A Natural Alternative to Tamiflu for Flu Prevention and Treatment

The flu this year is absolutely horrendous- health officials have said this is the worst flu season in nearly a decade, with the rate of hospitalizations continuing to increase. We all know that washing hands helps to prevent the spread of viruses, but it’s impossible to completely reduce your risk. 

Tamiflu has been approved as a prescription antiviral against the flu, but it is not without side effects, some of which can be severe.

The best way to stay healthy is to do what you can to boost your body’s own immune system, since we are every day exposed to bacteria and viruses, and it is our immune system that works to fight them off and keep us healthy; it’s when the immune system is overwhelmed that we fall ill.

There are a number of great, well researched immune boosting supplements that we would recommend at Pass Health Foods, but the best there is against the flu is elderberry syrup, also known as Sambucus. Elderberry has natural antiviral properties, and has been researched with great results for preventing and reducing the duration of the flu. In clinical trial of elderberry syrup, it found that elderberry cured 90% of flu infections after 72 hours. In the same trial, the patients receiving a placebo needed six days for recovery.

New research, however, has even found that the combination of elderberry syrup and the herb echinacea is as effective as the prescription antiviral Tamiflu against the flu virus.

The study gave 473 patients who exhibited flu symptoms elderberry extract and echinacea or Tamiflu within the first 48 hours of the beginning of the illness. The recovery rates from the combination of elderberry and echinacea were the same as Tamiflu  (the elderberry and echinacea group actually had slightly better recovery rates when compared to the prescription Tamiflu), but without side effects- the researchers reported that patients taking oseltamivir (Tamiflu) were more likely to experience gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and vomiting than the supplement group.

We have had a large number of our customers confirm this research, who have had great results taking the combination of elderberry syrup and echinacea.

Finally, I’ll share the story of one of the ladies who works at the Revival Yoga Studio in Palos Heights, which is across the street from the health food store (if you’ve never been in there, I’d really recommend stopping by- it’s a gorgeous yoga studio). She told me of how her son had contracted influenza, and was prescribed Tamiflu. A few days later, the rest of her family got sick and was confirmed by their physician that they did in fact have the flu. She decided that instead of doing Tamiflu for the rest of her family, that they would instead take elderberry syrup and echinacea. She said that the group of them that took the combination of elderberry and echinacea actually got better faster than her son that was on Tamiflu, and had didn’t have the digestive side effects that he experienced.

Elderberry can be taken preventatively against illness, but it’s best to save the echinacea until you feel the beginnings of sickness, since research has shown that that is when it is most effective. If you've been sick for a while, supplementing with elderberry alone is the best course of action, due to its potent antiviral compounds. 

We recommend Nature’s Answer Sambucus Elderberry Syrup, which is the highest potency of elderberry per dose of any available, and Natural Factor’s Echinamide echinacea extract for the best results.

Please stop by the health food store if you need any more information so we can help you further. Take care of yourselves!

Natural Help for Colic and Gassy Babies

Anyone who has had a new baby knows that it can be rough. One of the worst things is when a little one has digestive issues including gas and colic. It’s incredibly common for babies to have digestive troubles, especially around the six to eight week mark. While it’s something that most babies grow out of, there are safe, natural remedies that can help to soothe infant’s digestive problems when you’re in the thick of it.

The first we’d recommend is a specific probiotic made for infants called JarrowDophilus Infant. It contains just one strain of good bacteria, B. Infantis, which has been studied extensively for its benefits to the developing digestive tract of newborns and infants. Studies have shown that supplementing with this specific probiotic strain is associated with a reduction in gas and digestive upset in newborns and infants.

The B. Infantis strain of probiotics make up over 90% of the good bacteria found in the digestive tract of healthy, breastfed infants. It can be extremely helpful for formula fed babies or any infant with gas, constipation, colic, and any other digestive issues causing them discomfort. Probiotics, including JarrowDophilus Infant, are only beneficial, with no negative side effects. It is completely safe for daily use for babies from birth onward, and in many babies can make a real difference in helping to normalize digestive troubles.

