Natural Nutmeg January 2026 by Natural Nutmeg Magazine/Essential Naples Magazine

January/February 2026

EBRATIN

20 YEARS

U B OF LISHIN

Rethinking GLP-1s: Natural Therapy for Smarter Weight Loss Decisions Dr. Dana Lapointe, ND, LMT, CHt, CMWC

It Was Never About the Food Kelly L. McCarthy

Direct Primary Care: A Simpler, Healthier Way Forward Dr. Tracy Cormier, DNP, APRN, ANP-C

Practicing Healthy: Small Shifts That Stick Samantha Norman

Nourishing Presence: Mindful Eating Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN

Beyond Pampering: How Massage and Stretching Support Whole-Body Wellness Scott Chamberlain, LMT

Health

Purpose

Spotlight

Spirituality

+ Your Personal

+ Confidence Is a

+ Mary Gilbertson

+ The Healing Power of

+ Yogic Treatment of

+ Manifest a Life

Wellness Oasis > 20 Anxiety Disorders > 44

Conversation > 22 You Love > 26

Wellness > 12 + Herba Acupuncture > 12

Sound Baths > 16 + 4 Benefits of Intuitive Readings > 32

Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN and Dr. Diane Hayden Invite you to...

E L E VAT E F E AR L E S S LY I N S E D O N A A Soul-Powered Holistic Woman Entrepreneur Retreat

Step Into Your Power. Grow Your Business. Transform Your Life. Join an intimate group of heart-centered, driven female holistic entrepreneurs for a 4-day journey of Health, Wellness & Feminine Leadership Embodiment: Business Clarity & Strategic Growth Alignment & Confidence Activation Renewal in Sedona’s Powerful Vortex Energy

March 17-21, 2026 Sedona, AZ Deanna Cherrone

Presented in collaboration with 10 elite holistic women entrepreneurs

Agnes Daddona

Pamela Cipriano

Lisa Anderson Abriella Reads

Jacqueline Kane

Joy Perugini

Lara O’Neill

Join Us:

Heather Whitehouse

https://bit.ly/elevatefearlessly

Julianne Johnson

Natural Nutmeg 10BEST Reader’s Choice Awards Gala 2025

CONTENTS

January/February 2026

Features

38 Rethinking GLP-1s: Natural Therapy for Smarter Weight Loss Decisions

Departments

20 Turning an Ordinary Room into a Personal Wellness Oasis

LETTER

BUZZ Women, Workshops, and Zumba with Respira Counseling & Wellness NaturaBaby Cottage Bakery in East Hampton AI Massage?! You Read That Right! Women’s Online Meditation Circle New Practice, Novel Approach: Total Care Naturopathic Medicine The Litchfield Wellness Festival Returns June 27, 2026!

SPOTLIGHT

PRACTITIONER PROFILE

50 COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Health 14 Could Mental Health Diagnoses Really Be Lyme Symptoms? By Dr. Pamela M. Cipriano, DNP, ACNP-BC

18 Practicing Healthy: Small Shift s That Stick By Samantha Norman, Director, The Lucky Gut Collective

By Kelly L. McCarthy

By Dr. Dana Lapointe, ND, LMT, CHt, CMWC

By MaryGrace Peak, Founder, Energy and Grace

24 Beyond Pampering: How Massage and Stretching Support Whole-Body Wellness By Scott Chamberlin, LMT

28 Direct Primary Care: A Simpler, Healthier Way Forward By Dr. Tracy Cormier, DNP, APRN, ANP-C

30 Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs: No Longer a Luxury in 2026 By Dr. Lyndsey Maher, ND, MSAc

34 Nourishing Presence: Mindful Eating By Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN

36 Eating for Healthy Breasts: Smart Nutrition Tips for Women with Dense Breast Tissue By April Beaman, RDH, CTT

41 Can You Improve Fertility with the Ketogenic Lifestyle? By Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB

44 Yogic Treatment of Anxiety Disorders By Nanci Kaczegowicz, MSN, APRN, RYT 500

46 The Ionizing Detox Footbath: A Gentle Path to Relaxation and Whole-Body Wellness By Dr. Brian Ruggiero, DC

Purpose 15 Supercharge Your New Year’s Resolution Success with Accelerated Resolution Therapy By Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, MPH

22 Confidence Is a Conversation: Revealing the Confidence You Already Have By Ray Beyor, Confidence Coach

26 How Hypnosis Can Help You Manifest a Life You Love By Katie Cavenagh

48 Rolfer, Heal Thyself By Sharon Sklar BFA, LMT, CAR

Spirituality 16 Ringing in the New Year with Sound: The Healing Power of Singing Bowls and Sound Baths By Haley Proto

32 4 Benefits of Intuitive Readings for Clarity, Confidence, and Emotional Healing to Start the Year in Alignment By Agnes Daddona, Psychic Medium and Angelic Channel

5 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

42 It Was Never About the Food

NATURAL Nutmeg

LETTER NATURAL Nutmeg JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

Hey, I’m Dr. Diane!

“We are celebrating 20 years in publishing this year! I am beyond grateful to you, our readers, and this amazing community for supporting this magazine for two decades.” —Dr. Diane Hayden, PhD

recently read an article about how winter is a time to slow down, rest and regenerate for all things in nature. The author pondered though that for us humans, the New Year signals a time to start new projects and make New Year’s resolutions. Why is it that modern culture pushes us to do this dead smack in the middle of winter—when nature is doing the exact opposite? What if winter were a season not for starting but for pausing . . . listening . . . resting. What would our lives look like if we didn’t feel forced to race out of the gate on January 1? Would we be able to take more time and enjoy our wins from the previous year? With more time to reflect would we make more thoughtful choices and decisions in the new year? I, personally, am going to give it a try this year. Traditionally, I spend the last week of December and first week of January to thoughtfully examine where I am in my life and what I’ve accomplished. This year I’m excited about four major accomplishments: 1. I have completely eliminated my heart palpitations— haven’t had one since last April! 2. We produced our largest 10BEST magazine ever at 84 pages (OMG!) and had our third 10BEST Awards Gala at Farmington Gardens with an amazing awards ceremony, delicious food and drink and a DJ and dancing—we had over 130 people attend dressed in Western Glam attire and it was such a blast! 3. I’m launching a retreat in Sedona in March with eleven amazing female holistic practitioners to help other women entrepreneurs get to the next level in their business. 4. We are celebrating 20 years in publishing this year! I am beyond grateful to you, our readers, and this amazing community for supporting this magazine for two decades. Here are some of the questions I ask myself during my year review, and I hope that you will take some time to as well: What if I only had one year to live? What would I do? What places would I visit? Who would I spend my time with? How many of you have contemplated these questions? I hope that this issue inspires you to chase your dream. After the last few years, I’ve realized—or I should say I’ve been reminded—that life is short. Don’t let fear stop you. Was I afraid to do some of the things I needed to do to accomplish what I listed above—Heck yeah! But I stopped listening to those voices and I focused on one thing—the end result. You’ll be afraid—do it anyway. You’ll say you don’t have time—stop watching TV or scrolling social media. You’ll worry about the money—you’d spend it on something else, trust me. The years will go by whether you chase your dream or you don’t. And at the end, do you really want to be asking yourself, “What if?”

Wishing you health and happiness,

Dr. Diane Hayden, PhD Publisher & Owner, ELM Publishing

Our mission is to provide valuable insight, information, and resources that will allow our readers to maintain a healthy, active, sustainable lifestyle. Natural Nutmeg contains timely information on natural health, complementary and alternative medicine, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle. PUBLISHER/OWNER

Dr. Diane Hayden, PhD

Here’s What’s In Store for Natural Nutmeg!

March/April The Gut & Brain Connection Issue

Diane@naturalnutmeg.com DIR. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/OWNER

Christopher Urso Curso@naturalnutmeg.com

The Lyme & Autoimmune Disease Issue

Lori Hubbard DESIGN DIRECTOR

July/Aug/Sept

Ashley Frament

The Healing Your Body

lori@naturalnutmeg.com

layout@naturalnutmeg.com MARKETING DIRECTOR

with Energy Medicine Issue

Colleen Lee ADVISORY BOARD

Frank Aieta, ND Adam Breiner, ND Mark Breiner, DDS Deanna M. Cherrone, MD DISTRIBUTION

Greater Hartford and surrounding counties, please contact Natural Nutmeg. FFC—Tom Cossuto, Man In Motion, LLC

Oct/Nov The Mental Health & Stress Reduction Issue

December 2027 10BEST/Essential Living Guide

In keeping with our concern for the environment, Essential Naples is proudly printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Natural Nutmeg is a free publication supported solely by our advertisers and distributed throughout Connecticut. Please call for a location near you. (860) 508-0894 or email to publisher@naturalnutmeg.com. © 2007—26 by Natural Nutmeg, LLC. All rights reserved. Parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, with permission. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your feedback.

Contact diane@naturalnutmeg.com to feature your business in Natural Nutmeg!

7 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

colleen@naturalnutmeg.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

May/June

BUZZ NATURAL Nutmeg JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

Women, Workshops, and Zumba with Respira Counseling & Wellness

f you’ve been looking for a little room to breathe, reconnect, and feel like yourself again, Respira Counseling & Wellness is quickly becoming our community’s favorite wellness spot. As a Latina-owned, family-led practice, we’re passionate about helping women heal, find their voice, and rebuild confidence through trauma-informed therapy, intentional movement, and uplifting get-togethers. Here’s what’s on the calendar this season at Respira:

• Women’s Wellness Wednesday. When: First Wednesday of every month, 6–8 p.m. What to expect: A grounded, heart-centered evening where you can connect with others, practice gentle empowerment exercises, and recharge midweek. It’s the perfect chance to share stories, learn simple wellness tools, and just take a breather with other women on a similar journey. • FREE Virtual Zumba on Mondays. When: Every Monday at 6:30 p.m. Why join: We’ll dance, shake off stress, and boost emotional balance—all from the comfort of home. No fancy gear or dance skills needed—bring whatever energy you’ve got (yes, even that sleepy-Monday vibe). • Now Accepting New Therapy Clients. Are you craving a safe space to heal trauma, manage anxiety, strengthen self-esteem, or simply reconnect with your inner wisdom? Our individual therapy sessions are bilingual, culturally grounded, and designed to empower you every step of the way. • Self-Love Workshops. Dive into hands-on experiences that highlight your strengths. Past themes have included confidence-building, tuning into your body, movement meditation, and more, all crafted to help you rediscover and celebrate who you are.

Ready to join our community or find out what’s next? Visit respirawellness.net to see everything we have to offer. We can’t wait to welcome you!

NaturaBaby Cottage Bakery in East Hampton

started baking for my son when he was introduced to solids, mainly because he didn’t enjoy fruit. We had already made the commitment to feed him only organic food, cook from scratch, and avoid harmful ingredients and processed foods as much as possible. That is when NaturaBaby was created—without us even knowing. NaturaBaby, a licensed Cottage Bakery located in East Hampton, is a way for everyone in the household to eat sweets in a healthier way. I pick all organic, basic, and non-processed ingredients and natural sweeteners. That means no added chemicals, dyes, preservatives, or other unnecessary ingredients. Just food, just the way it used to be. In my menu, I include plenty of gluten-free and nondairy options. I am also a social worker and a life coach. NaturaBaby is also a way to educate families to be mindful of how they eat, the reality of the food industry nowadays, and how it is all linked to the population’s poor health. The added chemicals are hidden behind harmlesslooking names. The bleached flours, the refined sugars, the ultra-processed foods, the preservatives, the pesticides, the antibiotics, the harmful oils, the plastics, the GMOs, etc. We need to go back a little and cook more at home, read labels, learn where our food comes from, buy local products, and understand how toxic these new practices are to our own bodies, animals, and crops. It is an investment in our health. I was born in Spain, and I came to the United States 10 years ago. I am a life coach and former social Worker, and I worked more specifically in the field of mental health with a wide spectrum of clients (children, families, adults, homeless, and in residential settings). I own and manage my business and my husband’s business; I homeschool my child, and I run my own homestead. Instagram.com/naturababybakery 8609064650.

Healthcare Designed For You

Your Personal Health Partner, Guiding Your Path to Better Health Call Dr. Cormier to build a personalized wellness plan built around YOU! A 1-year Concierge Primary Care membership includes: An annual physical, Quarterly reviews, Monthly check-in calls, and Direct access to your provider. Call 959-301-9606 to save $750 on your membership today!

AI Massage?! You Read That Right!

Promotion available to Natural Nutmeg Readers through 2/28/2026

TLC Healthcare Solutions • 158 Sullivan Ave Suite 6, South Windsor, CT 959-301-9606 TLC Healthcare Solutions • tlchealthcaresolution.com

• Cooking Classes • Local, Natural Market • Wellness Workshops • Event Space • Nourishing, Prepared Meals, Snacks & Seasonal Drinks

Join our next class!

10 Wilcox St. Simsbury, CT hello@luckygut.co www.luckygut.co

Introducing Total Care Naturopathic Medicine, a whole person health collective. Get accessible & personalized healthcare from the comfort of your home. Visit totalcarenaturopathicmedicine.com to book a consultaion. Clinic of Dave James, ND • New Fairfield, CT 928.326.3487 • totalcarenaruropathicmedicine@gmail.com

Licensed Naturopathic Physician

9 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Learn more here: tinyurl.com/robot-massage Anthony Vidal, Multiunit Franchisee Massage Envy South Windsor, West Farm, and West Hartford See ad on page 3 >

Practice Healthy With Us!

NATURAL Nutmeg

eginning late January 2026, Massage Envy in the West Farm Shopping Center near Nordstrom Rack will become the first location in the Hartford area where clients can experience an AI robotic massage powered by Aescape. When I learned that more than 75% of American adults feel uncomfortable receiving a massage or being touched by someone they don’t know, I had to explore how Aescape’s AI Robotic Massage could remove barriers that keep so many from getting the bodywork they need to feel their best. The experience is fully clothed, using Aescape’s specially designed attire to provide the right amount of glide without oils or lotions. Sessions are offered in 30- or 60-minute formats, with additional time built into the booking for changing into and out of the full-body suit. Pricing matches a traditional massage—with no tipping required. Using the Aescape control panel, clients can instantly adjust pressure and comfort levels throughout the session. Five therapeutic routines address specific concerns, delivered while the client remains face down. Future enhancements aim to incorporate voice-command adjustments and treatment for the front of the body. When Massage Envy invited select franchisees to alpha-test this technology, my partner, Del, and I committed to making it work. We selected a location that could house the equipment and serve an underserved population that often avoids traditional massage. Over the next nine months, we’ll gather feedback and assess whether new clients—especially those hesitant about human touch—embrace this innovative approach. Our mission remains the same: to explore safe, effective, and affordable ways to bring meaningful wellness solutions to the communities we serve.

