Myth:  all probiotics are the same

Myth:  too many probiotics are bad for you

Fact:  a healthy adult carries 1,5-2kg’s of friendly bacteria inside them; multiple strains

Fact:  there are more bacteria in and on us than actual body cells

Fact:  One cannot take too many probiotics.

Fact: there are hundreds of strains of probiotic, not all suitable for humans and not all viable for digestion and, as with many supplements, there are products on the shelves that are simply no good

Fact:  we destroy our natural flora by eating too much sugar, too many acid-forming flesh foods, drinking too much alcohol and succumbing to too much stress.

Fact:   The foods that can ADD to the probiotic environment in the gut are naturally fermented foods like naturally fermented sauerkraut, miso, kefir, and buttermilk.

Here, then, is the low-down on probiotics:

Walking into a store and asking for a probiotic is much like walking into a pet-shop and asking to buy a dog;  the sales-person needs to know what size, colour, sex, breed etc, and then you will both be on the same page.  Probiotics are much like this. There are strains for the bowel, for the small intestine, specific strains for diarhoea, other strains for spastic colon and yet other strains for vaginal balance.

A probiotic with integrity will always offer you this information on the label, and look something like this:  l. acidophilus. LA-5.  There you clearly have a ‘first name, a middle name and a surname’ and you can be assured that the probiotic is a human strain and well suited to the recommendation on the label.

If the label on the product tells you it contains 6g of the various listed probiotics, you are basically being hoodwinked.  In a lab that grows probiotic cultures, they work out how many million Colony Forming Units (CFU) weigh a gram.  This will differ not only from strain to strain, but also from batch to batch.  So the weight in grams is meaningless.  The CFU of mass-market probiotics are counted before the tabletting or capsuling process has begun.  These live CFU’s are taken from their container and processed through the machines into capsules which are then bottled and boxed.  Millions of CFU’s die int his process.  More die off in the time it takes for the product to move from the factory to a wholesaler, travel in a (hot) truck to a store’ s warehouse and eventually, by the time the product gets to the shelf, there are more dead cultures than living and you have a sub-therapeutic product i.e, there is not sufficient content to make a positive impact on your health.  Probiotics that are ethically manufactured count the CFU’s at the date of expiry (!) which means that when you buy a product from a health shop’s fridge that is a year from it’s expiry date you are getting hundreds of times MORE ingredient than is printed on the label.

This information leads to the most obvious and often-asked question – what about youghurt?  Well, check the ingredients on the yoghurt tub – are you given a ‘first name, middle name and surname’?  Are you told how many CFU’s are present?  Yoghurt generally has enough probiotic present for the yoghurt to digest itself.  Most of the CFU’s won’t survive exposure to the stomach acid.  If you are eating youghurt as a healthy food you still need to supplement probiotics if you get sick or if your digestion plays up.  Obviously sugar, artificial sweeteners and colourants in yoghurt detract from any benefit one might get from the probiotic cultures present.

During antibiotic therapy we are sometimes advised to take a probiotic supplement.  Even the most expensive, millions of CFU’s probiotic will fall prey to the absolute annihilation that antibiotics wreak on our systems.  Antibiotics have no means of distinguishing the bad bacteria from the good and simply kill them all, including any good bacteria we may ingest over this time.  The ONLY EXCEPTION to this is a product called Inteflora, which is not a true probiotic, but a specific strain of yeast that is a hardy, acid-resistant, temperature-tolerant microorganism that is not affected by anti-bacterial agents.  After the course of anti-biotics or after illness, running tummy, vomiting, stressful situations or if you have been away from home and exposed to different water and strange foods, this is the time to supplement with a good quality, high CFU, ethical probiotic.   

So, after all that, what do probiotics actually do?

• Probiotics aid digestion by breaking down proteins, starches and sugars and even dietary cholesterol
• Some of them synthesize all the B vitamins and vitamin K
• Probiotics control pathogenic (bad) bacteria and yeast growth in our intestines
• probiotics assist in many digestive disorders
• probiotics are beneficial to infants prone to diarrhoea and nappy rash
• Probiotics can stave off recurrent thrush and bladder infections.

And most importantly science has now proven that healthy gut flora is our first immune defense! http://www.efficientmicrobes.co.za/News.aspx?tid=21.    They play a vital role in the prevention or development of cancers, asthma, allergies, obesity, auto-immune diseases and even problems like ADHD, autism and depression.

It is therefore becoming increasingly clear that destroying your gut flora with poor diet and gratuitous anti-biotics is among the primary reasons for the increase in chronic and acute diseases worldwide. Foods that help to keep the environment healthy for probiotics to thrive include asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, oatmeal, red wine (in moderation), raw honey, pure Canadian maple syrup, and legumes.

Your body is made up of 10-trillion cells, but only 1 in 10 actually human – the rest are bacteria, fungi, viruses and your healh-giving microflora.  Food for thought?  (Mark Timon, MS Clinical Nutrition)[spoiler]

I’m in Pain…

OsteoArthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Gout?

[spoiler]Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis.  It occurs when too much uric acid builds up in the body;  The buildup of uric acid can lead to sharp uric acid crystal deposits in joints, often in the big toe.  How and why?  The body is attempting to:

1.  Dilute the Uric acid Crystals, and joint fluid is convenient and available and often the only fluid in an otherwise dehydrated body- that itself is a good reason to drink your 30mls of water/kg body weight/day.  And

2.  Get the uric acid crystals as far from your heart, lungs and brain as possible, and gravity assists the process – can’t get much further than the toes within the confines of the body!

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints.  In other words, it is wear-and-tear and will be prevalent on weight-bearing or often-used joints.   There’s no impact on the rest of the body other than what happens around the joints that are involved. OsteoArthritis can affect one  joint or many, and stiffness doesn’t usually last all day.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disease – there’s inflammation in the joints but also throughout the whole body. Inflammation in the tissues that surround and line a joint cause damage, and that inflammation itself can cause stiffness, pain, swelling and excessive fluid within the joint. People with rheumatoid arthritis have much more stiffness in their joints than somebody with osteoarthritis.

The systemic nature of the RA causes inflammation that can create fatigue, weakness, anemia and other sorts of things that make the patients feel ill beyond just what’s going on in their joints.

Of  critical importance is the fact  inflammation that involves the whole body has very important implications for the overall health of people with rheumatoid arthritis - Inflammation actually drives a lot of cardiovascular disease. So patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a much higher risk for having heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes and aggressive treatment of the arthritis can actually reduce those risks.  Make sure your usual blood tests include a test for C-Reactive Protein - an inflammation marker

Studies have found an increased risk of bone loss and fracture in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. People with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk for osteoporosis for many reasons. To begin with, cortisone  medications often prescribed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can trigger significant bone loss. In addition, pain and loss of joint function caused by the disease can result in inactivity, further increasing osteoporosis risk. Studies also show that bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis may occur as a direct result of the disease. The bone loss is most pronounced in areas immediately surrounding the affected joints. Of concern is the fact that women, a group already at increased risk for osteoporosis, are two to three times more likely than men to have rheumatoid arthritis as well

Lets try treat it…

1.  Healthy lifestyle. Smoking is bad for bones as well as the heart and lungs. Women who smoke tend to go through menopause earlier, resulting in earlier reduction in levels of the bone-preserving hormone estrogen and triggering earlier bone loss. In addition, smokers absorb less calcium from their diets. Alcohol also can have a negative effect on bone health. Those who drink heavily are more prone to bone loss and fracture, because of both poor nutrition and increased risk of falling.  Those with diets high in animal proteins (meat, fish, chicken, eggs and dairy) have more acidic bodies, and calcium is often leached from the bones as an ‘antacid’.  So a predominantly vegetarian diet, with a percentage of raw food is definitely on the cards.

