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Immune System Booster Vitamins

Vitamin A, one of the main Immune System Booster Vitamins, helps to keep your immunity strong and robust. Over the coming months we need to be finding ways to enhance immune function. Focusing on one or two things at a time is going to have a powerful, accumulative effect and help to keep you healthy and able to deal with infections. I want this article to help to keep you focused on specific DIY, immune-enhancing actions. This is exactly what I am doing with a lot of my Naturopathic clients now – pinpointing one or two areas and really focusing on those to help boost immunity.

There are infinite ways to stimulate the immune system, and you can’t do it all at once, so I encourage you to focus on some of the “booster vitamins” – and today it is Vitamin A![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Ht3Ah1Rd6GU”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Accumulative Effect

Keeping healthy over the coming months is a priority. One of the most powerful way to enhance your immune function is to ensure the building block are in place by being persistent and consistent, ensuring you are having a nutrient-dense diet. We all want a quick fix, a do-it-all supplement, but strengthening your immunity from the ground up, so to speak, will go a long way towards a strong and robust immunity. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Let me be very clear right from the start. Supplementation of vitamins may certainly play a role in therapeutic prescribing, but this is not what I am talking about here. There are also so many nutrients required for a healthy and normally functioning Immune system, but, what I’m calling, “immune system booster vitamins” are worth focusing on specifically.

According to an article called The Chemical Structures of Vitamins, a vitamin is “…any organic compound that a living organism requires, but which it is not capable of producing itself, or cannot produce in the amounts required by the body.” We have 13 vitamins in our body, all essential for health and for a healthy immune system. Before you rush out and buy then all as supplements, I strongly recommend that you tweak your diet so that you are getting most if not all of your supply, from fresh whole foods. This is not the place to explain why natural foods and going to be better than supplements for your health. That will be another article!
Vitamins are divided into water soluble and water insoluble – you can check out the list below. It’s interesting to note that there are some vitamins missing – vitamin F, G, H etc. Well, actually they are not really missing, but categorized – biotin used to be called Vitamin H for example.

Vitamins are divided into water soluble and water insoluble – you can check out the list below. It’s interesting to note that there are some vitamins missing – vitamin F, G, H  etc. Well, actually they are not really missing, but categorized – biotin used to be called Vitamin H for example.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Water-soluble vitamins

B vitamins
Biotin (vitamin B7)
Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9)
Niacin (vitamin B3)
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Thiamin (vitamin B1)
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12

Vitamin C[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Fat-soluble vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”4455″ img_size=”large” css_animation=”bounceInRight” css=”.vc_custom_1584959805568{border-top-width: 4px !important;border-right-width: 4px !important;border-bottom-width: 4px !important;border-left-width: 4px !important;border-left-color: #dd8f1a !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #dd8f1a !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #dd8f1a !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #dd8f1a !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 4px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]From a Naturopathic perspective, the key to optimizing the Immune System Booster Vitamins, is to ensure that you are having foods that cover all of the vitamins. One way to do this is by having a variety of different foods. It is important to focus like I am doing in this article and look at specific nutrients, but combine this with a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods.

Supplements: Please don’t fall into the trap of thinking supplements will substitute for dietary sources of nutrients. They do not. There are so many health reasons why you need to make every effort to source healthy, fresh, whole and unrefined foods if you want to enjoy maximum health. Yes, supplements may play a role when used therapeutically, but a consistent, highly nutritious diet, unequivocally, comes first. 

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Vitamin A Stimulates Immunity

Vitamin A is made from carotenoids – the substance that gives Vit A – rich foods their yellow colour.
It’s vital for healthy functioning of the  mucous membranes,  the reproductive system, the skin, liver, GIT, eyes, lungs and kidneys. And of course it plays a significant role keeping your immune system healthy. (Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System).

In an article by Huang Z et al, Vitamin A is know to have an anti-inflammatory effect and this is one of the reasons it is so important in immune function. (Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System.) It helps to regulate two parts of the immunity – the humeral and the cellular response.

According to Cantorna MT, Snyder L & Arora J, (2) Vitamin A (and D) deficiency results in a disruption of the gut microbiota and this in turn increases the vulnerability of the gut to infection. (Vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies result in less diverse, dysbiotic microbial communities and increased susceptibility to infection or injury of the gastrointestinal tract.)

Also Vitamin A influences the antibody function of the body as well as the immune systems ability to phagocytose pathogens in the body. (Vitamins and immunity: II. Influence of L-carnitine on the immune system.) (3)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”4440″ img_size=”large” css_animation=”bounceInLeft” css=”.vc_custom_1584959872256{border-top-width: 4px !important;border-right-width: 4px !important;border-bottom-width: 4px !important;border-left-width: 4px !important;border-left-color: #dd2323 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #dd2323 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #dd2323 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #dd2323 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 4px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Sweet potato
Red peppers
Carrots
Black-eyed peas
Kale
Berries
Eggs[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Butter
Spinach
Broccoli
Mango
Cantaloupe melon
Apricots
Pumpkin
Tomato juice[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Time To Be Creative

Black-Eyed Beans curry is a favorite of mine. It is a bit unusual if you are not used to cooking with the beans, but if you’re inspired, give it a try. Such a delicious Vitamin A hit! This bean curry is called karamani in tamil.

Remember you need to soak the beans overnight. And remember if you have beans with brown rice, you’ll be increasing the protein availability.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][hc_info_box info_box_type=”boxed” title=”Black Eyed Beans Curry” css=”.vc_custom_1585001810729{border-top-width: 3px !important;border-right-width: 3px !important;border-bottom-width: 3px !important;border-left-width: 3px !important;background-color: #d8d8d8 !important;border-left-color: #dd0d0d !important;border-right-color: #dd0d0d !important;border-top-color: #dd0d0d !important;border-bottom-color: #dd0d0d !important;}”]

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup – Black Eyed Beans
1 medium Onion – Chopped
Oil for Seasoning
Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Dhania Powder – 1 teaspoon
Red chilli Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida Powder
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves – handful – Chopped

Full Recipe http://www.paajaka.com/2007/05/black-eyed-beans-curry.html

Picture of curry from paajaka.com

[/hc_info_box][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Remember: This article is about helping to keep you focused and interested in finding ways to maximise your immunity and build and strengthen it from the ground up. Focus on this Vitamin and make sure your diet is constantly abundant in the “A” foods.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Skype, Zoom, Phone, Face to Face” add_button=”top” btn_title=”Like an Appointment?” btn_color=”warning” css_animation=”fadeInRight” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fandrewjamesnaturopath.com|title:Book%20a%20consultation|target:%20_blank|” css=”.vc_custom_1584962671766{border-top-width: 3px !important;border-right-width: 3px !important;border-bottom-width: 3px !important;border-left-width: 3px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-left-color: #dd8502 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #dd8502 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #dd8502 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #dd8502 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}”]If you require a Naturopathic consultation for specific treatment, please give me a call, email me or book yourself in for an initial appointment. Would love to help you out. Check out my website for details and then go to the bookings page.
[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]References:

