Is it Ulcerative Colitis, Leaky Gut or inflammation?

 

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. This disease causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of your large intestine. Symptoms that you may experience can be diarrhea, abdominal pain, and blood in your stool. It is an autoimmune condition, meaning that it's caused by a problem with your immune system. There are things you can do to help reduce the inflammation and treat your symptoms.  

The link to Leaky Gut issues

Another problem that can come from this disease is leaky gut. Your epithelial lining of your intestines only let small molecules get through to your bloodstream. Leaky gut is when this lining starts to let larger molecules such as food proteins, toxins, and bacteria get through. This triggers an inflammatory immune response and it creates antibodies.

By eating foods that your body cannot digest properly you are creating more inflammation. This includes food sensitivities. All this in turn reduces your good bacteria in your gut and allows for the growth of bad bacteria.

When the flora in your gut is imbalanced it’s called dysbiosis. These bacterial changes in your gut cause your body to start to ferment your food in the intestines without being digested. This leads to undesirable digestive symptoms. Your immune system will also recognize the new bacteria and yeast as another offending invader. This will cause you more inflammation, more intestinal permeability, and more immune responses in the bloodstream. When you have an excess of the bacteria Klebsiella and Prevotella it can also trigger more inflammation causing ulcerative colitis.

Triggers to cause Ulcerative Colitis

There are different things that may trigger ulcerative colitis. One of these things is food sensitivities. These are different to food allergies as a food sensitivity can have a delayed reaction. Your body may not respond to the certain food for up to 72 hours after it’s consumed. Some sensitivities can include wheat, yeast, gluten, dairy, and sugar. Notice that gluten sensitivity is not the same as wheat and yeast. Gluten free is of no consequence hardly even though it is being sold as a ‘health food’ by the supermarkets. The reason these sensitivities can trigger ulcerative colitis is because they cause inflammation. There are many other foods that can do this and the best way to find out which is to have a test.

Another trigger can be pesticides. Exposure to pesticides can contribute to autoimmunity issues as pesticides can disrupt the endocrine system.

Food additives and preservatives can also be triggering for some people. Industrial food additives can cause big problems with your gut barrier function, and increase the leakages. This can lead to the entry of foreign antigens, causing an immune response and activate the inflammatory, autoimmune response.

Another trigger is heavy metals. These can influence your immune response by altering how you respond to disease. The metals to pay the most attention to include mercury, lead, cadmium, and aluminium.

Infections can also influence your gut health issues. A single organism may be able to trigger even more than one autoimmune disease.

If you are struggling with symptoms that are unexplainable it could indicate ulcerative colitis. Give us a call, message or text to www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com to see how we can help you find the cause of your unexplained illnesses.

Yoga poses are great for seniors too - here's why!

 

Yoga is a great exercise to take up if you are wanting to stretch, balance your energy, reduce your stress, lose weight, breathe easier and have more flexibility. So, whether you are 18 or 80 your age is irrelevant because there are yoga exercises every age can do.

Yoga is a low impact, slow workout and is also a physical, mental and spiritual discipline. It originates in ancient India and is one of the main Hindu philosophical traditions. Yoga can increase your cognitive awareness and decrease physical diseases.

Benefits for seniors

It is important that seniors still get regular exercise throughout the day. As you get older you may find that you are having trouble doing the same sports you used to when you were younger, but you still need to keep active so yoga and walking are both great ways to do this.

Age often brings with it aches and pains, muscle weakness, malnutrition, depression, and muscle and joint weaknesses. Yoga and gentle exercise will help boost immunity and keep fit.

Easiest poses for seniors

The butterfly pose is a good pose for seniors. It is a good idea to practise on an empty stomach in the mornings as it can help with bladder and bowel movements. It can also help with mild depression and anxiety. The stimulation of the stomach organs and the heart improves general circulation, and stretches the inner thighs and knees. It can also help with high blood pressure, asthma and flat feet.

Our second pose is the mountain pose and try to hold it for about 10 to 30 seconds. It will improve posture, strengthen weak thighs and ankles, improves digestion, and also increases blood circulation as well as relieve some aches and pains.

Cobra pose also helps bowel movement. It will loosen stiff lower back and stretches the muscles in your chest, shoulders and abdomen as well as lift your mood.

Child pose practised away from mealtimes held for 1-3 minutes helps release tension, keeps you alert, helps steady breathing, and calms you.

Corpse pose will need you to have a calm mind and to relax your body without fidgeting. Stay in this pose for about 10 minutes or more, but don’t fall asleep. It helps with insomnia, to improve concentration, mental health, constipation and diabetes.

Downward facing dog is good for your bowels when practised early in the morning on an empty stomach. Hold for a few seconds building up to a minute. It helps boost confidence, keeps you active and because it is an inverted pose it allows more blood to flow to your brain. This improves your cognitive abilities.

Triangle pose is done with your eyes open for 20 to 30 seconds. It helps reduce blood pressure, decreases fat from your waist and thighs and can give you better stability and balance.

How to get fitter and healthier

If you join a group, you can also have the added advantage of using your yoga sessions to meet more people and make more friends. Alternatively, if you are already busy you can jump online and use your loungeroom floor as your yoga studio. Either way your body will get a good workout if you can do this a few times a week and alternate with one time walking for about 40 minutes or more.

Being a senior does not mean you need to compromise any of the things you have been doing all of your life. You just need to tweak things a bit. Your body can be just as healthy if you look after it and your mind just as cognitively sharp. You just need to give it the right food, sleep and exercise. Give us a call or text for help with a plan to get you fit and keep you healthy with proper nutrition, great cognitive ability, handling those aches and pains, overcoming sensitivities to food or pollution and keeping you mentally and emotionally motivated to continue having a great lifestyle. www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com

(Pics thanks to Matthew Henry Burst Shopify)

How diet can impact joint pain

Everyone knows that eating healthy and having a balanced diet is great for health and wellbeing. However, it is less known how your diet can have an impact on your joints and aches and pains.

There have been many studies done on this topic. They found that having a diet that’s packed with anti-inflammatory foods, can have a positive effect on your pain levels even if you are suffering with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. One diet that they studied was the Mediterranean diet. This diet is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are known to reduce eicosanoids. These are involved in causing inflammation.  

Foods or diets that can help reduce your pain

When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, you need to focus on reducing inflammation. You do this by altering the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids and increase antioxidants. This is because omega-6 fatty acid, which is found in animal foods is a precursor for eicosanoids. In the studies, the people following an anti-inflammatory diet experienced lower levels of pain when compared to people on ordinary diets.

Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is packed full with fresh fruits, vegetables, antioxidants, olive oil and a healthy dose of fish. Fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids act as natural anti-inflammatory agents. This then leads to reduced joint pain and swelling. This is why choosing fish over red meat can help your body to fight inflammation, making your pain less and keeping your joints comfortable.

Vegetarian and vegan diets

These diets are low or completely devoid of arachidonic acid. This acid causes inflammation. By choosing a plant-based diet, you're steering clear of arachidonic acid and reducing your inflammation. Your joints will feel better and you will be able to move more freely and without pain.

Omega 6 fatty acids

People are sometimes using processed seed oils which, although high in omega 6 have unhealthy ratios of omega 6 to omega 3. Some sources of refined, bad vegetable oils used for cooking are soybean, safflower, grapeseed, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, sesame, peanut and walnut oils. Give them a miss.

Gluten, Nightshades, and Your Joints

Gluten is in grains including wheat, rye, barley, spelt and sometimes oats. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where your immune system reacts abnormally to gluten. Studies show that people with coeliac disease can get joint pain. So, if this is you, try avoiding wheat and gluten to reduce your joint pain. Many people can be sensitive to these products, even if they don’t have coeliac disease. You will have certain symptoms arise after eating gluten and wheat, these can include foggy mind, headache, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and leg or arm numbness. However, many people have no apparent symptoms and are still sensitive. If you suspect sensitivity, call us at the clinic and book in a test. It’s non-invasive and will let you know for sure and will be part of the reason you have joint pain. We also test for many other things in this test so let’s discuss it so you know once and for all what is making you ill. Check us out on this link www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com

Vegetables

A group of vegetables that belong to the Solanaceae family, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and bell peppers can exacerbate joint pain. This is even more so for people with certain autoimmune conditions like arthritis. This is because they contain chemical compounds called alkaloids, which contribute to inflammation and joint discomfort in sensitive individuals.