BUZZ NATURAL Nutmeg JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

New Practice, Novel Approach: Total Care Naturopathic Medicine

r. Dave James, ND, a licensed naturopathic physician, integrative oncology clinician, and nationally recognized endurance athlete whose life and work reflect a deep, unwavering commitment to service, equity, persistence, and whole-person healing, is launching a new practice, PLLC, Total Care Naturopathic Medicine, in New Fairfield. Dr. James is a two-time USATF 100-mile national champion and a three-time Team USA member in mountain and ultra-distance running. Competing at the highest level required extraordinary mental fortitude, body awareness, and discipline—qualities that now form the foundation of his clinical approach. His lived experience with physical extremes allows him to deeply understand pain, fatigue, inflammation, emotional strain, recovery, and the delicate balance between breakdown and healing. This insight is particularly valuable in his work with individuals navigating chronic illness, cancer treatment and survivorship, autoimmune conditions, long COVID, neurological stress, and complex, persistent pain syndromes. In clinical practice, Dr. James specializes in integrative oncology, chronic pain management, immune system support, and complex chronic disease. His treatment approach is both art and science, weaving botanical medicine, personalized clinical nutrition, acupuncture, functional and conventional laboratory analysis, mind-body medicine, and targeted evidence-based supplementation. He is known for meeting patients exactly where they are— physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially—focusing on sustainable, achievable, and meaningful changes rather than perfection or rigid protocols. In alignment with his mission for accessibility, Dr. James is currently contracted exclusively with Connecticut state insurance (Medicaid) as part of his commitment to increasing access to care for underserved and vulnerable populations. All other services are currently offered on a cash-pay basis, with a strategic plan to expand insurance credentialing as the practice transitions from virtual-only to in-person services. This evolving model reflects both real-world limitations and his long-term vision of building an inclusive, truly integrated healthcare environment in Fairfield County, and especially in New Fairfield, where his roots run deep. A staunch advocate for healthcare equity, Dr. James firmly believes that naturopathic medicine should be a right for all Connecticut residents, not a privilege for the few. He actively campaigns for licensure expansion and scope modernization, so that naturopathic physicians can serve patients to the full depth and capacity of their extensive training. His advocacy is born of firsthand experience with patients who have fallen through the cracks of mainstream healthcare and are seeking compassionate, comprehensive, and personalized alternatives. Whether caring for a cancer survivor, advocating at the state and national level, or mentoring the next generation of physicians, Dr. James is driven by a singular mission: to expand access to compassionate, effective, and integrative healthcare rooted in science, nature, and humanity—right here in Connecticut, and beyond. Dr. Dave James is a licensed naturopathic physician. He earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Bridgeport and completed his Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Sonoran University. Drawing on a background in naturopathic and integrative medicine, Dr. James is passionate about blending evidence-based conventional therapies with botanical medicine, nutrition, and mind-body approaches to support patients through all stages of care. Call 928.326.3487, email totalcarenaturopathicmedicine@gmail.com, or visit totalcarenaturopathicmedicine. com to learn more. See ad on page 9 >

Women’s Online Meditation Circle

he Women’s Online Meditation Circle was created for women who feel the call to slow down, restore, and come home to themselves. These classes offer a gentle sanctuary where you can soften, breathe, and rediscover your inner grounding. Beginner and advanced meditators are welcome. Each class weaves together the principles of embodied meditation, somatic practices, and female grounding to help you inhabit yourself with more ease, clarity, and presence. Through guided sensing, subtle awareness, and breath-based practices, you learn to cultivate inner spaciousness, soothe the nervous system, and deepen your connection with your authentic self. We often practice with the cameras off, so you can more easily turn inward. This creates a sense of safety, privacy, and deep inward focus. You are invited to show up exactly as you are—tired, tender, hopeful, or curious—and explore practices that nurture emotional resilience, self-compassion, and inner calm. Over time, these meditations help you live from your core, speak your truth, and feel steadier in your daily life. In addition to the group class, I offer individual sessions for those seeking deeper or more personalized support. These one-onone sessions integrate embodiment, intuitive guidance, and meditative awareness to address your unique needs, whether you’re navigating stress, unhealed trauma, emotional patterns, spiritual growth, or a desire to feel more fully alive in your body. Together, we create a healing space that supports your inner alignment, natural wholeness, and connection to your truest self. Randi Camirand is an intuitive psychotherapy practitioner and meditation teacher. She offers a holistic approach to her clients, blending somatic practices, EMDR, Brainspotting, EFT tapping, hypnotherapy, meditation, and embodiment techniques. Her work gently guides women home to their bodies, their truth, and their inner resilience. Upcoming events are posted on her website, Instagram, and distributed via email.

Join Dr. Diane in... The Litchfield Wellness Festival Returns June 27, 2026! The Second Annual Litchfield Wellness Festival: A Celebration of Health, Wellness, and Community

Learn more and sign up: www.LitchfieldWellnessFestival.com www.LitchfieldWellness.co

Dr. Diane hosts a monthly LIVE Zoom call with a holistic practitioner panel of experts on all things holistic. Wednesday, January 28th, 12pm-1pm Weight Loss & Hormonal Balance

Wednesday, February 25th, 12pm-1pm Treating Cancer Naturally

Friday, March 27th, 12pm-1pm

Brain Health and Dementia Prevention

TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS AND ZOOM LINKS SIGN UP AT: https://bit.ly/NN_conversationswithexperts

11 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

ollowing the incredible success of its debut, the Litchfield Wellness Festival returns on June 27, 2026, bringing together leading wellness businesses and an expected 1,200+ attendees for a full day dedicated to health, vitality, and holistic living. Hosted in the heart of Litchfield at Community Field, this one-of-a-kind event celebrates wellness in all its forms—from yoga, fitness, and nutrition to natural skincare, alternative therapies, energy healing, and preventive care. The festival’s mission is simple yet powerful: to inspire individuals to live healthier, more balanced, and deeply connected lives while supporting local and regional wellness practitioners, makers, and businesses. Attendees can enjoy interactive classes, live demonstrations, inspiring talks, artisanal products, and health-conscious foods, while connecting with a vibrant community of wellness enthusiasts and professionals. The event is free to attend and family-, kid-, and pet-friendly. Vendors—Apply Now for 2026! Vendor registration is officially open! Secure your 2026 spot at the old 2025 rates until January 31, 2025. After that, prices increase by twenty percent. Space is limited, and each wellness category has a capped number of spots to ensure variety and visibility. We welcome vendors in physical and mental health, emotional wellness, movement and fitness, holistic and alternative wellness, healthy living and lifestyle, spas, restaurants, hotels, local farms, food vendors, beauty products and care, and more. Take advantage of this opportunity to connect with new clients, showcase your products, and help promote wellness. Together, we’re making Litchfield County a premier destination for a healthy, mindful, and sustainable lifestyle.

CONVERSATIONS WITH NATURAL NUTMEG EXPERT PRACTITIONERS

NATURAL Nutmeg

THE PATH TO HEALING:

SPOTLIGHT NATURAL Nutmeg JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

Mary Gilbertson, APRN, FNP-BC Mary Gilbertson Wellness

became a holistic practitioner because I’ve always been deeply passionate about getting to the root cause of illness rather than simply managing symptoms. Over the years, I saw too many patients left unheard or pieced together by fragmented care. I knew there had to be a better way, so I created it! My combination of advanced clinical training, extensive diagnostic skill, and a truly personalized approach sets me apart from other practitioners. As both an APRN and a clinical nutritionist with advanced training in functional and age management medicine, I don’t follow a cookie-cutter model—I take time to understand each patient’s story, review comprehensive functional labs, and design a customized roadmap aligned with their goals. One wonderful example of why I love what I do is a patient who came to me exhausted, discouraged, and convinced she would “never feel normal again.” She was struggling with weight, hormones, inflammation, and years of feeling dismissed by the healthcare system. We worked closely together to address her gut health, balance hormones, optimize nutrition, and make sustainable lifestyle changes. Months later, she walked into my office glowing—over twenty pounds lighter and feeling healthy again. She hugged me and said, “You didn’t just give me a plan—you gave me my life back.”

Mary Gilbertson, APRN, FNP-BC Mary Gilbertson Wellness • Trumbull, CT gilbertsonmary@yahoo.com • 203.521.4733

Dr. Sabrina Seeram, Dr. Karolina Zagaja, and Maura Emerick, LAc Herba Acupuncture

ertility struggles and weight-related concerns are deeply personal, and they impact far more than physical health; they influence confidence, emotional well-being, relationships, and how people move through their daily lives. I’m passionate about naturopathic medicine because it enables me to address fertility and weight loss in a way that honors the whole person, allowing me to look beyond symptoms and uncover the root causes that are often overlooked in conventional settings. Fertility and weight loss are among my specialties because I’ve seen how transformative it can be when people finally receive comprehensive, compassionate support. Many patients come to me feeling unheard, frustrated, or stuck. Being able to offer them a truly individualized plan, one that blends evidence-based natural medicine, hormone balancing, metabolic optimization, lifestyle changes, and emotional support. Watching someone’s cycles regulate, their energy return, their confidence grow, or their fertility outcomes improve is something I never take for granted. Becoming a holistic practitioner allows me to practice in alignment with my values. I wanted to create a space where people feel safe, respected, and fully supported, not rushed through appointments or offered one-size-fitsall solutions. I am committed to truly individualized, root cause-focused care that integrates both fertility and weight loss in a way that’s realistic, supportive, and deeply evidence-informed. I don’t offer generic protocols or quick fixes because lasting change, whether it’s improved fertility or sustainable weight loss, depends on understanding each person’s unique physiology, lifestyle, emotional state, and goals. My approach combines naturopathic medicine, functional diagnostic testing, hormone balancing, metabolic optimization, and mind-body support. I spend the time to listen, educate, and make sure every patient understands not just what we’re doing, but why they feel genuinely empowered, not overwhelmed. One of my best memories as a holistic practitioner is when a patient looks at me after sharing their story and tells me they finally feel heard, a story that was repeated countless times to other providers. Moments like that stay with me. They remind me that people seek holistic care not only for solutions, but for connection, understanding, and a place where their concerns aren’t minimized or brushed aside. Whether someone is navigating fertility challenges, struggling with weight, or simply trying to feel better in their own body, the feeling of being genuinely listened to can be just as healing as any treatment plan. As a holistic practitioner, memories like that shape the heart of my practice. They remind me that the work I do isn’t just about protocols or programs; it’s about creating a space where people feel supported, understood, and empowered during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Moments like these are what fuel my passion and reaffirm the purpose behind everything I do. Dr. Sabrina Seeram, Dr. Karolina Zagaja, and Maura Emerick, L.Ac Herba Acupuncture • West Hartford, CT • 860.215.4480 HerbaAcupuncture.com

PRACTITIONER PROFILE

Kelly McCarthy Soul Reader & Energy Guide: Turning a Ripple into a Wave

“It’s time to build something larger than a single room or a single moment. This is about partnering with a community to create a movement of mutual support, healing, and growth, a movement where everyone rises together.” —Kelly McCarthy

Kelly McCarthy • Winsted, CT • 860.806.9684 • kelly@beyondwordsnwisdom.com • beyondwordsnwisdom.com Kelly’s Kitchen Take 2 • 320 Colebrook River Road, Colebrook, CT. 06021 • 860.379.7927 • vkkmarkettake2@gmail.com

13 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

With Bob, the yang to my yin and an extraordinary chef with over 40 years in the kitchen, coupled with my own work in energy, consciousness, and human potential, we realized we could create something far more impactful than anything we could offer alone. We could build not just a business, but a vessel for community healing and expansion. A sustainable hub rooted in nourishment, clarity, connection, and conscious living where homemade foods fuel the body and soothe the soul, where natural remedies and apothecary creations are crafted in-house by Master Herbalist Lisl Huebner, alongside other gifted practitioners, to support balance and wellbeing, and where local farmers and artisans are honored and uplifted. This new space will be a gathering place where conversations elevate consciousness, community becomes the medicine, and magic is remembered every single day. The property in Colebrook feels enchanted, with a rushing river across the street and a gentle stream in the back, where nature embraces the space as if it had always known this was meant to be. In the future, it will host food classes, apothecary workshops, private events, and meaningful conversations that inspire growth, healing, and reconnection, creating a ripple far beyond anything I could generate alone. And though I deeply love and will absolutely continue my one-on-one sessions, which will always remain a core part of my heart and my work, it’s time to expand the ripple. It’s time to build something larger than a single room or a single moment. This is about partnering with a community to create a movement of mutual support, healing, and growth, a movement where everyone rises together. I will still be a destination, but now the destination isn’t only for individuals. It is for all of us, as a reminder of our magic, a place to gather, grow, and come home to ourselves together. This next chapter isn’t just mine, it’s ours. And the ripple we are about to create? It’s going to be extraordinary. The kind that becomes a wave. Stay tuned in January when our vision becomes a reality as we open the doors to the future of what’s truly important—a sustainable community working together to create magic.

NATURAL Nutmeg

or the last five years, I’ve been solely focused on working with individuals one-on-one in the privacy and sanctuary of Klarity Kottage. It has been the most expansive period of my life. A time where I allowed myself to slow down, turn inward, and deeply explore the changes I wanted to create within myself. It was where I rewrote the narratives I had carried for decades, where I learned emotional intelligence, discernment, less judgment of myself and others, and how to cultivate real love for myself. And while the inner work was not always easy, I was blessed with an incredibly supportive environment at home that made the journey possible. During this time, I didn’t fully realize the depth of my own becoming. I had become a hermit, intentionally, dreaming of a life where I was the destination, a space where people came to me, and I no longer needed to venture out unless I chose to. And to my surprise, that vision became my reality. Klarity Kottage became a portal, a haven, a place where profound transformation unfolded daily. But then something shifted. I began to feel the truth of what becomes possible when I step outside of Klarity Kottage. When the work expands beyond individual sessions and into the heart of the community. The ripple effect doesn’t just grow; it magnifies. It becomes exponential. And while stepping onto a stage once seemed like the next logical step, it never felt fully aligned. What I felt called to create wasn’t a moment of inspiration but a movement of transformation. A space where healing, nourishment, and connection are woven into everyday life for everyone who walks through the door, whether they’re spiritually aligned or not yet aware of their own magic. As a former restaurant owner of a community within a community called Kelly’s Kitchen over a decade ago, stepping back into that same environment, no longer aligned with who my husband or I had become, and that’s precisely where the idea of Kelly’s Kitchen Take 2 was born.

Health

Could Mental Health Diagnoses Really Be Lyme Symptoms?

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Dr. Pamela M. Cipriano, DNP, ACNP-BC

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“Co-infections such as Bartonella, Babesiosis, and tick-borne relapsing fever frequently intensify neurological and psychiatric symptoms. When the brain is inflamed, the presentation doesn’t look infectious—it looks psychiatric.” —Dr. Pamela M. Cipriano, DNP, ACNP–BC

udden changes in mental health—new-onset anxiety, panic attacks, depression, hallucinations, personality shifts, or seizures—are often treated as psychiatric disorders. Patients are medicated, sent to therapy, or told their symptoms are stress-related. But for many, these life-altering symptoms are not psychiatric at all—they are manifestations of Lyme disease and co-infections. As a clinician who evaluates tick-borne diseases every day, I have seen many patients misdiagnosed for months or years while their underlying infection progressed. Understanding the connection between neuropsychiatric symptoms and tick-borne diseases is essential not only for accurate diagnosis but also to prevent patients from being dismissed or placed on medications that never address the root cause.

Lyme Disease and the Brain

Although many associate Lyme disease with fatigue, joint pain, and rashes, the nervous system is one of its primary targets. Lyme co-infections can cause inflammation, immune activation, and neurotransmitter disruption, often intensifying neurological and psychiatric symptoms. When the brain is inflamed, the presentation doesn’t look infectious—it looks psychiatric. One of the earliest signs of neurological Lyme can be the sudden new-onset of severe anxiety or panic. Patients often describe a constant sense of dread, paralyzing panic with no trigger, new social anxiety, and feeling “wired but tired”—unable to calm the nervous system. This is not simply psychological distress. It is neuroinflammation affecting the limbic system, autonomic balance, and adrenal function. While medications may offer temporary relief, the anxiety persists until the underlying infection is treated. Tick-borne infections can also mimic serious psychiatric illnesses. Patients—including

children—may develop auditory or visual hallucinations, intrusive thoughts, depersonalization or derealization, dramatic personality shifts, and cognitive decline mistaken for early dementia. Bartonella inflames the brain’s microvasculature, producing symptoms that resemble bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or severe anxiety. Patients are often placed on antipsychotics or mood stabilizers, yet symptoms return when medications are reduced because the psychiatric picture is a manifestation of infection, not a primary psychiatric disease. Lyme and co-infections can also trigger seizure activity, including generalized tonic-clonic and focal seizures, staring spells, tremors, and episodes triggered by light, sound, or overstimulation. Neuroinflammation and autoimmune activation can disrupt the brain’s electrical activity, leading to new-onset seizures. Many patients are placed on anticonvulsants without accurate testing for infectious or inflammatory causes. When seizures appear abruptly in a previously healthy child or adult, tick-borne illness must be part of the differential—especially if standard testing is negative.

Getting to the Root Cause

Patients deserve more than symptom management —they deserve answers. When someone experiences sudden psychiatric changes, unexplained seizures, or debilitating anxiety, Lyme and co-infections must be considered, particularly in endemic areas but increasingly worldwide. Accurate testing through specialty laboratories, paired with informed clinical judgment and integrative treatment, can restore cognitive and emotional health. Most importantly, recognizing the infectious root prevents patients from being misdiagnosed or placed into psychiatric categories that never truly fit. Finding the root cause will heal the mind and body.

Pamela M. Cipriano, DNP, ACNP-BC, is a nurse practitioner specializing in internal medicine, functional medicine, and complex chronic illnesses, including Lyme disease, mold toxicity, and autoimmune disorders. She is the founder of The Practice of Health and Wellness in Thomaston, Connecticut, an ILADS-trained Lyme specialist, national speaker, and award-winning clinician dedicated to educating patients and providers about the hidden manifestations of tick-borne diseases. See ad on page 25 >

Purpose

Supercharge Your New Year’s Resolution Success with Accelerated Resolution Therapy By Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, MPH

hy do some New Year’s resolutions stick while others fall flat within a few days or weeks? Motivation and resistance to change play significant roles in sustaining behavioral change. Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) can help break through those thought barriers. Using imaginal exposure and creative problem-solving to break through negative thoughts that are stumbling blocks to change, just a few sessions of ART can support your efforts at building new habits.

What’s Your Why?

What Is ART?

Entire industries are built around helping people develop a positive mindset to achieve success in any area of life, because mindset is a powerful force—but not all these techniques are equal.

“Shining a light on those resistant parts of yourself and correcting the code in your operating system is necessary to break through resistance and make meaningful change.” —Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, MPH

Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, MPH, a master-trained ART therapist and certified psychedelic-assisted therapy provider, works with accelerated resolution therapy (ART) and ketamine-assisted therapy (KAP) because they work quickly to resolve trauma, treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. With ART and KAP, clients honor spirituality and soul work, expanding on traditional mental health treatment to treat the body, mind, and spirit. Azure Psychotherapy, LLC, West Hartford/ Bloomfield, CT. Visit azure-psychotherapy.com or call 860.233.6914 to learn more. See ad on page 17 >

15 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Having a meaningful personal “why” for your resolution is the most critical driver for success. Many resolutions are based on “shoulds,” such as “I should lose weight” or “I should get more sleep.” If your focus is “should” rather than “why,” your motivation will be low or wane as the challenges increase. When you tap into your deeply held beliefs about why and how this change is essential, your motivation to push through the challenges stays stronger, and you’re more likely to succeed. Resistance to change is a sign that your deeply held beliefs are getting in the way of taking action. Some thoughts may be in your conscious mind, such as “I’ll take a break today and get back to it tomorrow.” Other thoughts may be like faulty code in your operating system, deep in your subconscious, such as “You’ll never be able to achieve your goals.” Shining a light on that resistance and correcting the code in your operating system is necessary to break through resistance and make meaningful change.

ART is an evidence-based practice that quickly and effectively builds a positive, empowered mindset. It combines visualization and bilateral stimulation of the brain through eye movements or alternating vibrations using handheld buzzers. Bilateral stimulation activates the brain, enabling different parts to work together and identify solutions for rapid changes in thought, while also processing physical sensations that affect how you think and feel about various behaviors. This powerful combination results in imaginal exposure that is supercharged by the bilateral stimulation. Few other techniques change mindset so quickly. During an ART session, the client first imagines the challenges they face in following their resolution. They might also identify experiences from earlier parts of their lives that led to negative beliefs and thought patterns. Bilateral stimulation enables memory recall and insights that would not otherwise come to light. Next, the client imagines success with their behavior changes and the rewards of sticking with their resolution. This positive visualization works like a waking dream, and clients can envision themselves using superpowers, magic, and other creative tools and strategies to reduce resistance, build motivation, and achieve positive outcomes. The rest of the session uses various steps to reinforce the positive imagery. Throughout the session, negative physical sensations are processed out, and positive sensations are increased. This process results in increased motivation and the clearing away of resistance. It also clarifies the personal “why.” Most clients leave each session feeling empowered, energized, and well-resourced to follow their goals. If you are serious about following through on your New Year’s resolution this year, call for a free consultation to learn how Accelerated Resolution Therapy can supercharge your success.

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Spirituality

Ringing in the New Year with Sound:

The Healing Power of Singing Bowls and Sound Baths

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

By Haley Proto

“These waves interact with our own internal rhythms, guiding us into slower brainwave states where rest, clarity, and intuition naturally arise.” —Haley Proto

s a new year begins, many of us feel the call to pause and breathe. January often brings a blend of excitement, pressure, and possibility. We look back at what the past year held and forward to what the coming year might become. There is a collective desire for renewal, yet the way we approach that renewal can feel rushed or forceful. Instead of launching into resolutions or self-improvement strategies, there is another, gentler doorway into the year: sound. Singing bowls and sound baths offer a different kind of beginning. They invite us to step into the new year not by doing more, but by becoming more present. The tones of crystal and metal bowls carry frequencies that calm the nervous system, soften the mind, and help us reconnect to a deeper part of ourselves. In a world that is often loud, fast, and demanding, sound healing becomes a sanctuary —a way to reset from the inside out.

The Healing Impact of Sound

Sound affects us long before our thinking brain gets involved. When a bowl is played, its vibration travels through the air and through the body. These waves interact with our own internal rhythms, guiding us into slower brainwave states where rest, clarity, and intuition naturally arise.

It is in these quieter states that we can feel what we truly need, rather than what we think we should need. This makes sound baths especially powerful at the start of a new year, a time when we are encouraged to make big decisions, set ambitious goals, and reinvent ourselves overnight. Sound reminds us that meaningful change doesn’t come from pressure—it emerges gradually, like ripples in water. A sound bath at the beginning of the year becomes a moment of release. The vibrations help loosen what we’ve been holding onto—tension in the body, old emotional weight, outdated stories about who we are supposed to be. Many people describe feeling lighter afterward, as if something heavy has quietly melted away. Before stepping into a new cycle, we need the space to let go of what no longer serves us. Sound creates that space. As the body relaxes, the mind naturally resets. We shift into the parasympathetic nervous system, where healing and restoration occur. From this grounded state, new intentions can arise with more clarity. Instead of resolutions born of pressure or comparison, intentions formed in a sound bath tend to be simpler, truer, and more sustainable. They arise from the heart rather than the mind.

Intentions Become Sensations

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Michal Klau-Stevens LCSW, MPH

17 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Haley Proto is a dedicated and passionate yoga teacher at The Mantra Room. With a profound belief in the harmony between movement and stillness, Haley’s classes seamlessly blend the principles of yin and yang yoga, and her teaching style embodies mindfulness and awareness, guiding students toward holistic wellness. Beyond traditional yoga practices, Haley integrates sound healing. Enroll in Haley’s Sound Bath Facilitation Training on Sat. January 31st, 2026, at The Mantra Room. You don’t have to be a yoga instructor to attend. Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576708816546 and Instagram: @themantraroomct See ad on page 19 >

Book Your Appointment Online Kristina E. Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB

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Some people choose a word or feeling to guide them through the new year—ease, courage, trust, softness, joy. Held within the resonance of the bowls, these intentions become more than thoughts; they become sensations. The vibration helps anchor them into the body, as though the sound itself is carrying them forward. A New Year sound bath also offers a chance to reconnect with stillness. After the rush of the holidays and the heaviness that winter sometimes brings, settling into a quiet, dimly lit room can feel like a homecoming. Wrapped in blankets, supported by props, and surrounded by gentle frequencies, the body remembers how to soften. The mind remembers how to breathe. In this restful state, insight often appears—not through effort, but through spaciousness. The new year marks the threshold between what has been and what is becoming, and a sound bath offers space to acknowledge the past year with compassion before stepping forward. As the tones rise and fall, they gently loosen what no longer needs to be carried, making room for something new to emerge. There is no right way to experience a sound bath. Some people feel waves of emotion; others drift in and out of a dreamlike state. Some feel energy moving through the body; others simply feel calm. Sound meets each person exactly where they are. Beginning the year this way holds a profound message: you are allowed to start gently. You are allowed to enter the new year without urgency, without pressure, and without forcing yourself into immediate transformation. Renewal can happen slowly. Alignment can unfold over time. As the bowls sing and their vibrations ripple outward, they remind us that we do not need to rush into the new year. We only need to listen. In that listening, we find harmony, clarity, and a more grounded way forward—one resonant breath at a time.

Health

Practicing Healthy:

Small Shifts That Stick

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Samantha Norman, Director

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“When you place unrealistic demands on yourself, that stress doesn’t stay in your mind— it lands in your body.” —Samantha Norman

very January seems to arrive with that familiar pressure: Make big resolutions. Change everything. Become a brand-new person overnight. We all know the feeling. You get a burst of motivation, plan out the “new you,” and for a week or two, you’re convinced you can juggle a full overhaul on top of real life. Then work piles up, kids get sick, the weather turns grey, and suddenly that big, shiny plan feels heavy. Before long, the resolution slips to the back burner, and you’re left wondering why you “failed” again. But here’s the truth: you didn’t fail. The approach did. And honestly, the timing did, too. Winter isn’t the season for reinventing your life. This is the season when energy dips, daylight shortens, and your body pulls inward. Expecting yourself to operate at peak transformation mode right after the holidays is unreasonable. But many of us keep trying. At The Lucky Gut, we view new wellness habits as practices that should meet you where you actually are—not where you think you should be, not where social media says you should be, and definitely not where New Year’s resolutions tend to push you.

Why Small Shifts Actually Work

Your body is built with an internal rhythm, and winter’s rhythm is slow. Cozier. More reflective. When you push yourself into drastic routines during a season of natural rest, your nervous system responds with overwhelm, stress, and resistance. That’s not because you’re unmotivated —you’re human! This is why intense resolutions don’t last. They’re not aligned with what your body is ready for. Small, steady shifts work because they respect the season and your real life. They build

confidence. They create consistency. Most importantly, they allow your nervous system to stay calm enough to support change. When something feels doable, your body relaxes. Your digestion steadies. Your mind softens. And that’s when habits finally stick.

Meeting Yourself Where You Are

This time of year, the most supportive habits aren’t flashy ones. They’re gentle ones you can repeat. Small shifts might be: • Taking two minutes to breathe before the chaos of the day starts • Making a simple broth once a week • Trying one new whole-food recipe • Taking a brisk walk a couple of times a week • Reaching out to a friend for a check-in rather than isolating None of these are dramatic changes. But in winter, the small things matter! They build momentum slowly and steadily. They give your body a sense of safety, which is essential for anything sustainable.

Small Shifts Support Your Gut

Your gut and nervous system talk to each other constantly. When you place unrealistic demands on yourself, that stress doesn’t stay in your mind—it lands in your body. Digestion slows. Cravings jump. Sleep suffers. Motivation tanks. On the other hand, gentle shifts—like eating warm foods, taking a light walk, or breathing intentionally—send the opposite signal: you’re safe. When your gut and nervous system calm down, your energy rises, your focus improves, and your habits start to stick naturally. Small shifts may not feel dramatic or exciting at first, but they are biologically more aligned and more sustainable.

One Shift at a Time

Instead of overhauling everything, try asking: “What is one small thing I can practice this week that feels supportive?” Maybe it’s a steadying breath before responding to your kids. Maybe it’s getting morning sunshine after waking. Maybe it’s taking a cooking class at The Lucky Gut to learn one dish to add to your rotation. Maybe it’s choosing whole foods instead of jumping into a strict diet. These choices seem small, but they stack. Before you realize it, you’ve built a foundation of habits that feel natural.

Let Wellness Be Simple—And Supported

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You don’t need to transform yourself this January by chasing a new lifestyle. You need to choose small shifts that support your body in the season you’re in. Start gently. Start simply. Start where you are. When you practice healthy in small, steady ways, you give yourself the kind of wellness that lasts— not just for a few weeks, but for the long run.

Lori and Michelle—the owners behind The Lucky Gut Collective—have spent the past 25 years devoted to child development, wellness, and entrepreneurship. Michelle is a certified clinical herbalist, and Lori brings her expertise as a health coach. Their experience and passion for healthy living grew naturally into a shared vision for a space that supports whole-body wellness for all ages. Directing the LGC today is Sam, an integrative nutrition health coach. The mission is simple: to bring the kitchen back to the community—offering a place where people can learn, cook, eat, shop, heal naturally, and connect. Call 860.318.6050 or visit luckygut.co to learn more. See ad on page 9 >

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This Winter, Choose Ease

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At the LGC, we focus on practicing healthy— not perfecting it. • Our market is stocked with nourishing options (from prepared meals to “cook it yourself” meal boxes and grocery options) to make healthy living easier. • Our teaching kitchen focuses on simple, confidence-building recipes that make whole foods approachable, not overwhelming. • Our workshops bring people together in community, weaving education with support—because long-term wellness doesn’t happen in isolation. Everything we do is meant to help you take small, sustainable steps toward feeling better, without pressure or perfection.

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Health

Turning an Ordinary Room into a Personal Wellness Oasis By MaryGrace Peak, Founder of Energy and Grace

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“Add one or two plants if you can; they bring life, freshness, and a reminder to care for something, especially yourself.” —MaryGrace Peak

hen you picture a wellness center, you might imagine eucalyptus-scented steam, hushed voices, and soft music. But what if your most powerful retreat is not inside a spa? What if it is the spare room at the end of your hallway? Turning an underutilized space into your own wellness retreat is less about expensive equipment and more about intention, comfort, and simple rituals that support your mind and body.

What Is Your Wellness Vision?

First, get clear on what wellness means to you. For some, it is yoga and meditation. For others, it is stretching, journaling, breath work, or simply having a quiet place to sit in stillness. Before you move a single piece of furniture, decide on your intention: relaxation, weight loss, or personal transformation? That clarity becomes your compass, guiding every choice that follows. Next, clear out what you can. Spare rooms often become storage units for mismatched chairs, old boxes, and “I’ll deal with it later” clutter. Wellness arises when the space is clear of chaos. As you empty the room, ask a simple question about each item: “Does this support the kind of life I am trying to build?” If the answer is “no,” donate it, store it, or let it go. Decluttering becomes a ritual, like exhaling one long breath.

Design for the Senses

Once the space is clear, here is where the magic begins! Tap into your senses and imagine what inspires you. A wellness room should feel different from the rest of your home. Start with sight: soft, natural colors tend to relax the mind, like gentle greens or warm neutrals. Good lighting is essential—a mix of natural light and warm lamps can shift the room from energizing in the morning to soothing at night. Add some plants around the space if you can—they bring life, freshness, and a reminder to care for something, especially yourself. Sound is another powerful tool. If you share your home with others, a white noise machine, headphones, or a small speaker can help block out distractions. Curate playlists for different moods: one for stretching, one for journaling, one for deep relaxation. Even a tabletop fountain adds flow and a gentle background hum that calms the nervous system. Next is touch: the textures you include can turn the room from “extra bedroom” into “nurturing cocoon.” A fresh yoga mat, a soft rug, a cozy throw blanket, oversized pillows, and comfy cushions matter more than coordinated décor. This is the place where you sit on the floor without thinking twice, lie down to breathe, or curl up with a book

or a cup of tea. Choose fabrics and materials that allow your body to release the grip of stress and everyday life.

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NAVIGATING THE CANCER JOURNEY CONFIDENTLY WITH NATURAL Nutmeg

Bring in some high-vibe tools for your rituals. If you love movement, keep a few dumbbells, resistance bands, or a foam roller nearby. If you prefer stillness, a meditation cushion, a low chair, or a basket with your journal and favorite pens. Store everything where it is easy to access, instead of hiding in a corner. The most important element, though, is boundaries. When your spare room becomes your healing room, it needs a different kind of reverence. That might mean asking others not to store random items there, or setting “quiet hours” when you use the room so you can use it without interruptions. It can also mean a small arrival ritual: closing the door, putting your phone on silent, lighting a candle, or taking three deliberate breaths. These signals train your brain to associate the room with restoration. Over time, this space becomes more than a room—it becomes a relationship with yourself. On stressful days, you might journey into meditating for a five-minute reset instead of scrolling on your phone. On energized mornings, roll out your mat and move through a few stretches to start the day grounded. Your wellness room does not judge your consistency. It simply waits, quietly, ready whenever you are. In the end, transforming your spare room into a healing oasis is both a design project and a life project. You are not just decorating four walls; you are carving out a place in your home that says, “My well-being matters. My healing comes first.” Every time you step into that room, you step into a version of your life where caring for yourself is part of the structure of your day. That is when a simple spare room becomes something far more powerful: a retreat you can return to at any time.

