Ingredients: 

Beat Winter Dry Skin

The outer layer of your skin works like a self-oiled machine, but sometimes oil production can’t keep up with demand. Trouble occurs when you shower a lot, use skin-drying soap, inadequate intake of water, or live in a house where the air is dry. What's the best refreshment for parched skin? Try one of these home remedies to soothe dry skin.

• Adequate oral intake of purified water, adding fresh lemon will help the water get inside the cells of the body where hydration is usually lacking. Well-hydrated inside and hydrated skin go hand in hand.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids are essential to lubricate and hold the skin moisture. Good sources include; fish, walnuts, flaxseed (fresh grounded or oil), avocado, Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil, etc.

• Eat 5-7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Avoid processed foods, fried foods, white flour and sugar, caffeine, soda, and artificial sweeteners. Eat foods such as garlic, onions, eggs, and asparagus that are high in sulfur, which helps to keep the skin smooth and youthful. Consume plenty of yellow and orange vegetables. These are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Carrots are especially good. Cantaloupes, carrots, and apricots are heating foods for dry skin because they are rich in vitamins A and C, both important for supple, smooth skin. Eat them whole or take them as fresh juices. Eat foods rich in pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), such as raw. milk cheese, natural plain yogurt, kefir, leafy green vegetables, nutritional yeast, and wheat germ. Pantothenic acid is needed for the synthesis of fats and oils used by the skin. Do not drink soft drinks or eat sugar, chocolate, potato chips, or other junk foods. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. These substances have a diuretic effect, causing the body and skin cells to lose fluids and essential minerals.
• Skip the long hot showers-limit to 10 minutes and keep the water cool. If you live in the city, filter the chlorine out of your shower water. Chlorine is very drying as well as altering the way your thyroid uptakes iodine.
• Essential Oils for dry skin: Chamomile, Geranium, Hyssop, Lavender, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Ylang-Ylang
• Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is soothing, healing, and moisturizing. It also helps to remove dead skin cells. Apply aloe vera gel topically on affected areas.
• Calendula and comfrey have skin-softening properties. They can be used in a facial sauna or to make herbal or floral waters. Comfrey also reduces redness and soothes irritated skin.
• Add 5 drops of lavender oil or oat extract to bathwater. After the bath, apply diluted evening primrose oil or aloe vera cream.
• Drink teas of camomile, dandelion, or peppermint.
• Borage, fennel, coltsfoot, or calendula tea also helps improve the skin. Add 1 tsp. of herbs to 1 cup of boiling water and drink daily.
• Tea tree oil has been known to penetrate into the skin's cellular level. Add 1 drop of oil to your favorite day or night cream to help moisturize and smooth skin.
• To nourish and smooth the skin, mash half an avocado and mix with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and spread over the cleansed skin. Leave on for fifteen to twenty minutes, then dab off the excess with a soft tissue. Splash the skin alternately with cold and warm water.
• For a quick and easy skin pack, mash a ripe banana with a fork and spread it thickly onto the face and throat. Leave on for ten to fifteen minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water.
• Herbal Facial Sauna-A weekly facial sauna using the herbs chamomile, lavender, and peppermint is good for dry skin. Using a glass or enameled pot, simmer a total of 2 to 4 tablespoons of dried or fresh herbs in 2 quarts of water. When the pot is steaming, place it on top of a trivet or thick potholder on a table, and sit with your face at a comfortable distance over the steam for fifteen minutes. You can use a towel to trap the steam if you wish. After fifteen minutes, splash your face with cold water and allow your skin to air dry or pat it dry with a towel. Then either apply a good natural moisturizer or facial oil, or apply a clay mask, after the sauna, you can allow the herbal water to cool and save it for use as a toning lotion to be dabbed on your face with a cotton ball after cleansing.
• NO antiperspirants or deodorant soaps-they’re very drying, not to mention all the unnecessary exposure to unhealthy chemicals.
• Run a humidifier every night to moisturize the air in your bedroom. Not only will it ease itchy, dry skin, but you’ll also be able to breathe the moist air more easily.
• Keep your beauty products clean and simple-natural or organic moisturizers, toners, makeup, etc. Know what chemicals you’re putting on your skin. These are not only irritating to the skin but are absorbed into the body at which time the immune system must work to get rid of them. If you can eat it, then it’s OK for the skin. For example, Sodium lauryl (laureth) sulfate is an inexpensive detergent commonly used in cosmetic cleaners, hair shampoo, bath and shower gels, etc. It’s probably the most dangerous corrosive ingredient used throughout the world. It dries skin by stripping the fats from the surface of the skin or hair so it can’t effectively regulate moisture. The perfumes used are also irritants and dry the skin. Tone your skin with a sage, peppermint, and witch hazel combination. Sage helps to control oil, peppermint creates a cool tingle and witch hazel helps restore the skin’s protective layer. Combine 4 ounces of witch hazel with 1 teaspoon each of sage and peppermint leaves and steep for one to three days before applying to your skin.
• Dry skin brush 3-5 times per week prior to showering. Dry skin brushing helps the body detoxify by removing dead skin cells. Detoxification is performed by a number of organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes with the skin being the largest of these. (See separate informational handout)
• Smooth aloe vera gel over extra-dry skin. The acids in aloe eat away dead skin cells and speed up the healing process. Cut off an end of an aloe leaf, split open, and spread the gel on the dry area.
• Plunk your rough, dry elbows into grapefruit halves. First, exfoliate your elbows in your bath or shower, then cut a grapefruit in half and rest one elbow on each half, letting them soak for 15 minutes. The acid in the grapefruit provides extra smoothing power.
• SWEAT- Sweating is nature’s way of eliminating toxic chemicals that can build up under the skin. So go jogging, ride your bike, work out in the garden, sit in the sauna anything to make you sweat.
• Avoid these three skin destroyers: Smoking, alcohol, tanning salons, and sunbathing. All three will age your skin prematurely.
• Use a spritzer with rose, sandalwood, or bergamot essential oils mixed with water. These oils are great for hydrating the skin by increasing circulation which improves nutrition and oxygen.
• 2 cups of ground oatmeal to a warm bath is very soothing to dry skin (high in silica).
• Once a week, use a facial mask and or body wrap to clarify the skin and remove dull dry surface skin cells. Facial mask: blend together well 1 teaspoon green clay powder and 1 teaspoon raw honey. Apply the mixture to your face, avoiding the eye area. Leave it on for fifteen minutes, then rinse well with lukewarm water. While your skin is still slightly damp, apply a natural skin oil or liquid moisturizer. Ask the Better Living staff about facials, body wraps, and scrubs!!!

