​Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.  I am a great believer that the best doesn’t have to be the most expensive.  Some of the simplest traditional medicines have stood the test of time, in an age where everything is about the newest thing it can be hard to remember the tried and tested methods can still be the best.
 
There are so many reasons to have a sore mouth, I have had one recently as a result of my treatments and this is what prompted me to write this article today, to share such a simple solution that helps me and many of my clients before.
 
Some of the most common reasons for a sore mouth is:

• Medication
• Oral thrush
• Lack of nutrients
• Burnt your mouth with hot food
• Brushing your teeth too hard
• Stress

 
The great thing is using the following will help all of the above and you feel the relief quickly, just repeat daily until you have had 4 days without the symptoms.
 
So what do you do?

1. Place 1 Tbsp coconut oil in your mouth and allow to  melt, then swirl it around your mouth, gently, for 10-20 minutes then spit it into the sink– I do this whilst I’m getting dressed or having a bath.  This will cool any heat, reduce inflammation, rebalance the bacteria and soothe any irritations.
2. Brush your teeth as normal – I use an aloe based toothpaste but a baking powder paste would do as well.  This will help calm irritations and reduce inflammation, plus balance the bacteria.
3. Then drink some good quality aloe vera gel.  This will help with overall inflammation, swelling, heat, bacteria and gut issues, all of which could be causing the soreness in the mouth at the root cause.

 
This practice of these 3 simple things can really help to reduce and remove redness and soreness in the mouth.
 
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
 

​As many of you know, I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer (Metastatic breast cancer) in August 2020.
 
I have been doing very well in most respects.  My tumours are all shrinking and my tumour markers have gone from 110 to 11(being consistently between 13-11 for the past year now).  This is an indicator that my cancer is much reduce and not active.
 
Along with the oncology treatments, I have been tirelessly researching how to support my body to stay healthy.  I am blessed to be in the position of previously being a nurse and now a nutritional therapist, naturopath and herbalist.  This has meant that I have been able to manage many symptoms and side effects with nutrition, supplements and herbs and I have been able to adapt my regimes to where I am at any moment.
 
Some of the effects that can crop up during treatments are:

• Digestive issues
• Hot flushes
• Inflammation
• Muscle pain
• Lowered immunity and nutritional status
• Thinning hair
• Skin issues
• Weakened nails
• Brain fog

 
I have been able to reduce these side effects with a variety of herbs and supplements over the last year and a half, adjusting them as I’ve needed.  I still get very tired after treatments and my back has been a huge concern for me but we are getting there.
 
My main supplement and herb regime have included:

• Slippery elm and marshmallow – digestion
• Turmeric and black pepper – inflammation
• Vitamin D
• Omega 3
• Medicinal mushrooms
• Nutritional yeast
• Juicing
• A herbal blend I have tailored to my cancer for support
• CBG
• Probiotics

(these are tailored to me and not a recommendation, we are all individual and when going through a serious disease like cancer your cancer support should be tailored, not just to you but to complement your treatment)
 
I recently had a batch of blood tests and was told I have a very healthy body for someone with my diagnosis.
 
Keep the good wishes, prayers and energy coming and I’ll keep you updated on where I am and what I’m doing.
 
 
 
 
 
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

​If you gave up sugar, like millions of others, over lent you might be thinking of having a big sugar binge on easter eggs and chocolates to reward yourself for being so good, but what if you kept the sugar out of your diet?  You probably feel better for having less sugar.
 
So how do you go about permanently reducing sugar?

1. Don’t go hungry – eat your meals and don’t skip any.  This will reduce your sugar cravings as your body won’t be looking for a quick fix energy source (your brain will tell you to get sugar for a quick hit)
2. Drink your water – dehydration is so often confused with hunger.  If you are hydrated you are less likely to feel that need for a quick hit of sugar
3. Eat good protein – meat, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds and lentils are great sources of protein.  Eating good sources of protein will keep your hunger at bay for longer
4. Buy fresh produce – so many foods are packed with hidden sugars these days so by buying more produce and less products you’ll drastically limit your sugar intake.
5. Don’t buy sugary foods in your weekly shop – if you don’t have it to hand you have to think and make more effort to get hold of it if you get a craving.  If you have foods you are trying to avoid in your cupboards it’s easier to give in to a craving.

 
I am a big believer in no foods are off the table, just some foods should play a big role in your diet and others should only make small appearances.
 
By reducing sugar you drastically reduce the risks of so many health issues but also reduce the risk of feeding issues that are already there.  Sugar is not evil we just eat it in quantities that are not helpful to our daily health, so reducing sugars can really make a difference.
 
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
 

You would have to be a hermit living in the Himalayas for the past 40 years to not have heard that sugar is not so good for you.   Studies show sugar as a contributing factor to most of our serious diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes to name a few.  There is still confusion over sugar though.
 
I don’t advocate removing all sugars, we need fruits and vegetables, rice produces a certain amount of sugar, carbohydrates sugars used for energy but it doesn’t make them “BAD”.   We need the nutrients form these foods.  They should be part of a balanced diet, in appropriate proportions.
 
The sugars we need to avoid are the highly processed sugars:

• White sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Corn syrup/corn sweetener
• Maltodextrin syrup
• Rice syrup
• Dextrose
• Sucrose

 
You don’t need to worry so much about fresh foods, produce, it’s the products with the ingredients list you need to keep an eye on.
 
Here is an idea of how much extra sugar you are eating without realising
 
FOOD                                                                        AMOUNT OF SUGAR

1 squirt of ketchup                                                       1 -2 tsp

1 serving of pasta sauce (jar)                                        2 tsp

Probiotic drink                                                           2 tsp

Tinned soup                                                              3 tsp

Muesli (packaged)                                                      4 tsp

Flavoured yoghurt                                                      4-6 tsp

Small bottle of flavoured water                                     5 tsp

Baked beans (tin)                                                       5-6 tsp

Smoothie                                                                  6 tsp

Latte                                                                        6-7 tsp

Cereal bar                                                                 8 tsp

Fizzy drink (1 can)                                                      9-10 tsp

 
The daily recommended intake for sugar is:

• Men – less than 9tsp per day
• Women and children – less than 6 tsp per day

 
We need to eat some healthy sugars like fruits and vegetables, this is included in the recommended daily intake of sugar, so it’s easy to see how the average person is still going way over their daily sugar allowance for a healthy body.  The easiest way to reduce this is to eat primarily natural produce with products only making up a  very small part of our daily diet.
 
What is the hidden sugar that surprised you the most?  What is your sugar weakness?
 
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