Happy Halloween

Hi All,

Happy Halloween.  Hope you're having some fun with it.  Here in Arizona and all over the country, Halloween has become a huge holiday.  People really get into the spirit of it; dressing up in costumes, decorating their yards and houses, kids have always gone door to door trick or treating.  A lot of people have parties and cities throw events too.  And of course - there's the spooky movies.

I thought I'd get in on the action a little and do a fun Halloween pic.  It's the old-school skull with red glowing eyes and Happy Halloween on it.

This years Halloween pic - digital art, Photoshop and Wacom tablet.

I had a little fun drawing it and coloring it in Photoshop with my pen and Wacom tablet.  Good times.
Enjoy your Halloween out there.  Be careful - there's going to be a lot of little ones out there walking around.

A little throw back pic from last year....spooky jack o lantern head.

Take care and have a fun Halloween.

Peace,

Tom

Smoothie - Great Way to Start Your Day

Hi All,

Hope you're having a great week.  Nice warm sunny day here in Phoenix - pretty much like that every day.  I can't complain.  Life is good.  And I am so blessed to live in a great city like this.

One of the things I'm grateful for is all of the great produce that's available around here.  One really good way to start your day is with a smoothie - a fruit (and maybe vegetable), shake.

The photo above shows smoothies that I made for my wife Sue and I yesterday morning.  They included - apples, celery, and some mixed organic frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, and others).  I also put in a little almond milk.  I blended it all up into a delicious and refreshing breakfast treat.

Not only do smoothies taste great, but a drink like this is loaded with vitamins and nutrients.  There are a lot of resources out there where you can find out the exact nutrients.  One of my favorites is www.WHFoods.com.  It's the website for The Worlds Healthiest Foods.  Great site - check it out.  I've got the book as well - about 15 pounds and 850 pages of in-depth nutritional info....good stuff.

The great thing about smoothies is you can use just about anything you have on hand - fruit, vegetables, honey, peanut butter, milk, yogurt, etc.  One of my favorite ingredients is fresh baby spinach.  It's so nutritious and tastes great in a smoothie.

Here's to you, and your health.  Get out that blender - and mix up a tasty nutritious treat.  Your body will thank you.

Have a great week everyone.  Enjoy yourself and enjoy those around you too.

Peace,

Tom

www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com
www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

Cartooning - Mr. Rodgers

Hi All,

I just finished a cartoon drawing of Aaron Rodgers (of the Green Bay Packers).  It combines two lifelong loves of mine; The Packers football team and Cartooning.

Since I was a young boy I loved cartoons and comic strips and I was always a Packers fan.  The Packers were the local heros where I grew up, and I still cheer for them (win or lose).  I also loved cartoons and drawing cartoons.  I would copy pictures of Snoopy and others, as well as making up my own characters.

My favorite cartoons growing up were Peanuts and probably Beatle Bailey (as a young boy), and Doonesbury was one of my favorites as I got into my teens.  Of course there are many others that I enjoyed - as well as Batman and Archie comic books.

Pen and Ink, photographed and partially colored in Photoshop on computer.

I've been playing with this piece off and on for about a month and a half.  I start out with bristol board, pencil and eraser.  Then I created a pen and ink cartoon.  I took a photo of it with my phone camera (hadn't purchased the new printer/scanner yet).  And - as you can see above, started cleaning it up and coloring the toon.

I do most of this with the brush tool in Photoshop.  I was working on this for fun and wasn't in a big hurry, so taking the extra time on this piece gives it a real hand drawn look (because it really is).  I use other tools and know of many other more efficient ways - I'm telling you how I did this picture, and it's a slower process for sure.

Finished artwork of Aaron Rodgers immortalized in a cartoon.

When the actual cartoon character is finished, I work the lettering.  I clean up the letters and use selection tool and airbrush to get the effect.  Finally I use custom brushes, layers, and transparency levels to put a nice background together.  Simple and fun.

Have fun with the cartoons.  The beauty of cartooning is you can do it anywhere and just about at any time.  All you need is a drawing implement and something to draw on.

Have a great week.  Go Packers!!

Peace,

Tom

www.behance.net/tk-art

Flu Season's Coming...Take Care of Yourself

Hi All,

How are you doing?  How's your transition into fall?  Here, the palm leaves don't turn colors, and very few other trees lose leaves.  It's cooling off a little and we're easing into another season - the not so hot season.  However - even in AZ, colds and flu still go around.  You still need to care for yourself or get sick.

At Beyond Today Co, (one of my office locations), there's an amazing Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Katie Nuckolls.  She's a naturopath who practices general family medicine.  She's excellent - and I recommend her.  A wonderful person and top notch physician.

She recently blogged about the 5 things you can do to help get thru Flu season.  Great recommendations and sound holistic medicine.

You should check out her website and blog... http://horizonnaturalmedicine.com/

The following is Dr. Nuckolls' blog post on the 5 things you can do to stay healthy during flu season.

Enjoy - and take care of yourself.

