When Master Yoda said to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back,  "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter", he was pretty accurate, scientifically speaking.

Once considered woo-woo New Age stuff, energy healing is an exploding market with effective results. Even Dr. Oz has called it the next wave in medicine. But the definition is fuzzy for many, and dismissive chuckles from skeptics don't exactly help boost confidence in nascent alternative treatments either. But, as the saying goes, the proof is in the electrochemical stimuli…

Are you passionate about health? Do you have a strong desire to stay abreast of the latest cutting edge information on nutrition and health from leading experts? Or, have you ever thought about becoming a certified Health Coach? Well, now is your chance to personally check it out for free, and join the movement for health and happiness.

We all know that we should eat our fruits and vegetables, and plenty of them. Are you one of the many who finds it a bit, let’s say, impossible to get them all in? Juicing can help!

In September 2000, the trademarked genetically modified corn variety known as StarLink was found in corn tortillas, although it was only approved for animal feed at the time. The discovery led to more than 30 cases of varying human health reactions, with at least seven of those consistent with symptoms common in severe food allergies. The situation brought attention to issues with GMO foods, namely food allergies, which are dramatically on the rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 1997 and 2007 food allergies in the U.S. increased nearly 20 percent, with peanut allergies nearly tripling during that same period, which also corresponds directly to the rise in the four most commonly planted GMO seeds in the U.S.: Corn, soy, canola and cotton. Is there a connection between genetically modified foods and food allergies?

I've heard a lot of old wives' tales about staying healthy in the winter, from always covering your head to drinking hot water with lemon and honey. While I've got nothing against a cute hat, I'm sticking with science, more specifically, the science of food. In the winter, our immune systems are challenged by the cold and the plethora of viruses roaming around playgroups, classrooms and public transportation, so give your immune system a boost with these five winter power foods.

While it seems like every month has a cause attached to it, January's awareness theme is rather important to women's health: Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Cervical cancer prevention is simple, and deserves as much recognition as breast cancer or any other cancer for that matter.

Know the wonderful sense of calm that follows a belly laugh? The ultra-satisfying feeling like you just smiled a thousand smiles and did a hundred crunches? That afterglow is an instant boost that can also have lasting positive effects on your health and well-being. You've probably heard the saying laughter is the best medicine, but scientific research has only recently turned toward documenting the effects of laughter on physical health.

It's a new year. And while that doesn't necessarily mean a brand-spanking-new you, it does mean that an ideal opportunity has arisen to let go of a little bit of the old you in order to make space for something else – hopefully better – in your life. Start by physically stimulating your body to let go of accumulated waste, and watch as that affects your mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. After all, it is all connected.

Everywhere you turn these days, it seems like there is someone who needs your help, from the millions hungry in Africa and those suffering from natural disasters around the world to the homeless and hopeless in America, right in your backyard. The overwhelming number of people who could benefit from your help often creates a sense that nothing you could do matters – but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Never doubt the power that one person – or even one smile – can have on the world.

There are always lots of expectations when the New Year rolls around; and 2012 may bring even more, you know, with the rumored apocalypse and all. So it's probably advisable to be as healthy as we can this year. For those of us who enjoyed a few too many of Santa's cookies, this New Year may bring extra efforts to slim down and clean out the ol' system before the thaw, but make sure your cleansing is doing more good than harm by avoiding these five most common mistakes.