We now offer the OmegaQuant tests for quick and easy determinations of the body’s balance of fats (pro-inflammatory vs. anti-inflammatory), vitamin D, and even hemoglobin A1C. A simple finger prick and collection of a drop of blood is all it takes. These are all very important indicators of whether the diet is anti-inflammatory, immune-system supportive, and supportive of healthy pregnancy/lactation. With these results we can make specific diet recommendations to address any insufficiencies/imbalances. Ask for more information by calling our office or scheduling an appointment with Monica.
Commit to Eating Only Organically Grown Food!
There are many good reasons for supporting organic agriculture (and having an organic garden if you can) but this one strikes home powerfully. The industry-friendly EPA allows “biosolids”, a euphemism for human sewage, to be spread as fertilizer on US farm fields. Sewage is contaminated extensively with “forever chemicals”, toxins that accumulate and persist in the sewage, in the crops, and in people who eat them. Organic standards do not allow sewage to be spread on organically certified farms so organically grown food is safe from sewage. If you buy locally, be sure to ask growers what they are using as fertilizer and whether they use “biosolids”.
Support Your Immunity
Recommendations for supporting the immune system:
- Most important recommendation–eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Basically this means no sugar, white flour products/gluten grains, vegetable oils (canola, soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, peanut). For more details on the specifics. schedule an appointment with Monica or ask for our handout in the office.
- Vitamin D3. Maintenance dose for adults is 5000 IUs a day (children ¼ to ½ of that depending on weight). If infection is beginning or has occurred, take 10,000 IUs a day of vitamin D3 for 2 or 3 days and then drop down to the maintenance dose. We recommend the powdered form (not the kind in vegetable oil in gel caps). We carry a brand that provides 5000 IUs per capsule, plus the option of a D3/K2 combo which is also powder. We also have drops of Vitamin D3/K2 emulsified in MCT oil —this works for babies and children who can’t swallow pills. Getting out in the sun has many benefits as long as you don’t overdo and burn but most of us live in areas where sun exposure year-round is not a reliable way to get vitamin D.
- Vitamin C. The VitaminCfoundation.org has many research articles linked on their site regarding the efficacy of vitamin C for viral infections. Apparently it is being used intravenously in hospitals in China for patients with corona virus infection. Read the articles on the site for more information. There are recommendations for oral vitamin C intake there also. VitaminCfoundation.com has good quality vitamin C in various forms available to order.
- Andrographis Complex. This is a MediHerb product that we have been using for cold and flu prevention for years. It is a combination of andrographis, holy basil and echinacea root extracts. It is available at our office. If you can tolerate it, place one of the tablets in your mouth and allow it to dissolve; this can instantly improve a sore throat. Another antimicrobial herb is oregano oil. We suggest NeuroHemp which besides the cannabinoids provides oregano oil. Swish a dropperful in the mouth before swallowing.
- Chaga Tea. Chaga is a mushroom that grows on birch trees in northern latitudes (Canada). It has many properties that support the immune system. Here is a recipe and a source for chaga tea.
- Zinc and Quercetin. Zinc as losengers or as liquid ionic zinc. , Some extra zinc (about 15 mgs a day) is a good measure to take as many people are low in zinc. Quercetin helps zinc to be taken up by the cells to fight infection. Don’t take extra zinc long-term unless you take extra copper also as it may create copper deficiency. Long-term it is best to rely on a multiple that has all the essential trace minerals in it to maintain adequate zinc levels. Plus a good multi will provide Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate , not just beta-carotene) and vitamin K2 both of which help fight infections.
- Elderberry extract. Purchase online or at local healthfood stores and take the dose recommended on the bottle.
- Use the neti pot to rinse the nasal passages daily with salt water, plus brush your teeth with a drop of tea tree oil and 1/4 tsp. baking soda on your toothbrush along with your toothpaste for the anti-microbial effect of the tea tree oil. You can also gargle with a drop of tea tree oil in some hot, salt water–do this hourly to reduce microbes hanging out in the back of the throat that may or may not be causing symptoms.
- Take a good spore-based probiotic such as Just Thrive or MegaSporebiotic, which we have available in our office.
