Posts tagged “Health”

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The bitter taste of artificial sweeteners

Posted on 11th May 2022 at 07:28

As we’ve probably mentioned several times before (!) we do a lot of research. Some is very specific, usually aimed at helping a Client with a particular issue, or in response to seeing several Clients with a similar issue in a short period of time. Alongside this we subscribe to many different blogs and news channels covering a huge range of health and lifestyle issues on a daily basis, as well as following up on anything that piques our interest.

While much of this information finds its way into blog posts, some doesn’t, for the simple reason it would make a very short – or, perhaps, too specific – post. So, we just keep the links and hope to be able to use them at some time in the future…

High salt diets and high blood pressure, is it really that simple?

Posted on 27th April 2022 at 07:38

We live in an age of sound bites. Pieces of information – or advice – easily encapsulated into a few words, which appear to simplify a potentially complicated – and confusing – matter into one that’s easily understood. Although it doesn’t automatically mean the information or advice is correct, let alone put into practice!

The one we’d like to look at today has been a mainstay of conventional health advice since the 1960’s, particularly for those with high blood pressure and other heart related conditions. To adopt a low salt diet. And, with the part salt plays in helping the body regulate blood pressure, it sounds like a very sensible – and scientific – piece of advice. We wrote about salt back in 2017 and the part it plays in helping regulate blood pressure. If you’d like a quick reminder click here.

Yes, chocolate really can be good for you

Posted on 13th April 2022 at 07:16

With the chocolate fuelled madness that marks the first bank holiday weekend of the year rapidly approaching (!), we thought this blog post would get your attention. However, as so often is the case, it isn’t quite that simple.

True, cocoa beans do have a myriad of health benefits, as confirmed by many different studies. More on this in a moment. Hurrah!

Unfortunately, the majority of these are lost during the manufacturing process, to produce the chocolate we’re so familiar with. And not forgetting the huge amounts of sugar most chocolate products contain.

Intermittent fasting

Posted on 30th March 2022 at 07:42

We’ve talked a number of times before about the rocketing rates of Type II Diabetes, particularly in teenagers and young adults. The part poor lifestyle choices play in this AND how insulin is about so much more than simply controlling blood sugar. If you’d like a quick reminder, our most recent posts can be found here and here.

The good – and potentially bad (!) – news is that Type II Diabetes is a Lifestyle Condition. In other words, it’s the result of poor lifestyle choices being made over a long period of time. And we would emphasise the last few words. Over a long period of time. The effects of poor lifestyle choices cast a very long shadow, with the seeds usually being sown many years – or decades – before…

However, despite how it appears, this is good news; although we appreciate it may initially sound like very bad news too. The good news is that lifestyle choices are entirely within our control, even though many people will try to convince themselves – and us too (!) – this isn’t the case. However, it is. Full stop. End of story. They’re the choices we make every day – usually without thinking – so we’re the only ones who can address them. It can’t be done by anyone else for us.

Yet another reason to clean up your diet and do a detox this year

Posted on 16th March 2022 at 07:37

With the days starting to noticeably lengthen – hurrah (!) – this is the time of year when we start looking forward to the warmer months ahead. True, the temperatures are still a little on the nippy side to start stripping off some of the layers, but it’s the perfect time of year do a little bit of spring cleaning. Or, put another way, a detox.

While it can sound a little daunting, detoxing is really very simple. Cleaning up your diet. Drinking more water. Taking regular exercise. If you’d like a few more details and a quick reminder, click here.

The simplest way to think of detoxing is as a spring clean for your body and, if you’re feeling inspired, you can also give your house a little extra tlc too. Throw open the windows, give it more of a clean than normal (!) and “rehome” any junk you’ve been meaning to get rid of for ages. However you do it, the end result is the same. Clearing old and stuck energy, making room for the new in your life. Not only will you feel much better for it – and your halo will shine (!) – but it brings new energy and momentum into your life. Hurrah!

Yes, our bodies really are designed to be active

Posted on 2nd March 2022 at 07:17

With the seemingly long and wet winter we’ve “enjoyed” this year – on top of the last couple of years of madness – it’s not surprising that many people have succumbed to the lure of the sofa (!) and put exercise well down their list of priorities. If not at the bottom…

While it may be a cliché, our bodies are designed to be active rather than slumped, semi comatose for hours on end. And this applies equally to home as to work!

You are what you eat

Posted on 16th February 2022 at 07:43

You’ve probably heard this maxim before. You are what you eat. Or one like it.

While we may prefer to ignore it, what we eat has a direct effect on our bodies and health. It really is that simple. Full stop. End of story.

Sometimes in the short term, more often far down the road. Regardless of the timing, it’s still there. Perhaps the effects are not easily measurable beyond feeling less energetic or ageing less well than those around us. All too often, it can be measured – and seen – as a chronic health issue, particularly degenerative diseases such as Arthritis, Cancer or Heart Disease. Whether we’re able to join the dots is another matter, particularly when the seeds were sown many years – or decades ago – as many conversations with Clients over the years have shown…

Damp cold

Posted on 2nd February 2022 at 07:02

As we’ve often heard slightly bemused Clients say, we have some rather unusual ways of describing their symptoms, as well as what may be causing them. Of course, to us, using these shorthand descriptions makes perfect sense; although it can be easy to forget they may not be so obvious to everyone else. And this may be something of an understatement!

So, today, we’d like to talk about one of them and give a glimpse into our thought processes. Whether this is a good thing or not is another matter (!). Perhaps it may simply confirm some people’s suspicions about “our marbles”…..

Deep calming breaths

Posted on 19th January 2022 at 07:37

Taking a deep breath – or, as we tend to call it, a deep, calming breath – is something we all do quite naturally and spontaneously. When events threaten to overwhelm us, or in times of high emotion, positive or negative.

Sometimes it’s conscious and deliberate. It just seems like the “right” thing to do at the time and gives us a few seconds to get our emotions back under control. Other times it happens unconsciously, before we even realise we’ve done it.

Whatever the reason, taking a deep, calming breath is rather like pressing the “reset” button, bringing us back to the here and now. Helping stop us being swept away on a tide of emotions. Saying - or doing (!) – something we’d later regret. And, we’ve all experienced that…

So, why is taking a deep calming breath so powerful?

Snot glorious snot

Posted on 10th November 2021 at 07:38

Leaving aside the ongoing madness – deep calming breaths all round – this is the time of year when the annual Coughs and Colds season really gets underway. With it come the usual deluge of catarrh related calls and e mails or, as most people say, “I’m full of snot, can you help me?”

And, if you’re remotely squeamish, you may want to stop reading this post right now. Why?

Well, for the simple reason that the first question we ask often makes people squirm. Despite this, it’s a quick and easy indicator of what may be going on, as well as narrowing down the follow up questions we need to ask.

So, if you’re ready, here it is:

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