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Pain is a Part of Life

December 4, 2018 By Esther Tyler

 

Pain is a part of life. Sometimes it is useful and can be a warning of danger, injury, or illness. Children learn to avoid danger because of pain. A baby’s crying warns parents to find out what is wrong. The very rare children who cannot feel pain often cause themselves serious harm. However, some pain, such as pain from surgery or from a needle, is not a warning. It serves no useful purpose. Pain should be treated. Untreated pain causes anxiety, depression, irritability and exhaustion. Pain can also cause problems with eating and sleeping. Pain may cause people to act in “babyish” ways. Pain causes changes in the brain that make future pain worse. Pain can slow healing, disrupt treatment and may cause medical problems. Pain that is not controlled makes people afraid…..

I have adapted the above paragraph from a document produced by Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.  The children’s hospitals in Australia have whole departments dedicated to pain, both acute and chronic.  We are learning more and more about pain, and this is a topic that is obviously close to my heart…  I started thinking about it more today, when a client who having completed her first session with me stated “I’d thought it was something I would just have to get used to…”  I hear this every day and it is not true for the majority of people.. Another client during the week said to me “I am only 25%.  I am depressed and don’t feel myself, this is not normal and I don’t want this to be it”.

At least one in five Australians lives with chronic pain, and often the cause is unknown. Scientists are just now discovering the crucial role the brain plays in how pain is experienced, and how it might pave the way for treatment. The economic and social burden of chronic pain is enormous.

Every emotion and thought is amplified when suffering pain. People with ongoing pain, anticipate pain with a lot of fear and worry. The pain becomes all consuming.  I became a ‘pain victim’ years ago, and indeed found myself to be one of the patients I did not like looking after- when asked how they were, was given the whole pain story from start to finish.

Pain is not only physical, but emotional and psychological.  The brain cannot differentiate between physical and psychological pain.  The two parts of the brain that play a role in pain are the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex. Described as the ‘border in the brain’, the thalamus acts as the gateway between the spinal cord and higher brain centres. When you sustain an acute injury there is an opening in the thalamus for information to pass through from the affected body part to the brain.  We need this to open, as we need to heal, and we need to relax.  After an acute injury is healed, this border should close.  It has been found however that when acute pain doesn’t go away, and becomes chronic pain,  the opening in the thalamus has been found to remain open long after the initial pain is gone.

Recent research, has found chronic pain decreases the size of the thalamus, resulting in a decrease of a specific neurotransmitter: gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA.

Researchers also found people with chronic pain experienced a reduction in the size of their prefrontal cortex—the region of the brain that is understood to regulate emotions, personality expression and social behaviour. This results in a further decline in the neurotransmitter GABA.

When we experience pain, emotion and thoughts are amplified. People with ongoing pain anticipate pain with a lot of fear and they worry a lot of the time. They can’t soften these feelings because the prefrontal cortex has lost its ability to dampen down these thoughts.

Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts can be big problems for those living with chronic pain.

On the positive side, this border, the thalamus, can actually close, and this can be done with neuro-feedback. It is possible to change the way the cells talk to each other and actually rewrite the painful memories.  This is one of the premises that the physiokey is based on in treating pain.

Our brain takes information from our different senses—from touch, from sound, from vision, from movement—it puts all these things together for us to create a perception or a feeling of our own body.  Knowing this, we can use different techniques to help cope with pain.

  • Diversion techniques, such as visualisation and guided imagery training, shifting your attention away from the pain. Even music and aromatherapy have been shown to reduce pain sensitivity through distraction.
  • Biofeedback, relaxation, controlled breathing, meditation, and self-hypnosis teach you to respond to pain with mental relaxation. They help you learn to ease your muscles rather than tense them, which increases pain.
  • Cognitive restructuring helps curb negative thinking and catastrophising—”This will never get better; nothing works!”—in favour of more realistic thoughts—”Yes, I had a pain flare. I’ve had them before and they don’t last forever.”

I think self-talk is really important.  Tell the pain to go away, and make sure you tell yourself it will not always be there. Positive rather than negative is key. Don’t let your pain consume you- be it’s master.

