The 9 Essential Amino Acids Vegans Need In Their Diet
Why Vegans Need To Eat A Combination Of Essential Acids
Eating the full spectrum of essential amino acids is a vital part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Foods that combine all essential amino acids are beef, buckwheat, chicken, dairy, eggs, fish, quinoa, soya. Because most plant based foods don’t have all these essential amino acids. Vegans particularly need to make sure they are including all the essential amino acids in each meal.
Histidine:
Histidine is one of the essential amino acids that helps manufacture the brain chemical histamine in the body. Vital to maintain a healthy digestive system, immune system, and sleep.
Histidine is found in cantaloupe melon, legumes, potatoes, rice and wheat.
Isoleucine:
Isoleucine as an essential amino acid produces hemoglobin in the body and controls muscle metabolism, and energy levels in the body.
Isoleucine can be found in beans, brown rice, cabbage, oats, quinoa, rye and soya,
Leucine
Leucine is another branched amino acid that stimulates muscle protein synthesis and supports better recovery after exercise. It is also has been researched as being helpful in balancing glucose levels and reducing obesity.
Leucine is rich in peas, pumpkins, seaweed, sesame seeds and whole grain rice.
Lysine:
Lysine is one of the main essential amino acids that help with Hormone production, energy, and immune function. Lysine assists the body in absorbing calcium and decreases the amount of calcium lost in urine.
Lysine can be found in beans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, seitan and soya,
Methionine:
Methionine essential amino acid assists the body with detoxification, growth of muscle tissue, and metabolism. Methionine is an antioxidant that is said to protect the body from the damage of ionizing radiation and help prevent fat deposits in your liver.
Methionine is found in Chia seeds, hemp seeds and sunflower seeds.
Phenylalanine:
Your body can convert phenylalanine into the amino acid tyrosine, which helps produce happy and healthy neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). L-There are 2 forms phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine, the body cannot produce enough L-phenylalanine on its own so requires it from food.
Phenylalanine is found in almonds, avocado, beans, seaweed, spirulina and rice.
Threonine:
Threonine is one of the vital essential amino acids, it is involved in fat metabolism, protein synthesis, and good intestinal health. Threonine has an important role in collagen and elastin. It also supports sleep and helps form blood clots to stop bleeding.
Threonine is rich in chia seeds and hemp seeds, leafy greens, spirulina and watercress.
Tryptophan:
Tryptophan is a necessary essential amino acid that is used to produce serotonin, melatonin and niacin ( vitamin b3). As well as being an important requirement to help produce enzymes, proteins and muscle tissue.
Tryptophan is found in oats, soya, spinach, sweet potatoes,
Valine
Valine enhances energy and endurance, helps lower elevated blood sugar levels, and increases growth hormone production. An important amino acid for muscle growth and tissue regeneration.
Valine is found in broccoli, hemp seeds, legumes, sesame seeds and spinach.
Importance Of Combining Essential Amino Acids
Our mind, body, emotions and the ability for our body to rest,sleep and repair depends on the right combination of essential amino acids. So many vegans eat very unhealthily because they don’t eat the right foods or don’t ensure they are getting the right combination of amino acids at each meal.
Complete Protein Combinations
Easy Essential Amino Acid Combinations that make up a full protein meal or snack.
Chronic Health Conditions – How To Find The Right Help
Top tips on how to find the right help when you have suffer from complex or chronic health conditions.
Exploring some of the biggest challenges getting the right help or wellbeing support when you have a chronic illness, chronic disabilities or a complex medical history.
One of the biggest problems many people face with chronic health conditions face is the length of time it takes them to get the right diagnosis or the right help.
Without having to waste a lot of time, energy and money or all of their life savings on the wrong type of help, wrong therapists, doctors or wellbeing professionals.
Navigating The Holistic Wellbeing Arena With Chronic Health Conditions
Now more than ever the healthcare system and the holistic wellbeing system can be a bit of a minefield to navigate through.
I know as someone who at 54 years of age, dealt with a complex health history and wide range of rare and chronic health challenges and medical harm from a young age.
I spent over 30 years investing in peoples, courses and programs that were not an ideal fit for a variety of reasons. But often because of over zealous or naive therapists who assumed they were the right fit when they weren’t really.
The last thing anyone needs with a long-term health condition is waste more time, energy and emotions on someone or something that is not a perfect fit for your needs.
5 Things To Consider When Trying To Finding The Right Help With Chronic Health Conditions
No 1 – Identify What Kind Of Support You Want:
It is so important to get clear what kind of support and help you really want or feel you need. If you are not specific enough and very vague just looking for any sort of help, you will often attract a lot of help that is not an exact march for your specific needs. Think about your biggest challenges or those tricky aspects of your wellbeing you struggle to shift. Particularly the main issues that if yo get help with are more likely to help and make a better impact on other areas of your life or health.
Identifying those things that maybe the root of the problem or the things that can make the biggest shifts should always be considered a priority.
One of my best investments was getting tests and nutritional support around gut health, intolerances, and nutritional deficiencies this helped address some very serious issues with my health when my health was dramatically declining. I chose to go with a naturopath and nutritionist who were highly experienced and qualified in the areas I had problems in, they both had many years of experience working with complex issues.
No 2 – Identify What Level Of Support You Need And Can Afford:
Think of what level of support do you need and can afford for support or help with your chronic health conditions. No matter if that is practical support or health and wellbeing education or support.
For example today we have so many online coaching, therapy programs designed to help the masses. But the reality is group programs are not always ideal for those with complex or chronic health challenges.
Sometimes you can have so much going, so many conflicting medical and therapeutic opinions or challenges you don’t know where to start. Unless you invest in a course with someone who is definitely an expert in your problem and has a tried and tested program that demonstrates a high success rate with hundreds of similar clients. It can be difficult to be assured if it will help you. Sometimes it can better to invest in more one to one support even if it is just initially, if you can afford it.
But the problem is most people with chronic health condition have often spend so much time and energy on the wrong things that they can struggle to find the money for the right things. It is one of the reasons why I always think therapists and wellbeing practitioners should always be really honest and realistic with their clients.
No 3 – Asking The Right Questions
It is so important for anyone with a chronic health condition to be able to ask the right questions from anyone they are getting medical, health or wellbeing advice or support from. Depending on what type of support or help your seeking one of the questions is usually important is checking the health professional does have the right experience and qualification.
And please never assume if someone has a certificate that it actually equates to the right training or right level of expertise. Ask, ask, ask, consider things like how long was their training, who did they train with, is their qualification recognised with and by who.
Never be shy about asking direct questions to the practitioner about their expertise, depth of training, where and when they studied, how many clients they have helped with similar challenges, how many of these clients improved. When it comes to your health and wellbeing you should know.
No 4 – When Will I Start Seeing Serious Health Improvements
Another thing many people suffering from chronic health conditions fail to do is ask how long they should need to wait or invest before seeing results from the help or support they are investing in.
This will obviously depend on the type of help or support your investing in.
I spent years in my twenties going to therapists and one homeopathic doctor who encouraged me to keep coming to them for years.When I wasn’t seeing any results or actually was having constant relapses or chronic healing crises that didn’t seem to heal anything. This is so unhealthy and in sometimes it creates co-dependency issues or you just become someone’s cash cow.
On the other hand I went to other practitioners expecting the results to take months and had instant relief or problems permanently solved in one session. This made me question a lot about so many types of modalities and therapies how they were being sold. And how important it was to value a lot of investments not on the cost of the session but how quickly, deeply and permanently was the result.
