Natural Mono Remedy

This time of year we see a lot of Mono patients or hear of friends or family members who are suffering with it.  Mono is caused by a virus (Epstein-Barr Virus aka EBV) and people suffer from severe fatigue, a sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes and glands.   These symptoms can last months and honestly even years!  A lot of the time people walk in the door with chronic fatigue and I believe it is still the past EBV causing their symptoms.  To me it is very, very important to kick the virus right away so you don’t have issues 3, 5, 10 years down the road.  There are so many great herbs for viruses, so don't be fooled into thinking there is nothing you can do!

Personally, I have seen many cases of mono clear up within a week of being on the right supplements.  They regain their energy very quickly and start feeling human again.  In chronic fatigue cases (where they had mono 10+ years ago but still feel run down and have very sluggish energy), it can take up to a month to start feeling energy again.  It isn't perfect in a month, but they start to feel that glimmer of energy come back!

Below are recommendations and what we suggest for patients:   

Beginning Stages (Wouldn’t hurt to do if you have had MONO in the past)

Astragalus- 6 to 9 per day and VS-C TCM- 4 per day

Months 2 and 3

Astragalus- 4 per day and VS-C TCM- 2 per day.  This helps to ward off any further infection and keep the immune system up.

3 Months and after:  

It would be a good idea to stay on 3 to 4 Astragalus per day.  We have had numerous cases where people test strongly for mono months out and notice when they go off Astragalus their energy starts to dip.  It’s an amazing herb for the immune system and I personally take 4/day to keep my immune system strong during cold/flu season!

Both Astragalus and VS-C TCM are Nature Sunshine products.  For ordering information click here.

Please give us a call at 615-656-3558 if you have any questions or want to schedule a visit.  If you believe that many of your symptoms started after having mono years ago I would give the protocol above a try or give us a call. 

Natural Ways to Fight the Flu

I post and update this blog every year because I get A LOT of questions about the flu shot this time of year- "should I do it?"  "What are the risks?" "It's free to get it- why not?" 

Some people feel pressured into getting it by their medical doctor, employer, insurance company, family member, etc.  Others are fearful of the flu or getting sick.

I am not going to get into whether you should or shouldn't.  I will just tell you what I choose to do during flu season! 
1) Skip getting the flu shot
2) Have supplements on hand in case I do get sick
3) Eat 3 TBS of coconut oil a day and try to do a daily coconut oil pull
4) Eat lots of fruits and veggies

First, you need to understand that if you get sick and let your body fight it off, your immune system actually gets stronger.  That means the next time you get exposed to a bacteria or virus it will be stronger and more equipped to fight!  

Secondly, if you keep supplements on hand and eat good foods (plenty of fruits, veggies and protein) you will get vitamins and minerals that are fuel for your immune system.

Lastly, our trusty friend coconut oil is antibacterial, viral and fungal.  It helps to kill off invaders that would get you sick and it helps to boost up your immune system!

The supplements I always have on hand:
1) Immuplex- Take 6 per day when sick (Mainly for Viruses)
2) Silver Shield- take 3 to 6 TBS when sick (Works on bacterias and viruses) 
3) Elderberry Defense- Take 6 to 9 per day when sick- This also has vitamin D in it which is crucial for your immune system (Mainly Viruses) and notoriously low during the fall and winter months due to lack of sunshine exposure.
4) Congaplex- Take 6 per day when sick (Mainly for Bacteria; Great for sinus issues)

OTHER:
-Herbal Throat Spray- Perfect for sore throats
-High Potency Garlic- Antibacterial, fungal- great for sinuses and congestion
-Astragalus- Antiviral, but overall immune support (GREAT if you had MONO in the past)
-Olive Leaf Extract- Antibacterial, viral and fungal- It has been working great this year
-Thymex- Overall immune support 

What I Take Daily for Prevention:
-Usually 3 Astragalus and 3 Immuplex (I’ll switch between Immuplex and Congaplex) 
-If I feel something coming on I use my arsenal above

Standard Process is carried by health care practitioners only. We carry it at our office, or if you are not local, click here to find the closest practitioner to you. Do not order on Amazon - first it’s illegal for us to sell Standard Process on there and people who do have the prices double or triple what you would find in our offices.

If these do not help, let us know and we have many other great supplements!  These are not the end all be all, but they can REALLY help during the cold/flu season.  With good nutrition and preventative supplements (and the right ones when you do get sick), you have a great foundation.  If you have any questions or these don't seem to help - call us!  We can get you in the same day for a sick visit and figure out the exact supplement you need to be on!

ALSO- This is my personal flu fighting remedy.  I never pressure any patients or make anyone feel bad for their choices.  I want to help you find a course of action that best suits you!  Learn other options no matter what they are, educate yourself and then choose what is best for you!

