On Sunday, February 15, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., come to Breath N Flow Yoga (BNF Yoga), in Freeport, for the Prenatal Partner Yoga Workshop with Leah Hartofelis, yoga instructor and founder and owner of BNF Yoga. Looking for a way to celebrate love and life this valentine’s Day? Invite your valentine to join you in experiencing a special prenatal yoga class meant for three (mom, dad and baby).

You and your partner will learn how to communicate and support one another along this amazing journey. This workshop is designed for the parents-to-be to connect with one another and their baby through the practice of yoga. Learn partner breathing techniques, yoga postures, relaxation and meditation practices, and communication exercises that will be useful during pregnancy, birth and parenthood.

Cost: $35 early registration by Feb. 8; $40 day of. Space is limited; registration is required

Location: 361B Atlantic Ave., Freeport. For more information, call 516-632-9626 or email info@BNFYoga.com.

by Beth Lee Schlendorf

One of the challenges in getting a good night’s sleep is choosing your perfect pillow. There is no one-size-fits-all pillow. In fact, choosing the wrong pillow can increase headaches, neck pain, numbness in shoulders and arms, or create sneezing and wheezing due to allergens and chemicals.

Your focus should be to find your neutral alignment, where your head sits squarely on your shoulders without bending or reaching. There are several decisions to make when purchasing your perfect pillow.

Most experts say that children should not use a pillow at all since their skeletons are still forming and their little necks are delicate. Although once a toddler leaves his or her crib, a small, lightly filled pillow would be acceptable. Another concern is what’s inside the pillow. Bliss Sleep Center recommends staying away from memory foam and other synthetic fabrics since they can contain numerous chemicals that can lead to many health issues. It is best to find a customizable pillow where you can control the level of filling inside the pillow.

What material inside your pillow works best to support your neck, back and spine properly? Some examples of popular fillings for pillows are as follows:

• Kapok – is resilient, conforms to your head and neck, hypoallergenic, and mold and mildew resistant. Kapok tends to have a soft feel like down pillows, but is much more supportive.
• Organic buckwheat hulls – provide gentle support and will cradle your head and neck perfectly. Great for people with neck and back pain. As an added benefit, buckwheat hulls are hypoallergenic.
• Pure virgin wool – is hypoallergenic, a dust-mite repellant, is body-temperature regulating, and resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew. Pure wool is great for people that sleep hot or cold and also helps prevent allergens.
• Organic cotton – great for people sensitive to chemicals and allergies. Organic cotton is slightly softer than typical cotton and makes for a very comfortable traditional pillow feel.
• Natural latex – is dust-mite resistant, hypoallergenic, mold and mildew resistant, and contours to your neck. Natural latex pillows can be firm or soft depending on the method used to create the natural latex (Dunlop or Talalay) and the amount of fill.

Things to think about are what level of firmness is best for you—soft, medium or firm—and what position do you sleep in—on your side, back or stomach?

• Back sleeper – tends to need a more solid, supportive pillow. A good rule of thumb should be to keep your neck evenly aligned with the rest of your spine.
• Side sleeper – tends to like a pillow that fills the neck- to-shoulder area without overextending the neck. Some things to consider is where do you place your arms when sleeping on your side. Kapok is Bliss Sleep Center’s most popular fill for side sleepers.
• Stomach sleeper – tends to either use an almost flat pillow or no pillow at all. The key is to not put strain on your neck and shoulders. In fact, some people use a small pillow tucked under their stomach to avoid pressure on their back.

The best way to choose your pillow is by testing it out in the position that you sleep in at night. Attention to detail is a must when choosing your perfect pillow.

Source: Beth Lee Schlendorf is the owner of Bliss Sleep Center. For more information, visit BlissSleepCenter.com.

by Gina Marie Cronin

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, xin in Chinese, houses shen—the “spirit” or “mind”—explains Joseph Cheung, physical arts director at New York College of Health Professions. If an individual’s heart energy is strong, not only is his or her body strong, but so is the individual’s spirit and mind. If the heart is deficient and the blood doesn’t pump optimally, the person’s spirit may be weak. This is often signaled by dull eyes, pale skin and feeble limbs.

Heart Meridian. The heart meridian has nine points that start in the axillary under the armpit and go all the way to the tip of the pinky. A related meridian is the pericardium meridian, which is physically a membrane that surrounds and protects the heart, which starts on the chest and continues on the medial side of the arm to the middle finger. In energy healing, pericardium 8 on the palm is a very significant energy point and is utilized to balance energy of the heart, mind and spirit.

The Secret. According to Cheung, the best things one can do for one’s heart are:

• Qi Gong and Tai Chi. very important because if one moves energy in the body, it strengthens the energy of the heart. The blood carries qi, or life force energy, so when one circulates one’s blood, one improves one’s energy flow and, ultimately, one’s state of mind. Tai chi is a movement-based, gentle martial art. Qigong is the “yin” to tai chi’s “yang” as it is more stationary, utilizing meditation and deep-breathing techniques.
•  Acupuncture. When an acupuncturist takes a pulse, he or she can feel the state of the heart. This holistic treatment can target points in the body where qi is blocked and release stagnation and tension throughout one’s physical, emotional and spiritual systems.
• De-Stress. Anxiety is the main factor that affects a person’s heart, spirit and psychology. Any way that an individual can breathe and relieve stress at work or in everyday life can help enrich his or her heart.
• Be Happy. Have a positive outlook on life and understand that whatever happens, happens.

Mercury toxicity is a hot topic and often an even tougher thing to explain. There are believers on one side of the equation that have seen firsthand what mercury toxicity can look like, and then there are those that disbelieve, citing that they have seen countless people with “a mouth full of metal” live their lives healthfully and into old age. Perhaps, as we are finding with so many diseases, there is a genetic factor?

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a condition in which too many and the wrong kinds of bacteria inhabit the small intestine, or small bowel, usually due to another condition that interferes with normal intestinal activity. Bacteria are allowed to stay overlong and multiply or even spread backward from the colon into the small intestine. The results may include constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue and even anemia, because iron and vitamin B12 are absorbed here.

Allopathic medicine usually kills off the overgrowth with antibiotics that tend to stay in the intestinal tract. The small intestine is then reseeded with healthy probiotics to establish the proper balance of gut bacteria essential to the absorption of nutrients and the production of some natural vitamins.

Steven Frank, founder of Nature’s Rite, advises that as a more natural alternative, some naturopathic practitioners are using an enhanced aqueous silver colloid to kill off the overgrowth before reseeding. According to the Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, after using either technique, it helps to ingest herbs such as plantain, licorice, marshmallow and slippery elm bark, as well as aloe, to heal the damage.

For more information, call 888-465-4404 or visit NaturesRiteRemedies.com.

Stomach bug? Annoying sinus infection? You don’t have time to be sick.

During the winter, more people get sick because colder weather forces us indoors, where we have a lot more contact with individuals in closed areas. Our bodies are made to protect us from getting sick, but it’s hard when other factors—lack of sleep, stress, coming off a recent illness—increase our risks.

Here are simple steps you can take to help boost your immune system and stack the stay-well odds in your favor:

Sanitize and Disinfest Your Surfaces

It’s probably common sense not to shake a sick person’s hands when you want to prevent a cold, but that’s far from the only place that you can pick up germs. A recent study looked for the presence of viruses on surfaces and found that the flu virus was found on as many as 50 percent of surfaces. So, consider sanitizing and disinfecting your surfaces to minimize your exposure to germs and help prevent colds and the flu.

Control Humidity

Cold viruses thrive in dry conditions. Dry air also dries the mucous membranes, which can lead to a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. Excess humidity can cause fungi, mites, molds, mildew and other sick makers to thrive. Artificial heating tends to be very drying, so you may want to buy a humidifier to keep your air moist enough that it doesn’t dry out or dehydrate your sinuses.

Medical studies indicate that maintaining your home’s humidity restrains the survival of various viruses, including influenza, polio, measles and herpes.

Drink Clean Water

Staying hydrated will keep your body strong and ready to fend off cold germs and flu viruses. In fact, one recent study found that drinking plenty of water may boost a particular immune response to enable your body to better fight the viruses. But is your water clean? Get your water quality tested. Drinking unfiltered water can do more harm than good. Consider a water filtration system to ensure you and your family are getting the purest water needed to feel your best.

Purify Your Air

We spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors, where our air is five times more toxic than our outdoor environment, and, in some cases, the air measurements indoors have been found to be 100 times more polluted. Inadequate ventilation is a primary cause of indoor air pollution and is why pollutants rise in homes during the winter. An air filter, especially a HEPA-type filter, can help remove air- borne dust and germs that cause cold, flu, asthma and worse conditions over time.

Contact a healthEhabitats environmental expert at 877-861-3662 to schedule a healthEhome evaluation to test your home’s air, water and surface quality.