Author: Whitaker's Natural Market

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Gut Health

Your gut is key to your overall health.  Did you realize that?  It is the center of our immune system, digestive system, and even part of our emotions!

According to the Bible in Genesis 43:30, we are told “And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.”  Here we see an example as the bowels being the center or seat of emotions.  Our Creator knew that so much was driven out of our gut or digestive system, and we can see that in various Scripture verses.

Then from a physical standpoint, we can understand that our immune system is based out of how healthy and how many “good bacteria” we have in our gut.  We often support this army of “good bacteria” with probiotics for reinforcements.

We also know that it is part of our digestive tract and can affect things such as acid reflux, allergies, and bowel movements.  You may not realize this, but There are actually more nerve cells in the overall digestive system than in the peripheral nervous system!  

I share all these facts about our gut to encourage you to take time to maintain a healthy digestive system.  How do you do that?  Begin by eating foods rich in nutrients such as pasture raised non-gmo meats, fresh vegetables, non-gmo grains, probiotic laden dairy foods, etc.  Add in supplements like Digestive Enzymes to help break down your food in your stomach, probiotics to support the “good bacteria”, and L-Glutamine to reduce inflammation of the intestines.  Exercise to keep the body moving as well as regular bowel movements to eliminate toxins and waste products are also important.

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Dr Jocelin’s Essential Oils

Dr Jocelin’s journey with natural supplements began when she was only 5 years old and an herbal blend saved her life after having experienced chronic bronchitis for over a year with no medical resolution or hope for one. That planted a seed which became watered over the years resulting in her obtaining six different degrees and certifications in natural health including Doctor of Traditional Naturopathy and Certified Aromatherapist. Out of her passion for the purest and highest quality supplements and essential oils for her patients, she formed her own line of practitioner grade essential oils including custom blends based on her patient’s needs.

About our oils…
• 100% Pure Practitioner Grade Essential Oils (higher concentration that many other essential oils including therapeutic grade resulting in using less oil to achieve the same or better results)
• Sustainably Harvested
• Hand Blended and Bottled in Small Batches right here in Ohio
• Formulated by a Naturopathic Doctor who is also a Certified Aromatherapist as a result of the needs of her patients
• Reasonably priced to make accessible to All
• Unadulterated, no synthetics, no cheap commercial grade oils – just pure high quality practitioner grade essential oils
• High quality Dark Amber Bottles with reducer for ease of use and protection from light
• Woman Owned Business

Dr Jocelin is pleased to be offering her entire line in store at Whitaker’s Farm Market, so be sure to check out the entire line up featuring the new label design as well!

Have friends and family you wished could enjoy them but they live out of state?  Then encourage them to check out www.drjocelin.com where they can order them online!

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Health Benefits of Maple Syrup

Since we were exploring about Maple Syrup this week, I thought I would share 9 health benefits of Maple Syrup:

1. Contains Numerous Antioxidants
2. Gets a Lower Score on the Glycemic Index
3. Fights Inflammatory Disease
4. May Help Protect Against Cancer
5. Helps Protect Skin Health
6. Alternative to Sugar for Improved Digestion
7. Supplies Important Vitamins and Minerals
8. Healthier Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners
9. May Enhance Antibiotic Effects

Maple syrup is one of the oldest forms of sweetener there is, having been eaten by Native Americans living in North America hundreds of years ago. Maple syrup was first collected and used by indigenous people before they introduced it to early European settlers, who figured out ways to quickly improve the technology needed to gather more.

Did you know?  A typical “sugaring” season lasts 4–6 weeks, and it takes 40 gallons of sap to make each gallon of maple syrup!

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Importance of Breakfast

Studies show that eating a proper breakfast is one of the most positive things you can do if you are trying have plenty of energy and even to lose weight. Did you know that Breakfast skippers tend to gain weight? A balanced breakfast is very important to starting your day right with plenty of energy to carry you through the day.  Your breakfast can include things like fresh fruit or fruit juice, granola or muesli, yogurt, wholewheat or sprouted bread toasted, local pastured eggs, and even a fruit and yogurt smoothie.