2.  Nutrition. A well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important for healthy bones. Good sources of calcium include dark green, leafy vegetables, oily fish (with the bones), nuts and seeds . Supplements can help ensure that you get adequate amounts of calcium each day.   It’s important to note here that all calcium supplements are NOT created equal – calcium Carbonate is very poorly absorbed, while calcium Chelates are very well absorbed.  It is now medically accepted that women who age on Calcium Carbonates end up with bones and hard arteries; this is known as the Calcium Paradox, so read your labels and know your products.  the onus is on us – Our Health is Our responsibility.

Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and bone health. Food sources of vitamin D include egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver. Many people, especially those who are older, may need vitamin D supplements to achieve the recommended intake of 600 to 800 IU (International Units) each day.  20 Minutes of early-morning sun on 1/3 of your skin as a healthy way of increasing Vitamin D

3.  Exercise. Like muscle, bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. The best activity for your bones is weight-bearing exercise that forces you to work against gravity. Some examples include walking, climbing stairs, weight training, and dancing.

Exercising can be challenging for people with rheumatoid arthritis, and it needs to be balanced with rest when the disease is active. However, regular exercise, such as walking, can help prevent bone loss and, by enhancing balance and flexibility, can reduce the likelihood of falling and breaking a bone. Exercise is also important for preserving joint mobility in patients with Osteo Arthritis

4.  Shrink your waist size. Take a tape measure and measure your waist, right around the point of your bellybutton. If you’re a woman with a waist measurement of over 89cm or a man with a waist of over 102cm, you probably have high inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist by reducing your portions and increasing activity can go a long way toward solving that problem.

5. Get enough sleep. A new study  shows that elderly people with high blood pressure who sleep less than 7.5 hours a night have dramatically elevated chances of having a stroke or heart attack or suffering sudden cardiac death. Other research has shown that too little sleep (less than six hours) or too much (more than eight hours) results in more inflammation.  Most adults need between seven and eight hours of shut-eye a night.

6.  Supplemental Medication. Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis have no cure. However, supplements are available to prevent and treat.

• Omega 3 Fish Oil is naturally anti-inflammatory and lubricating to Joints.  Ensure your product is high in EPA and GLA, and that it is certified free of mercury
• Cherry Turmeric Complex from Solgar, with ginger, cayenne and Quercitin is a natural anti-inflammatory with absolutely no tummy-distressing side-effects.
• MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin and don’t forget Collagen - type II  Hydrolysed Collagen makes up 50% of all cartilage protein, so it makes no sense to use a Joint Supplement that does not contain Collagen.  A concise product is The Real Thing Joint Revolution, which contains all the relevant and neccesary Joint-building ingredients
• Other useful supplements include Heel Zeel, Tibb Rumaflam and Astaxanthin[spoiler]

Q:  IS OUR DIET REALLY IMPORTANT?

OUR GRANDPARENTS WERE NEVER ‘HEALTH CONSCIOUS’…

[spoiler]True!  Your Grandparents, and probably even your parents, were never fussed about what they ate and when they ate it. There is a ‘but’ here – your grandparents NEVER lived with your level of stress and your grandparents NEVER lived with the toxic levels of processed ‘food’ we are surrounded with today.  This older generation still had fresh milk delivered in a glass bottle and the veggie shop sold locally grown produce that was picked just a few days ago.  These options are no longer available to us today.

We must, by now, accept that modern food processing is moving faster than our bodies are adapting to it.  All the food allergies, intolerances, IBS, Spastic Colon, Diverticulitis, even the rise in cancer, diabetes, heart disease and arthritis can all be attributed to our modern diet and lifestyle.  This is the simple explanation; gut health 101…

When you are born, the 1st thing you do after you breathe is eat.  Your physical body is a food body.  You are literally, what you have eaten your whole life. Food is the foundation your future health is built on.  The symptoms we experience as adults are not from this past meal, or even this past year, but our entire history, including the years we thought we were 12-foot tall and bullet-proof.  We all did it.

And this is how it matters: the  inside of the small intestine is not smooth but very convoluted to increase the absorption area for food.  The lining of the intestine and it’s  finger-like villi is  only 1 cell layer thick (by contrast,  skin is 7 layers)  Lets assume for a minute that our digestion was perfect:  our well-chewed food would enter the stomach, be exposed to all the acid and enzymes required for good breakdown of food, and after about 20 minutes this bolus would leave the stomach and enter the duodenum, where gall is secreted to neutralise the stomach acid and break down the fats, and then the food, now called Chyme, begins it’s journey through the small intestine – It should take about 6 hours, during which time the vitamins, minerals, omegas, and aminos move through the single-layer wall and into the bloodstream to nourish our bodies.  The ‘left-overs’ move through into the large intestine to be prepared for elimination (which is another story entirely).

What if your digestion is NOT perfect?  Well, then, for the majority of us the picture is very different!  Many of us no longer have the correct Ph in the stomach, and we don’t chew well, and we eat and drink at the same time;  The food leaves the  stomach in a partially digested form, battles through the duodenum (and if you don’t have a gall bladder then your liver does this bit of the job over-and-above all it’s other work).  The Chyme in the small intestine is too thick, too much, the incorrect Ph and often contains partially digested food.  The 1st sign of deterioration is damaged villi, which decrease the absorption area, increasing the amount of chyme moving through, and making the picture look worse.                                                             The Chyme is now not moving efficiently through the small intestine, but slip-sliding over these smooth and damaged areas.  Bits of Chyme get lodged in the many nooks and crevices if the small intestine and, exactly like when we get a splinter in our skin, a little festering sore develops.  Because the intestine is only 1 layer, an untreated sore can easily cause a little hole to form, allowing the partially digested Chyme into the blood stream.  This is known as ‘leaky gut syndrome’ and is much more common than we are led to believe.       

This is the interesting part… now you have some bits of carrot or rice in your blood.  Not good for your body, as your blood travels everywhere!  Your body’s reaction is to mount a massive immune response to protect your organs, your brain, your eyes (!) from bits of food floating in your blood.  It’s exhausting to explain it, imagine how exhausting it is to live it!

The moral of the story is, as usual, at the end.  Now that you have your immune system fully occupied watching every mouthful of food you eat, who is on defense?  For example, Cancer cells, which could, ordinarily be destroyed in their infancy by a healthy immune system, are left ignored to flourish and grow! Parasites, yeast and many other degenerating and debilitating nasties all take advantage of the fact that the focus has shifted.  The property appears abandoned and squatters move in.  The security company is otherwise occupied.

It is so important to pay attention to your food.  Don’t eat food that bloats you or makes you feel unwell.  Stay away from known toxins like colourants, artificial sweeteners and synthetic and processed foods.  Read the labels, do the homework and ALWAYS err on the side of caution: when in doubt, leave it out.

But, I hear you ask, some things are genetic.  Yes I say, so, because my mom had high blood pressure, I’ll eat and drink and have high blood pressure too?  Surely it makes more sense to eat and drink as wisely as possible and minimise the impact of genetics? It is not a given that your genetic predisposition MUST become disease.  Eat Well, Rest, play and maintain a positive attitude.  Good Health is Within Your Reach[spoiler]

Q:  My doctor told me not to eat salt.  Can I eat Aromat?

A:  AARRGGHH!!! NoNONOnonono!    [spoiler]While Glutamate is a natural amino acid found in foods containing protein, like milk, mushrooms and fish,  Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is manufactured with only the sodium salt of glutamate.  It is designed to be a flavor enhancer and is found in many foods.  Often labels claiming ‘No Added MSG’ means none was poured into the finished product, but it doesn’t preclude that fact that it may have been processed into the product.  Semantics, but be careful.  Msg can  cause diabetes, adrenal gland malfunction, seizures, high blood pressure, excessive weight gain, stroke and other health problems. If you eat MSG and experience any of these conditions, then you need to immediately eliminate MSG from your diet.  Generally, foods to avoid are :  Aromat, instant noodles, soups and products like this, that you simply add water to and eat.  Most convenience foods that claim to be low in salt are high in Msg, as it a powerful flavour enhancer.  So, what to eat and what to avoid?  http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm.  Generally, keep it green and clean, choosing G-d’s food over man’s food whenever possible

(Guest Column by Dr Ahmed Haffejie)
I’m going to tell you a secret – something that the smartest, most cutting-edge health professionals all know and have been talking about among themselves for a very long time.

This information isn’t widely known or accepted yet, but it will be – at which point we will all be shaking our heads looking back on this period in medical history and saying “What were we thinking?”

High cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease.

Yes, you read that right, and before you recover completely, consider this: half the people with heart disease have “normal” cholesterol and half the people with elevated cholesterol are healthy as a horse.

Most studies have found that for women, high cholesterol is not a risk factor for heart disease at all – in fact, the death rate for women is five times higher in those with very low cholesterol.

In a Canadian study that followed 5 000 healthy middle-aged men for 12 years, they found that high cholesterol was not associated with heart disease at all. And in another study done at the University Hospital in Toronto that looked at cholesterol levels in 120 men that previously had heart attacks, they found that just as many men that had second heart attacks had low cholesterol levels as those that had high.

Yet talk to people about living longer and living free from heart disease (or any of the other conditions that rob us of life and vitality) and you’ll invariably hear someone say, “Yup, gotta do something about my cholesterol”.

Why are we so darn worried about cholesterol when it has practically nothing to do with living long and living well?

Well, for one thing, it’s easy to measure. For another, lowering it is an extraordinarily profitable business. Zocor and Lipitor, two cholesterol-lowering drugs, are in the top 10 best-selling drugs and bring in over R200-billion a year for their makers.

And for a third, the idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease is so embedded in our national consciousness that to dislodge it, even with the considerable amount of emerging scientific evidence that the cholesterol hypothesis is simply wrong, would be a massive undertaking. Heck, we’re still buying “low-fat” treats and margarine based on information that’s been out of date for 10 years.

So, if not cholesterol, what should we be paying attention to if we want to live longer and live healthier?

I’ve identified four major things that age the body and rob us of vitality. They are so insidious and so systemic that I’ve named them “The Four Horsemen of Aging”:

1. Inflammation
2. Oxidation
3. Sugar
4. Stress

Inflammation, oxidation, sugar and stress will kill you. Cholesterol won’t.

Inflammation is a silent killer, a contributor to every major degenerative disease from Alzheimer’s to diabetes, from heart disease to cancer. It comes in two flavors – chronic and acute. Acute inflammation is the one we’re all familiar with – it’s what you feel when you stub your toe, get a toothache, pull a muscle or have an allergy attack.

But chronic inflammation is the killer and it flies beneath the radar. It’s your body’s response to small but continuous insults like exposure to toxins, bad diet, stress, cigarettes and the like, and it causes damage to your vascular system.

In fact the body uses cholesterol to try to patch up that damage – so blaming cholesterol for the damage is like blaming a fire fighter for the fire!

We can do a great deal to fight inflammation by eating anti-inflammatory foods (fruits and vegetables abound with natural anti-inflammatories like quercetin and other flavonoids and by taking anti-inflammatory supplements.

Oxidation is another process that ages us.

Oxidation is what you see when apple slices left in the air turn brown; that happens inside our bodies every day, the result of attacks on our cells and DNA by rogue molecules called free radicals. Diets high in antioxidants go a long way towards fixing the damage.

Sugar- a risk factor for almost everything you don’t want to have causes something called glycation. which happens when excess sugar in the bloodstream “gums up the works.”

Sugar crosslinks on to protein in the blood, making it too sticky to pass through small capillaries. It’s one reason why diabetics often have amputations in the extremities like toes and feet, and problems in areas like the eyes and the kidneys which are served by small, narrow blood vessels.

High blood sugar is far more damaging to the body and to life than cholesterol. And it’s relatively easy to “fix”.

Finally, stress is one of the biggest killers on the planet, and, like sugar, far more of a danger to us than cholesterol ever was. Stress hormones age (and shrink) an important area of the brain called the hippocampus which is involved in memory and thinking.

Stress can exacerbate nearly any disease, not to mention that it can slow (or even prevent) recovery. And stress actually makes you fat – the major stress hormone, cortisol, causes the body to store weight around the middle.

In the “Blue Zones”- areas around the globe where people routinely live to 100 in extraordinary health with all their faculties intact – no one worries about their cholesterol or their saturated fat intake.

They don’t have to. Their lives have built in stress-reducers like extended families and community events; they eat natural, whole-food diets filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.

And their sugar intake is naturally low, so they don’t have to worry about it gumming up the works and destroying their health.

Aging may be inevitable, but unhealthy aging is not. If you know what to do you truly can have an extraordinary life well into your 9th and 10th decade, filled with vitality, joy and purpose.

Best of all, it’s not all that hard to do. The payoff is worth it. Just ask the people in the Blue Zones.

Dr A.M Haffejie MBBCh (Wits)ABAARM (American Board of Anti-ageing and Regenerative Medicine)

Your ‘digestive system’, starting with your mouth, is many metres long and it’s not an open pipe but a complex system of muscles, nerves, enzymes and hormones and works in a very orderly and specific way.  What you are, in fact experiencing, is the very normal response of eating triggering a bowel response.  Doesn’t it make sense that if you are shovelling it at one end that your body clears out the other end to prevent a backlog (Excuse the pun)?  When you eat ‘bad food’ or something very oily or spicy, this process is exaggerated by the body’s need to dump as much waste as possible to hurry the offending meal through without obstruction.  Even under these circumstances: “The time taken for food or other ingested objects to transit through the gastrointestinal tract varies depending on many factors, but roughly, it takes 2.5 to 3 hours after a meal for 50% of stomach contents to empty into the intestines and total emptying of the stomach takes 4 to 5 hours. Subsequently, 50% emptying of the small intestine takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Finally, transit through the colon takes 30 to 40 hours’ (Wikepedia).

However, if you suffer with IBS,  communication between the digestive system and the brain, damaged villi and gut spasms all conspire to form a mucous slide that can indeed allow your food to ‘go right through you’.  It is not a good place to be – it results in malabsorption and dehydration and is a situation which needs to be addressed with urgency

Wikipedia defines Nutrition (also called nourishment ) as the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life.  Some foods are almost devoid of nutrients, filling your tummy but leaving your body literally craving more food in an often vain effort to receive a few minerals, vitamins or amino acids.  Think of it this way: when a baby is born, the 1st thing they do after breathing is eating.  We have ‘food bodies’ and it stands to reason that good food makes healthy bodies and the opposite is also completely true!

At the moment the WatchWord is alkalinity.  Cancer, and in fact all disease, cannot flourish in an alkaline environment. It is one of the main jobs of the lungs and kidneys to ensure that Ph and electrolyte balance is maintained.  During a Sclerology session it is common to see lung and/or kidney distress in a body that is battling with Ph maintenance.

One of the symptoms of acidosis is when oxygen and calcium are lacking, preventing the body from defense against invading organisms. When the body is high in acid, it becomes a host for bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts and mold. Colds, flus and mucus love these conditions. A properly alkalized body contains high oxygen levels, which destroy diseases and unwanted organisms. People with more alkaline systems absorb up to 20 times more oxygen than those with high acidosis. You can test your pH levels by using test strips.

