It’s a tantalizing concept, and one that many couples will say is impossible. This may be true, but the ensuing state of being in love can come close, if we take heed of a few pointers.

Let’s take a closer look at what exactly gives rise to the emotions experienced when love is new.

“When I first met her, I can’t even describe what I felt like,” says Sean, of his wife, Sandra. “I’m an artist, and it was like having a new palette of colours that I’d never seen before. Everything was brighter, magical, more intense. I felt almost stoned whenever I looked into her eyes. I couldn’t believe I was so lucky to have met her.”

Brighter colours, finding sunshine in the rain, wanting to shout and dance in the street, and a feeling of delirium when the object of one’s desire comes to mind are all ways both sexes describe the heady feelings associated with new love.

Dr. Brian G. Gilmartin is squarely on the side of science and sums this up in The Biochemistry of Falling in Love. He writes:

The available data indicate that romantic love feelings commence in the region of the lower brain that is known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is composed of a dense cluster of nerves which controls hundreds of bodily functions and impacts in a large host of ways the entire nervous system. Whenever a person subjectively perceives another human being as romantically appealing, a portion of the hypothalamus transmits a message by way of various chemicals to the pituitary gland. And in turn the pituitary releases a host of its own hormones which rapidly suffuse the entire bloodstream. The sex glands respond to these hormones by rapidly releasing into the bloodstream their own hormones which have the effect, even among pre-adolescent children, of creating a more rapid heartbeat and a feeling of lightness in the head. Simultaneously, the nerve pathways in and around the hypothalamus produce chemicals that induce—provided that these chemicals continued to be produced over a long period of time—what people refer to as “falling in love.”

Among the first signs of falling in love is a giddy high similar to what might be obtained as a result of an amphetamine boost. This “high” is a sign that the brain has entered a distinct neurochemical state. This occurs as a result of the hypothalamus releasing a chemical substance (probably phenylethylamine) that is very much like an amphetamine and which, like any “upper,” makes the heart beat faster and confers energy. This biochemically-based high is experienced by anyone “in love” quite irrespective of their chronological age.

Most people in Western societies would argue that falling in love is a personal process that happens when the “right” person crosses our path, implying that finding the right person is entirely random, governed by an object, i.e. the person we desire. However, cultures that practise arranged marriages believe that love is more of a function that grows after marriage has taken place. In this sense, love could be considered more of an art: something that requires work to fully develop.

And this is how we intend to tie together art and science, which should both play a role if we are to prolong the emotions of romantic love…

Revisit the art of love…

Many women and some men complain that they rarely or never feel “in the mood” like they did when they first met their partners. While a lot of this is to do with suppressed hormones (a new mother, or a busy, stressed executive will have entirely different priorities—and hormone profile—from a person who is less busy and has just met that special someone), we also tend to forget the “art” of being in love.  Look back on the days when love was new. Remember putting your partner’s happiness in front of your own? Of preparing little surprises? Of gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes? Of performing ceremony?  Showering, making yourself look good, lighting candles and looking your loved one in the eye for prolonged periods, are all components of the ceremony of love. And this ceremony is often overlooked as time passes. When was the last time you took your partner’s hands in yours and looked him in the eye for more than a second or two?  Significantly, married couples who mourn the loss of romance, rarely attempt to create it and even say they feel uncomfortable looking their partner in the eye for long periods of time. Is it any wonder that romantic love gradually fades away?

This Valentine’s Day, we invite you to practise your own “love ceremony” by perhaps sipping our Love’s Blend tea (available from the Herbal Dispensary) or Pukka Love Tea, both of which possess aphrodisiac qualities, lighting a beautifully scented Ganesha soy candle, then holding hands and looking each other deeply in the eyes. The gaze of your loved one is often more intimate than sex that has become routine.  Don’t stop there! Voice all the things you love about your partner and ask her to do the same. Let go of the outside world and become as one again. Perhaps you will want to give each other a candlelight massage using warm massage oil. Share stories about when you first met, gently outline the frame of your partner’s face with your hands and breathe in the scent of his neck.  Celebrate the art of loving!