Purpose Health

Confidence Is a Conversation:

NATURAL Nutmeg

Revealing the Confidence You Already Have

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

By Ray Beyor, Confidence Coach & Creator of RAY Life Coaching

“Your RAS determines what information gets through and what gets ignored. If your subconscious believes, “I’m not enough,” your RAS will filter the world to confirm that belief.” —Ray Beyor

ou can’t build confidence in silence—you reveal it in dialogue. And that dialogue starts inside your own nervous system. We’ve been taught that confidence is something to construct—through posture, poise, or performance. But confidence isn’t built like a muscle; it’s remembered like a truth. It’s the quiet certainty that arises when your mind, body, and intuition finally stop competing and start collaborating.

Why You Don’t Feel Confident (Even When You “Know Better”)

Most of us have been conditioned to admire avoidance. We mistake emotional distance for strength—especially the cool, stoic demeanor often modeled by dismissive-avoidant attachment styles. Society calls it “confidence,” but it’s often a trauma response: detachment dressed as control. Many individuals have learned to revere that calm detachment while doubting their emotional honesty, empathy, and intuition. Yet emotional intelligence is not a weakness. It’s the access point to your source connection—the energy that allows authentic confidence to flow.

Step 1: Understand What Confidence Really Is

Confidence isn’t bravado; it’s congruence. It’s when your actions align with your truth, your words match your needs, and your body trusts your intuition again. From a neuroscience perspective, this alignment begins in the reticular activating system (RAS)—the brain’s filter for relevance. Your RAS

determines what information gets through and what gets ignored. If your subconscious believes “I’m not enough,” your RAS will filter the world to confirm that belief. When you reprogram it with, “I am safe to be seen,” it begins scanning for evidence of that truth instead.

Step 2: Clear the Filter Through the Three E.R.s

Your RAS changes through what I call the E.R. practices: Emotional Regulation, Emotion + Repetition, and Reprogramming. These steps create new neural pathways that allow your body to believe the confidence your mind has been trying to will into existence. • Emotional Regulation: Learn to stay with sensation instead of suppressing it. Regulation doesn’t mean calming down— it means staying present enough to hear what your body is communicating. • Emotion + Repetition: The brain learns safety through frequency, not intensity. Repeating grounded responses retrains the RAS to associate self-expression with safety. • Reprogramming: Every time you name a belief (“I’ll never be enough”) and pair it with a new action (“I showed up anyway”), your nervous system rewires the confidence circuit.

Step 3: Decode What’s Blocking You— the BIAS and BAN Keys

Two of my core tools—the BIAS Key and the BAN Key—help uncover the subconscious patterns shaping your confidence.

• BIAS Key: Body sensations and emotions,

Ingrained beliefs, Automatic actions, Stories you tell yourself. • BAN Key: Body sensations and emotions, Automatic actions, Necessary needs. Together, these reveal what your body believes about safety, worth, and belonging—and what it needs to restore alignment. Once your core needs are met and your beliefs are re-examined, the RAS opens. Confidence begins to reveal itself naturally— not through willpower, but through awareness.

Step 4: Rewrite the Confidence Myth

Confidence isn’t built—it’s revealed. Through daily self-dialogue, embodied awareness, and repeated self-consent, you begin to experience the confidence that’s been there all along. That’s the journey I guide in the free Confidence Coming-Out Course, launching January 2026. Together, participants explore how neuroscience, attachment, and embodiment converge to make confidence not a performance, but a practice. As you step into the new year, remember: confidence isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about unlearning who you were told to be— so your true self can finally come out.

Ray Beyor is the founder of RAY Life Coaching, where they help people remember their authentic selves through embodied neuroscience and consent-based communication. Join the free Confidence Coming-Out Course this January at RAYLifeCoaching.com. See ad on page 29 >

23 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Step 5: Practice the Confidence Coming-Out

NATURAL Nutmeg

Confidence isn’t about withholding attention or pretending not to care—behaviors often idolized as “cool.” True confidence is the courage to stay connected while feeling deeply. It’s not detachment; it’s integration. In Integrated Attachment Theory™ by Thais Gibson of The Personal Development School, secure attachment is the ability to hold your truth and stay open to others. And here’s the truth your RAS needs to hear: • You don’t need to prove your value by over-performing. • You don’t need to earn belonging by over-giving. • You don’t need to mimic stoicism to • be taken seriously. You already are enough. The work is remembering it.

Health

Beyond Pampering:

How Massage and Stretching Support Whole-Body Wellness

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Scott Chamberlain, LMT

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“Ultimately, selfcare isn’t just how you unwind from stress. It’s how you prepare your body and mind to perform better, move more freely, and feel more resilient in the face of daily challenges.” —Scott Chamberlain, LMT

any of us spend hours seated at desks, hunched over screens, or rushing through demanding schedules, and our bodies—and minds—often bear the cost. But self-care doesn’t have to mean indulgence alone. Strategic use of massage and assisted stretching can be powerful tools to support physical health, mobility, stress reduction, and even respiratory wellness.

The Power of Massage: More Than Relaxation

When most people think of massage, they imagine relaxation. But massage therapy offers benefits that stretch far beyond a moment of calm. Regular massage can help relax sore muscles, improve blood flow, and increase flexibility—all of which support recovery from daily tension or physical strain. One often-overlooked advantage: improved flexibility and range of motion. Massage works on muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and joints—helping keep them limber and less prone to injury. For people who sit for long hours or perform repetitive motions, this can make a real difference in posture, mobility, and overall comfort. Massage may also ease chronic issues. Chronic back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek massage; studies have shown that massage can be more effective than some other treatments and may even reduce dependence on pain medication. And it’s not only about muscles—massage therapy benefits other aspects of health. Relaxing and lengthening the muscles involved in respiration can help improve breathing function, which may benefit people dealing with allergies, asthma, sinus issues, or postural-related breathing restriction.

uncomfortable. That’s where assisted stretching can shine. Assisted stretching (sometimes called “total body stretch”) uses guided, hands-on techniques to help safely move your body into deeper stretches than you might achieve on your own. The benefits are substantial: better joint mobility, improved posture, and less muscle tension. For people with sedentary lifestyles—desk workers, frequent travelers, or anyone who sits for long periods —assisted stretching can counteract the stiffness and joint tightness that often build up over time. Additionally, when stretching is combined with massage or other recovery practices, it can support muscle recovery, prevent strain, and help maintain long-term flexibility and freedom of movement.

Deep Tissue Massage: Tuning Into Your Body’s Needs

Not all massage is the same. While gentle, Swedishstyle massage focuses on relaxation, deeper techniques—such as deep tissue massage—can target the inner layers of muscle and connective tissue, providing therapeutic benefits for chronic aches, sports-related tension, or stiff muscles. Deep tissue massage may help reduce pain, improve mobility, and positively influence your nervous system—often leaving you more relaxed mentally as well as physically. It can also complement an active lifestyle: when muscles remain pliable and responsive, flexibility improves, and the risk of workout-related injury decreases. If you try deep tissue massage, it’s worth noting that it can be a bit intense—some soreness or stiffness after a session is normal. But simple aftercare, like staying hydrated and giving your body time to rest, can help extend the benefits and support recovery.

When Stretching Alone Isn’t Enough: Assisted Stretching and Guided Mobility Self-Care as a Lifestyle, Stretching has long been promoted for flexibility, Not an Afterthought posture, and stress relief. But for many, traditional stretching feels ineffective—either too mild or too

What emerges from the Massage Envy self-care philosophy is that massage and stretching aren’t

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With work, travel, and digital demands dominating so much of our modern lives, many people are more sedentary than ever. Chronic sitting, poor posture, and repetitive strain—along with stress, mental fatigue, and lack of movement—contribute to a wide range of health issues: stiff joints, back and neck pain, restricted mobility, and even respiratory problems. Integrative self-care practices like massage, assisted stretching, and mindful movement offer a tangible, evidence-based response—one that helps restore function, ease tension, and build long-term resilience. By viewing self-care as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle—not an occasional indulgence— we make space for healing, prevention, and enhanced well-being. Whether through regular massages, guided stretching sessions, or simple mindful movement at home, the tools are within reach. And sometimes, the simplest act—breathing deeply, loosening tight muscles, or resetting posture—can be the most powerful step toward a healthier, more vibrant life.

Psychic Medium Counselor

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luxuries—they’re strategic tools for maintaining wellness in a demanding, modern life. By tuning in to what our bodies need—whether that’s relief from tension, help with posture, improved mobility, or even better breathing—we make self-care an ongoing commitment rather than a rare treat. Even if you can’t visit a therapist every week, there’s value in making regular movement, stretching, and self-awareness a habit. For example: • Light stretching or foam rolling on days between deeper recovery sessions helps keep muscles loose. • Deep, intentional breathing—similar to what’s encouraged during massage—supports relaxation and respiratory health. • Paying attention to posture, especially if you spend a lot of time seated, reduces stress on muscles and joints over time. Ultimately, self-care isn’t just how you unwind from stress. It’s how you prepare your body and mind to perform better, move more freely, and feel more resilient in the face of daily challenges.

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Purpose

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

How Hypnosis Can Help You Manifest a Life You Love By Katie Cavenagh, Owner, Sacred Cocoon Healing

“Hypnosis helps to clear resistance by working at a deep subconscious level. You can find the source and rewrite the story on the spot.” —Katie Cavenagh

et’s get right to the question: What is hypnosis, really? Hypnosis is a rewriting of the mind’s subconscious programming. It’s something that you do (daily, actually), not something that’s done to you. Hypnosis bypasses the logical mind and works directly with the suggestible subconscious to rewrite old stories and update the belief system. This is why changes can happen so quickly. Hypnosis can reset you at the deepest cellular level, giving you a new blueprint to follow. When the subconscious is on board, it will take on the new suggested beliefs as truth, and a new reality will emerge. Manifesting a life you love requires you to align with the energy of what you desire. When there’s resistance, manifestations don’t come to fruition. Hypnosis can assist in the manifestation process by clearing the blocks and opening the pathway for your success.

Hypnosis Clears Resistance

You can’t manifest if you’re resisting the very thing you want. We often resist without even realizing it. We say things like “I can’t afford it” when attempting to manifest wealth, or “I don’t know how” when we are working through an obstacle. In reality, we have the answers and solutions; we’ve just gotten caught up in the so-called “problems.”

When we’re stuck in resistance mode— deflecting, reacting, and playing the victim— we’re not aligned with what it is we desire to manifest. Hypnosis helps to clear resistance by working at a deep subconscious level. You can find the source and rewrite the story on the spot. That’s how you create a clear pathway for your manifestations. You can hypnotize yourself to work through the resistance and see that the solution is within grasp. Hypnosis helps you shift your perspective on the challenge so you can move forward with clarity and openness.

Rewrite Your Subconscious Story

Hypnosis gets your brain into a theta state where you become highly suggestible. During a session, you’ll discuss your desired outcome beforehand, and your practitioner will relay it back to you while you’re in what’s called a “trance” state. Your subconscious will take on statements that resonate as “true” when you are in this theta brainwave state. You can rewrite your story by reinforcing these statements (repetition and consistency are key to manifestation) and by letting your subconscious accept the new program. As you do this, your cells receive new instructions and begin to rewire themselves to follow a new set of instructions (for more information, see The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton).

Hypnosis is a way to bypass the critical factor of the brain, allowing logic to step out of the way and a new belief to be “installed.”

Hypnotic Meditation Paves the Way

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Katie Cavenagh is a certified hypnotist, sound healer, Rapid Results Coach, writer, psychic oracle reader, and teacher. For over fifteen years, she has been studying energy healing, neuroscience, psychology, hypnosis, self-help, meditation, and personal development to help people live better lives. She helps you get right to the root of the issue to start resolving it on the spot. Create a life you love with a few tweaks to your daily habits. Learn more at sacred-cocoon.com. Text 860.655.5527 or email Katie@FeelYourLight.com to schedule a session in person or online.

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Dr. Joe Dispenza teaches that you have to keep yourself in an elevated emotional state about what you desire to manifest. Meditation plays a major role in keeping your vibe aligned. Because the brain and the body don’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined, you become supercharged, attracting your desires to manifest. Meditation is technically a form of self-hypnosis, as you are relaxing the mind and body and entering a state of altered consciousness. By this, I mean taking yourself out of the beta brain (“monkey mind”) and coming to a state of alpha, where you are relaxed, pensive, and somewhat suggestible. Here, it becomes easy to imagine yourself in your desired outcome and have a visceral experience. Holding on to that energy allows you to open the doorway to your success, as your body and mind are taking on new truths in that moment. Hypnosis helps you change how you respond in everyday situations. Instead of automatically reacting from old patterns—stress, doubt, procrastination, or self-sabotage—you begin to pause and choose a different response. This might look like taking confident action where you once hesitated, speaking up when you normally stay quiet, or following through on goals instead of abandoning them. By regularly accessing the subconscious and reinforcing new beliefs, hypnosis supports lasting behavioral change. Over time, these small shifts compound, creating tangible results that reflect your desired reality. Hypnosis can help you manifest a life you love by freeing you from your limiting beliefs. Rewrite your script, align your energy, and reprogram your subconscious. Create your reality from a place of clarity and personal power, and watch how life unfolds for you.

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Health

Direct Primary Care: A Simpler,

Healthier Way Forward

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By Dr. Tracy Cormier, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, Owner of TLC Healthcare Solutions

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“When clinicians have more time, they can listen more deeply, uncover root causes of symptoms, and build relationships that support better long-term health.” —Dr. Tracy Cormier, DNP, APRN, ANP-C

n the ever-changing landscape of modern healthcare, many patients feel overwhelmed, rushed, and disconnected from the people they trust most—their primary care providers. Insurance complexities, long wait times, and brief visits often leave individuals with unanswered questions and a sense that their health is being managed by a system rather than by a clinician who truly knows them. Direct Primary Care (DPC) is changing that story. As the owner of TLC Healthcare Solutions in South Windsor, Connecticut, I have witnessed firsthand how this innovative model restores the human connection, improves outcomes, and empowers patients to take charge of their wellness. DPC is not a new trend; it is a return to the foundations of medicine: time, accessibility, trust, and individualized care.

What Is Direct Primary Care?

Direct Primary Care is a membership-based model in which patients pay a low monthly fee directly to their primary care provider, eliminating the need for insurance billing for routine care. This fee includes comprehensive primary care services, including sick visits, chronic disease management, annual exams, preventive screenings, medication management, coordination of specialty care, telehealth, and ongoing communication. By removing insurance from the equation, providers can dramatically reduce overhead and administrative burden. More importantly, patients gain access to a high-quality, relationship-driven approach to medicine. In my practice, I limit the number of patients to ensure that I can offer what traditional models often cannot—longer visits, same-day or next-day appointments, and direct access to me through calls, videos, or messages. This means no waiting rooms packed with frustrated patients, no feeling rushed, no taking days off from work, and no corporate bureaucracy standing between you and your health.

Five Benefits of DPC for Patients

The simplicity of DPC leads to life-changing advantages, including: 1. Unhurried, Relationship-Based Care:

In the traditional insurance model, primary care providers often manage panels of two thousand to three thousand patients. In Direct Primary Care, the panel is closer to three hundred to six hundred. This allows visits to last as long as you need, whether twenty minutes or an hour. When clinicians have more time, they can listen more deeply, uncover root causes of symptoms, and build relationships that support better long-term health. 2. Direct Access to Your Provider: DPC patients can call, text, or message their provider directly. For busy families, caregivers, and individuals with chronic conditions, this accessibility is invaluable. Instead of waiting days or weeks for a question to be answered, guidance is available almost immediately. 3. Transparent, Predictable Pricing:

Memberships are structured as flat monthly fees with no copays, surprise bills, or deductibles to navigate. Many DPC practices also offer lower prices on labs, imaging, and medications due to partnerships with local vendors or in-house wholesale options.

