Health and Well-Being

How many of us have gone on holiday and ended up getting a stomach bug or flu like symptoms?

Many things can affect our bodies, like the change of weather conditions, air conditioning, especially if you have it on throughout the night, lack of refrigerated foods, drinking water, parasites and other.

The only thing we can do is make sure that we prepare ourselves as best we can to make recovery time less, or if caught in time, you may nip it in the bud, like diarrhoea or flu.

I always take my supplements on holiday with me and an immune busting supplement called Beta Glucan.

Beta Glucan 1, 3 – 1, 6, as supplied by Native Elements, works with the body‘s first line of defence that consists primarily of key immune cells.

Several materials in nature contain Glucans, such as certain mushrooms and oats, but only Baker’s yeast contains the 1, 3/1, 6 linkage. Taking this during an onset of a sore throat, or a stomach bug, (as an example) has been known to shorten recovery time or stop it from becoming worse.

You can get a pill dispenser to last you one or two weeks to cover your vacation time, children can also be given one tablet (recommended age 5 and over). Capsules can even be split apart to make it easier for children to swallow.

Two may be taken if needed; this will depend on the severity of the cold or diarrhoea. I always recommend start with one first.

If the apartment where you are staying does have air conditioning, try to leave it on when you’re out and lower it on your return. If children or adults are asthmatic, I also would recommend not leaving it on at full blast during the night as this may trigger asthma and prevent a viral infection (in the chest).

From first hand experience I can say that it is very difficult.  It is quite annoying when you are out with friends having fun and they decide to go eat at a restaurant, and you are unsure if you are able to eat there, especially when you are hungry.  When they are taking orders around the table and they come to you, everyone is looking at you and you are taking your time because you are being careful and you ask the waiter, “Do you have anything gluten free?” Inevitably you start getting the comments from friends, the ones you have heard so many times that you are actually fed up of hearing, like “there’s always one.”

But it’s actually more than one. Coeliac disease affects one person in every thousand.  Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 45. As a naturopath I have seen children as young as five with this type of intolerance.

While restaurants are getting better catering to people with intolerances, they are still not quite there. They need to do a lot more to cater for those who suffer from intolerances.  Future Health Management maintains a list of restaurants in West London that cater for those who would like to know what restaurants they have available to them. For example, I find Butlers restaurant is pretty good when it comes to intolerances.

It’s not only about food intolerances either. I always ask for no MSG if we eat out at a Chinese restaurant, not because of I’m intolerant, but because i don’t want to put this into my body.

Going out to such a restaurant wouldn’t be a chore for you or the people you are with, in the sense that they would be thinking of you and the things that you could eat, and you would be thinking of them and the restaurant that they couldn’t go to because they don’t cater to your intolerance.

Restaurants are getting better but I still think they have a long way to go. We will get there in the end. In the meantime we can try to minimize our symptoms by working on the liver and excluding those foods that make us feel so ill.

Aluminium is an abundant metal and widely used in many of our products. Aluminium will accumulate in the kidneys, liver and other parts of our body.

Calcium is very important for women, especially when our hormones start to decrease and the menopause start to affect us. Aluminium competes with calcium for absorption and calcium is a very important mineral for our bones and it also interferes with other vital minerals such as phosphorous, zinc and selenium.

Metal toxicity can interfere with fertility and other health issues, such as hyperactivity, learning disorders in children and is linked to many other health issues. Pregnant women and those who are breast feeding their infants should try to avoid all sources.

We have aluminium in many products we use, such as our pots and pans, antacids that have aluminium hydroxide; these can cause disruptions to the digestive system. Glass would be a far better option to use. Other products that include aluminium are toothpastes, deodorants, aluminium coil (contraceptive), foil, juice boxes, kitchen utensils, beverage cans.

The following additives contain aluminium compounds: E173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556, and E559.

Iron is a good mineral to take in support of reducing the aluminium effects in the body. Those on low aluminium intake have been shown to suffer less from irritability, headaches and memory improvement likewise with concentration levels.

I have just recently read an article about a leakage happening at a water treatment works. Twenty-four years ago, one of the UK’s most notorious pollution disasters occurred. At a water treatment works on the edge of Bodmin Moor, 20 tons of aluminum sulphate leaked into the water supply serving the nearby town of Camelford. He believes Mrs. Cross death was affected by the consumption of this mineral.

But Prof Exley, a world-renowned expert on aluminum, hopes the inquest will do more than finally establish the truth about why Mrs. Cross died (he is convinced that aluminum from the drinking water played a role in her mental deterioration).

If you are interested in reading the full article posted on the telegraph you can cut and paste this link onto your browser.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9119528/Is-aluminium-really-a-silent-killer.html

If you a family of 3 or four, just how easy do you find putting yourself through a diet plan!

It can’t be easy making different food for yourself when you’re cooking different foods for your family. So why don’t you make your life easier? Or perhaps get the husband to join in with you so that you can both do the plan together.

You can try grilling more instead of frying foods, eat more stews and try to minimise the red meat intake as these meats are high in saturated fats.

Grill some fish and have it with some short grain brown rice and include some vegetables with it or a salad.

As for the kids, fish is good for them and contains good essential fats. Children are pretty flexible if they are taught to eat a variety of foods when they are small, which makes life a lot easier for the parents.

If the husband enjoys grilling on a sunny day, have some chicken or fish, and have this with a baked potato and salad. Most people enjoy baked potatoes including children.

Caesar salad is another good option, it contains chicken and salad, cheese, you can also include grilled peppers (try to minimising on the cheese when you’re on a diet). Drinking water is also very good for the entire family, if children find this hard, then add some fresh mint leaves, or do some juicing at home, this way the whole family will enjoy fresh pressed juices.

Juicing is also good as a cleanser, you can juice, celery, spinach and apple if you like beetroot this can also be included.

You can also try a small buffet, with salad, grilled meat, or wraps with vegetables, salads, rice, the variety is endless.

Try alternating between wheat free for all the family, including the kids. Kids love pasta, and this type is also good for you when trying to lose weight. So make it fun for all, food does not have to be boring when you’re trying to lose weight.

People tend to think that these are one of the same. Intolerance will happen over a course of time; normally those foods that we tend to eat a lot of like wheat and gluten.

Clients tend to experience different symptoms, more than likely there is bloating involved and discomfort, one may even experience an increase in clothes sizes. When you have food intolerance it will also cause other effects such as constipation, feeling sluggish and a decrease in concentration or even irritability. People with food intolerances may suffer from an impaired digestive system or other symptoms can be stomach cramps, or find it difficult digesting certain substances like lactose.

With food intolerance you may start experiencing symptoms several hours after you have ingested the substance and need to eat a larger amount to start a trigger. This condition is not life-threatening.

Let’s look at an allergy; the symptoms are totally different such as itching, tingling and immediate swelling of the mouth, lips or throat. Food culprits will be as we know peanuts, bee sting, fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts.

These reactions can be mild, but they can also sometimes be very serious. Allergies can affect different areas of the body at the same time. Common symptoms include itching inside the mouth, throat or ears, raised itchy skin rash, swelling of the face for example eyes, lips tongue and the roof of the mouth.

In the more serious conditions people can go into anaphylaxis shock and this can be life-threatening, in these cases you have to call emergency services or get immediate help or assistance. People can experience difficulty in breathing or swollen lips. The immune system treats protein in foods as a threat to the body, when in fact they should be harmless, releasing a number of chemicals that cause an allergic reaction, in other words the immune system’s body defences react against these proteins. These foods are shellfish, nuts, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, milk, and fresh fruit like apples, pears, kiwi and vegetables such as celery, carrots and parsnips. The most common type of food allergy is triggered by an antibody called immunoglobulin E IgE causing rapid symptoms when exposed to the food culprits.

When I qualified as a naturopath, I remember one of the questions I had in my exam was, in your opinion, what do you think the biggest breakthrough in medicine is? I had to say the discovery of the antibiotic by Alexander Fleming, although the discovery was found purely by chance, due to a contaminated Petri dish. The mold that had contaminated the dish turned out to contain powerful antibiotic called penicillin. This antibiotic will only get rid of harmful bacteria not a viral infection.

During winter our bodies are at their lowest, so I would say that many of us do catch some sort of viral infection, be it ears, throat, chest. I hate to say but people always go for the quick fix, even if that fix is not appropriate. The antibiotic should be taken when you have a bacterial infection not a viral infection. The only thing that the antibiotic will do is kill the good bacteria in the gut as well as the bad, eventually causing an imbalance in the gut, which then causes other health issues.

Often the GP will take a swab or a urine test to find out if you have any harmful bacteria. If you try to minimise taking antibiotics your immune system will response much better to infection. People often ask my opinion about taking these, and my response to them is these should be taken when needed. Our immune systems are very proactive and efficient in getting rid of viruses. When you feel run down make sure you get enough rest, eat well and try to limit anything in excess!

Viruses are also caught from others; make sure that you always wash your hands. You have to stop viruses from being able to reproduce and release new viruses into your body, or stop them from being able to get inside your cells in the first place.

There are many views on whether it is good to have plants in the room where ones sleep.

You should not have many plants overnight in a sick person’s room, because they absorb oxygen as well as provide it and give off C02.

I always think that a bed room should be well aired, as this is the room we tend to stay in the most. When we are sick with flu, the germs are floating around in the air. I also recommend not eating in your bedroom, food smells which linger in the room.

The bedroom should be a place where you can chill out and feel comfortable, obviously, some people do like to eat in their room, but from a health and hygienic point of view, I would recommend that you do the eating in the dining room; a room better suited for this purpose.

Some plants create small little midges which fly around and are very annoying. Plant pots can also become mossy which may create spores in the environment, and for those who have a weaker immune system, this may cause irritation in the bronchial. Orchids are also common breeding grounds for insects and grubs. This spread can be controlled by quarantining them for a few weeks and checking now and again for fungus or insects.

Moulds can also cause sinus congestion and body fatigue. Plants need to be well lit and well maintained.

I know artificial plants are not as nice as real ones, however, this is an option for those who want to place plants in their bedrooms, unless maintained by dusting, and this can also present other issues, as dust accumulates on the plant.

One important rule about the bedroom, this is your sanctuary, a place of rest, a place to retire of an evening…

The days leading up to your holiday are pretty exciting, especially if you are well overdue a good break. One thinks about all the things you have to prepare in case you forget something and when you are in a hurry, trust me, you will always forget to bring the camera or something important along.

The best thing that I would recommend to alleviate stress is to plan ahead, make sure you give yourself at least a couple of weeks to plan, make a list of things you need to bring with you. For women who like getting their hair colour done, try getting this done at least a week to four days before you leave and while you’re at it try a herbal tint. If you take supplements purchase a pill dispenser which you can buy at your local chemist. You don’t need anything big, a simple Monday to Sunday pill dispenser will suffice. Make sure you prepare all your supplements and divide them into each individual day, once done put them straight into your suitcase.

Speaking of your suitcase, again, don’t leave packing until the last moment, do it at least a few days in advance, this way any little thing like packing your supplements can go straight into your case. Organise your currency at least a week in advance, you may even find it beneficial to try and lower your credit card in order to use this as the main source of purchasing (to spend money), this may sometimes works out well with the exchange rate.

Also make sure you go on a good website to compare holiday insurance and its coverage. As for car hire, organise this a few months in advance (providing you know where you’re going). If you have dogs or animals organize the kennels with the same kind of lead time so you’re not disappointed should you not get a place for them; this can cause a lot of stress, especially if you don’t have anyone that can look after your animals while you’re on holiday.

If you travel to the continent take your European health cover card with you to cover you for any medical issues. Get a wallet especially for passports, European health card and currency and make sure you keep this with you at all times, perhaps in a zipped up pocket. If you have a very early plane to catch, lay out your travelling clothes the night before so that you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to wear.

If you have children, I would advise making sure that you pack your child’s medication, such as an inhaler. Take their supplements with you and as a precaution take children’s ibuprofen/paracetamol and pack it into a small first aid kit, this always comes in handy.

If you don’t like flying and get a bit nervous, I would suggest taking some B5 with you, this helps calm the adrenals. You can even take B5 a few weeks before you leave and drink some camomile or valerian tea which also helps you to relax.

Make sure you leave your house key and details with a trusted neighbour, ask them to take out your recycling and rubbish and generally keep an eye on your house.

If you plan a few months ahead, you should be well organised with practically no stress at all.