I have been sampling the Skin Doona range over the last week and have fallen in love with their creams. This skin care range is handmade, completely natural, full of love and extrememly high in active ingredients. The brains behind the brand, are gorgeous Jess Allen and Julie Christie. I met Jess 3 years ago in Tasmania when we both completed a manufacturing course at Pindari herb farm. Jess is a Herbalist and she showed alchemic abilities in Tasmania. I am so happy to see that her talents have hit the mainstream with the launch of Skin Doona.All my skincare is natural and organic – our skin easily absorbs chemicals and if you haven’t yet heard of sodium lauryl sulphate and its link to cancer you must have been hiding behind a rock! So, wherever possible, reduce your toxic load and keep your cosmetics and toiletries as natural as possible. Check out Cosmetics Database for all the inside information on your products.And, put your order in for beautiful Skin Doona products at their website. Let me know your favorite one – mine is the Silk Night Cream! Once again, I am passionate about supporting local, natural and sustainable products so let me know what you think of these.Emmaxxx
Acupuncture May Help Relieve Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Acupuncture and exercise may help women better handle the symptoms and risks that come with hormone imbalances caused by certain ovarian cysts, Swedish researchers report. I refer patients to an acupuncturist for many fertility issues and see wonderful results with this supportive therapy.About one in 10 women of reproductive age have polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition that can start in the teen years and cause irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. Small immature cysts on the ovaries disrupt hormone production, causing excessive secretion of testosterone, the male sex hormone. In addition to infertility, it can increase a woman’s odds of becoming obese and developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the study authors explained.While the syndrome’s cause remains mysterious, researchers believe it is linked to a highly active sympathetic nervous system, part of the body’s internal controls that regulate several functions one cannot willingly manage, such as how wide one’s pupils dilate.In the study, women with polycystic ovarian syndrome were separated into three groups: one group received regular electro-acupuncture, in which weak electric current is sent through the needles; another group was given heart-rate monitors and told to exercise three or more times per week; the last group was given no additional treatment or instructions. After a four-month period, women in the acupuncture and exercise groups ended up with lower sympathetic nervous system activity, though the acupuncture group received additional benefits, the researchers found.”Those who received acupuncture found that their menstruation became more normal. We could also see that their levels of testosterone became significantly lower, and this is an important observation, since elevated testosterone levels are closely connected with the increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system of women,” study author Elisabet […]
My Favorite Superfood – Edible Sea Vegetables
My Favorite Superfood – Edible Sea Vegetables Many different cultures with well developed traditions, intuitively incorporated sea vegetables into their diets for their unique nutritional and medicinal properties. The regular use of these sea vegetables adds an extra dimension to flavor but they are also a powerhouse of nutritional energy.Why would anyone want to eat sea vegetables? Because they offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean-the same minerals that are found in human blood. Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K, a very good source of the B-vitamin folate, and magnesium, and a good source of iron and calcium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and pantothenic acid. In addition, sea vegetables contain good amounts of lignans, plant compounds with cancer-protective properties.Wakame – grows in temperate waters and is raked from the ocean floor, graded and sun dired. Wakame strips need to be soaked for approximately 10 minutes and then cut into pieces. Remember that Wakame will expand up to 7 times its size! This is the type of sea vegetable that you will find in your miso soup.Arame – is hand selected and pre cooked for 7 hours to tenderize. Most are cut into thin strips and just needs to be boiled to 5 minutes before use. Arame has a mild taste so start with this one.Kombu – is dark sea kelp that is being raked from the ocean floor and sun dried. Rinse it well and soak for 10 minutes. Kombu is great to use as a stock and invaluable for reducing the gas causing side effect of beans. Just add a strip of Kombu when cooking […]
Maternal Folic acid & Iron linked to better baby survival
Taking folic acid and iron supplements during pregnancy may reduce infant mortality up to age 7, suggests new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Supplements of iron and folic acid reduced infant mortality by 31 per cent, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Furthermore, the supplements reduced the prevalence of low birth weight by 16 per cent and the prevalence of maternal anaemia during pregnancy and after the birth period by 50 per cent. “To our knowledge this is the first time the long-term effects of maternal iron-folic acid supplementation on childhood survival have been examined,” said lead researcher Parul Christian. “
“A reduction in mortality resulting from an intervention, such as iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, provides a new and previously unreported evidence of benefit to offspring during childhood,” added Christian.
There is a policy, but it isn’t working. About 40 per cent of pregnant women worldwide are estimated to be anaemic. Despite the existence of an international policy for antenatal iron-folic acid supplementation, women in many developing countries fail to receive the necessary micronutrients, say the researchers.
Almost 5,000 pregnant women in rural Nepal were recruited to take part in the randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Women were divided into five groups: One group received folic acid only, the second group received folic acid plus iron, the third received folic acid plus iron plus zinc, the fourth received multiple micronutrients, and the final group received vitamin A and acted as the control group.
Out of the 4,130 babies born alive, 209 died in the first 3 months and 8 were lost to follow-up. Of the 3,761 remaining, the researchers report that 150 died between the ages of 3 months […]
Maternal Folic acid&Iron linked to better baby survival
Taking folic acid and iron supplements during pregnancy may reduce infant mortality up to age 7, suggests new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Supplements of iron and folic acid reduced infant mortality by 31 per cent, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.Furthermore, the supplements reduced the prevalence of low birth weight by 16 per cent and the prevalence of maternal anaemia during pregnancy and after the birth period by 50 per cent. “To our knowledge this is the first time the long-term effects of maternal iron-folic acid supplementation on childhood survival have been examined,” said lead researcher Parul Christian. ““A reduction in mortality resulting from an intervention, such as iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, provides a new and previously unreported evidence of benefit to offspring during childhood,” added Christian.There is a policy, but it isn’t working. About 40 per cent of pregnant women worldwide are estimated to be anaemic. Despite the existence of an international policy for antenatal iron-folic acid supplementation, women in many developing countries fail to receive the necessary micronutrients, say the researchers.Almost 5,000 pregnant women in rural Nepal were recruited to take part in the randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Women were divided into five groups: One group received folic acid only, the second group received folic acid plus iron, the third received folic acid plus iron plus zinc, the fourth received multiple micronutrients, and the final group received vitamin A and acted as the control group.Out of the 4,130 babies born alive, 209 died in the first 3 months and 8 were lost to follow-up. Of the 3,761 remaining, the researchers report that 150 died between the ages of 3 months […]
Enzyme Activity Could Be Exacerbating Your PCOS
An elevated level of male hormones in your body can lead to infertility, excessive facial or body hair, hair thinning, acne and other problems associated with PCOS. The male hormone we mostly hear about is testosterone. However, the real culprit is dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT is the biologically active form of testosterone. DHT is formed when testosterone interacts with an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase.A recent study at the University of Birmingham in the UK showed that both overweight and normal-weight women with PCOS had higher 5-alpha-reductase activity than women who did not have PCOS.In other words, if you have polycystic ovary syndrome, it appears you also have a tendency for higher 5-alpha-reducase activity, when in turn makes it easier for you to convert testosterone into the undesirable DHT. The excessive levels of DHT in turn create some of the distressing symptoms of PCOS such as hair loss or facial and body hair growth.You can suppress 5-alpha-reductase activity with supplements or pharmaceuticals.One example of a supplement is saw palmetto extract, which inhibits 5-alpha-reductase. It is extracted from the berry of a small palm tree. The fruit of this palm have been part of the diet of natives of the south-eastern U.S. for hundreds of years. Saw palmetto extract does not have the side effects that pharmaceuticals may have.Pharmaceuticals commonly used to inhibit 5-alpha-reductase include spironolactone (Aldactone), and finasteride (Propecia, Proscar).Increased 5{alpha}-reductase activity and adrenocortical drive in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.Vassiliadi DA, Barber TM, Hughes BA, McCarthy MI, Wass JA, Franks S, Nightingale P, Tomlinson JW, Arlt W, Stewart PM.Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of BirminghamContext: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by hyperandrogenism, anovulation and susceptibility to the metabolic syndrome. Altered peripheral cortisol […]
Emma’s Favorite Cough Remedies
I would love to share with you some of my favourite herbs that I am using at the moment for this awful flu season. I am seeing many of my patients relapsing with acute infections not just once but up to three times!
I would encourage you to have a bottle of my flu tonic on hand and start dosing acutely as soon as you feel a sore throat or headache coming on.I have noticed clinically that there are 3 viral strains circulating at the moment and this is the summary of how the symptoms;
Gastro pre sensation with resolution within 48 hours
Sore throat, aching upper arms, seems to persist for a quite a while
Headache, dry cough with vomiting at the end of a coughing fit
Also, don’t forget about the relevance of having optimal vitamin D levels during the flu season – ask your GP to check your levels ASAP and supplement if necessary!
Herbal extracts can be highly effective for treating an acute cough and other common symptoms associated with upper respiratory tract infections such as a runny nose, sore throat and headache. They also have an excellent safety profile. It’s ironic that many pharmacy cough mixtures contain active principles that were originally of botanical origin, obvious examples being codeine (opium poppy), guaifenesin (the guaiacum plant) and pseudoephedrine (from ephedra).
And whilst the isolation and synthesis of these active principles has given us some very powerful medicines, it has also created a new set of problems: powerful effects matched by equally powerful and negative side effects. When high quality botanical extracts are used there is less likelihood of these problems occurring.
In the treatment of coughs and colds, herbal extracts do exert anti-tussive, expectorant and […]
Vitamin D Linked to C-Section Births
Caesarean section rates are at an all time high in Australia (28.8%) and the United States (30.2%). As vitamin D is crucial for proper muscle function, the researchers examined the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and caesarean section rates. Between 2005 and 2007, 253 women who gave birth in a Massachusetts hospital were found to be nearly four times more likely to have a caesarean section if their serum vitamin D levels were below 37.5nmol/L than those levels at 37.5nmol/L or greater. The authors concluded that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of caesarean section.Vitamin D has been receiving so much research over the last few years and this study demonstrates the broader functions of vitamin D. Absolutely insist that your vitamin D levels are monitored throughout pregnancy and supplement if necessary – remember that you need to use the D3 form!Association between vitamin D deficiency and primary caesarean section.Merewood A, Mehta SD, Chen TC, Bauchner H, Holick MF.Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, Boston University School of Medicine, and Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Centre, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.BACKGROUND: At the turn of the 20th century, women commonly died in childbirth due to rachitic pelvis. Although rickets virtually disappeared with the discovery of the hormone vitamin D, recent reports suggest vitamin D deficiency is widespread in industrialized nations. Poor muscular performance is an established symptom of vitamin D deficiency. The current U.S. caesarean birth rate is at an all-time high of 30.2%. We analysed the relationship between maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status, and prevalence of primary caesarean section. METHODS: Between 2005 and 2007, we measured maternal and infant serum 25(OH) D at birth and […]
New Infertility Treatments In the Near Future?
So, what do you think about the latest development in fertility research? Feel free to share with me your opinions – is this a positive breakthrough or is this going too far?Infertility treatments based on artificial sperm and eggs could be available within a decade as British research indicates it is possible to grow them from human embryonic stem (ES) cells.British scientists claimed to have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells for the first time, an accomplishment they say may someday help infertile men father children.The technique could in 10 years allow researchers to use the basic knowledge of how sperm develop to design treatments to enable infertile men the chance to have biological children, said lead researcher Karim Nayernia, of Newcastle University, whose team earlier produced baby mice from sperm derived in a similar way.The research, published in the journal Stem Cells and Development, was conducted by scientists at Newcastle and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute.Stem cells can become any cell in the body, and scientists have previously turned them into a variety of new entities, including cells from the brain, pancreas, heart and blood vessels.Some experts challenged the research, saying they weren’t convinced Nayernia and his colleagues had actually produced sperm cells. Several critics also said the sperm cells they created were clearly abnormal.“I am unconvinced from the data presented in this paper that the cells produced by Professor Nayernia’s group from embryonic stem cells can be accurately called ’spermatazoa,” said Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield.Pacey said in a statement that the sperm created by Nayernia did not have the specific shape, movement and function of real sperm.Azim Surani, a professor of physiology […]
Does the Amount of $ In Your Bank Account Affect Ovulation?
Does how much money you make and how educated you are have anything to do with polycystic ovary syndrome and lack of ovulation?That’s an interesting question that was investigated by a team at the University of Palermo in Italy, in a study of 244 women with PCOS.Surprisingly, 43% of the high income women appeared to be ovulating while only 21% of the low to medium income group were able to do so. Lower family income was also associated with higher body weight, waist circumference, insulin, and insulin resistance.The amount of education was even more startling. In those PCOS women with low education, only 12% were ovulatory PCOS compared with 47% of the individuals with high education status.So, working on insulin resistance and getting your weight in a healthy range is absolutely vital for supporting ovulation. I believe the reason that women who are on a lower income and not as highly educated have a lower ovulation rate is because they suffer from higher stress levels. There is plenty of research out there that shows the negative effect of stress on fertility. I want you to work really hard at reducing stress – why not try walking after dinner, talking to friends to express your troubles, have a relaxing cup of my Rejuvenation Tea or get a DVD of yoga and practice at home. These are all economical ways of reducing the negative effects of stress on your fertility.Influence of sociocultural factors on the ovulatory status of polycystic ovary syndrome.Di Fede G, Mansueto P, Longo RA, Rini G, Carmina E.Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of social and cultural differences inside the same ethnic group on the ovulatory […]
