August is Back to School Month

August means back to school. I always think of September as the back to school month, since that’s what it was when I was little, but now most kids are going back be back in school by the third week of August if not sooner.

Hopefully this will be a more normal school year than last year, but even on the most normal of normal years, there can still be stress and anxiety for many about starting school. Theanine is a great supplement for stress and anxiety and is safe for both kids and adults. It’s an amino acid that’s found in green tea that can help kids to feel more calm and less worried. It can even be used before bed to help with sleep, not that it makes you tired, but it’s effective for sleep since it helps to encourage a calm state of mind. It’s especially helpful for school age children and teens since in addition to enhancing feelings of calm, it also can help with increasing focus (something most of us would benefit from). It’s available in gummies or capsules, and most children start with a 100mg dose, whereas most adults take 400mg.

See this article on our website for more information: Theanine for Reducing Stress and Increasing Focus

Preventing illness is always a concern once school starts again, since with so many kids packed in together, colds and other respiratory viruses are more likely. There are a number of great kid-friendly immune boosters we’d recommend, like our elderberry gummies by Zhou, which also contain a good dose of immune boosting zinc (plus they’re great tasting). A few other immune supplements that we recommend for kids are probiotics and vitamin D- we have both available in good tasting chewable supplements. Probiotics have shown in research to help with preventing respiratory infections in children, resulting in fewer missed school days, and vitamin D is a great all-around immune booster that’s great for everyone.

Here are a few helpful articles from our website with more information:

Preventative Immune Health

Keeping Kids Healthy this Winter

Manuka Honey Throat Lozenges for Cough and Sore Throat

Elderberry: A Potent Antiviral Against Colds and Flu

Finally, a few other supplements that can be helpful for kids are an omega 3 supplement and a multivitamin. Omega 3s are essential fatty acids that are crucial for brain function, and many kids are deficient because they have to be obtained through either diet or supplements, and most kids don’t eat a lot of fish. A great tasting, high potency supplement is Barlean’s Omega Swirl (for both kids or adults). We’ve found that most kid’s omega 3 chewables or gummies have very little actual omega 3 in them, so we recommend Barlean’s Omega Swirl liquid as an easy way to get the recommended amounts in just one teaspoon (it’s not at all oily or fishy, it tastes like lemon cream).

See our article Improving Children’s Concentration at School for more information.

Multivitamins are great for kids or adults that are picky eaters or people without the best diets, since they help to fill in nutrition gaps. A multivitamin is not a substitute for a healthy diet, but it’s a simple way to ensure you or your children are getting the nutrients you need every day for optimal health.

Please stop by the store this month so we can help you to find the supplements that are right for your individual needs.

New Rewards Program

We’ve started a new Rewards Program at Pass Health Foods. In place of our Senior and Newsletter Discounts, which only worked on non-sale items, we have transitioned to a rewards program where you will earn rewards on every dollar spent, regardless if it’s on sale or not.

Since beginning our Rewards Program, you’ll notice many more everyday sales across the store. Look for our new yellow price tags announcing everyday sales and our green monthly sale tags (plus our new food sales that offer deep discounts on popular natural food items).

In addition to our usual top sellers that we have on sale every day, we will have more entire lines on sale every day including every item by Solaray, Irwin Naturals, Carlson, Source Naturals, Solgar, and Nutrigold. Each month we’ll also have different sales of other entire brands, which will change each month.

We’ve also lowered prices on all of our foods, and in most cases, they’ve gone down by at least 15-20%. We’ve joined an association of other small health food stores to be able to negotiate better prices to help make us more competitive with big box stores, and that’s in addition to our new monthly food sales, which offer deep discounts on popular natural food items each month.

Finally, be sure to check out the different sale sections we have in the store for additional sales each month- we have two different large discontinued racks of items that are marked 50% off as well as our “Dent and Scratch” sale items that are marked 40% off because of damage to the packaging (ripped or dented boxes, etc).

We think our new rewards program, combined with lower prices and additional sales throughout the store will help everyone to save even more money and make shopping at Pass Health Foods more affordable for everyone while rewarding our regular customers even more. We really appreciate you continuing to support us and other small businesses in the community!

A Sunburn Miracle (Literally)

Since we’re in the throes of summer, I wanted to mention a literal miracle for sunburns and skin irritation that we’ve discovered at Pass Health Foods. There must be fairy dust in it, because it’s amazing how well it works. It’s the First Aid Gel by Sovereign Silver, and I’d definitely recommend having a bottle in the house.

I first heard about how well it worked several years ago from Liz (one of the other owners). We’d gone to an event outside in late spring and she hadn’t thought about putting on sunscreen and got an awful sunburn. I saw how red and painful her arms were. She took home a bottle of the First Aid Gel and slathered it on that night. When I saw her the next day it was unbelievable how much better her sunburn looked.

Now, just last month, we were out of town and my daughter got sunburned on parts of her face (she didn’t rub her sunscreen in well enough). We had aloe with us, but it wasn’t helping enough. I stopped to pick up a bottle of First Aid Gel from a local health food store in the area and she said how from the first time putting it on that it felt so much better. She kept putting it on all evening and slept with a thick layer of it on her skin, and by the next morning it was so much better (and she said it felt so much better too).

Obviously, not getting a sunburn in the first place is the best idea, but things happen. I really couldn’t recommend our First Aid Gel by Sovereign Silver enough!

Natural Help for Tinnitus

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a very common problem, especially as we age. It’s estimated that roughly 15% of the population experiences some form of tinnitus, which can range from mild to debilitating. It can be caused by a number of factors, though the most common is damage to the ear from excessive noise or injury.

Regardless of the cause, it can be a tricky thing to live with and can be difficult to treat. The most promising natural supplement research with tinnitus seems be with the herb ginko biloba. Ginko is sometimes used as an aid for brain function because it encourages blood flow to the brain, but research has also found that ginko supplementation can also be beneficial for tinnitus.

Several placebo controlled studies have found benefit for ginko supplementation in patients suffering from tinnitus, though the studies usually recommended using 120mg of guaranteed potency ginko biloba per day. When effective dosages of the herb in a guaranteed potency form were used, many more people found relief from tinnitus when using ginko vs. the placebo group.

Another study I found recently compared using ginko biloba with a prescription drug known as pentoxifylline sometimes used for tinnitus. The research found that supplementing for 120mg of ginko biloba was as effective as the prescription, and that in both groups tinnitus sufferers found relief, though the group using ginko had more positive scores for depression, anxiety, and overall wellbeing.

If you experience tinnitus, I would definitely recommend giving ginko biloba a try, with one caveat: ginko can thin the blood (it’s sometimes used to prevent blood clots) so it shouldn’t be used at the same time as prescription blood thinners like warfarin or Coumadin. Additionally, ginko (and other supplements, generally) should be discontinued a few weeks before undergoing surgery.

When trying ginko for tinnitus, it’s important to use it for long enough to see a difference. Most studies on ginko biloba and tinnitus were done over twelve weeks. It’s possible to see relief sooner than that, but as most studies usually are done over three months, so that’s usually what we recommend when you’re trying to remedy a problem to see if something has helped.

There’s one more supplement I’d recommend for tinnitus, which unlike ginko biloba, is safe for people using blood thinners- bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids are plant compounds which are part of what gives plants their vibrant colors. They have many benefits, one of which is that they help to strengthen the walls of small veins and capillaries. Due to that benefit, bioflavonoids are often recommended for vascular disorders, or to help prevent bruising by strengthening the walls of the easily damaged tiny capillaries in the body.

Though there is not much research available on bioflavonoids and tinnitus, it is theorized that they could be useful for tinnitus by helping to strengthen the many tiny capillaries that are needed to bring blood to various parts of the ears and brain. Since bioflavonoids have many other benefits, it’s certainly worth a try to see if you find a benefit for tinnitus, especially if you can’t take ginko biloba due to blood thinning medications.

The Effects of Low Dopamine Levels

Our bodies are so interesting, and it’s so fascinating how different chemicals produced in the brain affect our mood and outlook on life. Our individual brain chemistry is affected by many different factors, and when we don’t have enough of certain neurotransmitters, if our body isn’t making enough, it can really affect us, often being experienced as depression or anxiety.

I’m glad that the stigma against mental health issues has been changing in the past number of years. For the majority of people, depression and mental health problems are the result of imbalances in the naturally produced chemicals in the brain, through no fault of their own. Natural products or pharmaceuticals that help to remedy or boost those mood enhancing neurotransmitters can really help.

Of course I’d recommend trying natural products first, but sometimes a prescription might be needed, and that‘s fine, it’s important to do what’s best for your health. I’d recommend natural products first because they are generally free from side effects and can be stopped at any time without causing a problem (you need to be careful with many pharmaceuticals for depression, it’s not recommended that you just stop taking those drugs abruptly without a doctor’s recommendation).

The two main “feel good” neurotransmitters in the brain are serotonin and dopamine. Both are critical for proper brain function and mood. Serotonin is a little more involved with how we process emotions, whereas dopamine is also involved with mood, but it’s more focused on feelings of wellbeing, pleasure, and motivation.

For boosting serotonin, the amino acid 5-HTP as well as the herb saffron can be helpful and effective. 5-HTP has also been researched for helping with reducing stress and migraines in addition to helping with boosting mood. 5-HTP is not recommended to be used along with certain prescription antidepressants since it works in a similar way.

For dopamine levels, things can be a little trickier. When we are young, the body produces abundant amounts of dopamine in the brain, which is why many of us look back on childhood as a carefree time. As we age, our levels of dopamine are reduced. By age 45 our natural dopamine levels are reduced by roughly 13% for each decade that passes. Low amounts of dopamine in the brain translate to a lower sense of wellbeing. Drugs like cocaine and opioids give the brain a rush of dopamine, which is part of why they are so addictive. Similarly, cigarette smoking also gives a dopamine rush, which is why they are so difficult to quit. Dopamine is involved with our reward system and addictive behaviors, and low dopamine levels in the brain can make it even more likely for those people to seek out risky behaviors to feel that rush or increase in dopamine in the brain.

I am certainly not advocating any of the things above, but rather am just trying to explain how dopamine works. There are supplements that can boost dopamine, but I would not recommend them due to side effects (which is why we don’t carry them at our store). There is a natural supplement I would recommend, however,  that is involved with our bodies levels of dopamine, but it does it in a different way than just artificially increasing dopamine (which I don’t think is  a good idea).

Recent research has found that a plant known as the Amur cork tree works to inhibit an enzyme in our body that depletes dopamine levels in the brain, called MAO-B (it has a longer name, but let’s just call it that). It’s an herb that’s been used safely for centuries in Asia, but now science is confirming its wide reaching benefits, including its ability to help stabilize dopamine levels in the brain. Unlike things (primarily negative like drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol) that temporarily boost dopamine levels in the brain, extracts of the Amur cork tree, known as Phellodendron amurense, work to naturally increase overall levels of dopamine in the brain to levels comparable to when a person was younger, before the MAO-B enzyme levels increased that lower our brain’s amounts of available dopamine. That plant extract is not well known in America, but we’ve found a product by Life Extension that is a good source of it called Dopamine Advantage.

In addition to helping with higher overall dopamine levels in the brain, inhibiting the MAO-B enzyme in the body can also have brain protective effects.

There are prescription drugs that influence that dopamine enzyme that have been used for many years as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease (patients with Parkinson’s disease can have extremely low dopamine levels, in fact, low dopamine levels are thought to be one of the contributing factors in Parkinson’s disease). The Dopamine Advantage supplement I mentioned above works in a similar way, but naturally. Another nice thing is that the recommended amounts to be found effective in research is available in just one pill a day, and it’s also very reasonably priced (we have it for sale for $13.99 for a month’s supply- I love it when companies don’t price gouge, especially when they have a unique supplement that’s not found many places).

Please stop by Pass Health Foods for more information or if you have any questions. Everyone is different in their individual needs, and especially for issues like depression and anxiety, it’s not always “one size fits all”. Luckily, there are a lot of natural products that can really make a difference, and we are extremely knowledgeable about the various supplements for boosting mood and reducing stress and anxiety.

Mask Mandates at Pass Health Foods

What a year this has been, but we are so incredibly grateful that things are starting to get back to normal little by little. 

We wanted to address new mask recommendations by the CDC for vaccinated people, and just say that regardless if laws change in our town or state in the coming weeks, we will still require masks to be worn at Pass Health Foods. 

We have many children and other medically vulnerable people who come into our store, and we want Pass Health Foods to continue to be a safe place to be for everyone. We will not be checking people for vaccination cards now or ever, so we ask that everyone please continue to wear masks while shopping in the store.  Additionally, we will continue to offer curb side pickup if you prefer.

We really appreciate each of you, and thank each of you in advance for helping us to keep everyone safe.

Coleman Camping Gear Raffle

This year we have a new big Solaray raffle for a Coleman Camping Set! The set includes a great quality Colman two person tent, a wonderful insulated Colman cooler, two camping chairs, and two insulated mugs!

To enter to win, purchase any Solaray product to earn a raffle ticket!  We’ll choose a winner at the end of May. It’s a wonderful quality camping set!

Stop by the store at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights for a chance to win!

Vitamin C for Gum Health

I wanted to briefly write about vitamin C and bleeding gums. I recently read a study about bleeding gums being a symptom of vitamin C deficiency. The researchers examined 15 different clinical trials and found that a tendency to have bleeding gums was related to a deficiency in vitamin C, and found that increasing their vitamin C intake was able to help reverse their bleeding issues.

Vitamin C has many benefits: from enhancing immune functioning as well as being beneficial to cardiovascular health, it can even help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s a great supplement for overall health.

Vitamin C is easily obtained through fresh fruits, though supplementing can be a good idea when you might not be regularly eating enough fresh produce. One of our favorites is our American Health Ester C, since studies have shown that it stays working in the body longer than regular vitamin C. Another we especially recommend is Nutrigold’s Vitamin C Gold, which is directly sourced from organic berries, so it’s extremely gentle and well absorbed. Both our 1000mg Ester C capsules and our Vitamin C Gold are on sale this month, so be sure to stop by.

