Snakes

As I ran through the National Park yesterday- in a state of bliss, wonder, joy and gratitude, I was startled momentarily by the sight of a dark snake. He was skinny and innocent looking enough, however I was not game to hang around to find out, so I did the little “eewww” jig of startled surprise and on I continued without pause.

I found myself then pondering how interesting it was that although deep down I KNEW there were snakes in the National Park, I was still surprised and momentarily rattled, by its presence.

I came to thinking how snakes being obviously present in the National Park is a lot like the dark, scary, “evil” forces that reside within us and in life.

I was intrigued by the notion that if I let my knowledge of the presence of snakes hinder my desire to explore the National Park so often, that I would have missed, and continue to miss, the absolute beauty of the space and the absolute JOY, PEACE and CONNECTEDNESS I experience being there!

Upon reaching the summit of the Park, I was immediately and joyously greeted by the sight of 2 huge pods of dolphins. Wow. The paradox of the two sights in such a small space of time.

As I ran back I was immersed in a world of reflection about how our knowledge of “bad” things within ourselves, others and the world, can keep us from experiencing the TRUTH, the BEAUTY, the wonderfully BALANCED state of nature and the universe.

In the WHOLE there is nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of at all. Just parts of a WHOLE that all serve a purpose.

Whilst studied, defined and separated from the whole, a snake might seem terrifying and threatening, yet, when considered and viewed in relation to the whole, it is so tiny, harmless and in fact essential. It is something that you encounter on occasion and something that has its functional place.

How true of the dark side of human’s and life.

I really took home that if I allow such notions of fear and terror to rule and dictate where I do and do not go in life, and my own self-discovery journey, that I really do rip myself off and keep myself in an illusion where the bad is so disproportionately given power.

A snake is a tiny, and essential part of the whole.

And the whole is breathtakingly beautiful, wonderful, amazing, GIVING and LOVING.

Keep things in perspective, know the truth and never stop exploring the endless wonder and beauty of life and yourself.

I love you, all of you.

I love me, all of me.

I love life, all of life.

I am dedicated to this incredible journey. I hope you are too! :)

Mwah! xoxoxo

BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru

www.newleafnutrition.com.au

You are a divine being

You were born as pure creative spirit and that you are. This is your truth. The innocence, love, wonder, non-discrimination, curiosity and joy you embodied when you entered this earth plane is your natural state.

As a pure innocent being you were open to conditioning and you developed beliefs and definitions about the world which served to protect you, however, you will see that now they limit your true expression of yourself.

You have mostly forgotten the truth of who you are and your busy-ness is a strategy to keep yourself from your most divine self.

Its like the hero’s journey where the baby heir to the throne is seen as vulnerable and at risk of annihilation by an evil, potential substitute to the throne. Your identity forms to keep you “Safe”. You forget the truth of who you are and so live in confusion, fear, poverty and struggle.

Until one day a wise man reveals to you your truth. That you are great. That you have a purpose. That you are here to serve and lead others to greatness also.

Once you hear the truth you cannot ignore it. It is so compelling you commence your journey home, to your truth, to your treasure.

It’s not easy, there are “baddies” to battle and evil forces to counter. You have all that you need however and all it takes is for you to step into your courageous self. Your resourceful self. The part of you that see’s no barrier impossible and is willing to die to claim your truth.

Then you come to the biggest, baddest dragon of them all. You discover that this dragon really is not so bad after all and really is quite scared, weak and lonely. You pacify him. You form a “functional relationship with him”.

Your reclaim your treasure.

You are home and you are able to live your purpose and serve others :)

Welcome home hero :)

Mwah!

BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru

www.newleafnutrition.com.au

THE Shower Experience

So it was by accident that I discovered Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

Let me set the scene for you..

It was Saturday morning and I was having a shower and unlike the usual case whereby I would be really looking forward to lathering up with my Palmolive Cheery Blossom shower gel (seems oh so lame relaying this now), I was craving somewhat of a different shower experience…

I wanted to feel CLEAN…you know the type of clean that is SQUEAKY clean? The type of clean that gives not only your body, but your mind and soul that sense of CLARITY, PEACE, INVIGORATION…?

