Hello, dear friends! Welcome to winter and a new year which we will call 2012!  Hopefully you are each getting some time to hibernate and get some reading done, perhaps while sipping some tea.  And we would definitely recommend some time in the far-infrared sauna!

2011 was a wonderful year for us here at Mandala and we are so very happy that you have been along with us on this journey.   We are grateful to each of you as we continue to build the mandala and make wishes that we may help and encourage many others to feel their best always.

May 2012 see you in the best of health, surrounded by positive people and loads of joy!

I remember as a kid seeing people wearing a button that read “We can’t all live upstream!”.  I would see the same environmental reminder on  bumper stickers, too.  I didn’t really know what it meant.  Now, with 30 more years of paying attention,  I get it.  And somewhere in our hearts, we all get it.

In our county, people are waking up to a newer environmental concern – hydraulic fracturing.  You see, one of the main ingredients needed for the so called “fracking” is silica sand, a type of sand that has been found to be in abundance here.  Many counties in our area have already seen silica sand mines approved and in operation.  The mining of, transportation of and washing of this sand poses certain environmental risks, to be sure.  Often times, an area of many acres is ripped and blown open so that this  “white” gold may be exploited, making it not only an eyesore, but creating clouds of fine silica dust that may spread for miles.  Silica sand is very crystalline and sharp and when breathed into the lungs over sustained periods of time can harm any living beings lungs (you, your children, family members, friends, pets) especially those with already compromised lung function.

The same goes for the hauling and storing of said sand.  While the trailers are supposed to be covered, we have already seen plenty of videos showing the drivers in too much of a hurry to take the time to pull the canopy over the payload.  Fine white sand, open-air, 65 miles an hour?  You catch the drift.  Literally and figuratively.

And if it happens to be stored in a mountain-sized pile and a good wind comes a blowin’, well… need I say more?

The “washing” of this sand, in order to separate the white stuff from the less desirable sand requires an obscene amount of water.  One such operation in Texas uses 3,700 gallons of water per minute, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, year round, and their permit application states that their operation will be “permanent”.  That’s over 5.3 million gallons a day!

So, yep, the sand mining, the tons of new heavy traffic on roads, the washing, the medical hazards (silicosis) is bad enough, right?

Well, not exactly.  For you see, the sand is just one of the things used in the “fracking” process.  And the fracking process, itself is rife with environmental disaster.  The amount of water, sand and “other chemicals” that is forced down into our earth in order to extract natural gas to fuel our addiction is obscene.  And… all over the US, there are more and more reports of these chemicals leaching into the groundwater, polluting the wells of countless people, making them sick in the short-term and who knows what else in the long-term?

When a county board, like ours here in Winona, MN, says that they will not welcome public input in order to make a decision on a proposed moratorium on the frac sand mining it is like admitting that the money, not public opinion, wins.  The “industry is good for our city” mentality is the same as saying we don’t care about the health of our citizens, we don’t care about the environmental degradation.  How good can industry be in the long run as we all get slowly (some not so slowly) sick?  How many chemicals can a human body take?  What about the young people up and coming who have been exposed to strange chemicals from conception and throughout life?

We can’t all live on other planets.  And to the people who have the vested interest in seeing this industry fluorish:  There will not always be somewhere to run from the environmental havoc you are helping to create.   Remember that a huge pile of money lying next to you in your sick bed is not going to bring you any joy when you know how that money came to you.  Your cows are most certainly coming home to roost.  Please don’t wait until your child is sickened or your wife lay dying before you examine whether or not this fracking might be the wrong frickin’ way to go.  We always, absolutely and positively, reap what we sow.

Autumn… full-on autumn!  We are making wishes that you are having a sweet and delicious season!

And… with this season begins the time when folks are more likely to catch a cold.  Some suggestions:

1)  Wash your hands.  Best way to avoid getting the bug in the first place.  Use warm to hot water and wash until you’ve sang the Happy Birthday song to yourself twice over.  And smile at yourself in the mirror while you do so.

2)  Keep your Vitamin d levels up.  We can’t make it from the sun for the next many months so you’ll need to supplement and/or use a safe vitamin D/tanning bed.  The Vitamin D Council recommends 5,000 i.u.’s/day.  And if you find yourself beginning to go down with a cold, take 70,000 i.u.’s for 2 days in a row. We use and carry NOW Foods D3.

3)  We recommend at least 1,000 mg/day of a quality, buffered vitamin C.  Should you start to get sick, though, your body will absorb much more.  Try 500 mg’s every waking hour.  It helps boost the immune system and is a natural antihistamine (without the negative side-effects of the pharmaceutical ones).  Here at Mandala we are stocked with several dosages of buffered Vitamin C products.

4)  Facial steams and neti (sinus cleansing) are amazing ways to help deal with the sinus stuffiness/congestion that often accompany a cold.  If you’re not sure how to use these, give us a call or stop in and we’ll walk you through it.  We carry all the necessary equipment, oils and salts for both!

5)  Zinc!  It will shorten the life of any cold that you might end up getting.  But you need to take 75 grams/day as soon as you feel the bug coming on.  It’s been clinically proven to reduce the duration but it has to be 75 mg’s/day.  75 is the magic number.

6)  Far-infrared sauna!  Helps to burn out anything while moving blood and lymph.  Helps to detox and soothe your body.  Use ours here at Mandala and if you desire one for home use, why we can make sure you get the best and ship it right to your door.

7) Stay positive.  The more negative we are in our minds, the worse off we will be.  Take it as a message that your body wants to slow down a bit and remember that it’s not even close to the end of the world.  You’ve gotten through these things in the past and odds are greatly in your favor that you’ll get over this one too.

8)  Enjoy hydrating beverages.  Warm liquids like tea are soothing to the throat and will help make sure you are moving plenty of fluids through your system.

9)  When congested, avoid using dairy products and grains, especially wheat.  Both promote the formation of mucus at a time when you really don’t need it.

Be good to yourself always.  We need you to be healthy and happy.  The world needs more vibrantly healthy and joyful people!

And of course, if you’ve any questions please know that you can phone or email us anytime.  We are here to help.

Soon,

Garret, Sarah and Amy

Hi folks!  Great news!  There are now two other local places to try out our far-infrared saunas!  We just installed FIR saunas at the Winona Snap Fitness and also one of the LaCrosse, WI Snap Fitness locations.  We are very excited to have them using our saunas there so that even more folks can discover the healing benefits of FIR sauna therapy!!!