Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certification - Plymouth - Graduates July 10-11 2010

On July 11th - 7 students graduated from the Finding Inner Peace Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certification course - hosted by Michelle Fleming at the Sanctuary of Plymouth.  Congratulations to these new specialty yoga teachers!

Educational Tools for Yoga Teachers: Partner, Restorative, Chair, Sun Salute, Lecture Slides, etc

www.findinginnerpeace.com/products.php

Finding Inner Peace Educational Tools:
Partner Yoga
Restorative Yoga
Yoga with Weights
Seated Yoga in a Chair
Chair Standing Poses
Beginners Sequence of Poses
Structural Alignment and Yoga Props
Sun and Moon Salutation and Modifications

Lecture Slide Sets:
Yoga for Fibromyalgia
Yoga for Diabetes and Obesity
Yoga, Meditation, Mudra, Bandhas and Pranayama
Yoga Anatomy
Yoga for Cancer
Yoga for Cardiac Conditions
Stress Recess for the Caregiver

DVDs:
Partner Yoga
Restorative Yoga
Yoga with a Chair
Yogassage
Reiki Hand Positions
Yoga with Weights

Childrens Yoga Teacher Certification August 7-8, 2010

August 7-8, 2010   Saturday-Sunday

Faculty: Suzanne O'Daly,RYT, Special Education Teacher, Color Me Yoga Certified Teacher – teaching yoga to autistic children
Michelle Fleming, RYT, Owner, Sanctuary of Plymouth Yoga Studio
Kristin Collins-Dooner, RYT Childrens Yoga Teacher

Location: The Sanctuary of Plymouth
47 Main Street – 2nd Floor
Plymouth, Ma 02360
http://www.findsanctuary.com/
Times: Sat 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sun 10:00pm – 5:00pm
Fee: $195.00 includes course materials and certificate
Yoga helps fine tune motor coordination and can help a child gain more control over a developing body. Many yoga poses massage organs and glands and help them to stay healthy and active. The best part of all is that yoga classes for children are fun! We will teach you how to incorporate games and music to help keep the children engaged. Children who do yoga have an advantage. For example, yoga helps children become
more self-confident and self-aware, as well as more physically fit. And that's just for starters. Yoga has been known to help with many medical conditions, such as asthma, insomnia, digestive problems, ADD and learning disabilities, to name a few. Email Maureen Spencer, RN for a registration form:  yogareikisound@yahoo.com

Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certification - Plymouth

JULY 10-11, 2010
SANCTUARY OF PLYMOUTH
http://www.findsanctuary.com/

Faculty: Michelle Fleming, RYT,

Kristin Collins-Dooner, RYT and other faculty teachers
Location: The Sanctuary of Plymouth, 47 Main Street, Plymouth, MA
Yoga practice during pregnancy may enhance the pregnancy experience and contribute to a shorter, more physicologic labor and a decreased likelihood of operative intervention, including cesarean section and operative vaginal delivery (forceps and vacuum). Because of the physiologic changes during pregnancy and the alteration of the normal anatomy, care must be exercised when teaching yoga to pregnant patients. In this course we will review basic physiologic and anatomical changes in pregnancy that mandate an alternative approach to the usual yoga practice. Participants will learn which postures to avoid in each of the three trimesters and will become aware of the usual postures which need to be modified because of the changes that occur as pregnancy progresses. Postures that enhance the opportunity of normal vaginal delivery will be emphasized and a routine yoga practice for pregnant patients will be emphasized. Teachers of yoga will become more comfortable with instructing pregnant patients to enjoy yoga during this wonderful time of their lives.
15 contact hours for nurses.

TO REGISTER - CONTACT MAUREEN SPENCER, RN FOR A REGISTRATION FORM
email: yogareikisound@yahoo.com

Evening Stretch & Relaxation - Grace Furnari @ HealingMoon Wellness Center

At the end of the day, allow your mind and body to relax… to be in the present moment…


The stresses of everyday life can take its toll and at the end of the day the body needs a chance to stretch, replenish and restore.
Join Grace Furnari, RYT for this class that will explore simple stretching and breathing techniques that can help with mental clarity and relaxation, as well as postures to help release muscle tightness and tension. Grace was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 10 years ago and found that this style of gentle yoga helped her symptoms diminish dramatically.No yoga experience required.

