It’s back to school and that means back to school lunches! As busy moms, we are always looking for new ideas, and inspiration — “What do we pack in those lunch boxes?”
Same old, same old. That sandwich, those leftovers. How can I brighten up my kid’s lunches?
So, I thought I would go on a hunt for fun ideas to share in this guest post.
Packing the same thing day after day is boring for both me and the kids. So, it’s important to find ways to make lunches creative, but simple enough to make at the early hours of the morning.
I have rounded up 5 fun ideas and tips to liven up that school lunch:
In closing, keep your kids excited by telling them that they have “something special” in their lunch, but “don’t open it until lunchtime”.
Putting a smile on your children’s face is well worth the extra effort to give them healthy goodness in every bite!
Propolis contains more than 300 compounds, most of which are in the form of polyphenols. Polyphenols help fight disease and reverse damage to the body. Propolis contains a polyphenol known as flavonoids. These are typically for protection of the plant but are found to have antioxidant properties for humans. Research shows that propolis helps to provide protection from some bacteria, viruses and fungi.
In regards to its anti fungal properties, propolis contains a compound called pinocembrim which has been found to heal traumatic burns faster and speed up healthy cell growth. They are not sure exactly how it works, but it does stimulate new healthy cell growth in the the epithelial (skin).
Currently propolis is founds in soaps, ointments and tinctures. These forms are used for treatment of cold sores, genital herpes, hair growth, wound healing and acne.
In a study by Miata they found that in mice propolis stimulates hair growth by inducing hair keratinocyte proliferation via its chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid components.
In another study propolis was found to help reduce inflammation of the skin, which can lead to open wounds, acne and cancer. The polyphenol compounds in propolis are very protective and help to protect against UVB damage that causes cancer. There absorption spectrum can filter UV radiation and reduce penetration of radiations into skin, and subsequently decrease DNA damage, oxidative stress and the degree of inflammation.
So if you suffer from acne, open wounds or inflammation of the skin, such as psoriasis, or eczema give Propolis Soap with Manuka Honey and Tea Tree Oil a try to reduce you body’s reactions to UVB or skin irritants.
Sources
Pompei Bolfaa, Raluca Vidrighinescua,Andrei Petrutab,Dan Dezmireanc,Laura Stanc,Laurian Vlased,Grigore Damiane,Cornel Catoia,Adriana Filipb,, , Simona Clichicib. Photoprotective effects of Romanian propolis on skin of mice exposed to UVB irradiation
Shota Miyata, Yozo Oda, Chika Matsuo, Haruto Kumura, and Ken Kobayashi Stimulatory Effect of Brazilian Propolis on Hair Growth through Proliferation of Keratinocytes in Mice.http://pubs.acs.org.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/doi/abs/10.1021/jf503184s
Skin and chronic wound infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus are on the rise worldwide. To make matters worse this bacteria, which is a common causative agent of acute and chronic skin infections, has now become resistant to antibiotics. In the United States alone chronic wound infections affect 6.5 million patients and is estimated to cost the US $25 billion annually.(3) Unfortunately, this number is forecasted to increase in the future as we see an increase in foot, venous leg, and pressure ulcers caused by obesity and diabetes. (3) These slow- or non-healing wounds pose a significant risk of sepsis and can result in invasive inflammatory disease such as infective endocarditis, which is associated with high mortality and morbidity. (4)
As these infections become resistant to antibiotics other options are sought out to help to the body with healing. Unfortunately, commercial development of new classes of antibiotics has diminished over the past 15 years so there is an urgent need for new approaches to treat these infections. (3) Recent studies have found that combined treatments can lower the therapeutic dose of antimicrobial agents and help to prevent the development of drug resistance. (1) This drug synergy in some cases has a greater activity than the sum of the individual activities of each drug partner. So guess what’s being combined with oxacillin, tetracycline, imipenem, rifampicin and mupirocin (all common antibiotics) against the growth of MRSA? It’s Manuka honey of course!
