Health Journeys

I just love ancient wisdom. An example that I often quote is from the ‘Charaka Samhita’, the oldest and most authoritative written material on Ayurveda. It concerns the value of exercise: ‘From physical exercise, one gets lightness, a capacity for work, firmness, tolerance of difficulties, elimination of impurities, and stimulation of digestion’. All of this applies in 2016 as it did when it was written. I want to focus on one word and that is ‘lightness’. My interpretation o

Avacado oil: this wonderful tasting oil is a very worthy rival to olive oil. Some say it is even better for you. It is rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that is good for your skin. There are claims it may be good for your heart and circulation. Make sure you get the best, which is extra virgin oil. Butyrate: this is a short chain fatty acid produced by good bacteria in your gut. It has an anti inflammatory effect in the gut, and is generally recognized to be a marke

For those of you who have been following Maria’s blog in the past three months you will see that the process of gaining health, whilst losing weight can be challenging, yet in a good way! But rewards favor those who persist. Maria is now much healthier than she was and has lost 5.5kgs in the process. How has this been achieved? Well, it is no different for her than anyone else, but it is not a strict adherence to a specific diet. In summary it involves following certain guide

Is reflexology as good as people say it is? The answer I give every time is yes, but even I was surprised by the positive research involving so many health conditions. Check out these research abstracts for the evidence: http://www.reflexologyresearch.net/Research380ReflexologyResearchAbstracts.shtml In practice with only one session you will usually experience relaxation and a more peaceful state of mind. I often find people report sleeping better for several nights after th

Read below on what I wrote about principle seven, ‘Appropriate Exercise’ in 'Journeys Back to Health’ in 2006, and the update for 2016: We all know that exercise is good for us, don’t we? For those who exercise regularly I believe it can keep illness at bay, more so if it has aspects of strengthening, stamina and suppleness, and is enjoyable as well! However it is important for exercise to be appropriate for an individual, and this is especially the case where there is a heal

This was written in my book 'Journeys Back to Health' in 2006. Read through then see my current thoughts for 2016.... The fat in our diet is critical to our health. Every cell in our body is surrounded by a membrane called the plasma membrane that is made from fat/oil. It makes sense that if the quality of the fat/oil in our diet is good our cells will have the right materials to build healthy cell walls (plasma membranes). In practice, when we get our fat from fish and chips

I wrote this in my book ‘Journeys Back to Health’ in 2006. Read it through first and then my final current day comments at the bottom: Look at the changes all of our participants made. Surely if nutrition can contribute so much to wellness, society as a whole needs to become aware of it. How much can a person change? John changed everything and became well. The extreme nature of his changes, and his interest in nutritional supplements have kept him in remarkable health, and h

‘How hard is it to get well on your own with zero emotional input and support from others? I would have to say it is very difficult, and our stories confirm to us that it is needed. Even if family or friends do not understand why you are doing what you are doing their endorsement of your choice is invaluable. Victoria made great progress at times when emotional support was available. Anne would only surround herself with positive people. John found some friends questioned wha

‘Who is in charge of your healing? Is it the doctor, naturopath or specialist? Ultimately it has to be you! Health professionals are there as guides to help get you on the right track, and each of them have their place in your process, if that is what you choose. But you need to be in charge! Looking at our subjects, it is fascinating to note that two took self-responsibility and sought no outside help! John found the answer on the net, and just experimented from then on, onc

The second necessary principle to getting well is ‘Rest and recuperation’. This is an extract from my book ‘Journeys Back to Health’ written in 2006 with a follow on comment from today: ‘How can a body heal if it is under stress? The reality is that it can’t, because the energy is being diverted into various metabolic activities that are unnecessary in the current situation. For example, if you go to work, the physical and mental actions are driving the cells in your body int