I was always lucky to have a good head of hair, I never had to worry about it, if I got a bad haircut it would grow back so quick it was only a temporary problem.  That changed when I had to start taking chemo and hormone supressing therapy for my cancer.  Now may hair was thinning, wiry and just wouldn’t grow.
 
For the first year of a cancer diagnosis you are in survival mode, you are just trying to deal with the shock, the fear and trying to stay alive.
 
The second year  is when I decided to start thriving again.  My hair wasn’t a major issue for my survival but now I am not just focussed on staying alive I’m focussed on living and my hair is one of the areas I started to focus on again.
 
Now, I can’t take the usual herbal tinctures I would have given clients to help with hair growth.  This is because their function is to improve blood flow to the peripheries, including the scalp, to bring nutrients to the follicles, hence strengthening the hair and improving growth.  I wouldn’t use these herbs because the chemo is partly trying to stop blood flow to the tumours to kill their food supply.
 
So, I looked to what other natural remedies I knew would help my hair grow back strong.
 
These are my 2 favourite and both come from Ayurvedic medicine. Both are used as an oil to rub into the scalp to help feed the follicles at the root:

• Amla oil – amla is also known as Indian gooseberry and is one of the most treasured herbs in ayurvedic medicine.  It is high in Vitamin C, Polyphenols, and antioxidants.  It not only promotes healthy strong hair growth but is also quite effective against dandruff and some bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections. 
• Castor oil – Some of us remember being made to drink castor oil as children, but thankfully this remedy is to rub the oil into the scalp.  Castor oil as a topical hair treatment has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine.  It not only nourishes the hair follicle and root but will strengthen the hair, speed the growth and slow hair loss.  It is high in Vitamin E, Cooling for the hair follicles, high in omega oils and EFA’s

 
Here is how to use it:
Step 1 – wash your hair
Step 2 – apply the oil to towel dried hair
Step 3 – wrap your hair in a towel/towel turban and allow to absorb for the minimum of ½ hour.  For best results do this at night, sleep with the oil on and the towel turban, and then rinse of in the morning with some shampoo.
Start with 2-3x week until you have the required results then reduce to 1x week.  (if you are going through treatments that are affecting your hair then I would continue the 3x weeks, you are constantly working against the side effect of the treatment so need a more consistent method of treatment).
 
Let me know if you try this and what your results are!
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

There’s a lot of talk around collagen at the moment and collogen supplements.  Mostly it is aimed at keeping your skin looking youthful.  So, I thought I’d share some information on collagen, why we need it an the most natural ways to get it in.
 
What is collagen?
Simply put, collagen is the main structural protein that is found in your skin and connective tissues
 
Why do we need collagen?
It’s not just your skin.  Collagen is what gives elasticity to our skin and connective tissues.  This includes:

• Skin
• Joint
• Bones
• Muscles
• Blood
• Gut lining
• Bladder lining

 
Collagen decreases with age and can be an important part of why: 

• the skin looses elasticity
• the bladder becomes weaker
• the joints become stiffer
• the bones become more fragile
• Gut lining weakens
• and much more

 
What are the natural ways to get collagen?

• Foods – Bone broth, Vitamin C will help increase collagen, Mangosteen and other tropical fruits, eggs, chicken, soft boned fish, spirulina, leafy greens and more.
• Herbs – my favourite is Equisetum arvense (Horsetail), other herbs that boost collagen are – Nettles, Fo shu wu, Calendula, coriander, Aloe vera, ginseng and more.  As always check with a herbalist before taking starting on any herbs that you would not normally use.

