Sage Tonic – a ‘sensory platform’ approach to our five senses

Sage Tonic.

Sounds like a new facial spray.

But is by far bigger than that!

Sage Tonic is a holistic program to stimulate and treat all five senses by using the “sensory platform” approach, promoting the concept of balance.

It is an innovative natural treatment and wellness toolbox, and includes alternative and complementary treatments for some of our common everyday medical conditions.

Nada Milosavljevic MD, JD is Founder and CEO of Sage Tonic and I had a chance not only to try her products but also to ask her a few questions.

Nada, you are blending various aspects into your products, traditional medicinal knowledge and modern lifestyles. How do you manage to bridge the gap?

‘That is the foundation of Sage Tonic – ancient medicine through the lens of modern science. The various treatments are also designed for modern lifestyles. We are all busy and on the go. In order to make these therapies most accessible they had to be designed to fit our fast-paced lives.

The products are based on my clinical practice and research. All the herbs used in the teas and naturally antibacterial towelettes have an evidence basis to support their use for the condition listed on the box (Focus, Relax, Sleep, …..)’

What is your five senses philosophy?

‘Each of us are taking in information from the outside world 24/7. Our senses are our only connection to the external environment. Signals are sent to the brain from every one of our senses and our bodies mount a response based on that information.

So, it matters what sensory input we give to our bodies and brains. Your sense of touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell are always working. For example, if you want to relax, the Sage Tonic RELAX mobile app and products are designed and formulated to down regulate the brain and calm the mind.

For your sense of taste there is a specially formulated tea blend with herbs that are soothing, the naturally antibacterial towelettes are aromatherapy essential oil blends for your sense of smell (you can wipe them on the body, hold them by your nose and breathe in, use them to wipe off your yoga mat, clean desks, etc) then you can use the app which has acupressure points (sense of touch), yoga poses (sense of sight), and specially created sound tracks with specific frequencies that calm the brain.’

I believe you have attended Harvard Medical School? What is your training background?

‘My first career was in law. I practiced in the biotech industry as an intellectual property attorney. It was there that I worked with many research institutes and scientists. I realized my deep interest in medicine and went on to medical school. I did my residency and fellowship trainng at Brown University and Harvard. Following my training, I accepted a position at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School. It was at Harvard where I conducted my research in Integrative Medicine and then created Sage Tonic.’

You are donating portions of you revenue to education. Tell us more!

‘Of course!…Our mission at Sage Tonic is to provide healthy integrative therapies and promote preventive health and wellness. That said, one of the most important aspects of that is education. So, we take a portion of our sales and we donate our products, provide lectures, and educational material on integrative health to high schools. Since we are a new company we have focused on the Boston, Massachusetts area where we are based. In time, we hope to move to a larger area more schools and maybe even outside the US to provide these services to young adults elsewhere.’

Nada, What is your very personal wellness tip to the readers?

‘I would have to say, start with one healthy habit, no matter how small but be consistent. Even one thing such as regular good night’s sleep, or walking, or doing yoga, whatever it is…start small but be consistent. Once you meet with success with that single concept it is easier to build upon.’

Holistic Health for Adolescents

Nada has just recently published her book Holistic Health for Adolescents.

Each chapter reviews the symptoms of a problem (common with teenagers such as fatigue, headaches, issues with concentration etc) and offers in-depth complementary and alternative treatment approaches with evidence based track record of success. This is an all inclusive handbook for parents and teenagers alike looking for different ways of dealing with challenges in an early part of life. As both a trained medical doctor on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and a noted complementary and alternative medicine specialist, Nada Milosavljevic brings a rich background of experience to this book.

Three ways to reach the five senses

Nada has not only come up with a book and her fantastic app to approach the five senses, but also offers the Sage Tonic Towelettes and Sage Tonic Herbal Teas.

The Sage Tonic five senses Mobile App – Wellness on the go!

Mobile, flexible and everywhere, you can create a individual and customised treatment with the touch of your finger.

I have simply downloaded the app from my app store, have created a free account with my email address and am ready to go.

When opening the app, my first action is to rate my stress level. Upon entering I am referred to the page called ‘sense selection’, where I can pick from the five senses sound, smell, sight, taste and touch.

Behind each button I receive audio (beautiful voice!) and written instructions. They hold different content, for example how different herbs work for a specific purpose. I can even link to the Sage online shop and order the teas and towelettes right there.

I can also track my previous sessions and follow my progress as to my average change in stress. Great stuff!

The Sage Tonic five senses Teas

Sage Tonic Teas are available in four different flavours, and I like all of them:

RELAX: Lemon Balm & Passionflower
SLEEP: Lavender & Valerian
FOCUS: Green Tea & Ginseng
ENERGY: Black Tea & Grapefruit

My favourite Sage Tonic Herbal Tea is for sure Lemon Balm and Passionflower. Passionflower is said to help against nervousness and anxiety, and I simply love the flavour. Researcher however say it calms the activity of some cells in my brain…

The Sage Tonic five senses Towelettes

The individually wrapped towelettes are one of my favourite on-the-go item!

I inhale the aroma of the 100% natural essential oils by holding the towelette over my nasal passages for about 2 min.

Then I wrap it over hands, neck, temples and pulse points. The towelettes came in very handy last week when I was sitting on a seemingly forever lasting train ride in yucky weather. just bliss.