- NAC or N-acetyl cysteine is an amino acid that helps boost glutathione production in the body. NAC has benefits itself but glutathione is a major detoxifier and that alone is a good reason to take–500 mgs a day.
- Stay warm and hydrated with a variety of herbal teas, such as tulsi, licorice root, chamomile, mint. Raise the body temperature to the point of sweating to help kill viruses by sauna or hot baths.
- Breathe and get enough sleep! Diaphragmatic breathing to keep calm is a no brainer! Ask for our instruction handout. Doing this before sleep is helpful for insomnia. And if you are exposed to wifi or cell phone radiation especially at night it is having an impact on your cellular health and suppressing your immune system. Ask us for more information.
Natural Deodorant with Essential Oils
If you have a collection of essential oils you likely have what you need to make a simple, effective deodorant. You will need good quality grain ethyl alcohol too–such as Everclear or high proof vodka or gin (organic versions are available). General rule of thumb–use 10 drops of a combination of specific essential oils (listed below) per ounce of alcohol. Best not to use rubbing alcohol due to questionable purity for using on a daily basis.
We’ve been using variations of essential oils in this recipe for years and love it–always smells great and it works!
Glass 2-4 ounce spray bottle (we used an empty Weleda spray deodorant bottle)
2-4 ounces of grain alcohol
10 drops total of essential oils per ounce of grain alcohol; good choices are tea tree, lavender, chamomile, lemongrass, sage, geranium, jasmine, sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, frankincense. Be sure to include the tea tree oil and at least 2 of the other choices that are printed in bold.
Pour the alcohol in the spray bottle. Add your combination of essential oils. Shake before application.
Healing Moisturizing Oil
This is a recipe too but one for topical use only! Castor oil is very healing (to learn more, read “The Oil That Heals” by Dr. William McGarey) and belongs in everyone’s medicine cabinet. Many people have used it as a castor oil pack as recommended by Edgar Cayce and McGarey’s book explains how to do this. It is best used topically as the book explains unless you know what you are doing and wish to use it internally as a laxative!
However, to use topically as a massage or moisturizing oil it is too thick and sticky to use alone. Diluting it with a highly-absorbed oil such as argan is the key for using this therapeutic oil as a healing massage oil. The essential oils make it a delight to the senses and add to its healing properties. If you get massages, bring it to your therapist and ask her/him to use this instead of standard massage oils.
In general, for massage oils, use up to 15 drops total of essential oil(s) per ounce of castor/argan oil mixture. Make it in small batches (2-4 ounces) for freshness.
1 part castor oil ( be sure to buy organic, cold-pressed, solvent-free)
1 part argan oil (organic, cold-pressed, or jojoba oil)
a couple drops of vitamin E oil (optional)
frankincense essential oil
lavender essential
Pour equal parts castor oil and argan oil into a glass bottle. Cap and shake well. ( I use a 4 ounce brown glass spray bottle that the argan oil comes in.) Add the essential oils one drop at a time so you can count them. Add the vitamin E oil if desired. Shake again. Massage into sprain/strains, sore or inflamed areas, tight muscles, feet, hands. Also can be used on the face by bathing the face first with a warm wash cloth, putting a couple drops of the blend on the wash cloth, and brushing over the face–very light and feels great!
Holy Basil DIY
This powerful adaptogen herb is easy to grow, fragrant, attractive, loved by honeybees (so you are not just growing for your own benefit!), easy to harvest, easy to dry, fun and easy to strip/store, and makes a yummy tea that you wouldn’t think would be highly medicinal! What an olfactory experience that I totally enjoy!
Here are some volunteer baby plants near a mature plant.
I’ve posted a tea recipe previously but here I encourage folks to grow it themselves–even if you only have a patio or balcony, as long as you have at least half a day’s worth of direct sun, you can do it in a planter. It can be started indoors in the Spring and planted outside once danger of frost is over– so you have until Spring to find some seeds (many seed catalogs have it–I prefer the “purple” variety). Some nurseries carry the seedlings in the Spring but it is not that easy to find. Here a few pictures that may inspire you.
