Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Here’s another natural health and wellness tool: writing! There are some very specific research findings relating the practice of journaling with better health for cancer patients. According to HealthDay, “The research suggests that by spending 30 minutes each day for four days to write out their innermost thoughts and feelings, patients can significantly boost mental and physical health. And experts say nearly everyone who tries journal therapy stands to benefit.”

The scientific link between writing and improved health isn’t fully understood, but it’s believed that writing eases stress which improves the immune system. Makes perfect sense to me. I’ve journaled off and on in the past, and recently carried out a commitment to daily journaling (although for five minutes a day only …well, you gotta’ start somewhere). I intend to assess my stress level and see if I notice a difference!

Natural health and wellness has many facets: good diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, avoidance of toxins and toxic materials, and many other lifestyle choices. Even how we treat others. I recently came across a website dedicated to random acts of kindness. And you guessed it, acts of kindness have significant health benefits! Read a summary here. To be hyvin is to be kind!

Well, the results are in…we’re still not eating enough fruits and veggies in this country. “Enough” is a level defined by the government, and tracked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national goal is getting 75 percent of the population to eat fruit two or more times a day and 50 percent to eat vegetables three or more times per day by 2010.

Despite the fact that Americans seem to understand the health benefits of eating fruits and veggies, we are WAY below those percentages. It’s hard — other food choices are faster, cheaper and more accessible. The HealthDay report of this recent report card notes that experts are concerned about the health and disease impact of these food choices. And for good reason. I’m glad to see the concern.

Of course, we should all try to eat fresh fruits and veggies every day. But we can also ensure we’re getting a baseline of carotenoids and flavonoids (the phytonutrients that give fruits and veggies their color) through daily supplementation. That is an easy, convenient way to be sure we’re getting an “A” on the F&V report card .