With all the health and lifestyle recommendations I post on my site, people must think I live a blissfully perfect life. Well, I don’t know anybody that close to perfection, especially me. I readily admit I cave in to occasional sugar-cookie and potato-chip binges (gasp — white sugar and carcinogens!) or sit at a computer all day without blinking. BUT overall, I usually seek to maintain balance in my life in the easiest, most natural way possible.

Even though I’m 45, a lot of people comment that I look like I’m in my 30s. I have stayed the same weight all my adult life, about 110 lb. I hardly have any graying hair. And — with the exception of red wine and chocolate intolerance (which is slowly disappearing possibly thanks to coconut oil) — I don’t have any health problems. I must be doing some things right, but exactly what they are, I’m not quite sure. So here are my typical health habits. Read the rest of this entry »

Every culture, from aboriginal tribe to complex civilization, recognizes the significance and esoteric mystery of dreams. History, literature, and poetry swarm with dreams’ prophetic and symbolic power. Modern western thought, its vision narrowed by the blinders of materialism, struggles to make sense of dreams. In one view, the purpose of sleep is to allow the body time to rest and heal, with dreaming a mysterious byproduct. Dreams are variously explained as the random static of neurological chaos; a means of emotionally processing the day’s events; or the symbolic patina on material rising from the deeper strata of the psyche. Whatever one’s view, all agree that the realm of sleep and dreaming remains a dark mystery.
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Four years before Carol and I moved to Sedona, Arizona, I was given the opportunity to house-sit for a friend-of-a-friend who lived there. I jumped at this wonderful chance because I was writing my book at the time, and I thought (correctly so) that Sedona would be a very inspiring place to work.

Once I got to Sedona, I found out that my job was not so much house-sitting, as it was bird-feeding. This house had about six bird feeders in the front yard, and it was my duty to make sure that all of the wild birds in the area had enough to eat each day.
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If you think having loads of money, fetching looks, or the admiration of many will improve your life — think again. A new study by three University of Rochester researchers demonstrates that progress on these fronts can actually make a person less happy.

“People understand that it’s important to pursue goals in their lives and they believe that attaining these goals will have positive consequences. This study shows that this is not true for all goals,” says author Edward Deci, professor of psychology and the Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University. “Even though our culture puts a strong emphasis on attaining wealth and fame, pursuing these goals does not contribute to having a satisfying life. The things that make your life happy are growing as an individual, having loving relationships, and contributing to your community,” Deci says.
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Madeira, Portugal: Small whales are disappearing from the world’s oceans and waterways as they fall victim to fishing gear, pollution, and habitat loss – compounded by a lack of conservation measures such as those developed for great whales, according to a new WWF report.

Small Cetaceans: The Forgotten Whales, released today, states that inadequate conservation measures are pushing small cetaceans – such as dolphins, porpoises and small whales – toward extinction as their survival is overshadowed by efforts to save their larger cousins.
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The sun has essentially been doing nothing. And it makes the news.

Because our sun tends to have fairly regular cycles of sunspots (dark regions on the sun that indicate intense magnetic activity), whenever it deviates from normal it can adversely affect some of our earthly systems. Solar storms with extremely powerful sunspot activity can disrupt our satellites and electrical systems.

But lately, the sun has been unusually quiet with a noticeable lack of more regular sunspot activity since 2007, when it started a new 11-year cycle. The sun is the quietest — and dimmest — it’s been in 100 years. Scientists have been stumped by this unpredictable behavior, but it may recently be explained by sluggish solar jet streams that flow near its poles beneath the surface, and they now note that sunspots may slowly be increasing.
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Many of the churches where I present my talks and workshops refer to the divine power at work in this world as “Father-Mother-God.” The reason is apparent. It is a simple reminder that this higher power that many of us call God, not only has a nature that we associate with fatherhood, but it also has characteristics that we associate with motherhood . . . such as nurturing.

I’ve never had an issue with the notion of God as Mother. But I’ll be perfectly honest with you. For much of my life I was very uncomfortable with the concept of God as Father.
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On a recent broadcast, CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and reporter Tony Harris looked at how U.S. annual medical costs compare to other countries, and what was discovered in developing the report signals a fundamental need to re-evaluate and redirect our emphasis on overall care.

To start with, the report looked at a comparison of countries with comparable standards of health care and their associated cost per person per year. These are the latest figures for the following countries: Read the rest of this entry »

Brussels, Belgium – With over three million jobs across Europe, green economic activities are overtaking polluting industries in terms of employment, says a new WWF study.

“Low carbon jobs for Europe” shows that at least 3.4 million European jobs are directly related to renewable energy, sustainable transport and energy efficient goods and services. This compares with 2.8 million jobs in polluting industries, such as mining, electricity, gas, cement, and iron and steel. It is predicted that the low-carbon economy will continue to expand in the future, whereas employment in extractive and climate polluting industries will continue to decline.
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In recent years, antioxidants have been touted as a secret to healthy living: The molecules bind to reactive oxygen compounds called “free radicals” that are known to damage the body’s tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body’s decline [The New York Times]. But a new study examined the effects of the antioxidant vitamins C and E when combined with an exercise regimen, and found a considerably more complicated story. The researchers found that free radicals may be beneficial in small doses, and may even help protect against diabetes. And mopping them up with antioxidants may do more harm than good [BBC News].

During a workout, the muscles metabolize glucose to create energy, but in the process some free radicals are released. The body has a natural defense mechanism to combat these free radicals, but many researchers had theorized that the body can’t catch all of the harmful compounds, which makes antioxidant supplements sound like a logical solution.
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