Young Living Essential Oils and Nature’s Sunshine Products are available through Joan Prentice.

Written by Joan Prentice, RN, ND

 Did You Know?

• The skin is the largest most important eliminative organ in the body and is responsible for one-quarter of the body’s detoxification each day?

• The skin eliminates over one pound of waste acids each day in the average adult, most of it through the sweat glands?
• That the skin is known also as our third kidney?
• That the skin receives one-third of all the blood circulated in the body?
• That the skin is the last to receive nutrients in the body, yet the first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency?

Detoxification is performed by a number of organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the skin, gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes. The dry skin brushing technique deals with detoxification of the skin.

Dry skin brushing is a way to stimulate all the above organs of detoxification because it provides a gentle internal massage.

Dry skin brushing was recommended by the Finnish Dr., Paavo Airola for his patients 30 years ago and is still popular in European spas and many cancer treatment centers today. The Russians, Turks, and Scandinavians have used this treatment for centuries. Dry brushing is promoted as a preventative for dry skin and a way to exfoliate the skin, thus stimulating skin renewal that is super soft to the touch, but there are many other benefits as well:

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing:

Removes cellulite

1. Cleanses the lymphatic system
2. Removes dead skin layers
3. Strengthens the immune system
4. Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands
5. Tightens the skin preventing premature aging
6. Tones the muscles
7. Stimulates circulation
8. Improves the function of the nervous system
9. Helps digestion

AND it’s easy, inexpensive, and invigorating!

Dry skin brushing removes cellulite-- Cellulite is a non-scientific term defined as toxic deposits of subcutaneous fat material and fibrous tissue that are not able to be eliminated and which cause a dimpling effect on the overlying skin. These deposits most commonly occur on the thighs and hips of women. Cellulite can affect men and women of any bodyweight or size. What causes the toxins? Well, some think that we store the breakdown product of cells as toxins in this subcutaneous tissue. Others think that toxic emotions can be stored in the subcutaneous tissue which then builds up as cellulite.

Your best bets for getting rid of cellulite are dry skin brushing, connective tissue massage, working through the emotional issues that are causing the toxins to stagnate, eating foods that feed the skin, an alkaline diet program, and a consistent/persistent exercise routine. These techniques will break down the unwelcome toxic body deposits and send them scurrying out your body through the elimination channels we discussed above. And your health will be SO much better for it!

Foods that feed the skin include foods that are rich in lecithin, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants such as eggs, organ meats, a balance of Omega-3-6-9 oils like Flaxseed Oil, fresh dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, berries of all kinds, and dark chocolate (in condiment amounts like an ounce a day!)

Dry skin brushing cleans the lymphatic system. Lymph is considered part of our immune system and is made of white blood cells called lymphocytes and the interstitial fluid that bathe our cells, bringing our cells nutrients and removing their waste. All detoxification occurs first and foremost through the lymph. Our bodies contain far more lymph than blood, so you can see how important this might be. Paavo Airola maintains that dry brushing is an essential part of any intestinal cleansing and healing program.

Dry skin brushing literally moves the lymph containing large proteins and particulate matter that cannot be transported in any other way back into the circulatory system. If these proteins stayed in our systems outside the blood vessels, they would attract other fluids. Pretty soon we’d get swollen ankles, limbs and eventually we’d be leaking fluid out our skin (not a pretty sight.) This is called lymphedema and is why most health programs include some type of exercise and bodywork.

So, why don’t we die if we don’t do this dry skin brushing thing? Well, lymph vessels themselves have their own pumping mechanism sensing when the vessels have more fluid in them or in the interstitial fluids. Lymph only goes one way because of the many one-way valves on the insides of each lymph vessel. The body is a fascinating thing. It literally pumps the lymph along its path back to the heart. Removal of proteins from the interstitial spaces is an essential function. Without this happening, we would die within 24 hours. We can help speed this process up when we dry brush or massage toward the heart, contract our muscles and move our bodies (like when we walk or exercise.)

Increased lymph flow can also be caused by high blood pressure. This is why it is so important to attend to this malady and why the doctors get into a frenzy of prescribing so many different medications for it. (Currently, there are over 140 medications for high blood pressure!)

Dry skin brushing removes dead skin layers. Dry skin brushing helps shed dead skin cells, which can help improve skin texture and cell renewal. Dry skin is a sign of detoxification. Therefore it’s good to keep the process going by removing the dead skin daily. If this does not occur, a log jam can happen where the person ends up with eczema, psoriasis, and dandruff.

Dry skin brushing strengthens the immune system. Dry skin brushing may reduce the duration of infection and accelerate the clearing of toxins. It helps support the immune system during cancer and other chronic illness treatment. By stimulating the lymph vessels to drain toxic mucoid matter into organs of detoxification we can purify the entire system. After several days of dry brushing, sometimes you may notice a gelatinous mucoid material in your stools. This is a normal sign that the intestinal tract is renewing itself. Best of all, it feels invigorating!

Dry skin brushing stimulates the hormone and oil glands, thus helping all of the body systems perform at peak efficiency. The skin is your body's largest organ. When improperly maintained, the elimination duties of the skin are forced upon the kidneys. Chemical analysis of sweat shows that it has almost the same constituents as urine. If the skin becomes inactive, its pores choke with millions of dead cells, uric acid and other impurities which will remain in the body putting extra stress on the liver and kidneys. People with big hips and thighs usually have low-grade bladder infections. Another sign of this is that the body gives off a distinct sickening odor. When the bladder and kidney are really sick, the calves are often swollen as well and the feet stink. So, give your kidneys a break keep your skin clean and rejuvenated. Bathe daily and do a dry brushing before the bath to help stimulate blood flow to the surface so that toxins can more easily escape.

Dry skin brushing tightens the skin by increasing the flow of blood which, in turn, moves toxins and lessens the appearance of cellulite. Our bodies make a new top layer of skin every 24 hours - skin brushing removes the old top layer, allowing the clean new layer to come to the surface, resulting in softer, smoother skin.

Dry skin brushing tones the muscles. Dry skin brushing helps muscle tone by stimulating the nerve endings which causes the individual muscle fibers to activate and move. It also helps mobilize fat and helps to even distribution of fat deposits. This is a great technique for invalids who can’t exercise.

Dry skin brushing stimulates circulation. Our skin breathes! And yet, in most people, this vital route of detoxification is operating far below its capacity, because it is clogged with dead skin cells and the un-removed waste excreted through perspiration. Dry skin brushing increases circulation to the skin, encouraging your body’s discharge of metabolic wastes. The increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated. By activating the circulation you can also prevent varicose veins.

Dry skin brushing improves the function of the nervous system--Dry skin brushing rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin.

Helps digestion -- Dry skin brushing helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health. When you brush, the pores of your skin open allowing your skin to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins. Clogged pores are not just a cosmetic concern. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.

