Leading a healthy lifestyle and avoiding toxins is good for our bodies. No secret there. Did you know it can also improve mental and emotional health issues? Author Tara Mackey shares her journey from prescription drugs to good health in her book, “Cured by Nature”, and you are going to want to get your hands on a copy.

Mental and emotional health issues affect nearly 7% of adults and 3% of children in the U.S., according to Anxiety Disorders Association of America. The main treatment? Prescription medication. While, certainly, some people need prescription drugs to treat their health issues, many are being given antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds to address symptoms without knowing the cause of the imbalance.

Tara Mackey was one of many people suffering from physical, mental, and emotional illnesses from a young age. No surprise, she was prescribed a range of medications to treat the symptoms, while the cause of her maladies was left unchecked.

As an adult, Tara took her health into her own hands and found other, more natural, means to better health. In her book, “Cured by Nature”, Tara spells out in detail how she came to discover toxins were behind her health issues, and the changes she made to get and stay healthy.

Interview with Tara Mackey, Author of “Cured by Nature”

LT: So many people, especially women, are diagnosed with anxiety and depression these days, and subsequently prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Do you think these conditions can be treated other, more natural, ways?

TM: I believe that regardless of if we’re taking medication, we should be incorporating natural methods of healing into our everyday lives. I took pills for over 11 years, for any illness, pain and various diagnosis – emotional, mental and physical – that you can name. They may have masked the problem, or handed me some chemicals, but never, ever actually helped me on my way to being truly healed. The reason it’s important to have natural methods and tools for healing is because at the end of the day, you can’t rely on a pill. A pill won’t do the work. You need to do the work. You need to be able to rely on yourself, no matter what.

LT: Do you feel we are an overmedicated society?

TM: Without a doubt. Walgreens sold over 900 million – almost a BILLION – prescription drugs on 2015. That’s 3 times more drugs than there are people in this country! And that’s just one pharmacy!! 70% of Americans are on some kind of drug! That makes me a very, very small minority.

Some drugs are needed, of course. Even psychiatric drugs, in severe cases. But Walgreens alone sold enough drugs last year for everyone in this country to be on 3 meds at the same time! There is no DOUBT that we’re overmedicated. These companies have investors, stockholders, lobbyists, and CFO’s to satisfy. Their filled prescription drug numbers WILL go up, year by year. I have no doubt about that, and their books prove it. We need to know what we can do for ourselves to make sure we’re not one of the overmedicated ones.

LT: How does meditation factor into a healthy lifestyle?

TM: Meditation is the simplest form of mind-work. Sitting quietly gives us the time and tools to learn things about ourselves we’d NEVER figure out otherwise. One of the first things I learned in meditation was that my normal breathing was totally panicked. Well, no wonder I had anxiety! I didn’t need medication – I needed to figure out how to breathe!

Most of the things that hold us back from our dreams are learned behaviors that we may not even realize we have! It wasn’t until I started meditating that things really started falling into place for me. I was able to give up a lot of ego gratification, which left room for amazing things like new friendships, amazing opportunities and fearless action. Without mind-work, you won’t be able to find the strength needed to conquer learned helplessness, which becomes totally ingrained in us.

LT: You recommend a shower filter for healthier hair and skin. Can everyone benefit from this?

TM: Yes! Many domestic water users are concerned about clearing up the hardness of their water. Hard water requires more soap and synthetic detergents for home laundry and washing, and contributes to scaling in boilers and industrial equipment, skin disease, acne, dryness, hair thinning and more.

Everyone can and should be using a water filter in their shower and sink to make sure that they’re getting the best, most purified water for their bare skin while showering, drinking or taking a bath. When I moved to LA, hard water immediately started doing a number on my skin and hair, and it took me months to identify this as the culprit!

The very week I got a shower filter, a lot of the problems I had been faced with – cystic acne, dry hair, split ends, psoriasis – disappeared completely! I was so relieved & astonished! I’m so passionate about letting others know so they don’t have to suffer, also!

