Healthwise Clinic Natural Health Blog

IVF standards and procedures vary in different areas of the world.  some practices which are illegal in the UK are permitted in the  US and Georgia, for example.

Women in the UK can only earn £ 250 for donating eggs while in the States donors can earn $10,000.. which has meant that more American women are donating eggs.

A new practice aimed at older women who are unlikely to be able to produce their own eggs is being launched in Britain, but because the practice in illegal in the UK, treatment will take place in the USA.

The winner of a raffle will get £13,000 worth of IVF treamtent in the States and can choose the egg by education, race, and the personality and background of the donor.

It sounds a complex procedure and very close to science fiction stories of a fearful future.  Aldous Huxley’s book “Brave New World” had babies defined by type in the communal nurseries.

Any woman is of course capable of choosing the father of her child by race, education and personality and background.  In fact it is what happens all the time naturally.   The problem with “natural” of course means that women who are past child-bearing age cannot get pregnant.

Natural health brings special benefits.  Even if you are trying IVF as nothing else seems to work, acupuncture and herbal medicine help to balance the body and help both the mother and the unborn baby.  We are more than mechanical and chemical procedures,  and need that extra soul and spirit dimension in our lives for a fulfilled life and health.

See here for more information from Andrew Loosely on how to get pregnant naturally

Seaweed as you will know from Andrew Loosely’s last newsletter is a great addition to soups and casseroles.

It is rich in minerals and can help to reduce weight.  Andrew particularly recommended it during March which is the natural time to lose weight.  All good!

I see in the press that seaweed’s weight-losing abilities are now going to be used as an addition in junk food!  The thinking being that nobody can do without their junk food, so the best plan is to make it secretly help you to lose weight.

I suppose this is for two reason

The idea of eating seaweed is weird.  After all you could be at the beach and look down at the seaweed and you would be unlikely to think of having a quick munch!

Seaweed may not be on sale in places where you can buy junk food.  It is mostly in health food shops.

Seaweed to help you lose weight in junk food

Seaweed is presented in thin sheets and in fact doesn’t look like what we think of as seaweed at all.  It is not universally available in mainstream supermarkets here in the UK.

More information about edible seaweed.

Read more about the team from Newcastle University who conducted the research to put the seaweed into bread and their plans for more seaweed- based junk food products

But the best thing would be to make sure you are on Andrew Loosely’s newsletter so you get health tips for the season delivered to you .. real health nuggets not chicken nuggets!

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A woman in the US apparently wants to be the world’s fattest woman.

It is a strange world where so many are starving, and others are overeating.

There have been many comments on the article, as you would expect.

The reasons for overeating are usually complex and emotional.

Spring is the favourite season for many of us.  The sun is at last starting to shine, it is getting warmer (even though the winds are still bitter), but we feel excited and energised about the changes and the still warmer weather to come.

Green is the colour of Spring

Green is the colour of Spring

As you may know each season is associated with a colour in traditional chinese medicine and it can be no surprise that in Spring the colour is a warm green.  So feast your eyes on green-ness it could be good for your health.

Anger is the emotion of Spring

Each season is also connected with an emotion.  It can be a surprise to discover that the emotion associated with Spring is not peacefulness and calm but Anger and Frustration.  It doesn’t fit with our image of spring as being a pretty time.  Even thinking about anger can seem threatening sometimes.  But anger is a very necessary emotion in order to create change.  In traditional chinese medicine change is welcomed, and essential.  We are not the same all year round.  Our bodies minds and spirits need different things at different times of the year.

Think of spring and you think of spring cleaning, of clearing out, of houses going on the market and home owners moving.  All of these involve frustration with the old, and change.  It is the impetus to anger that makes spring so effective.  In fact we need some anger in order to get up off the sofa at all!

So this spring embrace any frustration you may feel and do something about it.  If you find yourself becoming irritated with others, simply wonder what you could do about your own life.  It could be there is something you would like to have, or to be or to do.  Plan to make the change and very often you discover that what was previously annoying has stopped affecting you, and you are more energised about your own situation.

Spring is the time to get it done.

Here’s a recipe from my repertoire for a highly nutritious chicken stock and soup that will boost your immune system and give you lots of energy. Eat it at least 3 times per week, but it can be eaten daily for optimum results.

Chicken stock recipe
This makes a clear stock that you can use as a soup base alone or with other foods.

Ingredients:
I recommend using organic products if possible. I leave everything whole so that the stock remains fairly clear.

1 whole chicken
1 large onion
6-8 bay leaves
3 sticks celery
2 leeks
8 shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp sea salt or ideally Himalayan salt
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Goji berries
Water to cover the chicken completely

Instructions:
Place the chicken in the pot and add all of the ingredients (whole) and then add the water to cover over the chicken.
Turn heat on and slowly heat it up. Do NOT bring it to a boil or simmer at any point during cooking.
It must cook for most of the day 6-8 hours and very slowly. For the first 40 minutes you need to skim off the frothy stuff that comes to the top. Keep doing this every few hours and you’ll be rewarded with a clear beautiful stock. Season with salt and pepper. Do not boil or simmer just let it get very hot.

If you want a better stock start it in the morning and cook it very slowly all day. Then let it cool down overnight and reheat the next day and cook for a few more hours. The longer you cook it the better it tastes but one day is sufficient for getting health results.
Once cooked, take the chicken out carefully so as to not leave anything in the stock. Remove the skin and discard and then take all of the meat off the bone. Let cool down and refrigerate. To finish the stock, strain the vegetables out and either eat or discard them. You now have a very healthy, immune boosting stock. For increased immunity add more Shitake mushrooms and more goji berries and 9 grams of Astragalus (herb), available at Healthwise. This herb is one of the best in the world for improving immunity.
Try the recipe below for a meal idea.

Meal idea:
Once cooked, put the stock in a bowl, add cooked noodles, some of the chicken meat and raw pak choi or other leafy greens (finely chopped) and uncooked finely sliced Shiitake mushrooms and enjoy

Adding lemons to your diet in spring is the secret traditional chinese medicine tip to lose weight.

In Spring your body is detoxing naturally – yes really!  This excellent news means this is the perfect time to lose weight.

Why add lemons to your diet?

Lemons break down mucus build up

Lemons also help to reduce blood fats

which leads to you losing extra weight and being healthier.

However, you don’t need too much of the sour taste in Spring as it will upset the Liver which is the organ associated with Spring.  About half a lemon a day – or posssibly even one whole one – is easily enough.  If you have too much of the sour taste you can damage your tendons and soft tissue.

One of the best ways to get the benefits of lemon is to squeeze the juice of a lemon into boiled and slightly cooled water, and drink.  Go on, try it!