NEW DAY & TIME starting July 1
Thursdays at 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.    -    Special Summer Drop in rate - $12.00 per class.  Please register in advance. To reserve a space contact:
Grace Furnari (781) 267-6109 or sss1030@aol.com.
www.meetup.com/Yoga-with-Grace/

Located at:
The Healing Moon Wellness Center
One Walpole Street, ~ Norwood, MA
(Located Across from Conrad’s Restaurant)
781-769-1121 www.TheHealingMoon.com

Events with Spirit Messenger - Anne Barnes

Events with Spirit Messenger - Anne Barnes

Energy Awareness & Reiki I For Kids
Saturday, June 26th 1:30-6:00 $75. including reiki attunement, manual, and certificate.
The Healing Moon in Norwood.

Angel Card Readings
Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00-2:00 beginning July 7th 15min/$25, 30min/$40, 60min/$80 Call to schedule. Drop-ins welcome! AND Thursday evenings 5:30-9:00 by appointment only.
The Healing Moon in Norwood.
Lunchtime Guide Meditations
every Thursday 12:00-12:45 beginning July 8th. $10.00 drop-in/series of 4 weeks $30. The Healing Moon in Norwood.
Team Angel Readings
 with Kristyn Mazzini & Anna Barnes
Thursday, July 8th 6:00-9:00 $75. for 30 minute reading, including tape recording of session. Please call to book appointment. The Healing Moon in Norwood.
Table Tipping: Connecting with Spirit Workshop
Friday, July 9th 6:30-9:30 $40. In this workshop you will learn all about the physical phenomenon of communicating with spirit through table tipping. Hands-on experience! Bellas Bodyworks in Weymouth.
Chakra & Angel Card Readings
Saturday, July 10th 10:00-2:00. 15min/$25, 30min/$40, 60min/$80 Call to schedule. Drop-ins welcome! The Healing Moon in Norwood.
Journey with the Ascended Master Class Focus: Merlin the Wizard & Buddha
Monday, July 12th 7:00-9:00 $22./class or Wednesday, July 14th 12:30-2:30 $18. The Healing Moon in Norwood
Table Tipping: Connecting with Spirit Workshop
Thursday, July 15th 6:30-9:30 $40. (see description above.)
Heaven on Earth in Pembroke. With Teresa Lally.
Dowsing for Newbies Class
Using the Pendulum & Dowsing Rods. Friday, July 16th 7:00-8:30 $15.
The Healing Moon in Norwood
Table Tipping: Connecting with Spirit Workshop
Friday, July 23rd 6:30-9:30 $40. (see description above.)
The Healing Moon in Norwood.
Psychic Kids Camp
Tuesdays, July 27th, August 3rd, August 10th 6:30-8:00 Topics will include using crystals and pendulums, working with Angels & guides, and chakras & energy. $20. per class
781-974-5130

annabarnes80@yahoo.com

Spending Time in Nature Makes People Feel More Alive, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (2010-06-04) -- Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies. And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energizing effects of physical activity and social interaction that are often associated with our forays into the natural world. ... "Nature is fuel for the soul, " says Richard Ryan, lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. "Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature," he says.