LT: You believe coffee is the skin’s worst enemy. This comes as very sad news to many of us;) What does caffeine do to skin and do you have any tips for eliminating from the diet?

TM: Haha. I know it’s sad, but unfortunately, it’s so, so very true.

Caffeine, the main ingredient in coffee, is the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug. It is also a diuretic, meaning it’s a dehydrating, appetite suppressant. It disrupts your gut flora, which is where good skin and health truly begins and ends. Caffeine also messes with your hormones, most notably, your stress hormones. NO thank you. If you already suffer from anxiety, coffee alone could be causing it!

I love Teeccino, which is a caffeine free tea that tastes JUST like coffee! You can buy bags of it or a roast to brew. Delicious! Oprah also makes a caffeine free chai tea (Oprah Chai!) that is my jam! If you make it with some almond milk and cacao, it tastes just like coffee! It’s really hard to find caffeine free chai, so hats off to Oprah! If you need a natural jolt, add a capsule of ginseng and stir before you drink up!

LT: Osmia Organics came to your skin’s rescue. Which products do you recommend for treating acne?

TM: I’m still addicted to Osmia’s Black Clay Facial Soap, which converted me to green beauty. I use it once a day and it’s super gentle and effective on my skin. I also adore Osmia’s Detox Mask, which is full of activated ingredients that pull out all the gunk from your pores, as well as nourishing ingredients that don’t dehydrate. Follow with Osmia’s Spot Treatment on the blemishes themselves and you’re on your way to naturally clear skin! I also recommend DIM plus from Nature’s Way for hormonal acne. This supplement truly saved my skin when everything else – including Accutane – failed completely!

LT: What is one thing anyone can do today to improve their health?

TM: Twenty minutes of concentrated movement. Find the time to exercise – seriously. It’s been one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done for my health. No matter how much mind work I’m doing, it never has as much of a positive effect on my health or mindset unless I am spending some time connecting with my body. I have designed two fitness plans specifically for people to be able to exercise easily at home. One is designed to transform your body in just two weeks! Getting just 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day (you can do it during one of your favorite Netflix shows!) has been proven to help hundreds of health issues, as well as aid you in expanding your lifespan!

Purchase a copy of “Cured by Nature” for yourself and read more healthful tips on Tara’s blog, The Organic Life.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

Related on EcoSalon:

Dangerous Toxins In Personal Care Products Exposed in Online Cosmetics Database

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Images via Tara Mackey/The Organic Life

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Pungent and powerful, garlic has dozens of health and household uses.

Chew up a raw clove of garlic and you might exhale noxious, eye-watering clouds of stink all day, but you’ll also repel mosquitoes (and vampires), increase your immunity, heal cold sores, expel parasites and maybe even get in the mood. Garlic is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, killing bacteria, fungus, viruses and mold, so it’s an important ally for natural health. Check out these 20 unusual and sometimes strange alternative uses for garlic.

Acne

Slice open a clove of raw, fresh garlic and apply it to breakouts as a home remedy for acne. Your skin won’t smell terribly good, but the antibacterial properties of garlic will help lessen the appearance of acne, even those deep acne cysts that can otherwise be difficult to treat.

Pesticide

Whiteflies, aphids, cabbage loopers and squash bugs. All of these creepy-crawlies and more can totally decimate the beautiful organic garden you’ve been tending all season. Ward them off with an all-natural garlic pesticide spray. Mince three garlic cloves and let them sit in two tablespoons of mineral oil for 24 hours. Then strain out the garlic and add the oil, along with a teaspoon of liquid dish soap, to a pint of water in a spray bottle. Spray on infested plants.

Cold sore treatment

These unsightly lesions always seem to pop up at the most inopportune times, like the morning before a big date. Raw garlic may work just as well as commercial medical treatments, though the acidity may cause discomfort at first. Cut a garlic clove in half and place it directly on the cold sore for 10 minutes, several times a day. Garlic supplements in capsule form may also speed up the healing process.

Mosquito repellent

If you don’t mind smelling like Italian dressing, garlic can work wonders in warding off pesky mosquitoes without the use of DEET and other potentially toxic chemicals. Try this oddball garlic mosquito spray: let a few minced cloves of garlic infuse an ounce of mineral oil for 24 hours, strain, and mix the garlic-scented oil with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Strain again if necessary and pour into a spray bottle.

Glass repair

Did you know that garlic juice is a natural adhesive? While it’s not up to any major jobs, it can be used to fill in hairline cracks in glass and hold them together. Crush a clove of garlic and rub its sticky, viscous juice into the cracks and wipe away the excess.

Weight Loss Aid

Even though it’s potent flavor may make you want to eat a lot of it, garlic actually has weight loss properties, according to some research. Compounds found in garlic send your brain signals of satiety, which will actually help you to feel full faster. It also boosts metabolic function helping you to burn more calories as well.

Athlete’s foot

Garlic is a potent natural antifungal, making it ideal for treating fungal infections like irritating and itchy athlete’s foot. Add a few cloves of crushed garlic to warm water in a foot bath and soak the affected foot for 30 minutes.

Ear infections

A common folk remedy for centuries, garlic can indeed kill the bacteria that cause ear infections. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should shove a clove of garlic into your ear and hope for the best. Crush a clove of garlic with a press and place it in a teaspoon of hot olive oil for five minutes. Strain, allow to cool and drip a few drops at a time into your ear canal. You can also purchase garlic oil made for this purpose at natural health food stores.

Splinter removal

Splinters suck. They’re painful to remove, and sometimes they slice too far into the skin to pull out. Instead of waiting for it to come out on its own, try this odd trick: place a thin slice over the splinter and hold on with a bandage. The garlic should help the splinter work its way out of the skin within hours.

Skin cleanser

It’s not exactly common, but some women swear by using garlic as a facial cleanser to dry out acne and tighten and exfoliate the skin. It will definitely burn, so take care if you have any open wounds. Make a paste of finely mined garlic, olive oil, facial cleanser and sugar; massage into skin in circular motions, then rinse.

Gas prevention

High in sulfur, garlic can be the culprit for uncomfortable stomach-distending gas for some people, but for others, it can reportedly ease it. The trick may be consuming it on a regular basis in order to maintain intestinal health. Garlic kills harmful intestinal bacteria and promotes the growth of beneficial flora, making digestion much smoother.

Yeast infections

At the first sign of a yeast infection, many women around the world turn to a rather unusual natural remedy: raw, peeled garlic cloves (not cut), typically tied in a strip of cheesecloth and inserted with a tampon applicator. Garlic’s antifungal properties go to work on the yeast, supposedly keeping the infection at bay.

Fish bait

Garlic’s strong smell may repel insects, but it has the opposite effect on fish. Yep, that’s right, garlic cloves are recommended by some fisherman as an unusual bait that can attract catfish, carp, trout, bass and other species. Marshmallows or dough balls made from a mixture of crackers and cat food are coated with crushed or powdered garlic and placed on a hook to lure the fish with its scent.

Psoriasis relief

The persistent tightness and itching of psoriasis could be eased or even prevented by garlic’s anti-inflammatory properties. Active compounds in garlic interact with arachidonic acid, an omega fatty acid in the skin linked to psoriasis. Garlic oil may be rubbed directly on affected areas once or twice per day.

Cough syrup

Ease inflammation in the throat and clear up excess mucus by using garlic as cough syrup. Try steeping raw, minced garlic in hot water, straining it after five minutes and drinking the liquid as tea; you can add ginger and honey to make it more palatable.

Mole removal

This method is almost certainly not recommended by dermatologists, and mole removal is best left to medical professionals, especially since skin doctors can tell upon excision whether the mole shows signs of malignancy. However, many people choose to go it alone, and garlic oil – applied several times per day and covered with a bandage – is an oft-repeated DIY route.

