Archive for the ‘ naturopathy ’ Category

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Anorexia nervosa is an emotional disorder characterized by severe and potentially life-threatening weight loss through self-induced reduction in total food intake. More than 90% of reported cases occur in women in industrialized countries where cultural expectations encourage women to maintain an extremely thin body, and fashion designers create clothes that look best on thin women.

Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include:

  • Refusal to maintain minimum body weight for age and height
  • Unrealistic fear of weight gain
  • Distorted perception of personal body shape and/or size
  • Denial of seriousness of low body weight
  • Amenorrhea
  • Ritualised eating behaviours
  • Monotonous food choices
  • Significant pre-occupation with food
  • Vegetarianism

Potential events and risk factors that increase the risks of Anorexia Nervosa Include:

  • Severe trauma or emotional stress (such as the death of a loved one or sexual abuse) during puberty or pre puberty. (PTSD)
  • Abnormalities in brain chemistry: Changes in serotonin levels, a brain chemical that regulates appetite, may contribute to other symptoms of anorexia nervosa such as depression, impulsiveness, obsessive behaviours, or other mood disorders. In addition, the process of purging may deplete tryptophan, an amino acid necessary for the production of serotonin, leading to further imbalances.
  • Overbearing, controlling, and critical parents who do not show emotional warmth.
  • A tendency toward perfectionism, fear of being ridiculed or humiliated, a desire to always be perceived as being “good.”
  • Family history of anorexia: About one-fifth of those with anorexia have a relative with an eating disorder.
  • Age and gender—anorexia is most common in teens and young adult women
  • Early onset of puberty
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other anxiety disorders—OCD is present in up to two-thirds of people with anorexia.

Several social and personal beliefs and practices perpetuate the persistence of the disease, including friends who envy the thinness of the patient with an eating disorder; dance instructors, athletic coaches, and others in professions where thinness is desirable who encourage very low body fat; denial on the part of parents or other family members; and the patient’s belief that his/her emaciation is not only normal but attractive, and/or that purging is the only way to avoid becoming obese.

So what can natural therapies do for people with Anorexia Nervosa?

As a naturopath our aim is to always treat the person and not the disease, therefore unlike medical management of the condition a naturopath will try to find the underlying pathology or triggering event and treat that instead.

This may mean counselling for those where the onset can be linked to a traumatic event, helping in the management of stress and anxiety, treating underlying nutritional deficiencies that may be impacting on symptoms and behaviours, looking for biochemical changes in brain chemistry like serotonin deficiencies, cortisol excess, and changes in dopamine and balancing any imbalances, as well as educating on what a healthy diet is.  As a naturopath we try to take the focus off food management as much as possible and shift the awareness to feeling good on the inside which often leads to clients improving their nutritional and dietary habits of their own accord.

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Posted in Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, Mental Health & Wellbeing, naturopathy, Preventative health | No Comments »

Boost your immune system and prevent getting sick this winter

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

The colder weather and change of season means colds and flus start to become common place.  Luckily there are some really easy tips that anyone can put into place that will help reduce the frequency and severity of colds and flus suffered this winter.

TIP 1 – Reduce your Stress Levels

Stress reduces our immune function! Don’t believe me? Studies have proven that happier people have a healthier immune system and are less likely to develop a cold and flu even when exposed to them.  So what ever you do to release stress, whether it is exercise, meditation, gardening, or sleeping make sure you balance your stress levels this winter.

Tip 2 – Stay Warm

Your mother wasn’t lying to you when you were a child, staying warm does reduce the chances of catching a cold.  According to Chinese medicine a cold or flu enters via the back of the neck so if you are out in the cold make sure you wear a scarf of a top that keeps the back of your neck warm.

Tip 3 – Eat a Healthy Diet

Anti oxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables keep your immune system in tip top shape.  Eating a diet that has plenty of these foods will help not only boost your immune system but will slow the ageing process, helping you feel younger for longer.