The findings, adds Ryan, are important for both mental and physical health. "Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don't just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses. One of the pathways to health may be to spend more time in natural settings," says Ryan. In recent years, numerous experimental psychology studies have linked exposure to nature with increased energy and heightened sense of well-being. For example, research has shown that people on wilderness excursions report feeling more alive and that just recalling outdoor experiences increases feelings of happiness and health. Other studies suggest that the very presence of nature helps to ward off feelings of exhaustion and that 90 percent of people report increased energy when placed in outdoor activities.
What is novel about this research, write the authors, is that it carefully tests whether this increased vitality associated with the outdoors is simply the feel-good spillover from physical activity and people-mixing often present in these situations. To tease out the effects of nature alone, the authors conducted five separate experiments, involving 537 college students in actual and imagined contexts. In one experiment, participants were led on a 15-minute walk through indoor hallways or along a tree-lined river path. In another, the undergraduates viewed photographic scenes of buildings or landscapes. A third experiment required students to imagine themselves in a variety of situations both active and sedentary, inside and out, and with and without others.
Two final experiments tracked participants' moods and energy levels throughout the day using diary entries. Over either four days or two weeks, students recorded their exercise, social interactions, time spent outside, and exposure to natural environments, including plants and windows.
Across all methodologies, individuals consistently felt more energetic when they spent time in natural settings or imagined themselves in such situations. The findings were particularly robust, notes Ryan; being outside in nature for just 20 minutes in a day was enough to significantly boost vitality levels. Interestingly, in the last study, the presence of nature had an independent energizing effect above that of being outdoors. In other words, conclude the authors, being outdoors was vitalizing in large part because of the presence of nature.
The paper builds on earlier research by Ryan, Netta Weinstein, a psychologist at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and others showing that people are more caring and generous when exposed to nature. "We have a natural connection with living things," says Ryan. "Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be more a part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments." These studies, concludes Ryan, underscore the importance of having access to parks and natural surroundings and of incorporating natural elements into our buildings through windows and indoor plants.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603172219.htm

Anatomy for Yoga for Teachers & Serious Students

Anatomy for Yoga  for Teachers & Serious Students
Three Classes in Anatomy
Taught by Arthur Kilmurray

June 27, July 18, & Aug 22
3:00 to 6:00pm

Location: Charlestown Yoga, 191 Main Street, Charlestown, MA
Cost: $100 for series
$40 per session

Week 1: Feet and legs, Hands, arms and shoulders
Week 2: Spine including ribs, pelvis and skull
Week 3: Major organs

Classes will include:
 Hands on work with skeleton
 Observation of anatomy in relevant yoga poses
 Practice of specific poses to highlight material
 Questions
*These classes will focus mostly on bones, except for the illio-psoas, a key muscle of integration. The last class, on organs, will look at the interior of the trunk and how the organs sit in relationship to each other.

Arthur Kilmurray is one of the leading yoga instructors in the United States . He is currently studying Advaita Vedanta under the guidance of Swami Dayananda, the Non-Dual teachings of Eckhart Tolle, and Dzogchen, and integrating these enquiries into his yoga classes. His asana (yoga postures) instruction is informed by over 29 years of study in the system devised by Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar and his annual studies with his primary teacher, Ramanand Patel. Mukesh Desai, master artist and teacher of classical Indian vocal music and Ramanand's partner in "Yoga and Sound" has for 14 years provided Arthur an in depth immersion in the nature of sound and breath. The influence of movement pioneers Emilie Conrad, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Caryn McHose have greatly broadened his perspective on the classical poses and the relationship between form and flow in them. Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme and Ken Wilber provide a cosmic perspective for understanding the historical moment and the unfolding of human consciousness. Arthur sees the yoga poses as vehicles to embody the spiritual connectedness of our own physical existence with Mother Earth and the Living Kosmos and as an entry point into the Great Awakening.  Arthur is co-founder and co-director of Mystic River Yoga.

Meditation reduces the emotional impact of pain, study finds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100602091315.htm

ScienceDaily (2010-06-02) -- People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found. Scientists from The University of Manchester recruited individuals into the study who had a diverse range of experience with meditation, spanning anything from months to decades. It was only the more advanced meditators whose anticipation and experience of pain differed from non-meditators.

The type of meditation practised also varied across individuals, but all included 'mindfulness meditation' practices, such as those that form the basis of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), recommended for recurrent depression by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2004.
"Meditation is becoming increasingly popular as a way to treat chronic illness such as the pain caused by arthritis," said Dr Christopher Brown, who conducted the research. "Recently, a mental health charity called for meditation to be routinely available on the NHS to treat depression, which occurs in up to 50% of people with chronic pain. However, scientists have only just started to look into how meditation might reduce the emotional impact of pain."

Join Us May 8th - Daniel Orlansky at the Ashram - Millis, MA

Yoga of Energy Flow: Moving Inner Prana

Integrating strength training (physical body), energy practice (subtle body), and open awareness (causal body), Yoga of Energy Flow is a unique yoga experience that will transform your practice. Drawing from Kundalini Yoga, Meridian Yoga, and Kali Ray TriYoga in this workshop we will explore simple but powerful ways to energetically open,
increase and balance the flow of pranic energy throughout our body-mind.
10am - 1pm: Yoga of Energy Flow

Meridian Yoga: Opening the Energetic Pathways

Open the pathways that allow prana to flow, bringing harmony, lightnessand joy to our being. This workshop artfully blends ancient and modern techniques that activate and balance the body's meridian pathways. Using gentle pressure, body weight, and skillful touch, we will work with a partner to increase our range of motion and perfect our alignment in yoga asanas associated with the fourteen internal organs. A modern stretching technique called resistance/PNF stretching will be taught, along with some Thai and shiatsu massage. Feel free to attend alone, or with a friend.
2:30pm- 5:30pm: Meridian Yoga

Each workshop $45/$70 for both

Early bird by May 1: $35/$60 for both
to register, call 508-376-4525 or visit www.kundaliniyogane.com
Daniel Orlansky, ERYT-500, a yoga teacher for 16 years, is certified in Kali Ray TriYoga and Kundalini Yoga, and the originator of Meridian Yoga. He holds a masters degree in Expressive Art Therapy/ Dance Therapy from Lesley University and has been a visiting lecturer in movement studies at Tufts University. A graduate of the Boston Shiatsu School, Daniel teaches regularly in many locations around New England and in Europe, and also directs 200 and 500 hour yoga teacher trainings worldwide. Visit Daniel on the web at
www.yogaofenergyflow.com

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

SPECTRUM YOGA STUDIO - NORWOOD

OPENING MAY 3, 2010
Spectrum Yoga Studio
15R Cottage Street
Norwood MA 02062
(781) 349-8139



First week of classes free!

Haven’t yet tried Yoga? Looking for a new place to practice? Come try gentle and moderate Yoga classes at the area’s newest Yoga studio! Yoga practice is a great way to do something wonderful for yourself. Gain flexibility, strengthen and tone your body, learn to release physical, mental, and emotional tension and make room for relaxation. Offering ten classes weekly in May and June. Beginners are most welcome.


Please call Melinda at (781) 349-8139 for more information and a schedule, or email Spectrumyoga@aol.com     Website coming soon—www.spectrumyoga.net



From RT 1

Take the “Norwood Center “ up ramp onto the Pendergast Circle Rotary. Take the Nahatan Street exit towards Norwood Center. ( From RT 1 South it’ll be your first right, from RT 1 North it’ll be your third right.) On Nahatan Street you will go straight through five traffic lights, and at the sixth light take a left turn onto Washington Street. Take your first right onto Cottage Street. Drive just past 15 Cottage Street, then take a right into the large Municipal Parking lot where Babel’s Paint is located. You can park anywhere in that lot. Then walk the sixteen or so steps from the driveway of the lot back towards Washington Street. 15 Cottage Street is the first building on the left. Please do not park at 15 Cottage Street. Walk behind 15 Cottage Street to find the green building which is 15R Cottage Street. You’ll see the Spectrum Yoga sign on the building. Enter through the front door.


From RT. 95
Take exit 11B. Once on Neponset Street, go through three traffic lights and you’ll enter the Pendergast Rotary. Take the second right onto Nahatan Street, then you will go straight through five traffic lights, and at the sixth light take a left turn onto Washington Street. Take your first right onto Cottage Street. Drive just past 15 Cottage street, then take a right into the municipal lot where Babel’s paint is located and follow the parking instructions above.

Body's response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise, study finds

ScienceDaily (2010-04-26) -- A new study looks at the effect that mirthful laughter and distress have on modulating the key hormones that control appetite. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100426113058.htm


 
Well - I guess this proves the power of Laughing Yoga!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgdSOxaCGI

A Women's Getaway Weekend for Mind, Body, Heart, and Soul April 23-25, 2010

No Stress Allowed Retreats Presents
A Women's Getaway Weekend for Mind, Body, Heart, and Soul
Friday April 23- Sunday April 25, 2010
COME ONE, COME ALL……for a weekend of fun, relaxation and socializing  with other like-minded fun-loving women!  Enjoy a Weekend Away from Your Routine!
At the  ~Inn on Onset Bay~
181 Onset Ave, Onset MA 02558
reservations@innononsetbay.net
508-295-1126


The Weekend Includes:
 Two nights’ accommodations on Onset Beach (most rooms single occupancy)
 Three meditation and life style workshops led by Monique Morimoto Flaherty
 Two yoga classes - taught by Cheryl Bagangan, RYT (Featuring a special yoga home practice guide)
 Three meals (two breakfasts, one lunch)
 Drumming Circle with Dance
 Free time to enjoy the beach, local attractions and/or take advantage of these Featured Add-on Options:


Featured Add-on Options:
Massage, Reflexology, Biofeedback, Manicures, Pedicures, Henna Body Art, and
NEW! The Horse-Human Learning Experience
(Costs for these services are in addition to registration and are based on advance sign-up.)
Cost:
Early Bird Registration (register by April 9th): $274.99, save $24.00 AND receive a complimentary half hour reiki session with Monique!
After this date, the cost is $299.00 per person. All taxes included. (Add-on’s separate)


Registration and Cancellation Policy:
Reservations require a $50 non-refundable deposit. Balance due by April 16th. Cancellations accepted up until April 20th for a full refund less the $50 non-refundable deposit.

Featured Speaker: Monique Morimoto Flaherty, MS, CPCC
Quincy resident and founder of SoulWorks Coaching® and Diamond Horse Coaching, Monique is a certified spiritual life and business coach, speaker and author. She inspires people to live from their deepest purpose and to create meaningful joyful lives.

www.soulworkscoaching.com , www.diamondhorsecoaching.com
617-328-7113, mmf@soulworkscoaching.com

Hand and Feet Massages Provide Consolation for Bereaved Relatives

Receiving soothing massages for eight weeks after the death of a loved one can provide much-needed consolation during an intense, stressful period of grieving, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Eighteen people who had lost a relative to cancer took part in the study. Participants ranged from 34 to 78 years of age and included widows, widowers, daughters and sisters. Nine chose foot massage, eight chose hand massage and one asked for both. Only three had previous experience of soft tissue massage.

"Details about the massage study were included in an information pack provided by the palliative care team when people's relatives died" says lead author Dr Berit S Cronfalk from the Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, a Swedish palliative care provider.
Relatives were offered a 25-minute hand or foot massage once a week for eight weeks and could choose whether the sessions took place at home, work or at the hospital.
"Soft tissue massage is gentle, but firm" explains Dr Cronfalk, who carried out the research with colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet. "This activates touch receptors which then release oxytocin, a hormone known for its positive effects on well-being and relaxation.
"In this study the hand or foot massage was done with slow strokes, light pressure and circling movements using oil lightly scented with citrus or hawthorn.
"The relatives were then encouraged to relax for a further 30 minutes."
Baseline data was collected on the participants during a 60-minute interview before the programme started and a further 60-minute interview was conducted a week after the massage programme finished.
The interviews with the participants, which have been published in the Journal's annual complementary therapy issue, showed that they derived considerable benefits from the program.

Seniors Yoga Teacher Certification April 24-25, 2010

Seniors Yoga Teacher Certification April 24-25, 2010
Faculty:

Susan Thomas, LMT, RYT, Personal Trainer,
Specializes in teaching yoga to seniors
Pat Harpell, RYT, Owner and Director of Acton Yoga, Seniors Yoga Teacher
10:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Adam’s Inn – Best Western Hotel, Neponset Circle, N. Quincy
Fee: $195.00 includes training materials 10% discount for Graduate of Finding Inner Peace, Mass Yoga and South Shore Yoga Network members ($175.50)
In this training, you will learn how to lead a chair yoga class, which is a gentler, slower pace of yoga designed for people of varying ages and physical ability. Yoga provides gentle, stabilizing, and strength building postures enhancing mental clarity. Seniors enjoy the group activities and socialization. They develop more confidence in a casual, nurturing, and fun environment. Yogic breathing increases levels of vitality and enthusiasm and enhances their spirit. Various class sequences will be presented: using yoga props, using the wall, standing poses with the chair and other ideas for group activities.

At the completion of this certification training, the student will be able to:
* Describe the aging process and its' effect on muscles, bones and vital organs.
* Describe age-specific postures which are beneficial for seniors.
* Describe common health conditions in the senior population.
* Describe postures for seniors that can done at the wall.
* Sequence a chair yoga class for seniors using yoga props
* Sequence a chair yoga class for seniors using seated and standing poses
* Sequence a regular gentle yoga class for seniors

To register, contact yogareikisound@yahoo.com  or call Maureen Spencer, RN - 781 864-2130

Childrens Yoga Teacher Certification April 10-11, 2010

Childrens Yoga Teacher Certification
April 10-11, 2010 Saturday-Sunday

Faculty: Suzanne O'Daly,RYT, Special Education Teacher, Color Me Yoga Certified Teacher – teaching yoga to autistic children
Michelle Fleming, RYT, Owner, Sanctuary of Plymouth Yoga Studio
Kristin Collins-Dooner, RYT Childrens Yoga Teacher

Location: Adams Inn – Best Western, Neponset Circle – North Quincy
Times: Sat 10:00am – 5:00pm  and  Sun 10:00pm – 5:00pm

Fee: $195.00 includes course materials and certificate (10% discount for graduates of Finding Inner Peace, Mass Yoga and South Shore Yoga Network Members)

Yoga helps fine tune motor coordination and can help a child gain more control over a developing body. Many yoga poses massage organs and glands and help them to stay healthy and active. The best part of all is that yoga classes for children are fun! We will teach you how to incorporate games and music to help keep the children engaged. Children who do yoga have an advantage. For example, yoga helps children become
more self-confident and self-aware, as well as more physically fit. And that's just for starters. Yoga has been known to help with many medical conditions, such as asthma, insomnia, digestive problems, ADD and learning disabilities, to name a few.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
Describe the benefits of yoga for children.
Describe the class structuring for ages 3-5 yrs, 6-9 yrs and 10-13 yrs
List at least 20 poses that can be used in a childrens yoga class
List at least 5 activities that can be used in a children's yoga class
Describe the class structure for a Mommy and Baby Yoga Class

To register, contact yogareikisound@yahoo.com or call Maureen Spencer, RN - 781 864-2130

Reiki Masters - 30-27--2010

March 27, 2010 - three new Reiki Masters.  Tina and Patricia Pankievich and Kimberly Sparks.  

Day of Renewal - March 7, 2010 - Pembroke

March 7, 2010, for the Fifth Annual day of celebration to balance the body, mind, and truly re-awaken your spirit! The intent of the day-long celebration is to renew the physical, mental, and spiritual body by the ancient practices of yoga, qi gong, meditation, chanting, and inspirational music in order to reconnect to universal oneness. Practices are gentle and suitable for all levels.

Located at balancepoint studios
at The Healing Path
31 Schoosett Street, Suite 506
Pembroke, MA 02359

Cost of A Day of Renewal 2010 is $50.00 per person. Feel free to come for the whole day or just the portions that resonate with you. All proceeds will be donated, 50% to Mwokoeni School and Children's Center in Bombolulu Village, Kenya and 50% to VPS.

