Author Archives: ichwb

About ichwb

The Institute is a collaborative of campus and community members committed to enhancing the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, organizations and communities within Cal State Northridge’s service region. The primary mission of the Institute is to foster healthful living through community and campus partnerships.

Helping Our Environment by Composting

Leave a reply
Composting Image
Image: Lisa Fotios // pexels.com

By: Araceli Salcedo, CSUN Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing Volunteer

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, nearly ⅓ of all food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Billions and billions of dollars are also being wasted as well as space in our landfills. Though we aren’t close to completely fixing the problem, there has been more sustainability efforts in today’s day and age. More people are being educated on ways to help our environment, for example by being introduced to composting, we can indeed help improve our environment and decrease food waste in our communities.

Continue reading →

Your Dimensions of Health and Wellness

Leave a reply
Image of a happy person
Image: Tirachard Kumtanom // pexels.com


By: Araceli Salcedo, CSUN Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing Volunteer

Did you know you have various dimensions of your health and wellness? There are multiple elements of health and wellness, yet many people just associate “wellness” with their physical health. Well, “wellness” is so much more than that. It includes your physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, occupational, and financial health and how all of those are all interconnected when it comes to being well. Being healthy in all aspects of the dimensions is vital to your own health and wellbeing. Striving for wellness, or ultimately progressing to a healthier life will only benefit you and your overall health.

Continue reading →

Weightlifting

Leave a reply

Image: Victor Freitas // pexels.com

By: Sarah Hofstedt, CSUN Public Health Intern

Most US adults do not meet the current recommendations for resistance training, or weight lifting. The benefits of lifting weights and building muscle include improved bone density, increased strength of tendons and ligaments, and lower body fat. Despite this, only about 20% of women engage in resistance training. So what’s stopping them? Continue reading →

Healthcare Mindfulness

Leave a reply

Image: Min An // pexels.com

By: Sarah Hofstedt, CSUN Public Health Intern

A new study finds that as little as five to twelve minutes of daily meditation can reduce stress and anxiety in pre-healthcare college students.

Stress is one of the most reported barriers to academic achievement in college students. Feelings of hopelessness, being overwhelmed, loneliness, and even suicidal ideation are reported by college students across the United States. Continue reading →

What’s Up with Cleanses?

Leave a reply

Image: rawixel.com // pexels.com

By: Sarah Hofstedt, CSUN Public Health Intern

The idea of cleansing one’s body through clean eating and drinking is not a new one: ayurvedic medicine has an ancient cleanse protocol called panchakarma that includes dietary restrictions, steam baths, and even bloodletting. Today we see Instagram influencers posting passionately about their juice detoxes, sometimes sponsored by the juice companies themselves. Castor oil, enemas, and other methods for bowel cleansing are touted as making the digestive system more efficient. But are detoxification practices really worth it? Continue reading →