Healthwise Clinic Natural Health Blog

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 report into period pain conducted with 650 female  students at the University of Birmingham concludes that no link was found between exercise and removing period pain.

“After taking into account mood, ethnicity, weight, smoking, and use of the contraceptive pill, they found no link with how much exercise a woman did and whether she suffered from period pain, or how bad her pain was.”

At Healthwise we never assume that exercise on its own is the answer but the right exercise combined with the right diet, and the right attitude at the right stage in the month can contribute greatly.

Acupuncture is often the catalyst which can get the body balanced and reduce pain, and increase a feeling of well-being.  We don’t just want to stop period pain but help women feel well and enjoy life.

Even more interesting is the comment by Professor Steve Field who is Chairman of the College of GPs – as reported on the BBC -

“Some exercise is good for you of course but the main treatment for period pain is the contraceptive pill.”

We strongly dispute this and in our experience at Healthwise the main treatment for period pain is to get to the source of the unbalanced energy.

Professor Field is also quoted as saying  “It is a common problem and people usually self medicate”.

Self medication presumably means pain killers which again are not correcting the original problem.  Period pain may be common, unfortunately, but it is most definitely not normal.

Andrew Loosely will explain all this in more detail in an ebook to be published shortly.  If you have period pain and would like to be notified when the book is released please sign up to the newsletter list.  The book will help all women to understand the four stages of the monthly cycle, and the food, exercise and approach that is needed at all stages throughout the month.

Please don’t take the contraceptive pill assuming that is the best route to pain-free periods.

Read more about the research

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The 69 year old single mother of twins born through IVF recently died.

Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara became the world’s oldest mother.  Apparently she lied to doctors that she was 55 when she was in fact 66 at the time of her IVF treatment.  She contracted cancer and has died leaving them motherless at the age of two.

She had already reached the menopause.

Lorraine Kelly, the GMTV presenter has spoken out strongly against the treatment.

“ Implanting pensioners with donor eggs and pumping them full of hormones so they can give birth in their late sixties is morally bankrupt and plain wrong,” Lorraine is reported as saying.

“I believed at the time of their birth that she was being horribly selfish.  I still maintain she should never have been given the fertility treatment.  Having a baby is not a woman’s right it is a privilege.”

The mother developed cancer soon after having the boys which created debate about whether the IVF treatment had in fact contributed to the disease.

Lorraine Kelly herself experienced secondary infertility (SI) after having had her daughter.  Although she suffered a miscarriage when six years later she did become pregnant, she did not want to undergo IVF fertility treatment.  In her autobiography “Between You and Me” she explained

“ I never went down the road of IVF.  I didn’t feel so overwhelmed about it that I wanted fertility treatment.  We just tried the old-fashioned way and it didn’t happen.  We have accepted that.”

Many of the families we see at Healthwise Clinic feel, like Lorraine, that they want to have a baby the “old-fashioned” way.  Unfortunately fertility treatment with acupuncture is less well known than IVF or normal pregnancy so Lorraine may never have heard of it.  However it is a way of boosting the body’s natural fertility and there is nothing artificial about the process.

Acupuncture and herbs can help couples have their first or subsequent babies.   That a woman who has already reached the menopause can give birth at all highlights the artificial nature of IVF  treatment.

Do you agree with Lorraine or not?

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If you have the problem of infertility you are already in a slightly stressful situation because all couples would prefer to conceive naturally and easily.

If IVF has been considered, the first things to think about are the medical issues. The most common is often the risk of multiple births, and then the realisation about the artificiality of a situation where you are taken to menopause and then brought back.

But it would never cross your mind to consider the chance of adminstrative errors. The press has reported two stories recently of error: adminstrative mistakes with a huge repercussion on people’s lives.

One woman who thought she had an egg saved to try for a second birth, has now discovered she has no egg. It was donated to another woman who promptly aborted it when the mistake was realised.

The other case involves another mix up where a white couple now have a baby from a different race.

