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- Body Care & Beauty (19)
- Diet (124)
- Exercise (47)
- Green Living (75)
- Health Concerns (280)
- Nutritional Supplements (170)
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- Stress Management & Lifestyle (61)
- Village Green News (127)
Paula Gallagher
Paula is a highly qualified and experienced nutritionist on the staff at Village Green Apothecary.
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Margo Gladding
Margo's impressive knowledge base is the result of a unique blend of educational
and professional experience. read more..
Ellen Kittredge
Ellen’s knowledge base has given her the tools to be an effective
nutrition and health counselor.
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Naz Amini
Naz is a nutrition counselor and lifestyle educator for Village Green Apothecary. read more..
Carmen Ugas
Carmen is a therapeutic lifestyle educator for Village Green Apothecary. read more..
Debi Silber
Debi is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition, a personal trainer, and whole health coach.
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Steve Stillwater
Steve is committed to greener living and offers to easy-to-implement green living tips and ideas.
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Farzin Farid, Pharm.D
Farzin is a licensed pharmacist with a strong background in herbal, mineral, and vitamin therapy.
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Joe Ailts
Joe, Director of Medical Education at NeuroScience, Inc., provides scientific and clinical education on neuro-endo-immunology.
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Other Conrtributors
Scott O’Dell >>>James Brodsky, MD >>>
Christine M. Gonzales >>>
Beth Ritchie >>>
Jim Fox >>>
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Green Living
Houseplants: Nature’s Air Purifiers
by Paula Gallagher | December 19, 2011
A friend gave me a potted English ivy plant years ago as a gift, and it has been the gift that keeps on giving. A houseplant is a perfect gift for someone who has everything, and it can even help improve health.
Plenty of studies have shown that everyday houseplants act as air purifiers. In the 1980′s, NASA studied the air cleaning properties of plants and found that certain plants were incredibly effective at reducing airborne toxins like benzene, TCE (trichloroethylene) and formaldehyde. Since then, many more studies have shown that plants are also great at neutralizing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well toluene, octane and terpene (all toxic to humans).
Plants have also been shown to reduce stress and blood pressure. So if you sit at a desk all day, you may want to have a little greenery in sight.
Since many Americans, especially during the winter months, spend most time indoors, a pretty plant that cleanses the air and offers stress reduction, is a perfect gift. My favorite is the peace lily, pictured above. It is hardy and beautiful and is especially effective for benzene, formaldehyde and TCE. If you are looking for an effective, easy-to-maintain plant, the common ivy takes care of benzene, formaldehyde and TCE, as well as toluene, octane and terpene. Spider plants can neutralize carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
New 5-Cent Bag Ordinance Starts January 1 – Montgomery County, MD
by Paula Gallagher | December 14, 2011
Just a reminder that starting January 1, Montgomery County’s 5-cent bag ordinance begins. The tax will apply to paper and plastic bags at most retail stores. One exception is pharmacy bags holding prescription drugs. The goal is to reduce waste and encourage recycling!
We encourage you to bring your reusable shopping bags when you visit the store!
Christmas Trees: Real vs. Fake
by Paula Gallagher | December 7, 2011
Every year my husband and I debate whether we should break down and buy an artificial tree or continue to make the trek to a tree farm to cut down a living tree. Real tree has won out so far. But even though the smell of pine is lovely, part of me is filled with guilt about the waste of all those living trees. Wouldn’t it better to get an artificial one that lasts for years?
Well according to a Ellipsos, a company dedicated to sustainable development, natural is the better option with respect to the impacts on climate change and resource depletion. Most fake trees are made with polyvinyl chloride (or PVC, otherwise known as vinyl), one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non-renewable, petroleum-derived plastic. Several known carcinogens, including dioxin, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride, are generated during the production of PVC, polluting neighborhoods located near factory sites (mostly in China).
Natural trees can be a big problem for towns and cities that aren’t prepared for the amount of trees being discarded. However, many cities and towns collect trees and recycle them into mulch. (more…)
5 Tips for a Greener Holiday Season
by Paula Gallagher | November 29, 2011
I am not referring to those folks who live in a no snow zone. I am talking about having an environmentally friendly holiday. The holidays are a time of family, food, and thankfulness. Unfortunately, they are also a time of waste. In North America we are consumers of everything and events like Black Friday seem to make over-consumption and greed part of the holidays.
I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t gift-give with your loved ones, but perhaps there are ways that we can cut down on how much we give and consume, and reduce the carbon footprint we leave behind. Here are some tips to have a greener holiday season.
1. Buy fewer gifts. When I was a kid, we got one gift from my parents. And we were really excited about it! Now, my children receive multiple gifts from each relative, and my house feels like the inside of a Toys R Us. And my son soon becomes bored and is looking for the next gift. So this year we have asked for donations to their college fund instead of another Lego set. (more…)
Why is Green Living Important?
by Steve Stillwater | October 5, 2011
There are plenty of reasons offered for going green. But I just want to focus here on three of them. I think all three are very good reasons: one is environmental, one is geo-political/patriotic, and the last is very practical
1) Living green is the right thing to do. Conserving energy resources that we know are finite (oil and gas supplies, etc.) will help to create a world in which most of our energy supply comes from renewable sources. Further, bringing those renewable supplies roughly in balance with energy demand will create a far more sustainable world. At that point, we no longer need to extract and burn fossil fuels because we are relying on renewable sources
2) Making the country more energy independent and reducing the need to import energy, especially fossil fuels from abroad, will help us eliminate our dependence on energy sources that are unstable or unfriendly. (more…)