 
Remember it’s not always about how to replace, part of the picture is also how to prevent the loss of collagen.  Some of the things that will lower your collagen levels are:

• Age – not much you can do about that
• Genetics – Not much you can do here either
• Smoking – Quit or cut down
• Inflammatory diet – this is the leading cause for most degeneration or disease in the body.  Reduce the sugar, alcohol, processed foods, red meats and start increasing the fresh fruits and vegetables and organic fish and poultry.
• Stress – who doesn’t have stress!  I have teamed with Vivianne Maloney and Jannah Walshe to bring you a fabulous Series called Rest & Reset to help show you the tools that will help you re-learn how to deal with stress and allow yourself to slow down and smell those roses.  Link is below.
• UV exposure – luckily we don’t see too much sun here in Ireland, but make sure you are wearing a good quality sunscreen when you go abroad to the sun.

So by helping to tighten your skin you might just help to resolve some stress incontinence at the same time.  Isn’t your body amazing!!!
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com  &   www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
@itsanaturalchoice  &  @welovebreakingfads
Rest & Reset program is available through the Rest & Reset page on Facebook or follow this link :

How can you change anything for the better if your motivation levels are gone down the toilet?  The biggest struggle I see when someone wants to make a positive change in their life is the rapid loss of motivation after the initial stages.
 
The good news is that this may not just be you feeling unmotivated, it could actually be a lack of Dopamine in your body.  Dopamine is managed by your nervous system but a disruption to this (like the stress of the last few years, cost of living, busy lifestyle, excessive exercise, world affairs, family affairs, illness) will deplete your Dopamine.  Short term this is not a problem, but long-term this can lead to some serious health issues.
 
So how do we get you dopamine to optimal levels and return your MoJo to get going?

• Foods -  Magnesium rich foods (Brazil nuts, Halibut, Cacao, rice bran, cashews, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach), Green tea, Oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna, kippers)
• Supplements – probiotics, Magnesium citrate, Vitamin D, fish oil
• Herbs  - Gingko biloba, Mucuna pruriens, Curcuma longa (Turmeric), Oregano, Panax ginseng, Berberis vulgaris, Hydrastis canadensis, .
• Exercises – Yoga, Meditation, Tai chi, Karate, Pilates

 
The main takeaway form this is to remember that you may be able to push through for a while but eventually you will need to slow down before you do real damage.  Always remember to get professional advice before taking any herbal medicines.
 
I have come together with Vivianne Maloney and Jannah Walshe to create a series of talks to give you the tools to do just that.  If you want to know more about our Rest & Reset series you can follow the links on our social media or go to this web address:  https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sh/fUVU3Op/RestResetWorkshopSeries
 
The first in the series is a free talk, feel free to sign up and join us.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

​For anyone that has been following my articles you will know that I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, otherwise known as metastatic breast cancer, it was in my breast, lungs, liver, bones and lymph.  For those that are reading my article for the first time this is my latest update on my journey.
 
So a quick catch up, I was:

• Diagnosed stage 4 grade 2 breast cancer August 2020 (mid pandemic, not the best timing), Started treatments straight away, No surgeries offered, Told no cure, Started my own research
• Christmas 2020 – doing well, tumour markers down from 110-mid 20’s
• Summer 2021 – got covid, got through, cancer still improving and tumour markers steadily at 13 (apart form when I had covid, then went to 19)
• Summer 2022 – My treatments have been taking their toll, making me very sick with a much reduced quality of life.  Transferred to a new oncologist and changed one of my treatments from steroidal injection to non-steroidal tablet.

 
I have been on the new tablets now for about 3 weeks and can feel the improvement already in my quality.  The next few months will see if I am doing as well on this treatment as I was before.
 
My own natural medicine box includes:

• Juicing – I am glad to say I am back on track, this had dipped due to me feeling so ill and lead boot tired
• Vitamin D, E
• Herbal medicines - Medicinal mushrooms, slippery elm & marshmallow, Turmeric and my own personal kick cancers butt mix for my personal cancer and needs
• Probiotics
• Nutritional yeast capsules – I’m vegan
• Lots of veggies  in my diet

 
It’s important to try to reduce stress when going through cancer (Oh the irony) but there are ways I do, I have a campervan I bought last summer (watch out for the photos on Instagram), I spend time with people who lower my stress instead of raise it, I go for counselling and reflexology and reiki when I can.  One of my home relaxation techniques is my daily Epsom salt bath which has the added bonus of relaxing my tense muscles and strengthening my bones.
 
