Okay, I'll be the first to admit that this week's topic may seem a little "woo-woo," in scientific speak. :-)  However, the guest on this fascinating podcast episode certainly comes with an impressive list of credentials, so I encourage you to tune in and open your mind to the possibilities of...your mind!

In fact, much evidence suggests that we are only just barely beginning to realize the immense powers that our minds possess - especially when it comes to healing our bodies. Although the scientific community has neatly divided the human mind from the human body as if they were two separate entities, the truth is that our bodies and minds have always been inextricably connected - in ways that modern medicine has yet to understand.

We, humans, on the other hand, have always had an inkling that these connections are very real indeed, and you can find the evidence in our language. For example, you've almost certainly heard the expression of someone "knowing" something "in my gut." Likewise, our heart also gets a lot of press as a center of knowledge ("I knew it in my heart," "I let my heart lead me," etc.).

Your body truly is part of your mind, just as your mind is a part of your body, and so it's no wonder that mental health has many physical aspects to it (depression and even addiction, for example, have been closely linked to dietary issues and gut health), and similarly, that our mind can have significant impacts on our physical health.

The placebo effect is one example that has long been recognized even by mainstream medicine. Once believed to be a mere fluke, the placebo effect is very real indeed, and has been used in a wide range of medical studies of many different health conditions and treatments. In fact, fascinatingly enough, some studies are now being conducted to learn whether the placebo effect can successfully be used to treat certain health conditions without using drugs at all!

Check out this podcast episode below to learn about the amazing powers hiding in your mind - including - "woo-woo" as it may sound - the potential for spontaneous healing!

Welcome back! I apologize that your August freebie is a bit late this month, as we returned a bit later than expected from our annual Tennessee trip last weekend. (It has been quite a busy summer, to say the least!)

However, I've got a fun little video class to share with you this month, and if you've ever been curious about the health benefits of mushrooms, you'll definitely want to tune in!

Did you know that humans have been using mushrooms for thousands of years for their health-promoting and medicinal properties?

In fact, there are thousands of edible mushroom species in the world - and approximately 250+ of them so far have been identified as having healing properties.

East Asian traditions and Indigenous cultures have always embraced mushrooms to treat all manner of ailments — and now Westerners as well are beginning to recognize their nutritional and medicinal superpowers for the body, mind, and even the spirit.

Dr. Christopher Hobbs, internationally renowned author, herbalist, botanist, mycologist, research scientist, and faculty at the University of Massachusetts, believes that "by incorporating mushrooms into our diets — fresh, cooked, or as dried adaptogens — we can help prevent and transform a myriad of debilitating issues."

And on this Wednesday, August 11, Professor Hobbs will share some scientifically supported benefits of making mushrooms a part of your daily regimen. He’ll tell you the ways that this fungi can strengthen and fine-tune your immune system to help stave off cancer, prevent heart disease, keep bones healthy, improve digestion, aid cognitive function, and much more.

Register here for Mushrooms as Medicine: Discover the Science-Based, Practical Benefits Mushrooms Add to Your Diet, Healing Regimen & Spiritual Evolution - or learn more below...

Gut health has become front and center in the health community in recent years. For so long, we simply thought of the gut as our digestive system, but science is now finding that it is SO much more...

In fact gut health is linked to just about every other aspect of our health - from our immune system, to our brain and mental health, and even our oral health!

Gut issues have been implicated in everything from heart problems, to auto-immune diseases, to periodontal disease, and even addiction, depression, and other mental health disorders. With all of these implications, doesn't it make sense that we should do everything we can to improve our gut health?

Yet despite the attention that the gut (and it's accompanying microorganisms) has received recently, few people truly understand how to actually improve their overall gut health and support the all-important microbiome.

In this episode of The Doctor's Farmacy, Dr. Mark Hyman interviews Dr. Emeran Mayer, author of The Gut-Immune Connection and The Mind-Gut Connection, and founding director of the UCLA Brain Gut Microbiome Center, about how to nurture the microbiome to support your gut and overall health, and fight the modern epidemic of chronic disease.

It was a hot, summery weekend on the homestead, and the tomatoes are finally starting to grow! I got the last of the summer seeds in (green beans and corn), and started putting out the tomato cages (hampered all the while by our overly-friendly adopted "barn cat," who I'm beginning to suspect was never remotely "feral"...)

We also had a great time chatting with our local chicken suppliers - there's something so wonderful about personally knowing the people who raise your food; it's kind of hard to describe until you experience it! We brought home some delicious pasture-raised chicken, and a large pork roast to share for our upcoming trip to Minnesota.

And, I got to spend at least a few minutes out in the hammock, so I guess this weekend was pretty much perfect, even though it was only 2 days long this time. :-)

Anyway, this month's freebie is a pretty cool one, although the event is partway over, so be sure you go check it out while it's still going on! (If you miss it, they will be replaying all the episodes over this coming weekend, so go get registered now.) It's all about scientifically proven health alternatives and healing breakthroughs that you won't hear about in the mainstream media...

