Herbal Formulas:  How Herbs Work:

From the earliest times, herbs have been prized for their pain-relieving and healing abilities and today we still rely on the curative properties of plants in about 75% of our medicines.

The variety and sheer number of plants with therapeutic properties are quite astonishing.  It is estimated that around 70,000+ plant species, from lichens to towering trees, have been used at one time or another for medical purposes.

Herbs, which have always been the principal form of medicine in developing counties, are once again becoming popular throughout the developed world, as people strive to stay healthy in the face of chronic stress, pollution, and to treat illness with medicines that work in concert with the body's own defenses.

Here are some Did You Know Facts? About herbs:

• •Herbs are classified as plants valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Any portion of the plant may be considered an “herb,” including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, resin, root, bark, inner bark, berries, and other plant parts. Herbs are often referred to as Botanicals.

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• •Herbs have been used for several thousand years and have been used to help combat illnesses from minor coughs & colds to life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.

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• •Herbs are NOT drugs; in fact, they work very differently in the body.  Herbs are foundation nutrients working through the glands, and nourishing the body’s most basic elements.

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• •Herbs are powerful nutritional agents and work better in combination of two or more complimentary botanicals.

• •Herbal combinations are not habit-forming.

 As much as herbal combinations offer fantastic health benefits, there are those individual herbal ingredients and products that have been proven to cause harm.  Certain herbs can have adverse effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to life-threatening conditions like liver or kidney dysfunction.  For example, in 2002 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning about potential liver damage from kava root, then on of the 10 most popular herbal supplements sold in the U.S. And in 2004 the FDA banned ephedra, a Chinese wight-loss herb, after if was linked to more than 100 deaths.  Equally troubling, some supplements and herbal products may be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals, including lead and mercury.  Yikes!

Be sure that the herbs you consume are from a reputable company that offers clinical proof, and 100% guarantee that their products are tested and safe.

What herbal products do I recommend to my customers, my family and friends?  Shaklee Company offers products that I trust to be safe, clinically proven to work with at 100% guarantee.

Over the next several weeks, I will be identifying specific herbs and herbal combinations from Alfalfa to Valerian and offering tips of how herbs can increase your energy to helping get a restful nights sleep.
Be well~  


 

 
 Yes its true, the Holidays are just around the corner!

It's almost Winter and the official start of the Holiday Season-my favorite time of year!  This may also be the time of year when life gets more stressful with emotional highs and lows, stress to our bodies from our diets, and stress from environmental toxins.

Yikes! it's enough to make some of us feel increased stress or even older than we really are!  Well, don't let the holidays give you stress or age you! 

Here are a few tips to help you get thru the holidays stress free & gracefully!

Eat Healthy (you knew I would say that!)
It’s actually been proven that junk food can make us depressed (not to mention unhealthy) so clean up your diet! Healthy foods like whole grains and protein can improve your mood and give you long-lasting energy to tackle everything that comes your way during the day. Start your day with a healthy breakfast like a quick & delicious Shaklee shake! and be sure to make healthy meal and snack choices all day long. Foods that are especially effective for stress-busting include blueberries, salmon, dark chocolate, spinach, oranges, and almonds, according to the experts.

Get/Give A Massage! Who doesn't love a massage?  Did you know that massage has been used as a stress reliever for thousands of years? Historically, the Chinese used massage to open blocked energy channels in order to improve health. Today, massage is used to relax tense muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, repair the body, and reduce stress, which can all do wonders for the mind. Giving & receiving a massage from your loved one can also allow you time to talk thru your stress and help build a healthy relationship too.

Meditate
Meditation, or mindfulness, only takes 15 to 30 minutes a day, which is possible even in a packed schedule. It’s also incredibly affordable, considering the only tool you need is your own mind. Just give yourself some silent time to let your thoughts run free, use for prayer time, or just focus on your breathing. That small amount of peace in your day can help you deal with or even release stress.

Exercise
Whether it’s yoga, Pilates, running, or whatever exercise you choose, exercise works much in the same way as meditation because it gives you the time to be alone with your thoughts (or an opportunity to let them go). However, exercise also has the added benefit of releasing endorphins into the brain, which improves your mood. It also prevents obesity and other health problems, giving you less to be stressed about.  Don't wait for that gym membership gift, Get up & Get going today!

Breathe-Deeply
Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body. Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax. For more benefits & how to deep breathe, use the following link:   http://www.webmd.com/balance/video/farrell-relaxation-breathing

Get Organized
Organization offers a sense of control and peace of mind, and there’s a number of ways you can improve in this regard. If you’re the kind of person who’s always running around, it can help to make lists so that you remember everything and ease the mind. If you’re the kind of person who feels edgy in their own house, tidy up. Studies have shown the mere sight of clutter can put us on edge. Not sure where to start? Seek out your organized friend-they'll be glad to help!

Sleep Sleep is the most important natural stress reducer of them all. Too little sleep leaves us cranky, irritable and on edge. Too much sleep can leave us sluggish and depressed. Try to find the right balance that allows you to feel well-rested and ready for the day. Promote better sleep by establishing bedtime rituals that signal to your brain that it’s time to fall asleep, avoid exercise in the three hours before sleep or take a warm bath. Certain foods can also promote sleep, such as healthy carbohydrates, bananas, peanuts, figs, calcium and - of course, a certain holiday favorite - turkey. Also, avoid having a large meal or caffeine close to bedtime, as they may create unwanted stress.  Looking for a natural means of getting those zzzz's?  Check out Shaklee's Gentle Sleep Complex.

 Need a Natural Stress Reliever...NOW?  

Help is on the way!

Stress Relief Complex

It's shocking but the Center for Disease Control estimates that 75-90% of trips to the doctor's office are stress related.  Nearly half of all American experience stress every single day. 

Shaklee's Stress Relief Complex offers nutritional support to help you quickly relax and stay calm without drowsiness & non-addicting. 

In a preliminary, seven day, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by Shaklee, significantly more people taking Stress Relief Complex* experienced benefits in every category measured, over those who consumed a placebo. These benefits included: being more relaxed, being more alert, feeling less tense, and having better concentration.

 Some health benefits of Shaklee's Stress Relief Complex include:

• Offers quick relief from tension
• Increases your ability to concentrate during stress
• Helps blunt cortisol, the stress hormone, which aids in weight loss
• Enhances the body's ability to adapt to continuing stress
• Maximizes peak mental and athletic performance
• Helps combat depression/moodiness
• Lowers blood pressure
• Works within 30 minutes
• Contains NO Kava (which can cause severe liver damage)
• Absolutely SAFE-No side effects!

 If you want these health benefits, just add  Stress Relief Complex #20656 to your daily supplement regimen.

Be well & enjoy the Holiday Season-stressless!

It's Dinner Time-Again?

Maybe getting back into the school routine has put an end to the late night barbequing or maybe its still just too hot to turn the oven on!

Either way, here are some tips to help make dinnertime cool, but still nutritious & delicious!

                                      Cool Down & Enjoy the final days of Summer
For most of us, the last thing we want to do in August is heat up the kitchen cooking dinner!  There is still plenty of sunshine to enjoy, last minute family outings, and other summer activities keeping us busy.  Now add in schooling, extra- curricular activities, sports, etc. and the thought of getting into a (hot) kitchen is not on anyone's wish list!  For me, this time of year offers the most difficult routine to get back into.  Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to feed the family a cool, healthy, and nutritious meal, still enjoy the sunsets, and beat the heat.

Here are some ideas:
 
Salads-Chock full of...everything!

A salad certainly doesn't simply mean a chunk of iceberg lettuce, tomato and dressing. (yuck!)   A cool, crisp, crunchy salad on a hot day is very refreshing. And, in the summertime our bodies need additional hydration so give it what it's craving by making a salad your main dish.
To make a meal out of a salad, include cooked chicken, shrimp, tuna, avocado beans, tofu, cheese, and/or hard-boiled eggs for protein.  Add in loads of  fresh vegetables, and event fruits. Top with your favorite healthy dressing.  Gathering, washing, and cutting (supervised of course) are fun for the kids too. For full nutritional benefit, make your salad colorful and top with bits like Enjoy Life's Perky's Crunch Flax.  Yum!

Sandwich Night
Every family might think about making sandwich night a weekly tradition~ if for no other reason than to give the cook a break! Another quick, cool, and healthy dinner option that avoids turning on the oven.  Got creative kids?  Let them gather up all of your family's favorite sandwich fixings & let them go to town.  It may not be your idea of a delicious meal, but you might be surprised what they come up with.   And think outside the breadbox:  Consider offering flour/corn tortillas, English muffins, bagels, pita breads, large whole-grain crackers, etc. Or no bread at all:  red, yellow, green peppers, large mushrooms, or thick sliced apples make great customized sandwich "ends"-fill with nut butters, hummus, cream cheese, natural lunch meats & sprouts.


Plug It In ~ Smaller Appliances
If your craving a hot meal, (I totally get it...its about this time of year I crave a bowl of home-made chili)
use a smaller appliance. An electric griddle, wok, toaster oven or crock pot create less heat than your stove and oven. There are lots of quick, healthy and delicious crock pot recipes-and so easy...just throw in the ingredients, turn it on, and walk away. See Eating Well dot com.  And a carryover from sandwich night, how about open-faced sandwiches, mini grilled pizzas on bagels or English muffins, or Panini's filled with everything from left-overs to gourmet cheeses on the griddle.  Another quick tip/treat, use a small mixer to make delicious and protein packed mini smoothies for desert or after school.  Lots of great recipes out there or create your own.  I use Shaklee's Energizing Soy Protein as it is safe, non-GMO, and mixes well.



