Tips for Healthy Traveling

Do you have plans to travel sometime this fall/winter season?  The strong threat of sickness has been weighing on all of our minds, I'm sure.  Some things in this life are completely out of our control, but here are a few things that we've found to be helpful in the task of boosting immunity.

1) Vitamins, Vitamins, Vitamins! It may sound redundant, but Vitamin C and Vitamin D are super important for optimal health, especially when fighting off invaders!  These should be a part of our daily routine in the cold season, but especially the week before your traveling plans and all throughout a trip.  NSP's Chewable Vitamin C is easy to digest, delicious and great for adults and kids alike. Vitamin D is best consumed by going outside every day, but especially as it gets colder that's not always possible.  In those cases, here are a couple of options.  For kids, consider Calcium Plus D3.  For adults (or kids who can swallow pills), there's also a Calcium Plus D, but for extra protection Vitamin D3 is highly recommended.

2) Don't forget to SLEEP! When preparing for a trip and certainly on a trip, adequate sleep often gets the boot.  If you're trying to avoid illness, losing sleep is the worst thing you can do!  Sleeping helps the body fight infections and can determine how fast you recover if you do get sick. If you struggle with sleep or expect some stress surrounding your trip that might affect your sleep, here are a few supplements to consider:

• Valerian Root - This single herb helps with relaxation and supports sleep.
• STRESS-J - This herbal formula promotes feelings of calm and helps with occasional stress. A racing brain or overstimulated body can certainly prevent sleep.  STRESS-J can help with that!
• 5-HTP Power - Drinking a lot of caffeine? Caffeine wipes out serotonin and can definitely disrupt sleep patterns.  Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an important neurotransmitter that is converted into serotonin in the body. Improve your appetite, mood and sleep!
• Melatonin Extra - Melatonin encourages restful sleep and helps fight jet lag by promoting the body's natural sleep rhythm.

3) Elderberry - The health benefits of elderberries are powerful! Anytime you expect to be or fear you were exposed to something contagious (cold, virus, flu, etc.) we recommend Elderberry D3fense or Elderberry Immune (chewables for the kids).  It's a power punch to whatever is lurking in the air!  

4) Silver Shield Liquid/Gel - NSP's Silver Shield is a wonderful safe and effective product that reduces exposure to disease-causing agents while leaving the good bacteria in tact.  Taken internally before and after a plane ride would be a smart line of defense.  The Silver Shield Gel takes immune boosting to another level! This gel can be safely place in any opening of the body so in or around the nose would be great protection from airborne invaders.  It also works as a great hand sanitizer! Both are great for kids too.

Also, Essential Shield  is a terrific topical essential oil blend that contains pure essential oils of clove, cinnamon, thyme, eucalyptus, grapefruit, lavender, rosemary, lemon, pine and peppermint that could be used to keep the air around you (in a car, hotel room, or even an airplane!) boosted with proactive forces!

5) Clean, Colorful Eating.  Whatever goes into your body either adds or takes away from the health of your immune system.  The cleaner and more colorful your diet is, the better position you are in to fight off colds and viruses. Plan ahead.  Just because you're on/going on vacation doesn't mean you have to eat junk!

Most trips aren't worth getting sick over so do yourself some favors as travel season starts to pick up!

Are You Feeding Your Brain? Supplements for Brain Health

Our brains are often a key to our success in life.  Effectiveness, comprehension, attention to detail can all make or break a job, an event or a relationship.  Thinking clearly is important, but sometimes we don't act like it.  Two of the main areas we can feed our brain is usually where we abuse it the most: Exercise and Sleep. These are usually the first thing to go when we're crunched for time or stressed, but they should be the first place we go to for a boost!  Don't forget brain boosting foods like avocado, blueberries, dark, leafy greens, nuts and fish.

In addition to exercise, sleep, and a diet full of good fats, fresh fruits and vegetables, there are some great herbal supplements that can feed the brain for optimum performance.

Got a big test or important meeting coming up?  Focus Attention combines powerful nutrients that encourage a quiet, balanced mental activity.  This combination also helps protect the body from undesirable side effects of drugs or exposure to toxic chemicals, food additives, pesticides, etc. It's also a great choice for kids having trouble in school!  Mind Max supports brain function, memory and concentration with the help of a highly absorbable magnesium l-threonate, along with gotu kola aerial parts, bacopa leaf and ginkgo leaf—herbs well-known to benefit circulation and brain health—for a powerful brain boost.