4. A Strong Focus on Prevention:

When patients have regular access to their provider and more time during visits, care shifts from reactive to proactive. Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, anxiety, and weight management are addressed earlier and more effectively. At TLC Healthcare Solutions, we focus on holistic wellness—integrating lifestyle, nutrition, sleep quality, cardiovascular risk, and stress management into every care plan.

5. Improved Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction: Studies show that DPC enhances

patient engagement, reduces unnecessary emergency visits, and increases overall satisfaction. Patients feel cared for—and that makes all the difference.

Why Direct Primary Care Matters Now More Than Ever

The TLC Healthcare Solutions Approach

Dr. Tracy Cormier, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, is an Adult Nurse Practitioner and founder of TLC Healthcare Solutions in South Windsor, CT. With over 25 years of experience in cardiology and primary care, she delivers accessible, patient-centered care through Direct Primary Care, specialized cardiac services, and convenient home sleep evaluations. A champion for nursing leadership, Dr. Cormier is committed to empowering patients, improving outcomes, and restoring compassion and clarity to modern healthcare. Visit tlchealthcaresolution.com, email tlc.healthcare.solutions.dnp@gmail.com, or call/ text 860.424.2174. See ad on page 9 >

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At TLC Healthcare Solutions, my mission is simple: to deliver exceptional, relationship-based primary care that prioritizes the whole person. With over 25 years of experience in cardiology, complex chronic care, and sleep medicine, I bring a unique depth of expertise to this model. My practice includes: • Direct Primary Care memberships for adults • Cardiology specialist consultations • Sleep evaluations and home sleep testing • Preventive care, chronic disease management, and wellness coaching • Extended visits, direct access, and a patient panel capped for personalized care DPC is more than a membership; it is a partnership —a commitment to your long-term health, vitality, and peace of mind. If you’re ready to experience healthcare the way it was meant to be—personal, accessible, and focused on YOU—Direct Primary Care may be the perfect fit.

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Healthcare burnout, physician shortages, and increasingly complex insurance requirements have strained traditional practices to the breaking point. Many practitioners feel they are unable to give patients the time and attention they deserve. DPC offers a path forward that honors the clinician-patient relationship. It gives providers the professional autonomy to deliver high-quality, personalized care—while empowering patients to reclaim control over their health journey. For individuals seeking a more connected and compassionate medical experience, DPC is a transformative solution.

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Health

Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs: No Longer a Luxury in 2026 Dr. Lyndsey Maher, ND, MSAc

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

30 “The modern workplace is evolving: hybrid schedules, constant connectivity, and rising healthcare costs have blurred the lines between work and life.” —Dr. Lyndsey Maher, ND, MSAc

id you ever have an employer—or perhaps you were that employer—that brought in quarterly chair massages or yoga instructors for the team? While those were very considerate and thoughtful touches to long, arduous workdays, the reality is that they don’t truly solve the intended problem. Employer-sponsored wellness programs have taken on different shapes and sizes over the years, often labeled “perks” or “luxuries.” But both of those things couldn’t be further from the truth. Now, more than ever, the workplace is the most visited part of our day, often at the expense of our families. If employees are expected to clock in, perform, and produce at a high level without spiraling toward burnout, something must shift, and not in the employees themselves, but in the systems that shape their daily experiences. Large corporations like Johnson & Johnson offer employer-sponsored wellness programs that pay dividends. For every $1 they spent improving the health of their employees, they saved $2.71 in healthcare costs; an ROI of 171%. To be clear, these weren’t the chair massages and yoga classes mentioned earlier—and while those can be components of a program, they’re not THE program.

What Does a Corporate Wellness Program Look Like in 2026?

• It’s educational. Health education isn’t just a

presentation or a pamphlet; it’s an opportunity to equip employees with the knowledge and

tools to take ownership of their wellbeing. Workshops on stress resilience, blood sugar balance, sleep-wake cycles, digestive function, and cardiovascular health have far more impact than momentary perks because they target the physiological and behavioral roots of fatigue and burnout. Education plants seeds that ripple into improved morale, fewer sick days, and a workforce that functions with clarity and purpose. • It’s integrative. Modern wellness programs blend evidence-based medicine with the art of behavioral change. This might mean bringing in naturopathic doctors or functional medicine practitioners who understand how nutrition, hormones, sleep, and mental health intersect. It could include on-site acupuncture, IV nutrient therapy, or guided breathing sessions that address both body and mind. When physical and emotional health are approached together, the results extend well beyond morale; they shape company culture. • It’s data-driven. Gone are the days of guessing what employees “might enjoy.” Leading companies are turning to biometrics, health assessments, and anonymous feedback to tailor initiatives that meet the real needs of their teams. Whether it’s a metabolic reset challenge, personalized lab reviews, or stress-tracking wearables, the goal is simple: create actionable insight that fuels change.

• It’s also human. True wellness programs

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Dr. Lyndsey Maher, ND, MSAc, is a naturopathic physician and founder of Soleil Acupuncture and Naturopathic Wellness in Hamden, CT. With specialties in acupuncture, hormone health, and holistic aesthetics, she combines evidence-based therapies with individualized care to help patients optimize their health from the inside out. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Maher leads The Well Workplace™, a corporate wellness initiative designed to bring integrative health education and preventative strategies into professional settings. She is passionate about empowering individuals and entire organizations to take an active role in their well-being; blending the best of science and natural medicine to create lasting, meaningful change. See ad on page 47 >

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honor the realities of life outside the office. They recognize that performance is influenced by everything from sleep deprivation to family caregiving stress. They make space for conversation, for empathy, and for growth. When employers choose to see their teams as people first, productivity naturally follows. • And finally, it’s sustainable. One-off events are a start, but consistent programming is what drives measurable outcomes. The best models combine quarterly in-person sessions, digital accountability spaces, and leadership engagement. By making a top-down (executives to direct reports) approach a non-negotiable, the ripple effect through morale and retention is profound. Corporate wellness isn’t about fixing people; it’s about fixing the conditions that make people unwell. The modern workplace is evolving: hybrid schedules, constant connectivity, and rising healthcare costs have blurred the lines between work and life. The next generation of workplace well-being must rise to meet that complexity with innovation, compassion, and a systems-level view of health. As we enter 2026, the companies that thrive (both in health and recruitment) will be those that understand wellness not as an expense but as a strategy that protects their greatest asset: their people. The future of work demands that wellness become the rule, not the exception. The question isn’t whether organizations can afford to invest in their employees’ health; it’s whether they can afford not to.

Spirituality

4 Benefits of Intuitive Readings

for Clarity, Confidence, and Emotional Healing to Start the Year in Alignment

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Agnes Daddona, Psychic Medium and Angelic Channel

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“When I connect with your energy and your angels, I receive messages that illuminate your soul path. Whether you are changing careers, healing a relationship, or seeking deeper meaning, the guidance you receive offers clarity and a new sense of direction.” —Agnes Daddona

new year brings fresh energy, new possibilities, and a renewed desire to align with what truly matters. Yet many people begin January feeling overwhelmed, confused, or emotionally drained. The holidays are beautiful, but they can also surface old wounds, unresolved family dynamics, financial stress, and emotional fatigue. This is why the first months of the year are a powerful time to pause, breathe, and realign with your soul’s truth. For over twenty years, I have guided clients around the world through intuitive readings that help them reclaim clarity, confidence, and inner peace, especially at the beginning of the year. An intuitive reading is more than a prediction or a glimpse into the future; it is a sacred conversation with your soul and the Angelic Realm. It reveals what your spirit is trying to tell you and what your heart has been too overwhelmed to hear. As you step into 2026, here are four hidden benefits of intuitive readings that can support you in creating a year filled with purpose, alignment, and healing.

Letting Go of Confusion and Self-Doubt

The new year is full of expectations: new goals, new habits, and new visions. Yet many people feel confused about what they truly want or are afraid to make the “wrong” decision. Intuitive reading helps you cut through the noise. When I connect with your energy and your angels, I receive messages that illuminate your soul path. Whether you are changing careers, healing a relationship, or seeking deeper meaning, the guidance you receive offers clarity and a new sense of direction. Clients often tell me that after a session, the confusion they carried for months suddenly dissolves. With clarity comes confidence, which in turn enables you to make decisions, set boundaries, and step forward with certainty.

Receiving Angelic Guidance for Relationships, Career, and Health

January and February are natural times to reflect on and evaluate your life. Where are you feeling Emotional Detox After the Holidays fulfilled? Where are you longing for change? During a reading, the Angels share loving The holiday season often stirs emotions we do not insights about the areas of your life that need expect: old memories, grief, unresolved tension, or even quiet loneliness. You may walk into January attention, healing, or support: feeling heavy without truly knowing why. • Relationships: Your angels help illuminate In intuitive reading, I tune into your emotional communication patterns, emotional wounds, body, your energy field, and the vibrational patterns and the spiritual agreements you have with you carried from the past year. Together, we others. Whether you are healing a partneridentify what needs to be released so you can start ship, attracting new love, or restoring harmofresh. Many clients describe this experience as an ny, the angelic guidance brings gentle clarity. “emotional reset,” where the weight they have been • Career: Many clients feel called toward a new carrying finally lifts. path but do not know how to begin. The mesWhen you clear emotional residue, you create sages that come through often reveal hidden space for joy, peace, and possibility to enter your life. talents, next steps, or opportunities that your You begin the year open, instead of overwhelmed. mind has not yet recognized.

• Health and well-being: Your body speaks

energetically. I often receive intuitive guidance about the emotional roots of physical stress, burnout, or imbalance. When your energy aligns, your body begins to restore itself. • This type of angelic guidance is not fear-based or forceful; it is loving, supportive, and deeply empowering.

Understanding What Blocks Your New Beginning—and How to Clear It

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A New Year Means a New You

Agnes Daddona, MA, Intuitive Counseling, is one of the best Psychic/ Mediums and healers in New England. The gift of intuition runs in her family for generations. For more than 20 years, Agnes has worked with thousands of people worldwide through Psychic Readings, Mediumship, Channeling Angels, Counseling, Healing, and Teaching in English and Polish. Agnes has transformed many people’s lives to meet their dreams. She continues to solve the most difficult issues when it seems no one else can help. To book your Intuitive Reading, contact Agnes at AgnesDaddona.com, email agnes@IntuitiveCounselingllc.com, or call 860.941.2667. See ad on page 25 >

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Starting the year in alignment is not just a spiritual practice; it is an act of self-love. When you clear your energy, listen to your intuition, and open your heart to guidance, your entire life shifts. You become magnetic to opportunities, connections, and blessings that match your true vibration. If you feel called to begin 2026 with clarity and intention, I invite you to experience an intuitive reading with me. Your angels are ready to guide you, and I am here to help you hear them. Start this year aligned, supported, and connected to your soul’s highest path. You are worth it.

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Every new beginning requires one essential thing: the willingness to release what no longer serves you. But most people do not know what their blocks truly are. In a reading, I will help you identify: • Energetic blocks or emotional patterns • Fear-based beliefs • Old narratives from childhood • Past-life imprints • Energies absorbed from others • Protective habits that now limit you When you understand the roots of your block, healing becomes possible. With angelic support, we clear what is ready to be released so you can step forward lighter, stronger, and more aligned.

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Health

Nourishing Presence: Mindful Eating

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By Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“Our senses are heightened during meal prep, activating the parasympathetic nervous system— the body’s natural rest-anddigest state.” —Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN

ife often demands rushing, multitasking, and eating on the go; we find ourselves disconnected from the ritual, ceremony, and sacredness of nourishing our bodies. Mindful eating invites us to return home— grounding, rooting into our physical human form, engaging our senses, and communing in the relationship we share with food and our natural environment. As a board-certified nurse practitioner, I see mindfulness as one of the most powerful prescriptions for awareness and presence we can offer ourselves. It is both medicine and meditation. When we slow down and become fully present with our meals, we awaken the body’s innate wisdom to digest, absorb, and heal.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating begins before the first bite. It starts in the rhythm of preparation—the mindful selection of a bountiful harvest, washing of vegetables, the aroma of herbs, the beauty of colors on your cutting board. Our senses are heightened during meal prep, activating the parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s natural rest-and-digest state. This shift calms the mind, supports the gut-brain axis, and lays the foundation for optimal digestion. Take time to set the table, dressing it with flatware and dishes, and adding a placemat, perhaps including a candle or a personal memento to honor your ceremonial intention. Once seated at the table, pause. Breathe deeply. Notice the beautiful display your food creates—the way it looks, smells, and feels on the table before you. Coming into stillness in the silence of your heart, offer gratitude and appreciation for the full circle the food has traveled, the organic energy the food carries, and the abundance before you.

Chew each bite slowly—ideally 20 to 30 times— allowing the food to emulsify. This simple act increases the surface area for digestive enzymes, improving nutrient absorption while enhancing satiety. When we chew with intention, hormones signal fullness, helping us recognize when we are truly nourished. Remember to put your fork down and rest your hands while you chew. Enjoy active listening and the conversation around you. After eating, give your body time to integrate. Sit quietly or take a slow, gentle walk. This mindful transition supports blood sugar balance, supports a healthy gut microbiome, and helps the nervous system remain in a state of ease. Over time, this practice can reduce stress, lower inflammation, and even improve mood—reminding us that the gut and brain are in constant conversation. Mindful eating is more than nutrition—it’s a holistic ceremony of connection. It honors the energetic exchange between ourselves, the food, and the natural world. Each meal becomes an opportunity to experience gratitude, presence, and healing through nourishing our heart-mind-body-spirit.

Six Mindful Eating Practices through the ECLIPSE Holistic Living Framework 1. Heart—eat with gratitude. Begin each meal

with a moment of heartfelt appreciation. Offer silent thanks to the plants, animals, farmers, water, sunlight, and all hands and elements that brought this nourishment forward. Let gratitude open your heart, transforming eating from habit into sacred ceremony. 2. Mind—slow down and savor. Bring full awareness to each bite: its color, texture, aroma, and taste. Set aside distractions, no screens, no multitasking. Chew each mouthful 20–30 times, allowing the brain’s satiety signals to align with the body’s nourishment.

3. Body—activate the “rest and digest” response. Before eating, take 3–5 deep belly

breaths to engage the vagus nerve and shift into the parasympathetic nervous system. Sit upright with a relaxed posture to support optimal digestion and circulation. Honor your body’s cues: eat when gently hungry, stop when peacefully satisfied.

4. Soul—infuse your meal with intention.

6. Community—share the table consciously.

When dining with others, bring presence, kindness, and authentic conversation. Listen deeply, laugh freely, and recognize eating as a shared ritual of belonging. Food becomes medicine not only for the individual but for the collective heart of the community.

Mindful Eating Affirmations

Melissa Wooldridge Breton, APRN, FNP-BC, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, MSN, RN, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, advanced holistic nurse, functional medicine nurse consultant, integrative health and wellness nurse coach, yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and sound emissary. Her approach at her practice, ECLIPSE Holistic Living in Glastonbury, models whole-person-centered care, attending to your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of what health, wellness, and healing mean for you. Visit ECLIPSEholisiticliving.com or call 860.614.7588 to learn more. See ad on page 31 >

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• May every meal become a moment of mindful communion with self, with others, and with the living Earth • With an open heart, I give thanks to the land that nurtured this food, to the farmers whose hands tended it, to the Sun and Moon whose light sustained it, and to Mother Earth who provides with abundance and grace. May this meal restore balance, nourish my being, and fill me with peace. I eat with awareness, reverence, and gratitude. To learn more and to schedule your personal discovery session, contact me directly!

BREAST THERMOGRAPHY NATURAL Nutmeg

Approach food as energy, vibration, and medicine for the soul. Bless your meal as a sacred exchange of life-force energy. Allow eating to become a meditation, each bite a reminder of connection to Source and self. 5. Habitat—create an environment of calm. Set your eating space with beauty and intention, soft lighting, gentle music, perhaps a flower or crystal. Eat in harmony with natural rhythms: daylight hours, seasonal foods, and local harvests. A mindful setting reminds the nervous system that it is safe to receive nourishment.

Health

Eating for Healthy Breasts:

Smart Nutrition Tips for Women with Dense Breast Tissue

NATURAL Nutmeg

By April Beaman, RDH, CTT

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

“By prioritizing antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory, and fiber-packed foods while being mindful of those that may exacerbate density, women can nurture their breast tissue naturally and stay informed through tools like thermography.” —April Beaman, RDH, CTT

hen it comes to breast health, what you eat can make a bigger difference than you might think. This is especially true for women with dense breasts—a common condition where breast tissue contains more fibrous and glandular material than fat. Dense breasts are normal, but they can make mammograms more difficult to interpret and are linked to a slightly higher risk for breast issues. While genetics and age play a role, nutrition and lifestyle offer powerful ways to support breast health naturally.

Power Foods for Dense Breasts

Certain foods may help maintain healthy breast tissue, regulate hormones, and reduce inflammation: • Colorful fruits and veggies: Berries, leafy greens, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts are packed with antioxidants and compounds that help the body metabolize estrogen. Regularly filling half your plate with vibrant produce is a simple way to support breast health. • Healthy fats: Omega-3s from salmon, sardines, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are anti-inflammatory, while monounsaturated fats from olive oil, avocado, and nuts support hormone balance. Including these fats in meals can help keep breast tissues supple and healthy. • Fiber-rich foods: Whole grains, legumes, and vegetables aid in hormone regulation by helping the body process and remove excess estrogen. A high-fiber diet isn’t just good for digestion; it may also benefit breast tissue. • Fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut promote gut health, which in turn supports hormone balance. The gut plays a surprisingly important role in estrogen metabolism, making probiotics a subtle yet helpful ally.

• Herbs and spices: Turmeric, ginger, rosemary,

and thyme are more than flavor boosters; they’re anti-inflammatory powerhouses. Adding them to meals regularly may provide gentle, cumulative support for breast tissue.

Think Outside the Plate

Beyond traditional nutrition advice, there are some creative ways to care for dense breasts through diet: • Sea vegetables: Seaweed, kelp, and nori are rich in iodine, supporting thyroid health and hormonal balance, which can influence breast tissue. • Nitric-oxide-rich vegetables: Beets, arugula, and spinach help improve circulation, ensuring nutrients reach breast tissue efficiently. • Teatime: Green tea, rooibos, and red clover teas contain antioxidants and plant compounds that gently support healthy estrogen levels. Sipping a cup a day is a simple, soothing ritual with many potential benefits.

Approach with Caution

Just as some foods can help, others may contribute to inflammation or hormonal imbalance, potentially influencing dense breast tissue: • Refined sugars and processed foods:

Candy, pastries, soda, and fried foods can promote inflammation and disrupt hormone balance. • Excess alcohol: Even moderate alcohol intake can affect estrogen levels, so limiting wine or cocktails can be beneficial. • High-fat and processed meats: Bacon, sausages, and red meats in excess may contribute to inflammation. Lean proteins, fish, legumes, and plant-based options are gentler on the body.

Putting It All Together

Supporting dense breast tissue doesn’t require a complete diet overhaul. Simple swaps and small daily habits can make a meaningful difference: • Start your day with oats topped with berries and flaxseeds. • Add a side salad with arugula, pumpkin seeds, and a turmeric-ginger dressing at lunch. • Snack on nuts, yogurt, or a small piece of dark chocolate. • Enjoy a dinner of baked salmon or lentil stew with roasted cruciferous vegetables and a beet salad. • Swap sugary drinks for water or herbal teas and aim to move your body daily to support circulation and hormone health.

JOYCE ST. GERMAINE, M.ED, C.HT, RYT-200

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Breast Thermography: Adding an Extra Layer

NATURAL Nutmeg

Nutrition is only one part of breast wellness. For women with dense breasts, routine monitoring can be crucial. Breast thermography is a noninvasive, radiation-free imaging tool that detects subtle changes in breast physiology and blood flow. Unlike traditional mammography, thermography isn’t affected by dense breast tissue, making it an excellent complement to other imaging. Thermography provides more information, empowering women to stay informed about changes in their breasts and take a proactive approach to breast health.

Nutrition, lifestyle, and regular monitoring work best together. Exercise, stress management, adequate sleep, and mindful screening practices complement dietary strategies. By prioritizing antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory, and fiberpacked foods while being mindful of those that may exacerbate density, women can nurture their breast tissue naturally and stay informed through tools like thermography. The takeaway? Supporting breast health is about balance, variety, and awareness. These habits don’t just support dense breasts; they contribute to overall vitality, confidence, and long-term wellness.

April Beaman, RDH, CTT, is a certified medical thermographer with the Professional Academy of Clinical Thermology and a professional member of Breast Thermography International. Beaman has worked in the wellness industry for over 15 years and provides medical thermal imaging for both women and men. She is the founder of CT Thermography located in Farmington, with satellite offices throughout CT and MA. Connect at 860.415.1150 or CTThermography.com. See ad on page 35 >

2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

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Feature

Rethinking GLP-1s:

NATURAL Nutmeg

Natural Therapy for Smarter Weight Loss Decisions

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

By Dr. Dana Lapointe, ND, LMT, CHt, CMWC

anuary brings renewed commitment to health goals, and for many, that means finally addressing weight that’s been impacting energy, metabolic health, or joint function. But as GLP-1 medications become more accessible and heavily marketed, the question isn’t just “should I lose weight?” but “how should I do it safely?” In this issue last year, I made a strong case for avoiding GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss, advocating instead for natural approaches to enhance your body’s own GLP-1 production (“Semaglutides Are Not the Answer: Natural Alternatives to Simpler Weight Loss” Natural Nutmeg, Jan/Feb 2025 issue). My position hasn’t fundamentally changed— I still believe the best outcomes for weight loss come from addressing root causes, and working with the body’s natural mechanisms, rather than pharmaceutical shortcuts.

But here’s what has changed: the landscape— both within my practice and in the wider weightloss conversation. Across my years as an ND, I’ve helped countless patients lose weight naturally, balance blood sugar, reverse diabetes, and utilize functional medicine combined with advanced bodywork techniques for pain management and healing. Having recently brought StemWave technology to my practice for joint pain relief and enhanced joint rehabilitation, I’m now seeing an influx of people reporting that GLP-1s were recommended as a route to expedited weight loss—whether for metabolic optimization or before joint surgeries. I’ve realized that simply saying “no” isn’t serving them. With recent price reductions making GLP-1s more accessible, these medications are becoming unavoidable in the conversation. Many orthopedic surgeons now routinely refer overweight patients

to their PCPs for GLP-1 therapy as a preoperative management strategy, viewing these drugs as important tools to reduce pain, improve mobility, and optimize surgical outcomes.

The Joint Pain Weight Loss Trap

The Missing Piece: Individualized Risk Assessment

The Comprehensive Approach

When patients come to me exploring GLP-1s, we start with thorough functional testing to understand their unique metabolic picture. From there, we design truly personalized interventions. This includes optimizing thyroid and adrenal function, addressing gut health and inflammation, supporting detoxification pathways, and designing the ideal diet for your specific needs. We add targeted supplementation to accelerate outcomes and mitigate risks. For patients with joint pain driving the weight loss urgency, StemWave therapy often provides the missing link. This advanced acoustic wave technology reduces pain and promotes tissue healing, sometimes preventing surgery altogether or providing pain relief that allows time for healthy weight loss before an inevitable procedure. Many patients find that addressing joint pain with StemWave, combined with comprehensive metabolic support, eliminates the perceived “need” for GLP-1s entirely. Others use StemWave alongside weight loss efforts—with or without GLP-1s— to maintain mobility and comfort throughout their journey. And for those who do require joint replacement, StemWave accelerates proper healing post-surgically.

StemWave Therapy: An Overview

StemWave Therapy is a noninvasive treatment using focused sound (acoustic) waves to stimulate the body’s natural healing by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair in injured areas, effectively treating

“A free-thinking ND can offer something conventional medicine does not: the functional testing and naturopathic expertise to help you understand whether your body is metabolically ready for these powerful drugs, and comprehensive support to optimize your weight loss outcomes.” —Dr. Dana Lapointe, ND

39 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Here’s what frustrates me about conventional medicine’s approach to GLP-1s: everyone gets the same treatment regardless of their individual metabolic readiness. No one is asking whether your specific body is equipped to handle these medications safely. But creative naturopathic thinking changes everything. Through comprehensive functional testing, a maverick naturopath can forecast how your body will respond to GLP-1 therapy before you ever take the first dose. A free-thinking ND can offer something conventional medicine does not: the functional testing and naturopathic expertise to help you understand whether your body is metabolically ready for these powerful drugs, and comprehensive support to optimize your weight loss outcomes, whichever path you choose. Yes, this kind of testing will cost a bit of cash, and no, it won’t be considered “medically necessary” by inside-the-box insurance companies using algorithmic thinking; however, when considering the ramifications of these interventions, the insights gained go well beyond price. Specifically, I look at gut barrier integrity, microbiome balance, inflammatory status, detoxification efficiency, mitochondrial function, and neurochemical readiness. Such testing, interpreted through the lens of GLP-1 physiology, reveals whether you’re likely to be a strong responder, moderate responder, or poor responder to GLP-1 medications. More importantly, it identifies who is at the highest risk of serious complications.

The serious risks of GLP-1s aren’t just theoretical— they include gallstones, vision changes, gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), severe dehydration, dangerous hypoglycemia, pancreatitis, and bowel obstruction. These are medical emergencies, not just inconveniences. Testing can identify patients most likely to experience these severe complications, lending insight toward choosing a different, safer path to weight loss. For those who test as decent candidates, an ND should be able to predict and help prepare for common side effects: nausea, vomiting, muscle loss from protein utilization instead of fat burning, and nutrient deficiencies from appetite suppression. And for patients in the middle? This is where naturopathic medicine truly shines. We can implement interventions to optimize metabolism, either helping you lose weight safely without GLP-1 agonists or preparing your body to better tolerate them if that’s your chosen path.

NATURAL Nutmeg

The scenario plays out repeatedly in my practice: Someone develops significant knee or hip pain. Their orthopedic surgeon recommends joint replacement but tells them to lose weight first. When they ask their surgeon how to lose weight when exercise is agonizing, they’re handed a prescription for a GLP-1 agonist. It’s a catch-22 that leaves patients feeling they have no choice. The old “calories in, calories out” approach requires physical activity that joint pain makes nearly impossible. So they turn to GLP-1s, often without understanding whether their body can handle these powerful medications or what risks they’re taking on.

Understanding Your Risk Profile

conditions like tendonitis, arthritis, and chronic musculoskeletal pain without surgery or drugs. It works by delivering mechanical energy deep into damaged tissues, triggering cellular responses, breaking down scar tissue, and encouraging collagen production for long-term recovery. Although StemWave therapy isn’t a direct weight loss treatment, it supports weight loss by reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and stimulating tissue repair, which boosts metabolism and hormonal balance, potentially making weight loss easier, especially with accompanying diet/exercise.

NATURAL Nutmeg

Making Informed Decisions

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

As GLP-1s become more accessible and widely used, the question isn’t whether people will take them—it’s whether they’ll have the information and support needed to do so safely. It is this practitioner’s opinion that too many people are naively, casually, or even flippantly hopping on GLP-1s without understanding their personal risks. GLP-1 appropriateness is an individual, multifactorial decision that should only be made with complete information about your individual risk profile. The difference between my approach and simply filling a prescription is the difference between hoping for the best and knowing what to expect. It’s the difference between managing side effects as they emerge and preventing them before they start. It’s the difference between medication alone and comprehensive metabolic optimization. If you’re considering GLP-1 medications— whether for general weight loss, metabolic conditions like diabetes or thyroid dysfunction, or preparation for joint surgery—functional testing can reveal whether you’re a good candidate and optimize outcomes while minimizing risks. Don’t make this decision without understanding your individual metabolic readiness. Dr Dana Lapointe, ND, is a passionate advocate for innovative, noninvasive treatments and has been at the forefront of bringing StemWave therapy to her community. She specializes in lifestyle medicine for chronic conditions and mental wellness coaching for those seeking alternatives to pharmaceutical mental health interventions. Practicing in CT since 2010, she offers in-office and virtual 1:1 appointments, low-cost and premium memberships, and focused programs, including Weight Optimization, Seasonal Detox, and Age Revitalization. Call or text 860.217.1171 or visit SustainableHW.com. See ad on page 35 >

Health

Can You Improve Fertility with the Ketogenic Lifestyle? By Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic and hormone disorder (primarily estrogen dominant) and a leading cause of infertility in women. According to Rashmi Kudesia, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist, “Using a ketogenic diet to improve body weight can definitely help women who do not ovulate—release an egg— regularly, including those with polycystic ovarian syndrome.” A poor diet and being overweight can also affect men’s fertility. According to Dr. Will Cole, “The standard American diet, filled with refined carbohydrates and sugar, has been associated with poor sperm health, negatively impacting sperm motility, morphology, and shape count. Conversely, diets rich in healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, and omega fatty-acid-rich fish, have been shown to improve sperm health.”

How Keto Can Help

Dr. Robert Kiltz, MD, board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility and founder and director of CNY Fertility, advises that a well-formulated, high-quality, high-fat, animal-based ketogenic diet is ideal. The consumed micronutrients (highly absorbable iron, zinc, B vitamins, and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K) support ovulation, sperm quality, and uterine lining health. This ensures

A Fertility-Friendly Diet?

Dr. Kiltz suggests that an ideal fertility-friendly diet is void of highly processed vegetable seed oils (corn, canola, soybean, and cottonseed oils) and includes high-quality saturated fats that have nourished people for generations: fatty cuts of beef (look for hormone-free), grass-fed butter and ghee, pastured eggs, avocados and olives, coconut oil, and fatty fish (salmon and sardines). Incorporating these foods into your diet will provide your body with the necessary raw materials it needs to create a healthy hormonal environment that supports conception and a healthy pregnancy. Of course, it is important to discuss any changes to your diet and any health concerns with your physician, as this way of eating may not be suitable for everyone. Kristina Mozzicato is a Board Certified, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Hypnotist, and owner of Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness in Farmington, CT. She has been a 10BEST Massage Therapy/ Bodywork Winner for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 in Natural Nutmeg Magazine’s Readers’ Poll.

See ad on page 17 >

“Inflammation is not only responsible for many health concerns but also reduces fertility. The ketogenic way of eating reduces insulin levels and can better regulate reproductive hormone levels.” —Kristina Mozzicato, LMT, BCTMB

41 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

What Can Cause Fertility Problems?

adequate antioxidants and phytonutrients that protect reproductive cells from oxidative stress. Insulin resistance can disrupt the hormonal process necessary for normal ovulation. However, by dramatically reducing carbohydrate intake, the ketogenic approach minimizes blood sugar spikes and excessive insulin release. This stabilization promotes more consistent follicle development in women and supports healthy testosterone regulation in men—both critical for conception. The body produces these hormones (estrogen, progesterone, LH, FSH, and testosterone) from cholesterol, which is synthesized from fatty acids, including saturated fat. Without enough of these essential building blocks, the body cannot produce the hormones needed to support healthy conception. The stable energy supply from fats and proteins in the ketogenic and carnivore lifestyles prevents the hormonal fluctuations associated with high carbohydrate consumption.

NATURAL Nutmeg

nstead of seeking out mainstream infertility treatments, many people are now opting to make healthy lifestyle changes: quitting smoking, getting adequate sleep, managing stress, maintaining a healthy weight, and changing their diet. A ketogenic (“keto”) diet is typically high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates (usually 20 grams or less per day). It puts your body into a natural metabolic state called ketosis. This way of eating usually includes meats, fish, seafood, vegetables, and low-sugar fruits. Dramatically reducing your carbohydrate intake forces your body to become highly efficient at burning fat for energy. The keto diet is known for enhancing weight loss, but a greater benefit is reducing inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation is not only responsible for many health concerns but also reduces fertility. The ketogenic way of eating reduces insulin levels and can better regulate reproductive hormone levels.

