By Niamh
It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and your body is telling you it is naptime. Time to reach for the coffee or chocolate, right? Wrong! Caffeine and chocolate will just exacerbate the problem. Instead, try these natural energy-boosting tips:
Dance, skip, and walk! : Just ten minutes of activity especially outdoors can do the trick.
Stre-e-e-e-tch: Gentle stretching revitalizes the whole body.
Inhale/exhale: Stress can wear you out and keep you from getting the rest you need to recharge. To unwind, practice deep breathing: Sit in a chair; slowly count to four while inhaling through your nose; hold it for a second; and slowly count to four while you exhale through your mouth. Repeat five to ten times.
Eat raw: Raw foods are rich in enzymes, which are the sparks of life, nothing happens in the body without them. A chlorophyll-rich juice in the afternoon–for example a juice of carrot, apple, celery and if you have it, a shot of wheatgrass acts as an instant transfusion to boost tired blood.
Your friend, Herb: Herbal adrenal-support supplements can prevent crashes and keep you peppy. System slim products contain the adrenal tonics sarsaparilla, ginseng and gotu kola. Peppermint tea pep’s you up by stimulating the brain. Cayenne pepper sprinkled over food oxygenates the blood, cleans cholesterol from the arteries and stimulates the whole body.
Avoid roller coaster foods: Eat smart to avoid sugar highs and lows. Eating refined carbs like white bread, white pasta, cake or biscuits will give you a sugar high followed by a bad sugar low. Caffeine has a similar effect and over time can wreak havoc with the nervous system. When we hit sugar lows our body crashes and we turn into the cookie monster in order to get our sugar levels up again. Your main meals should include protein, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fat for long-lasting, even-keeled energy. A balanced meal consists of foods from all three food groups (carbohydrate, protein, fat) good examples are porridge with ground seeds and milk for breakfast, salad with chicken and an olive oil based dressing for lunch and salmon with steamed veggies and a small potato for dinner. Apply the same principles to snacks, have an apple with 5 almonds, oatcakes and hummus or a ripe banana with a couple of spoons of low fat greek yoghurt.
Tackle nutrient deficiencies: Moderate vitamin C deficiency has been linked to fatigue as well as lowered resistance to infection, delayed wound healing, easy bruising, bleeding gums. 1000 mg of no acid Vitamin C with bioflavonoids for absorption are recommended daily. Vitamin B complex deficiency results in fatigue as well as low mood, PMS, dry and cracked lips especially in the corners of the mouth and rough itchy skin. Your Nutrient Plus supplement is especially high in Vitamin B. The most common fatigue causing nutrient deficiency especially in women is Iron, iron carries oxygen around the body so low levels have a huge effect on energy levels, did you know that heavy periods are actually a symptom of Iron deficiency not the cause? Other symptoms of iron deficiency include hair loss, shortness of breath, pins and needles, palpitations and light-headedness. Inorganic iron supplements can be constipating and too much inorganic iron can be toxic, instead look for good herbal iron tonic (I use Floradix).
Sleep: And finally try to get some good quality shut-eye. Avoid any stimulants like coffee or chocolate after 2 PM. Avoid too much alcohol before bed as it inhibits REM sleep, which is the deepest most restful state of sleep. Turn off the TV at least an hour before bed, as it is too stimulating to the mind. Yoga helps to ground the body and is a great way to unwind, for good online yoga classes visit www.yogaglo.com.
Wind down before bed with a book, listen to music, take a lavender bath, or do all three!
Conquer the Enema Within: Cleaning your colon with colonic irrigation removes up to 15 pounds of old fecal matter.* When you are not dragging this old putrefying waste around you will feel lighter, brighter and far more energetic.
* typical weight loss after a course of 6 treatments together with professional advice and support from our fully trained therapists
Note: If you have any health condition and are being seen by a medical professional please obtain their approval before embarking on any dietary or lifestyle changes. The advice in this article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be used in place of a personal medical consultation.
By Niamh
Focus On the Liver
The liver does an immense amount of work and can easily become congested. Symptoms of liver congestion include constipation, abdominal fat, dry skin, digestive bloating and fullness, low immunity and allergies, menstrual problems, fatigue and headaches. When the liver is congested the flow of bile (which is a fat dissolving liquid) is impaired thus fats and cholesterol cannot be fully metabolized, note: bile is stored in the gallbladder a small storage pouch attached to the liver. Bile is also a natural laxative so reduced bile flow is a contributing factor to sluggish bowels or constipation. From the VHI website, over 1500 gallbladder removal surgeries were performed in 2004 (up 68% from 2000). Liver and gallbladder congestion are totally preventable by taking care of your liver, try to drink plenty of water, reduce saturated fat, eat omega 3 rich foods like oily fish and walnuts, eat only low GI foods and last but not least increase your soluble fiber which is needed to bind to bile for removal from the body. To keep your liver in tip-top shape perform regular liver flushes.
The good news is that the liver regenerates very well, so it pays to cleanse it from time to time. Below is a gentle liver flush that can be performed anytime that you are feeling sluggish or have overindulged, it is also recommended at the change of the seasons. Follow the liver flush for 5 days in a row, break for 2 days, then perform another 5 days. For optimal results and to speed up the elimination of toxins have a colonic treatment during your 2 day break.
