10 Tips from ACHS Seed Starting and Growing Herbs in Pots Community Wellness Workshop

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Seed Starting and Growing Herbs in Pots workshop with Erika Yigzaw, ACHS Chief Institutional Officer and Master Gardener, on March 29, 2012. We had a lot of fun learning how to get a jump on our spring gardens, and hope you did, too!

For those who were unable to attend ... not to worry ... we'll have a video of the presentation live on ACHStv soon. You can subscribe to ACHStv on YouTube here for automatic notification of when the video goes live and for dozens of gardening how-to videos.

Scroll down to read 10 top tips from Master Gardener Erika Yigzaw's presentation.

When container gardening:

1. Use seed starting mix or good-quality potting soil.
   
2. Make sure your container has a hole in bottom for drainage; dampen the soil and then allow to dry for few hours before planting seeds.
   
3. Fertilize! Organic, liquid fertilizer works great. Compost tea may be a good sub: to make, put kitchen waste into a stocking, soak in gallon of water, and portion onto plants.
   
4. After the first leaves appear you may transplant if you want.
   
5. When grouping, think of the types of conditions each plant likes and group accordingly.
   

When container gardening:

1. Plant seed as far down as the size of the seed (same with bulbs). If the seeds are really small, such as poppy, scatter across the top of the soil.
2. Do not over-till the ground.
   
3. If you can grab a handful of dirt and squeeze moisture out, the ground is still too wet to plant.
4. If using a raised bed, the temperature will be approx 15 degrees warmer for the plant than when in the ground. Make the bed 6-8" taller with compost.
5. Do not over-water. Dampen the soil and then allow to dry for few hours before planting seeds.
   

Are you a master container gardener? We'd love to hear from you! What are your favorite herbs to grow in containers for the spring and summer seasons?

>>To learn more about herbal medicine training, including harvesting and using herbs for personal health and wellness, check out American College herbal medicine courses online here.

Propolis Makes Good Root Canals, Better!

What more could you ask for in a single ingredient? Propolis has antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Naturally, this study found propolis to be alternative root canal medication. Of course, using a good propolis toothpaste everyday could avoid letting things get to this point...

Histopathological Analysis of Corticosteroid-Antibiotic Preparation and Propolis Paste Formulation as Intracanal Medication after Pulpectomy: An in vivo Study

J Appl Oral Sci, 2012 February

Intracanal medication in pulpectomy therapy is used between appointments with the objective of reducing pain and inflammatory processes in pulp and periapical tissues. Propolis has been known as a natural antibiotic and has been subject of medical and dental research due to its therapeutic properties such as antibiotic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

OBJECTIVE:

The aim was to carry out an in vivo evaluation of the periapical tissue response to propolis paste when used as an intracanal medication in the teeth of dogs after pulpectomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

72 dog's incisors were selected for the experiment. After biomechanical preparation the root canal was filled with a corticosteroid-antibiotic preparation, experimental propolis paste, non-medicament (negative control) or non-pulpectomy at all (positive control). The medications were left inside the root canal for 7, 14 or 28 days. At the end of the experimental period histological sections were prepared and all laboratories processes for Harris hematoxylin and eosin staining was proceeded followed by the analysis using an optical microscope. Sections were classified according to a score representing the inflammatory events observed: the presence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, polymorphonuclear eosinophils, lymphocytes and plasma cells, macrophages and/or giant cells, fibrous condensation and abscesses.

RESULTS:

There were statistically significant differences between the tissue reactions caused by the two substances being tested, after different experimental periods, with the periapical tissue that was in contact with propolis paste exhibiting fewer inflammatory reactions in comparison to corticosteroid-antibiotic preparation.

CONCLUSIONS:

The low tissue responses from propolis paste suggest that this material could be considered as an option for root canal medication after pulpectomy... Furthermore, the propolis paste was more effective at controlling the inflammatory response over the 28-day experimental period.