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To Do Lists

According to a recent Psychology Today Article, making a “To Do” List can have benefits.  They wrote “In a culture with a surfeit of choices, lists can be a way to coalesce and conquer. A list helps you discern and progress with a clearer, lighter head. Scratching out to-dos can be a healthy self-protective action, or a healthy “defense.” ”  To me, it is like cleaning and organizing my mental house for the week as I plan.

Here are the Six Great Benefits of Lists:

  1. Provide a positive psychological process whereby questions and confusions can be worked through. True purposes surface.
  2. Foster a capacity to select and prioritize. This is useful for an information-overload situation.
  3. Separate minutia from what matters, which is good for identity as well as achievement.
  4. Help determine the steps needed. That which resonates informs direction and plan.
  5. Combat avoidance. Taking abstract to concrete sets the stage for commitment and action. Especially if you add self-imposed deadlines.
  6. Organize and contain a sense of inner chaos, which can make your load feel more manageable.

The real key is to have a plan and steps to accomplish it.  As a mom of a one year old with family responsibilities and store related responsibilities, having a “To Do” List is important to me as I can see what “must” be done, what “needs” to be done, and what would be “nice” to have done.  It takes the pressure of accomplishment out of my mind and into a piece of paper.  Stress is one of the top risk factors for illness, heart attacks, cancer, and more…so take time this week to de-stress or “clean” your emotional house!  Also, try Dr Jocelin’s Stress Release Essential Oil Blend especially while you work on your To Do List.

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Fresh Air

Did you know that stopping to enjoy the fresh air actually has measurable health benefits?

Research shows that exposing your lungs to fresh air, and the scents of flowers and plants, can help to relieve stress and anxiety. Oxygen is thought to affect the levels of serotonin released in the body, in turn, contributing to feelings of happiness and relaxation.

While you may be familiar with the smell of lavender, you might not realize that it can also be beneficial in helping relieve insomnia, anxiety, and stress. This is also true of jasmine, which has been shown to boost mood, along with the smells of freshly cut grass, roses, rosemary, and peppermint.

Whether it means popping into the garden, mowing the lawn, or a weekend expedition to a woodland retreat, immersing yourself in the great outdoors could help to put a smile on your face.

Benefits of Being Outside Include:

  • Increased Energy
  • Improved Digestion
  • Clean Lungs
  • Bolsters Immune System

So take a few minutes to enjoy the fresh air on these warmer days!  And on those colder days, try diffusing “outdoor scents” such as lavender, jasmine, and pine indoors!

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Hemp

Hemp Products are all the hot topic at this time.

Did you know that Hemp has many benefits?

Nutrient Rich: Hemp contains excellent nutritional value, providing essential nutritional components including Essential Fatty Acids.
Non-psychotoxic: Agricultural hemp keeps you healthy and does not get you “high.”
Eco-Friendly: Not only is hemp renewable and fast-growing, nearly every part of the plant is usable – for food, fiber, building materials, and fuel with an estimated 25,000 uses!
Good for the earth: Hemp sequesters CO2 and does not need herbicides to thrive.  It also leaves the soil in better condition than before it was planted.

You can receive these benefits as well as many other including neurological, pain, mental, and much more from both Hemp.  We are pleased to offer you high quality choices in many options.

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Dr. Jocelin’s Health Tip of the Week – Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a unique body care product: consumers are directed to apply a thick coat over large areas of the body and reapply frequently. Thus, ingredients in sunscreen should not be irritating or cause skin allergies, and should be able to withstand powerful UV radiation without losing their effectiveness or forming potentially harmful breakdown products. People can potentially inhale ingredients in sunscreen sprays and ingest some of the ingredients they apply to their lips, so ingredients must not be harmful to lungs or internal organs. Further, sunscreens commonly include ingredients that act as “penetration enhancers” and help the product adhere to skin. As a result, many sunscreen chemicals are absorbed into the body and can be measured in blood, breast milk, and urine samples.

Research by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) reveals that the chemicals commonly used in sunscreen are endocrine disruptors, estrogenic, and may interfere with thyroid and other hormone processes in the body.  The most common sunscreen chemical, Oxybenzone, was found in 96% of the population in a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This is especially alarming since oxybenzone is considered an endocrine disruptor, can reduce sperm count in men, and may contribute to endometriosis in women.  The EWG warns against using oxybenzone, especially on children or pregnant/breastfeeding women.

Even more alarming? Of the 1,400+ sunscreens tested by the EWG, only 5% met their safety standards and over 40% were listed as potentially contributing to skin cancer.

These health concerns are why we carry all natural mineral based sunscreens by Badger and Jason to provide you with an alternative from the chemical laden suncreens you commonly see.

Badger uses zinc oxide as the only active ingredient in all of their sunscreens. Zinc oxide is a safe mineral that sits on top of your skin, scattering, absorbing and reflecting UVA and UVB rays before they reach your living cells. We consider it the safest and most effective active sunscreen ingredient. Their natural and organic sunscreens contain simple, safe, USDA Certified Organic ingredients. The only active ingredient, zinc oxide, is also the main ingredient for commonly used products such as diaper rash cream and calamine lotion, and it is approved for use even on sensitive skin. Badger is a signer and “Champion” of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which means they’re committed to making products that are free of questionable and potentially harmful ingredients.

Pick up the right kind of sun protection for your family now for those fun ski trips and sledding adventures as well as be prepared for the soon coming warmer weather!

Read the complete EWG article by clicking here.

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Dr. Jocelin’s Health Tip of the Week – Sugar…and Cancer

This is a deeper tip than normal…with some technical information.  The key point I hope you hear is that sugar is now being shown in studies to be a very likely cancer trigger!

Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and titled, Increased sugar uptake promotes oncogenesis via EPAC/RAP1 and O-GlcNAc pathways, researchers addressed a common perception (or misperception) in the cancer research community regarding sugar’s relationship to cancer: namely, “increased glycolysis [sugar based metabolism] is frequently viewed as a consequence of oncogenic events that drive malignant cell growth and survival.”

Contrary to this conventional view, the new study “provide[s] evidence that increased glycolytic activation itself can be an oncogenic event…”  That is to say, the activation of sugar-based metabolism in a cell – driven by both the presence of increased quantities of glucose and the increase glucose receptors on the cell membrane surface (i.e. “overexpression of a glucose transporter”) – drives cancer initiation.

Moreover, the study found that “Conversely, forced reduction of glucose uptake by breast cancer cells led to phenotypic reversion.” In other words, interfering with sugar availability and uptake to the cell causes the cancer cell to REVERSE towards its pre-cancer structure-function (phenotype).

So what are we to do?  Reducing and controlling the amount of sugar as well as the source is the key.  Consider desert to be a treat not a daily occurrence.  Use limited amounts of honey, maple syrup, sucanat, and evaporated cane juice.  Avoid corn syrup and especially toxic chemical sweeteners such as aspartame.  Even the “natural” alternative sweeteners such as Stevia and Xylitol have negative health affects including neurological.  So the real key is self control and portion control to enable your body to focus on the more nutrient laden foods such as vegetables!

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Dr Jocelin’s Health Tip of the Week – Fungi, Mold, & Sinus Infections

We are excited to now be posting Dr. Jocelin’s Weekly Health Tips from our Newsletter to our blog.

 

Fungi and mold spores are alive in our environment.  They flourish in the air we breathe because of rain and the subsequent moisture that settles.  They enter our bodies through nasal passages and then thrive upon the sugar in our diet.  Consequently, it is very important to not only keep our environment free of the things that allow mold and fungi to flourish, but also our bodies.  Unfortunately, these environmental factors can render some defenseless against sinus infections.

Sinusitis is very prevalent in the American population and has been found to affect up to 37 million people, which is nearly 1 in every 7 Americans.  Nearly 70% of sinus infection suffers are prescribed antibiotics, which may not only be ineffective but also may lead to antibiotic resistance.  Many health practitioners agree that the use of a saline solution to flush out the nasal passages is the best approach.

SinuOrega is the superior choice to aid in the cleansing process of the nasal membranes.  Combine with the powerful, wild-crafted essential oils of Oregano P73, sage, bay leaf, and clove, the pure sea salt in springwater base acts as a powerful saline wash.  SinuOrega is a truly natural nasal spray, free of all chemicals and additives. You will find SinuOrega near our checkout counter.