Our February issue is dedicated to the heart. Editorial covers all aspects of keeping it healthy—some articles bring us new awareness and others a reminder of what we need to reintegrate into our lives.

In our feature “The Heart-Mind Connection: How Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Heart Health,” by Ronica O’Hara, defying long-held assumptions in Western medicine, emotions being processed by the brain are being shown to play a vital part in cardiac health and the heart is increasingly shown to affect cognitive health.

Emotions like anger, depression and anxiety are now conclusively linked to heart attacks and strokes, and the corollary is also true: Optimism and other positive emotions can reverse markers of heart disease. Heart-and-brain-healthy strategies include breathwork, yoga, laughter, letting go, giving and getting hugs, music and meditation.

We turn to our Conscious Eating section “Fermenting for Foodies: Preserving Food and Traditions,” by April Thompson, where we learn about the fermentation revival underway as people rediscover its ability to promote health, boost flavor and preserve the bounty of the seasons. Old favorites like yogurt and sauerkraut are being expanded by adventurous chefs that are creating foods like fermented and aged vegan cheeses from acorns and “seaweed” made from fermented broadleaf plantain. Along with encouraging experimenting, they debunk the myth that fermenting foods is difficult or dangerous or that everything must be sterilized to laboratory conditions. With recipes for pickled carrot sticks and curry kraut.

Our Green Living section “Secondhand Fashion: Online Used Clothing Stores Good for the Wallet and Planet,” by Sandra Yeyati explains how the pandemic and economic downturn, fueled the online sales boom of used clothing, with growth projected to double in the next five years, reaching a whopping $77 billion. Younger, tech-savvy shoppers are the primary drivers of the growth, and a host of apps and websites are responding to the demand, serving such niches as luxury and vintage. Major fashion brands are partnering with resale apps or launching their own operations to reach the younger demographic at a better price point. Although buying used clothing has environmental benefits, most buyers are motivated by saving money and shopping convenience.
This month let’s focus on our awareness on maintaining a healthy heart and on integrating heart healthy living to our 2022 life plan.

To conscious living,
Pamela Gallina, Publisher