Cinnamon - It Does A Body Good

I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to stomach illness - so I'm always on the lookout for anything that will kill the little stomach bugs that may come along. I was reading on the internet and discovered that cinnamon can help to kill any pathogens that may have invaded your gut.

When I read this, I had just come from a family gathering where it had been discovered that a few had been suffering from a stomach virus and I was in a panic. A word of warning... do NOT try to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon. Don't ask me to tell you the story. It's embarrassing and involved more than one call to the local ask-a-nurse. Not to mention a visit from a traveling circus. Okay, that last bit isn't exactly accurate, but you get the picture.

Anyway... I discovered that you can buy cinnamon in a pill form and all was well. The point of this ridiculous ramble is not, interestingly enough, about how cinnamon works to exterminate gut bugs, but rather something else I learned while exploring the benefits of cinnamon. Apparently cinnamon has been proven to lower blood glucose levels, and may even be an effective treatment for lowering cholesterol.

I have slightly high cholesterol and refuse to take the poison-in-a-bottle that they call Lipitor - so I have been taking cinnamon religiously - and we'll see what my next lipid panel has to say.

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Magnesium - Take Me Away!

Okay so I stole a slogan.. is that a crime? It is? Oh. Oops.... well... moving along.

I was recently privileged enough to have the opportunity to try a great product and I wanted to share it with you. As we all know, magnesium is a vital mineral and is very important to many of our bodily processes - unfortunately because of soil overuse and other environmental factors, none of us gets the amount we need. We try to supplement with pills - but for me at least, this usually just ends up in WAY too many trips to the bathroom.

I hadn't heard of transdermal application until recently - but it really makes alot of sense. I mean, by passing up the digestive system, you completely eliminate any GI issues and are able to take the large quantities required by our physiology. (okay, I'm laying off the big words now) . Magnesium deficiencies can result in allergies, anxiety issues, asthma, ADD, even diabetes.

Ancient Minerals produces magnesium in the form of spray, gel and bath flakes, and I have to say that my initial reaction is a positive one.

I used the gel the other day after spending all day gathering up toys for goodwill and throwing away the toys that NO ONE would want, haha. My legs were SO SORE! I rubbed the gel into my aching muscles, and within about 10 minutes, they didn't hurt. I thought, "okay, that's cool, but what about tomorrow?". When I woke up - they still didn't hurt. I have to say I'm sold.

Then last night, I decided to take a soak with the magnesium bath flakes. It. was. heaven. I slept like a baby and woke up - well... awake. I usually wake up very groggy - so this was a marked improvement.

One warning I will give you is this - the gel can sting a bit if you use too much. Make sure that you use it on skin that is less sensitive. If it stings too much, you can wipe it off with a wet cloth. My husband rubbed some into my lower back, and I had to wipe it off after a bit because it stung a little (I would actually call it itching). But when I rubbed it into the backs of my legs - I didn't feel it at all - so it really depends on where you put it. However, I hear that the more often you use it, the less it stings.

When I used the magnesium oil spray - it didn't sting at all. I sprayed it all over my legs this morning and nada, nothing, no sting.

I'm going to continue using this on a regular basis. Given that I deal with anxiety issues, I should begin to see a real difference in that area - and rest assured, I'll keep you up to date on my progress!

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Shame on me! Read Your Labels...

I've said it before: I'm a huge proponent of reading your lables - ALWAYS read your labels! Apparently I need to learn to follow my own advice - because I was hoodwinked by "allnaturalese", you know, that language that just assures you that this stuff is as natural as God's green earth?

I am a part of a wholesale group where I can buy a variety of all natural products at 20% off... very cool, very needed in this financial climate. The problem is, I'm buying out of a catalog, and the ingredient list isn't always visible. Now of course, I can go to the website and check it out, but this last round of orders caught me at a busy time and I didn't research the product. Shame on me.

While looking for an all-natural toothpaste, I came across one called "Herbal Vedic" herbal toothpaste. How much more natural can it be? It's both herbal and ayurvedic! I was wrong. When my shipment came, I pulled out the toothpaste and casually glanced at the ingredient list, just to see what herbs were in it... and what did I see? Parabens! Yep - right there, looking up at me was the word "methylparaben".

Parabens are a family of toxic preservatives found in a host of personal products. They've been linked to breast cancer and abnormal estrogenic activity. For a company claiming to be 'natural' - I have to say I was suprised.

That'll teach me, eh?

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