  • Activity pacing helps you gradually increase your tolerance for activities by understanding your limits, alternating moderate periods of activity with rest, and stopping before the pain becomes severe. This halts a devastating cycle: Fear of pain leads to avoiding activities and a gradual loss of function, which then leads to more pain and disability.

Once upon a time, doctors put people to bed to treat back pain.  We now know this is actually counterproductive and moving and exercising through pain can be beneficial.

  • Operant conditioning is based on the observation that pain behaviours—grimacing, moans, limping, withdrawing from activities—can become habitual because of the responses they elicit from your spouse or doctors.

I can relate to this last one- limping has become a habit for me.  After years of back pain, I periodically limp.  I am only aware when someone mentions it to me and asks me what I have done to hurt myself.  What would be better would be my husband saying “you’re walking really well” and reinforcing the positive rather than the negative.

I hope his has provided some insight into pain and some alternatives for pain relief.  Please ensure you always see a Dr is your pain persists and does not improve with conservative treatment.

I am available for appointments during the week, evenings and weekends.  Information on neurostimulation biofeedback can be found on my website www.perthkeytherapy.com.au

 

Filed Under: Blog, Pain Relief, Perth Fitness Gym

Taming Monkey Mind

October 1, 2018 By Esther Tyler

Last month I wrote about the health benefits of meditation.  During the week, I was in the company of a lovely lady whom I have worked with for years and have had the pleasure of travelling with her on three occasions as part of a service tour to Cambodia.  Clare is one of the calmest, happiest people I know. She asked me to listen to the talk that she was presenting to the senior school at an assembly.  Her talk tied in so beautifully with what I wrote about last month, and she was happy to share it with me. Here it is, enjoy!

As this assembly closes, I thought we would finish with a little exercise to have a mind shift before we go to period 5. It is still connected to what we have heard today, but instead of focusing on anxiety, depression and mental health, I thought we could talk about dealing with stress in general.

We all get stressed. This is partly because of our fast-paced lives. A little bit of stress is okay – but what happens when it gets out of hand; when we feel that our minds won’t be quiet?

There is something we can do – and that is meditate – and we can do it anywhere, anytime! Even if It’s just for a couple of seconds while sitting in class, walking to a lesson, queuing in the cafe, being in the chapel.

You know many people have a misunderstanding about meditation – they think it is something like ‘think of nothing – concentrate on emptying the mind’!!!! Well to do that you probably need a few years sitting crossed legged in a monastery chanting OM…….

We can’t block thoughts and emotions – in fact we need our thoughts and emotions for all sorts of things.

But we can quieten our thoughts, and we can be aware of our emotions so that we can choose how we are going to respond to them.

The sheer volume of thoughts at about 50,000 a day is often called the Monkey Mind!

And it goes something like this – ‘jabba jabba jabba’. Thoughts can be upsetting, unsettling and cause restlessness and confusion.  But the good news is that we can train our monkey mind to be quiet- shhh! We can make friends with it, without spending a bucket load on Bananas!

How do we do this you might be asking? We do this by giving it a job.

This is where meditation kicks in. You are giving your monkey mind a job by focussing on ……..

YOUR BREATH……

Easy right?!

Well it is, and it isn’t.

  • It is easy because we have our breath with us all the time day and night and its free,
  • It isn’t easy because we forget it’s there. It’s so much of a part of us and because we are not used to believing that we can alter our breathing to affect our thoughts and bodies to calm down.

In addition, we must practice our breathing for this purpose and most of the time we say to ourselves (the monkey mind again), ’AINT GOT NOT TIME FOR THAT’.

Okay so sitting comfortably in your seat – back straight, feet firmly planted on the ground – we are going to say to our monkey mind – “Hello watch my breath”

Hold your hand up in front of your face and using the index finger of the opposite hand,  breathe in as you trace your thumb to the tip. Hold your breath, exhale as you trace your thumb to the base.  Repeat for all 5 fingers.

Please see You Tube video for demonstration- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrefygyATxw

  • A lot of thoughts will come in the background but as long as you don’t forget your breath, the monkey mind will be calm for a moment.
  • Finally place your two hands together and do one final deep breath.

Until next month!

 

Annie Farinosi

www.perthkeytherapy.com.au

0438 642 892

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Perth Fitness Gym, Uncategorized

Do you practice yoga?

