Natural Health for Life

Better health through herbal teas

2008-03-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

Tea is a favorite beverage for many, but there are many varieties of tea, used for a wide range of purposes. While many people think of black tea when they consider a beverage tea, there are many other options that offer various health benefits. Many types of herbal teas are commonly available on the market to address different health and wellness concerns, often to better effect than the same herbs taken in capsule form. Blended teas are available as well, offering improved flavor as well as carrying the medicinal benefits of their various constituent plants. Another increasingly preferred choice are green teas.

Used for centuries as a wellness and beauty tonic as well as a daily beverage in most Asian countries, green tea has been growing in popularity in the US. Especially in recent years, more and more people are discovering its varied health benefits. Green tea's mild an pleasant flavor lends itself well to different combinations, making it a favorite base of combination teas. Green tea itself provides a large dose of antioxidants, which help promote health in many ways by protecting the body's cells from the damage often associated with aging and cellular metabolism. It is one of the richest sources of catechins (one of which is found in no other source) which may offer a high degree of protection against some cancers (even in the face of other high risk factors). Bioflavenoids are also in abundance in green tea, making vitamin C more complete and helping to boost immunity, protect the skin, and offering a host of other benefits.

A segment of the population has been seeking green tea more widely for its metabolic-boosting ability. Drinking green tea every day has been shown to increase metabolism, and may also be useful to help reduce cravings. This makes green tea a very sought-after diet drink. Sencha, a very high quality green tea, is a good choice for this intended use. Oolong (sometimes spelled Wu-long), while not exactly a green tea, is another popular choice for weight loss.

Also growing in popularity are the number of herbal tea combinations made with green tea. Besides enhancing and complementing the flavors, combining herbs allows the one drinking the tea to experience the increased benefits from other plant sources as well. Acai tea mixed with green tea is a good example. A richer source of antioxidants than other superfruits (such as goji berry and mangosteen), acai is a good choice for preventing free radical damage to cells and improving cellular health. The high availability of antioxidants in acai offers a number of anti-aging benefits. With its complement of nutrients and other vitamins, acai also helps promote healing and boost energy levels. These properties make it a perfect enhancement to green tea for anyone who wishes to improve their health, fight aging, and feel better.

Take advantage of the easy availability of quality herbal teas and combinations available. Find teas you enjoy, and sip your way to increased health and wellness!

Eczema

2008-03-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Eczema can have a number of causes, and can also be a symptom of an underlying problem, such as hypochlorhydria (low levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach), leaky gut syndrome, or an overgrowth of candida. Many cases of eczema are allergy-related.

The allergy can be to something external. Finding the cause is an important step in treating the eczema. It may be necessary to change, at least temporarily, to non-allergenic shampoos, lotions, soaps, etc. and avoid contact with various chemicals, nickel, plants, etc. to see if there is any improvement. In some cases where contact cannot be avoided (such as a person who must be exposed to these things in the course of their work), the sufferer can wear nitrile gloves in order to prevent various substances from coming into contact with the skin. These gloves are latex and powder free, an important consideration since latex allergies are common. These can be purchased from a dealer in medical supplies.

Many other eczema cases are related to dietary allergies. You can try eliminating all common allergens at the same time, and adding them back in at the rate of one per week to find the triggers, or cut out one category at a time to try to find the culprit. Foods that commonly produce allergic skin reactions include eggs, peanuts, soy foods, wheat, dairy products, strawberries, processed foods, and chocolate.

Gluten is an especially worth considering. Try eliminating gluten from your diet for 4-6 weeks and see if there is any improvement, and then re-introduce gluten-containing foods back, one food each week.

Helpful herbs include chamomile and pau d'arco. Both can be used either internally or externally. Aloe gel with a few drops of lavender oil applied in a thick coating over the affected skin can produce very good results. If the skin is very badly affected, you can mix goldenseal root powder (open a capsule) with vitamin E oil and apply that. Betaine HCl can be taken as a supplement to increase levels of hydrochloric acid (it should be avoided if your stomach is too acid). Vitamin E is another important supplement, and various EFA supplements - borage oil, flaxseed oil - can benefit the skin as well.

Atmosphere for Healing

2008-02-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

An atmosphere for healing is especially helpful for people who are fighting illness or for those in addiction recovery. We are pleased to see facilities that concern themselves with the whole individual, rather than just an addiction. Natural surroundings that promote inner serenity help provide balance to the individual's emotions as they recover health. Nutrition is of prime importance in helping to regain health as well. Facilities that offer nutritious and fresh organic foods help build up the system and strengthen the body. Especially while going through drug detox, it is important to avoid the addition of further toxins from added pesticides and antibiotics.

An environment for healing is especially helpful in the case of dual diagnosis . More than 50% of admission cases have a concurrent psychosocial or emotional illness. For these people, the benefits of emotional serenity and natural surroundings are of even greater benefit. Nature helps relieve emotional stress and anxiety, and emotional healing can progress more quickly than it often does within a more artificial and clinical environment.