When the diet is too acidic, our bodies cannot keep up with the calcium buffering needed for health and we begin to pull calcium from our bones and teeth. With adequate calcium intake, our alkaline level goes up and acid levels go down. Acid is also stored in fat cells!  When the body is overly acidic, it first creates fat to protect itself from acid that could potentially seep into the organs causing health problems.

We can easily balance our pH by choosing a diet that is high in alkaline and low in acid-forming foods

Smoking, too much alcohol and not enough rest can also contribute to acid conditions.

Balanced exercise that you enjoy doing  maintains alkalinity.  However, if the body becomes stressed with over-exertion, it will create lactic acid, so be sure your exercise regimen is appropriate.

With an appropriate alkaline balance we maintain an appropriate level of healthy nutrients in the body that are fundamental in slowing down the disease and aging process.

Supplements to assist the lowering of Ph are Tones Platinum Calmag,  A. Vogel Alkaline Powder, and Solgar Digestive enzymes

We have been told by doctors to take 1000mg of Calcium per day.  What about other minerals we’ve heard about like Boron and Magnesium and vitamin D?

A:  if you are taking a calcium supplement please READ THE LABEL. Calcium Carbonate is BAD FOR YOU. It has NO benefit – in fact, older people who have been taking calcium carconate (and this includes Dolomite) supplements for years end up with hard arteries and soft bones. Ensure that your calcium supplement is a CHELATE, CITRATE or LACTATE. This falls firmly under my favourite saying of BUYER BEWARE!  You will need to take more bone-building minerals like magnesium, boron, zinc and vitamin D if you are taking a calcium carbonate because you are absorbing so little calcium from the product, but if you take a better form of calcium, if your diet is NOT high in dairy and if you are not osteoporotic, you can get the associated minerals from a pure and healthy diet.  Remember also that weight-bearing excercise is bone-building.  Remember that a poor diet contains elements that rob your body of precious calcium (and other minerals):  excessive tea, excessive dairy and meat, fizzy colddrinks, processed foods and sugar.  Calcium in foods: green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Q.  Michelle – can you help?
I am on Calcium and Potassium.  I need them to stop getting cramps and muscle spasms but have found that lately I have had to up my 2 per day to 3 per day.
Calcium  400 mg and Potassium – slow k.I also eat 2 bananas per day to help.
Am I taking too much? and can you give me something better instead of the calcium I am taking?

A.  You are taking the wrong FORM of the minerals.
1. the calcium in main stream  and supermarket brands is Calcium Carbonate and is very poorly absorbed, so your body may, at a push, be getting 40mg/tablet,  so changing that to a more absorbale calcium will help you a lot.
2. the potassium your medical aid pays for is a slow-release, which is a terrible thing to do to a mineral- minerals absorb at the very top of the digestive system so a slow release tab releases potassium in parts of your intestine that cannot absorb potassium and therefore most of the mineral is  wasted
3. it is extremely hot (in case you hadn’t noticed) and unless you are drinking about 2litres of healthful fluids everyday, chances are you are dehydrating and that is why your minerals are working less well.

Does that all make sense?

At first glance you may well appear fine..but what aren’t you saying?  How is your memory?  How is your sex drive?  Do you wake up with stiff joints?  Does your mouth taste like a bird cage?  Are you constipated? Are you irritable and moody? Do you need a midday nap? Do you battle to lose weight?  Do you suffer from headaches, muscle spasms and tics?  You ARE dehydrated!!A cup of coffee (for example) will produce a cup and a half of urine – coffee, tea, coldrinks and alcohol are diuretics; they make you wee.  The World Health Organisation stipulates 30ml of water/kg body weight/day. For a person of 70kg’s, that is 2.1 litres per day.  This is what your body requires to:  sweat, to manufacture mucous and digestive juices, make blood, lubricate joints and eyes, produce saliva, hydrate your muscles, including your heart, and feed your brain.  Proper hydration allows your body the correct blood volume, which stabilises your blood pressure and improves your sex life, among other things.  When our bodies are under-hydrated each of our cells becomes dry and shrivelled (ever seen a skin that’s been sun-damaged? Apply that to your insides!)  and unable to absorb the little that we do ingest.  It’s true that we stay alive and appear healthy, but generally, we have been dehydrated for so long we no longer realise that there is actually another way to feel.  When you undertake to make the change and begin increasing the amount of water you drink, the first thing that happens is that you wee all day..this is because your poor shrivelled up cells, like parched earth, are unable to absorb the water after all this time.  It takes at least a week of gradually increasing your fluids from 1 extra glass daily to the required 8 or 10 glasses for your body to be able to absorb and use the water.  Also, you increase the water intake but don’t stop the coffee and Coke, which – you guessed right- are diuretics and make you wee!  So, it’s a continuous but worthwhile endeavour to try every day to drink more water than coldrink; to replace some of your coffee with water and to feel as good as you can everyday.  Your body will thank you daily

Bladder infections are also known as cystitis, urethritis, and UTIs (urinary tract infections). When bacteria grow in the bladder, the resulting infection usually causes symptoms such as: a burning sensation when weeing, overwhelming urgency, frequent but minuscule urinations, incontinence, bloody urine, and pelvic pain. Sometimes,  bladder infections in older people can be  silent or symptomless for a long time.

Bacteria enter the bladder in three primary ways: when faeces are spread to the bladder opening (such as wiping from back to front), when the tube leading to the bladder is irritated or bruised (as from use of a diaphragm, pelvic surgery, or prolonged/vigorous vaginal penetration), or when there is an in-dwelling catheter.  The thinning and shrinking of reproductive and bladder tissues that may occur in the post- menopausal years contributes to bladder infections in older women, as does lessening of vaginal acidity.

• Head off that bladder infection by drinking a glass of cooled, boiled water hourly as soon as you feel the first urgency or burning. It is tempting to stint on drinking if you find yourself unexpectedly incontinent, but don’t. Bladder infections only make incontinence worse.
• Urine is ideally neutral to slightly acidic (pH 5.8–pH 7). Very acidic urine (below pH 5.5) encourages infections (this is why it is essential to be well hydrated, so that urine does not become concentrated.  You can easily tell how concentrated your urine is by the colour – urine should be the colour of a good white wine).  An established infection gives rise to alkaline urine (pH 7.5 or higher) which causes stinging and burning. Test your urine with pH paper at any time except first thing in the morning.  A pharmacy or clinic can do this for you, and DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE til you have tested the Ph.  Cranberry juice lowers pH; vitamin C raises it.
• Cranberries contain substances that kill bacteria and make your bladder wall so slippery that any escaping bacteria can’t latch on and thrive there. Unsweetened cranberry concentrate is the most effective form. (The sugar or corn syrup in cranberry cocktail-type juices and cran-apple juices can feed the infection.)
• Solgar’s Uva Ursi  is an old favorite for strengthening the bladder and ending chronic or silent bladder infections.
• An overgrowth of vaginal yeast may be irritating your bladder or urethra.  Probiotics will oust the yeast, return the Ph of the area to normal and strengthen the immune system.  Remember that sugar feeds yeast, so abstain from fruit juices and sugared cordials when fighting an infection.
• Women who wash their vulva with soap and water are four times more likely to get vaginal and bladder infections. Douches, face-cloths, sponges, bubblebaths, tampons, nylon underwear and pantyhose may also irritate the urethra and contribute to bladder infections.
• Known bladder irritants include: alcohol, black tea (as opposed to green tea; not tea without milk), coffee, sodas, citrus juices, chocolate, cayenne, and hot peppers. (A herbal tincture in an alcohol base won’t irritate the bladder if you take it diluted in a glass of water or a cup of herb tea, or add the tincture to boiling water to burn off the alcohol, then add cold water and drink.)
• Urinating after sex is essential! It flushes out bacteria and cuts down on UTIs. Urinating before love play increases your risk of a bladder infection.
•  Antibiotics are the standard medical treatment for  bladder infections. .But taking antibiotics frequently causes vaginal yeast overgrowth (which can lead to bladder infection). One specifically -Macrodantin — seems to cause microscopic scarring and ulceration of the bladder wall, precipitating other bladder complications.
• Pelvic floor exercises help prevent and relieve bladder infections too!  Any time during the day, practice squeezing the internal muscle as if cutting off urine flow (Kegel excercises). Also, after urinating, close your eyes, relax, breathe out, and see if you can squeeze out an extra few drops.
• Anion panty liners, with the magic green Anion strip, kill off bacteria at the entrance to the bladder and vagina and reduce discomfort almost immediately

Parasites and worms are a reality of life! Our Healthy bodies are exposed to them on a daily basis.. you may not have kids or pets but here’s the truth about intestinal worms: worms like tapeworm and pinworm live in your intestines and lay their eggs around the anus. Worm eggs are tiny and fall and fly and settle in towels, sheets, carpets, clothing etc. Worm eggs can lie dormant for more than 70 years (!) waiting for a host body. We can pick up parasite infestations from other peoples homes, walking barefoot in public places, touching things in the supermarket and other benign and normal day-to-day life events.The thing is to know. Parasites are everywhere and generally our immune systems deal with most of them fairly efficiently BUT, we need to de-worm and do parasite cleanses on a regular basis. If you live down here on the coast, or in a sub-tropical environment, every 6 months is optimum. If you live inland where it’s dry or cool then once a year is sufficient.Choose the best parasite cleanse you an afford and remember to do the whole family at once. Worm eggs fly and don’t die!!

Chia seeds are harvested from the Salvia hispanica plant, part of the Mint family. The seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and have versatile uses in the kitchen.

Chia seeds may be eaten raw or prepared in a number of dishes. Raw, they are an excellent source of dietary fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids.  Chia seeds have absolutely no taste whatsoever!
By weight, Chia contains more omega 3 than salmon, and it still tastes like whatever you want! Omega 3 oil is important in heart and cholesterol health. It’s also recently been targeted as a weight-loss helper.
In recent decades,Chia has seen a resurgence in popularity and has been hailed as a “super food” with many dietary benefits. It helps the body retain fluids and electrolytes, it forms a gel in the stomach that slows the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, and it helps build muscle and other tissues. Chia is a source of protein and boron, which aids in the absorption of calcium.

Chia seeds can be used to make a gel that one can substitute for oil or other fats in a variety of recipes. Chia gel can be added to any sauces, jellies, or baked goods, for example.  Making a batch of Chiagel is simple.. Chia seeds absorb nine times their weight in water, so use a ratio of nine parts water to one part chia seeds. Put the water in a sealable  bowl and slowly pour in the seeds while whisking with a wire whisk to prevent clumps. Let stand for a few minutes before whisking again, repeat this process once, then seal the bowl and store the gel in the refrigerator. It will last up to two weeks.

The ability to absorb water this way makesChiaseeds  the definitive hydrophilic colloid for the 21 century diet. Hydrophilic colloids, (a watery, gelatinous, glue-like substance) form the underlying elements of all living cells. They posses the property of readily taking up and giving off the substances essential to cell life.

Chia seeds can be successfully srouted and the sprouts  can be used in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes.

The Chia Seed is a dieter’s dream come true. The tiny, healthy seeds can be made to taste like whatever you want, and their unique gelling action keeps you feeling full for hours. Hunger is a main enemy of real weight loss, and you don’t want to fight it with jittery expensive pills.
When Chia seeds are exposed to water, they forms a coating of gel, increasing its size and weight. Since the gel made of water, it has no calories. It’s also difficult to remove from the seed, meaning that it helps your body think it is full, without adding calories!
Both the gelling action of the seed, and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber combine to slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars, and in so doing stabilise your blood sugar. If you eatchia with a meal, it will help you turn your food into constant, steady energy rather than a series of ups and downs that wear you out.
Each seed is coated with soluble fibers which aid its gelling action. The exterior of the seed is protected by insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber is unable to be digested (it does not contribute any calories, or break down) so instead, it helps keep food moving smoothly through the digestive process. Soluble fiber, and the gel coating of the seed keeps the colon hydrated and ensures the easy movement of food.
Chia is one of nature’s highest plant-based sources of complete protein. Usually protein from items like peanut butter
and some beans are incomplete, meaning you have to combine them with other foods to get the full benefit. Not Chia though, it’s protein is complete and able to raise your energy levels. The combination of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and blood-sugar balancing gel all work together to make sure you have steady, never jittery energy.

Chia gel can substitute for half the butter in most recipes! The food will bake the same and taste the
same (or better) from the addition of the chia gel. All you need to do is divide the amount of butter or oil in half, and then use the same amount of chia gel to fill in. The anti-oxidants in chia can even help keep the food tasting fresh longer. Everything from cookies to cakes to muffins, pancakes and waffles can be made with chia gel as your butter replacement.
Anti-oxidants have been in the news lately due to their super healthy benefits. You know that blueberries and several exotic fruits (that aren’t always in season) have them, but did you know that chia is extremely high in anti-oxidants too? These helpful substances are what makes theChia Seed stay fresh for so long.   At room temperature, they’ll stay fresh and ready to eat for over two whole years! And that’s all without a single chemical or preservative. This amazing ability is not found in other seeds like flax or sesame, because those seeds don’t have the same rich anti-oxidant content.

As a source of protein, the Chiais digested and absorbed very easily.  This results in rapid transport to the tissue and utilization by the cells.  This efficient assimilation makes the Chia very effective when rapid development of tissue takes place, primarily during growth periods if children and adolescents.  Also for the growth and regeneration of tissue during pregnancy and lactation, and this would also include regeneration of muscle tissue for conditioning, athletes, weight lifters, etc.

By weight, chia has more calcium than whole milk. It also has magnesium and boron, essential trace minerals used in the absorption of calcium and other vitamins. By balancing your vitamins and minerals with chia, you can curb cravings that might tempt you

Chia seeds do have some ‘side effects’ and caution should be exercised if:

you blood pressure is low

you are breastfeeding

you are doing anti-cancer protocols with B17

Chia seeds can be addictive and should not be eaten freely in copious quantities.  Also, like any plant, there are people who may be allergic and exhibit allergy symptoms when eating the seeds.  Obviously if this happens to you you should stop using them right away

Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that, when viewed under a microscope, is like miniscule shards of glass; it shreds any insect that walks on it – fleas, ants, lice etc.  It is so safe one could eat it for deworming. Though the South African Medicine Control Council has not approved it for internal use, it is used like this all over the world.  So you could treat your dogs’ flea infestation, your furniture and bedding and your child’s lice attack all with the same safe product!

…but then again it is medicine and not a sweet or a snack.  Being free of any flavourant or sweetener, the product tastes like what it is – oils pressed from the seeds of a Pine Tree.  It is so important to the healing process to take the oil in it’s liquid form.  To put it into a capsule  would take away from the oil’s supportive anti-inflammatory functions.  The healing properties of the oil work from the very top of the oesophagus, including the valve a the top of the tummy.  This very tender area suffers a lot of damage from years of heartburn and reflux. The human gastric mucosa is a thin and fragile membrane and prone to inflammation. This is particularly true of  most  people suffering from digestive conditions. The oil’s anti-inflammatory properties, in its liquid form, coats and strengths ALL the gastric mucosa, resulting in inflammation relief.  Once the oil is encapsulated it cannot coat the membranes until the capsule has dissolved.  The tummies we are dealing with here are less than healthy and a lot of them will not be able to digest the capsule in time to release the oil in the actual stomach- the capsule could leave the stomach in-tact, to dissolve lower down the digestive system, where it will still do some good, but not for heartburn and reflux.  Siberian Pine Nut Oil is a revolutionary product in the treatment of indigestion but Buyer Beware!  Stick to the original bottle with the grey label.  www.theotheroption.co.za

Take advantage of the free gift offer running in October and receive a free 4-dose pocket-pal so you can have the oil with you no matter where you are in your busy schedule.

