If you've been reading this blog for some time, you may have noticed something....
I don't promote products. At least not often. I will occasionally write a review of a book or video that I found especially helpful and thought my readers might benefit from the information it contains. But if I do promote something, it's usually just that: Information to help you live a healthier, happier life. Yes, we have some products listed on our "Recommended Products" page, and throughout the website as well. (You may notice that many of those are also information products.)
I also don't promote a lot of products in my daily life. I don't talk about the products I use all the time - even the ones that work really well for me. Maybe I should do more of this, but I just don't feel right about being a walking billboard for products - no matter how natural and effective.
Why? The reason is simple - at least in my opinion...
I don't promote products. At least not often. I will occasionally write a review of a book or video that I found especially helpful and thought my readers might benefit from the information it contains. But if I do promote something, it's usually just that: Information to help you live a healthier, happier life. Yes, we have some products listed on our "Recommended Products" page, and throughout the website as well. (You may notice that many of those are also information products.)
I also don't promote a lot of products in my daily life. I don't talk about the products I use all the time - even the ones that work really well for me. Maybe I should do more of this, but I just don't feel right about being a walking billboard for products - no matter how natural and effective.
Why? The reason is simple - at least in my opinion...
True health does not come from a product.
In fact, I find few things more irksome than hearing about the latest "natural health product" hype. Whether it is a "whole food supplement," an exotic "super juice" from the Amazon, a special type of "alkaline water," or the latest cleanse diet fad, whenever I hear people raving about the latest natural health "miracle product," I get suspicious.
And even more so, I get mad! After all, these products come and go all the time, and after all the hype has faded, I feel that the customers who all jumped on the bandwagon and spent (usually a lot of) money on these products are usually not any better off. Overall, I think this casts a bad light on those who really care about natural health in a holistic way.
Let's face it: We're humans, and we have this human tendency to want a quick fix for everything. We want health in a pill, and for those of us who worry about the nasty side effects of prescription drugs, a "natural" fix to the problem sounds pretty darn good - especially if it comes in an easy-to-consume capsule, which contains "75% of your daily requirement of vegetables" (really????), or a $35 bottle of special fruit juice that promises to cure what ails you - as long as you sign on for the monthly auto-ship program...
The proliferation of these types of (usually multi-level) programs is giving the natural health world a bad name - and like some religious practices by certain churches have turned people off to the truth of Jesus, it is turning people off to something that could really help them lead much healthier, longer, and better lives.
When I mention to people that I have a health-related website, the first question is always, "what products do you sell?" Or, "what can you recommend for xx?" And yes, of course I do want to make money (duh!), and yes, there are LOTS of natural remedies for any illness or ailment you can think of - many of which work just as well as (or better than) drugs, and without all the nasty side effects. But I feel that focusing exclusively on products obscures the truth about health.
The truth is the REAL health doesn't come in a pill or a product.
Real health is a lifestyle, plain and simple.
There is no magic pill that is going to make you young, skinny, strong, and fit. That takes eating real food, and doing real exercise. Sorry - there's just no way around it.
There's also no pill that's going to cure your high blood pressure (sorry folks - that's right, that medication is just a bandaid to suppress your symptoms - it's not a cure), or fix your back pain (although in extreme cases of course drugs can help to alleviate symptoms so you can function while your body starts to heal itself), or make you quit smoking (which is a commitment only you can make).
Fixing all of those issues takes work. It takes discipline. And, most of the time, it takes commitment to making changes to your lifestyle that - let's face it - a lot of people don't want to make.
So that's the bad news. The GOOD news is that, on the flip side, doing the work, staying disciplined, and keeping that commitment can put YOU back in the driver's seat of your body, so to speak. When you make these changes, it puts you in control of your own health. It empowers you to lead the kind of healthy, balanced, connected life that we all aspire to. And that's something that, again, no "natural health product" (or any other product, for that matter) can do.
This is why I focus so much more on information. Information is one thing that everyone can benefit from. Information is something that empowers you to make your own decisions, and take control of your life and health.
So feel free to purchase any of the products on our Recommended Products page - they are all products that I believe in, and feel can improve your health, and/or the health of the planet. Most are from companies I believe in as well, and have used, myself. But don't be surprised if I continue to focus mostly on sharing helpful information to help you become more informed and educated about real health.
