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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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On the Road to Awareness

It’s funny how life changes.

When I was a young boy, I remember riding my bike on Kings Highway in Brooklyn and hearing a couple of “old ladies” greeting each other. “Hello, Sadie! So how you feeling?”  Of course, she replied, “When you got your health, you got everything.” As I peddled off, I thought to myself, “What a stupid statement! A new hot rod car makes more sense.”

Today it doesn’t sound so stupid, and I hear my self repeating it often. Now in my 70s, I’ll take my health over that hot rod any day. Many things I thought mattered so much then, matter so little now. Sadie was spot on, as they say. Life is kind of like that—what I think I know turns out to be what I didn’t know, or what I haven’t learned yet. What was so important once is so insignificant now.

Over time, I’ve learned that paying attention, being comfortable with not having all the answers, opening my mind to possibilities, and being humble are key to feeling connected in my own mind and heart. Learning to slow down and listen, refusing to judge, and not put up road blocks in life are tools I wish I had earlier.

Life is showing me how important it is for me to stay in the moment. The only part of life and living I really have is this moment, and no other. The past has passed, no one has visited the future that I know of, so right here, right now is where I need to be.

And that suits me just fine. Sadie would be proud.

In peace, love and laughter,

Joe J. Dunne

Natural Awakenings publisher's letter publisher's letter awareness central new jersey Joe Dunne life changes
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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