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Why you don’t need to be afraid of a fever

By acounsel on April 26, 2012

Currently there are a couple of commercials selling pain and fever relief products for children. The emphasis of the commercials is that they take away the worry of a fever from the Mum. You see (a perfectly groomed) Mum stating how using this product makes her life easier because she can stop her child’s fever straight away. These commercials make me angry! Why, because fever is the body’s natural defence against infection and is not something to be feared or eliminated. If you shut down the body’s natural defence against something, how do you think the immune system can fight the infection? What are the long term effects of suppressing a young child’s developing immune system?

I am a Mum and I understand that we don’t want to see our children in pain or distress, but I also trust in the body’s innate power to heal itself. I get very annoyed at pharmaceutical companies who operate on fear tactics and contribute to Mums stress and worry by telling them that the best way to treat their children is with a man made drug. So how does the immune system work and how can you provide natural support to your immune system?

Your immune system is one of the complex systems on the planet.  It is highly evolved and is able to cope with an amazing diversity of challenges.  The problem however is that the amount of things our immune system has to cope with is increasing. Our world is not becoming cleaner, but it is rapidly changing, with new chemicals and toxins produced everyday.

Your immune system consists of an amazing system of immune cells and tissues whose sole purpose is to defend your body against viruses, bacteria, allergens and parasites.  If you think of your immune system as an army, which is on constant surveillance and fights invaders when required.  There are different types of immune cells, each with their own role to play just like different ranks in the army.  Now if you don’t feed your army well and look after it, what do you think will happen when are larger invader comes along?  Your army (immune system) won’t have the strength or reserves to fight and the battle may continue for a long time and then start to spread to other areas.  An army which is out of control can start to attack itself, this is called an auto-immune condition.

So what happens when you immune system detects a foreign pathogen like a virus?  Firstly it is important to understand how virus spread.  When a virus gets into a cell, it replicates itself within the cell’s DNA then the new virus bodies push out of the cell wall forming little buds on the cell wall.  Each of these buds will move onto another cell and replicate itself in the cell and the process starts again.  While this process is happening in the cells the immune system is increasing its numbers of front line cells (neutrophils).  When you are feeling a little under the weather, not quite sick yet, the neutrophils are fighting hard to stop the virus by gobbling up the buds which form on the cell walls.  The rate at which your body can increase its numbers of immune vs the number of times a virus can replicate itself will determine whether you get sick or not.

If you get sick the immune system brings in other ranks of cells like the killer cells and the monocytes .  Killer cells are the big guns of your army and the monocytes clean up what is left behind.  So what role does a temperature play in this process?  Most viruses can only survive at around 37degC ( body temperature) so the immune system triggers the body to generate more energy to raise its core temperature.  This resetting of the thermostat, can result in chills and fevers.  The chill occurs after the body has raised the temperature to fight the virus and then it needs to lower it back to normal as a protective mechanism.

The body controls its temperature quite closely because too much heat can cause adverse affects in the brain.  It is these potential adverse effects that pharmaceutical companies play on when advertising their fever relief products.  It is rare for a fever to develop into something more in children, even those who have suffered fever induced fits have no adverse affects (besides scaring their parents).  If the fever is suppressed then the immune system has to work a lot harder to fight the virus, which is why these viruses tend to linger rather than resolve themselves in a few days.

As mentioned it is important that you feed your army well and look after it.  Two of the key nutrients required for a healthy immune system are Vitamin C and Zinc.  High dosing both of these nutrients if you first notice signs of illness can often provide enough nutrients to you front line defence immune cells so they can overcome the virus before you get sick.

Vitamin D is also essential for a healthy immune system, so aim to get at least 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure in the middle of the day.  There are also some herbs which are great to support the immune system – Echinacea, Andrographis, Olive leaf, Astragalus plus Pelargonium.

Some simple things if you feel you or your child are getting sick:

- reduce your stress, get plenty of rest and relaxation

- avoid processed sugary foods, avoid all dairy foods and minimal wheat foods

- increase water intake, you should be drinking at least 2+ litres/ day

- eat easy to digest foods such as soups

- avoid alcohol

- adequate levels of Vitamin C and Zinc

So if your child has a healthy immune system they don’t need anything to manage a fever, the body knows exactly what it is doing.  Keep you child quite and well hydrated and they will recover with a strong immune system intact.

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Processed vs Natural Sugars, is there a difference?

By acounsel on April 20, 2012

Over the past few weeks I have been posting different articles on Facebook regarding the over consumption of sugar in our diets and the long term effects on our health.  I have received a few questions regarding these articles with questions about fruit and whether fruit should also be avoided.  So I thought I would clarify a few things about sugar.

Sugar is a carbohydrate that occurs in all plant foods.  It is the energy source that allows plants to grow and reproduce i.e. produce fruit.  These sugars have many different names – sucrose, fructose, dextrose,     in fact any ingredient ending in “-ose” is a form of sugar.  But all of these sugars have different chemical structures and are utilized in different ways by the body.

The main type of sugar which we need to be concerned about is processed sugar which is derived from sugar cane.  This doesn’t mean that all cane sugar is bad either, I grew up on a sugarcane farm in Queensland and can remember chewing on sugar cane; it was very hard work to get the sugar out of the cane.  The problem with sugar from cane comes with the processing.

Once the sugar is extracted from the cane it is bleached and refined until it bears very little resemblance to its original state.  The refining process results in the stripping of all nutrients from the sugar and the removal of the fibre; this is what causes problems when it is included in our food.  The production of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is even more processed and really does not resemble its original state at all.  HFCS is not fructose!

The biggest concern with processed sugar is that it is added to so many packaged foods.  Because of our long term fear of fats (a very clever marketing campaign) many people are eating a lot of ‘low fat’ foods.  When fat is removed from foods, the food generally doesn’t taste very good so high levels of processed sugar are added to make the food palatable.

So where does fruit sit in the sugar equation?  All fruits and vegetables contain some level of sugar, in many cases the form of sugar is fructose.  With the exception of people who suffer from Fructose Malabsorption conditions, a moderate amount of fructose in a balanced diet is okay.  The reason being is that fruit and vegetables also include fibre and the fibre slows down the absorption of sugar in the gut.  This is what we call a low Glycaemic Load (which is not the same is low GI).  Fruit and vege juices are not low glycaemic load, unless you keep the pulp in the juice.  Some eating 2 pieces of fruit and approx. 6 handfuls of vegetables/salads per day is a good level for a balanced diet.

If you find that you ‘crave’ sugar (even in the form of fruit) then you may need further investigation to see if you have an overgrowth of negative bacteria or candida in your gut, these organisms will increase your craving for sugar.  If you find that you store fat around your stomach, then it is likely that you have an issue with your insulin control and blood sugar regulation.

Hopefully this article has provided you with some information to help you make better food choices for you and your family.  Please leave any questions or comments below and I will answer them all for you.

In my next note I will provide some healthier alternatives to using white processed sugar in your cooking and baking.

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Are you tired of being tired?

By acounsel on April 3, 2012

Ironically as I sit down to write this blog, I have spent most of the night up with my daughter who has been sick for a few days.  While I am currently tired due to lack of sleep there are many people who are chronically tired, despite getting what they think is enough sleep.

There are many different reasons for feeling tired and run down all of the time, some of these include:

-          Low iron levels

-          Ongoing chronic infection

-          Stress – physical and emotional

-          Poor dietary choices

-          Overgrowth of bad bacteria and/or candida in your gut

-          Hormonal imbalances

-          Unstable blood sugar levels

-          Toxicity due to high exposure or poor liver detoxification

-          Poor sleep habits

-          Poor digestion which leads to poor absorption of key nutrients

-          Excess body fat and inflammation

-          Mitochondrial (these are the cells powerhouses) dysfunction

As you can see there are a lot of different reasons why you might feel chronically tired.  Essentially when your body is out of balance i.e. too much of something it doesn’t want or not enough of something that it needs – your body has to work hard to make up for the imbalance.

Here are a few tips to help to keep your energy levels up:

-          Drink water.  Your cells need water to function properly.  Most people are dehydrated most of the time.  You need to be drinking approx. 30ml/kg of body weight each day for your body to function, that’s before you put things in it like caffeine or alcohol which needs extra water to process.  Add an extra litre for every hour of exercise you do.

-          Eat healthy foods.  Processed foods take a lot of energy for your body to process and give your body a very little nutritional value.  Skip the processed and fast foods choose foods which are given to us from nature.  Nature’s foods are designed to be easily digested by the body and provide us with the nutrients our body requires to produce energy.

-          Sleep at least 8 hours a night. It might seem obvious but sleep is essential for ensuring that your energy levels are high enough for your body’s requirements.  Your best quality sleep occurs between 10pm and 12pm, so it is important that you are in bed and asleep by 10pm each night.  When you sleep your cells regenerate themselves, damaged tissues are repaired, your liver detoxifies itself, and your immune system gets stronger plus your body performs many of tasks at this time.

-          Exercise daily. While you might feel that you don’t have enough energy to exercise, starting with gentle daily exercise will actually help to increase your energy levels.  As humans we are designed to move around, not sit at a desk all day.  So get up and go for a walk.

-          Make sure you are getting the correct nutrients. There are several very important nutrients required for energy production and these include Iron, Magnesium, some of the B vitamins, Carnitine, CoQ10, Lipoic Acid and Omega 3 Fats.  If you aren’t sure about what nutrients you might require feel free to give me a call to discuss.

-          Take a holiday. Make sure that you regularly take some time out to recharge your batteries.

As you can see there are many causes to chronic and ongoing fatigue, make a few of the above changes to see if you notice a difference in your energy levels.  If you are still struggling, or think that you need more help, please feel free to call me so that we can have a chat about what might be happening for you.

Until next month, I am off to have a quick nap to recharge my batteries.

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Why do some people appear to be more affected by stress?

By acounsel on March 4, 2012

Why is it that Mum’s today appear to be more stressed than our Mothers were?  We live with so many gadgets and applications designed to save time and make life easier, but we are still stressed!  Is it because we have been conditioned to think that we have to be stressed to be thought to be performing the role of Mum correctly?

We are exposed to constant visions and discussion about “stressed Mums”, there are so much media around about how Mum’s can deal with stress better.  Often we saw our Mum’s being stressed, when we see someone who doesn’t appear to be stressed like us, we make comments like – ‘she must have help’, I don’t know how she does it’ and other similar comments.  You even came to this talk to find out how to deal with stress better.  We are all looking for the magic key to stop stress.

But there is one more thing we need to look at – PERCEPTION

I could put 2 Mums in the exact same situation and one could trigger a stress response and the other remains relaxed and calm – what is the difference in these 2 Mums – their PERCEPTION of the situation.  You may not be able to control the situations that you are exposed to but you can change the way you react!  Did you know that you change the way you react by being ‘present in the moment’ and by coming from a place of love rather than reacting to the stressor?

Who wants to know what I am talking about with this stuff about perceptions, being present and coming from a place of love and not reacting?

Firstly, I would like to tell you about something which happened to me recently.  Many of you will know that I recently moved the clinic from Frenchs Forest to here at Brookvale.  A month before the move I had planned everything, because I knew it was going to take some organisation to move business premises with minimal impact to clients.  But not only did I have to move the business I had to repaint and completely clean the old premises and fix up some things in the new premises.  I was expecting it to be a stressful time, especially when I knew my husband would be away the very week I was trying to move, so I had the kids to organise as well.

I told myself before I even started I would be stressed, but I had it planned out and I started preparing early – but I would be stressed.  I continually told myself that the stress would be short lived and everything would be okay once I handed back the keys to the old premises.  During this time I developed immense pain in my left arm, I actually lost the use of my arm – I am left handed so I couldn’t even write.  I was having chiropractic sessions 2-3 times a week, I was having regular massages.  I was taking stress herbs, I had crystals taped up my arm – actually this worked better than anything.  I stopped all exercise because I couldn’t move my arm and the nerve pain was excruciating.  But I continued to tell myself it was all stress and everything would be okay when I handed back the keys to the clinic.

The day I handed the keys over, the pain in my arm completely disappeared and my arm was back to normal.  So what happened, the muscles in my neck and shoulder were definitely tight and obviously pressing against a nerve, but why did it disappear the minute I had a set of keys to someone? Why? Because I had talked myself into this situation – I told myself that I would be stressed during the move and my body responded by giving me exactly what I had asked for – a high level of stress!

But I would do things differently if the same thing happened again, why because I have learnt the power of the sub-conscious mind and how I can change the way I react to trigger situations.  Every morning and every night I run through a Present Time Consciousness Exercise and whenever I feel stressed I use the Infinite Love and Gratitude hand symbol placed on my heart.  If you would like  to see the steps to do the Present Time Consciousness Exercise click here.

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Sugar as bad as alcohol!

By acounsel on February 3, 2012

As I sit down to write this blog, it is great to see that today the local news is reporting about a group of scientists in the United States who are calling for sugar to be regulated like alcohol.  Whilst I am not promoting the regulation of sugar I think it is great that mainstream science has now proven some of the effects of sugar on the body.

Part of their conclusions included:

“Sugar, they argue, is far from just “empty calories” that make people fat. At the levels consumed by most Americans, sugar changes metabolism, raises blood pressure, critically alters the signaling of hormones and causes significant damage to the liver — the least understood of sugar’s damages. These health hazards largely mirror the effects of drinking too much alcohol, which they point out in their commentary is the distillation of sugar.”

Are these the type of effects we want our children’s growing and developing body’s to be experiencing on a regular basis?  As a society we are already seeing children developing Type 2 Diabetes (used to be called Late Onset Diabetes) and having heart attacks due to obesity.

It is interesting, that time and time again researchers and the medical profession have said that there is no evidence to show that sugar causes a problem with children’s behaviour, now it is being shown that sugar is causing a series of adverse effects on the body and the effects are similar to alcohol intake.  How many parents have seen this reaction in their child after them eating sugar, especially when it is laced with toxic additives as well?  I know I have seen it in my children.

More and more I am seeing children in clinic with an overgrowth of bad bacteria and candida in their digestive systems which causes inflammation and results in a high level of toxins circulating through the body.  If, as concluded in the above study, sugar is also causing damage to the liver it will not be able to cope with the removal of these additional toxins caused by the bad bacteria and candida.  This means your child’s body starts to become toxic and they experience a variety of symptoms.  Some of these symptoms include eczema, bad breath, poor concentration, behavioural issues and digestive complaints.

As parents we have the control over what our children eat but I know that it is very hard sometimes.  I of my ‘pet peeves’ is other people offering my children lollies and putting me in the position that I have to say no.  Whilst these other people say “it’s only one lolly, what’s the harm”, what they don’t seem to realise that if my children receive one lolly from every shop, sports coach, relative etc. they meet, they will be eating a lot of sugar!  So it is up to me to say no, which then upsets my children because they feel they are missing out.  What would be better all-around would be for everyone else to stop offering food as a reward to my children!

Allowing your child to eat small amounts of sugar on occasions, is generally not an issue UNLESS they have an overgrowth of bad bacteria or candida in their digestive system which is causing them symptoms.

So what’s good, bad or half way in between?

-          Fruit is okay in moderate amounts, but if your child craves fruit all day long – it is likely that they have an overgrowth of candida in their gut.  A maximum of 2-3 pieces/serves of fruit a day would be considered okay, anything more than that may require further investigation especially if they have other symptoms.

-          Fruit juice – is whole fruit with the fibre removed, which leaves the sugar and water.  To make a glass of orange juice it takes 4-6 oranges, your child couldn’t eat that many oranges in a sitting.  If you must give them juice, then dilute it at least 25% in water.

-          Dried fruit – once again is the whole fruit, this time with the water removed.  Your child will eat more dried fruit than they would whole fruit, so they are getting a lot of sugar.  Be very careful of how much dried fruit your child eats, only small amounts.

-          Fruit straps/bars – unless you are making them yourself, they are generally high in sugar.  Avoid them

-          Honey – does have sugar in it, but natural honey (not the processed stuff in the plastic bottles) actually has an anti-bacterial effect so it does help to kill off some of the bad bacteria.  Honey is okay in small amounts on occasions

-          Stevia – is a sweet herb, it isn’t sugar, it has no sugar in it, it is not an artificial sweetener and it is 70 times sweeter than sugar so you don’t need to use very much of it at all.  Excellent sugar substitute for the sweet tooth.

-          Xylitol – is a sugar alcohol, too much can cause liver damage, but used to sweeten cooking on occasions is fine.  A good side effect of xylitol is that it actually helps to get rid of candida in the digestive system.  Sold under the name of Perfect Sweet.

-          Agave Syrup – is a form of sugar (from Agave plant) but doesn’t have all of the negative effects of processed sugars.  Is okay to use as a sweetener, once again in moderation.

-          Rapadura Sugar – is a form of sugar (raw cane juice) but it is unprocessed and doesn’t have the same negative effects of processed sugar.  Use in moderation.

It is possible for your child to have a low sugar diet; it just takes a bit of effort and planning.  If you think that maybe your child may have a health issue with sugar please contact us at the clinic as we now have an excellent Optimal Health Program designed especially for children.

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