Kombuchat

When you think of an “apothecary”, you think of an old-time store with an enchanting owner and myriad glass bottles of cures.

But now we’re “in an age where Walgreens and CVS rule every corner,” so why are apothecaries coming back into fashion?

All the Nyquil and modern cures in the world just can’t match the old-time remedies:

Natural remedies for flu symptom and cold symptoms share their own display near the register towards the back of the store. Winter says the flu-like symptom remedies are some of the best sellers.

Also, this generation is taking a greater interest in personal care, especially shaving:

Men’s shaving cream, razors and brushes line the shelves and counters in corner of the store. Winter says they have seen a big demand for these products and may expand it to the new retail space they plan to open next door.

Merz Apothecary has been operating in Chicago for 137 years. “Nowadays Merz stands out simply by being a natural and herbal remedy store and homeopathic pharmacy.”

It’s good to see people are taking interest again in the remedies of the past. Old wives’ tales are often derided, but old wives didn’t get old without there being something to them.

Going to a new massage place for the first time can be akin to seeing a snake—you don’t know if it’s harmless (legitimate massage spa) or poisonous (shady sex spa).

The city council of Glendale, CA is taking action to crack down on massage parlors that traffic in illegal activity with a licensing system.

The proposed ordinance would force spa operators who are not certified by the California Massage Therapy Council and who own at least 5% of the business to obtain a city-issued massage-establishment-owner certificate annually.

Due to a change in the overall rules on massage parlors, cities have to enforce new regulations:

But in 2009, the state passed legislation that allowed massage therapists to practice throughout the state without having to obtain a permit from a city or county.

That same year, lawmakers created the nonprofit state massage council as well as a certification process for massage therapists, who must undergo a criminal background check and submit fingerprints to obtain a certificate from the state council.

These regulations are confusing, meaning that individual communities have to force individual regulations on local massage parlors without a one-size-fits-all solution.

Illegal massage parlors hurt the business of legitimate massage parlors.

Make sure to check out a new place online before you go so you can ensure it’s on the up and up.

As alternative medicine becomes mainstream, more and more individuals are taking notice of its effectiveness.

One such individual is Prince Charles, who has urged the UK’s Coalition government to move forward on studying and adapting alternative medicine practices.

A source said that the Prince wanted to see “evidence-based complementary treatments taking a proper integrated approach that gives people choice and where regulation would build confidence in making choices”.

This is a reasonable and surprising position to take, because it shows people at even the highest levels of government are showing interest in alternative cures to some of the unsolvable medical issues of our time.

It’s becoming increasingly popular among the citizenry as well:

Under Labour, there were two public consultations – in 2004 and 2009 – which found high levels of public support for regulation of those practising herbal and Chinese medicines.

Hopefully, government can find a way to license and regulate practitioners without burdening the ability of healers to engage in their practice.

Smoking has been mostly moved to the margins of society in the Western world, but smoking-related diseases like lung cancer and emphysema are still among the largest killers across the globe.

But one area that bucks this trend is the South Pacific, where “studies in such islands as Fiji and Western Samoa have found very low lung cancer rates despite relatively heavy tobacco use.

Scientists point to the kava root, a “mild sedative” consumed by islanders.

A recent study on mice which showed suppressed tumor growth correlates with prior scientific discovery:

Earlier studies found an inverse correlation between the amount of kava consumed and the cancer rate among smokers, indicating that the earthy beverage might be blocking tumor growth.

Further studies will be performed on the root to isolate the compounds that stem tumor growth. If brought to market, this could be one of the most important natural cures in history.