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Spring Clean Detox
If you’re feeling sluggish & bloated after the seasonal festivities and fancy a ‘spring clean’, what better way than to follow a detox?
Diet has a huge impact on our energy levels, mood, and general health. Our body is entirely dependant upon nutrients obtained from our food in order to function efficiently. We wouldn’t put low grade fuel into a racing car and expect it to perform well! Likewise, our ‘fuel’ (food) should be of the best quality, if we hope to achieve optimum health & vitality.
Our liver is the primary organ for detoxification, (although its other vital roles include balancing hormones and aiding digestion). To detox safely we must support the liver with diet, and consider supplementing essential nutrients and herbs.
Diet Guidelines:
Avoid alcohol – directly metabolised by the liver
Avoid caffeine (from coffee, tea, chocolate & cola drinks)
Avoid sugar & refined foods (white bread, white rice & white flour products like cakes, biscuits, pastry) - empty calories, minimal nutritional value
Limit intake of saturated fat from red meat & dairy products. Ideally avoid all for 1-2 weeks
Avoid all convenience & fried foods — high in sugar, salt & damaged fats
Eat 6 servings of fruit & veg daily—variety is important. Include broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, onions, garlic, beetroot, watercress & artichoke.
Eat oily fish 3-4 times a week + nuts & seeds for vital essential fats.
Base your diet around vegetarian proteins like quinoa, pulses & soya.
Eat wholegrains like brown rice, wholemeal rye bread & porridge oats (for nutrients & fibre).
WATER - drink 2 litres daily to help flush toxins away. A mug of hot water with a slice of lemon in the morning is very liver cleansing. For alternative hot drinks try dandelion tea/coffee (great for liver).
Try Green Tea (rich in antioxidants), Rooibos or herb/fruit teas and for other coffee alternatives try Caro, BarleyCup or Chicory.
Replace dairy products with soya, rice or oat milk for 1-2 weeks.
Wheat is a major gut irritant, so if you’ve overindulged on the mince pies and Christmas cake, avoid all wheat products for 1-2 weeks (bread, pasta, cereals). Try wheat free pasta, Ryvita, oatcakes, whole rye or Pumpernickel bread and grains like millet or brown rice.
Important Nutrients:
Many nutrients are important to promote efficient liver function & detox. The antioxidant nutrients Vitamins A, C, and E, and minerals selenium & zinc are vital, as is the antioxidant enzyme glutathione, often referred to as the master antioxidant.
Herbs like milk thistle & dandelion have been used as traditional liver tonics through the ages.
Other nutrients vital to the detoxification process include the sulphur amino acids cysteine and methionine.
For further reading, look at ‘Total Detox’, shown below, by Jane Scrivner.
Article prepared by Debbie Sturge Dip.ION Nutritional Therapist, now practising from Herbs, Gardens & Health. Call 01843 600201 to arrange a consultation in our Therapy Room.
click here for more information on Weight Loss and Detox |
| Action On Additives Studies have indicated that a mixture of food colourings and the preservative sodium benzoate can affect children’s behaviour. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising parents of children showing signs of hyperactivity that cutting the artificial colours from their diets might have some beneficial effects.
In order to help parents spot the suspect additives The Food Commission has set up the Action on Additives website, supported by a grant from the Organix Foundation. Parents can help develop the list of foods containing these additives, which even includes children’s medicines such as Calpol. click here to check out Action On Additive's Website |
| NEW NATURAL PAINKILLER!  Join the thousands of people world-wide who have experienced relief from chronic pain without the significant side effects associated with prescription and over-the-counter pain killers.
The secret is found in the discovery and extraction of the Cox-2 inhibitor found in curcumin, an extract from turmeric. This anti-inflammatory substance is then solubilized for instant absorption causing a rapid decrease in inflammation which results in a decrease or even elimination of pain. It is now available in the UK under the name of Fortodol.
It is reported that people have found Fortodol highly effective for relieving the pain of Arthritis, Migraine, Sciatica, muscular pain, etc, and that the pain may be reduced significantly just 30 minutes after taking the capsules.
Fortadol is a concentrated form of turmeric, which is a common food, used in curry powder and is therefore very safe.
If you are on any medication at all, you should always check with your doctor before you take anything else. However, the use of Fortodol may help reduce dependency on, and in-take of pain-killing medication, thus reducing possible side effects from the prescription drugs or over-the-counter pain killers!
Ingredients per capsule:
Curcumin (extract 20:1) 250mg
dl-phenylalanine 250mg
Magnesium Stearate
Vegetable Capsule, Hydroxpropylmethyl cellulose.
Does NOT contain added sugar, salt, starch, lactose, gluten, artificial colours, artificial flavours or yeast. Not tested on animals. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Directions: Take 1-2 capsules twice daily for 1 week (to get it into your system). Thereafter 1 capsule daily as required.
