To all our friends, neighbors and the cute pup next door,

Would you like to know what we’re about this month? Because we’d love to share— it’s art!

Coronavirus has impacted families across America, but minorities are among those that have been hardest hit.

As the world seeks solutions to tackle COVID-19, brand new research highlights the importance of vitamin D for reducing the risks associated with respiratory infections caused by coronaviruses. Data published in May on 212 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 revealed that the severity of infection was correlated to the patient’s vitamin D levels.

Essential oils (EOs) have been used as traditional remedies throughout history, including inhaling the vapors to provide relief from colds and other respiratory infections. Now modern research is showing that they hold the potential to fight influenza viruses, and possibly other respiratory viruses.

This summer protect your skin from the inside out with carotenoids so you can have your fun in the sun!

The focus of the last few months has been avoiding getting sick—social distancing measures and various stay-at-home orders around the country have been put into place to slow the spread of COVID-19, but one of the unanticipated outcomes is a decline in our overall mental health.

Dear Summertime,

Your sunshiny personality is precisely the thing we need right now, since as you may have heard, we had a falling out with your usually gracious sibling, Spring. We know things are going to be different with you too, but still, Summertime, we're so happy to see you!

Essential oils have been used for hundreds of years around the world as therapy for mind and body. These are oils derived from aromatic plants that have qualities ranging from anti-inflammatory and antiseptic to relaxing and stimulating. One of the most well-loved and versatile essential oils is lavender.

Wellbeing. Family. Gratitude. These have always been our defining values, and now they shine with the clarity that only a crisis imparts. They illuminate our family’s focus this May—to care for the wellbeing of our community and Crew, and to cultivate gratitude in the spaces where uncertainty and fear like to linger.

Stress comes in a multitude of forms, sometimes caused by external events and sometimes entirely self-inflicted. It chips away at our wellbeing, wears us down, and depletes our nutritional reserves. During stressful times important nutrients are quickly depleted. And if we’re eating a less-than-stellar diet, we have fewer reserves to begin with.

Much of the research conducted on nutrients and cognitive function focuses on older populations who may already be experiencing cognitive decline, but a new study investigated the effect lutein, and its partners, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, had on cognition in young adults in their cognitive prime. The results are exciting.

Your body’s immune system defends against all manner of infections. And like every other cell in your body, its individual constituents, from lymphocytes to natural killer cells, depend on nutrition for optimal functioning. The best plan of action is to take steps early on to enhance your immunity.