Island Health Hut

This Saturday if you’re in Melbourne here’s a chance to go get some tasty real fruit smoothies! 😋

Join me at my only location this week, the Downtown Melbourne Farmer's Market at Riverview Park on Saturday from 10-2!

😋 🍓 🍌 🍊 🍍 🍋 🥭 😋

Ah, summertime. The days grow warm and long, and we all pour into the great outdoors—where we’re met by mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, flies, and other insect pests.

It may feel like Mother Nature is pulling a fast one on us, but she has provided tools for keeping things in balance.

Given the severity of the diseases carried by some biting insects, people will want to make careful choices about the insect repellents they choose for themselves and their families.

For those who want to stay natural, there are plenty of options, and one ingredient—lemon eucalyptus oil—matches up to DEET in repelling mosquitoes and may have some effectiveness against ticks as well.

Natural Tricks for Bug Bites and Repellent Deal with itching and swelling, and keep pests away to begin with.

❤️

Bob’s Red Mill Owner is the real-life winner! 🥳 Read More 👇

Dealing With Bugs
Avoid Toxic Repellents
Research highlights adverse effects of DEET, malathion, and permethrin (used alone or in combination), particularly among the young.

Look for safe, natural repellents using essential oils of cedarwood, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, and pine.

Repel Ticks Naturally
To help prevent tick bites—and lower the risk of Lyme disease—wear protective clothing in tick-infested grassy or wooded areas.

Oils of citronella, cloves, and lily of the valley “possessed repelling activities of the same magnitude as the repellent DEET” against ticks, say researchers, but without DEET’s side effects.

Removing a Tick
Carefully remove any ticks you find with tweezers and disinfect bites with tea tree oil or other antiseptic.

Report any bull’s-eye rash to your healthcare provider immediately.

Vacation First Aid Kit Before you head off on a summer road trip, think basic and then pack your supplies.

Happy Independence Day Islanders! We hope your day was filled with some fun and some sun! Enjoy the holiday and try to keep the fireworks low 😅

July is here! Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen or stay covered as much as you can. It’s gunna be a hot hot summer so stay safe out there!

DIY Recipes
6 Orange (Squeeze)
1/2 Lermon (Squeezed)
1 cup Coconut Water
3 cup water

Water Base
4 cups water
3⁄4 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Cranberry Juice Base
3⁄4 cup cranberry juice
3 1⁄4 cups water
3⁄4 teaspoon table salt

Hydration and Electrolytes Electrolytes perform many vital functions, from pH balance to heart function.

There are 13 brands listed in this recall, including Friendly’s, Abilyn’s Frozen Bakery, Hershey’s Ice cream, Yelloh!, Jeni`s, Cumberland Farms, The Frozen Farmer, Marco, ChipWich, AMAFruits, Taharka, Dolcezza Gelato and LaSalle.

Hershey's, Friendly’s and more brands of ice cream products recalled over potential Listeria contamination Totally Cool, Inc. of Owings Mills, MD is recalling multiple brands of ice cream products because of potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. There

How refreshing! Just watch the sugar if you need to 🥰

Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and while it’s often associated with the British Empire, there are different kinds of tea that come from all over the globe. From Masala Chai to Bubble Tea to Black Tea (Kenya)

Glutathione
This antioxidant has been proven to reduce symptoms of stress and discomfort in muscles and joints. It provides a boost in athletic performance and recovery.
Calcium
Adequate calcium intakes guards against fracture risk.
There is no need to exceed recommended calcium amounts, which are 1,000 milligrams (mg) per day (through a combination of dietary and supplement sources) if you are 50 or younger. For women 51 or older, 1,200 mg is the recommended amount.

Because the body can absorb only a certain amount of calcium at a time, it's best to break the dosages into roughly 500 mg at a time.

Supplements for Injury Prevention Exercise is vital for life! Prevent injuries that can set you back.

Over the weekend I got to volunteer as a photographer at a Pride event for the first time! A special thanks to everyone at for hosting their annual 5k Rainbow Run. We're super happy to have been able to donate some prize bags for the runners and hope to see more people at future events!

Those were simpler days. 🤩

DHT-Inhibiting Remedies
These foods and herbs may support testosterone levels, prostate health, and sexual function by reducing the amount of testosterone that is converted to DHT.

Saw Palmetto Berries
By far the best-researched herb for men’s health, saw palmetto has been the subject of hundreds of studies on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) including nighttime, frequent, and painful urination, and overactive bladder.

Some studies show comparable effects and fewer side effects versus medications, though others have less impressive results. It also seems to work better in formulas with other remedies mentioned in this article.

A typical dose is 320 mg of saw palmetto extract in a softgel per day.

Saw palmetto, which has a narrow habitat range and ripeness window, is threatened by overharvesting and climate change.

Hormonal Balance for Men Hormone balance in men is vital for more than just your prostate and sexual function.

Thank you again to the for inviting us back to the Cocoa Wellness Event. We’re happy to connect with city employees to show them more about who we are. It’s always fun getting to go out and doing community events. Thankfully the rain held out while I was shuffling my stuff inside 🥰

Back in the days I was telling a couple of male friends that they were going through menopause (because I couldn't remember the right word for it in English) they all laugh at me .

Diagnosis
This is another case where some physicians don't understand the difference between a test's result being in the normal range vs. being healthy. It is important to also check the free (not just total) testosterone.

Be sure that the normal ranges for the lab results are broken down by ten-year age groups: 31-40 years old, 41-50 years old, and so on. It is meaningless to have a normal range that includes 80 year-olds if you're 28.

Low based on the normal range means you are in the lowest 2% of the population (e.g., under 200), which is horribly deficient.

A better approach? If you are in the lowest 25% of the normal range (a testosterone level under 450) and have symptoms suggestive of low testosterone, a treatment trial may be warranted.

Andropause As men age, testosterone levels can fall, leading to many health complications.

Somedays I work in an office and some days I'm out and about taking photos of things. I took these a couple months ago at my hotel when in Costa Rica. I was attending the wedding of one my dearest friends since middle school. The ambience of the place was too nice for me to pass up. So I packed some products with me did a quick set up and bam, issa photoshoot.

Heya Islanders! We're happy to officially announce that our new website www.islandhealthhut.com is now up and running. It's been a lot of work and I'm happy (not to mention exhausted) with how far it's come. We've actually started shipping to new customers around the state and the country!

We're also back to doing pick up orders and we can deliver again. To celebrate our website rollout we'll be offering free delivery on your orders! I still have a long way to go with the site but thanks as always for your patience and continued support!

Natural Ingredients
Recently, in a yearlong study by experts at Eckerd College, products were tested to determine if they passed as “eco-friendly.”

The Florida-based study looked at how ingredients could potentially affect sensitive coral larvae and freshwater fish.

Many natural products include natural, antioxidant-rich ingredients like wakame seaweed, green tea extracts, and olive leaf extracts.

Green Tea
Green tea is known to reduce premature aging caused by the sun.

Olive Leaf
Olive leaf is known for its immune-boosting strengths.

Safe Summer Skin Care Sunscreen safety is about more than avoiding a burn.

Times have changed, but that doesn’t mean people can’t give their bones the exercise and food they need to stay strong.

Bone Strength Take better care of your bones with two simple steps: diet and exercise.

Menopause: Another Wild Ride
Menopause does bring an end to those troublesome PMS symptoms. However, new hormone imbalance issues can crop up during the natural process of menopause

hot flashes
headaches
muscle aches
weight gain
mood swings
vaginal dryness
insomnia
hair loss

Supplements to Regulate Hormones Keeping in balance can be a tricky business for women throughout life.