Posts tagged “Lifestyle”

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Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin

Posted on 16th December 2020 at 07:16

How things change. A few years ago, Vitamin D was only mentioned in connection with helping maintain healthy bones. Although, as an aside, this is still the case on NHS Direct when we googled it a few days ago…

Moving swiftly on (!), the good news is that the message is finally getting out that Vitamin D does so much more than help support healthy bones. In fact, it’s increasingly becoming clear that it’s just as important as Vitamin C in supporting the Immune System. And much more besides. There’s also been some interesting recent research in connection with the current madness – as well as to winter bugs in general – showing just how important it is. Not only in helping reduce susceptibility, but also in improving the outcome, should the worst happen. More about this later.

The perils of barbequed food - burnt on the outside, raw on the inside

Posted on 22nd July 2020 at 07:22

With the rather strange year we’ve been having – in every way (!) – and people having to spend much more time at home, it’s not surprising that the barbeque season started much earlier than usual. In fact, if there’s been one saving grace, it’s that the weather has been remarkably kind to us since the spring; allowing us to spend more time outside in our gardens…

Like us you’ve probably experienced your fair share of barbeques over the years; with the all too common “raw on the inside, burnt on the outside” offerings (!). All going well, you’ve survived them without any ill effects, although they account for a large number of food poisonings every year.

So, with the school holidays just starting it seemed like a good time for a gentle reminder – or two – about how to survive the barbeque season without any ill effects.

Lavender, the scent of summer

Posted on 17th June 2020 at 06:34

With many people spending much more time outside than usual – whether in their gardens or out walking – we’ve noticed how many of them are appreciating things they would never normally notice. Or, more accurately, never have time to notice as they rush around in their busy lives…

Having waxed lyrical about the delights of Elderflowers a couple of weeks ago – and been heartened by the number of people who actually make Elderflower cordial – we thought we’d focus on another seasonal delight today. And, this time, no potentially messy cooking is involved. Hurrah, by those who normally do the clearing up!

It’s another sign that Summer really is here, with even the least horticulturally inclined person being able to easily identify it. Lavender.

Concussion, is it more than just a slight bump on the head?

Posted on 20th May 2020 at 06:19

We’ve all experienced Concussion at some time – or times (!) – in our lives. Ranging from a light bump on the head which is quickly forgotten about; to a more serious blow followed by a few seconds of unconsciousness and, perhaps, a trip to the Casualty Department.

Despite it coming in many different forms and from a huge variety of causes – and we’ve heard some very “interesting” stories of the events leading up to it, which we’ll leave to your imagination (!) – Concussion is generally considered to be a form of mild traumatic brain injury without long term effects. But is this really the case?

Making the transition from do-ing to be-ing...

Posted on 8th April 2020 at 08:22

As clients and regular readers of this blog will know by now, we find the human condition endlessly fascinating. And not, as we always hasten to add, in an “OMG” way. Or any other unkind or judgemental way (!).

Rather, what interests us is the myriad of different ways in which people can view the same event. And then react to it. Not surprisingly, the events of recent weeks have provided a very good example of this. And continue to do so…

Interestingly, many of the responses – particularly in the early days – were those we more often see in connection with grief. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. The classic stages which many people go through, although often not in that particular order or at the time. It’s a topic we’ve covered before and our post can be found here.

Pulling it all together...

Posted on 25th March 2020 at 09:33

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been taking a look at what’s actually going on in our heads. Discovered that, contrary to what we’d like to think, we have very little idea of what’s really going on. Let alone how – or why – it happens…

We know this revelation has been rather unsettling – even scary – for many people. It was for us, the first time we realised that the way we experience life was down to us. 100% of our own making. Without the involvement of any external – or arbitrary – force. Full stop. End of story.

However, the great news is that, this revelation puts us back where we belong. In the driving seat. Gives us the power to choose how we experience our life and what happens in it. And, with everything going on at the time of posting (25th March 2020), there’s never been a time when understanding this has been more important…

Greenwashing, the latest sleight of hand...

Posted on 18th March 2020 at 09:17

A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned “greenwashing”. It’s the latest tactic being used by companies to make their products appear more natural – greener – than they really are. Even if you haven’t come across this particular term before, you’ll have noticed the plethora of different “green” labels appearing on your favourite products. All those pictures of flowers, rolling green fields and the like. It’s fast becoming another fact of modern life, not just products related to health in some way.

So, what is greenwashing and why is it such a concern?

The hidden dangers of blue light

Posted on 5th February 2020 at 08:15

While it’s something we all take for granted – well, until there’s a power cut (!) – it’s easy to forget that mains electricity is a relatively new phenomenon. Or how much it’s changed the way we live our lives in a relatively short period of time. And continues to do so.

Not surprisingly, we often see this change in terms of all those technological comforts and gizmos electricity brings us. A greatly improved standard of living.

However, there’s another fundamental way in which electricity has changed our lives. One that it’s easy to overlook. It’s all to do with artificial light and how we spend the dark hours of the day.

Is Adrenal Fatigue really a myth?

Posted on 18th December 2019 at 08:06

Mention Adrenal Fatigue to a conventional practitioner and you’ll probably receive a very short answer. That it’s complete rubbish. A myth. How the – often vague – set of symptoms being experienced are probably all in your mind. Oh and there isn’t a specific blood test to diagnose it. Sadly, this isn’t a joke but something we hear all too often from Clients.

At best, another label may be put on the symptoms. Depression. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Glandular Fever (which, ironically, may not show up on a blood test depending on the virus concerned). However, as this means that a deeper underlying cause isn’t identified, any improvement tends to be short term at the best.

Why is this?

Why sleep is so much more important than you ever thought

Posted on 4th December 2019 at 07:40

Like many other things in life, good sleep is something we take for granted until we find ourselves clock watching in the small hours. If we’re fortunate, it’s only an occasional occurrence. Just one of those things.

However, for a significant number of people it’s become a much more regular event, particularly after the biannual clock changes. And, for some reason, the recent “fall back” to winter seems to have taken people much longer to adjust to than normal.

We all instinctively know that regular – and good quality – sleep is important for many reasons. It makes all the difference between a good day and one that seems to last for ever, which we have to drag ourselves through. However, it goes much deeper than that, with poor sleep playing a part in many other health problems.

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