 Work in a stressful or toxic environment? Brain Protex is designed to give the brain protection against free radical damage. It is especially helpful for those who desire extra support for brain health, nerve function and alertness.   Gaba Plus  supports brain and nerve metabolism, normalizes the nervous system and promotes a great sense of relaxation and peace.  GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid that plays a role in neurotransmitter and brain activity. It affects the central nervous system by reducing the number of neurons firing in the brain, thus calming brain activity. This can benefit people with overstimulated nervous systems who find it difficult to relax or who have trouble focusing on one task.

Feeling a little off? Hard to keep your mood swings in check?  Adding some EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids can go a long way in stabilizing your brain function. DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is a fatty acid that is absorbed into the fatty perimeter of cells. It is required for brain development and important in maintaining and protecting the neural tissues,  Super Omega-3 or Sunshine Heroes Omega-3 (for kids) contains both EPA and DHA fatty acids, supporting the cardiovascular system, structural system, as well as the skin. The body uses omega-3 fatty acids as one of the primary components of cell membranes.  Through feeding the cells with an adequate ratio of fatty acids, many have seen a relief of symptoms in mild depression or mood disorders. With our western diet, healthy fatty acids should be a large part of everyone's health regimen.  

Stress: How It's Hurting You and What To Do About It

Winter Break! The holidays! Family, food, and STRESS!  No matter the planning, no matter the downsizing, it all seems to turn into work and stress in some way.  It may be a natural part of the circumstances, but it definitely impacts your body in a big way.

How It's Hurting You

When your brain starts getting distress signals, it immediately releases a flood of hormones from the adrenal glands (think adrenaline and cortisol) and that's the way it was designed.  The problem arises when we live in a state of distress, running from one thing to the next with anxiety and conflict surrounding many interactions.  This prolonged state of stress wipes out things like B & C vitamins, decreasing your storehouse of energy.  Instead of recovering to a balanced and calm state, those hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, stay elevated and cause all kinds of havoc - things like depression, hypertension and maybe even some cancers.

From this point, the stress just spreads to other systems of the body.  Digestion and intestinal problems are common with frequent anxiety.  Things like memory loss, fertility issues, risk of heart attack and stroke are all related to stress.  Not to mention how we REACT to the stress - things like anger, overeating or poor food choices, inactivity, and often taking it all out on our family!  What a time for a holiday celebration, huh?

What You Can Do About It

The easy answer is to stop the stress all together, but the majority of us know how unreasonable that is. So, since there will be drama, conflict, and hectic schedules, here are a few options to make it easier on your body.

Take a walk.  Exercise, being outside, getting some sunshine and vitamin D are some of the BEST things to do for your body - no matter the day or the stress!  And with all of the eating we're likely to be doing, it can help your waistline too!

Take your vitamins.  Stress, exhaustion, and a less than normal diet is likely in our future next week and that empties the storehouse of vitamins and minerals in our bodies.  Supplementing with things like Citrus Bioflavonoids, Nutri-Calm, B-Complex, Super Omega-3 and GreenZone can go along way in counteracting all of the damage being caused by stress.  There are also many herbal formulas that are extremely helpful for stress, depression, and sleep problems.  Contact us for help with those!

Be sure to check NSP's Specials every week.  B-Complex is on special this week!

AnxiousLess -  This new combination from Nature's Sunshine is a non-drowsy, non-habit forming formula that can help replenish your body's stress-coping reserves.  It targets nervousness, worry and tension, while working to improve your mood and energy levels.  This is a great resource to have in those temporary peaks of stress - like when all the family comes home for the day! For more information, go here.

Do less, Relax more.  It sounds silly, but try to think of unnecessary things to cut out or people you can delegate to.  There's always a few 'bored' or 'busy watching television' family members that could use something to do!

Forget perfection.  No matter how much you plan, it won't go exactly as you hope.  And that's ok.  Do good.  Love those around you.  Laugh much.  And enjoy yourself.