Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired!

 Nature’s Sunshine Seasonal Defense is another great supplement that keeps me healthy all year long.  I have three young children, and let’s face it, kids are little petri dishes.  They bring home every contagious bug out there.  And I might as well set up a looped recording of “WASH YOUR HANDS,” and play it day and night for all the attention they pay me.  Seasonal Defense contains a proprietary blend of 5 immune boosting herbs.

Andrographis is a flowering plant native to Asia and India and is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine for humans and pets.  Andrographis is known in northeastern India as 'Maha-tita', literally 'king of bitters', as well as various other names. It is also known as 'Bhui-neem', since the plant, has a similar appearance and has the same bitter taste as that of Neem (Azadirachta indica).  The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine, states, "A specific product (Andrographis combined with Eleutherococcus senticosus) may shorten the duration and lessen the symptoms of common cold.” 

Thyme Leaves are beneficial for more than making tasty culinary dishes.  Thymol, the compound in thyme leaves responsible for its aromatic pungent odor (it’s a phenol with similar properties as I discussed in my praises of olive leaf extract) is acknowledged by mainstream medicine to have antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties.  In fact, thymol is as effective as bleach solution at killing bacteria and viruses on surfaces, and non-toxic to humans and the environment.  Used since ancient times as a remedy for respiratory disorders, it also offers anti-viral, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and disinfectant benefits.  In a 2007 German study, scientists tested a syrup made of extracts of Thyme herb and ivy on children and adolescents with acute bronchitis. Their study concluded that a ten-day treatment of the syrup clearly improved symptoms and, in some cases, cured the illness. Coughing decreased an average of 81.3% by the tenth day of treatment.

Bitter Orange Fruit Extract contains synephrine, which acts as a natural decongestant.  It may also be useful for upset stomach.  D-limonene is the other beneficial component of bitter orange fruit that has been shown to have anti-bacterial properties. 

Eleuthero Root sometimes referred to as Siberian Ginseng (not to be confused with Korean or American Ginseng), is an adaptogenic herb that helps the body deal with stress.  I don’t know about you, but just thinking about catching another cold or the flu stresses me out!  In this case though, Eleuthero is being used in combination with Andrographis for cold virus relief.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), when taken in combination with Andrographis, a 2004 study of 130 children (published in Phytotherapy Research) found that an herbal formula containing Eleuthero and Andrographis helped reduce cold duration and severity when treatment was started at the early stages of the cold.

Oregano  Oregano how I love thee, let me count the ways!  Mmmmmm I love homemade pizza sauce seasoned with oregano.  And there’s nothing better than the smell of oregano spiced spaghetti sauce simmering away in the kitchen.  Oregano oil in supplement form (also known as oil of Mediterranean oregano or Oreganum vulgare) is not quite the same as the oregano I love in my spaghetti sauce (Oregano Marjoram).  Mediterranean oregano is effective due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties.  It also contains thymol and is a rich source of Vitamin K and antioxidants.  Portuguese researchers found that oreganum vulgare was effective against 41 strains of the food pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.  Oregano oil is a powerful antimicrobial, because it contains another one of those fabulous phenols called Carvacol.  A team of British and Indian researchers reported that oil of oregano has strong antibacterial properties that can even kill the hospital “Superbug” MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).  Biologists at the United Arab Emirates University reported in the journal PLoS ONE that oregano exhibits anticancer activity by encouraging cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (a fancy word for cancer cells committing suicide).  I could go on and on about the various health benefits of oregano, but in this case, I love it because it helps my body fight the cold and flu viruses flying around this time of year.

I take Nature’s Sunshine Seasonal Defense in a similar manner to olive leaf extract.  I take one a day all winter long to maintain my immunity and bump it up to 2 or 3 a day when I feel “under the weather” or if I’m outright SICK.  

~  Mary Beth

January Newsletter

Happy New Year Everyone :-)

Well another year has come and gone and I hope this year is your best year ever!!!! :-) I have had a wonderful year, lots of changes both good and bad but then that is true for all of us. Thank you all for continuing to be a part of my life and I look forward to continuing to serve you. We are always looking for new and wonderful products or services to help you regain or maintain your health. It is our mission, my life and our belief to bring you the best. So of course I have some new ones to share with you.

For you ladies, well I suppose men too. I have come upon something fun and wonderful. Many of you have heard of body wraps over the years, which basically help reduce water weight in the body and loose inches. They do work but I have found something even better. This botanically-based body contouring treatment helps to detoxify, tighten, tone and firm the body. Minimize the appearance of cellulite and even help to repair skin and rebuild collagen anywhere on the body including the chin and neck area. This wrap does not contain any mineral oil, lanolin, artificial colors, fragrances or animal products, nor has it been tested on animals. Now the aging process is going to get us all in the end. But I for one want to go out as gracefully and youthful as long as possible. I am 92 you know!! Just kidding. So as an introduction to this new product I am holding a FREE WRAP PARTY on Saturday February 8th from 1:00 to 5:00. I hope you can come and join us. Please dress comfortably, allow 45 minutes per wrap and we will make sure you drink plenty of water and are comfortable. The wraps will be done in private in my office. Walks in welcome!!

