Beware the Weight Monster...

Ghosts, Goblins and Ghouls! Scary right? Yet it is not nearly as frightening to some as the prospect of trying to keep your diet in check as we begin our slosh through the sugary holiday season.  Beginning with the calorie-packed cauldrons of Halloween to the belt-busting buffets of the Christmas holiday, we are all challenged to keep our intake in check.

Here are 5 tips to keep the weight monster at bay:

1. Have a Healthy Breakfast - Over the years we have had multiple sources tell us that eating a healthy breakfast can actually help to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day.  Of late, there have been a couple of preliminary reports saying that is not necessarily the case but either way there are still a couple of things we know for sure: Eating a good breakfast is a great way to get your body nutritionally set for the day, you will feel more full through lunch which will help you cut back on the snacking and it will probably save you a few dollars from going through that fast food drive-through (not that you ever would, right?)
2. Employ an Exercise you Enjoy - Finding a type of exercise that you actually enjoy is key to a healthy lifestyle.  Not only does exercise offer a wealth of positive benefits to you physically but it can also help to promote a more positive mental state.  The latter will certainly not be true though if you try to force yourself to do something you hate.  I, for example, love to play sports so I work in at least three days a week when I can play volleyball for a couple of hours.  The exercise is healthy for me and I have a great time.  Find something that gets you active and that you enjoy and get to it! 
3. Curb your cravings with Cambogia - So you want to stick to your diet but the cravings, especially this time of year, constantly threaten to overwhelm you.  Take a look into a supplement called Garcinia Cambogia.  It contains a naturally occurring substance known as Hydroxycitric Acid which is known to be a powerful appetite suppressant and may also help prevent the conversion of carbohydrates into fat.  Natrol makes a fairly inexpensive Garcinia Cambogia supplement called Pure Super Citrimax that would be a great place to start if this is something you would like to try for yourself.
4. Feel full with Fiber - There are a multitude of potential benefits that stem from including dietary fiber in your meals.  This is particularly true for you when you are trying to maintain your diet.  Consider supplementing your fiber intake with Glucommanan.  Coming from the root of the Konjac plant, Glucommanan is a soluble form of fiber that may contribute to a greater feeling of "fullness" and is also known to help slow the absorption of sugar from your meal.  This slower release of sugar into the bloodstream may prevent a sugar crash after eating which can make you feel miserable for one, and also lead to snacking.  Pure Encapsulations has a good Glucommanan product available that is easy to swallow and free of unwanted fillers.
5. Fight Fats with Fats - Sounds ridiculous but a number of studies have focused on the use of Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA for weight loss.  CLA is a fatty acid that is naturally found in a variety of dairy products and eggs.  Studies have indicated that CLA can help increase your basal metabolic rate, improve your body's use of sugar, reduce the size of existing fat cells and may even cause your body to burn fat for energy!  The recommended dosage for CLA is approximately 3,400mg per day.  You can find a variety of Conjugated Linoleic Acid supplements out there.  Make sure to choose one from a brand you trust.

Remember that you should always talk to your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional before beginning any diet or supplement plan. Hoey Apothecary is here to help you with your unique needs. If you have questions about any of these tips feel free to email me at joshua@hoeyrx.com.  

Good luck and good health,

Joshua Long

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Hoey Apothecary is a traditional pharmacy with a passion for holistic wellness.  From retail supplements to custom pharmaceutical compounding, we are here to support you and your unique wellness goals.  Visit us at 217 Cottage Grove Rd in Madison, WI or at our website at www.hoeyrx.com.  Bridging the gap between nature and medicine - Hoey Apothecary!

Hair Raising Tips to Grow Your Hair

Q. I was wondering if you know of any good tips to help my hair grow faster.  I just had my hair cut and it turned out shorter than I expected.  I want my long hair back - Help!

