Are You Wilting?

I just heard a great analogy, which sums up how i feel about wellness.
If you saw a wilting plant, what would you do?  Would you give it a drug?  Or maybe some water?

If you're not feeling well, have you considered that there may be nothing WRONG with you?  It could just be your body reacting normally to unfavourable conditions.  Now obviously serious illnesses do occur and a proper investigation is always the best course of action.

But if the tests come back inconclusive, and the 'treatment' is just to dose up on symptom-suppressing medication, then a better solution might be to look at why your body isn't thriving.

Example:
Low energy, can't get up in the mornings, no motivation and generally run-down.

Thyroid, iron levels, blood works all normal.  No evidence of anything sinister.

Next questions:  Do you like your job?  Are you lacking regular movement?  Eating too many grains?  Using caffeine and sugar more and more to get through the day?  Still smoking?

Solution:  Keep a food diary for a week, you'll be surprised.  Go for a walk at lunchtime instead of eating at your desk.  Buy a paper and circle the jobs you quite like the sound of.  Nothing more, just start with that.

Make a start, then change course along the way.  Worth a go huh?

How to Get Rid of Most Headaches

So many people just put up with headaches, and it’s not necessary.  Some people even think it’s normal to have pain on a weekly or daily basis! 

Pain is your body’s way of telling you to address a problem.  So whilst painkillers might help you get through the day, it’s not a good idea to keep ignoring the symptoms.  There’s even a new classification of headache called an analgesic rebound headache – believe it or not it’s caused by taking painkillers regularly.  So what could a headache mean, and what can you do about it?  

When it comes to health care the best thing to do is look at the most obvious factors first and whittle it down.

Dehydration.  You’ve heard it all before, drink some water because it’s good for you.  It really does make sense though, especially if you’re rushing around all day.  Think of it as bathing your brain in pure, detoxifying, cooling water.  To create a new habit you just need to have a visual trigger to remind you, like a bottle of water in your bag or a glass sitting in the kitchen.  Do it for 21 days and it’ll become second nature.

Low blood sugar.  If you live on sugary snack bars (even ones claiming to be nutritious) then it’s likely your blood sugar goes up and down like a rollercoaster.  The crashes can cause food cravings, low energy and headaches.  Making an effort to have a good source of protein at every meal helps your body repair and also minimises those cravings for instant energy.  Even though mornings can be chaos, a couple of eggs however you like them can have a great impact on the rest of the day.

Stress.  Easier said than done!  It’s not what’s around us but how we deal with it that matters, so they say.  Time to yourself can be a rare luxury, but prioritising “me-time” makes you more effective at everything else you do, not to mention more relaxed and more fun to be around.  Walking is a great stress-buster, even 20 minutes a day can be enough.  Yoga, pilates, art, music, meditation, the gym, writing thoughts down, and even knitting are some ways people choose to de-stress. 

 Learning to delegate and to say no is also an invaluable skill which can help free up some time. It’s important to put yourself first sometimes.

Your neck.  Ever heard of cervicogenic headaches?  Because the nerves to your scalp come from your neck, underlying neck stiffness can irritate these nerves and be a significant cause of headaches.  Think of the accumulated stress on your neck from years of desk work, driving, falls or minor road traffic accidents years ago, carrying a heavy handbag, fairground rides, etc.  All of this can add up, causing stiff joints in your neck and subsequent headaches.

Try this little test: turn your head to one side then tilt it backwards.  Not the most comfortable position, but it shouldn’t hurt.  If you feel a pinching pain in your neck when you do this, that’s a sign the joints are unhappy, and a visit to your chiropractor would help to free them up.  Chiropractic is excellent for helping your spine work properly, and all the many health benefits that brings.

Food intolerances. Some of us just can’t eat certain things, and unfortunately it’s often the stuff we really like.  Wheat, dairy and food additives are common ones.  You can have allergy tests (either medical or more alternative options like kinesiology), but the simplest way to find out for yourself is an elimination diet.  Basically cut out the food you suspect, either individually or several at once, then re-introduce them one at a time and see if they disagree with you.