Vaccination theory crumbles as science reveals antibodies not necessary to fight viruses

It's good to keep abreast of the evidence which the scientific community itself produces to knock down the reasons orthodox medicine trumpets for following its mainstream practices, otherwise as sure as eggs are eggs it will be 'buried' if it is inconvenient. One such snippet in relation to the role of antibodies is the subject of the article below in Natural News at http://www.naturalnews.com/035371_vaccine_theory_antibodies_viruses.html. It has long been an inconvenient truth, but not generally known by the lay public, that if antibodies to a disease are found in the blood after administration of a vaccine, this is no guarantee of immunity from the disease. And that persons with no antibodies but a strong immune system may be more resistant than those who have been vaccinated since complementary practitioners have often observed that vaccination appears to reduce the overall health of the immune system. Nor do the public generally know that there are many examples in medical literature of heavily vaccinated communities, i.e. those possessing such antibodies, falling victim to precisely the disease they were vaccinated against. The corollary of course, as this blog has pointed out before, is that the idea that the 'herd (has) immunity' by a mass vaccination programme is a myth propagated by the vaccine salesmen and their masters. The sooner it is consigned to the dustbin by the scientific community itself the better.


"(NaturalNews) While the medical, pharmaceutical, and vaccine industries are busy pushing new vaccines for practically every condition under the sun, a new study published in the journal Immunity completely deconstructs the entire vaccination theory. It turns out that the body's natural immune systems, comprised of both innate and adaptive components, work together to ward off disease without the need for antibody-producing vaccines.

The theory behind vaccines is that they mimic infection by spurring B cells, one of the two major types of white blood cells in the immune system, to produce antibodies as part of the adaptive immune system. It is widely believed that these vaccine-induced antibodies, which are part of the more specific adaptive immune system, teach the immune system how to directly respond to an infection before the body becomes exposed to it.

But the new research highlights the fact that innate immunity plays a significant role in fighting infections, and is perhaps more important than adaptive immunity at preventing or fighting infections. In tests, adaptive immune system antibodies were shown unable to fight infection by themselves, which in essence debunks the theory that vaccine-induced antibodies serve any legitimate function in preventing or fighting off infection.

"Our findings contradict the current view that antibodies are absolutely required to survive infection with viruses like VSV (vesicular stomatitis virus), and establish an unexpected function for B cells as custodians of macrophages in antiviral immunity," said Dr. Uldrich H. von Andrian from Harvard Medical School. "It will be important to further dissect the role of antibodies and interferons in immunity against similar viruses that attack the nervous system, such as rabies, West Nile virus, and Encephalitis."

As explained by Dr. Russell Blaylock in a recent interview with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, vaccines not only do not work as advertised, but they actually damage the body's innate immunity. Rather than teach the body how to respond to infections, vaccines actually inhibit the immune system's ability to produce TH2-type cytokines, and suppress cellular immunity, which is how the body protects itself against deadly viruses and bacteria.

So once again, the myth that vaccinations serve any sort of legitimate medical purpose has been deconstructed by breakthrough science. Regardless of whether or not the mainstream medical community wants to admit it, pro-vaccine ideology is increasingly finding itself in the dustheap of outmoded pseudoscience.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035371_vaccine_theory_antibodies_viruses.html#ixzz1qdbEerjT"

Propolis Essential Oil Treats Anxiety and Stress

Propolis contains up to 10% essential oils, more in quantity than most aromatic plants. This could explain why each time we smell propolis or air from the beehive, we experience a nice, relaxing sensation... 

TherapeuticEffects of Propolis Essential Oil on Anxiety of Restraint-Stressed Mice

Hum Exp Toxicol,  2012, February 

Propolishas a broad spectrum of biological activities; however, whether its essentialoils have neuroprotective effects is unknown.

In thisstudy, we found that propolis essential oil (PEO) could significantly reverse theanxiety-like behavior of restraint-stressed mice, and has no effect onlocomotor activity. Furthermore, PEO significantly decreased the plasma levelsof cortisol (CORT), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and malondialdehyde(MDA), whereas it increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) inrestraint-stressed mice.

