by guest blogger Deirdre Imus. It can be difficult—almost impossible—for the average person to make sense of the various labels on green cleaning products, and to decipher what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s truly awful. After all, the terms “all-natural” and “organic” can easily refer to substances that are indeed both natural and organic—and also bad for your health.
Maria Recommends
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
Gwinganna isn’t like the rest of Australia. It is the best of Australia in many ways. Before I went up there, I was telling some of the people at my previous hotel where I was heading. One said it was the difference between “chalk and cheese.” The other said it had changed her life. I wondered how my life could be changed in just two days. Now I know.
Mystery House Hunter Theater 3000
by guest blogger Renee James. Without even knowing it, we were lucky. We bought our first house back in the unenlightened age, the time I refer to as B.H.H. (Before House Hunters.) Our first home had one orange wall, a pineapple-yellow room, two smallish bedrooms with miniature closets, a tiny kitchen, no garage, no air-conditioning, almost no landscaping, and one—exactly one—bathroom. I’m not sure how we endured it.
Why I Gave Up Coffee for a Bit
So I had finally booked all of my Australia trip and was printing out confirmations and attachments when I noticed something shocking: The spa I had booked for two days and really, really wanted to go to listed caffeine as “contraband” and not allowed. WHAT??!! I really had to question myself at that moment. Was I really willing to give up coffee for the first time in 25 years just for a two-day spa visit? Oh, the headaches!
What’s Behind the Secret Epidemic of Hypothyroidism
by guest blogger Isaac Eliaz, MD. Most of us don’t ever think about our thyroid. This gland is located in the neck and produces hormones that regulate energy metabolism, control protein synthesis, and adjust the body’s sensitivity to other hormones. The thyroid is also involved in detoxification, growth functions, immunity, and more. Given all of these critical actions, it makes sense to take care of such a precious and sensitive area of health.
Secret Scents: The Hidden
Chemicals in Fragrance
by guest blogger Alexandra Scranton. If you are diagnosed with a skin allergy to fragrance, or want to avoid fragrances for precautionary health reasons, how can you avoid them? It’s a lot tougher than you might think, but there are steps you can take to stay fragrance free. Here’s what you need to know…
Slow Knowledge
by guest blogger Tim Mountz. rowing things takes time and patience—some seeds can take years to germinate, some soils take years to build up. Compost does not happen in a day. This is why I like the company of gardeners and farmers, not just for the humility that dirty fingernails brings, but also because they are just about the last people on earth who have patience in this ever-faster spinning world.
Yoga to Still the Head
and Open the Heart
by guest blogger Holly Walck. This yoga sequence is designed to cultivate a profound stillness in the body and the mind and open the doorway to the heart. Go on, walk inside; it’s a very nice place to visit and you can stay as long as you desire. As my husband says regularly, “Every day with yoga is like a vacation.”
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
Order NowOrganic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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