mental health improved by nutrition & lifestyle changes!
I have just finished putting together a new seminar on "Nutrition and lifestyle improvements for mental health", about some very simple steps to preventing and reversing/treating mental health conditions using good nutrition and some lifestyle improvements! I look forward to presenting this seminar at a mental health community group next week!
In the 1960s it was thought mental illness was due to an imbalance of chemicals, neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain. More recent research suggests that this is not entirely true! What is known is the simple deficiencies in many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, from a poor diet, actually cause or exacerbate hormone imbalances. Together with poor digestion, low absorption and many other lifestyle and environmental factors, this can result in many mental health conditions.
I'm not suggesting that popping a multivitamin will fix depression! Any treatment, especially with mental health, needs a holistic (whole body) approach - that also takes into account someone's emotional health, physical health, environmental health, lifestyle and other aspects. But mental health conditions CAN be successfully treated with very simple nutritional improvements, supplements if needed and some lifestyle changes, as well as other treatments in my holistic 6-point plan!
My new 1-hour "Nutrition and lifestyle improvements for mental health" seminar is now available for your corporate, team or community group! I have several other seminars available on other health and nutrition topics, and I would love to be able to share this information to more people!
Alternatively, if you know anyone with a mental health issue, I would be grateful if you were to like and share this, so I may be able to help others too!
type 2 diabetes is preventable and completely reversible!
This Saturday (14th November 2015) is world diabetes day, to raise awareness of about the different types of diabetes.
Type 1 is also called "insulin dependent" or "juvenile onset" diabetes as it usually first appears in young toddlers at ages 1-4, but can occur later too. This is the condition where the pancreas cannot secrete enough of the hormone insulin. As a result, sufferers need to inject insulin to stay alive. There are 2 subtypes - type 1a is the autoimmune form, where the body's immune system attacks the pancreas, and type 1b being the "unknown cause" form.
Type 2 is called "non-insulin dependent" or "insulin resistant" diabetes, as the body becomes immune or stops responding to insulin, even though the body makes enough of it.
Type 3 is also known as Alzheimer's Disease, as it shares many symptoms and physiological effects with other types of diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes is another type, seen in pregnant women.
The hormone insulin brings down blood glucose levels, by enabling cells to take up the glucose in the blood for energy, and it is also used to store the excess glucose as body fat.
Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased thirst, tiredness, blurred vision and more. Untreated diabetes can lead to a diabetic coma, as well as high blood pressure which then causes eye diseases and kidney disease/failure, which then progresses to heart disease/failure, strokes and death. Hence diabetes has very serious long-term health implications.
The good news is that the most common form of diabetes, type 2, which can progress into all the other types, is completely preventable and reversible, without the need for any medication or insulin! Recent research confirms this, as I have also seen with clients.
More recently research is showing that type 1 may also be preventable or alternative treatments can help to reduce the amount of insulin needed.
If you or someone you know has diabetes, particularly type 2, and they would like to prevent further complications, I would like to help!
Spring is the season for... allergies! How to reduce these!
The season of Spring means the sounds of young birds and other animals, the growth of plants and many pretty flowers, and having to cut the lawn a bit more often... and for those people who are susceptible, Spring is the season of plant, pollen and grass allergies and sensitivities!
Much can actually be done to reduce not only the severity of the symptoms of your allergy or sensitivity, but to reduce the incidence of them too. As a Holistic Nutritionist, I can help with identifying which foods you may be sensitive to, as well as which foods may make your symptoms to non-food allergies worse. Also, other techniques I have trained in can help to reduce your immune system response to stimuli and reduce the incidence of your allergies or sensitivities, or even stop those allergies and sensitivities.
If you would like to find out more, please contact me!
November is men's health month!
November is the traditional month of men's health awareness. In my clinic, while I do see some men as clients, the numbers are definitely in favour of women. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women make up about 62% of visits alternative therapists such as Naturopaths, Nutritionists and other practitioners, but only 38% of men.
Other statistics show that men are 3 times more likely to die of coronary heart disease than women, twice as likely to get skin cancer and 3 times more likely to commit suicide, and many other health statistics going against them.
Perhaps a reason why is that men do not want to be seen as "weak" or suggesting that there may be something wrong with their health! I'm sure the women, families, employers & friends around such men would actually prefer them to be alive and healthy instead of suffering health conditions because of embarrassment or any other reason (ie, excuse!).
Another reason may be that more men are working and can't get the time off to see a practitioner. I am aware that most people work business hours, and as a result I am available for evening and weekend consultations to fit in with your busy lifestyles!
Men's diets are known to not be as good as for women in general! As a result, men's health can be affected. However, good food choices can still be made in a working or away-from-home environment - if men have the right information as to what their food choices are really doing to their health, and what they can do about it.
So ladies, please insist that the men in your life seek professional health advice when needed, or even for prevention, as improving their diets, lifestyle, sleep and health can be achieved a lot quicker if looked at earlier! Men, just do it!