City of Wellness Settled Across The Pond?
Queen Afua, the one who spawned the Heal Thyself Center, Heal Thyself 21-Day Fast, Sacred Woman Initiation, City of Wellness and Queen Afua Wellness Institute, is known for her travels to global destinations to profess the power of a natural and holistic lifestyle for total body, mind and spirit wellness. She’s broadcast her message on television and radio. She’s arranged numerous teleconferences that keep the momentum going and hosted countless fasting shut-ins in and out of New York City. Queen Afua had been a resident of Brooklyn, and Heal Thyself Center a/k/a City of Wellness a fixture at 106 Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for over 25 years. But no more, as many have observed in recent months.
It is official: Queen Afua pulled stakes and relocated to London, England.
A long time partner said she “was in shock…no one told her anything.” She now pays her monthly space rent to Ken Bey, Esq., a lawyer and businessman who is authorized by Ida Robinson, the property owner and mother to Queen Afua.
Though one will hear Queen Afua’s voice on the outgoing message at 718 221 HEAL, she moved to London November 2009. Two newer employees who were responsible for promotion and sales left October 2009. Visit 106 Kingston Avenue and make note the Health Thyself Center and City of Wellness signage are removed. The space is available for rental. One source explains “The 40% share of revenue on top of the rent charge makes deals prohibitive.”
Actually, she moves between New York and London. Sunday, January 10 2010 the winter fasting shut-in was at Grace Family Health Center in Canarsie, Brooklyn; Saturday, January 23, 2010 Queen Afua will lead the Women’s Healing Soul Sweat and January 13 – February 3, she will run
Setting up a Home Detox Spa at The Open Center in Soho. Customers who purchased product online will have their orders fulfilled. The timing of which is in process.
A Sacred Woman initiate and Kemetic priest remarks on the state of relations between Queen Afua and the many priests and Sacred Woman initiates, “Perhaps there is bad blood running if no one is there to take the work forward in her absence."
Queen Afua is an innovator and reframer of the wellness discourse. She and her diehard naturalists will be missed but it’s a sure bet that she won’t abandon New York altogether. Stay in contact with her by telephone 718 473 0677, 718 221 HEAL or online
www.queenafua.com.
Labels: City of Wellness, holistic health, London, New York City, Queen Afua
Central Harlem Health Revival Wants Us to Take Charge of Our Health
Yes, there is a great life beyond mac & cheese. There’s a life without fried chicken and white rice. There’s a life full of vigor, vibrancy and expectancy in each moment when exercise, tasty, good nutrition and rest reign. The
Central Harlem Health Revival (CHHR) is on a mission to show Harlem residents the path of health and well being. Central Harlem Health Revival claims victory over obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and heart disease—all of which are preventable diseases.
On September 27, 2009 the fourth annual Health Revival Week kicks off with the Health Walk which starts at W. 155th Street and 8th Avenue and ends at the Harlem State Office Building, on W. 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. There are stops along the route at houses of worship to get quick healthy living tips such as substituting brown rice for white rice.
From the walk the community is welcome to the Health and Wellness Fair at the State Office Building’s plaza. Other events include an ecumenical worship service October 1, 7:00 PM at Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church, 101 W. 123rd Street and a health conference and fair at Minisink Townhouse, 646 Lenox Avenue.
The impetus behind the week is the continuing high rates of hospital admissions for cases of stroke, pulmonary disease, diabetic complications and HIV/AIDS. Too many Harlem residents access emergency medical services rather than preventive care. The other motivating force is the firm belief in a higher power and that holy renewal is a mind, body and spirit reality.
CHHR is an offshoot of the Borough of Manhattan Ecumenical Advisory Group (BMEAG) that is comprised of representatives of houses of worship and faith-based institutions in Manhattan. It receives guidance and support from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Office of Minority Health. CHHR grew beyond its parent body in the drive to reduce disparities in health and medical service delivery experienced in Central Harlem compared to the whole of Manhhattan. CHHR’s short list of member organizations includes Harlem Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, Canaan Baptist Church, Mother Zion A.M.E. Church, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The voluntary body uses teleconferencing and weekly meetings to finalize the logistics of the Health Revival Week. The September 8 meeting closed with a special prayer of encouragement for Dr. Kristie Lancaster, professor in New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health who has steadfastly co-convened the meetings.Contact Central Harlem Health Revival at 646 345 5235 or
http://www.centralharlemhealthrevival.org/ for more information.
Labels: diabetes, faith-based, Harlem, holistic health, stroke
The next Queen Afua Wellness Institute fasting shut-in, slated for March 21, 2009 at Harlem’s National Black Theater, will be a decidedly different event for the public. Promoted as the Economic Wellness Stimulus Package, this shut-in showcases the preliminary results of a twelve-week disease prevention and optimal wellness program, which is a collaboration between Queen Afua, holistic wellness care supervisor and Dr. Bernadette Sheridan, MD, FAAFP.
Since January 4, 2009, twenty-seven people have followed a regimen of nutrition, colon care, exercise, evidence-based aroma and herbal therapy and affirmations to cure such ailments as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, diabetes, asthma and hypertension. Dr. Sheridan, a family practice physician, explains, “To get someone healthy, you have to look at the family as a whole to understand the patient’s environment and support system.” Dr. Sheridan had been searching for a healthy interface between allopathic medicine and holistic lifestyle changes. When one of her patients introduced her to Queen Afua, last August, they both felt an instantaneous connection. Queen Afua explains that they “fell into each other arms.” Upon completion of a four-month Health Thyself program at the physician’s office, the two planned a twelve-week wellness program that would be scientifically tracked.
While Queen Afua supervises exercise, nutrition and affirmation activities, Dr. Sheridan oversees the weekly weight and blood pressure checks for everyone and the glucose monitoring for those with diabetes. Each month the twenty-seven, known as The Magnificent Ones, get comprehensive medical examinations including blood work, body mass index, and percentage of fat. In their ninth week, The Magnificent Ones have lost an aggregate of 180 pounds and one of the diabetic patients is off all medications. The twelve week study ends April 8, 2009. Thereafter, Dr. Sheridan must prepare a paper, inclusive of statistics, that must stand up to the scrutiny of the medical community.
The Economic Wellness Stimulus Package is free to the public. It features a testimony from one of The Magnificent Ones, the City of Wellness Reality Show and the usual round of tonics and water. Queen Afua will sign her latest book, The City of Wellness. For further information contact the Queen Afua Institute at 718 221 HEAL.
Labels: City of Wellness, holistic health, preventable diseases, Queen Afua
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Oral Hygiene
I got a serious wake up call this month when I went to the dentist. She told me that I needed my gums cleaned, two cavities filled and root canal for one tooth. I came to her because I knew a wisdom tooth needed extraction. This other stuff was news.
The wisdom tooth needed removal 9 years ago but since it wasn't hurting. I forgot about. Well, it uprooted itself to a point that, unbeknownst to me there's this big hole where food and liquid can easily fall in. It wasn't until this March and again in June that I experienced excruciating pain.
The dentist's diagnosis had me thinking about what I should've been doing for my teeth. I asked what I could do in between seeing her and the oral specialists. She said, "Nothing." I couldn't accept that. I started reading and learned that the teeth and gums impact the eyes, heart, bones, liver, and kidneys. I may be missing something but this list is already long. More reading uncovered extraction, cavity-filling and root canal came with their problems. Basically, it's about bacteria and parasites that can be released into the blood stream through the gums.
Do you see the word, parasites? Just as we have parasites in the intestines, we can cultivate them in the gums. What is the essential oral care regimen? As it's been said before: brush your teeth, at least, after waking up and before going to bed for the night. The mouth is a dark, moist place that cultivates all kinds of amoeba, germs and bacteria. Begin with dry brushing--no water, no paste--and later do the toothpaste. Obtain crushed Neem (aka Peelu) and sprinkle it on the toothpaste or gently roll the toothpaste-ladened tooth brush in the Neem. Neem is a tree twig that gently cleans and polishes teeth and gums. It's very healing to the gums. Follow up brushing with flossing. In between the teeth is where the problems begin for both teeth and gums. When flossing, go easy on the gums and focus more so on rubbing the sides of the teeth.
Brushing the tongue and massaging the gums are also important. You want the blood to circulate in the gums and the tongue, particular the back part gets coated. Beyond a clean smelling breath, I want a cleaner mouth. To get that I came up with a mouth rinse that helps with bacteria, viruses, soothing my gums and giving me a sweeth breath. Fill a 32 oz. bottle with water--ideally spring water but, from the tap has to be okay if that's what you have. In that water put 3 drops of tea tree oil, 3 drops of eucalyptus oil, 4 drops of peppermint oil and some clove oil. Shake it up and take in half a mouth full. Swish a bit and, then, hold it on your mouth for a few minutes. You can swallow it or spit out. I believe drinking a couple of mouth fulls during the day is important for overall health. The tea tree oil and eucalyptus are great antispetics and have various curative powers for the gums, skin and stomach. Other supports include calcium, magnesium and vitamin C intake. Bone support and the total body need the supplementation. When bone loss occurs, it doesn't grow back so fortifying what you have is essential. Other supplements, I'd be remiss in not sharing are oil of oregano and bowel care. Oil of oregano fights viruses, bacteria and germs. You may get a bottle that recommends 4 drops. I suggest 15 drops for those who don't wash fruits and vegetables and enjoy eating out. Who doesn't fit that description?
The bowel care is about helping the lymphatic system. Those lymph nodes get overloaded doing their cleaning job. Cleaning or clearing out the large intestines invigorates the lymphatic system. Think about it: once the lymph nodes have filtered the various liquids in the body, where does it get it eliminated? Through heavy sweating, urination and bowel movement.
What's the culprit in gum disease and tooth decay is the modern diet. We're eating a lot of sugary, starchy and processed foods. More fruit and vegetables are required. Then there's smoking of tobacco, marijuana and other substances. Alcohol, black tea and coffee are hard on the teeth and gums too. There are so many people with bridges, dentures and caps. If we ate better, we'd be better.
Remember I mentioned the connection with the eyes, heart, kidney, liver and bones at the beginning? I'm learning that my upper respiratory condition is the result of letting my wisdom tooth go untreated for so long. I have apologized to my mouth many times. So, I've from this experience that it's not simply the ear-nose-throat connection. It's the teeth-gums-ear-nose-throat-and-eyes connection.
Labels: eucalyptus, gums, holistic health, oil of oregano, oral hygiene, tea tree oil, teeth
