 How many times a year do you come down with a cough/cold/bug/flu?
If it’s a lot more than 2x a year, your immune system is not responding as well as it should. In naturopathy we would look at your digestive system first, as the majority of your immune system is housed there. If it’s roughly 2x a year, you’re a fairly healthy individual & should pat yourself on the back. We’re in contact from time to time with these bugs & unless your immune system’s come into contact with them before, it will take a few days to fight them off. It’s a sign of a healthy system if you are prone to a cough/cold/bug/flu a couple of times in the year. You will strengthen your immune system by allowing it to resolve the problem, so rest, relax & up the natural antivirals(unless the condition is more serious and you need medication to clear the issue) If you never get sick, this is when you need to stop patting yourself on the back. This generally means is that your body is stressed. You’re likely to be the person that gets sick over Christmas or on Holiday, because it’s the first time you have allowed your body to relax. So it can be healthy to be sick if it is minor coughs/colds/bugs/flus and it happens around 2x a year. Things to do to help the immune system when sick:
Contact Carina if you need help with any of the issues above, get your body fighting fit. To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - info@itsanaturalchoice.com W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922
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 My Nan was full of great sayings, one of my favourites was “Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.” Another one of her sayings was “Your health is your Wealth” Now this one used to make me roll my eyes all the time when I growing up. The truth is you really don’t realise the value of your health until you loose it, I mean truly loose it. We all have this idea that we are invincible, it won’t happen to me, and then it does, and then you realise just how true that saying is, because nothing has any value when you are so ill you can’t appreciate it. It changes you, puts life into perspective. So what did my own stint with chronic health issues teach me?
So my bit of advice for today is a few simple ways to help your body stay healthy:
The amazing thing is to realise you are in far more control of your health than you ever realised! You can make changes that will strengthen your health beyond belief. Just look at most Naturopaths, we are a fairly healthy looking bunch. If you need help getting back in control of your health, don't hesitate to contact the clinic and get started on a plan with great advise and support, take back control of your health and start moving forwards again. May you all be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise! To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - info@itsanaturalchoice.com W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922  Herbal medicines have been an integral part of pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal, for thousands of years. There are so many issues that women will face during pregnancy, some are everyday issues whilst others are more serious. Most women will have heard about drinking Raspberry leaf to help bring on labour, but most would never think to use this gentle herb after their baby is here. This herb that so many mothers have heard of is also used post partum for milk flow, to decrease postpartum bleeds and regulate hormones, it is also used in post partum depression. One of the issues women face postpartum is slow milk flow or insufficient milk, preventing the mother being able to breastfeed easily. There are many herbs you would not use during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding but there are some wonderful herbs that are perfect for the purpose. In the clinic I make a wonderful tincture of herbs from Borage, Goat’s Rue, Saw Palmetto, Raspberry leaf and milk thistle. This little bottle, when taken properly, can help to improve the milk flow and reduce the pain caused when milk isn’t flowing. Other herbs that can be used whilst breastfeeding, to help the milk, are:
I would also consider a few other factors that might be affecting the milk flow:
If you are looking for some support, help or guidance, contact Carina for an appointment. To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - info@itsanaturalchoice.com W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922
 One of my favourite sayings is “be like a postage stamp – stick to it and you will get there!”
