Tag: health

Short Chain Fatty acid for your intestinal tract health

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

As Nutritionist, we have known for a long time, and at least I have since my University training more than 26 years ago. The health of the gut is very much an essential part of all our health, including the brain, hence the mental health of a person. It starts from birth, from picking up your mum’s bacteria, if it was a natural birth, and if not, from being breastfed, and if not from all around you. Obviously, from a natural birth (not water birth as such, as still is a doubt if the bacteria gets washed out with the water). In natural birth though again, depends on your mum’s vaginal bacteria. Sometimes I recommend to give friendly bacteria to babies, when mum’s might not have supported their friendly bacteria through the diet, or if they have taken antibiotics for any reason or another while pregnant.

Now, we all have our unique microbiome and hence that is what it will grow from the start. And the we know that the first 1000 days of life (Swansey study), are the most important for populating your babies and toddler microbiome. If for any reason, such as antibiotics have been given or taken during pregnancy or lactation, your baby has been born through a C-section, then, it is possible that instead of the good bacteria, the more non-commensal bacteria that could do more harm than go, will thrive.

So the best next thing that you can do for your baby is giving some Bifidus baby infantis to support the proliferation of their good microbiome, and stop the growth of yeast or other non commensal bacteria.

Babies have more Bifidus bacteria, which feed on either the mother’s breastmilk or bottle fed milk. From 6 months, after you start adding more food, the Bifidus that feeds on milk, start to go down and more of the lactobacillus and other good bacteria start to grow. Now, it depends on how you start your baby diet, if you start on more sugary foods, such as fruits, then, the yeast bacteria can overgrow, and your baby might start getting the taste buds for sweet. If you start on more vegetables, than, the bacteria that feeds on vegetables grow and are better. Also in this way, your baby will not crave more of the sugary foods later on.

There are lots of weaning thoughts and diet out there, just remember, that your baby does not have teeth and the digestive system is not fully developed till the age of 14 years! Yes 14 years, for the liver, the kidney and the entire intestinal tract is formed. So make sure that more of the good food is ingested than the rubbish food. It starts from you and when they are weaning as well. Click here to read what I suggests, and you can make up your mind of what is the best for your baby as well. Ask your mum, if you turned out really healthy, what she weaned you first!

To feed more of the good microbiome, such as the acidophilus and Bifidus bacteria, they need to feed on food that they can eat. The by product or the elimination of their feeding, is fuel for the repair of the intestinal tract.

The intestinal tract, needs repairing every 3 days or so. So they need food every day, to do you a lot of good.

And as we know the healthier the intestinal tract is, the healthier your mental status! Lots and lots of research on this now.

What food does increase the short chain fatty acid (SCFA), which is the food that the bacteria eat to repair your intestinal tract. The SCFA are essential for the repair of the intestinal tract, as well as, reducing inflammation, support the integration of the gut barrier, preventing undigested food to enter the blood stream and hence reducing the chance of allergic reaction to normal food, and much more.

All in fermented food:

Butyrate in oils, butters and fats, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables, milk, onion, garlic, avocadoes etc, whole grain fibers increase short chain fatty acids, such as brown rice, quinoa, apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, spinach kale, kiwi, mushrooms, any green leafy vegetables, dandelion greens, endive and more. (and yes, some foods are off in the Fodmap diet)

Acetate, all fibers, but more with apples, pineapples, strawberries, berries, grapes oranges

Propionate in all the above plus pears, oat and barley, brown rice, legumes, chia seeds, chicory root, asparagus.

Whenever you or your baby, toddler, child, teenager, needs to take antibiotics for any reason, take some really good friendly bacteria, such as Bifidus and a combination of lactobacillus, so that they fill the gap that has been left by your good dead bacteria, till your own good microbiome, grows back again. The probiotics that you buy might stop growing after two months, but they saved the seat for your own microbiome to regrow after the antibiotics.

If you are taking any medication, is possible that you need to support your intestinal bacteria with the bacteria that you buy or you can make your own kefir, if you are good at doing that. If you are an Athlete, you need to support your gut microbiome with extra microbiome, as excessive exercise will cause inflammation and leads to a reduce good microbiome.

If you frequently need to take anti-inflammatory, also you need to support your intestinal tract, as well as if you take steroids for any reasons, or extra hormones, such as in HRT.

Always promote your good bacteria with the food that contain the SCFA above and you will feel much better than anybody else that does not support their intestinal microbiome!

Read my Book, “Clinical experience of IBS” by Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) find it on amazon.co.uk

Weaning babies!

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

I found that mothers are quite confused now days about when to start weaning and what to start with.

Facts:

  • The intestinal tract and digestive system is not fully formed till 6 months.
  • Babies do not have all the teeth to chew on their food till about 1 year old.
  • They start with the front teeth, but cannot chew much on these.
  • Certain foods will be a bit more histamine reactive than others
  • You needs to start with more of a liquid one, such as milk density, using your own breast milk or formula, so that the intestinal tract gets used to new foods.
  • Iron and zinc are not supplied from the breastmilk, hence baby rice, or oats or baby cereal are fortified with iron
  • Iron is an essential mineral for the brain development of your baby, as well as blood component, which takes nutrients around the body.
  • Whatever iron the baby had at birth, is what they will have till 6 months, hence starting solid with iron in it such as cereal, to prevent any damage to the intestinal tract and digestive system (hopefully the umbilical cord has been of a minimum of 1 minute after birth, so that at least 60 per cent of the iron is received back into the baby).
  • I hear of many books and others websites, who would suggest even peanuts before a year old. I would hold on that, peanuts are not nuts, are part of pea family, and if you want to give any of that family give the mashed peas around 7 to 8 months instead. Nuts for later, and if you have had nuts during pregnancy, you have already introduced nuts to the your baby anyway.
  • I know that now the common wisdom is to introduce any of the possible allergy early, but I would wait till the baby is 1 year old and introduce a minimum of a minimum to start with.
  • I do see babies who are introduced to cows or dairy formula who do react to that already, or even when breastfed they react to the mother drinking milk, hence I would be a bit more cautious to start anything that could cause a possible allergy too soon.
  • Giving probiotics when the baby as not had a normal birth or the mother and the baby had to take antibiotics, or even a water birth, can promote the growth of their own individual bacteria that are beneficial for them, so that the non beneficial bacteria do not overgrow, leading to possible bloating, more colic and possible digestive problems later in life.
  • And yes the probiotics that you take will only stay in the intestinal tract for up to two months after you stop, but that will allow your own good bacteria to take their place and grow more, giving your intestinal tract food to repair it every 3 days.
  • After the milk density cereal, start increasing the thickness of the cereal, till it becomes a bit more lumpy. This for few weeks after the weaning. Your breastmilk and the formula will still be the baby full food intake.
  • Then start with vegetables pure (buy a simple hand blender and make it yourself).

Weaning babies and more (notes from Leo Galland Superimmunity for kids)

A baby is ready to eat solid foods between 4 to 6 months. But it is best for your child to start as late as possible, more near the 6th month rather than the 4th. Any solid foods even the baby rice should be started later. Breast milk and formula milk are still enough up to 6 to 7 months. After 6-7 months the iron content of both formula and breast milk is not enough for a growing baby.

The best thing to do to start him/her of solids is to start when he is ready to eat. He will be able to sit up a bit by then and his tongue will move back and forth in his mouth, rather than up and down in the sucking pattern. This means that his is ready to move food from his lips to his throat. 

Reasons for delay his weaning:

1. When he starts eating solid foods, the protective Lactobacillus Bifidus will disappear from his intestinal tract. At six- seven months he will be better able to handle this loss than at four months.

2. If you have been breast feeding, the extra two months of breast milk will help sustain and enhance his developing immune system, minimizing any chance of food allergies. Allergenic reactions will increase the susceptibility of his intestinal and respiratory tracts to infection, just at the point when he is susceptible anyway because he is losing his Bifidus protection. 

3. At seven months they can handle mashed food and you don’t have to puree’ or strain everything. 

4. If you start solids too soon, your baby will spit or drools when he is fed, that means he is not ready for them. Don’t try to force him to eat, stop feeding as soon as he stops eating.  Many babies might resist spoon feeding, the reason why is because they want to keep sucking or because they want to feed themselves.