Another product we would recommend is called Gripe Water. It’s an all natural supplement of ginger and fennel, which works incredibly well to soothe gas and colic. We’ve even had customers report that it has helped their babies to reduce hiccupping. Our Gripe Water has an easy to use dropper that can be squeezed directly into a fussy baby’s mouth. It’s definitely a great thing to have in the house if you have a newborn.

The JarrowDophilus Infant and Gripe Water can be used in conjunction without a problem. The infant probiotic is generally meant for daily use, whereas the Gripe Water is meant to be used for acute issues of gas and colic on an as needed basis.

Targeted Probiotics for Women's Health (Yeast Infections, BV, UTIs)

Most people think of probiotics as primarily for digestion, but the scope of probiotics goes far beyond that, to encompass much, much more. One of the lesser known uses for probiotics are for women’s vaginal health. There are specific probiotic strains that can help to naturally combat yeast infections, bacterial vaginal infections, as well as urinary tract infections.

The company Jarrow has two products formulated for vaginal and urinary tract health with scientifically researched strains- their shelf-stable JarrowDophilus for Women and then their refrigerated probiotic, FemDophilus.

The two probiotics offer similar benefits but differ in their use. The refrigerated FemDophilus is used more as a treatment for acute infections. It works very well to knock out yeast overgrowth and/or harmful bacteria in the vaginal tract and urinary tract. Where the JarrowDophilus Women is more for maintaining healthy vaginal flora on a regular basis.
The vaginal tract has its own specific microbiome, where good bacteria is meant to crowd out the proliferation of negative bacteria and candida. Because of this environment, targeted women’s probiotics are especially beneficial in treating and preventing vaginal infections.

Yeast infections are what most women think of when they have vaginal issues- the symptoms of yeast infections most commonly include a thick whitish discharge, irritation during intercourse or urination, and itching. It’s estimated that 75% of women will have at least one occurrence of vaginal yeast overgrowth in their lives, though some women are more prone to yeast infections and will have many reoccurrences.

Bacterial vaginosis (or BV) is less well known, but is the most common vaginal infection, estimated to affect 10-29% of women at any given time. BV can be transmitted sexually but can also occur even if a woman is not sexually active. Bacterial vaginosis is traditionally treated with antibiotics, but it has a very high reinfection rate (often 30% of infections reoccur the month following treatment and 80% of women experience recurrent BV infections after nine months). Due to this rate of BV reoccurrence, natural treatment with effective, targeted vaginal probiotics can be especially beneficial, since it treats the causes rather than just trying to make symptoms go away. Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis include thin uniform gray, yellow, or whitish discharge and and a “fishy” vaginal odor.

Treatment of BV is especially important since it can increase the risk of contracting STDs as well as increasing the risk of preterm labor during pregnancy.

In our experience, Jarrow’s FemDophilus probiotic is the best women’s probiotic available for treating acute vaginal infections and yeast overgrowth. The clinically researched strains it contains have been shown to be effective in bringing women’s bodies back into a state of proper vaginal health, both when used alone as well as in conjunction with conventional treatments (studies have even shown that the probiotic strains in FemDophilus are able to increase the effectiveness of conventional drugs treatments for both BV and yeast infections).

Thus far, I’ve mostly focused on the benefits of Jarrow’s FemDophilus, but they also have a product called JarrowDophilus for Women which is an impressive formula as well. While FemDophilus is meant to be more of a treatment for acute infections, JarrowDophilus for Women is a maintenance probiotic, formulated to encourage a healthy vaginal and urinary tract. It is especially helpful for women who have reocurrances of BV or yeast infections, since it promotes a healthy vaginal microbiome that works to crowd out those negative overgrowths, stopping reinfection.

Both are wonderful products with impressive clinically documented benefits. Stop by the store for more information and so we can help you find the product that’s right for you.

Our best selling ImmunoShield is now on Every Day Sale for 25% off

We are excited to report that we can now offer our popular Immuno-Shield by Irwin Naturals on an everyday sale of 25% off!

