Label the use of carbon monoxide on meat

A small company in Kalamazoo, Mich., has the meat industry on the run over how the meat you buy is packaged.

Kalsec has waged a two-year fight and spent $800,000 to battle food regulators and meat producers over a fledgling practice of packaging fresh meat with a harmless dose of carbon monoxide.

The gas keeps meat an appealing red for more than 20 days — about twice as long as other popular packaging and far longer than the few days unwrapped meat stays red in a butcher's case.

The red color is the problem, say Kalsec, consumer groups and several lawmakers. The gas not only keeps meat red while on the shelf but after it's spoiled.

They say consumers — who consider color when picking meat — will be fooled into buying spoiled or old meat and not smell trouble until they open the package at home.

The packaging presents "serious consumer deception and food-safety risks," Kalsec says in a filing to the Food and Drug Administration. It wants the practice banned.

The meat industry disputes Kalsec's claims and says it is running a "baseless" scare campaign because carbon monoxide packaging would obliterate a rival Kalsec product.

A family-run firm with 300 employees, Kalsec sells natural colorings, spices and herbs. One of its products is a rosemary extract that meat processors use in packaging that keeps meat a nice red for about half as long as the carbon monoxide-infused packaging.

The meat industry says shoppers are tipped off to bad meat by bulging packages in stores and expired use-or-freeze-by dates. By keeping meat fresh-looking longer, the industry hopes to save millions of dollars a year by selling meat that consumers would have shunned before because of poor color.

In what foodmakers call "modified atmosphere packaging," a combination of gases — nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide — battle the aging effects that regular air has on foods. Leafy-green companies and potato-chipmakers use MAP, but they don't use carbon monoxide. Kalsec's rosemary extract is used by meat producers in a non-carbon-monoxide MAP format.

The chair of the House's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee has co-authored a bill that would require a safety notice on meat, seafood and poultry using carbon monoxide packaging.

He says committee investigators recently found healthy-looking imported fish packaged with carbon monoxide to be decomposed. The proposed notice would warn consumers to "discard any product with an unpleasant odor, slime, or a bulging package."

The FDA has so far allowed carbon monoxide packaging for beef, pork and raw tuna when used as an ingredient in tasteless smoke, used as a preservative.

Other regulators have been tougher. The European Union doesn't allow it for meat and tuna. Canada bans it in fish; Singapore does for fresh tuna.

Courtesy of USA Today

Vitamin D cuts colon cancer death risk

A team led by U.S. National Cancer Institute epidemiologist Michal Freedman tracked 16,818 people who joined a nationwide U.S. government health survey between 1988 and 1994, following them through 2000. Among them, 536 died of cancer. The participants provided blood samples that the researchers used to determine the level of vitamin D in their blood. People with higher levels of vitamin D when they entered the study had about a 72 percent reduced risk of dying from colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest levels of vitamin D, as reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Steve - not surprising to us of course. However, very nice to see in a large, government funded study.

Mold theory on depression

Almost one in five people with mold in their homes is depressed, a figure more than twice as high as among those who don't live with the stubborn, sometimes foul-smelling fungus, a study found.

The link between mold and depression remained strong even after researchers from Brown University in Providence, R.I., took into consideration physical illnesses that may be caused by the mold, and a homeowner's feeling of helplessness in controlling his environment. This surprised the authors, who said they set out to prove that factors beyond the mold may be responsible for the connection.

The data were taken from surveys of 2,982 households in eight cities, including Angers, France; Bonn; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest; Ferreira do Alentejo, Portugal; Forli, Italy; Geneva; and Vilnius, Lithuania.

"The type of message we want to send is that healthy homes can promote healthy lives," he said.

Steve - while an unfortunate symptom of mold exposure, it is a revelation to see a study with such vision. There is no doubt in our minds that consistent exposure to mold in the home creates numerous adverse effects. This study echoes our most recent piece, Solutions to Reducing Your Toxic Load.

Emotional Survival Guide for the Holidays

This time of year can often trigger a bout of the blues or ignite a depression that has been smoldering under the surface for months. “Holiday blues are a pretty common problem despite the fact that as a society, we see the holidays as a joyous time.” (Rakesh Jain, MD) “Many people feel depressed which can be due to the increased stress that comes with the need to shop and the decreased time to exercise which gets put on the back burner during the holidays.” Here are some tips to help your emotional stability stay intact during this busy season:

1. See what it was in the past that led to trouble, whether it was too much drinking, not enough exercise, or forgetting to connect with friends and family. Depression leaves a fingerprint so try to find ways to avoid what happened in the past.

2. Unwrap your heart. Gift giving can cause stress and unhappiness on so many levels, such as if a person doesn’t have the money or time. The cost of the gift is not so important, the thought really is what counts.

3. A lot of people feel sad and lonely during the holidays if they have recently lost a loved one. Try to create a new tradition instead, do something different! When you expect something to happen and it doesn’t, you feel lousy.

4. Look at how to protect yourself from the energy vampires of the holiday season who deplete your holiday energy reserve. Try to be around positive people instead of the drama queens, blamers and criticizers.

5. Try to carve out three minutes a day to relieve stress and use your breath to calm down and focus on the positive. Get enough sleep which will help you to function properly throughout the day.

6. Volunteer! Deliver presents for Santa or help at a homeless shelter. Volunteerism makes your feel better about yourself and this is the time of year where the spirit of helping and compassion is right at your fingertips. This will also help you to realize how grateful you are for what you do have and focus on the positive things in your life.

7. If you are overcommitted, say no. Don’t feel guilty.

10 Dietary Tips for Healthy Holidays

1. Alcohol is loaded with calories. Try substituting with sparkling water or club soda (an added benefit is feeling more full with water so you won’t eat as much). Add a small amount lemon, lime, or other fruit juice to your water for added flavor. Another great alcohol substitute is a festive virgin “bloody mary” with a celery stick. If you feel that you JUST have to have that drink, vodka with club soda or sparkling water and wine are your best choices in limited amounts.

2. Eat healthy foods before you go to a party, especially protein foods. Your blood sugar will be more stable so you won’t eat as much. At the party, eat plain fish or lean meats first (i.e. cold shrimp, smoked salmon, turkey breast). You may then be too full to eat a lot of the other foods.

3. At a buffet, graze to take a taste of enticing items, but spend most of your time with the raw vegetables and heart healthy guacamole and humus dips. Consume a variety of foods, but without consuming large volumes. When at a sit down meal, eat slowly, chew and savor your food. Studies have shown that individuals who eat slower will not consume as many calories as those who eat quickly.

4. If you want a rich dessert, keep your fat and carbohydrate intake low the rest of the day to compensate.

5. Watch out for raw foods (raw fish, steak tartar and eggnog made with raw eggs) or foods left out too long at room temperature. They could harbor harmful pathogens such as salmonella, shigella, listeria, or e coli. For food preparation, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for a full 20 seconds before and after handling raw products. Make sure to store and prepare your raw foods properly to avoid spreading bacteria.

6. Avoid foods high in saturated fat. These are typically very high in calories. For example: 8 oz. eggnog = 340 calories, 1 slice pie with whipping cream = 520 calories; 1 cup standard poultry stuffing = 500 calories. Instead, opt for healthy fats such as chestnuts and pecans.

7. Exercise more to burn more calories during the holidays. Cycling, fast-walking, and cross-country skiing are great ideas. Even shoveling the snow off of your driveway and sidewalk counts. After a big meal, go for a walk which will cut down on post-meal snacking. If you still cannot find time to exercise outside the office, why not try some “Workspace Workouts? Desk push-ups, chair squats, and bent-over reverse flyes (bend your waist to drop your chest toward the top of your thighs; lift arms up and out to the side a few inches and squeeze shoulder blades together one each repetition.) only take a few minutes, but can produce big results if you do them whenever you have a chance.

