The Silly Season

THE SILLY SEASON

Its that time of year again.... Christmas.... For some of us its hell on earth and for some its a time of great joy and happiness....

However way it is for you, if your eating and drinking the mountains of food and alcohol that surround most of us... Then its hell on earth for your poor body....

Every year I spend the day with my family and the amount of food consumed is a sin.... All that food for one day... Why do we do it.... Why do we force ourselves to eat enormous amounts of food, chocolate, mulled wine, hot toddy's , and the rest... We end up at the end of the day like fattened pigs waiting for the slaughter. And I bet most of you wouldn't be able to resit the slaughter, it might even come as a welcome release from all that gas, wind, belching, farting, acid heartburn, unbearable fatigue that forces you to use match sticks to hold your eyes open.... and the torturous children shouting and screaming "its my turn", "I want more" blah blah, blah.... At least Santa came to them.... :) :)

But what toll does all this stress have on your poor body, your digestive system is under so much pressure it shuts you down in order to digest all the turkey and ham, parsnips  Brussels sprouts, peas, carrots, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, oh and don't forget the cabbage and the yorkshire puddings... I kid you not, my mother serves all of this up on a plate every Christmas... And its a sin not to eat it all.... oh yeah and the gravy.... a glass of wine, a Christmas cracker and party hat... and then the kids still screaming and shouting at each other... Just imagine the stress of it all has on your poor digestive system.. I think it takes a week for me to recover... :) But hey I'm one of the people that love Christmas, and all the joy, stress, family arguments and screaming kids it brings.


So this year I will do the same as every other year enjoy the day that it is and eat all around me until I cant move and I welcome the slaughterer... :)

But this year I will have a new companion, my Labrador dog.. He is adorable and nuts, and totally unpredictable and loving and loyal.... I decided to get him when I had my first hair test and realized how high my calcium shell was... I was totally wrapped up in a Calcium shell, my senses buffered and dulled, my heart chakra blocked, defensive and angry. I needed therapy, unconditional love, a friend, an exercise buddy and someone who I could count on 100%.... Harvey arrived and he is all of that...He  is helping me break down that calcium shell.....If any of you have seen the film Marley and Me.... well that's Harvey... mad as a hater and eating me out of house and home, literally...:) :)  He takes me for a walk every day and barks every time we pass the vets, they took his balls and he wont forget that,... He gives them a big glaring look and a big man bark.... :) :0 Poor Harvey...

So any of you out there with a calcium shell, I can recommend a dog.... :) Great friends and great shell breakers....



Have a happy Christmas

XXXX

What kind of plane are you flying?

What kind of plane are you flying?

 

 

A metaphor to help read a hair analysis is that of flying an airplane.

Fast oxidation is similar to flying high and fast, problems with this are that the plane is not designed to fly that high or fast. A very fast oxidation rate is extremely hard on the plane. The airplane will not be the same due to the extreme stress this puts on it.

Slow oxidation is flying much slower and lower.

Unlike a real airplane, in the body a very fast oxidation rate actually uses up or burns up many vital minerals or parts of the body. When the correct materials are not present to repair the plane, repairs are made instead with inferior toxic material such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and aluminium. These replace the better materials such as magnesium, zinc, selenium, and others that make the aircraft move.

Mineral deficiencies and toxicity develop. This forces the plane to begin to slow down. Either it just can’t fly as fast, or the damage to it makes it very unstable.

Fast oxidation with a low sodium/potassium ratio, the plane begins to stall.

Slow oxidation. This is when the plane is flying too low and slower than the way it was designed to fly. It makes a person feel sluggish and often somewhat depressed. The plane is much less maneuverable; meaning that coping with stress is more difficult.

Hair calcium levels rises. A crude analogy is smearing cement on cracks and damaged areas of the aircraft. This protects the aircraft, but weighs it down. Causing it to fly lower.

Some develop a calcium shell. This is like smearing cement all over the plane, either to protect it from damage or to try to blend it together, or disappear and withdraw from society. These people are often seeking to “fly under the radar” or become somewhat invisible.