What You Need To Do Dry skin brushing:

To dry the brush, use a soft natural fiber brush with a long handle so that you are able to reach all areas of your body. One with a removable head with a strap for your hand is a good choice. (Available from health food stores or your local Co-op.)

A loofah sponge or a rough towel can also be used. Most nylon and synthetic fiber brushes are too sharp and may damage skin although I found a softer bath brush with nylon bristles that seems to do the trick. The important thing is to find something that is just right for your skin. Once your skin becomes seasoned, you can switch to a coarser brush.

Tips and Tricks for Dry Skin Brushing:

• Always dry brush your dry and naked body before you shower or bathe because you will want to wash off the impurities from the skin as a result of the brushing action
• You can do the brushing head-to-toe or toe-to-head. It really doesn’t matter as long as the entire body is brushed. Circular strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction help drain the lymph back to your heart. Note: Stroking away from your heart puts extra pressure on the valves within the veins and lymph vessels and can cause ruptured vessels and varicose veins.
• Use light pressure in areas where the skin is thin and harder pressure on places like the soles of the feet.
• Skin brushing should be performed once a day, preferably first thing in the morning. A thorough skin brushing takes about 15 minutes, but any time spent (minimum of 3 minutes) brushing prior to bathing will benefit the body. If you are feeling ill, increasing the treatments to twice a day is good. You can also dry brush areas of cellulite five to 10 minutes twice a day to achieve cellulite dissolving but the technique needs to be done consistently for a minimum of five months.
• Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken such as areas of skin rash, wounds, cuts, and infections. Also, never brush an area affected by poison oak or poison ivy.
• Finish up with your regular shower and ending with three hot and cold cycles. That means turning on the water as hot as you can take it for several seconds, then as cold as you can handle it, then hot, then cold for three cycles. End with cold. This will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bringing more blood to the outer layers of the skin.
• After getting out of the shower, dry off vigorously and massage your skin with pure plant oils such as olive, avocado, apricot, almond, sesame, coconut, or cocoa butter. Add a little peanut and Castor oil to the mix if you have arthritis. Edgar Cayce says this works to take out some of the pain, and we’ve found that to be true over the years.
• Clean your skin brush using soap and water once a week. After rinsing, dry your skin brush in an open, sunny spot to prevent mildew.
• Any well-designed program will take about 30 days to see and experience the changes. Please be patient and keep up the program! For a thorough lymphatic cleansing, perform skin brushing daily for a minimum of three months.

How to Dry Skin Brush (Easy, Fast Instructions):

• Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.
• Continue brushing up your legs.
• Proceed to your hands and arms.
• Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders, and neck.
• Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.
• Lightly brush the breasts.
• Brush upwards on the back and down from the neck. Better yet, have a friend, spouse, or family member brush your back.

After brushing, take a hot shower with soap (about three minutes in duration), followed by a 10-20 second cold rinse. Repeat this procedure three times. If the hot/cold showers are too extreme, a warm shower can be used. Follow the shower with a rubdown with either a sponge or towel to remove.

With cold and flu season around the corner, it is more important than ever to bolster your immune system this fall and winter. Here are some natural, simple solutions that will help protect you!

Treat your body right!

Manage your symptoms and triggers, pay attention to these early symptoms: fatigue, irritability, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, and a sore throat. These could be early indicators that you're getting the flu-but you still have time to prevent a full-blown illness. The viral load is still low in the early stages, and that's when you'll have the greatest chance to gain the upper hand. The best treatments are the simplest: rest and relaxation. And understand that poorly managed emotional stress is an immune-system threat. Try to keep your stress levels low while you're dealing with early flu symptoms. If you're overtired, stressed from being stretched too thin, or feel like your body is trying to fight something off, for heaven's sake-stay home. Your body is waving a red flag!

Get 7-8 hours of sleep-studies show that your immune system function drops by an average of 60% after just three nights of poor sleep. Most people really need about 8 hours per night for optimal health. If your body is fatigued, it simply won't be able to fight off the flu virus (or any other infection) very well.

Exercise regularly-According to recent findings, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near-daily basis, there is a cumulative immune-enhancing effect, which leads to a sustained response by the immune system to illness. When you exercise, your white blood cells -- the blood cells that fight infections in the body -- travel through your body more quickly, fighting bacteria and viruses (such as flu) more efficiently.

Avoid sugar, white flour, and processed foods- these foods even in small amounts can significantly impair your immune function, making you more susceptible to infection. A large amount of sugar, such as the amount found in a normal can of soda, hurts your immune function for hours.

