 And we’re here again…lunch box time! For some it’s same old, same old but for many this is new territory! What do you pack? Will my child miss me? Will I miss them? What if….? One of the big things I see every year is the wee ones struggling to leave mum’s side. It’s overwhelming and tough for everyone! There are a few things you can do food wise to help and it starts with breakfast. Breakfast: start the day with porridge or muesli. Oats contain tryptophan which is the precursor to serotonin- our feel-good hormone. They are also going to release energy more slowly than a sugary breakfast keeping your child’s energy, and emotions, more stable. Another option is eggs with wholemeal toast or avocado as it’s a protein rich meal, that again, will stabilise blood sugar levels helping your child remain calm. Also rich in tryptophan! Win win! The lunchbox: things can come unstuck here so if time is an issue pack it the night before. Basically, include fruit, a protein snack, a protein rich lunch with good fats and maybe a homemade healthy sweet treat. Steer clear of bought treats like muesli bars as they are loaded with sugar which create unstable blood sugar triggering big emotions!
The information given here is general in nature and not intended as a diagnosis nor should it be taken as such. It is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. If symptoms persist, or you have further concerns please see your chosen health care provider.
0 Comments
 This one is massive so forgive me for just skimming the surface. When we think of mental health and all the many and varied diagnosis it encompasses nutrition rarely gets a mention beyond ‘eat well’ yet it is an integral part of mental health. There is not one solution to mental health. I firmly believe it takes a village to support mental health. Pulling together a team of trusted health care providers to support you including GP’s, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, natural health care practitioners and body workers creates an unparalleled support network. Whatever brings you even a small amount of help needs to be added in. Like I said, it takes a team. When we talk about nutrition, I am so grateful that the gut-brain axis is being recognised in conventional circles as well as recognising that genetics play a part in mental health and this includes our ability to convert nutrients to usable forms. There’s so much more research being done! I am loving that nutrition is finally being acknowledged as part of the bigger picture in mental health. Gut health I’m the boring person at parties these days with my preoccupation with the gut-brain axis but more and more studies are being done looking at the connection. It’s an incredibly exciting area of mental health. For starters 90% of our serotonin lives in here. This is one of our feel-good hormones. Histamine, as well as causing allergic reactions, is an excitatory neurotransmitter that is broken down in the gut. B12 is synthesised in the gut which, at low levels, can be an issue for energy levels and depression as well as being needed for the creation of other neurotransmitters. Mineral imbalance Did you know that zinc to copper ratios need to be just right for good mental health? If they are not, we can see a range of mental health concerns ranging from mild anxiety to risky, impulsive behaviour. Often children will present as having low attention spans, unable to sit still and have angry outbursts. Low zinc can impact our ability to think. ‘No zinc, no think’ is a nice little saying but low copper can create similar issues so be cautious with supplementation. Zinc and copper can most definitely be tested in a blood test. Before you all run out to get blood test be aware that these are not the only things that could be an issue. Low vitamin D can be an issue in depression as can low B12. Too much histamine stimulates our nervous system also. Honestly, the list goes on and on. This is just a very quick overview. There are many, many reasons why you may be feeling the way you do which is why creating a team to thoroughly cover everything is so important. Methylation issues Here’s a fun one that seems incredibly topical right now. Variations in the MTHFR gene can inhibit our body’s ability to change folic acid to folate (the useable form). There are lots and lots of fall outs from this including recurrent miscarriage to, you guessed it, mental health issues. It sounds simple enough, but over-methylating and under-methylating give 2 different responses. A huge range of children’s behaviours can be exacerbated by a variation in the MTHFR gene including lack of attention, impulsivity, anxiety, obsessive behaviour or thoughts and self-harm in more extreme cases. Obviously, these can be attributed to adult concerns as well. The specific MTHFR gene is not the only one in the body that has variations aka mutations aka SNPS but it’s a common example. It is all about epigenetics and whether these genes are active or not. All kinds of things get them going including stress, diet, environment, exposure to toxins and so on. It is absolutely possible to test for these things although symptoms need to be taken into account as well. We are individuals after all! I’m not suggesting that anything I’m outlining here is THE answer to all mental health issues, but they are definitely a piece of the puzzle worth exploring. If you are concerned, chat with your GP but also with your natural health practitioners. Get your team together! There are many pieces to the mental health puzzle. It is worth exploring them all! The information given here is general in nature and not intended as a diagnosis nor should it be taken as such. It is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. If symptoms persist, or you have further concerns please see your chosen health care provider. References
Martin, C., Osadchiy, V., Kalani, A., & Mayer, E. (2018). The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis. Cellular And Molecular Gastroenterology And Hepatology, 6(2), 133-148. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2018.04.003 Russo, A. (2011). Decreased Zinc and Increased Copper in Individuals with Anxiety. Nutrition And Metabolic Insights, 4, NMI.S6349. doi: 10.4137/nmi.s6349 The role of genetics and genomics in clinical psychiatry. (2018). Controversies In Psychiatry, 20(3), 169-177. doi: 10.31887/dcns.2018.20.3/mhoehe Wan, L., Li, Y., Zhang, Z., Sun, Z., He, Y., & Li, R. (2018). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and psychiatric diseases. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1). doi: 10.1038/s41398-018-0276-6  Blue skies, sun shining, cool nights and warm days-perfection is currently available on the Tablelands! With all this sunshine it’s the ideal time to top up the old vitamin D levels. Vitamin D, aka the ‘Sunshine vitamin’, is incredibly important to us. It’s synthesised on the skin by sunlight but there are only a few foods that contain the sunshine vitamin and not in great enough quantities to ignore the action of sunlight. The sunshine vitamin is necessary for the absorption of calcium so it’s indispensable to our bones. Rickets is not as common as it once was, but it is a prolonged vitamin D deficiency that causes it. Vitamin D deficiency has been named and shamed as contributing to a variety of conditions including osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, diabetes, weight gain, asthma and low immunity…that’s quite a list!
I’m sure that’s brought up plenty of questions so here come some answers! You’re more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency if you are vegan (more on that in a minute), have limited exposure to sun, impaired digestive function, have darker skin or the frail and/or elderly. That’s the short list but you get the idea. As mentioned, there are some foods that contain vitamin D. These are butter, milk, egg yolks, cod liver oil and sprouted seeds. This is why vegans are at a greater risk of vitamin D deficiency. But vegans don’t need to miss out! Plant based sources include mushrooms and tofu. Some foods are fortified with vitamin D. There are also supplements. And of course, sunlight! Sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. And the big question is always how to get enough sunlight without risking skin cancer. I consulted the Cancer Council for this, and it turns out that we only need a few minutes of sunlight a day up here on the FNQ tablelands. Opt for times outside peak UV levels which are usually before 10am and after 3pm. Take your shirt off! The skin is a massive organ and the more you expose to sunlight the more vitamin D is made. So, grab your morning cuppa, show some skin and bask in the morning sun to warm up and strengthen your bones the passive, lizard-inspired way!  And just like that it’s winter in the tropics with the arrival being marked by the sound of….coughing! This year in clinic I’m seeing more and more coughs that simply won’t give up. Keeping us awake, our family awake and making the neighbour’s dog bark in the middle of the night. There’s plenty that can done but I really want to highlight a fruit we have in plentiful supply up here that is not only tasty but has the ability to help with our coughs. The pineapple, prickly and crowned with spikes, is the tastiest way I know to beat a cough! Here’s how! Pineapple contains bromelain. In fact, it’s one of the richest sources of bromelain. Bromelain is a protein digesting enzyme that research shows to be an anti-inflammatory. This makes it perfect for those persistent coughs as well as sinus and hay-fever. Because it also has immune modulating properties and some anti-bacterial properties it is incredibly useful to support the immune system in its time of need. It even has the added benefit of increasing the absorption of anti-biotics should you need them. Some of you will have noticed that I said anti inflammatory and straight away be thinking ‘what else is it good for?’. And indeed, you should as studies show it is also useful in cases of arthritis. I’m starting to feel like the Danos direct guy because truly…wait…there’s more! Post surgery ask for some pineapple because bromelian has been shown to reduce the number of days you experience post-surgical pain and inflammation. And bromelain can be useful for bout so diarrhoea as well. Finally, pineapple contains an awesome amount of vitamin C making it a super anti-oxidant to mop up any free radicals in the body looking for cells to cause trouble with. It’s also the clean up crew! The only question left is…when can you get some?!   If you can’t shift the weight or feel like your middle is getting bigger no matter how much you try take a look at your stress levels. It’s not your imagination. If you’ve been under stress for quite some time it is very likely that elevated cortisol levels are contributing to your increasing waist-line. Cortisol is one of the adrenal hormones produced in times of stress. It was developed in a time when we got chased by bears and other predators. Even though the stress is not usually life threatening our brain perceives the threat in the same way. Cortisol is quite the hormone. In a perfect world it’s the hormone that gets us up and outta bed in the mornings. Mornings are when it should be highest. As the day goes on it is meant to decrease and be at its lowest in the middle of the night. It also ensures we remain on alert when danger is near. It sharpens our memory and our responses, it mobilises glucose for the brain to use and it shuts down non-essential things like digestion and muscle repair. Basically it preps the body to run from a bear! It’s really useful! Once the danger has passed cortisol is meant to decrease to regular levels so our body can chill, digest, sleep and repair itself. But, in chronic stress it simply doesn’t get the chance. It stays in high alert levels for the majority of the time leaving us tired and wired, finding digestion not what it should be and craving sugar and carbs.  Craving sugar and carbs? This is where things get complicated as long term heightened cortisol levels results in cells that are insulin resistance. The cortisol increases blood sugar levels but the muscle and fat cells refuse to take the insulin in a bid to stop the enormous flow of glucose and redirect it to the brain. Insulin is needed for glucose to enter muscle and fat cells but not brain cells however. The excess insulin makes you want to eat more but the excess glucose that isn’t being used gets turned to fat. Whoa! Complicated hey? Belly fat? It gets better! Why the middle fat? Cortisol also encourages more fat around the middle as this visceral fat is better able to make cortisol and also has more receptors. This means not only are the adrenals pumping out cortisol but now you have extra being made in your belly fat! Super! Can you hear the sarcasm? It may also be because while your body is in fight or flight it ain’t digesting food well at all. Part of that belly could be bloating from poor digestion. Can’t sleep? Lack of sleep comes into play here too. High cortisol levels means we are tired and wired. By the time we relax enough to sleep, it’s time to wake up. Only our cortisol has only just reduced. We struggle to get out of bed, reach for coffee, more coffee and then a side of coffee with that coffee. But by night our cortisol is back up to danger speed and off we go again. And what happens when we’re tired? Our body craves food for energy. Enter more weight gain! Emotional eating?. We often turn to comfort food in times of stress. Comfort food is usually high carb or sugar or both. But cortisol is causing insulin resistance so all the excess glucose gets turned to…you guessed it! Fat! What does this all mean for my weight? In a nut-shell the longer you are under stress the longer you are experiencing on going high cortisol levels. The longer this goes on the more belly fat gets made, the more insulin resistant the cells become, the more you crave energy rich (not necessarily nutrient dense) food, the less quality sleep you get and the less your body is properly digesting leaving you bloated. As cortisol also constricts the arteries it raises blood pressure. Not ideal! If you want to know how you can nourish your adrenals check out next week’s blog! Stress is not the only cause of weight gain, but it is a significant contributor. If you are experiencing unexplained weight gain get in contact with your preferred health care provider because it may be something else but if you are experiencing on going high levels of stress it could just be that this is causing your pants to tighten. References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115704/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/improve-insulin-sensitivity#section4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115704/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942672/ https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111609p38.shtml  Wow! We’re at that end of the year already! Everywhere you turn there is another bring-a-plate, have-a-drink or let’s-celebrate. It’s impossible to avoid. And let’s face it- we love it! Seeing all our friends and family we’ve barely had time to check in with all year, the chocolates and mince pies, the extra drinks and so many nibblies. There is a reason Santa is so jolly! And jolly large! I’m not giving anyone the green light to eat, drink and be merry with abandon but cut yourself some slack. There is a lot of benefit to sharing food with people. By eating together, we feel more satisfied with our lives, we laugh more and are more engaged with our community. Eating together is extremely important even if that only happens at Christmas. Of course, group eating can also lead to the inevitable over-eating and drinking as well! There are tonnes of articles out there on how to moderate your drinking during the silly season, how to make a healthy Christmas meal or minimise the damage done to our waistline. Read those. Use those tips but I’m going to focus on January. When the pants are tight, your face is puffy and you can’t seem to stop the carb cravings. I’m dreading it already! Once the parties are done and we’re into January but still feeling blah, pull up this blog and have a look at some of these tips to get yourself back on track. Fasting- this may come as a surprise because I’m not usually one to suggest this! But drastic times call for drastic measures! For just one day drink purified water with a bit of lemon. Just one day. No coffee, tea, food. Just water. It’s a very fast way to get you back on track. Of course, if you have medical conditions this may not be suitable for you so check in with your GP first. Vegetable days- If the idea of fasting totally for a day makes you a nervous wreck try this more subtle, but effective, approach. For 2 days eat just lightly cooked or raw veg. No extra sauce or stocks just veg. You can make a big veg soup or eat tonnes of salad but keep it uber clean for 2 days. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate- the best way to detox is water. Drink lots of water. At least 2L but you may need more than that. It’s about 35ml per kilo of body weight if you want to calculate it out. Each cup of tea and coffee attracts a tax of 125ml of water extra! Back to routine- get back to your usually routine A.S.A.P.! If you felt good before Christmas think about what you were doing. Maybe it needs tweaking but it’s a start. Alcohol free- take a week off the booze. And drink more water. The Christmas hangover can last for weeks…this is like a reset for the body regarding alcohol. Break the habit of a drink at night or after a hard day quickly. Move it, move it baby- get moving! Movement moves lymph which carries toxins out of the body. Such a cool system and all we have to do is move. Take a walk or go for a swim. Take a well-earned break over Christmas and New Year! Enjoy your family and friends. Eat and drink in moderation and when you wake up one January morning ready to welcome the New Year feeling great…take a look at the tips above!
