"Highly informative and remarkably entertaining." —Elle From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.
The report describes the vital contribution that ecosystems can and must make in our efforts to cut very large emissions of greenhouse gases that are needed if we are to avoid the worst effects of global climate change. Vigorous efforts are needed to decrease carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere and doing so will be impossible without addressing carbon losses from ecosystems such as forests and peatlands. Managing ecosystems for carbon can not only reduce carbon emissions; it can also actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Restoring some of the large amounts of carbon lost from agricultural soils and drylands has the greatest potential here.--Publisher's description.
For every woman who has ever been called outdoorsy comes a collection of stories that inspires unforgettable adventure. Beautiful, empowering, and exhilarating, She Explores is a spirited celebration of female bravery and courage, and an inspirational companion for any woman who wants to travel the world on her own terms. Combining breathtaking travel photography with compelling personal narratives, She Explores shares the stories of 40 diverse women on unforgettable journeys in nature: women who live out of vans, trucks, and vintage trailers, hiking the wild, cooking meals over campfires, and sleeping under the stars. Women biking through the countryside, embarking on an unknown road trip, or backpacking through the outdoors with their young children in tow. Complementing the narratives are practical tips and advice for women planning their own trips, including: • Preparing for a solo hike • Must-haves for a road-trip kitchen • Planning ahead for unknown territory • Telling your own story A visually stunning and emotionally satisfying collection for any woman craving new landscapes and adventure.
This book will empower you to get your feet functioning as they should do, without any medical intervention. Includes a 4-week plan of quick-and-easy exercises to get your feet back into shape, plus solutions for specific foot issues, from plantar fasciitis to fallen arches. This is a uniquely helpful and accessible guide to taking control of your own foot health by holistic heath innovator Yamuna Zake. We don't need doctors, orthotics or even surgery to relieve common foot problems, such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, neuromas, arthritis, hammertoes, and flat feet. By learning a correct gait that uses the entire foot to distribute weight, we can relieve and prevent common foot problems without any medical intervention. The book offers an easy-to-follow 4-week program of routines that take just 15 minutes a day during the program and allows readers to fix their feet and take ownership of their body. Each of the four weeks focuses on a different part of the foot: the heel, the arch, the ball and the toes. There are 3-4 exercises in each section and readers try them all and can choose to focus on those exercises in each section that they enjoy most. This programme is then supported with mindful foot practices to ensure bad habits don't return. Six common foot problems are also explored, including their causes (specific incorrect walking patterns) and ways of preventing and relieving them (exercises plus mindful practices). You won't find any medical concepts or terminology in this book, nor do you need to learn complicated foot anatomy. The whole program is based on what you already know: walking. You'll learn how to walk and stand correctly and to use every part of your feet as nature intended. That's all you need to do!
More than sixty million Americans are affected with psychiatric disorders and few see improvement using prescribed medications. Fix Your Mood with Food uses the methods practiced in Chinese medicine to improve mood naturally. By focusing on the whole individual—rather than an isolated affliction—it is designed to cure the entire body. In this approachable book, Heather Lounsbury, one of Los Angeles’ most well-known acupuncturists, draws from her own personal and clinical experiences as well as her extensive studies in holistic and Chinese nutrition and Chinese medicine to help you achieve emotional and physical health. Readers will be empowered by natural options for mood improvement with dietary insight based on ancient healing practices. Whether you’re a constant worrier, easily agitated, stressed, suffer from panic attacks, or anything in between, you can take back control and return to emotional balance. Lounsbury guides readers to elevate mood naturally as they improve (and prevent) a variety of physical ailments, including heart conditions, high cholesterol, digestive issues, headaches, and energy problems. Includes comprehensive food charts and health tips.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • For women approaching or in menopause, a revolutionary diet and holistic lifestyle program for easier weight loss, better sleep, diminished hot flashes, a clearer head, and a rejuvenated sex drive. “Hormone balance is within reach, and this is the definitive guide for reaching that goal.”—David Perlmutter, MD, author of Grain Brain As women approach menopause, many start to experience the physical and emotional indignities of hormonal fluctuation: metabolic stall and weight gain, hot flashes and night sweats, insomnia, memory loss or brain fog, irritability, low libido, and painful sex. Too often, doctors tell us that these discomforts are to be expected and that we will have to wait them out during “the change”; some of us even agree to be unnecessarily medicated. But Dr. Anna Cabeca’s research and experience with thousands of her patients show that there is a fast-acting and nonpharmaceutical way to dramatically and permanently alleviate these symptoms. The Hormone Fix introduces Dr. Cabeca’s unique Keto-Green protocol, a plan that pairs the hallmarks of ketogenic (low-carb/high fat) eating with diet and lifestyle changes that bring the body’s cellular pH to a healthy alkaline level. The proven result: balanced cortisol and reduced output of insulin, the hormones most responsible for belly fat and weight gain, plus an increase in oxytocin, the “love and happiness” hormone. Whether you are perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal, The Hormone Fix offers an easy-to-follow program, including • a 10-day quick-start detox diet to jump-start weight loss and reduce symptoms immediately • daily meal plans and weekly shopping lists to take the guesswork out of a month’s worth of Keto-Green eating • 65 delicious and easy-to-make recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, smoothies, and soups • detailed information on vitamin and mineral supplementation that optimizes hormone balance • simple self-assessments and recommended optional lab testing for a better understanding of your hormonal status • tested and trusted stress-reduction and oxytocin-amplifying advice and techniques With The Hormone Fix you can expect to trim down, tap into new and unexpected energy levels, enhance intimacy, and completely revitalize your life! Ready for your fix? “The Hormone Fix is a treasure trove of accurate and user-friendly information that all women who are suffering during menopause need to know and apply.”—Christiane Northrup, MD, author of The Wisdom of Menopause
Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.
Feted and fetishised, the breast is an evolutionary masterpiece. But in the modern world, the breast is changing. Breasts are getting bigger, developing earlier and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle against breast cancer—even among men. So what makes breasts so mercurial—and so vulnerable? As part of the research for this book, science journalist Florence Williams underwent tests on her own breasts and breast milk. She was shocked to learn that she was feeding her baby not just milk but also fire retardants and a whole host of other chemicals, all ingested throughout her life and stored in her breast tissue. At its heart, Breasts: a natural and unnatural history is the story of how our breasts went from being honed by the environment to being harmed by it; a revealing and at times alarming look at the way the changes in our environments, diets and lifestyles have altered our breasts, our health and, ultimately, the health of future generations. Accessible and entertaining—part biology, part anthropology and part medical journalism—Breasts is a wake-up call for all women.
The Flower Fix presents wild inspiration and modern arrangements by Swallows and Damsons florist Anna Potter, with beautiful photography by India Hobson. Blousy blooms, speckled branches, rich foliage, and delicate petals; nature has the power to inspire and energize, calm and soothe, focus and still. Anna has harnessed this magic with 26 tailor-made combinations of flowers to bring a floral boost to your home, no matter what your mood. With easy-to-find seasonal blooms, found items such as twigs and dried fruit, and any assortment of containers, discover how simple it is to bring a little bit of nature’s mystery into the everyday. Spanning all seasons and including both larger installations and smaller, simpler projects, there is something for anyone looking to play, experiment, and create atmosphere with flowers. Get your daily flower fix with these and more inspiring arrangements: Inspire Playfulness is a spring arrangement to bring joy, featuring lilac, roses, ranunculus, poppy, narcissi, and forget-me-nots. Flowers for Gratitude is a mix of summer’s bounty to inspire thankfulness, including garden rose, daucus, echinacea, and chocolate sunflower. Find Beauty in the Everyday is a colorful arrangement to bring a fresh perspective, featuring autumn foliage, hydrangea, dahlia, crab apple, and rosehip. The Shape of Self-Expression is a circular wreath design to express individuality, with holly, lamb’s ear, yellow holly berries, twigs and dried seedheads, and ivy berries. Each project lists the equipment, flowers, and foliage needed to start the project along with step-by-step instructions. You’ll also find a guide to basic flower arranging; notes on color palettes and how to use color; and a flower glossary listing the color, seasonal availability, and vase life of each flower. Be led by the flowers, foliage, stems, follow their shapes and form, feel their weight and heft to create versions of these gorgeous arrangements that are uniquely your own.
Winner of the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A Five Books "Best Literary Science Writing" Book of 2023 • A Smithsonian Best Science Book of 2022 • A Prospect Magazine Top Memoir of 2022 • A KCRW Life Examined Best Book of 2022 "Keen observer [and] deft writer" (David Quammen) Florence Williams explores the fascinating, cutting-edge science of heartbreak while seeking creative ways to mend her own. When her twenty-five-year marriage suddenly falls apart, journalist Florence Williams expects the loss to hurt. But when she starts feeling physically sick, losing weight and sleep, she sets out in pursuit of rational explanation. She travels to the frontiers of the science of "social pain" to learn why heartbreak hurts so much—and why so much of the conventional wisdom about it is wrong. Soon Williams finds herself on a surprising path that leads her from neurogenomic research laboratories to trying MDMA in a Portland therapist’s living room, from divorce workshops to the mountains and rivers that restore her. She tests her blood for genetic markers of grief, undergoes electrical shocks while looking at pictures of her ex, and discovers that our immune cells listen to loneliness. Searching for insight as well as personal strategies to game her way back to health, she seeks out new relationships and ventures into the wilderness in search of an extraordinary antidote: awe. With warmth, daring, wit, and candor, Williams offers a gripping account of grief and healing. Heartbreak is a remarkable merging of science and self-discovery that will change the way we think about loneliness, health, and what it means to fall in and out of love.
