Hello again! It’s hard to believe that it is August already! Where has this year gone? My little man is now 5 1/2 months old and sitting and chatting away when it just seems like yesterday he came into the world!
As always the year has been jam-packed with seminars and workshops to keep abreast of the latest research to share with you and incorporate into the clinic. Our most recent seminar focussed on fertility, preconception and pregnancy. When people come into the clinic for assistance in falling pregnant or with the consideration of becoming pregnant in the near future I often find it’s the women who seek out assistance and want to be in the best possible condition to conceive. When focusing on fertility and babies I like to see both prospective parents as it is both sets of genes that determine the pregnancy outcome. More and more research is showing that optimising the nutritional reserves of both Mum and Dad in the preconception period is paramount not only to ensure a successful pregnancy, but to optimise the health of the offspring during the neonatal period and for their entire life. Simple supplement options and some minor dietary and lifestyle modifications can go a long way in creating a healthy baby, not only with 10 fingers and 10 toes, but with a lower risk of serious chronic disease in adult life.
Winter Wellness
The very best protection against infection is a healthy immune system and although Winter might almost be finished, August is notorious for its colder temperatures, flu’s and Ekka winds. If your immune system is healthy it has a very good chance of fighting any type of infection so that illness does not occur or, if symptoms do occur the severity will be reduced. As always prevention is easier than cure and it is necessary that we go into winter as healthy as possible. This means having a healthy diet, regular exercise and plenty of rest and relaxation. These lifestyle factors are fundamental to optimal immune function. Adequate levels of vitamin C, zinc and many of the B Complex vitamins are necessary for healthy immunity.
Immune Enhancing Herbs
Apart from these fundamental necessities, there are many herbal medicines that can help to improve the immune system, thus avoiding or minimising infection. Perhaps the best known of these is Echinacea, which is one of the most commonly prescribed herbs by health professionals around the world. However, not all Echinacea products are the same. Patients will often say, “I have already tried Echinacea and it didn’t work”. What has to be asked in such situations is “which Echinacea product was used and how much was taken?” It often turns out that the patient was unknowingly taking a cheap low quality product or an ineffective dose.
The quality and dose issues are best illustrated by a clinical trial conducted in the USA. The product used was made from the roots of 2 Echinacea species, Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia. These are considered to be the most active species and their roots are the most potent part. Several doses were used in the trial, but it was found that only when the dose exceeded 2000 mg per day did regular use of Echinacea significantly prevent colds.
Apart from Echinacea there are many other herbs that are very beneficial for the prevention and treatment of winter infections. When treating winter infections, each individual’s requirements differ and in some cases a combination of herbs may be more beneficial for the prevention and treatment of winter infections.
Once a viral infection has taken hold it is often necessary to use a combination of immune enhancing herbs to bring about a quick recovery. Herbs such as Andrographis, Cat’s Claw and Sacred Basil can be very beneficial for the treatment of acute infections. As already discussed for Echinacea, quality of the herbs has to be high and the dosage needs to be correct for the individual and the type of infection.
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