The truth is everyone who is going through cancer will approach it in their own way, this is mine, this is how I find my strength, in knowledge, in understanding this disease and how I can conquer it in my own way.  That is what takes the fear out of that word that brings such fear to so many “CANCER”.
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 
 

In the western diet we don’t often think of putting vegetables in our breakfasts, we are more inclined to use fruit at breakfast time.  Many other countries traditionally eat more vegetables at breakfast time.  It often comes down to what you are used to, the foods you grew up on.  So why do you want to add vegetables to your breakfast?
 
Vegetables are:

• High fibre
• Low calorie
• High nutrient
• Alkaline

 
So vegetables will help to:

• Alkalise your diet
• Lower inflammation
• Improve overall health
• Aid with healthy weight management

 
That’s all very well but how do you add vegetables into your breakfast without you feeling like it’s no longer like breakfast?
Here are my 8 easy ways to add more veggies to your breakfast:

1. Smoothies/smoothie bowls – you can add spinach, kale, avocado etc
2. Juices – these are great for hard vegetables like carrot, beetroot, cucumber etc
3. Omelettes – throw in the kitchen sink (not literally)
4. Scrambled veg – add spinach, tomato, onion, mushrooms etc to your scrambled egg
5. Grilled breakfast – lean/turkey sausage, with mushroom, tomato, onion, spinach
6. Loaded toast – my favourtie at the moment in avocado, tomato and cucumber with some rocket salad
7. Go international – think of dishes you might have had on holidays – breakfast burrito (Mexico), shakshuka (Israel), breakfast hash (Scotland) even the breakfast grill from Ireland
8. Veggie bread – this can be zucchini (courgette) bread, healthy carrot cake/buns, olive and sundried tomato focaccia, feta and vegetable loaf and more

 
Give it a go and add some veggies to your breakfast for the next week, see if it makes a difference to your day!
 
You can follow Carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads

Have you ever wondered if you could slow down the greying process with your hair?   The good news is yes.
 
Grey hair is the result of the hair follicle not getting the nutrients it needs to produce the colour in the hair, so the hair ends up grey or white.
 
We often see after a severe illness or shock the hair loses it colour quicker than before.  This is because the person is either not eating as well as they were, or their absorption of nutrients has been affected.  Therefore, seeking the advice of a qualified nutritional therapist or herbalist is a quicker and more effective way to get the right results for you.
 
Grey hair has been found to be lacking copper, whereas white hair has been found to be lacking antioxidants, that’s not to say you don’t need both.  The best way to reduce the risk of premature greying is a diet high in nutrients and a strong digestive and cardiovascular system.  This means eating a healthy balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, beans, grains, and good quality animal protein.  Reducing the amount of processed foods you eat. 
 
There are several reasons why hair goes grey/white but the main areas you are looking at are:

• feed the hair follicles 
• improve blood flow to the hair follicles 
• improve the gut absorption 

 
In Ayurvedic medicine there is a herb thought to reverse the greying process and restore your natural colour- Amla - Indian gooseberry, this herbs main use is to stimulate digestion so you can see how it’s all about what goodness gets absorbed and how efficiently it gets transported to where it’s needed
 
As with any nutritional or herbal advice always check for contraindications if you are on medication or managing a disease.
 
 
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

How lucky are we that we live on an Island!!  We are never that far from the sea.  The beach is my happy place is not just a saying to me, it resonates to my core.  Since I can remember I have always loved being near water especially the sea, maybe it’s my being a Pisces, maybe I was just born a water baby or maybe something in me recognised the healing properties of the ocean form a young age.
 
So why is the seaside to rejuvenating?

• Crashing waves – believe it or not there is science to this.  The crashing waves create negative ions in the air which have a positive effect on our health
• Sounds of the sea – it’s like a meditation, the rhythmic sounds, the stillness.
• Fresh air – I am so lucky to live near so many amazing beaches, Old Head, Silver strand, Keel, Mulranny etc. All of these beaches are in relatively unspoilt spots.  Very little traffic or industrial pollutions so the air is clean.  
• Sea swimming – we have seen a big resurgence in sea swimming since covid, lockdowns and travel restrictions.  The good thing about this is it has huge health benefits.  Not least that it is a water therapy, but the cold stimulates the body and helps the circulation, immune system, respiratory system, lymphatic system and more.
• Wave watching – again it’s the hypnotic meditative effect. It allow s the body to switch off the stress reaction of the sympathetic nervous system and switch on the parasympathetic nervous system for some deep relaxation and stress reduction.

So the next time you go to the beach, do me a favour!  Take in a deep breath, close your eyes and listen to the waves and then take a dip in the ocean, even if it’s just your toes.  You’ll feel much better for it.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 

Parosmia – causing food to taste like trash.  Many of us have continued to suffer with parasomnia since having covid at some point in the last 2 years.  Many tastes and smells have returned but some are still lingering.
 
The most common foods that have changed with post covid parosmia are:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Eggs
• Fried foods
• Meat
• Coffee

 
Your smell can also be affected.  You may be experiencing a distorted smell with the following:

• Cleaning chemicals
• Flowers
• Perfume
• Toothpaste

 
What causes parosmia?  It’s basically when the nerve fibres in the nasal cavity that carry signals to the olfactory nerve are damaged.   Our sense of taste is linked to our sense of smell; therefore taste is also affected.  Parosmia was quite rare before covid so we did not talk much about it before.
 
So what can you do to live with or improve your parosmia?

• Eat foods at room temperature
• Avoid fried foods and meat
• Reduce the number of foods that taste bad right now
• Smell training (using specific scents to retrigger the nerves to the olfactory nerve – scents like: lemon, eucalyptus, cloves, rose, essential oils work well for this.  Sniff the oil for 20 seconds, either from the bottle or pour a few drops in a jar and inhale from there) I would go on from there to smelling anything that would be fresh or zesty or fragrant – start smelling lemons, limes, oranges, flowers, kitchen herbs etc.

 
The general consensus is that your brain will eventually correct the problem, but it can take a long time, so in the meantime try some of these suggestions to speed up that process.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 
 

​So following on from last week’s article, here are some of my favourite ways to improve gut health at home:  

• Follow the 80/20 rule – 80% of your diet should be fresh produce cooked at home, 20% can be products bought already made up
• 10 a day rule – incorporate 10 portions of vegetables and fruit in your daily routine.  This can include juicing but you need to make sure you are getting at least half from the eating fruits and vegetables.
• Organic – organic where possible as the good bacteria will be higher and less likely to have been killed of by chemicals.
• Probiotics – this can include natural yoghurts, kefir milks, and other probiotic foods
• Eat more fermented foods – fermented foods have a rich history throughout Europe and Asia from sauerkraut to kimchi.  Include more fermented foods
• Drink kombucha
• Get that water in – the digestive tract requires a lot of water to maintain its homeostasis so make sure you are getting in an average of 2L
• Get out in the sun (when it shines) – Vitamin D is vital for gut health
• Reduce your exposure to toxins – this includes reducing plastic use, reducing alcohol, reducing processed foods, choosing your detergents carefully, getting out in nature.

 
If you are looking for a good probiotic my recommendation is always:

• Biokult – reasonably priced and a good blend of beneficial bacteria
• Optibac – a scientific nutritional brand of probiotics with a good range for different issues
• Biocare – again a good blend of beneficial bacteria’s and scientifically researched

I choose these probiotics because these are the ones thatI have seen the best results with in my 15 years of practice.
 
These are all things that can be introduced into your daily lives before you ever look at a supplement.  Supplements have their place but never substitute living healthy.  If introducing these practices don’t yield results withing 6 weeks, then you should seek professional advice of a nutritional therapist or herbalist to see if you need a more tailored approach.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads