Hormonal moodiness

Women at all stages of their lives get moody. Moodiness can be seen in young girls as they enter puberty, women in their 20’s, 30’s, and still in older woman as they reach perimenopause and menopause into their 40’s and 50’s and 60’s. Indeed, it appears that women at all stages of life struggle with their moods. Some women handle their moodiness better than others, but as any man who has ever lived with a woman will confirm, the woman he loves is often moody. Men can be moody also, but it just doesn’t seem to engulf them and take over their lives like it does for women. Although women often attribute their moodiness to their menstrual cycles, they can also blame their moods on pregnancy, their postpartum stage of life and all their life changes, and they should. The simple truth is that each of these changes brings with it a fluctuation in hormones, which does indeed affect their brains, and consequently the way they feel.

But why is it that woman tend to be moodier then men? Current research has shown that women on an average make less serotonin (the happy chemical in the brain) than men. Scientists at the University of Montreal found that men’s brains, on average, make 52 per cent more than women. The reason might be tied to the differences in male and female sex hormones. The way it works is like this: as a woman goes through her monthly cycles her estrogen levels raise and fall and low estrogen affects a woman’s moods because the brain needs estrogen to produce serotonin. Most people don’t know that estrogen exists in the brain, but hormones, estrogen and serotonin, work in tandem because serotonin needs estrogen for its metabolism. Therefore, as estrogen levels drop, so does serotonin. So women’s fluctuating hormones definitely affect the stability of their moods. Depending on how women react to the different hormonal patterns that exist, some women can be moody before their cycle, some after their cycle; while others feel imbalanced between their cycles. It sometimes seems that just living as a female can be enough of an excuse for moodiness. In the distant past, doctors used to describe women in their moody states as having ‘hysteria’, which is defined as,” unmanageable emotional excessesa.” Wikipedia discusses that the history of the notion of hysteria, “can be traced to ancient times; in ancient Greece it was described in the gynecological treatises of the Hippocratic corpus, which date from the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Plato’s dialogue Timaeus compares a woman’s uterus to a living creature that wanders throughout a woman’s body, “blocking passages, obstructing breathing, and causing disease. The concept of a pathological, wandering womb was later viewed as the source of the term hysteria, which stems from the Greek cognate of uterus, ὑστέρα (hystera).” The doctors of old were not aware of hormonal effects on the brain, so they blamed the uterus for women’s emotional upheavals.

So now that we know that monthly cycles and fluctuating hormones can directly affect our brains, what is a woman to do? Are there things a woman can do to help her better control her moods? Fortunately, the answer is yes. First, she can begin by charting her moods to help her anticipate and understand her unique mood-patterns. The next step is to tune into her intuitive-self, to avoid those ‘triggers’ that can off-set her moods. And, of course, she should know that exercising will always help her stabilize her temperament, and that there are also herbal allies she can include in her life.

One of my favorite ways for women to understand their personal cycle of moodiness is by charting it. To do this, keep a little calendar in your purse and two times a day chart what your mood is like. Most women, once they tune into how they are really feeling and when they get moody, will begin to see a pattern to their moods. Anticipating when moods could possibly be challenging, will give a woman the upper-hand in keeping her moods balanced; helping her to prevent inappropriate outbursts. Many a woman will complain that her day starts out great and the next thing she knows is that her mood has changed, and it has changed the tone of the rest of the day along with it. What a woman needs to begin to do is to notice the physical triggers that affect her already sensitive, hormonal balance. Is it that nasty co-worker’s comments that are triggering your bad mood, or is that daily call from your mother-in-law? Although we can’t avoid all the triggers, there are many we can avoid if we begin to notice them, chart them, and realize the affect that they are having on us. For instance, if you shop at a certain grocery store where the clerk always annoys you, shop somewhere else, or if the sandwich stand you frequent has a nasty worker, get your lunch somewhere else. Don’t let someone else’s offensive personality become a trigger that puts you in a bad mood.

Another tool we have within us is our intuitive-self. Your intuitive-self is that little voice that comes into your head and sends up the red-flags, warning you that a situation or person can have a negative effect on you. Most women are so busy trying to do the socially correct or nice thing that they often wipe out that intuitive feeling and just push through any disturbance. But when we just push-through things, it often leaves us feeling angry or frustrated, and that can disrupt the delicate balance of our hormones.

It is very important throughout the day to take a moment to take a few deep breaths and really ‘check-in’ on yourself, to see how you are feeling. Are you feeling frustrated or mad, are you feeling hurt or overwhelmed? Once you clarify what you are feeling, you have the ability to choose whether or not those feelings will overtake you, affecting your body. Dr. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist who teaches her patients about their power to control the energy they take in from other people and helps them to understand the energy they give off to other people, teaches us that, “The main source of happiness and well-being comes from the heart, that energy center or “chakra” located in the mid-chest that is the source of loving-kindness and compassion. When we begin to open this area, the sweetness of this energy flows forth in our bodies to lessen fatigue and buoy our mood. A technique I suggest for opening the heart is simple. Get in a quiet place. Take a few steady, deep breaths. If thoughts intrude keep focusing on your breath. Then picture an image that is loving and positive. It may be a child’s face, a beautiful flower, a waterfall. Hold that image for a few minutes and feel the positive energy of the heart open and flow through you.” This may seem like a silly idea if you are beginning to feel ‘hormonal’ or ‘moody’, but the idea of breathing and taking the moment to try and shift your energy, works wonders for many women. This exercise can actually stop the chemical reaction that begins to occur when your stress hormones begin to kick in. This is a wonderful tool that can help bring you back to your center, or personal place of control. Taking that moment to acknowledge your feelings can help prevent things from building up and not allow your mood to explode.

Is it really fair to let your moods affect other people? If you are tracking your moods and you begin to feel as if ‘that mood’ is soon approaching, try your best to temporarily separate yourself so that your personal energy doesn’t offend anyone. It is perfectly okay for you to feel moody, but it really isn’t fair to expose others to it.

