Beautiful Home: Make a meaningful cushion cover (for busy women)

One of the beauties of living is that we can continually reinvent ourselves and our surroundings to better reflect who and what we are in that moment.

 They say a change is as good as a holiday, right?

I was bored of my couch cushions and looking for an update. I found I need not look further then my cupboard. Inside was an old torn sarong, gifted by a past lover. The affair was fleeting but the sarong has been hanging around for almost 12 years. Its purples and blues have faded beautifully, and the texture so soft and perfect for resting a weary head.

I wrapped an existing cushion and was pleased with the way it perched on my couch, oh so hip. For the next couple of weeks I continued to wrap the cushion, remaking the couch daily and also adjusting other various throws and pillows, all of which my husband would swipe into the corner nightly as he settled in for some TV time.

This would not do. I was tired of picking up and re-wrapping cushions. This sarong needed to become the cushion cover it was pretending to be, for real.

So this is the busy mamas guide to whipping up a slap-dash cushion cover that looks super cool like it cost at least $89.95.

You need:

• A cushion you would like to recover. If you don’t have one try an op-shop, or inserts can be purchased from fabric and ‘haberdashery’ stores.

• Fabric: Use anything that is cushion appropriate as long as you have enough fabric to cover it, like your baby’s clothes that no longer fit, an old dress, anything beautiful that catches your eye. You know what you want in your home, seek it out.

• Sewing pins, sewing scissors, a sewing machine, thread.

• A zip that is slightly smaller then one side of the cushion. You may need to measure this with a ruler or measuring tape.

Instructions:

Remove current cushion cover.

Pin cover to fabric.

Cut a around three edges of the cushion cover leaving about an inch (2.5cm) leeway for hemming. No need for measurements here, you have eyes after all.

This is the hard part: You need to unpin the cushion cover and then flip it over ON THE SIDE THAT YOU HAVE NOT YET CUT. Don’t bother about the inch hem allowance for the edge you have just flipped over, because you don’t need it.

Pin the cushion cover down again, and cut around the other three edges, leaving the inch allowance for the hem on these outer edges.

You should now have a rectangular cutting that is twice the length of the cushion cover.

Decide which side is the ‘right' side meaning the side that needs to be on the outside of the finished product, and then fold the fabric so the right sides are facing each other. To repeat that again, face the right sides inwards.

Pin two edges together, and sew them, Use up most of your inch for the hem, but not the full inch. I’ll let you be the judge.

Stitch down the sides again for a doubly strong cushion (if you care for such formalities, If you’re too busy, bah).

Ok this is where we attach the zip. You will have one side of the cushion that is completely open. Turn down each raw edge 1cm, pin and and sew. This will make it look nice and neat when you attach the zip.

Unzip the zip, and pin one side of the zip to one of the edges, taking care to place the zip exactly where you would like your zip to be.

Use the zip foot of your sewing machine. Sew that side of the zip that is pinned. Good Ok, now you need to pin the other side of the zip, When you pin, pin from the base of the zip to ensure the zip is flat once you have finished sewing. If you pin from the top of the zip your cushion zipper could get a bit bunched up and bubbly.

With the cushion inside out, make sure all edges are finished up, snip away excess threads, turn out the right way, insert your insert, close your zipper and viola! Throw it on the couch and admire your good work.

You’re gorgeous, and so is your home.

PS. My husband blew his nose of the fabric scraps and gave me the idea of turning the remainder of the sarong into hankies. Genius.

A conception story ... make the healthiest baby you possibly can

I met my partner at the age of 20, we were drawn to each other like magnets. He moved in with me after four weeks, we were married in three and a half years. Nine years later we’d bought our first house.  

At the time I got married, at 24, I figured I’d want a baby when I was 26. But 26 came and I was far from wanting a baby, and so was Andy.

27, no, still not feeling it. I was having way too much fun, and studying. 28, Babies were far from my mind, I could smell the end of a four-year naturopath degree. 29, we bought a house, I graduated. Babies felt somewhat closer, but I still wanted to get my naturopath feet wet, dip my toes in. Practice my skills. And then I turned 30. It was well and truly time.

I went to a 4 day pregnancy conference just for naturopaths. All about care during pregnancy, all the ways we can help our clients as a health care provider. They drummed into me a four month preconception program is ideal.

Nurture your eggs and your partners sperm, make the healthiest baby possible by getting your body and hormones in perfect working order.

Get rid of toxins, bad habits, anything that’s not whole and pure.

Go to yoga,

meditate,

Exercise,

Eat like a health queen.

First there was a detox. I started a six week detox on my own accord. I cut out all that was bad for me, but I kept losing motivation, falling of the wagon. I also had my inner party girl begging to be let out for a last hoorah before motherhood began, to kick up my heels and celebrate my freedom and youth. I got my 23-year-old sister over from Victoria to stay with me for a week so I could pretend to be 23 again. It was awesome.

She came and went, and I knew I had to get serious, and I couldn’t do it on my own. I didn’t want to waste any more time. I enlisted the help of Naturopath Cassandra Boylen, to set me on my path. Having her to hold me accountable was exactly what I needed.

She put me on some detox herbs and supplements. She gave me a diet plan, recipe ideas. I did swimmingly, much better then I was doing as a solo detoxer.

I did have one or two ‘educated’ slip ups, a couple of glasses of champagne on week four for a friend’s birthday. Its what you do most of the time that counts.

I was also taking supplements including probiotics, an antenatal multivitamin. I took Iron and vitamin D supplements after a blood test came back low.

The idea was to get my body in as prime condition for conceiving a beautiful healthy child. All nutrients topped up, hormones primed and ready to go. I also began eating meat after 11 years of vegetarianism. This is because good grass fed meat is packed with all the key nutrients you need for baby making, including B6, B12, zinc, Iron, essential fatty acids, saturated fats and high quality protein. And my iron levels were already on the low side. I intuitively felt that if my body was getting everything it needed, then baby making would be a breeze.

I was healthy in the first place. I could have been exercising a little more, but I’d been a diligent exerciser for most of my twenties. I’d been a super healthy eater for years. My one foible is that I’d regularly indulged in too much wine, and this was one of the major reasons I wanted the detox and preconception care. I wanted to heal as much damage as possible.

In order to make a baby you need a reproductive system that does what it's supposed to. I’ve been fortunate in that my reproductive system has always been reasonably balanced. I hadn’t taken any pharmaceutical contraception since I was 22, preferring to use natural contraception instead (ie I tracked my cycle and avoided sperm while ovulating). I’d noticed since turning 29 my cycle had lengthened by a day or two, and often I experienced a 29 or even 30 day cycle. This bothered me a bit as it meant things had changed, and were not as they were in younger years.

There's plenty that can be done with reproductive disorders such as PCOS and endometriosis. Please don't despair if you experience these or other reproductive issues, be proactive, think positive and please speak to a health care provider to get help.

Once or twice a year I would get crippling menstrual cramps or bouts of pre-menstrual depression, but I noticed these often followed a particularly boozy – coffee filled month. But mostly, my cycle was regular and dependable, an old friend.

I tried to get Andy on board with the preconception too. He’s not a big drinker, he eat’s reasonably well and has long given up smoking. However he is 46 years old (to my 30 years at the time of conception) and has a stressful job. I got him some special healthy sperm supplements, and nag as I might he didn’t take them.

When and if we go for round two the healthy sperm supplements will be non-negotiable however. Having the healthiest child possible is a no-brainer, why would’t you do everything possible to give your bubba the best start?

In my pre-conception phase I treated my body mostly like the temple it deserved to be. No one is perfect all the time, and it’s no use beating your self up for the odd mishap.

Truth be told, I didn’t manage to last the four months of preconception care. I was about at the three-month mark and I spent the week leading up to ovulation with an aching overwhelming urge to try for a baby. So we did, and little Evie (yes I named my unborn child when she was at about 8 weeks gestation) was conceived the first time we tried. She was meant to be, it was her perfect time to come into existence.

And there she was, just like that.     

baby evie at 12 weeks

It’s hard to know how much the preconception care helped, because we had never tried for a baby before, so I have nothing to compare it to. What is definite is that we had absolutely no trouble conceiving a perfectly formed child, and for this I am unendingly indescribably grateful.

I feel the pre-conception preparation invited a healthy pregnancy not only physically but spiritually and mentally. All of these aspects are important for welcoming a new little being into your life.

It also brought me piece of mind, knowing I did my best to give my baby a nourishing environment in which to implant and grow.

The key health points to take away from my preconception experience are

• Know your body. Understand your cycle and recognise when you’re ovulating. Ideally sperm should be ‘introduced’ about a day before you ovulate.

• Your body is a temple, a healthy age-appropriate body will happily reproduce… You are biologically wired to reproduce. So relax and give your body what it needs. A naturopath can assess your diet and arrange testing to correct any nutritional deficiencies.

• A pre-conception care program gives you solid guidelines to get into tip-top shape for conceiving. This is important for everyone but especially important if you have a history of food intolerances, IBS, auto-immune disease, and hormonal or reproductive imbalance.

• It takes two to make a baby, so two people should be engaging in pre-conception care to ensure the best start.

Photo credit: Hannah Jones of Keeper Creative

Pregnant: The difference between sexy & beautiful

I’ve never been so in awe of my body and also so shocked by it. I’ve never felt so much like an animal. Especially anticipating in another 19 weeks or so I will birth this bubba and feed her from my now more-then-ample breasts.  

I giggle with glee at seeing my bump enlarge week after week, a smile that becomes a little stretched out of shape as I catch site of my thighs that now rub together and the butt that won’t quit (getting bigger).

There’s a few things going on here, cravings for carbs and cheese aside. My capacity for exercise has reduced, a desire for rich, fatty and nutritious foods has increased.

My hormones are padding my body out, gearing it up for the many breast milk feeds that are destined for the future.

Breastfeeding can take 2000kj a day, with that in the pipeline I’m not surprised my body is becoming super efficient at storing fat. I’m just like that. Any periods of excessive exercise are usually coupled with weight gain for me rather then loss.

A few weeks ago I read a blog written by an anonymous father-to-be, who expressed, quite bluntly, that his ‘previously 10/10 wife’ who was now 6 months pregnant was not sexy at all. She was a zero, a turn-off. He couldn’t bring himself to make love to her, even though she was super horny (a pregnancy thing) and wanted him.

He then went on to talk about how her growing belly reminded him of his own personal anxieties about becoming a father. His disgust for his wife’s body was way more about him then it was about her.

Whatever ‘Man,’ I read this just two days after my husband left for a two week trip. Had he been coming home that evening, I would devised ways and means to coax whatever reassurance I could out of him. But he wasn’t here, nor was I going to see him for two weeks.

“Thanks Mamamia for posting this” I commented, “Participate in the denigration of the self esteem of your target audience why don’t you. “

The next day the words of the article still haunted me. I didn’t want to become repulsive for making this gorgeous, perfect, gift-from-God soul baby, who is an absolute treasure to the both of us. Who I already love so much it scares me.

I don’t want to lose my attractiveness. I’m a young woman. Who wants to be un-sexy?

I checked out my reflection often in the days that followed. I began to realise, Pregnant bodies aren’t, technically, sexy. It’s true, there’s no biological requirement for a pregnant women to be sexy, she can’t get any more pregnant then she already is.

What’s the point?

And further more, I don’t want to appear sexy to any man right now, (apart from my soul mate husband). I have no interest in having another man anywhere near me, I’m sure this is another biological mechanism for protecting my baby.

I became at peace with my inner struggle. I decided it’s okay to not be sexy. I’m okay with that. I’m growing a baby, and that’s where my energy needs to be. I can be sexy again after the baby’s born with breastfeeding, gentle exercise and a healthy diet. And time.

Then my husband came home from his trip.

I didn’t ask him directly, but I can tell from our conversations and the way he feasts his eyes on this protruding womb of mine….

He is just as excited at my growing belly and milkmaid breasts as I am. More than excited, he is absolutely enamored with his unborn child.

This morning I got dressed to take the dog for a walk down by the beach. I put on a singlet top that no longer quite covers my abdomen, with bump just slightly sticking out from under the fabric.

Is this a bad look? I asked him. He said, ‘I don’t think pregnancy is a bad look. It’s let it all hang out, It’s ‘I’m pregnant and I’ve got a flower in my hair, and I’m growing another little flower in my body’ “

His very sincere way of saying pregnancy is beautiful. It made me smile.

He’s so in love with his baby girl, he’s totally embracing all the change that comes with it, all the changes that happen to me. And I am too, and this is how it should be.

Follow your heart and everything gets better

  If you told me two weeks ago my life would take this twist I wouldn't have believed you.

A couple of weeks ago I was reflecting on the spring equinox as a time for releasing the old and letting go of what no longer serves you. I didn’t expect the old to release quite so quickly and in such an unintentional manner.

Through a sequence of happenings that began on the day of the spring equinox, the celebration of new life,  it became obvious a position I thought I needed didn’t truly reflect how I wanted to feel or the lifestyle I wanted to lead.

Nature shifted, the planets aligned, the stormy weather began.

I realised, after several days of deliberation and meditating with a monkey mind, that I wasn’t being true to myself or what I truly wanted.

So, with my soul purpose to help our community heal close to my heart,

I chose to take a leap into spaciousness.

My gut was telling me go, to follow the beat of my own drum and practice Shiatsu and Naturopathy in a way that truly serves my clients and makes my heart sing.

To write that I wasn’t bummed out would be a lie. I was completely bummed out that the path I'd been walking had come to somewhat of a stand still. But this didn't last long, and the beautiful, gentle sunshine weather this week helps affirm my intuition that I've course corrected in the right direction. My happy heart leaves me secure in knowing I’ve definitely made the right choice. The support and encouragement from my friends and family have been outstanding.

Change is necessary for improvement.

On the other side of my amicable resignation meeting is freedom, and the knowledge that my practice is once again entirely in my hands. This is both daunting and exhilarating.

Divine timing reaches a graceful and loving hand,

and I find, like always, the universe provides. The week when things were looking chaotic and totalled, not one but two amazing opportunities present them selves. Yes the universe definitely has my back.

My wind chimes sing under the olive tree. My garden grows green, my clients show up, and I go about being my own boss once more.

It’s scary leaving a comfortable position into the unknown. At the age of 24 I first received guidance through my meditation practice to leave an office job and practise shiatsu full time.

I ignored my gut and stayed with the job. I was fearful, and studying, and things felt uncertain.

Eventually I did follow that guidance, albeit 5 years later, and took the leap into self employment. Since then my life has been a sequence of miracles and self-discovery. Everything career wise, heck everything life-wise is WAY better, even if the pay is yet to catch up.

I often wonder what would have happened, where I’d be now, if I’d taken that leap at 24 rather then at 29.

Time is our most precious commodity and we can’t afford to waste it on unsatisfactory living.

So yes, I’m a seasoned job leaver, love seeker. Sharing my story, and hoping you too will follow your heart.

Moon musings + 6 ways to heal through letting go

This weeks full moon on the 9/9 was a weird one. I was bringing up old energy from the past all over the place. There were vivid dreams that involved old boyfriends, unrequited love and resurfaced childhood emotional-neediness. Stuff came up that I thought I had resolved years ago.  

Old destructive habits reared their ugly head and I ended up with an acute stomach condition that started on Saturday afternoon. I thought it more then coincidental that I was having issues with my stomach- the meridian of earth and nurturing-  while simultaneously feeling emotional pain for a lack of nurturing (that old unresolved emotional neediness I touched on in the last paragraph).

I’m not really an astrology gal though I do occasionally enjoy the musings of astrologer Anne Ortelee. She wrote Saturn’s prescence in Scorpio will throw us back to between the ages of 16 – 23 for the week leading up to the full moon.

Yep, this is where I went, back to my 16 year old self with emotional angst, and I even had a strange craving for playing video games, something I haven't done since my teens.

 Yes I felt I had digressed.

In search for answers I looked to the moon mavens I usually confer for comments on the lunar cycles, but they both have been silent this full moon. They weren't the only ones, I’ve been pretty damn silent myself.

The weather went absolute gang-busters all over Perth, wild winds and bucket loads of rain descending down on us, shaking us and confining us indoors hoping the windows don’t break in and the roof doesn’t blow off.

My sickness stirred and grumbled in my tummy for a few days, building. It felt my large intestine was inflamed and red sore. The wind battered and howled outside as did the wind inside. Whoa man.

I’m not going to share the finer details of my food poisoning incident, trust me, you don’t want to hear it. But eventually after a couple of day of stirring, growling and causing pain, I literally let everything go. I purged, I cleansed, I slept, and then I was healed.

The night of the full moon itself went by almost without notice. A thick cloud covering hid if from view.  It was apparently completely full at 9:39am, when it was daylight and blocked from vision by the rotation of the Earth .

Out of sight out of mind, no one has mentioned the moon to me this week. I think about this time the words drained, spacey and withdrawn come to mind. I even forgot to put crystals out, I watched a webinar  that went late and went to bed.

The following morning I rose and gathered my rocks and jewellery, placing them in the garden bed with intentions of cleansing. Ready to take responsibility for myself once more.

I’m a big believer that each new experience brings with it an opportunity for growth.

My emotional drama and my physical illness heighten the importance of a letting go, letting go of emotional crap that comes up and threatens our productivity and success, because lets face it, it’s just not worth dwelling in a place of zero creation and stagnant growth.

So recognise your troubles, the ones that hold you back, and let them go. The full moon is the perfect time to let go of unnecessary baggage, habits that no longer serve you, and beliefs that keep you stuck.

Let go so you can move ahead

Physically expressing your intention to let go of an emotional pain or memory that you no longer need to hold on to through ritual is one of the most powerful thing you do to begin your healing journey.

I was going all gung-ho at writing my own releasing rituals when I realised the gorgeous Karina Ladet (she pops up a lot for me lately, I think she’s becoming a muse) had already listed some gorgeous releasing rituals in her 7 days to a more intuitive you course and sent them to me this very week. This list combines my releasing rituals with Karinas because her's are so good.

• Sweat it out, go nuts on the punching bag, go for a jog, whatever form of exercise you love to do, move through the movement and forward into life.

• Write it out, write a letter about what it is you don’t need and don’t want, and tear it up, burn it, throw it into the sea. Release.

• Meditate: Visualise yourself is a beautiful forest (I love this visual) all the trees and birds are in support of you, it is a very loving place. You come to a circular clearing and a flower meadow. In the centre there is a fire contained in a sizeable circular stone fire pit, with golden symbols engraved in the stone. You understand that this is a very cleansing fire. You then take your burden, which is in a dark bulky sack, it feels heavy, and drags you down. You gather your strength and heave it from your heart into the fire. You feel strong, and light. You watch the sack transform into ash and smoke, the smoke twirls into the air, the sack is no more. You are light and free. You take a moment to feel gratitude for all of your blessings, all of your loved ones, and your comfortable home. You then become aware of a drumming circle and tribal dance. It’s time to celebrate. You join in and dance to the beat of the drum, feeling complete freedom, love and support.

• Ask your guardian angels/God/Jesus/Buddha/idol of choice to take it away and dispose of it (that easy hey)

• Find a stone, pebble, or a piece of wood. Hold the stone (or whatever) and visualise you need to let go of, breathe it into the stone and ask the stone to carry it away. Toss the stone over a cliff/into the river/out the car window, wherever you feel is best.

• Go for a swim in the ocean and imagine your sorrow washing away with the cleansing waters

The full moon is a time to let go of your shit. LET IT GO. Even though the day may have passed this month, the waning moon is a closing energy, a winding down and releasing to make way for the new moon two weeks later, where everything begins afresh.

Shiatsu Massage and Flower Essences are a wonderful tools for releasing and overcoming fears and emotions. And so is talking through stuff, and balancing your hormones. I’m available for Shiatsu massage and Naturopath appointments and I love to help. Give me a holler.

What's causing your Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

I want  to talk about some of my least favorite things. Stomach pain, flatulence, bloating, the runs, and constipation. Does this sound like you?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a really common, in fact it's the most common condition I see as a naturopath. However there's no simple solution. Everyone is different and what’s causing your trouble may not be the same as your friend.

Numerous theories abound as to what may be causing your digestive upset. I’m going to cover the most researched hypotheses right here.

Excessive Stress

Your brain is in communication with your digestive system via a few different pathways in your nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is known as ‘the rest and digest’ nervous system. This is switched on when you feel relaxed and there is no danger. Conversely the sympathetic nervous system is your ‘fight and fright.’ When you’re feeling stressed this will be switched on.

When you’re in stress mode, your body switches on your brain and muscles and turns off your digestive system. This is because digesting the food you just ate is the last thing you need to be doing when you’re in danger. No you need to be running away and figuring out how to outsmart the threat.

If you’re chronically stressed, this has an ongoing negative impact on your gut, where food in not digested properly causing pain and discomfort. You’ll also be missing out on the nutrients in your food because you won’t be absorbing them properly.

Altered Serotonin Signalling

You may have heard of this neurotransmitter that often has feelings such as happiness and joy attributed to its actions. Did you know much of your bodies serotonin is actually manufactured in the gut? 95% of body stores are found in the digestive system. Serotonin has a major action on your gut motility – that is how well your digestive system passes food from one end to the other.

Researchers have found an excessive level of serotonin is likely to cause diarrhoea whereas too little tends to cause constipation.

Visceral Hypersensitivity

Do you have an awareness of your digestive function? People with IBS tend to have a painful awareness of the stomach, small intestines and large intestines. Increased hypersensitivity has been associated with lower levels of serotonin.

Infection

After a severe bout of gastroenteritis the upset to your happy commune of gut bacteria may be enough to completely through the balance out of whack and IBS symptoms ensue. The harsher the infection, the more likely you will develop post-infection IBS. Other risk factors include depression, being female, longer duration of illness and fever.

Alterations in Gut Flora

Gut flora is commonly altered in incidences of IBS. This can be caused by antibiotic use, poor diet, the contraceptive pill, stress, and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Alterations in gut flora can eventually lead to overgrowth of the wrong kinds of gut bugs leading to poor immune defence and less production of short chain fatty acids. These short chain acids help water absorption and also feed the good bacteria. They are crucial to good gut health.

Bacteria who are good in one place can be bad in another. Sometimes they start colonising in places they shouldn’t, such as your small intestine. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is found in 50% of IBS cases.

Possible causes for SIBO include gastrointestinal surgery, proton pump inhibitors (medications for indigestion such as Omneprazole), immune insufficiency and malnutrition.

SIBO has been associated with medical conditions such as depression, acromegaly, diverticulitis and interstitial cystitis, cystic fibrosis and fibromyalgia.

Food Hypersensitivity and Intolerance

Do your symptoms get worse after you eat certain foods? Some food intolerances may be because you lack an enzyme required to break the food down. For example you may lack lactase required to break down lactose, a milk sugar found in dairy. Others might be because your body can’t transport that kind of food molecule effectively. Basically in some way shape or form, your body is just not equipped to deal with that food.

When you do eat one of these foods you can’t handle, your intestinal wall becomes inflamed. This inflammation causes further sensitivity and creates even more intolerance.  Food you were able to eat as a teenager is suddenly making you feel very under the weather.

The good news is, you may be able to recover from most of your intolerances once the daddy of all intolerances (milk, fruit, wheat, soy whatever it is for you) is removed from your diet).

If you regularly suffer digestive discomfort I’m sure you might have an idea or two about what might be contributing to your symptoms, especially after reading the above. Once we figure out the source of your discomfort we can go about treating you as quickly and as effectively as possible.

Naturopaths are great at treating gut problems. We have an arsenal of gut soothing herbs, intestinal wall repairing nutrients, and can offer support and direction in your dietary choices. You don’t have to live your life afraid to go out in case you suffer a flare up/make a lot of smelly gas/feel bloated and disgusting.

If you’re a Perth local  please make an appointment here I’d love to help you.

I wish you peaceful meals

References

Sheppach W, 1994, GUT an International Journal of Gastroentology and Hepatology Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on Gut Morphology and Function.

Hectman L 2012, Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier

Gorgeous photo credit to artist Camila Carlow, isn't it amazing? A floral digestive system. I love x

My Herkimer Diamond Heart. A crystal gift from my spirit guides.

I’m at the beach with a new glimmering Herkimer Diamond around my neck. It's lifting my energy and inspiring me with endless possibilities. As if I'm on some kind of spiritual speed except it’s completely clean with only the high and no low.  

I put this piece on layby after being strongly guided by my magical massage hands to take it home with me. This is going to sound a little weird but let me explain. When giving shiatsu massage I tune into an almost unconscious intuitive inner-knowing where my hands seek out the tight spots, knead away the knots, and soothe and balance energy practically all by themselves. I release overall control of the movement and let my hands lead the way to peace and release.

I tune into this same inner compass …I guess you call it a kind of physical intuition, when I need to make a big decision.

For example when deciding whether I should buy something …such as a stunning Herkimer Diamond Quartz, I’ll hold the object in my hand in front of my chest. If my inner goddess wants me to buy the object (read because this thing will somehow bring me joy or enhance the evolution of my soul) my hand will move the object toward my heart. If it makes no difference or is not going to really be much value my hand will put the object back on the shelf, or move it away. I also have a yes/no system for questions that cannot be held (such as should I buy this house, should I take this job) . For yes my hand moves to the right, for no I move to the left. No need for a pendulum here. I find the powers that be generally want you to enjoy yourself, and there’s no need to deny yourself an amazing dress or a fab piece of furniture if it’s going to bring joy and beauty into your life.

Anyway back to the Herkimer Diamond. My strong inner compass loved this thing. My eyes found it a visual delight, my heart was swooning, but did my brain love the price? Not so much.

Before putting it on layby I wondered if I would have and afternoon of guilty buyers remorse and a wave of budget anxiety washed over me. However another hold in front of my heart opposite the cash register affirmed I was onto a good wicket.

Once home, memories of this stunning crystal beauty infiltrated my thoughts.

Opens to creativity....... aligns healer with patient..... heightens clarity and clairvoyance....

were some of the gems listed as her properties in Judy Halls Crystal Bible. Far from feeling guilty I was ecstatic. Layby would not suffice.

The next day I brought it home, cleansed it in water, left it in the sun next to my calendula plant with beautiful yellow flowers for a couple of hours.

After I time I felt ‘guided’ to complete another of Karina Ladet's Spirit Guide meditations (check out what happened in the last one here) feeling now was the perfect time to do a meditation I’d been meaning to do for a couple of weeks. A guided meditation was the perfect way to attune myself to this gorgeous new rock.

Anyway within this meditation I’m communicating with my guides (which was amazing and a whole other story) and Karina instructed me to hold out my hands to and ask my guide if there is a gift for me.

Here’s the thing, I was already holding the Herkimer Diamond and so with a smile on my face held up my hands, crystal included and felt a gorgeous blessing wash over me and my crystal.

I feel like the crystal was the gift divinely sent to spend some time with me. I feel like this crystal chose me, a rare once in a lifetime piece that comes along just at the right time to guide me to the next level of my journey. The last time I had a such strong pull to buy a crystal was my flourite wand that woke up my intuition and led me to massage 10 years ago.

Since this first and favourite fluorite came into my life I’ve collected various crystals over the years, all beautiful in their own right. This one, though, this Herkimer Diamond, feels like an absolute game changer. I wear it, I hold it, my heart opens and rushes of excitement course through my veins, my future full of possibility.

After the meditation I was finally ready to string my new Herkimer onto the new silver chain and hang it around my neck. Leading me to the beach, border collie at my side, pen and notebook in hand, setting sun and a giant smile on my face.

As I write I get a message coming through, from my wonderful supportive spirit guides. “Wear it well Libby, beautiful child of love.” How nice is that? Amazing.

I get this spirit guide crystal story will be worlds away from the experience and beliefs of some. This contact with the spiritual realm is far removed from everyday mundane. It's certainly not run of the mill for me, it takes practice, daily meditation, good food and honoring my intuition to get to this level of trust. Sure it occurs to me that I may be cray-cray, that I'm making it up, and it's all in my head. But these thoughts feel like nasty, clammy closed in fear whereas my meditative mindset  fills my being with expansive love.

When you pay attention to your soul, when you trust your intuition, wonderful, wonderful things will happen. You are loved, you are special, and you are here to shine your light.

Do you have a special rock? One that you just adore, makes you feel good, looks divine? I’d love to hear about it. Tell me in the comments on the facebook feed.

Blessed Be

References:

Karina Ladet www.karinaladet.com

Hall, Judy, 2003,  The Crystal Bible, Godsfield

Wild edible plants in your garden. The Sow Thistle.

I love the term wildcrafting, don't you? It's so earthy and free. It means to harvest produce that grows wild, be it for food, medicine, or beauty. Wildcrafting is going into the wild and taking what is naturally available. There’s something so gorgeously real, primitive and abundant about getting what you need from the earth. There’s no exchange of paper money, or disconnectedly swiping a piece of plastic card through a machine.

What you need is just there waiting for you in the sun, freely available and ready for the taking.

Last year I planted some mustard lettuce in my vegie bed. It fed me well and eventually it’s life circle completed, I let it go to seed, it seeded. Everywhere. And then it died.

This year I have mustard lettuce growing up through the lawn and in cracks of my brick paving, It’s adorable and tasty and full natural goodness. And so so convenient too. I love pulling lettuce out of my lawn, giving it a wash and putting it in my lunch.

I have another weed growing ambitiously all over, and I had a sneaking suspicion was the medicinal dandelion species we use in herbal medicine as a liver cleanser and digestive tonic, but couldn’t be sure.

I looked it up and although my weed and the medicinal dandelion had very similar leaves and flowers, their sizes varied hugely. This was definitely a different plant.

The Taraxacum officinalis (botanical speak for Dandelion) seems to hang out low to the ground, whereas my ‘dandelions’ were towering up to over a meter high.

I had get to the bottom of this.

I pulled off a baby leaf of my mystery weed and gave it a little chew. Hmmm, a little spiky around the edges, slightly bitter but definatley palatable. Tastes like healthy greens, not poison. This was a good start.

So here comes the part where most would get on google, but I decided to meditate on my weeds first, to see what my intuition could tell me. I had a guided meditation waiting on my computer specifically for connecting with nature and this was the perfect time to use it.

 I asked the plant what it could do for me.

Sitting in the garden, sun flowing over my face, headphones in my ear’s and computer by my side. I clear my chakras under the guidance of the beautiful Karina Ladet. I put my hands around a particular healthy specimen of this mystery ‘dandelion’ and felt a cleansing tingling feeling throughout my body. My blood felt clean flowing and light filled. My mouth moved towards a leaf and made a chewing motion, my bodies way of showing me it’s ok to eat this plant, and if fact I should eat it. I sat with my hands on the leaf for a little longer, I then decided to chew off a bit of leaf as if were an ape in the jungle, tearing the end of the leaf with my teeth, straight from the plant. It was a wild moment of connection with my inner animal, followed by a self-directed laugh at my gorilla-like behavior.

Giggly and amused, my guided meditation ends leaving me with a giant warm and open heart. I got the message that this plant is super healthy and definitely edible but the scientist in me wants some solid proof.  Inside I identified my mystery weed as the Sow Thistle aka Sochus oleraceus, thanks to the wonderful guide to Edible Weeds and Foraging in Perth by Charles Otway (see reference below). Some sources report that this baby has a whopping 1500mg of calcium per 100g and 45mg of iron.  It’s also high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and a good source of vitamin C. Not to mention the phytochemicals the flavones, stilbenes, polyphenols and glycosides that exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and all round good stuff properties.

Charles Otway thinks Sow Thistle tastes better when it’s still quite young, before it shoots up and flowers. I tried a mature flowered sow thistle though and I thought it was still good.

It’s very name ‘oleraceus’ is latin for good eating.

In short, you can safely pick (wildcraft) the leaves from these plants and nutritiously mix them through your salad, through your scrambled eggs, put on your pizza, use absolutely anywhere you use greens FOR FREE!

Traditionally more mature plants are boiled or steamed, but young leaves are good raw. I do recommend mixing the leaves up with other greens, rather then eating a bowl of sow thistle all by itself, simply because like all things, you can have too much.

Wild Plant Medicine

A New Zealender by the name of Mawalagedera (2009) wrote a thesis about the antioxidant value of this plant, and makes a point that the a particular New Zealand Maori population has less incidence of colorectal cancer dispite being in a very high risk group for the disease. She writes that sow thistle is a staple in the diet along with sweet potatoes, silverbeet and watercress. Perhaps these foods are offering the protective factor?

She also writes the more mature plants have a higher antioxidant value.

A 2013 study reports sow thistle is may be an effective option for treating Diabetes because the high antioxidant value protects the liver, kidneys and blood plasma from damage caused by high blood sugar.

Wildcraft away. I know what’s going in my salad.

SENSIBLE SALLY SAYS: Make sure you wildcraft from places that you know havn’t been sprayed or wee’d on. And always wash wash wash. 

References:

Mofor Teugwa^1*, Pascaline Chouadeu Mejiato¹, Denis Zofou³, Bruno Tugnoua Tchinda¹ and Fabrice Fekam Boyom²  BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine 2013,Antioxidant and antidiabetic profiles of two African medicinal plants: Picralima nitida (Apocynaceae) and Sonchus oleraceus (Asteraceae) 2013, 13:175  doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-175

Sundara Mudiyanselage Maheshini Rangika Mawalagedera 2014, Antioxidant Activities of Sonchus oleraceus L.

Otway, Charles (undated) Edible Weeds, Common Plants and Foraging Around Perth, www.terraperma.com.au

Karina Ladet www.karinaladet.com

Are you low in Iron? Quick Quiz + what all the fuss is about.

So what's the big deal anyway?

You need iron to produce red blood cells. These deliver the most essential nutrient of them all, oxygen to all the cells of your body.

Low iron left unchecked and untreated can develop into iron deficiency anaemia, this is where you may notice symptoms of fatigue, weakness, pale skin and shortness of breath.

On top of this, iron levels affect cellular energy production, hormone production and detoxification pathways. If your levels are low your going to be feeling under the weather...all the time. 

Iron is absolutely crucial for periods of growth, especially pregnancy, teenagers and for children six months to four years of age. If iron levels aren’t up to scratch in these special times, you might see suboptimal growth and development.

Do you have low iron? Read through these questions and take note of how many yes’s you have.

1. Do you feel tired or fatigued?

2. Do you feel weak?

3. Do your skin, nails or gums look pale of feel cold?

4. Do you get short of breath or breathe rapidly?

5. Do you get dizzy or lightheaded?

6. Is it difficult to concentrate?

7. Does your pulse race?

8. Do you have heart palpitations (are you conscious of your heart beat often?)

9. Is your menstrual cycle irregular

10. Do you have numbness or coldness in your hands and feet

11. Do you have Restless Legs that keep you up at night?

12. Are you irritable and grumpy?

13. Do you feel sad or depressed?

14. Do you suffer from recurring infections or colds?

15. Is you have haemoglobin levels less then 130 – 170 g/l for adult males and 120 – 150 g/l for adult females (you’ll get this in a blood test)

16. Have you ever been diagnosed with anaemia?

If you answered yes to five or more of these questions, you may have an underlying iron deficiency. We'll have to test you to be sure. It's important not to commence iron supplementation without consulting a health professional. I highly recommend you discuss this with your naturopath so we can further evaluate your iron status, and set you on the path to wellness.

You need to be especially vigilant if you're

• pregnant
• an athlete
• a teenager
• have a digestive problem that affects nutrient absorption
• vegetarian or vegan
• have recently lost a lot of blood or continuously lose blood

If you're a sandgroper and worried about your iron please drop into the Fremantle Markets and speak to a qualified Naturopath at the NatMed stall on the weekend. Otherwise contact the lovely reception girls at NatMed 9339 1999 and make an appointment.

Look after yourself

References: Hectman L, Hywood A, Newton T, Integria Pregnancy Intensive Handouts, Eagle 2014.

Detox Diary Week 4. Winning!

I've been on a detox for the past 4 weeks.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned it's that if you want to make any real progress you need to push outside your comfort zone.

Resistance had prevented me from properly starting a detox all year. It slings a rope around your neck and hangs weights from your shoulders. Resistance pops it's ugly, time-wasting head in to remind you that  going without simple things that bring pleasure and comfort is terrifying. Will life still be enjoyable without coffee, toast, and wine with girlfriends, wine as you cook dinner, wine on a beautiful afternoon…..? Yes there was resistance for sure, but once I pushed through, it’s like I’ve broken free from a murky fog into clarity and a fertile path before me. And it feels AWESOME.

Without a doubt, my detox has been successful because I’ve been gentle with myself. There has been two occasions where I really felt the need to have a coffee, so I had one. Two coffees in four weeks is not such a big deal, especially with all the help I’ve been getting with the detox supplements I’m taking, and lack of alcohol, dairy, gluten and sugar.

