True confession: I am a catalog addict. I’ll read any catalog, even if it’s for farm equipment or shipping materials, in which I have zero interest. Mind you, I rarely order anything from these catalogs. I just like to look at them. So when the latest catalog came from a national bedding store, I naturally … Read more
Too many of us think a diagnosis of cancer is a death sentence. The truth is that more and more people are surviving cancer. There are 14.5 million cancer survivors in the U.S. today, according to the American Cancer Society. In this column, I won’t go into the minutiae of the types of diagnoses and … Read more
(from 10 Best Ways to Manage Stress by Kathleen Barnes) Meditation isn’t complicated or particularly esoteric. Meditation is simply stilling your mind. Since we know the mind and body and spirit are all interwoven, stilling the mind will heal body and spirit as well. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, but modern science … Read more
Nowadays, everyone wants super bright pearly whites. But if you want your smile to last a lifetime, you need to be just as concerned about fighting gum disease, which affects almost 90% of all of us over the age 20. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease that can easily be reversed; with regular … Read more
It’s not just what you put in your body, but what you put on it that can have a profound effect on your health. It sometimes shocks me to see people who wouldn’t dream of eating processed foods slathering on chemical-laden moisturizers or sunscreens. What you put on your body is just as important as … Read more
I know several people who have had the genuine flu this year. I’m not taking about sniffles and coughing, I mean serious illness, complete with fever, inflamed throat, body aches and deep bronchial congestion. Some complained that they had taken flu shots and still got sick. As you might imagine, I am not a fan … Read more
In the interest of true confession, I had gel nails applied early this summer, just before our European trip. It makes sense, I reasoned. For over two weeks, I would not be weeding the garden, shoveling horse manure or washing dishes. It seemed like the perfect time to have temporarily beautiful nails. Was I ever … Read more
Most of us know that anti-oxidant vitamins like A, C and E are our best defenses against free radicals – the rogue oxygen molecules known to cause wrinkling, sagging, artery damage and even cancer. But where do these free radicals come from in the first place? They are like sparks thrown off from a fire … Read more
An important puzzle piece links GMOs (genetically modified organisms) found in a vast array of food products and gluten sensitivity. A team of experts affiliated with the Institute for Responsible Technology say that GMOs and seeds inoculated with RoundUp™ herbicide and Bt-toxin insecticide trigger gluten-related disorders that affect 18 million Americans. Gluten is found in … Read more
by Kathleen Barnes “Bee friendly” plants pre-treated with pesticides that actually harm or kill bees have been found in garden shops of Lowe’s, Home Depot and other big box stores. An estimated 50,000 dying and dead honeybees were found in the parking lot of a Target store in Wilsonville, OR after Safari, a neonicotinoid pesticide, … Read more