There is another method of mood control you may want to explore and that is the world of botanicals. There are many herbs that can help us balance our hormones and brain chemistry, and generally help to relieve the stress that our bodies accumulate as a result of our moodiness.

  • Motherwort is my all-time favorite herb to help stabilize moodiness. This is an herb that can be felt within twenty minutes after taking it. It is an herb that can be used by women of all ages and stages of their lives. Motherwort is wonderful for taking that ‘edge off’ of your feelings and is helpful if you suddenly feel as if that ‘black-cloud’ is descending. It can be used prophylactically if you know you will be encountering a difficult time, or if you look at your calendar and know that your menstruation is approaching.
  • Chaste berry is a fabulous herb if your menstrual cycle is not regular, but changes from month to month. Often extreme moodiness happens when a woman is anticipating her menstruation and it is delayed. Often during that ‘waiting time’ a woman feels edgy and agitated. Chaste berry is not a fast acting herb and it usually takes about three months to help regulate a cycle, but chaste berry is worth the wait. Once a woman’s cycle is regulated she usually feels more control over her emotions.
  • Skullcap is for nervous tension with anxiety. Skullcap, like motherwort is an herb you will begin to feel working within twenty minutes of ingestion. It is best used before an intimidating experience, like a business meeting you have been anticipating for weeks, or right before it is time to put your children to bed. Skullcap can be taken over a long period of time or as needed in the moment.
  • Fresh milky oats is a wonderful herb if you have been through long-term stress. Oats can help with frazzled nerves. This herb is best taken three times a day over a long period of time. You will not feel the effect of oats right away, but be assured that the herb will be doing its job. Think of fresh milky oats as a Band-Aid for your central nervous system.
  • Mimosa bark is purported to bring ‘joy to a person’s heart’. It was an Italian custom to bring the one you loved a bouquet of mimosa flowers. So, in a similar vein, why not treat yourself the special present of mimosa bark if you are just feeling sad, moody and unloved. Mimosa bark can be used occasionally as needed.
  • Eleuthero is an herb called an adaptogen. Simply stated, adaptogens are a family of herbs that heal the whole body. Eleuthero is especially useful for type-A personalities who work too hard and become ‘burned-out.’ This herb will help balance your adrenal glands and will help bring physical tone back into damaged areas that stress has caused. Eleuthero is best taken three times a day for a long period of time to feel its effects.

A woman who suffers from moodiness should not forget the necessity of exercise and its powerful effect on our hormones and our brain chemistry. In a study led by Dr. Jeremy Sibold, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation and Movement Science at the University of Vermont, Burlington states, “Moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to twelve hours.” This study looked at a twenty-four-hour window to see how long that ‘feel-good’ effect could last. They studied forty-eight healthy men (don’t forget men can get moody also) and women from approximately eighteen to twenty-five years of age and had them initially complete a mood survey. The participants were divided into two groups, an exercise group that rode a stationary bicycle for twenty minutes at moderate intensity, and a second group who were sedentary. The members from both groups repeated the mood survey one, two, four, eight, twelve and twenty-four hours later. The study found that the mood of the exercisers was better than that of the sedentary participants, both immediately after the workout and for up to twelve hours later! The results are obvious—exercise is an inexpensive tool that can help balance our moods.

We may have been created with a propensity toward moodiness, which might be difficult for many women to control, but at least we have tools that can help us find a balance and govern our moods, rather than just be a victim to our hormonal swings.

Cold & flu cures right in your kitchen

Look around us and we would all agree that in the winter people tend to suffer more from colds and the flu. But, does cold weather really make us more vulnerable to these illnesses? It is interesting to learn that if anything, during long stretches of cold temperature we are less likely to catch a cold. It is also interesting to note that the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, which killed at least 20 million people worldwide, reached its peak in the late spring and summer and died down in the United States in October!

A possible explanation for this is because the germs that cause these ailments die off in cold weather. It has been observed that people who “winter over” at Antarctic research stations seldom catch colds, and when they do, it is usually when they are visited by germ-laden visitors from warmer climes! Another explanation might just be that as the weather gets colder, people forget to drink the amount of water they require daily, and don’t think of creative ways to exercise in colder weather. Or, it may be that colds and flu are more common in the winter months because people tend to congregate inside, with the doors and windows shut tightly, allowing viruses to increase and spread in such close quarters. It could also be that our lives get more stressful during the long gray winter months; being either stuck inside our homes or venturing outside where we have to trudge through adverse weather conditions. And as a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported, that the more psychological stress people experienced, the more likely they were to get colds.

The reason why people appear to be bothered by colds and the flu during the winter time more than any other season can be for any or all of these reasons, but weather alone can’t make a person ill. However, that being said, the change of weather can challenge your body’s immune system. When your body is used to functioning in a certain temperature and then the season changes, your body is forced to re-adapt. If your immune system is not as strong as it needs to be, you will be more vulnerable to cold and flu.

The good news is that there are items right in your kitchen that can help super-charge your immune system, and in addition, help you to be prepared for the stresses and challenges that come with the winter months.

Medicinal Honey

Honey’s healing properties have been touted for generations. Modern science shows that honey contains antioxidants, acids, proteins and minerals that help heal and strengthen our bodies, and honey can also fight bacterial infections thanks to its antimicrobial properties. And notwithstanding the fact that most colds and flus are caused by viruses, people world-wide would claim that honey helps with colds, sore throats, and coughs. In partial support of this assertion “Studies have shown that honey is a potent treatment for nighttime cough. In one study of 130 children aged 2-17 with runny nose and cough were randomized to receive nightly doses of buckwheat honey, artificial honey-flavored cough medicine (dextromethorphan), or no treatment. On a parent-rated symptom scale, honey was found to be the most helpful in reducing nighttime cough and improving sleep in children with upper respiratory infections, and other studies have shown that honey helps diminish the intensity and duration of winter coughs”.