Some very happy things have been happening since I've been detoxing.

My skin has cleared, I’ve lost weight, and the bags are gone from under my eyes. I’m loving the gym again. This from a girl who has resisted workouts that span more then 20 minutes and  the slightest sweat for a long time.

I haven’t felt like a drink. Not one, zip, zilch. I feel healthier than I have for a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t swigging the bottom of a wine bottle every day or anything, but I’ve always loved a social drink with friends, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to resist the temptation at an afternoon gathering, but so far it’s been plain easy.

My intuition is speaking louder. I’m seeing synchronicity all over the place. I’ve been fast tracking my happiness and spiritual connection after feeling called to begin Gabrielle Bernstein’s May Cause Miracles, I’m on day 8 and already feeling way more in tune.  I’ve started a new blogging course, which is absolutely adorable. I’ve sorted out my finances and set myself up with a retirement plan, Not to mention new inspiration I’m getting from everywhere, my garden, the beach, my clients, internet land.

Everything feels clearer, smoother, cleaner. I love it.

If you need to give a detox a whirl I have some great news. I’m very excited to be presenting MY VERY FIRST SEMINAR!  I'm giving a FREE talk on detox coming up on October 7.  I’ll release the particulars coming up in the next few weeks.

Of course you don't need to wait until then, you can always come and see me beforehand.

From my heart to yours

Lib

PS. I’m writing this in the George St Bistro, its so French style in here a coffee sounds delightful, But I resist! And this time my resistance feels like the right choice.

PPS Are you stressed? Have a shiatsu! It's divine.

What PMS personality are you?

Oh my, it’s that time of the month again, one minute you’re snapping at your partner, the next your crying over a video on Facebook, and you could murder a chocolate bar. Yes your mood and your hormones are inextricably linked. Nowadays science knows a fair bit about the intricate hormonal dance that goes on in your body there and there is plenty you can do to minimise the crappy feelings that come with your monthly.  

Understanding exactly what’s going on is vital to easing your PMS symptoms.

With some loving kindness, some gentle lifestyle changes and a few key herbs, you can reduce your miserable PMS moods.

I’ve listed some of the most common PMS symptoms below accompanied by a biochemical explanation with tips on how to mend. Dig in!

Carbohydrate Cate: Your estrogen levels rise and fall throughout your menstrual cycle, peaking at ovulation. Estrogen tends to keep your levels of happy juice serotonin up by preventing its breakdown. Serotonin is important for feelings of joy and restful sleep. When levels of estrogen go either up or down, especially if rapidly, serotonin levels drop away accompanied by low mood, tears and sadness.

When your serotonin levels reduce you crave carbs, why? Simple sugars allow for a crucial ingredient of serotonin, the amino acid tryptophan (found in foods such as cottage cheese, turkey almonds and bananas), to enter the brain. The quicker we can get that sugar in the sooner we can make some more serotonin. How’s that for Mother Nature answering the call of the wild (wild woman)?

Estrogen also increases lighthearted opioid and feel good endorphin activity…. Feelings we’re sure to miss when estrogen levels change. Funnily enough chocolate also boosts opioids and endorphins. One of the many reasons we reach for a chocolate fix at that time of the month.

Constipated Chloe: But only on your cycle? This is another symptom of serotonin deficiency, probably caused by a drop in estrogen.

Bloated Betty: Bloated tummy, swollen breasts and water retention. In theory, this is also attributed to high levels of estrogen raising aldosterone levels, a hormone that manages body water levels. But is also related to poor hydration, too much salt intake, and magnesium deficiency. Be sure to lay off the salty junk foods and get your magnesium rich greens into you.

Acne Ann: Acne around the chin and jaw line is usually progesterone related.

If this is you, you can lessen and eventually eradicate symptoms by focusing on enhancing your natural detoxification and elimination pathways. This means looking after your liver and lymphatic system by getting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, take a good quality multi vitamin (ie not from the supermarket) reduce alcohol and coffee intake and try having 2 tsp. of apple cider vinegar in water first thing in the morning. If your spots bother you I highly recommend you see a naturopath or herbalist for some hormonal testing to pinpoint exactly what’s going on and get some herbs and nutritional support to aid detox and get your skin clear.

Dreamless Daisy: No dream recall is another symptom of lower serotonin levels, so if you don’t dream on your cycle, this is quite likely because your estrogen levels have lowered.

Anxious Anna: Do you also tend to pear shape? Get sore breasts around menstruation and carry a lot of water? Estrogen increases synthesis of prolactins. In excess prolactins make you feel insecure and unsafe, anxious, antisocial and parked on your couch.

How’s that for a paradox? Above we learnt that estrogen boosts serotonin and therefore makes you happy. And then we learnt that excess estrogen can make you anxious. It goes to show that the interplay between your hormones and your neurotransmitters like an intricate dance, a little something out of whack over here puts something way out over there.

Indecisive Irene: Do you find it difficult to concentrate and make decisions? This is to do with your sex hormones (progesterone, estrogen) modulating the effect of GABA, another neurotransmitter. Low GABA also means interrupted sleep, anxiety and alcohol cravings. I remember some fond memories and some not so fond hangovers where I’ve gone completely overboard on the champers right before the first day of my period.

Depressed Dina: A few years ago, I was having periods where I felt so low I couldn’t get out of bed. The rest of the month I was cruising around happy as Larry. This is usually attributable to progesterone dominance. With a few herbals and lifestyle changes, I never feel like this anymore.

If you have a pre-existing diagnosis for depression or anxiety not related to your period, symptoms are nearly always worse pre-menstrually.

If you feel down please make sure you talk to your loved ones, or seek support in some way. You are not alone; we love you and want you to be okay.

The Pregnancy Princess: Did you feel amazing during pregnancy while your bestie felt terrible? This is due different hormonal baselines. Pregnancy is accompanied by a sustained boost in progesterone. Progesterone enhances mood, cognition, memory, and anxiety and regulates the effects of estrogen. Progesterone is like a love drug. For those who don’t feel awesome while up the duff, you may already tend to higher levels of progesterone and so higher again doesn’t feel any good. . Either your going to be estrogen dominant, or lack normal levels of progesterone

Snappy Susannah: Progesterone rises naturally during the second half of your cycle, dropping sharply to trigger your period.

This sharp drop in mood enhancing progesterone explains a sullen descent into serious crankiness and irritability.

Thrush on your period? This is linked to estrogen excess and is treatable with an anti-candida plan and therapy to balance your hormones naturally. See your naturopath if this is a problem.

Are you overweight? Did you know that fat cells produce estrogen all by themselves? Excess fat tissue leads to estrogen excess putting your hormones out of whack. This is true for men also, heavyset men produce estrogen in their fat cells leading to gynacomastica (aka man boobs) and big hips.

A little word on pain

There are a few theories as to why our uterus will cramp us into foetal position on menses.

One is that the endometrium, the uterine lining that is shed on menstruation, contains prostaglandins, little chemical messengers that cause inflammation, when they are shed, they react with the uterine tissue causing a reaction.

A sharp drop in progesterone is also one of the many hormonal signals that bring on labour, our body is designed to open up and spasm to birth a child, we do so on a smaller scale to shed menses.

Painful periods are officially titled dysmenorrhea and tend to be worse in young women. If this is you, rest assured that most of us grow out of it, especially after we have children. Severe pain that lasts for more then a day needs further investigation, chat to your naturopath about what to do next.

So what can you do about it?

There’s plenty you can do to reduce painful and moody periods.

Looking after your liver, eating a healthy nutritionally rich diet, and engaging in stress reduction activities all play a big part in balancing your hormones to happy. This means reducing alcohol to no more then 2 drinks on any one occasion, reducing environmental toxins and indulging in delicious fresh wholefoods with plenty of magnesium rich green salads, green juice and dark chocolate. Also consider magnesium supplementation. This nutrient is involved in over 300 of your bodies enzymatic processes, you should be aiming for 600mg of magnesium a day.

Are you majorly stressed? Works a killer, the kids are screaming, the house is a mess? High levels of cortisol will block estrogen receptors, leaving you prone to severe hormonal symptoms. To get this under check making time to engage in stress reduction activities is absolutely imperative, and getting on some stress managing herbs can help also. Try long romantic walks in nature, yoga, meditation, a hot bath with essential oils, make quite time to read a favourite book or magazine. Better yet, have a shiatsu massage, a divinely relaxing way to relieve stress.

Increased levels of exercise are associated with lower incidence of PMS, so get a sweat on 3 – 5 times per week. Your body will love you for it.

Smoking tobacco and high caffeine intake are also related to painful PMS. Cut down on the coffees during your period, and, well, you know what to do with the fags. If you’re a smoker and want to give them the flick, I highly recommend reading or listening to the audiobook version of Allan Carrs “Finally Free: The easy way to stop smoking for women” to put you in the right mindset to succeed.

Whats Normal? A normal cycle length is considered to be between 21 and 35 days and should stay consistent. So if you’re a 29 day girl you should stay at around 29 days. Minor variations …give or take a day or so, is considered normal. A widely varying cycle length needs further investigation. Make an appointment with a naturopath for some assistance.

Do you feel like you’re doing all the right things but are still suffering 1 – 2 weeks in four?

Do you fancy sailing through your periods giving loving kindness to your family, feeling footloose and symptom free? This is a real possibility (kind of) first though we need pinpoint what’s going on.

