Are You Feeling Your Best?

Think back to a time to when you were at your healthiest. Do you still feel the same way? Can you pinpoint a moment in time when your health started to go downhill? Many people have not felt 100% since having a virus or other infection. If you have never fully recovered, your condition may progress from being a short-term acute infection into a longer-term chronic health complaint. Chronic infections can leave you feeling tired with muscular aches and pains and lowered immunity, making you more susceptible to catching every bug that goes around. Even a sniffily nose or cough that doesn’t clear can indicate the presence of a low grade infection.

Getting the Right Support

It takes a strong immune system to overcome persistent infections. The following herbs and nutrients help boost immunity and support your recovery:

• Medicinal mushrooms such as cordyceps, coriolus, reishi and shiitake are potent immune enhancers for chronic or recurrent infections.

• Astragalus possesses anti-viral activity and assists in the prevention and treatment of chronic infections.

• Zinc helps reduce the severity and duration of colds and flus; however zinc deficiency can compromise immunity. Ensure you have adequate zinc levels to help your immune system fight against infection.

• Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the immune system. Surprisingly high numbers of adults have inadequate vitamin D levels, so have your levels checked regularly.

• Vitamins A, C, and E are all beneficial for supporting healthy immunity.

The Gut – Immune Connection

In order to have a healthy, thriving immune system, you need to ensure your digestive system is also healthy. With 70% of your immune system in the gut, the microflora or friendly bacteria play an important role. Probiotics are beneficial strains of friendly bacteria that can boost your immune system function.

The Journey to Wellness

A chronic condition was once acute. If your body is unable to successfully recover from an acute infection, it may develop into a chronic health concern that your immune system can’t get the better of. Allowing your body to heal from a chronic infection can take time; the longer you have been sick, the longer you may need to get well again. Whilst you may feel relief in the short term, persisting with herbs and nutrients can provide long term relief from the nagging symptoms you have grown accustomed to. Remember how great it feels to be 100% healthy again!

Exercise…you either love it or loathe it. (Or you hate it and do it anyway…)

Life=Stress, Stress=Life

Living in this day and age, stress is a normal part of modern life. You will be exposed to some sort of stress every day, whether it’s waking up to an alarm, driving the car, paying bills, working, meeting deadlines – all of these can take their toll. Sometimes stress can be so overwhelming, it feels like it is taking over your life. Thankfully, the body has an amazing, protective stress response system to help you cope. The stress response was historically designed to kick in to save your life; nowadays, your stress response is being activated every day rather than just when you come into contact with a hungry sabre tooth tiger! However, this ongoing activation by your nervous system can lead to symptoms of stress and mood disorders that are becoming increasingly common.

Recognising the Signs of Stress

Depending on the type of stress and how long you have been experiencing it, you may be familiar with some of these signs and symptoms that can occur in acute (short-term) stress or with ongoing stress.

Signs of acute stress

• Muscle tension
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Energy fluctuations
• Alertness
• Sleep disturbances

Signs of ongoing stress

• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Worrying
• Sadness
• Irritability
• Poor concentration
• Weight loss or gain

Getting the Right Tools

When you are under stress, your overworked stress response system requires even more nutrients than usual. This is because your body needs vitamins and minerals to produce the hormones and neurotransmitters (the brain’s messengers) required to adapt to the stress and bring the body back into balance.

• B group vitamins: B vitamins are needed for healthy mood, motivation and wellbeing. They are vital for producing energy, as well as the neurotransmitters that promote happiness, relaxation and sleep.

• Magnesium: When you are stressed, your body may require more magnesium than normal. Magnesium can be beneficial for many things including managing stress and improving energy. You may also know that magnesium is used as a muscle relaxant. Due to its relaxing qualities, it may improve mood and sleep.

• Taurine and glutamine: These amino acids are required as building blocks for your neurotransmitters. They can also help to calm the nervous system, as well as protect against the damage that stress can cause.

Setting Up the Foundations

Now that you know which nutrients can be great for use in times of stress, eating a nutritious diet can help you to maintain the health of your nerves long-term. What happens to your diet when you’re stressed? Do you eat a lot, or do you make poor food choices when short on time or patience?

• During times of stress, sugars and refined carbohydrates are a no no! While they provide quick energy, they do not fuel your body with nutrients it needs to cope with stress, and can ultimately lead to weight gain.

• Protein from fish, lean meats, eggs, legumes and nuts can provide you with amino acids to fuel your brain whilst sustaining you for longer, minimising those stress cravings.

• Fish, in particular, contains both protein and essential fats, otherwise known as omega-3 fatty acids which can support a healthy stress response and healthy mood.

Be Strong Against Stress!

Talk to your Practitioner today about how you can best manage the stress that life throws your way. With guidance from your Practitioner and these simple tips, you can stand up to stress – strengthening your mind and your body to become more resilient to the effects of everyday stress.

 

The Anxiety Monster

Feeling occasionally anxious is a normal response to modern life. However, for some peopletheir anxiety is like a little monster living inside, who stirs up uncomfortable feelings when faced with simple everyday situations. If you or someone you know avoids social gatherings, work meetings or confrontations, due to anxiety, then don’t ignore these feelings. It’s time to get some help to tackle the anxiety monster.

Symptoms Can Be Physical AND Emotional

Symptoms of anxiety can be very unsettling. Your heart rate increases, your mind races and you can no longer think straight. Though everyone experiences anxiety a bit differently, there are some more common symptoms to look out for.

• Physical sensations:
  • Racing heart
  • Hot flushes, sweating and skin clamminess;
  • Rapid breathing; and/or
  • Frequent gastrointestinal upsets.
• Emotional sensations:
  • Feelings of excess worry, panic, fear or guilt;
  • Obsessive thinking and behaviours; and/or
  • Feeling generally tense and wound up.

If you can relate to any of the above, speak with your healthcare Practitioner today – this doesn’t have to be your everyday ‘normal’.

Breaking the Cycle

Herbal medicine can be used to help reduce anxiety and nervousness; improving your emotional resilience:

Passion flower – decreases that sense of ‘restlessness’ and can help settle nervous stomachs. It increases the calming neurotransmitters (brain chemicals), such as GABA; soothing a racing mind, decreasing tension and irritability.

Zizyphus – widely used in Chinese herbal formulas for its anxiolytic (anxiety reducing) properties; zizyphus is considered cooling, calming and another herb that’s effective for restlessness.

Siberian milkwort – a calming herb that is often included in formulas for sensitive people who find themselves feeling teary and weepy when they are stressed or anxious.

Bupleurum – useful for those experiencing stress and unrest due to excessive nervous energy.

5HTP – As a precursor to serotonin, 5htp can be used in times of melancholia, depression, a sense of discontentment and poor sleep.

Gabba – fantastic nutrient for feeling anxious, panic and stressed.

Daily Strategies to Support Yourself

The best things in life are free – well almost! Incorporate as many of the following resilience-building strategies as you can each day. These tips will lead to better overall wellbeing as well as helping you to manage stress and anxiety:

• Connect with friends – keeping in touch with people maintains your support network;
• Exercise (ideally outdoors) – regular exercise has been shown to improve mood and reduce feelings of stress;
• Choose healthy foods – consume protein at each meal and avoid refined and sugary foods. This can help balance your blood sugar levels, reducing mood imbalances and lessening anxiety;
• Avoid caffeine – stimulants such as caffeine can exacerbate anxiety;
• Breathe! – if you start to feel panicky or anxious, focus on taking some slow, purposeful, deep breaths, helping you return to a state of calm.
• Meditation can also help to quieten your mind and instill calm.

Conquering the Monster

Everyone experiences fears and worries from time to time, however if anxiety becomes excessive and stops you from enjoying everyday life, then it’s time to conquer the monster.

 

Do you know just how hugely effective high intensity interval training (HIIT) can be for your weight loss.

A 16 week study comparing the effects of HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in postmenopausal diabetic women found that even without concomitant caloric restriction, HIIT was more effective in reducing central bofy fat than MICT. HIIT is a valuable addition to any weight loss program, and may just be the key to shifting that stubborn abdominal fat.

Toxicity may stop you reaching your weight loss goals.

Recent research shows that significant increases in levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) released from fat tissue during weight loss could offset the beneficial effects; in turn during intensive weight loss, the released POPs may impair energy metabolism and stimulate subsequent weight regain. This research highlights the role that regular detoxification plays in successful weight loss programs, to promote wellbeing and also to overcome the plateaus in weight loss often seen.

Phytochemical-rich foods have fat-burning potential.

Cocoa, cinnamon, turmeric, resveratrol, green tea, genistein (from soy) and myricetin (from walnuts and onions) all activate 5’adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase; better known as AMPK. This signalling molecule stimulates a cascade of adaptive responses including glucose and fat burning. Adding phytochemical rich foods to your weight loss plans not only adds spice to life but also supports your success.