Tip 4 – Avoid Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Drinking too much alcohol suppresses your immune system.  How many times have you noticed waking up with not only a hang over but the beginnings of a cold or flu? Make sure you have 4 alcohol free days a week and when you do drink, make sure it is in moderation.

Tip 5 – Get Plenty of Sunshine

We all know that sunshine makes us feel good, but did you know that Vitamin D found in sunshine helps boost your immune system.  Make sure even in winter that you get 15 – 30 minutes of direct sunlight per day on as much of your body as you can stand without getting frost bite!

Tip 6 – Add garlic to meals

Garlic is a fantastic way to increase your bodies own immune system.  Garlic is also anti-bacterial and acts as a pre-biotic in the gut, which means it is a food for your good gut flora like acidophilus and bifidus.  Eating 2 -4 cloves a day is considered a good cold and flu preventative dose.  Just make sure your loved ones join you!

Tip 7 – Make sure your Zinc levels are adequate

Zinc plays an important role in maintaining healthy immune function. Human studies have observed even a mild zinc deficiency can decrease the effectiveness of the immune response.  Zinc supplementation is considered to be an effective means of reducing the duration of the common cold. A therapeutic dose of 15mg 1 – 2 times a day at the onset of a cold or flu has shown to reduce the severity and duration of colds and flus.

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Posted in Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, Myth or Fact?, naturopathy, Preventative health, Vitalchi | No Comments »

This is truly amazing!

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Have you ever wanted to know what the inside of your cells looked like and how they work? If so you MUST watch this amazing video, it is one the the most amazing video’s I think you will see this year!
Enjoy

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Posted in anti-aging, naturopathy, Preventative health, Vitalchi | No Comments »

Simple ways to reduce allergies this spring

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

When we think of allergies most people immediately think of pollens, dust mites, grasses and so on.  But did you know there are a huge growing number of people experiencing not just these environmental allergens but also food allergies and allergies arising from everyday house hold products like detergents and soaps.

So why are these allergies on the increase?

The Hygiene Hypothesis

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that the recent rise in allergic disease among children in affluent societies is due to an increase in hygiene, immunisation and antibiotic use.  Your child picking up a toy and sucking on it is natural, and helps strengthen their immune system.  Our ultra clean life styles means our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past. As a result, the immune system has shifted away from fighting infection to developing more allergic tendencies.

The overuse of antibiotics

It is now widely acknowledged that there is a link between the overuse of antibiotics and the increasing prevalence of allergies in the Western world.  Antibiotics not only kill off the ‘bad bacteria’ but also kill off all our good guys too. We all have a unique microbial mix of bacteria and fungi living in our stomach and intestines. The change in your intestinal micro flora, like that which happens with antibiotic use, changes the entire immune system2, this is because the gastrointestinal tract represents the largest immune organ of the human body.  Recent studies have indicated that antigen presenting cells routinely check out your intestinal micro flora to find out how they should respond and act in the body.  These cells then induce either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response, which is dependent on the strain of bacteria in the gut.  So, kill all the good guys with antibiotics and the body will produce more inflammation, inflammation being the inducer and marker of allergies.

So what does all this mean? Simply put it means the Western World is facing an epidemic of allergies, be it food allergies, environmental allergies or chemicals.  Look out for symptoms like:

• Bloating

• Sneezing

• Watery eyes

• Diarrhoea or constipation

• Flatulence and burping

• Nausea

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Reflux and indigestion

• Abdominal pain

• Fluid retention

• Migraine and headaches

• Asthma and shortness of breath

• Fatigue and exhaustion

• Difficulty concentrating

• Skin problems – eczema, psoriasis, acne and blemishes

• Nasal congestion or hay fever

• Mood swings and irritability

• Depression

• Memory loss

• Weight gain

• Auto-immune disease (Crohn’s, Hashimoto, Lupus, Sclerosis, etc.)

• Behavioral problems in children, and ADHD

Okay I suffer from some of these, how do I know if they are an allergy and what causes it?

