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Milk Thistle
For over 2,000 years, Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) has been used as an herbal remedy for digestive, liver, kidney, and gallbladder conditions. The active ingredient in milk thistle is silymarin, which can be extracted from the seeds of the plant. Research has shown milk thistle has a protective effect on the liver and similar findings have been…
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Is a High Protein Diet Unhealthy for Your Kidneys?
Healthy kidneys can efficiently process protein. However, over-consuming protein can add unnecessary strain on these organs. If you have risk factors for kidney disease, or have an undetected problem, the strain created by consuming too much protein could result in a serious acute or chronic kidney disorder. What do the kidneys do with dietary protein?…
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Your Kidneys: Essential to Overall Health
Healthy kidneys are essential, not just for the urinary system, but for the entire body. They remove waste and help maintain the body’s internal environment, or homeostasis. Unfortunately, not everyone has healthy kidneys and very few people are even aware when there’s a problem. In fact, 33% of adults in the U.S. (that’s 1 in…
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Glycosaminoglycans Play a Vital Role in Joint Support
Several types of glycosaminoglycans or GAGs play important roles in the vitality of the joints. Though produced by the cells in the body, aging and injury deteriorate the viscosity of these compounds within the joint and contribute to OA. Because GAGs are vital to healthy joints, we often need to look to supplements or treatments…
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Lathered in Mud: Ancient Treatment for Stress and Pain
Imagine lying on a massage table, a thick layer of mud smoothed across your skin with long deep strokes to help it sink in. For thousands of years, Traditional Medicine has considered “mudding” (aka mud bath, mud wrap) therapeutic for the skin, joints, muscles, and the mind. Today, in spas around the world, mud-based treatments…
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Recipe: Organic Bone Broth for Wellness
Nutrient-dense, home-cooked bone broth is easy and inexpensive to make. The key ingredient, of course, is the bones. Whether you choose chicken, duck, turkey or beef bones, select organic and grass-fed whenever possible. The key benefit of bone broth is the minerals extracted from the bone; you want to be sure you have the best…
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Truly Wild Blueberries Offer Superior Health Benefits
There are blueberries that you buy at the market or grow in your yard and then there are wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium). Truly wild blueberries are grown in glacial soil in northern New England and along the Atlantic Coast of Canada. Also known as “lowbush blueberries,” these berries are distinct from cultivated blueberries (aka highbush)…
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Bone Broth – An Old Fashioned Secret to Fight Osteoarthritis
There was a time when soup broth was made fresh, with vegetables, herbs, meat, and the bones from the animal, be it fish, poultry, or steer. As soup became a canned convenience food, bones were often left out of preparation. Today, bone broth has made a resurgence for important health reasons, including supporting the structures…
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Natural Approaches to Managing Osteoarthritis
Oh, my aching joints! There’s good reason why we hear this so often. Osteoarthritis, known as OA, is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the world and a prevalent factor in work absences, temporary or permanent disability, hospital admissions, and use of pain-management drugs. While OA can develop in any joint, the knee is most…
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Whole-Food and Synthetic Nutritional Supplements: Is one better than the other?
A fresh, whole-foods diet is the optimal way to obtain nutrients. However, environmental conditions and farming practices have depleted the soil of key nutrients we would typically obtain from food, making it impossible to get everything we need from food alone. Nutritional supplements provide a way to support the body’s needs. There are two broad…
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