Focusing on a Healthier 2018 - Jill Davies
Generally speaking, if we haven’t actually put on weight, then our blood sugar levels may have been severely imbalanced either by sugar, or alcohol, or both. Getting our blood sugar balance back is vital for a great many reasons, not least to reduce the inflammatory reactions it creates, but also other seemingly unrelated issues like increased stress, premature ageing and immune fragility. For a focus on sugar, in particular, you may find it useful to take a look at Dr Marilyn Glenville’s book “Natural Alternatives to Sugar” where she explores how devastating sugar is and what natural sweeteners to use instead. With the Christmas period in mind, an increase of sugar for some 4 to 5 weeks can be a difficult pattern to break, let alone a much longer time frame. This is where herbs can help. Herbs can re-balance insulin production; help to re-train the pancreas and generally change how the body acts and reacts to any introduced sugar…..or the lack of it. Without a sugar spike, the brain can feel foggy and the body low on energy, which is often why we go back for more of course.
What the Herbs do in Brief
Alcohol, sugar, excess carbohydrates, excess table salt (snacks) the list is pretty endless and all these need to be weaned out of the system and the affected organs ‘re-booted’ to a better equilibrium. Bitter herbs have the effect of draining, clearing and re-energising the liver, increasing bile production and gallbladder efficiency so this is the category of herbs that will definitely need to be used. Choices would include dandelion leaves and roots, artichoke leaves and more. Others will ‘deep clean’ the bloodstream like nettle leaf and burdock root which will actively detox the system.
Keeping you Sustained
For those of you that know, detoxing or even simply cutting out the ‘sugar spike foods and drinks’ will leave you with lowered energy and stretched adrenals and lowered mood. So understanding this aspect and helping with the right herbs and foods will be vital. Foods that help reverse this will be nutrient dense or in other words ‘superfoods’ like algae’s, sprouted grasses (naturally gluten-free), non-active yeast, all alongside classics and everyday superfoods like beetroot and more specialised foods like Siberian ginseng root (adrenal support).
An Overview of Choices for Shedding and Detoxing
Constipation
Moving the bowel is vital to ensure the detox process has a proper outlet. It can often become sluggish with different foods, lots of travelling, poor sleep and potential social stresses in general. So we always start with the bowel to ensure your ‘largest eliminatory channel’ is working, thus ensuring that toxins will be released quickly and effectively. Stool bulkers and gentle laxatives can re-set the system and for some, just a day or two of support can make all the difference. For those already prone this may take longer. Try samples if you wish of our ‘Coloclear Capsules’ (call +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com) which contain, Triphala fruits, aloe vera leaf, yellow dock root, barberry bark, fennel seed, and ginger root.
An Unsettled Gut
Too much food and the wrong kind can produce bloating, sluggish digestion and general discomfort in the gut. If you want ask to try our ‘IntestAble Capsules’ (clove bud, coriander leaf, wild certified cinnamon quill, wild certified olive leaf, garlic bulb, wild certified thyme leaf, wild certified chicory root) or our ‘Lemon and Artichoke Concentrate’ (apple cider vinegar, wild certified artichoke leaf, lemon peel and juice, basil leaf, wild certified fennel seed, wild certified rosemary leaf and wild certified cinnamon quills). All help quell low-grade infection, excesses of bad bacteria and ease low or fragile digestion.
An unsettled gut can also mean that bad bacteria have got the upper hand over good bacteria, the balance of which in our guts is called ‘our microbiome’. Getting this back to balance and re-settled will be important. We naturally have some 5,000 ‘different’ species of bacteria so we need to intelligently garden all these. Taking a probiotic supplement can fast-track this. Choose one with at least 7-9 different strains in order to help broadly re-populate your good bacteria. Each person’s own innate strains of bacteria are widely unique and therefore a multi-strain range will help to ensure we can all be catered for. For instance, try choosing one with 50 billion live cultures and say 8 probiotic strains. The bought ones will vary tremendously so have a look around. I personally use ‘Wild Nutrition ltd’. Then there are the fermented foods like sauerkraut. Some bought ones have an amazing 80 billion live cultures and about 5 probiotic strains in 4 tablespoons. So these fermented foods can be interspersed and used alongside. On a side note, Apple cider vinegar based foods are helpful too but they are not probiotics as such but these types of vinegar provide the food for the growth of good bacteria and are therefore termed a ‘prebiotic’.