There are many ways to test for sensitivities and allergies these days.  Doctors perform tests for allergies via either a blood test or skin prick test, but naturopaths can also check using food sensitivity tests.  These test check for a different type of immune reaction which is linked to sensitivities rather than allergies.  What’s the difference? Allergies are those group of symptoms that appear immediately after exposure to an allergen, a sensitivity can turn up hours even days after the exposure, they are harder to pin point with symptoms and timing, the symptoms can often appear unrelated to your typical type allergic reactions. Sensitivity testing is useful if previous medical testing have shown up negative or if you suspect sensitivities that have previously not shown up on an allergy test.  Pathology lab testing is available not only for food testing but can test a large range of house hold chemicals, preservatives and additives as well.

What can we do around the home to reduce the risk of allergies?

  1. There can be a healthy balance between letting your child play in the dirt and making sure they wash their hands.  Use common sense, a bit of dirt in their mouth won’t kill them and may even be a good thing.
  2. Try swapping chemical based cleaning agents for more natural ones.  Not only are these far better for the environment, but they clean just as well and reduce the risk of allergies from chemical sensitivities.
  3. Only use antibiotics if it’s really necessary, this means for bacterial infections ONLY, antibiotics have no effect in viral infections, so make sure you know what you are treating first.
  4. If you do need antibiotics follow up with a course of probiotics (acidophilus supplements).  Make sure you take these 4 hours away from your antibiotic.
  5. Reduce the allergy load in your diet.  This means using a variety of different foods, try rye bread instead of wheat all the time, try buckwheat or quinoa pasta instead of wheat, cook with amaranth, quinoa instead of rice, try goats milk instead of cows all the time.  Varying your foods not only reduces the common food allergies, but gives your body a break from foods that are commonly linked to food allergies and inflammation
  6. Avoid excessive consumptions of alcohol and sugar, these both reduce the effectiveness of the immune system.
  7. Increase immune supportive foods in your diet like garlic, turmeric, berries, and foods high in antioxidants.
  8. Leave a window open during the day to improve air flow
  9. Change carpeted surfaces to hard surfaces like floor boards or tiles.
  10. Damp dust around the home, this means using a damp cloth to clean surfaces instead of a dry duster this reduces the risk of all that dust just landing somewhere else!

The trick to all of this is common sense.  Reducing things in your environment that are not natural , like cleaning agents and detergents, will improve the function of your immune system.  Eating foods that are less processed and higher in nutrients will give your body the nutrients required to maintain a healthy immune system.  Avoiding substances that kill off your good bacteria like antibiotics, alcohol and sugar will boost your natural gut immunity.  Simple yet very powerful strategies can ensure that you minimise the risk of allergies for you and your family.

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Posted in Children’s Health, Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, Myth or Fact?, naturopathy, Preventative health, Wellness | 14 Comments »

Top 10 Tips To Prevent Kidney Disease & Boost Vitality

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) continues to increase in populations throughout the world. It’s largely due to the growing epidemics of diabetes and hypertension – the two main causes of CKD. According to World Kidney Day, internationally there are over 240 million people with diabetes and nearly one billion people with high blood pressure.

Here are the top 10 tip to prevent kidney disease and boost vitality:

1. Maintain normal weight. Being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Find out what the ideal weight is for your height, gender and ethnicity and try to stay as close to that weight as possible through a healthy diet and exercise. A healthy weight also helps you to fight fatigue, a common symptom of kidney disease.

2. Control blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often referred to as the silent killer. Make sure you check your blood pressure at least once a year if you’re under 40 and do not have a family history of this condition or any other risk factors such as obesity.

3. Monitor blood glucose. Keeping your blood glucose levels close to the normal range decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and kidney damage. The first step is to get tested. Many people with prediabetes – a risk factor for type 2 diabetes characterized by higher than normal blood glucose levels – do not know they have it.

4. Effectively treat diabetes. This condition which impairs insulin function, or causes a lack of insulin production, is very complicated to manage. You need to consult with your doctor to develop an effective treatment plan for your stage of diabetes and to suit your lifestyle. For instance you may need to take insulin, or to control it through diet or exercise.

5. Get enough rest. A lack of sleep increases the risk of developing hypertension, becoming overweight or obese, and exacerbates diabetes. These conditions, as well as kidney disease, further cause you to feel fatigued. Like hypertension and obesity, a lack of sleep is also a global epidemic. If you have trouble sleeping for two weeks or more, you should consult a naturopath or your family doctor. There are several natural treatments for sleeplessness or insomnia such as meditation and supplements such as valerian.

6. Exercise. This is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid the main risk factors for kidney disease – type 2 diabetes and hypertension. It helps to improve insulin sensitivity to maintain normal blood glucose levels, and it improves cardiovascular function. Exercise also improves sleep and boosts energy levels throughout the day. Try not to exercise at least six hours before going to bed, however.

7. Treat infections immediately. Some infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bladder infections can increase your risk of developing a kidney disease. Urinary tract infections can be treated naturally and effectively by drinking cranberry juice. Research also suggests that regularly eating probiotics reduces UTIs and other infections.

8. Limit alcohol intake. Abusing alcohol can damage kidney function. It disrupts electrolyte balance in the body and the hormonal control mechanisms that influence kidney function. Health professionals recommend that women drink no more than one glass of alcohol per day and men drink no more than two glasses per day.

9. Limit sodium intake. Excessive sodium consumption increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, which damages the glomeruli – tiny filtering units in the kidneys.

10. Take supplements safely. Both vitamin and herbal supplements can damage your kidneys. For instance, creatine, ephedra, and excessive amounts of vitamin D have all been linked to kidney damage. Do thorough research or speak to your naturopath before adding supplements to your diet.

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Posted in anti-aging, Foods for Health, Myth or Fact?, Natural Fertility, naturopathy, Preventative health, Programs, Vitalchi | 11 Comments »

30% Genetic / 70% Environment

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

This is the ration for developing an autoimmune disease as stated in a 2005 report, reporting on the progress into autoimmune disease research.

So what are autoimmune diseases?

Some common autoimmune disease include conditions like:

  1. Lupus
  2. Multiple Sclerosis
  3. Type 1 Diabetes
  4. Crohn’s Disease
  5. Graves Disease
  6. Hashimotos Disease
  7. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  8. Just to name a few

What I want to focus on is how modifying the 70%  Environmental factors that lead to and worsen autoimmune disease may improve your health and vitality and may even improve your condition.

The first thing I need to mention to tie all this together is a little antigen called HLA (Human Leukocyte antigen) which is a key component to the body’s immune system. Now this antigen actually protects us from disease, which is a complicated job in anyone’s book.  Even more complicated is the half a million genes that have to code for the antigen so it can keep up to date with all the potential disease we may face as a human beings.  Now I wont go into the specifics of how this antigen specifically works in the body as we will be here for ages, but what you do need to know is that certain environmental triggers (I’ll list these in a moment) effect the way the HLA  activates the immune system.  In a healthy person the immune system is activated correctly, so if you are exposed to the flu virus your immune system is stimulated to defend against it.  But in some people who have had excessive exposure to specific environmental triggers the HLA becomes dysfunctional and can stimulate inappropriate responses, one of which is autoimmunity.

Now what are these environmental triggers that I have talking about?  Well here is a list:

  1. Infections like Epstein Barr Virus (Glandular fever)
  2. Living in higher latitudes i.e. away from the equator due to lack of sunlight
  3. (Vitamin D)
  4. Physical traumas like surgery
  5. Stress
  6. Smoking
  7. Vaccines
  8. Dietary factors including Dairy and Wheat that destroy the gastro intestinal lining

These triggers affect the immune systems ability to function optimally in one-way or another.  I have already spoken about vitamin D’s role in the immune system in a previous blog, and I would hope that most of you know that stress has a detrimental effect on health including the immune system.  What I want to focus on is the role of diet and the immune system, as what you put in your mouth is the easiest thing to change.

