help me be

[HEALTH] Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), commonly called tulsi (meaning “the indefatigable” in Sanskrit), known as the "tonic of life" has been used for millennia in Ayurvedic medicine as an adaptogen that supports the body’s natural rhythm. Researchers took a step back to analyze all available studies on holy basil in 2017. Across 70 studies involving almost 4,000 total participants, holy basil consistently showed beneficial effects for modulating stress, immune function, blood sugar, lipid levels, and inflammation with very few adverse effects.   Few herbs have been studied this broadly and come away with such a consistent, reassuring track record, so enjoy!  STRESS   Holy basil seems to help people handle stress more easily. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study, healthy adults received a standardized holy basil extract for 8 weeks. The researchers measured cortisol levels, physiological responses to mental stress (including blood pressure reactivi...

Years ago, I made my own laundry detergent for my family, spending hours grating soap by hand. Now I’m back at it, but with a better, much easier recipe. There are many benefits to making your own, including cost, simplicity, and reduced environmental impact, but the most important to me is knowing exactly what’s in it, and that every ingredient would rate green on the EWG scale. I also love that there are no plastic bottles to recycle anymore, and a single batch lasts a long time. Give it a try!  Add a few drops of essential oil (I prefer grapefruit) to each laundry load for scent.  

[OPINION]   There’s a lot wrong with the new dietary guidelines , but let’s start with what they get right. It’s genuinely encouraging that both the new pyramid and written guidelines now advise to only consume whole rather than processed grains, and the emphasis is on eating “real food” over processed foods. It’s also a major win that they advise avoiding added sugar, rather than simply limiting it. “While no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars.” The vegetable section makes up a larger percentage, compared to previous US guidelines and pyramids, encouraging higher fruit and vegetable intake, which is excellent. But then things start to fall apart. Meat and dairy are front and center for protein in the new pyramid (do we really need that giant chicken?) yet in the written portion, they state: “In general, saturated fat consumption should n...

[HEALTH]  Aloe vera usually gets invited to the party to deal with sunburns, not thyroid hormones - but some researchers have been asking the question, “What else can this plant do?” One 2018 study had women with subclinical hypothyroidism from Hashimoto’s drink 50 mL of aloe juice each morning for nine months. Not gallons - literally a couple of sips.  Over that time, researchers documented measurable changes: TSH levels decreased significantly , moving many participants into normal thyroid function Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies dropped , indicating reduced autoimmune activity The control group showed no improvement , suggesting aloe wasn’t acting by coincidence or placebo A 2022 in-vitro study helped explain the possible mechanism. Researchers found that aloe compounds can influence how thyroid cells express thyroid peroxidase (TPO) - an enzyme essential for the production of thyroid hormones - and reduce inflammatory activity within cells. This provides ...

[OPINION]   What a heartbreaking month. I want to take a moment to recognize and honor the lives of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti , two non-violent Americans who were tragically killed in Minnesota this month during public encounters with federal immigration “agents.” The unjust circumstances that surround these high-profile shootings are devastating and unimaginable. Even more painful is that anyone would attempt to excuse and justify their deaths. Both killings were driven by rage, not professionalism, common sense, or self-defense, and in no civilized society should anyone, in particular those acting in an official capacity, be permitted to use lethal force in the reckless manner that they did, especially when alternative actions and de-escalation were completely possible in both situations. As others have said, in moments like these,  we must believe our eyes, not the lies .  That may be one of the most important things to remember right now .  We ar...

[HEALTH]  Before mass-produced gum was ever sold in stores, people chewed on mastic, a natural tree resin produced on the beautiful Greek island of Chios. Mastic gum is the OG chew: a natural resin from the mastic tree with a clean, mildly pine flavor and all of the chewy goodness. And unlike mainstream gum, which mostly freshens breath on the surface, mastic gum can be used therapeutically to support oral health, aid in digestion, and calm the stomach lining with special compounds not found in everyday gum. [ 1 ]  Benefits Several clinical trials have demonstrated that mastic gum can suppress and  kill Helicobacter pylori , the bacteria that causes most ulcers, many cases of gastritis, and chronic reflux. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]  Research also suggests mastic gum reduces inflammation of stomach tissue and helps relieve gastric discomfort, while also supporting the stomach’s natural protective mucus barrier. Findings published in Phytomedicine, as well as animal research, sh...

