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Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

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Arlington Heights, IL

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We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

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Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

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This just in...Suffering from high blood pressure?  A new study has demonstrated that a popular muscle building supplement may have some indication to lower it.

Specifically:

Creatine is a naturally‐occurring compound that supplies energy to cells throughout the body – primarily muscle cells. Researcher,  Eduardo Tibiri, from the School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences of the Estacio de Sa University (Brazil), and colleagues enrolled 40 healthy male, moderately physically active subjects, average age 27.7 years, to consume creatine as a dietary supplement (20 g/day of commercially available micronized creatine monohydrate), for one week. Researchers used imaging to assess microvascular reactivity, and conducted video microscopy to ascertain capillary density.

Mean blood pressure decreased from 92.1 mm Hg, to 89.8. Significant decreases of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were also observed. The study authors submit that: “Oral supplementation with creatine in healthy, moderately physically active young adults improves systemic endothelial‐dependent microvascular reactivity and increases skin capillary density and recruitment.”

I do not advocate supplementing with creatine for this purpose, as this is a very preliminary finding based on young healthy subjects and there may be side effects in older less healthy individuals that are unknown at this time.

Still this is a provocative study and hopefully more research will be done to see if this substance would be helpful in subjects with hypertension or high blood pressure.

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Photo: Carpenter of Fitness

We all have bacteria, both good and bad, inside and all around us. In fact, we have about 100 trillion bacteria in our gut and around our body! A key to OPTIMAL health is striking the perfect balance between good and bad bacteria, but when the bad bacteria get out of hand, it can cause health issues and unwanted weight gain.

Here are some telltale signs that you may be experiencing a bacterial or yeast overgrowth.

1. You feel extremely tired or lethargic all the time.

Many of my clients are initially sleeping over 10 hours a night and still do not get out of bed feeling refreshed in the morning. The lethargy continued throughout the day and they just do not understand why they are so tired all the time.

2. Brain fog, poor memory or lack of focus.

Many of my clients find it quite difficult to focus and concentrate on the tasks at hand, no matter what it might be. Their overall thinking may be foggy and impaired, they may have very poor memory of even recent events.

3. Mood swings, anger, anxiety, or depression.

Many of my clients experience erratic mood shifts. Studies now demonstrate that the gut is akin to a second brain, so it's condition will definitely affect your mood and emotions.

4. Strong cravings for high carb and/or sugary foods.

Bacterial or yeast overgrowth often leads to a condition called "leaky gut" wherein the gut lining has thinned. This means your food isn't absorbed as nutrients and instead becomes toxins in your bloodstream. See #7

With so few nutrients being absorbed, many clients are chronically hungry often craving sugary or starchy or yeasty foods like bread. These foods feed the underlying infection, making the situation worse and worse but it is really hard to stop the behaviors because of the strong cravings involved.

5. Skin and fungal infections. 

When the overgrowths get really out of balance the entire immune system becomes compromised and the skin itself becomes "leaky" leading to chronic skin infections like: Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea, rashes, dermatitis and many others.

6. Food Sensitivities

Not allergies, sensitivities occur due to the combination of an immune system that is not working properly and the leaky gut factor which releases undigested food particles into the systemic blood circulation, not a good scenario.

7. Digestive issues such as bloating, diarrhea or constipation.

Due to the lack of proper balance of bacterias foods cannot be digested properly leading to common symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.  Others have more serious symptoms like reflux of foods and mucus or blood in the stool showing chronic inflammation. This is a very serious situation. So is years of non absorption of nutrients.

8. Chemical sensitivities

As things progress, many of my clients become much more sensitive to environmental toxins because their bodies are so toxic to begin with. Other organs like the liver and kidneys become overworked.

9. Toenail Fungus

Many if not most of my dysbiosis clients present with toenail fungus due to the low functioning of their immune systems.

10. Chronic Vaginal, or Urinary infections or "jock itch"

Again, as this disorder progresses other systems become affected. Many clients have chronic vaginitis or vaginosis or prostate problems or "jock" itch and anal itching.

All of these seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms can be remedied by coming in for treatment!

For an even more indepth assessment take my questionaire here: You can also schedule a FREE consult.  For more remedies visit the Digestive Aisle of my Store!

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

“Magical grass” or “miracle grass”, is a perfect herbal tea for the overworked individual, helping to reduce stress related tension and improve immune and gut system functions.

Used since ancient times Jiao Gan Lan or gynostemma is one of a few adaptogenic Chinese leafy herbs that are easy to prepare as a tea because they don't need to be decocted (simmered) and can be simply infused in hot water. 

Gynostemma is also slightly sweet, with a mildly bitter green tea-like taste.  It has definitely become one of my personal favorites over the last few years.

What is Gynostemma?

Gynostemma pentaphyllum, or Jiaogulan (the Chinese name), is a five leafed climbing vine plant in the same family as melons and cucumbers.  Although it is from the family Cucurbitaceae is does not bare edible fruit. 

Jiaogulan is a perennial plant that can be planted and grown in moderate climates, classified under USDA zone 8, which includes Southern and Western coastal regions of the U.S.  Most of the gynostemma today is imported from China but, if you happen to live in such mild climates, it can be easily grown in a garden and used fresh or dried as a tea infusion.

The first recorded notation of the plant was by the herbalist Li Shi-Zhen in 1578 who identified gynostemma for use in treatment of traumas and tumorous growths.

In the 1970's Jiaogulan was originally researched and studied by scientists for its sweet components and benefits as a natural sugar substitute.  During this time it was discovered that the leaves actually contain high amounts of saponins, four of which are also found in panax ginseng root another famous adaptogen. In the research provided by Dr. Masahiro Nagai and Dr. Tsunematsu Takemoto gynostemma tea benefits were shown to not only include four identical ginseng saponins but also 17 other related saponins. 

For this reason it is also called "southern ginseng" and is a more affordable alternative to the high price of some ginseng extracts.  Today jiaogulan is known to have over 82 different saponin compounds, which is extremely unusual for a leafy green plant.

In many parts of Asia it is still regarded as a quintessential herbal tea to promote a healthy long life, enhancing  immunologic, respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic systems.

 

Gynostemma Tea Benefits

There are only a number of leafy herbs that work as adaptogens which are herbs that help the human body adapt to stress and gynostemma is one of them.

In fact, the herb contains the widest spectrum of saponins out of all the plants varieties. 

The primary active ingredients that attribute to these adaptogenic qualities are the saponins called gypenosides.

 

As an adaptogenic leaf, jiaogulan, helps the body adapt to stress and promotes equilibrium within the cells and vital organ systems. 

Because of it's double-directional stress modulating activity it has either a calming effect on the central nervous system or an energy lifting one depending on the state of fatigue or over-excitement. 

It is well known for its spirit-lifting effects and is great for those who suffer from depression.

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory

The gypenosides in gynostemma tea maintain powerful antioxidant effects helping to boost the immune system by increasing the activity level and number of white blood cells.

Gynostemma tea benefits can provide antioxidants that protect the cell membranes from the negative influence of oxidation which can lead to chronic inflammation.

Jiao Gu Lan has been shown to reduce fatigue and stimulate the release of insulin.  Jioagulan is also known in Traditional Chinese Medicine to clear heat, support clear thinking, calm the nerves, moisten the lungs as well as reduce inflammation.

Gynostemma for Weight Management

In Asia gynostemma is extremely popular in assisting those in weight management programs and is known to be useful for those needing to loose or gain body weight.

One of the ways in which it helps individual's loose excess weight is by accelerating the body's metabolism.  This is achieved through its actions at adjusting blood fat and blood sugar levels.  In addition jioagulan naturally assists in the digestive process, helping to normalize bowel movements and cleanse the intestinal tract.

Saponins are known to have foaming soap-like qualities and were originally used as an early source of detergents in many cultures around the world.  The high saponin content in gynostemma, in a sense, acts as a cleanser as it moves through the digestive system, ridding the body of wastes and toxic microbes.

Gynostemma tea benefits provide direct energy conversion of carbohydrates which is specifically helpful for athletes.  It is also known to assist body builders or underweight people by increasing their capacity to gain lean muscle mass.

 

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Gynostemma tea benefits also help to normalize blood pressure and stabilize the heart rate. Acting as a natural vasodilator, regular consumption of the tea or extract improves cardiac efficiency by increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the circulatory system.

The saponins in gynostemma pentaphyllum are also known to be helpful for atherosclerosis, reducing triglycerides and lowering cholesterol by preventing it from being absorbed by the body. 

A study was conducted in Japan whereby 30 people experienced an 85% decrease in LDL cholesterol, commonly referred to as the "bad" cholesterol.

Additional studies show that it reduces the accumulation of blood platelets, thins the blood and decreases plaque buildup.

Precautions:  If you take blood thinners or are on heart medication it is recommended that you consult your physician before using this herb.