Sure we can look at your symptoms and make assumptions about what’s happening, but the only way to find out what exactly is going on, is to test you.

Salivary and serum hormone testing is available through most naturopaths, and is recommended to determine where your hormone levels are at so we can put together the best care plan to get you on the road to joyful and painless balance.

Your thyroid health comes into play also, An under-functioning thyroid will contribute to depression and anxiety, so if these symptoms are common for you, consider getting checked out for thyroid issues also.

There are plenty of amazing plant medicines available to balance female repro and abolish PMS. Addressing underlying nutritional deficiencies is essential for optimal body function, because if the nutrients are missing, it’s not going to work.

Pop any questions in the comments below, and if you’re local and struggling with PMS, book in for an appointment.

Lots of Love:

Libby

References:

Halbreich U, Kahn LS. Role of estrogen in the aetiology and treatment of mood disorders. CNS Drugs. 2001;15:797–817. 
Felthous AR, Robinson DB. Oral contraceptive medication in prevention of psychotic exacerbations associated with phases of the menstrual cycle. J Prev Psychiatry. 1981;1:5–14.

Cheryl Watson et al. Estrogens of multiple classes and their role in mental health disease mechanisms International Journal of Women’s Health 2010:2 153–16

Hectman, L 2012, Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, Saunders Elsevier

Sarris J, Wardle J 2010, Clinical Naturopathy Chuchill Livingstone

Conquer That Cold! 7 strategies for getting well ASAP

Oh no, there's a familiar yet dreaded tickle in the back of your throat. Your energy levels drop to zero and that mild headache just won’t go away. Don't distress! Follow these guidelines and with some good rest you’ll be back on your feet and healthy before the snot stream cascade. This is what I do when I’m getting sick. With these little tricks of the trade 95% of the time I manage to prevent my condition developing and lasting more then 1 – 2 days.

Hit the Herbs: Here’s the thing, while conventional western medicine can’t do anything much to kill a cold or a virus, there ‘s heaps of help waiting in the plant world. There are many amazing dynamic and effective herbal combinations that boost your immune system and have direct anti-microbial and anti-viral action. Herbal medicine can reduce the duration and severity of your cold/flu by days. Taking herbs in liquid form is best, but dried herbs in capsule form also work, albeit probably not as fast. Most naturopaths do quick acute immune consults so call ahead on the day and book in.

Essentials Oils: Eucalyptus and Tea Tree are magnificent anti-viral’s and decongestants. Thyme and oregano are also great anti-microbials and fab for throat infections. I’ve become a devotee of throwing my head back, opening my mouth and letting 1 drop (that’s 1 drop) of tea tree oil fall onto the back of my throat. You can then gargle and swallow, or if gargling is too much, just swallow. Make sure your tea-tree is 100% pure. Right now in my essential oil diffuser I have eucalyptus, cloves, wintergreen and myrrh, all wonderful for killing bugs and helping you breathe easier.

Zinc and Vitamin C: During periods of illness I recommend 45mg of zinc daily in two divided doses and vitamin C at 2000mg per day (for an 60kg adult) in divided doses. For a child administer the weight appropriate percentage of the adult dosage, for example, a 20kg child would take 700mg of C in instances of respiratory illness.

Eat whole cloves of garlic. I know this sounds yuck, but you can swallow it like a pill, you don’t have to chew! It’s important to crush the garlic first, this activates the anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial immune boosting goodness called Allicin within the clove.. Garlic also helps keep you intestinal bacteria in check. Some people do this every day as a preventative measure. Apparently after you get used to it you don’t smell so much. Hmmm.

Ginger and lemon tea: I like to chop my ginger and simmer in a saucepan for 20 mins or so, and then add fresh squeezed lemon juice just before I drink, You can add garlic and honey to this combo, but I prefer to eat my garlic whole (see above)

Healing Chicken Soup: A high quality protein soup made with bone broth is full of minerals and amino acids required for kickass immune function. Plus the act of making a delicious home made meal with the intention of healing is beautifully nurturing and health restoring for all who partake in it's nourishment. There's magic in the mix. Try my recipe here.

Bed Rest. I know it’s hard to drop everything, obligations and necessity keep us out and about. Do what you can to rug up and keep warm as much as poss, and get some good and proper rest! Outsource the cooking duties for one night, leave the washing in the basket. Get into a good book or a fave magazine, and laze about with your aloe vera tissues and an immune essential oil blend (see above) The more energy you have to devote to fighting off that flu the better.

Get well soon my lovelies

Love Libby

8 things to be wary of in the New Australian Healthy Eating Guidelines

Australians, did you know we have a new guide to healthy eating? It’s definitely an improvement on the old 90’s food pyramid that had me as a child trying to stuff in six serves of white toast and breakfast cereal with juice a day…I shudder at the thought, luckily I escaped obesity and diabetes, my heart goes out to others who weren’t so lucky.As you can see, the new guidelines are a pie chart, that kind of looks like a plate. The Department of Health and Aging suggest we eat these relative proportions of food groups daily. The dept’ is well intending though some of this research is a little out dated. Here’s my nutritional critique of our eating guideline pie:

1. You are not the same as your friends, your kids, or your parents. People of different ages, sizes and backgrounds have bio-individual needs. So releasing the one document as a way to eat is to be used as a loose guideline only.

2. The dairy component of this pie chart is the least essential part. Yes cheese is delicious, on occasion. And in fact I’ll be putting some high protein cottage cheese in tonight’s Nutloaf for celebration of Yule. However, all the goodness in dairy is available in the other food groups on the chart, especially within the proteins and healthy oils. Yes dairy is high in calcium, and that is the reasoning behind it’s high inclusion in these guidelines. However in scientific studies high dairy consumption has had no preventative effect on osteoporosis and fracture in the elderly. And people from countries where they traditionally consume no dairy (china, japan) have healthy strong bones and less rate of fracture. The science just doesn’t add up.

Dairy is a major allergen for many people in the population, and is often relatable to skin conditions. If you can tolerate dairy go ahead, but it’s not a necessary part of your daily diet.

3. The overall message of this pie chart is that fat is bad. On the contrary, fat is absolutely essential. Healthy oils such as olive oil and canola oil are completely left out of the pie and are in the same category as margarine. This is RIDICULOUS. The trans fats in margarine and other hydrogenated vegetable fats (that is fats that are usually liquid at room temperature made solid through processing) have been shown over and over to contribute to blocked arteries and heart disease, while diets high in olive oil and omega 3 fatty acids protect the brain and heart. The canola-margarine industry is big in Australia, and perhaps this is why margarine is listed in the same category as olive oil, but really, you are better off with butter on your bread. Whole saturated fat butter is better then trans fat margarine any day. Also it’s interesting to note the Australian guidelines warn against modern nutritional wonder food, coconut butter for it’s saturated fat. Recent research indicates that saturated fat is not the enemy we thought it once was, and heart disease and blocked arteries are more attributable it is the high intakes of refined carbohydrate, sugars and trans fat as well as excessive arachidonic acid in red meat that creates heart disease. This is a whole other story.

4. Proteins. Proteins are so important. The relative amount of protein looks good here in this chart. I’d like to point out however that those proteins are not all created equal. The legumes are filled with fibre but don’t really have a comparable amount of protein to any of the animal based products. So if you’re vegan and eating legumes for protein, mix with some wholegrain for a complete amino acid profile, it doesn’t need to be in the same meal.

Also worth mentioning is the ‘mixed nuts’ as a source of protein. Yes nuts are protein filled. However, salted roasted nuts from the supermarket are not a good choice. They are probably roasted in some kind of vegetable oil, which will have been damaged in the roasting process, further the delicate healthy oils within the nuts will also be damaged by any heat. So when choosing your nuts, make sure they are raw, and preferably organic. If you love a roasted nut, dry roast at home for a few minutes, the longer they are exposed to heat the more damaged and inflammatory they will become.

5. My my, there’s an awful lot of grains in this pie. I can’t actually imagine eating that many grains in a day, but that’s just me. The most important thing to remember with grains, is that it it’s refined, it’s inflammatory. Your insulin will spike, and then it will dip, and you will feel tired brain fuzz. The very young and very healthy can handle refined grains. If you continue to eat them, especially a lot, it will catch up with you. White Rice (except Basmati) and white bread are definitely ones to stay away from. As well as anything that contains flour mostly. Fibre from wholegrain and beans is linked with a reduction in cholesterol and lower rates of heart disease. Whole grains are healthy, I’m not convinced we need to eat that much in one day, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend that many grains to a diabetic.

6. Vegetables, my favorite, I love vegetables. I think we should steal the space used for dairy and fill it with vegetables, and also steal some space from the grains also, filling with more vegetables. When half this pie chart is filled with vegetables, I will be satisfied in my perfect diet world.

7. Fruit is delicious and packed with vitamins. It is high in fructose however so eating masses of it may upset your tummy, and for some with fructose intolerance, even a little can upset the tummy. It’s also high is natural sugars. People who are insulin sensitive, tend to have blood sugar imbalances or are trying to lose weight are best limiting fruit to no more then 2 pieces per day.

8. Water! The water is outside the pie chart. However there is only one glass. I’d like to see some guideline as to how much water we should be drinking.. Drinking more water is probably the number one thing we all could do for better body function. If you are an average sized adult aim for 2.5 litres a day. You can include herbal teas and soups in this equation. Water drinking is habit, like anything else. Choose a water bottle and get in the habit of carrying it around.

