There’s increased evidence showing that practices such as qi gong, meditation and yoga can not only prevent disease, but actually reverse it and delay aging as well. As scientists learn more about such topics as gene expression, what turns a gene on or off, and how to prevent telomeres, (the strands of protein in our cells that control aging) from unraveling, it becomes impossible to ignore just how much our good lifestyle choices can pay off.

I am many things, but I am not a Buddhist. Still, every so often the secret Buddhist in my soul demands to be fed: lighting a little incense, placing a flower in a bowl like an offering, sweeping a spider out the door (instead of squishing it), or taking a day trip to the Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, NY.

We’re happy to see a new video from Anna’s series, “Living Kindly.” This short collection features ideas on how to be conscious of our wild friends in and around our homes. Watch here as Anna shares some practical ways in which she considers the small creatures in everyday life. A little kindness goes a long way. Let’s be kind to one animal today!

A stye is an infection of the eyelid caused by Staphylococcus bacteria. It tends to be smaller and more superficial than a meibomian gland abscess (chalazion). A stye can result in swelling on the inside or outside of the eyelid or cause a general eyelid inflammation. If the external portion of the eyelid is swollen, the stye involves inflammation of a hair follicle and its associated glands. Swelling on the underside of the eyelid involves the oil glands (meibomian glands). The swelling increases for about a week or so and then generally begins to subside, sometimes rupturing.

Alzheimer’s disease is at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans–including one in eight people aged 65 and over–living with the disease. In the next 20 years, it is projected that Alzheimer’s will affect one in four Americans, rivaling the current prevalence of obesity and diabetes. There is still no known accepted cure for this devastating disease, and no effective treatments. Alzheimer’s drugs are often of little to no benefit at all, which underscores the importance of prevention throughout your lifetime.

In Buddhism, the term “Buddha-nature” describes the concept that human beings are created by God and that we have the same nature as God, or Buddha, within us. It tells us we are all equal and that every one of us has an ability to create and design our future. However, how many of us truly know what we are here to create? How many can say, “I know my purpose, and I’m living for it?” Staying true to our mission in life is key to staying the course through life’s storms

Plants Use Sound Waves to Communicate With Each Other A new study published last week in BMC Ecology shows that plants can communicate with each other using “nano-mechanical” sound waves. They use these signals to encourage each other to grow, and to keep track of where spatially another plant may need room. The sound vibrations signal the other plant where they are and to grow accordingly.

Aboriginal Australians believe that we dream our way into this world, and dream our way out of it. “We talk to the spirit-child before a baby is born,” naturopath and traditional healer Burnham Burnham explained it to me. If the father-to-be is a dreamer, he is frequently the one who first meets the spirit-child in dreams. These dream encounters often unfold at places of water that exist in the natural world — a billabong, the shallows of a river, a waterfall — where the spirit-child plays with its own kind and is not confined to a single form. It can appear as a kingfisher or a platypus, as a fish or a crocodile.

If you drink coffee, tea, or iced tea then you’re already familiar with the power of infusions to pack in flavors, caffeine or medicinal components. According to Wikipedia.org, an infusion is “the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An infusion is also the name for the resultant liquid….