This Bee Product is a Powerful Natural Immune Booster

Cold and flu season is in full swing, which means it’s time to start bringing on immune boosters again. Some of us will chug freshly squeezed orange juice. Others will slam shots of elderberry kombucha. A few will start force-feeding themselves and their family pungent raw garlic, all in a martyrish effort to avoid getting sick. But there is probably something even more powerful missing from your natural immune defense arsenal…propolis.

Propolis is one of the most undervalued natural immune boosters out there. Personally, I use my propolis spray daily. After years of getting sick every cold/flu season, a friend sent me some propolis to try. Ever since then, even the most inevitable colds seem to repel off of me. It’s pretty amazing.

If you are unfamiliar with propolis, it is a bee product, much like honey is—but that’s where the similarities end. Bees use propolis to keep their hives free of invaders and disease. It lines the hive walls and acts essentially as the immune system of the hive. And guess what—it can do the same for your body. 

Propolis is naturally jam-packed with quality vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory force. But when it comes to beating a cold, propolis even has science on its side. Naturally antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, one studyshowed that propolis reduces the severity of upper respiratory tract infections in children and may even act preventatively to help them avoid getting sick in the first place. In another study, the common cold was treated with either propolis or a placebo. Those given propolis experienced a cold duration that was 2.5 times shorter than the group taking the placebo.

Believe it or not, propolis has been used by humans for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. My favorite source for quality propolis is Beekeepers Naturals, whom we recently highlighted as one of our Brands for Good. BKN recommends 3-5 sprays on the back of the throat every day to keep you immune system strong and thwart foreign invaders. Simple enough routine if you’re trying to stay healthy, right? And guess what, it’s affordable and actually tastes good! Mary Poppins must have been in cahoots with Big Sugar, because medicine doesn’t always have to taste bad.

Looking for some other underrated immune boosters to go with your propolis? Check out these other naturally medicinal concoctions:

CHAGA

A powerful source of vitamins D, K, Bs, iron, calcium and more, the medicinal value of this mushroom should not be sneered at. This mushroom boasts antiviral, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties and actually promotes the growth of certain essential immune cells. Chaga also supports a balanced mind and increased natural energy levels. To benefit, steep the crushed, dried mushrooms as long as you desire to make a nourishing, health-promoting tea.

LEMON AND RAW HONEY

Okay, maybe this one isn’t much of a surprise, but people should take the old ‘lemon+honey’ remedy more seriously. Raw honey has those incredible antibacterial and antiviral properties that make it medicinally precious. Bees really know how to make their products. Lemon helps to detoxify and balance the pH of the body, plus offers a killer does of vitamin C. Together, they make an unstoppable cold-busting duo.

GOLDEN MILK

Seriously, now is the time to try golden milk if you haven’t already. A nourishing blend of turmeric, black pepper, coconut oil and spices in warm non-dairy milk, golden milk is as delicious as it is healthful. And boy, is it healthful. Turmeric is an incredibly powerful anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial agent, due to the presence of the compound curcumin. Curcumin has even been shown to improve brain function. By combining turmeric with black pepper, you are able to reap it in its most bioavailable state.

It’s never too early to start preparing your body. Don’t wait until you have the cold or flu to start treating yourself. By taking natural immune boosters like propolis throughout the season and beyond, you’ll drastically reduce the number of miserably sick days you have to endure. And that is a wonderful thing—thanks again, bees!

Health Benefits of Pumpkins

There is one food that takes center stage during autumn – the pumpkin!

Many people use this orange gourd as a decoration at Halloween. 

But we also use it in many foods that are popular during the fall season – foods like pumpkin bread, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin cookies, pasta made with pumpkin and pumpkin pie. In fact, pumpkin pie is one of THE most common desserts at an American Thanksgiving table.

But perhaps we should try to eat pumpkin all year long, and not just in the fall.

Pumpkins are packed with important nutrients and vitamins. If cooked in a healthy way, meaning without much butter or sugar, pumpkin is a powerhouse of health benefits.

Pumpkin is good for your eyesight

The nutrient beta-carotene and Vitamin A are necessary for maintaining good eyesight. Pumpkins are a great source of both. In fact, one nutrition website says that one cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin can give you more than 200 percent of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin A.

Pumpkin may help reduce your risk of getting cancer

The National Cancer Institute in the United States says on its website that antioxidants may help reduce a person’s risk of getting cancer. That is because antioxidants neutralize something called free radicals in the body. The Institute defines free radicals as “highly reactive chemicals that have the potential to harm cells.”

Antioxidants help to get rid of these free radicals. Examples of antioxidants found in food include beta-carotene, lycopene, and vitamins A, C, and E. And as we said earlier, pumpkin is full of beta-carotene as well as vitamin A.

Pumpkin helps your skin

Beta-carotene also helps to keep your skin healthy and young-looking. Yet another good reason to eat pumpkin!

Pumpkin may help your heart

Pumpkin is also loaded with potassium. Health experts say that consuming potassium may help treat hypertension or high blood pressure, just as decreasing your intake of sodium does.

Pumpkin may be good for weight loss

Pumpkin also has a lot of fiber. Fiber slows down digestion of food. So, when you eat pumpkin you feel full and eat less.

So, if it is available where you live, try to find ways to include pumpkin in your next meal.

Thanksgiving tradition of gratitude is good for your health, research says

Gathering around the table to give thanks this Thanksgiving is something that can add years to your life, research shows.

“The grateful mind reaps massive advantages in life,” Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and the founder a research lab that studies the effects of grateful living. “Health and wholeness, wellness and fullness result from the systematic practice of a grateful living.” 

He said grateful living can have many positive effects on health and well-being.

“It literally breathes new life into us. It recharges and it rejuvenates,” Emmons said about gratitude, which he defines as “an affirmation of the goodness in one’s life and the recognition that the sources of this goodness lie at least partially outside the self.”  

One research study that Emmons lead in 2003 also found that participants who took time weekly to reflect on things for which they were grateful reported fewer symptoms of physical illness and spent more time exercising.

A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 2015 found that people who took part in a diary exercise twice a week asking them to document people and things that helped them at work "reduced their stress and depressive symptoms significantly."

Sara Algoe, an associate professor of social psychology at the University of North Carolina, studies the role gratitude plays in interpersonal relationships.

Her research has found that gratitude is good for relationships and has "follow-on effects" for physical health.

"Taking the moment to acknowledge the things that people do for us that we really value actually has downstream consequences for both people," she said. "When couples express gratitude more frequently and descriptively to each other, they are happier in their relationship."

Another study study published last year that followed people with Stage B asymptomatic heart failure found patients who did gratitude journaling showed "improved biomarkers related to heart failure morbidity."

Thanksgiving and gratitude

Thanksgiving is a perfect opportunity to show gratitude, according to both Emmons and Algoe, because the two go hand-in-hand.

“The word ‘thanksgiving’ literally means, giving of thanks. Thanksgiving is an action word,” Emmons said. “Gratitude requires action.”  

To receive the health benefits of gratitude this holiday season, Emmons recommends moving beyond the tradition of naming your blessings at the Thanksgiving table.

“I think that a reflection of how our lives have been made so much more comfortable by the sacrifices of those who have come before us down through the generations should be the focus of how Thanksgiving should be observed,” he said.

Emmons explained thanking those who paved the way for you is more “satisfying and sustaining.”

“This sort of transformational thinking can be revolutionary,” he said. “And this way of thinking can draw us out of our self-involved and self-contained worlds to a deeper awareness of those forces which make that very world possible in the first place.”

Thanksgiving is also an opportunity to "shore up the ties" of family and remind people what you love about them, according to Algoe.

"When you feel grateful, don’t forget to say it to people," she said. "Expressions of gratitude are like candy and they keep people coming back for more. The data really shows that."

Emmons cited celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Russell Wilson and Matthew McConaughey as people who have mastered one of the keys of gratitude: Making it about others, not about ourselves.

"This is the single most important thing that I've learned about gratitude. It's not about us," Emmons said. "We turn gratitude into a self-focused personal project. The focus becomes how I am doing, instead of what others are doing for me." 

Algoe's research has also found the "authenticity and sincerity of the gratitude expression" is of key importance.

"It’s putting the 'you' in thank you that really matters," Algoe said. "It's the little part where you’re really calling out the person for the thing they did."

How to keep gratitude going

When Thanksgiving Day is over, gratitude is often left "on the Thanksgiving table," according to Emmons.  

