Topical BioMedics of Rhinebeck, NY is holding its second annual “Where in the World is Topricin” photo contest. Contestants can submit photos showing Topricin in a travel setting for the chance to win. Entries are due Oct. 31, 2012. Prizes include gift packages of Topricin.

Ontario, Canada-based Diva International redesigned its Web site, www.divacup.com. The site offers a Diva Q&A section, information about menstrual products, tips for teens, moms and health professionals and space for sharing stories about The DivaCup.

Sprouts Farmers Market and Sunflower Farmers Market of Phoenix, AZ donated $100,000 to the Aurora Victim Relief Fund “to benefit the immediate and long-term needs of victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012.” The money came from the sale of unneeded equipment from Sprouts’ recent merger with Sunflower Farmers Market.

Vitamin Angels of Santa Barbara, CA is again one of Charity Navigator’s Top 10 Charities Relying on Private Contributions. The majority (95%) of the group’s revenue comes from private contributions.

In September, Bioforce USA of Ghent, NY sponsored a conference on Echinacea in London. The first day offered scientific/technical information and an expert panel presented data from a new, large Echinaforce study. Day Two was intended for journalists.

Bloomingdale, IL-based NOW Foods has bought a 116,000-ft² building where it plans to move its administrative offices before November. This will give the company more room in its existing Bloomingdale facility to expand its manufacturing operations.

Coral LLC of Carson City, NV has received Friend of the Sea Product Certification and is now a member of this select group. States the company, “The Friend of the Sea Certification not only ensures the highest quality standards in terms of energy efficiency and social accountability but also guarantees that its members produce with no use of GMOs or growth hormones, respecting water parameters and critical marine habitats.”

alternaVites Kids (from Rich Vitamins of New York, NY) was part of a back to school segment on the TODAY Show. The show aired August 31.

Clinical trial data published in Nutrition Research indicate taking supplemental resveratrol for three months improved glycemic control in type-2 diabetics. Other results included lowered blood pressure and improved blood cholesterol levels. Biotivia’s Bioforte supplement (250 mg/day) was used in the study along with the participants’ oral hypoglycemic drugs. A control group only took the hypoglycemic agents.

Graduate students from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology have found that Willard Water raises the alkalinity of water. According to Caw Industries (parent company of Willard Water), “The study’s author, graduate student Joseph Gentilini, confirmed that simply adding Willard Water to drinking water in small amounts will raise the pH of that water and that using Willard Water at recommended dilutions has a significant impact on alkalinity.”

The American Herbal Products Association Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals of Silver Spring, MD gave out its first grant to Kelly Kindscher, Ph.D., a scientist and professor at the University of Kansas Biological Survey and Environmental Studies Program. She will use the $10,000 grant to study wild populations of osha (Ligusticum porteri).

The American Botanical Council of Austin, TX now has Herbal Contraindications and Herb Interactions plus Herbal Adjuncts with Medicines, expanded 4th edition, by Francis Brinker, N.D., 2010, in its online store. The text offers a list of Herbal Agents with 321 herbs and evidence-based listings of interactions that are known or believed to be associated with them.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, October 2012