Author: Whitaker's Natural Market

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Elderberries

With Cold Season upon us, now is the time to stock up on your Elderberry Syrup or Dried Elderberries to make your own, but the real question is what benefits does Elderberry offer and why should I be taking it to boost my immune system?

Elderberries are

  • High in Vitamin C
  • High in dietary fiber
  • A good source of phenolic acids: These compounds are powerful antioxidants that can help reduce damage from oxidative stress in the body.
  • A good source of flavonols
  • Rich in anthocyanins: These compounds give the fruit its characteristic dark black-purple color and are a strong antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects.

While we all know that Elderberries can help reduce the severity and duration of a cold, but did you know that there are studies proving that?

One study of 60 people with influenza found that those who took 15 ml of elderberry syrup four times per day showed symptom improvement in two to four days, while the control group took seven to eight days to improve.  Another study of 64 people found that taking 175-mg elderberry extract lozenges for two days resulted in significant improvement in flu symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches and nasal congestion, after just 24 hours. Furthermore, a study of 312 air travelers taking capsules containing 300 mg of elderberry extract three times per day found that those who got sick experienced a shorter duration of illness and less severe symptoms.

Other research is showing that Elderberries are great for heart health, helping to fight cancer, could protect against UV radiation, and may even have antidepressant properties.

So make sure to pick up your bottle of Elderberry Syrup or a bag of Dried Elderberries on your next visit!

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Echinacea

We all know and love Echinacea for it’s immune building and cold fighting properties and is typically a staple in most natural homes during cold and flu season, but did you know that it has additional excellent properties and benefits?

It can also help control your blood sugar – helping reduce high blood sugar and stabilize low blood sugar.  Since it is an antioxidant, it helps to protect your cells from damage which is key to long term health.

Anxiety?  Try Echinacea!  Not something you often think of as a first resource, but it has been shown in studies that it is great for calming anxiousness.  In fact, it is the key ingredient in our much loved AnxioCalm by Terry Naturally!

Early research is showing promise in the use of Echinacea for high blood pressure.  And while it is helping your blood pressure, it can also help reduce inflammation.

I promise you will never look at a bottle of Echinacea the same again!  That is seven excellent and easy uses – six of which we often do not discuss.

So make sure to pick up your bottle of Echinacea, box of AnxioCalm, or box of Echinacea Tea the next time you are in!

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Restricted Eating Times

While we all know that fasting offers many health benefits, there is new research showing that intermittent “restricted eating times” can also have health benefits.

So what is “restricted eating times”?  You choose 8 hours of the day to eat as usual choosing good healthy options (no binge eating!).  Then you take 16 hours to not eat.  This gives your body a break allowing it to work on healing, detoxing, and rest.

Unless you’re succumbing to gluttony during the eight-hour eating period, you’ll most likely end up eating fewer calories each day. But more importantly, because you will tend to use up all of your body’s available glucose during your fasting hours, you force your body to start burning fat for energy, which results in weight loss. And finally, as a result of moving your body into a fat burning state, your insulin levels will drop—since it’s no longer needed at the same levels—while at the same time, growth hormone and noradrenaline levels are increased, which yet again increases your body’s breakdown of fat for energy.

This is a good way to have a balanced approach to reducing calories and encouraging weight loss.  And again, remember that as with most diets, this is ideal for 4-12 weeks as a reset.  Then resume normal balanced eating throughout the day with good grass fed low grain fed meats, lots of fresh organic veggies, some fruit, some carbs preferably complex carbs, and an occasional sweet treat!

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A Fall Treat

Pumpkin Cookies
I love to fix these around Thanksgiving.  My dad calls them pumpkin pie in your hand cookies.  They are quick to disappear.

2½ cups flour                             1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt                                     2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ cup butter                               1½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs                                         1 cup pumpkin
½ tsp lemon extract                    ½ tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts

Combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and extracts.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Add the nuts.  Place small mounds of dough on the cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.  Cool and Ice.
Cookie Icing: Beat together ½ cup butter, 4½ cups powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp milk, and 1½ tsp maple extract.  Spread over cooled cookies.

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GERD, Acid Reflux, and Digestive Enzymes

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), otherwise known as acid reflux, affects an extraordinary number of adults worldwide. According to the journal Gut, between 18 and 28 percent of the adults in North America suffer from the disease, as do 9 to 26 percent of Europeans and up to 33 percent in the Middle East. Those numbers appear to be rising.  The medical community’s response is to put you on an acid blocker; however, that is a symptomatic approach.  Those medications when taken long term come with serious side effects including increased risk of dementia, heart attacks, kidney disease, stomach cancer, and strokes. Wouldn’t you prefer to dig into the root and get rid of it if it at all possible?

The natural understanding of acid reflux is that it is caused by the body compensating for a lack of digestive enzymes.  Those amazing enzymes do 75% of the work of digesting or breaking down your food in order to absorb the nutrients from them.  So having acid reflux is also a sign of malabsorption in many cases.  There is a very easy way to support your body and give it the help it needs to head back to “normal function” which is taking Digestive Enzymes with each meal each day to replenish the deficiency.  I have personally seen many people see such an improvement, they have been able to come of medications!

So if you or someone you know and love are suffering from acid reflux, then why not give digestive enzymes a try to see if they also work for you?  We offer excellent ones from both Solgar and Now.  In addition, probiotics along with the digestive enzymes can increase their effectiveness by replenishing the good gut bacteria and further aiding in the digestive process as well as preventing opportunistic infections which some studies are showing can be a contributing factor to acid reflux.

Come in today and ask us to show you our digestive enzyme and probiotic (both refrigerated and shelf stable) selection!

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Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is an amazing plant!  I wanted to share with you today some of the benefits of taking Aloe Vera which we offer in both liquid and capsule form.

  • Excellent for Colon Health
  • Vital for Cell Health
  • Makes cells more resistant to viruses and pathogenic bacteria, by incorporating themselves into cell walls
  • Improves overall cellular metabolism and functioning
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Provides critical lubrication of joints; helping to prevent arthritis and to heal it once it has developed
  • Aids in the absorption of water, minerals, and nutrients in the GI tract
  • Reduces pain
  • Improves vascular flow
  • Reduces scarring
  • Improves macrophage activity as much as tenfold
  • Enhances macrophage effectiveness in modulating the entire immune system
  • Enhances macrophage effectiveness in stimulating, producing, and releasing antibodies
  • Increases the body’s own production of iinterlukins, particularly nterferon
  • Increases the number of antibody forming T-cells in the spleen
  • Increases the number and activity of killer T-cells and increase monocyte activity
  • Fights fungal infections, such as: Athlete’s foot, Ringworm, Pruritus Anivalvae, Balnea, Essential Pruritus, and Vaginal yeast infections
  • Helps heal athletic injuries such as: Muscle cramps, Sprains, Strains, Bruises, Swelling, Soreness, Tendonitis, and Bursitis.
  • Soothes and promotes the healing of intestinal disorders such as: Indigestion, Heartburn, Hyper-acidity, Peptic and Duodenal Ulcers, Colitis, and Hemorrhoids
  • Promotes the healing of kidney disorder
  • Helps with diabetes
  • Kills parasites such as: Pinworms and Threadworms
  • Speeds wound healing by as much as 35%
  • Reduces allergic reactions
  • Stimulates bone marrow activity
  • Stimulates fibroblasts to release collagen and elastin to make new tissue
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Gut Bacteria and Weight Loss

I always enjoy reading recent studies as they are published.  Another published study released this week showed that certain gut bacteria’s can make it harder to lose weight.  The study was conducted at Mayo Clinic and is yet another piece showing that the healthier we keep our guts using our diet (filled with lots of Organic fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats), probiotics to keep the good bacteria strongest, and occasional cleanses to make sure we flush out all the negative bacteria and other organisms in our gut, the better our overall health will be!  We can truly say “Health is based on our Gut!”

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Late Dinner and Increased Cancer Risk?

A recent study, which took place at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain, found that eating dinner at a late hour, as well as going to sleep soon after finishing dinner, is associated with a greater chance of developing either prostate or breast cancer. These results are based on an investigation that included 621 men with prostate cancer and a control group of 872 men without the disease, and 1,205 women with breast cancer and a control group of 1,321 women without the disease.

All the subjects answered questions that covered many lifestyle factors. They reported their typical eating habits, mealtimes, sleep patterns, tendency to be an early bird or night owl, physical activity level, and more. After analyzing the data that was generated, the researchers discovered that the timing of dinner and sleep were both important. The participants who ate dinner earlier than 9 p.m. or didn’t go to sleep until at least two hours after dining had a 20 percent lower risk of developing prostate or breast cancer compared to their peers who generally ate past 10 p.m. or went to bed shortly after finishing their meal.

So eating your dinner earlier in the day and giving your body time to wind down and be prepared for bed not only has the benefit of lowering your cancer risk, it also increases your body ability to focus on healing and regenerating itself versus digestive actions.  How many of you are willing to try to eat this way?

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Hot Hamburger Dip

We had this for my parent’s surprise 25th wedding anniversary party.  My close friend’s mom and two other families fixed the food, and this was one of the dishes.

2 lb hamburger, cooked                                  2 pt mild salsa
2 lb American cheese, cubed                          Organic Tortilla Chips

Combine hamburger, salsa, and cheese in a crockpot.  Heat until cheese melts, stirring frequently.  Keep warm.  Serve with tortilla chips.  This recipe can easily be divided in half.  Leftovers reheat nicely on the stovetop.

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St. John’s Wort

Today, I wanted to focus in on a specific herb – St. John’s Wort.  Did you know that it is licensed in Germany and other European countries as a treatment for mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders?  Sometimes called “Nature’s Prozac,” St. John’s Wort helps relieve stress, anxiety, and tension. As you can imagine, this herb has been studied extensively. In fact, more than 20 clinical studies have been completed using several different St. John’s wort extracts. Most have reported antidepressant action equal to standard prescription antidepressant drugs, without the side effects.

St. John’s Wort also has been helpful in relieving a number of the physical and emotional symptoms of PMS, including cramps, irritability, food cravings, and breast tenderness as well as improving mood and anxiety in menopause.  The herb also has antibacterial properties and may help with fighting inflammation.

The herb has been promoted to help treat:

  • bronchial inflammation
  • bed-wetting
  • stomach problems
  • hemorrhoids
  • hypothyroidism
  • insomnia
  • migraines
  • kidney disorders
  • diarrhea
  • malaria
  • insect bites and stings
  • skin diseases

More research continues to be done on St. John’s Wort as it is also being studied as a potential treatment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and other viral illnesses. And it is being studied as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as other social phobias.

One caution though, people with bipolar disorder cycle between depression and mania, a state marked by excessive physical activity and impulsive behavior. St. John’s wort can bring on mania in these individuals and can also speed up the cycling between depression and mania, so it is not recommended for people with a bipolar depression.  But many others can benefit from its wonderful health improving effects.

Be sure to check out our Organic St. John’s Wort by Solaray as well as Mood Support Blend by Now Foods which contains St. John’s Wort.