(1) Huang Z, Liu Y, Qi G, Brand D, Zheng SG. J Clin Med. 2018 Sep 6;7(9). pii: E258. doi: 10.3390/jcm7090258. Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30200565

(2) Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2019 Apr;54(2):184-192. doi: 10.1080/10409238.2019.1611734. Epub 2019 May 14. Vitamin A and vitamin D regulate the microbial complexity, barrier function, and the mucosal immune responses to ensure intestinal homeostasis.
Cantorna MT, Snyder L, Arora J

(3) Acta Vitaminol Enzymol. 1982;4(1-2):135-40. Vitamins and immunity: II. Influence of L-carnitine on the immune system. De Simone C, Ferrari M, Lozzi A, Meli D, Ricca D, Sorice F. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6214931[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Would It Take A Cancer Diagnosis For You To Consider Natural Remedies?

During the last 30 plus years of Naturopathic practice the one thing that really upsets me when people choose not to consider natural remedies and suffer the consequences. I have seen many people who have come for treatment after their condition has fully developed and reached a stage that makes it difficult to treat and unfortunately sometimes impossible to treat. I have lost a close friend because, for one reason or another, she did not treat a pre-existing conditions very well and took a band-aid approach to depression with pharmaceutical antidepressants.

Please do wait until you have a diagnosis – serious or otherwise, before you seek Naturopathic treatment using natural remedies. Many diseases begin long before they show themselves as symptoms, so a preventative approach is key.

My clinic is just around the corner from the Royal Price Alfred Hospital here in Newtown, Sydney and over the years I have many people come to my clinic wanting treatment for conditions that are terminal or very difficult to treat. As wonderful and powerful Naturopathic approaches can be, my heart always goes out to them but they have left it too late for me to be able to help them in any significant way other than perhaps palliation.

I cannot think of many illnesses and diseases that occur overnight -in fact most ill- health builds up over months or years. Little by little the body’s healthy responses are challenged to the point when there are tangible signs and symptoms of an illness.

Let’s take diabetes for example – poor eating habits, high on-going levels of stress and other lifestyle factors lead to excess insulin being secreted from the pancreas as the body tries to keep the blood sugar levels balanced. Eventually blood glucose tests show higher and higher sugar levels ending in the diagnosis of diabetes. So when did the diabetes start? Well it’s an insidious process which has no definitive beginning – rather you can see it evolves over time. Let’s look at rheumatoid arthritis that affects the joints – do you wake up one day with painful and immovable joints? Of course not – again this is a condition that occurs over time, triggered off by various circumstances like stress or dietary factors.

Consider Natural Remedies?

So my question for you today is, “at what point would you consider Naturopathic treatment to help reduce the onset and progression of illness and disease?” Will you wait until you have overt symptoms or will it be a last resort when often it is more difficult to treat regardless of the actual type of treatment? These are not rhetorical questions! I seriously want you to think about this.

Simple Strategies

There are so many simple ways to incorporate natural treatments into your health-care routine.  For example, check out my article, Low Acid Foods. By making some simple changes to your eating, you can enjoy significant positive changes to your health. You might like to consider a Vegetarian Paleo diet – making some adjustments to the typical Paleo approach. These are just two examples of changes you could make right now – if you decided to.

What Are Natural Remedies?

There is no real definition and what is natural and what is not is sometimes questionable. This distinction very quickly becomes an philosophical discussion. One way of looking at this, however, is to see what these treatments are not. Generally we accept that these remedies are not the remedies used in western medicine. The fundamental tools of western medicine are the use of pharmaceuticals. This definition seems to be a widely held and accepted view. 

I consider these natural medicines to include much more than herbal medicines, nutritional approaches, homoeopathic medicine etc. We need to include lifestyle factors that can significantly impact health. Having a super-healthy diet, being physically active, taking care of your emotional health. I would consider all under the same umbrella.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A vegetarian paleo diet is a fantastic way to combine the well- documented advantages of non-meat diet plus a paleo approach. This way you can have all the health benefits of both which not only may help to keep you healthy and minimise illness and disease, but also help with healing. Now the problem is that a paleo diet is high in meat and depends on this for protein! So in this article I am going to use my Naturopathic experience and expertise to clearly show you how you can combine the two and enjoy the tremendous potential health benefits.

A Vegetarian Paleo Diet

In this article I am going to give you a comprehensive blueprint on how to use this dietary approach to help maximise your health and healing. I do want to stress, however, that you need to double check with your health care practitioner about any dietary changes you are going to make because there are some situations when such changes, if not done correctly, may adversely affect your health. (eg: pregnancy)
There has been some controversy regarding the paleo diet and I want to sow you what the concern is and how to address is. But it certainly has become popular because of its health-promoting effects. I would point out that a lot of the benefits someone notices when they are on a paleo diet is due to the fact that they are eating better and mor nutritiously than before and avoiding a lot of processed and nutrient-deficient foods!
We can’t quite say the same for a vegetarian diet as it is very easy to be on a nutrient-deficient vegetarian diet, the most common problem being a lack of high quality protein.

So when combing the two approaches and beginning a Vegetarian Paleo Diet, it has to be done in a carefully planned way, ensuring you are covering all the nutrient requirements and not having too much of certain foods and food groups. Essentially the paleo diet involves avoiding sugars, diary, legumes, grains, and including meat, fish, poultry, vegetables. A vegetarian diet involves avoiding meats.

So let’s look at both diets and then see how we are able to have a diet that is both vegetarian and paleo.

Hunter – Gatherers: Long Gone

Our ancestors ate directly form the land, using whatever resource were available to them and as agriculture and technology developed, so to did the diet. There is a lot of historical information available about how we went from hunter-gather to including growing crops & farming enabling a wide variety of foods to be eaten including an increase in meat consumption. A step further on from there is the processing of foods which we see today and is often nutritionally- deficient compared to the raw ingredients, not to mention the additives.
If you want to read more about the history of diet, heck out this very interesting article (1) by William, Stock & Valeggia, Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Diet and Nutrition.

Paleo

There are a few different ideas around about what constitutes a paleo diet. I think it is a bit confusing really. And I’m a Naturopath!. All you need to understand is the fundamental basis of the diet and then, if you need to or want to, make appropriate changes from there according to your specific needs. (If you are trying to treat a specific condition, for example, this might be a situation where you seek the guidance of a health care professional.)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][stm_pricing_table sep_border=”solid” sep_border_width=”3px” sep_border_color=”#60d60c” title_font_weight=”400″ title_color=”#7100e2″ price_font_weight=”700″ price_desc_font_weight=”400″ content_color=”#eded3d” title=”Paleo” price=”Foods To Incclude” css=”.vc_custom_1583100884174{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;background-color: #7dcedb !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}”]

1: Organic lean meats or meat farmed responsibly. I believe you are better off to pay a little more or go to a bit more effort to find high quality (preferably organic) meats. That is of course if you are not vegetarian!
2:Eggs (fresh, organic, free range) provide high quality protein for the body.
3: All vegetables are allowed except starchy ones like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
4: Nuts and seeds – cashews, brazil, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, sesame,
5: Oils – healthy – olive, flax, walnut extra virging / cold pressed

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1: Processed and refined foodsPaleo solutions
2: Diary products – milk, cheese, butter
3: Grains – wheat, rye, rice, barley etc.
4: Starchy vegetables – potatoes, sweet potatoes
5: Refined sugar – in cakes, lollies, deserts etc. soft drinks,
6: Honey, artificial sweeteners,
7: Processed meats including bacon, cured, hot dogs, kabana
8: Processed and refined foods
9: Legumes / pulses – peas, beans, lentils

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Protein Sources In Paleo

The main protein source in paleo is from eggs and meat and a small amount in nuts and seeds. If you are vegetarian then you are only left with the eggs, nuts and seeds.  Generally speaking this will  not be a sustainable source of protein for someone. May be ok for the short, term but indefinitely.

So the big question is where else to get a non-meat source of protein? It is from pulses and legumes. So for a vegetarian paleo diet, you really do need to modify a little and include legumes and pulses into your diet. This includes, many different varieties of dried beans, legumes, peas. Soy products like tofu. Now the trick is to get some really great recipes and use them.  I travel a lot to India for homoeopatic studies (and equally for their food!) as they have some wonderful protein-rich, vegetarian recipes.

One diet will not suit everyone and this is the case for a vegetarian. The paleo diet needs tweaking for you.

 

 

 

References
(1)
William R. Leonard, Northwestern University. E-mail: w-leonard1@northwestern.edu
Jay T. Stock, Cambridge University. E-mail: j.stock@human-evol.cam.ac.uk
Claudia R. Valeggia, University of Pennsylvania. E-mail: valeggia@sas.upenn.edu
VC 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).
DOI 10.1002/evan.20250[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As our diets have changed in the last few decades of so, there has been an a reduction in the consumption of low acid foods (alkalizing foods) and an increasing consumption of acid-forming food and drinks. This, as well as lifestyle factors, has meant that we are seeing more acidity in people and this has been associated with declining health and various illnesses and diseases.

Jeffrey S. Bland & Deanna M. Minich have reported in a fascinating article that: “Over time, ingestion of a high dietary acid load can progress to a chronic low-grade level of metabolic acidosis. The incidence of low-grade acidosis resulting from our modern diet has been well documented. A chronic acidic load can cause a number of health conditions such as osteoporosis, kidney disease, and muscle wasting.” (1)

Low Acid Foods

Here is a list of some common low acid foods (or alkaline forming foods). If you want more foods and their rating, you can also check out this blog, The Complete Alkaline Shopping List.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” message_box_color=”orange” css=”.vc_custom_1582493563338{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #d6d6d6 !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}”]

Vegetables: Artichokes, Spinach, water cress, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, green capsicum, Carrot Cauliflower, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Ginger, Shitake, Gherkins, Celery, Green Beans, Leeks, Lettice, Mush-rooms, Onions, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Red Radish, Tomato, Zucchini.

Fruits: Apple, Apricot, Blackberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Bananas, Lemmon, Lime, Mango, Mulberries, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Plumbs, Pomegranate, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tomato

Vegetable Proteins: Hazelnuts, Chestnuts raw, Pumpkin Seeds

Drinks: Beer, Apple juice, Apricot nectar, coconut milk, coffee black, Lemon, orange, tomato pink grapefruit juice, Pineapple, vegetable, water, herbal teas

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You want alkalizing foods to make up about

80% of your diet to help maintain your pH levels.

The lungs and the kidneys are the 2 most important organs that help control the body’s pH levels by excreting acids while internal buffering systems help to keep the pH at optimal levels. This is one of the reasons that your diet is so critical in keeping the buffering system working at optimal levels.

For those of you that are interested, the bicarbonate buffer is a significant reaction that keeps your blood pH at healthy levels.

H+ + HCO3 …….H2CO3……. CO2 ……..H2O

In a nut shell, there are foods that increase the body’s acid levels while other foods have the opposite effect. A diet high in fruits and vegetables are associated with alkalinity while foods like cheese, meat, fish, and grain products contribute to acidity. So meats, fish, milk, diary, eggs can be on the acidic side because they are high in proteins. Now that’s ok as long as your diet is balanced with alkalising foods as well.

Measurement of Your pH

One way we can measure your body’s pH is via the urine but this can never be used in isolation as there are many different fluids throughout the body with different pH levels. However, when used in conjunction with other diagnostic approaches, urine pH can be a good guide. In my clinic I often don’t test for pH because having seen many, many clients over the years, you get a very good idea by taking a close look at diet, lifestyle and symptoms. But of course, testing can be useful in certain situations.

Joint and Bone Health Diminishes

When the buffering system is maxed out for an extended period of time, then the blood pH ever so slightly drops to a lower pH, but still within normal limits. This state is called chronic acidosis and there are two very serious consequences to this as your body tries to balance the pH: loss of elasticity of tissues throughout your body and bone density is reduced.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][hc_info_box info_box_type=”boxed” icon_hc=”hc-icon-leaf” icon_color=”#81d742″ icon_size=”large” title=”Symptom Check List” css=”.vc_custom_1582492529487{border-top-width: 5px !important;border-right-width: 5px !important;border-bottom-width: 5px !important;border-left-width: 5px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;padding-left: 5px !important;background-color: #e4e8c7 !important;border-left-color: #63a533 !important;border-right-color: #63a533 !important;border-top-color: #63a533 !important;border-bottom-color: #63a533 !important;border-radius: 5px !important;}” box_height=”50″]Which Ones of the following do you have? These conditions may be associated with your pH balance being too acidic.

low immune function, anxiety, changing moods, low concentration, heightened reaction to stress ,exhaustion, tiredness, muscle aches, joint pains, general, tension, osteoporosis, skin problems, gout[/hc_info_box][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] 

Causes You Can Address

There are a few causes of chronic acidosis – all of which you have the opportunity to prevent to varying degrees if you act soon enough.

• Kidney function can decrease with age resulting in unhealthy pH levels. Low fluid intake in the elderly contributes to this.
  
• Fasting Results in  ketones causing an acid pH tendency.
• Popular ketogenic diets result in keto-acidosis.
• Stress causes in imbalance to your body’s pH.
• Exercise promotes a healthy acid-base balance  and helps elimination of acids via the lungs and kidneys.
• Certain chronic illnesses (eg diabetes) cause a negative affect on the pH as do some western pharmaceuticals.
• The standard acid Western diet contributes to acidosis.
  

Physiology

Even the smallest of changes in pH levels throughout your body will affect your normal physiological functioning. For example, excellent health requires the optimal functioning of enzymes throughout your body and these enzymes work at peak efficiency at certain pH levels and so when these levels are non-existent, then enzyme function is compromised.

Elasticity and flexibility of your connective tissue (eg: cartilage, ligaments and tendons) tends to diminish as acidity increases. Negatively charges particles called glycosaminoglycans & proteoglycans hold water in the tissue, keeping it supple so when your system is more acidic, then water is not easily held within the tissue resulting in problems with cartilage, ligaments and tendons. This is one of the reasons Remedial Massage can be beneficial for your musculoskeletal system by stimulating blood flow and helping the release of acidity throughout the body which in turn helps the hydration of joints etc.

Joint resilience is greatly influenced by the presence of water in joint tissue such as cartilage. When you stress a joint, water can be released form the joint allowing for some ‘shock absorption’ of the joint. When the stress is over, the water returns to the tissue. This helps prevent injury and maintains the integrity of your joints over a life time. Rheumatoid arthritis is another example of where acidic pH can contribute to this sometimes debilitating condition.

Bone Health

Acidity causes reduction of bone formation as well as the demineralisation of the bone itself. This can become critical as you age and just focusing on weight-bearing exercise and calcium supplements can be short sighted.
Download Here. Use these charts to help you to have a slightly alkalising diet.
You want to have acid:base foods roughly in the ratio of 20:80 to help ensure your pH levels are optimal.

Lots to consider here isn’t there. and the exciting thing is that you can easily make some food modifications and have a alkalizing-based diet and enjoy the health-benifits form that. If you need to additional help, you are most welcome to to have a short appointment with me, otherwise there is a lot you can do yourself.

 

Your Next Steps

It’s simple. Look at the foods in both categories and just make sure you are having more of the alkalizing foods. That’s it. That is definitely a step in the right direction and please do not dismiss this as too simple.  Of course you can be more specific and fine tune to a high degree, but remember, that it is the small incremental steps that help lead you to better health and healing.

You can also download a really helpful PDF that lists many foods as well as explains things in more detail.

https://inaturally.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-PRAL-Table.pdf

 

 

 

References[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

(1) Deanna M. Minich and  Jeffrey S. Bland, PhD. http://www.hudsonvalleyfunctionalmedicine.net/sites/default/files/acidbasebalance.pdf[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

(2) https://biopractica.com.au

If you suffer from PTSD, natural treatments may provide significant help and I encourage to to consider Remedial Massage as one possible approach. We can all learn from understanding PTSD and how to deal with the associated stress and anxiety – both physical and emotional. Massage for PSTD can offer some serious relief.

PTSD has become a common diagnosis in the last 10 years or so, originally associated with military service men and women who have returned from active duty. It is now a condition that covers a much broader definition and includes people from all walks of life – even children.

What Is PTSD?

PTSD results in the inability of the individual to appropriately deal with traumatic experiences which can have a profound negative influence in the way we perceive life and interact with the world around us. There can be a continuous presence of anxiety and dread with flashbacks. There are anger outbursts, severe anxiety, nightmares and lack of quality sleep, all of which make it very difficult to live a normal, productive and healthy life.

PTSD Natural Treatments

Recovery is certainly possible through a combination of meditative techniques, anti-anxiety treatment and at my clinic I have used herbal and homoeopathic medicine to help clients with varying degrees of PTSD. Interestingly, Remedial Massage Therapy can also play an important role in mitigating the pernicious effects of stress and anxiety – whether or not you suffer from PTSD or not.

One of the important physiological components of stress is the interaction between the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the adrenal glands and how well these three areas of the body work together determine your ability to cope with stress. Finding ways to bring balance here can go a long way towards reducing the effects of stress – Remedial Massage, nutritional and herbal medicine and homoeopathic medicine can all play a role.

Massage For PTSD

When the body is in a chronic state of health and cortisol levels are sky high, it is easy to reach a state of exhaustion and excess secretion of adrenaline allows the nervous system to be on high alert most of the time and this can lead to what we call adrenal exhaustion. Remedial Massage is able to slow down the release of adrenaline and reduce cortisol and this in turn leads to a deep state of relaxation. Many of you will have experienced this after one of my treatments – a feeling of peace and balance which is partly due to changes in your physiology.

The over-production of adrenaline keeps the muscles in a state of hypertonicity which can make you more vulnerable to injury, cramping and general discomfort in the muscles. Chronic elevated levels of cortisol also wear down the body’s immune system, making the individual even more predisposed to various disease processes. Remedial Massage reduces cortisol levels, reduces the tonicity of muscles, and improves blood circulation to deep muscle tissue. For example, researchers from the University Of Miami School of medicine found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol were lowered by as much as 53% following just one session of massage. Another study (1) done in 2015 by Pinar Rukiye and Afsar Fisun states: “The study results show that family caregivers for patients with cancer can benefit from back massage to improve state anxiety, cortisol level, blood pressure and heart rate, and sleep quality.”

Endless nights without sleep do no favours for helping relieve the ever-agitated state of an individual suffering from PTSD, hence, the need for techniques that promote a restful sleep. For many of us, sleep has been compromised either long term or short term and this negatively impacts our health.

Effective Remedial Massages can help alter the balance of neurochemicals in the brain, increasing expression of GABA (a key neurotransmitter for promoting restfulness) as well as releasing endorphins (which are key brain chemicals to combat the effect of excess adrenaline on the body).

Musculoskeletal Problems Cause Stress Response

Muscle aches and pains, joint restrictions, a stiff neck or sore lower back all lead to a stress response in the body. When you are having Remedial Massage Treatments, it is really important to address the underlying structural issues if you want to enjoy a deep sense of relaxation and relief. As a student Naturopath I was very fortunate to have excellent training in Body Work – for example we learnt many osteopathic approaches and covered detailed functional anatomy. All this means that when you have a treatment, I can help resolve underlying problems and this means more relaxation and relief for you and a better stress-reducing response.

Remedial Massage Lifts Your Self Esteem

Many sufferers of PTSD experience low levels of self-esteem. Finding ways to build up our self-confidence is something we all need to address in one way or another and effective Massage Therapy can go a long way towards ‘lifting our spirits’ which can be partly explained by positive physiological changes.

My Approach To Remedial Massage & Physical Therapies

I am asked all the time about my Body Work Treatments – at college we had 4 years of Body Work training covering basic Swedish massage to highly specialised techniques that gave me the ability to treat many types of musculoskeletal issues. Over my many years in practice I have found that people get the best results when underlying problems are addressed and so my treatments are geared towards this. There is no point loosening up a tight muscle in your back and ignoring the fact that your spine is a little out of alignment. With some gentle techniques, the spine can be mobilised and the muscles massaged and stretched resulting in a longer lasting relaxation of the muscles and a deeper feeling of relief and release. Also I do not ‘crack’ joints – there are other ways to address joint restrictions that can be just as effective if not more beneficial and result in longer lasting improvements.

If you are in Sydney, you’re most welcome to have a remedial Massage treatment at my clinic. Check out my Remedial Massage Page, at my website.

References:

(1) Asian Pac J Cancer,16 (18), 8127-33 2015. Back Massage to Decrease State Anxiety, Cortisol Level, Blood Prsessure, Heart Rate and Increase Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Rukiye Pinar 1 , Fisun Afsar

The outbreak of Corrona virus has certainly given us all a bit of wake up call. In this article I want to share with you how to make sure you are being pro-active and taking steps toward keeping your self well and minimising chances of infection. Of course, what I will talk about here can be applied to all types of infections but when there is an outbreak this Corrona virus, it helps us to focus of the essential strategies we can take.

Common sense that is going to be the key ingredient – something you will not find in a bottle of supplements! If you want to be doing the best for your immune system and your health in general please do not underestimate these tried and tested approaches.

Supplements May Be Doing You Harm

You see if you’re depending on echinacea, zinc and other supplements or tonics in order keep well or stop your self being infected, then something is wrong! I’m sorry to say, you may be actually missing the point. Nothing wrong with good tonic medicines, this but it must be on the basis of a lifestyle that is conducive to maximising your health. Otherwise you can be masking underlying issues that may be having a deleterious affect on your health.

In a nut shell, if you are taking echinacea and multivitamins for example, to ‘keep you going’ and enabling you to burn the candle at both ends, then you are doing your self harm. Eventually something has to give. You are not addressing the very thing that is going to predispose you to becoming ill. This is why we see people suddenly crash with a dreadful flu or infection for example. This is exactly the sort of scenario that might make you more susceptible to developing Corrona virus symptoms as your immunity lowered and your vulnerability increased.

Without sounding simplistic or even condescending, we need to make sure we are exercising a good dose of common sense in this regard! And this includes hand washing – see the WHO infographic.

Corrona Virus Symptoms

The Corrona virus symptoms can appear between 2-4 days after exposure. There Can be Fever, Cough, Shortness of breath and trouble breathing. The intensity can be mild to sever and tragically may result in death. According to the Mayoclinc it has been seen that people with the most severe cases are the elderly and people with pre-existing illnesses. The symptoms are not that uncommon, so any hint of them you need to be super-vigilant and pro-active. When there is an outbreak like Corrona, we can’t be complacent.

Fever, Cough, Shortness of Breath, Trouble Breathing

Treating Current Health Issues

When ever there is an outbreak of a disease it is a poignant reminder that we need to be mindful a out the way are currently treating our health. Regardless of what it is, how you treat something is going to have an overall effect on your health. For example if you are regularly suffering migraines and taking some sort of pharmaceutical or herbal pain relief, then you are not really addressing the underlying cause of the migraine. The reason for your dis-ease is going to still be there and you will not be as healthy as you might otherwise be able to.

Now of course the way you treat a condition and whether you consider it to be treating the cause or not, is going to be based on your particular definition of illness and disease and this is a topic for another day. Suffice to say that we need to be mindful to treat underlying causes of our pre-existing conditions and not just treat them symptomatically.

Now you may like to take a look at my article  Natural Cure For Bird Flu? , as we were faced with similar situation now – looking for ways to protect ourselves form virulent infections (and of course other infections in general)

Prophylactic Emotional Health

Yes, that’s right. Your emotional health is a prophylactic, helping you to keep healthy and minimise the risk of illness. We all know, for example, that stress will lower your immunity. It is so important that when there is an infection going around – whatever it is – that we find ways to make sure our emotional balance is good – and stress if just one example. Anger, depression, low self esteem will all affect our physiology and in turn can, make us more susceptible to illness.

Now in my clinic I use homoeopathic, herbal or nutritional medicines to help support our emotional being. But the main pint here is that you just don’t ignore it. Find ways to nourish your emotional being and to move towards having a sense of peace, balance or well-being. I know it isn’t always easy or straight forward, but ads long as you are on the right track. There are times it is beneficial to seek help form your health care provider.

So as you can see there is a lot of common sense here, encouraging you to address in very practical ways, ways that can help improve your health in powerful ways and in turn help you to be less vulnerable to infections.

Naturopathic Help

For those of you who want to take a further step, please be in touch with me at my clinic and I would love to help you with some Naturopathic or homoeopathic interventions. We can orgainse an appointment – on site, phone, skype or zoom.

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Pictures:

Image: Gerd Altmann, Pixabay.coronavirus-4817439_1920
Infographic:Reduce your risk of corronavirus infection. WHO

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you suffer from Insomnia, natural cures may really help you to enjoy a good night’s sleep. It goes without saying how essential sleep is if you want to enjoy great health and allow for your body to heal. More and more we can attribute various conditions to lack of sleep and health-benefits from good quality sleep.

There has been so much written on finding ways to improve sleep, so I want to give you a good overview of some of the ways to enhance your sleep. We all know lots of remedies and lifestyle factors that come into play, but I think it is good sometimes, to take a bird’s eye view.
As you read through this, see if there are any natural cures you can use to help with insomnia. And be sure to check out below, the research of Remedial massage and sleep – really interesting.

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

Here are a few of the well-know herbs that we use to sleep. If you grow any of these yourself then that’s wonderful and they certainly can be used as a tea before bed. Depending on what’s causing the insomnia, I find some of my clients get relief from using relaxing and sleeping teas from their local supermarket. If it helps, great, but just remember it may be band-aiding the problem and would be worth getting some professional help. Otherwise go for it!

Note: The other important thig to remember is that the quality and preparation of the herbs will make all the difference in terms of its efficacy. (It’s the same thing for supplements).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][cq_vc_todolist header=”Common Herbs For Sleep” headercolor=”#000000″ headerbackground=”#069b01″ icon=”fa-square-o,fa-square-o,fa-square-o,fa-square-o,fa-square-o,fa-square-o,fa-square-o”]

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Do You Have Any Of These Symptoms?