Why not call us today to find out what you are sensitive to and let us design a health plan you can get healthy with and stay healthy?

How to open your and clear your solar plexus chakra

Chakra is a word from Indian classical Sanskrit It means wheel because a chakra spins. It is associated with both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. It is the name for the energy centres or portals in your body.

Your chakras need to stay balanced or in sync for the body-mind connection to function at its best. If a chakra is blocked or has depleted energy, you will have physical, emotional and psychological symptoms associated with that particular chakra.

There are 7 main chakras and they run along the spine. They start at the base and extend to the crown of the head. The names of these are the root chakra (Mūlādhāra), the sacral chakra (Svādhiṣṭhāna), the solar plexus chakra (Maṇipūra), the heart chakra (Anāhata), the throat chakra (Viśuddha), the third eye chakra (Ājñā) and the crown chakra (Sahasrāra). They work as energy vortices that regulate your body’s energy and the connection between your physical, spiritual, mental, and energetic bodies and your environment. Each chakra resonates with a specific colour and element.

When one or more of your chakra’s flow is compromised, it can lead to disease. Stress, adverse experiences, negative thoughts and emotions, grief and other significant changes can deplete chakra energy.

Opening the chakras

Opening your chakras can be done through a number of practices. These include meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, and affirmations. Or you can go for reiki clearing or other energy therapies to assist.

Meditation can help open up the chakras. Reciting mantras that relate to each of the seven chakras helps to activate and balance them. By using breathing exercises, inhaling deeply with intention, directing energy to the chakra, and then exhaling and relaxing awareness into it helps to restore your chakras to a harmonious state. If you do yoga, you will find that it can help to increase the flow of energy through your chakras. This in turn has a positive impact on your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Affirmations are another useful practise. If you create affirmations for each of the chakra it can help, bring them back into balance. This clinic specialises in all forms of energy healing to assist with your chakra balance.

The Solar Plexus chakra

Your solar plexus chakra is an energy point located above your navel and below your rib cage. It is one of the central chakras. The other one being the heart chakra. The solar plexus chakra is where your solar energy resides. It is linked with your vitality, sense of self, will and personal power. This is where you digest and process your emotions, and experience those gut feelings. Your physical digestion also is affected by this. This chakra can also be the place where your empathically take in other people’s energies.

The chakra is associated with the element fire, the planet is the sun, and its colour is yellow. It can have effects on your stomach, liver, skin, kidneys, your large Intestine, adrenal glands, the muscular System, gall bladder, diaphragm and pancreas. If you have issues with any of these organs, give us a call to let us help you balance and restore them.

How can herbs help?

Plants can be great for helping with the chakras and your healing. Some of the plants and herbs that are good for opening your solar plexus includes, fennel to help digestion, cleansing old skin and induce courage, turmeric to stimulate your digestive system, chamomile to calm and gently support digestion, dandelion Leaves to support your kidneys, dandelion root for your liver and to clear anger, ginger for digestion, warming and boosting energy, lemon for detoxing, as well as pineapple, cinnamon, sunflower seeds and yellow peppers. In order to find out which herbal remedies you should be taking give us a call to book an appointment.

A simple tummy rub can help balance this chakra, assist with a sluggish digestive system and soothes stomach upsets. Blend these ingredients together and store in a bottle. Rub on the abdominal area when needed.

Remember to use only natural oils. One part cardamom essential oil, one part black pepper essential oil, one part fennel essential oil in a base oil of sweet almond or jojoba. So in about 10ml you can put one drop of the above oils and make it up fresh each time.

For more information on all your chakras and how to balance them give us a call and come for a healing at the clinic. Alternatively, we can assist you online. Contact us today on +61414680713 and check out our website on www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com.

