Golden Seal – Herbal Supplement

One of my favorite herbs lately is Golden Seal.  My usual go to remedy has and will continue to be Silver Shield however I’ve noticed and you may have noticed that these “bugs” are mutating and are even more difficult to eradicate. Even natural medicine is needing to adjust what to use for these things.  That means we turn to other herbs or a combination of herbs and Silver Shield.

Golden Seal is one of those herbs that is very effective for so many types of germs including bacteria, virus, fungi etc. It’s traditional uses  include helping to support the mucous membranes that line the respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts. It tonifies, astringes and cools this first line of immune defense in the body.  It’s wonderful for urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and all kinds of other infections.

It’s properties include: Blood Purifier, Antacid, Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial, Antiparasitic, Antipruritic, Antiseptic, Antiviral, Aperitive, Appetite Stimulant, Astrigent, Bitter, Cholagogue, Detergent, Emmenagogue, Hemostatic, Hypoglycemic, Insulinomimetic, Nervice, Stomachic

Things you should be aware of before taking Golden Seal are:

Golden Seal lowers blood sugar levels which of course is of benefit to some borderline diabetics but avoided in those with hypoglycemia.  It’s been recommended not to take it continuously for more than a week at a time. Also it’s not recommended for pregnant women since it can influence uterine muscles and someone with autoimmune disorders where the immune system is over active ( ie. M.S., Lupus, Hodgkins, etc.)

Of course consult your health care practitioner for dosage and time needed to deal with your specific issue. You can also contact me for more information and I would be happy to test it for you over the phone or e-mail.  I do not diagnose at all I only check with your body to see what it needs to heal.

To purchase the highest quality Golden Seal on the market go to my Nature’s Sunshine site

10 Healthy Holiday Gifts!

It’s that time of year again where the shopping can get out of control. Why not keep it simple this year? The gift of health is something that everyone will love! I have some interesting ideas for you that you may not of thought of yet.  Hopefully these will inspire you to make someone very happy by letting them know how much you care about them and want them to be around for a long time.

1. A bottle of the person’s favorite Essential Oil. Lavender is a safe bet if you don’t know their favorite and is so versatile too. This Lavender Body Wrap is a great addition along with a Lavender Eye Pillow.Add a book of essential oil recipes or find them yourself online, print them out, put them together and you’ve got a wonderful, healing gift!
2. Healthy Chocolate! These delicious bars have 55% Cacao and are sweetened with alkalizing and good for you Xylitol. They come in either Dark Chocolate or Raspberry/Dark Chocolate. Perfect for anyone who has blood sugar issues like Diabetes as they don’t cause a rise in blood sugar. Oh my gosh they are really good.
3. How about a tasty drink that has numerous health benefits? Thai-go is the perfect choice. This high antioxidant drink quells inflammation in the body and helps to protect it from free radicals from pollution, tobacco smoke, ultraviolet light, radiation and from the body’s own processes.
4. Two products that are a must have for personal care and for home use are the Nature’s Sunshine Concentrate and the Nature’s Fresh Enzyme Spray.  The multiple uses of these 2 products are too many to list here but if you purchase these and want to include a list of uses I will provide them for you! Just send me an e-mail with the words NSP cleaning recipes in the subject and I will get them to you. You will be amazed at everything these do and they last a long time too.
5. Herbal Beverage for the person who is working on getting off of caffeine and needs a healthy substitute. It has a wonderful flavor and is very healing and alkalizing to the body. Check my last post as I have a great recipe that you can print out on a cute recipe card for the person as well. Oh and you could throw in a bottle of Caffeine Detox, a homeopathic remedy, for good measure as this will help with minor caffeine withdrawal.
6. Do you know someone who suffers with anxiety or fear? Then I would highly recommend Distress Remedy, an alcohol-free flower remedy, that will help the person calm down from emotional upset plus it has the added benefits of comfrey, arnica and calendula for minor accidents, injuries and bruises; pain and inflammation.  And I would include Nutri-Calm (comes in a 60 or 100 count bottle) as it soothes frayed nerves, aids in relaxation and encourages restful sleep, boosts the immune system,  helps provide energy,  is a source of antioxidants (vitamin C and lemon bioflavonoids) and provides other nutrients essential to good health.
7. Tei-Fu® Massage Lotion is the gift people will flip over. I’m not kidding, it’s that good! It is amazing for muscle and joint pain as it is cooling and warming at the same time. Whenever I have back pain or soreness I have my husband apply this and I feel immediate relief. It contains essential oils of menthol, wintergreen, camphor, eucalyptus and clove in a base of massage lotion.
8. For the person on the go why not give Solstic Nutrition. Convenient single-serve drink mix packets that provides 100% or more of the daily value of 18 vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health. Perfect for someone who wants to stay healthy but doesn’t have a lot of time or for someone who travels frequently.
9. Don’t forget the kids on your list. They want to be healthy too! The new NSP Sunshine Heroes Children’s line fits the bill. These soft-chews are so good that kids will be asking to take their vitamins!   Perfect as stocking stuffers too.
10. And last but not least choose from the line of healthy sugar-free Xylitol sweetened products.  Offering Cinnamon, Green Tea, Peppermint and Spearmint gum (good for your teeth); Peppermint, Berry and Lemon Mints; Xylibrite Toothpaste and Xylitol Mouthwash; and don’t forget your bulk Xylitol for all your baking needs this holiday season!

