Supporting people on cancer therapies and offsetting side effects

Supporting people on cancer therapies and offsetting side effects

A cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling totally rail-roaded. It could be that you’re the patient – or that someone you love has just had that devastating diagnosis.  Either way, the urgency of the medical system can easily make you feel powerless and useless. You could easily feel like a helpless, passive bystander in your…

What to do about Poor Sleep
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What to do about Poor Sleep

There are three main organs in the body that respond to stress: The hypothalamus (manages the release of hormones and other physiological functions) The pituitary gland (receives signals from the nervous system) Together they control the adrenal glands that release hormones in response to stress. 3. The adrenal glands (near the kidneys) Together these are…

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Are you OK?

The next R-U-OK day in Australia isn’t until 10th September 2020.  That’s WAY too far away.  At the moment, probably every day could benefit from being an R-U-OK day. All of us are dealing with a world in crisis – at a level that hasn’t happened for 100 years!  Even if  you’re not in immediate…

Managing a viral infection

What to do? At first signs of infection like fatigue, sore throat, sneeze, cough etc (you will all have personal knowledge of how it happens with you): you need to increase the dosage of supplements and herbs you already take (as preventatives) and divide this up throughout the day. The increased amount will depend on…

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Food and medicine Foraging: Warragul greens & Sage

Warragul Greens loves some sunshine and thrives on moisture. You can train it up and over fences too.
Next you can see Common Sage or Salvia officinalis. ‘Officinalis’ means this is the official species used botanical/herbal medicine.
Commonly used in cooking, sage helps ensure digestive processes work well: especially to muster our bile flow to break down consumed fats/oils. You can use sage fresh or dried for later use.
In herbal medicine sage has a broad sphere of action: antimicrobial (including antiviral) taken as a tea and/or gargle/mouthwash; improving cognition and memory, reduces excess perspiration (sweating) in fevers or during menopause, reduces milk flow in weaning mothers. Commonly used in upper respiratory tract infections like sore throat and sinus issues.
For best effect and safety of any herbal medicine you must consult a Practitioner to guide you on the most appropriate dose and preparation FOR YOU . Generally sage in its basic leaf form for cooking or tea is considered a very low risk herb. Easy to grow from cuttings. Let me know if you’d like to give it a go to grow. I have plenty to share. This plant has travelled around our garden for about 25 years!

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Food and medicine Foraging Series: Warragul greens

Food Feast: Warragul Greens/New Zealand Spinach aka Tetragonia tetragonoides. Easy nutritious green to grow in your garden (likes moisture) and you can find it along the Aussie shorelines (tastes a bit saltier). High in Vit C, magnesium, phytonutrients and fibre, this food has been a favourite of Australian indigenous peoples and early European colonists and had a resurgence of interest as a Bush Tucker option easy to grow in our own gardens. The leaf is mild to the taste and soft to the palate so easily incorporated into pies, pestos, salads and salsas. It contains some oxalic acid so those with kidney issues consult with a Practitioner first if you are concerned.

The simple test that tells you more than any cholesterol test will about your stroke and heart attack risk

I’ve been impressed by the wealth of insight patients get when they do an Omega-3 index test.  It’s a simple finger prick test.  I haven’t used it as much as I would like – until now – because I’ve had to send clients off to a 3rd party laboratory. It tells you useful information about…