Stay Social
Blog Categories
Popular Posts
Archive
Recent Photos
Tag Cloud
Flower Power: Prescriptions from the petal
Flowers are not only beautiful; they also have a pronounced emotional function when involved in any of the human senses. According to behavioral research conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, flowers provide us with a simple way to improve emotional health. The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction, and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what we might generally think possible.
The Rutgers team of researchers explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction in a 10-month study of participants’ behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers. The results show that flowers are a natural and healthful moderator of moods for the following reasons:
- Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed “true” or “excited” smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.
- Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious, and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.
- Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.
In the 1930’s Dr. Bach began studying the emotional output of flowers, as he believed illness to be the result of “a contradiction between the purposes of the soul and the personality’s point of view.” This internal war, according to Bach, leads to negative moods and energy blocking, which causes a lack of “harmony,” thus leading to physical diseases.
From this belief...
Weekend Warrior Survival Guide
Do you work hard all week, only to play hard on the weekends? If so, you’d be considered a “weekend warrior” – someone who exercises far more on weekends while staying relatively idle during the working week. While some exercise is better than none, weekend warriors have one thing in common – they may be more susceptible to injury. To avoid injury and increase enjoyment and safety while being active, keep these 3 steps in mind: Prepare, Pace, and Recover.
Prepare
- Warm up – A warm up is essential as it can prevent injuries and even improve your performance by increasing the blood flow and oxygen supply to your muscles. Warmer muscles are more flexible, making them less likely to tear or strain.
- Stretch – Stretches should be performed after your heart rate is elevated by some gentle exercise. Stretch the major muscle groups, especially those directly related to the chosen activity.
Supplements
- Vega Sport Optimizer: A pre-activity drink, providing sustaining energy, enhanced mental focus and increased aerobic and anaerobic capacity. It also replenishes electrolytes and reduces inflammation as well as joint and muscle pain to assist recovery.
- ZIP Fuel Creatine by Prairie Naturals: A pre and post exercise supplement. Pre-exercise it prevents muscle fatigue, allows for increased endurance and avoids the “hitting the wall” syndrome that can occur.
Pace Yourself
- Adjust your intensity –Start out gradually and ease yourself into any activity. Don’t go too hard too early.
- Take a time out – Untrained muscles tire out fast, and fatigue and dehydration can sneak up on Weekend Warriors....
Gluten Then and Now
(As written by naturalnews.com)
Over the past decade, the frequency of conversations about gluten intolerance (GI) and celiac disease (CD) in the United States has gone from almost unheard of to commonplace. Chances are your local supermarket sells dozens of items labeled “gluten free” where none existed five years ago. Restaurants and school lunch programs frequently offer gluten-free alternatives. What happened?
Before I dive into that discussion, I want to clarify some terms to minimize confusion. “Gluten” is the general term for a mixture of tiny protein fragments (called polypeptides), which are found in cereal grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, faro, and kamut. Gluten is classified in two groups: prolamines and glutelins. The most troublesome component of gluten is the prolamine gliadin. Gliadin is the cause of the painful inflammation in gluten intolerance and instigates the immune response and intestinal damage found in celiac disease. Although both conditions have similar symptoms (pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea), or sometimes no gastrointestinal symptoms at all, celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten that can cause severe degradation of the small intestine; whereas, gluten intolerance/sensitivity is an inability to digest gliadin with no damage to the intestines.
The medical community’s use of improved diagnostic tools (saliva, blood, and stool tests; and bowel biopsies) as well as self-diagnosis by aware individuals has certainly contributed to the swelling ranks of people afflicted with these maladies; however, that’s not the whole story. A combination of hybridized grains, America’s growing appetite for snacks and fast food, and the...
Super Sulforaphane!
Sulforaphane, an organosulfur compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, is one of nature’s best health avengers. For years researchers have known the antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of sulforaphane, but it was not until recently that they understood exactly how the compound worked so effectively within the body.
Sulforaphane’s effectiveness is directly related to healthy intestinal flora. Research has shown that the conversion of glucoraphanin (a parent compound of sulfoaphane) in the small intestine allows for direct delivery to the blood stream. This means the good bacteria in our digestive tract consume and break down the compound which releases suforaphane and allows it to pass into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, sulforaphane activates the body’s own enzyme defense system to convert chemical byproducts and toxins into water soluble molecules so they can be more easily eliminated. This direct delivery and increase in enzyme expression allows for more effective antioxidant activity and means more damaged and abnormal cells are able to be found and removed.
It is equally important to ensure there is a healthy balance of friendly bacteria in the gut as it is to ensure regular consumption of foods containing sulforaphane. If there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria, glucoraphanin will not be able to be broken down by the body and the sulforaphane will not be released into the blood stream where it is needed. Incorporating both prebiotics and probiotics with digestive enzymes into your supplement regime will promote digestive health as well as proper nutrient...
28-DAY HOLISTIC HEALTH OVERHAUL
You are in charge of your health! Take steps now to be prepared for a healthy future.
Week 1: Detox and Diet
Toss the junk. Detox your pantry so that you can detox your body. From snack foods to frozen dinners, make sure they find their way to the trash can. Focus your diet on organic whole foods, and start to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into each meal. Throw away everything that contains artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours, and preservatives, and anything that has ingredients on the label that are difficult to pronounce or that cannot be found anywhere in nature.
- Start each day by drinking a glass of warm lemon water. This helps the digestive juices of the stomach gain strength and eliminate waste from the body.
- Eat only whole foods like whole grains, fruits, seeds, nuts, veggies and organic dairy. Say no to processed foods, and yes to organic whenever possible.
- Start a herbal detox program, the herbs used in most programs not only help your body purge the toxins, they also help replenish organs. Some of our favorite kits include the Wild Rose Detox, Flor essence 7-day kit, Renew Life CleanseSmart Kit and the Enzymatic Therapy Whole Body Cleanse.
- Learn the difference between phase 1 and phase 2 cleansing. This is the cleansing that occurs on a daily basis if the body is given the nutrients it needs to operate at an optimal level. For more information visit our past blog Top 10 Cleansing Tips for Daily Detox.
Week 2: Boost Energy
- Give away...
Baby Blog: Entry #1…getting pregnant, morning sickness and more!
Baby Blog
Welcome to the first entry into our Baby Blog! We are very excited to have Khali sharing her experiences with us while we provide insight into her experiences and answer questions that are universal for most people embarking on their journey into parenthood. Follow along for the last six months of Khali’s pregnancy, and share in her and her husband’s joy when baby G is born sometime in December 2011.
(name has been changed to allow for more open and honest entries)
In this first entry, we will discuss the challenges surrounding conception, natural Morning Sickness aids,
herbal use and pregnancy, and food awareness.
Mommy entry #1: I found out I was pregnant on March 26 and It was one of the happiest (and most shocking moments) in my life! After trying for what seemed like forever and suffering some losses along the way, it was hard to believe it was actually real. I had a feeling something was up because I had a very hard time taking my vitamins and supplements for about a week. I was exhausted and VERY nauseous, and taking numerous trips to the washroom all day, with a touch of moodiness thrown in for good measureJ. I found that I could eat all day and ironically it seemed to be the one way to ease the extensive queasiness I was feeling. I certainly didn’t have “morning sickness”; it would last all day and in fact was worse in the evening. I drank copious amounts of ginger ale and snacked...
