Welcome to January 2012, Natural-Awakenings-style! Once again, our magazine is overflowing with exciting insights on living harmoniously with the natural rhythms of the planet we call home. And to think, this is a leap year so we have an extra day to live the 2012 dream!

I’m pleased to announce that our new iPhone and iPad app is available as a free download at Apple’s iTunes App Store. Now, NA readers will have access to the best choices for a green and healthy lifestyle while on the go. (To download the free app, search "Natural Awakenings" in the iTunes App Store or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.)

The move toward change is accelerating and holistic awareness is transforming our community and our nation. Academia, the scientific community and the mainstream medical establishment are coming around -- putting their official stamp of approval on complementary and alternative approaches to wellness, just in the nick of time. In "Alternative Goes Mainstream" (page 28), writer Kathleen Barnes looks at this growing trend and examines some of the many holistic treatments that nurture us, in body, mind and spirit.

The Health brief entitled "Science Confirms Benefits of Herbal Brews" (page 16) will surely reinforce general confidence in the effectiveness of herbal teas. It seems Dept. of Agriculture-funded researchers now confirm science-based health benefits of three favorite herbal teas. (Knowledgeable herbalists have been teaching about teas’ benefits forever.) The Health Briefs section also includes "Fasting is Good for the Heart" – reporting that cardiac researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center, Utah, now agree that periodic fasting makes good sense in terms of health and heart. Yep, that’s been my belief for some time. Happy to hear it’s not just my imagination.

As always, open your mind and read on!