A variety of therapy options and personalized services allow a program to be tailored to suit an individual, giving every chance for success. Individual, group, and family therapy are part of the treatment process. Challenge and adventure therapy and equine therapy assist development and healing as well.

We are pleased to see programs that address the needs of the whole individual and are not relegated strictly to a clinical setting, allowing a fuller opportunity for healing of the whole person.

Skin care products

2008-02-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of hype and information today about a variety of skin care products and natural anti-aging formulas. It seems that many companies are interested in this high-dollar industry, one of the ones receiving a lot of press being Christian Dior's Dior Capture skin care line.

Manufacturers of course make claims for their products, but in deciding which are most likely to be beneficial and produce real results, it is important to understand the causes of skin aging. Some of these may be correctable while others are best prevented, and the jury is still out on still others.

One of the main reasons for an increase in wrinkles in aging skin is decreased levels of collagen. Many products include collagen in their preparations, promising that applying it to your skin will decrease wrinkles. The problem is that collagen molecules are larger than skin pores and cannot be absorbed into the skin, and simply spreading collagen on the surface of the skin is unlikely to produce any results at all. The only two natural ways of increasing the collagen in skin are to take it as a nutritional supplement, where your body can use it, but will decide WHERE to use it. Because collagen is also an essential component of joints, etc., your body may send it to the joints rather than to your face, where you had hoped to see results. The other method is to increase the body's own collagen production. There are some indications that Dermapril-SP's ingredient, Matrixyl 3000, helps to boost collagen production in the skin, along with Hyaluronic Acid.

Along with collagen and elastin, Hyaluronic Acid is one of the components of the matrix that supports skin tissue. Hyaluronic Acid helps maintain moisture in the skin in the same way that a sponge would do, by absorbing and holding moisture. Lower production of Hyaluronic Acid is also associated with aging.

One of the primary causes of aging is exposure to sunlight over time. This is the factor that is best prevented, and reversal is impossible. The number of burns over a person's lifetime greatly increases risk of skin cancers, as well as adding to the overall sun exposure to negatively impact the quality of the skin as a person ages.

Basic diet - part 3 - Fats and Oils

2008-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

While some people who are dieting strive to cut out ALL fats and oils, this truly is not a healthy choice. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, and can only be absorbed and used when the body has access to fats. Fats are essential to building and maintaining healthy cells, and they are also a source of ready energy to the body.

There are two basic types of fat. The first is saturated fat -- any fat that remains solid at room temperature. Saturated fats include animal fat, lard, butterfat, coconut oil, etc. Most people get the highest levels of saturated fat in their diets from consuming animal proteins and from processed foods that use saturated fats in their ingredient list. Consumption of saturated fats leads to higher cholesterol, increased blood pressure, and laying down of fatty deposits in the arteries, all of which can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. It is of the greatest importance to know what kinds of fats you are consuming and cut down on the sources of saturated fats as much as possible.

An important factor to remember is that the food given to livestock will affect the levels of saturated fats found in animal products. Grass-fed beef is lower in saturated fats than commercially fed beef. Chickens allowed to graze on pasture lay eggs that are lower in cholesterol and higher in omega-3 essential fatty acids than those kept caged and fed a commercial mixture.

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, and include most plant oils. Popularly available products are olive oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc. Because they are liquid at room temperature, unsaturated fats also flow freely inside the body as well. These are the healthiest choice for dietary sources of fat. Among the most healthful choices of the ones we have listed above are olive oil.

Look for cold-pressed organic cooking oil. It is important to avoid heat-processing of oils, as that causes the chemical structure of fats to change. It is always best to use oils at the lowest temperatures possible as well.

Nuts and seeds are also good sources of fats. Whole fresh almonds are especially beneficial. There are also a wide selection of nut butters available (not just peanut, which isn't a nut at all!), although these typically have a shorter shelf life and must be mixed before each use, they are worth the effort.

Do check ALL labels for "trans-fat." In the US, all foods must disclose their level of trans-fat. However, be aware that if a serving provides less than .5 gram, it can legally be listed as "no trans-fat" which isn't quite true, and can still add up to health problems if you consume too much of a product. We will address this further in upcoming posts, since this series is intended to be a simple guide to nutrition, but watch especially for the most common causes, such as "partially hydrogenated" fats and oils.

Butter is also beneficial, in moderation. This is the key to all fat consumption (indeed, to almost all food consumption) ... moderation. The more variety you can introduce to your diet, eating all foods in moderation, the healthier you will be.

Our next post will include some information on minerals and vitamins.

Basic diet - part 2 - Proteins

2008-02-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Usually when someone says "proteins," most people think of meat. There are other sources of protein, however. Proteins are basically complexes that are made up of a variety of amino acids. Some amino acids can be manufactured by the body, while others cannot. The ones your body cannot produce on its own are referred to as "essential amino acids" because you must obtain them through food or your body simply won't have access to them.