Drink lots of purified water and add a squirt of fresh lemon-keeping your mucous membranes well-hydrated is a key to helping them fight off viruses. Shoot for about your body weight in ounces per day.

Eat immune-building foods-a healthy diet, including a few proven immune-boosting foods, is one of the best ways to avoid catching the flu. The best flu-fighting foods are:

• Fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables - Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are packed with healthy phytonutrients that can strengthen your immune system, lowering your susceptibility to the flu virus.
• Fresh raw or lightly-cooked garlic and onion - have strong natural antiviral properties that can help to fight off a flu virus. Sulfur compounds in garlic/onion may make us 2.5 times less likely to get sick this season these compounds have been shown to kill viruses. Fresh garlic has more immune-boosting potential than cooked, so add a clove of fresh minced garlic at the end of cooking.
• Green Tea - Like garlic, green tea has shown the ability to both kill viruses and stimulate the immune system to fight off flu infections, especially when used daily. Try to drink 3-4 cups of strong green tea per day during the flu season.
• Cayenne Pepper - Cayenne has a long list of health benefits and is believed to be a mild immune booster. Also, cayenne contains large amounts of natural vitamin A, considered to be an important "anti-infection" nutrient.
• Spices like ginger, turmeric, clove, and cinnamon all have anti-viral properties. Ginger contains gingerol, a natural plant compound that can help fight off infection. Put a 1-inch chunk of the spicy root into a cup of boiling water to make ginger tea, or make fresh ginger vinaigrette to top raw or cooked vegetables. Here's how: Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Try mixing some cinnamon into your morning oatmeal or sprinkling extra nutmeg over a bowl of applesauce.
• Nuts like Brazil and Almonds-excellent sources of the disease-fighting antioxidant vitamin E. Aim to have 1 ounce per day as a snack; use chopped almonds on oatmeal, salads, or stir-fries; or try this recipe for sugar-and-spice almonds: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay raw (unsalted) almonds on a cookie sheet, spray with sesame oil spray and sprinkle with brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne. Bake for 6 minutes, cool, and eat! Brazil nuts contain selenium, another great antioxidant.
• Sweet potatoes' beta carotene content makes them an immune-enhancing food. Beta carotene the vitamin that gives sweet potatoes their orange pigment is converted to vitamin A in the body, which research suggests may be particularly helpful in the treatment of respiratory infections.
• Chicken Soup-research study published in the medical journal Chest found that chicken soup has mild anti-inflammatory properties, which may help prevent colds and flu by decreasing mucus production and throat swelling and irritation (so you might be spared the sniffles or sore throat associated with colds).
• Oysters contain more zinc a mineral that keeps our immune system strong than any other food. Eating just three oysters gets you the daily recommendation for zinc. Since oysters may be difficult to include in your diet regularly, the following foods can also help you get your zinc: sunflower seeds; baked beans; or pumpkin seeds.

Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, mouth and ears-the flu virus enters your body through the eyes, nose, mouth, and possibly even the ears.

Wash your hands frequently to prevent viruses and bacteria from entering your system.

Drink little to no alcohol-too much alcohol impairs liver and immune function, which leaves you open to all kinds of infections. Heavy drinkers are especially susceptible to flu infections. Also, alcohol dehydrates your body which is always bad during flu season.

Don’t smoke and avoid smoke-filled places- first and secondhand smoke significantly impairs your immune system. It also dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia, the small hairs in your nose and lungs that help keep out viruses.

Take regular saunas-many experts to believe that taking a sauna several times a week can help to keep you from getting the flu. Many people, especially in Europe, take saunas just for this reason. The air you breathe in a sauna is too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.

Get fresh air every day. During the winter the dry heat from indoor heating systems dries out your mucous membranes and makes you more susceptible to viruses. If you can, during the day, crack open a window or two to give your body some relief.

Dry skin brushing helps the body detoxify by removing dead skin cells. Detoxification is performed by a number of organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the skin, gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes. See separate informational handout

Stimulate your thymus-your thymus is a fist-size gland located behind your sternum in the center of your chest.  It plays a critical role in the functioning of the lymphatic and immune systems. It develops over time, reaching peak size when you are in your early 30s, then begins to physically diminish until it shrinks to the size of a pea around age 70. To support thymus health, the Chinese use astragalus root. Studies show astralagus is an adaptogen, which means it corrects both high and low metabolic imbalances, acts on invaders wherever they attack the body and promotes overall vitality. The usual dosage is 100 to 150 mg per day in capsules or you can drink astragalus tea. Another way to stimulate your thymus is to use acupressure. With your index and middle finger, gently tap against the sternum (midway between the nipples) 50 times, in the morning and evening.

Heal your body right when it does get sick!

Stay home, especially if you’re running a temperature.

Use Vitamin C (acerola and/or rose hips, with bioflavonoids) to lower your temperature and boost your immunity-for adults 100-200 mg per hour, children 50-100 mg every two hours. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin so one doesn’t need to worry about getting too much because the body will eliminate what it doesn’t need through the bowels. So lower your dose if diarrhea occurs.

Homeopathic Gelsemium, Arsenicum, or  Oscillococcinum are very effective, inexpensive, and easy to use. There are certain dos and don’ts with the use of homeopathic remedies that are important. Ask Better Living staff for the Use of Homeopathics’ handout.

Black Elderberry (Nature’s Sunshine Elderberry Defense) is an excellent anti-oxidant and stops viruses from replicating. Nature’s Way Sambucol is also a very good product.

Bee propolis is rich in flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains terpenoids that possess antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti protozoan agents. Not unlike some prescription antibiotics, propolis prevents bacterial cell division and breaks down the invading organism's cell walls and cytoplasm. Buy honey from your local area will provide you with the best Bee propolis available and builds immunity to pollens in your home area.

Nature’s Sunshine VS-C which is a Chinese virus formula is excellent as a preventive and if illness appears.

Young Living essential oil Thieves and ImmuPower are excellent in boosting immunity. Both of these are blends of multiple essential oils with antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, and immune-building properties.

Massage and Lymphatic Drain can help detoxify tissues and move lymphatic fluid into the circulation to be excreted from the body. Make your appointment today!!!

These are just a few of the ways to both prevent and combat the flu.

Nature’s Sunshine and Young Living products are available through Joan Prentice, RN, ND.

Written by Joan Prentice, RN, ND

What's the difference between homeopathic remedies, flower remedies, and naturopathic remedies?

The knowledgeable consultants at Health Connection. may suggest any of these approaches to well-being based on what you tell them about your condition, habits, etc. See the links to these remedies and other information on our homepage!

Can I smell the essential oils before I buy one? Do you sell them by the drop?

Sure! Smells are free! But remember, the oils are going to help you not just because of their aroma - there are benefits to their use! Oils are sold by the drop, by the 1/2 dram, by the dram, and in spray bottles and roll-ons.

What's this "green drink" I've heard people talk about?

You make this wonder concoction yourself with ingredients you can purchase at the grocery store. It's your ticket to good health! Click here for the recipe.

What's involved in a health consultation?

After filling out a few simple forms about your lifestyle, a knowledgeable counselor will ask you additional questions concerning your health, and make non-invasive observations of your skin, pulse, eyes, and nails to assess your current state of health. Then, your counselor will write down a list of possible lifestyle changes, foods, herbs, and other suggestions to help you meet your health goals. These will be prioritized so that you can make the ultimate decision as to what path you wish to follow on your journey to well-being.

Can I take herbs with my prescriptions?

The consultants at Health Connections will help you determine which herbs can be taken safely with prescriptions.

How much essential oil do I apply? Where do I apply it?

Generally, one to two drops of essential oil is used per 70 pounds of body weight. Oils can be applied almost anywhere on the skin, but certain oils must be diluted before application. Essential oils can also be diffused into the air. See our consultants find out exactly which oils should be used for best results.

What are ear candles?

Ear candles are cone-shaped, hollow tubes (candles), the tips of which can be gently placed inside the ear opening. When burning the candle, a gentle vacuum is created that draws out excess wax and bacteria that may have accumulated. Come in for complete instructions on how to use them correctly to keep your ears tuned!

How long are herbs, oils, and homeopathic good?

Encapsulated herbs are good for five years. Liquid herbs are good for two years, though these are best kept in the refrigerator if not used on regular basis. Oils that are not diluted have no expiration date and homeopathic are good for 5 years.

How should I take herbs and supplements? With meals? On an empty stomach?

Most herbs and supplements are taken with meals unless directed otherwise. Most people will find that even a glass of juice or a piece of fruit is sufficient for taking supplements. Follow the instructions on the bottle and ask us for recommended amounts.

How do I take a homeopathic (little white pellets)?

Homeopathics need to be taken without food or water 15 minutes before or after. Also, it is best not to touch a homeopathic, but to toss them into the mouth from the lid of the container.