Recurrent Cystitis?

Posted on July 6, 2015July 1, 2015 by jenny

Recurrent Cystiitis?

One problem we are often asked about is recurrent cystitis, I had a lady in today asking whether the was anything that we may be able to suggest to help her find some relief from the recurrent cystitis that has plagued her for the majority of her life. The good news is that recurrent cystitis is one area where we have had a lot of good results over the years so I was able to send her off with some tried and tested remedies and a fair amount of confidence that she may find some relief.

Herbal Help

One of the first herbs we tend to reach for when trying to help people suffering from cystitis is Uva Ursi. This is because a lot of the herbal texts tell us that Uva Ursi has an effective anti bacterial action which specifically targets the bladder and this claim would certainly be backed up by the number of customers who have told us over the years that Uva Ursi has helped stop a Urinary Tract Infection in its tracks. Indeed many people, myself included have seen symptoms clear up within 24 hours.

Whilst the Uva Ursi does seem to be very helpful for the infection itself the other things we need to look it is the recurrent nature of the problem. What we have found over the years is that many people stuck in a cycle of recurrent cystitis really find benefit from using a good probiotic supplement. This is because when you suffer with cystitis you often take an antibiotic to combat the infection. The problem with this is that as well as killing off the bad bacteria which cause the infection the antibiotics also kill off the good bacteria which are needed to keep your urinary tract healthy. Without decent levels of the good bacteria, the bad, infective bacteria can grow back leading to another infection, more antibiotics, less good bacteria and so the cycle goes on. The theory behind taking a probiotic supplement is to replace all of those good bacteria within your urinary tract and hopefully help to prevent the infection returning.

Additional Help

We have seen some very good results with this approach over the years but one lady in particular always sticks out in my mind. She had been suffering with recurrent cystitis for over 5 years, with the infections becoming almost constant. As a result she had spent six months on permanent antibiotics and at the time she came in she was feeling really lousy and the infection was returning again.

We put her onto the Uva Ursi combined with a really high strength probiotic – Solarays Mightidophillus12. We also suggested that she cut sugar out of her diet as much as possible as we believe that sugar feeds the infectious bacteria. She took our advice and was delighted to report a month later that she was free on infection for the first time in years. This happily continued to be the case as well and I can report that this lady had been free of infection for over a year when I last saw her.

Avoid Holiday Tummy

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by jenny

Avoid Holiday Tummy

I thought I would have a look at the other type of bug that can ruin a holiday – tummy bugs and talk about preventative measures we can take to keep our guts in a healthy state whilst on holiday. For some people a change in food or water can trigger a stomach upset. Others will often succumb to a stomach bug on holiday and let’s face it, losing a day or so of your holiday tied to the toilet is no fun.

GOOD V BAD BACTERIA

So what can be done? Well the main thing that you can do is make it harder for those bad bacteria which cause stomach infections to get a hold and the way we can do this is to take a good bacteria supplement before and during our holiday week. I always used to get a stomach upset on holiday, my husband joked that we had to go away for ten days so he could be sure that I would have a weeks holiday and two or three days with some kind of tummy issues.

However, after a particularly bad trip to Thailand a number of years ago now, I decided to start taking a good probiotic the week before I went on holiday and to keep taking it whilst I was there. The product I use is Higher Nature ProBio Daily. I chose Higher Nature ProBio Daily, because it does not been to be kept in a fridge and will not be destroyed by heat. I take 3 of these a day for the week before we go anywhere and continue to use it all the time we are away and I have to say that it has made a huge difference for me. In the years that I have been using Higher Nature ProBio Daily I have not suffered with one tummy bug in holiday – making family get aways much more fun.

DEAL WITH DIGESTION

The other step I have taken in to also take a Digestive enzyme away with me. The one I use is SuperGest. The reason for this is that many of us in our daily lives tend to eat the same foods each week. When we go in holiday however we get adventurous, trying new and sometimes exotic foods which our digestive system is not used to or prepared for. This in turn can cause some grumbling and upsets from our digestive system. So when we go out to eat on holiday, and even in this country I always take a few SuperGest with me. If I choose a food I would not normally eat, I always now take a couple of SuperGest with that meal. This has helped prevent the tummy aches, wind and bloating that can occur for many after eating new foods and means that I can enjoy eating new things without any fear of repercussions from my guts!

Natural Insect Repellent

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by jenny

Natural Insect Repellent

I am going to look at something that can ruin the enjoyment of a holiday, especially for those people like me with tasty blood – biting beasties.

MAKE YOUR BLOOD LESS TASTY!

There are lots of arguments about what causes some people to have tasty blood and many theories about things that might be helpful if you do. One of the most popular home remedies is to eat marmite – now there may be something in this theory! Marmite is a natural source of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B1 – also know as Thiamin – can actually make your blood smell less tasty to the likes of midges and mosquitoes. The good news is that to get this benefit you don’t actually need to eat marmite, which I am sure is a relief to some. Even those that do like it, may not want to eat it every day. The alternative is to take a Vitamin B1 supplement, this will be more concentrated than the marmite and we have been told by many, many people, myself included, that this also seriously reduces the amount of bites you will suffer from.

