Madre Labs, Madre-C, Vitamin C Review & Coupon

I am a big fan of iherb.com, and for the longest time they've been sending me free samples of Madre Labs Madre-C.  However, only recently have I come to love it.

See, I first tried mixing it into juice, but it didn't all dissolve. So then I tried mixing it into hot tea. Same result. I don't like clumps of stuff in my tea.  It says right on the package that it isn't 100% water soluable, and that for best results to use a shaker bottle.

Well... I figured out what to do with it, and now I love it. I mix it into yogurt smoothies!  It blends very well into smoothies, tastes great, and seems to give me a little extra energy, and hopefully it's boosting my immune system.

Madre-C doesn't taste like much. One reviewer says it tastes like hibiscus, and I might tend to agree. It has a slight earthy flavor, but it doesn't taste bad at all. When I add it to my yogurt smoothies, I really don't taste it. (Here's more on how I make real fruit yogurt smoothies.)

So what's special about Madre-C?  What makes it different from other Vitamin C powder?  Well it's Whole Food Vitamin C from Camu Camu, Chilean Rose Hips, Acerola plus Amla.  Most other Vitamin C comes from ascorbic acid. It's designed to be gentle on your stomach and to have high bioavailability.

I think it would work well mixed into anything else that's the same consistency of yogurt - like applesauce, pudding, etc.

Madre Labs Coupon:  $5 Off your first iHerb.com order. Just enter coupon code LIN282 at checkout!

Azo Products Coupon Code - $5 OFF (2011)

Buy Azo products online at iHerb.com and get $5 off your first order.  Just enter coupon code LIN282 at check-out. Coupon never expires.

I prefer to buy on iHerb.com because they often sell products cheaper than I can get at the drug store.  They ship very fast and have excellent customer service.

iHerb.com sells the following Azo products:
Azo, Cranberry Tablets, 50 Tablets
Azo, Yeast, 60 Tablets
Azo, Urinary Tract Infection Test Strips, 3 Tests   
Azo, Urinary Pain Relief, Standard, 30 Tablets
Azo, Fast Relief for Urinary Pain, Standard, Maximum Strength, 12 Tablets

I haven't personally tried any of the Azo products, but I do know someone who has found the Azo Urinary Pain Relief pills to work well.  I also have taken a different brand of cranberry supplements and have found that cranberry can help fight off the beginning of an urinary infection.

One of the great things about iHerb.com is the customer reviews.  Click here to view the customer reviews of the above Azo products. 

Below picture is from 8/18/11 and prices and availability may have changed.

Now Foods Odorless Garlic Review & Coupon - Garlic Supplements that really don't smell!

Shopping for a garlic supplement can be confusing. There's odorless supplements and odor controlled ones... Concentrated garlic, garlic extract, garlic with parsley, etc...

Garlic supplements have become popular recently because there's some evidence that garlic may lower cholesterol.  I take garlic to help my immune system fight off colds and for treating a yeast infection. I seem prone to yeast (fungal) infections, and taking acidophilus probiotic along with a garlic supplement has been effective in preventing flare ups.

My Favorite garlic supplement is the Now Foods Odorless Garlic.  It's an aged garlic extract. The pills are small softgel capsules. They're very easy to swallow and don't taste like garlic!  They also are very easy on my stomach. Although the directions say to take them with food, I can take them any time of the day, and I never have an upset stomach!

Being able to take them anytime is a huge plus for me.  I just don't always remember to take them at mealtime.

One of the other garlic supplements I've tried is Nature Made Odor Control Garlic.  These I have to take with food or I won't feel good.  I also have to tell you that they taste like garlic.  Like very strong garlic. No, I don't seem to notice my breadth smelling like garlic, so maybe the odor is somewhat controlled... But if you don't like the smell or taste of garlic, don't buy this product. There's just no way it's odorless.  However, it is just as effective as the Now brand, so I can't complain there.

Buy Garlic supplements on iHerb.com and save $5 off your first order with coupon code LIN282

Madre Labs, CocoCeps & CafeCeps Coupon - $5 Off

Looking to buy CocoCeps or CafeCeps at a discount?  iHerb.com sells it at great prices, and you can get $5 off your first iHerb order!  Just enter coupon code LIN282 at checkout.

Here's the links to buy it with the coupon activated:

> CafeCeps on iHerb.com

> CocoCeps on iHerb.com

You may also be interested in my review of CocoCeps.

Tom's of Maine, Sensitive Toothpaste, Review & Coupon

I have sensitive teeth. I've used Colgate brand and Rite Aid brands of Sensitive toothpaste. They all have the same ingredient (at maximum strength), which is: Potassium nitrate 5%

However, the effectiveness of the ingredient might vary. Something about the way the toothpaste disperses or the other ingredients in the toothpaste might cause some toothpaste to be more effective than others.

I haven't tried Sensodyne yet, so I can't compare it to that, but the Tom's of Maine, Sensitive Toothpaste, Maximum Strength, Soothing Mint does seem to work better than the store brands I've tried, and it sure tastes better. Since I've been brushing with it regularly, my teeth aren't sensitive to cold and hot. I used to get especially bad pain from cold foods.

Plus The Tom's of Maine toothpaste has xylitol in it, which is supposed to be really good at preventing cavities!

As for the Coupon Code - if you are a first time iHerb.com customer - you can get $5 off your order by entering coupon code LIN282 at checkout or clicking here. That makes a tube of toothpaste cost only 60cents!!  iHerb.com has lots of great stuff, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with their discounted prices :)

St. Dalfour Organic Golden Mango Green Tea - Review & Coupon (2011)

Coupon Code LIN282 for $5 OFF

I'm a big green tea fan, and so I was thrilled to receive a sample of St. Dalfour Organic Golden Mango Green Tea with my last iHerb order.

I didn't know what to expect, as I've never tasted St. Dalfour tea before, and I'm not a big fan of mangoes   However, I was pleasantly surprised!  The green tea tasted very smooth and sweet. It definitely tasted way better than the store brand green tea I've been drinking lately to save money.  In fact, it reminded me of the brand called "The Republic of Tea" which I used to enjoy.

I'm not sure how St. Dalfour achieved the mango flavor. The package simply says "Certified, pure organic green tea" and it doesn't list any fruit or natural or artificial flavors.  The tea is from Sri Lanka and the company is from France.

To my surprise, a box of 25 tea bags is only $2.72 at iHerb.com  So I ordered a box yesterday, along with my usual supplements plus a new supplement which I'll be reviewing either here or on my bipolar blog.

This delights me quite a bit.  Every time I go to the Safeway grocery store, I look at the tea aisle, and hope that something is on sale.  To my dismay, their prices on tea keep going up... I drink tea every day, so I really like to buy it on sale!  It looks like iHerb has some really good prices on tea, and no sales tax charged to me, and free shipping on orders over $40.  I try to wait until I need to buy a bunch of stuff, and do one big order to get the free shipping.  They also give me a valued customer discount!

As for the Coupon Code - if you are a first time iHerb.com customer - you can get $5 off your order by entering coupon code LIN282 at checkout.

Acidophilus to Prevent Recurrent Yeast Infections

I am prone to yeast infections.  Not just a yeast infection every now and then, but recurrent yeast infections.  Things like stress and eating too much sugar seems to cause them... and sometimes they just happen for no reason at all. 

For many years now I've been taking acidophilus* to prevent them. I take acidophilus every day, and it only takes a few days of missing it before I can feel the early symptoms of yeast coming on.

The thing about acidophilus is that it won't cure a yeast infection that's already pretty bad.  I've had some success with acidophilus stopping the beginning of a yeast infection, but acidophilus works best for me as a preventive.

* The acidophilus I usually take is Natural Factors, Acidophilus & Bifidus, 10 Billion Active Cells,  which I buy it Super Supplements where they keep it in the refrigerator.

* When I travel, I take Healthy Origins Probiotic, 30 Billion CFUs, which doesn't require refrigeration.

I don't know if it's the acidophilus or bifidus that does more for me. There are so many kinds of probiotics and perhaps if I experimented with more brands, I might find one that even works better... But it's costly to do that. So what I did was try to find the one with the most active cells.  

An extra benefit to acidophilus is that it helps me to not be constipated.... I seem to have a tendency to be constipated.  The acidophilus keeps me regular.

Some acidophilus says "take with food" and some says "take away from food."  I generally take mine every night regardless of whether I've eaten or not.  I think it might cause a bit more gas if I take it on an empty stomach, though.  I can't tell which way is more effective.

Magnesium for Menstrual Cramps

I usually have to take ibuprofen for menstrual cramps.  The ibuprofen is supposed to work for an entire 4 hours, but does it really last that long?  No.... Of course it always wears off at 3 hours.

I've found that if I also take magnesium it really helps with my cramps.  I buy this kind: Country Life Chelated Magnesium 250mg and I take one pill once or twice a day.  Yes, the magnesium has the side effect of making me sleepy... but at least I'm not in pain.  No other side effects from the magnesium though. It actually has a pretty calming effect on my mood, and I also occasionally take it for insomnia or for the kind of mood (sometimes a PMS one) where I'm very tearful.  It just seems to help clear up the tears!

Here's a link to someone else who found magnesium helpful for cramps.  My internet searching mostly turns up stuff about magnesium deficiency linked to menstrual cramps, and I don't know if that has anything to do with the efficacy of magnesium..... I think it might have to do with magnesium causing muscle relaxation.

More Fat or More Salt? Plus new Crockpot Chicken Soup Recipe!

Have you noticed that "low fat" products often have more salt than than their regular counterparts. Next time you are in the cracker or soup aisle, compare the low fat products to the regular products, and you'll see what I mean.

Do you want French Onion soup with fewer calories and more salt, or with more calories and less salt?

It's a trade-off I see far too often.  I bought some Progresso French Onion Soup (which has less calories, less fat, but more salt than another brand) and I've been using it as the broth in beef stew and chicken soup lately. It's yummy!

Here's my new chicken soup recipe -

Easy Crockpot Chicken Soup
1 pound Chicken Thighs (frozen)
1 can Corn, drained
1 can French Onion Soup + 1 Can of Water
Carrots, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Spices - Ginger, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper (dash), Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons Dried Onion

Cook in crockpot on high for about 6 hours.
Then use fork to stir up the soup, all of the chicken falls apart.
Remove bay leaves.
Cook some whole wheat pasta separately, and then add to crockpot.

If you like, add cheese to taste.

Pretty simple, but comes out pretty well. The trick is to not use too much broccoli, I think. Plus the French Onion Soup base really does a good job!  I'm sure you could throw in some Italian seasonings, use fresh onion instead of dried, frozen or fresh corn instead of canned, etc.  This recipe is mine, and it works well because it uses ingredients that I often have on hand!  Celery is another possible ingredient to add.  Do your own thing.

Lithium Orotate and Alcoholism - Curbing the Desire to Drink

Lithium Orotate may help some people with drinking problems.  Anecdotal stories indicate that it may help decrease the desire to drink.  There is a small study from 1986 which concluded that lithium orotate was useful for the treatment of alcoholism. 

Lithium usually has a calming effect. The fact that it can help with mood problems may also be why it helps with drinking issues.  Some people drink alcohol as a means to self-medicate. 

I take Lithium Orotate for bipolar disorder. I don't have a drinking problem, but I still find this topic interesting. Lithium is really helpful in reducing extreme moods and I can relate to many of these people's experiences about how lithium has helped them.

Photo Credit

All of these quotes are from the My Way Out forums about alcoholism and drinking problems.

Toughintexas wrote:
"I feel so much more in control, or just to have that moment to really think about it."

Espoir wrote:
"I have been taking it for two weeks, and have no desire to drink."

xtexan wrote:
"There is a definite, but subtle difference for me. It keeps my temper and emotional response to stressors in check to a noticable degree. It also seems to shave the peaks and valleys off my moods as well. "

sKenall wrote:
"Since I started l.o. in February I feel very balanced. I still get cravings, but my brain allows me to think of consequences, rather than finding a quick fix."

Where to buy Lithium Orotate
I recommend iHerb.com for reasonable prices and fast shipping.  You can also get $5 off your first order by entering coupon code LIN282 at checkout, or following one of these links:
Nutrient Carriers Advanced Research - Lithium Orotate
Doctor's Best - Lithium Orotate (I take this brand.)

More Reviews
Although this product page is old, the 180 product reviews are still available.

More Information
What I know about Lithium Orotate (my writing on dosage, research, etc)
Research and Questions answered by Dr.  Ray Sahelian