I am often asked if there is a meal replacement to supplement a diet seemingly deficient in nutrients.

Sometimes, while we cannot order our dinner we have some control over breakfast or lunch.  While it is always easy to choose a pie or ready-cooked deli food, rather try choose  a salad or fruit  to include in these  meals.. While one can easily replace vitamins and minerals in a synthetic form, there is no substitute for the enzymes and fibre that one gets from raw food.  No meal replacement could be better than a fresh veggie salad or a fruit salad and youghurt, easily bought from Fruit and Veg City or even a Wimpy.

Remember this: supplements are generally desingned to maintain health and to support the body as it heals itself.  Herbals, vitamins and mineral supplements assisit us in our holistic approach to getting well and staying well, but we can never ‘out-medicate’ poor lifestyle choices.

There is a very nice ‘meal’ called Future Life, which you can buy  for around R30, which supplies your body with it’s daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and aminos, and it has the added benefit of being an immune booster.  Supplements like  BioStrath are grown as opposed to manufactured and, provided one adheres to the dosage, are extremely nourishing to people with dietary restrictions.  E.M. Probiotica is also a living food supplement, rebuilding the healthy gut flora neccesary to maintain good health.  A good quality digestive enzyme, like Solgar Digestive Enzymes or  Vegan Enzymes ensure that when you do eat nourishing food that your body is able to absorb the maximum number of ingredients from that meal to sustain your body’s functions.  A good multivitamin is a foundation to a good diet – working on the assumption that our food is fairly de-mineralised, and that we do the best we can with what we have, the multivitamin supplement is exactly that: a supplement to our diet, not a replacement for food we are not eating.  Ensure your multi has a good quantity of nutrients, as sub-therapeutic dosing is a waste of money.  I recommend Platinum Health Multis for Men and Women, Viridian High 5 Multi (for those of us with high levels of stress) and Vitality AminoSpan, a multi with aminos for extra strength and stamina

My son is 19 weeks old, i started feeding him cereal, apples and

cranberries cerelac stage one. He was fine for 4 days and then started
reacting to it by breaking out in wealts on his chin and neck, we were
told that most babies are allergic to cranberries. so we then gave him
a plain regular cerelac cereal and the same thing happened, so i then
gave him the cerelac maize cereal and the same thing happened again. how do I know if he is intollerant to wheat or gluten and what do I feed him?
Answer:This is what happened.. The baby ate something that he reacted to; this means the body has mounted a histamine reaction.  The little tummy and intestines become inflamed when the histamine levels rise.  You have to let the reaction subside totally before you can actually know what caused the problem.

Gluten is the ‘stickiness’ you feel in the grains you are accustomed to eating, specifically oats and wheat, though there is also gluten in rye.  So something can be wheat-free but still contain gluten, but if something is gluten-free it cannot contain wheat.  A person can be wheat-intolerant and still be able to eat oats, but if you are gluten intolerant you cannot eat oats, wheat or rye.  Intolerant is not the same as allergic: allergy reactions are usually very quick while intolerances take a few days to manifest.  Allergies cause reaction no matter how much of the allergen you are exposed to but sometimes intolerances have a quantity factor. For example, if youare allergic to peanuts, even something ‘safe’ that touched a peanut can close your throat instantaneously.  If you have an intolerance to nuts you may feel  bloated after eating them but if you ate a desert witha sprinkling of nuts after a big meal you would have no symptoms.

So, if the baby’s not starving please go back to formula only for as long as you can, about 7- 10 days.  Allow the tummy to calm down, the histamine levels to drop and the baby will recover.

Then plain rice porridge is the way to go.  It is gluten-free and wheat-free and is palatable for babies. If he refuses the rice then go for maize, which is also gluten-free.  Mix it with formula and nothing else.  Everything you add to the baby’s diet now must be done 1 at a time for a whole week to see if there’s a reaction.
You also don’t say what quantity you fed him? Day 1 of cereal is 1 tsp.  Increase to 2 tsp after 4 or 5 days only.  By the time he has 4 or 5 tsp of cereal you can add 1 tsp of veg.
For example, after 7 days of plain rice cereal you add 1 teaspoon of sweet potato. Give this mixture everyday for breakfast for 1 week (always add new food in the morning so if the baby grizzles you have the whole day to sort it out).

Week 2 cereal and pumpkin for breakfast.  Formula for the rest of the day.

Veg first, well cooked and well mashed.  Babies hate textures much more than they hate taste.  Sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, squash, butternut, avo.

Remember babies are not small adults.  Their digestive systems and livers are very immature.

Babies don’t have the same taste buds as we do.. they have no taste experience and will learn the tastes you teach them, so if something tastes horrible to you, let baby decide for himself if he likes it or not.

You can use tissue salt #8 if the baby is crampy and colicky.  Solgar Caricol in tiny quantities provides digestive enzymes to babies with  immature digestion

Register yourself with www.babycentre.co.uk.  They will provide you with step-by-step guidelines what to do and when to do it.

Good luck

Our Skin is so different in the winter!  It seems obvious, but skincare should vary with the seasons.  See our Skincare page for advice and tips on Winter Skin care

The first condition that may lead to symptoms of RLS is iron deficiency. The relationship between iron deficiency and RLS symptoms has been extensively studied. In several research studies, low iron levels have been found in the blood and spinal fluid of individuals suffering from RLS. The lower the iron levels, the worse the symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown that the iron content in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra is lower in those with RLS compared to normal individuals, which may contribute to the disorder. In addition, pathological studies have confirmed this change within the brain.It is therefore recommended that you have your serum ferritin level (a marker of iron stores) checked if you have symptoms of RLS. In addition, a trial of oral iron replacement if the levels are low should be undertaken. Even some individuals with normal levels respond positively to iron replacement.But don’t go rushing off to buy iron tablets from your pharmacy – Iron can be a dangerous supplement, hammering your liver and causing a myriad of problems, including constipation.   It’s important to raise dopamine levels in conjunction with the iron, using Theanine or Gaba, and Solgar’s Haematinic factor would be a good iron supplement to try.  Consult a health-care proffessional who understands your concerns and can guide and advise you accordingly

Everyone likes the idea of using herbal solutions instead of taking chemicals. But just because Kava is an herb, it does not necessarily make it safe.Most users will not consider researching side effects and dangers if they believe the product to be a natural remedy. This could be a huge mistake. Side Effects of Kava Herbal definitely need to be considered:Surprisingly Kava has more side effects over health benefits. Have a look at huge list of negative effects below.*Risk of liver damage which has resulted in the need for liver transplants for some users.
*Reduced protein levels
*Muscle weakness
*Respiratory problems
*Dizziness
*Damage to eyesight
*Dry skin
*Dilated pupils
*Dry mouth
*Headaches
*Stomach upset
Clearly the term “herbal” or “natural” doesn’t mean risk free. Like many other natural plants and herbs, there are many risk to health associated with Kava. Below is a cautioning onKava before the ban was finalalised – CAUTION: Kava is not the type of supplement, like vitamin C, that you take every day. At most use one capsule three times a week and take a full week off each month. In fact, it is preferable to use this herb no more than two times a week. Use on a daily basis may harm the liver in some individuals. In very rare cases, daily use can lead to severe liver harm that may result in total liver failure. Do not take a kava supplement if you are taking medications that can harm the liver, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or statin drugs for cholesterol such as Lipitor and Zocor. Do not take it if you are an alcohol drinker. Kava does not seem to influence serotonin levels to any significant degree. However, one should always be cautious when combining herbs and pharmaceutical drugs, such as SSRIs, and dosages should be kept as low as possible.Kava has been off  the market since the FDA banned it in 2002.  It is still available in South America; Kava Root (the only part of the plant that is used) is largely employed as a celebratory drink much in the same way that alcohol is used in the West

I have had so many questions about heartburn this week I have writen the whole story up on the advice page http://www.thegoodhealthshop.co.za/category/advice 

When the thyroid is overactive all the body’s processes speed up so one can experience symptoms of nervousness and irritability, feeling hot and perspiring constantly, insomnia and fatigue, increased frequency of bowel movement, decreased menstruation, hair and weight loss, change in skin thickness, rapid heartbeat, separation of the nail from the nail bed and in extreme cases, protruding eyeballs.The mechanism of an overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism is not known but is thought to be auto-immune.
Chronic infection or inflammation and certain prescription drugs can cause temporary hyperthyroidism.The pituitary gland, parathyroid gland and sex glands all work together and are influenced by thyroid function; if there is a problem in one place, they ay all be affected.Essential supplements include:  Therapeutic dose Multivitamin and mineral, omega 3, and vitamin c.Eat in abundance: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peaches, pears, spinach, turnip (these foods suppress thyroid function)Ensure sufficient water intake – at least 30ml/kg body weight/day but avoid reverse osmosis water

Can you tell me what you know about aspartame.  I have a friend who has been sick for about 6 weeks… nauseous all the time, just generally feeling lousy.  She has been on diet and so is taking lots of sugar-free colddrinks and sweeteners in her food and drinks.  She is starting to suspect that aspartame is the culprit and has now cut all those things out.  Advice please?My Answer: Who would think that food we eat every day, often in abundance, could be poison?
Your friend is on the right track, though.  Aspartame is a toxin.  She should avoid consumption.   Aspartame is an artificial sweetener containing phenylalanine. Found in almost all  diet drinks, fat-free sweetened yoghurts, sugar-free products and just about everything ‘sweet’ these days.Phenylalanine excites neurons in the brain to the point of cellular death. And an ongoing intake of aspartame can lead to severe discomfort, illness and in some cases, death.  Aspartame, acesulphame K, Saccharine and Sucralose are not toxins to be taken lightly.  And keep in mind that for adults, a can of Zero coldrink in realtion to our body weight is 10x greater than that of children, which makes the toxic load greater for small people.  Buyer beware!   Sometimes these toxic ingredients are hidden from us with E numbers, and aspartame is E951.  Just because food is  packaged and marketed as safe doesn’t mean it is.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again..our lifestyles have never been more toxic.  The onus is on us to know our ingredients and avoid toxins wherever possible.  Keep your ratio of G-d’s food to man’s food at 80-20

Children are not small adults (sounds pretty obvious?); children and babies metabolise in a different way to adults and their liver and digestive systems are ‘immature’. Children have huge nutritional requirements, seeing as they are growing bone, brain and muscle in an enormous way.Children body’s respond differently to toxins, especially when they are very young and ‘clean’. For example, putting a 340ml diet cold drink and it’s associated additives into a 75kg adult is completely different to putting 340ml’s into a 15kg body – the ratio of toxins is extreme in this case.Children need Omega 3 fats to nourish the brain and feed and grow the nervous system. Children require multi-vitamin supplementation for the same reason adults do- we just are not getting sufficient nutrition from our food. And children require deworming at least twice a year (and the whole family should undertake this together).Food allergies, obesity and behavioral problems are ever present in the children of today. Healthier lifestyle, good habits and effective supplementation can benefit growing children of all ages

Detoxing is a big issue today because we are bombarded daily with the news that our lifestyles are toxic.. insecticides, preservatives, colourants, alcohol, pollution, stress – all these things accumulate and we end up carrying an incredibly heavy toxic load.But we stay alive.Our bodies are masters of adaptation and protect us from our environments in hundreds of miraculous ways, and one of those ways is protection from the toxins we take in. The body ‘parcels’ up the toxins and stores them out of sight, where, even though they accumulate, they offer no immediate danger. Then, when we decide to ‘detox’ we mobilise all these toxins back into the bloodstream for elimination.Within a few hours we begin to feel headachey and fluey and we know that this is what it feels like to detox.WRONG! This is what it feels like to be poisoned! The released toxins are now coursing through your bloodstream, hammering every organ, muscle and nerve, unable to find an efficient exit channel and making you feel like a bus ran you over.An efficient detox does not feel like that. Your body is able to control the movement of toxins and more importantly, is able to eliminate what has been released in an efficient and timorous way.Please do not take detoxing lightly. Ensure you are in the best possible health before undergoing a detox. The weather should not be extreme. Complete an efficient parasite cleanse before attempting a detox.And consult a health-care professional who understands the intensity and complexity of detoxing before you begin so you are equipped with the tools to complete the detox in a healthy and balanced way

Healthy eating is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s true; but sadly, in the world we find ourselves, it’s not enough.If you were consuming 5-7 portions of organically-grown fruit and veg that had not been exposed to pesticides and radiation, which had not traveled hundreds of kilometers to get to your door and which you did not cook or refrigerate, you might stand a chance of aging well and staying healthy without supplemental help.But this is not our reality.Don’t worry! The secret is to do the best with what you have at your disposal, food-wise, and supplement with a good quality, high-dose multi-vitamin, providing your body and mind with a solid nutrient foundation on which to build good health.And remember, not all multivitamins are created equal. Dosages from vary from bare minimum to really therapeutic

Anxiety attacks are more frequent than you think – a lot of people don’t recognise them and even more troubling is that people prefer not to worry those around them and hide their symptoms until they can no longer be hidden. Anxiety attacks are not something a person can control; as with depression, one cannot ‘pull yourself together’.An important tool in treating anxiety is to keep the blood sugar well balanced – yo-yo blood sugar can trigger anxiety attacks and worsen existing ones, so eat regularly and well and ensure that you are well hydrated!  In many cases anxiety attacks are Inappropriate Adrenal Responses, and this tends to draw in your Insulin, messing with you blood-sugar and your digestion.There are reliable over-the counter ‘safe and healthy’ anxiety supplements, such as GABA, L-Theanine, Tones Eqilibrium and Rescue Selent Anxiety, to name a few.  However, of utmost importance is your B-Vitamins, the foundation of a healthy nervous system, and a foundation for other supplementation.  Different supplements have different reactions in different people and there’s no way to know what is going to work quickest in your particular case; instead of fiddling around and wasting time and money, not to mention frazzling your already-frazzled nerves, seek advise from a Homeopath for the best available remedy for your particular problem

It’s only natural for men of a certain age to be thinking ‘Prostrate’..The common thinking is that ‘if you can hear your urine hitting the water, don’t worry’.Very often the frequency of urination at night is not prostrate at all, but simple Body Mechanics – let  me explain what I mean..The days are very hot and very busy. you don’t drink much with all your running around. When you get home you have 2 cups of coffee, a glass of wine with your dinner and a coffee before bed. You Have deprived your body of desperately-needed fluids during the day when you are perspiring, breathing and functioning at your peak; then you have filled your tank with diuretic fluids – fluids that cause you to lose more than you take in (a cup of coffee will produce a cup-and-a-half of urine!), and you’ve filled your tank in the coolest part of the day.  Your body is chronically dry and under-hydrated and the night time fluids are of no benefit to it, and you are no longer sweating, so from 6pm to 6am, all you do is pee.Just like you cannot give a starving man a 3 course dinner, you cannot provide a dehydrated body with litres of fluid.  Learn to drink throughout the day, hydrating your body gently, thoroughly and continuously, slowing down the fluid intake as the day draws to a close. Ensure that the majority of your fluid intake is water. And then, if in a few weeks there is no change in the urine pattern, have the prostrate checked out.There are beautiful and natural supplements that specifically target the prostrate, like Saw, Palmetto, Opuntia, Lycopene and Zinc, all of which slow down the rate of swelling and deterioration

Kids’ hygiene in general may leave a bit to be desired, and they transfer germs at an alarming rate.. a runny nose is unsightly but it is the way the body was designed to work; mucous is produced to lubricate nasal passages and remove debris through the nostrils.  It’s only when we interfere with this process, drying up the mucous and preventing the natural healing that things go awry.  The body also uses the mucous to let the mom know what’s going on inside; clear mucous is good; yellow means germs are invading and steps need to be taken and green indicates a full on infection.  How will you read the signs if you suppress them all the time?Should you choose to visit your Doctor when your child or anyone in your family has The Flu,   Flu IS A VIRUS..  Antibiotics KILL BACTERIA.  The only time you need an Antibiotic for flu is if you have developed a secondary chest, sinus, tonsil or other infection.Taking an Antibiotic for the flu is taking a chemical drug you do not need, allowing it to annihilate the good bacteria that reside in the billions in your gut.  Besides all the digestive uses of healthy gut flora, they are also the building blocks of our immunity (strange but true!)  So a course of unnecessary antibiotics actually depletes you immune system and slows down your body’s ability to heal itself. Proceed with caution, but don’t be silly.. If you are more sick that just the flu, if you have a fever and malaise, or if you can’t ‘shake it off’ , an antibiotic is a good way to go, but remember to supplement your Flora, to rest and eat small meals.When your kids start with The snotty Nose, here are some simple steps to follow:1. minimise dairy intake: dairy thickens mucous and slows down drainage2. go slowly with sugar: sugar fuels the mucous factory (so things like yogurt, a combo of sugar and dairy will make your kid feel and sound worse.3.  Old fashioned steam works wonders to open a blocked nose.  Close the windows and steam up the bathroom and feed your infant in there.  Cool the water and bath your child in the steamed environment. Or just breathe it in over a bowl if you don’t have an Humidifier.4. big meals burden your system at a time when it needs energy for healing, so snacking through the day is preferable.5. Lots of fluids keep mucous thin and drainage more efficient; fluids also keep us well hydrated and minimise the impact of a fever.6. First aid for kids: try Doc Moriss’ Never ending snotty Nose, or Pegasus Mucodrainol.  treat a fever with Heel Engystol and calm the tots with Viburcol Suppositories.Hang in there -  little bodies heal fast and are very resilient

The simple answer is yes, but that’s where the simple part ends!Depression is as complicated and diverse as the people who suffer from it, so getting the right supplement is a complex issue.One should always start with the most obvious first – diet and lifestyle; are you well hydrated? Does your diet include raw veggies and fruit? Are you taking in too much sugar? are you eating regularly enough to stabilise your blood sugar?Having taken care of the basics, a good multivitamin and mineral and a good quality fish oil are essential to the health of the nervous system.Then  look at the cause of the depression – is it gone? will it ever be gone? is there stress involved? is it long-term? can you take steps to change things and regain control? is your situation making you ill?  All these things change the way the depression will be treated.So a good, ‘natural’ and drug-free way to treat depression would be:*a healthy balanced diet*moderate exercise*a strong, therapeutic multivitamin*a good quality fish oil*sound advice on your choice of herbs and amino acids for depression and stress-related symptoms, for example;RhodiolaSt John’s wortSceletium5-htpAshwagandaAstralagusGinsengor a combination of the above.always get advise and always be honest with the Health-care practitioner who is assisting you – anything you don’t ell will hinder your own recovery

There are many reasons why we become fatigued beyond normal tiredness.  Waking up  tired or needing a catnap in a lunch-hour are signs that our body is clearly not functioning at its peak.Generally people push themselves beyond their sensible edge, sleeping too few hours, lackadaisical approach to food and drink and excessive levels of stress .. sounds like most of our autobiographies!Also, while we regularly service our vehicle, maintain our home and inoculate our pets, we seldom observe the same rules of maintenance with our bodies.. The very place we live every single day!?!Fatigue is a clue that maintenance is overdue!The first step is to look at  lifestyle. Are you ..1) Drinking enough water? Keeping cells hydrated, avoiding brain dehydration and flushing toxins is essential to peak functioning2) sleeping 6-8 hours in a well-ventilated room?  we rest, repair and renew at night. Our sleep cycle is essential to physical and mental well-being3) how sedentary are you? our bodies need to move in order to oxygenate, hydrate and lubricate, so a little exercise goes a long way4) does our daily diet include raw fruits and vegetables? Eating everything cooked, even if it’s ‘healthy’ deprives your body of essential enzymes that it requires from fresh produce5) are you miserable or in pain?  These negative impacts on out body and our lives are utterly exhausting!  Use supplements like MSM and Turmeric to help you deal with physical pain, and Rhodiola, 5Htp and Gotu Kola to help cope with emotional stressors6) do you EVER stop rushing?  just stop. walk on the beach or in a garden. watch your kids play. nap. The world will still be turning when you bring yourself willingly back into it, refreshed, revitalised and much less exhausted

It is important to note that all sunblocks are not created equal!  There is no ‘umbrella body’ ensuring that the number on a sunblock means the same thing across all brands and countries and products.   An spf 60 that wears off in 2 or 3 hours is degrading and weakening from the minute you apply it. …whereas the slowsun is maintaining it’s integrity for 8 hours

The Solrx cream spf 44 or spray spf 35 is certified 8 hours protection in an organic base, and the fact that the number is not a 50 does not mean it gives less protection.  The fact that is does not degrade at the same rate means, in fact that the protection is greater, even if the number is lower

When the body develops an allergy to something that should be benign (like grass) it is an auto-immune issue and one should look to the liver,  and in a young child you would need a good homeopath to assist you with that.
In the meantime the biggest thing you can do for him is control the symptoms so that he is not constantly ending up on antibiotics and the way you do that is by cutting dairy products out of his diet ASAP!.  The allergy response causes a build-up of mucous to protect the membranes from the grass ‘poison’.  The dairy thickens the mucous to the point where his little sinuses and lungs cannot eliminate it; the bacteria thrive in this moist environment, and the child is swallowing so much mucous that his gut is battling as well as his nose.  He can’t sleep well as he can’t breathe well, and his body can’t absorb nutrients efficiently through the mucous wall in his gut – this leaves you with a child who is irritable, moody and ‘difficult’, and often there is a weight concern.
so here’s my advice (having done it with my own child): NO dairy (at all – yoghurt, cheese, chocolate, milk, ice-cream), no bread and no colourants (at all!) for 4 weeks.  (so you are basically eliminating processed foods like juice cordials, coloured sweets, packet food like 2-minute noodles, etc) In this time give him a double dose of a good, live probiotic supplement (that lives in the fridge).  Complete 21 days of Health Tones Sinus and Allergy  and encourage him to drink water (which helps thin the mucous).  During the 4 weeks he may exhibit symptoms of ‘detoxing’ but just push through it, it will be worth it.  At the end of the 4 weeks you gradually(!) start introducing ‘forbidden’ foods back into his diet 1 at a time.  He may never tolerate certain colourants and he may never tolerate dairy in anything more than miniscule quantities, but your child will be as well as you have ever seen him.
Long term, after the 21 days of Health Tones you can keep him on Natura Sinfrontal or Pure Herbal Remedies Snotty Totty