Speaking of companies I believe in, I would like to introduce you to an excellent company that is bringing "natural products" to the mainstream, in an affordable, ethical way. Thrive Marketplace is an online shopping club that provides lower prices on top brands of whole, natural foods and other natural products to its members (including Vegan, raw, Paleo, non-GMO, and organic foods). It also has a great social mission; for each member that signs up, Thrive donates a membership to a low-income family, so that more people can afford to buy whole, healthy, and natural foods. They are also environmentally conscious, so your purchases are packaged in recycled (and recyclable) packaging, and they are carbon-neutral through carbonfund.org.
While I'm not promoting any specific products of theirs right now, I do feel that Thrive is a great place to find all kinds of healthy and natural products, so if you're interested, I would encourage you to check them out. If you do decide to join, it's only about $5/month, and your first month is free, so you can give it a try before you pay for a membership.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
To your (REAL) health,
Rose.
In fact, I find few things more irksome than hearing about the latest "natural health product" hype. Whether it is a "whole food supplement," an exotic "super juice" from the Amazon, a special type of "alkaline water," or the latest cleanse diet fad, whenever I hear people raving about the latest natural health "miracle product," I get suspicious.
And even more so, I get mad! After all, these products come and go all the time, and after all the hype has faded, I feel that the customers who all jumped on the bandwagon and spent (usually a lot of) money on these products are usually not any better off. Overall, I think this casts a bad light on those who really care about natural health in a holistic way.
Let's face it: We're humans, and we have this human tendency to want a quick fix for everything. We want health in a pill, and for those of us who worry about the nasty side effects of prescription drugs, a "natural" fix to the problem sounds pretty darn good - especially if it comes in an easy-to-consume capsule, which contains "75% of your daily requirement of vegetables" (really????), or a $35 bottle of special fruit juice that promises to cure what ails you - as long as you sign on for the monthly auto-ship program...
The proliferation of these types of (usually multi-level) programs is giving the natural health world a bad name - and like some religious practices by certain churches have turned people off to the truth of Jesus, it is turning people off to something that could really help them lead much healthier, longer, and better lives.
When I mention to people that I have a health-related website, the first question is always, "what products do you sell?" Or, "what can you recommend for xx?" And yes, of course I do want to make money (duh!), and yes, there are LOTS of natural remedies for any illness or ailment you can think of - many of which work just as well as (or better than) drugs, and without all the nasty side effects. But I feel that focusing exclusively on products obscures the truth about health.
The truth is the REAL health doesn't come in a pill or a product.
Real health is a lifestyle, plain and simple.
There is no magic pill that is going to make you young, skinny, strong, and fit. That takes eating real food, and doing real exercise. Sorry - there's just no way around it.
There's also no pill that's going to cure your high blood pressure (sorry folks - that's right, that medication is just a bandaid to suppress your symptoms - it's not a cure), or fix your back pain (although in extreme cases of course drugs can help to alleviate symptoms so you can function while your body starts to heal itself), or make you quit smoking (which is a commitment only you can make).
Fixing all of those issues takes work. It takes discipline. And, most of the time, it takes commitment to making changes to your lifestyle that - let's face it - a lot of people don't want to make.
So that's the bad news. The GOOD news is that, on the flip side, doing the work, staying disciplined, and keeping that commitment can put YOU back in the driver's seat of your body, so to speak. When you make these changes, it puts you in control of your own health. It empowers you to lead the kind of healthy, balanced, connected life that we all aspire to. And that's something that, again, no "natural health product" (or any other product, for that matter) can do.
This is why I focus so much more on information. Information is one thing that everyone can benefit from. Information is something that empowers you to make your own decisions, and take control of your life and health.
So feel free to purchase any of the products on our Recommended Products page - they are all products that I believe in, and feel can improve your health, and/or the health of the planet. Most are from companies I believe in as well, and have used, myself. But don't be surprised if I continue to focus mostly on sharing helpful information to help you become more informed and educated about real health.
Speaking of companies I believe in, I would like to introduce you to an excellent company that is bringing "natural products" to the mainstream, in an affordable, ethical way. Thrive Marketplace is an online shopping club that provides lower prices on top brands of whole, natural foods and other natural products to its members (including Vegan, raw, Paleo, non-GMO, and organic foods). It also has a great social mission; for each member that signs up, Thrive donates a membership to a low-income family, so that more people can afford to buy whole, healthy, and natural foods. They are also environmentally conscious, so your purchases are packaged in recycled (and recyclable) packaging, and they are carbon-neutral through carbonfund.org.
While I'm not promoting any specific products of theirs right now, I do feel that Thrive is a great place to find all kinds of healthy and natural products, so if you're interested, I would encourage you to check them out. If you do decide to join, it's only about $5/month, and your first month is free, so you can give it a try before you pay for a membership.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
To your (REAL) health,
Rose.
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