Wanting To Rid Yourself Of HPV?

We are often told today that Cervical Human Papilloma Virus is present in epidemic proportions, and that once you have it, you will increase your risk of getting Cervical Cancer.  That our only protection is vaccination and watch and wait.

Are there other thoughts on this issue?

Well, there is an interesing study that was undertaken in 2013, and published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, concerning a treatment regime for cervical HPV.  I found it most intriguing and wished to share the study outcomes and my thoughts here.

The study followed 287 women over a period of 30 days of treatment.  Of these women, there were four treatment arms.

1. a cream containing extracts of curcurmin, amla (Emblica officinalis), saponins from Reetha, aloe vera and rose water
2. a placebo cream
3. a soft gel vaginal capsule containing curcurmin
4. a soft gel vaginal capsule containing placebo.

Each of the women were tested to confirm presence of HPV and specifically the strains of 16 and 18.

While the differences in the clearance rate between the treatment arms and the placebo arms were not considered statistically significant, the treatment arm with the cream had a clearance rate of 87%, while the clearance rate of the combined placebo arms was 73%.  There were some adverse effects in the realm of burning and itching of the vagina in both treatment and placebo groups.

What I was intrigued about though, was the clearance rate of the placebo arm, and the discussion on the body’s ability to clear this virus, as it does the other viruses we come into contact with in our daily life.  And even the authors go further to discuss the clearance rate of CIN1 and CIN2 without medical intervention.

We truly do have amazing machines at our disposal that can unmake what it makes, with ease.

The use of the extract from Turmeric is not surprising given the amount of newsworthiness lately of the health benefits of turmeric and it’s effects on cancerous cells.

I would like to see more of this style of research being undertaken in natural medicine, as it does show benefits as well as highlight the ability of our body to heal.

The full article can be found here

Secrets To Removing Cysts

I’ve been doing some research this week on a particular remedy and I came across the following story. It was too good not to share:

An elderly man was seeking help for the early stages of an abscess at the base of his thumb.  As an aside, he was also scheduled for surgery for a cyst of long standing on his back.  The surgeon wished to postpone his surgery until his abscess was resolved, merely as a precautionary measure.

In order to hasten the abscess along on it’s healing path, the elderly man was prescribed a remedy fondly as the ‘homeopathic surgeon’.  He took this remedy three times, once at the homeopath’s office and once that evening.

The next morning, as he was leaning over the bathroom sink to clean his teeth, he heard an explosive sound behind him. Turning around, he saw a large quantity of blood and pus discharged against the bathroom wall!!

The homeopathic remedy had indeed ripened the cyst as well as his abscess and his body ejected it without further ado!

Homeopathic Surgeon, image courtesy of Iosphere FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Story adapted from Portraits of Homoeopathic Medicines, Catherine Coulter

Does Sugar Age You?

According to this great article from Isagenix, reproduced here, it DOES!  I’ve been using these products for over a year now and am always pleasantly surprised when people mention there has been a change to my skin and my appearance (obviously for the better!!).  I believe this is a benefit of not ageing as quickly as I was with my seemingly ‘healthy’ diet.

 

Enjoy this wonderful article.

 

Almost half of all Americans have blood sugar concentrations that are considered too high, with those over 60 being especially at risk (1). Uncontrolled, it could mean a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and eventual chronic disease.

The reason is that too much sugar in the blood causes damage to various body systems. Especially concerning, high blood sugar stimulates production of compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGE). Because AGEs are reactive, they can directly damage important cells and tissues in the body and have long been associated with accelerated aging.

AGEs are formed inside and outside of the body causing cells to become stiff, less pliable, and subject to damage. They can affect multiple tissues and organs and have been closely linked to reduced cardiovascular and brain function.

To avoid the damaging effects of high blood glucose and generation of AGEs, it’s essential to both maintain a healthy body weight and to avoid excessive intake of sugar-rich foods. One way of controlling blood sugar concentrations for weight management and healthy aging is to choose foods with a low glycemic index (GI) value (2-4). This value gives the consumer a “snap-shot” of the type and amount of carbohydrates in food and how that food can affect blood sugar levels.

The glycemic index is a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 being the equivalent amount of pure glucose. A food with a low GI score will have a less severe impact on a person’s blood sugar levels. Many factors can influence GI including the quantity of fat and protein of the food, which can slow digestion of sugars. Low-glycemic foods include beans, complex carbs like oats, most vegetables, and some fruits. White bread, on the other hand, is considered high-glycemic.

A system that can help support blood sugar management is the Isagenix 30-day Cleansing and Fat Burning System™. As shown in independent clinical studies at two separate universities, subjects on the program were able to better control their blood sugar in comparison to traditional dieters.