In order to avoid this "wasted opportunity" and reap the health benefits of gratitude, Emmons shared these tips for making gratitude part of your every day life.

1. Make a list of what you typically take for granted. Then think about these “as granted” rather than “for granted.”

2. Consider what your life would be like without this person/event/circumstance. In other words, if this had never happened or came along. Subtract something good from your life. This is known as addition via subtraction.

3. Give something away. When we are givers, we reflect more clearly on what it is like to be a receiver. Also, we are grateful for the opportunity to give, knowing that giving brings happiness to self and others.

4. Identify non-grateful thoughts: For example, thinking you deserve better circumstances, that other people are better off; that life is boring, that I am entitled to this, that, or the other; That life is monotonous, tedious; That things have not turned out the way you wanted. Practice using the language of thankfulness: Gifts, givers, receivers, favor, fortune, fortunate, blessed, lucky.

5. Find someone behind the scenes at your workplace or neighborhood and thank them. Speak words of gratitude to them. Takes two minutes. You will both benefit.

Thanksgiving 'pre-tox': How to eat healthy this week and Thanksgiving Day

Stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie, oh my!

On Thanksgiving, the average American consumes 4,500 calories, according to the Calorie Control Council.

That's why "Good Morning America" tapped nutritionist Maya Feller for her tips on how to do a Thanksgiving "pre-tox," a healthy eating "detox" leading up to the traditional Thanksgiving meal, so you don't feel badly enjoying your family's favorite side dish and dessert.

Making healthy eating choices all week long, getting in some extra exercise and eating mindfully at the big meal itself are some of the ways that you can help offset weight gain, according to Feller. Read on for the tips she often gives to clients as Thanksgiving approaches. 

How to eat the week before Thanksgiving

Don't skip meals. Be sure to have a balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When you skip a meal you are more likely to overeat at your next meal, simply because you are hungry. Having regular meals also minimizes blood sugar highs and lows and the cravings that comes with them.
- Be mindful of portion size.
- Increase the non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens).
- Decrease the refined grains and swap for a limited portion of starchy vegetables or whole grains.

Stay well hydrated. We all need water, it helps our bodies function optimally. Sometimes when we are dehydrated we think we are hungry, when in fact we are thirsty, so don't forget especially going into the holidays to give your body the water that it wants and needs. For most, that’s at least 1 liter of water per day.

Try my favorite hydrating homemade tea of hot water with lemon juice or lime juice and cayenne pepper.

Pro tip: Try going easy on the alcohol in the days before Thanksgiving as well.

Reduce or remove added sugars, fats, salts, preservatives. These can wreak havoc on some peoples' systems, causing gas, bloating, GI distress as well as cravings for more.

Skip the packaged goods. Ready-made meals tend to be higher in sodium, saturated fats, added sugars and other preservatives.

Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of intentional physical activity on each day.

How to eat well on Thanksgiving Day

Many people want to save up for the big meal, but it's important to remember that holiday meals are one meal of many. It's a time to enjoy good food and great company on a special occasion. Being mindful and making intentional choices helps to make the food experience all the more enjoyable. I recommend starting the day off with a balanced breakfast and even having a mid-morning snack or lunch depending on when the main meal happens.

Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast. Egg cups are an easy and healthy breakfast idea.
You'll need a six-cup muffin tin. Place one of each of the following ingredients in each muffin opening and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until firm. Serving size per person is two egg cups.
- The contents of 1 egg
- 3 tbsp hearty leafy green of your choice
- 1 tsp chopped chives
- Black pepper and/or red pepper flakes to taste

Light lunch ideas for T-Day. Make a protein-packed salad with non-starchy veggies. (Green salad with chickpeas, avocado, seeds, and colorful veggies of your choice like tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, etc.) 

Or try Salmon salad roll-ups. Combine salmon with stone ground mustard, red bell peppers with dill and scallion. Place into the center of a leaf of Bibb lettuce and roll up and enjoy!

Exercise. If you don't exercise, take a walk for 30 minutes. If you do, aim for 45 to 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity intentional physical activity. Resistance training builds muscle, which is more metabolically active than fat. 

How to enjoy the meal itself

Go in with a plan.
- Make a realistic choice about what you will and will not have.
- If your goal is to maintain your current body weight, have one plate with the majority of the plate as non-starchy vegetables.
- If your goal is to lose weight you will need to adhere to your current diet plan and be very mindful of limiting your intake outside of your nutrition prescription.
- Focus on the fun (if you can). The gathering is about the company, not just the food. 