I hope this list has inspired you to give the gift of health this year. Happy Holidays!

To purchase the products listed at wholesale prices click here and make a purchase of $40.00 or more and you become a member. There are no fees or quotas and if you purchase 100QV or more in a calender month you get a 10% rebate! Please contact me for more information and if you are interested in starting your own business and would like to share the health email me at Paige at mynsp dot com.

Please share your favorite healthy gift you like to give during the holidays!

Coffee Alternative – Healthy Drink Recipe

Working with many nutrition clients over the years I have seen addictions to certain foods literally take over their lives. One of these addictions is to Coffee. Telling people they need to cut back or avoid this substance for health reasons sets off an intense cascade of emotions inside them. I will work with them to determine what that deep need is all about. There is a physiological component but also it’s very emotionally based. They like the warm drink in the morning (it soothes them) they of course like the taste too but it revolves around the ritual of the drink above all else.  I’ve never been a coffee drinker so I’m not attuned to the need for this substance but oddly enough I love the coffee flavor. My favorite flavor of ice cream (when I was eating sugar which was my addiction) was Coffee. And while I’m sharing I will admit to another past strange food combination I used to eat. When I was younger I used to dunk my Oreos in coffee! How’s that for confessions today? ;0)

Anyway after changing my detrimental diet ways I have now learned how to satisfy my taste buds with healthier and yes even delicious alternatives. And so can you! If you are addicted to coffee or anything else you know isn’t creating health in your body. Ahem…iodized salt, sugar, soda, etc. here is a recipe to spark your interest in trying something new that’s not only healthier for you but tasty as well. Now it does take some time to get used to “different” so don’t give up too soon. Your taste buds have been used to it one way and they need time to make the crossover. Go ahead you can do it!

Herbal Coffee or Frappuccino – Great hot or cold

2 teaspoons NSP Herbal Beverage (caffeine-free coffee substitute) Make it hot like coffee
Coconut or Almond Milk to taste
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup or Xylitol to sweeten
1-1/2 scoops chocolate Protein Powder (I like Healthy-n-Fit) or you could use a vanilla Protein Powder and add in Organic Cocoa Powder
3-6 ice cubes if you want cold, otherwise heat on the stove
Place ingredients in the blender
Blend to make a smoothie.
Whip cream optional!!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: GENTLE MOVE

Gentle Move is a new product from Nature’s Sunshine. My clients are getting excellent results with this combination of herbs plus the magnesium. This is a very gentle blend for those needing some extra colon support and is also good for other things like sinus congestion, joint pain and eye problems.

It contains:

•         Magnesium hydroxide

•         Triphala extract

•         Yellow dock

•         Ginger

•         Slippery elm

•         Marshmallow

The Benefits of Laxative Herbs:

•         Helpful for occasional constipation

•         Great for doing colon cleanses when combined with fiber and other herbs

•         Important aids to parasite cleansing

•         Can be helpful for relieving fevers and acute congestion

•         Stimulate bile flow

Contraindications

•         Spastic bowel conditions

•         Use with caution with pregnancy and nursing

•         Use with caution with inflammatory bowel disorders

•         Not the best choice for extremely weak and depleted people

Magnesium Hydroxide

•         Natural salt of magnesium that attracts and retains fluid in the bowel

•         Magnesium also relaxes muscle spasms and aids cellular energy production

Triphala

•         Ancient Ayurvedic formula containing three fruits

•         Haritaki — Terminalia chebula

•         Bibhitaki — Terminalia belerica

•         Amalaki or Indian Gooseberry — Embilica officinalis

•         Used in India for thousands of years

•         Gentle laxative and blood purifier with tonic effects

Benefits of Triphala

•         Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

•         Enhances circulation, lowers blood pressure and protects heart

•         Supports adrenal function

•         Improves liver function, hepatoprotective, improves digestion

•         Expectorant action

•         Immune properties: antiviral, antibacterial, anti-allergenic

•         Balanced energy (all the tastes)

Triphala Uses

•         Sinus congestion

•         Joint pain

•         Lethargy

•         Eye problems

•         General toxicity and weakness

•         Constipation

•         Indigestion

•         Flatulence

•         Poor appetite

•         Heavily coated tongue

•         Digestive headaches

Suggested Use

•         Mild dose (2 capsules 1-2 times per day)

•         For more serious problems take 6-9 capsules per day (2-3 capsules 3 times daily)

•         Maintenance dose is 2-4 capsules per day

•         Take with plenty of water

Go to my Nature’s Sunshine web site to purchase and to learn more: Gentle Move

Cleansing to Create a Healthy Environment Within Webinar

Deb Kitt & Paige Rennekamp will guide you through the best choices for a detoxification program. You will learn healthy ways to restore and rejuvenate your mind and body.

Empower your spirit, recharge your mind, and restore your natural body balance through detoxification.

Detoxification is a way of:
•Cleansing your body
•Revitalizing your immune system
•Removing unwanted fat stores
•Increasing your energy
•And much, much more

Register for a session now by clicking a date below:

Wed, May 13, 2009 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM MDT

Wed, May 13, 2009 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT

Hormone Imbalance Webinar – Next Wed. 4/15

Hormone Imbalance

		What are the signs of Hormone Imbalance? What can you do about it? Find out the 3 most important steps to restoring Hormone Balance. Register for a session now by clicking a date below: Wed, Apr 15, 2009 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM MDT Wed, Apr 15, 2009 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

The flu came to my house…

Yes, that’s right it happened…but it wasn’t me that was sick. It was my hubby who after being way too stressed out lately and not taking the best care of himself (even with a nutritionist wife) ended up with a bug. By the way do anybody’s husbands listen to their wives advice?

But I digress…back to the subject at hand. The reason I’m bringing this up is that I gave him some herbs that weren’t mentioned in my previous posts about colds and flu. He tested for three things that kicked it out fast so I wanted to share these. When I say “tested for” that means I muscle checked him for what his body needed to get well.  These three things were: FV, Lymphomax and Yarrow.

First he was having body aches (bad neck pain), high fever (it got up over 103°), chills, nausea and fatigue. So the three things he tested for were combinations of herbs that helped with all of these symptoms.

FV: Contains Ginger Root, Capsicum fruit, Goldenseal Root and Licorice Root. Helps strengthen the immune system to fight bacterial and viral infections, including colds and flu. These herbs also help to reduce fever, alleviate coughs, relieve pain and inflammation and soothe nausea and upset stomach.

Lymphomax: Contains Mullein, Bayberry, Cleavers, Plaintain, Alfalfa, Chamomile, Echinacea, Yarrow, Garlic, Red Root, Lobelia and Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin. These herbs are traditionally known to improve lymphatic circulation, reduce inflammation and prevent infection. The lymph system is the fluid that all our cells are bathed in and is where all toxins are then flushed through for removal from the body. When we are sick this system become sluggish so these herbs eliminate accumulated fluids and wastes from tissues which then helps clear lymphatic congestion.

Yarrow: This herb is has been used since ancient times to stop bleeding of all kinds external and internal. Yarrow has many uses and the one that my hubby needed was to counteract his fever and to induce perspiration so that his body could flush out the toxin.

The first day he took 2 FV, 1 Lymphomax, 1 Yarrow- 5 times that day. The next day he took that same amount 3 times. And now he is feeling great! He’s not always good at the preventative stuff but when he gets something he always asks what he can take because he knows he’ll feel better fast.

Oh and I did forget to mention that he took Silver Shield, the safe and effective natural antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral. He took 1 tsp 3x a day.  He’ll stay on that for another week. I recommend mixing it with a small amount of water and then  swishing in your mouth for 6 minutes to really kick out the bad stuff fast. Love this stuff and wouldn’t be with out it!

All the products are from Nature’s Sunshine and are offered here: www.mynsp.com/naturalhealthanswers

Herbs and Vitamins to take while overcoming flu and colds.

• Take Lymph Gland Cleanse-HY which contains a blend of  Parthenium, Yarrow, Myrrh Gum and Capsicum to help boost the immune system and stimulates the lymph system. Other good choices are Olive Leaf, Silver Shield or Elderberry Plus.

• The antioxidants vitamins and minerals: Vitamins A, C, E; Minerals, Zinc and Selenium. These are found in Defense Maintenance. Some good choices to boost the immune system are Mangosteen found in Thai Go.

• VS-C for the herpes family of viruses: cold sores, chicken pox, Mono and shingles. This also helps with other types of viruses and low grade fevers.

• Lymphatic drainage is especially good when the lymph glands are swollen.

• Oregon Grape liquid and IN-X are good choices with strep throat

• The CC-A formula (capsules or liquid) is especially good for those with chills. The liquid formula is great for chest congestion and coughs.

• Bronchial Formula has been very successful this year for chest congestion and coughing.

• Adults do very well with Cordyceps with lung and coughing issues.

I suggest taking your supplements at the first sign of symptoms, and use them only while you’re ill. It is optimal to take them 3-7 days after you are well to help the immune system stay strong.

It is not suggested to take antibiotics for a virus – Antibiotics do not help a virus like the flu or the common cold. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them slows down your immune systems response to the virus. It could also promote antibiotic resistance so  when you do need an antibiotic it won’t work for you.

Here are some more articles about what to use to boost your immune system:

There’s No Shortage of Flu Remedies
Immunity I
Immunity II

Now offering Natural Health Webinars!

I’m excited to announce that I’m now doing Natural Health Webinars with a Colleague of mine, Deb Kitt.

You can now learn about natural health from two very seasoned natural health practitioners from the comfort of your very own home or office. And you can be anywhere in the world which is the cool part!

Our very first one will be next Wednesday, March 11th at either 1:00 p.m. M.D.T. or 7:00 p.m. M.D.T. This first webinar is titled “Taming the Yeast Beast” because it’s all about Candida. You will learn what it is, what the signs are that let you know you could have a yeast imbalance, what to eat to get rid of it and what herbal programs will clear it out.

All you have to do is choose your time and click one of the links below and you can register. Oh and this one is FREE so please join us we’d love to meet you!

Here’s a time zone converter to make sure you know what time these will be in your time zone. Time Zone Converter.

“Taming the Yeast Beast”

Register for a session now by clicking a date below: Wed, Mar 11, 2009 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM MDT Wed, Mar 11, 2009 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.

System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

9 THINGS TO DO IF YOU GET A COLD OR FLU

1. Stop eating sugar, which impairs the immune system. There are plenty of studies which shows that even a teaspoon of sugar will reduce the immune system’s killer cell activity in your body for three hours after you eat it.

2. Increase your intake of vitamin C to 6,000-8,000 mg. a day. Reduce this amount if you develop diarrhea. Vitamin C shortens the duration of colds and reduces severity of symptoms.

3. Drink plenty of water, herbal tea and vegetable juice to hydrate the respiratory tract. Minimize or dilute fruit juices, which contain natural sugars that cripple immune function.

NO SODAS and no Nutrasweet or Splenda (which can inhibit the thymus – the main gland for you immune system) or DAIRY (which is a mucus forming food) while you are in recovery.

4. Eat warming, nourishing foods such as organic chicken soup or tomato soup with cayenne. This can help to chase away the cold, damp qualities, Stay warm, eat hot foods and get plenty of rest.

5. Avoid mucus-forming foods. Dairy products, grains and red meat can worsen clogged sinuses.

6. Eliminate coffee, alcohol and cigarettes, which make it hard for the immune system to function, especially when the body should focus on getting well.

8. Rest, stay home and keep your germs to yourself.

9.  Use aromatherapy – Guardian Blend, Lavender, Lemon, Myrrh and Tea Tree are antiviral.  Diffuse oils into the air, put 10 drops in your bath, smell the drops on a handkerchief; rub some on your feet mixed with massage oil, olive oil or aloe vera gel.  Put some drops on a cotton ball and put in your bra ladies. Sleep with a humidifier with 8-10 drops of Guardian Essential Oil in it.