Reiki natural healing may trump man-made antidepressants

"Life's not easy."

I am not immune to this cliché. Lately, bad memories from the past surfaced with the help of corporate job stress, a car accident involving a semi-truck, adapting to a new town and never-ending family responsibilities. The result is a terrible sickness: stress. 

Even good things have added stress. For the past few months, I have been helping small, locally owned businesses grow their social media presence. It's been rewarding. But it also was one more to-do on my to-do list.

I've helped my yoga studio by advising on better Facebook exposure and placing them in the local newspaper. I also have been coaching its yoga teachers by setting up and educating them on how social media grows businesses. As part of this work, I met Tonya, a 30-something woman who does Reiki massage.

While Reiki sounded familiar, it was the first time I had met a practitioner.Tonya explained that Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction that promotes healing. It is administered by laying hands and is based on a life force energy. It has been given the thumbs up by Dr. Oz and used by more than 800 U.S. hospitals.

I have to admit, after Googling the term, I was pretty skeptical.  It sounds weird, right? If you break down the word, Rei means "God's wisdom or the higher power" and Ki is "life force energy." I am a spiritual person who believes in God. Yet I never put a lot of faith in healing arts besides yoga, which I’ve taken for years on and off to cure mental alignments and get stronger physically. Luckily I have an open mind, and Tonya's just a regular mother and wife with a contagious laugh who happens to be a Reiki  practitioner. Because if it wasn't for her inherent normalcy, I swear I would never have tried it.

Tonya applies Reiki techniques on one of my yoga studio's teachers, Margaret. 

The treatment starts in a quiet room. I laid on my back on a massage table. Tonya placed her hands on my head, while my mind spun with appointment dates, chore lists, hurt feelings and a visual snapshot of getting rear-ended and spun like a top by a semi.

After a few deep breaths, it felt like a black cloth was—inch-by-inch—cloaking the negative images that were racing through my mind.

Tonya kept moving throughout my body, including the neck, the shoulders and the arms. Then she placed her hands at the end of my rib cage. I almost lost my breath. It felt like shock waves moved through the rib cage upward and also towards my abdomen. It was such a strange sensation that I felt a little scared.

When the session was complete a little over an hour later, Tonya smiled and asked, “Stressed out much?”

That was an understatement. She also asked if I got headaches—something I had been suffering from in the mornings for the last 10 months. On some days, the pain was downright debilitating. "I have too much on my plate," I said.

While I didn’t feel like my entire life changed that day, I knew instantly that I left a lot of unresolved feelings and stress with Tonya. I am not sure how it works, but if you are going through tough times, try Reiki. At least “Like” Tonya’s Reiki for Healing Facebook page to learn more about it.

Meatless Monday Recipe: Gluten- and Dairy-free Orecchiette Pasta w/ Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Looking for something healthful and delicious? Then try this smokey roasted Brussels sprouts, fresh baby spinach, and tangy tomatoes creamy pasta dish. Just as delicious when made gluten- and dairy-free. Even better, it is packed with nutrients like vitamin A and C.








#Meatless Monday Brussels Spout, Spinach and Tomato Pasta
2 lbs Brussels sprouts, halved
3 3/4 cups orecchiette (little ear) or small tubular pasta
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter (or olive oil)
3/4 cup white wine or stock of choice
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz cream cheese (or vegan substitute)
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Toss halved Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Then, saute onions and garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in wine.  Bring to boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half. In a large saucepan,  combine the Brussels sprouts, pasta, onion mixture, diced tomatoes, and cream cheese. Stir frequently over medium heat until heated through and cream cheese is completely melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat.

Add baby spinach and mozzarella and toss until combined and spinach wilts just slightly, about 2 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan if desired.

Serves 6.

Meatless Monday Recipe: Mushroom Burgers

My husband really liked these burgers. So I know you will, too!

#MeatlessMonday Husband-approved Mushroom Burgers
1 slice bread
8oz button mushrooms
1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten or rice flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp steak sauce
pepper to taste

Place bread slice in food processor until it becomes breadcrumbs. Add mushrooms and kidney beans in food processor and pulse until crumbly and combined.

Combine spices, flour, soy sauce, and steak sauce and add in food processor. Pulse all ingredients in food processor until combined.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Form 7 patties and place on cookie sheet. Spray tops of patties with cooking spray.

Cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip, re-spray, and bake for another 8 minutes. Flip, re-spray, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Build burgers as desired.

Next-Gen Green Giveaway: Make a statement with a recycled Cable Bike Chain Bracelet

Have you ever checked out Etsy.com? It has some of the most incredible artists from all over the globe. And since I have some bike-addicts as friends and followers, I was intrigued by the jewelry developed by Re-Cycled Accessories, founded in 2007 by Brock and Cindy Garvin of Vernon, BC, Canada.