**Quick note on coconut oil pulling: Take 1 spoonful of coconut oil and swish around in your mouth like you would mouthwash.  You can start with a small amount if you are new and work up to 1 TBS. The goal is to do this for 15 minutes, but again if you are new start with 5 minutes. I have been adding in 1 or 2 drops of melaleuca (aka tea tree oil) for more antibacterial effects. DO NOT swallow the coconut oil- it is pulling out bad bacteria and toxins!

After you have swished it around in your mouth spit it into a TRASH CAN! This is very important because the coconut oil will get hard when its cold and clog up your drain. After spitting out the coconut oil, rinse your mouth with hot water with a little apple cider vinegar or 1 tbs of salt (this can be spit into a sink). Once you are done with that brush your teeth and you are good to go! Your teeth will feel squeaky clean and sore throat should be gone or drastically decreased.

If you want to read more into the flu shot read this blog post by Lindsay Bentley.  Or The Pill Profit.  They are great posts!

Emotional Healing with Flower Essences

Some times in the office we will hit a plateau where no matter what nutritional approach we try, nothing seems to work.  This is when I usually know there is an emotional block that is preventing our patients from moving forward and healing.  I do not ever, ever ask people about details of what they are going through or what emotional traumas they have had in the past. I really don’t need to know details and it is not a counseling session.  That is not my place, not my job and I am not qualified to do that.  However, I can test these products called Flower Essences to help break an emotional pattern that a person may or may not know they have.

Flower Essences are made by Nature Sunshine with Bach Flowers.  Bach Flowers help to heal the connection between the body and mind and get rid of negative emotions that we dwell consciously or unconsciously. The ones we carry at the office are blends to help people work through specific emotions. There are fear, grief and anger formulas and they each come in a suppressed or vented formula. Suppressed formulas are for people who stuff emotions down, pretend like everything is okay and push through. The problem is we never fully have the emotions, but stuff them down which can actually cause a lot of stress and even sickness in the body.

The others are vented formulas. These are for people whose thoughts are on repeat. They know they need to move forward or get past something, but the events, thoughts, situations, or even people who trigger them keep playing on repeat like a hamster wheel. They become fixated or stuck. If you are on your hamster wheel and are unable to move forward, it is really hard on your body and your ‘stress’ glands aka the adrenals. The flower essences help people process, move forward and heal!

When testing these on patients (and myself too) I cannot tell you how many times people laugh or give me a big smile when I show them the description of what they tested for.

 I don't really know what patients are going through emotionally or what their suppressed emotions may be, but it is fun to test and actually see if it matches up to what they may be going through.  I have had SO many success stories with these, allowing people to make emotional breakthroughs and changes in their thought process in both kids and adults.

Flower Essences can be ordered by here or feel free to call or stop in the office if you have any questions.

Release It (Vented Grief Formula) (Stock number- 8779-1)

• May assist the body with the grieving process.
• May help in letting go of the past.
• May assist with emotional distress.

**This formula helps people not forget about the past, but allow them to process and move forward. Amazing for replaying events or situations in your head over and over and not being able to move forward.

Be Courageous (Vented Fear Formula) (Stock number 8786-0)

• May assist with courage and self-confidence.
• May help with indecisiveness, uncertainty and nervous tension.

**Great for constant worry or fear of known and unknown events or someone who constantly feels fearful and doesn’t know why.

Keep Cool (Vented Anger Formula) (Stock number- 8784-2)

• May assist the body with feelings of anger and irritability.
• May also assist with empathy and communication

**Great for those that are frustrated, irritable, or on edge; can use daily for frustration. For example- stress/being on edge at work; going home to visit family that can make people stressed or on edge, etc. Great for kids who have angry outbursts or constantly frustrated.

Find Strength (Suppressed Anger Formula) (Stock number- 8781-4)

• May assist with feelings of unworthiness.
• May help the body with emotional strength and help deal with occasional emotional stress.

**Amazing for those whose anxiety heightens in the evening and night time

Open Heart (Suppressed Grief Formula) (Stock number 8782-6)

• May assist with the ability to love.
• May help release suppressed emotion.
• May help increase empathy and compassion.

**For those who have trouble loving and trusting others or even loving themselves; they may seem cold on the outside or shut down in their emotions towards others or themselves.

Be Response-Able (Suppressed Fear Formula) (Stock number 8783-8)

• May help encourage self-responsibility.
• May help with self-defeating behavior.

**Amazing for list makers and beat themselves up for not completing their list of 100 things (I know this all too well); hard on themselves; OCD or like things done orderly or cleaned up.

Distress Remedy (Same as Rescue Remedy) (Stock number 8778-3)

• Supports emotional balance.
• May assist the body with occasional emotional distress and emotional balance.

**Great for test anxiety; known triggers for stress- for example: giving speeches; nervous to fly or go to dentist, etc.