Best Rated Prenatal Vitamins

January 28th, 2010 By: Brittany

Is it true that not all prenatal vitamins are created equally? Yes, this is very true. When you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant it is best that you research vitamins, or ask a Naturopath what they recommend.

So, what are 3 well worth investing prenatal vitamins?

1. New Chapter Organics Prenatals- these are organic, probiotic, whole-food complex vitamins. New Chapter’s nutrients are food based, they are recognized by your bodies as wholesome, nourishing food, digested easily and soothing to a pregnant woman’s sensitive GI tract. They do contain soy, so if you are soy sensitive you may have to look at another brand, newchapter.com.

2. Standard Process Catalyn and Folic Acid/B12- Standard process is worth every penny. They are one of the most nourishing supplements you can take. Standard process can be bought at most Nautropaths offices, and online at standardprocess.com.

3. Thorne Research Prenatal- Basic Prenatal is a comprehensive supplement formulated with the special needs of pregnancy in mind. Manufactured with none of the additives and coatings usually found in mainstream prenatal tablets, Basic Prenatal includes only the most bioavailable nutrients, thorne.com.

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Spiritual Parenting

January 27th, 2010 By: Brittany

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Have You Heard Of Adrenal Fatigue?

January 9th, 2010 By: Brittany

Adrenal Fatigue is very common. Many of us who carry stress or prolonged stress have some level of adrenal fatigue. If you are dealing with hormonal issues, sleep issues, or even wait gain the adrenal could be under moderate stress. It is important that we take care of them by making a few healthy choices as well as supplements.

What do the adrenals need?

-Protein

- Vitamin C

- Vitamin B5

Find a way to help your body calm down. There are many stress management techniques and a good way to calm your body down is to find one that fits well with you and your schedule. Many popular stress tools are yoga, pilates, meditation, EFT, massage, journaling, and walking.

The best way to get your body and adrenals back on track is to see a doctor who specializes in adrenal and thyroid fatigue. Many Naturopaths are trained to effectively treat and help patients in this area. This is important because they can prescribe the right diet, supplements, and vitamins that you need specific for you.

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Could These 10 Stress Busters Help You?

January 6th, 2010 By: Brittany

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Essential Oils For Emotional Emergencies

January 5th, 2010 By: Brittany

When it comes to emotions essential oils is one great natural treatment to help you. Depending on what emotions you are feeling essential oils can aid you and releasing, supporting and comforting you. It is said that the smell of these herb’s scents elicit positive emotions through the limbic system (the area of the brain responsible for emotions, feelings, memories).

I recommend having these four essential oils around the home or in the car as often as possible.

Lavender- this essential oil is the most widely used oil, because it is very versatile. natural stress reducer that can lift mild depression and clear your mind so you can work through problems more effectively, given that this essence brings a natural relaxed state that help you cope better with life’s struggles, elevating the mood. Use this in a bath or a few drops on your pillow to calm your mind.

Sweet Orange- this essential oil works as an anti-depressant, relaxant, and an overall mood enhancer. It is used to calm the anxious or nervous mind while simultaneously energizing a melancholy mood. Keep it around the home or in your purse and smell it or rub it onto a pressure point. The smell is relaxing as well as soothing.

Sandalwood- this essential Oil has a deep resonant nature renowned for its regulating and grounding properties. The aroma of Sandalwood readily clears any atmosphere of negativity, restores harmony and brings life sustaining positive vibrations. Put it in diffuser in your room or office and let the scent ground and calm fears and stress.

Bergamot- Bergamot promotes balance to unstable emotions. Use Bergamot for overcoming anxiety, despair and worry. Research studies have also shown Bergamot essential oil to effectively balance the activity of the hypothalamus gland which housed your more intense emotions such as terror and fear.

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Keeping Healthy In The Winter

January 3rd, 2010 By: Brittany

Nearly five millennia ago, the Yellow Emperor’s Classics of Medicine recognized the seasonal influences on health and illness. According to Chinese medicine, the winter season is linked to kidneys, the adrenal glands, and the bladder; when these bodily systems are out of balance, it depletes energy and leads the way to illness. During the cold months of winter, people are more prone to colds, flu, poor circulation, low vitality, and seasonal mood disorders.

To stay healthy, happy, and vital, follow the wise winter advice of the Yellow Emperor:

1. Early to bed, rise when the sun is up

Go to sleep early and wait to let the sun bathe the house before rising from bed. Get your zzz’s in — at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Try taking a 20- to 30-minute easy walk one hour before you go to bed to improve the quality of your sleep.

2. Be contented

The Yellow Emperor advises us to avoid experiencing excessive emotions in the winter because they drain your energy reserves.

• Follow your bliss. Use the cold dark days of winter to stay in and cuddle up with a book, or pick up a new indoor hobby, like knitting, woodcarving, baking — whatever appeals to you. [ continue reading ]

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Sugar May Contribute To Mental State

January 2nd, 2010 By: Brittany

British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet has conducted a provocative cross-cultural analysis of the relationship between diet and mental illness. His primary finding may surprise you: a strong link between high sugar consumption and the risk of both depression and schizophrenia.

In fact, there are two potential mechanisms through which refined sugar intake could exert a toxic effect on mental health.

First, sugar actually suppresses activity of a key growth hormone in the brain called BDNF. This hormone promotes the health and maintenance of neurons in the brain, and it plays a vital role in memory function by triggering the growth of new connections between neurons. BDNF levels are critically low in both depression and schizophrenia, which explains why both syndromes often lead to shrinkage of key brain regions over time (yes, chronic depression actually leads to brain damage). There’s also evidence from animal models that low BDNF can trigger depression.

Second, sugar consumption triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in the body that promote chronic inflammation. Now, under certain circumstances (like when your body needs to heal a bug bite), a little inflammation can be a good thing, since it can increase immune activity and blood flow to a wound. But in the long term, inflammation is a big problem. It disrupts the normal functioning of the immune system, and wreaks havoc on the brain.

Inflammation is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and even some forms of cancer . . . it’s also linked to a greater risk of depression and schizophrenia. And again, eating refined sugar triggers inflammation. So does eating heavily processed molecular cousins like ‘high fructose corn syrup’. [ continue reading ]

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