Dinosaurs To Brain Health

The link is a tree that was growing at the same time as dinosaurs, Ginkgo biloba. It has distictive shaped leaves, so the fossilised leaves were easily identified. Not the same tree obviously, but this species of tree is still with us and a very attractive tree it is.

The leaves have many health-giving properties, mainly associated with blood flow to the brain but it also supports blood flow to the rest of the body.

There are lots of reasons why these leaves are so good for us – all a bit technical. Interesting for me but perhaps not for you so I will go straight to the ways in which Ginkgo can help our health.

Cognitive decline and mental health.

Trials have shown improvement in cognitive performance when GBE (ginkgo biloba extract) is given to those already diagnosed with this condition. (240mg daily)

Memory Loss

A study of 188 healthy subjects reported GBE as improving memory recall after 6 weeks. (180-240mg daily)

Depression

A trial of 136 elderly patients found GBE improved the effects of anti-depression medication. Reducing the serum levels of a marker for brain stem injury suggests GBE helps improve depression by restoring neurological function. (60mg daily)

Anxiety

A study of young people suffering from general anxiety reported a reduction of symptoms after 4 weeks of taking GBE.

Cardiovascular Health

Atherosclerosis.

GBE’s anti-oxidant properties help prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidising making it less likely to form atherogenic foam cells, which can stick to artery walls.

Hypertension

High blood pressure. There is some evidence that GBE maybe helpful, but it was not across all trials. The jury’s out on this, but research goes on, I’m sure.

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS)

Patients with insulin resistance are at high risk if cardiovascular disease. GBE reduced risk by lowering the extent to which vascular plaque formed. More clinical trials are needed to establish whether or not GBE’s might improve MetS.

Peripheral Vascular Conditions

GBE is often used to help maintain circulation in the legs and hands. It may help reduce frequency and severity of cramp in legs and hands during exercise or when resting. GBE has been studied in conditions as wide ranging as acute mountain sickness, migraines, sleep quality, PMS syndrome, Raynaud’s disease (white finger), libido issues and tinnitus.  There is insufficient data to prove a statistical benefit I these cases. GBE is generally safe to take once any contra-indications with any medication has been cleared. If you already experience any of these conditions and are taking medications for it, it is best to chat to a doctor first. However, if you feel GBE may help you, I will be happy to check to discover if it is compatible and helpful for you. A caveat is that taken over a long period of time (years) without a break, it can cause a drop in platelet levels, with associated symptoms. 

If you are already experiencing any of these symptoms and taking medication for it, you must speak to your doctor before taking GBE.

Otherwise, you are welcome to see me to check if this supplement may help you.

This information has been provided by Lamberts and is supported by 36 references. These can be provided on request.

Wendy Guilfoyle, https://healthresolutions.co.uk

It’s Oh So Quiet!

If you have been out in the park, woods or here in the Forest of Dean recently you may have noticed the silence. No blackbirds singing from the highest point; no thrush’s song echoing through the trees; even the robins and wrens are quiet. Why?

By now the nests are empty, eggs have hatched, chicks fledged and flown away. An exhausting business for two small birds. They need to renew tatty feathers – no time to do any proper preening – rest and put on some weight for the winter.

While moulting they are vulnerable because they can’t fly so well. The solution? Keep quiet; keep a low profile; eat! Get on with staying alive until next Spring, when the air is full of birdsong once again.

However, the next time you hear a robin sing will be at the end of August into September. Their delicate song in the minor key will be a wistful reminder that autumn is on its way.

The colours of Autumn

The beech trees in the Forest of Dean are so colourful now, but they are all changing rapidly. The plantation I walk through has gone from dark green to paler greens and yellows and are darkening to ochre, dark yellow, copper and burnt umber. However, the effect is one of the whole area being bathed in sunlight, as if the trees are radiating out all the sun they have absorbed since the spring. 

Part of my walk takes me through a mature conifer plantation. The trees here are very tall and the ground covered in mosses and ferns. The encompassing green effect is very calming. These evergreens are surrounded by the beech trees, so the plantation appears swathed in transparent silk scarves, glowing with luminous colours.

It is all glorious.  

Since I wrote this, the bright colours have deepened to bronze, copper and burnt umber as trees withdraw all the sugars from the leaves to store in the trunk and roots. This will keep them going over the winter while they rest. It is much quieter in the woods now. Very peaceful; still glorious.

Eczema – a possible solution

Eczema is a distressing and sometimes painful skin condition. It can lead to disfigured skin and scarring. Yesterday, on the radio, there was a discussion about possible remedies. For about 15 -20 minutes, the presenter and a Doctor discussed various pharmaceuticals and medications currently prescribed. Some of these produced varying results and sometimes difficult side effects. Right at the end a listener phoned in to say that she had had eczema for a long time, then discovered she was sensitive to cow’s milk.

She cut out all cow’s milk products and her skin cleared up really quickly – no long term medication, no side effects apart from clear comfortable skin. The doctor did then comment that certain foods could be the cause of eczema, though she had not mentioned that before.

If you suffer from this condition it is worth checking to discover if you have any sensitivities before going down the possible route of steroids and other chemicals which may be difficult to stop. Sensitivities are different from a full blown allergy, so not so easy to identify by medical methods. It is easy to discover using kinesiology or muscle resistance testing. There are no blood samples taken, no itchy patches. The causative food is identified there and then followed by a discussion on how to modify one’s diet; what foods make a nutritionally useful substitute.

This method of testing can be used on babies, children and adults.

I can do this test; I am near Coleford. But there are two other practitioners locally – one at Taurus Crafts, Lydney, Claire Hoare, https://www.clairehoare.co.uk and one in Monnow Street, Monmouth, Karen Carmen https://www.healinghappenshere.co.uk. Both are very experienced and good at their job.

A future need not be itchy and painful. Contact one of us today and look forward to a brighter future.

wendyguilfoyle@hotmail.com https://healthresolutions.co.uk

A Flotilla of Gulls

Since last week, as the sun rises over the trees and houses and casts long shadows over the meadow, a large flock of gulls circle and land, more than you can see here. They proceed, as one, to strut sedately back and forth across the field. Their white feathers shine in the morning sun like sails of a flotilla of yachts. Mostly, they all step in one direction then turn and retrace their steps, occasionally stopping to snatch up a tasty morsel from down in the grass.

Then at some mysterious signal they take to the air as one and fly off about their daily business.

It is fascinating to watch.

Skin Health Part 2

Back at the start of August I posted an article about how supplementing vitamins can support healthy skin from the inside.

Today, I am posting information about supplements for particular types of skin problems.

Oily skin.

A multivitamin and mineral complex. This needs to include good levels of all B vitamins, 800iu Vitamin A, 200iu selenium, m200iu chromium and 15mg Zinc. (iu = international units).

Zinc, In addition to the zinc in the multi vitamin it may be helpful to add another 15mg for a short course. Use zinc citrate as this is most easily absorbed.

Vitamin E 250- 400iu This may help with spots that erupt as a result of blocked sebaceous glands. Look for Vitamin E as d-alpha tocopherol as this is absorbed more readily.

Itchy/flaky/dry skin

Evening Primrose oil. 1000mg twice daily. Look for a minimum level of GLA of 90mg per capsule. A 1000mg capsule is rather big. You could use 500mg capsules and take 2×2 a day.

Fish oil. 1100mg pure fish oil with guaranteed levels of 700mg of omega 3s which give levels of 360mg EPA and 240mg DHA

A broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral complex. Several nutrients are necessary for the conversion of fatty acids found in the supplements mentioned above. Taking a multi complex ensures the body makes best use of your supplementation.

Easily bruised skin*.

Anthocyanidins 160mg twice daily

Horse chestnut. 278mg standardised extracttwice daily for 3 months, then once a day. Look for guaranteed level of 50mg aescin.

Vitamin C. 500mg Vitamin C and 200gm bioflavanoids twice daily.

*Anyone who suffers frequent bruising without apparent cause should consult a doctor.

A good varied diet with unrefined carbs, plenty of colourful vegetables and fruit, protein and plenty of water is a good place to start with any kind of problem.

If you are medication, please check for listed interactions and seek medical advice before taking any of these supplements.

If in doubt, contact a nutritionist or food sensitivity practitioner who can test which supplements would be most suited to your needs.

information supplied by Lamberts http://www.lambertshealthcare.co.uk

Head and Heart

my brain and heart divorced a decade ago over who was to blame about how big of a mess I have become,

Eventually they couldn’t be in the same room with each other 

now my head and heart share custody of me

I stay with my brain during the week

and my heart gets me on weekends

they never speak to one anothe

instead, they give me the same note to pass to each other every week 

and their notes they send to one another always says the same thing:

“This is all your fault”

on Sundays my heart complains about how my head has let me down in the past

and on Wednesday my head lists all of the times my heart has screwed things up for me in the future

they blame each other for the state of my life

there’s been a lot of yelling – and crying so,

lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my gut

who serves as my unofficial therapist

most nights, I sneak out of the window in my ribcage and slide down my spine

and collapse on my gut’s plush leather chair that’s always open for me

and I just sit sit sit sit until the sun comes up

last evening, my gut asked me if I was having a hard time being caught between my heart and my head

I nodded, I said I didn’t know if I could live with either of them anymore

“My heart is always sad about something that happened yesterday

while my head is always worried about something that may happen tomorrow,” 

I lamented

my gut squeezed my hand “I just can’t live with my mistakes of the past or my anxiety about the future,” I sighed

my gut smiled and said:

“in that case, you should go stay with your lungs for a while,”

I was confused, – the look on my face gave it away

“if you are exhausted about your heart’s obsession with the fixed past and your mind’s focus on the uncertain future

your lungs are the perfect place for you

there is no yesterday in your lungs

there is no tomorrow there either

there is only now

there is only inhale

there is only exhale

there is only this moment there is only breath

and in that breath, you can rest while your heart and head work their relationship out.”

this morning, while my brain was busy emailing and while my heart was staring at old photographs 

I packed a little bag and walked to the door of my lungs

before I could even knock, she opened the door with a smile and as a gust of air embraced me

she said “what took you so long?”

~ john roedel (johnroedel.com)

Psychedelic Fireflies

A shower left a silvery sheen over the grass

winking rainbow colours like so many psychedelic fireflies

skipping over the field in the morning sunshine.

Almost translucent skeins of mist

resting on the invisible line between warm air and cool air.

A great to start the day.

Nutrients and Skin Health part 1

nutrients could help this difficult condition

Vitamins and Skin Health.

Our skin. The largest organ in the body, covering nearly 2 square metres and accounting for about 16% of total body weight. In the summer a lot of attention is drawn to our skin. Mainly to stop getting burnt but also because more of our skin is on show in warmer weather.

Much of the information is about what we can put on our skin. However, it is as important to be aware of what nutrients can impact on skin health.

Beta Carotene, Vitamins C and E plus Selenium: these nutrients are important antioxidants and free radical scavengers needed for skin protection.

Vitamin E also appears to lessen the likelihood of scars and vitamin Cis required for tissue repair.

Anthocyanidins: are a particular type of flavonoid that helps to reinforce and preserve collagen in the body. These naturally occurring compounds are often included in cosmetics to improve skin elasticity.

Fish oil: omega 3s in the diet act as natural waterproofing for the skin. It is considered moisturising

from the inside. This may help the skin to look more hydrated. It may improve vitality. It is especially 

helpful for inflammatory conditions like eczema.

Zinc: Stimulates the healing of wounds and skin irritations. 

Evening Primrose oil; Useful for many skin problems, such as eczema.

B vitamins: are important for skin health, particularly B2, (riboflavin), and B5 (pantothenic acid).

Cracking at the corner of the mouth can be a deficiency of B2and B6 as can red, greasy skin at the

side of the nose. Low B12 and folic acid can result in a pale complexion. A general deficiency of 

the B vitamins is implicated in eczema. 

Chromium. If you have acne, it may be due to impaired glucose tolerance in the skin, which

makes Chromium an important nutrient in this case. 

information courtesy of Lamberts https://www.lambertshealthcare.co.uk

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Beautiful surroundings

Beauty or Beast?

Beauty: Oxford dictionary – A combination of qualities as shape, proportion, colour,[… ] that delights the eye.

Beautiful: delighting the eye or the ear.

The concept of beauty is something that has occupied philosophers – and lovers over the centuries. It is a quality that is, according to Steiner, recognised by our soul. It is not an intellectual concept, though we recognise our own judgement of what is or isn’t beautiful. Whatever the philosophy or science, I know through my experience that perceived beauty uplifts and energises me. 

As a gardener I am always pursuing some ideal of beauty – in the form and colour of flower, leaf, shrubs and trees. Roses particularly attract me. There is so much variety. Some have the most amazingly complex form. Others are just perfect in the simplicity of just 5 petals and a glow of golden anthers. Earlier in the year I went with friends to see a tree park full of flowering cherries and magnolias. Every tree was breathtaking in its variety shape and colour.

How beautiful is the area/room/factory where you work? This is where you spend the majority of your working life, your business – minimum of 5/7, often 7/7? Most of your life in fact. Is your office an inviting, welcoming space? Does every item there have a happy memory associated with it? It is clean? Has it got in a muddle, with clutter everywhere? Is there good natural light? How comfortable is your chair? These things may seem trivial, but if you don’t like them you will experience just a bit of extra stress, often subconsciously. Overtime this will impact your focus, productivity, health, creativity, and profitability.

This as important for the sole practitioner/entrepreneur as it is for a multinational business in finance or manufacturing. It is not a new idea but the fundamental philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement which produced the most wonderful art, furniture and houses. Everything we see in our environment should be useful or beautiful, preferably both.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/arts-and-crafts-an-introduction

Wendy Guilfoyle https://www.healthresolutions.co.uk

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