president january mahtn, inc. newsletter sheila major mid ...€¦ · the american horticultural...
TRANSCRIPT
Happy New Year.
The year 2014 came in with a bang.
Our ability to withstand temperatures of less than zero and wind
chills that make living in the mid-atlantic feel sub-arctic just goes to
prove you cannot fool mother nature. Mother nature has also provided
us with a January thaw, a perfect time to begin thinking about bulbs,
seeds garden supplies, forcing buds and dreaming of spring.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves this is also the perfect time for our an-
nual membership drive January is the month we ask that our mem-
bers show their support for MAHTN by renewing your membership.
Each New Year comes with hope for the future. As interested and in-
teresting professionals we are presented with many opportunities to
learn new skills while honing the ones we command. It behooves all of
us to create time to share those skills either as the mentor or as the
mentored. MAHTN general meetings as well as our conferences pro-
vide opportunities for our members to learn from each other as well as
from those in allied professions. Please make time to be part of the
journey.
I want to take this opportunity to welcome India Simons to the Board
of Directors.
I wish you health in your pursuit of all things happy.
Sheila Major, President
MAHTN, INC.
"Always maintain a kind of summer even in the middle of winter."
Henry David Thoreau.
January MAHTN, INC. NEWSLETTER
Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy
Network
P.O. Box 542 Montgomeryville, PA
18936
President Sheila Major
914-941-4553
Vice President NJ Mary Roberts
908-276-7729
Vice President PA India K. Simons
215-635-2560
Secretary Barbara Denson
201-567-4569
Barbara den-
Treasurer Kathy Brechner
914-271-8590
Board of Directors
Carol Lukens, HTR
215-858-3188
Janelle Zigon, HTR
570-222-6789
Gerrie Schmidt
267-324-3081
Anne Meore, MA, LMSW
845-642-3012
Abby Jaroslow, HTR
609-737-8995
Laura DePrado
908-872-8387
laura@finaltouchplantscapin
g.com
Marsha Stamm Gayl, HTR
215-913-1536
Immediate Past President Peg Schofield, HTR
610-952-0297
2
7-Step Marketing Plan for Horticultural Therapists
By: Gerrie Schmidt
1. Have a vision and goal in mind: know what you want to accomplish.
2. Called a ‘value proposition’ in marketing-speak. Don’t be modest.
3. Who are the people you want to reach?
A. Are they your prospects or influencers?
B. What social networks are they likely to be using and why?
C. What kind of info are they looking for? Use this info to formulate your
strategy around that.
4. Once you’ve given this thought, then select the site or sites that are right for you.
5. Create a marketing plan for yourself; write it down.
6. Work out what type of content you will share and where.
A. Cultivate a relationship with your followers.
B. Be consistent with your posts! Set expectations for frequency and stick with
it.
C. Give them a call-to-action…what do you want them to do? (visit your web-
site or blog? Attend an event?)
D. Listen to what your ‘fans’ say and use what you learn.
7. Don’t make yourself crazy with metrics, but it’s important to measure the value of
what you’re doing with your time. Decide what will be your indicators and track them.
For submissions contact the MAHTN Newsletter Editor, Pam Young at
[email protected] or call 484-596-3902
3
Social Media Corner…. Connect with us on the Website, Facebook and LinkedIn
MAHTN, INC. WEBSITE www.MAHTN.org
The official website for the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network.
Contact Gerrie Schmidt for any website questions at [email protected]
FRIENDLY REMINDER…
YOUR 2014
MAHTN MEMBERSHIP IS NOW DUE Membership form in this newsletter!
MAHTN STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD The “Linda Ciccantelli Memorial Scholarship” is a $500 annual student scholarship award
which MAHTN gives to a student currently attending horticultural therapy classes at The New
York Botanical Garden, Temple University, Rutgers University, or Delaware Valley College.
The award will be presented to one student at the Annual MAHTN Conference in the fall. For
applications and information, please contact the HT Program Coordinator at your school. Stu-
dents should turn in their application to their program coordinator by May 15, 2014.
2014 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE IS NOW DUE
In October, 2012, MAHTN officially became a 501c (6) corporation. This huge undertaking offi-
cially classified MAHTN’s existence as a professional organization. As a corporation, MAHTN,
Inc. among other activities is now able to market and pursue sponsorship. These capabilities di-
rectly benefits MAHTN members in countless ways; such as augmenting our annual conference,
scholarships, workshops, a more robust website, public awareness and potentially jobs. Bottom
line however, is we are only as strong as our membership. The Board is currently working on a
number of opportunities that will advance our members, but we cannot do it without you. We
have the tools as a 501c (6) but we need the backing of you, our membership, to propel to
MAHTN, Inc., to its grand goals.
Membership renewals are now due!
Let’s make the 2014 Membership Drive outstanding. Contribute to MAHTN’s purpose and re-
new today. MAHTN membership runs on the calendar year, January through December. Why
put off till tomorrow what make sense to do today.
Respectfully,
Carol Lukens, HTR
Membership Chair
4
AHTA Corner…
AHTA Annual Conference to Sprout on MAHTN Turf!
This article is the first entry in an entirely new column to appear in each issue of the MAHTN Newsletter. The
new column, tentatively titled AHTA Corner, will be dedicated to sharing news from the American Horticul-
tural Therapy Association. If you have specific questions or there are aspects of AHTA you’d like to learn
more about in this forum, please send an email to Gerrie Schmidt at [email protected].