Theseresults strongly suggest that PEO has therapeutic effects on anxiety throughantagonizing the hyperfunction of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis andimproving the ability of antioxidation in brain tissue.

No Wheat Dairy and Sugar

By Christo Lues

In today’s life many people suffer from allergies, digestive problems like bloatedness and IBS, constipation, weight gain, sinus related problems, eczema, asthma, ADD etc. In the many years I have spent in clinical practice, the single thing that have stood out more than any other is the little or no attention medical professionals give to the role diet plays in a patients health. The medical view is that diet is not important as all foods gets broken down into glucose anyway. They see allergies and digestive problems as disorders, syndromes or illnesses for which the only remedy is a chronic drug or surgical procedure. When a patient asks a doctor whether changing his/her diet will make any difference in their health condition, the answer is a stern NO!

I have never heard of any Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist or Gastroenterologist (specialist in bowl disorders) ask a patient about their diet or recommend a diet change to alleviate their symptoms.

According to these specialist the problem usually lies somewhere inside the body and it needs to be treated, but in actual fact, the problem lies outside the body.

Consider the following analogy;

It is common sense not to eat wood. But if some clever marketing is done to improve the taste, texture, and appearance and if people in authority on nutrition starts proclaiming the health benefits of it, people will eat it. Over time it will become part of their daily diet.

When people start developing digestive issues, allergies and other ailments from eating wood and end up in the doctor’s consulting room, they will leave with a drug to suppress the symptoms of eating wood. No doctor will tell them to simply stop eating wood! Dietitians will tell them they need wood as part of a balanced diet. Fellow humans will tell them that God created wood, so it must be ok - how can we live without eating wood.

If they meet someone with some remaining common sense, they are amazed (if they follow the advice) that they got well by simply changing their diet - avoiding wood.

Most problems of people I consult with on a daily basis, is the diet. We live in a society where people will eat just about anything, as long as it tastes great, has the CANSA or Heart Foundation stamp on it and is fat free. Although people are very particular about what kind of oil or fuel they put in their expensive vehicles, they seem oblivious to the fact that the body, a far more delicate machine is affected by what they consume. This is affirmed by specialist doctors and dietitians that keep hammering it into people’s heads that you can eat everything and that diet plays no role in your health - just eat a balanced diet and you don’t need any supplements. 

In a World filled with lies, the Truth is often more bizarre than the Lie

There are THREE main culprits in the daily diet, and the first is wheat. Read on...

Five Reasons Why Honey Heals

Honey is good, natural "medicine" for everyone - inside and out. So take it daily or rub it on and treat your body well and bee healthy...

Honey’s ‘healing powers’ can be summarised into 5 main ingredients or activities of the components of honey

Scientific American, 2012, March 21

Hydrogen peroxide – Honey contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase which breaks down glucose sugars and generates hydrogen peroxide, a kind of bleach, when there is free water available. In case you missed the antimicrobial component it was friggin BLEACH IN YOUR HONEY. I can feel you wondering why bees would bleach their own food supply and it turns out that is very simple. Any available water can cause the honey to spoil so the presence of glucose oxidase in the honey is an inbuilt anti-spoiling mechanism, pretty smart huh?

photos of honey-healed wound in 3 weeks 

Sugar – The hydrogen peroxide control mechanism is a back up as very little free water exists in honey. The lack of free water is due to the vast amount of sugar dissolved into honey which gives it a low water activity. This essentially means that honey is more likely to take up water from its surroundings than have water removed from it and if you are a micro-organism it makes it very difficult to survive.

Methylglyoxal or MGO – This compound is an incredibly interesting and powerful antibacterial compound but, it is only found in certain natural honeys (Manuka honey from New Zealand) although it can be made in artificial greenhouses as well. This is the stuff that is making honey a potentially very useful topical salve (with the possibility of other forms of treatment being considered) in medical honey treatments such as MediHoney.

Bee Defensin 1 – Bee Defensin is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) that for a long time was thought to be exclusively found in the Royal Jelly (The food worker bees make for potential Queen larve). But fairly recent discoveries have found it in the honey, but more on AMPs in a second.