First of all, whether it is flu season or not, we are all exposed to thousands of disease-causing microbes every single day, and we have been exposed to them since the day we were born. If the simple presence of a virus or bacteria in our vicinity was enough to cause disease, we would all be sick every day of our lives. But the truth is that it’s not about the bugs, it’s about us. Micro-organisms only grow when conditions are right for them: in bodies where the immune system and other tissues are already damaged and weak.  So while it is important to be well-informed and practice good hygiene, I believe that the most important way to combat the flu and other contagious illnesses is to keep your body and your immune system strong.  How do you do that? Check out my 5 easy tips below.

1. Keep your gut healthy:
   1. There is a direct link between gut health and immune health. This is one of the main reasons I focus on healing the gut first with almost all of my patients. One of your body’s primary defense systems is the “good bacteria” that form a physical barrier on the wall of your intestines so that dangerous bacteria and viruses cannot enter into the bloodstream. If your gut barrier is strong, dangerous bugs will literally just pass on through without finding anywhere to attach to and cause disease. Two of the most effective ways to keep your gut healthy this flu season are to identify and avoid food allergens and take a good quality probiotic supplement daily.
2. Vitamin D:
   1. Vitamin D plays an important role in immune system, and many studies show that supplementation can reduce your risk of getting the flu. One of the main sources of vitamin D is sunlight. Our exposure to the sun is much less in the winter months, and this may be part of the reason why we are more prone to colds and flus during this time. Getting your vitamin D level checked with your doctor and supplementing if needed is a great way to keep your immune system functioning optimally.
3. Exercise:
   1. Getting regular exercise has a significant effect on your immune system. Studies show that moderate exercise (like brisk walking, jogging, or weight training) 3-4 times per week lowers your risk for getting sick. Just be careful not to take it too far; overtraining can actually lower your immune system and make you more susceptible to infection.
4. Berries:
   1. Many different species of berries have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-viral properties that help to keep your immune system strong. While fresh berries can be hard to find during the winter months, frozen berries are always available. For a stronger immune-enhancing effect, I use concentrated berry extracts like black elderberry, which has been shown in scientific studies to significantly increase immune system activity.
5. Homeopathic Flu Prevention:
   1. For the past 150 years, homeopathic physicians have been using the remedy Influenzinum as a preventative treatment for the flu. In the same way that the flu shot changes every year, a new batch of Influenzinum is produced yearly using the flu virus strains recommended by the World Health Organization. In 1998, the French Society of Homeopathy conducted a survey of 23 homeopathic doctors who used Influenzinum as a flu preventive in their practices (Coulamy, 1998). The results of this survey were quite incredible. In approximately 90% of the cases no instances of the flu occurred when Influenzinum was used preventively, and when the patients themselves were surveyed, 98 percent expressed a desire to take the same preventive treatment the following year.

The bottom line is this: no matter what the season, the secret to staying disease-free is to focus on your HEALTH and make yourself and your well-being a priority. Small changes can make all the difference. If you are interesting in learning more about the therapies listed above or have questions about what natural medicine can do for you, call 602-359-2893 and schedule a free 15 minute consult with Dr. Katie at Horizon Natural Medicine.

Cranial Sacral Therapy - Incredible!

Hi All,

How's things?  Things are pretty good here in Arizona.  It's cooling off a little - mornings and evenings are especially beautiful.  It's good to have a little break after a long hot summer.  

One therapy that I really enjoy helping people with, is Craniosacral Therapy.  It can provide such amazing relief for people in so many ways.  As I was thinking about the blog today, I decided to check the web and see if I could find something on this topic.

Below is a description and information about CranioSacral, that I found on the Upledger Institute's website.  Dr. Upledger was an amazing pioneer in this field and I love his book, Your Inner Physician and You.  

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics. 

CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. 

Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.

By complementing the body's natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction, including:

Migraine Headaches Chronic Neck and Back Pain Motor-Coordination Impairments Colic Autism Central Nervous System Disorders Orthopedic Problems Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries Scoliosis Infantile Disorders Learning Disabilities Chronic Fatigue Emotional Difficulties Stress and Tension-Related Problems Fibromyalgia and other Connective-Tissue Disorders Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ) Neurovascular or Immune Disorders Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-Surgical Dysfunction What a nice little description and list of medical issues that can be helped with CranioSacral therapy.   This is a therapy that I provide in my holistic therapy practice.  It's so gentle, yet can provide such profound results.  Let me know if I can be of assistance.  I provide my therapies at prices that most everyone can afford - I don't think these kind of therapies should only be for a select few.  I also have a $10 discount for teachers and 20% off for our military Veterans.  Check out my website - listed below. Vets - if you've suffered from a traumatic brain injury, I may be able to provide some much sought after relief.  The therapy is also good for PTSD.  I've had very good results, working with people who have had head injuries and chronic headaches. Have a great day everyone.  Be good to yourself and others.... Peace and Love, Tom Owner and Therapist at Holistic Therapy Solutions Phoenix, AZ 443-850-4126 tom.kbrink@gmail.com www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com http://tomkbrink-design.blogspot.com/ www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions