Lowering cholesterol

Whilst we need cholesterol to build healthy cells high cholesterol is not good for your health. High cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits in the blood vessels which grow and make it difficult for enough blood to flow through the arteries causing health issues. Everything from Alzheimer’s, cancer, dementia to heart disease. Thankfully dietary changes help reduce your cholesterol and risk of these health problems.

Foods to help lower cholesterol

These include plant-based foods and proteins such as beans, lentils, fruits such as oranges, apples, berries, oats, and foods that contain sterols such as nuts. The nuts need to be raw and unsalted and the best are hazelnuts, macadamia, pine, walnuts, brazil nuts and cashews.

Plant based protein

Protein foods are not just meat as there are many plant foods that contain protein. These plant-based proteins are great for lowering cholesterol. They include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Other great sources come from coconuts, avocados, quinoa, tofu, miso, tempe and even dairy alternatives of coconut milk, hemp seed milk and almond milk.

Plant sterols

These are substances found in nuts, beans, grains, fruit and vegetables that are like cholesterol. By eating more plant sterols you can reduce health problems. Plant sterols are found in pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts, almond butter, olive oil, wheat germ oil, sesame seeds, sage, thyme, paprika and oregano.

Fibre

There are two types of fibre soluble and insoluble. Insoluble goes through the digestive system undigested and helps keep it moving. Soluble fibre in the stomach forms a gel when it mixes with liquids and this helps to reduce cholesterol levels. Some sources of soluble fibre are nuts, legumes, seeds, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. The best sources though are brussel sprouts, oats, broccoli, pears, carrots, avocado, sweet potato and black beans.

If you find your cholesterol levels are creeping up try changing your diet to include some of these foods and you may find that the cholesterol levels start to reduce in turn reducing your health risks.

Diverticulitis is a progressive inflammatory disease

Diverticulitis is when the diverticula, which are small pockets in the wall of the large intestine become inflamed and infected. This occurs when the muscles of the colon start to become weak. Diverticulosis is the name given to the illness before the diverticula become inflamed or infected. It is more common as people age and only a small percentage get the full blown diverticulitis. It is more common in the lower part of the colon.

Diverticulosis

Diverticulosis is often unnoticed until it becomes infected and inflamed, basically until it becomes diverticulitis. Some of the common symptoms are ongoing constipation or diarrhoea, a tender abdomen or cramping and bloating, pain from bowel movements, blood in the stool or nausea and vomiting. Diverticulitis can be very painful when it flares up and becomes inflamed or infected. Some severe cases may require immediate surgery.

The cause of this condition is not fully understood but some researcher’s suspect it could be caused by a combination of poor eating habits, age and genetics. Diverticulitis is a disease that is influenced by factors such as obesity, physical activity levels, and smoking.

Diagnosis and treatments

The symptoms can vary from person to person. You will be asked about your symptoms and have some tests done such as blood tests and a colonoscopy.

Sometimes diverticulitis requires surgery but this is usually in severe cases. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to help ease the infection, however there has been research that shows that this treatment is overused. Instead perhaps search for a natural treatment to help relieve the pain and infection from your trained naturopath and nutritionist.

Probiotics

Probiotics are bacteria that is in the food we eat; these bacteria are good for your health and has many benefits. There are many different strains of probiotics that are very helpful in reducing the symptoms of diverticulitis, particularly lactobacillus casei and lactobacillus paracasei.  

Some of the best foods containing probiotics are fermented, such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso and yoghurt. You can also use probiotic supplements; however, it is best to seek advice from your natural health care practitioner to insure you are taking the correct dosage and strain for your diverticulitis. 

A diet rich in fibre may help prevent diverticulosis turning into diverticulitis. Good sources of fibre include nuts, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. So when you are suffering from the painful symptoms of diverticulitis why not change your eating habits and take vitamin supplements under the guidance of your natural health care practitioner? We have had much success in this area of health care. Give us a call today.

 What are Haemorrhoids? How to treat them.

Haemorrhoids can be very painful and cause lots of different problems. Haemorrhoids are clusters of veins in the smooth muscle walls of the anus or lower rectum and can be also known as piles. This means they make you very uncomfortable when you need to open your bowels. They are caused by increases in pressure to the blood vessels in the anus. This can be caused by things such as low fibre diets, pregnancy, obesity and prolonged sitting or standing. Other factors that can contribute to the cause are diarrhea or constipation, spinal cord injuries, alcoholism, lifting heavy weight, aging and anal intercourse.

Symptoms are pain, and pain during bowel movements, itching and bleeding around the rectum and /or the anus. You may also find hard painful lumps and get mucus or faecal leakage. Haemorrhoids can go away on their own but here are some treatments that may help to speed up the recovery. It is important however to make sure that the symptoms are related to haemorrhoids and not something more serious.

The doctor will use medical history, symptoms and a physical examination to diagnose haemorrhoids. There are a few different types. Some bleed but are not prolapsed, others are prolapsed but get smaller on their own suddenly and others prolapse and have to be reduced manually whilst the worst prolapse but cannot be reduced.

Treating haemorrhoids, even though they can disappear on their own, can help to ease the symptoms faster. If you have the low grade haemorrhoids that bleed but do not prolapse you can try some at home remedies such as Epsom Salts and glycerine. Mix two tablespoons of Epsom Salts with 2 tablespoons of glycerine and apply to the painful area with gauze. Apply for 15-20-minutes and repeat every 4 to 6 hours. Or you can try Myrtus Communis essential oil to help improve bleeding, and itching. To help calm spasms you can try sitting in a Sitz bath or even a regular warm bath for 20min 2 to 3 times a day. Also eating more fibre or taking stool softeners, digestive enzymes and probiotics can help relieve symptoms.

If you are suffering from the higher graded haemorrhoids then you might need other products you can buy at the health food store or the chemist. If these don’t work then there are prescription medications from the doctor. In some cases, you may require more intensive medical procedures such as rubber band ligation, which is using rubber bands to cut off circulation to the haemorrhoid. Infrared coagulation and radiofrequency ablation therapy also work in the same sort of way. If all this fails you may require surgery to remove them. Take care of these when they just start and don’t let them become bad and uncomfortable. They are a symptom that your gut is not healthy or working properly. See your naturopath to find out what you need to improve your diet and gut health and very soon haemorrhoids will be in the past and your digestion will be working better.