Clearing Clutter for Holsitic Health Featured on NAHA Aromatherapy Blog

"Clearing Clutter for Holistic Health," originally featured in the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) January newsletter, is now available on the NAHA blog as an E-News Going Green article as well.

Here are a few of the aromatherapy tips featured in the article by ACHS President Dorene Petersen:

1. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil has been shown to repel mice, so put cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil in areas where you suspect a mouse problem. (Avoid placing the cotton balls in areas that are accessible to children and pets).

2. Check your oils. While some oils like Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides) will last for years if stored correctly, others (like the citrus oils) will begin to oxidize after a few months. (It is best to store your citrus essential oils in the fridge.) If you've taken the time to train your olfactory memory, you may be able to discern when your oils are past their best. No need to throw them out: Use them to clean the house! (But avoid skin contact as oxidized citrus essential oils can cause irritation.) And don't use them to wash the dog: Fido's skin is sensitive too!

3. Aromatherapy baths are an effective relaxation activity, and also a great reward for accomplishing a goal. To create a soothing aromatherapeutic bath, try a blend of Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and Rose (Rosa damascena).

To read the full-length article, including tips for clearing clutter and promoting optimum health, check out the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy blog here: http://worldofaromatherapy.blogspot.com/

Relief Efforts in Haiti: How to Help

A brief report posted to the World Health Organization website today says that "quickly delivering and coordinating life-saving care" to Haiti is "an immediate priority." Several major healthcare facilities have been damaged or destroyed, many people have yet to be recovered from the rubble, and several survivors have incurred serious injuries.

Here is a list of organizations supplied by The Washington Post where you can donate to specific relief efforts:

United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
Mercy Corps
Save the Children
International Red Cross
World Vision
Catholic Relief Services
UNICEF
International Medical Corps
Network for Good
CARE
Operation USA
Operation Blessing International
Convoy of Hope
The Global Syndicate
GlobalGiving
Beyond Borders
Community Coalition for Haiti
International Orthodox Christian Charities
Baptist World Aid
Doctors Without Borders
Habitat for Humanity
Action Against Hunger
Direct Relief International
B'nai B'rith International
Bright Hope
Hope for Haiti
American Jewish World Service
World Relief
TractorShare
American Friends Service Committee
Food for the Poor
CHF International
The Lambi Fund of Haiti
Islamic Relief USA
United Way Worldwide
International Organization for Migration
Food for the Hungry

In addition, there are several organizations accepting donations via text message. They include:

• Text the word "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 on behalf of the Yele Haiti Foundation, founded by Haitian musician Wyclef Jean.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 85944 to donate $5 on behalf of the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 25383 to donate $5 on behalf of the Internal Rescue Committee.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 864833 to donate $5 to United Way Worldwide's disaster fund.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 on behalf of the American Red Cross.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 45678 (in Canada only) on behalf of the Salvation Army in Canada.

Colloidal Silver Banned Throughout the European Union

As of January 1, 2010, colloidal silver has been banned throughout the European Union. Colloidal silver can no longer be sold as a nutritional supplement in any health food store in the EU, and could, according to health freedom reports, meet a similar fate in the U.S. The health blog Colloidal Silver Secrets is expected to post a report on this ban, including information from European health freedom groups, soon.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) website, colloidal silver is typically marketed as a dietary supplement and consists of "tiny silver particles suspended in liquid." Silver has a medicinal history dating back centuries, though, according to NCCAM, "modern drugs have eliminated most of those uses." A handful of prescription drugs containing silver are still available, such as silver nitrate, which can be used for prevent conjunctivitis in newborn babies and certain skin conditions.

Colloidal silver is usually taken by mouth, although there are forms that can be sprayed, applied directly to the skin, or injected into a vein. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "does not consider colloidal silver to be safe or effective for treating any disease or condition." To learn more about dietary supplements and their regulation, check out the NCCAM Using Dietary Supplements Wisely page.

For more information about colloidal silver and health freedom, check out the article "Silver--Safe, Effective, Dangerous to Big Pharma" featured on the Health Freedom USA website.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and reflections about this ban. Please take a moment to post a brief comment. Thanks!

Image © iStockphoto.com, Donall O Cleirigh, http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative-medicines/colloidal-silver.htm

ACHS is now participating in Portland Composts!

The ACHS offices and Apothecary Shoppe College Store are now participating in Portland Composts!, a program through the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Portland Composts! is a voluntary program, which will allow ACHS to keep their food wastes like food scraps and food-soiled papers out of the landfill, and to instead to keep wastes like food scraps and food-soiled papers out of the landfill and to help make nutrient-rich compost instead.

Where will the waste go for composting? It will be sent to the Cedar Grove Composting facility in Maple Valley, Washington, and the bagged compost will be available for purchase at Portland-area home improvement stores.

Click here for more information about the Portland Composts! program, FAQs, and a complete list of what can be composted: http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=41682

ABC teams with Healing Quest to create new segments about popular herbs

The American Botanical Council (ABC) has teamed up with Healing Quest to record segments for "Herbal Insights." Healing Quest is a public television show co-hosted by Olivia Newton-John featuring interviews with Mark Blumenthal, Deepak Chopra, MD, Andrew Weil, MD, and Marianne Williamson, among others.

The "Herbal Insights" segments are scheduled to run throughout the year. To find out when "Herbal Insights" will be aired near you, contact your local PBS station.

The first seven segments of "Herbal Insights" will profile the popular herbs chamomile (Matricaria recutita), peppermint (Mentha x piperita), ginger (Zingiber officinale), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), senna (Senna alexandrina), and slippery elm (Ulma rubra) bark.

To watch a Healing Quest segment featuring ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal, click on the link: http://www.healingquest.tv/docs/vidclips.html

ABC's Mark Blumenthal Clarifies Ginkgo Study on Health Talk Radio Show

The American Botanical Council (ABC) released a statement yesterday announcing that Mark Blumenthal, ABC founder and executive director, has "been working to publicly address misconceptions about ginkgo, resulting from a recent high-profile study."

Blumenthal was recently interviewed by Dr. Ronald Hoffman for the show Health Talk. During the interview, Blumenthal talked about a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which "reported that a leading ginkgo extract did not reduce cognitive decline in older adults. Blumenthal pointed out that this study had many significant limitations, and he highlighted some of the many positive studies indicating ginkgo's effectiveness."

Here is a link to the press release the American Botanical Council sent out addressing the "limitations" of the JAMA study: http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=9801.0

Blumenthal's interview is available for download as a podcast here: http://www.wor710.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4294989

ACHS donates to Oregon Food Bank to help combat local hunger

In this past year, Portland, Oregon, home of ACHS, has experienced increased demand for food donations. Like many cities in the U.S., people have been displaced by economic challenges and to maintain good health, need a stable food source for themselves and their families.

To help battle hunger in our local community, ACHS collected canned food at some of our 2009 Open House events, in our Apothecary Shoppe College Store, and from our faculty and staff. All donations were deposited with the Oregon Food Bank to help feed families during the holidays.

But hunger knows no season. The Oregon Food Bank, and similar organizations, need donations year-round to help support the health and vitality of your local community. We encourage you to seek out the local food bank or donation center in your community and see what kinds of donations they are in need of. Maybe you could organize a New Year food drive in your neighborhood, among your co-workers, or even just among your friends and family. Every donation helps to make a difference.

You can use this link to find a food bank in your community: http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

Image (c) http://www.flickr.com/photos/robhowells87/3632207340/sizes/l/#cc_license