…and pay attention to the science

On the science side of things, female hormones often require a little help. This is completely understandable when you consider that our female ancestors were pretty much over sexual activity once they had produced offspring. Instead, they assumed the role of crone and became responsible for dispensing advice and childcare services to younger women. Our modern day society is entirely different. We are expected (and indeed want to) remain desirable and desiring, often into old age. But our hormones are still trapped in their ancestral patterns and begin waning well in advance of menopause.

Bio-identical hormones provide us with the boost we need to fully extend our youthfulness and the youthful role of lover as opposed to ancient wise one. Recently another hormone has made the six o’clock news: oxytocin. Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and is dubbed “the cuddle hormone” or “the love hormone.” When we first fall in love, oxytocin levels are high. During the process of orgasm, the body is flooded with oxytocin, another clue that we need to practise love in order to feel more of it. Researchers from the University of Carolina found that hugging someone instigates the release of oxytocin in the person being hugged.

Since a woman’s desire encompasses a number of different chemical reactions, and oxytocin plays an important role, low levels of this hormone can greatly affect libido. (Bio-identical hormones require a prescription from a medical doctor or naturopath, and oxytocin a doctor’s prescription. All can be compounded by Finlandia.)

Men too often experience dropping testosterone levels and need a boost if they are to feel the strong urges of youth.

And finally, a quote from American writer Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Suess:

You know you are in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

We wish a happy Valentine’s Day to all our customers!

On the evening of  Thursday, February 16, we’ll be hosting an instore seminar featuring Vega product specialist and Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Emma Cutfield.

Round about now, many resolutions are falling by the wayside because they were just too difficult to keep. This is especially true of resolutions involving healthy eating.  After all, cutting and packing all those fruits and veggies, and preparing healthy dips or smoothies, is all too time consuming when you’re late for work and/or have to drive the kids to school.

No worries, we have you covered! Our February in-store seminar, NUTRITION 101 – READING LABELS, will ensure your nutritional resolutions don’t meet a sorry end, and instead steer you to improved health and better weight management for 2012. How? By helping you translate the often-confusing language of nutrition labels to make sure that what you are about to eat or drink will provide you with the energy you need to make the most of your day.

During the seminar, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Vega Product Specialist, Emma Cutfield, will educate and entertain you with her knowledge of what makes your body run as efficiently as it was designed to do. Emma’s enthusiasm for wellness stems from her love of running and interest in cardiovascular health. Her mission is to make sure you are successful with your health and nutritional goals by sharing her knowledge of strategic nutrients and product selection. Learning how to read labels properly is a big part of making the right choices.

The NUTRITION 101 – READING LABELS in-store seminar will take place Thursday, February 16, 2012, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

Please RSVP at your earliest convenience as there are only 25 seats available on a first come first served basis. Admission of $10.00 will be collected upon registration, with all proceeds supporting the VHS (Vancouver Humane Society).

*  Light refreshments and drinks

*  Draw for a Sequel gift basket

*  Promotions on purchases

*  Q&A session (so please have all your questions ready!)

RSVP by email (send to news@finlandiahealth.com), phone or in-store with your name and contact number. Please make sure that you speak with Markus, or that you write “attention Markus” on any written requests left in the store (registrations are handled through Markus only).

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in one of the big box book retailers, until you actually read the titles!  Yes, this is Finlandia’s health book section and we are proud of the number and quality of topics and titles we have available for you.  From wellness goal-setting to disease management, healthy nutrition info to how to detox, we can provide the knowledge on virtually every aspect of finding wellness and holding onto it. Here are a few of our most popular titles:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements, Phyllis. A. Balch

The perennially popular reference for those who want to heal themselves naturally, or to avail themselves of natural modalities to support prescription medications.

The new fifth edition incorporates the most recent information on a variety of complementary healing and preventive therapies and unveils new scientific information on vitamins, supplements, and herbs.

The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health, Thomas Rau

Dr. Rau, a world-renowned physician shares the secrets that draw international clients to the Paracelsus Clinic in the Swiss Alps. There, Dr. Thomas Rau’s unique diet rejuvenates his clients, while preventing and curing illness. Often referred to as “the Mozart of medicine,” Dr. Rau is the world’s foremost practitioner of biological medicine.  In this book, he reveals his unique Swiss health plan— a proven program based on the latest medical research that will:

• Purify the body • Regulate pH balance • Strengthen the immune system • Encourage healing • Prevent illness • Help readers feel young and energetic—in body and mind.

Proven effective time and again, Dr. Rau’s program can reduce—and often eliminate— a lifetime of toxins, alleviate chronic conditions like allergies, arthritis, and diabetes, and promote weight loss and overall well-being. With Dr. Rau’s exclusive program now in book form, everyone can begin to enjoy the numerous health benefits of the “Swiss Secret.”

Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal: A Revolutionary Breakthrough In Understanding Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism,  Datis Kharrazian

With thyroid disease on the rise and conventional medicine relying solely on the numbers revealed by standard blood tests, is it any wonder this book remains on our bestseller list?

Datis Kharrazian has excelled in putting together complex data from a variety of disciplines into a coherent protocol that addresses thyroid disorders.  This book is a must for those who are frustrated with the lack of understanding/action about thyroid issues and provides answers not just for hypothyroidism, but all autoimmune disorders.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health,  T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.

Quite simply, an amazing book that provides the strongest evidence yet of the power of a plant-based diet to prevent disease.

The study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. While revealing that proper nutrition can have a dramatic effect on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as curbing obesity, Dr. Campbell calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as high protein animal-based diets, that are widely popular in the West.

The politics of nutrition and the impact of special interest groups in the creation and dissemination of public information are also discussed.

We hope you come and visit our health library very soon!

The process of detoxification is not new. For thousands of years, purifying the body has been a part of humankind’s rituals for health and well-being. It was used in ancient times as a means of connecting with the divine, and today it is primarily used as a means to stay in tip-top health.

Detoxing enables us to clean out the collected waste matter of our everyday lives—environmental pollutants such as pesticides and insecticides, and residue from all the drugs and unhealthy foods that are trapped in our bodies.

There are many ways to detoxify the body, including bowel/liver cleanses (which draw out and eliminate toxins throughout the body), ionic footbaths (in which negative ions attach themselves to harmful impurities in the body for enhanced elimination through the pores of the feet*) and the Infrared sauna, which draws toxins out through the skin. Our MRS-2000 electro magnetic pulse field therapy can help relieve the stress and exhaustion experienced as a result of chronic conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), general fatigue and fibromyalgia.

Detoxing supplement kits, such as Wild Rose D-Tox, also help the body to eliminate harmful substances that bog us down and prevent us from feeling as well as we were designed to feel.

If you have been sick, are not feeling up to par, or simply want to do something good for your body, you might consider our complete Detox Program (MRS-2000, Infrared sauna, and IonCleanse® footbath) which will allow you to feel your very best, with increased physical and mental energy. Our highly knowledgeable staff are also available to provide nutritional counselling that will help keep your body as free of toxins as possible.

* You may have read that ionic footbaths are nothing more than hocus-pocus, and that the colour-change in the water is not due to the removal of toxins but to corrosion in the water. This reasoning is often provided to make ionic footbaths appear a scam. We’d like to set the record straight. It is indeed true that the water changes colour during the cleansing process and that particulate matter may appear in the water. However, the release of toxins is not the only reason for accumulation of debris or water becoming darker. Electrolysis is an important part of the ion detoxification process. Corrosion that takes place during electrolysis changes the colour of water and the corrosion of metals at the time of electrolysis also causes changes due to the release of gases.

For further information, or to book our complete Detox Program, please call the store at 604.733.5323.

Saturday, Dec. 31st: 9 am to 3 pm

Sunday, Jan. 1st: Closed

Monday, Jan. 2nd: Noon to 5 pm (Pharmacy will be open).

Please stay safe during the festivities, appoint a designated driver or catch a bus or cab. Wishing you all a glorious New Year!

*Additional discounts cannot be used on sale-priced items, and loyalty points will not be awarded.

Breast Thermography (BT) allows a woman to know if possibly precancerous changes are taking place in her breasts, up to eight years earlier than with screening mammography.

BT is a medical technique used as a first line screening procedure to assess breast health.  A highly advanced digital infrared camera and computer are used to measure temperatures radiating from breast tissues and adjacent areas. Temperatures varying from the norm indicate the possible presence of cancerous tumours or precancerous activity in the tissues. BT can reveal a problem long before any other technique, giving you more time to take action for a more positive outcome. It is a proactive way of managing the health of your breasts.

BT offers earlier detection, safer screening with no radiation, and no uncomfortable compression.

If you are interested in this procedure, please call us at 604 733-5323 (toll free: 1 800 363-4372). A caring Certified Thermography Technician will guide you through the process, in complete privacy.

Finally, here’s what Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (2010) has to say about Breast Thermography:

” Thermography is the missing link that holds the key to true prevention of breast cancer.”

But first, understand that all the preventive agents in the world will not stop a cold if you don’t provide your immune system with the help it needs. This means getting enough quality sleep (between seven and nine hours a night), eating plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables and enough protein, and taking the time to build activity into your day.

After you’ve made sure you are doing all you can to support your immune system, there is one more “must” that will ensure you have the best change of avoiding a cold or the flu: wash your hands often – ten or more times a day if you are outside of the home. Keypads and elevator buttons, stair-rails, telephones, even drink cans picked up at the supermarket can all harbour the viruses that make us sick. All you need do is touch your fingers to your mouth, nose or eyes and those germs are in business…

In terms of cold prevention products, we have a lot in store, as well as products to soothe and speed healing in the event you do catch something.

Immune boosters include Finlandia’s own Excell-C – a powerful form of vitamin C that helps prevent colds when taken regularly. We also have a variety of Echinacea formulas, Oscillococcinum (wonderful at the first hint of a the flu), Sisu Coldmune and Dr. Dunner Cold Guard for Kids, to name a few. And don’t forget that vitamin D and probiotics also support the immune response during cold and flu season…

Many people feel they need the support of a flu shot during flu season but have concerns about the safety of the flu shot. For these people, we recommend Influenzinum—a homeopathic remedy made from the updated influenza vaccine. The composition of Influenzinum changes each year according to the antigenic variations detected by the World Health Organization (WHO).  It should therefore be administered annually.

Our newly expanded herbal dispensary is another source of immune-boosting formulas. Popular at this time of year is Change of Seasons tea, with dang shen, goji berry, schizandra berry and wild yam root. This tea is traditionally used to help the body and emotions adjust to seasonal shifts through supporting the heart, liver, lungs, blood and immune system. Our herbal dispensary also prepares an Immune Lymph Formula and Children’s Immune Formula (professional strength) to further galvanize the immune response.

And if you still fall prey to a cough, cold or flu, we stock a full array of products to help shorten the duration of the chills, congestion, sore throat and coughing, including our own homeopathic sore throat formula, Tonsillofin (which our staff swear by…) Cough remedies, lozenges and pastilles, decongestants and feel-good teas which are wonderfully soothing with honey and lemon—You’ll find them all on the shelves at Finlandia, in our herbal dispensary, and in our online store.

We were very pleased to receive this news a day or so ago… Enagic water ionizers have received the coveted Water Quality Association (WQA)  Gold Seal Certification. Enagic ionizers, which produce the fresh-tasting Kangen Water™, are available from Finlandia. In our view, and judging by customer comments, Kangen Water™ is the most healthful alkaline water available today.

Used in Japanese hospitals for over 30 years, Kangen Water™ converts acidity in the body to alkalinity, while providing superior hydration. Since an acidic, dehydrated body provides the perfect environment for a number of disease conditions, encouraging alkalinity is believed to bring about a number of positive changes in the health.

If you would like to learn more about how delicious Kangen Water™ can benefit you and your family, please click here to read the article in our 2008 newsletter (just click on the newsletter image).  Our staff will also be able to assist you in the store and provide a sample for you to try.

Everyone had fun on the big day...

Our outside table was covered with great things to win, take, drink or eat, with more goodies inside.  All in all, we served 100 vegan chocolate-mint cupcakes, and 150 cups of chilled peach rooibos and hot floral rooibos teas!

...and everyone wanted to win that gift basket!

We gave away 300 samples, one to each customer, and used up all our raffle tickets for a huge goody basket filled with herbal items. Of course, we were thrilled to be able to show off the new herbal dispensary…

Congratulations, Alana!

A great time was had by all...

For more pictures of the open house, please check our Finlandia Living Facebook page.