If you force-feed him, it will just build frustration and increase resistance.

If you add sugar or salt in order for him to eat, it will just lead to habit of eating sweet things or salty food. When he gets hungry enough so that breast milk or milk no longer suffices, he will start to accept solids.

If he doesn’t want to let you put the spoon into his mouth, and grasps at the spoon or the food or both, you will know he wants to feed himself.

If he is able to grasp with his fingers, he may be ready to feed himself at least some of the time. But if he grasps with his palm, he is not ready. 

What you can do is give him sticky foods that he can grasp with his palm and put into his mouth. Big lumps of thick, cold baby cereal or moistened, fork-mashed potatoes, mashed vegetables stuck together with oatmeal. At first, he will play with his food more than he will eat it, but if he eats whit his parents or siblings, their example and his won hunger, should have him eating more, and playing less before your patience runs out.

 Remember feeding a baby will be messy for him and for you, so be prepared and be patient!

What to start with

 You want to start him on soft, bland, smooth foods, such as cereal. When he has mastered cereal than you can add vegetables, then fruit and then more vegetables, between 9 and 10 month you start on protein, not before than because his kidneys and digestive tract are not ready to deal with them. 

It is a good idea to introduce one food at a time.  Giving him a larger amount of a single food at a feeding, rather than small amounts of several foods, allows him to get use to a new food so that he will be less likely to reject it. It will take them to taste the new taste 20 times at times, to get used to it and eat it! so be patient and vary the food!

He will also be less likely to have an allergic reaction (a small amount of a new food is more likely to induce his immune system to form allergic antibodies than is a larger amount. 

1st food solid – iron fortified cereal:

Start with iron fortified rice, for the first 6 days or more. Try Organix oat and baby rice or Beechnut oatmeal or baby rice (try to avoid the porridge already made, it contains more things that your baby is ready to digest or might get allergic too.

If you find Barley cereal try to introduce that as the third cereal. 

Please note: NO WHEAT OR COW’S MILK UNTIL HE IS A YEAR OLD (even if on formula, formulas are made to suit babies), because it is more likely to produce an allergic reaction.  The iron is important because by this time your child’s iron stores are used up and he needs iron sot that his brain will develop, as well as preventing anaemia, as I mentioned above. 

Preparing your baby’s cereal.  Use breast milk or formula as the liquid. You will want to start with a consistency only slightly thicker than milk (e.g. start with a cereal broth and add more cereal to get the texture you want). As you child becomes able to handle it, you can gradually thicken it to the more usual consistency.

Feed a very small amount (e.g. 1/8 teaspoon at time, slowly increasing the amount as he is able to handle it).  Every three days or so he is ready for a new cereal (after the initial 6 days on baby rice)

Sample of feeding at 6 months: Solids once a day, one new food every three days. Baby rice for first 6 days, then oats meal for three days, then baby rice again until he is 6 and half.

If you start earlier than 6 months:  Sample of feeding at 5 months: On waking: Breast or formula feeding- mid morning Baby rice and vegetable of the day, followed by bottle feed or breastfeed.

 Lunch: Breast or formula milk

 Tea time: Vegetable of the day and baby rice or oat. Breast or formula milk

 Bed time: Breast or formula milk.

 Food II Vegetables

 Once your baby is happily eating cereals, he is ready to meet vegetables. Start with pureed green beans, and peas, then pumpkin, squash and potatoes. Change each food every three days and give one at the time on rotation, he will get used to the taste and like it better.

Never force a baby to eat his food, if he does not want to eat something try later when he is hungrier. Rotate these foods for a while until he is ready for the other foods. 

DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY SPINACH, BEETS, TURNIPS, CARROTS OR COLLARD GREENS UNTIL HE IS NINE MONTHS OLD. 

While they are excellent sources of important nutrients, especially vitamin A, these vegetables may be too rich in nitrates for him. Nitrates can change his red blood cells so that they are less able to carry oxygen. 

Food III- Fruits About a three to four weeks after starting vegetables, he should be ready to eat fruits. Good fruits to start with are applesauce, peaches if in season, apricots, pears, nectarine, and plums. Choose organic fruit and if not possible, make sure that the fruit has not been treated with Alar (Daminozide), a dangerous chemical used to regulate growth. Demand this information from the manager of the supermarket. If it is impossible to get the information, use only washed or peeled local fruits in season. Ripened fruits are tastier and sweeter, and the baby will like it better, as well as easiest to pure or mash. You can add organic avocado pears as well. 

Start with cooked fruit, either baked or boiled in very little water. To preserve its nutrients, bake it with its skin in a covered dish with just a little water. When it is tender, it is done. You can also steam it in a tightly covered pot. Either way peel it before mashing or puree it. You don’t need to add water for a smooth puree, since both cooking methods preserve natural liquids as well as nutrients. If you must add water, use the absolute minimum.  When your child can handle cooked fruit, try uncooked mashed fruit. The chewier texture will help him learn to chew. If he has a good grasp and chew, you can give him small pieces to hold, chew and suck on.

Caution: THEY MUST BE ABLE TO CHEW WELL, MASHING THE FRUIT ON HIS OWN, OR HE MIGHT CHOKE ON HARD FRUIT, SUCH AS APPLE OR PEAR.

Food 4: more vegetables

At around nine months, once he has mastered fruits, your baby is ready for chewier vegetables: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower asparagus tips, kale and tomatoes (not before 9 months because of their acidity and strong taste).

He can also eat now spinach, beets, turnips, carrots and collard greens. Serve each one every four to five days until he becomes familiar with them. Don’t make the servings too large. If he shows gassiness or bloating, especially after eating turnips or collard greens or similar vegetables, wait about a month before trying them again.

Between nine and ten months protein time, Until now your infant’s kidneys and digestive tract were not ready to handling high protein foods, but these foods, are rich in vitamins and minerals too and your baby is finally ready to take advantage of them.

By now he is ready to eat meat, poultry, beans, egg yolks (wait for the white until he is about one year old to avoid allergies), tofu and bean curd.  Beans work best when combined with grains to produce a more complete protein.  Examples of this are rice and beans, corn and lima beans and hummus (sesame butter (Tahini) and chickpeas.  If you are vegetarian, nut butters (no peanut butter as is not a real nut and can cause allergies) can be given for his protein meals too. Nuts and seeds are good form of proteins, vitamins and minerals as well as EFA. 

Please note: There must not be a history of family allergies in order to give any form of nuts and seeds to the baby.

 You can puree meat and poultry from your table for him. SKIP FISH until he is a year old because of the possible allergic reaction to it. 

Finger-licking food. At ten months he will enjoy finger foods. Give him pieces of fresh peeled, pitted fruit, tofu chunks, or small pieces of moist cooked chicken.  

EFA: To be sure your baby is getting enough of the essential oil, the omega 3 essential fatty acid. It is a good idea to add about a teaspoon of food grade, cold pressed, organic flaxseed oil. You can mix it into meat and vegetable dishes. 

 Tips on food preparation

 It is best to prepare your baby’s food yourself.  With a blender or food processor, it is easy to puree fresh vegetables and fruits. James Martin blender or nutribullet are two of the best right now. It is best to use organic fruit and vegetables as they have fewer pesticides and they taste better, as well as having good quality nutrients. When you can’t buy organic, then wash vegetables thoroughly in a mild soapy solution and then rinse thoroughly to remove the soapy residue (a drop of Ivory soap in a pint of water will do or buy fruit and vegetable wash at your supermarket. After washing remove the peel from potatoes, squash and tomatoes. In this way your baby’s first meals will be pesticide free.

 Do not give sugar, salt or too much fat. These anti-nutrients do not contain any nutrient of their own and they actually slow down the metabolism of the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). EFA are essential oils that the humans need in order for the brain, nerves, immune system and many other body systems to work properly.

You only obtain EFA from certain healthy food, such as vegetables oils (mainly cold pressed sunflower oil, Hemp, walnut, almond as well as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and linseed) and from oily fish.  Also, sugar will increase the body’s need for vitamin B and salt will increase the amount of magnesium lost in the urine. 

Remember baby’s love sweet food, but they can get all the sweetness from fresh fruits. 

Never give honey to a child who is less than a year old.

