“The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be,” is the song I was singing to my sister after a spectacular fall. During a fun-filled bi-annual conference of Natural Awakenings publishers, we were enjoying an evening dinner and dancing. As a publisher for 15 years, I’ve danced the evening away with these wonderful people many times. However, this is the first year I lost my balance and fell on my tush. A combination of heels and crouching left me with the choice to try to regain my balance in a manner unbecoming to wearing a dress, or to accept my fate and make a somewhat graceful – if jarring – landing on my behind.

Osteopath Maud Nerman, of Novato, California, shares with us in the article Break Free of Chronic Pain, “Trauma literally shocks the nervous system,” she says. “The body cannot turn off the ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction, causing a firestorm of inflammation that can lead to a variety of serious diseases, overwhelming the body’s ability to manage its own healing.” During the night of my fall, I could feel the inflammation in my body through various aches and pains. When it woke me from sleep, it was clear it wasn’t something to ignore. From years of raising injury-prone boys, I knew the sooner I received Osteopathic Manipulation Treatment (OMT) the better. I felt so much better walking out of my OMT appointment than I did walking in. In my experience, getting my body back into alignment accelerates my healing and prevents complications.

In this issue, we take a look at natural ways to address chronic pain. Find homeopathic remedies for joint injury and discover six drug-free ways to preempt the pain of shingles. Explore natural weight-loss strategies in our summer guide and try some scrumptious grilled pizza and flatbread recipes [page 26]. To celebrate Father’s Day, enjoy The Lifelong Lessons of Being a Dad and consider how to set boundaries on family screen time. This month, as you honor the fathers in your life, I hope you dance – safely and with grace!

Happy Father’s Day!

Kris Urquhart, Publisher