The Liver Flush
You will need:
1 lemon juiced
1/2 pint of fresh apple juice
1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
small piece of fresh ginger root grated
- Do not eat anything before drinking the liver flush
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and liquidize
- Pour and drink slowly
- 15 minutes after you have finished the liver flush, sip at least two mugs of Nettle tea
- Do not eat anything for 2 hours after you start this routine then eat something light like fruit
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have been diagnosed with large gallstones this flush may not be suitable for you as the stones may be too large to flush and may need to be broken up first, see a Master Herbalist or your doctor if in any doubt.
Coffee Enema
A coffee enema is a fast alternative to a liver flush as it takes only 30 minutes as opposed to 5 days. Coffee enemas cleanse the liver by stimulating the flow of bile which in turn prevents the formation of gallstones. New studies have shown that they also remove free radicals from the bloodstream.
Click here for more information on coffee enemas.
I charge €60 for an organic coffee enema which takes 30 minutes.
By Niamh
Here are some articles about me and my clinic:
Positive Life Summer 2008
I talk about my personal experience with colonic irrigation and how I overcame constipation.
Irish Independent “Fit to be Tried”
Amanda Phelan talks about surviving her first two colonic irrigation treatments.
By Niamh
Links
Ireland’s Holistic Directory: www.holisto.com
The Hydro Clinic Reviews: www.thebestof.ie
Nutron Advanced Website: www.nutronadvanced.com
ALCAT Laboratories Website: www.alact.com
Raw in Dublin: www.rawindublin.com
Study Master Herbal Medicine: www.herbeire.ie
The Best Reiki Practitioner (in my opinion) in Dublin: www.mettahealing.com
A fabulous Online Yoga Studio: www.yogaglo.com
By Niamh
Having suffered with constipation for years I decided to cleanse my colon using colonic irrigation, natural suppements and a radical diet overhaul. In two weeks (and with the aid of 6 colonic irrigation treatments) I lost over 15 pounds in weight which I believe was mainly impacted stool which had built up in my system. It made sense to me, if I wasn’t passing it where else was it going to go? Having cleansed my colon I felt younger, more energetic and with a whole new outlook on life I decided to study natural healing and to help people control this uncomfortable symptom.
The most common advice given for the treatment of chronic constiption is to increase dietary fibre and water consumption. I have found that while adding bulk and hydration to the stool is important in the treatment of constipation it is only part of the solution to the puzzle.
The colon is made up of three layers of muscle which lose their strength if they are not used on a daily basis. To make matters worse once the contents of the colon reach over 5 pounds in weight the transverse colon tends to collapse or prolapse. It is much more difficult for stool to pass through a colon which is atonal and out of shape. Inversion board exercises or yoga postures like head or shoulder stands help to right the position of a prolapsed colon, but something still needs to be done to remove the years of build-up!
Here’s the three step program that I use in my clinics:
1. Dietary changes
- Plant based foods feed good bacteria and animal foods contain and feed unhealthy bacteria. Try to keep your diet 80% plant based and to eat smaller portions of meat.
- Reduce or elliminate mucos forming foods, the two most mucus forming foods are cows milk and white bread.
- Eat small amounts of starchy foods like potatoes and pasta, cook with aromatic herbs to help move them through your system.
- Relace tea and coffee which are dehydrating with herbal teas and water.
- Add lubricating healthy oils into your diet. Use olive oil for dressings and coconut oil for cooking.
- Nus, seeds, beans and grains are high in fibre and beneficial, however they contain enzyme inhibitors which makes them difficult to digest. Soaking these foods overnight destroys enzyme inhibitors.
2. Natural Supplements
- Magnesium is required for proper nerve and muscle function and one of the first symptoms of magnesium deficiency is constipation. It is estimated that up to 80% of the population is deficient in this mineral. I have found this suplement to be invaluable in the treatment of constipation. Take 300mg of Magnesium citrate at night.
- Probiotics, or good bacteria are needed to complete the process of digestion. Probiotics also importantly produce lactic acid which keeps the colon slightly acidic and in turn triggers a bowel movement. Take one capsule on an empy stomach (each containing 5 billion organisms with at least 8 strains).
- Herbal cleansers, it is important to use something to help to break down the old hardened stool in the digestive system. Aloe vera is a simple colon cleansing herb which is gentle and well tolerated. We use a Master Herbalist blend of herbs to clean and tone the colon.
3. Colonic Irrigation
While it is possible to achieve results through diet and supplements alone, colonic irrigation speeds up results and helps to reduce the side effects of colon cleansing (cramping, gas, bloating and headaches). Colonic irrigation removes the same amount of stool as about 20 normal bowel movements. The gentle action of the water also exercises the colon and helps to tone it. For chronic constipation, it is recommended that you have six treatments over the course of 2-4 weeks.
By Niamh
The Hydro Clinic Cleansing Program
This is our basic cleansing program to be followed during a course of colonics. For even better results, you may start this program 1-2 weeks before your first colonic treatment.
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The Hydro Clinic 3 Day Cleanse
This is a more advanced cleanse, it is a 3 day juice fast based on the 3 day cleanse by Dr. Christopher founder of the Master Herbalist Tradition.
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