The most common contributor to health issues among low-income populations is obesity. According to the Food Information and Fact Center some of the main barriers leading to unhealthy eating habits and obesity are:

Limited resources and lack of access to healthy, affordable foods

• Low-income neighborhoods frequently lack full-service grocery stores and/or farmers’ markets where residents can buy a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Instead, residents – especially those without reliable transportation – may be limited to shopping at small neighborhood convenience and corner stores, where fresh produce and low-fat items are limited, if available at all. One of the most comprehensive reviews of U.S. studies examining neighborhood disparities in food access found that neighborhood residents with better access to supermarkets and limited access to convenience stores tend to have healthier diets and reduced risk for obesity (Larson et al., 2009).
• When available, healthy food is often more expensive, whereas refined grains, added sugars, and fats are generally inexpensive and readily available in low-income communities. Households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling – that is, they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger. While less expensive, energy-dense foods typically have lower nutritional quality and, because of overconsumption of calories, have been linked to obesity.
• When available, healthy food – especially fresh produce – is often of poorer quality in lower income neighborhoods, which diminishes the appeal of these items to buyers.
• Low-income communities have greater availability of fast food restaurants, especially near schools (Fleischhacker et al., 2011; Larson et al., 2009; Simon et al., 2008). These restaurants serve many energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods at relatively low prices. Fast food consumption is associated with a diet high in calories and low in nutrients, and frequent consumption may lead to weight gain (Bowman & Vinyard, 2004; Pereira et al., 2005).

Fewer opportunities for physical activity

• Lower income neighborhoods have fewer physical activity resources than higher income neighborhoods, including fewer parks, green spaces, bike paths, and recreational facilities, make it difficult to lead a physically active lifestyle.
• When available, physical activity resources may not be attractive places to play or be physically active because poor neighborhoods often have fewer natural features.
• Crime, traffic, and unsafe playground equipment are common barriers to physical activity in low-income communities. Because of these and other safety concerns, children and adults alike are more likely to stay indoors and engage in sedentary activities, such as watching television or playing video games. Not surprisingly.
• Low-income children are less likely to participate in organized sports. This is consistent with reports by low-income parents that expense and transportation problems are barriers to their children’s participation in physical activities.
• Students in low-income schools spend less time being active during physical education classes and are less likely to have recess, both of which are of great concern given the already limited opportunities for physical activity in their communities.

Cycles of food deprivation and overeating

• Those who are eating less or skipping meals to stretch food budgets may overeat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain. Cycles of food restriction or deprivation also can lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with food and metabolic changes that promote fat storage – all the worse when in combination with overeating.
• The “feast or famine” situation is especially a problem for low-income parents, particularly mothers, who often restrict their food intake and sacrifice their own nutrition in order to protect their children from hunger. Such a coping mechanism puts them at risk for obesity – and research shows that parental obesity, especially maternal obesity, is in turn a strong predictor of childhood obesity.

High levels of stress

• Low-income families, including children, may face high levels of stress due to the financial and emotional pressures of food insecurity, low-wage work, lack of access to health care, inadequate and long-distance transportation, poor housing, neighborhood violence, and other factors. Research has linked stress to obesity in youth and adults, including (for adults) stress from job-related demands and difficulty paying bills. Stress may lead to weight gain through stress-induced hormonal and metabolic changes as well as unhealthful eating behaviors. Stress, particularly chronic stress, also may trigger anxiety and depression, which are both associated with child and adult obesity.

Greater exposure to marketing of obesity-promoting products

• Low-income youth and adults are exposed to disproportionately more marketing and advertising for obesity-promoting products that encourage the consumption of unhealthful foods and discourage physical activity (e.g., fast food, sugary beverages, television shows, video games). Such advertising has a particularly strong influence on the preferences, diets, and purchases of children, who are the targets of many marketing efforts.

Limited access to health care

• Many low-income people lack access to basic health care, or if health care is available, it is lower quality. This results in lack of diagnosis and treatment of emerging chronic health problems like obesity.

Program Outline

I. Community Alternative Health Initiatives (CAHI)

The goal of YOLO’s Community Alternative Health Initiatives (CAHI) is to provide quality health services for the low-income and disenfranchised through alternative methodologies, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard care. Standard care is what medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, and allied health professionals, such as nurses and physical therapists, practice.

Research confirms the growing popularity and use of CAM in the U.S. today. What began as a passing fad in the 1960s has today crossed decades, genders, and ethnicities. Timing has had a significant impact on the evolution and social acceptance of particular CAM therapies. In the 1960s, the self-help generation flocked to commercial diet programs and megavitamin therapy. The 1970s ushered in an era of biofeedback, energy healing, and herbal medicine, while in the 1980s and 1990s, massage, naturopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and yoga joined the growing list of CAM therapies.

Today, national surveys estimate that in a given year, 40% of all Americans incorporate some type of CAM therapy into their healthcare routine. Government health agencies and the conventional medical community now recognize the scientific validity of CAM therapies. And the popularity of CAM continues to grow. In fact, in 1977, surveys showed that more one third of the American population was currently using some form of CAM therapy. In 2001, subsequent analyses of lifetime use demonstrated that 67% of those originally surveyed in 1977 reported continual use of at least one CAM therapy.

Though the above information reveals the popularity of alternative healing methods, there are still massive numbers of individuals that lack exposure or understanding about alternative healing methods (minorities and low-income).

Our target populations share a common desire to have access to the best available health care and health education. Through YOLO’s comprehensive services, our objective is to help meet the need by:

• Providing care to the underserved
• Using our education services to enhance participants’’ knowledge and extend the reach of our services
• Engage in research vital to public and community health issues
• Ensure access to the latest in medical advances and alternative methods
• Connect with other providers so patients receive needed quality care

Through our various techniques, YOLO will aid populations that otherwise could not receive these beneficial services:

1. Electromagnetic Energy (Bioresonance Scan)

The Bioresonance Scan, also called ETA-Scan is an innovative new computer program that analyzes the effects of quantum mechanics on biological systems. Sometimes referred to as Energy Medicine, this energy process allows the practitioner to see the body’s various organs, tissues and structural components, and to assess their energy, vitality and possible energy blocks. This allows the practitioner to suggest various treatments appropriate for the person’s specific situation. These might include rebalancing of the body’s energetic flow, using the scan. Repeat scans allow the practitioner to determine if improvements have been made to the flow of energy.

2. Micro-Frequency Stimulation (For Parasites, Microbiological Organisms and Heavy Metal Detoxification)

• Early detection of energy deviations
• Identifying energy clusters, which in the future may generate disease
• Detection of abnormalities that do not yet have any symptoms
• Detection and subsequent analysis of the organs and tissues regardless of their location in the body
• Bio-resonance chromosome analysis
• Analysis of the problems with the bones or directly across the skeletal system

Reliability

• It is based on the measurement of physical and biological frequencies using a non-linear system of analysis (NLS)
• The possibility to reach such areas of the body, where till nowadays it is necessary to use magnetic resonance technology, namely, tomography, endoscopy, or even directly surgery, the DIACOM device has been developed for registering the slightest changes in the organs and cytological structures with the possibility of forecasting the development of pathology by specific symptoms

3. Mineral Infrared Therapy Mineral Frequency Therapy Device (FDA Registered)

The human body contains about 60 minerals elements, and has unique frequencies between 4-15 micrometers. When these minerals are imbalanced, one falls ill. The Mineral Frequency Device is a heated device that uses the mineral displacement pad made from the essential elements and gives specific frequencies when energized, that work to replace the energy that we should obtain from the sun but are lacking due to atmospheric absorption. They have been proven to have a positive, safe and healing effect on human beings. Clinical studies have shown the device has the capacity to help arthritis, reduce pain and inflammation and has multiple applications for muscle, bone, skin and internal organs. The device is safe and easy to operate and can produce increased synergetic healing effects when used with other herbal therapies.

Main treatment sites are the back of the neck, used to help sleep, and other nervous disorders: the upper chest are for circulation for lung and heart: the throat for adjustments of thyroid and thymus: abdominal area for liver, stomach, spleen and pancreas: lower back for the kidneys and adrenal function. It is also very effective at healing to heal stubborn sores and wounds. Over 10,000 doctors and patients are using this device in the United States.

The MIT’s mineral plate is coated with a proprietary mineral formulation consisting of 33 trace elements – a combination essential to living organisms and the human body. When heated, these minerals emit a wavelength of 4-15mm (narrow far infrared frequency) onto areas of the body to be treated. The emitted frequencies excite the minerals of our bodies on a molecular level, causing similar oscillations in our own elemental components. Thus we have essentially taken in these frequencies, absorbed them and allowed them to supplement our own natural (or unnaturally altered) trace-element frequencies.

Through continued use of the MIT, the constant and consistent frequencies given off by the natural elements on the disc will cause our own deficient trace element frequencies to resonate at their natural amplitudes, adjusting our biochemical pathways in the meantime. This type of balancing method has proven very useful in helping with many ailments, both common and rare.

The MIT penetrates about 3-8 inches into the body, producing such amazing and long-lasting effects as

• relief of muscular aches, pains and sinusitis symptoms
• alleviation of inflammation and edema
• promotion of healing effects on internal organs and bone fractures
• improvement of soft tissue injuries

4. Dr. Chi’s Tongue & Nail Diagnosis

Based off of Dr. Chi and his writings, he explains how in the past it was standard for doctors to ask patients to stick their tongues out for examination. Over the years, the prevalence of this practice has faded with the emergence of new technological diagnostic equipment. What people don’t realize is that the tongue as well as the fingernails provide an important insight into our health conditions.

By utilizing Dr. Chi’s proven techniques, and our experience, we will educate individuals on how to effectively use physical signs such as teeth marks and lunulae (moons on the fingernails) in determining the status of their health. For example, the fingernail regenerates every 6-8 months and shows the onset of illness markers slowly. The tongue replaces its top layer every 3 days. This fast rate of regrowth can trigger immediate detection of illness, faster than any other method.

