Did you know that acupuncture is a 5,000-year-old remedy that was designed to help the body function better? Brigette Goulet, from River Valley Wellness Center in Roseland, came on the program to tell the home audience the benefits of using acupuncture to relieve ailments everyone experiences. From neck and back pain to fertility problems, acupuncture helps these problems by using hair thin needles placed in certain areas on the body. People, who use this method, state they see a change after 4 to 6 treatments and it will not interfere with medication use. Our own host, Jaimee Thirion, had Brigette demonstrate how simple one of the needles is inserted into her arm. To make an appointment or to learn more, please click on the link below.

Website: www.rivervalleywellness.com

On this week's Forever Books Review, we talked about "Going Green" which has become an everyday event. Robin and Diana shared a few of their favorite titles that covered subjects from Dr. Seuss to dog care to organic gardening.

312 State Street
St. Joseph, Michigan
Phone: 269.982.1110
Website: www.foreverbooks.net

Mike Petrucelli from the South Bend Tribune gave us a tip on how to make homemade salad dressing. He said there is almost no reason to buy salad dressing from the store when you can make your own quickly and easily! "The most basic way to dress a salad on the fly is to toss it around with oil and vinegar and that's it. But if you want to flavor your salad a little more, that's easy too."

"What you need is oil, acid and whatever herbs, spices or flavorings you want."

"I like to start with a basic ratio of 2 parts oil, such as extra virgin olive oil, to 1 part acid, like vinegar or lemon juice. Mix the acid with any herbs, such as tarragon or oregano, spices - salt, pepper or sugar - and any other flavorings, mustard, garlic, bacon bits, whatever. Mix all that for a few seconds in a blender or with a whisk. Then slowly drizzle in the oil. This will make it thicker. The blender will make short work of this, but a whisk will require a little more elbow grease. You can also put everything in a jar and shake it until it's thick."

"Serve it immediately, as you don't have the commercial thickeners and stabilizers found in store-bought dressings."

"When you're done, taste it and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Too thin? Add more oil. Want the herbs and acid to shine through? Use a more neutral-flavored oil. Through experimentation, you'll end up with flavors you like and you'll never have to worry about being caught without salad dressing again."

Made up of a trio of guys from the Berrien Spring, Michigan area, Garage Voice came to Open Studio and performed another original song. Entitled, "Perfect Love Casts Out Fear", this composition might remind you of the nationally known band Coldplay.

To hear more music from this gifted band, check out their website links below.

Website: http://garagevoice.com/ or www.myspace.com/garagevoice

CISA Studio (Crazy IN Style Artists) consists of a group of high school friends who combined their artistic talents into one studio. We talked with Traz (Gary Juarez), Buster (Marco Salazar) and Flex (Felix Maldonado) and learned how they got commissioned to do prop and set design for MGM and an annual haunted mansion, Reapers Realm. CISA Studio, located in Hammond, Indiana, is made up of a fine art gallery that features locally and nationally known artists, a sign and advertising department, a custom painting department and a retail showroom. Traz even got the opportunity to paint with Keith Haring, a pop icon in the graffiti world. To see the amazing work these three guys do, check out the link below!

Website: www.cisastudio.com

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Located in Goshen, The Electric Brew is featured on our Café Michiana segment. Known as a great place to meet your friends and have a cup of coffee, "The Brew" has a welcoming aura where people stay for 2 to 3 hours. They offer free Internet and students go there to relax and do homework. Notorious for their mochas and vanilla lattes, The Electric Brew has interesting people of all ages coming and going throughout the day. The next time you and a friend are looking for something to do, head to Goshen and enjoy a mocha with homemade whipped cream and a coffee bean on top!

Website: www.theelectricbrew.com