Feature

NATURAL Nutmeg

It Was Never About the Food

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

By Kelly L. McCarthy

“But the truth was that every bite I took had an emotional story behind it. If I ate, I feared weight gain. If I didn’t eat, I feared a different outcome.” —Kelly L. McCarthy

hat if food wasn’t the real issue when it comes to losing weight? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: everything is energy. When we focus on what isn’t working in our lives, we create an energy of resistance that blocks the flow. But when we shift our attention to what is working, the resistance softens naturally, allowing meaningful change to unfold in a way that feels supportive rather than stressful. Food, just like everything else, is energy. Yet so many of us were raised to believe certain foods are good and others are bad.

Emotional Ties to Food

We use food to soothe emotions, fill voids, to celebrate, to numb, or to comfort. We label some foods as “comfort foods,” which implies they should be enjoyed only occasionally, and by placing limitations and judgments on food, we unknowingly create a constant internal battle. That battle sounds like: “Should I eat this? Can I eat this?” Diets and fads never worked for me because I tried to change my body before changing my beliefs. My challenges had nothing to do with the food itself. It was always the emotional meaning I had attached to food that created the reality I saw on the scale. My husband, a chef, is the complete opposite. He’s naturally thin, and unlike the old joke about not trusting a skinny chef, the truth is he simply has no emotional entanglement with food. He doesn’t place moral value on it. He sees food as enjoyable, nourishing energy that fuels his body and continues to eat whatever he wants whenever

he wants with no consequences. His belief has always been that it’s just food, and because of that, he remains healthy and happy. Meanwhile, I had been emotionally attached to food since childhood, shaped by TV, society, and the world around me to see food as comfort and use it to soothe emotions I didn’t know how to navigate. Anytime something felt uncomfortable, I used food, especially sweets and carbs, to temporarily shift the feeling. For years, I blamed my relationship with food on my busy life in the restaurant industry to avoid taking personal responsibility for my own thoughts and feelings. Honestly, back then, I didn’t know any better. But the truth was that every bite I took had an emotional story behind it. If I ate, I feared weight gain. If I didn’t eat, I feared a different outcome. My nervous system had learned to treat food as a gauge of safety and self-worth. I had fallen into the trap of unconscious programming.

You Control the Food—and the Feelings

Now, everything is different. I still have moments of challenge, but instead of obsessing over a scale, I pay attention to how I feel before, during, and after eating. It took years to build this old conditioning, and naturally, it will take time to unlearn it. I’m not out here to blame anyone or anything outside myself for my unconsciousness; that’s literally the human experience, but what I have fully accepted is this: I cannot hate myself into change. I can only love myself into alignment. When I began the slow process of doing just that, not the version I thought I “should” be, but the version I am, I finally started

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Kelly L. McCarthy, owner of BeyondWordsNWisdom in Winsted, CT, is a SoulReader, Energy Guide, and Intuitive Graphic Artist. She unlocks stagnant energies, reflecting others’ true selves. Her ancestral wisdom and intuitive skills expand your awareness, opening your heart and mind to life’s possibilities, personally and professionally. Kelly offers in-person and remote opportunities to work together. Visit www.beyondwordsnwisdom.com, email Kelly at kelly@beyondwordsnwisdom.com, or call/text 860.806.9684. See ad on page 23 >

Darlene Pierpont, Reiki Master

NATURAL Nutmeg

to heal. And even though old patterns still arise occasionally, my understanding of food as energy makes it much easier to enjoy all foods without guilt or fear. The more I focus on feeling good and genuinely savoring each bite, the more I watch my body naturally release what it no longer needs in a way that feels actually sustainable, unlike every diet, fad, and program out there. When we begin to see our relationship with food not as a battle to be won but as a conversation to be listened to, everything shifts. The body is always communicating, and cravings, resistance, or plateaus are not signs of failure—they are signals asking for attention and compassion. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” the question becomes, “What is my body asking for right now?” Sometimes the answer is nourishment, sometimes rest, sometimes emotional honesty. When we respond with curiosity rather than control, the body no longer needs to hold on so tightly. Safety, not restriction, is what allows true release. This is where real freedom lives—not in rigid rules or perfect discipline, but in trust. Trusting that the body knows how to regulate itself when it no longer feels judged or threatened. Trusting that pleasure and health are not opposites, but partners. As the fear around food dissolves, so does the urgency to use it as an emotional shield. What remains is a relationship with food—and with yourself—that feels grounded, intuitive, and sustainable. And from that place, weight loss is no longer something you chase; it becomes a natural byproduct of alignment. Your mind is the most powerful muscle you have. It can heal every single part of you, but only if the belief is there. If you continue to live in fear, guilt, shame, confusion, or frustration, your energy becomes misaligned with the flow of abundance, including health. I’ve worked with energy for over a decade now, and I can say with absolute clarity: it’s not the food, the diet, or the method that heals us. It’s the alignment of our inner being with what we know we deserve. And we all deserve to be healthy, happy, and whole.

Health

Yogic Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

NATURAL Nutmeg

By Nanci Kaczegowicz, MSN, APRN, RYT 500

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

nxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health conditions, affecting a third of the U.S. population. They impact social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning; people with anxiety disorders experience significant distress or dysfunction in their daily lives. Those with anxiety disorders will often experience increased muscle tension, extreme cautiousness, and hypervigilance in preparation for a perceived threat and may go to extreme lengths to avoid the situation that is perceived as threatening. Anxiety disorders commonly begin in childhood and, without treatment, may become chronic conditions lasting into adulthood. Two of the most common anxiety disorders seen by primary care providers are generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety and uncontrollable worry regarding multiple life events or activities, such as school or work performance. It causes significant distress or impairment in function. Excessive worry may occur over minor issues, manifest somatically, and result in pathological behaviors. For a GAD diagnosis, symptoms will occur on most days for at least six months and include feelings of restlessness, being keyed up or on edge; easily fatigued; difficulty concentrating or mind going blank; irritability; muscle tension; or sleep disturbance.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder (PD) is the experience of recurrent panic attacks—the sudden onset of intense fear or discomfort—without an obvious trigger, and

persistent worry about having another panic attack or a maladaptive change in behavior to avoid a panic attack. Panic attacks peak within minutes and are accompanied by at least four of these symptoms: palpitations or rapid heartbeat; sweating; trembling or shaking; shortness of breath or feeling smothered; choking sensation; chest pain; nausea or abdominal discomfort; feeling faint or lightheaded; chills or hot flashes; numbness or tingling; feeling detached from one’s body; feelings of being in a dreamlike state; fear of going crazy or losing control; or fear of dying. PD is diagnosed if these symptoms persist for at least one month after an initial panic attack.

Yogic Remedies

Pranayama and Mudra Pranayama is the yogic practice of breath regulation. Breathing into a specific area of the body enhances the flow of energy. Diaphragmatic and slow-paced breathing may be effective techniques for reducing anxiety and stress. Mudras are intentional movements of the body, hands, and face that may be used for psychological balancing, directing awareness to specific areas of the body and supporting optimal breathing. There are four Sharira mudras, listed below, that bring awareness to the torso and the movement of the breath. • Kanishtha Sharira mudra helps to direct the breath to the lowest portion of the lungs, engaging the pelvis, abdomen, solar plexus, and mid back regions, promoting abdominal breathing. By bringing the hands to the lower rib cage, we become aware of the rhythmic movement of our breath, promoting a sense of calm.

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“Breathing into a specific area of the body enhances the flow of energy. Diaphragmatic and slow-paced breathing may be effective techniques for reducing anxiety and stress.” —Nanci Kaczegowicz, MSN, APRN, RYT 500

45 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Asana Experts suggest that yoga asanas that incorporate diaphragmatic breathing are beneficial for reducing SNS activation. Because some people may become more tense with a pranayama practice as a stand-alone practice, focusing on doing it “just right,” the following asana practice with breath awareness may help to reduce that focus: • Makrasana: Lying on the abdomen, resting the forehead on folded arms, toes may be facing in toward each other or away from each other, pointing toward the edges of the mat. Bring awareness to the breath, and after several breaths, exhale completely. • Parsva Urdhva Hastasana: Bend to one side from the waist with the opposite arm raised overhead and the other arm resting along the side body. Start by moving from side to side with corresponding arm movements.

After three or four side bends, pause in the bend and focus the breath to the expanded area of the ribs and intercostal spaces between the ribs. Hold the side bend for three to five breaths on each side. • Salama Sarvangasana: Stand with feet on the wall. Move in close toward the wall and place a folded blanket underneath the shoulders. Bring the feet to the wall with the soles of the feet resting flat on the wall, with the knees bent. The focus is on the breath in this asana. Other asanas that have been shown to reduce anxiety include: • Setu Bandhasana (bridge pose) modified for pelvic tilt: Start with an inhale, press the tailbone down, and extend the lower back off the mat. On the exhale, lift the tailbone and press the lower back toward the mat. It is useful to link one’s breath with this movement to enhance the engagement of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and reduce SNS activity. • Kumbakasana (plank pose): Kumbakasana may be held with the arms fully extended, keeping the hips in a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles. Consistent practice of this asana helps tone abdominal muscles and increase respiratory capacity, thereby decreasing SNS activity. • Tadasana (mountain pose): This asana promotes optimal breathing by aligning both the physical and energetic bodies. The soles of the feet provide grounding and connection to the earth, while the crown of the head lifts toward the sky. Tadasana helps balance the nervous system while creating a stable foundation. Yoga practices date back almost 5000 years and may be considered an integrative therapy for the management of mental health conditions, including anxiety. Yoga practices are holistic, encompassing mind, body, and spirit. Yoga has a rich history and offers a holistic approach for individuals who seek to maintain physical and mental well-being.

NATURAL Nutmeg

• Madhyama Sharira mudra directs the breath into the mid-chest, ribcage, and upper back, promoting thoracic breathing. With this mudra, the thumbs are in the armpit region, and the palms face downward, helping release tension in the chest. • Jyeshtha Sharira mudra helps direct the breath by engaging the muscles of the upper chest, collarbones, neck, and cervical spine, bringing the breath into the upper lobes of the lungs. To engage this mudra, the elbows bend, and the palms of the hands rest on either side of the upper thoracic spine. Holding this mudra while directing our breath to the area beneath our palms helps us release limiting beliefs about ourselves. • Purna Svara mudra helps us engage in full yogic breathing and incorporates the entire thoracic region. To hold this mudra, place the little finger of each hand to the base of the thumb, the ring finger touches the mid-thumb, the middle finger touches the tip of the thumb, and the back of the hands rest on the knees or thighs. The breath is directed to the abdomen, rib cage, and shoulder region, helping release tension from the thorax. Two additional mudras help reduce anxiety by decreasing the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response, slowing respirations, and supporting abdominal breathing. • Dvimukham mudra helps reduce stress and promote deep relaxation in individuals whose stress is a contributing factor to their anxiety. Holding this mudra reduces the respiratory rate and promotes abdominal breathing. • Pala mudra helps to relax the body, slow the breath, and direct energy to the abdominal region, creating a state of peacefulness.

Health

The Ionizing Detox Footbath: NATURAL Nutmeg

A Gentle Path to Relaxation and Whole-Body Wellness

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

By Dr. Brian Ruggiero, DC

“By gradually assisting the body in eliminating toxins, gentle detoxification helps improve overall health and makes the body more receptive to therapeutic support.” —Dr. Brian Ruggiero, DC

ur bodies are exposed to toxins every day— through food, water, air, and countless products we use. Over time, these toxicants accumulate and interfere with every major system in the body, including energy production, hormones, digestion, immune function, and mental clarity. Detoxification has become essential for maintaining true wellness, yet many people struggle because their natural elimination pathways are overburdened or sluggish. One of the most gentle and effective solutions available today is the IonCleanse® by AMD (A Major Difference) ionizing detox footbath, a treatment I proudly offer in my office. This innovative therapy allows the body to release toxicity in a way it often cannot achieve on its own. Even when normal detox pathways are compromised, the footbath supports the body in relaxing and cleansing safely and naturally.

Why Detoxification Matters

Toxins impair the body’s ability to function at its best. They lower energy, cloud thinking, disrupt sleep, increase stress, and weaken overall resilience. When these burdens accumulate, the body becomes less responsive to healing and more prone to chronic issues. Gentle detoxification aims to support the body’s natural detox pathways without causing undue stress. This can involve dietary adjustments, hydration, and the use of safe, non-invasive methods, such as the IonCleanse footbath. By gradually assisting the body in eliminating toxins, gentle

detoxification helps improve overall health and makes the body more receptive to therapeutic support. Incorporating the ionizing footbath into a wellness plan helps clear these internal blocks, allowing the body’s natural systems to operate more efficiently. When toxic interference is reduced, other therapies and lifestyle changes often become more effective—sometimes dramatically so.

How the IonCleanse Footbath Works

The IonCleanse uses patented, biocompatible electrical frequencies introduced into the water during a session. These frequencies promote deep relaxation while generating an ionic field that gently supports the release of toxins. During the process, water is ionized, splitting into H⁺ and OH⁻ ions. These ions behave like magnets, attracting and neutralizing oppositely charged toxins. Because ions support detox throughout the entire body—not just through the feet—the process is comprehensive, systemic, and deeply supportive. The therapy is painless, noninvasive, and completely safe, with no harmful side effects. Most clients describe feeling calm, lighter, and clearer after a session.

What Results Should You Expect?

Detoxification feels different for each person, but common benefits include: • Better energy • Clearer thinking • Deeper, more restorative sleep

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Understanding Water Color Changes

Know the Health Signs Your Dentist Can See That Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You About

Color Associations Often Reflect Influenced Meridians • Yellow-green: Kidneys, bladder, urinary tract • Orange: Joints • Brown: Liver • Black flecks: Liver and heavy metals • Dark green: Gallbladder • White foam: Lymphatic system • Red flecks: Blood flow and spleen meridians

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In my office, we exclusively use the IonCleanse by AMD Detoxification & Relaxation Therapy System, the most researched and trusted technology of its kind. If you’re seeking greater energy, clearer thinking, deeper relaxation, or improved overall wellness, this therapy may be a valuable addition to your health routine. Call or email today to schedule your ionizing detox footbath session or to learn more.

Windsor Smiles Plans for the whole Family.

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2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Experience the Benefits Yourself

• Dental experts

NATURAL Nutmeg

One of the most common questions about the IonCleanse is why the water changes color during a session. When feet are in the bath, approximately 70% of what appears in the tub comes from the user, while the remaining 30% is influenced by the water source, the added salt, and the metal array plate.

Purpose

NATURAL Nutmeg

Rolfer, Heal Thyself By Sharon Sklar BFA, LMT, CAR

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

48 “Each person has their own issues, their own trauma, their own history of injuries that knock them out of whack. They feel disconnected and blocked.” —Sharon Sklar BFA, LMT, CAR

feel truly blessed and honored in my life that Rolfing® showed up for me when I was twentytwo years old. I was fresh out of college, finding my way and reading everything written on bodymind-spirit. In my second of the ten sessions of Rolfing® something profound took place. I was told to become a Rolfer by an omniscient auditory presence. Wow.

The Wisdom of Your Inner Voice

Having listened to that voice, here I am, in my forty-fifth year of my Rolfing® practice. I quit graduate school and proceeded to fulfill my prerequisites for entry to the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in Boulder, Colorado. I knew I would do this work for the rest of my life. I was taught to look at structure and see how natural order matters, and it has kept me fascinated all these years. I am never bored in my practice. Each person has their own issues, their own trauma, their own history of injuries that knock them out of whack. They feel disconnected and blocked. It’s my job to help each client go back to neutral through direct hands-on manipulation and movement re-education, opening the tight and thickened tissue and letting it reintegrate, which allows for more effortless movement and support. People come to see me after they have tried other things or seen doctors for conditions that are less medical and more about disconnection with associated chronic pain. If I had never been Rolfed, I would never have believed half of what happens in my practice. People change—sometimes dramatically. Here is my own miracle story that has stretched over the last several years.