August 29, 2018 By Esther Tyler

What is the benefit of relaxation techniques on your health?

Do you practice yoga or meditate?  In Australia about one in six adults practice meditation while one in 10 practice yoga.

We do this as a way to take time out and manage the stress of our day to day lives.

Stress is common, and ongoing stress can contribute to the onset of a range of psychological issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Meditation and yoga have been shown to reduce people’s self-reported levels of stress.

Meditation and yoga have a positive effect on the brain’s stress response system.

How the brain responds to stress

The body’s stress response is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This is automatic. The autonomic nervous system plays a key role via the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

The SNS is to mobilise the body to fight or flight from stressful or threatening situations, via control of internal muscles, organs and glands.

The PNS counterbalances the sympathetic nervous system and returns the body to its natural baseline state after the systematic nervous system activates.

In many cases the PNS and SNS have opposite but complementary functions.

For example, the SNS increases heart rate, blood pressure and the downstream release of stress-related hormones such as cortisol, whereas the PNS decreases all of these factors.

So how does yoga and different forms of meditation influence the brain’s stress response system?

It has been found that meditation and yoga reduce diastolic blood pressure (the lower range) by 3-8 millimetres of mercury (mmHg), compared with people who engaged in another activity, such as aerobic exercise or relaxation.

This may not sound like much, but it is important because reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of as little as two mmHg can reduce the incidence of heart disease and stroke.

Meditation and yoga reduced heart rate by three to four beats per minute.

This is similar to the effects of aerobic exercise, which have been shown to reduce heart rate by five beats per minute.

Meditations and yoga have both shown to decrease measures of cortisol in the blood.

 

WHAT IS CORTISOL

Cortisol is often called the “stress hormone” because of its connection to the stress response. Cortisol has useful effects in the body as well. Cortisol can help control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation. It has a controlling effect on salt and water balance and helps control blood pressure. In women, cortisol also supports the developing fetus during pregnancy. High cortisol levels can also contribute to changes in a woman’s libido and menstrual cycle, and may lead to Cushing disease. High cortisol levels has also been linked to anxiety and depression.

Studies have shown that meditation reduce physiological stress markers in one way or another, and therefore, are likely beneficial in managing stress.

When deciding what form of meditation or yoga is best for reducing stress, I would suggest practicing a form that is enjoyable and therefore you will practice regularly.

A good start would be some guided meditation, see below for some apps or podcasts that could be a good start.  Yoga classes can be found in your local newspaper and online.

 

 

Podcast-
Listen to guided meditations to help relieve workplace stress with the new ABC podcast Mindfully.

App and website-

Smiling Mind  – Meditation and relaxation – smilingmind.com.au or Download app for free in iTunes

App-

Reachout Worry Time  – Learn to control your worries- Download for free in iTunes or Google Play

Reachout Breathe – Learn to control your breathing and calm your body- Download for free in iTunes

Website-

https://www.mindful.org/- click on meditation for some guided meditations

 

Filed Under: Blog, Perth Fitness Gym, Yoga

My Health Record

July 29, 2018 By Esther Tyler

This month, we are looking at My Health Record which has launched in Australia in July.  There has been lots of information, and misinformation regarding this.  With the help of an article from ABC Health, your questions will be answered on cybersecurity, police and privacy

 

 

Every Australian will soon have a My Health Record — an online summary of their health information — unless they opt out over the next three months.

 

From Monday, Australians will have until October 15 to tell the Government they don’t want one. Otherwise, a record will automatically be created.

 

The project aims to give patients and doctors access to timely medical information — test results, referral letters and organ donation information, for starters — but there are concerns about the safety of some of our most personal, sensitive data.

 

The following information is courtesy of ABC, who sat down with Tim Kelsey, the head of the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and the man in charge of the initiative, to get questions answered.

 

The way the record works

As a patient, how can I know if my My Health Record information is being maintained by my doctor?

 

You can choose to opt out and have no My Health Record.

 

But once you have one, doctors can upload health information into it unless you ask them not to.

 

When you see a doctor, you can discuss adding (or not) documents such as an overview of your health, a summary of prescribed medications and referral letters.

Remember, it’s not a comprehensive picture of your health — it will only contain what you and your doctors choose to upload, and will depend on the quality of those records.