Now by adding herbs to ordinary honey, we can further boost the palliative properties that are already found in honey turning it into “medicinal honey” for the winter months. Honey naturally comes in a variety of flavors and each flavor has different medicinal properties due to the flowers the bees suckle from. Buckwheat honey seems to work best for coughs, sage honey for sore throats, and wild flower honey helps with a stuffy nose and allergies. Now to these natural healing properties of honey you can add herbs like onions or garlic, medicinal spices like sage or thyme, healing berries like elder berry, or healing plants like echincea, yerba santa, or usena. Any medicinal honey is easy to make and you can customize it to your personal physical challenges and taste.

For coughs try onion honey. Onion honey is suggested if you tend to be challenged with winter coughs. Place into a glass bowl a layer of sliced onions and pour honey onto them until they are covered with a layer of honey. Then cover the bowl with either a plate or plastic wrap and let it sit on the kitchen counter overnight. By morning the honey will begin to turn into syrup. You can leave this mixture right on the counter and take one tablespoon two times a day as a preventative or up to four times a day if you are already ill. If you will not use up your onion honey mixture within the week, it is best to strain out the onions and put the honey in a glass container to keep in the refrigerator.

For sinus infections try garlic honey. Garlic honey is recommended if you tend to get sinus infections. You can follow the same procedures as above, just using garlic instead of onions. If you suffer from both sinus and coughs you can mix both onions and garlic in the same bowl with honey.

For sore throats try sage honey. Adding the herb sage to your honey will help with sore throats. You can either sage in its dried form, fresh form or in a grain alcohol tincture (once the herb has been steeped, the alcohol loses its potency). The best way to use the dried or fresh herb is to lightly heat up the honey in a good quality sauce pan, made either of glass or stainless steel, and then pour in the sage. Since your goal is to dissolve the herb into the honey, and not to cook the honey, keep the cooking flame small. Continue to lightly heat the honey until either the dried or fresh herb has wilted, or in the case of the tincture, until it has dissolved into the honey. Let the honey mixture cool, and in the case of the herbs, strain them and put them into a glass jar to be stored in the refrigerator.

For kids colds try tasty honey medicinal mixes. Recommended only for children who are more than one year old, honey mixtures are a great way for children to take herbs. Making a medicinal honey is a fun activity for kids because they love assisting in its preparation and watching as the herbs melt into the honey. And more often than not, they will be happy taking their “herbal honey” because they helped make it.

For children’s honey, follow the same procedure that is written above but instead of the onions and garlic, choose gentle kid-friendly herbs like elderberry, lemon balm or linden flowers. I also like to add cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans for an extra pleasant flavor with medicinal benefits. Elderberry is a great source of vitamin C and is an antiviral, lemon balm is calming and antiviral, and linden flowers help with fevers and flu. Cinnamon tastes great and also helps with stomach flus and vanilla, well vanilla is just yummy.

Herbal Apple Cider ‘Fire’ Vinegar I

Another food that is commonly found in the kitchen that can be used not only for its own curative properties but also as a vehicle for medicinal herbal mixtures is apple cider vinegar. For centuries apple cider vinegar has been touted for its natural health benefits.

Apple cider vinegar is the result of dual fermentation of naturally occurring sugars in apples. At the beginning of the process apples are pressed or crushed and the first stage of fermentation begins when the juice is set aside to become apple cider. During the second stage, the sugars are further fermented from apple cider into apple cider vinegar. The vinegar contains many natural ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and acetic acid. Being both antibiotic and antiseptic it helps neutralize toxins in the body. The organically made versions of these natural vinegars provide more health benefits than others because the apples initially used contain more minerals and enzymes than the non-organic fruit.

Interesting research can now be found studying the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. The best researched, and the most promising, of apple cider vinegar’s possible health benefits is with diabetic patients. Several studies have found that apple cider vinegar may help lower glucose levels. For instance, one 2007 study of eleven people with type-2 diabetes found that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels in the morning by four to six percent. Notwithstanding recent studies, people world-wide have been praising the benefits of apple cider vinegars in what they call “fire-vinegars.”

To make your own ‘fire vinegar’, you will need a wide-mouthed glass jar; preferably with a plastic lid because vinegar can corrode a metal top. Pour into the jar one cup of apple cider vinegar and next add three tablespoons of each of the following: chopped onion and garlic, grated fresh ginger and grated horseradish. (You can buy either of these fresh roots in the produce section of your grocery store, but if not, you can find usually find them already grated in glass jars with vinegar). Next add one tablespoon of the following: mustard seeds with black peppercorns or black peppercorns by themselves, and one or more whole cayenne chilies, or one-eighth of a teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper or one teaspoon of dried chili flakes if cayenne is not available. Cap the mixture and let it sit from two to four weeks, shaking the bottle daily to mix the herbs together with the liquid. (Yes, you can use the vinegar before the allotted time if you feel the need). After the allotted time, strain the mixture using cheesecloth in order to extract all of the liquid from the herbs. To all of the above, add one-third of cup of honey to help preserve and sweeten your vinegar mixture, pour it into a clean bottle and then label and date it before storing it away in your cupboard.

Herbal Apple Cider ‘Fire’ Vinegar II

Here is an alternative ‘fire-vinegar’ recipe:

Pour one cup of apple cider vinegar into your wide-mouthed glass jar and to this add: one-quarter of a cup of grated fresh horseradish, one chopped onion, one chopped ginger root, one head garlic peeled and chopped, a half of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and one-third of a cup of organic honey. The mixture process is the same as that written above for the first ‘fire-vinegar’ recipe.

These vinegars can keep for as long as two years. When you’re feeling sick and in an acute state, get your vinegar out and take from one-half to a full teaspoon every few hours. For the prevention of illnesses, either use your vinegar mixture over salads or take one teaspoon from one to two times daily.

Winter Molasses Power Drink

A third natural remedy that can be found in the kitchen, and is referred to as the ‘poor man’s tonic’, is blackstrap molasses. One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses a day can actually provide the body with up to 20% of the recommended daily value of many vitamins and minerals including: iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and cooper and manganese. Iron provides energy and boosts metabolism. Copper helps the human body utilizes iron, eliminate free radicals and produce melanin. Calcium is needed to promote: healthy teeth and bones, blood-clotting abilities, enzyme activity and toxin removal. Manganese helps to synthesize fatty acids used by the nervous system. So if blackstrap molasses was not found in your kitchen before, it should be now.

Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar distillation process in which sugar cane is refined into sugar. During the processing, cane juice is heated, sugar crystals are extracted, and black strap molasses is the result of the third distillation in the course of extracting sugar.

Among the many health benefits of blackstrap molasses is its ability to help with the following conditions: anxiety, anemia, pain from arthritis, constipation, heart palpitations, and it’s also been claimed to help restore gray hair back to its original color. Along with helping to alleviate these conditions, blackstrap molasses can also be used for improving ulcers, psoriasis, varicose veins, dermatitis, rheumatism, and even benign tumors.

Black strap molasses can be added to cookie batters, beans and soups; however, the easiest way to include molasses into your daily routine is to make it into drink. And here is how it is done:

In a coffee mug add one tablespoon of organic black strap molasses, one tablespoon of organic honey, next add boiled water and mix well. If you chose to, you can lighten the drink with either: rice, soy, almond, or hemp milk. Make this blackstrap molasses quaff your morning drink and enjoy the burst of energy you will feel as you begin your day. You will be happy to know that you are giving your body a burst of its needed vitamins and minerals.

So, this winter, be both prepared and be pro-active. Spread medicinal honey on your toast or add it to your oatmeal, add your ‘fire-vinegar’ to salads or soups, and start each day with your powerful molasses drink and be equipped to conquer the world this winter.

First aid kit for the summer

The summer months are the time for fun and adventure. It is a time when mom’s, dad’s and babe’s get to spend time outdoors which is exciting but can also can leave you vulnerable for bug bites, bumps and bruises. Below is a list of some products that are inexpensive, effective and easy to carry.

French green clay– Is the perfect product for mosquito bites. French green clay is presently marketed as a ‘facial mask’ but herbalists have been using pure, healing clays for centuries. The green clay is best used to alleviate the pain associated with mosquito bites. For mosquito bites the clay is used in the form of a paste. Put a ½ teaspoon of green clay in a cup and add a few drops of water till the clay begins to stick together, forming a paste. Scoop up the paste and spread it over the bite. When the clay dries it might begin to crumble off; so if the bite is still painful you can spread another layer of clay over the existing one, and you can continue layering as needed. The green clay will help to pull out the toxins, reduce inflammation and soothe the skin.

Arnica gel-is a wonderful product that stays fresh in your purse or diaper bag and is easy to carry around. It is used for bumps and bruises. Applied immediately after a bump it will reduce the swelling and help ease the pain. (It can also be used later but the sooner the better). The gel can be applied either 3x a day or every 15 minutes if the injury is very painful. Do not apply to open skin. The homeopathic pellets of arnica are also very helpful and those are dissolved under the tongue. Three pellets are the standard dosage.

Natural bug spray-Most bug repellents have the chemical DEET which is a potentially toxic chemical. There are a variety of natural bug repellents made from essential oils which can be very effective. The down side to essential oils is that they need to be re-applied more often, but essential oils used in bug repellent formulas are safe (keep away from your and your child’s eyes), good for the environment and pleasant smelling. One of my favorite products is from healing spirits www.healingspirits.com and the product comes in a small, easy to carry size that will fit perfectly into a diaper-bag, purse or back-pack. I suggest spraying the product onto the child’s clothing or sprayed into your child’s hair.

So, this summer be adventurous and enjoy the beautiful hikes, beaches, and parks just be prepared with these three beneficial products.

Quick tips to build a child’s immunity when winter begins

It is always best to be one step ahead when it comes to your child’s health. Especially when the weather begins to change and children often go from playing outside in the warms summer sun (getting healthy rays of vitamin D) to sitting indoors in a playgroup or school. Gratefully there are lots of things moms and caregivers can do to help stimulate their child’s immune system.

  • Herbals such as Elderberry and Astragulas are wonderful herbs that help stimulate the immune system and can be given to a child daily. Elderberry is best given in a syrup or a tincture (where the herb is soaked in a grain alcohol), Astragulas is best given in tincture (but in Asia this herb is cooked into soups and feed to children). These herbs can be given separately or together diluted in a little grape juice.
  • Herbal honeys are easy to make, yummy and easy and safe for children over 12 months old. You can make an herbal honey by slightly heating an organic honey in a saucepan and adding dry herbs likes sage (specific for sore throats), echinacea (which stimulates the immune system), or lemon balm (helpful with virus). Add an herbal tincture stir, let cool and keep in the refrigerator. The honey can be taken directly by the child, added to oatmeal, or mixed into a smoothy.

Herbal questions & answers

1. With school starting back up, what are some natural ways parents can help boost their children’s immune system?

  • I am a fan of herbs to assist the body during the stressful times such as the transition kids go through from going back into a classroom after the freedom of the summer months. (Moms are also going through changes worrying about their children’s new teachers, and hoping that their child will get along with the other children). Herbs are suggested to be given daily anytime you or your child goes through changes. The herbs I suggest kids use preventively are:
  • Astragulas-given two times a day in tincture form (a tincture is an herb steeped in either grain alcohol or a vegetable glycerite). Best given morning and evening, this herb helps stimulate the immune system and helps to combat bacteria and viruses.
  • Lemon balm– is a great anti-viral herb and is also very calming. Lemon balm given in tincture form at night can help kids (and moms) sleep better at night, and also help calm down your child after a stimulating day at school. Best given two times a day, when the child comes home from school and before bedtime.
  • Elderberry-is most herbalist’s all-time favorite form of vitamin C. This herb is available in either a syrup or a tincture. It is delicious and has powerful anti-viral properties. Best given in a syrup or tincture 2-3x a day with or without food.

2. What are some natural ways to combat cold and flu season?

  • I love the herb Echinacea. I know that Echinacea has had some controversial studies lately, but Echinacea, in order to be effective, needs to be given in tincture form (tea form is also beneficial, but you need to drink a lot of it), but most of the studies used echinacea in pill form which is less effective. Echinacea comes in tincture form (liquid) and if taken three times a day at the on-set of an illness it can shorten the duration and lessen the intensity of a cold or flu.
  • Oscillicoccinum is a homeopathic remedy that is extremely effective if taken at the first sign of flu. The remedy needs to be given three times a day for the first three of the illness. The typical dose is three pellets dissolved under the tongue (for kids the pellets can be dissolved on top of the tongue). The protocol is that your mouth needs to be clean (meaning not filled with peanut butter) and no eating or drinking five minutes before and five minutes after taking the pellets.

3. Are there any specific products your recommend that parents have in their home for cold and flu season?

  • My favorite herbal combinations are from the companies Herbalists & Alchemists, Herbpharm and Gaia. It is best to purchase one of their products that are specific for building the immune system, or one for cold and flu.
  • Airborne is also a great way to help your immune fight off infections whether they are viral or bacterial. The product has a great combination of vitamins and because the product is in an it is effervescent form the body is able to digest and absorb them easier.

4. What’s your take on hand sanitizers? Should kids carry them or is it too much?

Hand sanitizers are quick and easy to use. They are great if you are in the car and your child just petted an animal and then wants to eat a snack, if you are traveling on a plane, or if your child left the playground and played in the sand and then wants to eat lunch. But putting antibiotics onto your skin too often is not a great idea. It not only kills the bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria. Our skin is our defense against the toxins in the world and is perfectly balanced with both good and bad bacteria. Nothing bets good-old soap and water which is still my favorite. I am not against a child having a small hand sanitizer in their back-pack to us occasionally but I’d try to teach the child to only use the hand sanitizer if the child really feels their hands need an emergency wash!

Stress Busters

Today we women do it all—yes, you men also ‘do it all’—that’s just the way the world is today; keeping us constantly busy! We work, parent, shop, cook, clean, and most of all, we get stressed! Most adults know that we are supposed to find the time to take care of ourselves, but that doesn’t always happen. We know we need to sleep, eat healthy food, drink water and exercise, but we usually find it difficult to include these necessities into our busy schedules.

Many countries have a rest period—a ‘siesta’ or a ‘tea-time’ in the middle of their work days. Imagine if we had the custom to stop the busy flow of our day and sit down to a relaxing cup of tea. Imagine if that cup of tea was filled with calming medicinal herbs. What would happen? Wouldn’t we all become calmer, or feel less stressed? The answer is emphatically yes!

When I first studied herbal medicine, ‘tea-time’ is what my teacher believed everyone should do at least once a day. She taught us that certain herbal teas could help counter the terrible side-effects of chronic stress such as high blood pressure, headaches and digestive disorders. She spent a lot of time teaching us how to make wonderfully relaxing herbal blends. In my first few months of practice, I believed I could convince my clients of the need for this ‘tea-time’ ritual, but since most of my clients were habitually busy, running from one activity to the next, ‘tea-time’ was not going to happen for them in the foreseeable future. Most of my clients didn’t even have time to wait for the water to boil, let alone have time to steep the tea. So I re-evaluated what I had learned and began offering a ‘quicker’ solution for my clients—I taught them about ‘tinctured herbs.’ Tinctured herbs are herbs that have been steeped in grain alcohol, in order to capture and preserve their medicinal qualities within a liquid form that is both potent and easy to take. All one has to do is put 25-35 drops into a small cup of water or juice and drink it—the alcohol has no effect. An herbal tincture or mix could be kept in a small bag or purse and taken while driving the carpool, before a big business meeting, as you run out of the house, as you are preparing dinner, or anytime you are feeling stressed. And the good news is that the entire process takes only about 30 seconds.

There are many soothing and calming ‘anti-stress’ herbs; so each person will require a different herb, or different herbal combination, depending on the source of their individual stress. Some people need only a single herb to help ease the negative effects of stress, while others find that combining all of the herbs listed below makes them feel their best, and here they are:

  • Motherwort is my all-time favorite herb to help stabilize moodiness. This is an herb that can be felt within twenty minutes after taking it. It is an herb that can be used by women of all ages and stages of their lives. Motherwort is wonderful for taking that ‘edge off’ of your feelings and is helpful if you suddenly feel as if that ‘black-cloud’ is descending. It can be used prophylactically if you know you will be encountering a difficult time.
  • Skullcap is for nervous tension and also helpful with anxiety. Skullcap, like motherwort is an herb you will begin to feel working within twenty minutes of ingestion. It is best used before an intimidating experience, like a business meeting you have been anticipating for weeks, or right before it is time to put your children to bed. Skullcap can be taken over a long period of time, or as needed in the moment.
  • Mimosa bark is purported to bring ‘joy to a person’s heart’. In Italy it was customary to bring the one you loved a bouquet of mimosa flowers. So, in a similar vein, why not treat yourself with the special present of mimosa bark if you are just feeling sad, moody and unloved. Mimosa bark can be used occasionally as needed.
  • Fresh milky oats is a wonderful herb if you have been through long-term stress. Oats can help with frazzled nerves. This herb is best taken three times a day over a long period of time. This is not an herb whose affects you will feel right away. Think of fresh milky oats as a massage for your central nervous system.
  • Eleuthero is an herb called an adaptogen. Simply stated, adaptogens are a family of herbs that heal the entire body. Eleuthero is especially useful for type-A personalities who work too hard and become ‘burned-out.’ This herb will help balance one’s adrenal glands. Eleuthero is best taken three times a day for a long period of time to feel its effects.

