Natural Seasonal and Cold Supports for Kids

Seasonal bugs can be a real bummer, especially for kids on winter break. You want to do something to help them, but what?

Here are some great ideas from American College adjunct instructor Deborah Halvorson, BA, Dip Aroma, RA, which appeared in one of our earlier blog posts, "How to Support Your Kid's Health Naturally."

1. For cold or flu with a fever, Deborah recommends a combination of lemon (Citrus limonum) and marjoram (Origanum marjorana) essential oils. Lemon may help reduce the fever, and marjoram traditionally has been used for respiratory infections and to help with sleep. To use these essential oils, blend 10 drops of lemon with 5 drops of marjoram; then add 1 drop of the blend into a warm bath before bedtime or nap time, or use the blend in a nebulizing diffuser.

2. If your child is experiencing nasal congestion or sinus infection, you can use essential oils with steam inhalation. For children older than 5, use the ratio of 3-5 drops of essential oil to 6 cups of water. To make the inhalation, boil the water and pour into a bowl, and then add the essential oils. Have the child inhale the steam, and be sure to remind them to keep their eyes closed and their face 8-12 inches from the bowl.

To use steam inhalation with children younger than 5, do not have them directly inhale the steam. Rather, place the bowl in the room with the child, and the essential oils will disperse into the air through the steam.

3. If your child is willing to drink tea, a warm tea with honey (no honey for children younger than 12 months) can be soothing and comforting. Deborah recommends lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) for use with fever and to help calm fussy children. For use with coughs and achiness, lemon balm can also be combined with peppermint and chamomile (Matricaria recutita).

For more great ideas, read the original post "How to Support Your Kid's Health Naturally" here.

>>What works best for you and your family? Have a tea recipe the kids will "like"? We'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave your comments.

*This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent disease. You should always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making changes to your health and wellness routine. In an emergency situation, call 911.

Propolis and Cranberries Prevent Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Propolis proves its worth, once  again as an ideal complementary therapy against resistant strains of bacteria. With the restorative effectiveness of Propolis in the mucous linings of the body and coupled with Cranberry PACs, this study also reveals how Propolis enhances the effects of other treatment protocols.

Propolis Can Potentialise the Anti-Adhesion Activity of proanthocyanidins on Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

BMC Research Notes, 2011, Nov 29

Background:

Escherichia coli, the main bacteria found in recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI), is now frequently resistant to several currently used antibiotic treatments making new solutions essential. In this study, we evaluated the association of propolis and proanthocyanidins type A to reduce bacterial anti-adhesion activity of E. coli on urothelial cells.

Results:

This first double-blind, randomized, cross-over human trial included 5 volunteers that followed 6 different regimens with or without variable doses of cranberry and propolis with a washout period of at least 1 week between each regimen. Urine samples were collected at 0 h, 4-6 h, 12 h and 24 h after cranberry plus propolis or placebo capsule consumption. In vivo urinary bacterial anti-adhesion activity was assessed with a bioassay (a human T24 epithelial cell-line assay) and an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans model. HPLC-PDA-MS was used to detect propolis and cranberry compounds in urine.

Bioassays indicated significant bacterial anti-adhesion activity in urine collected from volunteers who had consumed cranberry plus propolis powder compared to placebo (p < 0.001). This inhibition was clearly dose-dependent, increasing with the amount of PACs and propolis equivalents consumed in each regimen.

Results suggested that propolis had an additional effect with PACs and prevent a bacterial anti-adhesion effect over 1 day. An in vivo model showed that the E. coli strain presented a reduced ability to kill C. elegans after their growth in urine samples of patients who took cranberry plus propolis capsules. HPLC confirmed that propolis is excreted in urine.

Conclusions:

This study presents an alternative to prevent recurrent UTI. Administration of PACs plus propolis once daily offers some protection against bacterial adhesion, bacterial multiplication and virulence in the urinary tract, representing an interesting new strategy to prevent recurrent UTI.