Animal proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, which is why meat has come to be considered a primary protein source. There are several down-sides to consuming animal protein, however. Especially if you eat too much animal protein, the processing of it by your body will produce excess acid, leading to an acidic body condition. Acidic body conditions can lead to a whole host of problems, while simply keeping your body alkaline can help prevent many conditions. This is a rather complex issue which we will cover in more detail in future posts. Other problems linked with consuming animal protein are the high levels of saturated fats, and the high incidence of treating animals with hormones and antibiotics by the meat-producing industry, and the levels of pesticide that are often ingested through animal protein because of the treatment of feed crops.

Those who eat animal protein can help balance the pH of their body in several ways, but the most direct is to eat only as much meat as needed and balance that with alkaline-producing foods. Avoiding hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides is made easier by the availability of organic, grass-fed livestock. While the cost of organic meats is higher, if you consume only as much meat as needed, that will produce some dollar savings, and at the same time, you can avoid paying medical costs down the road and enjoy a healthier body. There are ways to save on organic foods as well.

Some plants provide protein as well. Different plants are made of different amino acids so that, when combining different types of plant protein (such as grains with beans), the amino acid complexes will complement one another and the body will have access to "complete" proteins. The body can store amino acids and use them later as needed to manufacture its proteins, so these foods do not need to be consumed at the same meal.

However, excess plant proteins can make the body over-acidic just as animal proteins can. For this reason, the same care should be taken to eat alkaline-producing foods to balance out plant proteins as well.

Good sources of animal protein include meats, fish, eggs, and dairy. Plant protein sources include beans and bean products, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.

Proteins are closely connected to the subject of our next post, which will cover fats and oils.

Basic diet - part 1 - Carbohydrates

2008-02-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

When planning nutrition, there are seven components that the human body needs in order to maintain health. These include carbohydrates, proteins, fats/oils, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and water.

We're going to talk about the first of these today - carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates (or carbs for short) are getting a lot of bad press these days, especially since the popularization of the Atkins Diet and other similar diets. Simply put though, your body NEEDS carbs in order to function.

Something to keep in mind is that there are two kinds of carbohydrates. The first is simple sugars. These are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream because they are in a chemical form that the body can readily use. Typically you will feel a burst of energy when consuming simple sugars, but many people will also feel a "crash" soon afterwards because just as the simple sugars are easy to assimilate, they are quickly used up and then nothing remains to continue to nourish the body. There is too much difference between the available energy when the sugars are entering the bloodstream and the period soon after when they are gone. This can cause headaches, tiredness and fatigue, irritability, and other results that you may recognize, while other problems are building inside your body that you don't feel.

In order to process sugar, the body needs insulin. When taking in simple sugars, the body demands insulin (which is made by the pancreas) quickly, because the sugar is ready to use NOW. If you continually eat simple sugars, the pancreas can become stressed with all the stop-start demands for quick insulin production. This is one of the dietary factors that can lead to diabetes, in which the pancreas is no longer able to produce sufficient insulin to process sugars.

Another problem is that insulin, which has come to be known as the "fat storage hormone," basically helps to instruct your body that the sugar being processed needs to be stored for future energy, and over time, will be much more likely to lead to obesity than if the same calories had been consumed in another form.

The second type of carbs are complex carbohydrates. These are the ones found in whole grains, vegetables, etc. The advantage with complex carbohydrates is that their complex structure means that it takes the body longer to process them to make them available for energy, so the need for insulin to process these sugars is a slow, steady process that doesn't place the demands on the pancreas for immediate insulin that simple sugars do. Thus the pancreas is not stressed, the insulin doesn't tell the body that the sugars are best converted to fat, and the body receives a slow, consistent dose of energy over time, avoiding those "crash" headaches, fatigue, etc.

The intake of simple sugars should be limited. Instead, you should seek out complex carbs for as much of your energy calories as possible.

Stay tuned for our next post ... covering proteins.

Is Melatonin a Safe Supplement?

2008-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

The answer to whether or not melatonin is a safe supplement is … yes, and no. Before deciding to take a supplement, you should understand how it will work in your body and if you NEED to take it.

While many supplements are good for almost everyone and will at least not hurt you even if you don’t need it, some should be considered more carefully. Melatonin is one of these.

Simply put, a person’s body SHOULD produce melatonin anyway. It is necessary to regulate sleep cycles. Some people don’t produce enough melatonin naturally, and these people usually suffer sleep interruptions, either in the form of not being able to fall asleep or, more often, falling asleep only to wake up within a couple of hours and then finding themselves unable to get back to sleep after their middle-of-the-night waking.

These are the people that can benefit from taking melatonin. Their body is already impaired with melatonin production, and they are already suffering from lack of sleep. Replacing the melatonin their bodies should produce naturally will help correct this.

