Celebrating 10 YearsServing the Community
It has been quite an adventure since I took over the store in July 2013. A true passion of mine realized: being able to help people improve their health naturally. A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone in the community for their continued support. Discovering and sharing the healing benefits of new and ancient modalities by improving someone’s health is such a rewarding feeling. I am always excited to receive feedback about customers’ experiences and what they have learned from suggestions we have made or researched. After all, we are here to help each other.
Sometimes we need to stop and listen to our bodies; that’s some of the best advice I can give my customers. However, sometimes I forget to take my own advice! Last summer, I was stung by a wasp, but I kept working and ignored the sting on my elbow. By evening, I was applying Nature’s Aid, lavender oil, colloidal silver with aloe gel and arnica externally. Internally, I took homeopathic remedies Apis and Arnica, both good for insect stings and swelling. I should have found some plantain on the lawn (many people have it but consider it a weed), chewed it up and placed it on the sting area. Years ago, my husband was stung by a mud wasp and he was in a lot of pain. I chewed up a leaf of plantain and put it on his finger. About 20 minutes later, I asked how his finger was; he actually could not recall which finger got stung. Amazing, but that’s Mother Nature!
Originating from Europe, plantain is often recognized by its 5 to 7 very prominent parallel veins that run from tip to base on an oval-shaped green leaf with a cylindrical spike flower head. It not only has a fibrous root system but also a tap root. Often found on roadsides, lawns and bare areas, this plant is used in herbal medicine both internally and externally. It can be applied topically to heal wounds as it has anti-inflammatory properties, partly due to the glycosides and flavonoids it contains. Plantain has itch-relieving properties; it can be used for drawing out splinters, insect stingers, healing cuts, scrapes, sores, rashes, insect bites, burns and dermatitis. Whenever I have used plantain, it has given me immediate relief. I’m sure if I’d used plantain right away, I would not have had the reaction I did. It was incredibly itchy and swollen; I even used rubbing alcohol. To help the histamine reaction, I took Histaminum Hydrochloricum, another great homeopathic remedy. The sooner we treat an injury, the sooner it gets better or, in some cases, stops it in its tracks. I have both experienced and learned in my classes that there is a remedy nature has provided close by. You just need to learn what they are.
In defense of wasps, sometimes getting a better understanding of nature can give us a different perspective. Wasps become more aggressive towards the end of summer. You see, they have worked so hard all season to feed the larvae and all of a sudden, the Queen no longer releases pheromones, which kept the wasp working, giving them a purpose. At this time, fewer larvae are being produced and workers are no longer needed. With no larvae and no pheromones, it is time to leave the nest and, unlike bees, there is no storage of food to last over the winter. As a result, their routine and food supply come to an abrupt halt; the wasps are left with no home, are jobless, disoriented and hungry. So hungry, they can become aggressive. Larvae can eat solid food, but adult wasps cannot digest solids. Instead, they gravitate towards you with your sugary drinks and fruit. A good solution: put juice or sugar water in a dish away from where you sit outdoors so you can enjoy your space and the wasps can enjoy theirs. We need wasps to survive. They are important pollinators, a crucial part of the circle of life and they help prevent us from being overrun by other garden pests.
Drinking water is always important and summertime can be extra dehydrating. We need to keep our fluids as well as electrolytes balanced. Remineralize your body by adding trace minerals to your drinking water, including reverse osmosis, distilled water and to your cooking.
Compared to our grandparents and great-grandparents, our soils are greatly depleted due to farming practices that incorporate chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, lack of crop rotation and not leaving the land fallow. The depletion of minerals affects our plants, resulting in our foods lacking nutrition, causing many deficiencies in both animals and humans. Research shows a decline from 6% to 38% in the nutritional value of foods compared to 50 years ago, including phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin C, iron, protein, calcium and numerous other vitamins. For every orange you ate 50 years ago, you need to eat about 8 to receive the same nutritional value.
Getting a pristine source of trace minerals is a challenge. Aussie Trace Minerals chose an area of the world where only 12% of the population lives, in a remote part of the ocean between Southern Australia and Antarctica. It is an area that contains fewer people, next to no industry and where millions of life forms live in this amazing ecosystem. These life forms break down minerals, making them more bioavailable for our bodies to absorb and utilize. This results in over 70 minerals, including high amounts of magnesium.
Not only can you remineralize on the inside, but you can also mineralize the outside by helping your soil. Iron Earth remineralizes by replacing lost minerals and nutrients. Made of natural shale rock, it is approved for organic use. It is a slow-release multi-vitamin soil supplement. Humates, vitamins and minerals are released each time you water, yielding healthier, hardier flowers and vegetables—a great garden solution!
Having your hands in the Earth while gardening is very grounding. To clean your hands without drying out your skin, Northumberland’s Gardener’s soap is rich in olive oil and cocoa butter, loaded with fine ground pumice and green clay, with the fresh scent of rosemary essential oil. A nice ending to a beautiful day outside with Mother Nature. l
Maryanne Lightfoot is the business owner of Sunflower Health Shop & Services, certified in Integrative Medicine.
As with any product always check with your health care practitioner to make sure it is right for you. A personal program is always a good idea as each of us are individuals and we all respond differently.
This article is intended for informational purposes only. This publication is not engaged in rendering medical advice and the information provided does not substitute professional medical opinion. The opinions, views and commentaries of the author are not necessarily the opinions of Maracle Inc or its ownership group and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical conditions. Please consult a qualified medical professional.
Maryanne Lightfoot
Maryanne Lightfoot is the business owner of Sunflower Health Shop & Services, certified in Integrative Medicine.
