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As fires rage across the west and health guidelines require that we social distance to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many of us are spending more time at home than ever before.  And some wonderful, creative DIY home projects have blossomed as people are working to enhance their surroundings. 

If you’re looking for a quick, fun DIY project that will help you enjoy the relaxing effects of nature and improve your indoor air, consider adding houseplants to your living space.

Did …

Most of us pay little attention to our breathing and may habitually have shallow breathing, which can add to chronic stress, tension, and even decreased cognitive function and brain fog. With our breath, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, removing acidity from the blood.

Breathing also affects our parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest part of our nervous system), regulates heart rate variability (which is a measure of stress), influences the microbiome, and changes in…

In my prior post I discussed that drinking sweet stuff is not good for you. But how about eating it?

From an Ayurvedic perspective, the sweet taste is one of the six fundamental tastes and provides nourishment to your body, mind, and spirit (the other tastes are sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent). We get sweetness in a variety of forms—beyond foods we typically think of as sweets like pastries and ice cream, the sweet taste is found in fruit, starchy vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, …

Our sense of smell is truly amazing. It is said that the human nose can identify more than 1 trillion scents! And these aromas can have powerful effects on our mood, our thoughts, and even our behavior.

Have you ever smelled a certain food cooking and been transported to a memory in childhood? Or gotten a whiff of someone’s cologne/perfume that reminded you of a past significant relationship?

Our sense of smell is coordinated with receptors in the nose that link up through the first crania…

(Adapted from “Resilient Health: How to Thrive In Our Toxic World)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a hormone mimicking chemical that is present in many products that we are exposed to on a daily basis. It’s so widespread, that a 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control showed that 93 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies. BPA is an endocrine disruptor linked to abnormal fetal development, neurodevelopmental disorders, diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, cancer and erecti…

While I wrote about the benefits of plant versus animal protein in “Resilient Health: How to Thrive in Our Toxic World,” I only recently watched the 2018 documentary “Game Changers” about successful elite athletes who made the switch to a completely plant-based diet. All I can say is “WOW!”

This film is a must-see and will open your eyes to one of the biggest food myths that we have been served – which is that plant-based proteins are somehow not enough to be able to fully sustain us. And y…

Sugary drinks like soda, fruit punch, lemonade, sports and energy drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages can contribute to obesity and diabetes. But did you know that consuming too much added sugar can also raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation? And excessive sugar can impair the liver’s ability to clear toxic compounds from the bloodstream and lead to fatty liver disease.

One sneaky way these added sugars get in is in what we drink. The average can of sugar-sweetened …

I’m all for the health benefits of exposure to natural sunlight, but with skin cancer rates on the rise, it’s important to be mindful of the sun’s potentially harmful effects on your skin and prevent getting sunburn or overexposure.

But the ingredients of many sunscreens on the market may be cause for concern, too. Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) evaluates the ingredients and effectiveness of over 1,500 sunscreens and SPF-rated moisturizers and lip balms, with particular at…