Holistic Health Blog

Amidst the blossom and bounce of spring, you may find yourself dragging about with symptoms of allergies, strange skin reactions and moments of exhaustion. There is plenty of pollen flying round and April showers have brought more flowers, along with grasses and...

Wildfires have become more than a seasonal event here on the West Coast. Many people have been exposed to unhealthy air and continue to be exposed for prolonged periods. Over-exposure to smoke causes symptoms such as: watery or dry/red eyes, fatigue, persistent cough,...

Spring is here! What could be better than birdsong, longer daylight hours and fresh air to lift our spirits? If you've felt cooped up all winter, the urge to be outside and inhaling the spring air might be stronger than your list of "to-dos". If so, follow your...

Winter brings us longer nights and shorter days. More time to rest and more time spend indoors as the weather becomes cold and wet. The spaces we inhabit at work, school or home are often closed to proper ventilation, yet filled with the vestiges of whatever...

I have temporarily stopped teaching my vinyassa-style yoga classes for the summer, and in answer to my student's questions "but what do we do?" I have written this article on a form of outdoor yoga that also serves as 'practice'. Summer brings for many of us, longer...

This time of year in the western hemisphere, most of our favorite herbs have all but disappeared from view and are hiding out underground. A few of us have disappeared too, even if just socially, enjoying a little 'down time' as the cool, dark, rainy weather has us...

The 21st century offers us many conveniences and one of them is being able to buy nearly any kind of food, any day of the year. The price of this extraordinary convenience is most certainly not reflected in retail cost. The true cost of labor and resource use,...

Summer brings the blessing of berries! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, hawthorn berries, blackberries, loganberries, salal berries, salmon berries, thimble berries and wild huckleberries, also called bilberries. They are fun to pick, easy to buy and packed...

This time of year my garden is inundated by weeds, but each year there are new surprises to what I pull up, and that is why I practice mindful weeding! Cutting down knee-deep owl clover, I am pleased to see sturdy stalks of wild lettuce and an occasional wild...

It's a spring full of flowers and a higher pollen count than we've seen in over a decade - so if you are suffering from seasonal allergies, you are not alone. In fact, many people are experiencing the sneezing, runny nose, itchy red eyes and heavy-headedness of...

Each day brings us the opportunity to make choices for long- term wellness. Most of us know the importance of eating whole foods, getting plenty of exercise and rest - but what about the gentle power of a tonic herb tea taken daily? Over the years I have come to...

As the weather grows cold and the days give way to longer nights, nature turns naturally towards nurture. Plants draw the energy remaining in their branches and stems down into the soil to nourish their roots. Wild animals also, spend more time eating and resting in...

Did you know your kidneys are only 5 ounces each, but filter an amazing 47 gallons of blood each day? Kidneys are a water-run waste removal system, so the water you drink is necessary to help them flush waste material out. Urine is 95% water to 5% dissolved substances...

In winter and the quality of our indoor airspace and amount of fresh-air activity breaks we take, greatly affect our overall respiratory health and our susceptibility to illness. Do you inhabit work, school and home environments that are heated, closed to outside air...

July means . . .it’s summer!. . . in the northern hemisphere where long days of sun bring us some of our hottest temperatures. If you live where it’s sweltering, you may also be living where air-conditioning is the primary way to stay cool.  In the interest of...

Tap into the power of theta brain waves to facilitate spontaneous healing.  If you are familiar with lingering in those precious moments between waking and sleeping – that is the theta brain state. Our brain produces electrical frequencies, which change according to...

Our days of longest light – what a delight!  Summertime is a time of celebration and a time to feel the sun and fresh air on our skin.  Our largest organ synthesizes vitamin D1, is a barrier to pathogens and can release as much acidic waste as one kidney!  It is also...