Acidity – Finally, honey is fairly acidic and remains so even when diluted holding a pH of approximately 3.5. Nothing that likes eating you particularly likes living in acid so this property is very important.

No single property is more important than the others and the multifactorial nature of honey’s activities is probably the key to its amazing antimicrobial nature. Having said this, Bee Defensin 1 and other identified AMPs in honey such as Apidaecin may have much more involved roles that are only recently being uncovered...

Interestingly,apidaecins seem to also have the ability to alter the host immune system bymodifying chemotaxis (movement of cells in the immune system), apoptosis(induced cell death), cytokine/chemokine production (the production ofsignalling chemicals which direct the immune response), antigen presentationand the Th1/Th2 balance (whether you fight the nasty with B cells or T cells).

In mostcases the ability of apidaecins (and their homologues) to modulate the immunesystem has been done in the the organism the AMP was originally recovered frombut some recent work sugests the potential for insect apidaecin to have acrossover effect on a mammalian system. While apidaecin is insect derived itappears to be sufficiently similar in shape to human AMPs that it can interactwith and modify the activity of our immune system. When macrophages inparticular were incubated with apidaecin they started pumping out chemokinesand cytokines that promote increased antimicrobial activity in these cells...

While onlypreliminary, it seems honey and its various components might have more secretsto unveil which will further develop our understanding of the anti-microbialnature of this environmental product and at the same time its pro-immuneresponses elicited when we use it.

Latest Designer Dress Patterns for Men and Women

Fashionable clothes have become a style statement with different types of dresses for both men and women. Today designers provide different options and bring forth some of the best collections of the year. Various types of fabrics are used to manufacture various types of dresses for men and women. Today a wide assortment of men’s fashion wear is available in many of the online stores at attractive price rates. The online stores are flooded with different attractive dresses for women too.

Latest Dress Patterns

Including some of the best designer dress patterns in your wardrobe is one way to remain fashionable and trendy. It is important to include some of best patterns and color combination while choosing the latest trendy dresses. Fashionable clothes are available in different colors, patterns, designs and textures. The demand for latest and trendy dresses has surpassed the demand for regular types of clothes.

Some of the latest designer dress patterns include various beautiful varieties of sarees, salwar suits, formal suits, gowns and evening dresses. Some of the latest patterns of sarees include designer sarees of different varieties. Most of these include a perfect blend of exotic colors, fabrics and designs that are quite incomparable. It is quite difficult to find the same varieties of clothes elsewhere.

Evening gowns have also taken the fashion market by storm. Different exquisite types of gowns made in rich fabrics have entered the fashion world. Evening gowns in rich colors which include black, red, green, and grey are some of the exotic collections of gowns available today. Light floral colored gowns are also popular in this season.

Gowns with beautiful and light floral patterns are also quite popular these days. It can be worn to parties and social events. Flowing gowns of different styles and designs are the latest trends among evening gowns. Designer dress patterns also include dresses adorned with ribbon work, velvet patches, crystals, diamonds, zari work, embroidery patterns and so forth. Most of the designers use some of the most expensive fabrics such as raw silk, pure silk, shimmer georgette, crepe, shimmer net and brocade.

Latest Trendy Wear for Men

Men’s designer clothes include different types of clothes such as kurtha pyjamas, T-shirts, casual shirts, pants, suits, sherwani, jeans and cargos. All these varied trendy dresses are made available for men in almost all the online stores today.

Sherwani suits and kurta pyjamas appear chic and elegant. These fashionable outfits can be worn on special occasions such as wedding functions, social events and parties. The kurtha pyjamas are comfortable and fashionable at the same time. It is both ethnic and chic with the inclusion of various innovative designs and patterns. Modern designers have incorporated western designs into the existing patterns to create unique designs in men’s outfits.

There are a number of online stores that showcase a variety of men’s sherwani, kurta pyjamas and other outfits. Exquisite wedding outfits for both men and women are also available in the online stores. Ranging from ethnic to western, the online and offline stores are hoarded with a variety of designer wear for men and women.