These days, more than ever, we place great emphasis on the word “natural”. I think that is because we all suspect that chemical compounds while amazing don’t belong in our food chain, on our skin or even in our home environments. I believe we need to THINK about what we consume, why we consume it and take determined steps to live more in tune with nature and what is natural. Personally, I feel that if we really want to achieve a natural lifestyle and optimum health and well-being, we need to take a more holistic approach to life – eating local and organic foods but also cooking from scratch, and using natural and organic products throughout our entire home, from the kitchen to the bathroom, and from the make-up bag to the medicine cabinet. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_4783" align="alignleft" width="300"] Spring grasses give off pollen[/caption] Summer is certainly coming! Great news for most of us as we welcome the lengthening of the days, unfortunately for others this means the start of the dreaded hay fever season. Personally I have never suffered from this condition, but I have some family members who do and I know it can be really miserable. Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen causing the release of histamine, which causes inflammation around the nose and eyes. Characteristic symptoms include red, itchy eyes, and a runny or congested nose, and can include a cough and an inflamed throat. Continue reading →

Shakespeare is known for saying our eyes are the windows to our soul. I was squinting recently to watch an escaped helium balloon disappear into the blue sky when it struck me just how precious my vision is. It’s a cliche but our vision is one of the things we can easily take for granted until it starts to desert us, and at the same time it is something that many of us simply assume will degenerate as we get older. But if you do some reading you realise that much of what happens to our eye health is under our control, despite what we have been led to believe. When I was first prescribed glasses I was told to wear them as little as possible. My Optician was also very reluctant to give in to my pleas for contact lenses, only prescribing them when I promised to wear them for only the occasional wedding or festival, when I wanted more freedom. He explained that where I might take off my glasses and give my eyes a break, with contacts this wasn’t possible and my eye muscles would weaken through lack of use if I wore contacts constantly. I think this is pretty sound advice, and now 20+ years on my vision has actually improved slightly (my prescription has decreased). While researching this article I have been reminded of another eye specialist from the 1860’s called Dr Bates who routinely smashed his patient’s eyeglasses and instead taught various exercises to strengthen eye muscles which he claimed would make glasses unnecessary. His methods made him hugely unpopular - perhaps because he challenged a large industry - but his methods are still being practiced today and while I’m not advising you throw away your driving glasses it certainly seems to makes sense to try some exercises out - especially if it costs nothing and causes no harm. Read More...

[caption id="attachment_4317" align="alignleft" width="1000"] A selection of our great Digestive Wellness and Probiotic range at Organico[/caption] At this time of the year it can often feel like we are conducting a relentless war against bacteria and viruses and that the baddies are winning! Rather than battling the bugs once we’ve already caught something perhaps we need to think more in terms of preparation. By maintaining microbial balance and harmony within our bodies we may be stronger and more able to stay well when we do encounter a bug. What is interesting to me is that even in the conventional medical world, scientists are arguing that we should abandon the language of warfare and rather than use antibiotics to slaughter all the bacteria in our system, we should manage our inner wildlife. Continue reading →

  Fermoy Raw Milk at Organico When I was a child the milk we drank came straight from Daisy, our Hereford milking cow. It was delicious, creamy, fresh, and unprocessed or raw (Raw Milk is milk in its natural state that has not been pasteurised or homogenised). When Daisy was sold, and I first tasted pasteurised and homogenised milk...

I am constantly amazed by the human body. Because we are human beings, we can’t avoid getting sick, but our body has an amazing capacity to repair and renew. Take our kidneys for example. I remember being in hospital with my dad when the consultant told him his kidneys were on the brink of failing. Hearing this, my father determinedly...

If you have been in Organico recently you will probably have heard us talking about Magnesium powder; many of us are taking it and we are huge fans of it’s ability to help deal with tension and stress, sleep better, get rid of muscle cramps, boost low mood and help with weight loss. In this article though I am going...

I write about digestion a lot because it’s a concern for many of our customers at Organico and healthy digestive systems are so important in determining overall well being. Understanding the role of enzymes in the digestive process and discovering how best to support your digestion can make a huge difference to the digestive process and therefore to quality of...

It really is that time again! Soon the uniforms will be dusted off, the lunch boxes lids have been located and the first few days will be over. With colder days ahead we have to be prepared for the discomforts that cooler weather brings and in terms of back to school, there are a few natural ways to ease the...

Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It’s also a really good delivery system for things we want to get into our body (think insulin patches, nicotine patches,hormone patches). So it’s smart to look for skin care products with the same purity and quality you’d look for in the foods you choose to eat. Products with fewer artificial...