Natural Health

Coconut oil is a smart way to lose weight!

2013-11-17T19:07:00.000+02:00

Have you ever wondered why most food pyramids (see example below) throughout the ages remained more or less the same? Most depict the HEALTHY carbohydrates (starches like whole grains, brown rice and other cereals, breads and rootcrops) at the base of the pyramid. This is the foundation of the diet and should be consumed in the highest quantity. Without carbohydrates in your diet, depression is almost a given! Luckily, most vegetables contain a carbohydrate:protein combination. This explains the reference to the so-called starchy (e.g. carrots) or non-starchy (e.g. broccoli) vegetables. Dont' exclude the starchy ones!

More importantly - all food pyramids include a component of plant oils or "healthy fats".

That brings me to coconut oil. It is easily digested and immediately burned by the liver for energy. There’s no insulin spike like with carbs; coconut oil boosts your metabolism and assists your body use fat for energy, helping you to become leaner. Farmers discovered this in the 1940s, when they tried to fatten their livestock with the inexpensive coconut oil, but instead, it made the animals lean and active. Studies show that it contributes to weight loss, improves energy, accelerate healing and improve overall immune function. Mono-chain triglycerides (MTC’s e.g. coconut oil) can also enhance physical and athletic performance. Olive oil should not be used for cooking. Start using coconut oil instead and lose weight!

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ADHD and Gut-Brain Connection

2013-09-25T22:28:00.001+02:00

Proper digestion is crucial for mental, emotional and physical health. This process is known as the “gut-brain connection”. The body is fed VIA the digestive system. It is therefore important to maintain your body’s “garden system” to the best of your ability.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise. It is a fact that ADHD children often cause so much disruption that teaching a class is becoming almost impossible. In most cases, drug therapy is prescribed as the “only” solution. The cause of the problem is not addressed and the side effects of these drugs are many. However, there are effective alternatives, but every child is different - what works for the one does not necessarily apply to the other. Apart from a nutritious diet, omega 3 (fish oil) supplements might be very beneficial. From a very young age my son took 2-3 capsules (1000mg / capsule) daily and he still takes it regularly. He never developed any signs of ADHD. The omega oils also prevented teen acne. But, sometimes people claim that omegas are not the answer. I suggest that you keep looking for alternatives to drugs!

The gut-brain connection is the most important key in solving the problem. Friends of mine with ADHD children found some of the latest research studies on the internet and tried it out with very positive results. I wasn’t surprised to hear what the alternative cure entailed. If omegas are not the answer, try probiotics! Livestrong.com confirms it in the following article: The Role of probiotics in people with ADHD. Probiotics (e.g. Inteflora, probiflora, acidophilus, etc) are prescribed along with antibiotics for babies, but when they’re older, the doctor “forgets” to add friendly intestinal flora to the prescription. And it is still crucial! Although my son never had any antibiotics administered to him, I supplemented his diet with probiotics for the past 16 years – every morning on an empty stomach.

An ADHD article in the huffingtonpost.com written by Leo Galland is quite interesting in this regard. Two more articles are worth mentioning namely natural-alternative-adhd-treatment.com and A Mother’s Journey ADD ADHD Natural Remedies, available at addnaturalremedy.com. Probiotics prevent so many other ailments as well – why don’t you just try it out?

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Chronic Pain?

2013-06-28T21:40:00.001+02:00

I have just finished reading a fascinating book my physiotherapist, Marietta Jordaan, gave me, called The Divided Mind – The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders by Dr John E. Sarno (HarperCollins Publishers, New York. 2006), a professor of Rehabilitation Medicine since 1950. He is the acclaimed author of Mind Over Back Pain, the number one New York Times bestseller Healing Back Pain and the best-selling The Mindbody Prescription.

These books deal largely with what he calls tension myositis syndrome (TMS), a painful psychosomatic disorder afflicting millions. The one I read dealt with the full range of psychosomatic disorders, including gastrointestinal conditions, skin disorders, allergies, autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, certain cardiovascular conditions and – believe it or not – cancer too.