And the winner is…Philadelphia!
The American Horticultural Therapy Association’s 2014 Annual Conference will take place in MAHTN
country! This year’s Conference, scheduled for October 11th and 12th, 2014, will be hosted in the greater Phil-
adelphia area. The specific conference venue will be announced shortly.
The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network (MAHTN) and
its members to showcase the outstanding range of activities, accomplishments, and educational opportunities
in the field of horticultural therapy. The AHTA planning team is receptive to MAHTN members’ thoughts
and ideas for hosting a Conference that embraces a true Mid-Atlantic flavor.
Most conference details, including the pre-tour sites, are still in the planning phase. We will bring you updates
as they become available. AHTA will announce its ‘Call for Presenters’ for prospective session leaders later
in January.
To help with planning and logistics, the AHTA Conference Work Team has formed an on-site committee
comprised of MAHTN members who are interested in volunteering before and during the Conference. If you
are interested in pitching in and are not yet a member of the on-site committee, please contact Gerrie Schmidt
WHAT IS MAHTN, INC.?
The Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network (MAHTN, INC.) is a regional association
of horticultural therapy professionals and students in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsyl-
vania.
VISION:
The vision of the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network (MAHTN) is to expand the
accessibility of horticulture as a therapeutic and rehabilitative practice.
OUR MISSION
MAHTN, Inc., seeks to promote awareness and acceptance of the professional practice of
HT in the Mid-Atlantic region through education, communication and networking.
5
SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES War veterans turn to horticultural therapy
to help heal wounds BY MEGAN WETHERALL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEGAN WETHERALL & JOANNA TULLY
There are currently 441,820 war veterans who call New Jersey their home. Some of
them served their country as far back as World War II, others as recently as Iraq. One of
them is Matthew Smith, a 26-year-old combat engineer who spent a year each in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Another is 72-year-old George Madosky, who describes himself as a “disabled
Marine from the Vietnam era.” These gentlemen have yet to meet, but when they do they
will find they have a great deal in common. For one, upon returning to civilian life, they were
both drawn to the therapeutic benefits inherent in growing plants as a means of healing
themselves—and others. It’s a humid Saturday morning in July and I am navigating the de-
serted backstreets of New Brunswick, home of Rut-
gers University, where Matthew (he prefers to go by
his first name after five years in the military of being
identified as “Smith”) is working toward a bachelor’s
degree in agricultural science, with a certificate in
horticultural therapy.
As I enter a predominantly Hispanic neighbor-
hood I notice that the generic fast food chains have
dropped away, replaced by hole-in-the-wall Mexican
eateries and grocers. I am looking for a plot of land
on the fringes of Rutgers that has blossomed in re-
cent years into a community garden and now hosts a
weekly farmers’ market. Matthew is one of two Rut-
gers students doing an internship here that involves
supporting the resident gardeners, heading a commu-
nity effort to restore an abandoned greenhouse, men-
toring high school volunteers, and creating a business
plan to maximize the yields of all this productivity so
it might become a sustainable and perhaps even prof-
itable enterprise for the neighborhood.
When I eventually track Matthew down in the
greenhouse, which still has an overgrown Jack-and-
the-Beanstalk feel to it, he strides forward to welcome me, his smile blazing and bright blue
eyes warm beneath a well-loved cowboy hat. He reaches out a strong hand to shake mine and
I can clearly read a tattoo on his right shoulder: “For our Fallen Brothers” with four names
etched below. We first met a few days earlier, but seeing Matthew in this environment is to
see him afresh, in his natural habitat.
Continued on the next page
6
Swords to Plowshares continued
He shows me around, his enthusiasm contagious, pointing out lemongrass, yerba santa,
epazote, basil, purslane and cilantro as well as several varieties of chilies and some aloe vera
plants. In the Jardin de Esperanza (Garden of Hope), I admire dozens of raised beds shared
by families. They are bursting with tomatillos, jalapeños, tomatoes, chard, kale, beans and an
array of flowers on which butterflies and bees are competing to land.
While observing Matthew’s happiness here, it is almost impossible to imagine him det-
onating explosives in combat zones in Southern Baghdad, storming houses in search of weap-
ons, and spending weeks at a time in the deadly mountains of Afghanistan. I remember what
he told me about the reason he joined the Army right out of Milford High School: “I thought I
could help people. I had such a bad upbringing. My father died when I was 12 so it was just
my mom, my brothers and me. We were on welfare and I felt like I wanted to give back.”
During his deployment in Iraq, Matthew developed stomach problems so severe that he
was flown to Germany to have his gall bladder removed—pointlessly, it turned out, as his
pain and vomiting continued. Back at an Army base in Texas, mystified doctors suggested
that Matthew’s problems were psychosomatic, which a subsequent psychiatric evaluation dis-
counted. Finally he was given a diagnosis of gastroparesis, a digestive condition in which the
stomach muscles don’t function properly. But it wasn’t until Matthew’s mother took him to a
holistic doctor, shortly before his deployment to Afghanistan, that he was introduced to natu-
ral remedies such as aloe and began to feel some relief. When he returned from Afghanistan a
year later he describes his overall health as “pretty bad.”
Along with the gastroparesis, Matthew had begun to experience post-traumatic stress
disorder, chronic fatigue, and back pain caused by getting caught in explosions; he also
weighed 230 pounds. “They don’t feed you the best food,” he explains. He described his addic-
tion to energy drinks, the junk eaten during night shifts, and the staple diet of MREs, or
“meals ready to eat,” which are made to last for 10 years.
