FreediveSafe! Hawai‘i: Lifesaving Training for the Next Generation of Spearfishers
By Sara Stover On a breezy Saturday morning at the beginning of the summer, 25 of Hawai‘i Island’s youth willingly gather in a classroom at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy (HPA). Dylan Currier and Sandy Hammel of Freediving Instructors International are demonstrating…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: Unlock the Healing and Cleansing Power of Lemon
By Brittany P. Anderson A young boy reaches his hand into a branch of shiny green foliage, palming a bright yellow, slightly oblong fruit. The tree sways as he tugs to release the object of his desire. Bringing his hand…
Medicinal Plants from the Garden: The Comfort of Comfrey
By Brittany P. Anderson Green lance-shaped leaves fall over themselves in compact clusters, with a fuzz about them like a clump of rabbit ears waiting to be pet. The leaves are coarse to the touch, while purple bell flowers dangle…
Dr. Joan Greco Inspires Students while GIving Back to Our Island Community
By Brittany P. Anderson There’s something extraordinary about a woman who rises to the top in a male-dominated field. It takes strength, grace, intellect, fearlessness, and the courage to never accept “no” for an answer. That woman is Dr. Joan…
Mālama Mokupuni/Caring for Our Island Environment: Life and Death in the Stream—‘O‘opu, ‘Opae, and Tahitian Prawns
By Rachel Laderman On the east side of Hawai‘i Island, north of Hilo and along the Hāmākua coast, streams cascade down steep slopes, flow quickly over boulders, leap into wailele (waterfalls), rest briefly in calm ki‘o wai (pools), and riffle…
Farm to Table at Kona Community Hospital
By Brittany P. Anderson The sounds of griddles sizzling, knives chopping, and jovial laughter fill Kona Community Hospitalʻs Ginger Café. It isn’t a typical scene at a hospital cafeteria, but here local food has brought the community together at the…
Paddling for Hope: Derek Park Fundraises for Breast Cancer Education and Early Detection
By Karen Rose The “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Haddon Surgeon said that hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, but to be discovered in the night of adversity. Nine years ago, paddler Derek…
The Cultivating Life: Agroforestry Expert Craig Elevitch
By Brittany P. Anderson A cool breeze runs through the dense forests of Hōlualoa, perched on the slope of Hualālai Volcano in North Kona. Here, the woods are brimming with avocado, ‘ulu (breadfruit), macadamia nut, coffee, and fruit trees. Once…
Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi: Live Longer and Feel Better Together
By Paula Thomas Hui Mālama Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi has been providing health and education services to the residents of Hawai‘i Island since 1991, following the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act that was passed in Congress in 1988. The Act…
La‘au Lapa‘au: Medicinal Plants and their Healing Properties
By Marcia Timboy Hawai‘i is viewed throughout the world as a place of rest and rejuvenation, a concept that is deeply rooted in and supported by the healing environment of our islands. Ancestral wellness wisdom is the basis of the…
Hawai‘i Island’s Hospice Services: Providing More Than You May Think
By Paula Thomas Contrary to what people may think when they hear the word ‘hospice’, hospice is not a place. It is a philosophy of care that is patient-focused, holistic, comprehensive, and designed to support and improve patientsʻ quality of…
Wai Watchers: The Vital Role of Volunteers in Watershed Health
Mālama Mokupuni: Caring for Our Island Environment By Julia Meurice This is a story of how communities are uniting and strengthening to protect the quality of our water from the mountains to the coast, of people rebuilding relationships with life…
Blue Zones: How Hawai‘i Can Live Longer
By Alan D. McNarie It’s a sunny, humid summer morning in North Hilo, and 30 or so people are gathered in the shade of a temporary tent shelter at the Kalalau Ranch, on the Hāmākua side of the Wailuku River,…
Island Stowaways: Invasive Pests on Hawai’i Island
By Brittany P. Anderson Born from fire, Hawai‘i Island sprang from the bottom of the ocean. Cooling lava breached the surface of the sea, and our island was born. Plants and animals traveled thousands of miles to reach the new…
Talk Story with Harry ‘Uhane Jim: A Story of Ho‘oponopono
Ho‘oponopono is an ancient tradition of creating balance and harmony within ourselves—the self that is now, the self of our past, the evolving self of our present and the self of our future. It is our identity. It embodies our…
Health: Ke Ola Pono—Ka Niho
By Leilehua Yuen I don’t care what “The Internet” says, don’t use a combination of baking soda and lemon juice to whiten your teeth. It’s the dental equivalent of using Brillo on your lacquerware. Sure, it will work the first…
Ke Ola Pono: Feast or Famine
By Leilehua Yuen In the Northern hemisphere, the season of feasting is over and we are now heading into a more ascetic phase. Whether this is through religious doctrine, or simply following the cycles of nature, it still holds true.…
Ke Ola Pono: Makahiki Resolutions
By Leilehua Yuen Makahiki, Christmas, and the New Year all are times of fresh beginnings. Many people make resolutions at this time to do better or be better in the coming year. While making resolutions is common around the world—according…
Ke Ola Pono: Lā‘au Lapa‘au—What is it?
By Leilehua Yuen What is lā‘au lapa‘au? Is it herbal medicine? “Witch doctor” stuff? Homeopathy? Bush medicine? Is it real? Bogus? Compatible with biomedicine? I have seen practices of lā‘au lapa‘au that would fit any of the above. Lā‘au lapa‘au…
Ke Ola Pono: Ka ‘Ili (the skin)
By Leilehua Yuen Whatever we may believe to be the causes, climate change is here. When I was a girl, Mauna Kea was blanketed in snow from about Thanksgiving to Easter. On chilly days, girls would wear t-shirts or turtlenecks…
Ke Ola Pono: Ke Lei Olakino,the Healing Lei
By Leilehua Yuen In honor of Lei Day (May 1st), I thought I’d write about the use of the lei in traditional healing. I originally was taught by Aunty Nona Beamer to use the lei lā‘ī (lei from the leaf…
Ke Ola Pono: Ka Wai Ola
By Leilehua Yuen Back in the 90s, when I was a cultural demonstrator at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, we sometimes used to enjoy mildly teasing visitors who asked us if there was a place they could find traditional…
Ke Ola Pono: Ka Hula
By Leilehua Yuen Most of us could use a bit more movement in our lives. Being physically active has many health benefits. Studies have shown that the average American walks fewer than 6,000 steps each day. Yet by walking 10,000…
Healing Plants: Kamani
By Barbara Fahs The Internet is full of sites that tout the healing benefits of “tamanu” oil. This nut tree, which is native to the South Pacific islands around Tahiti, is also present in Hawai‘i where it is known as…
Healing Plants: ‘Ākulikuli Kula, Way More than a Lowly Weed
By Barbara Fahs ‘Ākulikuli kula is a fun word to say, and the plant bearing this name has as much to offer in the kitchen as it does in the medicine cabinet. Also known as purslane and often considered a…
Healing Plants: ‘Ākia
By Barbara Fahs If you look around the grounds of Kona-area hotels, condominiums, and vacation rentals, chances are you might discover ‘ākia used as an attractive groundcover plant. It’s an endemic Hawaiian plant that botanists call Wikstroemia uva-ursi, or hillside…
Earth Medicine: Healing Ourselves, Healing Our Home
Kānehi: A Blessed Annoyance By David Bruce Leonard One of the world’s best and most aggravating plant medicines grows here in Hawai‘i—right at our feet. From the dandelion and silversword family, this “blessed annoyance” is known throughout the world as…
Healthy Boundaries
By Ku‘ulei Keakealani I forgot I booked one meeting after obligating myself to another. Then I confirmed one excursion while planning to have lunch with some friends at the exact same time—can’t be two places at once. Nope, not possible…
Healing Plants: Pia
By Barbara Fahs Haupia, the ever-popular coconut pudding dessert, has been a staple in Hawai‘i since World War II. If you have ever attended a lū‘au or a local style wedding, chances are you have eaten this gelatinous culinary confection.…
Healing Plants: Lau Kahi, an All-Around Helpful “Weed”
By Barbara Fahs If you have a lawn, a pasture, or garden beds, you have probably mowed, weed whacked, or pulled out lau kahi. Commonly called plantain, this small broadleaf herb has no relationship to the plantains we know as…