My Miracle

Seven and a half years ago, I fell down the stairs. Besides landing on both knees, I also popped two of the four tendons of the right shoulder off the bone. Hearing a “splosh” sound, I knew I was in deep trouble. My Rolfer friend, Anne, had just moved to Texas, ending our years-long Rolfing ® session trade. I had to start over, building a new care team, but I was terribly broken. I needed surgery to reattach the two tendons in my rotator cuff. Having lived with extreme pain for the six weeks before the surgery and then for at least eight weeks afterward, I was humbled, fragile, and needed help. My legs ached constantly, but I first had to attend to the immediate issues of my shoulder. After the surgery and during movement therapy (my own and some physical therapy), I finally had to deal with the trauma to my lower body. My legs steadily improved with different treatments, and I was once again able to hike and jog with my dogs. Then, about two years ago, I started to have right hip pain that became a daily issue, waking me when I slept and changing position or causing weakness and instability. Knowing a lot about my body and its structure, I replayed that fall from five years before and realized my hip was twisted from the way I fell. The puzzle pieces fit together. I sought physical therapy to help me when frequent massages could not address the imbalance issues. The PT was not as effective as I hoped, so it was time to get into action and rid my body of the pain, weakness, and isolation occurring in my right hip. I needed Rolfing®, but I was the only one around. I saw the doctor with whom I had consulted when I first hurt my shoulder. He also helped me

with the healing of my knees. We spoke the same language, and he agreed with my assumptions. I had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection this past June, and it helped to break the cycle of pain. Within the first several days, my pain lessened, and my strength and stability began to return. Two months after the PRP, I had a wonderful Rolfing® session with a colleague and also saw an osteopath. One session with each provider turned my world around even more. The aches and pains I had experienced throughout my torqued body in the last couple of years have lessened or ceased altogether since my most recent Rolfing® session. Why did I wait so long to seek the help I knew I needed? Rolfing® is amazing work.

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49 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Sharon Sklar is in her 45th year of private practice as a Certified Advanced Rolfer. She has been voted one of Natural Nutmeg’s 10BEST Bodyworkers for the last six years and is very grateful for the support. Sharon works with direct manipulation of the soft tissue of the body and movement re-education over a ten-session series to help her clients feel freer, get more balanced, and reduce chronic pain. Great for athletes, children, and adults recovering from the stress, injuries, or traumas of life. Inquiries are encouraged! State Licensed. Call 860.561.4337 for more info or to schedule a consultation. SharonSklarRolfing.com

NATURAL Nutmeg

One of the significant lessons learned from this ordeal is that time knows no limit for injuries. Something from childhood can resurface as a compensatory pattern that needs to be addressed years later. That is what structural bodywork is all about. That is why I love my work as a Rolfer— we release these old patterns, layer by layer, piece by piece. People overcome chronic issues when the body has a chance to reorganize and establish flow and stability. Another lesson was that I needed to trust myself, my knowledge, and my experience. I had the drive to push myself to regain my body. Many people think pain is a “normal” part of aging. No, I see it is more a symptom of imbalance. We need to reclaim what is ours when we have injuries. We need to be wise and not succumb to the immobility of imbalance. We need to rechannel ourselves to refresh, reorganize, and move forward in our health. Find the right people for your wellness team and use their expertise. We all deserve the natural, energetic, flowing bodies we had before trauma took over. It takes a village in so many ways. Could Rolfing® be a part of your healing journey? It has been a part of mine for close to fifty years.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES Local Experts In and Around Connecticut ACUPUNCTURE

Stan Baker Acupuncture Stan Baker, LAC 35 Nod Rd, Avon, CT 860.836.1068 acupuncturestanbaker.com

CBD STORE

NATURAL Nutmeg

Nature’s Gifts

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026

304 W Main St., Avon, CT • 860.995.4444 naturesgifts-usa.com/ Nature’s Gifts is an independently owned, family run CBD store in Avon, CT. Stress, sleep, and pain solutions available. Our knowledgeable staff will happily guide you through our offerings to find the perfect CBD product for your needs. Don’t pay too much for your CBD—stop in, say hello, and let us help you feel like you again.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY Source Colon Hydrotherapy

Elizabeth Regal Columbia, CT • 860.634.7523 sourcecolonhydrotherapy@gmail.com sourcecolonhydrotherapy.com Colon hydrotherapy promotes hydration of the colon and loosening of waste matter, assisting elimination by natural peristalsis of the colon. Roots Natural Medical Center is offering colon hydrotherapy on our FDA-approved closed system device. Contact Elizabeth Regal, I-ACT certified colon hydrotherapist for an appointment.

Vitalized Performance Group

Glastonbury, CT • Call/Text: 860.603.3618 VPGwaves.com VPG Waves delivers leading-edge therapies—from open-system LIBBE colonics and virtually pain-free shockwave treatments for pain and ED to holistic healing with infrared, grounding, and ionic copper foot baths. We break down scar tissue, restore nerves, and release fascia, ushering in the future of healing.

ENERGY HEALING

HYPNOTHERAPY

203.481.8827

Middletown, CT • 860.704.9054 mprousseau@sbcglobal.net micheleprousseau.com

Christie Warnk Great Bear Spirit Guide Feel clarity produced by unconditionally loving healing. Know how it feels to be cleansed in body, mind, emotions, spirit. May experience messages from archangels, people who have passed, and your spirit guide. Stand in the moment and breathe freely. Message for you from Great Bear when you call or text.

Kelly McCarthy Beyond Words N Wisdom

Winsted, CT • 860.806.9684 kelly@beyondwordsnwisdom.com Kelly McCarthy is a soul reader, energy guide, writer, and intuitive graphic artist. She helps expand awareness and connection, empowering you to embrace life’s possibilities and harness your unique energetic frequency. Kelly offers both in-person and remote sessions to support your journey toward a meaningful legacy.

FINANCIAL PLANNING Dana Mascalo, CFP®, RLP®, AAMS®, C(k)P®

Managing Partner, Costal Bridge Advisors Milford, CT • 203.693.8521 Fax: 203.693.8524 CoastalBridgeAdvisors.com dmascalo@costalbridgeadvisors.com

HOLISTIC CENTER

Melissa Wooldridge Breton ECLIPSE Holistic Living, LLC Glastonbury, CT • 860.614.7588 melissa@eclipseholisticliving.com eclipseholisticliving.com Eclipse Holistic Living is a cocreative healing arts studio in Glastonbury. A destination to envision your future self and actualize your potential. With alternative and complementary modalities, Eclipse is the portal for all who enter to embody conscious awareness through intentional holistic living— well-becoming on our healing-growth journey.

Stephanie Patrick, RN, LMT Inside Out Health CT

HOLISTIC DENTISTRY

Mystic, CT • 860.980.1424 stephanie@insideouthealthct.com insideouthealthct.com Inside Out Health CT supports GI health with colon hydrotherapy using FDA-approved equipment to facilitate the evacuation of waste matter and impurities from the colon. Stephanie is an I-ACT-certified colon hydrotherapist who offers a safe and effective procedure great for constipation, IBS, functional bowel diseases, and detoxification.

Fairfield, CT • 203.371.0300 WholeBodyDentistry.com

Dr. Mark Breiner, DDS, FAGD, FIAOMT

A recognized authority in the field of holistic dentistry, Dr. Breiner treats patients for a myriad of dental concerns including sleep breathing disorders, TMD, mercury toxicity, and hidden infections from cavitations and root canals. “If you have unexplained symptoms that won’t go away, the answer could be in your mouth.”

Michele P. Rousseau, MA, CH

Live your dreams! Restore your passion, confidence, and motivation; transform habits; and achieve goals. Wake up each day to a life you are eager to live! Online sessions are available.

MASSAGE THERAPY

Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness Farmington, CT • 860.778.0315 abundanthealthct.com Kristina Mozzicato is board certified in therapeutic massage & bodywork by the NCBTMB and has been practicing massage for the past 12 years. She provides professional, therapeutic, customized sessions. She also offers cupping, medicupping, body contouring, Himalayan salt stone massage, and Reiki sessions. Convenient online booking.

METABOLIC PSYCHIATRY Dr. Lori Calabrese, MD Innovative Psychiatry

South Windsor, CT • 860.648.9755 info@loricalabresemd.com loricalabresemd.com Metabolic psychiatry is where we use our deep psychiatric expertise, metabolic mastery, and approach to nutritional ketosis to transform your brain energy, lift depression, put bipolar into remission, tamp down anxiety, and produce clear thinking. Let Touchpoints 180TM restore your mitochondrial health to get you back to your best self.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE Dr. Frank Aieta, ND West Hartford Naturopathic Medicine, INC

West Hartford, CT • 860.232.9662 draieta@aol.com • draieta.com Dr. Aieta is a naturopathic Physician with over 20 years of experience helping patients uncover and treat acute and chronic illness by supporting the body’s inherent ability to heal itself. He works to identify the underlying causes of illness and develops personalized treatment plans to address them.

Dr. Adam Breiner, ND Fairfield, CT • 203.371.8258 WholeBodyMed.com Focusing on brain health and Lyme disease, Dr. Adam Breiner offers cutting-edge therapies that include hyperbaric oxygen, neurocognitive therapies, including sophisticated brain-imaging equipment to evaluate brain injuries and brainwave patterns associated with metabolic imbalances, infections, and allergies. Conditions treated include concussions, TBI, stroke, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, and more.

Tracy Cormier TLC Healthcare Solutions

South Windsor, CT • 959.301.9606 tlc.healthcare.solutions.dnp@gmail.com tlchealthcaresolution.com Direct Primary Care, Cardiology, Sleep Evaluations, Weight loss

New Fairfield, CT • 928.326.3487 totalcarenaturopathicmedicine@gmail.com totalcarenaturopathicmedicine.com

Dr. Dana Lapointe, ND, LMT, Esth. Sustainable Health & Wellness Canton, CT and Virtual • 860.217.1171 SustainableHW.com ConnecticutNaturopathic.com

Advocating for innovative, noninvasive treatments since 2010, Dr. Dana has been at the forefront of bringing StemWave to her community. Specializing in lifestyle medicine for chronic conditions (especially gut, skin, weight, and pain syndromes), and mental wellness coaching for those seeking alternatives to pharmaceutical mental health interventions. In-office, telemedicine, and group wellness programs.

Riverstone Naturopathic Health 63 West Street, Suite B1 Litchfield, CT • 860.361.9494

Christina Amicone, ND, is a naturopathic physician seeing patients at Riverstone Naturopathic Health in Litchfield, CT. Her focus is on oncology/cancer (supportive therapies during conventional cancer treatments), naturopathic detoxification, gastrointestinal health (including IBS, IBD, SIBO), women’s health (hormone imbalances, menstrual problems, menopause), autoimmune diseases, and food sensitivities.

Rocky Hill, CT • 234.222.8362 hello@drnicoleklughers.com drnicoleklughers.com

New Haven, CT • jesseosmun79@gmail.com shamelessrecoverycoaching.com

Dr. Nicole Klughers offers all-natural solutions to restore optimal health and help individuals reclaim a life of energy, balance, and joy. Formerly a pharmacist, Dr. Nicole serves as your “health detective” by listening attentively and utilizing detailed testing to identify and address the root cause of any health concern.

Soleil Acupuncture and Naturopathic Wellness

2661 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT 203.871.3262 • admin@soleilholistic.com soleilholistic.com Soleil is a holistic clinic specializing in integrative and functional medicine. We are pleased to offer IV and IM nutrient therapy, craniosacral therapy, and general and facial acupuncture, with our roots in naturopathic medicine. We are passionate about using our tools to get our patients feeling their best!

PSYCHIC/MEDIUM

Intuitive Counseling Holistic Spa Agnes Daddona • 860.941.2667 Avon, CT • AgnesDaddona.com Agnes@intuitivecounselingllc.com Agnes Daddona is one of the best Psychic/Mediums in New England. She is also a Counselor, Healer, and Spiritual Teacher. For more than 20 years, Agnes has worked with thousands of people across the world in both English and Polish. Her Holistic Spa in Avon, CT, is a one-stop shop and offers high vibrational healing for the mind, body, and soul.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Selinda Shepherd, PT, DPT PT WORKS LLC Avon, CT • 215.528.9799 selinda.shepherd@myptworksllc.com myptworksllc.com Focuses on Women’s Pelvic Health. Uses an integrative approach combining evidence based physical therapy with complimentary wellness services to support your mind, body and spirit. Personalized care for improved Pelvic Health for symptoms such as peri/menopausal symptoms, pelvic pain, bladder/bowel concerns, and pregnancy care. Participates with several major insurance plans.

Jesse Osmun Shameless Recovery Coaching

Jesse Osmun is a CCAR-trained recovery coach and IAP-certified life coach. Jesse’s lived experience with losing a loved one to the opioid epidemic and with incarceration makes him sensitive to the difficulties of addiction, trauma, and the stigma of incarceration. Jesse’s focus on creating a nonjudgmental, stigma-free environment for clients helps eliminate shame and opens conversations for real healing and lasting recovery.

REIKI

Darlene Pierpont Sacred Energy Balance Vernon and Wethersfield, CT • 860.534.0398 holistichealing313@gmail.com Darlene Pierpont is a Reiki Master practitioner who provides gentle, supportive energy healing designed to reduce stress, clear energetic blocks, and promote emotional and physical balance. Her work helps clients reconnect with inner calm, resilience, and overall wellness.

THERMOGRAPHY

April Beaman, RDH, CTT CT Thermography Farmington and Glastonbury, CT 860.415.1150 • ctthermography.com CT Thermography specializes in medical thermal imaging. Breast thermography is a compression and radiation-free screening tool used to monitor breast health to detect physiological changes that may be early warning signs of a disease process. As a certified thermographic technician, I help empower women to take a proactive approach following their thermography screening for optimal breast health.

51 2026 JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Dave James, ND, is a licensed naturopathic physician with Total Care Naturopathic Medicine, specializing in integrative oncology, chronic pain, and whole-person care. A former Team USA ultrarunner, he blends botanical medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, and lifestyle therapy to support healing, resilience, and long-term wellness for Connecticut patients seeking natural care.

RECOVERY COACHING

NATURAL Nutmeg

Dave James, ND Total Care Naturopathic Medicine

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PHARMD, MSAC Vis Wellness Center

DR. NICOLE KLUGHERS

YOUR HEALTH DETECTIVE 10BEST Naturopathic Physician & Holistic Weight Loss Center • Listens, takes time, ﬁnds your answers. • Discovers the root cause of symptoms. • Uses detailed testing, not guessing. • Provides safe, all-natural solutions.

r. Klughers is a licensed naturopathic physician, former pharmacist, and wellness educator. As a pharmacist, Dr. Klughers observed the limitations of conventional medicine in its ability to offer long-term, sustainable solutions for chronic health concerns. Oftentimes, patients could only take a medication for so long before another health condition, complication or side effect developed. As a naturopathic physician, Dr. Klughers is often called a health detective, as her approach involves listening attentively to clues and utilizing detailed testing to investigate and find the culprit. Solving the case, she offers all-natural solutions to restore optimal health. If you’re like most of her patients, you are seeking an alternative or complement to conventional medicine. You want to get to the root cause of your health issues rather than take medications for the rest of your life. You prefer to live a life of wellness. Her practice at Vis Wellness Center has helped many people just like you by treating their symptoms on a deep, core level that produces lasting healing and transformation. She understands that wellness is so much more than the absence of disease. Your health is the most precious asset you have. There’s nothing more important than getting proactive about your health, investing in your well-being, and choosing a lifestyle that allows your body to be a symbol of longevity and vitality. Dr. Klughers provides care to individuals of all ages and all levels of wellness and helps people with health issues such as: fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, weight gain, thyroid disorders, digestive issues, autoimmune disorders, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, infertility, menopause, migraines, chronic stress, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc • Vis Wellness Center • Rocky Hill, CT & Virtual Call/Text: 234.222.8362 • hello@drnicoleklughers.com • www.drnicoleklughers.com