Cold banisher

Can garlic cure and prevent colds naturally? It’s been in use for this purpose for centuries, and there’s a good reason for that. Researchers believe that allicin, the main biologically active component of garlic, could block enzymes that may impede bacterial and viral infections. Eat three to four cloves of garlic per day, preferably raw and crushed, adding them to soups, stews, pasta sauces and salad dressings.

Road de-icer

Garlic is among the oddball solutions that many towns across the nation have been dreaming up to de-ice roads in winter. Ankeny, Iowa smelled awfully savory in 2008 when winter transportation crews spread garlic salt on the streets in advance of snowstorms. The salt, apparently unfit for human consumption, was donated by a local spice producer.

Hair loss help

Whether you’ve over-dyed your hair to the point of constant shedding or you’re just going bald, garlic may be worth a shot before you resort to more drastic measures (or just buy a lot of hats.) Some people believe that massaging the scalp with garlic oil stimulates hair growth.

Parasite killer

Many alternative health practitioners advise using raw garlic to expel intestinal parasites. Recommended as part of a cleansing diet that also includes raw honey, lemon juice, pumpkin seeds, carrots and beets, garlic consumed in quantities of about three cloves per day may help clear nasty organisms out of the digestive tract.

Aphrodisiac

Does garlic turn you on? You may not like the smell of it on someone else’s breath, but it may incite lust once it makes its way into your stomach. Garlic has been used as an aphrodisiac since ancient times, and modern medical knowledge may have an explanation: it aids circulation, pumping blood to your extremities. This effect might even increase men’s endurance in the bedroom.

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Photos: CarbonNYC, grongar 1 + 2, SantaRosa

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Herbal remedies marketed to pets might actually be dangerous to your dog or cat. Obviously, we prefer to give our animals natural herbs when possible. Our companion animals’ bodies work different from ours, and some products that work for people are toxic to pets. But with hundreds of “natural” or “herbal” options, how do you know which ones are truly safe?

The first place to start is with your veterinarian. There are even holistic vets who can help evaluate your pet’s condition and determine the best natural course of action. When you’re out shopping, read labels thoroughly and consult with the sales staff at holistic stores. But buyer, beware: Some of the commonly marketed products are ineffective and even dangerous.

Here are some of the most commonly recommended natural treatments that are actually toxic to dogs and cats:

• Pennyroyal oil is recommended as a natural flea repellent but is highly toxic to dogs. In addition to skin problems and allergic reactions, in concentrated doses, it can kill.
• Comfrey is suggested for bone health and conditions like hip dysplasia and arthritis. However, it can damage your pet’s liver and has been banned from use in Canada.
• Tea tree oil, touted as the skin-problem solution for cats, is highly toxic to cats, dogs, and other small animals.
• Garlic works as a natural insect repellent. However, in large doses, it’s toxic to both dogs and cats, causing anemia or even death. The jury is out on whether or not garlic can be used safely, but with the toxic potential, why risk it?

Image: Smoobs

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It seems like every day we’re bombarded with marketing for some exotic “superfood” with seemingly magical qualities that supposedly justify an outrageous price tag. But while the benefits of some hysterically hyped foods are still unconfirmed, other fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and beverages sitting in your fridge right now get little fanfare despite the fact that they’re truly super. Red wine, oats, broccoli, soybeans, carrots, yogurt and walnuts are just a few examples of “˜bioactive’ foods, which go beyond mere calories and nutrients, to actually interact with our bodies in beneficial ways.

These seven bioactive foods can help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure, eliminate potential carcinogens from the body and even actively fight cancer cells. Want to pack all of these nutritional powerhouses into one meal? Pour yourself a glass of red wine and whip up some vegetable tofu stir-fry, then indulge in some sweet yet ultra-healthy apple walnut muesli with yogurt.

Red Wine

Not that you really needed an excuse to break open that bottle of organic California Pinot Noir, but the knowledge that red wine really is good for your health certainly doesn’t hurt. Compounds in red wine lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease, reduce blood pressure, relieve constipation and can even be helpful in weight loss.

A 2009 study on the bioactive compounds in red wine found that regularly imbibing low to moderate quantities may prevent damage to cells thanks to a complex cocktail of flavonols, anthocyanins, phenolic acids and the star of the show, reservatrol.

“The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more,” says Biomedical Sciences professor and study author Lindsay Brown.

Broccoli

Back when you were a wee vegetable-hater who pushed spinach around on your plate, your mama really wasn’t trying to punish you by telling you to eat your greens. As it turns out, that’s one piece of parental advice that is backed up by solid science. Sure, leafy green vegetables are full of vitamins and fiber – but they also contain those awesome bioactive compounds that make otherwise ordinary foods super.

Green vegetables – particularly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli – contain phytochemicals called glucosinolates that our bodies convert into bioactive substances called isothiocyanates. These “˜ITCs’ are a triple threat against cancer: they stop certain cancer-promoting enzymes, help eliminate some potential carcinogens from the body and induce the death of damaged cells that could otherwise turn cancerous, especially in the digestive tract.

Soybeans

Soy: friend or foe? There’s a lot of conflicting information out there. It all started when the phytoestrogens in soy were found in some studies to prevent breast cancer – and then other studies found that they could actually contribute to cancer risk. The jury’s still out, but according to the latest research, moderation is the key.

There’s much more to soy than just phytoestrogen. This powerful little bean can lower bad cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease, stabilize blood sugars, heal stomach ulcers and help you gain muscle. All those saponins, phytic acids, phytosterols, trypsin inhibitors, and peptides can be a big boon to your health when eaten in small quantities as part of a balanced, diverse, healthy diet.

Carrots

Scientists have been telling us for years that if we want to prevent cancer, carrots should be on the menu. But why? It took years of research to identify the compounds in these root vegetables that prevent the growth of tumors, but a natural pesticide and fungicide called falcarinol was finally singled out. Researcher Dr. Kirsten Brandt recommends that we all eat at least one small carrot every day.

Carrots have also been found to improve eyesight, strengthen the immune system, promote digestive health, increase good cholesterol and protect against heart disease.

Walnuts

If you’re concerned about your breast cancer risk, go into the kitchen and make yourself some walnut baklava – not to distract yourself from the fear of tumors, but to actually prevent them. Bioactive compounds in walnuts may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

“Among the many bioactive compounds found in nuts are phytosterols and flavonoids,” says Anna Denny, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. “More research is needed before it will be possible to attribute specific health benefits of nuts to specific bioactive compounds because nuts contain a complex mixture of different bioactive compounds.”

Oats

Ever wonder about those claims on cereal boxes that simply eating a bowl of oat-based breakfast can lower bad cholesterol dramatically? It’s true, but it’s not just a matter of fiber physically pushing cholesterol out of your body – it’s yet another bioactive compound at work. Oats contain beta glucans, sugars that increase bile production and prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the stomach and intestines. That’s what makes oats and, to a lesser degree, barley such a great choice for cholesterol management.

Yogurt

It’s easy to see why yogurt is able to interact with our bodies. After all, it’s alive. Live beneficial bacteria in yogurt, known as probiotics, populate our digestive systems and fight off harmful bacteria. It’s like sending an army of microscopic soldiers into your intestines to stand guard. Luckily, since yogurt is tasty, the process is a lot more pleasant than that statement suggests.

A recent study even found that certain bacteria in yogurt could someday be used as a natural alternative to chemotherapy. Bifidobacteria can actually hunt down tumors in the body and grow inside them, destroying malignant cells. Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center in Ireland say that it could be as simple as handing a patient a cup of yogurt with a high concentration of specific bacteria.

Images: jules:stonessoup, Pink Sherbet Photography, jenny downing

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