“When I got back from Afghanistan in February 2010, I had two months left in the Ar-
my and then I was out,” he says. “I was so happy but had no idea what I wanted to do with
my life.” Matthew’s search took him to Arizona, Michigan, Montana and Washington. He con-
sidered nursing, as his overriding desire was still to serve others, but knew that the Western
medical model was not for him. He had been reading extensively about medicinal herbs. In
addition to aloe, he had begun taking licorice root to support his adrenal glands. He was also
noting that the more brown rice and fresh greens he ate the better he felt. He decided to
spend the summer hiking the Appalachian Trail and to walk and think until he reached a de-
cision about his future. During the six weeks it took him to walk from Shenandoah National
Park in Virginia to New Jersey, he foraged wild asparagus, onions, dandelion roots and black-
berries. “I was coming across farms in Maryland and it was so gorgeous and peaceful. Right
about the time I got to the Pennsylvania border it came upon me: I want to grow food.”
Continued on the next page
7
Studying at Rutgers has opened Matthew’s eyes to the myriad ways of doing just
that. He completed an internship on a rural farm last summer but is now drawn to ur-
ban farms and creating what he calls “food hubs.” He plans to use his certificate in horti-
cultural therapy to help troubled youth, adults in rehabilitation and veterans like him-
self. He has already practiced using horticultural therapy with severely autistic, nonver-
bal children at the Douglass Developmental Disability Center at Rutgers. “Some of them
liked getting down and dirty and some didn’t, but they all enjoyed being a part of it.”
The community garden in New Brunswick is a work in progress for Matthew as he
explores all avenues of growth. He relishes the cooking component as the families arrive
en masse to tend their plots, with babies and grandparents in tow, and set up their bar-
becues. He has learned how to make salsa and grill cactus. Children whose parents work
two jobs and who have nothing to do all weekend congregate here. They take turns frol-
icking with Matthew’s rescue dog, Riley, they chomp their way through mounds of water-
melon, and they work in the garden too.
According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, the therapeutic
benefits of garden environments have been documented since ancient times. Horticultur-
al therapy codifies the practice, creating programs that integrate plant systems and cul-
ture techniques with human psychology and health. In HT, a qualified professional es-
tablishes goals and objectives for an individual or group and records the process and out-
comes. To understand more about HT, I spoke to Laura DePrado, a therapist based in
Branchburg and a powerful advocate in the field. Thanks in part to her efforts and deter-
mination the New Jersey Department of Agriculture recently passed the 2013 Horticul-
tural Therapy Resolution, which “recognizes HT as a practical and viable treatment.”
This is the first state-level endorsement of its kind in the nation, which makes New Jer-
sey, and DePrado, a pioneer in the burgeoning movement.
DePrado explains that there are three areas of application for HT: social, vocation-
al and therapeutic. Just the simple, repetitious act of sowing seeds can lower anxiety and
agitation; give purpose and meaning; nurture; and improve muscle memory, mental and
muscular recall,
and the ability
to sequence and
follow direc-
tions. “We are
all connected to
the seasonal
rhythms, we
naturally re-
spond to them,”
DePrado says.
“The process it-
self is what af-
fords the con-
nections on so
many levels.”
8
For George Madosky, who served in the Marine Corps
from 1958 until 1963, it took a little longer to find his true
calling. He had theoretically retired when he “tripped into horticul-
ture” after acquiring some land in Monroe County, Penn., for
the purpose of keeping horses. There was a drought that year
and while weeding he discovered that there were two varieties of
daylilies clinging on for dear life in their midst. “I cleaned it up,
started cultivating and taking care of it and here we are.” He sold
his horses and in 2000 opened a nursery selling 28 varieties of
daylilies as well as hostas and ornamental grasses. “As soon as
I put my hands in the soil, bought myself a tractor and was
working with Mother Earth it was like I’d finally found a home.”
These days Madosky also devotes his time to a veterans
memorial home in Cumberland County where he uses horticulture
“as a form of connection” with elderly and infirm veterans.
“I’m a PTSD candidate so I have a very difficult time being
in a civilian group of people,” he says. “When these men
came back from World War II, Korea or Vietnam they really didn’t
have any mental health services to help them and there was a ma-
jor shame issue around [war-related mental health issues]. Most of them got out and just did the best they
could, put one foot in front of the other. The veterans here have reached a point where they have no place
else to go.” Madosky works in a team of master gardeners who are not certified HTs but are trained to do
community outreach. The veterans, most of whom are in wheelchairs, sit comfortably at raised beds in a
courtyard. “The look on their faces when they see a seed go to a plant is so healing it’s unbelievable,” Ma-
dosky tells me. “Every day that we go there a major spiritual experience takes place.” The veterans grow
herbs, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and cantaloupe, and as the crops ripen they can come out in the evening
and pick and eat whatever they like. “They’re getting nurturing from that, from being part of a full cycle,”
Madosky says.
When I speak to Laura DePrado about the ways in which Matthew and George have organically
discovered their source of healing, she comments that plants do not judge. Furthermore, they offer an
opportunity to rediscover hope. “These two fine men validate and give a depth of meaning to the endless ben-
efits of HT as a movement here in New Jersey,” she says. “This is a canvas in the making and they
are contributing to the painting of this picture.” Madosky’s dream now is to open up his nursery to returning
veterans. “These young guys coming home don’t know what they want to do. A lot of them have
PTSD and can’t get out of bed in the morning. We need to let them know that there is a safe place for them to
come. I can teach them the business part, how to apply for grants, and how to farm without chemi-
cals. This is the ground roots of man, the beginning of life. That seed is still down there in every one
of us. I want to get the young veterans to step in and feel that energy and talk about that stuff once or twice a
week. Before you know it you have a whole team of people on the same track helping each other
and it’s all coming from a seed.”
