With the nights drawing in – and temperatures dropping – it’s not surprising that our thoughts at this time of year turn to warming and comforting treats. Spices have long been treasured for their ability to pep up our staple fare not to mention their preserving and medicinal qualities. 

 

Many of the winter treats we still enjoy today – fruit cakes, Christmas puddings, mince pies and mulled wine – date back to medieval times, when spices were a luxury. A long anticipated treat. 

 

These days with travel having become so much easier – and the world much smaller – spices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. However, they offer much more than simply being an ingredient of our favourite Indian or Chinese foods. They also have an important medicinal aspect which has long been recognised by many traditional forms of medicine, including Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

A couple of weeks ago we talked about the mysteries of time and sowed a radical little seed. Forgiveness. Having left it there to grow for a while, we’re now returning to talk about it a little more. Give a different perspective. 

 

Before we go any further, we must also say that we’re not talking about forgiveness in the religious sense you were probably taught at school. The stories about forgiving your enemy. Turning the other cheek. Etc. Etc. 

 

Over recent years soy has been marketed as the healthy alternative to many meat and dairy products, appearing in an ever increasing range of products found on supermarket shelves. Much has been made of the important part it plays in the diets of those in the Far East, particularly Japan and China. 

 

The logic goes that as Asian people traditionally have lower rates of heart disease, cancer and dementia AND soy is an important part of their diet; then it should be included in our diets for its health enhancing properties. (And, coincidentally, this is the reason clients always refer to when we ask them why they’ve made this change.) 

One topic that fascinates us – and has the ability to completely shatter many of our illusions about this world of ours – is time. 

How there is only now. This present moment. And the next. And next. Ad infinitum. 

 

The past has gone. But, when we were there, it was just another now. Another moment in time. (For some reason we haven’t yet fathomed, many people find this a hard notion to get their heads around.) 

 

The future has yet to come. And, yes, you’ve guessed it when you get there it’ll be another now. 

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the difference between minerals and vitamins. How important they BOTH are to good health and the complex web of relationships between them. 

 

As promised this week we’re focussing on one mineral in particular, magnesium, which has been the subject of much research in recent years. Interestingly, this has highlighted the large number of people who are deficient in this mineral AND the part this then plays in many health problems. It has also emphasised, once again, the part played by poor ongoing lifestyle choices. And they’re the ones we mention regularly – lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, dehydration, stress, lack of exercise and smoking. 

We’ve all had those days. 

 

You know, the ones where you never quite seem to get going. 

 

Or, perhaps you did. Then something knocked you off course and you never regained your momentum. 

 

And it doesn’t matter whether you were at home or work. 

 

Either way, before you know it, it’s suddenly mid afternoon and you find yourself thinking that the day’s practically over. 

 

It’s too late to get anything done, so you may as well just give up and have a cup of tea. Or coffee. With a biscuit or two. Spend the evening at home in front of the television. 

 

But, today is not over yet. 

 

So how about a new plan? 

Over the years we’ve noticed that the autumn seems to be the time when everyone starts thinking about taking a supplement to boost their health – and, hopefully, avoid the worst of the winter bugs. Usually this takes the form of a multi vitamin or, more commonly in recent years, a higher dose of a specific vitamin, particularly Vitamin C. 

 

For some reason people tend to overlook minerals – unless their multi vitamin happens to contain them too (!) – and how they’re just as important in maintaining good health. This may be due to research – and press coverage – in recent years focusing more on vitamins than minerals. Or, perhaps, no single mineral has caught the public’s attention in the way Vitamin C has. 

 

Whatever the reason(s) this week we’re going to focus on minerals and why they’re just as important as vitamins for good health. 

Listening to clients – as well as those we encounter in our day to day lives – it’s all too easy to fall into the “doom, gloom and despondency” trap. That the world is hard, negative and uncaring. Life is a constant struggle and the best we can hope for is to get by. 

 

However, as we’ve said many times before, this isn’t what life is about at all. We live on a planet that’s amazing and beautiful. Life is here for us to enjoy and, dare we say it, be happy (!). 

As clients and regular readers of this blog will know by now we like to keep things simple.  

 

That’s why we always focus on the small things you can do at home to help yourself. They’re all easy to do and quickly become part of your routine, so you don’t even have to think about them. Even better, they all have lots of other benefits as well, giving you more “bang for your buck.” 

 

Despite this, all too often, we hear clients saying that they find even the smallest change difficult to do. 

 

So why is this? 

Having focussed on winter bugs for the last few weeks, you’ll be pleased to hear that we’re moving on to something completely different. And without a single mention of mucus, catarrh or snot (!) either. Sorry we just couldn’t resist it… 

 

If you’ve been unlucky enough to suffer from it, you’ll know first hand just how painful and debilitating this problem is. One client summed it up perfectly by saying that she couldn’t sit, couldn’t stand, could just about lay down – but couldn’t then get up – and really didn’t know what to do with herself. 

 

And, from personal experience, we’d say she’d got it right. Although, having said that, we’d add that it’s virtually impossible to get out of the car after a drive of more than a few minutes without resorting to a crowbar… 

 

So what are we talking about this week? 

 

Sciatica, the inflammation of the Sciatic Nerve.