Skip to content

Category: A Better Way

Why Not Try These? Some Are Safer, Some Are More Beneficial.

Published on Leave a comment on Nature Knows Best: Practicing Agrobiodiversity For More Plant Varieties Which Restores The Ecosytem

Modern Agriculture has done us no favors, with it's unnatural methods of Farming.
And bombardment of Chemicals - from NPK Fertilisers to Weedicides and Pesticides, which only become necessary when the Laws of Nature have been violated. Modern Agriculture works against Nature instead of with it. Big Monocrops are bad for the Soil and disruptive to our Ecosystem. believe it or not

This is not Old School Methods which rely on Crop Rotation, preserving Goodness in the Soil by planting different Crops alternately that complement each-other; allowing Crops to be plowed into the Soil after harvest, which
Enriches the Soil with Vital Nutrients instead of stripping it of it's own Nutrition.

YOU WILL DISCOVER IN THIS POST, IN TIMES GONE BY, THERE WAS A VAST ARRAY OF EDIBLE PLANTS
(much more variety) growing than we have available today. the absence of them has really restricted our food choices and also affected the Ecosystem.

Excerpts from 50 Foods For Healthier People And A Healthier Planet

Globally we rely on a small range of foods. This negatively impacts our health and the health of the planet. Seventy-five percent of the global food supply comes from only 12 plant and five animal species.…

Published on Leave a comment on Gardening 2 or 3 Times A Week To Relieve Stress

By SunnySkyz - Based on Survey!

A new study suggests that frequent gardening may be linked to increased health benefits.

According to the study posted on ScienceDirect, gardening just two or three times a week maximized the benefits of better wellbeing and lower stress levels. Gardening Encourages Family Togetherness, and it Keeps You Company if you live on your own too - I love to do this, my plants are great company. Folks, you don't have to have a lot of Plants to do this!

Benefits Of Gardening - Discover Them

The research explored why residents engaged with gardening and the extent to which they recognized any health benefits from the activity.

A questionnaire was distributed electronically within the UK, with 5,766 gardeners and 249 non-gardeners responding. Data was collated on factors including garden typology, frequency of gardening and individual perceptions of health and well-being.

"This is the first time the 'dose response' to gardening has been tested and the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the more frequently you garden – the greater the health benefits," said Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing fellow and lead author Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui. "In fact gardening every day has the same positive impact on wellbeing than undertaking regular, vigorous exercise like cycling or running.…

2

Published on 2 Comments on Do You Eat Quickly? Try Savoring Your Meals and Enjoy them More!

Discover the Health Advantages for Digestion and Weight Reduction.

I've been researching articles on this topic today. Shall I share with you what I found?

Slow Down, You're Eating Too Fast
by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Have you ever noticed how long it takes most thin people to eat their meals? My sister was always the last one to finish her meal, and it drove the rest of the family crazy. We were sure it was her ploy to get out of clearing the table or doing the dishes! It was not until years later that I realized her slow eating is the secret to her slim figure.

Most Westerners eat too fast, and, as a result, they take in too many calories before they realize they've eaten enough. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. And feeling full translates into eating less.

Recent research presented at a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity showed that overweight men and women took in fewer calories when they slowed their normal eating pace.…

Published on Leave a comment on Natural High: Why Birdsong Is The Best Antidote To Our Stressful Lives

From The Guardian Website - Past Edition

Dawn Chorus Day is a good time to celebrate the benefits to mental and physical health of birdsong.
Let us all speak up for protecting the different Species of Birds needing our voice.

A Beautiful Nightingale Photo by National Geographic

When I hear the first willow warbler of the spring, the first cuckoo, or the first booming bittern on my local patch, I feel an enormous sense of comfort and satisfaction. As the poet Ted Hughes wrote about the annual return of swifts, “They’ve made it again, which shows that the globe’s still working…”

It’s International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday 5 May, and this year the RSPB has released a single of birdsong (currentlyat number 11 in the charts) as part of a campaign to draw attention to the situation facing British birdlife. Populations of once-common species such as the house sparrow, starling and swift are falling fast, while the nightingale, turtle dove and grey partridge are rapidly sliding towards extinction in Britain.

Climate change, intensive farming and pollution are just some of the genuinely existential threats to the future of our birds.…

Published on Leave a comment on A 60-Minute Walk In Nature Decreases Activity In Brain Regions Involved In Stress Processing

Researchers in Germany have found that a one-hour walk in nature reduces
stress-related brain activity.

The amygdala is the brain region involved in stress processing. It has been shown to be less activated in people who live in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature.

Nature Walks Are Good For Your Brain

However, no study so far has examined the causal effects of natural and urban environments on stress-related brain mechanisms.

"But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be disentangled, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions," says Sonja Sudimac, predoctoral fellow in the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience (LMGEN) and lead author of the study.

To address this question, researchers from LMGEN examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Berlin's Grunewald Forest and a busy city street using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The results of the study revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Art of Self-Kindness and How it Helps Us Cope with Stress

By Juandri Buitendag and Prof Margareta James - Psychologists

Self-kindness can boost our mental health and help us navigate stressful situations. This is what we can do to nurture more of it.

Importance Of Practicing Some Self-Kindness - An Absolute Must!

Observing the breeze blow gently through the trees, savoring the delicate taste of a morning cuppa and curling up with a diverting novel in hand: far from being an extravagance, as these acts of self-kindness have sometimes been treated, they are in fact the fundamental building blocks of strong mental health.