Greens, Beans, and Artichokes with a Poached egg

Coming home late in the dribbly, grizzly rain and bitter cold that has me shrugging up my shoulders and going “Brrrrrr…” . I need some quick, easy and delicious food can I whip up and eat…pronto! Garlic greens and white beans go well in a pan, combine with a jar of marinated artichokes and a wee bit of delicious goats cheese……or chedder or any cheese for that matter top with a poached egg, and I have myself a bowl of wintertime wellbeing.

Greens, Beans, and Artichokes with a Poached egg

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 – 2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 big bunch of Silverbeet/kale/spinach or a combination, 1 big clove of garlic, chopped 1 tin of cannellini or butter beans 1 240g jar of marinated artichokes 2 – 4 eggs 2 tsp of white vinegar Cheese of choice ..goats cheese, chedder, Parmesan or use chopped nuts for a dairy free version

You can also substitute the egg for tofu, or even chicken and turkey.

Method

1. Prepare your greens first. I like to fill my sink with warm water and wash the leaves one by one, and then tear the leaves up with my hands, placing them in a colander to drain.

2. Heat olive oil in large fry-pan, once heated add the garlic and let it sizzle for about 40 seconds. Add the greens and toss through the oil. Let them reduce somewhat, it will probably take about 3 minutes. If you’re using spinach it will reduce much quicker, like 40 seconds.

3. Drain the artichokes, chop them a little smaller, and add to the pan. Drain and rinse the beans, add those to the pan also. Stir the beans and artichokes through the greens. Season with salt and pepper as desired and reduce heat a little.

4. Meanwhile prepare you eggs. Fill a saucepan with about 2 inches of boiling water from the kettle and place over medium heat. Add 2 tsps of vinegar to the water. This helps the eggs stay together. Gently break an egg into the water. I usually don’t try to poach more then two eggs in a saucepan at any given time. Try an keep the water on a simmer, but don’t let it boil. The eggs should be ready within 2 minutes, depending on how well done you like them.

5. Scoop the greens/beans mixture into a bowl, sprinkle with your cheese of choice and then gently remove a poached egg from the water and place on top. Viola! Dinner is served.

Okay so my poached egg wasn't that pretty. Can't get it perfect every time. This baby is getting into my belly!

Why your goldfish can teach you how to eat + Winter foods

The discovery of hundreds of happy little mosquito larvae wriggling around in my backyard pond caused me substantial alarm. To counteract this direct threat to backyard safety and comfort I brought home 5 sweet and beautiful little goldfish. I had gone to the aquarium store with the mind to get some of these mosquito-eating machines, not really considering that they would become part of the family, but once they were bagged up and looking at me adorably through the clear plastic goldfish bag, my heart filled with warmth and opened up for new pet-love, they had me 100%. I gently placed their aquarium bags in the water, praying they would survive, gradually adding pond water to their plastic bag to acclimatise them as the hours passed. They were psyched to be there, they could see all the wrigglers floating around freely available and were keen to start eating.

This morning I was thrilled to find them still living and I let them fully integrate into the water. They were cautious at first, but I can see it is a goldfish paradise for them, complete with live food to chase, plenty of natural sunlight,  and aquatic plants to hide amongst and chew. Inside that pond they are 100% free to be themselves and express their personalities fully, I'm happy for them. They bring mega positive feng shui vibes through the back yard …I’ll take a goldfish pond over a mosquito farm any day.

I’d been concerned for their survival due to the reputation goldfish have for kicking the bucket. They’re sensitive little beings. I’m also aware that often a goldfish may be brought home and added to a bowl, or tank, perhaps with no plants, no one else to play with and a set feeding time each night, quite unnatural for a fish, who likes to swim all day nibbling at pleasure and weaving through flora. If I was suddenly placed in a sterile boring unnatural environment, far removed from my internal yearnings, I might just die too.

These days of artificial light and artificial sweeteners and even artificial grass have us living further away from our forest dwelling ancestors then ever. We make our goldfish live in environments like ours. We give them a sterile house, artificial food and electric lights and wonder why they don’t thrive.

All night  entertainment from computers and tv, and shift style work schedules force us out of natural cycles. Is it really surprising that many of us feel out of touch with our own bodies?

Since the event of electricity in homes and the massive technological advances in the decades following, depression and mental illness have risen exponentially while male sperm counts have dropped by over 50%. Experts are pointing the finger at man-made chemical contamination and sedentary lifestyle as the major culprits (Sharpe, 2000) We’re unhappy and it seems our ability to reproduce healthily is suffering.

There’s plenty we can do to get back into nature, or feel ‘Earthed’ as I like to call it. One of the easiest and simplest ways to get in tune is with your food. Within the Eastern medicine and the Shiatsu world, eating with the seasons is vital for a vibrant circulation of body chi and good health.

When we consider mental illness such as depression is accompanied with disconnection from nature, eating with the seasons may have humongous positive impact.

Consciously eating in line with natural Earth rhythm is a great way to connect with your intuition and improve connection to nature. Eating whole natural, seasonal and locally produced foods prepared at home feels healthy, supports your community, is budget friendly and great for the environment too. Sounds like a recipe for good karma and happiness to me. Below is a list of winter produce in season for WA, add a few to your shopping list this week. If you read this from afar, google seasonal produce in your area to stay in the loop.

I’ll be sharing some wonderful winter warmer meal creations on the blog, so keep an eye out.

Winter blessings for you my friend x

Love Lib

The number one best detox weapon EVER!

I should be able to put myself on a detox right? After all I’m a fully qualified professional. I have more then enough knowledge to take myself through the ins and outs of a piddly little detox. How can anyone possibly know what I need more then me? I’ve actually been attempting self imposed detox for years and I have a metallic silver detox ‘journal’ to prove it.

Let's revisit some of these detox attempts shall we?

24 January 2010

As I wear these now rather tight pants, the same work pants I’ve owned since I was 21 that are feeling a little pulled across the backside, I contemplate the rather bizarre rocky road craving I just indulged. The remainder of the package is hidden safely at the back of the pantry top shelf, out of sight.

On one hand I’ve just read a book about macrobiotic veganism and am inspired to increase vegan meals, on the other hand since Friday I’ve shamelessly cracked 2 beers, 1 Jim Beam and coke (?!...I never drink that stuff) and about 3 glasses of wine. I also helped Andy through his Myalup service station hot chips and corn chips with salsa and guacamole both Saturday and Sunday. Why this self-destruction I wonder? I’m sure my sugar cravings are directly related to the alcohol consumption

2 Jan 2011

December was like a month of endless pleasure and indulgence. It’s time for detox once more.

21 October 2012

My Detox Intentions: – I will be more beautiful then ever turning 30. I eat well, in small portions of amazing food. My body is strong. I love to exercise. I’m toned. I look great in those Current Elliott skinnies. Other people respect me because I respect myself.

There have been times when I’ve come up detox trumps, with mega energy, sparkly whites in my eyes, looser clothes, soft lustrous hair, glowing radiant skin. It was great, and when I look back on it, those times were helped because I had a support system, I had detox companions to hold me accountable, and we talked about our experiences, our cravings and our successes to cheer each other on.

Back to present day I’m well a truly due once again for a good detox and regeneration. My own rules and plans just havn’t been cutting it. I don’t listen to myself enough. Especially not in the long term. If it’s just me to answer to, I might just let those slip ups slide.

Well I tell you I’m sick of failing, I don’t want to find myself still drinking coffee in three weeks, when I’m supposed to be detoxed by then, like history repeating. Real change starts with the individual, but support and encouragement get results.

Having a professional take you through the detox process and the very act of making a time for appointments as well as a financial exchange is a powerful deed. It cements commitment. And further to this, chatting to a health coach about your goals achieves clarity about what you actually want. With a pro you get measurable results, such as live blood analysis, gut bacteria testing and acid/alkaline balance.

Lets face it, it’s embarrassing to admit failure to anyone, especially after promising them and ourselves from the bottom of our hearts we’ll do otherwise. It’s called social accountability and it goes a long way towards measurable results and long lasting success, especially among women.

This is why I’ve enlisted the support of an experienced naturopath, the wonderful Cassandra Boylen of Cassandra Boylen Naturopathy, for my detox this time round. It’s the real shebang, six weeks of alkaline foods, liver nourishment and gut repair to have me radiating health and rainbows from the inside out, and you know what, I can’t wait. I’m excited about herbal tea in the morning instead of coffee, I’m excited about morning yoga and fab skin.

More then anything else, I’m excited about regular sessions with my naturopath to chat about ins and outs, ups and downs, my emotional detox response, cravings, daily successes and miniature failures. I want encouragement combined with professional health care. I’m forgiving myself for not being little miss perfect naturopath with a goody goody green-ness track record, because I’m not. I’m human and I want to achieve my health goals. I realise my value, and future are totally worth the investment of a pro to help me with my detox commitment.

So there you have it, why evens pro’s need other pros to lean on (cue The Beatles song of the same name). If you want to detox yourself, get rid of hassled sugar cravings, bacterial overgrowth, troubled digestion, regain your energy and feel bliss, give me a call, we’ll book you in for a detox intro sesh.

Green Smoothie Goodness to ya

Love Lib

How I gained and lost 25kg. And then put some on again.

After smashing on 10kg when I was 12 and then another 10 kilo when I was 13, I was horrified with my reflection. I spent the next few years of teenager-hood depriving myself during the school week and then bingeing on Friday night. A whole packet of Caramel Crowns and I were good friends. My giant butt and I were not good friends. The boys at school used to call me stumps.

When I was 15 I started to explore my spirituality. I did a magic spell to lose weight. It involved chopping up bay leaves into little tiny pieces, breathing my intention to lose weight over them, and blowing them to the four corners. Afterwards I went inside and fixed myself some toast, like usual, with Grandpas homemade Jam. I had a bite, and for the first time, realised I wasn’t hungry enough to finish it. I learnt how to tune into by body and listen. I could taste the density of all foods I made and whether or not my body needed it or not. Every bite of a chocolate bar tasted like fatty calories, and white rice felt, well, empty.

Thats me in the white, age 16, 75kg

My eating habits changed. I started to eat regular sensible meals. I was still tortured by my heavyset body, and longed for a boy to find me attractive. Slowly though, with sensible and natural eating I had lost 10kg or so by the time I turned 17 and when I turned 18, I had lost the other 10. I was 162cm and 53kg. In the end the weightless was pretty much effortless.. I hadn’t even kept a regular exercise routine. I had been walking long distances pretty much daily as I didn’t yet have a license. God bless 17 year old metabolism! Plenty of boys found me attractive.

The next 6 years after leaving high school were a breeze - well in the weight control sense anyway.

On an 18 year old roadtrip wth my bestie Kat

This entire time my relationship with food was effortless and I remained slight, though I must say being a cigarette smoking vegan might have had something to do with it. A bad habit I’m grateful to see the end of.

Age 22 at Yallingup, 54kg

I moved to Perth with my boyfriend. Andrew and I adopted a puppy-child named Jim, and we lived a very happy little family life. I was thrilled to fulfill my call to massage by studying Shiatsu Therapy during the evenings,  as I worked an office job to pay the rent. Andy and I married in Lorne Victoria (near my place of birth). The day was perfect. I had no body hang-ups and in fact, I had consciously tried to put on a little weight before the wedding so my boobs would look good in my dress . This plan went out the window when I pretty much forgot to eat for the week prior to the big day, running on adrenaline.

Andy and Me on our honeymoon in NZ

Something changed after the wedding. I was 24, suffocating in my corporate job and eager to study for a career that I actually wanted. My husband was at a crossroads in his professional life, and on the verge of setting up his own business…but not sure if that was what he really wanted at the time. Things were uncertain. You know, they say the first year of marriage is the hardest, and I began to diet.

I wasn’t even overweight by any measure, but I could definitely be thinner, and I absolutely hated my legs, chubby little legs that they are (I say that with love). I severely restricted calories and would sit on the bus hungry and miserable comparing myself with all the girls on St Georges Terrace.

Then one day, I got sick of being hungry and just started to eat again. This was the first yo yo of my twenties. Loving being a new wife, I developed a huge love of cooking and especially baking. Within a few months I’d regained all weight I had shed earlier and added on a kg or two. I’d started an exercise routine, jogging in the park and on the beach with my dog. But even with the exercise I still put on weight. The running made me hungrier and served as a mental excuse to eat more then usual. This kind of behaviour went on for a few years, my diets, though healthy and nutritionally sound, were coupled with extreme sessions at the gym and calorie counting. I’d successfully get into my skinny jeans and celebrate regularly with champagne and raw desserts....continuously for several months. Whoops now the jeans don't fit, and I'd actually put on a little extra. Repeat.

Everything changed in the weeks leading up to my 29th birthday. I was ridiculously fit, and time-consumingly counting every calorie. I'd lost 5kg within the previous two months and should have been feeling amazing. Suddenly a horrible and nightmarish trauma for my family back at home and a separate personal trauma for me in Perth hit in the same week, and on the cusp of leaving my security blanket job. I was shocked, devastated and gutted all at the same time. I realised I had been chasing a grueling illusion. A banging bod doesn't solve all your problems. My hot bod wasn't going to make my life awesome, it's just a hot bod. Sure, it helps, but it certainly doesn't make you happy.

The months following my gym attendance ...just....dropped....off. I had been a get-up-a-5.30-and-go-every-morning kind of girl. I used to proudly declare I would work out two hours a day if I had the time, but I just didn't care anymore. The motivation was gone. I started yoga, and enjoying leisurely walks rather then runs. I ate whatever I felt like, I put on 8kg.

It's been nearly 16 months since that traumatic December. At first, when my exercise motivation stopped, I thought it would come back "I'll get back into it," but then days, turned into weeks, turned into months, turned into a year.  Though there have been a few moments when I felt bigger then I wanted to be, I feel I've slowly made peace with my pants. Maybe its helped by my age, 30 now, maybe by the security in my romantic relationship, but if anything good came out of that traumatic time in my life it's that I now have a new kind of body comfort, a healthy, curvy, feminine shaped body comfort that won't compare myself to others or stress over not looking like Miranda Kerr. It feels cruisy, easy, free,  just how I like it.

I've actually been revisiting the gym recently, out of a want to maintain muscle mass, enhance my circulation, clear my mind and keep my skin young. There's no guilt for missing a day, or even for leaving early. I'm giving myself some loving kindness, and my resultant peace of mind speaks volumes.

You are absolutely gorgeous, no matter what your size, and you completely deserve some loving kindness too. Love the one you're with.. ....I'm talking about your body honey!. If you feel drawn to chat with a professional about your body love goals, don't hesitate to drop me a line or pick up the phone.

Happy Avocados and Mega Melons

Love Lib

Me, being curvy, 63kg

My wonderful reiki-healing friend Anyes and I on on my 30th birthday

So what's a naturopath anyway?

Are you a little shady on what a naturopath actually does? My mother never took me to see an alternative healthcare practitioner of any sort. If I hadn’t become so fascinated in nutrition I may never have found out. Now I’m super passionate about naturopathic medicine as a well rounded, affordable and effective health care with real value for everyone in our community. To put it simply, a naturopath uses herbal and nutritional science to get you healthy, and ideally, Super healthy. We see you for about an hour or maybe two, depending on the practitioner. We have a good long chat, we look at your blood, we put you on a fancy machine and give you a health scan. We look into your eyes with our iridology torch, We’ll talk about your diet, your lifestyle, and then we discuss nutritional, herbal solutions that are chosen based on your individuality to help you and your body gently heal and reach optimum health.

So does herbal medicine actually work?

Yes herbal medicine absolutely works and is a wonderful tool for helping the body to heal. There are thousands of studies proving herbal medicines are effective in many different conditions. Plant medicine is 100% natural and organic, just like you are. Our bodies have a natural affinity for naturally occurring compounds, be they nutritional or medicinal. Just think about how good you feel after a vitality giving green juice compared to an artificially coloured, flavoured and sugared up refreshment. Your body can assimilate the goodness in an earth created product much easier.

Naturopaths and Doctors

Modern naturopathy combines evidence based science and modern testing techniques with traditional knowledge and health care.  Naturopaths help you heal and repair back to a level of optimum health.

Your naturopath may refer you back to your doctor for testing and diagnosis of a suspected condition. Once diagnosed, we will work with you and your doctor to give you the best well rounded health care possible.

Gentle nurturing to help your body heal itself

Naturopaths are trained to help you with any medical condition, and treat based on the whole person, rather then individual symptoms. Naturopaths great for dealing with chronic conditions such as allergies and auto-immune disease. The aim of naturopathic medicine is to get to the source of the problem and heal you from the inside out.

Case Study: Sally has eczema on her hand

Sally goes to her GP with eczema who prescribes her a corticosteroid cream, a potent anti-inflammatory to make the symptoms go away. It works quickly and her skin clears. However once she stops using that cream Sally’s eczema comes back. She is frustrated and feels like she’s going round in circles. Sally doesn’t want to use the cream long term because she knows continual use of topical steroids thins the skin, weakens the bodies innate ability to heal, and also may interrupt her natural hormonal balance.

Whole Body Healing

Sally see’s her naturopath and is prescribed a herbal anti-inflammatory cream to protect the inflamed skin and lessen symptoms, without any side effects. Her naturopath takes a full health and diet check, and identifies possible lifestyle factors that may be contributing to her skin condition. Together Sally and her naturopath eliminate irritants from the diet, and treat Sally’s digestive system and detoxification pathways. After 6 weeks the eczema has healed on its own, and after 12 weeks Sally is able to reintroduce some of the irritant foods with no re-occurrence of symptoms. Sally also has lost a little weight, is sleeping better and has more energy

Naturopaths have Science Degrees

It takes four years study in a full time science degree to graduate as a degree qualified naturopath.

Time to talk:

A consult with your naturopath takes an hour initially, and an average of 30 – 50 minutes for each consult thereafter. These long consults are an opportunity to really explore your health and lifestyle thoroughly and identify ways and means to improve your experience of living. Your health is important and often the value of having someone to really listen to you rather then rush you out the door can be priceless. The act of talking and being heard is often quite healing in itself. A naturopath gives you the benefit of being heard by a scientifically trained expert in herbal and nutritional medicine, who can really give you solid strategies for achieving your health goals.

Are you feeling a little more informed now? Can you see the benefits of seeing a naturopath? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Tell me your naturopath story, or put down any concerns or questions you might have regarding seeing a naturopath and I’ll do my best to nut it out with you.

Healthily Yours

Libby