No 5 – Look For Testimonials From Other Chronic Health Suffers
Testimonials and reviews especially those that have been submitted on social media are a great way to ensure that testimonials are actually from real live people. And have not been falsified or adapted in anyway. If you can see any evidence on your specific issue.
Sometimes therapists have previous clients who are willing to share their experiences. Of course for many reasons this may all not be appropriate for the therapist, healer, coach or medical professional to ask. But it doesn’t mean you cannot inquire if there is someone willing to share their experience working with this person, especially if you are investing a lot of money or time into a program or a certain amount of sessions.
Chronic Health Conditions And Self-Responsibility For Your Health
One of the most important thing that anyone with a chronic health condition can do is take as much self-responsibility for their own healing, their own health and wellbeing.
The daily lifestyles choices you make everyday that help reduce or increase those chronic health conditions, your mental and emotional wellbeing. Can make a huge impact in the quality of your life.
Chronic Health Conditions And Stress
Managing your anxiety and stress, creating healthy boundaries, especially saying NO to what isn’t right for you. Is a vital aspect of any wellbeing approach.
I learned early on how important it was for me to manage my anxiety and stress levels, Also the importance of a clean and healthy diet, and to reduce as much toxins from my environment as they were having a considerable impact on my general every day functioning. Especially being someone who had gut issues since infanthood and all sorts of toxicity exposure.
Chronic Health Conditions And Listening To Your Own Body
And began to learn how to listen to my own body and not be bullied by medical and wellbeing practitioners who tried to gaslight or bully me into taking medication or approaches that were more likely to cause me more harm than good.
Why I Choose Therapists Who Really Understand Chronic Health Challenges
It is one of the reasons when I can, I choose therapist, healers and other wellbeing professionals who have had some sort of similar challenge. Who really know what they are talking about, walk the talk, have just not read in a book or magazine some sort of theory or perspective.
Have experienced some of those challenges themself, have tried and tested approaches, have a more wider holistic approach in the way the work, than be too stuck or fixed on one perspective or a few modalities,
Because they often have a higher degree of awareness, insight and experience, as well as greater empathy and compassion. So tend to not to be as quick to make pre-judgements about you or your situation.
If you are struggling with the anxiety and stress of living with complex chronic health conditions and would love access to some powerful anxiety and stress reducing tools that help reduce chronic pain, improve sleep and support general wellbeing check out my Stress Management Program For Sufferers of Chronic Health Conditions as someone who has suffered from fibro, M.E, suspected Late Stage Lyme and a whole list of rare and complex symptoms I can’t recommend highly enough how much managing your anxiety and stress helps improve your health.
Healthy bedtime steps to start achieving better quality sleep, improve your bedtime hygiene. Exploring common sleeping problems that lead to chronic insomnia and other sleep issues.
Importance Of Quality Sleep
Healthy sleep is a vital part of a good healthy lifestyle, a health and wellness program. Poor sleep leads to all sorts of mental, emotional and physiological issues especially our coping abilities, our mental and emotional resilience to stress. It is a vital part of the repair and functioning of our organs, our whole body.
Importance Of Healthy Bedtime Routine
A healthy bedtime helps us get the proper rest, relaxation and repair in the mind, body and emotions to help reset and refuel us for the next day. An unhealthy bedtime routine can lead to not just unhealthy sleep patterns but all sorts of chronic health challenges. And is the main reason good sleep management and sleep therapy is a foundational part of health, wellness and stress management programs.
5 Healthy Bedtime Tips To Beat Insomnia
Simple bedtime tips to help beat insomnia and other sleep issues that are stopping you achieve a deep healthy full night’s sleep.
Go To Bed Same Time Each Evening
Try to go to bed and sleep before 10 pm as studies show sleep before midnight actually help us get the best rest and repair, working with our natural circadian rythm and sleep cycle. A regular bed time routine helps reduce stress by giving us a more regulated structure to our days and week. It helps to support us to get up at the same time each day with more ease.
Eliminate Or Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
This is not just about eliminating caffeine but it is about reducing all types of stimulants from your diet especially later in the day. The later you consume stimulants the more likely you are to have poor quality sleep or struggle to drift off. Stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, energy drinks, sugar leave us high-wired. These side-effects are more noticeable during stressful time or with other health challenges.
Unplugging from life and technology is such an important aspect of a healthy life and healthy bedtime routine. An unhealthy dependency and addiction to mobile devices and technology for communication and entertainment.
Has created all sorts of social and health issues, especially and unhealthy over load of information and emf stimulation, which plays havoc with our mind and body. In fact research suggests “EMF exposure affects the pineal gland, resulting in a suppression of melatonin production”. Melatonin is a vital hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
Learn How To Relax Deeply
The ability to relax is so under valued when it is an important aspects of managing stress and achieving deep quality rest and sleep. Babies naturally know how to relax and rest, they have a natural state of being.
In the modern world we can easily lose that ability when we get over distracted and over stimulated by the world around us. Relaxation Techniques are great at helping induce deep relaxation, deep sleep, check out this soothing relaxation technique and guided meditations from Sleep and Stress Expert at Stress Coach Training.
Clean And Tidy Bed And Bedroom
A clean bed and clean bedroom is an important aspect of good sleep hygiene.It helps us psychologically and physiologically feel more calm, relaxed, safe and secure.
Anything that supports our mental and emotional wellbeing helps regulate our nervous system, helps is feel more psychologically supported by our environment, which is an important part of achieving good quality sleep.
Good Quality Sleep Helps Heal And Repair The Mind And Body
It is important to remember good quality sleep is a vital part of healing and repairing or mind, body and emotions. A healthier bedtime routine will help you do that. To remember these top tips and to start feeling more relaxed throughout your day download our free health and wellness bundle before.
If you would like more help with chronic insomnia check out Stress Coach Training’s – Deeply Soothing Guided Meditations For Sleep this also includes a bonus muscle relaxation technique and more, to learn more CLICK HERE
⬇️Download Our 5 Healthy Bedtime Tips + Free Meditation and more today ⬇️
Some of the best nut sources of protein, amino acids, minerals and nutrients for vegans, vegetarians and clean eaters. Why protein plays such an important part in making and repairing cells in the body.
What is Protein?
Protein is one of the body’s biggest building blocks of the body, every cell in the body contains protein. Protein is a chain of amino acids. We need protein to grow and repair the body, it is especially important for children, teenagers, and during pregnancy.
What Are Amino Acids?
Amino acids are molecules used to make proteins.
20 different amino acids are needed for us to function healthily.
9 amino acids known as essential amino acids cannot be manufactured by the body so must come from the food we eat.
The 9 Amino Acids That Are Essential are tryptophan
Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine.
Nut Sources Of Protein
The total protein content in nuts is very high which is why nut sources of protein are one of the most common sources of proteins for many vegans, vegetarians, and those on a clean plant-based diet.
7 Best Nut Sources Of Protein
Some of the best nut sources of protein and amino acids easy to source
Almonds
Almonds are reputed to be the best nut source of protein, and high levels of vitamin e, calcium and phosphorus. Almonds contain over 130 antioxidants, help lower HDL levels, low-density lipoprotein and are said to help reduce sugar spikes so a great snack for diabetes sufferers as well as supporting a healthy gut.
Almond provides only 7 of the 9 essential amino acids paired with buckwheat, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or carrots to get all 9 amino acids.
21 grams of protein in 100 grams of Almonds.
Pistachios
Pistachios are another good source of protein. Pistachios are said to have a high level of amino acids, the highest percentage of branched-chain amino acids compared to many other types of nuts. They are full of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, fibre especially beta carotene, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine), and Vitamin B6. Pistachios have the greatest phytosterol content among other nuts.