May be signs of sleep deprivation.

slowed down thought processes
memory loss
unhealthy food choices
elevated stress and
increased anxiety levels
irritability
exacerbation of pre-existing symptoms
dementia for example

 

 

Enjoy Benefits Of Great Sleep

It’s worth taking the time to make sure your sleep is optimal. We know that good sleep has many health-benefits: promotes general good health, allows the body to heal better, stimulates the immune system , relax muscles, improve blood circulation, reduces pain and reduces anxiety.

The 6 point Check List

Sometimes when dealing with insomnia, the best cure can be some every-day, common sense approaches:

1. Many people find value in having a regular time to sleep. See if you can be a bit more organised so that you go to bed at the same time most nights.
2. Shift workers (and if you have jet lag) brings an extra challenge. In these situations it is really important to focus on your general health as interruption to natural biorhythms is an extremely stressful physiological event. In my clinic I use various tonics for example to help the body cope. So you can do the same sort of thing by making sure you are having foods that are highly nutritious and nutrient dense and perhaps include some appropriate supplements.
3. Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet and cool. So obvious, but are there some improvements you can make. Have you ever considered using ear plugs or an eye mask? The are high-tech noise reduction ear plugs available.
4. Bed Comfort: it might be time to renew your bed. It can be difficult to know what type of bed to get isn’t it? I have had clients tell me that only a high end bed provides the comfort and support they need while other clients tell me they can generally sleep on any mattress and they sleep well. It’ very individual and I’d suggest speaking to a knowledgeable sales person about it.
5. White noise can really help you to sleep if you are disturbed by noise. There are some great devise and apps available. I have one I use if my dog is restless and keeping me awake at night! I set it for an hour, choose the white noise I want and it works wonders.
6. Some people find it helpful to have a note pad beside the bed so if you think of something that you need to remember, simply write it down.

 

Exercise – An Essential!

A study (1) conducted in 2018 stated, “We found that exercise interventions led to improvements in subjective sleep quality for people with insomnia disorder and insomnia symptoms. “ But it is important to note that the authors H1 Lowe etal, went on to say that , “The reliability of significant findings is reduced by methodological limitations. Recommendations are made to improve the quality of future research.” In other words things aren’t black and white with regards to the review they conducted. It is really important however that people themselves did notice an improvement in sleep with more exercise. So exercise may indeed be a natural treatment for insomnia. – and this is something to take note of and to take advantage of.

So this lifestyle factor may be something for you to address. And of course the other thing is the timing of exercise and how much you do. I find with my clients there needs to be a bit of experimentation here. I used to have intense swimming training at 6.30 PM for an hour and then that night. 10-11 PM, I would definitely be able to sleep well and easily. Body temperature and blood pressure had decreased and dinner was well-digested. I know some people who would be to ‘stirred up’ at night as a result and so find a morning training session to be more effective for them.

 

Science Shows Remedial Massage Helps

Perhaps Remedial Massage can offer you a natural cure to your insomnia. Check out the 3 really interesting studies below that show the effect of massage therapy. You can look up these excellent studies yourself if you’re keen – see the references right at the bottom. There are endless examples showing just what Massage Therapy can do. Now I know many of you already do this, but you might like to think about helping your health and healing by incorporating Massage into your health-care routine.

One study (2) done this year looked at the effect of back massage on people in intensive care. They assessed affects on vital signs, sleep quality, anxiety and depression. The results suggested a 10 minute back massage can improve the quality & duration of sleep, breathing and anxiety levels.

Hang, Y. Y. and Lin, C. L.; Chang, L. Y. (3) found something to make shift worker breath a sigh of relief! Nurses on rotating night shifts were massaged with lavender oil, some with just oil and others were used as a control. Following the essential oil massage, there was significant improvement their sleep which was assented using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (4) specifically sleep quality, sleep disturbances and how well one functioned during the day, were all improved. Overall the authors of this study suggested that aromatherapy massage may improve sleep quality in nurses on a rotating night shift.

Over the years I have treated a lot of clients with fibromyalgia using Naturopathic and Body Work approaches. Castro-Sánchez et al. (5) showed that massage / myofascial release can reduce pain, help with the anxiety as well as improve sleep in people suffering from this condition. If you are in Sydney and would like to visit the centre for a Remedial Massage treatment, check pout my Massage Web Site Page that tells you all about my treatments and how I work.

 

 

 

 

Pictures:

Woman Sleeping: woman-3403604_1920 Image: Enrique Meseguer, Pixabay

Guy Massage: Image: Cedric Clooth, Pixabay

 

References
1: Clin Psychol Rev. 2019 Mar;68:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.11.002. Epub 2018 Nov 16.
Does exercise improve sleep for adults with insomnia? A systematic review with quality appraisal.
Lowe H1, Haddock G2, Mulligan LD3, Gregg L1, Fuzellier-Hart A1, Carter LA4, Kyle SD5.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30617012

2: Hsu WC; Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan, Guo SE; Graduate Institute of Nursing, College of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology (CGUST), Puzi, Taiwan.; Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion Research Centre, CGUST, Puzi, Taiwan.; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Puzi, Taiwan.; Department of Safety Health and Environmental Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Chang CH; Graduate Institute of Nursing, College of Nursing, CGUST, Puzi, Taiwan. Nursing In Critical Care [Nurs Crit Care] 2019 Apr 03. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Apr 03 Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9808649 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1478-5153 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13621017 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nurs Crit Care

3: Chang, Y. Y.; Lin, C. L.; Chang, L. Y. Nursing Department, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. St. Needs Aromatherapy Care Center, Palliative Ward, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (eCAM) (EVID BASED COMPLEMENT ALTERN MED), 7/6/2017; 2017: 1-8. (8p)

4: Psychiatry Res. 1989 May;28(2):193-213. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Buysse DJ1, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ.

5: Castro-Sánchez, Adelaida María; Matarán-Peñarrocha, Guillermo A.; Granero-Molina, José; Aguilera-Manrique, Gabriel; Quesada-Rubio, José Manuel; Moreno-Lorenzo, Carmen. Department of Nursing and Physical Therapy, University of Almería (UAL), 04120 Almería, Spain. Health Distric of La Vega-Andalusian, Health Public Service (Málaga), 29200 Málaga, Spain. Department of Statistic, University of Granada (UGR), 18071 Granada, Spain. Department of Physical Therapy, University of Granada (UGR), 18071 Granada, Spain. Evidence-based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (eCAM) (EVID BASED COMPLEMENT ALTERN MED), Jan2011; 8(1): 1-9. (9p)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

So what is homeopathy and how does it work? It’s medicine is a system of medicine that treats physical, mental and emotional conditions. It is a holistic system of medicine which means that specific conditions are focused on as well the the overall health of the person. So a medicine might be given to address IBS but as an integral part of the treatment, the anxiety will also be addressed. Not only that but also general things like if someone tends to feel hot or cold for example. These sort of ‘characteristics’ will help determine the medicine that will most suit the person and help bring about amelioration of their condition.

