Happy Wednesday my friend,

Ever seen rain falling from a cloud… but the ground stays bone dry? That “ghost precipitation” is called virga, and once you notice it, you’ll start spotting it everywhere. Today’s newsletter has a desert lizard that drinks with its skin, a quick light-therapy upgrade, and a deeper look at why “fragrance” isn’t just a scent, it’s often a loophole.

To access Deep Dive articles every Wednesday, new videos every Friday, and so much more, upgrade to the ECL Membership.

🐿️ CREATURE FEATURE 🐿️

🦎 Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)

Meet the thorny devil, a small Australian desert lizard covered in sharp-looking spines and wearing sand-toned camouflage. Its superpower is drinking with its skin. Tiny grooves between its scales pull moisture from dew or damp sand by capillary action and channel it toward the mouth. For all the coolest details, check out the Animal Diversity Web.

Thorny devils eat almost only ants, sometimes thousands in a day. They move slowly, freeze when threatened, and even have a false “decoy” head to confuse predators. Colors can shift a bit with temperature and light, helping them blend in with the scrub. For an awesome NatGeo clip, WATCH them in action HERE.

Evolution of Light Therapy

Red light therapy has come a long way from “big panel in the corner of the room.” What’s exciting right now is how targeted and practical it’s getting, especially for the everyday stuff we all deal with in January.

BON CHARGE has a whole lineup that makes it easy to experiment with newer applications, like compact handheld devices you can use on specific hotspots when something feels inflamed or overworked. It’s the kind of tool that fits in a drawer, travels well, and actually gets used.

They’ve also taken red light into a place most people never think about: your mouth. Their red light toothbrush combines brushing with red and near-infrared support, which can be a smart add-on for gum comfort and overall oral wellness routines.

If you want to see the full range of devices and the creative ways people are using RLT at home, click HERE to explore BON CHARGE’s red light collection.

Use code ECL for 20% off, and click HERE to start the year with healing tools your home will actually use.

🍎 NUTRITION 101 🍎

RUTIN: A citrus and buckwheat flavonoid that strengthens blood vessels and reduces oxidative stress. It’s also used to reduce bruising, support circulation, and enhance vitamin C absorption. Learn the top 10 sources HERE.

🌏 DEEP DIVE 🌏

The Scent Trap: How Fragrance Impacts Health

I love scent. I always have. A warm candle at night. Fresh laundry. A clean home that actually feels clean. But once you learn what “fragrance” means in modern consumer products… it changes the way you move through the world.

These days, walking down the cleaning aisle in a grocery store feels like entering a chemical torture. And those glossy perfume departments in big stores? All I see is an exposure zone to be avoided. That might sound dramatic, but when you look at what is permitted under the umbrella of “fragrance,” it starts to feel more like basic self-preservation.

If you want a single, approachable entry point into this conversation, watch “Stink” on YouTube. It lays out the hidden-world reality of the fragrance industry in a way that is hard to ignore, and it helps explain why so many of us feel like we have become “suddenly sensitive” in the last decade. In many cases, we did not change. The poisonous products did.

The legal magic trick called “fragrance”

Here’s the part most people do not realize: “fragrance” on a label is not one ingredient. It’s often a catch-all category that can hide a long list of chemicals, protected as proprietary formulas or trade secrets. That means a company can scent a product with a complex blend, list it as “fragrance,” and you are left guessing what you are actually breathing or putting on your skin.

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...and a healthier planet:

• • Improve health awareness: Deep Dive articles & recipe videos
• • Protect ecosystems: expert video tutorials with leaders around the world
• • Prioritize mental health: custom meditations for relieved stress
• • Camaraderie: likeminded community (app coming soon!)
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