Free Online Education in Health

So you want to be a natural therapist, naturopath or similar but you have not got the money or are unable to get to a study facility? Well fortunately the education world is catching up with the 21st century and unlike here in Australia, in the U.K. and the USA you are able to study online for a degree. This in itself is just amazing and was how I managed to work to support a family and obtain my qualifications…now imagine you could do some units for FREE! Well you can! There is an Open University in the U.K. that has opened a free online open learning space where you can access units for free and study them at home in your own time!

I personally have utilized this for my own ongoing expansion of knowledge and I have found the courses and unit content to be fantastic. There are many and varied subjects and topics but there are some great and very useful topics relating to health and wellness as well as lifestyle and environment.

Health and Lifestyle  and the Science and Nature  links are the most useful for finding health related units. The main page link is http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/ where you can choose from heaps of different subject units. Check it out as it is a really fantastic facility.

As well as the courses, you can have access to learning materials and lab materials. you can even modify them and create your own that you can share with the world! There is some very useful health, lifestyle and science realted materials in this section and it is great to be able to use. You will find this a very useful tool and it can be accessed here http://labspace.open.ac.uk/ You can simply choose your own subject/topic from there.

So to all of you out there wanting to study or who have and dropped out or who have qualifications and want to further your knowledge, this is a great online educational resource that is providing you with a way forward simply check out Open Learning here http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php?

Enjoy!

 

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc. NESCP. TFTCP. Dip. Massage  Dip. Reflexology

Sinusitis – Home Remedies

Hi folks.

Winter colds and flu season is coming soon and I have already got lots of good cold and flu info on here but I have yet to place a decent approach to sinusitis. This is a condition that often results in people after a cold or flu and is mainly the reason need to head off to the doctor for antibiotics which will in turn lower your immune system further.

You see whne you have a cold or flu your immune system is dealing with that mostly and other bacteria etc are free to set up house so to speak. We have loads of bacteria living in our ears, nose, mouth etc and when we are run down from a viral infection like a cold or flu we are open to a secondary infection from these bacteria. It is this bacterial infection that creates sinusitis.

Sinusistis is identified by lots of dripping from the nose or in some cases not much at all. Also, painful sinuses and headaches in these areas, fever, bodily aches and most of all yellow or greenish coloured discharge. It is this that is the give away to it being a bacterial infection as viral infection produces clear or white coloured discharge or mucus.

HOW TO BEAT SINUSITIS

• In the first instance, do not take antibiotics for a cold or flu as it will lower your resultant immune system and leave you open to secondary infection.
• Whenever you feel a cold or flu coming, take extra vitamin C and zinc. not radical amounts but a bit more than normal. Also take a good daily multivitamin/mineral/antioxidant supplement.
• Include Echinacea, Androgaphis, Olive leaf, Garlic and Astragalus in your herbal mixtures or in the herbal products you purchase as these are best for helping to build up your immune system longer term as well as boosting in the shorter term.
• Take a good probiotic, it helps the immune system generally.
• If the infection takes hold try to resist taking antibiotics. Use steam inhalation 2-3 times or more daily with a combination of Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus oil in equal amounts..around 3-6 drops of both. The steam opens up the sinus passages and both of these oils are antiseptic and antibacterial in actions.
• Drink lots of water.

In chronic cases that are dragging on, sometimes in order to stop yourself from being run down too much you may need to resort to antibiotics. If you do, MAKE SURE you take probiotics with them and the herbs and supplements mentioned above to ensure to don’t get t your immune system compromised too much. They won’t interfere with the antibiotics doing their job.

Sinusitis is something I see every year and I have helped a lot of people beat it using this simple method above. In cases of sinusitis being frequently occurring, there is usually an under lying problem which I use the NES scan and therapy for with great effect. hope this has helped you out.

Have a great day!

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc.(Natural Health Care) Dip. Massage Dip. Reflexology. NESCP. ATFTCP

Top Three Essential Dietary Supplements

Greetings everyone.

I am often asked a very common question by many, many people; “What should I be taking for daily wellbeing??”. It seems through a lot of misinformation out there as well as practitioners with questionable ethics, people are now becoming confused about what is in their best interests. So basically what I have done here is to list out the top 3 nutritional supplements that everyone should be taking daily. I only mention brands where I feel there is a significant difference in product quality.

Why Take Supplements??

Before we start let’s first start with why you would even need to take supplements for any other reason other than being prescribed them by a professional naturopath for an existing health issue.

• The main reason we need to take supplements in the current times is poor food quality. Our soils are very, very degraded and this means our food, whether organically grown or otherwise, is much lower in nutrients than in times past. There are many and varied reason for poor soils such as over cropping and contamination from pestacides etc but the bottom line is they are degraded and this results in poor nutrient levels.
• The next reason is that we as a general population in western civilizations are under far more stress than ever in our history and this takes it’s toll on our nutrition by having a negative influence on our digestion which in turn limits our nutrient absorption. We need extra nutrients just cope with the addede stresses we are all under.
• Third reason is poor dietary choices and lifestyle habits. Most people in the west eat far too much processed food and artificially flavoured foods and drinks. They consume too much alcohol and smoke and take recreational drugs. They work too long and relax too little. We have been duped by corrupted pharmaceutical industries into taking medicines that are doing us more harm than good and this is exacurbating the problems in most cases as well.

These factors are just some of the main ones, there are of course always others in each individual case and these all take a toll on the person suffering from them. The simple basic fact that we are what we eat is also a simple and effective tool and means to correct and improve our health and wellbeing.

What are The Big Three Then?

The three main dietary supplements I recommend are the following;

1. Professional Quality Daily Multivitamin, Mineral and Antioxidant Supplement – This is the main one. This is your insurance policy for proper nutrition. In an ideal world we would all get our nutrients from food sources and whilst there are some excellent “superfood” products out there designed for this, for some the taste and simply the potency of these are difficult to handle so the next best thing is a daily multi. it contains everything you need to ensure proper nutritional wellbeing from vitamins, mineral, and antioxidants. These nutrients are essential to your wellbeing, energy levels, mental and emotional wellbeing and help to prevent many, many illnesses as well as providing the building blocks for recovery and immunity. The B group vitamins alone are so important for nervous wellbeing, energy production, skin health and so on. Get yourself some of these and take one each day.
2. Omega 3, 6 fatty Acids – Fish Oils/ Flaxseed Oils etc - Again, these are an essential in our diet yet most of us lack them from dietary sources as we don’t eat enough fish or grains and seeds etc. A simple fish oil, or flaxseed or equivelent oil is what we all need for aterial wellbeing, heart health, mental and emotional wellbeing and joint health as well as healthy skin and eyesight. A daily dose of this supplement is an insurance policy for your old age being active and enjoyable.
3. Probiotics – We all tend to neglect this one. Many people believe that by eating a daily serving of yoghurt, even fortified yoghurt, they are getting plenty of these. This sadly, is not the case,  there just simply isn’t sufficient contained in the yoghurt. We all need to take a probiotic supplement containing at least acidophillus, bifidus and lactobacillus friendly bacteria. These aid in intestinal wellbeing and are also intergral to good immune functioning and can often be a major player in people’s long term immune system malfunctioning. I advocate talking to a naturopath about which products would be best for your individual situation as some require more of one than others so this is best handled by a professional.

By combining these three simple daily supplements you will go a long way towards ensuring you have all that you need to create and maintain optimum  health and wellbeing in the modern age. Of course in some people’s cases, more may be needed for specific ailments, but in these cases it is best to consult with your naturopath first to save you spending money on uneeded supplements and ensure you receieve the right advice and good quality products as not all are created equal.

Finally, these are not to form the basis of your diet. You should always eat a well balanced diet taking in lean forms of protein, complex carbohydrates and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as nuts, grains and seeds and also plenty of fresh water. The supplements are to be seen as more of an insurance policy and are there to make sure your getting what you need, not as an excuse to eat poorly or over doi it…they are not a miracle cure.

Until next time, best of health to you all.

Craig Hitchens. B.HSc., Dip. Mass., Dip. Reflexology, NESCP, ATFTCP.