The reputation of western North Carolina as a wellness destination dates back to the late 19th century, when the area was thought to be useful for people with tuberculosis. In 1871, Dr. HP Gatchellwho opened the country’s first sanatorium at Kenilworth, called Asheville “the Switzerland of America” for its “pure” mountain air.
Although tuberculosis is not the infectious disease in the minds of most people these days, Asheville is still known as a place of healing and a place where medicinal herbs and natural products have a firm foundation.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused more people to concentrate on their health, and the city’s numerous natural product stores catered to the occasion. Mike Rogers of Nature’s Vitamins and Herbs in Asheville says its store experienced an influx of customers who wanted to take care of their health. Its sales have increased by 25% since the start of the pandemic. (This echoes the global trends stemming from the pandemic: a 2021 survey by McKinsey & Co. found that 48.2% of Americans surveyed prioritized welfare more than two or three years earlier).
Xpress spoke with the owners of several stores to find out what the premises have reached during the pandemic.
Something fishy
When clients want to improve their overall health, Rogers recommends starting a high-potency multivitamin and fish oil regimen.
Both fish oil and multivitamins can help meet nutritional needs that are not provided by the standard American diet, which contains many processed foods, he says. (The effectiveness, safety, and labeling of multivitamins and other dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration).
“Multivitamins [sales] They’ve definitely increased because people have been looking to be healthy, ”Rogers explains, estimating that his store has had at least a 30% increase in multivitamin sales since the start of the pandemic.
Rogers says he recommends fish oil to customers because it contains omega-3 fatty acids that many people don’t get from their foods. “The foods we eat today are so processed that they no longer have the right oils,” he says. Instead, he says, people consume an unhealthy amount of the omega-6 fatty acids found in corn and soy products.
Anxious minds
It is old news that anxiety and sleep interruptions have both been features of the pandemic.
“A lot of people were looking for products to deal with anxiety,” he explains Andrew Celwynco-owner of Herbiary with his partner Maia Toll. Customers expressed interest in CBD oil in the form of tinctures or extracts, he says, “but we also have some blends that people use to help them relax and not feel so stressful.”
A mix includes nerves, like the cap, a type of mint, he explains. Skullcap is a native wildflower and traditional Cherokee medicine. Celwyn says kava kava root and blue verbena are two other herbal remedies that can be found in CBD blends.
Rogers also saw an increase in customers seeking a cannabidiol calm. “We sold a lot of CBD oil,” he explains. “People have come here for a long time [products] for stress, sleep and anxiety like crazy. “
Sweet Dreams
“Everything to sleep” sales increased during the pandemic, Rogers says. Recommendations for anxiety or insomnia depend on a person’s health history, Rogers explains, noting that CBD is not the only option. He also recommends the herb ashwagandha, which has been used in ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine of India.
Melatonin supplements can also be helpful for insomnia, Rogers tells Xpress. “Melatonin is good because it’s what the body normally produces [as a hormone] to fall asleep, ”he says. Melatonin can occur in two dispersion methods: a temporary release form or an immediate release form.
The Mayo Clinic notes that melatonin may be beneficial as a sleep aid because it does not form habits, unlike some pharmaceutical sleep aids. However, Mayo cited a number of possible drug interactions, including contraceptives, blood pressure medications, and anticoagulants.
Rogers points out that sleep problems can increase with age because the body decreases melatonin production.
Immune boosters
Rogers, who is co-owner with Bill Cheek, says customers of Nature’s Vitamins have always been interested in natural ways to strengthen their immune system. (Both are former pharmacists who closed their store’s pharmacy five years ago to focus on herbal medicine.) A popular product since early 2022 has been an OrthoMune dietary supplement, says Rogers, all and that the ingredients have been popular since mid-2021., when they sold the combination of their five vitamins and minerals separately.
NATURAL PROMOTERS: Mike Rogers, left, and Bill Cheek, right, retired pharmacists and co-owners of Nature’s Vitamins and Herbs, say their clients have always been interested in natural ways to strengthen their immune system. Photo courtesy of Rogers
OrthoMune contains zinc, quercetin, vitamins C and D and N-acetyl cysteine in one capsule. “A lot of people came here to take [this combination] like a [COVID] preventative at a lower dose, “says Rogers.” And then, if they felt symptoms, they increased the dose. “(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend specific supplements for the prevention of COVID.)
Zinc is crucial for the immune system as well as for the development of T cells, a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infections, according to a fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health. Quercetin helps the body absorb zinc, Rogers explains. “Zinc has trouble getting into cells,” he says. “Quercetin is more permeable to the cell membrane: it removes zinc with it.”
The literature of OrthoMolecular Products, the manufacturer of OrthoMune, does not state that its supplement prevents or cures COVID. OrthoMolecular Products says its clinical applications are “broad-spectrum support for health immune function,” “supports healthy respiratory function,” and “maintains normal inflammatory balance.”
“Poor supply”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Larry Sheltonpharmacist and owner of Shelton Pharmacy in Hendersonville, says customers did not request N-acetyl cysteine.
N-acetyl cysteine helps with lung function, specifically to “liquefy mucus,” Shelton explains. According to Healthline, N-acetyl cysteine ”can relieve the symptoms of respiratory conditions by acting as an antioxidant and expectorant, loosening mucus in the airways.”
Rogers and Shelton say vitamin D was popular before the pandemic and then increased. “Vitamin D sales definitely increased because of the pandemic, and people who started reading and learning vitamin D helped their immune system,” Rogers says.
Shelton adds: “When the pandemic started, we sold a lot of them [vitamin D]. We still sell a fair amount, but not as much as when the pandemic was in full bloom. “
Although Shelton Pharmacy never ran out of vitamin D, it explains that “we had a shortage of one or two times.” But, he continues, “many companies make vitamin D, so we were able to have it on hand.”
Cheek at Nature’s Vitamins recalls how “a month after the pandemic, people were literally in a panic” when stores ran out of zinc and vitamin C. But because of its previous history as a pharmacy, its store had other supply chains, which he believes they introduced. new customers. Customers “would call us almost as a last resort” in search of medicinal herbs and vitamins. He assured them, “Yes, we have a lot here.”
