Rebecca Stevens

May 30
0

Winter programs at Balm

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Detox, Detoxification, Free health checks, Naturopathy | No Comments

This winter Balm has a couple of new programs, in addition to general naturopathic consultations. Free health checks and a 2 visit detoxification program.

Free Naturopathic Health Check

During Friday’s at Knoxfield this winter, come in for your free half hour naturopathic health check. Bring in your latest blood tests to see if they fall within the “optimal range”. Find out your body fat percentage, hydration level, muscle mass percentage, assess your diet and lifestyle and find out your level of disease risk. Learn some simple tips you can use to improve your health and energy levels and lower your risk for major health complaints before they develop.

2 Visit Detox Program

Sliced capsicums

The number and concentration of toxins we are exposed to everyday has exploded exponentially over the last 2-4 generations, however, our bodies detoxification processes have hardly evolved at all during this time and struggle to keep up with this increased demand on our system.

Detoxification needs to be individualised, targeted, gentle and thorough. You don’t want all your good work wasted by recycling toxins straight back into your system so they can settle back where they started.

Our Naturopath Rebecca has a new “2 Visit Detoxification Program” which offers exactly this. See the Detoxification Program page for more information. This program is available at both Knoxfield and Wantirna. Call 0414 957 555 or click the book now button on the home page to arrange a time for visit 1.

Image courtesy of Lobster20 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Apr 15
0

Recent Successes at Balm

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Blood tests, Colds and flu, Diet, Health, hormones, Naturopathy, Supplements | No Comments

Here at Balm Naturopathy we believe in celebrating our successes. Below are a couple of success stories that have emerged from the last month.

Rising PSA Levels

Prostrate problems are of concern to all men. Two of the main issues are benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which occurs in 90% of men over the age of 70, and prostate cancer which kills thousands of men every year.

The symptoms of BPH and prostate cancer include frequent, difficult or painful urination, slow, interrupted flow and blood in urine or semen. Ignoring these symptoms can be dangerous and Balm always recommends a visit to your doctor to have such symptoms explored medically. The good news is there is much that can be done naturally to improve prostate health and lower cancer risk.

Recently a 76 year old male presented to Balm Natural Health with rising PSA levels after having had a prostatectomy a few years ago. This was the last thing he expected after such a procedure. The client wanted to ensure he was doing everything he needed to decrease his cancer risk and increase his general health and wellbeing.

After 2 months of treatment focusing on diet and supplements to increase antioxidant intake, improve prostate health and an increase in exercise, his next PSA reading had reduced from 0.11 to 0.06.

The client is very pleased and is continuing to follow the recommendations and supplements prescribed and will continue with ongoing monitoring of PSA levels to ensure he remains on the right track.

Frequent colds, sinusitis and antibiotic use

So many people find they get every cold and flu going around and can’t seem to get through a single season without having to resort to antibiotics at lease 2 or 3 times. Antibiotics have a very detrimental effect on the microbiome oThumbs up man - picturef the gut and this can actually have a lasting negative effect on the body’s immunity. Much of our immunity originates in the gut and when gut health is suboptimal, this opens the body up to all sorts of immune issues such as infection, allergy and autoimmune issues. Last year, a 40 year old male with a history of frequent colds, sinusitis and antibiotic treatment presented to Balm Natural Health. On average he was receiving antibiotic treatment every 1-2 months. After 8 months of treatment involving supplements to regulate his immunity, particularly via gut health, adjusting his diet, and addressing stress, he is now feeling better than ever and has not had a single cold or need for antibiotics for over 4 months.

This client has now adopted some permanent changes in his diet and lifestyle and has moved to exploring other health goals such as maximising his already raised vitality and boosting fertility with the hope of soon adding another member to his family.

Do you know someone who is constantly unwell and seems to fall victim to every cold and virus going around? Or do you know someone concerned about rising PSA levels, or anyone who has any other sort of health complaint who might need the help of Balm Naturopathy? If so, please send them the link to this blog and encourage them to book in online for a consultation.

Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Published with consent from the clients involved.
Feb 18
0

Stressed about your cholesterol?

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Cardiovascular disease, Fat, Health, Weight Gain, Weight Loss | No Comments

For years we have been avoiding fat in our diets wherever we can, believing that by doing so, we will keep our all important cholesterol number down, saving us from cardiovascular disease. New findings suggest it is not quite as simple as this and that cholesterol itself may not be the real problem at all. There are actually at least 395 identified cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and I believe cholesterol has received far more than it’s share of attention.

Cholesterol meterCholesterol is extremely important in the body. It is the main building block for production of all the important hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and aldosterone (produced by the adrenals to regulate blood pressure and the rate of water lost from the body). Cholesterol is needed to make vitamin D, as well as bile which is produced by the liver to help digest fats. Cholesterol is also found in the membranes that surround every cell in the body, making it important in skin health. It keeps skin hydrated and helps it maintain an effective barrier against bacteria and irritating substances. Cholesterol is also important in immunity and brain function.

Doctors typically prescribed statin medications to lower cholesterol levels. These drugs come with a long list of side effects, not the least of which is an increased incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease! Yes, the very thing they are meant to be preventing by lowering your cholesterol is a listed side effect. Statin medications block the pathway in the body by which it makes cholesterol. This is the same pathway by which the body creates coQ10, an extremely important antioxidant which also enables every cell in the body to produce energy. It is also highly protective against oxidative damage, which is one of the main problems leading to the build up of plaques in the blood vessels leading to heart attack and stroke.

When doctors test blood for cholesterol readings, they actually measure a number of things.

  • Total Cholesterol
    New research suggests this number has little correlation with CDV risk
  • LDL (low density lipoproteins)
    LDL is sometimes also referred to as the bad fat
  • HDL (high density lipoproteins)
    HDL is sometimes referred to as the good fat because it is protective and gathers up cholesterol to transport it safely back to the liver
  • Triglycerides
  • The ratios of HDL to LDL and HDL to cholesterol

The main thing to be concerned with is your HDL:LDL ratio and your triglyceride numbers. You want the HDL:LDL ratio to be less than around 3.5 (ideally the lower the better) and your triglycerides to be around 1.0 mmol/L (fasting) or less.

The real problem occurs when inflammation in the blood vessels act on these LDL’s and triglycerides. This damages the blood vessel wall and causes cholesterol to accumulate and adhere to the wall, resulting in a blockage. Inflammation is caused by a diet of excess sugar, preservatives, trans fat and alcohol, as well as smoking and excessive stress. When blood fats are in good condition and circulating in healthy, undamaged blood vessels, they are actually protective against this damage and build up. It is only when inflammatory damage has occurred that plaques can form.

Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are still the biggest risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, and should be your first priority in the prevention of CVD. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to raise your HDL level, giving you a strong level of protection against CVD. Quitting smoking, eating less sugary, processed foods and increasing your intake of water and good fats from sources such as oily fish, nuts, seeds and fruits and vegetables are the best preventative measures you can take.

Your naturopath can prescribe numerous different minerals, herbs and supplements to lower blood pressure, protect against oxidative damage and give your heart and cardiovascular system all the nutrients it needs to remain as healthy and strong as possible.

Image courtesy of tungphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Jan 04
0

Self Prescribing from the internet – What could go wrong?

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Health, self prescribing, Supplements | No Comments

There is so much information available on the internet right now, as well as plenty of opportunities to purchase “miracle cures”.  Many people self prescribe according to “Dr Google” but this can be very dangerous.  For example:

  • Desiccated thyroid extract purchased from international sites for hypothyroidism. Without taking the correct dosage and constantly measuring thyroid hormone levels, a person can easily throw their body into an opposite, and extreme hyperthyroid state. This can lead to side effects such as crippling anxiety, paranoia and mood swings, not to mention hair loss, excessive sweating and insomnia.
  • Even more common is the self administration of iron when people feel tired. Many other things can cause tiredness, plus there are types of anaemia not related to iron levels. Taking iron when you already have good levels is dangerous and can directly damage the liver and nerves and increase the risk of heart attack.
  • Some magic bullets for depression and mood disorders can throw out your balance of neurotransmitters making your situation dangerously worse, or adding other problems such as anxiety, aggression or phobias.
  • Even seemingly innocent vitamin supplements can be dangerous if not correctly assessed for the amounts present and accounting for amounts that may already be obtained from other supplements. For example vitamin A in excess of 700mcg retinol equivalents per day may lead to birth defects in pregnant women and excessive amounts of the trace mineral selenium can be toxic.
  • Cheap, bulk purchase fish oils usually are partially oxidized meaning the quality and quantity of EPA and DHA is significantly lower and the capsules are probably causing more damage than good. They are also usually high in contaminants such as mercury.

One problem with supplements bought on the internet is that they are not approved by the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) which is a department set up by the Australian Government to ensure that health products manufactured, prescribed and sold in Australia are registered, regulated and meet safety standards.

Quite often, herbs purchased on the internet don’t contain the correct species of herb in the correct quantities or even from the correct part of the plant. They may also contain dangerous, undisclosed excipients such as heavy metals and other contaminants. In Australia we are very lucky to have a number of manufacturers of safe, Practitioner Only products which have been TGA approved and have passed potentially hundreds of quality control steps.

When you see a qualified naturopath, you can be sure you are being correctly prescribed TGA approved, practitioner quality brands of herbs and supplements. They will work with you to discover why your body is not functioning correctly, what is causing your tiredness or why your iron levels may be low, and will give carefully considered dosages of natural herbs and supplements to help your body heal itself. They will know what herbs/drugs/nutrients may interact and should not be taken together and what supplements will be contraindicated in pregnancy, with high blood pressure or any other conditions in which you should be aware of possible interactions.

Picture of pillsNote: Always check that your naturopath is qualified and that they have been accepted as a member of an industry association. There is currently nothing stopping unqualified people calling themselves Naturopaths. This makes them potentially very dangerous, giving qualified naturopaths who have studied for at least 3 years, a bad name.

Image courtesy of tungphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Nov 04
1

So is fat okay now?

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Blood tests, Diet, Fat, Health, Sugar | No Comments

There has been a lot of new information coming out lately regarding fat and sugar. First fat was the big nasty and everyone steered clear of any fat, often favouring low fat or “lite” versions of food believing we were doing the right thing for our arteries. Now it seems this was the wrong thing to do as these products generally have had the fat content replaced by extra sugar. And sugar is now the new demon.

Latest findings show that sugar is the thing doing us the most damage these days because it is so readily converted to fat for storage within the body, including within the liver. It is pro-inflammatory and causes oxidation which accelerates damage and aging throughout the body. So, does this mean we can now eat all the fat we like? After all, it has been shown that populations with some of the highest fat intakes also exhibit some of the lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Well, when it comes to cardiovascular risk, yes, eating fat is fine. However there are a couple of guidelines which we’ll look at later.

So what is the interaction between sugar and fat in the blood? Sugar (including that readily obtained by the body from breaking down excessive carbohydrates) can cause oxidative damage to the fats circulating in our blood. This is the time when high blood fat and cholesterol levels become a problem. When blood fats are in good condition and circulating in healthy, undamaged blood vessels, they are protective. It is only when inflammatory damage has occurred (usually from excessive sugars), that plaques can form, leading to heart attack and stroke.

The other interesting thing is that excessive carbohydrate and sugar intake is more likely to cause an increase in your blood fats than eating dietary fat. This is because one of the ways the body deals with excessive carbohydrates is for the liver to convert it into fatty acids.

So don’t feel guilty about including fat in your diet. Stop buying low fat versions of food just because you think it’s best for your health. Simply follow these 5 guidelines:

  1. Trans fat intake is the only fat shown to have a significantly detrimental effect on cardiovascular risk. This should be avoided wherever possible. (See below for a list of the different types of fats and their main sources)
  2. Omega-3 has been shown to have a significantly protective impact on cardiovascular risk and should be included wherever possible.
  3. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 intake is 2:1. The average dietary intake is closer to 20:1 and this imbalance promotes its own inflammation. So enjoy eating sources of omega-6 but make sure you are also eating good sources of omega-3.
  4. Only if you are already suffering insulin resistance and inflammatory damage should you moderate saturated fat intake, taking care not to subsequently increase your carbohydrate intake to compensate.
  5. Fat is an essential nutrient and generally only detrimental when consumed in excess, along with excessive calories overall, inadequate exercise and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake.

The Types of Fat:

  1. Saturated fat – found in meat, dairy, eggs and coconut oil
  2. Monounsaturated fat – found in meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil and canola oil.
  3. Polyunsaturated fat:
    1. Omega-6 – Found in nuts, seeds, poultry, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, sesame and soybean oils.
    2. Omega-3 – Grassfed beef, dairy, seafood, fish, flaxseeds, fish oil and flaxseed oil.
  4. Trans fats – partially dehydrogenated fats, deep fried foods, commercial cakes, biscuits and pastries.

The brilliant thing is that most natural foods contain a variety of types of fat, not just saturated or unsaturated, and they are generally in the best ratio for your body’s health. What’s more, natural, unprocessed foods are also packed with all the antioxidants needed to offset any oxidative damage that may occur to the fats they contain. This is the beauty of nature.

Raw salmon pic ID-10017101

Image by voraorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net        Image by m_bartosch at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Sep 06
1

Naturopathy’s sweet spot in healthcare

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Naturopathy | No Comments

Have you ever felt “not quite right” or suffered vague, non-specific symptoms, but been told by your doctor they can’t find anything wrong? Until doctors can name your illness, they can’t give you their matching treatment.  However, in the meantime your body may be busily heading in the direction of an illness. Wouldn’t it be better to stop that process in its track now before it becomes such a big problem that it can be medically ‘named’?

When your doctor orders blood tests, they are generally only interested when your test results fall outside of their reference ranges.

 

Reference ranges graphic

 

Optimal health is actually represented by a much narrower area within these reference ranges. Lets refer to this as the ‘gold zone’.  Often this is in the centre, although depending on what is being tested, this may fall towards the top or bottom end of the reference range. This ‘gold zone’ also varies from individual to individual according to things such as your gender, age and genetics. Your Naturopath can advise you where the optimal ‘gold zone’ should fall for you.

When your results are in the red zone, well outside of the reference range, this is when your doctor is fantastic at identifying a disease process and giving you potentially life saving treatment.

The in between, blue zone, which is still within the reference range but not indicating optimal health, is where your Naturopath can work their magic. It is the zone where you don’t feel yourself and know something is not quite right. This is generally your body’s way of letting you know that something is either lacking or out of balance and now is the time to right that before it progresses into something more serious.

So next time you get the all clear from the doctor but you still feel that something is not quite right, take your results to a Naturopath and find out what it feels like to get back into the ‘gold zone’ of optimal health.

Jul 10
2

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Posted by | Balm Blog, Blog, Physical stresses, Weight Loss | No Comments

Life is pretty cruisey these days right! We have air-conditioned homes, cars and offices, calorie rich food in ready supply, (often at the touch of a button), we have machines which makes every day chores like laundry easy, escalators to take us up stairs and sun screens to stop our skin burning. Surely with all this new technology our bodies should be thanking us, right? Well, there is a new (or perhaps an old) school of thought emerging that claims small doses of a physical stress, which may otherwise kill us in large doses, is actually really good for us. The idea is that the body responds to the small stress by activating process within each of our cells that promote adaptation and protective antioxidant production.  Within the cell the focus switches from growth and replication to a focus on repair and a clean up or recycling of damaged cell components.

Some examples of such stresses or challenges include Bandaidgetting a little too much sun, exercising a little more than usual or accidentally getting caught in a storm without our coat in the middle of winter. Our body responds by building capacity against such a challenge so that next time it happens we are better prepared. You know this is true from the fact that you begin to tan after sun exposure, your muscles strengthen and tone and you get fitter after exercising and you adapt to the cold weather after the first few weeks of winter. It seems the same is true of fasting. Yes, the practice which has been shunned for a number of years is now making a come back. I’m not talking about eating nothing for days on end. That’s moving more towards the “what can kill you” end of the scale. Simply reducing your intake for a few days a week will do it. (However, this is still not recommended for anyone currently unwell or suffering diabetes, without professional supervision.) This could be the secret behind the success many people have had with the 5:2 diet. The benefits from the body’s response to decreased calorie intake include improved insulin sensitivity, lower inflammation, better brain function, reduced blood pressure, improved stress resistance, lower cholesterol, enhanced detoxification processes and of course, weight loss. All of which equates to a lower potential for cancer and cardiovascular disease, and a longer life. It really does seem that what doesn’t kill you can not only make you strong, but can actually make you live longer.

 

Photo acknowledgement: FreeDigitalPhotos.net (cbenjasuwan)