When you first access the system, you’ll be asked to decide whether you want two years of Medicare Benefits Schedule, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Australian Immunisation Register, and Australian Organ Donor Register data to be uploaded.

 

But if your doctor accesses your record first before you make the selection yourself, this data will be uploaded automatically — unless you’ve opted to have no record at all.

If you want, you can delete or restrict access to those documents later.

Not all Australian hospitals and health services are connected to My Health Record yet, so that’s something to check during your next visit.

 

When I get a prescription, how do I know whether I need to ask to make an update to my My Health Record? Does this vary by provider?

Doctors can upload information about prescribed medications, but as discussed above, it’s worth discussing this each time you see your doctor.

 

What happens to your My Health Record after you die?

 My Health Record information will be held for 30 years after your death. If that date isn’t known, then it’s kept for 130 years after your birth.

 

Will any private health insurance companies have access?

 Insurers shouldn’t be able to access your record — it’s reserved for people who work for a registered healthcare provider and who are authorised to provide you with care.

There are plans to use aggregated, anonymised My Health Record data for research and other purposes — this is known as “secondary use”.

“My Health Record information can be used for research and public health purposes in either a de-identified form, or in an identified form if the use is expressly consented to by the consumer,” a Department of Health spokesperson  said.

Currently, users of the platform can tick a box on the web portal to opt out of secondary use.

Secondary uses must be of public benefit and cannot be “solely” commercial, and insurance agencies will not be allowed to participate.

 

However, “the impact of this exclusion” will be considered when the Department of Health’s framework governing secondary use of My Health Record data is reviewed, according to the framework document.

 

Australian organisations (and some overseas, in certain circumstances), including Australian pharmaceutical companies, will be able to apply to access My Health Record data for approved secondary purposes.

“We don’t expect any data to flow until 2020,” Mr Kelsey added.

 

How can I opt out?

 There are three key ways:

By visiting www.myhealthrecord.gov.au and opting out using the online portal. Over the phone by calling 1800 723 471.

Or on paper by completing a form and returning it by mail. Forms will be available in 2,385 rural and remote Australia Post outlets, through 146 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and in 136 prisons.

 

What happens to the people who end up with a My Health Record, and then decide to opt out?

 If you don’t opt out between July 16 and October 15, then a record will be automatically created for you.

After October 15, there will be a “one-month reconciliation period” before new My Health Records are registered. These new records will be created mid-November.

You can then cancel that record, but the data it contained will still exist (although inaccessible to you or health providers) until 30 years after your death.

 

Is a record automatically generated if a doctor uploads a document during the opt-out period, even if you did not create one yourself?

 According to the ADHA, doctors can’t upload any clinical documents to the My Health Record system unless the patient record exists.

 

What about children who aren’t born yet — can they opt out?

 After the opt-out period, newly eligible healthcare recipients, such as immigrants to Australia and parents of newborn children, will be given the chance to elect not to have a My Health Record as part of their Medicare registration.

 

Protection of your data 

 

 

Can technology be trusted to track our mental health?

Which service provider will manage the infrastructure to ensure it isn’t vulnerable to a cyber-attack?

 The platform was built by the technology provider Accenture, however the ADHA is starting discussions about “re- platforming” it.

Independent third parties audit the system’s security and undertake penetration testing, according to Mr Kelsey, but security experts warn that it’s impossible to make any online database entirely bullet proof.

Remember too, that documents created or downloaded by your doctors may be stored in their local IT system too and depend on that system’s security.

 

If a doctor downloads files from My Health Record, what’s to stop her from sharing those files within the practice?

 By default, your online documents will be accessible to your healthcare providers

To be honest, I got to this point, and thought WOW!!  Unless you are reasonably technologically savvy, how is the average Australian going to manage their online Health Records?  There are so many ifs and buts here….

I have studied management of health information at University, and in reading this article (with a few extra italics and bolding by myself thrown in to emphasize a point)  I do wonder how safe my personal information is going to be.

I guess each of us needs to make our own decision and watch this space as My Health Record rolls out!

Read on for further privacy information, but otherwise, until next month,

Annie

P.S  please email me with any requests for articles…   info@perthkeytherapy.com.au

 

If you have privacy concerns, you can log onto My Health Record and restrict who sees it:

 

You can set a Record Access Code and give it only to healthcare professionals you want to access your record. If you want to restrict certain documents, you can set a Limited Document Access Code.

