Herbal Collective Source

It looks like there is another reason to worry about our food.
A recall has gone out by the FDA about HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein) due to concerns about salmonella found contaminating production equipment in factories.

HVP is often a disguised form of MSG (monosodium glutamate), a potentially dangerous neurotoxin that is used to flavour many processed foods. Most of us think of MSG as being used in Chinese foods, yet it’s use is prevalent in many processed foods. HVP is also a common ingredient used in many vegetarian foods.

Whether it’s MSG or HVP, this issue makes it all the more important to read labels and also to eat closer to nature. Reading labels makes you more aware of what you eat and when you are more aware,  you are also more likely to eat ‘cleaner’ foods - foods without chemicals.

Eating closer to nature (think raw foods) also means you are going to eat live foods which are healthier for you anyway. People tend to think of these foods as too plain or maybe boring to eat.

Yet herbs and spices can help make these foods have more flavour, without worrying about chemicals. When you do this, you’ll not only be eating healthier, but will not have to worry when processed foods are recalled.

Marilyn Zink is the publisher of the Herbal Collective magazine and the administrator for Herbguide,  an online herbal community. Find out how to be healthy with herbs and eat healthy with easy, delicious recipes at www.herbguide.ca.

By Denise Galbraith CHT
Your largest organ of detoxification is your skin. It is covered in pores which continually excrete water, salt, lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia. If some of the items on this list sound familiar, you’re right! Similar products are found in urine, which is why your skin is sometimes referred to as a third kidney. Also removed by sweat may be alcohol, nicotine, cholesterol, hormones, and fat soluble environmental toxins, the most notable being from plastics. In addition, the lymph vessels and nodes just beneath the skin may be stimulated to improve their function.

You are doing your body a great service when you support this avenue of cleansing. Following are some effective and pleasant ways to facilitate this process which will have you feeling great, and looking great too!

Drink two liters or more of pure water every day. Avoid plastic containers. You simply can’t cleanse on any level without enough of this wonderful stuff. Imagine trying to wash a sink full of dishes in nothing but a few cups of coffee, or pop?

Sweating through exercise and sauna stimulates heat, which causes the smallest blood vessels under the skin to relax and fill with blood, bringing more oxygen to the muscles, and allowing heat loss through sweat. With that increased sweat, toxin removal is enhanced. In ‘The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women’s Health’, Dr Sat Dharam Kaur N.D. states that people can eliminate 80% of their lifelong toxin stores by sweating for 100 hours in a sauna.

Increasing body temperature is also great for your heart and blood vessels, and the entire immune system responds dramatically to the ‘artificial fever’ created. Harnessing this power as a healing tool is not a new concept; two thousand years ago Hippocrates wrote: “Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease.”

A few tips on saunas: steam is great for those with respiratory problems; it’s very healing and soothing to mucous membranes. Far Infrared saunas are best tolerated because the heat goes deeper at lower temperatures, making them more comfortable than regular saunas. If you have hypertension or other concerns, consult your health care professional before using a sauna.

Dry skin brushing not only stimulates peripheral circulation and removes dead skin and dirt; it moves lymph to provide a big boost in detoxification. This is a cornerstone treatment for cellulite - every day before your shower, spend five minutes gently brushing your skin, starting at the extremities and always brushing towards the heart. Take a break for one week a month. Avoid your face and neck and any damaged areas, as in varicose veins, rashes, or broken and delicate skin. Finish with a light oil. If you break out in blemishes during the first week of skin brushing, this is a sign of detoxification and will pass after a week or so. Use a soft natural bristle brush.

Avoid tight clothing. Your skin needs to breathe! As well, you have important clusters of lymph nodes under your arms and around the groin area, so make especially certain these are not restricted. Watch those bras ladies!
Helping your skin do its job should be a pleasant and rejuvenating experience! Relax and enjoy.

Peppermint Foot and Hand Scrub
To soften especially rough skin, you can easily make a moisturizing scrub by blending the following together:
1 cup of salt
¼ cup of any nice body oil like almond or grapeseed
15 drops of peppermint oil
Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Works best when used after a shower or soak.

