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Product Specials
SPECIALS!!
25% OFF
Rainbow Light Vitamins & Herbs
20% OFF
Country Life Vitamins
20% OFF
Renew Life Cleansing Products
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Essential Oil of the Month
Fresh Air This combination of Lime, Orange, Lemon & Ylang Ylang cleans and freshens the air, along with being a disinfectant. Use to freshen stale air by diffusing or using as a roon mist, or use to make a cleaning solution. | |
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The Swine Flu: Pandemic or Prank? 
There are plenty of people on both sides of the aisle on this one, although you may have heard more from the right side than the left. The news stations know that the Big Pharma ads butter their bread.
Is the flu pandemic for real or will it go the way of the bird flu? No one can say for sure. But either way, the swine flu vaccine is about to descend upon us. All I know is there are risks to every vaccine and you need to make an informed decision (which you can't do by listening to the news). Our article below, Building Immunity for a Healthy Winter, gives some facts about the swine flu from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, as well as some links to some of the naysayers' websites. It also gives suggestions on natural ways to keep yourself healthy through the season. You decide which is best for you.
We also have some great events coming up in the fall, including our Healthy Snacking demo at Central Street's October 8th Retail Therapy Night. We will be initiating a once-a-month Self Development & Awareness Class starting in October (see Natural News You Can Use below) and more!. See details below.
Here's to your Health!
Lynn Bednar
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This tasty liquid made with organic echinacea, wild-grown elderberry and vitamin C is perfect for keeping your little ones healthy throughout the cold and flu season. Elderberry is an antiviral herb that prevents viruses from replicating while echinacea helps stimulate the immune system. Preservative, alcohol, and GMO free.
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Wellness Formula by Source Naturals 
This formula is designed to support the immune system when under physical stress. Wellness FormulaŽ contains a powerful combination of herbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals formulated to boost your well-being. The cornerstones of this formula are Vitamins A,C,& D, garlic, propolis, elderberry & echinacea. The formula can be taken for maintenance or in larger doses when illness occurs. Winner of the 2007 VITY Award for best immune formula.
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Immunity Take Care by New Chapter
Elderberry has been used to enhance the immune system for ages. This special extract of the herb uses a patent-pending technology to ensure that the full spectrum of the herb's chemistry is present in every capsule. Elderberry works on viruses by inhibiting their ability to enter cells and multiply, making this excellent protection against colds and flus. | |
 Natural News You Can Use: Self Awareness & Development Class
New this fall, Walsh will be offering a series of classes on Self Development & Awareness. Classes will be held once each month and will be given by Linda Maratea, one of our staff. Our objective is to give you as individuals the tools you need to find your own unique path to health on all levels: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Your own health has many layers that are affected by your experiences, your environment, your constitution, your family genetics and your nutritional needs and habits. We will be covering a variety of topics that will help you learn how to take control of your health in your own unique way.
Linda has extensive training in many aspects of spiritual growth, has assisted people with their health here at Walsh for 6 years, and is a flower essence practitioner. Her classes will include a guided meditation, lecture on the topic of the month and time for questions and answers. The cost will be $10 per class. People may attend any or all of the classes.
We are working on the first few topics and potential dates and will have more details in next month's newsletter. If you have any comments/suggestions please send them directly to Linda at lindam567@yahoo.com.
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 Ocotber 8th Retail Therapy &
Walsh Healthy Snacking Demo
By now you are familiar with Central Street's twice a year shopping event where each of the merchants offer special events, pricing and fun! If your nutritional downfall is snacking, you will want to visit us that night. We will be showing you ways to create healthy snacks to enjoy at any time!! You will be able to purchase any of our supplements or food items featured in the snacks we demo for 15% off this night only. This will include coconut oil, Udo's oil, chia seeds, flax, whey protein and more! |
Hormone Help
Thursday, October 22nd
7 pm
Do you have issues with heavy bleeding, amenorrhea, bloating and gas during your period, PMS, fatigue, hot flashes, or mood swings? Do you consider this "normal"? The truth is it is not normal and usually represents some kind of imbalance in your hormones that may be remedied in a simple way. Join Lynn Bednar, Walsh's owner, for some easy, non-invasive and low risk ways to get control of your hormones and these symptoms. You'll wonder why you put up with these ailments for so long!