8. Offer to bring your favorite healthy recipe to the party and spend most of your time eating it. That way, you won’t have to worry about leftovers. If you are hosting the meal or you are the guest, here are some tips to make life less stressful and more enjoyable while minimizing caloric damage:

• Let people help in the kitchen! When someone offers to help you out, give them a specific job that will help alleviate some of the burden on you.
  
  
• Start a meal with a broth based soup to start. Calories in liquid form (unlike water) make people less hungry, and studies show that they reduce the calories consumed later.
  
  
• Eat a big salad at the start of a meal. It will help fill you up so you don’t have so much room for calorie-laden foods.
  
  
• If a relative or friend is repeatedly pressing her pie on you and you don’t want to offend her, take several tiny portions. She’s more apt to notice how many servings you had than how much you ate.
  
  
• Experts recommend eating a nice, sensible breakfast before a big holiday meal. You won’t be as ravenous, making it less likely that you will overindulge at the meal.
  
  
• Remember, it is just one meal! Do everything you can to emphasize the familial aspects of the gathering over the gastronomic. The meal is a transitory experience that will be gone from your system within 24-36 hours, while the memories (good or bad) could last a lifetime.
  

9. If you have food sensitivities or allergies, call your host before the party to determine what foods would be safe. There is nothing worse than having an allergic reaction or digestive distress when you are trying to have fun.

10. Don’t begin a diet during the holidays or become obsessive about avoiding tempting holiday fare. If you restrict yourself too much, you’ll either be depressed or “pig out” later. Remember that the average adult gains 6 lbs. from Thanksgiving Day through New Year’s Day. If you can even maintain your weight during the holidays, you’ll be one step ahead when it is time to make your New Year’s resolutions.

Unsafe Ingredients for the Gluten-Intolerant

Obvious (and some less than obvious) ingredient terms to look for on food and cosmetic labels that we should AVOID:

• Amino peptide complex (from barley)
• Amp-isostearoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Barley (including malted barley)
• Barley extract
• Brewer's yeast
• Disodium wheatgermamido peg2 sulfosuccinate
• Filler flour
• Graham flour
• Hordeum vulgare (barley) extract
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein or hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Hydrolyzed wheat gluten
• Hydrolyzed wheat starch
• Modified food starch
• Rye
• Seitan
  
• Triticum vulgare (wheat)
• Vegetable starch
• Wheat (all types including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, bulgur, and triticale)
• Wheat amino acid
• Wheat bran extract
• Wheat dextrimaltose
• Wheat germ
• Wheat protein
  
  Removing Oat-derived ingredients may be advised because many gluten intolerants do not tolerate oats well.
  
  
• Avena sativa (oat) flour
  
• Oat extract
• Oat beta glucan
• Oat flour
• Sodium lauroyl oat amino acids

Pediatricians call for 2 autism checks by age 2

Disorder affects 1 in 150 in U.S.
October 29, 2007 BY LINDSEY TANNER

The country's leading pediatricians group is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don't babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don't point to toys. The advice is meant to help parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say early therapy can lessen its severity. Symptoms to watch for and the call for early screening are being released by the American Academy of Pediatrics at its annual meeting in San Francisco.

Experts say one in 150 U.S. kids have the developmental disorder.

Bonnie - instead of focusing on early detection, why isn't the AA of P focusing on finding the cause(s). Aren't children's physicians just a little alarmed that in the span of 25 years, the numbers went from 1 child in 10,000 being autistic to 1 in 150? So if their "pat" answer has always been that doctors are detecting it quicker and more efficiently, then I guess we don't need better screening techniques. Let's put that money towards the culprit(s)!

Multiple dietary supplement users have overall better health

A study published in the peer- reviewed Nutrition Journal (October 24, 2007) reveals that people who used multiple supplements for at least 20 years were in over-all better health than both non-supplement users and individuals who only consumed a multivitamin/mineral supplement. This first-ever study on long-term users of multiple dietary supplements found them comparatively to have markedly better health.

