In recent decades, anxiety has become the most common mental health issue of our time. If you don't suffer from anxiety, you probably know someone who does. Women (most commonly), men, teens, and even children may experience anxiety on a regular basis.

Anxiety is your body's natural response to a threat - either real or perceived. But in today's world, anxiety has become a chronic condition. There can be many causes for anxiety, but chronic anxiety is typically manifested in an imbalance of brain chemicals.

What causes this imbalance is the subject of much debate, but there can be many factors - some of the most significant being related to diet. In fact, substantial amounts of research have found a close connection between gut health and anxiety (as well as other mental disorders). If you've been medicated for your anxiety and have never been told that your gut health may be a root cause, it may be time to take a closer look - and perhaps seek another doctor...

The upcoming Anxiety Summit will focus on the gut-brain connection, and delve into the research-based anxiety nutritional solutions and practical steps that you can use to determine your root causes, ease your anxiety and prevent it from coming back. The event is going on this week, and you can register here for free access. In the meantime, grab your copy of the free e-Guide below to discover 9 nutritional solutions for anxiety and improved gut health.

Happy Halloween! :-) 

'Tis the season of everything pumpkin, and if you're a pumpkin pie fan, you're probably eagerly looking forward to your first creamy, spicy bite...

Whether you're waiting until Thanksgiving, or getting in some pie-making practice beforehand, why not make your own pumpkin pie spice this year? It's simple, easy, and will taste much fresher than the store bought stuff that's been sitting around on the shelf for who-knows-how-long. Plus, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry already, so why go out and buy another bottle to clutter up your spice shelf?

You can make up a batch and store it in a glass jar in cool, dark place (you can re-use an empty spice jar for this), and you'll be able to enjoy pumpkin pies all season long! Personally, I prefer sweet potato pie to pumpkin, and this spice would work great in that as well.

Or, you can get creative and use it in some homemade pumpkin pie-spiced ice cream (which goes great on top of apple cake, pumpkin bars, or yes, even pumpkin pie), to make pumpkin bread or muffins, or even in a warm cup of spiced tea or chai latte - yum - makes me feel all cozy!

As our modern medical system has evolved into the behemoth it is today, there's no doubt that it has provided us with many life-saving technologies. From vaccines to advanced surgical techniques, to greater knowledge of how our bodily systems work, and much more, there is much in modern medicine that has helped us to survive and thrive much longer than our ancestors.

However, there are also some aspects of our current medical system that could still use quite a bit of improvement. One of the most problematic issues is the tendency of modern medicine to rely on prescription medications to manage symptoms of disease and illness, rather than figuring out the actual root of the issue and helping the body to heal itself permanently, as well as prevent future problems.

In its rush for progress, modern medicine has forgotten much of the ancient wisdom that our ancestors passed down about how to maintain health and wellness. Things like the use of specific herbs, foods, and other simple practices that help our bodies maintain a natural, healthy balance, and may prevent or even reverse disease.

In this eye-opening video, Dr. Mark Hyman interviews the well-known naturopathic physician, nutritionist, and author Dr. Josh Axe, about how ancient remedies and simple, healthy habits can help us maintain health and longevity in the modern world.

Over the past couple of decades, carbs have been vilified almost as thoroughly as fat was previously. Where once fat was blamed for America's weight problem, now carbs are the new evil, and low-carb (or even no-carb) diets have become all the rage. Books and articles abound about the different types of carbs and how much of them you should (or shouldn't) consume.

But as is the case with many dietary trends, we often end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. In fact, the body needs both fats AND carbohydrates to function properly. So are carbs really bad for you, or is this just another passing fad - and what will happen to our health when the pendulum swings back the other way?

The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.

Fall is my favorite time to garden - although it's also the most stressful time of year for me, with so many things to do! The warm soil means seeds tend to germinate and grow quickly, but weeds aren't as prevalent, and pests tend to diminish as the weather cools. I usually try to grow a good number of fall crops, and this year is no exception. We have lettuce, arugula, chard, turnips, parsnips, carrots, radishes, kolrabi, cabbages, kale and collard greens, and various other salad greens all coming along nicely right now, and I'm hoping for a good harvest as we move into the early winter months!

Whether you're growing a fall garden, or planning for spring planting next season, this is a great time to brush up on your garden knowledge and skills, which is why I'm excited to share this month's freebie with you... Check it out below to learn more, or go here right now to grab your FREE garden guide that will help you get lots more yummy homegrown food out of your available space - no matter where you live!

 Apple cider vinegar - also commonly referred to as ACV in natural health circles - is often touted to have many health benefits, from digestive support to blood pressure modulation, weight loss aid, and more. Whether or not all this is true, the fact is that apple cider vinegar can be a very useful ingredient to have around the house for cooking, cleaning, pickling, and more.

It is also useful as a natural health support for chickens (ours get a tablespoon in their water once or twice a week during cooler weather) - they love it, and it is supposed to help keep them healthy and improve their digestion.

While it's not all that expensive, if you use a lot of it, it can definitely be more cost-effective (and fun!) to make your own apple cider vinegar at home. Plus, you'll be amazed at how easy it is - and it's a great way to put those peelings and other apple scraps to good use! (Now that I know apple trimmings tend to give our chickens the runs, I'll be using them in this recipe instead after making our annual batch of apple cider this fall...) See below for a super simple and easy recipe that anyone can make at home - no special equipment required.

When I look at what's going on in health and wellness these days, it seems that the conversation around food in recent years has become more and more polarized - with the extremes of Keto and "Carnivore" dieters on the one side, and veganism on the other.

Unfortunately, this isn't the way that humans were made to eat. We are omnivores, and our true "sweet spot" when it comes to healthy eating lies much more in the middle of these polar opposites.

As our modern world struggles to find our food identity, all of these extreme fad diets are not really doing our health any favors. It's true that different people's bodies respond differently to different eating styles, so perhaps it is up to each of us to find what works best for us.

My mom, for example, has adopted a loosely vegan diet in recent years (after following a number of various diets earlier in life - some of them quite extreme), and she says she has never felt better. That said, she isn't always strictly vegan (which is nice during family dinners), but us kids still worry about her bone health and her lack of muscle mass as she moves into her senior years.

However, while some people may find they do well on a vegan diet, there are many foods that many people would consider "plant-based," which are definitely NOT healthy for us. In fact, if you look at most processed junk foods out there, most of them are mostly if not entirely made of plants (mostly corn and corn and soy byproducts).

French fries are plant-based (since almost all restaurants now use vegetable oils instead of animal fats for frying). So are potato chips, tortilla chips, sugary condiments, and beer! In fact, so are most carb-heavy foods like bread, pasta, and rice. Obviously, just because something is "plant-based" doesn't make it healthy.

And the same definitely goes for fake meats, which are all kinds of sketchy in my book...

Side Note: This is something that I really don't understand personally. If you don't want to eat meat, then don't! Trying to make something that's not meat taste like meat seems so pointless to to me. If you only want to eat plants, then just eat food that tastes like plants! Anyway, that's my really quick rant for today. :-)

This podcast episode is extremely interesting, and it goes into the many problems with fake meats - which are bad for not only your health, but also the environment as well. Listen below to  learn more...

Did you know that overall good health often starts in the mouth?

And I'm not just talking about the food you eat - although that is certainly very important too! More and more studies have found links between oral health and other health concerns, from gut health to cardiovascular health, and more.

Keeping your mouth as healthy as possible can help you avoid not only future dental problems, but also other health problems. But just going to the dentist every 6 months may not always do the trick... In fact, while there are many good dentists out there, the fact is that dentistry hasn't evolved all that much, and there are some dental practices that may even be harming your oral health. This month's Dental-Health Connection Summit examines some of these practices, and explores alternative and natural solutions to maintaining good oral health.

In conjunction with that even, this month, we're giving away a FREE DIY oral health guide, so you can quickly learn and implement some simple practices you can do at home to support your oral health. Learn more below, or go download your free guide here.

Thai food is my absolute favorite cuisine! With its bright, fresh flavors, and the combination of sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and umami created by simple ingredients, it's not hard to see why I love cooking Thai food whenever I can. Even better is when I can incorporate plenty of veggies from our garden into a recipe - like this one, below.

This classic Thai dish is accented in this case by plenty of fresh veggies - including bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and lots of Thai basil. While it has been a strange garden season, and not all crops have fared so well, our basil has been ridiculous! We are completely overwhelmed with both Thai basil and "regular" or Italian-style basil - to the point where I've finally given up and am just letting it go to flower. The waist-high bushes are so vibrant and leafy they are more like incredibly fragrant shrubs! So any recipe I can find that calls for a lot of basil is welcome.

To top it all off, this recipe takes less than an hour (30-45 minutes if you use your prep time wisely), which is a big plus in my book!

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!