What is fascinating, is that the pain in the upper right side (neck-shoulder part) of my trapezius muscle was gone once I read the book! One of the most interesting and important aspects of psychosomatic phenomena is the fact that knowledge and awareness of the process clearly have healing powers. Thousands of people have become pain free simply by reading Dr Sarno’s books. How and why this happens is a mesmerising story.

Thinking about TMS, even when we are well, serves as preventive medicine. Those who are able to do this find they can nip in the bud many aches and pains. When this occurs it is extremely empowering, as we recognise the control we have over our bodies. This also helps to solidify the new belief systems about how psychology affects our physical being. Besides, knowing how awesome and complex the brain is, doesn’t it seem rather short-sighted to discount the role that the brain can play with regard to bodily sensations? After all, the Creator of the universe made us! You blush when you experience an uncomfortable emotion; heart beat increases when you get a fright; your stomach pulls in knots (and starts aching?!) when you experience a lot of stress. What about the rest of your body? Don’t you think you can control the above reactions if you really focus on it (or know the reason behind it)? Take note, it has nothing to do with positive thinking!

By reading these books, you will acquire the tools necessary to begin understanding chronic pain and illness and how to return to pain-free health; discover the importance of psychological factors in medical treatment; get a clear understanding of the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind as well as the mind and the body; learn why understanding the nature of mindbody disorders is the first and most important step on the path to healing.

If you seek a solution to pain, study this amazing and revolutionary approach. I did, and it changed my life. The worst that can happen is that you will lose a few bucks buying the book! If you want to follow this blog by email free of charge, please submit your email address below or on the top right hand side of this page.

A possible link between nasal congestion (blocked nose) and slimming?

2013-06-05T20:43:00.000+02:00

So many people complain about a stuffy nose or sinusitis, use nasal sprays and even have their septum repaired – often with no success. I had a nasal drip and nasal congestion for years – especially at night (or when lying down) and 4-5 hours after consuming ANY dairy. The problem worsened until one day a doctor told me to eliminate ALL dairy products from my diet. With no complementary health knowledge at that stage, I regarded it as a strange diagnosis and it took me more than a year before I tried it out. A glass of milk with every meal, ice-cream after dinner, custard, white sauces, any cream of soup, biscuits, cheese, butter (remember there’s dairy in bread as well!) and mayonnaise were banned from my household, but a whole new world (and nose) opened up!

It’s highly frustrating when you wake up at night and have to turn around to unblock your nose, just to find the other side of the nose getting blocked a few minutes later! Nasal sprays are literally addictive and damage your sinuses. If you have to consume dairy, limit it to the minimum and always carry some lactase tablets with you. I find the Solgar brand to be quite effective. It is an enzyme that babies are born with, but most people lose this enzyme when they grow up. Lactase tablets assist in digesting the milk protein molecules and prevent the allergic reaction when undigested dairy molecules end up in the bloodstream. Please avoid antihistamines if you possibly can – histamine production is your immune system’s way to get rid of the “alien”. You weaken your immune system continuously by using antihistamines and cancer could be the end result!

To my amazement I found that since I have been taking Ambrotose (a supplement from the Mannatech company), my body tolerates dairy much better than usual. Contact me if you want to know more about this product. What is more, the blood group diet confirms that if you are dairy (lactose) intolerant, also called lactase deficient, it means that you aren’t able to properly digest the milk sugar (lactose) in dairy products. According to the author, this in turn, prevents you from losing weight if you’re on a so called protein diet! Last comment – there are many sources of calcium other than milk / cheese. Question: Where do you think the cow gets its calcium from?

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Soak your nuts and lose weight!

2013-03-23T19:59:00.000+02:00

This may not be common knowledge, but a few nuts in your daily diet still hunger and are essential, provided it is soaked! Soaked nuts unlock health benefits, are protein rich and provide most B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and folates (only B-12 is lacking). It contains fiber, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and zinc. Almonds are considered to be the healthiest.

Why soaking? A protecting enzyme inhibitor and tannic and pytic acid in the hull prevent microorganism infestation and grazing from non-ruminant animals until sunlight and moisture allow it to germinate. Both acids are "anti-nutrients" because they bind essential minerals making it unavailable to your body. By soaking you remove the harmful content and release the life-force and full nutritional value. The nuts become softer, tastier and easier to chew and digest. Chew nuts thoroughly. Big chunks of poorly chewed nuts can be hard on the digestive tract.

Good new for weight watchers: Soaking release the enzyme, lipase, which digests fats. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E (antioxidant) content lower bad cholesterol which is good for the heart. Nuts harness appetite and therefore prevent you from over eating. Eat one soaked almond per 5kg (±11 pounds) of body weight daily (i.e. 14-15 nuts per 70 kg). I keep a mix of raw, organic nuts and seeds in the fridge. Soak 2-3 tablespoons in 2 cups of filtered water overnight, rinse and add a pinch of pink (Himalayan) salt. Eat it with low fat, lactose free, plain yoghurt.

More health benefits include lower levels of blood sugar, insulin and sodium, and higher levels of magnesium and protective antioxidants, thus controlling diabetes and blood pressure. Its folic acid content is vital during pregnancy; folic acid also reduces homo cysteine levels to minimize the risk of clogged arteries, while the magnesium helps in preventing heart attacks. Soaked almonds also help in reducing the C-reactive protein, thus minimizing inflammation that damages arteries. Flavonoids present in almonds have the ability to suppress prostate tumors and breat cancer. Vitamin B-17 (laetrile) is instrumental in fighting cancer and increasing life expectancy.

Be aware that law requires the pasteurization and/or radiation of nuts due to mould that can be damaging to the liver, but still allows these processed nuts to be called raw even though they no longer are! Try to buy it raw from a farmer or roadside stand.

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Caffeine - A Drug Or Not?

2013-03-17T20:37:00.000+02:00

Drugs are bad news – for spiders too! To test some of its psychological effects, including coffee, NASA scientists administered different drugs to spiders to see how these drugs impacted on web construction. In other words, what happens when you get a spider stoned?

I know that I shouldn’t take any coffee or caffeinated fizzy drinks after 5pm because it prevents me from falling asleep when I go to bed a few hours later! I also find it strange when people claim that they cannot start the day without a cup of coffee. Once you’re used to a green drink or even just a glass of clean water first thing in the morning, you can’t stand the taste of coffee any longer.

Back to the drugged spiders: NASA’s experiments have shown that common house spiders spin their webs in different ways according to the chemical they have been given. The more toxic, the more deformed the web.

The acid-trippy (LSD) spider wove a psychedelic, symmetrical web which was very pretty but not great at catching bugs. Those on Benzedrine – “Speed”, in the same class as Ritalin – went really fast, but without much awareness of the overall picture: it left large gaps. Spiders that were high on marijuana did a fair job spinning webs, but then got bored or distracted, appeared to lose concentration about half-way through and didn’t finish. Caffeine had the biggest effect. Found in soft drinks, tea and coffee, it made spiders incapable of spinning anything better than a few poorly organised strands with no structure but merely strung together at random. Caffeine jitters literally turned spider webs into a haphazard affair. Something interesting to know is that caffeine is a natural pesticide, with some plants having developed caffeine within their seedlings to protect against insects. It will kill certain bugs that feed on these plants, but others, such as many beetles, have adapted to it and are unaffected.

Fortunately, there are more healthy replacements for coffee. Try some of the many different herbal teas or dandelion “coffee”. Besides the great taste, dandelion coffee, or dandelion tea, as it is more commonly known as, has a host of benefits. Another coffee substitute, Inka, is a Polish drink made from grain. It has a similar taste to coffee and is made the same way as instant coffee, but contains no caffeine.

DMSO / MSM – Natural Pain Killer

2012-12-04T21:56:00.000+02:00

Years ago my husband brought some DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) from the USA. They used to apply this somewhat oily liquid on sprained ankles, pulled muscles, dislocated joints and even at the site of simple fractures – it virtually eliminated their pain after hard training and expedited healing. Just beware that only pure DMSO from a health food source can be used. It has an odd odour, akin to that of garlic, which emanates from the mouth shortly after use, even if use is through the skin. I always knew how much he used by the strength of the odour in his breath! My family and I still use it regularly. DMSO has been used successfully in the treatment of brain and spinal cord damage, arthritis, sciatica (back problem), keloids, acne, burns, cancer, etc. In the bone marrow transplant isolation wards in South Africa, I was amazed at the overwhelming sulfur-like smell of DMSO! Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to get hold of this wonderful cure!

Fortunately there is a derivative of DMSO, which also has remarkable therapeutic properties, especially for the healing of injuries, that is more readily available. It is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory, naturally occurring organic sulfur compound found in plant and animal tissues that is essential for optimum health with NO side-effects like the normal pharmaceutical painkillers and other drugs! MSM (methylsulfonyl-methane or dimethylsulfone available in powder or tablets) nourishes the hair, skin and nails; relieves pain and inflammation; reduces allergy problems; promotes gastrointestinal health; aids immune function and detoxifies the body on a cellular level. Moderate processing, including drying or heating eliminates it from foods such as fish, meat, plants, fruit and milk (many people have milk intolerance, which manifests as phlegm production or blocked nose, and they should NOT consume ANY dairy products). I use MSM every day for more than fifteen years now. My nails are still strong and in good condition. At 55 years of age, I have no arthritis pains. Increase your dose of MSM up to 6-8 grams (or even more in divided doses) daily. Patients with osteoarthritis (avoid all pork products!) showed positive effects in eighty-four days, although benefits could become evident in as few as two to twenty-one days.

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Arthritis in Finger Joints

2012-10-20T21:09:00.001+02:00

A few years ago I experienced so much pain in the little finger of my right hand that I thought this was the end of my music career. X-rays showed that there was no cartilage left – any small injury (e.g. playing the piano) resulted in more inflammation and “tears” which accumulated in the sides of the joint looking like ugly knobs and deformities of the finger. A hand surgeon told me that he’s not going to operate – the body can heal itself with the right “fuel”. He told me to increase my omega-3 tablets from 2 (x 1000 IU) to 5 (x1000 IU) daily (or start eating salmon morning, noon and night)! Apart from excellent pain killing properties, omega-3 oils (also known as Essential Fatty Acids / Fish Oil / Salmon Oil also improves memory, so I thought why not? If you experience a “repeat” of the fish oil, try taking 200-400 IU vitamin E with it. This prevents the omega-3s from turning rancid when it comes into contact with oxygen in your body.

Another excellent piece of advice was to start taking alkalising powder. Whether it is just alkalised water, or any good brand from your chemist / health shop doesn’t matter. An incorrect lifestyle often results in our bodies being too acidic. And believe me, “acidic” food e.g. lemons are not the culprit! Lemons actually alkalise the body. I even read a book with the title: Alkalize or die! You should be able to bend your finger joints and touch the inner part of your knuckles without making a fist or bending your knuckles at all… without pain of course. I wish I took a photograph of those ugly finger knobs of mine because they’re almost gone now.

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Eye Twitches, Bruises, White Spots on Fingernails

2012-10-04T17:27:00.000+02:00

It is very important that you listen to your body. Unfortunately most people ignore signs and symptoms of incorrect eating habits. Did you know that you could actually dull some of these symptoms if you ignore it? Thirst is a good example. The less water you drink on a regular basis, the less thirsty you become. I have personally observed how white spots on fingernails "grew out" when a friend of mine started taking zinc supplements. If you bruise easily, maybe you are just not getting enough vitamin C from your diet and should take a supplement. Eye twitches - a muscle spasm in your eyelids - could indicate low magnesium levels. The following can be pointers to deficiencies, but please note that they do not apply in all cases:

Aching bones

Especially those in your legs below the knee (tibia and fibula) - Vitamin C deficiency