[HEALTH] Skip sleep long enough and even kale, cardio, and yoga can't save you! In December 2025, Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University examined long-term data  in large groups of people to determine how sleep duration and the regularity of one's sleep schedule impacted all-cause mortality, directly compared to other major lifestyle factors such as physical activity, diet quality, and social connection. [ 1 , 2 ]  After controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and underlying health conditions, the study determined that chronic sleep deprivation or poor sleep regularity continued to be among the strongest predictors of decreased lifespan, even among individuals who were active. High physical activity levels did not completely mitigate the risk for chronic sleep loss. The authors explained that sleep is biologically unique in a way that other healthy behaviors could not compensate for. In deep sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system is activated, a “clearanc...

[BEAUTY] In a controlled human study , eating just two kiwis per day led to measurably thicker, healthier skin within weeks , highlighting how powerfully skin responds to nutrition from within. Scientists at the University of Otago, Faculty of Medicine -Christchurch Ōtautahi, identified a direct relationship between intake of vitamin C from kiwis and the skin’s ability to produce collagen and renew itself. Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the study showed that vitamin C levels in the skin closely mirror levels in the bloodstream . Increasing vitamin C intake through food raised both plasma and skin concentrations - demonstrating that skin health responds measurably to diet, not just topical treatments. The Study The study followed 24 healthy adults in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Germany. Participants who increased their vitamin C intake by eating two vitamin C–rich SunGold kiwifruit daily showed a clear rise in skin vitamin C levels. This increase was associated ...

[HEALTH] Most of us are familiar with purring. It’s that gentle, rhythmic vibration. It’s relaxing just to hear it. We all know that cats purr when they’re content and happy, but they also purr when they’re in pain, when they’re scared, when they’re giving birth, and as they’re dying. It’s fascinating that cats make the same sound when they’re comfortable as when they’re not. In the early 2000s, bioacoustician Elizabeth von Muggenthaler recorded and analyzed dozens of felines, from domestic cats to cheetahs to pumas.  She found that purring consistently falls within a narrow range of about 25–150 Hertz. That’s significant because it’s the same range used in therapeutic vibration treatments for human health and injuries. Clinical studies have shown that vibrations at those frequencies help with bone density and growth, fracture healing, inflammation, and tissue repair [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] .  In other words,  cats appear to have evolved to produce frequencies we recog...

[FOOD]   Basil seeds, also called sabja seeds or tukmaria ( Ocimum basilicum ) have been described as the lighter, more refined cousin to chia seeds. Used in Asian culture in cuisine and for digestive support for centuries, they have only recently become a subject of scientific research as a functional food ingredient. Like chia seeds, basil seeds have been shown to absorb water and expand to form a gelatinous substance, but do so more quickly and with a lighter, smoother mucilage ( a term best appreciated for its function, not its sound).  Nutritionally, basil seeds are remarkably high in dietary fiber (more than chia). Fiber constitutes about 35–36% of the dry weight, most of which is soluble.  A 2025 Applied Food Research  review  shows that basil seed mucilage shares functional similarities with other gel-forming fibers used to support  gut health , such as psyllium. Basil seeds are often better tolerated.   They also offer a rich source of o...

[MIND] For generations, we’ve assumed memory to be a purely brain-based function, encoded in the wiring of the tangled neurons and electrical impulses in our brains that surge when we remember a face, a song, or a heart-warming story. But a remarkable  study  from New York University is forcing us to reconsider that assumption. The researchers found that  human cells outside the brain  - including  kidney and connective-tissue cells  - can display a primitive form of  memory-like behavior . In this research, scientists exposed non-neural cells to  bursts of chemical signals  (imitating neurotransmitters). When the bursts were spaced apart, the cells activated a specific  memory-related gene  more strongly and for a longer duration than when signals came rapidly or continuously. That reaction lingered, as if the cells had formed a kind of molecular memory.  This research challenges everything we thought we knew. ...

[HEALTH] Forget fancy fitness trackers  - your floor might be the truest measure of your health!  The Sitting-Rising Test (SRT) is a quick and easy test that measures your muscular strength, flexibility, balance, and “risk of death” in less than a minute. HOW TO DO THE SITTING-RISING TEST Start by standing barefoot on a flat surface. Lower yourself to the floor without using your hands, knees, or arms for support. Get up again, without using any support. The ideal score is 10 points, 5 for the sit and 5 for the rise. You lose 1 point each time you use a hand, knee, or lose your balance. Half-points are also subtracted for slight instabilities. SCORING 8–10 points: Great mobility and physical condition 6–7.5 points: Fair, could have better flexibility or balance 3–5.5 points: Below average, showing a lack of functional fitness 0–2.5 points: Bad, with higher risks of falls and even mortality in the elderly WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? In 2012, a study published in the European Journa...