Archive for June, 2009
Garden Views: Feeding the Need
One of Baltimore City’s most bountiful urban gardens is now on display right in front of City Hall (Fayette & Holliday St.). This is not the typical ornamental garden of petunias and begonias that cover many city plots, rather the City of Baltimore has invested in a vegetable garden to feed the homeless with fresh in-season produce. Created by landscape designer Angela Treadwell-Palmer, this garden was also made possible by numerous donations of plants and volunteer support. To date, Angela calculates that 1,500 pounds of vegetables have already been harvested and donated to Our Daily Bread, a local soup kitchen that serves 700-800 meals per day. You may want to add this to your ”list of attractions” as you tour visitors around Baltimore this summer!
Do you have a garden story to share? Please send a photo and any comments about what inspires you to keep growing to dremilytelfair@gmail.com.
Share YOUR Story
If you have a healing story that you would like to share, please e-mail me your testimonial to dremilytelfair@gmail.com. You are welcome to remain anonymous. Remember that we all benefit from these exchanges of wellness that come through words, thoughts and intentions. Your story may inspire someone else to renew a sense of hope in the possibility of healing.
Reclaiming Wellness: Jim’s Story
When Jim first came to see me a year ago to redeem his gift certificate for a one hour massage, neither of us had any idea of the healing and transformation that we would witness together during the months to come. At that time, Jim’s doctor had recommended shoulder replacement surgery to ease the suffering of his chronic pain as a result of rheumatoid arthritis. As he describes, ”In May 2008, I was in crisis. The pain overpowered my barrage of analgesics. I could not sleep. I could not think. Every moment was unbearable….But pity the pain that meets Dr. Emily, for its time has come.”
Jim’s pain was so severe when he first arrived in my office that he could barely move his right arm twenty degrees from his side. After just several massage sessions, his range of motion drastically improved and now he can reach up to touch the ceiling in the shower! Not only has Jim incorporated almost weekly massage sessions as part of his wellness plan, he has also made adjustments in his diet and shifted to a more positive state of mind for viewing the world and the challenges it presents.
Jim wants his story to be shared so that others may benefit from his transformation.
“I am very grateful I found this source of wellness. Slowly, I am able to turn away from embracing my illness to embracing my Wellness. I have adjusted my budget to assure this is part of my life.”
Great Soul Closing End of June
Sadly, I announce that Great Soul Wellness Studio will be closing its doors at the end of the month. The challenging economic times added a heavy strain to the business which celebrated its first birthday in February.
I want to thank and honor all those who invested time, energy and resources to keep the wellness community going over the course of the last year – especially the co-owners Stacey, Wendy and Stacy. They shared a beautiful vision to bring experiences of wellness and healing to the Lauraville community and hopefully that vision will continue to manifest in new and lifegiving ways.
The change this means for my individual practice is that all of my patients and clients will now see me exclusively at Seeds in Hampden. Thankfully, my practice is still steady and growing. For those who have not yet seen me in Hampden, it may be helpful to know that most patients express a sense of peace and comfort when entering the space at Seeds.
I appreciate your patience during the transition. My hours for seeing patients at Seeds may fill quickly, so please try to schedule soon for any upcoming follow-up appointments. I will be seeing patients at Seeds on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and I may be adding time Wednesday mornings and some Saturdays (temporarily) by appointment only. Please contact me directly at (443) 226-7665 or via email (dremilytelfair@gmail.com) for scheduling all appointments.
When Life Gives You Lemons…Just Add Stevia!
Beat the Baltimore heat this summer with a refreshing treat that will help balance your blood sugar level and curb your craving for sweets. Stevia-sweetened lemonade is my favorite new beverage for quenching thirst after digging around in the garden. The sour taste from the lemons balances strong sweet-tooth cravings and the plant stevia ,which grows easily in most gardens, is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. Fortunately, the sweet taste of stevia does not come with the calorie count or blood sugar spiking effects of the sugar cane plant. In fact, stevia is safe for use in diabetics since it actually helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. The key to using stevia is knowing that a little goes a LONG way. A small pinch is enough to sweeten a cup of tea and when baking with powdered stevia preparations, 1/4 cup of stevia can often replace 1 cup of sugar. Using too much stevia can shift the experience on your palate from sweet to bitter. Stevia is available at most health-food stores and through Dr. Emily’s dispensary.
Stevia-Sweetened Lemonade Recipe:
- Juice 3 lemons and add to 10 cups of filtered water
- Dissolve 4 tsp of powdered stevia into a small amount of warm/hot water
- Add dissolved stevia to water and lemon mix. Stir and chill.
Entire mixture contains approximately 36 calories
(source: Omnivite Nutrition, Inc.)
