Hey Folks!

I haven't posted in awhile as I'm just finishing up this semester of school. I'll be finished finals soon and back again full force to continue writing....but until then, here is an interesting article you should check out. I think Naturopathy has come a long way since 2006 when this was published. There are still a lot of skeptics out there but also a lot more science and research to back it up. Also, a lot more heart! Here are also some videos from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine(CCNM) on why they love  Naturopathy and CCNM.http://www.ccnm.edu/vote

When Trust In Doctors Erodes, Other Treatments Fill The Void

                http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/03/health/03patient.html?pagewanted=all

Hopefully one day alternative medicine will not be a last resort, but will help to prevent patients from needing extreme medical measures at all.


Also, on the Natural Health Freedom front of things: Looks like the FDA is at it again. To those of you who relied on the anti-inflammatory effects of the enzyme Serrapeptase for the treatment of inflammation, post-surgery recovery, arterial plaque, strokes, varicose veins and scar tissues as an alternative to ibuprofen or NSAIDS, prepare for disappointment. Serrapeptase is now only going to be available in 30 thousand IUs per capsule, the lowest dosage currently available. The former doses of 60, 90 and 120 thousand IU capsules will no longer distributed which means to those of you who just got out of surgery or are suffereing from severe inflammation, get ready to pop at least 12 capsules a day and to spend outrageous amounts of money to get the  results you need in a natural and safe way. Here's another article on it. http://www.naturesfare.com/blog/monday-mornings-with-claire-so-long-serrapeptase/


In good health

-Bry

What a crazy way to start off spring!

On the first day, we literally got a foot and a half of snow here in Edmonton. They had to shut down the highways because there were so many accidents.

Well I would say this calls for some nice warm drinks to cozy up with. If you are a student like me and studying for upcoming finals, you may like to try a herbal coffee mix.

I know for myself, I had to stop drinking coffee this year because I over did it and my body could no longer handle the caffeine. Every time I do drink coffee now, I end up practically going cross-eyed and being too anxious to function. But there's hope!

Plenty of herbs can be combined to make a great tasting mix that is actually good for you!

Chicory root has a nice bitter taste to it and is good for your digestion. The inulin in it may even help with weight loss.

Dandelion root is also bitter tasting and has been known to have very beneficial detoxifying effects on the liver. 

Another good bitter tasting root is Maca, which helps to regulate the health and function of the endocrine system. 

Take any of these roots in combination with figs, cumin, turmeric, dates or any other flavoring herbs, add some coconut or almond milk and you've got yourself a great tasting coffee substitute. 

  It will not only make you warm and happy, but it will also help keep you healthy by offering your liver support to deal with high levels of cortisol in your blood due to chronic stress. This in turn will help you keep stay  a healthy weight and less anxious. A healthy endocrine system will also help to regulate your hormones so they don't become unbalanced. Lastly, a herbal coffee mixture will not give you a stomach ache like many coffees do. 

On the Natural Health Freedom front of things, I noticed the other day that a product by NOW vitamins called "peppermint oil" was back on the shelves of our store when I thought that the government had discontinued it. I was excited to see this until I realized that it was now "peppermint oil- with fennel and ginger" which made me realize the extent to which companies are now going in order to keep their products on the shelves of stores. NOW had to re-market their product with different ingredients just to get it to stay on the shelf. I know eventually that it too will probably be discontinued due to intervention by the government.

Seriously, you think they could spend more time worrying about Provincial budget cuts and post- secondary funding than trying to discontinue products that supplement healthy lifestyles and are hardly a threat to anyone's life.

Well that's it for today! Good luck studying to all of my student friends!

In Good Health,

Bry

Well, this is it! Welcome to my new blog where I will be posting about my experiences working in and learning about the Natural Health community. After getting a job at Optimum Health Vitamin shop, I began to realize that I am learning so much every single day...so much that I cannot even keep track of it all. I want to share it too, so what better way than write a blog. 

Here I will be posting all of the cool facts about Natural Health that I come across...everything from new products to new research or even just tips on how to live healthier. 

I will also be commenting on the current state of affairs surrounding Natural Health Products and Government regulation (trust me it's not pretty) and what we can do as citizens of Canada to advocate for health freedom!

Just a little overview for those of you who do not know:

                               The Government of Canada is currently in the process of banning large amounts of Natural Health products from being sold to the public for reasons such as "they do not have proven effects" or "lack of evidence". Everything from cinnamon oil to natural and effective blood thinners like natokinase are being pulled off the shelves and can no longer be made available to Canadian consumers except through arduous means that usually involve buying them online from other countries. Even then, the border is becoming a lot stricter about what they do or do not let through. As well, the Government has also begun to regulate the dosage of products so that they can only be sold in small amounts. For example, Vitamin D3, an essential constituent to any Canadians diet should be taken in 3000 to 8000 mg doses a day, depending on the person. However, the Government is only allowing it to be sold in capsules of 1000mg, which limits consumer options. All of this is because the Food and Drug Act (FDA) is still regulating Natural Health Products like they are prescription drugs...when they are clearly not. There hasn't been a single recorded incidence of a death due to a  Natural Health Product whereas the fifth leading cause of death in Canada in 2009 was "Accidents" which includes injuries, falls, car crashes and, you guessed it, unintentional poisoning -likely due to the improper use of prescription drugs! Natural Health products are safer than Pharmaceuticals and allow people to take their health into their own hands. A lawsuit is currently being filed against the government in an effort to rewrite the FDA and create a subset for Natural Health Product regulation. If you want to know more or want to contribute check out this website: http://naturalhealthfreedomcanada.com/

And, this report suggesting what should be done to fix these problems with the FDA:

 http://www.optimumhealthvitamins.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=i4ada58U06c%3D&tabid=111

On a lighter note, here is a really cool product line that I had the pleasure of learning about today called Eminence that we sell at Optimum Health Vitamins!

They are an all natural, organic and biodynamic skin care line from Hungary. Everything from lotions to face masks to scrubs are available for purchase.

Their website: http://us.eminenceorganics.com/

youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/eminenceorganics

The fact that they are biodynamic is really cool because it means that not only are the ingredients they are using at least 88% organic, they are also farmed in the most natural and sustainable way possible. Biodynamic farming is intense! They farm based on the moon cycles so that the plants have optimum gravitational pull on them and can absorb the water they need. They also have their own honeybees that live on the farms and maintain the crops. Most farms these days kill their honey bees after a season so that they don't have to take care of them during winter months or transport them ( bees go crazy if you move them around too much). Biodynamic farming also yields the most nutritionally potent crops available because they nourish the plant's soil rather than the plant directly and create an ecosystem in which the soil actually becomes a living organism as well.There's a lot more too it but I will leave it at that cause I could go on forever and I've already thrown so much into this one post!

Here's some more info on biodynamic farming:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture

Well thanks for tuning into my first post. There will be plenty more to come!

In Good Health,

Bry