Organico Bantry

On the strength of the article that we wrote for the Grapevine last week, I have persuaded our suppliers to give us some free stock so we can offer a special deal on the 3 products I mentioned. So often we would like to give away products we know would be good for people because we are very aware of the cost – especially if you are trying to treat a whole family – of really good quality natural remedies. So this time we can!

The Deal!

The deal is – you buy a bottle of Echinaforce (or echinacea throat spray, if you already have some echinaea) and a bottle of Kyolic Garlic 1000 mg tablent (the combined cost is about €24.50) and you get a free bottle of Higher Nature Vitamin C 30 tablets (RSP €7.15 approx).

Carrageen Moss

Call in to Organico to get your Cold Busting Pack, and while you’re there pick up some local honey and some carrageen moss and a reciepe for a warming nutritious drink to help lift your mood.

This deal is only available while the free stock lasts!

Staying healthy and free from infections is so important in the winter. Getting plenty of sleep is vital, as well as not eating too much sugar or drinking too much alcohol or coffee. Sugar in particular depresses the immune system which allows viruses and bacterial infection to get a hold of us.

I’m doing a few different things to stay healthy this winter. I am taking 2 yoga classes per week with Esther Ekhart at the Boab Centre which helps to keep me strong physically and I am reducing my sugar intake because I think I get fewer colds this way. Of course I  try to eat really healthily – we hear ‘eat your fruit and veg’ so many times that we might be in danger of tuning out but don’t – it is so important to eat well.

I also use some natural products regularly over the winter to keep me healthy. The first thing I reach for when I feel a sore throat coming (for me a cold always starts with a sore throat) is Echinaforce by A.Vogel. Echinacea is a well established immune stimulant and recent research has shown that taking it regularly (during winter months) reduces your risk of getting a cold by over 50%, and hugely reduces the length of time you suffer also. A.Vogel also make Ivy Thyme which I find amazing for helping to prevent a cold taking hold in the chest area – if you are prone to chest infections this is a good remedy to try.

Kyolic Garlic is another of my favourite supplements. Books could be written about all the health issues is can help. Kyolic Garlic is much stronger than regular garlic capsules. It has benefits that range from heart-protection to anti-candida to immune-stimulation. Coming from Japan, with hundreds of clinical studies to back it up, Kyolic Garlic is something of a super-supplement. The strengths range from Kyolic 100 to Kyolic 1000. The standard one we would recommend to most people if they want to fight off colds would be the Kyolic 600; I take 2 per day when I feel un well and 1 per day most of the winter. (Because Kyolic Garlic is ‘aged garlic’ it is naturally odourless, so you don’t have to worry about your breath!)

Added to that I always take Vitamin C. There are a lot of different Vitamin C products on the market but the one I prefer is Higher Nature’s True Food C, easy on the stomach and supported by lots of research which shows that it absorbs into our blood very effectively. A high serum (blood) level of Vitamin C is what we need to help fight infections, so it is important to take one that is easy to absorb.

Finally, a traditional local remedy that I always recommend is Carrageen Moss. Made into a drink with water, lemon and honey, Carrageen is soothing for the throat, boosts energy and is a great source of micro-minerals that aid convalescence. Call in for the recipe!

For more information and dietary advice contact Organico on 027 51391, visit us online at www.organico.ie or pop in and see us at No 2 Glengarriff Road, Bantry.

One of the conditions we receive the most questions about in Organico is joint pain and stiffness. Many people have been to their GP and have perhaps tried anti-inflammatory medications, which may not have relieved their pain and on top of that may have given them side effects that increased their discomfort. The difficulty for us is that from the natural perspective it is necessary to make some dramatic dietary changes to help arthritis, and not everyone wants to hear that.
However, there are some natural products that can help. Atrogel and Atrosan are two recently licensed herbal medicines for the treatment of muscular pain and stiffness and aches and pains in the joints. Atrogel (formally Arnica Gel) can also be very effective for shoulder and neck pain, swelling, bruising, and sore feet (I took some on my recent trip to Prague and pretty much coated myself in it every day!). Atrosan is a tablet made from Devil’s Claw which is used for rheumatic or muscular pain, as well as sore joints. Atrogel works pretty much instantly; Atrosan takes some time to be effective. Both can be used long term.
Glucosamine Sulphate is another supplement that is regularly prescribed by GP’s and alternative practitioners for helping to re-build damaged cartilage in the joints. Quest Glucosamine is fantastic value and very effective.
Lastly, AquaCal from Nature’s Calcium is one of the best calcium products that we sell in Organico. Nature’s Calcium is made from seaweed harvested off West Cork’s coast (it is purified, before you ask) and it provides a uniquely pure source of calcium. So many calcium supplements contain Calcium Carbonate which is just a fancy name for chalk! Eating chalk is not something most people would do – for good reason, as it is nearly indigestible and un-absorbable. Besides being far more absorbable, Aquacal is also useful for combating acidity in the body. In nearly all cases of Arthritic pain, over-acidity is a significant factor.
On Friday the 17th of October we have Gabrielle Mcauley offering mini-consultations in Organico between the times of 10.30 and 3.30 pm. Gabrielle works with and has trained with Jan de Vries. She can answer questions on any health topic. If you would like to avail of a free consultation with Gabrielle, please call Organico Shop on 51391 and make an appointment. Otherwise, call in any time for dietary advice, for free samples of Atrogel, for healthy tasty food, or just to say hello!

Nature’s Calcium is one of the best calcium products that we sell in Organico. Nature’s Calcium is made from a seaweed that grows off our coast (it is purified, before you ask) and it provide a uniquely pure source of calcium. Because it is of plant (seaweed) rather than mineral origin, it is a much more suitable source of calcuim for the human body. Many calcium supplements contain the cheapest and most difficult to absorb calcium – calcium carbonate – chalk, in other wards – which has a very low absorbtion rate. Indeed, depending on a person’s constitution, there is evidence that calcium carbonate can cause kidney stones. Taking a seaweed based calcium, on the other hand, provides us with calcium in aq form our body is familiar with, and also gives us a rich array of other minerals such as magnesium, boron, zinc and iron, all essential for bone health and for the proper abaorption of calcium.

When they were patenting Nature’s Calcium, the company that makes it (located in Cork!) showed evidence that the supplement not only aids the prevention and treatment of Osteoporosis (under medical supervision for treatment, of course) but also could help to create an alkaline environment in the body which could help rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune conditions. These seaweeds, they say, have ‘unusual therapeutic properties including treatment of conditions created by failure of immune regulation, for example rheumatoid or osteo arthritis, osteoporosis and other conditions involving pH control’.

Aquacal Nature’s Calcium is available from Organico for €15 for 1 month’s supply. If you are not able to call in to Organico, you might like to purchase 3 month’s worth at a time and we can send them to you (p & P will be about €4.50 and going up to €7 depending on the weight). We do not yet have online ordering so you would have to call us. As the €7 postage covers one kg of weight it might be better to order different things to apread the cost. These rates are for within the Rep of Ireland using standard post. For overseas we would need to check current rates.

These prices are subject to change without notice as prices are dictated by suppliers and are outside our control

Organico Shop call (027) 51391.

Organico has a fantastic quality Colloidal Silver for sale at very reasonable prices. It is made by the supplier of Higher Nature but is far cheaper as we are buying it directly from the manufacturer.

Colloidal Silver is used by many as an all-purpose antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-fungal. It is a medicine and should always be used with due caution. There is a lot of information about Colloidal Silver on the internet, some positive, some not; some true, some not. All we can testify to is our own experiece, of using for both humans and animals for many different ailments. We have never had a negative effect – except that it doesn’t cure everything! However, when used in the proper manner it is very effective for many bacterial/viral/fungal infections.

I alwasy used it alongside vitamin C as a boost when my body starts to complain that there is something up – in my case my glands start to swell and become painful. I always take it on the plane in a small spray bottle and spray my mouth regularly as the number of times I have gotten sick after a plane journed is crazy. I also use it to keep milk fresher on our boat because the fridge isn’t as good as it could be.

I have witnessed Colloidal Silver used to keep people whose immune system is very compromised safe from unwanted infections. It seemed highly effective, and there isn’t, according to the US FDA, any toxicity levels. For that purpose the water would be taken 2 to 3 times a day, roughly 1 teaspoon.

Colloidal silver has very little taste. It is essentially purified water that has had silver suspended in it through an elecrical process.

What the manufactures say: ‘Colloidal Silver is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and a powerful anti-microbial catalyst. This does not mean that it will cure all manner of serious diseases. It is not a cure-all as some over-zealous advertisers have claimed. Whilst some users may find this product highly effective, high resistance to disease depends on good nutrition, proper hydration, emotional health, regular relaxation, excercise, hygiene and a balanced lifestyle’.

Look out for bandages from Boots impregnated with colloidal silver – but since they are so expensive buy yourself a little bottle and spray your cuts to keep them clean. It is also used for burns, to keep instruments clean in surgery, as a nasal spray for Sinusitis, and as an eye and ear spray. Other uses unclude a gargle and mouthwash.

Prices:

100 mls (Spray – ideal for plane journeys or to keep in a first aid box for minor cuts etc) €8.55

250 mls (good starting size for an individual) €14.66

500 mls (family sized or for someone who is treating something more long term) €23.90

If you can not come into the shop we can post colloidal silver, subject to postage costs (minimun €4.50 and going up to €7 depending on the weight). We do not have online ordering so you would have to call us. As the €7 postage covers one kg of weight it might be better to order a few bottles or even different things to apread the cost. These rates are for within the Rep of Ireland using standard post. For overseas we would need to check current rates.

Our phone number is (027) 51391.

Hannah Dare

Diary Date: On September 11th we have Natural Product Consultant Brid Walshe coming to Organico offering free health consultations. The topic is Who Cares for your Family – keeping parents and children healthy. Please make your free appointment with Brid in the Shop. Brid can answer questions on any health issues.

At this time of year we get parents coming into Organico looking to boost their child’s immune system, prevent the scourge of headlice or help calm their children down, as the return to school can cause anxiety levels to go through the roof!

As an immune system boost, we would recommend a liquid tonic such as Kindervital, which is made from all natural fruits, vegetables and herbs with vitamins added in case the school-day diet is lacking. If a child was prone to colds, Children’s Echinacea from A.Vogel could be added to Kindervital to give extra protection. Both can be taken at breakfast time with juice.

As a headlice treatment or preventative, we offer Riddance, a shampoo made from Neem oil which has very powerful anti-lice action, though it is gentle on the scalp, smells fine and is non-toxic (to us that is – luckily it seems to be toxic to the lice!) With Riddance you don’t really have to use a comb – the only combing necessary is to detect the lice and to make sure they have gone.

Finally, Eskimo-3 is a source of the amazing Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils which we all need to keep us calm, to help us concentrate and to aid our brain development. For children in school this is particularly important. These fatty acids are called ‘essential’ because our bodies cannot produce them and without them we become very unwell. Actually we always recommend the parents take a daily dose of Eskimo-3 themselves…

For more information or to discuss your child’s health with one of our trained staff, please call in to Organico between 9.30 and 6, Monday to Saturday. This month we will be offering Eskimo-3 Kids and Adults for 20% off, and Kindervital at 20% off too.

We are looking for enthusiastic, committed, outgoing  peopel to join our team; people who have a knowledge and a passion for good food and freindly service. Communication skills and a good understanding of English are essential. Terms will include flexible hours and working Saturdays.

Please call in with a CV and have a chat with a member of staff. We prefer to accept CV’s in person rather than by email or post. Apologies in advance we will not be able to respond to every CV.

Combine lunch in Organico and a Town Concert in Bantry this week during the West Cork Chamber Music Festival. On Wednesday the 2nd of June enjoy the Lambay Piano Trio (one of the pieces is Cafe Music by Schoenfield, on Thursday the McGuiness Quartet, and on Friday the Kelly Wind Quartet. Saturday finishes up with Walters String Quartet. All tickets are €5 on the door.

Lunch in Organico is available from 12; we serve a refreshing range of salads, soups and hot meals. See here for more on our menu.