Clearing out and Detoxing
Having embarked on better food choices and re-settled your gut, bowel etc you may want to consider an ‘actual’ cleanse or detox. The choices are mainly from semi-intensive ones to just one-day programs. So if interested go to our ‘Cleanse and Detox’ section and read up on what we offer and suggest on the subject or simply go to each cleanse and find out more. At Herbs Hands Healing we have mirrored Dr Schulze’s cleanse and detox programs (for decades) for those of you that are familiar with him and his work/products.
Also for those familiar with Dr Schulze’s SuperFood Plus drink don’t forget how potent a cleanser this can be. If you’ve forgotten to drink it lately go back to it or maybe just increase your intake. For those who don’t know about this drink, it contains fourteen plants which aim to quickly provide easy to assimilate protein, balance blood sugar, provide energy and all with outstanding and broad nutritional value. It also contains pre and probiotics within the fourteen plants themselves. [Here’s what’s in the drink blend; Spirulina, Blue Green algae, Chlorella, Alfalfa, Barley & Wheat grasses, Purple Dulse seaweed, Acerola cherries, Rose Hips, Orange & Lemon peels, Palm fruit, Beetroot, Spinach leaf and Dr Schulze's proprietary non-active Saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast]. For those unfamiliar with this quickly made ‘food drink’ again please ask us for some free samples sachets. Telephone +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com.
Many toxins, ‘PolliTox’
Well, we do have thousands upon thousands of pollutants nowadays. Just the sheer number of environmental pollutants is staggering let alone what makes up our everyday foods and then festive December and January on top. So herbs that help to accelerate the clearing and cleansing process will really be your friend right now. I mentioned this category of herbs at the beginning of the newsletter. And at Herbs Hands Healing we’ve popped them into one capsule called PolliTox. They are contained in a vegetable cellulose capsule with wild certified nettle leaf, wild certified dandelion root and leaf, wild certified burdock root, wild certified rosemary leaf and wild certified chicory root. They can be taken as standalone aids to help all the issues I’ve talked about but they can also be used to pre-empt the actual cleanse or simply be used just as they are. Do call if you want a free sample pack or two at any point. The combined herbs gather and move on unwanted bacteria, fungi and viruses to some extent but they also help to break up fats, reduce inflammation and generally encourage the better functioning of all cells and major eliminatory systems and organs. The rosemary leaves provide the all-important help with circulation and the movement of the bloodstream but any exercise will always be a hugely helpful addition and ‘must’ for those able to do so.
For Those who Just Need a Tiny bit of Help
A lot can be done with just drinking more water and having herbal teas. Flushing, flushing, flushing is the point. Again I can steer you to our own dried herb versions like our kidney tea ‘Parsley and Cornsilk’ or our liver support tea ‘Mullein and Star Anise’. Whilst our immune guard tea 'ImmuGold' can be useful at this time of year, helping sustain you through the effort of cleansing. Please ask, we have samples available for all the products mentioned, call +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com.
For those who want to make their own herbal teas then it’s very easy, with fresh and or dried supermarket or garden grown versions:-
Kidney Tea
Balancing What Happens
Everybody will have differing levels of detoxing to achieve and of what they wish or are able to cope with. Detoxing can be very tiring for some, not for others. It’s partly why we provide one day cleanses as a practice run in order to ‘find out’ where you’re detoxing levels are at. Just a few teas can also be enough initially. Whatever you are up to, take care, call in if you need more ideas and enjoy 2018.
To talk to Jill Davies Herbal Practitioner call our advice line +44 1379 608201 Monday to Friday 9am-1pm.
Generally speaking, if we haven’t actually put on weight, then our blood sugar levels may have been severely imbalanced either by sugar, or alcohol, or both. Getting our blood sugar balance back is vital for a great many reasons, not least to reduce the inflammatory reactions it creates, but also other seemingly unrelated issues like increased stress, premature ageing and immune fragility. For a focus on sugar, in particular, you may find it useful to take a look at Dr Marilyn Glenville’s book “Natural Alternatives to Sugar” where she explores how devastating sugar is and what natural sweeteners to use instead. With the Christmas period in mind, an increase of sugar for some 4 to 5 weeks can be a difficult pattern to break, let alone a much longer time frame. This is where herbs can help. Herbs can re-balance insulin production; help to re-train the pancreas and generally change how the body acts and reacts to any introduced sugar…..or the lack of it. Without a sugar spike, the brain can feel foggy and the body low on energy, which is often why we go back for more of course.
What the Herbs do in Brief
Alcohol, sugar, excess carbohydrates, excess table salt (snacks) the list is pretty endless and all these need to be weaned out of the system and the affected organs ‘re-booted’ to a better equilibrium. Bitter herbs have the effect of draining, clearing and re-energising the liver, increasing bile production and gallbladder efficiency so this is the category of herbs that will definitely need to be used. Choices would include dandelion leaves and roots, artichoke leaves and more. Others will ‘deep clean’ the bloodstream like nettle leaf and burdock root which will actively detox the system.
Keeping you Sustained
For those of you that know, detoxing or even simply cutting out the ‘sugar spike foods and drinks’ will leave you with lowered energy and stretched adrenals and lowered mood. So understanding this aspect and helping with the right herbs and foods will be vital. Foods that help reverse this will be nutrient dense or in other words ‘superfoods’ like algae’s, sprouted grasses (naturally gluten-free), non-active yeast, all alongside classics and everyday superfoods like beetroot and more specialised foods like Siberian ginseng root (adrenal support).
An Overview of Choices for Shedding and Detoxing
Constipation
Moving the bowel is vital to ensure the detox process has a proper outlet. It can often become sluggish with different foods, lots of travelling, poor sleep and potential social stresses in general. So we always start with the bowel to ensure your ‘largest eliminatory channel’ is working, thus ensuring that toxins will be released quickly and effectively. Stool bulkers and gentle laxatives can re-set the system and for some, just a day or two of support can make all the difference. For those already prone this may take longer. Try samples if you wish of our ‘Coloclear Capsules’ (call +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com) which contain, Triphala fruits, aloe vera leaf, yellow dock root, barberry bark, fennel seed, and ginger root.
An Unsettled Gut
Too much food and the wrong kind can produce bloating, sluggish digestion and general discomfort in the gut. If you want ask to try our ‘IntestAble Capsules’ (clove bud, coriander leaf, wild certified cinnamon quill, wild certified olive leaf, garlic bulb, wild certified thyme leaf, wild certified chicory root) or our ‘Lemon and Artichoke Concentrate’ (apple cider vinegar, wild certified artichoke leaf, lemon peel and juice, basil leaf, wild certified fennel seed, wild certified rosemary leaf and wild certified cinnamon quills). All help quell low-grade infection, excesses of bad bacteria and ease low or fragile digestion.
An unsettled gut can also mean that bad bacteria have got the upper hand over good bacteria, the balance of which in our guts is called ‘our microbiome’. Getting this back to balance and re-settled will be important. We naturally have some 5,000 ‘different’ species of bacteria so we need to intelligently garden all these. Taking a probiotic supplement can fast-track this. Choose one with at least 7-9 different strains in order to help broadly re-populate your good bacteria. Each person’s own innate strains of bacteria are widely unique and therefore a multi-strain range will help to ensure we can all be catered for. For instance, try choosing one with 50 billion live cultures and say 8 probiotic strains. The bought ones will vary tremendously so have a look around. I personally use ‘Wild Nutrition ltd’. Then there are the fermented foods like sauerkraut. Some bought ones have an amazing 80 billion live cultures and about 5 probiotic strains in 4 tablespoons. So these fermented foods can be interspersed and used alongside. On a side note, Apple cider vinegar based foods are helpful too but they are not probiotics as such but these types of vinegar provide the food for the growth of good bacteria and are therefore termed a ‘prebiotic’.
Clearing out and Detoxing
Having embarked on better food choices and re-settled your gut, bowel etc you may want to consider an ‘actual’ cleanse or detox. The choices are mainly from semi-intensive ones to just one-day programs. So if interested go to our ‘Cleanse and Detox’ section and read up on what we offer and suggest on the subject or simply go to each cleanse and find out more. At Herbs Hands Healing we have mirrored Dr Schulze’s cleanse and detox programs (for decades) for those of you that are familiar with him and his work/products.
Also for those familiar with Dr Schulze’s SuperFood Plus drink don’t forget how potent a cleanser this can be. If you’ve forgotten to drink it lately go back to it or maybe just increase your intake. For those who don’t know about this drink, it contains fourteen plants which aim to quickly provide easy to assimilate protein, balance blood sugar, provide energy and all with outstanding and broad nutritional value. It also contains pre and probiotics within the fourteen plants themselves. [Here’s what’s in the drink blend; Spirulina, Blue Green algae, Chlorella, Alfalfa, Barley & Wheat grasses, Purple Dulse seaweed, Acerola cherries, Rose Hips, Orange & Lemon peels, Palm fruit, Beetroot, Spinach leaf and Dr Schulze's proprietary non-active Saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast]. For those unfamiliar with this quickly made ‘food drink’ again please ask us for some free samples sachets. Telephone +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com.
Many toxins, ‘PolliTox’
Well, we do have thousands upon thousands of pollutants nowadays. Just the sheer number of environmental pollutants is staggering let alone what makes up our everyday foods and then festive December and January on top. So herbs that help to accelerate the clearing and cleansing process will really be your friend right now. I mentioned this category of herbs at the beginning of the newsletter. And at Herbs Hands Healing we’ve popped them into one capsule called PolliTox. They are contained in a vegetable cellulose capsule with wild certified nettle leaf, wild certified dandelion root and leaf, wild certified burdock root, wild certified rosemary leaf and wild certified chicory root. They can be taken as standalone aids to help all the issues I’ve talked about but they can also be used to pre-empt the actual cleanse or simply be used just as they are. Do call if you want a free sample pack or two at any point. The combined herbs gather and move on unwanted bacteria, fungi and viruses to some extent but they also help to break up fats, reduce inflammation and generally encourage the better functioning of all cells and major eliminatory systems and organs. The rosemary leaves provide the all-important help with circulation and the movement of the bloodstream but any exercise will always be a hugely helpful addition and ‘must’ for those able to do so.
For Those who Just Need a Tiny bit of Help
A lot can be done with just drinking more water and having herbal teas. Flushing, flushing, flushing is the point. Again I can steer you to our own dried herb versions like our kidney tea ‘Parsley and Cornsilk’ or our liver support tea ‘Mullein and Star Anise’. Whilst our immune guard tea 'ImmuGold' can be useful at this time of year, helping sustain you through the effort of cleansing. Please ask, we have samples available for all the products mentioned, call +44 1379 608201 or email office@hhherbs.plus.com.
For those who want to make their own herbal teas then it’s very easy, with fresh and or dried supermarket or garden grown versions:-
Kidney Tea
- 1 teaspoon dried celery seed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 crushed juniper berries
- 500mls hot water
- Leave to stand for 20 minutes
- Drink 1 cup (250mls)
- Drink the rest later in the day or the next day but not near bedtime as it increases urine output.
- Keeps for 2 days (store in fridge).
Balancing What Happens
Everybody will have differing levels of detoxing to achieve and of what they wish or are able to cope with. Detoxing can be very tiring for some, not for others. It’s partly why we provide one day cleanses as a practice run in order to ‘find out’ where you’re detoxing levels are at. Just a few teas can also be enough initially. Whatever you are up to, take care, call in if you need more ideas and enjoy 2018.
To talk to Jill Davies Herbal Practitioner call our advice line +44 1379 608201 Monday to Friday 9am-1pm.
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