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Blog

Social Justice Highlight: Haudenosaunee Indigenous Values Initiative

11/26/2021

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As November is Native American Heritage Month, we will be donating to support the Haudenosaunee Indigenous Values Initiative to raise awareness about Indigenous history and the ongoing struggle of Indigenous people. We acknowledge that we as a business and as individuals are on Haudenosaunee land here in Western New York and recognize the need for us to learn about, and redistribute wealth to, the Indigenous communities that have experienced land theft and genocide. 

The Haudenosaunee Indigenous Values Initiative website offers this information about their organization and mission:

NYA•WEÑHA SKÄ•NOÑH: Thank you for being well
The Indigenous Values Initiative is dedicated to articulating, disseminating and promoting values expressed by the leadership of the Onondaga Nation, the Central Fire (or Capital) of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (made up of the Seneca, Tuscarora, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk nations).  Haudenosaunee means “People of the Longhouse,” and are most often mistakenly referred to as the “Iroquois”). The Onondaga Nation is unique to the world, in that they are the only Native Nation recognized by the United States, and the United Nations, that still operates according to their pre-colonial clan form of government. The Haudenosaunee organize themselves in a matrilineal clan system of extended families.  Their ceremonies are aligned to phases of the moon, and are based on thanksgivings to the natural world.  As we all face climatic changes, it is urgent that human beings reorient themselves to the rhythms of the earth.  Indigenous value systems need to be heeded in these troubled times.  Intercultural understanding, however, must be based on healing generations from colonization, missionization, genocide and assimilation.  The Haudenosaunee understand the need for collaboration with individuals, institutions, communities, governments and businesses to articulate, disseminate and promote the ancient and enduring values of Indigenous Peoples traditions to the world. The Indigenous Values Initiative (IVI) raises funds to support educational projects which will disperse information through conferences, classes, exhibitions, publications, speakers, expositions, etc. (https://indigenousvalues.org/about/)

As November is Native American Heritage Month and we are located on Haudenosaunee land, we will be donating to the Indigenous Values Initiative to support this organization's crucial work in advocacy and education.

We also encourage you to read about the Landback Movement which states that "To truly dismantle white supremacy and systems of oppression, we have to go back to the roots. Which, for us, is putting Indigneous Lands back in Indigenous hands." (https://landback.org/)

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Local Business Love: Cuppa Culture TEApourium, Nickel City Wax & Wane, Transform Wellness Studio, Trait-Carré, Eclectic Energy Wellness Institute, and Salon Valeria

11/25/2021

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We really need to catch you up on the new places that are offering our magnesium products! These are six local businesses we are very excited about working with:
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  • Cuppa Culture (@cuppaculture.wny on IG) at 10255 Main St., Suite 11,  in Clarence, NY, has a mission “to share authentic teas from around the world, and build an enthusiastic communiTEA cultivated on learning about, exploring, and experiencing unique global tea traditions, diverse tea customs, and sipping through a rich, colorful history dating back thousands of years. Our focus is to not only offer some of the highest quality, unadulterated teas, tisanes and herbal blends, but also to support humanitarian efforts and environmental sustainability both locally, as well as globally, ensuring the health and well-being of our customers, our community, and that of our shared planet.” Along with offering an amazing selection of teas and tea blends as well as locally made wellness products, owner JD Brummer also hosts private events, heirloom china rentals, brunches, classes, and festivals!
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  • ​Nickel City Wax & Wane (@nickelcity_waxandwane on IG) is located in Black Rock at 464 Amherst St. in Buffalo, NY. They just opened on October 12th and it is the most lovely and creative artisan space run by Rick Maloney of Pour & Penchant and Jennifer Barton of The Charcoal Annex. Along with offering their own hand poured candle and hand printed mug brands as well as some of their own collaborations, they have curated a great selection of offerings from local artisans. The shop has a very cool and artsy vibe that will definitely make you want to hang out there, and they are hosting weekend pop ups each Saturday until December 18th!
 