There are different opinions on how long you should abstain for, but a week or two should give you chance to notice the difference.  If you find you are intolerant to something then the biggest challenge is just to change eating and shopping habits.  A bit of planning ahead can make a huge difference and reduce the number of sneaky sandwiches bought out of convenience.  Like with water, do something differently for three weeks and you’ll create a new habit which is easy to keep doing.

This article is not intended to be diagnostic, and there are many types of headaches.  If you’re experiencing severe pain you should see your GP.  For the majority of us though, the simple solutions are often the right ones.  If you cover the bases mentioned here, the difference in your quality of life could really surprise you.

FOODS TO HELP OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis occurs when your bones become depleted of minerals and lose their density. One of the functions of bone is to store minerals which can be released to help regulate the body chemistry.  For example, helping nerves to function properly, giving muscles the energy they need, or balancing the acidity of the blood.

A key factor in maintaining and improving bone density is a diet which is not too acidic, as calcium is drawn from the bones to neutralise the acidity.  Vegetables are alkaline producing, so they should make up the bulk of your diet.   

The highest acid-producing foods are grains, hard cheeses, salted foods, meats, and legumes.  Other culprits include processed foods, sugars and sweeteners, caffeine and carbonated beverages, yeast products, fermented foods and alcohol. A healthy alkaline diet consists of around 80% vegetables.

Minerals and the Calcium Debate

Whilst we do need calcium to maintain strong bones, there is some controversy over calcium supplementation, which has been the standard approach to dealing with osteoporosis for many years.

  

Some experts now believe that over-supplementing with calcium actually depletes other minerals from your body and can lead to various health problems, and even make osteoporosis worse.  A far better alternative is said to be Himalayan salt, which is rich in many minerals and untouched by modern agriculture.

Virgin coconut oil helps the body to absorb minerals better and has many other health benefits. 

The Role of Vitamin D

 Vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium, which makes up a significant part of bone tissue. We can synthesise vitamin D through the skin and get it from our diet. The most readily available source of vitamin D is exposure to direct sunlight. Fifteen minutes sunlight on the face and forearms each day is usually enough, even in Britain! Vitamin D is also found in fatty fish, eggs, liver, butter, fortified foods such as milk and multivitamins.
 

The known health benefits of Vitamin D are numerous and growing all the time. The website vitamind3world.com, which sells vitamin D supplements, also has a lot of information about it. 

The Grain Debate 

Whole grains may not be a healthy food for everyone, especially people at risk of low bone density health issues. Studies have shown that grains can have numerous detrimental effects on the body, including gut irritation leading to malabsorption of minerals, autoimmune responses and an acidifying effect.   

Reducing the amount of grain in our diet in favour of more vegetables is an easy and effective way of improving our overall nutritional intake. 

Alcohol 

An occasional drink may be good for your bones: A number of recent research studies have shown an association between moderate alcohol intake and stronger bones in post-menopausal women. A study reported in the November, 2000 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol hadd significantly higher bone density than did non-drinkers.

Exercise 

Walking and strength training are essential elements to creating strong bones.  There are various walking groups available in this area, and Impulse Leisure in Southwick and Lancing have great facilities and numerous exercise classes to suit everyone.  Please ask us if you would like a free 7 day guest pass.

Summary 

Health science is starting to acknowledge the benefits of whole foods over individual supplements.  A healthy lifestyle which closely follows what the body is deigned for is often a better long term approach to health than using medication to try to fix a problem.

What you choose to put in your body is always your choice, and we recommend that you do your own research on the benefits and drawbacks of certain treatment approaches before embarking on them.

Sources 

For more information on osteoporosis, mercola.com is an excellent source of information. Dr Joseph Mercola is an American medical doctor who sources cutting edge information on natural health.

Virgin Organic Coconut Oil is available in the clinic and Himalayan Crystal Salt can be found at Sugar & Spice Health Food Store, 33 East Street, Shoreham-By-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5ZD. Tel: 01273 464716.

Cyndi O’Meara’s 21 Day Weight Loss Programme is also available at the clinic and is a great place to start for inspiration and motivation.  You don’t have to want to lose weight to enjoy Cyndi’s programme.

To learn more about omitting grains from your diet, visit marksdailyapple.com.