Gill Stannard

City Natural Therapies on vacation

Gill Stannard — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:29:24 +0000

The clinic is now closed for the holidays. I will be back on Wednesday 11 January 2012.

If you need to get in touch, please leave a message on (03)9650-3419 and your call will be returned on the 11th.

Please note the 2012 fees and charges and a reminder that I now require 48 hours notice of cancellation or rescheduling appointments.

Happy solstice, I hope you have a happy and health summer,
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Special supervision package

Gill Stannard — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:23:58 +0000

For new naturopaths and allied health practitioners it’s usually tough starting out in practice. After years of investing time and money into study, it can feel very lonely being out in the world on your own.

With 20 years of successful clinical practice, I know what it’s like and what’s needed to upskill and put theory into practice. Furthermore as most courses tend to gloss over the nuts and bolts of business, starting your professional life with an experienced naturopath helping you create sound commercial habits can make all the difference.

To celebrate two decades of naturopathic business, I’ve tailor-made a unique supervision package to kickstart practice for graduates and other practitioners needing a fresh approach. For more details check out the supervision page.

20th Anniversary Supervision package

To Celebrate two decades of service to naturopathy, Gill is offering a discounted 3 session supervision package in 2012. This includes:

• 3 x 1 hour face-to-face or telephone supervision sessions
• Regular email support
• Social media training
• A total of 3 months professional support

Cost: $290 (usually $330)

Conditions: To be paid in full before the first session. Final session to be no later that 120 days after commencement of program.

Gill also supervises practitioners living interstate and overseas.
Supervision fees are tax deductible.
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Reverb

Gill Stannard — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:38:54 +0000

I was delighted to be asked by Melbourne Blogger Kat from I Saw You Dancing to contribute to the annual #reverb challenge.

#reverb11 is a daily reflective prompt that runs every day through the month of December. It is an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and manifest what the new year may hold. It was started by the ever talented Gwen Bell in 2009.

My prompt for the year is about change. Largely inspired by this not so charming message that Yarra Trams have plastered on their vehicles (snapped while in the rain at an Occupy Melbourne rally in October).

What positive change have you made this year:

* in your health?
* in how you relate to your body?
* in your self talk?
* in how you relate to the world?
#Reverb11

Have you made any change for the better this year that you’d like to share?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Serendipitously just read Virginia Trioli’s closing paragraph in her column in The Weekly. Some poignant words about change.

After years of wanting so many things and people and circumstances to remain exactly as they are, it has taken me years to understand that life is actually change; that stasis is death; that change is loss and gain all at the same time. It’s almost a relief to let go and to see that life will unfold and change before you, like the unspooling of a celluloid film, and that letting it go brings a peace of its own. Bring on the change: let the chaos begin.
Virginia Trioli

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December newsletter, clinic holidays and gift vouchers

Gill Stannard — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:54:55 +0000

The last newsletter for the year is now winging its way to the inbox of the 700-plus newsletter subscribers.

Don’t miss Lucy’s lovely tomato salad and the handpicked best of the web, plus recent articles on MSG and the updated bookshelf of healthy reads.

For clinic client’s please note the following important dates.

Important information: Holidays and gift vouchers

City Natural Therapies will be closed from the afternoon of Wednesday 21 December 2011 and will reopen Wednesday 11 January 2011.

If you are a current client and we’ve discussed a medicine repeat, the last day for orders is Friday 16 December. This is also so the last day that gift vouchers can be purchased.

Please note, December is already heavily booked, if you would like a consultation before my break, phone the clinic (03 96503419) straight away.

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The inconvenient truth about MSG

Gill Stannard — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:32:12 +0000

Last week a staff writer for the Sydney Morning Herald proclaimed the “truth” about reactions to monosodium glutamate (MSG) to be a furphy. While it’s a fact that the World Health Organisation doesn’t consider the flavour enhancer a health hazard, many of the other conclusions the author drew told only one side of the story.