In a study done by Carter et al. synergistic activity against multiple S. aureus strains including some MRSA strains was found between Manuka honey and rifampicin. Rifampicin is commonly used to treat infections as it penetrates well into tissues and abscesses. However, used alone it rapidly induces resistance. The presence of Manuka honey was shown to helped to prevent this drug from developing this resistance. (1)
An additional finding in this study was that the synergy was not from MG, which we’ve talked about in prior articles as being the key part of honey’s antimicrobial activity. (1) Although the precise antimicrobial action of honey is unclear, several components have been identified that contribute toward its antimicrobial activity, including high sugar content, low water activity, low pH, and the transformation of hydrogen peroxide upon dilution. In addition, Methylglyoxal (MG) has been identified as the dominant antimicrobial component of Manuka honey.(4) This study demonstrated that, although MG alone displays a clear antibacterial activity, MG is not the sole reason for the antimicrobial activity of Manuka honey. More importantly, while a combinational treatment of MG and rifampicin resulted in increased sensitivity of S. aureus to rifampicin it didn’t destroying the bacteria by it’s self.(3)
Honey has several antibacterial components, which is likely why, unlike antibiotics, it does not induce resistance in bacteria. Essentially Manuka honey causes bacteria to fail to manifest resistance to drugs in the laboratory tests by inhibiting the bacteria’s ability to reproduces and take over. (2) It does this by altering the levels of protein synthesis components, including ribosomal proteins. (4) (Watch for article “What does Manuka honey do to bacteria, exactly?”, coming soon)
However, honey represents a ‘challenge to the norm’ for healthcare workers and remains under-utilized in mainstream healthcare, often only used as a last line treatment when other therapies have failed. This is partly due to the lack of comprehensive scientific evidence supporting its clinical use.(4)
The results of these studies are encouraging, and controlled clinical studies are needed to define the efficacy of a honey-rifampicin combination in vivo. Further study is also needed to determine the underlying mechanism of this synergistic action.
Go to Shoppri.com for our wide selection of Manuka Honey.
Sources
1.Carter, D. A., Blair, S. E., Cokcetin, N. N., Bouzo, D., Brooks, P., Schothauer, R., & Harry, E. J. (2016). Therapeutic Manuka Honey: No Longer So Alternative. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 569. http://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00569
2.Jenkins R., Cooper R. (2012). Improving antibiotic activity against wound pathogens with manuka honey in vitro. PLoS ONE 7:e45600 10.1371/journal.pone.0045600
3.Müller P., Alber D. G., Turnbull L., Schlothauer R. C., Carter D. A., Whitchurch C. B., et al. (2013). Synergism between Medihoney and rifampicin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). PLos ONE 8:e57679 10.1371/journal.pone.0057679
4.Liu M., Lu J., Müller P., Turnbull L., Burke C. M., Schlothauer R. C., et al. (2014). Antibiotic-specific differences in the response of Staphylococcus aureus to treatment with antimicrobials combined with manuka honey. Front. Microbiol. 5:77910.3389/fmicb.2014.00779
Pacific Sea Salt is a natural assistant for balance, protection, and restoration of the body and skin.
New Zealand’s Pacific Sea Salt is obtained from solar evaporation of sea water. This is one of the major differences from modernly refined salt. This powerful salt contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body’s electrolytes in a healthy balance.
As the weather changes it alters your skin balance. By adding Pacific Sea Salt to your beauty practice, you can help improve balance and hydration.
Shopping list:
Here are a few hacks to add to your daily routine.
Mix 2 teaspoons Fine Pacific Sea Salt with 4 teaspoons Manuka Honey +5 to create a spreadable paste. Apply to clean, dry skin, avoiding eye area. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Before rinsing, soak a washcloth in very warm water, wring out. Lay the warm washcloth on your face for 30 seconds. Use your fingers in a circular motion while rinsing your skin with tepid water.
Mix 1 teaspoon Fine Pacific Sea Salt with 4 ounces of warm water in small spray bottle. Shake until all salt dissolves. Spray on clean, dry skin, avoiding eyes. Use daily or twice daily.
Mix a 1/4 Pacific Sea Salt and a 1/2 cup coconut oil into a thick paste. Add 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Apply in the shower with a washcloth scrubbing your skin in a circular motion.
Get your beauty game on and enjoy!
An All Natural, Award Winning Relief for the Common Cold Has Arrived!
Tis’ the season for sore throats! With the seasons changing and the cold weather approaching, we at Pacific Resources International have important things on our mind. One of those things is the scary side effects of cough medicine. We wanted to find an all natural relief for the common cold using the healing properties of Manuka Honey and Bee Propolis.
We are proud to announce that our Lemon and Honey Cough Elixir was awarded the 2016 Best of Supplements Winner from the Better Nutrition Magazine!
Our Cough Elixir uses a unique homeopathic formula with the active ingredient Bryonia, New Zealand bee propolis which is high in Bioflavanoids, and Manuka Honey that is specifically formulated to relieve symptoms of a dry cough.
Why choose PRI’s Lemon and Honey Cough Elixir over regular cough syrup? We believe that in order to heal your body, you need all natural ingredients.
Our Cough Elixir has absolutely:
An all natural cold relief that’s perfect for kids! Soothing honey and yummy flavors make relieving a scratchy throat that much easier. This season, keep your kids feeling 100% with our award winning Children’s Lemon Honey Cough Elixir or our Children’s Strawberry Cough Elixir!
Upper respiratory-tract infections (URTI) occur most commonly in childhood. On average, a healthy three-year old child suffers from 6-10 colds per year. These types of colds are generally mild but the symptoms can cause a fever and make your child irritable, lethargic and uncomfortable. According to the world health organization, respiratory infections account for 20% of medical consultations, 30% of days lost from work and 75% of antibiotic prescriptions in the USA, Canada, and Western Europe. But how do our children end up with these respiratory infections? Viral infections in childhood can come from many things these include attendance at daycare centers, contact with elder siblings, smoking at home and lack of breast feeding. So what’s the first thing we do when our baby has an awful cough? We head down to the local pharmacy and get a good non-prescriptive children’s cough and cold medicine. But these are not always effective in reducing the recovery time and can often have adverse effects including toxicity with unintentional overdose if we aren’t careful. More is not always better when it comes to cough medicines. So what should we do to stop this and keep our children healthy? Do your research!
This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs) and it won’t be the last. CAMs are not taught widely in medical schools but they are products that are used in addition to or as a replacement for traditional western medicine. Why are we bringing this up? Because studies have been done on what herbal medicines may be a good CAM to help support our children’s lungs and keep them breathing well throughout the school year. Many of the studies have looked at Echinacea and Vitamin C but today we are going to look at what research says about propolis.
In a study done in Romania they found that the treatment of upper respiratory infections with a tincture containing propolis decreased and sometimes suppressed viral activity in the upper airways. It does this through its anti-viral anti-inflammatory properties known as flavones. Other clinical results supporting its effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of upper respiratory tract infection have been published in Germany and only from trials among adults. But we found a study that took place at 10 primary care pediatric community clinics in Israel. In this study there were 430 children age 1-5 and each was randomly assigned a propolis elixir or a placebo. The results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, that an herbal preparation containing an extract of propolis did have a significant beneficial effect on the incidence and severity of respiratory tract infections in young children. In another study by Crisan et al a lower incidence of URTIs and symptoms were found in a group of preschool children treated with a propolis preparation for 5 months. Additional studies are needed in larger samples to confirm these findings but this has hopefully opened the door to propolis being used as in clinics. In the mean time check out PRI’s Propolis and Manuka honey cough elixir or the PRI Children's Propolis and Manuka Honey Lollipops to help keep your kids healthy and well.
***As with all bee products please make sure your child does not have any allergies before giving them these supplements. If you are unsure check with your doctor**
Sources
Crişan, I., Zaharia, C. N., Popovici, F., Jucu, V., Belu, O., Dascălu, C., & … Petrescu, A. (1995). Natural propolis extract NIVCRISOL in the treatment of acute and chronic rhinopharyngitis in children. Romanian Journal Of Virology, 46(3-4), 115-133.
Cohen, H. A., Varsano, I., Kahan, E., Sarrell, E. M., & Uziel, Y. (2004). Effectiveness of an herbal preparation containing echinacea, propolis, and vitamin C in preventing respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 158(3), 217-221.
Del-Rio-Navarro, B. E., Espinosa-Rosales, F. J., Flenady, V. and Sienra-Monge, J. J. (2012), Cochrane Review: Immunostimulants for preventing respiratory tract infection in children. Evid.-Based Child Health, 7: 629–717. doi:10.1002/ebch.1833
Carr, R. R., & Nahata, M. C. (2006). Complementary and alternative medicine for upper-respiratory-tract infection in children. American journal of health-system pharmacy, 63(1).
The tiny world of bees is a magical place and propolis (a bee resin) just can’t stay out of the lime light in the research world. A recent review on literature has shown that propolis is an effective natural ingredient that can be used for prevention and treatment in dentistry and oral care. The review covered a multitude of studies published in PubMed and the research found that propolis is natural additive effective at reducing a variety of dental issues.
It was shown to be helpful in reducing dental canaries, helping with tissue repair and root growth after surgery, eliminates bacteria build up and reduces inflammation, helps with bone formation while enduring orthodontics, and reduces tooth sensitivity.
Propolis containing products such as toothpastes and mouthwashes are a great way to access the wonders of propolis. The propolis in these helps prevent dental canaries by inhibiting glucan synthesis reducing the acid formation which breaks down teeth and causes cavities. The extract when added to water and used as a mouthwash was shown to kill the bacteria that causes chronic gingivitis and topical application of propolis in an alcohol base was found to help repair surgical wounds by accelerating epithelial growth. So don’t miss out on all the benefits and pick up some pure propolis oral care products direct from the clean and pure country of New Zealand imported by Pacific Resources International for the last 30 years.
Sources
Sardana, D., InduShekar, K., Manchanda, S., Saraf, B. G., & Sheoran, N. (2013). Role of propolis in dentistry: review of the literature. Focus On Alternative & Complementary Therapies, 18(3), 118-125 8p. doi:10.1111/fct.12034
International Self-Care Day was developed in 2011 by the International Self-Care Foundation as a day for everyone to be mindful of their health. This can be a simple bubble bath, a walk around the neighborhood, yoga, or anything that can help put your mind at ease. People are opening up about the importance of self care for your mental and physical health. Nowadays, everyone is too busy taking care of everything or everyone else in their life and forget about themselves. This is a day to be a little selfish by indulging on a little self care.
Here’s a few things we are doing for our self care
Mountain Pose is a great place to start. Ground your feet and press evenly through all four corners of each foot. Stretch your arms towards the floor and draw your abdominals in and up.
Hold for five to eight breaths to get focused and ready to move deeper.
From Mountain Pose, lift your arms up overhead and press your palms firmly together. Keep the tops of your shoulders released away from your ears and activate your triceps. Keep the abdominals engaged and the legs firm.
Hold for five to eight breaths.
Warriors are always awesome to do in the AM. Warriors give us confidence and strength and help us connect to our own inner strength.
From Urdhva Hastasana, step your left foot back one of your own leg’s length apart. Press the outer left foot in to the mat as you lunge your right knee forward. The left foot should be pointing at a seventy-five degree angle. Make sure the knee stays above the ankle.
Hold for five to eight breaths.
From Warrior I Pose on the right side, open the arms, hips, and waist to the side as you gaze forward over your right hand. Your back toes can open up a bit more than seventy-five degrees, but keep the toes a little forward of the heel still. Make sure the front knee doesn’t roll in. Draw your abs in and and keep the torso even between the legs.
Stay and breathe for five to eight deep breaths.
From Warrior II, straighten the front leg and hinge forward placing the hand on the knee, shin, or a block. Imagine yourself between two narrow walls.
Hold for five to eight breaths, then come back up to standing.
Re-bend the front knee and place the outer right forearm on the upper right thigh. Extend the top arm overhead and lengthen from the outer edge of the left foot all the way through the left fingers.
Hold for five to eight breaths.
