Here is a portion of an update letter that was just released to retailers:

We are in the process of establishing label compliance for all our products currently in distribution and will be releasing an update soon. In addition, we plan to release a new production of 100% compliant product over the next few weeks.

This is the government labeling that will be added to Kombucha labels:

GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon general, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.

It seems that this labeling issue will be resolved in the next few weeks. I hope so!

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Passionflower was used widely by Native Americans to treat anxiety, hysteria, seizures, and insomnia. It is still being used today to treat anxiety and insomnia. Most scientists believe that passionflowers main action is to increase the levels of a chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in the brain. GABA is known to lower the activity of specific neurotransmitters that effect nerve centers in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain that carry messages between brain cells. Because passionflower decreases the activity of these nerve cells in the brain it is very helpful in treating insomnia.

Passionflower is also rich in chemicals called harmala alkaloids which are used to block monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that is linked to depression. Monoamine oxide inhibitors (MAOI,s) are the most common types of prescription ant-anxiety and anti-depression medicines. Passionflower increases the activity of beneficial neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin which have strong anti-depressant actions. The bulk of the pharmaceutical anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications on the market today work on these very chemical principals. A recent study on passionflower showed it to be as effective as many prescription medicines for treating anxiety disorders and some types of depression.

For many people passionflower can be an excellent individual herb to use for these types of conditions, but I tend to favor passionflower when it is used in combination natural formulas. Passionflower is often combined into formulas with other natural sleep aids such as melatonin, valerian, lemon balm, and l-theanine to create very effective insomnia aids. The passionflower component really helps to turn off that over-active mind that will not shut down sometimes. Synergistic blended natural sleep aids  are usually the best alternative to pharmaceutical sleep aids to help with insomnia. Pharmaceutical sleep aids often come with many side effects that are not present with natural formulas.

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I personally am not a big kombucha drinker, but I know many people that drink it everyday and are going to be very upset over this situation. The government wants to control the supplement industry so the Food and Drug Administration have put pressure on wholesale distributors and large retailers.

This is the notice that is currently on the shelves where kombucha used to be in a Whole Foods market by my house,” Key suppliers and Whole Foods Market have elected to voluntarily withdraw Kombucha products in bottles and on tap from our stores at this time due to labeling concerns related to slightly elevated alcohol levels in some products.  This is not a quality issue. Sorry for any inconvenience."

The following is a letter that is paraphrased from a major health food distributor to the retail stores that they service:

“Effective immediately and until further notice all sales of unpasteurized ready to drink kombucha products, regardless of brand, have been suspended from distribution. In order for distribution to commence on a supplier by supplier basis each supplier must accomplish the following two requirements:

1. Certify in writing by an authorized company officer that the supplier’s unpasteurized ready to drink kombucha has been taken from an applicable distribution center and been subjected to alcohol content testing within the past 30 days and all such tested samples show less than .5% alcohol content by volume.

2. An authorized company officer must execute a specific indemnification agreement related to this issue.

At this time we will not be picking up affected product and we advise our customers to remove from sale until such time as the above requirements are met. Please understand these measures taken are designed to protect you and your customers and we appreciate your support while we all work through this issue."

The manufactures of kombucha need to be able to prove and document that the drinks do not exceed .5% alcohol. I would assume that the major companies like GTS would have the resources to get this handled quickly. I hope this is just minor inconvenience for those of you who love kombucha.

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If your total cholesterol is between 200 and 250 you can probably reduce it to fewer than 200 by dietary changes, and by taking the following dietary supplements each day; one teaspoon of omega three fish oil; one hundred milligrams of coenzyme Q10; at least one thousand milligrams of red yeast rice. The combination of these three nutrients has been shown do reduce cholesterol by around 50 points if taken constantly for a couple of months.

If your total cholesterol is between 250 and 300 your doctor will want to put you on a statin drug. You have a choice to make. If you think you can change your diet dramatically and follow the recommendations outlined in the second paragraph you may be able to get it under 200 without resorting to a statin.

If your cholesterol is over 300 it probably indicates that you have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. It often means that no matter what you try diet wise your own body is producing cholesterol and your overall levels will not go down that much without a statin drug. Try to use the lowest dose of statins that you can get away with and take at least one hundred milligrams of coenzyme Q10 everyday which I explain in the post If You Take A Statin You Need Coenzyme Q10.

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Then there are all the supplements that are touted to dramatically increase natural growth hormone production. I do believe that nutritional supplements like the amino acids L-Arginine and L-Ornithine do increase the natural production of HGH. That sounds really good, but the fact is that the amount of HGH that is increased by these supplements is not enough for effective anti-aging therapy.

If you are approaching fifty years old and are in a financial position to afford HCH I highly recommend this life extension therapy, but do not be fooled into thinking there is a cheap and oral alternative. It really makes me mad that these companies are preying on the uninformed.

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Hops are actually the female flower cluster of the hops species, Humulas lupulus. This flower is also known as a strobile. The hops plant is a climbing vine. When they are grown commercially the plants are trained to grow up wires or strings so more of them can be grown closer together. Once the male plants are recognized they are destroyed, because the female flower clusters are more prized without seeds.  The male plants are removed to prevent pollination. The female plants are often cloned from other female mother plant so that only female plants are then cultivated.

There are records of hops being cultivated as far back as the year 700 in the region that is now modern day Germany. The first mention of hops being used in brewing beer was around the year 1100. In Great Britain hopped beer was first imported from Holland. It was not until the 1500’s that hops began to be grown in England, and it was not until the 1600’s that hops were cultivated in the United States. Germany is still the number one producer of hops in the world with the United States in second place. In the United States the Pacific Northwest is the major area of hops production.

In addition to beer production hops have been used for centuries as a medicinal herb. Primarily hops were prized for having anti-anxiety, relaxant, and sedative properties.  Hops work great as a natural remedy for insomnia. They are available individually in herbal capsule form in many health food stores, but the most common way hops are used in natural medicine today is in combination with other natural sleep aids such as valerian, passion flower, melatonin, theanine, and lemon balm. Hops work very synergistically with these other nutrients to create very effective natural sleeping products. Many of the better natural sleep aids  on the market are every bit as powerful and effective as prescription medications without the long list of side effects. These natural insomnia cures are also not addictive making them a great alternative to pharmaceutical medications.

As with other herbal products the best way to get the full benefits of hops is to look for products that provide hops in a standardized extract form. The most potent form of hops available will be listed as (4:1) (strobile). In this way the active components of the herb are isolated and concentrated in a clinically controlled way. This process insures that each pill you take will have the same potency as the last. Otherwise with all herbs there can be much variation between potencies depending on the exact part of the plant that is consumed, the growing conditions at the time of harvest, and other uncontrolled natural events.

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There has been a lot interest in chia seed lately for its health benefits so I thought I would relay to you what I know. Chia seed was first cultivated by the Aztecs in ancient Mexico. The Aztecs considered it a power food and used it often in there diet.

Chia is one of the richest plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids, very similar in composition to those found in the better known flax seed. Both chia and flax can be used as an alternative to fish oil as an omega 3 source. And like flax seeds chia seeds are also a great source of dietary fiber. Both can be used in smoothies and sprinkled on all kinds of food such as yogurt, cereal and salads.

I do really like the benefits of chia seed, but there is one point I would like to make. In my opinion it is no better than flax seed, and right now it is substantially more expensive. If you are currently using flax I see no reason to switch. If you are considering a plant based omega 3 I would still recommend flax over chia because of the price difference.

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Lysine is available in a topical ointment that is useful when used in conjunction with oral lysine supplementation when treating outbreaks. The ointment that I have the best results with and recommend is called Super Lysine Plus by Quantum Health. It is a soothing treatment that can cut cold sore healing time in half.

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