Immuno-Shield is by far our most popular overall immune supplement, and one that both those of us who work at Pass Health Foods and many of our customers use on a regular basis.  It can be used preventatively against illness, but also if you do happen to get sick you can take higher amounts of ImmunoShield to get better faster.

Immuno-Shield works so well because it is a blend of very powerful and well-researched immune boosters which work in a variety of ways to help you to during cold and flu season; helping to boost and activate your immune system to fight off invading bacteria and viruses quicker and more effectively.

I’ll list a few of Immuno-Shield’s ingredients below with a brief explanation of how each ingredient helps the immune system:

Vitamin C- a vitamin that supports white blood cell functioning that protects the body against infectious disease and foreign invaders.

Zinc- a mineral that reduces the duration of illness

Echinacea- this herb is especially effective at the first signs of illness to activate the immune system

Astragalus- an herb from Traditional Chinese Medicine which boosts immune functioning

Beta Glucan- an extract that helps to boost the function of NK cells, “natural killer” cells which seek out and destroy viruses

Cat’s Claw- an herb that can increase white cell counts, which improves the body’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses

Olive extract- this herb enhances the functioning of the immune system, and can help prevent virus replication

Oregano Oil- an herb with strong antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties

Without fail, I think all of us at Pass Health Foods would recommend Irwin Natural’s Immuno-Shield as a supplement you should have in your house this winter. I would say more than anything else for the immune system, we have the most people who come back religiously for Immuno-Shield who attest to how well it works.

We really can't recommend it enough!  Plus, now that we’re been able to work out a deal with Irwin Naturals to have Immuno-Shield available at a discount, we’re passing on that deal to our customers!

How to Stay Healthy this Cold and Flu Season

This month, as so many are sick around us, I wanted to highlight some of our favorite immune boosters in a few articles I’ll link below.

Elderberry + Echinacea: An Effective Natural Alternative to Tamiflu

ImmunoShield: Our Favorite Overall Immune Boosting Blend (it’s also on sale for February)

Zinc Lozenges: Clinically Proven to Boost the Immune System

Preventative Health for Cold and Flu Season: Vitamin D & Probiotics

Also, I wanted to mention a few new immune supplements we’ve brought in that we really like. The first are Elderberry Gummies by Nature’s Way. Elderberry, also known as Sambucus, is a fantastic anti-viral and is great for boosting the immune system. These gummies are an easy way to add some elderberry to your diet- I’ve been putting some in my daughter’s lunch (here’s an article on the benefits of using gummies for school lunches) to give her a preventative immune boost. 

In addition to the elderberry gummies, we’ve also found an amazing new probiotic designed specifically for respiratory health- their Respiratory Care Probiotic. Probiotics have long been used for helping the immune system, but this new probiotic contains specific clinically researched strains which have been shown to be beneficial to respiratory health, helping to activate the immune system against viruses as well as preventing virus replication. I’ve been taking it and feel it’s really helped.

I also wanted to share a couple articles on essential oils which can be helpful during cold and flu season. The first lists a number of scientific studies on the antibacterial and antiviral benefits of different essential oils, and the second has information on our own “Thieves Oil” blend.

Disinfecting the Air with Essential Oils (with links to research studies)

Nature’s Shield: Our Version of the “Thieves Oil” Blend

Be Well!

Help for New Year Resolutions

Two things we usually think of when the New Year rolls around are detoxing and weight loss. I’ll attach a few links below on articles about both. 

For weight loss, this is a great overview of different weight loss supplements, and how they work:

How to Choose the Right Weight Loss Supplement

This is an article on garcinia cambogia, a very well researched supplement that aids weight loss in a number of different ways. The garcinia cambogia product we recommend the most is Jarrow, since it has the highest potency per pill of any other garcinia cambogia formula, and is also better absorbing. Our Jarrow garcinia cambogia will be 25% off for the month of January.

Garcinia Cambogia: A Weight Loss Supplement that Really Works

Below are two articles on detoxing and cleansing for the new year:

Q & A: Detoxing for the New Year

Nature’s Plus Complete Body Cleanse

For those who want to do a simpler cleanse, we’d recommend Nature’s Secret’s 15 Day Cleanse and Flush. It’s a one bottle product that is on sale for 25% off- less than $10 a bottle. It’s a nice, easy way to start fresh and is also a nice way to begin a new diet regimen.

 

Our Favorites from Irwin Naturals: On Sale This January

This month we wanted to feature three of our favorite products by Irwin Naturals that are on sale this month.  They are products we and our families use and love.  Click on the links below to see our past articles for each supplement below if you would like more information.

Immuno Shield: There’s not a better all-in-one supplement for an immune boost

Power to Sleep: It really does help with sleep, both helping you to actually feel tired and reducing stress so you aren’t laying in bed worrying.

Sunny Mood: A truly fantastic supplement for an overall mood boost (something practically all of us would benefit from).  It also includes supplements that help with reducing stress.

All three of our favorites listed above will be on sale for 25% off for the month of January.

All About Curcumin and Why It's So Great

I wanted to write about curcumin again. It has become incredibly popular for helping with reducing pain and inflammation in the body- and rightly so- it really does work. New research is coming out all the time confirming its many benefits, which go far beyond just pain relief.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, has been said by many to be “the most anti-inflammatory herb on the planet”. It is difficult for the body to absorb, however, and in the past, people needed to consume mass amounts of the strongly pigmented yellow spice to be able to get enough of that beneficial extract, curcumin, to make a difference. I love eating turmeric (turmeric is the yellow spice used in many curries), but ground turmeric root is generally only 4% curcumin, so supplements are the best answer if you’re looking to get the benefits reported again and again in the scientific studies.

Even supplemental extracts of turmeric or curcumin can be difficult for the body to absorb, which is why there are very specific forms that we recommend. The company Solgar has a branded extract that they use which has been scientifically documented to be one hundred and eighty-five times better absorbed than standard curcumin extracts. If you’re interested, you can search go to our website for more information and the links to the study, or go to PubMed.gov, since I fully agree that it almost sounds too good to be true. 

We are all about science at Pass Health Foods. Sometimes I think people have the idea that natural products, vitamins, and herbs are a bunch of “hippie nonsense”, but in our store, the products we recommend are scientifically backed by research. There are times when conventional pharmaceuticals are necessary, but if you can find natural products that legitimately work, without the side effects of conventional medicines, it can be a wonderful thing.

So, back to curcumin: studies have shown again and again its benefit for pain relief, finding it equal to commercially available pain medications and NSAID drugs, but without the strain those medicines have on the liver. Ibuprofen and other drugs definitely do help with pain, but they are not meant to be taken over and over again on a daily basis. Curcumin is a great alternative, which rather than being hard on the liver, it can actually help with liver function.
In addition to pain relief, curcumin supplements have also been shown in research to have impressive results for reducing anxiety and depression, one study even found curcumin supplementation to be as effective as a prescription drug for depression, but without the side effects.

New research has also introduced curcumin as a possible aid to weight loss. One thirty day study followed people who were already on a diet and exercise regimen. They found an increased percentage of weight loss in the group who took curcumin, but even more than that was the reduction of body fat percentage for the people who took curcumin vs. the placebo group. Over thirty days the group who used diet and exercise alone had a .70% reduction in total body fat loss, but the group who used curcumin had an average of 8.43% reduction in body fat!

Curcumin supplementation has also been linked to a reduction in several types of cancers. In the past, the poor absorption of curcumin supplements was a problem for showing results in human studies, but now with newly formulated extracts like Solgar’s Full Spectrum Curcumin, which have significantly increased the body’s ability to absorb the nutrient, that is changing. Curcumin has been shown to inhibit cancer cells, prevent tumor formation, as well as slow cancer progression, and can be a helpful adjunct to traditional cancer therapies (though as with everything, be sure to inform your physician of any natural products you are taking, especially during cancer treatment).

So to sum up, while curcumin is best known for reducing joint pain and inflammation, it has many other scientifically documented benefits. Not all turmeric or curcumin supplements are equal in how well they are absorbed, so at this time, the only curcumin product we truly recommend is Solgar’s Full Spectrum Curcumin, for the simple reason that it has been shown to be so much better absorbed than any other. Since it’s a product we recommend so highly, we were able to work out a deal with the company to be able to offer 25% off on our Solgar curcumin on an everyday basis at Pass Health Foods. Stop by the store for more information, we’d love to help you further.
  

Magnesium: You’re Probably Not Getting Enough

Magnesium is a supplement nearly everyone would benefit from. It is needed in over three hundred different processes in the body, including proper cholesterol and blood sugar regulation, supporting the heart and cardiovascular system, maintaining bone strength, and helping to maintain normal nerve and muscle function.

With magnesium being such a crucial mineral in our diets, it’s unfortunate to note that the USDA has reported that between seventy five and eighty five percent of Americans do not receive the recommended dosages needed to meet their body’s requirements. Foods rich in magnesium include whole grains, dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds and some legumes. These foods were once plentiful in our diets, but processed foods, soft drinks and the “Standard American Diet” have severely reduced most Americans intake of magnesium. Worse, alcohol, along with many prescriptions and over the counter medications, depletes our bodies stores of magnesium even further.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle cramps and spasms, headaches, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, calcification of the arteries, and sleep problems, and more.

Since magnesium is a large molecule, it is not usually included (or if it is, it is usually less than recommended amounts) in most multivitamins and even most calcium supplements, which is a shame since one of the benefits of magnesium is increased calcium absorption in to the bones. Because of this, it usually needs to be taken by itself or in a quality calcium supplement that contains the proper amounts of magnesium.

Magnesium and calcium are closely interconnected, and magnesium is useful for helping to mitigate any negative effects of calcium, like hardening of the arteries through calcium deposits. Magnesium can also help to dissolve and reduce the occurrence of many kidney stones, including calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate kidney stones. Magnesium deficiency has even been linked to the increased formation of kidney stones.

Magnesium supplements can also help with preventing constipation, since magnesium in the intestines draws fluid into stool, making it easier to pass. Unlike laxatives, which can be damaging to the body, adding extra magnesium to the diet can be a great idea for people who struggle with constipation, and unlike laxatives, can be taken on a regular basis to ensure proper bowel movement.

There are numerous forms of magnesium, the best absorbing include magnesium citrate, chelated magnesium which is bound to amino acids, and magnesium glycinate. Magnesium glycinate is the form least likely to have a laxative effect in the body, so if you’ve had an issue with loose stools when taking magnesium, the glycinate form is probably the best option.

Remember, magnesium must be obtained through diet, and over three quarters of Americans do not ingest the recommended amounts of magnesium needed for their body processes. Supplementing with a quality magnesium supplement is a great idea that can help your body to run better.
 

New Product: Three Brains by Natural Factors

We have a new line of products by Natural Factors called Three Brains that I wanted to briefly mention in this month’s newsletter. They’re a unique line of products that can help all aspects of brain function that have a unique approach, formulated from research that has discovered an intricate relationship between the brain, the heart, and the digestive tract, which they’ve called the “Three Brains”. This research has confirmed what many natural health practitioners have known for a long time; that our bodies are wonderfully connected and must be treated as a whole for true wellness.

They have a kit, called 3 Brains Total, which includes five different products to help with supporting the complex relationship between our brain, heart, and digestive tract. It’s a great way to ensure you’re getting the things your body really needs, especially during the holidays when we’re often under more stress than usual. The kit contains probiotics for digestive health and balance, fish oil and curcumin for reducing inflammation throughout the body, phosphatidylserine for memory and brain function, and grapeseed extract, a potent antioxidant. One pack gives you the total nutrients needed for one month, so December is a great time to try it since all our Three Brains Products are 25% off this month!
 

The Three Brains line also has targeted supplements for a variety of brain issues, including specific products for sleep, focus, inflammation, stress, and mood. The entire line is 25% off for December, and while supplies last, with any Three Brains product purchased you will receive a free book- Three Brains: How the Heart, Brain, and Gut Influence Mental Health and Identity by Karen Jensen, MD (a $20 value).