Use a small salad plate for hors-d'oeuvres. Limit yourself to one salad plate of hors-d'oeuvres.

Go easy on the alcohol. Treat yourself to a drink, but it's important to be mindful that what you're drinking has calories too.

For dessert, return to the salad-size plate. Limit yourself to one serving. If you are trying to lose weight have half or less of the dessert

Mike The Headless Chicken

On Sept. 10, 1945, Lloyd Olsen, a Fruita farmer, went out to prepare a chicken for the family dinner. He spied a plump 5½-month-old rooster named Mike and chopped off his head. But Mike didn't seem to mind. In fact, he went back to his normal chicken responsibilities, attempting to preen his feathers and peck for food. When Olsen found Mike still alive the next morning, with his "head" (er, stump) tucked under his wing, he decided it was a miracle and began to feed Mike grain and water with an eyedropper to keep him alive. After all, if Mike had that much will to live, who was Olsen to stop him? A week later, Olsen drove his newly headless friend to the University of Utah to figure out what the heck happened. Turns out Olsen's ax had missed the jugular vein, and a blood clot prevented the bird from bleeding to death. Most of his brain stem was intact, which allowed him to live a relatively normal — albeit headless — life.

Am I A Fire Man Yet

 In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down

at her 6 year old son, who was dying of leukemia.

Although her heart was filled with sadness,
she also had a strong feeling of determination
Like any mother, she wanted her son to grow up &
fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible..

The leukemia would see to that. But she still
wanted her son's dream to come true.

She took her son' s hand and asked,
'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted
to be once you grew up?
Did you ever dream and wish what you would
do with your life?'

Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a fireman
when I grew up.'

Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can
make your wish come true.'

Later that day she went to her local fire
Department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she met
Fireman Bob, who had! a heart as big as Phoenix

She explained her son's final wish and
Asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old

son a ride around the block on a fire engine

Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do
better than that. If you'll have your son ready at
seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make
him an honorary Fireman for the whole day.
He can come down to the fire station, eat with us,
go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!

And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform
for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy -- one-with the emblem

of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like

we wear and rubber boots.'

'They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix ,
so we can get them fast.' 

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy,
dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital

bed t o the waiting hook and ladder truck.

Billy got to sit on the back of the truck
and help steer it back to the fire station.
He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day
and Billy got to go out on all three calls.

He rode in the different fire engines,
the Paramedic's' van,
and even the fire chief's car.

He was also videotaped for the
local news program.

Having his dream come true,
with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him,

so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer

than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to
drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed
in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone,

began to call the family members to the hospital.

Then she remembered the day Billy had spent
as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and
asked if it would be possible to send a fireman
in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he

made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that.
We'll be there in five minutes.. Will you please do me a favor?

When you hear the sirens screaming and see the
lights flashing, will you announce over the
PA system that there is not a fire?"

'It's the department coming to see one of its finest members

one more time. And will you open the window to his room?'

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived

at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor

open window 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's

room.

With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held

him and told him how much they LOVED him.

With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said,

'Chief, am I really a fireman now?'

'Billy, you are, and The Head Chief, Jesus,

is holding your hand,' the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and said,
'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and
the angels have been singing..'

He closed his eyes one last time.

Why Are So Many Cancer Patients Using Marijuana?

About 25 percent of cancer patients use marijuana.

At least that appears to be the case in Washington, a state with legalized marijuana.

Washington legalized medical marijuana in 1998 and recreational marijuana in 2012. It’s been commercially available there since 2014.

With more than half of U.S. states now allowing medical marijuana, researchers wanted to determine how many cancer patients take advantage of the availability.

For the study, Dr. Steven Pergam of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and his colleagues surveyed patients at the Seattle Cancer Center Alliance.

Of 2,737 eligible patients, 926 completed the anonymous survey.

Study authors acknowledge there might be some sampling bias due to the small response. They noted that it’s possible that current use patterns may be overrepresented or underrepresented.

Of those who responded, the median age was 58.

About 66 percent said they had previously used marijuana. About 24 percent used it in the past year and 21 percent in the past month.

Responses were validated by random urine samples.