An Herbal Approach to Winter Wellness

This time of year, there are a lot of germs on the loose. To support your immune system naturally, there are several herbs that are beneficial as part of your herbal medicine cabinet.

In addition to their flavorful and nutritious contributions to daily meals, herbs like garlic, ginger, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme contain essential oils, which have some antibacterial and antiviral activity.

For example, garlic (Allium sativum) can be a useful support for infections and colds, while parsely (Petroselinum crispum) can be a useful support for healthy digestion; it also can be used as an expectorant. Expectorant herbs help loosen chest congestion.

Here are some simple, do-it-yourself herbal recipes you can use to help keep you and your family healthy all winter long.

Garlic Syrup Sore Throat Support

• 4 cloves garlic (Allium sativum)
• 4-T honey

Directions: Crush the garlic. Soak the crushed cloves in honey for 2-4 hours. Sip on this honey mixture every 1/2-hour. This is a useful remedy for children who may find the taste of garlic unpleasant.

Ginger Infusion

• ½-oz ginger (Zingiber officinale) root, cut
• 1-pt boiling water

Directions: Steep the ginger in the boiling water for 15 to 30 minutes. Lemon and honey can be added. Strain. Use 4-6-T three times a day. Store the infusion in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

>> To learn more about herbal medicine classes from the American College of Healthcare Sciences, visit http://www.achs.edu/course.aspx?id=2

>>Which herbs are an essential part of your herbal medicine cabinet? Why? We'd love to hear more about your favorite herbs and feel free to post recipes, too!

Image by Steven Foster. Reproduced under license.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information has been provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. You should always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health routine. For more information about how to use herbs safely, consult with your primary care physician, naturopathic doctor, or Registered Herbalist. In an emergency, call 911.

Propolis Alleviates Oxidative Stress from Carcinogens

Possessing anti-tumor, anti-carcinogenic properties, Propolis can help humans, mammals and even aquatic animals! Wikipedia states, "...chromium is recognized as a human carcinogen... exposure known to occur among workers who handle chromate-containing products as well as those who perform welding, grinding or brazing on stainless steel"...

Antioxidant Effect of Propolis Against Exposure to Chromium in Cyprinus carpio

Environmental Toxicology, 2011 Nov 4

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ameliorative properties of propolis against the toxic effects of chromium (VI) by examining oxidative damage markers such as lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant defence system components in carp (Cyprinus carpio).

The fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations of chromium. Propolis was simultaneously administered to chromium-exposed fish. Treatment was continued for 28 days, and at the end of this period, blood and tissue (liver, kidney, spleen, and gill) samples were collected. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were determined in blood and tissues for measurement of oxidant-antioxidant status.

The levels of MDA, as an index of lipid peroxidation, increased in blood and tissues. Antioxidant enzyme activities in blood and tissues were modified in chromium groups compared to controls. Simultaneous administration of propolis ameliorated these parameters.

The present results suggest that administration of propolis might alleviate chromium-induced oxidative stress.

Royal Jelly Possesses Skin-Whitening, Therapeutic Properties

perhaps a correlation between the naturally, occuring Pantothenic Acid in Royal Jelly and its affect on skin cell development...

Royal Jelly Reduces Melanin Synthesis Through Down-Regulation of Tyrosinase Expression

Am J ChinMed, 2011, Vol. 39, Issue 6

For cosmetic reasons, the demand for effective and safe skin-whitening agents is high. Since the key enzyme in the melanin synthetic pathway is tyrosinase, many depigmenting agents in the treatment of hyperpigmentation act as tyrosinase inhibitors.

In this study, we have investigated the hypo-pigmentary mechanism of royal jelly in a mouse melanocyte cell line, B16F1. Treatment of B16F1 cells with royal jelly markedly inhibited melanin biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Decreased melanin content occurred through the decrease of tyrosinase activity. The mRNA levels of tyrosinase were also reduced by royal jelly.