Homeopathy As A Medicine?

Medicines are made from a wide variety of sources including plants, animals and minerals. Homeopathic pharmacies take the crude substance and process it in a very particular way using serial dilutions and succussions (mixing). This process is found to ‘bring out’ the healing properties of the original substance.

Small doses of medicine are prescribed and only one medicine is given at any time. Medicines are selected for the individual on the basis of the symptomatology presented. A good example is when you cut up an onion and experience watery and stinging eyes. If you have similar symptoms during a case of hay fever, then a homoeopathic preparation of Allium cepa (onion) may be prescribed and this medicine will begin to remove the hay fever symptoms, beginning the healing process.   In such an acute condition, the medicine can begin to work in a very short time, abating the hay fever. 

What Is Homeopathy & How Does It Work?

• 

As the body of science grows, we are understanding, from a scientific point of view, how homeopathy works. The basis of the approach is to understand what symptoms a certain substance can cause in a healthy person. When this same substance is given to someone with those similar symptoms, then those symptoms in this sick person begin to subside. Samual Hahnemann was the man who so clearly demonstrated and developed this system of medicine. Check out this detailed and interesting account of his life, by by Peter Morrell , A Brief Biography of Samuel Hahnemann

This phenomenon of like cures like, is seen time and time again in case after case and it is this certainty of action that has provided the foundation of homoeopathic prescribing for the last 200 plus years. And it is this certainly that give homeopaths the confidence and assurance that this system of medicine will last long, long into the future as part of medical care in the 21st century and beyond.

Scientific Evidence

Most people acknowledged that for something to be valid, useful or accepted in society, it doesn’t have to be validated by science. Having said that, science certainly contributes to our lives in positive ways and we have benefited form understanding things form a scientific perspective.

We are entering an exciting phase in medicine as now more and more scientific evidence is gathered showing the positive effects of homoeopathic medicine. We can certainly benefit form this new knowledge. For example, it is suspected that some of the action of the small amounts of medicine used in homeopathy can be attributed to a re-shaping of the water molecules found in the medicine. Take a look at this article by Iris Bell, Homeopathy as Systemic Adaptational Nanomedicine: The Nanoparticle-Cross-Adaptation-Sensitization Model.

It’s important to remember that the number of scientific studies done on homeopathy is less than other fields and the main reason for this is the lack of funding by private enterprise, company interests and governments. This is now changing.

Band Classical homoeopathic medicine is partly based on a scientific methodology fulfilling the criteria for something to be considered scientific. More and more research is being carried out today on the efficacy of homoeopathic medicine and although a lot more research is needed, there are certainly many studies that show homoeopathy to be an effective form of treatment. Due partly to the scientific validity of homoeopathy, in various parts of the world homoeopathic medicine has established itself as a viable and commonplace alternative to so-called ‘Western Medicine’. For example in India, England, Switzerland and other parts or Europe, homoeopathic hospitals successfully treat all types of diseases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) report Homoeopathic Medicine as being the most popular medicine used across the world.

History Of Homoeopathy

Samuel Hahnemann (1755) was a chemist and physician in Germany and developed the principles of homoepathy over his lifetime. He was know to be an extremely keen observer – a required quality for any one in science – and as medicine was evolving during that time, he noticed the the like cures like principle at play in a case of malaria.

Like Newton seeing the apple dropping from the tree, Hahnemann observed this healing principle and went on to develop it into a working, effective system of medicine. There is so much more to say regarding the history of homoeopathic medicine, but this is it in a nut shell.

The Consultation

The consultation can range from 5 minutes to an hour of so, depending on what is being treated and the type of treatment. Generally speaking, the initial consultation take the longest as a holistic approach requires that many different aspects of someone’s health are looked into. This may involve mental, emotional and physical issues.

Conditions Treated

Because it is a holistic form of medicine, homoeopathy does not treat a specific condition as such. This system of medicine works because the whole of the person is taken into account and it is form this basis that medicine is prescribed. So we treat someone who has a migraine as opposed to treating the migraine itself.

There are also times that acute prescribing will be ‘more focused’ on a particular set of symptoms and medicine prescribed for that. But even in these conditions, a homeopath will always look at the big picture, the holistic picture and modify the medicine accordingly.

Government & Media

Some governments have strongly resisted homeopathy and it seems in some cases have particularity gone out the way to reduce the practice of it. For example in Australia, Currently (2020) in Australia the National Health and Medical Research Council, is before the ombudsman over claims that it has mis-represented homoeopathic medicine in its report to the Australian Government.

I think all this is negativity towards homeopathy comes down to politics, power, medical bodies and pharmaceutical companies. As a homeopath, my colleagues and I see the positive side to this because with honest and intelligent discussions, we are moving towards a health care system that is beneficial to everyone and will include all types of approaches to health and healing.

 

I am often asked in the clinic about leaky gut and how to heal it. Well, my answer is fairly straight forward as we know a lot about this condition. I start of by saying that as Naturopaths we don’t make claims about healing anything and then go on to talk about how we approach this condition using naturopathic approaches. Leaky gut is a complex condition and in order to understand how to treat it, we need to first understand what causes leaky gut. I am going to focus on a few of the common causes.

Leaky Gut Symptoms

Unexplained food intolerances, allergies, constipation, wind and bloating could end up being chronic symptoms if proactive steps aren’t taken to diagnose the problem and then to treat it. And what is of even more concern is that this condition makes you more susceptible to developing serious gastrointestinal illness down the track.

What Causes Leaky Gut?

In today’s article I want to explain what Leaky Gut actually is and then share with you some of my Naturopathic expertise and show you how heal a leaking gut – well, ways to maximise the healing ability of the gut as much as possible.

The digestive tract is a complex but one part of it, the small intestine membrane, acts as a wall, separating undigested food and the bloodstream. This barrier allows the tiny molecules to be transported through the membrane and into the blood stream, supplying the body with the essential nutrients. Under normal circumstances, a healthy person may have as much as 20% of undigested proteins getting through this barrier. This permeability is normal to a degree.

Now there are certain factors that will increase the permeability of the intestinal wall and one of the main things is excessive inflammation. This is what is referred to as leaky gut. So what happens is that larger molecules of undigested foods are able to pass through the membrane into the blood. As a result of this, the immune system is triggered.
When there are too many CIC’s the kidneys and liver have a hard time getting rid of them and they can end up being stored in the soft tissues of the body which drives the already inflamed tissue throughout the gut. And of Course the more inflammation, the higher the possibility of allergies.

 

Healing Leaky Gut

By understanding what leaky gut is, we now can find ways to address it and begin to help the gut to function normally and for the barrier to become more discerning about what goes through and what is blocked!

