SWIHA Blog

Warming Ingredients for Winter Meals

Dee McCaffrey, GUEST BLOGGER

As the colder weather of winter approaches, our bodies naturally crave warm and grounding foods. Using thermogenic spices in our foods is a great way to warm our bodies and our taste buds. Thermogenic spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, increase the body’s core temperature and speed up metabolism. Warming spices of the holiday season have many health benefits as well—they increase circulation, support efficient digestion, boost the immune system, regulate our blood sugar levels, help with weight loss, and even ward off cancer and Alzheimers.

Spices also bring the aroma of the holidays into our homes and make recipes taste delicious. Here’s a guide to some of the best warming spices, from cinnamon and nutmeg, to more exotic spices such as star anise and cloves. Discover the healing benefits of these warming spices, and how to use them in winter cooking.

The healing art of massage therapy has been around for centuries. The earliest written records of this modality date back to 3000 BC in Egypt and China, and texts documenting the medical benefits date back to around 2700 BC in China. And still today the demand for well-trained touch practitioners remains very high.

An online article from U.S News & World Report stated that the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates growth in the field of massage therapy by 22 percent between 2012 and 2022, adding 30,000 more licensed massage therapists to the field. Is it possible that YOU might be interested in a career in massage therapy?

The key to those who are successful in massage therapy is loving what you do. This is one career that you can’t fake it. You will either love it, or you won’t.

Owner and founder of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) KC Miller became a licensed massage therapist over 25 years ago. “If you would have asked me 26 years ago if I ever dreamed of becoming a massage therapist, I would have looked at you as if you were crazy,” said KC. After someone gave her the challenge of “Try it, see if you like it” she did. Years later KC reflects,

As fairytail-ish as it sounds, Diana Atenco knew one of her life’s callings was tobecome a Toe Reader. She just loved the opportunity to sit with people, listen to the stories of their lives, often pray with them, and always have the opportunity to help them make new choices about how they would step forward powerfully into the world.

Diana completed a series of classes at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) starting in 2007 and became a Registered Toe Reader. From the very first class she realized she had a gift; without ever fully understanding how she knew even more than what the toe tissue revealed, she was aware that Spirit was using her as a messenger to people of all ages. Before long she knew she needed to deepen the way she was serving her clients, so she returned to SWIHA to take the Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching programs.

Around the time Diana began her journey at SWIHA, her then teenage grandson horribly injured himself in a motocross accident. He became seriously dependent on prescription pain mediation, which developed into an addiction to heroin. For years Diana suffered as she watched her beloved grandson slowly fade into the dark depths of drug addiction.

With age comes wisdom, as well as courage and fortitude; these traits are part of living a long and fruitful life. According to a 2014 US Census Bureau report, the number of senior citizens and elderly people in America is on the rise. In 2010, there were over 40 million people aged 65 and above, comprising 13 percent of the overall population. By 2050, projections indicate the population over 65 years old will comprise over 20 percent of the population.

Internal forces may strengthen as the physical exterior bears the signs that come with aging, and aches, pains and stiffness may put a damper on the quality of life. However, this is where massage can create a great benefit for the elderly.

Massage provides muscle relaxation, improves circulation, normalizes blood pressure, improves immunity, lessens pain, assists with mood management, and lessens social isolation and touch deprivation through mental and sensory stimulation. When working on elderly clients, massage therapists need to take extra special care of the body that is on their table. Licensed massage therapists should embrace the following five facets of safe integrative care of the elder client.

It started as an idea, as many businesses do - a spark of heartfelt inspiration. In December 2010, Krysten Aldridge and Ann Cabano hit the streets of downtown Phoenix to find folks in need of a hug and a cup of soup… what they ended up witnessing was way beyond what they expected.

As the two women walked around Phoenix that day, they were amazed by something that they couldn’t quite put their finger on. It was something they never felt before; it was big, it was beautiful, it was tragic. They began to document what they were witnessing on video. People, mostly homeless, approached them and asked what they were doing, asked if they could be part of the video. Krysten and Ann turned the camera and people quickly began to share their stories. The truth they heard from people shifted their perspective. They learned how and why the people wandering the streets of Phoenix were homeless. They learned about their families, their forgotten dreams, their fears. Most importantly, they learned about how these unique souls experienced love. And they knew they couldn’t just sit back and observe through the lens of a camera.

By Melanie Albert, Guest Blogger

“Eat your vegetables,” is a common phrase that most of us probably heard from our parents growing up. Many people, especially children, believe that vegetables are boring, or that they have no taste. That only “health nuts” eat raw or plain steamed vegetables. This is where “finishing vegetables” comes into Whole Food S.O.U.L. Food cooking techniques. Read on for tips and recipes about how to make veggies fun and delicious for the whole family to enjoy!

