Ingredients of Wellness

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 […]

The 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the Amer Psychiatry Association has attracted a barrage of criticism from many sources.  From my research I see an overarching issue being over-diagnosis potentially leading to the over-medicalization of children, adolescence and adults. Particularly worrying is over-diagnosis of ADHD in kids.  Does your child […]

Summer is fast approaching for those of us in the northern hemisphere, a time for families to think about protection from the harmful rays of the sun.   ‘Harmful’ is how we have learnt to think about the sun.  Originally from Australia I have been a sun devotee most of my life.  Whilst spending endless hours […]

Food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food (Hippocrates) A surge of interest in improving personal health and wellness has seen many turn to food as their medicine.  Wellness advocates and some healthcare practitioners will tell you that much of the chronic illnesses so many are battling with today can be […]