Ingredients of Wellness

If you are a regular follower you may have noticed I have been away for a while.  Now that didn’t make me happy! but the reason for the absence certainly did.  I was engaging in passionate pursuits of the academic kind.  More on this another time but needless to say I was working in flow, […]

I love drinking tea, particularly herbal tea’s which I am more partial to than black tea. I also love red bush tea (rooibos) and green tea and I must admit to thoroughly enjoying a cup of Irish tea brewed by my mother-in-law Nancy on a recent visit to chilly Ireland, but I never ever add […]

Many will remember Brené Brown’s TEDx talk on The Power of Vulnerability – it went viral (13.7 million views and counting) – and possibly her book: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.  Brown, research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, […]

letting nature recharge our battery of senses brings balance to our personal and collective lives      Michael J Cohen     Cooped up in a cold apartment and office throughout the day, a glance outside has in recent weeks offered nothing more than grey polluted skies and little inspiration to get outdoors.  But being in […]

    As part of my work at RMIT I am conducting research into teaching mindfulness in schools.  My research considers teachers perceptions of the experience of teaching mindfulness meditation for the first time.  I have been impressed by the rich descriptions and impressions of the teachers I have interviewed.  Their reflections of the benefits […]

Earlier in 2013 I wrote about the problems with sugar…or rather fructose, to be more specific.  Debate on this hot topic continued feverishly throughout 2013, so I  thought starting the year off with a summary of what the research says, may be helpful to those who are considering whether to, or not to, join the […]

  This humble herb was first referenced in ancient Greek mythology.  Minthe was known as the nymph lover of Hades/Pluto, the Greek ruler of the Underworld.  Upon discovering their affair, his wife, goddess Persephone transformed Minthe into a plant upon which she stamped and tread with rage.  However with each tread Minthe would release a […]

There are many things we can do to reduce waste, to consume in a sustainable way and to be conscious consumers.  In some cases the barriers are simply that we don’t know how.  The recent SCMP profile of HK Green Home eco warrior Claire Sancelot highlights that aiming for zero waste is not all that hard, if […]

No doubt you’ve heard of kombucha (fermented tea) and kefir (fermented milk). These are fermented foods and are all the rage among those seeking out healthy food options.  And rightly so!  Fermented foods have many health giving and nutritional qualities that processed foods lack. Fermenting is one of the earliest known techniques for preparing and […]

Did you know October 4 was World Animal Day? There are some important reasons for highlighting this special day and they relate to the wellness of humans and animals. First we’ll start with some recent stories that highlight why we should be thinking about and doing more for animal wellbeing.  Then we move onto the […]

Cinnamon, one of the oldest spices known to man.  In ancient times considered more valuable than gold. A recent trip to Bali found me stocking up on many of the wonderful spices found on this island paradise.  I came away with vanilla pods, pippali (long pepper or Indian long pepper), coffee beans (not the civet […]

On average patients visiting their primary care physician will spend 50 minutes in the clinic and only 10 minutes with the physician. Does this sound familiar? How does that make you feel toward the health system? What about hospitals where medical staff don’t even introduce themselves to patients. This is the experience of Dr Graham […]

Human health and wellbeing, on a sustainable basis, should be the primary objective of urban policy and planning. An increasingly growing body of research from fields as diverse as psychology, ecology, urban planning and architecture, and health and wellness, are determining that a connection to nature is essential to human health (Brymer, Cuddihy & Sharma-Brymer […]

Finland has a grand organic plan.  The country aims to shift 50% of its agriculture to organic production by 2030. Now that’s bold and in my view a forward looking country.  You can read more about this proposition here. Finland may only be a few years into its grand plan but as reported in Organic […]

Big question?  Actually, the study of what it means to have a meaningful life has been tackled for many years, probably even before the introduction of positive psychology.  But thanks to the founders of this field, Martin Seligman, Chris Peterson, Barbara Frederickson and many, many others, we’ve seen the emergence of the exploration of human […]