While it is always best to work with an herbalist who can take your history, understand your personal needs and create a personal blend, the herbs that I have listed are safe and can be experimented with freely. Most of these herbs combine with most conventional drugs, but it is best to check with an AHG herbalist if you are not sure.

Summer natural first aid kit

When people walk into a health food store, most are overwhelmed by the amount of products that are available to them and they are confused about which products to spend their money on. When I teach classes on ‘natural’ medicine, one thing I make sure to do is to teach my students which products are worth buying and which products are not. Unfortunately, lots of natural products are just big ‘hype’ with very little return. In contrast, I have mentioned below two of my favorite product that are really beneficial to have in the house during the summer months (and all year around).

French green clay– is presently marketed as a ‘facial mask’ but herbalists have been using pure, healing clays for centuries. The green clay is best used to alleviate the pain associated with mosquito bites, diaper rash, and kitchen burns. This clay can either be used directly as a powder, or mixed with a few drops of water and make into a paste.

For:

  • Mosquito bites-put a ½ teaspoon of green clay in a cup and add a few drops of water till the clay begins to stick together, forming a paste. Scoop up the paste and spread it over the bite. When the clay dries it might begin to crumble off; so if the bite is still painful you can spread another layer of clay over the existing one, and you can continue layering as needed. The green clay will help to pull out the toxins, reduce inflammation and soothe the skin.
  • Kitchen burns- the paste form is also used and in the same way it was used for mosquito bites. If the green clay paste is put on the burn right away, it will often heal quicker and without leaving that annoying brown mark on the skin.
  • Diaper rashes-are treated using the clay in its powdered form—do not make it into a paste. At every diaper change sprinkle the green clay as you would baby powder. This clay is especially helpful for those diaper rashes that are caused by an overgrowth of yeast. The clay smoothers the yeast and heals the skin.

Freeze-dried nettle-is a food herb that is beneficial for people of all ages—from children to the elderly. It is called a ‘food-herb’ because people throughout the world make the nettle into a soup or use it in a salad. Nettles are filled with many vital nutrients and are packed with important trace minerals that are often difficult to acquire in our food today because of processing. Nettles can be found and used in various forms, including: tea, tincture, and capsule. Most herbs do not stay fresh in capsule form; however, nettles in the freeze-dried form are one of the rare exceptions. Another important quality of the nettle is that it does not conflict with most prescription medication (but please consult with a proficient herbalist if you are concerned).

For:

  • Allergies and colds-freeze dried nettles have a natural antihistamine helping rid the body of extra mucous while reducing the inflammation in the nasal passages associated with nasal congestion. In clinical studies, nettles have been shown to clear the nasal passages as well as over the counter antihistamines. The difference between conventional medicine and nettles is that many medicines are formulated to stay in the body for twenty-four hours, while nettles must be taken throughout the day; however, when taking herbs you never feel any of the side-effects associated with antihistamines like dry eyes and throat and grogginess. The suggested dosage for freeze-dried nettle is: two capsules taken three times a day for teens and adults. For younger children, from a half of a capsule to a full capsule taken once or twice a day is a sufficient dosage. If a child cannot swallow a capsule, you can easily open it and pour the green powder into applesauce or yogurt.
  • Pregnancy-freeze-dried nettles are a wonderful pick-me-up from that weak and fatigued feeling, due to their easily absorbable nutrients—one of which is iron; which is so helpful with anemia. It is especially beneficial for women who are not finding the time to eat as many salads as they need to.
  • Traveling-during summer travel many people have trouble adjusting to new time zones, new water and new foods. Nettles can help keep up your strength by providing easily absorbable vitamins. Normally the body needs to have a lot of stomach acid and a well-functioning digestive system in order to properly digest conventional vitamins, but when people travel they are often stressed and nervous and can usually feel that tension in their stomachs—as it affects their digestion. Since nettles are so easy to absorb, you will still reap their benefit during such stressful times.

I am constantly getting e-mails from my clients about their pleasant experiences with green clay and nettles. So if you have always been interested in adding alternative products into your lives, or are just looking for a few new products to have in your collection, these two products are reasonably priced, both safe and highly effective, and easy to carry in your purse, keep in your car and have in your home.

Basic maintenance for good health

Let’s begin with some basics, and to do this we’ll compare the body to a favorite machine of ours—the car. In order for your car to run properly it needs gas, oil, and other fluids. But if your car sits for too long these fluids get thick and congeal and your battery probably dies as well. The best way to keep a car intact is to make sure it has gas, clean oil and that it moves. Both of these factors also work for our bodies. In order to stay healthy, with plenty of energy, we need to eat beneficial foods (or gas), stay hydrated (radiator, brake and transmission fluids), consume good oils and move around, or else our battery dies.

A master herbalist I was once working with said that if your clients can change only four small things in their lives, they will be surprised at how much better they will feel in just a few weeks. Here they are:

  • Make sure to drink filtered water every day, and yes, eight cups a day are required for proper hydration. Many people suffer from chronic exhaustion due to dehydration.
  • Switch your oil to olive oil in as many of your foods as possible. The extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil is the healthiest, but it has a pungent flavor. This form of olive oil is best used at room temperature over salads, soups or meat. For frying and baking one should use the extra light olive oil.
  • Change your salt to sea salt. Regular salt is mined from the ground, but salt coming from the sea is richer in minerals.
  • Add berries to your diet.

