healthy living.
healthy planet.
The South Carolina Upstate is home to museums and cultural facilities, as well as natural wonders to inspire the senses.
Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. Our mission is to provide insights and information to improve your quality of life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In each issue you will find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.
The first magazine was launched in 1994 in Naples, Florida. As one of the largest natural living magazines in the United States, Natural Awakenings has become an indispensable personal resource for people seeking a healthy, natural lifestyle. Our rapidly growing family of more than 90 independently owned magazines bring positive solutions to life’s challenges to more than 3.8 million readers each month.
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Meet Ruth Kyle, owner of and practitioner at Acupuncture of Greer. For 29 years, she worked as a respiratory therapist, and for seven years, she ran the entire night shift at a Charlotte hospital. For 17 years, she has been a board-certified, licensed acupuncturist with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Oriental Medicine. (read more…)
A new feature-length documentary, Secret Ingredients, makes a compelling case for why organic foods may be the key to unlocking better health and reversing chronic illnesses ranging from asthma to autism. The film shares the uplifting stories of individuals and families that overcame their struggles with digestive problems, allergies, skin conditions and infertility after eliminating genetically modified (GMO) crops and agricultural toxins from their diets. (read more…)
When assessing food safety, few issues prove as controversial as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs were developed to resist pests, disease and herbicides and increase the world’s food supply. However, because they are relatively new, scientists don’t know how they will affect people and ecosystems long-term. (read more…)
There is an additional, lesser-known approach for the vagus nerve and the entire autonomic nervous system—osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). Osteopathic manipulation is part of what sets osteopathic doctors (DOs) apart from medical doctors (M.D.s). It is a collection of hands-on techniques that are used by some DOs to improve balance and function in the body. It is not the same as chiropractic, massage or other body work modalities. (read more…)
The Human Microbiome Project revealed that we have ten times more bacteria in the G.I. tract than cells in the body. Additionally, 80-90 percent of our “happy hormones”, dopamine and serotonin, are produced in the gut rather than the brain. Therefore, our gut bacteria play a crucial role in how we think and feel. (read more…)
Relief for Pain, Anxiety and Inflammation
Research is helping doctors connect the dots between seemingly unrelated conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, revealing a common denominator: the multitasking vagus nerve, the longest in the autonomic nervous system. (read more…)
Urban Agriculture Breaks New Ground
The average American meal travels 1,500 miles to reach its plate, according to the nonprofit Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture. Yet, enterprising green thumbs across the country are bringing the farm back to plate’s reach, growing hyperlocal food in backyards, on rooftops, through indoor farms and more. (read more…)
Pets Can Heal With Natural Approaches
Like people, pets can develop allergies to medications that are overprescribed, including antibiotics, which also have a long list of side effects—many of which are long-term. There is also the escalating problem of resistance, which is the result of too-frequent and unnecessary use of these drugs. (read more…)
Extension Agents at Your Service
Many home gardeners readily list flies, wasps and beetles among the “pests” in their gardens. However, many of these are actually pollinators that help boost production of fruits and vegetables; others are beneficial insects that keep the real plant-killers at bay. A quick call to the local cooperative extension service can help sort out friend from foe—and that’s just the beginning of what this valuable, underutilized resource can offer. (read more…)
