STRESS

RECOMMENDATIONS AND TREATMENTS FOR STRESS FREE LIVING

We are constantly under some form of stress in our lives and generally we cope very well.  However, many situations increase stress to a level which can cause troublesome physical and emotional effects.

The complaints that arise from too much stress vary widely and include:

● tiredness                

● poor concentration

● muscle pain                      

● restlessness

● anxiety                   

● irritability

● sleep disturbance

● headaches

When stress levels build, stress related illnesses start to appear.  These may include:

● peptic ulcers                     

● irritable bowel syndrome

● headaches            

● dermatitis

● mouth ulcers        

● heart disease

●  impotence            

● cancer

● depression            

● asthma and allergies

● drug abuse (including drinking problems)

Many types of stress can lead to ill health.  Examples of stressful situations include the death of a spouse or a close family member, work, divorce, marital separation, personal injury or illness, retirement, sex difficulties, pregnancy, guilt over a wrong doing and similar traumas.  This list reflects only a portion of stressful everyday situations.

We all know how hard it is to deal with these problems and that some people may need help to control stress levels.  Talking with someone may help you find a solution to your problem and can often help you cope.  Most Healthcare Practitioners have had counseling training and can help you to ‘get it off your chest’.

RELAXATION

Relaxation is vital for the stressed or uptight person.  Meditation, reading, listening to relaxation tapes, playing a musical instrument, starting a new hobby, regular exercise, a sensible diet, avoiding smoking and other drugs will all help control stress levels.

STRESS-REDUCTION TECHNIQUE

Meditation is one thing you can practice yourself.  Try just 10 minutes, twice a day and you’ll be surprised at the results.

• To begin, sit in a quiet place with your eyes closed, stay alert and awake if you can.  Starting with your right hand, tense and then relax each muscle group in turn, all around your body and then back again to your right hand.

• Next, focus on each muscle group, this time relaxing only.  Pay extra attention to your head and neck or any other area where you feel you ‘store; tension.

• Concentrate on your breathing, listening to the sound and concentrating on the rate of breath.

• Breathe in and out slowly, filling your lungs from your stomach up to your chest.

• Now, repeat the work ‘relax’ silently in your mind.  Notice your pace of thought, as you may want to slow down a little.  Each time other thoughts distract you, calmly return to the work ‘relax’.

• Now, just let go.  This is your quiet time.  Let your body and mind totally relax.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR STRESS

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

Nutrients known to help manage stress include:

Vitamin B5 and B6

Our adrenal glands are our stress coping glands.  They produce hormones which help us cope with stress and anxiety.  The adrenal gland uses vitamin B5 and B6 to make these hormones and high doses are often required in times of severe stress.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium deficiency is alarmingly common in modern society.  This may be due to the fact that stress causes the body to lose magnesium in high quantities.  Magnesium is important for normal nerve function because when you are magnesium deficient your nerves become hyperactive (i.e. you become nervous).  This leads to a harmful cycle with stress causing magnesium loss and low magnesium levels increasing stress.  This is why magnesium is commonly prescribed for anxiety.

VITAMIN C

Like B viamins, vitamin C is necessary necessary for normal adrenal gland production of anti-stress hormones.  Therefore, a combination of vitamins B5, B6 and C, together with magnesium, may help to improve natural stress coping mechanisms.

HERBAL MEDICINE

ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA

Stress can be associated with symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.  Specific herbal combinations are available to help reduce feelings of anxiety and promote restful sleep.  Ask your Practitioner about ingredients such as Magnolia Bark, a traditional Chinese Medicine.  Magnolia Bark contains an active ingredient, Honokiol, which has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep, as effectively as many pharmaceutical anxiety treatments.  An added bonus is that it is free from side-effects and is not addictive.  Magnolia combines well with Passion Flower and Zizphus, which can help to relax tense muscles.

FATIGUE AND DEPRESSION

Longer term stress can deplete the nervous system, which can lead to ongoing feelings of fatigue and depression.  This thought to be caused by a depletion of the adrenal glands, which produce your stress hormones.

Herbal medicines which have traditionally been used to support the adrenal glands include Panax and Siberian Ginseng plus Withania.  These are known as ‘adaptogens’ and help the adrenals to continue to cope with stress.  They generally improve energy, mood problems.  Modern research has demonstrated that these herbs can prevent ‘atrophy’ or shrinkage of the adrenals during stress and also help to normalize brain chemicals like Sertonin in depressed people.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ADRENAL GLAND EXHAUSTION CLICK HERE

Other nutrients that can help to normalize brain chemistry are the amino acids

L-Tyrosine and 5-Hydrox ytryptophan (5-HTP).  Taking supplemental doses of these has been shown to improve mood and alleviate symptoms of depression and other stress related problems.

EXERCISE

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to cope with stress.  It improves your mood via the production of endorphins – natural brain chemicals which are released when we exercise.  Just 30 minutes per day is enough to keep you feeling positive and energetic.