However, there are many reasons that people have trouble sleeping. More often than not, the cause is actually stress. Other factors can interfere with sleep as well. These people may already be producing enough melatonin, but are not sleeping because of some other reason.

The problem comes when someone goes out and buys melatonin and starts taking it without knowing whether they need it or not. (And every customer who has come to my store to buy melatonin hasn’t known whether or not they needed it.) It can be safe enough to try it if you can be unbiased enough to determine whether or not it actually helps. You should keep a sleep log for at least a few days before beginning melatonin, and continue it after beginning to take it. If you don’t see an improvement within a very short time, you shouldn’t continue to take melatonin.

The reason is that, as I said, the body naturally produces melatonin. If you begin to supplement that with extra melatonin, your body gets the signal that melatonin isn’t needed. Continuing to take the melatonin supplement over time, if it is not needed, can “shut off” your body’s natural mechanisms and you will then become melatonin deficient where you weren’t before. In this way, the supplement can be “unsafe.”

And if you were losing sleep for some reason other than low levels of melatonin, you still won’t be able to sleep until that issue is addressed, but at the same time you may now need to take melatonin supplements when you didn't need them before.

It is a much better approach to try to evaluate what is the most likely cause of your lack of sleep. As stated before, stress is the most likely culprit. In the case of persons under stress whose thoughts tend to race when they lie down to sleep, the herb skullcap is often helpful. If the cause is physical pain or tension, such as from an injury, valerian root would be the first choice to try. There are a number of other herbs as well that are more specific to other kinds of insomnia. Melatonin is usually indicated first in cases where there is not a more obvious cause and/or when the person has experienced a major disruption in sleep cycles, such as a person on shift work or one who has moved across multiple time zones.

Even when melatonin is indicated, it should be used “as needed” and the person should attempt to wean off of it if the need is temporary and can resolve itself. For those persons who truly do not produce enough melatonin, there may be a need to continue to supplement throughout life.

Personal Safety

2008-01-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

Some people consider martial arts for exercise and then expect that they will have the added benefit of being able to defend themselves if necessary. However, that isn't necessarily true. The truth about martial arts is that while they are often great exercise trainers and can be useful for developing discipline, because they are based on a set of rules of encounter and generally expect a certain environment as well, the concepts don't transfer well to actual attack and combat situations. Expecting them to do so can actually give you a false sense of security and might lead you to put yourself at risk unnecessarily.

If you do feel that you would like to be able to protect yourself in situations that may arise, it makes more sense to learn close combat training instead of studying pure martial arts forms. If you cannot do both, combat training will still provide you with the benefits of exercise while giving you the tools you need to protect yourself.

If you decide to learn a method of self-defense, be sure to look into the qualifications of the trainer and choose a method that works. CloseCombatTraining is a world leader in self defense and has effectively trained people to protect themselves when necessary with moves that are easy to learn and can be practiced by anyone.

It makes sense to learn a method of protecting yourself, and the exercise is an additional benefit. However, it is also important to learn not to put yourself in situations that put you at risk, as much as possible. Not every situation can be anticipated, so it is good to be able to take care of yourself. But one should never take unnecessary risks either. For the sake of your life, health, and happiness, use both methods, preparation and prevention, to keep yourself safe and healthy.

Cold Sores Revisited

2008-01-20T01:04:00.000-08:00

We recently posted about the prevention of cold sores (fever blisters) using Solaray's L-Lysine with Beta Glucan (and Olive Leaf). Taking a couple of these at the first signs of lip tingling will almost always prevent the cold sore from appearing, and essentially "cure" it within a half-day or so.

Since that time, we have had experience with cold sores brought on by extreme stress which did not respond to the lysine capsules.

We want to add some suggestions for these kinds of situations. We still suggested continuing the Solaray L-lysine a couple of times a day, but added Nature's Sunshine VSC, which is a Chinese herbal combination that helps make the body inhospitable for viruses and thus discourages their replication. We used the concentrated form, one capsule every 4-5 hours. At the same time, we suggested Nature's Sunshine Tei-Fu oil to be applied directly to the cold sore as often as possible. Tei-Fu is a combination of food-grade essential oils, mostly wintergreen, that helps dry up the blister.

For stress-induced situations like this, it is important to get enough rest.

It is also a good idea to take a good quality multi-vitamin supplement, add some extra vitamin E as well as higher doses of a B-complex, and get enough protein. Skullcap also helps the body deal with stress, and is doubly useful if the current life situation causes racing thoughts or trouble sleeping due to continuous thoughts. Astragalus is another adaptogenic herb that can be useful as well, and is an immune system tonic at the same time. Other adaptogens include Rhodiola and Maca, to name just a few.

We will be discussing adaptogenic herbs further in a later post.

