Celebrity health and wellness speaker Barbara O’Neill tours Fiji

Mental and emotional wellbeing form a vital foundation for preventing illness, according to Australian alternative medicine lecturer Barbara O’Neill.

Ms O’Neill, 72, a world-renowned wellness retreat advocate and speaker, shared her natural health principles during a visit to Fiji. She has been travelling to Fiji for more than 20 years.

Speaking at a session in Labasa today, she discussed diabetes, weight loss, and practical lifestyle adjustments suited to everyday living in Fiji.

She also introduced her health acronym SUSTAINME, which she described as outlining the basic laws of health.

About 50 people attended her natural health and healing session at Damodar City Cinema, marking her first visit to the North.

She told participants that sunshine was essential for daily Vitamin D, the body required regular hydration, and that most people did not get enough sleep between 10pm and 3am, the hours she said the body heals most effectively.

“Ideally, eight hours of sleep is enough,” Ms O’Neill said.

She highlighted that many lifestyle diseases in Fiji stem from high sugar consumption, caffeine intake and reduced time outdoors.

“Nose breathing allows better oxygen intake, and research shows that mouth breathing reduces air purification,” she said.

Ms O’Neill said nutrition should return to a more natural diet and stressed moderation, noting that rice was acceptable when balanced with leafy greens.

“When you know how the body works, then you will know how to treat it. Exercise remains essential for burning calories and maintaining overall health,” she said.

Ms O’Neill added that she focused on teaching healthy lifestyle habits rather than selling products, because she believed lifestyle was the key to long-term wellbeing.