Journal
Commit To Self-Care
“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.”– Parker Palmer Be kind to yourself. Commit to self-care. It is advice I often give in the clinic. Sometimes it is received with a slightly fazed expression, as though it may be the hardest thing to adopt. It is not selfish or indulgent to practice self care, but necessary, healing, freeing and enlightening. You may be surprised to hear that the NHS may soon be offering a pioneering treatment, Compassion Based Therapy which aims to make people be kinder to themselves. The human brain is wired to be soothed by care and compassion, we all desire to be loved and accepted. Part of the therapy involves taming your inner critic, learning to slow down your breathing, which is often short and shallow when one is anxious, and to bring compassion out for oneself. Dr Heriot-Maitland, co-director of Balanced Minds in London says we can learn to ‘benignly parent ourselves’, in the same way a distressed baby can be calmed by a mother’s soothing tone. This therapy is based on sound evidence, including the attachment theory, that we are born with an instinct to seek closeness. Part of self-compassion is also actually about being your ‘true self’. How many relationships are you in where you feel the need to be someone else for fear of not being accepted, perhaps even ridiculed or hurt? Clarissa Pincola Estes says, “…to be ourselves causes us to be exiled by many others, and yet to comply with what others want causes us to be exiled from ourselves.” Integration is an important part of life and something we all have to do. We have to live in harmony, sometimes with those we don’t perhaps naturally harmonise with, but we can learn from these relationships and perhaps see the good in those who challenge us. It is incredibly healing to be around people who are on the same wavelength. Your soul family. People who get, understand, empathise and love you for who you are. We bond with those who are caring and compassionate. When emotional self healing takes place and you start to honour yourself, honour for others follows. Be brave and be bold. Be yourself. Commit to self-care. ” There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself.” Brian Andreas
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Easy Raw Breakfast
Breakfast can be tricky. Sometimes you just don’t know what to have and in these situations it is easy to make an unhealthy choice. The body has been without fuel for perhaps 12 hours and I still believe breakfast to be one of the most important meals of the day. Children especially often go to school on empty calories in the form of a cereal. Many children love this breakfast and it can be adapted to suit their tastes. They particularly like it with bananas and strawberries. You can also add some Greek yoghurt. This breakfast is a powerhouse of enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Easy to make, you will feel virtuous for the rest of the day. GET THE EQUIPMENT This multi chopper is one of my most used kitchen gadgets. It is easy to clean, durable and fast.Perfect for this Easy Raw Power Breakfast, our famous Garlic, Chilli and Ginger Special and the seasonal Wild Garlic Pesto. GET THE INGREDIENTS Store cupboard Flax seeds or chia seeds Walnuts/almonds/brazil nuts Sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds Desiccated coconut Coconut oil Prunes/sultanas/dates/raisins Honey (raw if preferable) Fresh Milk variation (not soya), kefir or apple juice Apples/pears/bananas/raspberries/blueberries/strawberries/blackcurrants/blackberries THE RECIPE – serves a very hungry person The night before ….. In your mini chopper add 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds 3 Brazil nuts (your daily RDA of selenium) 2 tablespoons of walnuts 1 tablespoon of almonds 1 tablespoon of sultanas Cover with 200ml of liquid (measurements on side of chopper). I used 100ml kefir and 100ml of apple juice. Stir and leave over night. In the morning …… ADD 1 chopped apple 1 chopped banana 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (I like to melt mine) More liquid if required BLITZ Sprinkle with coconut flakes and drizzle with honey The variations are wide and you can mix and match to your taste.
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Adaptability – the path to a happy life
The one trait that you may not realise can make you much happier is having the ability to adjust according to the given circumstance. Experts tell us it is vital for a satisfying life. “Our ability to have life satisfaction, to be happy [and] to have good relationships really depends on our ability to adapt,” says Guy Winch, Ph.D. a psychologist and author of “Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt and Other Everyday Psychological Injuries.” Everyone can learn to be adaptable. Adaptable people approach life differently People who are adaptable have coping mechanisms. What doesn’t bend breaks. Through the tough periods in life they will adopt new strategies and perhaps change their thinking. Adaptable people know their strengths We are all predisposed to certain character traits but the key is to play to your strengths, acknowledging where you have strength of character and where you don’t. This can serve you well. Adaptable people continue to refine and grow Life is all about growth. Being out of our comfort zone is empowering and emboldening. Discomfort isn’t always a bad thing! Adaptable people don’t wait for happiness It is not just about coping with the difficult times but seeking joy in simple things. Being appreciative about the current situation, adjusting to find meaning and joy in all life situations. “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – German proverb
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Do You Have Oestrogen Dominance?
It’s that time of the month, it’s a week or maybe 2 weeks before your period and you feel tearful, snappy, irritable and irrational. Your breasts feel swollen and tender, you are bloated and sluggish. Commonly known as PMT (Pre Menstrual Tension) the underlying cause of this common complaint is oestrogen dominance. There is an epidemic of women suffering from oestrogen dominance, or hormone imbalance, which refers to having an excess of oestrogen in certain tissues in the body in relation to progesterone. Feeling irrational and unstable is just one of the many symptoms you may experience when your hormones are out of whack. What are the symptoms of oestrogen dominance? Mood swings Breast tenderness Low thyroid Weight gain Infertility Depression Insomnia Constipation Excessive periods Scanty or missed periods Night sweats Fibrocystic breasts Uterine fibroids Fatigue What causes oestrogen dominance and how to correct it Poor Liver Health Oestrogen dominance is often caused by poor metabolism and poor detoxification of this hormone by the liver. A sluggish, malnourished or stressed liver stops oestrogen being processed efficiently. If oestrogen can’t be detoxified it recirculates causing a build up. Nourish your liver by consuming enough protein – eggs, dairy and gelatin. Consume simple sugars like ripe fruit, honey and root vegetables. Consider cleansing the liver with Milk Thistle, Dandelion and B vitamins to keep the liver healthy and optimal. We also have a high quality Milk Thistle tincture in the clinic available from my father’s herbal practice. A sluggish Bowel Constipation and poor elimination can cause an oestrogen build up in the colon allowing it to become reabsorbed in to the bloodstream. Bottom line – keep your bowels moving! To promote regular bowel movements include a daily grated organic raw carrot, soaked flax seeds and stewed or tinned prunes. Triphala is ideal for constipation. Intestinal Dysbiosis (Microbial gut imbalance) A gut flora imbalance, due to overuse of antibiotics, stress, allergies, leaky gut etc can also cause oestrogen to be reabsorbed. This is due to an an increase in the activity of the enzyme beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme disconnects estrogen from glucuronic acid. The result being that oestrogen is reabsorbed back into circulation. Andrographis, Probiotics and natural products including oregano oil, medicinal mushrooms, turmeric and garlic can all help improve gut health. Poor Hormone Production A poor diet can result in low progesterone leaving oestrogen unopposed. Vitamin A, cholesterol and T3 (thyroid hormone) help the body make progesterone. If you have low thyroid function, low progesterone can be a common cause of oestrogen dominance. Consume organic liver once a week, butter from pasture raised cattle and protein including eggs and dairy (if dairy is tolerated). Ensure adequate sunlight to help hormone synthesis. Reduce consumption of polyunsaturated fats, especially vegetable cooking oils and spreads. Chronic Stress Progesterone decreases when the stress hormone cortisol rises to help you survive the stressful situation. This in turn causes oestrogen to be a dominant hormone. Walk daily, keep a journal, ensure you have quality sleep, spend time in healing company, take time out to nurture yourself. Support your system with adaptogens including Ashwagandha, ReMag, Holy Basil. Birth Control pills and Hormone Replacement Therapy Synthetic oestrogens just add to the oestrogen burden ……… Xenoestrogens These are man-made chemicals that mimic oestrogen and cause hormone and endocrine distruption. They are commonly found in plastics (water bottles, food packaging etc), commercially raised meat and dairy products, fruit and vegetables that have been sprayed with insecticides and pesticides, toiletries and skin products that contain parabens and phenoxyethanol chemical compounds, bleached tampons, tumble dryer fragrance sheets, artificial sweeteners, additives and MSG. Xenoestrogens entering the skin are 100% absorbed by the body, going directly to tissue without passing through the liver for detoxification. These can be 10 times more potent than those consumed orally. Unwrap any plastic wrapped food and avoid cellophane wrap for storing consumables. Consume foods that have been ethically sourced, pasture fed and without the use of chemical sprays and hormone intervention. Use paraben free toiletries and cosmetics and non-bleached sanitary products. Commonly the contraceptive pill, HRT and antidepressants are offered to control oestrogen symptoms, but not only do these come with a sting in the tail they don’t address the root issue. The herb Agnus Castus (also known as Vitex or Chaste tree) is often prescribed to help balance hormones and can be purchased here. A dose of just 1ml taken in a mouthful of water on rising is recommended every morning. Results can often be seen within one or two cycles.
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Why I Will Never Consume Diet Soda
….. but occasionally enjoy a ‘full fat’ coke. A chance conversation with a lady struggling to sleep lead me to this blog. When she informed me her evening beverage of choice was Coke Zero I wondered could this be the issue? Much has been written about artificial sweeteners and the associated health issues and worryingly people are assuming that replacing sugar with a sweetener is a better choice. Not so. Aspartame, one of the ingredients in Coke Zero, is the number one source of side effect complaints to the FDA. It was actually denied approval for over 2o years because of flawed data, brain tumour findings in animal studies and lack of human studies proving its long term safety. Over 91 symptoms have been documented associated with its consumption, including – Migraines Irritability Weight gain Insomnia Vertigo Depression Numbness Fatigue Seizures Vision problems Tinnitus Aspartame has also been known to trigger or worsen health conditions such as – MS Epilepsy Chronic fatigue Alzheimer’s Brain tumours Fibromyalgia Parkinson’s disease Lymphoma Women who consume artificial sweeteners are more likely to gain weight. Unlike sugar, which signals to the body you have received enough calories, aspartame can actually leave you hungry and craving more. Most worryingly are the health concerns raised by airline pilots who suffered seizures in the cockpit. So if artificial sweeteners are neurotoxins, should we be drinking them? I certainly won’t, and avoid all drinks and foods with any artificial sweeteners. Look after your children – sugar free diluting juices, low sugar yoghurts, flavoured crisps, jelly, chewing gum, suspect all of these until you know otherwise. Developing brains are particularly susceptible to aspartame. Also look out for acesulfame potassium, neotame, saccharin and sucralose. The carcinogenic effects of aspartame The neurobehavioural effects of aspartame consumption
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The Happiness We Make By Sharing
What really is the meaning and meaningfulness of life? Are we here to be served or to provide service to others? Just recently I met a friend who has been absent from work for some months after a serious illness. I paid for our 2 cups of coffee and as we got up to leave she said “You know, I have been out with so many people for coffee since being ill and you have been the only one to offer to pay.” This small £2.40 gesture by me, meant more than I could ever have imagined to her. Jonathan Sacks in his book ‘To Heal a Fractured World”, tells of Moses Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbi’s of the Middle Ages. He rarely had time to take a meal, such was his service to others. When asked to define the task of a rabbi, he replied, “To redress the grievances of those who are abandoned and alone, to protect the dignity of the poor, and to save the oppressed from the hands of the oppressor.” Always in debt, he gave most of his money to the poor. Most movingly, in the winter he would leave the door to his wood store unlocked so that the poor could come and take fuel, without the embarrassment of having to ask. When we are unable to give money we should give time. For many of us it is a most valuable resource and possibly the hardest to give freely. Most of us are ‘time poor’ and I know that sometimes for me it is a sacrifice giving it up. Much research has been done on what makes for a happy life. When subjects were asked to choose one factor contributing to happiness, the only one not chosen was financial status. Studies have shown that those who own the most are only as happy as those who have the least, and only half as happy as those who are content with what they have. A sense of purpose, helping others and altruism have all been shown to provide the giver a more happy, satisfactory life. Human life comes with responsibility. The path of hedonism, pleasure seeking and materialism will never lead to a fulfulling life. All these bring temporary, fleeting pleasure. Happiness comes from living for certain values, acting on them, being part of a community, making a difference. To know that you lifted someone up, spent time with the lonely and oppressed and acted in grace is how we get close to the meaningfulness of life. These small gestures should be matters of every day life. “Yet there is one thing I have learned from the people I have met, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, it is that the meaningfulness of life lies not in what you take but in what you give”. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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The Healing Power of a Cat Purr
By Naomi Murray on January 13, 2017 Healing by Association “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” – Charles Dickens, Great Expectation We visit pet shops and animal sanctuaries, watch Lonely Planet and veterinary programmes because there is just something about animals. They soothe and comfort, demand little and offer unconditional love. Growing up we had a varied collection of pets: goats, pheasants, rabbits, cats, guinea pigs, gerbils and stick insects. In the summer we collected green beetles, newts and crabs and saved the odd mouse from the cat. We loved them all, creatures great and small. The healing power of animals is nothing new with studies dating back more than 3 decades showing that just stroking your pet can lower blood pressure. If you own an animal you will acknowledge that time spent with your treasured pet brings about a sense of calm and peace. Research also show that animals and their owners can become so in tune with each other that their heart beats become synchronised. But who would have thought that a cat purr could be healing. This vibrational almost hypnotising sound. There is an old veterinary saying, “If you put a cat and a bunch of broken bones in the same room, the bones will heal.” Is it true? The vibration of a cats purr can speed up healing, not just in other animals but humans too. The optimal frequency for bone stimulation is 50 hertz. The frequency of a cat purr falls between 25 and 50 hertz. More reason to hug a cat to aid in the healing of bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles, as well as providing pain relief. The sound of a cat purring can lower blood pressure Petting your purring cat lowers stress and promotes calmness Cat owners (or having other pets) lowers your risk catching of colds and flu Some individuals claim to relive their migraines just by lying next to their purring cat Science shows that vibrational stimulation not only relieves suffering in 82% of persons suffering from acute and chronic pain but also generates new tissue growth, improves local circulation and oxygenation and reduces swelling Research has shown that a cat’s purr, can decrease the symptoms of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease called dysponea, in both cats and humans If you own a cat you are 40% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease
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Magnesium is a Miracle Drug
‘When someone dies in front of you it can be a little unsettling. Thankfully, sometimes, all they need is a little extra magnesium.’ Magnesium is a Miracle Drug is a guest post by Dr Dan Keown, an A&E doctor with a degree in Chinese Medicine and acupuncture and author of the best selling book The Spark in the Machine. If you could have the perfect drug what would it be? The answer is that it would probably look a lot like marijuana – cheap; safe; effective; cures cancer; stops fits; and, arguably, the best recreational drug too – but magnesium would be up there. Magnesium is that fantastic metal that any student of chemistry can tell you burns with a pyrotechnic flare. Magnesium is also the chemical element at the centre of chlorophyll that gives green leaves their hue, and creates energy from sunlight. This is important when we understand the Chinese medicinal properties of magnesium. I first got interested in magnesium when I needed to give a talk as a junior doctor. I found a review article on it and was astounded by what I learnt. Firstly, industrialisation of our diets had led to increasing loss of micronutrients in our food and magnesium was one of the worst affected. This loss was then being reflected in a chronic deficiency in our bodies. The next fact was the most astounding though. When scientists looked at magnesium in the cells in our bodies (serum, or blood, levels are not an accurate reflection of body magnesium) they found a simple correlation between the severity of illness and magnesium status. In the general population just a few percent have magnesium deficiency, but within hospital inpatients it rises to 11%. As severity of illness increases so does the rate of deficiency and by the time a patient is in intensive care there is an over 60% chance they are magnesium deficient! Magnesium deficiency appears to be an independent marker of ill-health. Magnesium treatment appears to be one of the simplest and most wonderful treatments we have available as doctors. It has showed benefit in asthma, arrhythmias, stroke, myocardial infarction and eclampsia: all severe and potentially fatal conditions. I love magnesium and will find practically any excuse to give it to patients, one of those being tachyarrhthymias. Tachyarrhythmias (a quite wonderful word which means a fast abnormal heart rhythm) all universally respond beneficially to magnesium. It might be atrial fibrilliation; ventricular tachycardia; torsade de pointes; or even a Wolf-Parkinson-White; but they all have a a chance of being cardioverted with iv magnesium. So when the ward doctor suggested iv magnesium for the following rhythm I said… why not? Now, you don’t have to be a doctor to find the last part of this rhythm, the bit where it goes flat, to be rather alarming. The nonagenarian owner of this rhythm strip had woken in the morning to find that his head was ‘full of bees’ as he went to the toilet. There he had passed out and when the paramedics had arrived they were rather alarmed to find that his heart was fluctuating between going at 200bpm and then stopping… for quite a long time. The paramedics were excellent and had phoned the cardiology lab to say that they were bringing someone in for a pacemaker but were told to go to the Emergency Room instead. And so there I was with this charming and engaging man, who was telling me about the ‘bees’ in his head, feeling his pulse bounding against my finger like a metamphetamine addict at a rave when… He died. His body slumped back against the bed, and the wind of life moving his body simply disappeared. His heart had stopped and, instantaneously, so had every other function of his body. I talk about this effect in my book – The Spark In The Machine – and how it is proof that the Chinese concept that the Heart, and not the brain, is the centre of our being is correct. When the heart stops death is instantaneous, like turning a light off or extinguishing a flame. I looked up to see the rhythm strip as a flat line and for a moment I felt a sense of rising panic in my own body… “The first thing to do at a cardiac arrest is to take your own pulse” — 3rd Law of The House of God I calmed my own breath and waited for just a few seconds more and then, like a generator restarting the electricity in a house, his body reanimated back to life. He looked around apparently oblivious to his near death experience and said: ‘It’s a very strange sensation, these bees.’ and smiled at me. “Nurse, I think we need to put out a peri-arrest call!’ I said, my relief only matched by my urgency. Shortly afterwards one of the arriving team suggested the magnesium. The remarkable thing about the magnesium is that it completely controlled his rhythm. You give 2 grams through a vein and you give it over 20 minutes because otherwise it can cause hypotension. Magnesium works because essentially it is a calcium antagonist: calcium makes our bodies hard, not just our bones but also our arteries and our muscles. Magnesium forces calcium to flow out of the cells and softens everything. This is why it relaxes the muscles in our airways and helps asthma; in the heart it relaxes and calms the conduction system that uses calcium as it’s fuel; in the arteries it relaxes the muscle and drops the blood pressure. Simple Yin/Yang philosophy explained what was happening to his heart. The heart was beating far too fast (excess yang) and exhausting itself and so stopping (excess yang turning into yin). In the iconic TaoJiTu this process of excess Yang turning into yin is represented by the small circle of white within the black, and vica versa. This process would have inevitably led to what the Chinese call ‘yin and yang separating’ or death. Every doctor there was in agreement that a pacemaker was needed, but this is where the miracle of magnesium appeared. The magnesium stabilised and slowed down the heart and when it did this the heart no longer collapsed from exhaustion. The last I saw of him his heart was poodling along at a pleasant 80bpm and the bees had all gone. (If you want a little extra magnesium in your life I can recommend this. I’m not on commission but the owner’s a good friend)
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Hold 2017 in the palm of your hand
3 easy ways to improve your health in 2017 Every day, without any thought, the average person breathes in and out about 25,000 times. We are not conscious of this fact and yet science shows us that conscious deep breathing can boost immunity, ward off depression and anxiety, lower blood pressure and even help you lose weight. ‘Breath holding’ is common in our hectic lifestyles and natural deep breathing gives way to short, sharp, held breaths. Deep diaphragmatic breathing massages our internal vital organs, promotes deep inner peace, oxygenates the blood, energises the body and aids restful sleep. Try every morning before rising and before going to sleep breathing in for a count of 7 and out for a count 11, through the nose and allowing the abdomen to expand and relax. The vagus nerve, an integral part of the parasympathetic nervous system is the longest nerve in the body and you really need to know about it. Known also as the ‘wandering nerve’ it is critical for optimal health and key to how you ‘rest and digest’. It is rooted in the brain stem and wanders down to the lowest visceral of your abdomen touching all your major organs along the way, including the heart. It constantly sends messages upstream from the gut to the brain and vice versa and is why you may suffer from diarrhoea when experiencing a worrying thought and why poor gut health can cause depression. When people say ‘trust your gut’ this really is referring to trusting the vagus nerve. As shown in the anatomical drawing much of this nerve system is in the abdomen. The vagus nerve is the commander-in-chief and incredible recent research shows that if you have an active vagus nerve, cancer stage may no longer be important. It is vital for a long life. Healthy vagus nerve tone is indicated by a slight increase of heart rate when you inhale and a decrease of heart rate when you exhale. To activate the vagus nerve practice deep breathing as mentioned above, adopt daily physicality, laugh, foster loving kindness and embrace gratitude as a form of well-being. Foster positive emotions – curiosity, love, joy, contentment, wonder and excitement. Science tells us that cultivating just a modest amount of positive emotions can activate the vagus nerve and in turn improve health overall. Socrates said “wonder is the beginning of wisdom”. Somewhere along the traverses of life child-like wonder can disappear but it is such a wonderful habit to adopt, to see each new day through the eyes of your younger self. Fostering these emotions have a positive impact on physical health carrying messages to our vital organs from the Amygdala in the brain, the centre for emotional processing. The human body has an amazing capacity to regenerate and heal and the cultivation of the above healthy habits provide the ideal environment to begin the process. “To see a World in a Grain of SandAnd a Heaven in a Wild Flower,Hold Infinity in the palm of your handAnd Eternity in an hour.”― William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
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