Welcome to May - my favorite month of the year! (And not just because of my birthday.) :-)

This time of year is so beautiful, with everything green and growing and blooming! Usually it's not too hot, and bugs aren't too bad yet, and although it is the beginning of the busiest time of year for me, it's enjoyable work like planting and mulching and watching things grow.

I even put the hammock out this weekend - a bit earlier than usual, but since we were enjoying an 80-degree afternoon, it seemed fitting. :-)

Anyway, on to this month's freebie! I'm pretty excited to share this with you, as Marjorie is one of the homesteaders I respect the most. She has such a fun-loving personality, and she's always sharing new and interesting ideas about health, gardening, homesteading, and more. She has a new book coming out this year on all of these topics, and to celebrate and promote her book launch, she's hosting a 3-day online event on sustainable living, medicine making, growing your own food, and more! Check it out below to learn more and register to attend for FREE.

Are you washing your hair too much?

It may seem like a weird question, but surveys show that Americans wash their tresses an average of 4.59 times per week. Most hairstylists and dermatologists agree that this is way too much. Kind of like with clothing, washing your hair creates wear and tear that can damage your hair over time, leaving it limp, dry, oily, and unhealthy.

Most experts agree that for most people, you should wash your hair no more than 3 times per week. This gives your hair and scalp time to rebalance and recover from the stresses of washing.

However, this doesn't mean you have to walk around with dirty hair half the time! In fact, part of the problem is probably the commercial shampoo you are using. Most commercial shampoos contain harsh detergents that strip your hair of its natural oils and disrupt its pH balance. This leads to over-production of scalp oils, which, in turn, leaves your hair feeling greasy and limp in between washes.

It's a vicious cycle, and in order to break it, your hair may need to go through a little "detox" period after going off commercial shampoos. But if you can power through, and choose healthier shampoo alternatives for washing your hair, you will soon discover you have the naturally shiny, bouncy, and vibrant hair that those shampoo commercials have been promising all along!

In recent years, more and more research has indicated the deadly impacts of chronic inflammation. In fact, inflammation has been linked to nearly all of today's modern diseases and health problems, including high cholesterol, cancer, heart disease, obesity, digestive issues, chronic pain, and more.

Unfortunately, there are numerous contributors to chronic inflammation in the modern world - most notably, frequent stress, but also consumption of processed foods, sugar, alcohol, and tobacco, as well as exposure to pesticides and other toxins in the environment, among other factors.

While it may not be possible to entirely avoid all of these causes, the good news is, it is possible to make fewer inflammatory choices in our daily lives, and to take steps to support our body's natural healing systems that can help to prevent some of the worst consequences of inflammation.

This month's "freebie" is a 26-page eBook on Tips to Manage and Address Chronic Inflammation. Grab your copy now to discover simple lifestyle choices you can make - starting today - to reverse and even stop inflammation in its tracks.

While we are still learning new things about the human brain all the time, we are beginning to understand just how connected our gut and brain truly are. In fact, some scientists have even begun to call the gut our "second brain" as it is so intimately connected with our brain and our overall health. But one thing we don't often think about is how much the food that we eat impacts our brain function.

In fact, more and more evidence is revealing that our diet has a HUGE impact on our brain health as well as our thought patterns, mental functions, and more. From "foggy brain," to inability to focus, anxiety, and even depression, how we eat can have a major effect. What's more, some of the foods that you eat on a regular basis may actually be causing damage to your brain over time, and some evidence shows that diet may even be linked to serious brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

The dietary choices you make today can have long-term consequences for your brain health, and it's time to start taking these consequences seriously - before it's too late.

The guest article below explores some of the worst foods for your brain, as well as some foods that may protect and actually improve your brain health.

Welcome to your March freebie! This month, we've got a great recipe book full of delicious recipes that are packed with healthy ingredients that have powerful healing benefits for both your gut microbiome, and your brain. These two areas of the body are intimately connected, and modern medicine is just beginning to realize how important this connection truly is to our overall health.

As we have recognized the connection between oral health and cardiovascular disease in recent years, the medical establishment has begun to prioritize oral health in preventing future cardiovascular problems. In a similar fashion, I believe that in the years ahead, the health of the gut will be emphasized in maintaining good brain health, and even possibly helping to treat existing mental issues such as depression and addiction.

You can get a head start on a healthy brain by downloading this free recipe book and incorporating these nutrient-dense healing recipes into your regular diet!

Toxins are everywhere in our environment, and winter is a time when we may be exposed to more toxins than we realize. With most of our time spent cooped up indoors without a lot of fresh air, we are constantly breathing in toxins off-gassing from furniture and building materials, residue from chemical cleaning products, mold spores, and more.

While your body has a built-in detoxification system that helps manage this burden, eventually, your toxic load can build up to where your natural systems have trouble dealing with it. This is when symptoms may occur.

Symptoms of toxic exposure can be subtle and varied, ranging from headaches to fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, brain fog, and more. If you or someone in your family is experiencing some of these symptoms, it may be time for a detox!

Thankfully, there are many things that you can do to provide gentle and effective support to your body's natural detoxification symptoms. You don't have to go on any extreme "cleanses" or strange diets - and it only takes a few minutes per day. All you need to do is follow the simple daily tips in this DIY Detox Guide...