The objective of the study was to describe the dietary supplement usage patterns, health, and the nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users, and to make appropriate comparisons to matched single multivitamin supplement users and nonusers of supplements. Using a cross- sectional design, information was obtained from online questionnaires and on- site physical examinations from a sample of long-term users of multiple dietary supplements from a single dietary supplement supplier.

The group of 278 long-term multiple dietary supplement users consumed a broad array of vitamin/mineral, herbal, and condition-specific dietary supplements on a daily basis for at least 20 years. As a group, they were 73% less likely to have diabetes and 39% less likely to have elevated blood pressure than non-users. Also, this group was less likely to have suboptimal blood nutrient concentrations, and more likely to have favorable levels of key biomarkers including serum homocysteine, C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides than either non-users or multivitamin/mineral users.

Organic produce 'better for you'

Organic produce is better for you than ordinary food, a major European Union-funded study says. The four-year project found a general trend showing organic food contained more antioxidants. Researchers grew fruit, vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent organic and non-organic sites across Europe, including a 725-acre farm attached to Newcastle University. They found levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than normal milk. Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20% and 40% more nutrients.

Steve - where are the organic detractors now? Finding ways to turn their farms organic is where!

Aspirin kills 20,000 Americans every year

Common over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin kill around 20,000 Americans every year, and another 100,000 end up in hospital as a result of taking the drug, new research reveals (Proceedings of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, October 15, 2007).

Painkillers known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs) are far more dangerous than people have been told, and can cause life-threatening gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, stomach perforations and ulcers. More than 14 million Americans regularly take an NSAID for their arthritis pain alone, and around 60 per cent of these will suffer gastrointestinal side effects – and will probably never blame the drug.

Researchers realized that patients weren’t associating the painkiller with their stomach problems when they carried out a survey among patients at a clinic that specializes in gastrointestinal disease. Around one in five of the patients was taking an NSAID such as an aspirin, and was not reporting the fact to medical staff because they didn’t regard it as significant. "This reflects a common misperception that these medications are insignificant or benign when actually their chronic use, particularly among the elderly and those with conditions such as arthritis, is linked to serious and potentially fatal GI injury and bleeding," said Dr David Johnson, one of the researchers.

Bonnie- we have been vigilant in alerting our clients to the dangers of NSAID use, especially if on daily basis. There are many other natural ways to address chronic pain. Work with a licensed health professional to find the best individualized modalities.

Riboflavin boosts folate's colorectal cancer protection

Simultaneous supplementation of the two B-vitamins increased the response to low-dose folate in the double-blind randomized placebo-controlled intervention study (the FAB2 Study) involving 98 healthy people and 106 patients with colorectal polyps.

The study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, adds to the controversial subject of folate and colorectal cancer, with some studies reporting that the B-vitamin may in fact increase the risk of the disease. On the other hand, other studies have reported protective benefits from folate for colorectal cancer. The new study focussed on measuring increases in certain markers as a result of different supplementation regimes.

Supplementation with folic acid alone produced significant, dose-dependent increases in 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF), the reduced form of folate, in the mucosal layer of the colon. MTHF levels also increased in red blood cells and plasma. Simultaneous supplementation with riboflavin enhanced the response to low-dose folate in people with polyps.

The data adds to an ever-growing body of science linking B-vitamin intake to reduced risk of certain cancers, including vitamin B6 and colorectal cancer (J. Nutr., Vol. 137, pp. 1808-1814), folate and breast cancer (Am. J. Clin. Nutr., Vol. 86, pp. 434-443), and folate, B6 and B12 and pancreatic cancer (Cancer Research, Vol. 67, Issue 11).

Bonnie - as far as I am concerned, there is no controversy with folic acid. The Riboflavin factor has been around for a while. This study reaffirms the idea that B-vitamins complement each other and should be only be separated in specific instances when working with a health professional.

Prevent heart attacks in women

A new study shows that women can significantly cut their risk of having a heart attack by eating right, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking. "If women adopted these five 'rather simple' healthy diet and lifestyle factors, most heart attacks (i.e., 77 percent) could be avoided," Dr. Agneta Akesson from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, noted in an email to Reuters Health.