 

 

How to get unstuck, create a life plan and manifest your dreams

Do you feel stuck in your life doing the same things over and over and you want more? Do you have dreams that you want to achieve but feel it’s impossible? Well, the power for change is in your hands you just might need a bit of help to get you started. Feeling your dreams are unreachable is never a sign of weakness or defeat. Let’s look at it differently. It’s an invitation to pause, regroup and gain strength then work on moving forward.

So, is there are problem? And what is that problem? Do you need to change direction? A great way to do find out is to begin journaling. Start to write about the life you want. Think about your relationships, money, the career you want. None of these are just dreams. They can be made a reality with correct manifestation. However, you need to put in the work and walk the journey. Be prepared to take the set-backs in their stride and just keep going.

Stop comparing yourself to others

If you want to achieve your own goals you need to stop putting focus on other people and where they are at in their life. You have your own journey so make it your own. What is it that really makes you happy? Write it down, reflect on it and then begin to follow that. You cannot walk your friend or colleagues’ path as that is their dream, not yours. What are you good at? What is your niche and how can you use it to drive your passion and income? What do you love to do when you’re on your own. What takes up your quiet hours and whittles your time away? Whatever it is, embrace it. Befriend yourself. Learn to spend time on your own.

Communication is important

It’s important to learn to communicate clearly, even if at first it is uncomfortable. If you cannot communicate your feelings, wants, needs and concerns you are never going to have the relationships you want, or be able to set the boundaries you need. Being a good communicator means expressing these things without being crass, rude, or offensive. Sometimes this may need practice.

Start small

By starting small and taking one step at a time it will make it easier to achieve your goals. For example, if running your own business is your dream, that can be very overwhelming and you may not know where to start. The first thing you can do is to secure the URL to your personal website, and start to create this. Even if it is just the bare minimum, creating a landing page with your photo and a brief bio can give you the confidence and motivation to move forward. Put a nice professional headshot of yourself, and write a personal mission statement. Have a few paragraphs that sum up your work experience, sums up your goals and long-term ambitions and this will not only bring clarity for you but communicate to others what you are passionate about.

Financial clarity

This is an important step. Make a spreadsheet of your debts and expenses. List them all so you can see what is the biggest cost and start paying it off. Open a savings account and save regularly. This can give you several months of expenses covered to help you if there are any financial hiccups.

Do you see how just these four things can already move you to a different mindset? Here at Stressfree Management (www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com) 

we coach you how to move forward and follow your dreams. Everything from sound advice on business to teaching you how to manifest the right vibes to bring those goals into existence. We teach you the steps to get unstuck from where you are now whether it be for business, relationships, financial security, family issues and much more. Call or email us today to set up a time to get you started.

The Art of Self-love

 

Self-love opens the way to forgiving yourself for the mistakes we all make as human beings. Forgiveness is not only something you give to others; it is also something that you need to do for yourself. Something that you may need to give to yourself when you feel as though you have betrayed someone you loved, or if you have overstepped a boundary, you thought you’d never cross, or even when you have intentionally inflicted harm upon yourself or another. Many of us have said yes to one of these actions. It doesn’t make you a bad person to have done these things, it makes you human. You are definitely not alone. Many of us have been there in differing degrees. This however doesn’t excuse anything you have done; self-responsibility is crucial. At the same time hating yourself won’t make anything better. Is it time you gave yourself some forgiveness?

How to give yourself forgiveness

Self-forgiveness is forgiving your past wrongdoings. It means changing how you perceive yourself and what happened by looking at it compassionately and with self-understanding. When you come to a deeper understanding of why you did what you did, then hold yourself in the selflove, you can start to let go and forgive yourself.

When you understand why you did what you did you can prevent the same mistake from happening again. Learning how to forgive yourself is vital as self-forgiveness can bring a new meaning to your life. It will help you to grow, change, and transform in a positive way.

It’s good sometimes to feel guilt and shame up to a certain point. It’s important to grieve, regret and repent in some way your behaviour, in order to learn and change as a person. Self-forgiveness will help you to stop dwelling in the past, and begin living in the present moment. By forgiving yourself you will gain more hope for the future and also find it easier to forgive others. Developing self-love and understanding will increase your energy and motivation helping you to become an even better person.

Handling guilt and shame

You may sometimes feel haunted by a thought or intention that you have secretly carried, but more importantly it is the things we have done that will bring the most guilt and shame. Some of these things may include bullying someone, cheating on your partner, spreading rumours, stealing, physically hurting a loved one or destroying people’s property.

It is important to have a certain level of guilt and shame after hurting yourself or someone else because without guilt, you would sociopathically ignore the impact of your behaviour. If that happens with lots of people it would cause havoc in society. However, too much guilt and shame can become toxic and fester inside you. You need to be able to let go of what you have done and move on because it will create a negative and unrealistic picture mentally for yourself.

If you need help with self-love, guilt or shame give us a call, email or text and we will set up a time to speak with you and help you with that. It only takes one step to begin to fulfil your journey.

Food and how it affects your brain

The food you eat can affect how you think and how your brain functions. That is just one more reason why it’s important to eat healthy food.

Foods that a good for your brain

Avocados are full of antioxidants that suppress free radicals. Antioxidants can help to prevent neuron death, and may help prevent neurodegenerative disease. Avocados also contain monounsaturated fatty acids and folate; both of these can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Blueberries are another great food for the brain. There has been research that found that eating 2 servings of blueberries a week may delay cognitive decline by up to 2½ years.

Coffee despite the negative effects that too much coffee has on the body, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that protect the brain from damage. However, this doesn’t mean you should be drinking an excessive amount of it. Another great food is dark chocolate. This is because cacao is a rich source of flavonoids that promote neuron and blood vessel growth in your brain, stimulate brain blood flow, and may help improve recall and cognitive processing. Likewise, this is not an excuse to binge out on dark chocolate. Green tea contains EGCG, a flavonoid that can bind to and prevent the formation of beta-amyloid proteins, this is also good for preventing Alzheimer’s. Other good teas are White, Oolong, Black tea, and peppermint.

There are also some herbs and spices that can help with brain function. Turmeric is excellent for reducing inflammation and increasing blood flow to your brain. Apigenin which is in parsley, thyme, oregano, and basil, can also protect your brain from inflammation, oxidation, and plaque formation.

Leafy Greens are beneficial for brain health as they could slow cognitive aging by up to 11 years. Also, legumes. These are high in protein and fibre and may stop or significantly slow Alzheimer’s progression by preventing the formation of amyloid-β plaque. Nuts & seeds are anti-inflammatory and rich in sterols, stanols, fibre, minerals, and vitamin E, which protect your brain cells from oxidative damage and boost cognitive function. Whole Grains are high in fibre and vitamin E which are associated with lower risk of cognitive decline.

Foods that are no good for your brain health

At the top of this list is processed foods. These are high in saturated and trans fats, added sugar and refined carbs, all of which are associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. Also, processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, beef jerky, and lunch meats that have been smoked or preserved with nitrites form compounds called nitrosamines, which promote neurodegeneration. Another food that isn’t good is red meat. This is because it is a concentrated source of heme iron. An excess of this increases oxidative stress that’s toxic to the brain and raises risk for Alzheimer’s. Butter & vegan butter substitutes are concentrated sources of saturated fat, regular consumption of which is associated with cognitive decline. Aspartame is also a stressor in your body, it raises cortisol levels and causes excess production of free radicals and artificially-sweetened drinks are associated with a higher risk for stroke and dementia.

Fried food is another one to steer clear of as it is associated with bad memory and cognitive function. Cheese, which can be a leading source of saturated and trans fats have also been linked to increased oxidative stress and poorer cognitive outcomes. Excessive alcohol, more than 8 drinks per week, is also on the cognitive decline list.

Find out what you are sensitive to

If you want to find out which foods are best for you then come to the clinic and have a sensitivity test. It’s a simple saliva or hair test and we can tell you exactly which foods are causing havoc in your body. We can also tell you what vitamins and minerals you are deficient in, what sprays, perfumes and pollutants are annoying your sinuses and skin and if you are being exposed to mould or are dust sensitive. Give us a call or email today to book for your test and get on to a healthier you.