 things I am grateful for in my life. It takes me less than 30 seconds to do so and then the sandman takes over. Next, every morning, between the time my alarm goes off and my feet hit the floor I consider….”If this were my last day on this amazing planet, how would I want to live it?” That’s it, no happy pill involved, just one minute a day to keep everything in perspective.

I cannot remember exactly when I started my late night and early morning 30 second musings. It may have been way back in middle school when something catastrophic (bad haircut, probably) happened and, to my pre-teen mind, it was the end of the world. My Dad bravely came into my room with a glass of water and asked, “What do you see?” I honestly can’t remember if I said “A glass half full or empty”, but what I can remember is what my Dad said next. He explained that while we often cannot control what happens to us, we can control the way in which we respond. *BOOM* my pre-teen mind exploded and this moment has stayed with me many (okay, many, many, many!) years later. When things seem pitch black, if I can find that tiny pinprick of light and focus my attention on it, that light grows.

Maybe this all sounds a bit simplistic and cliché to you. I understand. I really do. However if you are so inclined, or even a little curious, give it a shot. Thirty seconds before bed, thirty seconds before you get out of bed is a tiny time commitment, it is completely, 100% free, and there are no nasty side effects.

So this year, during the 12 Days of Christmas, I’ve decided to post 12 Days of Gratitude. As you read these posts, keep in mind it is by no means an exhaustive list and are in no particular order!

Have a great(ful) holiday season!

First Day of Gratitude

I am grateful for my parents.

In the yogic tradition we know that our parents have given us the gift that no one can top and that, no matter what we do, it is a gift of such magnitude that we will never be able to return in kind. I’m talking about the gift of life. I will forever be in debt to my amazing parents for giving me life and did they stop there? No way. My parents went on to give me a childhood filled with love and light, pre-teen and teen years filled (and I mean filled!!!) with patience, and continue, even into my adulthood to support me in any way I may need. They are the embodiment of unconditional love and I am eternally grateful for them.

My husband doesn’t like to dance. I do. Our compromise? Partner yoga! Scroll down to see how we got into and out of this pose and you will see how partner yoga can be a dance. It may not be a pretty one, but it’s ours, and that makes it beautiful to me.

 Three reasons to try partner yoga with a friend, significant other, or your kids:

Laughter!!!!

Getting into and out of yoga poses on our own can be a challenge. Add another body into the mix and it often becomes hilarious. If we can laugh at ourselves and with each other as we fumble through challenging transitions on the mat, maybe, just maybe, we can do the same as we stumble, fall and then get up and try again in our relationships.

 Touch

Now, I know where your mind just went and when practicing with your significant other, partner yoga can most definitely increase the romance in your relationship. But partner yoga is not just for romantic couples. As we as a culture become more and more reliant on technology we are losing the art of communication when we are face to face and are touching each other less and less. How can we shake hands on a business deal that is done via cyber space? How do we give our friends a birthday hug on Facebook? Study after study has shown that friendly touch decreases anxiety and blood pressure and increases endorphins. So does the practice of yoga. Add the two together and the result is more happy, healthy humans!

Time together

Run out the door to work at 6am, drop the kids off at school, pick up the groceries for dinner, pick up the dry cleaning, your son bolts off to art class, your daughter sprints to soccer practice, answer emails, homework, walk the dog- Whew!!! Sound familiar? Our days are full and we often forget to just sit down and be, with ourselves and with our loved ones. Partner yoga carves out some time from our busy days to be in in each other’s presence, to be in the moment, and to simply enjoy our loved ones.

So take a few minutes and try this funny dance called partner yoga with your loved ones and watch as your relationships bloom and you become a happier, healthier person!

Fire cupping…. it sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? You might be asking, “You want to put cups that are on fire on my body to……. let me get this straight…….. make me healthier?”

Well, first, and most importantly, the cups acupuncturists use in this therapy are most definitely NOT on fire.  And secondly, the health benefits of cupping are indeed far reaching.

 A very brief history of cupping:

Although fire cupping may not be in your everyday vocabulary and probably isn’t a popular first date topic, it has been around a long time. It was first documented as being used by the Egyptians as early as 1550 BC in one of the oldest known medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus.  Not to be outdone by the Egyptians, cupping was also used by the ancient Chinese, early  Eastern Europeans,  early Middle Eastern cultures and the North American Indians.

What, exactly, is Fire Cupping?

One way to think of cupping is to compare it to a massage, but in reverse: the cups pull your muscles up, rather than pushing them down.  The cup is able to pull your muscles up because your acupuncturist has first removed the oxygen from the cup to create a vacuum using fire.  I know what you’re thinking and don’t worry, the fire is put out well before the cup is applied to the skin.

 Why would I choose this unusual therapy?

Do you have tight shoulders from sitting at the computer all day?  Do you have a knot (or 6) in your back with your boss’s name on it? Do you have nagging muscle aches from over doing your workout last weekend?  Cupping gets circulation moving and quickly brings relief.

Do you feel like your immune system has been through a war fighting off allergies, colds or the flu? Cupping boosts the immune system and can be used as part of a preventative medicine routine to keep your immune system strong and you healthy.

Still a little unsure if you should try fire cupping?  Below, a patient who is also a professional athlete who was at the top of his sport, describes how cupping helped him:

“I had been receiving acupuncture from Heather twice a week for a month for lower back pain (which at that point in time I had for 9 years), as well as other general issues. It was at this stage that Heather suggested I try fire cupping. Of course I was intrigued by the notion and thought, why not, it certainly can’t hurt. Well it didn’t just not hurt, for me it was like a miracle cure. That night I went home and was going out for a night on the town and dropped my keys. I bent down to pick them up and there was zero back pain. The day in, day out, pain I had in my back for 9 years was gone. I immediately called Heather and told her she was a miracle worker. I continued weekly acupuncture and 6 months later the pain in my lower back started to come back and I had another dose of fire cupping. I haven’t had a problem since and that was back in 2006. Although I have retired from competing I still get acupuncture once a week for general stress relief and body aches and pains. Also thrown in is a healthy dose of fire cupping when needed.”

Are you still hesitating? Contact me with any questions you may have!

Cool off with Acupuncture.  Treat yourself to acupuncture this summer with this amazing Groupon deal click here

The Deal

$45 for a 60-minute acupuncture session ($75 value)

If you read the Taste section of the Baltimore Sun on April 22^nd you would have been introduced to Meaghan and Shane Carpenter of HEX Ferments. Below, the Carpenter’s have answered some of the most common questions about fermented foods. Continue reading below to learn more and then visit their shop located in Belvedere Square for some delicious fermented foods.  Trust me you (and your body!!) will thank me later.

 What are Traditionally fermented foods?
Traditionally fermented foods, meaning the use of high mineral sea salt, brine created by the vegetables and salt and fermentation time are key flavor and nutritional components missing in our over-processed American diets. Every culture has fermented foods. Wine, beer, cheese, bread, olives, pickles and sauerkraut, salami , vinegar, yogurt, chocolate, coffee and on and on, though with varying nutritive qualities of course.

Why should I eat fermented foods? What can they do for me?
Fermented foods have a high amount of Lactic Acid Bacteria, the good bacteria that our bodies need to properly digest,  assimilate nutrients, keep our immune system in-check, help with moods and enhance the flavors in the foods it is eaten with.  Incorporating fermented foods into your diet will help with digestion and elimination, metabolism, make certain foods more digestible (meats, grains, legumes and some fruits and vegetables), and assist in an assortment of microbe-driven bodily functions. They also enhance the flavors in other foods they are paired with. For example, adding a scoop of sauerkraut on a piece of toast with avocado enhances the riches of the avocado and makes the good fats in the avocado more bio-available to our bodies.

How much and how often should we eat fermented foods to fully reap their benefits?
Feed your micro-biome everyday with a variety of ferments like krauts and kombucha!   A diversity  of fermented foods in your daily diet, also diversifies your microbiome, aiding in the aforementioned functions.

Can’t I just eat yogurt from the grocery store to get my probiotics?
Yogurt is certainly a great way to get a few probiotics and calcium in your diet. But commercial yogurts have patented strains of just a few (some have 6) of their probiotics. Traditionally fermented foods can have many different strains of probiotics, in communities (not extracted in a petri dish), plus by eating ferments made from local and organic produce you are benefiting from the already high level of vitamins, minerals and enzymes of peak freshness that remain intact from being distributed locally.

Why did people start fermenting foods historically?
Fermentation is the oldest form of food preservation known to humans. We preserved the abundance from the harvest to feed ourselves through the winter and for times when fresh food was scarce. No one invented fermentation, in a sense it invented us!

How do you ferment foods? Can you briefly explain the process you use?
HEX Ferments stays true to the traditional process of fermentation. We do not use heat, white vinegar or unfiltered water. Our sea salt is a high quality mineral sea salt that tastes clean and wonderful, local and organic produce whenever possible and carefully vetted/ source ingredients when not available locally and/or organic. We also avoid GMO products! Our process involves much hands on work. We start with fresh produce, sea salt and spices. Instead of pounding our krauts we massage the salt and spices into the vegetables to draw out their moisture, once we have an ample amount of brine we push the kraut underneath to create an anaerobic environment for the proliferation of lactic acid bacteria to grow and preserve the vegetables. We then carefully monitor the krauts over time until the desired flavor and texture is achieved. We then jar and refrigerate to slow down the fermentation. However, they are alive and will continue to develop over time even while refrigerated. Like a fine wine!

How are Hex Ferments fermented foods different from the sauerkraut I buy in the supermarket? Our ferments are different in many ways; most sauerkrauts you buy at the market are pastuerized (non-living foods), heated, or have vinegar which undermine many of the healthful aspects. Most come from distant places and remove revenue from our local community.

What led you to start a business that specializes in fermented foods?
We enjoy making delicious traditional foods and wanted to share our love with our community. Keeping the tradition alive is a passion for us and we saw the need for a company like ours in Baltimore that specializes in the making and teaching others about the benefits and deliciousness of fermented foods. We use the traditional method of fermentation to preserve and transform vegetables into vital foods – presently seasonal sauerkrauts and kombucha tea. The goal is to produce nutrient-dense, probiotic rich foods that look and taste superb. As both science and intuition remind us, the need to enhance and diversify our personal microbiome is crucial to our well-being. We strive to use local and organic ingredients and see our relationship between farmers and consumers as one of utmost importance. As food alchemists we work with our farmers to obtain the most optimal produce to ferment and be available to people’s pantries and bodies.  Though we are a recently launched enterprise, the work stems from a life of both food and art practice.  We are inspired and in awe by the magic of fermentation and the elemental role that it plays in our health and culture. As Baltimore revitalizes and transforms itself, we too see the need for local food systems and our bodies to join in this renaissance.

Find out more about HEX Ferments on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HexFerments

Read the Baltimore Sun article here: http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79898675/