To find a horticultural therapist in your area or to look into the certification process,
contact the American Horticultural Therapy Association at ahta.org
or the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network at mahtn.org.
For more information on horticultural therapy degree and certificate programs at Rutgers, go to ae-
sop.rutgers.edu/~horttherapy.
Reprinted from HOLIDAY 2013 edible JERSEY pages 60-64
9
“Broken Wings”
Rare Denizens From the Far North
By Larry Lewis
Crunch, crunch, crunch. The brittle snow and ice-hardened ground gave way against my boots (OK,
and the sizeable weight behind them). My feet were cold and ached from the long walk, but it was now
worth it. Because, there it finally was!! My first Snowy Owl – at least, my first around here! What a sight it
was, too – a striking white bird with flecks of black in its plumage. At last I saw it - the largest North Ameri-
can owl (by weight). I had walked across a farmer’s field to see it. Something, I would not (nor should you)
do now – even with the farmer’s permission. Knowing better, as I came to learn, that these birds are stressed
and don’t need close human contact – even if they permit it. In my defense, I was younger then – and with
age, comes wisdom, right (or so they say)?
But, back to my story….where was I? That’s right – “crunch, crunch, crunch.” What was this Snowy
Owl doing – not only just being here, far south of their normal wintering range in Canada and, rarely the
northern-tier states, but looking up and with its talons stretched towards the biting December sky? The rea-
son soon revealed itself. A white blur swished over my head and towards the owl. The Owl had simply
braced itself against being strafed by an even rarer northern winter visitor – a Gyrfalcon (this, a pure white
falcon, the rarest of rare, seen but a few times ever in Pennsylvania – but, you’ll have to be patient – that’s
another topic, for another column). That very same white-morph Gyrfalcon had been a “lifer” (first sighting
in a birder’s lifetime) on an earlier memorable trip to this Lancaster County farmland. Witnessing this inter-
action between these two mega-rarities from the arctic tundra, made this then 24-year-old author’s day – per-
haps the highlight of my birding “career!” It was the winter of 1981-82. A fabled season among we regional
birders.
This is becoming yet another famous winter. Snowy Owls have again entered our region – this time
in unprecedented numbers. I’ve seen pictures with three of them in focus in a single photo. Hundreds have
been reported in Pennsylvania and neighboring states, having shown up as far away as Bermuda! One spent a
few days as close as Chester County Airport, a scant 2 miles as the Snowy Owl flies from my home! My par-
ents even got to come and see it.
Most are this year’s young (birds fledged this past summer) as indicated by more extensive streaking
on their otherwise white plumage. Females tend to be larger and darker than males. Some older males can
be almost pure white. It seems that we are not the only species to grow whiter with age!
These owls’ presence in our area is both good news and bad. Good news, in that they indicate that
they had a remarkably successful breeding-season – raising two or three times the number of young to fledg-
ing, apparently due to plentiful lemmings and ptarmigans (their usual food) in their breeding grounds north of
the Arctic Circle.
Bad news, in that lemmings and ptarmigans are decidedly scarce (non-existent) in our region. With
more owls surviving the breeding season, they are forced to range further to find food and to change to most-
ly rats and other rodents.
Good for we birders in that we get to see them, but harder on the owls. Not only are they mostly
young birds honing their new hunting skills, but many are forced to range further and therefore work harder
to find their share – facing new food sources and new habitat, to boot.
Continued on the next page...
10
Snowy Owls have a penchant for choosing unusual (seemingly, for us) roosting sites, too. Typically, they can
be found in open fields perched on the ground or on a low fence. But they will grace the roofs of houses, parked car
roofs, telephone poles, power-towers, beaches, even high-rises! I’ve seen them in dumps and land-fills, too. And in
large cities, especially the flat, open area around airports. The driving force here is food – the easier to catch and more
plentiful, the better. That is, on the very rare winters when one is around at all. This year, however, the numbers are
historic.
With all the Snowy Owls I’ve seen leading tours all over North America, the thrill of seeing one never dimin-
ishes. This is all part of the reason I enjoy birding so much. You just never know when the next “once in a lifetime”
moment is going to happen! Oh, the thrill of it all!!
About the author….Larry Lewis has been a professional nature tour guide for more than 20 years for places like Long-
wood Gardens, Bucktoe Creek Preserve (where he operates a hawk watch and shorebird watch), and several local
townships and libraries; he is a lecturer, a photographer and an educator. He has also been a Park Ranger and a pub-
lished columnist. In addition to local walks, his company, Early Bird Nature Tours, leads trips all over North America
and beyond. To comment on this article, for questions, or to receive his email newsletter featuring recent bird sight-
ings and info on upcoming walks/trips you may contact him at [email protected]. Larry suffered a TBI in an
automobile accident in May, 2012, leaving him in a coma for 16 days and hospitalized for 2-1/2 months. He is still
recovering while receiving out-patient therapy at BMRH. “Broken Wings” is a column for the MAHTN, Inc. newslet-
ter. To date, with very limited bird walks having being conducted, we have identified 64 species of birds at BMRH.