Sympathetic dominance. This is like revving the engines in a futile attempt to get back to flying high. However, the plane is too damaged physically or psychologically, so it does not work, no matter how hard one revs the engine.

Four highs is akin to speeding up the plane to some degree. However, it is purely temporary and often very unstable and unsafe for health. The plane in this situation is really in bad shape. Fortunately people in four highs usually slow down easily on a nutritional balancing program.

Four lows. This occurs when the rudder or a stabilizer is broken. The plane goes nowhere fast and becomes more and more damaged.

A hill pattern occasionally occurs. It is a feeling that one is soaring on top of the world.

The three amigos, along with copper, cadmium and a few other toxic metals. These are special because they appear to support the plane, like little rocket thruster to help keep a damaged plane flying. However, they are not part of the original design, so they do further damage the plane in the process of keeping it flying.

Double low ratio and double high ratio patterns. These are like having a biplane with two wings that are either in stall position (double low) or dive position (double high). In other words, these patterns reinforce the sodium/potassium imbalances.

A step down pattern or, high sodium/potassium ratios are “dive” positions. They can be successful attempts to pick up some speed.  These people have often dug their heels in and can continue in this way for some time.

A step up pattern is a dive upward, an extremely dangerous maneuver that always fails and must be turned around fast. It includes a low sodium/potassium ratio, which is the stalled wing pattern.

Spiritual defensiveness pattern. This is a very high calcium/magnesium ratio. The imbalance seriously weighs down the plane, keeping it from soaring. In this pattern, the person defends a situation, behavior or attitude when it is time to move on.

The phosphorus level, along with the sodium/potassium ratio, are a little like fuel indicators. When low, the plane is losing altitude due to lowered energy or vitality.

Elevated toxic metals. This is like an airplane that is overloaded with heavy weights. It is never a helpful situation and every effort should be made to “lighten up”. This can help the plane gain more altitude. Those flying high (fast oxidizers) who are loaded with toxic metals are often just throwing them off, which is like the pilot jettisoning extra weight to fly faster.

Any change can be traumatic. In time, each of us becomes used to his own speed of flight. Anything that changes the rate of climb or fall, or speed or altitude may feel odd and can cause some anxiety or fear. This often slows ones progress on this healing journey.

The goal is a safe and happy flight. A safe flight means to fly at an altitude that is comfortable and safe for the condition of your aircraft, neither too high and fast, or too low and slow. Ideally, your craft should be able to speed up when needed to avoid thunderstorms and other obstacles, or slow down, at times, to relax the crew. This condition of health and vitality is termed balanced and flexible oxidation.

Taken from Dr L Wilsons book: Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis

For more information on hair mineral analysis see www.drlwilson.com

Why are we getting fatter

·       In 1970 1% of the population was obese

·       In 2012 35% of the population is obese

What has changed? We had McDonalds, Pizzas, cakes, and coke in the 70`s, but we were not as fat.

Sugar has changed. The amount and type of sweet sugary foods we eat has changed. High Fructose Corn Syrup is everywhere. It is much sweeter than sugar so you’d would think the food industry would use less of it, oh no the food industry uses the same amount as they did sugar, making the sweet foods sweeter!

I watched a programme on TV a few weeks ago, it stated that there was a:

·         16% decrease in consumption in the amount of fizzy drink that contain sugar

·         35% increase in consumption in the amount of artificially sweetened fizzy drinks

But we are still getting fatter. On the show they explained the continuing weight gain by saying the people who were drinking the sugar sweetened drinks were drinking more of them. What?  Less people drinking the sugary fizzy but we are getting fatter anyway.

Lots of the low calorie drinks are sweetened with Aspartame, which has been linked to the increase in obesity and many other health concerns as well. Aspartame heightens the pleasure seeking receptors in the brains and makes us crave more of the sweet stuff.

We are conditioned to believe that fat will make us fat and that if we eat fewer calories and increase our exercise we will lose weight. Well hello it’s not working! We are getting fatter.

The obesity crisis is almost a pandemic never mind an epidemic.

They are many factors that may contribute to the weight gain.

·         Emotional, we are living in a more stressful era

·         Hectic lifestyles

·         High birth weight

·         Diet history of our parents

One theory is a high birth weight and the health and diet of the mother.

Babies born with high birth weights are more likely to suffer from insulin resistance problems and obesity later in life. If you think about it the diet and lifestyles of our mothers and fathers in the 1900`s up to the 50 or 60`s is completely different to ours today.. Those diets would have been more natural, no processed foods, no high fructose corn syrup and a lot less stressful. They weren’t eating low fat foods either. We are breeding generations of sick and obese people

Talking about low fat foods, what happens when you take the fat out of the food? It tastes bland, that’s what, so they add in some sugar to make it taste nice. So low in fat but high in sugar and if it’s not sugar it’s an artificial sweetener.

So we are cutting back on calories, cutting back on fat, increasing exercise, but still we are getting fatter, obviously it’s not working. We need to change how we see food and how we understand food.

For instance calories, what are they, are they all the same?

The body takes the calories it gets from food and turns them into fuel. Some of the calories give you more efficient fuel. Like paper thrown on a fire, it will burn very quickly, a bit of a useless fuel really but if you throw a log on the fire it will burn for much longer.

The calories from the food we eat are the very same, is 200 kcal from a glass of coke the same as 200kcal from a piece of fruit and some nut butter or a yogurt and a piece of fruit?

We have to look at the quality of the carbohydrates we are eating and how full we feel after eating them. Simply cutting back on calories is not enough.

Everybody needs energy, and we get our energy from the food that we eat. Mainly we get the energy from carbohydrate based food. Our body uses energy all the time even while we sleep. We use energy to make hormones, to digest the food we eat and our brain uses energy to think.

So what does your body do with the energy it gets from food?

When we eat carbohydrates or high sugar foods or fruits that are high in sugar the sugar enters the blood stream and our bodies will use this sugar and convert it to fuel. The body needs to keep tight control on how much sugar is floating around in the blood. Having too much sugar in the blood is like having a high octane fuel in your blood. The damage it will do is enormous; it will damage blood vessels and arteries, and is one of the biggest causes in cardiovascular disease.  

One study on cardiovascular disease states “that it is not the butter you put on your toast that is causing the problem it’s the toast”.

So you have all this sugar floating around in your blood, your body then releases a hormone called Insulin to bring the sugar from the blood to the cell. The cell now has fuel for energy.

But what happens when the cells are full of fuel?  When your car has a full tank of petrol you can’t put anymore in, it will just overflow and spill out. When your cells are full of fuel the body stores a little bit in the muscles to use later if we run out and the rest it stores as FAT. So even though you are not eating fat you are storing fat from the starch and sugary foods you are eating. Not only that but the more you eat of these foods the more insulin you will produce.

 Insulin is a FAT STORING HORMONE, it promotes the storage of fat. Eventually your body will become resistant to insulin. You will have lots of insulin floating around storing fat and lots of sugar floating around because your body is resistant to the insulin. This is the start of Type II Diabetes and spells disaster for the cardiovascular system. Remember all that high octane fuel tearing holes in your blood vessels.

Just eating one pizza will keep your insulin levels raised for 9 hours. So for 9 hours your body is in fat storing mode! There are theories at the moment that suggest eating 5 small meals per day actually keep your insulin raised. So we should learn to hear what our body needs, Is it hungry? Is it just craving something? Does it even know what hunger is?

If you’re not resistant to the insulin and the blood sugar drops our brain gets a signal to tell us to eat, to get fuel from somewhere. That’s when we get cravings for sugar and starchy carbohydrates. You eat the sugar your blood sugar goes up very high, insulin comes out to get it out of the blood, brings some to the cells for energy, and the rest is stored as fat. How many times a day does your body do this? Keeping the blood sugar level is important. But how do we do that?

