Articles written by Frances Laing in Health & Fitness

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What is Helium

About me - Frances Laing

I'm a freelance writer, journalist and blogger. My focus is people and the environment.

I write challenging, investigative features and articles as well as the ones about people enjoying themselves with travel, tourism, nature and their gardens. I try to

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Health & Fitness > Therapy & Counseling Cybertherapy: Can you receive the help you need online?: 3 of 24
The Internet has proved to be a really useful first point of contact for many of us in need of help. We may all need to access information about mental health at some point in our lives. Depression, eating disorders, mental illness, sleep disorders, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorders are a lot more common that som... More..
Health & Fitness > Infectious Diseases Is the swine flu pandemic, which President Obama recently declared a national emergency, something we should all be worried about?: 1 of 5
Yes - we should be worried. But not for the reasons we are confronted with in the mainstream media. Some of us believe the panic created around this topic primarily serves the interests of the profit-making multinationals who produce and popularise the swine flu vaccine. Some of us don't trust these companies. Quite rightly ... More..
Health & Fitness > Nutrition (Other) Reasons for choosing organic baby food: 1 of 4
We know the years after your baby is born up to the age of three are formative. The U.N. advocates breastfeeding up to the age of six months at least - with the recognition that nutritionally a baby who is breastfed will generally be better protected from childhood diseases like ear infections. But what happens when a baby i... More..
Health & Fitness > Diet (Other) Is adopting a vegetarian diet the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint?: 1 of 4
It depends what you mean by easy. Your carbon footprint doesn't just depend on what you EAT. It depends on what you do with the rest of your life. If you own five gas guzzling cars, don't have any insulation in your house, and fly to Bali three times a year then maybe you need to address these issues first. So my first respo... More..
Health & Fitness > Alternative Therapies Overview: Art therapy: 3 of 11
Art therapy entered my life in a big way when I first saw children's pictures from a war zone. Gaza. I've never been there. Was overwhelmed by what I saw as the complexity of the politics of it. The history of the conflict. Israel. Palestine. I didn't have an answer to it. The war. There didn't seem anything hopeful to say a... More..
Health & Fitness > Nutrition (Other) What are benefits of organic foods?: 5 of 15
Does organic food have any real benefits? The benefits can be global and local. The cost of oil and raw materials has increased. Governments are aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. We can only achieve this by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels - and that includes cutting back on agricultural inputs of f... More..
Health & Fitness > Kids Nutrition Easy and nutritious school lunches: 1 of 2
The best nutritionists will tell you - good attitudes to food begin at birth. So before you even get to school - try to ensure your child grows up with an understanding of good food and where it comes from. Grow your own. Use your balcony, window box or community garden. Toddlers love to help with fruit and veg growing and s... More..
Health & Fitness > Fitness Basics Walking instead of driving: 6 of 9
I'm very interested when people say that driving 'saves time'. Once you get into the habit of walking more, and become more skilled at choosing pleasant routes, you find that the time you spend walking helps you think better, and plan better. We know it certainly benefits your mental and physical health and so often gives yo... More..