IVF treatment is difficult and costly, and usually time is running out for the mother, so to be told that the egg had been given away must be very hard.

And the parents of the child born with a different coloured skin were expecting the baby to be their own flesh and blood, and not the result of an admin mix up. Obviously many couples (not just Madonna and Brangelina) happily adopt children of a different race, but in these situations it is all part of a conscious decision.

These problems make it impossible to pretend that IVF is a natural process, and add another layer of concern for couples already coping with the stress of infertility.

At Healthwise Clinic we advocate a natural approach both in terms of the way the baby comes into the world, and in a personal relationship with the couple. Our success rate using careful diagnosis, acupuncture and herbs gives us cause for confidence. And we know we are improving health and reducing stress at the same time.

There is a natural alternative to IVF.

Acupuncture is not a simple word to write or say but it is a simple treatment to receive to aid fertility.

After your consultation and diagnosis you lie fully clothed on the treatment couch.
You then relax and very very fine needles are inserted at certain points into your skin.
You lie peacefully on the couch and may find that you naturally doze off for about twenty minutes.
The needles are removed, and most patients tell us they feel refreshed, and come back gently into “normal” life.
You will then be given some guidance on what to do or avoid.
Your supply of chinese herbs that have been prescribed individually for you will be checked, and you may receive a new prescription.

It all takes place in one room in the clinic, and with one consultant who knows you personally and sees you every time. You are not sent from one department to another with your notes under your arm to talk to different people.

We have been told that this helps to make the process of having a baby seem more natural, and helps to give you confidence that you can become pregnant.

As our bodies and minds are linked, we think that having a respectful relationship with you and your body contributes to our success rate of over 65%.

For some people with a lower immune function pollen in the air causes problems in the form of allergies.

Pollen is only one of many allergens known to us and there are now thousands of people suffering with various allergies every day of the year.

Some of the common symptoms that indicates a reaction to pollen include a runny nose, itchy eyes, puffy skin round the eyes and a general feeling of being unwell.  A reaction to pollen can look the same as a cold. It can be called “hay fever” even if you have been nowhere near hay!

From a natural health perspective, the body’s defensive system are weaker than normal for a substance to cause an allergic reaction,  so we strengthen the body so it can fight against the allergen.

One of the first steps could be to have an allergy test. We use a method that works by assessing the hair and the response within the body when you came into contact with the allergen. The hair stores everything that you come into contact with is stored inside the hair structure, so it can be read in detail.

The results and advice on what to do are given to our clients.

Many allergic reactions can be treated with diet.  If it is diet related treatment can be as simple as just making some dietary changes over a few weeks and the immune system may improve.

If this is not sufficient then it is possible to get excellent results using natural medicine such as herbal medicine and acupuncture to improve the immune system.

There have been many new research projects showing that acupuncture and various herbs greatly improve the number of T cells.  These are responsible for the health of the immune system.

Acupuncture has been recommended as treatment for back pain on the National Health Service in the UK.

It is the first time the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has explicitly backed the use of any complementary therapies.

So this is very important news indicating credibility for acupuncture.

Acupuncture is already at the top of the complementary therapies but has never been recognised by NICE.

Back pain costs the country billions in terms of lost days, and with an aging population  slumped in front of a computer or the TV screen, it can only be expected to get worse.  So to some extent this may be a cheaper alternative to expensive pills, days in hospita, and certainly days lost to productive work.

This is however a very significant move forward.  Maybe pills and potions are beginning lose their authority – even to the medical establishment – and perhaps the side effects are also being factored in to the treatment.

Women who want to want to turn infertility around naturally prefer to consider acupuncture before IVF and IUI, but we are not aware that the general public would think of acupuncture for back pain.  It will be interesting to see what effect this recommendation has. The cases of back pain treated by Andrew Loosely at Healthwise Clinic have to date been as a result of people who know and trust the clinic already: they have sometimes been surprised that acupuncture can relieve back pain.

The World Health Authority has been recommending acupuncture for back pain for many years.  But they have a a higher regard for traditional medicine as it is so effective in many countries of the world where western medicines are expensive or inappropriate.  In “developed” countries pill-popping to mask symptoms has been the orthodox view.

This is an exciting development.  However a word of caution .. not all acupuncturists are created equal .. so it is important to find a practitioner who has qualified thoroughly in acupuncture, rather than simply had an additional module as part of another type of training.

NICE is recommending three different types of treatment… including physical exercise according to the BBC.

Acupuncture can be very effective not only with the pain, but in terms of strengthening the body to prevent ill-health. Of course prevention is better than cure, and a gentle exercise programme, the right diet and an enlightened attitude in harmony with the environment is the best defence. Back pain is not just back pain but part of lifestyle choices and even attitude.

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There is a baby boom taking place at the moment!

Back in September and October when the recession news really started to hit it was noted that sales of take-aways were going up. So people were staying in more, and the papers at the time said that this might result in more births.

And they were right. Now, nine months later a lot of babies are being born. Apparently in some hospitals there is a problem with finding midwives to assist with the births.

If you would love to be part of the giving birth boom but are having problems, please don’t worry. There are a lot of things you can do to help yourself become pregnant. The first one is to enjoy yourself and cut down stress.

If you consider acupuncture and chinese herbs with Healthwise, we can advise you on what would be best in your individual situation.

Our clients enjoy coming to the clinic for their treatment which is a wonderful start.

Sarah Jessica Parker of “Sex and the City” fame and her husband Matthew Broderick are expecting girl twins in the summer by a surrogate mother.  If this sounds unlikely read it at Reuters.

At Healthwise of course we wonder if they tried acupuncture and herbal medicine. Surrogate parenthood is a huge step. In the clinic we do see quite a number of couples who expected the second baby to appear almost on cue.

Their chances of having the next baby naturally are increased with the acupuncture treatment package, but also their general level of health and well-being. So you can cope better with the pregnancy and with the babies when they appear.

Not all acupuncture is created equal and we are proud of our considerate and personal approach. If you know any celebrities who could easily consider surrogacy but would prefer to get pregnant naturally please refer them to Healthwise. We would love to help!

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Baby rabbits, eggs and new born lambs are the ancient symbols of  spring-time. We give chocolate eggs and rabbits to each other even if we celebrate Easter as a Christian tradition.  It is the time of year for new growth.

This year the weather has been warm so the blossom is out in towns and countryside, new green shoots can be seen and all of nature is bursting with new life.   Baby lambs are walking unsteadily in fields, birds are building their nests and looking after the young, and life seems full of promise.

For many childless couples who want to have a baby this can be a particularly difficult time of year.  The contrast between their own situation and the world around seems particularly unjust. The couple may start to wonder what is wrong with them, or resent the unfairness of the fact that birth seems such a natural activity yet they have been excluded.

At some point they may seek advice, physical tests, or support and their situation can often be described to them by a person in a position of authority as  “unexplained infertility”.

After a length of time having had hopes raised and dashed each month, this opinion, which puts a clear label on the situation,  can cause extreme distress.   Extreme situations call for extreme measures so IVF may become the obvious “answer” to the problem.

At Healthwise we do not believe in “unexplained infertility”.  It is always very clear why a couple cannot conceive, or have not yet conceived.

We go even further.  We do not believe in “infertility” as a lasting state.  In some cases there may be mechanical issues which can be resolved, but these are a smaller proportion than might be expected.

The ability to produce a baby is natural.  It does not require thought or any type of proof of worth.  Just look at nature.

A stage of infertility can occur due to a whole range of factors resulting in a lack of balance in the body of either of the partners.  There is nothing unexplained or difficult to comprehend.  The solutions can take time but each incremental improvement improves health and well-being.  A mother who has become pregnant through acupuncture treatment at Healthwise is stronger and more capable of looking after her baby, than if she has become pregnant through IVF or IUI.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are the natural way to support the body so that the natural process of birth can take place.

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