Living Naturally
March 25, 2021
In most regions, spring brings on a pollen assault! For days—sometimes weeks—pollen fills the air and our stuffed-up sinuses deliver the message. Here are some home remedies for allergies and stuffed-up sinuses.
From Pollen Allergies to Post-Nasal Drip
Those affected by allergies sneeze, cough, snort, and blow their noses all day and can’t breathe all night. Their eyes may itch and swell shut, their faces get puffy, and their jaws and teeth ache. They get hit around and just behind the eyes... more
March 15, 2021
Napping gets a bad rap, but it’s not a mark of the lazy! According to science, napping is good for you. So grab a blanket, a hot cup of tea, and get comfortable!
No Napping?
I’d always considered daytime napping a slothful time-waster. I also remember reading popular articles that pronounced that daytime napping would reduce the quality of nighttime sleep.
But then, a friend gave me a ratty recliner for recuperation after my knee-replacement surgery. It doesn’t match the decor, takes up way too... more
March 2, 2021
If you haven’t eaten cabbage in a while, we urge you to look again at this healthy, unsung hero of the vegetable world. Want beautiful skin, to lose weight, a great immune system? See five great reasons to eat (and grow) cabbage!
Before we had the little greenhouse that enables us to grow salad and cooking greens all winter, we grew between 50 and 100 green and red cabbages each year—and ate them all. I loved looking at them as they grew like giant flowers in the garden, then as they rested... more
February 11, 2021
How can we avoid colds and flu? Both—along with pneumonia, strep, chicken pox, and norovirus infections (“stomach flu”)—rise during winter months. Why are they more prevalent in winter? And how can we prevent a cold or flu naturally—before it starts? See our quick tips.
Why Do People Get Sick in Winter?
The answers are complex, elusive, and still evolving.
For a long time, experts told us that we catch more colds and flu in winter because we huddle together indoors in poorly ventilated... more
February 9, 2021
How is your dreamworld? Many folks have had trouble sleeping during this stressful time, reporting “quarantine dreams” and nightmares. Let’s check in with our “night life” and 10 tips for a restful night’s sleep.
I’ve had nightmares occasionally wake me at night—usually just before awakening for the day. They rarely feature any narrative content, such as an event or sequence of events with real people in real landscapes. They would just come on as a frenetic jumble of dynamic phantasmagorical,... more
January 21, 2021
If winter means snow where you live, here’s some good news: Just as autumn leaves have their purpose, winter snow has many uses in our daily lives! From watering houseplants to reducing inflammation to making better pancakes (!), see the many uses for snow in the home and garden.
Whatever you think of snow, it adds a whole other dimension to our lives! I’ll get a lot of exercise today shoveling pathways and de-icing the driveway. Then comes snowshoeing in the adjacent woods—more exercising and ... more
January 20, 2021
It’s been gray and cold outside. I feel washing down hot cocoa smothered in whipped cream, sinking back into my recliner, and waking up in April. But let’s touch on the simple joys, the short naps, the comforts of winter—and bolster our resolve to bolster our mental, physical, and emotional health!
Whoa!
Forget New Year’s resolutions. About mid-January is we’ve recovered from the holidays and the dormant winter months set in. How do we maintain or even improve our mental, emotional, and... more
December 18, 2020
As an alternative to New Year resolutions, try a little self-trickery for your own self-care and health. It works for me! Here are ideas to take better care of yourself in the year 2021!
Here’s the dilemma: I know that I need to change something. I’m also aware that I don’t want to do the work that seems to be required, or I would have changed already. Escaping an established habit or routine feels uncomfortable, and I’m likely to slip back into the comfortable, wellworn grooves of habit.
We... more
December 17, 2020
How do you get cozy? As we move into wintertime and the nights get colder, I begin to crave coziness, that feeling of body, mind, and spirit enveloped in warmth and comfort. Hunkered down, snug, safe, secure. Here are some new ideas for finding comfort—from connecting with others to warming up a living space.
Reflecting on the idea of coziness, I see people creating it in different, though interconnected, spheres of daily life.
How to Connect With Others
Connecting with loved ones, friends, and... more
December 14, 2020
There’s a lot to love about a good, old-fashioned blizzard. But first, let me dispense with the caveats: There’s a lot to love if you don’t have to travel by car or plane and if you have a safe, secure home with emergency provisions! So now, a few blizzard joys …
As I write this, we’re in the final hours of a storm that dropped more than a foot of snow in a 24-hour period, during which the temperature didn’t rise much above zero and often dipped way below. We’d half-filled the bathtub, readied... more
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"Living Naturally" is all about living a naturally healthy lifestyle. Margaret Boyles covers health tips, ways to avoid illness, natural remedies, food that's good for body and soul, recipes for homemade beauty products, ideas to make your home a healthy and safe haven, and the latest news on health. Our goal is also to encourage self-sufficiency, whether it's relearning some age-old skills or getting informed on modern improvements that help us live better, healthier lives.
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