By Marilyn Zink

With Canada’s hockey win over Russia tonight,  Canadians are on an Olympic high.  Add to that the bobsled wins by the Canadian women’s team for gold and silver along with silver in short track speedskating and you can see how Canadians are feeling pretty good about themselves during Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics.

The Olympics are motivating and inspiring Canadians to feel positive about themselves, so positive, in fact, many Canadians are demonstrating a great amount of patriotism. That’s not like us - we don’t usually believe in making a big show of things.

So I believe the Olympics are good for the mental health of Canadians.  But what about other countries and the Olympics in general?  Sure, everyone feels a sense of pride when someone from their own country does well. So maybe it depends on how much you take it to heart.

I think that’s what it boils down to. When you have invested yourself in the games, you take it to heart. So I think that’s the crucial difference. Canadians are taking these Olympic games to heart in a big way - because it’s on Canadian soil in the beautiful city of Vancouver and we really want our athletes to do well.

I went to downtown Vancouver recently to take in some of the activities and the energy in the city is wonderful - people are in a good mood and enthusiastic.

So when you take something to heart, it affects you emotionally and mentally.  Naturally, if it’s a good thing, it’s going to have a positive effect on your mental and emotional health.

That can have a spillover effect on other areas of your life - affecting your physical health as well, maybe improve relationships too.  Having a positive attitude is just going to make you feel that much better about your life.

Marilyn Zink is the publisher.editor of the Herbal Collective magazine. Learn more at www.herbalcollective.ca or www.herbguide.ca

By Marilyn Zink

Like many people, I have been watching the Olympics and was thrilled to see the first gold won by our Canadian freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau.

But what really put a lump in my throat is when Alex gave his older brother Frederic a big hug.  That’s because his brother has cerebral palsy.

Alex said his brother inspired him to keep training, even when he didn’t feel like it, especially since his brother was told at an early age that he would never walk.  Now 29, he does walk and that courage inspired Alex, 22, to shoot for Olympic gold.

The world saw a sincere, humble Canadian who accepted his Olympic gold medal.

The Bilodeau family, who live in Rosemere, Quebec, are an inspiration to everyone who has a health challenge.

The inspiration is that you should not give up, that there is hope for a better life, a healthier life. I can’t speak for him, of course, but I’m sure Frederic would say something like that.

I also like to say that there is hope for healing, a healing that can be found in the natural health world.

I continue to be amazed and inspired by people who are healed by herbs, or by other natural healing methods.
I interview those people who have experienced dramatic healing and publish their stories in the pages of the Herbal Collective magazine.

One such story is about a healing method for asthma, known as the Buteyko Breathing Method.  It seems simple, yet this method is very effective for healing asthmatics, chronic snoring, anxiety and more. You can find more in the March/April issue of the Herbal Collective, soon to be published, and will also be available online at Herbguide.

Marilyn Zink is the publisher of the Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca

By Marilyn Zink

Looking for a quick, simple solution for something tasty for Valentine’s Day?

There’s nothing like chocolate and strawberries to enjoy with your loved one. But chocolate is often laden with sugar and fat, making it heavy on calories and unhealthy.  Here’s a dairy-free alternative to enjoy, which has good fats from the coconut oil, yet is still tasting with the cocoa powder and added syrup.

Chocolate Syrup

2 Tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. of maple syrup

Melt the coconut oil and whisk in the cocoa powder. Cocoa powder blends beautifully in melted coconut oil. Then whisk in the maple syrup. Dip strawberries in the chocolate syrup and put on a cookie sheet to allow syrup to harden. Coconut oil melts at 25 0 Celsius, yet is solid at room temperature.

You may also wish to add crushed nuts as another choice to dip the strawberries into, after dipping into the chocolate syrup.

If you like this recipe, you can find a decadently delicious Chocolate Crepe recipe and other healthy recipes at www.herbguide.ca

Marilyn Zink is the publisher of the Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca