How to boost your immune system

Boost your immune system to prevent infection, colds and flu. By strengthening the immune system you can reduce your risk of developing auto-immune disorders and cancer.



For more information, check out “Is It All In Your Mind?” 

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health. "I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle,” Charmaine Shepherd.

Why am I sad? The real cause of your depression

If you feel sad and down for no reason, the cause of your low mood or depression may not be in your mind, but in the foods you eat. Watch this video where we take look at how gut problems affect the production of our neurotransmitters and could lead to anxiety, depression and many other mental health issues. Find out more in Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to resolving the underlying causes of anxiety and depression By Charmaine Shepherd. Now available on Kindle!


For more information, check out “Is It All In Your Mind?” 

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health. "I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle,” Charmaine Shepherd.

Don't Drain Your Brain

 

Don't Drain Your Brain - Just Feed It: A recipe for a higher mind

by Dr Gregorio Torchia
The Edinburgh Theosophical Society, 28 Great King Street, EH3 6HQ

7:30 p.m. Thursday 13th February 2014

 

 

Your Brain & Mind are a unique complex connected with your Body&Soul.

The pharmacological power of Food can improve the efficiency of your Brain and your Mind as an essential path to the effective care of  your memory, attention, reasoning, association, learning, language skills and calculation performance. 

Food, a source of natural ingredients, is the key to making your life significantly better.

BackgroundFounder of  a Nutritional Clinic in Rome, then in San Francisco and now in Edinburgh, Dr. Gregorio Torchia's background is in neuro-physiopathology with a focus on epilepsy and brain tumours.

Through studying Kampo medicine in Japan, he decided to dedicate his focus on Alternative and Complementary Medicine, specifically relating to the topic of food  as a provider of medicinal benefits.

Dr. Torchia has attended Global Nutritional Conferences in Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Puducherry India, Bangkok, Paris and Tokyo.
Contact:info@centre4holistichealth.co.uk
0131 556 8440

Website:
centre4holistichealth.co.uk/edinburgh-nutritionist-dr-gregorio-torchia
nutripanda.com/Dr Gregorio Torchia.html

Testimonials:indiaalexandraworld.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/skipping-in-the-sunshine/
nutripanda.com/Testimonials.html

Gregorio’s scientific research can be found at:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=torchia+g

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Gluten sensitivity or IBS?

I recently had the opportunity to attend an allergy master class with some of the UK’s leading experts on allergy and intolerance.  In several of the lectures, the connection between gluten sensitivity and irritable bowel syndrome came up, so here is a summary of the more recent thinking that these experts presented.

Gluten sensitivity affects about 1 in 10 people and is characterised by bloating, reflux, bowel changes, loose stools, abdominal pain, mouth ulcers and some neurological symptoms such as headache, fatigue and depression.  Gluten protein is found in many grains such as wheat, rye and barley.  For those who are sensitive, these foods can cause severe disruption throughout the body.

Doctors used to think a person either had the condition called Coeliac disease (CD), which means that you cannot tolerate gluten or they could tolerate gluten.  There was nothing in-between i.e.:

 Normal/CD

However, doctors are now beginning to recognise a wider spectrum of diagnosis.

Normal ——————–> gluten sensitive ——————–> Coeliac

Whereas in the past, doctors believed that if you had a negative antibody test then you did not have CD and you were not gluten sensitive.  Hey, no problem they thought….However, experts are now recognising that there is a spectrum of gluten intolerance and even though an individual may not have full-blown CD, they may still have a gluten sensitivity.

It appears there are people who are gluten sensitive, who when exposed to a trigger (possibly viral) could easily trigger CD.  However, this sensitivity could have been underlying for a while.

Dr Kate Evans, Clinical Research Fellow & Honorary Lecturer, found that in many of her patients who were not considered CD, a gluten-free diet resolved many issues such as psoriasis (17% of her patients had psoriasis).  More remarkably, many of her patient’s neurological symptoms also resolved.  She found that symptoms resolution could take up to 2 months on a gluten free diet. This is because the lectins bio-accumulate in the body, often remaining months after ingestion of gluten has stopped.

Facts about Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten sensitivity affects 1% of the UK population.

Symptoms reported are:         Bloating
                                                Reflux
                                                Irritable bowel syndrome
                                                Iron deficiency anaemia
                                                Diarrhoea

Suffers can have normal Body mass index or be overweight.

So, once again, even for patients who do not have full blown CD, there may still be a gluten sensitivity causing many uncomfortable symptoms.

Normal——> gluten sensitive——>latent——>Coeliac

With full blown Coeliac disease, there is a positive antibody test as well as changes to the way in which the intestine looks under a microscope. However, even if you do not have a positive antibody test or mucosal changes, don’t rule out gluten sensitivity.  It is thought that certain types of infections could trigger a milder form of gluten sensitivity in those who have a predisposition.