Also, here’s an article on supplements beneficial for gum health on our website here:

Healthy Q & A: Gum Disease

Are Seasonal Allergies Getting Worse?

I’ve read some interesting things about allergies lately that I wanted to share. I love finding out the “why” of things! I was reading an article that was interviewing a horticulturalist about trees, and they were saying that a lot of the problem with the increase in seasonal allergy symptoms is because far more male trees are being planted than female trees.

Male trees have long been seen as desirable for street and residential plantings, because they don’t make fruit or seeds and are “less messy”. When it comes to pollen though, male trees produce it in abundance. Female trees are able to “trap” some of that pollen to use to create fruits, but now with the lopsidedness of primarily male trees, there’s a ton of pollen floating around without an equal amount of female trees to use it. So basically that leaves us with a ton of pollen hanging around, making allergy symptoms worse.

Another interesting thing I was reading in regards to allergies was that excesses of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere causes trees to produce more pollen. CO2, or carbon dioxide, is actually a reproductive stimulator of plants, and research has shown that trees produced significantly more pollen when treated with CO2, and that’s basically what’s happening worldwide at the moment, since burning fossil fuels produces increased CO2 in our atmosphere.

So, if you’ve been experiencing an increase in allergy symptoms, there’s actually a reason for it (if that makes you feel any better). Still, spring is a beautiful season, and it’s a sad thing to be trapped inside with the windows closed when the weather finally turns warmer.

Luckily, there are some natural supplements that can help. We usually think of histamine when we think of allergies, and that is what most over the counter allergy drugs focus on. Histamine is a compound produced in the body in response to allergens, but histamine is not the only chemical in the body involved in our allergy response, which is why over the counter allergy medications can sometimes have limited effectiveness, or change in effectiveness over time in our bodies.

Natural products for allergies have a more balanced approach, helping to calm down the overactive immune response to pollen and seasonal allergens naturally. One of the most effective supplements to do just that is quercetin. Quercetin is a flavonoid, a plant compound found in many fruits and vegetables like onions, apples, and berries. Quercetin supplements have been shown in studies to be effective in reducing allergy symptoms by not only inhibiting our body’s overactive release of histamine, but also in decreasing other inflammatory compounds produced in the body as a response to allergens. Quercetin is also a potent antioxidant, which offers further benefits to the body.

One quercetin supplement we especially recommend for allergy season is called Quercetin Nettle by Mt. Angel. It combines a high dose of quercetin along with a pineapple enzyme called bromelain that helps with reducing inflammation in the body as well as stinging nettle, an herb that has long been used for allergy symptoms. This specific product by Mt. Angel was formulated based on research published by the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon for seasonal allergies, and we have a lot of customers who have used it with good results.

Another idea is to try some raw, local honey. The idea of using local honey is almost like a pollen inoculation, that you’re ingesting honey made from the flowers in our local area which will hopefully make your body freak out less when you encounter spring pollen made from those same plants. Plus, who doesn’t love honey?  Also, buying local honey supports local beekeepers, which is a great thing to do, especially in 2021, regardless of allergies or not!  We support two different local beekeeping families at Pass Health Foods, and we’ve just gotten in more 16 oz. jars of raw, unprocessed honey sourced from wildflower fields in Homer Glen.

A Great New Supplement for Stress & Anxiety

I have a great new recommendation for a brand new Solgar product we’ve brought in called Stress & Anxiety Relief. As you may have guessed from the name, it really does help with stress and anxiety. The main ingredient is ashwaganda, which is an herb I definitely believe in that I’ve written about before, but this new product is a high potency extract, so where a person would have in the past had to take two pills a day to get the recommended amounts of ashwaganda, this new formula by Solgar only needs one a day.

We got a sample bottle in advance before bringing the product in the store, and my husband has been taking it every day and has said how much he likes it (which is saying something, since I’m constantly bringing home stuff for him to try).

In addition to helping with reducing stress, ashwaganda can also help with improving mental function and has even shown benefit in several preliminary studies for helping to prevent several different neurodegenerative diseases.

Solgar’s Stress & Anxiety Relief also contains saffron extract which can help with reducing stress and boosting mood. The amount of saffron extract in this Stress & Anxiety Relief formula has been found to have similar benefits to three different prescription antidepressants: Fluoxetine, Imipramine, and Citalopram (you can click on the individual names to find links to the specific research studies).

It’s a great new supplement and I especially love that it contains the recommended amounts confirmed by research studies in just one pill. Our new Stress & Anxiety Relief formula is on sale for 25% off every day!