A chronic disease would show up on both the nails and tongue, while a mild ailment may show up only on the tongue.

Sample Analysis may include:

1. Black thin line vertical on nail could be an indication of internal bleeding
2. White spots on nail may be showing a hormone imbalance
3. Red dots on tongue could be showing estrogen dominance in women and men
4. A crease in the middle of tongue shows digestive problems
5. A brown wide line on the nail could be a sign of melanoma
6. Red tip on tongue could be showing heart disease

Other methods that may be used may include:

1. Blood Type Diet

It is proven that not everyone should follow the same diet, and that blood type and your race determines tolerance to what you should and should not eat. Based on this, there are 16 groups of food that are highly beneficial, neutral or should be avoided.
According to the blood-type diet, there are 4 blood types:

• Type O – the oldest blood type
• Type A – agrarian
• Type B – nomadic
• Type AB – modern

2. Iridology:

Iridology, the study of the Iris (eye) is an alternative medicine technique that studies patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris to determine information about a patient’s systemic health; matching the observations to iris charts, which divide the iris into zones that correspond to specific parts of the human body. Through this method, it is believed that the eyes are the windows into the body’s state of health.

3. Herbs & Supplements

Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that serve a specific purpose and benefit the body in a unique way. For example, vitamin A supports vision and bone growth, whereas vitamin E strengthens the immune system and helps repair DNA. Vitamin and mineral deficiency can impair the body’s ability to heal and protect itself.

Herbal supplements are different from vitamin and mineral supplements in that they are considered to have medicinal value. Taking vitamins does not make up for an unhealthy diet, and vitamins are an insufficient substitute for nutrients from fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. However, a general multivitamin and mineral supplement can be a good safeguard against periodic vitamin shortfalls in your diet.

Plants (herbs) have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Herbs, also known as botanicals, are one of humanity’s oldest health care tools, and the basis of many modern medicines. Primitive and ancient civilizations relied on herbs for healing, as do many contemporary cultures throughout the world. In fact, the World Health Organization has estimated that 80% of the world’s population continues to use traditional therapies, a major part of which are derived from plants.

II. Alternative Health Certification Program (AHC)

Alternative Health Certification (AHC) is a multi-level certification program in energy based therapy that moves from beginning to advanced practice. Through AHC students will gain an in-depth understanding and practice of energetic work using scientifically supported techniques that complement conventional medical practice as well as other therapeutic treatments.

Who is an ideal candidate for AHC?

• Someone that’s ready to leave their job to do something infinitely more meaningful.
• Someone that wishes for their life’s work to feel aligned with their highest purpose – a purpose that lights their inner fire.
• Someone that’s attracted to using the power of touch for hands-on Transpersonal Energy Healing and Holistic Counseling.
• Someone that has a mission to do something that really matters and make a difference in people’s lives.
• Someone that wants to experience a personal journey of self-transformation.
• A therapist, coach or medical professional wanting to apply the power of Energy Healing and Energy Psychology to their practice.

AHC’s Certification Program Description

The AHC is an international, multi-level educational program in energy based medicine therapy. The AHC curriculum will progress from beginning to advanced practice. As a professionally accredited program, the curriculum will encompass increased levels of practice and techniques, code of ethics and scope of practice.

Practitioners and Instructors will be certified through an independent certification process. When one completes the AHC (after Level 5), they may apply for certification. AHC Practitioners will be recognized as having achieved a professional level of energetic therapy competence.

Each level in the AHC certification program will include both didactic and experiential learning in which participants practice and share experiences using energy-based healing techniques. In addition the program will encourage the developing practitioner to enhance skills and knowledge through recommended readings and practice sessions. There will also be a strong commitment to personal growth and knowledge of holistic health principles.

At the completion of each official level taught by an AHC Instructor, a certificate of attendance will be given. All participants who successfully complete the core curriculum will receive a Certificate of Completion issued by the AHC Director. This recognizes the work completed in the program and the use of the designated title, AHC Practitioner (AHCP).

AHC’s certification program is open to all individuals desiring an in-depth understanding of healing work using energy-based principals. Suggested students for our program include nurses, physicians, body therapists, counselors, psychotherapists, other healthcare professionals, clergy and spiritual leaders, hospice personnel and other individuals interested in helping others in their community, loved ones and themselves.

We will build our programs on the foundation of a host of community resources, relationships and partnerships with local health practitioners and facilities, nonprofit organizations, and schools, in order to increase resources and eliminate replication of services. The strength of our programs will also depend on strong collaborative efforts with community colleges for volunteer tutors and mentors and various others.

When choosing collaborative partners and developing programs, The Foundation will adhere to our adopted Conflict of Interest Policy and the IRS’s exempt organization guidelines.

Additionally, when deciding on salaries for staff and consultants, we will take direction from our Board of Directors, while following the guidelines established in our Conflict of Interest policy.