Go Raw
More than a trend, the Summertime is a wonderful time to experience the health benefits of eating more raw fruits and veggies. Even if you don't want to commit to a raw foods diet long term, pick up a raw food cookbook and experiment with some of the recipes or visit  Meatless Mondays to learn the many reasons we might want to avoid eating meat at least once each week, and review/try their delicious recipe ideas.



 Go Outside-
To the grill, that is. This is a no-brainer but worth mentioning.  Grilling your meats, veggies, tofu, fish, kabobs, etc.outside on the grill will allow you to enjoy the outdoors and keep the heat out of your kitchen. Serve a nice cold fruit salad for dessert. Refreshing!


Whatever way you choose to make your cool Summertime meal, be sure to include all the food groups.  As you can see on the chart, our plates should be full of a variety of mostly vegetables, some fruits, grains, and protein, with a bit of dairy (or calcium is what I like to say).  Make it fun, enjoyable, nutritious, and delicious. And then go outside and enjoy the last of the warm summer nights! Be cool~

To your health, 

Re-use that Paper for Weed Control!

Instead of purchasing expensive landscape cloth, using poisonous herbicides, or spending hours pulling weeds, re-use packing paper or newspaper and mulch to control unsightly/unwanted weeds!

"Layering" with packing paper or newspaper is an excellent method of weed control. The garden plastic that many people choose actually prevents adequate air circulation, and consequently rots the soil underneath the plastic. Using paper allows the soil to 'breathe' and improves the health of the earth and plants.

                                Super Simple steps to creating a weed free area:

1.  Save packaging paper & newspapers:  (Keep paper folded in a dry & safe area until ready to use)
 

2.  Locate an area in your garden or yard you want to keep weed free & mulched:

 3.  Lay paper directly over the soil:  (You do not have to pull any weeds)

4.  "Layer" paper in a slight overlapping style & use several layers until area is thickly covered:

 

 5.  Place 3" to 4" of  mulch over layered paper. (Do not pile mulch too closely to trunk)

 

6.  Finished!  You may want to use stones or edge around area to keep mulch in place:

 

Layering is truly simple, cost-effective, and works great!   Whether you are looking to reduce weeds in your favorite flower bed or around shrubs and tress, you will enjoy how well layering works, plus reusing packaging paper and newspaper is good for the environment.  

Happy Gardening~  

Migraine Relief~A Holistic Approach

Suffer from migraines? 

You'll be thrilled to know dramatic relief can be simple and risk-free!




For those that have suffered with migraines, you know that Migraines are much more than just intense headaches. While headache pains are part of a migraine, there are other symptoms as well. These include nausea, dizziness and sensitivity to light. Treating migraines is not so easy, but there are various natural techniques and alternative treatments that can ease the pain migraines cause.

Most people try to get rid of pain in their bodies by using medications, but this may not be the best solution. Drugs usually have many unwanted side effects and long-term, may cause harm. On the other hand, natural methods typically offer health benefits. Before or in addition to taking meds, try these natural suggestions. Keep in mind that not every method will work for you.  You will just have to try different things and see what the best is for you.
If you get a migraine, here are a few tips that have been known to immediately relieve pain. 

See if any of the following work for you:

• take a bath or shower
• lay down and rest in a dark room
• stay away from any bright lights
• place something cold on the back of your neck
• drink water or tomato juice
• eat if you haven't eaten for a while
• massage your neck and shoulders & relax the muscles in your body
• rub Shaklee's mentholated Joint Health Cream on back of neck or temples
• Product Link  http://gaskell.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=31051

Stress on the spine may cause migraines. If your neck bones aren't in just the right spot, a chiropractor can gently push them back into place.  Interview your local chiropractors and find one that fits for you! 
And, did you know?  Dr. Shaklee was a chiropractor!  He went through chiropractic school with his friend, B. J. Palmer, the father of chiropractic care.

Many of the foods you eat may actually trigger a migraine:

• Chocolate
• Pineapple
• Avocado
• Beans
• Lentils
• Peas
• MSG (Mono-sodium glutamate)
• Pork
• Cheese/Dairy
• Caffeine
• Coconut
• Process Meats/Foods
• Shrimp
• Artificial Sweeteners/Ingredients/Colorings
• Refined Sugars (white sugar, white carbs., etc.)

Try eliminating 1 or 2 foods you may have eaten within 24 hours of having a migraine. You may be surprised to learn that you have a sensitivity to a certain food or ingredient that is causing your migraines.

Adding in additional B-Vitamins, Fish Oil, Calcium and Magnesium in combination have also proved to offer significant relief, reduced frequency and even elimination of migraines.

The "must have" migraine trio:


   
Many people find that taking 2-6 of each of Shaklee's OmegaGuard, OsteoMatirx, and B-Complex offers Migraine relief.

To your health,