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Central Street Art Walk 
Silent Auction & Awards Ceremony at Symphony's Cafe at 1945 Central Street, Thursday, October 1st, 7-9 pm
Last year the merchants and other businesses along Central brought you this wonderful chance to see the work of Illinois artists in their windows and will be doing it again this year! Take a stroll down our street and take in great shopping and art all in one trip! The artwork is juried, so is of high quality. There will be an opening reception at Symphony's Cafe (see details above) and other events in conjunction with the street's Fall Retail Therapy event on October 8th. Look for details coming soon in all of the stores. |
 Feature Article: Building Immunity for a Healthy Winter
The best defense is a good offense! News is rampant about a potential swine flu pandemic. It's difficult to turn on the news without finding another story about how fast this flu will spread, new cases of it, how the military handled an outbreak at a base, etc. After looking at the CDC's (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO's (World Health Organization) websites, these are the facts as of 8/31/09:
ˇ Worldwide, most patients infected with the pandemic virus continue to experience typical influenza symptoms and fully recover within a week, even without medical treatment.
ˇ Although the virus can cause severe and fatal illness, also in young and healthy people, the number of such cases remains small.
ˇ Spreading of the disease is thought to occur in the same way as the seasonal flu-through touching something with the virus, or being exposed to sneezing or coughing.
ˇ Symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, or fatigue.
ˇ 70% of the people hospitalized in the U.S. have also previously had one or more medical conditions recognized as placing a person at "high risk". This includes pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and kidney disease.
ˇ Adults over 64 do not yet appear to be at higher risk for the virus and the virus has, in fact, affected young people in greater amounts than the seasonal flu would.
ˇ The virus is destroyed by heat, hydrogen peroxide, iodine-based antiseptics, germicides, chlorine, soap, or detergent and alcohols, so attention to cleanliness will prevent the spread of the disease.
If you want to delve deeper into what these two organizations have to say, you can check it out at www.cdc.gov or www.who.int/en/. Clearly the government will be recommending that people get a swine flu vaccine, but you may want to look at some alternative views of the vaccine at www.mercola.com and http://drtenpenny.com/swine_flu_hype.aspx.
It is pointed out that fear mongering is a big part of this flu scare. There was a swine flu vaccine in 1976 which Gerald Ford promoted on national television. Within 5 months there were 1.3 billion in lawsuits alleging that the vaccine caused paralysis, Guillain Barre, and other problems. The difference this time is that the drug companies have been given immunity for any issues that may come up via a line in a defense bill that recently went through Congress. See the above references for a more complete explanation.
Personally, I don't feel it's necessary for me or my family to have the vaccine. With every vaccine there are potential risks. I don't think it's worth taking those risks in order to avoid a flu that has been relatively mild to date. If this flu mutates to a more virulent strain, the vaccine being developed now may not provide protection against the mutated strain. Some even believe that it makes sense to take the opportunity to get the flu now and develop antibodies before a more dangerous strain comes around.
Taking good care of yourself with proper rest, nutrition, exercise and stress management is the best way to insure you will stay healthy throughout the winter months. Certain nutrients are especially protective of the immune system and there are a plethora of herbs that are antiviral. There are several wellness formulas that combine herbs and other nutrients that one can take during the flu season to ward off potential problems. Homeopathy can also be taken as a preventative measure. At the first sign of flu, homeopathic remedies can be taken to shorten the duration and intensity of the flu. Below we will talk about how to keep in great bug-fighting shape using some of these methods!
Important Nutrients for a Healthy Immune System
A Good Quality Multivitamin-If you saw the June article about multivitamins, you know this is the single most important nutrient you can take. A strong base of all of the essential vitamins and minerals is vital to all of your bodily functions, including the maintenance of a healthy immune system.
Vitamin D-Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", has been widely researched and touted recently for its ability to protect against many illnesses from viral infections to depression to cancer. Having an adequate level of Vitamin D in the body can help the body ward off disease. The best way to know if you are Vitamin D deficient is to get a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test at your doctor's office. Your target level of Vitamin D should be a minimum of 50 ng/ml and up to 80 ng/ml.
According to the Vitamin D Council, if your level is below this as an adult, you should take 5000 IU's of D for three months and then be re-tested to see if your levels are adequate. Research has shown that children with inadequate Vitamin D levels are more susceptible to viral infections. The appropriate level of D for a child who is deficient is 1000 IU's for every 25 lbs of weight. There are also baby D drops available. Since vitamin D is a very inexpensive nutrient, it seems like this is great protection for the money.
Probiotics-These are the "friendly" bacteria that populate the gastrointestinal system. These bacteria ensure proper functioning of the gut and help fight illness and disease. They do so by competing with pathogens for space in the gut. Our healthy intestinal flora can be disrupted by many things, most notably the previous use of antibiotics. Also affecting the balance of healthy flora are poor eating habits, chlorinated drinking water, stress, disease, antibiotics in our food supply, and alcohol consumption.
If you want to maintain health you must have a good amount of healthy bacteria in your system. Taking a probiotic is very good protection against any sort of virus, bacterial infection, or even fungal infection. Udo Erasmus, author and international authority on natural health, breaks open a capsule of probiotics each night to brush his teeth with, since most illness enters the body through the mouth and nose.
Vitamin C-This vitamin is well known for its importance to fighting disease and it plays a vital role in many immune mechanisms. A range of 1000-2000 mg a day is recommended for prevention of colds and flus in the fall and winter months. Children can take 500-1000 mg per day. Vitamin C can cause bowel disturbance in some people, so it is best to start with 500 mg and go up from there to test your tolerance. If you are actually ill, you can safely take up to 10,000 mg per day, up to bowel tolerance.
Vitamin A-This vitamin is essential to proper immune function. It plays an essential role in maintaining the skin and mucosal surfaces, the "first defense" level for the body. It stimulates several immune functions including enhancement of white blood cell function and increased antibody response. About 5000 IU's per day are recommended for prevention. Many multis, particularly the food-based ones, now have as much as 10,000 IU's of vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. If you are taking one of those you may be getting enough protection.
Zinc-Adequate tissue levels of zinc are necessary for proper immune function. A zinc deficiency results in an increased risk of infection. Zinc is involved in virtually every aspect of immunity. For general health, add 10-15 mg of zinc and when trying to resolve illness, 30-60 mg for men and 30-45 mg for women. Zinc competes with copper for absorption, so long term usage should be avoided.
Selenium-This trace mineral plays a vital role in all aspects of the immune system. Particularly, it is vital to the development and expression of white blood cells. Selenium is also an important antioxidant that prevents free radical damage to cell membranes. Just 200 mcg of selenium per day will result in increased immune function.
Herbal Help for Prevention/Healing
Elderberry-This herb contains compounds that can block receptor sites for certain strains of the flu virus, keeping them from infecting human cells. Other flu strains send out enzyme spikes to dissolve the walls of healthy cells, allowing the virus to enter. Compounds in elderberry thwart this process, giving protection from the flu. Elderberry is good for treating sore throats, fevers, and upper respiratory issues. It can be found in liquid form or capsules.
Olive Leaf Extract-Olive leaf is a true antiviral compound. It has the ability to interfere with amino acid production for viruses, can inhibit the budding and assembly of viruses, and can penetrate infected cells and stop viral replication there. It is also effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, yeast strains, and fungi, so if a secondary infection develops (as often happens in severe cases of the flu), it can ward off problems from that as well.
Echinacea-This herb stimulates the immune system, including its ability to increase white blood cell count. It is best used at the onset of a cold or flu and must be taken in large doses and frequently to be effective. Once fully symptomatic, this herb is not as likely to be effective.
Garlic-Eat garlic raw, cooked or in capsule form to give the immune system a boost. Garlic is not just antiviral, but also is one of the most potent antibiotics in the plant kingdom. No other herb comes close to garlic in terms of its immune-potentiating power.
Astragalus-This herb has been found to be exceptionally effective for the immune system. According to "Herbal Antibiotics" by Stephen Buhner, astragalus "increases the number of stem cells in the marrow and lymph tissue, stimulates their maturation into active immune cells, increases spleen activity, increases releases of antibodies, and boosts the production of hormonal messenger molecules that signal for virus destruction." Enough said!
Grapefruit Seed Extract-This bitter, concentrated extract is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and antimicrobial. It is very strong and therefore is not to be used for prevention, but rather only when illness occurs. It must be diluted to be ingested. It is gaining popularity in industrial applications as an environmentally friendly cleanser and antiseptic. If someone in your home is sick and you want to keep phones and other surfaces protected, use a dilution of this to clean them.