  • Transform Wellness Studio (@transform_wellness_studio on IG) is located at 779 Cayuga St. in Lewiston, NY. Owner Christina Venditti (who also has another Instagram account called @migraine.health.with.christina) offers yoga, massage, and workshops in the beautiful healing space she has created. AND… something we’re very excited about is the fact that she specializes in “helping people navigate the twists and turns of migraine using nourishing food, mindful movement, and a healthy mindset shift.” She offers cold stone treatment (how amazing does that sound, fellow migraine experiencers?) and workshops like her Rest + Reset sleep workshop!
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  • ​Trait-Carré (@trait_carre on IG) is located at 480 Center St. in Lewiston, NY. Owner Matt Villnave offers a wide variety of aromatherapy products right in the heart of Lewiston. Check out this great little family-owned shop to find everything that smells good! Stop in for all of your soap and bath needs, candles, essential oils and diffusers, lotions and skincare products, and men’s products. There are lots of different handmade brands curated by Matt so you can choose the styles and scents that are right for you and your home!
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  • Eclectic Energy Wellness Institute (@eclecticenergy716 on IG) is located at 657 Persons St. in East Aurora, NY. Owner Wendy Blamowski offers hydrosonic therapeutic massage in a soothing spa-like setting. She says that "HSRT Hydrosonic massage is not your typical gym water massage bed. Its cutting edge technology helps release the body's lymphatic drainage system capabilities, thus aiding the process of purging impurities more efficiently and aiding in the removal of extra body fluids. It's a very comfortable efficient and effective deep tissue massage because our sound waves penetrate all the way down to the cellular level."
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  • Salon Valeria (@salonvaleria5860 on IG) is located at 5860 Goodrich Rd. in Clarence Center, NY. Owner Jeanie Mattina along with stylists Jessie Tripi, Maria Malvestuto, Holly Kolkmeyer, and Kelly Simon state that "We stand together, as women, to lift each other up. Our mission is to strengthen every person that walks through our doors with quality services that rejuvenate the soul." The salon offers cuts, color, bridal styling, treatments, extensions, hair removal, spray tans... and now our magnesium balms along with their wide range of products!  

We are so thankful for the support of these local businesses and we hope you take some time to check them all out!
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Magnesium and Heart Health

11/25/2021

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​This may sound strange, but we want you to take a moment and Google “heart disease” and “hard water.” Go ahead! Then, take a moment and scroll through the articles that come up. (And, no, obviously not everything on Google is reliable. But you should be seeing some scientific journal articles come up pretty high on the list…) 


What could hard water possibly have to do with heart disease? Minerals. In particular, high levels of calcium and magnesium. And many studies have found a correlation between harder water and lower levels of cardiovascular disease in communities.

If you want to read more about this, Dr. Mildred Seelig and Dr. Andrea Rosanoff explain it in greater depth in the first few pages of The Magnesium Factor (2003, p. 7-10). 

Why does having more minerals in your water matter for your cardiovascular health? According to Seelig and Rosanoff (2003), “Heart muscle, when healthy, contains even more magnesium than other muscles do. And when magnesium levels become low, they can drop more in heart muscle cells than in other muscles [...] Blood vessel muscle cells need healthy amounts of magnesium to relax properly after each contraction. They can become stiff and inflexible if their magnesium gets too low” (p. 10). This happens especially if calcium (which tenses or stiffens muscles) is very high, perhaps through supplementation, and is not balanced out by high magnesium. 

In Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (2011), Dr. Mark Sircus even goes so far as to say that “If you are interested in heart health you have no choice but to be interested in magnesium” (p. 29). He claims that, if magnesium in the heart muscle drops too much, it can cause rhythm disorders or even spasms and cramps (p. 30). In other words, it can cause angina and even heart attacks. 

(For more details about how calcium and magnesium interact in heart muscle, check out this article entitled “Magnesium and Heart Disease: What’s the Link?” by Juliann Schaeffer. Schaeffer cites Seelig and Rosanoff, as well as sharing Dr. Carolyn Dean’s proposal that maintaining high levels of magnesium may actually be more important than being completely focused on cholesterol as is so common in cardiovascular medicine today.)

Magnesium deficiency is also an issue in diabetes and insulin resistance - we will cover that in another newsletter because there is so much information to include! 

Does this mean that you can switch from taking your heart medication to taking magnesium? Definitely not - you’ll want to continue any current medications and talk to your doctor about adding magnesium - but it may be able to help! Are there any situations where magnesium is not appropriate to take? It may not be the right choice for you if you have very low blood pressure already or have a kidney condition. Also, it could be a problem for those taking blood thinners like Coumadin or Warfarin. In general, we always advise talking to your doctor about the magnesium (and the essential oils in our balms) if you are on medication! 

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Recipe: Squash with Wild Rice, Kale, and Walnut Stuffing

11/25/2021

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Half acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, apples, walnuts, onion, kale, and squash seeds on a beige plate on a cutting board.

This recipe is a delicious and satisfying way to use local harvest vegetables that are in season right now. Choose acorn, delicata, or butternut squash - use any squash that looks good in the grocery store or your CSA box!

The recipe includes wild rice, kale, and walnuts (which are all high in magnesium and other minerals), and don't forget to save and roast those squash seeds to put on top - squash and pumpkin seeds are some of the most magnesium rich foods you can eat!


Serves 4

Ingredients:
  • 2 large acorn squash, halved and seeded (delicata or butternut squash can be substituted) - save the seeds to roast! 
  • 4 tblsp olive oil or melted butter, plus 1 more tsp of olive oil for roasting squash seeds
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4-5 oz mushrooms, chopped or shredded (crimini, maitake, lion's mane, or oyster - many mushrooms will work well in this recipe)
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  • OPTIONAL - 2 sausages, chopped or crumbled (I use Beyond Meat beer brats but other sausages can be substituted) - the sausage adds flavor and texture but the recipe can be made without it
  • 1 small bunch kale, chopped or torn (other greens like spinach or turnip greens can be substituted)
  • 1 cup wild rice (for more flavor, cook in chicken or vegetable broth instead of water)
  • 1 tsp sage (ground or chopped fresh leaves)
  • ½ tsp thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Start cooking wild rice according to package directions - it will take longer than white or brown rice, usually about 45 minutes after bringing it to a boil! 

Brush the insides of the squash with 2 tblsp olive oil or butter and sprinkle with ½ tsp of the sage as well as salt and pepper. Place squash cut side up on tinfoil lined cookie sheet and roast for 45-50 minutes (or until fork tender). 

While squash is roasting, line a small cookie sheet with tinfoil. Toss squash seeds with 1 tsp olive oil and spread them on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with sea salt and roast on separate rack in 400 degree oven for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted. 

Heat the other 2 tblsp olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add chopped mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes until they start to brown. Add sausage and cook until browned as well. Add apple and walnuts and cook until apple starts to soften. Add kale and cook until wilted. When wild rice is done cooking, add it to skillet and stir to combine with the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Season stuffing with the other ½ tsp of sage, ½ tsp thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. (If you are using fresh herbs, you may find that you need more.) 

Scoop filling from skillet into acorn squash halves and return to oven for 10-15 minutes until it starts to brown on top. Sprinkle with roasted squash seeds and serve! 

You will likely have extra filling. It can be eaten on its own as leftovers the next day or frozen to use for a quick stuffed squash dinner in the future!

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    Authors

    Nikki Bradshaw
    ​& Renee Carroll

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  • Home
  • All Products
    • eGift Card
    • Sleep Balm
    • Recovery Balm
    • CBD Recovery Balm
    • Immunity Balm
    • Little Buffalo Balm
    • Simply Balm
    • Heart & Soul Duo
    • Magnesium Salt Soaks (1.85 oz)
    • Magnesium Salt Soak (8 oz)
    • Magnesium Salt Soak Bundle
    • Self Care Candle Gift Set
    • Sleepy Buffalo Gift Set (2-Pack)
    • The Gift of Wellness Set (3-Pack)
    • The Gift of Wellness Set (2-Pack)
    • Craft Your Own Gift Set (3-Pack)
    • ADD ON: Extra Burlap Gift Bag
  • Find in Store & Events
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Buffalo Beauts Partnership