A serving of pistachios is said to have the equivalent of protein that one egg has. Accompany with buckwheat, quinoa or rye to ensure you are getting a complete combination of amino acids in one meal.
Did you know pistachios are one of the oldest nut trees in the world?
20 grams of protein in 100 grams of Pistachios.
Cashews
Cashews are a good quality nut source of protein, copper, and magnesium. As well as calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc. Cashews are also a high source of unsaturated fats.
Did you know over 80% of the world’s cashews are eaten by Americans?
To make sure you are getting a full spectrum of all amino acids in one meal combine cashews with non-GMO soya beans, buckwheat, quinoa, and pita bread.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are a healthy source of protein, vitamin E and calcium, manganese, copper, omega 3, and omega 6. Hazelnuts also have very high levels of antioxidants.
Combine hazelnuts with chia seeds, buckwheat, rye bread, non-GMO soya.
15 grams of protein in 100 grams of Hazelnuts
Walnuts (English or Persian Walnut)
Walnuts have the highest sources of Omega 3’s, other than being a good nut source of protein and calcium they have a higher level of antioxidants than most food.
Not all walnuts are edible, but the common walnut also known as english walnut or persian walnut is grown all over the world and reputed to have many great health benefits which include reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and great for brain health.
To get a full complete meal of protein using almonds consider combining with for example chick peas, quinoa, rye break.
15 grams of protein in 100 grams of Walnuts.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are a good source of protein, selenium, and calcium. They have several antioxidants, including vitamin E and phenols. Known to help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body they are said to be good for heart health, and diabetes and help reduce the risk of cancer.
Brazil nuts should be eaten with baby portobello mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, cranberry, or watermelon.
14 grams of protein in 100 grams of Brazil Nuts.
Pine Nuts
Pine nuts although viewed as a nut are actually seeds. Pine nuts are high in protein and high unsaturated fats, rich in antioxidants, iron, magnesium, protein and zinc. Reputed as good brain food, also great for the heart and can help reduce risk of diabetes.
Pine nuts contain Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Zinc
Eat with cranberry, carrot, cauliflower or watermelon to get all amino acids.
What Are The Most Common GMO Foods found and hidden on our local supermarket shelves and in our processed food? What does GMO stand for and why is this something we should be very cautious of, even avoid?
What are GMO Foods?
GMO’s are Genetically Modified Organisms that are basically organisms genetically engineered by science in a way that does not occur in nature. GMO Foods are basically foods manipulated from an unnatural state, many would say by scientists trying to play god.
“It is clear that genetic modification is inherently hazardous, as it invariably result in unpredictable and uncontrollable changes in the genome and the epigenome (pattern of gene expression) that impact on safety.” (3) states Science in Society
Many scientists and medical professionals believe there should be far more research on transparency in GMO Foods especially when we look at the organisations pushing GMO Foods and what they don’t want us to know.
As there is quite a lot of research that suggests that many common GMO Foods can cause serious harm to our health and well-being.
One of the alarming aspects of GMO Foods is that manufacturers in some countries are not required by law to declare if their food is genetically modified.
Common GMO Foods
Common Genetically Modified Foods include
Alfafa
Apples
Canola ( USA)
Corn
Cotton
Papaya
Potatoes
Squash ( USA)
Soya
Strawberries
Sugar Beets (A big source of refined sugar)
Sweet Pepper ( mostly China)
GMO Foods Also Include
Enzymes and Microbes which are used in food processing that are not included on food labels
Meat, Milk, and/or where the animals are fed genetically modified crops.
Vegetable Fats and Margarine that are derived from genetically modified foods.
The Main Difference Between Common GMO Foods And Organic Foods
The main difference between genetically modified foods and organic foods is one is the produce from a lab while the other is a produce of nature.
6I believe part of what keeps us healthy in our food is the plant’s natural energy force and natural synergy. Genetically modified foods and crops are unnatural, genetically altered by scientists than something that is natural.
There are many ethical and health concerns around common GMO Foods that the top food manufacturers and corporate farmland owners try to deny. Especially when many of the top food manufacturers around the world use GMO foods to increase phenomenal profits than increase the genuine quality of our health.
Organic foods are free from chemical artificial fertilisers and pesticides while genetic foods are not. One of the reasons many people are growing their own organic gardens and organic remedies at home.
No matter if we like it or not our common GMO Foods are been massively produced for profit and power. Some of the biggest corporate names in the world are behind the push and the production of Genetically Modified Food has shown time and time again to be based on power and control.
We just need to look at the increase in genetically grown meat, meat from a lab another example of people in power and scientists trying to play god as they mess more and more with nature.
Would you like to start to live a more healthy and holistic lifestyle – Check out my 5 Pillars Of Holistic Health and Wellness, the foundations of a totally holistic lifestyle, 👇click the link below 👇
Healthier Lifestyle Tips For A Healthy Morning Routine
How To Create A Healthier Lifestyle In 2023! Ready to start your daily routine the healthier way? By Creating a more healthy morning routine?
Here are 5 Top Tips To Start Creating A Healthier Lifestyle
Simple and easy ways to a healthier daily routine
Start Your Day The Calm Peaceful Way:
A morning meditation ritual is a very powerful way to begin a healthier lifestyle. A Morning Meditation can help us feel more calm, confident, and more relaxed a great way to start the day. It helps increase our focus and concentration and helps us become more intuitive and spiritually guided.
Meditation has many health benefits a UCLA demonstrated that meditators of over 20 years have more grey matter in the brain than those who don’t. Meditation is also shown to support better heart health. And don’t be misled that meditation has to be at least 20 minutes a day, Eileen teaches a highly effective less than 5 Minute Meditation that is loved by all ages, beginner and advanced meditators.
Hydrate Yourself:
Our bodies are made up of to 60% water, when we wake up we are often dehydrated, starting your day with a cup of hot water on its own, or hot water with lemon can have a lot of health benefits as mentioned by Flushington Hospital
The Surprising Benefits Of Hot Water And Lemon Adequate water intake supports our immune system, is necessary to keep our cells, tissue and organs functioning at an optimal level. While dehydration puts stress on our mind and body.
It is said that dehydration is one of the major causes of disease today especially when we consume, ingest or breathe is so many toxins and pollutants that are body needs to flush out for optimal health.
Starting your morning with a super juice or super smoothie is a great way to flood your body with nutrients. I will often make a super juice and then just have a few soft fruits like berries, avocado, or banana and superfood powders like spirulina, maca, or even cacao to make it more of a substantial super smoothie. I can honestly say this helps boost my energy levels and leaves me feeling more sustained throughout the day. Check out our winter super juice or Carrot Pear Juice Recipe.
A simple morning exercise routine even a mini exercise routine can help boost our mood and energy levels. Even if you have a chronic health condition that seriously impacts your ability to move or exercise there are different types of movements, stretches, and exercises out there to suit different abilities.
As someone who has suffered from a variety of mobility issues, I found gentle Qi Gong Exercises very helpful, do as much as your body feels comfortable with. Even a gentle walk, swim, yoga, and gentle stretches can help boost our energy levels and energy flow, not just through your body but your organs and brain.
Morning Tasks:
Focus on the tasks you find easier to do in the morning and leave the rest you find easier to do later in the day. A healthier lifestyle involves helping you create a healthy routine that works for you. When we learn to work around our body and mind’s natural rhythms we get into a much healthier natural flow in our life, work, and relationships. We have less stress, anxiety, and overwhelm, and more energy, and joy. Morning tasks are a lot easier when you have had a good night’s sleep so make sure you have a healthy bedtime routine.
Great Ways To Start A Healthier Lifestyle
The great thing about all of the tips above is they don’t have to take up a lot of your time, especially when you get organised.
For example, Eileen’s 5 Minute Meditation is a great way to start the day and it takes less than 4 minutes. Once you make a batch of super juice or super smoothies you can actually freeze them for the whole week.
The more calm focused, and balanced you feel, the more energy and time you have to do those other things you want to do.
Ready For More Healthier Lifestyle Tips and a Free Meditation mp3?
Check Out Our Free Health And Wellness Bundle See Below
Is your health your responsibility, or is your health your Dr’s responsibility?
Are we as a society giving over too much responsibility and control around our health to allopathic medicine and governments? Should governments or medical professionals be able to force medical interventions or take away a persons right to choose?
Is Your Health Your Government’s Responsibility?
One of the things we are seeing around the world today is situations where governments are forcing their people to have medical interventions, more specifically vaccinations without the right to choose.
Is this a step too far in taking away our human rights and body autonomy?
Could this be a step towards a more serious agenda where governments start to take more control over what they think is right for your health and wellbeing?
As someone who has been on more than one occasion being a victim of damage from mainstream medical intervention. And as a therapist who sadly has worked with a variety of people harmed by modern medicine.
I find it extremely disturbing how much control over your health is being pushed, advised by governments officials and advisors, some who are not really the most qualified to do so.
So many top Scientists, Virologists and Immunologists around the world are being censored or being silenced from sharing their alarming concerns or opinions. Concerns on not just how this so called Pandemic has been dealt with but questions around the statistics, the testing, the choice of therapeutic interventions and the psychological media that has accompanied this.
I could go more deeply into my concerns around not just the lack of expertise by some of these people behind the decisions. But perhaps the most serious concerns should be the money trails, the conflict of interests by many who have shares or received financial gifts in some form or another by the companies that are being used to roll out their preferred management of this pandemic.
Such as the choice of testing, the experimental vaccines that they cannot possibly guarantee is safe or that will be effective in the long-term. Especially when certain types of disease was excluded from the first phases of trials and the fact we don’t or can’t possibly know the long-term effects in a few months, few years and a few decades.
The reality is most decisions at the moment are not being made right now by the most qualified people in their field but by people in power or who will make financial or other types of large gain from these decisions.
Sadly by too many people in power who have horrendous reputations for putting their own agendas first. A situation where millions around the world are having their human rights, their rights of personal autonomy being taking away from them. Too many being forced, manipulated, even shamed and bullied into have an experimental vaccine who are at an extremely very very low risk of dying from Covid 19 from a situation according to one paper in the Lancet is more asyndemic than a pandemic.
Should We Trust Recommended Or Forced Jabs?
Should we ever allow our governments to force any sort of medical treatment or medical invasive intervention without someone’s agree consent and permission?
And should we be informed honestly about the possible risks. So many of the family and friends that I have spoken to had no idea that we were still in trial phases.
Even medical professionals I know are shocked at how many of their co-workers are ill informed.To me our health is mostly our responsibility, our health choices is our responsibility, we all should have choice. I mean you choose if you eat healthy or you don’t? You choose if you exercise or if you don’t? You can choose to have an operation or not.
The reality is we keep getting told about the facts, we keep getting implications that getting the vaccine is more safe, But it is? How can we possibly know so early on. Sadly I personally know of one person who has had a very serious reaction to one of vaccines one and a friends aunt who felt very ill after the vaccine and then died.
In this case they could not prove it was the vaccine like many cases even though the person had no health issues before. Now I know we are faced with difficulties choice there is a virus that is life threatening to some, especially to those with certain types of pre-existing conditions.
But I also wonder why people are not being given other options, why our governments ae not looking at other medical interventions. Or even providing everyone with supplements that are known to support the immune system.Why has our government never mentioned throughout this
Pandemic the basic fundamental importance of good nutrition, healthy eating? Do our governments really want to promote health and wellbeing or do they just want to promote big pharma interventions, especially at a time when profits in big pharma were starting to decline. Especially when so many government officials who make these decisions actually have shares or links to these companies.
So Should We Totally Trust Big Pharma?
Now the reality is yes many scientists, will have worked very hard, made many sacrifices in their own life to create these vaccines. But the reality is these vaccines have been fast tracked, most are still in experimental stage till 2023. But many people don’t realise that, they don’t actually realise they in many ways they are part of the experiment. Most people have no idea of the amount of scientists in this field who have had deep concerns about these vaccines and that some of these jabs are created with a new type of new science that has never been used before.
Unfortunately we know governments and modern medicine have made horrendous mistakes throughout the years. I became shocked on my own journey on how little many Doctors and Nurses knew about the medication they prescribed and the vaccines they promoted, Most never do their own research, most only check out the information they are told by their supervisors or basic information provided because they trust the NHS and trust that these companies have the patients interests at heart. But what is more important in the world today health or money? Also is saving money on certain types of treatments put before what is actual more safe or best for someone’s health?
The wiser more experienced Doctor who has sadly seen the other side of the coin tends to do their own medical research. They tend to ask questions and challenge what they are told. But even that today has become harder in approx October 2019 google started to lower the SEO rankings of many medical research papers and holistic research papers that didn’t suit certain agenda. Meaning it would be much harder for people to find certain articles and medical papers that didn’t align with what the medical and pharmaceutical industry wanted you to read. So basically it became even harder for the patient, the clinician and even experts to find information that wasn’t pharmaceutically or politically bias.
Well lets say they took that bias to a whole new level in 2020 and 2021 through such unbelievable censorship that we have come to question if we are indeed living in a communist country. We just need to see the amount of censorship on Social Media and TV, to see the amount of influence our governments and organisations linked to pharma have on the media and the narrative they want to serve.
Why Your Health Is Your Responsibility And Your Choice
I believe your health has to start as your responsibility and it is so important to become informed about your health and wellbeing so you can make educated choices. After a long list of horrendous medical experiences on my own journey. I came to realise how little many medical professionals know about the possible harm and damage of many of things they prescribe or use in modern medicine, And in the modern world we give our power over to many times to people we assume know best.
So how much does your medical practitioners honestly know about the dangers, allergies and serious side effects of so many medical interventions and vaccines today? Many don’t ever see the correlation, the short- term and long-term damage. But sadly some of my work involved supporting families dealing with children disabled by vaccine damage.
Most people have no awareness today how much vaccine damage there is and actually more concerning how much is not reported or published. I know through personal experience that most Doctors rarely report serious allergies or harm by medication or medical interventions using the yellow card.
The Biggest Causes Of Disease Today
We know the biggest causes of disease today are lifestyle choices and toxins. So what you eat, what you do or don’t do, what you drink, smoke or how you manage your life and stress will impact your health and wellbeing. Alongside things like poverty, bad housing, certain occupations, education, culture and environment can all impact our health. But many chronic health challenges today that makes us more vulnerable to certain diseases that are caused by own health choices and our exposure to modern day toxins.
In-fact in our modern world many people are under nourished simply because of poor and unhealthy eating. They have a poor immune system, inflammation, digestive issues because of what they consume and don’t consume. Many diseases today can be eliminated by a more healthy clean diet and lifestyle, so yes the medical system are often trying to treat the symptoms rather than prevent the most life-threatening diseases.
These words and thoughts are only my thoughts and wonders around my experiences and many of the people I have worked with. Experiences of my own, my clients, colleagues and friends in the holistic industry, the Dr.s, Nurses, Pharmacists and Scientists who have left mainstream modern medicine who believe in Do No Harm First.
Modern medicine, modern science is an incredible thing, modern medicine says millions of life’s every day. There are many government officials, doctors and nurses who genuinely care are faced with many difficult dilemmas and challenges every single day. But I believe when we give our body, our health autonomy to anyone else, especially our government, or medical field we are basically handing over our personal freedom, our personal human rights. A very very frightening step towards giving them so much more control to do as they will.
How to Grow a Small Organic Garden outdoors or indoors in a small space, using bedding, planters, or even using hydroponics. The things every gardener needs to consider when creating a Small Organic Garden.
A Small Organic Garden
Organic growing is essential if you want to do the right thing for people and the planet. The basic principles of organic food production are simple. In organic growing, you avoid the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. More than this, however, organic growing is about working with nature rather than fighting it. A small organic garden can take many different forms. It can be:
·A small container garden (on a balcony or patio, or even indoors).
·A vertical garden, growing leafy plants in pockets or on shelves up against a sunny wall.
·A small kitchen garden, with traditional rows, or more diverse and abundant planting.
·Or a low maintenance forest garden – with one or more fruit trees with layered perennial planting below.
Even in small spaces, you have a lot of choices when it comes to how exactly you grow.
However and wherever you choose to grow, there are certain very important things to bear in mind when gardening organically:
Top Tips for Organic Gardening
–Work from an understanding of the environment, and choose the right plants for the right places.
–Boost biodiversity in plant and animal life as much as possible. Protect and value wildlife, which will help you in your gardening endeavours.
–Protect and care for the soil in your small organic garden. Healthy soil equals good gardens and healthy people.
–Think about water. Harvest rainwater wherever possible and use it wisely in your garden.
–Maintain fertility over time – make sure you return nutrients to the system.
Getting Started On A Small Organic Garden
To grow a small organic garden, you need to make sure you have the basics in place. Before you begin:
–Learn more about natural cycles, your own garden, and specific plants. The more you know before you begin, the more successful you can be in your gardening efforts. Growing organic vegetables, organic fruits, organic herbs, and organic flowers can be easier than you might think. And you can hone skills and develop knowledge over time. But taking some time to learn and grow yourself before you start growing plants can be a great idea.
–Get the basics in place. Before you make new growing areas or sow any seeds, think about water management. Consider setting up rainwater harvesting systems. And get a composting system in place.
–Choose a growing method from those mentioned above – thinking about the best solution for your own particular site and your own particular needs.
–Make a plan for your growing areas. Think about any containers you might need. If you will be creating raised beds or growing in the ground, it is a great idea to use ‘no dig’ gardening methods. In no-dig gardening, the goal is to disturb the soil ecosystem as little as possible. In a no-dig garden, organic matter mulches are laid over the soil surface to build healthy soil over time.
Creating New Growing Areas
In container gardens, choosing the right containers and the right growing medium is key. Make your own growing medium or buy a sustainable organic option. (Avoid peat-based media, which are not an eco-friendly choice.)
If you are creating raised beds or traditional vegetable plots, determine the best position for these beds (considering climate and microclimate – sunlight, wind, and water – and the needs of plants you want to grow).
‘Lasagna beds’ are one great solution for no-dig gardening. Making a lasagna garden means layering ‘brown’ (carbon rich) and ‘green’ (nitrogen rich) organic materials to compost in place. These layers are covered with a thin layer of compost/soil into which you can plant.
In a forest garden, you will begin by planting one or more fruit trees (or other useful trees). You will then establish guilds of beneficial plants. Mostly perennial plants will be placed around the trees to form low maintenance ecosystems that mimic a natural woodland or forest ecosystem, but provide us with the edible and other useful yields we need.
Choosing Seeds and Plants and Planting For Your Small Organic Garden
When choosing seeds and plants for any organic garden, choose them for your particular garden. And think about what you and your household actually like to eat. If you choose the right plants for the right places, your chances of success are always going to be much higher.
Think, also, about how to combine different plants for the best results. Choosing beneficial combinations is called ‘companion planting’. It can help with environmental conditions, fertility, pollination, and pest control in an organic garden.
There is a lot to learn about organic gardening. But it is easy to get started on the right track. Take the plunge and you will grow a small organic garden successfully, one seed at a time.
Elizabeth Waddington is a permaculture designer, sustainability consultant, and writer, working to encourage organic gardening and promote sustainable change around the world.
If you would like to include a link to my business website – www.ewspconsultancy.com – that would be great.
The Alzheimer’s Diet: How to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Amylee Amos
Worldwide, about 50 million people are suffering from dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and the emotional and financial toll of this disease is monumental. Alzheimer’s disease is now considered to be the 3rd leading cause of death with no pharmaceutical drugs available to effectively treat the disease, though not for lack of trying on the part of the pharmaceutical industry.
Alzheimer’s drug development has the highest failure rate of any other disease, at 99.6%. That equates to billions of dollars thrown into potential treatments that do shockingly little to slow the progress, reverse the symptoms, or even prevent the disease. The five drugs that have been approved for Alzheimer’s treatment do very little to help the millions of people suffering from the cognitive losses and devastation associated with Alzheimer’s.
Fortunately, recent research demonstrates that Alzheimer’s is not the idiopathic disease it was once believed to be. In fact, the causes and contributors of an individual’s Alzheimer’s disease can be pinpointed and treated.
Contributors to the programmatic downsizing of the brain that is Alzheimer’s disease include physiological processes such as chronic inflammation, imbalanced oxidative stress, and impaired glycemic control.
These factors are all highly influenced by our diet. Thus, adopting an Alzheimer’s diet is critical in the attempt to prevent and reverse cognitive decline.
Can Alzheimer’s Disease Be Prevented and Reversed?
The mainstream medical community is always quick to comment that there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. This just means that no silver bullet approach to preventing or reversing Alzheimer’s exists. You can’t just pop a pill and reverse your Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, because their outdated approach to treating chronic diseases fails in the case of Alzheimer’s, the conventional medicine community remains steadfast in their misguided claim that there is no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
The truth is that through a targeted therapeutic approach, Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented and the symptoms can be reversed. In 2018, practitioners from multiple clinical sites published the reversal of cognitive decline in 100 patients while following a multi-targeted approach.
This approach, which adheres to the functional medicine model of addressing the underlying root causes of disease is known as the Bredesen Protocol. Through the Bredesen Protocol practitioners are able to identify the individual metabolic imbalances of each patient and use a systems based approach to treat each imbalance, thereby identifying and treating the root cause of the imbalance, rather than simply masking the symptoms. The result is the reversal of cognitive decline.
What Is The Alzheimer’s Diet?
The ideal Alzheimer’s diet to prevent and reverse cognitive decline must be individualized to the patient to ensure that it addresses the root cause of that person’s metabolic imbalances.
However, there are some nutritional components that all those wishing to prevent cognitive decline should adopt. Adjusting one’s nutritional habits to reflect the Alzheimer’s diet is the first step in preventing cognitive decline.
The foundation of the Alzheimer’s diet is whole, predominantly plant-based foods including non-starchy vegetables, low glycemic fruits, quality proteins, and healthy fats.
Clients following the Alzheimer’s diet are encouraged to eat foods that have been well-studied for their cognitive benefits including leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries, low mercury fatty fish, extra virgin olive oil, and walnuts.
Eliminating Processed Fats and Refined Carbohydrates
The diet eliminates highly processed packaged foods, simple and added sugars, processed meats, and refined carbohydrates.
Animal products in general are minimized depending on the specifics of an individual’s drivers of inflammation.