I wanted to feel ALIVE, CLEAR and CONNECTED…I was craving something raw, something real…something NOT synthetic….

As I searched my mind for ideas on what I could possibly use to deliver me such an experience, suddenly the postage bag at the end of my bed became front and centre of my attention. The lovely Miss Alder had sent me this goodie package full of some natural beauty products to try and as I had briefly rifled through the contents I knew that amongst the items were some truly perplexingly packaged soaps…

These soaps had truly stumped me and honestly I thought….”Weird….” There seemed to be waaaay to much writing happening on the labels, yet I was intrigued. At the time of opening the package I was not up for digesting all the information, so I thought I would save them for a time when I was. (The end of the bed seems to be a great place for these types of things!)

Well that time came in the most unexpected of ways…

As I jumped dripping wet out of the shower to grab the products that I hoped would satisfy my very real need, I felt excited that I was about to discover something truly different.

I can tell you, I was NOT disappointed! My shower experience truly delivered and all thanks to Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps!

I started with the bar of All-One Hemp Peppermint Pure-Catile Soap and craving yet still a more concentrated dose of what was offered, I proceeded onto the 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap liquid. Oooohhhh! The delight!! I squeezed the liquid onto my body brush and lathered up all over my body. The aroma was so, so satisfying and the feeling truly invigorating.

My skin felt clean, but not insulted. This gave me a completely smooth and skin-nurturing clean feeling as opposed to a chemically abrasive and stripped bare type encounter. Never have I felt so completely served using a natural product! I am in LOVE!

You can discover these soaps for yourself at http://www.drbronner.com

I highly recommend you check them out

Also, it is with pure thrill that I can also tell you these products are not only organic they are Certified Fairtrade so support organic agriculture and a healthy environment!

Simply too good to be true! (but they are! :))

Cheers!
BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
Bridget@newleafnutrition.com.au
0421 332243

"What you think you become"

Image from FreeDigitalImages.com by Danilo Rizzuti

A favourite Buddha quote of mine is "The mind is everything. What you think you become".

On the surface, there is endless debate about what is and isn't good for us- what we eat; when, how much and how we exercise; the products we use daily in our home; where we live, etc, etc!

Just recently there has been a WHOLE debate on my Facebook page regarding whether broccoli is good for us or not. It has been quite humorous actually! (By the way, I'd LOVE you to join us on Facebook as a fan. I regularly post interesting information here, great way to keep in touch :) Click here to become a Facebook Fan :))

What I'd LOVE to share with you about all of this, is a perspective I've had now for quite some time...

Deepak Chopra is an "authority" figure in the mind/body/spirit arena that I really love. Having once been a traditional medical doctor, he is now one of the greatest leaders in spirituality and mind/body health in the world.

In his book 'Reinventing the body, resurrecting the soul' Deepak says this about our role in our physical manifestation, "You're DNA is no more physical than other parts of your body; it is made of energy, and you can change it's energy patterns through a change of awareness. You were born with some predispositions that will determine how your body turns out, yet as you inject your own desires, habits, and intentions, a fixed trait will turn out to be very malleable- a mere wisp of desire is enough to affect DNA. How ironic that the two things that medicine thought were fixed, the brain and DNA, turn out to be the keys for reinventing the body."

This concept of how we think and how we identify ourselves, and how this impacts and creates our reality, came up in a conversation I had with a brand new client just yesterday. For privacy for now, lets call her Camilla :)

Now very overweight, Camilla discussed how she was startled to discover just recently- upon receiving photo's from a friend on Facebook from when they were younger- that she was not at all the "fatty" she had told herself she was her whole life. She was incredulous that she had spent her whole life identifying herself as an overweight woman, when in fact the reality was that she was quite slim and beautiful, especially at that age.

What Camilla realised upon reflection of all of this what that, without a doubt, she had herself created a reality that was consistent with her thoughts/identity!

Now realising that her identity, and the way she predominantly thinks of herself, continues to create her current reality, she has come to me to learn how to now identify herself as a healthy, energetic and active person.

See Camilla recognises that she is so in a pattern of habits, that she wants re-education and guidance on HOW to establish the healthy thoughts and habits that will create the reality she desires. This is awesomely EXCITING as we now have the PERFECT foundation from which to launch her new healthy lifestyle plan!