Choosing sports equipment

2008-01-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

We've talked a lot lately about how great exercise is for your general health. There are the obvious benefits of staying fit, burning calories, keeping muscles in shape, stress relief, and heart health. When your sport is one where you interact with others and follow a set of rules and/or techniques, you gain the additional benefits of emotional satisfaction from social interaction as well as keeping your brain active and healthy as well. There are a number of sports that allow such interaction and development. Most of them have their own particular set of concerns for wellness, and generally there is equipment available to offer maximum protection for any particular sport. Tennis is one example. If you play tennis, it is important to also select the right equipment for your physical well-being. Tennis shoes and rackets are of the greatest importance.

Tennis shoes are the most important piece of equipment to consider for your overall safety as you play. Shoes intended for other sports generally are not acceptable. For example, if you have a great pair of running shoes, the heel should be well-cushioned in expectation of absorbing shock in a forward-only motion. In tennis, you must move quickly side-to-side (or in any direction really) and so require more support for the ankle in order to prevent sprains and/or broken ankles. Choose your shoes carefully. You may wish to look into a brand such as K-Swiss tennis shoes for features such as support and breathability.

If you are playing on a sunny court (and almost all of them are) you may wish to consider a hat or visor to block sun from your face as well as cut down on glare. Shock dampeners can be another useful accessory, cutting down on vibration. There are also wraps and braces available for your knees, elbow, wrist, etc. to help support vulnerable joints and ease stress, decreasing the risk of injury. You may also wish to purchase a grip trainer of some sort that will allow you to easily strengthen your grip and improve your game while further protecting your body.

Another piece of equipment that is of greatest importance is the racket. Choose a brand that offers stability and an ergonomically shaped grip that allows better contact and transfer of force, such as the Babolat Rackets with their "smart grip" technology. A good grip will transfer more power into the racket as well as control the amount of twisting, further protecting the wrist joint.

Whatever your sport, do the necessary research and be prepared to invest in the proper equipment that will help you to enjoy your game to the fullest while protecting you from injury and joint stress. And above all, have fun!

Rehab referrals

2008-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

While our main goal is promoting a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition, exercise, and use of natural herbal supplements, vitamins, etc., sometimes there are bigger issues in the way that must be dealt with first. As a service to our readers who may be seeking help for treatment of drug or alcohol addiction for family members or other loved ones, we would like to suggest a referral service for drug treatment and rehab.

Whether you are seeking an alcohol rehab program or a program for treatment of a drug addiction, there are many programs and facilities available. Virtually everything can vary between different programs. For example, some programs may be offered in a clinical surrounding and feel like a hospital stay, while others aim for a more serene environment including a home-like atmosphere with landscaping and water features. There are often sensory adjustments that a person recovering from an addiction must face, and the program chosen to assist with the rehab should be sensitive to these issues and have options in place to help the person being treated to adjust. Also, depending upon the particular substance the person is recovering from, the withdrawal symptoms can be anywhere from mild to very intense and alarming. The program chosen should have the expertise and experience necessary to help the person cope with these symptoms.

Preparing the person for exit from the program is also important. Not only must the body be free from the substance and no longer craving it, but the person should deal with with certain psychological and emotional factors as well in order to have the best chance at remaining clean. Programs that offer a chance at social interaction and developing friendships with clean and sober people are helpful, as are those that help build self-esteem and assist the person to identify life goals in order to become more motivated to stay clean. Drug rehab has many facets, and paying attention to all the relevant factors helps build a more successful and stronger person who is more able to avoid relapses.

The best course of action is to research the available choices and compare factors that may affect the eventual success of the rehabilitation. Counselors who can help you consider all of the various details and choose the best fit in a program for the individual needing treatment can be very helpful.

Alternative Medicine - herbs

2008-01-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

Alternative medicine means different things to different people, but generally it would include treatments that are outside of "conventional" medicine, or that which you would expect to receive from traditionally-trained western MDs and physicians.

The most commonly thought of complementary alternative medicine involves the use of herbs as agents to feed those systems in the body that require the substances in the herbs to return them to normal health. There are many herbs in use throughout the world for the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, some of which have been used traditionally for thousands of years.
So many herbs are active on a number of body systems, and so will include in their list of uses things that may seem completely unrelated. However, our bodies are complex, and will use these substances in a number of ways according to our own need, so a single herb can often be used for a number of different conditions.

While synthetically derived substances are not easily "recognized" by the body, and so offer greatly increased risk of various side effects and other problems, herbs themselves should not be universally seen as "safe" simply because they are natural. Substances in herbs are active within the body, and it is essential to realize that, while rare, sometimes there are interactions between different herbs, or sometimes they can have an effect upon various prescription medications. Also, the practice of standardizing herbs can produce a more powerful extract that, if taken to an intense level, can produce a substance that acts differently in the body. For this reason it is prudent to educate yourself, as well as to consult someone familiar with alternative medicine guidelines, when using herbs. Of particular note are the cautions not to use particular herbs during pregnancy, for example, or while using prescription drugs (anti-depressants are some of the ones that most commonly interact with herbs).