Consuming adequate amounts of the recommended foods provides the nutrients, specifically the micro and phytonutrients that the brain needs to support neuronal and synaptic growth and function. Avoiding the foods not recommended prevents ongoing inflammation and resolves oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction.
Fasting On The Alzheimer’s Diet
Additionally, clients following the Alzheimer’s diet are encouraged to fast for a period of at least 12 hours overnight, with the first three hours occurring between finishing dinner and going to bed. This fast allows for the client to reap the full physiological benefits of sleep, including the natural clearance of beta-amyloid plaques from the brain.
How To Implement The Alzheimer’s Diet
The Alzheimer’s diet should be tailored to meet the unique needs of the individual in order to receive the most enhanced cognitive benefit. At the Amos Institute, clients receive an immersive and individualized nutrition plan that incorporates the major components of the Alzheimer’s diet, with specifications related to their personal drivers of cognitive decline, genetics, and biochemistry.
This is particularly important when considering the genetic variant ApoE4, the genetic variant most commonly associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals with this variant demonstrate what is known as decreased cerebral glucose utilization, meaning that their brains do not effectively utilize carbohydrates as a fuel source.
Creating a ketogenic diet based largely on plant foods can be challenging, which is why seeking the help of functional medicine-trained dietitians is so critical for proper implementation. This is where partnering with a program and practitioners such as those from the Amos Institute is so beneficial to success in recovery.
Reversing The Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s Disease
Reversing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline is incredibly difficult, but the research shows that it can be done. If you believe you are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, start implementing the Alzheimer’s diet right away.
If you are already suffering from cognitive decline, seek the expertise and structure of a cognitive health program to begin optimizing your nutrition and lifestyle to reverse your cognitive decline. In the words of Dr. Dale Bredesen, if we all start to implement an Alzheimer’s diet and other lifestyle factors, “Alzheimer’s disease should be- and shall be- a rare disease.”
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Writer Bio – Amylee Amos Dietician and Nutritionist
Amylee Amos MS, RDN, IFMCPfounded the Amos Institute to specialize in the implementation of the Bredesen Protocol. She graduated with a Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan, & Longevity from the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
She has trained under Dr. Dale Bredesen and received certification in the Bredesen Protocol from MPI Cognition. She is one of the only dietitians in the United States who is certified by the Institute for Functional Medicine, a new high-level achievement for leading medical providers.
Learn about the health benefits of turmeric, regarded as the star of the spice world. Known as ‘the Golden Spice’, the turmeric root has been used in Indian cuisine and traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It is famous for its vibrant yellow colour and has a warm bitter taste. Also known as Curcuma longa—a member of the ginger family, it is primarily cultivated from the rhizomes, or roots, of the flowering turmeric plant in India and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Research On Health Benefits Of Turmeric
Research has shown that turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can support brain and gut health, promote a healthy immune system and benefit a range of inflammatory conditions. Registered Nutritional therapist Clarrissa Lenherr states that ‘turmeric has been shown in emerging science to be anti-inflammatory, so it can really help bring down inflammation that can occur in the body, whether that is from poor diet, stress, stimulant use, pollution, and lots of causes.’ You can watch Clarrissa explain the benefits of turmeric and curcumin and why she is a fan of Your Bodhi Natural Turmeric
Active Ingredients In Turmeric
Turmeric is made up of bioactive compounds, collectively known as curcuminoids. Curcumin is the primary curcuminoid and the most active ingredient in turmeric. Research shows that curcumin is a powerful polyphenol with anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to increase the amount of antioxidants our body produces. Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health – Susan J. Hewlings, Douglas S. Kalman. Turmeric contains around 3% curcuminoids and therefore one teaspoon of turmeric powder (about 5,000 mg) only provides about 150 mg of curcuminoids.
Many studies have shown that it is the curcumin that is responsible for many of the health benefits associated with turmeric and that taking curcumin regularly can have a wide range of benefits. These benefits can include:
Supporting Your Immune System
A strong and healthy immune system is essential for your body to fight invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and foreign bodies. Studieshave demonstrated that turmeric contains excellent anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties, which can help to support a healthy immune system. Research also shows it can help to regulate different signalling molecules which are essential for the functioning of a health immune system.
Alleviating Joint Pain
Inflammation in the joints can be very painful, causing swelling and restricting movement. Studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin’s powerful anti-inflammatory properties may reduce joint pain and tenderness, cartilage degeneration and joint inflammation. In particular, a study by Vilai Kuptniratsaikul et al. has shown that curcumin can reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with arthritis.
Reducing symptoms of Skin Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the body’s healing process. However long term chronic inflammation of the skin can lead to eczema and damage the skin. Studies have shown that curcumin can suppress pro-inflammatory signals, which gives it powerful anti-inflammatory effects. These properties make curcumin perfectly placed to help alleviate the symptoms of eczema.
A 2016 systematic review of clinical evidence by Alexandra R Vaughn et al has shown that curcumin can help to reduce itchiness and scaling for people with eczema.
Supporting Gut Health
Our gut health is not just important for digestion but a healthy gut supports the immune system and contributes to general health and wellbeing. Registered Nutritionist Clarris Lenherr states that ‘turmeric is full of polyphenols, which are kind of antioxidants that can actually feed and really nourish the beneficial bacteria that we have living in our digestive system. So it’s a great way to actually support digestive health’.
Studies have shown that curcumin can have positive effects on human gut microbiota, reducing intestinal inflammation, as well as supporting diverse gut bacteria which supports a strong immune system.
Reducing Muscle Inflammation and Soreness
Working muscles hard can often lead to damage to the muscle fibres which can cause soreness and stiffness. Muscle damage can be caused by overexertion or wrong use of a muscle.
Curcumin And Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis
A recent study in 2017 by Jäger R et al. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts in patients with knee osteoarthritis shows that groups of those provided with curcumin had a ‘measurable impact on muscle damage and recovery in 59 healthy, physically active, young adult participants after downhill running’. The findings were that those in a curcumin group ‘had significantly reduced elevation in creatine kinase levels, which are elevated when there is muscle damage’ and ‘Self-reported pain scores were significantly reduced as well in curcumin groups compared to placebo groups.’
Turmeric and Black Pepper
Turmeric and curcumin are poorly absorbed by the human body on their own. Pairing turmeric with black pepper extract known as piperine can increase the bioavailability and absorption. Proper absorption of turmeric has been shown to enhance curcumin absorption by up to 2,000%. This means that you should add some black pepper whenever you are cooking with turmeric, or make sure you choose a turmeric or curcumin supplement that contains piperine.
Sophie Nazareth, the Founder of Your Bodhi set up her business to share the amazing benefits of turmeric and curcumin. After personally struggling with a chronic illness for years, discovering curcumin helped her to regain control of her life.
Check Out Your Bodhi’s Natural Turmeric Curcumin Click Here
Best Essential Oils For Flu Symptoms And Prevention
How to choose the best essential oils for flu, the prevention, and treatment of flu, influenza. Why flu can be hard to treat. Why essential oils can reduce the risk of flu and cold and be useful in reducing the most common symptoms of flu.
What Is Influenza?
Influenza is a viral infection an infectious disease that attacks your respiratory system, your throat, nose, and lungs. Influenza is viewed as an unpredictable virus. The flu has common symptoms to the cold and although it usually clears up on its own with proper rest and self-care.
But in those with a vulnerable immune system, it can develop into further complications including death. Especially those living with a compromised immune system; young babies, children, sick and elderly. Those already living with a chronic health condition such as diabetes, auto-immune disease, cancer… We know some strains of flu can be more serious than others.
As someone who has lived with a compromised immune system for over 30 years. I was so glad to be introduced to essential oils many years ago and then become a qualified aromatherapist. Most of my family and my extended family all use essential oils for basic first aid in the home. We use essential oils for burns, bites, colds, flu, inflammation, headaches, fibromyalgia, PMS, Sleep Issues. The kids love lavender to help them sleep, as a compress when they have a bump or bruise.
Benefits Of Essential Oils For Influenza
The benefits of using essential oils, is that pure essentials can help prevent and reduce the risk of flu. As well as reduce many of the common symptoms of flu. Such as sore and achy muscles, sore throat, fatigue and weakness, headache…
Quality pure essential oils are completely natural and have fewer side-effects of many pharmaceutical drugs if used correctly. Essential oils are extremely versatile and can be often used alongside other medications with correct usage. But make sure you always check with a qualified aromatherapist and or dr if you are on other medications.
Pure Essential Oils are extracted essential oils from plants, shrubs, flowers, trees, fruits even resins. They are highly concentrated extracts so one tiny little drop is highly potent so it should be used sparingly and not directly on the skin.
Today we have access to so many different companies selling essential oils but not all are of the best quality and concentration. As a qualified aromatherapist for over 20 years, the two companies I would only recommend and promote are NYR Organics and doTerra. Both companies source ethically and organically in many cases.
But no matter where and who you buy from. Please remember that essential oils are extremely therapeutic and healing if used safely and effectively. And no matter how good quality these essential oils are from these companies do not add pure essential oils directly to the skin, do not drink internally.
Use Essential Oils Safely For Symptoms Of Flu
Each essential oil has its own unique components and therapeutic qualities. Some essentials oils have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties, some are more sedating, more calming and relaxing. Some oils are immune-boosting and mood-lifting. Others are extremely potent and should be used so sparingly that only 1-Drop of essential oils should be added to 100ml of carrier oil.
Some essential oils such as eucalyptus should never be used on children if you have epilepsy, diabetes, high blood pressure or are pregnant. That is why you should make sure you are buying essential oils or getting advice about essential oils only from a fully qualified aromatherapist.
I have lost count the number of stories of sales consultants of essential oil companies recommending oils that are extremely dangerous for the consumer. Parents being told that it was safe to put essential oils directly on to an infant’s skin, oils highly toxic and irritant for a baby. People adding a combination of essential oils to their drinking water that can burn and inflame the esophagus.
Bergamot is an uplifting essential oil that is used in many types of aftershave. Known for its anti-depressing and anti-viral activity as a vapor, bergamot is helpful for the treatment and recovery of flu.
Eucalyptus is also known for its ant-viral activity a well known essential oil for flu and cold remedies and chest rubs. But it is extremely potent so it must be used with caution. Use highly diluted, smaller doses of essential oil to the ratio of carrier oil or water is recommended. Avoid in the use of children and for those with sensitive skin. Adding one or two drops of eucalyptus to a basin of water is an effective steam inhalation to clear up chest and sinus congestion. 1-2 drops of eucalyptus with lavender, frankincense or sandalwood to the bath, (disperse) can help reduce flu symptoms.
Frankincense is a great winter essential oil. Other than being deeply grounding and calming frankincense has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent and expectorant properties. It is a useful essential oil to help soothe the chest and bronchia tubes, frankincense is also helpful for asthma sufferers. It is widely used as an aid to meditation and as a rejuvenator, preservative of the skin. Very useful to prevent dry cracked skin in winter.
Sandalwood is another winter essential oils useful to reduce respiratory and viral issues. A natural anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory sandalwood is used as a throat and chest rub. Like Frankincense, sandalwood is deeply grounding and calming. Useful for those who struggle to stop and rest or feel overwhelmed by the exhaustive fatigue and stress of flu.
Important Cautions and Contraindications Using Essential Oils
As a qualified aromatherapist, I would suggest you always check for contra-indications of essential oils you are using in relation to other medical conditions you have. Or medication you are presently on. For adults, you can normally add up to 5 drops in 2 tbsp bath oil or massage/ carrier oil. For children over 2 years old or adults with sensitive skin, reduce the amount to up to 2 drops per 2 tbsp. The essential oils above are not recommended for children only use Chamomile or Lavender for young children.
For more information on clinical research using essential oils for flu check out this
Eileen Burns is a highly qualified stress management therapist, coach, and healer. A qualified aromatherapist and holistic therapist who has been studying holistic wellbeing for over 30 years. Eileen runs Stress Coach Training, online training for coaches, healers and therapists. And self-care programs for empaths and highly sensitive people.
Women are more than twice as likely to develop Multiple Sclerosis as men. Multiple Sclerosis usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 50 years, and the average age of onset is approximately 34 years. Multiple Sclerosis can affect children and teens (pediatric MS).
I was 17 when I was diagnosed with Remitting-Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) in 1987. Back then MS was not very well known, and the Internet didn’t exist either, so no real way to research what MS is, other than taking the word of my Neurologist. I remember having symptoms as early as the age of 14.
I was constantly tired, and couldn’t keep up with my fellow students in gym class, running track. I slept a lot. My parents thought I was just being lazy. Because I was affected so early on in my life with MS, I knew I wanted to help others who were newly diagnosed with MS in whatever way I could. So I wrote a self-help book “Blue Fingers Brass Knuckles” full of diagrams, questions to ask your doctors, how to cope with the diagnosis through laughter, and the power of inspiration, faith, courage, and love.
In today’s world, MS is a common household word and you can Google information about MS. However; unless you’re following a teen with MS on social media to know the unique set of challenges that comes with it, you won’t know until you experience it…and even then, you’re left wondering…is this MS or just me?
Emotional Issues Of Teens With MS
There are approximately 8,000 to 10,000 Americans who have been diagnosed with MS before their 18th birthday. Although pediatric MS cases are rare, some studies estimate that 2 to 5% of all people with MS had symptom onset as a teenager or even younger. The good news is that pediatric MS specialists say teens who begin MS therapies soon after their diagnosis rarely develop disabilities before their 20th birthday and can lead a relatively symptom-free life well into adulthood.
“There’s some evidence that people who get pediatric remitting-relapsing MS move to progressive MS slower than those who are diagnosed as adults,” says Tim Lotze, MD, associate professor of child neurology at Texas Children’s Hospital at the Baylor College of Medicine. “Maybe that’s because the “lucky” ones who are diagnosed earlier start on treatment sooner.”
Different Physical Symptoms Teens With MS
But while teenagers may have fewer physical MS symptoms than adults, they can have more emotional or mental issues. Adolescence comes with all kinds of angst. Add in an MS diagnosis, and the stress can skyrocket. “You grow up fast when you’re diagnosed that young.” Here’s what I, other teens, their parents, and healthcare providers have learned about living with MS as an adolescent.
Difficulty with Diagnosis In Children With MS
The number of children diagnosed with MS seems to be holding steady in recent years, although accurate data is lacking, says Brenda Banwell, MD, chief of the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and director of the hospital’s Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Clinic. However, the awareness of pediatric MS has increased considerably among healthcare practitioners, meaning children are more likely to be diagnosed quicker.
There’s also a growing amount of research focusing on pediatric MS.
The Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network has performed a comprehensive prospective analysis of children with a first attack of what may be MS and has published extensively on the clinical, biological, and MRI features of MS in children.
Doctors and scientists affiliated with 18 clinical centers throughout the United States have formed the Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers to study the causes and treatment of pediatric MS. To learn more, visit usnpmsc.org.
These and other studies show that while MS symptoms are similar in teens and adults, teens may be more difficult to diagnose.
“Teenagers may have more vague symptoms like their back hurts, or they’re having headaches or migraines with blurry vision or they’re having trouble walking,” says Soe Mar, MD, director of the Pediatric Onset Demyelinating Diseases and Autoimmune Encephalitis Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital at the Washington University School of Medicine. Couple those indeterminate symptoms with normal teenage stress and Dr. Mar says some clinicians may think a teen with MS is suffering from physical symptoms that are due to psychological trauma rather than MS.
Specific Teenage Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis
The onset of MS in children and youth is associated with a higher relapse rate and a higher volume of brain lesions, relative to early MS in adults. Pediatric MS occurs in the context of normal academic learning and during brain maturation. Of note, 30 to 40% of children with MS have a cognitive impairment, Dr. Banwell says. This impairment varies from mild to severe and mainly involves executive functioning, such as multitasking, organization, attention skills, processing speed, and word finding.
About a third of teens with MS have emotional issues, such as depression or anxiety or combination of both. But this mirrors the general population of teenagers, so it can be difficult to tell if MS is the culprit for mood disorders or if it’s simply being a teenager. Either way, mental health is an important facet of care for youth with MS.
When I was diagnosed at 17, I was devastated. Thinking I had something like cancer that I would die from. I was an emotional wreck. It was affecting me in every facet of my life. And because we didn’t know much about MS back then, doctors didn’t realize that mental health is an important part of “health care” for me, so I was stuck working through these emotions by myself.
That’s why I can’t emphasize enough how important is it to have partnerships with psychiatrists and psychologists for teens who have MS. These professionals can help teens and their parents sort out what’s causing depression or anxiety and how to best treat it.
Research shows that teenagers also tend to have more frequent relapses than adults, perhaps because they haven’t yet developed full nerve myelination, Dr. Lotze says. A 2014 study published in Multiple Sclerosis Related Disorders shows that children have 2.3 times more relapses than adults per year. The flip side is that children recover much better than adults from relapses,” Dr. Lotze says. “There seems to be fewer residual symptoms, maybe because myelin in children can repair faster. Or there could be something innate in the pediatric brain that can make new networks after an MS relapse.”
The Importance of Medications In Teens With MS
While MS therapies can reduce disease activity in teens, the key is persuading them to consistently take their medications. “A lot of teenagers don’t think they need medications after they recover from a relapse,” Dr. Mar says. Most teens think “I just want to be a normal kid and not have to take 20 pills a day or go in for my injections.”
Several high school students who were recently diagnosed with MS were interviewed on the importance of taking their MS medications and the response was amazing. One student says “it helped when her mom told her that MS was like having diabetes. Another student said, “If taking my medication will keep my MS symptoms away, I’m all for it…but I don’t like it.”
Early-stage Coping In Teens With MS
While an MS diagnosis can be devastating for anyone, it can be particularly difficult for teens and their families. Parents struggle to accept the diagnosis. “No one expects a child to be diagnosed with an adult disease,” Dr. Banwell says. One thing teenagers have going for them, though, is resilience.
There are many documentaries, YouTube videos, and programs on TV that tell stories of other teens with MS and how they overcame their fear. For example: there was an ESPN program on a female runner with MS. A boy who is an offensive lineman on his middle school and high school football teams approached his diagnosis like an athlete. He talked to a sports psychologist who told him that he only needed to focus on his MS for the five minutes a day he injected his medication. So, for 23 hours and 55 minutes, live life like you don’t have MS. Staying positive that MS won’t affect the rest of your life in a big way.
Freaked-out Parents Of Teens With MS
When my Mom and I walked into my neurologist’s office and were told I had MS my Mom bawled for at least 20 minutes. We looked at each other with that Mother-Daughter look knowing we had to stick together and be there for one another. Each other is all we had. This is a typical reaction for any parent as they don’t want to hear that their child has been diagnosed with an incurable disorder.
Sometimes the parents can be more of an issue for a physician than the child, due to them reading about medical journal articles and studies about MS regarding what could happen to their child. It’s terrifying! “Teenagers have a sense of invulnerability, so their MS can fade into the background. That’s not the case for the parents.” Dr. Banwell said a colleague recently completed a study showing that the impact of a child’s diagnosis with MS is so substantial for parents that they can end up using more healthcare resources than their child.
When you have a child, who has such a serious disease, you must have a strong support team. You cannot do this by yourself. Connecting with other parents of children in similar situations to ask questions to, and get support from, is invaluable.
Overcompensating Teenagers
While parental stress about their teen’s MS diagnosis is understandable, it can create additional emotional issues for the child. This is all happening while kids are at the age of trying to get independence from their parents. Teens tend to avoid talking to their parents about their disease because they don’t want to worry them.
One teen said “I look like a different person when I relapse. I look so sick, and I know that upsets my parents. I would talk to my Mom about it, but I don’t want to make her even more upset,” Napier says. “My Dad calls me constantly to see how I’m feeling. It breaks my heart to see how worried they are. I wish there was a way to let them know I’m going to be OK.”
Teenagers can also hide their feelings for other reasons. Many blame themselves when diagnosed with MS. “I was getting all this attention from my Mom because of my symptoms, and frankly I was enjoying it.” After the symptoms subsided, the initial attention from my Mom went away. I started wishing that something else would happen again so I would get more attention.” It’s sad, but true I felt this way. And then, I found out I had MS. I felt like it was my fault even though deep down I knew it wasn’t. It can take several months to stop feeling devastated that they “brought the disease upon themselves” and to admit those feelings to their family and friends.
Dr. Lotze says a key to breaking through these types of communication barriers is for parents to “not hide anything from the kid from day one. Parents need to make a plan on how to talk to their son or daughter.” A therapist can also help the whole family, including anxious or resentful siblings, open lines of communication.
School Relationships
Family relationships aren’t the only ones that suffer when teens are diagnosed with MS. Teens can face misunderstanding or even bullying about their disease. Most teens don’t want to tell their classmates about their MS diagnoses because they don’t want to be treated differently, or that rumors would be spread. They don’t want to be labeled “teachers’ pet” because of being allowed to turn in assignments late or eating lunch in the nurse’s office to rest. However; if you don’t face the truth by telling your story to stop the rumors, people will continue to say what they are going to say without knowing the truth.
The best way most teens find it helpful is to make a video so the entire school would know you have MS. You’re not looking for sympathy, you’re looking for support. Upload it to your YouTube channel, then post it on your social media. Word spreads. You can also ask the principal if they can post a link to your video for the school to see. By telling your story, the gossiping, the whispers, and the bullying will help stop this and help you make friends. MS is a lonely disease, so get out there and tell your story. You need a support system in every facet of your life.
Learning How to Be Different
It’s OK to not be OK. Being different from classmates is hard…. missing out on being excited to have your crush take you to homecoming or attending school football games with your friends. Keeping a positive mindset makes all the difference in the world, it will keep you moving forward, climbing up this hill called life, and MS is just one more thing in your backpack to make you stronger.
Perhaps being diagnosed with MS has sparked an interest to be a neurologist specializing in pediatric MS. Or being an MS advocate helping others with their meal plans and workouts. This can include becoming a health and wellness coach, specializing in helping others with MS to manage their symptoms naturally. By now, you can see the blessings of being diagnosed with MS as a teenager. You can show others that you can get through anything.
The MS Wellness Coach
Hi, I’m Jen Martin a Master Certified Wellness Coach, specializing in helping women with MS to combat fatigue, increase energy levels, and improve their overall health naturally, so that they can live life with vitality and abundance. On Facebook, I’m known as The MS Wellness Coach – empowering those living with MS and other auto-immune disorders how to manage their symptoms naturally.