These results suggest that royal jelly reduces melanin synthesis by down-regulation of tyrosinase mRNA transcription and serves as a new candidate in the design of new skin-whitening or therapeutic agents...

Indian Packaging Industry, An Overview

The success of the business sector is often hard-pressed upon the marketing sector but in actual there are many other sub-sectors or segments which combine well to enhance the commercial aspects of any business. One such important segment is the packaging aspect. Any product irrespective of its capacity has a shelf life and this shelf life depends heavily on the packaging capacities. Packaging is the process of enclosing products for the purpose of protection during storage, distribution, sale and use.

Be it the food products’ segment or the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry, the packaging companies and sector supports a good range of product based companies. Unlike United States and Europe, a good percentage of the Indian packaging industry is still considered a part of the small to medium scale industry with vendors and agencies offering this aspect for many production companies.

Many bigger entities, more so those having a global presence have their own packaging divisions directly coordinating with the logistic departments. All in all, the packaging sector in India gets clubbed as follows:

• In-house packaging divisions of product based companies
• Outsourcing of packaging requirements to vendors

There is however a third type of packaging service provider aspect popular with the multinational companies where the main company itself detaches a part to form a service based entity. It is like a product based company parting with its service based part for better efficiency.

Packaging, labeling, logistics, marketing, warehousing, transportation etc. are some services which often get clubbed via such set-ups within bigger companies. The main industry indirectly governs the smaller entities, and on the other hand it is often seen that the efficiency, effectiveness and results of such smaller in-house set-ups have been heartening.

The Indian packaging industry like fraternities the world over, works via 3 core aspects as follows:

• Packaging machines
• Packaging processes
• Customizations and other arrangements

Packaging processes correspond to packaging machines and these in turn correspond to the requirements. There are many customized packaging machines and arrangements catering to specific needs of the product industry. Lastly, the Indian packaging industry depends on many other processes like labeling, transportation etc. to a good extent.

A Synopsis of Ophthalmic Instruments

The branch of medicine accommodating the study of all the aspects of the eye is known as ophthalmology. Hence, an ophthalmologist is a professional specialized in surgical and medical eye problems. Like any other science, the scope and capacity of ophthalmology also corresponds to the capability of a number of instruments, clubbed as ophthalmic instruments.

There are many commonly used ophthalmic instruments which many of us can relate to, and there are many not-so-common instruments as well which come into play rarely during complex eye based surgeries. A list of all such instruments is mentioned as below:

• Spectacles
• Contact lenses
• Tonometers
• Many types of knives
• Different types of speculum
• Phoropter
• Different types of needle holders
• Forceps
• Entropion clamp
• Cystitome
• Nettleship's punctum dilator
• Vectis
• Canula
• Castroveijo's calipers
• All types of scissors
• Bone punches
• Rougine
• Retractor
• Lid plates
• Surgical scalpel
• Bowman's lacrimal probe
• Lens expressor
• McNamar's spoon
• Charts for vision
• Iris repository
• Red green goggles
• Strabismus hook
• Prisms
• Pin-hole
• Placido's disc
• Retinoscope

The list is endless, and can accommodate many other instruments. Spectacles and contact lenses which are used to correct errors of eyes, are often considered a part of ophthalmic solutions but a majority of scientific journals put these into the segment of ophthalmic instruments. Later there are certain instruments which are clubbed as a group but have many sub-segments (types) available.

These include knives, needle holders, speculum, forceps etc. Types of knifes include von graefe's cataract knife, tookes' knife, crescent knife while common needle holders include silcock's needle holder, arruga's needle holder and barraquer's needle holders. Commonly used forceps are artery forceps, fixation forcep, plain dissecting forceps, Iris forceps, elschnig's intracapsular forceps, colibri forceps, capsulotomy forceps etc.

While the field of speculum’s get categorized as universal eye speculum, guarded eye speculum and wire speculum. As each instrument has a specific requirement, purchasing is often done in sets. Sets are 2 pieces of each instrument while a single unit of infrequently used instruments.