We all want a long, healthy life, right? When it comes to longevity though, the goal isn't just to live as long as possible. After all, what is the point of living longer if you're constantly sick and in pain?

The true objective is to enjoy your life for as long as possible, and that means staying healthy and vibrant for as long as possible.

This interesting interview discusses what some experts believe is the greatest factor in healthy aging, and how you can maintain greater health, vibrancy, and energy well into your later years. Check it out below to learn the keys to aging well - and how to implement these simple but important steps in your own life.

While the holidays can be a time of joy and celebration, unfortunately, they can also be a trigger for depression in some people. Stress, unhealthy eating, troubled family relationships, and loneliness all become heightened and may compound our mental issues this time of year. And many people also suffer from SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder, which starts to kick in as the days grow shorter and we start spending more time indoors.

This year, with the pandemic keeping so many apart from their loved ones, the holidays may be even more depressing than usual for many.

The good news is, there are many things you can do - not only during the holidays, but any time of year - to keep your spirits up and keep depression at bay.

This month's freebie includes 7 helpful steps for preventing depression and staying mentally healthy and happy this holiday season and beyond. Grab your FREE copy here now, or learn more below...

While most of us don't usually think of food as medicine, in fact, at one time, all medicine originally came from edible food sources. In recent years, a resurgence in interest in natural medicines and herbal remedies has brought healing foods back to the forefront of health and wellness.

All kinds of foods have healing properties, from roots, to leaves, fruits, and seeds. Healing foods can be as simple as your grandmother's chicken soup, or as complex as a homemade cough syrup or healing tincture made from roots, berries, and spices. (However, even the more complex remedies are often easier to make at home that you may think.)

This month, I'm excited to share with you a wonderful resource filled with healthful recipes that will help you harness the healing power of food! This 7-day meal plan is available for a limited time only, in preparation for the upcoming Home Medicine Masterclass. If you're interested in learning to make your own home medicines and herbal remedies, be sure to check it out!

If you haven't heard all the buzz about the myriad connections between your health and your microbiome...

...where have you been?

In recent years, the microbiome has become one of the hottest topics in both natural and mainstream medicine, with research revealing connections between gut health and mental health, immunity, overall health, and longevity.

But your microbiome is not ONLY in your gut. In fact, your unique microbiome consists of literally trillions of minute bacteria that reside everywhere both on and in your body - and it is specific to you. No other living being on the planet has the exact same microbiome as you. (Isn't that so cool??  Yes, I'm a nerd.)  :-)

The health of these bacteria is closely linked to our own health in ways that we are only just beginning to discover. This is why I'm so excited about the Microbiome Rescue Summit event happening this week - possibly the most exciting health event this year!

You can head on over and register to watch the event for free here, or read more below to find out how to grab your copy of a special Microbiome Rescue Guide that is being given away for FREE to everyone who registers...

Do you eat cereal for breakfast?

If so, you probably try to steer clear of all the sugary "frosted" varieties, or the artificially-colored "fruit" ones, or the ones with marshmallows, etc. However, even if you go for the healthiest granola or "whole-grain" types you can find, you may not be doing your health any favors. (Yes, I'm even talking about the "doctor-recommended, heart-healthy" ones.)

Many of these cereals are actually promoted as "health foods" by the big food corporations that make them (to learn why they can get away with this, even the "doctor-recommended" stamp of approval, check out the shocking and eye-opening book, Food Fix, by Dr. Mark Hyman. You'll never look at food the same way again!), but in fact, these common breakfast foods actually have a number of extremely negative impacts on your health, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and accelerated aging.

Today's guest post, by a dietitian and nutritionist, explains why, and what to eat for breakfast instead that will actually give you energy, balance your blood sugar and hormone levels, and feed your body properly.

Boosting immunity has become top-of-mind for many people over the past few months. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our nation, more and more people are looking for ways to enhance their natural immunity and stay safe from the virus.

While things like eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, and taking extra vitamins have been getting attention even in the mainstream media, one aspect that hasn't been getting as much press - but is at least as important to a healthy immune system, if not more - is gut health.

In fact, a large percentage of your immune system is actually in your gut. A healthy gut microbiome is actually in the front line of defenses against viruses and other pathogens. That's why I'm so excited that this year's Gut & Microbiome Rescue Summit is coming up in just a few weeks! If you're interested in improving your gut health and your overall health and longevity, you'll definitely want to check out this awesome online event.

However, you can get a head start on a healthy gut right now, by downloading this month's freebie: Shivan Sarna’s 26-page eGuide, Boosting Immunity Through Gut Health: Heal Your Gut, Boost Immunity, & Get Your Life Back.

Just click the link to go grab your copy now, or read more below...

As we have learned in recent years, oral health is very important for our overall health. Links have been discovered between the health of our oral microbiome and our gut microbiome. Gum disease has been associated with cardiovascular disease. While researchers aren't yet 100% sure exactly why these links exist, it is evident that protecting our oral health is beneficial to our overall health and longevity.

However, as with several other areas of medicine, modern dentistry hasn't really advanced all that much in the past 50+ years. Some dental techniques and recommendations may not be as effective or beneficial as we may have been led to believe. This is why we should all learn everything we can about protecting and maintaining our oral health.

In preparation for this month's Holistic Oral Health Summit, we're making this helpful guide on holistic oral care available for free to anyone who wants it. Go here to get your copy now, or learn more below.

As we move forward into what will likely be a long and slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are striving to find a new sense of normalcy in an uncertain and ever-changing situation. While the effects of the pandemic will likely be felt for years to come - both in our economy and our emotional state - there are some potentially positive effects that we can try to focus on.

One of these is the tendency of our human, caring side to come through in times of danger. Many communities are now banding together to care for the less-fortunate among them.

Another positive aspect is our ability to appreciate the "little things" in life, and find joy in small moments that we may otherwise overlook.

Still another positive is the fact that many of us are seeking ways to become more healthy and self-sufficient - whether it be growing some of our own food, learning to cook for ourselves for the first time in years, or taking charge of our own health, cutting out unhealthy habits, and learning natural ways to strengthen our immunity.

This summer's Immune Defense Summit online event comes at a time when this topic is top-of-mind for many of us. In preparation for this event, there are a number of helpful resources that you can access right now to help build up your immune system and increase your odds of staying healthy.

I will be sharing these free resources with you via email and social media over the next few weeks, but first of all, I wanted to share a very interesting eBook that I think you will find quite eye-opening. Inside, you will learn what the media hasn't been telling you about the coronavirus, particularly when it comes to how to actually protect yourself from viral infections like this one.

You can grab your copy here now, or read more below...

My, how things can change in a week...

I was just thinking how, last weekend, I served in the toddler room at church taking care of some cute little 2-3 year-olds. Other than an increased emphasis on using hand sanitizer, there didn't seem to be much discussion of the coronavirus, and from what I could tell, the congregation was approximately the usual size. The only alarming incident of the day was when a two-year-old escaped her parents in the crowd after the service and could not be found for some time. (Don't worry - after walking around the entire building, I was able to locate her and return her to her parents.)  :-)

One week later, church services and gatherings - as well as schools, universities, library classes, and sporting events - are either cancelled or being held virtually or at a limited scale. (Much to our sadness, my husband and I also cancelled his 50th-birthday trip to Jamaica which we had been looking forward to for many months now.)

As connected as our world is today, a global pandemic was just a matter of time so we should have been prepared, but it's still incredibly alarming. Thank goodness the virus isn't more deadly, as this could be much worse...

Even so, the disruption to our everyday lives is already startling in its scope. Kids are home from school, businesses are shutting down or cancelling events, parents are missing work, stores can't keep shelves stocked, the stock market is hitting daily lows, the travel industry is plummeting (and during the busy spring break season)... It feels like we're inches away from panic in the streets - yet the virus has really only just begun to spread in most countries.

Our job now, as a society, is to do our part to control the spread of the disease. The success of any proposed government action is going to depend on our willingness to participate in control measures. Thankfully, there are a number of things we can do to protect ourselves from the coronavirus and therefore slow its spread throughout our population.

Last week, we talked about a few of the hazards of not getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, this is a problem that far too many people struggle with in today's world.

Like many others (including myself), you've probably had the experience of feeling like you're dragging your feet just to get through the day, feeling dead-tired by dinner time, being foggy-headed at work most of the day, and downing cup after cup of coffee just to try to stay focused.

In fact, people often treat lack of sleep as something to be proud of - even as a sign of how hard they work!

But there IS a price to pay, and the guest article below discusses some of the negative consequences of sleep deficit disorder.

Regardless of the reason for it, lack of quality sleep significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and even your bank account--although you may not even realize it...