diet

Leave a comment Posted on November 5, 2013November 5, 2013 Patient Talk

Getting rid of depression. Some natural lifestyle changes to help get rid of depression.

As anyone who has ever suffered from depression will tell you recovery can take a long time. We

https://patienttalk.org/?p=874

thought we would share a few ideas for tackling depression that do not involve medications.

It is worth mentioning that it is always a good idea to map out a journey from depression with a healthcare professional. It is worth noting that the ideas below are complimentary rather than an alternative to more conventional treatments such as medication or counselling.

1) Exercise. As you may know exercise releases endorphins in the body which in turn makes you feel better. Maybe try swimming or just go for a run.

2) Get organised. A regular routine can help you break out of some of the listlessness which can be caused by depression

3) Diet. Yes really. Fish is particular recommended especially ones high in omega 3 oils such as salmon. https://patienttalk.org/?p=917. You feel better after a salad than a burger!

4) Get outside. Not just for exercise. Regular exposure to sunlight means raised Vitamin D levels which helps improve your mood. You can read up on it here https://patienttalk.org/?p=300

5) Improve your sleep patterns. Get eight hours plus a night can really help your mood. Maybe go to bed a few hours earlier or even try a restful camomile tea.

These are just a few simple ideas. Can you add to them?

It would be great if you could use the comments box below to add your thoughts and ideas as to lifestyle changes which can help beat the blues!

PS You may find our previous blog on St John’s Wort of interest https://patienttalk.org/?p=874

Leave a comment Posted on October 25, 2013October 25, 2013 Patient Talk

How can men boost their fertility? Watch our video with Zita West where she gives advice to men on simple lifestyle changes they can make to boost fertility

Zita West

It’s easy for couples to focus solely on the woman’s health as they prepare for pregnancy; however, pre conception health is just as important for men.

The average sperm count should be 15 million or more per ml according to new guidelines. Low sperm count and mobility may be caused by a series of lifestyle factors and could affect a man’s chances of conceiving. There are several habits men need to be forming during these critical months of preparation, including increasing water intake, eating food rich in antioxidants also folic acid, and avoiding hot baths and tight pants as heat is damaging to sperm.

It is important for couples to remember that baby making is a team project so there’s absolutely no reason why your partner shouldn’t join you in eating better food, exercising more and doing things he enjoys to relieve stress, all of which will improve the health of his sperm and fertility. No one knows more about this than leading fertility and pregnancy expert Zita West who is also a practicing midwife, acupuncturist and nutritional advisor.

Watch her video here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92wVJwWXr4

Leave a comment Posted on October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 Patient Talk

Flatulence – Three natural ways of fighting flatulence.

Lots of us suffer from flatulence. (My grandmother called it “passing the wind” but that is another

The Fighting Temeraire

matter). Indeed it has been the source of schoolboy jokes for generations and listening to my children I assume it always will be.

Flatulence can be caused by diet or by swallowing too much air. It is also a symptom of a number of medical conditions; these include Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (see our previous blog on IBS https://patienttalk.org/?p=962), Celiac disease (have a look at our blog on Celiac we ran earlier this year https://patienttalk.org/?p=349), gastroenteritis and our old friend constipation.

So what can help get rid of flatulence without resorting to medications?

Well there seem to be three major options:-

a) Yoghurt. I’ve taken to making my own yoghurt over the last few months. I was making some this morning which in fact gave me the inspiration for this blog. Natural yoghurt with a live culture is considered a great way of preventing flatulence. It does so by restoring the balance of microorganisms in the human gut. Charcoal tablets. I have to say these sound worse than flatulence and I’ve never tried them. That being said they come highly recommended. According to experts charcoal tablets absorb some of the toxins associated with flatulence. You should consult a medical professional before you use charcoal tablets as they aren’t right for everyone. It has also been suggested that they can help with weight loss. And apparently we have been using charcoal for the last 3,500 years but I do wonder who thought of it first.

b) Diet. Some foods are associated with flatulence so it is worth reducing their presence in your diet. They include sprouts, prunes, beans and lentils, cabbage, onions and apples.

That being said what works for you? I’d be really keen to hear your suggestions. Also can you suggest other flatulence causing foods to eliminate from our diets? Feel free to use the comments box below.

Thanks in advance.

38 Comments Posted on October 18, 2013October 18, 2013 Patient Talk

Multiple Sclerosis- natural, alternative and complementary treatments for MS – Part One.

One of the features of this blog is to look at conventional and alternative /natural treatments for different medical conditions. For this blog we will focus on natural treatments for multiple sclerosis. It is interesting to note that People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) are often very receptive to non-traditional treatments.

It is worth mentioning that there are a number of treatments we won’t be covering, such as being stung by bees, because we can’t account for its veracity. Asl this is the first of a two partpost we won’t cover everything so if you do have any ideas you wish us to mention in the next blog it would be great if you could mention them in the comments box below.

a) Exercise is of course a biggie. The key issue is “low impact” exercise so Yoga, Tai Chi and swimming all come highly recommended. We covered yoga for PwMS in a previous blog which you may find of interest https://patienttalk.org/?p=571.

b) Acupuncture. This ancient Chinese system of medicine has been found by some people with multiple sclerosis to help with bladder control and spasticity. Some useful information and very relevant links can be found at the National Multiple Sclerosis Societies’ web site http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/treatments/complementary–alternative-medicine/acupuncture/index.aspx

c) Massage. While not in and of itself a disease modifier it certain helps with stress and depression which are side effects of multiple sclerosis.

d) Evening primrose oil. Some studies have suggested that it may help with some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

e) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO). Simply put this means that the patient breaths pure oxygen. Some studies have suggested there are signs of improvement while many say it has no effect.

The more eagled eyed among our readers will note that we have not covered a diet at all in this post. This is because we plan to review various diets in a set of future blogs.

The next stage is really over to you. It would be great if you have tried any of these therapies we could have your feedback on how they worked. You may wish to think in terms of some of the following questions:-

1) How long have you had multiple sclerosis and what were/are your main symptoms?

2) What treatments have you tried? In particular which complementary treatments have you used?

3) How effective were those non-traditional treatments?

4) Would you recommend any treatments to others to help with the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

Please use the comments box below to add your thoughts and suggestions.

Many thanks in advance.

1 Comment Posted on September 20, 2013September 20, 2013 Patient Talk

What methods have you used to help you lose weight? Take our new poll

Obesity

Diet, surgery, exercise and medications have all been used to promote weight loss.

In this poll we are trying to find out what methods our readers have used.

Please take the poll below to let us know. Feel free to use the comments box to tell about what has worked for you!

Many thanks in advance