The full study is published in the journal Cancer.

Use of medical marijuana growing

Dr. Junella Chin is an osteopath and integrative cannabis physician.

She has practiced in California and New York, two states that have legalized medical marijuana.

“There is an absolute increase in states where it has been legalized. I have seen this in California over the last decade, and now in New York City,” she told Healthline.

Chin said there’s been a surge of patients registered in the New York State Medical Marijuana Program.

“What is not typical about my practice is that even among the limited number of doctors who are performing medical cannabis evaluations, I am one of the few who does them in the context of a full-scope general medical practice,” said Chin.

“I have worked to develop my own standards by reading the scientific literature, learning from the experience of other expert clinicians and international scientists, and thorough application of the past 15-plus years of treating patients,” she explained.

Why cancer patients turn to cannabis

Most of the study respondents said they used marijuana for physical and psychological symptoms.

Reasons included pain, nausea, upset stomach, and stress.

Some also reported using it for enjoyment.

Sometimes cancer patients simply run out of options, said Chin.

They’re given a variety of medications to combat symptoms and side effects.

“And when these don’t work, or they are too taxing on their system, they research cannabis as an option, legal or not,” she said.

According to Chin, cannabis is the only anti-nausea medicine that increases appetite, helps patients sleep, eases pain, and elevates mood.

Study authors point to the need for clinical trials to evaluate the role of cannabis in symptom management.

Marine Yanikian-Sutton, 39, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016.

Yanikian-Sutton, who is now in remission, told Healthline that she used marijuana while undergoing chemotherapy.

“It eased both mental and physical pain, and I could not have endured the pain without it,” she said.

Although it’s legal in her state, Yanikian-Sutton said that wasn’t a deciding factor.

“The deciding factor was the realization that the chemo meds are more poisonous and life threatening than the marijuana. I chose to ease the side effects produced by the chemo naturally, as opposed to taking more meds,” she said.

She didn’t take this step lightly.

“I researched it, discussed it with my oncologist, received sound advice as to which [strains] to use to ease which symptoms before I obtained the license necessary to purchase it,” she explained.

“In California, there are organizations that provide free marijuana to cancer patients, and I was one such patient,” added Yanikian-Sutton.

About 70 percent of study respondents who use cannabis reported inhaling or consuming it in food. About 89 percent used both methods.

Chin said patients are using tincture (sublingual), capsules, and vape.

“It depends on preference and/or the reasons why it’s being used. For example, vape is great for nausea. It takes away nausea within minutes. Patients may use sublingual [applied under the tongue] for sleep or pain, for an even longer extended relief. But the onset of action might be 30 minutes to one hour,” explained Chin.

A word of caution

All cannabis is not the same.

Chin pointed out that there’s a huge variation in cannabis medicine. And strain names can be misleading.

“With the new state regulations, there will hopefully be a system in place in which the consumer can get the biochemical compound of the plant/product,” she said.

As for cancer patients who live in states without legalized cannabis, Chin said, “I caution obtaining unregulated cannabis because it passes six hands before it gets to you. If you areimmunocompromised, you can’t risk using cannabis that is contaminated with fungus, pesticides, etc.”

Legal, but information is lacking

Study authors found that legalization was an important factor in the decision to use cannabis.

They concluded that cancer patients in a state with legalized cannabis had high rates of active use across broad subgroups.

They also noted that cancer patients would prefer to get information about cannabis from their oncologist.

But that’s not happening.

“We hope that this study helps to open up the door for more studies aimed at evaluating the risks and benefits of marijuana in this population. This is important, because if we do not educate our patients about marijuana, they will continue to get their information elsewhere,” Pergam said in a press release.

Chin agrees.

“Many doctors are not educated on the endocannabinoid system. I certainly was not, and I attended medical school and did my residency in California, a state that legalized it in 1996,” said Chin.

“Doctors may not be comfortable recommending or following up with patients on cannabis, so they refer to me,” she continued.

She’d like to see the chemical composition of cannabis medicine on detailed labels, much like food labels.

“The trouble is,” said Chin, “we are still dealing with a clandestine industry. The states that have set forth regulation and legalized medical cannabis model should also be actively educating patients about cannabis medicine.”

“More educated patients will come to understand the source and quality of medicine and work with their doctor on how cannabis can help them with their life-threatening disease,” said Chin.