October

The month of goblins and ghosts ends with a sugar packed punch of "trick or treats" at Halloween. To prepare for the onslaught of sugar and candies, begin the month by taking a 15 minute walk daily. Just a short 15 minutes a day will give your body a head start on fighting extra Halloween calories and get the metabolism kicked in for holiday fat burning. With the cool fall days, a walk will get the metabolism going, help clear your head of holiday stresses and rejuvenate your spirit. Add to the fifteen minutes, if time permits.

When carving the pumpkin, save the pulp and make a delicious pumpkin pie or soup using silken tofu. Creamy, tasty and no saturated fat!

November

Now we head into holidays, turkey dinners and the season of gifts, parties and STRESS! This is a good time of year to begin a 30-60 day regimen of Milk Thistle (silybum marianum), a herb used to protect and rejuvenate the liver. Milk thistle is also used for chronic liver cirrhosis, necroses and hepatitis A and B. It is hypolipidemic and may be helpful in lowering fat deposits in the liver. If holiday parties mean more alcohol, rich foods and high fat snacks, milk thistle is a good herb to incorporate into your daily regimen.

Milk Thistle is available in teabag, capsule or liquid form. Recommended dosage is 400-500 mg daily.

In addition to your daily 15 minute walks, begin adding 5 minutes of deep breathing each morning. Deep breathing allows our bodies to energize itself by increasing the oxygen intake. In addition, by breathing out negative feelings and stress, we become more calm and able to face difficult situations. Upon waking, simply lie in bed and breath in deeply for 5 counts, hold for 5, then exhale. Continue on a steady pace.

December

The heat is on! Holiday gifts to be bought, more parties, more calories and more stress. Continue your walks, deep breathing and add a visual picture of yourself in a calm and happy place. Picture yourself at peace with the world and quietly content. Hold that vision for up to five minutes and whenever you get a little caught up in the holiday madness, bring up the vision again.

And while you are at it, select one gift for yourself that you've been wanting, purchase it, wrap it up and put it under that tree. Each time you take a peek you'll be reminded that you too are worth celebrating and that the holidays can be peacefully fun after all!

Cold/Flu/Winter Blues

Stop in and select one of our many fine products for immune support and fighting winter colds and flu. We carry a wide selection of herbal preparations, as well as homeopathic remedies that help defend the body against these common winter ailments as well as prevent them.

Herbs such as echinacea, goldenseal, goldthread, astragalus, burdock, Pau D'Arco, suma and ginseng are reported to help the body build it's immune function. Vitamins such as A, C, and E are excellent antioxidants and assist the body, as well. Additional supplements include acidophilus, blue-green algae, and essential fatty acids. Stop in today and get prepared for cold and flu season!

Enhance Mental Clarity with Ginkgo Biloba

Having problems concentrating? Can't remember things like you used to? Take a second look at Ginkgo biloba, a herb with numerous health benefits, now making headlines for brain support.

Studies show that an extract of ginkgo biloba leaf may benefit brain function. Ginkgo biloba extract is one of the most frequently prescribed herbs in France and Germany. Some reasons for ginkgo's effectiveness:

Most of the research on ginkgo has been done in Europe. Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) brought some of the research home to North America.

A recent JAMA study.

A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of ginkgo biloba showed that ginkgo was "safe and appears capable of stabilizing and, in a substantial number of cases, improving the cognitive performance and the social functioning of demented patients for 6 months to 1 year." The concentrated extract, known as EGb 761, was given to patients with mild to moderately severe dementia. When the results came in, patients given ginkgo had maintained their reasoning abilities and daily living skills-20% had even improved-whereas those given placebo had deteriorated from the start of the study.

LeBars, Pierre L., Katx, Martin M. et al. "A Placebo-Controlled, Double Blind Randomized Trial of an Extract of Gingko Biloba for Dementia. JAMA, 1997. 278: 1327-1332.

Gingko as an antioxidant.

As an antioxidant, ginkgo is particularly helpful in protecting the brain's high proportion of unsaturated fats. Ginkgo bioflavonoids protect those fats from oxidation, and the extract has "proven itself effective in improving memory,. . .improving concentration, accelerating learning, increasing blood flow and oxygenation of tissues throughout the body, improving the transmission of nerve signals, and generally improving brain function."

Reuben, Carolyn. Antioxidants: Your Complete Guide. 1995. Prima Publishing.

Improved Circulation with ginkgo

Best known for enhancing blood circulation, ginkgo relaxes the blood vessels and encourages blood flow to even the smallest capillaries, nourishing everything with oxygen-rich blood.

Most of the research on ginkgo has been done with a standardized extract that contains 24% ginkgo flavonglycosides and 6% terpene lactones including ginkgolides A, B, C, and bilobalide.

Dosage and Safety

Author of the Natural Physician, Dr. Mark Stengler, N.D. recommends 60 mg of standardized ginkgo biloba extract two to three times daily. As ginkgo improves blood circulation, persons on blood thinning medication or with blood clotting disorders should check with a knowledgeable health practitioner first.

ALERT - Persons taking the prescriptive drug Coumadin, a daily aspirin, or herbs White Willow Bark or Feverfew should not take Gingko biloba without consulting a healthcare practitioner or pharmacist. There is a possibility of serious drug interactions.

Homeopathic Remedies For A Happier Baby

Pulsatilla

What's New?
On the Road Again. . .

Recently Robert Hoye, Pharmacist and Homeopath was invited and attended the prestigious American College of Apothecaries annual meeting in Toronto, Ontario. The focus of the meeting was on women's health issues in pharmacy and patient management.

During October, our pharmacists, Robert Hoye and Foster Strome, will be attending the American College of Apothecaries four day training conference on Natural Hormone Replacement Therapies for Women and Men in Memphis, Tenn.

Our commitment to pharmacy and alternative therapies keeps us actively learning to bring you the best information available.

The NEW Tampa Homeopathic Study Group will be meeting the third Wednesday of each month. the meetings will be held at 2514 W. Kennedy Blvd. in the library of Traditional Midwiferey at 7:30pm. Cost is $3 per person and all are welcome. Come and learn about the proper use of homeopathic remedies for common health ailments.