Fortodol is a new concentrated form of curcumin and phenylanine which is manufactured in Sweden and developed in the U.S. by Dr. Donsbach.
Fortodol costs £12.99
click here to purchase Fortodol |
| Detox Into Spring With Manual Lymphatic Drainage Feeling lethargic, sluggish and slightly plumpish around the middle(!), after all those extra Christmas lunches, puddings and after dinner mints, have you been thinking about a detox, but not sure what to do?
Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is a specialised massage that works on the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the bodies waste disposal system. Sometimes through pollution or toxins building up, the lymph nodes become blocked, resulting in tiredness, bloated stomachs, puffiness around the face and eyes and general depression.
MLD will cleanse the system, leaving you feeling brighter, energised and with a focused and positive mind. MLD has also been known to assist in weight loss and cellulite, as it can help to kick start a sluggish lymph system.
Please ask in Herbs, Gardens & Health for an information leaflet or visit MLD website on www.mldkent.co.uk.
Article by Susan Relph MAR BMLDA Dip. A full member of the British Manual Lymphatic Drainage Association.
Susan is available to book for MLD in the Therapy Room at Herbs, Gardens & Health. Call her on 01322 335399 to arrange a treatment.
click here for further details |
| Sore Throat? Try Echinacea Throat Spray  Sore throats are among the most common complaints encountered in general medical practice and generally occur in conjunction with upper respiratory tract infections. Viral infections account for at least 65% of all sore throats, so the use of antibiotics only plays a minor part in the treatment of sore throats. Non-antibiotic palliative treatment is therefore to be recommended. This can be administered locally or systemically and usually consists of anti-inflammatory, local anaesthetic or antiseptic measures.
In a recent multicentre double blind study, A.Vogel Echinacea Throat Spray with Sage was shown to be as effective as conventional throat spray, with fewer of those using it taking painkilling medication. 94.2% of the people using the A.Vogel spray said they would use it again.
This trial was conducted at 11 medical practices in the Swiss cantons of St Gallen, Zürich and Aargau. 151 patients were recruited, aged between 12 and 75, with acute pharyngitis or tonsillitis with throat pain and inflammation of the pharynx and/or tonsils, and onset of the sore throat less than 72 hours prior to the start of the study. The study was continued until the patients were symptom-free, up to a maximum of 5 days.
A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and tolerability of A.Vogel Echinacea Throat Spray compared to a chlorhexidine/ lidocaine spray in patients with acute sore throats. This trial was conducted in accordance with the ICH-GCP guidelines. For further details see http://www.avogel.co.uk/news/echinacea_throat_spray_trial.php
A.Vogel Echinacea Throat Spray with Sage is available at Herbs, Gardens & Health for £7.99 for 30ml.
Try it now and let us know what you think!
click here to purchase Echinacea Throat Spray |
| Natural Spring Cleaning In the Spring we often feel like opening the windows, letting the fresh air in and having a good clean up after being cooped up indoors with the windows shut so much during the winter months.
When you start to stock up on your cleaning products, why not go eco-friendly this year, if you haven’t already done so? We have quite a selection available, now! You can even bring along your empty Ecover bottles and have them refilled to help save your purse as well as the planet!
On the Household Page on our website, you can find some useful hints and tips to help you along!
click here to see our Household Page |
| Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotics  Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotics; A powerful therapeutic formula of eight specific strains of friendly bacteria. Specially formulated for rectifying serious flora imbalance or disruption. Probiotics are the beneficial friendly bacteria that occur throughout the digestive tract. They are absolutely essential for proper digestion, strong immune function, and overall health. New research is establishing how important the supplementation of probiotics can be for a variety of degenerative conditions.
Udo’s Choice Super 8 Probiotics;
Improve digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats - taking the strain off the digestive system and ensuring vitality and bowel regularity and relieving symptoms of gas and bloating.
Enhance the immune system - by favourably altering the gut micro ecology and preventing unfriendly organisms from gaining a foothold in the body.
Fight and prevent yeast and fungal infections - such as candida, thrush, vaginal yeast infections and athlete’s foot by establishing a large, healthy population of friendly bacteria that compete against the bad bacteria.
Reduce lactose intolerance - by breaking down lactose and producing the enzyme lactase.
Restore good intestinal flora following a course of antibiotics - immediately recolonises the beneficial gut bacteria that are destroyed by antibiotics.
Are formulated to address lower bowel conditions, bacterial infections and cholesterol levels - especially important as today’s modern diets compromise lower bowel health.
Find them in the small fridge at Herbs, Gardens & Health. £19.95 for 30 vegecaps each containing 30 billion viable cells!
click here to order Super 8 Probiotics |
Any information given in this newsletter is intended for educational purposes only. If you are on ANY medication or under medical supervision, you should always check with your Doctor or Pharmacist before you take ANYTHING else. It's better to be safe than sorry!
Kind regards
Juliet & Co, Herbs, Gardens & Health
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