Merry Christmas and seasonal greetings all! And a happy, healthy New Year!  What used to be a hidden condition, often referred to as ‘the change’, and more or less whispered about like a venereal disease, is now being spoken about openly. Thank goodness for that as roughly 50% of the world’s population happen to be female. I know! I’m so grateful for stats or we’d never have known. Can you see me rolling my eyes? The time that causes the most havoc is perimenopause. It’s like a cross over period between fertility and menopause. Menopause literally means a pause in menstruation or periods. And we can blame hormones. We love to blame hormones! But in this case, it’s true. In perimenopause we have oestrogen bouncing up and down as the ovaries start winding up business. Progesterone also starts to decline and other female hormones drop in this time also.
Oestrogen seems to be the culprit for most of our distress, however. And that’s good because there is a lot we can do about that to ease the transition. Diet is the first and easiest support so let’s go there. Oestrogen is unstable at this time so we can help support stable levels by ingesting phytooestrogens. Phyto-whatchas? These are simply plant based oestrogens. You can’t over consume these as a food source- I guess you could if you were really giving it a red hot go but I’ve not seen any one overdose on veg and fruit yet sooo…. Although these foods have phyto-oestrogens they create oestrogen regulation rather than just adding oestrogen.
Another thing to consider is that during our child-bearing years oestrogen has a protective quality for our bones. Once it starts to decline our bone density can also start to decline so there is an added need for calcium in the diet. Although dairy is a great source of calcium, I love my clients to get it from many varied sources.
It’s pretty important to mention that caffeine ie coffee can leach calcium from the bones so women need to avoid it in peri-menopause and menopause- sorry! And as a last couple of tips…minimise the hot flushes by working out what sets them off. Sometimes it’s a hot drink or a spicy meal. Keep a diary and you might be surprised. If vaginal dryness is an issue and you want to keep it natural, I strongly suggest coconut oil! Best ever lubricant. Too much information? Oh well! You can thank me later! Or wild yam cream is excellent too as it is a phytoestrogen for the vagina. Have I covered everything? Probably not but I hope that it brings you some relief. Remember diet is not the end of natural treatments to ease the symptom of peri-menopause and menopause. There is lots more so if you are still struggling check in with your natural health care provider.
This is such a personal topic for me! I’m forever shocked when someone says ‘oh wow! I didn’t pick that’. I think I wear it on my sleeve but like so many other anxiety sufferers I have learnt to hide it and hide it well!  In clinic I see a lot of anxiety suffers. There’s the life-long sufferers who have a low level of anxiety generally which kicks off into acute anxiety when things get a bit out of control. It’s then the regular anxiety attacks and sleepless nights hit. On an average day they use the anxiety to keep going, just that one step ahead. Very often they seem successful and totally in control- don’t judge a book by it’s cover. One loose shingle and we’re gone! And then there are those who are normally chill but life has dealt them some really nasty blows and here they are! Anxiety attacks, sleepless nights and so one. The acute phase is the same either way just the life-long suffers take less time to get there as they operate in that elevated state anyway. What to do! I look at three main areas but there is way more that can be done but it’s really individual! Food is a huge area we use to help anxiety. These are some super simple ideas.
Exercise
 Meditation (kind of)
And last, how could I leave you without a homeopathic?! Aconite is the best known of the traditionally used anxiety remedies. It’s in every homeopathic first aid kit I’ve ever seen. It’s an acute remedy for an anxiety type attack with a hard and fast beating heart, fear, lots of fear and you may feel like you are dying (super important to seek help with these kind of attacks as it’s too easy to mistake a more serious condition for anxiety). It will come on suddenly and likely leave suddenly. Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist.
Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation. Information is generally in nature and nothing said on this website is intended as a diagnosis and should not be taken as such. Always seek medical advice in emergencies.  Jeepers it's hot up here right now! Rain is a distant memory but the kids sporting activities do..not..stop! My eldest gets off the Futsal field and I could seriously ring his shirt out...his face is red and blotchy and the sweat is running down his legs..eeeeewwwww. My little gymnasts fair no better and it it weren't for the happy grins I'd keep them home! We know that water is the best hydrator there is but on the occassions that you are in an excessively hot climate, doing unusally high amounts of sports, gardening or other activity or have even had a gastro bug you might want to consider something a bit more heavy duty to replace the electrolytes you've lost. Why make my own?Check out the labels on the sports drinks next time you see them. The second ingredient is almost always sugar followed by a dazzling (and scary) array of artificial colourings and flavourings. When you break it down they contain precious little of anything that may be of benefit like for instance...electrolytes!  Make your own and skip the sugar and make sure it has in it what you need ie magnesium, sodium and potassium! Add some real fruit for natural sugars and vitamins and away you go!  What are electrolytes? They are the ions in salts that are necessary for many body functions including the movement of water across cells and muscle movement. The ones I'm targeting with this drink are potassium, magnesium and sodium as they are most commonly lost through sweat! I'm adding in tissue salts for an extra boost! Mag Phos is brilliant for muscle and muscle recovery after sports. It can help the cramping associated with dehydration too. And Nat mur which is awesome for making sure the water in the body goes where it is needed- the fluid balancer! Recipe
This is so easy! The recipe makes 1L but I often make up a quarter if it's just for one person. Use any fruit you wish and any ratio of water to coconut water (or just water if you wish however coconut water has potassium in it so it is a good addition). I usually use half/half. 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup lemon juice OR replace the orange/lemon with a cup of raspberries, pinapple etc and whizz it up in the blender! 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups coconut water OR any ratio of water/coconut water you like. Even just water will be fine. 4 doses of Nat Mur tissue salt (4 Scheussleur tablets or 12 pillules if your Homeopath made them up) 4 doses Mag Phos tissue salt (4 Scheussleur tablets or 12 pillules if your Homeopath made them up) 1/4 tsp himalayan salt/celtic sea salt/ murray rive sea salt Crush the tablets with a mortar and pestle or similar. Add all the ingredients to a bottle and shake til it's all dissolved. Enjoy! One cup is a serving. Keep drinking water as well!  PS I think it tastes like old fashioned Staminade that you made up from powder! Ciao, ciao! Til next time! references
http://dontmesswithmama.com/homemade-citrus-electrolyte-drink/# http://wellnessmama.com/2575/natural-sports-drink/ http://www.emedicinehealth.com/electrolytes/article_em.htm http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/healthy-eating-for-wellness/item/how-healthy-is-coconut-water-really.html  Hello hello! I feel like I'm just re-surging and joining life again! Not that I was gone long...just a short few days to get over a cold and recharge. Getting sick is not something I do very well. I either ignore it or act like I have 'man flu'. Yeah... I kinda suck at it. I thought I'd just do a quick blog on 2 remedies that are traditionally used in Homeopathy for the common cold! We don't hear much about that sneezy little watery eyed monster. Usually we hear about the flu or other nastier viruses but the common cold is a very common (cue laughter) problem!
Gavin came down with a cold too but his wasn't as bad as mine (haha sorry honey!)! On the surface we had the same virus. Both started with a mild sore throat and a bit of sneezing then a progressively stuffier nose. However he had burning eyes. It was such a marked symptom that I suggested Allium Cepa for him. This is another note worthy remedy for the common cold. Very similar to Euphrasia with copious amounts of clear snot but the eyes will burn and the nose will smart because the discharge burns (the term is acrid in the books). I find this a nice easy distinction between the 2. Oh and allium cepa is onion...remember how horrid cutting an onion can be? Yep Gavin had an onion cold! (Allium cepa is a Homeopathic medicine traditionally used to help support the body with the symptoms of the common cold).  These aren't the only 2 remedies by a long shot but they are 2 that I use frequently for common colds. Here's to a healthy end of winter! Stay well! Sarah Disclaimer: Homeopathy is a traditional medicine.The TGA considers Homeopathy a low risk medicine. It may be used in conjunction with other medicines. For any ongoing chronic condition, it is important to be assessed or examined by your healthcare professional or specialist. Information given here is in no way intended to take the place of advice from your chosen healthcare professional or specialist. Any examples given from the authors life do not indicate that the remedy in question will work for everyone in every instance. They are used solely to illustrate the use the medicine in a practical situation.
Always seek medical advice in emergencies. |
AuthorHello, hello! Welcome to my blog. I'm Sarah the creator of Simply Healing. Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed