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An Herbal Ally for Spring: Peppermint

With such crazy ups and downs in our weather patterns, it's hard to know just when, and if, warmer weather will come-- and stay. This can affect seasonal allergy symptoms in a serious way-- often coming earlier, later, or more intense than previous years.

To support the body's healthy functioning and reduce allergic reactions, try incorporating peppermint (or peppermint essential oil) into your daily regimen. Peppermint is wildly abundant and known...

If you have ever looked into buying a water filter for your home, you know that choosing one can be immensely complicated.  There is an incredible amount of information to sift through, and there are tough questions that need to be answered in order to find the right fit. 

While trying to figure out the best filter, I spoke to experts and spent hours searching the internet for information, trying to understand the existing technology, and to gain an opinion of what filter was right...

I am not a wine connoisseur but I enjoy discovering delicious wines! I approach this post as someone who has been seeking ways to minimize pesticides in my diet (a European organization identified an average of over 4 pesticides in the 40 bottles they tested, even up to 10 pesticides in some!) while not sacrificing the adventure and joy that I experience from discovering interesting wines.

Monday evening, I attended my first wine tasting class at Astor Wines & Spirits in NYC. ...

It is always the perfect time  to make the lives of our loved ones healthier by giving them gifts that will help!  This week we are debuting The S File’s gift guide.  We will highlight books and products that have had high impact on my family's life.

Today’s gift guide will focus on Health, highlighting products that have significantly reduced my family's exposure to harmful chemicals.  On Wednesday, we will highlight our favorite Pregnancy products,...

Update as of 2017 June 28:

Years after writing the blog post below, I do not eat a raw diet most of the time. However, experimenting with it was very helpful. It's sharpened my perspective on food, led me to get to know my body better, and I still have phases of eating mostly raw foods. The key is to listen to, and honor, your unique body. Experimenting is an invaluable and enlightening way to figure out what's best for you.

I'M INTRIGUED...

It's taken me many accidental...

Sun Protection Is Needed Year-Round

Although summer's end is just around the corner, sun safety should be practiced year-round.

Even on a cloudy day, up to 80 percent of the sun's ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. In addition, sand reflects 25 percent of the sun's rays and snow reflects 80 percent of the sun's rays.

-- American Academy of Dermatology; Facts About Sunscreen

Sunscreen Should Not Be The First Line of Defense Against the Sun's Damaging Effects

Instead, stay in the...

Mike Tyson Turned Vegan in 2009

Ever since I read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell in early 2009, I have been trying to increase vegetarian protein while minimizing animal protein (i.e., meat and dairy) in my family's diet.  Never having been a huge meat eater, it wasn't too hard to cut down on meat significantly (and the cheese that had become a staple of our diets was surprisingly not missed with the help of our cold-pressed juices).  After I got pregnant in spring...

Food expert and best-selling author, Michael Pollan, shared how much meat and dairy this food expert consumes.

The online health community has been atwitter with Oprah's recent show about her and her 378 staffers being vegan for one week.  NY Times best-selling author, Kathy Freston led the vegan challenge (she's been vegan for +7 years; her husband is "vegan-ish": eats vegan at home in his wife's vegan kitchen, but eats animal protein when he's at restaurants).  Food "rockstar"...

Olive Trees in Thassos, Greece

Olive oil as skin care is an ancient beauty secret that the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans have been using for thousands of years.  It wasn't until this past weekend, however, that I actually experienced the true skin care powers of olive oil!

My Weekend Skin Care Dilemma

My family and I spent the past weekend at a house in which the dryness from the heating system was making us extremely uncomfortable.  My one-year-old would cry and point to her legs,...

There's A Water Warning In NYC

The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Cas Holloway, and, the City’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley held a joint press conference about the slight increase in lead in the city’s water.  They urged all New Yorkers to run cold water for 30 seconds -- whether you live in a house or an apartment -- before using it for drinking or cooking.

“The levels that were detected, which were very...