REGISTRATION
Contact Robin Killeen at (781) 706-6373 to pre-register for the event.
Cost of A Day of Renewal 2010 is $50.00 per person. Check must be
received by February 26, 2010 and made payable to: A Day of Renewal.
Space is limited to 70 attendees.
For more information visit
www.balancepointstudios.com

A Critical Look at "Dr." Robert Young's Theories and Credentials

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young3.html


Dr. Stephen Barrett has a website called Quack Watch that I read often to stay balanced about traditional medicine versus complementary therapies/medicine.  I found this review of the pH Miracle Diet fascinating and worth mentioning.   As you will see described in this section about maintaining acid-base balance - the use of 1/2 tsp of baking soda will do exactly what expensive super greens and other hyped products will do.  Another one I use if simple liquid chlorophyll - 2 tablespoons a day - called "Chlorofresh".   Go to the above link for the whole story and here is a section from it:
 
Irrational Theories

Young and his wife claim that health depends primarily on proper balance between an alkaline and acid environment that can be optimized by dietary modification and taking supplements. But Benjamin Abelow, M.D. who authored the highly respected textbook, Understanding Acid-Base, has concluded that their understanding of biochemistry is deficient. After reading their 2000 book, Sick and Tired?: Reclaim Your Inner Terrain, he wrote:
I read with special care the part of the book that purports to explain the fundamentals of pH to the non-scientist. This section contains basic errors that suggest to me that Dr. Young is not very knowledgeable about this area; his understanding of basic chemistry seems limited. His definitions of fundamental terms such as "hydrogen ion" are poor, and his explanation of what table salt (NaCl) is and how it dissociates in water is incorrect. He gives the same pH values for blood that comes from arteries and veins; in reality, venous blood is more acidic than arterial blood.
The manner in which Dr. Young writes suggests a religious fervor that has nothing to do with science. I saw no footnotes that support his extreme views; in fact, judging by the titles of the journal articles he cites, I saw no citations in either this or another book by him that pertain specifically to the effect of pH on disease. Further, Dr. Young does not describe any of his own experiments that might lead one to think he has a valid scientific basis for his ideas. He makes many extreme statements without any supporting evidence.
From what I can see, Dr. Young does not have any interest in actually *testing* whether his ideas are correct. For example, the simple way to test his assertions about the effects of pH on disease would be to give sick people a couple of teaspoons of baking soda per day mixed with water. Baking soda (NaHCO3) is a base and will alkalinize the person's blood at least as well as any of the dietary manipulations Dr. Young suggests. But he appears not to have done this, or even to have studied the medical literature to see if others have [11].
The same observations apply equally to The pH Miracle, which contains so many dubious passages that it would take a book to respond to them all. Young bases his notions about alkaline nutrition on the writings of Antoine Bechamp (1822-1895), and Gunter Enderlein (1872-1968), who held that microorganisms do not have fixed structures but arise from smaller entities that are always present but shift their form and function in response to environmental influences. The Youngs refer to the alleged entities as "microforms" or "microzymas." Page 21 of The pH Miracle states that "all cells evolve from them to begin with" and that "red blood cells . . . can de-evolve and then re-evolve into any cell the body needs." They also state that "morbid changes in microforms" are spurred by body acidity and that "harmful pleomorphic organisms do not, and cannot evolve in healthy (alkaline) surroundings." They further claim to have videotaped transformations from bacteria to yeast, fungus, and mold and back again. Page 32 of the book claims that "acidification and overgrowth of negative microforms in the body are the root cause of every symptom, illness and disease." However, the notion of pleomorphism is unfounded and was abandoned by the scientific community long ago.
The book advises readers to check their pH, "cleanse" for several days, eat a vegetarian diet that emphasizes vegetables, and take various supplements, including colloidal silver. The foods to avoid include all dairy products, meats, eggs, corn, peanuts, and foods that contain sugar (including most fruits). The food recommendations are based on their supposed effect on body acidity and alkalinity and whether or not they contain "toxins."
The idea that dietary modification can change the acidity of the body is silly. Homeostatic mechanisms keep the acidity of the blood stream within a narrow range. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH.") Certain foods can leave end-products called ash. Alkaline-ash foods include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. Acid-ash foods include all animal products, whole grains, beans, and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of the urine (but not the body as a whole), but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH elsewhere in the body [12]. Thus, even if "body pH" were a primary cause of disease, the strategies the Youngs propose would not influence it in the way they claim.