GREAT ALL NATURAL MIX

In addition to the vitamin B1 I would still use a good insect repellant. However, I know that I do not want to spray strong chemicals onto my own skin, let alone that of my daughter. Which is why I was delighted last year, when our herbalist Nicola, made a brilliant Insect Repellent for us and all our customers. It is all natural, safe for all ages and actually with the ingredients used may even be good for the skin! This insect repellant combines Neem, Tea Tree and Lemon Myrtle, it does not smell disgusting and I have to say from my experience with it last year it seems to be extremely effective. Neem particularly is an enemy to all insects, the neem tree is apparently one of the only ones that a locust will not eat. Neem has also been shown to help kill head lice and fleas and to repell even the rampant Scottish midge! I used the Insect Repellent last year in France and there were a lot of bugs around. Now as I said I have tasty blood and in my family I am usually the one kept awake nights with itchy bites. This was not my experience last year using the B1 and Nicolas Insect Repellent – in fact, I did not get one bite, whilst my husband, who does not usually get bitten, did not use either and did end up with a number of nasty bites! So if you have tasty blood and are often plagued with bites then this combination of B1 and our very own Insect Repellent could be just the thing you need to feel as comfortable, and yes as smug as I did last year!

Flying Phobia?

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by jenny

: skeeze / Pixabay

Flying Phobia

I can’t believe how quickly the last year has passed and that I am again writing about the fact that we are heading towards the main holiday season. The first thing I am going to have a look at this week is the flight – or more specifically, the fear of flying or flying phobia, which can affect many people’s enjoyment of flying.

There are a couple of things that could be extremely helpful in this situation.

Simple Anxiety

Firstly, to help with a simple anxiety of flying, my favourite thing to suggest is something called Theanine. We have found over the years that Theanine can just help to take the edge off anxiety and worry for many people. One girl in particular sticks out in my mind. She had suffered with an anxiety around flying for years. It had never stopped her going away, but she did struggle every year. We suggested that she try the Theanine to try and help reduce the sensations of anxiety and the thoughts that rushed through her head. She did so and came back in after her holiday to gleefully report that it had made a huge difference to her as she hadn’t had to spend that last few days of her holiday dreading the flight home! I would therefore say that for those who feel anxious about flying that Theanine could be a great thing to try.

Flying Phobia

There are those however who suffer from a real flying phobia. Just the idea of flying makes them almost have a panic attack and actually getting on the plane can be quite traumatic for them. The good news is that I have been having some great results for this, using a hypnotherapy technique called Rewind and Reframe. Already I have had a few people getting onto flights with no issues and one girl who tells me that I have helped her get on a plane for the first time in years, with her family and go on a fantastic holiday, something she had not been able to do before.

The way it works is this, at some point, your brain has identified a plane as a scary thing, something which threatens you. After that point, every time you put yourself into that position it send messages to you that you are under threat – leading to extreme feelings of anxiety and potentially panic attacks. What hypnotherapy can do is to disrupt this pattern – Rewinding it, this is usually done about a week and a half to two weeks before a flight. Following on from that we create a new pattern for your brain, a nice one – Reframing the pictures associated with flying. This is ideally done a day or so before you fly. This combination has been an extremely successful one for many people trying to deal with phobias and would offer a real solution to a flying phobia, to make a happier holiday. If you want more information on this please email me: jenny@clearyourhead.co.uk.
Or see my website for more information.

Heat Rash?

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by jenny

Horrible Heat Rash

In my final article on holiday health this week I am going to have a look at the issue of prickly heat. Prickly heat can be a real problem for some people, keeping them awake at night, making every day uncomfortable and genuinely taking the shine off a holiday or enjoyment of the sunshine.

Helping Hands for Heat Rash:

We have two main remedies that we suggest to people to try and help prevent or ease prickly heat. One is Sulphur, a traditional blood cooler. This is the one we suggest if people suffer with the heat, maybe with swollen fingers and a burning or itching red rash from the heat.

The other is called Urtica and this is the one we suggest for those rashes that look like the person concerned has just walked through a patch of nettles – uncomfortable, itchy raised white lumps in the rash.

This is the approach we have been using for years with a pretty good success rate. Here are two stories to illustrate how helpful they have been for people.

Super Sulphur

The first concerns a lady who came in before her holiday. She wanted something to prevent the prickly heat that she suffered with every time she went away. She told us that the rash was extremely hot and red and very uncomfortable. We suggested that she take the sulphur tablets. I have to say she was extremely dubious. In fact just how dubious became apparent when she returned the next day to tell us that she had not believed that the sulphur would work, so to test it she had gone on a sunned that morning – something that would normally trigger her rash. She was delighted to inform us that the rash had not flared up at all, which she said must be due to the sulphur, so she had come to buy another packet as she wanted to be sure she wasn’t going to run out whilst she was away as she was headed to Spain for a month. That lady has been back every year since and still swears by sulphur!

Useful Urtica

Another time we had a lady in during a warm spell here in England. She was really struggling with it, every time she exposed her arms to the sun she broke out in a nasty white bumpy rash which really irritated her. We suggested that she try the Urtica as the rash was perfect for indicating that. She was willing to try anything as she was feeling really miserable so she agreed to give it a go. What was fantastic was that she can back in two days later to inform us delightedly that her rash had completely cleared up and she was able to enjoy the weather again.

So don’t suffer with heat rash – natural remedies may be able to offer you some quick relief.