A.  Hello, sorry to hear about the bad hair cut!  The good news is that their are several things that a person can do to help their follicular factories pick up the pace.  Here are seven tips to get your hair growing:

1.  Opt for Omega 3

There are several good sources of Omega 3.  You can get it from Fish and Krill or if you prefer vegetarian sources take a look at Flax and Chia.  People are sometimes confused about how much Omega 3 you are actually getting from these sources supplementally.  The trick is to look at the back of the bottle and find EPA and DHA (if you are taking Fish or Krill - or ALA for Flax and Chia) and add those two together.  The sum of those two are your total amount of Omega 3.  So for example, Nordic Naturals' ProOmega product (which I recommend for anyone looking to grow and strengthen their hair) has 650mg of EPA and 450mg of DHA per serving for a grand total of 1,100mg of Omega 3 per dose.  If you opt for another Omega 3 product however, shoot for about 1,000mg of Omega 3 daily.

2.  Boost with a B Complex

Maybe you have tried a B Complex in the past for increased energy.  While it does have applications in metabolic processes, B vitamins are also involved in the growth and maintenance of healthy hair.  Deficiencies in several specific B's have been linked to skin disorders and hair loss.  You have probably been told by someone in the past that they have been taking a prenatal vitamin to help their hair grow.  The reason why their hair is growing better is because of an increased amount of Biotin and Folic Acid.  Skip the higher cost of the Prenatal and opt simply for the B Complex.

3.   Avoid diets that exclude food groups

So many fad diets and so little time! While the veracity of these diets could be debated at length, one thing is for certain.  By cutting out whole food groups from your diet, you will be withholding certain nutrients from your body that it is used to getting.  This dearth of sustenance can cause your body's normal processes of production to slow down and as a result you may see hair growth slowing and in some cases stopping altogether!  Eat a balanced diet and keep your doctor in the loop with any major dietary changes.

4.  Speaking of talking to your Doctor...

I think most of us would probably run to our doctor if our hair just all of the sudden started coming out in clumps; but if you notice that your hair is not growing nearly at the same pace as it usually does it could be a symptom of something greater.  Hypothyroidism can effect your hair growth and is definitely something to bring to the attention of your health care provider. Reach out, have a conversation and be proactive with your health!

5.  Shampoo with Biotin and Silica

Back to the nutritional aspects: while taking Biotin internally may help your hair growth, using a shampoo that contains Biotin has also been shown to be beneficial.  Additionally, if you can have Silica in the formulation that would be ideal as these two nutrients together may greatly strengthen your hair and promote its growth.  Andalou makes a great Biotin and Lavender shampoo that is designed for hair nourishment.

6.   Grow with Ginkgo

You probably recognize Ginkgo.  If you have taken it in the past you probably did not use it for hair growth but instead due to its purported cognitive boost.  While it is true that Ginkgo has applications for mental support, this herb may help to promote hair growth by increasing circulation in the scalp.  Increased circulation means more blood flow bringing in more nutrients and giving the hair cells more of what they need to grow.  And by the way, if the Ginkgo helps give you a mental boost then so much the better!

7.  Get a good Multivitamin

Lastly, nothing in the body exists in a vacuum.  Holistic wellness is whole body wellness. Following that reasoning, what is good for the whole body is good for the parts of the body. Eat a balanced diet. Get good nutrition from your food to the best of your ability.  Beyond that, find yourself a good multivitamin to help 'bridge the gap' in your diet. When looking for a good multi try to find one that is based on whole foods.  I like to recommend Garden of Life's Vitamin Code Raw multivitamins.  These vitamins are not only based on whole food but are raw, unheated and untreated foods that still have their natural enzymes and probiotics intact.

Hopefully this has answered your question and gives you some good direction as to how you can grow your hair back out as quickly and healthily as possible.  You can feel free, of course, to stop in the store and we can discuss these further.

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If you have questions about your unique needs and would like to have them answered on Mail Monday, send an email to joshua@hoeyrx.com with "Mail Monday" in the title.

Good luck and good health,

Joshua Long

Hoey Apothecary and Goodman Community Center

The Goodman Community Center right here in downtown Madison is working to provide traditional Thanksgiving meals to over 2,000 local families!

For many years now the Goodman Community Center has facilitated the gathering and distribution of Thanksgiving meals to families that are right here in the local community.  They have been able to this because of the generous donations of people like you!  Sharing from our abundance with those who are less fortunate so that they might experience the fullness of Thanksgiving - that sounds like what Thanksgiving is all about!