It could be contaminated with spores from botulism-causing bacteria.  Your baby will not think that food is bland without salt. They will taste the different food with joy. 

 If your baby becomes a fussy eater, e.g. he loves baby rice or cereal but does not like the other foods, than try to give the other food first, and then the baby cereal. For example, in the morning when he is most hungry before the baby cereal give the fruit or vegetable of the day first and follow it by the baby cereal. In that way the baby will have a good breakfast. 

 Sample of eating at 6 and ½ months:

On waking: Breast or formula milk.

Breakfast: Fruit of the day, or mashed banana. Baby rice with usual milk.

Before morning nap: Usual milk

Lunch: Mashed vegetables of the day and fruit of the day

Mid- afternoon: Usual milk and practice giving milk from a cup. Or and fruit of the day.

Supper: Mashed vegetables with sweet potato or white potato or baby rice or oat meal or a mix of baby rice, barley and oat meal. 

 Bedtime: Usual milk. 

 At 7 months he should be able to have the following:

Breakfast: Early morning, breast milk or formula milk- around between 7am-8am then at 9am give either the vegetable of the day or the fruit of the day, followed by baby cereal.  Snacks: at 11am-11.30am or before his morning nap: breast milk or formula milk – not too much or he will not eat the other foods, or fruit/vegetable.

Lunch: between 13pm -2.00pm vegetable of the day or fruit of the day (have a choice of two things one new one and one that you know he likes, and try the new thing first and if he does not like it after you have tried for a while, give the one that he likes).

Snack: breast milk or formula milk – around 3pm Dinner: between 4.30pm and 5pm – vegetable or fruit of the day. Bed time: milk breast or bottle

 Please note: At this age your baby still needs around 500-600ml of milk a day for his intake of calcium. 

REMEMBER: The above time-table is approximate, your baby might have a complete different schedule, as long as he eating breakfast, lunch dinners and snacks in between as well as his milk should be fine. 

REMEMBER EACH BABY IS DIFFERENT SOME WILL EAT MUCH MORE THAN THE ABOVE SUGGESTED AND SOME LESS.  

Commercial baby food. There are some good-quality commercial products on the market. Be sure to check labels to see that they don’t contain additives of any sort- also make sure they don’t have sugar, salt, BHT or BHA (preservative that may be allergenic or toxic), or EDTA (colour preservative agent that binds to minerals such as calcium and magnesium, preventing their absorption).

EDTA, salt and sugar are also anti-nutrients. Look for the least ingredient in an organic food.

If you cannot make the fresh food yourself, buy food in jars not in cans (even though now jar tops could be a worry now). Canned baby foods may be contaminated by the lead used to solder the seams. 

One year old: Now your baby can eat almost anything. He has a few teeth, so he can chew more, and his digestive system can handle whole milk, whole eggs, yoghurt and wheat. He will want to feed himself and you should encourage him to do so as much as possible. You will still have to cut up his food, but he can pick up the pieces with his hands and put them in his mouth.

He may miss occasionally but he will learn.  By this time, he should be eating at the table with the rest of the family.  You should still be careful though, some foods can slip down his windpipe. E.G. he is not really ready yet for whole nuts, raw carrots (the small chunks he bites off can create trouble), or popcorn.  These foods are not safe yet for him until he reaches eighteen months (whole nuts until they are 5 years old). 

At this time, he can have some whole grain wheat or cereals. He is still not ready for dry cereals, but stay away from cream of wheat as is not a whole grain product and is less nutritious.  You could crumble whole-wheat toast into very small pieces and soak it in milk. You can also puree cooked whole-wheat pasta in a small amount of milk. At this stage you can give whole-milk yoghurt rather than cow’s milk. Yoghurt is more digestible, and adds beneficial bacteria to his intestinal tract. Add fresh fruits with it but stay away from the commercial fruit yoghurts, because they contain sugar and preservatives as well. Mash fish after removing both skin and bones. 

Being present, aligned and grounded

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

There are a lot of ways to be presents, through mindfulness meditation, through breathwork, through normal breathing, through exercise of any kind, including walking. All of them, do not align you into who you are and what your purpose in life is. I found that in the past 14 years, thanks to craniosacral therapy/healing, that I have been doing and having it myself, that I found that alignment and healing your inner self, and get back to yourself, is more than just being present.

Being present is the first step of many. I found that with craniosacral therapy/healing, for myself and the many hundreds of people I have had the honour to support through their journey of getting to connect to their inner self and healing themselves through the craniosacral therapy, is doing a lot of hundreds steps!

Being aligned with yourself, is getting rid of other people expectation of yourself, as well as the social expectation and what other people think you need to be and do, and get to your own way of wanted to be and do. This is a journey, starting from getting rid of the past pain, possible trauma, and much more. Understanding who you are and change yourself towards what your potential is! Start your journey now, taking 1 step at the time towards your inner self!

I work with a combination of NLP to find your way of support that you have in you to deal with different emotions and feelings!

Understanding your mind flexibility and more!

Dysautonomia, or part of your autonomic nervous system not working well. What is it?

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

Now I am not sure if anyone has heard of the term Dysautonomia. This is not a medical term, but the problems do exist. Now when withing a year a term comes up from two different people, than I think is something. So, I researched it a bit and the following are what I found out. Now, some of the symptoms can be related to many things, so do not take this as the bible, but if you have some of the symptoms, and the doctors cannot find anything at all, it is worth to see a neurologist and see what they say. Also, there might be a solution, of having high B vitamins, and particularly the B1 of the fat-soluble form, which is synthetic but has worked for a colleague. I would also try the high dosage of water soluble one to see if it helps. The Vagal nerve is part of the ANS and it is connected to the major organs, such as the heart, lungs, digestive system and more. The vagal nerve when is working well, allows the person to breathe, properly, the heart rate is at a normal relaxing rate, the digestive system works well and the person can sleep well as well. When the Vagal Nerve which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in turn part of the ANS, is turned off, due to his counter part the Sympathetic Nervous System, which is the one that makes you run from your danger, or in this case Stress of everyday life, than you might have a constant high heart rate, sleep poorly, have many problems of the digestive system, either constipation as the stools dry up more, or diarrhoea as the body is trying to empty itself before running.

Dysautonomia seems to have connections with the some of the Vagal Nerve malfunctions. It seems that can also occur after a virus, and it seems to be connected to COVID or any other major viruses.

If the person immune system has been down, due to possible deficiency of B vitamins or other nutrients, than everything else will not work well. If you do not know B vitamins are the water-soluble vitamins that are essential for making the energy in your body to make everything, including compounds and proteins for the immune system, proteins to create enzymes for digestions and repair of the body, organs, muscles and nerves. B vitamins are not the only essential nutrient needed, our body also need minerals fat and amino acid.

Now in a time that is a trend to do some two days fasting, with 12 fasting or more every day.

With a time that our soil has less minerals, our food contains even less of the nutrients that we need, with a time that there is more crap available to buy with the click of the button and so on, well no wonder that our body is shutting down.

I hear teenagers that skip their breakfast as they are too tired to eat in the morning, they skip their lunch, as they do not have time for that at school, and they sometimes skip dinner, as they do not feel well enough to eat. So, sugar for the energy, fizzy drinks, coca cola, red bull, chips for quick fix of the body requesting some food for the organs and the brain.

For some kids and people, they take vitamins and minerals to help them cope, their parents cook well and are conscious of good healthy foods. For many that is not the case, so they are tired at school, they are tired at home, they are tired when they wake up in the morning after a 10-hour sleep!

Coming back to dysautonomia, where part of the ANS shuts down, without having any prior genetic disorder, what are the symptoms?

Just bear in mind that the following symptoms could be caused by other reasons:

  • Drop in blood pressure, causing dizziness or fainting
  • Fast or slow heart rate or both at the times in the same day
  • Heat like you are having a menopausal flush, and then cold all of the sudden without being in menopause or being a woman!
  • Nausea or gastrointestinal problems
  • Trouble breathing or swallowing
  • Urinary dysfunction
  • Vision problems
  • General weakness

The breathing problems seems to be on movement, rather than standing still, even when moving in bed when laying down.

How do you get to Dysautonomia without being genetic?

  • Drinking too much
  • Undiagnosed celiac disease
  • Diabetes or pre diabetes
  • Mast cell activation Disorder (I stand to correct the prior statement, I have now seen 4 people with dysautonomia since the pandemic)
  • Mitochondrial diseases
  • Toxicity from chemotherapy or heavy metal poisoning

to name some of the possible lead to dysautonomia.

Well, the conventional scientific method has no cure or treatment for non-genetic dysautonomia, apart for physical exercise recommendation, which at times it is not possible, especially if you cannot breathe when you move even an inch, increase in sodium intake, which might or might not help. Obviously, you do need to see a neurologist in severe cases or symptoms.

The non-conventional way but most natural way is a High dosage of B vitamins with other minerals and vitamins essential to nourish the neurones on your nervous system. Craniosacral therapy to rebalance the vagal nerve if it is the one that is causing the problem. Mindfulness meditation or any kind of meditation and rests with, when possible, a gentle movement of the body, even if it is on the spot.

It is essential and important that you get a diagnosis of dysautonomia, or have checked all the possible genetic problems and causes of your symptoms before you read and more of what you can do with dysautonomia. And a possible collaboration of medical and non-medical or looking for both sides of the health practitioner the medical and non-medical even without holding hands with each other!

This is not a medical diagnoses and any suggestions are only suggestions, anything that you take or do needs to be checked by a professional practitioner for your own issues!

© Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) R-Nutritional Therapists – NAET – R-Craniosacral therapist – NLP practitioner – PCI NLP Health coaching – Certified Angel Guide – Mindfulness Meditation teacher – The resilient Heart (Heart-Math) meditation and 12.5 hours CPD in Trauma for professionals – M-Bant – M-CSTA – CHNC registered

Glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen for Osteo arthritis and more

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

Glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM, have been used to support bone structure, reduce pain and swelling in elderly for osteo arthritis for many years. I have not looked at the types and collagen much till now.

My father who is now 88, is in need of an alternative products to medical anti-inflammatory and Cortisone. He cannot eliminate medications well, and cortisone made him retain so much water that he ended up in hospital, unable to move due to water retention.

Now, has he also was so much in pain, that I decided to look into alternative products to suggests.

Glucosamine, chondroitin an MSM are excellent for OA and any arthritic condition. Now he does not take any type of medication, and so he can take the high dosage of the products. If you are taken any blood clotting medication or any life saving medication, you need to consult your doctor for that, as MSM can eliminate your medication quicker and hence cause some problems.

Now the reason for OA in elderly, is that from the time we reach 40 years of age our collagen start to decline, and the rebuild is much slower. In some is slower than others.

Nutritionally, vitamin C foods and supplements, with zinc, drinking adequate water, can slow down the process of collagen decline.

If you are vegetarian and vegan the above vitamin, needs to be taken in supplements to make it slower. Collagen is only in animal products, such as meat and fish. And any products of collagen are meat or fish derived. Greens, salad or any other vegetarian or vegan sources do not contain collagen.

Now, having looked at some of the research for glucosamine and chondroitin, the dosage in studies where it made a difference was quite high, from 800 mg for chondroitin and higher. So if you are taking that, is good to take in a good dosage.

To take extra collagen for the non vegetarian, is worth knowing that there are few types. Our body has about 28 types of collage. The most common ones are Type I, II, III, V and X.

Hyaluronic acid and elastin are part of collagen. Collagen I is most prevalent and important for skin, bone, tendon, cornea and vascular ligature. Type II is found in cartilage and vitreous body (eye). Type III is in skin, uterus, intestine and vessels. Type V is found in placenta (so important for pregnancy), in bones, skin, cornea, hair and cell surfaces (essential for all your cell membranes as a protective layer, yep this is how important it is).

Collagen type VI is also found in bones, skin and cornea, and collagen type VII can be found in skin, bladder, mucous membranes, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord (again this is essential for your baby if you are pregnant).

Collagen Type VIII is found in the skin, heart, kidney, brain, bones, cartilage and vessels. Collagen Type X, XI and IX are found in cartilages.

What food contains high collagen: bone broth, legs and feet of chicken, meat, fish will have higher collagen.

Supplementing your diet with vitamin C every two hours if you are healthy, taking extra zinc, drinking plenty of water as collagen contain and needs water to form.

© Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) R-Nutritional Therapists – NAET – R-Craniosacral therapist – NLP practitioner – PCI NLP Health coaching – Certified Angel Guide – Mindfulness Meditation teacher – The resilient Heart (Heart-Math) meditation and 12.5 hours CPD in Trauma for professionals – M-Bant – M-CSTA – CHNC registered

Colds and cough; what can you do to strengthen your immunity and your babies/children immunity?

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog

The season for coughs and cold has started let’s see what can be done to minimize the symptoms and or shorten the illness:

What can be done to strengthen our immune system?

Blood oranges

The season has started a while back, but due to scare of recent events it seems that it got more serious. To prevent or shorten the coughs and colds for adults here are simple things to take and do:

  • Keep warm, take about 300 to 2000 mg or more of vitamin C in water throughout the day (if you are on any medication or aspirin please do take this);
  • Zinc about 15 mg a day for a week or two;
  • Homeopathic remedy kali bich 30cc, twice a day if thick mucous for a week (this is good for children too, as I used it with my child);
  • Chicken soups if you are not vegetarian or if vegetarian have ginger soups with plenty of vegetables, garlic and onions if you are ok with them and curcumin;
  • Gargle with lemon and salt and or take lemon and honey to soothe your throat;
  • Use olbas oil for adults and for babies the appropriate oil to have in the room when sleeping;
  • Use saline nasal spray for adults, children and babies to help with clearing the nose.
  • I often use sage and echinacea throat spray from A. Vogel range, for adults only. It stings a bit but very powerful.
  • Have hot drinks with lemon and honey to soothe your throat
  • Sleep and rest for few days
  • Warmth bath with sea salts helps as well to decongest
  • Breathe in Himalayan salts to help with the breathing and lungs (add the salt in a paper cone or any other container and breathe in the salt. Very effective.
  • Take friendly probiotics, for adults/ children and babies, this helps with avoiding more problems from the intestinal tract and strengthen the immune system, by avoiding possible allergen to trigger your immune system and inflammation cascade.
  • Freshly squeezed orange juice and lemon juices with honey.
  • Drink lots of liquids such as pure water and herbal teas.
  • For babies look for the saline spray solutions, infantis probiotics for the intestinal tract such as the Biocare one or other good brands; for children as well. Bottle fed babies can add the abc vitamins for babies in their bottle. Breastfed babies usually get the immunity from their mother and the vitamin C and zinc from the mother too.
onion

(c) copyright Maria Esposito BSc (Hons R-Nutritional Therapist – NAET – R-craniosacral therapist

How to stay healthy this winter

by Craniosacral Therapy/Paediatric craniosacral therapy/Nutrition/NAET/ NLP Health Coach/Mindfulness meditation, posted in Blog
Insect house

How to stay healthy this winter
Autumn is here and colds, coughs, start to be around quite often. In order to be well and keep well, always have some vitamin C supplement around to help the immune system. You know that bats when they are ill make about 20.000mg of vitamin C a day. We as humans used to have the same ability, but we lost it when we started making more glucose, which is the same pathway for our energy supply, to do more during the day and night for some. 
We are amazing as human being, we usually can deal with a lot of things. That if we give our body time to heal and repair and rest. In our modern life, we lost that ability to do so and therefore out body gets too tired. That includes children as well, they have so much to do from the early morning that they have no time to rest and sleep at least 10 to 12 hours a day to repair and grow.
My suggestion for adults and children, is sometimes to just do nothing or just reconnect with nature on the week end. Just go to the any of the green parks area in London, and hang out there, just for fun, play with the kids if you have any or just walk around with no agenda or purpose. Just be. Listen to the birds and observe nature itself. Connect to the earth. 
This is a way also to stay well and feel well. 
Of course eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, mineral waters (not sparkling) is best, and just rest when you need to. 
One of my colleagues suggested to gargle with tree tea oily (needs to be spit out), one drop in water if you have sore throat (not for children), or lemon and salt gargles (children can try this) or lemon and a good honey.
Enjoy the season and stay well!

Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) R-Nutritional Therapist – NAET – R-Craniosacral Therapist