• Weight control – olive oil has been shown to normalise blood sugar levels by lowering insulin levels. Taking between 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon before eating a carbohydrate meal slows down the rise of blood sugar afterwards.
• Stomach upsets – for a long time it has been used in Mediterranean countries for stomach upsets. 1 tablespoon of olive oil on an empty stomach stimulates digestion.
• Constipation – another favourite use of olive oil is helping with constipation. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into hot water and drink.
• Ear problems – if you have a build up of wax or have water in your ear an old folk remedy which works really well is, with an eye dropper, to drop 1-2 drops of oil down into the ear canal. Lie for a few minutes on your opposite side and then turn over and allow the oil to run out of your ear. This works to dry up any water that’s there and liquefy ear wax so that it is easier to remove. Remember never put Q-tips or any other instruments down into your ear canal and do not put oil down if you have a punctured ear drum, or have blood coming from your ear.
• Skin care – olive oil, with its antioxidant (chlorophyll, carotenoids, Vitamin E) properties is very good for skin. It can neutralise skin damaging free radicals and help prevent skin cancer. You can get olive oil soaps which cleanse without stripping the skin’s natural oils. Olive oil contains linoleic acid which actually prevents water from evaporating, thereby keeping a barrier layer of moisture on the skin. Putting a few caps in a warm bath, helps lubricate the skin and using a few drops of it as a facial moisturiser helps keep your face wrinkle free and soft. Men too can apply olive oil to their face before they razor shave to get a close, smooth shave that leaves their face soft.
• Hair – olive oil can be used as a hair conditioner. Rub a few drops into the ends of your hair before you shampoo it, leave it for about 20 minutes, and then wash it. Hair is left tangle-free and shining. It is also great for babies’ scalps if they have cradle-cap, just a few drops rubbed into the scalp can make a huge difference.
• Fingernails – keep your nails, and the skin around, them looking great by soaking your fingertips in an olive oil and lemon juice mixture. 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

The more advanced our technologies and the more complicated our world becomes, it’s comforting to know that there are age-old natural substances that we can rely on to keep us healthy and aid us in our simple activities of daily living. We don’t always have to turn to chemically based, often toxic, cleaning agents or drugs when we can turn to a simple, wonder from Mother Nature, like olive oil.

I’m sure that you’ll find even more uses for this incredibly valuable oil!

7 Reasons You May Suffer Irritable Bowel

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS as it is known, appears to be a very common problem. It is the name given to a functional disorder of the bowel – one that does not work properly – or one that is ‘irritated’. It is a classification for a number of irksome conditions with similar symptoms that seem difficult to diagnose and impossible to treat, such as spastic colon, mucous colitis or non-inflammatory bowel disease. It affects 1:10 people, is not life threatening, does not cause cancer but it can be very debilitating.

So, what causes IBS? Well, a host of things may contribute to the problem.

1. Diet.

A diet of processed foods, sugar, caffeine and fried foods is not the best for your digestive system or your health. Sugar causes inflammation and puts your immune system to sleep for hours, so toxins are allowed to accumulate making you feel unwell.

2. Food sensitivities.

It may be that you have some food sensitivities. Most of us have a sensitivity to something, but if we are healthy, have no stresses and life is great, our bodies will cope. The minute our immune system becomes compromised and we become stressed, we start to react to foods, and usually those foods that we eat on a regular basis.

To help you work out which food may be causing you problems you can keep a food diary to see if your reactions tend to always start after a certain food, or you can try an elimination diet and then introducing one food at a time. On the other hand having a Vega test for food sensitivities can give you immediate results.

3. Parasites.

If you have had food poisoning or been abroad and suffered bowel problems it may be that you have parasites. These parasites can live within the bowel for years.

Parasites, by definition, live off other living things. Those that infest our bodies not only live off the nutrients in the food that we eat but they actually live off our tissues stealing our energy, making us feel weak. They secrete toxins into our blood stream that circulate, and often cause damage. Many people do not realise that they have them for some time, and they can often be very difficult for the doctors to diagnose, however there are herbal remedies that can help to eliminate them.

4. Fungal infection.

Yeast and mould are fungus, and there are over 200 that may live within the body. Small amounts of these organisms are normally well tolerated if you have a healthy immune system. However if the immunity is compromised in any way the body and especially the intestines may become susceptible to an overgrowth. Antibiotics, steroids and the contraceptive pill all compromise the immune system and therefore upset the bowel flora and kill off good as well as bad bacteria. This allows fungus to grow which results in a yeast infection. It is important to take probiotics to put the good bacteria back into the gut and to take an anti fungal remedy to remove the over growth.

5. Leaky Gut syndrome.

When the lining of the gut becomes inflamed it is rather like a sieve where the holes become large and allow bacteria, toxins and food to leak through into the body.

An inflamed gut does not absorb food and nutrients properly and therefore fatigue and bloating occurs. The detoxification pathways are compromised resulting in chemical sensitivities. The leakage of toxins into the body upsets the liver, which then finds it difficult to handle everyday chemicals and then the protective coating is adversely affected and the body is not able to ward of bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites. The cycle begins again and it becomes a vicious circle.

There are good supplements tht will help to line the gut wall and improve the immune system within the gut.

6. Acid/Alkaline balance.

It is so important to keep your body as alkaline as possible. In your digestive system the stomach is extremely acid in order to start the digestion of proteins, but the rest of the digestive tract is supposed to be alkaline and the pancreatic enzymes will only work in an alkaline medium.

If there is an acid/alkaline imbalance, it can cause indigestion, heartburn and bloating and usually soon after eating. Eating lots and lots of green vegetables will help to keep the gut alkaline and there are good supplements to help as well.

7. Stress.

Many people say to me that their flare-ups are caused by stress. Stress causes chemical changes in the brain which act on the nerves in the colon. The intestines will contract or go into spasm too fast or too slow and it may in turn influence motility (the propelling of contents through the gut).

Deep relaxation is a great way to help with stress and hypnotherapy can get you into that state very well.

It could be Caused by Your Gut…

Are you suffering from headaches, nausea, belching, bloating, tiredness and muscle aches? Would it surprise you if I told you that it is probably caused by your gut?

Your body needs to process the food you eat, strip it of its essential nutrients and eliminate the waste as soon as possible for you to feel really healthy. If this doesn’t happen and you hold onto your food longer, you end up carrying something similar to a compost heap in your gut all day long, and toxic waste gradually seeps out into the body, slowly poisoning you. The compost heap gives off gases and this makes you bloat up and feel windy, then a whole load more symptoms start to appear.

So what can you do to prevent this happening?

Start by looking at your diet. Do you have a ‘Leaky gut’? Are there foods that you have become intolerant to, that are irritating the gut? Is there enough acid in your stomach to start the digestion of the proteins that you are eating? Is the alkaline medium in your small intestine alkaline enough to allow the digestive enzymes produced by your pancreas to work properly, or are you getting partially digested food going through your intestines and slowing up the workings?

Are you eating enough of the right roughage to create the peristaltic movement of the gut and allow elimination of the waste? It is so important that your bowels work twice a day to stay healthy.

What is a ‘Leaky Gut’?

In a ‘Leaky gut’ situation the lining of the gut becomes rather like a sieve where the holes become large and allow bacteria, toxins and food to leak through into the body. This occurs when the lining becomes inflamed or damaged disrupting the functioning of the system.

Food sensitivities develop because large food antigens which are foreign to the body’s defence system, are attacked, resulting in the production of antibodies against once harmless foods. Also when the intestinal lining is damaged the carrier proteins that take the vitamins and minerals across become damaged resulting in a vulnerability of the person to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

What causes a leaky gut?

There are many factors that can increase the permeability of the intestinal wall such as alcohol and caffeine, drugs especially antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antacids, food additives, diets high in refined carbohydrates and stress.

Digestive Enzymes

The enzymes in our digestive system are proteins, and they break down our foods into simpler substances that can be more easily absorbed. Nutrients are trapped in the food we eat and our digestive system is designed to set the nutrients free, but not without the help of the enzymes found in raw and fermented foods. The enzymes in these foods are highly active during the first 45 min of digestion but we often lack them due to poor diet or other factors.

The body produces around 22 enzymes that all work on different types of food. If you constantly eat cooked processed food your body is forced to supply all of the enzymes needed to digest that food. However your body will eventually use up its ability to produce enzymes causing symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal bloating and discomfort, indigestion, wind, constipation, headaches, bowel problems and the passing of undigested food in the stool.

How can you help yourself?

• Find out what your food sensitivities are and eliminate those foods from your diet for a while.
• Eat lots of vegetables, raw and green if possible, as they will have all the enzymes needed for digestion and give you roughage.
• Take a good digestive enzyme supplement that contains the correct acid for the stomach, and alkaline buffers for the small intestine.
• Take L-Glutamine a common amino acid that is found in many protein containing foods and heals the gut wall. Glutamine is also required for the production of intestinal mucous and to build the immune system. It helps to improve the absorption across the gut wall, therefore preventing further sensitivities and acts as a barrier to toxins.

So, this is a good start to improving your digestion and preventing some of the symptoms that occur on a daily basis to make you feel a little under par.

Vitamin D May Help Fight Crohn’s Disease

A new study has discovered that nutritional supplements that contain vitamin D could help fight Crohn’s disease, a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Researchers from McGill University found a link that ties vitamin D to Crohn’s disease, according to a report published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

It found that people who live in northern countries where they receive less sunlight are more prone to developing Crohn’s disease. Initial research was conducted to determine the nutritional supplement’s affect on cancer, however, when scientists examined the results it kept pointing to the immune system, and they decided to look at other options.

The researchers were quick to point out that siblings of victims of Crohn’s disease that haven’t noticed symptoms yet should consider looking at their vitamin D levels as it may be a way to treat the ailment before it starts.

“This discovery is exciting, since it shows how an over-the-counter supplement such as Vitamin D could help people defend themselves against Crohn’s disease,” said researcher Marc J. Servan. “We have identified a new treatment avenue for people with Crohn’s disease or other inflammatory bowel disease”.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Digestive Health

Digestive disorders are amongst of the most common disorders treated by both the NHS and complementary therapists across the board.  These disorders range from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) to hiatus hernias and acidosis, where the stomach either produces too much acid or in some cases too little acid.  Other symptoms include bloating, constipation, and candida, loss of appetite, fatigue and frontal headaches.  The list goes on.

Many of these problems are diet related.  Convenience foods are often high in fat, sugar and salt, and are mass produced.  People often eat whilst working or watching television, which means they are not concentrating on the act of eating and therefore inhibiting the proper digestion of food. There are several other causal factors, too many to mention here.

Traditional Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture and herbal medicine can be very effective in helping all kinds of digestive disorders.  Acupuncture sees the digestive system as part of an energetic system which is controlled by the energetic actions of the stomach and the spleen.  The spleen in Chinese medicine refers to the energetic action of the spleen rather than the organ itself.  The spleen and stomach are part of what is known in Chinese medicine as the Zhang – Fu.  They are the principal system for digesting food, and converting it into energy, or Qi, which is the energy that maintains life and health.  Lifestyle, diet and stress all the above contribute to weakening the ability of the spleen and stomachs energy to create Qi.  Thus giving rise to the myriad of digestive disorders.

Acupuncture alongside herbal medicine, as well as dietary and lifestyle changes, can be of enormous benefit with nausea and vomiting.  Acupuncture is an extremely powerful yet subtle mode of treatment, in that the action of the needles in specific acupuncture points re-directs and clears blockages of Qi.  It can also help boost the Qi thus improving a person’s energy and wellbeing, and help prevent the symptoms occurring.

Herbal medicine can play a vital role in digestive health.  Much of the food and drink we consume often contains toxins that can affect the purity and the flow of Qi and the blood.  Herbal medicine can be used to detoxify the whole system, cleanses the blood and clears, what is called damp in Chinese medicine.  This is the equivalent to conditions like candida, and phlegm in western medicine.  Excess toxic damp is very common, and herbs are an excellent way of cleansing the digestive system and regulating the bowels.

The treatment of long term, chronic digestive disorders can require a number of treatments over several weeks to be fully effective. In many cases it is advisable to consult with our nutritionists here at The Wyndham Centre who can give detailed dietary, food intolerances and nutritional advice.  Acupuncture and herbal medicine, together with changes to diet, lifestyle and stress management, can be extremely effective.

Reflexology, Massage, Energy Healing, Yoga and Meditation for Digestive Health

More than any other system in the human body, the digestive system makes us aware when all is functioning well, but it can also inform us when things are not functioning correctly.

Reflexology, Massage, Energy Healing, Yoga, and Meditation can help with a number of digestive problems such as constipation, food allergies, and intestinal disorders such as colitis, diverticulitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Disorders of the digestive system can be very painful and uncomfortable, and Reflexology in particular is very good at relieving the symptoms, and it helps the body to return to its natural state. It has a very calming effect on the system, relaxing the organs involved, reducing inflammation, relieving pain and encouraging the system to function correctly, as well as relaxing the body as a whole.

When waste food is kept in the body for to long it can become compacted and difficult to pass. What I have found over many years of treatments, is that even when we have a healthy bowel movement, I can guarantee after Reflexology you will have up to an extra two bowel movements over the following 24 hours. This shows that we do not fully excrete all food stuffs, very small amounts can be left behind, and Reflexology can easily clear this. Use as a preventative as well as a curative.

To maintain a healthy body and digestive system it is recommended to eat a healthy diet, keep your life stress free, exercise and drink plenty of water.

Digestive Health

The Wyndham Centre’s tips on Digestive Health

Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities are common place these days, if I tested everyone on the street I would find them sensitive to something. However, if your immune system is up, you are feeling good, and life is wonderful, you are less likely to react to those sensitivities.

Solution: Get yourself tested to find out which foods your body is not so happy with, and this can help a great deal with your digestion.

Parasites

Parasites, by definition, live off other living things. Those that infest our bodies not only live off the nutrients in the food that we eat but they actually live off our tissues stealing our energy and secreting toxins into our blood stream. Many people do not realise that they have them, and they are very difficult for the doctors to diagnose. Parasites can do much damage before they are suspected of being a problem, yet it is a problem all over the world. We routinely worm our horses, cattle, dogs, cats, and other animals, but few of us think to care for ourselves in the same manner.

These days, due to the toxic environment, you are exposed to all kinds of parasites, from other people through blood, saliva, semen and breast milk, from your home, the leaves of certain vegetables, from pets and other farm livestock and from meat that hasn’t been cooked adequately to kill them off. Many water supplies around the world are definite sources of parasites.

Symptoms from some of the more prevalent intestinal parasites such as Giardia are mild to moderate abdominal cramps, intestinal wind, light coloured stools, malabsorption, stomach bloating and diarrhoea. The more severe types of parasites can give extreme tiredness, severe pains and vomiting.

Due to modern farming techniques involving fertilisers and pesticides, and the chemicals that are in our processed foods, we do not have the ‘army’ of nutrients we need to resist the parasites that invade us.

The liver is our main organ for detoxing the body and filters pollutants out of the blood dumping many of them in the digestive tract by secreting them through bile. One problem is that many of the toxins are reabsorbed in the intestinal tract and back into our system.

Solution: Core Artemisia containing Black Walnut Hull, Wormwood, Clove Oil, Garlic and Papaya Leaf.  Core Berberine containing Berberine, Goldenseal Root and Oregon Grape.

It is recommended that we all take a parasite remedy every 4-6 months to keep the body clean and healthy. Herbs can rid your body of these parasites, without so much as a headache, without nausea, and without any interference with any drug that you already take.

Fungus

Yeast and mould are fungus, and there are over 200 that may live within the body. Some fungus feed off dead organisms whilst others, the parasitic fungus, feed off live organisms. These pathogenic fungus cause human diseases such as athletes foot, ring worm, dandruff, rosacea, swimmers ear, nail infections and yeast infections. Fungus sprout from a spore and grow as filaments branching repeatedly and interconnecting with other cells. Their cells are strong and rigid.

Candida Albicans, one of the most common human fungus, is a type of yeast that, at body temperature, grows filaments that burrow into, and penetrate the wall of the intestines.

Fungus lives in damp environments so that the filaments can absorb nutrients that are dissolved in water such as sugars and amino acids and then they release enzymes and toxins from that process that go on to degrade more complex nutrients for them to absorb. The toxic enzymes are then transported by the blood stream through the body causing illness.

We all have small amounts of yeast and fungal organisms which are normally well tolerated if you have a healthy immune system. However, if the immunity is compromised in any way the body, and especially the intestines, may become susceptible to an overgrowth. The immune system can be compromised by antibiotics because they kill off the good as well as the bad bacteria and leave open space for yeast to grow. The pill and steroids also allow for the growth of fungus.

Solution: Nutrispore containing caprylic acid, herbal compounds, and supporting nutrients for a healthy microbial in the gut.

Digestive Enzymes

The enzymes in our digestive system are proteins and they break down our foods into simpler substances that can be more easily absorbed. Nutrients are trapped in the food we eat and our digestive system was designed to set the nutrients free, but not without the help of the enzymes found in raw and fermented foods. However, we often lack enzymes due to a poor diet or other factors and sometimes the enzymes do not work so well because of a poor acid/alkaline balance.

The body produces around 22 enzymes that all work on different types of food. If you constantly eat cooked processed food your body is forced to supply all of the enzymes needed to digest that food which requires a lot of energy, and is the reason for feeling tired after eating a meal. However, your body will eventually use up its ability to produce enzymes and this causes symptoms such as fatigue, wind, constipation, headaches and bowel problems.

Solution: Digestive enzymes may be helpful for those who can get bloating almost immediately after eating food. Similase is a highly concentrated plant enzyme formula that is stable and active in an acid or alkaline environment.

Acid/Alkaline Balance

Many people experience what they think, and what is often considered, an over acid stomach which gives them heartburn. Infact in many cases this is certainly an acid issue but more a case of not enough acid at the right strength, or a low enough pH. For perfect digestion, you need digestive juices at a very low pH, in other words, very, very strong acid, between 0.9 and 2.4. Often it is working inadequately and very hard at a pH of 4 or more, and if the stomach is not acidic enough, the enzyme pepsin will not work properly. The food then ferments and so produces gas that bloats the stomach, causing discomfort. The next stage is a feeling in your ‘heart’ or throat of soreness partnered with that terrible burning sensation.

The enzymes work best at their optimum pH, so for example, the enzyme protease, that digests proteins, and lipase, that digests fats, and amylase that digests starches are secreted in the pancreas and will only work in an alkaline medium. The pancreas also produces the pancreatic juice that changes the acid contents from the stomach into an alkaline in the small intestine. However, very often there is an acid-alkaline imbalance that can cause indigestion (heartburn) and bloating within an hour after eating.

Solution: For those who get indigestion and heartburn, they will be helped by an enzyme supplement that also balances the acid/alkaline levels. In some supplements this may include some hydrochloric acid to help the acidity in the stomach, such as Nutrigest. In other supplements the alkalizing remedies such as calcium and magnesium may be included for the more alkaline levels required in the intestine. You will find these in Catalyst 7.

Leaky Gut

In a ‘Leaky gut’ situation the lining of the gut becomes rather like a sieve where the holes become large and allow bacteria, toxins and food to leak through into the body. This occurs when the lining becomes inflamed or damaged disrupting the functioning of the system. Large food antigens are foreign to the body’s defence system, so it attacks them resulting in the production of antibodies against once harmless foods and so a food sensitivity develops. Also, when the intestinal lining is damaged the carrier proteins that take the vitamins and minerals across become damaged resulting in a vulnerability of the person to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

An inflamed gut does not absorb food and nutrients properly and therefore fatigue and bloating occurs. The leakage of toxins into the body upsets the liver, which then finds it difficult to handle everyday chemicals and then the protective coating is adversely affected and the body is not able to ward of bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites. The cycle begins again and it becomes a vicious circle.

So what causes a leaky gut? There are many factors that can increase the permeability of the intestinal wall such as alcohol and caffeine, drugs especially antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antacids, food additives, diets high in refined carbohydrates and stress.

Solution: L-Glutamine, is not an essential amino acid but the body often needs more of it than it can synthesise, especially when under increased physiological stress or illness. It is especially balancing for the support of mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal tract and therefore builds the immune system preventing toxins getting through.

Lack of Good Bacteria

In a healthy colon, there are billions of beneficial bacteria. Usually they multiply at a fast enough rate to keep up with the numbers that are lost during elimination. They help to keep the proper pH of the colon and therefore prevent any ‘bad’ bacteria from over growing. These ‘friendly’ bacteria are also important because, not only do they help to keep the immune system healthy, but they also synthesize many important vitamins in the digestive tract including Vitamin K and some of the B Vitamins.

The ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria should be 80% good to 20% bad, however it is believed that in most people this is ratio is actually reversed. The reason for this is primarily the denatured diet we consume and the abundance of drugs that we take, especially antibiotics.

Antibiotics are a double edged sword. They are very important in some instances to help save lives but should be used very sparingly because they are non specific and kill all bacteria rather than just the disease causing ones. This reduces the natural defence mechanisms of the gut, and allows other organisms like fungus to overgrow, out of control. So if you have been on a course of antibiotics you should take a good probiotic afterwards to put the good bacteria back into the gut.

Solution: UltraProbioplex is a powerful probiotic containing 60 billion live organisms that rapidly replenish intestinal flora, and has a broad intestinal, digestive and immune system support function.

Conclusion

The lining of your digestive tract is made up of epithelial tissue just like the cells of the skin, nose and eyes and if there is inflammation in your gut you may also have sinus or eye problems or even skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis. It is therefore important to keep your digestive system in tip top form.

Solution: Epithelial cells are very dependent on Vitamin C and Vitamin A for their health and integrity. Vitamin C is also very valuable for healing lesions and inflammation within the gastro-intestinal tract, and a non acidic or buffered one would be better to prevent irritation.

Zinc is an important mineral for tissue health and a good antioxidant. It is important for healing especially in the small intestine where the cells of the lining are replaced every four days. A liquid zinc would be better for absorption. Other natural antioxidants such as Pine Bark and Grape Seed may also be helpful.

Essential Fatty Acids are also essential for reducing inflammation.

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