​​Recently someone told me about the acronym CRAFT –Can’t Remember A Flaming Thing.  It tickled me at the time but really there are a lot of people suffering with memory issues for a variety of reasons.
 
In many cases there is something you can do to improve your memory:

• Nutrients – fish oils, omega 3, green vegetables, Vitamin D3, DHA, EPA, blueberries, walnuts,  nuts in general, zinc, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, eggs,
• Herbal medicines – Gingko biloba, Polygonum multiflorum, Turmeric, Tulsi, Sage, Ashwaganda, Ginseng, Gotu kola, Lemon balm, Rosemary, Vacha, Bacopa monieri, Rhodiola, Brahmi.
• Exercises -  4 details observations, suduko, crosswords, repeat and recall, mindfulness.

 
As a Herbalist and Nutritional therapist, I always believe it’s best to have a precise plan of action rather than trying things out over a long period of time and hoping you come across the remedy that works for you.
 
 All the remedies above can help improve memory, but for very different reasons, what might work for your friend may not work for you, simply because you might have the same symptom but for very different reasons.  This is why, for the best results you are always better to seek professional advice, especially when using Herbal medicines.
 
On that note I’ll leave you with a poem by my aunt Carmel Dinan
 
CRAFT
 
With pen and paper I hoped to draught
A few lines, to explain C.R.A.F.T.!
To question, was it art or bling?
But couldn’t remember a Flaming thing!
 
Hummed and hawed and racked my brain
Until it weighted under the strain
Changed tactics, when a bell didn’t ring
That I couldn’t remember a Flaming thing
 
Now to find a remedy I still strive
To keep this weighty brain alive
From this moment, I’ll begin
Moment by moment to remember every Flaming thing!
 
 
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

​We hear so much these days about food intolerances and food allergies so what is the difference?
 
Well most cases are intolerance, Allergy is far more rare.  Food intolerances are on the rise, mainly due to poor digestive health and our modern food chain.
 
Allergy:

• IgA response
• Low incidence in population – 2 of adults/6-8% of children
• Risk of anaphylactic shock
• Reaction worsens each time exposed to the allergen
• Can be life threatening
• Symptoms – hives, rash, itchiness, chest pain, sudden drop in blood pressure, issues swallowing, shortness of breath,  upset digestion, anaphylaxis
• Reaction is immediate or within a few hours
• Most common allergens – cow’s dairy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts
• Takes a minimal amount of exposure to cause a reaction
• How many – rarely is one person allergic to more that one or two foods
• Lifelong issue

 
 
Intolerance:

• IgG response
• High incidence in population – 45% of population
• Low or absent digestive enzymes needed to digest specific foods
• IBS
• Sensitivity to food additives
• Associated with leaky gut syndrome
• Symptoms – digestive disorders, wind, bloating, cramps, heartburn, anxiety, migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue, aching joints, skin disorders, eczema, psoriasis, low mood, behavioral issues
• Reaction is delayed – anything up to 24 hours
• Most common intolerances – wheat, dairy, fruit/veg, meat.
• Can take a lot of exposure to cause a reaction – often the most common foods in the diet are the foods causing the intolerances.
• Not life threatening
• Can have multiple intolerances
• Can be cleared with proper guidance

 
Resolving food intolerances:
I perform food intolerance testing for many client’s, the main importance is not to just remove the foods causing the intolerances (this just results in more intolerances months down the road), but to help to heal the underlying digestive issues. 

I find the best natural approach for this is diet and herbs.

Once you heal the underlying digestive issues, the food intolerances will often resolve.  Now if you put those foods back into your diet in high levels you are going to give yourself a digestive issue again and then most likely you'll get your food intolerances back.

If you are suffering with any of the food intolerance symptoms mentioned above, feel free to contact the clinic to book an intolerance test and nutritional consultation.  Get on top of this issue once and for all.
 
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

​Life is busy!  We have a lot of expectations, set by us, and others!  We have our priorities!  We have little time! (or so we tell ourselves!)
 
One of my favourite sayings is “you always have time for what you put first”.
 
So what would happen if you put you first?  What would you make important enough to make time for?
 
I was holding a Reiki Circle recently and the topic of my choosing to go Vegan came up.  The first thing said was “it must have been hard!”.  They were all fairly shocked when I said No.  Because it wasn’t, I had gotten to a stage where dairy was affecting me and my health very negatively and I knew it. 
 
Now I’m not saying no-one should eat dairy but it does affect a lot more people these days than it used to and I was one of them. This was why it wasn’t hard.  I had a really good reason for doing it, I understood WHY so it became important to me.  Believe me, if I had done this a year before I would have struggled, simply because it would have been something I’d have liked to have done but not something I felt I needed to do.  Again I’m not saying everyone should be vegan, I truly believe you need to listen to your body and adjust accordingly, we are all different.
 
So the next time you are thinking about making a healthy change, remember, if you make it important you’ll do it far easier than if you just fancy doing it.
 
I see clients changing their lives everyday, one step at a time, because they made it important.  So never give up on you!
 
 
 
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

 
Healthy eating really isn’t rocket science, but more a case of choosing to choose what you know is best for you.
 
We have a good idea of what foods are good for us and what foods are not so good for us, we just think we prefer the foods that aren’t so good for us.  Why is that?

• unhealthy foods tend to be more addictive
• they are advertised to us (big industry)
• they are convenient (at the time)
• we think they taste better (I’ll let you into a little secret, they don’t)
• we see them as treats (you're not a dog)
• we use them to fill a hole that something else has left

 
So let's bring things back to basics.  If you want to eat food that will help you stay healthy, simply ask what your food is doing for you, or to you.  Sounds simple, but it has a profound effect on what you choose to eat.
 
Think of foods as nutrients – each colour contains a different set of nutrients, use plenty of colour, variety, fresh foods, whole foods, good quality protein.  Quality should be your first thought before price and convenience.  That’s not to say you can’t eat healthy on a budget because you certainly can, you just have to think about your choices.
 
Stop thinking of food as calories.  If you are eating good, fresh healthy foods you’ll struggle to eat too many calories.  Calories are for diets, not for health.
 
To become a healthier nation/world, we need to change the way we have been taught to think about food, clearly our current way is not working.
 
If you need help to put together a healthy diet for you and your family, contact Carina at:
 

T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922