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Across America, we know the months from October to March as “cold and flu season.” Peak times vary from year to year, but most commonly February is recorded to be the month with the most cases of the flu. Over the last 35 years, February topped the charts fifteen times (yikes!). In addition to the flu, other respiratory viruses are also more prevalent during this time, particularly rhinovirus and the all-to-well-known, respiratory simplex virus (RSV).

Making matters worse, cold and flu season also lands right during the holiday season when traveling is at its highest. This only increases the chances for spreading these many bugs and diseases. So, what is one to do? Cold and flu season is inevitable, and going outside almost always is too, but that does not mean we have to be doomed to the fateful reality of this sickie time. Prevention is key, and there are many steps we can take to support our health and immune system, especially during these frigid months. 

Last month we celebrated the Winter Solstice, which marked the shortest day of the year. December 21, 2018 brought not a single ray of sunlight to places like the North Pole, located at the very top of the Northern Hemisphere. Regardless of where you are living, the hours of sunshine are significantly shorter in the winter months than in the summer months. Compounding the issue further, winter tends to bring more gloomy and overcast days, snow, and harsh weather, all of which keep the sun from shining. It’s really no wonder that so many people experience seasonal affective disorder each year.

With the rise in preventative healthcare, focus is shifting from simply treating disease and illness, to optimizing overall quality of life. This is where herbal medicine can be extremely powerful. I love Urban Moonshine products. Founded in 2008 by Jovial King, Urban Moonshine is set on the goal of making herbal medicine more easily accessible. Their core value is to maintain quality and organic standards, while getting people excited about herbal medicine and the way we think about the healing power of plants. While there are many health-promoting herbals to consider, today we are going to focus on tonics that build immunity, energy and joy.

Safer beauty is a huge topic of conversation these days and we’re finding more and more clean products hit the shelves to support great skin health. While we’re huge advocates of safe beauty and safe beauty practices, we’re still no stranger to experimenting with our own homemade remedies to create the most perfect lotions and potions to support our skin’s radiant glow.  

There isn’t a day that goes by in my home when I am not wiping the kitchen countertops of bright orange powder, or some diluted yellowish substance made up of that bright orange powder mixed with something else. Coconut oil, almond milk, ghee—it all goes well with turmeric! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this flavorful, healing spice: turmeric stains everything and can be a mess to deal with, but its benefits far outweigh any trouble it causes. Because of that it is a staple in my household, and after this article it will probably become one in yours too! 

This summertime has been a hot one, filled with some of the highest temperatures and UV indexes we’ve seen in decades. For many, that doesn’t qualm the internal desire to pack up the car and jet off to enjoy an outdoor adventure---hiking with a buddy, boating on the lake, volleyball at the beach or even lounging in the backyard with a summertime drink.

While many of these ‘adventures’ include fun gear like a glass water bottle, a hat, or perhaps a newly crafted Spotify playlist, the most important items you can’t leave the house without are a natural and good-for-you sunscreen and skin-loving foods. Sun exposure is no joke and we’ve got a whole routine to keep our largest organ happy and healthy throughout the summer months.

Doesn’t summer just scream smoothies?! I don’t know about you, but I love smoothies. And during this season, with the hot weather and ocean breeze, they taste all the better. Smoothies offer an icy, simply, and irresistible way to quench your thirst and nourish your body, all at the same time. Is anybody else’s mouth-watering? On some days, particularly when the weather is intensely hot, a real meal doesn’t always seem appetizing. This is when a mason jar of blended goodness seems like the perfect match. However, there is no reason why a smoothie should be any less nutrient dense than a fully cooked meal. And that will be the focus of my post today! How can we combine amazing nutrients and flavors into one perfectly poured, convenient cup?

Organ meats. Have you tried them? Maybe just reading the title makes you squirm. Does anybody eat organ meats anymore? Who would like that?! Yuck! Those were some of my first expressions when I first began learning why organ meats are so incredibly beneficial to the diet. Growing up, my grandma used to always share stories of how her favorite dishes to cook for her and my grandpa were liver, tongue, and other various organs of an animal. My younger sister and I would squirm and stick out our tongues with how gross that sounded, but little did we know just how nutritious grandma’s meals were! To this day, my grandma still loves to “snack” on chicken livers, and gets excited about organ meat stew. However, you hear people eating organ meats less and less. What was once considered a traditional sacred food is now hardly spoken of. Well, my goal today is to turn that boat back around and get you excited about why organ meats are such a necessary component to your diet, and specifically the impact and benefit they have on mental health.

Last week marked one year since I adopted my sweet, brown, curly-haired Chesapeake Bay Retriever into our home and family. We have always enjoyed the breed and their fun-loving demeanor, as well as their fervent passion for the water, even in the frigid cold! Our last Chessie, Rocky, just passed away, after living 13 wonderful years experiencing outdoor adventures such as hiking, camping, kayaking, and even surfing. Yes, we taught our dog to surf the waves to shore! This time around, with busy lives and hectic schedules, I decided to try something new – doggie adoption, in hopes of bypassing that time-consuming puppy stage. I looked into Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescues and breeders all around, when finally I found my Taylor! She came to me as a four-year-old mama of two litters, and I thought life would be smooth sailing from there. Boy, was I wrong! Due to the facts that Taylor was locked up in her crate (barely big enough to fit her body) for nearly all hours of the day and night, had to compete with nearly two dozen other dogs for attention, and never really got outdoors for anything other than to get a drink of water and to relieve herself, she was anything but the Chessie breed I had known with Rocky.

Probiotics – they are everywhere! In fact, they are so well known that I would hardly call them "special” to the natural health world. You can find them at just about any grocery store, and there are always a million and one brands to choose from. Ok, not literally, but you get what I mean! So just what are probiotics, why are they so important for our health, and how do we know which brands to buy?? That is what we are going to dive into today!