Explore our collection of articles on hormones, thyroid health, and wellbeing—written with care and backed by research.
Spring Cleaning Your CardioNature is rewarding us this year—spring came one day earlier than usual. Celebrate nature's invitation to spring ahead this year!
Despite its edgy name, Biohacking can be performed by anyone. It is not a specialized task for genetic scientists, tech wizards or professional athletic trainers. Biohacking is simply getting to know yourself really well. And then applying what you've learned to change your behaviors, optimize your body and feel your best.
Creating a rollercoaster of emotions for the women who suffer from them. If you are one of these individuals, there are some simple adjustments that you can make to alleviate the emotional rollercoaster caused by fluctuating hormones.
The Balanced Body—A Mind-Body LifestyleDo you have a Baby Boomer Body™? I sure do! We were the first generation to exercise just because it felt good. We were the jogger generation. Remember “no pain, no gain” in the 80s and thong leotards…with matching leg warmers?!
In my last blog, I posted a plea for help in making the humble Brussels sprout taste good. Why? Because eating more cruciferous vegetables, which, by the way, also include cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower (plants that have been cultivated for centuries and were originally used as medicines), are superfoods that can help me (and YOU) turn our bodies into temples of hormonal health and balance!
Astragalus
Astragalus membranaceus or milk vetch has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years to strengthen the immune and respiratory systems and to fight the flu. Astragalus belongs to a class of herbs called adaptogens, and helps the body handle stress. Astragalus also fights pathogens like bacteria and viruses.
Dosage: one dropper of tincture of Astragalus (standardized to 15 percent polysaccharides) to a hot liquid like tea or soup three times a day. As tablets, take 350 to 400 milligrams three times a day.
Ginseng can have great effects on your health!
Zinc: Zinc inhibits the reproduction of rhinovirus, and has been found to be especially good for treating viral sore throats. A recent study on the effectiveness of zinc showed that taking a zinc lozenge every 2-3 hours, shortened the duration of cold symptoms. Overdosing with zinc can have side effects, such as an effect on the uptake of iron.
Dosage: one lozenge every 2-3 hours for duration of the cold or flu. Keep in the mouth for 5-10 minutes. Or 30 to 50 milligrams a day.
Echinacea: Echinacea has powerful antiviral and immunity-boosting effects. It is used to rev up the immune system at the first sign of a cold. Echinacea has been found to work better before you get sick, to build up immunity. It has not been found as effective for treating a cold or flu.
Dosage: take daily according to manufacturers instructions. Take daily during the fall and winter months.
This herb is known to support the immune system and to stimulate the body's ability to fight viruses. Elderberries have been used in medicine since the fifth century for treating the flu and ill effects of the chills and have been referred to by Hippocrates, Dioscurides, and Plinius. Even Shakespeare mentions it in his play The Merry Wives of Windsor: "What says my Aesculapius? My Galen? My heart of Elder?" Studies have shown elderberry to inhibit replication of human influenza virus type A, type B, and animal strains from swine and turkeys in cell cultures and to reduce the duration of the flu by approximately four days.
by Georjana Shames, LAc
During the long, dark winter months, one's immune system is constantly bombarded by pathogenic factors, but you CAN stay healthy this time around.
There is an ancient Acupuncture proverb that states: It is not the seed that matters, it is the soil.
This indicates that whether you stay healthy absolutely depends more on the strength of your immune system than the germs to which you are exposed. But carrying hand sanitizer is still a great idea!
Then, the fond remembrances dissolved as I did what I always do – got mad at myself because I knew extra pounds would inevitably follow.
