Befittingly, the owner of Mary’s Health Hut radiates health – even as an octogenarian.
And that’s been good enough to get customers to walk through the doors of her vitamin and herb store at 951 Old Dixie Highway in search of natural ways to achieve good health and enhance wellbeing.
“I want everyone to feel as good as I do,” beams Mary McMillan, who will be 83 next month. “I feel better than most 18 year olds. I’ve got enough hair on my head for 2 people and strong nails, and I feel great.”
How so? She preaches proper nutrition, vitamins, herbs and exercise.
“They won’t make you any prettier but they will make you feel better,” she says of vitamins and herbs.
Therein lies the mission of the former home healthcare worker who started her business 22 years ago on a $5,000 advertising budget and a $5,000 vitamin shopping spree to stock the shelves of her new shop.
“It puts me on the mountaintop when people come back and say something we suggested to them helped – that the vitamins and herbs made them feel better.”
The southern charm, extensive knowledge and vitality of McMillan, who came to Vero Beach from Moore Haven, Florida decades ago, are enough to make you want to sign up for her program.
McMillan credits her regimen for keeping her off pharmaceuticals until she turned 77. Then she needed her first prescription medication, a blood pressure pill. Other than that, she takes 15 to 20 natural sources a day including a multivitamin, calcium, B6, D, passion flower, hawthorn, a digestive enzyme and garlic.
Her interest in wellness is rooted in an episode in her 30s when her doctor told her blankly that she would likely not live past her 40s – his conclusion drawn from her family history. McMillan’s mother died of a stroke at age 45. Her father died at 60 of a heart attack.
“I told him, ‘I don’t think so. I have 6 kids to raise and left his office. I went home and started reading everything I could about vitamins, minerals and herbs.”
Customers come into the 2,000 sq. ft. shop to find a natural remedy for all sorts of things. For arthritis pain, she steers them to curamed; for insomnia, she recommends melatonin and passion flower; for weight problems, Irvingina which is a mixture of herbs, would be her top choice. For migraines, she says a My-GRA Stick, a mixture of peppermint and lavender, can be rubbed on the forehead, temples and back of the neck to reduce symptoms. For stress, the go-to is B-100.
There’s a homeopathy section where customers can get ear candles that claim to get rid of impurities of the ear and pellets that dissolve under the tongue that help with sleep disturbances; the bulk of the store offers a wide assortment of vitamins and herbs, probiotics, gluten-free products and foods such as organic rice chips, millet bread, sun flower seeds and oats.
Mary’s Health Hut offers in-house massage therapy. And there’s even a small pet products section with calming agents for dogs and products that offer joint relief. “Dogs often respond to things that people do,” McMillan explained.
All products in the store are natural and manufactured by companies McMillan researches extensively. Most have been tested in labs and verified that all ingredients stated on the label are indeed in the product, she says. Unlike with drugs, though, the government does not require supplement manufacturers to prove their products are effective. Supplement makers can say, if it’s true, that the product addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or reduces the risk of developing a health problem. But then they must also state that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the benefits of some dietary supplements, like some vitamins and minerals, are well established for certain health conditions while others need more study. People should always check with a healthcare provider before taking a supplement, especially when combining them with other foods or medicine, the NIH says.
McMillan and her knowledgeable staff don’t claim to be anything more than they are – well versed in herbs, vitamins and nutrition.
“We aren’t doctors,” she said. “We don’t give medical advice. We listen to people, research the issues and make recommendations.”
Americans spent more than $32 billion on dietary supplements in 2012, the NIH estimates. Of that, $13 billion was for vitamin and mineral supplements; most of the rest, for herbal and related remedies.
McMillan asks customers who want advice what they are currently taking. She considers a quality multi-vitamin a good start and advises people not to overwhelm themselves with an extensive regimen of supplements, but rather to build upon each one. It’s important to see how their body reacts to the products, whether these settle well with a person. If customers don’t do well with a product, they can return the items. “I don’t want anyone to waste money,” she explains.
And customer service is high on her list when it comes to running a good business. She says she also doesn’t “hire cashiers.” Rather, she employs people who are highly knowledgeable about health.
For example, Al Chrzan, nickname “Data,” is a wealth of information on nutrition and the products. And Mary Halverson has worked in the store for 21 years. She started studying vitamins, herbs and nutrition 50 years ago after her father-in-law suffered a heart attack and her 9-year-old son was diagnosed with diabetes.
“People want to feel healthier and they can do so by using something natural,” she says.
Mike Hollon, store manager and McMillan’s son-in-law, says he’s not surprised by the flow of customers they get. “Everybody’s got something. They don’t want to be on medications. They want to find a natural way to deal with their issues.”
There’s no question millions swear by such treatments, even when scientific consensus is lacking. The NIH offers an online guide to the apparent effectiveness and safety of many herbs and supplements: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html