Akesson and colleagues studied the dietary and lifestyle patterns of 24,444 postmenopausal women enrolled in a clinical trial in 1997. At the time, none of the women had heart disease, diabetes or cancer. By analyzing information contained in "food frequency" questionnaires, in which the women noted how often they ate 96 different foods, the researchers identified four major dietary patterns. They were: "healthy" (vegetables, fruits and legumes); "Western/Swedish" (red meat, processed meat, poultry, rice, pasta, eggs, fried potatoes and fish); "alcohol" (wine, liquor, beer and some snacks); and "sweets" (sweet baked goods, candy, chocolate, jam and ice cream).

Other information, including family history of heart disease, education level, physical activity, and body measurements, was also collected.

During an average of more than 6 years follow-up, 308 women had heart attacks. In the Archives of Internal Medicine, the investigators report that two types of dietary patterns — healthy and alcohol — were significantly associated with decreased risk of heart attack.Women who maintained a healthy diet — eating lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and legumes — and drank a less than a quarter ounce of alcohol daily had a 57-percent lower risk of having a first heart attack, compared to women who maintained a less healthy diet and lifestyle pattern.

Moreover, the women combining the healthy diet and moderate drinking with the three healthy lifestyle factors (not smoking, being physically active and avoiding too much weight gain) had a 92-percent lower risk of heart attack. "The combined benefit of diet, lifestyle, and healthy body weight may prevent more than three of four cases of MI (heart attack) in our study population," Akesson and colleagues report.

Steve - surprised by these results? I think not.

Quercetin linked to lower blood pressure

Quercitin, the compound most commonly associated with onions and apples, may reduce blood pressure according to a study said to be the first to report the blood pressure-lowering activity of this flavonol. A daily 730 milligram supplement of quercitin led to significant reductions in the blood pressure of 22 people with high blood pressure.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, considered to be the gold-standard for experimental interventions, adds to an ever-growing body of reported health benefits for quercitin. The flavonol was previously linked to reduced risk of certain cancers.

Although no mechanistic study was performed by the researchers, they suggested that the flavonoid could limit the production of angiotensin II, a molecule that constricts blood vessels (vasoconstrictor) leading to an increase in blood pressure.

Steve - if you have been a client of ours since the beginning, you know that Quercetin has been a staple in our nutrient repertoire. It is a wonderful natural anti-inflammatory. It is one of the main ingredient in Allergy Fighters and Quercetin + C, two products we have recommended for over 20 years.

Diet affects how we see

Health experts have long debated the role of nutrition in protecting against and slowing the progress of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, a leading cause of vision loss among people over age 60. As the population ages, health experts predict that cases of AMD-related blindness in the U.S. will double to 3 million by the year 2020.

Dietary supplements and foods rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and other minerals have been researched as a way to stave off this widespread problem. New research is shifting the focus to another dietary area: refined carbs, abundant in white bread, white rice, most pasta, crackers and some cereals, for example. They have what is called a "high glycemic load," which causes blood sugar levels to spike.

Researchers at Tufts University found that 4,757 non-diabetic men and women with varying stages of AMD were 17 percent more likely to develop blinding AMD than those who consumed the least.

The study, published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, comes on the heels of another Tufts finding: People older than 55 who ate above-average levels of refined carbs appeared to have a higher risk for both early and later stages of AMD.

A quick note on fiber

Bonnie- People often ask me why they have to supplement with vitamins and minerals when taking a fiber (Benefiber, Fibersure, Citracal, etc.) supplement. The answer is pretty simple. While supplemental fiber serves a tremendous purpose for those of us who find it hard to get enough in our daily diet, fiber also blocks the absorption of several crucial nutrients, especially minerals. Fiber rich foods are richer in needed nutrients, so their decreased absorption is not a problem. However, supplemental fiber is not nutrient-rich so must be supplemented with specific vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin E may cut heart disease risk in diabetics

Daily vitamin E supplements (500 International Units) were found to decrease levels of a protein associated with higher risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and ultimately cardiovascular disease in this study with 37 type-2 diabetics, published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Type 2 diabetics are known to be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and this has been linked to a decrease in fibrinolysis - a process whereby the protein fibrin is broken down in the bloodstream. Fibrin plays an active role in coagulation of the blood.

The decrease is fibrinolysis has been linked to increased production of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), as is observed in diabetics.

The researchers assigned the 24 men and 13 women to receive the daily vitamin E supplements for 10 weeks, and then followed them for a further 20 weeks. At the end of the study, Vignini and co-workers report that PAI-1 levels decreased by 32 per cent after ten weeks, and returned to approximate baseline levels after a further 20 weeks without supplementation.

In addition, the production of nitric oxide (NO) - a molecule key for better blood flow - increased by about 50 per cent after ten weeks of vitamin E supplementation.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecule used by the endothelium (cells lining the surface of blood vessels) to signal surrounding muscle to relax, leading to a reduction in blood pressure, reduced blood clotting and protection against myocardial infarction and strokes.

Despite the positive results and implications for type-2 diabetics, the authors sounded a note of caution, stating that no control arm with a placebo was used, and the study was not double-blind and randomized.

Chronic Disease On U.S. Economy Is $1 Trillion Annually

In a groundbreaking study released today by the Milken Institute, the annual economic impact on the U.S. economy of the most common chronic diseases is calculated to be more than $1 trillion, which could balloon to nearly $6 trillion by the middle of the century.

Yet the news is not entirely grim because much of this cost is avoidable. “An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease” brings to light for the first time what is often overlooked in the discussion of the impact of chronic disease — the economic loss associated with preventable illness.

The study is the first of its kind to estimate the avoidable costs if a serious effort were made to improve Americans’ health. Assuming modest improvements in preventing and treating disease, Milken Institute researchers determined that by 2023 the nation could avoid 40 million cases of chronic disease and reduce the economic impact of chronic disease by 27 percent, or $1.1 trillion annually. They report that the most important factor is obesity, which if rates declined could lead to $60 billion less in treatment costs and $254 billion in increased productivity.

To reduce the human and economic cost of disease, the Milken Institute calls for: More incentives to promote prevention and early intervention. The full report is available on www.milkeninstitute.org and an interactive web site with complete national- and state-level data for each of the chronic diseases is available at www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com.

Steve - a welcome study for sure. Yet, our current medical model, food staples, government/agribusiness interplay, and overall motivation does not encourage a preventative model.

Solutions for Reducing Your Toxic Load

Special Report by Bonnie & Steve Minsky

http://www.nutritionalconcepts.com/Articles/toxicload.htm

Aurora Dairy faces lawsuits for organic violations

Aurora Organic Dairy is the subject of class action lawsuits being filed today, which allege that the firm has violated organic requirements in some of its dairy farms. They come after a two-year investigation by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which found that Aurora violated 14 provisions of the Organic Food Production Act.

According to outspoken organic watchdog Cornucopia Institute, "one of the most egregious of the findings was that from December 5, 2003, to April 16, 2007, the Aurora Dairy 'labeled and represented milk as organically produced, when such milk was not produced and handled in accordance with the National Organic Program regulations'".

As a result of its investigation, USDA entered into a consent agreement with the firm directing Aurora to stop organic production at one facility and make numerous changes in its operations.

The complaint filed today alleges that the illegal activities identified by USDA at Aurora's facilities should not have allowed the company to label its milk as 'organic' and that such labeling resulted in extensive consumer deception The suit seeks to recoup damages for consumers who purchased the organic milk and other sanctions seeking limits on Aurora's ability to market organic products.

Aurora produces private-label dairy products for a number of chains such as Safeway, Wild Oats (now Whole Foods), Giant, and Costco.

Steve - there are always going to be bad apples. It is nice to see that consumers are not going to let them off the hook very easily.

Nutritional Concepts Update!

Holiday season is fast-approaching, so it's time to start thinking about giving the gift of wellness! We now have Gift Certificates as well as several new Spa Products that complement our Rejuvenating Room experience.