HOW TO REDUCE THE EFFECT OF STRESS

• If you can change your situation for the better, do it.
• Discuss your problems with someone.
• Use relaxation techniques to control stress levels.  Such as Yoga, Tai Chi and massage
• Eat a healthy, nutritional diet (talk to practitioner Tracey Lee Morley)
• Avoid stimulants and sugar
• Take stress, anxiety and blood sugar support nutrients such as vitamin B, vitamin C and magnesium.
• Take herbal medicines to rebalance your nervous system.
• Take a vacation.  One to two per year for at least two weeks.
• Choose your battles wisely – sometimes silence is the best option.

Muscle Spasm, Pain and Inflammation

Recommendations and Treatments for Muscle Spasm, Pain and Inflammation

Diet and nutritional supplements can provide powerful pain relief

What Causes Muscle Pain?

Following an injury, muscles tighten causing pain and soreness.  Most of the pain, however, is not directly related to the injured muscle.  It is a result of the surrounding muscles trying to compensate for the injury.  You consciously tense these muscles to prevent any sudden movement of the injured area.  The ‘overuse’ of these muscles leads to muscle fatigue and pain.  The neck and shoulder areas are common sites of muscle fatigue.  Whether your muscle pain is a result of injury, tension stress or some other cause, the strategy for relief is the same, the muscles must relax so that the normal healing process can occur.

How your muscles function

Muscle contraction and relaxation is controlled by electrical signals.  These signals originate in your brain, then travel via the spinal cord and nervous system to each muscle cell.  There, electrical signals trigger a chemical reaction that initiates muscle contraction.

When a muscle or ligament is injured your body immediately begins to produce chemicals important for the healing process.  These chemicals cause pain, inflammation and swelling.  Swollen tissue is partially immobilised, to help you avoid further injury.  In addition, the swelling brings more blood and nutrients to repair the injury.

In a short time, however, swelling can become harmful and many hamper circulation to the area and impair healing.  Fortunately, the body has a natural mechanism to reduce inflammation and swelling.

Some people use powerful drugs to inhibit the swelling.  But remember, some swelling is part of the healing process.  Completely stopping the swelling may slow the healing rate.  A happy medium needs to be reached.  Your goal is to maximise the healing rate while minimising the injury pain.  With the use of nutritional products recovery time can be reduced.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR MUSCLE PAIN SPASM AND INFLAMMATION

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

Many different vitamins and minerals are involved in muscle function, so it is very important to eat a good diet, chosen from a wide variety of foods.  (Ask your practitioner about the best diet for you.)

MAGNESIUM AND CALCIUM

The minerals magnesium and calcium are particularly important for muscle function.  Magnesium and calcium work directly on the muscle cells to relax any tense or sore muscles.  Without these nutrients muscular movement would be impossible.  If there is an inadequate amount of these minerals or an imbalance between them, the process of muscle relaxation is impaired and they become tight and knotted.  There are different forms of magnesium.  The fastest\r acting is magnesium diglycinate and when combined with other nutrients such as carnitine, taurine and glutamine it promotes fast relief of spasms, pain and inflammation.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SUPPORT

A specific combination of three herbs, Rosemary, olive leaf and Hops that has been scientifically shown to have anti-inflammatory activity, decreasing the activity of immune cells that cause inflammation and pain. 

HERBAL TREATMENT

Studies have shown that various herbs contain substances which help to gently and naturally relieve muscle tension and pain.  Valerian root and passion flower are two herbs which are known to be particularly powerful.  In addition to relieving muscle pain and tension, they also encourage relaxation.

A combination of magnesium, calcium and muscle relaxing herbs are a great benefit to tense, sore muscles and can help with spinal adjustments.

JOINT AND MUSCLE REPAIR

With injuries and joint pain a nutritional formula can significantly help repair the affected tissue.  To support connective tissue a formula with the combination of amino acids, minerals, herbs and cartilage precursors is ideal.

These nutrients aid the growth and repair of damaged connective tissue associated with skin, tendon, ligament and cartilage damage.  Proline, the main component of collagen, appears to have a significant ability to repair ligaments and tendons.

Silicon is also necessary for connective tissue reconstruction. 

Your practitioner may prescribe liquid bovine tracheal cartilage, which contains a full spectrum of nutrients (including glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate) for connective tissue and cartilage repair.

Other conditions which may benefit from a similar nutritional approach include:  sprains, joint damage, degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis), cosmetic surgery, wound healing and autoimmune skin disease.

TOPICAL LINIMENT

A traditional Chinese liniment used for centuries in China, topical liniment contains specific herbs and essential oils such as wintergreen oil.  Applied topically this liniment will provide relief from muscle pain, swelling and bruising and also speed recovery.  Talk to your practitioner about how to apply this liniment.

FOR RELIEF OF MUSCLE SPASMS, PAIN AND INFLAMMATION

Eat a healthy diet containing a wide variety of foods.

Ensure magnesium and calcium intake is sufficient

Relax muscles by taking herbs such as valerian root and passion flower.

Use pain relief sparingly.

Use nutritional supplements to speed recovery, and apply a topical liniment.