This is not intended to scare the public, or make you think that "herbs are unsafe." Quite the contrary, in the vast majority of cases it is the synthetic drugs that cause side effects, injury, and even death. Our only intention is to inform the public that processing methods can affect the strength of herbs, and that there are a few instances of herbs that should not be taken together, herbs that should not be given to persons with certain conditions, and herbs that should not be taken with prescriptions. One should not assume that just because it is an herb it is safe to take in any way one chooses. (If that were true, you would essentially be saying that an herb has no effect, and thus why would you be taking it anyway?)

Standardization is generally noted on the label, and reputable sellers of herbs know which products are potentially too strong and will take steps to ensure that their customers do not purchase an inappropriate level. For example, an herb that is extracted at 2,000:1 needs to be handled carefully.

BMR Calculator & BMI Calculator

2007-12-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

We were browsing various weight loss sites and looking for information available on the web about health and weight loss. One site offering weight loss surgery included some nice tools and information, and we wanted to share some of them with you here.

One of the first is a BMR Calculator (Basal Metabolic Rate), which allows you to calculate the number of calories your body requires for daily maintenance. This is the number of calories your body requires, at rest and with no exercise, to simply maintain your current weight. Knowing this information allows you to manage your weight loss by planning to either 1) burn more calories through exercise, 2) consume fewer calories, or 3) combine both exercise and decreased intake, the ideal solution. This tool shows you how many calories you need to burn and how many you need to decrease in order to lose your target amount of weight in the time frame you plan.

The second tool is a BMI Calculator (Body Mass Index), which allows you to compare your height to your weight (for your sex) and gauge your body mass, which in turn tells you how high your risk is for a variety of weight-related health issues. If your BMI is 26-27, you are at a moderately increased risk for health problems due to your weight. A BMI of 30 or higher places you in the class of obesity, which carries even more risks. The higher the BMI, the greater the increased risk. Persons who are obese are at higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and more. It is also wise in that case to have your cholesterol numbers checked, and monitor your blood pressure, which are further indicators of your overall risk. Losing weight is highly recommended ... even a modest decrease will also decrease your risk of various health issues.

Exam Gloves - wise precaution

2007-12-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Some products are not readily available at natural health stores, but may be necessary for caring for an elderly or ill person, or to prevent infection. An online medical supply store can be a good source for such necessary products.

Some medical supplies are useful to have on hand, such as latex exam gloves (or latex-free for sensitive individuals). Select powder-free gloves. Exam gloves are useful to have on hand when treating staph infections, for example, or any skin infection of unknown type, in order to protect the person applying treatment. They can also be worn by immuno-compromised or potentially weakened persons when performing tasks that may otherwise expose them to potentially infectious conditions, such as cleaning bathrooms or even kitchen surfaces where raw meats have been processed. They are also useful in handling and treating animals who may be carrying parasites or have infectious conditions. If you carry a first aid kit (and you should), it is a good idea to include several pairs of latex gloves, which should be worn when treating anyone who has a bleeding injury, particularly strangers or others who could potentially be carrying infections you may not be aware of. Useful for preventing a wide range of infections and infestations, gloves are a wise precaution in many circumstances.

Healthy choices for less

2007-11-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Often, in fact ALMOST always, the healthful food choices are more expensive than the less desirable ones. However, it pays to keep your eyes open and look around.

The deli in our local supermarket offering free-range turkey, sliced for $4.97 per pound. When we checked the process, sliced, packaged turkey in the lunch meat area, we were surprised to find that most brands cost roughly $2.50 for an 8 oz. package ... which is actually slightly MORE expensive than the free-range turkey.

Also, a local farmer's market offers pastured eggs ($1.20) for far less than the supermarket ($2.80), although the prices for these are still just slightly higher than the average asking price for mass-produced eggs ($1.15) of the same size.

It pays to shop around. We weren't surprised that the farmer's market offered better quality food for a reasonable price, but we didn't expect to see that the supermarket deli would. Check unexpected places as well, and eat for your health!

Uplifting memories ...

2007-11-28T01:20:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, we've been going through some of our family photos and photos from vacations and holidays. I started thinking about how I felt when looking at these glimpses into my life. The memories of my grandmother who passed away are tender and nostalgic. The photo of me holding my daughter as an infant takes me back to that moment. The pictures of the waterfall I discovered on a mountain trek put me back into that refreshed, relaxed mode. I started thinking of how great it would be to be able to look through all of those photos on a more regular basis, and how all those relaxed, warm, loving thoughts the pictures inspire couldn't help but have a positive effect on my health as well as my emotional outlook. This year I've seen a great way to accomplish that goal ... using a digital photo frame. I'm going to choose all my most uplifting and calming pictures, and load them into a digital frame and set them to play on slideshow. I may even set the whole thing to music, since some frames have that capability. I can't wait to see my photos cycling on my desk ... I know what I'm giving myself for Christmas this year!

