Blog

1. Have a screensaver displaying beautiful, ‘natural’ scenery such as waterfalls, sunrises, lakes, mountain ranges etc (Viewing natural scenery is known to reduce stress and balance mind and body).

2. Simply walk outside for a minute or two and breathe in some fresh air, get some natural light [sunlight] through your eyes, and if practical, take your shoes (and socks) off and ‘earth’ yourself. (Earthing is being shown to be one of the greatest, natural rejuvenators and directly balances many of our most common health ailments).

One of the most common difficulties we encounter when trying to make more health promoting changes in our lives is actually getting started. I’ve always been thinking that I should write an article on this super important topic, but have never seem to be able to get started! LOL! Fortunately, I recently met a fantastic bloke – Luke McLean (not coincidentally he is a Hawk One supporter!). He has written a fantastic blog of his own on this topic. As such, I thought I would direct you to it here.

Where does Wellness Change Start?

You probably think this tip is so plainly obvious it is ridiculous to even mention it.

Basically, as we move into the colder months, the tip is that you should eat ‘warmer’ foods.

While we often try to make staying healthy complicated and confusing, staying in balance is often easier than we think.

Was just sent this great article on how modern science is starting to glimpse the exquisite intelligence of vegetables and how they have a circadian rhythm (like us) that responds to light and dark ‘even after’ being picked. Hope you enjoy.

Article written by Darren Osborne on Friday, 21 June 2013.
Original article – Vegies keep ticking even after harvest

Sugar. . . raw sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, natural sugar, sugar substitutes, fructose, sucrose, glucose, artificial sweeteners, Stevia, agave nectar, coconut sugar, palm sugar!!! Yikes! Everywhere you turn these days, there is some article, debate or new type of sugar. Why? Because we are starting to realise just how dangerous regular sugar is, and more importantly, how we are consuming far too much (often unknowingly) and putting our health. . . and in some cases our lives in danger.

I have been looking into this topic recently, from both a modern science perspective as well as the wisdom of Eastern health sciences, including Ayurveda. As I couldn’t do the topic justice in just a short blog, I have put a full article on every aspect of sugar and how you might reduce it in your diet to safe and healthy levels. Read it here –

Sugar – is it killing you?

Eating out at restaurants and even the occasional fast food take-away is pretty much part and parcel of our modern day life, so here’s some quick tip.s to help keep things as healthy as possible.

Do you work nightshift and struggle to maintain good health?

How can you optimise your precious sleep while working shifts?

Would you like some simple tips blending ancient wisdom and modern science for reducing the potentially harmful effects of regular shiftwork?

Recent research from Japan backs up what traditional health systems have suggested for millennia – that eating too quickly can lead to stacking on the kilos.

Scientists from Osaka University looked at the eating habits of 3,000 people and suggest stuffing down meals in a hurry may be enough to nearly double a person’s risk of being overweight. The study which was reported in the British Medical Journal, showed that compared with normal-speed eaters, fast-eating men were 84% more likely to be overweight and women were just over two times as likely.

Have you heard of nanotechnology yet? If not, you will soon…and BEWARE!

Nanotechnology is a technology that will allow scientists in laboratories (always the first clue that something is not as Mother Nature intended) to deliver things like drugs, nutrients or chemicals in highly targeted ways. I.e. directly into your cells…at the molecular level!

As I wait in line at the check out of many grocery stores usually trying to research the buying trends of young Mums with young children I’m appalled by their lack of education and understanding as to how food choices not only affect the health of children but also their behaviour.

If they knew that the foods that they were spending good money on inadvertently affects the health and behaviour of their children would they do it?

Are you contributing some of your hard earned dollars to the billion-dollar cosmetics industry trying to keep your skin healthy and younger looking but are overlooking one or more of the real keys to healthy, youthful skin? Now I am all for using (chemically free) external skin products where needed, but realise there are at least 5 far more important things (that will hardly cost you a cent) you should be focusing on before you worry about cosmetics.

Not long ago I read that the average mother these days gets about 20 minutes to herself a day. (Seeing my sister with her 3 girls, I can hear her shouting, like I’m guessing you might be, “20 minutes, oh I wish!”)

As a mum these days (you not me!), it is an unbelievably difficult challenge to do what you desire for your kids, your family, your work, before you even get a moment to think about yourself. Equally, as they say, “Our greatest wealth is our health”. While nearly every mum will say that healthy kids is their number one priority, it’s also logical, though not necessarily easy, that looking after your own health is the absolute first step in looking after your family’s health.

"Abhyanga" - the Ayurvedic old massage has been recommended for thousands of years as part of the daily routine for maintaining overall health and well-being.

According to the ancient Ayurvedic texts, regularly performing the oil massage (traditionally done daily) does the following,

I am writing in response to a scientific study that you may have read about. Media outlets everywhere have been trumpeting the finding that fruits and vegetables give no protective effect or in any way reduce cancer!!! Interesting, to say the least. I hear that many nutritionists and dietitians are still trying to pick themselves up from the floor! My intention here, is not to discount or lightly dismiss such a study. In fact, the finding does not surprise me in the least…now don’t fall off your own chair! It’s not that I don’t think fruit and vegetables (assuming they are fresh and still contain a high level of the natural intelligence they are born with), contribute substantially to cancer protection, but the fact due to the nature of modern scientific research, in any isolated individual study, it can produce almost any result. Unfortunately, none of the media outlets I heard from, even bothered to mention what the actual research design or method of results analysis etc was. So, we are none the wiser, whether it was good science or not. Even assuming that it was a well conducted study, have you ever heard the media proclaim that something is good because of ABC, then 6 months later say that the exact same thing is dangerous because of XYZ? Red wine, chocolate, dairy etc are all evil one year and promoted as ‘angels from heaven’ the next after a single study or research finding. Artificial sweeteners, Soy products, cholesterol lowering spreads are hailed as ‘food of the Gods’ one minute and then attacked from pillar to post the next!!!

I went to school in the 60’s and 70’s, I went to an all girls school with 600 students. For tuck shop we had meat pies, vanilla slices, chocolate & eclairs and on the way home from school we’d stop at the local fish and chip shop and order 20 cents worth of chips and smother them in salt and vinegar. There was one fat girl in the whole school. I remember her name and her face because she was an oddity.

I don’t remember anyone with diabetes, one girl in the school got a brain tumour and there was no one that had a peanut or nut allergy. Not one of my friends had a sibling or cousin, for that matter with Autism, Asperges or ADD. Everyone drank 250ml. of milk everyday at morning tea and there wasn’t a wheat or dairy allergy to hear about.

I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is I have a wedding anniversary coming up soon!!!

The bad news is, I am now being told what to write in these tips. My beautiful wife Karen (grovel grovel), has ‘instructed’ me that I must tell you all about the tremendous health benefits of being married (there’s
a catch).

I agreed, on the condition that I could include lots of marriage jokes.
* They are at the bottom!!!

Anyway, the tip, is that being married is good for your health. Well sort of.

With the warmer weather coming bad body odour can be a bit of a problem. This week I thought we’d have a look at some simple ways to reduce this problem.

The cause:

If you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out, if you squeeze a lemon, lemon juice comes out. Simply put, any smell (pleasant or otherwise) that comes out of your body, is based on what’s inside.

An interesting article just came out in the Good Weekend magazine of the Age newspaper written by Mark Whittaker. Basically it outlines how there some new research and scientific studies showing that having low salt intakes are far worse than high intakes, even when it comes to things like heart disease, stroke and diabetes (things we’re commonly told to reduce salt intake to try and minimise the risks of).

Along with many other natural health practitioners, for years I’ve been saying that salt, when in its natural, unprocessed form is actually critical for optimal health and that many people actually need to be consuming more ‘good’ salt. See my blog on ‘healthy salt’ at and which I discussed in details in my book – Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health

Are you confused/overwhelmed with the multitude of advertisements for supplements these days???

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, shark cartilage, glucosamine, ancient traditional native american hair of a pygmie crossed with goats intestinal flora super aphrodisiac for 25 day erections etc etc? I think you get the drift!!!

What to do? Are they for real? Should you take them? Do you really need them?

We are purposely not going to go into every supplement separately here (we’d be here till Christmas!!!). But let’s just look at a few basics to hopefully simplify things and help you get on with enjoying life…and maybe save you some cash.

Remember when you were a little kid, and hours would go by without you even knowing? How did that happen?

You were ‘PLAYING’. Whatever it was for you – cars, trucks, Barbie, doctors & nurses, rubbing the inside of your mates undies with ‘tiger balm’ (ouch!) etc etc, you certainly weren’t worrying about work, money or anything else we worry about as adults.