Intestinal Dybiosis
A term used to describe the unhealthy balance of organisms (microbiome) that live in the gut. We have all heard of ‘friendly’ bacteria and these are the ones we want to have in our system and importantly, in the right amount. The use of probiotics have become everyday supplements for leaky gut and their judicious use can be really helpful in getting the gut balance back into order. Different studies show that various probiotics are better suited for certain conditions while other studies show that a general probiotic can have positive effects on the gut microbiome.

Candida Overgrowth
This yeast can overgrow throughout the body causing candidiasis which contributes to leaky gut as well as trigger allergic reactions. It can also lead to gradual degradation of the intestinal wall integrity. One naturopathic approach is to have a diet that contains no sugar and fermented products. This way the candida is ‘starved’ and can be reduced throughout the body.

Ideal Liver Function
The liver is like a big sponge in the body and it is able to filter up to 99% of bacteria that has originated form the gut. Candia and other pathogens activate the liver detoxification processes but in order for it to do so, it needs to be in top working order. If your diet is less than optimal or there are too many toxins in your body as well as other various factors, then your liver will not be able to detoxify effectively and at least, not be working at peak efficiency.
So anything we can do to promote liver health is going to be great when trying to find out how to heal leaky gut. Perhaps the biggest impact on liver health is your diet. I know it gets a bit repetitive but it is true. Remove processed foods, ensure your diet is balanced and you’ll be on the right track. Foods like beetroot are wonderful ‘liver cleansers’ and other vegetables that are bitter in taste as this will stimulate the healthy functioning of the liver. Dandelion root coffee is my favourite herb for the liver and easily obtainable. Globe artichoke is another ‘liver’ plant.

Medications
As a naturopath, I put a lot of emphasis on body pH because this can affect your overall health in many different ways. It’s important to be aware that there are some pharmaceuticals that are alkalising and when they enter the stomach they alter the pH and this in turn can affect the digestive process. Larger molecules are able to escape the mucosal barrier. In other words, contribute to leaky gut. The NHS (UK) has some more information on medications as well as a good summary of leaky gut. Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Alcohol
Anti-inflammatory molecules called prostaglandins can be diminished by small amounts of alcohol. (It inhibits an enzyme called delta-g-desaturase.) This means that there is more inflammation at the intestinal wall and this, again drives problems like allergies, for example.

Parasites
Intestinal parasites adversely affect out health in all sorts of ways including leaky gut. They mostly live in the gut but can enter the blood stream and make their way to various organs and tissue. The toxins that are released by parasites cause damage to your body, especially in the digestive system. The resulting inflammation, again, contributes to the leaky gut.

Leaky gut requires an eclectic understanding as to its causes and then this allows us to approach it with strong and focused naturopathic treatments. If you have any questions please contact me at my clinic. Andrew James Healing Centre.

 

Pictures

Lady with stomach pain: Image Анастасия Гепп. Pixabay. disease-4392164_1920

 

A Ketogenic Diet Promotes Better Health

Over the last few years now, ketogenic diets have gained popularity, fueled initially for its weight loss benefits. Now there are more and more scientific studies that show how this approach to nutrition can have positive health benefits for numerous disease conditions. As a Naturopath I have more and more clients following this type of approach or something very similar and with close monitoring, have made positive steps forward with regards to their health.
So what is a Ketogenic diet and how can it help you to advance your state of health?

In a nut shell, the diet consists of low levels of carbohydrates with increased levels of good fats and proteins. In normal physiology, the carbs that we eat convert to simple sugars which are then used for energy in the body. When there are not enough carbs in the body for this to happen, the body then switches to using fats and converting them to energy and this is what’s called ketosis.
 

Good fats: the key to this approach is to include healthy fats in the diet. Coconut oil is a good example as it contains medium chained triglycerides which convert easily to energy. Some practitioners build up clients to 5 or 6 teaspoons of the oil per day. At these levels I recommend you have supervision of a Naturopath or other qualified practitioner. Usually if you have too much, diarrhoea results, allowing your body to get rid of the excess oil.

Other good sources of fat include avocados, nuts and seeds. (see table below). Try having ½ an avocado with your salad. Great salad dressing can include cold pressed olive oil with some undistilled apple cider vinegar, garlic and seasoning. The first thing you need to do when beginning this diet is to make sure you are removing all the processed and packaged foods from your diet, eating only whole foods which are ideally prepared at home so you know exactly what’s going into the food.

You need to also begin to reduce the amount of grains in your diet. This includes breads, biscuits, breakfast cereals etc. Doing this alone is going to have massive positive effects on your health that may be what you decide to do, begin reducing the carbs to encourage the healing processes of your body. Remember that there are no ‘essential’ carbohydrates like there are essential proteins.

Now for some of you this will seem just too hard. Well, all you need to do is start small which might mean that you take a home-prepared lunch to work every second day. Just take smaller steps and work towards a full on change in your diet, over time.

Remember that carbohydrates are found in some foods that might surprise you – diary, fruits, some vegetables. As you are easing into the diet, you might find it easier to have ½ servings of fruit for example. Stopping dairy altogether is not too difficult and many health-conscious people have little or no diary anyway (finding other sources of calcium of course).

Also legumes and beans contain carbs which means that if you are a vegetarian, it can be really difficult to go on a

100% ketogenic diet. I would suggest that a vegetarians follows everything involved in a ketogenic diet include normal levels of legumes etc. and other non-meat protein sources. Although you won’t go into full ketosis and you may not go into ketosis at all, but you will certainly have some of the befits of the diet which may indeed be enough for you to achieve your health goals or begin to move towards them.

 

Perhaps a ketogenic diet, or something similar, is going to help you to enjoy better health and possibly help manage your particular illness or condition. If you think this might be for you, or have some questions you’d like to ask, please give the clinic a call. I also recommend that you don’t just start a ketogenic diet without advise from your health care professional.

There are some situations in which this diet can cause harm if done incorrectly or if you have certain illnesses. There are also some circumstances in which this diet is contraindicated.

What I do think is a great idea is to adopt some of the principles of the diet and begin to incorporate some of the strategies – lower carbs, high quality fats, good levels of protein. Now how much of these you need is very individual and beyond the scope of Body Talk – you will need to make sure the amounts of carbs, fats and proteins suit you and your life-style.

 

Healthy Oils

Olive cold pressed, extra virgin
Coconut (doesn’t oxidise at high temperatures like many other oils used for cooking.)
Animal fats omega -3 rich. Eg: Krill, fatty fish like sardines or anchovies

Butters: 
Cow’s milk – (organic)
Nuts (almond, hazel etc)
Coconut
Ghee

Seeds:
Sesame (tahini)
pumpkin etc.

Avocado
Eggs (yolks) free range
Raw cacao butter