When it comes to cold and flu season, prevention really is the first line of defense. To keep your body’s defense system—the immune system—in peak condition, follow our immunity-boosting tips to help your body fight off the bugs looking for a host. And, for times when you are feeling ill, the second set of tips can help ease your symptoms and support a quick recovery.
The Power of Vitamin D Vitamin D: not only is it powerful, it’s vital for good health. Although it’s called a vitamin, D is actually a steroid hormone that acts as a catalyst for processes that protect our cells.
For millennia, physicians and herbalists have found medicinal uses for all parts of the elder tree, including its wood, leaves, flowers, and berries. The branches of this native European plant were believed to cast off evil spirits. Leaves were used in ointments to heal wounds. Flowers and berries were used to make wine; infusions were a common treatment for colds and rheumatic conditions. Today, herbalists and holistic physicians commonly recommend elderberry for its immunity-boosting properties.
A healthy immune system is vital for helping your body deal with infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus, and environmental toxins. As the winter months approach, it becomes even more important to support your immune system by consistently eating a balanced diet, exercising, and making healthy lifestyle choices. But the real fuel for a strong immune system is using food as medicine.
Earlier this year we learned that Amazon admitted to selling fake supplements on their platform. You can be comforted that the products you receive from our office are of the highest quality, often shipped directly from the manufacturer (appropriately with ice packs if needed) and always stored at specified temperatures.
Want to satisfy your sweet tooth without adding inches to your waistline? This rich, creamy avocado mousse is about as close as you’ll get to a truly healthy chocolate treat. Serves 1.
Support for Menstrual Difficulties with Chaste Tree Extract Back in the Middle Ages, Chaste Tree Extract (Vitex agnus castus, aka Vitex or Chasteberry) was used by monks to decrease sexual desire (hence its name!). Today we know that this powerful herb – a medicinally potent brown berry about the size of a peppercorn – doesn’t impact sexual desire. But it does help manage reproductive disorders. Vitex is used for menstrual difficulties including PMS and PCOS, breast pain management, and infertility. It may also benefit women going through menopause.
As the weather starts turning a bit cooler, it marks the beginning of the cold and flu season. Keeping your immune system functioning optimally is necessary! We lead busy and stressful lives and this takes a toll on our bodies. Here are some immune supportive tips to keep your body functioning at its best.
Zinc is second to iron as the most common mineral in the human body and it’s found in every cell, making it vital to the health and wellbeing of children and adults. Zinc plays an indispensable role in hundreds of biochemical reactions including those that support the development and the health of the blood, skin, muscles, and hormones. Zinc also supports optimal function of the nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system.
Sleep is such a vital part of your overall well-being – do a quick check-in! Are you sleeping as much as you should be? Too much or not enough? Are you sleeping through the night or waking up multiple times?
Healing Acid Reflux Naturally You’ve just enjoyed a southwest burrito at your favorite restaurant. Now, you’re feeling as if someone has lit a fire in your upper abdomen and the flames are reaching up your throat. That’s acid reflux. It’s triggered when stomach acid backs up into your food pipe (the esophagus). Acid reflux (commonly called heartburn) is a painful and aggravating condition that affects about 60% of the adult population in a given year. A more persistent and serious condition, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) afflicts as many as seven million Americans.
Like cures like. That’s the concept behind homeopathy, a centuries-old system that stimulates the body’s innate healing ability. In 1796, Samuel Hahnemann, M.D. observed that Cinchona Bark, a medicinal plant used by native people in South America to treat malaria, could also cause the symptoms of malaria in healthy people. After testing the theory on himself, he continued his research, establishing the “dynamic” effect of a homeopathic substance: The less potent the disease-causing agent in the remedy, the better it stimulated the healing process and with fewer side effects.
Gastrointestinal health is widely considered the health of the whole person. In Naturopathic Medicine, many treatments plans evolve around supporting and optimizing gut health. Most of us have certain foods we try to limit, the top food sensitivities I see in my Naturopathic practice are wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs and soy. A comprehensive blood test is often ordered to specify which foods a patient is sensitive to and the results are used to outline a plan to limit those foods in their diet. Even those who try to eat a healthy diet most of the time are tempted to indulge during the holiday season.
When Life Heats Up, Chill out with Yoga If the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, never ending to-do lists, constantly chiming cell phones, and past-due deadlines have you at the boiling point, simmer down to the yoga mat and find a little peace of mind.
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) While research results are mixed around flaxseed and its ability to reduce menopausal symptoms, there are enough positive findings to support use of this nutrient-rich herb. For many women it has made the difference between comfort and discomfort when it comes to reduction of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings). Here are three nutrients unique to flaxseed, all of which play a role in supporting good health.