In a world that is increasingly time-pressured and an economic model that has an unyielding focus on improving efficiency, it is easier than ever to overlook or de-prioritise your personal feelings and needs.

But according to psychologists, the art of self-kindness, although something that can be honed, is not something that should be optional. Whether it be in the realms of the physical, emotional, spiritual, or indeed professional, being conscious and sensitive towards yourself, they say, is key preparation for everything that life throws at us.

“It can change your life massively,” says Juandri Buitendag, a counseling psychologist who founded JB Wellness Dynamics, a London-based psychology therapy practice.…

Published on

By Andy Corbley from Good News Network Oct 2022

Joining the United States and a number of other countries, Australian officials have committed to preserve 30% of the continent’s landmass in a natural state for conservation.

Daintree Rainforest Park Queensland

The news was announced Tuesday from Environment Minster Tanya Plibersek, as part of a program called the Threatened Species Action Plan: Towards Zero Extinctions.

By prioritizing 110 species and 20 places, the plan will drive action where it is needed most and will deliver knock-on benefits to other threatened plants and animals in the same habitats.

The plan is the Australian counterpart to the “30×30” initiative that is trending among countries, and which arose out of the COP26 commitments to preserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030.

One of the most biologically diverse countries on Earth, so many of Australia’s animals, particularly her mammals, are found nowhere else on our planet.

“The Threatened Species Action Plan strengthens our commitment to stopping the extinction of Australia’s plants and animals,” said Plibersek. “Based on input from researchers and experts from the community, this plan identifies 20 priority places and 110 priority species and will guide recovery actions that will benefit a broad range of threatened species and their habitats.”…

Published on Leave a comment on What Does Reading Before Bed Do For Our Brain?

By Gemma Curtis – Sleep Matters Club Journalist

Some people can’t sleep without reading, but for others, the bedtime story is left in their child years. Reading before bed is an age-old tradition. Some people can’t sleep without reading, but for others, the bedtime story is left in their childhood. In recent times, reading interest has surged enormously. Whether it’s because people are running out of hobbies to try when they’re stuck at home or because they’re looking to expand their vocabulary is up for debate. Yet, the key question still remains: can the practice of reading before bedtime be beneficial? We explore how it affects the brain and see what the experts have to say.

Bedtime reading reduces stress

Reading before you sleep could relax you significantly. A study highlighted in the Telegraph by the University of Sussex raised a number of participants stress levels and then attempted to reduce them. Cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis found that ‘reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 per cent’. It was better than listening to music (61%), drinking tea or coffee (54%) and taking a walk (42%). It only took 6 minutes for participants’ stress levels to be reduced.…

Published on Leave a comment on When Selecting Commercial So-Called Natural Personal Care Products

IT'S GETTING A BIT MUCH, ISN'T IT? UNSCRUPULOUS MANUFACTURERS STOP AT VIRTUALLY NOTHING, TO COMPETE WITH GENUINE NATURAL CARE PRODUCTS WHEN IT COMES TO PERSONAL SKINCARE PRODUCTS, HAIRCARE PRODUCTS, DEODORANT, HANDWASH AND BODYWASH. IT'S CRIMINAL - REALLY REPREHENSIBLE, I KNOW, AND SINCE WE DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE - IN TAKING CARE MEASURES - BECAUSE LIKE THE FDA IN THE USA, OUR GOVERNMENT DOESN'T PUT A STOP TO THIS OUTRAGE EITHER. I WISH TO HELP YOU MAKE SMART DECISIONS WHEN PURCHASING PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS. PLEASE DON'T BE TOO TRUSTING WHEN IT COMES TO COMMERCIAL MAKES - THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONSCIENCE. I HAVE FOUND A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR YOU, AND RECOMMEND THAT YOU FAVOR COMPANIES IN YOUR PURCHASES THAT ARE DEDICATED TO MAKING GENUINE NATURAL PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AND EXPOSE INGREDIENTS THAT ARE TOXIC TO OUR HEALTH BECAUSE IT IS NOW PROVEN THAT INGREDIENTS WE PLACE ON OUR SKIN ARE ABSORBED INTO OUR BODY. THIS IS CALLED TRANSDERMAL, AND IS AS SERIOUS AS TOXIC INGREDIENTS WE INGEST - THERE ARE OFTEN MORE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS.

Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in So-Called "Natural" Personal Care Products

From UbanWellnessMag.Com

Caution needs to be taken when selecting among the wide range of products labeled and marketed as natural.…

Published on

A Recent ABC Article

The federal government has taken the first step towards introducing new fuel emission standards to get more electric vehicles into the domestic market, reducing price and emissions.

A number of Commonwealth, state and territory ministers will discuss the relatively slow take-up of electric vehicles in Canberra today, along with some of the biggest manufacturers and industry groups.

The Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Bowen, will soon release a discussion paper on bringing fuel standards into line with almost all other nations and ensure inefficient cars are not dumped in Australia.

"Every country except [us and] Russia has them and it does mean that we get sent substandard vehicles by manufacturers in relation to emissions, because other nations require the best emission vehicles," Mr Bowen told the ABC.

"What we're saying is now is the time to have a serious discussion about whether Australia should have fuel efficiency standards and how we should have them."

More than 80 per cent of the global car market now follows 'Euro 6' vehicle emission standards, including Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea, China, India and Mexico.

But Australia has resisted signing up to the standards, which would require more stringent restrictions on pollutants in petrol, and require new cars to emit far less particulate matter than currently allowed.…