Easy Home Remedies For Menstrual Difficulties

Greetings to everyone.

Sorry fellas but this one is for the ladies! Menstruation is something that all women just have to put up with, natures little gift as my wife likes to call it! Don’t know about it being a gift but some women certainly seem to suffer more than others. Lifestyle and particularly dietary factors seem to play a definite role according to current research. Prevention is a measure you will hear me hammer on about a lot because, frankly, it is better than trying to find a cure after the event.

There are some simple and very effective preventative measures to help with the monthly visitor and these are listed below:

Get Some Sunlight

Some studies suggest that sunlight may help regulate the menstrual cycle. Plus sunlight produces Vitamin D in the body.

Stay Away From Fried Foods

Potatoe crisps, corn chips, biscuits, baked foods and anything that contains hydrogenated oils, including margerine, may increase menstrual discomfort.

Check Your Eating & Exercise Habits

Excessive exercise and low bodyfat, beyond a healthful range, will contribute to menstrual problems. Many elite athletes suffer this and this can have more serious problems later in life as well. If this applies to you then, decrease exercise load, increase calorie intake. Remember, you are not going to the olympics, you are looking for health and wellbeing, excessive amounts of exercise is harmful.

Reduce Sugar Intake

To satisfy your sweet tooth, turn to fresh seasonal fruits, nuts and dried fruits. Stevia and Xylitol are acceptable sweeteners, avoid aspartame it is particularly bad for you.

Eat Several Small Meals Per Day

Thhis strategy supports the immune system and reduces moods swings and food cravings.

Avoid Caffeine

Reduce your intake of coffee, chocolate and tea before and during menstruation.

Adjust Your Nutrition

Before your persiod, increase whole grains in your diet to help stabalize moodiness. Then once your period starts, eat fewer whole grains. When it ends, consume more protein.

Try Ginger Tea

Ginger tea can relieve nausea and abdominal discomfort. Grate 1-3 teaspoons of fresh ginger root; add to 1/4 litre of hot water and steep for 10-15 minutes; strain. Drink 1-3 cups daily.

Get Regular Aerobic Exercise

Not to contradict myself from what I said above but getting regualr aerobic exercise helps by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. May women with menstrual problems or pain also benefit from Yoga and meditation. Remember to keep it to a healthy amount of exercise – 30 mins a day; or 1hour 3-4 times per week.

By simply implementing these easy to do measures, you will aid your body through this time of the month and you will soon find life’s little gift a bit more tolerable and will hopefully have less need to reach for the analgesics.

Until next time, have a great day!

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc.

Don’t forget to add your comments and any tips you use for this condition so that others may benefit as well.

Macrobiotics & Massage – Food & Touch Heals

Greetings everyone. Today’s article is about how food heals you, more specifically, macrobiotics. Most people have heard of this and to be honest it is a difficult way to eat long term but it does have healing benefits and is very helpful if you are suffering an illness that conventional medicine offers little help for. Below is an example of one doctor’s experience of this helping him with a serious disease, please be aware that this is only an example and that this is no guarantee it will work for you the same way.

In Januray 1987, a retired English doctor living in Italy, Hugh Faulkner, was told after tests in London that he had Pancreatic Cancer. The tumour was already the size of a cricket ball and could not be operated on, but a bypass operation was performed to prevent it blocking the passage of food from the stomach. Dr Faulkner knew that drugs and radiation treatment would not be likely to help and that he would most likely die in a few months.

However while recovering from the bypass operation, Dr Faulkner began to receive Shiatsu treatments, which he found relieved the pain and stiffness. The shiatsu therapist mentioned that she felt he could benefit from Macrobiotic Dietary approach for his condition. After discussing it further with friends and family, the doctor decided to try it, since orthodox medicine had nothing more to offer…how often have we heard that! He contacted a counsellor in Macrobiotics, in London, who provided advice, books, cookery lessons and food supplies.

When the Doctor and his wife got back to Italy,  they began to follow the diet as carefully as they could. They grew many of their own vegetables and drank water from a well on their property. In addition they practiced regular self massage and shiatsu from lesson they had taken. Three years after the operation, at the age of 77, the doctor was not only still alive, but fitter and more energetic than he had been for many years. He was engaged in part time local health care and was also doing research, writing, learning Jazz harmonica and wood carving.

He has admitted that there is no scientific proof ( At that time…now days it is different many studies have show the healing properties of food and shiatsu/massage) that macrobiotics worked to cure him. However a scan showed that the tumour had reduced and that it’s centre was being destroyed. This is very rare in pancreatic cancer.

What this example shows us is that when you approach an illness with a holistic method like in this case, macrobiotic diet and shiatsu, you can achieve seemingly miraculous results. but in reality it is not so, really what we are seeing is what all natural medicine practitioner know, when given the right conditions, the body will self heal always. The shiatsu allowed the energetics of the body to harmonize and this is most important as the energetics are the instructions the biochemistry, the part the macrobiotics worked with, needs to function properly. A combination of approaches addressed both sides of this problem allowing the emotional side of this man to become clearer also thus he engaged in life more with woodcarving and music etc. This is not coincidence but a clear example of how energetic medicine when used with knowledge and accompanying therapies, is the answer that orthodox medicine fails to even acknowledge.

Have a great day!

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc. NESCP

Which Massage For What?

Greeting folks.

Massage, or as it is most probably more accurately called  these days, bodywork comes all different shapes, sizes and techniques. There are literally hundreds of different styles of bodywork, some are very good legitimate techniques and others are just something else rehashed under a different marketing ploy. Some are more effective than others and some aren’t effective at all!

So which kind is best for you and what you are needing? Let’s see if we can shed a little light on that for you then! First off you need to have clearly in mind what it is you want to achieve from your massage or bodywork. Are you looking to simply be pampered and relax? Are you looking for tension to be worked out? Are you wanting your persistent pains and aches to be sorted out? Do you want all of the above? This is what you must first have clear in your mind before seeking out a massage or bodywork therapist.

THE BASICS

Basically there are 3 main categories for massage or bodywork and most of the plethora of style will fit into at least one of them.

1. Relaxation Massage -The whole point of this massage is not to get into trouble spots or work out knots etc, it is to take you blissfully away from the everyday to a place of total relaxation. Swedish, Indian Head Massage, Hawaiian Huna or Lomi Lomi, Hot Stone etc are examples of this type of massage. These are the kind you usually get in a day spa or salon. These are still very therapeutic and great for you but don’t expect any sorting out of problems of a deeper nature.

2. Therapeutic Massage – This is a little more in-depth and will involve the therapist taking a case history before they work on you. These massages generally work into problem areas a little more firmly and are aimed at releasing tension and stress. Not overly firm but firm enough to get into the spots. Style examples include Therapeutic massage, Swedish, Remedial.

3. Deep Tissue Massage – This is probably the broadest range of therapies. Deep tissue involves the therapist taking a comprehensive case history and in some cases X rays can be asked for. These therapists work on the deeper tissues and problem areas of the body as well as the energetic system. This is usually quite a firm to hard massage and will leave you sore for a day or two post treatment but you feel amazing once it passes. This style is all about locating and working away at problem areas and creating healing. Styles in this category include, sports massage, Thai massage, Myopractic/Myofascial release, remedial, Bowen therapy, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, acupressure.

Of course there are many more styles of massage in each category than these few examples so look around and see which one appeals to you, these are mean’t as a guide to simplify the understanding for you. Now that you know what you want to achieve from your treatment and what kind of treatment you want you need to locate a practitioner near you. How do you know if the practitioner is any good?

CHOOSING A THERAPIST

Whatever you choose to undertake with any kind of therapy, the best recommendation for a therapist is the one that comes from others who have experienced and been treated by them. Next is the qualifications. Make sure the therapist you are going to has the relevant qualifications to practice their modality and that they are insured to practice. You must show your qualifications to insurance companies to obtain practitioner insurance and be registered with a professional association. These are the main things to look for to ensure your practitioner is legitimate.

Whether or not they offer private health fund rebates, like here in Australia, is really irrelevant. Many of the more elitist and power/money hungry professional associations out there will tell you different but the truth is many therapists are choosing to join alternate professional associationsas they offer better rates for practitioner insurance and cover more modalities for a far smaller fee. Health funds actually charge many therapists for the privilege of offering rebates, some don’t but make them jump through hoops for their provider numbers, most of which are just plain annoying and are not insuring the best treatment for you, the client, at all. The majority of these health funds do not rebate you, the customer, very much at all and are basically a rip off. With this in mind many professional therapists, who are well qualified, are these days opting out of offering rebates and instead pass on the savings to their clients through lower treatment fees due to not having to pay ridiculous fees to bloated associations and private health funds. So whether or not they offer rebates is not a deciding factor in how good a therapist they are. Don’t be duped by marketing! Your therapist will usually have their diplomas/degrees/certificate on the wall but if not and you want to be sure, just ask them. Most will be only too happy to show you their achievements.

Sometimes it can take a few goes to get the right therapist for you but when you do, keep them! Build a repore with them and they will know exactly how to fix your ailments each time. As a professional massage therapist myself, I know only too well the value of having regular clients and how much of a difference familiarity makes to the success of a treatment session. That’s not to say newer client don’t still benefit, they certainly do and a good therapist will make you feel like you have been coming forever anyway!

Massage is a wonderful way to enhance your wellbeing and to enjoy life. When done regularly it has long reaching benefits and is a great part of any wellbeing regime. Try it out today and feel for yourself how beneficial massage can be.

Have a great day!

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc. Dip. Mass.

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