Effective Weight Loss

Recommendations and Treatments for Effective Weight Loss

So you would like to lose some weight?  You may have tried to lose weight before, and may have been successful for a period of time – most people have.  There are two main reasons why people don’t maintain their weight loss:

• They do not change their long-term eating habits (i.e. they go back to their old diet).
• The program they are following just focuses on calories and exercise, not the underlying factors that make some people more likely to put on weight than others.

Your practitioner Tracey Lee Morley is a trained health professional and has access to tools that assess the reasons why you have put on weight.  More importantly, they have the scientific understanding of the changes required to balance your balance your body and help you lose fat safely, effectively and permanently.  Studies show that people who work with a health professional to lose weight have a much greater success rate – and so can you.

What are some of these underlying factors that make it harder to lose weight?

Scientific studies have shown what we all know, which is that some people are more prone to put on weight than others.   Partly this is due to your genetic inheritance from your family, which we can’t change.

However it is also determined by the following factors, all of which can be managed with your Practitioner’s help.

• Stress – affects appetite and cravings, also increases fat build up around the waist.

• Toxicity – many toxins are stored in fatty tissues.

• Inflammation – inflammation can make it hard to exercise and also prevents fat burning.

• Low thyroid – your thyroid is like a thermostat, the lower it goes, the colder you are and the less fuel you burn (and the more you store!).

• Hormones – hormone imbalances in men or women can lead to a loss of muscle and a build up of fat.

• Appetite – cravings for foods, especially fatty or sweet foods, can be a sign of an underlying imbalance which can be corrected.

You can be assessed for these factors and if they are present, your Practitioner Tracey Lee Morley can prescribe natural, non-toxic medicines to help rebalance your system.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS

DIETARY CHANGES

One of the most important changes that you will need to consider is to make sure that the diet you are eating is one that favours a lea, efficient metabolism.  Many researchers believe that the standard Western Diet, with its heavy reliance on grains, sugars and saturated fats is largely to blame for the vast increase in rates of obesity.

For millions of years, humans ate a diet that was largely comprised of fresh fruit, vegetables and lean protein sources such as red meat, fish and poultry.  It is only the last several hundred years that we have consumed significant amounts of sugars and refined grains, and less protein-containing foods.  These foods have a very high Glycaemic index, which means they cause a large amount of sugar to enter the bloodstream at once.  This creates hormonal changes, affects energy levels and appetite, all of which combine to increase fat storage.

Your Practitioner Tracey Lee Morley may recommend a diet which reduces the amount of sugar and other carbohydrates you consume.  This has been shown to be an effective way of losing weight, and rebalancing your metabolism.

THE KETOSYSTEM

An effective program for losing excess fat is the KetoSystem, which has been shown to effectively reduce fat and also control excess appetite.  This is achieved through the use of a special protein supplement, which when taken once or twice a day provides essential amino acids that help to manage cravings and support healthy muscle levels.

By reducing carbohydrate intake, the KetoSystem forces the body to burn fat as a fuel.  Your Practitioner will ask you to test your urine daily for the presence of chemicals called ketones, which indicate that you are burning fat as a fuel and successfully losing weight.

THE WELLNESS ZONE

A crucial reason why your Practitioner recommends this program for fat loss is that it doesn’t just focus on fat loss, but also contains on ongoing program for weight maintenance.  This stage is called the Wellness Zone and is a moderately low carbohydrate program that will allow you to maintain a healthy weight and metabolism for life.  Your Practitioner will determine which is the ideal program for you and how long you should follow it for.

Exercise

Another key difference between modern lifestyles and those of our lean hunter-gatherer ancestors is the amount of physical activity that we are required to do.  While our ancestors were forced to walk, run, lift, carry and physically work every day, we have invented machines that do all of this for us, requiring us to do very little physical activity if we choose not to.  This means that we must choose to do 45 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity just about every day to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

If you can build this into your day, it is easier to achieve.  Walking or riding a bike to work, going to the gym at lunchtime, going for a swim or playing golf on the weekend can all help.  Some people find joining a team motivates them, as they feel a stronger incentive to turn up.  IF you are unsure about the best type of exercise for you, discuss it with your Practitioner – they are trained to help you succeed.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

There are a number of nutrients that your Practitioner Tracey Lee Morley may recommend for you, which have been shown to support healthy weight loss.

Natural Whey Protein – provides essential protein for muscle maintenance and growth, strongly reduces the appetite and cravings. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BUY CLICK HERE

Soy Protein – a vegetarian source of protein, which is also very good for supporting a healthy heart and circulation.

Essential Fatty Acids – fish oil, flax seed and sesame are sources of ‘good’ fats, which stimulate fat burning, reduce cholesterol and help normalise elevated blood pressure

Cinnamon – scientific research has shown that this spice is very effective for normalising blood sugar and insulin levels, which helps to improve energy and reduce cravings for sweets and carbohydrates

Caiapo – an extract of sweet potato, which has been used for many years as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes and other blood sugar problems in Japan and other countries.

Chromium – an essential mineral which regulates blood sugar levels and has been shown to increase fat loss.

Phaseolus – a bean extract which inhibits starch digestion, making it useful for those times hen you can’t control what you will be eating.

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