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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Two Years and Counting!

This is the September 2014 issue of Natural Awakenings of Central New Jersey.  It represents our second anniversary publishing in the counties of Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon Counties. It also represents my two-year anniversary of publishing. Natural Awakenings has changed my life in so many ways. It has made a difference in my family—our lives and our direction.  My hope is we have made a difference in some way to our community, our readers, and our advertisers.

In the last two years we have made many changes.

  • Recently we purchased a portion of Warren County and now distribute as far north as Hackettstown.
  • A new section of our website has been designed to include a holistic directory, events calendar and a volunteer finder.
  • Distribution to major supermarkets has been increased.
  • We have made a commitment to promoting not only our magazine but our advertisers on social media.
We have grown over the last couple of years, and I want to thank everyone involved for that support. I love what I do, and I want to grow more and more because I believe in what our magazine represents. We are dedicated to the message of enjoying live, laughing more, loving more, and hugging more.  We also believe the message of our magazine, which is take care of self, community, family, our children and our planet.

We would love to hear how you think we can be a more positive influence, or just improve, our magazine. Drop me an e mail at [email protected], and let us know.

Peace, gratitude and thanks from the entire staff at Natural Awakenings, Joe_signature620x350

Natural Awakenings publisher's letter
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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