GHS Natural Health Blog

Learning how your body reacts to stress and how you can handle it can be a very useful talent.

Before you know it, the holiday season will be just around the corner. For most of us this means rushing to finish jobs before going on leave, kids being home from school, endless social events and family get-togethers, shopping for gifts – the list goes on! For some, this is the favourite time of the year, while others are filled with stress at the mere thought of it. If you’re one of the latter, read on!

The effects of stress

When you get stressed, your body feels under attack and automatically kicks into high gear to deal with the perceived threat. This is what is known as the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. Your heartbeat, breathing rate and blood pressure all go up, and the longer you feel stressed, the greater the physical demands placed on your body and the more likely your energy levels will be sapped. If you are exposed to stress long-term, it could lead to a host of lifestyle and health problems.

Behavioural problems:  To get immediate relief from feeling stressed, it’s not uncommon to seek chemical relief from alcohol or cigarettes. You may also start to feel that you don’t have time to exercise or eat properly, and you may be worrying so much that you sleep badly. These lifestyle factors are likely to harm your health.

Heart problems: When stress is intense and your body’s biological reactions are not channelled into physical activity, your raised heart rate and high blood pressure put tension on the arteries and damage them. The artery walls become scarred and thick, which can reduce the supply of blood and oxygen to your heart. This is when the fight-or-flight response can become lethal: your heart accelerates to increase blood supply to your muscles, but the blood vessels may have become so narrow that not enough blood reaches the heart to meet these demands. This can cause a heart attack.

Lowered immunity: Stress can also damage your immune system, which explains why you often catch colds when you are stressed. It can also bring on headaches and irritable bowel syndrome, and there have been suggestions of a link between stress and cancer.

Mental health problems: The negative thinking that is associated with stress contributes to anxiety and depression and more serious mental health problems.

The natural way to calm

Taking nutritional supplements is one good way to manage your stress. The fi rst option is a good B complex vitamin. B vitamins are not stored in the body so need to be replenished daily. If you are under stress or run down, symptoms such as cracks at the side of your mouth may indicate you need to take a B group supplement.

B vitamins work together to help maintain the health of your nerves. Adding magnesium to the mix will further help because this mineral relaxes the brain and helps neurotransmitter signals work more effectively. Magnesium is best taken in the evening, particularly if your stress is causing insomnia.

Herbal power

For mild anxiety and depression, a natural herb called St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been found to be as beneficial as many prescribed medicines. St John’s wort has a particularly valuable ability to stimulate nerve regeneration and repair. There has been much research on the effects of this herb, and it’s been found to work more effectively when taken in conjunction with passionflower (Passi-fl ora incarnata), a traditional sedative herb.

Another herb with sedative properties is zizyphus (Zyziphus jujuba). It is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the relief of sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety and nervous exhaustion, and has also been used to treat spontaneous sweating and night sweats, especially when accompanied by anxiety, palpitations and insomnia.

 Other helpful herbs include schisandra (Schisandra chinsensis), which has tonifying and restorative effects, hops (Humulu  lupulus), which calms the nervous system, and vervain (Verbena offi cinalis), a sedative and relaxant to the nervous system. These all help your body resist the effects of stress and strengthen and calm your nervous system.

Case Study

Mary* was so stressed out during and after menopause, she had trouble sleeping and was continually feeling anxious. She visited her local healthcare professional who suggested she take a combination of zizyphus, hops, schisandra, vervain and oats to help control her symptoms. Mary takes this all in one supplement before going to bed at night and says, ‘I can’t tell you what a miraculous effect it’s had on my life. I sleep like a log and am so relaxed. I only take one at night and it has restored my health. Thank you!’

*not her real name

It’s easy to think that climate change and global warming have nothing to do with you, and that the government and business community will sort it out.

However, climate change is a serious global issue and many of the choices you make on a daily basis contribute to it. By increasing your awareness of these issues, it can have a positive impact on you and your children’s future.

What is climate change?

Climate change is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide and methane – in the earth’s atmosphere. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere and make the earth warmer, causing damage to natural habitats and other serious environmental effects.

The average Australian household emits around 14 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year – more per person than any other developed nation. This is generated through everyday activities such as electricity use, travelling and breaking down waste and sewage.

Your choices can make a difference

The most effective and immediate way of limiting climate change is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One way to do this is to use energy more efficiently.

Decisions you make on a daily basis have long-lasting effects and can influence greenhouse gas emissions for many years.

•  If you are planning to buy a new car, consider a hybrid. These cars use less petrol and emit much less air pollution and greenhouse gases.
• Every litre of petrol saved cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8 kg.
• The most energy-efficient new family fridge will save more than 2 tonnes of greenhouse gases over its life, compared with the least energy-efficient new model of a similar size.
• Water-efficient taps can save up to 1 kg of greenhouse gases for every five minutes of tap use.
• Fan-forced ovens generate up to 35 per cent less greenhouse gases than conventional ovens.
• Avoid gas water heater units that have continuous pilot lights and save around 200 kg of greenhouse gas each year.

Article thanks to Herbs and Health Magazine Australia

If you want to protect the earth and its natural resources, here are some simple ways you can make a difference. Remember, your contribution – no matter how small – will help!

1. Turn off TVs, computers, stereos and other electrical items at the power point. Even on standby mode most still use electricity.

2. Turn the tap off when brushing teeth or shaving. You can waste up to 17 litres of water every minute the tap is left running.

3. Don’t rinse dishes under a running tap – fill the sink with water and rinse that way instead.

4. Reuse jars, bags, envelopes and newspapers – don’t throw them away after only one use.

5. Say NO to plastic bags – take your own reusable bags with you when shopping.

6. Store food in reusable containers rather than wrapping in foil or plastic. Keep a set of cutlery and cloth napkins at work so you don’t use plastic and paper ones. Bring a thermos to work and drink from a ceramic mug you keep on your desk.

7. Reduce greenhouse gases by car pooling, cycling or using public transport to get to work once or twice a week.

8. Replace store-bought chemical cleaning products for homemade varieties. A cup of vinegar to a litre of warm water will clean floors and windows just as well, and bicarbonate of soda mixed into a paste with water will clean sinks, bench tops and dirty pots and pans.

9. Recycle garden waste. Turn leaves and lawn clippings into mulch. A well-mulched garden needs less weeding and less water.

Article thanks to Herbs and Health Magazine Australia

What is Glucosamine?

Glucosamine is made of an amino acid and a sugar molecule and is a raw material for making connective tissue in joint cartilage. In supplement form, it is derived from chitin, the hard material in crustacean shell. It can also be made from plant material such as corn, known as vegetarian glucosamine.

How does it work?

Glucosamine feeds and stimulates cartilage repair. It’s one of cartilage’s key building blocks and also encourages self-repair by stimulating the process that creates moisture-holding molecules.

Uses for Glucosamine

As we age, the body’s ability to produce glucosamine can decrease and this causes joint cartilage to lose it water holding capacity. The cartilage breaks and becomes less effective as a shock absorber, leading to joint stiffness. Supplementing the body’s natural glucosamine production has been shown in clinical trials to repair and rebuild worn or damaged cartilage. As the condition of the joint cartilage improves, pain is reduced and mobility increased.

What are the key benefits?

• Helps repair and rebuild damaged cartilage
• Can improve joint mobility and flexibility
• Symptomatic relief of osteoarthritis
• Helps reduce further cartilage damage
• Temporary relief of joint inflammation
• Temporary relief of joint pain

How does it compare?

Conventional osteoarthritis treatment involves anti-inflammation medicines. While they can be effective in relieving pain, they do not address the cause of the problem. Unlike these medicines, glucosamine has been demonstrated to effectively act on the cause of osteoarthritic pain – cartilage breakdown. By addressing the root the problem, osteoarthritis joint pain can also be relieved.

Where’s the evidence?

Given glucosamine works mainly as a structural compound to maintain cartilage, it’s more sensible to measure changes in joint structure, than pain reduction, to quantify glucosamine’s effectiveness. A review of a number of clinical trials that used X-rays to measure improvement concluded glucosamine can reduce the risk of osteoarthritis progression by 54%.

Glucosamine has also been shown in some clinical trials to work as effectively, if not better than some other commonly used arthritis medicines. Some studies show that it relieves pain and this is more marked in people with moderate to severe symptoms.

Does it really work?

Aside from the functional evidence above, thousands of glucosamine users are benefiting from the effects of glucosamine with about 400m tablets a year being consumed. In fact Choice Magazine found about 75% of their online members who were arthritis sufferers claimed they were experiencing a benefit from using glucosamine.

For many women having a home based business is a dream come true. Sometimes, just having a hard time finding safe products for themselves and/or their children will lead someone to look for alternative answers to finding personal products for their home and family. Amy Alamarmanazi, owner of UrthBeauty.com writes, “Necessity was the driving factor to starting my business. As I am getting older, I am finding that my skin is more sensitive and I started having issues like rosacea and adult acne. I needed products that I could trust to be pure and good for my skin. I know that there are a lot of others that face the same types of issues and I would love to have them benefit from the same products that have helped me. I have been handcrafting beauty products for a long time, but giving them away for gifts. I decided the next logical step was for me to start Urth Beauty. 

Many women have been motivated into natural remedies by watching their grandmothers make soaps, collect herbal remedies from the garden and make healing lotions. Whatever the reasons, many women carry that dream in their heart, but they also wonder if they have the courage, skill, and knowledge to run a home-based business either reselling, or crafting their own natural cosmetics and toiletries. This article we will focus on the many issues of that arise from selling natural toiletries at home.  

One of the first questions that come to mind is ‘Am I the right person for a home-based business and what would make person a good candidate?’

First off you must have a good sense of discipline. If you work at home you must be able to focus on one business task at a time, even if you have other household duties to complete such as the dishes in the sink, bills to pay or the messing bedroom. It might sound simple, but if you are someone who is dedicated to your household duties, and you have a hard time leaving them till last then you might not be a good candidate for a home based business. Also, the discipline must apply to your work schedule as well. When it the middle of the night and you know you have to get up in the morning for work you have to have the motivation to stop what you’re doing even if you haven’t completed everything you wish to accomplish.

Secondly, organization is a must; can you set up an office in a minimal amount of space?  Can you successfully carve out an area for your business that won’t take over into the family area?  Will you be able to tidy up from a day’s work so that it doesn’t intrude into times of the day when a partner, friends, or children want your full attention? You need to have the ability to organize you business as it is very important: without organization, your business can become a monster and can be quite invasive.

Thirdly, necessity can become your greatest motivator. If you are a stay at home mom then a home based business that is correctly run can be a great way to can be a wonderful way to produce more income for your family, as well as give you another passageway to use your talents. If your current job is not satisfying or stimulating enough , a home-based business can prove to be a creative and rewarding diversion, while again, providing that extra income that we all need. Another ideal candidate is a person with a disability, or lack of mobility. The internet has given many people who haven’t held a steady job in the past the opportunity to earn a income with their own home business. E-bay, E-commerce websites, and other venues, are all avenues for someone to create income, who cannot work a full day out of the house.

What venues can you use to sell your products? This is one of the most pertinent and challenging questions that new business owner’s face? What venue will create the quickest income? How much does it cost to have a table at a fair? Can I sell to my friends or office mates?

Mattie Horsley, owner of Makeup-Junkey.com states, “I market to anyone who is interested in more natural makeup, I sell through the internet or individual appointments or makeup parties.”  This is a typical approach for home–based businesses. Many women start off by selling natural products that they themselves like, to friends or office mates. Also common for crafters is that products intended for themselves get snapped up by family members and friends, until the seed of a business is born. Constant praise for handcrafted products is a confidence booster. Local crafts fairs, womens’ events, and health fairs, are wonderful ways to create an income in a short period of time. Always do research first on how many consumer there will be, and be familiar with the clientele before you set up a table. You need to understand their lifestyle, budget range, complexions (in the case of makeup), and the general theme of the fair. If it’s a farmers’ market, you can be sure that olive oil lavender soap will sell, but makeup may not do as well.

The internet is the gold boom or our age. People have become millionaires in as little as a year after launching E-Commerce sites, and it’s so convenient. All you need is a computer, and ‘viola’, you’re set! Of course, it’s not so easy, so how do they do it? If you are a one-person gig, and are not heavily financed, expect your sales to take off after years of hard work and little profit. That’s the unfortunate truth. You have to work very, very hard, and work very, very smart to make an internet site blossom into a real income. It’s a lot of sweat and tears, but it can be done.  I run a wholesale division and truthfully, some of my biggest vendors do no internet sales. The focus on fairs, seminars, and trade shows, do some traveling, and make a very good living staying far away from a computer. But by the same token, I have seen some natural products internet stores take off at a pace that is astonishing!

Should you produce your own natural products, or purchase them from a manufacturer?

What a packed question! If you really have a passion for making soaps, mixing different minerals together to create your own cosmetics, the go for it. Mattie Horsely says, “Creating your own makeup line is rewarding but it does take a lot of patience and work, make sure you know this before you get into it. I thought it would be easy, but after a year and I was still working on the products and colors, I learned that it does take a lot of work. It is such a great feeling though when you see one of your final products packaged up with labels from your very own company.” On the other hand, if you make 100% of the products yourself, pack all of the orders, package and label the products, answer phone calls from customers, file the paperwork, pay the business bills, order the supplies… it would be hectic. I hear women business owners express grief all of the time, “ I’m exhausted!”. No wonder. What is more sensible, in my opinion, is to make what you love to make, and make well, and then source the rest from reputable companies whose philosophies, ingredients, and company mission closely mimic your own. There is nothing wrong with this, and there is everything right with it.

Back when I had my first kiosk, and after a long fruitless search for natural skincare that I could sell to my customers, I began to make my own. I set up a lab in a warehouse next to my house, did heaps of research, and burned the midnight candle formulating, testing, and reformulating. I came up with a limited range of high-quality, natural skincare products that I was proud to sell at my kiosk. Then I had a baby! When he was about six months old, I remember going to my lab one Monday (which was the day that I had tagged as, ‘skincare production day’). I made a batch of lotion for a local salon, and it didn’t come out right. I made another batch, and the same thing happened. I realized that as much as I wanted that salon to have my lotion, that my heart was no longer in it. 

I was managing my kiosk, training and supervising the sales staff, doing payroll, closing the cart down at midnight on the weekends, and crafting all of the mineral makeup as well (that was my favorite part!). There I was locked away by myself on a Monday, working Tuesday through Saturday at my kiosk, and leaving my baby, and my toddler with a nanny. Sure they were right next door, but I made a decision right then and there to find someone to craft my skincare line for me, so that I could have a normal life. It took some time, but I finally found a couple of small companies whose owners had the same outlook as I did in terms of ingredients and manufacturing practices. I have never regretted that decision, and neither have my children.

How can you set up a workspace from your home?

For a home-based business, this is a big concern. Suburban homes often have the luxury of a garage that can be converted into a lab or shipping area. A guest bedroom or the corner of a dining room can serve as simple office space with a computer, space for files, and a phone/fax. A finished basement is another space that can absorb the needs of a small home-based business.
If you are considering starting a home-based business, make a list of the items for which you’ll need space, including: blending equipment, raw materials, such as oils, waxes, pigments etc, work tables if you will be crafting your own products, shelving, a desk for a computer and files, a table for a phone, and fax, a work space for packaging and labeling, storage room for finished products…and the list goes on. Compare the available space in your home with your list, and decide if the two are a good fit. You may want to have your cosmetics storage or manufacturing out of your home, and run the sales and paperwork from a home office as a compromise.
If you are going to craft products from your home, make sure to use completely different utensils for your business than for your personal use. If you are making a lotion, and the spatula can’t be found, don’t use a spatula from your kitchen. It’s unprofessional, and unhygienic.  Storage areas should be dry, clean, and relatively dust-free. Always consider if you were the customer. What would you expect from the company that you were buying cosmetics from?  Then do the same as the manufacturer.

How can you maintain a balance between work and family?

As women, we know how incredibly difficult this can be, even when we work out of the home. We seem to be hard-wired to multi-task, and to be worried about everyone, everything, and all the time! My dear friend, and supplier Kimberly Platko of Geografx-Cosmetics.com, and mother of two adorable nine-year old twins has this to say after years of running her business from a lab attached to her home: “Try to establish regular working hours, and do not work beyond those hours, unless there’s an absolute emergency. A home based business tends to suck you dry, and follow you everywhere, so setting and keeping to a realistic schedule will help you balance work and home life. If you have kids, and they are home from school for the holidays, I would suggest hiring a mother’s helper, which costs less than a nanny. Since you are home, you can handle any emergencies, so the mother’s helper can be younger, and thus more economical. “

My brother, who is an artist, works from home, and his office is right smack dab in the middle of his home. His wife, also an artist, and his children, spend most of their time either in the kitchen/family room, or the playroom, within feet of his office. How does he do it? He has clear guidelines for his work day, and enforces the guidelines strictly with his children. I remember once arriving for a holiday weekend. I was there for about 45 minutes, and didn’t know that he was there, until he materialized from his office to greet me!  He had been on a business call overseas, and couldn’t stop what he was doing.  His office door was closed, so he finished his work day, and then “went home”. I found the expression funny, until I realized that that is one of the ways that he maintains that discipline that is needed to work from home.  He leaves his ‘house’, and goes to ‘work’ every day at the same time, and his family respects that. 

How can you separate your personal and business finances? 

Kimberly Platko of Geografx advises, “I would suggest setting up a separate bank account for your company, and setting up a debit card for that account, so that you can purchase products online for your business. A lot of times, banks aren’t willing to extend credit to home-based businesses, so you need a way to be able to make purchases online. Keep careful records of any of your personal funds that you or your spouse use to start or maintain your business, and document repayment of the funds.” This is especially important if your spouse is officially or unofficially helping to finance your business by either paying some of your bills to allow you to use other work income, or business sales to develop your company, or by outright lending you money. If you’re not careful, this can become a black hole, and a source of resentment and frustration to your partner.

In conclusion, running a home-based business is a wonderful opportunity for the right person in the right place. Space limitations, personal characteristics and the strictures of family life can be a challenge, but need not be prohibitive. Many of the world’s most successful businesses started out as home-based businesses. A good example is Carol’s Daughter, one of the premier handcrafted spa care lines. Lisa Price, whom I had the joy of meeting, ran her business out of her Brooklyn town home for many, many years. It was only recently after Will and Jada Pinkett Smith invested in her company that she was able to move into a warehouse space.

Clever planning, enormous dedication, and the inspiration of combining the convenience of home, with the satisfaction of an extra income can lay the foundations for a rewarding and worthwhile business.