Wondering what the Goodman Center is looking for? Check out their grocery list below:

Frozen turkeys >> 2500 !

Vegetables >> 5000 cans

Fruit >> 5000 cans

Gravy >> 2500 jars

Cranberry sauce >> 2500 cans

Disposable roaster pans >> 2500 pans

Pumpkin pie mix >> 2500 cans

Evaporated milk >> 2500 cans

Jiffy pie crust mix >> 2500 boxes

Aluminum pie tins >> 2500 tins

We will be accepting dropoffs here at Hoey Apothecary starting November the 7th during our Grand Opening festivities.  Join us the weekend of Nov 7-9 to enjoy snacks, tours of our state of the art lab and facilities and lots of free samples! Anyone bringing in food items to donate to the Thanksgiving Basket drive will receive an in store coupon for that visit.

You can also help support the Goodman Center drive by organizing a drive personally or through your business.  You can find more information here including tips, grocery lists and visuals.  Grocery drop offs begin on November 18th.

We look forward to seeing you and thank you for helping the great people at the Goodman Community Center and local families in Madison, WI!

Dealing with Diabetes Naturally

Q: Hi. I’ve recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I’ve heard that take a cinnamon supplement can help lower my blood sugar.  I want to do something natural for my diabetes.  Is this something your recommend? -Jeanie

A: Hello Jeanie! Thanks for your question.  Your query about supplementing with Cinnamon is one I hear often.  There are approximately 26 million people in the US with Diabetes¹ and a greater proportion of those are searching for a natural way to cope with their situation all of the time.  Before we go on to the specific supplements I would recommend I should point out that Diabetes is a serious condition and you should absolutely partner with your professional health care provider and/or pharmacist before beginning any diet or supplement program designed to address your condition.  That being said, let’s dive in!

Type 2 diabetes is a series of dominos that fall in unfortunate sequence.  Whether genetic or environmental in origin, diabetes causes the cells to react incorrectly to insulin in the blood.  You take in sugar, the pancreas produces insulin and delivers it to the cells.  Eventually, as the cells become overexposed to insulin they begin to lose sensitivity (due to a reduction in receptor sites) to its effect and now more glucose remains in the bloodstream.  This increase in glucose in the blood causes the pancreas in turn to try to desperately produce more insulin to take care of the extra blood sugar which causes the cells to become even more resistant to the extra insulin and do you see what’s happening here…?  The effects of this that you will see early on is increased fat storage, especially in the abdominal area, and psychological effects.

What do you do?  Exercise and proper diet are your first step.  You can find lots of good diet and exercise recommendations on the American Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.org).

So to your original question: Cinnamon? The short answer is yes, taking cinnamon has been shown to help reduce blood sugar levels. But I don’t like short answers J so I’m going to broaden my response!

Cinnamon has been shown to help dull the effects of sugar intake on overall blood sugar levels.  It is worth noting that if you are going to eat your cinnamon, know that Ceylon Cinnamon is the type that has been studied for its diabetic support properties.  Also know this: that if you have liver issues you may want to avoid cinnamon as it does contain a small amount of a substance known to be toxic to the liver.

Additionally, the following supplements have been shown to also support diabetes control.

• Alpha-Lipoic Acid: 200mg per day has been shown to aid in the protection of nerves and may be a treatment for peripheral neuropathy².  Additionally, it may help to increase insulin sensitivity in cells in the early stages of diabetes³.
• Biotin 8-16mg per day: May help to protect the beta-cells in the pancreas³.  This too may be helpful in the early stages of type 2 diabetes.
• Chromium Picolinate 400-600mcg per day: May improve the efficiency of insulin in the body in order to lower blood sugar².  This effect may be improved by coupling with 100mg of Niacin³.
• Vanadyl Sulfate 50mcg twice per day (or as directed): May aid in the transport of glucose into the cells.  This seems to be most effective in individuals that are over-weight³.

There are of course a multitude of other supplements and considerations beyond these.  Feel free to write in additional questions or stop by Hoey Apothecary and we would be happy to meet with you. 

If you have a question about Sugar Control Support or any other wellness topic, feel free to email me Joshua@hoeyrx.com.