These controls may be overridden in an emergency.

As mentioned above, if a document is removed from the My Health Record system, it’s beyond the reach of your access controls.

If a GP were to allow another staff member to access a record, what is the potential punishment?

 If someone accesses your My Health Record without legal authorisation and the person “knows or is reckless to that fact”, criminal and civil penalties may apply.

Where can users see information about who has accessed their record?

 My Health Record users will be able to see who has looked at their record by checking its access history online.

They’ll be able to see when it was accessed, which organisation accessed it and what was done — documents being added, modified or removed, for example — but not the individual doctor who accessed it.

You can also set up an email or SMS alert for when a healthcare organisation accesses your record for the first time.

The privacy commissioner recommends checking regularly for unexpected or unauthorised access. You can call the ADHA on 1800 723 471 if you think something’s gone wrong.

 

Several apps can connect to My Health Record. How will the ADHA ensure they are secure?

 Apps such as Healthi and Health Engine, which recently ran into trouble, are authorised by the ADHA to “show” people their health record.

According to Mr Kelsey, third party app developers can only display your My Health Record — “at the moment, it’s view-only” — and cannot store that data.

These providers undergo “strict assessment” and must abide by a Portal Operator Registration Agreement, according to the ADHA.

The agreement demands they do not download or store My Health Record information on their own system, or pass that data on to a third party.

“We are not currently planning to provide access beyond ‘view-only’ to the app community,” he said.

 

Police and law enforcement

Which rules and policies guide the ADHA’s decision to grant access to law enforcement?

 The ADHA is authorised by law to disclose someone’s health information if it “reasonably believes” it’s necessary for preventing or investigating crimes and protecting the public revenue, among other things specified under section 70   of the My Health Records Act.

The agency was unable to provide a definition of “protecting the public revenue” by deadline.

When it receives a law enforcement request, the ADHA will need to determine that it’s a legitimate request from an enforcement body.

“While the Agency assesses each formal request on a case by case basis, our operating policy is to release information only where the request is subject to judicial oversight,” the ADHA said.

“If the access does not support public confidence and trust in the System and the object of the My Health Record Act then the Agency will deny the request.”

Law enforcement bodies will not be granted direct access to the My Health Record: The ADHA said any disclosure would be limited to what is necessary to satisfy the purpose of the request.

 

Has the ADHA received any requests from law enforcement to access records?

 Mr Kelsey said no police requests have been received yet.

 

Will users be informed if their data has been released to law enforcement?

 If personal information is disclosed to law enforcement, the decision about whether to notify the My Health Record holder will be decided “case-by-case”.

Likewise, healthcare provider organisations won’t be informed if their patient’s data is accessed. The release to police will be recorded in a written note and stored by the ADHA

Filed Under: Blog, My Health Record, Perth Fitness Gym

Medicinal Mushrooms: What are they and why are they so good?

June 29, 2018 By Esther Tyler

Medicinal Mushrooms: What are they and why are they so good?

I drink a mushroom enriched coffee every morning, and my kids laugh and say it’s magic mushrooms.  To be honest, it is a little magical but not in an illegal way! As a past chronic pain sufferer I have my ‘go to’ foods that I know help me to be the best I can be.

The Chinese have been using mushrooms for centuries, and here in the Western world we are only just catching on.  Here is some information about some of the mushrooms that are making it into some everyday products, and their health benefits.

If you know how to use even a few different varieties of medicinal mushrooms, you can heal and recharge your body, reach your full potential, and become the best version of yourself.

The following medicinal mushrooms will balance and restore your immune system, increase oxygen flow to your cells, amp up your mental and creative acuity, regulate your blood sugar, lower your stress levels, ensure restful sleep, and cure myriad physical, emotional, and mental ailments.

 

Top 5 Medicine Mushrooms

  1. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for at least 2,000 years, with the first known written records dating from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 220). Reishi has the ability to boost the body’s immune system to protect it against pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

 

A functioning immune system will increase your overall health and wellness to the point where you can see the effects of aging being reversed—both physically and cognitively.

The compounds in reishi work externally and internally to keep you looking young by reducing dermal oxidation (when proteins on the skin are damaged, causing wrinkles and other signs of aging) and protecting your cellular DNA and mitochondria from oxidant damage, allowing you to remain energized and alert.

 

Another major benefit of reishi is how it works to achieve hormonal balance. When you have an optimally functioning hormonal system (and surprisingly few of us do—for lots of reasons, including the impact of environmental toxins and the overprescribing of prescription medications), your body can relax and recover during the night as it is meant to.

 

  1. Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Chaga dates to 17th-century Russia.

 

Use chaga to:

  • Ward off the common cold
  • Have shiny, thick hair and glowing skin
  • Lower inflammation caused by a busy, stressful life

 

If reishi is the queen of mushrooms, then chaga is the big daddy, the respected father of the mushroom world. The first recorded usage of chaga dates to 17th-century Russia, where it was widely used in folk medicine to treat everything from cancers to gastrointestinal issues.

 

Like reishi, chaga has astonishing immunomodulating powers. Chaga polysaccharides, specifically it’s beta-glucans, have the ability to boost the production of lymphocytes (white blood cell that regulates the immune response to infectious microorganisms and other foreign substances). Chaga is also a rich source of antioxidants. In fact, one dose of dual-extracted chaga (the typical amount found in a single cup of strong chaga tea) packs the same number of antioxidants as 30 pounds of carrots.

 

  1. Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis)

Use cordyceps to:

  • Perform better (both athletically and in the bedroom)
  • Increase energy
  • Alleviate asthma and bronchitis

 

Cordyceps is valued primarily for its extraordinary ability to increase energy and reduce fatigue. It’s been a centerpiece of traditional Chinese medicine for more than 1,300 years, with the first known record of its use dating back to the Tang Dynasty in A.D. 620.

Cordyceps is most notable for its energizing effects, due to it’s beta-glucans. Those present in cordyceps, like all other beta-glucans, deliver oxygen to the body on a cellular level, which not only decreases the occurrence of disease but also increases energy and stamina. Cordyceps also significantly boosts adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in the body. ATP is the body’s main energy supply source and is required for all cellular processes. Cells need energy to activate our muscles and keep us moving.

 

Because it is so effective at increasing energy and decreasing fatigue, cordyceps is a popular and effective supplement for the elderly who are seeking to counteract the lethargy that often accompanies aging, as well as for athletes who are looking to perform at peak levels.

Cordyceps’ anti-inflammatory properties mean that it helps with blood flow, overall heart health, and lowering cholesterol.

 

  1. Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Lion’s mane looks like a cluster of cascading white strands.

Use lion’s mane to:

  • Improve memory
  • Boost concentration
  • Protect your nervous system

 

Lion’s mane earned its playful name because of its unique appearance. Unlike the typical shape of most mushroom fruiting bodies (a smooth cap and stem), lion’s mane looks like a cluster of cascading white strands. This waterfall-like “mane” has inspired all kinds of other fun nicknames for the mushroom, including “pom-pom mushroom,” “bearded tooth,” and “monkey head.”

History suggests that lion’s mane was used in traditional Chinese medicine specifically for treating stomach and digestive problems, including cancers. It was also used as a general restorative due to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and immunomodulating properties. But lion’s mane’s effects on the brain truly distinguish it from other medicinal mushrooms and make it an utterly fascinating subject.

Lion’s mane has the ability to repair and regenerate neurons, resulting in improved cognitive function, and the mushroom has been known to mitigate and even reverse the effects of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia, among others.

So how does this happen? Your body contains nerve growth factors (NGF), proteins that protect existing neurons and stimulate new neuron growth. These proteins play a crucial role in maintaining the viability of the neurons required for the nervous system to function properly. Amazingly, lion’s mane stimulates the synthesis of NGF. It not only has the potential to help those suffering from neurological disorders, but through NGF stimulation, it can potentially reverse the cognitive deterioration that creeps up on many of us as we age. And unlike most pharmaceutical medicines that are used for cognitive function, lion’s mane has no known side effects.

