Just so you don't get the wrong idea, this blog post isn't about bowel movements, constipation or anything that might be happening in that area. Not today. What I am writing about is the other kind of flow. Your universal flow. How you feel your life is going, your job, your relationships, and so forth. Today I'm explaining this as a first hand observer, and frankly, the whole experience was quite remarkable.
Read MoreI am currently in the UK, exploring this amazing planet of ours and catching up with old friends and family. One thing I was concerned about going on this trip was food. I am one of those 'special' people- I avoid wheat, eggs, dairy and sugar. Unfortunately everyone we stayed with are 'normal' people, meaning they eat normal food like wheat, dairy and many deep fried products. This got me thinking about healthy tips for travelling within your dietary bounds. I thought about all the tips and tricks I have picked up over the years regarding healthy eating, drinking and enjoying yourself while away from home and thought I might share.
Read MoreI'm currently packing for three weeks away in the UK and have started putting together the supplements I'm taking with me. Having done a fair bit of travelling in my time, I feel like I have perfected the contents of my ‘naturopathic first aid kit’. There are plenty of natural supplements that can help you stay well while travelling, and reduce your use of pharmaceutical medication. I have always taken these, or a version of these supplements with me and have only ever been sick for 1 day.
Read MoreWell the Gold Coast is certainly in the middle of a cold snap! It seems to me that we sun-loving, subtropical climateers start to fail to function once the temperature drops below 15. It’s far easier and far more attractive to stay in bed as long as possible, to order take away instead of cooking a healthy dinner, and to sip on way too many coffees, hot chocolates and other indulgent drinks as we snuggle up and forget all about exercise. Trust me, I’m talking from personal experience!
Read MoreSo last blog we discussed those off the shelf products and investigated if bigger is actually better. This time we look into the other areas that differentiate between a naturopathically prescribed supplement and those you find on the shelf of your local health food store or pharmacy. These areas include quality service, 'cheap' savings, does it work, will it help and money wasters versus health boosters.
Read MoreBy ‘off the shelf’ products, I am talking about those products you can walk into any health food store, chemist or supermarket, and grab right off the shelf. You don’t need to talk to a naturopath or nutritionist, you don’t need a prescription, you can just buy them as you please. Now, some of these products are great, but others are a little questionable if you really want to be doing the best thing for your body. Having worked in these kind of retail environments for many years, I find I often need to educate customers about the difference between off the shelf products, and naturopathic only products.
Read MoreHanging on my wall I have a quote by Buddha. It goes something along the lines of “In the end, what matters most is how well did you live? How well did you love? How well did you learn to let go?” I loved this quote enough to buy it and hang it on my wall, but I have never really got it. It has niggled at me, I’ve always felt the meaning was there and I was missing it.
Read MoreAfter receiving a box of natural (and some not so natural) goodies in the mail the other day, I got to thinking about how hard it is to know what the good, natural brands are. Have you ever spent a fortune on a product only to take it home and find out you’ve achieved that same effect as if you’d wash your hair with a bar of soap? I have, a few times! Those products go to the spare bathroom to be used by unsuspecting house guests or by the dog when we run out of doggy shampoo…. So where were we up to? Ah yes, body lotion! Let’s continue…
Read MoreHealth- it’s not all about what you put IN your mouth, it’s also got a lot to do with what you put ON your mouth! And the other parts of your body of course. I am a girl, not quite the girliest-girl, but I still like make up, nail polish, perfume and yummy smelling shampoo’s, body washes and moisturisers. Perusing my search for the best natural hair care products the other day, I actually got fooled into buying something that said it was natural, only to arrive at my door full of chemicals. Yes, I shop online. In bed. Bliss!
Read MoreThe other day we started exploring the art of reading food labels. It really is an art. The more you do it, the better you become and the easier it gets. I have written this blog to help you understand the most common 'bad guys' that the marketing world tends to talk about. With this information I hope you'll be able to happily pick up a product and understand exactly if it's going to be beneficial for your health or not. Let's begin.
Read MoreHave you ever been caught out devouring your newest ‘guilt free’ delicious snack only to find out that your innocent little nibble is actually full of some kind of unattractive ingredient? Before I was a naturopath, I fell into this exact trap with gluten free goodies. I assumed just because they were gluten free, those double chocolate bickies were healthy for me! It was only thanks to a friend of mine pointing out the bucket load of sugar in my not-so-healthy-snacks, that I first began to open my eyes to food labels.
Read MoreI have been happily using homeopathy for the past 8 years. Before that time I was definitely a homeopathic cynic. How could this little pill create any major effect in the body? Homeopathy is based on the principles of like cures like, and the more dilute a substance, the more potent it’s effect. This means that if you have been stung by a bee, your remedy may be made originally from the venom of a bee… That is ‘like cures like’. But the second part of the equation is where it flips most people out...
Read MoreI regularly have people coming in to clinic with what I suspect to be food intolerances. When I suggest testing, quite a few will say they have already had a skin prick allergy test, and they weren’t allergic to any of the foods I believe to be causing the problem (usually wheat and dairy, my old nemesis’s). This is where they are often mistaken. They may have been IgE allergy tested for what and dairy, and no, they have no true allergy to either of these foods, but it does not mean they are not intolerant! Please remember, the allergy test done by your doctor is an IgE test- it has nothing to do with IgG. And it is IgG intolerances that are rapidly becoming common place.
Read MoreI have been diligently buying my groceries at my local organic grocer for years now. Yes, I am one of those people that have accepted that $5.00 for an avocado is sometimes just the price you pay. Luckily my partner hates avocado and we don’t have kids, therefore I can budget 1-2 organic avocados into my weekly shop without breaking the bank. But as I have recently found out, it doesn't have to be that way!
Read MoreEvery other day I see advertisements on news programs such as 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Dr Oz and morning TV, proclaiming the next biggest thing has just been found that will revolutionise your health. It might be a weight loss supplement such as Garcinia Cambogia, a longevity supplement like resveratrol, or another ‘recently discovered’ so called super food. The frequency of these advertisements is really starting to concern me, and I wanted to share with you all some of the downright un-truths behind these money hungry marketing campaigns.
Read MoreEveryone I meet has a story that is uniquely their own. It makes them who they are, and can be told by no one better than themselves. Every single story I have been privileged enough to hear has been nothing less than amazing. I have never met anyone whose story hasn’t been important, illuminating, and educational, and I know I never will. We all have life experiences and tales to share, and in the dark past, this was how we learned and evolved.
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