The major focus of diet therapy in autoimmune disease is to minimise substances that evoke inappropriate immune function.  In essence what we are doing is removing all foods that destroy the lining of the gastro intestinal tract.  Why? Well let me paint a picture for you:

  1. Eat foods like wheat, dairy, refined sugars, potatoes chips, soft drinks, coffee
  2. These foods punch holes in the gastro intestinal lining due to their irritant nature on the delicate mucus membranes of the gut
  3. These foods then pass into the blood stream early, before they have been digested
  4. The immune system see’s these substances in the blood, recognises them as a threat and mounts an attack by forming antigens to them
  5. Now every time you eat that food your immune system attacks
  6. Your immune system starts to feel as if it is under constant attack (as most of these foods make up the majority of the western diet)
  7. Autoimmunity forms (as the HLA antigen that I spoke about before is incorrectly activating the immune response.

Of course this is a simplified version, and I’ve tried to make it as easy to understand as possible.

So now onto the solution…. What on Earth can I eat?

Well the best answer I have for that and what I prescribe all my autoimmune clients to follow is a Palaeolithic diet.

What on Earth is a Palaeolithic diet?

The Palaeolithic diet is also know as the cave man diet.  It is what our DNA is designed to eat.  By following it principles you avoid foods that would normally invoke an immune response.  The basic principles of the Paleo diet are as follows:

  1. Eat lots of fresh vegetables (avoiding potatoes)
  2. Eat fresh fruit 2 -3 serve a day
  3. Eat good quality organic meat including chicken, turkey, red meat and fish
  4. Snack on nuts and seeds
  5. Eggs are ok too
  6. Honey to sweeten things
  7. Healthy oils like coconut milk and olive oil

So what should I avoid?

  1. Dairy (remember my argument Milk is for baby cows… not for humans!)
  2. Grains (Grains came in the agricultural age and were not around in cave man times, grains for people with autoimmune diseases are pro-inflammatory)
  3. Soy, including tofu, soy milk, temphe
  4. Lentils and legumes like peanuts, soybeans, kidney beans etc
  5. Refined and processed foods like pizza, fries and hamburgers
  6. Sweets, lollies, cakes and all the good stuff
  7. Coffee and soft drinks

Yeah I know it’s not the diet with the greatest variety and of course all the stuff that makes your taste buds sing are gone.  But when faced between the choice of a debilitating autoimmune disease and being healthy and vital I know which one I would choose.  For more information on Paleo diets Google Dr Loren Cordain, we has written several books on the topic and has some amazing research to back it all up.

Happy and Healthy eating!

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Posted in anti-aging, Dairy, Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, Myth or Fact?, naturopathy, Preventative health, Wellness | 15 Comments »

The scariest word of them all

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Cancer, it’s been made out to be such a scary word, and I guess for many who have been through it there could be good reason for this.  Yet on the other side of the coin I personally have been blessed to see clients beat cancer, and come out on the other end healthier and happier than they were before.

Now as natural therapist the first thing that I must point out is that we don’t ever treat cancer.  Confused? Well as natural therapists our aim is to treat you as a person, not a disease, we treat the cause of disease not the disease it’s self.

So if someone presents in my clinic with ‘cancer’ the first thing I do is try and find out why this happened in the first place.

Fact:   Environmental factors, defined broadly to include tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, diet, and infectious diseases, as well as and radiation, and leading a sedentary life style cause an estimated 78% of all cancer cases Australia. Among these factors, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical activity are more likely to affect personal cancer risk. Research shows that about one-third of all cancer deaths are related to dietary factors and lack of physical activity in adulthood.

The first and most effective thing that anyone can do suffering from cancer is to reduce stress levels.

Here are my top tips to reduce stress:

  1. Throw out anything in your life that you stress over, such as work, extra commitments, managing the family budget, etc. Removing external stress as much as possible allows your body to focus on healing.
  2. Laugh! 5 nights a week you should be watching movies or programs that make you laugh out loud.  Things like the news and shows reporting on the doom and gloom in our world are a no no.
  3. Get out into nature.  Getting out side for 45 minutes a day to a park or some place that is special to you is a great way to reduce your stress levels
  4. Surround your self with loved one, whether this is family, friends or your pets, surround your self with positive loving people.
  5. Listen to beautiful music.  Music has an amazing ability to affect our mood, listen to songs that make you feel good and are associated with fond memories.

            Diet

            There are so many different types of diets out there for cancer; in fact there are different diets for different types of cancers.  But the fact of the matter is cancer cells need two major things to survive:

            1. Sugar
            2. Acid

            So the simplest thing you can do is to avoid all sugar in your diet.  I’m talking about the non-natural stuff found in processed foods like biscuits, sweets, cakes and pastries, this also include artificial sugar replacements like aspartame.  I don’t include fruit in this list.  The second thing you can do is to reduce acid forming foods in your diet.  The major acid forming foods I get people to cut out in their diets include:

            1. Dairy – butter, cheese, milk, ice cream, cream,
            2. Grains – wheat, rye, spelt, oats, corn, barley, rye rice, pasta, biscuits, noodles, bread
            3. Drinks – coffee, all alcohol except red wine, milk, processed fruit juices and concentrates, soft drinks diet and regular
            4. Meat – Bacon, deep fried or over cooked meats, cured hams and sausages
            5. Pulses – Chickpeas, kidney beans and soybeans
            6. Avoid any foods that are canned, frozen, contains preservatives, additives or food colourings.

            So what can I eat?

            There is no one size fits all diet that will work for everyone, but in general the following guide lines work for most people:

            1. Eats lots of fresh vegetables – you should be having 3 cups of vegetables raw or lightly cooked per day.  3 cups of mashed potato does not count! You should try to include a variety of colour on your plate and make sure you have plenty of the green leafy vegetables
            2. Fruits – 2 serves of fresh fruit a day.  Include berries like blueberries, strawberries, cranberries etc.
            3. Snack on fresh nuts and seeds, avoid nuts that are roasted or rancid
            4. Fish – get 3 serves of oil fish per week
            5. Meat – my rule with meat is go organic, if you can’t go organic go pasture fed instead.  Red meat should be consumed no more than 2 times a week and should be grilled or cooked lightly on a barbeque.  The best types of red meat are kangaroo, goat, and lamb or osso bucco.  Chicken and turkey should be consumed no more than 2 – 3 times a week; the rest should be a blend of fresh oily fish and vegetarian dishes.  Avoid organ meats.
            6. Drink plenty of fresh filtered water.

            My last diet and lifestyle tip:

            1. Exercise, movement is healthy! Even if it’s only walking for 20 minutes 3 times a week, some is better than none.

            One Final word of wisdom

            If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer then I suggest that you find a natural health care practitioner to work with, someone who has had experience in working with people diagnosed with cancer.  With diet and lifestyle being the major causes of cancer it makes sense that basic dietary and lifestyle advice should be part of everyone’s cancer prescription.

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            Posted in anti-aging, Contemplations, Dairy, Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, Myth or Fact?, naturopathy, Preventative health, Wellness | 8 Comments »

            Type 3 diabetes the new buzzword!

            Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
              The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2020 the number of people with dementia will have grown to 19 million throughout the world, two thirds of these cases will be because of Alzheimer’s disease.
              Symptoms of Alzheimer’s includes:
            • Difficulty remembering names
            • Apathy and Depression – these are often the first symptoms
            • Impaired Judgment
            • Disorientation
            • Confusion
            • Behavioral changes
            • Trouble speaking
            • Difficulty swallowing
              These changes occur due to a build up of proteins called beta-amyloid plaques and twists in strands of a protein called tau.
              What is interesting about the latest research coming out about Alzheimer’s disease is that it is now thought that this condition is related to changes in insulin levels in the brain. Insulin you see has a direct effect on how ‘plastic’ our brain is. The new term Type 3 diabetes is being used when there are changes in the brains levels or insulin beyond what is deemed normal.
              Type 1 and type 2 diabetes occur when the body is unable to produce or use insulin produced by the pancreas. Type 3 diabetes refers to the same changes but in the brain.
              Another interesting fact is that scientists have found that many people with type 2 diabetes have deposits of proteins, similar to those in Alzheimer’s disease in their pancreases!

            So how do I get type 2 or 3 diabetes?

              My answer is inflammation, inflammatory processes in the body are being found to be linked to a group of conditions known as metabolic syndrome (more about that in later blogs!). The long and the short of it is, that inflammation caused by our diets and lifestyles change the way our body is about to produce and utilize hormones, this results in a heap of conditions with two of the being type 2 and type 3 diabetes.

            So what does this all mean?

              Well the good news is that, as natural therapists, treating Alzheimer’s just got easier. You see what the research is finding is that if you can regulate insulin levels, like you do in people with type 2 diabetes through diet and specific supplementation then you can have an effect on the insulin levels in the brain. We are finding in practice people are responding to a blend of a Mediterranean / Paleolithic type diet along with specific nutrients designed to regulate insulin production, reduce glucose levels and reduce systemic inflammation.

            So my top tips to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease:

            • Eat a healthy diet high in fresh vegetables, fruits and good sources of protein like fish, organic chicken and lean red organic or pasture fed meat
            • Reduce your intake of highly refined and processed grains and cereals
            • Reduce your stress levels – stress is inflammatory!
            • Quit smoking
            • Make sure you are at a healthy weight
            • Control type 2 diabetes if you have it
            • Exercise
            • Use you brain – do cross words, Sudoku, learn a new skill every year
            • See a naturopath for a check up, we can assess your risks for inflammatory type diseases and get you on track to a healthy and balanced life style, inflammatory free!

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            Posted in anti-aging, Foods for Health, Healthy Eating, naturopathy, Preventative health, Vitalchi, Wellness | 4 Comments »

            Vitamin D – More than just a Vitamin!

            Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

            Vitamin D is more than just a vitamin. It plays a role in:

            • Calcium Metabolism
            • Precursor to hormones that regulate more than 1000 human genes
            • Stimulation of Insulin Production
            • Modulation effect of B and T lymphocytes
            • Heart muscle contractibility
            • Helps in the promotion of Thyroid-stimulating hormone secretion
            • Improves muscle strength

            During winter up to 70% of the population may suffer from Vitamin D deficiency. Those at the greatest risk of deficiency include:

            • The elderly
            • Dark-skinned individuals
            • Healthy people who spend most of the time indoors
            • Those with food allergies and sensitivities due to decreased gut absorption
            • People with liver and kidney disease
            • Certain medications
            • People who are overweight

            Vitamin D deficiency has also been implicated in the following diseases:

            • Inflammatory bowel disease
            • Rheumatoid arthritis
            • Systemic Lupus erythematosus
            • Multiple sclerosis
            • Type 1 diabetes
            • Osteoporosis
            • Some forms of cancer
                More and more research is emerging that point to the importance of vitamin D and the role it plays in the body. In practice Vitamin D deficiency is something that we are more routinely checking clients for and treating. I think that if you spend most of your time indoors during winter, like most of the Melbourne population, then you need to have your Vitamin D levels checked. Recommended healthy blood levels for Vitamin D is between 100 – 175nmol/L

            (Cannell JJ, Hollis BW. Use of vitamin D in clinical practice. Alt Med Rev 2008;13(1):6-20)

              .
              So if you are catching cold after cold, feeling run down, tired, fatigued and have sore muscles then vitamin D deficiency is something that you should consider.

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            Posted in anti-aging, Children’s Health, Healthy Eating, Myth or Fact?, naturopathy, Preventative health | 8 Comments »