...and we like to write about how we can all achieve better health, naturally. Sometimes tips on how you can DIY to better health and sometimes on the therapies that can make a difference to you, your health and wellbeing. Thank you for reading, We hope you enjoy :)
Elderberry is a deciduous shrub which is native to most of Europe. It’s well known and valued within the field of Natural Health for its broad medicinal qualities . Elderberry can be used to prepare syrups, juices and tinctures, the most common ingredients being flowers or the characteristic black berries. Elderberry is traditionally used to boost immunity and aid in colds, or even just as a healthy and tasty addition to tea, especially during the colder months of Autum and Winter.
Elderberry’s flowers and berries contain a high amount of flavonoids which have a strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and diuretic qualities. The berries contain vast amounts of Vitamins B and C which are crucial for optimal metabolism and immunity.
It is important to note that Elderberry stems, leaves and roots contain cyanide-inducing glycosides which can cause nausea, vomiting and can lead to a toxic build up.
This is why a proper preparation of Elderberry is of a crucial importance.
Elderberry Syrup
Elderberry syrup is traditionally used to aid in dealing with symptoms of colds and flu. it can also serve as a tasty addition to flavour teas and desserts. The Syrup is a rich source of Vitamin B and C so it’s especially useful during Autumn/Winter season.
Recipe
To prepare an Elderberry Syrup, you will need:
1kg of Elderberry berries
approx 1kg of sugar (or other sweetener, honey works just as well!)
water
Elderberries don’t have any particular taste to them so feel free to spice the recipe up by adding some orange, lemon, ginger or turmeric!
Wash the berries thoroughly (but watch out, they STAIN!) before placing in the pan and covering with sugar and topping up with enough water to ensure a slight coverage.
Cook on medium heat until the berries release all juices (you could speed it up by mashing them a little).
Simmer for another 10-15 minutes until you reach desired thickness.
Leave to cool before straining and transferring into clean jars or bottles. Elderberry Syrup can be pasteurised for longer self-life or just kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Enjoy as 2 tablespoons per day on its own on in a nice cup of tea!
Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berries have become incredibly popular in the form of dietary supplements over the past few years, both in capsule and powder form.
Why are Acai Berries considered as superfruits?
This is in no small part due to the significant media attention they have received, since being more widely recognised in the Western world as a “superfruit”. In other words, a fruit with an exceptionally high nutrient-to-calorie ratio compared to other fruits of a similar kind. For example, in terms of antioxidant, essential fatty acid, vitamin or mineral content.
Although having only just recently entered the wider public consciousness in the West, South Americans native to the Amazon have been enjoying the nutritional benefits of these tasty berries for many years. In fact, they are considered to be an essential food source for three traditional Caboclo populations in the Brazilian Amazon, because they make up a major component of their diet – up to 42% of their total food intake by weight! A fact which reflects their incredibly high nutrient content.
Found only in swampy areas of the Amazon rainforest (Central and South America), acai berries are pretty exotic – which explains why they haven’t ever popped up on the shelves of our supermarkets! They are small and round (approximately 25mm in size) and grow on large palm trees called açaí palms, which can reach over 80 feet in height. The berries grow in bunches (similar to bananas) and an average açaí palm tree can yield between 3 to 8 bunches of berries.
Once ripe, acai berries bear a strong resemblance to grapes and blueberries, except that they are not quite as pulpy. They contain a large, inedible seed, which constitutes as much as 90% of the entire fruit! Although hard to find in their natural whole food form, everyone can now access the nutritional benefits of these berries on a daily basis through the convenience of health supplements, which will often incorporate both acai berry powder and concentrated extract.
But why might you want to incorporate acai berry nutrients into your daily diet?
Immune system support: A big clue to their high nutrient content is given away by the deep blue / purple colour of acai berries. Like most other brightly coloured natural foods, they contain healthy pigments, which support immunity, health and vitality. For example, flavonoids and potent antioxidants (such as anthocyanins). They are also a rich source of Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids (good fats).
Heart health support: As well as containing high levels of anthocyanins, research has also shown that acai berries are rich in phytosterols which may provide cardio-protective support for our cells.
Energy support: Acai berries contain high levels of plant protein. Combined with their high levels of antioxidants and other nutrients, they can offer ideal support for high energy levels, stamina and general vitality.
Weight management support: When trying to shape up, you are obviously looking to decrease your intake of high-calorie unhealthy foods, in favour of nutrient-packed foods that are naturally low in calories. Not only will this encourage a healthy weight, it will also help to ensure that your general health remains strong during any periods of slimming and reduced food choice. In this way, acai berries can provide ideal weight management support.
So now you know why acai berries have been causing a stir in the natural health world! And these are just some of their nutritional benefits. Plus, if you favour an organic lifestyle or are trying to detox, it is worth bearing in mind that acai berries are wild harvested, as opposed to farmed. This means that they aren’t exposed to harmful pesticides and fertilisers.
Acai berries offer great all-round healthy living support – why not try them for yourself?
Did you know that there are twenty times more bacteria than living cells inside our bodies?
Having the right kinds of bacteria (often “friendly bacteria”), in appropriate quantities, is essential for virtually everything from healthy digestion and nutrient absorption, to immunity and defence against infections. It’s no wonder that more and more people say that health starts within your gut- it really does!
What can disrupt gut flora?
The delicate balance of healthy gut flora can be disrupted by a range of circumstances, which may include:
excess alcohol consumption,
diet high in sugar,
poor digestion,
stress,
exposure to toxins and environmental pollutants.
antibiotics
For the purposes of this article, we will look in more detail at one of the most common causes of the imbalance of bacterial flora within the gut – the long-term or frequent use of antibiotics.
How do antibiotics affect the digestive tract?
In present times, antibiotics have been arguably prescribed and used far more than they should have been and, a result, antibiotic resistance is, unfortunately, now a fairly common problem.
Antibiotic resistance is a type of drug resistance where a pathogenic microorganism is able to survive exposure to an antibiotic.
If that wasn’t enough, one of the most notable effects of antibiotics is their negative impact on the digestive system and the fine balance of gut flora since antibiotics destroy both good and bad bacteria within our bodies, with no differentiation between them.
Antibiotics work by either killing bacteria or by preventing bacteria from growing – which great news in terms of ‘bad’, pathogenic bacteria, but really bad news in terms of our ‘good’ bacteria, which help to keep us healthy!
It is somewhat ironic, when you consider that people start taking antibiotics in the first place because they are ill, often not realising that the medicine is destroying one of their bodies primary lines of natural defence.
The most important part of our Immune System resides in the gut, where Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (special antibody-producing cells) works hard to prevent unwanted micro-organisms (such as bacteria or viruses) from entering our body.
I’m not completely dissing antibiotics, they do have a very significant role to play and can certainly be highly effective in resolving bacterial infections but there should be a time and a place for them, when there is no other, less drastic and more natural alternative at hand. It is so important to use antibiotics sensibly and to support your levels of beneficial bacteria both during and after antibiotic treatment, in order to ensure that they won’t cause any longer term damage. This can be done through a specialised rebalancing treatment which can deal with any residual after-effects whilst helping your body to regain the optimal balance.
If your levels of good bacteria fall, you provide opportunistic ‘nasties’ (like bacteria, parasites and yeasts) with an excellent environment in which to thrive and spread. An overgrowth of harmful gut flora (called dysbiosis) increases gut toxicity and can result in a number of unpleasant symptoms and conditions, which may include:
bloating
constipation
diarrhoea
abdominal pains after eating
wind
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Leaky Gut Syndrome
and Candida overgrowth
This is one of the main reasons why antibiotic programmes often result in thrush (an infection caused by overgrowth of Candida which is an opportunistic yeast).
Research has shown that the damage done to the digestive tract by antibiotics can last for far longer than was previously thought.
Stanford University researchers in America analysed the levels of friendly bacteria in 3 healthy adult women both before and after each of two cycles on the antibiotic Cipro. Following the first cycle, they found that the drug had altered the population of the subjects’ friendly gut bacteria significantly, perhaps even permanently. Following the second cycle, six months later, they discovered that the effect was exponentially greater. As such, antibiotics should never be used as a regular “quick fix” for minor problems and, wherever possible, long courses should be avoided. Where a course of antibiotics is really unavoidable, you may consider the Natural Balancing Therapy or support your levels of friendly bacteria through diet and probiotic supplements, at the very least.
Cultures around the World have observed the health-supporting effects of fermented foods (often referred to as “probiotic foods”) which are often include as a regular part of their diet. These foods include kefir, sauerkraut, miso, tofu and tempeh, to name just a few.
Introducing these foods in your diet on a daily basis is a really good way to promote healthy intestinal flora. However, it is worth noting that most of these foods do not contain strains of bacteria that can actually colonise the digestive tract. Instead, they do good work for a week or two and then pass through. Supplementing with strains of good bacteria that are capable of colonising the digestive tract (such as L. acidophilus, L. salivarius, B. infantis, B. bifidum, B. brevis and B. longum) is arguably a far more effective and powerful means of supporting healthy levels of gut flora for the long term.
Your name is so much more than just a label!! A name is a special creation that both ‘mother & father’ attune or agree to when its given to their baby. A name has to feel right or resonate with both parents and the baby’s Soul for this ‘sacred exchange’ of energy to take place. It is said that “a Soul could not rest if it’s name were given to someone else” A name carries its own ‘Signature’ of energy through…Sound, Colour & Rhythm… All letters of the alphabet (vowels & consonants) have a vibratory significance and depending on how they are arranged together to form a name, indicates how certain energies are released in that person’s life. The art of ‘Name Interpretation’ is a spiritual science and to be able to do it you have to understand ‘The Law of Vibration’. I am a ‘Vibrational Therapist’ I was taught this through my years of study within the area of Colour. But I also understand it on another level through a condition I have known as ‘Synaesthesia’ this is were letters & numbers are sounds & colours to me which then trigger words with meaning. I’m able to translate and explain the Colours or energy of a name. Colour is my medium, it is the tool I work with for all my treatments.
Receiving a ‘Name Interpretation’ helps you to..
See its unique ‘Personality Power’ which is an indicator of your true Purpose.
Discover its greatest ‘Challenge’ that you’re to overcome in order to grow and move forward.
Become aware of its ‘Gifts & Abilities’ that assist you in achieving your life’s goals.
Receive an overview of your ‘Life Energy” from the Colour theme of your spoken name.
