Innehållsförteckning för Issue 168 från WellBeing

You can learn a lot at bedtime. As you crawl under covers, as the mattress supports your body, as the pillow caresses your head, the cares of the day fall away and in that free space things are said. Things that would be crushed by the bright busy-ness of daytime, things that reveal your true unprotected self. With children, of course, there is the added layer that talking is a method of avoiding actually going to sleep. One night recently, both of my daughters were in serious, but pleasant, avoidance mode and their bedtime sharings reminded me of something I had forgotten. Having responded to my eldest daughter’s call of “Da-a-ad”, she told me she had called me in because she wanted to share that she doesn’t like to say…

I wanted to write a short letter to express my joy at having discovered your magazine and to thank you for such a wonderful publication. In December, while travelling home from seeing family before Christmas, I picked up a copy of WellBeing (issue #166) and bought it to read on the plane ride home. As someone who has only just discovered yoga and meditation, I wondered if the contents would be over my head. But they weren’t; the articles and extras were just what I needed. After a busy year creating my own business and taking many draining (but necessary) risks, reading WellBeing was just what I needed to escape from the rat race and remind myself how important wellbeing is. I took so much from every article, Romance by…

Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva/Ulmus rubra) bark is a traditional Native American remedy also known as red elm, Indian elm, moose elm and sweet elm. The slippery elm tree is native to eastern Canada and eastern and central US, where it’s found most commonly in the Appalachian Mountains. In the 19th century, it was officially recognised in the American Pharmacopoeia. Historically, North American Indians and early settlers used the inner bark of the slippery elm not only as a poultice and healing drink but also to build canoes, shelters and baskets. Early settlers boiled the powder with bear fat to prevent rancidity. The inner bark collected in spring is most often used, but the leaves also can be dried, ground into a powder and made into a tea. ACTIVE INGREDIENTS Slippery…

What was your initial vision for Baby Peppers? My initial vision for Baby Peppers was to create a beautiful baby brand with a focus on a niche market that was relatively untouched. I drew inspiration from vintage craft: making a product in the same way it was made hundreds of years before. The main motivation for Baby Peppers was the birth of our son, Kieran. His birth urged me on a journey to create something meaningful; to acknowledge other families and communities that have preserved centuries-old art forms by sharing their craft. Please share with us the philosophy of Baby Peppers. We believe in ethical consumerism and sustainability. We buy from small local businesses that provide a fair-trade working environment and also help single mothers from developing nations empower themselves…

Take a few moments, sit quietly, gently close your eyes and visualise yourself 12 months from now. What does your future self look like? How does she or he feel — about his or her life, body and place in the world? This forecasting is what’s called “future pacing” in psychology. It’s a sacred practice taken from the Native North American Indians who created this ancient ritual so we could connect with our future sage or “wise self” and access what we call in contemporary psychology the “wise mind”. Future pacing is a powerful and helpful tool to assist us to get very clear on where we’re at and where our life-path is leading us. The reality is, if you are unhappy with your current weight or state of health,…

An estimated 15–20 per cent of the adult population grapple with IBS symptoms and it’s also the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists. Is your stomach sore or distended more days than it feels flat, settled and free of pain? Has constant tummy bloating turned you into a master at dressing to disguise your chronic belly bump? Though occasional stomach and digestive troubles are a normal health hiccup, having them constantly is a whole different ballgame and may indicate you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which affects around one in five Australians. IBS is a frustrating and uncomfortable condition that is 1.5 times more common in women than in men. An estimated 15–20 per cent of the adult population grapple with IBS symptoms and it’s also the most common disease…

The earliest reliable reference to coffee tells us it was used in the 15th century at Sufishrines in Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. Strongly associated with the Arabic world, it arrived in Europe during the 17th century. Over time, it has woven itself into the fabric of everyday life and for much of the world’s population has become a vital and often addictive part of our daily morning ritual. A multi-billion-dollar commodity, coffee is grown in the tropics and to a lesser extent the subtropics, both home to high levels of biodiversity. The largest four producer countries — Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia — together account for two-thirds of production. Compared to Europe, Australia and New Zealand are both modest coffee consumers but are still home to vibrant coffee cultures.…

INCREASE YOUR ENERGY NATURALLY A natural healthcare practitioner can prescribe a tailored treatment plan to support energy production and reduce fatigue so you can enjoy life at your best. Find a natural healthcare practitioner near you at the Metagenics website. W: metagenics.com.au/findapractitioner MARTIN & PLEASANCE COMFREY CREAM Comfrey is traditionally used in Western herbal medicine for the relief of sprains, swelling and bruises. This smooth, paraben-free cream is absorbed easily into the skin and comes in a clear glass jar that sits neatly in your bathroom cupboard. It’s available in healthfood stores and pharmacies. Always read the label and use only as directed. If symptoms persist, please consult your healthcare professional. For external use on unbroken skin only. Do not use under occlusive dressing. CHC 71603-06-16 GIBSON EYEWEAR i-Care Eyewear…

Finding your calling isn’t something that usually happens overnight; it’s a journey you can start at any time. Here are three steps to get you started. We spend a great deal of our lives stumbling around in the dark complaining, worrying, blaming or avoiding, then something happens that sheds a light and, if we are open and willing, we have an awakening. We don’t just have one calling; we have multiple callings which we are called to act upon at different life stages and, until you follow that calling, you may feel dissatisfied, as though there is something missing. Some people expect that when they discover their calling they will be happy, that everything in their lives will flow, but that isn’t necessarily so. Knowing your calling is one thing;…

ALEXX STUART is a passionate educator in the space she calls “living a low-tox life”. Through her speaking, workshops, e-courses and online community, she helps people make the best new choices for themselves, their families and the planet. W: lowtoxlife.com There are so many things we can do that don’t cost the earth and will truly make a difference to how naturedriven our bedrooms are. The bedroom is a place where we sleep. It’s a place where we, hopefully, spend a good seven to nine hours a day. It’s a place where our bodies regenerate themselves through the night. It stands to reason that we would make that place a temple of serenity, don’t you think? The bedroom can feel like it’s going to be a scary one to tackle…

TAURUS May is a standout month! Resplendent in Earth-Water harmonies, it promotes gratitude for life’s blessings. This attitude creates many feelgood days May 1–19, but be patient if drawn into charged emotional scenes at Full Moon, May 11–12. Use May to recharge, to release any frustrations from April. By mid-May, new moves, new energy come naturally. May 28 to Jun 14 enriches your goals via a creative rush. With Venus in Taurus Jun 6 to early July, projects can have sweet success. GEMINI Gemini has great mental energy but a sensitive nervous system. May can soothe and heal your frayed edges, providing you stay aware May 10–12, when Full Moon energy might stir overreaction to any disappointments. May 10–19 is also action time, when Mercury aligns with Uranus. After Gemini…

KAREN BRIDGMAN is a naturopath who has worked as a private practitioner at Pymble Grove Health Centre and Australian Biologics Testing Services for 30 years. She has been an academic and has a Doctor of Philosophy, researching women’s experience in (and with) medicine, along with three Masters degrees in Science (Hons), Higher Education and Applied Science. Luckily, he liked coconut milk, so this was quite a good alternative to dairy and he didn’t react adversely. This case involved a five-year-old boy of Chinese heritage whose GP had diagnosed him with Autism Spectrum Disorder. His mother was dedicated to improving his outcomes so he could achieve his true potential, but he had pronounced symptoms of alternating withdrawal and hyperactive (frequently loud and destructive) behaviour. His parents had placed him in a…

I was walking to the bus stop the other day when an elegant elderly woman seated on a bench asked me when a nearby shop would open. I didn’t have a clue, so I did what someone in possession of a smartphone does when they encounter an unknown — I Googled it. In two seconds, we knew the opening hours. “Oh,” the woman laughed, settling in to wait with the easy patience of one unfettered by new-fangled communications technology, “you modern girls have the answers to everything on those phones!” That got me thinking because, yes, it’s true — to an extent. The internet has bequeathed us a wealth of information, all of it at our fingertips. Ask me why the sky is blue and I can tell you (with…

I would really like to thank you for the story about Max the Moodle. It hit a sweet note, reading about the love given to and received from Max and his family, and it gave me the courage I needed to hold on to our little 15-year-old Shitzu foxy cross. She has been a very loved member of our family and has brought us so much joy. Around eight years ago, we had a tumour removed from the back of her neck, but they were unable to get it all as it had gone into her spine. She has been problem free right up until now. A few weeks before Christmas, she woke up from her sleep one night shaking her head. I figured an insect must have made its…

Fish has been a major food source for many species that inhabit this planet, including humans, for millennia. Fish are probably the most diverse group of vertebrates with over 32,000 species being described, not including shellfish. Not all, however, are eaten by humans. The term “fish” can also include shellfish such as molluscs and crustaceans and, interestingly, there is no distinction in English between the animal and the food, unlike pig (pork), cow (beef) and so on. NUTRITION Fish and other seafood are excellent sources of high-quality protein and a range of vitamins and minerals such as iodine, zinc, vitamin D and the omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). From a health perspective, deep-sea oily fish have higher levels of the important nutrients. The long-chain omega-3 EFAs (mainly from fish) have…

Do you often feel there’s simply not enough time to do everything you need to and want to in your life? Have you noticed that the pace of your life is faster than it used to be? Do you struggle to wait, without picking up your phone or looking for a distraction? If you do, you aren’t alone. The more I speak with people, the more I hear how much they are struggling to manage the internal and external pressure to keep up, stay ahead, move quickly and achieve more in their careers and life. Patience is down and stress and overwhelm are up. We have been sold the idea that fast is best and that time needs to be “hacked” and our lives “fast-tracked”. Advances in technology have removed…

How are you adjusting to the autumn season? Are you filled with energy or feeling rundown and on a sluggish side? Are you focused and alert or do you find your thoughts somewhat scattered? Autumn is the season of transition and this change affects both nature and your body. It’s not uncommon to feel unsettled, ungrounded, weak, overwhelmed, fidgety and unbalanced as the days get shorter and darker. The best way to approach this changeable season is to learn how to align with it by implementing practices that help you stay calm, grounded and focused as well as enhance your immunity and balance out any overwhelm and unsettledness. HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVES ON AUTUMN Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a widely practised holistic discipline that centres on five elements:…

The rainforest is like a pharmacy, supermarket and university.” For 60,000 years, Indigenous Australians learnt from their beloved land. Trials taught them tonics from toxins and ancestors shared sacred skills. Now, despite incredible hardships, Indigenous healers are helping us to understand and appreciate the healing heritage of this lucky land. DAINTREE DREAMTIME We’re standing in the cradle of civilisation, absorbing the invigorating air and soothing sounds. As we step softly on the ancient rainforest soil beside a sparkling gorge, green-tinged sun rays stream through the canopy. “Careful, this is poison,” warns Harold “Wawabuja” Tayley, or Mooks to his mates. As Mooks tells it, the rainforest is rife with curses and cures. The heart-leafed stinging tree or gympie gympie has both: “Fine hairs can sting the skin for two months but…

Not composting yet? Experts say composting could be the single most important thing you can do for the planet. Composting food waste not only diverts your food scraps away from landfill, where it would otherwise be releasing methane gas into the atmosphere and liquid leachate into creeks and streams, but it also creates healthy soil for growing food teeming with nutrients and connects you back to the Earth. As we’ll see, composting and worm farming are all about health and a lot easier than you’d think. LIVING SOIL Peter Rutherford is the senior ecologist at Kimbriki Eco House and Garden (ecohouseandgarden.com. au), a sustainability learning centre in Sydney. According to Rutherford, who has been running workshops on composting, worm farming and organic vegie gardening for 18 years, “The soil is…

DVDS PATERSON DIRECTED BY JIM JARMUSCH STARRING ADAM DRIVER, GOLSHIFTEH FARAHANI LA LA LAND DIRECTED BY DAMIEN CHAZELLE STARRING RYAN GOSLING, EMMA STONE LION DIRECTED BY GARTH DAVIS STARRING DEV PATEL, NICOLE KIDMAN Lost in the hubbub of this year’s Oscar season is the latest by independent auteur Jim Jarmusch, a determinedly low-key filmmaker who has spent his career working the side of the street marked “quirky”. Paterson follows a week in the life of a poet named Paterson who lives in Paterson, New Jersey, and composes verse about everyday pleasures while working his day job as a bus driver. Paterson’s muses are William Carlos Williams — who once wrote an epic poem about the city of Paterson — and his own wife Laura (delightfully played by Iranian star Golshifteh…

CARLA OATES is a natural beauty expert and the author of Feeding Your Skin. Soaking your oats in orange juice to make bircher muesli is delicious — and also healthier. Putting a rainbow on your plate not only looks pretty but also makes sense from a nutritional viewpoint. Wholefoods such as fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients, all of which deliver therapeutic benefits that nourish the skin as well as boost immunity and vitality. But some foods are even better for you when eaten with foods containing complementary compounds that work in synergy. Other winning combinations help you better assimilate each food’s nutrients. And, to make it easy for us, these food synergies are easy to remember because they usually offer great flavour pairings, too.…

JACKIE FRENCH is the author of The Chook Book (Aird Books). Her oldest chook, Gertie, is now 17. Although Gertie’s sisters have all long since fallen offthe perch, Gertie still lays extremely large brown eggs most days of the year. Useful insect predators like spiders, hoverflies, lacewings and ladybird larvae can keep the pests controlled for you. I have been scrubbing. Not the bathroom floor (maybe tomorrow) but the giant coffee bush in the corner of the living room. Every spring it gets covered in tiny green scale that mature into dark-brown scale, which turn the leaves half dead and blotchy and release their toxins into the poor bush, too. The answer? A shaggy toothbrush. While scale are easily rubbed offat the soft green stage, they are more stubborn when…

JAN McLEOD is a highly respected coach, mentor, speaker and consultant and a specialist in the areas of high performance, wellbeing, nutrition and change strategy in the workplace. W: thecapacityequation. com.au, madforhealth. com.au Being intuitive in wellness is encouraging you to build awareness of how your body responds to what you do from a wellness perspective. Workplace wellness is a large topic and there’s no doubt that discussing solutions for improving wellness can raise challenging and complex questions. However, does this imply the solutions adopted are always complicated? ARE WE OVERCOMPLICATING OUR CHOICE OF WELLNESS SOLUTIONS? I get asked lots of questions. After frequently receiving a particular question following a workshop I run on the impact of excessive sitting, it got me thinking. Are we at risk of overcomplicating our…

I hit a rocky patch in the road at the end of 2014 when I found myself having to contend with the consequences of being made redundant from a well-paying job that I’d held for over 15 years. This coincided with the fact that my daughter was entering adolescence and I was going into menopause at the same time. I felt like I was in the middle of a perfect storm with both my own and my daughter’s hormones going crazy and unemployment stretching out in front of me. After going through all the emotions triggered by my redundancy, I decided to make use of my new-found time by writing a book about my experience of menopause. My thinking was that I could put the struggle I’d been having to…

Since the birth of my first child, my life has shifted in a direction I could never have imagined. From the small seed of feeding my child a low-sodium and low-sugar diet when she was a baby, my life has evolved to a greater understanding of health and wellbeing. I am now miles ahead of that first step and actively look for knowledge to benefit our lives in whatever form that comes in: diet, exercise, mental wellbeing and lifestyle. My family and I now eat little processed food, spend more time doing things together and invite more natural sources into our lives. This shift has been great, but it has had its down times — times of great anxiety. Caring so much about the wellbeing of my family while at…

We’d love to hear your tips for living well. Email us at wbletters@ universalmagazines.com.au, comment on our Facebook page or on Instagram @WellBeing_Mag, or tweet us @WellBeing_Mag. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. CONVERSATION POINTS ▪That feeling when you’re so bone tired you need a weekend full of sleep to get rid of the persistent feeling of drunken jetlag. @laramcpherson ▪Woman on the phone is listing all the reasons she hates dogs, so I’m mentally listing all the reasons I love them! @WBJenna ▪I just had two hours of work time. ALONE. Now, drinking a coffee. Alone. Back on mum duty in 2 mins. #grateful @figandcherry ▪With a history of back injuries, turmeric is one of my personal faves — such effective relief. @jentheherbalist ▪You know the world…

I didn’t expect to feel comfortable during a three-day yoga retreat. You see, when I hear the words “yoga” and “retreat” together, I envisage 5am wakeups, lengthy meditations in a spartan space, simple meals eaten in silence and serious-faced yogis practising asanas with fervour. Don’t get me wrong: all of those things can be beneficial and worthy, just not necessarily comfortable. So when my airport transfer pulls into the lush green pocket of calm that is Byron Yoga Retreat Centre and a beaming woman hands me a glass of lemonade, I feel a tad relieved. The lemonade isn’t the bottled stuff, of course; rather, a homemade refresher of lemon juice, maple syrup and chia seeds. Chatting away sunnily, Sarah, our retreat hostess, escorts me to a twin-share room with ensuite…

The best weather for wildcrafting is dry, sunny weather. This is when volatile oil levels are at their highest. While many of us gather blackberries and mushrooms in the countryside, we can also glean a bunch of medicinal plants such as red clover, rosehips and nettles. There are plenty of valuable medicinal plants indigenous to Australia and New Zealand, but this article focuses more on the plants familiar to Western herbalists, many of which have been imported from Europe. These plants include trees and bushes you commonly find in the countryside and parklands, as well as weeds that insist on growing in many suburban backyards. WILDCRAFTING GUIDELINES This may seem obvious but one of the most important pointers to keep in mind when wildcrafting is to double check you are…

When you think of seaweed, what first comes to mind? Is it the slimy stuffyou see on the beach? Or are you like me and see a super-nutritious ingredient full of awesome health benefits that deserves to be included more regularly in your diet? As a surfer, I’m a bit of sucker for any flavour or texture that comes from the ocean. Add to that the fact that seaweed is one of nature’s most nutritious (and oldest) plants and imparts a delicious salty, umami flavour to everything it touches and I’m sold on the slimy stuff. NUTRITIOUS & SUSTAINABLE One of the world’s most sustainable food sources, seaweed represents up to 15 per cent of the average diet in Asian countries such as Japan. Yet in Western societies, such as…

Lola Berry, nutritionist and author of many wonderful cookbooks, never ceases to amaze us. Berry’s latest release Food to Make You Glow, like the many that have come before it, illuminates her creative, whimsical and playful nature. In its bright and beautiful pages, she explains the key wholefoods needed to support specific health goals: happiness, energy, beauty, immunity, calming, weight loss and detox. Each health goal has its own section, making it easy to find the goal you wish to work on; for example, “foods for beauty” and “foods for calming”. Here, she shares lifestyle tips, exercises, activities and scrumptious recipes carefully matched to the specific goal. If you’re looking to achieve healthy and sustainable weight loss, manage stress levels or give your skin some love, Food to Make You…

WELL NATURALLY NO SUGAR ADDED CHOCOLATE You or someone you know cutting sugar? Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate gives you the freedom to enjoy delicious chocolaty treats, so there’s no need to miss the Easter celebrations. Share the love, not the sugar. W: wellnaturally.com.au LACTIS Lactis is a fermented probiotic alternative and a leading Japanese dietary supplement for digestive balance. Unlike traditional probiotics that function with live bacteria, Lactis contains a high concentration of Lactobacillus metabolites designed to help stimulate the growth of your own indigenous good bacteria. W: roothealth.com.au ORGRAN ORGRAN Vegan Easy Egg™ is a revolutionary product that lets you enjoy your favourite egg dishes once more. Experience your favourite scrambled eggs, quiche, frittata and omelette recipes with this vegetable-based egg-free alternative. Equal to 15 eggs per…

LEE HOLMES runs Supercharged Food and has just released her new book, Fast Your Way to Wellness. Visit her blog at superchargedfood.com for more cooking inspiration, recipes and tips. By using wholefoods when fasting you can enjoy the cleansing benefits plus steady, sustained energy. One of my favourite sensible, simple and sustainable approaches to cleansing is to practise intermittent fasting. I fast intermittently two days a week but, instead of munching on low-calorie processed foods, I eat balanced meals made from nutritious unrefined wholefoods. This way, you can enjoy the cleansing benefits plus steady, sustained energy. Unrefined foods also typically contain fewer calories and more nutrients than other foods. If you’ve never tried intermittent fasting before and want to know more, it’s a scientifically proven approach to achieving health, longevity…

KAREN GOLDRICK is a holistic veterinarian at All Natural Vet Care, Russell Lea, Sydney. T: +61 2 9712 5844 W: naturalvet.com.au Most herbs are safe and gentle but there are some we use with care. In holistic veterinary practice we regularly use herbs and supplements to treat our patients. There are times when our pet carers come to us having already researched on Dr Google and bought herbs and supplements for their pets. Just because a product is natural doesn’t mean it’s safe for your pet and it may not be the most effective treatment. Dr Google is a valuable asset and I use her, too, but there are things I know will increase risks when using herbs and supplements in dogs and cats What are the herbs that are…

Not only are supplements of little value but they can also be downright dangerous. This was the pronouncement of a Harvard professor who is cautioning our unquestioning embrace of a practice he believes might be doing us more harm than good. In October 2016, a review in the Journal of the American Medical Association — widely acknowledged as the best medical journal in the scientific universe — anchored by Dr Pieter A Cohen, Professor of Medicine at Harvard and winner of a number of best teacher awards, blacklisted a whole slew of supplements, including echinacea, St John’s wort, glucosamine, beta-carotene and vitamin E. It berated the first three for not alleviating the common cold, depression and arthritis respectively, while handing a red card to the vitamins for not preventing heart…

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO We’ve been getting slightly spiritual at WellBeing HQ the past few months (yes, even more than usual). Editor-in-chief Terry soaked in the powerful energies at Stonehenge in the UK (left) while editor Danielle meditated and flowed through asanas on retreat with Byron Yoga Centre in the soothing (and stunning) surrounds of Byron Bay. Bliss! WHAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU April 22 Earth Day earthday.org April 27–May 7, Canberra, AU Canberra International Music Festival cimf.org.au April 28–30, Sydney, NSW Ignite Yoga Summit igniteyoga.com.au April 28–7 May, Tamworth, NSW Taste Tamworth Festival destinationtamworth.com.au April 30–May 7, Adelaide, SA Tasting Australia tastingaustralia.com.au May, Global Mindful in May (sign up by May 1 to participate) mindfulinmay.org May 2–8, AU International Composting Awareness Week Australia compostweek.com. au/core May 5, Brisbane,…