The skin is our largest organ. So what you put on it is absorbed. So be careful to use only natural botanical products of any kind,including deodorants,shampoos etc., makeup and skin care.There are many things to help maintain beautiful skin and a youthful look. First:the skin needs plenty of water to keep it's elasticity, prevent dryness and to hydrate every cell, organ and gland in our body. It is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. I see clients almost daily and this is one of the biggest issues. Dehydration!! Secondly: keeping a healthy diet is another. Plenty of dark leafy greens, small amounts of animal protein, lots of berries, all kinds. Avoid white sugar, white flour, preservatives,hormones and antibiotic injected meats, food colorings, GMOs, MSG. In other words if God made it eat..if man made it don't. I know you have heard me say this before but it is so important to avoid bad foods. Eat as much organic as possible.Thirdly: Keeping the colon and blood clean  is also very important for skin health not to mention the rest of the body. Fourth: Plenty of sleep, at least a good 8 hours. Fifth: good old exercise!! Some added things are massage, or acupuncture, very helpful and also a huge stress reliever, not to mention relaxing.

BPX and All Cell Detox are two excellent products for cleansing the skin and body. BPX I have used for years with teenagers for acne it clears the skin up very quickly. Both these products believe it or not are great if you run into poison ivy or poison oak as they keep it from spreading and actually clear it out of the system. Many have used them for ridding the body of toxins from medications and or surgeries. So they work on many issues not just the skin.
Collagen with Vitamin C by Neo Cell has been touted by Dr. OZ who by the way annoys me to no end!!!Anyway I have been a huge fan of this product for years. It can be taken in liquid form or tablets. Great for rebuilding collagen in the skin also. In fact we begin to loose collagen at about the age of 35 or younger so replacing it early helps prevent the skin from aging too quickly and maintain a youthful look.
Thai Go a liquid product made entirely of berries such as Goji, Mangosteen, Red Grapes, Blue Berries, Acai, Raspberries and many more including green tea is one of the most power antioxidant formulas there is out on the market. It fights free radicals, pain and inflammation, high in Vit C. Great for vision, hair, skin, nails and many auto immune disorders like arthritis and fibromyalgia.

We only get one body so we need to take care of it. Many people take better care of their pets and cars or grown up toys than they do themselves. Now taking care of those things is good too especially our pets, but we must come first!! I hope to see you all on Feb. 8th, please bring a friend if you like, we will have fun!!

God Bless and good health!! :-)

~  Sharon

Work In Progress

Hi there! We're joining the 21st century and doing this blogging thing!

Just as we are all on a journey through life and our lives are a work in progress, so is this blog.  So bear with us.  We're not professional bloggers (YET!) and it might take us a little while to get the hang of this.  But we hope you'll join us and enjoy our writings and musings on natural products, supplements, herbs, healthy living, and life, the universe, and whatever the heck we might feel like talking about! :-)

~  Mary Beth

Olive Leaf Extract - Why is it So AWESOME?

Everyone is familiar with olive oil. You know it’s good for you. You’ve probably heard of “The Mediterranean Diet” and stories of amazing health in people who regularly consume diets rich in olive oil.

But do you know WHY?

Olive oil contains a substance called oleuropein. Oleuropein is a phenol. Phenols are chemical compounds that are characteristic of strong, pungent odors. Raspberries and Thyme plants also produce, and therefore contain, phenols. Plants produce phenols as protection against predators, either by repulsing them or poisoning them. Sometimes phenols also serve as an attractant to creatures that prey on the creatures that eat the plant. Phenols also sometimes serve as anti-fungal or antibacterial protection for the plant.

Phenols are the “magical” components that make olives, olive oil, and olive leaves beneficial to the human body, not only due to the obvious anti-fungal and antibacterial action, but also due to the way the body uses plant phenols. Phenols have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties when used by the human body. All three of these actions have positive effects on heart health! In a 2005 Spanish study by a team at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba, consumption of phenols was shown to have an immediate effect on the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and blood flow.

One of the ways we measure antioxidant benefits is something called an ORAC score. I’ll admit, I had to look up ORAC! ORAC stands for “oxygen radical absorbance capacity.” In English, that basically means the ability of a particular food to destroy free radicals. Free radicals are the outlaw atoms that are responsible for aging and destruction of cells or even formation of cancerous cells. So essentially antioxidants, like the phenols found in olive plants, are the good guys, and free radicals are the bad guys. It makes sense to do everything we can to supply our bodies with these wonderful antioxidant good guys to help slow the aging process, maintain our good health and immune system, and fight cancer.

Olive leaves contain a high concentration of the beneficial phenol oleuropein, often even higher than olives or olive oil, which is sometimes stripped of its beneficial phenolic compounds, and loses most of them when heated for cooking. Olive Leaf Extract, such as the Barlean’s brand that I personally use, has an ORAC score of 7,608 per dose of the liquid extract, or 10,000 per dose in the soft gels.

 My favorite thing about Olive Leaf Extract is the dose is exceptionally customizable and I have noticed absolutely no side effects. On a daily basis I consume a tablespoon of Olive Leaf Extract to maintain my immunity, blood pressure, and heart health. When I feel something coming on, like cold or flu symptoms, I simply up my dose to 2 or 3 tablespoons per day and continue to consume at that level until I feel better. If a sore throat is involved I also use the Olive Leaf throat spray that contains peppermint oil, which soothes and relieves my throat pain. The great thing about it is it can be used as often as needed, unlike anesthetic throat sprays which can have side effects, such as upset stomach. It’s even completely safe for children! My kids keep a bottle by their beds when they’re feeling under the weather.

So go enjoy a little shot of olive leaf today. Your body will thank you.

~ Mary Beth