It is holiday season and list making seems to be one of those things that one just can’t get away from!
I hope my list is a bit different from the endless “ideas for gifts” lists that are everywhere this month!
I present below some fabulous things to give for good health – services and products that I think are unique and wonderful, ones that you will not find in most health-food stores, health blogs or magazines.
It’s somewhat cliché to suggest giving the gift of health, but there’s something to it! What a wonderful way of letting someone you love know that you care for them so much that you want to give them enhanced physical, emotional, and mental wellness – ultimately the best gift of all!
My wish for all of you is a happy, HEALTHY holiday – with joy and peace for all!
1. homeopathic kit
Helios pharmacy in the UK makes perhaps the best homeopathic remedies in the world. They also make a fabulous series of homeopathic kits. I got my first Helios kit 20+ years ago, and still carry it with me whenever and wherever I travel. It is looking much the worse for wear, but allows me access to 36 of the most commonly used homeopathic remedies. There are few travel emergencies or acute illnesses that don’t respond to something in that kit! I have bought one for each of my children to bring to university and recommend that every mother of young children has one in her travel bag. There have been many occasions when I have prescribed over-the-phone-in-the-middle-of-the-night according to what’s in the kit, as it becomes many families’ home pharmacy. This little kit comes with a mini booklet for self-prescribing. You can get them from the pharmacy itself (www.helios.co.uk) or, here in Toronto, at Riverdale Homeopathic Resources (1331 Danforth Ave).
2. Books
I am often asked for book recommendations by people interested in learning more about homeopathy. There are thousands of books on the subject for the lay reader, including how-to manuals, philosophy books, homeopathic psychology, and homeopathic theory. Go to www.wholehealthnow.com for an excellent selection of homeopathic books. Many people new to homeopathy are taken by the idea of homeopathic psychology and find it fascinating to read about the psychological profiles of different remedies. There is a newly published book on the psychological profiles of animals for homeopathic prescribing. This is sure to be an unusual and stimulating read for any homeopathically-inclined animal lover. (Homeopathic Remedy Pictures for Animals, by Vicki Mathison). This book is available only at www.narayanapublishers.com. They also have on their list for this holiday season another fabulous looking book explaining homeopathy to children: LISA and the Mystery of the Little White Globules. Happy reading!
3. Janice Skinner
Janice is one of the gems of Toronto. She is a warm, wise, and wonderful woman who specializes in using breath, yoga, shiatsu, and her extensive wisdom and experience to guide you to a state of relaxation and internal peace that is truly extraordinary. More than any other professional I refer people to, Janice has made a huge impact on every person I have sent her way. I can think of few better gifts than a private session with Janice, a place on one of her retreats, or registration for one of her courses. Contact Janice Skinner – BodyMind Therapy at: janiceskinner@sympatico.ca
4. colloidal silver – This is my newest favorite supplement/ first aid item. Silver, suspended in water makes a brilliant anti-infectious agent. If there’s one thing you carry in your bag at all times (especially when travelling), this is it! I have used it topically for acne, infected ear piercings, eye infections, and cuts. The spray top is perfect for spraying directly on sore tonsils, and even better, spraying on your face periodically during airplane flights to protect your dried mucosa from the free-floating infections circulating in airplane air. I use it as a gargle for severe sore throats (even in a case of strep once), and it’s great taken orally (1 tsp twice a day) for food poisoning, as well as any internal infections (gastric, respiratory, sinus, etc). A few drops in an infected ear works miracles. Warning: do not use this every day or you might turn grey!. There are scary stories on the internet of people who have drunk bottles of the stuff and then turned a weird shade of silver-grey. Use it when and as needed, for just a few days at a time, and you will be fine. This little gem is a lovely little extra gift!
5. Body Blitz
I love the female-only Body Blitz spa in Toronto. I’ve done nothing other than “take the waters” here – a series of warm baths, cold plunges, hot steams, and so on. An afternoon here is about the most luxurious, relaxing, and detoxifying way to spend a couple of hours. It’s a lovely mix of old world baths and contemporary spa. You can soak in the hot green tea pool while sipping on a soya/carob smoothie. This is a wonderful way to spend time with your sisters, girlfriends, daughters, mother – the special women in your life. A truly wonderful gift for you and your guests is a group visit to this unusual spa. For more details: http://bodyblitzspa.com.
6. Healthy Food Basket
The season for indulgence is upon us! Delicious treats are not necessarily contrary to good health. While a basket full of sugar-rich, fat-heavy, processed goodies seems to be a seasonal favorite, it doesn’t strike me as the kindest gift to give foods that cause ill-health as well as excess weight that needs to be shed once the holidays are over. You can put together a basket of yummy goodness that offers health benefits as well as deliciousness. Consider including the following:
-
Dark chocolate – at least 70% chocolate solids – fairly traded and organic. Good dark chocolate is full of Magnesium – the calming mineral. A small piece of dark chocolate is rich and satisfying, and gives the body a magnesium boost. Fairly traded organic chocolate is free of pesticides and other chemicals that abound in commercially grown chocolates; it’s also respectful to the environment and those who have grown and harvested it. My current favorite is Camino brand dark chocolate – rich, nutty, complex!
-
Green Tea – green tea is rich in ECGC – a powerful antioxidant useful for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, reducing cholesterol levels, destroying bacteria, and preventing unhealthy blood clotting. Try to get loose tea (preferably fairly-traded) and make it using water that has cooled slightly after boiling. A good green tea can tolerate a number of “pours” – use the same leaves up to 4 times. I find that the 2nd and 3rd pours are my favorites – free of the slightly biting tannic taste that is found in some green teas.
-
Honey—locally grown, unpasteurized, non heat-treated honey is a delight to the taste as well as your body. Honey that has been made locally is truly homeopathic – the bees have feasted on local pollens – often the same pollens that make you sneeze in spring and fall. A daily teaspoon of raw, local honey is a fabulous way of treating seasonal allergies. The honey is also full of antiviral agents that help with virtually any virus. However, as soon as you heat that honey, the nutritional/medicinal value is destroyed. So, spread your local honey on toast, eat it off the spoon, drizzle it on pancakes and hot cereal. I have also used honey topically for infant eczema (especially under a diaper) – messy, but effective. You should be able to find this sort of honey at your local farmer’s market. Here in Toronto you can find a range of raw local honeys at Golden Orchard in St Lawrence Market.
-
Pomegranates – There are few fruits more stunning in appearance than this gem. The Pomegranate has mythical and symbolic significance within many cultures, and since ancient times. This delicious and festive fruit is high in antioxidants, thereby buffering the effects of free radical damage to cells. Pomegranate also has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-hypertensive qualities and may be especially useful for prostate problems. In any case, the seeds of this yummy fruit are delicious in yogurt, on salads, on ice cream, in sauces for poultry, and just plain on their own.
-
Raw food bonbons– Homemade goodies are always the best addition to any food basket. I am a huge fan of Meghan Telpner’s healthy, rawfood blog, “Making Love in the Kitchen”. This recipe is courtesy of Meghan Telpner – check her out for some raw food inspiration: http://meghantelpnerblog.com
Super Food Chocolate Cups, by Meghan Telpner
Filling
1/4 cup hazelnut butter or ground hazelnuts mixed with a little coconut oil to make it creamy
2 Tbs finely ground coconut
1 Tbs raw honey
pinch of sea salt
-
In a small bowl, mix together the filling. If your coconut is too coarse, run it through your spice/coffee grinder. Set aside
-
Over low heat, melt together the coconut oil, honey, maca and cacao powder. You need this only warm enough that the goods melt together
-
Using a small silicone muffin form, or even an ice cube tray that has the pop-out bottoms, pour a small amount of chocolate into each spot. You need just enough chocolate to cover the bottom.
-
Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes or until solid
-
Remove from freezer and form small little patties of the hazelnut mixture and gently place over first layer of chocolate in the muffin/ice tray.
-
At this point, you may need to reheat the chocolate mix, do so just until it is pourable again.
-
Gently spoon chocolate into each compartment until hazelnut mix is covered fully.
-
Return to freezer to allow chocolate to set.
-
Indulge!
Again, all my wishes to my readers for a wonderful, healthy, happy Holiday Season!
In Health, and in Peace…..
Beth