In 2012, the University of Illinois at Chicago evaluated the effects of the Isagenix system compared to a “heart-healthy” dietary plan in obese women. Researchers found that the subjects on the Isagenix system had significantly better blood glucose control—a particularly striking finding considering that the subjects had normal blood glucose levels at the beginning of the study (4). Additionally, the results suggested their bodies were better using insulin to manage the sugar received in their diets.

The Isagenix system employs IsaLean® Shakes and Bars that are formulated to be low-glycemic. These have balanced combination of dairy proteins including whey protein, healthy fats, low-glycemic carbohydrates including fructose (fruit sugar), and finally, a good source of fiber. Isagenix tests to ensure that these meal replacement products are indeed low-glycemic by partnering with academic testing institutions nationwide.

To find out more about this wonderful system of ageing gracefully, contact me directly!

References

1. Brown AF, Mangione CM, Sarkisian CA, et al. California Healthcare Foundation/American Geriatrics Society Panel on Improving Care for Elders with Diabetes. Guidelines for improving the care of the older person with diabetes mellitus. J Am Geriatr Soc, 2003;(Suppl Guidelines):S265-S280.
2. Juanola-Falgarona M et al. Effect of the glycemic index of the diet on weight loss, modulation of satiety, inflammation, and other metabolic risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 100:27-35, 2014.
3. Kahlhofer J et al. Carbohydrate intake and glycemic index affect substrate oxidation during a controlled weight cycle in healthy men. Eur J Clin Nutr 68:1060-6, 2014.
4. Lagerpusch M et al. Carbohydrate quality and quantity affect glucose and lipid metabolism during weight regain in healthy men. J Nutr 143:1593-601.

 

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Reiki Week

To celebrate Reiki Awareness Week in Australia, I wanted to bring you some information on what Reiki is and my first experience of Reiki.

 

Reiki is a form of energy healing that has been practised worldwide since the early 1900’s. It was first developed as a healing system in Japan, by Mikao Usui, and has been further developed over the years.

 

I enjoyed finding out the literal translation of Reiki.

 

Rei = “God’s Wisdom” or “the Higher Power”

Ki = “Life Force Energy”

 

Reiki is considered to be both a spiritual practice and a healing art, working on enhancing the body’s innate healing abilities.  I like this as it relates to my underlining philosophy of using nature to promote self-healing. It’s the body’s own ability to heal that is being stimulated, much like when I use homeopathy or aromatherapy as a stimulant to support the body in what it aims to do best, which is to return to homeostasis, or balance.

 

My first experience with Reiki occurred on a whim.  I was in London and had spare time so was wandering about some streets, wondering what I could do with my time.  I walked into a wonderful feeling shop, lots of crystals, essential oils and the like giving a great experience.  There was a Reiki Master working from this shop and he just happened to have a free one hour space – I quickly grabbed the opportunity to try something that I’d never experienced before.

 

The treatment room was soothing and relaxing. I was asked to take my shoes off and lie on the towel on the floor, to relax and close my eyes. Gentle music was playing in the background. This was a great beginning after wandering the busy streets of London.

 

From there, I felt an energy pass into my body, it was sometimes moving and sometimes it was stopped in a particular area, all the time, I could feel this amazing strong energy flowing freely from my big toe. This was it, for a period of one hour, I lay on a floor, listening to the music, noone touched me, nor did I move.  It was exhilarating!

 

After the treatment, I discussed the bumpy energy flow in spots over my body. It was explained that the practitioner had not stopped and concentrated in any one particular area, it was my body that needed particular healing in those areas so the energy had remained over those spots until the healing had occurred and it could move on.  The energy flow from my big toe was explained as the exit of the energy from my body once it had targeted what was required.

 

The experience is one that I have never forgotten, it occurred over 14 years ago.   I was attuned to Reiki some years ago, and regularly practice self-healing with Reiki.  A truly wonderful treatment that anyone can be attuned to and can utilise in their daily lives.

 

The purpose of Reiki, from the Reiki Australia website:

 

“The true purpose of the Reiki method is to correct the heart-mind, keep the body fit, and lead a happy life using the spiritual capabilities humans are endowed with since birth.”

Here is a great video on how we all practice Reiki on a daily basis, and have not maybe realised it previously

Enjoy learning more about Reiki and ask me about how it will complement your treatment plan.

Gluten Free Brownies

Processed Sugar Free, Flour Free Brownies

 

This week I have been bombarded with food recipes, so I thought it was time I shared!

 

This recipe came to me via Facebook, and I wanted to try it out over the weekend.  My first trip was to the health food store for the raw cacao as I had the rest of the ingredients in my cupboard.

 

The hype was that it was Processed Sugar Free, Flour Free and made from Sweet Potato.

 

I wanted to see if the recipes we are sharing are actually reproducible.

 

This is the recipe as it was posted – I’ve put in my additions in RED and included step by step photos.  Enjoy!

 

2 Medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped about 700g of sweet potato, chopped into small pieces

Sweet Potato chopped

1/4 cup of raw cacao powder
1 and a 1/4 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup dates
Pinch of sea salt I used Himalayan Rock Salt

Preheat oven to 180c, line an 8 x 8 tin with baking paper I used a greased muffin tin

Boil sweet potatoes for 5 mins, then blend, I used a hand blender

Blending the cooked sweet potatoes

add everything else

Adding the remaining ingredients

and blend till smooth.

All the ingredients blended together

I was very pleasantly surprised at this stage, as it now looks like any cake mix – wow!!

Place in tin and bake for 25 mins. This took about 50 minutes, not sure if it was where I had the tray in the oven, lower shelf, or if it was because I used a muffin tin, or if this is just how long it takes!!

Cooked brownies cooling

Cool before attacking them. They were yummy – still have some left, and shared some too

Brownies are now ready to eat

 

I cooked them until a skewer came out clean when testing them.  The brownies are moist in the centre and have a firm outer.  The taste is like that of a standard brownie, with a slight hint of something else (I suppose that’s the sweet potato).

 

I have approximated the calories (this recipe made 10 muffin sized cakes) as 200 calories per brownie. So, as a treat for me, I am having half of a brownie with a cuppa (I usually have chai or green tea) when I feel like something special.  I’m storing them in an airtight container in the fridge too.

 

Enjoy!!

Cleaning Up For Christmas

 

Oh my gosh, yes, it’s that dreaded word!!! Christmas! Halloween is now officially over, and the next big holiday a lot of people are expecting is Christmas (though I know for my northern American friends, it’s Thanksgiving!).

 

I’ve been reflecting on where I was last Christmas, and where I’m heading to this Christmas.  Last Christmas I was in the middle of my new Life Journey.

At that time I had just recently completed a 10 week challenge at the gym, was sitting around 67kg (147lbs), looking towards achieving my goal weight of 60kg (132lb) sometime in the New Year.  My goal over Christmas was to not gain weight – and, yep, I achieved that goal. In fact, I lost weight over Christmas!!

 

Jul – Dec 2013

 

So, for this end of year celebration, as we head rapidly towards the end of 2014, I was looking at where I’ve come from and where I’m heading too.

 

Over the last few months, I’ve been feeling a little bit on the sluggish side, so I knew in my heart it was time to complete a 30 day nutritional cleansing program again.  It kicks off today!!

 

As it was day 1, I decided to do my weights and measures (as I’ve not measured myself since I hit my goal weight of 60kg in March this year.  I was very surprised at the results!

• Firstly, I am now the same weight – 59kg (130lb)
• Secondly, most of my measurements are the same – EXCEPT FOR:

THE BUTTOCKS!!!!

Surprisingly this measurement has decreased by a full 9cm since March

WOW!!!!!

THE UPPER ARM (BICEP)

Not surprisingly, this measurement has increased by 2cm since March

How happy was I with these results? A toned butt and biceps?  Awesome!!!!

Anyway, that was the most surprising element of the measurements that were taken.

My goal for this 30 day cleanse is to improve my energy, clean up my insides, possibly release another 3 – 4kg (6 – 8lb) and increase my motivation as we head into the silly season.

In the way of accountability, here is my ‘before’ shot:

Day 1 – 1 Nov 2014

 

During my cleanse days, I will be actively recording how they progress on my Facebook page.

I will be undertaking some deep cleanse days, and these involved two days, yes two days, of fasting.  These are supported by nutritional snacks, cleansing herbal drinks, lots of water and my special treat – a green tea infused dark chocolate!

 

So, enjoy my journey and I’m excited about seeing the final toned information after 30 November!

Contact me to begin your Life Journey now

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Secrets to Building the Bikini Body!!

“This time last year, I was fair, fat & forty”

 – Sandra Venables

Well, okay, so I was older than forty, and I am not blonde – but you get the picture!!  Actually here is the picture if you’ve missed it in the past

Jul – Dec 2013

We are almost about to step into Spring in Australia and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, whereas it’s time to reflect on a Summer almost past if you’re living in the Northern Hemisphere – so you’re either anticipating a bikini body, or reflecting on not losing your current bikini body (okay, so maybe some of you are reflecting on NOT having obtained a bikini body in the first place!!).

 

Now is the time to begin Springing into Summer, or preparing to never again have a Summer like you just experienced.  Either way, it’s time to begin the easy process of a Life Journey that will allow you to feel comfortable in your skin again.

 

I wanted to discuss measuring the progress of your Life Journey today.  WAY too many people measure progress based on the numbers on the scales!

If you are going to be a “scale watcher”, then here are some tips for when to measure yourself on the scales.

1. weigh yourself first thing in the morning, prior to breakfast
2. weigh yourself either once a week or, preferably, once a month
3. never weigh yourself daily, this does not allow for  your body to show your changes
4. remember, scales measure muscle gain as well as fat loss!!

 

A more accurate way to measure yourself is to use a good, old fashioned, measuring tape!

A measuring tape will measure the physical changes much better than a scale can measure the overall change.  Use the two in conjunction and you can work out your overall body fat ratio.

 

Now, how to measure yourself, where to measure and how often?

1. HOW – wear tight fitting clothing, note what clothing you wear for when you measure next time
2. WHERE – upper arm, chest, waist, buttocks and upper thigh
3. Upper arm, around the bicep (easier to find if you flex your arm)
4. Chest, keep the tape horizontal, measure around the torso/body, along the nipple line
5. Waist, keep the tape horizontal, measure around the torso/body at the narrowest part of your waist, this is generally 1/2 inch (approx 2cm) above the belly button
6. Buttocks, keep the tape horizontal, measure around the widest part of the hips
7. Upper thigh, place your foot on a chair, find half way between the front of the knee and the point where your leg inserts into your body, at the half way point, measure the circumference of your thigh
8. FREQUENCY – once a week, always at the same time and day, e.g., 7am on a Tuesday.

 

It’s usually easier if you have someone take your measurements for you.  A couple of step by step guides for how to take the measurements are shown in a video, or on a website for more information.

 

I’ve developed a spreadsheet for you to use to monitor your weight and you can then calculate your progress more easily over your Life Journey.  You can download it here.

 

Lastly, remember to monitor your progress visually!

Take before and after photos.  Just before you measure yourself each week, take a photo. This is one of the most impactful ways of monitoring your progress, seeing the changes week after week are incredible.  Personally, I took photos and measurements monthly (as regular followers here can verify) and found that they were truly inspiring when I calcuated the progress.

 

I would recommend following any Life Journey for a minimum of 90 days. This is because your red blood cells typically have a life cycle of 90 days, so I believe it will take this amount of time to show good progress on your journey, at least 30 days of this journey will be in you changing your lifestyle habits, getting into routines and settling into your new Life Journey.

 

I am personally mentoring people in their new Life Journey to enable them to Spring Into Summer, right now!

Be quick, there are limited places!!!! 

 

Take your new Life Journey with me for free mentoring, meal planning tips and inspirational tips along the way.

 

Come on a Life Journey

 

Contact me now to be personally mentored into your Bikini Body this Summer, WITH EASE!!!

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Having a Pity Party?

“Borders and obstacles can only do one of two things,

                    Stop us in our tracks, or

                      Unleash our imagination”

                                                                                     – Amy Purdy

What obstacles are you having to overcome?

A Pity Party is a place where you bring your woes, where you lament “oh, poor me…..” “life is hard….” “why does this happen to me….”  It is not my favourite type of party.  We are in the place we are because we have made some choices in our life.

Recently I was listening to Amy Purdy’s tale about living beyond your limits in a TED talk, it set me thinking about what is limiting in my own life and the lives of others I have encountered.

I believe everyone I meet is on a Life Journey, it is personal, intimate and their very own.  Our Life Journey is one that will continue to help us grow, to help us allow our light to shine, to allow us to become the person we know and believe lives inside of us.  It is something to be celebrated and reflected upon with awe.

In our Life Journey, borders and obstacles are events that make us stop in our tracks, we believed we were on track, then a diversion is set up.  Our choice is to decide how to tackle the diversion and how to overcome the diversion.

For myself in my Life Journey, this has meant being able to forgive and let go of people that I am ‘meant’ to care about.  This diversion has been placing limits on how I progress within my own Life Journey and how I have been seeing my role and myself during this time.  It has had the effect of making me listen to Self-doubt, to wonder if I was ‘good enough’.

I’m happy to say, that now that I have made the choice and actioned that choice, that life is now continuing on in the direction that I had originally planned it to go.  This direction now has me with regained Self-belief, so great to feel the joy of knowing I am still on my Life Journey, and heading in the direction that will allow my light to shine.

Obviously my diversion was not as catastrophic as Amy Purdy’s diversion, but it is ultimately about the choice you make when a diversion is put up in front of you.  The choice is:

Do I allow this diversion to change my focus and put me off course?

OR

Do I keep my focus on my path and develop a way over/under/around this diversion?

For me, it’s an obvious choice when you take 100% responsibility for all that is in your life, all that is good and all that you don’t necessarily like so much, it is all due to your choices.

100% Responsibility for ALL in your Life

 

Have an awesome day, filled with choices that allow those barriers and obstacles to melt away.

 

So how is your Pity Party going?

How to have a massage without a massage?

As some of you may know, I’ve been training for a half marathon recently – well since March really!

 

Kindly borrowed from the Gold Coast Marathon website, http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au

 

Lately I’ve had a few issues with my training.  It started in mid-May, I’d just run my first 12km distance in my preparation, and suddenly I had very tight, painful glutes and upper thigh areas.  What to do?

 

Firstly, I thought it was my trainers.  When I began this journey, I was running in trainers that were more suited to bushwalking than road running, but I persisted with them, mainly because they were relatively new.  My thinking was I’d go for some “you beaut” running machines about 5 – 6 weeks before the race, giving me time to ‘break them in’.

 

Well, when I checked out my trainers, I could see quite a bit of wear on the outer heel, indicating that I was putting my foot down on the outer edge when running.  So, try new shoes.  Well, as it wasn’t quite time for a brand new road running pair, I tried the pair of same shoes that I had waiting in my cupboard.  This didn’t seem to fix the problem.  Week one of not training well!

 

Secondly, I then discovered I should really be stretching properly before I run and also after.  Something I had not been doing very well it would seem.  So, the following week, it was time to ensure stretching was occurring regularly and of the correct muscles.  This seemed to help the problem a lot, so I was back into some training.  Week two of training better, but not back to full steam yet.

 

Only to be suddenly halted again.

 

Nope, it wasn’t a physical injury this time – it was the COMMON COLD!!!  How embarrassing, I’m a natural therapist and it appears I had forgotten to look after myself well.

Oh well, sometimes the body needs to do some quiet resting and regenerating.  This resting and regenerating came about for me over the next two weeks while I took the time to recover, using my homeopathics and regular essential oils to ensure that the recovery was steady, even though it wasn’t as quick as I had hoped.

See my last post on Secrets to Winter Living to read about the different homeopathics, essential oils, dietary changes and herbal teas I used to ensure I managed a full recovery.

 

By this time, I had now purchased my “you beaut” running shoes, a great looking pair of New Balance shoes, complete with nitrogen filled soles (so the sales lady told me – she was lovely by the way, looking after the newbie that I am!)

 

The new shoes – New Balance

Ready for running now!

Time to start running again.  Well, for the last 2 weeks, I’ve been back on the road again, making sure that the stretching is happening pre and post training, that the shoes are not wearing, that I’m running more on the ball of my foot rather than the outer of my heel.

 

 

 

However, I am still feeling tight muscles in my upper thighs and glutes areas.

 

What to do?  Well, the obvious answer is to go for a massage.  As an Aromatherapist, I truly know the benefits of massage to release those tight feeling muscles.  My issue is that I’m not a fan of deep tissue massage, and I feel that most therapists would be suggesting this to me once they knew what my issue was.

 

My way to overcome this?  Well, as an Aromatherapist, it is to create a blend that is warming to my muscles, a pain reliever of the tight muscles and all while easing the tightness in them too.

 

The joy of the essential oils is that a nice way to apply them is to have a massage, but essentially, it is the oils that are getting into the blood stream and hence into the muscles to work their own special kind of magic.

 

Thirdly & finally, my step last week was to create an essential oil blend that I can apply to my legs pre and post workout, to ease the tightness that is being created, to warm the muscles, to overcome fatigue, to relieve pains, to be uplifting and energising during my training.

 

That blend is:

Workout Blend

Black pepper (Piper nigrum)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Lemon (Citrus limon)

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)

in Sweet Almond Oil

If you’re making this at home, please contact me about the correct dilution and never put the essential oils directly onto your skin without a carrier oil.

 

I have now been using this blend for a week with my runs (my training partner informs me it smells of honey!) and my muscles are certainly not as tight, they are recovering well from my run and I am stretching further than I was a week ago.  I am also back up to running my 12km training on the road (with 9km and 6km runs between), looking at 15km next week, 18km the week after, then the half marathon (21km).  Very exciting indeed!

All up, I would recommend this blend on your muscles pre and post a training run to assist your muscles in recovery.

 

Do contact me if you would like a bottle of Workout Blend!

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