 

Here are some of my favourite ways to get mushrooms in-

 

My early morning coffee (chaga and cordycelp mushroom) to decrease inflammation in my body.  I have a customer with fibromyalgia- she swears by this coffee to help decrease her pain.

http://bit.ly/LCMagickMushroom

 

My early morning smoothie (with reishi mushrooms and hemp seed- (more on hemp next month!!)

http://bit.ly/LCProteinMushroomPowder

 

A lovely drink for better focus, memory and an overall brain boost

http://bit.ly/LCLions_Mane

 

If you are overstressed and having difficulty sleeping, reishi mushroom helps you relax and get a good night’s sleep.

http://bit.ly/LC_ReishiCacao

 

and last but not least, not spoken about here but FUN to grow!! Great present for those hard to buy for, aged 4-99 years, grow indoors in the box.  These oysters taste how mushrooms used to taste picked in the field!

http://bit.ly/LCMushroomBox

 

 

All the above links will take you to Annie’s InnerOrigin page.  Customer account set up free, every product on the site is free of nasties (there’s no other way to put it!)  All the labels have been read for you J

 

For more information please contact Annie on 0438 642 892, or info@perthkeytherapy.com.au

 

Visit www.perthkeytherapy.com.au for affordable, drug free pain relief

 

Visit www.innerorigin.com/annief for Australian owned, certified truth on label healthy products for the whole family.

Filed Under: Blog, Perth Fitness Gym Tagged With: hormone health, lower inflammation, medicinal mushrooms

Gut Health

May 30, 2018 By Esther Tyler

 

Gut health….  What is it?

My recent mother in law would down a bottle of Yakult every morning saying it “was good for her gut”.  She did this for years, all the while eating a less than healthy diet. I did not think this small bottle could help undo the harm she was doing with her poor diet, and all the health problems that never seemed to improve.  However being the good daughter-in-law, I kept my mouth firmly closed… Last Tuesday, I went to “The Gut Movie”, and I feel it raised more questions for me than answers. So, here I am asking the question.. what is gut health, and is Yakult all it’s cracked up to be? I sat down today and did some reading on the gut and Yakult.  More on Yakult later…

Your gut, or gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is lined with microbes collectively called the microbiome, which includes bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. This microbiome has a large impact on the immune, metabolic and neurological systems in our body..

The idea that bacteria are beneficial can be tough to understand. We take antibiotics to kill harmful bacterial infections and use antibacterial soaps and lotions more than ever. The wrong bacteria in the wrong place can cause problems, but the right bacteria in the right place can have benefits. This is where probiotics come in. Probiotics are commonly known as friendly, good, or healthy bacteria, they are live microorganisms that may be able to help prevent and treat some illnesses. Promoting a healthy digestive tract and a healthy immune system are their most widely studied benefits at this time, but there are even studies around autism and ADHD being linked to the gut.

The root of the word probiotic comes from the Greek word pro, meaning “promoting,” and biotic, meaning “life.” The discovery of probiotics came about in the early 20th century, when Elie Metchnikoff, known as the “father of probiotics,” had observed that rural dwellers in Bulgaria lived to very old ages despite extreme poverty and harsh climate. He theorised that health could be enhanced and senility delayed by manipulating the intestinal microbiome with host-friendly bacteria found in sour milk. Since then, research has continued to support his findings along with suggesting even more benefits.

Though it sounds gross and even unhealthy, gut bacteria perform many important functions in the body, including helping the immune system, producing the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, making energy available to the body from the food we eat, and disposing of foreign substances and toxins. Unfortunately, though we always have a mixture of good and bad bacteria, sometimes the bad guys increase in number, which can play a role in a number of health conditions. There are clear signs that point to an imbalance that has the potential to make you sick.

Your stomach doesn’t feel right

Diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, and heartburn are classic symptoms of problems in the gut. Gastrointestinal discomfort—especially after eating carbohydrate-rich meals—can be the result of poor digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. Reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel disease, and colitis have all been linked to an imbalance in the microbiome.

You’re craving certain foods

Craving foods, especially sweets and sugar, can mean you have an imbalance of gut bacteria. If there’s an overgrowth of yeast in the system, which might happen after a course or two of antibiotics where you wipe out all the good bacteria, then that overgrowth of yeast can actually cause you to crave more sugar.  Fun fact- an overload of sugar and fermentation in the gut can lead to a positive blood alcohol level even if you do not consume alcohol!

