Helpful News and Links

The NOAH Center Lending Library

Check out our new additions

The NOAH Center maintains a lending library which is open to all visitors.
Following is a list of the general subjects covered: Antroposophical Studies, Breast Cancer, Cancer-Prevention and Therapy, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Death and Dying, Disorders, Environmental Issues, Foreign Language Collection, Hair and Skin Care, Healing, Health/Consciousness, Herbs, Macrobiotic Cookbooks, Macrobiotics, Mind/Body, Movement/Bodywork, Natural Food Cookery, Nutrition, Parenting and Children, Self-Help, and Spirituality.

Some of our recent additions include:
-Healthy Aging by Andrew Weil, MD
-In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
-It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boorstein
-Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
-The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, MD
-Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine by John Abramson


Click here to see a list of our full collection of books and other resources.

Pamper your skin with food-based recipes

Thank you to the Massachussetts Breast Cancer Coalition for their recent informative talk on Safe Cosmetics. Check out these recipes they shared with us and then note the website info which follows.

Cucumber Avocado Mask

1/2 cup peeled chopped cucumber
1/2 cup peeled pitted avocado
1 egg white
2 tsp. dried powdered millk

Blend all ingredients in food processor until creamy.
Put on face for 30 minutes. Then remove with warm water.

Maple Sugar Body Polish

1 1/2 cups raw or brown sugar
1/3 cup pure maple sugar
1/3 cup olive oil

Mix together and spread over skin. Leave on for 15 minutes and then massage in before rinsing off.

Worried about the safety of your cosmetics?

There is a website where you can check out all of your favorite personal care products. Find out if your favorite products contain hazardous chemicals and find safer alternatives. Go to www.safecosmetics.org and clink on the link for Skin Deep.

Aerobic exercise? Strength training? What about flexibility and balance?

Are you determined to start a fitness program and need some guidelines? There is good information on the American College of Sports Medicine website including recommendations from the American Heart Association.For direct access to the website, click here

Maybe we can't blame everything on our genes

In a small study out of California led by Dr. Dean Ornish it was found that "Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level." Click here to read full article

Are Your "Natural" Cosmetics Safe?

by Steve Meyerowitz, Sproutman® www.Sproutman.com



Shampoo, shaving cream, hair spray, nail polish, aftershave, oils, creams, ointments­--every day we put something on our skin. We don’t need to be as concerned about those ingredients as we do with foods...right? Wrong!

The skin is the largest organ of the body. Its billions of pores absorb chemicals like a sponge. Whether you assimilate through your intestines or your skin, a hazardous ingredient does damage just the same.

Unfortunately, even the brands that use the word “organic” on their label may contain harmful ingredients. Why? Because at this time, there are still no regulations about the usage of the words “organic” and “natural” on cosmetics. You can be sure, marketers will use any words they (legally) can in order to seduce you into a purchase. Click here for the complete article.

Spring has finally arrived

Great Barrington Trails and Greenways has organized a series of walks and hikes in our area. Click here to see PDF for more information

Forest Moon: Celebrating Survivorship

Summer schedule announced

Forest Moon has announced its summer schedule for cancer survivors. Check out their website at www.forestmoon.org for details.