THE LOW DOWN ON ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Omega-3 EPA

HEALTHY HEART, JOINTS, MOOD, AND IMMUNITY

• Maintains a healthy heart and circulatory system

• Supports joint comfort and mobility

• Promotes healthy immune function

• Supports positive mood and well-being

Omega-3 DHA

COGNITION, MEMORY AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

• Supports learning, mood and nervous system health

• Supports the brain, eyes, and immune system

• Essential for brain development in infants and children

• Recommended for pregnant and lactating women

Omega-6 GLA

HEALTHY SKIN, JOINTS, AND BODY-FAT METABOLISM

• Nourishes hair and skin

• Supports healthy joints

• Maintains optimal body-fat metabolism

• Supports a positive mood

These essential fatty acids (EFAs) are considered “essential” because they are required for optimal health but cannot be produced by the body. You need to eat foods high in these nutrients or take a high quality supplement for a few months.

You can now purchase a Omega 3 Index Test for $45 through the clinic to find out how rich in EFA’s you are. You simply purchase the kit, register on-line, take the sample and send away and expect the test results within about 2 weeks.

Which Hormone Test is Right For Me?

I quite often encourage my client's to bring in blood tests they have had done as this gives me so much more information to work with and the more information I have, the better.  This also goes with women who say they have had their hormone levels tested and they are all fine. If I ask what stage of their cycle they were in at the time of the test, they have no idea. There are definitely particular times of a woman's cycle which it is better to find out which hormones are doing what and where they should be so we have something to compare with.

There are a few different tests that can be done to check hormones and they all give great information. Serum or blood is the most common and this is usually done with your gp. This is great for checking one of the estrogens, progesterone, LH, FSH,  testosterone and DHEA. You can also do a fasting morning cortisol with a blood test. There is also the option of saliva, which is not so common and not generally done with a gp. This test has to be sent away and there is a short wait of about 2 weeks to get the results. There is also the option of a more expensive dried urine test that is also sent away and my love of bio chemical pathways get super excited when I get these results back!

If you are interested in finding out what your hormones are doing and which test is right for you, contact the clinic and book in to see me. I love balancing hormones and find when they are out of whack they can be a nightmare. If you are symptomatic one week out of your cycle, that is a quarter of your life.

Using herbs, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle advice, I can balance your hormones to help with symptom free living, fertility and other options besides HRT and the contraceptive pill to balance hormones. nyree@healthnaturally.com.au

The Best Nutrients for Healthy Skin

Nutrients for Healthy Skin
There are specific nutrients involved in keeping skin healthy,
and sorting out nutritional deficiencies is a good place to start
in any skin condition.
Essential fatty acids found in fish oil play a vital role in
promoting healthy skin. They help to regulate healthy cellular
function, and maintain elasticity and suppleness of the skin.
Essential fatty acids also help to reduce inflammation. A
deficiency of essential fatty acids can be an underlying cause of
skin problems and the modern Western diet is known to be low
in essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids. Taking
a potent, high quality fish oil can improve your skin health by
improving hydration, elasticity and reducing inflammation. As
a result, skin has improved texture and tone leaving it looking
and feeling healthier.
Zinc is an important mineral for skin health. Zinc repairs damaged
tissues and helps to heal wounds. As a result, if you don’t
have enough zinc, then your ability to repair damaged skin
becomes impaired. Zinc deficiency can also result in your
immune system having poor control over the maintenance of
your skin. You can do a simple, easy
taste test to check your zinc status. You can also check Zinc levels in a blood test.

Vitamin C is another must have nutrient for healthy skin and it is best to take a low acidic form like Calcium Ascorbate. Vitamin C is an essential co-factor for the synthesis of Collagen, Proteoglycans and other components of tissues such as skin, bones and teeth. It is great for wound healing and has had many clinical trials to support this.

STRESS CAN BE GOOD FOR YOU!

Stress can be an amazing feeling! It has this awesome ability to ramp us up when we need to get things done. It can keep our minds sharp and alert and has the capacity to let our body know what to do to help us cope. The trick is to not get too swept up in this mode and learn how to adapt, respond and recover appropriately and from a more nourished space. Sound easy? Well it can be, if we support and nurture our body and mind in the right ways.

Your brain is the first to respond during stress and one way is to send a message to your adrenal glands to pump out cortisol and adrenaline to help you cope. When we are stressing out a lot or super busy, we end up using too much cortisol and adrenaline and the brain self-regulates and tones down the responses. This will affect how we cope and also our body and mind start to feel low in energy and fatigued, commonly known as adrenal fatigue.

Herbal tinctures are one of the best ways to nourish our nervous system and restore adrenal health. Withania is super nourishing to the nervous system, is also a beautiful anti-inflammatory and helps the body store iron. Withania has also been shown to decrease elevated cortisol levels in your system. Siberian Ginseng is essential in any mix to support adrenal health and calm down the inflammatory processes that go hand in hand with being stressed. Rhodiola may improve physical and mental responses during fatigue and Magnolia has been traditionally used in times of anxiety and mood issues and may support healthy sleep patterns particularly with anxious people. Another amazing herb to nourish the adrenals and the nervous system is Holy Basil, also known as ‘Queen of the Herbs’ which has adaptogenic properties to support the body and help it adapt to stress responses and the hormones that can be secreted. Chronic stress has also been known to cause oxidative stress and the anti-oxidant properties in Holy Basil can further support the body with healing.

All of these herbs can be found in SUKHA HERBS REJUVENATE TONIC. This formula has been designed to help you cope with stress and fatigue, all in one convenient formula. The highly concentrated formula must be diluted with a little water or juice and taken twice daily. Any further information, please email nyree@healthnaturally.com.au

5 TOP TIPS FOR A RESTFUL SLEEP

Sleep issues are some of the most common causes of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and psychological disturbances. Here a 5 simple tips for you to improve your sleep health.

1.     RELAXING HERBS:

This could be in the form of a soothing lemon balm or chamomile herbal tea sipped in a quiet corner before bedtime. You could also try SUKHA HERBS new SLEEP TONIC 5-7.5ml one hour before bedtime diluted in a little water or juice. Feel the benefits of relaxing your nervous system with PASSIONFLOWER that regulates our GABAnergic neurotransmitters. GABA is the most soothing of the neurotransmitters that will help quieten the mind and maintain healthier sleep patterns.

2.     MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION:

There are so many different types of meditation practices and the benefits have now been scientifically proven to work in quietening the mind and soothing the soul. Play around with a few different forms, creative visualisation, vipassana meditation, Mindfulness meditation etc and see which one works for you. They can be for a little as 10 minutes to have a positive impact.

3.     ENSURE ADEQUATE NUTRITION

Are you getting enough B6 in your diet? Your body needs B6 to be ablt to make MELATONIN our sleep neurotransmitter. Melatonin regulates our circadiam rhythms, promotes sleep and may regulate GABA in the body.

4.     ‘CHECK IN WITH HONESTY’

Check in with yourself,  honestly. Is there something going on in your life that you need to address? Do you need outside support with a particular issue? Is there something that is not working for you that you need to change?

5.     NOURISH YOUR ADRENALS

Wakeful people are generally the excessive cortisol types and their adrenals may be to stimulated with trying to cope with long term stress or high stress. Nourishing the adrenals with SUKHA HERBS NERVOUS SYSTEM AND ADRENAL TONIC may help with your coping skills and adrenal health.