We all know how important it is to eat right and exercise to live long, healthy lives. But too often, our good intentions fall by the wayside – usually somewhere between getting through the workday, caring for the kids, cooking dinner, running errands and the thousand other things we do each week. Don’t you wish … Read more
This is an excerpt from my book, Our Toxic World: A Survivor’s Guide Do you take your shoes off at the door? It’s not an Eastern or hippie-dippy thing to do. It makes good, common sense. Just think about where your feet are during the day: You’ve walked on city sidewalks that have been salted … Read more
Right now, I have five friends with breast cancer in varying stages. One, happily, is emerging from her second round and two have rapidly growing invasive breast cancers. There are many reasons behind the breast cancer epidemic, and I’m going to throw out a major one that few of us know: Iodine shortfalls. Iodine is … Read more
It’s been called the fountain of youth hormone, and despite all the hype about DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), research shows healthy DHEA levels, and maybe DHEA supplements could actually be a part of the equation to help you create a long, healthy life. We do know that the human body’s natural production of DHEA deteriorates as we … Read more
Excerpted from Our Toxic World: A Survivor’s Guide by Kathleen Barnes We all love our cozy cotton T-shirts, shirts, pants, underwear, towels and sheets. They feel comfy and safe. The cotton industry fosters that illusion with its “fabric of our lives” campaign, pushing the notion that this “natural “ fiber is healthy and creates happiness. … Read more
If you’re anything like me, music plays an important part in your life. I walk around humming singing out loud, serenading my horses in the barn and my dogs over their morning cookies. Pandora plays in the background much of my workday and occasionally I stop to look up the lyrics so I can belt … Read more
Now that much-anticipated beach vacations, gardening, outdoor sports and other outside summer activities are on our calendars, it’s time to practice ways to protect skin from sun damage. The medical profession has reported loud and clear that too much exposure causes dryness, wrinkling, premature aging and even skin cancer. Yet, many people don’t understand that … Read more
I’ve written a lot lately about our toxic world, about contaminants in our food, water and nearly everything that surrounds us. In fact, I’ve even written a book about surviving in a toxic world. But it was just this week, when I was talking with a group of nurses that I realized an important element … Read more
Are you getting enough of the sunshine vitamin? It may not surprise you to learn that most of us are not. In fact, prominent vitamin D researchers like Michael Holick, M.D., Ph.D. of Boston University, estimates that 95% of us are deficient in the winter. The number doesn’t change substantially in summer, when we’re out … Read more
Last weekend, I had the great fortune to accompany three teenaged girls on a horrific bus ride from our town in Western North Carolina to Raleigh, about five hours drive to the east. I won’t go into all the details, but the painful journey began with meeting them and their mothers at 2:45 a.m. That … Read more