Natural Awakenings - February 2014 Read the February 2014 edition of Natural Awakenings. Sweet Solution: Turning Agri-Waste to Good Use Ash from burnt sugar cane fiber added to a cement mixture makes the cement stronger and less likely to crumble, and also lowers its carbon footprint. Read More » Loving Local: Small Retailers Gaining Force In the faceoff against online retailers, local bookstores, coffee shops and specialty food shops are doing surprisingly well. Read More » Green Finance: Canada Shows the Way via Mass Transit “Green bonds” are being issued in Ontario to expand mass transit, part of an explosion in environmental public funding. Read More » Beyond Bling: True Treasures Avert Eco-Harm Valentine Day’s jewelry can gift the Earth, too, if we bypass newly-mined metals to choose recycled, antique and heirloom jewelry. Read More » Greenwashing Watchdog: Dr. Bronner Clears Out Imposters Companies that are labeling their products with phony health claims are being brought to court by the nonprofit soap maker. Read More » Wild Valentines: Many Animals Mate for Life Gibbons, bald eagles, wolves, angelfish and other species stay partnered all their life, protecting each other and raising offspring together. Read More » Quiet Kids in a Noisy World: Bringing Out the Best in Introverts In helping quiet kids navigate our extroverted culture, we encourage their inborn creativity and empathy. Read More » Home Safe Home: Practical Pillars of Well-Being Ridding our homes of toxins is an essential step in creating spiritual, mental and physical harmony in our lives. Read More » Cycles of Spin: Returning to its Heart-Healthy Origins Spinning, which originally combined a Zen-like cycling state and high-octane workout, may be cycling back to its roots. Read More » Cardiac Care for Pets: How to Keep Little Hearts Humming An early diagnosis and three effective supplements can boost the heart health of beloved cats and dogs. Read More » Star Trekking: Voyager 1 Enters Interstellar Space It’s not traveling at the warp-speed of Sci-Fi flicks, but after 36 years, a NASA spaceship has gone beyond the sun’s influence into unexplored territory. Read More » Handy Curriculum: Shop Class Teaches Sustainability The decline in woodshop classes means that many students lack basic manual competence and don’t know how to fix things; learning how leads to jobs. Read More » The Whole Fish is Best for Blood Pressure: Eating Omega-3 is Better Fish oil pills don’t activate cell membranes that reduce blood pressure as effectively as the Omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish like salmon, tuna and sardines. Read More » Simple Stress Busters: Natural Ways to Slide into a State of Calmness Eating chocolate, walking a labyrinth, shaking loose from head to toe—what’s not to like about these easy strategies? Read More » Natural Awakenings Kudos WGCU Public Media has recognized Natural Awakenings founder Sharon Bruckman as one of its 14 exceptional women for 2014 Makers: Women Who Make Southwest Florida. Read More » Happy Marriage, Healthier Lives: The Positive Effect Your Spouse Can Have A 20-year study has found that people that are happily married have better mental and physical health than unmarried individuals and fewer chronic conditions than people those that are divorced or widowed. Read More » Egg Whites Function Like Blood Pressure Meds: Beneficial Cardiovascular Effects A peptide in egg whites pack as much wallop as the ACE inhibitor Captopril in treating hypertension, say Clemson University scientists. Read More » Healing Hurt: A Hawaiian Mantra Lets Love Back In Four simple phrases help us to forgive others, release heartfelt pain and move on with our lives. Read More » Chocolate as Health Food: Boosting Diets and Heart Health The darker the chocolate, the better the benefits, including lower blood pressure, better vascular dilation and a healthier Body-Mass-Index. Read More » Nostalgia Arms Us for the Future: Fond Memories of Yesterdays Helps Us Cope with Today Thinking wistfully about the past makes us more optimistic about the future and sparks joy and higher self-regard. Read More » FDA Moves to Ban Trans Fats: Bid Farewell to this Heart-Clogging Ingredient Following years of consumer activism and local ordinances, the FDA is taking steps to officially ban the trans fats in processed foods, linked to 20,000 heart attacks a year. Read More » Jumpin’ Jellyfish: Numbers Explode with Ocean Warming and Overfishing Up to half a million Florida swimmers are stung during jellyfish outbreaks as their numbers boom worldwide due to warming waters and declining predators. Read More » Zinc Orchestrates Immune Response: Stops Inflammation and Infection Ohio State University researchers say zinc balances out the immune response in cells, preventing excessive inflammation and protecting against harmful infections. Read More » A Different Breathalyzer Test for Heart Failure: A New Way to Examine Cardiac Health Simply blowing into a Mylar balloon (similar to the party versions) can help detect heart disease when the air is run through a special machine for a “breathprint.” Read More » Early Warnings of Heart Troubles Differ for Women: Symptoms Vary by Gender The distinctive warning signs of heart attacks in women may explain why women are slower to recognize the need for treatment. Read More » Love Magnet: Katherine Woodward Thomas on Drawing True Love Our Way The bestselling author offers four steps to help us overcome unconscious personal barriers to finding our soulmate. Read More » Rethinking Heart Health: Pioneering Doctors and Patients Reinvent Cardio Care It turns out that cholesterol counts are not as important as a low-inflammation diet and an upbeat attitude. Read More » In-Print