New Book Coming

How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, & Yoga in Mental Health, a book by respected authors Richard Brown, Patricia Gerbarg, and Philip Muskin, all medical doctors, is set to be released February 20, 2012. Offering insights into herbal remedies and the beneficial effects of yoga on the body and mind, the authors weave in research and a mass amount of information into an easy-to-read narrative. Be sure to reserve your copy today!

New Book Out

Released a few days ago, The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A Cultivator's Guide to Small-Scale Organic Herb Production hit the bookshelves. It includes 79 herb profiles, growing information, and medical uses. It's a great resource for anyone looking to find out more about herbal remedies, and just in time for holiday gift ideas!

Beyond Potions and Herbs

Alternative healthcare is all-too-often stigmatized, by the medical profession. It’s often viewed as magic rocks and herbs, with no medical basis. But the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports approximately 38 percent of adults use complementary or alternative healthcare, while nearly 42 percent of hospitals offer some type of alternative healthcare. Despite the large numbers, the treatments are often viewed as science fiction. Why?

Eat Yourself Healthy

It’s the old adage: you are what you eat. If you eat healthy, you’ll be healthy. You wouldn’t fill a Bentley with cheap gas. So why would you fill your body with junk? “The number one thing I like to teach is that nature makes you healthy,” says Dr. Cate Shanahan, board certified family physician and author of Deep Nutrition and Food Rules. “It’s toxic foods that make us more susceptible to illnesses.”

As summer rolls into fall, our diets tend to change. No longer do we opt for those lighter foods like fruits and salads. We prefer those warm, filling meals that make us feel nice and cozy.

Well, good news: you can still eat healthy without losing those bigger, meat-packed meals. Eating healthy doesn’t mean living off grass and cabbage. “There’s a huge movement rebelling against the wrong-headed typical advice,” says Shanahan, referencing diets that cut meat out all together.

So here are a few foods you should be eating:

Natural Cold Remedies

It’s that time of year again: stuffy noses, clogged ears, and coughing time.

With the change of weather, inevitably come colds. Most people, confronted with the discomfort, will run to the local pharmacy, pick up some NyQuil, chug it like a frat boy guzzling a beer, and cross their fingers hoping they’ll feel better. But that won’t help you get healthier. “I’ve never told anyone to use those since I think television does that enough for us” says Brigitte Mars, an herbalist with over 35 years experience with natural medicine and author of The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine.