Maria Grusauskas - Santa Cruz.com

Drawn to Santa Cruz, A Cancer Patient Rethinks Life

Maria Grusauskas — May 22, 2012

Less than three years ago, Jennifer Heskett Yamaguchi laid on an examination table in Tucson and watched the monitor as a urologist sent a camera into her bladder. What she saw turned her world upside down: more than 20 cancerous tumors—too many to even count—taking over the right side of her bladder.

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Ayurvedic Treatment Soothes Weary Eyes

Maria Grusauskas — May 1, 2012

The ancient ayurvedic treatment called “netra basti” concentrates on the deep relaxation of the ocular muscles while cleansing and lubricating the eyeball and socket with castor oil (said to prevent cataracts), rose water or, most commonly, ghee (clarified butter). Local ayurvedic practitioner Heather Nagel recommends the treatment for anyone who spends long hours gazing into a computer screen.

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The Seeds of Renee’s Garden

Maria Grusauskas — Apr 17, 2012

It all began about 30 years ago, when passionate gardener Renee Shepherd met a friend from the Netherlands who was selling seeds. “He suggested that if I liked to garden so much I ought to try some vegetables that were bred for flavor, because this was in the ’80s when I got started, and most American supermarkets weren’t worrying about what things were tasting like,” says Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden.

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Tags: heirloom, Home & Garden 2012

The Great Santa Cruz Seed Bank Revolt

Maria Grusauskas — Apr 17, 2012

Andrew Whitman holds out his hand. At first glance, he appears to be offering up a pile of tiny gray pebbles, or the world’s tiniest seashells, purple and black flecks radiating from the center of each. They are alive, and very, very old, but the spiraled wonders have nothing to do with the ocean. They are the seeds of teosinte, the ancient predecessor of maize and corn.

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Tags: heirloom, Home & Garden 2012, organic

In Search of the Pu-erh High

Maria Grusauskas — Apr 16, 2012

Several months ago, a friend served me pu-erh tea for the first time. He talked of an “expansion” and a “clear headedness”—highs that sounded particularly useful at the time. After the first miniature cup, a calm washed over me. I felt relaxed, yet more mentally open than I had been even 30 seconds before.

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Tags: tea, Wellness

Surfer Looks to Expand Unique Rehab Efforts

Maria Grusauskas — Apr 3, 2012

Darryl “Flea” Virostko needs a house, preferably near the waves, hopefully with sports equipment. Not for himself, but for the greater good. The big wave surf legend behind FleaHab, a support program for recovering addicts, says he’s reached the point where he realizes he could help more people if FleaHab had four walls, a roof and a few beds.

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Tags: surf, surfing, Wellness

The Skinny on Vitamin D

Maria Grusauskas — Mar 20, 2012

Call me an addict, but the first sunny morning following a slew of rainy days always propels me outside to soak it up with a maximum skin-to-clothing ratio. Sunshine on skin: an ancient, visceral pleasure, and one of life’s simplest. Too much of it causes wrinkles, sun spots, and skin cancer. But just a little bit of conscientious, unblocked sunbathing is actually as good for our body chemistry as it feels: it converts vitamin D, a unique and crucial nutrient, into one of the three forms that…

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Kicking Sugar for Better Health

Maria Grusauskas — Mar 6, 2012

Jill Escher had me at “clear skin” and “lifted brain fog.” Armed with a copy of her book, Farewell Club Perma-Chub: A Sugar Addict’s Guide to Easy Weight Loss, I hurled myself cold turkey into a sugar-free existence a few weeks ago, just as Girl Scout Cookie season commenced. And it wasn’t just the white stuff, either. All starches had to go.

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Nonprofit Ayurvedic Clinic Opens Doors

Maria Grusauskas — Feb 21, 2012

I catch sight of Heather Nagel’s red hair first, ablaze in the noontime sun as she stands on the sidewalk and waves. She leads me up the stairs of an apartment building tucked away off Center Street and into Aushadi Santa Cruz, the first non-profit Ayurvedic clinic in town.

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Tags: health care, Wellness

A Santa Cruz Programmer Takes Yoga Mobile

Maria Grusauskas — Feb 7, 2012

Mike Baldwin wouldn’t call himself a spiritual person—he isn’t interested in prana or chakras, and he’d probably rather be programming software than chanting Om shanti shanti shanti. But he’s a yogi, through and through. His practice is an integral part of his life.

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Tags: Wellness, yoga