Eyes

Cataracts – vitamin C and/or chromium deficiency or excess free radicals

Bags under the eyes - allergies or food intolerances / vitamin K deficiency

Gums

Bleeding gums - vitamin C deficiency

Hands

Cold hands - magnesium deficiency, hypothyroidism (the thyroid is situated in your throat area)
Yellow palms - excessive beta carotene intake (not to worry!)
Red palms – a classic sign of liver damage especially in the over 50 age group (avoid alcohol, consider a liver detox)

Heart

Irregular beat, high blood pressure - potassium, magnesium, Coenzyme Q10 deficiencies

Legs

Tender calf muscles - magnesium deficiency
Brisk knee reflexes - magnesium deficiency

Nails

White spots - mineral deficiency but often low zinc
Soft or brittle nails - magnesium deficiency / thyroid problem (consider potassium-iodide drops – I took Altroxin for 2 years; potassium-iodide cured my thyroid completely)
Bitten nails - general mineral deficiency
White nails with pink near the tips can be a sign of cirrhosis (chronic liver disease)

Skin

Pimply rough skin at the back of the upper arms "chicken skin" - essential fatty acid (especially omega 3 oils) deficiency

Throat

Thyroid swelling - iodine deficiency, hypothyroidism

I shall discuss more signs and symptoms of health problems caused by particular deficiencies or allergies in a follow-up blog. There is a missing link though! Soil isn’t what it used to be, and therefore mineral deficiencies in foods are increasing; food processing reduces nutritional value; the quality assurance in the dietary supplement industry is often not what it should be and organically raised foods are expensive. So yes, you should take supplements because essential vitamins and minerals are crucial to create healthy cells in your body, but there’s a new kid on the (building) block! All cells must also be coated with their complete complement of glyconutrients to enable cell-to-cell communication. Although oversimplified, this is exactly what goes wrong in autoimmune diseases in humans when one’s own immune system is attacking itself – it starts with a miscommunication due to a lack of glyconutrients. Glyconutrients are unique; without them the body cannot perform the functions it was designed to perform. Hundreds of benefits have already been documented, addressing everything from stress to cancer.

The human body will correct itself, but only if it has the tools to do the job it was designed to do. Kindly contact me if you would like more information about glyconutrients.

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Menstrual Cramps

2012-09-24T14:15:00.001+02:00

Today I want to share with you something that I don’t understand, couldn’t find in any literature, but it worked for me! I had excruciating pain during menstruation every month. I tried everything possible without results. The most extreme was 24 Omega 3 capsules per day for 6-8 days! (Omega 3 has strong natural anti-inflammatory properties.) I couldn’t sleep or function normally during these few days every month for almost 30 years. Pregnancy was the most wonderful (pain free) nine months of my life and giving birth was nothing in comparison with these monthly “cramps” of mine! Between my forties and fifties I often thought of a hysterectomy because of the monthly pain – the pain did NOT go away after my son’s birth…

By co-incidence I started taking herbal Parasite Remedy and Black Walnut Hull tincture five to six years ago and only realised later on, that this could be the answer.

According to the label the Olive Leaf helps to eliminate most micro- and macro parasites, boosts immunity and circulation. Wormwood is effective against malaria, flukes and large worms. It is a good tonic for digestion and nausea. Cloves help eradicate bowel and bladder infections, worm eggs, fevers, moulds and fungi. Ivy is for flukes, respiratory congestion and catarrh. It has anti-mutagenic properties to help fight some forms of cancer. It also says this remedy can be used to help treat HIV or AIDS, TB, malaria, bilharzia, bowel and bladder infections, liver disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure, fevers and fungal, viral and bacterial infestations. I also took Black Walnut which is a herbal medicine that assist in the expulsion of internal parasites such as tapeworms, used in the treatment of gastrointestinal complaints such as indigestion.

As you can see, no mention is made of menstrual cramps. My periods were still VERY heavy, but pain free until last year when it gradually started to become less frequent. Menopause? I haven’t experienced ANY symptoms up to now.

Some feedback on this subject and especially the role of the parasite remedy in pain free periods will be highly appreciated.

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