I was going to call this post Shut the #$%@ Up! But cooler heads prevailed.  What am I being so harsh about? Hiking with your music on without head phones.  There are so few places to enjoy the great out doors in Southern California and a surprising amount of people think this is a great place for them to share THEIR favorite playlist.  I say NO!  Your music may be YOUR inspiration, but for the majority of us out on the trails, Silence is Golden.  I am not saying you can't listen to your favorite jam while you are hiking, walking, or running on the trails.  I am saying I (and most of the people sharing these resources) do not want to hear it.  Take that opportunity to hear your breath as you walk up the hill.  Maybe you can hear the cry of the hawk circling above, or the deer rustling through the brush. What a great time to contemplate the wonderful world of nature.  What the heck does this mean?  Well you can either meditate on it or find a friend to enjoy a cup of coffee (see previous post) or a wonderfully awesome delicious cup of tea and discuss.  Be Well.

The light from the full moon on this clear southern California night is illuminating on many levels.  This is the first full moon of the year or the last if you go by the Chinese calendar.  This moon is lighting the way of my new addition to my product line. A wonderfully potent Pine Pollen Tincture! Spring has hit early here and they are now ready!  I have gathered enough for three batches.  It will be a limited run.  Come back to the site shortly to be invited to pre-order.  It will be ready on the next Full Moon! Valentine's Day!  May the light of the Full Moon guide you through the dark and show you something amazing! Be well. 

My semi-decade round of golf with my brothers is one of the great pleasures in life. A great cup of tea is also one of my greatest pleasures.  I can't always get a round in with my brothers but I can always get a rounded tea spoon of my favorite teas from Lady of the Lotus Botanicals! Okay, that was a stretch. I love my coffee but nothing beats a great cup of tea.  My favorites are Sage Advice or Heart's Content.  By clicking on any of the pictures of tea below, you will be transported to the page that describes the wonderful organic blends available!  Whether you are Teeing Up or taking time to sip some Tea, remember to relax, breathe and enjoy the moment!

As we continue our New Year celebration, remember to jump in with both feet into whatever you have resolved to do for the New Year.  It really that time to go Go Big or Go Home!  I say GO BIG, and when you finally make it home, remember to buy my Sage Herbal Products.

Happy New Year!  May you make a BIG splash throughout the new year!  I recently read a quote that said "It is better to aim High and miss your target then to aim low and hit it".  While you ponder that, have a great year and make a big splashing doing what you love! 

On a recent trip to Mendocino, I stopped by the Philo Apple Farm, and it reminded me of the old saying  "An Apple A Day keeps the Doctor Away!".  I found an article that sights the British Journal of Medicine saying... yes, yes it's true! So, find your favorite apple and take bite!  Here is a link to the article. APPLES

The Best Defense is a Good Offense!

This adage has long been associated with martial arts, war, and sport throughout history, but this time we are talking about your health! The changing of the seasons is upon us and now is the time to prepare your body against the onslaught colds and flus that will be all around us shortly!  

What can you do to prevent such intrusions in your life?  Well, I’ll tell you what I can do for you!  I just happen to have 3 products that help you put up the best defense! 

1) Sage Air Freshener: Clear the air around you and help add protection against that co-worker who always comes in to work when sick (you know who they are) or your kid’s friends that come by sniffing and coughing, or from your spouse who never admits it when they are sick, with our crisp, clean, fast acting Sage Air Freshener! Sage Air Freshener uses the anti-viral and anti-bacterial power of Sage (salvia apiana) to protect your space. Use it in the office, at home, in the car and while traveling on planes or long road trips. People LOVE this scent; it's not overpowering, yet it's powerful and works quickly.

2) Next up is Sage Throat Spray, made with Sage and Raw Honey!  use this for a tickle in your throat, or if you missed that boat and are already full fledged sick. This stuff will knock it out and help you get better faster and more completely, without the lingering symptoms that go on for weeks and months each winter  Sage Throat Spray provides immediate topical relief and will improve healing time! Efficient, effective and all natural, be sure to check out testimonials, to hear great success stories about Sage Throat Spray.

3) And the third product in this awesome, immune building trifecta is Sage Body Oil!  Sage Body Oil can be spread to the nape of the neck and the upper chest to put up a great defense where the body’s immunity is most vulnerable (according to TCM). Not only will Sage Body Oil boost the body’s defense but it will smooth and moisturize the skin! In fact, many consider oil as the 'new lotion'. Olive oil self massage and as body moisturizer, has been used for centuries in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Our blend is made with high quality California Olive Oil, cold pressed, and wild crafted Sage from the canyons of Southern California. This oil has a gorgeous texture, is smooth, absorbent (not overly greasy feeling like many body oils) and holds an earthy, clean scent. 

Sage is an historical herb that is both purifying and enlivening. There's a reason why Sage continues to be used, as cooking herb, insect repellent, space clearing agent and herbal healing ally. Sage's scientific name is Salvia, and both names are derived from the Latin 'Salvere', meaning 'to save'. It has been recommended at one time, for nearly every ailment, through many regions of the world. Sage's reputation is justified, and Blue Sapphire Medicine is pleased to offer such a powerful healing plant through ways that are accessible to those of us living in today's modern world.

Remember: NOW is the time to go on the offense, in order to build your defense for the upcoming change of seasons! You can buy one at a time or all three as part of the Sage Triple Play. Contact me if you have any questions about Sage, Chinese Medicine, the meaning of life, or to schedule a house-call Acupuncture session. 

Best Wishes;

Charlie

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'–Ben Franklin

We have heard this throughout our lives. Sounds good, right? Do you employ this strategy in your life? If so, in what areas? What does it mean for your health?

Basically, if we prevent a problem from occurring in the first place, it will save a great deal more in time, effort and cost than it would in trying to repair the damage done later because we hadn't paid attention.

For Blue Sapphire Medicine, this means that if you feel something coming on (scratch throat, runny nose, etc), it is far easier to treat this now then wait for a full blown cold or flu to set in. 

That’s why we created Sage Throat Spray in a convenient, easy to use one ounce bottle! Help your body help itself, through aiding the immune system; fight off colds/flus, sore throats and allergy attacks. Once these take hold, they are much more difficult and time consuming to address, and lingering symptoms often take months to depart. Our Sage Throat Spray is an all natural, safe and non-habit forming approach to prevent all of this! Do more for yourself than just suppress symptoms (which often means the virus/cold, etc never fully leaves your body!) with synthetic over the counter meds. You deserve better!

Other Sage Throat Spray benefits:

• Prevent loss of productivity and leisure time!
  
• Save money: No need to accumulate countless over-counter-medications, that sit in your cabinet for years on end! (You know the ones!)
• Protect yourself while traveling on crowded airplanes and at airports
• Support your immune system, when you need to eat 'off your normal diet'; prevent allergies
• Increase your stamina as a public speaker, teacher or singer; Sage is amazing for voice health!
• Recommended for children over age 12 and all adults

So this is Blue Sapphire's tip of the Summer: ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ and an ounce of Sage Throat Spray prevents a pound of “cold”, giving you the opportunity to instead create a pound of health! Order your 1 ounce bottle of preventative and fast acting Sage Throat Spray here!