Now let’s discuss the issue of exercise. We know that there are those avid exercisers who passionately love going to the gym, and the hikers who get exhilarated climbing big hills, and you even have yogi’s who enjoy contorting their bodies into abnormal positions while trying to breathe deeply, and then there are some of the rest of us. There exists a population of people who wonder if exercise means bending down to tie their shoes, or working their biceps mean opening the refrigerator. While this is not altogether bad—and we should always be encouraging—it certainly isn’t sufficient. The old saying is in fact true—that if you don’t use, you’re bound to lose it—meaning that things in your body, like a car, will not function properly unless it is moved. Many of my clients say, “Hey, I have never moved my body much, so what could be the problem?” Unfortunately, the problem is that as we age, circulation becomes more difficult because the heart is a muscle that needs to be kept stimulated, in order to maintain proper blood flow. Moms also ask, “Hey, if I bend down to pick up my kids’ toys and stomp up and down the stairs yelling at them isn’t that exercise?” The answer is: perhaps a little, yes, but sadly a lot more no. It will increase your circulation, but during stressful times your body produces a harmful chemical called cortisol, and your heart will not benefit from nervous movement in the same way as it does from endurance movement. During endurance movement the body stresses physically, but the mind remains at ease! Imagine now that you decided to walk three times a week, during the first ten minutes you might have nervous thoughts, “Are my kids okay at home,” “Gosh I forgot to buy gefilte fish for Shabbos”. Concerns like these will produce the hormone cortisol, but after the first ten minutes of nervousness, you begin to relax and feel the wind on your face, feel your muscles moving, and think of how great it is you are finally exercising. Now your body will begin to produce the wonderful hormone of oxytocin, which will help heal both your body and your mind.

Ideally, your goal during exercise should be raising your heart rate for a steady twenty minutes, at least three times a week. So if your only form of exercise is walking, then begin at a slow steady pace and gradually increase it to a slightly more aggressive speed; which you can maintain for a full twenty minutes.

It was many years ago that my teacher, the herbalist, demanded that her clients consume lots of berries, and she did this before all of the current studies have confirmed the amazing healing properties of berries. Researchers Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D., and Marshall G. Miller have found that, “recent research increasingly shows that eating berry fruits can benefit the aging brain. To analyze the strength of the evidence about berry fruits, they extensively reviewed cellular, animal and human studies on the topic. The review concluded that berry fruits help the brain stay healthy in several ways. Berry fruits contain high levels of antioxidants, compounds that protect cells from damage by harmful free radicals. The two also report that berry fruits change the way neurons in the brain communicate. These changes in signaling can prevent inflammation in the brain that contribute to neuronal damage and improve both motor control and cognition.”

So, to recap, let’s drink water, change to good oils, use sea salt, eat berries and exercise. That doesn’t sound too difficult does it? By taking on these little changes you can have a year where your soul, body and brain have the power and energy to accomplish all they need to, down on earth.

Health benefits of honey

Honey can heal cuts and scrapes even better than antibiotic creams

If you cut or scrape yourself, reach for honey instead of your antibiotic cream and you pay be pleasantly surprised. When applied to a wound, honey slowly releases hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiseptic compound produced from an enzyme, disinfecting the wound, killing the germs and healing the broken skin. Scientific evidence has shown that most strains of harmful bacteria cannot survive in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Also, honey’s viscosity provides a protective barrier and forms a moist environment for the wound. It creates a healing layer between wound and dressing with no sticking and no tissue damage, reducing the chance of scarring as the skin cells grow without forming any scab. Honey supplies nutrients necessary for healthy tissue regeneration and stimulates the growth of new blood capillaries. The antibacterial properties also provide a barrier to cross-infection of wounds. Honey’s high sugar content has an osmosis effect on wounds. It draws lymph out to the cells while absorbing moisture and provides an anti-inflammatory action which reduces swelling and pain.

Animal studies have demonstrated some profound findings with honey. Clinical studies have shown that honey accelerated wound healing. In rabbits with cutaneous wounds, honey was found to decrease edema, decrease inflammation, reduce necrosis, improve epithelialization, and improve wound contraction when the wound tissue was examined histologically. In mice, the use of honey also demonstrated accelerated wound healing on cutaneous wounds at the histological level. Clinical observations from human trials reported that honey-debrided wounds facilitated formation of granulating tissue, improved epithelialization, and reduced inflammation. This was consistent with what was reported in the animal study data previously discussed; however, clinical observation without the support of histological evidence is limited.

Studies showing honey helps children with night-time coughs

Honey is also suggested for a night-time cough. Giving yourself or child honey a few times throughout the day and especially before bed can help sooth a night-time cough. (Honey should never been administered to a child under one years of age). A tasty idea is to heat up organic honey on the stove add some elderberry syrup mix well, chill and store in the refrigerator.

Studies have shown that honey is a potent treatment for nighttime cough. In one study of 130 children aged 2-17 with runny nose and cough were randomized to receive nightly doses of buckwheat honey, artificial honey-flavored cough medicine (dextromethorphan), or no treatment. On a parent-rated symptom scale, honey was found to be the most helpful in reducing nighttime cough and improving sleep in children with upper respiratory infections. Another randomized study of 139 children aged 2-5 years old with upper respiratory infection were divided into 4 treatment groups: honey, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine (eg, Benadryl), or no treatment. Standard care, such as acetaminophen and nose drops, was also given to all children as needed. While improvement was seen in all of the groups, children receiving honey had the fewest episodes of nighttime cough and slept better compared to children in the other groups.

Honey used for acne

For centuries, people have been using honey mask for acne and for curing other marks, scars, spots etc. The honey masks are very popular and very effective. It can be made with different combinations of herbs and other substances. Below is a special Rosh Hashana facial mask

Ingredients: One medium sized apple (preferably organic apple), four to five tablespoons of honey (preferably organic honey) and lukewarm water (to wash face).

To preparation: Scoop out the seeds of the apple and run the rest in a mixer to make a fine pulp. Now add three to four (depends on the size of the apple and how many persons it will serve. The quantity of honey should be sufficient to mix well with the pulp) tablespoons of honey into it. Mix well into a uniform paste. Your apple honey mask for acne is ready to apply.

How to use: Apply a layer of this apple honey mask on your whole face. Wait for ten to fifteen minutes and let the mask dry up a bit. When done, wash the mask off with lukewarm water. That’s it. You are done!

Insight: The apple honey mask works best when fresh and is very easy to prepare, make it just before you apply.