Gynostemma Tea Benefits List

• Acts as an adaptogen and stress reducer
• Enlivens the body but does not contain caffeine
• Possesses anti-inflammatory properties via its immune supporting affects
• Improves respiratory functions
• Promotes a sense of peace and well being
• Acts as a soothing digestive aid
• Known to be beneficial for weight management
• Helpful for cardiovascular health and improved circulation
• Supports healthy normal liver functions
• Contains anti-aging antioxidants

How To Use Gynostemma

Gynostemma Tea

The most traditional way to consume gynostemma is as a hot herbal tea.  It has a delicious flavor and has long been enjoyed as a tea by the people in the southern regions of China, where it is called "magical grass". Steep 1t-1T in a cup-5oz of hot water.  Here is a wonderful product we sell.

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Happy Holidays!

This just in! A new report published just days ago, demonstrates  reversal of HPV after a few months of ingesting this natural compound!

A mushroom mycelia to be exact is the source for AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound), for which a number of published human and animal studies suggest  increases the number and activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells, dendritic or CNS cells and cytokines, to support the overall immune response. Judith A. Smith, at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School (Texas, USA), and colleagues completed a study of 10 women, HPV-positive with the Cervista HPV HR Test, who were treated orally with the Japanese mushroom extract AHCC (active hexose correlated compound) once daily for up to five months. Five achieved a negative HPV test result -  three with confirmed eradication after stopping AHCC - and the remaining two responders continue on the study. Observing that"HPV is associated with 99% of cervical cancers as well as many other life threatening cancers," the lead author submits that: “What we need is a safe, effective treatment for HPV before the cancer occurs."

Here is an excellent source of the compound! FREE shipping

This is certainly a promising lead. Call or message for more information!

Thank you for another great year! Happy Holidays!

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

First: Happy Hanukkah to all of our Jewish Friends, Clients and Followers!

Autism is a range of neurodevelopmental disorders that affects 1 in 88 children. Autism is a spectrum of disorders and can appear in childhood at many different stages and different levels of severity.

An encouraging brand new study carried out at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine suggests that sulforaphane, a chemical derived from broccoli sprouts, may be of benefit in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Andrew Zimmerman, MD, who is now a professor of pediatric neurology at UMass Memorial Medical Center, and colleagues enlisted 40 teenage boys and young men with moderate to severe autism, aged 13 to 27, to take part in the study.

Twenty-six of the subjects were randomly selected to receive, based on their weight, 9 to 27 milligrams of sulforaphane daily, and 14 received placebos. Before the start of the trial, the patients' caregivers and physicians filled out 3 standard behavioral assessments: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale (CGI-I).

These assessments measure sensory sensitivities, ability to relate to others, verbal communication skills, social interactions and other behaviors related to autism. Behavioral assessments were completed again at 4, 10 and 18-weeks while treatment continued. A final assessment was completed for the majority of participants 4-weeks after the treatment had stopped.
Impressive results showed that the majority of those who responded to sulforaphane showed significant improvements by the first measurement at 4-weeks and continued to improve during the rest of the treatment. After 18-weeks of treatment, the average ABC and SRS scores of those who received sulforaphane had decreased 34 and 17%, respectively, with improvements in bouts of irritability, lethargy, repetitive movements, hyperactivity, awareness, communication, motivation and mannerisms.
 After 18-weeks of treatment, according to the CGI-I scale, 46, 54 and 42% of sulforaphane recipients experienced noticeable improvements in social interaction, aberrant behaviors and verbal communication, respectively.

 The scores of those who took sulforaphane trended back toward their original values after they stopped taking the chemical. The study's investigators caution that it would be very difficult to achieve the levels of sulforaphane used in this study by eating large amounts of broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables.

I have researched and clinically treated this disorder as well as this particular study and recommend this product available in my Natural Pharmacy. FREE Shipping.  It is most important to select a fresh quality product that contains the active compounds. Please contact me if I can be of assistance in seeing if this would be an appropriate intervention in your situation. Also: Please pass this information on to others who may benefit.  Thank YOU!

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.

Join our weekly heath blog for FREE natural health tips!

Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for great prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of FRESH,  natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs! Order now and ALSO receive 10-20% all orders over $99! Discounts applied at check out!

Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN

Naturopath

Acupuncturist

Clinical Nutritionist

Professional Vitamins and Supplements

Chinese Herbs

Natural Skin Products

Arlington Heights, IL

www.apple-a-day-clinic.com

We specialize in Acne, Skin, and Digestive disorders!  Please contact us for a free consultation!  I do work long distance.  Thank you from the bottom of our cart!  We truly appreciate your product purchases, visits, and referrals!  They enable us to give people the help they need and continue our valuable work.