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As the saying goes, “aging isn’t for the faint of heart,” which is why many of us are willing to put on a brave face and make the effort to explore ways to combat the effects of getting old.

“None of us want to go down without a fight,” said Cindy Boyer, a naturopathic doctor and co-owner with Susanne Fiori of Nature’s Garden Natural Foods and Shoes in Exeter Township. “You do whatever you can to stay as healthy and functional as possible.”

Their business is 45 years old, so many of their customers have aged with the store, which has given Boyer an inside glimpse at the trends in aging from the perspective of natural remedies and what people are asking for.

Covering up gray hair is often a top priority for those on the lower end of the active aging category. Boyer has seen a shift in the acceptance of graying more recently.

“I think that people are starting to move away a little bit from hair color,” she said. “I feel like I’m seeing more and more going au natural and letting it gray.”

Since there are still some who feel younger when they color their hair, Boyer suggested henna-based products as a wonderful solution when it comes to over-the-counter dyes.

“It’s a natural, non-chemical-based hair color solution,” she said, adding that the brand that has the best results among their customers is Light Mountain Natural. “It’s also a great moisturizer for the hair.”

Another kind of hair dye Boyer recommends that uses natural substances is by Naturtint.

“That’s more of a permanent hair color versus the henna that is going to wash out faster,” she said. “It’s ammonia free and a safer product to go with, but not as pure as henna.”

Age-related hair loss can be experienced by both men and women. Boyer offered some solutions  that she sees as the safest and healthiest ways to help the body naturally grow more hair.

“A product called Hair Renew by Terry Naturally has biotin, a B complex and millet seed oil,” she said of the dietary supplement that comes in a soft gel. “These are the key ingredients that provide maximum nutrients to support healthy hair growth.”

Collagen has been the latest buzz word when it comes to rejuvenating aging skin, but Boyer said it’s not the only answer.

“Collagen acts as the rubber band in our joints and ligaments and the rubber band eventually gets saggy and dries out and can break,” she said. “While collagen is all fine and good, you need to bring hyaluronic acid along with the collagen because it helps assist the job to moisturize the collagen so it stays more elastic and more flexible.”

A brand that Nature’s Garden carries that makes hyarlonic acid is called Hyalogic, which comes in many forms, including a topical serum, an ingestible gummy and a liquid that you also ingest, among other forms.

“They also make some collagen products,” Boyer said. “The hyaluronic acid in the serum form helps to plump the skin and get rid of fine lines — it’s a much healthier and safer way than Botox.”

The result of this pairing is a “winning combination,” according to Boyer, that leaves skin looking younger and more plump. Beyond skin, both collagen and the hyaluronic acid offer a health of benefits to other parts of our body.

“It can help our joints, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and play a huge role in our skin,” she said. “As we age the production of both collagen and hyaluronic acid diminishes, so it’s important we continue to replenish it through supplementation. It’s like motor oil for our joints.”

It might take a little time to see the results of this winning combination if taken on a daily basis, but it will be worth the wait, according to Boyer.

“It will take a month to six weeks to see the effects of the collagen and the hyaluronic acid taken in combination with collagen you will notice more quickly,” she said.

When you look at the whole cosmetic realm, Boyer said it’s not inexpensive. Hyaluronic acid costs $40 to $60 per bottle.

“You get what you pay for in a lot of different companies out there,” Boyer said. “Because the serum is concentrated it will last a while.”

Customers in the active aging category often express their needs to Boyer when they come into her store searching for remedies.

“One of the biggest complaints we see here is memory loss,” Boyer said.

She typically recommends they take a daily therapeutic dose of ginkgo biloba phytosome.

“When you bind the ginkgo biloba to that lipid you increase the absorption of that herb,” she said, referring to the phytosome. “The outcome is better memory recall, better retention and increasing memory capacity.”

A normal part of aging is the loss of energy. While many might tend to fuel up on caffeine, it’s not a good solution for everyone.

“With caffeine you are driving up heart rate and blood pressure,” she said.

Boyer shared some alternatives such as PQQ-10, which is a natural product that helps to increase energy, among other benefits.

“It acts like a dimmer switch on our brain in helping to reduce chronic degenerative diseases like Alzeimher’s and Parkinson’s, and it really helps in regards to helping people to recall better and protects the mitochondria — the energy in our cells,” she said.

Red ginseng is another option Boyer recommends that is beneficial for energy that you can use daily.

“It helps support our normal circadian rhythms, and it helps us to be better focused with better energy and stamina,” she said. “It is also an adaptogen, so it helps our body process stress and increases stamina and endurance.”

Boyer said one thing that goes hand in hand with aging is fish oil to get your omega-3s.

“Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that are good at helping us stay more lubricated in our joints and help lower cholesterol, brain function and heart health,” she said.

Boyer said flaxseed oil is a good alternative to fish oil for vegetarians.

“It will provide you with omega-3, 6 and 9,” she said.

Boyer stressed the importance of omega-3s in our diet, particularly as we age.

“Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, which means they are essential,” she said. “Our body requires omega-3s in every cell to function, and we don’t produce it, so you have to supplement or consume it.

The importance of omega-3s becomes more obvious to people as they get older.

“The consequences of not getting enough is that you are going to age more rapidly and you will go from a grape to a raisin very quickly and have faster mental decline among other things,” Boyer said.

Regardless of the avenues you choose to take to combat aging, Boyer said it’s best to go the preventative route.

“It’s better to be proactive than reactive,” she said. “These chronic conditions didn’t happen overnight, and there isn’t a magic pill that’s going to make them go away overnight.”

Boyer said the biggest issues with not taking the holistic route are the side effects you might experience.

“The effects of mainstream practices have a consequence of them being foreign and toxic to our body,” she said. “Alternatively you can use some very natural products, some of which our body requires to function properly.”

Beyond products and supplements that can help us age more gracefully, there is a wellness component that also needs attention and is based on how a person lives their everyday life.

“Their primary ‘food’ is how they live their lives when it comes to career, relationship, spiritual practice and exercise,” said Cara Graver, a holistic life coach based in Chester Springs, Chester County.

Through her business, What’s on Your Plate?, Graver helps people navigate changes in their lives by being able to clearly know what they are and come up with strategies for meeting their needs.

As people begin to age, they might find themselves struggling in various areas.

“You notice yourself changing, you notice your ability to do things and your stamina, your hearing and eyesight changing, so you might find yourself having different needs than you’re used to having and being kind of bummed out by that,” she said. “It’s time to ask yourself what you really need.”

Graver explained it’s about looking at all the facets of nourishment through a different lens.

“You could lament your losses, but you can also say, ‘things are changing now and are different,’” she said. “Your wellness is dependent on your attitude.”

Nature’s Garden Natural Foods and Shoes

Nature’s Garden is a natural foods store that has been providing solutions to health problems since 1977.

Address: 4360 Perkiomen Ave., Exeter Township, Berks County

What’s on Your Plate?

Cara Graver is a holistic life coach based in Chester County who supports people on their journey through life. She works from a framework of Primary and Secondary Nutrition.  Primary Nutrition refers to things that connect us to our life: our relationships, work, creative and spiritual practices, movement etc.  Secondary Nutrition refers to the foods we eat.  An imbalance in one can lead to trouble with the other, going in either direction.

Website: www.thecobstudio.com/whats-on-your-plate-at-the-cob

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