Multivitamin Review Number One

​As I have mentioned many times, I am a very strong believer in the importance of taking a good multivitamin.

Once again I find that just the first thing I write needs its own blog post or webpage as in “Why should you take a multivitamin”.

Now I have been taking GNC MEGA MEN multivitamin for a very long time now, about nine years, and I am very happy with it.

My wife has been taking GNC WOMEN’S ULTRA MEGA also for about nine years. She is very happy with the GNC multivitamin, but I recently switched her to Pure Synergy Multi for women, and I will tell you why.

There are two very important things that I take into consideration when I am buying a multivitamin. Now this is for me and my wife who lives the same life style and has the same budget. If I was recommending a multi to a client or a friend then I would change my approach according to their needs.
The two things that I look at are:
How much B-complex vitamins does it have
What is the herbal formula that it includes, if it has none then I will not buy it
B-complex vitamins

What did you say? You don’t know what B-complex vitamins are good for. No problem, I will explain it to you real simple and fast.

B-complex vitamins are essential for our body to be able to produce energy on the cellular level. In my opinion and from my experience, the recommended daily amounts for all B-complex vitamins is very low and should be changed, but I am not there yet to change them. But really the recommended daily amounts of B-complex vitamins may be enough to survive, but not enough to be totally pumped.
So I am looking for something that has at least 200% of the recommended daily value of B-complex vitamins.

Now the GNC vitamins have a much higher level of B-complex Vitamins then the pure synergy ones, but the pure synergy vitamins have a much better herbal formula.

This brings me to my second decision making aspect of a multivitamin, the herbal formula. All good quality multivitamins today have an herbal formula packed with a bunch of those super herbs that everyone should just be taking.

The GNC multivitamins have a very nice herbal formula but in my opinion the pure synergy multivitamins have a better one.

Also the pure synergy vitamins are much more natural; this means that the vitamins and minerals they contain are taken from all natural sources. Making them more fit for absorption by the human body.

Probably the next time I purchase a multivitamin I am going to try the pure synergy multi for men.


In the end they are both good quality multi vitamin that have noticeable effects on overall health.

My Home Garden

Here is just a quick picture that I got this past Friday while getting some of the things that my wife needed for our Friday night dinner.


The real beauty in this garden of ours is in the fact that it doesn’t need any up keep. The sad part is that I don’t take care of it.


What a double edged sword right?


But the real truth is that if I just put a little bit of TLC into this garden it could really be a breathtaking place.


When I do I am going to take some good pictures and share them with you.


But what you can learn from my neglected garden is what useful herbs can grow well with minimal care.


The plants that I have in this garden are rosemary, sage, aloe, and after the winter fresh onions.


All of these just need a good soil and a bit of water and sunshine and they will grow just great.


I hope that the next time I write about this garden it will be a natural medicine garden.

Hot Peppers And Red Onions

So this is just a bit about what I like to eat.

Really I was just putting a salad together and there was just something about the way the sunlight was shining down on the red onion that I thought it would make a great picture. 
 And hey what is some good pictures without at least a bit of words explaining them.
 So yes red onions and hot peppers.

When I was studying nutrition I remember one of my teachers saying that perhaps one of the reasons that some of the third world countries, such as India and Mexico, eat so much spicy foods is because of the anti bacterial aspects of these strong spices. 

I think that this is one of the reasons that I don’t get sick very often, because I eat such spicy foods all the time. 

Reflexology – More Than A Manual Therapy

I love reflexology and in the past I have seen great results using it for a wide range of ailments. 

What is reflexology? 

The way that reflexology works is that by working on reflex points in the feet, you are able to treat the entire body. To tell you the truth, if I hadn't seen for myself that it really works I would never believed in it. There is no science or psychology backing it up, it kind of like an proven theory. 

But still the fact of the matter is it works. 

When someone comes in with pain in any part of their body, I can find the tender area in the corresponding points in their feet. And very often when working on those points they can feel it though out their bodies. 

This is all really cool but what I wanted to talk about is the more holistic aspect of reflexology. 
 Holistically we understand that all of our physical ailments have an emotional cause. Much of the problem with western medicine is the lack of focus on this. We like to think of our bodies like we think of our cars, but our bodies are the house of our soul and are effected by the emotions in way that science is yet to understand. 

There are two ways to look at the emotional work in reflexology.

The one that I will explain is the four element approach. 

The foot is separated into for zones for the four elements, from top to bottom in the following order. 
•    Air
•    Fire
•    Water
•    Earth
Her is a picture of how it looks on the foot. 

 Each elemental zone corresponds to the emotions of that element. When working on the elements in reflexology we are trying to bring them into balance. 

Air 
Air is connected to thought and also our connection to the realm of the spiritual. 

Air is light and with out tangible substance, but is still the source of all life. 

When air is in balance we are able to think clearly, stay focused and control or thoughts. 

Fire
Fire is energy and action, it is also love, hate and anger. 

Fire can be a burning desire or a hot temper. 

Water
Water is the emotions of feeling, in a way water is the emotion of emotion. 

Water is the emotional way we process or life, and the way we process or emotions. 

It is also our ability to be flexible and adapt to change in our lives. 

Earth
Earth is connected to stability but also to sadness. It's our ability to create good boundaries and stand firm, but it can make us stuck and heavy. 

It can be an earthen vessel or quick sand. 

In the end what we need is balance. 

Five Tips To Stay Slim This Winter

It feels like we just all gain more weight in the winter time. Some people think it's a way that our bodies insulate to stay warm. In some ways that's true, one of the functions of fatty tissue is insulation. 

It could also be because we want to hibernate like bears do.

But in my opinion neither of these are the case, and even if they are true, here are five tips that may help you to stay trim through the winter this year. 

In my opinion the reasons people gain weight during the winter are very simple. 

We eat more, and we move less. 

Obviously, right?

That's always why we gain weight. 

But here are a few points that you may not have thought about in the past. 

Who knows, maybe this will help you keep those extra pounds off when it’s to cold outside to go for your daily run. 

Drink more water

Drinking more water is always a good idea. That's why drinking more water is one of my seven healthy habits for staying healthy and fit. 

The thing is that in the winter time we drink less water because we don’t feel hit like we do when is warm outside. 

Water helps us to feel full while not adding any calories to our diet. So if you don't drink as much water you may feel hungry more often. 

Just make sure to drink at least eight chips of water a day, and at least that part of the problem will be solved. 

Eat fresh vegetables and less/no fried foods.

When it's cold outside we tend to prefer hot foods. The thing we have to watch out for its not to choose warm foods that are high in calories and law in fiber. 

Also people tend to eat less fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter for the same reason. The problem is that fresh fruits and vegetables contain enzymes that aid in good digestion. 

Good digestion means a more efficient brake down of foods and less unnecessary storing of calories as fast cells. 

Increase your indoor exercises

Yes, when it’s cold, rainy and snowing out, you can't go jogging. 

So what I say is make sure you are doing more pushups and sit ups. Or get a treadmill, and whatever works for you. 

What's important is to make sure that you are getting that extra indoor exercise to make up for what your not doing outside. 

Take advantage of good weather days

Of course we all take advantage of good weather. The question is do you do that by getting out there for a two hour jog, or to go fishing? 

You can go fishing, just make sure to run before hand. Better yet, find a great fishing spot that you need to hike a few miles to get to. 

Whatever it is, make sure to get more outdoor exercise in when you are blessed with those nice days in the middle of the winter. 

Also, when you do get the chance do more than you would in the summer because you need to make up for all those snow days. 

The fresh air and sunshine will do you good also. 

Speaking about sunlight, the lack of sunlight during the winter months causes some people to suffer from winter depression. And this can cause people to eat more. 

Which brings me too my fifth and final tip. 

Use herbs that help to decrease depression.

You may not feel depressed, but there is a good chance that we are all not as happy in the winter. 

This is probably because of the longer nights and shorter days. 

Like I said less sun less happy, at least for most of us. 

And when we are feeling unhappy we tend to eat more. 

By taking herbs that improve our mood, we can perhaps stop ourselves from eating that extra piece of cake. 

So these are my five Tips. It's not a magic formula or top secret plan, but some times it’s the little changes that can make the big difference. 

Oregano – In Chinese Medicine

When I was studying naturopathy we needed to take two semesters of Chinese medicine. 

The fact that the entire way that they view the world is so different from how we see things in the west was amazing to me. I must admit that I am sorry that I haven't done much to preserve that knowledge, and I don't remember it well. 

Just recently I started going through a book called “the energetics of western herbs”. Actually it is a two book series explaining the Chinese way of seeing the medicinal functions of western herbal medicines. 

I am sure that I will find a lot more to share with you from these books but today I feel it appropriate to start with oregano. 

First off, oregano is a great therapeutic herb that most of us already have in our house. 

An important note
I never use dry oregano spice for medicinal purposes, I will always at least use a fresh herb if I am not buying medicinal grade oregano. But with that said even what you have in your spice cabinet can be used medicinally. 

What is very interesting is that oregano is classified in Chinese medicine as a draining herb. 

From what I understood, the idea of a draining is that it causes the movement of Qi. 

More specifically oregano is right to promote the circulation of lung Qi and help to open the chest. This goes in accordance with what we know from Western herbal medicine that oregano, more specifically oregano oil is helpful in the treatment of upper respiratory tract issues. 

In the east, they would say that you can use oregano to treat lung Qi constraint, and cold and dampness (phlegm) in the lungs. 

The way that they see it is, good health is the balanced flow of Qi in the body. Pain, inflammation and infection are caused by a stagnation of the Qi in the body. 

If you don't understand what Qi is then you should just watch stare wars. Qi is the eastern understanding of the FORCE.

At least that's the way that I see it. 

In western herbal medicine oregano oil is very popular for the treatment of intestinal parasites. But because the herb contains a high percentage of essential oils (about 2%) the use of the herb itself could be useful as well. 

Also because of the high level of essential oils oregano should be very effective for helping to clear the lung while working as an expectorant. 

The antimicrobial effects of oregano are one of the reasons it is one of the herbs used in the four thieves vinegar. 

Natural Brain Boosts – That Work Now

Hours of studying can make a person hungry. Add to that a few cups of coffee and a bunch more to study, new we are talking about a need for real motivation. 

But there must be some kind of natural solutions for this problem. 

This is what just happened to me. I was pouring over set theory mathematics for over two hours when I got hungry. 

I ate a full avocado plain with a spoon. Now if you look around the Internet you can find that avocados are a real brain food, but are they going to do the trick for me right now? 

Probably not. 

Allot of the so called brain foods are things that are only going to help you out if you make them part of your diet for some time. 

But what natural medicine can you use to help you get the job done right now? 

That's exactly the question I was asking myself when I swallowed the last spoonful of avocado this evening. 

There are a number of supplements that are made to help boost your brain power right away, but that's not what I was looking for, my thought was what plant can I get my hands on now that will help me finish this up. 

None of this was new to me, it's just that times you need to ask yourself the question in order to get the answer. 

And without getting into details I am just going to give you a list of four plants that you can use to boost your brain power now. 

Teas that can boost brain power right away:

•    Green tea
•    Gotu Kola
•    Rosemary
And then I have one more for you, but because it's expensive and really needs to be cooked, I’ll put it separately. 

•    Panax Ginseng

Now the great thing about all these is they can help you out right away. 

But in the end the best natural medicine for concentration, is motivation.

I really like that one! 

The best natural medicine for concentration is motivation.