Facts: The grains of apple work as a sort of gentle scrub for cleaning your face, but it’s the glycolic acid in the apple that facilitates exfoliation. Together they clean up the skin pores. Also, since honey in it is a natural antioxidant and has anti-microbial properties. This eliminates the microbial infections that cause acne.

Patch test before applying to you entire face: Test if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the mask by applying it on a small patch in your wrist and wait for a few hours. If rashes appear or you show other symptoms of allergy, do not use this mask on your face.

Honey and acid reflux

Many people are finding relief with reflux with the use of honey. Honey is very thick and has a tendency to coat the stomach and digestive system. Not only will it quell acid flare-ups it can also help with digestive disorders as well. Honey seems to help food to break down and coats the small and large intestine, which means that digested food moves through quicker and easier.

Manuka honey in particular, has shown to help with acid reflux. The antimicrobial action of honey is finally being proven in clinical studies and manuka honey seems to be one of the stars. What is so unique about manuka honey for alleviating acid reflux? It is interesting to learn, that manuka honey is collected by bees which exclusively feed on the manuka flowers, and it contains a higher percentage of methylglyoxal (MGO) than other honey types. The methylglyoxal along with other components are responsible for imparting the antibacterial property to it. In addition to the strong antibacterial action, manuka honey acts as an anti-inflammatory and healing agent. If you suffer with acid reflux it is worth giving manuka honey a try.

Back to school

Going back to school is a big and exciting transition for both your child’s psyche as well as his body. It is fun for kids to get a new backpack and lunch bag; new clothes are always cool, and the prospect of acquiring new friends is both invigorating and scary. As uplifting as the promise of these new items are, children usually begin having thoughts like, “What if the classes are too hard?” and, “What if the kids don’t like me?” , or “How am I ever going to wake up on time?” These questions echo the common thoughts that run through most kids’ minds, the weeks and days before the start of new school year. For moms the common thoughts are, “My kids always ends up with a cold after the first few weeks of school,” and, “What can I give my children when they are so nervous the first few days of school.” The good news is that there are plenty of herbs that can help kids and their moms strengthen their immune systems, and help quiet the new-school-year-jitters.

Since the herbalist’s goal is always ‘prevention first’, we teach our clients to anticipate their own, and their children’s stressors, in order to ‘nip them in the bud.’ After all, theses stressors are among the main factors that are responsible for resultant stress and sickness. While there are lots of herbs that are useful after a person has become sick or nervous, it is, nevertheless better to know the herbs that you can take to in order to prevent the colds, flu, and stress.

However, before we begin with learning about our herbal allies, it is important to remember that there are a few things that all kids should have.

  • The first is a jug of purified water that kids need to bring to school every day, and be encouraged to drink! Dehydration makes it more difficult for children to concentrate, which in turn makes it difficult for a child transition well. Therefore, hydration is an easy and inexpensive way to help a child both academically and socially, within the school environment.
  • The next thing is to give your child snacks that contain oats. Oatmeal in the mornings and granola bars—preferably the one’s without a lot of sugar—contain B vitamins which help calm the central nervous system.

Now that I have mentioned the basics, we can get back to discussing the herbs.

As a preventative measure, I like to give children a good herbal immune-mixture for two weeks prior to the beginning of the school year; to be continued on through the first month of classes. Nerves, tension and anxiety can suppress the immune system, allowing kids to be more vulnerable to the viruses and bacteria that just love to ‘hang-out’ in children’s classrooms. For a good herbal immune-mixture, my favorite herbal companies are: Herbalists & Alchemists, HerbPharm, Gaia, and Herbs of Light, and I prefer the herbs to be in a tincture form. Tinctures, which are processed in either grain alcohol or glycerides, preserve the potency of the herb, more than it is saved in capsule form. The above mentioned companies produce a children’s immune-mixture that available in glycerides, which are alcohol-free blends. You can purchase either immune blends, or cold and flu blends, because each of these have the herbs that not only fight infection, but even in times of good health, they stimulate and promote the immune system. The herbs should be given morning and evening during healthy times, and can be increased to three or four times a day if the child seems to be coming down with an illness. Moms can also take these immune herbs two weeks before school starts, because most moms’ immune systems also tend to suffer during stressful times.

If your child is nervous or tense about beginning the new school year, try some of the following herbal suggestions. The dose would depend on the weight and age of your child, but the usual dosage is three times a day—with breakfast, after school, and before bed. And you should know that these herbs are not addictive.

  • Skullcap is best used for nervous tension and anxiety feelings; you can feel the calming effect within twenty minutes of taking this herb.
  •  Lemon Balm is both a calming herb and an anti-viral. Therefore this herb can be given after school if a child is not able to relax, or at the first sign of a cold.
  • Fresh milky oats is an herb whose effect is not felt right away, and can take a few weeks to work, but it is greatly beneficial for the nervous system after long-term stress, and works well when combined with the other two herbs mentioned above.
  • Echinacea is one of my all-time favorite herbs, and has unfortunately gotten a lot of mixed press over the years. Notwithstanding, this herb, when taken at the first sign of cold or flu decreases both their severity and duration. Interestingly, I have found over the years that this herb does not seem to work very effectively for people with blood-type O. Not that it has any negative affect for people with this blood type, but it just doesn’t seem to stimulate their immune system in the same way that it does for people with the other blood types. And so another choice for them is an herb called Usnea. However, this herb must be ordered on-line because most stores do not carry it.
  • Valerian is herb that is best used if a person is in a nervousness state that is accompanied by sadness. This state can be recognized when a child becomes sad and weepy; often having trouble falling asleep, or when he falls asleep too often when he is nervous. This herb works best after a few days, when the system begins to calm down.

As an herbalist, who believes that prevention is best, I suggest that you don’t wait until your child has the full-blown symptoms of an illness, because it only becomes more difficult to treat. Therefore, for best results, nip that cold, flu or nervousness in the bud, before it has a chance to blossom into days absent from school.