"Christmas is real and about more than food and gifts. It

summons us to be present -- in thought, in spirit, or in

person -- to those whose bonds we share. It calls us to

reweave and renew the ties that bind us, and which, through

good and bad times, give value and meaning to our lives.

Christmas gives us momentary pause for recollection of past

pleasures, of hearty laughter, of hard-won trials and tests

of character, and of abiding memories of "the times of our

lives" and the people and events that shaped them. May your

Christmas be memorable and rewarding."

-Evelyn Unes Hansen

My warmest wishes to you and yours this blessed Holiday

season. I decided to include the following article about

Decorating with Spirit to help inspire us to create a spiritual

space within our home to help remind us of the deeper

significance of the beautiful decorations that surround us

this time of year. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I

did.

To your health, Dr. Couri

Decorate with Spirit: 5 Ways to Invite Peace Into Your

Home For the Holidays

Many of us are so overwhelmed by holiday pressures that we

miss out on the special moments that give meaning to this

time of year. Whatever your religious beliefs, set yourself up

for a more meaningful, peaceful holiday season by creating a

spiritual space within your home.

Make Way Feeling oppressed by holiday paraphernalia can make day-to-

day clutter even more intolerable than usual—and it can

distract you from the deeper significance of all those

decorations in the first place.

Do a major declutter of living areas before you start

decorating, and relocate or store redundant furniture (an extra

chair that’s just for show, a side table that gets in the way),

and consider donating unwanted items to places in need. Put

some collectibles away to create more tabletop space,

encourage more flow for conversation, and put more focus on

the holiday items that are most significant to you. A leaner,

less cluttered home is the ener-

getic balance to the holiday

chaos that’s about to descend.

Clear the Air Burning sage to cleanse a

home is an effective ritual that

has been used through the ages

to consecrate energies and allow the best future to unfold.

After cleaning your home, light the sage and imagine

negative energy leaving. Then fill up the space with visualiza-

tions of the authentic exchanges and heartfelt moments you

will share with your loved ones. State your intentions out

loud, such as, “This home is a place of divine peace and love

that enables us to feel the true essence of the season.” Or,

“This home enhances our family heritage and growing

traditions and brings us all closer to one another.”

Bring Nature In A University of Washington study found that just being able

to see elements of nature can induce relaxation and lower

your heart rate. “Interaction with the natural world is calming

and will make you feel subconsciously more at ease,” says

Kate Hanley, author of The Anytime, Anywhere Chill Guide.

“Get a real tree, hang clove-studded oranges as ornaments,

and put pinecones in a glass vase for centerpieces.” Use a

bowl of snow to chill party drinks, decorate with real holly

and poinsettias, and don’t forget the mistletoe—kissing

reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Decorate with Intention As you bring out the decorations you’ve collected over the

years, take a minute to think about their true meaning. That

wreath is a symbol of eternal life. Hanukkah candles symbol-

ize the light of the creator in our lives. A decorated tree

represents growth and new beginnings. And don’t forget

angels. “You can connect more deeply to symbols of

angels by becoming aware of which ones really take your

breath away and make you pause and reflect,” says Lorna

Byrne, author of A Message of Hope from the Angels. “Ask your angels to fill your home with their love and guid-

ance.”

A note from Dr. Michele Couri: Decorate with Spirit

December 2013

6708 North Knoxville Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 309.692.6838 www.CouriCenter.com

“Restoring Health to Women’s Healthcare.”

Feeling whole and connected to the Earth and others takes effort, but

it is rewarding work. By bringing your focus outside of yourself, you

will learn to reach out to people and to the world around you in posi-

tive ways. Giving of yourself, from spending time with friends and

those in need to taking care of the environment or a companion ani-

mal, also promotes positive interaction.

Here are eight steps to help you get connected:

1. Nature and Earth. If you think of nature as a hostile force that

is separate from yourself, you will go through life unnecessarily afraid

and cut off from one of the great sources of spiritual nourishment.

Whether you connect with nature on wilderness trips or lunch breaks

in a city park, you can always slow down and observe the infinite

variety of her ways. One way to connect with nature is through plants:

gardening, collecting plants from the wild, growing cactuses and

flowering bulbs, and having unusual and useful plants in and around

the home can all help promote connectedness with nature. Plants can

enrich your daily life, bring comfort and joy, and remind you that

however you think of yourself, you are also part of the natural world.

2. Animals. Research shows that people who have pets have less

illness than people who do not. Pet owners also recover faster from

serious illness and tend to be happier. Ex-prisoners who form relation-

ships with pets have lower recidivism rates than those who do not.

While pets can and inevitably will bring owners great joy, they are a

responsibility: they demand a certain level of attention and care. How-

ever, the rewards that pets give in return are often too great to be

measured. Loving and caring for a pet is a great way to learn how to

love and care for other humans and nature.

3. Family. We are not meant to be alone - we are meant to be parts

of bigger families, bands, and tribes. Human beings want and need the

intimate support of a real family. Unfortunately, the nuclear family of

our modern society is contracted. It is hard not to look at the

"extended families" of some cultures with wistful longing, if not out-

right envy. Where I live, in southern Arizona, the Hispanic population

seems way ahead of the rest of us in providing for the needs of family.

In many Hispanic families the old people, even when infirm, continue

to be valued members and live at home. Don't settle for nuclear family

contraction. Extend!

4. Community. Community is the sense of living and working to-

gether for common goals. We are naturally communal beings and

derive great satisfaction from the experience of belonging to a group

with a common purpose. The strength and comfort of community

come from the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its

parts. Our society often fails to provide for this need, and unless we

work to create community, it does not happen, or does so in unhealthy

ways. You can define community any way you want. It may be your

neighborhood, your sports team, your environmental action group,

your church, your social club. What makes it work is what you bring

to it and the role you let it play in your life. This kind of connected-

ness gives us the power to improve our lives and make the world a

better place.