Add Culinary Interest to Your Veggies

Finishing steamed vegetables with organic oils, toasted spices, fresh herbs, toasted nuts and seeds, and finishing salts adds delicious taste and culinary interest, with beautiful colors, textures and aromas.

Steam carrots, cauliflower or broccoli in a bamboo steamer and then finish them with different combinations of oils, seeds, salt or spices to create exciting, tasty dishes!

“If you light a lantern for another it will also brighten your own way.”

Although these words were spoken more than 700 years ago by Nichiren Daishonin, a Buddhist monk, the same attitude is reflected within the 14 students who will be ordained in a special ceremony on Dec. 5, 2014 at 6:00 pm at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) in Tempe, Arizona. This will be SWIHA’s biggest Spiritual Studies ordination to date.

The ordination will take place during SWIHA’s monthly Gifts and Graces event, held on the first Friday of every month. This event is complimentary and open to the public. Guests are invited to come for the event and stay after to experience complimentary sessions of energy work, spiritual coaching, toe reading and more.

The graduates are Sheila Taylor, Carol Valentino, Diana Claybaugh, Keta Baker, Kathryn Beauchamp, Carole Hewitt, Ronald Tobin, Michael McCaffrey, Lisa Pulce, Tammy Gordon, Brett Getrost, Jeff Cooke, Thalia Randolph and Marika Adams-Vangueety.

Although each graduate will follow a unique path with their ordination, a common thread runs through each one – a strong desire to use a spiritual path to light the way for others.

“I am passionate about the field of spiritual studies and believe it is one of the most important fields of study one can undertake,” said Michael McCaffrey in his essay for ordination into the Universal Brotherhood Movement.

By Janet Lee, Guest Blogger

It’s not Fall, Thanksgiving, or the holiday season without pumpkins! Pumpkins are healthy, tasty, and not to mention incredibly rich in vital antioxidants and vitamins!

The pumpkin, a plant that is actually a fast-growing vine, grows by creeping along the ground, similar to other vegetables and fruits such as cucumber, squash or cantaloupes. It is one of the most popular field crops cultivated around the world, including the USA at the commercial scale for its fruit and seeds.

Pumpkins, in general, are orange or yellow color. However, some varieties can be dark to pale green, brown, white, red and gray. Their color is largely influenced by yellow-orange pigments in their skin and pulp. Its thick rind is smooth with light, vertical ribs.

In structure, pumpkins are usually golden-yellow to orange in color, depending upon the poly-phenolic pigments in it. They have a hollow center, with numerous small, off-white colored seeds interspersed in a net like structure. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein, minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids.

With the biggest shopping day of the year right around the corner, many of us will be spending hours (or even days) walking from store to store and standing in long lines at the register. This type of extended standing and walking can wreak havoc on our legs, creating varicose veins, or worsening them in those who already have them.

If you notice ropey and bulging leg veins, achy calves or cramps at night, or swollen legs after standing for periods of time, varicose veins could be the culprit. Varicose veins are usually not too serious, but if ignored, can lead to other problems. However, there is a solution! Massage is a great tool to create comfort while relieving aching legs and swollen muscles.

Massage can be beneficial to those who experience varicose veins. It can decrease edema (excessive watery fluid that collects in the cavities or tissues of the body), increase venous outflow from the lower extremities, and improve muscle tone to normalize venous function.

The suitability of massage for a person with varicose veins will depend on their current medical condition, the cause and severity of the varicose veins, and the presence of swelling. Before pursuing massage, checking with a doctor is recommended, especially if the veins are a new development. Notify a medical professional if the varicose veins become painful, reddened, increase in warmth, or a new onset of swelling appears in the leg, as this may be a sign of more serious issues that require prompt treatment.

By Nancy Jackson, Online Exit and Placement Specialist

“Believe in yourself – you are capable of great accomplishments.”

That’s the message Pam McCulloch, a recent Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) graduate, wants to share with current and future SWIHA graduates. Pam took her own advice, and while still pursuing her online degree in SWIHA’s Associate of Occupational Studies Mind-Body Transformational Psychology Online program, she launched her business, Paradise Organics.Tender and organic fruit, herb, and vegetable starter plants is what Paradise Organics is all about, providing home gardeners with organic, non-GMO starters.

The Colorado based business teaches new gardeners how to get started in whatever growing space they have, even if it’s an apartment balcony.
As a full time gastro-intestinal tech assisting in outpatient surgeries, Pam was thrilled to add the role of self-employed urban farmer and business owner into her busy life. How did she make her urban farming business happen? She says she manifested it.