Journal
Liver – Nature’s Powerhouse
5 GOOD REASONS TO EAT MORE LIVER Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods around. By far the best source of B12. Contains all the fat soluable vitamins, A, D, E and K. Contains iron, in its most bio-available form. Liver is the best source of copper (which many of us are deficient in) and also a good source of zinc and chromium. Contrary to the belief that the liver is a storage organ for toxins it does in fact neutralise toxins with the help of the nutrients you obtain from liver. Toxins are more likely to be stored in fat tissues. Eating liver is one of the best ways to aid good liver function. CHICKEN LIVER PATE RECIPE Ingredients – 150g butter (from grass fed cows), 250g organic chicken livers, 1 large chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 dessertspoon of brandy, 2 tbsp creme fraiche, sprig of thyme, sea salt to taste. Method – Gently fry the chicken livers with the thyme in half of the butter for around 3 minutes on each side till cooked but slightly pink in the centre. Add the brandy and cook for a further minute. Remove the livers from the pan, discard the thyme and blend in a food processor. Add the rest of the butter and the chopped onion to the pan cooking gently till soft, add in the garlic in at the end until cooked. Put all the contents in to the food processor on top of the liver and blend till smooth. Finally add the creme fraiche and blend till smooth.
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Signs you may have a B12 deficiency
B12 deficiency lurks silently but common symptoms and commonalities include – Poor memory, a decline in cognition, dementia or Alzheimer diagnosis MS or other neurological disorders Constant tiredness and low energy Autism spectrum disorders Bipolar, depression, anxiety A smooth tongue Muscle weakness and problems walking Pale skin B12 deficiency is a widespread silent epidemic. The Framingham Offspring Study showed that 40% of people between 26 and 83 had low enough plasma B12 levels to experience neurological symptoms. Unfortunately it is not routinely tested and many people have ‘normal’ B12 results as the laboratory low end of the reference range is too low. I would suggest this test, which measures levels of the biologically-active component of vitamin B12, thought to be the best early indicator of vitamin B12 deficiency. Those mostly at risk are vegans, vegetarians (B12 is found ONLY in animal products), the elderly, pregnant women, regular users of acid suppressing drugs, those on diabetic drugs like Metaformin, sufferers of Crohn’s disease, IBS, coeliac disease or ulcerative colitis and women with a history of miscarriages or infertility. Interestingly children brought up on a vegan diet up to the age of 6 have been shown to be B12 deficient even years after they started to eat some kind of animal product. See study on vegan children here. In the elderly B12 deficiency is often associated with gastritis, see study here. B12 is vital for energy, the formation of blood cells, and for the proper functioning and health of nerve tissue. If left untreated B12 deficiency can lead to anaemia as well as nerve and brain damage that is sometimes irreversible. Foods highest in B12 are liver, beef, shellfish, oily fish, eggs and milk, but even those eating large amounts of B12 rich foods can be deficient due to poor gut health. It is critical to heal the gut through elimination of inflammatory causing foods with the addition of gelatin rich foods and appropriate herbs or supplementation. Supplementation when necessary is easy. Buy B12 oral spray here. “Many members of the Pernicious Anaemia Society use the spray to keep their B12 levels topped up between injections, because the spray is so potent (one spray is equal to 12,000% of the recommended daily intake) and because it enters the bloodstream straight away!” Martyn Hooper, Chair of the Pernicious Anaemia Society. So next time you have a ‘senior moment’ perhaps you need to consider B12.
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Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment
Restless leg syndrome a condition of the nervous system is a very common but disturbing problem. It expresses itself as an overwhelming feeling and urge to keep your legs moving. It can feel like a creeping, crawling sensation up the legs and is relieved by moving. It is uncomfortable and disturbing and is often worse at night, during pregnancy and is common in those with diabetes, anemia and rheumatoid arthritis though anyone even children can complain of it. 5 TOP TIPS TO ALLEVIATE RESTLESS LEGS Ensure magnesium levels are replenished and often a good quality therapeutic dose of magnesium will fix the problem. We had wonderful feedback from a gentleman of 95 who had suffered with terrible night time restless legs and after his first dose of ReMag the problem resolved. Cramping and muscle tightness is often due to electrolyte and mineral depletion so ensure adequate amounts of calcium, salt, potassium, iron and magnesium are part of your diet. Good sources of iron are liver, molasses, nettle tea and dark chocolate. Do some moderate exercise, walking daily. Take Epsom salt baths for relaxation and transdermal mineral absorption. Reduce stress, taking time out to relax and be mindful.
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Atrial Fibrillation – Remineralize your heart
Palpitations, arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation – how the right magnesium makes a difference. Atrial Fibrillation, an electrical disruption of the rhythm of the heart, is occurring in epidemic proportions. Medicine says there is no cure and only offers drugs and surgery for the symptoms. Because of my own heart palpitations, I searched for an effective treatment for many years. That treatment I found is based on the right kind of magnesium – one that doesn’t give you a laxative effect – well-absorbed multiple minerals and proper hydration with water and sea salt or Himalayan salt. Giving your heart the necessary minerals overcomes the electrical disruption and balances your heart rhythm. Atrial Fibrillation: Remineralize Your Heart walks you through the possible triggers for this condition and uncovers their basis in magnesium deficiency. Numerous case histories help you realize that you don’t necessarily have a heart condition, you have a magnesium deficiency condition that can be treated. Dr Carolyn Dean’s new book ‘Atrial Fibrillation’ is available now to download on your kindle. Atrial Fibrillation – Remineralize your heart
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Ignorance and Neglect
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland situated in the neck just below the Adams Apple. The thyroid controls metabolism (which is why poor thyroid function can inhibit weight loss no matter how much you exercise) and nearly every other aspect of health including mood, energy and circulation. Thyroid damage can lead to underactivity (hypothyroidism), overactivity (hyperthyroidism), thyroid inflammation (thyroiditis), and thyroid cancer. I often hear of women who have been given anti-depressants because they go to their GP with low mood, depression and anxiety. But what if the depression is a symptom of something else. The anxiety/depression can often caused by an undiagnosed thyroid condition and because in this country unless you have a private full thyroid screening your GP will mostly only test the practically useless TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless/. This is NOT a good indicator at all and you may feel like you are banging your head against the wall when you are told your results are ‘normal’ and you fall within the range. People can go for years without being treated properly and instead may be put on other medication with the root cause of their complaints not being addressed. There is a long list of symptoms here which you may find yourself in http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic/ including feeling the cold, anxiety, painful joints, IBS, constantly tired, poor B12 and iron absorption, cracked heels and more. Even if you are prescribed Thyroxine this still often doesn’t work well http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work/. I think its safe to say we have an epidemic of thyroid disease. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/10/water-fluoridation-thyroid-dysfunction.aspx http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11430087/Fluoride-in-drinking-water-may-trigger-depression-and-weight-gain-warn-scientists.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/whats-behind-the-secret-e_b_2915186.html. Hormones and thyroid disease. http://hypothyroidmom.com/progesterone-thyroid-a-hormonal-connection-essential-for-optimal-womens-health/ It is a real travesty for the untreated walking wounded. I recently met someone who initially complained of inflammation of the the joints, so this is the root the medics have gone down, but on speaking further for years she has suffered many other thyroid symptoms but has been told time and time again her thyroid is fine. She knows it is not. So next time a person in authority tells you your results are normal, but you still feel bad seek help from elsewhere, perhaps with us. http://hypothyroidmom.com/when-thyroid-disease-masquerades-as-psychiatric-disorder/ The secret to getting ahead is getting started – Mark Twain
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Butterflies and SSRI’s
GUT FEELINGS Have you ever wondered about the sensation of butterflies in your stomach when you are worried or anxious about something? That you may have to run to the toilet when you are upset? When you are feeling uptight your digestion shuts down and you experience bloating and indigestion? Your thoughts affect your gut and your gut status effects your mental health. Around 70% of your immune system is found in your gut and now it has been shown to have the greatest concentration of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, and not the brain as we have been lead to believe. The gut has for some time now been called the ‘second brain’ because while it talks to the brain, it also has the ability to act independently and influence behavior. The vagus nerve, sometimes know as the ‘wandering nerve’, which extends from the brainstem to the abdomen by way of multiple organs including the heart, esophagus, and lungs sends message upstream from the gut to the brain as well as travelling downstream through the vagus nerve from your conscious mind (via efferent nerves), alerting your organs to create an inner peace so you can rest and heal during times of safety, or prepare your body for fight-or-flight in threatening situations. “The notion that the state of our gut governs our state of mind dates back more than 100 years. Many 19th- and early 20th-century scientists believed that accumulating wastes in the colon triggered a state of “auto-intoxication,” whereby poisons emanating from the gut produced infections that were in turn linked with depression, anxiety and psychosis. Patients were treated with colonic purges and even bowel surgeries until these practices were dismissed as quackery.” – Scientific American Many research papers are now pointing to the fact that probiotics are showing positive results in those suffering with anxiety and depression. Optibac ‘for everyday’ probiotics contains 2 specific bacteria strains proven to help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. ANTIDEPRESSANTS With studies now showing that those with anxiety and depression actually have HIGH serotonin and not low are SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) such as Prozac, Citalopram, Xanax etc the answer? SSRI’s work by preventing the reuptake (movement back into the nerve endings) of serotonin. This makes more serotonin available for use in your brain, which is thought to improve your mood. SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are believed to ease depression by enhancing levels of Serotonin to the brain. With 95% of the Serotonin in the body living in the digestive system, diverting Serotonin from their natural receptors to the brain can increase anxiety, alter sleep patterns, cause sexual dysfunction and adversely affect the cardiovascular region. Balancing Serotonin production in the gut is vital to restoring the balance. The chemical imbalance theory was never proven and in 1983 the National Institute of mental health concluded there was NO evidence that there is anything wrong in the serotonergic system of depressed patients. Much research has taken place since and last September, the National Institute of Mental Health awarded four grants worth up to $1 million each to spur new research on the gut microbiome’s role in mental disorders, affirming the legitimacy of a field that had long struggled to attract serious scientific credibility. Balance Emotional Health Through Nutrition Ensure you get enough sun and if this is impossible supplement with Vitamin D until your levels are adequate. Eat good quality saturated fat. Butter from grass fed cows, coconut oil, olive oil. Eat fermented foods like Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kombucha etc. Take a good quality probiotic like Optibac shown to help anxiety. Probiotics are carefully prepared friendly bacteria that replenish the microbial balance. Use good quality unrefined salt. Walk daily, being mindful and taking in your surroundings. Practice appreciation and gratitude. Consider magnesium. Studies show that low serum magnesium levels were associated with depressive symptoms. under par. Studies show that St. John’s wort can be as effective as antidepressants in treating mild to moderate depression. Consider the bitter herb Andrographis for gut dysbiosis. – a new way of thinking, a new way of life STUDIES AND RESEARCH PAPERS Psychobiotics Too much serotonin Can the bacteria in your gut explain your mood Rhodiola for mild to moderate depression Serotonin, depression and aggression
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The Nocebo Effect
The Nocebo effect – “a detrimental effect on health produced by psychological or psychosomatic factors such as negative expectations of treatment or prognosis.“ You hear time and again that people do as they are told by someone in a white coat or a person in authority even as much as dying on the foresaid day. Hope seems to be going out of the window. How the “Nocebo Effect” Can Trick Us Into Actually Dying Hope When All Else Fails Epigenetics is the science of how your genes are INFLUENCED by thought, nutrition, exercise, attitude and your environment. In the amazing book The Biology of Belief, Dr Bruce Lipton explains how his research revealed the science of epigenetics. “I placed one stem cell into a culture dish, and it divided every ten hours. After two weeks, there were thousands of cells in the dish, and they were all genetically identical, having been derived from the same parent cell. I divided the cell population and inoculated them in three different culture dishes. “Next, I manipulated the culture medium—the cell’s equivalent of the environment—in each dish. In one dish, the cells became bone, in another, muscle, and in the last dish, fat. This demonstrated that the genes didn’t determine the fate of the cells because they all had the exact same genes. The environment determined the fate of the cells, not the genetic pattern. So if cells are in a healthy environment, they are healthy. If they’re in an unhealthy environment, they get sick.” Dr. Lipton then took this a step further, which brings us back to the cancer question. “Here’s the connection: With fifty trillion cells in your body, the human body is the equivalent of a skin-covered petri dish. Moving your body from one environment to another alters the composition of the ‘culture medium,’ the blood. The chemistry of the body’s culture medium determines the nature of the cell’s environment within you. The blood’s chemistry is largely impacted by the chemicals emitted from your brain. Brain chemistry adjusts the composition of the blood based upon your perceptions of life. So this means that your perception of any given thing, at any given moment, can influence the brain chemistry, which, in turn, affects the environment where your cells reside and controls their fate. In other words, your thoughts and perceptions have a direct and overwhelmingly significant effect on cells.” Your thoughts matter What you eat matters How you move matters Who you spend time with matters How you sleep matters How much sunlight you get matters What you believe, really matters In this wonderful true story Stamatis Moraitis didn’t succumb to the “Nocebo Effect” after a terminal cancer diagnoses advised he had months to live, instead he lived till he was 102! Read his story below. How a Man Forgot to Die
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What if its your Thyroid?
Is thyroid disease one of the most under-diagnosed, mistreated and untreated diseases? We see many people in practice suffering from what they believe may be an isolated condition ie chronic inflammation in the joints, only to discover it as a symptom of thyroid disease. I do wonder often when women present themselves as chronically down, tired, apathetic, unenthusiastic and sluggish if it is really an undiagnosed thyroid condition. Life is too short to be just ‘existing’, believing that is just the way things are.. We should be vital, enthusiastic about life and able to feel joy and excitement. If that is not the case it is easy to think ‘it’s just me’ or ‘I have always felt like this’ or even to be told by your GP that there ‘is nothing wrong with you’. I believe change and feeling alive and well is possible. Sometimes you have to look elsewhere. Are you suffering with Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, aggression, bipolar, OCD, phobias, acheing joints, inflammation, thinning hair, constipation, loss of third end of eyebrow, unable to lose weight, sluggish, feel cold all the time, carpal tunnel syndrome, digestive issues, hormonal problems, infertility, miscarriages, fatigue and exhaustion. Every cell of the body requires thyroid hormone for proper functioning, so symptoms of hypothyroidism can result in every part of the body. Research reveals hypothyroidism is linked to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, issues with the liver, kidneys, gall bladder, mental health, pregnancy complications, and more. Check your temp here http://www.functionalps.com/blog/2012/11/19/temperature-and-pulse-basics-monthly-log/ The following sites may be of help http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic/ http://warddeanmd.com/hypothyroidism-the-underdiagnosed-epidemic/ http://hypothyroidmom.com/ http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/ https://www.facebook.com/thyroidsexy http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon-350.htm http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ Unfortunately testing in this country under the NHS is inadequate. Private testing will show a full picture, though symptoms in themselves are very revealing. At Botanica our dedicated practitioner’s can arrange private testing if it is required for you. We can also advise you on diet and prescribe herbal medicine and other medications where appropriate. We find ReMag, ReLyte and Ashwaganda beneficial to support thyroid health. Being wheat free and adding in healthy fats to your diet will be hugely beneficial. A high quality B Complex and C is also suggested.
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The Astounding Benefits of Honeysuckle Tea
I have to admit until a few months ago I hadn’t thought or heard of Honeysuckle Tea until a lady asked me if we stocked it. I put my detective cap on and started an investigation. I found articles in The Times and The Telegraph with intriguing studies of its ability to fight flu, but even more excitingly, the Ebola virus, but stating it was impossible to find this tea here in the UK. After some phone calls we found a supplier who said he was baffled as his sales had soared. Honeysuckle tea has been touted as ‘viral penicillin’. A study done at Nangjiang University in China showed that mice, which absorbed a molecule from the plant, were shown to suppress flu. Until recently antibiotics were the preferred magic bullet for many infections and although still necessary for more serious illnesses, nature provides us with many powerful alternatives including Honeysuckle. This has been used by the Chinese for hundreds of years to specifically ward off the flu. A recent study which was published in Cell Research, has also shown that it may work against the Ebola virus. Herbalists use Honeysuckle for its many properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and it’s calming qualities. Prevention against viruses is key. Here are my top tips for keeping your immunity strong and vital: Stay emotionally well – appreciation being the most positive emotion Monitor your stress, take time out each day to nurture yourself Walk daily Eat nourishing foods Spend time with friends and family (only if you like your family;-)) Take a daily probiotic, a healthy gut makes for a healthy body, and a health body makes for a healthy mind “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude”. Dale Carnegie
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