9/20/24: Soil concert, trees heal you, plastic in brains

Happy Friday my friend,

🍂🍁 And hello, fall (spring for Southern readers)! This Sunday marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere! Learn more about the Autumnal Equinox from the Farmer’s Almanac here.

ECL TRIVIA: What desert plant utilizes unique dew collecting strategies like spines and surface ridges to harvest fog in arid environments, while boasting the nickname "the living fossil"? (Answer below)

🌎 Planet Health

🌿 REGENERATIVE FARM AID: In California’s Ventura County, agriculture is getting $1M from Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective, donated to the non-profit Rodale Institute which “will provide technical assistance, help with business planning, and even equipment stipends to the area’s historically underserved farmers and ranchers,” Fast Company reports, with regenerative organic agriculture expansion as the Institute’s focus. The vision of The Need To GROW is really continuing to rise in awareness.

🎧 SOIL CONCERT: Can you “listen” to soil? “Ecoacoustics,” or the study of environmental sounds, can “identify the difference between restored and degraded land,” in addition to detecting specific organisms in the soil. In this newly published research, the lead author explains that the “lack of diversity in a soundscape indicates that life below-ground is missing, so the soils are likely to be in a state of degradation, meaning they are experiencing physical, biological, and chemical losses in quality.” Learn more here about this fascinating acoustic research.

💨 PFAS REGULATION: In a petition that’s “long overdue and a good first step,” three U.S. states are asking the EPA to “categorize four types of PFAS compounds as hazardous air pollutants and to begin regulating them under the Clean Air Act.” Read more about this petition (and the North Carolina Chemours PFAS production plant that prompted it) here.

🧑‍⚕️ Human Health

🌳 HEART HEALTHY TREES: Initial outcomes from the Green Heart Louisville study is discovering that increasing tree coverage in neighborhoods significantly reduced inflammation levels and heart disease risk. The researchers planted thousands of trees, monitored the health of residents, and saw areas with higher tree counts resulted in lower levels of hs-CRP, a marker for inflammation. This study provides strong evidence for the positive health benefits of urban green spaces, and you can click here to read more.

☕️ COFFEE A DAY: Coffee lovers, rejoice! New research suggests that “drinking several cups of caffeinated coffee or tea a day may protect against Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke,” according to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 188k people and their coffee & tea habits were studied for over 12 years, and “people who consumed about 200 to 300 mg of caffeine daily had a lower risk of cardiometabolic disease, compared to people who drank less than 100 mg a day.” P.S. If you’re going to drink coffee, be sure it’s free of pesticides, organically grown, and mycotoxin free– our favorite coffee in our house is always Purity Coffee!

🧠 PLASTIC BRAIN: Microplastics have been discovered in cadaver tissue in the olfactory bulb, at the base of the brain. “A large proportion of the microplastics present in the air are fibers that come from clothing with synthetic fabrics and everyday objects such as carpets, curtains, etc,” says microplastics researcher Luís Fernando Amato-Lourenço. “Polypropylene was the predominant plastic found in the olfactory bulbs of the cadavers,” according to the documentation.

🌤️ Not enough PHOTONS

Almost everyone in modern times is experiencing a lack of solar photons from the sun’s healing spectrum…while being over-saturated with light from LEDS and screens.

It is imperative we focus on a counter-measure. I’ve been using Red Light Therapy (RLT) for years.

Earth Conscious Life readers can use code ECL to get 20% off Bon Charge’s great RLT devices. Click HERE.

RLT is safe, effective, and proven for a variety of conditions:

• Skin: Reducing wrinkles, scars, and blemishes, while promoting firmer, more youthful-looking skin.

• Hair loss: Stimulating hair growth and reducing inflammation of the scalp.

• Pain: Reducing pain caused by a variety of conditions, including arthritis, muscle pain, and neuropathic pain.

• Inflammation: Helpful for treating conditions such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma.

• Mood: Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Cognition: Shown to improve cognitive function in people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

• Athletic performance: Shown to improve athletic performance and reduce muscle fatigue.

How to use Red Light Therapy

A large portion of sunlight is in the red to near-infrared therapeutic range, and is concentrated at sunrise or sunset (hence the reddish orange glow).

But – If you’re not viewing sunrise and sunset almost every day…then RLT is the most convenient way to get these benefits.

Most devices require only 10-20 minutes per day, a few times per week!

Relaxing, simple sessions can lead to almost immediate relief from pain, or workout recovery…and more longterm benefits to skin, hair, mood and brain health.

Click this link for 20% reduced from your whole order.

Creature Feature

🦌 DWARF DEER: It weighs the same as a Jack Russell Terrier, and was discovered earlier this year in the Central Andes mountains. Check out photos and a short video of this new species of pudu— the world’s smallest deer!

Nutrition 101

🦴 MAGNESIUM: Almonds, cashews, and spinach are among the best whole food sources of magnesium, one of the body’s seven macrominerals. Magnesium is critical for heart health, muscle and nerve function, strong bones, and blood sugar control. Learn more about my favorite magnesium, with 7 forms in 1 HERE.

💬 Poll

⬅️ Last poll’s results

Do you regularly practice any breathing exercises?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, helps maintain calm (66.8%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ I honestly don't really (33.2%)

To a healing future,

— Rob

P.S. Red Light Therapy is meditative and relaxing and in just a few minutes it can lead to both immediate and longterm benefits to skin, hair, mood, pain, muscles, fatigue, and brain health. Click this link for 20% off these powerful home devices.