Great deals on anything!

2007-11-28T00:16:00.000-08:00

We found an interesting site that can help you save money on the products you need to stay healthy (as well as many thousands of other products!) and wanted to pass it along to our readers. SaveBuckets is a price comparison website that lists the prices on a huge variety of products available from hundreds of sellers. By clicking on the product you want (for example, if you were searching for a laptop) you can view thousands of related products. Clicking on any one of them will show the seller who offers it at the lowest price. There is a category for "health and wellbeing" which offers supplements, essential oils, natural soaps, homeopathies, and more. While we are not familiar with all of the brands shown, we did find some we could easily recommend, such as Bach's and Olba's, as well as a number pieces of of exercise equipment, support and comfort products, and measurement tools.

We hope this site will prove helpful for our readers!

Spider bite or staph?

2007-11-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

We've seen a growing number of staph infections coming into the store lately. Most of them don't realize that's what it is. Usually, they think they have a spider bite or something similar, even though they don't remember being bitten. It's just a swollen place, painful, with a slight lump under the skin, that may or may not have a "head" or "bite mark" on it. Most of these do not have any fever or other signs of infection, although the pain sometimes extends through a limb (if the infection is showing up in a limb) or feels as though it is painful down to the bone.

If untreated, these will usually spread and show up in other areas of the body. (This can also happen if they are treated for a while and then stopped before completely wiped out.)

About half of the people can trace the infection to unsanitary conditions, such as having been cleaning toilets without gloves, or having had to deal with toilet or sewage overflow. The other half cannot find any reason they could have been exposed.

Something many people have found helpful in dealing with the infection is burdock. We generally give Nature's Sunshine Burdock, which gives 720 mg. of very available burdock root (Arctium lappa). Most people take 3 capsules, 4 times per day. This is combined with a 30x homeopathic sulfur, taken about 4 pellets at a time, 4 times per day. The sulfur is usually stopped when the infection seems to be gone, and the burdock is continued for another week or so after that point.

Additional relief is offered by soaking a clean cloth or towel in hot salt water, with a little extra salt applied to the cloth and then placed over the infected area up to several times a day. Care should be taken when dealing with staph infections. They can easily spread. The infected spot should not be touched, and hand-washing is important.

Care home & home care

2007-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

While our main focus is in maintaining health and independence throughout life by living a healthy lifestyle, sometimes that is not always possible. We may need extra help for ourselves or family members. This may be offered in a care home facility, or in the person's own home by visiting caregivers, or with live-in full-time caregivers.

The choice of a care environment is crucial to the person's welfare. Usually, it is important to maintain as much independence as possible. Sometimes changing the home environment can make it possible for a person to continue living on their own. This could mean moving to a home more suitable for the person's limitations, such as a wheelchair accessible home with modifications in the kitchen and bathroom. If only certain tasks are difficult, perhaps a visiting person to provide meals, clean the home, or help with shaving, etc. is all that is needed. Or maybe a monitored emergency system will provide necessary safety. Before deciding, make sure to consider all of your options and look for ways to solve the particular problems you are facing.

If more constant care is needed, either on a temporary or long-term basis, it may be possible to have a caregiver come into the home, either on a rotating basis or as a live-in caregiver. Selecting the caregiver is of UTMOST importance in these cases. Agencies can offer good candidates, and you may also want to ask through local churches or local nursing schools.

An option between these is that of a close care home or extra care home. Usually these are small homes (or rooms) on the grounds of a nursing home that allow the resident to live independently, but still use some of the services offered by the nursing home. Generally you can select the services you need, but be sure to find out how you will be billed for services in advance.

Whatever your needs, research your options thoroughly and consider ways to keep the level of independence you desire. But also consider the social benefits and conveniences offered from visiting helpers or others within a residential facility. Make the best decision for your future.

Staying Sharp Mentally - Mental Workout

2007-11-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

"Use it or lose it” is even more applicable to mental “muscle” than it is to physical muscle. It is important to continue to challenge yourself with cognitive problems and new learning opportunities.

Puzzles and brain teasers, reading, playing games that require planning or strategy, studying or learning new material, and similar pastimes are all great ways to keep active and strong mentally and encourage continual flexibility and growth.

Whatever the focus of your mental workout, you will see improvement in related areas. For example, if you do crossword puzzles, you will be able to better remember people’s names and the exact word you want to describe a particular situation. Math teasers will help you remember basic facts and be able to quickly and accurately balance your checkbook.

New learning is one of the best tools to stave off the cognitive decline associated with aging. We all gradually lose neurons as we age; learning new things will develop more synapses and encourage denser branching and more connections between neurons to compensate.

Linguistics is a particularly promising area. Studies have found that people who learn a second language experience mental decline at least several years later than others who are otherwise similar to themselves.

