One of the herbs I use since my Stage 4 cancer diagnosis 2 1/2 years ago is a TCM herb by the name of Tao Ren, this is made from peach kernels, high in Vitamin B17.

I also use lots of foods known to contain Vitamin B17
 
Many people diagnosed with cancer will have heard of or used apricot kernels.  They are higher than most foods in Vitmain B17, for which there is some research to suggest it can help with pain relief and immune response.  Our immune system plays a big role in any cancer diagnosis and there will normally be some form of pain associated with cancer.
 
The thing to remember with Vitamin B17 is that one of its components is Cyanide, yes the poison used in spy movies to evade capture, is to make sure the dose is small.  If you take too much you can make yourself extremely ill.
 
These are some of the foods you will find Vitamin B17 in:

• raw almonds
• carrots
• celery
• apricots & apricot kernels
• apple seeds
• peaches
• bean sprouts
• beans – mung, lima, butter and other pulses
• nuts – almonds, cashews, macadamia & more
• flax seed
• high doses of vitamin C
• crushed fruit stones or pips
• grains – millet, barley, buckwheat & Flax
• berries – raspberry, strawberry, currants, cranberry, blackberry…

 
As you can see, many of these foods are those you might eat regularly, they have micro doses of B17 as a rule.  Apricot kernels have the highest levels so should be taken under supervision but the rest can be incorporated into a healthy diet.
 
My favourite is a salad I learnt to make at Ballymaloe Cookery School,  It’s a pearl couscous salad with pomegranate, cashews, spring onions, carrot, cranberries, cucumber, mint, parsley, with a simple dressing and some herbs.
 
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, please make any changes under the supervision of your Doctors and Naturopath.  I am in a privileged position to have been a Nurse and a Naturopath, Herbalist and Nutritional therapist, if I hadn’t I would definitely seek appropriate advice before trying or changing anything.
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Rest & Reset webinars - https://bit.ly/3UKdkZH
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
Rest & Reset

Stressmas!
­
Have you come across the term ‘Stressmas’?

A word play on ‘Christmas’, it highlights the amount of strain, anxiety, and tension that people can experience at this time of year. As much as many of us
love the festive season, let’s be honest, it can be a difficult period too.

Why is this?
Because Christmas memories are biased. They are based in childhood when things are magical and memories are of Santa, presents, food and family time. Naturally so, those memories don’t include the exhaustive preparation, the endless cooking or the pots and pans to scrub. Christmas can be a really special time of year, but it is also a huge hassle, especially for those who bear the brunt of the responsibilities. 


Can you relate? I know I can!
Giving to others is expounded as a classic characteristic of Christmas, but it is also important to give to yourself. You have the right to enjoy Christmas just as much as anyone else. It is not realistic to assume that this time of year will be relaxed and symptom-free simply because it’s Christmas. Just because things are supposed to be fun and festive, doesn’t mean that they are or that you have to be.

Let's try to accept that it can be a stressful time and allow yourself to have feelings about that.


Here are some quick Christmas survival tips:
☆ Expect to get stressed
☆ Make some alone time for yourself
☆ Choose which elements of Christmas you want to adopt
☆ Find time to exercise – it’s a great way to de-stress
☆ Share the load
☆ Lower expectations, of yourself and of Christmas
☆ Give more time to preparation.
☆ Finally, and most importantly, make Christmas your own.


What I mean by this is, if you want to be with family, do it. If you want to be alone, do it. If you want to eat Chinese, do it. If you want to go on holidays, do it. Ask yourself how you would like Christmas to be, and little by little, move in that direction.
It might not be perfect this year, or any year, but by honouring yourself and what you want or need, more balance can be found and ‘Stressmas’ can turn back into Christmas.
Best wishes,
Jannah.
 
Our next Rest & Reset online workshop will look upon the theme of restoring balance in our lives. An ideal opportunity to take 2 hours out for yourself at this busy time!!!

By teasing through topics such as busy & rest, yin & yang, masculine & feminine, introvert & extrovert, Jannah will support us to move from polarity to balance the opposites.

Looking forward to seeing you then,
Vivianne, Carina & Jannah.

The last few years have been surreal, for me it has been pandemic like everyone else but my own personal journey included being diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer (Metastatic Breast Cancer/MBC) and at the same time developing programs with some wonderful women.

Breaking Fads has been my baby with Shona my amazing sister in law - this is a program that is no-noncense, weight management and health program tailored to 5 hormone types.  I have been using this system for over 15 years with clients and it has evolved over those years into a reliable system i use to help clients find what suits them to get the best results, it removes all the noise we hear from the media and social media.  You finally learn wha works for you and quit trying and failing by using what doesn't clearly work for you.  You can see more about this on Instagram @welovebreakingfads

The second program i have been working on is Rest and Reset, with Vivianne and Jannah.  I cannot say enough about these women, they have become my tribe and i love them both dearly.  As prat of my cancer journey I have come to realise that Rest is a vital part of any recovery i wish to have, and I am well aware that stage IV is seen as Terminal, Palliative but anyone who has met me knows I don't deal with these medical absolutes.  I am a great believer in let's wait and see shall we.  I have also had to give my body a massive reset, Physical, emotionally and spiritually.j  This course began as  something myself, Vivianne and Jannah felt drawn to writing but it has become something bigger, something very organic and we have all loved being part of it.  The world needs more help in slowing down and smelling those roses.  This course is 12 monthly webinars aimed to help provide tools to help anyone who needs to create space, understand what their body needs and deal with the stress that this world throws at them..  To find out more follow this link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sh/PxbP2Yj/RestResetWorkshopSeries?source_id=f462bcf3-8701-404f-8d71-23a175ce4837&source_type=em&c=Zd5MzeoWZ__tnzblKvMBCpSta94R7ANJEpKNC20UO0qP8uGXP5LtFg==

This cancer has been a valuable teacher, ironically, it hasn't just taken form me, it has given me many gifts in return.

I am doing really well, 2 1/2 years in and still healthy and finding ways to do so.  I'll write some more on what i'm doing to help strengthen my body to fight, to counteract side effects of the few medications i'm on and what is helping me deal with the rollercoaster of emotions that come with this diagnosis.

I wish you all well, and remind you to smell the roses/lillies/sunflowers/jasmines whatever the flower you choose, just don't miss the wonder of this life being busy just getting through it

​

 
I was recently asked what would I do for someone with chronic sinusitis.  Usually I would want to ask so many questions but this was all the information I had to go on so here is my general advice for sinusitis (inflammation of the mucosa of the sinuses)
 
Chronic sinus inflammation, in my experience, will be accompanied by some form of gut inflammation, which commonly is linked to a food intolerance.  The sinusitis is a symptom of a deeper issue.  
 
As a naturopath I believe in working on the route cause rather than the symptom.  So I always start with WHY

• Why is this person showing these symptoms?
• Why did this start when it did?
• Why has it not resolved?

 
So with most cases of chronic sinusitis I would do the following:

• Check for food sensitivities – most common I find is Dairy, quickly followed by wheat and sugar
• Increase vegetable intake to help repair any gut disturbance
• Introduce easy to digest foods – soups, stews, fish, vegetables
• Introduce a good probiotic
• Saline nasal washes can be very helpful, I prefer the neti pot
• Kitchen Herbs that can help when used regularly are: ginger, horseradish, garlic, mustard – in ayurvedic medicine a mucous forming condition would be cold and damp (Kapha) and should be treated with dry and warm/hot herbs.
• Slippery elm and marshmallow capsules
• Make sure you are drinking enough water 
• Hot compress over the area – a flannel rinsed in hot water
• Facial steam (head over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head) 
• Drastically reduce your, sugar, fast food, processed foods, fried foods intake

 
If you are aware of any digestive issues, however insignificant you think they may be, deal with those first and you may notice the sinus issues goes as a result.
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Rest & Reset webinars - https://bit.ly/3UKdkZH
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
Rest & Reset