‘There is really no experimental evidence to substantiate Chinese Restaurant Syndrome or links with asthma but that doesn’t preclude that there is definitely a small percentage … who would be truly sensitive to MSG. But the majority of the bad press is unsubstantiated.”
Biomedical research scientist at the University of Adelaide, Natalie Luscombe-Marsh quoted in The Age

The facts about MSG

Unlike many common foods that people have allergic reactions to MSG hasn’t conclusively been linked to deaths. The humble peanut is freely available to buy and consume, though it is clearly demonstrated to be fatal for some. So comparatively MSG is safe.

While glutamate is a naturally occurring constituent of many natural foods, it is balanced with other naturally occurring chemicals in the plant. The author doesn’t distinguish between a food dose of natural MSG from a stick of kombu and a tablespoon of pure MSG added to a meal.

MSG is used to “enhance flavour”. This means adding MSG to substandard produce can make it taste good. Wouldn’t you prefer food made with the best quality ingredients that doesn’t need an additive to perk it up?

MSG may cause brain cells to swell, according to a recent mouse study (the researchers couldn’t find an ethics committee that would allow them to biopsy the brain of live, human participants). But when exposed to MSG from a young age, or even in utero, it decreases the negative reaction.

The study found previous exposure to “low dose of MSG reduces subsequent injury by a large dose of MSG.”

This demonstrates why some people don’t react to MSG at all, while others feel awful. It’s all down to previous exposure at a young age and explains why many raised on an Asian diet deny the existence of MSG reactions. But for those bought up on a MSG-free diet, this otherwise “harmless” substance causes neurons to swell.

It’s not just the brain that may react to MSG. Recently published research has found some evidence of it being hepatotoxic (harmful to the liver) as well.

More MSG facts

While the labelling of MSG (flavour enhancer 621) is mandatory on packaged goods, there is no move to make this obligatory in restaurant and take away food.

Imported foods from countries that don’t use the food additive numbering code often have poorly translated ingredients. “Amino acid” and “flavouring” are sometimes used instead of MSG.

Some restaurants claim to add no MSG. This means they don’t ladle on the white powder. But they may still use pre-made sauces, stocks and flavourings etc that include MSG.

While Chinese food is legendary for the addition of MSG, almost all Asian cuisines are partial to adding it e.g. Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese etc

Many non-Asian cafes and restaurants use stock powders and flavour boosters containing MSG in soup, stews and casseroles. Some fast food chains add it to their seasoning.

Check supermarket foods for 600 numbers. These include locally made instant sauces and seasonings, as well as imported products.

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Bookshelf

Gill Stannard — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:21:07 +0000

Welcome to Gill’s recommended reading. This is a growing list of books and other resources for a healthier body, mind and spirit.

Women’s health

Kaz Cooke writes accessible, well informed books on women’s health and parenting. A great source of commonsense advice.

Women’s Trouble: Natural and Medical Solutions (with naturopath Ruth Trickey)
One of the best women’s health books available, with the added bonus that it’s written in Australia. Straight forward medical information with natural options.

Up the Duff is the first and often only book you need to read when you’re pregnant. Also great for expectant father’s to read week by week to understand that their partner is not the only one to experience mood changes!

Women’s Stuff is not only health but a “how to” guide for young girls to mature women, without the usual New Age twaddle.

Boys and men

Australian family therapist Steve Biddulph is the master when it comes to understanding masculinity. His books are “must reads” for all parents and lovers of men.
Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different–And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men

The New Manhood: The Handbook for a New Kind of Man

Both Steve’s book’s should be on the high school curriculum!

Maggie Hamilton’s research also has great insight into the species otherwise known as the adolescent male.
What’s Happening to Our Boys?

It’s the perfect compaion to her earlier work What’s Happening to Our Girls?: Too Much Too Soon.

Environmental health
Read my 2011 reviews of the following books for more info.

Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things

Nicole Bijlsma Healthy Home Healthy Family: Is Where You Live Affecting Your Health?

Home remedies

Ethno-botonist James Wong’s enthusiastic approach to plant medicines is infective:
Grow Your Own Drugs: Easy Recipes for Natural Remedies and Beauty Fixes

Grow Your Own Drugs: A Year with James Wong

There’s also a DVD of the show.
Grow Your Own Drugs

Animal Health

Phillips and Fitzgerald The Alternative Cat: Improve Your Cat’s Health and Well Being with Natural Therapies and Practical Techniques
Now out of print, it’s worth looking for a second-hand copy if you are a natural health loving cat owner.

The classic herbals for all creatures great and small written by revered herbalist Juliette de Bairacli-Levy
The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat

The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable
The title says it all!

Healthy eating

Tony Chiodo Feel Good Food. My favourite cookbook of 2010, local, accessible and absolutely yummy. Recipes include vegan, seafood and chicken. Take a look at my review of Feel Good Food to find out more.

Heidi Swanson Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
The queen of 101 Cookbooks latest offering is packed full of delicious vegetarian fare.

Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food: Vegetarian
A big book for new vegetarian, those wishing to expand their vegetable cooking repertoire and novice cooks. Lots of recipes, techniques and handy line drawings.

Maddhur Jeffery is an Anglo-Indian food writer. Her recipes are straight forward and easy to follow.

The large, hardback Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian: An Unrivalled Sourcebook of Over 600 Recipes and Ingredients from All Over the Globe covers many different cuisines.

While the more modest paperbackEastern Vegetarian Cooking focuses on different Asian classics. I’ve owned my copy for over 20 years and is one of my most cooked from books.

Flip Shelton Veg In: Simple Vegetarian Dishes from Around the World
Simple recipes to make healthy and tasty “take aways”, read my book review for more info.

Stephanie Alexander The Cook’s Companion
While this is not a health book, Stephanie Alexander’s work of love helps a competent cook become an excellent one, through understanding flavours and techniques.

Politics of food

Michael Pollan The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Search for a Perfect Meal in a Fast-food World
This book will get you thinking about what you put on your plate, packed full of conversation starters for around the dinner table.

And more by Michael Pollan to fire your mind In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

Barbara Kingsolver Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our Year of Seasonal Eating
A gentler approach to eating locally. Part diary, part “how to” book by award winner novelist and her family.

Psychological health and self-discovery

Stephanie Dowrick Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love
A thought provoking exploration of the virtues. Best read slowly and savoured.

Free Thinking: On Happiness, Emotional Intelligence, Relationships, Power and Spirit
Also by Dowrick and worth a read, gentler than her previous work.

Jennifer Louden The Woman’s Comfort Book: A Self-nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life
An oldie but a goodie, some great ways to get in touch and a take care of yourself.

Sarah Ban Breathnach Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy [/i]
A gentle exploration of femininity and abundance.

Bev Aisbett The Book of IT: 10 Steps to Conquering Anxiety
Demystifying anxiety and panic attacks, with the added bonus that the author is also a cartoonist.

Thomas Moore Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life
A thoughtful and thorough book on human nature, that deserves some time and space to explore.

Meditation – I’m excited to see my favourite book is about to be updated.
Kamalashila Buddhist Meditation: Tranquility, Imagination and Insight

Creativity

Julia Cameron has written a number of guides to creativity. The two best are:

The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation Into the Writing Life
An inspirational resource for budding writers.

The Artist’s Way
Perfect for both visual artists and writers – the book that launched a thousand “artist dates”!

Natalie Goldberg, US writer and Buddhist provides practical advice and exercises in her two classic texts:
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer within

Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life

Keri Smith Living out Loud: An Activity Book to Fuel a Creative Life
Being creative is fun.

Lifestyle

Two handy books to help you not only clean up your house but also understand your clutter.
Lissanne Oliver Sorted!: The Ultimate Guide to Organising Your Life – Once and for All

Karen Kingston’s insight in why we hold on to our stuff and how to let go of the clutter is fascinating.
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui: Space Clearing Can Change Your Life

Fiction and memoir for body, mind and soul

Stella Duffy State of Happiness
A cartographer with a taste for theories of place succumbs to cancer in this metaphorical tale of mortality and map making. A powerful story exploring life, death and sense of place. I’m a longtime fan of Duffy’s fiction but this is quite different to her other work, written while the author wrestled with her own life challenging illness.

Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything
Do yourself a favour, don’t see the movie, choose the book instead. Gilbert is a delightful writer and her human tale of self discovery is a charming read.

Reader’s recommendations

Michelle suggested Glad No Matter What: Transforming Loss and Change into Gift and Opportunity by SARK.
“A very wise and healing book that deals with grief and change”.

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In this month’s newsletter

Gill Stannard — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:01:28 +0000

The penultimate newsletter for 2011 is now out. Ironically the introduction was written a week or two ago, before the Myer windows and arcade bunting proclaimed it was Christmas. Whether you love or loathe this time of year I encourage you to stay in the moment and enjoy November for what it is, rather than a warm up to the next big event on the calendar.

A few weeks ago, in mid-October, I noticed the local supermarket had already begun selling Christmas paraphernalia. It seems increasingly we’re not given enough time to savour the spaces between big calendar dates. My wish for this November is that we can appreciate the month for what it is, just 30 spring (or autumn) days. It’s an excellent time to have a picnic, go for a bike ride or weed the garden.

Hitting the headlines recently is the claim that multivitamins are at best a waste of money or at worst could shorten your life. But is that what research behind the hype really concluded? The lead article examines the latest furore about vitamins. Take a look and make up your own mind.

I’m delighted to share Jane’s wonderful almond pancake recipe. As well as tasting great, they’re also gluten and dairy-free. As usual there’s a taste of some interesting links I’ve shared over the month on the City Natural Therapies Facebook page. And finally some wisdom from Dr Seuss.

I hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter and you find the time to enjoy a calm November.

In good health,
Gill

City Natural Therapies November 2011 Newsletter, if you’d like a copy add your email address to the free sign up.

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Are multivitamins killing you?

Gill Stannard — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:05:18 +0000

If you’ve been following the news lately you could believe vitamin and mineral supplements are either a waste of money or worse. According to reports of one study, they’ll even shorten your life.

Popping vitamins may do more harm than good, according to a new study that adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting some supplements may have health risks…Women who took supplements had, on average, a 2.4 percent increased risk of dying over the course of the 19-year study, compared with women who didn’t take supplements”. Yahoo news

But was that the actual conclusion the researchers made? Hands up the shock jocks, journalists or even medical reporters who have read the original research? I’ve spent the past few weeks reviewing the paper and discussing it with scientists to get to grips with the statistical world of “hazard ratios” and the drawing of such devastating conclusions.

Almost 39,000 older women (average age 62 years old) initially took part in a longitudinal study but at its completion 19 years later less than 17,000 remained. As would be expected from this demographic, some had died but a number had dropped out or were excluded for other reasons.

The group was not double blind. This means there were no placebos. Everyone involved took their own self selected supplements. This is very unusual in an era of research where the double blind study is considered to be the “gold standard” in medical research.

The participants self-reported the supplements they took when surveyed in 1986, 1997 and 2004. The survey did not include how consistently they took the supplements. For example whether it was an impulse buy of a single bottle or had they taken the supplements every day for 19 years?

The dosage of each vitamin or mineral was also not included. Women took different brands and combinations. Keep in mind that the United States does not have stringent therapeutic goods laws or the same codes of good manufacturing practice as we have in Australia. The majority of supplement products on the shelves in that country would not be able to be sold here.

