Hands on Heart Health-Photo by kortini

February is Heart Health Month. Everyone is getting on the bandwagon ranging from the Centers for Disease Control  to college students. It helps to bring awareness to the issue with all of the Valentine’s Day hearts in abundance everywhere we look. Of course we like the attention as well since we are “The Heart of Herbal Health”.

I recently did a radio interview for a great local health food pioneer based out of a tight knit community in southern Pennsylvania.  Sonnewald Natural Foods is one of the original American health food stores in the great family run tradition.  Willa Lefever was interested in helping people learn about our great heart health product, Circu Flow and how Hanna Kroeger was able to come up with the formula when it was needed most. Hanna’s strong medical and folk healing background combined with a strong religious faith is a story that many people find personal resonance with. It was a relatively short time slot for the interview so we didn’t really get to cover as much as we would have liked to but you can always contact us here and we would love to answer any questions you might have.

Our heart is a tireless organ that can never stop its very important work and it is a blessing to be able to do what we can to assist in its healthy function.  Heart disease is the number one killer but happily it is often preventable.  Remember the old adage “ an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and its words were never more relevant than they are today.

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Spearmint is used in Healthy Gut for cooling, soothing and keeping the digestive sysytem healthy.

Did you know that you have space inside your body that is not “inside” your body? That’s right, your entire digestive tract is a sealed “pipe” running right through the middle of you. As strange as this idea may sound, this process is a very important feature of the human body and essential to proper digestion. Everything you eat and drink is broken down in this system, scrutinized by your immune system and then filtered through your liver and kidneys before it is allowed “inside.” This process is designed to screen out viruses, bacteria, parasites and numerous other components of food that the body cannot use or sees as harmful, as well as pulling out nutrients for the body to use.

So what happens if your “pipe” has holes in it? There’s a medical term for this issue called “leaky gut syndrome.” The most common cause in western society is overuse of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen. These drugs are also called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and they effect the production of something in your body called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are chemicals that are responsible for inflammation, but also happen to regulate the process of repairing many tissues. When the body doesn’t have enough of these chemicals, the lining of the intestines has tissues that are not always repaired properly. This lining consists of a layer of tightly packed cells called “villi.” They are very robust, but never the less are constantly dying due to the harsh environment caused by digestion. Under normal circumstances the tiny holes they create as they die are filled in and repaired almost instantly by the surrounding live villi. However, things such as NSAIDs, some other over the counter drugs and some medical conditions can cause this process to be impaired. This contributes to a more permeable intestinal lining, creating the opportunity for foreign organisms and rogue proteins to escape your digestive tract.

It’s needless to say you don’t want any creepy crawlies getting out of there, but why care about the proteins? Undigested proteins floating around in your body can be bad news. Your body will recognize them as an invader and launch an immune response to attack them. The problem with this is that once the attack has started, your body may not be able to distinguish between your own tissue and its original target. This can be a contributing factor in many auto-immune disorders.

So what to do about all this? First, try to limit your anti-inflammatory use. An ibuprofen here and there is fine, but for those of you who take a “vitamin-I” every day, you may want to reconsider. To repair your digestive system, nutritive teas of calendula, plantain, licorice, gentian and angelica can be wonderful. L-Glutamine, an amino acid, is known to have many gut-healing properties. We here at Kroeger make a fantastic Licorice Root Tincture, our STM (Stomach) tea can be soothing and we’re about to reintroduce Healthy Gut, a Hanna Kroeger original formula! Our FML and FRD teas, while used for other things, also contain ingredients that can be beneficial for stomach health.

Be cautious of what you put in your body, and keep your gut healthy!

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A less crowded gym is not the only reason I have enjoyed my new schedule and may be worth your time to experiment as well.  Although waking up earlier is rough some mornings I have found that the morning workout gives me prolonged energy throughout the day.   Exercising in the morning is a great way to kick start your energy and metabolism for the day.  Some may feel that these early sessions will drain their energy for the rest of the day.  I urge you  to give it a try in the morning and you will most likely see that it does the opposite as long as you are eating small healthy snacks throughout the day.  There are many other pros to hitting the pavement or treadmill at dawn including getting your mind functioning before going into the office, less chance of conflict before the work day starts, your body is well rested from sleep as opposed to working all day before working out, and you can use your evenings for social time and relaxing.

There are debates on what time of the day is healthiest to work out based on many different criteria so I encourage you to do the  research and experiment to find your most beneficial time.  Although a morning workout can get you on a good schedule and jump start your energy for the day, you may lack energy during your workout that you may have after eating throughout the day and working out at night.  The bottom line is that some kind of exercise is good no matter what time of day you can do it and should be incorporated in to anyone’s new health plan for 2010. Everyone has a different schedule so figure out yours and hopefully you will see the results you are working towards.

Do not forget to accompany your new workout schedule with a healthy diet and supplements to ensure you are staying healthy and getting all the essential nutrients so you will have energy for your next workout.

Cheers to a healthy 2010!

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Cinnamon Bark-Photo Courtesy of FotoosVanRobin

It’s nice to know that many of the solutions to our biggest health problems are within our kitchen cupboard. I think most of us realize that the food choices we make impact our health in a very powerful way. Reducing saturated fats reduces our risk for heart disease. Watching how much sugar we eat can help keep us from problems like obesity or diabetes.

Cinnamon is an herb that most of us have smelled coming from the kitchen over the holiday season informing us that something delectable will soon make its way to our table. Did you know that this pungent herb, in addition to stimulating our appetite with its delicious aroma, also helps us with our body’s ability to process sugar?Studies by the USDA have shown Cinnamon can naturally boost insulin sensitivity.

