 This year we seem to be subjected to one virus after another. Nearly everyone I know was sick over the Christmas with a virus of some kind. We had 3 varieties going in our house.
So how did our ancestors deal with viruses? Well they turned to nature, they used knowledge that was passed down from one generation to another and each culture had their own remedies depending on what grew naturally in their environment. Herbal remedies historically used for viruses:
The more I see conditions and diseases that were less severe or common 30 years ago, the more I am convinced that our diet and lifestyles have a large part to play. We all have those conversations about how everyone that comes down with a flu is wiped out for 3 weeks now rather than 3 days. Maybe part of the reason for this is that we cook so little from fresh anymore and use so little of these herbs fresh anymore that we are not building our natural defenses enough. Even if that’s not the case, why not add some of these common kitchen herbs into your diet and cook more often from fresh ingredients, at worst you’ll have a scrummy meal, at best you will feel better! If you need help with immune issues, contact Carina for an appointment To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - [email protected] W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922
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 Rhubarb is one of my favourite things growing in my garden. It’s just starting to come back again now. Most of us grew up thinking of rhubarb as what goes in a crumble or pie, or with a bit of custard, but it’s so much more than that. Rhubarb is used in nutritional medicine and herbal medicine of ra number of reasons:
This old fashioned food has so many properties that can help reduce the symptoms that so many people suffer with:
There are a few precautions with rhubarb, it is for short term use, not to be used if the bowel is obstructed, only used under a herbalist’s supervision if there is any inflammatory bowel disease and not for use with Gout. My favourite way of using rhubarb is to stew it while it’s in season, I often add some berries and apple into the mix. I jar the stewed rhubarb and use it in a variety of ways:
If you need help with constipation, toxicity, pain, skin issues, contact Carina for an appointment To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - [email protected] W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922  Spring is popping it’s head around the corner, letting us know it’s there but probably not quite ready to come out where we can see it fully just yet. Spring is one of my favourite times of the year, a time when everything starts to come out of hibernation, myself included, and the landscape become fragrant and vibrant with flowers and trees. It’s the time when all my little green fingered friends start to get out in the garden again, when plants are sown and planted, older plants are pruned and we start to take care of the plants again. It’s also the time when we all start to do this for ourselves. We start to look after ourselves again, come out of the layers of clothing, get out for a walk, start thinking about eating fresher foods, lighter foods. Our moods naturally lift and we start looking forward to what’s to come. My favourite routine at this time of year is a spring detox. This is generally a clean eating program I devised that clears out all the toxins and energizes me to feel ready to enjoy the spring, to put a spring in my step (sorry I couldn’t resist). I don’t tend to do extreme detoxes anymore, the results were never long lasting, I simply spend a period of time eating fruit and vegetables in season, increasing my water intake, using herbal teas and eating good quality food. This increases my energy, rebalances my sleep, gives my skin a glow, removes a lot of aches and pains and just all-around picks me up. If you’re feeling like a bear coming out of hibernation and need a reset, contact Carina to order her 30-day detox reset program. If you need more tailored help with a detox, contact Carina for an appointment To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - [email protected] W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922   This weekend I will be giving a talk on Herbal medicine and stress at CNM in Dublin, so I thought I’d share a little preview with you all. Stress affects us all, some of us are better at releasing it whilst others push it deep down and think it’s gone, but it’s not. Stress impacts the body, in a nuber of ways, not just the obvious. Our body will set off a cascade of reactions from the moment it encounters stress, from stubbing your toe to a life changing event. When we hold stress it can have the following repercussions:
Herbal medicines have been used for thousands of years by many forms of medicines around the world. In western herbal medicines we call herbs that specifically deal with stress and the stress response – Adaptogens (they help the body adapt to stress), in Ayurveda they are Rasayanas and in Traditional Chinese Medicine they are Qi Tonics, known as longevity herbs in all of these forms of medicine. There are a variety of adaptogenic herbs, each herb has a particular use, that’s why a herb that worked for someone you know may not work for you, this is where your Herbalist comes in. They can determine which herb will best suit your circumstances to get the best results swiftly. Some herbs strengthen, others nourish, others help relax the body. Some will work on the nervous system, others on the adrenals. My favourite Adaptogen herbs are:
If you need help with the effects of stress, contact Carina for an appointment To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - [email protected] W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922  |
AuthorCarina Kennedy was formerly a Nurse, now a Nutritional Therapist and Herbalist living in the west of Ireland. Her passion is food, health and teaching clients to gain control of their life with simple techniques. Archives
July 2024
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