On June 24th 2009 my partner and I will  set off to cycle from Paris to cycle to Barcelona. Our route will take us 1500 kilometers south from Paris, down the Loire into the centre of France, before heading south west towards the Pyrenees and meeting with the Tour de France as it crosses the mountains back into France from Spain.

Partly a long held ambition, partly inspired by the journeys of Mark Beaumont and James Baxter this trip will be a challenge for both of us. We are asking our friends, families and clients to sponsor us in aid of WaterAid. Access to safe, clean water is one of the most basic of human needs and it will be inspiring to think we will be contributing towards their work. It might also remind us to stay properly hydrated!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: WaterAid gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us now at our Justgiving page

I tried this food labelling quiz on the BBC website today – how many can you get right?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8036046.stm

Consumer organisation Which? have issued another worrying report on the sugar and salt content of popular breakfast cereals, many of which are marketed directly at children or as foods with ‘health benefits’. These products are so heavily marketed, we are constantly bombarded with messages that they are ‘good’ for us and provide a healthy start to the day.

Their top 10 for sugar content are (per 100g):

• Morrisons Choco Crackles (38.4g)
• Kellogg’s Coco Pops Moons & Stars (37g)
• Kellogg’s Frosties (37g)
• Kellogg’s Ricicles (37g)
• Sainsbury’s Choco Rice Pops (36g)
• Tesco Choco Snaps (36g)
• Nestle Cookie Crisp (35.3g)
• Nestle Cheerios Honey (35.1g)
• Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut (35g)
• Nestlé Nesquik (35g)

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/29/breakfast-cereal-survey-health-food for the full story.

One teaspoon of sugar is roughly 5g, so even in a 30g serving of any of these cereals you are getting a good 2 tsp of sugar and many people will add more to that – I know I used to add a good teaspoon of sugar to my cornflakes as a child (not any more though, and I certainly don’t eat cornflakes!).

The cereal manufacturers claim that the sugar and salt content are not an issue because the products provide so many vitamins, minerals and fibre that they MUST be healthy. Don’t believe the hype!

There are plenty of healthy alternatives available for example:

• Porridge – add cinnamon powder or fresh grated apple/pear to sweeten
• Mixed seeds with natural live yoghurt and a portion of chopped fruit
• Scrambled or poached eggs on 1 slice rye bread
• Sugar free muesli with nuts, seeds and dried fruit

With any food that’s bought in a packet, you need to read the labels and look for added sugar and salt. A lot of my clients think they’re eating really healthy breakfast cereals eg Dorsets and Jordans, but although these are marketed as such, many of their products are very sweet with a lot of added sugar.

My advice to clients is to ignore everything they’ve ever been told about food (especially by TV adverts) and try to buy foods as close to nature as possible. If it comes in a brightly coloured box with lots of claims on it, it’s trying too hard; if it contains more than 5 ingredients or you need a degree in chemistry to understand what the ingredients are then don’t buy it.

Keep it simple, eat real food, and live life…

Here’s an article by Claire Smith of The Scotsman newspaper, who came to see me  for Nutritional Therapy advice and went through a series of colonic hydrotherapy treatments with my Detox Clinic colleague, Dawn Leuchars:

Read the Article (11/4/09)

I just spotted this column on the BBC website discussing integrated healthcare:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7974880.stm

For more information about the Princes Foundation for Integrated Health click here.

I regularly receive referrals from GPs especially for health issues such as menopausal symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  I have worked closely with NHS GPs, pharmacists and consultants where patients wish to use Herbal Medicine or Nutritional Therapy alongside NHS treatment, and I contact each client’s GP (given their permission) to let them know that they have come to me for treatment so that we are both aware of any drugs or supplements used to ensure the patient’s safety.

I’m in training for the Edinburgh Half Marathon in April and have been really appreciating the warmer weather, bird song and sunshine whilst I increase the length of my long runs. After each run, I have a tasty smoothie , packed full of nutrients to replace those I’ve used up when running.

Here’s the recipe:

1 Scoop Solgar Whey To Go Vanilla Protein Powder

Half a cup plain live goats yoghurt

1 cup of frozen berries

Half tsp of glutamine powder

100% apple juice (about half a pint)

1 level tsp Viridian Organic Green Food Blend Powder.

1 desertspoon Viridian Organic Hemp Seed Oil

Whizz that all up with a blender and enjoy!

• The berries provide antioxidants – vital after vigorous exercise to mop up damaging free radicals.

• The protein powder has no artificial flavourings or sweeteners and helps muscle repair and support the immune system.
• Glutamine also helps muscle repair and improves immune function.
  
• The green food powder is a concentrated source of nutrients including magnesium and B vitamins, both of which are used in the energy making processes of the body.
  
• Yoghurt provides some beneficial bacteria and more protein, and the apple juice some carbohydrate to restock my liver and muscle glycogen.
• Hemp oil is rich in omega 3 and 6 oils which help to reduce inflammation in the body.

Since I started my practice as a Medical Herbalist, I’ve treated hundreds of women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, insomnia, mood swings, depression, weight gain and vaginal dryness, most of whom have experienced some if not a vast improvement in their symptoms.

I started working as a herbalist in 2002 as the first big trial of HRT was stopped when it was found that there was an increased risk of side effects (including breast cancer and heart disease) in women using certain types of HRT long term. As a result most of my clients were women who had stopped or didn’t wish to use HRT, so I learned a lot very quickly about what herbs are effective for the different symptoms but also for the different ‘types’ of people.

A story in the news today (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7824864.stm) has highlighted one of the difficulties for herbal medicine in modern times – a lack of clinical studies to ‘prove’ it’s effectiveness. There is also a huge difference between using ‘over-the-counter’ herbal medicines (self-medicating) and using a formula created by a qualified herbalist after taking a full case history – the latter will likely be different for each person, and the herbalist will monitor their condition to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the treatment. As I have often found, a certain prescription may work for 6 months and then need to be changed as the underlying hormone levels, stress levels etc continue to change.

The National Institute of Medical Herbalists was able to fund a small clinical trial on the effectiveness of complex herbal prescriptions (using several herbs rather than just a single one) in menopause and the preliminary findings can be found here – http://www.nimh.org.uk/about-the-nimh/the-menopause-project-/nimh-outcome-study.

If you’d like any more information on the herbal or nutritional approach to peri-menopause and menopausal symptoms, please don’t hesistate to get in touch or book an appointment at one of my clinics.

Happy New Year! Having taken 10 days off over Christmas and New Year, it’s taken a few days to get back into the swing of things and remember how to get up on these dark Edinburgh mornings. Alarm clocks – yuck! I use a Lumie sunrise alarm clock which wakes you up gradually from sleep, like the sunrise, a much nicer way to become conscious in the mornings!

There seem to have been a lot of colds and flus doing the rounds over Christmas – nearly every client in clinic this week has had one. And I think Napiers have sold out of Echinacea! Luckily I tend to use Cat’s Claw more now for acute or lingering infections. I’ve been taking my usual daily doses of Fish Oils, high strength multivitamin and mineral, vitamin D and probiotic and this, together with washing my hands before eating or drinking and after every client, has (touch wood) kept the bugs at bay.

This week I attended a really good seminar on Women’s Health by Biocare, one of my favourite supplement companies. It covered all the latest research and natural supplement protocols for a wide range of health conditions affecting women including PMS, PCOS, Menopause, Osteoporosis and Endometriosis. These are areas that I already specialise in, so it was great to have a recap on the physiology of female reproductive health, and to catch up with the latest ideas and treatments for these common conditions.

Well it’s a long time since I last wrote anything here. Despite the doom and gloom in the news, clinics have been busy with people coming in with all sorts of health problems – lots of IBS, menopausal symptoms, post-viral fatigue, and skin problems which often get worse into the winter months.

My new Weight Loss Clinic at Bristo Place is now up and running, offering nutritional and herbal support for weight management. Call the clinic on 0131 225 5542 to book an initial appointment or email me for more information.

In the news today, more about the link between B vitamins and Alzheimer’s Disease. Vitamin B3 has been shown in mice to protect the brain from the degenerative changes seen in this condition. However, you do need to be careful with B3, it can be toxic in very high doses, and often also produces an unpleasant flushing effect (think beetroot colour!). More on this story on the BBC website – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7710365.stm

A new study has shown that a balanced vegan diet can help sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis – see the full article on the BBC Website

Although a small study, it backs up previous studies and experience of nutritional therapists that diet can make a big difference in rheumatoid and other forms of arthritis. Certainly we would almost always recommend to cut down saturated animal fats (from meat and dairy products), increase the ‘good’ essential fats (omega, 3, 6, 7 and 9) and to reduce wheat and gluten consumption. These simple changes will often make a difference quite quickly in reducing pain and inflammation, and as this study shows also lowers cholesterol and so protects the heart and arteries.

Of course when eliminating foods from your diet it’s wise to get some advice from a qualified nutritional therapist who will ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you require from your diet, and this is especially challenging on a vegan diet.