We need to learn to listen to our bodies, change the quality of the calories we eat, we need to be aware what is happening when our blood sugar drops and eat appropriately. Learn the difference between the empty calories and carbohydrates and quality protein foods and carbohydrates.

The Magic Pill

Yep people want a magic pill for just about everything. 
  

They want a pill to help them lose weight, a pill to stop them feeling hungry, a pill to make the pain go away, a pill the help them sleep, a pill to help them stay awake, a pill to help them go to the toilet, a pill to stop them from going to the toilet.... Your getting it right? They want a bloody pill for everything...

Do they think about what may be the cause? Why do they need to lose weight? Why can't they sleep? Do they stop and  look at their diet? Their attitude to life, the amount of exercise they do, how often they laugh and have fun... No they just want a bloody pill...

Well I've got news for you people, there are no magic pills... You are the magic pill! You have the magic within you to change everything. You can get fat, get thin, get sleep, get no sleep, get up and feel great instead of getting up and feeling crap. You are the magic pill and you can change your life any way you choose. You can... You can do it.... :)

Yep life is crap sometimes and it is hard. I know, I've been there, done that... But I'm here now and life is getting better.

• Make small changes: You wont be able to change everything at once.   

• Start with your diet, get help if you need to. Step back and take a good look at what you are eating. How much crap do you eat? How many glasses of wine have you had this week? Look at the amount of starchy carbohydrates, the amount of protein and fat. Switch to more complex carbohydrates like brown basmati rice, brown pasta, brown bread... Think Brown :) Think Wholegrain.. :) Think smaller portions and more protein and vegetables. :) Less fruit, remember fruit has sugar... And remember not all fat is bad... We need the good fats... Essential fats from oils, fish, nuts and seeds.When you clean up your diet you will find that the whole digestive process improves and bowl movements will normalize. Some of you may have food sensitivities in that case an allergy test is a good idea.

• Exercise, don't tell me you don't have time, like I said, been there, done that. We all have time to exercise. Walk rather than take the car, take the stairs, go for a 15 min walk on you lunch break. It all adds up... Get a skipping rope do 10 min of skipping... Get a hola hoop, remember those, great for your midriff.. :) You get the picture just move more.... And if you didn't move today, move on, and move tomorrow, no point in wallowing in self pity and eating the chocolate cause you feel sorry for yourself...

• Sleep. A restful sleep is so important to how we feel. Once you get the diet and exercise sorted you will find restful sleep comes more easily. If you are finding hard to nod off try some Lavender oil on your pillow.

• Smile! its been proven, it makes you happier... 

 So I guess what I'm trying to say here there is no magic pill...  Just you....

Apples and Pears

Apple or Pear Shaped?

Did you know your oxidation rate will determine your shape? Yes that's right your oxidation rate determines weather you are apple or pear shaped.

But why do we gain weight? What causes us to gain weight? And why are some of us Apple shaped and some of us Pear shaped.


Well for me there are four reasons why me may gain weight.


1: You eat too much food.
2: Your diet is crap.
3: Emotional reasons.
4: Metabolic imbalances.

1: Too much food. Do you ever eat too much food? Some people just cant help themselves and will over eat due to nervousness, guilt, shame, boredom, or simply out of habit. And for some of us we eat too much because we are always hungry. Processed crap food will make you more hungry. Foods containing sugar, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners will all keep your blood sugar unstable and lead to hunger and carvings for food.

2: A crap diet. Most of you will be eating way too many starchy carbohydrates such as bread, pizza, pasta, potatoes, etc. And all the sweet stuff, cakes chocolate and way too much sugar. Processed food is devoid of  nutrients and will make you feel more hungry.

3: Emotional reasons. Mental tension, impairs nutrition and often leads to unconscious overeating. Hidden anger, yes some of you are angry and this anger is holding you in your overeating position. Let go of the anger and it will set you free. Food for some is a reward. Some are just lazy and prefer to sit and watch TV eating a Pizza and drinking a beer...

4: Metabolic imbalances.


Now this is where the apple and pear shape come in. 

Slow oxidation: Slow oxidisers tend to gain weight lower in the body, causing a tendency for a pear shaped body.

Reasons for weight gain among slow oxidisers:

• Fatigue or depression, some eat to "keep up their strength"  or to feel better emotionally.
• Hypoglycemia and diabetes. Many slow oxidisers have a tendency for chronic low blood sugar due to weak adrenal glands. This results in cravings for sweet and maybe other food cravings. 
• Low digestive enzyme production. This may impair the appetite and also reduce nutrient absorption and thus cause more hungry for nutrients. Most of us meed a digestive enzyme today.
• Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, syndrome X. Insulin may be elevated in these case because the body is trying to force more sugar into the cells to increase energy production. When insulin is high it causes the body to convert stored sugar into fat.
• Impaired circulation. This can make it more difficult to break down fat deposits in the body. 
• Food sensitivities. These are common and can cause, bloating, gas, and water retention.
• Inflammation. Inflamed tissue swell up with toxins, causing a watery appearance and weight gain. Causes of inflammation in slow oxidisers include copper excess, zinc deficiency, omega 3 deficiency, leaky gut syndrome, and metal toxicity.

Reasons for weight gain in fast oxidisers:

Fast oxidisers are not all thin. Oh no fast oxidisers gain weight too. Fast oxidisers tend to gain weight around the upper body and the legs and arms remain more slender. This is the apple shaped body. The gut can become enlarged and women often have larger breasts. Fast oxidisers can gain weight for some of the same reasons as slow oxidisers. 

Other reasons for weight gain in fast oxidisers:

• High cortisol. Fast oxidisers have more active adrenals, which causes higher levels of cortisol. High cortisol causes fat deposits in the abdomen.
• Metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X. This is common in many adult fast oxidisers. 
• Higher insulin. Fast oxidisers, as a rule have higher insulin levels than slow oxidisers. Insulin tends to convert sugar to fat. Over eating on carbohydrates further stimulates insulin production and makes the problem worse. 
• Water retention. Fast oxidisers often have a waterlogged appearance and consistency of the skin. This may be due to high tissue sodium that causes some water retention.

So now you have it... Are you a fast or slow oxidiser? :)

Sick of feeling tired!

Are you wrecked? Feeling absolutely whacked out and could sleep standing up? Are you SICK OF FEELING TIRED and TIRED OF FEELING SICK? Well here' s your sister.   Or should I say here was your sister! 

I am a Nutritional Therapist and have worked in Only Natural health food store for over 16 years. For years I was constantly feeling tired and would go home from work and have to take a nap before I could even think about cooking diner, never mind the pile of ironing bursting from the hot press or the un made beds up stairs. I was wrecked, flat out wrecked, and I have to say I lacked motivation and was probably depressed.

 Being a Nutritional Therapist and working in the shop I had everything I could possibly need to make myself feel better. I had B Complex, Multi Vitamins, Ginseng, all sorts of herbs and energy elixirs coming out of my ears. I know all about diet, good fats, bad fats, low carbs, high protein, low GI... I know all the tricks to help stabilise blood sugar. But I was wrecked. Nothing I did would get me over the tiredness. In desperation I  went to the doctor, had blood tests all of which came back normal. I thought how could they be normal. Is this normal to feel this tired? So the Doc thought  I should exercise, you know maybe I'm not feeling tired enough already, get out and about, go for a run, join the gym, do some aerobics... So I did I went running like a fool and still felt like sh..t. SO no Doc exercise wasn't the answer. But I did shape up!  If your reading this and you know what I'm talking about, read on.. It could change your life... It did mine...

I was going through paper work one day, doing a bit of a clear out as you do from time to time. I came across a Hair Mineral Analysis Test I had done a number of years previously. Now you might be thinking this sounds a bit whacky but read on it gets better.

During my Nutritional Therapy training we touched on the subject, so I guess I was curious to see what my hair analysis would look like. With the hair test you are given a graph showing what your mineral levels are and if there are any toxic metals, such as lead, mercury, or aluminium etc. You are also given a computer generated report and are told what supplements to take and what foods you should and shouldn't eat. But hey at that time I was just curious!  I didn't feel like sh....t .. So I filed it away and forgot all about it. Until the clear out. ( thank god for spring cleaning)

I tried to figure out what all the minerals and there ratios were all about and although I had the  computer generated report, I wanted to completely understand what it was all about, that's me, they say curiosity killed the cat, but not this cat. I had to learn how to analysis it myself so I searched the net. I was looking for someone to teach me about Hair Mineral Analysis. And I found Dr Larry Wilson. This guy changed my life.. Read on guys, you can feel better and have more energy, have motivation and look younger.. Yes you read that right, look younger and feel younger too!

Dr Wilson has spent over 30 years researching hair analysis and 40 000 hair analysis later he is an expert on  
Hair Mineral Analysis. So I decided to get in touch with Dr Wilson and ask if he could teach me about Hair Mineral Analysis. I was delighted to learn that he was willing to train and teach me this unique tool in defining what exactly is going on in the body and more importantly, what to do to make it right. So my studies begin and I was my own first client. I had my hair analysed in the lab he recommends ( as they don't wash the hair samples with harsh chemicals, this is very important ) And so I began my training and my nutritional balancing programme and yippee I was on the road to recovery...

My hair analysis showed I had high Calcium, this was contributing to my tiredness and was indicative that I was either eating too many carbohydrates or my body wasn't able to process them very well.. This would lead to imbalances in blood sugar and you know what happens when blood sugar is imbalanced? Tiredness, sugar and carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. And the yo yo of eating to restore the balance only to have it flunk again because you ate the wrong food.  I forgot to mention that I also had a lot of aches and pains which I put down to work and after I thought  the running. But guess what high calcium means that the calcium is not depositing in the bones where it should, no my calcium was depositing in my joints and causing pain. Scary or what? Because if calcium is  not been deposited efficiently in my bones,where else is it going? It will end up not only in my tissues but in my arteries as well and this can lead to arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure.  Now please keep reading...

Ok now for some reasons why this might cause problems.

Calcium is a  tough, stable, protective and defensive mineral, like a bomb shelter or bunker. High calcium levels are sometimes caused by the person themselves as a shell of protection.

Magnesium is a very strong, light weight alkaline forming mineral. It is a close partner to calcium, it helps to keep the calcium active and soft.

So my calcium was much higher than my magnesium and so the calcium was forming a shell and hardening me as such... Best way I can describe it.

 Also  the ratio between calcium and magnesium is important and mine was high, and especially as high as mine, indicates whats called a calcium shell or spiritual defensiveness pattern. Yes, a calcium shell This can be caused by a slow oxidation rate, adrenal fatigue or perhaps psychological reasons.  This is the bodies way of protecting against stress. Like the body is building a wall, bunker or shell made from calcium. It also can mean that the person is defending a lifestyle factor or attitude that is not good for them. Lifestyle factors can be defending a relationship or a job that you know is not good for you but you still do it. The attitude can be anything, lack of confidence, fear, rigidity, negativity or anger. Now I could relate to a lifestyle and attitude that I knew I had to let go of in order to heal. If I'm honest it was probably these factors that I most needed to work on. But hey at least I had a starting point, my calcium and magnesium were high, and I had a spiritual defensiveness pattern that meant there was a need for change. And change it would.

So now I knew  all because of just 2 out of the 21 minerals that are tested for in the lab, I was tiered in part because of my Calcium and Magnesium levels. My body had an inability to metabolise carbohydrates and I probably had a lifestyle factor or attitude that was affecting my energy.

So long story guys and  the pile of ironing is still there... :(  I will come back and tell you how it all worked out  and what my sodium and potassium levels are like.

Guys if you need any info on Hair Mineral Analysis email me at tiredoffeelingsick@gmail.com

Have a good night, sleep well... :)