I cut the plant at the base in late Summer or early Fall while there are still lots of green leaves but not too many flower spikes. Then the plant can be hung upside down with some string in a dark, dry, warm area. We have a shed that is perfect for drying. After 3-4 weeks it will be thoroughly dry and the leaves will be ready for stripping. In the photo above, notice several dried plants, the bowl of leaves that I stripped off the plants, and the bare plant that I discard–all on a sheet that makes it easy to gather loose leaves when you are cleaning up.
Here is the finished product–just the dried leaves. I store them in a glass mason jars. A gallon lasts me all year long until the next year’s harvest. Great fun–give it a try!
Test For Health and Weight
Our chiropractic/nutrition clinic now offers the BIA or Bio-electrical impedance analysis. This test measures percent body fat, percent lean body mass,, hydration status, plus it is an excellent measure of overall health.
We use blood tests for measuring what’s in the blood, but did you know research shows we can use bio-electrical analysis to measure the components of your body weight? This is useful information for gauging overall health or monitoring changes in weight and health as lifestyle changes are implemented. BIA is the most accurate way to determine if the weight you lose is fat and if the weight you gain is muscle. The best news is that this test, besides being accurate, is quick (immediate results), painless, and inexpensive. BIA is FDA approved and has been used for decades in hospitals and in nutrition/health-related research.
How do we do the test? The BIA test involves placing two electrodes on the right foot and two on the right hand. An imperceptible low-level electrical current goes through these electrodes and the body. The amount of fluid in the body affects the flow of electrical current and the BIA unit measures how this current is impeded through various tissues of the body. The current will be impeded more in tissues that have less fluid in them such as fat and bone and it will be less impeded in tissues with more fluid such as blood. Measurements of resistance and reactance are instantly generated by the unit and these numbers are entered into a software program to generate a report. The report details the composition of the weight of the body and also hydration status.
Call 540-343-6636 to schedule your BIA today.
Neti Wash for Sinus Relief/Cold Prevention
In the past we have posted about the benefits of regular use of the neti pot to rinse the nasal passages. Some people complain of continual sinus problems despite using the neti pot. In such cases we suggest Neti Wash which is an herbal extract that can be added to the salt water used for rinsing the nasal passages with the neti pot. These herbs increase the anti-microbial effect of the nasal rinse. For prevention of colds, it is a good idea to add the neti wash to the salt water–we keep some in our medicine cabinet at all times just in case a cold or sore throat is threatening or we’ve been exposed to sick people. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
In our office, we have available the neti pots, neti wash, and the starter packs that include the neti pot, sea salt, and neti wash in one box.
“Yoga Toes”
Are your toes being deformed by confining shoes? Well, ideally we should all be going barefoot when we can and wearing shoes with wide toe boxes otherwise. To begin to undo the damage done by wearing stylish shoes and to get some relief from bunions and hammer toes, try “yoga toes”. I like to wear them when I’m taking an Epsom salt bath–very relaxing way to give your toes some attention!
Herbal Support for Body’s Defenses
Michael and Monica attended a seminar last week in Pennsylvania given by world renowned Austrailian herbalist researcher /clinician Kerry Bone entitled “Defending the Human Fortress”. In a nutshell his practical take home message was that there are some special herbs/phytochemicals that protect and strengthen cells. Current research suggests that in this era of antibiotic-resistant infections daily use of these substances is very important, along with good nutrition, to protect not only against infection, but also cancer, heart disease and other chronic disease processes. Here are the key herbs/foods:
- green tea
- turmeric
- resveratrol (as a nutritional supplement)
- rosemary
- garlic
- ginkgo
- the brassica family of vegetables
Make use of this information daily by including the easy things like garlic (freshly crushed is best), rosemary (best extracted in olive oil or taken as an alcohol extract pill), drinking green tea, and eating broccoli, kale, collards, radish, or cabbage. Turmeric, ginkgo and resveratrol are easist to take as nutritional supplements. We have Kerry Bone’s MediHerb products offered through the company Standard Process available at our office; they offer many of these herbs/phytochemicals in combination form. Please call the office if you have questions!