5. Serving. Selfless service means giving of yourself to help others

with no thought of return. Many religious traditions extol the ideal of

selfless service as one of the great aids to dismantling the ego cage

and restructuring personality. Each day provides countless opportuni-

ties to practice putting others' interests ahead of your own, such as

giving of your time, energy and presence to reduce the suffering or

increase the happiness of others. The goal is not to acquire spiritual

merit, increase your chances of going to heaven, or earn the admira-

tion of the community. Instead, service is a way of acknowledging

that we are all one and that the happiness of each is connected to the

happiness of all. The more you can experience the interconnectedness

of all beings, the healthier you will be.

6. Loving. To love is to exper ience connection in its highest, purest

form. Humans tend to confuse loving with other feelings that take us

back into the world of separateness and fragmentation. Popular songs

today seem to be mostly about the joys and pains of romantic love,

not about loving as connection, which is something altogether differ-

ent. Learning to love takes practice and time, especially in a culture

that is focused so intensely on romantic love. In intimate relationships

that work, the in-love state is replaced by mutual loving. That can

happen only if both partners are mature and committed to a life to-

gether. Many people today have no idea what to do when they fall out

of love with their partners; they think it means there is no possibility

of continuing the relationship, which is why divorce rates are now so

high. Realizing that you have within you a limitless source of love

that can benefit everyone and everything will help you form the best

and strongest connections of your life.

7. Touching. Human beings need to touch and be touched. A great

deal of animal and human research shows that individuals deprived of

physical contact are insecure, poorly adjusted, and more prone to ill-

ness. Some cross-cultural research suggests that sexually repressed

and touch-deprived societies are much more given to violence. Our

own society, unfortunately, is in that category. Touching is an easy

connection to make because it feels so good. Please do more of it.

8. Higher powers. One reason the 12-step programs work as treat-

ments for addiction is that they encourage connection to a power

greater than yourself. It does not matter much how you conceive of

that higher power; what matters is the sense of connection to it. It can

be the father-god of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, the Compassion-

ate Buddha, the Great Spirit, the Goddess, pure, undifferentiated Con-

sciousness, or simply the Mystery. You are free to choose the way

you conceive of the universe and your place in it. People who experi-

ence themselves as part of and supported by something larger than

themselves are less fearful and more healthy than people who view

the world through the bars of an ego cage, seeing the world as sepa-

rate from themselves, and as being disconnected.

Taken from http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00591/Eight-Ways-To-Connect.html

Honor Your Space Whether you take a quiet moment by yourself or join your

family to give thanks before a holiday meal at home, try to

include the environment itself in your prayers and

declarations of gratitude. Look at your home as its own

living entity, providing a setting for your memories and

serving as the steadfast protector that shelters you and your

family. By honoring your space you encourage goodwill and

gratitude within your home, inviting a deeper experience of

the holidays.

This article was written by Laura Benko. She is a Holistic Design Expert and her web-

site is www.laurabenko.com.

A note from Dr. Michele Couri continued...

8 Ways to Connect By Andrew Weil

Meet our staff: Dr. Michele Couri M.D., FACOG Doctor of Gynecology and Integrative Medicine

Hope Placher PA-C, MMS Physician Assistant

Susan F. Lang MS, APN, CNM, LCCE Advance Practice Nurse

Terry Polanin MS, APN, FNP-BC Nurse Practitioner

Leslie Rusch-Bayer BS, CPT Certified Personal Trainer

“Restoring Health to Women’s Healthcare.”

Proven to CHANGE your life in 15 weeks...

TLC™ is a disease reduction and prevention program used to

reduce or eliminate the effects of cardiometabolic diseases,

adrenal fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, bone deficiencies,

and/or weight problems.

Make your appointment today!

Merry Christmas from the

Couri Center!

Use this coupon to receive double punches on your Couri Center

Rewards card during the month of December.

Coupon good 12/1/13-12/31/13

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Bark Recipe Prep Time: 5 min. Cooking Time: 25 min.

Ingredients

1 lb. (454 g) dark chocolate; 1 cup whole pecans; ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries, chopped; Sea salt to taste (optional) Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. 2. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. They’re done when they start to smell good:

take them out, and crush them with your hands or cut into chunks with a knife. 3. Chop the chocolate into pieces. 4. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or directly in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring constantly. 5. Pour the melted chocolate on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and spread it around with a spatula. 6. Sprinkle some sea salt evenly over the chocolate to taste. 7. Sprinkle the chopped pecans and chopped cherries evenly on top of the chocolate; you can apply some pressure to make

sure they stick to the chocolate. 8. Wait until the chocolate has cooled down, break into pieces, and serve. Recipe by paleodietlifestyle.com

Cold and flu season is upon us. If you recall, last month I discussed the immune boosting supplement - "WholeMune." I hope you have found it helpful! It has become a part of my daily routine. Did you know that most common etiology of the common cold is a virus? Antibiotics will NOT, I repeat, will NOT kill a

virus. They simply give us a false sense of security that we are doing something to rid our body of illness faster. This month, I would like to discuss another key supplement that should become a staple in your arsenal against

illness. It has been clinically proven to rev up the immune system to fight the virus. Viracid is to be utilized at the first signs of a cold. It provides a powerful combination of key nutrients and botanical extracts which provide immediate support for immune challenges. It will help your immune system squash the cold. Suggested dosing is 1-2 capsules per hour, while awake, until symptoms Improve. Here’s to a happy and healthy holiday season, Hope Placher PA-C, MMS

Spotlight Supplement: Viracid