That’s true of most things but it’s particular true of natural health. It’s all about your consistency, how much you stick to it. The thing is it’s a lot about the inner dialogue we have in our own minds. Life is hard I “deserve” my treats. If I don’t have ….. what am I going to eat? It’s not fair, everyone can eat it, why can’t I? The truth is that healthy eating is not that hard, (don’t roll your eyes) it can be really tasty and interesting but it takes more thought than the convenience foods we are used to. Let's face it making your own food from fresh takes a bit more time than making a sandwich or microwave meal, but it doesn't have to take that long. There are so many easy options! I love my slow cooker, I have it on the go at the moment because today is just really busy. It took me 10 minutes to chop the ingredients and throw them in and by the time i finish work to day i'm going to have this amazing vegan curry to enjoy. or you could make and omelette, stir-fry, quesadilla with added veggies, even a simple roast. How many rely on cereal or toast for breakfast, bread for lunch and pasta for dinner? If we just go back 2 generations things were a lot different, and despite what we tell ourselves we were a lot healthier. We ate with the seasons, we ate fresh produce, we had limited exposure to processed foods or sugar and we were more active. We did it because they were the options. If we look at the statistics there were fewer of the chronic health issues we have, less obesity, less cancer etc. Yes the average age was lower but that was more to do with the high infant mortality than anything, many people were living into their late 80's and 90's. In certain aspects we haven't moved forward but backwards. Our grandparents and those before them were far more knowledgeable about how to maintain their health than we give them credit for, after all they didn't have the luxury to go to the Dr every time they got sick, either because they couldn't get to a Dr or couldn't afford one. We could take a leaf out of their books. Like everything in life we have choice, but sometimes we need to step back and look at things with a new perspective and ask is it really what we want. How important is it? It’s what you do on a regular basis that makes the difference, what you do every now and again makes little difference. So if you eat a beige diet with a little something thrown in every now and again for colour to feel healthy it won’t get you great results, but if you turn that around, eat healthy fresh produce mainly with a little of those “treats” every now and again you will see a change in how you feel. So at It's A Natural Choice, the advice is simple, it's no nonsense and aimed at bringing you back to balance. We believe in bringing it back to basics and making it as easy and fun as we can. The question is: What is your goal? How much do you want it? Are you ready to reach it? To find out more, you can contact Carina at T -(087) 0978880, E - info@itsanaturalchoice.com W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com, A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922   I’ve been vegetarian since I was 15 years old, a lot of people thought I was being silly, trying to be trendy and I would soon stop the nonsense. In truth it was because of my active imagination and deep love of animals, I simply kept imagining the animal before it was on my plate and I just couldn’t eat it. For the first few year I got very ill, I had no clue what I was doing, it didn’t help that I wasn’t a huge fan of vegetables back then. I finally got in control of my diet in my late teens after a particularly nasty period of Anemia. Now I always toyed with the idea of becoming Vegan but kept telling myself I just wouldn’t cope. A month ago I decided, reluctantly to go Vegan, this time for health reasons. I could immediately feel the benefit, joints that had started to become sore improved, swelling that had started to appear went down, my sleep is better, my energy is up. I found the transition easier than I’d thought, mainly because I know what I need to eat, there are so many good alternatives and with the recent rise in Veganism there’s a lot more options when you're out and about than ever. The main reason though is that I am a G type Bodytype. My Bodytype lends itself well to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, we don’t have to be so strict and can be more lenient than some of the other Bodytype. I work with 5 Bodytypes and help you find the diet, exercise and lifestyle choices that suit you. If you are thinking about a Vegan diet or are struggling with your current diet, contact the clinic for help. Find out your Bodytype and how that helps you to understand what works best for you For now here are a recipe I've been playing with: Brekkie Going nuts for porridge INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup oat 1tsp peanut butter 1tsp my own maca/chia/flax mix 1 tsp coconut (shredded) strawberries blueberries Alternaltive milk - oat/coconut/almond/hemp/rice boiling water METHOD Put the oats in your saucepan Add boiling water till oats are covered Leave for 10 mins Put the oats on the hob - medium to high heat Add 1/2 cup of your alternative milk Heat up the porridge Pour into a bowl once hot Add the rest of the ingredients and make it look pretty Then it's just a case of eating it, feeling like a unicorn and going yum yum yum Carina kennedy RGN, NutDip, NatDip, HerbDip, IridDip, ReflexVTCT MembBANT, MembAMH E - info@itsanaturalchoice.com W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com T - 0870978880 A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922 Paypal - PayPal.Me/itsanaturalchoice Follow the clinic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Google plus & LinkedIn Follow the Blog on the website Follow my Natural Health Column in The Connaught Telegraph paper. |
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 2023
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Photo used under Creative Commons from MarcooJethro®