Watch this space as this woman transforms not only her own identity and reality, but also that of her family :) (To lead by example is the best and most effective method in the world! :) )

We will keep you updated of her progress and share her journey on the BridgetJaneGuru blog

So what I'd simply love to leave you with today is that there is MUCH more to the debate than mere scientific "evidence" of the physical realm....many more and greater powers are at work in creating the life we experience as our reality. If you explore more about this you will find it is very EXCITING :)

To put it all down to Broccoli is just a little too simplistic and definitely discredits the incredible power of YOU...

Enjoy your day and LOVE the magic of life! (with or without broccoli! ;p)

Mwah! xoxo

BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
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Do you know your neighbour?

This may seem like a funny and perhaps even irrelevant question to consider, yet when you really take a moment to reflect upon what this question is actually investigating, it becomes clearer why it can actually be a simple, yet incredibly effective measure of one’s true happiness.

Have you ever noticed how after you have shared some time with someone special, someone with who you have a real affinity with and with whom you just “click”, that your spirit feels so high? You leave the person “buzzing” with warmth and really a real sense of love and joy within you?

It may have been a while since you have had this experience? I know that when I am busy working with clients for example I experience this “buzz” and joy often. I can be feeling flat, low and generally energy-drained, and then along comes my client. Fast forward an hour or so and after some quality time connecting and talking on a soul level, a real open-heart conversation, I feel ALIVE! On fire in fact!

Of course there are also occasions when you can be spending time with someone and leave their company feeling no different at all, or sometimes worse! If you take time to reflect upon the QUALITY of the connection fostered during that time, it will give you good explanation as to why you feel as you do.

Either yourself, or that person, may be so busy “in their head”, thinking of a million different things they need to and have to do, that they are not really “there”. Of course it will be impossible to feel any sense of connection in this instance.

In another example, one of you may be (unconsciously), so focused on how different you or they are to their company that they feel a real and growing sense of separateness. This had become a common societal trait in fact; for us to focus so much on how we are different from everyone else, others, “them”.

So why is it that I have felt compelled to contemplate and discuss this point today?

Well, one of my greatest passions lies in studying ways in which we can all feel happier, healthier and more fulfilled. Having my own history of unhappiness (as we ALL do!), I have a deep compassion for helping others to learn ways in which they too can discover their own path to true happiness and health. Having had a taste (or shall I say banquet?), of how good it feels to be happy, healthy and energetic every day, I now dedicate my life to sharing the information and strategies that I continue to discover that really make a difference to my life, and now, that of my clients.

The contrast for me in going from an ongoing and underlying sense of unhappiness and dissatisfaction to living in a “bubble of bliss” was so profound and so insightful that I simply HAD o share my journey!

This journey continues every single day and I love it! So I have found myself reading the Dalai Lama’s book, “The Art Of Happiness in a Troubled World”. One of the very first thing’s this book discusses is this sense of connection to others. The Dalai Lama, as a demonstration of this notion, poses the very question that titles this article, “Do you know your neighbour?”

As the discussion in the book progressed, it became startlingly apparent to me that this is one area in which I KNOW without doubt affects my level of happiness at any one time; the level of connection I am feeling to other human beings. It is such a simple, yet incredibly profound concept to check in with.

How connected am I feeling to others? How different am I feeling to others?

Upon pondering this simple notion, take time to consider how you can profoundly increase your level of day to day happiness (and health) by firstly taking a conscious awareness of the level of connection you are feeling to others in each day, and then taking conscious action to foster this if necessary.

See, for this to really work, it requires a real sense of responsibility; a real notion that it is YOU who can change this experience for yourself. Not them, or someone else. Once you fall into the habit of “blame” or even denial, there is no-one who can help you there.

And see, it is much simpler to approach when you take this concept down to just one person at a time. By YOU reaching out to connect with another, you increase the happiness of not just yourself but the other. If this person “pays it forward” then you have a domino, or ripple effect, start to occur. We all know how contagious happiness can be and how good we can feel simply being in the presence of someone who is naturally upbeat, genuinely happy.

And it is without doubt that by feeling a sense of connection to another human being, you WILL feel a GENUINE sense of happiness that lifts your spirit, heightens your mood, energises your day (yes even at that 3-4pm slump), boosts your immune system and improves your general mental well being. Yes, it really is the best medicine, psychotherapy and counselling you could ever invest in!

TRULY opening up to another being and allowing yourself to feel truly connected. This in itself is a challenge. To really open up and really be who you are. Perhaps it may even be one of our greatest challenges today? To address this factor would in itself require an entire article, so I will leave that for some other time.

What I will leave you with however are some strategies and ideas to help YOU improve your level of day to day happiness NOW in a simple and effective manner.

1)Be AWARE of your level of connection to other human beings. How deep is this connection? How TRUE is the interaction? This matters and I would argue that despite feeling connected through online means- Facebook, Twitter, etc- the DEPTH of the connections can be limited and not as satisfying as true heartfelt connection that comes from eye-contact and human presence. Of course YOU will know whether or not these connections satisfy you on a DEEP level, simply by honestly checking in with yourself.

2)Become aware of your openness when with another. Are you genuinely being yourself? Are you allowing yourself to be open? Being open requires that you feel safe with another as it carries a notion of vulnerability. I have learned that there is no way to be truly connected to another if you do not, at some level, allow yourself to be vulnerable to the real potential that this person could hurt you. That is also why TRUE satisfaction of human connection can be few and far between as we increasingly feel unsafe to be ourselves. So check in with the number of connections you experience on a day to day basis in which you truly feel free to BE YOURSELF. Is there a way to foster and grow this type of interaction?

3)Take action on connecting. Awareness will do little without action following suit. Once you become aware, it is time to ponder what you can and will do to change this experience for yourself, if necessary. One of the greatest things we can do as humans to increase our sense of connection to others is to remember that ultimately we ARE all human beings, so in many, many ways, more the same than we are different. When you take the conscious choice to focus more on what you have in COMMON with others, the better you will feel and the closer bonds that are able to develop. Make it a habit to consciously look for how you are the same as someone else. Foster true compassion, rather than intolerance, for others. As any habit, this takes daily practice and reflection. This perspective will give you MANY new-found opportunities to connect with others. If you live a relatively isolated life, get out and find groups to join, functions to attend. When you are amongst people look for the ways in which you are the same. Again, I am not purporting that this is a walk in the park! I know that probably not until last year did I really learn what it meant to TRULY open up to another. First at a one on one level (in my personal relationship), then at a GROUP level (with a group I joined). I can tell you though; all it takes is practice and continuing to put yourself out of your comfort zone, little by little. Now I feel so open-hearted and so connected that I cannot imagine how I thought I was happy before! No wonder I had moments of great despair and loneliness….

And this is the very reason I felt compelled to discuss this notion today. I have been there. I do know what it’s like and I do know how much more happy, healthy and fulfilled one can feel simply by learning to open up and connect!



Health and happiness are not superficial issues. The real answers, the real remedies, all lie beneath the foam. They are to be found in the deep….

As the title implies however….perhaps all it takes is getting to know your neighbour? Maybe you can start there?

How easy is that?!

Have fun connecting :)

As always, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts/comments/responses on the above article.

Feel free to email me at bridget@newleafnutrition.com.au

BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
www.newleafnutrition.com.au

"Your health is everything...Discover your TRUE health potential"

Trust Your Vibes....

An aspect of life that intrigues me, and one that I am immersing myself in with full abandon at the moment, is intuition...

The reason I LOVE this mystical, magical, often unexplainable sense of knowing, is because at the times in life that I trusted my gut, despite what the logical and rational mind may have said or thought about something/someone, things worked out incredibly well...in fact almost perfectly....

Some of these moments have been what you may term "turning points" in my life...very significant personal experiences that have paved the path of my life until now and lead me to a place that is so in tune with my hearts desire that I could not have mentally conceived of such a perfect plan....

It has been at the times when I have let go of the need to know, control, understand, be right, etc that I have been gracefully lead into some amazing moments that have truly awakened me to my true self. Some of these times have been times of crisis, where I've thought, "Well I just don't know what to do here"....Truly dark times where I felt I may in fact be annihilated... despite my UTTER FEAR at these times, I have let go and given the reign to what you might term the Universe....a higher power....I've simply had FAITH...

In any case, my intention for this post today is to share with you an example of how life flows when we do let go...when we simply follow our vibes, no matter how crazy they may seem...

Yesterday morning was like any other..I started early (as I LOVE the MAGIC of mornings) and I completed my choices, did my written guidance and felt then it was time to go for my run...

I NEVER normally take money with me, as any other runners out there know, running without interruption is the intention! :)

Anyway...my vibes told me to take money...if I needed to I could stop for a drink and some more gum (one of my running essentials!)

With that I popped a $5 note in the back pocket of my running shorts and forgot about it...

About 7-8km into my run, I was back at Hastings St Noosa, and I got the VIBE that I should STOP...not sure why...but I trusted, and did so.. I went into the 7 Eleven and grabbed a bottle of water and some gum...I then proceeded to take my time...again very strange for me...I had a browse in the yet unopened Goddess store, admiring the bathers and mentally choosing a pair I might like! (girls are hopeless! lol)

I then decided to walk...yes I had LOTS to do and mentally I thought I should hurry up and get home...I let go of that and re-immersed myself in the joy of walking and admiring all the wonderful scenes around me...

I was then guided to cross over the road...weird as I ALWAYS walk on the same side (I am a HOPELESS creature of habit as those close to me will attest to!)

As I walked along, there was background mental chatter about how I should be hurrying up and why was I dawdling and Brad will wonder where I am...etc

I again ignored it and listened to the more steady and calm knowing of simply walking and sharing my smile with passer-by's...

At a certain point I had to cross back over the road, so I did...nevertheless my attention was drawn, more than usual to the other side...I took in what was over there...glancing over every now and then..

At some point I casually took in a silver car pulled over, a cyclist and some other pedestrians....I looked back in front of me and then I heard it....an incredible SMASH!!!

I looked back over to the car....I saw the cyclist smash into the back of the car, and then fall down to the road...

My mind couldn't really process what was going on.. I looked and thought, "No, he'll get up...he's fine..." I looked and looked but no he did not get up...he did not move from where he fell...

Countless people stopped and ran to his aid...the girls in the car ran out screaming...hysterical....

As i got closer i could see it was serious...my mental chatter said, "Keep going it's ok, there are people there helping, it'll all be fine..."

My gut and inner knowing said calmly, "Go to the driver"...

So with that I found myself walking over and directly to the young girl who was driving the car....I wasn't sure why I was doing this and had no idea what to expect...

Soon enough it became apparent...she was in massive need of someone....everyone else was busy tending to the cyclist and this girl really needed someone...someone to calm her, to reassure her everything was alright...

I comforted her, I settled her, and together we sat, away from the cyclist...I looked into her beautiful, incredibly scared eyes...and just stayed with her....not too many words...just a few calming ones here and there of reassurance...

It was all she needed...

Her friend, the passenger, was way too hysterical to be of any help. The poor thing was out of her mind with fear and panic...I did my best to also calm her as well, however I knew I was there for the driver...I simply stayed with her and kept calm...stroking her arm and just being there...

After not too long, the ambulance arrived...I felt it was ok for me to go...so I gave over my details and told her to call me if she needed anything...She looked straight into my eyes and thanked me so much for being there...

As i walked away I got chills all over my body...thinking over the mornings weird vibes; following directions that were WAY out of my usual way of doing things...as I thought over it I got more and more chills...I knew I was in alignment with my inner guidance system...

VERY BIZARRE....but awesome!

When I got back to my car about 30 minutes later I decided to go back and just check everything was ok and to see if a witness was needed.

By that stage there were police attending the scene and the cyclist was finally being loaded into the ambulance to be taken to Nambour...

From what I could ascertain, he was ok...serious facial issues, and a mangled arm...but definitely ok :)

I gave my statement to the officer, again gave my reassurance to the driver and off I went...

WOW....the power of TRUSTING YOUR VIBES...

All I ask you to consider today is....

Where are you listening to or ignoring the inner guidance you are receiving and what is showing up for you as a result...??

Are you listening to that incessant mental chatter that always seems to HAVE TO KNOW; to have to CONTROL; to have to do things in a CERTAIN WAY always, just because that's how it's always been done....and logically and mentally it MAKES SENSE..???

Or do you give credit and power to the part of you that at times seems crazy....crazy, but calm...that undercurrent of inner calm....very gentle yet firm in its knowing....

If you are not attentive and present, the mental chatter will easily drown out that wise part of you...the part that just knows better but has NO IDEA why....

As long as life is busy, routine and rigid the MIND will win over...it will run the show thinking it knows better and life will continue to be stressful, strained, confusing and energetically exhausting!

You may miss those incredible moments of synchronicity where unbelievable things happen...you meet THE ONE...you find THE PLACE...you get that DREAM JOB...just by chance..by being in the right place at the right time...by saying something off-handed...something you may not usually say...

Only when you let go...make room for things you love...down time...when you give time to exploring what is WITHIN you....only then will you start to hear that inner knowing...

And life, my friend, becomes MAGICAL....

Give some time and consideration this holiday period to how you may make more time in your life for YOU....more time to just CHILL...indulge in nothing and simply LOVE who you are and the space you are in...

Yes, it takes time, practice, patience and continual, never-ending self discovery....but it is SO worth it!

Spend more time and give more attention to what lies within...you will discover some amazing treasures...you are after all...MAGNIFICENT!!

To your genius! ;p

xxoxooxo

BridgetJane
Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
http://bridgetjaneguru.blogspot.com
http://bridgetthompson.blogspot.com
http://bridget-jane.blogspot.com


Mob 0421332243
Sunshine Coast, QLD

"Your health is everything...Discover your TRUE health potential"

My advice? Do NOT diet...

My advice??

DO NOT diet...do NOT put rules, should's and shouldn'ts on yourself...

Make FRIENDS WITH FOOD...make BEST FRIENDS with yourself...

Having been an overweight child and turning this life-long journey into a passion and career, I LOVE to help others BREAK Out of the DIET mentality and teach true freedom and love for oneself…

You can check out my ways by visiting my blogs below and also see my personal story on my website, as well as my clients success stories…

I am INCREDIBLY passionate about helping others make food a FRIEND…

I spent WAY too many years hating my body and hating myself and my only wish is to short-track this journey for others to minimise the pain, suffering, confusion, frustration and HATE that can accompany this physical focus….

For me now it is really about the mind, body, spirit connection…getting people out of their bodies into their hearts…

So you know I am a Fully Accredited Practicing Dietitian(APD) (4yr degree at Monash, Melbourne)- not some "airy-fairy new age hero" with no knowledge…infact I CONFIDENTLY call myself an expert as not only have I been on this journey for over 17 years now, I have also spent MANY millions of hours STUDYING all facets of this journey AND working with clients of ALL ages and backgrounds...(according to studies, 10, 000 hrs spent doing anything and you are classed an EXPERT :p so YES I am an expert MANY times over!!)

Also, being an APD is just ONE PIECE of who I am....mostly I have transcended the typical, usual and incredibly UNSUCCESSFUL western way of dealing with this issue and have discovered a unique approach that truly serves and honours each persons individuality...

So....my advice?

FREE yourself...

Discover a NEW way...

Find YOUR path and commit to a NEW story...

Don't follow crowd's, fad's or empty promises...

Most importantly....

Honour your uniqueness and DO IT DIFFERENTLY!

Recognise the incredible greatness and wisdom WITHIN you..

Learn to tune in to your body's TRUE needs and what it REALLY craves...

This IS a journey of PATIENCE, LOVE, COMMITMENT, DISCOVERY and most of all FUN! :)

Keep your loyalty to YOUR VISION...to YOUR HEART...to YOURSELF!!!

I would LOVE to hear from ANY of you out there!

Love to you all!

Mwah! xoxoxo

BridgetJane Food Body Lifestyle Guru
Writer, Speaker, Consultant
www.newleafnutrition.com.au
http://bridgetjaneguru.blogspot.com
http://bridgetthompson.blogspot.com
http://bridget-jane.blogspot.com
Mob 0421332243
Sunshine Coast, QLD

"Your health is everything...Discover your TRUE health potential"