Medicinal Mushrooms-Mushrooms have been used for centuries in Asia and other parts of the world to improve health and vitality. The polysaccharide content in mushrooms is responsible for a wide variety of immune-enhancing activities. Maitake, Reishi, and Shitake are most noted for their help in fighting disease, even illness as serious as cancer. These mushrooms are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Taking a mushroom or combination of mushrooms to bolster immune activity will help prevent a variety of illnesses.
Ginger-Ginger has long been a primary herb for fighting colds and flus. It is expecially good for children in that it is safe at high doses. Its anti-cough action rivals that of codeine, it is a strong expectorant, it stimulates sweating to reduce fever and inflammation, and relieves pain. It is also anti-cramping, anti-nausea and eliminates diarrhea, making it useful for flus accompanied by intestinal issues.
Wildflower Honey-Using honey as a regular part of your diet may provide extra protection due to the fact that the nectar in wildflower honey typically contains compounds found in many medicinal plants. It contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals, a total of 75 different compounds. It is effective in the prevention and treatment of colds, flus, respiratory infections, and depressed immune problems. Put some in your yogurt, tea or over fruit each day.
Ashwaganda, Rhodiola, Schizandra & Ginseng-Each of these herbs is an adaptogenic herb that can generally help balance the system and protect the body from stress. Any significant stress can weaken the defenses of the immune system. These herbs can be taken every day to keep the body balanced and maintain a proper response to stress. In this way, they can help protect against the flu and other illness.
Wellness Formulas-We have a number of wellness formulas that are a combination of some of the above-mentioned herbs and nutrients that are excellent for getting through the cold & flu season. There is a maintenance dose suggested for everyday use, as well as an increased dose if you feel an illness coming on.
Homeopathic Help
Each year, Boiron puts out a remedy called influenzinum that can be taken as a preventative measure against the seasonal flu, similar to a flu shot. There is no guarantee that this will guard against the swine flu, but many homeopathic practitioners find it more effective than a seasonal flu shot, with less side effects.
For those who have used homeopathic medicines in the past, you know that choosing one is very specific to matching symptoms to a remedy. As a consequence, it would be difficult to list each of the recommended remedies and their symptom profiles here. You can, however, go to www.flusolution.net/remedies.htm to find an appropriate remedy if you become ill. There is a comprehensive list of remedies for the flu along with their symptom profiles. We will also have this list available in the store.
It is important, however, to have a few remedies on hand should you become ill. Oscillococinum should be taken as soon as you begin feeling ill. I once felt the flu coming on and took several doses of this in a few hours and I was feeling better in 24 hours. Aconitum napellus can help with a sudden and severe onset of flu accompanied by great anxiety and fear, particularly if the illness seems to have come on from exposure to cold or wind. Ferrum Phosphoricum can help if aconite does not and the only symptom you have developed so far is a fever. Take 3 doses, one every hour. If relief is not achieved, then move to one of the remedies specific to your symptoms.
Essential Oils to Keep Your Environment Free of Germs
Many of the essential oils are antiviral and can help keep your environment free of flu bugs. You can diffuse the oils into the air, dilute them in water to make a room spray, or dilute them to make a cleaning solution. The oils that have antiviral properties are as follows, so just choose one you like:
ˇ Bay laurel
ˇ Cinnamon bark
ˇ Clove bud
ˇ Eucalyptus (Globulus is the strongest)
ˇ Lavender
ˇ Lemon
ˇ Ravintsara
ˇ Tea tree
ˇ Thyme
You can also use any of the above in a bath, as a chest rub, or for a foot massage. Always dilute the oils in a base oil or lotion for topical use.
Conclusion
There are many ways to keep healthy for what could be a challenging flu season. If you are worried about the flu try to keep up-to-date with what the CDC and WHO are saying in terms of its severity. Most of the news reports I have seen leave out important details such as how severe the illness actually was, who is really suffering the most from the swine flu (i.e. those with already compromised immune systems), and what the spread of the flu is relative to other seasonal flus. If the swine flu mutates into a more virulent strain will the vaccine protect us? Has the vaccine been adequately tested? I'm not sure I have the answers, but if you decide to use natural means to stay healthy this season, then I hope you have found some useful suggestions above!
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