Are you Gluten Sensitive?
If you have abdominal pain for more than 3 days in a month, or changes in your stool frequency, I would encourage you to consider gluten sensitivity as a possible contributor.  I would strongly suggest that you ask your GP to for a blood test but be aware that these often produce false negatives, so the only way you can be diagnosed with CD is from a biopsy taken from the intestinal lining.

Once, CD is ruled out, I would recommend starting on a gluten-avoidance diet for a minimum of 2 months to determine whether your symptoms improve.

Gluten sensitivity and children:
Gluten sensitivity in children often shows up as eczema, frequent infection, reflux as a baby, asthma.  In practice, I have seen children who are plagued by chronic infections and skin problems begin to flourish on a gluten-free diet.

In children, also look out for feeding difficulties, back arching, abnormal stools and low appetite.  These are all typical of gluten sensitivity in children.

So is it gluten intolerance or IBS?
Since Coeliac disease is four times more prevalent in IBS population, doctors are recommended to screen all IBS patients for CD.  However, even with a negative antibody and biopsy test, some patients may still be gluten intolerant.  Before being labelled with IBS, make sure that you have ruled out gluten intolerance.

What other symptoms and signs are typical of gluten intolerance?

• Recurrent oral ulceration
• Joint pain
• Headaches
• Depression
• Auto-immune conditions (such as type 1 Diabetes)
• Failure to thrive in children
• Fatigue
• Unexplained infertility

Risks
If you have gluten intolerance in your family, your risk for developing it will be significantly higher.  Also, patients with auto-immune conditions or diabetes will be at higher risk.

Mental effects of gluten sensitivity
In my book “Is it all in your mind?”, I talk about the effect of gut problems on mental functioning.  The gut is often called the second brain because the brain tissues are so similar to that found in the lining of the gut.  The reason for the similarity is that as the embryo develops, one line of cells will divide to then become the brain and the gut.

I go into a lot more detail in the book, but basically many of the neurotransmitters that we normally associate with the brain, such as serotonin, are also produced and used in the gut.

It comes as no surprise then that many patients who suffer from digestive complaints will also be affected by mental changes such as depression, anxiety, poor concentration.

Wheat agglutinin can cross the blood brain barrier and attach to myelin sheaths in the brain’s nerve cells, inhibiting some of the brain’s functioning.  As a result, mental health changes can be significant in gluten sensitive individuals.

I have countless times seen how patients who complain of digestive complaints resolve not only their gut problems on a gluten-free diet but as a side effect notice their mental health greatly improving

What to do if you think you may have a gluten intolerance:
There are many food intolerance tests on the market, but many of them are expensive and unreliable.  Although it isn’t easy, the best test is to try a strict gluten-free diet for a period of 2 months to see whether your symptoms improve.

The gluten free diet:
A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.  Initially a gluten free diet may be frustrating but there are many foods that are naturally gluten free that can be incorporated into the diet.  Although it can be a very big change, remain focused on the good foods that you can still eat – rather than focus on the ones that you can’t.  The effort will be worth it.

Allowed foods:

•         Beans, nuts and seeds (unprocessed)
•         Fresh eggs, meat, fish and poultry (not marinated or batter-coated)
•         Fruits and vegetables
•         Amaranth, buckwheat, corn, flax
•         Gluten-free flour
•         Millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, tapioca and soy

Problem foods:

• bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, flour, pizza bases, cakes and biscuits.
• Gluten can also be found in foods such as soups, sauces, ready meals and processed foods such as sausages.

There is significant evidence that our modern wheat strains can contribute to significant health problems due to its pro-inflammatory affect.  In fact, undiagnosed CD is associated with a four-fold increased risk for premature death, so the seriousness of consuming gluten for these individuals is evident.

Conclusion:
Gluten sensitivity can cause a range of digestive, neurological and systemic symptoms and should be considered in anyone with long-standing unexplained chronic problems.  A gluten-free diet in many cases can eradicate many of the symptoms in gluten sensitive individuals.

For more information, check out “Is It All In Your Mind?” 

By Charmaine Shepherd  B.Sc. Biomed., N.dip. Ac, MBAcC
Charmaine Shepherd is an Acupuncturist, Director of the Centre for Holistic Health and Author of Is it all in your mind? 10 Steps to Resolving the Underlying Causes of Anxiety and Depression. Available on Kindle!

Charmaine has a sensitive and holistic approach to health-care. She is dedicated to helping individuals take control of their own health. "I believe in supporting the innate healing ability of the body through the use of natural remedies, nutrition and lifestyle,” Charmaine Shepherd.