An immature Snowy Owl is roosting on a neighboring Lancaster County house’s rooftop. What a
beauty! Can you imagine seeing THAT atop your home? Now, that’s living! We too, went and saw
this bird – one of several in the immediate area this winter.
Photographs courtesy of Marian Quinn. For use of these or other nature photographs for nonprofit purpose
please contact her at [email protected]
11
What is mindfulness? Defining it can be tricky, but once you have grasped the concept, we've got 5 ways to practice it and
change your life for the better.
By Starre Vartan, Photo: Starre Vartan
My own definition of mindfulness is
"Being awake in your own life." Other interpre-
tations of the idea, which comes from Buddhist
meditation philosophies (but also some psycho-
logical practices, Taoism and Native American
belief systems), include single words like
awareness and self-reflection. Psychology To-
day explains it as "... a state of active, open at-
tention on the present. When you're mindful,
you observe your thoughts and feelings from a
distance, without judging them good or bad."
Described another way, the Vipassana
Fellowship — which teaches the Buddha's 2,500-year-old meditation technique to reach mindfulness, or sati — states
that mindfulness is not a concept, a belief system, or even a specific idea. As written on the website, "Mindfulness can
be experienced — rather easily — and it can be described, as long as you keep in mind that the words are only fingers
pointing at the moon. They are not the thing itself. The actual experience lies beyond the words and above the sym-
bols. Mindfulness could be described in completely different terms than will be used here, and each description could
still be correct." Mindfulness is either more complicated — or more simple — than our language is capable of de-
scribing.
What's not complicated is that studies (more than 1,000 so far, with plenty more in the works) show that
mindfulness can positively affect your physical health and mental health, can impact your attention, boost your im-
mune system. As Diana Winston, a former Buddhist nun who is the director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA
Mindful Awareness Center, relates in the TEDx video below, mindfulness can have a dramatic effect on difficult-to-
treat diseases.
Keeping all of the above in mind, then, mindfulness is very much what you make of it, and what works for
one person may not for another; basically, there is no "one real way" to achieve mindfulness. But if you practice it, it
can help you deal with what Buddhists call the "monkey mind" — that constant stream of thoughts, feelings, obses-
sions, looking into the future and dwelling in the past that many of us find ourselves locked into day after day. If you
are dealing with anxiety, depression, unhealthy habits and attachments, or constantly difficult relationships, mindful-
ness can help reverse the overwhelming weight of any of those habits on the mind. If you are taking medication for a
mental health issue, you can use mindfulness in tandem with what your doctor has prescribed. So wherever you are in
your mental health journey, it can be of benefit.
What does mindfulness feel like, and how do you know when you've gotten there? For me — and I've been
working on my mindfulness for about 20 years off-and-on — it is most like stepping back a few paces from your usu-
al perspective. In fact, that's the visualization I use most often when I'm feeling upset or angry, frustrated, sad or mel-
ancholy: I imagine a part of myself moving outside myself and looking over my shoulder. Sometimes I use it if I'm
feeling "good" too — when I'm joyful, playful, a little crazy-bouncing-off-the-walls. It's like a check-in with myself. I
"look" at myself feeling whatever it is, and sometimes, I keep going. Crying can be a great release, being angry some-
times is totally appropriate, as is experiencing almost overwhelming joy. All of these are healthy states.
Mindfulness is not about quashing feelings, avoiding them, or pushing them away, but examining them —
from a distance, without judgment. Sometimes I look at my feelings and realize I'm upset about something else, or
realize that I just need to eat (low blood sugar makes me very sad), or exercise, or get a hug from my partner. Overall
it means that when I'm really upset, I feel that way, and when I'm having an emotion based on something else, I can
realize that. That is mindfulness for me, and admittedly, I don't always "remember" to step back: That's where the
practice part of practicing mindfulness comes into play.
Reprinted from Mother Nature Network Dec. 30, 2013 continued on the next page
12
So, how can you practice mindfulness in your life? Meditation: Even if you haven't meditated before, you can get benefit from starting now. Meditation is the
best way to build an understanding of how it can feel to quiet the mind, a main key to mindfulness. If you
need a primer on how to meditate, start here.
Breathe: If you don't have the time or inclination for a full meditation practice, focusing on your breath can
help get you to a more mindful state (though in my experience it's easier to use breath if you have already fa-
miliarized yourself with the concept through meditation). The simplest way to do this is by counting breaths
— I like to do five breaths where I count to five while I breathe in and then breathe out while I count to seven.
When I've gone through the five breaths, which takes about a minute and a half (you can do it while walking,
lying down, or sitting in your office chair), I practice just looking quietly at how I am feeling, without judg-
ment. I sometimes find that I'm more nervous than I realized, or angrier. If so, then I can work on letting that
feeling go.
Savor: It's incredibly easy to travel through life on the surface of things, barely seeing what's around you,
hardly tasting the food and drinks in front of you (I call it skating). One way to become more mindful is to
really focus on whatever it is you are doing. This works especially well with anything that involves the five
senses. Start with you daily coffee or tea, or a piece of fruit. While you consume it, concentrate on only tasting
and smelling it. What flavors do you notice? What are the scents beneath the obvious ones? How does the
drink or fruit feel in your mouth? What is it like to swallow it? When you allow yourself to focus on just one
thing at a time, you are living in the moment and not thinking about the past or the future, which is one of the
keys to mindfulness.
Cultivate flow states: Flow is that feeling you have when you are thoroughly immersed in a project or a
physical activity. Most athletes spend much of their game and practice times in flow, and artists and creative
folks often find themselves there, maybe even forgetting to eat or drink or sleep. It's that feeling where you
look up and have no idea how much time has passed, you are so absorbed in what you are doing. Whatever
gets you there (I find it when I work on creative projects, as well as doing gardening and housework, cycling
and hiking), cultivate that in your life, because flow is just another word for mindfulness. Minimizing distrac-
tions to flow (beeping alerts, buzzing phones and the like), are key to achieving flow. Be aware that you can't
force flow, you can only set the stage for it.
Let go of goals (at least for mindfulness): The whole point of being mindful is being here, now. There is
nothing to achieve, no goal to get to, no end point at which you can check "be mindful" off your list. It is only
an awareness, a practice to cultivate that will help you "achieve" other things, like reduce anxiety, enhance
pleasure, increase compassion, and decrease anger.
13
Why eco-friendly soap is better for your health By Judd Handler
There’s little shortage of scientific proof why you should wash with eco-friendly soap rather
than synthetically produced antibacterial soap, which can be detrimental to both your health and
the environment.
Even those who exclusively clean
with biodegradable soap at home, however,
may at some point be faced with a dilem-
ma: being exposed to potentially conta-
gious germs (think: shaking hands with
someone at a party who just sneezed, or
going to the bathroom in an airport) or
cleaning their hands with, say, antibacteri-
al soap.
Assuming your immune system is strong, if you don’t have access to eco-friendly soap outside your
home, consider risking exposure to some bacteria rather than using non-biodegradable soap, espe-
cially antibacterial varieties, which may:
Weaken your immune system, Decrease fertility, Alter hormones, Cause birth defects
Triclosan found in several products, declared ‘toxic’ by by the EPA: The Orthodon-
tic Cyber Journal reports that triclosan, developed about 30 years ago, is found in many household
products, including popular name-brand soaps. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
registered triclosan, found in anti-microbial and anti-bacterial-marketed soaps, as a pesticide.
Studies, such as one published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have
also proven that triclosan negatively impacts cardiac and skeletal muscle health. Another study in
Toxological Sciences concluded that triclosan impaired thyroid hormones in rats.
No ‘lye-ing’ about it, eco-friendly soap is better for the environment: The EPA,
which has been prodded by several environmental advocacy groups to ban triclosan, has recently
updated its assessment on triclosan, stating on its website that the inorganic compounds
“bioaccumulate, potentially posing a concern for aquatic organisms.”
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Public School of Health concluded in a
study that antibacterial soaps were leaching into municipal wastewater treatment systems, ulti-
mately accumulating as “municipal sludge,” which oozes into crop fertilizers. A common ingredi-
ent in eco-friendly soap [here’s an example of a soap that helps preserves orangutan habitat] is lye.
If you need an environmentally friendly upgrade to your home, also consider castile soaps that are
made exclusively from plant oils and do not contain animal-derived sources, common in most lead-
ing brand-name soaps.
Home-grown eco-friendly soap: If you want to make your own home-made eco-friendly
soap, one way to do so requires just three ingredients: water, oil and lye.
There are also online recipes for shea butter soap and many other varieties of eco-friendly soap.
Just remember to pack some with you next time you’re out and about.
Judd Handler is a health writer in Encinitas, Calif., and can be reached at [email protected].
14
Do It Yourself—Handmade Soap-HT Programming Idea By Heidi Hill and Photo By: A*Kang/Flickr
Homemade soap is a beautiful — and environmentally
friendly alternative to the bar soap purchased at the drugstore or
grocery store. But making soap is a fairly precise process that
involves working with a caustic substance (lye), and if you’ve
never done it before, it can be intimidating. Fear not — there is
another way.
Making hand-milled soap allows you to experiment with
soap making while bypassing many of the more complex steps in
making handmade soap. You don’t have to purchase, or create, a
lot of extra supplies, and you get to repurpose boring old plain
bars of soap that you may already have in your medicine cabinet.
And it tends to have a more natural look than the typical pro-
cessed bar of soap. What’s not to like?
The process of hand milling soap is also known as re-
batching. Often, soap makers will hand mill soap that for some reason has not turned out successfully. But if you don’t
have the time, or the inclination, to make your own soap with lye, you can hand mill store-bought bars of soap. (Note:
Hand-milled soap is also called French milled, or triple-milled, soap. The type of hand-milled soap discussed here is not
ground and reprocessed as commercial French milled soap is, but it is milled in the sense that it is reprocessed.)
Basic supplies for hand-milled soap:
3 bars of plain white unscented soap Stainless steel or glass bowl
Cheese grater Water or coconut milk
Small saucepan Wooden spoon
Additive (essential oil, natural fragrance oil, colloidal oatmeal, jojoba beads, lavender, etc.)
Plastic container or candy molds Baking rack
Instructions for hand-milled soap:
1. Grate the soap. Over a stainless steel or glass bowl, grate the bars of soap so that you have about 2 cups of grated
soap.
2. Melt the soap. Add 1/2 cup of water or coconut milk (which may make for a smoother consistency of soap) to the
flakes in the bowl — just enough liquid to wet the flakes. (If you use too much liquid, you’ll just have to wait longer for
the soap to cure — see step 6.) Place the bowl over a saucepan of water about a third full to create a double boiler. Over
medium-low heat, stir frequently and gently with a wooden spoon so that soap doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl
and you don’t make suds. Stir until the soap liquefies. (If soap appears to be drying out, add water or milk.) It should
appear somewhat lumpy and translucent.
3. Add other ingredients. Remove the soap from the heat and add whatever ingredients you want, blending well. (There
are a number of soap recipes to be found online, or you can add about 20 drops of fragrance.)
4. Spoon soap into molds. You can use either a plastic rectangular container (which will create a block of soap you can
later cut into bars) or candy molds (to create shapes), or any other type of mold you like. You can also use molds of sea-
sonal shapes, such as Christmas trees or stars, for a festive look. Tap the molds gently on the counter to settle the soap
and remove air pockets.
5. Cool the soap. Let the soap sit in the molds for a few minutes and then place in the freezer for up to an hour, to make
it easier to remove from the soap.
6. Cure the soap. This process can take up to three weeks. Set the soaps on a baking rack so that air can get to all sides.
Once hardened, the soaps are ready to be wrapped and given away!
For a decorative touch, wrap the bars in plain white tissue paper or parchment and secure the wrapping with a ribbon or
length of yarn, and attach a handmade tag that indicates what’s in the soap. Reprinted from Mother Nature Network,
Tue, Nov 24 2009
15
Posted: Friday, September 6, 2013 5:30 am http://www.phillyburbs.com
By Freda R. Savana Staff Writer PhillyBurbs.com
To understand horticulture therapy, you need to understand the intrinsic connection between
nature and human beings. It’s long been known that people benefit from engagement with the outdoors,
and, for centuries, educators and others have pressed to use that knowledge to improve people’s quality
of life. It was at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia in 1879 that it’s believed the first horticulture thera-
py program began. There, they built a greenhouse designed exclusively to help the mentally ill.
Today, Delaware Valley College is offering a horticulture therapy certificate program, where stu-
dents can learn how to use gardening and human-plant interaction to enhance social, physical and psy-
chological health. “Horticulture therapy works for ordinary people and those with disabilities,” ex-
plained Mingwang Liu, who along with Nancy Minich, teaches the program.
From school-age children to the ill and the elderly, gardening with a purpose, “strengthens a
good, healthy lifestyle,” said Liu, a DelVal professor with a doctorate in horticulture therapy. “It’s flexi-
ble, it’s not harmful and it’s non-threatening,” added Liu. People can participate passively or actively.
Erin Hamme, 31, recently completed the program and is hoping to put her knowledge to use in a
nursing home environment. “Horticulture is a great way to improve socialization and motor skills,” said
Hamme, who hopes to start her own therapy practice. “Gardening and being close to nature are basic
human needs and wants,” she said. “You can see something living and growing and be proud of your
part in it.”
Continued on the next page
Horticulture Therapy Can Benefit a Wide Array of People –
MAHTN Members in the News...
Dementia Green Care Handbook of Therapeutic Design and Practice. By Chalfont, Garuth and Alex Walker (2013). Mesa, Arizona USA: Safehouse Books.
Three reasons for this Handbook
We are now seeing some very good general guidance about gardens and outdoor spaces
for people with dementia. This handbook takes these environments a step further, being
specifically about therapeutic use of these spaces for beneficial outcomes. Secondly, it
draws insight from research and observations by the authors over a period of time, rather
than relying on information from owners or operators about their own facilities. Thirdly,
this work has a particular emphasis on the environmental needs of people with dementia
and distressed behavior. This term is used instead of ‘challenging behavior’ because a
person becomes a challenge to others once they are distressed in themselves, and we
wanted to keep the focus on the person's experience. Our approach is to address the
causes of distress using nature as a therapeutic tool, rather than trying to manage or change the behavior solely
through care practice indoors.
Intended Audience: This handbook is aimed at managers, owners and operators of care homes, nursing homes
and day care facilities. It will also be helpful to landscape architects, commissioners of services for older people
and all those involved in the provision of dementia care services.
Funding & Support: This Handbook is one output of a design and research project entitled ‘Therapeutic De-
mentia Care’ which was funded by the HIEC (Health, Innovation and Education Cluster) of the NHS in Central
Lancashire, UK. Further funding came from Hica who generously supported Garuth's work on site at the Lodge,
Buckshaw Retirement Village in Chorley. Age Concern Central Lancashire was our partner in the delivery of this
project. Sincere thanks go to our sponsors and partners for their support enabling this work to be carried out. The
residents and service users whose expert knowledge has largely informed this work are living at The Lodge or at
home and attending enhanced dementia day care.
About Dr. Chalfont: Dr Garuth Chalfont, is a leading practitioner in the art and science of healing gardens,
therapeutic spaces, and dementia gardens that incorporate the natural world into the healing process. His design
philosophy promotes activity with meaning and purpose, for rehabilitation and wellbeing, regardless of disability
or impairment.
16
Horticulture Therapy
Can Benefit
a Wide Array of People
Minich, a registered landscape archi-
tect and a horticulture therapist,
said, although horticulture therapy
is not as well-recognized as physical,
occupational or speech therapy in
the medical world, its value is unde-
niable. “It’s very engaging and involves a lot of sensory stimulation,” said Minich.
For seniors, who may be facing physical and mental challenges, horticulture ther-
apy can offer exercise, solace and a sense of well-being, she noted. For those who
may think horticulture therapy is simply gardening, Minich said, it’s much more.
It typically requires goal-setting, said the adjunct professor. And, she added, there
are three distinctive types of therapy. Although social, vocational and physical
horticulture therapies share some qualities, they also have distinct differences,
said Minich. Social is structured to improve personal connections, while physical
focuses more on psychological growth and can be useful in drug and alcohol reha-
bilitation and for stroke patients in hospitals. Vocational horticulture therapy can
be helpful in retirement communities and prisons, where inmates can learn job
skills and “become a meaningful part of the community,” explained Minich.
In whatever form, horticulture therapy intends to take humans’ innate
bond with nature and construct positive ways to enhance it. “Plants, you can con-
trol,” said Liu, “and they respond. You help cultivate another life.”
Freda Savana:215-345-3061; email:[email protected]; Twitter:@fredasavana
‘MOSAICULTURE’ IN MONTREAL
Once every three years, there is an international competition in horticultural sculpture, called
"mosaiculture," in a major city in the world. This year it is Montreal. This is not topiary but ra-
ther creating sculptures out of living plants. The greatest horticulturalists in the world, from 20
different countries, submitted plans a year in advance. Steel armatures were then created to sup-
port the works (some 40 feet high); they were then wrapped in steel mesh and filled with dirt and
moss and watering hoses. Then they ordered 3 million plants of different shades of green and
brown and tan, and these were grown in greenhouses all over Quebec. In late May, these horticul-
turalists came to Montreal and planted all of their plants in the forms at the Montreal Botanic
Gardens. There were 50 major sculptures along a path two miles long. They were incredible. If
you would like to visit a few and walk along the path? click
on:http://myvirtualgarden2.blogspot.com/2013/09/mosaiculture-exhibition.html
Submitted By Sheila Major
17
How to Increase Serotonin Levels Naturally By Jenn Savedge
Beat the winter blues with these tips for boosting serotonin levels without medication.
Photo: Dmitry Elagin/Shutterstock
Seasonal affective disorder got you down?
You are not alone. Health experts estimate that as
many as one-fifth of Americans are affected by the
condition, also known as SAD, each year. In a nut-
shell, SAD is brought on by the shorter days of win-
ter when lower light levels result in lower levels of a
mood-enhancing chemical called serotonin in the
body. While prescriptions do exist to ease symptoms,
there are also lots of changes that you can make to
naturally increase serotonin levels and banish the
winter blues.
The symptoms of SAD may vary from mild sadness to debilitating depression, with every-
thing from low self-esteem, irritability, insomnia, and panic attacks in between. These symptoms
usually ease on their own in the spring, when the days are longer and light levels are higher. But
in the meantime, there are a number of things you can do to feel better. Here are a few natural
ways to increase your serotonin levels:
Get outdoors. It can be hard to talk yourself into going outside when the temps drop and
your warm bed is calling, but even a short walk can significantly increase your light exposure
and consequently, your serotonin levels. Bundle up, and go grab a breath of fresh air.
Let there be light. The shorter daylight hours of winter mean that you are exposed to
less serotonin-producing light each day. Replace this missing light with an indoor light therapy
box. Prices and styles vary, so talk to your health care provider about which model might work
best for you.
Exercise. Exercise might be the last thing on your mind when you are feeling down in
the dumps, but if you can talk yourself into 15 minutes of dancing to the radio, you will likely no-
tice a serotonin boost that will in turn ease your symptoms.
Massage. Research has shown that serotonin levels increase after massage therapy. Re-
searchers don't know if it's the human contact or the actual act of massage that increases seroto-
nin, but the bottom line is that it does and there is no better reason to ask your partner for a
back rub— or splurge on a trip to the spa — than this.
Eat well. Ravenous hunger is a common symptom of SAD and that could make you want
to hit the fridge for pick me ups all day long — but be selective about the foods you eat. You may
be drawn to sweets and simple carbs, such as pasta, bread, and cookies, but these "comfort foods"
will leave you feeling bloated and blah before the day is out. Instead, try to boost your intake of
lean protein and fruits and veggies to give your body the nutrients it needs to produce serotonin.
If fruit and vegetables aren't your thing, talk to your health care provider about natural supple-
ments that you can take — such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, St. John's Wort, or fish oil — to help
alleviate symptoms.
Don't go it alone. The most important thing you can do if you are suffering from SAD is
to reach out to family and friends. Call your college roomie, make a lunch date with family, or
ask your BFF to come over and watch a movie. Sometimes, just knowing that you've got people in
your corner is all your need to improve your mood and pull you out of your sadness.
Reprinted from The Mother Nature Network Tue, Dec 17 2013
18
Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network, Inc., (MAHTN)
January 2014 through December 2014
Membership Form
PLEASE WRITE CLEARLY. Use the back of the form, if additional
space is needed.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________________
Phone number to be listed in directory: (H) ____________ (W) _____________ (C) _____________
Email address to be listed in directory: ______________________________________________
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Registration status, if applicable: HTR ____, HTM ____, HTA ____, Other, ____
Name of Facility or Program: ______________________________________________________
Brief description of your program & population(s) served; to be included in directory. Use back
of form if needed.
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
Please circle the committees you are interested in serving on:
How can the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network better serve you? (Comments)
_______________________________________________________________________________
Membership Categories:
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Organizational (garden club, etc.) [$75.00] _____, Commercial [$75.00] ____, Contributor ____
Please make check payable to: “MAHTN”
Mail to: MAHTN, PO Box 542, Montgomeryville, PA 18936
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