I recently sat down with them to discuss their recycled bicycle materials used in their art. To thank you for reading this post, they will be giving away a Cable Bike Chain Bracelet. How do you win? Comment in the space below the blog or go to Next-Gen Green's Facebook page and use the secret phrase,” Thanks Next-Gen Green! Get out and ride!” While you are online, please like Next-Gen Green’s Facebook page.

What is your product?

We have created an original line of jewelry and accessories for the cycling enthusiast.  Everything is made with quality recycled bicycle parts.

What type of materials do you use?

We use recycled bicycle spokes, chains, brake cables, shifter cables, cogs, tires, tubs, rims and even the odd bike frame.

What is your inspiration?

The original inspiration came from our young son when he wanted a bracelet made from a bike chain.  He wanted a bracelet that looked like it was one piece, with no hooks or catches. That turned out to be our signature piece: The Hidden Link Bicycle Chain Bracelet.  This is still one of our biggest sellers today.  (Visit the Facebook page to learn more.) Now, the inspiration comes from the sheer joy of creating something new and beautiful from something old and discarded.

Why is using recycled materials important?

There is too much waste in our society today.  Good quality bicycle parts are made with very beautiful, quality materials that deserve to have a second life. Our goal is to build a fun, yet sustainable product line that screams with our passion for life. We have even made a recycled bicycle trailer.

View Brock and Cindy’s full line at their website.


Giveaway rules: Must be 18 to enter. Names will be printed and placed in a sealed box and picked at random/pure chance of winning. The giveaway ends on 12 a.m. Feb. 23, 2012. Any giveaway worth $600 must be reported to the IRS. 

Green Tip of the Day: Your Dishwasher Is a Friend to the Environment

There are two little known facts about one of our society's favorite kitchen appliance, the dishwasher. First, I recently read that the drying cycle on a dishwasher sucks up half the total energy use of the appliance. So I tried running a load with the drying cycle off. The difference? None. The dishes had the same amount of moisture on them as they did with the drying cycle.


Next, like many people, I hate the bleachy smell of conventional dishwasher soap in my kitchen. But eco-friendly cleaners don't always get the dishes quite as clean. Then I stumbled upon this recipe.


Here it is below:

• 2 c borax
• 2 c Arm & Hammer washing soda
• 2 c lemi shine
• 1 c kosher salt

It's billed as being good for hard water, which I don't have, but it seems to do the trick anyway. And I did not bother to buy kosher salt.  If you have trouble finding some of this stuff, ask at your local hardware store. I did end up having to order the LemiShine via www.alice.com/.

10 sustainability megaforces' impact on business over the next two decades

The costs associated with environmental impacts for business operations are doubling every 14 years. New research from KPMG International has identified 10 megaforces that will significantly affect corporate growth globally over the next two decades.  The 10 global sustainability megaforces are as follows:

Climate Change: Predictions of annual output losses from climate change range between 1 percent per year, if strong and early action is taken, to as much as 5 percent a year, if policymakers fail to act.

Energy and Fuel: Fossil fuel markets are likely to become more volatile and unpredictable because of higher global energy demand.

Material Resource Scarcity: As developing countries industrialize rapidly, global demand for material resources is predicted to increase dramatically. Business is likely to face increasing trade restrictions and intense global competition for a wide range of material resources that become less available.

Water Scarcity: It is predicted that by 2030, the global demand for freshwater will exceed supply by 40 percent. Businesses may be vulnerable to water shortages, declines in water quality, water price volatility, and to reputational challenges.

Population Growth: The world population is expected to grow to 8.4 billion by 2032. This will place intense pressures on ecosystems and the supply of natural resources such as food, water, energy and materials.

Wealth: The global middle class (defined by the OECD as individuals with disposable income of between US$10 and US$100 per capita per day) is predicted to grow 172 percent between 2010 and 2030. The challenge for businesses is to serve this new middle class market at a time when resources are likely to be scarcer and more price volatile.

Urbanization: In 2009, for the first time ever, more people lived in cities than in the countryside. By 2030 all developing regions including Asia and Africa are expected to have the majority of their inhabitants living in urban areas; virtually all population growth over the next 30 years will be in cities.

Food Security: Global food prices are predicted to rise 70 to 90 percent by 2030. In water-scarce regions, agricultural producers are likely to have to compete for supplies with other water-intensive industries, such as electric utilities and mining, and with consumers.

Ecosystem Decline: The decline in ecosystems is making natural resources scarcer, more expensive and less diverse, increasing the costs of water and escalating the damage caused by invasive species to sectors including agriculture, fishing, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and tourism.

Deforestation: Forests are big business. Wood products contributed $100 billion per year to the global economy from 2003 to 2007 and the value of non-wood forest products, mostly food, was estimated at about US$18.5 billion in 2005. Yet the OECD projects that forest areas will decline globally by 13 percent from 2005 to 2030, mostly in South Asia and Africa.

Source:  KPMG International