We are only a few weeks away from Christmas holidays, and while things may look a little different in 2020, socialising is on the increase and it’s good to keep up with good habits. Fresh healthy food helps maintain a healthy immune system. Here are a few tips to help you find balance, which is the foundation of good health.
Look at the big picture A few days of eating and drinking too much are not going to make much difference to your health or weight in the long term. Sometimes it’s more important to focus on time spent eating and drinking with family and friends and enjoying Christmas for the overindulgent tradition that it is. Connection and laughter play a big part in our overall health and wellbeing. And if you’ve been waiting all year to eat some of your mums Christmas cake – go for it!
Avoid eating just for the sake of it Think about why you’re eating. Are you hungry, bored, or just eating because its Christmas? While a little indulgence is fine, try not to overdo it or you swing the other way into detox or restriction which doesn’t work in the long term. Focus on embracing moderation and allow a few indulgences – ones that you really want and will enjoy – and then, when Christmas is over go back to a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Start the day with a wholesome breakfast.
Try to eat breakfast around an hour or so after waking up and include some good quality protein into your breakfast. Some good examples are eggs any way you like with avocado and sourdough toast, or oats soaked in milk (or nut mylk) with Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit, or a smoothie made with fresh milk, fruit and yoghurt. Toast with jam is not what we are looking for in a healthy breakfast!
Don’t go to parties hungry
You are more likely to overindulge in fatty salty foods. Try to eat a small healthy snack that includes protein and vegetables before you go out. A good example would be some lean grilled chicken that’s left over from lunch with a little avocado spread on top and a squeeze of lemon. Perfect!
Eat mindfully
It’s easy to get carried away when you are talking to people at a party. Before you know it half a wheel of cheese is gone! Try smaller portions or stick to veggie sticks and dips. Better yet, grab a glass of sparkly water and move away from the buffet!
Keep an eye on your alcohol intake
This is where most people come unstuck. While enjoying a drink or two is fine, try to keep your serving sizes small, drink water in between and alternate between alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks where possible. If you do overdo it, make sure you eat healthily the next day and get some exercise to help the body detox and self-regulate again. Getting run down due to too much alcohol can lead to weight gain as well as fatigue and you are more susceptible to viruses and bugs due to lowered immunity.
Focus on lean protein and vegetables
The buffet will be full of starchy carbs but keep the portions small and focus on fresh healthy seafood, lean meat and fresh fruit and salads. Yum!
So, the overall message is this – stay consistent with your healthy diet and you will maintain your weight and avoid illness.
Homeopathy for overindulgence
There are homeopathic remedies to assist with overindulgence. Nux vomica is popular, and those of you who have done the ‘Homeopathy at Home’ course with me will have this in your kit to use. This remedy is helpful for ‘overindulgence’ of any kind. You can take it before big events which will help you to know your limits and prevent overindulgence as well as after an event to restore balance, stabilize the gut and assist ‘overindulgence’ recovery.
Q DETOX is the remedy I have co-created with Mel Owen-Browne as part of the Q Range. This remedy is helpful post events to assist the detoxification process of things you normally wouldn’t have eaten or drunk, allowing your body to get back to ‘normal’ faster and reduce the impact of the change in your ‘normal’ habits. You can buy it directly from me, or via our Q Drops sales website:
As always, if you need individual assistance for health concerns you can book to see me either via the website or call on
The weather has changed again, and farmer’s markets are bursting with fresh produce that tempt our tastebuds. Our body no longer craves the heavy fats and proteins that it did in winter, and instinctively, we look for refreshing foods that lighten the body and keep the system cool.
In your cooking, search for recipes that contain cucumber, melon, zucchini and coriander which help reduce the symptoms of discomfort from the hot, sharp, oily qualities of the heat and humidity in the atmosphere. Summer recipes use fresh bitter greens to cool the blood, astringent fruit to tone the tissues and mildly sweet items such as fennel and coconut to balance the digestion.
Coconut oil rubbed lightly into the skin provides the right amount of nourishment to counteract the extra heat we absorb through our skin and is recommended at this time.
Here are some recipes for smoothies that can help stimulate and nourish you over the summer months. There are two dairy based options and two non-dairy options to suit your preference.
If you experience any digestive discomfort and would like further investigation or support, you can book in to see me for a one to one consultation. We can work together to improve your digestion, build a resilient system and desensitize you to any foods that may be causing unwanted ‘symptoms’ such as bloating, constipation, gas, pain, diarrhoea and weight fluctuations. Using homeopathy, bioenergetics and my background as an AP Dietitian, we aim to address the root cause of your symptoms and move towards enabling you to enjoy a variety of different foods without having to eliminate particular food groups.
Book directly on the website
https://likecureslike.as.me/schedule.php
Or contact me on: 0415 847 429
DIGESTIVE SMOOTHIE – DAIRY
(Recipe adapted from “Eat right for your shape” by Lee Holmes)
500ml filtered water
130gm (1/2 cup) sheep’s milk yoghurt
2.5cm piece of peeled & chopped ginger
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Whizz all ingredients in blender on low speed until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 2
GINGER LIME LASSI – DAIRY
Recipe adapted from “The Everyday Ayurveda cookbook” by Kate O’Donnell
¼ cup organic whole milk yoghurt
1 cup water
2.5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
Juice of ½ small lime
1 tsp raw honey
Whizz all ingredients in blender on low speed until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 2
SUMMER SMOOTHIE – NON DAIRY
(Recipe adapted from “Eat right for your shape” by Lee Holmes)
Refreshing thick and satisfying smoothie is a great breakfast or afternoon pick me up .the sweetness of the banana and cocpnut are matched by the tanginess of the lime. It is cooling and soothing.
500 ml coconut water
2 frozen peeled bananas
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp grated lime zest
¼ tsp ground cardamom
Whizz all ingredients in blender on low speed until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
GOOD FAT SMOOTHIE – NON DAIRY
Recipe adapted from “The Everyday Ayurveda cookbook” by Kate O’Donnell
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp hemp seeds
¼ avocado
2 kale leaves
1.5 cups coconut water
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp raw honey
Whizz all ingredients in blender on low speed until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 2
Spring is the time that common allergies often flare up and cause discomfort. Allergy occurs when a person reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless to most people. These substances are known as allergens and are commonly found in dust mites, pets, pollen, insects, ticks, moulds, foods and some medications.
Common signs or symptoms of allergy are:
Nose and/or eyes, resulting in allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and/or conjunctivitis.
Skin resulting in eczema, or hives (urticaria).
Lungs resulting in asthma.
When a person who is allergic to a particular allergen comes into contact with it, an allergic reaction occurs:
When the allergen (such as pollen) enters the body, it triggers an antibody response.
When the pollen comes into contact with the antibodies, cells respond by releasing histamine.
When the release of histamine is due to an allergen, the resulting inflammation (redness and swelling) is irritating and uncomfortable.
While most people reach for over the counter medication to treat symptoms, these offer short term relief and often have unpleasant side effects. For those looking for a healthier, more gently alternative, homeopathy can help.
Homeopathy helps to desensitize you to the stimulus so instead of just ‘stopping your allergy symptoms’ we aim to stop you reacting to the environment. Treating symptoms and avoiding known allergens is important, but it also makes sense to strengthen the body’s own defence system.
Homeopathy is a medicine that assumes there is more underlying the problem of allergies than just the presence of the allergen (seafood, cat hair and so on). It is the allergen that triggers the response, but the constitution of the individual allows the allergic response to happen. Therefore, the constitution needs treatment.
A person’s constitution can be described as their ability to remain healthy and withstand hardship. “He has the constitution of an ox.” A homeopathic medicine is called a remedy because homeopathy hopes to remedy the health problem, starting with the constitution. If homeopathic remedies are given for the constitution, the general wellbeing is raised in many ways. Homeopathy works on the whole body, physical and emotional, and remedies are prescribed individually, to your specific presentation of symptoms and experience.
You will find after being treated homoeopathically for allergies you will react less and less over time. The key tissue salts to consider as general advice for supporting allergies are:
ferrum phos
kali mur
kali sulph
nat mur
silica
If you need more clarity around what it is that you are reacting to or what is needed to reduce the reactions you are having, The Qest 4 bio resonance system that I use as a tool in my practice gives very specific information about where energetic resistance lies within the body and what is required to clear it so that your symptoms can be reduced.
Contact me (Debbie 0415 847 429) for a personal consultation if symptoms persist, or book via the website.
As the end of the school term draws near, I’ve noticed that many people are feeling tired and low in energy. In previous articles we have looked at how to optimise nutrition for better health and we’ve also looked at some tips for how to do a spring detox.
Now it’s time to look at rest and rejuvenation in more detail and see what we can do to promote more restful sleep.
SCREENS
Looking at screens before bedtime does the opposite of promote restful sleep. Blue light and EMF radiation are well known sleep disruptors. Smartphones and computers emit large amounts of blue light and this is why its best to keep them away from you in the time before bed.
BEDTIME
Be consistent with bedtimes. Keep the sleep time and waking time the same each day and this will help promote better sleep habits. Try to do the same even on holidays if you can. There are always exceptions to the rule, but what matters is consistency and regularity.
TEMPERATURE
Getting the temperature right can help you get a more restful sleep. Make sure that your bedding is not too cold or too warm. We’ve all experienced interrupts sleep during summer or when visiting hot locations. It is easier to sleep in a cool or mildly temperate environment than it is in a hot one. Leave a window open a tiny bit to encourage fresh air flow but make sure you are not sleeping under a draught.
MEALS
Eating a heavy meal before bedtime will make for an uncomfortable night and a potential food hangover in the morning. Assist your body’s natural digestive process by eating dinner at least 2 hours prior to bedtime. Going to bed with a lighter belly makes for a more restful sleep.
ALCOHOL / FLUIDS
Drinking alcohol before bed can make you drowsy, however it is a well-known sleep disruptor that affects sleep as well as hormones. It’s best not to drink alcohol before bed and in fact, its’ good to avoid all fluids. A full bladder will cause wakefulness through the night and some propel find it difficult to fall back to sleep again.
CAFFEINE
Avoid consuming caffeine after 2pm. The stimulant benefits of coffee work against you when it comes to falling asleep. The same is true for black tea. Avoid before bed and drink herbal teas such as chamomile or peppermint instead.
EXCERCISE
Regular exercise assists with all metabolic processes, but did you know that sleep is one of those? Regular exercise of any kind promotes deep and restful sleep. If you exercise after work, make sure you leave enough time for your body to recover before sleep or you will find you are too stimulated.
SUNLIGHT
Try to get direct sun exposure each day as this affects your natural production of melatonin, which is nature’s sleep hormone. Daily light exposure will most likely help you. If it’s not possible or practical, invest in an artificial bright light device or bulbs.
WINDING DOWN
Reading before bed may not be your thing, but you can try this breathing exercise instead. This is an effective de-stressor for all ages, kids and teens included.
This is an example of a simple breathing exercise that is easy to do and requires no specialised equipment.
3 PART BREATHING.
Three-part breathing exercise is very popular due to its simplicity. This is all you need to do:
Take a long deep inhale
Exhale fully while focusing intently on your body and how it feels and pay particular attention to your shoulders and see if they hold tension.
Do this a few times, then aim to make your exhalation longer than your inhalation.
If you need further support you could try Q Sleep, a remedy we formulated to specifically help with this issue. You can contact me directly to purchase and each remedy costs $25.
Earthing oz stock pillowcases and underlay mats that are ‘earthed’ and provide a deep restful sleep, akin to sleeping on the ground in a natural environment.
If you would like a more personalised consultation to address your specific needs, you can book in to see me via the link in the website. You can also contact me directly on 0415 847 429.
In the next article, we will look at more specific homeopathic remedies to address sleep issues.
Spring is here, and you can feel it in the air. The days are warming up and getting longer. The birds are out, and plants are flowering.
With each Spring we have the opportunity to reassess our health and our lifestyle and do a light detox to support our bodies. Winter usually sees people indulging in a bit of warming comfort in the form of alcohol, sweets and too much heavy food.
While it’s normal to seek comfort during the colder months, now is the time to think about how we eat and live coming into the warmer months. Doing a detox is like hitting a reset button for your body. It will help to increase your energy levels, balance your hormones, improve digestion, give your adrenals a break, help break cravings and make you feel joyous all over, not to mention give you beautiful glowing skin.
Our body is constantly cleansing, and a detox is more of an opportunity to improve our diets which in turn improves our health. Detoxes can be as simple as eliminating some excess foods or more complex under the guidance of your homeopath.
During a detox you eliminate sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine and excess meat and dairy and focus on increasing plant foods but remember to include good quality protein as well as increase your water intake. This way you give your body a break and help it reduce its toxic load. If you can choose organic food, it will also help reduce your chemical intake.
Here are 5 emotional benefits of doing a Spring Detox:
1. A Renewed ability to cope with stress
2. Emotional release
3. A realization or breakthrough with an issue that’s been bothering you.
4. Increase in your vibrational frequency
5. Expanded Consciousness
YOGA
As well as working on our diet, we can become a bit more active with exercise as well. For those of us that practice yoga, a practical way we can detox in our yoga practise is by adding in more twisting poses.
Twists are wonderful postures if you deal with stress or anxiety. These postures will help to open the chest, shoulders and back, all of which can help to decrease feelings of anxiousness. You will be releasing stored tension in the body as you twist, which can have a positive effect on your mental state.
Twisting the spine compresses muscles and organs, which blocks the flow of blood. When you release the pose, blood flows back into those areas bringing with it nutrients and improving circulation.
MOTIVATION
If you are finding it difficult to make the changes you know you need to or you just can’t get yourself to shift, try Q Motivate, a bioenergetic remedy designed to subtly shift your energy from the inside out giving you the motivation to make the changes you want to.
You can buy a bottle for $25, contact me directly to purchase.
If you require further support or have individual health concerns, you can book in to see me here on the website, or call me on 0415 847 429.
In last week’s blog post we looked at ways to promote healthy sleep. This week, I would like to look at sleep disturbances and their causes in more detail. We will also look at specific homeopathic remedies that are the most helpful. Don’t worry – there is always help at hand, but make sure to check in with your health professional and don’t self-diagnose.
The frustrating thing that patients report is that you cannot make yourself fall asleep, just as you can’t digest your food faster. Sleep onset is not something you control; however, you can provide the right conditions for sleep, both in your mind and in your environment.
As more research is being done on sleep, we now know that sleep is an active state. Where we used to think that everything shut down when we fell asleep, scientists are aware that our brains are active while our body is asleep. In fact, some parts of the brain use more oxygen and glucose asleep than awake!
We also know that the deepest stage of rest happens in the first 3 hours (slow wave sleep). The dream stage (Rapid eye movement sleep) occurs later in the night, which is why we can sometimes remember dreams when we first wake.
WHAT ARE SLEEP DISTURBANCES
Insomnia, which is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Frequent waking
Snoring
Nightmares
Sleep apnoea
Narcolepsy
Disrupted circadian rhythm due to shift work, jet lag, new baby
WHAT CAUSES SLEEP DISTURBANCES?
Poor bedding, covers are too hot, room is too bright, too hot or too cold.
Anxiety or worry
Chronic pain
Incontinence or enlarged prostate
Drug or alcohol use
Grief
Hormonal changes i.e. menopause
Lack of sleep can have significant impacts on daily life. Feelings of irritability are normal, as is tiredness and inability to concentrate. Mood swings are common as is lack of libido, after all, you need energy to feel ‘in the mood’, don’t you?
Losing your sense of humour is a common side effect, as is lack of motivation, general apathy and lack of interest in life.
If you have experienced periods of sleeplessness, you know that the feelings can often mimic mild depression. Rest assured, that with some small lifestyle adjustments and the support of homeopathic remedies, good restful sleep is possible and within reach.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR SLEEP
COFFEA
Good for insomnia and an overactive mind
Restlessness and edginess
Overexcitement
COCULUS
Disturbed sleep cycles due to interrupted sleep cycles, ie jet lag, night shift, new baby
STRAMONIUM
Sleep disturbance due to night terrors
Fear of the dark and being alone
IGNATIA
Inability to sleep due to active mind
Grief, worry
These remedies and more are available to purchase via my clinic.
If you need more personal one on one support you can make an appointment to see me via the website or call on 0415847429.
Here is an affirmation I like to use to help me fall asleep if I am feeling restless.
I release the day with love and fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.