What does this mean for our health? This means that less insulin is needed to assist the sugar in your blood with crossing over the cellular membrane, which is beneficial in many ways. The longer sugar remains in your body before processing the more likely it will be converted to fat for long term storage. This obviously can lead to unhealthy weight gain. If your pancreas is forced to produce more and more insulin it is taxing on that organ and can lead to diminished functionality which is a pre-diabetic condition.

The studies have shown however that when we eat cinnamon, some of the active constituents are damaged by our digestive process. Because of this, a supplement using a powerful extract from the herb, swallowed in a capsule can much more efficiently deliver these amazing compounds to where they are needed. Be sure to choose wisely and question whether or not the supplement you decide on is naturally produced using safe processes and containing only necessary ingredients instead of fillers that can interfere with your ability to absorb the benefits of this familiar old friend.

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Hanna Kroeger had some great guidelines for food combining, which you can find in her books Cookbook for Electro-Chemical Energies, Help One Another and God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.  Here’s a quick summary:

• Proteins and vegetables can be eaten together.

• Carbohydrates and vegetables can be eaten together.

• Proteins and carbohydrates should be eaten separately.

• Fruit is ideally eaten alone and should not be eaten with protein or vegetables.

• Apples and rice are universal and can be combined with other foods.

Enjoy your holidays and enjoy your food!

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The FDA article Food Safety Tips for the Holidays covers some basic tips to keep your next feast free of any bacteria.

Some key points include:

Clean – It is important to keep your hands and cooking materials clean.  Always wash your hands before and after handling food.  This also goes for cutting boards, knives and anything that comes in contact with the food.

Separate – It is very important that you separate foods from ones that are being cooked and those not being cooked.  The juices from eggs and meats can spread on to foods not being cooked and easily spread bacteria.  It is suggested to use different cutting boards, knives and to keep them separated through out preparation to keep from spreading bacteria.

Cook – One of the easiest ways to incur foodborne illnesses is eating uncooked meats.  Use a thermometer!  Follow this guide for cooking temperatures to be safe.

Chill – The last thing to remember when finishing your meal is to refrigerate your leftovers before it has a chance to grow any bacteria.  When defrosting food thaw in the refrigerator, under cold water or in the microwave and do not thaw at room temperature.

I hope these tips are helpful and that you all have a safe and delicious holiday season.

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So what can you do to protect yourself from this health hazard? Eating a lower carb diet is a good start, but supporting your body’s natural mechanisms is just as important. Cinnamon, chromium, and even coffee can combat insulin resistance and support cellular response. Kroeger’s Pancreas Formula and Blood Sugar Pro can also help your body to maintain normal blood sugar and insulin levels. We here at Hanna’s Herb Shop believe a healthy diet and exercise is the first step to true health, and wish you the best of it!

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So what kinds of fats should you eat? Omega-3’s from fish oil and grass-fed animals are the most important. These fats make your cell’s run smoothly, keep your brain working sharply, and help control inflammation. Omega-6’s from vegetable sources like coconut help balance Omega-3’s. Omega-9’s from special plants like Borage and Primrose help your body maintain healthy hormone levels. Our company, Kroeger Herbs, manufactures a wonderful Evening Primrose Oil soft gel. We also carry quality fish oil supplements and coconut oils at Hanna’s Herb Shop. Viva healthy fats!

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Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle seed has been used for ages to protect this vital organ from damage. It is most effective in an extracted form, such as Kroeger’s Milk Thistle Complete Concentrate. Taken regularly this wonderful herb has been shown to help reduce wear and tear on your liver. To help “clean the liver out,” and help everything flow smoothly, Dandelion root, Yellow Dock root and St. John’s Wort are traditional remedies. As well, a strong flush using Epsom salts, olive oil and grapefruit can be a powerful tool. We here at Hanna’s make a kit called, would you believe it, the “Liver Cleanse Kit” designed for just this purpose.

On the more esoteric side of things, there are herbs that can be used to ease emotional turmoil “stored up” in the liver. Lavender and Melissa (Lemon Balm) are used to “relax” the channels of “chi”. This allows anger and stress to be released. St. John’s Wort fits this bill as well. It may sound like these things are completely unrelated, but Chinese herbalism has recognized the connection for thousands of years.

So remember, your liver is the “king of organs”, all hail the king.

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From Hanna’s perspective, this was wasteful.  Why throw out part of the plant that may have healing benefit  for the sake of producing a drug-like substance that requires a very unnatural approach in it’s production?  Especially since the benefits of the plain leaf, by itself, had been noted for over two thousand years!

After some searching, a manufacturer was found that could produce an extract using the natural solvent water, at a smaller concentration of 10%/2.5% (as opposed to 24/6), while preserving the other as yet undiscovered compounds of this wonderful healing herb. This later became known as a full-profile extract. Hanna further improved on the concept by removing the commonly used, nutritionally empty, flowing agents that these extracts use to keep the material from gumming up the encapsulating machinery; and replaced them with some of the raw material itself. In this case, plain, unadulterated Ginkgo leaves!

The problem of encapsulating a difficult extract was solved and in the process a new way of looking at herbal extracts was born.  She had made a product that the body would accept readily as food with the advanced efficacy of an extract!

We later took this concept that Hanna pioneered with the Ginkgo and applied it to other herbal extracts creating our Complete Concentrates^® line of supplements that we are very proud of.

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