The best strategy is to combine many different types of mental challenges on an ongoing basis. When they can be incorporated with some of our other methods of staying mentally fit, for example, taking a class and being able to socially interact with others in the process, the benefit is even richer.

There is a rich source of puzzles, learning, and more to be found online. Here are a few puzzle links to get you started:

PuzzleChoice

Jigzone Jigsaw Puzzles

Puzzles.com

The Grey Labyrinth

Staying Mentally Sharp - Socialization

2007-11-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Being involved in relationships with others is an important factor to maintaining our mental sharpness, especially as we age. One of the sad aspects of aging is often isolation … with loss of friends or decreased mobility, many seniors get out of the house less often and find themselves alone too much of the time, often leading to depression. Conditions such as these can accelerate mental decline associated with aging.

Staying socially active helps combat these problems. Whether it’s getting together with friends for a chat, playing games at the community center, taking art classes with other seniors, or trading plant slips over the back fence, having connections with other people helps stimulate brain function.

Of great potential benefit to active seniors is ballroom dancing classes and groups. Dancing is a social interaction, and has the added benefit of keeping one physically active as well, providing an oxygen boost to the brain as described in our last post.

Volunteer work can help seniors know that they are still needed and useful. Pets help fulfill this need as well. Having a pet to interact with is just as good as a human companion in terms of the effects of mood on cognitive abilities, and taking care of a pet provides an ongoing occupation. Many pets are active, and require exercise as well, which will also benefit the owners that are able to join them in their romps.

Staying Sharp Mentally - Exercise

2007-11-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Not only is exercise vital for our physical well being, it is essential for mental well-being! Exercise increases the heart rate, which in turn increases oxygen to every part of the body, and oxygen is especially important for the brain.

Aerobic exercise is the best way to supply oxygen to the brain. In addition, aerobic exercise also neutralizes stress, which can be especially harmful to the brain. Stress reduces our mental abilities considerably while at the same time causing the body to divert resources away from the brain and into the rest of the body in preparation for either “fight or flight.” The cortisol released when we experience stress can remain in the body for up to 2-1/2 days, continuing to impair brain function. Exercise rids the body of cortisol.

Aerobic exercise also causes the release of neurotrophins, which help the brain to create new connections and keep everything functioning more smoothly.

Research also shows that regular exercise specifically increases blood flow to the areas of the brain involved with memory.

Staying Sharp Mentally - Supplements

2007-11-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

Many times it is difficult to achieve optimum results with diet alone. While diet is certainly important, and should always be improved as much as possible, supplements can do just that – supplement our diets.

Folic acid (800 mcg daily has been tested to be beneficial in this case) is one of the emerging nutrients important in preventing age-related decline in mental ability. Folic acid works with vitamins B6 and B12 to help neutralize homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine has been linked with poor reasoning ability, memory impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Antioxidants should be supplied in the diet, but supplementation is also helpful. Some of the more helpful antioxidants to prevent free-radical damage to mental processes are vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione. Selenium may be even more important for protecting mental ability.

Anti-inflammatory agents are also helpful. Herbs such as boswellia, ginger, turmeric, and echinacea as well as aloe are particularly helpful.

Other important supplements that help keep neurons strong and functional include phosphatidylserine and alpha lipoic acid.

Staying Sharp Mentally - Nutrition

2007-11-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

Most of us almost “expect” to decline mentally as we grow older. We’ve been taught that it is a fact of life, and “senior moments” happen to everyone. However, there are several things you can do to help prevent searching for a word you KNOW that you know, but can’t remember or to keep from walking into a room only to look around for five minutes trying to remember why you came in there in the first place.

Nutrition is the first line of defense. In general, try to limit the amount of meat (especially beef and pork) and refined sugar consumed. Even more important, avoid processed foods as much as possible. Additives and preservatives are not “real food.” Instead, strive to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and up to a few servings of fish per week. Olive oil is preferable to vegetable/corn, and similar oils. Foods rich in Omega-3’s are helpful, such as flaxseed and flaxseed oil. A diet such as this will provide a rich source of antioxidants, which help prevent a number of complications associated with aging. It will also help lower “bad” cholesterol and raise “good” cholesterol, which can help prevent strokes and other threats to brain health. It also provides a more anti-inflammatory environment within the body. All of these things will help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and provide optimum brain health.

A further benefit to a diet such as this is improved cardiovascular health, weight loss (if needed), and reduction of many age-related complications. Look for cookbooks on “The Mediterranean Diet” to find recipes that follow these guidelines. Also, a good way to add flax to your diet is to use the whole seeds or ground seeds mixed into any baking batter, or sprinkled on cereal or yogurt. Whole seeds can be added as a topping for muffins, etc. Flax oil can be used as a dressing for salads. While flax oil provides Omega-6 as well as Omega-9 fats (other essential fats), it is highest in Omega-3, and that is the ratio most of us need to balance these fats in our diets.

There are other strategies for maintaining optimum mental health. We will feature some of these in upcoming posts.