Herbs and Healthcare

By Ralph Dickerson

Jim and Thelma Krutz started Herbs and Healthcare over 25 years ago, and today daughters Cindy Jones and Kathy Krutz operate the store. In the early days the store sat on state Route 37 on the outskirts of Tell City, but moved to its current location at 1417 Main Street over 20 years ago.
So, what is Herbs and healthcare? It is a health store business that sells a variety of items, from supplements to food, to help nourish the body.
In the past, people went to the doctor and simply took the drug their physician prescribed. As we are learning more everyday, many of these common prescriptions come with significant side effects. Just this year the Food and Drug Administration ordered the popular antacid Zantac taken off of the market. The reason is because the active ingredient in Zantac, ranitidine, can increase in these products over time (if stored in higher than room temperature) and leads to increased cancer risks.
Several natural remedies exist which help treat acid reflux, and lack side effects. One highly effective remedy is apple cider vinegar in liquid form with the “mother” in it, or even apple cider vinegar tablets.
“I’m not saying that everything is beneficial for everybody,” Cindy said. “People can have adverse reactions, but you are less likely to have adverse reactions to something natural versus a drug or synthetic.”
Cindy said natural remedies often treat the problem causing the condition instead of just alleviating symptoms. For that reason, sometimes it takes some time for the natural remedy to work.
“Your body knows,” Cindy said. “It knows if it is something it can digest better, absorb more readily.”

She used a car analogy to explain her meaning. Cindy said if you put crappy substances in your car, it’s going to run crappy.  To run properly, it needs quality fuel.

“There are supplements that are beneficial, that nourish, promote, strengthen, support, balance and stimulate the body’s abilities,” Cindy said.  Also when it comes to living healthy, many people often overlook the gut, more to the point; people don’t realize the importance of healthy bacteria in the gut. “The gut micro bio-me is a huge part of our health,” Cindy said. “The immune system is tied to the gut. A person’s happiness, serotonin, is also tied to the gut. If a person does not have a healthy gut micro biome, the person is going to have health issues.”

Cindy said when it comes to probiotics, refrigerated ones work better than over-the-counter probiotics. She also said supplements that come from health stores are of superior quality versus the supplements found at many chain stores. “They do not give us junk,” Cindy said.

Cindy repeatedly stressed that products purchased at health stores are not to take the place of quality medical care. “Supplements will not take the place of a competent doctor,” she said.  “We cannot prescribe or diagnose anything.”

She doesn’t want people to ignore going to a doctor or seeking other medical advise. Many doctors today now recommend their patients take vitamins, minerals and fish oils to help treat conditions such as heart disease.
“We need doctors,” Cindy said. “We need good doctors. I think it is awesome that our doctors are telling us to take good supplements.”