Benefit Of DIY Natural Homemade Gifts

BY Keoi Magill, ACHS Graduate Certificate in Aromatherapy

We all have much to gain by making our own homemade natural gifts. Anyone can run into a store and buy something off the shelf. But, when you put the time, thought, and energy into making gifts for those you love, the receiver knows that they are special to you.

By using natural materials you are also promoting a green lifestyle. Giving gifts that are natural to friends who have not experienced the benefits of organic products can be quite the eye opener. You will be introducing an eco-friendly lifestyle to someone who may be inexperienced. Plus, typically it costs more to purchase something already made, so you will save money as well.

Making DIY natural gifts can reduce stress. With all the hustle and bustle that life throws at us, spending the time doing something creative can be a form of meditation, calming and exhilarating you all at the same time. It can remove the worry about duplicating something your loved ones already have: your gift is original and one of a kind.

Handmade gifts can be problem solvers and time savers, especially for those on our holiday list who we never know what to give. No more wandering around trying to find that just-right gift. As long as we follow good manufacturing practices, quality assurance is guaranteed when we make natural gifts. We know that our gifts are toxic free and will not harm the environment or our family and friends.

In the truest spirit of the holiday season, there is nothing that we can do that is more rewarding than to make do-it-yourself homemade natural gifts.

For a free holiday recipe book, download the Apothecary Shoppe Holiday Recipe Guide HERE.

Green Your Life while you earn credit

In case you haven't heard...

ACHS is hosting an exciting wellness retreat October 4-9, the ACHS Green Your Life Retreat at Breitenbush retreat center in Oregon.

And now we have even more exciting news—attend, and you earn 1 elective credit towards your ACHS diploma or degree.

You'll have the opportunity to meet and learn with experts such as:

• Plant Identification Walk with ACHS President Dorene Petersen and Essential Oil Company President Robert Seidel
• Essential Oil Distillation with Robert Seidel
• Children's Health with Deborah Halvorson
• Iridology with Dorene Petersen

>> Click here for more information.

Imagine an opportunity to relax, explore your wellness potential, and get hands-on holistic health experience while you earn credit towards your ACHS diploma or degree.

Call us today at (800) 487-8839 or click here to securely register online. We look forward to helping you green your life!

Being Green: simple environmentally friendly habits from Scientific American

We all know the big ones: leave the car at home, don't waste electricity, and recycle. But, there are many more less obvious, equally simple ways to green your lifestyle. In their article "Being Green: 11 Environmentally Friendly Habits," Scientific American outlines some little-known tips that you can start using today. Here are some highlights:

1. Chemical Decoder
Read the label on your body care products. You're likely to find chemicals in the fine print: "Is polyquater­nium-10 safe for you and everything that lives downstream from your shower drain? And why do toothpastes and toilet bowl cleaners share some ingredients?"

For information about the chemicals in household products, cosmetics, and body care products, checkout the Green Media Toolshed’s Scorecard (www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/), the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) and the National Library of Medicine’s Toxicology Data Network (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov).

2. Hand-held Energy Savers
Replace electric-powered with hand-powered tools. Some suggestions: the can opener, coffee grinder, juicer, stick blender, and the electric knife.

3. Go Outside
According to Scientific American, "Sending a kid outside to play can improve his or her concentration and fight climate change. A study published in 2008 by researchers at the University of Illinois found that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who took walks outdoors raised their attentiveness scores and that kids who walked in natural settings did better than those who walked city streets. A dose of nature was just as effective as a dose of Ritalin. Of course, the more time kids spend playing outdoors the less time they’ll spend at video-game consoles—which consume an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, about four times the output of Hoover Dam."

To read the full length article, click here.

Earth Day is a celebration of health: help your body to thrive

In honor of Earth Day, a celebration of life and health, ACHS wants to support your choice to live well. Now through April 26, 2009, we are offering 20% off your entire purchase of earth friendly products made through the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store.

When you purchase sustainable products, you protect the environment, but you also take a further step toward protecting your personal health. Help your body to thrive. Purchase organic, spray and synthetic-free products whenever possible.

Stock up on EcoCert organic, sustainably wildcrafted herbs and essential oils, do-it-yourself natural body care kits, health reference texts, flower essences, gardening supplies, and a wide variety of holistic health resources.

CLICK HERE for 20% off your entire purchase of earth friendly gifts.
Offer expires April 26, 2009.

Did you know...
In 1970, 20 million celebrated the first Earth Day. Founded by John Gardener, Founder of Common Cause, Earth Day started as a grassroots celebration of the planet, which continues today.

Health: what we eat and how much matters

"Thanks to a new tool called Life Cycle Analysis, scientists can pinpoint much more precisely what foods produce those climate-warming gases, and what stage in their "life cycle" is most carbon intensive," according to an article by Leslie Cole which in the April 21 Oregonian, "Your climate-friendly kitchen." [...] "The results," the article continues, "show some clear steps all of us can take to a more climate-friendly diet."

To build a "low-carbon diet," Cole suggests:

More green, less moo.
To eat green, vegetables should be the focus of your meal. Meat and dairy products should be kept to a minimum, because "livestock products account for more than half of the food sector's contribution to greenhouse gases."

Kick the can.
Food, when thrown into landfills, releases methane gas. Instead, compost food waste and buy only what you need.

Keep it real.
Real foods--or whole foods--are better than processed foods. Eat an apple instead of apple juice, a potato instead of potato chips, because "new research shows that food production, not transportation, takes the heaviest toll on the environment."

Buy foods in season.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables preserves energy, because "processing requires energy, which uses fossil fuel and creates emissions."

Break your bag habit.
Plastic bags are made from petroleum, so they fill our landfills, landscapes, and waterways without breaking down.

CLICK HERE for more information about holistic nutrition.

© Cole, Leslie. "Your climate-friendly kitchen," The Oregonian. 21 April 2009.

Spring allergy relief with natural remedies

Springtime allergies can put a damper on even the sunniest day. But—they don’t have to. If you’ve relied upon store-bought allergy medications in the past—and have been disappointed—this is the season for a more holistic approach to allergies.

Studies show that allergies are often a reaction to a combination of things. For many, budding spring plant life and pollen are irritants. But other, more hidden irritants include: food allergies, environmental irritants (such as, chemical-based cleaners, room sprays, and dryer sheets), and dust.

The good news: There are several alternative products and strategies you can use to sooth your allergies. The benefits: health tools like supplements, herbs, essential oils, and lifestyle modifications are natural, cost effective, and can work fairly quickly to bring relief.

Here are 8 tips for tackling your allergies naturally:

1. Incorporate native plants into your diet.
2. Eat 1-2 tablespoons of local, raw honey every morning.
3. Diffuse peppermint essential oil throughout your home and, or office.
4. Add fresh herbs to a hot bath and deeply breathe in the steam.
5. Take supplements, including: echinacea, goldenseal, and vitamin C.
6. Clean and dust regularly. You don’t have to use chemicals; a steam mop works great.
7. Exercise. Physical activity strengths the body and boosts immunity. Try to exercise outside in the early morning, before allergens kick up.
8. Facial massage is a simple way to relive pressure built-up in the sinus.

For more information about holistic nutrition or soothing allergies with homeopathic remedies, visit the Australasian College www.achs.edu.

Holistic Tip of the Week

This new blog, sponsored by Australasian College of Health Sciences USA, is a place to share holistic tips for a healthy sustainable lifestyle. Each week, the author of the most popular tip will receive a $25 gift card!