The scale is going up or down

Certain types of gut bacteria can cause weight loss, especially when they grow too numerous in the small intestine, a condition called SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). Too many microbes in the small intestines can interfere with absorption of vitamins, minerals, and fat. If you’re not able to digest and absorb fat normally, you can actually see some weight loss. Other types of bacteria have been linked to weight gain, as certain microbes are able to harvest more calories from foods than others.

You’re anxious or feeling sad

Roughly 80 to 90 percent of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, social behaviour, sleep, appetite, memory, and even libido, is produced in the gut. When less serotonin is produced, it can negatively impact mood. Gut imbalances of the microbiome can trigger depressive symptoms.

You’re not sleeping well

Not having enough serotonin can lead to bouts of insomnia or difficulty getting to sleep, chronic fatigue and symptoms of fibromyalgia can be tied into gut bacteria imbalances as well.

Your skin is acting up

Skin rashes and eczema, a chronic condition characterized by inflamed and itchy red blotches on the skin, can develop when there is an imbalance in gut bacteria.

You have an autoimmune condition

Imbalance in the microbiome plays a role in more than just GI symptoms. Diseases affecting the immune system, known as autoimmune diseases, can also indicate an imbalance. Rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis are tied in with imbalances in the gut bacteria.

I have some of these symptoms… how do I improve my gut health?

Eating right is the first step in improving your microbiome. In fact, the types of foods we eat can change our gut bacteria in as little as 24 hours, and after a week we can increase the different types of bacteria (biodiversity).

To feed your good bacteria and starve the less desirable bacteria, swap out processed foods, breads, and pastas for more plants, fruits, seeds, and nuts. Consider adding fermented foods into your diet, including yoghurt, kombucha, kimchi, and kefir, which naturally contain probiotics, or healthy bacteria.

We need to feed the probiotics too!

It’s also a great idea to fill up on prebiotic foods, which actually feed the good bacteria. Try pistachios, bananas, garlic, onion, wheat, and oats, plus ancient grains such as quinoa, millet, or chia.

Lastly, avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics. Any time you take an antibiotic, you’re going to knock out a lot of the healthy bacteria. If you have needed a course of antibiotics (please always take the full course and don’t stop half way just because you’re feeling better!), consider taking a probiotic supplement to recreate a healthy bacterial community in your gut (and not Yakult!).

I don’t have time to make kefir, or fermented foods and shop bought Kombucha is full of sugar …. but want a supplement

I tried making my own Kombucha (successfully I may add) however I am unable to tolerate Kombucha unless I drink it at the vinegar stage as sugar upsets me and causes massive inflammation in my body.  I eat lots of raw veges, fruit and grains, but I certainly don’t eat kimchi, or fermented foods. My ‘go to’ probiotic comes in a two sachet serve, that doesn’t require refrigeration and is great for travelling.  It combines pre and pro biotics when added to water or juice, has 30 billion little bacteria guys per 5g serving, is Australian researched, made and owned.. … It can be purchased online here (or contact me if you’re not tech savvy)

http://bit.ly/2IZ8MwT

On a final note,  I promised I’d talk more about Yakult..  so here is the low down. 

Yakult-

It has 11.4gm sugar in a small 65 ml bottle.. (2 ½ teaspoons)

It’s second ingredient is heat treated skim milk- heat treated substances increase inflammation in your body.

It’s third ingredient is dextrose.. more sugar

Yakult light contains artificial sweetener…  I think you know where I am going regarding the health implications of artificial sweeteners…

Yakult is packaged in plastic… draw your own conclusion here…

FINALLY  (drum roll please) Yakult contains L. casei Shirota strain- Swiss researchers were not able to show any beneficial effects of the L. casei Shirota strain

My conclusion-  drinking unproven probiotics in sugar laden, ultra processed drinks encased in plastic is perhaps not the best idea..  My poor mother in law..

All opinions expressed are Annie’s own…

For more information please contact Annie on 0438 642 892, or info@perthkeytherapy.com.au

Visit www.perthkeytherapy.com.au for affordable, drug free pain relief

Visit www.innerorigin.com/annief for Australian owned, certified truth on label healthy products for the whole family.

Filed Under: Blog, Perth Fitness Gym

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