Drop your hands alongside the front foot and step forward, folding in to both legs. Come back up through Urdhva Hastasana and repeat postures 3-6 on the left side.
After doing the postures on the left side, instead of folding forward, place both hands on the floor on either side of the left foot from Extended Side Angle and step the left foot back to meet the right as you come into Downward Facing Dog Pose.
Press firmly into your hands and roll your upper arms outwards. Lengthen up through your torso and keep your abdominals engaged. Actively use your legs to keep bringing your torso back in space.
Hold here for eight to ten breaths.
From Downward Facing Dog Pose, roll out to Plank (or drop to hands and knees) and place your forearms on the floor. Make sure your body forms a straight line from head to toe.
Keep your abdominals engaged and hold for thirty to sixty seconds to fire up your powerhouse for the day.
Lower down to your belly from forearm plank, walk your hands slightly forward if need be, and lift your chest up into a Baby Cobra. Pull your shoulder blades together and down your back and breathe into the front of your body.
Hold for five breaths, lower down and repeat two more times.
Finish by pressing back to Child’s Pose to stretch the entire back body and focus on what you would like to achieve for the day. Stay as long as you can, or want to, and finish with Savasana, or press to stand and roll up for an incredible day.
Oatmeal Cookies are one of my favorite desserts because they are easy to make and you can leave them simple or add some fun! In this recipe I added chocolate and butterscotch chips. I also cut the sugar in half by substituting our Manuka Honey. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
YIELD: Makes 24 cookies
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup raisins, chocolate or butterscotch chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F
In medium bowl, beat butter & sugar until thoroughly blended. Blend in honey, egg and vanilla until smooth.
In separate bowl, mix together oats, flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix into honey mixture. Add chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes until cookies are golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool 2 to 3 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
Cool completely then store in an airtight container.
TIP: High altitude adjustment: Increase oats to 2 cups and decrease whole wheat flour to 3/4 cup.
We hope you have a wonderfully relaxing day!
There is a reason you love our award winning Lemon & Honey Lozenges and Cough Syrup (2016 Better Nutrition – Best of Supplements Award), and why we here are Pacific Resources International believe that natural and simple are the best for a healthy life style! Using the traditional cold formula of natural Lemon and combining it with New Zealand Active UMF Manuka honey with immune building CPL* Bee Propolis in our Lemon & Manuka Honey products helps enable our bodies fight off infection as nature intended. You can also try a Hot Lemon & Manuka Honey drink when a sore throat hits: just mix a spoon full of our Active Manuka Honey, a good squeeze of fresh Lemon juice, and hot water in your favorite mug and feel the relief!
Medical Doctors in the UK speak out and return to Nature for results…
“Cough medicines are ‘waste of money’ and you’re better off trying honey and lemon, say doctors.
Adds simplest and cheapest treatment for a short-term cough may be a homemade remedy containing lemon and honey.
Cough medicines are waste of money, doctors declared today. Both NHS (National Health Service in the UK)bosses and leading GPs have dismissed the products – and say traditional homemade remedies with lemon or honey to be the best approach…
… ‘There’s little evidence to suggest cough medicines actually work, although some ingredients may help treat symptoms associated with a cough, such as a blocked nose or fever.’ The webpage adds that the ‘simplest and cheapest’ treatment for a ‘short-term cough’ may be a homemade remedy containing lemon and honey…
…A Which( Testing Company) investigation two years ago said found many popular cough medicines do not work as well as they claim to. The report authors concluded that studies used to support the claims of effectiveness are often low quality. Many also contain high doses of sugar, with one week of the adult maximum dose of a popular product containing as much sugar as five Mars bars…”
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cough/Pages/Treatment.aspx
Update:
More support for Manuka Honey:
Adding a little Manuka honey to your hot tea, smoothie, or even oatmeal, might help you fend off infections.
In recent research, microbiologist Elizabeth Harry of the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, found that “when tested against other honeys, Manuka honey was the most effective at inhibiting the growth of all the bacteria.”
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-uncommon-tips-to-beat-a-cold-or-the-flu-105881337133.html