The two nutrients associated with the greatest negative impact on life expectancy were copper and iron. Excess iron intake has known risks. None of the women were screened for haemochromatosis, a common metabolic condition that causes the body to deposit iron in vital organs, which if not controlled can be fatal. Copper is an unusual single supplement to take. In 20 years of practice I have never prescribed it. In fact very few of the women in the study took a copper supplement. In 1986 there were only 30, which is less than 0.01 percent of participants. Not the “40,000” women some media source alluded to. Most scientists would consider this too small a sample to draw any conclusions.

The supplement that hit the headlines was the multivitamin. The researchers concluded that taking a multivitamin was associated with a 2.4 percent increased mortality (death) risk. What these vitamins consisted of and how long and consistently they were taken was not included in the study. It certainly includes a wide variety of possibilities. While some screening of existing health conditions was used in the study, the authors admit that they didn’t “exclude the possibility that some supplements were taken for reasonable cause in response to symptoms or clinical disease”. In other words some participants may have had unreported pre-existing deficiencies or diseases that may have been related to increased death rates.

The scientists I consulted said the study was too poorly designed to jump to the conclusion that multivitamins “can kill you”, as many media outlets reported.

The paper also does not mention any prescribed medication the women were taking during the study. While the research has been criticized for not ruling our many major health issues, there is no mention of arthritis or menopause-related medications being included. The anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx was withdrawn from the market in 2004 and is considered to have caused around 60,000 deaths. Premarin, a form of Hormone Replacement Therapy associated with increasing the risk of breast cancer, was in common use during much of the survey period. As women aged 55 year and older were a target market for these drugs, it raises more issues about the study.

Selective reporting in the media

Although it appears that almost all journalists ignored the flaws in the research, their reports focused on particular findings. Most concentrated on the negative outcomes, ignoring or underplaying the many positive results.

The study concluded that many of the women taking certain supplements lived longer. In particular taking a B vitamin complex, C, D, E and calcium were positively associated with decreased mortality.

“In agreement with our hypothesis, most of the supplements studied were not associated with a reduced total mortality rate in older women.” ”Mursu et al, Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women: The Iowa Women’s Health Study

Do you still think that your vitamins are killing you?

It all depends on what studies you read, or what media you listen to. As a regular multivitamin user of over twenty years, the Iowa Women’s Health Study has not changed my supplementing habits. For me the jury is out until a better designed study can reproduce their results.

Whether you need the vitamins your take, or are taking the best product for your requirements is another question entirely. The majority of clients whose supplements I review are taking more than they need or are under-dosing on the nutrients their specific condition requires.

Further reading

For a free pdf of the study, click “study” in the first paragraph in Junk Science.

A good, plain English analysis of the study in the Huffington Post.

An older analysis of vitamin research suggests How to Fake a Vitamin Study.
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The wisdom of Dr Seuss

Gill Stannard — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:37:59 +0000

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None Found

Recipe: carrot and daikon salad

Gill Stannard — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:43:40 +0000

This recipe first appeared in the October 2011 newsletter. If you’d like a monthly update on health and food, add your email address to free newsletter sign up.

Daikon is one of those vegetables I sometimes buy and then wonder what on earth I should do with it. Its other name, Japanese radish, hints at what kind of flavour you can expect. Daikon has a nice crunchy texture and is perfect in salads.

Inspired by Ottolenghi’s sprout salad, I recently simplified the dish to serve it as a side with grilled fish. For a stand-alone meal try doubling the quantities and add some sprouts, seeds or crispy fried tempeh.

Carrot and daikon salad

1 daikon, peeled and finely sliced in rounds
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed and finely sliced in rounds
A large handful leafy greens (watercress works well if you can find it)

Dressing
3 tabs walnut or olive oil
1 tab sherry vinegar
1 tsp grain mustard
Pinch of sea salt
(I don’t add pepper because daikon is spicy enough)

Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss through salad. Serve immediately.

Or try Lucy’s lovely salad dressing with miso.Similar Posts: