Natural Awakenings - November 2014 Read the November 2014 edition of Natural Awakenings. Growing Up with Wayne Dyer: Serena Dyer Reflects on Her Spiritual Upbringing The example of her parents’ self-actualized lives led her to make conscious, authentic choices for herself. Read More » Eco-Beauty: Homemade Shampoos, Lotions and Perfumes Make Great Gifts With close-at-hand natural ingredients like honey and baking soda, we can create beauty products that are safe, affordable and effective. Read More » Healthy Holiday at Sea: Set Sail on the Caribbean’s Only Holistic Love Boat The Holistic Holiday at Sea Vegan Cruise is a plant-based gourmet restaurant, state-of-the-art alternative health conference, healing retreat, Caribbean vacation and love boat. Read More » Midday Pick-Me-Up: Well-Planned Naps Boost Brainpower If they’re planned properly and are not too long, naps during the workday can enhance our mental agility and productivity. Read More » Playful Pet Gifts: Animals Love Interactive Toys and Games Simple, inexpensive holiday gifts can easily delight a pet—especially if they mean spending more time with us. Read More » Beauty Foods: Kimberly Snyder Shows How to Eat for Radiant Skin, Eyes and Hair Eating the right detox diet—mostly veggies and fruit—can melt away pounds, cause skin to glow and hair to shine. Read More » Powerful You!: Six Ways to Create the Life You Want When we follow a vision, hatch a plan and learn to counter misguided beliefs, we become the best version of our true self. Read More » Organics Boast More Nutrients, Fewer Toxins: Lower Pesticides, Higher Antioxidants Organically-grown foods have one-third the pesticide levels of conventionally grown crops and 20 to 40 percent more antioxidants. Read More » Looking at Beautiful Art Bumps Up Brain Activity: Effects of Aesthetic Appreciation of Paintings Beautiful paintings produced more appreciation in people and more varied brain activity than photographs of similar scenes, Japanese researchers found. Read More » Lead Lurks in Lipsticks and Skin Whiteners: Dangerous Ingredients in Beauty Products Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium have been found in substantial quantities in some skin-whitening products and in most lipsticks. Read More » Algae-Based Cosmetics May Ward Off Inflammation and Cancer: Protection for Skin Cells Added to cosmetic formulas, marine algae like kelp and spirulina have been found to protect skin cells. Read More » Honey and Ginger Beat Antibiotics in Fighting Superbugs: Powerful Natural Remedies Ethiopian researchers have found that honey and ginger extracts are better than antibiotics in combatting superbugs like MRSA and E. coli. Read More » Treadmill Desks Boost Job Performance: More Than Just Fitness Benefits A yearlong study found that treadmill work-desks boosted job performance in the view of both workers and their bosses. Read More » USA Made: The Power of Patriotic Purchasing Products from clothing to food to appliances made in the U.S. are produced to higher standards. Plus buying them supports our economy and national security. Read More » Cash Mobs: Collective On-the-Spot Buying Revives Local Businesses Close on the heels of dancing and protesting flash mobs, “cash mobs” are popping up—people that flood a beloved locally-owned store on a certain day to infuse it with sales and renewed customer relationships. Read More » Golden Years: Senior Roommate Service Combats Loneliness To ease the financial pinch and loneliness of aging boomer women, a new website offers algorithms that help in locating like-minded roommates. Read More » Ka-Ching: Time Is Money, So Bank It Time banking, a web-savvy form of barter, allows users to exchange services—such as doing an hour of housecleaning to gain an hour-long cello lesson. Read More » Tomato Lacquer: Non-Toxic Can Lining in Development A new resin lining made of tomato plant byproducts promises to keep canned food fresh without the use of chemical-based linings. Read More » Junk Piles: UN Helps Developing Countries Handle E-Waste As mounds of discarded appliances and electronics grow in Latin America and worldwide, the United Nations is advising governments on ways to deal with the waste. Read More » Saying No: Two Countries Buck the Mining Industry In refusing to issue gold-mining permits, El Salvador and Costa Rica are putting the value of environmental integrity ahead of near-term financial gain. Read More » Big Fish: Whales’ Global Impact Underestimated As whales rebound in numbers, their ecological role grows more apparent, the latest being their role in providing iron and nitrogen to surface organisms essential to marine food chains. Read More » Shark Snooping: Sea-Surfing Robot Tracks Marine Life An unmanned robot deep in the ocean near San Francisco is allowing Stanford researchers to track the travel patterns of great white sharks and populations of sea creatures. Read More » Eco-India: Strides Promised in Environmental Protection A massive tree-planting program and solar-power initiatives are two promising programs emerging on the environmentally-challenged subcontinent. Read More » Bring Back the Magic: Give Kids the True Gifts of the Season By teaching kids to be wary of ads, lower their expectations for presents, and think first of others, we can introduce them to the meaningful, lasting joys the holidays offer. Read More » Cellulite Shrinkers: Five Simple Exercises to Smooth Thighs Sure, it takes a little effort, but doing these straightforward routines will build leg muscles and reduce unsightly lumps and dimples. Read More » Practice Gratitude and Change Your Life The more often we practice the simple act of saying “Thanks,” the more deeply joy and appreciation become ingrained in our character. Read More » In-Print